#i also feel like i need to shut up about my oc Mike

[skyblueartt]

Yapping again, are we?

I have so many ideas for a fun little “nobody dies” fnaf AU because I am in love with these characters ughhhghhghhhh. I love tragedy and drama and dysfunction, but also…let’s give the gang a bit of a break from that. Imagine!!!!

Charlie and Elizabeth as teenagers and BESTIES. I have SOOOO many thoughts, I treat these girlies like they’re my damn OCs at this point :’))) I made a whole ass headcanons post and everything ahhaha, they’re everything to me byeee

Also also ALSO Mike, in his 20s, totally lives with his “roommate” (take that in any way you want) Jeremy !!! Michael discovering his passion for art and selling some drawings/paintings on the side. Maybe he went/is going to school for art? Hmmm. I just really love Michael’s hobby being art (self projection). Jeremy being his fun, chill, supportive, stoner roommate and friend/boyfriend/whatever you want

Also just CC/Evan not dying as a little kid is just. Just so nice, dude. That kid deserves a good life ughghhhg. Maybe as he gets a bit older he’s faced his fears about those animatronics :) I’m imagining he’s like, a pre-teen or young teenager here. “Haha, dad, do you remember how these things used to give me NIGHTMARES? Crazy”

Maybe if William isn’t insane (well— not in the “I’ve taken the lives of several children and lost myself completely” insane, but he’s ABSOLUTELY still eccentric and weird but in like. A good way. I LOVE villain william though, he’s my fave don’t get me wrong hehe) him and his ✨🏳️‍🌈BUSINESS PARTNER and BEST FRIEND🏳️‍🌈✨ Henry just. Explore their feelings because they’re down bad for each other for SURE. I need middle age man yoai but make it not toxic- or not as toxic. Like I LOVE LOVE LOVEEE the tragic dynamic between those two when Will is a fucked up murderer, but damn dude this is supposed to be a happy AU here lemme have this😭

Also just Henry watching Charlie grow up <3 my soul like. Needs that, man. And just bein a cool uncle to the Afton kiddos!! Going to Mike’s highschool graduation, he’s SO proud, that’s his boy! Bonus points if other kids are like “yo Mike, who’s your dad’s boyfriend? Hahahaaha” and Mike’s like “that’s my ‘Uncle’ Henry and he’s actually really fuckin cool so shut up” (and also my dad’s boyfriend)

Also. William just…being a dad. I need this, man. I need it. UGH! DAD WILLIAM! NOW! And Henry never falling into a deep deep depression or emptiness because his little girl was never uhhh brutally KILLED. Pleeease

[latoyalestrange]

THE FOOL

p. pascal x f!oc

Masterlist | Playlist

Summary: Naela is finally back in Los Angeles. She hoped to get a peaceful evening with her long-term boyfriend and family, but the chaos of stardom is already in full effect the moment she steps off the plane.

Words: 3k

Warnings: Not edited, jealousy, mutual pining, mentions of cheating

Taglist: @marvel-sw-lover , @lokislittle , @red-red-rogue , @babukat , @joels-darlin , @lmariephoto37 , @violac0la

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CHAPTER SEVEN — MEET THE PARENTS

The airplane ride home was, thankfully, mostly silent. Due in part to Naela’s headphones that were glued to her ears, but also the lack of Pedro’s company. Apparently there weren’t enough seats grouped together for the entire cast to sit next to eachother, so they spread everyone out. The pair was sat on opposite sides of the business class portion of the plane, forcing them into awkward eye contact every time they got up to use the bathroom.

Once the flight was over, Naela was so eager to get off that she didn’t bother waiting for Pedro. She felt badly about it, but it was probably best she didn’t walk out with Pedro, knowing her boyfriend would be waiting for her. It took a moment to spot him, but once she saw his tall frame holding flowers and a “welcome home” sign, her face lit up with excitement. Naela didn’t realize that as she was rushing to Josh, a man with a blocky camera bypassed the entrance to her right and was b-lining toward her. The man jumped in front of her, completely catching her off guard with the loud clicking coming from his camera and his invasive questions.

“Naela Rivera! How does it feet to be back in LA after shooting for Narcos?” She craned her neck around the bulky figure in front of her to see Josh’s confused and frustrated expression. Another paparazzi joined him, once again blinding her with the flashes of their cameras.

“Is it true that you and Pedro Pascal are dating?” Then it clicked. She couldn’t retreat to her boyfriend like she so desperately wanted to do. In fact, either one of their managers could’ve orchestrated this on purpose. Soon, more gathered around, until she was almost entirely surrounded. She had no idea what to do. If she were mean or pushed out of the way, she would certainly be scrutinized in the media. She stood helpessly, covering her eyes from the blinding flashes, until she felt a familiar pair of hands pull her away and rush her toward the entrance. One wrapped around her shoulders and the other held her hand as they weaves through what was becoming a crowd. All of their questions and demands had become a dull, jumbled mess that neither of them could understand. A few moments of this and they finally reached the automatic doors, but the mass of people only continued outside.

“You okay?” Pedro asked gently as he continued to hold her tight to his side. She nodded, trying her best to catch her breath.

“Okay, good…here’s our ride.” With his arm wrapped around her shoulders protectively, he ushered her inside of the black SUV once he saw his manager’s face in the window. He quickly shut the door behind them, sealing them in their only form of protection. The crowd formed around the side of the vehicle, yelling muffled comments to the blacked-out windows. Before they could warm the car, the driver sped off, the wheels squealing as they drove away.

“That was Mike, wasn’t it?” Naela huffed, putting her bag in her lap and strapping herself in.

Pedro’s manager turned to her, “You really need to fire him. It’s good publicity, but he’s definitely not on your side.”

“Did you get our luggage already?” Pedro interjected, getting comfortable next to Naela. He let his knees drift apart casually as his hand rested on his thigh.

“Yeah, in the trunk,” the man replied before facing the front again. “Where to, Naela?”

“Oh, um— I was supposed to go with Josh to my mom’s house for dinner.” She answered, feeling the tension from last night set back in at the mention of her boyfriend.

“Great, we’ll take you there. Do you need to stop by your place first?”

“No, that’s okay. Thank you.” She responded politely. An awkward silence fell on them for the first time since they’d met. She relaxed into her seat, crossing one leg over the other and mindlessly swiping on her phone for some comfort. The downtown traffic made a 30 minute drive last close to an hour, but eventually they were pulling into a quaint suburb. Naela craned her neck to direct the driver to the house at the very end of the culdesac, painted a pale shade of yellow. Before Naela could gather her things, her mother was already bounding out of the front door, her arms outstretched as she advanced.

“Oh, gosh,” Naela chuckled, beaming at her mother. Pedro smiled adoringly at them before preparing to exit as well.

“I’ll help with your bags.” Before she could respond, he was already rounding the side of the car. She sighed and pulled herself out as well, just as her mother approached. She quickly pulled her daughter into a tight hug, swaying her side to side. Naela giggled, trying her best to hug her mother back with her arms trapped beneath hers.

“Oh, mija, I missed you so much!” Naela’s brother, sebastian, could be seen closing the front door behind him, which their mother had left open.

“I missed you too, mama,” she replied sweetly before her mother finally released her. At this point, Pedro had both of her suitcases in either hand and her duffel slung over his shoulder.

“Oh, this must be Pedrito!” Her mother gasped and hugged Pedro as well.

“Naela has told me so much about you,” she added pointedly as they separated, making him chuckle.

“Good things I hope. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Rivera.” He glanced over at Naela quickly, his lips lifting into an understanding smirk.

“Oh, please, it’s Esperanza to you,” her mother responded bashfully.

“Please don’t flirt with my coworker, Mom.” Naela interejected, half-joking. Her mother scoffed, slapping her shoulder playfully. Naela rolled her eyes and reached out for her duffle as she noticed Sebastian joining them.

“Thank you, but my brother can help me—“

“Oh, Pedro, you should stay for dinner!” Her mother chimed in excitedly. “I made plenty of food.”

“He probably wants to go home and rest, mom. We’ve been away for close to six months,” Naela shot back, retracting her hand.

“I don’t mind,” Pedro added innocently. “I’m sure it’s better than the takeout I was going to order.”

“See, Mija, he wants to stay,” her mother pushed. Naela sighed, looking to her brother who just smiled.

“Okay, sure, as long as you don’t mind,” Naela finally agreed to avoid being impolite. Ugh. This should be interesting once Josh shows up.

“Of course not.” Pedro winked sneakily at her, making her have to play off the red in her cheeks.

“Amazing. Sebastian, help Pedro with her things,” the woman instructed her son, who oblidged without question.

“Sorry,” Naela mouthed to Pedro as her mother retreated to her house. He just smiled back at her as her brother outstretched his hand to introduce himself to him.

“Sebastian. Nice to meet you.” Pedro shook his hand firmly, then handed him one of Naela’s suitcases.

“I figured. Naela has told me many stories,” he mused, making her brother laugh.

“I bet, there’s tons of ‘em. Did she tell you about the time she sang ‘Waterfalls’ for her fifth grade talent show?” Her brother asked teasingly. Pedro raised his eyebrows with surprise as he turned to Naela, who only covered her face with her hands.

“You know what, I think she left that out,” he joked.

“Of course she did. We have it on tape—“

“No, no, no, that’s enough chatting, we’re going inside,” Naela interrupted, getting between them to direct them inside. Why did her family have to be so embarrassing?

“Don’t you wanna look back on what made you switch your career fromm singer to actress?” Sebastian continued as he began dragging her luggage up the stone steps, Pedro following close behind after telling his manager to take his bags to his place.

“No one wants to watch a ten year old rap badly, Sebastian,” she retorted with an annoyed tone as they stepped through the doorway.

“It’s better because it’s you!” He called to her as she bypassed the living room to join her mother in the kitchen, raising her middle finger to him. Pedro followed Sebastian’s lead and left her belongings by the door, a smile lingering on his lips. A few moments of small talk passed before Sebastian invited him to sit on the sectional that faced the TV as he rummaged through a storage cube of VHS tapes.

“You and Naela seem close,” Sebastian pointed out as he picked the correct tape from the basket.

“Yeah, the entire cast got pretty close being stuck together for that long,” Pedro reasoned, shifting uncomfortably in his seat on the couch.

“Well I’m glad,” her brother began, gently inserting the tape into the VHS player hooked up to the television. “Naela needs someone other than her boyfriend to hang out with,” he continued, this time under his breath. After a few seconds of focused button-pushing, he got the tape running, and the image of little Naela standing on a stage in front of a gym full of kids. Her outfit of choice? A matching pink track suit to tie the 90s vibe together. An undeniable, genuine grin spread across Pedro’s face as he watched her single enthusiastically along to the words. It was clear she was meant to be a performer, even at that age.

“Wow,” was all Pedro could say. He didn’t have the heart to poke fun at the video. All he could think about was how fucking adorable she was then. He took a moment to peer into the kitchen, seeing her laughing with her mom as they put the final touches on dinner. He simply couldn’t look away as his thoughts turned to how things would be if the circumstances were different. He should be meeting her family and introduced as her boyfriend, he should be laughing with his future brother in law, he should be teasing, not his friend, but his girlfriend.

At the same time, Pedro knew he couldn’t force it. He knew their feelings were there, and their chemistry was off the charts, but he needed their relationship to start off the right way to give them a good fighting chance. He wanted all of her attention, pure and undiluted. If he was going to get that, though, he would have to wait, and Pedro was just fine with that. He was certain she was worth waiting for. Just as the thought popped into his head, the problem entered the room on que.

"Hey, Sebastian," he said casually as he shut the door behind him. Pedro had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes.

"'Sup," he replied coldly, his face even less inviting than his tone. Deciding to poke the bear, Pedro jumped to his feet and outstretched his hand, a smug smirk on his face.

"Pedro Pascal. You must be John." He almost laughed, seeing the expression on the man's face as he reluctantly took his hand.

"Josh." He corrected him sternly. Sebastian could be seen hiding a smile behind his hand as he leaned back into the couch.

"Oh, that's right." He raised his eyebrows with illegitimate surprise and his tone to match. The look in his eye told Pedro to back off, but he ignored it. He stood his ground, his lips formed in a sly, knowing smile. Luckily, Naela stepped into the room at just the right time to diffuse the tension.

"Oh! Hi, Josh!" She panickily looked between the two men, her eyes wide. Her boyfriend took the opportunity to assert his dominance by planting himself on her side, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her in to kiss the top of her head. His eye contact with Pedro was unwavering, but he didn't bat an eye.

"Hey, baby," he murmured into her hair. She tightened her lips into an awkward smile.

"Um, dinners ready," she announced quietly, sensing the animosity in the air. The three men followed her into the kitchen, where Mrs. Rivera was just starting to set the table. Out of instinct, Pedro instantly began helping her and Naela, whereas Josh retreated to the dinner table.

The rest of the evening was spent enjoying the wonderful tamales Mrs. Rivera had made, chatting, laughing, and telling stories. Josh was mostly quiet, like every other family dinner he was present for, except when he wanted to brag about himself or Naela. It was something Naela had consistently expressed bothered her, but at some point, she gave up trying to change. That night, however, she seemed not to notice. She was far too caught up in watching Pedro bond with her brother over films, and with her mother over Naela. At one point, she almost forgot Josh was there. She didn't feel bad, though. Apparently, he forgot too since he was sat silently on his phone.

Once it was time to clean up, he followed Sebastian into the living room and joined him on the couch, much to his annoyance. He was too polite and loved his sister too much to say so. Pedro and Naela stayed in the kitchen to help her mother clean up, which she was very appreciative of. At some point, Mrs. Rivera left to use the restroom, leaving the two alone for a few brief moments.

They were silent at first, before Pedro spoke up, saying, "I'm sorry if I overstepped at the airport. I didn't mean to--" She stopped drying the plate in her hand to interrupt him.

"No, no... you're fine. I should thank you." They made prolonged eye contact for the first time since the night before, a sweet smile on her face. He mirrored her, adoring the dimples in her cheeks. "So, thank you," she added, chuckling. She put the plate away and took the next one from him.

There was another beat of quiet before she continued, "We can take you home, if you want."

"Oh! Um, are you sure it's okay?" He decided not to add "with Josh" at the end because he truly didn't care, but he wanted to make sure it wouldn't cause problems for her. She turned to look at him as he sat on the edge of the couch, shoes tied and keys in hand.

"Yeah, yeah it's no problem. It my mom's fault you're out so late anyway," she joked. Once Mrs. Rivera returned, they quickly finished cleaning and met Josh near the door to get ready to leave. Once again, Pedro volunteered to carry her things, which Josh didn't seem to mind. Less work for him, right?

The drive to Pedro's house was mostly quiet, unless he was giving them directions. Naela let the music flow to conceal the awkwardness. Once they pulled up to Pedro's complex, which was a modern-looking townhouse community, he jumped out of the back to lean into Naela's window and say goodbye. He folded his arms beneath him, his toned muscles making an appearance beneath the sleaves of his t-shirt.

"I think the next time I'll see you, it'll be the premiere," he said with a bittersweet tone. Josh stared off into the road, his jaw clenching tightly shut.

"I think so. Only four weeks to go!" she said cheerfully, smiling up at him.

"It'll be here before we know it,' he sighed, leaning down to look in at Josh. "You guys have a good night. Nice meeting you, John--I mean Josh." He waved politely at the man who only nodded as an acknowledgement.

"Yep. See you," Josh replied coldly.

"Bye, Pedro," his girlfriend replied sweetly, waving innocently at him as he backed away toward his front door. Josh waited no time pulling out of his drive and beginning the dead silent drive home. Naela didn't bother to break it, she knew what he was going to say, and that it'd be a fight, and she'd rather argue in the safety of her apartment than on the road, which was exactly what they did.

"I just don't like the way he talks to you."

"He's just being nice, babe. I promise." Naela could hardly recognize the words coming out of her mouth. She told herself her moment with Pedro the night before was only a whim. Josh was forever. At least that was the plan for the last three years.

“I just…it’s not that I don’t trust you,” He shouldn’t. “I don’t trust him,” he continued, an exasperated expression on his face as he paced around her living room. He ran his fingers through his soft, ashy blonde hair, a nervous habit he always had.

Naela joined him on her feet, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “This is temporary. The last time I spoke to them, they said it probably wouldn’t need to last all six months.”

He sighed, letting his ocean blue eyes fall on hers, “Okay.” He cupped her cheek with his warm hand. She leaned into the feeling. “I’m sorry. You know it’s ‘cause I love you.”

Naela had to conceal her recoil as he said it. She hated how he used his love for her as an excuse, or a reason to be overly possessive. While this technically wasn’t the case, it had been on multiple occasions with truly innocent relationships with other men.

He leaned in and connected their lips for a quick peck before sauntering off to the bedroom. Naela stood in her living room, arms crossed and eyes glossed over as her mind raced. More than anything, Naela craved stability. She needed someone to love her, and she needed a guarantee. Josh was good enough to her and he was definitely sticking around. With Pedro, he could have anyone he wanted. What happens when his PR team says he should date someone else for the next show?

The way she saw it, Pedro was bound to one day wake up and realize he could have so much better.

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[yelena-bellova]

UNLUCKY: A STRANGER THINGS STORY (OC) - CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Chapter Sixteen: From Bad…

Series Masterlist l OC Profile

Plot: Christine deals with the aftermath of the Halloween party, both at school and at home.

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: language, fighting, trauma

————

“Girls!”

Nancy and I startled awake.

“Breakfast’s downstairs,” Mrs. Wheeler called through the door. “Waffles and bacon.”

“We’ll be right down, Mrs. Wheeler,” I slurred, rubbing my eyes as I adjusted to the sunlight.

Nancy struggled to lift her head off the pillow, but managed to look over at me. “What’re you doing here?”

I sat up, “What do you remember from last night?”

“I don’t…” Nancy touched her forehead, “Drinking? Dancing? Steve was mad but he took us home.”

No mention of Jonathan. “Nothing else?”

“Oh, God…” she groaned, “What happened?”

Preferably, I’d have told her everything in detail. But Jonathan’s tearful begging hung over my head.

“I don’t know,” I half-lied, “I lost you guys after you started drinking. Steve seemed really upset. I don’t know what happened with you two, but you might wanna fix it.”

Nancy didn’t budge. If it weren’t for her rubbing at her head, I’d have thought she’d fallen back asleep.

“I gotta get home,” I slid off the bed and gathered my things. My backpack was still on Nancy’s floor. “Are you good?”

“I just feel like I’m gonna throw up,” she muttered.

“Oh, you did,” I walked to the door, flashing back to a few hours before. Thankfully her family were heavy sleepers.

I was halfway out when Nancy called my name, half-upright in bed. “Thanks for…”

She didn’t even know what she was thanking me for. Somehow that made it even sadder. “Just go talk to Steve,” I replied.

Nancy nodded in agreement and I closed her door so she could make herself presentable.

Stopping to thank Mrs. Wheeler for the breakfast I couldn’t eat, and promptly being sent home with a Tupperware of it, I grabbed my bike from the front porch and headed home. The remnants of Halloween were scattered all over the streets. Toilet paper in trees, candy wrappers on the sidewalk…

I got back to the cabin a few minutes after eight, banging out the coded knock. Nobody was answering. Halfway through my second go, the locks clicked and Hopper threw the door open. His uniform was stained with a full plate of breakfast.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Don’t ask,” Hopper growled.

I brushed past him to find the kitchen table ajar and a mess. El was also missing.

“This have anything to do with whatever happened last night?”

“No,” Hopper took a rag to the faucet, “Yes. She’s visiting him again.”

The pieces were starting to come together. From time to time, El checked in on Mike telepathically. Typically, I could stave it off if I updated her on how he was, but sometimes it didn’t matter.

I knocked on our bedroom door, “El? Can I come in?”

No answer.

“El, I need to get in and get my clothes,” I gently pushed, “Please.”

The door unlocked and I slipped in, shutting it behind me. El was sat on the edge of her bed fuming.

“What happened?” I asked.

“He says ‘soon,’ she explained, “When is ‘soon?’”

“El, I’m doing the best I can,” I sighed, “I check in on Mike all the time. He’s safe, he’s-“

“It’s not good enough,” her voice rose, now putting me on the receiving end of her frustration, “I need to see him!”

I ran my hands over my face and tried to keep calm. I was stuck between El and Mike, Hopper and my fear of someone finding out about my sister.

“Eleven-“

“No!” She yelled, tears were close behind.

I moved to give her a hug but she pulled away, instead choosing to lay down facing away from me. There was nothing I could say to make any of it better.

Already late for school, I wiped my costume makeup off, ran a brush through my hair and got changed. When I left the bedroom, Hopper was just finishing getting ready himself. The table was still crooked until I telekinetically moved it back into place.

“Don’t say it,” he grunted.

“If you can’t see how bad this is getting-“

Hopper gestured to his still drying uniform, “I see how bad it’s getting.”

“Let me tell him,” I pushed, “Let them see each other one time and-“

He slammed his hand on the wall, startling me. “No. I am the adult here and I am saying no. You two need to understand that you don’t run the show here. ‘Soon’ is ‘soon’ and it’s when,” he pointed to himself, “I say it is.”

It wasn’t often that I saw Hopper angry. Truly angry. I’d never pushed his buttons as much as El did. But if I couldn’t talk to him when he was frustrated, I couldn’t talk to him in his current mood.

“Got it,” I replied quietly, grabbing my backpack off the ground and slamming the front door shut.

——————

For once, I was thankful for the predictability of a school day.

Nancy missed first period and Jonathan kept entirely to himself. Steve was somewhere in the building, but I had yet to see him. I just kept my head down, try to focus on class and not think about anything going on at home.

When lunch break came, I decided to search for Steve. The cafeteria didn’t seem a place to go if you were upset, so I ventured outside. I checked the parking lot and the gym to no avail. It was when I went to the bleachers of the football field that I found him, sitting in the middle row by himself.

“Hey,” I climbed the steps.

“Hey,” he greeted halfheartedly.

“I’ve been looking for you.” I waited for him to speak, but it never came. “Can I sit?”

He scooted over a bit and I took my place beside him. Whatever went on between him and Nancy was bad, Steve was never this quiet.

A group of guys walked past on the bleachers, passing Steve and I and chuckling to themselves. Steve glared up at them.

“Friends?” I smiled.

Steve bristled, since abandoning his “friends” and continuing to date Nancy, his social standing had plummeted. And with the arrival of the blonde guy who seemed to have it out for him, Steve wasn’t being treated any kinder.

But there were bigger problems to deal with. “What happened?”

Steve sighed and looked down, “Figured she’d tell you.”

“No, I spent the night making sure she didn’t aspirate.”

Steve scoffed, “Well, apparently everything’s bullshit. Me, our relationship, everything.”

I squinted, “What?”

“Whole thing,” Steve waved his hand, “Bullshit. Her words.”

Nancy had never complained to me about Steve. Nothing past what I assumed was normal in a relationship.

“I…” I struggled for words, “She never said anything to me.”

“Well, that’s how she feels,” Steve played with his hands.

Suddenly I felt caught between what I had to feel and what I wanted to feel. Nancy and Steve made each other happy, I saw that everyday. But just twelve hours ago, I’d witnessed what I believed to be the closest thing to love I’d seen. Steve had left Nancy at the party, Jonathan had carried her home. He’d broken his own heart to take care of her.

“I mean,” I fidgeted, “Have you talked to her today?”

“Yeah,” Steve replied, “She couldn’t remember any of it. But she still couldn’t say it.”

“Say…?”

“That she loves me.”

“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t…”

“No, she can’t even say it,” he argued, “You love someone, you tell them. You shouldn’t have to be forced to.” Steve shook his head, “Then I hear Jonathan took her home and…”

“We had to get home somehow,” I lost the tiniest bit of sympathy. We’d only needed Jonathan because of Steve. “Look, what Nancy did sucks but…it doesn’t mean it’s the end.”

“No, you don’t get it.”

“I do get it, Steve, I-“

“No,” Steve snapped, “You don’t get it. You don’t get any of this. You’re not in a relationship. You have no idea what this feels like. Okay?”

Of all the things Steve had ever said to me, good and bad, nothing had ever struck me so hard. I knew he was capable of being a jerk, that’s how we’d met, but this…this crossed a line.

“You know what?” I managed to say, smiling in frustration. I needed to get somewhere, anywhere else immediately.

“Chris-“ Steve said as I got up.

“No,” I turned around on the steps, my breath trembling, “I know I don’t know anything, Steve. I know I don’t know what it’s like to love somebody. No guy will even look at me here. I get that I’m the homeless freak that nobody’ll go near,” I inhaled, “But I do know what it’s like to be alone. I do know what it’s like to feel like nobody loves you. So forgive me for giving a shit and trying to make sure you don’t feel the same way.”

“I’m sorry that Nancy’s freaking out,” I continued, “I’m sorry that ‘King Steve’ is losing keg records. I’m sorry that everything’s falling apart for you,” I couldn’t stop my tears any longer, “But I’m not going to let you take it out on me when I’m trying every single damn day to keep my head above water.”

Just as he’d shocked me into silence, Steve was speechless.

With nothing left to say, I hurried down the bleachers, as far away as I could get from him.

——————

The day dragged on from there. I’d never been so thankful to hear the bell ring. I got to my locker and dropped off my books, ready to put an end to an awful day.

“You know…if no one told you last night, you wore the hell outta that dress.”

The blonde guy from the party had slidden up next to me, leaning against the lockers.

“Ah,” I politely smiled, not meaning any of it, “Thanks.”

“So what’s up with you and Harrington?” He crossed his arms over his exposed chest, “I mean, I know he’s got a chick, but you were walkin’ him like a dog last night.”

I shut my locker door hard, there was very little patience left in my reserve. The last thing I wanted to talk about was Steve.

“Okay,” I started, “What’s your name?”

He smiled cockily, “Billy.”

“Billy,” I kept my tone even, “I assure you, whatever you think you know, you don’t.”

Billy pushed off the locker to turn his body towards me, not seeming to care if he was invading my personal space. “Well, enlighten me, then,” he said in a lowered tone, “Go out with me.”

I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of making me speechless. It was the first time a guy had shown any interest in me, let alone asked me out. The timing of it was cruel considering my conversation with Steve. How many times had I wished someone would flirt with me? Talk with me? Want to spend any time with me outside of obligation? The pain had only intensified and so had the longing.

If it were anyone else, I’d have said yes.

“I’m good,” I replied before locking my locker back up.

“Come on,” Billy laughed, “Harrington really got that much of a hold on you?”

“No,” I was already starting to walk away, “I just don’t date cologne bottles.”

I could only imagine that I was the first girl at Hawkins High to turn down the god Billy thought he was. It didn’t matter how much I wanted to be with someone, there was something about him I didn’t want to go near.

Outside, I was almost to my bike when I decided to stop by the middle school and check on the boys. If I came home with a new story for El, maybe it would sate her. Even just for a day.

I waited outside by the bike rack for fifteen minutes but none of them showed up. Dustin’s story about almost getting hit on the road started repeating in my head, making me nervous.

“Christine?”

I turned to see Joyce Byers getting out of her car.

“Mrs. Byers?”

“Have you seen Will?” She hurriedly asked. “The boys?”

“No, I came to see them,” I answered, coming to meet her, “They haven’t come out.”

Without even suggesting it, the two of us marched up to the building and threw one of the side doors open. Joyce checked in the AV room while I scoured the hallways.

“Will!”

“Dustin?” I yelled back and chased the voice.

Dustin and a redheaded girl in tow came around the corner. “Chris!”

“Dustin!” Joyce exclaimed.

“Mrs. Byers?”

“What’s going on? Where’s Will?”

Just them, Lucas came running through the side door, out of breath. “The field.”

The four of us followed as Lucas led us out to the grassy patch next to the school. Mike was stood in the middle of it, Will beside him, but Will was still as death.

“I just found him like this!” Mike yelled, “I think he’s having another episode.”

“Will! Will!” Joyce called to her son, placing her hands on his shoulders, “Sweetie, wake up! It’s Mom! Will!”

But Will’s eyes were shut, and the little slits we could see were rolled back into his head. He was completely unresponsive.

As Joyce continued to call for him, I did the only thing I thought I could. I shut my eyes and slipped into Will’s mind.

