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lavendertom · 1 year ago

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The Neighbor Across the Street pt. 3

Mike Schmidt x Babysitter!f!Reader

part 1, part 2, part 4, part 5, part 6

wc: 2.4k

warnings: mentions of garrett’s kidnapping + mikes trauma from that, fluff, tiny age gap barely mentioned (as always, lmk if there’s anything i’ve missed)

summary: the neighbor across the street needs a babysitter, so you take the job, not knowing what’s in store for you as you grow closer to the siblings. AU where nothing bad happens at the pizzeria

quick note, as mentioned this is an AU, but mikes trauma is still there from garrett’s kidnapping but i won’t go down the wormhole of lore for this bc that’s not necessarily why i’m writing this

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The cool breeze of a spring afternoon could be felt as you made your way to the Schmidt’s house. It was a Saturday and technically you weren’t supposed to be at their house today.

Abby was found knocking on your front door just a few minutes earlier, asking if you could come over and play outside with her. You had a good feeling she’d been asking Mike all day, but he refused to call you and ask himself because you’d “probably be busy with school work.” So, the young girl took it upon herself to ask.

“Mike got me a huge box of sidewalk chalk we can draw with.” Abby told you as you walked to the house together. “I also have a bicycle, we can go on a bike ride together! Well, not you, you’re too big for my bike. But you can walk.”

You smiled at yourself, hearing the girl talk and talk about all of the things she was excited to do with you.

“Abby, what’d I say about going to y/n’s house?” you could hear Mike say when you reached the outside of their garage. He looked like he was cleaning some shelves full of random tools.

“She said she wasn’t busy!” Abby said, defending herself.

“It’s okay, I didn’t have much homework this weekend. Anything for my favorite neighbor.” you said in the midst of doing the handshake you and Abby made up one time while you were babysitting after her.

“I thought I was your favorite?” Mike said, pretending to sound offended.

“My second favorite. Get it right.” you said with a small smirk.

Before you could continue conversing with him, Abby dragged you by the wrist with a box of chalk in her other arm.

The two of you combined ended up drawing enough pictures to fill up a majority of the driveway. Granted it wasn’t long, but you ended up making a masterpiece out of the broken up concrete.

“It looks like your room threw up on the driveway, Abby.” Mike said walking out of the garage to assess the damage that was done.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Abby said grinning.

“Yeah, when’s it going to rain again? Or I can just grab the hose and–”

“Be nice!” you said, playfully hitting his arm.

“I want to go on a bike ride now!” Abby said as she ran to pull her bike out of the corner of the garage. She had a habit of quickly moving on from one activity to the next with little room in between.

“I’ll go with her.” you said with a smile.

“I’ll come too.” Mike said, already closing the garage door behind him before you could object and say something like “You need a break, go rest.” Abby already made her way down the drive way, riding towards the sidewalk.

“It’s nice out today.” you said in an attempt to make small talk as you guys followed behind Abby. You guys haven’t spoken much since that night he returned home from his first night shift. You’ll never know what compelled you to give him that hug and what compelled him to give you one in return before you left.

“Yeah, I was finally able to get some stuff done outside today.”

“That’s good.” you were taking in the sounds of the birds chirping, some trees were finally blossoming again after the weather started warming up a bit. After a few seconds of comfortable silence you spoke up, “How’s the job been?”

“As good as a night shift job can be.”

“You getting much sleep lately?” His eyes still looked tired as the day you first saw them, if not more.

“When have I ever.” he paused for a moment, not sure if he was ready to enter this conversation with you. “Sleep has never come easy for me.”

“You can say that again.” you said with a small chuckle.

“Has your mom told you much about our situation?” he said at a slightly softer volume than earlier.

“Not really.”

He took a deep breath before he began talking. “When I was about 12 years old, I had a little brother. His name was Garret. He was taken and we never found him. I was there when it happened.” he stopped for a moment, you looked at him and saw the hurt in his face. “I still have nightmares, every night. I just wish there was something I could’ve done. Anything.”

“I’m so sorry Mike.” you said quietly, you were shocked. You never knew the reasons why this family had it so hard, it made you feel almost guilty that you didn’t take the time to know them earlier. Neither of them asked to be put in this situation.

“It’s okay. It’s just hard thinking back on it. I feel like it’s my fault. Parents told me I needed to watch him. I let this happen.” he was fidgeting with his thumbs, taking in a deep breath. “Anyways, mom died a little after Abby was born, dad died not long after. I had no other choice but to take custody of Abby and become her guardian.”

