#he just likes stuff with clear straight forward instructions

[meowmeowriley]

Rabbit shifter Ghost likes to be stuff on Soap's hoodie pocket even if he won't fit. Soap ends up getting one of jumpers with a cat pocket to accommodate this.

Maybe a clear bag some cats travel in to keep Ghost contained when needed.

Ghost, being a Flemish Giant, does not fit in Soap's hoodie pocket, to his own dismay. However, when Soap steals a hoodie from Ghost, one that's oversized even on Ghost himself, and has just a huge front pocket, Ghost can't help himself. He shifts mid sprint, after having spotted his favorite hoodie on his favorite Sergeant across the training field. Goes from running full tilt to hopping at the speed of light. A grey streak, cutting the field in half. A missile, lazer guided and target locked. The target: the pocket of that hoodie.

Soap barely has time to brace himself after spotting the gray blur approaching out of the corner of his eye at mach Jesus.

Ghost's aim is true, he leaps, front paws catching the hem of the pocket and pushing it out of the way enough to stuff himself into. His head pops out the far side, ass, and feet stopping him from shooting straight through because he's a thick boy. His momentum, being a 20 pound (10 kilo) ball hurtling towards Soap like a meteor, yanks Soap off balance and he fails wildly and careens forward whilst trying to catch his balance again, so as to not squash his damn Lieutenant.

The soldiers Soap had been lecturing were stunned silent.

Soap had no way of knowing the hoodie he'd stolen was Ghost's designated digging and tunneling hoodie, that he owned it specifically so that he could stuff himself into the pocket. What he did know, now at least, was that he would be stealing this particular hoodie every chance he got.

Soap did not address what had just happened. He straightened back up, cleared his throat, and went back to instructing. Ignoring the rabbit chinning the hem of the pocket, or his hand when he went to pet him.

The soldiers, to their credit, also remained silent about the bunny butt, feet stuck out backwards and tail flashed high, sticking out the other end.

Soap later found himself on Amazon looking at the hoodies designed to carry cats in, desperately checking reviews to make sure they could handle an extra large cat (or in this case, rabbit). He may have ordered himself several of them.

[acute-crashout-jeyuso]

Between the Ropes… a Jey Uso x Rhea Ripley fanfic.

Chapter 9: One More Time?

Theme Warning: Mention of Abortion

It was Saturday morning when Jey was jolted awake by his phone ringing insistently. Groggy and disoriented, he glanced at the screen to see Paul Levesque’s name flashing. With a resigned sigh, he answered, knowing this call was likely work-related.

“Hey, Jey. I need you for a wellness drug check,” Paul said, his tone professional but firm. “We’ve had two wrestlers test positive for drugs.”

Jey’s heart sank. The timing was terrible, but he knew better than to argue with Paul. “Which medical center do I need to go to in San Fran?”

There was a brief pause before Paul responded, “Actually, I need you to come to Portland.”

Jey frowned, rubbing his eyes. “Portland? I was hoping to see my regular doctor here in San Fran. Can’t it wait?”

Paul’s voice was unyielding. “The doctor in Portland is already set up and paid for. We need you there today.”

Jey’s frustration mounted. “I can’t just drop everything and fly to Portland on short notice. Why can’t it wait until Monday? I’ve got things lined up today.”

Paul’s tone hardened, leaving no room for negotiation. “Jey, this isn’t a request—it’s an order. The situation is critical, and the arrangements are made. We need you there today, and that’s final.”

Jey felt a surge of anger. “Portland is the last place I want to be right now. Is there something else going on that you’re not telling me? Why so urgent?”

Paul’s voice took on an authoritative edge. “I’m not at liberty to discuss all the details, but you need to trust that this is important. I’ve made it clear—Portland, today, no excuses. If you can’t make it, we’ll handle it differently.”

Jey’s jaw tightened, but he knew arguing further would be futile. Paul’s tone brooked no dissent, and he was well aware of the consequences of defying him. Reluctantly, he conceded, “Alright, I’ll go. What time do you need me there?”

“Head straight to the medical center when you get in. And Jey, don’t keep us waiting. This is a high-priority matter,” Paul instructed before hanging up.

As Jey lay back in bed, staring at the ceiling, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this than just a routine check. He quickly got up, starting to pack a small bag. Jey pulled out his phone and ordered an Uber, three minutes away … The thought of Portland, the city where his recent conflicts and unresolved feelings lay, added to his frustration. Why was Paul so insistent on Portland? What was the real reason behind the urgency? Jey tried to push these thoughts aside, knowing he had to approach the day with the professionalism expected of him. When Jey started tossing his clothes into his bag with unrestrained force, the noise roused Takecia from a restless sleep. Bleary-eyed, she stumbled into the master bedroom, her irritation evident.

“What’s going on?” Takecia demanded, her voice tinged with annoyance. “Why are you packing your stuff? You just got home.”

Jey, frustrated and still groggy, zipped his bag with more force than necessary. “Paul called me. I’ve got to go to Portland for some wellness check. Apparently, it’s urgent.”

Takecia’s eyes widened, her mood shifting from tiredness to frustration. “Portland? We had plans for today. Can’t it wait? You’ve barely been here.”

Jey slammed the bag shut, his irritation boiling over. “I don’t have a choice. Paul’s insistent, and I can’t just blow off a work directive. Why do you always have to question everything I do?”

Takecia folded her arms, her patience wearing thin. “I’m not questioning. I’m just asking why you’re leaving when we had plans. I was looking forward to spending the day together, maybe I don’t know .. have sex?????”

Jey’s anger flared. “Plans? Sex? This is work, Takecia. It’s not like I can just ignore it because you had a nice day planned. It’s not all about you.”

Takecia’s face flushed with indignation. “It’s not all about me? You know what? Maybe if you didn’t have your head so far up your own ass, you’d realize how much this affects me. I’m not some afterthought you can just shove aside whenever it’s convenient for you!”

Jey’s face hardened, his frustration evident. “Don’t start with me. I’m not in the mood for a fight. I’ve got to get going.”

“Good,” Takecia snapped back, her voice sharp. “Because I’m not going to waste my energy arguing with you. If you want to act like a selfish jerk, that’s on you. Just remember who’s here for you when you’re done playing the hero for your boss.”

Jey, feeling the weight of her words, grabbed his bag and headed for the door. He cast one last glance at Takecia, seeing the hurt and anger etched on her face. He knew she wasn’t one to be fucked with, but the mix of guilt and anger gnawed at him as he walked out of the house and into the Uber.

As he left, Jey’s mind was a storm of conflicting emotions. The urgency of the situation, the looming confrontation with Paul, the fight with Rhea, now the fallout with Takecia—all of it weighed heavily on him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the day ahead was going to be far from straightforward.

After this I need a fucking vacation..

—

Rhea’s Saturday morning unfolded quietly, with her lying awake in the hotel suite she shared with Damian. The remnants of a restless night clung to her as she noticed Damian still asleep, exhausted from his late return from Seattle.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. Quickly pulling on some clothes, Rhea opened the door to find one of Paul’s assistants standing there, holding a folder.

“Mrs. Adams?” the assistant began. “I’ve been instructed to inform you that you have a meeting with a doctor today at 12 p.m. at Broadway Medical Clinic. Paul will also be present.”

Rhea’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why do I need to see a doctor?”

The assistant’s face remained neutral. “I don’t have the specifics, but it’s crucial. Paul insisted.”

Rhea’s unease grew. “Thank you.”

As the assistant left, Rhea shut the door and leaned against it, grappling with the sudden urgency of the situation. Her mind raced, struggling to understand the reason behind this unexpected appointment and Paul’s insistence. Rhea glanced at the clock in the living room, 10:22 AM.

Determined to handle the day with some semblance of control, Rhea prepared herself, her thoughts tangled between anxiety and anticipation. The weight of the appointment loomed large, hinting at a pivotal moment she wasn’t quite prepared for.

—

Rhea arrived at Broadway Medical Clinic, her mind still racing with questions. The limousine parked outside caught her attention as she approached. The window rolled down, revealing Paul’s familiar, reassuring smile.

“Rhea, good to see you,” Paul said warmly. “Please, come in. Let’s discuss this inside.”

Reluctantly, Rhea slid into the back of the limo, taking a seat across from Paul. She glanced around, feeling a surge of unease. “Why the secrecy? Why couldn’t we meet at the hotel or somewhere less… intimidating?”

Paul’s expression softened. “Rhea, I understand this must be overwhelming. I wanted to address a few important matters with you personally. First and foremost, I know about the affair with Jey Uso. It’s come to my attention that there’s a possibility you might be pregnant. To address this, we’ll need to perform a pregnancy test and a Non-Invasive Paternity Test to confirm any claims.”

Rhea’s heart sank. “You’re serious? I don’t want to do this. It’s personal.”

Paul’s tone remained calm, but his voice held a firmness. “I understand your reluctance, but it’s crucial for both your career and the company’s reputation. If you refuse to cooperate, I will have no choice but to suspend you for six months. Upon your return, you will be moved to SmackDown. It’s a significant adjustment, and I’d prefer to avoid that if possible.”

Rhea’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re threatening my career?”

Paul leaned forward slightly, his tone fatherly yet authoritative. “I’m not threatening you, Rhea. I’m trying to help you navigate a difficult situation. This is about ensuring clarity and fairness for everyone involved. I’m here to support you, but we need to address this issue head-on.”

Rhea sat back, her mind racing. The weight of the situation pressed heavily on her. She had hoped to avoid such scrutiny, but now, the reality of her choices and their consequences loomed larger than ever.

Paul had lied to Damian, it was his own way of keeping everything secretive, now if Rhea were to go and do anything, he would at least know.

Paul observed Rhea’s anxious demeanor, his expression softening further. “Rhea, I need you to understand something important,” he said gently. “This isn’t just about enforcing rules or punishing anyone. I genuinely care about you and your career. This situation is complex, and it’s crucial we handle it with transparency and integrity.”

Rhea looked at him, confusion and frustration battling within her. “But why should you even care about me in all this? Why make such a big deal out of it?”

Paul took a deep breath, his voice steady. “I’m trying to protect you, Rhea. The wrestling world is unforgiving, and any hint of scandal can follow you for years. By addressing this directly and honestly, we can avoid more significant issues down the line. I want to ensure that when you look back to work, your reputation and career remained intact and scandal free. This is about preserving your future and ensuring you have the best chance to still be Hall of Fame material.”

Rhea’s shoulders slumped slightly as she absorbed his words. Paul’s tone was sincere, and despite her fears, she could sense his genuine concern. “So, you’re really trying to help me?”

“Yes,” Paul affirmed. “I know this is difficult and uncomfortable, but I’m here to support you through it. We need to face this head-on, and I’ll be by your side every step of the way. Let’s get through this, and we can focus on your future. No one is here.. just the doctor and the tech and they have all signed NDA’s. Let’s go in.”

Rhea took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of relief and resignation. Paul’s commitment to her well-being and career gave her a small measure of comfort, even as she faced the daunting tests ahead.

—

Rhea followed the assistant into the treatment room, her heart pounding. The room was sterile and clinical, a different setting compared to the luxury of the limo. She was handed a small cup and directed to the bathroom. Inside, she took a deep breath, peeing into the cup and placing it in the mini privacy box provided. Her mind raced as she returned to the treatment room.

After about ten minutes, Rhea was guided to another room where a technician waited with a sonogram machine. The technician greeted her kindly and prepared the equipment. Rhea lay down on the examination table, her anxiety mounting as the technician applied gel to her abdomen and began the scan. The screen flickered with images, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Jey arrived at the medical center, still grappling with the sudden urgency of Paul’s request. He was greeted by one of Paul’s assistants and led to the waiting room. Paul soon joined him, his demeanor calm and professional.

“Jey,” Paul said, extending a hand. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. We’re conducting a routine wellness check. It includes a drug test and an oral swab. It’s standard procedure.”

Jey nodded, trying to mask his confusion and frustration. “Okay, but why Portland? I thought this could be done in San Francisco.”

Paul smiled reassuringly. “I understand your concern. We have a full facility here for these checks, and it’s easier to manage everything in one place. You’ll need to wait about 30 minutes in the treatment room for the results. It’s all part of keeping things thorough and transparent.”

Jey agreed reluctantly, still uncertain about the reasons behind the sudden move. He was led to the treatment room and left to wait. As he settled into the room, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this than a routine drug test.

Back in the sonogram room, Rhea stared at the ceiling, trying to focus on the technician’s soothing voice explaining the process. Her mind was a swirl of worry and confusion about what the results might reveal and how they would affect her life moving forward.

After arriving in the treatment room, Jey was guided through the routine drug test procedures. He first provided a urine sample, then had blood drawn for further testing. The doctor, a middle-aged man with a calm demeanor, pulled out an oral swab test. Jey noticed a tube labeled with the marking “FAT” and furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Is that supposed to mean something?” Jey asked, his curiosity piqued.

The doctor, sensing Jey’s concern, offered a reassuring smile. “No, it’s just a label for our tracking system. It doesn’t have any bearing on you personally. Just open your mouth, and I’ll get the sample.”

Jey complied, opening his mouth as the doctor swabbed the inside of his cheek. He tried to shake off his unease and pulled out his phone, scrolling through messages and social media to pass the time.

Meanwhile, Rhea was in a similar situation. After finishing her sonogram, the technician performed an oral swab. Rhea watched as the technician pulled out a test tube marked with the label “ADA.” She raised an eyebrow and let out a small chuckle. “I guess that means I’m an Australian With A Disability ” she joked, trying to lighten the mood despite her apprehension.

The technician offered a polite smile as she completed the swab, taking a quick sample from the inside of Rhea’s cheek. “It’s just a standard label for our tracking system,” the technician explained.

As Jey waited for his test results, he glanced around the room, trying to ignore the growing discomfort in his stomach. He continued scrolling through his phone, but his mind kept drifting back to the uncertainties surrounding his current predicament. The ambiguity of the situation only heightened his sense of unease.

—

Paul sat in a quiet corner of the clinic, the documents from the doctor spread out before him. His fingers gripped the edges of the papers as he scanned the results, his face growing increasingly somber. The tests had confirmed what he dreaded: Joshua Fatu was indeed the father of Demi Adams’ 13-week-old fetus. The revelation was disheartening, as Paul had hoped the situation could be managed without exposing such personal and professional turmoil.

The doctor approached Paul, carrying a folder filled with additional information. “Given the nature of Rhea's career and the physical demands it involves,” the doctor began, his tone measured and professional, “there’s a significant risk of miscarriage if she continues with the pregnancy. We also have information on her options, including abortion services and the timeframes within which she can choose to terminate the pregnancy if she decides that’s the best course of action.”

Paul's mind raced as he absorbed the gravity of the situation. He considered the impact this news would have on Rhea’s career, her personal life, and the broader implications for WWE. He felt a deep sense of responsibility not only for Rhea's wellbeing but also for managing the fallout within the organization.

Paul took a deep breath, preparing himself for the difficult conversations that lay ahead. He needed to approach Rhea with sensitivity and support, ensuring she understood her options and the potential consequences of each. The weight of the decision ahead was immense, and Paul knew that navigating this situation with care and respect was crucial for everyone involved.

Paul’s mind manage to focus from the implications of the test results as he directed his assistants to handle the next steps with precision. He knew that managing the situation required utmost control and discretion.

“Make sure both Jey and Rhea are brought to the Ritz Carlton without encountering each other,” Paul instructed firmly. “Arrange for separate transportation for each of them. One of you should go to Rhea’s room and wait with her until her Uber arrives. The other will do the same for Jey. Ensure there are no crossings between them until they reach the conference room. It’s essential that we keep everything in order.”

Paul’s assistants nodded in understanding and set off to carry out his instructions. Paul’s reasoning was clear: by controlling the timing and logistics of their arrivals, he could maintain order and avoid any unnecessary confrontation or complications. The last thing he wanted was for Jey and Rhea to have a run-in before he had the chance to discuss their options and the future course of action with them separately.

Jey's frustration simmered as the assistant hovered around him, ensuring every detail of their ride was handled with meticulous care. "Can’t you just give me some space?" Jey snapped, glaring at the assistant who remained by his side, ready to accompany him in the Uber. The assistant offered a sympathetic but professional smile, clearly aware of Jey’s annoyance but remaining steadfast in their duty.

Meanwhile, Rhea's anxiety was palpable. As the assistant accompanied her to the Uber, she tried to steady her breathing, her fear evident. The ride felt interminable, each moment stretching as she worried about what awaited her. Her heart raced as she tried to focus on calming thoughts, but the assistant's presence offered little comfort.

Paul, fully aware of the need for discretion, made his own preparations. As soon as his assistants had left to escort Jey and Rhea, Paul had slipped into his limo, ensuring the ride was quiet and uninterrupted. He needed to arrive at the Ritz Carlton before his two guests and avoid drawing any attention. The strategy was clear: maintain control and minimize visibility.

Pulling into the hotel, Paul bypassed the main entrance, directing the driver to use the service entrance. With practiced efficiency, he made his way through the back corridors to the conference room. The space had been set up in advance, ready for the tense discussions that lay ahead. Paul carefully avoided any visible contact with hotel staff or other guests, ensuring that he remained an unseen player in the unfolding drama.

About fifteen minutes later, the first of his expected guests arrived. Rhea walked into the conference room, her expression a mix of apprehension and determination.

Rhea sat down as her body tensed with anticipation. The room’s sterile environment felt cold and unwelcoming, accentuated by its harsh lighting and minimalist décor. She stared at the empty chair opposite her, trying to steady her racing thoughts. The silence was almost unbearable, punctuated only by the occasional shuffle of papers or the hum of the air conditioning.

Paul, seated at the head of the table, remained silent and composed, his gaze fixed on the door as if anticipating someone's arrival. His quiet demeanor added to the weight of the situation, making Rhea’s anxiety even more palpable.

The door opened, and Jey stepped inside. His expression was a volatile mix of surprise, frustration, and concern. As soon as his eyes landed on Rhea, a deep silence fell over the room. The sight of her brought back a flood of emotions he had been trying to contain.

Jey hesitated momentarily, his gaze locked with Rhea’s. The weight of their shared past and the gravity of the current situation seemed to crush them both. He walked towards the empty chair and sat down with a deliberate, almost mechanical motion. The chair between them now felt like an impenetrable barrier.

The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy. Rhea’s thoughts churned with regret and uncertainty. She couldn’t escape the realization of how their once-passionate relationship had spiraled into secrecy and betrayal. As she looked at Jey, a pang of guilt and sorrow overwhelmed her. She wondered if they could ever mend what had been broken.

Jey’s mind was equally chaotic. His frustration was evident, but he struggled to keep it in check. He couldn’t understand why Paul had orchestrated this meeting or what was to come. The room felt claustrophobic, and he questioned whether there was any hope for resolution. As he glanced at Rhea, he saw his own pain mirrored in her eyes.

Paul remained silent, observing the scene with a stoic expression. His presence loomed large, a constant reminder of the power dynamics at play. He had orchestrated this meeting to ensure control and to make sure that everything proceeded as he deemed necessary.

The room was charged with unspoken words and unresolved emotions. As Jey and Rhea sat in their respective chairs, separated by a chasm of their own making, the difficult conversations that lay ahead felt almost insurmountable. Paul’s gaze shifted between them, his silence a deliberate tactic as he prepared to address the complexities of their situation.

Paul finally broke the silence, his voice firm. “Thank you both for coming. The tests you both did today confirm everything…. ”

Jey’s face drained of color. “There must be a mistake.”

Rhea’s frustration boiled over. “Jey, the tests are clear. I’m pregnant, and you can’t just ignore it. We have to confront this.”

Jey’s disbelief morphed into agitation. “I can’t handle this right now. It’s too much.”

Rhea’s voice grew sharp. “So now it’s too much for you? I’m the one who has to deal with this, and you’re acting like it’s an inconvenience for you!”

Jey’s anger flared. “It’s not just about me! This is overwhelming, and I don’t know how to process it.”

Rhea’s expression was one of pained determination. “You know what? Maybe I should just get an abortion. It’s clear you’re not ready to face this.”

Jey’s eyes widened. “You’re seriously talking about ending it?”

Rhea’s face was resolute. “What choice do I have? You’re not prepared to deal with this, and I’m left to handle it alone.”

Paul tried to interject, his voice steady. “Rhea, let’s focus on discussing all options and support rather than immediate decisions.”

But before Paul could say more, Jey’s voice cracked. “Rhea, wait. I know I’ve messed up, and I don’t know how to fix this, but… I… I do …” Jey struggled and Rhea freaked out, she knew what he was trying to say.

Rhea looked at Jey, her skepticism evident. “Do you really love me, Jey? Honestly it’s hard to believe after everything.”

Paul stepped in, his tone unexpectedly personal. “Jey, I am going to be honest, I once loved a woman named Joanie, Rhea you know who she is. Joanie was the woman I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. It was a profound connection, but then Stephanie came into my life. Ever since then I keep an open mind when it comes to affairs because Love is complex and can be overshadowed by circumstances. Understanding and effort is crucial.”

Rhea stood abruptly, her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t deal with this right now. I need to be alone.”

Without waiting for a response, Rhea walked out of the room, leaving Jey and Paul behind.

Paul sighed and turned to Jey. “I understand this is a lot to process. I need an answer from both of you by Monday. I need to know how you plan to proceed, both for the sake of your personal lives and the future of your careers.”

Jey sat in stunned silence, trying to grasp the gravity of the situation. The weight of Paul’s ultimatum pressed down on him, as he faced the daunting task of finding a resolution to the turbulent situation.

Paul left the room, heading to his limo with the intent of keeping control over the next steps. The conference room remained heavy with unspoken tension, leaving Jey to finally decide to be a man do what he should have done in the first place. He made his way out of the conference room and headed up the elevator to familiar floor. He knew where to go…

Jey stood in front of the hotel suite door, tension rippling through his body. He knocked again, harder this time, and when Damian finally opened it, Jey's heart was already in his throat. Damian's face was impassive, his eyes narrowing slightly as he leaned against the door frame, arms crossed.

"Where is she?" Jey's voice was rough, on edge. He had no time for small talk, no patience for anything except seeing Rhea.

Damian tilted his head slightly, clearly weighing how much he wanted to say. "She’s not here."

Jey let out a frustrated breath, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Damian, don’t play with me right now, man. Where is she?”

Damian’s expression didn’t change, but there was something in his eyes—something protective, maybe even a little weary. “I don’t know. She just needed space.”

Jey’s chest tightened. He knew what that meant. Rhea had a way of disappearing when things got too heavy, when she needed to be alone with her thoughts. He remembered something she had said to him once in passing, during one of their many late-night conversations. “I'm always on a rooftop. It's like the best place to be when I need to be fully away from someone."

His mind locked onto that, his heart thudding against his ribcage. Without another word to Damian, he turned and strode down the hallway, his steps quick and determined. He knew exactly where she’d be.

The cold air hit Jey like a slap as he stepped onto the rooftop, the city skyline stretched out before him. There she was, just as he thought—standing near the edge, her arms wrapped around herself, staring into the distance like the world could somehow drown out everything that was happening between them.

His heart clenched as he approached her, each step slow and careful, like he was trying not to spook her. “Rhea,” he called softly, the wind carrying his voice toward her.

She didn’t turn, but her body stiffened, as if she’d been expecting him.

“I remember what you said,” Jey continued, his voice rough with emotion. “About always coming to the rooftop when you needed to get away from someone.”

Rhea exhaled, but still, she didn’t move. Jey could feel the tension, the weight of unspoken words hanging between them. He was tired of it, tired of hiding, tired of pretending this thing between them wasn’t tearing them both apart.

“I went to the suite,” he said, his voice louder, more forceful. “Damian told me you needed space. But I’m done with space. I’m done running from this. From us.”

Finally, Rhea turned, her eyes wide with a mix of emotions—anger, confusion, maybe even fear. “Us?” she repeated, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. “What the hell is us, Jey?” Her accent coming out more.

He took another step forward, his chest tight with the weight of everything he had been holding back. “It’s everything. It’s me and you. It’s real, Rhea.”

Rhea shook her head, taking a step back as if she couldn’t bear to hear what he was saying. “No. No, this isn’t real. This is a mess.”

Jey clenched his fists, his frustration boiling over. “It’s real to me! I can’t keep pretending like this doesn’t mean something.”

Rhea’s eyes flashed with anger, her voice rising. “What are you even saying, Jey? You’ve got a wife. You’ve got kids. You think you can just blow that up for—what? For some affair?”

Jey’s heart pounded, his voice breaking as he spoke. “I love my kids, Rhea. You know that. I love them more than anything. But I’m not in love with Takecia anymore. I haven’t been for a long time.”

Rhea flinched, her eyes searching his face for something—anything—that made sense in this chaos. “And what? You think this is love? Sneaking around, lying to everyone? Lying to ourselves?”

“Yes!” Jey shouted, his emotions crashing down like a wave. “Yes, I do. I love you, Rhea.”

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, it felt like the entire world had stopped. But instead of softening, instead of those words pulling her closer, Rhea’s face hardened.

“No, you don’t,” she said, her voice cold, sharp. “You don’t love me. You just don’t want to lose me. And that’s not the same thing.”

Jey’s heart plummeted. “You don’t mean that,” he whispered, but there was no conviction in his voice, no strength left to fight.

Rhea looked away, her arms wrapped tighter around herself. “What are we even doing, Jey? You want me to blow up my life, your life, for this? You think you can just walk away from Takecia, from your kids, and everything will be fine? Do you remember Chyna?? I do! Hunter left her! He had an affair and he left her! She went on a downward spiral after Hunter left her! I don’t want to be responsible for Takecia going on a downward spiral..” Rhea said as she turned back to see Jey.

“I’ll leave her,” Jey said, his voice desperate. “If you leave Matt, I’ll leave her. We can start over. We can have a real chance.”

Rhea laughed, but it was a bitter, hollow sound. “You’re insane. You can’t just walk away from your family like that. This isn’t some fantasy, Jey. This is real life.”

Jey felt his frustration rise again, felt the need to make her understand. “I’m already walking away. I’ve been gone for a long time. You’re the only thing that makes sense to me anymore, Rhea. Don’t you see that?”

Rhea’s eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling. “You think this is love? This is chaos, Jey. This is destruction. And I’m not going to be the one to burn everything down.”

Jey reached for her, but she stepped back, shaking her head. “I can’t do this,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind. “I can’t.”

“Rhea, please,” Jey’s voice cracked, his desperation evident. “Don’t do this. Don’t walk away.”

Rhea looked at him, her eyes filled with pain and anger. “I don’t have any other choice..”

As Rhea's hand closed around the rooftop door, Jey grabbed her wrist with a desperation that shook her to her core. Before she could react, before the protests could leave her lips, Jey spun her around with such force that her breath caught in her throat.

His eyes were wild, burning with a mix of fear, regret, and something else-something darker, something that terrified and thrilled her at the same time. He didn't wait for permission. His lips slammed into hers, hard and frantic, with a hunger that consumed every inch of her.

This wasn't a kiss. This was an explosion.

At first, Rhea resisted, her hands pushing weakly against his chest, trying to maintain the last thread of control she had left. But Jey didn't stop. His hands cupped her face, his fingers tangling roughly in her hair as he held her in place, refusing to let her go. His kiss was demanding, raw, a battle against the space between them, and for a moment, it was as if he was trying to erase all the pain, the betrayal, the uncertainty with the force of his lips alone.

The intensity of it left her gasping for air, but he wouldn't relent. He kissed her deeper, harder, as if this was the only way he could communicate everything he felt-everything he'd been holding back for months. And as the fire in her chest grew, the dam she'd been holding inside finally broke.

Rhea gave in.

Her resistance melted away, her body collapsing into his as her hands clawed at his shirt, pulling him closer. She kissed him back with everything she had, matching his intensity, pouring her anger, confusion, and desire into him. Every wall, every hesitation, shattered.

This was no longer about control. This was about release-about giving in to the one thing that made sense in the chaos of their lives.

Jey's hands slid down her back, gripping her waist with a fierceness that sent a shiver down her spine. He pulled her flush against him, leaving no space between their bodies. Their hearts pounded together, frantic, desperate, as if this was the last kiss they'd ever share. His lips devoured hers with such force it almost hurt, but she didn't care.

Rhea could feel every emotion, every unsaid word, every ounce of regret, passion, and longing in the way Jey kissed her. It was like he was trying to make her understand without words-trying to tell her that she was it for him.

That no matter how messy their lives had become, no matter how broken everything was, this kiss... this was real.

Her fingers tangled in his hair, her body pressing impossibly closer as she surrendered completely. The rooftop, the skyline, everything around them disappeared. There was no Portland, no hotel suite, no Damian, no Takecia.

It was just them-Rhea and Jey, locked in a moment that felt like it could tear them both apart.

And maybe it would.

As the kiss deepened, Rhea felt everything inside her unravel. The pregnancy, the fights, the push, the lies—none of it mattered right now. All that mattered was the way Jey kissed her, the way his lips moved against hers like this was the only way to keep them alive.

She moaned softly into his mouth, her body trembling under his touch as he held her like he'd never let her go. His kiss was frantic, urgent, filled with a desperation that mirrored her own. Every emotion she had been burying for months came rushing to the surface, overwhelming her, drowning her in him.

When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, their foreheads rested against each other, their breath mingling in the cool night air. Rhea's chest heaved, her pulse racing as if her heart was trying to claw its way out of her chest.

