#he also crucially does not work at the company anymore and left of his own accord

[mihotose]

anyway i feel tumblr's view on the zaum situation holds zero nuance and while its not like im an expert in ip law myself (obviously) i do think its disingenuous to present the situation as straightforwardly as "the creators want you to pirate the game." they still hold stock in the company; its just not majority stock which Allegedly has been bought out using the company's own funds from under them, which is the whole point of conflict

[obeyme-kaidii-writes]

Change

Mammon x gn!MC

Words - 4346

Content Warnings - angst, lots of fluff, happy endings, pre-relationship stuff (Mammon does call you ‘babe’ but I consider that a GN endearment)

Prompt/Inspiration - none

Summary -  You over hear Mammon talking to some demons at RAD, and both of you are forced to confront your feelings.

AO3

Classes had just finished at RAD, and you were heading towards the main gates to meet up with Satan so you could walk home together. Normally Mammon would escort you, but you had planned on staying after today to work on an assignment and told him not to wait for you. It worked out, however, that you had been able to finish your work during a free period in the library, so you got to leave early.

As you walked along, a familiar voice found its way to your ears and you broke out into a wide smile. Mammon was still at RAD and hadn’t left yet! Maybe he’d be able to join you on the way home? There was so much you had wanted to talk to him about, and you looked forward to this time together after every school day.

When you had first arrived here in the Devildom, your mere presence seemed to annoy him and he took advantage of every opportunity to dump you with his brothers and make himself scarce. But things had changed. Though he never said it, you were almost certain he was in love with you. His brothers would tease him about it regularly and it always left him so flustered and embarrassed.

And the truth was, you loved him too. Unconditionally. You knew how hard he tried to do the right thing, even if his plans often ended in disaster. And you admired how he was always looking out for his brothers, and didn’t even look for any acknowledgement - in fact, he preferred it that way. They didn’t know it was him who bought Levi’s new games when he had missed the preorder window, or that he had arranged for an entire truck load of Beel’s favorite pudding to be delivered after he had eaten the last cup that Beel had been saving. He had his reputation to maintain after all. And being thoughtful and considerate was not the look he was going for.

Mammon never failed to make you smile either. And while he was the biggest scaredy cat you had ever met (how was it even possible for demons to be scared of ghosts?), he always showed up to protect you when it mattered. Yeah, it stung sometimes when he’d intentionally keep his distance from you to avoid the teasing of his brothers, but you knew whenever you were alone with him that he treasured you more than anything.

These thoughts in mind, you quickened your pace and headed towards the sound of his voice.

“Hey Mammon, are you coming out with us tonight? That new club opened up.”

“Nah, ‘got babysittin’ duty tonight courtesy of Lucifer.”

“Babysitting duty? You’re still following that pathetic human around?”

You stopped dead in your tracks, rooted to the spot. The laughter of the other demons echoed in the now empty halls. You knew you should move. You needed to leave. This was not a conversation you should be listening to. And every fiber of your being said you should get out of there before you regret it. But still, you couldn’t get your feet to move.

“Ya know how it is. They’re so fragile. It’s not like I wanna be stuck with ‘em. But I can’t exactly let ‘em die either.”

“MC?”

You gave a small yelp as you spun around to find Satan behind you. It seemed you had taken too long to meet up with him so he had gone looking for you out of concern for your safety. You stared at him for a moment struggling to even process what he was doing there. But your brain was stuck on a loop of Mammon’s voice saying, “It's not like I wanna be stuck with ‘em,” on repeat over and over again.

“Um yeah, fine. See ya,” you numbly replied to Satan before you took off running. You just had to get back to your room. And now. Fast. You could feel your cheeks heating up and the pressure building behind your eyes. Just a little further, you thought, as you pushed yourself to run even harder than you knew you were capable of. Just a little further.

————

Satan stood there stunned. He had no idea why the hell you had taken off like that, nor had he understood your bizarre response when he had greeted you. Had he done something? He couldn’t think of anything since he hadn’t spoken to you since he saw you in the library earlier that afternoon.

That was when Mammon stuck his head out from around the corner. He could have sworn he heard your voice, but you were nowhere to be found. Weird. You had told him that he shouldn’t wait for you, but he had decided to anyway. The highlight of his day was walking home with you from school, so he wasn’t about to miss out on that just because you had to stay late. He had decided not to tell you, because he didn’t want to admit that out loud, but he had worked out the perfect cover story to explain why he would show up *just* as you were leaving RAD.

“Mammon.”

He jumped with a start before noticing Satan just on the other side of the corner.

“Holy crap. Why ya gotta sneak up on me like that?!”

“What. Did. You. Do.” Satan replied, emphasizing every word. He didn’t know what Mammon had said or done, but there was no way his presence and your sudden absence were unrelated. He couldn’t be sure, but he knew his brother well enough to know he had doubtless said something he shouldn’t have.

“Do?! I have no idea whattya talkin’ about! Honest! I was just hangin’ out with some friends. I swear!”

“Then why did MC take off running?”

“They WHAT?!”

Mammon’s face blanched. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. There was no way you had overheard him right? Nah, you couldn’t have. He would have known you were there. You would have said hi at least. You always said hi. Yeah Satan had to be mistaken. That couldn’t possibly be why you had left.

But try as he might to convince himself he wasn’t to blame - Mammon knew. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he knew. That sinking feeling in his stomach was proof enough for him.

“Fix it,” said Satan, narrowing his eyes at Mammon, “Fix it or I tell Lucifer.” And with that he walked off to find you to make sure you had gotten home safely, despite his idiot of a brother. Why you enjoyed Mammon’s company was beyond him. But he knew how happy the scumbag made you, for better or worse, and that was the only reason he wasn’t giving Mammon a public thrashing right now. He at least had to give him a chance to talk to you, for your sake.

————

You weren’t sure how long you had been asleep when you heard a knock at your door. You weren’t in any condition to talk to anyone right now, so you hoped if you just laid there quietly for long enough they’d assume you were still asleep and leave.

But this wasn’t just anyone knocking at your door. It was Mammon. The most persistent demon in the entire Devildom, that also lacked that crucial ability to read a room and know when to leave well enough alone.

“HEY! MC! I know you’re in there. I gotta talk to ya. Open up.”

You let out a heavy sigh, and rose from your bed to go open the door. You knew better than most that there was no getting rid of Mammon at this point. He had decided to talk to you, so talk to you was what he was going to do, and you knew he was likely to break down the door itself if you made him wait too long.

So, without a word, you let him inside.

Before you had even had time to sit down on the edge of your bed, he had launched into a long winded, frantic explanation and apology. He had been joking. He didn’t mean it. You know how he is. He gets nervous.

“Mammon. It’s ok.”

He stopped mid sentence and took a good look at you. You certainly did not look ok. Your eyes were red. There were still dried tears staining your cheeks. Your hair was a disaster. There was no way you were ok, not while you looked like that.

Feeling a bit self conscious, you ran your fingers through your hair to hopefully at least get the tangles out, and flatten the lumps. It was probably a useless gesture, but you still had to try if you wanted Mammon to stop staring at you any time soon.

“You don’t look ok.”

Of course, trust Mammon to state the obvious. You couldn’t help but laugh a little. This was one of the things you had loved about him after all. It was part of his charm.

“Um thanks? I guess? I just meant you didn’t have to worry about me anymore. It’s ok. I got it.”

“Whattya talkin’ about?! What do you get?? You haven’ even listened ta me yet!”

You gave Mammon a small smile. He was trying so hard to figure this out and talk to you. You just had to appreciate that. You knew how difficult it was for him to articulate things sometimes, and talking about his feelings with you was particularly challenging for him.

“Look, I was being foolish. I got caught up in my own thoughts and began to expect things I shouldn’t, and I put pressure on you that you didn’t need. But I’ve cleared my head now and found a new perspective so you don’t have to worry. Honest. I’ll get Beel to start walking with me. It’ll be fine.”

Mammon was stunned. He had no idea what you were carrying on about. You expected things? You pressured him? When have you ever done that? The only thing you ever expected of him was for him to be himself, and he naturally just wanted to be the best version of himself he could for you. He wanted to make you proud of him. The fact that you never pressured him to change was one of the things he loved about you too. You accepted him and all his flaws, and you were always there to help him out of a tight spot or encourage him when he was feeling out of sorts.

And he loved you so much it hurt. Even though he knew he could never tell you, and knew you would never return his feelings, he still wanted to spend every second he could with you and make you smile so much you’d never forget him.

You sighed again. You could tell Mammon wasn’t understanding what you were saying. You had tried to avoid saying it directly because your emotions were still raw, but it looked like you had no choice but to rip off the bandaid and just get it all out there. Otherwise who knew how long it would take for him to understand?

“I love you, Mammon.”

Well, that was not what he was expecting.

“I love you very much. More than I thought possible. But I realize that I was projecting my feelings onto you and reading into things more than I should. Even though I had no reason to believe you felt the same, I still convinced myself you did. And I treated you like we were more than just friends. I shouldn’t have done that and put pressure on you. So, I’m sorry.”

You had been staring at your hands while you spoke, so you didn’t see when Mammon’s face flushed scarlet or when a few tears leaked out from the corners of his eyes. You also didn’t notice that he was about to wrap you up in the tightest, bone crushing hug of your life.

“I love you too,” he whispered, “so so much.”

By now you were laying flat on your back on your bed after being tackled by Mammon, practically immobilized as he buried his face into your neck and confessed his love to you. With what limited motion you had, you managed to wrap one of your arms around his back, rubbing it gently as he cried tears of happiness.

Now it was your turn to be at a loss for words. He loved you? You had realized when you had overheard him talking to his school friends that he was just being his usual awkward self. That wasn’t really what had upset you, not on its own at least. It wasn’t the first time he had said similar things to cover up his own embarrassment and you had gotten used to speaking “Mammon.”

No, what had gotten to you was the fact that you were forced to face the idea that you were nothing more than a friend to him. That was all you’d ever be. You’d finish up what remained of your year here, then you’d get sent back to the human realm, and he’d carry on with his life until he was introduced to a new exchange student whom he’d have to look after.

You weren’t his partner. He was never going to walk hand in hand with you through the halls of RAD, proudly showing you off to any demon that looked his way. That was all just a fantasy you had cooked up in your head due to your own loneliness and desire for love.

But now he was telling you that he loved you, and your brain was struggling to catch up with your heart, which had already started to run wild. All that work you had done convincing yourself to be more logical and not jump to conclusions was quickly unraveling. He loves you. He really loves you.

You wanted to give him a better hug, so you tried to wiggle your other arm free that was currently pinned to your side underneath him. But his grip on you only tightened, afraid you were about to push him away or take back what you said.

“Mammon, babe, can you at least let me hug you?”, you asked with a smirk as you tried to turn your head to face him, wiggling your arm again and hoping he’d get the message.

“Oh!”

He jumped back slightly, afraid he had been hurting you, which only made you laugh. With your arm now free you adjusted your position, returning his hug with one of your own, holding him as tightly and closely as possible. You leaned your head against his, giving him a small kiss by his ear, and repeated what you had said earlier - “I love you.”

Mammon pulled back a bit, trying to get a better view of your face. Now that he was calmer, he really wanted to get a good look at you. He wanted to be sure he wasn’t dreaming and that he wasn’t hallucinating. He needed to see you speak and hear those words as they left your lips.

“Say it again.”

“I love you.”

And with that, he proceeded to give you the best kiss you had ever had in your life.

————

Mammon was playing with your hair as you slept curled up by his side, your head resting on his chest. Your legs were tangled together with his, and he loved how close he was able to hold you now.

Part of his mind was still convinced this was all some sort of weird fever dream. Nothing this good ever happened to him. Maybe he’d score big at a casino sometime, but that paled in comparison to being able to hold you in his arms now. You really were all his. He didn’t have to share you with anyone, and if he didn’t like how another demon looked at you, well, he would just have to kiss you right in front of them to show them who you belonged to.

That thought made him chuckle. Who you belonged to? Pfft. You didn’t belong to anyone. If anything, he belonged to you. He had since the first day you met, though it took him a long time to admit it. But look at him now. He finally got to tell you how he felt, and he didn’t have to hide it from you anymore.

“What are you thinking about?”

Mammon’s hand stilled, “Sorry, did I wake ya?”

“No, I’ve been awake for awhile now. Just enjoying the peace and quiet I guess.” You gave him a squeeze with the arm that was around his chest. This was definitely a good way to wake up, and you hoped you’d be able to spend many more moments like this together with him.

“Well, I should probably head back to my room. It’ll be time for breakfast soon and the last thing I need is Lucifer’s naggin’ first thing in the morning.”

You whined and buried your face into his chest. You weren’t ready for him to leave yet.

Seeing you like that made Mammon impossibly happy. How could you be so cute? It shouldn’t be allowed. You shouldn’t be able to make him feel this loved just by clinging to him either.

You whined again, realizing that he was right. And as much as you wanted for this moment to continue and to never have to leave this bed again, there were still some questions that had to be answered before he left, and you realized you couldn’t avoid them any longer.

“So umm...about yesterday…”

“Yeah? What about it?”

“Do you...umm…What do you intend to tell your friends?”

“My friends? Tell ‘em about what?”

“Me.”

Oh. Right. He forgot about that. Or more like he tried to forget. It had been sitting at the back of his mind since he woke up and realized he needed to go to school today. He had seriously considered just running off with you and trying to convince you that today was the perfect day for a trip, just to avoid having to deal with it.

Nothing had really been resolved yesterday. He knew that. After he kissed you, the two of you had just crawled into bed together to cuddle with some random movie playing in the background. The idea had been to watch the movie together, but all y’all had ended up doing was giggling and kissing and being generally silly, until you fell asleep in each other’s arms.

“Mammon?”

His silence was making you nervous, so you propped yourself up to get a better look at him. It was too dark to make out any details of his expression, but you could tell that he was lost in thought and not really looking at you.

“Mammon?”, you called his name again, and this time he responded by giving you a gentle squeeze with the arm that had settled around your shoulder.

“Do we really need to tell them anythin’? I mean, it’s not like they are really my friends ya know? Just some demons I hang around with at RAD.”

You may have been a bit drowsy earlier, but now you were wide awake. You sat up so your legs were hanging over the edge of the bed, with your back to Mammon. You were so foolish. So incredibly foolish. Why oh why did you not stick to your guns and push him away when you had the chance yesterday? How could you be so stupid as to actually confess to him? Hadn’t you been trying to create some distance?

It didn’t matter how deeply you loved each other. That wouldn’t change the fact that Mammon cared a great deal about how he was perceived by others. It didn’t matter if those people (or demons) would never see him again. He could tell you all day about how little those not-really-friends of his meant to him, but when it came down to it he still cared about what they thought and feared their rejection.

And you knew this about him. For all his passion and kindness and sincerity - he was only ever like that around you, when you were alone. And that wasn’t going to change anytime soon, and it wasn’t fair of you to expect him to change for you either.

“Babe? Ya alright?”

Mammon was sitting up now too, and had wrapped his arms around your waist from behind, placing one leg on either side of you so that you were essentially sitting in his lap. He kissed the back of your neck, and gave you a moment to reply.

He knew what was coming though. You knew him better than anyone. And he was painfully aware of this glaring personality flaw of his that was getting in the way of your relationship ever going forward.

You would never ask him to change, that wasn’t the sort of person you were. But you also realized that there wasn’t a future for you and Mammon, a future of any kind, if you couldn’t live your life openly and had to try to hide, minimize, or even flat out deny your relationship a good deal of the time. Or worse, listen to him deny he even cared.

Mammon rested his forehead against the back of your shoulder. I guess that’s it, he thought to himself. He had true happiness within his sight, and then messed it up like he always messed up everything. What he wouldn’t give to be able to change this about himself. Or for him to be anyone else, really. Someone that wasn’t a total waste of space that could actually make you happy and give you everything you deserved.

There wasn’t anything else to say at this point, so Mammon planted one last kiss to the back of your head, breathing in your scent and trying to commit it to memory, before slipping out of bed and finally returning to his room.

————

Today had sucked. Really and truly sucked. The morning had started off with so much promise, but that was all over before breakfast had even begun.

Despite the fact that you and Mammon had finally made your feelings known to each other, both of you realized that being in an actual relationship would be impossible. You just wanted different things, and these weren’t things that he was able to give you.

You heaved a sigh and rested your forehead on your desk. Why couldn’t today be over already? Or maybe the floor could just swallow you up? That could work too, you thought.

The ear splitting screech of static jarred you out of your thoughts. Your hands flew to your ears as you sat bolt upright, looking around the room for the source of this hellish noise.

“Hey hey, is this thing on? It’s on right?”

“Yes it’s on you idiot! Everyone can hear you!”

Mammon…? And...Levi…? The screech of the speakers had finally stopped, and instead the sound of their bickering filled the halls. What on earth could these two possibly be doing? Why was Levi even at RAD in the first place? He was heading to his room to work on his online classes when you left this morning.

“Oi! Listen up! Consider this an official RAD announcement from The Great Mammon!”

You could hear Levi groan in the background as Mammon carried on with the theatrics. You still hadn’t figured out what they were up to, but you knew it wasn’t “Lucifer approved” that’s for sure.

“MC, I hope ya listen’ ‘cause I’m only goin’ ta say this once!”

All the eyes in your classroom were now focused on you, and you blushed furiously under the scrutiny. What the everloving hell did Mammon think he was doing? Didn’t you say all you needed to say this morning? What could he possibly want at this point?

“I love ya. Ya hear that? The Great Mammon loves ya.”

————

You weren’t even sure at what point you had stood up or left your classroom, but you were now tearing through the halls trying to find the source of the magically amplified speaker that filled every square inch of the RAD campus with the sounds of Mammon’s love confession.

It wasn’t like they had a traditional speaker system hooked up to a switchboard. If they did, you would have just made a beeline for that. But now you had to find where Mammon and Levi had decided to hide to keep Lucifer from finding them long enough for Mammon to complete his speech.

You didn’t have to search for long though, because you soon heard the sound of Lucifer’s voice echoing through the halls as well. He had found Mammon, and was putting an end to this. With Lucifer on the scene though, you knew that meant your odds of finding Mammon had shot up exponentially. He’d probably haul the pair of mischievous demons to the student council room, so you started running in that direction as fast as your legs could carry you.

As you rounded one final corner, you skidded to a halt, watching Lucifer dragging Mammon along, while Mammon tried to convince his brother to go easy on him.

“Mammon!” you yelled.

He and Lucifer both turned to face you, equally shocked to see you there at the end of the hall, panting heavily as you tried to catch your breath. Soon you were running again, tears streaming down your face as you were overcome with emotion at finally having found him. As if you had done this hundreds of times before, Mammon opened his arms to you and you all but leapt into them, wrapping your arms around his neck and squeezing him as tight as you possibly could.

“I love you,” you choked out in between ragged breaths and sobs, “so much.”

“I know. I love ya too. You don’t hafta worry. No more hidin’. Now everyone knows I belong to you and that you’re mine.”

[celestep]

okay I found an older snippet and I may be considering...writing again??

If I do write more, I think it would have to be AU but here's an older snippet that is not!

Note: Even though this is a Jily snippet, it's a convo between Lily and Sirius

“Oi! Evans!”

Lily hardly registered the sound of her name. She had been in a terrible fog recently, and the lack of sleep certainly wasn’t helping.

“Evans! Lily Evans!”

She stopped walking and turned to see Sirius Black jogging towards her.

“Something I can do for you, Black?” She asked flatly.

“What are you up to right now?” He asked, by way of answering her question.

“Er, free period. Was going to try to catch up on reading for Charms...”

“You mean, like you tried to this morning before breakfast? I’m pretty sure you spent an hour on the same paragraph.”

“Did Potter tell you that? Or has watching me silently become a group activity?”

“James will be delighted and embarrassed to know you’ve clocked that, so cheers. I’d be happy to make the case for my best mate and to explain his creepy new choice of courtship, but that’s not why I’m here.” Sirius rattled off, smirking.

“Oh? And why are you here?” Lily asked, slightly exasperated.

“You need to have a laugh with a mate. Or a deep conversation with a mate. Whatever you want, really. I just know you’ve been a real mess lately,” he paused slightly, perhaps expecting a telling off. All he got was a slight shrug of agreement from Lily. “And I know what it’s like, being a real mess. And I know that what you need is to spend your free period with a mate.”

“And have you brought me one? Perhaps your best mate?”

“Ah no, James would be rubbish right now. We voted and your mate is me!”

“You. You, Sirius Black, are going to pal around with me?” Lily asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You are aware we hardly speak, aren’t you, Black?”

“Yes, yes, that point was made. I certainly thought Remus would be the clear choice, but it was an unanimous decision by the end. We were meant to be friends, Evans.”

“Oh, really?” Lily asked, putting her book in her bag. “Also...unanimous? Remus voted? For you?”

“Once again, I, too, was surprised, but now you’re stuck with me, Evans. So you should decide what you’re more in the mood for, complete distraction or deep conversation?”

“Is my Charms reading an option?”

“Nope!” Sirius said grinning. “Although we could flip a coin, if you’re terribly torn.”

“Ah, tempting. But no, I suppose I pick deep conversation, as I hardly trust whatever you have up your sleeve as a distraction. Although, if we’re to have a deep conversation, may I request a butter beer, or perhaps something stiffer.”

“Miss Evans!” Sirius gasped in mock indignation. “I am shocked that you would dare ingest alcohol before classes are done for the day.”

“I mean, I only have history of magic left. While I usually wouldn't, I hardly feel that sobriety is crucial. If anything, being a little tipsy might make class slightly more interesting.”

“Positively scandalous.” Sirius said, grinning at her. She smiled back despite herself. “Lucky for you, Miss Prefect, I happen to have a wee bit of fire whiskey on me at the moment.”

He reached into his rucksack and paused for a moment, staring hard at Lily.

“This isn’t some trick where you’ll write me up after, is it?”

“No,” Lily smiled again. “Although I reserve the right to write you up depending on how this goes.”

“Ah, fair enough. No faith in me whatsoever.”

“Not no faith. Just well-informed faith. Faith on top of a first-hand knowledge of your previous behavior.” Lily teased.

“Yes, yes. I’ve been very bad. I’m well aware.” Sirius said, handing a flask over to Lily. The flask had been a Christmas present from Peter and Sirius had taken to carrying it everywhere, although this was the first time in months he’d actually broken it out to drink. Lily took a long swig and made a scrunched up face.

“Oh, Merlin,” she sputtered, passing the flask back. Sirius took a drink and, to Lily’s enjoyment, made an equally silly face. He passed it back to her and they walked out to the courtyard together, passing the flask back and forth and laughing at each other’s attempts to drink with any dignity.

“Okay. So what’s been going on with you lately?” Sirius asked, offering her the final sip from the flask. He watched as she took the flask and paused, sighing deeply before throwing her head back to finish the drink off. She cringed and shook her head.

“Where to start?” She asked, laughing drily. “Er, well. I have no friends. Well, you know that or you wouldn’t be here.”

Sirius thought about jumping in to contradict her but decided to wait and see if she’d keep talking.

“Let’s see, my sister hates me. I’m absolute crap at transfiguration. And our world seems to be pretty much headed into straight out war, so there’s that.”

Sirius nodded and looked at her. “Okay,” he said. “Now, some of that is definitely true. But, and I mean this with the utmost deference to your own experience, you know some of that is total rubbish.”

“We are definitely heading into a war-“

“Oh, yeah, that’s true.” Sirius said. “Sorry, I’ll clarify. You do have friends, although I will concede that you’ve lost your best mate, and that - despite my...opinion of him - is bloody awful. And you’re not absolute crap at Transfiguration.”

Lily laughed a little, in spite of herself. She looked down and asked quietly, “It is bloody awful.”

Sirius simply nodded and waited. She was amazed at how easy it was to talk to him and felt that it couldn’t be solely due to the fire whiskey.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret cutting ties with him. I don’t care how shit the two of you can be to him, no amount of provocation should have made him say what he said. And we’re not going to be in school much longer - soon the sides we’ve picked aren’t just about who we sit with, they’re life or death. Especially for me.” She sat in silence for a moment. “And it wasn’t a healthy relationship. Not for a long time. You know, he always made me feel a little foolish for wanting to be friends with anyone in Gryffindor. It’s why - you’re wrong, you know. Alice and Mary and Marlene and all them, they aren’t my friends. I mean, I like them and they like me but they’re a group. They’re friends and I’m just... there.”

“To mimic my best mate for a moment, you, Lily Evans, are never just there. You may not be close with them but everyone wants to be friends with you. You’re almost irritatingly likable. They’ve just been waiting for you to ask.”

“My goodness. Sirius Black, that sounded like a compliment.”

“Eh, you don’t spend as much time with James as I do and not wind up with some favorable opinions of you. And, er, if you don’t mind my saying so, he’s a pretty clear solution to your transfiguration problem. He’s top in the year there and a pretty good teacher as long as you can keep him in line, which obviously you have no issue with.”

“Well yes, I did think about asking Potter but he’s been - as I mentioned before - rather quiet lately. He, er.... he stares quite a bit. But he hasn’t spoken to me since, well, last year at the lake.”

Lily glanced at Sirius to see if she could read his expression. She hadn’t meant to broach the subject but she felt as though Potter was scared of her. While she certainly didn’t miss his constant badgering for her to go out with him, she didn’t enjoy this other extreme. James was in every class with her and best friends with one of the few people she felt remotely close to anymore. Two of them, now, I suppose, She thought to herself. Sirius seemed to be debating saying something. Lily shook her head lightly.

“They’ve just been waiting for me to ask? What does that mean? I just walk up to Mary MacDonald and say, ‘Hullo there, Mary. I’m finally ready to be close with you all. You may welcome me into your friend group now’?”

Sirius laughed “Well first of all, I’d lead with McKinnon. I’d say you could probably lose the speech and maybe, I dunno, just sit with her in Potions.”

“Sit with Marlene in Potions.”

“Yeah, well. I happen to know that Marlene is a bit desperate for a new Potions partner. That’s one of the classes Mary and Alice are partners for. Marlene used to sit with Worthington, but he’s started seeing that other Ravenclaw, Florence something, so now they want to sit together. But Marlene doesn’t want to get stuck with anyone who’s naff at Potions.”

Lily blinked. “I didn’t realize there was so much to know about our seating in Potions. How do you know all this?”

“Partially because I get bored easily, partially because Marlene and I have gotten a bit, er, closer recently.”

“Ah, I see.” Lily grinned. “And why haven’t you partnered up with her, then?”

“As I said,” Sirius grinned back. “She doesn’t want someone who’s naff at Potions. I’m easily distracted. She likes to actually, you know, work. Like a certain swotty Prefect I know...” He waggled his eyebrows at Lily and she smiled.

“All right. I’ll sit with Marlene in Potions.”

“Excellent. One problem solved.”

“Indeed.”

“Now I don’t know much about your sister,” Sirius said, changing the subject and leaning against the nearest arch. Lily was a bit surprised that he’d circled back to her family before the unfinished discussion of James Potter. “But I do know a lot about hateful family members. So while I can’t necessarily fix this one, I can at least commiserate.”

“Ah, yes. Of course that’s why Remus voted for you.”

“It certainly was.”

“Remus always says an unsolvable problem is only tolerable with company. And I know how frustrating he finds venting to someone who can’t, er, fully relate. I think he once said ‘empathy can only go so far’ on a particularly snippy day.”

“Ah,” Sirius said, narrowing his eyes for a moment. Lily realized he was trying to suss out how much she knew about Remus.

“Though I imagine it’s a little easier to find someone else with a contentious family life than someone who could, you know, fully relate to Remus.”

“So you do know.” Sirius said, suddenly a little uncertain and untrusting. “Snape told you, I suppose?”

“Oh I guessed long before and, to be fair, he never actually confirmed it. I was sure you all knew I knew!”

“You guessed it?” Sirius sounded half impressed, half terrified.

“Don’t worry, I truly don’t think anyone else has. It took Sev forever to get there and he was working at it for ages. Although I will admit he may have gotten it a bit faster had I not been throwing him off course a bit. But still,” she continued, eager to reassure Sirius, “I have never heard anyone else so much as suspect. Most people just feel badly about his mum and don’t want to bring it up. Right clever choice If you ask me.”

“How did you guess? When did you guess? And why on earth would you think we knew?” Sirius sputtered.

“To answer your first two questions, I had a bit of a crush on Remus during fourth year. We sat together in Ancient Runes, and we studied together,” she found herself blushing slightly even though she hadn’t fancied Remus in years. Sirius looked deeply amused but mostly still focused on how she uncovered such a secret. “And, as I was perhaps a tad more focused on him, I noticed that his mum’s illness always lined up with the full moon. And then I noticed a new scar and put together a pretty good guess. I wasn’t quite certain until fifth year, because we do our rounds together. He was always weak and sick before the moon and often injured after. And I assumed you knew because I cover for him whenever the full moon comes up. I mean, I didn’t think you all thought I was suddenly happy to lie to McGonagall and Dumbledore for no reason.”

“Er, no. I mean, I suppose Remus was a little surprised at first but then James wouldn’t shut up about how ‘of course you’d cover because you’re a great friend and how lucky Remus was to have you as a friend and on and on’ so we just never brought it up again.”

Lily blushed a little again, and prayed Sirius didn’t notice. He did.

[stargazetheseries]

OPEN CASTING CALL FOR STARGAZE: “THE PILOT” EPISODE & TRAILER VISIT: https://stargazetheseries.com/casting-call/ FOR DETAILS OR READ BELOW: A Borken Creative Production Sept 27, 2021 STARGAZE is a queer campy sci-fi adventure short-form adventure series intended for OTT. Executive Producers: Jill Golick, Carrie Cutforth Director: Regan Latimer Writer: Carrie Cutforth Union: ACTRA TORONTO (NEW MEDIA) Shoot: The pilot will begin shooting for 5 to 6 days between October 25-Nov 17th, 2021 Location: Toronto STORYLINE: A disparate group of rookie oddballs join an elite squad commissioned to save the Queerverse (from itself) only to discover the STARGAZE program is a sham make-work initiative to keep the crew from rocking the boat by sending them out on a fool’s quest (led by two elder queer chaperones who despise each other). Think: A 2SLGBTQIA+ The Facts Of Life meets The Breakfast Club in space! *BIPOC STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY **MUST BE 18+ TO SUBMIT EVEN IF CHARACTER IS LISTED AS YOUNGER THE STARTGAZE RECRUITS: SAF RON (she/her): Character is 20, cisgender woman, lesbian, open to all ethnicities; some physical comedy required. LEAD. Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, Saf joins STARGAZE with high expectations. If the adults won’t save the day, she will… and finally get the credit she deserves! But can this lone wolf learn to connect with others, stop being a control freak, relax her unreasonably high expectations of others (and herself), and step into the leadership role for which she is destined? First, she’ll have to stop seeing anyone getting in her way as a mustache-twirling villain, learn to see her crewmates’ value, accept help, and open herself up vulnerably. Gets apoplectic when mad; Has a knack for creating very convoluted protest chants that no one can follow. WHIT SPRINKLES (he/him): Character is 19, cisgender man, gay, open to all ethnicities. Must be able to walk elegantly in high heels. LEAD. A social media influencer famous for his snarky and bitter ’reads,’ charismatic Whit has developed a parasocial relationship with his stans. Living life performing in the spotlight from a very young age, Whit has no idea who he really is, what his real interests are, or his beliefs outside of what his analytics tell him: “My fans are gonna love this!” Only joining STARGAZE under pressure from his stans, his inability to forge true intimate connections is exacerbated by his relationship with his mother/manager Mumsy Sprinkles, a talentless hack/narcissistic stage mother living her dreams through her kid. If Whit was a meme he would be: ‘Bitch, I dun give a fuck!’ But he does, indeed, give a fuck. ESSA T. HATCH (they/them): Character is 18, non-binary or agender, asexual, demiromantic, neurodivergent, open to all ethnicities. LEAD. Adorkable Essa is an introvert who doesn’t really ‘get’ people. The explorer among the crew with an engineering mind and a love of mapping places and spaces, they know every nook and cranny of the ship and are usually the first to forge ahead (i.e. wander off) on every expedition. Essa mostly wants to be left alone to their own devices because they actually prefer their own company (neurotypicals can be so exhausting!). This normally wouldn’t be such a problem except Essa was pressured to join STARGAZE to make friends and widen their social net out of parental concern (‘We won’t be around forever, Essa!’). Loves to knit, make Venn diagrams of relationships; speaks in emojis when emotionally drained. LEW D’SHUS (he/him): Character is 21, transgender man or transmasculine, pansexual, open to all ethnicities. LEAD. When babelicious Lew looks at you with his rapt attention and dreamy eyes, you feel like the only person in the ‘verse until his short attention span snaps away and he forgets you’re there. “Good vibes, only!” Lew will gladly give you your Tarot card reading, but not before taking the negative cards out first. With his strict ‘the universe is love, we are love,’ mantra, Lew never wants anyone to feel bad even when they are deadass wrong! His philosophy of

appeasement can cause conflict amongst the crew and his inability to take sides in crucial moments will often put them in danger. No, we cannot just hug everything out, Lew! CHRYSTRAH SNU (she/her): Character is 17 (must be 18+ to apply), cis-gender woman, identifies as ‘queer’ but just figuring it all out. LEAD. Chrystrah is a fresh-off-the-belt queer who has arrived with big expectations: ‘I’m here, I’m queer! Direct me to my spot on the rainbow carpet!’ The trauma of her homophobic upbringing has left Chrystrah without any real sense of self; her identity loosely held together like a fragile cracked egg. Any criticism, no matter how gentle, feels like an attack, causing Chrystrah to act abrasive, territorial, and defensive. She is always overcompensating in big bombastic ways because she feels so inadequate for not knowing the right words, behaviours, and codes. She is jealous of Saf (some might say obsessed) who does seem to get it all right. Fiercely loyal, Chrystrah is the first to run headlong into danger to save someone. She has a steep learning curve ahead. THE ELDER QUEER CHAPERONES: BAE TORGA (she/her): Character is late 30’s-early 40’s, cisgender woman, bisexual, bipolar, open to all ethnicities. PRINCIPAL. A war hero (or war criminal depending on who you ask), Bae sees STARGAZE as an opportunity to redeem herself in the eyes of former mentor and friend Oracle Cain. She is someone who struggles with self-loathing and self-doubt even though she’s spent her adulthood righting her past wrongs and reining in her bipolar disorder, which contributed to her past rash and reckless mistakes. Possessing a tough, gruff demeanor, Bae is outwardly sardonic but really a bleeding heart who holds back out of fear that any demonstration of affection and empathy will be seen as a commitment. ORACLE CAIN (she/her): Character is middle-aged or older, transgender woman, ambulatory wheelchair user or wheelchair user, open to all ethnicities. *Note, as this is sci-fi, younger than middle age may apply. PRINCIPAL. A founding figure of the Queerverse, Oracle has done her service, done her duty, and now she’s done. She wants a peaceful existence to guard her limited energy and manage her physical pain. Instead, she’s pulled out of retirement to command a ship full of bickering youths. She also has to contend with spoiled brat and former colleague Bae reminding her of the past that Oracle is trying hard to forget. But duty is duty and it’s not like complaining ever got her anywhere. Talking to Oracle can feel like playing a chess game where the aloof commander is always five steps ahead: you never quite know where you stand with her. ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS ELP WHIPP (they/them or xe/xem): Character is middle-aged or older, gender-fluid, open to all ethnicities. Leader of the coalition of non-profit planets (each with its own conflicting Gay Agenda) that rule the Queerverse, Elp Whipp is a career bureaucrat/bean-counter who often gets caught in the trappings of their own political web — meaning much of nothing ever gets accomplished and progress is never made. Elp will appear throughout the series in that ‘Dean of the school’ role, occasionally showing up to demand overdue reports, warn the crew that their funding is at risk, and generally throw a wrench in the works. CARDIGAN JACK (she/her): Character is 30s, cis-woman, lesbian, open to all ethnicities. Cardigan Jack is a ‘pussy-hat’ wearing neo-liberalist feminist with a pirate vibe. She is the ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ of TERFs, and Saf Ron’s nemesis. TO SUBMIT: Borken Creative is committed to diverse and inclusive casting. For every role, please submit qualified performers without regard to disability, race, age, colour, sexual orientation or gender identity, or any other basis prohibited by law, unless otherwise specifically indicated, subject to legitimate casting directives. DEADLINE: Oct 8, 2021 EMAIL: casting@stargazetheseries.com. SUBJECT LINE: Character(s) Role, Performer’s First and Last Name, pronouns. BODY OF EMAIL: Please provide contact info including phone number.

