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cheri-translates · 4 years ago

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[CN] S2 Gavin and MC in Chapter 11 (Part One)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers from Season 2 🍒

I’m focusing on the interactions between Gavin and MC, not the plot (because the latter requires extensive time and effort that I can’t spare). So the less essential parts are in bullet-point form :>

Phone calls: First l Second

To investigate an issue related to pathological changes in Evolvers, MC heads to a hospital to talk to the director (who is a genuinely kind man)

While they’re discussing the issue, the alarm suddenly goes off, and two Evolvers barge into the office and bring them to the main lobby

Cutting the drama short: Five Evolvers have taken everyone in the hospital hostage. They don’t have weapons, and are subduing everyone with their Evol. The person leading them is a 43-year-old man called Yang Ping, who has a compression Evol. This means he can exert pressure on surrounding objects at will, and can even destroy a person’s organs

Yang Ping releases the Evolvers, but MC decides to stay because she wants to figure out his plan

MC notices a little girl crying, so she controls her own trembling and comforts the girl:

Girl: T-they suddenly barged in! And they said all of us would become hostages... and that they wanted to negotiate with the STF!

A man without a left hand offers the girl a tissue (this fact sounds really random but it’d make sense later!)

MC tells the girl not to worry because her boyfriend the STF will never lose to someone who isn’t on the side of justice:

MC: As long as that person is around, STF will never cower, and will definitely protect everyone’s safety.

The STF arrives at the scene, and Yang Ping uses a row of doctors as a meat shield while he negotiates with the STF

Gavin is in complete Commander Mode™:

Gavin: Your actions have amounted to “endangering public safety”. Release the hostages right now, and the STF will take this into consideration for leniency in punishment.

The moment I hear Gavin’s voice, I finally heave a sigh of relief.

He seems to be standing among a small formation towards the front. Even though I can’t see his face clearly, I know he’s there.

At this moment, it’s as though all the fear is gently pried open by a gust of formless wind, and the leaves outside sway slightly.

As though it’s saying - Don’t be afraid.

Yang Ping states that the recent series of Evolver assassinations and Evolvers going missing shows how they aren’t being protected sufficiently. He demands for the STF to promise to change the way Evolvers are managed, and to give them better privileges and protection. If the STF refuses, they’d start dealing with the hostages one by one

MC spots Gavin with his team, and thinks he can’t see her from where he is

The little girl starts crying again, and it annoys one of the kidnappers. MC is worried he’d harm the girl, so MC speaks up, admitting that she’s an Evolver and that she fully agrees with what Yang Ping said. She tries to reason that hurting a civilian would be ruining the entire plan because they’re the bargaining chips to negotiating with the STF. If any of the civilians were to be harmed, STF would never listen to their requests

The kidnapper recognises MC as a suspect of the assassination incidents, which makes MC think that there’s more to this kidnapping situation than merely waiting privileges and protection

After all, aside from a few people in STF, no one should know that she’s a suspect i.e. there might be a spy in STF PLEASE DON’T BE TANG CHAO LOL

Now, we switch to Gavin’s perspective of the same events

He has received surveillance footage of what's going on in the hospital, and is discussing the issue with Tang Chao and Eli while figuring out how best to get the hostages out...

All of a sudden, Gavin’s pupils widen slightly, eyes focused on one spot, and he freezes.

In the footage, after a stream of Evolvers have left, a girl remains at the same spot. She glances around her surroundings, then smiles as she says something to a little girl, and appears to be consoling the other party quietly.

At this moment, he feels as though his heart has stopped.

What’s she doing here?!

Gavin realises that his right hand is trembling. He clenches it into a tight fist, fingertips buried in his palm, silently turning white.

His mind is a complete blank. All he wants to do is rush in and bring the girl out safely.

Gavin closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. When he opens his eyes again, they are filled with an even colder aura.

The sound of his beating heart in his chest gets louder with each beat, as though questioning his forced facade of calmness.

He watches as MC talks to the kidnapper, and realises that MC is using this method to show that she has faith in him

At this point, a call from the “other side” tells him to give up on negotiations and rescue the hostages using force

But Gavin refuses because there’s still time to negotiate, the hostages would be put at great risk, and STF will only use force when truly necessary

The “other side” says it’s an order. So Gavin says that the STF will handle problems using its own ways and hangs up LOL

Tang Chao: Captain Gavin, no matter what you say, the Special Operations Team will only listen to your orders.

Eli: Same for the STF.

A chilly wind brushes the faces of everyone on the scene, but the trust and determination in their eyes remain resolute.

Eli: Also, we aren’t the only ones in this battle.

Gavin smiles, returning his gaze to the small figures in the footage. The girl is standing before the man firmly, reminiscent of a flower that can never be destroyed.

Gavin: She’s always been very brave.

The smile on his lips is abruptly tucked away. Gavin leans in closer to the screen, and sees that the girl is being brought closer to the entrance by one of the kidnappers.

--Every nerve in his body tenses up once again.

And we return to MC’s perspective

As the negotiations progress, Yang Ping tells the kidnappers to bring all the doctors back inside, except one

MC figures out that all this time, the real objective of the kidnappers is to test the STF

Gavin steps forward:

Ever since Gavin and I parted ways at the STF the last time, I haven’t seen him again.

Even though I’ve been asked to report my activities to STF at regular timings, Gavin has been very busy during this period of time, and I haven’t seen him much.

Looking at Gavin in front of me, it seems as though everything else in the world are kept outside a screen, and I can only see his eyes.

His hair is a little fuzzy, but he still looks unstoppable. It’s just that while his eyes have always been determined, they now carry an almost imperceptible worry.

I smile, wanting to tell him that I'm fine. Gavin’s gaze lingers on my face of a few seconds. When he sees my smile, he blinks, then shifts his eyes to the man.

The man and Gavin exchange glances for a few seconds. The corners of his lips simply tug upwards, pushing me around five metres away from Gavin.

Even though it looks like I’m a supporter whom he has incited, I know that I’m just another hostage.

Yang Ping gives Gavin a choice - If Gavin pushes that one doctor out of the window, the kidnappers will release everyone in the hospital and will turn themselves in. But if he chooses to save the doctor, he’d blow up the entire hospital

Basically, the kidnappers are trying to stir hate towards STF because no matter which option he picks, it’s going to cause public uproar

Gavin is quick to point out that the kidnappers haven’t directly hurt any of the civilians. Because they are representing Evolvers, they can’t hurt anyone or it’d give all Evolvers a bad name

Gavin, who represents the STF, has to find a perfect way to resolve this matter - no one can die, even the kidnappers

What he says are actually hints on what MC should do

MC gets it - she pretends to fall to the ground, and cuts her own arm with a dagger she’s hidden

The reason for this is because Yang Ping’s plan rests entirely on his status as “helping Evolvers”. If MC manages to show that Yang Ping would hurt Evolvers too, his plan would fail

While Yang Ping is shocked, Gavin rushes forward and flips Yang Ping onto the ground. The Special Operations Team rush out and arrest them using Evol-neutralising handcuffs

Gavin arrests Yang Ping:

Gavin: Evolvers and humans - neither will be sacrificed, including you. If you think there’s only a superficial peace and balance now, and that you can’t see normal civilians and Evolvers walking down a common path, just open your eyes and look. I’ll walk down that path.

It dawns on MC that she barely made it out of this situation alive, and she shivers. Then, she’s drawn into someone’s arms:

Lifting my head, I see that Gavin’s handsome eyebrows are scrunched up. His hand is holding bandages he took from the medics.

Gavin: You were supposed to pretend. Why did you actually cut yourself?

MC: Doesn't this have a greater impact? It’s more realistic.

He sighs slightly, holding my wounded arm gently and bandaging it meticulously.

Watching as Gavin leans over as he helps me with the bandage, the fear I had suppressed earlier suddenly pour out from my heart like a tidal wave.

MC: I won’t be this rash next time.

Gavin: There won’t be a next time.

When our eyes meet, I see the worry and earnestness in Gavin’s eyes.

MC: Okay, there won’t be a next time.

Thinking that the matter has been settled, MC waves at the hospital’s director from afar, and he smiles at her

A red dot suddenly appears on his forehead, and Gavin tries to rush to the director... but he’s too late, and the director is shot by a sniper... T^T

MC is dumbfounded as she takes in everything that’s happening - shrill cries from the crowd, the STF members who are once again on guard, and the director on the ground

Gavin kneels behind the director. Perhaps if he made it a second earlier, he could have prevented this tragedy.

The STF uniform, which has always been white, is now dyed completely red. There are specks of blood on his face, and droplets of blood roll down the sides of his face slowly.

He kneels in place, and doesn’t turn back for a very long time. The hands at his side tremble slightly, and he quickly balls them into fists.

After a long while, Gavin turns his head expressionlessly, looking at a shocked Yang Ping.

Yang Ping shakes his head repeatedly, muttering softly as he backs away.

Yang Ping: No... this isn’t right...

He stops backing away, as though something dawned on him. Then, he suddenly bursts out laughing.

Yang Ping: ...looks like the people from GRAY RHINO are even better.

In the next second, the sound of a gunshot once again fills the air.

Yang Ping is standing in position, and I watch as blood spatters from his temple.

His eyes are wide open, is in a daze for a moment before toppling to the ground.

Another patch of crimson spreads on the ground. Yang Ping’s twitches slightly, as though saying something, yet no sound comes out.

His eyes remain open till the end, staring at Gavin.

I’m in a state of shock as I take everything in, and feel unsteady on my feet.

An incredibly icy aura exudes from Gavin’s body. He stands up slowly, like a silent volcano.

Gavin: Who was it... who fired the gun?!!

I seem to hear something which had been crumbling finally caving in.

MC gets home somehow and falls asleep LOL same

At the STF office, the Special Operations Team are gathered and there’s a really heavy atmosphere in the air

Tang Chao verifies that the bullet that shot Yang Ping wasn’t from the STF’s sniping team. Another member pipes up and adds that even so, it belongs to STF

Gavin asks for further details, but another officer reports that there are no leads. There’s a possibility that an Evolver did it

Gavin orders them to investigate properly

And sounds really fierce (つω`｡)

Afterwards, Gavin walks along the street and some random man without a left hand steps out of an alley and greets him with: “Captain Gavin, this is the first time we’re meeting.”

By the time I’m roused awake from the heavy downpour, it’s already late at night.

With a sigh, I get up from the sofa and decide to draw the curtains.

Large droplets of rain continuously pelt onto the ground. I stare outside the window in a daze. When my eyes focus, I see a familiar figure downstairs.

MC: ...Gavin?

Taking an umbrella, I rush downstairs. Gavin’s profile enters my vision -- and my heart is tugged.

I have no idea how long he’s been standing in the rain, and his entire self seems to be soaked in it.

The rain has soaked his entire body. Drenched hair sticks to the sides of his face, water droplets continuously sliding off his chin.

The STF uniform is in a mess, sticking to his body. The organisation’s emblem on his chest has been washed till it has lost its metal shine.

I step out of the apartment building slowly, rain pouring down.

I suddenly recall the night he spent accompanying me in the rain a very long time ago.

--it’s as though he’s lost his drive, removed all his defences, and it gives one heartache and sadness.

I have no idea why Gavin is standing here right now, but across the curtain of rain, I seem to once again see that careful heart.

Gavin seems a little surprised by my appearance. His unfocused pupils constrict slightly, and his shoulders tremble imperceptibly.

Gavin: ...why aren’t you asleep?

MC: ...if I were asleep, were you planning to stand in the rain for an entire night?

I walk over slowly, lifting the transparent umbrella over our heads. Rainwater patters against the surface of the umbrella, becoming the only sound in this silence.

Gavin doesn’t speak. His eyes, which have always been shining with light, seem to be layered with the colour of the gray clouds overhead, and an unspeakable dullness.

There’s neither grief nor anger in them. All that’s left is helplessness.

Very slowly, his lips finally twitch slightly, breaking the silence.

Gavin: Aren’t you going to ask?

MC: Nope. If you want to talk, I’ll listen and resolve the problem with you. If you don’t want to talk, I’ll keep you company as we stand here, then...

Gavin: Then?

MC: Trust you.

I smile as I reach out, brushing the drenched fringe in front of his forehead, revealing his beautiful amber eyes.

MC: No matter what happens, I’ll always trust you.

Gavin’s eyes widen slightly. The hands beside him are clenched into fists, trembling slightly.

Gavin: ...you once said that every single one of my bullets are for justice. If you were to find out that perhaps I can’t really do that...

Gavin: ...what would you think?

I’m stunned.

Gavin’s voice is faint, a solid darkness hidden in his words.

His entire self seems to be encumbered by a layer of thick sheet of iron. His back is straight, as though waiting for a final judgment.

MC: I’d look for the truth behind it.

Gavin purses his lips and doesn’t say a word. But I know that he’s waiting for my answer solemnly.

MC: Even if there was really such a bullet, I’d want to further verify why that bullet strayed from its course. And whether, at that point of time when the situation happened, there was really a violation of justice?

Gavin watches me quietly, and I smile as I look at him.

MC: No matter what reason you had for standing there, and for shooting that bullet, you would have done so based on what you saw, heard, and the result of thinking. And I believe in it, and I believe in your judgment at that point of time. That bullet definitely has its meaning.

I say these things instinctively, hoping to give him even the slightest bit of support and courage.

The dim streetlights meld into the water droplets, reflecting into Gavin’s eyes.

The rain gradually lightens. The air Gavin breathes out turns into a white patch of mist in the air.

Gavin: I’ll find the truth behind this matter. I can’t use “I don’t know the true state of affairs” as an excuse. If it’s something I’ve done, I should take responsibility.

Gavin takes the umbrella in my hand, his eyes carrying with them resoluteness and certainty.

Gavin: I don’t want to fail to live up to your trust, but I... have to face up to the truth. To give you, and to give those who no longer have a voice, a genuine explanation.

Two days pass after that rainy evening

Even though MC doesn’t know what Gavin is up to, she can tell that it’s something important and dangerous

She’s at STF to give her regular report, and Gavin walks into the room. His eyes are bloodshot, and he looks thinner and more pallid, and she knows that he’s been working very hard to live up to that promise

I think of comforting him, wanting to tell him not to overdo it, and to take care of his health.

However, the moment I open my mouth, all my emotions morph into a dry greeting.

MC: Gavin, have you been really busy lately?

Gavin doesn’t respond. He simply places his palms on the table between us, his expression solemn as he comes closer to me.

Gavin: Are you investigating the Evol assassinations?

MC: Of course. I’m still a suspect, so I need to think of ways to clear myself of suspicion.

Gavin: This matter could be even more serious than you imagine.

Looking at Gavin’s somewhat resigned expression, I smile.

MC: Things have already reached this stage. What could be even more serious than this? Don’t worry, I know what I'm doing. But are you going to do something dangerous again? You’ve got to take care of yourself. If you need my help, just say it. After all, I’m Nox from Black Swan!

I deliberately use a light-hearted tone, and the corners of Gavin’s lips tug upwards as well.

Gavin: Proudly saying that you’re from Black Swan in the STF - you don’t want to leave, do you?

MC: ...

I freeze. Only when I see the teasing glint in Gavin’s eyes do I realise that he’s toying with me.

At the same time, I release a sigh of relief. At least Gavin is still in the mood for jokes.

Gavin: To be honest, what I need to do is indeed very dangerous, and I need more people whom I can trust completely. With your help, my investigation will definitely progress much more smoothly.

He lifts his head to look into my eyes directly. The light in his amber eyes reveal trust and sincerity.

I’m left astounded. Receiving such an invitation from Gavin for the first time makes my mind lag a little.

MC: Gavin, what you're saying is... that you’re letting me help you?

Gavin: You didn’t mishear.

The faint scent on his body fills my surroundings. In my trance, I even think that a gentle breeze brushed my cheek.

Gavin: ...of course, from my personal perspective, I wouldn’t want you to be involved in such matters. So, you’re free to reject.

MC: Why would I reject! I’m really happy to be of help.

Gavin stares deeply at my smiling face. After a long time, he reveals a somewhat relieved and resigned smile.

Gavin: Thank you, MC.

Part two: here

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc gavin #I split this into two because Tumblr tends to eat my screenshots if there are too many HAHA

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feanorianethicsdepartment · 4 years ago

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the conclusion to the fëanorian tauriel saga! this one’s mostly about the state of affairs after she gets adopted into everyone’s favourite family of murderers, plus a couple of extra bits and bobs. there’s some more stuff i’d like to put down somewhere - a deleted scene, a minific - but this is mostly the end of my headcanons for this particular au. so far, anyway. part 1 part 2 part 3

mandos may have, in the past, given off the impression that fëanor would remain within the halls until dagor dagorath

that statement was always a bit of a conflation of terms. like everybody else in the halls, fëanor would get a clean pass for reinbodiment as and when he attended elf afterlife therapy and got a handle on his shit. it’s just nobody thought he would ever do that

but he has done that, and more besides. he’s honestly been clear to go for a while now, he just refused to leave until his sons were ready

and since then... mandos will admit to certain political pressures exerted towards keeping fëanor under lock and key

but over time, those pressures slowly yield to the fact that mandos absolutely cannot deal with this lunatic for the rest of arda

death has not put a damper on fëanor’s unstoppability. he was preoccupied for a long while with the damage done to his sons but with them all out he had a conspicious lack of things to Do

and a bored fëanor is a dangerous fëanor

so yeah. fëanor is less released from the halls of mandos as he is unceremoniously kicked out. mandos refuses to talk about it. the maiar of the halls throw a massive party

this all happens on extremely short notice. as in, manwë announces his release like half a day before it happens

this of course throws his extended family (and a decent proportion of the rest of the continent) into this massive frenzied whirlwind of panic. everybody thought they’d get more warning than this, and nobody knows what’s going to happen next

at the epicentre of this maelstrom is the elf himself. fëanor doesn’t know either, he’s still trying to catch up on everyone he left behind and everything that’s gone down since he died. so much has changed, and he’s still stumbling groggily in the darkness

at some point between his long-practiced apology to finarfin and the maglor encounter everyone’s been dreading, though, he makes an unexpected discovery

he has a daughter now. apparently

her name’s tauriel, she smells like woodsmoke. he first meets her when she wanders into the living room, blinks blearily for a couple of seconds, goes ‘hi dad!’ and immediately falls asleep on his lap

and it’s not like he’s not incredibly stoked to have another child, it’s just how???

the first time he asks this question, the motley collection of relatives and old friends he’s talking to all come to the same conclusion

they can either (a) walk him through the history of tauriel’s growing friendship with and eventual adoption into the least reputable branch of the house of finwë or (b) dump the latest copy of the grand unified tauriel conspiracy theory on him with absolutely no context

considering they’re the hellfamily and friends, they go for the chaos option

it takes fëanor, like, two days to read it. the thing was ridiculously elaborate even before people started competing to come up with the craziest possible theories

the people around him keep the ruse going as long as they can stretch it. eventually celebrimbor takes pity on him, and legolas fills in the details

(legolas currently occupies a position in the fëanorian internal hierarchy not dissimilar to fingon’s. he has no idea how to interpret that)

fëanor also just. talks to tauriel. about how she came, and why she stayed

the next day, fëanor loudly announces to the entirety of tirion that he has a new daughter, her name is tauriel and she’s amazing

she’s been a de facto part of the house for years but this is the first official confirmation of it. the news, and the gossip, spreads all over aman

not that this marks a massive turning point for tauriel. even without a big announcement, she made which side she was on pretty clear back when shit went down

and honestly her life hasn’t changed that much since then. she still spends most of her time exploring noldorin country or chilling in the forest with her silvan friends

this isn’t too uncommon a situation for a member of the house of fëanor. they usually do their own thing, whatever that may be. even nerdanel abandons her house every so often to spend a year or two in the mountains

even in tirion, it’s not that different. she still crashes in the same place, hangs with the same people

she just also occasionally does stuff for :mobster voice: the family

she’s part of the second generation’s extremely overprotective mutual defence web. she has a few responsibilities vis-a-vis the definitely-not-minions. she’s not quite as magnetic as her older brothers, but she’s charismatic enough people tend to both legitimately like and let their guard down around her

she goes to court events sometimes, if she’s in town and in the mood. she’s not virulently allergic to it like celegorm but she doesn’t thrive there the way elrond does. she prefers lower-city forge parties. way more booze, way less bling

(the greenwood elves have stopped needing to bring her along to every political meeting for quote-unquote moral support. everyone knows who she rides with now, and the court bureaucrats tend to give her people whatever they want without the need for extortion)

she’s not the rowdiest of fëanor and nerdanel’s brood, but that’s really not saying much. she’s kicked off the last vestiges of social respectably and indulges fully in her family’s ability to do whatever they want, whenever they want, because who’s seriously going to tell a kinslayer they can’t do something?

a decent proportion of the population of tirion, it turns out. eh, the arguments are always fun

that’s the state of tauriel’s life when fëanor comes back. afterwards - like i said, it doesn’t change terribly much, fëanor rocking valinor to its core notwithstanding

he is massively, intensely supportive of everything she does. she knows that it’s partially that this family is just Like That, but she also gets the vibe he’s overinvesting a little? she’s the only one of his children who doesn’t have a reason to hate him

but they get along fine. he’s had a lot of practice at being a dad, and is trying to improve on his personal faults. his relationship with her is blissfully uncomplicated compared to the mess most of his pre-death bonds are, and while she’ll protect her brothers from him if need be she’ll protect him too when the world is out to get him

there’s this moment at one of those fancy court galas. tauriel’s chatting with some sindarin visitors when something explodes a few rooms away

almost immediately, she locks gazes with curufin, who’s peoplewatching some distance away. they have a conversation conducted entirely in eyeflicks that could be summarised as ‘did he just...’ ‘alas he probably did’

they stride out of the hall together to rescue their idiot dad from the consequences of his terrible decisions

that’s another subtlety to the way the fëanorians work, tauriel is discovering. the siblings hellspawn may be a constant fight cloud of bickering nutbags (with the obvious exception of herself) but they all always out-sane their dad

she keeps learning things like this as the years roll on and her families get closer. she finds silvans having tea with nerdanel, tirion craftselves looking for her in the woods. across both of her worlds, she’s building a posse

(just like her brothers did, long long ago under the light of the trees. when next the host rides to war, there will be those who follow tauriel’s banner)

even legolas has mostly gotten over it. their initial friendship, after all, was founded on them both being chaos children. tauriel is one in a way they called silvan in greenwood and noldorin in aman, fully conscious that the powers that be disapprove of her shenanigans and deliberately and vindictively defying them

legolas’ style is more sindarin, vaguely aware that the rules exist but doesn’t really understand how they apply to him. he did sneak a dwarf up the straight road, after all. him and tauriel got up to so much nonsense when they were kids, and no matter who else she runs with, he’ll always be her best friend

he’ll never be fully comfortable with the literal childhood horror stories she’s taken up with, but for her sake he’s willing to try. they might be scary, but, he’s realising, they can be fun too

(even if he does spend most of their family gatherings hiding behind elrond)

and then, one day...

tauriel doesn’t exactly pine for kíli, but she does kind of regret how it all turned out. she wonders what being in a relationship with him would have been like, sometimes

but he’s a dwarf, and she’s an elf, and she can’t leave the undying lands, and dwarves aren’t supposed to come here. they are sundered until the breaking of the world

when she tells this to fëanor, this massive smug grin spreads across his face. ‘unless’

three hours later, they’ve turned fëanor’s front room into a base of operations. maedhros is on project management, caranthir is on logistics, amras is going down a list of maiar they can strongarm. celebrimbor stops by, looks at the plans on the walls, and, somewhat excitedly, goes ‘are we breaking into the dwarven afterlife???’

yes. yes they are

epilogue:

when the end comes and all elves return to cuivénen, certain people tauriel knew back in middle-earth discover what she’s been doing for the past few ages

they get the full skinny later, after they talk to her and stuff, but the first whisper they hear is ‘tauriel’s been taken in by the fëanorians’

reactions vary. tauriel’s mama, who doesn’t recognise the name, goes ‘the spirits of fire? that’s sounds so much like her, i’m so happy she’s made friends’

tauriel’s mummy, who does recognise the name, is laughing too hard to speak

and thranduil cradles his head in his hands. ‘of course’ he mutters ‘of course she fucking did’

#silmarillion #tauriel #house of feanor #the feanorian tauriel saga #my terrible fic #wow this ended up way longer than i expected #sorry if it's rambly i stayed up kinda late #and yeah! that's my headcanons for this au!#like i said there's a couple more things i wanna write #and once i'm done i'll probably put it all up on ao3 #with edits (read: capitalisation)

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daisylore-au · 4 years ago

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RED DREAMS EVENT: PART TWO (5)

NOT A SINGLE VOTE FOR NOT SEEING DAISY LMAOO I SEE WHAT Y'ALL WANT /pos let's go see our girl !!

warnings: pandora's vault, imprisonment, the beginning of horror imagery + themes including ghosts, glitching people/memories, and generally creepy / eerie language and themes !!

It's not even a question. You clench your jaw.

"Let me see her," you venture, and Darian smiles, a clipped, steely thing, and tilts his head, "I need to see her."