Jey's voice was rough, low, as he whispered, "I love my kids, Rhea. But I'm not in love with Takecia. I've never felt like this about anyone."

She stared at him, her lips still tingling from the intensity of the kiss, her mind spinning. The words hung between them, heavy and impossible. She didn't know what to say-what to feel.

"'l will leave her," Jey continued, his hands still gripping her waist like he was afraid she'd slip away. "If you leave Matt, I'll leave her. We can do this... we can be together."

Rhea's heart twisted painfully in her chest. She wanted to believe him-God, she wanted to believe him so badly. But the weight of everything crushed down on her. Was this real?

Could they really make it work? Could they survive everything they'd done?

Her lips parted, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat. She looked into his eyes, searching for something-some kind of answer, some kind of reassurance. But all she saw was the same fear and desperation she felt.

"I don't know if I can do this," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Jey... I don't know."

Jey's hand moved to her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear that had slipped free. "I love you," he said, his voice fierce, unrelenting.

"I love you, Rhea. I don't care what it takes. I'll prove it. I'll leave her."

She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, her heart breaking under the weight of his words.

But before she could respond, before she could even think, Jey pulled her in again, his lips crashing against hers with even more intensity than before. This kiss was different. It was a promise-a vow. He kissed her like it was the last chance he had to show her how much he meant it.

Rhea's mind screamed at her to stop, but her body didn't listen. She kissed him back, pouring everything into that one final, desperate kiss.

Because in that moment, they both knew-they were too far gone to turn back now.

[karlachismylife]

Okay but imagine this: if task force 141 get thrown into Faerûn just as they are (i dunno, a portal opens up during a mission for neutralizing a huge dnd cultist-terrorist organization, whatever), with their ammunition, gear, guns etc. They quickly realize that the guns are kinda useless, because there is no way to supply them with bullets etc and then again, the fuck is your rifle gonna do against a literal fireball or a revived skeleton. But they can't just drop them, because who knows who's gonna find them and do what; but if they keep carrying those around, maybe they'll find a way to adapt their firearms to the new reality. And finally, they are still hoping to get back home... at least in the beginning.

And this is how Soap's sniper rifle becomes just a fancy toy. He still takes care of it, but there's no point in using it... until he catches Karlach's curious look while he's busying his hands (fella gotta fidget) with cleaning up this intimidating (at least it was) weapon. Karlach knows a good weapon when she sees one even if she has never seen anything like this before; she's both fought barehanded and seen how far mechanics can go in terms of ways to kill someone. And this polished beauty with a ton of little interesting details in construction is definitely a good weapon.

Soap is beaming when Karlach asks to show and explain how it works. He goes over the whole mechanism, gives her a three hours speech about different types of firearms, nearly starts a chemistry lesson on gunpowder and draws schemes with a stick on the ground to explain all the physics of a good shot. He wouldn't even notice if Karlach dozed off in the middle of this tirade. But Karlach surprises everyone, including herself, by staying extra attentive this whole time. Her head might hurt a little from trying to stuff all this information inside at once, but she senses Johnny's passion about the subject and it's contagious.

And then Soap asks her, giving her a heavy friendly slap on the shoulder: "Wanntae have a go?"

"Aye, soldier, don't have to ask me twice!" Karlach's already picked up a little of his accent and it earns her a cheeky smile from Soap, but what really makes him beam and jump to his feet immediately with his rifle in hand is that she's ecstatic to go and try shooting this thing.

They move a little away from camp so that they won't startle anyone there or draw unnecessary attention to the location and choose a target, a fallen tree trunk on one side of a large clearing. Soap gets into position and that pretty shiny thing in his arms goes boom, slicing a teeny tiny branch that was sticking out on the trunk clean off.

Karlach is hot with excitement, buzzing while Johnny explains her how to get into the right shooting position and what needs extra attenion when making a shot. He shoots one or two more times before her impatience gets to him and he scoots to the side, offering her a place behind the gun. Karlach copies his pose as best as she can, a good straight line and not much leaning forward. She is a soldier, a good one, she can follow instructions and handle the recoil, but what hurts her performance is... that same impatience. That beautiful SP-X 80 goes off in her hands almost immediately and although Karlach doesn't miss that poor tree entirely, the bullet lands nowhere near the spot Soap pointed out as target. Aww, dammit, soldier.

Soap doesn't seem upset in the slightest though (if anything, he is trying to keep his eyes off her ass, presented to him like a birthday cake). He just moves closer again and adjusts Karlach's grip on the handle, keeping his hands on her and using this lesson as a shameless excuse to get his paws all over the excited tiefling while he makes her calm down her breathing and watch that little cross in them complex optics.

"Close yer een, bonnie, take a couple breaths... aye, just like tha'. Is the reticle still on target? Good, now breathe out again 'n' when ye get that wee pause in yer body… shoot."

Maybe it's not entirely fair for him to ask Karlach to breathe normally when his calloused hand is right there on her back, touching her (touching her!) under the excuse of showing that lowest point in breathing when the trigger should be pulled. But they are not in a competition and good for her: despite following instructions to a t she can't seem to master it. She doesn't miss every single attempt, but her aim is clearly off. Her tail gives away her disappointment in shots landing slightly off target and coils around Johnny's ankle as he crouches next to Karlach laid out there in a proper prone position and watches her with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

When the last bullet they took with them shatters dead wood almost, almost right where she wanted, Karlach sighs and rolls on her side, quickly noticing how cozy her tail got with Soap's leg and untangling it as if nothing happened.

"Dinnae worrie, soldier, aim gets better wi' practice." Karlach earns another friendly slap on her shoulder and the faintest frown that hid in her brows immediately goes away, replaced by a toothy grin.

"Practice, eh, mate?" She repeats, and Johnny already knows she's got something on her mind. "Wanna go throw axes then?"

[wiypt-writes]

Brothers In Arms

Part 9: I Believe In You

Summary: You and Ransom take time to heal, both yourselves and each other, and look forward to a future without having to glance back over your shoulders…

Warnings: Bad language, violence, smut (NSFW) 18+ guns and stuff…

Pairing: MOB Ransom Drysdale x Reader.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any of the characters contained within this series bar the Reader and any other OCs that may or may not be mentioned. I do not give permission for this to be translated and/or reposted on any other platforms. Reblogs are fine: Sharing is caring.

By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

So this is it, the tenth and final part. There will be an epilogue eventually but for now it’s goodbye to Ran and his Princess. Thank you to all who have read and reblogged along the way. And to my darling beta @spectre-posts 💙❤️

Brothers in Arms Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Part 9

W/C: 6.5k ish…

With Ari’s blessing, you stayed in Boston for a few days.

Okay, maybe blessing would be pushing it a little too far. It was more like a begrudging acceptance, punctuated with sarcasm about how you favoured that asshole to your own brother.

You knew he was mostly joking, however. That said, when you got news that Ari was being discharged, you flew back to New York, to be there for your brother.

Three days after that, Ransom was given the okay to return to Queens, under strict instructions to take it easy.

When the two of you had talked, you’d made it clear that your reconciliation was taking place at your speed. You hadn’t been quite ready to jump all the way back in just straight away. Instead, you wanted to take it slow, build what you had back up from the very foundations which had been shook.

So far you had spent most of your days with Ransom at the mansion whilst he was still recovering. Be it watching TV or taking short walks around the grounds. You cooked or ordered in, snuggled up together but each night you’d drawn the line in the sand and headed back to Ari’s, your intimacy not passing the kissing stage.

Ransom hadn’t argued, he hadn’t pushed. He’d simply agreed to give you the time you needed, his only request being that if you still weren’t ready to move back in by the time the baby arrived, you at least agreed to stay in the house and he would go back to his penthouse, to allow you and your future son or daughter somewhere comfortable to begin your life together.

You’d agreed, although you knew deep-down it wouldn’t come to that. You wanted to move on. You forgave Ransom, you had to if you wanted to make things work. You just needed the time to navigate this new start, but you were confident you could.

You smiled at Ransom, as he stood in the open doorway as you pulled up the drive.

“You should be resting.” You looked at him. He was dressed casually, in a pair of dark blue denims and a cream cable knit cashmere sweater.

“I’m fine.” He rolled his eyes as you stopped in front of him. You stood on your toes to peck him on the lips. He then moved back to let you walk into the hallway.

You smiled a little at the Christmas decorations that had been installed over the weekend. Usually you liked to decorate yourself, but with everything that had been going on, and the fact you were now two weeks into December, you’d agreed to let Ransom pay for someone to come and do it.

“Have you drunk enough water?” He asked and you couldn’t help the chuckle. Today was your first ultrasound, the first time you’d get to see your baby and hear its heartbeat. And of course, Ransom had been reading up all about the process.

“I…yeah, I guess. I mean I’m peeing every fifteen minutes or so. In fact, I need to go now.”

Ransom snorted as you headed off and made his way to the kitchen to wait for you. Soon you joined him, and he slid a small water bottle to you from the fridge, along with some carrot sticks which seemed to be a snack you couldn’t get enough of at the moment.

“Carter or Blanc can drive us today.” He offered, “I would myself but…”

“You’re not allowed yet.” You chuckled, swallowing your snack. “I can drive, it’s no issue. I drove here.”

Ransom popped a shoulder. “I’d prefer it if you let them, please.”

You looked at him and then smiled softly, deciding to let him have his way. “Okay.”

“And I thought if you wanted after, we could go for lunch.”

“Sounds great.” You nodded.

After a quick cup of coffee, decaf for you, you headed out to the car and we’re soon pulling up outside the private clinic.

Ransom stepped out first, and you didn’t miss the little wince he gave. You sighed and then leaned between the seats to speak quickly to Carter.

“Thank you, I know you know what’s going on.”

“Don’t know what you mean, Miss.” he shot back, flashing you a wink.

With a smile, you moved to step out of the car and took Ransom’s hand.

“Do we find out what it is today?” Ransom asked as you walked into reception, and you laughed.

“No, I’m only…well, about 8 weeks or so. We won’t see that for a good few months. That is if we decide to.”

“Oh.” He then blinked. “You don’t wanna find out?”

���I dunno.” You shrugged, “maybe, maybe not. I like the idea of it being a total surprise.”

Ransom smiled and pulled your hand up to kiss your wrist, “whatever you want, baby.”

Soon enough, you were called in after waiting in a small, comfortable room and you led on the bed, the cold jelly spreading over your stomach as the doctor moved the wand. Your ears then filled with the rhythmic thumping and your eyes caught the first glance of your baby on the little screen.

You smiled and glanced at Ransom, his eyes were fixed on the image, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

The Doctor smiled, then showed you where your baby’s head was, their heartbeat.

“And from the size then, yes, I’d estimate you’re between seven and eight weeks. So that gives us a due date of…the 29th of July.”

You swallowed and dropped your head. You’d secretly been hoping for s miracle, that you wouldn’t actually be that far along. But you knew deep down that had been stupid. Because no matter how much you did the maths, no matter what apps you keyed the dates of your cycle into, it still came back to the same thing. That your baby was likely conceived at any point really from 28th October to 12th November. It could belong to either of the twins.

“Can…can I get a copy, can we get a copy?” Ransom asked, his eyes still on the screen as he raised your hand to his lips.

“Absolutely.” The Doctor smiled. “I’ll grab you one now and we’ll get you booked in for your next ultrasound and I’ll get you some information leaflets on our Lamaze classes.” She smiled as Ransom leaned over to kiss your head. You spluttered as you wiped your eyes. “Is there anything you wanna ask me?”

Ransom launched into a myriad of questions about what you could and couldn’t do, what you had to stop eating, drinking and you couldn’t help but some out, instead focusing on his face.

You took a deep breath, and as you watched Ransom intently listening to the doctor, your heart swelled. Your momentary wobble flew from your mind as you were reminded that it didn’t matter. He was all in, you could see that. As far as Ransom was concerned, this baby was his. And when you logically thought about the odds, it probably was.

You’d agreed when you’d decided to make things work, not to dwell on any of this. And now it was time for you to live up to the bargain. Your baby was a Drysdale, not a Rogers.

You heard the Doctor tell you she’d be back soon, and you smiled as she wiped the gel from your stomach and left.

Ransom turned to you, your hand still held in his. “You okay, Princess?”

“I’m fine.” You nodded, “that was just…”

“Yeah…did you see him?”

“Oh, it’s a him?”

“Yup.” Ransom nodded, smirking. “My son and heir.”

“You know, it might be a girl. Girls are just as capable of being bad asses.” He playfully wrinkled his nose, and you slapped his arm. “Oh, wait till I tell Natasha your opinions on-”

“Err, there’s no need for that.” He cut you off, chuckling. The room fell silent, and he took a deep breath, his hand round yours as he looked at the floor. “Listen, Y/N. I know…I know we said we’d take things at your pace, and I’m, well, maybe happy to do that is the wrong phrase, but I understand. I know it’s what you want, and it’s the least I can do after…after everything I did, because I don’t deserve you.”

“Ran, please…we agreed not to dwell-“

“No, I know…lemme finish, please baby.” His blue eyes bore into yours, imploring you to let him have his day and you closed your mouth. You watched him, as the hand that wasn’t wrapped around yours moved into his pocket. When he brought it back out, you blinked as you recognised the small ring box he held in his palm. “I’d like you to have this back. It’s yours. And…maybe when you’re ready, you can put it back on. Whenever that may be…if you…if you ever are.”

You licked your lips and swallowed the lump in your throat, but it stuck in your chest. You inhaled through your nose and sighed out of your mouth. You bit the inside of your cheek. The look in his eyes appeared defeated. It didn't sway the way your heart felt. Your eyes flicked back to the box. Then you nodded and gently took it.

Ransom exhaled loudly as you smiled and nodded towards your bag.

“Imma need to put it in there…”

"Okay," he nodded. He figured that was what you wanted.

He passed it over and you stored the box carefully, zipping it into the compartment for safe keeping.

Soon enough, the two of you were on your way, copied of the ultrasound pictures with you. He took you to lunch in the Harbor. The changing of the seasons didn't make for a great view, but the gesture was there. The pair of you chatted, in a way you’d always been able to. About anything and everything.

Certain subjects were off limits, elephants in the room. But it was smooth. The ride back to the mansion was quiet but not unbearable. Your mind whirred. So much had gone on in the last few hours it seemed, and it had you thinking. Your eyes would flick to your bag at your feet, and you'd chew on your cheek.

“Princess?”

"Hmm?" You hummed softly.

“Are you coming in or do you want to head back to…to Ari’s?”

"I'd like to stay a little longer," you admitted.

“You can stay as long as you want.” Ransom took a deep breath. “If it was up to me you’d never leave.”

You softly smiled at the sentiment as he opened his door. He strode round to yours and offered you his hand.

You took it and allowed him to help you out of the car. His hand settled on the small of your back as he led you to the front doors. Once inside, he took the time to follow you into the foyer and then toward the kitchen where you left your bag on the island. You took the ultrasound images out of your purse and set the on the marble.

"Can I keep one?" Ransom asked as he stood behind you, his arms snaking around your middle to rest his hands on your stomach.

"You can have more than one." You turned your chin, so you looked up at him.

“Yeah?” His lips curled up at the side.

"Yeah, you can have half if you'd like, they gave us six," you chuckled.

Ransom snorted as he kissed your neck, “I think I’ll stick one to the fridge.”

"Oh my, that's a big step," you sniggered. "Big Mob Boss Ransom Drysdale puts a picture on the stainless steel."

“Hey, that’s my future son and heir.”

"Or daughter."

“Whatever.”

"I'm only kidding," you leaned back into him a little.

“Me too, sorta. I don’t mind what they turn out to be. As long as they’re healthy.”

"Me either. But it'd be interesting to see you with a daughter. It'd be entirely comical to see you with a son."

“Why comical?”

"Because I can see it." You turned in his arms and wrapped your own around his neck after they slid up his chest. "A little boy with your eyes that reins terror over this house and your kingdom. God help you when they're sixteen."

Ransoms brows flicked up before he gave a lowly chuckle, “well, maybe having a girl wouldn’t be so bad. There’s one obvious upside to that too.”

"Which is?" You cocked your head to the side a little as you looked up.

“They’re more likely to be like you, less like me. Not quite as fucked up.”

Your face softened, "Ransom." Your eyes welled up, "don't you ever say that again."

He licked his lips and hung his head, “I’m sorry…”

Your hands moved from around his neck to his jawline, your fingers spreading over his cheeks. "You're not a perfect man, but you're not fucked up either. You fell from grace, but that doesn't mean you can't change, or you haven't already made changes. I see you for what you're worth, Ransom. Our children will too."

At that he swallowed, his eyes misted over before he frowned a little, a soft smirk spreading across his face. “Children?”

You gave a soft smirk and a little pop to your shoulder, "I won't rule it out."

Ransom opened his mouth, but closed it again, and instead his hands cupped your face. “I don’t deserve you.”

You could see the turmoil in his eyes, he felt guilty. Guilty over what he’d put you through, ashamed of what he’d done to you, how he’d hurt you the way he did.

"We're gonna get through this," you encouraged. "It doesn't feel like it, but we will. I still love you."

“I love you too, so fucking much princess.” He sniffed.

You swallowed and sniffed, "I know."

He leaned down to you, his nose bumping yours gently before he kissed you.

There was something different to this kiss than the others you’d shared since you agreed to work things through. It was laden with emotion. Your eyes fluttered shut, the tenderness behind his lips made your stomach somersault. Your fingers pressed into the nape of his neck as a small whimper slipped through your throat.

“Fahk…” Ransom wrenched his lips away and pressed his head to yours.

You were a little breathless and lightheaded. "Ransom...."

“I know…too soon.”

"Just kiss me again."

With a surprised blink that merged into a soft smile, Ransom did exactly as you asked.

Again, the kiss was heady and needy. You needed him, no, you for the first time in a long time, you wanted him.

“Take me to bed.” You whispered, your eyes closed as he pulled away, lips mere centimetres from each other.

"Yeah?" It was barely a whisper, in fact you weren't sure he spoke at all, but you felt the word on your lips.

"Yes."

His lips were back on yours, those hands that cupped your face slid down your arms to your hips before they curled around your thighs.

In an easy movement he lifted you off your feet, your legs wrapping around his waist. He grimaced slightly, but made no moves to set you down.

"Be careful," you spoke gently. "You're still healing.”

“I’m fine, princess.”

"Okay," you kissed him again.

Somehow you ended up in the bedroom you once shared, him having carried you up the stairs.

Ransom set you down gently on the bed, bending at his waist to continue kissing you. When he pulled away for just a moment, you saw a hunger in his eyes you hadn't seen in a long time. A hunger that made you tingle and a spark that set your inside on fire. But there was a softness behind the hunger that made you want him more. You easily took the lead and grabbed the side of your sweater, pulling it up and over your head, tossing it to the floor.

Ransom wanted to touch you, put his hands on you. Felt desperate to have your skin at his fingertips. You waited on bated breath for him to do something.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he swallowed.

A step forward closed the space between you, and he settled between your legs. His hand cupped your face and settled into a cradle against your jaw. He rubbed his thumb across your cheek bone then slowly dragged along the column of your neck until he reached your sternum. With a flat palm, he gently pushed until your back hit the mattress.

You couldn’t help the little giggle that flew from your lips as your head hit the soft surface of the comforter.

You watched as Ransom pulled his own sweater off, tossing it somewhere over his head.

Your eyes glazed over with desire as you watched him kneel against the mattress and began to cover your body with his. But you didn’t miss the scar that ran along his side, where his brother had done his best to take his life.

It was still red and raised. A mark that wouldn't fade for a long while. Your fingers reached out and lightly grazed it.

Ransom swallowed as he watched your eyes follow your fingers before your gaze flicked to his.

“It’s the only thing left of him.” He shook his head, as he reached for your hand. “And soon, it’ll fade to nothing. Like he has.” His lips kissed the pads of your fingers.

You nodded, your lip tucked between your teeth. It was the only truth you needed. The baby in your belly was his and only his. Nothing else mattered.

He let go of your hand and leaned over, his lips brushing yours before they moved to the hinge of your jaw.

Your mouth parted in a sigh as you bent upward to kiss him. You traced the seam of his lips with your tongue and Ransom eagerly responded but kept allowing you to lead the pace.

There was a fear in the back of his mind that you'd change your mind, tell him to stop. That all this was a mistake. But the minute your hand slid up over his shoulder, nails caressing the short hair at the nape of his neck, that fear left him.

He kissed your lips, your jaw, your neck. He nipped gently at your collarbone, fluttered kisses between your bra covered breasts and you hissed as he palmed your left one with his right hand.

"Are you okay?" Ransome wondered against your skin.

"Just sensitive," you smirked.

“I don’t wanna hurt you.”

"You won't."

“Tell me if I do.”

“Ransom...."

Yeah?”

"I want you. I want...I want this. Stop stalling."

“I’m sorry.” He sighed.

You cupped his face, "no more sorry."

Okay…” he nodded, as he took a deep breath. “I love you.”

"I...we love you."

With a soft expression on his face, his lips were back on yours.

With tenderness you knew he was capable of, he stripped you, kissing every inch of skin he could find.

You sighed and gasped, hummed and whimpered. You were already wet between your legs and by the time you were naked, you were squeezing your thighs together for relief.

As his knee nudged your thighs apart, his hands reached up and his fingers slipped between yours.

You felt his tip kiss at your slit, and you titled your hips upward. Ransom slid in with a slow and shallow thrust.

"Oh my god...”

“Shit, princess. Fahk…”

"You feel so good, baby...."

“You too…” he groaned as he pulled back, and then pushed deeper into you with a roll of his hips.

Your back arched off the mattress as your body curled around him completely. You crossed your ankles at the small of his back and squeezed his fingers between yours.

His lips crashed back to yours in a desperate kiss.

Your tongue forced upon his and he growled against your kiss. You whimpered at the thrust he reciprocated with. It only made you speak against his lips.

"Faster," you begged.

With a low moan, he gripped your hands tighter as his hips began to thrust.

"Oh fuck, thassit, Ransom..."

“Oh, baby…” he choked, his lips latching onto your pulse point, “I missed this. I missed you.”

“Oh shit," you whined. "Me...too..."

“My Queen…” he whispered, his nose brushing the shell of your ear.

"My King," you rasped.

You felt him shudder, a soft whimper escaping his mouth and it made your insides burn. The power you held over him, the way you could reduce him to a quivering wreck. Such a ruthless man in his business, ruling his kingdom with an iron fist and yet you could undo him simply with words.

"S'close, Ran," you moaned.

“Me too, baby.”

"Just...right...."

He knew how to read your body like a cartographer knew how to read a map. He knew where to touch, where to kiss, where to brush gently and where to grab a little more firmly…

The beginning flutters of your orgasm coiled around his cock and your fingers began to squeeze his a little harder. "Ransom, I'm....I'm gonna..." You sighed with a high pitch to your breath as you came. Your body tenderly tensed around him as your heels pressed against him, your toes curled.

“Oh, thassit…” his eyes watched your face. He loved seeing you fall apart, the way your jaw laxed, how your eyelashes kissed your cheeks like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.

He wasn't far behind you. His body flexed above you, his fingers tight and palms pressing the back of your hands into the mattress.

When you opened your eyes, you saw the look on his face before he whimpered and let himself press into you a little more, his face buried into your neck.

"Oh, baby," you cooed.

He didn’t reply, simply nuzzled into you more. And it was only when you felt the wetness against your skin that you realise he was crying.

Your eyes stung, too. There were a lot of emotions that came through the course of the day, and it seemed to have settled between the two of you at the end of your physical reconnecting. You kissed his shoulder and whispered that things were okay. That you were okay, and the two of you were okay.

Eventually he pulled back, and you wriggled your fingers free from his. With a soft smile you reached up and brushed back the longer strands of hair that had flipped forward over his forehead.

"I wanna come home," you whispered wetly.

“You are…” Ransom’s voice cracked, “you don’t ever have to leave.”

******

You stayed that night. And you stayed the next night. And the night after that. On the fourth day your engagement ring was back on your finger, and by the seventh most of your stuff was back from Ari’s. The items you left, which Carter had put into storage instead of being destroyed as Ransom had instructed, were returned to their rightful place and it was as if you’d never been gone.

Christmas came and went, you spent it at home, just you, Ransom and Ari. The New Year passed, the snow melted, the spring flowers emerged. And, as the seasons changed, so did your body. Your bump blossomed like the trees, your eyes shone like the diamond on your hand, and to Ransom you were simply more beautiful with each day that passed.

Before you knew it, six months had passed. Things on Ransom's 'business' end were still a tight ship.

He hadn’t attempted to seize Brooklyn, instead he’d left the power vacuum to sort it sort itself out. His personal involvement with the ‘dodgy dealings’ had become less and less, his outside focus mainly on the Publishing Company. His attempt was to at least appear more straight on the outside, the unborn baby in your belly his number one priority.

He didn’t want your son, or daughter, being born into any kind of turf war, despite him joking about them being heir to his empire. He wanted safety, security for them, and if that meant appearing to go straight, so be it. He kept peace with the other factions and mobs in the area.

But he still ruled his own with an iron fist.

One particular day in April, you’d met your friend for a spa day, a bit of pampering whilst he held a meeting in his office.

“So, whaddya want me to do boss?” Langley asked, “send a message? I mean, do we want the Maximoffs muscling in on this?”

Ransom pondered for a moment, then looked across the table to Stark. “What do you think?”

Tony wrinkled his nose, “it depends, do you wanna rock the boat?”

Ransom tapped his fingers on the desk, “leave it be, it ain’t important. Let them take their shipment. It won’t have a big effect.”

“You’re the boss.” Langley shrugged.

An hour or so later, the rest of his men had left, leaving him and Langley alone.

“I gotta hand it to you, Dysdale, you really have calmed down a lot. Impending Fatherhood suits you.”

Ransom merely flicked his brows.

“I know what happened with Rogers was shitty, but… well, looks like it all turned out for the best, huh?” Langley stood from his chair, “whoever it was that sent that photo to you did you a favour in the long run.”

Random cocked his head to one side, studying the man in front of him through narrowed eyes. “Hmmm.”

“Anyway, I have stuff to do so I will see you tomorrow, Boss.”

“Sure.” Ransom nodded, reaching into his desk drawer.

With a final nod, Bryce turned to go, but stopped dead when he heard the loud click of a gun mechanism being cocked.

“You know, I knew Walt had to have someone pushing his buttons. The Iago to his Othello, so to speak, but I never expected it to be you.” Ransom’s voice was cool and collected as Langley turned to him, his eyes narrowing.

“Boss, I’m not-“

“I told no one I’d been sent those photos,” Ransom chewed the inside of his cheek as he rose gracefully from his seat.

“What?” Langley’s voice was a whisper as he swallowed, realising his mistake. His eyes were fearful as he watched Ransom round the desk and advance on him, like a tiger stalking its prey.

“So, the only possible explanation for you knowing is if you were the one who did. And, if you knew Rumlow was going to be there, with Walt, then you had to have known about it from the start.”

Bryce floundered like a fish outta water, looking for a viable story on a dime. His eyes flicked from Ransom, then to the gun which was trained at his head.

“Why?” Ransom exhaled, “come on, humour me. And don’t try and tell me it was all Walt, because we both know if brains were dynamite he wouldn’t have enough to blow off his eyebrow. He might have wanted the head seat at the table but there’s no way he’d have come up with something so elaborate. So, here’s your moment. The big confession before I blow your brains out.”

Langley blinked, before his jaw set, and an angry look crossed his face. Ransom recognised it as resignation, and he openly smirked. He knew his childhood friend too well, Bryce understood his time was up and he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to explain, gaud Ransom one last time.

“The plan was to get rid of you and Steve, frame it as a rivalry gone wrong with the Maximoffs. Then Walt would take the lot, the business, inheritance. I’d get twenty percent, plus Brooklyn.” He clicked his tongue, “only Rumlow fucked the hit up, hit Peggy instead. It could have screwed it all up-“

“Then Steve killed Rumlow…and you saw your next opportunity, right?” Ransom arched a brow, “I played right into your hands, I listened to you, and I didn’t give Steve an alibi for Rumlow’s murder.”

“You always listened to me,” Bryce scoffed, “Walt was right, you were too soft. You’d have done it for him, despite everything that had happened between you. But I convinced you and then we had a new plan. We’d wait, bide our time, feed Steve a little metaphorical ammo and then he’d come after you.”

“So, you’re the reason he thought I organised the hit?”

Langley nodded, “I expected him to kill you, take out a hit of his own…but as time went on, it never came. Then it all went to shit. We didn’t expect Steve to get out as quickly as he did, not before we had come up with another plan. I mean, I wasn’t bothered at first, I expected him to kill you, not to…well…anyway, he totally fucked the whole thing up. And I knew it would only be a matter of time before you both started digging and the truth came out.”

“So, you panicked.” Ransom felt the nerve in his jaw tick. “You sent the photos to get yourself off the hook.”

Langley licked his lips, “when I heard that Levinson was looking into it, yeah. I cut my losses and sent him the photo with the intent of leading him to Walt. Then that asshole Barnes stabbed him so…”

“You sent it to me.” Ransom finished.

Langley nodded.

“Ransom took a deep breath. “You seriously did all this for money? You caused all this for…”

“No, it wasn’t just for money!” Langley’s face grew red, and Ransom notices with some amusement the man was shaking, a combination of fear and anger no doubt. “I wanted my share, what I was owed, what is my birthright!”

