#he’s more of the psychopath in the woods/the monster you should avoid

[ombrathefurry]

I was listening to Don't Listen by jakeneutron and thought of Loading and Smallfeather if only I could animate 😭

Do you think it fits them?

Some parts, yes, but not the whole song in my opinion

I cant think of any character of mine that would fit with SF, but I know plenty of my friends characters who’d that fit with

[herstroywritten]

Magix Inn: One bed, one shirt, two idiots in love

OK. Confession time: I LOOOVE tropes. All of them. The oh I’m so cold and I don't have a jacket, so you gave me yours. Oh no, we’re paired together and I don’t like that. Oh look, we have to stay in this hotel together and (*cure shocked face*) there’s only one bed! All of it. Like, ALL of it. And when it’s done well... Ughhh, my heart can barely stand it. (If you want an A+++ example of it, go ahead and read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and watch the new Shadow and Bone adaptation on Nextflix. Helnik serves all the tropes in all the best ways.) Anyways, my point is that that’s all this is, and I am fully aware of that. I needed more of these tropes with Rivusa, so here we are. Enjoy.

She's going to kill them. Every single one of them. And she was going to make it as painful and slow and agonizing as she could. Now that she knew how to extract mind control, she figured she could easily learn how to enact it. She would learn to do it overnight. She would! And she would most definitely use it on every single one of her suitemates, no moral obligations holding her back. In fact, she was doing them a favor by not opting to do it with her knives, the ones she'd begun training with a month ago or so. She was going to do it, no hesitation- 

"You can take the bed."

Riven's words snapped her out of her fantasies. She forced herself to finally turn and stare at him. He was already standing in the middle of the room they had been assigned. The room that had a single king sized bed in the middle of it. There was a small window on each side of the head board, with thick tattered curtains covering the view of the barren land outside. A couch was positioned to the right of the bed, a door stood just a few feet above it. There was no dresser in the room, no closet. 

Not exactly a five star hotel, she thought to herself. But then again, they were in hiding from a psychopath who thought herself to be the future ruler of the world, not on vacation. The cracks on the walls and the dust that could be seen covering every surface fit the murderous mood of their escape so much more than a nice cozy bedroom. 

Musa wondered how Stella was holding up. Bitterly, she hoped that she was hating it. Served her right for leaping at the chance to spend the night with her ex-bodyguard instead of opting to share with one of the girls. 

It had been a long night of traveling and by the time Dowling, Silva, and Harvey had finally located their destination, the whole group was practically a squad of walking zombies struggling to maintain awareness long enough to not fall asleep while standing up. After escaping Alfea, they had trekked through the woods continuously for 36 hours straight, needing to get as far away from the school as possible without using magic for fear of giving away their plan. 

Their little group had been led by Professor Harvey, who somehow knew exactly where they were headed without using a map to navigate through the veils of greenery that they had bypassed. How, Musa wasn't sure. It all looked the same to her, and quite frankly after a while she seriously considered the possibility that they were just walking in circles. Sam and Terra had followed behind their father, pointing out harmful weeds to avoid touching or stepping on for the rest of the group. The rest of the girls had followed their orders, Bloom and Sky leading the charge, then Brandon and Stella, Aisha, Musa, and Riven. Dowling and Silva followed a few feet behind, making sure that no one was following them as they went. Needless to say, the journey had been endless and there seemed to be no end in sight. The students had been unsure of where they were headed, as the professors had refused to divulge any sort of extra information unless it was explicitly necessary.

In the end, they had walked out of the woods and into an abandoned city. White bricks and cracked cement littered the ground that they passed through, exerting great effort to not step on any broken shards of glass and cut themselves. 

"Aster Dell" Bloom had whispered when she had seen the jagged outline of the town. Professor Harvey had nodded his head at her words, verifying their truth, and that had been that. No one spoke and no one asked the millions of questions that swarmed their minds. How were they able to see this place? Wasn't Queen Luna supposed to have it covered up? Why were they even here? Wasn't this a little too obvious of a hideout? Musa's curiously was running high, but her desire to just sleep was even greater so she had just followed right along as the professor led them through winding streets and in front of a rundown building that seemed to barely be holding onto its hinges.

Dowling had broken the silence, "Welcome to Magix Inn, or what's left of it. We'll make camp in here for the night."

Turns out Magix Inn was just that, and inn. And a tiny one at that, just ten boarding rooms to offer. Each boasted a king sized bed and minimal furniture. Unfortunately, the four rooms located on the south side of the building had been completely destroyed in the wreckage, so they were left with six to pick from. Dowling and Silva had taken the one at the very beginning of the eastern hallway, for security measures. For that same purpose, Professor Harvey had taken the one at the very end of the corridor, and Sam joined him. Sky had insisted he stay with Bloom for the night, attached to her as he had been for the last 36 hours, fearing that she would lose control of her magic again. No one bothered to mention that there was nothing he could really do if that happened again, they just let the couple slip into the room diagonal from Dowling and Silva's. Their door had barely closed before Stella had basically dragged Brandon into the room next to theirs, shouting over her shoulder "Good night everyone!" That left Aisha, Terra, Musa, and Riven. And two rooms. There had been an awkward silence, during which the girls looked back and forth between the three of them, daring each other to make the first move. When Aisha scooted slightly closer to Terra, Musa knew she was about to lose. Frustrated, angry, and just plain tired, she'd huffed and spun around to face the devil himself.

"Well, would you look at that?" Riven's grin was basically a smirk as he cocked his eyebrows in her direction, eyes roaming up and down the whole of her, his usual form of acknowledgement when it came to her. "Looks like we're playing roomies for the night." For some reason, he did not sound very disappointed at that idea. 

"Not another word," Musa had growled at him, before making her way to the room second to last from the end of the hallway. In any other scenario, she would be happy that he was choosing to speak to her again but right now she couldn't be bothered.

And now, here they were. In a room. Alone. With one bed. Two sets of curtains. A couch that was definitely too small for either of them to sleep in comfortably. One door that led to the bathroom. Oh, and did she mention the one bed? 

She finally stepped away from the doorway, letting the heavy wooden door lock behind her. As she crossed the room and headed for the bed, she couldn’t help but notice the dust that kicked up at her feet as she walked on the oriental rug that had to have existed for at least 16 years and who knows how much longer before then. The idea of sleeping here was almost revolting, but at this point she would give anything for a place to lay down, so whatever. They'd fought monsters and survived, they could outlive a bit of dust. What she might not be able to outlive, however, was sharing a room with the specialist standing behind her.

She dropped her backpack on the bed, choosing to ignore the dust that resurfaced with the motion, and turned to face him. 

"Yeah, no. As much as I would love to watch you try to squeeze into that tiny little couch, it would be extremely cruel of me to make you do that after a day and a half of constant walking. Plus, it's a king sized bed. I don’t need all of it. We'll just share." She hoped that came out as causal as it sounded in her head.

Riven's smirk, the one that hadn't left his face since the sleeping arrangements had been decided, grew even wider at her words. "I suppose, if you insist. An Alfea gentleman would never ignore a lady's wishes, after all." 

She scoffs at him. "I doubt you would count among the gentlemen of Alfea."

"Oh, I don't know. I've been told I have a way of outdoing myself when it comes to ladies' requests. Especially in the bedroom." He's eyeing her from the corner of his sightline as he makes for the bed, dropping his own bag diagonally from hers. She's suddenly flushed, from anger or blushing she's not sure. But she's not about to give him any ideas.

"We are not, I repeat NOT, completing any sort of requests tonight." She narrows her eyes at him, her voice strong and unwavering. It surprises her, the sheer strength behind those words because honestly it's the opposite of what she wants to say. The opposite of what she wants to do.

"Whatever you say." His statement is short, filled with hidden messages. He shuffles through his bag as she shuffles through her thoughts, watching him and biting her tongue so that all her questions don't come tumbling out. 

He heads for the bathroom, and once she hears the door close, she pulls out her phone.

"Hello!" Aisha's voice is all cheer and chuckle on the other side of the line. Musa thinks she can hear Terra's giggle in the background, too. 

"I'll kill you." Musa's reply is a lot less cheery and a lot more lethal.

"Oh, come on!" It's Terra's voice this time. "We're practically doing you a favor. You should be thanking us."

"I'll kill you. All of you." She repeats it, just to make sure they're really catching it.

"Musa, love, you know this has to happened at some point." Aisha's words are calm. "We're headed into a war. We're running away from school. We're going to have a lot more shit to deal with in a couple of hours, and you're still not in the right mindset for all of it. You’re in a completely different world. If you're so worried about it, just ask him. Better yet, just tell him."

"I don't know what you're talking about, " Musa mumbles angerly.