For half a second, I couldn’t find anything. And then his brain unloaded it all. The darkness, the choked sounds, the vines weaving in and out every inch of Will’s mind…

He was overcome.

I jumped out with a gasp, falling to the ground as if some force had pushed me back.

“Christine!”

“Will!”

We’d come to at the same time, though neither of us could tell. I was so dazed, I couldn’t even see straight. It took blinking a few dozen times to see the face of Dustin hanging over me.

“You okay?”

I managed to nod and struggled to get to my feet, “Will?”

He was wrapped in Joyce’s arms, but managed to peek over at me. I didn’t dare go into his mind again, mostly out of fear, but I nodded to let him know I knew.

“Come on,” Joyce whispered, “Let’s get you home.”

Mike went to retrieve Will’s backpack and brought it out to Joyce. Will was quiet, seemingly by choice.

“Tell Hopper to call me,” Joyce asked of me, “Right away.”

“I will.”

The four of us, plus the redheaded girl, watched Will and Joyce walk down the school steps to their car.

“Okay, that totally freaked me out,” the girl said, “Did that not freak you guys out?”

Nobody so much as blinked. This was our normal.

“Two episodes in two days,” Lucas mused.

“It’s getting worse,” Mike said.

“You think it’s True Sight?”

“What’s True Sight?” The girl voiced my same question.

Whatever it was, Lucas caught himself from explaining any further. “It’s nothing.”

Mike turned to me, “We need to talk.”

Before I could say anything, Mike and the boys were whisking me down the hall and into the AV room.

“Um, hello?” The redhead yelled down the hall, “Guys!”

Mike slammed the door shut and locked it, disregarding her. “You went into Will’s mind. What’d you see?”

I was still struggling to comprehend it all. “I-I don’t know,” I breathed, “It felt cold. It was dark. It was…” I shivered, “It was horrible.”

“Wait, you can see things too?” Dustin asked.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, “I couldn’t…see it…but it was more than hearing his thoughts. I don’t know. What’s True Sight?”

“It’s when you can see into another plane,” Dustin explained, “We have a theory that Will might be able to see into the Upside Down.”

“He had another episode last night,” Mike said, “When we were trick-or-treating.”

My stomach clenched at the mention of the Upside Down. I’d really hoped we were free of any worry about it.

“Do you think that was what you saw?” Lucas asked, “The Upside Down?”

“I don’t know,” I took a shaking breath, “I don’t know what it looks like.”

The time of my watch caught my eye, I was late to get home.

“I have to go,” I stood to my feet and looked to each of the boys, “If anything, anything, happens, you call me. Immediately. Okay?”

They all agreed without hesitation. I was barely down the hall when Mike stopped me, “Christine!”

“What?”

He struggled with his words a moment, “Do you…do ever feel like…like you can feel her?”

The unspoken her wasn’t in question. “What do you mean?”

Rather than try and explain, Mike gave the nod that meant I could go into his brain. I was hesitant after Will, but pushed through.

Once in, I heard him play back his conversation with the redheaded girl, Max.

She fell on her skateboard.

Like something had pulled it out from under her.

Like a magnet.

It took everything in me not to show what I suspected on my face.

“Yeah,” I told my best lie, “I feel like that all the time.”

Mike looked hopeful, “Really?”

“Yeah,” I sadly smiled, “But we have to remember that…it doesn’t mean anything.”

“I know,” he exhaled. It wasn’t the answer he wanted.

I patted his shoulder, “Call if anything happens.”

“Yeah,” he nodded and we parted ways. Mike would go on thinking that the two of us were imagining things. That El’s ghost was always in the room with us. That there was no deeper meaning to how he felt.

And while he thought on that, I was racing back home.

————

Unlucky Taglist: @lanadelray1989

[ask-hfttmnt]

WELCOME TO THE BLOG!

RULES:

NO NSFW!! Keep things at least PG-14. We are mostly minors, and even then I don't think any of us wanna hear inappropriate nonsense. It's just plain gross and uncomforting.

No heavy flirting!! Jokes and little things are fine, but too much of it all the time can make us uncomfortable, especially since we are all teens.

ABSOLUTELY NO TCEST, PROSHIPPERS, LEORAI SHIPPERS, ETC! GET THAT SHIT OUT OF HERE AND STAY OUT!! Please and thank you <3

Be respectful, please! No one here wants to deal with total jerks and haters. Don't like this? Keep to yourself and leave. We aren't forcing anyone to stay.

Be patient with us! We are sometimes busy and don't always have the time to respond or the motivation to be online.

No spamming! We will get to you when we can. If we don't answer something, it's because it's either unrelated, breaks the rules, or we just haven't seen it yet.

Lastly, have fun! No need to be shy. We try to be as friendly as possible (most of us at least).

[[MORE BELOW CUT]]

INTRODUCTIONS:

💙"Wusup! Name's Leonardo, but you can call me Leo or Leon. I'm the cool leader in blue and the oldest Hamato brother! I'm also the most handsome, haha! Feel free to stick around and chat."

💜"Greetings. I'm Donatello. Some of my other names include Donnie, Don, Dee... you get the gist. I'm the brains of the group because SOMEONE around here needed an education. I'm the second oldest and sadly "twins" with Mr. Massive-Ego. If I'm not busy, I'll talk I guess.."

❤️"Sup. I'm Raphael. Or just Raph works too. I'm the muscle among my brothers. Don't let my size fool you, I happen to be the middle child. So... yeah."

🧡"HI HI HI HI! I'm Michelangelo! Or Mikey, Mike, Michael, Angelo... whichever works! I'm the youngest brother and most playful and creative! I love to meet new people, so don't be shy!"

💛"Hello there! I'm April O'Neil, but just April works! I'm a close friend of the turtles and have been for some time now. If I'm not busy at work, I'll try to answer what I can!"

🩶"Yo! This is the one and only Casey Jones. I'm an athletic guy who likes to do my part in keeping this city safe from all sorts of trouble. If I'm not busy, feel free to swing by and chat!"

🩷"Hiii! I'm Angelica Jones, but you can call me Angel or Angie too if you want. I'm Casey's younger sibling, and he thought it would be a good idea to have me try and talk to people, so here I am! I'm not very chatty, though, but I will try my best to respond to what I can."

💚"Howdy, I guess. Name's North. I'm honestly just here because the others wouldn't shut up till I agreed to do this. Ask whatever, just know I won't answer something I deem too personal.."

🖤"Sup laddies and lassies. The name's Shep. North dragged me into this as well, so ask me anything I suppose. Just don't get all hurt if my answers are too brutal for ya."

TAGS:

#that blue dude = Leo

#donniepedia = Donnie

#big red = Raph

#mike n ike = Mikey

#april showers = April

#hockey talky = Casey

#little angel = Angie

#sly fox = North

#shepticeye = Shep

#other talks = anyone else getting involved

#yappin = just talking about random things (rambling)

#friendly chats = answering the ask box

#arts n crafts = showing off drawings or projects

interactions = interacting with other accounts (mostly reblogs)

OOC:

Hello! I'm the mod for this blog and the creator of this AU! This is an RP blog based on my own TMNT AU known as Hunt for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Any other RP blogs, feel free to interact if you want!

My main blog is @rosewashereyt and my tmnt blog is @rosey-mango

#rose is here = ooc related stuff

If you see things in double brackets [[---]], it's ooc as well!

Shep is an OC that belongs to Sunny aka @atiredweirdo

Any interactions with him go through Sunny first, just fyi!

[thesoupisburning]

TAGS AND INTRO

hi!! i'm soup or mike or glitz or whatever name you can find on my carrd - the link is in bio. i'm 20, i'm crazy insane, and i really really like writing (and attention). this is a ref for the stuff i post about that's original (or. original in the tags at least) and the means to sort all that. but i post a shitton of other stuff too - mostly utdr, fnaf, stp, data, and architecture. if you like to interact with people, SO DO I!!! i am a big fan of talking. i am a chatterbox. feel free to tag me on stuff, even if you don't follow. i'm chill. however, due to said insanity, i am also somewhat erratic and paranoid. my dms are mega closed right now. so uhhhh sorry. i am what i am or whatever and you're the guy on my blog. VERY SORRY. i rarely tag vent posts. i apologize for that, but they're not frequent or anything so. HOWEVER i usually tag triggers with just their name. image id is usually in both alt text and below the image. anyways. take a peek into my dark and twisted mind <3 <3 tags and more info below the cut! house bottom text

oh, and most importantly, 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

#soup shut up challenge in which i ramble excessively, either in an original post or in the tags. more for my sorting or blocking potential guy who wont shut up tirades.

#burntsoupart it's art!!! made by me!! waahhhhh

[note. i put image id in alt text if i'm posting an image. if i've forgotten, please let me know! i need it too :sob:!]

#burntsoupwords this'll be for fic and analysis i guess. we'll see if i actually bother to sort this shit at the end of the day, but!

#iiritw my cringefail ocs and their cringefail world; the title is 'it is raining in the woods' and i promise it was conceived before stp, though the similarity delights me. follow for loser murderers and hot woman divorce

#data and soup my little experiments mueheh

if theres any ive forgotten or've yet to create, they'll go here.

i am ALWAYS okay with reblogs! if i wasn't, i wouldn't be on the reblog site. and if you're concerned, ask me - my dms are open and waitinngggghg!!!

[angi3260]

Brain is suddenly giving me the idea to write my gayass ocs in some dynamic shit so here we go I guess.

Nothing really suggestive I guess of this

Side note: the following characters aren't dating so please don't ship them as for harper is aroace( not interested in love)

While ethan is bi-Romanic( into more than one gender without the sex)

They share of a more sibling bond than romantic bond. Enjoy I guess my shitty writing

" so, what now?" Asked harper

" well. I was probably thinking maybe to talk"

Spoke ethan " speak about what?" Asked Harper back to ethan. The room remained silent for who knows how long but it felt as a eternity to both " about your family? And what the counselor told you" replied ethan nervously. Harper sighs a bit but they gain the courage to speak" the counselor said I suffer from anxiety and a desire to please people" they said " but I told her that's crazy" harper then slowly beings to tear up and have a break down bit by bit but they kept on talking " like my family wouldn't lie to me for five years that I had nothing right? I mean why should they be lying to me about my own well being they cared for my brother so for Sure I was also worried for" "harper" kept saying ethan over and over during haprer's little speech" harper..its okay now. They can't hurt you anymore" ethan added trying to get closer to his ghost pal but harper moved further away from ethan they were afraid of him despite him not touching them at all." N-no....get away from me.please" spoke harper in a more broken tone while turning into their ghost form and phasing through ethans room" harper wait!!!" Shouted ethan in worry, he quickly left his room and entered to his twins room without hesitation on what he was doing" ETHAN THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR!!" Shouted taylor madly hearing their door being kicked open ethan remained quiet and checked Taylor's section of magical kinetic sand and found the two bottles he was looking for and took his leave shutting the door harshly" RUDE!!" yelled taylor continuing to read their book.

Harper was curled up in a little ball holding their knees with their hands tearing up until they felt someone phase through them, it was ethan" ethan? Your a ghost but how." Questioned harper" that doesn't matter how but here now" he replied sitting down with Harper" when I first took this form to bring you back from the ghost realm I felt uncomfortable, like this sad mood in this form of ghost. Sure it's cool flying and phasing through stuff and shit but it's also a bit sad" spoke ethan. Harper nodded a bit at some of the words ethan said also feeling related" I thought at first that hey I'm a ghost now so a new start for me but you only live once and my once live was gone and wasted on people not worth my time, people who wished so much from me and made me work myself out until I died, got mentally ill....and wanting to kill myself" spoke harper " they wished it so much on me these expectations that I wondered was this me or was this them" they kept going slowly tearing up until ethan touched harper by the shoulder" it's okay now tough harps....their not here with you anymore and can't force you against your will, you are Harper. Harper almuetzu" spoke ethan. Harper looked at ethan in the eyes" will I be worked here to death?" They asked, ethan slitghly frowned and teared up a bit when he heard that but pulled harper in for a nice warm hug. A hug harper has never felt in a long time and not being beaten up in the hug like with their family but a comforting hug accepting harper as who they are" never...never ever......never never will me, mike, amelia, willow, jocylen, and davina not even our parents not even cruel society will ever need to make you work yourself to death like those shitty ass hypocrites and I'll make sure of that never occurring cause you there for me no matter how thick or thin my situations got" spoke ethan crying while speaking to Harper. Harper hugged ethan back tightly" afterall.... we're family Harper, sure not by blood but we will be always" added ethan, Harper smiled after hearing those words from ethan" thanks ethany, I really needed those words and replies" they spoke" anytime harps, now how about we do something to go a bit lighter on us fellow ghosts?" Spoke ethan as harper giggles" your human dumbass" they replied.

The end of it I guess also help me on Saturday I went to fucking subway and I think I saw one of my history classmates and she attended my order and oml she was so hot I became a fucking tomato while my mom was on the line with Mexico family shit. I swear I am so gay

[biggsteppy]

[hawkinshighdropout]

Fairies Wear Boots.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x (female) Reader

**Part Two Can Be Found Here!!**

Summary: Eddie has major heart eyes over the new kid in school, Y/N, and can't help but feel like a hopeless little puppy at the mere sight of you. As one of the few people in Hawkins that dressed how he did, you had his heart at first sight.

Warnings: No warnings, this is purely fluff/pure content. Unless you count a couple of curse words as needing a warning? Idk, I haven’t written fanfics in like 8 years so I’m a little rusty…

Note/Request: Requested by @realeddiemunsonstandup. “please write an Eddie fic where he totally falls for a badass chick/metalhead type I would read the fuck out of that ad ik it's not a popular oc character idea for Eddie but I wanna see it so bad”

Word Count: 1.6k

Send me prompts to write about!

“Who, the hell, is that?” Eddie mumbles to his groups of misfits who sit around the lunch table all adorning the same Hellfire T-shirt, voice full of intrigue and awe at the sight of you entering the cafeteria.

Glancing up from his spot, Dustin follows his eyeline until it lands on a you. Raising his brow, he’s then focusing back on his DND book and mumble his answer to Eddie. “Oh, that’s y/n, she’s in my AP science class. She’s really smart, like. Spooky smart. She’s also really nice, I think you’d like her if you got to know her.”

It took Eddie about 0.5 seconds after Dustin had finished talking before he leapt from his seat and came bounding over to you like an excited puppy. Tapping your left shoulder before ducking to hide behind your right, causing you to do a little spin in confusion until you’re face to face. Giggling to yourself, you roll your eyes fondly before folding your arms across your chest.

“May I help you?” You asked, voice full of amusement whilst glancing the taller metal head up and down.

Today you were wearing a slightly oversized Slayer shirt tucked into your black, high waisted skater skirt. Your fishnet tights ripped in a couple places from where you’d leant against something sharp. Black Dr. Martens on to your feet and your hair in a low bun, a few strands cascading down your face to frame it. Your hair was a natural colour, but you had a few coloured streaks throughout which you changed out depending on your mood once the first colour faded.

“Just wanted to introduce myself and see if you wanted to sit with us? My friend said you’re new here. Dustin? Uh.. Henderson?” He offered information like word vomit, clearly nervous rambling as you looked at him. “Oh, and I’m Eddie!”

“I know Dustin, he’s funny. Ah, you’re Eddie? He never shuts up about you, I started to think you were a myth.” You chuckled to yourself, starting to walk over towards his table as he guided you.

“Not a myth, just a legend.” He smirked, standing at the head of the table as he went to introduce you to his friends. “Nerds? This is…” he starts, realising he didn’t get your name. Well technically he did, via Dustin, but you hadn’t told him that.

“Y/N! Hey, guys.” You smiled at them.

They all smiled and talked over themselves to introduce themselves to you, you only catch a couple of their names. Moving in unison to shift down a seat to let you sit near Dustin and Eddie as those are the only ones you really knew.

“Cool shirt” Mike praised, to which you smiled and thanked him. Going on a small rant about how much you loved their music. Eddie looked smitten with you in seconds. A gorgeous woman who loved metal music? A woman after his own heart.

You all exchanged information like favourite bands, favourite movies, hobbies, and interests. Finding yourself to be incredibly comfortable and on the same level playing field as these kids as everyone seemed to have a common interest. Nerd things. You found yourself to be most like Eddie, both in age and music taste, but the rest of the guys all loved the same kind of movies that you did. Ghostbusters was a common favourite here.

Before you knew it, lunch was over, and everyone was packing up their things to head back to their next class. You said goodbye to the guys, and they promised as they left to invite you to their next gaming session. Lucas making it very clear that you could sit with them whenever you wanted and that you were always welcome, causing you to smile.

“So… Who’s class is next?” Eddie asks you; you pluck out your schedule from your pocket before groaning in annoyance at what you read.

“I have English, what about you?” you questioned, pocketing your guide once more before he grins right across at you.

“English. Let’s go.” He said, gesturing with his elbow as he’s stuffing his hands nervously into his pockets. You follow alongside him with a smile, suddenly English didn’t sound so bad if you got to spend it with company.

Sitting beside Eddie at the desk, you bring out your notebook and pencil case as the teacher began writing on the board. Feeling your side get poked, you glance across at Eddie with a confused expression.

“Got a pencil?” He looks at you with a shy smile, to which you grab out a spare pencil and pass it his way. You’d think he come prepared as it’s not exactly /his/ first day, but you didn’t mind helping out the cute rocker to your left.

He thanked you with a wink, scribbling down some notes as the teacher rambled on. Both of you weren’t really paying attention if you were being honest with yourself. You’d be passing notes back and forth between you both, mostly just harmless flirting and even joking about the fact both of you have no idea what’s going on in the class.

Opening up the crumpled piece of paper to read the latest of Eddie’s notes, cheeks flushing in response as you reread it to make sure you hadn’t imagined it.

“Wanna hangout after school?” The note said.

You furrow your brows and look in his direction, he’s biting down on his grin and nervously playing with his fingers. Raising a brow in your direction as if to show that he’s waiting for a response, you clear your throat and lean over a little with a hushed tone.

“You wanna hangout with me?”

Nodding eagerly, he was a little pink in the cheeks whilst he shrugged his shoulders, folding his arms across his chest as he leant back in his chair to get comfortable.

“Duh, babe. Of course, I do.” He whispered, but you could tell by his tone that he was certain.

“Okay, yeah, sure.” A little flustered, you nod your head and tuck the note into your pocket, seeing there’s only a couple minutes left of this class anyway. “I’d like that.”

Packing up your things along with the rest of the class once the bell went, walking beside Eddie as you found your way to your locker, switching out the books in your backpack for those you needed for the next class. You bump into Dustin and Mike on the way, smiling over at them as they greet you.

“Hey, Y/N? Wanna come to the movies after school with us? We’re gonna see Back to The Future!” Dustin grins, bouncing on his toes in excitement.

“Sorry, Dustin… Eddie already asked me to hangout after school. But, if you don’t mind seeing it again, we can go this weekend? I still wanna see it!” You compromise, shooting him an apologetic smile.

“No problem, this weekend sounds good. Just can’t be Friday as that’s our next campaign night so Saturday?” He gestured to Mike, who seemed to be on board with seeing the movie twice just so you had something to do together.

“What are you guys doing anyway?” Mike asked, gesturing between the both of you.

You shrug, looking to Eddie for answers.

“I was just gonna take her out to show her all the sights of Hawkins, y’know? Show her The Hideout, Skull Rock, y’know, my usual hangout spots.” He explained with a shrug, not trying to make a big deal of you two hanging out alone.

“Gonna show Y/N the make out spot?” Dustin snickers, glancing between you two in a suggestive voice, followed by his classic Chewbacca-like-purr.

“The what?” You ask.

Dustin laughs in amusement, Eddie going red in the face as he explains it all. “Oh? You didn’t know about the make out spot? Well, if he drives you anywhere nearby Lovers Lake? And takes you to the secluded path near the East Side? Prepare for a smoochin’” he jokes, making kissing noises at the both of you.

“Alright, knock it off, dickheads!” Said a voice from behind, his words were harsh, but his tone was light-hearted. You saw Steve wandering towards the two younger guys, ruffling up both of their hair like they were children and pretending to smack their heads together. “You’re gonna be late for class.”

Turning the kids away you, they called out “Bye, Lovers!” before getting escorted away by Steve with an apologetic look on his face, only to be replaced by a grin as he changed his mind and decided to call out “Use Protection!” whilst walking away.

You and Eddie burst out into nervous laughter before looking up at each other. Clearing your throat awkwardly before he just simply says “See you after class?”

You nod, biting down on your lower lip and letting out a light giggle before you split off and walk in separate directions to your next classes. Eddie’s heart beating out of his chest, you had that effect on him. Causing him to be all flustered and shy as opposed to his normal cocky and loud-mouthed self, unable to wipe the thought of kissing you out of his mind, thanks to Henderson.

“Bring chapstick!” He hears from the end of the hall; you call out to him with a bright smile on your face. You were just messing with him, loving to watch him squirm as he simply disappeared around the corner out of sight.

You faintly hear him calling out a soft “Jesus. H. Christ” as he fades away, causing you to snicker whilst walking into your final class.

[caramelcal]

His Favorite Secret.

“I’m tired of being your secret.”

You can find the rest of the prompts here.

i really took this and ran with it huh...IT’S 4.3K WORDS

warnings: mentions of sex, gangs, alcohol, bondage

kinda obsessed with this gang!luke idea. also, i’m not sure if i wanna make “bambi” the reader or an oc, it works as either i believe? bambi is a nickname btw and i honestly feel like making more parts based on this concept tbh 

kinda wanna make another part LMAO idk what i’d do it on though </3

Luke was better to her than anything you could possibly expect. He was surprisingly gentle when it came to her, hugging and caressing her that seemed impossible for the way he was and the life he lived. People saw Luke as the 6-foot-odd man that could rip you apart without an issue, without even breaking a sweat but he was so much more than that.

He was so much more than the leather jacket-wearing gangster that everyone depicted him as; heartless and stoic. He was a great lover if he let people in, and she had never been loved that way with anyone before. Surely though, with his life, there were complications to their relationship.

He was different from other people, more violent, more dangerous. The gang, which was run by Luke and three of his closest friends, Calum, Ashton and Michael, was well-known and feared among many, but they were left alone by the police. The police were aware that they existed, but they didn’t do anything about it. There were more cons to arresting them than there were pros.

Luke’s life made everything very interesting. He was rich, of course, and after a while of them dating she had moved into his condo. It was massive, bigger than any house she had ever lived in before and it was just for the two of them. It was a luxurious life that she had not experienced before, and she was still getting used to it.

If there was one thing about Luke that she had learned, it was that buying her things was his love language. He never had been great at the romantic side of their relationship considering he hadn’t had a girlfriend in a long time and normally just had one-night stands, but he tried his best. That didn’t meant that he ever softened up during sex, though. 

Another thing about his life that made stuff interesting was that Luke had to drop things for work. Sometimes stuff would go wrong on a run, or other gangs would try stuff with them and he would have to leave. It was understandable, but still frustrating for her, especially the one time where an emergency had occurred right in the middle of them having sex.

Luke had been very busy the past few weeks, having to deal with numerous issues with the gang and barely having enough time to spend with the needy girl who craved his attention. There had been issues in the club, that was what he had said, but he didn’t go into much detail on the matter, he never did. He liked to keep his relationship and gang life very separate from one another. 

A lot of the mornings this week she had woke up alone, void of the warmth she liked to cuddle into in the morning. At least she was getting him all to herself this weekend, she thought. After barely spending anytime with her that weekend, Luke had promised they would spend the weekend together, even if the club was set on fire. Calum, Ash and Mike will deal with it. 

“Bambi?” The nickname fell from his lips when he stepped in the front door. She brought her eyes up to look at him, happiness filling her features. She hadn’t been expecting him home for another few hours, but she definitely wasn’t complaining.

Running over to him, she jumped, knowing full well that he would catch her as her arms wrapped around his neck. Her head snaked into the nape of his neck, comfortingly taking in the scent of her favorite person, his arms holding her protectively close to his body. They were alone, thankfully enough. After all, she really hadn’t thought out her jumping hug because her short skirt had ridden up, showing off her underwear which Luke most definitely would be furious if anyone but him saw.

“Welcome home,” She whispered into his neck, hand coming up to play with the hair on the back of his neck. Her eyes fluttered, eyelashes tickling the skin on Luke’s neck as he rubbed her back, taking in the comfort of having the smaller girl in his arms.

He walked forward so that he was fully in the house, using his leg to kick the door shut behind him before walking towards the middle of the room near the couch. He slowly lowered himself until he was sitting down on the plush cushions, the girl now in his lap, still being held closely.

“Bambi?” Luke started, making sure that the girl was listening, to which she hummed into the side of his neck, not willing to move just yet, “I know you wanna hug and kiss and stuff right now but we don’t have much time to pack your bags, you have to stay at the safe house for a few days.”

Almost immediately, the warmth of her face was gone from his neck, and her hands were no longer playing with his hair. She was still held tightly on his lap, mostly because he held her there with a semi-firm grip, her looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows and sad eyes.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. In fact, it had happened quite a few times and each time it made her rather frustrated. She had to remove every single piece of evidence that she even existed in the apartment, and get hidden away in a safe house for the entire weekend, on the edge of town, where she wasn’t allowed to leave until Luke got her himself.

She hated the safe house.

“But you said-”

“Bambi,” Luke cut her off rather firmly, sending her a look which she knew meant that there were no arguments in this. She almost wanted to whine, to argue with Luke and tell him that he said this was going to be their weekend together, just them, no gang stuff, but now she wasn’t even going to get to see him at all this weekend, “I need to have a few low levels over to go over plans, and they’ll be over tomorrow which means we can’t let them know you’re here or that you exist. They still can’t fully be trusted yet, which means that they could be moles and I’m not putting you at risk for that.”

His speech was ended in a soft tone, looking down at her with a small amount of sadness for the girl. His hand comfortingly raked through her hair, piercing blue eyes looking at her but her eyes stay looking down. Slowly, without saying anything, she climbed off of his lap and started to retreat to their bedroom.

“Bambi? Where you goin, baby?” He called out, looking at the girl who stopped in her tracks, looking over her shoulder.

“I’m packing. That’s what you wanted me to do, was it not?”      

Not many words were exchanged afterward with the girl silently packing away every aspect of her life into two duffle bags. She wasn’t even allowed to properly live in her own house, no decorations, photos in frames, nothing. Everything she owned had to be easily removable so it looked like she didn’t even exist in her own home.

Luke watched her from the bedroom door, leaning against the frame coolly as he analyzed her movements. He knew she was frustrated, but she had to know he was doing this to protect her, she should have anyway. Rather harshly, she finally zipped up the duffle bags, throwing them over her shoulder and walking straight past Luke without acknowledging him.

He understood that she was frustrated, but was she really angry at him?

She was quickly at the door, grasping at the handle when Luke had snapped out of his thoughts, walking over to her quickly with ease, taking a grip on her arm.

“You okay?”

“Dandy,” She replied bluntly, looking away from the slightly concerned man, almost as if she was itching to get away from him. Normally, even if she wasn’t happy about being sent away to the safe house, she still gave him a goodbye kiss, but it appeared that he wasn’t going to get one of those tonight, “Gotta go. Wouldn’t want to keep Jacob waiting, would we?”

She walked out of the apartment without another word, but Luke’s eyes were on her retreating figure, “We’ll speak about this on Sunday, okay baby?”

He barely even seen the nod that she sent him before she disappeared down the hallway.

. . . “Please, Jacob,” She pleaded with the driver, with puppy eyes and everything but he tried his best to remain stony-faced. Jacob was the only driver that Luke trusted Bambi with, he had grown up with the boys too, childhood friends with Michael apparently, who Bambi had never even met before.

Jacob was the leading driver for the gang, one of the getaway drivers for bigger and more important heists or events, but normally he just got called in for private transport of any important members of the gang. He, as well as practically anyone who had ever met the girl, had a soft spot for her, and she knew that.

“You do realize if I take you there that I am directly disobeying orders of the leader of one of the biggest gangs in California?” He asked ridiculously, shaking his head with his hands placed firmly on the wheel.

“Jacob-”

“No,” He replied firmly, looking at the girl through the rearview mirror, seeing her begging eyes and sad face.

