#he’s checking for sprains and bruises I guess

[avis-fictional-world]

@aimportantdragoncollector

Kudou’s hair is difficult 🥲

[multifandommilfs]

Better than The Notebook

Pairing: Emily Prentiss x reader

Wc: 2570

Summary: the tension builds until it breaks

A/n: guess who finally got into the Criminal Minds fandom and got obsessed with Emily Prentiss?Unestablished relationships really aren't one of my strengths but I'm hoping to change that,enjoy! :))

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Gif by @penelope-garcia –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Are you okay with this?" Hotch queried from the entrance of the changing room. It was a club mission. All you had to do was walk in there, lure the Unsub out and book it before he could smash your head in. No pressure. 

 

"Whatever it takes to catch this sicko." You swung open the locker and the sight immediately made you regret your words. It was a low-cut, high-hem dress. The last time you wore anything this revealing was never. Your unamusement was furthered when your eyes landed on the dramatic curve of the waistline. The whole thing was a stark contrast to your daily FBI wear. "Whoever chose this is such a misogynist. This is literally a corset in itself." You lament, pulling the dress out from the locker to share your misery. You knew he didn't pick your poison. 

 

His lips flattened into a thin strip, a frown cutting between his brows, equally displeased with the ostentatious outfit. "It was Emily's pick. I'll get JJ to switch it out." He turned, heading for the door. Your heart leapt at the mention of her name. Did he say it right? You're holding what Emily likes in your hands. It would be a ruined chance if you didn't take it. 

 

"Wait wait, Hotch, I think I'll keep it." His hand left the door handle as he pivoted to face you, expecting an elaboration.

 

"It's unnecessary to bother anyone." You winced at your lousy lie. The questioning look on his face was made apparent by his frown digging deeper. 

 

"You're not bothering anyone." He reassured. 

 

"Yeah I know but Emily has a great sense in fashion, there's a high probability that the Unsub would like it."

 

He sent you that sideways interrogative glare and quirked his brow at the way you pulled the dress into your midriff, like it suddenly meant a lot to you. Adding to the fact that your mind changed after he mentioned Emily, it didn't take a cupid to put two and two together.

 

The pinch between his brows released, mirth filling his irises. "Alright, but if-"

 

"-I'm uncomfortable I will switch the dress out. I swear!" The corners of his lips rose for just a second and you would've missed it if you had blinked. 

 

"Oh and could you get JJ in here please? I have a feeling I'm going to need her help getting into this." You turned the outfit backward to expose the tucked-in zipper that ran too low from your shoulder blades. You weren't in the mood to sprain something.

 

Another nod and he was out the door. You stripped as quickly as possible, getting into the skin-tight dress with slight difficulty, hating the way you wanted to impress Emily by putting yourself through this torture.

 

The door to the room clicked open as you secured the dress on your body. You hadn't bothered to check who it was because it must've been JJ. 

 

You knew you were wrong when you heard the diction you've learnt to memorise. "Oh I knew I picked the right dress! You look absolutely de-lish in this."

 

It wasn't JJ, it was Emily. The shriek that escaped you as you startled and stumbled didn't help your balance as you slammed sideways into the locker, the reverberation clanging throughout the room.

 

"Are you okay?" But she was laughing that free, untamed laughter that made you swoon and grin on the grimy floor, forgetting about the possible bruise.  

 

"Where's JJ!" You tugged up the sleeves that fell off your shoulders, careful not to fray the fabric as Emily approached in quick strides, laughter still bubbling up the length of her throat.

 

"What? We're basically the same person." She stretched out a hand that you took without a second's break. You couldn't latch on to what she said when her palm pillowed yours with a warmth that made your heart race a little as she hauled you up, the muscles in her arm tensing. 

 

You were lucky the locker behind you served as a reliable pillar for your knees were almost limp when her scent encased you whole, your eyes instinctively flitting close for a beat too long, snatching that whiff of her that caused your fingertips to jitter. 

 

Your breathing shallowed out the moment you opened your eyes. And what you saw couldn't help quell the heat that blotched up your cheeks. She was just a breadth away from you, the curled ends of her hair tickling your cheek, but you could only focus on how the shadow cast from the lights above made it so her lips were deeper in red. It was utterly tempting.

 

You were closing the space, your gaze fixated, hypnotized. Your movement was so slow it was hardly perceptible, the murky hesitance within your irises morphing into something more intimate. Your lips parted as she damped hers, she was unable to move with the intensity and tenderness simultaneously existing in your gaze.

 

You were just a desperate breath away when she must've tightened her grip too much on your hand in turn for losing her ability to breathe. Just like that, the reverie shattered into splintering pieces. You backtracked, eyes wide, the fervour dissipating in a stunned blink. Her eyes that flicked up to yours averted themselves to the ground in a sadness you couldn't place once you released your grip on her hand, your hand falling limp to your side.

 

It took a ladened moment during which you swallowed a knot in your throat and her heart dropped so far below. Both of you contemplating whether to out the elephant in the room but at the same time too scared to address it because it was just too bold a move from amicability.  

 

"Let me just- get something." You managed; she pulled her body away from yours like it was ladened. You rationalised it to be the jet lag, definitely not the hesitance of leaving you. That was your mind playing games.

 

Your feet were fast to the locker from where you pulled the dress, and once you were obscured from her view by the metal door, you released the breath that had you in a chokehold, your mind replaying the closeness again, again, again, your senses fetching her scent up, her laughter, the glee in her eyes when she laughed and the way she parted from you as if she'd been in a daze like you were. 

 

"Hey, you okay?" You whipped around at her voice to see her eyeing your shoulder which took the brunt of your fall.

 

"Yea- yeah. Honestly I would be better if you didn't choose this dress." You were glad for the smile that split her lips at your sarcasm, ignorance lifting the tension immediately. 

 

"You love my fashion taste." She squinted her eyes at you. A taut smile was your response, but the quietness brought out a strain in the atmosphere. It was awkward enough for you to readjust your stance, swallowing.

 

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." You forced out, whirling back to the locker to search for the accessories you already knew weren't there. It was you buying time to escape her gaze. It held some kind of encompassing gaiety, some glee in them despite everything they'd seen in this brutal line of work. It was one of the things that took upon your heartstrings and you didn't need any more of that right now. Especially in this locker room, alone with her, after that closeness. She cleared her throat.

 

"Let me help you with your zip." Oh yeah, you had completely forgotten about that.

 

She approached from behind as you shuffled on their feet, trying to quell your heart racing in your chest. The fact that you were starting to sweat in the suffocating dress didn't help your case. You really needed to stay calm before- 

 

Her fingers clasped around your waist and she caught the half-shudder that you tried to suppress, but what was hope now that you were already questioning your friendship? 

 

The swoop of the zip signalled your completed outfit. Yet she lingered, her hand splayed on the lower part of your back, another ghosting over the hair on your neck. 

 

You turned back this time, adamantly dismissing another shiver that ran up your spine. And she thought you might just pounce and grab her into a god-fearing kiss like the one in The Notebook. The rain would be her happy tears as long as you were the one holding her. 

 

But instead your gaze glazed with a kind of regret that she ignored; the tension didn't need any more adding. So just like that, you stepped out of her grasp muttering a thanks and slid on your previously haphazardly placed heels. 

______

In less than a moment you were striding into the raucous club with a façade of coolness and all confidence with your head angled high while Emily returned to the SUV outside. She wished the floor would give way with each step she took. Mind thinking about the next conversation between the two of you, or the lack of it and she felt a simmering fury that licked her heart, searing her bones. She wanted to linger in it for ruining a chance like that, to let it blaze away the hollow in her chest. 

 

The team noticed her lack of flirtatious jokes, the internal ruckus that was just threatening to boil over every moment even though she kept a smile on her face. They certainly noticed how she seemed to sink into a reverie whenever you appeared on screen, toying with the Unsub. They concluded it to be the jealousy kicking in, spurring on suggestive glances among themselves. 

_____

The mission was a knock-out success. He took your bait and almost smashed you with a brick before the team ambushed him.

 

Emily watched you at the corner of her eye, standing a suitable distance away from the writhing Unsub, arms around your midriff in that damn dress that hugged your figure. A gust of wind blew towards you, billowing your hair as the neon club lights decorated your complexion like everything in the world was pointing Emily to you in that ethereal glow. She ducked her eyes when you glanced over. She missed the way your gaze lingered on her until she slipped back into the SUV. 

 

It was only then that you noticed Hotch beside you. He gave you a sorrowful look, but perhaps you misinterpreted it with your woeful heart because that man was supposedly incapable of any emotions aside from that frown. 

________

 

What were the odds of the jet needing a monthly inspection the day you got into this push-and-pull dynamic with Emily? Because not only do you and your team have to take a commercial flight, but that said flight was crammed with vacationers, leaving limited space for the team and your duffel bags. 

 

"Oh my god what are the chances of people flying to Virginia at 4 in the goddamn morning?" You grumble, but before Reid could even sneak in a statistic, you whipped over to him. "That was a rhetorical question staticReid." It garnered the team's sympathetic laughter as Reid pulled his lips in annoyance. 

 

And when you were left with Emily in a two-row seat, you knew this wasn't only your bad luck at play. It was Morgan's turn to play matchmaker and the way he shimmied his brows suggestively made you want to shove two middle fingers in his face. He was lucky you were too emotionally exhausted to do that. Instead you rolled your eyes and slumped in your seat, body burning with an emotion you couldn't place.

 

Emily dozed before the flight took off, an easy task when darkness enclosed most of the plane, save for the dim lights that provided little visibility. You couldn't complain as it rescued you from any tension. 

 

You could still feel the phantom tickle when the ends of her hair brushed your skin. You dug the hilt of your palms against your eyes in hopes of pushing down the memory. You should've just yanked her in then instead of taking the fool's way out.

 

It was thirty minutes into the flight, your eyelids were ladened, but the middle-aged man snoring behind you was a lull to sleep, and the toddler shrieking every two minutes in front of you was a hindrance to slumber.

 

The moment you let your lids shut, a heavy weight fell upon your shoulder and you slapped a hand over your mouth in time to stifle a yelp. The warmth that encompassed your body once you felt the fluff of Emily's hair against your neck where your collar ended made slumber slip away from your grip instantly. Her touch had been everything you craved ever since the locker room.

 

You were robbed of air when she snuggled further into you, perhaps for your exuding warmth because the little air conditioner that blew above you was freezing the consciousness off of you, but now you were more awake than ever with 3 hours left of the flight. 

 

The tenderness of it all brought out a sudden intrusive urge in you to just push her hair from her face. And perhaps it was the afterglow from the over the top exhaustion that made your mind a fuzz for consequences, or your bleary gaze that seemed to affect your memory, but Courage peered up in your chest and made it impossible to wave away the impulse that pushed your arm out of your space and into hers. 

 

With a gentle finger, you tucked loose strands of her hair behind her ear, unveiling, too intimate. But you didn't allow yourself to think about it when the pad of your finger grazed the smooth of her cheek until you were a lump in your seat. Heart wild as a smile stretched across your lips involuntarily, you couldn't calm it down if you wanted. 

 

Your gaze was soft as it traced her features, and you let your mind wander, her cheek smushed on your shoulder, tender, domestic, all but delusional. You smiled nevertheless, exhaustion clogging up your coherence.

 

And that smile must've been the key to your manifestation, to your yearning, because she roused awake, lifting her head off your shoulder, her hair tickling your collarbone. Through the drowsy haze of her eyes, she looked up at you past her lashes, and again, so, so close.

 

And you knew better than to forsake it this time. You surged over the armrest without warning, unbuckling the strain of the seatbelt with dexterity, and captured her lips softly, your fingers holding her chin before it slid to her jaw, tentatively. 

 

When she kissed you back with equal ardour, hands flying to your cheek, body slumping towards you. The white that burst behind your lids was immediate, fervent, and made you cross the armrest in a blur, pulling yourself into her lap.

 

She tugged you impossibly closer to her, famished for more, deprived of too much. There was no amount of greed that would satiate her now that she'd tasted. 

 

And when you parted, lungs heaving for air, you were all smiles and flushes on cheeks within the dark of the airplane, only a glow of yellow light pouring from the miniature bulb above the both of you. 

 

It was far better than The Notebook.

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[xdjville]

wayv as not-so-common romance tropes - hendery

description: on a thursday afternoon you get assigned to a patient who's undeniably very good looking, but, as it turns out, not that good at skateboarding

pairing: patient!hendery x gn!nurse!reader

cw: descriptions of being hospitalised (nothing too serious) and needles (iv), one curse word at the end

word count: ~1,660

author's note: the second part is out!! enjoy hendery being down bad (i promise not everyone in this series will be a complete loser). just a psa to anyone that knows sth about nursing - i don't, so even though i tried to do some research i have no idea if this is accurate, forgive me if it's not (i've also never been to the er with a physical injury so i really don't know what it looks like) 🙏

"room two-o-six, an accident on a skateboard,"

thursday, a quarter past two in the afternoon, about an hour and a half into your shift. you had already made a round around the unit to check up on some of the patients and went through a chunk of paperwork that was starting to pile up on your desk, when you got called in to take care of a newly arrived patient.