Please confirm you are 18 or over in the body of email if applying for a Stargaze recruit character. Submit headshot and resume as attachments to casting@stargazetheseries.com. Resume should be in a scannable text file format (such as .doc, .pdf, .txt). First round selects will be invited to submit either a video clip audition or zoom audition invite. Only successful candidates will be contacted.

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[lia-jones]

Growing Together - Chapter 18 - What We Leave Behind

“Listen carefully, my love. You don’t get a say about your life. You don’t get a say about that baby’s life. You don’t even get to decide where you go. I’m the one who decides who stays and who goes, and I decide who gets to live. Let me tell you what I have decided.”

I tried to focus on the file again, trying to let the numbers printed on it grab me. It was useless, I couldn’t concentrate on work. I put the file aside and turned on the TV. I let my eyes zone out on the image, I had no idea what was on. My mind was somewhere else already.

Victor didn’t tell me much about the conversation he had with Gavin after the double date, acting evasive every time I asked, trying to distract me with other subjects. I knew that I wouldn’t get a lot from him, at best a censored version of the truth, so I went straight to the horse’s mouth. I called Mia. Although she seemed very uncomfortable talking about it, most likely coached by Victor to keep silent about it, I managed to pull from her whatever I needed to know.

Apparently, Daniel had seen the article about my engagement and planned his crime very carefully. He bribed one of the caterer workers to gain entrance to the venue, posing as paparazzi. He climbed the tree next to the reception tent, and waited, rifle in hand, hiding from the commotion. His plan was to shoot me as we entered the reception tent, and then run to his hotel room and kill himself. If not for Mia’s careful eye for details, spotting some of the tree decorations fallen on the ground, and if not for her cool head, calling Gavin discreetly and sending us away from danger without as much as a peep, I would have been dead. I owed Mia my life. From that moment on, I was more than willing to give her any interview, any article she could ask for, without hesitation. She was the reason Victor still had a wife, and I lived to see the day I would become a mother. She was the reason Daniel was in prison, unable to hurt me anymore.

It didn’t really surprise me that Daniel would try something. To be honest, I was more appalled as to how I could forget about him. The last time I had seen Daniel, I had faced him for once and practically humiliated him, and Victor had made some very real threats. Obviously he wouldn’t just quit, especially now that his ego was hurt. He wasn't the kind of person to just let that go.

Despite my best efforts to build myself a new life, Daniel had become my curse and I would never be able to get rid of him. It was like I had been invisibly branded, and every time I would find relief and happiness, he would come to remind me that he could still hurt me, that he still owned me in some way. No matter how many roles I played in my life, the happy wife, the mother, the successful career woman, a part of me would always be the battered girlfriend. That was my burden to bear, and I felt like I would have to carry it until my very last breath.

However, there was a silver lining: Daniel was in jail for attempted murder, and he would remain there for at least a couple of years. For now, I was safe, and I could go on living my life. And that’s exactly what I planned to do: live the present and leave the past behind the best I could.

“A penny for your thoughts?”

I jumped from my seat on the sofa, surprised to see my husband looking at me with an amused expression.

“Jesus, where did you come from?”

“Where did you come from?” He chuckled. “You were so distracted you didn’t even notice I sat down beside you.”

“Nowhere in particular.” I took a good look at Victor, noticing his ruffled disheveled hair, the loose tie on his neck, the dark circles under his shiny eyes. “How was work?”

“Are you still worried about that piece of scum?” Victor insisted. “He is in jail, and he won’t leave for a very long time. You have nothing to worry about, I will not let anyone hurt my family.”

“I know.” I moved closer to him, combing his hair with my fingers. “It just… reminded me of old wounds.” I downplayed it. “Now tell me, what was so important that I had to spend my evening minus a husband?”

“A meeting with the board of directors.” He pulled me closer to him. “How did it go with Olive? Do you have a date for releasing the final study?”

“Yeah, we decided to do it next year. There is still a lot of data to be analyzed and there are some cases I want to follow more closely.”

“That’s excellent news.” He gave me a mischievous smile. “I plan on making you a very busy woman this year.”

“Sure, since I’m so tired of twiddling my thumbs.” I joked. “What’s on your mind?”

“I want your educated opinion on creating a branch in Europe. In France, to be more precise.”

“You’re thinking about expanding?” I leaned back, surprised. It was the natural next step, business was going well overseas, but he never mentioned it.

“Do you think the timing is wrong?” He frowned.

“As your consultant, I think the timing is perfect.” I answered, putting on my CEO shoes. “LFG is investing more and more in Europe, it’s only natural that it localizes the operations there. Additionally, companies will trust us more if we are neighbors, even if distant ones. And France is a fertile market for the foreseeable future. It’s a brilliant choice of location for a first branch.”

Victor studied my expression.

“And my wife, what does she think?”

I raised my eyebrows, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Things will be pretty hectic.” I looked down. “You will have to travel a lot. We just got Owen.”

Victor’s lips curved in an understanding smile as he ran his hand softly on my hair.

“Not as much as you would think.” His voice was warm and hushed. “I will always find time for us, no matter how busy I get.”

“Promise?”

“You have my word.” He gave me an earnest look, followed by a playful nudge. “Although it will be nice to not always have an ankle biter bossing me around.”

I pulled him closer, my lips almost touching his.

“Admit it, you can’t live without me.” I whispered.

He brushed my lips with his, his eyes dark with passion.

“Got me there.”

Business in the financial world runs fast, but when it came to LFG and CEO Victor Lee, it surely ran faster: my husband wasn’t one to spend his time on something unless it gave him some kind of advantage. Since LCG was LFG’s consultant, and I already knew the market very well, it was no surprise when, a few days later, I found myself surrounded by folders of potential French clients and my schedule packed with meetings for LFG France. In fact, everyone was a lot busier than usual, and it would be normal for some exhaustion to start to show, but surprisingly, there was more of a feeling of excitement in building something new. My team was clearly up to their heads with work, but they were also happy and willing to help out in whatever way they could.

“Alright, so this is it for today. Go home and get some rest.” I concluded yet another meeting with my analysis team. “If you have any questions, either look for me, or Diane, if I am stranded in a meeting. Do not hesitate to ask for help when in doubt. These clients are crucial for us now and we can’t allow for any slip-ups. Got it?”

Everyone nodded, while they gathered their belongings and left the room. I also took my things, going to my office to answer some last minute emails until Victor came from picking Owen from school. At my office door stood a very nervous Kenny.

“You have someone here to see you.” He announced, looking jumpy.

“Well, it can’t be Victor, he left to pick Owen up.” I joked, knowing how nervous my husband made him.

“No… Actually… The lady says she’s your son’s grandmother?”

I felt the blood freezing in my veins. The woman my son’s mother had run away from all her life, the one she had tried to hide her son from, had found us. And God only knew what she had in mind.

I took my phone and stared at it for a moment, wondering if I should call Victor. He was probably driving to Owen’s school, he wouldn’t be much help, and all I would manage was to worry him. The best would be just to talk to the woman and find out what she wanted.

“Send her in.” I prepared myself for battle. I didn’t know what she wanted, but it was probably no good.

From what I had read from Rebbeca’s letter, I imagined her mother much differently than how she presented herself. She was elegant, well dressed, hair impeccable and sporting perfectly natural make-up. She didn’t seem like someone who had given birth in an old car, or who had lived in a trailer park with a drunken boyfriend that molested her daughter. If anything, she looked like my mother.

“Thank you for seeing me, Mrs. Lee.” She calmly extended her hand. “Pamela Cole.”

“How can I help you?” I cut to the chase, uninterested in pleasantries.

“I heard you are going to adopt my grandson, Owen.” She looked at the chair in front of my desk, waiting for me to invite her to sit. I didn’t sit either. She wasn’t welcome there, and I wanted to make this visit as brief as possible.

“That still doesn’t tell me why you are here.” I retorted, unwilling to let my guard down.

“I want to see my grandson.” She asserted.

“No.” It came out before I could stop it.

“He is my grandson. I have the right.” She shot back.

“Why now? He spent a year in an orphanage, you never tried to see him once.”

“I didn’t know my daughter had passed away. It was only when I hired a private investigator to look for her that I found the truth.” Her voice caught on her throat. “My poor baby.”

I kept silent, looking at her, my walls fully up. She fidgeted with her purse.

“I imagine Owen is doing well with his new family, and I will be the last to interfere with that.” She continued with a pleading tone. “I just want to see him once. I want him to know that I exist, that he has a background. So one day, when he is older, if he wants to find out more about his family of origin or his mother, I can tell him all about her.”

“His mother spent her very short life trying to keep him away from you. She specifically said the social services shouldn’t look for the next of kin.” I gave her my best hard look. Her eyes instantly filled with tears.

“I can’t say I was a good mother, I was not. I was a terrible mother, because I had a terrible mother myself and I didn’t know how to be a good one.” A tear escaped her eyes. “I became a monster, with a heart filled with hatred and selfishness. But if I didn’t give, it was because I didn’t have anything to give.”

She paused for a moment, trying to compose herself. Despite my best efforts to keep my defenses up, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

“All the mistakes I made, I paid for them.” Tears kept rolling down her face. “I have lost my child, can you imagine a greater price to pay? She was all I had left that was good in my life, and I sought her out to ask for her forgiveness, only to find out she was dead. Owen is all I have left. Let me at least see him once, and ask him for forgiveness.”

I didn’t know what to say, torn between protecting my son and giving him a chance to meet his real family. I looked at the time, it was 5:50. I took my coat from the hanger, moving towards the door.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Cole, but I need to ask you to leave, I-”

“You are a mother now, you know what it feels like.” She held my hand. “If you did wrong to your son, and his son was the only thing you had left of him, wouldn’t you do everything to make it right? Owen is my last chance. A visit, that’s all I ask.”

My phone buzzed, it was a text from Victor.

We are almost there. Get ready.

“Mrs. Cole, if you want to do right by your daughter, respect her wishes. Stay away from Owen. Now, If you’ll excuse me, I have to leave.” I opened the door of my office, waiting for her to exit.

I was suddenly out of breath, my mind reeling with the new events. I tried hard to make sense of what had happened, tried to reach a conclusion but none would come. I just could feel the tightness in my chest. When I looked at my hands, they were shaking.

For some reason, I couldn’t tell Victor right away. On the drive home, I let myself sit on the luxurious leather upholstery, go only where my mind wanted me to go, watching the city lights outside, the banter between Victor and Owen as background to my thoughts.

“Mr. Sawyer called me to his office again today.” That piece of information quickly took me out of my stupor.

“Again?” I couldn’t help the venom in my voice. “What did that idiot want?”

Victor glanced at me sideways, surprised by my sudden outburst.

“What did he want?” He asked, his tone way calmer than mine.

“To apologize for accusing me of stealing the geode.” Owen chirped, happy. “I said it was ok, that Mom always says we should be forgiving with ignorant people, they don’t know better.”

Victor let out a hearty laughter. Me, on the other hand, could feel the blood rise to my cheeks.

“You said it like that?” I turned to my son, stunned. “What did he say?”

“He got really red and sent me to recess.” Owen shrugged. “Did I do something wrong?”

“You did absolutely nothing wrong.” Victor chimed in. “You didn’t say he was ignorant. If the shoe fits, it’s his problem.”

“So you support this?” I glared incredulously at Victor. “Like father, like son: no filter whatsoever.”

Victor was too amused to care for my scolding, still chuckling at Owen’s boldness. I resumed my meditative state. I felt exhausted.

“It wasn’t that bad.” He took his hand from the gear shift, lacing his fingers with mine. “But Mom is right, Owen. Although some things may be true, doesn’t mean we should say them.”

“Thank you.” I pretended to be upset, but couldn’t help my smile. “I wish I was there to see it.”

“To be a fly on the wall…” Victor declared, making us both laugh.

Back at home, helping Victor cook dinner and hearing about his day, I was able to relax a little. Victor in the kitchen was a totally different person, relaxed and witty, making silly puns to make me or Owen laugh, or humming some tune while he prepared the food. It was a treat to see him like that, juggling spice jars and tapping the lids of the pots with spoons, letting all his silliness come out for us to see. I couldn’t help but watch him in endearment, laughing to myself when he would catch me staring and blush slightly, my heart slowly letting go of all the problems, focused on feeling this bliss instead.

However, as we were kissing Owen goodnight, the tightness in my chest returned. I had to tell Victor about the unexpected visit I got, and I had no idea how to go about it. Whose side was I on? Part of me found that Owen had the right to know more about his family of origin, his culture, his heritage, and even build a healthy bond with his grandmother. If she really had changed, if she saw the error in her ways, they both deserved that chance. But what if she didn’t change? What if I would open a door, only to have a lot of ugliness coming into our lives, into my son’s life? I couldn’t risk that.

I went to the kitchen under the pretense of making us tea to give my heart some time to figure out all it was feeling. And to build the courage to tell Victor. My guess was he wouldn’t like it one bit.

“Are you listening?” He startled me once again, making me drop the wooden box I was holding, sending tea bags everywhere.

“Bell. You definitely need that bell.” I snapped, while I arranged the tea bags back in the box. “What were you saying?”

“You’ve been acting strange since I picked you up from work.” I could feel his eyes studying me as I turned to get the boiling water. “Something is clearly upsetting you.”

“Upsetting me? No, what makes you say I’m upset?” I played dumb, trying to buy myself some time.

“You rub your forehead when you’re upset.” He said matter-of-factly. “Will you tell me why?”

“Which flavor do you want?” I showed him the box, unable to look at him for some reason.

“Why are you upset?” He insisted. “Is it still because of that spineless prick?”

I sighed in resignation, knowing all too well Victor would not drop the subject, especially knowing he was on to something. Apparently he understood that I was about to spill the beans, as he patiently waited for me to finish preparing the tea and sit on the counter next to him.

“Someone came to visit me today.” I started.

“Can you please get to the point already?” He was starting to get exasperated. “Who visited you?”

I braced myself for impact, not really sure why.

“Owen’s grandmother.”

Victor stared at me for a moment, although I knew he wasn’t seeing me at all. I could almost hear the wheels turn inside his head, analyzing all the implications of such a visit. In a second, his relaxed expression was gone, replaced with a steely look and his characteristic poker face.

“What does she want?” Victor’s eyes were set on the counter as he spoke, cold and emotionless.

“She says she has changed, and was looking for her daughter to reconcile, when she found she was dead. She wants to see Owen.”

“You told her no.” It wasn’t a question, it wasn’t a statement. It almost felt like a warning.

“I told her Rebecca didn’t want her seeing Owen, and that she should respect her wishes.”

“Did she say anything about the adoption?”

“Only that she knew we were adopting him and she knew he was safe, and that she wouldn’t interfere with it.” I sighed. “Victor, I think she has really changed. She wants to do well by Owen.”

“You want to let her see him?” He frowned at me.

And there it was, the reason why I had been so nervous the entire time. I was indeed inclined to facilitate things, and I knew Victor wouldn’t be. I was afraid we would fight.

“You believe in her?” He raised his voice, seeing I was hesitant to answer.

“I believe people can make terrible mistakes, but they can also change. I’ve seen it countless times with my mother’s patients.” I kept my tone calm, hoping Victor would adjust his. “Besides, it’s his grandmother.”

“Correction: it’s his abusive grandmother, who his mother tried to keep away from him. In fact, we have a letter stating exactly that, that she doesn’t want her mother near her son. So no, she doesn’t get to visit him.”

I suddenly remembered the reason why I came to Loveland, to make a life for myself, to let go of my past, and still it followed me wherever I went. And even though the circumstances were different, even though Pamela was the abuser and not the abused, I couldn’t help but feel angry at the thought that she was trying to do the same thing I did, make a better life for herself, only to have her past following her as well. And that, I could not tolerate.

“So what? She gets endless punishment for her sins? She doesn’t have the right to turn her life around, correct her mistakes?”

“Not this again, Andrea.” He shook his head. “This is just like my father, you wanted us to allow him to get closer, look where it brought us.”

“So now I’m supposed to take the blame for your father’s actions?” I raised my voice. “All I wanted was for you to have a good relationship with him! All I did was for your happiness!”

“I almost punched my father on our wedding day! How much happiness do you think that brought me?”

“Well, I’m sorry, Victor, I really am!” I threw my hands in the air. “I’m sorry I convinced you to give your father a second chance, and I’m sorry he didn’t take it! I am really sorry that he was such a prick, but that is not an excuse to act like one!”

My voice echoed through the apartment, only to be met with silence. Victor stared at me, eyes wide, surprised at my outburst, while I paced back and forth, trying to calm myself down.

“We are going about this the wrong way.” He spoke softly after a while. “Come here.”

I kept on pacing.

“Andy, come here. I don't want to fight.” He pulled me by the wrist to stand in front of him. I couldn’t even look him in the eyes, still feeling somewhat frustrated.

“Look at me.” He held my chin softly, coaxing me into looking at him. “I don't blame you for my father’s actions, and I don’t blame you for trying to bring us closer. I know you meant well.”

Victor pulled me closer to him, enveloping me with his strong arms. I couldn’t help but melt in them, my anger suddenly gone.

“See, this is the exact reason why I fell in love with you, and incidentally why you fell in love with me. You have this ability to see the best in people, their potential, even if they can’t see it themselves.” He spoke into my hair, gently, while one of his hands laced its fingers with mine. “But sometimes, there is no best. There is no potential. Some people simply won’t change, even if they try to convince you they will. It’s just wishful thinking.”

I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of his chest. He wasn’t being a prick, he was being protective, like he always was. And I loved him for it.

“So maybe instead of a final no, we can decide for a not yet.” He continued. “I will do some research on the grandmother, see if she really turned her life around like she says she did. But until then, we respect Owen’s mother’s last wishes. What do you say?”

“I say I’m sorry.” My voice trembled slightly. “For calling you a prick. I don’t know why I’m so invested in this, but I am. I got carried away.”

“Because you have a kind heart and you believe in happy endings.” He smiled warmly at me. “There is nothing wrong with that.”

He was right. I did believe in happy endings. More than that, I desperately needed to believe in reinvention, and in becoming a better person, worthy of a better outcome. Because, in fact, that was all I was hoping for me. To let go of my past fully, and embrace my future with my new family. To fully let go of the Andrea I was before, and be the Andrea I fought so hard to be.

[timetoresurface]

secrets (1) / BBH

Y/N x CEO BAEKHYUN

First part 7k words

Will be more

PART 1 // PART 2 // PART 3 // PART 4 // PART 5

Hopping from one job to another, you really wanted to keep your position at Banking and Finance. If you would have to describe your perfect work environment, it definitely wouldn’t be at that stupid finance magazine that had the worst coffee machine in history. But hey, it did pay the bills, and that’s what everyone does, right? A perfect job doesn’t exist, right? A perfect life doesn’t exist, right? Only in cheap romantic comedies was life perfect, and you certainly weren’t in any. At least the last time you checked.

Of course, you have secrets. Everyone has secrets. It’s completely normal to have a few secrets. They’re not even that big, to begin with. For example, you haven’t told your roommate it was you who lost her favourite sweater. You could have sworn you had last seen it hanging at your office, but it wasn’t there anymore. So now she thinks she misplaced it herself, and you were in the clear of her wrath. You also hadn’t told your parents you didn’t get the promotion because you were never even considered for a promotion. You simply told your family you were just too young for such a big responsibility. Still, your company would favour you when another spot opened up. Sometimes you just like to hide a few details in your favour. You were sure you would get the next promotion if you just worked a bit harder and read less horoscopes during the day.

“Hello Y/N, would you like the usual?” Your favourite barista asked you when you entered your local coffee shop. Ever since you started working at your company, you would get the same order every morning. It didn’t go unnoticed. 

“Yes, please.” You quickly send him a grateful smile which made his ears turn a little red. Of course, you also liked the fact that said barista had a little crush on you. You’re flattered, to say the least, he was a handsome young man named Jungkook, but he was too young for you. He’s still in college for crying out loud. His mother still does his laundry. 

“Coming right up.” And of he went making you a cup of coffee with the right amount of soy milk. Just how you liked it.

“Thank you so much.” You took your drink from his hand, and your fingers brushed for just a second, but you felt nothing. He was handsome, indeed, and if you were younger, your heart would have sped up, but there was just nothing there. 

You walked the familiar route toward your office building. You worked for one of the top banking magazines, well they didn’t really call it a magazine, more like a weekly newspaper or something. You didn’t exactly know to be honest, but the most crucial part is that you have a job at a top company. You only lied about one or two things on your resume, it’s not like they check everything. It wasn’t even lying, you just added a couple of things you might not necessarily do every week, but sometimes plan on doing. You would most definitely like to invest, you just didn’t have the money or knowledge.

“Good morning, Miss Y/L/N.” The old security guy greeted you with a beaming smile. You have always been his favourite, and that’s only because you tell him to have a beautiful day from time to time. People who work in banking are most definitely not considered friendly or social or even human for that matter.

“Good morning, any wild plans for this weekend?” You asked him while you badged yourself in. 

“My grand daughter’s first ballet recital is this Saturday.” His timid smile told you everything you needed to know, he was nervous.

“How lovely, wish her luck.” You told him while giving him a thumbs-up, he gladly reciprocated. He’s kind of your best friend in this building. Sometimes you even snuck out of the office to drink a cup of coffee with the older security guard, and he would tell you all kind of stories about his family.

Your company was located on the top three floors of the building. The other levels were some other magazines you had never heard of in your life. You just needed to remember you worked for Banking and Finance, a well-respected weekly newspaper. You had only started working here a couple months ago, well almost a year now. Before that, you didn’t really do anything with money, except for spending it on useless stuff like new boots. Boots you could never wear at your office because there is a strict dress code. Men should wear suits, and women should wear knee-length skirts and a perfectly fitted blazer in neutral colours like black, blue, grey,… you know: boring clothes.

“Y/N can you please look through this research about the acceleration…” your co-worker Mina started the moment you entered the workspace. She kept on going about acceleration, and you had no clue what the hell she was talking about. You have worked here for almost a year, and you still didn’t have a clue about banking and their accessions and analysis. You quickly learned to simply nod, remember a word and browse google with said word. You weren’t caught yet, so you must be doing something right.

“… also, can you please get me some coffee?” She ended her monologue while throwing some papers on your desk. You silently nodded, and she finally left you so you could take off your coat. This was a new record, you thought, you were in five minutes early, and you still couldn’t take a breather. The moment you entered was the moment hell began. With a soft sigh, you made your way over to the kitchen area to make you co-worker some coffee she could have easily made herself. News quickly spread that you were making coffee, so everyone wanted a cup. Lazy bastards. The coffee ain't even good.

“Y/N can you please come in?” Your floor manager asked you when you gave everyone their cups of coffee. With a quick nod, you made your way over to the manager’s own desk. You were all seated in cubicles, it was to monitor and motivate or whatever, while your manager requested a private office with a glass door, which he never really closed. What’s the point of a closed office if you never close the god damn door?

“How can I help you today, sir?” You asked him while he offered you a seat. He tried not to glance at your bare legs while you seated yourself and your skirt rode up a bit. It wasn’t exactly proven, but you thought he only hired you because of your looks. Not to say you thought of yourself to be the prettiest girl out there, but you were most certainly the only women under thirty that had applied for this job. It most definitely worked in your favour.

“I want to offer you a chance to grow.” He quickly started, trying to keep his eyes on your face and not your white blouse that might have been a little see-through if you looked really hard. Which he tried not to do.

“One of our top advertisers is hosting an event this weekend, and I would like for you to be there. To represent our brand and gain a few connections.” He began, and you were delighted he didn’t use complicated banking terms you had no clue about. This you understood.

“This weekend?” You asked him uncertainly. You had made plans with your roommate to binge desperate housewives while stuffing yourself with bad food you were not allowed to eat during the week. Or at least you told your roommate you never went to McDonald’s during the week. She didn’t need to know you liked your chicken nuggets every Wednesday. It is no crime to hide your bad habits from the people you loved. 

“Yes, this Saturday afternoon. I booked you a flight for tonight, so you have maximal prepare time. Your flight back is Sunday morning. I hope you didn’t make any important plans this weekend?” He asked you suspiciously, as if he knew you had no intentions of doing anything this weekend. Well, not important plans, but they were fun plans, and you had to cancel them.

“No, not at all sir. I’ll be there at the event.” You fake smiled up at him before shaking his hand in fake enthusiasm. You really wanted to earn more money and get a promotion, but you really hated this job.

“That’s great Y/N.” He shouted after you when you exited his office, his gaze lingering on your ass. Pencil skirts were only designed to please men, and make women feel uncomfortable. 

“What was that all about?” Your colleague next to you whispered. His name is Oh Sehun, and he might be as clueless as you are. He was really hired because of his good looks, and he knew it. He knew he was handsome, and he tried to get everything out of his good looks. He got a promotion after only three months at the company without actually doing any work. 

“I’m going to an advertisers event this weekend.” You whispered back, barely hiding your proudness of the fact that you had been chosen.

“Oh, yeah I was wondering who he was going to ask to replace me. Good luck Y/N.” Sehun told you while returning his focus on his screen where he was playing some dumb cards game. It did hurt your pride that you hadn’t been chosen to do this particular task, but you could prove to  be better than Sehun. You could prove to your manager that you were ready for more and that you’re more competent than Sehun. At least you tried to remember some of the banking vocabulary unlike Sehun.

“Thanks.” You ended the conversation that had already ended for him. Looking over your desk, you noticed the research about the acceleration or something Mina had talked about only an hour ago, and you sighed. A deep and heavy sigh of someone who was lost in the woods and couldn’t find the highway even though they heard cars passing. That’s how it feels to be stuck at something you understand shit about. That’s life, my dad would say, just make sure that you can pay the bills. He should be a life coach, he’s very inspiring. Really.

—

“What should I wear? What kind of event is it going to be? Garden party? Cocktail party? High-class reception where everyone wears black party? Why didn’t they tell me?” You were sat in the middle of your room with all your clothes thrown around. Your best friend Jennie stood in your doorway with a shocked expression on her face. How could she be when she found you in this position every other weekend. 

“Calm down, we can do this.” She took your arm and made you stand up. You were both standing there and staring at the mess you made in under five minutes. Never underestimate the power of a woman under stress. They can fly high and crash all at once. It’s beautiful.

“Why didn’t they tell me?” You screamed in despair while covering your face with your shaking hands. You wanted to drop down on your knees, but Jennie held you in place.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be so melodramatic. Just pack one of your work suits, a stylish black dress and maybe the cute new green skirt with white flowers if there is a garden party involved.” How did she always sound so logical? Why was she so put together? Why weren’t you like her?

“Don’t look at me like that, go and find the clothes I told you about and I will look for some shoes.” You quickly started looking for the clothes she told you about while she did her thing, organizing while in search of something. She’s a teacher, so she’s used to dramatic kids who can’t find their favourite pencil or something, so you were like a calm walk in the park compared to these kids. Well, maybe not a quiet walk, maybe more of a rushed morning jog through the park. Still better than fifteen screaming kids.

“I have a dark green suit. My perfect black dress that’s not work-appropriate but could be advertisers event approved. And I’ve got a blue summer dress if it is an outside event with fancy cocktails.” You proudly checked your mental list. This wasn’t so difficult after all.

“You also have a comfortable pyjama with you and enough underwear to be gone for two weeks. You’re good to go.” Jennie finished off your list while closing your black carry-on. 

“Are you going to get changed into something more comfortable or are you supposed to wear a pencil skirt to travel?” She asked you eying you creased skirt and half open white blouse showing of your pink bra.

“I’m just going to change into some jeans and shirt, I’m not working while I’m on the plane, right? Work only starts tomorrow at the event.” You told her while looking for your favourite pair of jeans. You could have sworn you just saw them somewhere in here.

“Get changed. I’ll drive you to the airport to make sure you’re there on time. I don’t think I could stand you without a job again.” She jokingly replied before leaving your room.

“I did do all the laundry back then.” You yelled at her.

“Yes, and my white underwear is still pink because of it.” She yelled back at you, and the both of you laughed at the memory. Why isn’t there a class to be a good housewife? You know, some cleaning and cooking classes put together? 

“I told you before, the machine did that, I didn’t do anything.” You said while walking through the apartment looking for your pants.

“Keep telling that to yourself.” She giggled while pouring a glass of water.

“I will.” 

“Please put on some pants. I don’t need to see these extremely white legs of yours.” She commanded when she saw you shamelessly running through your shared place in pink underwear. 

“I don’t know where they are.” You sighed defeated while plopping down on the orange sofa that took up whole your shared living space.

“They’re on your bed Y/N.” She sighed, and you quickly went looking for your best pair trying to avoid the stare Jennie gave you. Like you were some lost child who was in desperate need of some guidance. 

“Are you ready? Do you have everything with you?” She asked you after she drove you to the airport. You nodded your head, trying to hide the sick feeling in your stomach.

“You’re going to be fine.” She finally said while giving you a hug. 

“Of course, I’ll be fine, I’m Y/N, a fierce young woman.”

“That’s the spirit.” And with these words, she left you in the large departures hall of the airport. A place you hated. Let’s hope this is not going to be like the first episode of lost? Or worse, the Grey’s Anatomy crash in the woods episode. Lexie was your favourite. Rest in peace.

—

“Everything has been taken care of. Please enjoy your stay.” The receptionist handed you a card with a number on it, and you returned her smile. 

“Thank you so much for your assistance.” You grabbed your things and made your way over to the elevator.

“Oh, miss Y/L/N, there will be a car ready at eleven AM to get you to your destination. Please be ready.” You simply nodded your head and pressed the elevator button. Room 303. That must mean you’re on the third floor. A ping sound awakened your internal struggles to stay awake after the short flight you just had. You were never really a big fan of flying, and most definitely not alone, but you’re still alive. That’s good enough for now. 

“Hold the elevator, please.” A young man shouted before throwing his whole body into the small space. He hurriedly pressed a random button and regained his posture. His jacked had fallen off, but he didn’t do anything to fix it which weirdly irritated you. Usually you weren’t the nitpicking type.

“I’m sorry about that. I’m in a bit of a rush.” He finally noticed his blazer to be in a compromising position and fixed his appearance. He glanced into the mirror and was carelessly checking himself out. He did look good, but boy did he know it. His hands run through his hair as if it didn’t already look perfect.

“That’s okay, glad you made it safely into the elevator without losing a piece of yourself.” You deadpanned. 

“That would’ve been a disaster.” He answered you with a big smile that would make most ladies faint, but somehow only irritated you. Luckily for the both of you this is a short elevator ride, and not a three hour car ride. He wouldn’t have survived. 

“Slightly inconvenient as I’m in a rush to get to bed.” The elevator made another noise signalling your floor, and you gladly stepped out of the small space to get away from the self-centred man. 

“I’m Baekhyun by the way.��� You simply stared at him before the elevator doors close themselves. Why would he even introduce himself to you? You would hopefully never see him again, so an introduction seemed a bit unnecessary to you. Never mind the guy, there are more important things to worry about.

There had been a folder with information about the event and the advertiser. Apparently, it was an essential online banking thing, and the event would be something like a walking dinner, but at brunch time. So a walking brunch. In other words, the perfect occasion to wear your flowy blue dress as it didn’t seem too uptight of an event. 

The phone in your hotel room rang, signalling your car would be ready in five. You quickly put on your shoes and grabbed your bag, making your way downstairs. You weren’t going to be late on your first solo event, you were going to be politely on time, so your company would look good.

“Hi there, going anywhere?” You turned around and looked questionably at the stranger. It was the man from last night. The man who introduced himself without reason. The man who knew how good-looking he was. You couldn’t disagree with him at this moment. He wore a light blue suit that would look ridiculous on anyone else, but somehow he made it work. He brushed the blazer behind is back and put his hand inside of his pockets. Underneath his fitted blazer was an even more fitted white shirt that left little to the imagination. You had to gather all your self-respect to not stare.

“I just like standing at the entrance of a hotel without having a reason whatsoever.” You told him while looking away from him. If someone saw the two of you now, they would think you matched outfits to go to a wedding. They couldn’t be more wrong, but you were annoyed by his perfectness. Why did he have to look so good? And why didn’t he leave you alone?

“What a coincidence, me too.” He said while he took place next to you. Not a word was exchanged, but there was something else. Awkwardness. 

“So, where are you going?” He tried to ask you again.

“Something for work. I don’t exactly know where, but I know that a car was arranged to take me to my destination. “

“I’m not lying, but I’m in the exact same situation.” He tried to connect with your eyes, but you simply kept staring down at your dress. Maybe it might be a bit too short for a work event. You were quickly interrupted when a car stopped right before you and Baekhyun. The driver quickly got out and started to bow before us. Not a simple greeting bow, but an aggressive ‘I” m sorry” bow.

“Miss Y/L/N and mister Byun. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but is there a possibility if you two could share this ride? It’s the same destination, and we’re understaffed at the moment.” The driver seemed hesitant and scared of our reaction, and you immediately felt terrible for the guy.

“If it is the same final destination, I don’t see a problem with it.” Baekhyun told the guy right before opening the door. He looked over at you and motioned for you to get in. 

“I can open my own doors.” You told him while entering the luxurious car. You hadn’t expected this from your company who always seems to be in saving mode. They could better spend the money from this car into a better coffee machine. 

“A simple thank you would have been enough.” He whispered under his breath, but loud enough for you to hear. He quickly closed your door and made his way over to the other side of the car. You couldn’t help yourself to look at him. Even when he was simply sat in a vehicle while tapping on his phone, he had this presence that couldn’t be ignored, but you tried to.

The drive was short and comfortable, but your nerves kept you wide awake. This would be your first event, and not only your first it’s also your first solo event for a company you knew shit about. How do you represent a company when you don’t know what they stand for?