The sighs that she hears from the other side of the conversation tell her just how little Aisha and Terra believe her. It's silent for a second, and Musa can just feel the two girls going back and forth on who's turn it is to confront her. Terra's sweet voice comes through the phone after a few seconds, "Musa, we're not going to tell you what to do. It's not our place. But we will tell you what we see, because you're our friend and we love you and want you to be happy-"

"Terra, we're heading for a war. There is no happy in war." Musa's voice is monotone. 

"Musa," her name is a warning on Terra's lips, a sign that she's used this excuse before and it hasn't worked. "Look, I know you like him. I know it's weird between you two. You had to go digging into his brain to break him out of a spell and he didn't appreciate that, but quite frankly, I don’t think he appreciated being Beatrix's little pet and Rosalind's spy either. So he can be bitter and mad about it all he wants, you did what you had to do to save his ass and ours."

"That's the problem though. He's no longer mad about it. At least, I don’t think he is. He's talking to me. Like, now that we’re in the room. He hadn't even looked at me since the I broke that stupid spell…" Her voice drops at that last sentence. 

"That's good. Right?" Aisha's voice is a mix of encouragement and confusion. 

"Since when are you in on this, Aisha? I thought you hated the guy?" Now Musa's just curious. How did they even get into this situation in the first place? How did she get here, sharing a room with a boy that has one too many demons on his shoulders and whom she's embarrassingly crushing on?

Aisha's reply is quick and defensive. "Oh, I still do. But, he's still Sky's bff or whatever and he's still your…" There's a pause that follows that particular thought and Musa takes the time to wonder how Aisha is going to finish that sentence.  "You know what, I don't really know what he is. But he helped you train and you two had something going before, well, before he started disappearing to go do Rosalind's dirty business. Plus, for some unknown, godforsaken season, you're into him. As your friend and roommate, I feel the need to support all your dumb choices, within reason of course. So, yeah. I guess I'm in on whatever this is too."

"You sound like Stella." Musa's mouth quirks into a smirk as she picks up Aisha's groan from across the line.

"Don't remind me. Pretty soon, I'll start swooning over ex-bodyguard-turned-teammate Brandon too." They all get a laugh out of that line.

"God, I'd pay to see that. Poor guy has his work cut out for him, I wonder what they're doing right now." Terra's inquiry needs no answer, but Musa feels the need to comment on the situation at hand. 

"I can't believe she did that! She just left us! You know what, she's the first one I'm killing. You two can pick between second and third place."

Aisha chuckles at her words before a yawn overtakes her and she replies, "Alrighty, it's bed time. We've got a long day tomorrow. And, Musa, just do it. Just talk it out and get it off your chest. You don't want to leave things unsaid, not when we don't know what tomorrow brings. You've already played that game before and it was not fun." Aisha's right, of course. Musa has played that game before.

Right before Riven disappeared, they had been training together for a while, which had somehow turned into them having lunch together on the daily, which had then turned into secret meetings at night in the greenhouse. They'd both needed some alone time, to catch their breath and just marvel at their messed up lives and all the fucked up shit that was going on. And for some reason, his little quips and their constant banter had become her new safety net, a web of comfort and solace, something she hadn't had since Sam and her started drifting apart. But unlike Sam, who was all calming waters and steady footing on a gentle boat, Riven had been all of the tumultuous oceans in the worst of weathers. She never really found her footing in the storm that was Riven and his thoughts, and that had brought her a comfort like no other. In a world where all they had was scheduled to the minute thanks to Rosalind's insane regime, his inconsistent thoughts had drawn her in. She'd wanted to break him open, tuck herself into the blanket that was his mind, and lay there until his emotions numbed both her and him. And, then, somewhere between aching to be numb and heavy innuendos, she had found herself staring at him more often than she should and thinking about him in ways she knew would do her no favors if she let them continue. But, she let them continue. And pretty soon, his loud emotions weren't just comfort and she didn't just want to drown in them. No, at that point, she had wanted to dive deeper into them so that she might try and shift through them. Try to untangle his deepest fears and settle them. To mold her own pain into the shapes that formed the cracks of his heart, so that she could somehow fit him and be a comfort for him in the same way he was for her. She'd wanted it so bad. So, so very bad. And she'd almost said so, too. Too bad Rosalind had chosen that day to start using the spell she had placed on him months before.

Aisha's voice pulls Musa away from her own thoughts. "Hey, Musa? You still there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. Just dozing off a bit, it's been a long day."

"Ugh, tell me about it. Look, if you two won't talk it out for yourselves, do it for us. We're all on edge with all the sexual tension that's coming off of you two."

"Aisha!" Terra's voice sounds horrified. "Actually, she's not wrong. As Stella so kindly suggested, you two might want to just fuck it out. See if that helps break the ice."

It's Musa's turn to be horrified now. "Terra! You did not just say that! And we are NOT fucking anything out!" 

Her friends, however, don't give her the satisfaction of listening to her defense. "Goodnight Musa!" And with that the phone call ends and she's left listening to silence and feeling even more agitated than she did when she first called them. She screams and throws her phone across the bed, watching as it haphazardly hangs from the corner of the white duvet. 

"Now what's all this about fucking?" Riven's voice nearly sends her digging her own grave. Great. Just great. Of course he chooses now to make his way back into the room.

"Nothing." Her rely drips in venom as she makes a point to angerly dig into her bag and pull out her toiletries. She pushes past him and into the bathroom before he gets the chance to question her again. She worked quickly to strip herself of the heavy layers she had on, and into a long white t-shirt that she often wears to bed. She had forgotten to pack a pair of shorts, as she usually just took them off and slept in her underwear. For a second she considered wearing jeans to bed, but she decided she wasn't about to sweat to death for Riven's sake. He'd seen naked girls before. Plus, if it wasn't jeopardizing her modesty, she doubted it was harming his innocence.

When she came out, however, she started to question her decision. The second she stepped out of the bathroom, Riven's voice greeted her.

"So, now that you're done hiding," he started, scrolling through his phone in nothing but a set of sweatpants. "Do feel free to explain to me who's fucking who, besides Brandon and Stella." He'd looked up then, and that had been their demise. His eyes had gone to her face first, but she'd watched as they moved downward in a slow motion, as if he was committing every bit of her body to memory.  She understood now why girls raved about him, because if he gave them all that look… well, Musa supposes they would all feel exactly how she is feeling right about now. 

Oh, for god's sake. Why her? 

She waits for the comment she knows is coming.

"Please tell me you're not planning on sleeping in that." Well, that's not what she expected.

"What?" She raises an eyebrow at him.

"You need to put on something else if we're really not completing any requests tonight." He's still staring at her legs as she chokes a laugh at him and makes her way to her side of the bed.

"Get your head out of the getter, idiot. I can sleep in whatever I want and you can handle yourself. You'll be fine." 

"I know you can sleep in whatever you want. Me controlling myself, that's where our issues start, love. You have a little too much faith in me." He catches her eyes and quirks an eyebrow her way as she shuffles to unhook her bra from behind and slips it off under the shirt she's wearing before throwing it on top of her other clothes. "For fuck's sake, are you serious right now?!" Honestly, she was going to keep the bra on before she saw his reaction to her bare legs, but at this point they’re so far in over their heads that she might as well pull out all the stops. His continuous reactions are just icing on top of the cake.

"Oh, absolutely." She's smirking at him, eyes dancing with mischief as he stares at her full of lust. She laughs as she tucks herself into the covers. "Relax, I'll keep my underwear on." His face is heating up, frustration evident in the line between his brows and she longs to reach over the expanse of the duvet and press her thumb to the space between his eyebrows and smooth it out. She doesn't. 

"This isn't fair," he protests.

"Says the guy who's shirtless right now," comes her reply.

"That's not the same thing and you know it." His voice is strained and she's eager to see when it'll snap, when one of them will finally just admit defeat.

"Isn't it? The feminist in me disagrees."

"Don't. Don't you dare take that stupid shirt off." His hands are shaking as he points a warning finger her way, and she laughs. She's enjoying this way too much. But she knows if she keeps it up, he'll keep true to his word and she won't push him away, and frankly that thought should scare her. Instead, she finds herself wondering how many buttons she can push before he caves.

"Turn off the lights and come to bed Riven." Her voice is light now, no longer teasing. He watches her snuggle further into the covers, eyebrows still furrowed at her and she can practically hear the turmoil in his mind. "Ugh, honestly, calm the fuck down. Your emotions are so intense right now, it's hurting my brain. I promise I'll keep the shirt on. Now, come on. Come to bed."

He mumbles something about staying out of his mind, but he closes the small lamp by his bedside and crawls into bed beside her. Well, calling it beside her is a bit of a stretch as he's practically at the edge of the huge bed. She huffs at his child-like manner and rolls her eyes at him.