"wong guanheng. male, twenty four years old, crashed while doing tricks," the head nurse explained briefly, pushing up her thin framed glasses as she looked on the paper in her hands. "probably just a sprained ankle and some nasty bruises, he should be out by the end of the day." after adding some final details, she finished, sending a quick glance and an encouraging smile your way before twirling around unceremoniously to continue her own duties.

you followed suit, making your way to the nearby room two-o-six. you scanned the inside as you entered in an attempt to find the man you were supposed to take care of, which turned out to be an easier task than you had expected. among all of the patients who were placed in that room, there was only one person around your age, and only one person with their hair in the color of bubblegum. it was probably safe to assume you had found your target.

wong guanheng, as the head nurse told you, was sitting on his bed with one leg - the injured one, you guessed - stretched out, bedsheets folded and placed underneath for support. he was leaning back on the elevated backrest, eyes focused on whatever he was watching on his phone that he propped against his healthy leg, bent in the knee.

although you wouldn't dare to admit it out loud, it was hard to look past the fact that he was a very attractive person. in fact, he was so attractive that, for the first time since your rookie days, you felt your insides tighten and tie themselves into a knot from nervousness. but you were nothing if not a professional - you reminded yourself of the mantra you said every time something made you feel the opposite way, as you cleared your throat and approached the patient.

the said man looked up from his phone when you were a few feet away from him, and as cliché as it might sound, he swore that for the next few, very long seconds, everything was happening in slow motion. you began by introducing yourself as friendly as you could - something you did to every patient to make their experience of being in the hospital at least a bit more comfortable. silence fell between the two of you as guanheng tried to overcome the sudden dryness in his throat, before finally murmuring a barely audible "hi", and shutting off the phone in his hands that he just realised was still playing the video he had been watching.

you smiled politely in response and proceeded to ask a few basic questions to get a hold of his current state. his answers to each of them were short and quiet, they gave you all the information you needed to move on, but nothing above that. although you had to fill in some blanks yourself because of his mumbling, you managed to grasp that he fell from a ramp in a skatepark and was in mild pain (he said it didn't hurt, but you noticed the way he winced while trying to reposition himself on the bed).

guanheng's eyes followed your every move as you made your way to the iv stand next to him to prepare some painkillers. "must have been a tough one, huh?" you spoke up again in an attempt to ease his tension a bit as you opened the packaged needles and drug bottles. he didn't respond, appearing slightly puzzled, so you continued. "that skateboard trick you were doing. must have been a tough one to get you here."

his mouth formed into an 'o' shape, before quickly transforming into a thin line as he looked down to his hands in embarrassment.

"yeah, i tried... i was learning a new one," he stumbled on his words, trying to come up with something - preferably a full sentence this time - that wouldn't make him seem pathetic.

"i'm usually really good at this..."

if guanheng didn't feel stupid before, then after your chuckle and the disbelieving glance you sent his way, he certainly would.

done with the preparations, you informed him that you were going to insert the iv with painkillers, to which he didn't protest, fully aware that nothing sensible would come out of his mouth at that moment. and although that saved him some embarrassment, he knew you noticed the way he flinched at your touch when you took his hand to sanitise the area.

with that thought, he lowered his head to hide behind his bright colored bangs, face stained deep red from the nose to the tips of his ears. the warmth on his skin was so intense and overbearing that he didn't even feel the needle piercing through the skin of his palm, nor did he acknowledge the fact that it had been a good minute since you finished, and you were staring at him, amused.

"press that button if you need anything," you finally said, partially because you wanted to give him a break and let him actually rest, and partially because you knew you had to go on to your next errands. "you shouldn't walk untill you get a brace, so if you need to go somewhere just let me know."

having said that, you turned around on your heel, leaving guanheng in shambles, alone with his flushed face and rambling thoughts.

he was hopeless.

almost the whole day passed just like that. you met him another few times, either because he had called (though the first time it took him an hour of contemplating the pros and cons of going to the bathroom on his own and risking making his injury worse), or because you had to take him to the examination room to run some tests. every time, you would try to intiate a casual conversation, and at first he would reply with single words or nods of his head.

you caught on what was happening rather quickly - you weren't that oblivious. you saw him talk to the doctors without stuttering or his face turning all red, so you knew he felt the same clasp in his stomach at the sight of you that he made you experience. but in your head, it just didn't seem right to ask a patient out. and even though you were glad someone like him had interest in you, your ego getting a boost from seeing him getting shy at anything you say, you couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of anxiety that, although you thought the probability was small, your instincts might turn out to be completely wrong. you would simply never recover from the shame if any of the other nurses, let alone the head nurse, found out.

but as he seemed to get a bit more relaxed after a few times you came to check up on him, his scarce responses slowly turned into whole sences, untill he would not only engage in the conversations, but even start them.

"just so you know, i lied," he said one time, turning his head as much as he could to look at you as you pushed his temporary wheelchair from behind. you answered by shooting him a questioning glance and waited for him to clarify, "about the skateboarding thing, i'm not that good at it."

you giggled, stopping the mobility aid near the door to the doctor's office you had been heading to. you turned to face him, arms crossed at your chest, smile never leaving your face.

"yeah, i figured."

near nine thirty in the evening, guanheng was finally being discharged. all his tests came out good, the head nurse's prediction about a sprained ankle being correct. he had a brace put on, so he was standing on his own in front of you in the hallway as you were handing him the documents and intructions for a fast recovery.

"that's all, i hope you get well soon." you said, butterflies erupting in your stomach once again because of how close you were. you didn't let the small smile on your face disappear when you cursed them out in your head. the man thanked you, nodding his head as he briefly scanned the papers. you found yourself in silence - just like during your first meeting earlier that day, albeit nearly not as awkward. his eyes flickered between the prescriptions and your face before he sighed,

"it might be a weird thing to ask but..." he breathed out while his fingers played with the corner of the plastic sleeve that you had put the documents in, "would you mind giving me your number? you... you seem really nice and, like, i know it's technically your job and uh- wait, there's no, like, policy against it, is there?"

your couldn't stop your smile from growing even bigger as he hurried and stumbled on his words, his ears gaining the familiar, dark shade, that you had already seen several times that day.

fuck being professional, you thought, reaching for the pen you kept in the pocket of your uniform while looking around to see if anyone was paying attention, before taking the papers back into your hands. you quickly scribbled your phone number onto the backside of the top sheet, and passed them to him once again.

"nope, not that i know about."

and with that, guanheng left the hospital while clutching the records to his chest, grateful that he never got himself to practice skateboarding more often.

©xdjville

[jo-harrington]

Corroded Coffin Fest - Day 12 - Ow!

Summary: Gareth has a tummy ache.

Word Count: 898

Rating: T

Warnings/Themes: Food, Gareth is a glutton (for punishment), poop talk, vomiting, food poisoning

Check Out the Main Post for @corrodedcoffinfest here! Even if you didn’t start on Day 1, you can still join!

Tagging: @the-unforgivenn at her request.

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

One thing the guys had to learn quickly when they finally got on the road for their first “tour”—basically an extended road trip in the van, hitting different summer fests through the Midwest—was that injuries happened.

Cuts, bruises, pulled muscles, a sprained wrist, sunburns.

But the worst of all?

"Guys, my stomach really hurts."

A tummy ache.

They happened quite a bit, and they struck hard, especially with all of the fried foods and gas station snacks that the guys were eating.

Not to mention all of the cheese festivals they hit in Wisconsin while Eddie had a bad case of lactose intolerance.

"It's ok guys," he'd pant from the inside of many-a-port-a-potty. "I'll be fine."

But they struck especially hard with Gareth, Corroded Coffin's personal garbage disposal.

“Guess you guys never noticed when my mom bought all the snacks for us,” he shrugged off the complaints about him eating them out of house and home. “I’m a growing boy.”

“Growing boy my ass Gare,” Jeff shoved him out of the way as they headed into the gas station for yet another snack run. “If this was a growth spurt, you’d be taller by now, Jesus.”

“Hey!!!”

The unfortunate thing about that was that his eyes were often bigger than his stomach, and for a kid who'd never left Indiana before, he never knew when he was about to get the chance to try some of these local favorites again.

Deep Dish in Chicago, Skyline Chili in Cincinnati, Beer-boiled Brats in Milwaukee

What did him in, or so they all thought, was a piece of Gooey Butter Cake in St. Louis.

It was a long, hot day. One of the last out-of-state stops on the tour before they headed back for a gig in Fort Wayne and Gareth had been eyeballing the little stand hocking baked goods all day.

He'd gotten the last slice at the end of the night.

"I seriously wouldn't eat that if I was you," Dave scrunched his nose in disgust. "It's been out all day."

"It's no different than any of this other fair food we've had," Gareth simply shrugged and shoved a bite in his mouth. Heavenly, he thought as his tastebuds exploded with rich sweetness.

"Your funeral," Dave scoffed.

And wouldn't you know? It nearly was.

It started with the rumbles late into the night, Eddie at the wheel driving along long stretches of dark rural highway when Gareth started groaning from his place in the back.

"Lemme know if you're gonna shit yourself," he called back and tossed their handy-dandy bottle of pepto to his friend. "We're probably not gonna reach a rest stop until we hit the interstate so I'll have to pull over."

"I'll be ok," Gareth grunted and chugged the chalky pink liquid.

But by the time they got on the interstate, his aching stomach turned into sharp pains, everyone was awake.

Then they all started to worry when he announced, maybe two hours away from Hawkins, that they needed to pull over so he could puke.

"I swear to god if you puke in my van," Eddie tried to grumble lightheartedly but as soon as the van was in park, Gareth was tripping over Dave's legs and their equipment to empty the contents of his stomach.

And when he was done? He looked like a corpse.

Green around the gills, hair matted with sweat, eyes glassy.

Jeff traded seats with him for the rest of the ride home and Eddie drove through some fast food place to grab as big of a sprite that he could and a plastic bag in case they couldn't stop in time.

Eddie broke more than a few traffic laws just to get back home a little faster.

It was scary, for all of them, for their little buddy to be so visibly sick, shaking with the chills, and--at least in their eyes--on Death's Doorstep.

Finally when they pulled into the Emerson's driveway, it was like a full team operation to get Gare into the house and into bed, the little trashcan from the bathroom set up beside him.

Mrs. E was worried--relieved that they made it home safe, but worried--and it had the other three boys feeling so guilty for taking this trip in the first place. Especially if anything terrible happened to their friend.

Come morning, Gareth woke up feeling worlds better--empty--and shocked to find his friends asleep on the floor of his bedroom.

"Uh, guys?" he woke them up, voice scratchy. "Guys wake up."

Before he realized, they were all awake and piling onto his bed to touch his forehead and rub his stomach and Dave even had the audacity to comment on how bad his breath was.

"Get off," he chuckled and pushed his friends away.

"How do you feel?" Eddie questioned.

"Better, a little sore," he admitted. "Feels like I ate shards of glass. But better."

"Maybe you did," Dave tried to laugh his worry off. "I told you not to trust that cake."

It got a chuckle out of everyone, and Gareth vowed not to trust fair food ever again.

"I don't think I'll ever eat again actually," he groaned.

But when Mrs. E woke up soon after and came to check on the boys, then said she was making breakfast, Gareth was the first to admit,

"What are we having? I'm starving."

[daughterofthequeen]

Fear is Only a Obstacle

Pairing: Poe Dameron x reader

Summary: Poe is finally able to see you and he’s not wasting anymore time

Warnings: Describing injuries, cliche cliche cliche, fluff a lot, and angst but this time the fluff out ways the angst, not proofread I’m sleepy you guys, let me know if I missed anything

A/n: Just a part 2 to my fic Till the End of Time

The sound of tie fighters are deafening

Along with the sound of exploding ships

Laser canons of different ships all around you

All of it replaying in your mind over and over until you finally wake up and the first thing you see are a pair of annoying bright lights. Groaning as your sitting up, it seems like you’ve been here for a few hours if you listen to what your body is telling you, but it only feels like a few minutes have passed. You remember trying to land as best you can with a blown engine then nothing. And now you’re even more confused because you’re not in any pain.

“Why happened?” You said getting ready to stand up and get out of the medibed you were in. “I hate med bays. Hello? Anyone here? You know im not claiming to be the smartest person in the galaxy but im pretty sure someone is supposed to at least be hovering over me.” You say in a semi loud sarcastic tone to make sure the person at the front desk could hear you.

And as you suspected your nurse came in. “You shouldn’t be sitting up just yet”, she said gently laying you back down on the bed. “It’s not like anyone was here to stop me. What happened anyway, I’m guessing the crash knocked me out but I’m not in the slightest of pain, you guys must’ve gave me some of the real good meds.”

Catching the nurse off guard she started laughing. “Yes, with all the injuries you have they were needed before you woke or you were going to be in a lot of pain. A migraine due to your concussion, fractured rib, a severely sprained ankle, and all of your cuts and bruises to top it off, you are very lucky those were the only extents of your wounds.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’m not gonna be as lucky soon though because these pain meds are starting to wear off.” The groaning thats coming from you and the intense pain in your ankle is saying enough.

“Yeah, according to your chart it is time for another dosage. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh wow she wasn’t kidding.” You whispered feeling a major throbbing pain on the left side of your ribs.

Heading someone knock softly on the door you look up and see Leia standing in the door way smiling at you which causes you to smile back.

“Hey.”

“Hey, how are you feeling?” She asked sitting down next to you on your medibed.

“The pain is starting to kick in but my nurse is going to get me another dosage for the pain. What about you and everyone else?”

“ We took some heavy loses and a bunch more injured including yourself, I had to come down to check on your all.”

“ That’s going to take a while.”

“ I don’t mind it, you all risk your life to fight for a cause that could affect the whole galaxy willingly under my orders the least I can do is sit with you all and keep you company.”

“Your kindness never ceases to surprise me.”

“That’s something I use to tell your mother all the time.” That caught you off guard but it brought you joy, you knew your mom and Leia were friends before she passed. And it gave you some comfort to know you could got to Leia and ask questions about who she was and what she was like as a person anytime you wanted. It was one of the reasons you and Poe had bonded so well because you understood each others pain. Wait a minute, Poe.