“What are you talking about?” Ransom narrowed his eyes.

“Your shit head father?”

“What about him? He’s been dead for fuckin’ decades….”

“He was my shit head father too!”

For the first time since the confrontation began, Ransom wavered. His gun lowered slightly, “he…you’re my…”

“Half-brother? Yeah, that’s right, he was fucking my mother, and he left her pregnant and penniless! You two got the big house, the private education, the family business…I got fuck all!”

“I…I had no idea.” Ransom shook his head.

“Neither did I until a few years back. But would it have made a difference?” Bryce scoffed.

Ransom hesitated for a moment, before he licked his lips, “you know, had you told me before all this…honestly? Yeah…yeah it would. I’d have done something…I mean…I was always closer to you than I was to my own twin!”

Ransom swallowed. This betrayal was hard to take. He’d always loved Bryce as a brother and had often wished he were his twin, not Steve. They’d been inseparable from the day they met, and Ransom had done everything he could to help Bryce. It had started with sharing sweets and toys, and in the end becoming his right hand man, paying him a wage he knew would set him up for life.

But all that…all that was crashing down around him.

He ran his hand over his face, groaning a little. “What a fuckin’ mess…”

“Ransom…” Bryce spotted the chink in the mob boss’ armour and jumped on it, “look, we can…I know I fucked up, but we can get through this.”

Ransom lowered his gun even more, and Langley let out a breath of relief, as Ransom looked at him.

“See…the thing is, Y/N.”

“What about her?” Bryce frowned.

“She’s my world. I killed my own twin because of what he did to her. And then I…I hurt her even more because of my anger and stupidity and I was so goddamned easily manipulated and twisted by what he did. I’ll never forgive myself for being so cruel and fucking weak.”

“But she’s forgiven-“

“And now I find out… all that was down to you and Walt.” Ransom finished, cutting Bryce off and the man stuttered.

“What, no, I-“

“Steve did what he did because he thought I killed his wife. Which, I suppose is understandable. I’d have done the same, well maybe not the exact same but I’d want revenge.” Ransom pondered for a moment and Langley waited, his entire body tense as he watched Ransom slowly raise the gun again. “Y/N has suffered the way she has because of Walt and your actions. You arranged the hit, you then let him think it was me. And for that…”

Ransom pulled the trigger, blowing a hole right through Langley’s eyes, exactly the same way he had done with Steve. He grimaced as, once more, bits of blood, bone and brain matter splattered across his face. This time they belonged to his half-brother.

The door to the room flew open and Carter bustled in, gun raises. He stopped dead as he looked from the smoking pistol in Ransom’s hand, to Langley, then back again, “boss…what-“

“He was in on it,” Ransom jerked out of his trance and turned to Carter. “With Walt.”

There was a moments pause and Carter let out a soft sigh, and Ransom saw the man’s eyes full with tears.

“I’m…I’m sorry none of this will bring Peggy back,” Ransom licked his lips, shaking his head a little, “I only hope you find comfort from knowing the men truly responsible are dead.”

Carter nodded and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Ransom’s phone. He reached into his pocket and a smile spread across his face.

“Sweetheart?”

“Yeah, erm, I’m just on my way home.“ your voice was soothing, as it always was, and he took a deep breath.

“How was the spa?”

“Amazing…erm, do you mind if we just get pizza and a film tonight instead of going out? I…I just wanna curl up and relax now. Plus, our little bean seems to be doing the tango on my bladder…”

“Whatever you want.”

“Okay, have you finished your meetings?”

“Yeah,” Ransom glanced down at Langley’s body, and the mess in his office, “I just need to tidy up a couple of things then I’m done.

“Okay, well I’ll see you soon. We love you.”

“Love you both, too.”

He slipped the phone in his pocket and looked at Carter. He drew his shoulders back and wiped the forearm of the hand that still clutched the gun across his face, smearing the blood and gore over the sleeve of his shirt.

“Get someone to clean this up.” He instructed, his tone still softer than normal and Carter nodded.

“Boss.”

With that, Ransom stepped over the body of his dead half-brother and swept from the room, without so much as a glance back.

He was done looking over his shoulder. The only thing he cared about was you, and his baby.

And no one was ever going to threaten what the pair of you had ever again.

[tsarisfanfiction]

The Worth of a Life

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Rating: Teen Genre: Angst/Hurt/Comfort Characters: Michael, Apollo If it meant that they would live, he was willing to die. Angst galore~ Warnings for character death and survivor's guilt. Short little AU where Kronos skipped sending the minotaur on ahead and went straight for Williamsburg Bridge himself. I have a discord server for all my fics, including this one!  If you wanna chat with me or with other readers about stuff I write (or just be social in general), hop on over and say hi!

They’re doing to die.

The certainty douses Michael like a bucket of freezing water being poured down his back the moment he locks eyes with glowing gold at the end of the bridge.  Kronos’ eyes in Luke’s face are cold, the smile on his face a confident sneer, and there is no fucking way they are going to survive the full force of the titan.

The phone he stole from one of the sleeping civilians earlier burns a hole in his pocket; he has the number Malcolm’s using memorised, exactly for this fucking scenario, except now that he’s facing down the titan reality is crashing down on him and he knows that it doesn’t matter how many reinforcements they get – if they stand and fight, they’ll die.

They’re already dying; Nathan’s gone, Will is frantically fussing over a head wound Robyn took earlier, and there isn’t a single one of Michael’s siblings that isn’t injured somehow, not even little Kayla and Austin.

The decision isn’t a difficult one, the part of his brain that should put up a protest instead going numb with inevitability.

“Run!” he yells, flinging one arm back towards the direction of Manhattan.  They can’t fight head-on, but they’ve trapped the bridge to Tartarus and back because Michael always knew a cabin of archers and healers couldn’t afford to fight fair, and if they can get off the bridge in time-

Except they won’t, because Kronos is coming, in his stolen body, and the fucking titan won’t give them enough time to get clear.  Not unless someone stops him.

Praying to any god that will listen that his siblings heard his order, that they’re obeying it, Michael follows his own instruction, except instead of running away he runs forwards, towards the approaching army, towards the titan readying his sword with that fucking smirk still plastered all over Luke’s face.

Michael is going to die, but if it means his siblings will live then it’ll be worth it a thousand times over.

His quiver is empty of arrows, and Michael isn’t a melee fighter in the slightest but he still carries a knife for close-quarters emergencies.  Against Kronos-in-Luke’s-body a knife is laughably inadequate but it’s all Michael has.

It gets knocked out of his hand almost immediately, barely managing to deflect the swing of Kronos’ sword, and something inside Michael’s heart shatters when he blocks the next attack with his beloved bow and the wood-and-horn of his reliable companion for the past eight years breaks, the crack of tension releasing jarring painfully all the way up his arm and into his shoulder.

His bow is dead and he’s next but the battle isn’t over yet.  He staggers back a step, and then another, taking time he doesn’t have to glance back over his shoulder and make sure his siblings have made it clear from the bridge.

None of them are visible in the glance he can snatch and he prays that means they’ve all made it to safety as he reaches into his quiver for the last time, fingers finding the detonator he’s kept stashed in there since they set up the first traps.

The bridge explodes behind him, the air pressure blasting metal-and-concrete in all directions as though they weighed nothing.  It grabs him, too, hurtling him forwards, and Michael has just enough time to see the mocking sneer wiped from Kronos’ stolen face, hard and cold golden eyes glinting like Michael just pissed him off before he’s colliding with the titan, and that’s the death sentence he knew was coming.

He feels the sword tear through him, the talon-like grip on his shoulder before he’s thrown backwards like a rag doll, twisted metal impaling as he lands on the torn wreckage of the Williamsburg Bridge.

And then he feels nothing.

*******

Michael didn’t expect the entrance to the Underworld to look like the infirmary of Camp Half-Blood, but it must do because that’s the sight that greets him when he pries his reluctant eyes open.  His body is screaming in pain, too, which is unfair because being dead is supposed to be painless (Michael might be a little shit when he wants to be, but he knows he doesn’t deserve the Fields of Punishment.  Actually, he’d say his death was pretty fucking heroic, if Hades asked him).

Then he realises he’s not alone, that one of his hands is trapped in the solid, warm grip of a familiar, familiar figure with golden hair and blue eyes, and Michael has only physically met his dad once before but he’s dropped by his dreams so many times with his fucking haikus and eyes full of love that there’s no way Michael would mistake him for anyone else.

But Apollo doesn’t go to the Underworld, Michael knows that, and that means he must not be in the Underworld, either.

Maybe he is actually in the infirmary at camp, and if Apollo’s with him then that means he’s not fighting Typhon, or Kronos, and either the war is over or there was never a fucking war in the first place and Michael had just been experiencing a really fucked-up dream for the past few years instead.

The pain in his body makes it pretty fucking clear that it’s not the latter.

“The fuck’re you doing here?” he slurs, not because he’s unhappy that his dad is with him but because Apollo doesn’t get to sit bedside vigils for them, only drops by in dreams when they need some reassurance from their dad – or when he wants to torture them with the shit he calls poetry, which is usually the same fucking thing.

Apollo – a four thousand year old fucking god – jumps a foot in the air when he speaks, as though he somehow hadn’t noticed Michael was awake, and when his eyes focus on him Michael’s heart drops out through his back and into the fucking floor.

Because Apollo looks fucking wrecked, eyes rimmed with red despite the fact he’s a god and doesn’t have blood vessels to burst through too much crying, and cheeks covered in glittering salt crystals and the shine of tears.  “Michael,” his dad says, his voice thick and shaking, and then Michael’s being pulled into a tight, tight hug as though he’ll disappear if he lets go.  His body hurts at the pressure, but there’s warmth wrapping around him and stifling the jagged edges of pain.  “Michael,” Apollo sobs again, desperate like he’s the mortal and Michael is the god he’s praying to.

That isn’t right; none of this is fucking right.

Apollo hasn’t answered the first question but that doesn’t stop Michael asking another, because nothing adds up and he needs fucking answers.  “The fuck happened?”

He hadn’t known a god could cry so much.  Apollo’s shaking where he’s wrapped around him, and Michael’s quickly getting the feeling that he’s missed something big.

Something bad.

It occurs to him that he’s in the infirmary and hasn’t seen any sign of his siblings, and dread pools in his gut because the last time he saw them half of them were half-dead and fucking Kronos and his army were descending on them.

“The titans were defeated,” Apollo tells him, without pulling back in the slightest.  Michael is left still staring at the ceiling of the infirmary – another thing that isn’t fucking right, because when the infirmary has seriously injured patients the roof stays fucking open so his healer-siblings can better connect to their dad at the wheel of the sun.

Accelerated healing or not, Michael knows damn well he’s classified as seriously injured right now.

“The war is over,” his dad continues, voice shaking, and the war being over is supposed to be a good fucking thing but the way Apollo’s acting has Michael worried.  “You’re safe, now.”  His voice breaks on you’re, stumbles over it in a way that makes it stand out, and it easily translates to you – Michael – are safe even if that isn’t what his dad meant by it.

Michael’s heart is burrowing further and further into the floor beneath him, and the rest of his insides are following suit because there’s a horror story lurking at the edges of his mind, of a glance back that didn’t show him any siblings, of an infirmary without Will and Robyn scurrying around, armed with nectar and healing hymns and the Look of a healer that refuses to take any shit.  Of a father that Michael has never doubted for a single moment loves them all gluing himself to his side, being there in his waking hours when he never visits camp in person.

It's not a question he wants to ask but the words are crawling up his throat unpleasantly, prying his lips open to escape, and it’s not like Apollo is being particularly verbose right then.

“Where are they?” he asks.  It was supposed to be a demand, but his voice cracks on they the same way his father’s voice cracked on you’re and it comes out a plea, begging his dad to tell him it’s okay, he’s just not thinking straight with his injuries right now and that he isn’t really living a horror story right now, for all that his gut is churning with panic.

Apollo sobs again, a single, heart-wrenching sound, and when he raises his head to look Michael in the eye Michael wishes he hadn’t, because he never knew that gods could look so broken and he never wanted to know that, either.

“Elysium,” his father rasps, and the war might be over but Michael’s nightmare isn’t.

“Who?” he demands.  Nathan, he knows, and he desperately clings to the strands of hope that it’s just Nathan they’re talking about even though he knows it’s futile, fragile enough that the smallest of breezes will break it.

He’s still not prepared when Apollo closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath like he’s mortal and air is something he needs in order to live, before meeting his steadily.  They’re still watery as fuck, fresh tears spilling down his face with abandon as he says three words that make Michael scream.

“All of them.”

Screaming doesn’t help, but Michael can’t stop, either.  The sound is wordless, but there’s a mantra of no no no no no running through his head on an endless loop and he thrashes as his dad holds him close, saying more words he can’t hear through the roar of blood in his ears, because it can’t be true, they can’t be all dead.

Not Will, bright and sunny when he’s not snapping at idiots for ignoring medical common sense, not little Kayla always running after him with a bow in hand, trying to get him to shoot with her some more.  Not Joy, not Robyn, not Elias or Alice or Sally or Austin.

He can’t have failed all of them.

Michael remembers the feel of the detonator in his hand, remembers pressing the button after barely checking, remembers the bridge as it exploded behind him, and then he’s twisting in Apollo’s tight grip, retching and retching and retching some more even though there’s only bile to come up and barely any of that, either.

A warm hand runs shakily through his hair, a grip around his waist pulling him until his back is flush with an equally warm body, and fingers brush across his lips lightly, wiping away the mess.  Michael hates it, hates himself, doesn’t deserve his father’s unending love when he killed them, but attempts to pull away, to push Apollo away, fail before they even begin and then he’s screaming again, thrashing in his father’s hold and aggravating his injuries except they don’t fucking hurt.

“Michael.”  His name is spoken directly into his ear, Apollo’s mouth close enough to brush the outer shell.  The god’s voice is sharp enough to freeze him, rigid in his father’s hold as he waits for the damnation.

It doesn’t come.

“You didn’t kill them,” his father tells him, and it has the weight of a promise.  Tears Michael hadn’t realised were flooding his own face stopped abruptly, cut off by the sheer shock of impossible words.  He’s pulled backwards gently, until Apollo is folded all the way around him with a hand on the back of his head and the faint brush of lips at his temple.  “You didn’t kill any of them,” Apollo repeats, Truth pressing down on Michael’s soul.  “They were already dead,” he says more softly, and fuck.

Michael hadn’t looked for downed bodies in his glance back, just fleeing ones – and there had been none of those.

None of those because by the time he’d got Kronos semi-distracted and the chance to blow the bridge up to protect them, there was no-one left to fucking protect.

It’s Michael’s turn to sob, trying to push himself away from Apollo so he could wallow in grief and self-loathing – some fucking head counsellor he was, not able to protect even one sibling – but his dad didn’t let him, bundling him up in his arms like he was a small child and burying his face in his hair.

“It’s not your fault,” he hears him murmur.  “You did nothing wrong, Michael.”

Michael can’t believe him.  How can ten dead siblings not be his fucking fault when he was supposed to keep them safe?  Somewhere on that bridge he fucked up badly and his siblings had paid the fucking price while he was here, still alive and back at camp with his dad visiting him in person for the first time in his fucking life.  How could it not be-

“I love you, Michael.”  His dad’s unexpected words completely derail his thoughts.  Apollo hadn’t said those words to him in years, for all that he’d shown it through his dream visits over and over and over again.  The actual words hadn’t passed between them since Michael was nine, finally free from his shitty pre-camp life and learning that the guy in his dreams most nights was real and also his dad, who actually loved him unlike every other adult in his life.  “I love you,” he said again, mouth once again finding Michael’s ear.  “I’m so happy you’re still alive.”

That hurts, because Michael would rather be dead if it meant one of his siblings had survived instead.  Fuck, he’d chosen to die, if it meant that any of them would fucking live.

It wasn’t supposed to have turned out this way, all fucking backwards where the one that was supposed to die lived and the ones that were supposed to live fucking died.

“Why me?” he chokes, not even sure if he’s asking why he survived or why Apollo’s glad he did or if it’s actually a third question he can’t put his finger on.

“Because you’re my beautiful child,” Apollo says, and Michael isn’t sure which question he’s answering, and isn’t quite sure he can believe the words, either.  He certainly doesn’t feel like it.

But his dad isn’t letting go of him, instead presses another kiss to his temple and runs a hand through his hair.  The motions are soothing even though it seems impossible that Michael could be anything other than agitated at minimum right now, and part of him remembers that despite current appearances, his father is a god and can do bullshit like that if he wants.

“Rest,” Apollo coaxes.  “You have a lot of healing left to do.”

Michael wants to resist, wants to fight it because he doesn’t deserve to heal and rest, not when everyone else is dead and for some Fates-forsaken reason he’s the only one that isn’t, but he is tiring and he doesn’t know if it’s because or in spite of his father’s actions.

“I’ll still be here when you wake up again,” his father promises, intensely enough that Michael believes him even though it makes no fucking sense because Apollo never sticks around that long even in fucking dreams.  His confusion – disbelief – must be obvious because he gets another light kiss to his temple.  “You’re all I have left,” Apollo tells him, and Michael can hear the tears in his voice again, but also the determination, the words of the god of truth.  “I won’t – can’t – lose you, too.”

There’s a sound like a roll of thunder in the distance as Michael finds himself settled back down properly in the infirmary bed, his father hunched over him and looking down at him with overflowing eyes.  A hand brushes across his forehead and suddenly Michael’s eyes refuse to stay open no matter how much he fights them, his vision blurring.  “Sleep well,” he hears Apollo murmur, and there’s a feather-light kiss to his forehead this time.  “I love you so, so much.”

The familiar darkness of sleep chases him down and he barely hears the rest of his father’s words.

“Thank you for living.”

[katherinejess]

Volunteer (Part 4)

Part One if you haven't read it

Part 2

Part 3

This is going to have a lot of parts I am slowly realizing. It's a whole thing. Also I just skim-edited this so....

Warning: Fighting, death, blood and gore. Also loss, panic attack and slight hallucination.

~~~

The transport plane is cold and lifeless, Titans hand is in mine until they separate us under the arena and he squeezes it before letting go. My eyes trail after him until he’s out of sight and I’m in the room that will send me up onto my podium. Phaedra is waiting for me, holding an insulated thick gray jacket.

My heart drops and I inhale shakily, we are going to be somewhere cold. She helps me put it on carefully to not force the sleeves of my shirt up my arms. I force myself to clear my head, “You two will be alright.” Phaedra says softly, zipping up my jacket around me. 

“Titan will be. He has to come out of this or it will be worth nothing.” I murmur, hearing the 30 second countdown for the tube.

She gently gets me moving towards the tube, “You’ll be with him in this, and that means everything. Take deep breaths. You are ready for this.” she tells me as I step into it.

20 seconds.

I shake my head, “I’m not, Phaedra. I could never be ready for this.” I breathe out, hyperventilating. I try to take a clear breath and calm myself.

“You are more ready than any of them, you have a better chance than anyone out there. Don’t let your head get in the way of that. And don’t step off the platform early, it will kill anyone who does.” she instructs clearly, rubbing my arms once before stepping away and out of the opening of the tube as it hits 10 seconds.

I nod, swallowing heavily and close my eyes for a second as I center myself. The door closes, and I open my eyes to see my platform rising. Phaedra is gone within seconds and I get hit with a wave of freezing wind. Straight ahead of me is the cornucopia with a tall peak far behind it. We’re on a mountain range.

60

59

58

I frantically search for Titan amongst the tributes, but with the sun blinding against the snow, it hurts to look around. They must have flattened and cleared out this section for us because it is the only flat spot with no trees or shrubbery. The cornucopia is shiny and blinding with the sun overhead. Pine trees are all around us, giving me hope that they struggle with the light enough for us to get out of view.

52

51

50

49

I squint over at the tributes around me as they ready themselves into a running position. I roll back my shoulders, looking at the cornucopia. Mags’ reminder to take this first minute rings in my head. There is a rack of spears on the doors of the cornucopia and backpacks in various spots around it. Titan and I are both pretty small and fast, he might be taller but I'm hoping I can outrun most of these people. Titan is quick for his height too, all we need is a bag of supplies and we run.

37

36

35

Finnick and Mags told us it would be best to get basic supplies and a weapon, the cornucopia may be a bloodbath but we can watch each other's backs. They’ll be focused on the weak and we will be racing out of there by the time they pick up a weapon. 

Titan and I said we would meet on the closed side of the cornucopia if we can’t find each other right away and I can’t see him around me, meaning he is on the other side. It looks like every district has their tribute on the opposite sides. 

22

21

20

I get into position, eyeing the stuff we need to grab. We are each grabbing our own spears so that neither of us are defenseless and a backpack. Two things. It’s that easy. Throwing knives are in an open case on the inside of the cornucopia. I want them but it’s not a good idea to go in there. It’s an attractive trap, but a trap nonetheless.

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

I launch forward, focused ahead of me so I don’t trip trying to get a look at the other tributes. I practically throw myself at the spears when I reach them, turning around and finding a girl with a backpack flying past me. It sends me reeling against the rack, my back slamming into it. I tear my eyes away once I realize she’s not trying to kill me, just trying to escape but there is another girl who comes swinging at me with a sword. I block with the metal spear and twist it so I hit her with the blunt end across her temple. I’m not quite ready to kill anyone yet. She doesn’t get back up from where she lands in the snow, I doubt she will once the careers find her.

Titan comes running into view, racing around all the tributes as fast as he can. There’s a girl, a career from District 1 with an ax right behind him. I hold up my spear, “Titan!” his eyes flicker to mine and he throws himself to the side.  She notices me but not fast enough.

The spear is launched from my grip the second I see Titan start to move and goes right into the edge of her stomach, sliding right through. It’s not dead center but she goes down anyway. Dead. The other three careers are picking off people around the cornucopia together, slowly killing their way through the leftover kids who dare to try and get inside.

I grab another spear from the rack, leaving three left and Titan has two backpacks in his hands by now. He gets to me, my arm raised with a spear in fear of someone coming around the corner as he hands one to me. I know the careers have picked weapons from the side of the cornucopia and once they are done with whoever they’re finishing off, they will come for the center. I don’t even put it on as I look around the edge of the door where the District 2 careers have finished off three other tributes, trying to either get in the cornucopia and around them or to the bags lined against the wall they are guarding. There’s a body that made it somewhat past them towards the woods, until the girl from Two shot them, the arrow sticking out of their back and a bag right next to them. 

Titan races inside the cornucopia, somehow no one has made it in there except for two people before me that grabbed something and were caught by the careers leaving on the edge.

Not fast enough. 

I want to yell his name but instead I grab his spear for him, trying to juggle two in one hand but it’s seconds later that he comes back out. In his hand is the case of throwing knives, jumping over the body of the girl I knocked out. He grabs my arm, pulling me to the side where only one career is returning from chasing down a tribute that got past him. Titan hits him in the face with his backpack, which sets him back a few paces to the side and falls.

Titan holds his backpack and the case in one hand as he runs, trying not to trip in the snow while holding mine. I look back to see the kid Titan hit being helped up by the hysterically laughing girl from district two, who has a bow and arrow. She is laughing at the boy from district two who is beating a boy on the closed side of the cornucopia, who is attempting to crawl away. It isn’t until he goes to stomp on his head with his boot that I look away and take my hand from Titans as we hit the treeline. 

Then I realize they can see our footprints, capable of finding us wherever we are. But I ignore that for a minute while we keep running. The careers have the cornucopia, even with the multiple dead bodies. So many I couldn’t even count. I saw the older boy from 7 trying to fight them, and he looked like he put up a good fight. Until we passed him dead on the ground anyway. 

After a minute I pick up my stride next to Titan, running until we hit the side of the mountain area, looking down to what looks like would start an avalanche if we move too fast and disturb the snow. Titan leans over and drops his stuff to the side, putting his hands on his knees as he attempts to catch his breath. I scan the area behind us to make sure no one is here as I wheeze.

Once we are clear, I put my back to the edge and drop my stuff, catching my breath with him. The air is freezing but now that we are in the sunlight it’s a tad warmer. 

It takes us a minute but we recover. “We need to keep moving and find shelter. It’s a mountain. Mountains have caves right?” I huff out, “Let’s see what we’ve got and keep going.” I pull my backpack in front of me.

We both pause as there is a cannon in the air, we must be a few minutes into the game. Not far enough away from the cornucopia but I count the cannons as they go off, only 12. There are still half the people left. People must have been slowed by the snow or the careers are dragging this out for fun. The boy from district 2 could’ve just used the sword in his hand, instead he chose to beat him, kicking him to death. The girl was the same, instead of trying to shoot us, she helped up the boy from 1 and was laughing. They know they have the top spot and are going to make people die trying to get supplies to survive the rest of the game.

Once the cannons are done Titan opens his bag, “Rope, knife, thermos, scarf, beanie and a plastic sheet.” he says, rifling through the bag.

“I’ve got a sleeping bag.” I pull it out from the top, “There’s matches in here too, scarf and beanie thankfully. There are also gloves.” I pull them out before tossing them to Titan.

“No you should have them.” he argues, bringing them over to me. I shake my head, shoving the stuff back in the bag. I keep the beanie and scarf, wrapping myself up in them and putting the hood of my jacket on.

I sling it over my shoulder, “You got me the daggers, which was stupid by the way. We agreed not to risk going in.” I remind him, raising my eyebrows.

He shrugged, holding the gloves limp in his hand. “They weren’t far in. Besides now you have two weapons.” he points out.

“Keep the gloves. I’m not wearing them, besides they’ll mess me up with the knives.” I excuse, sliding my other arm through the strap of the backpack and grabbing my spear.

He hands me the case to the knives, which I put down and take them out. I set them in the belt every tribute has on their outfit. “Grab the stuff and let’s go. We need to find something before dark.” I tell him, tossing the case off the side of the ledge we are on. It sends snow sliding down the side which I watch as he shoves things back in his bag, putting on his scarf and beanie.

I face the trees, staring up at the mountain that is on the other side slightly to the left, it’s probably only a few thousand feet from the cornucopia. I’m not sure what’s on the other side of anything with how uneven the land is. The trees are thick and pine needles scratchy. 

“Okay we need to listen carefully, be quiet and keep an eye out for people and footprints. The snow is melting this time of year, there will be ice. We can’t afford to break something because we slipped. There’s a peak there right on the edge of the mountain, we get there, hopefully we can find shelter.” I say, rubbing my hands together. He nods in response so I start moving, using my spear as a walking stick. The metal is cold against my hand but it’s not like I can leave it behind. 

We fight a steep hill to get to one of the peaks on the side of the mountain, taking us a few hours. It’s not the one I pointed to, we definitely did not make a straight shot there as climbing mountains is not as easy as one would think. Granted, I didn’t really think that.

Looking around, I can’t see much through the trees but I can see a sliver of the flat area around the cornucopia, but not the structure itself. Nobody crosses through the little sliver I can see but I wouldn’t trust going down there again either. The careers wouldn’t leave it for the taking.

It feels better knowing we are a few thousand feet away and probably an hour's hike higher. The careers probably won’t make it here tonight if they stay near it. I wouldn’t trust not to find anyone else though.

We are still surrounded by trees and all I see are slopes of trees below around where the cornucopia is, more trees beyond it that go down to the base of the mountain. The arena usually is only so big, they may not have added out the absolute top of the mountain but I'm guessing that’s near the edge of it. Which means we are halfway to the edge, maybe only a few hours of climbing. They don’t want us near the border, it never ends well for the tribute.

I rub my face, warming my hands with my breath. “There’s a ridge up to here we can climb, it looks like a viewing point.” Titan says, looking around a tree against the mountain. This thing just keeps getting steeper.

A deep breath and I force myself through the brush and trees to follow him to the ridge. Once we are up there, he’s right. There’s a small clearing that overlooks the trees. There is only a few feet of space and then a dead drop, too steep for a tree to climb but there are lots of roots.

It’s hard to see through the trees to look for a cave or anything but we can see the cornucopia. I set down my spear so it doesn’t glint in the light and give us away. Titan follows my lead and we both crouch near the edge.

“They are staying with the cornucopia.” Titan grins, looking down to where we see one of the careers dragging things inside, probably to preserve the warmth and build a blockade inside until tomorrow. 

“Great, that just leaves seven others.” I mutter, staring up at the side of the mountain and back down the side of the cliff. There’s a little concave dent at the bottom, almost like an opening right at the base. “Hey, there might be something down there.” I point down, getting Titan to look.

“We can look for food on the way down.” he says, I nod before pulling myself up. I brush everything off my hands before grabbing my spear. My hands are blotchy and blue but grab my spear in one hand and shove the other in my pocket. 

I fix my scarf over my nose as it starts to fall, tucking it into my beanie that’s under the hood of my jacket. We make our way down the side, trying to keep track of what level we need to be on until we get to the spot we saw so we don’t just climb down the entire mountain.

Once we backtrack enough to find the ledge, we keep going to find the area. It’s small enough where our spears just barely fit, only a foot or so of space above them. I keep mine poised, Titan backing in to make sure we aren’t surprised. 

To my relief, there is a little corner in the back not visible to the entrance. It’s completely empty and I lean my spear in the corner. The ceiling is low, too low for our spears to be upright for the last five feet of the cave as it continually dips down until it’s dead end.

The sun is getting low and we are lucky to have found this before it actually set. Titan climbs into the corner next to me and I carefully sit down, removing some of the knives so I don’t stab myself.

Once they are moved to the side, I grab my backpack and pull out the sleeping bag. “Cyrena.” Titan gathers my attention, only to toss me the gloves.

“Titan-“ I argue but he gives me a pointed look and raises his hands.

“My hands are fine. You’re getting frostbite. Wear them.” He demands, my hands are starting to get warm which is a bad sign since they’re blue and frozen. 

“Just for a little.” I pull them on reluctantly, before going back and laying out the bag on the side, “We can take turns sleeping. I’ll take first watch. No arguments. Whoever has the gloves watches, deal? Put the sheet under the sleeping bag so it’s not just on the ground.” I instruct, watching him unload the plastic sheet. 

He puts it on the ground, folding it and pulling the sleeping bag over it. “Deal. Wake me up in an hour.” He says, sliding in. I work my way to the edge of the corner so I can view the opening. 

“Cyrena?” He questions and I glance over at him from where I’m leaned against the cave wall.

“Hm?” 

“Thank you.” 

“What for?” I question, too tired to think now that I'm finally sitting and resting.

“Saving me from that girl.” The girl I killed. The way the girl's body jolted from the impact of the spear will be seared in my brain for life.

“Don’t worry about it. Get some sleep.” I tell him, staring out at the pine trees that rustle with the wind that’s picking up. I drag the spear next to me, keeping it in my now warmer hand. 

Titan curls up for warmth in the sleeping bag and I wrap my arms around my legs and dangle the spear from one hand. If I fall asleep it will fall and wake me up so I let my head rest on my knees. 

I stay like that for a long time, far past the hour that Titan asked for. Three cannons go off at different times through the night and one scream that echoes through the mountainside, waking Titan for a minute each time, only going back to sleep once I reassure him we are okay and I don’t bother to look and see who is dead when the faces light up the sky. It isn’t until I see the dark hole that is the entrance of the cave brightening just a bit that I go to wake him up. We probably have another hour until sunrise, giving me enough time to sleep a little bit before we go for food. 

He slept like a log, probably exhausted from the day and when I shake the sleeping bag to wake him, he is upright in a flash. His hand gets caught in the sleeping bag as he reaches for his spear but I grab it first.

He realizes it's me, letting out a breath. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” I murmur, “It’s almost daylight. We need to go hunting soon but I don’t know if I can stay awake that long.” I yawn, letting go of his spear.

He nods, yawning right after me but gets out of the sleeping bag. I take off the gloves and leave them in my spot as I climb where he was. It’s decently warm and I cover myself before slipping my hands between my thighs for warmth.

I hear Titan settling into what was my spot before I promptly pass out.

The next day there are no cannons, we don’t even see any sign of life as we search for food. We travel to the other side of the arena, as far from the cornucopia as possible as we gather pine cones, cutting them open for the nuts. There we find water from melted snow, higher on the mountain.

We start a fire, boiling pine needles for tea that soothes our stomachs, as much as they can be. It’s only day two, we are not starving but that doesn’t stop me from attempting to throw knives at anything that moves. My fingers aren’t working well enough for me to hit anything and despite Titan’s attempts, I only take the gloves when he sleeps. They stay blue but I manage to strap my spear to my backpack so my hands stay in my pockets while I walk.

It isn’t until a cannon goes off that we smother our fire merely half an hour after we made it, beginning our trek back down with our spears raised. The woods are silent as we reenter our cave and set up for another night but it doesn’t make us any less uneasy despite a quiet day.

The day after that, two cannons go off making seven of us on day three. It doesn’t seem like it will be a long game after all. The arena is tougher than we are used to. The cold and lack of food makes it impossible to survive for long. The snow is melting, making ice appear everywhere. Titan and I relive the same day as yesterday. Pine nuts may not be very filling but the tea makes us feel better about it. The water puddles on the side of the mountain freezes our fingers as we collect water into our bottles but we don’t dare risk the gloves getting wet and breaking.

When another cannon goes off, the clenching of my stomach gets worse. There are six of us, but I have no idea who it is. While it would’ve been smart to watch the faces the first night, I don’t think I could’ve dragged myself out from the cave to watch. 

Titan and I make two and I figure at least two of the three careers are alive. Whether there are two people out in the woods or three careers is my only question.

Titan and I have gotten into our own schedule, not wanting to hunt everyone down and risk it. People seem to be dropping fast enough with it. He sleeps at night, my vision is better anyway and I sleep during the early morning. Then to the spot where the sun hits perfectly for water, gathering pine needles and pine nuts on the way.

The fire doesn’t stay on long, we got lucky with the gloves and we move fast to stay warm. We end up going to the lookout that oversees the cornucopia and it seems all three careers are alive. Making one random person in the woods the odd one out. Our bodies hate us more than ever for the amount of hiking we are doing but there are only 6 of us. I can’t imagine the odd person will last for long by themselves. I think I would go crazy here with no allies.

Titan and I may not do a lot of talking, trying to stay under the radar but we’ve also never been more in sync. Maybe it’s the routine and lack of distractions or added pressure, I'm not sure. Every morning we get ready and pack up like clockwork, trading places at night.

Titan wakes up with the same jolt he does every morning, but thankfully I’ve learned to take the spear out of reach first. His spot is always warm when I climb into the sleeping bag and I find myself curling up into the same ball he was in, trying to conserve all the warmth I can from it. It always puts me right to sleep.

A clang wakes me up, the sleeping bag slows me for a second as I scramble to my feet, grabbing my spear from beside it. “Cyrena!” Titan’s yell echoes from outside the cave and I run out, whirling around to see the girl from seven behind Titan, whose back is to me.

His spear is in his hand but he’s moving too slow to block the strikes from her ax and I'm too slow to get to him. His body falls backwards and the spear leaves my hand, flying straight over his body and into her lower stomach. It sends her back a step and she falls, but the knife from my hip is in my hand as my knees slam into the spot next to Titan. 

The girl doesn’t move besides her chest rising and falling, alive but probably not for long. I ignore her and the knife falls from my hand to the snow next to me. The ax is lodged between his shoulder and neck. A cannon goes off and I flinch, 

Tears blur my eyes and my hands curl onto the jacket on his chest, “No. No no no.” I sob, tears burning their way down my face until they hit the scarf that absorbs them.

My head falls onto his body as I wrack from the sobs, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I-” the sound is muffled by his jacket and it turns into nothing as my voice leaves me completely.

I lean back to look at his face but can’t distract myself from the ax in his neck. I look over at the girl from seven, I can barely see her through my tears but I wipe them away and stand. I stumble over to her, her eyes catching mine. They’re filled with panic, frantically moving over the lines of my face as her chest struggles to keep up. Her hands grasp at the snow, not really catching on anything.

“He was supposed to win.” I tell her, my voice wavering and lip quivering. She doesn’t respond and all I see is the red in her eyes. The spear slides out of her easily, almost as easily as it goes into her neck. Her eyes stop moving and the light fades, her hands go limp on the snow while her chest settles. Another cannon sounds off.

I stare at her for a moment, then at Titan. The snow around him is red and settled. Walking over, I lean down and brush the hair off his forehead. My entire jaw shakes and I swallow heavily, pushing down the sadness and replacing it with anger.

I take a deep breath and look around, settling on the cave. It takes me a few minutes to drag him in, removing the ax. I take my gloves off and settle them on his hands, draping the plastic sheet over him, sobbing so hard I think I might puke. He may be dead but my brain doesn’t keep up because all I can think about is I don’t want him to be cold. It’s cold here, it’s warm in district four. He shouldn’t be cold anymore.

It doesn’t really make sense, but I do it anyway. The sleeping bag gets folded under his head enough so it’s off the ground and I lay his backpack next to him. The spear, his spear I lay on top of the sheet. After I'm done I stand back, my hand covering my mouth as I curl in on myself. 

Once I can’t take looking at him anymore, I leave. My spear is still standing, stuck in the girl's throat. Then I remember the three careers sitting at the cornucopia and realize maybe I should have just hunted all of them down. Maybe that is what would have saved Titan. They’ve been sitting in there, safe and sound. It’s warm, nobody will fight them for it and they knew it.

Titan died because we hid, but not well enough. Maybe the key to winning wasn’t hiding after all. Titan didn’t deserve to die but if it’s between sitting here with his dead body or killing the careers, one seems more productive than the other. 

Taking on three careers isn’t sensible but then again, I wasn’t planning on winning anyway.

The only things I take with me are my spear, still stained with the girl's blood and my knives. Everything else I leave with Titan. The cornucopia is milling with the careers, the two boys fighting while the girl sits by the fire in the middle. 

It doesn’t take long for me to make my way around on their blind side, nor does it take me long to send my spear through her back. The boys hear the cannon, dropping their argument and coming into view from where I stand on the other side of cornucopia.

“The sister. Who would’ve thought.” the boy from district two laughs, jabbing his elbow into the other boy's side as he takes a step forward and in front of him. Trying to get to me first.

His friend just smirks while taunting me, “Well we knew it wouldn’t be her brother.” 

Anger rises again, fueling me to grab a knife and send it flying in his direction. He dodges it, but his friend doesn’t and it hits him right below his collarbone. 

District two launches himself forward as the other yells in pain, I use his momentum to throw another knife that he flings himself to the side to dodge. District one tears the knife out, switching his hunting knife to the opposite hand. I send another knife flying to the guy on the ground, hitting him in his thigh before turning to One, who swings at me with his hunting knife.

I narrowly dodge, also avoiding a swing from the ax as I pass him and grab my knife from my belt. I sprint to my spear, only to be tackled by One right next to the fire. He slams my face into the ground but my knife goes into his thigh and I rip it through the muscle.

He flings himself backward, shoving himself against my back to get away. I flip around, knife in my hand as he holds his leg and tries to scramble away.

I grab my spear from the body of the girl, moving towards one who holds his knife up as he tries to stand. He falls, his leg unable to hold his weight and then I look at Two, trying to limp into the forest as he holds his ax and leg. I look at One, who is not going anywhere fast before I pick up the girl's bow and arrow, tossing them across the arena so he can’t reach them.

Then I head for Two, twisting my spear in my hand. He can hear me coming, glancing over his shoulder as he tries to go faster before giving up and turning around with his ax high. It doesn’t get very far before the spear launches into his upper abdomen. Another cannon sounds.

He hits the ground and I turn around, returning to One. I take a detour to the cornucopia, finding myself a new spear from the rack that they had dragged inside. One has crawled a good few feet by the time I get back to him and I jam the new spear into his calf as he twists to face me.

 I quickly twist it out of his leg as he screams and send the spear right through his chest and I swear I can feel the leftover pulse from his heart through the spear. 

The voice in the air is immediate, “The Victor of the 68th Hunger Games, ladies and gentlemen, Cyrena Thalassa.” he announces.

There is no cannon for the District One male but I can hear it in my head, over and over as I back away from him unsteadily. 