The man knew that everything was frustrating for the girl, especially when she had to get up and move out of her own house just so that Luke could host meetings and debriefings for the gang.

“Please, Jacob. I’m going to be cooped up in a safe house for three days without talking to anyone, at least let me go to Anna’s for a few hours. She’s been my best friend since I was three, she’s trustworthy.”

The black-haired man didn’t reply for several moments, and a frown fell onto the girl’s face before he started to signal off the highway. It was a familiar road, the one that she had taken many times before to her best friend’s house, and honestly, she had never been happier to see it. At least she would get some enjoyment this weekend.

“Thank you so much, Jacob, just tell me how I can repay you,” The girl said once she was out of the car, bouncing lightly in excitement while she stared at the man who was still inside the car.

He gave her a small smile, one that showed he knew how much appreciation she felt towards him before his eyes turned to the door behind her, “Just enjoy yourself and make sure he doesn’t fire me for this.”

“Consider it done.”

It was nice to see Anna again, it had been two weeks since their last meet up and they had both missed each other greatly. Anna was drinking alcohol, but the smaller girl wasn’t. It wasn’t like she was afraid of what Luke would say if she did, because she certainly wasn’t afraid of Luke, but even though she was angry she didn’t want to disappoint him.

Not that she had exactly abided by his rules anyway, considering she was with Anna right now instead of locked inside the safe house. The safe house had slowly become the girl’s own personal prison, it was bare, bland, and had nothing for her to entertain herself, and there was no company. That’s what she hated most about it, the lack of social interactions she could have while she was in there.

“-we were talking about the weather and shit right? Then he asked to see my tits! I was like are you being serious right now?” Anna rambled on, talking about another failed love interest that had been using her for her body. Anna never seemed to be lucky in the dating apartment of life, but she was a successful girl, and a beautiful one at that, she would get there. 

“Was he?”

Anna scoffed, taking another drink of her alcohol, “Yeah! He blocked me after I sent him pictures of minecraft chests and asked him what ones were his favourite.”

The smaller girl let out a laugh, looking at her best friend who had a sly grin on her face, trying to hide it with the glass in her hands. 

“Speaking of guys though, how’s Mr. Hemmings then?” Anna jokingly asked the girl, cocking an eyebrow with a smirk on her face, swaying to the music that was loudly playing in the background.

“He’s good, I mean he’s doing good,” The smaller girl quickly corrected herself before her dirty-minded friend could make a joke about their sex life or ask about it. Anna hummed lightly, still smug and still swaying to the music, “I was supposed to be going to the safe house, but I’m here instead, I don’t think he’s very happy.”

“Girl, you’ve been here for nearly two hours!” Anna cried out in shock, eyes wide at the clear defiance that the small girl had for her 6-foot-odd gang leader boyfriend.

“And?”

“He’s bound to know by now! He’s not going to bust through my doors with his gang and shoot the place down is he?”

The girl shrugged lazily in reply, letting some of her hair fall in front of her face as she smiled at her friend, “Yeah he does know, he’s been blowing up my phone for an hour and a half.”

Anna fell dramatically against the back of the couch, hand still tight around her glass of lemonade and pink gin. Her free hand was laying across her forehead with her eyes shut, “Oh please tell me you’ve replied.”

“Nope.”

“Oh come on, I really like my door, believe it or not, I don’t want him or any of his gang members kicking it down!” Anna cried out, giving her best friend a pout to which she just laughed lightly in response.

“He won’t knock your door down, he probably won’t even come. He’s too busy debriefing his gang to even spend time with me and instead shipped me out of the house. Why does he care whether it’s yours or the safe house?”

However, she couldn’t have been more wrong because less than ten minutes later they heard a roaring engine speeding down the road. Anna, who shared a quick look with the smaller girl, got up and looked out the window, seeing no other than Luke gets out of his very expensive sports car and towards the house, “Guess you were wrong.”

He threw the door open, thankfully not breaking it down, his eyes quickly landing on the small girl, grabbing her and pulling her off of the couch, planting her by his side. His grip was tight on either side of her hips, almost as if it was a warning to stay by his side and cooperate for once in her life.

“Anna,” His accented voice wrung through the room as he gave the blonde a curt nod. She waved back awkwardly, maybe too hazed by the alcohol in her system to stay anything intelligible back, and Luke seemed to realize this, “don’t stay up too late, get a good sleep, okay?”

“Aye captain, yes sir,” She saluted him back with a smile on her lips, almost diffusing the tension in the room but it was barely a second later where Luke’s grip retightened on his girlfriend’s hips.

“Okay, good night.” He bid her farewell, walking out of the house with his slightly anxious girlfriend behind him. It seemed as if suddenly she was filled with regret and guilt, especially after seeing how angry Luke was with her.

“It isn’t Jacob’s fault I-” She started when the door shut behind them, the cold wind of the night surrounding her.

“Don’t,” He spoke gruffly, turning around to look down at her with angry blue eyes before grabbing onto her wrist and dragging her over to his car.

Luke hadn’t even locked his car when he had rushed inside to Anna’s house, not that he would be too bothered anyway, it wasn’t like anyone was going to steal the gang leader’s car, especially not in this neighborhood. He didn’t speak another word to the girl as he took her around to her side of the car, letting her get in before he leaned over and strapped her in, closing the door without a single word and getting in his own side.

He started the car up and the only noise heard in the car was the engine as it roared to life and they began to speed down the street. His blond hair was messy, jaw ticking with his eyes glued to the road, never once straying to the girl in the passenger’s seat. Her eyes, however, never strayed from him, picking up every sign that he was furious with her. His posture was rigid, he was impatient, breathing loudly and not even acknowledging her existence beside her; he was seething.

She wasn’t sure if they arrived too fast or too slow to the safe house honestly. Luke still didn’t utter a word, getting out of the car and slamming the door behind him. She knew not to move already, she knew that Luke didn’t want her to move and honestly she didn’t want to aggravate him further.

True to her belief, Luke opened her car door, undoing her seatbelt before pulling her out of the car. His eyes didn’t stay on her as he stormed into the house, a tight grip on the smaller girl’s wrist. She tried to get his attention, for him to say anything to her as he entered the house but it appeared he wasn’t in the mood to talk.

The main room was still dark, but just the feeling of being in here makes her feel sick. She wasn’t overexaggerating when she said how much she hated the safe house. It felt as if she was defeated, back where she didn’t want to be, somewhere she hated, and with her boyfriend furious at her.

In the time that she had been thinking of how much she loathed the building she stood in, Luke had let go of her wrist and wordlessly made his way towards the front door again. The thought of him leaving her here, frustrated and alone all weekend made annoyance bubble in her stomach and before she can help herself she’s shouting over at him, “So that’s it? Are you just going to lock me in here and leave again?”

Luke stilled, but he doesn’t bother to reply or even look at his girlfriend, just standing there like a statue. She can’t find it in herself to regret the words that come out of her mouth, especially after she awaits the nonexistent reply, causing annoyance to bluster in her stomach. Her eyes roll and her arms flail slightly before they slap against her thighs with a low scoff falling out of her lips, “Typical.”

“Excuse me?” Luke turned around, his voice hard and powerful, one that would normally make her shake, make her look up at him with wide eyes unsure of what to say. Their eyes meet, his blue piercing into hers. He took a step forward, tilting his head slightly with an eyebrow raised, almost as if he’s encouraging her to repeat what she had said moments before, “What did you say, Bambi?”

Her mouth was agape as she stuttered lightly, any feeling of bravery that she had mere seconds ago fizzling away into nothingness. Her eyes darted from one of his eyes to the other, looking at the expectant and slightly smug face as he looked at the stuttering girl in front of him. She tried her best to find the right words to say but she had, ultimately, been rendered speechless.

“Come on, if you’re so big and brave, baby, why don’t you speak up a little? Tell me what you said.” He walked towards her until he’s right in front of her, chests barely ten centimeters apart. Two of his fingers make their way under her chin, pushing her face up until she had no other choice but to look him in the eye, holding her face in such a way that she can’t move easily.

Silence filled the room once more, simply with the two of them staring at one another. Luke stared down at her with a slight smugness and with her looking up at him still frozen almost. When he does talk next, he muttered quietly, almost condescendingly with anger trailing in his voice, “You ruined an important meeting tonight all because you couldn’t follow a simple instruction-”

“Well, believe it or not, I don’t like to be locked up in a house for days on end like a caged animal,” She doesn’t even register that she’s speaking until she’s finished, the words flowing out of her mouth cutting off Luke’s lecture.

“This house is to keep you safe,” His grip on her jaw doesn’t loosen at this point in time, blue eyes swimming with rage. In all of their time together, he doesn’t remember his Bambi giving him this much attitude or a time where she’s tried to argue with him like this. Sure, there were times where they had disagreements or times where there had been a little bit of attitude but he had quickly sorted that out.

“I was safe at Anna’s and I was happy. Isn’t that what you want? For me to be happy?” Her voice is quiet, bottom lip threatening to quiver. She hated how she cried whenever she got frustrated, and right now she’s barely holding back from her eyes becoming glassy. She’s frustrated and annoyed, but she doesn’t want to look like a baby right now, especially when this was her first fight with Luke.

“Don’t try and guilt trip me now, Bambi. It isn’t going to work tonight.”

“I hate it here! I hate constantly having to move into this stupid fucking house where I have nothing to do and no one to talk to! It doesn’t even fucking have wifi or anything! It’s dumb and all because you’re paranoid!” After she finished shouting, she ripped her head out of his hold, standing back and away from him, back coming in contact with the marble counter of the kitchen island.

Her arms are crossed over her chest, and as Luke processed her words, he shook his head. His next words are low, like it’s a warning, “Don’t shout at me like that.”

“I’m not-”

“Listen here, doll, because I’m only going to tell you this once,” Luke doesn’t even let her finish before he’s talking. His voice is forceful and strong, something he normally reserved for when his men do something stupid like ruin a drug run, “You don’t call the shots here, I do. I’m in a gang and there are a lot of people that would put a bullet in your pretty little skull just to get to me,” He pressed a finger against her temple, hard enough for her to feel the pressure but not enough for it to hurt her, “People die in this lifestyle and I send you here so it doesn’t happen to you. Don’t tell me that I’m paranoid because I’m trying to keep you safe.”

“I get it, I do-”

“Then why won’t you just do what I say?”

“Because I’m tired of being your secret.” She whispered, looking up at Luke’s blue eyes sadly, tears gathering in her own eyes. His head dipped a little, shifting his weight onto his hands which are on either side of her, trapping her against the kitchen’s island counter.

It took Luke a few seconds to finally muster up words, and just from his tone she can tell that he’s disappointed, maybe in himself, maybe because of how she thought of their relationship, “You aren’t my-”

“Then why have I never met Cal? O-Or Mikey? Why is the only time I’ve ever met Ashton an accident? And why do you constantly send me away even if it’s only people you trust going to be there? And-”

“Bambi,” Luke groaned lightly but got cut off straight away when the girl continued to rant, barely even realizing that he had tried to cut her off.

“This was supposed to be our weekend and you just sent me away. I was so excited to finally get a whole weekend of you to myself but no, I was shipped off to this shithole again-”

“This was all because you just wanted me to yourself?” Luke asked incredulously, an eyebrow raised at the girl whose eyes snapped up to meet his.

“That’s what you want, Bambi? You got it.” Luke said, his eyes staying on hers, never wavering as he commanded. He pushed back, hands off the counter and now standing at his full height, towering over her with his eyes never leaving hers, “Hands out. Now.”

“Luke what-”

Her eyes frantically search his face, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. She can feel her heart rate pick up, beating loudly in her chest.

“No, Bambi. You’ve done plenty talking tonight. No talking unless I ask you a question, got it?”

She nodded her head, gulping down the thickness in her throat as a thick leather wrapped around her wrists, constricting them. Her mouth parted slightly, she hadn’t even seen or heard Luke take off his belt, but now she can’t even part her hands anymore.

His head dropped to her neck and she can feel her stomach flutter simply by his breath fanning over the skin on her neck. His hand made its way up to the nape of her neck, grabbing a handful of hair and yanking on it so her neck is fully exposed to him, “You’ve me all to yourself tonight, Bambi. And you’re all mine.”

[blackstonesandtrapnest]

Drunk In Love

Since NANA Week is here, I figured it would be the perfect time to post this amazing songfic starring Shin and one of my OCs for NANA who can be found here!

The song that I used for this is Drunk In Love by Beyonce and Jay-Z which you can listen to here! I hope you enjoy! Also just to clarify, Shin is indeed aged up for obvious reasons!

How the hell did this shit happen?

Gwendolyn woke up in her kitchen of all places and she was only in her panties. But she wasn't alone. Someone was laying beside her. Shinichi Okazaki. The bassist for the band Blast. Who was only wearing a bathrobe. Feeling weak and shaky, Gwendolyn immediately rushed to her bedroom and grabbed her glucose monitor to test her blood sugar. Being a Type 1 diabetic was quite the pain in the ass sometimes. Seeing that her levels were low, Gwendolyn immediately went for her sweet stash which she had hidden away in her closet for times like these. As she ate some cookies, she took off the underwear and put on a silk bathrobe along with a new pair of panties. As Gwendolyn began to feel better and checked her blood sugar again, she could hear Shin entering the room. How in the hell could he not be hung over considering how much he had to drink last night?

"You ok baby girl?" Shin asked as he walked over to Gwen and sat down on her bed. That boy was just so damn irresistible to her! He was like an addiction that she needed to have where ever, whenever, however. Shin made Gwen feel alive.

"I've been drinking, I've been drinking. You know I'm not supposed to be drinking Shin." Gwendolyn avoided drinking since she was a diabetic and last night was the first time she had any kind of alcohol. Good thing Gwendolyn had her first drinks over at Nana and Hachi's place where dinner was also being served so her blood sugar didn't crash while she was drinking. Before Gwendolyn went there, she was at a club with BLAST, dancing and having a good time with Shin whom she had gotten quite close to since she had been selected to dance in BLAST's latest Music Video which was scheduled to release today.

"I don't see why you shouldn't. You get filthy when that liquor gets into you. I like it. All I could think about was how you couldn't keep your fingers off me. I didn't know you wanted me so much."

Gwendolyn's face was on fire as she turned away from Shin, completely embarrassed as she recalled last night's escapade that apparently lasted all night. Good thing she was on birth control as she could NOT afford having a kid right now. She was still in college for God's sakes!

"Shut up Shin! I felt like an animal with those cameras all up in my grill! Flashing Lights, flashing lights! Last thing I remember is our beautiful bodies grinding up in that club."

Once everyone had gotten back to Nana and Hachi's apartment, Hachi already had a large dinner prepared to celebrate the music video and it was a large feast to behold! When the drinks came out, shit started to get real. Gwendolyn was adamant about not drinking any alcohol but Shin was a persistent son of a bitch. But he did make sure that the drinks were sweet and that she had plenty of food per her request.

"Don't forget the living room too. And the kitchen. Wanna add the bedroom to that too?" Shin purred seductively as he scooted closer to the edge of the bed and grabbed Gwendolyn's ass before smacking it. In response, she whirled around and huffed in annoyance. "You insatiable pervert! What is it with you and my behind?!" Shin was  a rather touchy person when it came to Gwendolyn and he wasn't afraid to show just how much he loved her curvy body despite her insecurities about it.

"Don't act so shy now Gwen. Where's all that mouth that you had last night? Time to back it up sweet thing. I wanna see all the shit that I heard."

Shin wrapped his arms around Gwendolyn's waist and pulled her into his lap, causing her to squeal. "Shin what the hell?!" Gwendolyn was silenced by Shin's lips covering her own in a kiss that one could only describe as intoxicating. The next thing she knew, Shin was on top of Gwen, hastily taking off her robe and tossing it to god knows where.

Seeing the sexy panties that Gwen had on made Shin quite impatient. He simply slid them right to the side, not having the time to take them off on sight.

Shin was quite the vigorous lover and how he didn't catch a charge for beating the box up like Mike Tyson in 1997 was beyond Gwen's understanding but she was experiencing too much ecstasy to give a damn. It was like Shin was Ike Turner and Gwen was Anna Mae with the way he was making her suck his dick. But she wouldn't have it any other way.

After all, Gwen was drunk in love.

[pastlivesandsecretdreams]

paradise

paradise - chapter three : into the unknown 

mike dodds x oc (cecilia “cecily” elizabeth sinatra kennedy)

warnings :: mention of blood loss, mention of the dead and death, mention of death, fear, ect. please let me know if i’ve missed any. 

song of the chapter : la vie en rose by aniela andrade

tag list (comment if you wanna be added) : @evans-dejong

the second the elevator doors shut, she let out a scream of pain. mike took her hand and told her to squeeze it. cecily did so, hurting his good arm. “i’m sorry, baby… i didn’t mean to do that…” he reassured her it was okay. the doors opened again and she waddled onto the labor and maternity ward. a nurse came and took her to a free room. cecily happily changed before getting into the hospital bed. her beloved sat besides her and held her hand as the nurses started to get her hooked up to the different machines. cecelia had a terrible feeling in her bones about the birth, but she didn’t want to tell her husband that. with every contraction, mike held onto her hand and let her scream about him never touching her again, but they both knew they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. he would whisper kind words into her ear about how good she was doing. “cec, you're doing amazing. soon our little girl or boy will be here.” unlike the last two pregnancies, they decided not to find out the sex of the baby. they were more worried about it’s health over anything else. “something bad is gonna happen!” she managed to scream through a contraction. “i feel it! it hurts more than normal!” mike’s face fell and he looked to his father, flashing him a scared look. william dodds slid out of the room, cecily too wrapped up in labor and her husband to notice. she let out a sob into mike’s neck. he held her the best he could with his injury. mike hadn’t been scared many times in his life, but in that moment, he was absolutely terrified. over the course of fifteen minutes, she had gotten deathly pale. cecily looked up at her husband. “i can’t do this mike....it’s too much.” mike leaned over and kissed her forehead, caressing her brunette locks softly. “you can, cec. i believe in you. do you remember our wedding…? our first dance?” she smiled softly and nodded over to him. “i whispered in your ear that i was pregnant with eliza.” michael smiled and kissed her forehead, again. “you were so beautiful in that moment...my new wife- the love of my life- was pregnant. with my baby. you were so beautiful. and somehow you defied the odds, and each day got more and more beautiful.” she looked up with him and smiled, leaning up to kiss him softly on the lips. her lips were soft and reminded him of home. he got glimpses of him coming home from a hard day of work and him just kissing her and cuddling her before they ate dinner as a family and put their children to bed. mike never missed a bedtime story, and if he did, he would video chat and read one to the children. he often spoke of a prince and princess who had two young children called john john and eliza. the sergeant always managed to weave them in as characters in the stories. “i love you, mikey…” he smiled down at his beloved wife. “i love you too, squishy.” squishy was a nickname he gave her after the first time they watched finding nemo. he had joked that she was his squishy. and since then, he always called her that. especially during their more intimate moments. cecily looked up at him and went to say something, but she looked as if she had blanked. 

suddenly she let out a loud scream and the monitors she was attached to went crazy. the doctors ran in, her father-in-law having stepped out to grab them. the doctors started scrambling around her. mike went white, himself, and held onto her hand tightly, kissing the back of it. “look at me, squish...you gotta keep your eyes on me.” she looked towards him, but it was if she was in a daze. “daddy…” cecily looked behind mike and saw her father. he smiled down at her for the first time since 1999. “hello, baby… sorry i’m late.” her father walked around and took the hand mike wasn’t holding. “i knew you would come…” john junior loved his child. since her birth, she was the joy of his life. even after he died, she was a daddy’s girl. “i wouldn’t miss it for the world, baby. sorry we’re late.” cecily looked at him confused. “we…?” suddenly other people were in the room. both her grandparents, her great uncle bobby, and the person she least expected: her mother. cecily had a strange relationship with her mother. eliza, who died giving birth to cecilia, had never been able to be the mother she wanted to. she and john junior had been trying for months and months before cecily came along. but it was worth it to her if it meant her beloved child was healthy. her mother, carolyn, who was standing besides her father, was mostly her stepmother.  “hi baby…” cecily let out a sob. “mama...hi…” fear ran through mike’s body. his beloved wife was seeing people that weren’t there, and people had passed. the doctors were still swarming her. the blood kept coming and didn’t seem to stop. this very problem is what killed her mother. “it’s not your time yet, cuddlebug…” her father told her. “we’re here to help you… you need to take deep breaths.” cecily nodded and did so. “i miss you, daddy…” john smiled softly, a tear falling down his cheek. “i miss you too, baby...but remember, i’m always with you. and you named your son after me…?” cecily smiled weakly and nodded. suddenly, a scream rang out through the hospital room. the doctors kept removing cloths they had used to try and get some of the blood that now coated the bed she laid in. the pain rang through her, as she let out another scream of pain. mike kept whispering sweet words to her. and when he wasn’t, her father was. cecily knew she had to make it, not just for her father, but mike, and their children. she had done everything she could to avoid the children from going through the sorrow that cecily had. she let out one last scream before a tiny cry erupted into existence. their child was here. cecily let out a painful sob and leaned into her husband. the baby was taken to make sure it was okay, while the doctors looked over the kennedy. they knew they had to save her, not just for the child that was just born, but with the media. this girl was america’s crown jewel. and if they lost her, their image would never be able to be repaired. the doctors started to give her blood, and it seemed to help her. and soon, she stopped bleeding. “i love you, daddy…” john smiled and kissed her hands. “i love you, too...we gotta go...but know we’re never far. just look up at the moon, and know we are in the unknown. and one day- you will go into the unknown, and we will be together again. all of us.” and as soon as they came, they were gone. cecily smiled and kissed her husband, even though she was still rather weak. soon, a doctor brought their newborn and placed it on cecily’s chest. “meet your baby boy..and girl…” the doctor said before leaving the room. cecily let out a sob of happiness as her husband practically clung to her. she had been so weak she didn’t notice she had given birth to twins. “i love you, cecelia.” cecily beamed up at her husband. “i love you more, michael.” a knock came from the open door and her cousin, jack, their children, and mike’s squad walked in with gifts and balloons. “congratulations!” they all said as jack placed eliza and john john on the bed with their mother. “be careful, kiddies. mama just had your baby brother and sister.” mike told his children, still being terrified his wife would get hurt worse. the children watched their new brother in utter awe. “what’s their names…?” their oldest child asked softly. “their names...are cassiopeia grace and edward francis. we’ll call them cassie and teddy.” cecily looked up at her husband, also in awe of their little family. she was in paradise. 

__________________________________

hey, guys! i hope you guys like this chapter! i know it is a little darker than the other chapters, but i wanted to include her family that we wouldn’t normally be able to see! i love you all! make sure to wash your hands and wear your mask. 

xoxo, gracie

[malumsmermaid]

Snitches and Talkers

Part Two to Kiss and Sell!!

Spy!Michael x OC

Word Count: 8.2k

Warnings: violence, broken bone, language

His eyebrows knitted together, leaning forward and opening the glass separating them from the drivers. “Hey, guys, you just passed the exit for the airport,” the blonde spy questioned, gasping as the passenger side driver turned around to face him.

“Oh we know, Agent M, we know.” he said, punching the spy back before crawling through the small opening, holding the blonde back and glaring at Jay as he restrained the blonde, pulling blindfolds from his pocket.

***********

Michael woke up, head fuzzy as he processed that the world was still dark, but no longer seemed to be moving. He let out a groan, shoulders stiff and sore, processing the cotton stuffed in his mouth and tied behind his head. He stretched his arms, finding those restrained too, as he was about to test his feet a voice fuzzily entered his head from the surrounding room. “It looks like our guests are finally waking up, remove the sacks.”

Michael’s eyes squeezed shut as the bag was removed from his face, the room bright around him. He turned his head to look over at his girlfriend, her hair disheveled from the bag being removed. She looked like she had put up a fight against their captors, the drivers not having the element of surprise to get a jump on her like they had with Michael. 

He took in the room further around him, noticing the two drivers on either side of them, the smaller one who had crawled through the window next to him, the larger one who had been actually driving next to Jay. He gave her his best smile from around the gag in his mouth, they’d clearly learned who was the bigger threat. But he also knew that they were underestimating him, having been able to surprise him in the car so he couldn’t fight back. He didn’t mind though, he was used to it as the tech guy. He still managed to surprise Calum and Ashton from time to time in the gym when they were back at home base. 

Finally he remembered the man who had first spoken as he and Jay woke up, bringing his slowly sharpening gaze over to the center of the room. He squinted as he took in the man’s face, recognizing it from some of the posters on the wall at hq, searching the fog that was his mind for his name. 

“Take out their gags, men, want to hear their thoughts.” He ordered, lazily approaching the couple from his spot at the front of the room.

“But she--” the smaller henchman by Michael started, only to be cut off by a wave of the boss’ hand.

Begrudgingly, both henchmen removed the gags from the two spies’ mouths. “There, that wasn’t so bad, now was it?” He stated, less than ten feet away now. “Agent M, I’ve been waiting so long to meet you, as the man who’s been compiling so much information on me for your bosses. And with the fine Agent J at your side as well. I’m sure that comes as no surprise though, I’ve heard that the two of you are hard to separate when she’s at headquarters.”

Michael’s ears heated, the idea of a mole somewhere within the organization starting a fire in his chest. He slowly began minutely wiggling his hands, trying to tighten the zip tie holding his arms back so he could attempt to snap it so he could free his hands while their captor continued his spiel.

“I wanted to bring you in, obviously Agent M, since you’ve collected so much intel on me, but I needed someone to bring with you to make sure that you actually would do what I ask. So once my informants tipped me off to your relationship with the lovely lady next to you, I knew I had to make a move the second that the two of you were out together.

“You two are a bucket of charm you know? Showed myself on that video camera to force Agent A out, since I’d already met him earlier on in my planning stages, decided he wouldn’t be useful to me in getting you to do what I want and went back to the drawing board. Then I got intel that you were looking into Belaggio and I set myself up with him, and made sure that it would be you paired with Agent J at the gala, see the way you two interact in person.”

Michael continued to work to free himself, attempting now to try and snap the zip tie around his wrist. He focused his anger about their current predicament, minutely shifting his arms to bang his wrists against the chair. He felt the zip tie snap after the fourth attempt, maintaining a neutral expression and keeping his hands locked behind him, waiting for an opening as the man he had only known as Aaron, but looked nothing like the kindly, bald, body guard, continued with his villainous monologue.

“Now, what I need from you, Agent M, is to clear everything about me from your database, most importantly. After that I want you and sweet Agent J’s real names, as well as the names of the rest of your team, and finally, the location of your headquarters, none of my contacts were willing to hand over that final piece of information to me. However, with your beautiful girlfriend here, I’m sure we can manage to get you to give it up for me, hmm M?”

Michael gritted his teeth, jaw aching as he watched ‘Aaron’ step closer to Jay, leaning down in front of her and gently lifting her chin. “I really can’t wait to learn your true name, Agent J, what could it be? Jennifer? Jessica? Jasmine?”

He ran his pointer finger over Jay’s lower lip as he listed names and she leaned forward, taking the finger into her mouth and biting down, hard. The villain gasped as she released his finger, holding it to his chest as he backed away, anger bubbling across his face. “Try that again and you’ll be short a finger.” she spat, sitting back in her chair.

“We tried to warn you boss,” the henchman by Michael squeaked, “she bites.”

“Well, I’m sure I can take care of that,” he stated, dropping his hand from where he’d been staring at the bite mark and approaching Jay again, shoulders squared as he towered over her.

She just stared back at him defiantly, Michael watching to see what he was going to do. His legs tensed as he watched their captor raise his hand, anger finally taking over at the image, the two halves of the plastic ties dropping to the floor as he sprung from the chair. He had caught the henchmen off guard, their boss’ focus completely on Jay, so he froze in surprise as Michael’s legs wrapped around him from behind, his arms going around the larger man’s throat. “Don’t even fucking think about it.” The spy snarled as he squeezed.

Jay grinned up at her boyfriend, standing from the chair, her hands still bound as the two henchmen got over their surprise, moving in. She kicked back the henchman nearest to her, running through the spacious room, arms still behind her back while Michael fought to keep his hold on the spluttering leader. He thrashed beneath the lanky spy, the man Jay had kicked back recovering and coming to his boss’ aid. He prised Michael’s arms from around the man’s throat, Michael loosening his legs’ grip on his waist and dropping to the floor. He sprang to his feet, feeling slightly satisfied as his captor dropped to his own knees, coughing as his lungs tried to bring in air again.