“Oh Maker, I gotta find Poe, is he ok?!”

“Calm child. Poe is just find he’s out in the hallway now waiting to see you.”

“He’s not injured?”

“No. He’s perfectly fine, he seen you going down and was trying to get to you but you crashed. He’s actually the reason your alive he got you out the ship and here to the medbay in time enough for them to heal your wounds.

“He’s probably a mess right now.”

“Oh he is in complete distress but it’s not as bad as it was.” Looking up she says your nurse with the pain killers, getting ready to put them through your IV.

“Nurse Poy.”

“Yes general?”

“After you finish giving Y/n her medicine let Poe Dameron in. Seeing the nurse about to protest, she stops her in time. “I know visitors aren’t aloud right now but he needs this, they both do. Just let them have the room for a few minutes. Please?”

“Yes general, but make it quick.” The sides says looking down at your worried eyes. “If anyone see’s it’ll cause a ruckus and everyone would want to do it, then the whole medbay is full.”

“A few minutes is all we need.”

Leia stands and heads out the door into the hallway where Poe is waiting to hear anything about your condition. “I’ll get him.”

After a few minutes you see and hear Poe rush through the door. It actually startled you a little bit.

“Hi? You ok?”

“Am I ok? Are you ok? I’ve been worried for hours and all they kept telling me was that you still weren’t responding. They wouldn’t let me in no matter how many times I tried, they actually threatened to sedate me if I didn’t sit down. I was this close to punching a doctor Y/n I swear.”

All of his rambling was making you laugh until you seen the tears still coming out of his red and dry eyes. “Poe, you’re crying. Stop crying, I’m fine.”

“ I was worried about you. Seeing you just lying there in my arms not moving and barely breathing, that out a picture in my head that I never wanted to see. And now it’s something I can’t get out my head.” He says grabbing your hand that’s closest to him and squeezing it softly.

“Poe-“

“No, wait a minute, just listen for a second, okay? I prayed and promised to whoever was listening that if you made it out of this I would tell you the truth, and we only have a couple more minutes, so just let me say it, please?” He took your silence as a green light to tell you.

“Okay look Y/n, I don’t know how this is going to affect us but I can’t hold it in anymore. I’m in love with you.”

That made you stop breathing completely.

“And I know we always flirt and joke around but it’s real for me and I know it is for you too. Why do we keep torturing ourselves? Why don’t we just let go of the fear and see where it takes us?” Taking off his signature necklace, the one he holds close to his heart the one with his mothers band on it, and he holds it up for you to see it clearly. “You see this? When I met you I knew this ring was meant for you, I just didn’t know how to approach you with it. Now I am, and I know you’re afraid about what could happen to one of us in the future, but to be honest I don’t care about what could happen. Because I would rather us be together whole heartedly in love with each other for only one day, then to continue putting ourselves through this cycle of suffrage, and not having the chance to show it at all. I know you’re afraid but we can’t let fear dictate how we feel about each other anymore. So what do you say?”

“Poe”, you sigh. “Poe I have lost to many people to this war, if let you in now and something we’re to happen to you, the pain would be unbearable. And don’t say you promise you won’t leave because that’s not a promise you can keep, no matter how loyal you are. Trust me many have, and their deaths still way heavy in my mind.”

“I wasn’t going to make you that promise because that is not in our control, you’re right. But I can promise you that I will love you unconditionally till the day I die whether that be on the battlefield or after we grow old together, I’m going to love you. So what do you say?”

“…”

“It’s ok you don’t have to answer right away I know it’s a lot to think about and pro-”

“Yes.”

“What.”

“Yes. I love you, and you’re right, no more hiding behind fear, its just me and you from now on, the good and the bad.”

The joy that Poe felt go through his body was one he had never felt before. Fumbling a little to get the ring off of his chain and put it on your finger but you stop him, and the hurt and pain in his eyes caused you to elaborate more on what you meant.

“I mean not right now. I want to receive this ring at out ceremony, just hold on a little bit long because I will be expecting that ring to be on my finger very very soon.”

Pure joy goes through Poe’s body from head to toe and he was smiling so hard that his cheeks were hurting. And he did something that he has been wanting to do since he laid eyes on you. Faster than you can comprehend he stands up from his chair and smashes his lips onto yours. Catching you off guard but you quickly recover, melting into the most explosive and head spinning kiss you’ve ever had, no scratch that you’ve never had a kiss like this before. It’s a good thing you’re already laying down in the bed because if you weren’t you were sure your knees would have gave out on you. You both pulled away after a few more quick pecks, and just sat there holding hands, staring at each other. Talking wasn’t needed to know what the other was thinking. Both of you wondering how did you get so lucky.

————————————————————

A/n: Running on a couple hours of sleep from last night. But I can’t believe I got this done in only a few hours. Would’ve been a lot sooner if tumblr didn’t erase the whole ending so I had to rewrite what I remembered. Which I am not completely satisfied with because I liked the original ending a lot better than this even though similar. Curse tumblr and my foggy brain I should sleep but that’s most likely not gonna happen anytime soon.

@theidiotsincontrol @book-place

[fictional-men-have-my-heart]

Day 26

Hello all! Welcome to day 26! It's crazy to think I'm now less than a week from the end of the month. Thank you to all those along for the ride so far, and welcome to those just now stumbling onto this mess haha. I've had a lot of fun with this, and I'm glad it's been entertaining. This time I want to put out ideas I had about how the gents of the 141, Los Vaqueros, and Konig would make you take care of yourself when you refuse to slow down. (They do care about you after all).

Price:

You kept a semi-strong face up most of the time. But when it came to a phantom ache in your ankle from a long-ago sprain, you had more difficulty disguising it. After multiple long days of helping pack up equipment for a mission, you couldn't be bothered to try hiding your limp anymore.

Anyone who asked got a dismissive wave and an "I'll be fine."

Your captain wasn't one to take your stubbornness, however. He all but corners you in his office after he sent Gaz to fetch you.

"Sit." He says, gesturing to the chair in front of him.

"There's still work Captain, I-"

"That wasn't an offer." You purse your lips and sit, watching him reach into a desk drawer and pull out an instant cold pack.

"Captain, I'm fine."

"You've been dragging trails through the dust in the hangar all morning, so you're gonna sit here with this for at least 30 minutes, got it?"

"...yes sir."

Ghost:

He pays more attention to his crew than most people would give him credit for. It's why when he sees you nodding off during dinner that evening he opts to seek you out and address it.

"What's wrong kid?" He asks, quickly falling into step with you.

"Didn't get much sleep, sir, never sleep very well in new places."

"How about you go before the rest of the lot gets back?"

"I've got watch in twenty."

"I'll sort it out. You go."

"Sir-"

"Now."

"Yes sir."

Soap:

Being that the crew is pretty tightly knit, Soap can tell when things are on your mind. Rough missions, tough training days, he can gather it from how your shoulders hunch and your eyes dull.

"Got a raincloud followin' you, wanna talk about it?" He asks, nudging your foot with his as he sits beside you. You're sporting some new bruises and his blood boils a bit.

"Not particularly. Got roughed up a bit is all."

"By who?"

"I didn't catch a name honestly... they're the big ol' hunk of jackass from the other squadron here."

"They playin' dirty, eh?"

"Yeah, they are. Fuckin' pricks."

"Well, 'm sorry to hear that. Tell you what, you go get an ice pack, I'll be right back."

"Don't be stupid Soap."

"Don' worry 'bout me rookie." He had said, flashing you a grin as he left.

Gaz:

You and him had been pretty fast friends after you joined the crew. He was who you typically went to first, and he secretly took a bit of pride in it. New gossip around the post, asking to spar, or general questions and musings, he was the guy you'd pick. It was because of this he could tell when you were getting homesick, or just losing some of the fire that drove you.

"Hey, Price says we've got a few weeks of leave after this next mission."

"Really?" You perked up a bit.

"Yeah, guess it's time to start planning what we're all gonna do with ourselves."

"I want to go back to France, go check out some of the restaurants I haven't been to in a while."

"Ooh, mind if I tag along? You've got better ideas than I do." He'd muse. You grinned.

"How's your French?"

Alejandro:

He took a few days to decide that he was in fact right, you had been missing lately. Rudy hadn't seen you, nor had many of the others. He knew at some points you liked to disappear for a bit and be alone, but it always made him hyper-aware of where you were or weren't. He checked a few places you frequented, carrying a bag with him.

He found you holed up in an old, unused office.

"Been lookin' for you." He'd say softly, setting the bag in front of you.

"And yet you always seem to find me?"

"You don't make it all that easy." He'd joke. You pulled the bag to you, tugging it open to find some snacks and water, plus a book you had mentioned. "You know where to find me." He smiles, patting your shoulder.

"Thanks, Colonel. I'll see you later."

Rudy:

You tended to isolate after rough missions. Rudy knew this, as did Alejandro. He also knew you'd push yourself to exhaustion before you'd finally settle in back home. The sun had barely started rising when he found you running out on a common trail you made around base, and he decided to run with you.

"Sleep well?" He asked sarcastically. He knew if you had, you wouldn't be out here before dawn.

"Of course sir." You'd reply, rolling your eyes. You'd both fall silent, the crunching of stones under your feet and breathing the only sounds until other personnel began emerging from the surrounding buildings.

"There's an indoor training room I use when I'm too wired to get some good sleep." He offers as you walk back to the bunkhouse.

"Yeah? I may have to check that out." You joke, kicking off your shoes and saluting him jokingly. "For now, I'm gonna need a shower."

"See you at breakfast?"

"Grab me a coffee please!"

"Of course."

Konig:

Socializing wasn't necessarily his strongest skill, but he was extraordinarily observant. He could tell when things began weighing heavily on your mind, as it almost seemed to drag behind you like an ankle weight. He opted to share a little skill he'd picked up long ago, sitting across from you with some paper.

"Wanna see a trick?" He asked. Your eyes met his, one eyebrow raised as you nodded. He began folding a familiar pattern, showing off a little paper star after a few moments.

"... how?" Is all you asked. He slid you some pieces of paper, wordlessly showing you step by step how to produce the tiny little stars on your own. By the time you two were out of paper, there was a tiny cosmos strewn about the table and a smile on your face.

[hournites]

Injury Prompt for Hournite - 3 and 20

Scolding them for their reckless actions, while they look at you, smiling softly

"Don't even try to get up" || "Watch me!" *stumbles and falls on the ground*

~.~

Beth had just finished pouring the batter for her cake into a greased pan when the doorbell rang. The only one in the house, she muttered to herself as she tried to slow the batter's descent fast enough to make it to the door on time. It could've been a parcel for her mom or one of the girl scouts selling cookies. Beth was on explicit instructions to buy no less than five packages from 3 separate flavours from her dad should they come--A deal made behind her mother's back, of course.

So, Beth was rather unprepared to find Rick leaning heavily against her door post when she got out there.

"Rick!" She gasped at the gash on his forehead and more blood soaking through his jacket. His face looked pale, and his words were shaky as he spoke. "I was already on my way over and...I didn't know where else to go."

"What happened?" She didn't wait for his answer, dragging him in to her bathroom. She sat him down on the toilet-lid and ran for her goggles in her bedroom. When she returned, he lifted himself up.

"Don't even try to get up!"

"It's not that bad," he argued, and for the life of her, she didn't understand why Rick couldn't accept an L when life threw one at him. "I promise, look. Watch me!" Just as quickly as he got up to his feet did he stagger, and Beth had to quickly help him back to his seat. "Or maybe don't..."

She scanned him on her diagnostic mode, then climbed up her sink cabinet to rummage around for the first aid-kit as the results loaded.

No broken bones or internal bleeding--But she still was waiting for the analysis on whether or not to look out for a possible concussion. Her goggles confirmed more sprains, cuts, bruises and a wound that would need stitches on his arm. "What happened?" she demanded again.

"I got into an accident?" He wiped at the sticky blood on his head. "A small...car...one?"

The roll of gauze in Beth's mouth fell into the sink. "You got into a car accident?!?" She hurried down, peeling his jacket off at least halfway to get a good look at the bleeding arm, and then grabbed onto him by the shoulders to check him over herself. "What?!" She hugged him. Rick hissed but slowly wrapped his good arm around her back. "Rick! How?"

"I was on my way here...and then you texted me...so I glanced at my phone and I guess my eyes were off the road for too long because..."

"Oh my god," Beth whispered, sucking in an anxious breath. "Did you hit something?"

He stared at his shoes.

"Rick?!"

"...I might've hit a deer."

"You hit a deer," Beth repeated numbly. Before she could process it, she stood up, and brought his head against her for another tight hug. All Beth could think about was that Rick hit something and that he was on the way to her house and that it was her text message that he had glanced at and that his parents had died in a car crash and holy--Her lungs seized with fear as she ran her hands through his hair. He hit a deer and all that they needed to fix were two gashes and a possible concussion? That was lucky.

"Aren't you going to ask if the deer was okay?"

Beth would've, she realized. If this had happened a year ago, or maybe even six months ago. She cared tremendously about animals and had always been reduced to tears at the unpleasant sight of roadkill, but that thought hadn't even entered her mind.

She shook her head. "I don't care."

"No?" Rick sounded confused.

"I don't care about the deer." She tilted his head up and wiped at the blood on his face, watched as it stained her finger. She reached for the first-aid kit with her free hand and worked to clean it up. "Rick," she said firmly. "I just care about you."

Her goggles beeped.

...No concussion detected.

"Good news. No head trauma." Beth pulled the thick band of the goggles over her head, resting them gently on the fuzzy carpet beneath them. "Good, it means I don't have to feel so bad."