"Are you sure?" Darian asks. "You might not like where we're going?"

You don't care. All you can see in your mind's eye is Daisy as you know her - gap-toothed, excitable little eight year old Daisy, who cares so much about everyone and everything and is so in love with the server. Darian, sensing this, nods resolutely, and begins to take you off in one direction, ducking through leaves and trees until you get to water. You let him row, and he doesn't offer the oars to you - your head is spinning too much to even comprehend much of what is happening. Now that you look, you're far more aware that it's a dream: when you look at your watch, the face is incomprehensible, scrambled and spinning and blurred, the way time is in all dreams, and- yeah, you should have realised sooner that you were dreaming.

(To be fair, you haven't dreamed about the Red Days in some time.)

(You can't tell if it's related to Helga and James asking about the past, or if it's just your guilty conscience catching up with you again.)

"Here," Darian catches your attention, pulling you out of the boat with a helpful hand and steadying you when the ground lurches under your feet, "recognise this place?"

You're frozen in place.

"That shouldn't be there," you rasp out through a dry throat, "that was torn down years ago. I don't understand-"

"The prison knows when it's needed." Darian stands in front of the prison with his hands clasped behind his back, at perfect ease except from the slight wrinkle in the bridge of his nose that hints at his discomfort. "It's the only place powerful enough to contain Daisy. The worse nightmares stay locked up in here with her. It's the only way to stop the server falling apart."

You can't step closer. You can't step back either. The prison looms over you, entrance stretching open invitingly - come on back, it croons, you're almost late for your daily visit.

Stomach lurching, you dry heave, but nothing comes up.

"Your choice to visit," Darian offers again, "we can go back if you want."

You fight down nausea and shake your head. Fuck it. Fuck. You've come this far. "Let me see her," you say again, more tired this time, "what the fuck have you done to her?"

What the fuck have you done to her? The universe echoes back your own words to you, but you're pretty sure it's aiming your question back at you. Darian eyes you, hearing the echo, and begins to lead you wordlessly into the prison.

You know how it goes by now. You know the journey inside - but even as you enter and go through the usual procedures (though you notice it's not Sam running the prison any more, it's Lissie, her voice hardened but no less distinctive after growing up), you can sense Daisy's dreams grow stronger. A polar bear glides by on ice, a whinny of a horse alerts you to the unicorns galloping past you in the other direction. Snippets of broken conversations and whispering sighs rush by your ears in the cool breeze as you follow Darian, who seems far too at-ease for the whole situation.

"Now, you're going to want to avoid looking at the dreams and memories when we get closer to her," the boy instructs, after dropping his coat off at the Warden's desk and beginning to head further into the prison, "the closer we get, the more dangerous the dreams. This isn't a normal sleep - it's not even like George's. We're certain there's something else influencing her dreams: and it doesn't like any of us, whatever it is."

There's a croon, a low eerie moan, that sends chills down your spine. It's almost skeletal in how it sounds, and you're certain it's the Thing, whatever it is, warning you of entering.

You think of Helga and James, how pissed they'd been at you. You think of Darian's steady, clinical eyes on you, watching your every move like you were a threat to be contained. And you know the thing guarding Daisy's dreams fucking despises you.

Despite this, you continue to follow Darian. What other choice do you have? With every step you take, more and more eyes seem to track your movements, more and more dreams mingled with memories burst out of walls and from round corners - a strange blue creature with wings, flying by and shooting fireballs that whizz harmlessly by them; a ghostly version of Michael as a child who runs by shouting "catch me if you can!"; George, rolling his eyes and glitching into a child and back again. The whole thing is bizarre, and keeps your mind off the creeping terror and overwhelming panic at being back here.

"Quackity?" You hear from behind you, Karl's voice raising in surprise and hope. "You- Quackity, you're here?"

a couple more choices for this part of the event, and then we move onto the final section !! you have until 21:45pm bst (15 minutes) to pick :D

1. TURN TO FACE KARL.

2. KEEP WALKING.

#> daisy lore: red dreams event

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wordsablaze · 4 years ago

Text

5 Times Witchers Were Too Asexual For This

…and the one time Jaskier firmly got it through their lovable and yet ridiculously thick skulls that a little confusion here and there doesn’t change how much he adores them.

A/N: self-indulgently inspired by the sheer amount of times i've mentally gone "aha nope, i am too ace for this" - happy ace week <3

1 - Geralt

Geralt can never comprehend how Jaskier gets into so much trouble.

He’d always thought the worst kind of threats came from mages and their ridiculous games of illusion and power but travelling with Jaskier makes him reconsider because it’s genuinely concerning how many people have death wishes on his behalf.

“Who is it this time?” Geralt asks, folding his arms and promptly cursing at himself for doing so as it proves he can be just as dramatic as the bard he’s trying not to concede to.

Jaskier grins, clearly picking up on the same thing. “It doesn’t matter, my dear witcher, because you already know you’re coming with me!”

“I do not!” Geralt argues, unfolding his arms and glaring.

“Oh come on,” Jaskier scoffs, winking at him, “we both know you’re already trying to figure out how to get out of wearing the clothes I’ve already had made for you.”

Geralt sighs. “Jaskier…”

But said bard has already left the room to return downstairs and as the sound of his lute travels through the inn, Geralt groans to himself.

He’s still groaning to himself when he’s dressed in three different shades of blue but he and Jaskier arrive at the feast the next day. He hadn’t bothered to ask what the occasion was so he just settles in the corner and watches as Jaskier weaves his way between everyone, biting down the part of his heart that yearns to be right by Jaskier’s side.

Hours pass before he’s forced to move, spotting a rather tall stranger crowding Jaskier against a wall and feeling the subtle scent of fear radiating from them.

“-idn’t mean to, I swear! I’m certain you can also appreciate the beauty of-”

“My wife?” the man interrupts, practically spitting anger.

Jaskier laughs nervously as Geralt makes his way over, clearly stalling for time. “You must believe I had absolutely no inkling that she was betrothed and while I’m aware my apologies will not undo our actions, I implore you to perhaps-”

“Jaskier. There you are.” Geralt says, glancing between him and the angry husband.

“And who are you?”

At that, Jaskier bristles. “Were you not listening to my performance? I just sang about-”

“A Witcher. What, did he also sleep with your… uh…?” the man falters, clearly deciding that he’d rather not offend someone who carries around swords.

Geralt and Jaskier share an amused look before Geralt shakes his head. “My bard was cursed with… irresistible urges… by a mage. You can’t blame him for it.”

He’s almost certain Jaskier will grumble about this particular excuse for days - to which he’ll remind him that at least it’s not the one where he was kicked by an ox - but the angry husband seems to buy it, throwing him a pitying look.

“I didn’t know, I’m sorry,” he says sincerely.

Jaskier clears his throat. “Yes, well, it’s not something that one should sing about publicly, is it? You know how troublesome rumours can be…”

The man nods understandingly before leaving, at which point Jaskier punches his arm. “Geralt, you prat!”

He shrugs, a tiny smirk on his face. “I wasn’t entirely wrong.”

Jaskier seems to consider this before humming, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Geralt’s cheek. “Thank you.”

He doesn’t get a chance to reply before Jaskier has slipped away to continue performing but really, it goes without saying that although Geralt doesn’t understand Jaskier’s actions half the time, there’ll never be a day where he doesn’t want to protect him from the consequences.

2 - Eskel

Eskel can never predict when the scent of watermelon will fill the air.

It’s a strange scent that he thinks should probably please him but for some reason only serves to surprise him every time it radiates from Jaskier at seemingly random moments. To his credit, Jaskier tries his best not to make it too obvious or slip away before it becomes too overwhelming but sometimes it catches both of them by surprise and there’s no avoiding it.

He and Jaskier have been travelling north for a few months when they reach a town that Jaskier seems to recognise, immediately elbowing him. “Eskel! Eskel, darling, this is the town I was telling you about with that absolutely magnificent tailor!”

Eskel hears the question without Jaskier having to ask and smiles. “Yes, we can make a quick detour.”

Jaskier grins, squeezing his hand in thanks as the two of them continue walking. As expected, Jaskier launches into a comprehensive description of every doublet he’s had made by this one specific tailor as they make their way there, Eskel only really half paying attention.

“Jaskier!” someone calls out excitedly.

“Mikhail!” Jaskier calls right back, waiting until Eskel nods in amusement before letting go of his hand and embracing the man who must be the tailor.

Leaning against a wall, Eskel watches as the two of them start discussing the latest fabric patterns and shapes of buttons - he’s not even remotely interested but if Jaskier can learn how to take care of goats for his sake then he can stick around during a discussion about fashion.

And anyway, it’s a rather nice workshop, quiet and calm in comparison to the rest of the town. He doesn’t mind waiting, focusing on the sound of Jaskier’s excited voice as he lets his eyes close, one hand on the hilt of his sword just in case.

It’s only when he hears Jaskier gasp and the cool scent of watermelon fills the room that he opens his eyes again, raising an eyebrow automatically. Jaskier glances over to him immediately, clearly about to explain, but Mikhail whispers something to him and he reddens, biting his lip.

“Really? Buttons?” Eskel asks, equally as confused as he is amused.

Jaskier just shrugs. “I’ll, uh, catch up with you later?”

Part of Eskel wants to know what in Melitele’s name Jaskier finds so appealing about buttons but also, he really doesn’t. He’s learned from experience that sometimes - almost always, actually - not knowing certain things about Jaskier is better for both of them.

“Don’t get in trouble, bardling,” Eskel warns as a way of politely taking his leave.

“Love you too!” Jaskier calls after him, and not that he’ll admit it if asked but Eskel doesn’t stop smiling even after the scent of lust fades away entirely.

3 - Lambert

Lambert can never figure out why Jaskier flirts with almost everyone.

Not that he has anything against Jaksier’s flirting and the way it seems to plant warmth inside his chest but really, it seems pointless to flirt with so many strangers. And yet Jaskier does it the same way he breathes, which is to say he does so without really thinking about it. And every time, Lambert watches as he trades carefully constructed compliments in exchange for food or wine or coin or literally anything else.

“Lambert? What are you frowning about?” Jaskier asks, flopping into the space across from him.

When Jaskier raises an eyebrow, he only frowns harder. “I’m not frowning,” he lies.

Jaskier snorts. “And I’m a witcher.”

“You wouldn’t know what to do with a sword if your life depended in it,” Lambert retorts.

“Depends what kind of sword,” Jaskier replies, stealing a potato from his plate.

He tries to think back to a single time where Jaskier has successfully beaten anyone in a swordfight but when his memory draws a blank, he frowns again. “You’re bloody useless in fights unless we give you daggers.”

He doesn’t realise that Jaskier is trying really hard not to laugh until he does exactly that, almost choking on the potato before shaking his head. “Sorry, sorry, just- gods, you witchers are so adorable.”

“Adorable?” Lambert echoes incredulously, seemingly destined to frown for the entire evening. “Like f-”

“Jaskier!”

“Fabiann! It’s been too long!”

Lambert grumbles under his breath but tunes out their mindless flirting out until Jaskier abruptly stands and coughs pointedly. “Lambert, I’m afraid I might need to leave for a little while.”

What?

Oh.

It doesn’t exactly take a genius to figure out that for some reason, simply talking to someone is apparently far too appealing for Jaskier to handle.

“We leave at dawn,” Lambert reminds him.

Jaskier blows him a kiss before grinning and leaving with Fabiann. Sighing, Lambert turns back to his plate only to find that he doesn’t have any potatoes left. For some reason, that annoys him far more than the bard’s departure.

He ends up turning in early but the other patrons are too loud and he hates every second of each minute that passes. That is, until the door to his room opens and lets in not only the one person who won’t be punched for entering without knocking but also the soft scent of lavender.

“Are you still awake?” Jaskier whispers.

After a moment, he hears Jaskier sigh before the bed gently dips behind him and one of Jaskier’s arms settles on his waist.

“I’m sorry for leaving,” Jaskier murmurs into his skin, shifting even closer.

Only because Lambert can’t stand the subtle guilt in the air - they’ve talked about this but the bard stubbornly refuses to continue feeling bad - does he place his hand over Jaskier’s and feign a yawn. “Shut up, Jaskier.”

“Adorable,” Jaskier replies, kissing the back of his neck before pulling the blanket further onto them both and proving that okay, maybe he can accept that adjective under very specific circumstances.

4 - Vesemir

Vesemir can never understand why Jaskier loves Kaer Morhen so much.

He loves the place more than anything himself, of course he does, but there’s always a lingering bitterness in each room, a lingering reminder that the walls had once been witness to pain and sorrow and heartbreak.

Jaskier doesn’t see any of it.

Instead, he fills any room he walks into with music and smiles and displays of affection that Vesemir hasn’t seen witchers indulge in for decades. It takes a few visits but soon enough, he’s on the receiving end of those displays as well and it's just as beautiful as it is surprising.

He finds himself loving the keep more when everyone smells of happiness and training sessions are filled with laughter instead of grumpy insults but those are aspects of life that he’s almost certain only a witcher can appreciate and as far as he knows, which is pretty far thank you very much, Jaskier is not a witcher.

“Who stole my salts?” said bard yells, jolting him out of his musings, “I know you can all hear me! Give me back my salts, you handsome thieves!”

Vesemir chuckles to himself as he hears the telltale sound of Jaskier running through the halls, no doubt going to fail in locating his bath salts because he’s almost sure he smelt them in the springs yesterday. He goes back to reading, ignoring the general noise of Jaskier hunting the others down in the name of bathing justice until the bard bursts into the library, flushed and breathless.

He looks almost guilty as he spots Vesemir. “Apologies, Vesemir, I didn’t mean to intrude. I was merely- well, you most likely heard everything, right?”

When he nods, Jaskier glances around again, a small grin blooming on his face. “Does that window overlook any training grounds perchance?”

Vesemir sighs. “No, you cannot attempt to throw something at them from the window.”

Jaskier has the audacity to pout but judges his tone well enough, making his way over to the window anyway. It’s only when the unmistakable scent of arousal appears that Vesemir somewhat regrets his decision; he looks over to Jaskier, who seems torn between wanting to flee out of embarrassment and wanting to continue staring out of the window for the rest of the day.

“I- I don’t really have an explanation for this but uh, witchers?” Jaskier manages, gesturing outside to where Vesemir knows the other three are probably mid-brawl.

“All I wanted was to read in peace, Jaskier.” Vesemir pinches the bridge of his nose, closing the book.

Nodding quickly, Jaskier places a hand over his chest. “I swear I won’t even think of entering the library for… for a whole week! Yeah, I can do that, I’ll make sure to stay as far as possible for as long as you like but just um, could you maybe not hold this against me, please?”

Vesemir wants to explain that he couldn’t possibly hold Jaskier loving his boys against him but he’s pretty sure Jaskier knows that and is just nervously rambling so he walks over and gently claps the bard on the back of his head. “As long as you’re not stupid enough to jump into a fight just because you’re attracted to it.”

“No promises,” Jaskier replies, winking.

5 - Kaer Morhen

Kaer Morhen can never shut its doors to Jaskier.

And really, none of the resident witchers would want to do anything of the sort since they love bringing their bard home for the winter and they love having a non-witcher around because he brings comfort with him. Unfortunately, he also sometimes brings about immense exasperation.

Nobody’s complaining, of course, because they’d rather die than disrespect one of the few people so openly welcome at the keep, but that doesn’t stop them from sometimes needing to walk out of the room to avoid punching something or someone.

Naturally, a bunch of wolf witchers walking out of the room wherever Jaskier confuses them is utterly hilarious to anyone else who visit.

Especially Aiden.

He and Jaskier get on remarkably well, much to Lambert’s relief, and it only ever takes a few days for the rest of them to get used to the scent of Cat once again. They never get used to the way the two of them interact though, trading words at rather worryingly high speeds. It’s usually not a bother until Aiden starts showing off his swordsmanship.

“Wait, you’ve never done that last one before!” Jaskier exclaims, closing his journal as he leans forward, his eyes wide.

Aiden grins. “Glad you noticed, I learnt it last season.”

Lambert throws an apple at him, scoffing. Aiden simply catches it, taking a bite before throwing it to Jaskier, who may or may not loudly yelp as he receives it.

“Show off,” Lambert grumbles, folding his arms.

Taking a moment to bow, Aiden turns back to Jaskier. “Want to see the rest of my sword tricks?”

Jaskier chokes on the bite he’d taken of the apple but nods even as he coughs, ignoring the concerned looks he gets from the wolves. He gets about halfway into the apple before Aiden’s movements are just a little too smooth and intricate for his heart to handle. Well, not just his heart.

“For gods’ sake, Jaskier,” Geralt mutters, swiftly standing up and making his way out of the room.

“I’m not to blame here!” Jaskier calls, trying his best not to think about everything he’s practically being baited into thinking about.

Eskel is the next to sigh. “You think too loudly sometimes.”

Aiden watches in utter bewilderment as both he and Lambert make their exit too, the two of them grumbling about wanting to eat in peace. He turns to Jaskier with one eyebrow raised.

“They’re not fond of when I smell like sex to them,” Jaskier explains sheepishly, “and I’m pretty sure it’s a wolf thing.”

There’s a slight pause before Aiden nods slowly. “That explains a lot actually. Why didn’t I pick up on that while travelling with Lam?”

Jaskier’s not sure if that’s meant to be a rhetorical question or not so he takes a chance. “I’d be surprised if you did, they feel bad about it so they act as if they’re allergic to discussing it.”

Then something seems to occur to Aiden and his eyes widen comically. “Wait, all the wolves?”

Catching on immediately, Jaskier goes red. “I’ll have you know, Vesemir was somehow the easiest to communicate with about all this.”

“You’re crazy,” Aiden laughs, bounding over and taking the apple back despite Jaskier’s half-hearted protests even as he decides to respect the bard just a little bit more.

Jaskier can never guess when he’s going to have a crisis.

He wishes he had some witcher-like ability to detect trouble before it arrives but alas, he doesn’t. He doesn’t have the power to stop himself panicking and he doesn't have the power to prepare for every possibility and he doesn’t even have his witchers and by the gods does he yearn for their presence.

But he’s not selfish, he isn’t going to ask them to accompany him to bardic competitions because a city full of bards being bards is most definitely too overwhelming for them. He’s sure they’re more than happy killing drowners and bruxae and wraiths and who knows what else wherever they are but he’s certainly not happy.

Although that’s a lie, of course he is.

He loves being around his fellow bards - some more than others, of course - and he loves that they can effortlessly switch between discussing chords, sharing the latest court scandals, and making fun of one another’s love lives. What he doesn’t love, however, is being alone at the end of every day.

“I hate this room,” he mutters to himself as he flops onto the bed.

“No you don’t,” Geralt says quietly.

Jaskier is loath to admit that he jumps so badly he literally falls off the bed.

“There’s that grace and dignity we all love,” Eskel teases.

“What the he--eyy!” Jaskier manages as Lambert all but tackles him, sending them both back to the floor he’d just picked himself up from. Neither of them move to get up though.

“There is a perfectly adequate bed right beside us, if you would kindly give me a moment to recover from your pleasant but wholly unexpected arrival!”

He hears Geralt and Eskel laugh and the next thing he knows, he’s sandwiched between three witchers on the bed that’s mercifully large enough to accommodate all four of them. He’s almost entirely certain Priscilla had something to do with that upgrade and makes a mental note to thank her later.

“You smell sad,” Geralt says eventually, frowning.

Jaskier sighs. “I’m not sad, my dear, I’m just worried that three of you won’t enjoy your stay here, what with all the… bardic watermelon.”

Eskel’s arm around his waist tightens. “We don’t mind if you don’t mind.”

Jaskier’s face scrunches up as he tries to make sense of that and Lambert, who’s curled up in front of him, snorts. “You’re gonna give yourself wrinkles.”

“Take that back, I am not!” Jaskier argues, pouting. Before he can be totally distracted, he manages to turn his entire body around so he’s now facing Eskel and Geralt. “Are you going to explain what I’m meant to be minding?”

Surprisingly, Geralt finds his words first. “Just that… that we can’t always help you. We can’t be what you need or what you want and-”

“I am going to stop you right there before I end up punching you,” Jaskier interrupts, his voice a strange mix of cold and loving.

“It wouldn’t hurt,” Lambert supplies reassuringly, now from behind him.

Jaskier groans, butting his head against Eskel’s in frustration. Not even particularly hard but Eskel looks so confused that Jaskier ends up wiggling out of their cuddle pile and glaring at three of them when they sheepishly sit up.

“Did the lot of you trade all your marbles to get here?” he asks, folding his arms.

Lambert opens his mouth to reply but Eskel clamps a hand over it, correctly assuming that they’re not meant to answer that.

“I won’t lie and tell you I’ll only say this once because I will gladly repeat it whenever any of you act like you’ve forgotten but, my loves, I do not care. I do not care if you don’t enjoy all the same things I do and I do not care if your desires are different to mine. The only thing - and you must believe me for I would never ever lie about this - that I truly care about is you. All three of you.”

“But we don’t always know how to take care of you,” Geralt whispers, his voice filled with enough emotion to rival half of Jaskier’s ballads.

“Don’t you?” Jaskier asks, tilting his head to the left. “Tell me this, Geralt: why are you here?”

“You don’t like being alone after important performances,” Geralt replies without missing a beat.

Jaskier grins at him before turning to Eskel. “And you?”

“You deserve to have our support,” Eskel says softly, as if it were a common truth.

Lambert shrugs when Jaskier turns to him. “Why would I let you get drunk alone?”

Waiting until they’re done being amused, Jaskier glances between the three of them. “Don’t you see? You already know exactly how and when to take care of me. I can manage what little you can’t and I am more than happy with that because I am more than happy with you. Each of you. Just as you are. Do you understand?”

“If we say yes, will you stop being so bloody dramatic?” Lambert asks, definitely not swallowing an obvious lump in his throat, definitely not.

“We understand,” Eskel adds before Jaskier can reply, a soft smile on his face.

The four of them settle into their cuddle pile once again, Geralt reaching over Eskel and placing his hand on Jaskier’s waist as he whispers, “Thank you.”

Jaskier wants to laugh because he honestly can't see how his gorgeous, kind-hearted witchers continue to think they're not the most perfect bunch of people on the continent despite the flaws they actually have and the ones they only think they have, and he has no idea why they can't see that if they're lucky to have one of him loving them, he's thrice as lucky to have three of them loving him.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Jaskier whispers back.

credit to that one post i can’t find atm about what lust smells like to witchers as well as @cloudspeck for giving me names for minor characters !! also, sorry for the canon divergence / ooc vibes but i just wanted some fluffy ace validation, yaknow?

thanks for reading! masterlist | witcher blog: @itsjaskier

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ivy-loves-chocolate · 4 years ago

Note

'Ello! Same user here! I was wondering if you could make a part 2 to the story of my last request, one where the reader is confronted by her ex-friends at an event and Albert goes off on them how far she's coming compared to them along the reader getting the last laugh before Albert gets rid of the ex for good, if you don't mind!

Ofc I don’t mind. Sweet revenge is coming up next 😈. Anyways, i hope you’ll enjoy!

You are not alone Part 2 (Wesker x F!Reader)

•Link to Part 1

Warnings: none.

Wesker received an invitation to an event. The host was a man who introduced him to Miss Gionne and if it wasn’t for this big favour, Wesker wouldn’t go. In fact, he thought about getting some time off from his work since he felt overwhelmed with the incredible amount of tasks he needed to complete in order to finish Uroborus project. If this succeeded, it would be his biggest achievement in life, not to mention a reminder that he broke free from his chains and escaped his abuser. However, every brilliant mind needs a break from the activities to avoid burnout.

He talked with his lover about the party and she was excited to go with him. It would be the first time when they exposed their relationship publicly so she was nervous because Wesker is not an ordinary man, in contrary, his name is well known and people tremble when they hear it. Her image also impacted his.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want to go?” Wesker noticed she was lost in her own thought.

“Yeah, but, I don’t think I fit. I’m not from your world. I’m just a normal virologist who graduated a normal college.”

Wesker remained silent for a second then he bursted out in laugh.

“Dear, you’re perfect the way you are. I don’t care about these social constructs, and if someone has something to say about your appearance I’ll make sure it will be the last thing they say.” He put his big thumb to his neck and drew a line. “Come on get dressed.” Before leaving the room he stoped in the doorframe and smirked. “I won’t tolerate delays.”

That being said, she had little time to prepare. These aristocrats must a lot of money to throw parties like this out of the blue. Fortunately she found a black gown without sleeves with an open back and trail which fit her body well, but it missed something. She kept searching until she found a golden snake accessory that can be wear on her back. It was beautiful and it would cover her whole exposed back. She remembered her ex saying that she doesn’t have a proper sense of style to wear that accessory but she got it anyway. Tonight she’s going to wear it and she’s going to be confident in her own skin.

The penthouse looked really expensive even if it was very crowded and you could barely see any furniture. However, when they arrive, with all the music and noise that was, everyone noticed them and they didn’t put any effort to hide the fact that they were starring at you. Their eyes were piercing your soul, unveiling any secret and details about you, stomping in into your life and violating your space. They were eating you alive.