He looked at his new opponent, the larger henchman, and took a step back, guard up as he analyzed the situation. He could hear Jay fighting behind him, trying to pinpoint the sounds as they echoed through the large hall, but also not taking his eyes off the approaching man. He feinted to his left, ducking the punch that came at him before pushing in closer, one, two, three, quick jabs to the larger man’s muscular torso before backing up quickly again. 

He kept up this pattern, doing his best to get closer to his girlfriend each time. Unfortunately, on his final backup he misstepped, shoes slipping on the polished marble floor, and going out from under him, leaving him sprawled on his back. He could see the henchman advancing on him and pushed backward with his elbows and feet, trying to slink away. The man towered over Michael’s body and the spy began kicking upward desperately, but he heard a thud to his right, a muffled cry that sounded like Jay’s voice and his wide-eyed gaze went her direction, freezing as he saw the small henchman crouched over her, holding a cloth to her nose. The small moment of distraction gave his opponent an opening, the large man crouching over Michael and before he knew it there was cloth covering his mouth and nose too. Just before his world faded to black again, Michael heard his captor’s strained voice, yelling at the henchmen, “I told you two not to underestimate him!”

********

“Somethings wrong.” Ashton stated as he looked up from his watch for the upteenth time in the twenty minutes since they’d arrived at the airfield. 

“No shit.” Luke replied, hunched over one of Michael’s laptops, using the live satellite app Michael wrote to track the path their van should’ve been on. “There wasn’t any traffic and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of a crash anywhere on their route between the safehouse and here, they should’ve beat us.”

Ashton nodded, continuing pacing around where Luke was sitting on the tarmac. Calum walked over from where he’d been talking to their drivers, hand running over his shaved head, “Nelson says that the two guys that were driving Mike and Jay were different, told him that our other drivers for this mission had come down with something and that they were covering for them.”

“Shit!” Luke exclaimed, hand smacking against the asphalt.

Ashton grimaced, exchanging a glance with Calum. “Lu, you need to get back to HQ, give them the intel from the mission and then tell them that Cal and I are tracking down Mike and Jay, to send backup.”

The young blonde looked up at Ashton, blue eyes blazing. “I’m not leaving without any of you! I don’t want to sit at HQ not knowing what’s happened!”

Ashton chewed his lip, this was a hard call to make, he knew, but someone had to be the one to split off. “Look, Luke, the longer we sit here the further away they get. I’ll have my tracker on, we don’t know who has Michael and Jay, so we’re going to need someone to get word to the brass to send help while also making sure that they get the information we were in the field for in the first place. You’re the best man for that job. You can come right back out here as soon as you do that. But we need to move now.”

Luke sighed in defeat, handing over the computer to Calum as he got to his feet, watching as Ashton fiddled with the dial of his watch, turning on the tracker. Nelson handed the car keys over to Ashton, nodding to him and Calum before following Luke and the other driver up the steps of the jet, all of the gear already loaded on. 

They both ran over to the car, Calum awkwardly climbing into the passenger seat while still cradling the computer as Ashton punched the ignition. Ashton sped away from the runway, heading for the interstate as Calum typed in the plate for the car their teammates had been in. It may have been a phony plate, but the traffic cameras wouldn’t know the difference and that was all that mattered in the moment. “They’re still on the same interstate, we’ve got ‘em, let’s go.”

Ashton nodded as he punched the gas. 

He sped down the highway, Calum keeping tabs on the SUV they were tracking, eyes staring unblinkingly at the computer screen. The car changed lanes but never got off the highway until….”They didn’t come out of the tunnel,” Calum stated, brows furrowing. 

Ashton cursed, hand striking the top of the steering wheel. “There any high vis vests or hard hats in this car?” 

Calum nodded, scrambling to dig through the center console and the glove box before climbing into the backseat and then into the trunk. He procured the items and slowly clambered back to the passenger seat. He set the hats and vests on the dash, pulling the seat belt back across his body before grabbing the computer again, double checking that the car had in fact disappeared in the tunnel. 

Twenty minutes later Ashton pulled into a gravel parking lot alongside the highway, meant for turning around semis with a clearance higher than the tunnel that hadn’t used the last exit, as well as for maintenance staff. They put on the hard hats and vests before climbing out of the car, flashing badges quickly at the other staff as they continued to stride towards the maintenance path of the tunnel. They weren’t questioned as they continued down the walkway, eyes scanning the wall for any sign of mechanism that would allow the other car to vanish. 

As they walked along Ashton let out a thought he’d been having since entering the tunnel, “I just don’t understand how they’d be able to make a sharp 90 degree turn in here if the entrance is somewhere in the wall.”

Calum hummed before holding a hand out to stop Ashton, pointing at a spot on the road, “Because they don’t, c’mon, let’s figure out how to get that to open.”

Ashton nodded, scanning around before spotting an antenna sticking up on the railing, “Here.” he called, walking over to the piece of metal.

Calum jogged after him, flicking through settings on his watch. “Just gotta find the right frequency to set it off. Then we can see how long it takes to lower and raise and then head back to the car.”

Ashton turned, hazel eyes wide as he stared at Calum. “Why don’t we just hop down there as soon as it opens? We don’t know who has them or what they want, why waste time walking all the way back to the car?”

Calum furrowed his dark eyebrows, taking a moment before responding, “We don’t know where this tunnel comes out, Ash. It could be a thirty mile walk for all we know, in which case it would be faster to go back for the car and drive there than just go ahead and start walking down there as soon as I find the right frequency to set it off.”

Ashton anxiously chewed his lip before agreeing, nodding at Calum. Calum gave him a quick smile before turning back to his watch, dialling it in before they heard a small beep from the antennae. They watched as the section of road angled downwards, revealing a tighter tunnel below the roadway. Fortunately, traffic was nonexistent right now, so there weren’t any cars at risk of unexpectedly driving into the new tunnel. Once it was open it stayed that way for ten seconds before raising back up to hide the other tunnel once more.

The two spies grinned at each other, nodding and beginning to speed walk back to the surface and their car. They shrugged off the vests as they climbed into the dark SUV and tossed them in the backseat with the hardhats, Ashton throwing the car in drive and speeding out of the gravel lot and onto the highway, staying in the right lane as Calum stared intently at the railings, waiting to see the antennae, knowing they’d be on it much quicker than when they were looking for it on foot. As soon as he saw it he hit the button on the side of his watch, setting off the hydraulics that would lower the road to a ramp. Ashton slowed as they started driving downwards, shoulders stiff as they entered the new tunnel. “Now we just gotta hope that us opening that thing didn’t set anything off.” Ashton joked, nervous chuckle passing his lips as he moved one hand from the wheel to toss his curls.

Calum licked his lips, nodding along as his fingers tapped in his lap as Ashton continued to drive, switching the topic to what they were going to do once they made it to where Michael and Jay had been taken, if they would wait for Luke and backup before going in or if they’d head straight inside.

*******

Michael woke again, head pounding even more than the first time. His body ached as he moved to sit up, finding a mattress beneath him. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but it was better than the cold floor. He ran his hand over his face, wincing slightly at the slight pressure. He knew he hadn’t escaped the fight earlier without a hit, the adrenaline blocking any pain from the contact, but what he could feel now felt worse than what he anticipated.

He sat on the edge of the bed, taking slow, deep breaths, trying to turn the pain into background noise for a moment. He grunted as he got to his feet, arm around his stomach as he took in his surroundings. There was a large, tri-monitored computer in the corner across from his bed, an open door leading into a bathroom between the two furniture pieces and two of the walls of the small room were glass. One glass wall looked out into the hallway, and the other looked into another room like the one he was in, sans computer.

Michael gasped as he saw his girlfriend curled up on the mattress in the other room. He strode over to the wall, placing his hand on the cool, thick glass. “Jay,” he whispered, green eyes watering as he looked her over from across the room, her body barely stirring, her chest moving up and down slightly as she breathed. “I’m gonna get us out of this.” 

Slowly he forced himself to turn away, deciding to go into the bathroom and check himself out further. He flicked the lightswitch on as he peeled off his shirt, coming to stand in front of the large mirror behind the sink. His eyes scanned the dark bruises on his pale torso, sighing before leaning in closer to look at his face. He hummed as he spotted a bruise hiding beneath his growing beard and another under his eye. He traced over the two spots before taking in his bruised knuckles, carefully flexing his fingers. 

He turned away from the mirror, eyes lighting up when they fell on a duffle bag in the corner. He unzipped it, looking for his toiletries, sighing when he recognized Luke’s pink silk button down as he dug through. He hummed, grabbing the smaller bag, he wasn’t going to complain too much, knowing he could have just as easily not been given any change of clothes. He grabbed Luke’s shampoo and bodywash, setting them in the shower before taking off his jeans and boxers, starting the water as he found Luke’s sweatpants, setting them on the counter before checking the water.

He grinned at the feeling of warm water, quickly stepping under the stream, body relaxing as the water hit his body, soothing his aching muscles. He only stood under the water for a minute, quickly moving to wash himself, wanting to save hot water for when Jay woke up. He got out, drying off slowly, stretching his limbs as he did. He pulled on the sweatpants he’d gotten out, looking at himself in the mirror one last time before stepping out of the bathroom.

He grinned when he saw Jay sitting up on her bed, rushing over to the wall. “Hey there sleepyhead,” he said, the relief clear in his voice.

“You say that like I had a choice in being asleep,” Jay said back, the gentle smile on her lips taking away any possible bite, “what time is it?”

Michael sighed, shaking his head. “No idea. Saved you some hot water if you want to get a shower or anything. Hopefully they gave you the right bag, I’ve got prince charming’s clothes.”

Jay laughed softly, slowly getting to her feet and hobbling over, wincing every other step. Michael frowned immediately, watching as she came to stand right in front of him. She cooed softly as she looked him over, her hand touching his through the glass. Michael shook his head at her, “I’m fine, love, nothing a hot shower can’t fix, you need to get off that foot until you can get looked at. I’ve got a plan forming.”

Jay was about to respond, before she dropped her head, nodding. “I’m gonna go freshen up, be back.”

Michael gave her an encouraging smile, watching as she carefully made her way into the bathroom, turning and going to sit on his bed, pulling his legs to his chest as he began to think. After what he figured was about thirty minutes of staring at the ends of his bangs and trying to pull the well worn sweatpants further down toward his ankles, clearly Luke had had some trying times with his washing machine and these pants, he saw Jay emerge from her cell’s bathroom. 

Her face was a pale green as she hobbled over to the bed, dressed in Michael’s basketball shorts and hoodie. She sat on the bed, head drooping from the effort of crossing the room and Michael frowned, getting to his feet and approaching the wall. He placed his hand on the glass, concern crossing his brow as he spotted the makeshift splint on his girlfriend’s ankle.

She read his expression easily, giving him a pained smile as she said, “I think I broke it. Whole thing is purple.” Michael’s face filled with rage towards their captor, tension filling his shoulders as he tried to collect himself. He took a deep breath, slowly letting the air out of his lungs before saying, “I wish I could come over there and help you, love. Neither of us know how long we’ve been here, but I believe help is on its way, we’ll be out soon. We’re gonna be ok, Jay.”

“Glad to see you two are finally up and about, good morning.”

Michael’s anger surged again at the sound of their captor’s voice, wheeling around and leaping towards the other wall, fist striking against the glass perfectly in line with the other man’s head. He yawned, boredly rolling his eyes as the tempered glass protecting him from the spy shook as a result. 

“It’s cute, how much hope and faith you have in your team, Agent,” he continued as though nothing had happened, Michael’s body shaking as his green eyes stayed trained on patronizing blue. “How’re they supposed to know where we’ve brought you when they don’t even know it’s me that has you? Your only ticket out is helping me, Agent M. I highly suggest that you get started.”

Michael was still shaking, jaw tense as he stared through the glass. “I can get started.” he gritted out, “Problem is, your guys took the car with the clothes, not the equipment, it’s going to take me a while to get through the security system before I can even get to the files you want.”

“Get started then. Or else your sweetheart over there is going to have more than an ankle to worry about.”

Michael was about to snarl a reply when he caught sight of two men outside of Jay’s room, heart dropping to the pit of his stomach and shoulders drooping. “Mi-my love,” Jay caught herself, her brown eyes on the two men outside her cell too, “It’s going to be ok, please…”

Michael closed his eyes, nodding in the direction of the boss, slowly making his way to the computer, reaching under the desk and hitting the power button. Each monitor flashed the loading screen and he heard, “Good choice. I’ll send someone by in a couple hours to make sure you’re still working. Maybe we’ll bring some food too.”

Michael ignored him, just bowing his head and pinching the bridge of his nose as a homescreen appeared in front of him. He heard three sets of receding footsteps and a heavy door slamming.

A minute later, Jay spoke, “you don’t have to do anything, babe, I can take it.” Jay’s voice was weak and Michael licked his lip, swallowing the lump in his throat before spinning in the chair to respond.

“I do, Jay. You’re not getting hurt if I can stop it. Besides, I have a plan, I just need to stall a little. Alek Turner is not getting away with this.”

He turned back to the computer, opening one of the apps he recognized and slowly began his work. He carefully picked through lines and lines of code, someone checking in at some point, but nodding satisfactorily when he saw Michael still typing and disappearing back down the hall again, returning with food and some tylenol for Jay. She scooted off the bed and pushed her body across the smooth floor toward the plate and medicine, trying to keep off her injured leg. She opened the bottle first, smiling at the tamper seal, removing the paper before giving the bottle a cursory sniff before taking out two pills, taking them with her food. As she sat there eating, she heard Michael’s typing pick up. “That doesn’t sound like stalling, love.” She teased.

Michael just hummed in response, blazing through the familiarity of his own lines of code, “Part of my plan, sweets. If people in the lab didn’t know it was me trying to get in before, they will now.”

Jay smiled, nodding to herself from where she was sitting and Michael continued with his work, hitting every possible alarm bell he had put into his own protective layer. He began adding in a new line of code, smirking at the idea he had just gotten to announce himself to the lab, slipping through and finding the lab’s speakers, putting on a Peppa Pig song and punching the volume. While that was playing he kept typing, making up a chat box before bringing down the volume on the song, hitting enter on his message:

M: Whose attention have I got? M here if you couldn’t tell.

S: M! It’s S, where are you?

Michael sighed in relief at the information that it was his mentor on the other side of the screen. The man was beyond loyal to their organization and he knew he could trust whatever he was told.

M: Alek Turner has me and J. She’s hurt. He wants his info erased, our team’s real IDs and the location of HQ.

S: We sent out an X team for you two in the afternoon after L was dbed and he told the brass why the rest of the team weren’t there. A & C were tracking you two and we have a pin on them. It’s about 2am here now.

Michael sighed, nodding at the computer and rubbing his head, the ache from everything that had happened previously making timezone math more difficult than usual, plus he wasn’t sure if he was still in the same one, all he knew was that it was probably dark out and he should be in bed, not staring at a screen. 

M: Cool. Gonna keep stalling and hope for the best. Oh, we have moles, Turner brought that up when he was giving his whole monologue. Can’t wait to find their sorry asses when we come in later.

S: Noted. Best of luck. 

Michael smiled to himself before closing out the chat window, continuing to work through the security code until his previous work was no longer on the screen. He rose from the chair, stretching his limbs. He met Jay’s questioning gaze, giving her a smile and thumbs up before turning towards the bathroom. He picked up his clothes from the floor, finding one of Luke’s shirts and pulling it on over his bruised torso. He splashed some cold water on his face before walking out, rubbing at his eyes.

He did a few more stretches, approaching the wall that separated him from Jay. “Just wondering, love, do you actually have my bag, or are those clothes you stole? Would be nice to know where my glasses and a fresh pair of contacts are, in case.” 

Jay laughed softly before answering, “It’s your bag alright.”

Michael smiled, nodding at her, “Did you refold and put away things after you made your splint?” “Of course you mess.” she teased lightly, but understanding of what he was trying to signal to her showed on her face and he nodded once more before returning to the desk.

*******

Calum and Ashton had made it to the underwater compound, a fact made clear by the glass dome that covered the entire complex. The pair of spies had parked their car in a lot of identical black SUVs, taking an empty space before crawling into the back cargo space. They’d agreed to give Luke and any team he could procure about nine hours before they’d move on their own. Knowing that they wouldn’t get much chance for sleep once they’d broken in, they decided to sleep in shifts, Calum taking the first four hours to rest while Ashton kept watch.

Eight maddeningly quiet hours later the pair were readying themselves to carry out their solo plan, just in case the next hour was just as quiet. Ashton was carefully looping a grappling hook to his belt when they heard a familiar knocking sequence on the bottom of the car. Both men grinned, pausing in silence as they waited for the sound to repeat itself. Once the sequence had been knocked through a second time Calum scooted back, finding the button that opened up the floor beneath them. 

Luke’s blonde head poked up through the opening, smile on his face as he recognized that his two friends that had gone ahead were still in the car, a breath of relief passing his lips. “Ready to go get our friends?” He asked, holding his bare arms out to help Calum and Ashton down into the passage they’d discovered.

Once the three highly experienced team members were in the tunnel with the rest of the extraction team, the trio got changed, pulling on black clothes, masks, and gloves, leaving only their eyes exposed from the clothing. As they all crouched in the cool, damp tunnel, Luke pulled out a tablet, showing the images on the screen to Ashton and Calum. “So, based off of your location we were able to use some satellite images to get a rough schematic of this place. We think that they’d be holding Mike and Jay about here,” Luke explained, scrolling through the different layers and plans he’d written up on the fly. “So the three of us and Simon are going to go and get them, and the other four, are gonna see if they can get visuals on who took them in the first place. If they’re not injured, we’ve got diving equipment to get out, if they are injured though, we’ll take them back here to the car and drive back the way you guys came.”

Calum and Ashton nodded at Luke’s plan, the team splitting to go their separate ways, slowly creeping through the tunnels, hoping they’d find what they were looking for where they expected to. There were spots where the tunnel sloped down, the final slope ended in a T, Luke and Calum went to the left, Ashton and Simon to the right. They kept crawling a little further until they reached what looked like a bathroom vent. Ashton looked through the slats, spotting a familiar bag on the bathroom floor, nodding excitedly to the other spy before carefully removing the vent. Both men carefully lowered down, landing lightly on the toilet lid before hopping to the ground. They slowly made their way to the bathroom door, pausing on the inside of the door, waiting a moment. The sound of Michael’s voice reached their ears, “Did you refold and put away things after you made your splint?”

“Of course, you mess,” came Jay’s teasing response, the volume of her voice softer to them than Michael’s, but it, along with the lack of things scattered around the bathroom, gave Ashton the information he was waiting for, Michael knew they were coming.

He felt a lightness in his chest from his friends’ faith in their team, smile crossing his face as he heard Michael acknowledge someone else, muttering something about code and security measures. Ashton held back Simon, waiting a moment for whoever Michael had spoken to to go away, some sort of guard probably. He peeked out the doorway, spotting Calum doing the same across the way. He nodded at his friend, holding up his hand and counting down from five.

As soon as he put down his last finger, they stepped out into the room, four spies moving quickly and quietly towards the two that had been captured. Michael spun in his chair, having seen two figures moving towards Jay’s bed in the reflection of one of the computer screens. His guard was up as he approached Simon, pulling back a fist. Ashton quickly pulled back his mask and hood, “Hey, hey, it’s us, we’re here for you,” he waved quickly over at Luke and Calum, both of them doing the same as Ashton. 

Michael sighed with relief, letting Ashton wrap him in his arms, “Sorry, just...stressed.”

“It’s ok, we’ve got you, we’re here.” Ashton whispered, rubbing Michael’s shoulders. 

“Jay thinks she broke her ankle,” Michael said as he pulled away, looking to the glass wall that Ashton could now see separated the couple. 

Ashton nodded, quickly pulling a tool from his belt, cutting a hole in the glass. Michael gasped, running through it immediately, leaning down to give Jay a kiss. “Get her out, please, Alek Turner is the one who took us, wants names, we have to try to bring him in. He has people on the inside, need to find out more.”

Ashton, Calum and Luke nodded, understanding. Calum carefully took Jay in his arms, heading for her bathroom. Ashton ran over, grabbing Michael’s bag from his bathroom handing it to Luke before grabbing Michael’s arm, making him move. Michael looked at the computer he’d been working on, pulling against Ashton to go for the computer, “Need to get out of our system before we leave.”

Ashton stared for a moment, Simon already getting the glass into the hallway cut. “Is the only thing on that computer hacking software, nothing we can use against Turner?”

“Yeah, but--” 

Ashton shot at the CPU three times, Michael staring slack jawed as the screens slowly flickered off, “There, they can’t use any of your hard work getting started to figure out how to get in from there.”

Michael nodded slowly, letting Ashton lead him out into the hallway. Ashton pulled his hood and mask back over his head, nodding towards Simon. They took off for the doors, Ashton smacking the guard with the butt of his pistol, knocking him to the ground. They’d run up a few flights of stairs when Michael realized something. He grabbed Ashton’s shoulder as they paused on a landing, “Fletch, he knows you.” 

Ashton’s hazel eyes widened as he processed what Michael was saying, “No fucking way.” he whispered.

Michael just nodded, pausing at the door out of the stairwell. He listened quietly for a moment before pushing out into the hallway, waiting for the other two to follow him. The sound of fighting came from down the hall. Luke had clearly alerted the other team’s leader that they needed to go after Turner now. Michael took off down the hall, Ashton following right behind him. The two dove into the fray, bobbing and weaving through the fighting spies and henchmen, landing hits when necessary. They’d lost track of Simon, but figured he’d be elsewhere helping their teammates. 

Michael caught sight of Turner trying to slip away, his silken pajamas rumpled. He leapt in the larger man’s direction, tackling him to the ground and struggling to gain control. He ended up on top of the other man’s chest, satisfied smile on his pink lips as he recognized the purple bruise around Alek’s throat from their tangle earlier in the day. He gripped the collar of the pajama shirt, lifting Turner just slightly as he leaned in, growling “I’m gonna be so happy to lock you up. This, is for my girlfriend,” he paused, landing a punch to Alek’s nose, “and this, is for all those slimeball snitches you’re going to tell us about, you bastard.” He punctuated the second statement with another punch, this time to Turner’s cheek, before twisting slightly to look at Ashton. “Care to do the honors, Fletch?”

Ashton nodded, stepping forward, cuffs already in hand. He restrained Turner while Michael turned him to his stomach, face squished against the marble floor. “C’mon Fletch,” Alek started, using the sweet, innocent voice he had spoken with as Aaron, “we were friends, take it easy, yeah?”

Ashton snorted, tightening the first cuff, “Fletch was friends with Aaron, if I’d known who I was talking with at the time I’d have knocked you in the head with my trowel first chance I got, no questions asked.”

Michael smiled, though he knew Ashton with any makeshift weapon was dangerous, the image of his friend with his bright red hair standing over the large blonde they were taking in, dressed in overalls and weilding a trowel tickled him just a bit. He was about to make a joke about it when he heard the clicking of a revolver. He turned, locking eyes with Simon, his mask and hood removed as he stood over Michael, Ashton, and Alek. He glanced around, the four other members of the extraction team were all staring, standing in a sea of unconscious and subdued henchmen, shocked that one of their own was pointing a gun at the spy they’d come to rescue.

“I suggest you think about what you’re doing, Si.” Ashton warned lowly, “You’re outnumbered, plus if you even try to think about shooting me or Agent M, you’re going to be risking shooting your boss here, and you don’t want to do that, do you?”

Michael nodded, green eyes meeting brown, “Yeah, just put the gun down, Simon, maybe the brass will consider leniency since you helped me escape, but only if you cooperate now, otherwise...who knows?”

Simon lowered the gun slightly, still not dropping it to the ground. Michael took a heavy breath, glancing towards Ashton. He nodded, shifting on top of Turner. Michael moved quickly, barrelling into Simon before he knew what was happening. The gun went off, bullet grazing Michael’s arm before embedding itself in a wall. Michael yelped, but wrestled the revolver out of Simon’s grasp, pinning him in his arms before looking to another agent. “Kay, help us to bring him in?”

“With pleasure,” they responded, Michael easily handing over the mole to them, watching as Ashton stood with Turner, nodding to the team leader and they all walked out the door. 

Kay put Simon in the car with Alek while Ashton stood under the liftgate, looking over Michael. “M’just bruised and sore Fletch,” Michael stated, aware that there still could be listening ears, even with Alek Turner in their custody. 

Ashton sighed, nodding and letting Michael get to his feet, lowering the trunk as Kay came around the side, “They’re secured, gonna head out with the rest of the team. Meet you guys at the rendezvous point.”

Michael thanked them, giving them a quick hug before he got in the passenger seat next to Ashton. The drive through the narrow tunnel was quiet, Michael listening to the calming playlist that Ashton had on. He smiled as he sat there, car slowly moving upwards. Ashton stopped ten feet back from what appeared to be a dead end, putting the car in park as he fiddled with his watch. Michael stared wide eyed as a ramp lowered down, Ashton punching the gas and driving up it, the car coming into a wider tunnel. Michael’s mouth hung open and Ashton turned to look at him, confused, “Did you not see any of this when they brought you down?”

“No, I got knocked out as soon as I asked why we had passed the airport.”

Ashton nodded slowly, continuing to drive out of the tunnel, heading for the surface. Once they were full out of the tunnel and back on the highway they could see the sunrise over the bay. Michael hummed, taking in the orange and pink reflected in the water, “Haven’t seen one of those in a while.”

Ashton laughed heartily, smiling as he continued the drive to where they were supposed to meet up with Luke, Calum, and the rest of the team. Once they arrived at the airport Michael scrambled out of the car, running for where he could see Luke and Calum waiting at the bottom of the plane stairs. He wrapped both men in his arms, pressing to their chests. “This is a total 180 from you almost punching Simon’s face when we came in.” Calum joked, eyes sparkling until he saw Ashton holding a cuffed Simon.

“Shoulda punched his lights out when I thought you guys were henchmen taking Jay somewhere because I wasn’t working fast enough. Fucking mole.” Michael grunted, noticing the shock both men held. He shook his head as Ashton walked Simon up the stairs, followed by another team member with Turner. “Anyway, how’s my girl?”