He frowned at her. "Bad about what?"

Beth exploded into a rant. "I can't believe that you...Rick! Texting while driving is dangerous! What were you thinking?!"

"I wasn't texting...I was looking."

"It's the same thing! What do you mean you were looking at my texts?"

"I always want to look at your texts."

"Not on the road!" Beth scolded in spite of her face heating up. "Why don't you have driving mode enabled on your phone? I know you have that feature."

"I disabled it," Rick mumbled.

"Why would you do that? It's there for a reason!"

"If something terrible happens on the JSA and I don't see it because I was driving, that would be stupid!"

"No, you hitting a deer is something terrible that happened!" Beth exclaimed. She took his bad arm and pressed the gauze against the angry red torn-up skin to stop the bleeding. "I'm going to have to call my mom because this needs stitches."

"I thought you were practicing how to sew stitches."

"I am, but I don't want to risk messing them up on you."

The room grew quiet and some of the anger deflated from her voice. "I'm sorry if I shouted, I'm just worried. I care about you."

"I know."

"I never like seeing you hurt."

"I know," Rick said again, this time more gently.

"I'm going to reinstall that feature on your phone and then lock it so you won't be able to change it back."

"Okay."

"And I'm going to get you something for the stinging."

"...Okay."

"And your car?" "...It's had better days."

"Why are you smiling?" Beth wondered out loud.

He drew his gaze away as his cheeks went rosy. "Nothing...Nothing. I'm sorry. I know it was stupid. I'm not doing that again."

Beth exhaled and in the silence, she couldn't help but whisper"...Was the deer okay?"

He glanced up at her again. "Yeah. The deer was okay."

"Good. That's good." Her shoulders dropped with even more tension she hadn't known she was holding. "Are you okay?" She wasn't talking about the the cuts or bruises or the whiplash. She wasn't even talking about his car. She was talking to the boy who had lost his parents in an out-of-control crash one late night, to the boy who had the worst of times vocalizing that fear.

"Yeah." Rick's hand found hers. "I am now." He leaned forward as Beth kneeled in front of him, dressing the rest of his cuts and bruises with band-aids. Two foreheads touched. She closed her eyes and so did Rick, just breathing in the moment, the shared silence saying more than either of their words could. I'm okay. I'm here. I'm with you.

"So what was the surprise?"

"What?" Beth mumbled, still wrapped up in being close with him.

"Your text. You said you were making a surprise."

Oh! Oh. "Right!" Beth laughed, thinking about the mess that she left in the kitchen. "Do you want any cake?"

[hellhound5925]

Cyare Verd *Beloved Warrior*

Chapter Eight

Lunch had been nuhunla (amusing) to say the least. Naturally the boys wanted to learn more curse words - which for the most part they knew…flawlessly - however I encouraged more everyday phrases which they seemed to pick up on quickly. Hardcase thought he would start a food fight with Jesse which naturally Fives inserted himself in the middle of. That ended when Rex finally joined the table and was accidentally hit in the chest by Hardcase who got a stern look. The rest of the table - including myself laughed.

“Are we going to workout after this?” Echo asked Fives.

“Do we have to?” Fives asked.

“Unless you want to get your sheb (ass) handed to you on the battle field I recommend you do.” Chimed in Tup.

“I would never” replied Fives as if he was offended.

“What? Get your sheb beat by some clankers?” Asked Jesse. Fives repeated what he said in a mocking tone. Rex rolled his eyes.

“He didn’t disagree” I said laughing.

“Ouch you know, That really hurts” Fives said mocking me, acting like he had been shock in the chest.

“Not as much as it will when the droids beat your sheb” Rex joked.

It caught me by surprise that Rex had chimed in on picking on Fives. Maybe he was feeling more comfortable with me around? I don’t know, but it made it that much more hilarious coming from him.

“FINE….” Fives finally agreed. “But only if Raven comes with. It’s only fair”

“Do you need her to hold your hand?” Asked Jesse.

“Unfortunately that’s usually my job…” Echo snorts.

“Why is it ‘gang up on Fives’ all the sudden?” Asked Fives.

“It only seems fair you chayalikir (tease/make fun of) everyone else it seems” I say.

“She’s not wrong” say Kix. “I would still like to look at that ankle before you go anywhere” he says turning to me.

“I’m ready when you are. Fives I promise I’ll work out with you sometime” I say getting up to take care of my garbage. Kix follows.

The two of us head out the door to the med bay. When we get there I hop up on he table, take my armor and boot off before pulling up my pant leg.

“How’s it feel?” Asked Kix looking it over.

“Alright, just bruised. I’ve had worse” I say noticing it already bruising a little. He looks up at my and cocks his head before returning back to my ankle.

Kix pulls out a small scanner and data pad. He scans me ankle and looks over at the data pad. “It’s not broken or sprained. Probably just bruised, ice it if it hurts”.

“I told you I’d be fine” I say appreciating his concern. Kix gives me a look. “What?” I ask.

“I get the feeling you be another accident prone one” He says raising an eye brow.

“I have no idea what you are talking about” I smile down at him while he fixes my pant leg. He hums in response.

“You are all clear for duty ma’am” He stands up and salutes me.

I laugh “That’s cute Kix but like I said the other day, I have no rank. No need to be formal”.

“I know but it’s a respect thing. I think the rest of the squad feels the same way” he says.

I put my boot and my shin plate back on before hopping off the table. “So are you coming with?” I asked.

“No I’ve got some inventory to do this afternoon, in case we get called out.” He say.

“Alright, Ret’! (Bye/See you)” I salute him before heading out the door.

I step through the door and practically bump into Rex - again.

“We’ve gotta stop doing this” he laughs.

“I guess so” I say trying to hide the fact I feel myself blushing. “What did you come to check on me or something?” I tease.

“Well yeah actually, I figured Kix was probably overreacting but I wanted to make sure. Risky move you pulled earlier” He says rubbing the back on his neck.

He’s cute when he does that…

“Yeah I’m fine, just a bruise” I smile up a him.

“Good” he says.

“Where are you off to now?” I ask

“Reports, I’ve got reports from our last mission to review before they are submitted” He says. It doesn’t take a Jedi to sense his annoyance.

“Anything I can help with?” I offer.

“That’s very kind of you, but I’m not sure if you have the clearance to look them over” he says looking disappointed.

“Ohhh, I wonder if that’s something Anakin could get for me? Seems like you could use the help, if I’m not over stepping.”

“I can look into it. The GAR seems to be short on help these days” he perks up some.

“In the mean time let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. I’d like to be more useful than being a combat instructor. Plus I have enjoyed my time getting to know each member of the squad”

After thinking for a moment Rex finally says “Actually if you wouldn’t mind Jesse should be inventorying our weapons in the armory if you want to see if he needs anything”.

“Perfect, I will head that way now” I smile at Rex. “Don’t have too much fun” I look behind me at the Captain who seem to be frozen in place. “Was there something else?” I holler back.

“Uh no, I’d better get going” He says before continuing the opposite direction down the hall.

—————————

I catch up with Jesse in the armory, who I don’t think heard me come in as he didn’t even look my direction.

“Me’vaar it gar? (Sitrep)” I asked caning him to spin around. “Rex sent me this way to see if you wanted any help”

“Oh, yeah I could definitely use help. I am inventorying ammo, blaster of different kinds, grenades, droid poppers-“ he starts before I cut him off.

“Droid poppers?” I ask.

“It’s basically an EMP” he says with a smile.

“Oh right that makes sense” I reply.

I kneel down next to the crate Jesse is looking in when he hands me the data pad. “Here, you read from the list, and I’ll make sure we’ve got them. If not, I might have you run over there and grab whatever we need” He says pointing to some of the cages with a variety of weapons.

During this time I get to know Jesse who is quite honestly a combination of Fives and Echo. He’s smart and strategic but also has that childish attitude from time to time. I feel he better knows the time and place for that better than Fives does though.

When we are done I decide I’d head out into Coruscant for a quick bite. It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed my time with the 501st but I need sometime to process my day before heading to bed.

Masterlist

[apparitianhanako]

Whumptober day 4: Dead on Your Feet

Prompts used: Hidden Injury; Can’t Pass Out

“Is everyone alive and accounted for?”  

It was after a particularly rough battle, plenty of blood lost on their side.

“We have everyone,” Warriors said.

“How bad?” Time didn’t wait for an answer, he just went about checking everyone. Minor injuries on Four and Legend’s side, both of them being superb fighters. Wind had a bad ankle sprain and Sky had a few deep cuts. Twilight had banged up his arm, but he’d make quick recovery, and Wild had bruises, but nothing serious.  

“How are you feeling Hyrule?”

“It was pretty rough, but I think I’ll be fine.” Hyrule smiled up at him, rolling his shoulders back. “I got a few bruises and cuts, but nothing that will even need bandages.” Time nodded, smiled, and walked away. Wild had already started on dinner, and Wind helped eagerly. Legend settled himself beside Hyrule.

“Nothing serious?” He asked, a small hint of worry in his voice. Hyrule shook his head.

“No. Bruises and scratches, but nothing more,” he replied. Legend nodded. “Good to hear.” He stood, walking over to check up on Wind and Warriors. Hyrule heaved a sigh of relief, wincing at the pain in his chest. He hadn’t been lying. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle by himself. If he was quick about it.

“Time, I have to go for a moment!” Hyrule yelled across camp. Time nodded at him, and Hyrule walked off. Legend’s eyes bored into him.

Hyrule made off quickly, finding a relatively secluded spot. He removed his tunic and all upper garments, making with the healing magic. He knew he’d gotten at least two ribs cracked and trying to fight with that wouldn’t work. At least not well.

When it failed to work, he tried using red potions. But it wasn’t enough to repair much of the damage. He frowned, pulling his clothes back on. It hurt a considerable amount to adjust his crop top and tie his belt, but he managed before walking back to camp.

“That took a while,” Legend commented. Hyrule chuckled.

“Well, you know, when nature calls...” Legend didn’t stop looking.

Hyrule avoided Legend’s gaze for the rest of the day, still making sure to interact with all his brothers before night fall. He didn’t sleep well at all, he was in too much pain, and he knew they’d be leaving immediately in the morning.

Early the next morning they all sat together to enjoy a warm breakfast before setting out.

“Did you not sleep well, Hyrule? You look exhausted,” Warriors asked. Hyrule shook his head.

“Yeah, I don’t know what it is. I’ve just been having trouble sleeping.” He laughed a bit, shrugging. The shrug caused a shot of pain, and he winced, covering a weak cry of pain.

Legend glared. “What happened, Hyrule?” Hyrule waved it off.

“It’s nothing, I think a bruised my arm, is all.” Legend obviously didn’t believe him, but he didn’t push it, which Hyrule was grateful for.

They continued there day normally, mostly travel. They didn’t come across anything odd, no monsters and hardly any civilians. Hyrule masked his pain well, once wincing when someone bumped into him or when he messed up his footing.

They made camp again that night, everyone tired and in pain. Hyrule lay on his back, watching the stars and trying to get his mind off of things. His chest hurt and he had hardly been able to help the wound. He guessed it was because his stamina was low, he’d need rest before he could try his magic again.

The darkness came quickly, and with it the light snores of his brothers. Twilight and Four were on first watch, staying to watch the sunset and the twinkling of the stars. Hyrule did his best to fall asleep, but it hurt. He couldn’t sleep with how much pain he was in. He may have drifted off a few times throughout the night, but he didn’t get any rest.

Early the next morning he was up, the pain almost unbearable. The swelling was getting obvious and he wasn’t able to hold in yelps of pain or wincing.

“Hyrule, just tell us what’s wrong...” Warriors said. Hyrule sighed.

“I broke some ribs, and nothing I’m doing can help. Trust me, I’ve tried everything I can think off!” Legend looked pissed.

“You broke ribs? And you didn’t tell us? Why?!”

Hyrule scowled. “Here’s a thing about fae anatomy. We’re all born inter-sex. Which means we have both masculine and feminine parts. My bare chest isn’t something I want any of you to see,” he explained. Everyone nodded, a look of understanding crossing their features.

“Ok? And? We still could have helped!” Legend exclaimed. “It probably caused even more damage because you didn’t care for it. Let me see...” Hyrule removed his tunic, leaving on his cropped top. Legend made a face.

“Well shit... that’s bad...”

Luckily, Warriors had practice with medicine and, with the help of everyone that knew anything about medical care, they got the wound mostly taken care of.

“If this happens again... just tell one of us. It’s not a problem. We’re always here to help, it's what brothers are for.” Legend offered the traveler a light hug, careful to avoid the healing area. Hyrule gladly accepted.

[renee-writer]

Loved Her First Chapter 48

A/N This chapter is, once again, all the brilliant @omgbarbiegurl

AO3

When Faith awoke the next morning and sat up, she sighed softly.

Her ankle was hurting, yes, but she was not in severe pain, which meant her Mama was correct and she had merely sprained it.

She needed to get the cloth off her ankle though, let the Ace Bandages breathe a little while she was alone.

She swung her legs down and immediately met a body.

She let out a shriek and drew her legs up fast.

Not fast enough however when Ian sat up her foot caught his nose.

“OW!” He yelped, pressed his hand to it and stared at her.

“Ian! What are you doing sneaking around?”

“I wasna sneaking, I was sleeping. Or I was until you kicked me! I think you broke my nose!”

“I wasn’t trying to kick you; I was going to-”

He moved his hand from his nose and glared at her. “You were gonna get up and wander on your ankle when Auntie told you to rest. That the gist of it?”

“Uh…”

The door flung open and her Mama and Da appeared.

They both looked at the situation and her Da smirked.

“I can assume this is not what I think it is?”