~~~

The bright lights shine right through my eyelids, making me not want to open them. But I do, a few seconds later I'm jolting up only to see I'm in a clean, white room. The bed sheets are soft in my fists, but I release them and shove everything off me.

I’m alone. In a hospital room. My head hurts and my body is sore but other than that I feel fine. My feet hit the floor, which isn’t as cold as I thought it would be even though I'm wearing socks. The only other thing on me is a hospital gown that hits my knees and bandages on my hands.

There are flowers on the table in the corner, a few chairs around the room that are pulled in weird angles but other than that everything is clean and blank. There are two doors but only one is open, it’s a bathroom.

Instead I go to the other door, peeking through the window to see the hall. I pause for a moment before opening it only to be backed through the doorway by a peacekeeper, his gun raised towards me. 

I scramble backwards, my hands in the air. His head is nodding, he’s talking, shouting from what I can tell but I can’t hear him. I just back into the table on the far wall, covering my ears as I crouch and close my eyes. 

I don’t understand and my head is screaming, all I can feel is vibrations in the floor. There’s more people and I just tell myself that they’re not here. I can’t hear them and they’re not here. This isn’t real.

Maybe I'm just dead.

A hand touches my shoulder and my hands come off my ears, tearing it off me as I fall onto my butt. When I swivel to kick them I look to see, it’s Finnick. His eyes wide as he talks to me, crouched down beside me.

Mags is behind him, standing near the door and my eyes flicker between the two. His hands back away and he just holds them up, showing me he won’t hurt me. The piercing in my ears fade as I calm down, finally able to hear. 

Finnick is still talking, “-safe, you’re okay. The guards are gone-” I raise a hand to stop him, furrowing my brows.

Then I realize my hand is shaking and I put it down. I’m shaking, my legs, hands, everything. My throat is dry but I lick my lips and ask “Where am I?”

Finnick’s eyes flit over my face but he shifts back as he answers, “The hospital. You’ve been sleeping off a tranquilizer.”

A tranquilizer? He seems to sense my confusion and sighs, “They put you out in the arena after you won.”

“Why?”

“You killed a peacekeeper in the woods, trying to go back-”

“ For Titan.” I finish, finally start to remember, “He’s dead.” I went back for his body, not wanting to leave it in the cave and they tried to force me on the plane. I killed a peacekeeper.

“-rena.” Finnick calls me back to reality, “We’ve been waiting for you. There is a train ready to bring you home to your family.” he tells me, my family.

“No.” 

“No?”

“I don’t want to see them.” I shake my head, “I don’t want to go home to them.” I clutch my hair in my hands as I stare at the floor between my legs, I don’t want to see them. I’m not ready.

Titan is gone. He won’t be home.

“Hey.” Finnick catches my attention, my head snaps up to his. Mags is gone and the door is shut, “You don’t have to see them.” he reassures me.

“I’m not ready.” I whisper, tears burning my eyes and I angrily wipe them away. He nods, almost like he gets it. Maybe he does. He is a Victor.

“That’s okay. You have time.” he says, “Why don’t you come out?” he questions, nodding up at the table I am half under.

I pause for a second and then nod, he stands back slowly until he’s near the door. I clamber up, staying close to the table. As if it’s my shield. “How long do I have to be here?” I question, glancing at the empty room.

He shrugs, “You can leave whenever you want. There is a train waiting to take us home, you have a house ready for you in Victor's Village so you don’t have to see your family. It’s right across from Mags and I live next to her.” he tells me and my eyes flit back to his. 

Living alone sounds scary, but facing my family sounds worse at the moment, so I nod and cross my arms as I look at the bed again. The adrenaline leaves with the heat that it gave me. “There is clothes and food. I’ll get you some water. Are you hungry? ” he questions, taking a step to the side to open the door.

Instinctively I panic, the last time that door opened I had a gun in my face but he doesn’t open it. Instead he waits until I’m ready. “I would like some clothes.” I avoid his question. My body still feels weird and I don’t think food would sit well right now.

“Absolutely,” he says, “The guards are gone. I told them you weren’t a danger to anyone. I’ll be right back. Your family called when they were told you were awake but Mags dealt with it.” He informs me, opening the door when I nod.

He leaves and I stand there for a few moments before stumbling to the bathroom that’s next to the table across from the hall door. I lean over the counter, looking in the mirror I see my hair is neat besides where my hands had clutched it. There are little cuts on my face in certain spots but nothing extreme. There are a few bruises on my arms and wrists, my hands are bandaged up my wrists.

Frostbite. I still have all my fingers so it couldn’t have been too bad but they’re stiff and hard to move. I change my plan of splashing water on my face, settling for a warm washcloth.

The hall door clicks, making me freeze until I hear Finnick calling my name softly. “I’m here.” I say, drying my face. It clicks again and I hear him shuffling things quietly but he doesn’t approach the bathroom, even though the door is cracked open.

When I come out, he’s sitting in a chair next to the table and he’s quick to glance up at me. He has a pile of clothes in front of him and he slides it over before retracting his hand. “Mags left but wants you to know that she’s around if you need anything.” he informs as I take the clothing.

“It might be better if she’s not.” I murmur, holding the clothing to my chest. There’s three glass bottles of water on the table and a small container that I’m assuming is a lunch for me.

“You’re not going to hurt her.” Finnick says, reading my mind, “Adjusting is hard, but you’ll get there. I promise.” he leans forward, meeting my eyes.

It’s silent for a moment before I respond, “When the guard came in, I didn’t know what to do. Then-” I inhale, “he wasn’t here, I wasn’t here and none of it was real. I’ve never felt that before, not even when I killed the peacekeeper or when Titan-” I stop, not wanting to say the words.

He nods, staring down at his hands for a second and then back at me, “The stress from coming back from the arena makes everything feel like the worst tracker jacker hallucination you could ever have. It lasts longer for some people than it does for others.” he explains, flexing his hands.

“How did you get through it?” I ask, shuffling on my feet.

He smiles softly, “I had Mags. She’s the only family I have left and was my mentor. It tends to be easier when the person understands what you’re going through. We will both be here for you, especially for the victory tour.” he mentions, something I hadn’t even thought about.

“Well then I've got six months to figure it out.” I mutter, before turning to change in the bathroom. 

“You’re not alone, Cyrena.” I stop before I shut the door and he continues “Mags and I will be here for the entire time. That extends past the victory tour. We protect each other.” he says, leans back in his seat again when he’s done and I close the bathroom door.

It’s a nice concept, but in the front of my mind I can’t help but wonder if they’ll need protection from me. But the face staring back at me in the mirror isn't my own. It's Titans.

[luna-writes-stuff]

Motion Sickness, Xu Shangqi

Yes, I wrote this out self projection. I myself have a very weak stomach and can therefor very easily and quickly catch motion sickness.

For those interested about what motion sickness is and what it means for me: Quick story of it, my stomach cannot stand a lot of motion, especially when my brain is unaware of the direction my body is moving in. I get nauseous and light headed and just feel the bile rising up in my throat. So when I go on long car rides for vacation and I cannot see the navigation, I could easily throw up in the car in a matter of seconds. When I sit on the wrong side of the car, I get sick. When I look anywhere else but outside in the car, I get sick. When the car is taking turns instead of driving straight ahead, I get sick. It’s really annoying and it’s still something I struggle with a lot. I get it on amusement rides, rollercoasters, boats; even when I just move around to quickly or too much. So when I was watching that scene in Shang-Chi where they drive to Ta Lo, all I could think about was how terrible I would’ve been in that situation. And it inspired me to write this (stupid as it may sound.) Yes, I am aware there is medication for this, but it happens a lot of the times and would I keep using and buying it, I would spend way more money than I actually need to. I only use it for long car rides and boat trips.

Fanfic, female! reader

Fluff, bit of angst

Tw: SPOILERS, motion sickness, description of nausea, lightheadedness, description of vomiting, rising temperature, half consciousness, self projected, description of losing consciousness (but not really), Shang-Chi being worried, established relationship, use of Y/N. Also, I could not find the script anywhere, so half of the dialogue is probably wrong.

Summary: When escaping Wenwu’s home, you join the ride to Ta Lo, even as you are aware that you get severe motion sickness in cars and most definitely will end up throwing up later. Shang-Chi knows this and tries to help, but you can’t talk nausea out of someone. Upon arriving in Ta Lo, you’re barely conscious and Shang-Chi gets concerned.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Shang-Chi asked, as you sat outside the car you just escaped in.

The ride from Wenwu’s home had been difficult to say the least. You got very nauseous in car rides, and you knew that, yet you wanted to be there for Shang-Chi when he would travel to his mother’s village. It was already clear it was not going to be an easy journey, but you insisted on joining the ride.

At the moment, you were catching some fresh air after the eventful car ride earlier. You forced your nausea down, smiling up at Shang-Chi.

“Oh yeah. I’ll be fine.” You assured, standing up and taking a deep breath in.

“You know you don’t have to come along.” He tried again, but you ignored his offer.

“I said I’ll be fine.” You insisted, walking back towards the car. Shang-Chi let out a sigh of defeat before opening the door to the passenger seat.

“Actually, Trevor was going to sit there. Seeing as he kind of holds the information and stuff.” Katy said, gesturing towards the man behind you two.

“He can do that from the back.” Shang-Chi said, but you shoo’d him, opening the door behind the passenger seat.

“I can sit here too.” You announced, sitting down before your boyfriend could say anything about it.

“Y/N-“ “Don’t Y/N me.” You interrupted. “If I get sick, it’s my own damn fault.”

He groaned before stepping in on the other side, his sister seated between the two of you.

“Is something wrong?” She asked, looking towards you with a worried glance.

“She gets sick in car rides.” Shang-Chi announced, putting on his seatbelt.

“Don’t worry.” You reassured her, “If I’m going to throw up, I’m going to aim for Shang-Chi. You’ll be fine.”

“You’re going to throw up?” She questioned, frowning at the statement.

“I’ll try not to, if it’s any consolation to you.” You offered, throwing off your jacket before bundling it up and letting it rest on your lap, holding it against your stomach lightly.

“I hope you’re strapped in. Morris tells us we need to leave now.” Trevor announced, simultaneously making Katy push the gas.

As you’re driving, Katy keeps a steady pace, causing a feeling of relief to wash through you. If this was going to be the pace you’d keep during the ride, nothing could really go wrong.

In front of the car, the trees suddenly started to separate, creating a road for Katy to drive on. You gasped at the sight, having never seen anything like it before.

“This is so cool.” Katy quietly awed. You hummed in agreement, staring at the greens out of the window.

“Morris says you might want to speed up.” Trevor announced, looking at the rearview mirror. Katy followed his look, before letting a curse word slip and speeding up. All three of you in the back quickly looked behind, eyes widening at the sight of the trees closing back.

You turned around the second you saw what was happening, not ready to move forward while looking back.

“Take a left.” Trevor instructed.

“When?” Katy wondered, sparing the man a single glance.

“Now!” He ushered.

Katy took a sharp turn at his words, causing you to immediately grab hold of the handle on the door. Xialing and Shang-Chi both fell towards your side, not having prepared for the turn. You let out a little chuckle at the sight of them, but stopped as the familiar feeling of nausea hit you again.

“Right!” Trevor instructed. Yet again, Katy listened to him, taking a sharp right turn as the woods split into two again.

You had yet to let go of the handle, but you figured it might the closest thing you’d get to grounding at the moment. You felt Shang-Chi’s eyes drill holes into your head, but you refused to look at him. Instead, you kept you eyes on the window outside, knowing shooting your glance anywhere else might lead to some unfortunate consequences.

“Right again!” And at those words, the car stumbled around. Your stomach started feeling heavy as your head grew lighter, but you refused to acknowledge it, silently wishing for it to be over soon. You knew what would happen. You brought this upon yourself and you had no one to blame but yourself. You were in this now and you would not complain about it.

“Left!”

The next turn came completely unexpected to you, causing you to lose grip of the handle and the jacket on your lap, your hands trying to hold onto the seat in front of you.

As the car was on a straight line again, Shang-Chi quickly leaned over, grabbing your jacket and handing it to you, before opening your window slightly, allowing fresh air to fill the car. He shot you a silent look before returning to his seat.

“Drive faster!” Trevor urged, looking in the rearview mirror again. The forest seemed to close in behind you in an even faster rate now.

Katy just followed his lead, pushing the gas pedal down all the way. The car was hurled forward as your stomach began to flip. You leant your head against the window, your jacket pressed tightly against your stomach.

“Right!” Trevor yelled, the wind that blew into the car now becoming louder than his voice.

As Katy followed his directions, your clothes began to uncomfortably cling to your body, your hair slowly sticking to your forehead. You felt the bile rising up your throat, but you swallowed it back down, knowing there was no way of stopping now.

As Trevor kept shouting instructions, you began to wonder when this maze would end. It had been more terrible than you predicted. Perhaps the nausea of the earlier car-ride still lay heavy on your stomach, which only increased with the current journey. Or maybe the fact that there were no blinkers or navigation used, made your brain confused and uncomfortable, leaving you with a sickening feeling. Perhaps it was a combination of both.

Had this been a bad idea?

Definitely.

Would you ever confess it?

Never.

“Close the window!” Trevor yelled to Katy, holding his hands over his ears.

“Do not close the window!” Shang-Chi shot after him, holding his hand beside Katy’s seat, leaving her unable to access the window buttons.

Your head rested against the backside of the chair in front of you, trying to keep the dizziness at bay, but with every following turn, you felt that uncomfortable substance rising back up. Your head felt too light to lift it now, but your stomach forced you to keep it up before everything would come back out.

You let your head fall towards the window, keeping it up in order to swallow everything down again. The sour feeling stung your throat, nearly making you gasp in uneasiness, but you did your best not to show it. The open window that provided you with fresh air, had begun to lose its purpose, now only filling you with a loud pounding in the ears, every other word suddenly passing by unheard. It wasn’t until you felt a warm hand on the one that clung to your jacket, that you moved your head.

Before even looking, you knew it was Shang-Chi, but there was little he could do for you now. He didn’t say anything. Instead, he held out a bottle of cold water and a plastic bag. You gratefully took the offer, taking small sips from the bottle before placing the plastic bag on top of your jacket, just in case things would go sideways.

Your hands had grown all warm and soggy, nearly gliding off of the fabric. Your shirt was now nearly glued to your back. The hair you had refused to put up earlier was now suffocating your neck with a heat attack. You could feel the sweat of it fall down your body, making you move uncomfortably in your seat. A sharp ringing filled your ears, your vision showing black dots from time to time.

The car increased its speed suddenly. You had no idea what was happening, but you closed your eyes, not willing to look outside anymore. You needed your focus on your body, trying so desperately to maintain it.

Katy’s screaming disturbed the ringing in your ears as you felt an annoying banging against your brain.

And just like that, the car stopped moving. Heavy breathing was heard all around the car, but you had yet to open your eyes. The nauseating feeling was far from over. You figured it was best to continue driving before you would have to experience everything again.

“Everyone okay?” Katy asked, which went answered by multiple hums.

“Morris says to go right through there.” The man in front of you announced.

“Through the waterfall?” Katy asked incredulously.

“Yes.” Was the simple answer.

And then, the car was moving again. You heard the window beside you shut, but you made no intention to open your eyes yet.

“Y/N?” You heard Shang-Chi ask, but you ignored him, waving your hand towards him in a “let it go” manner.

How long the car had been driving afterwards, you did not know. You didn’t look outside, the earlier trip still heavy on your stomach. It wasn’t until the car suddenly stopped, that your stomach decided enough was enough, and resorted to throwing everything out.

You were hunched over the bag in your hands, the vomit slowly leaving your throat, much to your discomfort. You felt two gentle, yet unfamiliar hands wrap around your hair before tying it in a simple pony tail.

Your body felt as if it was on fire, your shirt definitely drenched by now. You tried to catch your breath, but you threw yourself back over the bag before you knew it. A second round falling out just as terrible as the first one.

You could hardly comprehend the door beside you opening, followed by a hand slowly, but steadily rubbing your back. You kept yourself above the bag, even though you were fairly sure you were done now. You began tying it, but it was taken from you before you could grab the ends.

As you unbuckled yourself and stood back up, black spots appeared in your vision again, making you stumble outside, before forcing you to sit down, your back against the car.

“Babe, can you hear me?” You faintly heard, making you hum silently, leaning your head against the car too, your eyes closing again.

“Are you okay?” He asked again, the voice now nearer.

“I just threw up twice. What do you think?” You mumbled.

Your statement went ignored, a soft hand being placed on top of your head instead.

“You’re burning up.” He remarked, untying your hair and wrapping it in a bun instead, making you sigh in relief.

“Give me a few minutes.” You stated quietly.

“Can you give me that bottle of water?” You followed up in a whisper. It was quiet for a moment before you felt the cold bottle back in your hands. You finished it quickly, handing it back when you were done.

“Do you need anything else?” He wondered again, his hand softly touching your cheek.

“A cold shower.” You mustered out, throwing your head forward, making it rest against Shang-Chi’s chest. “And a few painkillers.”

A low chuckle escaped his throat as his hand rested on your back, making you since slightly at the hot and sweaty shirt now being pushed against your body.

“Can you move yet?” He whispered patiently, letting you go, though he allowed your head to keep resting against him.

“Give me a moment.” You muttered, one of your hands falling to your stomach as if it would calm it down.

“That’s okay.” He answered, shifting a little bit before resting his head on top of yours, one of his his hands connecting with the one that was on your stomach.

“Xialing is doing the talking anyway.” He explained, his second hand falling to your neck and stroking it affectionately.

“Tell me when to get up.” He proposed, letting you pick your time and comfort.

You hummed in response, happy to be in his arms back on solid ground. You tried turning in your position, but your body quickly show down the idea, fresh nausea returning fast.

Shang-Chi understood what you were trying to do, luckily. He grabbed your waist, carefully turning you around, making your back rest against his chest.

“You’re drenched in sweat.” He noticed aloud, though that was the only thing he did about it.

Your head fell back in the crook of his neck, making Shang-Chi smile and rest his head against yours. Your hand tried reaching for his, even though you could not see anything right now.

“You want more water?” He misunderstood, his voice vibrating through his chest.

You just shook your head lightly, grabbing his arm and letting your hand slide down it until your hand connected with his. He squeezed it in comfort, before wrapping his arms around your body, holding you against him tightly, your hands toying with his fingers.

“I’m tired.” You whispered. “Do you mind if I fall asleep right here?”

Once more, Shang-Chi chuckled. “Of course not, babe.”

“Thank you.” You mumbled, sinking into his arms, nausea slowly subsiding as your mind finally drifted off.