The party followed its natural course after that. She recognised a few big names there, but they couldn’t compare to Albert. The only man who wore sunglasses indoor was the main star of the night, not like he didn’t enjoy it. He didn’t let go of her hand the whole night, a sign of him being proud to have such a woman beside him and probably he fell her being nervous. He introduced her to everyone he met and only spoke good words about her, how she help him a lot in his research and how fast she proved her worth to the company. The conversations were short as many people wanted to talk with him. She wondered how could he possibly memorise so many faces and names.

There was a group of people however who refused to take their eyes from you, which seemed pretty familiar to you for a reason. Then it hit her, they were a part form her life she tried to forget, that’s why she didn’t recognise them. She turned her head to Albert and like he was reading minds he glanced at the group. He researched her past life and those people look like the ones from the files. Her ex group of friends were in the same field as her, of course they would be there. He leaned to her ear.

“You’ve come far since then.” And placed a kiss on her forehead. He then placed a hand on her back and lead her to the other group of people introducing her in the same manner.

Of course her ex friends were of problematic nature. They followed her, undecided whether to start a conversation or not. She changed so much it was unbelievable.

Wesker went to talk in private with a woman. She seemed in her late 50s and she wear a simple white cocktail dress. The older woman gave her a warm smile before grabbing Wesker’s arm and leaving to talk. As soon as she was alone the problematic group decided to act. Shyly, one of her ex friends tapped her shoulder.

“Y/N?”

She turned around to meet their gaze. They remained the same and now she was able to see how much she truly evolved.

They engaged in an awfully long and boring dialogue in which they discussed about their lives. After they move on to compliment her dress, all of them asking about the snake from her back. She was right, none of them stepped higher from where she left them, nor in their career or mentally.

“How’s the new job? It is more profitable than the previous one? Who’s that man you’re with, do you know him?” They were so comfortable asking those questions like they were still friends, but the only difference is that now she sees strangers, strangers who are trying to enter her private life. She responded monosyllabically

One of them introduced the topic they’ve all been wanting so much.

“Have you spoke with, you know?”

“No, he tried to contact me but I never answered back.” She stated coldly.

“We’re sorry we didn’t believe you.” Said another voice from the group. “We’re realised lately how bad he was. He seemed so sweet it was hard for us to see the truth. Hope we can keep in contact.”

She couldn’t believe it how easily they approached her after all that happened. How they blamed her for being too sensitive, calling her names and ignored her whenever she needed support. She was trying so hard to hold her tears, not because she was sad, but angry. When she felt like she couldn’t take it anymore she felt a hand caressing her back.

“Is there any problem?”

The group was greeted by a tall man who didn’t seem to be in a mood for talking.

“N-no we were just...”

“I suggest you should get used to the idea of being rejected or else things will get ugly” he lowered his glasses on the bridge of his nose, revealing his bright red eyes. The group ran away in fear and got lost in the crowd.

After a while the people started to leave and the place was more clear. What was probably once a decent place to live turned into a mess, with broken glasses laying on the floor, flipped alcohol bottles and confetti. Wesker grabbed her hand and guided her outside saying he needs some air.

“Thanks for helping me out there. It was satisfying seeing them running away in fear.”

“I told you I’ll be there for you. I won’t let anyone stain your pride.”

“Cheers” they both clinked their champagne glasses.

Wesker put the glass aside and searched something in his coat’s jacket.

“I know you for a while now” he said as he seemed to find what he was searching for. “And I reached the conclusion that you’re everything I was looking for in a partner. You’re reliable, understanding and you don’t want me for my status like these idiots, you want me for who I am. You’re able to see behind these materialistic gains.”

He removed his sunglasses and now he was watching her with his amber eyes. He dropped on his knees while pulling the case of an engagement ring. When he opened the case she saw a gold ring with three stones, one big in the middle with two small beside it. It was the most beautiful ring she ever seen. The stones seemed to be pink diamonds.

“Will you marry me?”

Without hesitation she said yes. Wesker raised on his feet and they both engaged into a kiss. Her new start looks promising.

#Albert Wesker #albert wesker x reader #resident evil

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hatchetfieldtheories · 4 years ago

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Return to Hatchetfield-Town - TGWDLM Part 3

Have I been putting off this part because of sad Bill? Maybe. Or is it because of all your amazing Ridiculous Hatchetfield Theory submissions? Yeah, you were right the first time. I just can’t deal with sad Bill.

We left part 2 of the TGWDLM rewatch where the Scooby Gang had turned up at the spooky mansion, which can only go well, and we come back in part 3 as they’ve left the tied up resident bad guy alone with the one person who has a weakness for said bad guy.

Links to previous parts

It’s Ted loving time and I make no apologies for it.

Am I the only one who saw the scene with Ted and Charlotte and immediately got sent back to MAMD’s Joey and Sally? It’s so good seeing Joey and Jaime acting opposite each other like this again, they both bring the same amount of chaotic brilliance.

I have no jokes to make for this, I just needed a gif of the “slap” here. Beautiful. Iconic.

Here we see a bit of the true Ted, the Ted we see in Time Bastard. He’s an idiot sure, but its obvious he is actually a hopeless romantic who really cares for Charlotte, underneath an exterior of “sleazeball”.

When I originally read what happens in Time Bastard I will admit it didn’t really fit with the image I had in my head of Ted. Ted is first and foremost played for laughs. He’s selfish and arrogant and funny. But rewatching TGWDLM, especially with Time Bastard in mind, you do see where Joey let’s Ted’s façade drop. You see it at a greater extent later when Charlotte dies and Ted goes off on one to Bill. But you also see it here (I’m sorry Ted fans):

Serious gifs, who is she?

Now. What’s happening in this next little scene? Are we ready for some tin foil hatting?

What do you want Charlotte?

Continuing our theme of characters explaining what they want in clear and certain terms, Charlotte starts praying to God, then Sam wakes up. Was Sam waiting for everyone else to leave before “waking up” in order to target Charlotte? Or were Charlotte’s prayers answered by an Eldritch being with the capability to control the Creedy Chorus? Later Sam says that he “saw god”.

In Black Friday, Linda attempts to issue in the “birth of a god.” God is certainly a word the Devil Dolls are happy to attribute to themselves. Somehow I don’t think it would have mattered if they had gone to a Methodist or Presbyterian church.

Opinion time: Tied Up My Heart is a full on rock bop and deserves way more praise and acclaim. You could have told me this song was from Rock of Ages and I would believed you.

“Don’t you twust me” – serious Wiggly vibes there Sam.

This is kinda catchy Sam!

In part two we briefly discussed when Hidgens became infected, and there is some theories that believe he was infected from the moment he touched the blue brain goo, leading to Show Stopping Number happening.

Charlotte was infected the minute she touched Sam’s brains. Like Hidgens, it happened slowly, but its very clear it had begun to take root in this song. Tied Up My Heart is to Charlotte, what Let It Out is to Paul. They both find themselves dancing without meaning to, they both begin to hear the music. I’ve mentioned previously that Tied Up My Heart is the only song in which there is an offstage chorus, which would be strange unless for the first time we’re hearing the show as Charlotte is hearing it – she’s beginning to hear the rest of the Hive.

The only difference between Charlotte and Paul is their wants during these pivotal numbers. Paul is trying harder to fight the song because his want is to destroy the meteor. Charlotte isn’t able to fight the song because her want is Sam… and the song is giving her that.

I think this is the part of the musical where most people pause and proclaim… what the hell am I watching. Which, you know… valid.

Can anyone tell me what foreshadowing is?

Ted just casually predicting the ending of the show. Take out the head and the whole thing falls down – an historically inaccurate statement in the proceedings of Hatchetfield’s apocalypses.

Exhibit A – Taking out the meteor does not stop the hive.

Exhibit B – Sending a Nuke into the Black and White does not stop Wiggly.

I don’t know what Nerdy Prudes will be about but heads up to the characters – maybe don’t try and destroy the root of the issue as your solution.

Obviously there is a lot of story in Emma and Paul’s discussion here, a lot of which gets unpacked and revisited in Forever and Always, but I’m not really going to delve into the specifics of it here. My biggest take away from this conversation is that Emma explains her past, and her intentions for the future, but at no point is it ever clear what her want is.

In a musical where character’s are killed because they want something, is it any wonder Emma is the one who survives at the end? She doesn’t have any big, ultimate want. She’s jaded and tired, until the end… when what she wants is for Paul to have survived.

This shows a clear distinction between how Pokey and Wiggly operate (and the others, but we’ll discuss them when we get to Nightmare Time.) Both of these Bothersome Brothers use wanting as their tool of chaos but in very different ways.

Pokey wants you to want something, in order to tempt you with that in order to destroy you.

Wiggly wants to find holes to fill with exaggerated, artificial echoes of a want.

The new game at Toy Zone – Bop Ted

Does anyone else forget for a bit how amazing Jaime’s voice is and then finds themselves entranced when Join Us and Die happens? I’m sure there is some lore in this song but I’m far too distracted.

If we refer back to our Violence over Time chart from part two of the rewatch you will see we have now fully arrived at the point where the Hive has stopped trying to just entice everyone with fluffy feelings before murdering them, and are now just resorting to “we’re gonna kill you and it’ll hurt a lot.”

I know there is plenty of discussion regarding whether Hidgens is good or bad, infected or not infected etc – but none of that matters. What matters is he makes the same crappy puns I make in inappropriate situations and I think that’s beautiful.

“The Charlotte you knew and loved was gone the minute a note came out her mouth.” – Snape’s back with the foreshadowing again.

Hidgens then proceeds to subject our heroes to a very intricate test to find out who is human, and who is the musical Doppleganger (one of the AJ Holmes fans there). I’ve seen Moana once, and I became obsessed with the bioluminescent crab so I don’t remember any of the other songs apart from Shiny. This is a problem because the only other song I know from Moana has now become Paul’s version of whatever it is he is singing. I refuse to believe there is any other version of that song.

“Their tactic is to hide amongst us, and as their numbers grow, they become more bold.” – yes Hidgens – we’ve all seen the chart.

Acting Masterclass with Corey Dorris

Bill gets a phone call from Alice, she’s stuck at Hatchetfield High and her girlfriend and the other kids have become singing and dancing zombies. Is this a prequel to High School Musical?

Its worth noting that Alice has locked herself in the Choir room – Hatchetfield High’s number one place to hide when things are going badly - x

Look what happened Nightmare Time.

Corey Dorris’ face pulls on every heart string I possess. Not Your Seed is a fantastic song, with some superb singing by Mariah, but the heart of this song is Corey. Bill is a broken man from the moment he echoes Alice’s words that Grace Chastity is a Nerdy Prude. And the voice crack!

Small warning here for a very brief discussion about suicide. If you want to skip past scroll to the next gif.

The song is an attempt to bring Bill to the Hive, but I think the plan from the start was to push him to shoot himself. Bill wants his daughter back, he wants her to be a part of his life, but unlike with Charlotte, where Hive!Sam attempts to convince her he’s not really dead and wants her, Hive!Alice uses Bill’s want to break him further and further, swinging between Alice’s love and disdain for her father. This isn’t an attempt to lay a trap and kill him when he falls in it, it’s a blatant push towards him killing himself. The Hive only picked up the gun because Paul was there to stop him.

I also find the mirror of this moment to later in Watcher World very fascinating. We obviously know Pokey and Blinky are brothers, and I wonder if the set up leading Alice to point a gun at Bill in Watcher World is Blinky’s twisted humour, echoing what he knows happened in another timeline. A horrible joke that would be lost on Bill and Alice in that timeline, but very recognisable to all of us Watchers.

Once again the Hive could have easily killed Paul, but they don’t. They make a big song and dance (get it?) out of how the guns not good enough to kill him with and then they start singing at him just in time for the army to turn up. The Hive had no intention of killing Paul yet, though obviously they can’t let him know that. Paul has been chosen as their Hero. He’s got work to do.

Hatchetfield High Homework

Just the one this week, I’m currently doing an Ask series where I attempt to make ridiculous sounding Hatchetfield Theories make sense. You can find them by searching Ridiculous Hatchetfield Theories. Go and have a look and follow the wonderful people sending them in.

When the rewatch returns, we get our first peep into the world of PEIP.

#return to hatchetfield town #hatchetfield #starkid #hatchetfield theory #hatchetfield theories #team starkid #the guy who didn't like musicals #tgwdlm

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aubreyprc · 4 years ago

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In My Veins 5: Final 2

the original ending.

part one part two part three part four part five(happy)

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

But you catch a glimpse of sunlight.

Shinin', down on your face.

Oh you're in my veins

And I cannot get you out

Hotch takes a breath, gripping the necklace tightly in his hands, hoping for a miracle. The doctor sighs, looking away from them before looking back, his face unreadable.

“I’m so sorry..” Is what he says and Aaron’s heart shatters in his chest. His breath catches in his throat, his world stopping and he feels dizzy. No. Please. No.

“She was too far gone…” He tells them, “There was nothing we could have done.” His tone his soft, sad, almost as thought he’d lost someone too and it makes Aaron want to scream.

Reid stared at the doctor, his mind running wild. He doesn't understand what the doctor is saying to him, how is she gone? She was improving?

“What are you saying?” His voice breaks as he asks the question, the doctor looks away from Hotch and to him with sad eyes and shakes his head.

“I’m so sorry.. but she.. she’s brain dead.” He tells them and Reid feels himself step back and hit the wall but that’s it, everything else goes numb around him and he can’t breathe. This can’t be happening. She can’t be dead. Not when it’s his fault. Not when he wasn’t strong enough to save her. Not when she and Hotch were- Hotch. His mind shouts and he turns to face his boss who’d fallen back into a chair, staring off into nothing with her necklace hanging from his fingers.

“Is there anyone I can call?” The doctor asks, placing a soft hand on Reid arms, offering a show of comfort that he knows isn’t really going to help.

“No.. Thank you..” Reid says with a breath and pulls his phone out. He opens their group message and he knows he shouldn’t. He knows this is something that should be done over the phone but he can’t. He can’t wrap his head around how this happened. How Emily is gone… just like that.

come to the hospital now.

Is all he manages to type before sending it. His whole body feels numb and this doesn’t feel real. Emily can’t be gone. She can’t be dead. He can’t have lost her again.

“Would you like to sit with her?” The doctor says and Hotch looks up and stares with confusion.

“I’m sorry?” Aaron asks and the Doctor smiles sadly.

“Would you like to sit with her while she goes? Even though she’s been announced brain dead the ventilator is still breathing for her. When you’re ready I will take her off it and for a minute or two she will breathe on her own, before she.. before her heart stops.” He tells him “I thought maybe you’d like to say goodbye.” The doctor explains and Hotch just stands, nodding his head slowly, still unable to accept that this is real. That she’s gone. Because she can’t be. They had a plan.

“Reid..” Hotch says, his voice is brittle, almost glass like and Spencer doesn’t think he’s ever heard him sound so broken. Not even when he was listening to him beg for Haley’s life only two years ago. “Are you coming in?”

“I-” He starts, but he’s frozen. He knows he should go in because he didn’t get to say goodbye last time and he has a chance now… but he can’t move. Nothing seems real as his feet take him out of the hospital and into the rain. It isn’t until Morgan grabs him as he arrives at the hospital entrance, already halfway there to sit with both Spencer and Emily for the night when the text came through. A text he hasn’t seen. He turns Reid towards him and the younger man breaks down. Morgan never gets to say goodbye either, because once again he chose Spencer over Emily, except this time she really is dead, there will be no second chance. This time... Their last conversation would be their final one and as he holds a sobbing Reid in his arms in the rain, tears fall down his own face as his memory brings him back to their final conversation in the car. Their final bitter conversation, both acting like squabbling siblings who didn’t get their own way.

“God,” Morgan sighs, “Do you ever stop complaining?” He groans and Emily pulls a face at him and laughs.

“If I remember correctly, I wasn’t even supposed to be here.” She scoffs.

“Yeah.. you’re supposed to be six feet in the ground.. you know.. since we buried you a year go” He snaps, he regrets it as soon as it comes out of his mouth but she doesn’t have time to reply and he doesn't have time to apologise before the car is being sent flying down a hill. Her head hits something and just like that she’s gone, only back with them long enough for them to try and help her before she falls unconscious with her hand wrapped in Aarons. She never opens her eyes.

The last words Morgan ever says to her were those of rage and lack of sleep, words he would have apologised for saying to her over and over again for weeks afterwards. Now he’ll never get the chance.

Standing with Reid in the rain his only hope is that Spencer is crying because of something else, something entirely different, but as the genius shakes with sobs, his face resting in his neck he knows no amount of praying is going to make that true.

“She died…” Spencer says then, and Morgan feels his world alter and he knows now that everything is going to be different. Nothing is going to stay the same. “I don’t understand.. They said she was improving.” He’s crying still as Morgan holds him in the rain, the man presses a kiss to his head.

“Let’s go inside..” He says and Reid just lets himself be guided inside and back to the waiting room.

Hotch watches Reid run off, before turning to the Doctor and nodding, following the man into the room.

Nothing about her looks different. She’s still connected to the wires, he can still hear the sound of the ventilator pushing air into her lungs, he can still hear the sound of her heartbeat, he looks at the doctor with a frown. None of this makes sense, how is she dead?

“Are you sure she..” Hotch asks softly and the doctor just nods his head.

“I’m sorry,” He says again and Aaron can feel himself growing sick of the words, “There is no brain activity, the second we take her off life support she will no longer be able to breathe by herself, her organs will shut down.. she’ll go peacefully.”

“You said she was improving.” He snaps at the man, tracing a finger down her cheek as he looks away from the doctor.

“She was.” He says, “Sometimes people improve and they wake up, sometimes they deteriorate..”

“You should never have told us she was improving.” He tells the doctor sternly, eyeing him up, “We would have all been here if you hadn’t have told us-” He stops and looks back at her, shaking his head as his fingers linger on her face.

“Agent Hotchner,” The doctor says in a tone that makes Aaron stiffen up, because what else could he possibly have to say that’s worse than right now? Aaron looks over and the man takes a breath.

“It seems that Agent Prentiss was about two weeks pregnant..” He tells him and Aaron’s world shatters around him, he feels it crumble.

“I’m sorry?” He said, “How… What do you mean she was two weeks pregnant? How did this not come up before? How did you not know this?” His voice cracks at the end and he just turns back to face her, holding back his tears.

“Due to all of her other injuries it never occurred for us to check, it says on her chat that she is on birth control..”

“She is.. she was..” He tells her because he remembers now what she was saying about how regulating her periods will take time and if he’s serious about kids then she should come off the pill now, and he’d smiled, agreed and laughed before telling her this wasn’t something she had to excel at. That they had time. Time seems like a sick joke too him now.

“She was?” The doctor asks, before the penny drops and he finds himself looking at the man’s face, finds even more pity, more heartbreak on his behalf rests inside of him. “I am sorry, Sir.”

The doctor tells him she probably didn’t know herself, that she was maybe just past two weeks pregnant when the crash happened but it doesn’t stop Aaron from starting down a shame spiral. He starts to hate himself because he knew she was sick when he let her go to the field that day, he made her get into the car and maybe if he would have paid more attention he would have put two and two together and they’d be together now, planning their future while he palms a hand on her stomach, she’d be laughing because “there is no bump yet” and he’d just shrug, a goofy smile on his face because this is all he’d ever wanted. But in fact, he’ll actually be planning her funeral...and their babies funeral too, he supposes, but he won’t tell anyone that, because if she didn’t get to know about her baby then why should everyone else? He’ll bury the love of his life and their baby and try and pretend the guilt isn’t eating him alive.

“Please leave.” He says softly after a few moments, closing his eyes, “Please.” He says again, he can hear the plea come out of his mouth in a tone that he doesn’t even recognise. The doctor bows his head.

“Of course.” He agrees, “I’ll give you a moment before I come back in.. and we can start the process..”

Hotch doesn’t listen to him after that, just waits for the sound of the door to shut behind him and when it does, a sob escapes from his mouth. He sits on the chair next to her bed, pulling it closer to her and grabs her hand, wrapping it in both of his and bringing it to his lips, tears falling down his face. He brings a hand to her face and gently strokes the back of his fingers across her cheeks, breathing out a shaky breath as he looks down the floor, unable to accept what is happening.

“Emily..” He whispers, looking back at her. “You can’t do this to me. I can’t.. I can't do this without you. Please.” He’s begging and deep down he knows it’s useless but it’s his last hope. “We had a plan, Em. We had a plan.” He says softly as tears fall freely from his eyes, “I love you.. I love you so much and I-” He stops, his voice breaking. He swallows, “I can’t live without you. Please. Just.. Emily please.” He’s crying at her, begging, but it’s useless and he knows this, but he can’t stop. He bows his head and rests her limp hand back in both of his. “I can’t lose you, Em. I won’t make it. I can’t live without you.”

He doesn’t know how long he’s been sat there, his hand latched in her limp ones as he looks at her, taking in every last detail of her, but he knows this isn’t how he’ll remember her.

He’ll remember her laughing on her back as he told her a lame joke while they’re in bed. A smile beaming off her face as her laugh bounces of the walls and into his ears, a sound he craved constantly, a sound he’ll miss most.

He’ll remember her holding him close during the nights where the demons of her past find their way to creep back up on her, using him for comfort. For he was her safe place.

He’ll remember her playing with his son, making him laugh harder than the young boy had in years.

He’ll remember her smile. Her touch. Her voice. The way she made him feel at home.

He’ll always remember the future they planned that now, they’ll never get.

Three Months Ago

“You want to start a family?” She asked him, shocked.

“Don’t you?” He’d said back, raising an eyebrow and she shrugs.

“I’ve thought about it sure but... with this job..” She trailed off, he grabbed her hands to stop her from placing the next plate in the dishwater and pulls her into him, resting both his hands interlocked on her back.

“Then let’s retire.” He’d said. She looked at him with shock, her eyes wide, her mouth agape.

“Are you calling me old?” She’d teased, wrapping her arms around the back of his desk.

“No,” He smirks, “I’m calling you out.” He told her and she frowned in confusion.

“Calling me out? For what?” She’d tilted her head at him and he’d smirked at her, before placing a kiss on her lips. She’d smiled into this kiss before pulling away.

“I’m calling you out on everything.” He told her, “You’re not settling here, Em.” He says, running a hand up her back and the fear in her eyes when he said it told him all he needed to know.

“I’m settled. I’m fine.. we’re fine, Aaron.”

“I know we’re fine,” He nodded, “But you’re not.”

“Aaron-”

“No,” He said over her, “And it’s okay. You went through a lot last year..” He said and she lowered her head, piercing her lips together. “I think it’s the next step,” He’d said, “The right step.”

“To retire?” She questioned, “Aaron.. You love your job-”

“I love you more.” He told her, his eyes bled into hers as she did as she bit her lip to stop herself from grinning. “What do you say?” He asked, a smirk on his face. “Do you want to retire with me?”

“Yes,” She smiled, nodding her head, “I’d love to retire with you.”

“We could live on a farm in the middle of nowhere…” He said, grinning at her.

“Mhmm.” She’d agreed with a grin of her own, “We could get chickens… sheep.” She said.

“There’d be no more unhinged, obsessed unsubs after us..” He joked and she rolled her eyes, “We could be happy.. free.”

“Safe…” She whispered, and he traced a hand up her back again.

“Safe.” He agreed. The way safety was what she craved most made this a done deal for him. “At the end of the year, we’re retiring. Maybe we’ll get married and have a baby along the way.” He grinned and she laughed, nodding her head.

“You’re so sure of yourself, Hotchner..” She teased, before crashing her lips into his, “I’ll need a ring first.” She’d whispered against his mouth, before laughing and pulling away from him, taking his hand and leading him through the house, a grin on her face.

The sound of the door opening pulls him from his memory and he wipes his eyes before looking, only to find the doctor coming back in.

“Are you ready?” He asks gently, a sad look in his eyes that tells Hotch he hates this just as much and it makes him want to scream.

Aaron looks back down at her, piercing his lips together so he doesn’t cry. He closes his eyes and shakes his head, holding her hand tighter because no he’s not ready. he can’t do it. She can’t be dead because they had a plan. They were going to wait until the end of the year and retire together and move away because even though she stayed she isn’t really there and he knows that moving away to a small town and starting a family is what they need to do. It’s what they planned to do and so how is she dead?

“How is.. how is she dead?” Hotch whispers and if the room wasn’t as silent as it was the doctor wouldn’t have even heard him.

“She fought for as long as she could,” He tells Hotch, “She was strong. But sometimes people just aren’t able to recover from their injuries.”

Aaron doesn’t reply, he just looks at her once again, before nodding his head to the doctor.

It’s time, he thinks.

“Okay.” The doctor says softly and begins to untube her. There’s a loud breath sound that comes from her chest and he closes his eyes, swallowing down the lump forming in his throat.

“She’ll breathe on her own for a minute or two, before she goes.” He tells him, “Say your goodbyes. I’ll be just outside. When the machine beeps, you can press this button here and it will go off.” He explains, before leaving the man to it.

“I’ll love you forever,” Hotch says, pressing a kiss into her forehead. He feels around for the box in his blazer pocket, pulling it out and staring at the ring.