Faith giggled. “No Da, Ian was I guess, sleeping in here.”

“I told him I could.” Her Mama said.

At her Da’s look, she shrugged.

“I figured she would need help getting around, but apparently she opted to do what I did when we were out collecting the Rents, remember?”

Her Da chuckled and shook his head. “Check the boy for broken ribs and you, young lady.” He fixed a disgruntled look at his oldest daughter. “Get back in bed, let your Mam look you over.”

Faith huffed. “Fine.”

Claire fussed over Ian, looking him over before shaking her head.

“Your fine Ian, will you run down and get the tray Mrs. Crook has ready?”

“Aye Auntie.” He kissed Faith’s cheek and darted out of the room.

Her Mama sighed and went to look at her ankle.

“What were you doing?”

“Trying to take the cloth off so I can let the Ace Bandages breathe a little.”

“Hmm I want to look at it, so we can unwrap everything.”

Claire unwrapped the cloth, then the Ace Bandages and hissed softly.

“Oh Faith.”

Faith looked down and winced. Her poor ankle and foot looked like it had gone 10 rounds with Muhammad Ali. It was covered with blue black bruises and was grossly swollen.

“Are you sure it's just sprained?”

“We can test it again now that your adrenaline has worn off.”

Claire moved Faith’s foot against her hand. “Wiggle your toes against my hand.”

Faith took a deep breath and very slowly wiggled her toes against her Mama’s hand.

“Good girl. Now can you rotate slightly?”

Faith tried, but the pain was too much, she shook her head.

“Hmm that’s normal with sprains. It’s not broken love, just a sprain I promise. Let’s not wrap it up right now, I want it to be elevated. Jamie, will you help me?”

They quickly set up some cloth into a small hammock.

Jamie gently laid Faith’s foot into it and she breathed a little easier.

“Now, you are not to move. You are to stay put; everyone will take shifts to tend to you. Understand?”

“Yes Da.”

“Good. And I stand by what I said last night, you scare us like that again, your arse will be wore out.”

Faith tried to pout, but she smiled instead.

“I am sorry I did that.”

Jamie kissed her head gently. “Just don’t do it again.”

Ian appeared with the tray and quickly went to her side.

Faith gave him a dark look.

“If you think you are feeding me, you are out of your mind.”

Ian chuckled and handed her a bowl of Porridge.

Claire smiled at the pair, she could so easily see herself and Jamie in them. They had been that young once, so in love with each other.

She looked over at her husband and took his hand.

“Come with me.”

Jamie didn’t argue. He knew that look on his wife’s face.

Faith took a bite of the Porridge and sighed. “Hmm so good.”

“I spoke to Uncle last night, by the time I came back, you were sleeping.”

“Sorry, that bath relaxed me enough to make me sleepy, Mama just put me to bed. What did he say?”

“He said yes.”

She gasped around the spoon in her mouth, her eyes shining. “Oh my God really?”

“Aye. He was ready to kill me at first, he thought you were with child. But I told him we both behaved ourselves.”

She smiled and swallowed the Porridge before pressing a kiss to his lips.

There was a thump down the hall, and she giggled again.

Apparently, she and Ian were not the only ones…kissing. 

[aidenlyons]

Even though he decided, Aiden has to get a little help from Elias and psych himself up a bit. After a particularly rough game, Aiden waits and then nervously steps into the Britechester locker room...

A: Nearly gives me a heart attack every time you get hit, you know.

It's not subtle, but Aiden is too nervous and that's all he can think to say.

Jake stiffens, not sure he's really hearing correctly. He hasn't heard that voice in a little over a year.

J: Aiden?

Shocked, Jake self-consciously runs a hand through his damp hair, and says the first thing that comes to mind.

J: You cut your hair off. You look.. different. Good.

Aiden reaches up to touch his hair. This is awkward, but he isn't being yelled at or told to get out. So.. he's going to be optimistic.

A: ... yeah. It was time for a change. I've been in therapy and it's.. really helped. I'm glad you like it.

J: You always look good, Aiden. I.. almost forgot. Or maybe you just look better now.

Aiden chuckles and blushes. Compliments from this man apparently will never cease to make him blush.

A: Flatterer. Are you alright? He vaguely motions to the cuts and Jake's wrapped arm.

J: Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Just bruised, sprained wrist but should be ok for the next game. Team doctor already checked me out.

For a moment, he pauses, confused and a little hopeful, maybe.

J: Not that it's not good to see you, but.. what are you doing here, Aiden?

A: I'm glad you'll be okay.

Here is the tough part. Aiden takes a deep breath to steel his nerves and he rubs the back of his neck but doesn't look away.

A: A lot of things have happened. For both of us, probably. I'd like to talk about it.. on.. a date, maybe?

J: A real date? Potentially getting back together, date?

Aiden nods, Jake lets out a slow breath.

J: You're sure? You've got yourself sorted? I can't go through the same thing twice, so if you have any lingering doubts...

Yeah, he deserves that. Doesn't keep it from stinging a little though.

A: I wouldn't be here if I wasn't sure, Jake. I.. I've tried going on dates, since you're the only one I had dated. I compared everyone to you.

A: It wasn't actually until Elias said you were acting jealous during practice, that - I'm guessing Kory - told you Elias and I had slept together...

Jake winces and Aiden clears his throat.

A: Um, anyway. I'm sure. Very sure. Would you go on a date with me?

J: Then yes, Aiden. I'd like to go on a date with you. We never really did that, did we? Go on proper dates.

A: I think we had one. To the pier? But after that..

J: Yeah, after that the shit hit the fan and.. everything sped up.

A: Yeah. How about we take it slow this time? Start with that date and see where it goes.

J: Sounds good to me.

A: Well, I'll have to check my work schedule. Text me yours and we'll figure something out?

J: Yeah. Ok.

J: I'll text you after I get back to my dorm.

A: Sure.

Neither of them move and Jake chuckles.

J: You gotta go, Aiden. I need to change.

A: Oh. Oh! Right. Yeah. I'll go. Let me know.

Reluctantly, Aiden leaves, but in higher spirits than he's felt for a long time.

[morningstarascending]

Life No Longer Silenced - Part 2

Here is House Springs Middle School, worse abuse from my father and bullies, teachers anger and disrespect towards students becomes worse as well, then I discovers teachers playing favorites. My sister was being spoiled, she became such a brat. If she didn't get her way, she would lie to get her way. Result would be, my brother or I in trouble. H.S.M.S. bullies making me bleed now and school system not caring. Mother went further one time and screamed in my eat but bit my ear. My father would beat me and my brother but never my sister infront of anyone. He would never spank, mostly beat but he would include a belt, two by four, hocky stick, baseball bat, whatever that was within reach. One morning I get up to go to school, my brother was already awake and told me he was a sick. He turns around and buys porn on the satelite PrimeStar, well guess what, I am the one to get in trouble and blamed for it. At one time my brother and I were force to to the entire households laundy, including under garments. Well my brother was being an ass and only folding towels, shoving clothes in the other basket thinking I wasn't looking and, so as brothers we fought. Our father wasn't happy with that, came out to do so called discipline on us. He beat us and threw us into a glass top coffee table with large glass candle holders, my chest has masive bruises and minor scraps on my arms. We were to scared to tell anyone, we were told to tell lies. Then there is a moment when I really snapped after one incident with my father, he did something; I yelled at him and hit him and ran, finaly trapping myself under my bed till my mother came home. I was still scared of him cause of the abuse. Then I end up living with my grandpants and going to Washington Middle School. Kinda I guess I had my first girlfriend but it wasn't anything really and didn't get to talk to her. One time a bully pushed my down some stairs and thankfully only ended up with a sprain in my ankle. I was rolling down the stairs and kid ran and jumped down past me as I was tumbling. As usual, school did nothing about it. So same stuff but more bully violence, different school and, learning about the bad habits my mother received from her parents. School system finds out and I am forced to move back to my parents house. Saint Charles Junior High, bad school, bad teachers, perverted students, bullies, find out now my sister was also included in my fathers abuse as well and, triggering moment with my brother and sister that hurt me. At that time I really start to stuggle in handling everything. The stress, the abuse, being ignored, belitting and, no one to turn to or talk to and, their want in controling every aspect of my life. Nail bitting all my life from the stress, doing better with it now. Always the misunderstood outcast and never a real friend. And everytime it was the false friends that would take advantage of my kindness, and be selfish of my time, rarely ever get to do anything I like and sometimes shared interests might over lap but I could still miss some things. Also lose money in all the bullshit I experienced. Developing poor social skills and wanting more to be a loner. Teachers at this school were completely checked out and didn't care. I was given the option to pick electives and I loved it at the time. I would choose everything where I would try to interact in less tight group activities and heavily physical activities. So I chose musical, art, cooking and, beach vollyball. Cooking was ok, was surrrounded by girls, really dumb cooking stuff, I learned more on tv. Beach vollyball was another moment I can forget. Again I was surrrounded by girls (I know, no judging) but this time stuff happened. Middle school girls are just as perverted as boys. All they would do is talk about sex and penises, while drawing body parts in the sand. They would tease me and push me to show mine, all I did was blush and try to ignore them. Teacher would never believe me when I would tell them, here is an early moment girls are believe over boys. Gender doesn't matter, toxicity in all.

[ilyasorokinn]

perfectly perfect , tyson jost

note, holy shoes! i just want to thank you for following me and sticking with me through the crazy. so as a way to thank you for everything you've done, here's a little something that you voted on. it's a best friends-to-lovers fic with tyson jost. and yes, this is a jess and nick inspired fic. pair, tyson jost x reader summary, tyson and y/n. y/n and tyson. that's always how it's been. they're best friends, roommates, each other's person. phrase it however you want. y/n and tyson were perfect for each other because they balanced each other out perfectly. warnings, alcohol consumption, some light cursing, injuries (bruises and a hospital visit (sprained wrist)) word count, 3852 words (holy shoes, this is long)

(gif not mine)

You let a sigh as you trudged down the hallway towards your apartment. You knew Tyson was already home cause you saw his car parked in the spot next to yours.

As soon as you were inside, you dropped everything right in front, not even kicking it out of the way, and made your way over to the fridge and grabbed the first bottle of wine you saw.

You made your way into the living room and plopped down next to Tyson, taking a long sip straight from the bottle, "All right, guess I won't be drinking that one." He sighed.

"Let me be sad, Tyson." You hit him softly.

"Why're you sad?" He asked.

"Are you asking because you care or because it's the proper thing to do when you're best friend's sad?" You asked. He stayed quiet, "That's what I thought."

"I think "best friend" might be laying it on a bit thick." You hit him in the shoulder and sulked off into your room.

Whether Tyson would admit it or not, you were best friends, and at the end of the day, you were there for each other when you needed each other the most.

A few minutes after you settled into bed, you heard a knock on your door, "Yeah?" Tyson pushed the door open and popped his head in.

"I ordered a pizza," He told you as he laid down on your bed next to you, "You want to talk about it?"

"No, cause then I'll get all sad and mushy, and I know you don't like crying."

"Well, I don't hate crying..."

"I know, you hate when I cry." You corrected, letting out a sigh, "Guys suck."

"What happened?"

"You know that guy I was sort of seeing?"

"Cooper?"

"Yeah, him. Turns out he's engaged and the woman he's engaged to is pregnant with his baby."

"Wow." Tyson nodded, too speechless to say anything else.

"Yeah." You nodded, "I dumped him, made a scene, so that was the fun part, I guess."

"How are you not angrier?"

"I don't know, I'm just not." You shrugged, " Can we talk about something else? I'm sad and this is making me even sadder."

"All right, let's change the subject." Tyson nodded, reaching for the remote sitting on your nightstand and turning on the TV.

-

You stormed into the apartment, on a mission, finding Tyson in the kitchen leaning on the island, sipping his drink, "What's wrong?"

"I need a date like yesterday."

"Why? What's going on?"

"My sister's wedding is this weekend, and I forgot I checked the date box but there's no time to uncheck it, and I don't have a date because Cooper McDouchebag turned out to be a two-time sleaze bag."

"Awh, that sucks." Tyson made a face as he sipped his drink.

You stared at him, narrowing your eyes, "This is usually the part where you offer to come."

"Oh, right." He straightened up, "I offer myself as your stand-in boyfriend this Saturday evening."

"That would be wonderful, I owe you big time." You smiled, leaning over the island and kissing him on the cheek quickly, "And make sure your tie is light blue, that's the color of my dress."

Tyson was too shocked to reply, the effects of your kiss still lingering in his brain.

-

"You ready? I know how much you hate being late." Tyson hollered from the entryway of your apartment.

"Yeah, I'm almost ready. Give me a sec." You hollered from your room as you slipped your other shoe on. You quickly made your way down the hallway and met Tyson by the door.

He heard your footsteps and looked up, his eyes widening and mouth opening in shock as he took everything in, "What?" You caught his open mouth, "Is something wrong?" You looked down at your outfit, running your hands down it to smooth everything down.

"No, no, you look amazing." He stood there shellshocked, "You look beautiful." He let out a breath.

"Oh, thank you." You smiled, "You look pretty good, too." You reached for your bag on the kitchen island, "Now, let's go. Or we're really gonna be late."

-

You were sitting by yourself at a table, eating some appetizers that had still been sitting at the buffet. Tyson walked up, having just made his escape from talking with all your aunts, and sitting down next to you.

"Sorry, I know they can be a lot sometimes." You smiled, offering him your plate of egg rolls and little finger sandwiches.

"Not the worst encounter in the world." He shrugged.

"Thank you for coming, and if you ever need a favor, let me know. I can be a stand-in date for you."