You were glad he had been understanding, instead of cocky and full of himself at the moment. He did not mention your stubbornness earlier or your stupid comments. And you were thankful for that. You were far too tired or nauseous to deal with these comments now. They’d have to wait until tomorrow morning. Besides, a cold shower was next on the agenda, whether Ta Lo had that or not.

Taglist: @wlfstxr

[blu-joons]

When You Bump Into Your Ex ~ Exo Reaction

Xiumin:

Your heart sunk as Minseok went fumbling into your side, straight away recognising who the culprit was by the loud echo of laughter that they let go of on the other side of Minseok. “And this is the guy you’ve settled with?”

“What was the point of that?” You snapped at him.

“Just proving a point,” he smugly replied to you, “I’d heard rumours that you were dating, but this?”

“I’ve got a name,” Minseok argued, regaining his composure, “and I’ve heard plenty of rumours about you too, very unpleasant ones.”

Your ex nodded back at Minseok, “I’m sure Y/N has told you all about how horrible I was, but has she told you any of the good stuff, I used to rock her world just a year or so ago.”

“There is no good stuff to hear about you,” Minseok assured him, wrapping his arm around your frame, “I’d much rather she was with someone weak like me, who treats her right.”

He scoffed loudly in response to Minseok, “you think that you can treat her well? There’s not an ounce of muscle on you.”

“There doesn’t need to be muscle on him,” you interjected, “he’s got a strong heart, and that’s what matters the most to me.”

“On second thoughts, maybe the two of you deserve each other.”

Suho:

You couldn’t move quick enough as you stepped into the random store on the roadside in panic having spotted your ex walking in the opposite direction. “Let’s have a browse in here until the coast is clear.”

“What are we supposed to be clear of?” Junmyeon asked.

“Y/E/N,” you frowned, instantly feeling his grip tighten on your hand, “I don’t want to see him.”

“You won’t,” Junmyeon quickly promised, knowing just how horrible your time with your ex had been, “I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

Your head nodded as Junmyeon offered you a comforting smile, “I think I want to go home; I don’t want to run the risk of him seeing us whilst we’re out, I can’t deal with it.”

“We’re not going home,” Junmyeon surprisingly replied, “we’re not going to let the chance of seeing him ruin our day, I don’t want him to frighten you anymore, he’s not worth it.”

You smiled weakly back at him, “what do I do if we do see him? What if he tries to talk to me or acts as if nothing happened between us?”

“Then you ignore him,” he instructed, “and I’ll be right by your side to never let him hurt you ever again, I promise you.”

“Thank you, I’m so glad I have you in my life now instead of him.”

Lay:

The sound of your gasp instantly captured Yixing’s attention as he raced through the living room and across to the front door watching you put up a fight. “Don’t close the door like that Y/N, I thought that we were friends.”

“When have I ever let you think we’re friends?” You asked.

“What’s going on?” Yixing then asked from behind you, racing forwards to stand at your side.

“Step aside,” your ex warned Yixing, staring him down, “I’m here to speak to Y/N, not whoever you are, so just go away.”

Yixing’s head shook as he noticed the fear that was in your eyes. “I’m Y/N’s boyfriend, and you’re scaring her, so I think that it’s for the best if you go, without causing any harm.”

“Just go,” you added, ramming the front door into his foot that was in your way of closing it, “you don’t get to just show up like this after months and think we’re friends.”

Your ex moved his foot, but not before sending another message to Yixing. “She’s hard work, you’ll end things soon enough with her like I did once you’ve had enough, you’ll see.”

“I don’t think I need your advice, thank you,” Yixing smugly replied, slamming the door in your ex’s face before looking to you.

“Let’s just forget about it, I don’t want to waste my breath talking about him.”

Baekhyun:

Your grip instinctively tightened on Baekhyun’s hand as you looked forwards and recognised the figure before you, shrinking down underneath his stare. “It’s nice to see that you’ve moved on, but with this, really?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You challenged.

“He’s not like me,” he stated, looking up and down at Baekhyun, “is he even much of a man?”

“Trust me, he’s a man when it comes down to it,” you smiled weakly, walking to one side, pulling Baekhyun with you as you stepped away.

Baekhyun didn’t look at your ex once, quickly catching up with you and walking by your side. “That certainly put him in his place, he wasn’t expecting that response from you.”

“I’m not lying,” you smiled, shaking your head at the light blush on Baekhyun’s cheeks, “I’m a lot more satisfied now then I ever was with him, that’s all that matters.”

His head nodded proudly, “I don’t think anyone’s ever called me manly before, especially when it comes to being in the bedroom.”

“Maybe everyone else just doesn’t appreciate you like I do then,” you joked, “you’re a thousand times the man he ever was.”

“Good, and I’ll continue to love you like a man should too.”

Chen:

The moment you recognised the figure that was sat in the window of the café, your heart stopped, digging your feet to the ground to stop yourself from moving any further. “Can we go somewhere else for a drink?”

“Why? What’s wrong with this place?” Jongdae asked.

“He’s here,” you whispered, knowing that was enough for him to understand what you meant.

“Just ignore him,” Jongdae tried to assure you, “it’s easier said than done, but you shouldn’t let him be an obstacle for you.”

You sighed softly, hating how near he was to you. “I know you’re right, but just being in the same room as him right now is terrifying me, we broke up terribly Jongdae.”

“You broke up because he was horrible,” he reminded you, “and if he wants to try and be horrible to you today, then he’ll have me to deal with instead of taking it out on you.”

Your head nodded reluctantly, “I guess one quick coffee won’t do any harm, as long as we can sit as far away from him as possible.”

“We can sit wherever you want,” Jongdae smiled, “wait here whilst we order and then we’ll find a table together too, alright?”

“I don’t want to leave your side until we’re out of that door.”

Chanyeol:

As your phone buzzed yet again, both of you looked down to see your ex’s name pop up on the screen, desperate to talk to you after breaking up with his new partner. “What am I supposed to do? It’s relentless.”

“Tell him to do one,” Chanyeol boldly instructed.

“He’s hurting,” you frowned, pushing your phone away, “but how am I supposed to help him?”

“Because this is a cry saying that he wants you back,” Chanyeol frowned, moving your phone away from you, “shall I text him instead.”

Instantly, your head shook, not trusting Chanyeol to keep himself calm. “I’ll just keep ignoring, maybe he’ll get the message soon enough that I’m not interested.”

“So, we just sit and listen to your phone going off all night long?” Chanyeol then asked, as it buzzed once again, “I’m not dealing with this, it’s unfair on you Y/N.”

Your head shook back at him, “don’t worry about me, I can ignore him, just as long as you can ignore it for now too.”

“As long as he hurries up and gets the message soon, I can ignore it,” Chanyeol vowed, “he’s an ex for a reason, with you too.”

“I know, which is why my focus is on you, and not him.”

D.O:

The sudden movement of you crossing the road took Kyungsoo by surprise as you raced to get across before bumping into the figure that you recognised. “Do you think he saw us? Or did we manage to get away?”

“Did who see us?” Kyungsoo asked in bemusement.

“My ex,” you frowned, keeping your head down, “I spotted him walking towards us just then.”

“No one’s following us if that’s what you worried about,” Kyungsoo assured you, taking a good look of the area to make sure you were safe.

Your head nodded, as with a shaky breath you tried to relax yourself, “he keeps asking my friends how I am, the last thing I ever want to do is see him and have to talk to him.”

“So, he still cares about you?” Kyungsoo frowned, as your head shook back at him. “He must still have feelings for you if he asks around about you from time to time.”

You sighed softly as your eyes met Kyungsoo’s, “I don’t know how he feels because I have nothing to do with him anymore.”

“If he makes a move, he’ll regret it,” Kyungsoo assured you, squeezing your hand, “there’s no way I’m letting you go back to him.”

“I wouldn’t go anyway, not when I have you instead now.”

Kai:

Your breath hitched as you recognised the face sat to the table at the entrance of the restaurant, hiding yourself cautiously behind Jongin. “It’s Y/E/N, can you see him? Just to the right sat facing us at the table.”

“As in your ex?” Jongin asked in a state of confusion.

“He’s over there,” you whispered, cautiously glancing across the room to take a look at him.

“He’s your ex for a reason,” Jongin tried to remind you, locating him, “just let him stare, he’s only jealous of us both.”

Your eyes widened in fear as Jongin tried to move you, “I know he still asks people about me, he’s not over me. What if he tries something to get my attention?”

“I’m sure he’ll just mind his own business if he knows what’s good for him,” Jongin assured, leading you towards the counter, “we’re not going to let him disturb us.”

Your head shook, knowing that he had spotted the two of you by now. “What if he tries to talk to me? Or what if he tries to get in the way or the two of us whilst we’re here?”

“I’m with you now, there’s no need for you to worry about him,” Jongin smiled, squeezing against your hand, “let’s show him who’s boss.”

“You’re right, I shouldn’t let him get under my skin anymore.”

Sehun:

You hurried Sehun along to the bathroom as you took a seat at the bar, waiting for one of the bartenders to approach you. As you sat, a figure soon sat beside you closely. “Y/N?” They asked, capturing your attention.

“Oh,” you stuttered, realising who was beside you.

“What are you doing here alone on a Friday night?” He questioned, moving closer towards you.

“I’m not here alone,” you tried to reply, but he simply chuckled, refusing to believe you as you began to shift nervously in your seat.

His head shook back at you, “let me guess, your boyfriend is in the toilet, and he’ll be here any minute to be your knight in shining armour and take you away from me?”

“That’s exactly what will happen,” you quickly assured him, silently hoping that Sehun would hurry up and appear. “I don’t have the time to waste on you anymore Y/E/N.”

He scoffed loudly, just as a figure appeared behind you, resting their hand against your shoulder. “Are you the boyfriend?”

“I am,” Sehun smiled, pressing a kiss against the top of your head, “and Y/N has told me all about you, so maybe it’s best that you leave.”

“I’ll always be the one for you Y/N, you know that.”

---

Masterlist

[queenshelby]

The Last Semester – Part Fourteen

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Words: 1,867

Warning: Smut

Previous Parts:  Part One; Part Two; Part Three*; Part Four*; Part Five*; Part Six; Part Seven; Part Eight; Part Nine; Part Ten; Part Eleven; Part Twelve, Part Thirteen

You were surprised to see your father and, just as he leaned in to give you a kiss on the cheek and a hug, you pulled away slightly.

‘What are you doing here?’ you asked surprised and your father informed you that he had a meeting in London and was staying until tomorrow. He wanted to surprise you.

As Cillian walked out of his office, he was just as surprised as you were and when your father shook Cillian’s hand, you couldn’t help but cringe knowing where his fingers had been just moments earlier.

‘It’s funny that I run into you both at the same time’ your father said somewhat surprised.

‘Yes, what a coincidence’ Cillian said, clearing his throat before he did while looking rather flustered.

‘I just had to discuss some uni stuff with Cillian’ you said, feeling the need to explain yourself and your father nodded without any suspicions.

‘Well, since you are both here, I was going to ask you whether you wanted to have dinner with me this evening at the hotel’ your father then asked, causing Cillian to look at you as if he was asking you a question.

‘Unless you think it is too inappropriate having dinner with one of your students’ your father then said to Cillian with a slight chuckle.

‘Y/N isn’t really my student John. I am just involved in providing some practical assistance with the upcoming play’ Cillian was quick to explain while your cheeks turned rather red. If he only knew that there were far more inappropriate things that you had done together.

‘7 o’clock then?’ your father asked and both you and Cillian nodded and agreed.

***

An hour after your run in with your father, Cillian called you and asked you what you wanted to do about your father. Cillian was of the opinion that you would have to talk to your father soon about your relationship with each other.

But, you were nowhere near ready to do this and explained to Cillian that he shouldn’t put this onto your plate until after your exams.  By that time, you both would be back in Ireland and you were in better position to deal with this.

Cillian agreed but also suggested that you should keep your distance from each other until your father went back to Ireland the following day.

No sleepover, no kissing and no touching that evening.

***

When you arrived at your father’s hotel for dinner, you were surprised to learn that your father had brought a woman along.

Her name was Melissa and she had beautiful long blonde hair, freckled skin and dark blue eyes. She was in her late thirties and, according to your father, she was single.

‘Uhm alright?’ you giggled, unsure what all of this was about but, when Melissa excused herself and went to the lavatory, you soon learned from your father that he had brought her along to meet Cillian.

‘He’s been single for a while and I have just engaged her for the new play in Dublin’ your father explained and you couldn’t help but swallow harshly.

‘So, you thought you would ambush him with a blind date while you and me watch things unfold?’ you asked almost angrily.

‘Nah, we can leave after we eat and leave them to it’ your father laughed, but you certainly didn’t see the humour in it all.

Just as Melissa returned to the table, Cillian arrived and your father was quick to introduce them to each other before telling Cillian about Melissa’s engagement for the new play.

As usual, Cillian was oblivious about what your father had planned and about the way Melissa looked at him continuously for the first thirty minutes.

Throughout dinner, you all talked without minimal interaction between you and Cillian and this was something you struggled with now that Melissa was there. Cillian was yours and you desperately wanted her to know that.

Your father happily watched the situation unfold as Cillian was eating his dinner and Melissa wouldn’t stop talking to him, about art, music and wine.

You, on the other hand, were getting rather annoyed and shook off your heel beneath the table somewhat sneakily before lifting your foot up, running it across the inside of Cillian’s thigh.

Cillian inhaled sharply as you did and you were pressing slightly against his crotch beneath the table which, luckily, was covered with a large white table cloth.

As you were playfully rubbing against Cillian’s inner thigh and crotch with your foot, Melissa asked your father and Cillian whether they wanted to come for drinks at the hotel bar after dinner.

Your father quickly declined the offer, explaining to her that he had an early flight to catch.

‘Cillian?’ Melissa then asked as he didn’t respond to her question. He was concentrating hard not to groan as you continued to tease him.

‘Uhm, I have an early morning too. Another time maybe’ he barely managed to force out, making you giggle.

‘Well, we could share an Uber back in about ten minutes if you like Cillian?’ you then suggested and Cillian quickly nodded.

Finally, you removed your foot from his crotch and stepped back into your heel before pulling out your phone and ordering the Uber.

It was obvious to you that Melissa was rather disappointed but, nonetheless, she gave Cillian her business card which contained her mobile phone number and email address.

‘If you ever want to have this drink with me, call me’ she winked before getting up and thanking your father for the invitation to dinner.

‘Man, what is wrong with you? Are you back with this woman you were seeing?’ your father then asked Cillian just after Melissa had left.

‘Yes, I am actually’ Cillian then said all while his erection was still straining against his jeans.

‘What woman?’ you then asked and your father explained to you that her name was Y/N also.

‘Hmm I see’ you giggled before also excusing yourself in order to attend the lady’s room before collecting your jackets.

***

‘That was really naughty of you’ Cillian whispered into your ear as his hand was running over your thigh in the back of the Uber just before the driver pulled up in front of your house.

‘Are you coming up for an hour?’ you asked quickly and Cillian couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘What about your roommates?’ Cillian asked.

‘The guys are in Manchester until the weekend and Emma is at work until midnight’ you smirked.

***

As soon as you opened the door to your apartment, Cillian pinned you against the wall, telling you again how you misbehaved in the restaurant earlier, getting him all wound up beneath the table right in front of your father.

‘I just didn’t like this woman flirting with you’ you said, biting your lip just before Cillian pressed his lips onto yours for a passionate kiss.

His hand moved down your belly, beneath your dress and then straight on a trajectory to your pussy.

‘No panties?’ Cillian then asked after he pulled his lips away from your mouth while he continued to hold you against the wall.

‘No panties’ you moaned as his fingers skimmed over the smooth area preceding your slit.

‘Naughty girl’ Cillian huffed as his fingers wedged into you, entering your folds, gliding through them towards your entrance. His touch felt good, it was firm, but not forceful.

‘Fuck’ you moaned, wanting him so badly.

‘Open up for me’ Cillian then whispered. His voice was deep and quiet and your heart sped up again.

‘Open your legs Y/N’ he repeated his instruction. Your breath caught at the mention of your name. You loved when he talked to you like this, dirty and dominant.

Cillian pressed his palm up on your thigh, pushing your legs apart since you failed to respond to his verbal instructions.

His fingers slid down into your pussy, filling you. You could feel your body react, your juices soaking his hand. His digits slid in more easily on his second pass and your passage seemed outright slick on the third. He continued to work his finger in and out of you while his cock seemed to rock gently against one of your thighs, hard and aching to spring free. The sensation was wonderful, tingling, igniting sparks inside you. You soon felt your legs open wider, splaying you out to him as you stood there.

‘Fuck, look at you, soaking wet for me’ Cillian grinned just before he picked you up and threw you onto the lounge.

With your back facing him and your chest pressed again the back of the lounge, you leaned forward while, from behind you, Cillian lifted up your dress before unzipping his jeans.

It wasn’t long until you could feel his cock which was now aligned with your entrance. The tip was gliding through your folds, building up to something more intense until, with one loud groan, Cillian shoved the length of his cock inside you unexpectedly.

You yelped at the sudden intrusion and Cillian was thrusting deep inside you, filling and stretching your pussy in a way that, although pleasurable, was very intense.

‘Fuck Cillian’ you moaned loudly before reminding him not come inside you as you had told him earlier that you were late with your shot and therefore not on birth control for the moment.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t’ Cillian groaned as he was thrusting inside you hard and fast, grunting occasionally with effort.

‘Oh god fuck me harder’ you moaned, loving his dominance and the sounds of pleasure escaping his lips.

Cillian brought his hand up to your breasts, pushing your dress and bra down before running his fingers over one of your nipples, twisting it between his fingers, creating another instance of that stinging pleasure that you had already felt between your legs.

You whimpered under his touch and he soon moved his hand down your belly, reaching for the sensitive bundle of nerves above the place where he continued to ram you with his cock. He circled it, increasing the pressure until you felt an explosion of pleasure radiating from his fingers. You felt your body shudder and your channel contract around his cock, gripping him tightly. He groaned again, thrust deeply, and halted before suddenly, pulling out.

You quickly turned around and, just as you did, he started to jerk his cock, aiming for your already open and waiting mouth before filling it with his sweet cum.

Just as the last drop of his warm seed hit your tongue, you heard the door knob turn and, all of a sudden, Emma walked inside the living room.

‘Holy fuck, oh my god’ Emma said, turning around quickly while Cillian pulled up his pants and you wiped your mouth with a tissue.

  Tag List:

@lilymurphy03 @deefigs @theflamecrystal @desperate-and-broken @weepingstudentfishhorse @livinginfantaxy @rosey1981 @atomicsoulcollecto @peakyboyslover @nerdy4itall @elenavampire21 @hanster1998 @mariapaiva13 @fairypitou @harry-is-my-sunflower @zozeebo @lauren-raines-x @kasaikawa @littlewierdalien @sad-huffle-nerd @theflamecrystal @peakymalfoyscullymulder @themissthang @0ghostwriter0 @stylescanbeatmyback @1-800-peakyblinders @datewithgianni @momoneymolife @ntmynouis @lilymurphy03 @mcntsee@cloudofdisney @missymurphy1985 @peakymalfoyscullymulder @otterly-fey @janelongxox @uchihacumdump @basiclassy @being-worthy @chaotic-bean-of-smolness @margoo0 @chocolatehalo @vhscillian @ysmmsy @littlewierdalien @crazymar15  @stickyknightflowerbailiff @im-constantly-fangirling @goldensunflowe-r  @tellingyouastory  @captivatedbycillianmurphy​  @namelesslosers​  @littlewhiterose​  @ttzamara​  @ttzamara​

Cannot Tag (please check your settings):

@l0tsofpennies @trolleydolly @avonlady1985 @chrisevanshoeee @daydreamingnymph @fookingshelby

[marvelfansince08love]

Hey Neighbour! - Part 8

Word Count: 3k

Pairing: Ally Mayfair-Richards x Reader 

Warning: uhh some implications of sex 

A/N: Hi, a big big sorry to you all on the late updates to this. I have no self control and have far too many WIP rn and keep forgetting to update this one as I’ve almost finished it! Happy reading! Apologise for any grammar/spelling mistakes x

Tags: @waitingfortheendtocome @natasha-danvers @creepingwolfberry @coconutlipss @saucy-sapphic @minavenable @pearplate @r0an0ke @mssallymckenna @grilledcheeseandguavajelly @venablemayfairgoode @chewbacca0805 @pluied-ete @supremeinlilac @nyx-aira @witchxaf @black--widxw @fireflyglass @cordeliafoxxe @d14n4ol @bluevelvetbitxh @amethyst-bitch @lezzzbehonesthere @msvenablezcane @citizenoftheworld-stuff-blog @mooreashes @violentwavesofem0tion @cordeliass  @women-am-i-right @paulsonpills @goodeday2u @sm0ke-and-m1rr0rs @daisybri7

Hey Neighbour! - Part 8 

You had avoided the Mayfair-Richards home for the past five days unable to face the woman you had fallen in love with. Old wounds and insecurities had opened up causing you to retreat from your neighbours, Amelia had also picked up on your change of mood which caused the guilt to amplify. The two young children still saw each other at school leading Amelia to mention how Oz had told her how sad his mother looked whenever she did the dishes at night, to anyone else they would have been bewildered by the statement but for you it was like a stab to the heart. Ally had tried to call and text you to ask if you were okay, your short texts back and actively declining calls must have given her the hint that you didn’t want to be contacted because after the first three days she stopped trying. You hated yourself for doing this to her but you couldn’t help but fall back into the familiar withdrawal habit whenever you felt this way, no matter who you hurt in the process. 

“Mama, I’m finished!” Amelia announces, smiling proudly at her empty plate. You’re startled out of your thoughts as you look towards her matching her wide smile with a forced one. Your brother sits next to her as his eyes stay fixated on your form, concern evident within his gaze. 

“Well done, Amelia-cakes! Why don’t you go wash your hands and brush your teeth for bed,” you instruct softly, watching as she nods and dashes out of the room. You quickly make eye contact with him as you lean forward keeping your voice low so to not alert Amelia of the intense situation..

“I wish you would stop looking at me like that,” you whisper harshly, he only shakes his head mutely before responding. 

“I just don’t understand why you’re making yourself and her miserable, you clearly like each other a lot. Don’t ruin this just because you’re allowing your negative thoughts to take over,” his voice soft and gentle causing you to falter, expecting a harsher response. Sighing you relax back before taking a sip from the wine glass. 

“Will you please help Amelia upstairs while I clean up here?” you ask instead, attempting to avoid the current topic of conversation. He sighs in defeat before dutifully leaving the room to find his niece. 

You stand from your chair and collect the empty plates before moving towards the sink, as you begin to clean the dishes you notice a slightly dimmed light across the way causing you to tense, slowly you look up from your task and towards the light. Ally stands at her kitchen counter, even from here you can see how tired she looks causing that familiar guilt to creep up into your chest once more. She looks down for a few moments before placing a large piece of paper into the window, words written in black ink for you to read. 

‘I think we need to talk’ The words cause you to gulp as you nod back before searching for some spare paper to write back on. 

‘Garden in ten?’ you try to smile hoping to ease the situation but falter when she doesn’t return it and only nods back in acknowledgment. 

Wiping your hands on a dry towel you hurriedly move upstairs to inform your brother of your plan, he reassures you that he’ll be fine with Amelia while you go to talk to Ally giving you an encouraging smile before shoving you back towards the staircase. Grabbing your thick jacket and shoes you make your way towards the front of Ally’s home, waiting patiently for her to let you in. Your breath catches in your throat as you take her in, the urge to reach out and hold her becoming stronger with each passing second, brown tired eyes scan your face before silently standing to the side allowing you to move in. You head straight for the kitchen and into the garden area sitting down in your usual spot, you wait for her to join you. A hot cocoa mug appears in front of your view causing you to smile sadly as you take it from her hands muttering a quick ‘thank you’. It’s quiet and dark out except for the porch light that glows above you, both sitting quietly as you take a sip of the hot drink.

“Ally I-” 

“Why weren’t you honest with me? If there was something wrong you should have told me instead of practically falling off the face of the earth,” her statement catches you off guard, causing you to falter as you stare at the mug in your hand. 

“After she left me and Amelia I was struggling for a while, I couldn’t cope with working and looking after a baby full time but I had this beautiful girl to look out for so she became my top priority over everything, my job, my friends. It took me years before I could trust others outside of my family to take care of her. I’m not good at having these healthy relationships that are good for me and I am so sorry that I’ve treated you this way, you deserve better than this,” you mutter, tears gathering within your blurred vision.

“I understand how hard it can be to trust people, I mean you know about Ivy and how she betrayed me, betrayed Oz. I get why you got scared when things were looking serious, I’ve had my moments with that too but Y/N I’m not like her and you aren’t like Ivy.” She pauses, collecting her thoughts before continuing. 

“We are good people and I don’t think it was a coincidence that it was you who so happened to move in next door… that night after the fair apart from Oz I’ve never been so certain about anything in my life, I want to be with you and I want this to go somewhere but I need you to speak to me and be honest with me,” Ally tilts her head as if seeking your gaze before reaching across and grabbing your hand. 

“I’m so so sorry, Ally. I should have spoken to you about my worries, I’m not used to someone caring. I just looked at how comfortable we all were in your kitchen that morning, how domestic it all was and my god I couldn’t have fallen further for you but my mind was screaming at me that if I allowed Amelia to become closer to you and you decided to leave… I can’t have another person walk out on her.. On me,” you stutter over your words as you feel your throat tighten, holding back a sob. Ally moves from her seat and crouches in front of you placing your mug onto the table she takes both your hands into her own, squeezing them with reassurance. 

“I love you y/n. This week has been tortuous the amount of times I thought about walking over and forcing you to speak to me, but I knew you needed time to collect your thoughts. I may not have been obvious with it but I could tell something had spooked you that morning but please come and talk to me whenever you feel trapped into a corner, okay?” her dark brows arch, as she waits for your response. As you nod Ally reaches upwards and captures your salty lips with her own, her warm comforting hands cupping your face in place. 

Tears continue to fall between you both as Ally presses gentle kisses along your jaw and cheeks seeking out that comforting touch, you realise that you were wrong. Ally isn’t like the rest of them, she’s kind and caring but most of all she understands you in a way that no one else can relate to. You quickly capture her lips, a heated kiss needing to feel her close. 

“Is Oz upstairs?” 

“No, he’s staying at a friends house,” she mumbles, against your lips. Pulling back you look into her slightly glazed eyes and demand the thing you need most. 

“Take me to bed, Ally.” 

With that, Ally grabs your hand and leads you back inside the house. The moonlight glows throughout the room giving you a clear view of Ally’s face as you allow her to look after you, whispering soft reassurances against your exposed skin leaving trails of wet kisses along your body, closing your eyes you surrender yourself to this woman finally allowing yourself to be loved without restrictions. 

***

Bright light beams through into the bedroom causing you to stir and groan at the invasive light cuddling into the softness of Ally’s chest enjoying her warmth and secure form wrapped around you. Lips graze against your hair as the brunette whispers a ‘Good Morning’ causing you to smile as you watch her fingers brush over your forearm that has stayed wrapped around her waist all night. 

“Good Morning, Honey. Did you sleep well?” your fake-innocence doesn’t pass Ally as she chuckles deeply, her hand moving to tilt your chin upwards causing your lips to brush against her swollen ones. 

“Deliciously actually,” her hoarse voice, makes you shiver before you capture her lips once more enjoying the sounds that escape her throat. 

The sound of the front door opening downstairs and quick footsteps making their way upstairs causes you to part suddenly, blindly reaching for your scattered clothes recognizing those footsteps from anywhere. 

“Mom!!” Oz’s voice shouts from the hallway, causing you to quickly cover up and head for the en-suite bathroom needing to freshen up before the poor boy sees you. Ally’s eyes follow after your retreating form in light amusement as she tucks on the woolly jumper and ties the string around her joggers. 

“Mom I’m home! We had such a cool night! Jeremy bought over his new racing car you know the one with the remote it was awesome!” Oz’s excited voice trails into the room as he runs straight for Ally’s legs hugging her tightly, she places her hands on top of his crazy blonde curls and smiles.

“Well it certainly sounds like you had fun! So where is Sam’s mom? You didn’t just run from her car without saying thank you did you?” Ally’s tone makes you smile as you peak through the gap of the bathroom door always infatuated with her motherly side. Oz tries to hide his expression but with one raised eyebrow from Ally the boy slumps and sighs before nodding. 

“It’s okay Ally! He was just excited to see you! Oz I’ve left your bag by the door okay,” Sam’s mom shouts from the staircase before the sound of the front door closing reaches your ears. Taking this as your cue you leave the bathroom just as the sound of screeching reaches your ears, a small body colliding with your own making you stumble. 

“Woah! Hey Buddy!” you greet with a groan, laughing as you place you cup your hand around his jaw cradling him close. A sense of guilt lingering within your chest, the realisation what your actions could have done to the poor boy being the same fear you have for Amelia. 

“I’ve missed you,” he mumbles into your stomach, you crouch to be eye level with him and give him the biggest smile you could muster. 

“I’m sorry for not being around much, silly adults and silly work has been keeping me busy. I promise to make it up to you,” you murmur, watching as he nods accepting your apology before turning to leave to grab his backpack from downstairs. You stand from your position and fold your arms across your chest, that unsettling feeling still present, Ally steps towards you and places her hands onto your cheeks before kissing your lips. 