“Are you nervous?” The strange man next to you asked. There was genuine concern in his eyes, but you looked away. If he was going to the same event probably meant he worked in the sector. If he worked in the same industry, he would probably be a competitor. If he was a competitor, it would be best to hide all your weaknesses, or he could take down your company in a matter of seconds. Or worse, he could make you jobless again, and you weren’t ready for that. 

“I’m excellent, but thanks for asking.” You kept your gaze focused forward, and your hands fidgeted with your short dress.

“You look great by the way. You’ll do great.” You felt his eyes burning your skin, but you tried to ignore the tension he had created with his statement.

“Thank you, but I will be great because of what I can, and not because of my looks.” 

“I didn’t mean to…-“ but he was interrupted by the driver opening your door. You quickly made your way out of the car and tried to contain your surprise. The event was huge, and by huge, you mean it to be very claustrophobic. There were people everywhere in all shapes and sizes mingling and giggling. 

“You might want to close your mouth.” Baekhyun told you while standing casually next to you. He didn’t seem to care about his surroundings. He’s probably used to these kinds of events. 

“Let’s get our name badges.” He took hostage of your hand and guided you toward the entrance of the building. It was a modern building with glass walls and plants everywhere. Some people were smoking outside with a mimosa in hand. Others were inside enjoying the view while nipping on a fancy looking sandwich. 

The event was too grand for you, and the worst part was that you felt underdressed. You have never been the type to underdress, but you’ve gotten so used to your boring office life, you made a mistake. Men were dressed in colourless suits, and women were dressed in fancy dresses in neutral colours. You checked your outfit in the mirror and cringed at yourself. You weren’t covered in a neutral colour, no you were clothed in a light blue dress that was on the shorter side with a girly floral pattern. The only design you spotted at the event were polka dots. 

“You can go first.” Baekhyun whispered into your ear right before shoving you toward the table with badges. You tried to find your name, but couldn’t.

“Can I help you miss?” A nice lady dressed in a black pantsuit asked you. She glanced at you, and you knew what she was thinking. She doesn’t belong here, let’s help her.

“Are you here with mister Byun?” She eyed you up and down, and her eyes suddenly turned venomous. 

“No, I’m with Banking and Finance. I’m replacing Oh Sehun for this event.” You ignored her glare.

“What’s your name?” You could almost hear the annoyance laced in her tone, but she really tried to hide it. What had you done wrong? 

“Y/L/N. Y/N Y/L/N.” You told here with a bright smile she ignored. 

“I see.” Was all that she said.

“Banking and Finance?” Baekhyun asked you while the woman was looking for your badge. 

“Yes.” You answered his question.

“You don’t care where I work?” He turned his back toward the table with badges so he could look at you.

“I would like to see your badge first, so I know you’re not lying when I ask you.” You simply told him, and a chuckle escaped him. He looked like someone who got everything handed to him. He looked like trouble, and you couldn’t afford trouble.

“I don’t need a badge at these events. They all know who I am.” He stated with a smirk.

“Well, I don’t care then.” His mouth twitched, and you were pretty sure he was fighting a smile.

“Here you are.” The woman gave you your badge, and you thankfully accepted. You turned back to Baekhyun.

“It was nice to meet you, mister Byun.” You said, hoping he would understand that you wanted to leave.

“Pleasure was all mine miss Y/L/N.” He said before grabbing your hand and giving it a quick peck. You thanked him one final time and made your way inside the event. 

People looked your way as if they knew it was your first time. Some people whispered to each other with a fake smile plastered on their faces. You tried to ignore the unwanted attention, but it was hard. Maybe a good mimosa would help you. 

“So, who are you?” A man in a dark green suit asked you when you returned from the mimosa stand. He was tall, incredibly tall. The man was perfection in neutral hues; his hair and eyes were the colour of dark roasted beans, but his skin was all tanned. He was skinny, but the way his clothes hung gave away the muscle beneath, and in his wake were heads turning to watch him go. You quickly glanced at his badge and noticed the name of the investor. He must be important.

“I’m Y/N from Banking and Finance.” He seemed a little impressed.

“I’m Chanyeol, and this is my event.” He held out his hand, and you gladly shook his hand. 

“You don’t look like someone who works in finance.” He simply stated, eying you suspiciously as if you had crashed his party.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint, but I’m a real employee of Banking and Finance.” You tried to lighten the mood, but this was the second person judging you from your looks.

“You must definitely do not disappoint.” You grew slightly uncomfortable, but as it was his party, you simply smiled. 

“The event most definitely doesn’t disappoint.” You tried to change the subject.

“Thank you. I’ve recently discovered the true meaning of brunch, and I might say I’m obsessed with it at the moment.” He told you truthfully before taking a big sip from his mimosa.

“How come?” You said after nipping from your drink. You weren’t here to get drunk even though you needed the liquid luck.

“My mum does brunches, I thought it was something older people did, but I was wrong.”

“You couldn’t have been more wrong. The secret to a happy life is a good brunch paired with a delicious mimosa.”

“Ah, I like you already, but I have to leave. There is someone aggressively signalling me to get to the kitchen. I apologize.”

“No problem. If there’s an emergency in the kitchen, it is more important than anything and anyone in this room.”

“I’ll catch you later.”

Chanyeol had been the opening for many men to strike up a conversation with you. They never tried to talk to you about anything finance related. Some didn’t even ask you where you worked. Some couldn’t even keep their gaze on your face for longer than a minute, and you grew more uncomfortable as the hours passed. 

“If you could, please excuse me.” You told the people around you. They simply nodded and kept their conversation going about something sports-related. 

You quickly made your way over to an empty room. You were done with these people pretending to enjoy each others company. You were just fed up with people commenting you didn’t look like someone who could work in finance. You wanted to go home, but you promised your boss you would represent your company well. You couldn’t leave before dessert was eaten.

“You can do this Y/N. Just ignore these bastards.” You repeated to yourself in the dark room like a mantra.

“Everything okay?” Baekhyun asked you, standing awkwardly in the doorframe. You quickly tried to compose yourself, but nearly knocked something down. He came to your rescue and grabbed the expensive-looking clock before it hit the ground. 

“I’m fine, thank you.” You grabbed the clock from his hands and put it back in place before returning to the party. You heard him say something, but ignored it and kept on walking. Chanyeol grabbed your attention and mentioned you to come over to him. He seemed to be speaking to some other young men in expensive suits. 

“Miss Y/L/N, let me introduce you to some important people. Everyone this is Y/N from Banking and Finance…” and that’s how he introduced you to some influential people in the business. They asked you some questions about your function, but only out of politeness as they didn’t care about what you did. They conversed with each other leaving you out of the conversation unless it was something about the event. 

You couldn’t have been happier the moment dessert came, and some people already started to leave. Chanyeol tied to convince you to stay longer, but you lied to him and told him you had to get straight to the airport as you were already late. He personally helped you book a car that would take you to your hotel in no time. 

You needed a drink. You needed a massive drink that could calm your nerves. Luckily for you, your company had booked you a room in a hotel with a big fancy bar. You know that kind of bar where they serve every drink imaginable. Their menu had four pages dedicated to cocktails only, and you couldn’t have been happier. Well, you would have been happier if the event would’ve gone better. No one would remember the presence of Banking and Finance at this event, and that was all on you. 

“What can I get you?” The bartender asked you nicely, and you simply told him the first cocktail that had caught your eye. Something with passion fruit. “Coming right up.” He said you before starting your drink.

Why were you such a mess? Why couldn’t you be smart like the others? Why couldn’t you just lock yourself up for a week and study everything you needed to know about banking. You don’t write any articles, you don’t get invited to big meetings because you’re known as research girl who makes coffee. The bartender gave you your drink, and you almost drank the whole thing in one go. He looked at you strangely, but you simply nodded your head. His hands immediately started to make you another, and you couldn’t care if he made you the same drink or something else. You needed the sweetness of the drink to remind you of good summer times with your friends during college. You needed the alcohol to burn your throat to tell you of the times when you were too drunk to function. Too drunk to be reminded of the fact that life sucks, and you really thought life would be better at this age. 

You continued your drinking speed for a good hour, and four cocktails were already swimming in your stomach. You felt the light buzz, and your eyes started to wander. A man is drowning his sorrow in the elixir at one end of the bar, and a young couple flirts shamelessly at the other end with the nectar in hand. The drug seems to have very different effects, depending on the situation of its consumption. There’s a slightly larger woman in the corner table. She holds in hand a large beer, and there is a plate in front of her that seems to hold the remains of what was a serving of nachos.

“Miss Y/N!” Someone called out your name from behind you, and you immediately recognized the low voice of mister Byun Baekhyun, the devil himself. “I thought you were headed straight back home. Didn’t you have a flight to catch?” He asked you while seating himself beside you at the bar. He signed the bartender for a whiskey, and in under a minute he was drinking next to you. Uninvited.

“Aren’t you going to answer my questions?”

“Do I have to?” You took another nip from your drink. You really needed to drink more to ignore the annoyance you felt when Baekhyun was near.

“You can also tell me something about yourself.” He told you. The left side of his lip tugged upwards creating a sinister smirk on his god-like face; casting a spell of lust to eyes that dare look his way. You looked away.

“Please annoy someone else while I’m still asking nicely.”

“Bad day?” He asked you, all cockiness aside. Again he surprised you with a genuine interest in your wellbeing.

“You were there.” You finally gave in and turned yourself toward him almost falling from your chair. 

“You were always surrounded by people. Isn’t that what these events are meant for?” He asked you with confusion in his eyes.

“If these people were interested in my work and my company it would have been fine. It could’ve been great actually.” You tried to explain to him, but he still didn’t understand your troubled mind. He thought you did well.

“They were interested in you.” He tried to reason with you. Boy, has he even spoken to a tipsy girl? You don’t just reason with them, you listen and silently nod.

“Yes exactly. In me, and not my company.” You started to grow more frustrated. Every sip you took from your drink got you more fired up. 

“Do you like your company that much that you would let it steal your spotlight?” He asked you bewildered. He didn’t seem to understand why you would hide in the background.

“I don’t actually, but I would like for once to be appreciated for what I do and not for how I look like.” This got him to be more understanding.

“Well, tell me something about what you do.” His question caught you off guard. You ignored his stare while ordering a new round for the two of you. 

“I don’t want to bore you.” You finally told him after a moment of silence.

“We work in the same field. I don’t think you can bore me that easily.”

“You’re doing it again.” You sighed, resting your head in your hands in defeat. Men just didn’t understand. They were always looked at with respect.

“What?” The liquor made his cheeks turn red, and you almost wanted to touch them. Almost.

“I want to bore you with my knowledge. I want people to look up certain words after they had a conversation with me. I want to bore people.” Your voice grew louder, but Baekhyun didn’t say anything about it. He seemed to be rooted in thought.

“Are you confident that you can bore me?” His voice sounded calm and collected, but his eyes showed an intense passion. 

“Of course not.” You sunk lower in your seat while taking a sip from your new cocktail. That was your fifth in under two hours. New record.

“That’s your first mistake.” He firmly stated. He straightened his back when he realized you were intently looking up at him.

“What?” You asked him when he didn’t continue his inspiring monologue. 

“You need to be more confident. You need to believe you can bore me with your knowledge. You need to be convinced that I will look up words on google after our conversation.”

“Look, thank you for listening and helping, but you can’t help me with being reasonable.” You turned away from him, hoping this would end the tiring conversation.

“What do you need me to do?” His gaze lingered on you, but it didn’t feel awkward.

“Don’t be reasonable.” You simply stated with your fingers wrapped around your drink like it was the only thing keeping you grounded.

“Is there anything else bothering you?” 

“I hate my job Baekhyun. Everything is bothering me.” You spit out, and you immediately regretted your tone. You might not have been the nicest to the young man, but he didn’t deserve the attitude you were serving right now. He didn’t seem fazed by your rudeness.

“Why don’t you just quit your job?” The question was so damn simple but was so much more complicated to answer.

“It’s not that easy.” You finally said.

“How come?” His eyes tried to find yours, but you were deliberately avoiding his gaze. You didn’t want to see his pity. 

“Because that would be my third failed career.”

“Some people need time to find out what they want to do in life. That’s okay.”

“It’s not. I’m almost in my thirties, and I’ve accomplished nothing.”

“I hardly believe that. What is troubling you?”

“I check other people’s research. I bring them coffee, and let me tell you something: the coffee isn’t even that good. It’s terrible. I refuse to drink that tasteless brown liquid. They spend money on a fancy car to drive me to an event, but they can’t even spend money on a better coffee machine…”

“… I’ve lied to get this job. I told them I spoke French and that I had experience in investing. Like what the hell would I invest in? A shoe? My bank account never reaches anything above 100…” You were on a roll. Baekhyun had opened the gates of your personal hell: the inside of your brain.

“…And don’t get me started on Oh Sehun. He barely puts in any effort, and I’m not saying that I’m an angel in that department, but I at least try to understand the shit people are saying. All he does is play card games all day long, and try to suck up to people…”

“…My parents are also so proud of my new job, and they tell me that everyday. I can not just leave something when it makes my parents proud. I’m glad they forgot about the time I wanted to start my own catering business. I’m still paying off all the debt that stupid thing caused…” You continued with the word waterfall that came out of your mouth unwillingly. Why didn’t you just stop? Baekhyun didn’t care, but he kept listening to your rambling.

“…How was I supposed to know that family got bankrupt right after the wedding I catered? How was I supposed to know?…”

“…I never told my roommate I slept with her boyfriend the day after they broke up. What kind of person am I? Who does something like that?…” His eyes stayed on your face, never scanning your body, and you felt oddly comforted. 

“… Maybe I should give the coffeeshop guy a chance. He’s the only one willing to have sex with me when I wear these hideous and most importantly, boring outfits for work. He deserves an award for that, so I should just give to him right?…” He kept sipping from his drink while you had your meltdown, but he wasn’t judging. His eyes were unreadably, but there was no judgment in them. Of that, you were sure. 

“… My ex is engaged! Can you imagine? That’s my second ex-boyfriend who got engaged with the girl that came after me. I did all the hard work of training him to be better, and she just got it for free. Without fights or dirty stuff in the bathroom. How does that make me feel? Well, let me tell you, I feel like shit that everyone I date seems to find the one after we break up. I had to explain to him that cumin in me doesn’t equal me having an orgasm for crying out loud. I did that for the other girl …”

“… My colleague Mina is the biggest bitch in the office. Everyone likes her and adores her, but she’d walk all over them to get what she wants. She knows I don’t know anything about banking, so she always gives me the most difficult tasks. I think she wants to break me, but I wont. I water her plant with coffee sometimes. I want the plant to die…”

“… Why does the coffee suck at work? Why don’t they give us something better? Coffee is a basic thing, you know. I deserve some good coffee…” You looked into his eyes and realized you had just blurted out all your secrets to a stranger. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to burden you with my problems.”

“I did ask what was troubling you.”

“I feel dizzy. I’m heading up. Until hopefully never.” You quickly got up and made your way to the elevator, ignoring Baekhyun’s calls. You were too embarrassed and too drunk to deal with him. You need sleep, and maybe a good cry. He tried to catch up to you in the elevator, but you pressed the button to close the doors. 

[kelyon]

Golden Rings 11: A Doctor

The Storybrooke sequel to Golden Cuffs

Mrs. Gold seeks some medical advice

Read on AO3 

Her horse thunders down the mountaintop. Cloak streaming behind her, her loose hair tangles in the wind. The leather satchel, in which she carries her most treasured possessions, bounces on her back. She kicks at her horse to make him go faster. Though unused to such urgency, the farm horse neighs and doubles his efforts. They go at a full gallop, bolting away from the castle, their home.

She has to look like she is afraid.

On the road in the forest, she comes upon a prince and his knights. They are travelling up the mountain she is coming down. She has seen this prince before, though he doesn’t know her. Her husband says she can trust the prince and his true love to always do what they think is good. This band of soldiers is armed to the teeth, but they are no threat to her. 

Not if she does this right.

“Oh thank the gods!” she cries when she sees them. Her voice is pitched with fear and relief. “You found me!”

The prince slows his horse to stop and talk to her. “Who are you?” he asks. “Did you come from the castle on top of the mountain?”

“I did!” Tears choke her voice, but her eyes are dry. “I used to live there. The Dark One, he--”

“The Dark One can’t hurt you anymore,” the prince says. He is kinder than most men in his position. “That monster has been defeated. He will never hurt anyone again.”

Behind the prince, the knights nod and laugh in agreement.

Now tears fill her eyes. “Is he dead?”

“He’s captured.” The man who speaks is dressed as a knight, but he has the stature and features of a dwarf. Atop a horse, he is at the prince’s right hand. He seems to speak with authority. “Not even his magic can get him out.”

She shudders. Hopefully, these men will think that she is overcome with terror at what the Dark One has done, and not at what might be done to him. 

“He kept me a prisoner.” She does not lie. “He did things to me, unspeakable things.”

Certainly unspeakable in polite company.

“Then don’t speak of it.” Again, the prince is kind. He could so easily dismiss her, be rude and condescending. But instead he is gentle, considerate. It is easy for a man to show compassion when a pretty girl presents herself as a victim. “You are safe now.”

“Are you going to the castle?” she asks.

“We are.” The prince straightens in his saddle. “We need to find out what other evils the Dark One might have brewing in his fortress.”

“You can’t!” This is far from the most crucial step of the plan, but it is the part she cares about the most. She does not want these men poking about in her husband’s things. “You will take your lives into your hands if you try to invade that place.”

 “We have protections against dark magic,” the dwarf-knight says. “The Blue Fairy herself enchanted our weapons and armor.”

“Is she here with you?” She looks over the knights, wide-eyed in her show of innocence. “Surely such a powerful force for good would want to oversee this victory herself. And of course it would be as safe for her as it is for all of you!”

The prince gives her a careful look and does not answer her question. “How did you escape?”

“Once the Dark One left the castle, nothing stopped me from sneaking out through the stables.” Nothing would have stopped her from leaving the castle even when he was in residence. It was her home and he never forced her to do anything. “But it is much more dangerous to get in than to get out. There are traps and wards and all kinds of dangers to those he doesn’t want to be there.”

The prince furrows his brow. “I’ve come to that castle univintied before.”

“He wanted you there,” she answers grimly. “They say he knows everything, that nothing happens that he hasn’t already foreseen.”

“He didn’t see our trap coming,” the dwarf says.

She covers her mouth so the men can’t see her stern face falter. Her husband saw through their plan to capture him from the very beginning. He practically put the idea into their heads. 

“You have no idea what he is capable of.” She says when she trusts herself to speak without smirking. “Please stay away from that place, for the sake of your own lives.” She looks at the prince. “I am already severed from my husband because of the Dark One’s devious machinations. I would not have any other bride lose the man she loves.”

He sits back at that. “You need to find your love?”

“I don’t know where he is!” Her voice breaks, and that is not a part of the act. “I would give anything to be with him again.”

“Do you know where he might be?”

Sitting on her horse, she is at eye level with the prince. Nevertheless, she makes an effort to look small and weak. Helpless. A damsel in need of rescuing. “He could be anywhere. He might be somewhere in the Queen’s kingdom. And the gods know what happens to people there.”

The prince’s mouth tightens into a hard line. “That woman is not a queen anymore,” he declares. “And that kingdom belongs to my wife.” He turns to his men. “Change of plans! We’re going to escort this young woman to safety. And then we’re going to remember who our real enemy is! We’ll redouble our efforts to take away the witch’s power so she can never hurt innocent people again!”

The knights cheer, all except for the gruff dwarf. “What about the Dark One’s castle? There could be some kind of weapon there that we could use to defeat her.”

“Yes, Grumpy, there might be,” the prince says. “But it could also blow up in our faces. Literally. I, for one, want to look upon my child before I die. We’re going back to Snow.”

On her farm horse, she rides along with the knights and the dwarf and the prince. Later, she is at a castle that is not her home. She is presented to the court. A pregnant woman  dressed in white sits on a throne. Her hair is as black as ebony and her lips are as red as blood. 

Her story is told, her plea for help heard. A talking cricket questions her. Nothing she tells him is a lie. Her husband is gone. She is afraid of the Evil Queen. The Dark One did things to her that none of them could ever imagine. She is good and she seeks a place in this haven they have created. 

A light shines over her. Floating, sparkling, blue light. It threatens to blind her if she looks at it too long or too closely. Through squinting eyes, she can see that the light is really a tiny person. 

No. Not a person. A fairy.

Her husband never had anything good to say about fairies.

The thing looks like a woman. It speaks with a woman’s voice. It flutters around her, examines her. It is trying to see into her soul, to judge whether she is worthy of kindness or trust. 

“You have been touched by dark magic,” the fairy says as it looks her over. “Penetrated by it. Deeply… over and over… everywhere…”

The stakes are too high for her to laugh at what the fairy says. She maintains a stone face.

“But your heart is full of love!” the fairy announces joyfully.  It addresses the crowd. “This is a pure soul, a good person. We must welcome her!”

The court claps and cheers. The woman in white stands to her feet. Holding her belly, she is assisted by the prince and a girl in a long red cloak.

She is embraced and greeted, welcomed to the fight against evil. Someone asks, “What is your name?” 

Before she can answer, everything fades away.

****

It was still dark when Mrs. Gold woke up. Her dream had been filled with light and color and noise. Waking up to blackness and near-silence was a shock.

More shocking, Mr. Gold was in bed with her. She felt the warmth and the weight of him on the mattress. Heard the gentle steadiness of his breathing. It must be early enough that he hadn’t woken up yet.

They had never been the sort of couple who copied each other’s nighttime routines. The trial of two people crowding around a tiny sink to brush their teeth at the same time had never come up in their marriage. Mr. Gold had always kept his own hours, and he allowed her to sleep whenever she wanted to. If her husband wanted her, he had no qualms about waking her up and putting her to work.

But lately, the differences in their schedules had become more pronounced. Sometimes Mr. Gold would stay in his study until she was already asleep. Or sometimes he would have the light turned off before she even came upstairs. No matter what time he went to bed, he always got up earlier than she did.

Almost every morning, she woke up to an empty bed. 

As her dream faded away, Mrs. Gold was left with a crucial memory: Her husband was gone from her. In the dream, the man she loved had been captured or kidnapped. Something terrible had happened to him. He was far away, but she would go to him and get him back. Now, in the real world, Mr. Gold was right next to her.

But she was running out of ways to reach him. 

How long had it been? She didn’t like keeping track of the days. That would just make all the changes in her life more real, and she didn’t want them to be real. If she didn’t know how long it had been, it would be easier to convince herself that it hadn’t been that long. This was just a fluke, a dry spell. It wasn’t as bad as she thought.

She could convince herself of that, until she remembered that Rent Day was this Sunday. Then she knew exactly how long it had been since her husband had last touched her. 

A month.

It had been a month without sex. A month without him. A month without punishments, lessons, or orgasms. A month since the last time she had gotten on her knees and kissed his shoes. A month since Mr. Gold had called her a good girl in that breathless, exhausted way he did when he was really satisfied, when he really meant it. 

A month since he had last looked at her like she was beautiful--or pathetic. Something to be treasured and degraded all at once. Those were always the best times, when he gave her both. Pleasure and pain, affection and malice, hot lust and cold disdain all at once. Perfect whore, he would call her then. Filthy angel, delectable cockslut. 

Mrs. Gold let out the faintest of moans. His voice could always bring her off. Now just thinking of it was enough to make her wet. His voice and his words and the way his lips curled  back like a warning. It always made tension coil inside her, as she waited for those words to become actions.

Before she could do anything stupid, Mrs. Gold pulled her hands up from under the covers. She clasped them together over her stomach on top of the blanket. That was one of the biggest rules: She was not allowed to touch herself for her own pleasure. 

She could tease herself, when Mr. Gold ordered her to. But she was never allowed to have an orgasm without him. Early in their marriage, it had taken her a while to remember all of Mr. Gold’s rules, and even longer to get into the habit of obeying him without question. He had been patient with her about many things, but he had no tolerance for her being self-centered with the body he had bought. 

Even in the middle of this weird patch they were going through, she knew better than to disobey. It wasn’t that she was afraid that Mr. Gold would punish her--if anything, she was becoming afraid that he wouldn’t. But who you really are is who you are when no one else is looking. She wanted to be Mr. Gold’s good girl. 

So she would follow the rules. Even if he wasn’t going to enforce them. She would do it because she wanted to.

She would do it because she loved him.

In the darkness, Mrs. Gold shut her eyes against the tears. She rolled over to her side, so she was facing her husband’s back. She wanted to reach out to him, to touch the soft silk of his pajamas. She wanted to curl up around him, throw her arm over her chest and let their legs get tangled up in each other. She wanted to cling to him and cry.

But she didn’t.

Pain sat heavy in her chest. It made it difficult to breathe. Mr. Gold didn’t like to be touched. And he hated her touching him without permission. Almost every time they had sex, he would make sure her hands were out of the way. Tied together, handcuffed to the furniture, tucked away under her body, or held under his own strong grasp. He could only relax when he knew she was under control. 

Clenching her jaw, Mrs. Gold got on her back again. She wasn’t allowed to touch him any more than she could touch herself. She really should just try to sleep.

But all of her tossing and turning must have disturbed Mr. Gold. While she was on her back, he rolled over to his other side. Now he was facing her. 

He wrapped his arm around her waist, as natural as breathing. Still asleep, he snuggled up to her body. His face buried into the nape of her neck. She felt his lips move against her skin as he murmured, “Sweetheart.”

Mrs. Gold let out a breath. 

The sudden contact--more touch and more gently than she had gotten in ages--brought tears to her eyes. And the words! Had Mr. Gold ever called her sweetheart? Had he ever said anything so loving before? This was like a dream. But she knew she was awake.

She didn’t move. She didn’t dare. She didn’t know how long this embrace would last. She didn’t know how long it might be before her husband touched her again.

Staying as still as she could, Mrs. Gold kept awake until dawn, savoring every stolen moment of her husband’s love. 

****

When she woke again, he was gone. Breakfast was normal. Mr. Gold acted with as much polite distance as he had for the past month. He didn’t seem to remember what he had done in the night. Or if he did, he wasn’t going to talk about it.

Mrs. Gold read the paper aloud, as always. There was a good write-up about the earthquake in the abandoned mines that had happened recently. The mayor’s kid had gotten stuck in a mine shaft and that blonde lady--she was Sheriff Graham’s deputy now--had gone in to rescue him. 

In other news Marco the handyman had fallen off a ladder in front of the hardware store while he was replacing a burnt out lightbulb. He had broken a bone and sought treatment at Storybrooke General Hospital.

“Huh,” Mrs. Gold said after finishing that article. “I never thought of that.”

“What’s that?” Mr. Gold took up the last bite of his eggs and toast. As usual, he wasn’t really looking at her. 

“Oh, it’s nothing important.” Nonchalance was as close to lying to him as she would ever dare. “I just… remembered that doctors exist.” She giggled. “It’s amazing the things you don’t think about. Or at least the things I don’t think about!” 

Normally--or what she used to think of as normally--Mr. Gold would have ordered her to stop playing dumb and tell him what was going on. He would remind her that he knew exactly how stupid she was. She couldn’t fool him by putting on the bimbo act she did for other people.

But today he just made a noncommittal sound and stood up to clear the breakfast dishes. Mrs. Gold stayed seated and let him move around her. She bit her lip and twisted her wedding ring over her finger.

It had been a month. She couldn’t pretend any longer. Something was wrong with her husband. And she had to find out what. 

 ****

The next day, she dressed to impress. Black silk thigh-highs with a line down the back, like old-time Hollywood bombshell. Shiny red heels that would match her red sunglasses. She even got out the black latex bra and garter belt she liked to wear on special occasions. With a tight black dress, cherry red lipstick, and a diamond bracelet, she was ready to go. 

All she needed was a wide-brimmed hat and a cigarette and she’d look like a goddamned femme fatale.

Mr. Gold blinked when she came down for breakfast, but he didn’t mention her outfit. That only strengthened her resolve. She had to get answers, and soon. 

They went their separate ways. Mr. Gold had taken some leftovers for his lunch at the shop. He gave her money and she assured him that she would go to Granny’s if she got hungry.

Her first stop was the drugstore to pick up her birth control. Not that she needed it, but you never knew when things could change. Unlike every other month for as long as she could remember, Mr. Gold hadn’t called in her prescription. When Tom Clark, the pharmacist, realized that she was going to wait in the store until he filled her prescription, he sneezed so hard he nearly blew his nose off. What a stupid little man.     

She killed time until lunch was well under way at the diner. It was a cold day, so she had to spend more time in stores than out on the streets. Even if she didn’t have Mr. Gold’s attention, she could still get a thrill out of the stir she could cause just by walking around in a getup like this. The sunglasses helped disguise the fact that she was watching people stare at her. 

The patio outside Granny’s was empty except for two pre-teen girls drinking hot chocolate. They were huddled up together, playing some sort of hand-held video game. 

“How are we supposed to prove that this is the real sacred urn of Kurain? You know the prosecution is going to want evidence.”

“It’s gotta be fingerprints.”

“But whose?”

She stopped and cocked her head at them. What kind of video game required evidence for the prosecution? Mrs. Gold had an easier time recognizing the girls than she did understanding their game. 

The blonde girl in the lime green puffy coat was Paige Lewis. She was the one holding the device that sounded out a stream of tension-filled music. Her parents owned a large house in New Town. Tim Lewis was an insurance salesman who had a debt with Mr. Gold that he paid extra to keep his wife from knowing about. Of course Paige didn’t have a clue about that. She was a kid, and rich enough to be carefree and happy.     

The other girl was owl-eyed and sallow-skinned. Her brown hair was lank and lifeless. Instead of a real coat, she was wearing an oversized insulated hoodie--the kind a man would wear for hazardous outdoor work. Lexi. Wasn’t that her name? Lexi Paisan. Her father had died in an accident at the cannery a few years ago. The mother, Suzy Paisan, was a waitress and a housemaid here at Granny’s. The rent was never late from them, but Lexi never had new clothes. She always looked cold and hungry.

Today was no exception.

Both girls noticed her looking at them. Paige turned off the game, and Lexi’s mouth dropped open. 

“Damn!” she said, with more energy than her sullen demeanor would have indicated possible. “You look like a million bucks!”

Mrs. Gold snorted and walked over to them. “Not that much, not in this outfit.”

Paige spoke next, “Wait, do you literally have a dress that costs a million dollars?”

“Not one dress, no. But I bet if you added up all my clothes and shoes and bags and jewelry together it would come pretty close.”

“That’s crazy.” Paige spoke like she was the complete authority on the subject.

She looks just like her mother.

Mrs. Gold blinked. Why had she thought that? Paige’s mother, Mia Lewis, was a thin, auburn-haired Realtor with hazel eyes. Paige had a mop of curly blonde hair, beautifully plump cheeks, and dark eyes that sparkled with a specific type of knowing mischief. She was a pretty girl, but she didn’t take after her mother at all. 

Weird. 

Lexi was still staring at Mrs. Gold. “How do you walk in shoes that tall?”

Smirking, she lifted one foot off the ground to give the girls a better look at her heels. “Practice. And your feet get numb after a while.”

“Is that healthy?” Paige asked.

“Nope.”

Lexi nodded her approval. “Badass.” 

Mrs. Gold snorted again. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but never that.”

“How much did those shoes cost?” Lexi asked. 

She didn’t answer. This pair of designer heels had been a gift from Mr. Gold. She had seen an ad for them in one of her magazines and pointed them out to him. He said that he would buy them for her, if she let him make her thighs as shiny and cherry-red as the shoes themselves. When she agreed, he took off his belt and had her lift up her skirt right then and there. Her legs were still bright red when he had finished fucking her, and the bruises had lasted for weeks. 

That was how much these shoes had cost.

Instead of saying any of that, Mrs. Gold put on her widest smile. “Shouldn’t you guys be in school?”

Paige furrows her eyebrows. “It’s Thanksgiving break. We’re off until Monday.”

“Oh.” 

Weird that the major holiday at the end of November could completely pass her by. But it checked out. Thanksgiving was tomorrow. And Rent Day was this Sunday. And it had been a month since Mr. Gold had fucked her. 

“Well,” she kept smiling. “I guess that’s what happens when you don’t go to school anymore! I’ll let you girls get back to your game.” 

****

Inside the diner, every table was full. Mrs. Gold took a moment to survey the scene. Leroy Miner and a few other rough-and-tumble working men lined the bar stools. Ruby Lucas was on the phone with orders for take out. Suzy Paisan walked past with a tray on each arm. And in a booth by the window, Doctors Hopper, Atwell, and Whale were lunching together and arguing.

Perfect. 

Without missing a beat, Mrs. Gold walked up to the table with the best view of the booths. There was already a customer at the table. Keith Sherwood, who never had his rent in on time. He was a younger man, scruffy and unkempt--like almost every man in Storybrooke. He had oddly pursed lips and a chin that looked like a butt. She’d always hated him.

“I want to sit here,” she announced coldly. “Alone.”

And that was all she needed to say. Bug-eyed, Keith swallowed the bite he had been chewing. He nodded vigorously and stood up.

“Yes, Mrs. Gold.”

He held out the chair he had been sitting in, but she walked around to the other side of the table and took her place. Delicately, she pushed away the plate where he still had half a tuna melt and a few scattered fries. 

“Let me clear that for you, Mrs. Gold.” Keith picked up his dishes and silverware and looked around frantically for a place to put them.

“Aren’t you going to tip your waitress?” She examined her fingernails, only slightly disappointed that she was missing the show of Keith trying to grab his wallet while still holding on to his garbage.

Somehow he managed. When she looked up, there were a few crumpled ones on the empty table and Keith was out of sight. 

She barely had time to pull out her purse before Ruby came running out from behind the counter with a pad and pen at the ready.

“Hello, Mrs. Gold! What can I do for you today?”

God, was it only a month ago that she had been shaking down little Ruby for her grandmother’s rent? A lot had changed since then. 

Mrs. Gold did not smile at Ruby. Instead, she placed one fifty dollar bill on the table. “I want a pumpkin spice latte, skim milk.” She set down another fifty. “Burgers and fries for those little girls on the patio.” Another bill. “And when Dr. Whale is done with his ‘meeting of the minds,’ you’ll let him know that his check has been taken care of.” Setting down the last fifty, Mrs. Gold looked up at the waitress’ bulging eyes. “And you will keep this all to yourself. Won’t you, Ruby?”

The cash was in Ruby’s apron pocket so fast it might have never been on the table at all. “Absolutely, Mrs. Gold.”

She rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. 

**** 

As she sipped her too-sweet latte, Mrs. Gold observed the doctors in the booth on the other side of the restaurant. Every Wednesday, the shining stars of the Storybrooke health community met for lunch. Lunch and a ritual re-hashing of the exact same argument every week.

Dr. Atwell was the shortest and oldest of the three men, with gray hair and reading glasses. He had a high-pitched, piercing voice that carried over the bustle of the diner.

“You can’t deny the truth, Archie, and this is the oldest saying in the book: You’re not a real doctor if you haven’t delivered a baby!”