Luke nodded, leading Michael onto the plane with everyone else, Michael quickly strode over to where he saw his girlfriend, laying on a couch, her foot propped up on a pile of pillows. He smiled, crouching next to her, holding her hand as another few people walked past, carrying the go bags from the back of the car, Turner’s henchmen having just grabbed two when they brought the spies in that afternoon. Michael hummed, content to just sit on the floor in front of his girlfriend as the plane took off for HQ.

~~~~~

Michael had dozed off at some point during the flight, body content to finally knock out of its own volition, giving him two hours of proper sleep before Calum was shaking him awake on the approach. Once they landed they all filed off the plane, Michael cradling Jay in his arms as he followed everyone to the three cars waiting on the tarmac. Luke, Ashton, and Calum clambered into the third row seats, Michael ducking his head as he buckled his girlfriend into her seat before he ran to the other side of the car. Alek Turner and Simon were put in their own car, being taken straight to HQ for processing while the entire extraction team were taken to their doctors to get checked out.

Michael was cleared quickly, and he walked over to Jay’s room, waiting patiently for her to come back from having x rays taken. The nurse who wheeled her back in simply nodded and left the room, and he rose from his chair, rushing over to give Jay a long kiss, holding her gently. “After everything we’ve been through today, I don’t fucking care what they do to us for this, so long as I still get to have you.”

Jay smiled, running her fingers through his hair. He carefully lifted her from the chair, going to sit on the exam table, holding Jay sideways in his lap. Before the doctor came back in with the x rays, Luke, Ashton, and Calum had all joined them in the small room, finding various spots to sit and wait for the update on their teammate. He sighed when he finally came in, shaking his head slightly before putting up the images on the light board, showing the injury Jay had sustained when the henchman she’d been fighting had caught her mid-kick, twisting her foot before dropping her to the floor. 

Michael grimaced at the memory of the sound of Jay yelling before a thunk, right before they’d both been knocked out for the second time in one day. Jay squeezed his hand gently and he turned his head, giving her a smile as the doctor explained that she was going to have to be in a cast for about a month and a half, confined to desk duty for that time period.

As soon as Jay’s leg was wrapped in a clunky purple cast they were cleared to go. Calum carried Jay’s new crutches while Michael opted to carry her to their meeting with the brass, the team of five standing strong together as they entered the office. They looked up at the five leaders of the organization, their identities concealed even to their own employees. The one standing in the middle spoke first, looking down at the five spies in front of them. “So, first, glad to have you two back safe and sound, agents. Good job thinking to apprehend Turner before escaping to safety, Agent M, who knows how long we would’ve been searching for him again had you not insisted that that was the priority.”

Michael bowed his head at the praise, waiting for the shoe to drop. “However,” spoke up another member, “This is exactly why none of you are supposed to be in a relationship with another team member. What would’ve happened if no one came to get you?”

He cleared his throat quietly, waiting a beat to see if any of the other leaders would chime in or if he was to answer. He licked his lips before nodding, “I was already stalling for time when my team members came in to get me. I had set off alarms in the lab, getting a conversation in with my mentor, Agent S. If I’d been informed that no one was coming at that time I would’ve continued to stall and try to get him more information. Turner would not have gotten anything from me unless I had absolutely nowhere else to turn.

However, Turner was sloppy, he took us when we were expected to be somewhere, left behind people who would do anything to make sure that Jay and I came back safe. Plus, as you can see, we didn’t go down easy either, we were both knocked out twice within a single day. I think the more important question here is how did Turner get access to agents and turn them to his side to give him any information at all, regardless of the fact that they all refused to tell him where this building is. We need to get him to tell us how many informants he had and who they were, all we have right now is Simon and that’s solely because he pulled a gun on us while we were restraining Turner. How much loyalty do the other moles feel for him if Simon was willing to point a gun at people who have trained and worked alongside him for years?”

There were murmurs from the leaders, the five of them talking to each other while the team waited patiently. Finally, the head of their entire organization rose, at the far end, her gaze falling on the couple before turning to the rest of the team as well. “There’s no way that we can stop the two of you right now. We will question Simon and Alek Turner thoroughly to discover who else answered to Turner and bring them all to justice. All five of you are to take leave for the next week before returning to work. Get some rest, you’ve all done well.”

All five team members nodded, quietly exiting the room. Once they were out and had gathered all their things they smiled at each other. “Breakfast? I’m starving, I haven’t eaten since we left the safehouse.” Michael said, grinning.

They all nodded, making their ways to their respective cars once they agreed on a place. Michael got Jay buckled in before accepting the crutches from Calum, laying them in the backseat before getting in himself. “You should wear clothes like Luke’s more often, looks nice, probably be better without the sweats.”

Michael chuckled as he started the car, slowly backing out of his spot before responding. “Probably would be. The pink is definitely starting to grow on me.”

Jay hummed as Michael pulled out onto the street. “Got a whole week at home together, then you get me sitting in the lab with you for like a whole month, that’s gonna be nice.”

“Sure is sweetheart, I can’t wait.” Michael smiled, leaning over to give his girlfriend a kiss at the stoplight, Luke and Ashton hooting on either side of his car. He shook his head, “So long as we get a good amount of time away from them,” he joked, smile on both their faces as they continued their drive to the restaurant, looking forward to their freetime, together.

Tag List: @irwinkitten @calpops @goth5sos @wildflowergrae @empathycth

[bethhxrmon]

do flowers exist at night? -chapter five

Chapter Five: Steve Harrington and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Night

Pairing: Steve Harrington x OC

Chapter Summary: Once everyone is at the Byers’ household, many issues start to make sense. With everyone working together, the Upside Down may finally be defeated.

Word Count: 3.9k

Warnings: Swearing, inaccurate dialogue, Billy is the actual worst if you like him then you’re probably not gonna vibe with this chapter, violence

A/N: The only real joke in this chapter is the title. Enough said. Anywho, I hope you’re enjoying the fic and if you are, it would be awesome of you to let me know by leaving feedback for me! You can find the other chapters here.

~*~*~*~

Perhaps the only thing worse than the monsters was realizing that Steve didn't have a chance with Nancy. Obviously, Annie wasn't going to say that out loud. Not when she could tell from Steve's pacing that he already knew. It took a lot to not say anything to Nancy, but there were more important things than this and if she was going to say anything, Annie was sure it could wait.

What they were going to do about all of this was beyond her. She had a million questions, but she didn't ask a single one. Every time she almost did, she was reminded of how her dad was when he got stressed, which was almost all the time. At the time, it seemed like anything she did would annoy him. There was always something on her mind and there was a time when she would have said every single thing that popped in her head. Except, one day the man got so annoyed that he snapped and told her to shut up.

As that circled her mind, she sat off to the side in the kitchen of the Byers' house, trying to process everything on her own. She had been so close to dying. All of them had. What would have happened if she had? Would anyone aside from her mom care? There were so many things she wanted to do, but she hadn't. It could have been too late and there was nothing she could have done.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump, but she relaxed upon realizing it was just Steve, "Sorry... um, how're you holding up?"

"I'm fine," she said, tugging her flannel around herself, "Are you okay?"

He arched an eyebrow, "Also fine."

"Steve-"

"Don't... you don't have to tell me."

"I wasn't gonna say anything about that," she said, though she stopped when she heard Mike starting to talk about Bob Newby.

While she never got a chance to meet the guy, the idea of anyone being eaten alive by those monsters was horrific. It was something straight out of the horror novels she read to pass the time. Something only highlighted when Dustin started to compare all of this to Dungeons and Dragons. The demodogs, as he called them, were all supposed to be part of some sort of hive mind. A Mind Flayer was supposedly the one in control. Annie knew nothing about the game, but she supposed there could be points made.

Those points finally drew the conclusion that they needed to trap Will somewhere he didn't recognize. That way he wouldn't be able to spy and figure out where they were. The shed ended up being the perfect place.

Annie was focused on helping Max tape up pieces of cardboard together. That was easy and menial enough. Besides, she felt like she had to make herself scarce so Steve could talk to Nancy. Well, it was more like she didn't want Nancy thinking any of those dumb rumors were true. It was obviously over between them. Why Nancy didn't say anything about that to Steve was beyond her. There wasn't time to think about that. They needed to get the shed ready before Will woke up.

Soon enough, it was back to just a waiting game. One that made Annie want to crawl out of her skin. It reminded her of when she was waiting to find out which of her parents got full custody not even a month ago. A decision that she didn’t think would ever make her happy regardless of who ended up with her.

She sat on the couch, staring off into space as Steve swung his bat around.

"Your swing is fine, you know. It's checking your blind spots that you'd wanna look out for," she said.

He looked over, "What?"

"Like earlier... you weren't checking your surroundings."

"Why do I need to do that when I've got you saving my ass?"

She smiled a bit despite herself, "Because maybe I'll slip up."

"Hey," he sat next to her, "Don't think like that. We're gonna be fine."

Annie gave him a look, "I'm not one of the kids, Steve, I know this might not end well."

"Well with that thinking it won't," he commented.

She shook her head, "Sorry, um I just didn't expect to almost die like this. I mean, I always expected some weird shit to happen in Seattle or New York. Inter-dimensional monsters in a small town wasn't what I expected to be the wake-up call."

"For what?"

"That death's inevitable and I've spent the last few months just being miserable and alone," she let out a small laugh, "It just- it seriously sucks like you wouldn't believe."

The lights started to flicker like crazy. Annie was quick to grab her pitchfork from the corner of the room. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. For a moment she was so sure that the room was going to turn into the Upside Down. She all but shrank into herself until the lights went normal again. Everyone was fine. Will didn't know where they were.

A few minutes later and they figured out Will was still communicating through Morse Code. Annie watched as the message was written out in front of them.

"Close gate," they all said together, trying to figure out what it could mean.

Suddenly, the phone started ringing and it wouldn't stop until Nancy pulled it out and threw it to the ground. A sense of dread overcame the room.

"Do you think he heard that?" Max asked.

Steve shook his head, "Phone ringing... that could be anywhere."

However, the screeching in the distance was enough to show that Will somehow knew exactly where they were. The demodogs were going to come back and there was no choice but to fight them. Sure, this time there were more people who could fight than Steve and herself, but there was an army of those monsters and they all knew it.

This was futile, but Annie wasn't about to say that and neither was anyone else. Instead they all stood, and she clutched her pitchfork tighter than ever before. The screaming came from all over and Annie kept an eye on the windows she could see.

A demodog burst in through the window, causing all of them to scream. Only, it was dead. Something had to have killed it, which only caused more questions to circle through Annie's head. She was ready to fight whatever came through that front door as it unlocked and opened. Only, she found herself putting down her weapon when she realized it was just a girl. Someone who couldn't have been any older than the kids she was helping to take care of.

Some things started to piece together in Annie's head as Mike rushed up to the girl, he called her Eleven. It seemed that the girl Steve talked about the night before wasn't dead after all. Though, from how Mike was going up to Hopper, she was pretty there was more to what was going on.

For the pair having moved to another room, she could hear Mike yelling pretty well. She stared at the floor, trying to not think about all the times she could hear her parents fight in that small, New York apartment. Instead, she just watched as the other kids reunited with Eleven.

"So, how'd you find out about all this?" Nancy asked, ripping her from her thoughts, "I mean, Steve obviously told you, yeah?"

Annie nodded slowly, "Yep..."

"That's funny, because when I wanted to tell Barb's parents about all this, he wasn't on board," she said, looking her over.

She shrugged, "Well, was their house flip-flopping dimensions as well, or were you just trying to satiate your own guilt?"

"Wait, what're you talking about?"

"I found out about this shit because I ended up telling Steve about how I was seeing things in my house. He got me out, and we were looking for you, actually. He wanted to apologize to you," she sighed, giving a tight-lipped smile, "And it turns out, he wasn't the one who needed to apologize. I'm new, but I'm not blind."

Nancy's eyes widened a bit before she walked outside. Perhaps it was a little bit much for Annie to say, but she wasn't about to play into whatever Nancy was trying to do. How was she supposed to feel sympathy for someone who so clearly hurt her only friend in this town?

Not that any of it mattered because everyone was talking about splitting up. Joyce and Jonathan were going to take Will to get rid of the part of him that was the Mind Flayer. Meanwhile, Hopper and Eleven were going to go back to the lab and close the gate. That left what was supposed to be her, Steve, and Nancy taking care of the kids. Something that was sure to go very well. Still, Annie wasn't about to go with either of the other two groups. She had no interest in putting herself back in danger and having yet another near-death experience. The ones she had already were more than enough.

Annie stayed in the house, knowing that all she and the kids could do was try to clean up the house. There was a broken window, and it did leave the house feeling cold. Before they did that, though, she went out with the kids to watch as they said goodbye to Eleven.

Steve cleared his throat, "So, uh, it's just gonna be us babysitting."

"Oh? What happened?"

"I let her go. She's helping Jonathan and Mrs. Byers," he sighed, "It was never gonna work. You knew that, though. Sorry I dragged you into all this over her."

Annie turned and looked up at him, "Hey, if it wasn't for you, I could be stuck in that Upside Down crap right now and things would be a lot worse. And, for what it's worth, you've been a good friend too."

"Thanks."

Just like that, it was the two of them with the kids. What they were going to do in the meantime was beyond her. Probably just more sitting around and being prepared for the worst. The kids had their walkies, so if anything happened, she was sure they would find out.

Dustin was wrapping the dead demodog in a quilt, "Hey, can I get a little help here?"

"Um, what're you doing?" Annie asked.

He huffed, "We gotta preserve this. One of you needs to hold this so I can get it into the fridge so we can keep the body from decomposing.

Annie looked at Steve, "You know, if you take this, you get to be the best babysitter. I'll just be mediocre at my job."

"Seriously?" Steve sighed, though it didn't take long for him to relent and just pick up the dead demodog.

While they worried about taking care of that, Annie decided to help Max and Lucas clean up the broken glass. A simple task to keep her from thinking about what was going on. Mike kept pacing until Lucas said something. Sure, she could understand where the kid was coming from, but it was so much safer for all of them this way. None of them had powers, Eleven clearly did. 

Steve walked up to them, "Look, the coach makes a play and bottom line, you've gotta do it."

"This isn't a stupid sports game!" Mike snapped, "Anyways, we're not in the game, we're on the bench."

He nodded, "Yeah... right. Right, and the point is, yep, we're on the bench and there's nothing we can do."

"I could offer a cool theater analogy," Annie said, getting ignored.

"Wait, but the demodogs are a hive mind, they were called away earlier," Dustin pointed out.

That was when the kids started to get an idea that quickly spiraled. Annie looked at Steve like they were crazy. Because they were. If they all died, then what?

She shook her head, "Wait, um, you guys?"

"We could go in here and burn it-"

"Yeah, that's a no," Steve said, holding the dish towel "We promised to keep you shitheads safe so we're gonna stay here on the bench and wait for the starting team to do their job, understand?"

Mike scoffed, "This isn't a stupid sports game!"

"I said, does everybody understand that?!" he gestured with the towel, “I need a yes.”

A car engine was heard in the distance and Max ran to see what was going on. All Annie needed to hear was that it was her brother before realizing that perhaps this wasn't the safest option after all. There was a certain look of concern on her face, and Steve looked at her.

"Hey, I'm gonna take care of this, okay? You just need to stay here and make sure the kids don't do anything stupid. And I mean it this time, I don't trust him seeing you involved with all this," Steve insisted.

Annie opened her mouth to argue, but could only bring herself to nod. If she couldn't even defend herself to that guy a day ago, what good would she be now? And maybe Steve really would fix all this. There was a lot he had done already. They were going to be fine. Nothing was going to happen to the kids, especially Max.

So she watched the best she could through the front door window. That meant she wasn't paying attention to the kids like she should have been. It looked like it was getting intense between the two guys. She reached into her pocket for her switchblade. While she was sure Steve could handle this, she wanted to be ready just in case. Then, Billy pointed at the window and she deflated.

She glared at the kids, "What part about keeping your heads down did you dumbasses not get?!"

There wasn't more time for her to yell because she watched Steve get shoved to the ground and kicked. Her eyes widened and she held tightly to the closed knife in her hand. The door swung open and she moved to get in front of him. She couldn't let the kids get hurt.

"Ah, Harrington's bitch," he shoved her into an end table, "And Lucas Sinclair."

It took a lot to not cry out in pain, but she didn't want the kids to worry about her. She could still move, but hitting the corner of the table made her back ache. And for a moment, all she could do was watch as Billy went right for Lucas. Right as she moved to get up, Steve rushed in and was quick to help her up.

A part of Annie wanted to just go up to Billy and punch him until he was a pulp, but she knew she couldn't do that. Steve would have a chance, though. She let him confront Billy and she stood in front of the kids, fumbling to get her knife open. Though, with Steve getting in a few good hits, Annie felt like he could do it. Until she saw Billy pick up the plate.

"Steve, the plate!" she screamed but it was too late and Billy bashed the plate over his head, causing him to stumble back.

It only got worse from there and all Annie could do was watch in horror as Steve fell to the ground, obviously passed out. Billy started to throw more punches. She had no choice, she had to do something. Steve was dead otherwise. If she could take on those demodogs, surely she could take on some asshole who was beating up her best friend.

In a quick move, she ran up behind Billy and pressed the switchblade to Billy's neck, "Get the fuck off of him!"

He got off of Steve but only to thrash against her to fight for the knife. It was happening in such a blur and she wasn't strong enough to get the upper hand again. She first felt something cut into her cheek and then her back was against the floor. All she could do was scream and try to sink into the floor further.

"You know, I've been waiting for something like this for a few days now," Billy murmured, tossing the knife aside.

Annie kept her eyes shut, unable to say anything as she felt his mouth on her neck. If she could just make herself smaller or do something. There was something hard against her thigh and she tried to slide out, but there wasn't any give. She couldn't do anything. For all she knew, Steve was dead and she wasn't any better off. A stench of cigarette smoke and musk was all she could smell and it made her feel like gagging.

Then, Billy made a confused noise and there was suddenly less pressure on top of her. She opened one eye, realizing no one was on top of her. Max was screaming something, but it wasn't registering. All she could hear was a ringing of sorts. What did register was that Steve was only a few feet away and she crawled over to him.

His face was covered in blood and was already swelling. Still caught up in everything, she tried shaking him.

"Steve? Steve, come on, I need you to wake up for me," she whispered, looking for any signs that he was going to wake up, "Please, I can't do this shit alone, I really need you right now."

Dustin slowly approached her, sitting on the other side of Steve, "Annie, he's just passed out. He's still breathing, see?"

Sure enough, she could see his chest rising and falling, "Right... yeah... you're right, sorry."

"It's okay, we just need you to drive us where we tell you to," he said.

Annie's eyes widened, "We're not going anywhere!"

"Do you really wanna stay here where Billy is? Come on, if you stay calm about this, we can bring Steve along," Dustin replied.

That was all the convincing Annie needed in that moment. Getting the kids and Steve as far away from Billy as possible was the goal. Dustin put a few band-aids onto Steve to try and make her feel better. He offered her one for the cut on her cheek, but she didn't take it. Instead, she took the car keys to Billy's Camaro.

No, she had never driven before in her life, but how hard could it be? She watched Steve do enough of it. Surely she could figure this out on the fly. When she turned the key, the engine roared to life. She just needed to go from park to drive. Except the car was moving without her pushing anything.

"What the fuck, why's this thing moving?!" she exclaimed.

Max looked at her, "Have you ever driven before?"

"No."

"Get the brake, put it back in park. I'll do it," Max insisted.

It didn't take more than that for Annie to be in the backseat so she could be right there with Steve. He had been hit so hard and a part of her worried he wasn't going to wake up. How was she supposed to do all this without him? They were supposed to be co-babysitters. She didn't have a clue about taking care of these kids. Hell, she was letting one of them drive. That wasn’t a hallmark of good babysitting.

She held an ice pack to Steve's head and she felt him stir.

"Nancy?" he murmured, looking at Mike.

Annie breathed a sigh of relief, letting Dustin explain everything. All that mattered was that Steve was awake, probably not completely okay, but he was awake nonetheless. 

Then he looked up at her, "Wait. If you're not driving then..."

Steve was soon screaming for Max to stop driving. It didn't help the situation and soon enough they were all screaming and yelling at each other. Though, they somehow made it to the spot in question just fine.

She took the time to help Steve get out of the car, "So uh, I know we said we wouldn't let them go here, but maybe it's better here? Like it's away from... it might not be a bad idea, yeah?"

"You're bleeding," he said before noticing what the kids were doing, "No! We're absolutely not doing this!"

Dustin walked up to them, "Steve, I know you're upset but a party member requires assistance. Now, you told Nance you'd keep us safe, so just do that."

The kid handed Steve his bat and Annie her pitchfork. They were really going to do this. A knot of nausea was in her stomach.

A pair of goggles, some gloves, and a bandanna later; Annie was at the back of the group, making sure none of the kids fell behind while Steve took the front. It was simple. Set the place on fire and get out fast. She could do this. If Steve could handle this, so could she.

They were walking through the tunnels, and Annie was already familiar with the vines and whatever it was floating in the air. Dustin stood back and as she tried to get him to move forward, something sprayed at him. As horrific as it was to watch, the kid was back up and with the group.

Another few minutes and they found the hub that they all needed to drench in gasoline.  That was also the easy part. She still kept an eye out, though. Those demodogs could be anywhere for all she knew.

She was crouched alongside all of them as Steve threw his lighter to the ground. For a moment, she just stared as it was all enveloped in bright flames. It took Dustin tugging her to realize they needed to go and she trailed behind. Meaning she was right there when Mike fell down.

"It's okay, you're fine, kid," she said, using the pitchfork to cut the vines.

That didn't stop a demodog from running up and growling as the group came back for them. She stood in front of all them, but Dustin moved in front. They all cried out in protest until Steve got them to quiet down. Her gloved hand reached for Steve's for just a moment before she focused on holding her pitchfork.

Thankfully, somehow a candy bar was all they needed  to get through. That didn't stop the other demodogs from knowing where to find them. It was a race to get the kids up one by one. The last one up was Dustin who only made it up because she and Steve forced him up. At least the kids made it out.

Deep down, Annie knew that getting out of this was impossible. She was sure Steve knew that too, but they had gone through too much to not fight this last time. Her grip was tight on her pitchfork and her eyes glanced up to him.

"Thanks, for everything," she said as the monsters ran.

What she hadn't prepared for was the stampede to ignore her and Steve. He had to hold onto her so she didn't get thrown into them. The monsters passed and she blinked as hard as she could so she wouldn't cry.

Steve made her go up first and he came out soon after. The car lights started to flash brighter than she thought possible and then they went dark again. Right after that, the hole in the ground closed. All she could do was stand, watching as it all came to an end.

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added!): @dungeons-and-demodogs​ @jxnehxpper​ @ilovebucketbarnes​

[salted-barbed-wire]

Did You Miss Me?

(A/N): NEW FIC ALERT. So this was the brain child from long long ago when Dean Ambrose first returned by @tvrnbvckle . I think a comment was made about having f*cking one bent over a bar. So here it is FINALLY. Only, it’s “new” Jon Moxley because I’m so excited to have him back.

Summary: Unnamed OC is working late one night at her job in a local bar. Unfortuneately a piece of her past is fresh out of jail and ready to “reconnect”.

Rated: M- for smutty goodness. Poor representation of one of my friends who was speaking Spanish to his wife over the phone the other day. (Sorry Mike) Cursing. Mention of domestic violence. Mention of injured child. Idk what else.

Word count: I didn’t type this on word because my computer hates me. Sorry.

Dong, dong, dong!

“Last call everyone!” I shouted as my boss rang the bell behind me. Making quick work of the few drink refills and tabs that needed closed, slowly but surely the little dive bar I worked in began to empty out.

“Hey, Mike, can you close my register while I mop?” I asked my boss.

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” his New York accent gruff on my ears. “Pretty decent night, went smooth, despite running the show down a person.”

“That’s ‘cause you had your best worker here,” I gave him a wink.

The only response I got from him was light chuckle. Sure, we were flirty, but he always kept it professional. Although, it wasn’t just because we worked together…

“How’s that boyfriend of your’s? Seen him around lately?”

I rolled my eyes, knowing he couldn’t see the action. “He’s in jail, Mike. He’s not going to come try and start something again. He’s just a little… troubled.”

Mike huffed, “Troubled, right. He’s a freakin’ lunatic is what he is. You know, if it weren’t for my family, I’d have fought back. AND, if my wife didn’t love you so much, you wouldn’t have a job still.”

“I know.” My voice came out softer than I intended.

He closed the register and shut the money in the safe, “Look, sweetheart, I-“

Beep, beep, beep. Beep, beep, beep.

Mike’s phone range before he could finish.

“Hello?” He listened, “Is she okay?” There was rapid chattering on the other line. “Okay, okay, tranquila, bonita, no te preocupes. I’ll meet you at the hospital.” The little Spanish I could understand, I could tell something was wrong as he hung up the phone and looked at me.

“Everything okay?”

“My daughter, she fell out of the treehouse in the back yard. My wife thinks she might’ve broke her arm.” He bit his lip, trying to ask me something but not wanting to bring it to surface.

“Go ahead, I’ve got this.” I held out my hands for the keys, “Maria needs you.”

The corners of his mouth lifted into a relieved smile. “Thanks, sweetheart.” He tossed me the keys to his beloved bar, “Can you be in at 3 to unlock the doors tomorrow?”

“Sure, thing boss, go bandage up an arm.”

We said our goodbyes and I was alone. My chest rose and fell with a sigh that seemed to echo through the empty room. It never took long to scrub the floors and prep the place for the next day. Usually it took thirty minutes with two people. Thirty minutes turned into an hour and an hour turned into two and I finally got everything done, alone and exhausted.

My eyes darted to the clock, 4am. That means I had 9 hours to sleep once I got home before I had to get up and do everything all over again. I wiped the sweat off my brow and went to pick up all my stuff, letting my hair down as I walked over to my purse.

There was a slam behind me that made me jump. I stayed faced towards the bar and simply yelled, “We’re closed,” to the door. My heart thumped in my chest, I forgot to lock the door! Hopefully it was just a drunken customer looking for a late-night buzz and not someone in a black mask come to rob me… or worse.

“Hey there, Darlin’.”

It was worse.

I spun on my heels, “Mox?”

There he was, leaning against the wood frame just inside the door. Jon Moxley, my not-so-ex-boyfriend had been thrown in jail after he nearly beat my boss to a bloody pulp after he was trying to ‘hit on me’ (Mox’s words, not mine). He’d been locked up for months and was supposed to do at least two years. When I’d last seen him, his unkempt hair dangled in front of his eyes and he’d been trying to grow in a beard. Now he looked different; hair cut, beard neat and trimmed, and his body.

Gulp.

I tried not to let my eyes wonder over his frame. He’d always been muscular, but lean. The man that stood across from me in combat boots, jeans, and a tank top was much more toned and, well, thick. I had to push away the urge to run my hands along those arms.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” his mouth twisted further into a cocky grin. “Miss me, doll?”

“I thought you had two years?” It took a lot of effort to keep my voice from trembling.

“Got out on good behavior.”

“Doesn’t sound like you.”

He straightened up, “funny. How’s work? Whatcha still doin’ here at four in the morning?”

My pulse died as he stalked towards me, “Could ask you the same thing.”

“Me?” He sat in a stool next to where my purse was. “I was down the street at that new place. Waiting for you to get off.”

“Why?”

“Wanted to surprise ya.” His blue eyes met mine. They were as fierce as ever like the seas during a storm. “Saw your boss leave but never saw you. Thought I’d check on ya. Guess you just wanted to do some late night cleaning.”

“Mike had to go early. His daughter took a spill.” I looked away from his gaze and focused my attention to gathering my things.

“She okay?”

“Do you care?” I retorted, rummaging to find my keys.

“Of course, I care! You think I want something to happen to a kid? You think I’m some sort of monster, Darlin’?”

I looked up to see him leaning towards me with brows furrowed and an unreadable expression on his face. “You didn’t seem to care how she’d have felt seeing her own father in the hospital.”

His lip twitched, “you’re still mad at me for that, huh?”

“Jon, you about blew this job for me!”

“Ah, fuck this job,” he rolled his eyes and reached over the bar for a bottle. “You could do so much more, you deserve so much more.” He held up a bottle of Jack and reached over for a glass I had just washed. “That guy’s a creep.”

“You have to pay for that.” I glared at him. Moxley huffed and pulled out his wallet, dropping a crisp fifty on the bar top. “That ‘creep’ is my boss. And you deserve better than fighting in the streets for money to get us by, I was trying to scrape up enough tips to help you pay for an audition for that wrestling show. You use to enjoy that.”

He took a long slow drink, “yeah, probably not cut out for it.”

“Why do you talk like that? Why can’t you see the way I see you? You have so much potential.”

He set the bottom of the glass down and turned to me to smile, “That’s why I like you, Darlin’. You’re always going around makin’ me feel like I’m worth something. That’s why I get crazy when other guys flirt with you.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, “Beating the crap out of them isn’t the proper way to deal with jealousy.”

He angled his bar seat towards me, “You thought it was hot, admit it.”

Heat rushed to my face, “I did not.”

“You didn’t?” His tone was mocking, and his cocky grin made his eyes look dangerous. Mox slid off his stool and moved closer to me, we stood toe to toe, nose to nose. His baby blues flashed towards my lips, licking his own. “You sure?”

I swallowed hard, “Mmhmm.” It was the only response I could manage with him being so close. The scent of him was filling my head with all kinds of sinful ideas. Moxley could sense it too, he knew his affect on me. The electricity sparkled between us before he put his hand lightly against my cheek.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you so much, doll face.” He leaned in close his breath hot my face. Our lips were close to colliding, I closed my eyes, allowing myself to give into him again. “Did you miss me?” He whispered.

“Hmm?” My voice hummed as I lifted my face, eyes still closed, to get closer to sealing our kiss.

“Did you miss me?” Jon repeated, dangling the kiss I wanted to melt into over me.

I wanted to answer yes, because despite all he’d done to Mike, he was still the love of my life. Something about him was just so… addictive. But knowing he was holding my body hostage right now, I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. So, I did the more daring of my options; I remained silent.

Moxley backed up, “Asked you a question, Kitten.” His hand moved from my cheek to the back of my hair, winding his fingers in my locks. With the speed of a predator, he spun me around, grabbing one of my hands and pinning it behind my back, then used the leverage he had on my hair to bend me over the bar top.

I bit back a moan as he pressed his hips against my ass. I could feel the bulge in his jeans growing with excitement. “Now, I’ve been a very, very patient man. I’ve been on my best behavior while locked up so you wouldn’t miss me for too long.” He lowered his head down and kissed my shoulder softly. “But it seems you’ve forgotten who you belong to. You also forgot how I can make you feel.” His free hand ran along my thigh, trailing up to the teeny, tiny shorts I wore for work. It cupped my ass, giving me a squeeze. I could hear him mutter an “oh fuck,” before he gave me a quick slap on the rear.

I yelped, “Jon! We can’t! Not here!”

“Oh, now you can talk?” His hand raked across my backside again. “Let’s see if I can get you to scream, huh, Kitten.”

“M-“ My efforts in protesting were cut off by him forcing me up to face him. His mouth crashed into mine roughly. I tried to intake air in between his assault but was only met by his tongue searching my mouth. A whimper escaped my throat as I realized where this was going.

I felt his fingers playing with the hem of my shorts. Pushing past the fabric of my panties to gently glide across my slick.

Mox’s kisses moved along my jaw line, nipping along my neck, “So wet already, Darlin’? I knew you missed me, but I wanna hear you say it.”

I bit my lip, groaning at the feel of him against my skin. I couldn’t manage to say anything still, my heart rate and the impending orgasm had me lost in the moment.

“Still need some coaxing?” He whispered against my ear.

Mox picked me up with one hand, and sat me hard on the wooden surface of the bar top. I let out an “oof” at the feel of the cold surface on the backs of my thighs. He settled between my legs and pulled up a stool. I watched nervously as he undid the button on my shorts and pulled them down with ease past my ankles.

“Very nice,” he smiled at me as he tugged at the crotch of my black lace thong. His eyes ran over my body, looking me up and down like a wolf at a sheep. Moxley took a single digit and ran it along my heat, my head fell back in reaction. “I love to look at you in these but they’re in the way.” He yanked them down my thighs and scrunched them up in his pocket.

The cool ac of the bar had me feeling extremely exposed. “Mox, what if we get caught?”

“We won’t, Kitten. Now just let me work my magic,” he wiggled his eyebrows at me.

The moment I felt his warm breath against my wetness, I was under his spell. My eyes rolled back the second his long tongue slid along my heat. He continued, giving open mouth kisses over my clit, flicking it gently. I could almost feel him smirking against my flesh. Moxley knew how to torture my body, and he’d always been proud to do it. I gasped when he shook his head, pulling full focus towards my swollen bud. My core clenched and my whole body shuddered with need. I craved that feeling of him filling me with his cock.

He must’ve sensed it, from my desperate, lustful moans and my hips slightly grinding against his stubbled face. He slid two, long fingers inside of me, curling them to stroke in attempts to locate that sweet spot he was all too familiar with. I could feel my orgasm building. My head was already beginning to spin.

“Oh God, Mox. Right there,” I pleaded when his finger found my g spot. It only took a few more penetrating movements before I squeezed his fingers, letting loose the orgasm I had been needing.

Pulling his fingers out, he took a rough tight hold of my hips, forcing me to stay still as he licked me through my release.

I felt him humming in approval, “You’ve always tasted so good, Darlin’.” He whispered against my pubic mound. My hips bucked at the vibration of his voice. “Always so wet for me.”

I leaned up on my elbows to look at him, “You still don’t know when to shut up and fuck me, do you?”

An eager, devilish grin spread slow across his face. Moxley took a step back to make room for his hands to work on his belt. “Is that what you want, Kitten? You missed this cock?” He popped the button on his jeans and pushed them down past his hips. I salivated at the sight of the deep “V” muscles that led down to his manhood. The tip glistened with precum as he pumped it with his right hand, his eyes wandering down my half naked frame. “‘Cause it missed you,” he groaned.

His belt scraped against the floor boards as he moved back between my legs. My core ached to have him inside me, it had been far too long. The hunger in his stare let me know he felt the same way. My hips involuntarily lurched towards his member. Mox met my eyes, licking his smirking lips.

“You need it that bad, huh, kitten?” He pushed his length along my folds, teasing my senses. I couldn’t help the whine that fell from my lips. “You want me to fuck you on top of this bar, don’t you, baby?”

“Mox!” I gasped as his the head of his cock lined up with my entrance only to slide gently to press against my clit. The tension inside of me was throbbing, needing release, friction, HIM!

“Yes, my love?” He coo-ed.

“Please, just fuck me already!” I pleaded with him. “I need it.”

“With pleasure.” The sentence came out more as a growl as he slipped his length passed my folds and into my tight heat.

“Oh god!”

The phrase was uttered breathlessly by both of us as he filled my cunt with himself for the first time in months. My core clenched around him and I swore I already could see stars just from having him enter me.

“Fuck, Kitten, I missed this tight, little pussy. Oh god.” His hips slowly rolled out and then back into me.

I reached up for the back of his buzzed head and pulled it down to kiss him. Our lips met with carnal passion, bodies tied together, tongues colliding. “Prove it,” I whispered the challenge against his soft lips. “So me how much you missed me.”

Suddenly, Moxley’s hips bucked hard against me. His hand, like a snake, reached out and grabbed my neck, pushing me back down to the bar top. “Oh, Darlin’, you better be careful what you wish for.”

His free hand held my hip tight, keeping me from moving as he began pounding a rhythm into me. I let out a “yes,” in the sound of a moan. His hand squeezed, my head hummed at the lack of oxygen and the rough thrusts. 

“Those pretty eyes look so good when they’re rolling back into your head,” Mox growled. I choked out a whimper, feeling my orgasm’s peak closing in. “That’s it, I wanna hear all those pretty noises you make, baby girl.” He gave my throat a final small squeeze before releasing me. 

I took in a breath of air and let out a long cry of pleasure as my body surrendered blissfully to my climax. Mox slammed into me, connecting our bodies, holding himself there while I squeezed around his cock and squirmed on the bar under him.

“Now that I’ve got you warmed up...” 

My head was still spinning, “Warmed up?” I muttered.

With that, he pulled out. I began to wine at the loss of him but was cut off by him dragging me off the bar, only to flip me on to my stomach. Mox had me bent over, he kicked my feet apart, running his index and middle finger through my still soaking slick. I could feel him lining himself up again. I gripped the bar top, hooking my fingers in preparation. I knew what was coming.

“Fuck,” he hissed as he slid into me. 

My skin tingled as his hands gripped my hips, squeezing them roughly as he backed up then bucked forwarded into me. Mox repeated the movement, rougher this time, thrusting harder, tightening his hands on my hips. He stopped his movements with his cock deep in side of me. I felt his hand brush against my spine gently before my head was yanked back. Mox had his hand entangled in my hair, pulling my head up. 

“Look at that,” Moxley leaned down to whisper in my ear.

My eyes focused on the mirror behind the shelving at the back back. I could see him smirking, hands on my back, my bare ass pressed against his hips. My breasts were nearly falling out of my shirt. I watched as his hips began moving. It was hot.

“We’ll have to get mirrors in the bedroom.” His voice sent shivers down my spine, causing my pussy to quiver around him. Moxley’s smirk grew as he felt my response to him. “You like it don’t you? You’re going to watch me fuck you senseless.”

I bit my lip and his hand squeezed around my locks. The pounding of his hips into mine pressed my body harder on to the bar. Moans and curses and pleads came out from my mouth breathlessly as our eyes were locked in the mirror. I could see his stupid grin growing, knowing his affect on me.

Jon’s eyes trailed down to where our bodies connected, watching me bouncing on his cock, my wetness splashing against his hips. He groaned, giving my ass a quick smack and releasing my hips, watching as I continued his rhythm on my own as he stood still. 

“That’s it, baby. Come undone on me, let me hear you scream.”

My body tingled again, core clenching, head swimming, I took a breath, letting the climax wash over me like a wave. I cried out a final time, seeing stars behind my eyes. 

Mox smacked my ass harder, “eyes open, kitten. Let me see you.”

I opened my eyes and watched his expression melt into one of pure ecstasy while his thrusting quickened. He was close too. I moaned when I felt his cock shoot hot streams of come into me. Fuck, I had missed this.

“Holy shit,” Moxley whispered as he released my hair and fell slightly onto my back. 

He placed light, feathery kisses along my shoulders and spine as we both took a moment to catch our breath. We remained like that for a minute, enjoying the release and just the feel of each other.

“We need to clean up,” he groaned as he stood upright. “Don’t want you to get fired for leaving this bar and the floor a mess.”

I felt him pull out, leaving me a mess. “You know, I had this place cleaned.” I stood, looking for my shorts. “Now I need a shower.”

“Well,” Mox said as his zipped his jeans back up, “I’ll mop, you clean the bar, then let’s get out of here and I’ll help you shower.”

“That sounds counterproductive,” I purred as I pressed my fingers against his chest. “If I remember right, whenever you help me shower, we always end up on the bathroom floor dirty again.”

Jon Moxley tipped my head up and kissed me, “Kitten, admit it, you’ve missed me.”