“Stop, I can practically hear the gears turning in that beautiful head of yours. Now let’s go downstairs. I want to see my girl.” Her words cause you to raise a question eyebrow as your lips twitch into a half grin. 

“Oh?”

Ally grins wickedly, before stepping towards the door. “I meant Amelia silly.”

With that she winks and takes her leave leaving you agape. 

“Well I know my place then,” you grumble playfully before running after the mischievous Senator. 

As if on cue the sound of the front door stops you both in your tracks midway down the stairs, Ally moves to answer the door and beams when she sees Amelia stood with her Uncle who has a very dirty grin on his face as his eyes move from Ally to you wiggling his brows as Ally crouches down and fronds over Amelia who seems to be enjoying the attention from her favourite person. 

“Uncle Rupert said you guys had a sleepover without me, Ms. Ally!” she exclaims, a small pout forming onto her lips and you bite your own to stop your laughter. From the shakes coming from Ally’s shoulder the woman seems to be doing the same. 

“Oh sweetheart I’m so sorry, I promise we can have soon okay? Just me and your mom needed to have a grown-up sleepover to talk.” 

“Yeah I bet you did,” Rupert mumbles, amusement evident within his tone. You glare at him from your position as Oz comes running from the living room area, he instantly goes to hug his friend as he drags her further into the house telling her all about his sleepover. Rupert waits by the door as Ally gives him a shy hello before following the two leaving you to talk privately to the smug man.

“Not a word,” you demand, making sure to punctuate every word, it only seems to make him grin further. He shrugs putting his hands up in surrender as he steps through the door meeting you at the bottom of the staircase. 

“So are we back on then? Oh and no need to thank me for looking after the devil's spawn last night, I swear she just knows what to do to make me crumble. I didn’t even know you still owned a Nintendo Wii,” he rants, as you both walk towards the kitchen where Ally sits with the two children all drinking from their respective mugs. Rupert goes to sit next to Amelia as he steals her mug to take a sip as she glares at him. You shake your head at the two before clashing eyes with Ally who winks over her mug gesturing you over which you gladly do. Stood behind her you wrap your arms around her shoulders and listen as they all converse amongst themselves enjoying these rare moments that you will hold dearly, smiling you kiss Ally’s temple before relaxing joining in on the conversation. 

Now relaxed you allow the past to stay at the back of your mind as you look forward to the future, a secret plan up your sleeve you allow the details to rail off within your head excited to show Ally just how much she means to you and how do you do that?

By going official, of course.

[lilhwahwa]

White Hemlock - 𝙋.𝙎𝙃

WARNING: mafia au! Strong language! Kinda angst? Liddol fluffy too. 

MASTERLIST

Next part

Your hands trembled with nerves, coated in a thin layer of cold sweat as you watched your lover through the glass windows of his home office. The light and golden tray you gripped onto harshly was now also trembling in your hands, shaking the tea in its white porcelain cup.

Your breath caught in your tightening throat as his sharp eyes met yours. Seonghwa raised his eyebrows in puzzlement, wondering why you weren't entering through the door with that shy smile of yours and a playful glint in your pure eyes like you always did.  

You swallowed dry air, trying to restore your calm form before pushing the door handle down with one hand and taking a step inside his well-decorated office. Your eyes scanned the dark walnut bookcase lining the entire right-hand wall before moving onto the black leather sofa pressed to the wall.

Seonghwa was still on the phone, no doubt a business call, as you placed your tray on the round glass coffee table by the couch. You took a seat carefully, leg bouncing with nerves. As Seonghwa talked, his delicate digits reached over and straightened some stuff on his desk, making sure everything was square and appropriately spaced to please the perfectionist in him.

Yet, his darkening eyes never left your stiffened form. Had he figured it out already? That fast? There was no way. Thoughts of doubt clouded your mind so much that you hadn't noticed Seonghwa had put his phone down on his desk, now silently watching your spaced-out form.

"Did darling bring something for me?" His voice was low but loud enough for it to make itself heard even across the room. Seonghwa's face was unreadable, as unpredictable as always. That quality of his made you uneasy at times, but today, it terrified you as you remembered the reason for being sat in his office at this hour.

"Oh um, you're working so hard, so I thought you'd want something to drink..." Your lips turn upward into a forced smile. Would Seonghwa fall for it? You were never awake at four am, specifically not to serve a coffee-person, a cup of tea. Seonghwa hummed and pushed back from his desk, spinning in his office chair to face you.

"Let's see then." he encouraged and nodded to the tray you had brought with you. It took you a couple to realize it was time to act. You scrambled up onto your feet, bringing the cup of tea over with you as Seonghwa reached over to place his large hands on your hips.

"Sit," he said simply before pulling you closer and down onto his lap, letting you get comfortable. "And what did my darling bring me at four am?" his voice was amused, almost mocking your nervous state as his digits ran down your hip to rest on your bare thigh.

"So since you were- you are working so hard, I brought you some tea," you chirped, looking straight ahead to avoid making eye contact with him. Seonghwa's eyes trailed down to the small cup of dark liquid in your trembling hands.

"Very well, hand it here," he leaned in to press a chaste kiss to your cheek. You quickly raised the cup for him to take and forced a smile in form of a reaction to his kiss. Seonghwa ignored the cup as his lips continued pressing small kisses up the expanse of your jaw.

"Why won't you look at me today? Is something making you uneasy?" he asked, tone silky and smooth, too smooth for someone with eyes colder than ice.

"N-no, of course not!" you replied, turning your head quickly to face your lover, way too quick. He'd notice, it was too obvious. Your eyes nervously scanned his face, heart starting to ache at the thought of what you were about to do to him. "I'm just tired," you lied and looked down at the cup of tea in your hand. Seonghwa reached down and wrapped his hand around the cup, lifting it to his face. Smooth ropes of steam lifted into the air from the hot liquid, making Seonghwa hum at the scent.

You sat dead silent, body frozen as you patiently waited for him to take a sip. You felt almost relieved as he seemed to turn out clueless to the poisonous herb in the tea. The plan was going to be successful.

Just a few weeks prior, you had started getting threatening messages on your phone. They started short, coming in once or twice a week with messages asking about your day and if you had enjoyed your meals. While it was slightly creepy to know someone held information about you and what and when you had eaten a meal, you thought nothing about it as you blocked the number. It wasn't until a week ago when you received pictures of your family members in their home, doing everyday things with messages threatening to hurt them. You knew going into a relationship with Seonghwa would hold its risks, and you promised yourself that no matter what, your family's well being would come first.

That's why when the number told you to slip the poisonous herb into Seonghwa's tea and intoxicate him temporarily in exchange for your family's lives, you agreed with a heavy heart after sleepless nights of thinking. Even though you considered going to Seonghwa or even his fellow members, the instructions were clear. Should you tell anyone, then that would be the end for your family right then and there.

"You do seem tired, baby. I have an idea hm? Why don't you take this cup of tea to bed with you and I'll come to join you soon?" Seonghwa smiled and placed the cup of tea down on his desk. Your relieved chest was once again filling up with anxiety and guilt as you wasted precious time. He had to take the poison by sunrise.

"B-but I made this for you, why don't you at least try a sip? Please?" You beg silently, heart beating loudly in your ears as you reached forward to wrap your arms around his neck in hopes of coaxing him into drinking it.

Without breaking eye contact, Seonghwa stretched his hand towards his desk. You didn't dare to look away from his face as you pouted, desperate in convincing him.

"You seem to be forgetting who I am" Seonghwa's voice was once again low and amused as he watched you swallow nervously. The office was still dark despite the sun starting to rise. His blinds were shut and only the little desk light was on for you to make out his sharp features. Nevertheless, his words brought confusion to your face and for a second it felt like he had known about your plan all along.

"H-huh?-" you opened your mouth to question him but froze when you felt cold metal make contact with your temple. It took you a second to realize what it was before you started thrashing around on his lap in desperation to get away from him. "Stop or I won't hesitate to shoot" his voice was clear and even lower than before. Memories of him taking you out to the mall and the park came flashing back before your eyes. Him, a sweet and loving man who blew on your finger when you had accidentally hurt yourself and the man who scolded the kitchen counter when you hit your hip on it, now pressing a gun to the same person he had sworn to protect with his life. He wouldn't shoot. With furrowed brow and determination, you kept moving and trying to escape the hand that gripped onto your hip harshly. Your heart stopped when the sound of the gun cocking made you finally realize that you could be a second away from never being able to wake up to him in your warm bed and seeing your family for New Year's.

"H-hwa-" you stuttered, eyes glazing over with tears as you finally froze in his hold. Seonghwa chuckled coldly, in disbelief at your behaviour. His own eyes held hurt in them and had you been able to read minds, his would be screaming in agony and betrayal as he watched his loved one trying to hurt him.

"I promised to protect you, as long as you did the same." He stated coldly as if reading your mind, eyes leaving yours to look over at the teacup on his desk. "Take the cup, and take a sip" He ordered, gaze never leaving yours. "Do it now" he raised his voice when you sat still in his lap, trembling in fear and shock at this side of your lover. No matter how much he wanted to drop his gun and hold you closer in his arms to comfort both of you, he knew it would be an important lesson to learn.

A few tears fell from your eyes, bottom lip quivering in humiliation and fear as you slowly turned your head to the side, gun still pressed to your temple as you saw the lonely white cup on the dark desk. Your hand shakily reached out to take the cup, bringing it over to your chest.

"Now take a sip" Seonghwa murmured, eyes dark and stone-cold as his jaw clenched, making hin look almost deadly. You looked up at him with irritated red eyes, begging him silently to stop.  "Hwa please-" you cried as his hand came up behind to harshly grip your hair, making you tilt your head back sharply.

"Thought it would be smart slipping white fucking hemlock into my tea? Do you think I was born yesterday Y/n?" he laughed coldly, trying to hide the hurt in his voice. "Is this what you call trust?" he spits, digging the gun harsher into your temple as his face changes to one in disgust. "Unthankful fucking brat, you should be happy I didn't tell the others about your little sneaky plans, they'd have you strapped down in our basement and tortured for hours with no pause. Think twice of who you choose to betray" he spoke harshly, hurt clouding his mind as he intended to scare you up enough to never try it again. He knew deep down he wouldn't be able to let you go, but a lesson wouldn't hurt, too much.

You let out a choked sob, letting the teacup drop and smash into small pieces on the carpeted floor below. "Please, Seonghwa, I'm sorry- they said they'd hurt my family and- and that the poison isn't lethal please-" you cry, eyes closing as you felt yourself lose control of all the emotions building up, breaking out in loud sobs as your body shook in his embrace. Seonghwa swallowed harshly, letting out a sigh before putting his gun to the side and wrapping his other arm around your waist. He let go of your hair, catching your head on his shoulder as your exhausted form went limp in his arms. He hushed you as you shook from the overbearing shock, hand sliding over your back as you kept sobbing into his neck.

"Next time, you tell me what's going on right from the start, understood?" he questioned strictly even though he knew you wouldn't be able to respond. "And also, don't throw the package out in the trash bin."

[cuddlepilefics]

Sick at Work

Fandom: Stray Kids

Sickie: Changbin

Caregivers: 2basco

Prompt @sicktember

No one's POV.:

Changbin had caught a small cold a few days ago. It wasn't really that much of a bother to him, mostly just a slightly runny nose along with a faint scratchiness in his throat. He had made sure to take hot showers every day and to stay hydrated. However, as days passed, the rapper couldn't help but feel progressively worse. When he woke up this morning, his head felt heavy with congestion and his hearing was starting to sound muffled. His head was aching from the pressure but he forced himself out of bed to join his group for their schedule. As he was slowly becoming more awake, he noticed the irritated itch in his nose that became harder to ignore by the minute. Feeling a bit chilled, Changbin decided to put on one of his thickest hoodies. Right when he pulled it over his head, the tickle in his nose became unbearable. Unable to see with clothing covering his face, he pitched forwards, sneezing. Bumping his had on the door of his closet in the process, Changbin barely managed to suppress a curse before heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Getting ready, Changbin's morning routine was frequently interrupted by his urge to sneeze. He had barely been awake for half an hour, yet he had already sneezed more than he had done in the past few days. Simply running his sleeve under his nose was enough to set him off again and the rapper was starting to dread going to work today. He didn't feel sick enough to stay at the dorm but he was so annoyingly sneezy, which would be really bothering, considering that 3racha wanted to work on some stuff in the studio and recording was certainly not going to go smoothly with him sneezing every few seconds. When Changbin was ready to head out, he met Chan in the kitchen, making coffee. Changbin got himself a cup too, hoping it would clear the fog in his head a bit. "How are you feeling today?", Chan asked, taking in his dongsaeng's tired face. Changbin shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee before replying: "Let's just put it this way, you're gonna get tired of saying 'bless you' reeeaal fast." – "That bad?", the leader frowned, eyebrows knitting together in concern. The younger shook his head with a sniffle, turning aside to sneeze immediately after. "Ndo, jus' really sneezy", the rapper forced out, scrubbing at his reddening nose with the cuff of his sleeve, only triggering another sneeze. Raising his eyebrow at Changbin, Chan questioned: "Are you sure you can work through this? You know, it's always fine to take a breather when you're sick." – "I'm sure. Don't even really feel sick. My nose is just so sensitive, it's annoying", the younger pouted, so his hyung decided to drop the topic.

Not much later, Jisung joined the two and they headed to the studio together. Changbin shivered lightly on the way there as the weather had gotten colder recently and the wind was picking up. His poor nose was already raw from him constantly scrubbing at it but it seemed like the only way to satisfy the annoying tickle. By the time they made it to the studio, he had already gone through an entire travel pack of tissues and had to go to the restroom to stuff his pockets with toilet paper. "You alright? You've taken a while", Chan asked worriedly when Changbin finally joined them. The truth was, Changbin had had a bad sneezing fit while at the restroom. Since he didn't want his friends to witness that, he stayed there to wait it out, blowing his nose a few times in hopes of getting rid of the congested feeling in his sinuses before washing his hands and joining them. Changbin nodded, already bringing his sleeve up to his face again, sniffling: "I-I'm fine, jus – jus' needed to h-hESSH! Huh - hEGSHU! Just needed to sneeze and blow by ndose." The other two blessed him and nodded in understanding before starting to work on some lyrics.

While Chan and Jisung seemed to be having a good time, really getting some lyrics down, Changbin was struggling. He couldn't focus on anything really. To him it seemed like his head was filled with cotton, making it impossible to grasp a solid thought. It also didn't help that he kept turning away to sneeze, which resulted in him being distracted from what he was doing again. The only thing that he remained aware of the entire time was his itchy nose and how painfully raw the skin around it had become. Chan had offered him a few more times to go home and rest but Changbin kept resisting. He wasn't that sick, right? Soon they had enough lyrics to start recording and the leader started to set up the microphone, while Changbin was beyond frustrated with himself. Neither had he been able to come up with any useful lyrics, nor would he be able to really record anything because his voice sounded so pathetically stuffy. Jisung would probably be the one recording the lines, while Chan went straight to editing them. Changbin was left to give the younger advice but other than that, all he could do was beat himself up for not really contributing anything to their work. That didn't mean he'd go home though.

Jisung was just about to start recording the first line, when Changbin held up his hand, signaling for him to wait. The younger looked at him curiously, watching his hyung's eyes flutter shut, mouth hanging slightly agape. "I-I nh-heed to sneeze", Changbin panted, breath hitching uncontrollably. "Yeah, I think the whole world knows that by now", Jisung teased. Eyes watering, the older twisted to the side roughly: "hESH! KGSH! N'gsCH! *sniff* sorry." – "Bless you", Chan sighed, studying his dongsaeng's face to figure out if it was safe for Jisung to start recording now. They went ahead with their recording but it was a slow process, frequently interrupted by Changbin's sneezes. Though it was disturbing their work, Chan and Jisung were mainly just worried for their friend. He couldn't possibly feel alright while sneezing that much. His nose was bright pink by now and his face looked blank and tired, almost as though he was asleep in his chair but his eyes were open, indicating that the rapper was indeed awake. Though his eyes were open, they looked distant, holding a sickly gloss. Changbin didn't look well at all but he had refused to go home earlier.

Changbin himself was mainly frustrated. Sure, he felt miserable but overall, he was frustrated with himself. He wasn't contributing anything to their work as a group, instead holding his friends back with his frequent sniffles. Going home didn't seem like an option though. He wasn't that sick and certainly wouldn't milk a cold just to get out of work. "Bin, seriously, just go home. You can't tell me you feel well because your sneezing is contradicting that", Chan sighed, turning away from his laptop. Jisung agreed: "You look awful and tired. Please get some rest." Changbin bit his lip, feeling guilty for holding his friends back. He was convinced they were annoyed at him at this point and he couldn't blame them but it still hurt him that they were trying to get rid of him. "Yah! Stop bossing me around!", he snapped, his eyes going unfocused immediately after before he turned to the side to sneeze. The other two were taken aback at their friend's sudden outburst. His face showed clear anger, the watery look in his eyes the only thing that kept him from being intimidating. He had been rather harsh when telling them off earlier too. Whenever they'd tell him to take a break, his demeanor would suddenly turn cold.

"Alright, I won't be telling you what to do anymore. You're an adult, decide for yourself. Make yourself miserable, I don't care", Chan stated coldly. He and Jisung then continued working, barely paying attention to Changbin. "Aish, we've been working for a while already. We should really eat something, shouldn't we?", the leader contemplated. He and Jisung then started a longer discussion about food, Changbin however was barely listening to them. He was trying to hold back his tears, his hyung's words having stung more than he wanted to admit. He couldn't even tell why his emotions were so all over the place today. The next thing he knew was Jisung leaving the studio. "Where's he going?", he muttered confused, squinting after the younger with watering eyes. Keeping his face clear of any emotion, Chan turned to him and replied: "If you had listened, you'd know that Sungie's getting us snacks." Mainly, Chan wanted to be alone with his dongsaneg for a moment, hoping the boy would crack and admit what was going on. He also had a plan in case that didn't work. Going on his phone, he texted Jisung instructions for when he returned. He wanted the younger to sneak up to Changbin from behind and feel his forehead. Him running a fever would be the only logical explanation for his temper Chan could give.

Heading out, Jisung went to the closest convenient store and raided the snack aisle. He felt his phone buzz and read Chan's message, nodding to himself as he had already had a similar suspicion. Changbin wasn't usually that easy to anger, so it would only make sense. Remembering his hyung's irritated pink nose, Jisung also decided to pick up some tissues. He hoped they'd be a bit gentler on Changbin's raw skin than the toilet paper he had been using over the past few hours. Jisung was quick to check out but tried to take his time walking back. Maybe Chan was talking Changbin into going home and he didn't want to interrupt and have their friend pull his guards back up. What he didn't know was that Chan was very far from talking Changbin into anything. He had given his dongsaeng the chance to tell him what was wrong multiple times already and now waited for Changbin to take the opportunity and speak up. That didn't happen though, so the Aussie really relied on Jisung and the back-up to his plan to work out. He heard the door open quietly but Changbin was too out of it to really pay attention to anything. To top that off, his hearing had become even more muffled from the congestion in his head, so he didn't hear Jisung slowly walking up behind him. Then there was suddenly a light, cool touch on his forehead and Changbin couldn't help but sigh in relief as it soothed the headache he had had all day. "Your skin's as hot as your temper", Jisung commented before removing his hand and plopping into his seat. Changbin didn't react to that at all, not even able to process what his dongsaeng had said.

When there was no reaction, Chan turned his chair to him and gave the younger a soft look, frowning: "You heard Jisung? You're running a fever." – "Oh", was all Changbin had to say to that. "Come on, mate. I can understand that you're frustrated but we're not bossing you around to be mean. We're genuinely worried 'bout you and your temperature is only more reason for us to take you home", the leader said with a comforting smile. That was what finally cracked Changbin. Soon the first tear rolled, then the next. Sniffling quietly, he pulled his sleeve over his hand to dry them but brushed against his nose in the process. "KGSH! h-hGSHHU! *sniff*" Trying to clean himself up, he pulled out some more crumpled toilet paper but Jisung was quick to hand him a tissue. "You're really not feeling yourself today, huh? Is that why you were so worked up?", Chan asked calmly, resting his hand on Changbin's shoulder. The younger nodded, rasping: "I'b sorry. It was so frustrati'g because I couldn't focus a'd was just so useless. Didn't thigk it was that bad." – "It's alright, but why don't you try talking to us next time?", Jisung smiled, brushing the older's hair back and holding his water bottle up to Changbin's forehead, since he had obviously enjoyed the cool touch earlier. While Changbin closed his eyes and relaxed, Chan was already shutting his laptop off and packing their things up. When everything was ready for them to leave, the leader patted Changbin's arm, humming: "Let's get you home. I bet a hot shower and an early bedtime sound nice right now." – "Really dice", the younger agreed, allowing Chan and Jisung to pull him up and take him home. 

[whosemorales]

Peter Meets Rhodey

"Mr Stark, can you pass me the wrench?"

Not looking up from his desk Tony grabbed the wrench and leaned to the right where Peter's voice came from holding it out.

"Thanks," Peter mumbled grabbing the wrench and returning to his work, the room falling into a comfortable silence.

This is how it always worked. Peter would come over to spend the weekend at the tower and they would spend most of their time in the lab, it was awkward at first Peter mostly just sat there fiddling with screws, but now they had fallen into a kind of routine.

Spending time in the lab always helped Peter let off steam, it was just like going out as Spiderman. Although he wasn't fighting criminals, the only criminal thing in the lab was Mr Starks horrible taste in music.

("Kid this is a classic!"

Peter raised his eyebrows and gave him a sceptical look. "I didn't know classics sounded like two vultures fighting over a carcass."

Mr Starks mouth gaped. "You have no taste."

"Says the one who likes to listen to vultures."

"They're not-"

"Mr Stark it's OK. Whatever helps you sleep at night, whatever keeps you... calm." Peter smirked patting him on the back and turning back to his work.)

A beeping sound dragged Peter's mind back to the present and he heard the lab door open. There were only two other people that knew the code to get in. But Pepper was away on a business meeting so that means...

Whipping his head around, Peter's eyes met the one and only Colonel Rhodes. He'd heard countless stories about his and Mr Starks days in MIT and every story after, including what happened in Berlin. But Peter had never met him. (Because Peter hadn't known the extent to Rhodey's injuries)

Mr Rhodes held sort of the same look as Peter, although his was more confusion and shock, whilst Peter's was more surprise and awe.

Mr Stark had yet to notice Mr Rhodes presence his attention to engrossed in the upgrades he was working on.

Mr Rhodes cleared his throat. "Uh, Tones?"

Mr Starks head whipped around at the sound of his best friends voice.

"Rhodey?" Mr stark walked over and clapped him on the back giving him a quick hug. "How ya been  buddy, what are you doing here?"

Rhodey moved his head to the side slightly and looked over Tony's shoulder to Peter, who was still sitting there and watching them both.

Rhodey turned his head back to Tony. "Uh I was free and thought I'd stop by for the weekend, can I speak to you outside?" He said quickly.

Mr Stark frowned slightly. "OK," He turned around to face Peter. "Kid don't blow up the lab while I'm gone."

"I'll try not to Mr Stark, no promises though," Peter smirked and turned back to his work.

Tony shook his head and left the room with Rhodey. When Rhodey was sure to door was closed he rounded on Tony who didn't look the least bit phased.

"OK, who the hell is that?"

"It's the kid." Tony shrugged.

"What kid Tony? Is he just some random 14 year you found on the streets?!"

"I'm 15," Peter called not looking up from his desk.

A look of disbelief crossed Rodney's features. "Can he hear us?"

"No that would be creepy," Tony smirked.

"So that's the spider-kid?" Rhodey sighed.

"Spider-Man," Peter calls out again.

Tony smiled and turned to look at Peter who hadn't even moved his head from his desk.

"Pete, but out for a sec I gotta talk to Honeybear privately."

"Sure thing, Mr Stark."

Tony turned back to Rhodey and gave him a nod, telling him that Peter wasn't listening anymore.

"What the hell is he doing here Tony?!"

"He's helping me out in the lab."

"OK, 1. Your both on different desks and it looks like he's in his own little world working on whatever he's working on," Rhodey waved his hand. "And 2. I thought you said you wanted to keep your distance, this," he pointed to Peter. "This is not keeping your distance, this is the opposite!"

"Calm down, Rhodey," he sighed. "Look, the kids grown on me and honestly he makes me feel like a million bucks, which is saying something, I like having him around, he's a good kid. Trust me you'll love him, and he's staying for the weekend so you'll be able to get to know him better."

"OK." Rhodey nodded, Tony smiled and they both turned to go back to the lab. But just as Rhodey took a step his legs buckled from underneath him.

Tony was able to catch him before he hit the floor and helped him sit on one of the chairs outside the lab.

"You OK?" Tony frowned.

Rhodey grunted. "Yeah, yeah, it's just hard trying to get used to this shit, keep forgetting that my legs don't work, the braces help but sometimes this happens."

A guilty look passed over Tony's face, one that Rhodey understood straight away.

"Cut it out," He said sternly. "Tones, I've told you that it's not your fault, stop blaming yourself. It was my choice to fight and it was my fault for what happened. OK?"

Tony sighed but nodded. "OK. Need help?" he questioned standing up and holding out his hand.

"Nah, I'll walk it off." Rhodey joked.

"Yep sure," Tony smirked reaching down he heaved Rhodey up. "You good?"

Taking a few steps forward Rhodey nodded.

"Are your bags all set?" Tony asked as he reopened the door to the lab, Rhodey following closely behind.

"Yeah Happy helped me bring them up."

Peter turned to look at them curiously. "Bags?"

"That's right, Underoos. Honeybears staying the weekend, so you'll have two whole days to annoy him to death." Tony smirked.

"I'm not annoying," Peter pouted.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night kid." Tony winked, throwing Peter's words right back at him, whilst patting his back.

Peter shrugged him off with a laugh.

"Are we going upstairs?" Peter asked noticing how Tony hadn't sat back down yet.

"Sure are bambino." Tony ruffled Peter's hair. "Grab your stuff, have you finished your homework?" he asked as he watched Peter sling his backpack over his shoulder.

"Um, I have a little bit in math, but I finished the rest on the way here."

"OK," Tony nodded. "Well, when we get back up to the penthouse you need to finish the rest before dinner."

Peter nodded as they all walked to the elevator. "What are we having?"

"How does Chinese sound?" Tony asked slinging his arm around Peter's shoulders.

"Sounds good." Peter smiled at Tony.

When the elevator doors opened they all filed in and Tony asked FRIDAY to take them to the penthouse and to order their normal Chinese meal along with whatever Rhodey wanted.

As the elevator went up Rhodey couldn't help but be completely speechless. This was a whole new side to Tony, a side he had never seen before, he was acting like... like a dad?

It was weird, not a bad weird a good weird. He was good at it, it suited him. Whatever this kid had done, he had managed to break down all of Tony's walls. Which literally sounded impossible, so impossible that the kid didn't even know he'd done it.

The elevator doors opened and the first thing Rhodey noticed was the difference. It wasn't huge but it was noticeable.

There were history books spread out on the kitchen bench, mugs with both Iron Man and Spider-Man situated on the coffee table, Iron Man and Spider-Man plushies sprawled on the couch and what looked like certificates and photos hanging on the fridge and walls. Even the atmosphere was different, it felt more like home.

Wow, the kid had definitely left his mark.

"Is my room still in the same spot?" Rhodey asked picking up some of his bags.

"Yep, down the hall, to the left and first door on your right," Tony instructed.

Rhodey nodded and reached to pick up the rest of his bags but Peter beat him to it.

"Oh, I can help you with those," he smiled at Rhodey but seeing the shocked look on his face Peter's smile faltered. "Or not."

"No no," Rhodey held out his hand. "It's fine I was just uh, surprised that's all." The bright smile returned to Peter's face and he headed for the hallway.

"After you do that, straight back in here to finish off your homework!" Tony called after him.

"I know, I know," Peter grumbled back.

When they reached Rhodey's room Peter opened the door and walked in, placing Rhodeys bags at the foot of his bed.

"Thank you, Peter." Rhodey smiled putting his bags beside the ones Peter grabbed.

"No problem, Mr Rhodeys. Oh, and my room is the next one down so if you need help with anything you know where I am."

"Well, I'll be sure to call out. And please just call me Rhodey, everyone else does."

"OK."

Peter smiled and they both made their way back out into the living room. When they got there they both saw Tony sitting on the couch and flicking through the channels.

Peter flopped down onto the couch beside Tony whilst Rhodey sat on his other side."So what are we watching?" Peter asked.

Tony raised his eyebrows at the kid.

"What?" Peter questioned innocently.

"Homework," was all Tony said.

"Urgh! Can I do it after dinner, please!" Peter begged.

"Nope, you know the rules kid, homework gets done before dinner, May would kill us both if it wasn't done, and you know what that means."

"No more visits," they both answered.

Peter sighed and got up from the couch, grumbling as he headed to his room to get his homework, which he dropped off after helping Rhodey.

"Nice pillows," Rhodey smirked.

"Yeah, I know. The kid picked them up a couple of weeks ago, claiming that, 'it would make the boring couch you have look nice'."

"That's not what I said!" came Peter's voice from the hallway.