"Seriously, Riven? I thought you'd be jumping at the chance to get a girl into bed and here you are avoiding me like the plague. You know I don't bite, right?"

"Whatever," he mumbles. She finally turns to face him, reaches her arms across the mattress and digs her fingers into the waistband of his sweats, tugging him closer to the center of the bed. He jumps at the feel of her hands on his bare stomach, his breath catching at this throat as they now stand face to face and mere inches away from each other. She watching his eyes as they take her in, and she's vaguely aware of the fact that this is too intimate. This moment is exactly what she was trying to avoid, but she can't bring herself to care. So, instead she takes this time to study the green of his eyes. In the dark, they're illuminated by the thin sliver of moonlight the peeks from between the curtains of the window on her side of the bed. They're dilated, more black than green, but she can just make out the color around the edges or his iris. Hazel on the inside, and impossibly green on the outside ridges. She remembers when she was younger, she'd once told her mother that she wanted interesting eyes, by which she meant she wanted blue or green eyes. Something other than her brown orbs. In a way, she was vainly excited when her powers had come in and her eyes started to glow lavender and purple. How naïve she had been, how stupid. She knows now, looking into Riven's eyes, that interesting eyes had no color attached to them. Interesting eyes were ones that held stories, emotions. And Riven's eyes held so many stories, and so many emotions. They gave him away, at least to her they did. She swears that even without her powers, she would be able to feel the pain, the hurt, the mischief, and (right now) the undeniable want by just looking into his eyes. The want is especially pungent. She hopes he can see the want in her eyes too. She bitterly thinks to herself that her girls are right, the two of them are hopeless. They've been cascading through this thing between them, her and Riven, and after she broke his mind control, he'd refused to look her in the eye, let alone talk to her. 

They stand face to face with each other for a while, before she finally ducks her head below his chin and tucks herself against his collarbone. She feels him tense below her (feels her own breath catch, fearing that he'll push her off) before he relaxes a little and his breathing slows down. She listens to his heart beating beneath her, and the pounding of it against her ear lulls her mind into a peaceful state. Once she feels like she can finally breathe normally again, she works up the nerve to ask him the questions she's been meaning to ask for about two days now. 

"Are you angry?"

He pulls away from her, just enough to look down at her. But she won't look at him. Instead, she traces his collarbone with the tips of her fingers, burning holes into it with the intensity of her gaze. 

"Angry?" He sounds genuinely surprised. 

"Yeah," her reply comes in a whisper. Tears are welling in her eyes, but she refuses to let them slip as she continues to bore into his skin. 

"Why would I be angry?" 

"Don't." She doesn't want to say it. Doesn't want to be sorry for what she did, because she's not. She's not.

"Don't what?"

"Don't make me say it." It's a whimper this time, her voice threatening to crack along with her heart.

"Musa," he lifts her chin up. "What is going on? Why would I be angry at you?" She stares into his eyes again and curses the gods above for making her do this.

"Because I had to go into your mind. I had to dig around and manipulate it. I know you've never liked that about my powers. I know that it's no better than what Rosalind and Beatrix did to you. I know that, but I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry, Riven." She says it as though she's trying to convince herself. A deep breath, and then she's talking again. "I'm not sorry because it freed you. So, I'm not sorry about my powers or about what I did." She notices the line between his brows growing more and more as she speaks, and this time she does reach across the space between them and smooth it out with the pad of her fingertip.

She's not expecting an answer, but she was hoping for one. And as the silence between them grows, she figures she has overstayed her welcome. 

As she moves away from him, his arms snap into motion. They wrap around her waist, pulling her back into him. She squeezes her eyes shut as his scent engulfs her once again. 

"I'm not angry." His words, mumbled against her hair, are the final straw. Her tears come ripping through her body, unwelcome but inevitable. She hates this, hates crying. She's not a quiet crier. When she cries, her whole body cries with her. She shakes, she hiccups, and her breathing speeds up. There's no way he doesn't feel it. 

"Musa, really, I'm not angry. And hey," he's pulling away again, gently pushing her back so he can look at her face when he says the next words. "For the record, you are NOTHING like them. Nothing. Do you hear me?" She hiccups and looks down. "You're not. I swear to you, Musa. You're not. And, just so you know, I don't hate your powers. Never have, never will." 

"But you said-"

"I know what I've said. It wasn't because I hate you, it was because I hate my own mind." He pauses, looks away from her as if trying to work up the courage to continue. "Sometimes…  a lot of the time… I can't stand myself. What I hated was the idea of anyone, especially you, seeing all my bad parts. And fuck, Musa, there are so many shitty parts of me. So, so many. I mean, I've been helping Rosalind execute a war for months. Fuck." He chuckles a laugh with no humor behind it, looks up to the ceiling. "Fuck. I'm so fucking broken, Musa. And the idea that you felt that. God, I don't know…"

She watches him struggle, feels his inner turmoil. She finds herself wanting to sort out his feelings for him, mend his aches.

"Is that why you keep pulling away? From me, I mean?" She needs to know. She can't be imagining this thing between them, can't be the only one with her heart on the line right now. He moves so that he's looking at her again, but doesn't answer her right away.

"You're good, Musa. You're so fucking good. Nothing about you is bad. You're good, and you're smart, and you're fucking gorgeous." She feels her heart flutter at his words, her hopes taking flight and jumping to the sky. She wants to scream with joy, wants to kiss him. But his words are laced with a treacherous kind of tone, she can feel the desperation in him, and just as quickly as her excitement came, it leaves.

"I can't do this, Musa. I can't do it. Not to you. You deserve better than this." He's pulling away, and her heart is sinking.

"Better than what?" She sits up as he gets out of the bed. He walks to the end of the bed, looks at the door that leads to the hallway. She can feel him pulling away, wanting to leave.

"Better than what, Riven?" She's louder this time, angry that he's pulling away again after all she's told him.

"Me!" The intensity of his voice causes her to jump back. "Ok? Better than me!" His body is shaking, and so is hers. Because honestly, how dare he?

"And who are you to decide what I deserve?"

"Fuck, Musa. We're not doing this. We're not playing at this game." She feels like she's being scolded, as though she's a child he's refusing to answer to. 

"You don’t get to decide what I deserve, Riven. And you sure as hell don't get to decide what I want-"

"And what do you want, Musa?" His words stop her. "What do you want? Because I have been racking my brain for so fucking long trying to figure out what it is you want. And as much as I think I have you figured out, I can't possibly be right."

She runs the question through her mind a couple of times, questioning how to answer him. She's tired of lying. Tired of wanting him when he's scared to want her back, of constantly being on edge around him. So she decides she might as well tell him. "You. I want you."

"No, you don’t." Fuck him.

"Yes, I do!" She's angry now.

"No."

"Yes!"

"Musa, no."

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?! Are we really doing this right now? Are we arguing about this like middle schoolers? You asked what I want. And I want you!"

"No, Musa, you don't."

"Why is it so fucking hard for you to accept it?! I want you and that's the end of it." She getting angrier as they keep going, and it furthers her anger that he's so calm about it. 

"You can't want me, Muse. You can't." The despair that she feels from him is intense and it, along with his nickname for her, knocks the breath out of her.

"What do you mean I can't want you?" She's trying to keep her voice down, fully aware of the thin walls and the fact that everyone else is probably asleep by now.

"Just… I'm not good. Not in the way the rest of you are. I'm a walking mess and I can't do anything without fucking it up." His voice is small and Musa can see the broken boy behind the persona he's managed to construct for himself.

"But I do, Riven."

"Why?" A broken question. 

She mulls it over in her head, chuckling. "Because, Riv, you've never been able to walk away from me and I've never been able to let you. We play games, you and I." They do. They ring around the rosies, a pocket full of kisses just waiting to spill out of their carefully constructed gates. "We circle one another, Riv, until we're both dizzy with desire and want and fear and fatigue… but we never break the circle. We never stray off path. You lean forward and I lean in, ready to give you my all, and then you pull back. And then we go back to the circle." It's a long metaphor and honestly she's not exactly sure if she's getting her point across. He watches as she pushes herself to her knees on the bed, shuffling closer to him with every word. 

"The circle is our game, Riven. You run, I chase. I run, you chase." She reaches for his hand. "I've never wanted to lose a game so badly." His eyes are on her as she pulls him back onto the bed. She leans in slowly, making sure that she maintains eye contact with him the whole time. She wants him to know she means it, all of it. She's not going anywhere. Her fingertips trace their way up his stomach, chest, neck, winding into his hair. They're millimeters away, noses pressed against each other, breaths mingling.