Everything made sense to you now. Mike had his hands full all of the time and not by choice. No wonder he was always working.

“Are you doing any better now?” you asked.

“The nightmares are still there. I don’t think they’ll ever go away, but I put on a brave face for Abby. She knows very little about Garret, kind of want to keep it that way.”

“I understand.” you said looking down at the pavement beneath your feet. “Thanks for telling me this by the way.”

“You were going to find out one way or another. Better talk about it now than later.” the two of you looked ahead and saw Abby stopped at a street corner.

“You guys are too slow!” she shouted.

“We’re coming!” you shouted back. “If it means anything to you, you’re doing a hell of a good job. She cares about you.” you smiled softly, looking over at him.

“I hope so. Doesn’t seem like it sometimes. She’s a pain in the ass when you’re not around.” he mumbled.

“Really?” you asked, genuinely surprised. “She talks about you like you’re her entire world when I babysit.” The two instantly remembered what the girl had said to Y/n that one night, Y/n not knowing Mike heard all about it the next day.

“You would be a good princess for Mike.”

“Give her some time, she’ll open up to you one day.” you said reassuringly.

The rest of the walk you guys talked about random things. You told him all about your college courses which he found incredibly interesting, although not understanding much about what they entailed. He told you about some of his craziest encounters when he was a mall security guard. The two of you laughed so hard over one of them you almost tripped over the uneven pavement, making you guys laugh even harder.

When you finally returned to his house it was beginning to get dark out. Abby somehow was not tired one bit, despite having ridden her bike for almost 45 minutes.

“I promised Abs I’d let her make s’mores tonight. You can join us.” he said putting his hands in his pockets. It was starting to get cooler out as the sun set. “If you want.” he added at the last second.

“Sure, why not.” you had enjoyed getting to know him better, you didn’t really want to go home yet anyways. “I’m just gonna run home real quick to grab a hoodie, it’s getting co-“

“You can just borrow one of mine.” he interrupted.

“You sure? It’s not that big of a deal I can just run inside real quick.” your heart racing at the thought of him letting you wear one of his hoodies. He’s just being nice you reassured yourself, nothing more.

“Y/n, it’s fine.” he said with a chuckle. “You can go through the gate on the side of the house, Abby’s probably already back there.”

He went through the front door as you walked to the back of the house, and sure enough Abby was already back there placing a handful of s’mores supplies on a little table on the back porch of the house.

“You’re staying for s’mores, Y/n?” Abby asked, excitement beginning to fill her.

“Yeah.” you said smiling. You saw a stack of camping chairs leaning against the house. “Wanna help me grab the chairs?”

The two of you grabbed the chairs, placing them around the campfire pit. You heard the door open and saw Mike stepping out holding hoodies for both you and Abby.

He handed you one, you gave him a tight lipped smile after thanking him. You slipped it over your head, it was just slightly oversized on you. It smelled just like he did the night you gave him the hug, you thought you’d never get over that scent. Your hands were tucked into the pocket of it as you took a seat on one of the chairs, waiting for Mike to finish starting the fire.

“Okay Abs please don’t burn every single marshmallow this time, I want Y/n to actually have an edible s’more.” Mike said looking over at his sister who was already putting far too many marshmallows on a long stick.

Mike sat on the chair next to you. The moment felt peaceful as Abby skipped over holding a stick with marshmallows, holding it over the fire. You watched as Abby toasted the marshmallows, trying her hardest not to turn them all to charcoal. The sun had finally set and the sky was clear, the stars becoming more visible. You noticed Mike was looking up at the sky.

“Have you ever seen a shooting star before?” you asked, both of you now looking up.

“No, have you?” Mike replied.

“A few. When I was a kid, I used to sit out back and just watch the sky until I’d see one. I ended up being able to see a few because of the insane amount of time I’d be out there.” you were still looking up.

Mike turned his attention from the sky to you, watching how your lips formed the smallest of smiles as you spoke. He watched the way your eyes lit up from talking about something so important to you. He felt himself begin to smile, too.

You kept talking, not realizing that he wasn’t looking up at the sky anymore. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you, not when your face lit up with joy from just talking about something as simple as the stars. The way it seemed like your hair fell just perfectly and his hoodie seemed to fit you just right didn’t help the situation either.

You finally turned your head back to him realizing he had been looking at you the whole time, a small smile still on his face.

“What?” you said with a nervous laugh.