Rhodey chuckled as Peter came out with his homework, sitting down on the couch closest to the coffee table.

"What I said was, 'it would make that boring old couch you have look better." he smiled innocently opening up his books.

"Kid there is literally no difference."

"Yes, there is. If you're going to make me look bad, at least try and do it properly."

"I would never try and make you look bad, I respect you too much for that," Tony smirked reaching his foot over to nudge Peter's knee.

"Yuh-huh," Peter nodded already engrossed in his homework. -- 10 minutes later, Peter let out a long sigh, dropping his pencil on his book he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"I'm done," he grumbled.

Rhodey looked over at the kid and frowned. "Too hard?" he asked thinking Peter was having trouble.

Tony scoffed at his question.

"No I mean like, I'm done, I'm finished," Peter answered not moving from his position.

"To easy?" Tony asked already knowing the answer.

"Yep, it's always the same and it's always too easy. You'd think that by now they would have realized that this stuff is too easy."

"Kid could be an MIT graduate by now."

"So you're that smart huh?" Rhodey looked over at Peter whose cheeks were reddening.

"No I'm not, Mr Stark likes to exaggerate."

"While you're not wrong," Tony smirked. "But I'm being serious, he's even smarter than me most times."

Peter lifted his head to look at the man. "No Mr Stark, that's because most of the time you haven't slept for at least three days so you overlook the simple things," Peter waved him off.

"Boss?" FRIDAY's voice rang through the room. "The Chinese has just arrived."

"Thanks, hun," Tony called back, sitting up he got off the couch and headed to the elevator. "I'll be back."

When the elevator doors closed it was quiet for a minute before Peter turned to Rhodey. "So how's therapy been going?"

Rhodey thought for a moment. "It's hard, but I'm getting there, sometimes I fall but... I suppose I should just be grateful that I can walk. Most people get stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of their life, so I should count myself lucky."

Peter nodded a thoughtful look on his face.

"How did you get your powers? And what are they?" Rhodey asked.

"Well-"

"Dinners ready!" Tony's voice made Peter jump slightly.

Turning to the elevator they saw Tony, arms full of food. Jumping up Peter grabbed some of the food out of the man's arms and set it down on the dining table. "Thanks, Bambi," Tony smiled placing the rest of the food on the table.

Grabbing his food Tony sat at the head of the table whilst Rhodey sat on his left and Peter on his right.

"So as I was saying," Peter continued mouth full of food.

"Wait what are we talking about?"

"I want to know how Peter got his powers and what they are exactly," Rhodey answered for him.

Tony's was quiet for a moment. "How... how did you get your powers?"

"You don't know!" Rhodey gaped.

"Well we kind of skipped that part," Peter shrugged. "Anyway my class went on a field trip to Oscorp and it was my job to take pictures for the school paper. While I was taking the pictures we noticed that one of the spiders were missing. The tour guide didn't seem too phased so we all just kind of brushed it off. I was trying to get a shot of the whole class together- when I felt a sharp pain in my hand like someone was stabbing me. I quickly flicked whatever it was off and when I looked on the ground I saw what I thought must have been the missing spider, it didn't even look normal it was like blue with a red zigzag going down its back. I didn't tell anyone in the group and-"

"Wait, wait. So you've just been bitten by a potentially deadly spider, but you didn't tell anyone because?" Mr Stark raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I-" Peter paused. "I don't know why I didn't tell anyone, but I know I regretted that decision later that night."

"Well, then please tell me that you at least told May."

Peter shook his head sheepishly.

"Jesus kid," Tony buried his face in his hands and let out a long breath before sitting back up. "Continue."

"When I got home I was planning on telling someone but I had forgotten it was their 30th anniversary, May left a note on the fridge telling me that her and Ben would be back later that night, and I didn't want to call them because I knew how hard they had both worked and they deserved it.

"I remember going into my room because my head was killing me, I laid down on my bed but I must have fallen asleep because I remember waking up to this burning sensation all over my body, it felt like I was being burned alive and my headache was even worse now. I remember trying to get up to go to the shower but every step I took felt like I was stepping on knives, when I finally got to the shower I quickly turned the taps on cold, but it didn't help, I'm pretty sure it made it worse because it felt like my skin was being ripped apart, I turned the shower off and tried to make my way into the kitchen where the phone was, but I must have slipped because the last thing I remember from that night was calling for help, I knew no one was coming but I still tried and a little while later I blacked out from the pain."

Tony and Rhodey were both looking at Peter with wide eyes.

Rhodey coughed. "That is not what I expected."

"What did you expect?" Peter asked shoving another mouthful of rice into his mouth.

"Not that."

"Continue kid," Tony nodded.

"Well-," Peter swallowed. "I woke up to May's voice she came into the bathroom looking for me and found me passed out on the ground. Her and Ben helped me off the ground and over to my bed, she kept asking me if I was alright, and the thing was I was fine like, all the pain was gone and I felt normal-ish again. But when I was getting ready for school that morning, I realized that I was very far from normal, things kept getting stuck to my hand, I was suddenly strong enough to rip off the door handle by just pulling it, I didn't need my glasses anymore and I suddenly had a six-pack-"

"Hold up, so you woke up and you just had a six-pack?" Rhodey frowned.

"Yep." Peter nodded. "And muscley arms."

"Wait Bambi, you needed glasses? Why was I never told this?"

"Well it's not really that important Mr Stark, plus I don't even need them anymore."

"I need pictures."

"Nope," Peter shook his head, taking a sip of his water. "Not happening."

"And your powers?" Rhodey cut in.

"Oh yeah. Um, super strength and speed, heightened senses, I can stick to any surface and I have this thing I call my Spidey sense, basically it can warn me of a threat before it happens."

"Wow," Rhodey marvelled. "Wait how long ago was this?"

"Um, 3 years ago so when I was 12," Peter answered unphased.

Tony choked on his drink and Rhodey's eyes bulged.

"WHAT! Kid what the hell," Tony yelled shocked.

"What?" Peter asked innocently, eyes growing wide.

"That's so young!"

"Well yeah, but I only ever did small things like muggings or robberies."

"Oh yeah, small things," Rhodey nodded sarcastically.

"Well there's nothing you can do about it now, so there's no point stressing about it," Peter shrugged.

"Jesus Bambi, you see all these grey hairs," Tony pointed to his head. "They're all from you!"

Peter laughed at Tony's dramatics. And that's how the rest of dinner went, sharing stories back and forth. Most stories Peter had already heard, but it was good to hear them from a different perspective, it made them all the more hilarious.

"Alright kiddo," Tony ruffled Peter's hair as the kid yawned. "I think it's time for bed."

Peter pouted. "But Mr Staaaaaaark I'm not even tired!" he whined following his statement with a yawn.

"Yeah, all the yawning is kind of giving off a different message Bambi."

"Please Tony."

"Oh no, don't even try it, Pete, I know what you're doing and it's not gonna work. Nice try tho."

Peter let out a defeated smile following it up with another yawn.

"Come on Peter," Rhodey smiled. "Or you're gonna fall asleep right here."

"OK," Peter grumbled turning towards his room. "Goodnight Mr Stark, goodnight Rhodey."

"Goodnight Pete."

"Goodnight Peter," they both called out as he disappeared down the hallway.

Rhodey looked at Tony with raised eyebrows.

"What?" Tony frowned looking at the man.

"Aren't you going to tuck him in and kiss him goodnight?"

"I'm not his dad."

"Could've fooled me," Rhodey smirked earning a shove in the side.

They both talked for a while longer before bidding each other goodnight and heading to their respective rooms.

-----

"Peter!" Peter spun around to face the voice, his eyes immediately meeting Tony's.

But he looked different. But different how? Peter wasn't sure.

"Why would you do it?" The older man questioned.

"D-do what?"

Tony shook his head, a disappointed look in his eyes. "I always knew you were worthless." he spat harshly.

"What? No Mr Stark." Peter reached out only for the man to disappear and the scene to change.

Now Peter was on his knees his hands dripping with blood and a person's body lying in front of him. Uncle Ben!

Quickly Peter put his hands over the wound trying to stop the blood flow as best he could.

"Uncle Ben! Uncle Ben! Please! It's going to be OK! You're going to be OK, you just have to hold on OK? Please don't close your eyes stay awake please!" Peter begged his hands now soaked in his uncle's blood.

A sudden hand grasped Peter's wrist. Whipping his head up Peter's eyes meets his uncles.

"This is your fault," he spat, blood trickling down his cheek. "I'm dead because of you because you were weak! Did you really believe that you would be able to save people when you couldn't even save your own uncle?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen!" Peter cried tears polling over his eyes staining his face.

"Yes, you did!" Uncle Ben suddenly reached up for Peter's throat his hands dripping with his own blood.)

"No!" Peter sat up quickly in his bed, his sheets were wrapped around him and he was covered in beads of sweat.

"Peter, your heart race and breathing has increased significantly, would you like me to alert Mr Stark?" FRIDAY asked.

Peter coughed wiping the tears from his cheeks. "No, I'm fine FRIDAY, thank you though."

The sound of glass breaking quickly drew Peter's attention. Untangling his legs from the sheets Peter's feet made contact with the nice cold floor as he made his way to the kitchen.

His eyes widened at what he saw. "Rhodey!" he quickly raced over to help the older man off the floor. "Are you OK? What happened?"

"Yeah, I'm OK kid. I just tripped, it happens sometimes, still not used to the braces," he grunted leaning on Peter slightly. "It's hard trying to get used to having no feeling in your legs."

"Did you cut yourself?" Peter asked looking at the broken cup on the ground.

"No, I'm fine."

"Do you need any help getting back to your room?" Rhodey shook his head. "I have to clean up this mess first." He gestured to the glass.

"No, it's fine, I was coming to get a drink anyway so I'll clean it up."

"I can't ask you to do that Peter."

"You didn't, I offered. Now go back to bed, you look like a dead man walking," Peter smirked.

"You are definitely Tony's kid." was the last thing Peter heard Rhodey say before he disappeared down the hallway.

Grabbing the dustpan and broom Peter swept up the pieces and soaked up the water with a cloth. When he was don't he got himself a drink of water and sat down. He knew he wouldn't be getting back to bed anytime soon. His mind wandered over to Rhodey, he couldn't imagine never being able to walk again, having to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. A crazy idea suddenly popped into his head. It was absolutely insane, but it might just work. Jumping up from his stool Peter raced over to the elevator.

"FRIDAY can you take me to the lab?"

"Shouldn't you be going back to bed?" FRIDAY responded.

"Trust me this is way more important than sleep."

When Peter reached the lab he was thankful that Tony wasn't in there. Walking over to his desk he cleared all his previous work out of the way.

"FRIDAY bring up all the medical records regarding Rhodey's injury, including all Dr Curt Conners research on cross-species genetics."

----

2 hours, 5 cups of coffee and a lot of research later Peter was still working.

"FRIDAY, take away 12% of components A and C and then up component B to a sum of 0.2 and run it again," Peter instructed.

"Trial 59 unsuccessful."

"What am I missing?" Peter groaned.

"Peter, if I may?" FRIDAY asked.

"Yeah go ahead FRI."

"I would try adding a different component. Something that counteracts the negativity between A and B but something that can also reprogram all the components to work collectively," she suggested.

"Actually that could work, it's kind of like venom! OK FRIDAY bring up the effects of Fire Ant venom."

----

"Trail 95 unsuccessful."

Peter sighed. "Well, at least we know that sea snake venom doesn't work... Maybe - maybe if we try some of my blood. I mean it's radioactive but the venom is still in my blood and so is my healing factor. OK FRIDAY get a sample of my blood and run it through the other components."

Walking over to his desk Peter picked up his coffee and took a big gulp of it.

"Trail 96 successful!"

"WHAT!" Peter choked on his drink.

"All components in the formula have reacted positively to the addition of your blood. Now that all components are working collectively there is a 100% chance of success." Even FRIDAY sounded happy.

"Shit!" Peter laughed sitting down in his chair.

"Congratulations Peter! You have successfully created a cure for Mr Rhodes."

"No," Peter shook his head seriously. "I've created a formula, now I just have to pray to the Gods it works."

----

"Urgh, what time is it?" Tony groaned squinting his eyes angrily at the ceiling.

"It is currently 9:30 am," FRIDAY replied.

"Why the hell are you waking me up so early?"

"Mrs Potts has asked me to wake you up early whenever Peter is around so that he doesn't feel lonely."

Tony sighed. "Yep, that sounds like her." he nodded flipping the blankets off and getting dressed before making his way into the kitchen.

As he got closer to the kitchen an amazing smell hit his nose, quickening his pace slightly he rounded the corner to see Rhodey at the stove cooking, with a plate of pancakes beside him.

"Oooh, whatcha making?" Tony asked walking straight over to the coffee machine.

"Pancakes, bacon and eggs." the man answered.

"Is Peter awake?" Tony leaned his back on the bench.

"He wasn't up when I got up, so I just assumed he was still asleep."

Tony nodded. "FRI can you please wake up Peter and tell him that breakfast is ready."

"Peter is currently awake and has been since 12:00 last night."

"He's what? Where is he now?"

"Peter is just now stepping into the elevator," FRIDAY answered.

Pushing off the bench Tony walked over to the entrance of the elevator, arms crossed.

"Why didn't you tell him to go back to sleep?" Tony asked the AI angrily.

"Peter said what he was working on was more important than sleep."

"More important than sleep my ass," Tony muttered.

"What was he working on?" Rhodey questioned.

But just as the last word left his mouth the elevator doors opened, revealing a very sleep deprived Peter. He went to enter the kitchen until he saw the look on Tony's face that made him stumble to a stop.

"And why exactly has FRIDAY told me that you've been awake since 12 last night?"

"Damn, FRIDAY snitched on me? I thought we were friends FRIDAY." Peter grumbled.

"Why didn't you go back to sleep."

Peter's gaze just fell to his shoes. "Didn't feel like it."

"You had a nightmare," Tony concluded.

Looking up Peter nodded, Tonys anger disappeared and he let out a soft breath pulling Peter into a warm hug.

"Why didn't you come wake me up, Bambi?"

"It wasn't that important," Peter mumbled into Tony's shirt.

"Pete," Tony pulled out of the hug and rested his hands on Peter's shoulders kneeling slightly. "If it was enough to make you not want to go back to sleep then it was important. OK?" Peter nodded.

Tony frowned. "What's that on your cheek?" bringing his thumb to his mouth he licked it before rubbing it over the dirt on Peter's face.

Peter immediately lept back. "Ew! Tonyyyy! Urgh!" Peter whined pawing at his cheek with his sleeve trying to wipe it off.

Tony laughed at Peter's dramatics and walked back into the kitchen to pour himself some coffee.

"OK breakfast is ready," Rhodey announced placing the last bit of bacon on the plate.

"What are we having?" Peter asked walking over to the fridge to grab the orange juice.

"Pancakes, bacon and eggs."

"Pancakes?" Peter chirped bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Yep," Tony answered taking a seat at the table with his coffee in hand.

"Yes!" Peter pumped his fist into the air. "I'll grab the plates."

Quickly Peter grabbed the plates out of the draw and some cutlery, placing them in the middle of the table for Tony and Rhodey to grab. Rhodey came over with the food placing it in reach of everyone while Peter sat on Tony's right and Rhodey on his left.

"So Pete," Tony reached forward and grabbed some pancakes and bacon. "What kept you occupied in the lab all night."

"That is classified." Peter smiled shovelling a bit of everything onto his plate.

"Oh, so we're keeping secrets now?" Tony raised his eyebrows.

"Well kind of," Peter shrugged. "I guess I'll tell you if it actually works."

"Well, then good luck, Pete," Rhodey smiled.

"Thank's Rhodey."

"This is ridiculous! How come he's Rhodey after one day, but I'm still Mr Stark unless it benefits you to call me Tony."

"It's because Rhodey's cooler," Peter teased reaching his hand across the table to high five Rhodey.

-----

After breakfast, Peter went straight back into the lab. The day dragged on and after the 10th fail and a lot of wasted material, Peter was about ready to give up.

"Everything is right except my blood!" Peter groaned lying his head on the cool glass of his desk.

"Maybe if you try a bigger sample?" FRIDAY suggested.

"No," Peter shook his head. "If the sample of blood is too big then it overpowers the other elements but if the sample is too small then the negativity from the other components makes the formula extremely deadly and it explodes. Like we found out during trial 5," Peter looked over at said beaker which had a crack down the side due to the explosion. It wasn't too big but it scared the hell out of Peter.

"Ok this is my last try before I go and get some food," Peter sighed, sitting up he pulled his finger in front of himself and pricked it slightly with a small pin.

Pricking his finger Peter waited for a small drop of blood to form before dropping it into the beaker.

Expectantly Peter waited for the formula to turn clear, which was a sign that it was the right amount and that it had worked.

But staring into the beaker Peter's hopes shattered, it was still grey.

Groaning Peter got up, his chair scrapping in the tiles. "I need a break."

Getting into the elevator Peter asked FRIDAY to take him to the Penthouse. When the doors opened Peter sluggishly walked into the kitchen, making himself a quick sandwich and grabbing a juice box from the fridge, he walked into the living room where Tony and Rhodey were watching TV.

"Hey Bambi," Tony smiled. "Why the sour face?"

"It's not working," Peter whined, plopping down on the couch and putting his food and drink on the coffee table. "I have everything right except for one component, and without that one component the formula doesn't work."

"What's the formula?" Rhodey questioned.

"Well it doesn't matter now, it doesn't work anyway," Peter grumbled taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"If-"

"Peter!" FRIDAY'S voice cut Tony off. "The beaker seems to be changing."

"What?" Peter quickly stood up.

"The formula seems to be undergoing some kind of change.

Peter quickly leapt over the arm of the chair and races toward the elevator. Tony and Rhodey shared a look before quickly following the boy.

When they reached the lab Peter didn't wait for them to catch up, as quick as he could he raced over to his desk and picked up the beaker.

It was clear. It worked!

"It worked!" Peter whispered to himself.

Tony and Rhodey reached the desk. "What worked?" Tony frowned.

"The formula! I did it! Oh my God! I did it!" Peter yelled excitedly.

"Kid! What? Did what?" Tony was lost.

Peter turned to face them both. "I-... Well, I-, I guess-," Peter stuttered.

"Peter has succeeded in successfully creating a formula that will allow Mr Rhodes to walk."

The room fell into complete silence.

"W-what?" Tony's eyes were frantic.

"Well last night, after I helped Rhodey off the ground and cleaned up the glass that broke on his fall, I had an idea and well, I wanted to see if it would work before I gave anyone hope. FRIDAY said that it's 100% safe as long as I got the formula right and I have. So that means-"

"That I can walk again," Rhodey whispered. He wasn't looking at either of them but Peter could see the tears welling in his eyes.

Peter didn't even have time to blink before he was being enveloped in a bone-crushing hug, Rhodey's shoulders shook as he cried. Rhodey wasn't usually the emotional kind, but he just found out he'll be able to walk again. Something he never thought would be possible without braces. And now this kid, this complete angle had created a way for it to be possible.

Rhodey let go of Peter and looked at Tony dead in the eye. "If you ever get rid of this kid I swear, you and I will no longer be friends."

"Trust me, he's not going anywhere," Tony walked forward and wrapped Peter in a hug.

"FRIDAY call Helen and see how fast she can get here."

-----

Rhodey had been asleep for 3 hours. Dr Cho had run every test possible to make sure it was safe, and when she was finally ready she started the operation.

Said operation only took half an hour but Dr Cho had given him a rather large dosage. Now they were just waiting for the moment of truth.

"Do you think it's going to work?" Peter asked. Both he and Tony were sitting beside Rhodey's sleeping figure.

"I hope so Pete."

"Me too, or this was a waste of bloody time," Rhodey joked.

"Jesus Christ!" Tony huffed out a breath. "A little warning would be nice."

Rhodey smiled but Peter could see the fear pooling in his eyes.

"Did it work?" Rhodey wasn't looking at either of them.

"We don't know, we were waiting for you to wake up to find out," Tony answered.

Getting up he pulled back Rhodey's blanket enough to show his feet. "Try and move them."

Peter watched with a hopeful gaze. Rhodey screwed up his face in concentration, everyone's eyes were on his feet, waiting for even the slightest movement. When nothing happened Peter's gaze dropped to his lap.

It didn't work. He had given Rhodey's a very high chance that he could walk again. And it didn't work.

"Rhodey I am so so sorry," Peter could even look at the man, meaning that he didn't see the wide smile on his face.

"It's OK Pete, but I am going to have to kick you out of the tower now."

Tony burst out laughing. "Wow, that was bad."

Peter looked up and frowned. Why were they laughing, it didn't work. A sudden movement caught Peter's attention

Did Rhodey's toes just wiggle?

Peter's eyes widened. "It worked?"

"It worked," Rhodey nodded.

"Oh thank God! Phew!" Peter pretended to wipe sweat off his forehead. "That was stressful."

"Obviously it will take a few more months of therapy to get used to having feeling in your legs again, but other than that your vitals look fine." Dr Cho's voice echoed in the lab.

"So I can go?" Rhodey asked.

"Well, I have no reason to keep you here."

Sitting up as best he could Rhodey tried to get off the bed.

"Woah Woah Woah. Not so fast HoneyBear."

Walking over to the bed Peter and Tony both helped Rhodey off the bed and into an awaiting wheelchair.

"FRIDAY take us to the penthouse please," Tony asked once they were all inside the elevator.

Peter frowned at Tony. "Did you just say please?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." He smirked.

Peter turned to Rhodey. "You heard that to right? I didn't imagine that."

Rhodey laughed. "Nope, I heard it too."

"He may be coming down with a fever," FRIDAY'S voice sounded. "Check his temperature."

Peter's hand flew to his mouth as he tried to muffle his laughed, Rhodey didn't even bother.

Tony just shook his head a look of disbelief on his face. "In my own house." but he couldn't deny the smile that was creeping onto his lips.

When the elevator opened Tony just walked out leaving Peter and Rhodey behind.

"Mr Stark!" Peter quickly grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and rolled Rhodey out, stopping beside Tony.

Tony spared them a small glance before crossing his arms and turning away with a huff.

"Jesus you're dramatic," Rhodey rolled his eyes.

Peter knew exactly how to get him to forgive them. 'Watch this' he mouthed at Rhodey.

"Mr Stark?" Peter asked in an innocent voice. Tony ignored him.

"Mr Stark?" he tried again, Tony still ignored him.

Peter shook his head with a smirk and shrugged. Moving forward he quickly wrapped Tony in a tight hug. This was Tony's third weakness, the first was Peter's puppy dog eyes.

Tony opened his eyes and looked at the kid hugging him. "Nope," he turned his head away.

Peter hugged him tighter. Tony bit his lip and tapped his foot on the ground trying not to hug his kid.

"We're sorry," Peter mumbled looking at Tony with his puppy dog eyes.

Tony let out a breath before wrapped his arms around his kid. "I suppose I can forgive you." bringing his hand up Tony ruffled Peter's hair making him immediately jump back.

"No Mr Stark! I finally had it perfect." Peter groaned trying to pat it back down.

"Who wants to watch a movie?" Rhodey asked.

"Me!" Peter and Tony yelled at the same time.

"Actual 5-year-Olds." Rhodey rolled his eyes.

---------

Later that night they were all sitting on the couch watching Empire Strikes Back. Peter had begged Tony till the point of no return, and he eventually gave in asking FRIDAY to turn it on.

They had gotten popcorn and drinks, a small celebration commencing. The big celebration would be when Rhodey could walk again and boy was it going to be a show stopper.

There were currently 30 minutes left of the film when Tony felt a small nudge in his side. Looking to where Peter sat, he saw the kid had fallen asleep on his shoulder and was snuggling into his side slightly. Tony let a smile spread across his face, and not a fake smile he would put on for the press, a real smile, one that was only for the people he loved, his family.

Putting his arm around his kid he pulled him closer and leaned back into the couch to make sure Pete was comfy. He had well earned his sleep. Tony didn't know what he'd done to deserve such an amazing kid but whatever it was he was grateful, so bloody grateful. He meant the world to Tony and God have mercy on the poor souls who try to take him away, cause God knows Tony won't.

Leaning down he planted a small kiss on top of Peter's head, before turning back to the movie.

Rhodey watched Tony, but it wasn't in confusion anymore it was understanding, he knew exactly why Tony loved the kid, even after only a few hours Peter had grown on him.

"It suits you," Rhodey smiled at Tony.

"What?"

"This whole dad thing."

Tony looked down at Peter sleeping form and he felt an overwhelming rush of love and pride, this was his kid in every way but blood.

Rhodey chuckled. "He's one hell of a kid."

"Yeah, he is." he pulled Peter closer one last time before turning back to the TV.

Rhodey was right. He was one hell of a kid. He was Tony Starks kid.

[harrysbluebutterfly]

Love at first cavity

Summary- Harry is a dentist assistant and your his patient and well faith keeps putting you two together and so you listen to your gut.

A/n- hey my loves! I really need to stop starting new fics and not finishing them but i hope you enjoy this! Also I’m not a dentist but I’m in a medical program at my school so kinda know some stuff haha. Anyway hope you enjoy this. Love you!!

Warning- cursing, dentist things, love and bad writing

“Y/n?” A deep voice interrupts the silence of the waiting room of the dentist office. Y/n picks her head up at the sound of her voice eyes finding a young looking man in black scrubs and a charming warm smile. Y/n stands up to follow the young doctor to where she will be having her check up, “We’re going to take some x-rays if that’s alright with you. ” y/n nods her head before answering verbally “yeah, of course” the doctor stops at a door that says ‘x-ray’ on the door and asks “don’t take this the wrong way but are you pregnant? Not that i think that you are just that we can’t do the x-rays if you are, it can hurt you and the baby.” Harry rambles making y/n laugh a nervous laugh “no, I’m not pregnant x-ray away” Harry nods his head before opening the door and waits for the young woman to enter the room so he could follow. “If you could please take a seat on the chair there i will get all this set up and i promise we’ll be out of here in no time” Harry says noticing y/n’ slightly worried look.

Y/n takes a seat in the tall chair that looks way to big to fit her and holds her hands nervously as the doctor places a heavy blue apron like gown with a smile. Harry could smell her floral perfume as he connects the velcro to the back of her neck of the other part of the gown. He thought she was beautiful at first look but he knew he would be crossing boundaries with his job and it would be very unprofessional of him to do so.

Today was the first day of Harry’s new job as a dentist assistant. He’s waited all his life to be in this position,after years of schooling and to say that he’s dentist assistant is an achievement that he will forever cherish. Of course his first patient had to be a beautiful young woman, he wanted to talk to her get to know her and ask for her number but then he remembered that he was at work and he didn’t want to lose his job on the first day. No one ever warned him that he would get patient who was hot as fuck.

Harry looks at the gorgeous woman in front of him and smiles at her y/n returns the smile thinking of it as a kind gesture but in the inside she wished it wasn’t. When y/n saw harry for the first time she thought that anyone with the right mind and eyes would she thought he was hot as fuck and wondering what a young beautiful man was doing in a dentist office filled with people with gross teeth issues but i guess that’s what makes first dates fun. Yes she just ‘met’ this man and was already planning their first date don’t worry about it.

Harry turns and puts some hand sanitizer on before placing some gloves and picking up the plastic piece that will go in her mouth slipping a plastic sleeve and turning back to his patient. “Open please” y/n opens her mouth for the hottie- the doctor who was doing his job, places the uncomfortable spongey plastic in the back of her mouth where he could get a good picture of her molars. Harry then brings the camera to the side the wires were on putting it in place as well. Once in place he steps out of the room to the wall with a button, he presses the button making it take a picture.

Harry then comes back in the room to remove the wires in her mouth to bring them to the front “open again darling” darling the nickname and his accent made her want to drop to her knees in a love and a wanting to suck his big cock way. She opens again looking straight in man’s green eyes Harry noticed how she was looking at him and swallowed trying not to imagine her on her knees in front of him but it was hard his cock and trying not to look into her beautiful eyes.

Once the sponge was in the front of her cheek he left again to take the x- ray picture once again, he comes back in the room “open please, thank you love” Harry repeats the x-ray pictures on the other side and then moves the camera away and takes the sponge out removing the plastic sleeve and hooking it back to where it was before use. Harry then takes the heavy gown off of y/n grabbing a sensitized wipe wiping the gown down making it ready for use hooking it on the hook then throwing the wipe away. Y/n stands up while Harry grabs another wipe to wipe down the chair she was sitting in wanting to keep everything clean.

“Alrighty, now if you could follow be back in here I’ll start with the cleaning before the doctor can come in and check and then you’ll be on your way. Promise it won’t take long unless you get a cavity or something but not to worry.” Y/n follows Harry to the back room with two dental chairs, computers, sinks and some other dental equipment. Harry goes to the spiny chair and y/n goes and gently lays down in the long dental chair.

Before Harry can start the cleaning he has some manual questions he has to ask so he starts with “do you do any drugs?” Y/n shakes her head but Harry doesn’t see so he moves from the computer to look at y/n “no” with Harry not hearing the answer due to her being shy he asks “there’s some medical equipment that we use that can interfere with certain narcotics. I didn’t hear you the first time so I’ll ask again do you do any drugs?” Y/n clears her throat hoping that would make her speak louder and answers “No, i don’t do any of those bad for you health and all that.” Harry nods “awesome”

Harry smiles down at the nervous woman in the chair and pushes a button that makes the chair move up to his waist level so he can work on her. Harry then picks up a paper bib placing it around her neck and tying the back.