"Your move, Riv." And she feels her words break his concentration, just as his hands snap up to her body. It’s a quick movement, but his hands etch a trail of fire on her as the move roughly from her knees to the back of her thighs, up her back, and to the junction of her shoulders. When their lips finally meet, it’s anything but gentle. He bites at her lip, she gasps against him, and he takes the chance to tug on her bottom lip. She can't help the moan that leaves her, thoughts of the others already asleep leaving her mind as he does things with his tongue she didn't know were possible. He moves to her jaw, kissing his way downward as she cranes her neck back so that he has all the space he needs to do whatever he's planning on doing. She doesn't know what he's aiming for, but she knows what she wants him to do. She lets her hands fall to his pants, tugs them down. He moans against her collarbone and she swears she's going insane. She's burning but she's also shivering. She can't breathe and yet she feels like she's breathing for the first time in her life. 

"Shirt," she gasps. And then it's off of her, the one thing that he swore needed to stay on her if they were going to make it through the night. 

They spend the night doing everything they've avoided doing for months. He fills the silence with whispers of how gorgeous she is, and she feels her heart burst at its seams. They don't sleep, and she doesn't want to. This is better than sleep, she's never felt more awake than when he's tracing the lines of her body. 

He's resting on her chest, arms slung over her body as his fingertips play with the ends of her hair, when it hits her.

"I'm going to have to tell the girls that we did fuck it out." And as much as she hates the idea of her roommates being right, she thinks that maybe his laugh makes it all worth it.

[siren-queen-imagines]

Talking To the Moon: Chapter 3

Story Summary: REBOOT: Cassidy Fernandez, an omega, finds herself smack dab in the middle of a war between the hunting Argents and alpha werewolf Derek Hale. She joins his pack and helps out with his new betas, growing close to him and beta Isaac in the process. Will these budding relationships be too distracting as the pack deals with hunters and a monster running around? (Spoilers for Season 2)

Masterlist

Previously...

(gif by me)

Chapter 3: Ice Pick

_____________________—————————————

Cassidy awoke with a start, sitting up and groaning at the pain filling her entire body.

"Hey, hey, hey." Isaac said as he rushed to her side. "You should lay back down."

"W-what happened?" Cassidy asked, her voice raspy.

"Apparently, you and Derek got into it last night."

"We what?" Flashes of the previous night came to her mind; all the roars, swipes and kicks. At least it explained enough. "Never mind...I remember."

Cassidy moved to sit along the side of her bed.

"You should lay back down."

"It's okay. I feel myself healing already. I'll be good to go in 15 minutes."

"What happened last night between you two?" Isaac asked as he sat down next to her.

"It was nothing. I was dealing with some stuff and he thought it would be the best time to test my-abilities." She shrugged. Isaac nodded, sort of understanding what she was saying. "Where is he anyway?"

"He said he found someone else. Went to go see her. If it helps, he was limping when he left."

Cassidy couldn't help the slight laugh that escaped her.

"It does. Thank you. Help me up?"

"Uh, you sure you're ready?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

It was once she stood up she realized that she was in completely different clothes from the previous night. When did that happen?

"Hey, um...weird question." Cassidy started. "Who changed my clothes?"

"I-I think Derek. He was with you all night. I think he felt bad."

"Answers my question on who won the fight." She mumbled. "I'm gonna kick his ass for changing my clothes...hold on." They stopped and Cassidy looked down her shirt. "At least it's the same from yesterday."

Isaac carefully helped Cassidy outside of her room and down a shorter set of stairs than the ones at the entrance.

"Anyway, how are you today, Isaac?" Cassidy asked him as they reached the platform.

"I'm alright." Isaac replied as he let her arm go so she could move around on her own. "Tired."

"Thank you." She referred to his help before adding on, "First full moon will do that to you. It gets easier with time, I promise."

Isaac offered her a small smile and a nod. Before he could say anything further, the door to the entrance opened, Derek walked through with a blonde teenager wearing a hospital gown, whom Isaac recognized as Erica Reyes. She was known as the girl who would get seizures and someone was horrible enough to take a video and post it online once.

"Who's this?" Cassidy asked Derek as they descended the stairs.

"This is Erica. Our new beta." Derek introduced. "Erica, this is Cassidy. She's the other alpha I told you about."

"Hi." Erica replied meekly, nervous but kind smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you, Erica." Cassidy walked over to the blonde. "It's nice to have you. I was thinking of doing some shopping. I need some new clothes. Would you like to go with me?"

"Sure."

Cassidy offered Erica a comforting smile before turning to Derek.

"We're gonna go out for a bit." She told Derek. "I also have some words for you changing my clothes while I was unconscious."

Derek nodded, he understood. But he also didn't want her to wake up uncomfortable after the previous night. He knew she would be in a lot of pain.

"Understood." Derek told her.

"Come on. Let's both change so we can go." Cassidy turned back to Erica and led the way to her 'room'. Just as they got to her door, Cassidy got another flash of the fight from the previous night. "Derek, did you bite me on the arm?"

Derek smirked and turned to walk away.

"How else was I gonna get out of that choke hold?" He called out behind him.

Cassidy couldn't help but smile as she watched him walk away.

_____________________—————————————

The next day, Cassidy officially started school at Beacon Hills High despite her the fact that her first day was technically was supposed to be yesterday. Not only that, it was the day Derek and Cassidy chose for Erica to make her debut as the new version of herself as she healed from her bite.

Cassidy walked into her homeroom class first thing in the morning and it immediately caught the eyes of Scott and Stiles. She paused for a moment, surprised to see the two best friends before giving the note from the front office to her teacher. The teacher motioned for her to take the empty seat behind Stiles, who of course was seated next to Scott. She walked over to her seat and sat down, Scott and Stiles immediately turned around to face her.

"What are you doing here?" Stiles asked.

"Going to school." Cassidy replied with a shrug.

"Aren't you like, too old for that?"

"How old do you think I am?"

"I-I-I don't know." Stiles didn't want to offend her. He just assumed she was at least the same age as Derek...come on, she was an alpha.

"I just turned 17. I'm a junior." She explained.

"Everything okay with Isaac?" Scott asked, lowering his voice.

"He's fine. Safe."

"That's vague." Stiles added.

"I don't know what else you want me to say."

"You need to talk to Derek." Scott continued. "Tell him to stop turning people."

"You know if they're willing, there isn't much of an issue." Cassidy told him. "It's not like he's keeping secrets from who he turns. They know everything."

"It doesn't matter, Cassidy." Scott's voice raised, earning some looks from his classmates. He looked around and lowered his voice. "It isn't fair to put anyone in the situation we're in."

"Scott, I hear you. I really do. But I can't make Derek do anything. It was their choice and they said yes. I-" Cassidy was cut off.

"Wait, "they"? Who else did he turn?"

Crap. She let the cat out of the bag early...well, kinda. But before she could say anything, the bell rang and the teacher began to speak.

_____________________—————————————

As luck would have it, Cassidy managed to avoid both Scott and Stiles as the day went on. That was until lunch time when Erica reemerged looking very different than the last time everyone saw her. She strode through the cafeteria with confidence, her blonde hair done in curls with leopard print heels, wearing a short black skirt, a white shirt and a leather jacket.

Cassidy couldn't help but smile as she saw a big difference already in the previously insecure teenager. The bite was already working its magic.

She watched as Erica grabbed an apple from a kid and took a bite from it, not once messing up her red lipstick. As she left the cafeteria, she took one look back. Almost immediately Scott and Stiles followed her so Cassidy took the time to go to her locker and get ready for the next period in a few minutes.

At least Derek's plan worked...it was to get Scott's attention.

"Erica?" Scott asked angrily as he stood next to Cassidy's locker.

"Erica." Cassidy confirmed as she took a book out of her locker.

"Why her?"

"She wanted the bite." Cassidy closed her locker. "If it helps, I didn't know about it until it was over."

"It doesn't. Would knowing have changed anything?"

"Probably not." Scott scoffed at her. "Look, I know you don't like it but this is what needs to be done. She knows the risks. We need all of us right now because you were in the woods that night. We're being hunted and murdered because some crazy old man wants to blame all of us werewolves because one, who is already dead by the way, killed his psychopath daughter."

"Who's next?"

"You really think that I'm gonna tell you that?" She asked him. "Come on, Scott. I'm not gonna possibly jeopardize my life because you want to play hero. This is our reality. I don't like it either and if I had a choice, I wouldn't let anyone be turned. But I personally, like living my life. Maybe it's selfish but I'm not ready to let your girlfriend's family kill me and other innocent werewolves. If you were smart, you would know that just because you're secretly dating an Argent doesn't make you safe either and you would join us until there's another way."

"Sounds like you don't want another way." Scott crossed his arms.

"I do. I don't want to fight. But I will if it means surviving. If we were dealing with your girlfriend, things would be different. She seems like a nice girl. But we're not dealing with her."