~~~~~~~~~Thanks for reading~~~~~~~~~~~

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[starstruckkittensweets]

Chapter XXXVII (“A Wolf with Wings”)

A/N: Sorry about the little hiatus! I wanted to get a few more chapters written before I began posting soon, but now it looks like I’m back on schedule (more or less). Hope you guys enjoy! :)

Fandom: Attack on Titan  Pairing: Levi x Mia (OC) Words: 14.3k~

Taglist at the end below the cut! 

-

|XXXVII|

The following day was a little slow, but it was a welcome change of pace. Erwin and Hanji were relieved to learn Levi had woken up, and just as we suspected, the bespectacled woman had bombarded him with questions about his time beyond the Wall. Eventually she cornered both of us and demanded to tell us everything, but we simply shook our heads and told her to wait until we got back to base.

It was pretty amusing to watch her cross her arms over her chest and puff out her cheeks in a pout. Even at twenty-six years old, she still had the capability to act like a child.

However, it appeared as though Erwin had other plans. Late in the morning the day after Levi had returned, he had told us the news: the Scouts were required to report to Mitras in the next few days, as soon as Levi was fit enough to travel. Now that the expedition was over and done with, and at least a third of our forces had perished beyond the Wall, the royal assembly wanted to meet with the superior officers of the Survey Corps.

“Excuse me?” I would have laughed at Levi’s exasperated expression if the situation wasn’t so serious. “What do those bastards want for us now? They have the nerve to send us out there, and now they want us to go back to them just so they can scream at us?”

“I know it’s an unfortunate situation,” Erwin said, keeping his voice calm, “but we don’t have much of a choice. We received word the day before Lieutenant Morris informed us of Mia’s arrival. Mike and Dita are already in Mitras, so we’ll be stopping there before we head back to our base. We shouldn’t be there for too long,” he added, smirking a bit at me and Levi, who wore matching glares on our faces.

Hanji was lost in thought, cupping her chin between her thumb and forefinger. “At least now we’ll be able to ask them why they decided to send us out there in the first place. It doesn’t make any sense to have us trek north in the middle of winter. Almost every Scout is wondering the same thing, so they can’t skate around it forever.”

I wanted to know the reason for the royal assembly’s actions as much as any other Scout, but I wasn’t so keen on traveling to Mitras to find out. Not only did I want to deal with the antics of the nobles who ran the government, but I also didn’t want to run into Jax again. As far as I knew, he was still in Mitras, working as part of the royal assembly itself.

As soon as the words left Erwin’s lips, I could feel both Hanji’s and Levi’s eyes on me. Both of them knew I wasn’t too thrilled about returning to Mitras for that particular reason—but only Hanji knew the full story. But throughout the meeting, she kept her mouth shut, and she refused to bring anything up in front of Levi. I had to be thankful for that, at least.

Once the meeting was over and done with, I excused myself from the hospital room, claiming that I needed some fresh air. It wasn’t a total lie; the hospital tended to get stuffy after a while, and the nurses didn’t want us to open the windows because it was supposed to snow later in the day. My only option was to walk aimlessly around the district, enjoying the last bit of freedom I would have before heading off to Mitras. If all went according to plan, the nurses told Levi he could leave as soon as tomorrow—as long as he kept an eye on his stitches and didn’t push himself during training.

Just as I turned the corner and headed for the main door, I could hear another pair of footsteps hitting the floor behind me. A second later, Hanji was at my side, breathing heavily. She gave me a smile, adjusting the goggles on her face.

“Mind if I join?”

“Not at all.”

The two of us walked out of the hospital and into the snowy city. I knew she was bound to ask me about my opinion on our surprise trip to Mitras, but I didn’t let that bother me. Instead, I reached over and scooped her hand in mine, pressing my palm against hers. It had been too long since the two of us had a chance to wander the districts as friends, and I was going to enjoy it for as long as I could.

Utopia District was rather quiet this morning, with many of the citizens opting to stay inside their homes on this blustery winter day. The people who did wander the streets and manage the shops on the corners were bundled up in thick scarves and jackets lined with wool. When we passed them on the streets, I could hear a few of them mumbling about the “two Survey Corps captains” who had returned from beyond the Walls on their own. With a heavy heart, I remembered the days I would roam the marketplace in Shiganshina with Leyna and Ben, while our parents lingered close behind.

One particular stand was set up next to a small clothes store, with an elderly couple perched behind it. They seemed to be selling mugs of hot cocoa—a northern specialty in both Utopia District and Fuerth District. A group of patrons crowded the stand, holding the steaming mugs in their hands and trying to warm themselves up. Just the sight of the drink made me realize how thirsty I was, and suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to gulp one of them down.

However, the clothes store beside it had caught my eye, especially when I saw the warm jackets lined up in the windows. Seeing the shop made me think of Levi, and I realized that, apart from his torn military uniform, he would have close to nothing to travel to Mitras in. And I didn’t see him wearing the outfit the hospital had given him for another day or so, even if his life depended on it. His obsession for cleanliness and looking neat knew no bounds, and this was no exception.

Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a set of casual clothes. He’s always in his uniform—hell, he even sleeps in that thing sometimes! He deserves a better variety, even if it’s just one other outfit.

I nudged Hanji with my elbow, jerking her attention from the hot cocoa stand. “Would you hate me if I asked to go in their real quick? Then I’ll treat you to some cocoa, if you want.”

I knew from personal experience that the owner of the shop would disapprove if we brought drinks or food in there (an unfortunate event with Leyna and Ben in Shiganshina had proved that for me), so we were better off saving the drinks after we had finished up in the store.

Thankfully, Hanji didn’t seem to mind. When I saw the understanding glint in her eye, I wondered if she had gone through a similar experience when she was a child, as well. “No problem! See anything you like?”

“Not yet… But it couldn’t hurt to look, right?”

I pushed open the dark mahogany door of the shop, chiming the little bell in the top corner of the doorframe. It was smaller than I expected, but it was cozy nonetheless. The floor was washed and polished, and the windows were shining in the sun. The walls had been decorated with pegs that held all kinds of different clothing: jackets, shirts, trousers, and even a few stockings here and there. There were a couple shelves toward the center of the room, brandishing neatly-folded shirts and pants that didn’t seem to fit on the pegs in the walls. In the furthest corner of the store, away from any fabric, was a small fireplace, which was giving off an immense amount of heat.

Due to the smaller size of the store, it didn’t take me long to find the men’s section. I could feel Hanji’s brown eyes on me as I weaved through the shelves and racks, gazing at the selection of outfits on the wall in front of us. Eventually, I heard the top of her boot tapping against the floor.

“Why’d you bring us over to this section, Mia?” I didn’t have to look at her to know she was smirking like a maniac. “I thought you were looking for stuff for you…not for your little boyfriend.”

I was surprised when I didn’t feel a blush forming on my face. After all the shit Levi and I had gone through in the past few days, her light teasing didn’t seem as intimidating as it used to. So I simply shrugged my shoulders and retrieved a white button-down shirt from the back of one of the pegs. Apart from the color, it looked identical to the ones Levi always wore, so I was sure he wouldn’t mind if I got it for him.

“He’s not my boyfriend, Hanji. We’re just friends.”

“Uh-huh, sure you are,” she drawled out. Her face was suddenly next to mine, and I fought back the urge to squeal as she beamed at me. “There’s no way nothing happened between you two out there. You guys were all alone—something must have happened! I mean, you were sleeping on each other last night when I walked in!”

This time, I could feel my cheeks heat up. Hanji had woken the two of us up last night when she wandered into the room to tell me visiting hours were almost up. Upon seeing me passed out and snuggled up against Levi’s neck, she was now convinced the two of us were officially an item. But she couldn’t be further from the truth.

“I’m telling you, nothing happened between us. We didn’t exactly have the time to dwell on that, you know.” Between getting attacked by those prisoners, finding Skoll Castle, and dealing with those Titans, we didn’t really have much time to sort out the mess that was our relationship. The closest we had gotten was cuddling in the abandoned cabin for warmth, and falling asleep on the floor of the castle.

Oh, and don’t forget you fawning over the scars on his body, Wolf—all while sitting in his lap.

The thought only made me blush harder. And unfortunately, it didn’t go unnoticed by the bespectacled woman before me.

“Then why are you buying stuff for him, huh? Isn’t that something only couples do for each other?” I rolled my eyes before peeking at the tag sewn on the back of the shirt. Good, it’s a men’s small. That should work for him. “You know the hospital can give him some extra outfits, right? You don’t have to buy that stuff for him.”

“Maybe, but I want to. Besides, it’s not that big of a deal. We’re friends, I can buy him things if I want to. I buy you stuff all the time!”

“Yeah, but it’s different with him. You don’t look at me the way you look at him—all sad and in love and all that.”

I froze, my hands curled around a pair of black trousers. Was it really that obvious? Whenever I was with Levi, was it clear that I wanted more from him? I had thought it was bad if he could tell, but did that mean Hanji and anyone else who had seen us together could tell, too? Was I really that bad at masking my emotions?

“Yeah, well, whatever.” I shook my head and draped the trousers across my left arm, right over the white shirt. “Are you feeling left out, then? Do you want me to look at you that way instead?”

That made her laugh. “No thank you! I’m just saying, you might wanna be a little more discreet when you’re around each other. The last thing I want to do is walk in on you two doing something…suggestive.”

“Hanji, stop!” I almost swung my arm at her, but the store was crowded enough already. I would only end up hurting myself if I tried.

A comfortable silence settled over the two of us. As I browsed the selection of jackets on the wall, Hanji busied herself with admiring the set of women’s clothing at the opposite end of the store. While I loved my best friend dearly, it was a little hard to get stuff done when she was constantly breathing down my neck.

Finally, I found what I was looking for: a black jacket with lapels and three matching buttons down the center. It was longer than the jackets we wore with our uniforms, and it was a little bit fancier, as well. There was a pocket on the left breast and three silver cufflinks on the end of each sleeve. A blush settled over my face as I thought of how handsome he would look in it—along with that cravat of his, of course.

Ugh, maybe Hanji was right. Maybe I am too obvious for my own good.

It didn’t take long for me to gather the items and bring them to the counter to check out. The woman was nice enough, and I was grateful she didn’t ask any questions about my supposed return to Utopia from outside the Walls. I was still wearing my military jacket, so it wasn’t hard to identify me as a Scout.

When I gave her the money, she held up the jacket and shirt. “Would you like me to wash these before you take them home? It would be free of charge, of course.”

I was going to decline, but then I remembered the man I was planning on giving these clothes to. If they weren’t freshly laundered by the time he got his hands on them, I might as well have not even bothered buying them. “Sure, that sounds nice. How long would it take?”

“Only about two hours. The fire’s quite strong today, if you couldn’t already tell,” she added with a chuckle.

I gave her a smile and handed them over to her. She disappeared with them in the back room, but not before reminding me to come back in a little while. Feeling satisfied, I pulled Hanji out of the shop and over to the hot cocoa stand.

Once I paid for our drinks, the elderly man handed them off to us with a smile. Then, without a word, I traded my mug for Hanji’s, and the two of us began to sip from each other’s mugs. It was a weird little ritual the two of us had shared ever since our cadet days. Whenever we bought something for the two of us to share, whether it was food or drinks, we would trade them with each other before digging in. To an outsider, it seemed rather odd, but to us, it made perfect sense.

“Now, about the trip to Mitras…”

I cleared my throat, nearly sputtering on my drink. The rich, hot liquid was suddenly too much for me at the mention of the capital. “What about it?”

She shrugged her shoulders and turned away from me. Suddenly, she seemed much more interested in the cup of cocoa she clutched in her hands. “I know you’re probably not looking forward to it…”

I didn’t have to ask her to know what she meant by that. We both knew Jax would be there, and there was no way of avoiding him. I hadn’t seen him in almost eight months—not since our previous trip to Mitras last summer. The best I could do at this point was to avoid eye contact and ignore him as much as possible. I didn’t want to draw suspicion from anyone around us—and that went double for Leyna and Levi.

“It can’t be helped, just like Commander Erwin said.” But there was an edge to my voice, and my fingers were starting to burn under the pressure of the hot drink in my hands. “The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get out and get home.”

Only a few people were on the streets in this corner of the district. We passed multiple cottages with gleaming red roofs and shiny silver windows. A couple of homes had kids running around outside, throwing snowballs at each other, while their parents did their best to clear themselves a path from their front door to the nearby streets. My throat clenched as I watched a young girl being chased by her brother, whose brown hair tinted red in the sunlight. With a tight swallow, I gulped down another mouthful of my hot cocoa.

“Mia…”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Of course Hanji would interrogate me about this now. We were away from the other Scouts, away from the majority of the citizens of the district. She was free to talk about Jax all she wanted right now—it was just the two of us. And if I knew her, she wouldn’t waste a single second in getting to the point.

“Yes, Hanji?”

Her eyes slanted from behind her goggles. “When are you actually going to tell somebody about him? It’s been…how long now? A decade? Maybe even longer? You have to report him or something!”

“And who would I report him to?” It took everything I had to not snap at her. I could see where she was coming from, but at this point, all of her begging was just redundant. “He’s part of the royal assembly. It happened years ago, Hanji. It’s not worth bringing up at this point. But I’ve moved past it by now; there’s no need to make a big deal out of it.”

She froze in her tracks and gave me the saddest look I had ever seen. If I didn’t know any better, I would say there were tears pricking the corners of her eyes. My face burned with shame as she stared me down, gripping her mug with trembling fingers.

“Are you even listening to yourself? Mia, I don’t care how long ago it was—he still hurt you, and he deserves to pay!”

I knew it was pointless to argue with her. No matter what I said, her mind would remain unchanged. So instead, I shook my head and continued on my way, sipping my mug in silence. A moment later, I heard her boots crunching in the snow behind me, and she quickly took her place at my side.

“Maybe you can bring it up to the nobles at the next meeting. I can arrange for you to see them before the Scouts get together—”

“Hanji, I said no.”

Besides, it was highly unlikely the nobles would concern themselves with my well-being and personal matters. They already saw me as less than human, since I was part of the Survey Corps, and they didn’t tend to take our feelings into consideration. And even if Hanji managed to get them to listen to me, what would happen, now that Jax was part of the assembly? Would they take appropriate action against him, or would they see it as an inconvenience and simply brush my account aside? Surely they had more important matters to dedicate their time and energy to, rather than an accusation from a random soldier about an event that happened over a decade ago.

Overall, it wasn’t a very strong case. As far as I could tell, nothing good could really come of it, so it was best to just brush it aside and forget about it. If I happened to see Jax, I would simply look the other way. We didn’t see each other much anyways—what harm could he do to me while he was in Mitras and I was at our base in Wall Rose?

Still, Hanji refused to back down. “Then if you won’t tell one of the higher-ups in Mitras, at least tell Leyna about it. She deserves to know.”

The hot cocoa in my stomach began to churn. The thought of telling my sister I was nearly raped—twice, don’t forget about those prisoners outside the Walls—was absolutely terrifying. Leyna could be unpredictable when she wanted to be, and if she found out what Jax had nearly done to me that night, there was no telling what she could do to him. She could end up not only hurting herself, but her fellow soldiers, including Sara, Emil, and the rest of her personal squad in the King’s Guard. She didn’t need to deal with all of that.

“No, just drop it. She doesn’t need to hear about that.”

This earned me an exasperated groan from the woman beside me. “Oh, come on! You can’t keep this all to yourself forever, Mia! Think about it—she deserves to know what’s going on with you. I mean, you’re sisters, for God’s sake! If something like that had happened to her, wouldn’t you want her to tell you?!”

I squeezed my eyes shut. It wasn’t a fair comparison, and Hanji had to know that deep down. I knew for a fact that what had happened to me would have never happened to someone like Leyna. She would have known something was up right away, and she would have never given him the opportunity to pin her down. She was a master at hand-to-hand combat, as well, so she would have no problem in turning the tables on him. And judging by her no-nonsense attitude, she would have pummeled him with her own fists the second she got the chance. She wouldn’t have put anything off; she would have settled everything right then and there.

But I wasn’t Leyna. I was far from being even remotely similar to my sister. The only thing we had in common was the pair of wolf necklaces we wore, given to us by our aunt Sophia in Ehrmich District when we were children. But that’s where the similarities came to a grinding halt. I wasn’t nearly as strong or smart as Leyna, even if I had ranked right behind her and Ben in our training days.  I was a distant third behind both my siblings—I didn’t have Leyna’s speed or natural abilities as a leader, nor did I have Ben’s strength or strategic mind.

I hadn’t even been strong enough to fight off Jax the night he had attacked me. I had frozen up; I couldn’t move either my arms or my legs. When I finally could, all of my strength from my training days seemed to vanish, and I wasn’t even able to push him off of me. I had taken down multiple opponents during our hand-to-hand combat sessions, but I couldn’t remember any techniques when Jax was the one attacking me. I had been so useless that Hanji had to be the one to rush in and save me at the last minute. Even when my well-being—and virginity—were in danger, I was still too weak to fight for myself.

And it happened again with those prisoners that attacked you. Don’t forget, it’s not just Jax that tried to take advantage of you.

I gazed aimlessly at the half-empty mug of cocoa in my hands. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so thirsty anymore.

“Leyna wouldn’t have let it happen in the first place.”

With a shudder, I forced myself to gulp down the rest of the drink before passing the empty mug off to Hanji. Before she could object, I tightened the black scarf around my neck and headed off in the opposite direction, further into the district. I made sure to keep my pace brisk and even, just so she couldn’t catch up with me. For now, all I wanted was to be alone with my thoughts.

I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket. I didn’t want to admit it, because I knew no good would come of dwelling on it, but Hanji’s words had rattled something in me. I didn’t blame her for not understanding—she was just trying to help in the best way she knew how. But sometimes she was just a little too carefree with her words.

Why hadn’t I reported Jax right after our graduation ceremony? That would have been the best time to do so—not eleven years after the incident happened. But I had never felt the need to, especially when I realized he had disappeared from my life forever. I simply shoved it into the back of my mind and tried my best to ignore it. It was over and done with, and although it scared me, nothing major had happened to me in the end. So I just shrugged it off and continued on with my life.

But now that I knew where Jax was and what he had been doing recently, what with the royal assembly in Mitras, I couldn’t shake myself of this cold, dark feeling in the pit of my chest. For some reason, I had a feeling something horrible was about to happen. Something I couldn’t control—something I couldn’t avoid, no matter how hard I tried. And it was different than the usual dread I felt before we departed for an expedition beyond the Walls. At least with those I had some form of control—but for this, I felt powerless.

What’s the worst Jax could do to me now? We lived miles away from each other, and even with his level of authority and his position in the royal assembly, I didn’t see him going out of his way to try to make my life a living hell. He still had responsibilities with the other nobles, so I figured he didn’t have much free time to begin with. If that was all true, then why did I feel sick to my stomach?

I pulled the sides of my jacket closer to me, a groan slipping past my lips. I thought I had gotten over what he had done to me—so why was it still affecting me? The whole thing had happened over a year ago, and it was highly unlikely he would try something like that again. As long as I made sure I was never left alone with him, and as long as I had either Hanji, Leyna, or Levi with me, I knew he would leave me alone.