“Nothing.” he said with a smile, shaking his head slightly as he turned his attention back to the sky.

“Here’s your s’more, Y/n!” Abby said as she suddenly popped up next to you. You almost forgot she was even with you guys anymore, her focus was entirely on making the most yummy s’mores. That left little time for her to ask you all of her usual questions.

“Thanks Abby.” you said, smiling at her as she handed you a messy s’more. She ran back to grab another one, handing it to Mike.

“Thanks Abs.” he said, giving his sister a side hug before she could run away again to grab her own s’more.

The three of you spent the rest of the night snaking on many more s’mores and talking more about the stars until Abby fell asleep in her small camping chair. The fire was dimming, barely alive anymore. You and Mike continued watching the sky, pointing out constellations and attempting to see a shooting star with no luck.

“I should probably take Abby to bed.” Mike said as he stood up, making his way towards Abby. He picked up his little sister as gently as possible making sure not to wake her.

“Yeah I should probably head home now.” you said also standing up. You grabbed the chairs you all used to put them back where you found them.

“Thanks, Y/n. You didn’t have to.” he said as he made his way to the back door.

“No problem. The least I could do after those s’mores Abby made.” you smiled.

You followed him into the house as he walked towards the front door, Abby still peacefully asleep in his arms. He slowly opened the front door for you.

“See you Monday?” he asked.

“Yup.” you replied, and before you knew it he pulled you into a side hug. His two favorite people were in his arms now and he didn’t want it any other way.

“Have a good night, Y/n.”

“You too, Mike.” as you pulled away from his embrace, you put a hand on Abby’s shoulder. You gave the two a small smile which he returned as you walked out of the door.

And you bet he stood there until you were across the street, just like he did every other time you left their house.

When you returned home to your bedroom, which was still decorated like it was when you were 13, you felt warm inside. A different type of warm inside, the feeling you have when you care about someone so much and they care just as much back. All you wanted to do was make sure he knew you cared for him and Abby so much.

You looked at your bulletin board next to your door that had a photo of you and Abby from one of the first times you babysat her. She begged you to bring your polaroid camera and she took advantage of it, snapping all sorts of photos of you and her.

It wasn’t until you saw the photo that you realized you were still wearing Mikes hoodie he lent you. You looked in the mirror next to your door, admiring the hoodie. It wasn’t anything special, just a plain black hoodie, but it felt special. You were determined to continue changing their lives. Making sure their days were brighter, months filled with more happy days than sad ones.

You crawled into bed, too tired to take off the hoodie. You took in the smell of it one last time before you drifted off to sleep thinking about the memories you made today, hoping you’d never forget them.

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jules jewels (tag list! lmk if u want to be added or removed 🤗)

@balesita @universi8 @browneyedgirly93 @prongsprincessworld @k3nnlolz @mxrvelouss

#fnaf #fnaf movie #mike schmidt #mike schmidt x reader #abby schmidt #josh hutcherson #five nights at freddy’s movie #fnaf fic #five nights at freddy's #mike schmidt x y/n #mike schmidt x you

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mostly-marvel-musings · 9 months ago

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Annoying Neighbour - Part 5

A/N: A bit of damage control? I think so. Leave a comment, like and reblog if you enjoyed reading!

Pairing: Single Dad! Tony Stark x Reader

Warning: 18+ hurt/comfort, bit of angst.

Word count: 3.1k

Annoying Neighbour Masterlist

…

It had been four days since you last saw your favorite father-daughter duo. These past few months had made you realize just how much you had gotten used to them, their banter, the laughs you shared with Morgan and Tony.

Tony Stark.

The man who made you feel things you had only read about in books. The man you slept with once, but it was enough to make you realize how much you belonged together.

But he was also the man who had kissed his ex-wife in his living room two days ago. Every time you began to miss him, the image of them kissing would promptly pop up in your brain, causing the anger and heartbreak to return.

There were several occasions where longing stares had been exchanged, once while Tony dropped Morgan off at school, another evening when you caught him staring at you while you watered your plants hanging on the porch, his eyes missing the spark that you adored so much. You were the one who decided on ending things and yet you found your self-restraint crumbling every time you saw the man.

Your Saturday began with you realizing you were running low on most of your groceries, so you made a list and decided to head out. Some gray clouds loomed in the sky outside, threatening rain and thunder. Perfect heartbreak weather, you thought with a wry smile.

The car right next to yours looked familiar as you got out of yours in the parking lot.