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch period. Student began to fill the hallways, immediately putting an end to Scott and Cassidy's conversation.

_____________________—————————————

"How'd it go?" Derek asked Cassidy as she got back from school.

"Fine. What you expected." Cassidy said, a slight gloominess in her tone, as she walked down the stairs.

"Does he know who our next member is?"

"Not yet. I'm sure he'll figure it out tomorrow when your next plan to keep his attention happens."

Derek caught on to her change in attitude from this morning. This morning, she was doing well, she seemed happy but now...it's almost a complete 180. He looked over to Isaac and Erica, who were nearby, before motioning for Cassidy to follow him. With a small sigh, she followed him to the train car.

"What's wrong?" Derek asked her.

"It's nothing." Cassidy replied, sitting down and running a hand through her hair.

"Doesn't sound or look like nothing."

Cassidy sighed once more, pausing as she gathered her thoughts.

"It's just...first of all, I was a jerk to Scott earlier and I feel bad about that. But, he really thinks he can fix things."

"Cass, he'll say anything to get-"

"He didn't say it. It was just in the way he's been since he and I met. He's not like us." Cassidy looked up at Derek. "I mean that in the best way possible. He's a good person."

"It'll get him killed."

"Will it? Because maybe he might actually be the only one of us who can get us through this. Us changing more people? It's only making things worse for us in their eyes."

"Look, Cassidy." Derek squatted down in front of her. "We need as many of us as possible. As many as we can teach at a time. Because there is no changing or reasoning with someone like Gerard Argent. We have to do this to keep us safe. All of us. Even Scott. He'll see that soon enough."

Cassidy looked Derek in his eyes. She wanted to believe him but she also believed in Scott's way. She was caught in between Scott and Derek's methods. All Cassidy wanted was for the Argents to stop murdering innocent werewolves.

"Maybe you shouldn't go with us tomorrow night." Derek told her, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"It's fine." Cassidy spoke up immediately. "I'm fine. I'm just having a weird day. I'll be better tomorrow."

Although Derek wasn't sure about that, he nodded and let it go. Was he already losing her? How much longer until he would lose the rest of his pack? He had to find a way to keep her faith in him. As long as he had her, he knew the rest of his pack would follow.

_____________________—————————————

"Why Boyd?" Scott asked as he once again, found Cassidy at her locker during lunch time the next day.

"Hello to you too, Scott." Cassidy sighed, closing her locker.

"You and Derek need to stay away from Boyd."

"I'm seriously not in the mood today, Scott." She faced him, running a hand through her hair. "Okay, you got us. Boyd is next in line to be turned."

"Did you bite him yet?"

"I didn't."

"Leave him alone."

"I'm not about to have the same argument with you two days in a row. Rest assured, I won't be biting or turning anyone. Isaac and Erica are not my betas."

"You have to stop Derek."

"Again, I am not gonna repeat this argument."

Cassidy turned to walk away.

"When they end up dead, can you live with yourself?" Scott called out after her, stopping her in her tracks. "Because you know that's what will happen if you and Derek don't stop what you're doing."

"You're not the only one who can protect people, Scott." Cassidy told him before the bell rang and continued on her way to her next class.

That thought had gone through Cassidy's mind. But she also knew she could protect them. Right?

_____________________—————————————

Cassidy listened as Derek went over what tonight's plan was once Scott came into the picture. Isaac and Erica listened as he explained that it would also be a way to see how some of his battle training was coming along.

"Cassidy. You listening?" Derek asked irritably.

"Mm hmm." She answered, her mind still turning the words Scott spoke in her head.

"Then maybe you can share what I just talked about." Derek waited as Cassidy came up with nothing. "Maybe if you were paying more attention to this instead of your crush on Scott, you would know."

Isaac and Erica looked over to Cassidy in surprise.

"Wait, wait, whoa. I don't have a crush on Scott."

"You sure about that?"

"Just get back to the plan." She said through gritted teeth.

_____________________—————————————

Derek's mind drifted as he drove the pack to the ice rink. This whole thing with Scott...her seeming to lose faith in Derek...it bothered him. It hurt him more than he cared to admit. To be honest, it made him begin to question his feelings for his fellow alpha. Why would this hurt so much? Maybe because deep down he had feelings for her that had snuck up on him.

And when he's hurt, he tends to lash out at times. Blaming a crush was just easy.

Derek seemed to snap back into the present when they got to the ice while Scott was in the middle of conversation with Boyd as Boyd sat on the zamboni.

"I just wanna not eat lunch alone every day." Boyd told Scott.

"If you're looking for friends, you can do a lot better than Derek." Scott said.

"That really hurts, Scott. I mean, if you're going to review me, at least take a consensus." Derek said, catching Scott by surprise. "Erica, how's life been for you since we met?"

"Hmm. In a word? Transformative." Erica replied, letting out a growl as she bared her fangs.

"Isaac?"

"Well, I'm a little bummed about being a fugitive, but other than that, I'm great." Isaac answered more aloof than Erica.

It was in that moment that Cassidy realized that Isaac had changed too. He wasn't jumpy and the confidence oozed out of him as much as it did Erica. Only difference was he wasn't trying to be seductive as she was.

"Dare I ask you, Cassidy?"

"Honestly, it's been better since we met." Cassidy gave her reply. She wasn't gonna lie about it. She did find things better with Derek. Before this pack, things were a lot different for her.

Derek seemed impressed with that answer as Scott watched her for a moment. There just seemed to be something behind her words...was she just as lonely as Boyd seemed to be?

"Okay, hold on. This isn't exactly a fair fight." Scott told Derek, snapping back into reality.

"Then go home, Scott." Derek shrugged, smug smile on his face. He looked back at Isaac and Erica who took their cue and made their move.

Scott shifted and punched the ground, cracking the ice.

"I meant fair for them."

Scott let out a loud roar. Derek and Cassidy watched as Scott fought off both Isaac and Erica, almost with ease. Boyd looked over to the alphas in worry because it wasn't long before they both lost their fight against the lone beta. Both Derek and Cassidy were impressed with his fighting abilities.

"Don't you get it? He's not doing this for you. He's just adding to his own power, okay? It's all about him. He makes you feel like he's giving you some kind of gift when all he's done is turn you into a bunch of guard dogs!" Scott yelled at Isaac and Erica, sliding them across the ice to Derek's feet.

"It's true. It is about power." Derek admitted.

Cassidy checked on Isaac and Erica as Boyd watched in awe when Derek shifted and fought Scott. He was impressed to see Scott McCall, a beta, hold his own against the alpha werewolf Derek. Unfortunately, Derek won this fight.

"Derek, you made your point." Cassidy called out as Derek kept his foot on Scott's throat.

Considering that Cassidy just said it to remind him and not out of arguments sake, Derek let up. He stared down at Scott for a moment before looking to Boyd as he walked away. Scott watched helplessly as Boyd got off the zamboni, going to follow Derek, Cassidy and the pack.

"Don't. You don't wanna be like them." Scott tried once more to reason with Boyd.

"You're right." Boyd replied, showing Scott the bite he already received. "I wanna be like you."

_____________________—————————————

"Hey." Derek greeted Cassidy after lightly knocking on her open door.

"Hey." Cassidy replied, looking up from her homework.

"I know tonight wasn't easy on you. But I just wanted to say thank you. You had my back when it mattered and I appreciate that."

"Yeah, of course. We're a pack, right?"

"It's not just that." Derek sat down next to her. "I know I was a dick earlier. I was out of line and I'm sorry."

"I should kick your ass for that." She joked, smiling lightly. "We're good. But I thought a lot about what you said yesterday. And you're right. There's no reasoning with the Argents and we're gonna do what we have to so we can stay safe. I hate that that's our reality but it is."

"I'm sorry that it's where we're at. If I could change things, I would. Then maybe we wouldn't have to keep preparing these guys for battle almost all the time. And we could just be."

"Yeah. Maybe one day."

"Maybe."

He lightly smiled at the hopeful look in her eyes. They held each other's gaze for a moment when she noticed Derek's moving between her eyes and her lips. Just as she was about to lean in, someone cleared their throat. Both alphas looked over to Erica at the doorway as she held up her book and notebook.

"Sorry to interrupt." Erica said, sounding anything but sorry. "But Cassidy has a test to help me prep for."

"I guess I'll let you get to it then." Derek got up and walked to the door. He glanced back at Cassidy once more before he left.

"What was that all about?" Erica asked with a smile, full of interest.

"Nothing."

"That didn't look like nothing to me."

"So, Biology…" Cassidy changed the subject.

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

Now we know what the creature is...

[broqueroi]

Unsolicited Stucky FicRec

These are the fics that had absolutely wrecked my soul. Possibly will never dig my out of this hole that sucked me in years ago and no regret or whatsoever. This list will be updated as time goes by. 