Dr. Hopper shook his head and chuckled good-naturedly. “If that’s the case, then you’re more a doctor than Victor.”

Dr. Whale made a face like he was wounded. “Well, Roy has an unfair advantage! Puppies come out seven at a time!”

All three men laughed. It was eventually agreed, as it was every Wednesday, that they would invite Phillipa Sherman to start coming to these lunches. Then the vet, the shrink, and the medical practitioner could all band together and taunt her for being a lowly dentist.

Shockingly, Dr. Sherman never made an appearance. 

Eventually, they gathered their coats, and Dr. Hopper’s umbrella, and went to the cash register to pay. Dr. Whale was last in line. After a moment of murmured conversation with Ruby, the good doctor looked over at Mrs. Gold.

He began to walk toward her, but before he got to her table she was already on her feet and out the door. 

On the patio, Paige and Lexi were hunched over their game again. The plates on the table in front of them were empty except for smears of ketchup and honey mustard.

Without looking behind her, Mrs. Gold strutted around the corner to the alleyway between Granny’s Diner and the Atlantic Twine and Net store. She leaned against the brick wall across from the dumpster with one foot propped back at an angle behind her. Perfectly casual.

Dr. Whale didn’t keep her waiting long. He followed her into the alley, his usually purposeful stride fumbling a little in this new circumstance. 

“Mrs. Gold.” He kept his hands in his coat pockets, maintained as respectful a distance as the cramped alley would allow. “I understand I owe you lunch.”

She lowered her sunglasses to meet his eyes. He wasn’t bad-looking, if you liked cocky young blondes. Evidence suggested that quite a few ladies around Storybrooke did. 

“You’re doing me a favor just by talking to me, Doctor.” She tossed her hair to expose her neck, watched his genial smile falter into something more serious. How much did he like what he saw?

He cleared his throat. “Is there… something I can do for you?”

 Mrs. Gold pushed off the wall and sauntered closer to him. She made her hips sway as she moved and watched his eyes follow the motion. Slowly, she brought her hand to her mouth, rubbed her thumb over her lower lip. Thank God this lipstick was smear-proof.

“There is something I want to ask you.” She kept her voice breathy, soft. Whale had to lean in to hear her. “But it’s… kind of naughty.”

The noise Whale made in the back of his throat sent a bolt of lightning through her. Not to her libido, but to her ego. Sex appeal was the only power she had, and it had been a solid month since she’d gotten a chance to really use it. 

When Whale was able to speak, his voice was thick and heavy. “I can be naughty.”

Mrs. Gold giggled and reached out to finger the lapel of his coat. It wasn’t bad, a navy blue wool blend. Not as high quality as any of Mr. Gold’s coats, but respectable. And it fit him, which was half the work of looking good in clothes.  

“See,” she said as she closed in the space between their bodies. “The thing I want…”

“Yeah?” They were too close for her to focus on all of Whale’s face, but she could see that his lips were twitching. He was getting excited, but he kept his hands in his pockets like a good boy.  

“I want…” She ran her hand up his collar and stretched out her finger to brush against his ear lobe. “Mr. Gold’s medical records.”

“What?” Dr. Whale straightened up and jerked away. “You--you want what?”

She stood her ground, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re his doctor. He’s my husband. I believe I have a right to know if there’s something wrong.”

Whale ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a long breath. “Oh, that was more effective than a cold shower,” he muttered. Then he looked at Mrs. Gold. “Was that what this was about the whole time?”

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “Depends on how well it worked.”

“Yeah, but just to be clear,” he said. “This is not a quid pro quo situation, is it? You were never going to deliver on any of that enticing body language.”

“Not unless Mr. Gold wanted me to.”

“And he doesn’t, does he?” Whale looked her over. For the first time since he entered the alley, he appeared to be using his brain. “He doesn’t know you’re talking to me.”

Mrs. Gold swallowed. Then she put on a smile. “It would be very nice of you not to mention it. I’d hate to give Mr. Gold a reason not to trust you!”

Whale opened his mouth, then closed it. He nodded, understanding the way she had set it up. The moment he had walked into an alley with another man’s wife, he had lost any moral high ground he might have ever had. 

“So,” he said slowly. “Whatever happens here… it stays between us. Does that work out for you, Mrs. Gold?”

She stuck out her hand and he shook it. “Deal,” she said brightly. 

Sighing, Whale stuck his hands back in his coat pockets. “I hope you know I can’t just pass out copies of my patient’s medical history.”

“That’s fine,” she said. “I don’t need a paper trail or anything. I just…” she trailed off. She had put so much effort into getting some answers, and now that she had the chance she didn’t even want to ask the questions. 

She took a breath and dug her fingernails into her palms. She had to do this. Her marriage was in trouble and she had to know why.

“I just need to know if Mr. Gold is sick.” When Whale didn’t say anything, she kept going until everything came bubbling out. “I don’t know if it might be heart disease, or somehow his leg got worse or if it’s like a hormone problem or ca--” She choked over the last word, the greatest fear, the enemy that could never be defeated, the war that would never be won or even survived. “Or something worse. And he won’t talk to me about anything and he’s acting strange and we haven’t…” Again she stopped, this time in embarrassment instead of fear. She took off her sunglasses and looked up at Dr. Whale. For the first time in a while, she said something truly honest. “It’s just been really hard for us lately. And I want to know if there’s a medical reason for it.” 

With a deep breath and a small nod, Dr. Whale seemed to come to a decision. He stepped a little closer to Mrs. Gold. Not as close as they had been, but a professional distance. Neutral--not attracted, not repulsed.  

“Mrs. Gold, I need you to understand something,” he began. “The breach of doctor-patient confidentiality is a death sentence for my profession. I could lose my licence to practice and I’d never be able to work again. And I need to work.” His chuckle was tinged with bitterness. “I’ve been a doctor for as long as I can remember and I still haven’t paid off my student loans.”

“How terribly sad for you,” Mrs. Gold said through gritted teeth. She tried not to think about how lucky he was to have student loans. To have even gotten a chance at higher education. Some people’s life savings, including their kid’s college funds, got swallowed up in medical bills. “Are you going to help me or not?”

“That’s what I’m saying, I can’t,” he said. “I can’t tell you about anything that was mentioned in any appointment with your husband. Not without his permission.”

Mrs. Gold felt the pumpkin spice latte curdle in her stomach. “You mothe--”

“But!” Dr. Whale cut her off. “I can tell you if certain subjects were not mentioned. Do you get what I mean?”

“Think about who I’m married to before you ask me again if I understand loopholes.” Instead of any relief or gratitude, all Mrs. Gold could feel was irritation boiling into anger. 

“Right.” He smiled, trying to diffuse the situation. Pathetic. “That being understood, I’m very happy to tell you that I have never spoken to Mr. Gold about heart disease. We’ve never had a reason to discuss hormone imbalances, urological problems, erectile dysfunction--”

“I never said that!”

“Neither did I,” he said with the calm of an ER surgeon. “This whole conversation is about conversations that didn’t happen.” He put one hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. “And I’ve never spoken to Mr. Gold about cancer.”

She tried to keep her face frozen. But that was hard to do when her legs were shaking. Mrs. Gold closed her eyes and let herself fall back against the bricks. 

She breathed, for what felt like the first time in days. 

He was safe. He wasn’t sick. She wasn’t going to lose him. Not like that, at least. 

“Thanks,” she said softly. “I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that.”

Dr. Whale grinned. “Best part of being a doctor is making people feel better. That and getting to play God.”

He laughed at his own joke, but Mrs. Gold didn’t react. She was still waiting for her heart rate to return to normal. 

“Listen,” Whale said. “You mentioned that Mr. Gold wasn’t talking to you about things and you were worried. Now, I know we give Archie hell about not being a real doctor, but talking to him does help people.”

Mrs. Gold glared up at Dr. Whale. “I’m not crazy,” she said with determination.

“No, I don’t think you are,” he answered. “But you don’t have to be mentally ill to have problems in your marriage.”

She pushed off from the wall and rounded on him, brandishing her sunglasses under his chin like a switchblade. “Who said anything about problems with my marriage?”

Whale backed out of the alley. “N-no one, Mrs. Gold. But--But it is my job to offer you the best advice I can based on the information I’m presented with.”

“Well you did your job then. Good for you. Do you want a fucking lollipop?”

Before Whale could say anything more, Mayor Mills walked into the mouth of the alley. “What is going on here?” she demanded of them both. “Dr. Whale, did you forget that you have an appointment with my son today?”

Thrown from one infuriated woman to another, Whale had to think for a moment before he recovered himself. “Ye-yes of course, Madam Mayor. Henry’s appointment is at two.”

“And it’s almost one-thirty now.” The mayor had a fascinating way of speaking that turned facts into accusations. “I imagine you want to head back to the hospital so you can review his file before you examine him.”

“Uh, yes. Yes of course,” Whale shook his head. “I definitely don’t want to be here.” He nodded to Mrs. Gold before scurrying around the mayor and all but sprinting down the street. 

“And you.” 

Mayor Mills was the sort of person who was always in charge because it was just so obvious that she should be. She could pin someone to the wall just by using the right tone of voice or raising an eyebrow or putting her hands on her hips. Mrs. Gold knew she wasn’t exempt from that power.

But, when the mayor spoke again, her voice was gentler, almost sweet. It was like she cared. Mrs. Gold suddenly got the notion that the mayor had just as many carrots as she had sticks and that she knew very well how to use both.

“Are you alright, Mrs. Gold? You seem upset.” The furrow of her brow was practically sympathetic. “I hope there isn’t any trouble at home.”

She wanted to say something. Maybe Whale was right, maybe she needed to talk to someone about what was going on with Mr. Gold. And if you couldn’t trust the mayor, who could you trust? But in the back of her head, some voice insisted: No. Not Regina! 

So she didn’t break. She didn’t say anything. Mrs. Gold put on her sunglasses, and for a hot second she felt the way Lexi Paisan had described her earlier. She felt badass.

“Nope,” she lied to Mayor Mills. “Everything’s fine.”   

[molluskwritesfic]

Between Rivers: Chapter Five

A Mandalorian can't show their face to anyone - with the exception of immediate family. Although they haven't known each other long, there's definitely something growing between them. But is it enough? When an ex-spy must look beneath the helmet to save Din Djarin's life, there's only one option that allows him to continue following his Creed. Marriage.

This story can also be found on Ao3 and Fanfiction.net

First Chapter - Previous Chapter - This Chapter - Next Chapter

Chapter Five

Din wasn’t at all surprised when she suddenly seemed to materialize on the Razor Crest. The bounty was in carbonite. She appeared just as the fog from the machine cleared, apparently having seen the act of leaving the ramp down and hatch open as an open invitation to join him; which it was.

“Nicely done,” she said approvingly. 

Din’s chest puffed out a little, but he didn’t otherwise acknowledge the compliment. He folded his arms across his cuirass and leaned against the carbonite freezer. “Is this a local job?”

She shook her head. “Two systems over. Dafin III.” She rummaged in her coat and came away with a tracking fob, which was blinking frantically.

Din’s head tilted. “You carry your own fob?”

She shrugged. “Some hunters get ahead of themselves.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” he said lightly. “What about the Guild?”

“It’s not a Guild assignment.” She turned the fob over in her hand. “I have connections. One of them has the authority to distribute wanted bounties for the client. Clemint Vahst. He’ll vouch for you if anyone asks. But there shouldn’t be any questions about you bringing me in, anyway.”

“Good.” He accepted the fob and tucked it into his belt. “Who’s the client?”

“Redin Deedi. He’s a big figure in the Dafin underground. Bit of a local warlord, just influential enough to be annoying.”

“I’ve heard of him.” Din was already going through his mental files on Deedi. “What do you need from me?”

“I need you to actually take me in.” Her voice was serious and earnest. “He has a grudge. I need to be on my feet. If I were carbonite, I don’t trust him to not just leave me in it. Keep me for decoration.”

Din nodded. It lined up with what he already knew about Deedi. Making an example of traitors was fairly common. “So, unlocked cuffs. A few hidden blasters. But...” He cocked his head. “Deedi’s facility is a fortress. How do you plan to get out?”

She fixed him with her pale blue stare. “You take me in and walk away with the reward. The rest is nothing you need be concerned with.”

“Right.” He was making her suspicious, which was the last reaction he wanted from her. “I can help, though. If you... need it.”

Din internally cringed at himself. Was he really that desperate? 

Her head tilted minutely to the side, considering him. Her expression was unreadable. He had to fight to not fidget under the weight of her stare.

Finally, she seemed to relax, saying, “I appreciate your concern, but I have a plan, Mando. And it’s already in motion. This is the last piece of a puzzle. The rest is taken care of.”

Din wasn't sure why, but it felt like rejection. It stung. He bit back his disappointment. “Right. Good. Then we should go.” He straightened up. “Are you ready?”

She flashed him her wolffish smile. “Always.”

~0~0~0~ . . ~0~0~0~

This time, she rode with him in the cockpit. Din was acutely aware of her presence just behind him, lounging in the seat to his right with her feet propped up on the console. 

He tried to make a point of not looking around - of not speaking, despite how much he wanted to. He didn’t talk much - not anymore, at least, having learned early on that it was easier not to, easier to say exactly what needed to be said and to do exactly what needed to be done. No more, no less. 

And his previous blunder was a keen reminder of just how awkward he could be when he didn’t abide by those emotional barriers, of why it was better to just stay quiet and get the job done. 

He was a professional hunter. A Mandalorian warrior. He had a reputation. A code.

But just like how she’d gotten him to subvert the Guid Code, she was encouraging him to do the same to some of his personal ones. Except without bribery and credits.

Din didn’t know what to think.

“How are… the olfdo?” He tried carefully. She’d been happy to discuss them at length, last time, so he hoped that it was a safe topic. 

“They are well,” she said cheerfully. “Queen whelped at the end of summer. Three pups. Two male, one female.”

“Which one was Queen?”

“The alpha. A silver female. The biggest in the pack.”

Din nodded, vaguely remembering being stared down by a massive silver wolf. “I bet Nana likes having new pups to babysit.”

She smiled. “Yes, she is. It’s been… oh, four years since the last brood. And she likes being useful. I had to give her an orphan mucdat to care for so she would stop trying to baby my pit droids.”

Although realizing that she’d had droids without him noticing set his teeth on edge, he didn’t comment on it. 

“A mucdat? I’m not familiar with that species.”

She hummed. “They’re wildcats that roam the high mountains. Sometimes they come down and are killed by hunters or predators.” Her tone became wistful. “There are so few left, that when I come across an orphaned one, I’ll save it if I can. And the olfdo don’t mind them so much, especially if they were raised with the pack. There are five that haunt my woods, now. Six, when the new one is grown.”

“Huh,” was all Din had to say. “I… never saw them… during my visit.”

“They’re very shy,” she explained. “As elusive as they are, the Movetian government will not register them as a threatened species. They say that they’ve already been wiped out, and no more can be done… so now… it’s mostly just me.”

Frustration had crept into her voice. She pursed her lips to try and hide it, but Din was intrigued to stumble on something she cared deeply about. 

He turned his head to look at her more fully. “You... care a lot about your home.”

“Yes.” 

She didn’t elaborate further, and he didn’t want to press his luck. Din turned back to the controls, watching as hyperspace flashed and whirled past. The silence they lapsed into was easier than before, more contemplative than tense. 

For a while, Din was content to just sit and enjoy her company, but as Dafin III grew nearer, he had to break the silence.

“Who exactly does Deedi think I’m bringing in?” He asked, glancing at her over his battered pauldron. “Last time, you were Ena Sma. What’s the name on the puck?”

“Ah, I didn’t say?” She dropped her feet from where they’d been resting on the console and sat up a little straighter. Her accent switched again, just as dramatically and flawlessly as it had the last time she’d done so. 

This time, it sounded like she’d come straight from the Core. “Noa. Noa Enti. I’m a Coruscanti analyst from the Empirical Data Corps. I traded crucial information on Imperial patrol formations in exchange for safe harbor in the Dafin III Underworld.” 

She smirked, settling back into the seat again before adding. “Unfortunately, the flow of information goes both ways. Deedi forgot to account for that.”

“Noa Enti,” he echoed. “And what exactly happened to Ena Sma?”

She clucked her tongue ruefully. “Ah. I heard she met her end when she drove a speeder over the edge of the Festiv cliffs on Nefididi. Seven spice cartel guards followed. Gruesome. So sad.”

Din couldn’t stop the bemused puff of a laugh that caught in his modulator at her bright, matter-of-fact tone. He shook his head and turned back to the view screen. 

“You must be one hell of a spy,” he mused. “Ena. Noa. Are either of them even your real name?”

As soon as he said it, he wished he could take it back. If asking about her escape plan had made her suspicious, asking about her true identity would surely turn her away for good. And rightfully so. 

Our secrecy is our survival. 

How would he feel if she’d asked for the location of his covert? 

Not very trusting, to say the least. 

Shockingly, she didn’t recoil. She raised her eyebrows at him expectantly and rested her arms across her chest. 

In her Core accent, she said, “What do you mean? My name’s Noa. I told you that.” She laughed humorlessly. “And a shit spy, thanks for asking. All I did was look into a few files that I shouldn’t have. And then they abduct my partner to get to me. Deedi needed a way in… and I…” Her voice cracked, she looked away, blinking back tears. “... I didn’t know what else to do…”

And damn, she was good. Her delivery was perfect. If he hadn’t known any better, he would’ve taken her story at face value. 

But she knew that he knew it was fake. So why bother? Why not just tell him to fuck off?

Then it clicked. She wasn’t telling him to drop the subject of identities. She was making a point. 

She wanted him to work for it. 

That he could do. 

“And… Ena Sma…” Din started slowly. “She is… was… a spice smuggler that leaked information to the Empire.”

She nodded. “So I’ve heard, anyway.”

He was starting to understand; she was doing more than letting him figure out her real name, she was letting him get a glimpse at her mentality, at how she operated.

Din felt oddly privileged.

“And the woman who lives in the cottage on Movet,” he said finally, “the one who cares for olfdo and rescues orphan mucdats, what’s her name?”

Noa Enti, a Core worker who had probably never even been to Movet, somehow knew the name of a very specific woman hidden away in the North Mountains. Weird, huh?

“Nenana,” she said lightly. “Nenana Orze. Though, she’s been rumored to have been dead for… oh… some twenty years, or so.”

Nenana Orze. 

“That’s a shame,” Din admitted softly, turning to face the controls as the Navcom started blinking to signal their imminent drop from hyperspace. “I liked her.”

“Mmm, yes,” Nenana hummed. He didn’t turn to look, but he could hear the smirk in her voice. “She liked you, too.”

The breath caught in Din’s throat. He refused to look around, but could picture her clearly in his mind’s eye; lounging on his jump seat, streaked with the deep blue light of hyperspace. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

~0~0~0~ .

[writingshirbert]

A Royal mistake

Prompt: Gilbert is jealous at Roy. Set after 3x06

---------------------------------------------------

In the last few months a strange feeling of loneliness clouded his life. It was as if something was missing and the way it made him feel made him think the missing piece must've been crucial. He spent his summer working the farm with Bash, walking the woods with Delphine in his arms, accompanying Matthew Cuthbert in his barn in fixing an old typewriter of his, one that he had promised to give Gilbert afterwards. Sundays and Saturdays he went to Charlottetown to see Winnie, they went to tea or simply just walked around, sometimes dropping by to see doctor Ward, but that was all. He had found their conversations turning to idle chatter and started feeling more and more like they've ran out of topics to talk about. The lesson of tea etiquette she had given him on their first date had come in handy, Gilbert resolving to talking about the weather and decor much more than usual. He was certain Winifred felt this shift in their relationship as well, as she started talking about moving to Europe with her auntie. Perhaps she will find a better beaux there, Gilbert thought to himself. He also couldn't help but notice his decreased lack of interest in her romantically, she had become a good friend, however all the attraction he felt towards her in the beginning had faded away. Mary's words about marrying for love echoed in his head every time he thought about taking the next step in this courtship, making him unable to do it. This can't be what love feels like, right? It is the stuff of tales and novels, wars had been fought over love, so surely it must feel different... Anne Shirley-Cuthbert had accompanied him on the train rides in July, bit distant but still providing pleasant company. He didn't know why she went so frequently, but he had no business to meddle in her life. Marilla had allowed it, that's all he needed to know. In August, she was gone. After Diana Barry went away for finishing school in Paris, Anne had perished from Avonlea. It crossed his mind that she went to spend the last month with her, but he was sure the Cuthberts would never allow Anne to travel such distance. He thought it best he didn't ask, it was enough that the image of Anne flooded his thoughts every night before bed, appeared in his dreams and in the morning, first thing with the crow of the rooster. It was a strange unpleasant feeling, it couldn't be love either, because it hurt, right? He needn't think about her during the day. But he did so anyways. He thought about why she stopped coming by their house, stopped comparing their notes in class, stopped giving him excited glances during the science lessons, stopped teasing him about his grammar, didn't once look in his eyes during the barn dance at the fair and started snapping at him at the meetings of the Avonlea Gazette and much more. She was still there, but she just wasn't there for him anymore. He saw her sometimes when he came home to take a break from the heat, but she talked mainly with Bash and usually perished away quite quickly. When they tied for Queens she didn't come to congratulate him and only replied with a thanks when he did, using none of her usual witty humor. She was quite well in other ways, always being her gay shiny self with others, which hurt even more. He told himself he didn't care and that was that.

"Gilbert Blythe, how lovely to see you this fine afternoon," the voice of Rachel Lynde echoed behind his back. He was waiting in line at the shop, looking to get some cucumber seeds, as August was the time to plant them, when a bulky lady appeared behind him. He liked Rachel just fine, however he wasn't in the mood for her sharp chatter, so he prayed the line would move quickly. At the counter an older gentleman was carefully counting dried dates, an abundance of them in Gilbert's opinion, dropping some on the ground and picking them up very slowly. He sighed loudly.

"How do you do, Mrs Lynde?" He smiled at her.

"Such a nice boy you are... You're turning into a fine young man I can tell ya. And handsome, too," she winked. "I'm quite well, thank you for asking. I'm getting some flour for Marilla Cuthbert, seeing as Anne is staying with Miss Barry for the time being and Matthew and Jerry are busy with farm work, she hasn't anyone to run these errands for her. She doesn't know I went, of course. That woman doesn't like help, such a shame... She is getting older, you know. I went over to tea yesterday and saw she was running low on flour, so I thought I'd do her a favor and pick some up for her."

He had become accustomed to Rachel's rumblings, usually paying them no mind, for his father had always set a good example in such matters. Gossip isn't healthy, and howbeit it's more of a womanly thing, you still can't escape it as a man. However a part of her monologue caught his mind.

"Anne's in Charlottetown?" He heard himself say without thinking.

"Oh yes. Why, you see, she's become quite good friends with that Mackenzie boy Josephine Barry's taken into her care. Plus, she wanted to familiarize herself with the town more, now that she's going to live there while she's at Queens. Her house isn't close to Queens, but Cole rides to his academy in a carriage every morning, so there's no trouble taking her too. She's even started moving her things there! Oh, how I don't understand that Barry woman. Having had ten children of my own, I can't imagine taking more of them into my home at such age. But I suppose she must be all lonely in that big house of hers. Don't be so glum, Anne will be back in Green Gables last week of summer. I do have to admit, I gave that Anne girl hell when she first came to Avonlea, but I too do miss her company dearly. She's a strange one, to say at least, but one can't help but love her, can one?" she laughed.

"I can't imagine how Marilla must miss her... But she's almost a woman now and one must expect her getting on her own feet sooner or later. I heard she's even got a chum there... Poor Marilla, I hadn't had the heart to tell her about it. She still sees her as a little girl," Rachel shook her head disapprovingly...

"And what about you, Gilbert? I know you have a sweetheart of your own..." Rachel grinned.

The line has moved a little bit, so they both took a step forward. "Yes, she's great," he said rather unconvincingly. His mind kept trailing to an image of Anne walking arm in arm with another man and he felt an unfamiliar feeling rise up in his chest.

"And to imagine both you and Anne might marry into such wealthy families, you have a good life ahead of ya... I told you he's wealthy, did I not? Very handsome too, such as yourself... Oh, how wonderful it is to be young and in love... I would do anything to relive my youth with Thomas, but I suppose being an old married couple has it's charms too. It's so strange, after seeing you and Anne dance in school I thought you were sweet on each other. I can see now that I was mistaken, although I don't mind as much, seeing how well everything worked out anyways."

Sweet on each other, he thought... So if other people had noticed, it couldn't have been all in his head. If Rachel Lynde wasn't staring at him, he would probably go bang his head against a wall.

He was relieved when he saw Miss Stacy enter the shop and head towards them. "Oh, Rachel, please do relieve this boy from the reins of your chatter," his former teacher laughed. "Young boys don't care about the problems of us old folk."

Muriel Stacy winked at him. "It's good to see you, Gilbert. I hope you're not working yourself to the bone and have found some time for relaxation this summer. A good book always does good for one's soul."

The walk back home felt longer than usual, uncomfortable thoughts creeping into his mind. He thought about paying Anne a visit tomorrow while he's at Charlottetown, maybe he could even catch up with Cole while he's at it, but then changed his mind. She hasn't mentioned leaving, in fact she didn't even come to say goodbye, even if it was just a three week visit. She obviously doesn't want him getting involved.

The following day he felt especially lost at tea with Winnie, remaining silent for most of it.

"Is something troubling you, dear?" she asked. "I feel like Mr Bones would be a more garrulous company than you today," she cracked a joke, but he didn't laugh.

"I'm sorry, Winnie."

"You needn't apologize, just tell me what I can do to cheer you up."

He looked thoroughly at the woman sitting in front of him. She was smiling at him with her ocean blue eyes, her hair perfectly done as always. She was wearing a very fashionable golden yellow dress and she was undeniably beautiful. And smart. And funny. She was almost perfect. There was one fault however, which was preventing him from loving her fully. She wasn't Anne.

"I don't think we are right for each other, Winifred."

She looked down, a little shocked but not mad, like he thought she would be. After a little while she sighed, nodding. "You know I would be perfectly happy with you. But I have to admit this relationship doesn't give me much thrill, if that's what you're talking about."

"I feel that way too. I hope you're not hurt," he said, taking her arm. "I like you very much, Winnie."

"Oh, I am hurt a little, but I do understand, because I feel it too... We could marry and live a life that would be just fine, but maybe there should be more to it indeed. I like you very much too, Gilbert Blythe. I hope we'll remain friends."

He stayed sitting for a while after Winnie left, the tea was still warm and he had plenty of time before his train left, so he decided to think everything through.

If Anne had really felt something for him back then, it's natural she was hurt when he brought Winifred to the town fair. She did run off and acted rather strangely, but acting strangely isn't unusual for Anne and that's why he didn't put it all together... He smiled at the memory of the judges spitting out Anne's cake. He knows he shouldn't, but oh, that really was rather amusing. Poor Anne, he thought.

Gazing out of the window, he saw Cole MacKenzie on the street talking with a tall dark young man. He stood up abruptly, threw money on the table and left, running after them.

"Cole," he shouted and waved, crossing the street. Cole turned around and smiled, taller and older than Gilbert remembered him.

"Gilbert," he said, shaking his hand. "Long time no see..."

Gilbert nodded, studying the guy he was with. He was rich, that much was obvious from the way that he dressed. Gilbert thought him objectively handsome too, with his dark curly hair and dark complexion, Gilbert could see him being a lady magnet.

"This is my classmate, Royal Gardner," Cole introduced him and Royal shook his head, extending his hand to Gilbert.

"Just call me Roy, please. Cole likes to introduce me by my full name to make people uncomfortable and I can see it's working. My parents are rather funny people, you see..."

"Where's Anne?" He blurted out and earned himself a strange look from Roy, but he didn't care.

"She's in the library, you know how she gets around books," Cole grinned. "We were just on our way to see her, do you want to join us?"

Gilbert thought about it. He did really want to see her, but he thought it might look weird if he just appeared before her. "Oh no, I couldn't, you obviously have other plans, I wouldn't want to intrude."

Cole laughed.

"No, not at all, come... We can catch up on the way."

So Gilbert walked with them. Cole told him about his life at the academy, he was obviously much happier and Gilbert was glad for that. He hadn't seen him in two years, but it was as if they never parted, conversation flowing easily between them. Gilbert didn't have many friends his age, but Cole was much more mature than most boys in Avonlea and very easy to talk to. Roy was a funny lad, Gilbert observed. He too used a lot of big words, kind of like Anne, but it seemed as if he used them less seriously, just for fun and to show off his high class education. When they reached the library, Anne was already standing outside waiting for them. She gave Gilbert a surprised look but she didn't seem bothered by his presence.

"Gilbert, how unexpected..." she said, walking over to him. "How are you? How's everything in Avonlea? Is Matthew and Marilla well?"

He assured her they were well and promised to give them both her regards. He saw Roy leaning into Anne's side, she didn't flinch in the slightest, which showed this was something normal for them. He kissed her hand and she gave him a brief smile, but remained focused on Gilbert. "What are you doing here? Visiting Winnie? You know, I get what you like about her... We met a few days ago and I've discovered a kindred spirit in her."

He smiled at that. Of course she and Anne would get along, they're both amazing women.

"She and I, uh... Parted ways."

Anne's look was unreadable.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

He didn't stay long. Roy muttered something about them being late to tea at Miss Barry's and the trio took off, Anne holding Royal's hand as they walked. Looking at her in the arms of another man, a wealthy, tall and good looking man made anger bubble up inside of Gilbert. He realized right in that moment that not admitting his feelings to her back then was truly a Royal mistake on his part.

[qobiin]

even in the light of day, your name stays

pairings: stoncy, steve & the party

genre: angst, fluff | canon-compliant, abo au

warnings: swearing, abo dynamics, implied sexual content, mentioned ruts and heats, canon typical violence, billy being an a-hole

word count: 10810

summary: Steve isn’t a normal alpha.

Steve isn't a normal alpha.

He knows this well, has never thought of it as a hindrance when it came to navigating the social hierarchy he was suddenly thrust into as soon as he began middle school. It didn't bother him much either when his parents stopped returning from business trips and conferences as he got older. Really, he was just glad to have a den all to himself where unfamiliar scents could no longer taint his territory.

He has never had a pack before. This too is a fact he steadfastly ignored up until high school. He is still determined to build one from the ground up as soon as he graduates and is therefore old enough to do so without gossip and rumors somehow traveling back to his parents. Carol and Tommy H. seem all too willing to be his after all, but sadly, he knows it has never been what his instincts truly wanted. Really, it isn't until Nancy Wheeler flounces into his life that Steve’s alpha instincts finally dare to grace him with their presence.

Steve’s inner alpha instincts have been but a stranger to him almost all his life. His father had seldom shared any insight of the behavior of a proper alpha, but seeing as money continues to be deposited into the bank account his mother had set up for him at age eleven, he supposes he isn't fucking up enough to enrage him at least.

Mostly, Steve learned what was expected of alphas by paying attention to body language, social cues, and reading between the lines when people would compare him to other alphas. He may not be the brightest or most devoted student when it comes to books and learning, but people are easy to understand. People he gets even when he doesn't get why his parents never really loved him the way he knows that they should have.

Sometimes, his alpha instincts want to rip and tear and deny anything that is provided by his parents. To hate them with all the ire and discontent that he can manage because he knows he deserves better than the dismal, pathetic attempts of affection they have given him thus far. But they are his parents regardless and Steve can’t do anything to change what has already come to pass. Better to learn from this instead so he knows what not to do when he has pups of his own one day.

(One day.)

So Steve isn't a normal alpha and that's alright. Even if he doesn't quite understand the importance of pack due to his lack of one, he thinks he might start to understand when he stands in front of Nancy and Jonathan with nothing but a nail-studded, wooden bat in his hands to fend off some monster even he would never be able to think of in his worst nightmares. 

He plants his feet and readies himself to swing as he thinks with enough conviction that he even surprises himself, I dare you to try and touch what’s mine.

And that is, well - that is a train of thought his alpha instincts quite like. Claiming these two as his.

Even after all the wounds and blood have been cleaned and wiped away, when the danger is no longer imminent, Steve can’t quite get the thought out of his head.

On one hand, he is vastly horrified at the thought of claiming someone unaware without even giving them the chance to deny him, but on the other, he knows that whether they accept being his or not, he will be theirs.

So he leaves Carol and Tommy H. behind, knowing that they will hold fury for him for being left adrift with no alpha or the safety net of a pack he is sure neither of them would actually be happy in. It isn't easy, not after all the years Steve has spent with them, but none of them are the same children they used to be anymore. If he was going to be honest, Steve should have left them at the first sign of their disapproval of Nancy because all it really led up to was a fistfight in the alley beside the movie theatre with an omega that Steve couldn't even will himself to physically harm and the pain in Nancy’s eyes when he insulted her.

So he apologizes first to Nancy and reassures her of the fact that he doesn't expect her forgiveness or her love. She gives it to him anyway, even though he knows she is deep in grief over Barbara. And Steve can't blame her for that. He learned a lot about what an alpha was supposed to do by paying close attention to Barbara ever since she broke a girl’s nose for pulling Nancy’s hair back in elementary school.

He accepts it with grace nevertheless, always making sure that he is gentle when he scents and comforts her on the days that she misses Barbara so much it is difficult for her to even breathe.

Not soon after he apologizes to Nancy, he does the same to Jonathan. He is more than sure of the omega not wanting anything to do with him, but Jonathan accepts his apology easily enough. He thanks Steve for the camera he gets him for Christmas to replace the one he broke before and accepts the offer of sitting with him and Nancy during lunch as well.

By the time New Year's passes and school starts up again, Nancy and Jonathan are constant fixtures by Steve’s side. He knows this isn't without consequence considering that many others also wished to be potential future pack mates of Steve’s, but if anyone wants to harm what is his, they’ll have to go through him first. Whether it be monsters or high schoolers, Steve is prepared to face them all down in order to keep those who are his safe.

Steve makes this known well enough, not caring of the glares and whispers that trail after him when he leans against Jonathan’s locker to flirt with him in the hallways or when he and Nancy drive to and from school together in his car every day. He doesn't care what others think anymore. His inner alpha will only be happy with these two by his side and he’ll be damned if he lets anyone lead him astray again.

Not too soon after his eighteenth birthday though, Steve falls into his first rut.

It doesn't surprise him really considering his recent surge in overprotective instincts and the fact that his father called him up on his actual birthday to tell him he left him the house in his name and will continue with the monthly deposits until he graduates. His mom doesn't call him at all, but that's okay since he last talked to her when he was fourteen anyway and has long since given up hope of hearing from her ever again.

He is a legal adult with a den that is entirely his own with enough money to support him and a growing pack for many years to come. Altogether, it isn't hard to imagine why his body decided to follow suit and mature as quickly as the rest of him did.

Steve is lucky that his rut starts on Friday night. Ultimately, it means he won't have to miss school and what he considers crucial times with those he wants to claim as his mates in the future. He calls Nancy soon after his rut begins, letting her know that he won't be available to hang out this weekend and if she could please pass the message along to Jonathan that would be great, thank you. He knows better than to call an omega, matured or not, during his rut. There is no telling what he could say or do that might convince Jonathan to come over and help him through it and Steve would rather that his omega stay as far away from the situation as he can until it has passed.