Tony was in the store too. Was it too late to back out? Maybe you could find another store that wasn’t so conveniently close to where you lived. Putting earphones on, you decided it was best if you kept your head down, got your stuff and head back home.

You just hoped and prayed to God it wasn’t going to be another awkward encounter with Pepper. Seeing that woman again with Tony would do you no good.

You were dumping things in your cart when right in front of you, you saw a commotion through your peripheral vision.

Sure enough, it was Tony and Morgan. He had her sitting on his shoulders while she picked out her favorite cereal box, throwing it in their cart and giggling. The sight automatically made you smile.

Someone cleared their throat behind you, making you turn to the source.

“They’re adorable, aren’t they?”

It was her.

Your heart dropped to your stomach, instantly making you regret your trip to the store. Of course she was still here. With her family. Shopping like normal families do, you thought bitterly.

“Y/N!”

You heard a little girl cry out, already knowing who it was before you heard her tiny feet run across the aisle to meet you.

“Hi Morgan! It’s good to see you.” you smiled down at the kid who hugged your legs as she usually did, Pepper watching the two of you interact with a frown on her face.

“Daddy it’s Y/N!” she called out, making your stomach flip as you turned to watch Tony striding towards you. He still looked too bloody handsome, though there were noticeable bags under his eyes, he looked tired, like he hadn’t been getting enough sleep. Pretty much how your state was as well.

“I’m getting late, I–I should get on with this.” you murmured, pushing your trolley ahead after waving them goodbye, wanting to be away from them.

Morgan stared between you and her father, for her, both of you seemed upset while Pepper - or what her Daddy mentioned to her earlier, her Mommy, remained quite happy.

“Why is Y/N sad, Daddy?” she asked, her voice full of worry as she grabbed Tony’s sleeve to get his attention.

“How about we pick out some ice-cream for you, honey? You like strawberry, don’t you?” Pepper piped cheerfully, dragging her away from Tony.

Driving home had been a task, yet again you had to keep your tears at bay as you unloaded the bags from your car. A million questions ran through your mind as you began organizing your pantry, you thought it’d be best to keep your overthinking brain busy.

It worked for some time. Until you heard their car pull up next door. The bottle of Merlot you’d purchased earlier suddenly seemed inviting.

Morgan spent her afternoon playing in the living room while her Daddy and Mommy spoke in the other room, she’d brought out her plane that whizzed by, flying outside Y/N’s window where it collided against the glass.

She saw Y/N crying in the kitchen, her face was sad which worried her a lot. It made her decide to bring it up with her Daddy later when Mommy was not around. He did not speak much around her, she had noticed.

Later that evening, Tony had finished reading a bedtime story to Morgan, who was far from sleepy.

“Why was Y/N sad today, Daddy?” she asked, the concern in her voice making Tony’s heart wrench.

“She looked okay to me. I don’t think she was sad, hon.” he shrugged, pulling the blankets up to her shoulders, hoping she would drop the subject.

“You are sad too.”

He sighed. His own child was too smart for her age, and too observant.

“Did you and Y/N fight? Was it because of me?” her voice went low, her big brown eyes that matched his so perfectly were now distressed.

“We did fight, sweetheart. Y/N is mad at me and she won’t talk. But not because of you. Never.” Tony hated how much this affected his kid, he never wanted it to get this far. With Pepper showing up, Morgan was more vulnerable than ever. She had questions that he did not have answers to.

“But she said she liked you.”

“Did she?” Tony chuckled as Morgan nodded fervently.

“I like her too, Maguna. I like her a lot. But she is very upset, I don’t know if she would talk to me.” he sighed, leaning his head against Morgan’s little shoulder.

“Did you say sorry, Daddy? You made my best friend cry. I saw her in her kitchen today.”

“Hey! I thought I was your best friend.”

Morgan narrowed her eyes at him in a way that confirmed any further argument would lead to a possible tantrum. Tony’s heart broke upon hearing you had cried, all because of him. All of this mess was upsetting too many people. And it all felt like it was his fault. Minus Pepper showing up unannounced, everything was his fault. He handled the situation terribly. And he was determined to do whatever it took to make things right.

“I will go to Y/N’s house and say sorry. I promise you. You’ll have your best friend back.”

“And stop growing up so soon. Off to sleep now, you little monster. I love you tons.” he kissed her forehead softly, turning her night lamp on after making sure she was tucked in.

“I love you three thousand.” His heart soared at her words, it felt like there was at least something he was doing right.