"I'll let you know." He smiled. Your ears perked up when you heard the song playing through the speakers. You looked over at your sister, who was standing on the dance floor, flagging you over. You laughed, jumping up and running over to join her.

Tyson watched her spin you around, taking a bite of an eggroll. After a few songs, you came stumbling over to Tyson, who quickly caught you before you could hit the ground.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." You nodded, grabbing your drink from off the table and practically inhaling it when something caught your eye, "A photo booth!"

He turned around and saw the little booth in the corner and before he could even get a word in, you were dragging him over to the photo booth.

Your sister, who was dancing with her new husband, pointed over at you, "I'm placing my bet now." She told him.

-

Tyson received your text and was already running out the door. He made sure to grab a bag of peas from the freezer before bolting down the stairs, having forgone the elevator because it would've taken too long.

He ran over to your car and pulled the door open, feeling his own heartbreak when he saw you sitting in the driver's seat a light bruise forming on your eye.

"What happened?"

"I didn't get into a fight, so call off the calvary." You joked tiredly, reaching into the passenger side for your stuff. He took it from you and handed you the bag of peas.

"Sorry, cold." He winced.

"It's fine." You held it to your eye as you made your way towards the elevator, "Thank you for coming down." You sniffled, stuffed up from all the crying you had done on your drive home.

"I'd do anything for you." He wrapped an arm around your shoulder as you waited to go up.

When you got up to your apartment, you made your way into the kitchen and grabbed the leftover pizza box from the fridge, digging into it not even caring that it was cold.

"We have a microwave." He pointed out.

"And it takes too much time to use it." You brushed him off as you made your way over to the couch.

He followed you after having grabbed a few beers and then plopping down next to you. When your hand started to get cold, he reached up and held the bag to your eye.

You breathed out, leaning your head on his shoulder, "How'd it happen?"

"I ran into a door." You stated. Tyson choked on the beer, "I'm being so serious. I ran right into the door."

"Are you okay?"

"No, it hurts."

"Do you need anything else? Advil? Tylenol? Something stronger than beer?" You smiled, shaking your head.

"I'm good right here." You cuddled further into his chest.

-

You excitedly ran down the hallway and quickly unlocked your front door, "Tyson, Tyson, Tyson!" You shouted, hanging up your jacket and slipping your shoes into the box spot they normally were.

"What, what, what?" Tyson ran down the hallway to greet you.

"I got tickets to that movie we've been wanting to see. I had to skip lunch, but that's okay cause I got them." You watched his face fall, "What? What is it?"

"It's nothing, it's just Kate got us tickets for tomorrow."

"Kate? Who's Kate?" You asked.

"My girlfriend." Every sort of excitement and happiness completely disappeared.

"Girlfriend?"

"Yeah." He nodded bashfully, "I was gonna introduce you later tonight. She's coming over for dinner."

"But it's-"

"I know it's Star Wars night, but this was the only night she was free beside tomorrow night." He explained, looking guilty.

"Oh, okay." You nodded, still trying to comprehend everything he had just told you, "I'll, uh, see you then, and I'll stay out of your way for the rest of the night."

"Thanks, you're the best." Tyson beamed, kissing you on the cheek, then running off to his bedroom. You stood in the hallway, feeling dejected and upset and trying to ignore the butterflies erupting in your stomach from the kiss.

-

You had come into the hospital with your best girl friend, Abby, "Come on, you should call him. He'll want to know what's going on and why you're not home yet."

"No, it's date night. He's out with Kate." You shook it off, wincing at the pain in your wrist.

"Well, if you don't do it, I'll do it," Abby stated, and you knew she meant business.

You sighed, reaching for your phone and calling Tyson. You let out a breath as it rang, "Hello?"

"Hey, just wanted to call and let you know that I probably won't get in till late tonight."

"Ooh, got a hot date?" He joked.

"Well, if by hot date you mean the doctor that's about to wrap my wrist in casting, then hell yeah." You smiled.

"Why would a doctor need to wrap your wrist?"

"I sort of sprained it."

"Sprained it?!" He shouted.

You winced, holding the phone away from your ear, "Yeah, I guess I partied a little too hard."

"Well, where are you? I'll come right now." You could hear him grabbing his keys and slipping his shoes on.

"Oh, no, you don't have to come. I know it's date night."

"Where are you?" He repeated.

You told him which hospital you were at and waited. When he finally rushed through the doors, he looked disheveled, "I'll just wait outside." Abby stood up, giving Tyson the chair she once occupied.

"How hard did you guys party?" He joked.

"A little too much. One moment I was standing upright and the next I wasn't and my wrist was throbbing."

"Geez," He scratched his neck.

"I'm sorry, I know it was date night."

"Ah, it's all good. Kate understood." Tyson brushed it off. As if she could sense she was being mentioned, Kate walked into the hospital room you were staying in, and you felt yourself deflate, "Speak of the devil." He smirked.

"Hey." She greeted with a warm smile.

"Hi." You smiled back, plastering on the fakest smile you could muster up.

"That looks pretty gnarly." She pointed to the cast on your wrist.

"Oh, yeah, it's nothing. I'll be counting the days till I get it off, though." You joked and she laughed, "Well, I don't want to keep you here any longer than you need to be."

"You sure?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, I'll catch a ride home with Abby."

"Are you sure?" Tyson asked.

"Yeah." You nodded again.

"All right, I'll see you at home." Tyson stood up, pressed, a kiss to your head and followed Kate out the door.

You watched hopelessly as they walked all the way out the door till you couldn't see them. You sank further into the hospital bed as Abby walked back in.

Although you said he could leave, you almost wanted him to say no and stay with you until you were discharged. You knew he couldn't read minds.

"Men are clueless." She stated.

"You can say that again." You let out a shaky breath causing her to look up from whatever she was doing.

"Oh..." She stood up and wrapped her arms around you, careful not to jostle your wrist. She rubbed your back, letting you cry into her shoulder.

-

A few weeks after your hospital incident, you heard Kate and Tyson get into it, wincing at every insult they would throw at each other. When you finally heard the front door slam, you opened your door and crept outside.

You found Tyson sitting on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. You learned in the door, "You want to talk about it?"

"Nope." He shook his head.

"All right." You nodded, taking the empty spot next to him. You laid in silence before you ultimately decided to break it, "All right, you don't have to talk, I just have a question, and you need to answer honestly."

He nodded, "Was it something I did? Did I do something to break you guys up? Because I've been sitting alone in my thoughts and it's been stressing me out."

"You weren't the cause of the breakup." He told you, "It was a mutual decision."

"I picked on that." You mumbled. He bumped your shoulder, "Sorry, too soon."

"We didn't break up because of you. It was something else she said a couple days ago."

"What'd she say?"

"She said she couldn't be with someone who was in love with someone else."

"In love with someone? Tyson Jost, are you keeping secrets?"

"No! That's why I'm confused."

"I think it's time to get those two brain cells in your brain thinking because they're really gonna be going into overdrive now."

"I think there's more than two."

-

"All right, Y/N, truth or date?" Abby asked.

"Truth or dare? What are we? 12?" You rolled your eyes.

"Why? Scared to pick dare?"

"No." You stated, "Dare."

"All right," Abby looked around the circle, trying to think of something, "I dare you to..." When the thought finally came to her, she perked up, "I dare you to kiss Tyson."

Your eyes widened as you looked over at Tyson, who looked just as surprised, "Oh, no." You both shook your heads.

"Oh, come on." All your friends whined.

"No." You shook your heads again. They were all a little tipsy and slightly drunk, so they were much more whiney.

You rolled your eyes and stood up, heading into the small kitchen to get some space and air. Tyson followed you in, "Refill?" He asked.

"Yep." You nodded, grabbing another drink from the fridge, "You want one?"

"I'm good." He shook his head. You looked up and smiled at him, but jumped when you heard the kitchen door slam shut.

Your brows furrowed together as you turned the knob, but found it locked, "What the heck?"

"We aren't letting you out," Abby shouted.

"Not until you kiss." Your other friend, Brie shouted.

You looked back at Tyson, exasperated, "Abigail!" You shouted.

"Nope, you gotta kiss." She sang.

You sighed, sliding down the door and leaning against it. Tyson slid down the opposite wall, so you were staring at each other, listening to the music playing on the other side of the door.

"Well, out of all rooms, I think this is the best room to get stuck in, just sayin'." You shrugged.

"True, we have food. We'd survive just fine."

After 20 minutes, things were starting to get boring. You had been staring at the same spot on the ceiling and it was starting to look like South America.

"Come on, Tyson. Just kiss me and we can get out of here." You groaned.

"No, I will not." He shook his head.

"Why not? It'll be quick."

"I won't do it, not like this." He stated.

You froze, and looked over at him, "What do you mean?"

"I just-" He stuttered, "It's nothing."

"No, it's not nothing. It's-"

"Did you guys kiss yet?" Abby shouted.

Before you could answer, Tyson beat you to it, "Yeah! Now let us out!" You tried to stop Tyson, but he moved quickly and ran out the door.

Not long after your almost-kiss, Tyson left the sort-of party, but you were stuck because you were the person in charge of making sure everyone got home safe, so you didn't get home till late.

The almost-kiss was still fresh on your mind, so when you walked into your apartment, you ran around the entire apartment looking for Tyson.

"Tyson? Where are you?"

He came out of his room, rubbing his eyes, "Oh, sorry, were you asleep?" He opened his mouth but you cut him off, "That's great, I don't care. We need to talk."

He sighed, "Right, talk."

"What did you mean? When you said not like this?"

He could practically see the hear the cogs turning in his head as he avoided eye contact, "Tyson?"

"I meant..." He groaned, "I didn't want our first kiss to be because of a dare."

You felt like your world had just been altered as you stared at him, trying to wrap your head around what he had just said, "Wait, you mean-?"

"Yeah, Y/N, I like you, a lot."

Your mouth opened then closed, like a fish out of water. He nodded his head, understanding what you were trying to say, "Forget I said anything."

Your blinked back into reality and realized if you didn't do something, you could lose him. You grabbed Tyson's arm, pulled him back over, and smashed your lips onto his.

He stood frozen for a second before his brain caught up to him and he started kissing back.

You pulled away and stared at each other. You both took a step back, then turned in opposite directions and walked into your bedrooms, shutting the doors.

-

The next morning, bright and early, you knocked on Abby's door. She groaned, answering it, "What could be so important at 8 in the morning?"

"I kissed Tyson." You blurted out.

Her eyes widened and any form of exhaustion quickly vanished as she pulled you into her apartment, "What do you mean you kissed him?"

You filled her in on the story and she listened the entire time, "Wow."

"I know." You nodded.

"What're you gonna do?"

"I have no idea. It's so awkward. I was making coffee and he came out and we just... ignored each other."

"Dd, you do that awkward dance around each other?"

"Yeah."

"Oof." Abby winced, "Yeah, that's bad."

"Ugh!"

-

"Hello?"

"Hey." Tyson winced at the sound of how shaky his voice was.

"What'd you do?" JT asked.

"Nothing, I didn't do anything. Well, not really."

"What happened?"

"Y/N kissed me."

"Holy crap!" Tyson proceeded to fill JT on everything that had happened the previous night, "What're you guys gonna do?"

"I have no idea." Tyson ran a hand through his hair.

"Figure it out." With that, he hung up.

"Can always count on JT for some great advice." He fell back on the couch as he thought of what to do.

-

Out of the blue, Laura Jost came into town. She had given you a day's notice, so you were scrambling around the apartment, cleaning every nook, cranny, and surface.

"Look at you. You look amazing." Laura pulled you into a hug.

"It's good to see you, too." You laughed, hugging her back.

"Oh, catch me up on everything. How's work? You still dating that boy, Cooper?"

"Oh, no, we broke up."

"Oh, dear." She frowned, "I'm so sorry."

"Eh, it's okay." You shrugged, sneaking a quick glance at Tyson behind her.

"Well, how's work?"

-

3 days later, Tyson was dropping his mom off at the airport. You were switching from the back seat to the passenger side, waiting for him to say his goodbyes.

"It was good to see you."

"Good to see you, too." Laura smiled, looking back at you, "And I'm really glad you have Y/N here to help you. I know it's hard being in a new city."

"Yeah, she's pretty great." Tyson smiled, looking back at you.

"Don't tell her too late." She bumped him in the shoulder.

"What're you talking about?" He scoffed.

"Oh, come on. I'm not blind. Don't wait too long." She told him.

-

Tyson had been thinking about what his mom had been saying for days on end and he knew she was right. He knew if he kept waiting, time would run out.

He walked into your room, looking around for you, but he quickly found out you weren't home. The apartment building you lived in wasn't big, so he could hear someone shouting from outside.

He peaked his head out the window and heard you shouting, "Hello? Can someone please help me?" You rubbed your arms as the wind blew, "Please? I left my keys inside. I live here. I promise I'm not a murderer."

He laughed, "Y/N!"

You looked up, "Tys." You smiled.

"You left your keys?"

"Well, you know me. I was in a rush." You shrugged.

Tyson knew it was now or never so he decided to shoot his shot, "Stay right where you are."

While you waited, you thought about everything. Everything your friends told you, everything your family told you, every sign that was right in front of your face that you seemed to miss.

Someone opened the door, "Oh, thanks." You smiled, rushing into the building. You pressed the elevator button a bunch of times, hoping it would open faster, and of course, it didn't.

Right as you were pushing the button on the ground floor, Tyson was pushing the button on your apartment floor, "Come on, come on, come on." He mumbled to himself and whoever above would listen to him.

The door opened and he booked it inside, pushing the button he needed.

When you realized the door wasn't opening anytime soon, you decided to run up the stairs. By the time you were on your apartment floor, you were completely out of breath.