Still, I couldn’t shake the fear that he was planning something. I knew it was irrational, but I couldn’t help but let my mind run rampant with possibilities. He had destroyed any trust I had in him the night he had pinned me down, and because of that, it was difficult to not imagine him trying to take advantage of me like that again. He still had so much control over me, and it infuriated me to no end.

When would I finally be able to sleep at night without seeing his face in my dreams? When would I be able to shove his memory aside every time a soldier, male or female, reached for me to pat me on the back or wrap an arm around my shoulders? I had only just started getting comfortable with being physical with Levi, but even that was a stretch sometimes. I was still jittery at the thought of anyone other than Levi, Hanji, Leyna, and maybe even Erwin, Mike, and Blaise touching me even in a friendly manner.

Why am I not strong enough to look past all of this? Why can’t I just put it aside and move on in my life? Why does this always have to come up and bother me?

I rubbed my temples and sighed heavily. Maybe I was just overreacting. Maybe I was putting way too much thought into this. Maybe Jax barely even acknowledged my existence anymore, and even though I doubted he had changed at all in the years following our graduation, maybe he felt some kind of remorse for what he had nearly done to me.

Oh, well. I couldn’t dwell on it too much, or else I would just get upset. With a shake of my head, I hiked up my scarf and continued down the main road of the district, trying my best to ignore the upcoming trip to Mitras.

|~|

For the next hour or so, I wandered around the rest of the district, stopping at various shops and stands along the way. Hanji didn’t meet up with me, so I assumed she ended up going to either the hospital or the Garrison headquarters. Believing that was the case, I made sure to steer clear from those buildings. I didn’t want to hear another lecture from her.

Instead, I paid a short visit to Edel and Mischa in the stables near the inner gate of Utopia. I didn’t want to linger there for too long, especially if I was going to pick up the fresh new clothes at the shop soon, but it didn’t hurt to say hello to them. Besides, I had to see if they were fit to travel in time for tomorrow morning.

My silvery gelding snorted happily when he saw me, and he began nudging the stall door in excitement as I got closer. Thankfully, he seemed to be doing well. The scratches on his side had healed, and he was much warmer, now that he had a thick brown blanket draped along his neck and back. Mischa looked the same, although the gash on her flank still needed time to heal. But when I asked the nearby stable hand about it, he told me that she would be clear to travel, as long as she moved at a moderate pace. The gash didn’t need stitches, since it would heal on its down, but there was no need to cause any additional bleeding.

After giving both horses a pat on their necks and a kiss on their snouts, I headed back toward the center of the city, looking for the small clothes store I had been in with Hanji earlier. I found it in almost no time, with the elderly couple still selling mugs of hot cocoa outside. I flashed them a smile before stepping into the tiny clothes shop.

If anything, the fire had only grown stronger in the hour I had left. When I peeked around the shelves of clothing, I saw the familiar back door the woman in charge had disappeared through. Behind the wood I heard her humming a light tune, and I could only assume she was lost in her work.

To pass the time, I started looking at the selection of women’s clothing. I had no intention of buying anything for myself, since I didn’t really have a need for fancy clothes at the base. I was perfectly content with the three outfits I had back at home; I didn’t have an urge to waste money on fancy dresses and lacy blouses that I knew I would never wear more than once. The only piece of fancy clothing I did have in my closet was a red and white dress, which I only wore whenever we were dragged to the parties the nobles liked to throw in Mitras. It was plain and simple, and nothing like the dresses the noblewomen wore to those events. Even Leyna wore a different dress to each ball she attended—while I decided to wear the same one over and over again.

My chest tightened at the thought of seeing Leyna again. I knew she would be furious when she learned I had been stranded outside the Walls for a few days—even more so when she found out I was with Levi, of all people. And I didn’t even want to know what she would think when she found out about the prisoners that attacked us—and what they had almost done to me.

I ran my hands up and down my arms, suppressing the urge to shudder. I didn’t need to think about that now, especially when I was still worked up over Jax. I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

Eventually, the door behind me opened, and the woman from earlier stepped into the main room of the shop. A smile graced her features as her eyes met mine. “Oh, you’re already here! That’s good. I have your clothes ready to go—just give me one second!”

Not even a moment later, she came back outside with a small white parcel, tied up with a thin brown string. Through the fabric, I could see the shirt, pants, and jacket folded up and stacked on top of each other neatly. I gave her a smile as I clutched the parcel to my chest.

“Thank you so much, ma’am. Are you sure I can’t pay you extra for this?”

“Oh, I’m quite sure,” she answered with a shrug. “It’s my pleasure, young lady. And thank you for stopping by today.”

Once we said our goodbyes, I headed out of the shop and back toward the hospital. With every step that carried me closer to my destination, I could feel my heart pounding faster and faster. The anticipation of seeing Levi again was almost enough to drive me crazy.

I really hope he likes these clothes…

“Hey, Mia!”

At the familiar male voice, I turned to the side and waved to the newcomer. Blaise jogged over to me, his face slightly red from the sprint he had just made. I could see his breath coming out in hot puffs in the chilly winter air.

He sent me a smirk the moment his eyes landed on the parcel in my arms. “Oh, looks like someone’s been shopping. Wanted to treat yourself after the last few days?”

I couldn’t stop the blush from rising on my face. “Not exactly. I’m not really into that kind of stuff.” I jerked my head to the side, in the direction of my destination. “I’m actually on my way back to the hospital. Wanna come?”

If I happened to run into Hanji on the way to the hospital, I knew she wouldn’t press me about Jax if Blaise was with us. Like my brother and sister, he had no idea that we used to date, and therefore he was clueless about my history with him. In a twisted kind of way, he was my shield against Hanji’s interrogation methods.

“Sure! I have a bit of time to kill before I have to meet Lieutenant Morris anyway…”

I couldn’t help but grimace at the woman’s name. I wondered how she felt, now that Levi was safe and sound behind the Walls. I wondered if she felt any kind of remorse for keeping me from going out there to find him, when I knew he was still alive. I wondered if she felt guilty at all for doubting his determination to survive.

But then, I wondered whether or not it affected her at all. Maybe she just shrugged it off and felt relieved that none of her Garrison soldiers had been harmed in his return. Whatever she felt, it wasn’t my business. I wanted to get out of Utopia District and as far away from that woman as I could. After this, I never wanted to see her face again.

Blaise and I walked down the street that would lead us to the hospital. All the while, we made small talk about how our days had gone so far. He seemed relieved when I told him Levi was awake and would be healthy enough to travel by tomorrow morning, but he also seemed saddened when I told him about our mandatory trip to Mitras to meet with the assembly.

“So you’re leaving tomorrow, huh?” He pushed the door open, and the two of us stepped into the main lobby. “That’s a shame… I don’t know when we’ll be able to see each other again.”

A lump formed in my throat as his words sank in. Seeing Blaise in this short period of time had given me a miniscule sense of security, especially after the events of the past few days. Watching him smile and listening to him speak reminded me of all the good times we shared together as cadets—and all the days we spent as friends, when my brother was still alive.

I couldn’t explain it, but it felt like Ben was watching me—but through Blaise’s eyes instead of his own. I felt closer to him when he was around, similar to how I felt my father’s spirit whenever I was alone in my office, reading through his own journal.

“I don’t know if the nobles are planning to send us back out through Utopia District after this whole mess. I guess we’ll find that out tomorrow,” I added with a roll of my eyes. But no matter how sassy I forced myself to act, I couldn’t mask the sadness I felt at the thought of not being able to see Blaise for a while.

Eventually, the two of us reached Levi’s room at the end of the hall on the right. The door was closed all the way, but it was unlocked when I twisted the knob. Before I stepped in, though, I turned back to Blaise, who gave me a sad smile.

“You coming in?”

“No, I’m good. No offense, but your friend kind of scares me…”

I did my best to stifle the laugh that threatened to slip out. “Maybe, but he’s not so bad, once you get used to him.”

“Of course, you would say that. You are in love with him, after all.”

My smile vanished as he smirked at me. “No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

But before I could say anything, he pulled me into a tight hug, mindful of the parcel in my arms. I returned it as best I could with only one arm, nuzzling my face into his shoulder.

Before he pulled away, I could feel his breath ghosting over my ear: “I’ll see you soon, Mia. Have a safe trip to Mitras.”

I squeezed my hand around his shoulder and returned his smile. “See you soon, Blaise. Stay in touch, okay?”

“Okay.”

A few seconds later, I was watching him walk down the hall and back to the main lobby. A weight had settled on my chest as I saw him disappear out the front door and out of my sight. I didn’t know if I would ever see him again—realistically speaking, it was highly unlikely, due to my position in the Survey Corps. But despite all of that, I couldn’t help but hope I would see him again in the near future—even if it meant taking another trip to Utopia District.

As softly as I could, I turned the knob and opened the door. But as I stepped inside, I realized I was the only one in the room. Although the bed was slightly messy, with the sheets pulled down halfway, Levi was nowhere to be found.

The sound of running water in the next room quelled my panic just a little bit. He must be in the bathroom. With a sigh, I shrugged off my jacket and draped it over the chair next to his bed. The parcel stared back at me from the cushion on the seat. The longer I looked at it, the faster my heart thrummed against my ribcage.

What if he doesn’t like the outfit I got him? What if he gets mad that I spent money on him? I know he doesn’t like me doing that, but surely he won’t mind if I tell him it’s a gift, right? Besides, he needs new clothes. He can’t keep wearing just his military uniform for the rest of his life!

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open, and the man in question stepped out. He didn’t even seem surprised to see me already in the room, which confused me a bit. It was almost as if he was expecting me to visit him.

He was dressed in a white shirt and gray trousers—the same outfit the nurses had dressed him in last night when he returned. Although his skin was dry, his hair and face were sopping wet. Wordlessly, he grabbed a white towel from the foot of the bed and began to dry himself off, all the while ignoring me.

I’ll admit it, I was a little hurt. I cleared my throat and gave him a smile, although it was a little forced. “How are you feeling?”

He shrugged before folding the towel longways and draping it over the back of his neck. “A little better. You?”

“…I’m okay.”

His voice was cold and clipped, which wasn’t unusual for Levi, but it still made me frown. I thought we were past this stage—I thought that, with everything we had been through in the last few days, he could talk to me like a friend, and not just another soldier. Was I already back to the drawing board with him?

“Hey, are you okay?” My face flushed as he raised an eyebrow at me. “I mean, I don’t know… You just look a little stressed out… You alright?”

Please, don’t be afraid to talk to me. I’m here if you need me, and I always will be.

“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”

I blinked, my eyebrows knitting together. “What do you mean?”

He rolled his eyes before sitting on the edge of the bed. I watched him like a hawk, waiting for him to speak. Finally, he lifted his eyes and stared right into my own, pinning me in place with those burning silver hues.

“I know you’re not thrilled about tomorrow.”

I felt my chest deflate a little. “Ugh, is this about the trip to Mitras? Please don’t start that again, I already got an earful from Hanji about it.” I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest, barely resisting the urge to pout. I knew he didn’t like pouting. “I’ll deal with it, end of story. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can be done with it.”

I knew he was only fishing for an excuse to talk about Jax. While he didn’t know the full story about what had happened between us, he did know we had an unpleasant history with each other. Ever since our last trip to the capital, he had been respectful and minded any boundaries I had about my past relationship with him. He hadn’t asked too many questions, and he had decided to let me tell him about it in my own time, which I was immensely grateful for.

But now, it seemed like he had reached the end of the line. He was much more observant than I gave him credit for, and judging by how I had acted around Jax the last time we were in Mitras, he was right to assume something like that would happen again. I had been a nervous wreck around Jax last time, but now that I knew where he was, he couldn’t take me by surprise. I would be ready to see him this time.

However, that did nothing to quell his interest in my past love life.

“I know you don’t want to see that bastard any more than you have to,” he began in a surprisingly soft voice. “Stay close to me, and if I’m not there, stay by Hanji. I won’t let him near you, Wolf.”

I was touched by his concern for me. He wasn’t the greatest at showing any emotion other than anger, boredom, and maybe pride once in a while. Knowing that he was willing to protect me and let me know of it upfront gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling in the middle of my chest. He may not know it, but he knew just what to do to make me feel safe and secure.

“Ah… Well, thank you, I guess…” Come on, Wolf! You can do better than that! Don’t sound so pathetic! “I… I really appreciate it.”

He only hummed in response before dragging the towel across his hair again. Before I could think of anything else to say, to ease the tension between us, he was already asking me another question: “One of the Garrison soldiers stopped by earlier. He was asking for you.”

I quirked an eyebrow. Was he talking about Blaise? Did he stop by here before meeting up with me earlier outside the clothes shop?

Those silver eyes were still boring into me. “Tall, blond hair, wouldn’t shut up—ring any bells yet?”

I tried to hide my smile behind my palm. Yeah, that sounds like him. “It was probably Blaise. He graduated the same year Hanji and I did. We were actually cadets together.”

Something flashed in his eyes—but he was looking away from me before I could question it. It was subtle, but I caught his fingers tightening around the towel in his lap. My smile began to fall when I realized it was because I had mentioned Blaise.

Did he actually talk with him? No, Blaise would have told me if he did. Besides, what do they have to talk about? They barely know each other, and Blaise even told me that Levi scares him a bit.

“Anyway, he probably just wanted to see me one last time, before we head out tomorrow. We met up with each other on my way back, actually.”

“Yeah, I saw.”

I was taken aback at the harsh tone he had taken on. His knuckles were becoming white as he gripped the towel even harder, and when I took a step toward him, he turned away from me, his face twisted in a terrifying scowl. I froze in my tracks, staring at him with my lips parted.

What’s wrong with him? Did he happen to see me and Blaise walking together just now? If so, is he upset about that? But why? They don’t even know each other that well!

“What’s your problem?” It was a struggle to keep my voice at a normal volume. Why was he acting like such a jerk?

“Nothing,” he spat, still avoiding my eyes. “You just seemed so comfortable around him.”

“Well, yeah, duh. Why wouldn’t I be? We’ve known each other for—”

It hit me like a bolt of lightning. I glanced at Levi’s hands, curled up into fists on his lap on top of the towel. My eyes trailed up to his face, where a light blush had begun to settle over his cheeks.

Is he jealous?

“Wait a minute, you think we’re together?! No way!” I shuddered at the thought of dating my brother’s best friend. “He’s my friend! We’re not dating or anything, if that’s what you think.”

He still refused to look me in the eyes, but I could see his shoulders lowering slightly at my words. “Are you sure about that? You seem awfully close.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” By the Walls, I had no idea the great Captain Levi was capable of getting jealous like this. While it was infuriating, it was also a little exciting. So I decided to be a little daring, and I shot him a smirk. “What, are you jealous or something?”

This time, he looked me in the eyes and gave me his fiercest glare. “Don’t get any ideas, Wolf.”

“Okay, fine!” I held up my hands and smiled. “I’ll stop teasing you.” Even though it’s pretty fun. “Anyway, he doesn’t see me like that, and I don’t like him that way, either. Besides, it would be too weird.” I clasped my hands behind my back, twisting them together. “He was Ben’s best friend, after all. I just don’t see myself liking him in that way.”

He stiffened at my deceased brother’s name. I bit my lip, wondering if I had said the wrong thing again. The last thing I wanted to do was to push him further away from me.

“He mentioned that, too.”

So they did talk to each other. “…About what? Ben? They used to be friends, but…” Why would Blaise mention that to someone he didn’t even know that well?

Levi suddenly sighed, running a hand though his damp black tresses. I was a little ashamed to admit it, since appearances didn’t matter all that much to be, but I couldn’t deny he looked even more handsome with his hair slicked back like that. In the back of my mind, I wondered how he would look if he were forced to attend one of those fancy parties the nobles in Mitras liked to throw every other year. For some reason, the thought of him in a suit with his hair gelled back was enough to make my heart flutter.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save him.”

His voice tore me out of my childish thoughts with a jolt. It took me a moment to realize he was talking about Ben—and the day he had died, when we lost Shiganshina and the rest of Wall Maria to the Titans. When I did, I felt a heavy weight settle itself on my chest. I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood as I hung on to every word that left his mouth.

“I know you don’t want to hear it right now, but I’m sorry. I don’t know if you still hate me for it, but I—” He stumbled over his words and groaned, pressing his palm to his forehead. “I know he meant a lot to you. But I wasn’t about to let you die. I couldn’t carry you both and—ugh!” This time, he hid his whole face in his hands and shook his head. “I keep fucking this up—”

He sucked in a sharp breath when I rested a hand on his shoulder. Tears were welling up in my eyes, but I did my best to hold them back. When he finally looked up at me, I gave him a smile.

I hadn’t expected an apology from him about leaving Ben to die—not then, not now, and not ever. I didn’t think it was something he even felt the need to apologize for, judging by his attitude when the whole thing had happened. But ever since that fateful day in Shiganshina, I had only focused on my grief and my perspective. I hadn’t given any thought at all to how Levi felt about the situation.

“You’re not fucking anything up.” I took his hands away from his face and held them in my own. Even though he stiffened at my touch, I was glad he was letting me do this to him. “It’s okay. I don’t hold it against you.”

As I stared into those watery silver pools, I couldn’t help but wonder what had brought this on in the first place. Had Blaise mentioned anything to him when the two of them talked earlier? Had he asked him about Ben’s death in any way? Had he said anything to make him upset? Levi hadn’t spoken about my brother since the day we watched him die, so why did he feel the need to apologize for leaving him right now?

But I wasn’t about to ask him about it right out. Even if I did, he wouldn’t tell me the truth. Whatever Blaise and Levi had said to each other would remain between them until Levi felt the need to tell me about it. But judging by how guilty he looked at the moment, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be any time soon.

“Besides, if it wasn’t for you, I would probably be dead by now.” I began to trace little patterns on the backs of his hands with my thumbs. As I kept talking, I could see the muscles in his face relax, and his shoulders lowered considerably. “I don’t hate you for leaving him. I mean…there will always be a part of me that misses him, but I don’t blame you for what happened. I know he wouldn’t have wanted me to stay mad at you; he was always hated holding grudges,” I added with a soft laugh.

He grit his teeth and turned his head away from me. Before he could get too far away from me, I reached up and tilted his chin toward me. He didn’t fight it; instead, he sighed gently and squeezed my hand comfortingly. I shifted mine around, entwining our fingers together.

“How can you keep on smiling?” Before I could even register what he had said, he began to ramble again: “After all the shit you’ve seen… After your brother, and your squad…” I swallowed at the mention of Rosalie and Emmett. “How do you still have a smile on your face?”

I blinked again, lost in thought. I had never thought of myself being a happy-go-lucky girl who always wore a cheerful smile—but at the same time, I was far from being an emotionless shell. Half the time, I didn’t even realize I was smiling. But as Levi’s words began to sink in, I realized the truth they held. How was I able to smile after seeing so many horrible things in my life?

“Well… I try to focus on the things around me. Hanji always tells me not to dwell too much on the past, and to keep looking forward. So I try to do just that. Even though I’ve lost people I cared about, I still have plenty of people around me today. I have Hanji, Leyna, Blaise, Erwin, Anna, the rest of the Scouts—and you.”

The moment his eyebrow shot up, I started to worry whether or not I had said too much. I didn’t want to pour my heart out to him, but at the same time, it was hard for me not to express just how I felt. I wasn’t lying when I said he was one of the lights in my life that gave me the strength to smile. Even when I found myself missing Ben, Ma and Dad, and the hundreds of Scouts we had lost in the last few years, I still felt the urge to smile whenever I thought of him and the rest of the people I was blessed to have around me.

He didn’t say anything after that. He simply shook his head and pulled my hand away from his face. But he didn’t let go of it—instead, he gripped it gently in his own, drawing aimless patterns on the back like I had done just moments prior. My face began to heat up at the lack of distance between us. Just like before, the urge to kiss him was too powerful to ignore, and I barely managed to keep myself steady. He was so at ease with me right now, and I couldn’t ruin it with one stupid act.

Whether I liked it or not, we were getting more and more comfortable with each other. I was just worried one of us would take it too far one day—and when that happened, I was scared I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back.

I cleared my throat before sneaking a glance at the parcel resting on the chair. Suddenly, I felt like one of the lovesick girls back at school who always gave small paper cards decorated with hearts and flowers to the boys they liked. Ben had received quite a few of those cards, especially once we moved to Shiganshina. Some would even beg their parents to bake sweets, like tarts and cookies and candies, so they could give them to whichever boy they had a crush on. They always hid them behind their backs, their faces bright red and their voices no more than a meek stutter.

If that doesn’t sound like me right now—

“What’s that?”

I squeaked as Levi’s eyes landed on the parcel, still wrapped and ready to go. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to speak, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do at the moment.

“Um…” Come on, just spit it out already. “I went shopping today. I hope you don’t mind, but I got you a few things.”

As soon as I picked up the parcel and started unwrapping it, I could see him roll his eyes. “I already told you, brat. You don’t need to spend money on me.”

“Oh, stop it.” Just let me have this moment, you jerk. “You need them. Besides, I don’t think you want to stay in those hospital clothes for another day, now do you?” When he didn’t respond, I allowed myself to smirk just a tiny bit. I had him right where I wanted him.

The jacket was the first thing I pulled out. I held it out to Levi, so he could get a good look at it. While his face remained unchanged, at least he was taking the time to look at them.

“I hope they’re in the right sizes. I didn’t know your exact measurements, but I did my best. Oh, and here.” I passed him the shirt and trousers, blushing as our fingers brushed against each other. “Don’t worry, they’ve already been washed. The lady at the shop was nice enough to do that for me.”

As he stared at the clothes, I could slowly see the muscles in his face relax. If I didn’t know any better, I would say he was rather pleased with the outfit. He wasn’t complaining about them or making any smart-ass remarks at my expense, so that had to be a good sign. He held up the jacket at arm’s length and took in every little detail. I knew it was weird, but it made me happy to see him like this. He looked so relaxed—not as much as he had been in Skoll Castle, but it was a start.

“You wanna try anything on?”

He gave me a brief nod, his eyes never leaving the black jacket. “Sure.” He handed it back to me carefully before turning to his own clothes.

As he unbuttoned his shirt, I found myself looking anywhere but his chest. It was ridiculous, given the amount of times I had seen him shirtless at this point, but I still couldn’t get over it. I guess a part of me never outgrew that girlish view I had on boys and older men, from when I was fourteen and in love. Even after everything we had been through, seeing his bare chest was enough to make me bite my lip and look away.

Unfortunately, he seemed to notice my strange reaction. Before I knew it, his eyes were on me, and his eyebrow was raised. “What’s your problem? You should be used to this by now, Wolf.”

Of course, that made me blush even harder. “It’s just… I don’t know!” My face was practically on fire as I gestured to his exposed upper half. “Why do I get the feeling you only do this when I’m with you?”

He made that little tch sound I had grown to love before pulling his lips up into a smirk. “Not everything I do is meant to make you feel uncomfortable, brat.”

My face burned in shame. Of course it wasn’t. What was I even thinking?

“Besides, I thought you liked it. Why are you complaining?”

A sharp squeak left my mouth as his words reached my ears. For a moment, I wanted nothing more than to curl up and disappear from his gorgeous gray gaze. “I…I’m not, but—wait, no, I didn’t mean that!”

Why did I just say that?! Don’t you have any self-control at all, Wolf?!

He inched closer to the edge of the bed, his smirk never leaving his face. I swallowed tightly as his knee brushed against mine. “Admit it, Wolf. You love it when I look like this.”

Holy shit, he has me cornered. What do I do?! What if he figures out my feelings for him? Wait a minute—what are my feelings for him?! Ugh, I’m so confused! I don’t need to deal with this shit!

Oh, well. What else can I do to embarrass myself even more, at this point? `

“…So what if I do?” It was a struggle to keep my voice strong and steady—especially with his hand dangerously close to my knee. “I’m a girl. I can’t help it.”

He shook his head as he slipped the white shirt over his shoulders, still wearing that infuriating smirk on his face. I watched with bated breath as he began to button it up, trailing his hands down his chest at an agonizingly slow pace. I tried my best not to clench my fists and ruin the material of the new jacket.

He’s doing this on purpose, that prick! He knows exactly what makes me uncomfortable!

But I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it.

“Alright, turn around.” He stood up from the bed and reached for the pair of trousers. “Unless you want an eyeful.”

I scoffed, but I couldn’t keep my face from bursting into flames. “I doubt it, but whatever.” I turned my back on him just as his hands flew to his belt. I chewed on my bottom lip as I heard the buckle come undone and the fabric sliding down his skin.

Holy shit, is he actually undressing right behind me? Why am I so calm about all of this? Why am I not freaking out?!

For a brief, scandalous moment, I wondered what kind of underwear he wore beneath his pants. Were they tight? Did they show off his muscles? A shiver dripped down my spine as I thought of his other muscle down there, and whether or not I would be able to see it if I turned around right now. To make matters worse, I had to purse my lips together to hold back a moan when I wondered how big he was.

For fuck’s sake, Wolf, keep it in your pants! You don’t need to be thinking about this right now!

“You can turn around again. I know you’re disappointed.”

I rolled my eyes as I turned around to face him again. He was in the midst of fixing his belt, sliding the buckle through the notches. “I’m fine. I’m not disappointed.” Well, maybe I am, but you don’t need to know that!

Finally, he motioned to the jacket in my hands. But instead of taking it from me, he turned around and held his arms out. I did my best to hide my smile as I slid the jacket over his shoulders. Once it was on, he began to straighten out the sleeves, tugging them down and over his wrists.

Maybe I was a little biased, because I was the one who had bought him the outfit in the first place, but there was no denying it: he looked gorgeous in that suit. It fit his body well, and it didn’t seem to be too tight around him. My lips began to part as I pictured him wearing his signature cravat along with it.

By the Walls, I’d love to see that—

“Hey, you still there?”

I jumped a bit when he waved a hand in front of my face. Another blush flooded my cheeks as I gave a nervous laugh, scratching at the back of my neck.

“Ah, yeah, of course! Um…you look nice.” More like handsome, but I’m not going to say that to his face. I’ll never live it down.

He nodded and pulled at the lapels of the jacket. He glanced down at his form, inspecting every inch of the outfit. “I’m impressed, Wolf. You’ve got good taste.” I blushed even harder at his praise. “How much do you want for it?”

“Oh no, don’t worry about that! It’s my gift to you—you don’t have to pay me back.”

He blinked slowly, like he couldn’t comprehend what I was saying. Finally, he lowered his eyes and hummed softly. I could see the corner of his mouth quirk upwards just for a brief moment.

“I appreciate it, Wolf. …Thank you.”

He thanked me! He actually thanked me! “You’re welcome!” I prayed I didn’t sound too excited. “I won’t lie, it looks good on you. Well, anything looks good on you, to be honest.”

My eyes shot open in absolute horror. I could feel a trickle of sweat sliding down the back of my neck as he raised an eyebrow at me, his eyes glowing with amusement. That soft smile on his face melted into a smirk in no time, and a fresh wave of heat came over my face.

Shit, why did I just say that?! Things were going so well between us—why did I have to ruin it?! By the Walls, I’m such an idiot!

Suddenly, he was directly in front of me and staring me down with that burning silver gaze. Before I could jump back, his hands rested on my waist, holding me in place. I chewed on my bottom lip as my own hands ghosted over the brand new white shirt, skimming over the muscles of his abdomen and the fresh stitches embedded in his skin.

You have such a problem with personal space.

His chest rumbled with a deep chuckle. “Is that so?”

My eyes nearly popped out of my skull. Wait—shit—did I just say that out loud?! Did he just hear me say that?!

“Uh…”

My cheeks were practically scorching as he leaned down to the side of my face. I reached out and gripped his upper arms, to make sure I wouldn’t fall if my legs happened to give out. As his hands massaged my waist, his hot breath fanned over my ear.

“You’re cute when you blush like this, Mia.”

All at once, I wanted nothing more than a black hole to open up beneath me and swallow me whole. I didn’t even care where I ended up—as long as it was any place other than here. Between the touch of his hands, the obvious flirty compliment, and my first name spilling from his lips, I was too close to becoming a puddle of mush on the floor.