“I got this the day after we decided to retire.. move on.. start a family.” He whispers, clearing his throat. “We had so much planned, Em.” He says, “It’s not fair.” His voice cracks and he bows his head, pinching his fingers into the corner of his eyes as though it will stop the pain in his chest.

He pulls the ring out of the box and holds it, “I think you would have liked it,” He smiles, “The moment I saw it I knew.. I knew it was your ring.”

He finds the necklace is his other pocket, and loops the ring through it, before slowly clasping the necklace around her neck, the ring and her cross dangling down on her chest.

“I miss you already.” He whispers, running his fingers though her hair and down her cheek, “Jack.. he’ll..” He swallows, “I’ll make sure he remembers you, what you meant to him. What he meant to you.”

The monitor starts to beep unevenly then and he shakes his head, placing a hand on the side of her face softly, tears running down his cheeks.

“Not yet, please.” He whispers. “Please just stay with me. Just a little longer.” He begs, his voice is a cry at this point but he can’t find it in himself to care because the woman he loves is dying, she’s dying right in front of him and he can’t do anything but watch. Watch and accept that it’s all too late.

As the machine jumps again he shakes his head, “No,” He pleads, to who, he isn’t sure.

David Rossi runs into the hospital exactly twenty minutes after he got the text from Reid. He’s praying for good news, he doesn’t think it could be anything else, she was improving, wasn’t she?

He turns the corner into the waiting room and the sight of Reid crying into Morgan’s chest as the older man stares blankly ahead, running a hand down the geniuses back even as tears roll down his own face stops him in his tracks.

“Agent Rossi?” He hears someone call him and he turns in the direction of the voice to be met with her doctor.

“No..” Dave says, shaking his head. “She can’t be..”

“I’m so sorry.” The doctor tells him and the older man bows his head, rubbing a hand over his face as his heart falls into the ground.

“When?”

“I’ve just taken her off life support.” He says, “Agent Hotchner is with her now.. which is why I called you over here”

Rossi looks back at the doctor.

“She’s brain dead.. but in order for us to call time of death, her heart needs to stop.”

“Okay…” Dave says, struggling to see where he comes into this.

“Agent Hotchner won’t...” The doctor takes a breath and sighs. “He’s having a hard time accepting that she’s… dead.” He says, “Because she’s breathing on her own due to the ventilators oxygen still in her lungs it can be difficult for people to accept the situation at hand…”

“Can I go in?” Rossi asks and the doctor nods.

Dave enters the room and almost falls to the floor at the sight of Aaron pressing his hands into her chest gently, tears falling down his eyes. He’s sobbing, but he doesn’t think he’s aware of that.

As he presses his hands into her chest, begging for the life to come back to her, there's a hand on his shoulder that causes him to jump and when he turns around. The sight of Rossi, grief stricken as he looks at him makes Hotch nauseous. He shakes his head.

“I can’t let her go.. please. I can’t.” Hotch says brokenly, Rossi nods, reaching over and placing his hand hard against his, stilling the action.

“I know.” Dave whispers, “But you have to. We all do.”

Aaron turns back to her and bows his head, his whole body shaking with cries as Rossi keeps his hands still with the pressure of his own.

Aaron fights against the harsh grip Dave has on his hand, Dave sets his hands free, only to pull the man backwards. Aaron fights against him, shaking his head. As the sound of the machine’s loud, long beep, signalling her death echoes around the room, Hotch almost drops onto the floor sobbing, only to hit the chair on the way down and all Dave can do is just look at her. Another child loved and lost.

They’re removed from the room a few minutes later and Aaron just walks over to a chair and sits, tears rolling down his face but.. he can’t feel anything. His whole body feels numb. He’s heartbroken, shattered, he doesn’t think he can come back from this. It’s too much.

“Agent Hotchn-” A nurse starts to say but Rossi shakes his head and goes to her instead.

“Is there something else?” He asks and the nurse looks at him sadly.

“We need a signature for the death certificate..” She explains and Rossi nods.

“I can do it.” He says and the nurse leads him towards the desk.

JJ was picking the boys up from their playdates when she got the text. She brings Jack and Henry to the hospital with her, because all the text said from Reid was ‘come to the hospital’ and Emily was improving right? So it's good news?

She walks in with the boys at either side, freezing when she sees Hotch staring into the distance, zoned out completely and Reid and Morgan crying silently in the corner

She goes to take the boys out and call Will because they can’t find out here, not even she wants to find out here but it’s too late, Jack’s running towards his father and the look on Hotch’s face when he sees him is enough to make JJ wish that she never saw the text in the first place. If she never saw the text then this isn’t real and her best friend isn’t dead and that little boy isn’t going to have to find out he’s lost another person he loved in the hospital waiting room surrounded by strangers.

Hotch wipes his tears and quickly stands, heading towards his son.

“Daddy!” He cheers, his big grin almost enough to make Hotch smile. Almost. “Can we see Emmy again?”

“Buddy..” He says, leaning down to his level and grabbing the boys small hands, “About Emily..”

“Is she okay?” He asks, worry in his face and Hotch wishes he could say yes. she’s fine. she’s waiting to see you. But he can’t. Not this time.

“Jack.. buddy.” He says, “No.. She’s not okay.”

“Why?” He asks, and Hotch closes his eyes, taking a breath.

“Emily got very sick again and this time they couldn’t save her.”

“What?” Jack whispers, shaking his head. “But you said-”

“I’m sorry, Jack.” Aaron says, forcing himself not to cry, but the little boy just shakes his head.

“But you said she was just sleeping?” Jack says as he stares at his dad, the sadness in his eyes piercing a hole into Aaron’s already shattered heart.

“I know, buddy. But she was very very sick and sometimes-” He begins to say to his son but he stops, because even he can’t put his mind around how she went down hill so quickly, so how is he expected to give an explanation to his son? He takes a breath and runs a hand up Jack’s arm, holding back his own tears while he puts his son first. “I’m sorry, Jack. But Emily’s gone, buddy.” The tremble in his voice as he says those words to his six year old are nothing compared to the shout he releases.

“No!” He shouts again, “I saw her yesterday! She was fine! She was sleeping!” There’s tears running down his face and everyone in the hospital is looking at him and he wishes he’d had this conversation with him at home, but JJ had come right to the hospital after picking both him and Henry up. He can’t blame her for bringing him here, how was she to know that Emily was dead?

“Jack..” Aaron tries to soothe him but the boy is too worked up, too heartbroken, too confused.

“Daddy.. you’re wrong!” He says, his little little voice breaks at the end of his sentence as tears trail down his face like a waterfall. “You’re wrong!” He shouts, before taking off in a run and almost knocking Hotch over on his way. He’s on his way to the room he knows Emily is in, because he was just in there with her yesterday, he read her a story and held her hand and begged for her to come back. Hotch gets up quickly and chases after his son, running on the only thought that his son can not see Emily lay lifeless on the bed, even he wishes he could unsee it, he can’t imagine what it would do to a six year old. Jack is almost at the door when Hotch grabs him, picking him up and pulling him into his chest. The boy is all kicks and screams as he refuses to be held there.

“Let me go, Daddy!” He shouts, “I don’t believe you! She’s okay! You’re wrong!” He’s crying now and his sobs are coming from his chest and the pain in them is enough to make Hotch wish he himself was dead, just so he didn’t have to hear the gut wrenching sobs of his six year old as he shouts for the dead woman he’d become so attached too.

“Emmy!” The boy cries, pushing around in his dads hold once again before stopping and looking at him. The boy swallows and stops fighting when he see’s tears falling down his fathers face, he brings his little hand up and wipes it, a hiccup leaving his chest before he breaths and his lip starts trembling.

“Emmy went to Mommy, didn’t she?” Jack whispers, his little voice breaking enough that the sentence almost cuts off at the end.

“Yeah, Buddy.” Hotch whispers back, “I’m sorry.” He says and Jack just rests his head in his fathers neck and cries silently, taking some deep breathes Emily had thought him to do when he got himself worked up. Another mother he had loved, another mother he had lost.

As Hotch tries to console his son, gently shushing him as he paces the hospital waiting room, holding back his own grief to help his son, Garcia runs in. JJ is on the phone with Henry on her hips, turned away from her and so she carries on towards the cries of a little boy. The cries she hopes isn’t coming from the boy she thinks it is.

The sight in front of her makes her drop her bags and everyone looks at her. Morgan stands then, giving Reid’s hand a squeeze before heading to her. She’s shaking her head as he gets closer.

“Baby girl..” He whispers and she holds her hands out to stop him from getting closer.

“Don’t say it.” She whispers, shaking her head. “Don’t you dare say it.”

“She’s gone, Penelope..” He tells her and the woman cries, almost dropping to the floor as Morgan catches her, pulling her into him.

“What happened?” She cries, shaking her head as it rests in his chest, “She was..they said she was improving!”

“I don’t know, baby girl.” He whispers, “I don’t know.”

“Where is she?” She asks, pulling him his hold and he wipes her tears.

“She’s in there,” He tells her, “But she’s gone, baby girl. She’s dead.”

Penelope just shakes her head and folds herself back into his hold, sobs heaving from her chest as she cries for her friend.

Dave walks back into the waiting room and his already broken heart breaks even more when he finds his family crying in there, Morgan and Penelope holding each other close, JJ taking a seat next to Reid with Henry in her arms, the little boy reaching for his favourite uncle, the five year old not understand why he was so sad. Aaron holding his son close to his chest while the boy cries, the two Hotchner’s crying for the woman they we’re supposed to have in their lives forever. He walks over to Aaron, rubbing a hand over the little boys back and his sad little eyes look at him. The pain in the boy’s eyes make’s Dave wish he could take all of his grief for himself. He’s so young and he’s lost so much. It just isn’t fair. “Hey, buddy.” He says softly, the boy blinks, not even a smile graces his lips as he stares at him. Aaron leans his chin on he boys head as he holds him, wishing he could change this. Wishing that there was a way to bring her back.

“Emmy died, Uncle Dave..” The boy says sadly, another set of tears rolling down his face.

“I know...” He says softly, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Have you called Jessica?” He asks Hotch, who shakes his head.

“No.” He whispers, he can’t talk any louder than that. This whole body aches with grief and he just can’t do it anymore. “Could you-”

“Of course.” He says, before pulling out his phone and dialling her number, sending Hotch another sad smile before walking away.

He tells Jessica the news and the woman gasps, before telling him she’ll be there as soon as she can.

“How are they?” She asks him and Dave just sighs.

“They’re.. as you would expect.”

“I’m on my way,” She tells him, “Tell Aaron I’ll stay with him and Jack for as long as he needs.”

“I’m sure he already knows.” Dave smiles, “I’ll see you soon.” He says and the call ends.

He’s about to head back to the team when he hears footsteps behind him, he turns to find Will racing towards his family and he nods in greeting.

“Hi.” JJ says sadly as she passes her son over to him, Will takes her into his arms, kissing her head gently as he rests his son on his hip.

“I’m sorry sorry, love.” He whispers and JJ nods. “Have you told him?”

“Not yet, I don’t think I can.” JJ says, her head rested in his neck.

“Okay,” He says softly, “Let’s go over there shall we?” He suggests and JJ nods, following slowly behind her two boys and wishing more than anything that this is just a bad dream. That she’ll wake up and none of this would have happened.

“What’s going on Mommy? Why is everyone so sad?” He asks in his little voice and JJ swallows before bending down in front of him, Will next to her. “Where’s Auntie Em?”

“Baby..” She whispers, “I have to tell you something.” She says. “You know how Auntie Em was sleeping while she got better?” The boy nods, swinging his legs on the seat.

“Jack said that she should be up soon and that she would take us to see Sergio.”

JJ looks down, her heart breaking in her chest as she takes a breath. Will takes her hand and looks at their son.

“Well..” He starts, “Sometimes when people are really really sick.. they don’t wake up.” Will tells his son gently, “And Em tried really hard to wake up but she was too poorly and so she had to go the angel..”

“Like Nanny?” He asks, his eyes wide as he stares at his parents. JJ nods and runs a hand over her sons head.

“Yeah baby,” She says, “Like Nanny.”

“But..” Henry stutters, “But Jack said that he would wake up.” There’s tears threatening to fall from his eyes and he jumps into his parents arms.

Jessica runs straight past them and towards Dave, who he can see leaning against a wall staring at nothing. Her heart is hammering in her chest and she reaches where the team are sat, she looks around until she spots them. Aaron and Jack. Jack in his dads arms as the man is sat, staring into space.

“Hey..” She says, heading over. Aaron stands up while Jessica runs a hand down his backs.

“I’m so sorry, Aaron.” She tells him, he nods.

“Yeah..” He whispers. Jack looks at his Aunt and holds out his hand, she takes it and places a kiss into it.

“Emmy died.” He whispers and Jessica nods, before trading a finger across his cheeks to wipe his tears.

“I’m sorry, baby.” She whispers and he closes his eyes. Aaron rests his chest on the boys head once again when he feels his son sigh against him.

“Why don’t I take him home while you do what you need to do here?” Jessica suggests, “I’ll stay with you for as long as you need.”

“Thank you.” Hotch whispers, going to pass Jack over to her and the boy shakes his head.

“No Daddy.” He says, “I don’t wanna leave.. Emmy is here.” He tells him and Aaron actually doesn’t think he’s ever felt heartbreak like this in his life.

“You don’t want to go home?” Jessica asks softly, Jack shakes his head, before closing his eyes and then nodding. He’s tired, he’s sad and he doesn’t want to be here anymore. What he wants is Emily.

“Are you coming home Daddy?” He asks and Hotch nods, kissing the boys head.

“I’ll be home really soon.” He tells him and the boy nods, allowing Hotch to place him on his feet. The boy takes Jessica’s hand and lets her guide him out of the hospital. He sends a small wave to Dave as he passes him and the man waves back.

Just as they’re passing JJ, Will and Henry, no one could have imagined the explosion that would come next.

Henry spots Jack heading towards the exit and he stands.

“You lied.” He says to Jack, who turns to face him with wide eyes. “You said to me that she would be fine. You lied.” The five year old tells his friend and JJ takes her son and shakes her head.

“Henry, stop.” JJ tells him but the boy shakes his head.

“He lied, Mommy!” He shouts, “He told me Auntie Em would be okay but she isn’t! He lied!”

Jack looks up at Jessica, who gently tries to guide the boy of the hospital with an understanding smile to JJ and Will.

“I didn’t lie..” He says, “I didn’t!” He shouts.

“I know,” Jessica smiles sadly, “Come on.”

Henry steps past his parents and runs towards Jack, only to be held back and grabbed by his father.

“You’re a liar!” Henry cries, “You lied to me.” He’s sobbing as he shouts and Jack just stares at him, his lip quivering. “I hate you! You’re a liar and you lied! And I hate you!”

The loud shouts coming from a sobbing boy get the attention of Aaron and Dave, who walk over to find Henry screaming at Jack as his parents try to get him to stop.

Jack runs towards his father when he spots him and jumps into his arms, crying loudly as he wraps himself around him.

“I didn’t lie, Daddy!” The boy cries, “I didn’t.”

“Okay..” Aaron says, looking back at JJ who stares at him, mortified at her son's outburst. Hotch looks away first and he knows he shouldn’t be mad at her. That Henry is just five and he can’t understand this, not really. But his son just lost a woman he loved like a second mother, a woman who he cared so much for and so he looks away and kisses his son's head, because he is mad. He’s so mad at everything.

“I want Emmy!” The boy screams while he sobs, “Emmy!” He shouts, almost as if he thinks if he shouts loud enough she’ll come back and hug him, whisper to him that its okay, just like she had done in the past.

JJ looks at her son as Will picks him up.

“I’m going to take him home.” Will tells her and she nods. “You stay for as long as you need.”

“I.. no.” She says, shaking her head, “I can’t be here any longer. I can’t-” She stops, “I won’t be long.” She tells him and he nods, taking a seat and comforting their crying son while she walks back towards her team.

Jessica takes Jack again and as they pass JJ on the way out her heart breaks at the boy's cries. Closing her eyes she takes a breath and carries on walking. Penelope looks at her as she sits in the middle of both Morgan and Reid, the three of them silent, grieving, shocked and just.. unable to believe that Emily is really gone this time. That she’s really dead.

“Hotch..” She says and the man turns to face her, “About Henry.. I.. I’m so sorry. He just-”

“It’s fine. JJ.” He tells her, “They’re just kids.”

“Still. He shouldn’t have said what he did.” JJ tells him and Hotch hums and sits down on the chair, exhaling a breath and closing his eyes.

“What happened?” She whispers and Aaron shakes his head.

“I don’t know.” He tells her, “She just..” He trails off and looks down, “She was fine and then she wasn’t. They said sometimes people can just.. become brain dead overnight..”

“Brain dead? How?”

“Her injuries were too severe, they say she must have just.. died. I don’t know, Jennifer.” He sighs and she swallows, nodding her head.

“She was alone..” She says sadly and Hotch shakes his head.

“No they...” He starts, “They let me sit with her while they took her off life support.”

He took her off the ventilator because he wasn’t thinking straight and it didn’t occur to him that the others might want to say goodbye because all he could think about was how she was dying. She was dying right in front of him. He didn’t think, could think of anything else until Garcia is staring at him with tearful eyes.

“You took her off it without letting me.. us say goodbye?” She asks as she appears at JJ’s side.

Aaron looks up and stares at her, his heart dropping into his stomach.

“You didn’t call? You didn’t… You didn’t wait… until we were all here? Until we could see her?” Her voice breaks and there’s tears running down her eyes, he didn’t think his heart could even break anymore but he was wrong.

“Garcia I-”

“How long were you in there? How much longer was it until we got here… how could you not have waited? You should have waited!” She's shouting now and it grabs the attention of the men. Morgan rushes over as Reid follows slowly behind, Dave heading over from the other direction.

Aaron stands but he’s silent because what can he say? There’s nothing to say because she’s right.

“You pulled the plug without letting us know? Without letting us say goodbye?” JJ asks and she’s taken a step back, a hand over her stomach as it flips and she thinks she might be sick.

“Enough.” Dave says as he walks over. “Do you think this is what she would want? She’d want us to all be there for each other, not tear each other apart.”

“What she would have wanted was for us to have a chance to say goodbye. That’s what she would have wanted.” Morgan snaps.

“Why, for the second time did take her away without allowing us to say goodbye to her..” Garcia cries, her eyes burning into his and he has to look away. “How could you unplug her without letting me know?” She asks with a cracked voice and a painful tone “How have you done this to me twice?” She cries at him.

“I’m sorry.” He tells them and Morgan scoffs, shaking his head and walks off. JJ takes Garcia’s arm and slowly moves her away and the two women sit away from him, tears down their faces. Reid takes a seat next to Aaron as the older man falls down into it and Rossi just stands, looking around at the divided group and wonders how their going to carry on without her.

Reid bows his head as his shoulder shakes and Aaron looks over at him.

The younger man blames himself and it’s obvious. “They could have saved her if it wasn’t for me. If I tried harder but.. but I didn’t and now she’s dead” Reid tells him, “It’s my fault.”

“It’s not your fault, Reid.” Hotch tells him, “There’s nothing you could have done.”

“How do you know that?” Reid asks and Aaron looks at him.

“She was gone the minute she lost consciousness, Reid. There’s nothing you could have done.”

Spencer looks away and watches as Morgan walks over and takes a seat at Rossi's side a few feet away. Spencer tries to catch his eye but Morgan can’t even look at him.

“I put him first and now she’s dead, I don’t think I will ever forgive myself for that..” Morgan says quietly to Rossi and the older man looks at him.

“This isn’t your fault. It isn’t his either.” Dave tells him, “You’re going to need each other.”

“I was right here, Rossi.” He tells him, “I was right here when Hotch pulled the plug but I was with Spencer and...If I’d have chosen her, I could have stopped him. I could have said goodbye. The last words I said to her.. they were vile and bitter and I will never forgive myself for those being the last words I say to her.” He sighs, refusing to allow the tears brewing in his eyes to fall. “I was right here, Rossi.”

“I’m sure she knows you didn’t mean them. She knows what she meant to you, Derek.”

“Did she?” He asks and Rossi nods.

“She knew. She always knows.”

JJ and Garcia are the first to leave. Garcia gives Hotch one last look before leaving, still unable to accept that he didn’t let her say goodbye. That he took her from them all again, without telling them.

Morgan then heads over to Reid and takes his hand, nodding a goodbye to Aaron before leading the younger man out of the hospital.

Dave takes a seat next to Aaron.

“Let’s get you home.” He says and Aaron just shakes his head.

“This can’t be happening..” He whispers, “How-”

“I’m so sorry, Aaron.” Dave tells him, “But you should go home.. be with your son.”

“I can’t leave without her..”

“She’s gone, Aaron.” Rossi tells him, “It’s time to go.”

Hotch looks up and takes a deep breath, before nodding and standing up.

“I’ll drive,” He says, “Come on.”

Aaron arrives home and as he walks through the door, the first thing he sees is her coat on the hanger and a pair of her shoes in the stand and he realises then that there’s so much of her in this apartment.

Jessica comes into the hall and sends him a sad smile.

“Jacks asleep,” She tells him, “I’ll be back first thing in the morning, okay?”

“Thank you.”

“I’m really sorry, Aaron. I know how much you loved her.”

“Yeah.” He breaths, running a hand over his face.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Mhm.”

The door shuts and locks behind her as he takes himself to bed, pulling off his suit and just climbs in, not even bothering with anything else.

He trails a hand over the side of the bed where she should be and more tears fall down his cheeks as his heart just continues to ache in his chest so painfully he thinks it might kill him. He pulls her pillow into his chest and presses his face into it, her scent filling his senses as he cries silently for the woman he loved and lost. He knows nothing will ever be the same now, that everything is different.

He doesn’t know how he’s going to live without her. He never planned too.

He doesn’t remember falling asleep but when he wakes, he hums and throws his arm across the bed, expecting to feel Emily lay there. When he doesn’t he frowns and turns, wondering where she could be. He almost sits up and looks for her and that’s when he remembers. Oh. He stares at the ceiling as tears flood his eyes and he can’t breathe anymore. It’s been one day without her and already it feels as though he can’t live without her. For just a few moments when he woke up he had forgotten she was dead, forgotten that he’d watched her take her last breath before being taken out the room by.. he doesn’t know who by. He hears Jack running down the hall towards the bedroom and he knows he should sit up and be strong for hi son, because it what he needs, he needs his father. But he can’t. The grief he feels is so consuming and so overbearing that all he can do is close his eyes and take a deep breath.

Jack wakes up with a gasp, tears running down his face. He looks around and everything looks the same, everything feels the same and so it must have been a dream right? Right?

He gets up and runs to their room, to Emmy and his Dad because he has to see them, he has to jump on the bed and rest between the two of them like he does every morning, with one hand rested gently Emily’s because she would probably still be sleeping, she normally is when he jumps in. As he opens the door and walks in and finds her spot empty, he tilts his head in confusion and looks at his father as the man looks at him, his head still on the pillow.

“Where’s Emmy?” He asks, looking towards the bathroom and finding the door open, so she’s not in there. His Dad doesn't answer and he looks back at him, confused as his heart hammers in his chest as what he thought was a dream flahses before his eyes.

“What?” Hotch asks him, his voice is horse and it sounds like a cry on his lips as he speaks and Jack just stares at him,

“Emmy..” He says again, “I had a dream that..” But he looks at the pain written all over his face and he feels everything change in that moment, “Oh.” He whispers, looking the floor. He takes a deep breath as he process the event from the day before.

Hotch turns away as he feels tears fall onto his cheek, he doesn’t have the energy to stop them. It's then that he feels his son climb into bed with him and when the boy rests his head on his chest, he wraps his arms around him.

“I miss Emmy.” The boy whispers and Aaron inhales before swallowing.

“Me too..” He replies back softly, kissing the boy's head.

“It’s not fair.” The boy mumbles, “Why did she have to go?”

“I don’t know, buddy.” He sighs, “Sometimes the best people are the first ones to go.”

“Like Mommy too?” He questions in a small voice and Aaron takes a deep breath.

“Yeah buddy,” He agrees, “Like Mommy too.”

“I wish they didn’t go away.”

“Me too,” Hotch whispers. Jack closes his eyes and he pulls himself into his Dad more and rests his head on his stomach, falling back into a restless slumber once again as he feels his heart hurt without his Mommy or Emmy here to hold him.

“Please don’t go away, too.” He whispers in a small voice and Hotch wants to sob. He wants to sob because no six year old should have to ask their father to not die. No six year old should be so surrounded by death that it’s something he thinks about.

“I won’t.” He tells him, “Not for a very long time.”

“Do you promise?” The boy asked, pressing his small hand into Hotch’s.

“I promise.” He tells him and Jack nods, lack of sleep and emotional exhaustion over taking his little body.

Aaron falls back to sleep not longer after with tears falling down his face, while he wonders why Emily had to die. Why they couldn’t have been happy.