You ran into your apartment, looking around frantically for Tyson, "Y/N? Where'd you go?"

You looked out the same window Tyson had jsut been at, "Tyson? What're you doing down there?"

"What're you doing up there?"

"Stay right there." You spoke at the same time, then bolting in opposite directions back to the elevator.

Tyson was pushing the buttons, hoping and praying the elevator would open. He sighed, and pushed open the door to the stairs, but stopped when the elevator dinged.

The doors opened and a man pushing a high pile of crates came out, "Can you go any faster? I'm trying to tell my best friend I'm in love with her."

"Geez, going as fast as I can. What's the hurry?" The man rolled his eyes, but got out of the way.

Tyson held the elevator door open and was about to get in, but stopped when he saw you standing there. You smiled, "Hi, Tys."

"Hey." He put his hand in front of the elevator before it shut and got in, standing next to you. You smiled at each other as the elevator doors closed.

When they opened up on your floor, your arms were thrown around his neck and his were around your waist, lips pressed against the other's.

-

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so, i didn't include every single nick and jess clip, but i hope you can spot a few. thank you so much for 2k!! i know this is a few weeks late but i hope you all enjoyed! i love you all so much and you are all so amazing. *muah* <3

[litaskick]

Hi i was wondering if i could request a fic where you get injured in a match and Cody Rhodes comes out to help you and see if your okay because he was very worried about you. P.s. i love all your fics. I think your a great writer and i hope your having a wonderful day because reading your fics always really makes my day.

my requests are open, request here - who i write for - request rules - cody rhodes masterlist

warnings: none

a/n: tysm! i really enjoy writing on this account and i’m glad that my writing can make your day a little better.

genre: fluff

pairing: cody rhodes x reader

summary: Cody gets worried after you get injured in a match.

I’m Sorry if I Worried You

It was a simple mistake by Sasha. Truly, it was. She had put you in a submission hold a little too tight on your elbow. You knew she didn't mean to, she probably didn't even notice that she had, saying you had continued the match even with your elbow in much pain. The one person who did notice though was Cody, sitting back in the gorilla watching your match. It was taking everything in him to not run out there the very second he had noticed it. But he held back until the match was over, he couldn't believe that you kept fighting though, even when you were clearly in pain. Sasha scored the win by pinfall finally, and as soon as she was making her way back up the ramp, Cody came running down it. The referee was just now checking up on you, advising you to go the medics after you got up. Cody finally squatted down next to you, helping you sit up.

"You saw it happen didn't you?" You questioned your husband, bracing yourself for a scolding about how you continued the match.

"Yeah, it took everything in me not to come out here the second it happened. Are you okay?" He explained.

"I'll be fine." You said, in hopes to not worry him anymore, but that didn't work, as he decided to examine your elbow.

It was swollen and a bit bruised.

"You're not fine." Cody said sternly, looking you in the eyes.

"I promise, it really isn't that bad. I'll just put some ice on-" You tried reasoning with him.

"No, we're going to go to the medics." Cody said, helping you up.

You just put your head down, you knew there was no changing his mind. You guys made your way backstage and to the medical area, Cody's eyes flicking over to you carefully every now and then. When you finally made it there, the doctors examined your elbow, it took them about 30 minutes to look over it and come to a conclusion. Cody sat in a chair and watched closely as they did so, he definitely seemed nervous, he didn't like seeing your hurt, ever, even if it was just a cut, which was ironic saying that you were a wrestler. The medic finally came to the conclusion that you just had a very minor sprain to your elbow, nothing too bad, just a week out of in-ring action. Which you could handle, luckily it wouldn't interfere with your storyline to compete with Sasha at Summer Slam for the Raw Women's Championship. Cody walked with you to Hunter's office to tell him that you couldn't be in the ring for the next week, and then you two headed back to your locker room. You sat down, holding the ice pack onto your elbow, Cody sitting next to you. He placed his hand on your thigh, as you laid your head on his shoulder.

“Sorry if I worried you.” You apologized to him.

“It’s okay, it isn’t your fault. I just don’t like seeing you hurt.” Cody said softly.

You just let out a hum.

“I guess I need to get over that since you’re starting to wrestle again.” He whispered.

After you and Cody had left AEW, you took a few months off of wrestling. It wasn’t like WWE didn’t want you to sign with them, they had a contract waiting for you to sign the moment Cody signed his own. But, during all of the craziness, you had decided you just wanted to take a few down months, and they were all completely ok with that.

“No you don’t, it just shows that you care.” You told him.

“Yeah, I guess it does.” He smiled.

[merakiui]

Heey saw requests were open so I couldn't help but come check out and ask! Will you be okay if you do a Xiao, Zhongli, Diluc and Childe with a S/O who tries to took a hit for them from getting killed by an enemy?

Xiao, Zhongli, Diluc, and Childe with an S/O who Shields Them From an Attack

☁️ Xiao ☁️

You dragged him along so that he could get some fresh air and help you with your commissions. Xiao would rather stay inside, but you seemed to want to spend time with him so it’s hard to object.

Xiao definitely tried to avoid going with you, but you had kissed his cheek and said it’s more fun if he accompanies you. His weak heart agreed right away.

So not only is he there to provide moral support and company, he’s also there to make sure you’re not going to do anything foolish.

He’s already defeated multiple enemies while you looked through crates for extra materials. If he were mortal, your carelessness probably would’ve shaved a few years off of his life.

He keeps telling you to pay attention and you say you are, but then you turn away and next thing you know an arrow comes whizzing past you.

Xiao’s picking up a damaged mask from the grassy ground, wiping the grime from it, when your shout alerts him. And before he knows it you’re tackling him to the ground.

He’s surprised and a little angry, snapping at you to be more careful. Your grip on his shirt tightens and he wonders what’s gotten into you.

When Xiao places his hand upon your back and finds the arrow sticking out of it, he freezes. You just...shielded him from an attack. And in the process you ended up getting hurt.

Warm blood coats his fingers and you’re doing all that you can to avoid bursting into tears in front of the stern adeptus. He sits up with you, wasting no time in swiftly defeating the archer hilichurl. His anger can be felt in the way he attacks mercilessly, showing no sign of letting up until the hilichurl has fallen to the ground.

Xiao can’t believe you, a mortal, would shield him, an immortal, from an arrow. He knows you love him, but to so readily take a hit for him—it’s surprising.

“You...” He wants to call you stupid, but you were only thinking of his safety. Instead he chooses to pacify you rather than berating you for something that has already happened. “You’re going to be okay. It doesn’t look that bad.”

He tends to your injuries to the best of his ability and then will bring you back to Wangshu for further inspection. Once the arrow is pulled out and your injury is cleaned and bandaged, tears finally spring from your eyes. It really, really hurts and you feel bad for making Xiao worry on your behalf.

He’s just relieved you’ll heal normally. But in the future he doesn’t want you to endanger yourself for his sake. After all, he’ll be perfectly fine if he takes a hit that would be fatal to most.

“I just don’t want to see you hurt,” you admit, placing your hand on his shoulder. “I know you’re an adeptus, but it would’ve hurt me more if I’d just let you get hit.”

Xiao sighs, taking your hand in his. “I guess it’s fine... Just don’t do it again, okay?” Deep inside, he’s truly touched that you would throw yourself in front of danger just to protect him, but he doesn’t want this to become a recurring thing for you. 

🔶 Zhongli 🔶

You had taken Zhongli out to find some Cor Lapis and other ores you were in desperate need of. He suggested buying them from the locals, but he didn’t bring any Mora and you knew of a few abandoned mines where you could get them for free.

With that logic cemented into place, you and Zhongli headed off for the areas you had marked on your map.

It wasn’t a difficult trip; the two of you worked diligently in clearing any enemies that got in your way and eventually you had made it to the first cave.

Zhongli was reciting the history of Liyue caves and their monetary benefits while you climbed over rubble and debris from past accidents. You’d almost tripped once, but he had caught you out of reflex, seemingly unbothered with your clumsiness.

All was going well. You’d mined a lot of ores with Zhongli’s help and the two of you were about to move onto the next cave when the ground above seemed to shake. Briefly, you glanced up, wondering what could be causing such a disturbance.

“We should be careful. There might be a Ruin Hunter around,” you told him as you navigated through the winding tunnel. Zhongli nodded in agreement with that, easily stepping over fallen stones.

Before you knew what was happening, the entire cave was shaking as another loud explosion resonated from above. Debris from above trickled down like snow and you cowered for a moment, expecting a cave-in.

It was silent for a few minutes and you figured the threat must’ve passed. Zhongli waited for a moment as he listened to the silent, musty air.

Just as you breathed your sigh of relief, the ground shook ten times harder than before, and stones larger than the ores you had mined were raining down at once.

The initial shock was more than enough to have you running for the entrance, pulling a very confused Zhongli along. A stone larger than your foot comes falling, and it’s about to hit Zhongli on the head.

To avoid an accident, you shove him to the front and the rock hits you instead of him. Luckily, it wasn’t on the head, but it did hit your ankle hard.

You’re worried you’ve sprained it after you fall to the ground, more stones pelting you. The next thing you know, Zhongli picks you up in his arms and carries you out of the cave before it can collapse entirely on the both of you.

Concerned for your safety, Zhongli observes your injuries. You’re bruised and your ankle does look sprained. He asks if you can stand and when you try he frowns. It looks like you’re going to need to rest up for a few days.

Zhongli will help you the rest of the way back, occasionally stopping so you can give your legs a rest. He expresses his gratitude and is rather surprised that you would go out of your way to take the hits of many stones and rocks.

Despite being thankful, Zhongli hopes you won’t do this again because he doesn’t like to see you in pain. If you’re hurt, he feels hurt and that’s the last thing he wants.  

🔥 Diluc 🔥

A group of slimes were hanging around the winery again and so Diluc went off to deal with the problem. He didn’t expect there to be so many, though.

You had tagged along just in case something like this were to happen. And even though Diluc is strong enough to handle so many enemies, these slimes just kept coming.

It was difficult to deal with all sorts of different slimes: Electro, Anemo, and even Cryo. Despite the fact that he didn’t want you to endanger yourself—he insisted he could handle it—you still did what you could to help.

Once you were certain all the slimes were defeated, Diluc sighed, leaning against his weapon to relax after so much fighting. His back was turned and he didn’t notice the large slime creeping up on him.

You jumped in just in time to prevent the slime from hurting him. It had been a quick reaction, one that you hadn’t thought through entirely.

The Cryo slime is freezing to the touch and as soon as it hits you an icy cold envelops you. You try to look strong in front of Diluc, but it’s just too much and you fall to your knees, shivering while the slime looms over you.

Diluc witnessed the entire thing when he first noticed you jump into action and he’s very surprised to find that last slime. He defeats it at once before dropping down to check your injuries.

You aren’t exactly wounded, but you are very cold. He’s ashamed at himself for not paying closer attention to his surroundings.

While Diluc is grateful that you protected him, he’s disappointed that you’d put yourself in harm’s way. You should’ve just let the slime hit him.

He sheds his coat and drapes it over you, using his own Pyro element to start a fire that’ll have you warm in no time.

“You didn’t have to do that. But...thank you. Next time don’t do anything reckless. You’ll hurt yourself,” he says while checking your body temperature.

“But I wanted to keep you safe, Diluc! You already defeated so many slimes. That last one could’ve done some serious damage.”

He’s touched that you’d worry about him, but he doesn’t want you to do something like that again. It’s upsetting that you got harmed as a result of him and he wants to make sure you’re truly okay.

You drag Diluc under his coat so that his body heat can warm you up faster. And even though he tries to get out of it, he doesn’t complain too much.

It’s hard to be upset at the person he loves so much, especially if they were the one who protected him.

💧 Childe 💧

You and Childe were picking through some ruins, searching for chests and other valuable materials. You were careful to avoid any enemies, as the last thing you wanted to do was fight a bunch of slimes and hilichurls.

Childe fought them in your place, eagerly defeating them while you remained on the sidelines.

Everything was going well until the two of you stumbled upon a Ruin Guard that was slumped over, docile and not yet awake. Childe looked over at you and then at the Ruin Guard and then back at you, grinning madly the entire time.

You could only face palm and shake your head, grabbing his arm and gesturing in another direction. You’d encountered enough monsters today; you definitely didn’t want to waste your energy on a rust bucket. But Childe, who had only been fighting small enemies up until this point, was itching for a bigger opponent.

So he rushed ahead despite your quiet protests. And you were stuck having to watch as he sparred with the Ruin Guard.

You would’ve left it up to him if you hadn’t noticed the second Ruin Guard awakening from its slumber, having been disturbed by the commotion.

One Ruin Guard was already an issue, but now you’ve got to deal with two. You can only sigh as you run in to defeat the second one, hoping it won’t take up too much of your time.

Missiles are everywhere; they’ve nearly destroyed the ground and have cracked the already eroded stone pathways. You’ve nearly fallen victim to them a few times now and if it weren’t for Childe’s quick thinking you would’ve been crushed by their mechanical feet.

The first Ruin Guard falls before the two of you in a heap of exhausted, overheated gears and Childe twirls his bow, a glint of madness of his gaze.

You would’ve called it a day if it weren’t for the other Guard aiming for him, missiles completely locked onto his form.

Without thinking, you jump into action, pushing Childe away before he can be hit. In the process, the missiles slam into the rock formation above you and it comes tumbling down in a dusty rumble.

Now it’s Childe’s turn to save you and he’s quick on his feet, pulling you away before you can be buried under heavy stone. The two of you tumble and you scrape your arms and legs in the fall, doing all that you can to shield your boyfriend before he seriously injures himself.