Of course, that doesn't work out because Saturday afternoon finds him waking up to Nancy and Jonathan leaning over him on his bed. He locked himself in his bedroom soon after he got off the phone with Nancy and has been jerking off for hours now, nothing bringing him any release. As soon as he realizes who his company is, he starts to panic thinking of what his rut-induced hazed might make him do to Jonathan, but his inner alpha remains calm. He wonders for a moment why they can't quite meet his eye until he looks down and notices that he is naked. He pulls on a pair of boxers and a long-sleeved shirt that hangs low over his hips before he lets Nancy drag him downstairs.

Oddly, he feels completely in control of his actions while they are there.

Nancy heats up the soup she brought on his stove that he rarely ever uses and says nothing about his absent parents. Jonathan keeps staring at him while he eats, his eyes tracking Steve's every movement like he has to make sure that the alpha actually finishes his food or it will otherwise be the end of the world. The soup is nice and Nancy left more for him to devour later in the pot, he just has to remember to heat it up and eat it. Hopefully, he can manage that.

His rut shouldn't last long anyway. He started last night and it's been over an entire day now. He might have to miss school on Monday if his rut lasts for the customary three days he has heard older alphas complain about at the bars Steve sneaks into from time to time. He doesn't think he will, but that's a whole lot different from knowing after all.

Steve eats and he thanks Nancy first, then Jonathan before he puts the bowl in the sink and starts to wash it. Jonathan butts him out of the way and cleans the bowl and spoon Steve just used himself, handing it off to Nancy to dry. Steve finds himself blinking stupidly at his outstretched hands, not quite understanding what happened but not upset with the turn of events either.

By then, it becomes clear to Steve that he isn't going to hurt those he means to claim as his mates even during his rut, although he would still rather they not be here at all.

Even though it isn’t the main aspect of his attention, he can feet his rut running its course through him, the need to get off shimmering just beneath his skin. It is easy to ignore with Nancy ordering him about and Jonathan quietly taking some of the weight off his shoulders. Steve grabs a glass and fills it with orange juice from his fridge, handing over a water bottle to Nancy and grabbing another glass for Jonathan when he thinks of how bad of a host he has been to his guests. His mother would probably yell at him for close to an hour about shirking his duties and failing to be cordial to the potential investors she always invited over for social gatherings when he was a kid.

She isn't here anymore though and she will probably never come back. Steve finds that he is oddly okay with this fact. He has a house, he has money, always more than enough food in the kitchen, and he knows without asking that he will also have a pack within due time as well.

Nancy and Jonathan leave soon after they clean up the kitchen and Steve allows relief to wash over him as they put their coats back on by the door.

Although he soon finds out that he shouldn't have when after Nancy hugs him goodbye, Jonathan leans in to do the same and Steve's nose is assaulted by the scent of a nearly mature omega. He whines low in the back of his throat, stepping back quickly to put distance between them. Jonathan blinks at him in surprise, his face flushing a light pink when he realizes what just happened. Steve motions frantically for them to leave, his rut already making a sudden reappearance. He shoves his shirt awkwardly over his crotch, not caring in the least about how obvious he is being and whines again when Jonathan's eyes flicker down at the motion. Nancy tugs the distracted omega out the door and rolls her eyes at Steve before the door shuts.

Steve thanks any diety that may be out there for the gift that is Nancy Wheeler.

  On Sunday night, his rut ends, the last dregs of his aggressive libido quickly being overtaken by his returned appetite and thirst. In the kitchen, there is enough soup left in the pot Nancy brought to tide him over until he can go out and buy more groceries. He calls Jonathan first, dialing the Wheeler's house phone number when no one at the Byers' picks up.

"Come with me to buy groceries, please?" is the first thing Steve says when Mr. Wheeler hands the phone to Nancy.

"Are you fine to be out so soon?" Nancy asks, and even without being able to see her, Steve can tell that she is frowning.

Steve takes stock of his body, sure of the fact that he'll need to shower again before he leaves his den. His elbows and knees feel wobbly, his stomach already grumbling again for more food. His thighs and crotch are sensitive, but all in all, Steve is in great shape if a little dizzy from the lack of activity that didn't involve his dick.

"I'm fine," Steve finally manages to respond. "Hungry, but I'm fine. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to."

Nancy scoffs and Steve smiles as he envisions her rolling her eyes at him. "I'm coming. Have you called Jonathan?"

"Yep. Called the Byers first, but no one was home."

"Alright. I'll see you in a few?"

Steve nods before he remembers that she can't see it. "See you soon, Nance."

And then, before his courage can fail him, he says, "Love you."

Nancy doesn't even hesitate before she says it back and hangs up.

  In the following week, Nancy manages to corral both Jonathan and Steve together to inform them that she is tired of all their dancing around and would like to be on the same page with both her mates.

Steve feels weightless when Jonathan agrees and they both turn to look at him expectantly.

He doesn't feel like he's flying until Jonathan and Nancy both take to holding his hands in the school hallways for everyone else to see though.

  The week before Jonathan's eighteenth birthday, Nancy drags Jonathan to him with an irritated look on her face and demands him to help Jonathan through his first heat.

Steve is, understandably, confused about the request and has half a mind to decline just on principle because it doesn't seem like Jonathan is the one who wants that. At least, until Jonathan shakes off Nancy's hold and asks Steve himself.

Again, Steve thinks of declining because while the three of them are no strangers to sex with one another, Steve and Jonathan have never actually fooled around without Nancy somehow being involved or in the same room as them. He accepts anyway because Nancy made him read up on omega heat cycles the month before and assured him that when his ruts and Jonathan's heats started syncing up in the future, she would be there for them without a doubt.

So he agrees and forgets about it until two days after Jonathan's eighteenth birthday when his omega presents in the middle of Gym class and he almost gives Steve a heart attack in the process.

Steve has just passed the basketball when Jonathan is suddenly behind him, hands twisted into the fabric of Steve's sweaty gym shirt.

"Hey, man. What's up?" Steve asks. It's not like Jonathan to initiate physical contact unless he's feeling threatened, so Steve is ready for any number of things to come out of Jonathan's mouth except what actually falls out.

"I think my heat is starting," Jonathan mumbles into the back of his neck, hot breath fanning across Steve's neck, raising goosebumps. "Need to get out of here, Alpha."

Steve was already inclined to get Jonathan far away from any other alpha that could possibly try and take advantage of him but with the title and the encompassing smell of Jonathan's heat fanning around him, Steve is fighting not to haul Jonathan over his shoulder and make a break for the nearest bathroom. He clenches his fists instead and glares at Tom who is sniffing the air and slowly turning in their direction. Steve maneuvers them until Jonathan is stuck to his side, a possessive arm around his waist as he drags him off the court towards their Gym teacher, Coach Jackson before Steve can start growling at any alpha who looks at them sideways.

Already he can feel the pheromones rolling off him, daring anybody to come near so he can tear their fucking heads off. Steve would like to see someone try and touch what's his without their permission.

"Jonathan and I need to leave," Steve huffs out as soon as Coach has shifted his attention on them. "He just presented."

Coach waves them off. "I'll cause a distraction. Go."

Steve nods and does as he's told, hauling Jonathan towards the locker room to get them changed back into their clothes before they go looking for Nancy. Nancy will know what to do because Steve certainly does not.

"Do you want to take a cold shower?" Steve murmurs once the locker door has clanged shut behind them.

Jonathan shakes his head. "Can we just go, please? I can feel it starting soon, Alpha."

Steve shivers at the title. "Sure. Let's just grab our stuff, find Nance, and then we'll leave. You know what class she has right now?"

"Trigonometry with Miss Jean," Jonathan answers dutifully.

"Great. She loves me, I can definitely get Nancy out if we need her." Steve pauses then, glancing back at Jonathan who is leaning against the lockers while Steve shoves his clothes into his backpack. "Do we need her?"

Jonathan flushes under his gaze. "Not really? Unless you want her to be there."

Steve frowns. "Do you want her to be there?"

"Only if you two are okay with it."

"We'll go with whatever she decides to do then. What's your locker combination?"

Jonathan doles out his combination, his brow furrowed as he concentrates on giving the correct answer. Steve quickly grabs Jonathan's belongings and shrugs one of the straps of his backpack onto his other shoulder so he's carrying both of theirs. He helps Jonathan stand up, not liking the hazy look that is starting to encroach on Jonathan's vision and guides them out of the locker room, steadily leading them towards Miss Jean's classroom. The hallways are, thankfully, empty so it only takes a few minutes more for them to reach their destination.

"Stay here," Steve shoots over his shoulder as Jonathan leans against the wall, eyes clearing for a moment as he nods in response.

Steve takes a deep breath just as he grips the doorknob, painting his most charming smile onto his face as he opens the classroom door. Miss Jean is, at first, a bit miffed by his presence but easily swayed by his request nonetheless and before Steve knows it, Nancy is brushing past him into the hallway. She immediately darts to Jonathan's side, brushing her cheek against his in welcome as Steve closes the classroom door and joins them quickly.

"What's going on?" Nancy asks, her wide eyes flickering between her mates.

"Jonathan presented. His heat is gonna start soon," Steve answers in Jonathan's stead, his hand subconsciously wrapping around his omega's nape.

Nancy nods, some of her panic bleeding away. "Alright. I have some stuff in my locker stashed away for this. I didn't know when you would present, but I thought it best to be prepared, just in case."

Steve worries his bottom lip when Jonathan doesn't even glare at Nancy's words, only rolls his eyes and leans further into Steve's space. "How long have you had that?"

"Since last week," Nancy shrugs. "I can't skip school again, so I'll meet you at the den after. Take what you need from my locker though. You remember the combination, right?"

"12-4-23," Jonathan recites.

Steve huffs out a relieved sigh, wincing when he looks up to find Nancy's knowing gaze on him.

"You'll be fine for a few hours," Nancy assures them both though her eyes remain on Steve. "I don't mind being there, but I'm not really needed. Just take care of each other until I can do it instead."

"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard," Steve scoffs, a teasing grin spread across his face. "Can you believe this, Jonathan? Nancy thinks we don't need her."

Jonathan smiles, his eyes hazy once more but still present for the most part. "Biggest lie."

Nancy laughs as she shakes her head at them, quickly kissing them both before she steps back. "Go. I'll make sure to bring groceries because I'm sure you're almost out again, Steve."

Steve doesn't even bother denying that and continues to smile, waving at her as his beta ducks back into the classroom. Jonathan shifts beside him, tearing his gaze away from the door.

"Nancy's locker is on the way to the office, so we'll get what we need quickly and then sign out. Do you want me to call your mom?" Steve asks as he leads them down the hallway again.

"Nancy should do it," Jonathan mutters, only stumbling once during their trek. "She explains things the best. Plus, my mom still doesn't completely trust you.

Steve presses a hand to his chest in mock offense. "That's just hurtful."

But at Nancy's locker, when he's shoving a box of knot condoms into his backpack, he pretends to be in the midst of deciding whether to grab the second box or not when he asks, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Jonathan replies without hesitation. "You don't have to do this."

Steve closes Nancy's locker and zips his backpack closed, hauling Jonathan into his side again as they walk to the office. "I would be honored to help you through your first heat."

Jonathan doesn't speak again until after Steve has signed them out and ushered them to his car, eyes set forward as Steve drives them to the den. "Are you going to claim me?"

"Only if you want me to," Steve replies after his shock has worn off and he is suddenly grateful for the lack of cars on the road with them. "And only if Nancy green lights it. We'll both be too focused on your heat to think clearly and she's always been the most level-headed out of the three of us."

Jonathan hums but doesn't say anything else on the matter. Steve decides to take his silence as agreement and focuses on driving safely, his blood boiling as Jonathan's scent grows heavier and sweeter in the confines of the car.

Steve parks as quickly as he can and helps ease Jonathan out, grabbing their backpacks before he leads them up the path to the front door. Jonathan slumps against the wall as Steve unlocks the door and lets himself be shuffled inside, slowly slipping his shoes off.

"You okay?" Steve asks when Jonathan stands, blinking at the coat rack for a moment after getting his shoes off. "Do you want to take a bath or something?"

Jonathan shakes his head and Steve gulps when he turns to look at him, his brown eyes glazed over completely now. "I'm leaking. I can feel it."

"I know." Steve nods dumbly, rifling through his backpack for the box of condoms before he drops it beside the coat rack. "I can smell it."

"Alpha," Jonathan whines, the sound high-pitched and filled with desire. "Too hot."

Steve takes a deep breath to steady himself and instantly regrets it as his nose is assaulted by the scent of Jonathan's heat. It's mouthwatering, to say the least. Jonathan smells like vanilla and spice, something like leather underlying everything. Steve has honestly never found any of these scents arousing on their own, but now as they are being pumped out together into the air around him, he finds himself straining and itching to get out of his clothes.

He can only imagine how Jonathan is feeling though.

"Do you want to make a nest?" Steve asks, not understanding how he can speak so calmly when all he wants to do is press Jonathan into the wall and rut against him.

Jonathan shakes his head, hands twisting around the hem of his gym shirt.

"Okay," Steve does his best to reassure him, grasping Jonathan's shoulders before he can stop himself and leaning down to catch his omega's gaze. "Tell me what you need."

"Just you," Jonathan tells him, his face slowly flushing a bright red. "Please, Alpha."

Steve nods and reaches down to where Jonathan is now desperately tugging at his shirt. "I'll take care of you. Let's get you upstairs and out of these clothes, huh?"

Jonathan surges into his space in response, nose buried in the small space where Steve's jaw meets his throat. He nuzzles his face there, scenting Steve to make his intentions all the more clear. Steve can't help but to swallow thickly, his inner alpha rising to the surface again with Jonathan so willing and close.

He does them both a favor and sweeps Jonathan into his arms, carrying him up the stairs to his bedroom. There he kicks the door shut behind them and deposits his omega on the bed. The seat of Jonathan's shorts is soaked, his slick smelling so sweet that Steve is strangely reminded of honey. Jonathan whines as he steps away from the bed to set the box of condoms atop his bedside drawer, but Steve shushes him with a chaste kiss that soon has the alpha tumbling into the sheets with his omega.

Jonathan's movements are more uncoordinated than usual, his need for Steve growing as the seconds tick by. Steve takes his time though, carefully ridding them of their clothing before their bare skin slides together and Jonathan gasps into his mouth, neck arching in a way that exposes his scent gland. Even in the midst of his first heat, Jonathan is still submitting to him without even knowing it.

Steve spares himself a moment to take in the beautiful sight underneath him before Jonathan pulls him back down and they are lost to one another again.

By the time Nancy arrives, Jonathan is sound asleep and Steve is cleaning them both up gently in order to not wake the omega.

"Groceries are downstairs. I brought your homework too, by the way," Nancy says when she steps into the bedroom. "How is he?"

Steve tosses the condom and its wrapper into the trash can by his desk, glad that he had enough forethought to put his boxers back on first. "Good now, I think. I'm not sure. I've never really done this before."

Nancy comes further into the room, fingers gliding across Jonathan's forehead as she walks closer. "Neither has he. Don't worry so much about it. I wouldn't let you get this wrong."

And maybe any other alpha would snarl and beat submission out of Nancy for saying something like that, but Steve only feels relief as he smiles at her. Nancy would never guide him wrong, not even to mess with him for her own entertainment. She knows exactly how much he doubts his decisions and knowledge half the time and while she can be cut-throat when the situation calls for it, she has always rushed to assure him when he needed it. She is always the first to defend him when it seems like someone is on the verge of confirming his self-doubts.

Really, it shouldn't surprise him so much that he loves her with all he has. If anything, he is surprised that she loves him back despite his many faults.

"Have you called Joyce?" Nancy asks quietly, her soft voice drawing him out of his thoughts.

Steve wraps his arm around her when she stops by his side, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Jonathan wanted you to do it because she doesn't really trust me yet."

"She'll get there," Nancy assures him, palm resting lightly on his jaw. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Steve admits with a grin.

Nancy nods her head as she smiles back. "Good. I'll make something light so Jonathan can eat too."

"Sounds great, Nance," Steve replies.

Nancy kisses him quickly before she steps out of his embrace and leaves the room after pressing her hand briefly to Jonathan's shoulder. Steve watches her go, unable to fight the besotted smile he's sure is stretched wide across his face right now.

Jonathan stirs once she returns, two plates laden with sandwiches and chips in hand. Nancy hands him the regular ham and cheese sandwich he has always favored and sets the turkey and swiss one down on the bedside table before climbing into the bed to kiss Jonathan properly. Steve watches them as he eats, smiling to himself as Nancy wraps the blanket around Jonathan until he's swaddled in it, uncaring of his nudity. She coaxes him into taking bites of his food, murmuring soft words of encouragement that Steve echoes, his cheeks stuffed full of food. Nancy grimaces every time Steve opens his mouth while he’s chewing until she finally picks up a pillow and throws it at his head. Steve grins as he dodges the pillow, laughing when Nancy scowls at him and picks up another pillow threateningly. Jonathan ignores them, the blanket sagging down his shoulders as his eyes begin to glaze over again.

Steve finishes his food first and helps Nancy get Jonathan to finish most of his before she leaves the room again to call the Byers. She leaves soon after, the keys to Steve's car in hand so she can pick up Will and take him back to the Wheeler's for a sleepover while Joyce works the nightshift.

Jonathan is coherent enough to want to talk to Will though so Steve brings him down to the kitchen and dials the number, handing the phone off when Will answers.

After Jonathan hangs up, he sinks to his knees and looks up at Steve with enough heat in his gaze to burn. It doesn't honestly surprise Steve that he gives in so easily to Jonathan's every whim, but he still never thought they would do something like this in the kitchen of all places.

Or the living room. Or the kitchen table he never uses. The stairs. The bathroom. The damn hallway when Steve is returning back to the bedroom only to find Jonathan desperately crawling past the door in search of him.

Jonathan's heat lasts for four days and leaves them both sore and exhausted by the time the last dregs have been wrung from his system. Nancy visits them often to make sure they remember to eat and drink water. She changes the sheets while they shower and brings the second box of condoms when the first box is near empty. She draws them a bath and changes the sheets again when the heat is over, already running a load in the washing machine when they finally emerge from the bathroom in fluffy bathrobes Steve doesn't remember buying.

"So, now that that's over with," Nancy announces as they fall into the sheets. "Claiming. Are we going to do that or not?"

Steve flaps a hand at her. "Too tired right now for that conversation. Later."

Jonathan nods beside him, his eyes already drooping closed. "Later."

Nancy shakes her head at them, fond amusement clear on her face. "Let's take a nap. I call middle."

"Whatever you want," Steve and Jonathan murmur simultaneously, shifting to make room for their beta.

Steve falls asleep easily with his mates beside him.

  "No."

"Come on, man," Steve whines. "It's not a big deal."

Jonathan curls his lip at him in anger. "Fuck you. I'm not taking your charity."

Steve groans, burying his face in his hands. "This isn't charity, asshole. This is me providing for my mate."

"That doesn't include my family!"

"Yes, it does! You're a package deal!" Steve shouts back, already exhausted with this conversation. "Do you honestly think that you could ever be mates with someone who didn't care about your mom and brother? Do you think that I don't care about them too? That I want them to struggle while I have all this stupid money that I don't even need? I can give it to you instead, to people I care about who do need it."

Jonathan snarls at him, stepping back to put space between them. "They are not your responsibility! We don't need some alpha's pity!"

Steve steps back as well, not wanting to crowd his upset omega, just wanting this argument to be over with already. "This is not pity. I know your dad was an awful alpha, but I'm not him, Jonathan. I want to help. It is an alpha's job to provide for their mates and pack. Your dad was more than wrong to abandon you guys like he did and I'm not a normal alpha, I know that, but I'll be a horrible one just like him if I can't even do this."

"If I can't provide for you and your family, then what good am I?" Steve speaks into the shocked silence between them.

Jonathan sucks in a deep breath as the fight visibly leaves him, shoulders slumping and fists uncurling. He looks as tired as Steve feels and still upset, but not mindlessly angry anymore. Steve cautions a step forward, then another when Jonathan doesn't stop him and another until he's close enough to wrap his omega in his arms and hold him tight. Jonathan melts into his embrace, leaning so his weight is being held up by Steve.

"You're plenty good, you idiot," Jonathan finally breaks the silence with, his voice hoarse but words sure.

Steve knows he shouldn't push his luck, know that he should concede and never bring this up again. He also knows that his conscience would never let him be if he did just that though.

"Let me take care of you and your family," Steve murmurs, face buried in Jonathan's hair so his words are muffled, but clear nonetheless. "I can't stand seeing you guys struggle so much while I just have shit handed to me. Please, let me do this for you guys."

Jonathan thumps his head against Steve's chest and groans, "I need to talk with my mom about this first. Don't expect anything though. I got my stubbornness from her."

Steve laughs, elation making him feel weightless. "Of course, baby. Take all the time you guys need to come to a decision. I can wait."

"Not a baby," Jonathan mutters darkly, pinching Steve's arms when the alpha only chuckles. "Stop that. I am not a baby."

"Oh, but you're my baby. You and Nancy both," Steve coos, smiling as Jonathan tips his head back to level him with a glare. "That's fine, right?"

Jonathan frowns, shrugging after another moment has passed. "I guess."

Steve grins and dips down to kiss him before Jonathan can say anything else.

  Apart from when the world as he knew it was torn apart by the appearance of monsters and the Upside-Down, Steve has never felt anger take control of his emotions to such intense degrees as most other alphas do.

He has witnessed them plenty growing up, considering that they were the equivalent of a temper tantrum back in elementary school. Now, they aren't as common since it means that alpha lacks control and no one wants an alpha who is prone to anger and violence after all. Of course, in certain situations (like life-threatening ones) these fits are acceptable which is the only reason Steve hasn't gone to Chief Hopper and demanded to be forced into his submission after the one fit he ever had in his life.

Steve has never felt threatened by one of these fits overcoming him until Billy Hargrove crashed into the Hawkins High School social hierarchy on one chilly Autumn morning.

By this point, Steve hasn't cared about his position in the hierarchy for over a year now. He knows he isn't the top dog anymore like he used to be back when it was just him, Tommy H. and Carol. He also knows that whatever his position may be, it isn't going to stop him from doing what he wants with his mates.

It is strange but not unheard of for an alpha to have more than one mate at the same time and while most are not happy about who exactly Steve’s mates are, no one is going to go up against him about it. An alpha decides who their mate is and if their mate accepts, then the bond is unbreakable. Steve claimed both Nancy and Jonathan and they wear his Claiming Bite with pride to the envy of a surprisingly large amount of people. Objectively, Steve knew that he was the top dog mostly for his looks, but he hadn't realized that so many people were vain enough that they would have accepted being his mate simply because he was physically attractive. Steve is more than blessed to have mates who want him for him.

Still, Steve's social standing took a major hit as soon as he claimed Jonathan as his and the day Billy arrives is the same day he decides to rub that into Steve's face. He honestly doesn't give a shit about it but Jonathan doesn't feel the same. It's taken months for Steve to finally convince his omega that the Claiming Bite wasn't out of some mistaken feeling of pity for an ugly omega no one would ever want. Nancy's expression soured at Jonathan's self-deprecating words, but she let Steve handle the conversation instead of stepping in and slapping some sense into their omega's head like she obviously wanted to.

So Steve keeps himself between Billy and Jonathan the entire day, not allowing the beta's acidic words to be hurled at one of his mates. Jonathan is especially sensitive today with his heat due to start the following week after all and Steve doesn't want to risk the chance of the situation blowing out of proportion.

Conflict seems like it was always meant to be when Billy sneers past Steve's shoulder and says, "It's a wonder I can even smell the heat on your omega, Harrington. I thought the only reason you even picked him is because he can't give you pups but will spread his legs for you and your real mate at any time. Isn't that all he's good for anyway? A good fuck like the ugly slut he is."

Steve isn't proud of the rage simmering in his veins or the way a growl tears its way up his throat and past his lips. Or the menacing step he takes in Billy's direction, intent on tearing his tongue right out of his mouth for insinuating that Steve values one of his mates over the other or that he would ever give someone his Claiming Bite just for the sex they happen to share. He isn't proud of the different scenarios running through his mind lightning-quick that all result in Billy either being badly injured or dead by his hand.

What he is proud of though is how quickly he calms down when Jonathan grabs his arm and pulls him down the hallway, away from the loud cackling that makes Billy sound like he just lost his sanity. Considering what Steve was just thinking about, Billy is lucky he didn't lose something more important.

"Calm down," Jonathan murmurs to him.

Steve doesn't feel like he can, not with the lingering wisps of anger floating around in his system or Billy's awful words echoing in his head, but he inhales deeply and tries his best to not rip out of Jonathan's grasp and maul Billy anyway. For Jonathan and for himself both. He can't let some arrogant jackass be the reason he loses both his control and his mates.

Nancy finds them soon after, her brow crumpling with worry as soon as she catches a glimpse of Steve's face. Steve opens his mouth to give her a brief rundown of what just happened, but all she does is take his other arm and leads them into an abandoned classroom where she kisses him until he completely forgets about why he was upset in the first place.

  He doesn't know how he ends up being the one taking care of these shitheads, but he does his best to keep them in line anyway.

They may try their best to act older than what they actually are, but to Steve, they're nothing but unruly pups. Unruly and difficult pups that he has to keep an eye on.

Mike, he has a vague understanding of how to mind considering Nancy is one of his mates and all, but it doesn't do much of anything to keep all of them in line. Even though he knows that it should because even with having an un-presented alpha in their midsts, they all look to Mike for direction as their leader. Dustin, the alpha in question is dorky and a bit of an asshole but Steve thinks he could grow to like him with time. The redhead, Max, is a beta too and a bit at odds with Mike it seems but not enough to cause strife in their circle. Lucas, however, is an omega like Will and just as much of an asshole as Dustin is but serious and well-adjusted for his age as far as Steve can tell. Mike keeps mentioning another girl, El, while they wait at the Byers' house and he wants to run out into the night and do what they can, but Steve keeps them there which inevitably ends with Mike sulking. As soon as it becomes clear that Mike isn't about to go gallivanting off in the woods though, the other pups settle down as well.

Steve doesn't understand the dynamic being presented to him right now, but considering he and Jonathan do the same thing when it comes to Nancy, he's starting to believe it's just a Wheeler-thing instead of a pack-thing. Or, at least, he hopes that is the case. He wouldn't honestly know considering his pack right now consists of him, his mates, and the other Byers as pack-adjacent anyway.

He thinks he might start to understand it when Billy shows up and shoves his way into the house. Steve is, at first, all for letting him take Max home because she will be safe, away from all this craziness since Billy wouldn't be looking for her if he didn't care about her. His opinion on the matter changes quickly when she panics as his car comes up the drive, fear clear in her stance and scent. Her eyes find his and Steve feels his alpha instincts bristle at the terror in her gaze and the silent plead she is directing at him, the way the three boys around her take up defensive positions without having to think about it. He can tell that she isn’t afraid of getting in trouble, but rather afraid of what will happen to her for getting in trouble.

So he steps out to meet the beta as he parks in the dirt driveway and pretends like he has no idea who Max even is. He can admit that he's still angry with Billy about the bullshit he said about Jonathan and he takes a strange satisfaction in fooling him so easily until Billy directs his attention back over his shoulder where Steve can clearly see those idiot pups in the window, Max's fiery hair standing out like a beacon in the dark.

Steve doesn't even have the chance to defend himself before Billy knees him hard in the crotch and shoves him to the ground, kicking him in the ribs and back before he runs up the steps and forces the front door open. It's such a dirty, cheap shot but it works and Steve struggles to stand up, his ribs burning with every breath he takes. He is more than sure of the fact that his ribs will have to be taped, but any injuries he has now are pushed to the back of his head as Lucas' scent rises to greet him, laced with panic and fear. Billy's voice then rings out as Steve manages to push the door open with his shoulder, anger already replacing the pain and wariness from before.

What Steve finds leaves him shocked, stunned that a boy - no, a man. Billy is his age, Steve reminds himself viciously - so much bigger and stronger than Lucas would hurt him, a child omega who has done nothing wrong. The other three pups are standing by the kitchen doorway, watching in horror and yelling with fright as Billy shoves Lucas against a cabinet hard enough for its contents to fall off the shelves. Lucas grunts in pain, kneeing Billy in the groin as the beta did to Steve earlier so Billy will be forced to step back and let him go.

Steve is only torn out of his motionless state when Billy moves to advance again, hate and anger clear in his scent.

Later, the kids will tell him of the deafening Alpha Roar he released before advancing and tearing into Billy with enough maliciousness to terrify them at night. At that moment though, all Steve can think about is the fact that someone just harmed one of his pups and is planning to do it again and Steve will not let that stand.

He was trusted with the safety of these pups, these kids trying to play big in a world that only wants to crush them and he will not allow someone to hurt them. How is he meant to be trusted with their care again if he allows something like this to happen right in front of him? What kind of alpha - no, no, no. What kind of person would he be if he allowed a child to be harmed while under his care?

(Not much of a person at all if you ask him.)

So he ducks and dodges Billy's hits as much as he can, anger making him lash out with his own fists to strike Billy across the jaw, the center of his stomach, and around his nose. The beta manages to catch him in the side again, Steve's ribs flaring up with enough pain to make him falter. Billy takes advantage of his hesitance, darting forward to catch him square in the face. Pain explodes around his eyes and nose, blood dripping over his lips as he clumsily strikes back, intent on keeping the man away from his pups.

Billy falls to the floor after Steve's knuckles scrape his jaw and Steve kicks him in the ribs to keep him down, wiping the back of his hand under his nose as an afterthought. Confident that the fight is now over, he turns his back on the beta and holds his arms out to Lucas who is still standing in front of the cabinet, shaking like a leaf. He may be angry as all hell, but he doesn't want Lucas to think that anger is directed at him.

"Hey, pup," Steve says, his voice pitched low while he forces himself to move slowly. He doesn't want the pup to be scared of him and after what just happened, Steve isn't sure he could handle that. "It's alright. You're okay."

Lucas takes a hesitant step towards him before he freezes, eyes blowing wide as his gaze locks onto something behind him. Steve only has enough time to recognize the scared expression on Lucas' face and the panicked cries of the other pups before something shatters against his head and he stumbles forward. A foot connects with the back of his knee and he falls, slumping onto his side as his vision turns dizzy. His head pounds and he can vaguely recognize the pup's shouting and a large, deafening thunk against the floor that makes Steve wince, but he can't actually focus on one specific thing.

As much as he doesn't want to, he fades into unconsciousness with the echoes of his pups' cries ringing in his ears.

  Of course, the pups take that chance to leave the relative safety of the Byers' house (which admittedly, has never been that safe, to begin with).

Steve should probably count himself lucky that they take him with them, but all he really feels is confusion and a pounding headache that makes his head spin when he wakes up in the backseat of his car with Max at the wheel and Dustin shouting in his ear. He feels slight irritation and annoyance as well when they continue to not listen to him as Max parks and they all crawl out in a field before they gear up as best as they can. They descend into a series of tunnels Steve isn't sure how they found actually but refuses to be left behind and follows them down into the darkness.

He could probably have just forced them back to the surface and taken the keys to his car back from Max, but the blow to his head has knocked a few other things around as well. It's hard to focus on the plan - if there even is one - so he sticks close to the pups, holding the bat Jonathan made last year but they all agreed now belongs to Steve securely in his grasp, always half a second away from shifting into a ready stance that will allow him to hash out the most damage. Despite his every instinct telling him not to, he lets Dustin pull ahead and confront Dart, the monster he imprinted on and tried to keep as a pet. Dustin distracts the little monster with food, allowing the others to pass through without being harmed thankfully.

It's dark as all hell and Steve can't make out much of anything, so he's relieved when the walls start to shake and the pups finally kick it into high gear and run back to the opening. Quite frankly, the smell alone is starting to freak him out, but he ignores that and herds them away from the oncoming shrieks he can hear approaching. He pushes Max up first, Lucas following right after her in a rush. Mike makes a pained, choking sound he most likely did not mean to let out as Steve gives him a boost up but he doesn't have the time to demand to see what new injury the pup managed to obtain because, in the next moment, Dustin starts yelling beside him and the pitter-patter of hundreds of feet echoes around them.

"Shit," Steve curses to himself and picks his bat off the ground from where he left it to help the pups up.

Adrenaline courses through him as Steve makes sure to keep Dustin behind him, growling as the monsters (or demodogs, as the pups have taken to calling them) come around the corner and rush at them.

Dustin grips onto the back of his shirt, trembling hard enough for Steve to feel it from that tiny point of contact which only hardens his resolve.

Like before when he stood in front of his mates with nothing but this same bat, he lowers his stance and thinks to himself that he'll die before he lets anything happen to Dustin. Steve tightens his hold on his bat, ready to fight and tear into anything that thinks it has a chance in hell getting past him to hurt his pups.

But the monsters ignore them, curving around them as they run past. Steve, still feeling the effects of his sudden adrenaline, stares at the retreating wave of demodogs in shock, reaching out without thinking to press Dustin close to him so he isn't swept away by the hoard. He snaps back to the moment though when Lucas, Max, and Mike yell at them from the hole, urging them to climb up before it closes.

Steve isn't sure how the hole would close so suddenly but he guesses it has something to do with the Gate they keep talking about. He pushes Dustin and the bat up first before he takes a running leap to catch onto the edges of the opening, his feet dangling beneath him in the open air. Hands grab hold of his arms and drag him up, small hands that Steve never would have guessed could hide such strength.

He collapses next to the hole once he's on solid ground and shifts in alarm as it closes up, dirt drifting together of its own violation. Steve stands, backing away from the terror they just experienced and has only a few seconds to look around and confirm that none of the pups are bleeding or injured before Lucas practically throws himself into Steve's arms.

The omega is shaking, much like he was earlier but Steve wraps an arm around him and sends his protective pheromones out. Back in the cave, no one could really smell much of anything, but in the open air, he knows each pup can smell this from the way the tight lines of their shoulders loosen. Dustin snuggles into his side at the same time Max does and Steve lifts his arms up, holding all three of them to his chest.

He looks up to find Mike staring at them, hesitance clear in his gaze as if he isn't sure if his presence would be welcomed in the group hug. Steve rolls his eyes at the mere thought of that and drags the others with him as they approach Mike, suddenly remembering the noise he had made when Steve helped him up earlier. The other pups shift around until Mike can press himself into the space between Lucas and Dustin and it's all Steve can do to stretch his arms out as wide as they can so no one feels left out.

"It's alright," Steve murmurs to them, not knowing at all if things really are or not but unwilling to voice his doubt when his pups need him. "I've got you."

As loathe as they all are to separate, Steve manages to get them all back into his car and back to the Byers' house. His head starts to pound again halfway back, but he ignores it and focuses on the road.