Building From the Ground Up Series by EmilianaDarling 

E | Completed | 68,687 words

“What about you, Barnes?” asks Dugan. The sound of his voice brings Bucky back to the present, dredges him out of memories of a beat-up little apartment with sunlight streaming in through the windows. “Got yourself a girl waiting for you back home?”

There’s an answer on the tip of his tongue, one that he’ll deliver with a cocky grin and a half-laugh and a little shake of his head. But Bucky is exhausted and hungry and so sore it hurts to move, and one of the guys in their platoon fucking died yesterday. His mouth tastes like iodine water and his feet hurt and none of it’s going to get better any time soon, and all at once Bucky misses Steve so badly he can barely see straight.

��Yeah,” Bucky declares abruptly, the word escaping from his mouth before he fully realizes what he’s saying. “Yeah, I do.”

The One Where (Somehow) the Team is Oblivious by Darksknight

E | Completed | 16,495 words

Wanda had kissed her brother on his cheek after being separated from him for a short time- she understands a need for closeness after being lonely. But Wanda never slept on top of her brother, so seeing Bucky on top of Steve... is a little odd. (Steve and Bucky act a lot closer than friends usually do. There's a reason for that.)

Vicissitude by Messiah

E | Wip | 48,085 words

If Steve were a balloon, seeing Bucky wear the familiar star-spangled uniform was the needle that sent him deflating across the room. He couldn’t explain the ache in his chest or the ice in his stomach or why the smile he pushed onto his lips felt like a too tight sweater.

A story about sand monsters, masked terrorists and alien bullets that would make any supermodel jealous. Not that Steve was aiming to fit into a Victoria Secret bikini anytime soon, but the fact still remained. Just like the fact that Steve found himself back where he started seventy years ago: small, sick and with Bucky finishing his fights.

Yes, Captain Series by marlowe_tops

E | Completed | 42,934 words

Starts pre-Serum, in which Bucky takes seriously terrible care of himself because he’s trying to stifle the feelings he keeps having for Steve. Steve gets so pissed that he flat out orders Bucky into eating and sleeping and they both quickly realize Bucky loves being ordered around, but their new-forged domestic bliss is quickly damaged by the encroaching war.

~

“Yes, Captain,” Bucky sasses, when he’s capable of speech again.

Steve stills. His head tilts very slightly. Not shocked, not angry. Considering.

Bucky feels adrenaline flood through his body. This little punk is ninety pounds wet, and Bucky is absolutely frozen in his chair intimidated by him.

In the Deed of the Glory Series by queenmab_scherzo

E | Completed | 184,945 words

Steve and Bucky end up playing for rival college football teams.

Rivers and Roads by AustinB

E | Completed | 28,569 words

Steve is working undercover for Hydra when he gets an unexpected promotion.

To the Winter Soldier Project.

Devour by SeptemberWolves 🔒

E | Completed | 77,002 words | + other pairs

Steve was on top of an office building when he caught the scent of an unmarked omega going into heat.

(The Winter Soldier goes into heat unexpectedly during a mission. Steve loses control and mates him. None of them are prepared for the consequences. Luckily the Avengers are there to help.)

Painted in Indigo by nekare

M | Completed | 11,031 words

“You should be careful of that one,” Mr. Hendrickson says, with a nod to Bucky outside the window. “It ain’t right. Looking at you all the time as he does. The way he should be looking at girls.”

Steve laughs, because damn, but what a ridiculous idea.

Or, five times Steve caught Bucky looking at him, and the one time he looked first.

Restless 'verse Series by Claudia_flies

E | Completed | 39,635 words

Bucky jolts awake. His legs are tangled in a maroon colored duvet. He is lying in the middle of a large king bed, surrounded by pillows in matching maroon pillowcases. He is warm, but there is a part of him, deep in his gut that is still cold.

There are no dreams in cryo.

sokrovische moyo by greenbergsays

E | Completed | 30,000 words

The one where Bucky is a dragon, Steve is a water nymph, and somehow, they fall in love.

Captain Aggressively-Whipped: Kick-Ass Warbuddies by FlyByNightGirl

E | Wip | 61,994 words

“Oh god man. Shut up. We’ll save your goddamn butt buddy but I swear to god I better not hear a single damn thing about your ass and that metal arm after, you hear? Or I'm fucking out. Like that. Light switch man. I will find the goddamn door.”

Steve clapped him on the shoulder, shaking once for emphasis. “I knew you'd understand.”

He didn’t miss the miserable eye roll up to the sky, but he couldn’t be sure what Sam muttered under his breath, although it did sound suspiciously like you flirt with a guy once and suddenly you’re helping him back to his betrothed and. Well.

Steve sure knew how to pick good friends.

The Man on the Bridge Series by boopboop 🔒

M | Completed | 132,027 words 

Steve Rogers turning up at Tony's door in the middle of the night might be a bit out of character, but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility. Stranger things have happened.

Steve Rogers turning up at Tony's door with an amnesiac assassin - who may or may not have some of Tony's personally designed hardware attached where his arm should be - well that's just far too interesting to turn away, even if Tony is trying to avoid all things S.H.I.E.L.D these days.

Monster and the man by cookie_book_took

E | Completed | 88,720 words

Steve finds something he wants and he's going to get it. It doesn't matter that the man of his desires has a boyfriend, doesn't matter than he doesn't feel the same, doesn't matter that they've barely shared a conversation.

Bucky Barnes is his, his mind, his body and eventually his heart will all belong to Steve....

or : Bucky just wants to go about his comfortable life but Psychopath Steve had over ideas. His body and mind are turned upside down by Steve, but he won't let him have his heart so easily.

alternatively: MONSTER AND THE MAN: A SUMMARY

Bucky's internal monologue: Dis bitch. ... .

Steve's internal monologue: MY BITCH <3

Steve, Bucky and the Apex Alpha by cookie_book_took

E | Wip | 23,140 words

After waking from the ice, Steve suffers from headaches, blackouts...and abstract thoughts.

When he's introduced to an intriguing omega, his symptoms intensify.

He likes Bucky, of course he does, but the omega already has an alpha. The more he sees Bucky, the more he thinks about him, the stronger the impulse is to have him, the more his possessive thoughts grow.

but they aren't his thoughts...another personality battles for control inside Steve's mind, he calls himself the Apex Alpha and he's got his heart set on claiming the omega for his own...

On indefinite hiatus

the sweetest kind of poison by yellow_crayon

E | Completed | 60,852 words

Between running an orphanage with his over-protective brothers and Colonel Steve Rogers's increasingly inappropriate advances, Bucky's life is...complicated.

(Bucky participates in the Annual Hunt to get the cash rewards and meets Steve who wants him bad. AU)

Sharp Teeth and Bird Bones by Shaish, Stringlish

E | Completed | 32,629 words

I'll always find you.

Breathless by thelittlestpurplecat

E | Completed | 24,847 words

Steve's Serum is failing. He's suffering again from asthma, colorblindness, dizziness and heart trouble, problems he thought he'd left behind in the 40's. Tony and Bruce can see the problem, but not how to fix it, and Bucky is determined through all of this to do what's best for Steve, even if he's not always sure what that is.

The Curves of Your Lips Rewrite History by agetwellcard

E | Completed | 17,498 words

After Steve's wedding, Bucky kisses Steve and everything changes.

(AU in which Steve and Bucky survive the war. Steve marries Peggy, and Bucky has to deal with his feelings for Steve.)

We Were Here All Along by giselleslash

E | Completed | 15,046 words

After the events in DC Bucky shows up at Steve’s door. All Steve wants to do is hide him away from the world so when Natasha offers the use of one of her safehouses Steve takes her up on it. Now the two of them are together, and on their own, nothing but two ghosts haunting a cabin in the woods desperately trying to get back to each other.

The Sun & The Star by greenbergsays

T | Completed | 2,146 words 

There is a way these things are done; this is not it.

--

Or the one where Steve belongs to the Winter Soldier.

An Accident of Time by Pickitup

M | Completed | 42,282 words 

Boys weren’t omegas. Not outside of blue movies, or bluer songs, at least, the kind of anecdotes too ribald even for soldiers to tell. Girls were omegas, sometimes, but rarely, even in those days. Dying breeds, he guessed. When he was the asset it had stopped entirely, he had thought it all over: feels sick thinking of what they would have done to exploit him if he had suffered back then. But now, 2014, eating three meals a day, sleeping regularly in a safe bed, the old ghost has come back.