A particular sharp piece of rubble slices the length of your arm and while Childe recovers to finish off the Ruin Guard you clutch your injured arm to stop the blood flow.

Once the Ruin Guard is defeated, Childe goes over to you, bending down to get a look at your arm. “It’s definitely going to need some work,” he jokes, hoping to put a smile on your face. “Don’t worry. I’ll have it patched up in no time. You can count on it.”

And while he wraps it up, he thanks you for your help. Without it, he would’ve been the one with more injuries than you. And even though he doesn’t mind getting hurt in a battle he doesn’t want you to injure yourself as well. So next time you want to protect him, make sure you won’t hurt yourself in the process!

[anonnie-in-wonderland]

Gilded Gambit

Summary: Her whole life, Jamie has been comfortable and well taken care of, the loved hybrid of a well off family. Until the day when she’s taken away from the only family she’s known, beaten and left for dead on the doorstep of a mysterious organization that might as well be the hybrid equivalent of the mob. A crime syndicate that ultimately wants to force revolution onto society. And they go by the name Bangtan Sonyeondan.

(Hybrid AU, Mafia AU, Slowburn, enemies to lovers, strangers to lovers)

Rating: M

Pairings: Hybrid!BTSxBTS, OT7xFem!Hybrid!OC/Reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Author’s Note: This is a crosspost from AO3; I am the one who posted it on AO3 and it is my story!

It was quiet, save for the rhythmic sound of the grandfather clock against the far wall ticking. Head bent, the chart Jin had presented clenched in his hands, Namjoon’s sharp golden eyes skimmed the report. Considering the way she had been found, their guest of honor was recovering well. Broken and bruised ribs, fractured wrist, dislocated shoulder, two sprained ankles, a mauled up leg and dislocated pelvis, multiple contusions, and internal bleeding in the abdominal area. It wasn’t pretty. Jin and their licensed medical team worked around the clock to stabilize her, wondering if it was already too late. The ferret hybrid was basically in a coma, after all. If she woke up without serious brain damage it would be bordering on a miracle.

But Namjoon was feeling whimsical enough to hope for a miracle, because having her in peak condition was the best for negotiating. Especially if they could boast at being the ones who’d saved her. If she was sensible, they wouldn’t have to do much, because her gratitude would soften her into pliancy, which in turn could soften Ambassador Gwan if she had his ear. However, the leader of Bangtan wasn’t ready to put all his stock in that. It’d be a little too…easy.

Easy was suspicious in their world.

“Did you just want an update?” Jin grumbled, leaning back in the plush chair he’d claimed. “Jimin made it sound a lot more urgent.”

“An update on her condition,” Namjoon set the file aside, “And also to tell you I need to go to Hong Kong in three days. I’ll probably take Taehyung with me.”

“What’s in Hong Kong?” His hyung quirked a brow.

Clearing his throat, Namjoon ducked his head, feeling a tad sheepish. Their tech division had been eager to inform him about what had all but fallen into their laps, but they were all going off the word of a thief who claimed he hadn’t been able to check it or himself because he didn’t know how.

He could just imagine how that would go over with Seokjin or Yoongi if he told them he had already put a down payment on holding the device he planned to retrieve without really verifying the contents beyond hearsay. “As far as we know? Intercepted information from a rival faction. An Access Key got stolen in transit and offered on the black market to the highest bidder. One of our informants got wind and let me know.”

“You’re losing me,” Jin blinked, sounding slightly put out. “You know I don’t stay hunched in front of the computer all day like Gguk.”

“It’s a highly encrypted port of digital information, basically.” Namjoon wasn’t as well-versed in hacking as their resident maknae, but he had more background than some of the others. “We’ve suspected that SM’s reputation isn’t as squeaky clean as they act for the public for a while now.”

Still unimpressed, Jin raised a brow and motioned for him to continue. “Everyone’s suspected that for a while now, Namjoon. Scandal rumors are all over gossip sites.”

Swallowing, the Bangtan leader distractedly played with a silver ring on his index finger. “This is all but proof. They do a lot of back alley dealings. Human trafficking and prostitution. The imported people come in inconspicuously alongside cargo shipments at the port. My guess is they’ve been paying whoever’s in charge of checking those containers off for some time.”

Jin’s wrinkled nose mirrored his own sentiments. Bangtan did a lot for the sake of achieving their own ends, but they weren’t traffickers, outside of weapons. Anyone in the organization in anyway involved with the trafficking of living beings, whether that was humans or hybrids, would face a fate worse than death. ”That’s disgusting, but what does that have to do with us?”

“The names of the victims, their locations, the jobs they’re assigned, and the top handlers in the operation are all on the Access Key. There might even be more secrets buried in the data. We won’t know until Jeongguk can take a crack at it.”

“You’re thinking blackmail.” Jin confirmed, looking deep in thought. “Alright, knowing you I’m sure there’s a reason why you want to make this company squirm.”

“They’re a giant in the entertainment industry but they can’t afford another blow to their reputation. Their stock value’s down five points since yesterday. Imagine what would happen if any of it was confirmed, and even worse than the public originally thought.” He paused, carding a hand through his silver-streaked hair. “The brother-in-law of SM’s president and CEO is on the Supreme Court. Imagine the price he’d pay to make the information we’re going to retrieve go away, hyung.”

If he had less restraint his tail would be wagging. Extorting a low level politician for money was one thing, but this was a member of the highest court in the land.

The next time a big case involving hybrid legislation and equality landed on his desk, the judge would have to think twice before carelessly voting against it.

There were a lot of variables to be worked out in how they would handle this, but that was why Namjoon wanted to retrieve the data as soon as possible. Then Jeongguk could look it over and inform them of their options.

“Namjoon-ah,” Jin sighed fondly. “Your tail’s doing propellers.”

The leader cursed under his breath, consciously stopping his spinning tail, which had betrayed him after all.

He had only just tucked it behind him when the door burst open, Taehyung storming in with blazing eyes. Namjoon eyed him curiously, wondering why he was in such a sullen mood. But he didn’t have long to wonder, the tiger’s deep voice resonating throughout his office. “She’s awake now.”

🐾

That the question caught him off guard was an understatement, but Jimin recovered smoothly, chuckling. The ferret hybrid kept staring at him intensely, her fingers gripping the sheets apprehensively.

“That’s a pretty bold, off the wall question.” He mumbled, “What makes you ask something like that?”

He had to hand it to this Jamie; she was holding her own better than most would in her situation. If not for the way her ears were pressed down and the smallest tremor in her hands, the cat hybrid might not have been able to guess how on edge she was. Not even her scent was soured by stress, a truly impressive feat.

“You’re not denying it.” Jamie pointed out, lips pursed. “And as for why I ask…call it a hunch.”

Humming, Jimin considered his next words carefully, vacating his chair and stretching his back with a pop. “Your hunch isn’t totally right, but it might not be entirely wrong.” The disgruntled snort she made let him know she was far from pleased with that cryptic reply.

Namjoon would probably want to be the one to “negotiate” with her, which wasn’t something the brown-haired hybrid minded. But if he was getting an accurate read on Jamie, she was very wary of them—like anyone sensible would be. That alone was going to make getting her to see things their way challenging.

“That was a total evasion of my question.” Jamie grumbled. Shaking her head, she added with a sigh, “Not that I expected much from kidnappers.”

Jimin arched a brow, standing a little closer to her bedside, hand on one hip. “Who says we kidnapped you? Do you remember what happened before this?”

The small glare she leveled at him was kind of cute, her hands smoothing the sheets on her lap and her full lashes fluttered when she averted his eyes. “I know I was at home and Ae-Ri had just left…”

“So that’s a no.” Jimin smirked. “There’s someone above me you’ll meet soon, and he’ll fill you in on what you’re doing here. But I will say, you should be thanking us.”

Jamie’s bright eyes widened, her expression at once disbelieving and curious. “Thanking…you?”

Although he did very little in nursing her back to health aside from spooning some food into her mouth, the serval was all about letting her know she was in their debt, like it or not. “You turned up at the doorstep of my hyung’s cafè bloody and unconscious. Jin-hyung and Tae rushed you back here, and you’ve been recovering ever since.”

Jamie’s unblinking gaze remained on him, her mouth opening and closing without words.

When the large doors blew open, carrying the scents of the others, Jimin half-turned in greeting.

“It’s surprising, isn’t it? It’s not every day an ambassador’s estate gets attacked.” Namjoon’s presence took her full attention. There was an arresting air about their leader with his tall frame and piercing eyes. He cut such a handsome but daunting picture in his turtleneck and pressed slacks, a dress jacket folded over one shoulder.

Jamie squirmed, but just as she had with the serval hybrid, she held the wolf’s stare. Jimin was finding himself more interested in the ferret by the minute. Namjoon wasn’t just a wolf, he was a true alpha. Men with every manner of grizzly crime in their ledgers who were twice Jamie’s size sometimes made themselves smaller instinctively when he walked into a room.

Her eyes swept over him. “I’m going to take a guess and say you’re leading this operation.” Jin popped up over Namjoon’s shoulder, and she spared him a quick glance. Taehyung was the last to enter and his eyes were as flinty as they had been the first time. He stood at Jin’s shoulder, jaw tight.

Namjoon quirked a brow at Jamie’s question, which was more an assertion of fact by the way she phrased it.

“She’s really sharp, hyung.” Jimin informed him, rocking back on his heels. “And straightforward. You should’ve heard her when she asked me if I was mafia.” he giggled.

“That would be implying we’re some kind of crime syndicate.” Namjoon replied, addressing Jamie. “I don’t think I’m running a criminal empire.”

“Well, I guess all that’s relative, right?” Jamie countered, “From what I can tell, you don’t live with humans. I doubt there’s an owner in this equation. I was told he’s not fond of me because I have one,” she tilted her chin at Taehyung, who only stiffened, narrowing his eyes defiantly. Paying him no mind, the ferret hybrid continued, “You’re all hybrids, from what I’ve seen so far, in a big mansion, wearing designer clothes, and while there’s not really much indication anything unlawful’s going on…I get the feeling I’m not really free to go, am I?”

The room was quiet, everyone soaking in the to-the-point speech Jamie had made. Taehyung scoffed quietly. It could’ve been read as dismissive, but Jimin wasn’t the tiger’s soul twin for nothing. He could see she wasn’t just some spoiled rich girl’s little air-headed pet. Not that he would admit that.

Clearing his throat, Namjoon smiled shallowly. His business smile. “Since we have the advantage of knowing your name,” he began (and when Jeongguk was done knowing everything about her), “I think we should introduce ourselves. You’ve met Jimin.” Her eyes turned to him quickly and Jimin wiggled his fingers in a wave. “My name is Kim Namjoon, and you’re correct. I do serve as something of the de facto leader in our day to day operations.”

Jin rolled his eyes. “He’s the boss. Officially. There’s nothing de facto about it.” Smiling cordially, Jin eyed her in relief. “I’m glad you’re awake and able to communicate properly. If I’m going to be honest I was worried for a while. Your condition was unstable when we found you and you had an extensive list of injures.” Jamie stared down at her bandaged arms and hands. “I’ll check you over soon, or I can have one my female nurses do it if you’re more comfortable.”

”You have nurses here?” The ferret wondered. “I admit I don’t remember much about how I sustained all these injuries but I actually feel like I didn’t get shoddy medical care or I would be in worse shape. Are you…a doctor?”

Jin smiled sheepishly. His hyung was so quick to bask in praise about his looks, but ask him about his profession and he turned strangely bashful. “I am. My name is Kim Seokjin. I’m a licensed general surgeon.”

Even more unexpected was the way Jamie’s eyes sparkled with awe. “A hybrid surgeon?” She said quietly.

Jimin didn’t really understand. Yes, it was impressive, given all the hoops hybrids had to jump through to go to school for medicine let alone practice. Jin told them the drop-out rate for hybrids in medical school was incredibly high, both due to lack of scholarships and outright discrimination. Hybrids from well-off backgrounds, like Gwan Jamie, were far more likely to make the cut.

After all, wealthy humans loved to brag about all the prestigious titles their hybrids had. It was nothing for a millionaire to put their pedigreed hybrid through medical school, if only to be able to crow about it at their charity galas. Bemusement coloring his words, Jimin found himself voicing his skepticism before he could think better of it, “In your ritzy circles you must have met more than just a few hybrids with careers besides Jin-hyung?”

Jamie paused, her eyes wistful. “Less than you’d think. I’ve met my fair share of hybrids who work in security or are ambassadors and models for human brands because it’s good PR.” Thinking about it, she added, “I’ve also met some hybrid actors too. Very few hybrids in the medical field though.” Jamie finished, combing a hand through her tangled hair.

“Hm, interesting,” Namjoon sat a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder, making one of his black-rimmed ears twitch. “I believe you briefly met Kim Taehyung.”

“I did.” Jamie said evenly, withholding a clear grimace. There was no love lost between the tiger and the ferret, but with the murderous look Taehyung had on his face since their first interaction, it was no wonder she was uncomfortable. A feeling of flight or fight had to be ringing through her, and since she was incapable of putting up much of a fight in her current state, there was only one true choice. A choice they had taken from her too.

Namjoon moved slowly, so as not to startle her, sitting in the chair Jimin had occupied. “Since introductions have been made, I’d like to cut to the chase. You seem like an astute hybrid.”

Jamie shrugged, ”I’d like to think being in such a political household keeps me sharp. I know when someone wants something. It’s just not usually from me.”

Crossing one leg over his knee and steepling his hands together on his thigh, the wolf hybrid stared thoughtfully at the alert young woman on the bed. “Jamie, how familiar are you with the name Bangtan Sonyeondan?”

The sharp intake of air she drew answered that question.