Three hours later and Jessica let’s herself into the house, keys hanging from her fingers and she frowns at the silence of the home. She had expected the two Hotchner’s to completely be full of life but she had thought they’d be sat on the sofa, Jack eating his breakfast. He was six. Even in times like this he needed routine. Maybe even more in a time like this. She starts to walk towards the master bedroom when a picture catches her eye and she stops, picking up the frame and taking a deep breath. She remembers taking that exact photo at Jack’s sixth birthday just under eight months ago. She remembers how she had to keep the new relationship between her ex brother-in-law and Emily a secret from everyone, even though they were doing a pretty poor job of hiding it themselves. She remembers she’d gotten out her camera to take some pictures of Jack when she saw the three of them standing in their own little bubble. Jack on Emily’s hips while they laughed at something Aaron was saying, Jack with cake on his finger on his way to poke it into his father's face.. she remembers taking the candid photo and smiling. She’d printed all the photos off a few days later and when she’d seen that one she had to frame and give it to Aaron, and she did. She can still remember the smile on his face when he looked at it and thanked her.

They were so happy. So in love. And it crushes her that Emily is gone. She strokes her finger across it sadly before placing it back down, smiling at the one of Jack and Haley next to it and running a finger down her sister's face.

“You better be looking after her up there,” She whispers, “Your son adored her, ask her for some stories.”

She heads into the master bedroom and leans against the door frame with a sad smile on her face at what she sees. Jacks lay on his dad’s chest, arms around him and Aaron lay on his back, his head tilted into a pillow that lay next to him, she imagines it’s Emily’s and that breaks her heart even more.

They’re both passed out asleep, their breathing even and she doesn’t want to wake them. Not when this is probably the only peace they’re getting. She knows far too much about loss to rob them that.

She walks back into the main room and sits on the couch, taking a deep breath and grabbing the first magazine she sees, flicking through the pages as she waits for one or both of the boys to rise.

Jack gets up first and he rubs his hand over his eyes as he yawns, forgetting for a few moments that Emily is dead and jumps out of bed too look for her, only to stop in his path instantly when he does, but he’s in the living room at that point and Jessica is looking at him.

“Hey baby,” She smiles, patting the spot next to her for him, “You feeling okay?”

“Emmy is gone..” He says sadly and Jess nods as he walks to her slowly, climbing up and leaning his head on her arm. “Everyone was going away, Aunt Jess.” He says sadly, “Please will you not go away?” He asks her, just like did he Hotch.

“I won’t,” She whispers, “I’m right here.”

“Daddy is really sad..” Jack tells her in a soft tone, his hand grasping hers as though he’s trying to make sure she doesn’t go anywhere. “He misses Emmy.”

“He’ll be sad for awhile, baby.” Jessica says to him, clasping her hand gently in his as his fingers wrap over hers, “It’s okay if you're sad too.” She whispers to him and he lifts his head to look at her, his cheek squished on her arm.

“Emmy was my bestest friend…” He whispers to her and the sad tone that lingers in his voice cracks her chest in half, “She said I was hers too but we couldn't tell Daddy because he would get jealous.” There's a giggle in his voice and a small smile on his face as he speaks about her and Jessica wants to cry for him, for the bond they had, for how much all three of them should have had.

“I’m sure he would.” Jessica grinned down at him and the young boy giggles once again.

One month ago

Jack rested his head on Emily’s arm and sighed, before yawning and closing his eyes.

“Tired?” Emily had asked him and the by just mumbled a response, nodding his head against her arm. She sat up and dragged him with her playfully, hoping him down onto the floor in front of her, his cheeky smile looking back at her.

“What do you want to read?” She’d asked as he took her hand, all but dragging her with him.

“I got this new book from school today…” He suggested, she smiles in response and as he climbs into bed, he yawns again. She ruffled his hair as he lay down and tucks the quilts in at his side while she sat next to him next to his legs.

“I think we skip reading tonight Mister, because you,” She’d said, and pokes his nose, “Are exhausted.”

“Tomorrow?” He’d asked, she nodded. “Emmy?” He said, his voice and high in the tone of a question.

“Yeah?” She responded in the same way. He looked at her for a few moments.

“You are my bestest friend.” He’d told her, and she felt her heart explode. She held back the tears and smiled right back at him.

“Well..and we have to keep this a secret okay, because Daddy will get very jealous.” She jokes with a smile, “But you’re my bestest friend too.”

The grin he beamed at her after she’d spoken made her heart melt in her chest and he kissed his fingers before placing them on her head and she laughed.

“Thank you.” She smiled, before leaning over, kissing his forehead and turning his lamp off.

“Goodnight.” She said, standing at the door, he smiled and curled himself further into the bed.

“Goodnight.” He repeated, smiling to himself as the door shut.

While Jack thinks back to a happier time he, Emily and his father had spent together, in the other room Aaron is in another restless slumber. He was so emotionally exhausted and so heartbroken and he just missed her so much that every time he closed his eye he saw her face. Her smile. Her laugh. Her reaching out to touch him before being dragged backwards and no matter how hard he tries he just can’t get to her and once again he’s pulled from his sleep with a gasp as she falls through his fingers.

He sits up and tries to catch his breath, tears rolling down his eyes as he closes his eyes. He looks over to his left, half expecting her to wrap an arm over him and pull him into her, kiss him on the head and ask him what it was about. He was no stranger to night terrors. Neither of them were. But, of course, she isn’t there, she never will be again. Because she’s gone, and he can’t handle it. His grief consumes him as all he can feel is an overwhelming sense of loss, sadness and pain. It’s numbing. He lays back down on the bed and stares at the ceiling, his mind running wild with her but also just emptiness at the same time, as though he is drawing in his own grief and he can’t escape it. It’s consuming him and he can’t even think about getting out of bed because what’s the point? The woman he loves is dead and. He had to watch her die and he could do nothing. Emily is dead and it's all his fault.

She wasn’t even supposed to be in the car. He’d made her go with them. She was supposed to stay at the station with him and Rossi but he had been nervous sending them to a suspect's house whose first language was Spanish without a fluent Spanish speaker, and so he had asked her to go.

“Aaron…” She sighs because she had been unwell all day, having caught Jack’s stomach bug he’d had last week. “Please.” She says, standing and placing two hands on his shoulder, “Don’t say it.”

He smiles at her, “Sorry.” He says, she groans and drops her head, he looks around and notices everyone around them preoccupied and places both of his hands on her back and pulls her into him. “You’re the only one who speaks Spanish.”

“Reid speaks Spanish..” She says softly, resting her head on his shoulders and wraps her arms under his suit and that tells him she is a lot more sick than she had been letting on. Neither of them were a big fan of PDA at work, so this caused worry to rise in his gut, (He’ll learn later that the feeling in his gut wasn’t because she was sick. He’ll also learn that she had not caught the stomach bug. he’ll forever wish he had listened to that gut instinct and kept her in his arms.) Instead he lifted his hand to her forehead and rested her chin on the top of her head.

“Reid speaks everything except Spanish, I think.” He chuckles, “Your temperature has gone down.” He tells her, she hums in response. “I am sorry.” He tells her, “If I didn’t think you had to go, you wouldn’t be.”

“I know.” She says, yawning and pulling herself from his arms, looking up at him. “You owe me.” She smirks and he chuckles, nodding his head.

“I’m sure I can think of something.” He smiles, double checking everyone left in the station at this time is looking elsewhere, before catching her lips in a kiss quick.

“Hmm,” She says as they separate, “What was that for?”

“I love you,” He smiles, unsure of why the desire to tell her that had come over him, but her blush as she bites her lip makes his heart flutter.

“I love you too.” She smiles, stealing another kiss before backing away, “I’ll see you soon.”

“Be careful.” He tells her and she nods, “I’ll see you soon.”

The ‘I’ll see you soon’ will forever remain the last words they’d exchanged, and he holds his breath out of relief, and counts himself somewhat lucky, because they’d said I love you moments before, and not many people get that.

His team didn’t get that, and the guilt of it being his fault chips away at him almost as much as losing her does. But not quite.

There is a knock at his bedroom door then, that forces him to sit up and swing his legs so his feet are on the floor, he takes a deep breath that almost feels painful, and says “Come in.” In a voice he doesn't even recognize as his own.

“Hey,” Jessica says as she pokes her head through the door, “I’m thinking of taking Jack out for some breakfast to try and get his mind off… everything. I think it would be good for you too, for both of you.” Jessica says softly. Aaron looks to the floor, placing his head in his hands as he sighs.

“Not today,” He tells her, “I was about to shower, actually.” He lies, because he wasn't. He can still smell her on him, he doesn’t want that scent gone. Not yet. Not ever.

“Jack’s worried about you.” Jessica tells her, “I know it’s only been a few hours but-”

“But what?” He asks, “Jess, please. I.. I can’t do this right now, okay? It’s not even been a full day.”

“Okay,” She says with a nod, “I’ll take him for breakfast. Would you like anything?”

“No, thank you.” He says, a sad smile on his lips but even the sad smile is fake.

“It will get easier, Aaron. I know how much you loved her, I do, but you have a Six year old who loved her just as much.. He’s grieving too. Be there.”

“Yeah..” He mutters, before listening for the bedroom door to shut and when it does, he crawls himself back into bed and holds her pillow close, he can still smell her on it. Closing his eyes, more tears fall down his face as he thinks of her and how he really can not do this without her.

They get back from breakfast and Jess doesn't expect to find him dressed and ready for the day but she at least thought he would have got himself out of bed. The silence of the home tells her that he is in fact still cocooned in the bed and she decides to let him, because he was right, it hadn't even been one day. She had passed late last night, the exact time she isn’t sure, but she definitely knows that woman could not have been day even ten hours yet and so she lets him wallow. She distracts Jack with books and movies and lets him tell stories about the woman they’ve just lost and hopes that tomorrow is a better day for them.

Two days after the death of Emily Prentiss Aaron Hotchner gets out of bed for the first time. It’s barely six am but he gets himself up and into the shower. He spots her body wash and shampoo in the corner and almost drops to the floor in sobs, but with a deep breath he picks up her shampoo and smells it, the familiar scent of vanilla filling his nose and he can feel the tears coming down his face and even though he tells himself its the water, that he’s getting through this and it will all be okay, a voice in the back of his head tells him different, he worries if that’s the voice that will win.

Out of the shower, he doesn't feel any better, not like he really thought he would have. There was still an overbearing ache in his chest when he remembers she’s dead and there's still an overwhelming pain in his body when he remembers he’ll never see her again, never hear her laugh, never touch her, feel her. She’s just gone, forever, no matter what he does or how many times he begs or prays she isn't going to come back to him and as he stares at her toothbrush next her his, her left over makeup from their date night last weekend and her towel behind the door he realises that she was so integrated into his life.. Into his heart, that the loss of her may in fact be his undoing.

Three hours later and he is sat on the couch with Jack, the boy watching a film he knows Jack and Emily had watched together weeks ago while he eats some fruit but Hotch just stares into nothing, his thoughts all consumed by Emily. With how much he loved her. With how much they had planned. With how much little time they had together because three years ago he was too scared to tell her how he felt and then before he knew it was she dying on the floor of a warehouse in Boston and he told himself if she came back from that he would tell her, that he would tell her everything.. How he felt, how long he felt it and what he wanted. Then she made it.. But at the same time she didn't and she was packed off to Paris before he even got a chance to talk to her and so when she arrived back at the BAU ten months later, after they caught and killed Ian Doyle he took himself to her hotel room and he kissed her.

Eleven months ago

Arriving at her hotel room his palms started to sweat, he took a deep breath before knocking on the door, his heart hammering in her chest because, what if she doesn't feel the same? The door opens just a few moments after he knocks.

“Hotch?” She questions, “What are you doing here?” She looks at him with so much confusion that it makes him almost want to back out of telling her anything at all, but he can't. No one ever gets a second chance like this and he refuses to waste it.

“Can I come in?” He asks and she nods, stepping aside and letting him through.

“Are you okay?” She asks him and he turns to face her, nodding before tilting his head when he finds her red eyes.

“Are you?” He asks her, “You’ve been crying.” He says gently and she laughs, shaking her head and pulling the sleeves of her jumper down into her palms.

“It’s been a long day.” She sighs, “A long year.”

“How are you?” He asks and she looks at him, “A person you loved died today, right in front of you.. I know what that feels like.”

Emily shakes her head, “I didn’t love him.” She mutters.

“Emily,” He says and she looks up to find him staring at her, “It’s okay.” He tells her gently.

“No,” She laughs, closing her eyes and looking to the floor with a shake of her head, “It isn't.”

“Why not?” He asks her, “You can’t help who you fall in love with.” He tells her and she looks up and at him, her eyes burning into his as he stares back. There are tears in her eyes and as one falls down her cheek he has to ball his fists up to stop himself from moving towards her and wiping it away.

“Yeah..” She says quietly, looking away from him and wiping the tears herself. There are a few moments of silence when she looks at him again.

“Why are you here, Hotch?” She asks, “It's been a long day and I really am not in the mood to talk about coming back to work..” She stops, “Did JJ tell you I was thinking of going to Lon-”

“That’s not why I’m here.” He tells her quickly, before stopping and looking at her, “You’re leaving?”

Emily sighs and rubs a hand over her arms and she crosses them.

“Maybe..” She tells him, “Clyde called… said there was an opening at Interpol and I don't know.” She says, “I think starting over somewhere else is a good idea… It would be better for everyone if I left.” She says, because if today told her anything it was that nothing within the team was the same. Morgan didn’t trust her and Spencer couldn't believe she would do this to him and Gracia.. Garcia is trying but the smiles she gives her don't reach her eyes and just none of it feels right.

“Who would it be better for?” He asks her, she shakes her head and refuses to meet his eyes.

She doesn't answer, just looks at him.

They’ve been doing this dance for years, standing in the middle of whatever they are and whatever they could be. They’d almost had something, but then Fouyet attacked him and he pushed her away to keep her safe and then Haley had died and they didn’t matter anymore because he was shattered and his life was altered and his son was without a mother. Then they had started.. Something again. She’d met Jack and the three of them bonded together in a way that didn't happen with friends and she felt they were starting to become what they could have been before Foyet when she got the call from Sean and it was her turn to push him away but with no explanations. Then she went to Paris and any hope of them ever being something died with her on the floor of the warehouse in Boston.

“Why are you here, Aaron?” She asks, staring at him and he swallows, before taking a single step towards her.

“Stay.” He tells her simply and she steps back.

“What?” She asks, shock casting over her face.

“Stay.” He tells her again.

“Do I have a reason to?” She questions quietly, and she sees him coming towards her and she feels him cup her face but it all happened so fast that when his lips crash into hers its takes her a moment to process what is happening, but when she does she relaxes into him, fisting his shirt and pulling him closer to her.

“Stay.” He whispers against her mouth as he pulls away, resting his forehead on hers.

The loud knock at the front door pulls him from his thoughts with a jump and he turns towards it, clearing his throat. He looks at Jack with a small, sad smile when he stands and the boy watches him go towards it.

“Dave?” He questions when he opens the door and finds the older man standing there with a file and a grief stricken, tired look on his face.

The older man smiles as best as he can when Aaron steps aside to let him in.

“Hi Uncle Dave.” Jack says from the couch, a small wave in his direction. Dave waves back.

“Hey Jack,” He says, “Do you mind if I steal your Dad for a few moments?” He asks and Jack shakes his head, turning back to the TV while the men head into the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” Aaron asks, rubbing a hand over his face and sitting on a chair, holding an arm out for Dave to take a seat to.

“How are you doing?” Rossi asks and Aaron just looks down.

“I’m fine,” He lies, “How are you?”

“Heartbroken.” Dave tells him honestly, “As is everyone else.” He says and Hotch just nods.

“What are you doing here, Dave? I doubt you came all this way to make small talk.”

“No,” Dave chuckles, “It’s.. it’s about the funeral.” Dave tells hi and Aaron takes a deep breath and just nods. “I called her Mother..”

Hotch freezes and looks at him, he hadn't even thought of that.

“Thanks,” He mumbles, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

“She’s agreed to have us at her house tomorrow with us all to start making preparations. Morgan said he can come and pick you up on his way-”

“No, it’s fine.” He says, “I can manage.”

“Okay,” Rossi says, “Be there by two.”

Aaron just nods and leans back in his chair, wanting nothing more than to crawl back into bed and wallow in his grief.

“Staruss is offering you retirement again, she tells me she did this after Haley died as well.” He says, placing the file on the table, “She wants you to look through the package and let her know by the end of the week.”

Hotch just nods. Dave goes to speak again when the door opens.

“Hey Jack.” Jessica says, “Where’s your dad?”

“In the kitchen with Uncle Dave.” He tells her and Jessica smiles, takin the three bags into the kitchen.

“Hey Dave.” She smiles, placing the bags on the table.

“Hey Jess,” He smiles, he looks at Hotch again, “I’ll see myself out, tomorrow at two.”

“Yeah.” He mutters, and Dave is gone.

“What’s tomorrow?” Jess asks, and Hotch looks at her.

“Planning her funeral.” He tells her and she reaches her and squeezes his hand.

“I’m sorry.” She tells him again and he squeezes it back.

“I know.” He says, before walking out. He kisses Jack on the top of the head before resorting back to his bed, wrapping his arms around her pillow and breathing her scent in once again. He cries himself silently to sleep. He doesnt wake up three hours later when Jack himself climbs in, he pulls the covers over himself and lays his head down. As he takes a breath he realises the pillow he lays on smells exactly like Emily and he smiles, falling asleep wrapped around her once again.

Jessica wakes up four hours later and panics when Jack’s bed is empty, before rushing to the master bedroom and finding the two of them passed out together, she smiles and shuts the door.

“Hello?” He says into the phone. It wakes him up and he wants to scream but in reality it’s half twelve in the afternoon and he hasn’t gotten out of bed since Dave left yesterday.

“Is this Aaron Hotchner?” A perky voice asks, he hums in response.

“Hi! I’m just calling to check you’re still okay with the reservation you’ve booked at our restaurant for Friday night? It says here it’s your one year anniversary, congratulations. We will have the champagne put on ice for you-”

Hotch doesn’t hear anything after that. His heart aches in his chest and he can’t figure out if he’s going to throw up or sob, one year. They were five days away from their one year anniversary when she died... he’d forgotten about it, so caught up in his grief.. in Jack's grief..

“No.. actually-” He says, clearing his throat. “There will be no need for the table.”

“Oh, may I ask why?”

“She died.” He says, before putting the phone down and sinking back into the bed.

They were almost one year into forever when she was ripped from him. He rolls over, pushing his face into her pillow that still smells like her and he cries.

Eleven Months Ago.

Emily pulls over leg over him so that she is straddling him her arms come to rest of the back of his couch, her chest inches from him and she smiles.

“Urgh,” She jokes, “I hate the term boyfriend.” She teases, he chuckles as he brushes his lips against hers.

“Well,” He whispers, “I guess I’ll just have to marry you then.” He says against her mouth, feeling her smile before latching her lips onto his.

They never will get that wedding. She never will be his wife. He never will be her husband.

He arrives at the Ambassador's mansion at exactly two pm. Dave lets him in with a sad smile and he follows the voices of his team and finds them in the living room. Spencer and Morgan are sitting on opposite sides of the room and he starts to wonder why that is until he realises he can not find it in himself to care, JJ sends him a sad smile which he gives her back and Penelope... Penelope still can't look at him, she’s wiping away her tears and her colourful personality is dimmed down into black.

“Agent Hotchner,” A woman’s voice says from behind him and he turns to find Elizabeth Prentiss standing there.

“Ambassador Prentiss,” He greets, she eyes him still, looking him up and down before walking past him and taking a seat in a chair.

“Shall we start?” She asks everybody as if they were in a meeting, and everyone just stares at her for a moment before nodding.

They were half way through the discussion when she speaks again.

“She will be buried in the Prentiss Plot, like her father.” She says and everyone stares at her, before looking at Aaron, then back at her.

“I’m sorry?” Aaron questions.

“My daughter will be buried in the Prentiss plot. She never specified in her will where she was to be buried and since the two of you were not married the final decision comes down to me.... She will not be buried as a Hotchner because she was not a Hotchner.”

Every single person in the room stares at her in shock.

“It’s what she would have wanted.” Garcia says softly, hoping if she’s nice enough that the women will agree and give Emily what she wanted. What she deserved.

“No it isn’t- and it isnt you’re right to-” She starts to say but Hotch can’t take it anymore.

“It should be,” He says and Elizabeth stares with fury, “You don’t even know her. You haven't seen each other for months. Even after everything that happened last year you have made no attempt to fix your relationship with her.” He snaps, “She tried with you, Elizabeth, but just like when she was a child and just like always you were too busy to even bother.” Aaron tells her, “She gave up even trying to reconnect with you three months ago because you stopped returning her phone calls. Do not sit there and tell me you know what she would have wanted when you didn't even know her.”

Elizabeth has rage coming off her as she stares at him.

“How dare you.” She bites, “How dare you sit there and tell me I did not know my own daughter. Our relationship was complicated, yes but don’t you dare sit there and suggest that I was too busy for her.”

“When was the last time you saw her?” Aaron argues back, “Or even called, for that matter?”

“I don't think that that is any of your business-”

“It became my business the minute she cried in my arms and asked why she wasn't enough for you.” He bites back at her and the room falls silent.

“I think that-” JJ tries to say a few moments later but Elizabeth is not quite done with Aaron yet.

“Get out.” She spits at him and everyone falls silent once again.

“I beg your pardon?” Aaron asks, staring at her.

“You come into my house, you insult me, you insinuate that I did not know or care about my daughter and you sprout hurtful stories at me...Get out.” She says to him, “You are not welcome here.”

Aaron laughs bitterly and stands, heading towards the door when she stands.

“And you are not welcome at her funeral.”

“Miss Prentiss-” JJ starts as everyone’s eyes go wide. Rossi stands.

“Now, you can not-” Dave starts to say but Elzabeth silences him,

“I can, and I have.” She says, her eyes not leaving Aaron, “You are not welcome at my Daughters funeral and if you are even seen on the premises you will be removed.”

Aaron just stares at her, before nodding and leaving the house. He doesn't have it in him to argue with her. He doesn't have it in him to do anything.

He’s telling Jessica what had happened when Jack grabs his hand and wraps his fingers around his. Aaron bends down and his son smiles sadly.

“It’s okay, Daddy.” He says, “We can have our own funeral for her,�� He tells him and Hotch feels himself smile at the huge heart that his little boy has, “Right?” He questions, looking at both him and Jessica.

“Yeah buddy,” He says, “We can.”

Jack wraps his arms around him and Hotch pulls him close, running a hand down his back.

Penelope is sat with Elizabeth while they talk about arrangements, others sat in stunned silence while they try to process the fact that Aaron just got banned from being at Emily’s funeral.

Elizabeth listened as the woman next to her spoke and at every word just felt her heart shatter more and more because she started to realise that in fact, Aaron had been correct, she did not know her daughter, listening to what the woman was saying was like hearing about a stranger.

“That’s enough,” She says gently and Garcia stops and looks at her, “I think.. I think it would be best if I did allow Agent Hotchner to plan this.” She tells them, “Tell him he can bury her where he thinks she should want to be and.. Tell him he’s welcome.” She says, before standing and leaving the room.

Everyone watches her go before turning to Penelope.

“I’ll call Hotch.” Rossi says. “But.. I don't think he’s in the right headspace to plan this..”

“We’ll figure it out.” JJ smiles and the man nods, placing the ringing phone to his ear and walking out.

“I’ll do it,” Garcia says, “Hotch can’t plan the funeral of another woman he loves and I can’t ask Dave and- and I’ll do it because I owe this to her. I owe it to her because she was my friend.. she was my very special friend.” Her voice cracks towards the end and as looks to the floor, wiping her eyes.

End of part 5(1)

#hotchniss #emily prentiss #aaron hotchner #in my veins

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loverlele · 5 years ago

Text

Oblivious

Spencer Reid x Bi!Female Reader

Warnings: bad language, a bit of sex talk

A/N: Happy pride month! I know there’s lots of evil things going on in the world at the moment so I wanted to bring a bit of happiness back, even if it is just for a few minutes. I have a Bi!Spencer Reid x Male Reader one shot (possibly a mini series) coming soon, as well as a Lesbian!Emily Prentiss one shot in the works. Let me know if you want a part 2, possibly a smutty chapter? Who knows ;) anyways enough of my rambling, enjoy :)

Word count: 2023

“Hey good job today angel face” Morgan says from opposite me as I pack up my bags to head home. “Everyone’s going for drinks in a bit, fancy coming?”

“Since when have I ever said no to drinks with my favourite man?” I sarcastically shoot back.

“Well considering Reid hasn't asked you out for drinks, I can't comment on that one sunshine.” I pick up a piece of paper from my desk and throw it at him. Unfortunately I have a shit sense of aim, so it ended up going way to the right of Derek and hitting Emily square in the forehead.

“Oops, sorry Em!” I say, skipping over to my best friend and kissing the spot it collided with her face at. Unable to contain her laughter anymore, she erratically waved her hands in front of her face to get to back off. I do, not before messing her hair up with my fingers.

“Uhhhh, what have I walked into?” comes a voice from my left. I spin round and see Spencer stood next to my desk with a puzzled expression on my face. I sheepishly smile at him, looking at Derek for help.