Heat Wave Series by cleo4u2, xantissa

E | Wip | 413,056 words

Captain America and the Winter Soldier meet for the first time in 2015. Now Bucky, after years of torture at Hydra's and more as a prisoner of S.H.I.E.L.D., is being given the chance to gain his freedom. All he has to do, is complete a mission with a team he can't stand while following the orders of yet another pompous, controlling Alpha. Steve thinks he can get his team through their most difficult mission to date, so long as he can get the smell of the Winter Soldier's heat out of his nose.

[padfootagain]

Trees And Firewhiskey (II)

Part 2 : Fight for life

This is the second part of the Trees and Firewhiskey series. Hope you like it!

Gif not mine

James didn't have a second to lose. Peter was alone with Remus for now, and he clearly wouldn't be able to do anything to protect Snape. Protect Snape... James had never thought that he could ever think or say these words.

But as he ran down across the grass, hurrying towards the Whomping Willow, the truth was that he didn't care much for Snape's security. It was Remus he was worried about. The poor boy would never forgive himself if anything happened to Snape because of him.

He could see a shape there, before the tree, trying to go pass the dangerous branches.

It was now or never.

"SNAPE!" he called, running as fast as he could.

He ignored his burning lungs and sore legs. He ignored the fact that he hated the boy he was about to help. There was too much fear in his system to care about such things.

The Slytherin boy turned around towards James, but only tried again to pass through the branches.

James had to stop him. He had to stop Snape from entering the tunnel. He couldn't see James as a stag, the little piece of shit would report him to Dumbledore and James could be expelled, or worse. As an unregistered Animagus, he could be sent to Azkaban.

He really couldn't understand the law sometimes...

But it was not the right time for such thoughts, and James kept on running towards Snape.

But the Slytherin finally had an idea...

James saw him pointing his wand at the tree, and it suddenly stood still.

He had immobilized it... James cursed under his breath. The next second, Snape was running towards the Willow, kneeling on the ground in search of the passage.

And he quickly found it.

He hurried inside before James could reach him. It was dark and wet. The mud under his feet was slippery. He lit up the tip of his wand to avoid falling to the ground. He could hear James's footsteps hurrying behind him, but for whatever reason, he had stopped calling his name. There was no other sound that could be heard, the night was peaceful.

Snape arrived to some kind of hatch, and he slowly opened it, just enough to see what was inside.

And when he guessed the furry form in the dark, his eyes grew very wide.

But then there was a pair of hands on his shoulders that pulled him down, and the hatch closed again while Severus was falling to the ground. He glared at the Gryffindor.

"Po...!"

But James put his hand on his lips, shushing the Slytherin boy.

And it was the first time Snape saw fear in James's eyes.

James nodded towards the tunnel and put a finger on his own lips, begging Snape to remain quiet.

If Remus heard them, they were both dead.

"Potter..." Snape hissed in a whisper.

"Stay quiet," James ordered, pulling up Snape to put him back in his feet.

"I'll tell everything to Dumbledore."

"Good idea. Now let's go before you get us both killed."

"Potter..."

"Shut the fuck up and move."

But then there was some movement above their heads, and James recognized the loud noise of the wolf sniffing.

He had smelled them...

"Run," James ordered.

And just as the word passed his lips, Remus howled and started to frantically fight against the hatch.

James grabbed Snape once more and forced him down the tunnel. They were both running now, and the Slytherin seemed to be scared enough by now to run on his own, without James dragging him towards the Willow.

The wood of the hatch behind them dangerously cracked.

Snape tripped on a root and fell on the muddy ground.

James turned around.

He could see two eyes glimmering in the dark...

The wolf grunted softly, and James could see the shining orbs advancing slowly towards them.

Snape got back on his feet, but remained frozen before the two shining circles that slowly approached them.

James grabbed Snape's arm.

And in his head he got ready for the run that would either kill both of them, either save them.

Three, two, one...

"RUN!"

The two boys ran as fast as they could again, and they heard the wolf growling behind them. And then the sound of Remus's strong paws hitting the wet ground. And just by listening at the sound, James knew he was closing on them...

They reached the entry of the tunnel and quickly crawled out of it.

Before he could realize what was happening, James felt a pair of hands helping him up.

He stared into Sirius's grey eyes for a few seconds.

"Go with Snape," Sirius said. "I'll hold him off."

"You're drunk," James protested.

"I'm the one who fucked up. Take Snape and go."

James nodded slowly, and he grabbed the Slytherin by the arm again, dragging him away from the tree.

He turned around to see his best friend disappearing inside the passage, and he guessed that he had transformed the second he was out of sight.

And then there were howls and barks and roars and cries full of pain that filled the air.

And now, it was for Sirius that James was afraid.

Remus had been on the hunt, and now Sirius was fighting him alone. James knew the werewolf would be more violent than usual after his chase after the two boys.

He had to go back and help Sirius control the wolf...

He stopped once Snape and he had almost reached the Castle.

"I need to go help, Sirius," he told Snape. "You're safe now."

"I'm going to report all this to the Headmaster and make sure that this monster and you all are expelled!" Snape roared.

"Right, do that then," James spat. "No need to thank me and Sirius for saving your stupid life."

"Sirius is the one who told me about the Willow, you know?"

James could see a wicked glint shine in Snape's eyes at the thought of messing with the Marauders' friendship.

"Go now, or I'm the one who's going to kill you," James snapped, turning back towards the grounds.

He ran for a while, making sure that he was far enough from the Castle not to be seen as he would change form. In the distance, he could still hear the sound of the battle that raged between Sirius and Remus.

He changed into his Animagus form quickly, running much faster now. When he arrived, Sirius was still trying to push away Remus back into the tunnel. He had managed to keep the werewolf near the tree, although he seemed to struggle more and more. Paying more attention to his friend, James noticed that the black dog was limping, and he hurried by his side.

Now two against the werewolf, they managed to force Remus back into the tunnel. Now that Snape was away, it seemed that he had calmed down a bit, and soon he stopped fighting against Sirius and James as they guided him through the tunnel back to the Shrieking Shack.

They sent Peter to repair the Hatch while they forced Remus to remain in a one of the empty bedrooms upstairs.

Sirius lied down on the dusty ground, his leg leaving blood on the floor. The dog let out a little cry of pain, before resting his head on his paws, waiting for Peter to come back so that they could leave Remus alone for the rest of the night.

Next to him, the stag was pacing through the room, lowering his antlers before Remus in a threatening way whenever the wolf growled a bit too violently.

The truth was, James was furious against Sirius.

The night was far from over when Peter arrived, the little rat running into the room, but they had to leave Remus for the night. They didn't have a choice. There was much more important things to deal with.

Snape had undoubtedly woken up Dumbledore to tell him everything that had happened. And Remus could be expelled, and Sirius as well.

James could lose his two best friends in just one night and the mere thought made him want to cry.

So they left Remus behind in the Shrieking Shack, and made sure that they were at a safe distance from the werewolf before turning into their human forms again.

Sirius immediately fell on the grass, now made wet by the cold air of the night.

"Padfoot!" Peter shrieked in fear.

The boy was groaning loudly, holding his bleeding limb.

"What happened in there anyway?" Peter asked James while the boy was picking up his wand and trying to heal Sirius's leg, at least enough for him to walk. "What was Snape doing there? I mean... I'm just a rat, there was nothing I could do, except making sure that none of you was crushed by this psychopathic tree..."

"Ask him," James snapped, nodding towards the wounded boy.

"James..." Sirius breathed pleadingly.

But he winced hard as James was partially closing his wound.

"This should be enough for you to walk," James said, standing up again.

"Thanks," Sirius breathed.

"This will take a while to heal," Peter said, helping Sirius to get back on his feet. "Moony went hard on you."

"We need to go to Dumbledore's office. Snape must have told him everything by now already," James said, starting towards the school already.

"James, wait..." Sirius called after his friend, hurrying behind him despite his limp.

"If Dumbledore asks, we got rid of Remus using shielding spells and a few curses, but nothing more. Not a word about Animagi, Snape didn't see us transform," James went on, ignoring his best friend. "Wormtail, go back to the dorms. Snivellus didn't see you out there, no need to get you in troubles too."

"James, please..." Sirius went on. "Listen for a second..."

They were walking into the Entrance Hall now, aiming for the stairs.

"We must hurry. Before Dumbledore takes any decision," James added.

"James, I'm so sorry..."

The boy finally spun around. He was glaring at Sirius with so much rage, the boy had never seen his friend like this.

And there was again this look of hatred and disappointment that pierced Sirius's heart...

"You're such a fucking jerk..." James spat.

And before Sirius could reply, James had punched him hard on the face.

He fell backwards on the hard stone, his head colliding with the floor with a loud thud.

When James fell upon him, punching him again, he didn't even try to defend himself. He was too much in pain for that. And he reckoned he deserved it anyway.

"You bastard!" James roared, grabbing Sirius by the collar and violently shaking him. "Do you realize what you've done? Snape could have been killed, Remus could be expelled, you could be expelled! What happened in your fucking head!?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, James."