Logically, Steve is certain he must have a concussion at worst or a cracked rib at best and he shouldn't actually be driving, but he'll be damned if he ever lets Max behind the wheel of his baby again. Luck manages to get them safely back and Steve doesn't even bother parking correctly in the Byers' driveway before he turns off the engine. Dustin and Lucas help Mike up the steps as Steve stumbles in behind them, intent on getting ice for what he's sure is Mike's sprained ankle but freezes when he almost steps on Billy's face.

"Uh," is all Steve manages to say while glancing up to raise a brow in silent question at the pups.

Dustin is the one who answers, all but beaming at Max. "Max stabbed him in the neck with the needle full of drugs and then almost hit him in the crotch. She told him that if he ever messed with her friends again, he would regret it. It was awesome."

Steve shakes his head at the obvious awe in Dustin's voice and instead leans down to grab hold of Billy's arms. "That's cool and all, but I'm leaving him outside. I'm not taking the chance of him waking up and hurting one of my pups again, the asshole."

"Your pups?" Mike asks, his dark eyes pinned on Steve.

"Yes, my pups. After all the crap we just went through tonight, it's obvious I'm stuck with you shitheads," Steve snipes back, uncaring of the fact that he just claimed four middle-schoolers without even talking to their parents first. "If you have a problem with that, well, too bad because I don't care."

He stares back at them, ignoring the pain flashing around his nose and along his ribs. Steve's practically daring them to attest his claim, to convince him that no, this isn't something he or they want in the slightest actually. To his surprise, Mike presents his neck to him in the traditional manner of showing submission and the other three pups follow suit without a thought. Steve nods, not knowing what to say now so he decides to say nothing and instead focuses on getting Billy outside.

Max silently grabs Billy's feet as he starts to tug on his arms and together they manage to drag him onto the porch where they leave him. Steve would probably feel guilty about doing such a thing at any other point in time, but his patience for Billy Hargrove had gone up in smoke the moment he raised a hand against Lucas. He doesn't care if another monster from the Upside-Down somehow manages to find them and eats Billy, he doesn't want him anywhere near his pups.

Back inside, they do their best to patch each other up but Steve doesn't notice all of his own injuries until Nancy and Jonathan burst through the door with Joyce and Will trailing after them.

"What happened?" Steve and Nancy ask at the same time, Jonathan somehow having found himself squished between the two as they cling to one another.

Steve nuzzles them both, hissing when his nose bumps against Jonathan's ear and suddenly, his mates are tilting his face up towards the light, examining him closely. He startles when they both growl, their fingertips gentle against his face as they prod his nose and left eyebrow where butterfly bandages are taped to his itching skin.

"What. Happened." Jonathan demands, his eyes kept on Steve's face as Nancy turns to the pups with her hands on her hips.

Dustin is the one left explaining again, leaving both Steve and Max flustered with how reverent he is in his storytelling. Mike isn't paying much attention to them, much too focused on cuddling the shit out of Will, the small omega admittedly looking the worse for wear even to Steve's blurry vision. Lucas avoids meeting anyone's gaze as Joyce's voice rises in outrage while they argue over what to do with Billy, but Steve hangs back and swings an arm around the pup's shoulders, pulling him close into his side. Joyce quiets once she catches sight of them and it is clear that she isn't unhappy with Lucas in the slightest and doesn't want him to think the opposite so she changes the subject and gets the first aid kit the pups were searching the entire house for but couldn't find to finish cleaning all the cuts and scrapes they collected amongst themselves.

Chief Hopper shows up then, brows furrowed as he carries in a little girl in his arms. His gaze keeps flickering back to the porch before he sets the girl down on the couch and steps back, arms crossed over his chest as he studies everyone else present. Steve ignores the other alpha as best as he can and soon learns that the little girl is the famous El Mike has been waxing poetic about. All Steve really sees is another pup who has been forced to go through too much at her age.

"Is anyone going to tell me why there's a boy passed out on the porch?" Hopper asks in a way that his gruff voice demands everyone's attention.

Steve looks down towards Lucas who is still by his side, suddenly knowing what he has to say to get Lucas to agree to his idea. It will be scary, Steve can guess that much, but it's the right thing to do.

So while the others tell Hopper about what Billy did, Steve leans down and whispers into Lucas' ear until the young omega meets his gaze with a determined glint in his eyes and nods.

"Chief," Lucas cuts into the brewing argument about what to do with Billy, eyes solely focused on the older alpha. "I'd like to press charges."

Steve tunes out for the rest of that conversation and sits on the floor, head spinning again. Most of what happens next, he doesn't remember but he can vaguely recall climbing into Hopper's truck and holding Nancy in his lap with a still unconscious Billy beside him as they drive to the hospital.

Thankfully, Steve only has a mild concussion so he's allowed to leave by morning but Billy is still out cold. Hopper gets two of his deputies to guard the beta's door, the Sinclairs' report on the attack already filed and being worked on back at the police station. Steve is groggy on the drive back to the Byers' house but he doesn't allow himself to fall asleep until he walks in, sees the giant nest Jonathan made with him and the pups in it and lies down beside him with Nancy trailing after him.

Sleep takes him as he finds himself being huddled into by Dustin and Lucas on one side and his mates on the other. Joyce will mostly likely wake him in a few hours to make sure his concussion hasn't made him slip into a coma, but he feels like he could sleep for a year regardless of any interruptions he may receive.

  By the time Steve decides to wake up and stay awake, it is close to noon and the pups are clustered around the kitchen table eating a late breakfast. Nancy and Jonathan are eating at the counter beside Joyce and Hopper but quickly hold out a plate to him and shuffle aside to make enough room for him to eat between them.

Steve has just finished eating when Joyce clears her throat and garners everyone's attention. She then nods her head in Hopper's direction and steps behind him, taking the traditional third position in a pack. Hopper catches his gaze then and tilts his head meaningfully towards the second's position, one corner of his mouth twitching upwards in the semblance of a smile.

He might be quick on the uptake but Steve doesn't quite realize that he is now the second in a pack headed by Hopper that includes everyone in the Byers' kitchen until the pups start chattering excitedly between them. They fall silent again when Hopper clears his throat and Jonathan steps into their formation seamlessly, flanking his mom as her second.

By then, the pups cannot keep their excitement to themselves and Steve grins along with them. They're all pack now, after all.

Well, not officially until Lucas' parents thank Steve for his part in what happened with Billy and allow the young omega to be a part of their pack knowing that he will be protected no matter what. Until Dustin's mom bursts into tears when Steve approaches her and she tells him she was worried she was doing everything wrong by the little alpha since she is, of course, only a beta and Dustin doesn't have a father figure nor an alpha figure in his life to guide him. And until the Wheelers admit they don't care too much about having a pack since they are both betas but allow Mike to join their makeshift one anyway.

(No one asks Max's parents, but that's alright too.)

Steve may not be a normal alpha, not by a long shot, what with his absent parents, unfulfilled childhood and lack of a birth pack. His instincts don't control him as much as they do other alphas and he doesn't mind it when others defy or contest him. He's overprotective of pups and doesn't always know what he's supposed to say or do, but that's fine because while standing in the Byers' kitchen with bandages on his face and blood splattered on almost all those present, he thinks he might know what pack is supposed to be after all.

And with that, everything else will solve itself. He is more than sure of that.

a/n: title taken from lee hi’s “no way (ft. g soul)”!

can you really blame me for falling down this hole? can you??? lol um i haven’t watched s3 but i know most of what happens thanks to fanfics and youtube clips so i’m not really against spoilers and such...and ik that billy is “redeemed” in s3, but :) no :) thank :) you :)

i’m also dedicating this to my baby, rachel, who without i never would have finished this lil monster bc big word counts are my sworn enemy. love you, mi amorcito <3

[kpopfromtheblock]

a/n ⇾ to be honest with you all, this isn’t my best work but i’m posting it anyways because it took me forever to write and i know there are a few readers who were waiting for this installment… although it’s not my favorite, i hope you still enjoy it! friendly reminder: if you click the title, it will take you to the series masterlist <3 thanks for reading! 

LIFE WITH BANGTAN | ot7

004

genre ⇾ comedy (bts crack? i guess) + fluff

pairing ⇾ bts x fem reader

summary ⇾ you’re not great at cooking but you’re not the worst either and one night you have the brilliant idea to cook for the boys… unfortunately for you, some of them are not impressed by your cooking skills.

warning ⇾ the usual: swearing, a lil’ dash of cringy-ness, idfk… it’s shit show.

words ⇾ 4,9k 

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“Fuck!” You mumble to yourself as one of four pots on the stove begin to boil over in front of you. You rush to turn the heat down in order to stop the water from spilling out and onto the floor. 

You’ve already made a mess of the kitchen… Run-away vegetables scattered across the counters, sauces splattered on the tiled floor and kitchen mats… 

Jin is going to kill you when he sees the state of his kitchen but you don’t really have time to worry about it. You have very crucial task at hand: Cook dinner for seven very hungry men. 

You lift your arm up and use the sleeve of the oversized hoodie you’re wearing, that previously belonged to Jimin, to wipe the sweat off your forehead.

‘Do people normally sweat this much when they cook?’ You sigh heavily before picking up the large knife, which you’re sure is not meant for chopping veggies, off the counter. 

You begin cutting up the remainder of carrots you have laying on a wooden cutting board. 

When you’re done, you stand there for a few minutes and stare at the orange vegetable in disbelief... “This doesn’t look right.” You say out loud as you drop the knife and grab your iPad that was propped up against a container of sugar. 

You are trying to follow a recipe that your Mother so kindly sent to you via email. She was so thorough that she even included pictures of what the food was supposed to look like before, during and after. 

Though you were a bit thrown off by the length of the email, you weren’t in the least bit surprised… You expected nothing less from your Mom, as she is the head chef and partial owner (alongside your Father) of a well-known restaurant back in your hometown…  Her line of work kind of requires her to be thorough. 

The carrots in the picture your mom emailed you, look nothing like the carrots you just finished cutting.

Your carrots are cut into weird shapes. Some too big, others too small. Some are not peeled correctly, others are peeled so thinly that you could almost see-through them, where as your Mother’s carrots were cut to perfection. 

All the same circular shape and about the same thickness.

‘How did I manage to fuck up cutting carrots?’ You think. You were embarrassed with yourself.

If only Jin were in here to see you now. He’d probably laugh loudly in your face then try to repair the damage you’ve made but luckily for you, you were successful in forcing Jin and the rest of the guys into the confinement’s of Taehyung’s room.

Tae’s room was the largest in the dorm and could fit all seven members comfortably. 

It was also the furthest away from the kitchen which meant that you were able to work in peace without any of them prying over your shoulder or so you thought. 

Jin came in twice and Yoongi, once to check on you and see if you needed help… You rejected them both, determined to finish cooking all your own. 

A whole hour has passed now and you are regretting your decision to turn their help away but you have too much pride to ask for help now especially since you were the one who offered to cook in the first place…

You remember it like it was yesterday: 

After a long day of work and practice, the eight of you piled into a van to head back to the dorm for the night. You spent the day playing BTS’ personal assistant as their usual assistant (who just so happen to be your older cousin) had called out because of a family emergency. 

You were no stranger to being a P.A. for the boys as you were the one who took over when your cousin had gone on Maternity leave… Working for Big Hit was obviously how you met the idols (but thats a story for another time). 

Although Big Hit Ent has a shit ton of staff members that could have filled in, your cousin had request that you be her back up if anything happened to where she couldn’t make it into work. 

Big Hit had agreed to your cousin’s request, not only because she is a well respected senior member of BTS’ staff but also because you were exceptional at the job. 

You handled the boys’ schedules and tasks with such care and attention to detailed that the company offered to hire you full time but when things started to get serious between yourself and the guys, you turned down the position, wanting to be with them more than wanting to make money from the company. Plus being a P.A. wasn’t what you wanted to do for the rest of your life… No matter how well it paid… It wasn’t your passion.

It was a rare occasion that you got a call from Big Hit to come into the office for the day but when you did, you jump at the opportunity because it was a way for you to spend more time with your boyfriends and it was a nice little break from working in the small, very noisy and sometimes smelly Vet’s office you usually worked in… 

“Okay kids. Buckle up.” You say enthusiastically as up slip into the drivers seat and shut the door after you. 

You felt bad that either Jin, Hoseok or Jungkook would’ve had to drive home after having a full day of practice… You saw how hard they worked and you knew that without a doubt, their bodies were sore and worn out from the day so you offered to push the whip back to their dorm in order to give them some time to rest. 

Of course Jin was the only one to argue with you for five whole minutes about driving. He insisted that he wasn’t tired and maybe that was true but still… You didn’t want to hear it. 

You dismissed him and stole the van keys right out of his hand. He knew he had lost the argument once the keys were in your possession. 

Yoongi sat in the passengers side, while the others piled into the back. You finished strapping on your seat belt then went ahead to put the key in the ignition so you could start the van. 

The ride home was relaxing. 

Namjoon had fallen asleep fairly early on during the ride. He was sat beside Jin who scrolling through his phone in the very back seat. 

Hoseok was sat in the middle seat, closest to the window. His head thrown back and his lips slightly parted as his chest rose and fell softly. He was out like a light, much like Namjoon was. Jimin and Taehyung were beside him, Jimin in the middle. The two younger boys conversed amongst themselves and Yoongi was sat beside you, curled into himself against the window, snoring quietly. 

You were keeping your eyes focused on the road while the sounds of the men’ around you, kept you relaxed.

“I’m hungry.” Taehyung suddenly mentions. “Me too.” Jimin chimed in. “Do you guys want me to stop somewhere?” You asked, looking back at them through the rearview mirror. “Or Jin could make us something when we get back home?” Tae suggested, looking back at the older male with hopeful eyes. 

They really enjoy Jin’s cooking. He doesn’t cook that often for them anymore since they’ve been so busy and he hasn’t had time to cook a full meal.

Long practices and busy schedules usually mean they have to either eat out or order in… 

The boys long for a home cooked meal. 

You take a minute to glance at Jin’s face through the mirror again… You can see how tired his eyes are and you suddenly felt a bit of guilt pushing against your chest. You know he’s exhausted and to have to go home and cook a meal for the eight of you, at this time of night? It’s a bit much. 

“I can cook...” You offered. The words left your mouth before you really had time to process them in your head... 

Jin, Jimin and Tae all snap their heads over to you. 

When you don't hear any responses from them, you took a quick look up. You don't miss the way their faces twist in a mixture of amusement and confusion, before placing your eyes back on the road. “What?” You asked, genuinely puzzled by their facial expressions. 

“You’ll cook?” Tae asked, just to make sure he heard you correctly. “Yeah…” Your voice is quiet and laced with uncertainty but it was too late for you to take back your words back. “Dinner? You’ll cook dinner?” It was Jimin’s voice you heard this time. “Yes.” You said sternly. “For us?” Jin questioned you again in disbelief. “Oh my god! Yes!” You semi-shout. 

You felt a bit annoyed with them for asking you the same questions. You were just offering to cook dinner for them, not build them a boat… Why are they so pressed about it?

You look over at Yoongi to make sure you hadn’t woken him as he was the closest to you and when you saw that he hadn’t moved from his position, you continued. 

“I’ll cook dinner. For you all. Tonight. Why are you guys being so weird about it?”

“Because you never offer to cook.” Tae reminded you. 

“Thats not true! I always offer, Jin always says no.” 

“That’s because you’re not good at cooking Princess.” Jin is blunt and it kind of throws you off guard but then you realize he does have a bit of a point. You’re not the best at cooking but you have the basics down and you can make a mean pot of ramen… That counts right?

“I know how to cook.” You tried defend yourself but even you know the words sound bland leaving your lips. “Baby, putting rice in the cooker and turning it on is not cooking.” Jimin told you in a matter of fact tone. A little gasps leaves your lips at his insult. 

‘How dare he!’ You think to yourself. 

You rolled your eyes when you heard Taehyung chuckling next to Jimin.

“Mr. Jimin…” You said warningly. “Don’t you start with me. You barely know how to boil water…” You clapped back at him. Taehyung is throwing his head back whilst holding his stomach. He is laughing so hard, his shoulders are visibly shaking. He loves with you and Jimin bicker with each other. It’s the funniest thing in the world to him. 

“Out of the two of us, I am the better cook.” You said confidently. 

“My bullshit senses are tingling.” Jimin joked and you scoffed at him. 

“How about tomorrow tonight?” Jin suddenly suggests, causing both you and Jimin to cease your petty arguing.“Why not tonight? I really don’t mind.” You told them, shrugging your shoulders nonchalantly.

 Now you were determined to prove a point to Jimin. You were the better cook. You have to be… Your mom is a chef for crying out loud, knowing how to cook should be in your DNA

“Well, we’ll have to stop at a grocery store, right? To get ingredients and it’s a bit late to start cooking now so how about we go home and order something then tomorrow you can cook for us? Sound good?” Jin asked you and you nod your head in agreement. “Tomorrow it is.” You said. 

You were sure you’d be able to cook a perfectly good meal for your boyfriends. Cooking isn’t hard. You were knowledgeable about the basics and you’ve seen Jin cook plenty of times too. 

’It’ll be fine.’ You think to yourself, boy were you wrong…

. * 　　　 ✦     .     　⁺ 　 .  * ⁺        ⁺

The rice cooker beeps loudly behind you. You turn away from the stove and walk over to the counter to shut the cooker off. You open the lid then take up the paddle spoon. You scoop up some of the rice and pop it in your mouth. It’s steaming hot and it almost burns your tongue but you chew with caution then swallow. You smile happily at the taste. “If all else fails, at least there’s rice.” You giggle to yourself as you think about how you should get those words printed on a t-shirt or something.. And you know Yoongi, Jin and Taehyung would agree with you because the four of you have been dubbed (by the rest of the boys), the official rice fairies since you all eat it some much.

“It smells good…” You’re startled by the sound of Jungkook’s voice. You whip your body around to see him lifting one of the pot covers. 

Were you so impressed by your rice cooking skills that you didn’t notice him slide into the kitchen behind you. “Jungkook!” You slap his hand and he drops the pot lid, it falls perfectly back into place. “Get your ass out of here!” You say sternly. You put your hand on his shoulder and begin to push him away from the stove. 

You’re strong but not as strong as him and your small hand is no match for his large shoulder. When you push him, he barely moves an inch. 

“But I’m hungry~” Jungkook whines and you can’t fight the smile that forms on your lips at the cute way he drags his words. 

“And Namjoon won’t let me eat any of my snacks… He says it’ll ruin my dinner.” Jungkook complains as he turns he’s body around to face you. His tall frame towers over your shorter one. 

“Joon is right and I’m almost done Kookie.” You try to reassure him but the look on his face tells you that it isn’t working. 

“How much longer?” He asks as he turns his body to finally face you.

“Twenty minutes.” You say, looking up at him adoringly.

“But you said twenty minutes, when Jin came in to check on you an hour ago.” He protests and you chuckle. “Kookie…” You call sweetly as you step closer to him. You wrap your arms around his waist and press your face to his chest. Maybe a little affection and sweet talk will do the trick… “I promise I’m almost done. If I’m not finished in twenty minutes, you have permission to eat all your snacks. Okay?” You look up at him to find that he is already staring down at you. When your eyes meet his, he quickly looks away in that cute way he does when he knows he’s been caught staring. You giggle and you can see a smirk forming on his lips as he tries to avoid eye contact. He wants to be upset with you because of how long you’re taking with dinner but he can’t…

“Do we have a deal?” You ask him, keeping your eyes on his sharp jawline. 

When Jungkook realizes that you aren’t going to stop staring his glorious side profile, he looks down at you. “Fine. But please move faster. We’re all starving and I think Yoongi s going to bit off Jin’s head soon because he keeps talking.” Jungkook informs you and you nod. “Okay, okay. I’m going as fast as I can.” You tell him. You stand on your toes to peak his lips. “Now go.” You say whilst patting his butt a few times as a way to usher him out of the kitchen so you can get back to work.

Two hours pass and you’re finally done cooking. You can’t believe it’s taken you two whole hours to cook fiour dishes that you started all at the same time. It has never taken Jin this long to cook anything and that’s a dead giveaway that you’ve screwed something up… 

After you finish setting the table, you call for the boys. They youngest members come tumbling into the dinning room with the older ones following closely behind. “Wow~” Jimin and Jungkook say in unison as they see the meals you’ve prepared for them… It looks and smells amazing but the taste is the most important thing and you aren’t sure you’ve done such a good job in that department… You’re almost positive you haven’t.

“Look! There’s rice!” Taehyung points excitedly at the huge bowl full of steaming hot white rice. “The seaweed soup looks so delicious.” Hoseok comments and you smile at his words. “Does it?” You ask eagerly. Hobi nods at you then walks over to kiss the top of your head, lovingly. “I’m sure it’ll taste great.” he assures you. “Wow, look at the pork belly.” Namjoon has hearts in his eyes as he sees the mountain of juicy pork belly sitting on a plate. 

You are starting to feel a little bit more confident about your cooking since the reaction from your boys so far has been good but you have to keep in mind that they haven’t actually tasted anything yet.

You look over at Yoongi when you hear him chuckling from where he stands. Even though you have no idea what he’s laughing about, you smile at him. “Whats so funny?” You question. “We’re acting like we’ve never seen these kinds of foods before.” Yoongi explains and it causes the rest of the boys to laugh too. “It’s because we’re starving…” Namjoon says and you immediately feel guilty for taking so long to cook them a proper meal. 

You know they must be starving. “Well, the wait is over. Eat!” You encourage them as you take the empty seat in between Jungkook and Hoseok. 

The boys begin to fill their plates. You’re too nervous to eat, so you just sit there and watch, like a creep. “You’re not eating Angel?” Hoseok asks you as he scoops some rice into his plate. “You guys eat first.” You use your hands to urge him into adding more food to his plate. 

Jungkook uses his chopsticks to grab a piece of pork then he pops it into his mouth. You smile as he hums contently while he chews. “How is it?” You ask him, expectingly. He’s silent for a little bit while he chews but after he swallows, he smiles and gives you two thumbs up. “Really?! Two thumbs?” You exclaim and Jungkook nods his head. He begins filling his plate with more meat. “Wow, not one but two thumbs up.” You say in amazement. Receiving two thumbs up from Jungkook is big accomplishment for you. 

“Cooking pork belly is easy though.” Jimin says sourly in an attempt to tease you. You cut your eyes at him before sitting up straight in your seat, ready to give him a piece of your mind. “Listen here…” You start. “Don’t try to discredit me! Let me have this victory, okay!” You say sternly and he holds his hands up in defense, giving you a small smirk.

Park Jimin just loves to rile you up.

Hoseok goes for a piece of pork this time. He takes a few minutes to chew before his eyes widen like saucers. Your stomach drops, thinking he’s in shock because of how bad it taste but you’re wrong… “Delicious.” He tells you and now your the one with the widening eyes. “Seriously!?” You ask in disbelief and he nods. “Holy shit.” You mumble under your breath, as you sit back in your seat. You are stunned. 

Two out of seven have given you praises on your food. You can’t believe it… You thought for sure, they would’ve banned you from the kitchen after tasting one bite.

You feel proud that you managed to cook something that the boys seem to be enjoying. You were sitting high on your horse at this point but little did you know… You were about to get kicked right off… 

Whilst you are conversing with Hoseok and Namjoon, Jimin is scooping a hefty amount of seaweed soup into a bowl you provided for him. He is excited to eat it as he hasn’t had seaweed soup in a while. He was looking forward to it. 

He dips his spoon into the hot liquid then puts it up to his mouth to cool it quickly before shoving the spoon in. The soup hits his tongue and he immediately cringes at the taste. He shakes his head whilst sticking his tongue out, trying to rid his taste buds of the bitterness. 

Jimin is so distraught by the bad soup that he doesn’t notice the way Taehyung is staring at him with a concerned expression, having seen the way he reacted to your soup. 

When Jimin finally gets over the taste, he turns his head to face Tae. He has warn the younger boy about the soup… 

“What?” Tae mouths to Jimin, not wanting to bring attention to the two of them. “It’s bad.” Jimin mouths back immediately. 

If anyone were looking at them from the outside, they would think the two were communicating telepathically. 

“What’s bad?” Tae ask, his eyebrows crinkling in confusion.  

“The soup.” Jimin points at the bowl with his spoon. “The soup is bad?” Tae mouths again, slightly shocked by the news he’s hearing.

In response, Jimin just takes his spoon and dips it into his bowl, gathering the broth. He then brings the spoon up to Tae’s mouth. Tae leans forward to taste the liquid… He lets the soup swish around in his mouth before swallowing… He frowns when he realizes that the soup, is indeed very bad. “Aw..” He says sadly, feeling extremely disappointed. He too was excited about getting to eat some seaweed soup but after tasting it, he doesn’t feel the same. 

Jimin releases a chuckle at Tae’s reaction then covers his mouth quickly, hoping no one heard him. “Give some to Yoongi.” Jimin encourages Tae, wanting to see the older males reaction to the taste of your soup. 

You’re conversation with Joon and Hobi comfortably subsides when you see Jin, who is sitting at the end of the table, takes a spoon full of the seaweed soup you’ve slaved over. He pushes the spoon into his mouth and lets the warm liquid wash over his taste buds… You’re staring intently at him, after all, his reaction will be the most precious for you as he’s the cook in the house… You don’t miss the way his adam’s apple bobs as he swallows slowly, his nose scrunches up and then he clears his throat. 

This isn’t the reaction you were expecting… 

You can hear Jimin who is sitting across from you, quietly dying of laughter and Tae who is beside him, trying to stifle his own laughter… 

“Well?” You ask. He still hasn’t commented on the food but if his facial expression is anything to go by, you’re sure he’s disgusted by the taste. 

“It’s awful, isn’t it?” You want Jin to confirm what you already know is true which is that soup taste horrible and you’re the worst cook ever. Your previous confidents has gone all the way out the window now. “It’s.. Uh—” Jin starts but stops as he racks his brain for the right words to say. He doesn’t want to hurt your feelings but he can’t deny that the soup taste a bit odd. 

“It’s disgusting... You can say it.” You tell him as you pout, disappointed in yourself…

“No Princess… It’s just—” Jin begins again but is soon cut off by Yoongi’s voice. “It’s the worst seaweed soup Ive ever tasted…” He say bluntly and Jimin burst out into laughter. “It’s so bitter. There’s no flavor… It’s like you just boiled water for two hours then added the seaweed in last minute.” Yoongi’s savage confession causes you to freeze in your seat. 

You sit there dumbfounded, your mouth slightly agape… 

‘Is he really going to embarrass me like this in front of the rest of the guys?’ You internally ask yourself

Of course he is. 

“I mean did you even add sesame oil and where’s the beef?” He continues. “C’mon Kitten. This isn’t it…” He says, almost as if he’s disappointed in you. 

Jimin is laughing so hard that theres no sound coming out of his mouth. He is clutching his stomach in attempt to stop the cramping. Tae is trying to avoid eye contact in order to keep it together. He doesn’t want to laugh in your face like Jimin is doing but it’s hard not to when you are sitting there looking like a deer caught in head lights… 

“Is it really bad?” Jungkook is curious. He picks up his spoon and scoops it into the pot of soup. When he feels he has enough on his spoon, he brings it to his mouth to taste. 

He doesn’t react the way the other do. Instead, he slowly places the utensil down and turns to look at you. “Yeah~” He drags out his word. “I’m sorry baby but, it’s pretty bad.” He admits as he brings his hand up to pat your shoulder, feeling sorry for you. 

Namjoon and Hoseok are the only ones holding it together but, you’re sure they won’t last much longer.

Your face is warmer than usual… You are embarrassed beyond belief and it doesn’t stop there. 

“I mean… I wasn’t going to say anything but…” Namjoon speaks up and you snap your head over to his direction. 

‘Not him too.’ You think. 

“The rice cakes aren’t good either.” He adds. “You’ve got to be kidding me?” You’re flabbergasted. You knew that it wasn’t going to taste phenomenal but you didn’t think they would insult your cooking this badly. “Taste it.” Yoongi demands. He needs you to taste it so you can see that it’s the truth they’re telling you. Your soup sucks. 

Yoongi scoops up some of the broth and leans across the table. He holds the spoon to your lips and you open your mouth for him to feed you. 

The minute the liquid touches your tongue, you wince… Not only because it’s still hot but because it actually does taste horrible. “Oh my god.” You groan, wanting to take back the decision you’ve made to cook in the first place. “It’s so bitter.” You gag, sticking your tongue out dramatically, much like Jimin had done earlier. “So. Fucking. Bitter.” Yoongi nods his head. The room falls silent, expect for the quiet chuckling you hear every few seconds from across the table.

“This is so embarrassing.” You say more to yourself than to the men around you as you look down at your empty plate.

When you look up, all seven men have their eyes on you. The smirks on their faces are priceless… They are trying so hard not to hurt your feelings by laughing. 

“It’s okay… You can laugh.” You give them permission and they don’t even spare you for another second as they all burst into laughter. Jimin is now laughing so hard that he can’t see because his eyes are blurred with tears. 

“I can’t believe you spent two hours cooking just for it to taste this bad.” Jin says through chuckles… You don’t fight the smile that is starting to form on your face… As disappointed as you are, you can’t help but find it funny that you’ve failed so terribly. 

Plus, it’s hard not to laugh when the boys are laughing so hysterically at you. Their laughs are infectious.

“Hey!” You shout over their loud mouths. “At least we have pork belly and rice.” You remind them. “That came out okay.” You utter quietly, the embarrassment creeping it’s way back into your system.

“Yeah!” Namjoon chimes in. “Cut Baby girl some slack! She tried.” He defends you and you smile gratefully at him. “Thank you Joonie.” You say sweetly and he winks at you. 

“Okay, okay.” Jin says, trying to calm everyone else down. 

“This wasn’t a complete fail and we appreciate your efforts Princess.” He commends you. “Thank you Jinnie.” You say contently. 

“Of course Princess.” 

“So… What are we going to do with all this soup and spicy rice cakes? Because I won’t be eating it.” You ball up your napkin and throw it at Jimin’s head after he speaks.

“Shut up.” You groan and he laughs teasingly. “Leave her alone.” Tae speaks, although he is still chuckling. 

“I’m sorry okay but why did you offer to cook when you know you can’t?” Jimin raises questioning brow at you.

“I was just trying to do something nice…” You admit.

“And we appreciate it Angel.” Hoseok is sincere with his word. He grabs your hand under the table and gives it a little squeeze. The gesture makes you feel a little bit better. 

You sigh and sit up straight in your seat, finally deciding to accept your defeat. 

“Maybe I should just stick to rice and ramen…” You say out loud. “I like that idea!” The boys clap simultaneously. “Rice and ramen is a good.”  Jimin pips up and you giggle. “And pork belly too.” Jungkook adds. “The pork belly really is delicious.” He pops another piece into his mouth. 

‘Glad I did something right.’ 

You gaze at the food on the table. You’ve only made four dishes but you’ve made a lot… Literally so much. You start to feel sick looking at it.

“Seriously… What to do with this big ass pot of soup?” You ask.  

“Don’t you have someone at school you hate? A professor or something… Give it to them.” You burst into laughter at Jungkook’s suggestion. 

“Thats not nice Kookie… Why would I purposefully bring someone food that taste bad?” 

“But you can poison us just fine with this so called seaweed soup? You heartless woman.” Jimin jokes. You leap up out your seat and dash yourself around the table to attack him but he gets up before you can get to him. He runs towards his bedroom. “I’m going to kill you when I catch Park Jimin.” You yell as begin chasing him around the house. 

You are too preoccupied with trying to beat up Jimin, that you don’t notice when Jin picks up your disaster of a soup and brings back over to the stove. 

While he tries his best to save the meal you’d destroyed,  he thinks of maybe getting you some at-home cooking lesson for your birthday…

[bellarkefanfiction]

Let Your Heart Be Right 

2 Sleeps until Christmas ❄

written by: Josefine / @selflessbellamy

summary: Two people who have a one night stand are snowed-in and have to spend Christmas Eve together.

word count: 2231

Though Clarke hasn’t had the most colorful sex life, she’s fairly certain that it’s not common to have hot chocolate before a one night stand — Nevermind the fact that there was a bit of alcohol in the beverage; it’s still weird, but in a good kind of way. The stranger’s dark eyes had a dreamy look to them, which drew her in faster than she anticipated. For some reason, she’d been set on playing hard to get, tease him a little bit before taking him home, yet that’s not how the night turned out. And now, he — Bellamy, she recalls — is lying next to her in bed, sleeping soundly on his stomach, which would’ve been an unsettling sight if she didn’t remember telling him to stay last night.

Not because she would’ve been lonely otherwise. Bellamy, she discovered, is actually great fucking company. He made her laugh out loud with weird, sarcastic jokes that were right up her alley and at some point she just had to know if the chemistry that she was feeling between them would intensify in bed.

Spoiler alert: it did.

After a couple of minutes, being the only one awake becomes a little boring, so she pokes his foot with hers, causing him to grunt. “Jesus, your feet are like blocks of ice. Put some fuzzy socks on them, dammit,” but she only chuckles.

Then he slowly opens his eyes, his long eyelashes fluttering a bit. When a warm smile grows on his lips, she feels heat rise to her cheeks without warning. “Thanks for last night, Princess… Hope you had fun.”

Clarke laughs and dares to run her hand up his spine. “Don’t worry, you know I did. Do you want breakfast before you leave? Coffee? Oh my God, we need coffee.”

At that, his eyes crinkle at the corners. “I thought you told me last night that you can’t cook?”

She huffs. “It’s microwavable oatmeal, Bellamy. It’s not that difficult.”

Chuckling, he moves out of bed, giving her a nice view of his ass as he stands to pull his boxer briefs back on. Although she tries to be discreet about looking, he catches her and winks. Then, he questions, “What’s with the frown? Were you hoping for a second round?”

“You weren’t?”

Licking his lower lip, Bellamy seems to think about it for a minute before he reminds her that that’s not exactly how one night stands work, and she rolls her eyes. Even though she admittedly isn’t the most experienced person when it comes to casual sex, she did have a few hookups in college until she started dating Finn.

Out of habit, Clarke turns on the radio in the kitchen to listen to some music while she “prepares” the microwavable oatmeal. Before she can switch on Bluetooth, however, a radio news host has something important to say.

“A lot of new yorkers seem to have had quite the surprise this morning, because a sudden yet powerful blizzard last night has left most of the city covered in a thick layer of snow. Some buildings have also experienced problems with electricity. This is bound to cause a lot of unpredictable issues for people who wanted to spend Christmas Eve away from home.”

Bellamy looks at her, his brow furrowed in confusion, but then his eyes widen as the realization appears to dawn on him.

“Are we… snowed in, do you think?”

Right away, they go down to check the front door of the apartment building, and yeah… the snow has it blocked, sealed shut so that not even a man as strong as Bellamy is able to push it open. After his fifth try, Clarke sighs, “Come on. It’s not gonna work. Let’s just go back and listen to the news. See if any help is coming soon.”

But of course not. It’s Christmas Eve day, meaning that no one is around to operate the machines that can clear the snow. As the morning progresses with little promising news, Bellamy and Clarke — two strangers who were just looking for a hookup before Christmas — flop onto the couch with heavy sighs. “Who are you spending the day with tomorrow?” she asks, turning to look at him, and he offers her a tiny smile.