“Y/N once again tried to hit me with a flying object, but her awful aim stopped that from happening and it hit Em instead” Derek laughed out. With a fake anger look on my face I kept on Derek and held him in a fake chokehold. I didn't think twice at how immature it might make me seem, but once I heard Spencer’s adorable laugh I knew I didn't need to second guess myself.

“Hey you adorable human being, get your own man” Garcia says as she walks up to the mess that has unravelled. I rub Derek’s head firmly before sliding off his shoulders, placing my feet firmly on the ground. Well, so I thought. As it seemed though, the earth hated me. As my feet made contact with the ground, my knees buckled and I fell backwards. A firm, but soft pair of hands caught me and helped me steady myself. I didn't need to turn around to look at who had caught me, I could recognise those hands from a mile away.

“Thanks you” I muttered slowly pulling myself off him.

“No problem.”

Feeling the tensions rise in the air I turn my attention back to Garcia, who is now perching on Emily’s desk with a smirk on her face. That little shit, I mutter to myself. Thankfully, my comment wasn't heard by anyone. “For your information Pen, I don't need no man thank you. I am perfectly capable of making my own bad decisions without a helping hand.”

“Amen to that girl!” Emily calls out.

“What about a woman?” Derek asks as we collectively make our way to the lifts. We all manage to fit into one life and I press the button before leaning around Spencer to whack his arm.

“Bite me Derek Morgan.”

“I’m sure Emily would happily do that” he retorts, smirking. This time it was Emily’s turn to whack Derek’s arm. The sounds of bickering between Emily and Derek fill the elevator.

As we get get down to the car park the bickering stops and a wave of realisation hits me like a gust of wind. “Fuck” I mutter, pulling out my phone to see who could come get me.

“Hey, you okay?” a quiet voices comes from besides me.

“Jesus Christ Spence, you scared me!”

“Sorry I didn't mean to. Seriously, are you okay? I don't see your car” he says, quickly scanning the car park for signs of my car.

“My car’s in the garage getting its suspension fixed. I forgot to ask my roommate to pick me up from work tonight and now its 10pm and she's probably already out. Oh my god, how am I going to get home-”

“Hey it’s okay, we’ll go to yours to grab what you need before heading to the bar to meet the others. Come on, hop in” he says, opening the passenger side door before scooting round to the drivers side and getting in. It didn't take long for me to make up my mind, I mean it was either go with him or try to find my own way home AND then my way to the bar we were all set to meet at 11. I got in, shooting him a smile and we head off.

- AT THE BAR -

“Hey! Finally you showed up, we were beginning to think you weren't coming” JJ says and we approach the booth.

“Don’t be silly, we don't do this very often anymore. I wouldn't miss it for the world” I say scooting into the booth, situating myself between Emily and Spencer. Oh great, this won't be awkward at all, I say to myself. Almost as if he'd read my mind (or, most likely, the awkwardness I was displaying) Spencer’s leg shifted slightly and met mine. I looked up at him slightly, yet his focus was on Morgan and debating on what alcohol would get them drunk the fastest.

After a few drinks everyone seems to have loosened up a bit. I mean, even Spencer was on his third drink of the night. The norm for this team is as the number of drinks consumed got higher, the more secrets (or “tea” as Penelope would sometimes put it) were revealed. And tonight proved no different that normal.

“Let’s do truth or drink guys!” Penelope half shouted. The bar we were at is one of our favourite ones to go to together and tonight was pretty loud in here. Meaning as the surroundings got louder, the louder we all became. Even though every single one of us groaned at the idea, we all knew better than to disagree with a tipsy Penelope. It started off relatively innocent and calm, until it got to Derek’s turn Derek, having been waiting for 10 minutes already, knew exactly what and who he wanted to ask. It was no surprise to me when he pointed at me.

“Little miss sunshine, ready for your question?”

“I was born ready baby, give it to me.”

“Do you have a preference of who you date?And if so, what is it.”

That fucker. Not a drinking session goes by that I don't get asked about my sexuality I mean don't get me wrong, I love educating people and I love the sight on Derek’s face when I end up getting the number of a girl he’s expressed interest in. Taking a swig of my drink, I ponder on the question for a few moments before replying,

“I have a ‘type’ of women that I find myself automatically gravitating myself towards. I mean I guess I have a type of guy I like too. I don't know, I just go with what my heart says most of the time.”

“You still need to describe it sunshine” he says, smirking into his drink. It’s not as if we haven't had this discussion before, and by ‘we’ I mean Derek and myself. He knew what it was, he just wanted to see me suffer.

“I hate you” I groan, shuffling around to get comfortable before I answer Derek’s question. I take a big swig of my drink as I go to reply “red headed girls with a quick temper.”

“And the guys?” Spencer says, breaking his silence and looking at me.

“Brown mess hair, bit of a dork, goofy, tall, thinks Halloween is the best holiday of the year” I say, drawing my lips into a small smirk and taking another sip of my drink. Spencer doesn't even blink twice at my reply. Idiot.

Everyone’s questions seemed a lot tamer than mind. For example, JJ would be asked “what's the most romantic thing Will’s ever done for you?” and Derek’s would be “so you wish you had more freedom with your work hours?”. But mine, “craziest place you've had sex?” or “one person you'd happily let jump your bones right now?” (10 points if you guess who asked that one). After a few rounds I squeezed through the crowd and up to the bar for refills, and shots. I was under strict instructions to get at least 20 shots, no less.

“Hey can I have the same again, but with 20 shots as well?” shooting the bar tender a smile and giving the name of the open tab.

“Sure things hun, what shots do you want?” she asks.

“Surprise me,” I say, not really knowing what to order. I feel a tap on my shoulder, alerting me that someone was behind me. I spin around to see the most gorgeous red head stood in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye, the laughing was easing at the table and I could see the glances they were all giving in my direction. Great, an audience is just what I need.

“Hey, so I hope I’m not over stepping by saying I think you're one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen here.”

“Hi, that’s so sweet of you! You are absolutely stunning yourself” I say, feeling 5 sets of eyes on me.

“Um would it be possible for me to get your number?” she asks, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. It’s not that I don't find you ridiculously attractive, I um” I trail off slightly, glancing back and locking eyes with the messy haired brunette at my table. He flashes me a small, yet sad smile before turning his attention to JJ. “It wouldn't be fair to either of us if I did that because my hearts already with someone else.”

“It’s cool, I get it. Whoever they are is a lucky person” she says, smiling sweetly before turning and walking away. I turn back to the bar and grab the tray of drinks, slowly making my way back to the table. This time, when I reach the table, its quiet and all eyes are on me.

“What?” I ask, as I hand out the drinks and put the shots in a circe in the middle of the table. I scoot back into the booth, regaining my seat in between Spencer and Emily.

“Why did you turn her down?” Derek asks in disbelief, “in the 5 years I've known you I have never seen you turn down someone that quickly. Especially not a smoking hot red head like that!”

“You say that as if it's a crime Derek. I wasn't interested, I said no and we parted ways. End of conversation.”

“But why?” Spencer asks, “she’s exactly your type.”

“Yeah and so are you yet you're still an oblivious fuck” I mutter. Something in the air changed the second those words fell out of my mouth. I couldn't quite figure out if it was a good change or not.

“What was that Y/N?” Derek asks, smirking.

“What I said was not meant for your ears so shut it” I ramble looking over at Spencer, who’s still staring at me and seemingly in a world of his own. I try to study his face, looking for some kind of answer or reply to what I’d just said.

Sensing the obvious tension in the air Penelope did the best thing she could think of doing, shouting out the words “SHOT TIME EVERYONE!”. That seemed to do the trick as it knocked Spencer out of whatever alternate timeline he was in. He grabs 2 shots, placing one in front of you and keeping the other in his hand.

“To friendship” JJ said, raising her shot glass to the roof.

“To friendship!” the others yelled, clinking glasses and putting back the shots.

Spencer’s hand found its way to your thigh under the table, squeezing it tightly as he muttered, “to friendship.” downing the shot. His eyes locked on mine.

“To friendship” I say, pulling my lips to the glass with a smirk and downing it. Hmm, maybe he's completely oblivious after all, I say to myself before locking hands with Spencer under the table.

#criminal minds #spencer reid #cm #spencer #reid #one shot #matthew gray gubler #mgg #spencer reid fluff #matthew gray gubler smut #spencer reid x you #spencer reid smut #gubler #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x reader #fluff

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crystaljins · 4 years ago

Text

River lead me home | 01

Characters: Seokjin x Reader

Word count: 9.2k

Synopsis: Ever since coming to the human realm when you were child, nothing seems to fit, and this was just supposed to be a simple roadtrip to help you find yourself.

Is that too much to ask for?

Spin-off to A long journey home

Rating: Teens

Notes: You guys are gonna laugh... I tried to upload this yesterday but it screwed up and only the title got posted! Naturally I deleted the post and didn’t get a chance to fix everything up, but it’s finally here! My monster of a fic !!!! Updates will be weekly. Honestly this fic took a lot to write, and it’s been 8 whole months of working on it!!! So I hope you guys enjoy it T.T If not I won’t be made though LOL (edit: @blue1928 forgot to tag u soz)

p.s. I AM working on the HP prompts I’m just really busy this next couple of weeks LOL

Masterlist

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 FINAL

You’ve never really been particularly fearful of getting in trouble with your mother. She has always been a sweet and timid lady, the kind who would let her daughter get away with murder. And you are an adult, even if you don’t act like it, and so it’s not like your mother can do anything other than express her disappointment with your actions.

Kim Seokjin, on the other hand, can have you quaking in your shoes with just a look. He was your nextdoor neighbour growing up, even before you all fled your home realm. He has since moved out of his parents’ home into his own apartment to pursue his dream as a doctor (and to take home as many lady friends as he likes without his parents’ knowledge), but he is still very much a stern presence in your life, even as one of your closest friends. He likely feels responsible for you, since though the two of you were young when you were driven into the human world, he is three years older. He did once refer to you as something like an untrained puppy, which you guess is very reflective of how he views you. The result of such feelings of responsibility is him trying his best to fulfill all the duties of being your legal guardian despite having no obligation to do so. The effect is him being terrifyingly stern with you, despite him being a calm, good-humoured guy with everyone else he meets.

Which is why, when you wake up in a hospital bed with your leg wrapped in a cast, you know that today is the day Kim Seokjin kills you. If the job interview that you completely messed up isn’t enough motive for him to seek you out, then the fact that you tried to stop a purse snatcher and ended up breaking your leg in the ensuing scuffle after said thief’s motorcycle fell on you most certainly is.

In your defence, it wasn’t like you could just leave them be! Yes, you had not been back to your home realm once in the thirteen years since you and every other guardian were driven out, but at your core, you like to think you are still a Guardian. And so, as is custom, you cannot turn down a plea for help. And the young woman screaming in distress as a man on a motorcycle drove past and snatched her purse straight off her shoulder had certainly sounded like a plea for help! Really, Jin should be impressed, because the ensuing chase was something straight out of a movie, what with you in hot pursuit on your own bike (the one both your mother and Jin do not know you own). And you totally would have gotten the purse back if it wasn’t for the slight motorcycle crash. You’re not exactly sure what you hit since the events are a little blurry, but whatever it was, it ended up knocking you out and breaking your leg.

A slight commotion breaks out at the entrance to the room and by the way onlookers swoon, you know that your time on earth is up. For the only person that can stir such a reaction upon entering a room is Kim Seokjin himself. Guardians naturally fit most of the qualifiers of what humans consider attractive, but even by Guardian standards, Jin is ridiculously handsome. Even though you find him boring and the biggest nag to walk the planet, not even you are immune to his disarming good looks. You could probably sense his aura blindfolded and your eyes are always drawn to him in a crowd and so you easily pinpoint him amongst the crowd of onlookers before he spots you. Today is his day off and so he does not wear his usual doctor’s gown. Instead a well fitted button up shirt and trousers highlights the broadness of his shoulders and the elegance of his figure as he strolls through the room as if he owns it. You recognise the style- that particular combination of button up and trousers are his date clothes. Your heart plummets when you recognise the outfit. Jin will be extra irritated about having to check on you in the hospital on his day off. Why did the paramedics have to take you here of all places? You’ve really signed your life away this time.

He pauses to smile at a nurse who passes by and she is immediately dazzled. Though he is no doubt furious with you, and is frequently irritated by your shenanigans, to the rest of the world he is charming and funny and good-tempered. You watch the exchange with curiosity- the nurse laughs at something Jin says and there’s a faint flush to her cheeks. You will probably never have such an exchange with Jin- even if he relaxed enough to make a joke in your presence, it would probably be at your expense. Jin’s taste in women is very obvious- he likes women that match him in beauty, ones that are fantastic at making you feel like a potato in comparison despite your guardian heritage, however unintentionally. Something in you twinges at the thought- you wouldn’t mind having a normal relationship with Jin. One where he smiles at you and makes jokes and actually enjoys your presence. But he’ll probably never view you like that- he’s made it very clear throughout your friendship what you are to him.

The nurse points in your direction and takes Jin’s distraction as an opportunity to trail her gaze appreciatively over his figure, settling on his profile. She must be new to the hospital if this is the first time that she is experiencing what Jin’s coworkers at the hospital describe as the “Jin effect”. Any humans (and most guardians for that matter) who meet him instantly succumb to his charisma and absurdly handsome face and find themselves desperately in love. This nurse is no exception and you decide to utilise the momentary distraction she has provided Jin when she attempts to get his number by attempting to slide off your bed and scurry away.

A tug at the back of your collar has you stiffening. If this were a movie, there would be an uneasy swell of high-tension violin as you turn your head to find Jin has grabbed the back of your shirt to stop your slow escape. He must have utilised a spot of enhanced guardian speed to be able to cross the room so quickly. The violins in your head begin to screech in terror. Jin merely smiles and it is eerily charming. His cheeks puff out and his lips curl in a way that would dazzle the average onlooker but you see the lethal intent in his eyes. You barely manage to hold back a fearful shudder.

“Nurse Jo!” He calls, and his tone is playful and sweet which contrasts directly with the venom in his dark pupils. In their depths you can foresee your death. “It seems one of our patients is trying to escape.” His tone darkens and drops on the last word and you flinch, preparing for the end.

Only it never comes, and you find Jin hoisting you up by the back of your shirt and with the help of security rushing forward they wrangle you back into bed. They do well- the average human doesn’t stand much chance against the superior strength of a guardian, and you are currently fighting for your life. But with Jin in the mix, they have you strapped to your bed in no time, forced to listen to whatever longwinded and painful lecture Jin has prepared for you

He stands at your bedside, arms folded across his chest. You mentally write your will in your mind- Taehyung can have your Nintendo switch and his girlfriend can go through your clothes and take any that she likes. Your mother gets anything worth more than $20 in your bedroom (though she might be searching for a while to find such an item, if it even exists) and Seokjin can get custody of your evil cat. Maybe it’ll scratch his stupidly handsome face up and you can get revenge from beyond the grave.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” Jin asks, and his voice is surprisingly calm. You look away, scratching at where the cast on your leg rubs at the skin of your shin. It’s stupid to wear the cast since with your enhanced healing abilities the break will be better by tomorrow, but the doctors of this world do not know that.

You are not fooled by the almost friendly, interested tone to his voice- there is anger bubbling behind the mask of polite curiosity. Likely he is holding back to full force of his fury because this is his workplace.

“Well, I’d like to preface by saying I had no choice. Was I supposed to just let the robber go?” You say. You were attempting to placate him before elaborating on the full story, but it appears to have the opposite effect. Jin’s eyes bulge out of his head and his face goes that interesting shade of red that only appears when he’s very, very angry.

“Robber? You took on a robber?” He says slowly, and you can tell it takes a few moments for the words to process. But gradually, the veins in his neck bulge and his eyes gradually widen and you wince as Jin erupts into what you like to call his “jants- Jin Rants.”. “Ya! Are you crazy? What were you thinking? What if you had been killed? I would have had to tell Auntie and then I would have had to organise your funeral because she would be inconsolable! If I even survived my parents trying to kill me for letting you die at the hands of a ROBBER of all people!” The impressive thing about a jant is the speed at which it is spat out. You are sure that professional rappers have nothing on the way Jin can spill out verses in a rage. He shoves a hand through his hair in distress and the ensuing messy look it generates is unfairly attractive- you think you see a middle-aged woman swoon in the hospital bed across from yours. Or faint. It’s hard to tell in a hospital. He continues screeching. “And then they’d PROBABLY make me MOVE BACK HOME as PUNISHMENT and there goes my social life! You could have ruined MY WHOLE LIFE, (Y/N)! What is wrong with you? Why do you always go making trouble like this?” It is those words, out of his whole rant, oddly enough, that causes you to stiffen. The implication that all you do is cause trouble. Which in a way you suppose you do. You cause your mother unnecessary worry- Jin is constantly sacrificing things to take care of you. Even your friends are constantly having to shout you meals due to your perpetual state of unemployment.

“I... couldn’t just leave it- they needed help, Jin.” You admit softly. Jin somehow hears your quiet admission over his furious jant and falls silent. He stares at you in confusion for a long moment, like he was expecting more of a fight, or some sort of annoying comeback. But the confusion is enough to subside his rage. The jant is over, with minimal damage. He drags over a chair and slumps by your bedside, once more running a hand through his hair.

“You’re so reckless. Robber’s rarely pull stunts like that unarmed! You may have enhanced healing compared to a human, but you still die if someone stabs you! And this is your third ER trip this month!” He scolds and his tone is far gentler than before- not unlike how one might speak to a child, rather than someone a mere three years younger than him. You meekly bow your head, chastised. “How do you think auntie would feel if anything happened to you, (Y/N)? You may be a Guardian, but Guardians aren’t invincible. You, of all people, should know that.”

You flinch, feeling as though he’s slapped you. He’s clearly furious with you if he’s willing to choose such a sore spot to shame you. For the thirteen years you have been in the human realm, it has just been you and your mother. You have not been able to forget that fact for a single day. Every day you awaken afresh with the reminder that there is a third member to your family who should be there but is not. Your father’s life was lost as you all fled, and your mother had found herself widowed with a headstrong young child in a foreign and unfamiliar realm. Jin’s family have always been around to help because you haven’t exactly been an easy child to raise, but there are some burdens that no one can lift from a single parent.

And you love your mother, and you really would do anything for your her. It’s just... you don’t want to pretend that you’re a human. For your entire time here, your guise as a human has felt like an itchy, poorly fitted jacket that you want to peel off and throw away. Humans are selfish and lazy and would leave a child on the side of the road and they’d been very quick to notice that you were different and target you for it- these are all things your father hated. To be human is to spit on the sacrifice he made for you... and yet to continue to fight it is also disregarding that he gave up his life to let you live in comfort.

Jin, with his handsome face and ability to charm anyone he meets instantly, has never had an issue settling into the human realm, and so he’s never really understood why you cling so much to your former home realm. He knows that you’ve never truly stopped grieving the life of your father, but he cannot understand why you do not see the human world the way that he does. He had very much taken to being a human and enjoys all the perks that come with it- the technology, the fawning women, the interesting and unique cuisines... Jin adores human culture. And so, it irks him that you constantly seem to be sticking out like a sore thumb.

“I’m sorry.” You say in a small voice and you’re so downcast that you miss the way that Jin’s face crumples with guilt.

“Just... try to be safer in the future. This realm has its own law enforcement. We don’t need to be guardians here.” He tells you softly. Then he clears his throat awkwardly. “How was the job interview?”

It’s an act of mercy- he’s trying to save you any further misery by changing the subject. Unfortunately, you have yet to break the news to Jin; you bombed the interview. Massively. It’s not like it was even a job you were that invested in. Just a fulltime job that involved doing some admin in an office. The exact, safe, boring job your mother has dreamed of for you since coming here and the exact job Jin has been pushing you to apply for because he’s sick of his parents nagging him to lend you money or take you out for dinner or give you lifts because your car broke down and you can’t afford to fix it. But you messed it up and you hate yourself for it. Hate yourself for disappointing your mother, and, if you’re really honest with yourself, for disappointing Jin. You’re already so aware of how lowly he views you and this just makes it sting that little bit more.

But it is the exact kind of job that will slowly kill you inside. You are trying to kill the part of you deep down that longs for something more. You don’t even know what it is you want. But killing that part and settling into this world and its ways and its customs mean giving in. It means forgetting. And for thirteen entire years, you have not been able to forget. How can you, when you left a piece of yourself back there, on the battlefield where your father had lost his life for your sake? He was not even given the luxury of a grave and yet you are supposed to be comfortable and post pictures on Instagram about how happy you are and go to brunch and just enjoy life? You... you can’t do it.

“I... don’t know.” You finally say. You shrug and glance away. “It felt like it went well. We’ll see if they call me back.”

Jin visibly brightens, unaware of your lie.

“I knew I had a good feeling about today!” He says warmly. “You’re totally going to get that job, I can feel it in my bones. Finally, my parents will get off my back!” He cheers. He probably means the last part as a joke but it’s just another sting; another reminder that Jin just sees you as a burden.

His celebration session is interrupted by an alert on his apple watch. He glances at whatever notification appear and winces. He glances at you like he’s done something wrong.

“I’ve got to go. I uh… I have a date.” He confesses. Jin is always tentative when he talks about the women he sees, like he’s anticipating some sort of reaction from you. You don’t know what reaction that would be, though, and you don’t think you’d ever feed his ego with any reaction other than a mild disgust and indifference. When you just continue to stare, he nods, more to himself than you. “I still have to sort all your paperwork to make sure you can get discharged so I probably can’t stay with you for your discharge. You don’t need a lift home, do you? I’ll probably have to drive straight there.”

Normally you would accept- though your broken bone heals faster than a human’s, it is still highly painful and inconvenient. But the thought of being in the car with Jin right now is highly unappealing. For some reason, lately when you spend time with Jin, you just feel more and more aware of how inadequate you are. You can’t help but notice the way people gravitate towards Jin. The way their eyes are constantly seeking him out or how a room brightens when he steps into it. And it’s not just his looks- it’s his everything. His demeanour, his smile, his success. He has taken to the human world like a fish to water and you just can’t. It’s not like you don’t want to. But his presence, his nagging, his constant disappointment with you… it’s a persistent, painful reminder of everything you can’t bring yourself to be. Not even for him, as much as you sincerely hate constantly disappointing him like this.

He adjusts his watch as you shake your head.

“I’ll just get the bus. I can still walk.” You say, plastering a smile on your face that hopefully seems sincere. Jin glares at you and reaches out to tap a finger against the firm plaster of your cast.

“Fine, but this stays on until tomorrow. I don’t care how fast you heal- I don’t want that leg healing crooked. Your mother will definitely notice if you suddenly have an extra bend in your shin. And no more chasing robbers- not even if it’s an old grandma with a cane being robbed. We stopped being Guardians for a reason.” He warns you. He adjusts his shirt cuffs and pulls out his phone to adjust his hair in the selfie camera before glaring at you. “I won’t tell Auntie about today because I don’t want her to worry. You can stay at mine tonight, so she doesn’t ask any questions when you hobble home in a cast.”

“Thanks.” You say and he’s oblivious to the bleak tone in your voice and the way your expression is downcast. If there’s one thing that has Jin oblivious to the rest of the world, it’s the prospect of a date. “Is the code to get in still the same?”

“I changed it to your birthday because that stupid pixie that always hangs around you worked out the code and keeps leaving my sugar open on the counter. I’m getting so many ants. I’m pretty sure he’s leaving it open for them.” Jin tells you already halfway turned around. You wisely choose not to tell Jin that you had told Jungkook the code to Jin’s apartment. Jin pauses before he can stride off. “Oh yeah. Auntie texted me- she wanted me to make sure you remember to come to dinner tomorrow and that you dress nicely. She has something important to say.”

“She could have just texted me herself.” You mumble, but Jin has already walked off, probably to sort the last of your paperwork before his date. A trail of sighing onlookers watch his departure. It just makes you scoff as you return to glaring at your cast. It itches.

You make a promise to yourself to use Jin’s kitchen scissors to remove it tomorrow so that he has at least some kind of inconvenience in his life. Nothing is more irritating than a blunt pair of kitchen scissors.

++++

Despite seeing Jin’s mother every other day, and renting the apartment directly across from her, your mother always acts like the president is coming over whenever Jin’s family comes for dinner. She pulls out the fancy glass bowls and the plates she bought with her first paycheck from the diner she was employed at when you were small. She vacuums the whole apartment and checks your room to make sure you’ve cleaned it in case Jin needs a bed to nap on after a long day at the hospital.

She’s never quite managed to get the hang of human cuisine and since the human realm doesn’t hold the magic stores available to cook Guardian food the way that she learned, you are always the one to make dinner. You’ve never once complained because you know that on some level, this is your mother’s attempt to compensate. This is the closest you will ever get to having a community with other Guardians, and Jin’s dad is the closest thing you will ever have to a father.

But even despite her usual frantic state whenever there’s a joint family dinner, she definitely seems more frazzled than usual.

“Is it meant to smell like that?” She asks with a grimace, leaning in to look at the salad you’ve thrown some vinaigrette over. You glance over your shoulder from where you are checking on the food in the oven.