Once in place Harry pushes another button that tilts the head of the chair back and asks “ready?” Y/n takes a deep breath and and nods “yeah” Harry turns on turning on the light above her and moving it to her mouth the places a new pair of gloves and a mask before beginning her check up. Harry picks up the hook tool and mirror then moves back to wear y/n was laying down “open please” y/n opens her mouth Harry then starts to count and pick off anything that he finds on her teeth and wipes it on the paper bib and then continuing. After finishing harry moves and placed the tools down and picks up some floss twisting it around his fingers which y/n thought was the hottest thing besides just the way he was working.

Harry flosses y/n’s teeth being as gentle as he could but still trying to do his job. After flossing harry throws the used floss away and opens the small container of toothpaste before dipping the electric toothbrush in the gross tasting toothpaste even he hates “this is going to taste gross but i have to do it so please don’t hate me because it just doing my job” this makes y/n laugh a comfortable laugh “I’ll be sure to karen about you on Twitter and TikTok about it” y/n jokes back making Harry laugh this beautiful laugh. “I’ll be looking forward to it. Open again please” y/n opens her mouth for him preparing her tastebuds for the gross toothpaste and drill like electric toothbrush.

Harry as gently as he cans puts the toothbrush on her tooth in a circular motion going tooth to tooth making sure to grab the suction for the extra spit and toothpaste foam, after finishing the top set of teeth he asks “you doing okay?” Y/n looks at the kind man in front of her before answering “yeah, thanks for the warning that toothpaste tastes like shit” before Harry could welcome her she speaks again “fuck! I’m sorry i didn’t mean to curse. Shit i did it again and again!!” Harry laughs his beautiful laugh while picking up more toothpaste on the brush and twisting back to her “it’s alright darling relax. I do it all the time just don’t tell my boss”

This relaxes y/n about her silly mistake and her shoulders relax into the chair waiting for the command to open her mouth again. “Alright last time with this brush i promise. Open please” y/n opens her mouth allowing the doctor to do his job, after brushing her teeth harry puts the brush down and picks up the suction in one hand the the water and air tool in the other rinsing out her mouth and then sucking the water. “Alright that wasn’t so bad was it?” Harry asks trying to keep the friendly conversation hoping to get closer. “You’re really good at that”

Harry smiles although the mask not showing it “thank you I’m glad you noticed i did go to school half my life just to be good at that.” Harry jokes. “Would you like some water to wash that taste out?” Y/n nodded and Harry brought the water and dryer device to her mouth she opened but not knowing what else to do she waited for instructions “close your mouth sweetie” y/n closed her mouth as Harry washed the inside of it with water then sucked it up with the suction.

The way her lips wrapped around the suction made dirty thoughts in Harry’s mind but before he could make it noticed he continues doing his job and asks “open. Awesome, I’m going to do this new check that we’ve been trained to do. Basically I’m to put one finger in your mouth and feel around to make sure your gums are healthy and so that you don’t have anything that could be cancerous. Is that alright with you?” Y/n nods honestly wanting all of his fingers in her mouth choking her as he fucks her- “yeah that’s totally fine thank you”

“Of course” Harry turns back to y/n after putting the suction and water device back on its hook and wiggles his fingers in a joking manner causing y/n to laugh her beautiful laugh. Y/n opened her mouth and as expected a cold latex free gloves finger enters her mouth touching the top set of gums sliding his finger around making sure he got everything on the top then moving to the bottom set. Once on the bottom set he looks in her mouth seeing his finger going to the very back of her gums, due to the lubricant of her saliva his finger slips into the back of her throat making y/n gag.

Removing his finger as soon as it happened with a sorry concerned look “I’m so sorry!” Y/n laughs it off before answering the worried man “it’s okay, please don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault i have a sensitive gag reflex.” Harry laughs with her before adding in a joke to hopefully calm down any bad energy “i bet that comes in handy” y/n laughed at the inappropriate joke “yeah gets the boys cumming in a second. Works like a charm” this sets something off in Harry’s thought wanting to just kiss her and have her show him her ways with her mouth but all he did was swallow and reply “ i hope to get to know how that feels sometime he winks.

Blushing y/n says “I’ll be sure to make an appointment with you when i have time.” Harry then says “I’ll be looking forward to it. I’m going to go get the doctor and then you’ll be out of her in no time.” Harry takes off his gloves and mask before turning off the light and lifting the chair in a sitting position. Harry then smiles and leaves the room to go fetch the doctor leaving y/n to ponder in her thoughts. When Harry renters the room a doctor following he takes a seat in the chair he sat in before and the doctor following in an identical chair.

“Hello y/n, how are you doing today?” Dr. Lewis asks while putting on some gloves and a mask as Harry moves the chair back into the original position it was minutes ago. Y/n swallows nervously before answering the not as kind doctor “I’m alright. How are you?” The chair now in the correct position Harry moves the light back on her mouth with a smile that helped calm her a little bit then moved to put on some new gloves and mask. “I’m very well thanks for asking. Is Harry here treating you well?”

Y/n looks at Harry who is prepping the tools for the doctor. Harry the name struck her, what a beautiful name for a beautiful man. She is brought back to reality when she remembers that the doctor asked her a question “very well thank you” Harry looks back at y/n with a kind smile still on his face. “That’s great! You know it’s his first day right?” With this new information y/n looks at Harry now with a smile “i didn’t, he is doing an excellent job. You should promote him already” she jokes “wow okay, I’ll look into it. Thanks for you feedback.”

With a nod and a smile her nerves now coming back as she hears the metal of the tools, Harry notices her state and frowns he doesn’t want his patient and now friend- well he hoped there’re friends- to be uncomfortable. “Hey, look at me. Good. Everything is going to be okay, take a deep breath with me ready? In” the two of them take a deep breath in and hold it for a second “out” they exhale and relax y/n mouthing a quick ‘thank you’ bit before he could respond the doctor is ready to begin to check Harry’s work and if there is any cavities.

“Alrighty Harry and y/n let’s get this show on the road. Hook and mirror please and open please” Harry hands over the two tools to the doctor and y/n opens her mouth, after checking the top teeth he moves to the bottom set, Harry coming in with the suction. After half way through the bottom set Harry speaks again to the doctor “There’s a back molar i want you to check on your side that i wasn’t sure if it was an issue or not.” The doctor follows Harry’s guide and checks the molar which in-fact did have something “ah, i knew when i hired you that you would be a good one” Harry smiled.

“Y/n do you have extra time around 30 minutes or so for a cavity?” Y/n checks her Apple Watch for the time before answering nervously “y-yeah, i have time.” More time to be with harry yes please! Although this was not how she wanted to spend the rest of the day she was glad that she met such a kind man. “Great! Harry if you please set up the procedure of a cavity filling that would be awesome. And i will be right back i have to check in with another patient.” The doctor stood up took off his gloves, mask and shield before exiting the room.

Harry turns the light off and puts y/n back in the sitting position then his gloves to start prepping for the cavity filling but notices how worried y/n looks, he turns giving y/n his full attention “hey, it’s going to be alright. I know it’s not what you wanted but I’m going to be right here the whole time. If you need him or me to stop just start hitting me and we’ll stop.” Harry’s calm words calmed her down but still she wasn’t expecting a cavity. A fucking cavity. How did she even get one? She thought she was doing a great job at brushing and all of that but i guess not enough.

“Thank you. I don’t remember the last time I’ve had a cavity and i think my brain block it out so im a little- really nervous for the drills and all that.” Y/n admitted and Harry listened i want to know all of your fears so i can take them away and you can do the same for me Harry thought but actually said “of course, now i have to set this up don’t wanna be fired the first day here” Harry jokes hoping to get that laugh he now adores and he did sending flutters to his heart.

They make light but friendly conversation while Harry sets up, during that time y/n finds out that he has a sister and is originally from the UK hence the accent. Y/n feels comfortable with Harry she’s never felt this way with a doctor or really anybody she’s a kind yet shy soul but having a friend like Harry would be nice well more than nice so she decides to keep talking to him. As with Harry he may be a soft spoken man but he feels like he’s know y/n for his whole life even with his whole life was an hour or two at his new job.

After Harry is all set up and many jokes and bitching about the most random things the doctor comes back in and y/n’s nerves are back to where they were before their conversation. “Alrighty let’s get this finished so you y/n can be on your way. “ the doctor puts on some hand sanitizer and puts on his gloves and a mask and sits down in the other chair in the room as Harry moves the chair back down, turns the light on and puts his PPE on.

“Harry are we all set up?” The doctor asks Harry but already knowing the answer but he still answers “yeah, ready whenever you are. Y/n are you ready darling?” Harry asks y/n wanting to make sure that she was 100% alright. “Yeah, just kinda want to go home now” Harry giggle a nervous giggle completely understanding her, he wants to go home now or well to the little coffee shop with the lights he passed by when he drove to work. Wanting to go there with y/n even if it’s just in a friend way he still wants to go.

“Y/n, remember if it starts hurting to the point where you want me or dr. Lewis to stop just start hitting me okay” y/n looks over to see Harry looking at her with kindness in his eyes and nods.

-

The sound of drilling fills the room and keeps y/n on a nervous edge. Harry tries his best to watch out for her hands to see if she needs a break but with assisting and to make sure the suction in getting everything that needs to be sucked up sucked, he’s getting distracted. As Dr. Lewis is in the middle of telling the two about his very nice vacation to Italy when he his drill hits a certain spot in her tooth that makes her jump. It makes her ball her fists and lifts her lower half off the chair when the balls of her heels dig into the chair for some relief.

Without question Harry transfers the tool into his other hand and reaches for her other. Slipping his fingers through hers a love spark sparks them, she immediately squeezes him. Hard. “Sorry about that y/n” dr. Lewis apologizes as he pulls the drill away for a second to give y/n a break and for Harry to clean her mouth out of any saliva that has pooled. The two doctors both have protective goggles on which y/n envied the moment spit flew into her face, even though it was her own it was still gross.

With her eyes still closed, Harry hooks the sucking tool to the side of her mouth and gently wipes down her chin and lips with the paper bib. “Going back in, only another minute tops” Dr. Lewis assures her and Harry knows that she can handle it the way she unclenches her grip a little bit but still making sure that she is holding the kind man’s hand. She never hurts, though that’s not what he’s worried about he’s worried about y/n being in pain. Whenever dr.Lewis used the drill or picks he watches her eyebrows furrow in a painful manner making his heart hurt for her.

Once the drilling is done, Harry assists with the filling. Preparing the equipment and the water device at the hollowed tooth to clear any lingering pieces of bone, then sucking it back up again. She feels like a hot mess when it’s all over , especially when Harry releases (as much as he didn’t want to) her clammy hand and wipes the gloved hand on a clean towel “sorry”

“S’ fine, don’t worry about it really.” Harry takes off his gloves and mask and so does dr. Lewis “alrighty y/n you’re all done. You can make your next appointment at the counter and I’ll see you then. Take care!” And with that he left. Harry moves the chair back to a sitting position and gets her bag of toothpaste, toothbrush and floss ready putting an extra little dinosaur from the kids prizes just for laughs and for a hopefully conversation starter and hands it to her, y/n gives him a little ‘thank you’.

“Here, pound it. You did amazing, beat that cavity to fucking ground and took its lunch money.” Harry pulls out his fist and with a laugh y/n pounds it Harry adding an explosion sound effect a habit from training with pediatric dental care but y/n loved it. Standing up y/n collects her belongings before saying “harry or your last name i never got thank you for being so kind i really appreciate it. I hope i can see you again even if it’s outside of a dentist office but thank you again.” Harry felt his heart flutter but before he could answer his boss called his name “harry?!”

“You’re more than welcome and yes i would love to see you again but if you could excuse me for just one second my boss needs to speak with me then I’ll be right back to form a day when I’m free.” Y/n nodded and as they started walking in different directions, y/!n stood in front of the counter with a Receptionist with the name ‘ Rachel’ on her name tag. “Hello! If i could please have your name I’ll be more than happy to schedule your next appointment. “

She seemed too happy for y/n’s liking but she nodded and gave her name. “Okay you are all set. We’ll see you in 6 months for your next check up. You have a good day now.” Y/n thanked the weird lady and looked back to see Harry still talking to his boss, not wanting to interfere whatever conversation they may be having she turned and out the door to the stairs she went. When Harry was finally done talking to his boss about how well of a job he was doing on his first day he smiled walking out the door to the waiting room in search of y/n.

He looked and looked and even asked the other nurse where she went but no luck. He stopped searching when a file of his next patient was handed to him.

He had to admit as much as he didn’t want to that y/n was gone and that he had no way of finding her without losing his job.

Masterlist

A/n- wow after so much time i have finally finished the first part of this series. Thank you so much for all the love and support i love you so much!

[ignisnocturnalia]

I think I've figured out how I want to write these (Exposition/mini story, when relationship is established HCs actually start) based on a previous statement I made, also ANOTHER REQUEST! All headcanons are placed at the back of the story part. Let's get this ball rolling!

Crow x Reader

"Now, if he ever flies too far from the nest?" Spider leans forward, "Boom." Your stomach made a flip at the kingpin's explanation, and you've never been more uncomfortable to have your Ghost out in the open. Some part of your mind is saying 'Who cares? That's the man that killed Cayde', but another half is saying 'He has no idea. It isn't fair to judge him for something he can't remember'.

That meeting had happened an hour ago and you couldn't get his dumb gray face out of your head. He looked so.. sad. Regardless, having a Ghost rigged with explosives did not sit right with you at all. Spider wanted you to help him with his Wrathborn problem? Sure, alright. When all of this was over, you knew exactly what you wanted your payment to be.

One large change about the new light that you've found impossible to ignore is diminutive he is. His commentary after successful hunts and small chats after a lure upgrade is administered are curt. Even more surprising is his willingness to present mercy to the corrupted Fallen. He is nothing like Uldren.

Acknowledging this division between his past and present self is when you start to realize that you like working with him. A lot. Probably more than just work, but will you admit it? No. Besides, you tell yourself, he really doesn't look like he's searching for a relationship while figuring himself out.

Petra often asks why you've taken to visiting the Tangled Shore so frequently now, and everytime you scramble to spit out an answer, something stupid like "Spider has a good deal running right now". In some part, it's true, since when you're not hunting Wrathborn you're showing Crow how to do Guardian stuff and explaining Last City life to him. His calm and curious demeanor is extremely cute, and the velvet sound of his voice does not help.

When Spider has both of you run point on a mission you always look to the rafters of the building to try and see him or listen for his steps. He's annoyingly good at stealth. The only time you ever had to be stealthy was in the Gorgon's lair and the Pleasure Gardens. You wish you could speak to him unfiltered; if Spider ever discovered your crush he wouldn't let you hear or see the end of it.

As the months dragged on and you came closer to catching the High Celebrant, you caught yourself anxiously wondering what lie at the end of it all. What if Spider didn't let you take him? And if he did, would Crow stay with you or do his own thing? Greedy little thoughts ran through your head as you thought of all the times you shared together, both of you visibly happy in your eyes.

As much as you'd like to live a runaway life with him and hope he felt the same, you knew it was wrong. He'd get restless, and you'd start fighting. Whatever he chose to do, is what you would let him do. Osiris has taken notice of your feelings, and the knowing glances he gives when no one else is looking sets your face on fire, acting like he doesn't have a thing for Saint always writing those letters when he's on death's doorstep; dramatic is what you say.

Soon enough, all of your close friends can tell you like someone, but they simply can't figure out who. Ironically, the day you work up enough courage to ask him to be your partner is the same day he pins the location of the High Celebrant. The morning is tense, and just getting ready for the big fight is sending energy through your body. Crow, on the other hand, seems much more grim. It makes sense, really; you're the one who's been slaying gods over the years.

You're guard is quickly brought up when Spider summons you for a talk in the main room. You listen to his next words with a fierce intensity.

"Do not let him so close, or spoil him with pretty dreams. Kill the High Celebrant. Break Xivu Arath's hold over my Shore, and you can claim any prise in my lair as your reward. You'll have earned it."

Hiding a smile, you nod and make your way to disembark on your mission; looks like you won't have to ask.

The Dreaming City was as mystical as ever, and you vaguely wondered if Petra had seen you come in. Making quick work of the scarce Hive, you found yourself in Harbinger's Seclude. The massive Cryptolith was impossible to miss, and a full body shiver racked you as you approached it. This was it.

Stabbing the lure into the roots, Crow's voice filled your comm channel.

"Ha! Tagged it! It's bleeding energy and on its way back to you." Your heart jumped at his excited tone. Nobody had any business being that cute. The trademark screech of a Hive portal drowned out all noise, and your next big fight ensued.

The next period of time was spent chasing the Celebrant through realms, until, that is, it sealed the last portal. Osiris had given weak condolences, but you weren't going to give up on Crow. Not today! The blight high above you twinkled teasingly as frustrated tears swam over your eyes as you attempted scrambling up the large Awoken statue, just barely missing the hand and falling back to the ground uselessly.

The silence was becoming overwhelming, deafening, even. Osiris continued to tell you to return to fight another day, but he was too important for you to just leave behind.

"Maybe there's enough Hive magic left in the lure to find another way through!" For once, your Ghost didn't parrot the obvious; you almost wanted to kiss him. Turning around with a new fire, you thrusted your lure into the crystalline floor over the last trace of the High Celebrant's blood. Sure enough, platforms much like those of the Dreadnaught revealed themselves over the edge of the bridge.

You wasted no time, racing over every gap and closing in on the blight. Palpitations overtook your heart when Crow's voice returned to the feed, spewing some kind of death message. Death wouldn't take him. Especially not if you had anything to say about it.

Jumping through the portal, you recognize the bitter feelings of anguish. This is exactly how you felt when Sundance's light washed over the Prison of Elders. Not again.

By the time you see the High Celebrant, all you're seeing is red. Faintly, you remember how Drifter said the Hive in the system were scared of you; good. They should be.

Bullets fly and the ether sings with each corrupted Fallen whose head flies by your gun. If you weren't so pressed for time, you would've strangled the Wizard that had your sought after stolen Light. Standing in the pool of green magic, you turn a furious glare on to the Celebrant and unload your heavy straight into its bony head. Something inside of you lurched in desperation to finish the kill when it summons a portal, trying to make for a retreat and trapping you at the center of the room.

"Crow! The portal!"

"I see it! Now finish it!" Just as he says those words, the trap falls and the portal across the room implodes, sending the High Celebrant to its knees. Your body erupts with power as you descend upon the Hive that killed Sagira and nearly killed Crow, sending it off with your super into the abyss.

Heaving a sigh, your brain finally has a chance to clear with no more present danger. In fact, your chest swells with affection as your Ghost confidently speaks of his trust in Crow followed by his reply.

"It's been an honor, Guardian."

Finally leaving the location, Celebrant head included, you decide to sleep on your short trip back. Your Ghost wakes you up before you land, and when you transmat your eyes immediately fall on Crow, who is safe and sound. Behind your helmet, you smile wearily at the former prince.

The moment you step into the Spider's lair, the air is thick with tension. You can tell the kingpin is pleased to have the Shore cleansed of Hive corruption, but also upset that he has to give up one of his prizes.

"It's done." You say firmly.

"So it is... so it is," he leans forward in his seat with a leer, "All right, Guardian. As promised, you can have a prized bauble from my lair as compensation for your... heroics." The last word rolls off his tongue with a quiet distaste, and you have no problem returning the feeling.

"I want... him." Jerking your head in Crow's direction, you can feel the energy crack through the room.

"Cute. Real funny." Your brows crease in impatience at his dismissive snicker.

"You said anything in the room." You do your best to keep your eyes off of Crow; a distraction now could be bad news. Spider lets out a terrible laugh as his guards step forward, readying their spears.

"Oh... You really want my little bird," he puts an uncomfortable amount of importance on the words "really want", "Fine. You can have him." The large Fallen turns his gaze to Crow, mockingly waving his arm upward.

"Fly away," he looks back down at you, "and get the hell out of my lair."

No further instruction is needed as you and Crow make your leave. As you exit the safehouse, both Glint and your Ghost come out.

"Now what?" Glint looks to Crow for an answer. The reality of the event settles on the Awoken, and he looks at you in a way he hasn't before.

"Why would you do this for us?"

As a formality, you've never taken off your helmet around Crow. He'd never seen, or even had an idea about your face, until... now. The tear streaks from the mission are still on your face, slightly visible in the dim light. Walking over to him, you slowly bring your eyes up to his. He doesn't move away, but you do notice with a flash of hope that a blush is starting to grace his cheeks at your proximity. Clenching your eyes shut, you close the gap between you two and press a kiss to his lips.

He freezes for a moment before placing his hands on your shoulders, and you pull back afraid that you've just made the wrong move.

"I... uh." His eyes dart here and there before settling back on yours. His face straightens out, and then he hesitantly leans forward into your range again. This time, he's the one kissing you.

Both of you leave the Tangled Shore together.

Relationship HCs

He never fails to pick you up during your special brand of greeting, which is running straight at him and jumping into his arms. You even do the little spin around like those movie couples

He's okay with subtle PDA like handholding, but nothing too extreme such as kissing in front of others; he prefers to keep more intimate moments between you and him

Surprisingly eager for cuddles with you at the end of the day

He will let you indulge yourself by doing stupid things every once in a while, like seeing how much whipped cream you can put in his mouth before he can't take anymore

There are times when you just talk about random stuff because he knows you like the sound of his voice

He usually has to calm you down whenever another Guardian stares too long. You see it as a threat, and you're ready to defend your glowing boyfriend with your life

When you're not busy with Vanguard tasks, you're bringing him to the planets that weren't swallowed by the Darkness and showing him the layout, along with whatever endemic life is present

He becomes enamored with Earth's crows, which you had expected

Whenever he has visions of his past, he'll tell you and you do your best to fill in with rudimentary details such as location or time; you hope he never remembers the moment when you had to kill him

You especially love playing with his hair, it's nearly softer than silk and you are intrigued by the white streaks at the front of his cut

Both of you will decide to sit down every once in a while and just touch each other's face; you prefer running your hands along his jawline and cheekbones while he'll brush just under your eyes and along your temples

Dates can range from a quiet, romantic dinner to hunting down large and difficult quarry

Whenever you find a Golden Age waltz piece, you bring it to him and give it a listen; these sessions always end with you two dancing and swaying with each other

Truly, a couple of many talents

NSFW 👁👄👁

The first time you get anywhere close to the act he's so unsure of himself you both stop and instead explore each other at the surface level

No matter how many times he sees you nude his face is a blushing mess everytime

The first few times you take the lead, but once you both get over the fact that you've exchanged pleasantries he's the one who figures out he likes to be dominant in bed

He's vocal to an extent, mostly heavy breathing/moaning and grunts to let you know exactly how good you feel

He's super into bondage (who would've known?) whenever you're the one tying him up

He always prefers the ability to see your face, and whether it's because he can see your face contort in pleasure or because he can lock with you in a heated kiss, you can't tell

His sides are usually ticklish, but they act more like erogenous zones when both of you are deep into it

He starts out rough since he isn't used to this kind of activity at all, but over time he finds a balance between being gentle and absolutely blowing your back out

He's likely to caress your arms and waist the whole time to add another sensitive layer to your already overstimulated body

He also likes draping his body over yours, and with how hot his chest is and the press of his lower body? You're not arguing

Once you finish, he either goes straight to sleep while huddling against you or you convince him to get up so you can shower together

I have 2 asks for Drifter HCs, but I'm implementing a personal/request system so I can keep my monsterfucker train going. The next HCs I'm releasing are for Nokris, then I'll do Drifter HCs, and for now my last personal writing will be for Ghaul

[blu-joons]

You Go Into Labour ~ Lee Taemin

As another twang of pain struck at your stomach, your hand reached out for the first thing you could find in front of you, which was Kibum. His eyes looked around, ready to scold a fan for grabbing onto him as you walked through the city, only to notice it was you.

His eyes studied you closely, however it was when he saw the pain in your expression, did he begin to worry. He called out to Taemin who was walking a few paces ahead of you to turn back around.

“Everything alright?” He asked, only when he got closer towards you, he realised that things were far from alright. “Are you having the baby? You can’t, it’s too early yet for her to arrive.”

Your head shook, feeling the crowd of fans begin to gather around the two of you as flashes from phone cameras went off in all directions. “I don’t know, but I can feel something.”

Taemin’s eyes instantly looked around at the fans, there didn’t seem to be a way out for the five of you as Jinki and Minho tried to clear a bit of space for you, but none of the fans wanted to move in case they missed out on capturing the important moment.

You felt Taemin’s arm wrap around your waist to try and support you as best as he could, staring helplessly at his three other members as he tried to figure out what to do. His heart was pounding, knowing that every part of you was relying on him.

“We need to get out of here,” he announced, looking around the city.

All of their heads nodded in agreement, although the last thing they wanted to do was get physical with the fans, with each passing moment, your privacy was invaded more and more. With that, your breaths became shorter which worried the boys significantly more.

“It’s alright,” Taemin whispered when he noticed your eyes widen, “we’ll get out of here and get to the hospital as soon as we can, I promise you.”

Your head nodded, too distracted by the sensation that continued to strike at your stomach to care too much about what was going on around. However, for the rest of the boys it was all they could think about as the tried to keep you as safe as possible.

“Can you guys please just step back,” Jinki announced, trying to create a bit of distance between you and the fans that were around you.

“The last thing she needs is you guys around her,” Minho added, “if you care for us, then move.”

A few fans stepped back, but some still remained, far too intrigued to see what would happen with you. Whilst Jinki and Minho tried to control the fans, Kibum was on the phone with a manager requesting a car to come by.

“They said one will be here in five,” he told you all as soon as he hung up the call, trying to encourage you to walk closer to the end of the road so that you could get straight in. “We’re just going to have to push if they don’t move, Y/N’s too important right now.”

Your eyes flickered around as Minho appeared at your other side to try and move you to where you could get into the car. “This is too much,” you whispered.

It was far from the ideal situation for you as you planned to go into labour, you still had a week to go before your due date, convinced that you’d be able to head out with the boys on their day off before you needed to take a moment to rest.

Taemin leaned across and pressed a kiss against the side of your head, “I know it’s a little scary right now, but you’ll be alright,” he smiled, turning his body inwards to shield you from the fans who continued to try and get a photo of you. “I’ve never hated saesangs more than I have right now, this is just ridiculous.”

Minho nodded from the other side of him, “I’ve never seen anything like it, poor Y/N doesn’t deserve this, she’s not the one that all of them are out to see.”

“I’m the one that’s given them something to shout about though,” you frowned, trying to shut out the shouts of your name that came from the fans around you. “I can already imagine the headlines over this, I think I’ve said goodbye to having a quiet birthing announcement.”

“None of that matters now,” Jinki comforted from in front of you, making sure that the boys were stood around you to keep you safe from all directions. “You’re safe, and you’re going to have a baby, don’t worry about all of the small stuff right now.”

Your head nodded, smiling softly in his direction. If there was one thing you were thankful for, it was Jinki’s leadership. Whilst you weren’t a member of the group, you were as good as, and each of the members treated you just the same.

Your eyes looked up with each car that passed, praying that the manager would show quickly to try and give you some rest bite from standing through the pain. “How long is it to the hospital?” You asked Taemin, soon feeling your own worry begin to set in.

“Not long, I’ll make sure that he puts his foot down and gets you there as soon as possible.”

Just as Taemin finished speaking, a black car pulled up with the windows tinted. Kibum stepped forwards straight away and opened up the door so that Minho and Taemin could help you into the car whilst Jinki continued to keep the fans at a distance from you.

“Y/N, you’ll do incredibly,” Minho smiled once you were in, closing the door beside you.

“He’s right,” Taemin chimed as he appeared beside you, buckling up his seatbelt before offering his hand out for you to take a hold of. “I’m sorry that things didn’t quite go as we planned for today, or any of this. You never deserve to get caught in the crossfire of our fans; I don’t even have the words right now for that.”

“It’s alright,” you smiled, resting your hand over your tummy, “I’m used to how crazy some of the fans can be, but Jinki was right. I’m safe, and that’s all that matters, not any of the chaos that went on out there.”

His smile grew as he studied you closely to make sure that you were alright, stretching out his hand to rest over yours that was on your bump. Despite how big your bump had become, all of it still felt like a dream to Taemin.

You watched on as his head shook in a slight moment of disbelief as the reality of what was to come back to hit him, and slightly terrify him.

“Can you believe that in a matter of hours now we’re going to be parents?” He asked you, only for your head to shake back at him. “I’m under strict instructions from the boys too to let them know as soon as the baby arrives.”

Your eyes rolled, but it was typical of the three of them to try and be involved in every minute. It had been that way throughout your pregnancy, you barely ever got a moment to yourself as one of them was always by your side. If you thought Taemin worried, then the trio were frantic when it came to looking after you.

“I expected nothing less,” you responded, glancing out of the window as you began to recognise the direction that you were travelling, “we’re never going to go home again as just the two of us, now it’s the three of us.”

“Doesn’t it feel strange?” Taemin mused, glancing out of the window himself, “we really are about to become a family of three.”

“Don’t let the boys hear you say that,” you chuckled, as yet another twang of pain hit you.

“As far as they’re concerned, SHINee will definitely now be a family of seven.”

---

Masterlist