“Friends from college… Not the TV-show, though. That would be too depressing.”

In spite of everything, those words manage to make her laugh, but then he asks her the same question and she frowns again. “I don’t know,” is her admission. “My mom doesn’t celebrate the holiday anymore, and… she’s the—she’s the only family I have left.”

Wow, this got heavy real fast. Yet somehow Clarke had the feeling that she wouldn’t be able to lie to Bellamy; he has this empathetic spark in his eyes, which has her believing that he’d be able to see right through her — through anybody, as a matter of fact. Some people have that gift. Wells and her dad had it, too, but they’re both gone.

Carefully, Bellamy reaches out to touch her shoulder. If she didn’t know better, it’d be easy to forget that she had sex with him last night and that he is actually a stranger as opposed to someone who’s known her for years — at least long enough to know what soothes her. Then, to her utter surprise, he replies, his voice quiet, “My friends are the only family I have… You want some hot chocolate? I’ll make it for you.”

Clarke manages a slight smile at his offer. “Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”

There was no forgettable aspect of last night, his hot chocolate included. Still, even though she kindly asks for it, he refuses to give her a copy of his recipe, stating that it’s a “Christmas secret,” which is most certainly bullshit but she’ll let him get away with it, if only because he lets her taste it off the spoon after he’s stirred it all together in the pot.

Closing her eyes at the taste, nostalgia hits her like a train. Of course, it’s not a complete replica of the hot chocolate her dad used to make, but it has the same amazing richness. “That’s delicious…”

He beams at her, pours the beverage into her two Christmas-themed mugs; one of them has Rudolf on it, the other a snowman and she remembers them from her childhood. “Are you a marshmallow person? It’s crucial information. You didn’t have any last night.” Bellamy states, making her chuckle.

“A couple is okay.”

For some reason she didn’t have him pecked as a person who enjoys adding extra sweetness to hot chocolate, but last night she found out that he puts numerous marshmallows — even more than she does — into his own cup. “I drink black coffee. I need some sugar in my life,” was his reasoning when she’d questioned it. He’d winked at her as he said it, and despite the cheesiness of it, she found his flirting quite endearing.

“Why doesn’t your mom celebrate Christmas? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t—“

Clarke smiles a little. “No, it’s fine. My dad loved Christmas so much; it was his favorite holiday, and that was evident in our house during December — decorations everywhere, jolly music playing all day, but he died a few years ago and my mom’s heart hasn’t… well, she can’t bring herself to enjoy it anymore. I’ve tried to tell her that that isn’t what dad would’ve wanted, but… um.”

Before she can tear up, Bellamy moves a piece of her behind her ear, distracting her with his gentleness. When she asks him about why he only celebrates Christmas with his friends, he tells her that his parents passed away many years ago and that he’s estranged from his little sister, which makes her feel sad for a moment until he shrugs. “Well, my friends are amazing. They’re the only family I need. You’d like them… Hey.”

At his sudden change of voice that clearly indicates that an idea has formed in his mind, Clarke chuckles.

“You could join us tomorrow! I’m sure they won’t mind. If we ever get out of here, that is.”

In spite of the kindness of the proposal, she still isn’t sure. “Bellamy, we met last night. We had sex, you don’t think your friends will find it a bit weird if I join your little Christmas celebration?” He had been the one to draw up the unwritten rules of the one night stand a couple hours ago, and she’s pretty sure that you’re not supposed to extend the time you spend with your hookup for longer than necessary, but right now they don’t have a choice. Tomorrow they might — and he’s going to decide to introduce her to his friends? Seems a bit untraditional. Still, he appears unfazed by it, shrugging.

“We don’t have to mention the sex. I’ll just tell them that you’re a friend that I haven’t told them about.”

She grins. “Are you a good liar?”

“No, I’m terrible.”

At that deadpan response, Clarke throws her head back in warm laughter. “Well, we’ll be just fine then.”

To her surprise, hanging out with Bellamy for the rest of the day is far from awkward. Last night in the bar she’d recognized that they had chemistry from the moment their eyes found one another, but she never guessed that spending the day with him would be so… natural. Because they’re tired of hearing the same messages on the radio regarding the blizzard, they turn it off and decide to watch the worst Christmas movies on Netflix together, just to laugh at the horrible scripts and bland plotlines. In the end, it proves to be a very good way of passing time, because when the second bad movie is done, the sky outside has been dressed in black velvet.

“Are you hungry? I can make us something,” Bellamy offers while she tries not to fixate on how his fingers have inched closer to her thigh.

“I think I have some pasta in the fridge. And some wine.”

At the last part, Bellamy’s smile grows to a bright grin. “Perfect, Princess.”

Oh, right. The nickname… It had started last night in the because of the tiny crown that’s glued to the top of her iPhone. To her relief, he didn’t call her ‘baby’ like Finn loved to do; it’s safe to say that she likes this pet name better somehow. One thing she neglected to tell Bellamy last night is that right before she went into the bar, she’d thrown her old engagement ring into the sewer — after two months, she was sick of holding onto it, even though she wasn’t wearing it. Now that there’s a nice, handsome man cooking dinner in her kitchen and humming the melody of ‘Last Christmas’ the decision to let go of the past couldn’t be more liberating.

“How much cheese do you want on your pasta?” Bellamy asks, causing her to chuckle a little.

“LOTS.”

And that’s what she gets. Honestly, he is amazing. Finally, a person who understands with the perfect sauce-to-cheese ratio is without having to ask. Though he could probably be a cook (he could certainly cook for her anytime), he’s already told her that he’s a freelance journalist and historian.

Basically, out of all the people in the bar that night she definitely chose to talk to the right one. This is especially true when you consider that he’s invited her to spend Christmas morning with him and his friends, just so that she won’t be alone.

Then a thought hits her. “Does you inviting me to celebrate Christmas with you tomorrow mean that you want to continue seeing me? Or did I… misunderstand? Are you just being the nicest person ever, and I—“

Blood rushes to her cheeks in embarrassment, but then he releases a warm laugh as he grabs her hand. When his eyes meet hers, there are thousands of twinkling sparks within the dark brown shades of them, which makes relief surge through her. A smile pulling at his lips, Bellamy replies, “If I didn’t want to continue seeing you, I probably wouldn’t have approached you in the bar at all. My days of casual sex have been over since college, but I was willing to do it if you didn’t want more than that.”

“But you didn’t wanna sleep with me again this morning,” she says, a skeptic eyebrow raised.

Grinning, Bellamy moves his hands up in defense. “Okay, I admit it. I was trying to play hard to get. It didn’t work, did it?”

“No, but your Christmas invitation did.”  

His grin morphs into a confident smirk as he puts his arm around her shoulders, but they haven’t been sitting like that for long before he challenges her at a game of cards, which is another thing that reminds her of the Christmases she had while her dad was alive. Every time she glances at Bellamy he beams, golden like the sun — and she is brought to think that tomorrow will be the best Christmas she’s had in years.

(Luckily, it is far from the last one they get to spend together)

[hufflepuff-ravenclaw-reviews]

Proven Innocent Season 1 Episode 6

We open with Madeline and Violet at the women's prison, offering the women “gift baskets” with make-up and $25 commissary cards, but also offering them forums to fill out if they think that they've been wrongfully convicted. A girl pushes her way to the front line, and asks if Madeline knows her/her case. Madeline agrees, and asks that she fill out the forum if she thinks that she's innocent.

Her case is called “CinderHella”. She was adopted from Korea when she was six years old, and her adoptive mother apparently never loved her. Except instead of finding her prince and getting away from a shitty situation, she just snapped and killed her mom instead.

One crucial piece of “evidence” is the 911 tape, in which she sounded... unemotional. Madeline said that it was the same way with her own 911 tape. You're either not emotional enough, or too emotional; you can never win.

Another important evidence was mysterious bruises all over the client's body. She doesn't remember how they got there, but also says that her aunt had her committed to the mental hospital right after the murder. The entire thing sounds shifty as fuck-all.

When they go visit the mental hospital, the doctor clearly wants them to come back with a warrant... and not just because that's how things are done. She clearly wants to show them something.

As the team is discussing how shifty that the entire case seems, Levi shows up and tells Madeline that the guy from the previous episode hung himself. After Madeline says that he'd confronted her after Levi had confronted him, Levi feels better because he thought that the things he said to the guy had made him kill himself. Madeline is quick to jump onto a perfectly reasonable explanation for the man killing himself: he was depressed and never got the help he needed. He says that they should go to the funeral.

Bodie goes to the golf club, where he casually slides up to the client's aunt, the one who had her committed to the mental hospital, and who also inherited $300 MILLION dollars. However, she insists that she liked her niece... and that she already had money of her own.

But later, Violet tells the others that the murder victim was having an affair with her lawyer, but called it off just before she was murdered. However, neither of these suspects were ever so much as questioned once by the police.

Just then, Bellows's political opponent comes in to slam Madeline for having given Bellows ammunition against him in the campaign. She instead offers up something that would destroy Bellows more than the info Madeline gave Bellows: a way to destroy Rosemary's Law by offering up Mr. Lynch, who has always been opposed to the law in the first place.

Meanwhile, all is not exactly great with Bellows's campaign. He's running out of money, so he talks to some rich sob in a polyester leisure suit (yes, he was wearing a fucking golden chain). The guy apparently has enough money to ensure Bellows's campaign now is well-funded, but also that he'd be pushed all the way to the top. But in exchange, he'd ask that Bellows get the FDA to stop hounding him about this drug that he made. Bellows doesn't want anything to do with it, if only because... there's probably a reason why the FDA is going after this drug so much.

Eventually, Mr. Lynch stars in a campaign ad and speaks out against Rosemary's Law. Bellows and his team watches it from the office, and admit that this is insanely bad. Bellows wants to launch his own campaign ads, but his campaign money has run out.

So, he goes crawling back to the sleazeball, and begs for money anyway. And because wearing tacky suits wasn't enough, he also asks about Isabel after he agrees to help Bellows.

In court, the doctor from the mental hospital testifies that she'd informed the prosecutor at the time of the initial trial that the client's bruises were the result of being physically restrained, not from having been in a physical altercation with her adoptive mother. The judge doesn't like that one bit, and agrees to a new trial.

However, as they're leaving, Bodie says that the aunt and the lawyer boyfriend both have air-tight alibis for the night of the murder. So they're back to square one to figure out who actually killed the mother.

They go talk to their client again. She says that the night of the murder, she was at her friend's party. She was there all night, but some guy claimed that she'd left at midnight. And that's what got her put in jail.

They go talk to the friend who'd hosted the party, who says that the client's mother was a real asshole. She lorded it over everybody that the client was adopted, even though literally everybody with eyes could see that. (Two white people does not equal an Asian baby.) She also said some unkind things about the guy who lied on the stand, but agrees to give Madeline and Easy the photos and video from the night of the party (which had been previously taken by the police).

Violet and Bodie then tell the lying liar who lies that he's invited to be on their podcast! Whee, who doesn't enjoy that! He says that he was the designated driver that evening, so he hadn't been drinking at all. He also says that the client hit on him pretty hard, because she'd been doing drugs with her friend that night. However, he gets upset and storms out when he finds out that they'd representing her in court. But not before they serve him with a subpoena to testify.

Meanwhile, Madeline and Levi go to the funeral. Levi says that everybody at the high school got an email about the funeral, so everybody's there. And it goes about as well as you might expect. Everybody hates Madeline and Levi. Everybody. Heather goes up to talk, although she does the most tacky thing ever: she makes the eulogy about the dead guy all about her opinions about what happened about Rosemary.

However, one lady gets up and storms out... and she's not Madeline. The lady used to be one of Heather's friends in high school, but while Heather now maintains that “perfect housewife” persona, this lady is more “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Madeline's actual words). Madeline follows her out, and talks to her. She says that she overdosed and almost died because of Heather, so they're not exactly friends anymore. She then tells Madeline that Heather would steal her father's prescription pad and would sell it to people, but “friends” of Heather got the drugs for free. Because of course they did.

She then tells Madeline to drop the subject, and makes a weird mention that this guy's death won't be the last as far as Rosemary's case is concerned. Which... I feel like that's not going to get Madeline to stop. Furthermore, maybe this hasn't affected the chick all that much, but Madeline was literally jailed because of this. Of course she's not going to let it go.

Later, Madeline bitches about the entire thing to Dylan... the show finally said his fucking name. Ugh.

As Madeline goes to court, she's cornered by Bellows, who begs her to drop this case, because the client is guilty. However, Madeline throws back Bellows's quick sinking campaign in his face, and insists that he doesn't need another one of his convictions overturned.

In court, they question the guy who'd previously lied on the stand about having seen the client leave the party at midnight. He continues to insist that he was the designated driver, however, video footage from the party that night clearly shows him doing lines of coke off the coffee table. Clearly very sober. /sarcasm

As they're leaving for the day, a man approaches them. He says that he's some sort of professor, and he thinks that the murder was caused by a serial killer.

Back at the office, he explains about his theory. First, the killer in question had gotten off on some BS technicality on some of his earlier murders, but he believes that this murder fits the profile. He then says that this murderer communicated with his victims via email, and Bodie is set on the task of getting into dear old mum's email account to see if she had anything like that.

Bodie comes back later and shows them that the mom did have emails from the serial killer that matched the description. A lot of them. So obviously, this is the work of a serial killer, and not their client.

Just then, Violet gets a message notification on her phone. An article published about Madeline and Levi... with a byline by Dylan. In it, details that Madeline ONLY said to Dylan are written.

Violet later tries to make sure that Madeline is okay, but she insists that Dylan didn't mean that much to her in the first place.

While Madeline's having a melt-down over Dylan being a creep, he confronts his boss. He'd previously told him that there was no story about Madeline, except that she was working to uncover who actually killed Rosemary. So, the boss took Dylan's work on his company-owned computer, and gave it to another reporter. Apparently, this paper doesn't give a shit about their reputation, because literally none of that news is remotely verifiable. Dylan then quits on the spot.

In court, they have the suspected serial killer on the stand. She produces the emails as evidence, and says that the IP address is registered to his home address. (Which, that's not how fucking IP addresses work. My current IP address lists me as being in another town in my same state.) When Madeline presses if he'd sent similar emails to his other victims, and the judge presses him to answer, he pleads the fifth. Which is never a good sign.

The jury later comes back with a not guilty verdict for the client, so she goes free.

Later, Violet has both the now former client as well as the professor who's information helped to free the client on her podcast to talk about the case. However, as they're sitting together and talking about the case, Violet can't help but notice that the client tenderly touches the professor's hands. In a way that conveys that they're way more than casual friends.

Violet left the room with the table mics off, but had the room mics on to record their conversation after she'd left. She plays the recording for Easy, Madeline, and Bodie. And it basically suggests exactly what Bellows had tried to warn Madeline about earlier: that this one is completely guilty. But their hands are tied. They can't just suddenly retry their client, because that would be double jeopardy. They can't file charges against the professor as an accessory after the fact, because that would break attorney/client privilege.

But what they end up doing is sending Bodie, aka the person who isn't a lawyer, to follow them and see what he can dig up/catch them doing. He takes pictures of the two of them kissing in public.

And finally, Dylan comes to Madeline's apartment. She'd been avoiding his calls and otherwise ignoring her. He tries to say that he didn't write the article and that he quit, but Madeline starts beating him up on the floor outside her apartment.

[captaincanarygotmelike]

Doors Open ch. 2

lol so much for that upload schedule

Read on AO3

Read on Fanfiction.net

The next day, the Waverider was on its way to València, Spain, 2025.

“I’ll have you know that all of your future selves are present in 2025,” Rip told the team, “So no galavanting off to Central or Star City. Try to stay within València if you can.”

“Does that mean we all make it to 2025,” Sara jokingly asked.

“It does,” he replied, his expression serious, “and I think we’d all appreciate it if that didn’t change, so be careful. All of you.”

They all walked to the cargo hold where the team would part ways — even if only temporarily.

“We’ll be landing in about a minute,” Rip informed them, “You may say goodbyes if you so desire.”

They all said their farewells and then Rip directed the half of the team heading for València towards three separate cars. He climbed into the drivers seat of the large black SUV that apparently belonged to Sara and Leonard.

“What is it about having one child that makes parents think they need a car that seats seven of them?” Sara grumbled as she buckled Elsie into her carseat.

“An excellent question, Miss Lance,” Rip replied, starting up the car.

Soon, they were driving away from the Waverider into the city of València, Spain.

They first dropped Jax and Stein off on the campus of València University and then stopped at an apartment complex to show Ray his new home for the next several months. Finally, they pulled down the street of a gated neighborhood.

“Now remember,” Rip began, “You’ll be posing as a well-to-do American family who moved for Mr. Snart’s job when the company he works for was absorbed into the one based here. Sara, you’ll be posing as a stay-at-home mom — don’t roll your eyes — and while Elsie’s at school, you teach kick-boxing and self-defense classes at the gym.”

“And if I don’t know how to do that?” Sara asked, eyebrows raised.

“If my memory is correct, your tactic for our last mission was, I believe, to ‘wing it’,” he said, “I suggest you take your own advice.”

Sara rolled her eyes.

“Now,” Rip continued, “I know you are not going to enjoy this, Miss Lance, but there is a community of mothers in this neighborhood who I believe could provide some valuable information to us throughout the mission.”

“You want me to be a PTA mom,” Sara clarified.

“Not exactly. This group isn’t connected to any school district, but I suppose there will be similarities,” he conceded, “Mr. Snart, you’ll be working at a security company — yes, I do see the irony, Miss Lance — that also employs our target, Mr. Reyes. I do implore you to be careful. He may not be a sociopathic dictator yet, but some of those tendencies may already be there.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Leonard replied. Rip let out an exasperated breath, but said nothing until they pulled up to a driveway near the end of the street, just before a wide cul-de-sac.

Ivy and leafy, climbing bushes grew along a tall wrought-iron fence, blocking the house from view of the street.

Rip pushed a button on a remote attached to the sun visor and the gates opened to a gravel driveway. He drove underneath the drooping branches of a weeping willow tree and then they saw their new home.

It was different from what Sara had been picturing — although she wasn’t quite sure what even that had looked like.

It was very big — not quite a mansion, but about as close as a house could get in a suburban neighborhood — with a very green lawn and vibrant shrubs and flowers growing along the driveway and against the side of the house.

The walls were made of a white-painted stucco that contrasted the dark window frames and black Spanish tile roof. There were two rocking chairs on the front porch, shaded by a roof balanced on two dark wooden beams, with two floral pillows set purposefully on the seats.

“This house has been here for two hundred years,” Rip told them, “It’s been highly renovated, but the original structure remains.”

“This looks like the type of house I’d only go in to case,” Leonard said.

“Well, prepare to experience the other side, Mr. Snart,” Rip replied, “I meant it when I said ‘well-to-do’.”

They followed the driveway as it curved towards the side of the house, becoming a wide circle that looped back the way it came. In this space was parked a large moving truck.

“The house is already mostly furnished,” Rip said as he shifted the car into park, “There’s a few boxes left in the truck, just for the sake of neighbors seeing you bringing things inside.”

As Leonard unbuckled Elsie from her car seat, Rip handed Sara the keys to the SUV and got out of the car.

“There’s another car in the garage,” he told them, “A smaller one, for you to get to and from work, Mr. Snart.”

They headed for the front door.

“I know this all seems extravagant, but it’s for a reason,” Rip said, “It’s crucial to the mission that you integrate yourselves into the community of the neighborhood.” 

He fished a key out of his pocket, unlocked the front door and led them inside. 

“Mama!” Elsie pointed out one of the windows that looked into the backyard, “A pool!”

By now they had moved into the foyer, with the same white stucco as the exterior of the house. The hallway, rather than extending forwards, stretched to either side, with archways leading into other rooms. Across from the front door was a large window with stained-glass detailing that looked out into the backyard where they saw a patio and, as Elsie had pointed out, a pool. 

“Yes,” Rip said as Sara went to look, “There’s a pool back there. You also have a room with some tech that will connect you to Gideon. It’s how we can keep in contact so you don’t have to frequently return to the Waverider, but I suppose you can use her knowledge for anything else you might need — although you don’t have her medical tech or the fabricator. Hopefully, you’ll need neither.”

“Huh,” Sara said, taking the house keys Rip handed to her, “Haven’t gone grocery shopping in, like, twelve years.”

“I believe you’ll adjust, Miss Lance,” Rip replied, heading down a hallway. He pointed out a closed door across the hall, “That door leads to a bedroom — there are four bedrooms in total in the house.”

“Four?” Sara asked skeptically.

“Yes,” Rip nodded, “Three upstairs and one downstairs.”

“You do realize we don’t have five children, right?” she asked, glancing back in the direction of the car, “and the one we do have sleeps in our room half the time, so…”

“Well, if ever any of the rest of the team needed to stay in town, it wouldn’t make sense for them to stay with any of the others, so I gave you guys a couple guest rooms.”

“Great,” Leonard exhaled. 

They followed Rip into the kitchen.

It was very bright, with white cabinets and walls that contrasted the terra cotta brick tiles on the floor. A glass door in the opposite wall led out to the patio by the pool.

“In those files,” Rip said, pointing to a stack of manila folders on the marble counter, “is all the documentation you’ll need, including birth certificates, driver’s licenses, bank paperwork and the like. There’s also information you’ll need about your jobs and Elsie’s school.”

Sara nodded as Leonard opened the top most folder and started skimming over its contents.

“Mommy,” Elsie said, pulling on Sara’s arm, “I wanna go see my room.”

“First door at the top of the stairs,” Rip told her, tipping his head in the direction of the hallway. Elsie looked back to Sara.

“You can go,” Sara encouraged her.

“Can you come?” Elsie asked quietly.

“I will when Rip leaves,” Sara replied. Elsie nodded, her hand moving from Sara’s sleeve to grip onto three of her fingers.

“I trust you’ll make smart decisions,” Rip said, looking between Leonard and Sara, “It’s been a long few years, but somehow, it’s not the pair of you that concerns me anymore.”

“Yeah, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to leave Ray in the same building as the future mass murderer  we’re trying to take down,” Leonard drawled.

“Point taken,” Rip said with an exhale that conveyed it wasn’t the first time this issue had been raised to him.

“I think,” he continued, “it’s time for me to take my leave. Trust me when I say the neighbors will be stopping by and it’s best that I’m not here when that happens.”

“Should we be…worried, or something?” Sara asked.

Rip didn’t answer as he headed for the door.

He stopped, his hand on the doorknob.

“Do enjoy your time in the normal world,” he told them, “I’ll be in contact shortly with directions on how to proceed.”

And then he was gone.

“Ready to explore the new house?” Sara asked Elsie. She nodded, a mischievous smile growing on her face as she squirmed out of Sara’s arms and headed for the stairs.

Sara watched her go before she turned back to meet Leonard’s eyes.

“So we’re actually here,” she said, “I kinda thought something would happen before…”

He nodded, his eyes sweeping over the foyer of their new house.

“Mama!” Elsie called. They looked over to see Elsie sitting on the top step, “C’mon!”

“Just a second, bear,” Sara said before looking back to Leonard.

“I’m gonna go check out the town,” he told her, “get the lay of the land, figure out where everything is.”

Sara chuckled.

“What?” he asked, unable to hold in a smile at the look of fondness on her face.

“Some things never change,” she said, matching his smile.

“Mommy-y,” Elsie whined from the top of the stairs.

“I’m coming,” Sara replied, starting towards the stairs. She turned back to Leonard, “Pretty sure I saw the keys for the other car on the counter if you don’t want to take the monstrosity of suburbatory.”

He nodded with a smirk and headed back towards the kitchen.

“Where’s Daddy going?” Elsie asked, getting to her feet as Sara climbed the stairs.

“He’s gonna go explore the new town,” she told her, “Find all the important places like your school and his new work.”

“But what about the new house?” she asked.

“It’ll still be here when he gets back,” Sara replied, “We can show him the coolest parts then, and maybe we can convince him to find a pizza place while he’s exploring. Sound good?”

“Yeah!” Elsie exclaimed with an excited smile.

“Okay, Rip said first door at the top of the stairs,” she said, “I think this is it.”

Elsie pushed open the door.

“Woah!” she exclaimed.

Elsie’s new room was large, bigger than her room on the Waverider. Three of the four walls were wallpapered in white flowers over a light blue background. The bed was pushed against one of the corners opposite the door, a dusty pink comforter almost completely hiding light blue sheets.

“Mommy, look! A canopy!” Elsie exclaimed.

There was indeed a canopy, a pink one that hung idly from the ceiling over the head of Elsie’s bed.

A woven tapestry was hung on the wall between two windows and above a dark wooden trunk Sara was sure was filled with toys.

Sara looked down to see Elsie lying on her back on a cream colored shag rug.

“Is that soft?” she asked, laughing.

“Uh-huh!” Elsie nodded. She jumped to her feet and ran over to the dresser, opening and closing all the drawers, “It’s empty.”

“I know,” Sara replied, “We can put all the clothes and stuff we packed yesterday in it later.”

She waited while Elsie finished exploring her room before they moved on.

There was an open living space upstairs with a big TV and a couch and some bookshelves, one of the spare bedrooms Rip had mentioned, and a bathroom that, judging by the yellow flowery shower curtain and the basket of bath toys, was supposed to be Elsie’s.

The master bedroom was also very large. Glass doors opposite the king bed opened to a balcony that looked out over the backyard.

“I want a balcony,” Elsie grumbled, gripping the metal railway and looking out at the pool, “Can we go swimming?”’

“Sure,” Sara replied, “We gotta get your boxes out of the truck, though.”

“Okay!” Elsie called, already halfway towards the stairs.

A couple hours later, Leonard returned to the house with the pizza Sara and Elsie had requested. He found them in the backyard, Sara sitting in a wicker chair on the stone patio with a book, Elsie splashing around in the shallow end of the pool, yellow inflatable floats on her arms.

“What happened to not getting in the water?” Leonard asked when he saw Sara’s damp hair. She turned towards his voice, putting her book down and standing up.

“Well, Elsie decided she wants to learn how to swim,” she replied, “and even though I managed to leave the League of Assassins…twice, I can’t say no to her.”

“Pizza!” Elsie yelped, pulling herself out of the pool. She sat down in another chair at the metal table, doing an anxious little dance as she waited for her dinner.

“You’d think we don’t feed her or something,” Sara said with raised eyebrows as she pulled a slice of pizza from the box. Elsie was eating as soon as the plate was in front of her.

“Good?” Leonard asked her.

“Uh-huh!” Elsie nodded.

“Babe, you’re dripping all over your pizza,” Sara said, “Here, let me get you a towel.”

“No-o.” she whined, leaning away.

“Okay,” Sara said, watching with an expression of bemusement as Elsie’s dripping hair left wet spots on the paper plate  She turned to Leonard, “So what’s the town like?”

“It’s nice,” he answered, nodding, “Old. A lot older than Central. We’re not too far from the university,” Leonard replied, “Jax could be here in ten minutes if he need to be. Ray’s building is a little further in the other direction, closer to the center of city. If Rip ever needs us to have a meeting all together, it’ll be here.”

“Fantastic,” Sara said drily. 

“We’re close to the beach,” Leonard added, “maybe walking distance if Elsie’s in a good mood.”

“Ooh, can we go?” Elsie asked, bouncing in her chair.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” Sara told her, “Depends on the weather.”

“Nineties and sunny all week,” Leonard sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“Aww, do you think you’ll make it?” Sara asked him, feigning concern.

“No,” he replied. Sara laughed, running a hand up and down his arm.

After dinner, Elsie showed Leonard all her favorite parts the new house: the canopy in her bedroom, the flowery shower curtain, the balcony. Then, after a bubble bath in the new bathtub with all her new toys, she started getting tired.

“I don’t wanna get dressed,” Elsie whined, lying in a heap on her bedroom floor, tangled in her goldfish-shaped towel.

“You have to, bear,” Sara said calmly, from her spot on Elsie’s bed, a pair of blue cotton pajamas in her hand.

“No-o,” she said tearfully.

It took another fifteen minutes to get Elsie into pajamas and downstairs.

“Long day, Else?” Leonard asked as Sara ran a hand through Elsie’s hair. 

Sara felt her nod underneath her touch.

“I’m not surprised she’s being like this,” she said, looking up at Leonard, “She was all excited about the new house, plus it’s thirty degrees warmer than she’s used to. I’m actually surprised she’s not being worse.”

“Hey!” Elsie said, her voice muffled in her arms.

“I was saying something nice, bear,” Sara told her, then added, “Sort of.”

“At least she’s not jet-lagged,” Leonard pointed out.

Sara nodded seriously.

“I guess that’s one of the perks of having a timeship — no time difference.”

“Can we read stories now?” Elsie asked.

“Not yet,” Sara shook her head.

“Why-y?”

“If we read now, you’re gonna fall asleep, and if you fall asleep now you’ll wake up at,” Sara glanced at the clock on the microwave, “four in the morning, which I don’t really want to deal with. Do you wanna color until bedtime?”

Elsie raised her head and nodded.

Just as Elsie was uncapping a yellow marker, the doorbell rang. a low chime that sounded through the house.

Sara met Leonard’s eyes.

“They’re here,” she said, feigning fear, “Turn the lights off. Hide Elsie.”

“Stay away from the windows,” he added, his voice low, a small smirk on his face as he headed for the door.

“Who’s here?” Elsie asked, looking up at Sara.

“I dunno,” Sara told her, “Some of our new neighbors probably.”

She heard the door open and then Leonard’s voice, too far away to be distinguishable words. A minute or so later, she heard footsteps in the hallway and then Leonard was walking into the kitchen with their first new neighbor behind him.

Before Leonard could introduce her, she stepped towards Sara.

“Hello!” she said in a high, clear voice, “I’m Laura.”

Laura was a tall woman, and probably only a year or so older than Sara, with brown eyes and dark brown hair that was pushed back from her face by large sunglasses. She was pretty in a fashionable way, and dressed as such in black narrow-leg pants and a white blouse. She wore shiny black heels that clicked on the tile as she approached Sara.

“Hi,” Sara replied, shaking her hand, “Sara. Nice to meet you.”

“Sara,” Laura repeated, “Nice to meet you too. Welcome to the neighborhood. Your husband was telling me that you just moved here from the states.”

“Yeah, we love it here already,” Sara replied. She saw Laura’s eyes travel to Elsie, who was making herself very small in her chair, trying her best not to be seen, “This is our daughter, Elsie. Else, can you say hi?”

“Hi,” Elsie said shyly, looking at at Laura through her lashes.

“Oh, she’s precious!” Laura exclaimed. She looked back at Sara, “How old is she?”

“Four,” Sara answered, nodding.

“How nice! I have a four year old at home as well, and an eighteen month old. They should meet!”

Before Sara could respond, Laura continued.

“There’s several kids in the neighborhood,” she said, “Myself and the other mothers get together about once a week. The kids play and we sit and have coffee and chat. Here, why don’t you give me your phone number and I’ll let you know our plans for this week. You can meet everybody and your daughter can meet the kids.”

Sara recited the new number she’d memorized for the mission and Laura put it in her phone.

About five minutes after Laura left, her phone buzzed. The message read:

Hi, it’s Laura. Nice to meet you and your family today! I’ll let you know when our next get-together is.

Sara shot back a quick response and then look up at Leonard.

“I’m gonna kill Rip.”

[imagine-loki]

If I could Turn Back Time, I’d Still Choose This

TITLE:  If I could Turn Back Time, I’d Still Choose This

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 34

AUTHOR: wolfpawn

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine that when Odin found Loki on Jotunheim, he did not take him to raise as his son, as Frigga was pregnant at the time, instead he was given to a normal Aesir family. Years later, Loki meets Odin’s daughter Sigyn, and trouble ensues.

Thor thought through Anastasia’s plan. It was brilliant, if it would work, the hardest part was getting his father to consent to such a thing, and that was by no means something he thought was going to be easy, but he had to try.

Sigyn was not able to keep her facade of happy bride-to-be all the time. He was fully aware that every day closer to the farce of a wedding was a day closer to her losing her mind. He inhaled deeply and decided to go and do what needed doing, and went to meet his friend.

En route, he was forced to stop by a bothered looking Sif. ‘My dear friend, what is the matter, you seem somewhat perturbed.’

‘What is really going on with Fandral and your sister?’ Thor said nothing. ‘It does not make sense, Sigyn hates us.’

‘My sister had to make a choice, a suitable partner or banishment to Midgard, she chose the former and she chose to accept Fandral, that is all that needs to be known,’ He stated, walking past her. ‘What does it matter to you? Do you have reason to be envious?’

‘Of Sigyn and Fandral? Nothing of the sort, but he is my friend and I don’t want her using him as her next prank.’

‘Sif, I cannot impress on you enough, do not continue this. Fandral and Sigyn are doing what is right for them, do not interfere.’

Sif was startled by Thor’s demeanour on the matter. ‘I do not…’

‘Don’t.’

‘I will not.’ She raised her hand as though swearing on something. ‘Though, can I ask, is this to do with Sigyn’s disappearance from public due to illness?’ Thor looked at her, confused. ‘For a few months, there was no sign of her apparently.’

‘Yes, it has something to do with that.’

‘Alright.’ She accepted. ‘Do you want to go training?’

‘No, I can’t now, I need to speak to Fandral about something. Maybe soon.’

‘Thor.’ She gripped his arm, causing the other God to be forced to look at her. ‘I have no idea what is going on, but you can tell me.’

‘You have no idea, it is true, but believe me when I say, I cannot tell you, honestly, I cannot.’

‘I am here Thor, if you need me, as are the others.’

‘Thank you, Sif, but at present, I need to deal with other matters, so I will talk more with you soon. I am sorry for not saying more.’ There was an honesty to Thor’s words that told the Warrior Woman of the turmoil that she could not comprehend, causing her to wonder what exactly was going on.

*

Fandral looked at Thor, worried. ‘I’m not going to lie, I am worried.’

‘What is there to fret about, we are going to Vanaheim for a few days, meeting with friends, why would you not bring your betrothed with you?’

‘Because none of us has ever done that. When have you seen Volstagg and Hogun bring their wives to our outings?’

‘Their wives are not my sister.’

‘This will never cease to be wrong and odd.’ Fandral shook his head. ‘What if the Allfather finds out?’ He demanded.

‘We can live in risk of that and do nothing or we can do this and end all this madness.’

‘I am terrified as to what you are doing that you are not telling me, Thor.’ Fandral confessed.

Thor put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘I swear to you, as Sigyn has, that none of my father’s wrath will fall on you, should this all come to light.’

‘I am hoping for more than a “should” here, Thor. I have come to realise that Sigyn is far more complex and dare I say it, incredible, in the time she and I have been in one another’s company, but I do not want to marry your sister.’

‘You asked for her permission to court before.’ Thor pointed out.

‘I was not aware her heart was not there to win.’ Fandral explained. ‘She loves this other man, nothing will sway that, her conviction to being reunited with him is incredible. She really is Sigyn the Loyal.’

Thor stood, silently wishing he could tell Fandral just how much Sigyn was fighting for.

‘I cannot lie, I am somewhat envious of this man, to have someone’s love like that. I hope he realises how lucky he is. Do you think we will ever be so fortunate?’