“Yes, mum.” You say, standing and gently nudging her from the kitchen with a smile. “It’s vinaigrette- you liked it last time when I made it, remember? It’s why I made it tonight.”

Your mother digs her heels into the ground before you can drive her from the kitchen and send her back to wiping the already sparkling cabinets in the living room. She turns to scrutinise you carefully.

“Are you going to do your hair? It looks a little messy.” She frets. You raise an eyebrow. This is new. Your sweet, doting mother has never once criticised your appearance, not even when you went through that phase where you had an eyebrow piercing and dyed your hair neon green. Something is up.

“It’s just Auntie and Uncle, right?” You say suspiciously. “They used to bathe me when we lived in magregnum, mum.” You say. Using the original term for your home realm feels foreign on your tongue and your mother’s expression shutters at the sound of her original home.

“Well, a lot has changed since then.” She says softly. You’re about to question the strange, unfamiliar expression on your mother’s face. Something looks different about her... you squint when you recognise the shimmer of your favourite eye shadow on her lids.

“Are you wearing makeup?” You question. Her eyes go wide, and you can’t help but notice that her lashes are curled. But her answer is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Your mother pales and instantly she switches back into her jittery, pre-dinner self.

“Quickly, quickly!” She urges. “Dinner’s not ready yet!”

You shake your head with a smile at your mother’s familiar antics.

“It’s probably just Jin- Auntie and Uncle always make him come over earlier to help.” You call over your shoulder. You’re in a far better mood than you were yesterday, particularly after bending Jin’s kitchen scissors beyond repair during your attempts to remove the cast this morning before heading out and pretending you hadn’t been fired from your part-time job the week before. You had punched one of the senior managers for bullying the new hire. Your leg was mostly healed at that stage and Jin had told you that you could take the cast off before he left for work that morning. When you arrived back home in the afternoon, your mother had either chosen not to comment on your slight limp or had been too distracted by the stress of having dinner to notice. You are glad to have evaded her sad, disappointed eyes and the unwarranted comparisons to Jin for the day.

After a long few moments of peace in the kitchen, you can’t help but notice the lack of an annoying presence hovering over your shoulder. Usually when Jin arrives, he makes a beeline straight for the kitchen so that he can sample whatever it is you’re making and proclaim it decent (and then try and sneak some extra portions later in the evening when he thinks you aren’t looking). The complete lack of Jin’s presence to do whatever the kitchen equivalent of back seat driving is has you pausing with a sense of unease. It is the first clue that something is up- the door opens and yet the older guardian doesn’t make an appearance. Confused, you pause midway through pouring out melted chocolate from a glass measuring cup and glance over your shoulder.

“Minyo Dolkara,” is your mother’s tentative call and your eyes widen at the term of endearment. It is a common one back in your home realm, but your mother only uses it to comfort you when she feels you are truly upset. She is knotting her fingers anxiously together and beside her stands an unfamiliar middle-aged man. He smiles warmly at you, and your gaze lands on the arm he holds carefully around your mother’s shoulder. Your grip tightens around the handle of the measuring cup.

“Mum?” You ask, your tone laced with confusion. “Who’s this?”

Your mother swallows nervously and glances at the man in question.

“This is... my love.” She confesses. “Nigel. We met at my night classes and I... He...”

“I’m her fiancé.” The man, Nigel corrects. He is a friendly, round sort of man. The kind of man often seen on tv playing father to a rebellious teenage daughter in a sitcom. And his smile is warm and excited, like he’s happy to meet you. He directs that smile to your mother, and rather than look disgusted or uncomfortable, she merely beams back at him.

That’s probably what this night was for, in hindsight. And why your mother was so nervous. She planned this to introduce her new boyfriend... no, her new fiancé to you, and to Jin’s family. Dimly, in the back of your mind, you register all the unusual signs about tonight. The way she’d messaged Jin to make sure you were at the dinner despite the fact that she’s never been able to bring herself to make you do anything you don’t want to.... the way she’s been commenting on your appearance despite it never having bothered her before... how long has she kept this from you? How... how could she be seeing another man?

No words form in your mouth- instead, the face of your father hovers in your mind. After thirteen years, you can’t fully recall what he looks like and you weren’t able to bring any pictures over to the human realm with you. It has been long enough that you cannot recall his face or his voice. So, in theory, why can’t your mother meet someone new? Did you expect her to live as a widow until she died, alone and far from the home realm she grew up in? Of course, you didn’t. But for some reason, this man’s presence right now leaves a bitter sting like she’s plunged a knife into your chest.

The smile drops from Nigel’s face after a few moments of you staring blankly and his smile is replaced with concern. It takes you a while to understand it is because you have crushed the hand of the measuring cup in your tight grip. It falls to the ground and shatters, followed by a few drops of blood as red rapidly spreads over your clenched fist and lands on the ground. You haven’t used your enhanced strength in so long you almost forgot you had it.

“Fiancé?” You echo at last and though it is your own voice, it sounds distant. Like your ears are suddenly submerged under water. You don’t know what hurts you more in that moment- the painful reminder that the world is moving on without your father... or the fact that your mum has kept such a huge secret from you for who knows how long, probably because she was scared of how you’d react. “You’re engaged?”

“(Y/N),” your mother says, taking a step forward, perhaps to comfort you. She does it tentatively, like you are a beast she needs to placate. The people in your life- at least the ones who know your true identity- often approach you like that. Slowly and hesitantly, as if they don’t know how you will react. Like you are a ticking time bomb, ready to go off and cause trouble. Which in a way, you suppose you are. Things have always been difficult with you, after all. You never settled into human schooling well and you didn’t get into a good university like Jin, and you’re always getting yourself into trouble trying to help random people off the street. And your mother, your poor placating mother, is prepared to do the same thing she always does. Apologise that you had to leave your home, that the new human world isn’t to your liking, but gently remind you that it is, in fact, your real home now.

But you do not give her the chance to feed you the same tired lines. You’re so sick of hearing this lecture. Every time you wind up in hospital because you’ve interfered with a fight or been hit by a car trying to save a random puppy, Jin gives you the same, frustrated lecture. When you fail another interview or get fired from a new job, your mother is there to try and fail to hide her disappointment that you aren’t leading the life she’d planned for you. But not this time- this is too far. You’ve been trying to squash the part of you that is a guardian for their sake for so long now, but you cannot do it for him. For this man, this stranger, who has waltzed into your home like he owns it and announced that he’s marrying your mother. As if he has a right to just join your family. You are out the door before she or Nigel can offer a word of explanation.

You don’t see Jin until you crash into him. He steadies you with a hand planted on either shoulder. You glance up at his face, barely registering what he looks like through the blur of tears spilling forward. For a brief moment, the sight of Jin’s face (even blurred) and the familiar set of his broad shoulders fills you with relief. Even if Jin’s always viewed you as a bit of pain, he’s always been an important person to you, always ready to provide support. But then you see the look on his face.

Jin actually winces when he sees your expression. Perhaps he is realising it’s going to be one of those nights, where he sits up on the roof with you for hours and comforts you as you spill your guts. That’s how it’s always been, after all, ever since you were a small child and would run to him when you scraped your knee instead of your own parents. You would cry and he would offer some wise words mixed in with a stern reprimand and then his parents would congratulate him for being such a good influence on you. Even when you hit high school and started to realise for the first time that Jin didn’t view you with the same adoration you viewed him, he never stopped being that person for you. The shoulder to cry on, the rock to lean on. But now, he stiffens, as if steeling himself for the explanation behind your tears and he probably already has a speech half prepared in his mind. That’s the job he delegated himself, after all. To look after you, for as long as you are alive and giving him headaches. So, if it’s always been his job to do just that, why does he look like he’s just been asked to help clean a public bathroom at the sight of you in distress?

He... he doesn’t want to deal with you. That’s why he looks so uncomfortable.

You feel something inside you crumple. You can’t identify what feeling it is but, in that moment, you realise something. Everyone in your life... they all view you as a burden. Your mum had delayed telling you about her boyfriend until the last possible moment because your response would be difficult to handle. Jin’s parents see you as a hopeless child that their perfect son must look after. And Jin.... well you can see from the look on his face how he views you. It reminds you of a dark day, all those years ago in high school, a memory you thought you’d pushed down, and it surfaces now, before you can push it back down like you normally do. But then you set your shoulders- you were over the things Jin had said that day, and you aren’t going to allow the way that he looks right now to be the thing that resurfaces those feelings.

You shove past him. Over the past few months, you’ve been avoiding Jin more and more as your self-esteem plummeted lower and lower but today something tips over the edge for you. You don’t know how or why it happened but at some point, Jin has stopped being the person you can turn to when things get rough. And you have just realised that he no longer wants to be that person either, which hurts far more than you ever thought it could.

“(Y/N)!” You hear him call out to you, probably shocked that you aren’t caving immediately and telling him what’s wrong- after all, there’s probably only been one time in your life before this that you’ve done so. You ignore his call though, making a beeline for the staircase, and he does not follow you.

The place you usually go to when misery strikes is the rooftop of your crappy apartment building. You’ve spent countless hours up on the rooftop, watching the sky. It’s oddly therapeutic- the thing you used to miss most when first moving to this realm was the stars. Back home, they sparkle different colours like precious stones scattered across black velvet. Here, the smog of humans blocks their stars from the sky. But the brightest stars are somewhat visible on clear nights and they are the closest reminder you have of home. That’s probably why you have chosen the roof as your refuge. Since beginning to take refuge here when things go bad, you’ve accumulated a small collection of old furniture from whenever your mum goes on a redecorating spree.

What has resulted is a comfy little corner of the world you can call your own, away from everyone else. No one else seems to use this place, even if the rooftop is accessible to everyone in the complex, but that suits you just fine. It’s perfect for curling up and wallowing, much like you are desperate to do right now. There are a lot of confusing, painful emotions swirling around inside you, ones that you aren’t really sure how to deal with or process.

You slump down against the old picnic blanket you have stretched across the floor and let your head collapse against an old cushion your mum threw out years ago and peer up at the sky. Wincing, you idly pick out pieces of glass from your hand and watch the skin seal over almost immediately as you wonder if the sky really as beautiful back home as your memory tells you it was. Or, do you just want to believe things were better in the other realm? You’re not really sure but it really would be nice to go back. Not forever- as much as you hate to admit it, your family is here now, which makes this realm your home. But you want to see the place you came from. You want to see the stars and the valleys and the rivers. The night before you and your mother fled, your father had told you that everything about Magregnum would change by the time you were old enough to go back, except the landscape. Mountains cannot move, after all. A part of you longs desperately for that- to see the things that will not change and the landscapes that could not leave your father behind. The only reminders that you aren’t just a random human washed up in the bleakness of life, but a guardian. Something special and precious. Something better than what you feel like you are.

An annoying buzzing in your ear breaks the bubble of your pondering. You blink a few times and then sigh, turning your head to the side. A small figure, no taller that the height of your handspan, stands beside you with his arms folded. Small, insect like wings flap so rapidly they are little more than flashes, catching the light of the fairy lights you’d strung across the fencing of the rooftop a few weeks ago. The figure tilts his small head to the side and at this proximity you can see the way he frowns. He always has the oddest tendency to pop up whenever you are alone and miserable and likely he is displeased to find you in such a state yet again.

“Do you ever do anything other than sulk?” The creature asks. He is a pixie, as you know from your first interaction where he had very indignantly informed you that no, he is not a cross between a mosquito and a human in-between your attempts to squash him with a fly swatter. You grimace.

“No.” You snap, rolling onto your side to face away. Alas, the small pixie merely lifts easily into the air and sails over your face like he’s an Olympian performing high jump. He lands neatly in front of you once more and grins.

“What happened this time?” He asks, settling down into the picnic blanket cross legged. He plants an elbow on either knee and rests his chin in his hands. The buzzing of his wings slows to a gentle flap, which allows you to discern the thin, silvery veins that lace across the delicate membranes of his wings. You’ve always secretly thought it a shame that Jungkook is just a pixie, given his handsome face and charming nature, but being a human would mean the loss of his gorgeous wings. “Did Jin ground you again?”

“He’s never grounded me before.” You snap defensively. “And even if he did, it’s not like I would listen to him. He’s not my parent.”

Jungkook shrugs, leaning back to press his weight into his hands and stretching his legs out in front of him.

“Yes, you would.” He points out. “You always complain about Jin, but I know you always do what he says.”

You purse your lips and sit up. Jin is one of the last people you want to talk about right now. Jungkook stands up too, launching himself into the air so that he can settle on your knee.

“So what did Jin do this time? Change the code to his apartment again? Find out about your motorbike? Treat you to dinner?” Jungkook questions eagerly. You’ve never seen the pixie interact with another living being other than you, Jin or Taehyung (and on occasion your mother) and he had sadly informed you that he was the only one of his kind in this realm when you first met thirteen years ago. So, you have a theory that he lives out his need for drama and gossip and social interaction vicariously through you. It’s the only way to explain his constant interest in your life and the things that are making you sad.

“It wasn’t Jin.” You finally admit, lifting your gaze once more to the sky above. “Why are you even here anyway? Did you run out of YouTube dance covers to copy?”

Jungkook nods and settles down beside you. “It’s all pointless after a while.” He says forlornly. “It’s not like humans can see me. Only guardians will ever see me dance and they don’t care. I figured I might as well talk to one sentient being before I go crazy. The moths just aren’t great conversation partners these days.” He pauses. “So, are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”

Jungkook’s confession has your resolve crumbling. Sometimes it is easy to forget that you, Jin and Taehyung are the only people Jungkook can mix with, as a pixie in a human world. Even if humans could see him, the government would probably deport him back to the other realm the second it found out he was threatening exposure of magical beings to humans. A strange sadness on his behalf overcomes you and that is the thing that makes you willing to confess what’s bothering you. “It was... my mother.”

Jungkook is silent and when you glance down at where he is seated upon your knee, he is also gazing in wonder at the sky above. He doesn’t press further but you still somehow feel compelled to share.

“She’s engaged.” You admit and the words feel oddly piercing amongst the soft hum of city traffic. They hang in the cool night air and suddenly the warmth of the night seems stifling rather than comfortable.

“I thought the Q’uvar were happy when that sort of thing happened? Don’t you all have those huge festivities in your village whenever a marriage ceremony happens?” Jungkook questions. The natural way the original term for your people rolls off his tongue testifies to his origin- despite him living in the human realm, there is no doubt he comes from Magregnum, just as you do. Even when you were living in the other realm, your people would refer to themselves as guardians. Only the really old-fashioned members of your race would use the language that had slowly died out over the years as the common tongue became the norm. Not for the first time, you are curious about Jungkook and where he popped up from. Jungkook turns to look at you and tilts his tiny head. His inky black hair flops to one side with the motion. “Shouldn’t you be happy that your mother is engaged?”

The unintentional reprimand slaps you across the face and you wince. In theory, you should be thrilled that after so much difficulty and hardship settling into this realm, your mother has found a source of happiness. She has worked so hard on your behalf to make sure you grow up safe and secure in this foreign realm and so the least you can do to repay her is to be happy when she is happy. But the niggling fear that always chases you holds you back. It’s a fear of change- of the way life seems to move too fast for you to catch up. Here you are, stuck in the past when even your own mother has managed to move on and build a life for herself.

“I should be.” You answer softly. You lift your knees and hug them close to your chest- Jungkook falls off with an indignant squawk. Moments later he rises in the air until he is eye level with you- even the buzz of his wings seems irritated.

“Well then, why aren’t you?” He asks, but the tone of his voice implies that his patience has been lost with you. Since the moment of meeting you all those years ago, Jungkook had assigned himself as a sort of pseudo-counsellor and confidante, but it does not mean he enjoys the position. No, more often than not, he is annoyed and puzzled by your seemingly trivial problems. You kind of enjoy such an attitude though- it makes the things that feel insurmountable to you become small and insignificant. Jungkook makes you feel like problems can be overcome. This time, however, his dismissive attitude has you feeling worse.

“Because I’m homesick.” You admit miserably. “Why does everyone seem to settle in here so well? Why am I the only one struggling? Why could everyone leave things behind so easily? How can they just pretend that they’re humans, and completely ignore the fact that they are Guardians?”

You press the palms of your hands against your eyes and release a long exhale. No one has followed you up here, after you rushed out like that. Who even knows what state your mother’s dinner is in? Hopefully she remembered to get everything out of the oven. Are they having fun without you? Is Nigel charming them, winning them over, getting them excited about the possibility of a wedding? Are they… are they really happy, in this realm? “Do you ever think about going back?” You question, after a long moment of silence. You drop your hands from your eyes.

“Sometimes.” Jungkook admits. “I wonder what it looks like now. Taehyung says it’s largely the same, it’s just the cultures and people that change.”

You stare out across the ugly concrete buildings that the rooftop view provides you. In this realm, everything moves fast and changes quickly. In the blink of an eye, a new building can pop up down the road or an entire family can move away from their twenty-year-old restaurant and close it without any warning. Back home, you remember things being steady and unchanging. Every morning, you would rise to the same mountain ranges, to the same fringe of forest, to the same river song. The only guardian you know who has gone back is Taehyung, and he validates that impression- forests and mountains do not change.

“I wish I had half Taehyung’s courage. I want to go back.” You confess.

Jungkook hugs his knees into his chest and mirrors your position beside you.

“What would it achieve?” Jungkook asks curiously. You shrug, picking idly at a stray thread on your jeans.

“Hopefully something.” You say. “I feel like I’ll never know what could happen if I don’t take the risk. I just… I feel like it’s calling me. It doesn’t want me to forget what I am. This realm doesn’t suit me because this isn’t my realm. Maybe I’ll find a place that fits over there.”

Jungkook nods sagely. A moth flaps past him and he smiles at it as it goes past.

“And what would you do once you’re there?” He questions. It does not take you long to give an answer. You’ve had this adventure mapped out in your mind since you were a miserable, homesick eleven-year-old.

“My dad used to have this phrase. “The river loves those who take the plunge.”. He’d always say it in the old tongue, and apparently it was an old guardian phrase that meant sometimes taking the risk was worth it. But apparently the phrase comes from a river to the east of our home. Dad said that the river is home to a special migrating plant, and it lights up and looks like shooting stars. They call it ‘the dancing river’. He promised to take me there, one day when the war was over.” You explain. “If rivers and mountains don’t change… then that’s that last piece of him I can find in that realm.”

“And that’s what you want to see, if you go back?” Jungkook asks. You nod and shift your position to the side of some old drawers you had rescued from your mother’s bedroom. Inside are a bunch of wrinkled old papers that you pull out and show him.

“Taehyung always brings me back a map whenever he gets back from over there to show me how things have changed. Look.” You point at a small blue line that trickles across the painted landscape of the map. The label is written in the common tongue. “River of stars” it says in sleek cursive. You know from matching it up with an older map that the name has changed but it’s the same river your father told you about. “It’s only a five-day hike from the portal.” You point at a small mark on the map- this has Taehyung’s writing scribbled on it, marking the join between the human realm and the magical one. “I could go and just... get it out of my system. See the river. Like a road trip but in another realm.”

Jungkook flutters over to peer at the small distance between the river in question and the portal on the map.

“I just have to go once. Just once. And see it- see the places he loved. And then I’ll settle into this realm and get the boring job Jin and my mother want me to have and marry an equally boring human. I’ll go to her wedding and watch her pretend like my dad never existed and like I’m not a Guardian.” You tell him. “I... we didn’t even get to say good-bye, Jungkook.”

Your voice cracks and Jungkook glances up at you in surprise. You rarely open up about your father to the pixie but he’s always curious when you do, like you’re sharing the story of an ancient war hero. Which in a way, he is. Though the war is fresh and recent in your mind, over a thousand years have passed back home, since your people roamed freely there.

“We just got word that he was dead, and we had to go, or we would be too.” You tell him, recalling the way Jin’s father had woken you two up in the middle of the night, pale as a ghost and drenched in your father’s blood. You remember running a lot that night and clinging to your mother’s hand. You had tripped and scraped your knee and you hadn’t been able to cry. And when you reached the human realm, your mother had shed a single tear and then shouldered on into your new life. No time or space to grieve. Not when there was so much uncertainty ahead. “No funeral or anything. I just... I want proof, that he was alive. I want to see the places he saw and just... I want to get a chance to say goodbye. I never even got to tell him that I love him one last time.”

Jungkook holds a hand to his chin as he ponders your words and then he looks at you. Though he is small, you can make out the dark colour of his eyes. His expression is soft and gentle. It reminds you of the look Jin used to give you when you’d come up here because the kids had made a mean comment about you not understanding their weird meme jokes or you were sad because you’d seen a kid hanging out with his father. Back before Jin had lost his patience with you, when he just got that the reason you couldn’t settle in was because of the cost it took to get to this realm safely.

“You know it wouldn’t bring him back, right?” Jungkook asks softly. “Everything you knew about that realm faded thousands of years ago. You won’t find home there anymore than it is here. And it won’t stop your mother from getting married.”

“I know.” You answer forlornly. “But maybe things will be better if I just get to… acknowledge what I am. Even if it’s only for five days.” Jungkook stares for a long moment and then nods, his shoulders set with sudden determination.

“Then let’s go.” He announces. You blink in surprise at his proposition.

“Go?” You echo. He nods and straightens, planting on hand on his hip and pointing the other directly at you.

“I am the first person to point out that you’re spoiled and selfish.” Jungkook reminds you, which has you wincing. “You don’t even know how lucky you are, to have so many people who love you. Do you know what I would give to be human? To have a friends and family like you do? And every day you spit on it. If this is what it takes for you to finally be content, then do it.”

You frown and look away from him.

“I don’t want to go when you put it like that.” You say, resenting the slight way your voice wobbles with hurt. You feel the slight tickle to your cheek and find Jungkook has pressed his tiny hand comfortingly to the side of your face.

“Don’t be hurt.” He says softly. “I do know why you’re struggling.” He offers you as comfort. “And I do understand why it’s so hard. To live amongst humans every day and pretend like none of the terrible things that went down over there really happened. But in focusing on the things you’re missing, you’re missing out on the things you have.” He explains. “So, let’s go, (Y/N). Let’s go see the Dancing River and find the peace you’re looking for.”

You stare at Jungkook for a long time, before offering the slightest nod. He’s right. What’s the use of waiting and hoping and holding out for something? Why not just go and find out if seeing this river will solve any of your problems? The river loves those who take the plunge, after all.

“Let’s go, Jungkook.” You agree, with the faint hint of a smile on your face.

What you don’t see, as you converse with Jungkook, is Jin slowly closing the door to the rooftop, first aid kit in hand. He gives one last glance at the doorway, wondering if he should join you and Jungkook before shaking his head with a sigh. He turns around and makes the slow trek back downstairs with a troubled expression on his face.

#kim seokjin x reader #jin x reader #seokjin x reader #castlebangtan #seokjin scenario #writing

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musecharm-writes · 4 years ago

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Bad Influence, Pt 2 (Steve Harrington X Reader)

Summary: Jonathan, Robin, Steve, and Nancy find out more about what happened at Melvald’s; you have your first shift at the general store.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

When Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Robin head to the Byers’ later that night, Joyce is there, making herself a sandwich and smoking a cigarette in the kitchen.

“Jonathan, sweetie? That you?”

“Yeah, Mom,” Jonathan replies. “Nancy, Steve, and Robin are here, too.”

Joyce appears around the corner, a look of surprise on her face. “Oh! Hey, guys! Sorry, if I had known you were coming I would’ve cooked dinner, or--or gotten take-out, or something. Will is over at Dustin’s tonight so I was expecting it to just be me and Jonathan--” She cuts herself off to take a pull from her cigarette.

“That’s okay, Ms Byers, me and Robin were gonna get pizza later,” Steve says politely. He’s always been good with parents, moms especially, and for whatever reason Joyce seems to like him.

He assumes that Jonathan has never breathed a word to her about all the shit Steve used to put her son through, otherwise he’d probably be eating all his meals through a straw to this very day.

“Hey, Mom,” Jonathan begins, in a characteristically unsubtle fashion, “we were wondering if we could ask you about something.”

Joyce smiles, somewhat unsurely. “Okay,” she says, with a nervous little laugh, “ask away.”

Jonathan and Nancy share a look before Nancy says, “We were wondering if you knew anything about what happened at Melvald’s earlier today?”

Joyce’s eyebrows draw together, a furrow appearing like magic on a face that Steve privately thought looked too young for all the stress Joyce Byers carries with her. “How do you all know about that?”

“Steve and Robin saw it,” Jonathan says.

“Uh, technically only I saw it,” Steve corrected. “I’m still not quite sure what it was all about, though, we were too far away.”

Joyce nods slowly, her lips pursed thoughtfully. “Well… I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to tell you. Technically, I’m supposed to keep it kind of a secret.”

“We won’t tell anyone,” Nancy says, and Steve can tell she’s trying her absolute best to look innocent and wide-eyed. “We’re very curious, is all. And, honestly, a little worried that something bad is happening again.”

Clever play, Nance. They weren’t worried there was another impending apocalypse -- not really. She’s just trying to appeal to Joyce’s instinct to comfort.