“S-s-stop it…” I placed my hands on his chest, but I made no move to push him away. Although I was a nervous wreck, I was enjoying the extra attention from him. “I’m…I’m n-not cute.”

The planes of his chest vibrated beneath my palms as he chuckled once more. “Yes, you are.” As he dragged his mouth up and across my forehead, I nearly jumped out of my own skin. But he held me in those strong arms, smirking against my flesh. “What’s wrong? Is this making you nervous?”

Well, yeah! How can I not be nervous right now?!

I sucked in a sharp breath as he came close to my ear again. This time, I felt the edge of his teeth graze my skin, and briefly, I remembered that incident in my office, when he had given me a love bite. My mind grew hazy at the memory, and in that moment, all I wanted was to feel his lips against my skin, just like before.

But the rational side of my brain had more control over my actions. I turned away from him and applied a bit of weight to his chest—not enough to push him away, but enough to get him to stop nuzzling my neck. My hands curled into fists as I forced myself to stare up into those silver pools. Although my mouth and throat felt scorched, I forced myself to speak.

“I thought you weren’t looking for anything else from me.”

I didn’t know how much he actually cared about me, or how much I actually mattered to him. I knew he considered me a friend, someone he could trust with his darkest secrets, but I had no intention of becoming a plaything on the side. I had no problem with engaging in a little bit of physical intimacy like this with him from time to time, but I didn’t want to do it when it was only convenient for him. Our fight in his office a week ago was still fresh in my mind; my chest still ached when I remembered how he had wrenched himself away from me when I started kissing his neck.

If this was going to happen between us, I didn’t want it to be one-sided. I wasn’t here for his entertainment, or to amuse him whenever he got bored. I expected something in return, if that was the case. I wanted to be able to treat him the same way he treated me—hugs, kisses, love bites and all.

His eyes darkened at my words, but he didn’t look angry. He remained silent, waiting for me to continue. It took me a few seconds, but I managed to find my voice again.

“I… I thought you weren’t interested in any kind of relationship with me. Which is fine,” I added quickly, “because I don’t want to pressure you into anything. But if that’s how you feel…then don’t lead me on like this. Don’t… Don’t pretend you’re interested in me that way if you’re really not.”

I had known Levi for nearly three years now, and throughout that time, he never really struck me as the kind of man who would play with a girl’s feelings. He might have been that way in his earlier years, back in the Underground City, but he was a different person now. If he was a so-called heartbreaker, he wouldn’t think twice about wooing every other female soldier in the Survey Corps—not to mention fawning over the noblewomen in Mitras. But from what I had seen of him so far, that didn’t interest him. He was a very reserved man, only keeping a small circle of comrades as his friends. As far as I knew, he didn’t seem to have any interest in any of the women back at our base. And knowing his obsession with cleanliness, it was highly unlikely he would sleep around with random women he didn’t know at all.

With that said, I didn’t want to become a new toy of his. If he wanted to go down this path with me, he had to tell me to my face. He couldn’t fake his interest or feelings for me; I wanted things between us to be honest and genuine, and not purely physical. I wanted him to trust me as much as I trusted him—and I didn’t want him to shy away from me when I tried to be physical with him.

A lump formed in my throat as he reached up and cupped the left side of my face, his thumb brushing over the thin white scar. I could barely keep my knees from knocking together as he continued to stare at me.

Had I asked too much of him? The last thing I wanted to do was to scare him off. But at the same time, I couldn’t stay silent for long. I had to let him know how I felt about this whole thing, and if he couldn’t respect that, then maybe he wasn’t worth my time after all.

But something about the way he looked at me told me I had nothing to fear. Something told me that I was stressing about nothing, that I was blowing this whole situation out of proportion. Something told me…I didn’t have to worry about him returning my feelings.

“Who said I’m not interested in you?”

All the air seemed to vanish from my lungs. “B-but I— Y-you said—”

“Can you let me finish, brat?” For some reason, seeing that familiar brash side of him put me at ease. I snapped my mouth shut and let him continue: “I never said I wasn’t interested in you. I only said I didn’t want to risk it.”

“…So then…why are you…?”

His hand recoiled from my face, and he let out a frustrated sigh as he perched himself back on the edge of the bed. I watched him as he ran his fingers against the scruff of his undercut, his eyes focusing on the floor instead of mine. I wanted him to speak, but I didn’t want to push him.

Be patient, Wolf. He’ll come around to you—you just have to wait.

“Either of us can die at any moment. It could have happened when we were stranded outside the Walls. I don’t want to put you through that if I—”

“Stop it.” I had heard this excuse before, and I wasn’t going to hear it again. “We’re soldiers. It’s in our nature to risk our lives. I’m fully aware of the fact that I may die if I step outside the Walls. And I know you know that, too. What difference does it make if we…” It was suddenly hard to swallow. “If we were…I don’t know…something else?”

When he met my eyes again, I could see the obvious pain in them. He was conflicted, I could tell. He probably wanted to shove me aside and sever all ties with me, just so he wouldn’t feel guilty if I happened to die on the field someday. But on the other hand, he probably felt the same way about me as I felt about him. I wanted him at my side, to be more than just friends with him. I knew I wasn’t just a fellow soldier to him, but it seemed he didn’t want to admit that to himself just yet. He was still nervous about losing me out there.

But he was no stranger to death and the ways it worked. Isabel and Furlan were still fresh in my mind; I could still see their corpses strewn out along the muddy bank of the valley. He probably didn’t want the same thing to happen to me, if he managed to trust me the way I trusted him.

“Listen,” I started in the softest voice I could manage, “just because we may die one day doesn’t mean you should cut everyone out of your life. You think I do that, or any of the other Scouts? If we didn’t have each other to lean on, how do you think we would survive? I know I’m going to die one day, but I’ve accepted that. But I still have friends and people I can trust. I know I’m going to die, but I don’t let that keep me away from Hanji or Leyna. And if I know I’m in danger, I try my damn hardest to make sure I come back to them. Plenty of other Scouts do the same, too. We can’t just live as empty, emotionless shells, Levi; that’s no way for anyone to live their life.”

Even as he took in everything I had said, I could see he was still doubtful. With a sigh, I reached over and placed my hands on his shoulders.

“Yeah, either of us could have died over the past few days. Hell, you and I almost did—multiple times! But in the end, we made it back to each other. We still found each other. Who’s to say it can’t happen again, as long as we both try?”

I didn’t mean to sound so melodramatic, but it seemed to work for a brief moment. His eyes regained a bit of that silver light I loved so much, and the muscles in his face softened considerably. I probably hadn’t changed his mind completely, but at least he was listening to what I had to say.

“But…if you don’t think it’s worth the risk, then please don’t lead me on. I don’t want to have to—”

A squeak left my lips as he brought me down hard in his lap. The bed squealed under my knees as I pressed them down into the mattress on either side of him. For a moment, I thought back to our time in Skoll Castle, where the two of us had been in this exact same position in the early morning just a couple days ago. My fingers clenched around his shoulders as I felt his hands wander up to my upper back, securing me against his warm chest.

“You think that’s a risk worth taking, do you?”

My cheeks were probably bright red at this point. “Y-yeah, I do.”

Then, he leaned into the crook of my neck, his nose brushing against my skin. His arms tugged me closer to him as he whispered, “Then I’ll take it.”

A burst of happiness exploded in my chest at his words. With a smile and a newfound confidence, I leaned on his chest and pushed him into the sheets below. He didn’t seem uncomfortable, and he definitely didn’t try to fight back. He simply stared up at me as I hovered over him, his fingers dancing along my upper back.

“Then does that mean you’ll let me take the reins once in a while? I don’t want any more stupid fights between us.”

He rolled his eyes, his lips forming into a hint of a smile. “Yeah, whatever you say. But don’t expect it to happen too often, brat. I still like watching you get all flustered over nothing.”

I glanced down at his mouth, pulled up in a slight smirk. Finally deciding that I had waited too long, I leaned in and lowered myself to his face. His breath was hot and moist against my lips, with the gentle scent of mint mixed in.

And then the door behind us opened.

I gasped and scrambled off of Levi in a rush, landing on the bed beside him. The two of us turned to face the intruder, ready to tell them off. I was expecting to see Hanji, but I was absolutely mortified when I met the icy blue eyes of Commander Erwin himself.

Oh, great! This is just great! He just walked in on me practically straddling Levi. Wait, no, that’s exactly what I was doing! I’ll never be able to look him in the eye again after this!

Levi’s shoulders were tense as he pushed himself off the bed. “Have you heard of knocking, Erwin?”

I couldn’t even look at my superior in the face at this point, so I couldn’t tell if he was blushing. But from the way he took his time answering, I could only imagine how awkward he felt walking in on his two captains in such a suggestive position.

“…My apologies,” he muttered, clearing his throat, “if I interrupted anything.”

I wanted to tell him it was okay, but I was too embarrassed to even speak. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Levi look my way, but I was too scared to meet his eyes. Not after the position the two of us had just been in, or what we had just said to each other.

I felt lightheaded as I stumbled off of the mattress and ran out of the room, nearly bumping into the Commander on the way out. It wasn’t until I was out of the hospital and back in the cold winter air that I finally stopped and took a breath, trying my best to fan my face with my hands.

This is just perfect! Now Erwin will think we’re dating or screwing around or something, and he’ll be up our asses about it! He’ll start telling us to focus on our duties and all that shit. Erwin didn’t seem like the kind of man to care much about relationships within the ranks, but he still expected the best from his subordinates. If he thought Levi and I were an official item, he would make sure to remind us of our responsibilities.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. Now there were at least two Scouts who thought we were together—Hanji and Erwin. No matter how hard I tried to keep my affection for Levi a secret, it seemed to reveal itself at the worst possible moments.

What the hell is wrong with me?!

|~|

The rest of the day dragged on slowly. By nighttime, I had met up with Hanji again, and the two of us retreated to our shared room on the third floor of the Garrison headquarters building. I apologized to her about my behavior earlier, and she brushed it off with a smile. For now, things were okay between us—as long as neither of us mentioned Jax. At least that was one less thing I had to worry about.

“Well, if you’re interested, I can give you one piece of advice for tomorrow,” she chirped as she climbed into bed. “Don’t let Leyna get to you. You know she’s going to try to get on your nerves, so don’t let her, okay?”

I had to laugh at that. Even though she could be misguided sometimes, Hanji always tried her hardest to look out for me. “I’ll try my best.”

But through my smiles, I was still a nervous wreck. I had bumped into Erwin earlier in the night, and just as I suspected, he questioned me about my relationship with Levi. With my face practically on fire, I insisted that we weren’t a couple, nor did we have a purely physical relationship. The Commander seemed relieved when I mentioned that (his face had started to get a little pink at that point), but he didn’t discourage a relationship between us in the slightest. But before I could ask him about it, he had disappeared down the hall, toward Lieutenant Morris’ office.

I had no doubt in my mind he would ask Levi about it, if he hadn’t already. The two of them were pretty close, and even though he could be discreet, I didn’t think there was anything Levi could do that would go unnoticed by the Commander. But the thought of Levi telling Erwin about the details of our relationship didn’t sit well with me. I wanted to keep a few things between just the two of us; I didn’t want anyone else to try to intervene in whatever we currently had with each other.

What did we have with each other? He had told me he was willing to take the risk of being together if I was, but that’s where we had left off. We hadn’t even kissed, for fuck’s sake! Were we actually together at this point, or were we still considered friends? And if we were together, was there something we had to do next? I had only had one boyfriend in my life, so I wasn’t all that experienced when it came to romance. And by the way he acted around me, I didn’t think Levi was, either.

I leaned back into the pillows and draped the back of my arm over my face. Part of me wanted to tell Hanji about what had happened earlier, but I knew I would never hear the end of it if I did. She would keep me up all night, begging for information about our so-called “blossoming romance,” or whatever she called it behind my back. It was too embarrassing to ask Erwin for any advice, and the same went for the other Squad Leaders, who were currently at Mitras. And I didn’t even want to think about telling Leyna about our little friendship. She would be disappointed if I told her I spent a considerable amount of time with him, but she would be absolutely livid if I told her he had actually managed to give me my first love bite a few months ago.

I was on my own with this one, whether I liked it or not.

“Hey, you alright?”

Hanji propped herself up in the bed beside mine, her goggles still hanging around her face. When I tapped the side of my own, she blushed and slid them off her head. Once she placed them down on the nightstand between us, I let out a sigh and answered her question.

“I’m fine. I’m just…a little worried about tomorrow.” Well, at least it wasn’t a total lie. I was stressed out about both Levi and Leyna—no need to mention Jax right now. “Leyna’s not going to be happy when she learns we were stranded.”

Hanji shrugged and gave me a reassuring smile. “Yeah, but you guys made it back. And it’s not like you planned to get lost out there; we didn’t exactly have a say in this expedition, don’t forget. Maybe she can tell us why they sent us out there in the first place, if the assembly doesn’t.”

“Maybe.” But something told me that Leyna would be just as clueless as we were about the whole situation.

A few minutes later, Hanji was fast asleep, her loud bear snores echoing through the large room. For once, I didn’t mind the noise; I couldn’t sleep anyway. With a sigh, I snuggled deeper into the pillows and stared up at the ceiling, my mind flooding with memories of Levi from the past few days. I groaned and shook my head, praying for sleep to come quickly.

But it never did. Instead, I was left lying wide awake in my bed, counting the spots and stains on the ceiling as the night slowly crawled by.

Taglist: @omg-lexiloveyou

[who-is-olivia]

Track 5. Sweet Creature

Harry Styles x OC

Harry comes home after Zayn leaves the band and makes plans for the future. [3.3k]

Genre: fluff

Warnings: nudity

May 2015

  After a tiring day of rehearsals, Olivia arrives home dropping her bags and coat on the way. It’s been a year since they finally moved in together – although Frank was a marvelous roommate, there’s only so many times your brother can catch you in the middle of the act. The new place is a vast studio, not huge just... roomy. It takes longer for her to crash over her bed, so long she actually takes a moment to turn the radiator on and undress to her knickers. She climbs the stairs to her bedroom and passes out over the bed, sighing in relief.

  She’s so exhausted she doesn’t even hear Harry arriving after three months touring. Frowning, he wonders if she’s still at rehearsals or maybe if she crashed at Frank’s, but then he feels that sour perfume in the room and he can trace it right to where she is. He pats his back pocket, fingers tapping over a velvet box lousily stored on his trousers as he sighs thankfully for it actually remaining there.

  Leaving the suitcases at the living room, Harry undresses a few layers – the radiator is a bit strong – and climbs the stairs find a half naked Olivia soundly asleep between the lilac sheets. He stops at the frame, his heart melting a bit at the sweet sight: the see-through blankets that cover her silhouette, her eyes closed shut with a smudge of makeup still there, her curly hair unbraided and natural contrasting against the pillows, small puffs of air escaping her slightly parted lips... he is tired but not tired enough that he can’t take a couple more minutes to admire her.

  Outside, the rain starts over again, reminding him to turn down the radiator a bit... on second thought, he leaves it be, recalling that the heat reminds her of home and makes her comfortable. He then silently pulls a chair to her bedside and sits leaning his chin over the heel of his palm, dumbstruck by her presence. He takes a mental note to never stay away that long again, even if they often video chat, it’s not the same. Watching her fall asleep is an opera on itself, specially when she begins to whisper sweet nothings into the pillow.

  Seeing her takes his mind away from all the drama he’s been dealing with. After Zayn left the band, he’s had few moments of peace to actually enjoy what he does. He misses him, he misses the times when the band didn’t fight over who gets his solo bits, who sings his high notes, how’s the next album going to sound, are they going forward without him? Zayn just needed a break and now so does Harry. Being able to be with Oli, actually live in their house and live their lives together does make him reconsider how long he can continue working like this.

  He can’t exactly tell how long after, but Harry can’t help himself anymore, he leans over and runs his knuckles gently over her temple, grazing down her cheekbone, her tiny hairs responding in softness under his skin when her eyelids flutter open and her pitch black irises find him.

“Haz...” she mutters with a smile.

“‘ello love” he whispers. Slowly, she sits up and pulls him into a tight embrace, his light blue t-shirt against her naked breasts as he pulls her over his lap. He eases against her skin, feeling her fingers twirl in his hair and her nose brushing against his soft cheeks. She nests her head on his broad shoulder and cup his jaw, inviting him to a sweet kiss. He snakes his arm around her waist, the other lacing her bare back until he can cup the back of her neck. Both hungry enough to devour one another but still loyal to their gentleness.

Olivia parts the kiss and sighs, leaning her lips against the tip of his nose. “You’re early”

“I know, just got a few weeks off... thought I might drop by to see you” he replies, taking a bit of distance to look at her face, dozy eyes struggling not to doze off.

“I was just dreaming about you and then you popped out of nowhere, this is absolutely amazing” she leans her forehead against his with a silly smile.  

“Was it a nice dream?” she nods, biting her bottom lip. “Any sexy ones?”

“Those are just mine and I don’t share” he snorts, making her laugh in his embrace.

“Right... I need to eat something, I’ll be right back-“

“No... come on, stay here” she pleads lazily, making his heart melt.

“I’m starving love”

“What if I get some snacks, and a bit of wine”

He scrunches his nose, “Don’t feel like drinking”

“Some tea?”

“Tea will do” he kisses her temple helping her out of the bed.

“Let me just dress up-“

“I think you look just perfect like that”

“Bet the neighbors do too” she mocks, “who told you to get a flat with a big ass window?”

“Ugh... fair enough”

  He leaves his shoes on the closet and goes down the stairs to make room for their meal. Despite the storm outside, there’s a spot in their garden under a tent and that’s where he’ll set the table. Oli hops down the stairs in leggings and sweater then gets all the necessary snacks to entertain them – along with the tea.

“This is different” he notices after sipping on the beverage.

“It’s from Rio, you boil with a bit of lemon. I usually take it with ice but this is good too” she replies, cuddling up in her chair. Harry pulls both of her feet to his lap and rubs their socks. Years living abroad and she still doesn’t know how to protect from the cold.

“Very good”

She hesitates a bit, watching his allusive eyes for a while before starting. “How’ve you been, Haz? I know everybody is asking that but-“

“It’s alright, love... It’s been rough, we all saw it coming but it still hurts. Sometimes I hate him for it, sometimes I get a bit jealous”

“Jealous?”

“Yeah... he’ll get to spend some time with his family, with Perrie, get some time to rest and not work like crazy 24/7” he explains, picking some toast from the table “The other day I got a call from Mike, that friend of mine from Cheshire, and he’s dropping out of college to go on some crazy religious trip to South America. I wish I could do that, and I travel the world for a living”

“We’re still young, even if we work hard now there’ still time to do all that” she comforts him, “but if you don’t feel like the band is still working for you... I’ve got your back”

“Thanks love” he kisses the back of her hand and keeps hold of it gently. “How’s everything going here?”

“Alright, I think. Frank and I are still rehearsing for the tour, we got small venues in a few cities but I prefer it this way. We actually got to follow your tour dates, so you won’t get rid of me so easily” she pokes him with her toes.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake” he mocks in fake annoyance, trying to hold her feet. “Just when I thought I’d have some peace of mind”

“Shut up!” she tries to hit him but he holds her wrists and pulls her closer, hopping from her chairs to his in a tiny fist fight. He keeps her fists on his and pull her to a heated kiss, blowing off all that desire that built up over months of distance. Even though it starts in a hurry it eventually turns into tiny pecks and little strokes. She laces her arms around his neck and nuzzles that spot behind his ear breathing in the perfume of his hair. Feeling that, her heart calms down, this is where she belongs. “I missed you so much”

“I missed you too” he smiles in her embrace. It always baffled him how she could be so heated and so loving at the same time, she’s his favorite paradox.

A rush of wind wavers the tent and their whole table gets under the rain. “Shit!”

“That’s just neat” he laughs, helping her up so they can fix the tent. They eventually stabilize it but they get wet anyway. Noticing she’s a bit more dry, Harry rushes to hug her.

“Don’t you fucking-“ she squeals and runs through the garden, getting lost in the rain. She tries to lose him around a vase but he almost takes hold of her, so she keeps running in circles. It’s such a silly thing but it still gets her blood pumping in a delightful way. He eventually gets her and spins her in the air in a fit of laughter, “Put me down! No-no-no, my lemon tree!”

“Alright, I’ll save the lemons” he puts her down, her face dripping wet from the rain.

“Why did you do that, it’s too cold”

“No it’s not, you were in a fucking burner in there”

“I’m not a cold person!”

He chuckles, hugging her waist. “Definitely not”

“You know what? I’m going inside and I’ll make myself a nice warm bubble bath and if you behave you may join” she fixes his long wet hair out of his face.

“Lovely” he kisses her temple, letting her make her way to the bathroom.

  Harry takes their cutlery to the kitchen and attempts to dry himself with a washcloth before walking to his his living room idly hearing the sound of running water from a distance. Although they both split the expenses evenly, he’s barely been in the place since he moved in. He’s always touring and when he’s not they both travel around on vacations, so she basically owns the place. He remembers the last day of moving things, Oli led her brother out after helping with the boxes while he set a small blanket on the ground and waited. When she came back, he undressed her slowly and made love to her between chairs and lamps and shoes, just to make sure that place had something special to it. He thought it would be weird to come home to somewhere he’s barely slept a night in, but soon he found out the place didn’t mean a thing. It was her, living with her, she is his home wherever they go.

  In her absence, he smiles as he notices small traces of her around the house that make it so undeniably hers. The shoes by the door, a small lace piece over the dining table, the mass of paper sheets over the piano, the blanket over the sofa. It looks hers but it also feels so much his...

Suddenly he feels her arms surrounding his waist and he grins, holding them earnestly. “Hope I’m not intruding in your affair with the living room” he chuckles, “but the bath is ready”

  Oli walks in first, soaking in the bubbly bath and washing her wet hair. Harry takes a peak at her through the mirror and turns.

“What?” she bats her eyelashes innocently.

“Looking good, really inviting”

“Then stop talking and get in”  

  She watches him strip out of his shirt and shoes normally, but when he pulls down his trousers, a small velvet box falls on a white rug.

She freezes.

“Harry...”

He looks down to where her gaze has fallen. “Oh, it’s for you”

“Is that what I think it is?”

Only then does he assess the situation. “Oh... no, probably not” he ditches the jeans and picks up the box, crouching beside the tub and revealing a pair of pearl earrings. “I saw it at the airport, though you might like it”

  After every tour he brings her many small gifts, this time he wanted something truly remarkable – to celebrate their next big step, which is living together – so, as he had time to spare on an airport connection, he decided to give her a nice pair of pearl earrings from Cartier. He loves the way she blushes when he gifts her expensive things, no money in the world could possibly afford that shade so dear to him. Sadly, he can’t see that particular shade now.

  Her face is blank.

“They’re lovely”

“You don’t like it” he puts down the box without even giving her a chance to take it, rather putting himself in front of her.

“No! I love it Haz, I swear!” she pecks his lips quickly and he breaks his disappointed facade, “I just thought it was something else”

“You thought it was a ring?”

“Well, yeah”

  Harry doesn’t know what to say, instead he tries to read her pitch black eyes in search of what she truly feels about it. They never addressed marriage, Olivia never though about it but the sheer possibility for a moment excited her. Now she doesn’t know how to feel about it.

“I... sorry Oli, I didn’t think about that when they picked the box”

“I know” desperate to end the subject, she tugs on his hand. “Why don’t you get in before it gets cold?”

“That’s bloody impossible, it’s fucking hot outside” he mocks and she leaves all the tension behind, making room for him to sit comfortably behind her and pull her bare back against her chest.

“You can always turn the radiator down” she argues as she snuggles against him, holding his hand and inspecting it for a moment, bringing his knuckles to meet her lips and nipping on them playfully before kissing them earnestly.

“I know, but sometimes I like to think you wake up in your natural habitat”

“Are you implying I’m a motherfucking lizard?” he laughs in denial.

  For a while they don’t say nothing, just relax and soak in the essential oils she dispersed on the tub. Harry’s fingers trace her collarbone gently, as if they touch pure marble. They follow a straight line then dip on the middle before following its path to the end of her shoulder, where he lays tender little kisses. As she rests her head to the side, his nose follows the path of her jugular up to her ear lobe until he finds that one sweet spot that causes her to smile. He tries to ease her and himself into a relaxing trance, but inside he’s still in turmoil.

“Oli...”

“Hm?”

“If it was a ring... would you say yes?”

Her eyes lazily open as she finds herself staring at the tip of her toes, thinking about it. “I think I would, but I don’t think we need to get married... I mean, we already live like married people, we just don’t shove a ring on people’s faces”

“... but would you like that’?”

She chuckles, palming the outside of his thigh and running her hand over the length of it. “I won’t lie, it sounds kinda nice”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I mean... I like to think it’s like a statement you make, you know? It’s like you’re telling everyone that you enjoy someone so much you’re willing to keep their company for the rest of your life” she lets the words echo through the bathroom.

“That sounds like us” he smiles, nuzzling the shell of her ear.

“Right?!”

He chuckles. “Right”

“How do you feel about it?” she turns in his embrace to face him and watch his dimples wavering.

“I feel like... we’ve been doing this for four years and I could do this literally forever. And hm... it’s so silly but” he scrunches his nose, “just calling you my girlfriend... it’s too little to say how I feel about you”

She raises a brow, smugly. “Oh, is it?”

“Stop it!” her laughter echoes through the bathroom.

“-and how do you feel about me?”

He’s though about it before and written so many verses about it, but now that she is here, asking such an unpretentious question, he’s speechless... although, it takes one dip in her pitch black orbs to figure it out. “I feel like... you’re really making me do this?”

“You started it!”

“I know, but it’s hard to put into words” he tantrums like a 5-year-old.

“Just try”

“Ugh... it’s so normal to me, like-” he strokes her arm, elbow to shoulder blades, trying to say it, “You’re the first thing I think about it the morning and the last thing I think about before I go to sleep. Everything I do I do thinking of you and how I can make this better. I’m not saying you’re perfect, you know it’s hard when we argue-“

“Just ‘cause your a stubborn asshole”

“Thanks love, I’m here opening my heart to you-“

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please, carry on”

He chuckles, “I don’t know what else to say... I just think, wherever I go, you bring me home” he punctuates that large smile turning into an endearing dimply smirk as he realizes how sure he is of those words, how much he means them.

She takes a while to answer, taking in his words as if she’s slowly sinking into warm water. Then she meets his gaze again, and a small choked smile surfaces. “I think that’s the way you talk about your wife, not your girlfriend”

  He leans to kiss her but she holds a hand before his grinning lips stubbornly. She runs her thumb over his bottom lip, tugging it to the side before letting go of the rosy piece of skin. He goes for it again, her parted lips smugly flee before pressing against his on her own accord. It drags for a long time before she bumps her nose on his, deepening the kiss. Harry encircles her waist, pulling her even closer to the point he can feel every inch of her warm skin against his own, his heart beats so fast he feels like a teenager, reacting exaggeratedly to her every tease. His love is so intense in that moment it could materialize itself in the air they breathe together. There’s a moment during the kiss when she sighs quietly and the sound of it rings through his ears echoing endlessly.

  At that moment, he knows there’s no going back.

She breaks the kiss for a moment, his lips instinctively reach for hers. “You know what?”

“Hm?”

“I don’t have a single reason not to marry you” her words drip like mellow out of her mouth as she runs her lips against the column of his neck, pecking on it delicately, the sound of her contact echoing through the bathroom.

Harry’s head falls back against the wall, humming as her heavenly sweet kisses grace his Adam’s apple. Then she runs her lips over to his chin, taking in the smooth skin before returning to his mouth, but before she can taste him, he mutters: “Marry me”

She smiles against his skin, shifting on the tub. She uses his shoulders as support, moving her knees so she can straddle his thighs. From that position, she looks down on him. “Just like that?”

“Uhum”

“No ring?”

“Nope”

“ No speech? No ugly cry?” he giggles.

“I just did a heartfelt speech, what else do you want?” Harry asks mockingly, reaching towards her cheek and cupping her lovely face.

She chuckles over her own tantrum, shaking her head negatively as she nuzzles the palm of his hand, depositing a chaste kiss on it. When she looks back at him, there’s a light red rim around her eyes, shining over her crinkly smile “I just want you”

  And the way she looked at him at that moment is still the sweetest sight he’s ever seen.

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