‘I like to hope so, but in reality, I am not sure. Sigyn is so unique, to put other women against her, perhaps that is to set them up to fail.’ Thor shrugged. ‘Fandral, I know I have asked too much of you thus far, and I find myself asking too much of you again, but please, we need to do this for Sigyn, she will err soon if she does not get this, and if that happens, I cannot see a way forward from this for her.’

Fandral thought over what his friend was asking of him, sighing heavily before rubbing his hands over his face. ‘Yes, I will do it. But if this does go wrong, Thor. Promise me that you will ensure my siblings and parents do not suffer.’

‘I will give my life, should it be required to prevent it.’

Fandral frowned. ‘What has happened? What has occurred to cause such conviction in you, to have you say such words?’

‘Do you recall the day you realised there are worse things than dying?’ Thor asked.

Fandral’s eyes widened at such a question. ‘Yes, after the battle on Vanaheim where the soldier lost his sight, an arm and his speech, he lay there, moaning in an attempt to talk in what I still am convinced today was a plea to end his life.’ Fandral found himself thinking specifically of that moment before looking to Thor. ‘Why, what has this to do with our current conversation?’

‘I have seen it happen my own sister. I have seen her suffer something none should ever suffer. There is no way that her sanity is not teetering as a result, I need to give her a chance to right the wrong.’

‘Well, as they say, no time like the present.’ Fandral stated as confidently as he could, Thor’s startling words set to haunt him for a time to come as he thought of Sigyn and her torment, whatever it was.

*

Odin looked at his son and soon to be son-in-law, contemplating their words. ‘So, just the three of you, no Volstagg, Hogun and Sif?’

‘No, they felt as though they were imposing. The dynamics of this are still somewhat blurred to them.’ Thor grinned.

‘I am sure it is odd for them, yes.’ Odin acknowledged. ‘But all things considered, I am not sure I can consent. Fandral and Sigyn are not yet wed. Were you to…’

‘Father, please, Fandral and I will share quarters, I will ensure nothing happens.’

‘I would consent if the Lady Sif were to go also, or else, all of your grouping but the three of you alone, no I will not.’

‘I will speak with them.’ Thor responded, wondering how he could explain enough, yet say nothing about the situation to the other warriors.

Odin gave a small nod before dismissing them. ‘On second thought, Fandral, if you could remain for a moment.’

Fandral froze in fear, looking to Thor pleadingly, though he knew there was nothing that Thor could do to assist before forcing himself to turn around. ‘Of course, Allfather.’

Thor was about to argue to stay to when he caught his father’s eye and felt that it was nothing too problematic and his remaining would cause it to become so. ‘I will go in search of the others, find me when you are done.’ He gave a smile and a clap on the shoulder to tell Fandral that it was nothing to concern himself with, which did little to quell the other man’s worries.

As soon as Thor left, Fandral inhaled deeply and faced the Allfather properly. Odin rose from his seat and walked towards him, Gungnir in hand, which did nothing to quench the terror that was gripping him. ‘I wish to speak with you, concerning my daughter.’

‘Yes, Allfather?’

‘From what I have seen, everything seems to be going well between you both.’

‘I like to think so, Allfather.’

Odin clapped his shoulder as his son had done. ‘Good. I am aware I have not had much to do with the majority of this romance. There is a line with Sigyn that I have learned not to cross anymore, one I have interfered with in this part of her life already.’

Fandral wondered if Odin was going to reveal something of Sigyn’s lover or of the crucial part of the puzzle that he was clearly missing, but he said nothing of it.

‘I pushed this courtship along in a manner that was not right, according to my daughter at least, I did not allow for her to be courted as she wished to be.’

Fandral knew of the conversation in question from his own conversing with Sigyn. ‘Yes, I know she was hoping for such things but she does understand her position clearly.’ He smiled.

Odin was slightly taken back by his knowing the conversation, but he took it as his daughter confiding in her betrothed, and not her angered ranting, as the case had been. ‘Good, wonderful. And who knows, very soon, once the wedding is done and dusted, if you were to have a few children, she would be too busy to worry about such things.’

Fandral frowned for a moment at Odin’s comment, but nodded and bade his farewells before leaving, a false smile on his face as he walked outside before finding his way to Thor, startled by Odin’s comments.

‘Fandral?’ He turned to see Volstagg smiling jovially behind him before frowning. ‘My friend, are you alright?’

‘Eh...yes?’

‘Dare I ask?’

‘I was just speaking with the Allfather.’

‘Regarding...Sigyn?’ Fandral nodded. ‘And, is there an issue?’

‘None.’

‘Then I fail to see the issue.’

‘How long are you and Susannah married?’

‘Coming up on three hundred years.’ Volstagg boasted proudly.

‘And Astrid is your only child?’

‘Unless I failed to count otherwise, she will be our first, yes?’ Volstagg was baffled by Fandral’s statement since his wife was indeed expecting their first child, a girl, due in two months time. ‘After only three hundred years, it is somewhat the norm to only be starting your family now, we are still quite young, I do not think her mother is too pleased.’

‘And Hogun and Ingrid are wed a hundred years?’

‘Hundred and fifty if I am not mistaken, and before you ask, no, there are no children there. She is hardly a thousand one hundred for Norn’s sake.’ Fandral gave a peculiar nod. ‘I have to ask, what in Valhalla’s name is going on?’

‘Sigyn is nine hundred.’

‘Yes, Thor’s thousandth Name’s Day was last year and she is under a century younger than him.’

‘So she is far too young to be considered to become a mother?’

‘She is barely a legal adult.’ Volstagg stated almost shocked at the idea. ‘She is only allowed court with six months at most and in my opinion, and I mean no malice, my friend, this courtship is already too fast heading to a wedding, a child is not a good idea at all.’

‘Exactly.’ Fandral agreed. 'The wedding is too much.'

‘You did not propose to her?’

‘No, the Allfather declared it.’

‘Odin Allfather is shoving his barely adult daughter into marriage?’ Volstagg asked, wanting clarification. ‘Have you gotten her in trouble? Is that what these questions of a child are about?’

‘What, no, I have not even lay with her.’ Fandral commented.

‘Really?’ Volstagg was somewhat startled by that declaration. ‘Though, I dare say she would not partake in certain acts before marriage, for the simple reason of that.’

‘No, but the Allfather is all but stressing upon me the idea of having her with child promptly after the marriage, almost as though he wants it to be immediately after.’

‘I think you are reading far too much into this. No father wants to promote his daughter being bedded, even by her husband, Susannah’s stepfather still is not talking to me for getting her pregnant and we are married three hundred years.’

‘Perhaps.’ Fandral dismissed, though only because it was clear his friend would not listen to his concerns on the matter. He knew only Thor and perhaps Sigyn would know if he was only being too cautious with his interpretation of the Allfather’s words.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Still plotting away SCSI

Eren didn't remember anything about what Isabel and Levi talked about, only that Isabel was gone now... when he really needed a friend. Olou had succumbed to his wounds. Despite Hanji's best efforts, he still passed away... and all the kind words towards him now sat heavily in his gut. He'd been so sure that Olou would survive. He'd fought hard, hanging on for over a week but infection had set in, his condition spiralling after that. Tonight everyone was drinking in "celebration" of the memory of those that had been lost. Not up for the company, Eren had swiped a couple bottles of the stuff the officers had been drinking, and holed up in his room. But the more he drank, the worst he felt. It was like some massive abyss had opened inside of him, sucking all the happiness from the world with it. He was on his second bottle before his friends found him, having swiped their own bottles of booze. Though his room was far too small, Jean, Connie, Sasha, Mikasa, Armin and Krista were all there with him now. A few other recruits had somehow managed to end up there too. While the company was kind of nice, no one actually understood. He'd respected Olou. He was a crucial part of the team, and now he was gone forever. It wasn't fair. Olou deserved to live. Not like him... As the night slipped away his friends gradually left, due to the fact Levi's room was so close to his. More than a little drunk, he didn't even know what he was doing or saying, only that he didn't want to be alone. Not anymore. He wanted someone to want him and to care about him... if it was just for the night. Laying back on his bed, he felt the weight shift as some climbed in next to him. With his eyes still closed, lips ghosted against his as if he'd voiced his need for contact outloud. Not caring who it was, he kept his eyes closed and gave up, the kissing slowly growing more heated until the pair of them were grinding up against each other, Eren panting for more as they fumbled each other's pants open, at least it was a guy... that was something... palming at his partner's erection, he mewed as his own fisted roughly. He needed more. He wanted this empty feeling filled, bucking their hips up against each other, he was so close when they were interrupted "What the fuck do you two think you're doing?!" The kiss was broken, the warm body pulled away from him by Levi of all people "Are you shitty brats seriously drunk?! You. Get out!" There was a mumbled "Yes, sir", before the thud of stumbling steps left the roof "Are you serious?" Panting, Eren couldn't care less if Levi could see his tenting erection. If Levi liked to interrupt his "fun", then he could see what he was missing "What does it even matter?" "What do you mean, "What does it matter?". Your body isn't normal. You can't just let someone between your legs because you're sad" "Whatever" "Eren..." "What the fuck do you expect me to do?! If... if I'd done better or been better, Olou might have survived! Now he's dead! I hate this! I hate being this monster! I hate it!" Breaking down into sobs his whole body shook, finally he curled into himself as he screamed into his pillows "I hate this! I hate it!" "Eren..." "Don't say my name! Don't say it like you care! No one fucking cares!" There was a snarl, then Eren was being lifted from his bed "Olou died. He died and it's fucking shitty, but we all tried our hardest to save him. Hanji gave her everything. Petra stayed by his non-stop. We're all fucking hurting" "I'm so tired of hurting" "We all are" Levi carried him from his room, the walk was short before he was lowered back down again "Stay still, you can't sleep like that" For a second Eren's heart leapt, before he realised what Levi meant. Stripping off his pants and boots, Levi then covered him with his blankets "S-sir?" "I'm not going to leave you alone tonight" Passing out in his captains bed, Eren had no idea things were going to be worse once morning came. * Flustered, Levi watched Eren sleeping in his bed. He'd walked in some heavy petting, after catching Eren's scent in the hallway, and damn near imploded on the spot. With his legs spread, Eren and the male Corps member were in their own world, clumsily and sloppily palming at each without caring about the fact the door was wide open. He felt... enraged. Enraged that someone else was touching Eren. And betrayed by his emotions because he knew how badly he wanted to kill the kid touching Eren. They hadn't talked much since Isabel had possessed Eren, but the kid had done all his duties faultlessly. He'd thought he was ok, but Olou's death was hitting all of them hard. Saying goodbye was never nice. But perhaps because he'd spoken to Isabel, the pain wasn't exactly what he'd thought it would be. Olou had died with Petra by his side. Knowing he was loved and respected, and that his body would find its way back to his family. Levi had hoped to talk to Eren, but the brat had passed out on him before he could. Waking Eren, the boy looked like shit. Yawning softly as he crawled from Levi's bed with a small whine "What happened?" "You had a bit too much to drink last night, but I don't have time to fill you in on the particulars" "I... don't think I like alcohol" "You should definitely stay away from it. We need to get you showered and down to Hanji" "What? Why don't to Hanji?" "During yesterday's wake, we have two government officials arrive. They want to run tests again" Eren's already pale face lost its remaining colour. The teen clamped a hand to his mouth as he rushed to the bathroom, his sound of wretching summing up Levi's feelings on the matter entirely. The two officials had already made themselves at home in Hanji's office, Hanji having been evicted to the hallway where she playing with pony tail nervously. Clearing his throat to give her the heads up that they were approaching, the woman pushed herself away from the wall with her foot "Eren! I'm so sorry. I didn't know they were coming" "Not so loud Hanji. He discovered the delights of alcohol last night" "Ooooh! Is he having his first hangover? I hope you've made him drink plenty of water" "No. I thought I'd just shove him into your office without anything to eat or drink" "Levi!" "He's joking Hanji..." Truthfully, he'd tried to make Eren eat and drink something, but the boy had nibbled on some bread before deciding he couldn't eat "Do you know what they have planned for him?" "No. I'm not allowed to see any of their test results or even be present. Also, Erwin was looking for you" "For me, or for Eren" "For you" Shuffling past him, Eren let Hanji pull him into a hug "You should go see Erwin, I'll be ok" "Eren, you don't have to put up with this. You can demand they stop at anytime. Or call for me, or Erwin. You don't deserve to go through everything alone" "It'll be fine... I'll be fine. Where am I going?" "They're waiting in my office" "Ok... I guess I'll see you both later" The kid looked like a kicked puppy as he let go of Hanji, the look making Levi wish he could steal him away from the pain to come, but apparently Shitty Eyebrows wanted him. Staying long enough for Eren to disappear from his sight, Levi then turned to leave "Let me know the moment they release him" "Will do. I'm worried though. His next heat..." "You're worried they'll send him into heat early?" "Yes. There's a house Erwin wants Eren to use for his heats, but if he goes into heat here... There's nothing prepared" "Make a list of what you think he'll need. I'll take care of it once I've talked to Erwin" "I don't think he'll give you permission to act alone" "I don't care what he wants. We both know Eren's going to be tortured again, and we both know he won't be fit to return to active duty immediately" "Oh! So you're going to take him down to the house?" "Sometimes I wonder how someone so smart, can take so long to catch on" "Did you just admit I was smart?! Aww, Levi! Come here" Flipping Hanji off, Levi stormed away before she hug him. He didn't understand why she always had to be like this. Couldn't she just not make a big fuss about these things? Levi's lack of sleep had his legs aching as he marched along the hall to Erwin's office. His mind was a whirl of thoughts, most over the guilt he felt over leaving Eren in the Governments hands. Reaching Erwin's door, he knocked light and let himself in "Levi. Come in" Raising his arm, Levi shook his head "I'm not hungry. Hanji said you wanted to see me?" "I have a mission for you" "For me? Or for Eren and I?" "Eren will not be available until after his heat" "What? Why?" "The Government has been working on a potential suppressant. If all goes well, his heat won't happen at all" "They found a way to stop them?" "Potentially. As I said, I have a mission for you and for the rest of the squad" "We just Olou" "I know, and as unfortunate as it is, we can't delay" "What about Eren? What if he shifts?" "I've been assured he will be sedated, not killed" Because that was going to work... not... "Levi, we can't afford for you to sit this one out. There was recently reports of intelligent werewolves, other than Eren. Naturally, as this information has come second hand from individuals in the Underground, we don't expect it to be accurate, yet we're on official warning over Eren's actions" "They're using the fact he shifted and saved lives to make you chase after your own tail again" "We aren't in a position to say no" "That's why Eren's off being tortured again, and we're rubbing our noses in the lap of the Government like a bitch in heat" "Levi. None of us want this for Eren. If though Hanji removed his womb, he still goes into heat and I know I don't have to remind you how problematic that is" "And what if does go into heat? What if I'm sent into whatever that was again" "Hanji is calling it a blood rut. You were consumed with both the need for blood and to breed" "It sounds fucking disgusting" "Take it up with her. I've prepared extra vials for your trip" "If I'm going that far, I'm going to need money" "What for?" "Information isn't free. I'm not going to get anything out of anyone without a generous amount of money. Besides, Hanji needs supplies" "I'll need a full report for reimbursement. Receipts too" "I know how to do this, but you're not going to be getting receipts from the underground" Slowly opening his bottom drawer, Erwin pulled out a coin pouch, throwing it on the table with a sigh "Take whoever you need. Petra might wish to visit her family" "Will we be escorting Olou's body?" "No. He will escorted separately" "She should be with him. She knows the family. I'll take both Eld and Gunther. The three of us will we enough" "You have my permission to embark once prepared" Erwin offered his arm again, Levi walking across the room to take it in his hands, his teeth sliding into Erwin's arm "Drink what you need" If he did that, Erwin would be drained. Maybe he should just drain his commander anyway? They'd hardly been acting like the friends they were supposed to be... he wasn't entirely innocent, but even this mission felt like something thrown together to seperate him from Eren. Though that may have been his own paranoia. * The Underground never changed, it was still the shitty cesspool he remembered it to be. The streets were clogged with rubbish, the drains all blocked and the aqueduct running through the middle of the place was choked with rubbish and river weeds, while its water was an unhealthy green. Nothing ever changed here, and nothing ever would. No one had the strength of will to rise above and any who were idiotic enough to think they could change things, were the first to find a knife in the back. Their bodies would be picked clean, clothes and all, before being left to rot like a pile of trash, that even their family disowned. With all things laid so open, there was little wonder why Eld and Gunther were both armed to the teeth. They'd arrived in the Underground four days prior, and despite having spent a generous amount of Erwin's money, all they'd learnt was their were still people stupid enough to try their luck outside the walls. Honestly, Levi wanted to wash his hands on all of this and return the castle, as all he could think was that Eren was being tortured while he was in a hell of his own, but Eld and Gunther were persistent and insistent. They'd covered over half the usual dives, and Levi was absolutely sure they weren't about to hear anything magically useful. Still, here they were at another one. Levi somehow locked in a glaring contest with the bar keeper, who had nothing to say to a dog of the military. Even if pulling a knife had brought him up short, the man was staying tight lipped "Do you, or do you not know anything about recent werewolf attacks" Spitting in his face, the man laughed openly. With a fluid move, Levi pinned the man's left hand to bar, cutting off his little finger with a satisfying ting when the blade hit the metal of the bar "Remember anything yet" "I ain't got nothing to tell you!" Screaming it now, Levi rolled his eyes as he hefted a sigh "Then who does" "Ke-nny. He's the one shooting his mouth" "Kenny?" "The reaper" "He's dead" "No he ain't!" "I killed Kenny with my own hands. Whoever that is, it's not Kenny" "He calls himself Kenny!" Whimper pathetically, Levi released his hand. The man pulling it up to his chest "I suggest you give me some real information if you want to keep all the rest of your fingers" "I don't got anything else to say! You know what it's like here! Without rumours, this place would be too boring to stomach" "So you're saying everything werewolf related is a joke?" "Them up there were talking about it" "And Kenny?" "He's the one who goes out the walls!" Whatever this man had been drinking, it was clearly killing off whatever was left in the braincell department. He probably couldn't wipe his own arse. So much for the bravado he'd tried to portray. With his ruined reputation, this place would probably be looted and burnt to the ground by the end of the night "You're lucky I don't take another finger for wasting my time" "Sir?" "We're leaving. There's nothing here" "What about Kenny?" "He's long gone. You're free to stay if you really want" Returning to sunshine, it felt like his skin was trying to shed it outer layer. The filth attached its self within seconds of stepping foot down there, and it felt like no matter how many times he scrubbed, he'd never be clean. As Eld and Gunther split off from him, Levi returned to the room he was using at the Military base, impressed to find the supplies he'd requested had already been delivered. Most of them were for Eren, and to stock the house he'd used for his future heats. The blankets, pillow and soap he already purchased sat almost forgotten in the corner of his room. He'd taken his time on the first day at the Capital to make sure he'd have the money to buy Eren nice things... nicer things. Things the kid would like and would help to assure him that he was indeed human. He wasn't going to stay with the kid for his heat, but he could make sure Eren was doing better mentally before he entered it. An hour later the clothes he'd been wearing were in the trash, a fresh uniform felt almost like heaven in comparison to those disease riddled things. Sitting on his bed, he was checking his correspondence. There was nothing of real interest. Erwin had sent a letter saying Eren was still being held, but he hadn't shifted. Olou's body had been returned to his family and Petra was taking a weeks leave. The woman would be rendezvousing with them at the end of the week... meaning he was now stuck for another 2 days. Fucking Shitty Eyebrows and fucking Petra. And fuck the bartender for bringing up Kenny. If he could forget the man, he would in a heartbeat... He could just picture Kenny's smug face when he came face to face with whoever had taken up his name. That creepy smile. The laugh. The double tap to heart for insulting him. Everything about the man had revolted him and maybe that was why he was half tempted to track down whoever was using his name. Just to see the difference with his own eyes. Sighing to himself, he forced himself off the bed and over to the desk, he needed to pen a reply back to Erwin. With next to nothing to do, the next two days passed exceedingly slowly. His presence had brought out the weirdos of the Military base, many of them wanting to ask his advice. Eld and Gunther had both found it funny until he'd starting sending them pair of them to answer any all questions, filling their schedules to the point where his own was empty. The only thing of any importance that he'd accomplished in those two days was picking up a few nice tins of black tea, and new fine china cup. * Petra talked almost nonstop during the ride back to the castle. The woman in much higher spirits than expected, leaving him wanted to yell at her to shut up. Erwin hadn't replied to his last message, and fucked up dream about Kenny had left him feeling on edge. Next time, Erwin could send someone else to the Underground, because it had been a colossal waste of his time. He could have literally been watching paint dry and it would have been more enjoyable, not to mention he wouldn't have had to destroy a set of clothes of it. Nudging his heels, his horse broke into gallop, the wind feeling refreshing as it chased the last lingering scents of septic from his nose. Fuck the Underground. Having dropped back to trot, Petra moved to his side again. The woman frowning at him as if he'd done something wrong "Sir?" "What is it?" "Eld and Gunther mentioned Eren was being experimented on again. Do you think he'll be ok?" "No" "No, you don't?" "No. I'm expecting it to be a shit storm when we get home" "Do you know what they're doing to him?" "They have some procedure that is supposed to stop his heat" "Is that safe?" "How am I supposed to know?" "It's just... Eren is such a kind kid" "He's certainly worked his way into your heart" "He gave everything he could to try and help Olou. I wish I knew how to thank him" "Like that" "Like what?" "Eren's pretty thick. If you want to thank him, than you actually have to use the words" "He seemed annoyed the last time I thanked him" "The fact you did so 8 times had nothing to do with it" "Maybe. I still wish I could give him something" "If you really want to give him something, just say thanks and leave it at that. And whatever you do, don't got giving him anything alcoholic" Petra giggled, covering her mouth with her hand "You could have been handled that situation better" "He told you?" "No, you scared the hell out of the soldier he was with. The poor guy was running down the hall with his pants around his ankles" Levi wished he'd seen that, instead he been too focused on the fact that someone other than him had been touching Eren, then forcing the kid to spend the night sleeping in his bed, attempting to erase the shitty smell of the unknown man's arousal "He had it coming" "Eren's body might be different, but you could have left them alone" "And what if he bit his lip and shifted, or what if he'd had a panic attack and shifted?" "I'm pretty sure if being interrupted by you didn't upset him, nothing would" "The kid was wasted. He pretty much passed out as soon as his pants and boots were off" He sounded way too bitter for it to be passed off as simple annoyance "Do you think they'll become something more?" "It was just a drunk hook up" "With his friend" "Wait? He knew the guy?" That... that... Levi didn't have a word for exactly how he was feeling over this. Drunk and random hookups were pretty common, but hooking up with someone you knew and someone you were friends with. It was more than petty jealousy that was causing his heart to race, his chest to tighten and his reins to snap in his hands. It was something vile and evil. "I don't know the boy's name, I've seen him with Armin and Mikasa before, so perhaps they'd know. Do you think they're together? Maybe he'd like to spend Eren's heat with him?" "It was just a fucking hook up. There's nothing there and no one will be spending Eren's heat with him. If you have that much free time on your hands to dribble this shit, fall back and check on Eld and Gunther" Fuck. Fucking Eren. This was what the shitty brat did to him. He ruined his carefully constructed facade and reputation in a manner of minutes. Stroking the base embers of his desires into an inferno... without even being into the same space as him. Rather than looking hurt, Petra just shook her head with another giggle, shooting him a knowing look before dropping back to the supply cart. Fuck. By now, the only person Levi was kidding... was himself. * Leaving the purchases that were to be taken to the house in the cart, Levi forced himself to help put everything away, as an excuse to settle his nerves before seeing Eren. Given the castle was still standing, and no one looked particularly worried, Eren couldn't have shifted into his Lycan form. At least something had gone right. Skipping his debriefing with Erwin, Levi headed down to Hanji's office. The walls were all still standing, which he again took as positive sign. With a light knock on her door, he let himself into her office, finding it devoid of Government Scientists and Hanji in the middle of scribbling something down as if her life depended on it "Really Shitty Glasses. I come back and you can't even manage a hello?" Looking up, Hanji blinked at him as if only just coming back to reality "Levi!" Pushing herself back from her desk, Hanji rushed around it before throwing her arms around him "Uh... Hanji?" "I didn't think you were coming back until Sunday" "It is Sunday" "Oh... Oh Shit!" Flying back from the hold, Hanji grabbed her notebook. Wrapping her hand around his wrist, Levi found himself being dragged from the room "I've got to check on Eren" "I thought he'd be here" "He's back down in the dungeon" "What? Why?" "It's a long story. Basically he reacted badly to whatever they gave him and he bit one the scientists. They wanted to chain him up, but I managed to get them to agree to confine him in the dungeon again" "He bit one of them?" "He was only in his wolf form, so it wasn't even that bad" "I'm pretty sure being bitten by a wolf isn't something that can be written off as "not bad"" "It was a tiny little bite on the man's wrist. His teeth didn't even break the skin" "And they wanted him chained up for that?" "Yeah. I shouldn't be surprised, he's been sick since the first day they got him" "What did they do?" "Injected him with something that's supposed to stop his heat. When it didn't give the results they wanted, they pumped up the dose. His body couldn't keep up with it, and he started bleeding internally. Whatever they gave him messed with his healing" "Is that even possible?" "Yep. The worst bit is, his body burnt through whatever it was too fast for me to get a sample of it. His blood work came back completely clean" "If he's clean, why isn't he healing?" "I don't know" "What does Erwin have to say about it all?" "Just to keep him notified. You haven't seen him yet?" "No. Not yet" "Aww you came to see Eren first..." Smacking Hanji, the woman pouted "That's not nice" "You brought it on yourself" "Nope. Totally didn't. I think Erwin's been down to see him, but he's pretty groggy" Just what the fuck had they done to him this time?! And what kind of business could Erwin possibly have with Eren. Even before Hanji opened the door down to the dungeons, Levi could smell Eren's blood. It's coppery tang was muddied with something less than desirable, yet he couldn't name the offending scent. With a look of disgust on his face, he followed Hanji down "You can smell it too, can't you? His scent's all wrong. He usually smells more dog like, but now it's..." "Disgusting" "That's a little harsh. I was thinking medical?" "Chemical" "Chemical. He smells chemical to you?" "I can still smell blood, but there's something in it..." "I need to write this down, oh. His senses are also a little off, so you'll have to speak softly" "You make it sound like all I do is yell at him" "Our normal tones sound like we are yelling at him, so you would be" Levi sighed. Couldn't they just have one good week? Falling silent for the rest of the walk, Hanji moved ahead of him to open Eren's cell "Eren, its Hanji and Levi. I've come to check on you" "I'm ok" "We both know that's not going to work. How's the bleeding?" Eren was curled on his side with his face hanging off the side of the bed, above bucket. At first the thought the kid had been vomiting, until Hanji moved the lantern closer and he saw the kid's gums were bleeding "I think it's getting better" "Good, that's good. I'm just going to have a little look" While Eren was busy with Hanji, Levi sank down onto the end of the kids bed. Despite his lanky form, Eren had somehow curled up so he was barely taking up a third of the bed "Have you eaten anything?" "Teeth hurt" "Ok. What about drinking water?" "I tried" "Now Levi's back, I'm going to see about getting you a bed in the infirmary, where I can actually monitor your condition" "I'm ok... they said it might be like this" Hanji hadn't told him that? Did Eren tell her? "I know, but you're not in a good way" "You sound like Armin" "Did they come to see you?" "Yeah... Mikasa wanted to yell at Erwin" "Oooh. I wish I'd known that" "Armin talked her out of it. I'm sorry" "It's ok. Maybe next time?" "Don't go encouraging her. Um... if Levi's back, can I shower now? I feel so gross" "That's up to Levi" Hanji silently pleaded with him to agree. Eren had probably tried to hide whatever else was done to him from her, so as not to worry the woman. The kid needed a chaperone, and she was asking him to be it "A bath might be better" "I don't want to make a mess" "You won't make a mess. Do you think Levi would let you?" "No..." "See. Levi's going to help you up, is that ok?" "I'm too dirty" "That's the point of taking a bath, right Levi?" "Yeah. This room is fucking filthy" Eren started to laugh, before dissolving into a fit of coughing "Let's get you up. A hot bath will also help ease some of that congestion" "Hanji, dad was a doctor. I know that" "Oooh. Someone's getting snappy. You're lucky you're so cute" "You're literally the only one who thinks I'm cute" "Levi thinks you're cute" "Don't bring me into this" Eren's coughing slowly subsided enough for Levi to get close enough to lift the kid into his arms. The brat looked like shit, yet somehow managed to shoot him a smile "Sorry, sir. Hanji won't let me walk" "Can you?" "I don't know" "Maybe save the walking until after you've stopped coughing up blood" "Fight me" "I could take you with my eyes closed" "You're not supposed to threaten a sick person" "It wasn't a threat, it was a promise" Eren was doing so much better than Levi had expected. He was able to hold and follow the banter, that Hanji took over as Levi carried him up to his private bathroom. Sitting the brat in the bath, he tugged Eren's blankets away, throwing them at Hanji with a very pointed glare "Right. Eren, I'll just be outside if you need me. Levi's going to help you bath" "You're lucky I'm too sick of feeling gross to say now" "How long's it been since he bathed?" "A week" "Ok. We at burning those blankets and his clothes" "Levi" "That's fucking disgusting!" Eren whimper at his shout, his hands clutching his head "Don't go scaring him" "Then take better care of him" "Hey, they only left on Friday" "That's two days" "Either you both shut up, or you both get out" Hanji failed at turning her laughter into a cough "Didn't you hear him, get out" "Alright, but try to behave yourselves" Helping Eren out his ruined clothes, the teen didn't even seem to care when he was finally naked. Blood and slick covered the kids thin pubes and thighs, more over his arse and more still dribbling from his mouth. There weren't any signs of external wounds, though around his tone nails were black, but that might have just been filth "Hanji's so fucking weird" "What makes you say that?" "She's seen me naked, but she makes you take care of me" "If you shift, it's my job to bring you down" "Oh... I don't think I can shift. I'm so tired" Closing his eyes, Eren rested his head on the side of the bath. Still sporting some puppy fat in his face from youth, Eren's stomach was surprisingly toned, yet his skin was so soft and warm beneath Levi's fingers. He'd by lying if he didn't feel something... an insistent throbbing in his groin was definitely something, but even he wasn't going to act when the kids defences were non-existent. Leaving Eren's crotch for the boy to clean himself, Levi scrubbed the rest of him down, making sure not to press too firmly as it seemed to pain the brat "Eren, can you sit up? I need to clean your hair" With a sleepy hum, Eren slumped towards the wall. Not exactly helping him "Brat" "Sorry, sir" "Just try not to pass out and drown in this shitty water" "Feels good being clean" "You're not clean yet" "Cleaner" "Stop moving" "I'm not" "Yes you are" "I don't feel like I am..." Levi was tempted to call Hanji in, as Eren couldn't stop swaying, but when he poured the jug of warm water over Eren's head, the kid shot up, sitting ramrod straight as he spluttered "What the hell?" "Your hair's filthy" "You tried to drown me" "If I was trying, I would have succeeded" "Mmm. Yeah. You're probably right" Washing Eren's hair it, his hair was just as soft as his wolf's fur. The brat having the nerve to let out rumbling huffs that slowly turned to snores "Hanji, get in here" "You won't want to keep him to yourself" "Don't say it like that. I'm not touching him down there, and he fell asleep before he could clean himself" "Awww are you scared?" "I'm going to get his room ready" "No need! Your bed is right there" "He's sleeping in his own room" "But Levi" "Don't "but" me. You can watch over him there" "I think he'd rather have you" "I don't want his filthy blood all over my bed" "What's going on here?" Whipping from looking at Eren to look to Erwin, both of them hushed him at the same time. Erwin's lips twitched as the man rose an eyebrow "Eren hasn't had a bath in a week, so I had Levi help me out" "And you couldn't have done this somewhere else?" "It's the closest bathroom to his room" "He's supposed to be in the dungeon" "Erwin, he's bleeding nonstop. He's only going to get sick down there. "I'm your commanding officer. You need to clear these things with me. And you Levi, you didn't even report back to me" "I went to inform Hanji that we were back with her supplies" The lie smoothly slid from his tongue as he held his anger back "Then I asked him to help me with Eren. Once he was settled, we were going to let you know" Thanks to Isabel's words, all he could think was that Erwin was being petty and jealous. He knew he wasn't completely unfortunate in the looks department, and that a normal person wouldn't insist on feeding him without getting something out of it, but now... If Erwin was letting his jealousy cause Eren pain, that wasn't something he was ok with "Hanji, can you finish up with Eren on your own? I need to talk to Erwin" "Alright, but I'll need your help to get him out" "Just make sure he's clean" Nudging Erwin out the bathroom, Levi pulled the door closed behind him "What's going on with you?" "With me?" "Cut the shit Erwin. If you've got something to say, say it without you usual games" "Fine. I think you're letting Eren cloud your judgment. You've stopped seeing him a threat" "You're the one letting Eren cloud your judgement. The kid was left in his own filth for the last week. You saw how badly they fucked him up before, but you were happy to lock him up again" "I locked him up for his own safety" Levi scoffed, his glare fierce "Like you sent me away on a completely bogus mission" "You're too close to him" "How? You assigned me to be his partner" "I didn't assign him to you so you could play happy families with him" "Are you serious? Wow. I thought she was full of shit, but wow. You really do have feelings for me, don't you" "And you don't?" "Not the way you want me to" "Bullshit Levi. I..." "You what? You allowed me to feed and I'm grateful for that. But love and feeding, they're too completely different things" "How can you say that? We all know what you're like, but you feed predominantly from me. Of course I'm going to think..." "Do you think I like feeding? Do you think I like never being sated?" "You..." "I never take more than the bare minimum. If I drank like I wanted, you'd be dead. I know you don't want to hear it, but for me, it was never more than a way for you to remind me how indebted I am to you. I considered you my friend. I was grateful you kept my secret, but the way you're treating Eren, it's not ok" "He's a kid!" "Don't you think I know that? There's something in Eren, but he's not the monster you think he is. If he was, he never would have saved everyone" "He's a danger" "He's not a danger" "If he wasn't, I wouldn't have to lock him up!" Levi ground his teeth together, biting down the urge to snap "What is that supposed to mean?" "It means people heard Eren bit a scientist. Whatever goodwill he'd managed to earn, is gone" "He didn't even break the skin" "How do you know?" "Hanji" "Of course" The bitterness in Erwin's tone hurt to hear "Look. I was going to ask permission to take Eren and Hanji down to the house you want to use for his heat. I think we could both use some time apart" Hanji was going to give him hell, but Erwin might have just lost his head again if Levi hadn't thrown her name in "Fine. Leave whenever you're ready" "Once Eren stops bleeding. Hanji says his in a kind of sensory overload" "Make sure she submits a full report on him" "I will. You'll have my report on your desk by tomorrow morning" "Ok..." "Erwin. I am sorry" "Don't. I want to hear it, right now"