Sure enough, it works; that furrow in Joyce’s brow deepens as her conflicted expression melts into a look of concern. “Oh, honey, no. It’s nothing like that.” She bites her lip, mulling it over for a moment, before she says, “Okay, if I tell you, you all have to promise you’ll keep it quiet, okay?”

They all give various answers in the affirmative.

“Someone -- a teenager, around your age -- tried to steal a carton of cigarettes from Melvald’s. I spotted them right as they slipped it into their pocket and started to walk away. Powell and Callahan happened to be there, stopping by on their way to the station, so they took the kid in.”

“Seriously? They tried to steal cigarettes?” Nancy asks, her nose wrinkling with her distaste. “God, that’s so stupid. I’m glad you caught them.”

Joyce sighs. “I feel a little bad for getting them in trouble. It seems like it’s just a case of a good kid making bad choices. I mean, I remember myself at that age…” She shakes her head, taking another drag from her cigarette. She walks over to the coffee table and flicks ash into the ashtray.

“I mean, you did the right thing though, right? Just because they’re some mixed up kid doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have to learn from their mistakes just like anyone else,” Steve says.

Everyone, save for Joyce, turns to look at him.

“...Why are you all staring at me like that?”

Robin puts a hand on his shoulder. “Probably because that’s the most intelligent thing that’s ever come out of your mouth,” she says, giving his shoulder a little pat.

“Hey!” Steve exclaims, but everyone else is laughing, and he can’t help but smile.

Even though he knows it can’t possibly be true, because he says intelligent stuff all the time.

The morning of your first shift at Melvald’s begins with your alarm clock, which you set the night before to go off at five. Unfortunately, it never actually went off; unbeknownst to you, one of the breakers had tripped in the middle of the night, which reset your alarm clock.

You wake up from a blissful sleep and roll over to see the blinking red 12:00 . For a second, you don’t comprehend what you’re looking at, and then when it sinks in, you scramble out of bed so frantically that you go tumbling to the ground, tangled in the sheets, yelling, “SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!”

You get ready faster than you ever have in your life, skipping breakfast and brushing your teeth in the kitchen sink while tugging on your clothes. As soon as you’re ready, you’re flying out the door, grabbing your bike, and peeling down the road that will bring you to Downtown Hawkins. You count your lucky stars that the only drivers out this early are the people driving to work.

When you get to Melvald’s, you chain your bike up at the bike rack and blow through the door like a hurricane, your cheeks bright red with exertion and your blood rushing in your ears. The tinkling of the bell over the door is almost mocking in its gentleness.

The store is almost completely empty except for a single woman in a uniform vest who appears to be pricing items. She looks over at you; you recognise her as Joyce Byers, the woman who caught you stealing the cigarettes.

“Oh! Hey,” she says, sounding surprised to see you.

“I’m so-- so sorry,” you pant, walking forward a bit to lean on the counter. “My… My alarm... didn’t go off, and I--”

She waves a hand. “Don’t worry about it. You’re actually early.”

You pause, your chest heaving, looking at her in disbelief. “Really?”

“Yep. By about…” She looks at a clock behind the counter. “Fifteen minutes, give or take.”

You let your head loll against your back. “So I skipped breakfast for nothing.”

Joyce smiled sympathetically. “‘Fraid so. Sorry. If it makes you feel better, Hop’ll definitely be happy about it.”

And, embarrassingly enough, it does make you feel a little better.

You’d like to say your first day on the job goes pretty well.

You’d like to say that, but if you did, it would be a lie.

It starts with the pricing gun, which miraculously stops working moments after Joyce leaves you to your task. She assures you that it’s just because the damn thing is so old and Gary refuses to replace it because of how expensive they are, which makes you feel a little better, but part of you still feels as though you broke it despite her reassurance.

Then, when Joyce offers you a break to go and grab lunch for the two of you from the diner, you almost lose the money she gives you thanks to a hole in your pocket that you hadn’t even realised was there. Thankfully, you’re able to make it with the cash still in hand, but the incident makes you so nervous that on the way back to the store you almost drop everything multiple times.

When you finally make it back, the store is unusually busy, so you’re forced to stow the paper take-out bags under the counter as Joyce attempts to teach you how to use the register. You frantically memorise as much as you can, and are somehow able to make it through the rush without missing a beat, but by the time it’s over and the two of you are able to take a load off, your lunch is stone cold.

“I’m sorry,” you say to Joyce, staring dejectedly at your cold fries. “I don’t know why I’m having such a shitty day today. I’m trying so hard but it feels like everything is going wrong.”

Joyce shakes her head. “Hey, no. It’s okay. Sometimes, you just have bad luck, no matter how hard you try. It’s not your fault.” She places a hand on your shoulder and squeezes.

You wonder why she’s being so nice to you, but you can’t work up the nerve to ask. Instead, you ask if there’s a microwave you can use to heat up the food.

Toward the end of your shift at around 12:30, Joyce calls you over from where you’ve been organising a window display and says, “Hey, would you mind going into the back and grabbing the boxes that have ‘ballpoint’ and ‘pencil - yellow’ written on them? I need to restock.”

“I’ll do it for you!” You blurt out. You can feel your cheeks flushing.

“Oh,” Joyce says, raising her eyebrows at you. “Okay. Uh, I’ll show you where they go and then that’ll be the last thing you have to do before I let you go for the day. Okay?”

You nod, too flustered to speak. You need Joyce to like you for reasons you aren’t totally sure of, and you hope with every part of you that you aren’t being too obvious.

Joyce walks you through restocking the shelves and then sends you on your way to retrieve the boxes from storage. They’re bigger than you thought they would be considering they’re just boxes of pens and pencils, but you guess it makes sense, since it’s not like the boxes are full of individual pencils and pens. There are three of them, standard sized cardboard boxes; you lift each one and find that you could probably carry two at a time, if you were careful. You stack the two boxes of pencils on top of each other on the ground, squat, and lift them up with a grunt of effort.

Now that you’re holding them, you realise it’s a little hard to see around the boxes. You have to angle your head awkwardly to peer around one side, which leaves you with a pretty big blind spot. You guess you’ll just have to trust that any customers nearby will be smart enough to stay out of the way.

You’ve made it almost all the way to the correct shelf before tragedy strikes again.

You glance down at the ground to make sure that there’s nothing you could trip over or slip on, and as you’re adjusting your grip on the bottom box, you hear a voice coming near you.

“--And stop nagging me! You’re not my mother, Buckley!”

Shortly following this is a shout of, “Steve! Watch where you’re--!”

You look up right in time to slam into someone.

The boxes fly right out of your hands. Boxes of yellow Ticonderoga pencils go flying, scattering across the floor. Some of the boxes even come open and pencils go rolling every which way. You end up flat on your ass in the middle of it all.

For a moment, you stare at the boxes of pencils all over the floor, gobsmacked. Once you’re able to tear your eyes away from the mess, you look up to find Steve Harrington looking down at you with his eyes as wide as dinner plates, but not one strand of hair out of place.

The two of you just stare at each other for a moment. Then, Harrington opens his mouth.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” he babbles, dropping to his knees and starting to pick up the stray boxes and escaped pencils. “That was an accident, uh-- shit, I swear I’m not usually this much of a klutz. I’m sorry, please, lemme help--”

“It’s okay,” you sigh, somewhat dejected. You’re probably going to have to stay after your shift ends to finish picking all this up and do what you promised Joyce. You glance at the clock and find your theory is confirmed, to your dismay. “I can handle it. It’s my job.”

“No, really, I…” He pauses after a moment, squinting at you. “Wait. Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?”

He has. The two of you went to school together for, like, your entire lives. That’s not what he means, though; he recognises you from yesterday, when he watched you get patted down and shoved in a cop car after making the dumbest mistake you’ve ever made in your life.

“We went to the same school for twelve years,” you say stiffly. Like hell are you gonna remind him if he actually forgot.

“...Oh,” he replies awkwardly. “Uh. Sorry. But, no, I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere else. Did you used to hang out at the mall? I used to work there. Oh!” He snaps his fingers. “Wait! I got it! You’re the one who got arrested yesterday, right?”

Before you can answer, a girl you vaguely recognise as being a high schooler a couple of years your junior appears at Harrington’s side, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him with surprising strength and an almost enraged expression.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” She hisses at him, before turning to you with a sunny smile. “I’m so sorry about him, he’s chronically stupid. We’re going to go before he says another dumb thing, right , Steve?” She has him by the ear, now, and you have to admit it’s kind of funny; she’s a couple of inches shorter than him, so he has to bend down to keep her from tearing his ear off.

“OW! Yes , Robin, jesus! Let go of me, I’m leaving!”

As you watch them go, you can’t help but feel disappointed. You’d kind of wanted someone to help you pick up the pencils.

When Robin and Steve are outside of Melvald’s, Robin finally lets go of Steve’s ear, saying, “Steve, what have we talked about? About thinking before we speak?”

Steve scrubs a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m trying. It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

Robin rolls her eyes. “I know, dummy. I had to learn it, too.” She sticks her hands in her pockets and glances back into the general store through the front window. “So, what was your angle with that whole spiel back there?”

Steve blanches. “What?”

“I mean , you’re not just nice to people for no reason all the time, even if you did something to them. So why were you being such a hardcore nice guy?”

Steve opens his mouth to say something and realises he doesn’t have any clue how to respond. He crosses his arms and shrugs, flustered. “I dunno. Maybe I just felt like it. What’s it to you?”

He starts to walk away, tired of the conversation, and Robin comes trotting after him, still yapping right in his ear. (He pretends to be annoyed, but honestly, his heart feels full to the brim with love for Robin. Before her, nobody has ever chased after him before.)

“Uh, you’re my best friend, dumb-dumb! That’s what it is to me! My nose belongs stuck right in your business!” She catches up to him and runs around to plant herself in his path, grinning broadly. “So, tell me what it is that has you so riled up.”

Steve gapes at her for a moment before shrugging again. “...I don’t know.”

Robin arcs a brow at him. “Seriously? You’re still not gonna tell me?”

“Robin, c’mon, I’m telling you I have no idea ,” Steve insists. He sighs, and lowers his voice. “Look, I just felt this weird… Urge to stay and talk? And picking up the mess that I caused anyway seemed like a good excuse at the time. Until I stuck my foot in my mouth, that is,” he sighs.

Robin gasps. “Steven Janine Harrington--”

“Not my name.”

“--Do you have a CRUSH?”

Steve feels his entire body burst into flames. He looks around frantically, saying, “Will you keep your voice down?”

Robin’s face takes on an expression of pure glee. “So you do! Oh my god, I didn’t think you were capable. So, are you going to pursue anything? Or are you more the brood-from-afar type?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Oh my god, will you shut up? You’re such an embarrassment. This is why I never take you anywhere,” Steve says, walking off in a huff.

Robin chases after him, laughing her ass off. He’s glad at least one of them thinks the situation is funny.

#stranger things x reader #stranger things reader insert #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things #x reader #reader insert #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #robin buckley #joyce byers #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #writing #writing blog #reader insert blog #x reader blog

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hains-mae · 5 years ago

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Flowers - Pt. 2

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 (end)

(Damian x Reader) Soulmate AU

Rating: T

Ages: Damian and you are 16, everyone’s ages follow after.

Summary: Soulmate AU where the wounds on your soulmate turns into a flower tattoo on your skin, if it heals with no scars the tattoo goes away, if it heals with a scar then the tattoo stays. You know who your soulmate is. It’s Robin. The vigilante. The crime-fighter and protector of Gotham who runs along side the Dark Knight himself – Batman. And you’re still you. This couldn’t possibly work, could it?

Notes: I did not expect my last fic to gain as much popularity as it had, and I am so thankful. @grincheveryday said there had to be a part 2, and although I wasn’t planning on it – I relented. And now here we are, with part 2.

Anyway, thank you again so much for the lovely comments. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own DC. If I did, I wouldn’t make it as confusing as it is now.

Metropolis. The convention was to be held in Metropolis. The city of Superman! I was more than excited when the school informed us, and it turned out that Lex Corp. was sponsoring our transport and accommodations.

Gotham Academy instructed us to pack a week’s worth. The actual event was going to run for a total of one week. 3 days to try and impress during the showcase. After that they scheduled a meeting for students and companies who were interested in internships and mentoring, which would last another 2 days. On the last day Wayne Ent. promised a gala to finish off with a bang.

“Oh, my baby is growing up.” Mom said as she helped me pack.

“It’ll only be a week, mom. You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” I laughed.

It was a decent trip going to the big city of Metropolis. What I noticed first were the clean streets and bright colours. The sun was actually out of the clouds (something that only happened a handful of times during the year back at Gotham). There was a lot of excited chatter on the bus as soon as we entered.

“Alright children, you know the rules. Keep close and stay in sight.” Our science professor spoke up over the murmurs.

“Ah, Gotham Academy I’m presuming!” A boisterous voice caught our attention and successfully made us all quiet.

It was Mr. Lex Luthor.

“Mr. Luthor, it’s an honour. May I just say on behalf of our school we’d like to thank you for the generous hospitality.”

“The honour is mine.” He replied to our guide and professor as he shook her hand. “With such young and brilliant minds, how can I refuse?”

It felt surreal to be there. To be meeting with one of the most famous inventors and businessmen on the planet. I thought about pinching myself but if this was a dream, I didn’t want it to end.

We were ushered into the building that we were going to be staying at for the next week. It looked amazing on the inside just as it did on the outside. The receptionist smiled warmly at us when we entered. As the adults talked about where to place us, my schoolmates and I were left in a waiting area with large, soft sofas. I sighed in delight thinking this day couldn’t get any better.

The briefing was short, and we were sent to our rooms to freshen up before dinner. If I thought the lounge was awesome, the bedrooms were 5 times more. The walls were cream in colour, and the furniture’s light tan tint complimented the aesthetic. Two queen sized beds since were to stay in pairs. Bright yellow flowers on beautifully painted vases stood on each of our bedside tables.

I took the bed closest to the window, and placed my bags on the floor. My roommate didn’t mind as she unzipped her suitcase and began to make herself at home. As we shuffled around placing our belongings in their respective areas, I couldn’t help but wonder if Robin would be here. It was a million to one chance since many schools from Gotham were involved, but still, I hoped.

You don’t even who he is, or even how he looks like under that mask — my inner muse said pointedly. I sighed, knowing it was right.

That evening I opted to go to the dining hall a little earlier than expected. I didn’t have any friends around, since it was limited to one student per section. So I found myself alone sitting on a table with my name printed all fancy on a card. I sighed, pulling out my phone and going over the slides of my presentation for the invention.

“Good evening.” A presence alerted me and I fumbled as my phone slipped from my hands.

They caught it in one swoop.

I looked up and found myself face to face with a pair of clear forest green eyes.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you. My name is Damian Wayne.” His tone was clipped as he handed me my phone, like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

I swallowed thickly, I’m sure I looked flustered, he seemed like he was in a bad mood. Quickly clearing my throat I took my phone from him and introduced myself as quickly as I could.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He said stiffly and sat down beside me.

There must’ve been a mistake on the placement of the name cards. Usually they would assign our seats in accordance to our sections. Mine should be at the last... and oh my god his name is next to mine?! How did I not notice this???

“The - the pleasure is mine.” I said nervously and tucked my phone back in my pocket.

I may not be part of any of his (or his brothers’) fan club, but I wasn’t living under a rock. Damian Wayne. Son of Bruce Wayne; the one who organised this entire endeavour. The son of a multi-billionaire business man. The prince of Gotham! What in the world was he doing here — next to me?!

There was a painfully thick awkward silence between us, or maybe it's just me — I bit my lip and looked everywhere else in the room but the boy who was sitting beside me.

Taking deep breaths to calm myself down, I noticed a pleasant aroma in the air. I must’ve missed it after our surprising introductions, but his perfume smelled good. It wasn’t a scent I would normally smell nowadays, but I immediately recognised it.

“Arabian oud.” I said out loud. Unintentionally mind you, to which I mentally facepalmed.

I quickly covered my mouth and apologised. Great, now he’ll think you’re a creep, way to go.

“Yeah.” Damian cocked a brow at me and narrowed his eyes. “It is, not many people know.”

“My dad. He liked those kinds of scents. Came a cross it one time during a case he was working on. I guess it grew on me too.”

Talking about my dad to a complete stranger, it was nerve wrecking but at the same time the memory calmed me, and the scent dancing between us only lulled me further into memory lane.

“It sticks better than regular perfume.” He said nonchalantly.

I had to giggle at that. “Well you get what you pay for.” He scoffed, and I reminded myself that this guy was probably rolling in money every day.

There was silence again, but this time a little less awkward. I still hoped everyone would be here soon though.

My wish was granted. Not five minutes later, the room started to get filled. Everyone took their respective places and made quick chatter. Damian and I stayed quiet though. Perhaps his friends weren’t able to come either, well we had that in common.

Damian was introduced to us before the waiters served our food. Apparently he wasn’t part of the convention but because Wayne Ent. was the one sponsoring, Mr. Wayne deemed it necessary for him to make an appearance.

I sighed to myself and looked around, this really was nothing like I expected it to be.

-x-x-x-

Dinner was delicious. Everyone was happily stuffed and ready for bed. Everyone but me. I couldn’t relax after sitting next to Damian the whole night. I felt his stares multiple times but every time I try to catch him I fail.

As soon as we were done an old man wearing formal attire came to pick him up. Didn’t know where to, but I heard “father” and “penthouse”. Rich kids...

Maybe it was just me who was getting a little paranoid. Maybe it was because of all the rumours I heard of how fan clubs treat other girls who even dared to talk to him other than a polite hi or wave. I shuddered at the thought. Our professor was droning on about the rules (again) and the importance of the buddy system. I briefly wondered if I could sneak out for a small walk around the block or something to release some energy.

And that was exactly where I found myself later that evening. I managed to pass the receptionist and walk a couple of minutes around the area. Not too far, the hotel was still in view. There were people around minding their own business, which was new for me since around this time in Gotham, everyone would be at home. The crisp air felt good, and I was finally able to relax. It was too stuffy being next to him. His smell, it reminded me too much of dad. The memory made a lump form in my throat.

I looked up at the starless sky and blinked back tears. Mom said he’d be proud, I wanted to believe it was true.

“Aw little girl. Why so upset?”

I whirled around and saw a man all dressed in baggy black clothes inch closer at me. “How about you come with me and I can make you feel all better.”

I took a step back as my heart started to race. This was probably not the best idea, even though this was Superman’s City, it didn’t mean crime didn’t exist.

A heavy hand gripped tightly at my shoulder and I realised with utter dread that I was surrounded. Only one way to run and it was through the alley. Every instinct in me shouted that it would be a really bad idea, first off I didn’t know the place, and if I just ran I could very well get lost.

But the grip on my shoulder was worse than anything I could’ve imagined at the moment.

“You’re a pretty little thing aren’t ya.” Another man came in and slid his hands across my cheek before covering my mouth.

His breath smelled of alcohol and smoke. It made me gag.

“I’ve got some great ideas on what I can do with you.” He snickered and dropped his other hand lower onto my chest. I gasped in fear.

No, this isn’t happening.

They pushed me further into the alley, away from prying eyes, and into to the shadows. The man started to grope my waist and hips.

This isn’t happening!

I wanted to fight back, wanted to bite his hand and shout, but my body was frozen. I was in shock. My inner voice was yelling at me to do something, to do anything! But fear clasped me tight and hard.

Then he forced his dirt calloused hand under my shirt and touched my breast.

That snapped me out of it.

With a sense of need to survive I dug my elbow into the man who was holding me and shoved the one in front with as much force as I could muster, exactly how dad taught me. They grunted in pain, and their hold on me lifted. I bolted down the dimly lit passage as soon as I was free.

But they didn’t stop. They called after me, swearing and cursing slurs as they ran. Their footsteps echoed along the tight alley. How many of them were there? 4?

They chanted along what they were planning on doing with me once they catch me. It was horrible. My throat tightening in disgust. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend how their minds worked. The tears were beginning to fall as every turn I took only lead deeper into the maze.

I kept running, taking quick sharp turns in the hopes to loose them. I refused to go like this. But my heart plummeted as soon as I faced a dead end.

They were all laughing at my demise, taking their time to get to me so the fear really soaked in. They strolled and taunted. Taking out their ropes and knives from their coat pockets.

“This was a really stupid idea...” I whimpered to myself, wiping my wet cheeks furiously as I did.

“No shit.” I instantly recognised the voice. “We really need to stop meeting like this.”

A figure dropped in front of me, clad in familiar colours. I felt my knees go weak and a new wave of tears started to fall. I sobbed in relief.

Robin pulled out his katana and growled at the men.

“Do not touch her.” He spat at them.

“Robin? But isn’t he supposed to be with the Bat?” One of them questioned, but he was outright ignored.

Their leader, the one who groped me, laughed. A loud barking sort of laughter.

“Don’t touch her?” He mimicked. “But I already have. Must say, she’s quite soft.” He leered at me, I could feel him undressing me with his eyes and I instantly clutched my jacket tighter.

“Bastard!” Robin shouted and threw himself into battle.

They didn’t look worried though.

“You’re just a boy!” They yelled at him as they aimed to kill.

It didn’t phase him as he attacked with the same precision as he did before. Their bullets were evaded with his quick movements. I protected my head with my arms and dashed behind a corner full of crates.

“Excuse me.”

I turned to the person next to me.

He offered a smile, and I noticed his feet weren’t touching the ground. He was hovering over the air.

“Quit stalling Superboy!” Robin grunted. “Take her someplace safe!”

“You heard him.” He told me, and carried me bridal style before flying away.

I clutched on to him as the ground became further and further away.

“Wait — what about Robin?” My voice sounded weak but I didn’t want to just leave him behind.

Superboy looked at me and grinned. “He’ll be okay.”

He set me down on the roof of a building just above the fight.

“Can you wait here a moment? We’ll be right back.”

He looked a few years older, dressed in his father’s colors and symbol proudly plastered on the middle of his chest.

I managed a small nod before he zipped back down and joined the fight. With a bit more courage I peered down and watched as they bravely fought the men. Superboy withheld from using his lasers too much, I suppose since they were in such an enclosed space. Robin on the other hand looked like he was putting everything he had out there.

It ended quite fast, with the men tied up in a rope. Robin seemed to be talking to Superboy, the metahuman nodded once and pointed up where I was standing. I quickly looked away and walked back.

A grappling hook shot up before hooking itself to the side of the building. Robin swung forward and landed gracefully in front of me. He looked angry.

I tried not to look at him straight in the eye, hoping to make myself smaller.

“Did they hurt you?” He asked, his voice filled with concern but still laced with a little venom.

I bit my bottom lip to keep it from quivering, I felt so ashamed, and so used. I felt dirty.

“He touched me...” I chocked out, trying to keep the tears at bay and failing.

Robin clenched his fists.

“What were you doing outside at this hour?”

“I - I just wanted to take a walk. I didn’t - it wasn’t -“ I was shaking. All I wanted to do was go back home and hide under my covers.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. I heard him walk up to me and hold my chin, turning it towards him as he wiped the tears.

“Stop crying.” He said. “You’re safe now.”

Not being able to help it, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight. I wasn’t an overly physical type of person but I needed something solid, something safe, to clutch on to after what just happened. I wished my mom was here, but then I also didn’t since all this would do would only worry her more. I dreaded the fact that I needed to tell her what happened. But for now I just breathed in and out, trying to calm myself. Robins arms slowly encircled me, and he patted my shoulder awkwardly.

Wait — this smell…

Arabian oud.

I tensed, and pushed back. Robin looked a little confused at the suddenly change but loosened the hug.

My heart started to race as I looked up at his face. No way, there has to be hundreds with the same perfume, right? I couldn’t, or rather didn’t want to believe it. Was it really him under this mask? I wish I could give myself an answer but I was terrified of what I would find if I looked. I was both mad yet relieved that I didn’t look too closely at his face during dinner or else it might be too easy to pick apart his features. The mask only hid so much. I must’ve been eyeing him for too long because Robin gave me a questioning look.

“I -“ I quickly put a slight distance between us and cleared my throat, hoping the heat on my cheeks would cool down, and my head to stop spinning. “Sorry, and thank you! I... probably should get back.” I finished lamely.

The time it took us to get from where we were to the hotel was filled with silence. I made sure not to make eye contact for too long and when I had to I made sure to ignore everything else. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to piece the puzzle together... It felt risky. I thanked him again, and asked him to thank Superboy.

Sneaking back into my room was a lot more difficult that sneaking out. Thankfully my roommate and I had separate keys so going in was a breeze. She was already asleep when I got there much to my relief. I headed straight to the shower, eager to scrub off the mans filthy hold on me. I grimaced as I caught my reflection in the mirror, my skin was bright red from all the scrubbing and my eyes were puffy. I sniffed and looked away.

I didn’t sleep that night, not well anyway, but that was to be expected.

...

... to be continued ...

#dc #dc comics #batman #son of batman #damian wayne #Damian Wayne x Reader #fanfiction #my fanfiction #robin #superboy #superman #lex luthor #metropolis #Soulmate AU #My Fan Fiction

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