James looked down at his best friend. His lip was bleeding and the skin around his right eye was already darkening because of James's punches. And the boy didn't feel better now that he had hit Sirius on the face. On the contrary, he felt worse than before.

He stood up, turning towards Peter, who was holding his wand in his hand, ready to stop his friends in case things were getting out of control.

"Go back to the dorm, Wormtail," he breathed, walking towards the stairs.

He knew Peter had helped Sirius to get back on his feet. He knew Sirius was struggling to keep his balance at first, and Peter helped him to walk further through the Hall. He knew Sirius finally let go of Peter's shoulder, limping behind him. He knew the boy was silently crying. He knew Sirius had barely enough strength to walk up the stairs. But he didn't turn around to help him.

He didn't want Sirius to see that he was crying too.

They walked to Dumbledore's office in silence, Sirius still hurrying behind James, still crying but no sound of his falling tears could be heard through the deserted corridors. The salty droplets were falling by themselves without him being able to control them, but they were silent like snowflakes falling upon his hand. He dried his face when they arrived before the Headmaster's office, and when James turned towards him again, his cheeks were not wet anymore, and there was no trace of his crying, except for his reddened eyes.

"We stick to the magic and spells about Remus, okay?" James said, his voice cold and sharp as a blade.

Sirius merely nodded.

As they climbed up the stairs, they could hear the sound of voices arguing.

They recognized the two Wizards in a second. Snape was still in Dumbledore's office.

"How can you!?" Snape was shouting.

"Severus, calm down."

James knocked on the door, that magically opened before he could lower his arm.

"James, Sirius, come inside," the Headmaster invited them, although his voice was not quite welcoming.

James noticed that Sirius was carefully hiding his torn trousers with his robe, trying not to limp too much despite the pain.

"Severus here has told me about your adventure of the night," he said, but then he seemed to notice Sirius's bruised face, and he seemed afraid all of a sudden. "Were you hurt?"

"No, professor," Sirius shook his head. "I tripped on a root. I fell on my knee and... I hurt my face as well."

The elder wizard nodded slowly, and James and Sirius exchanged a glance. Despite his anger against his best friend, James couldn't help but feel grateful that he hadn't told Dumbledore about their little fight.

"Severus says that you revealed to him where to find Mr. Lupin, Sirius," Dumbledore said, and Sirius immediately lowered his head, looking down at his feet.

He felt so ashamed...

"Is that true?" Dumbledore asked.

Sirius nodded slowly. There was no point in lying...

"Why would you do such thing, Sirius?"

But the boy merely shrugged.

"He was drunk, professor," Snape said. "He was drinking firewhiskey in the corridor."

The two Gryffindors glowered at the Slytherin.

"Is that true, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked.

Sirius nodded again.

"Sirius, look at me."

The boy took a deep breath, before rising his eyes until they met the electric blue stare of Dumbledore's.

"What did you do after that?"

"I went back to the dorms," Sirius said truthfully.

"And you talked to James about what you had done?"

Sirius nodded.

"And I guess that James had the sanity to realize you had made a huge mistake," Dumbledore added, looking at James now.

The boy nodded.

"I went to the Whomping Willow straight away."

"And you helped Severus running away," Dumbledore nodded, "and Sirius joined you."

The two boys nodded.

"And I guess that if you two are here, Mr. Lupin is safely back in the Shack."

"He is, professor," James nodded.

"How did you manage to bring him back?"

"Shielding spells, a few curses..." James answered elusively.

Dumbledore nodded slowly.

"James and Severus, you can go back to sleep now," the Headmaster said softly. "Sirius and I will have a little talk, just the two of us."

"What about Remus?" James asked, fear shining in his hazel eyes again.

"You're not going to expel him, are you?" Sirius asked, panicked. "It's all my fault, and only mine. If someone must get expelled because of what happened tonight, it's me, and only me."

James stared at his best friend. He tried to look at him with rage really... but he could only feel sadness at the idea of Sirius leaving Hogwarts.

Besides the fact that James wouldn't see him in Hogwarts anymore, he wondered what would happen to him then. Would he be forced to live with his parents all year long? James couldn't imagine how Sirius could survive something like this...

"Mr. Lupin will not get expelled, and Mr. Snape will talk to no one about what he learnt tonight," Dumbledore said. "Now, you two go back to bed."

"But... professor... " Snape tried to protest.

But Dumbledore glared at him, and Snape immediately fell silent, and he and James walked out of the Headmaster's office.

"Sit down, Sirius," he told the boy.

His voice was colder than usual, although his tone was calm and still comforting.

Sirius felt tears coming back to his eyes.

He was sure to be expelled... and then what would happen?

"Why did you tell Severus about Remus?" Dumbledore asked bluntly.

Sirius tried hard to look away from the Headmaster, but his blue eyes were too intense to let him escape.

"I... I don't really know," Sirius shrugged.

"You are not stupid, Sirius, I know you are not. Why would you do something like that?"

Sirius hesitated, but Dumbledore heaved a sigh.

"I reckon that you're in enough trouble already, Sirius," he said softly. "Now, tell me everything."

Sirius struggled to swallow, his throat tightened with the feelings bubbling in his chest. He was sad, and afraid, and in pain, and ashamed, and guilty, and desperate...

He hated himself now. But he knew he had no choice but to tell Dumbledore the truth.

"I was drunk," Sirius said slowly. "I was very drunk. I was not fully aware of what I was doing. And then... then Snape walked into the corridor and he started to laugh at me and he asked lots of questions about Remus and he asked if he was a werewolf and..."

Sirius shrugged.

"I don't know, I just told him to go check his theory himself. I'm sorry, professor. I didn't think about what would happen. I didn't think about how dangerous it was for Remus. I didn't think about anything really... I was too drunk for that."

"And now that you are less drunk, do you realize what could have happened?"

Sirius nodded slowly.

"I'm so sorry," Sirius breathed.

"It's not to me that you owe an apology. You owe one to Mr. Lupin more than anyone else."

Sirius nodded.

"Am I going to be expelled?" Sirius asked softly.

But Dumbledore ignored his question.

"Why did you drink so much?"

Sirius froze.

"Were you trying to run away from something? To forget something?"

Sirius clenched his jaw.

"You have to tell me, Sirius," Dumbledore told the boy, his voice reassuring. "I need to know why one of my students drank so much alcohol that he almost got several students killed, including himself, and another expelled."

Sirius didn't say anything, and he merely reached for a piece of parchment in the pocket of his robes.

He handed his parents' letter to Dumbledore, a sheepish expression on his face. Dumbledore read slowly the note, and Sirius seized the occasion to free his glance from the elder wizard's eyes, and he looked down at his feet.

"When did you receive this?" Dumbledore finally asked once he had read the letter twice.

"This morning."

There was a short silence, while Sirius was gathering his strengths to speak again.

"I... I don't know how to get out of that this time," he said. "This time I have no idea how to find a way not to obey."

"So you drank?"

"I never said I had been particularly clever."

Dumbledore handed the letter back to the boy.

"No one can force you to do such thing as marrying someone you don't love," the Headmaster said slowly.

"Clearly, you've never met my parents."

"I have. They are horrid people."

Sirius smiled, for the first time of the evening.

"They are," he nodded.

"You are not alone, Sirius," Dumbledore said slowly, his voice warm and comforting now. "Your friends are here, Professor McGonagall is here, I am here..."

"I don't see how you could help..."

"I could go talk to your parents."

But Sirius shook his head.

"No, it's okay. I'll find something. I've always found something so far..."

Sirius looked up at Dumbledore again.

"So... am I expelled?"

But Dumbledore shook his head.

"I don't reckon that sending you to your parents' would be a good idea," the Headmaster said softly. "But what you did tonight was extremely stupid and dangerous. But... I know you are not an evil person, and I believe you when you say that you meant no harm to come to Mr. Lupin. Although... a man can only give one second chance, Sirius."

The boy smiled again.

"Thank you," he said, his throat tight with rising tears.

"There won't be another warning," Dumbledore said again.

Sirius nodded.

"Now, you will have detentions, lots of it," Dumbledore added. "But for now, you should go to see Mrs. Pomfrey, so that she can heal this face and knee of yours."

Sirius nodded again and rose, walking towards the door.

"Sirius," Dumbledore called again, and the boy turned towards him, his hand already resting on the doorknob. "When we see no way to escape through the maze we are stuck into, the only way out is to ask for help."

Sirius nodded, and opened the door.

The second he disappeared, Dumbledore stood up, and he headed for the chimney, taking some Floo Powder in his hand. He stood in the hearth, and threw the powder at his feet, speaking the address in a clear voice.

"12 Grimmauld Place."