“Three thousand? Wow. Now go to sleep.”

“I want my best friend back!”

Her words made Tony chuckle, she knew him too well. Pepper had left for the night, much to his relief, she had been staying at a hotel nearby. Tony had called Rhodey over to stay, he needed all the help he could get with the whole situation.

Breaking the news of her mother suddenly showing up in their lives had been a task enough for Tony. A part of him was surprised with the way Morgan had handled the new information, then again, Morgan had always been way more mature than her age. He wanted to make sure she was okay, he also wanted to make sure you were too.

Seeing your kitchen light still on, Tony decided to take his chance. It was raining cats and dogs outside, but he’d make a run for it.

He had been late for making amends already, he was only hoping he had not been too late.

By the time he reached your front door, he was drenched.

The ringing of your doorbell pulled your attention from the mindless television that played that your eyes were glued to. Checking your phone it was close to midnight, and your third glass of wine was almost empty. You felt its warm buzz in your belly as you stood up to answer the door.

Thunder clapped outside as the door revealed a soaking wet Tony Stark, your heart leaping at the sight but your mind apprehensive.

“Tony.”

He still looked frickin gorgeous. You hated that. And you hated how your heart fluttered at the sight of him.

“Y/N. Can we talk? Please?” he wiped his face down with his hand, exhaling in relief when you left the door open for him as you turned your back to head back inside without answering.

He saw you were drinking wine in a coffee mug, a small smile appeared on his face recalling the day you walked in on him drinking the same on his porch.

“Wine in a coffee cup?”

Leaning against your kitchen counter, you let out a small sigh, holding your left hand up to reveal a medical tape covered wound.

“I broke the glasses during one of my cleaning sprees.” you explained, keeping your voice low and eyes trained on the floor.

“Y/N…”

“You kissed her, didn’t you?” you interrupted before he could begin, looking directly at him now, waiting for his answer. You saw guilt in his eyes, mixed with regret as he gave you a nod. Breaking your heart all over again.

“Actually she kissed me.”

“I didn’t see you pull away, Tony.”

He wiped his face with his hand, taking slow steps towards you, keeping a safe distance still.

“You also didn’t see me push her away, Y/N. Pepper kissed me on purpose, she loves creating a scene. Always has. Did I wish I had the power to take it all away? Yes. But I know I don’t.”

He saw a tear escape down your cheek, he had to stop himself from wiping it away. Crossing your arms over your chest, you took in a deep breath, steadying yourself.

“Why is she back, Tony? Are you getting back together?” your voice quaked but you still continued.

“No! Y/N, believe me when I say I want nothing to do with that woman. She says she wants to be a part of Morgan’s life again. That she regrets giving her up. It’s all lies. She was hopeful she’d have her position back in the company if she showed up under this guise.”

Tony leaned against the counter opposite you, his shoulders sagging.

“She can be very manipulative, used to getting her way. She has her lawyers all ready for battle.”

As you listened, the ice thawed little by little, watching Tony’s fingers fiddle with his sleeves, his foot tapping against the floor.

“What are you going to do?” you whispered, hands now by your sides as you gripped the counter behind you.

“I’m gonna fight. I won’t let her get her way this time, Morgan doesn’t deserve this. She never did. Neither do you. I’m so sorry, Y/N. I really am.” you believed he meant it. You could see it in his eyes.

“Ending things is easy, Y/N. Working things out and talking about it is difficult. I didn’t think you would choose the easy way out.”

“You think I chose the easy way out, Tony? I chose to protect myself from a heartbreak! That’s what I did.” you cried, your voice breaking in the end as you pointed your finger against his chest, breathing erratically.

“Do you really think this was a mistake? Us?”

You remained quiet, staring at your feet as tears pooled in your eyes once again before Tony held your hand in both his, tipping your chin to make you look at him.

“Answer me.” he whispered, his own eyes moist as you both stared at each other, hands clasped tight.

“I don’t regret kissing you or sleeping with you, Tony. No. I really thought we had something. I didn’t realize things could get this complicated. That was foolish on my part.”

“I was the fool for not handling things well, Y/N. And I am truly sorry. But I won’t let you slip away because of a bump in the road. We’re too good for that. I want to make us work. But I want to know that you want that too, sweetheart. Do you?”

His face was now inches apart, his eyes flicking down to your lips as he waited, and prayed to God you’d be willing to give this another chance. His heart grew hopeful as you moved closer, finally closing the distance between you two.

Thunder rumbled outside as you kissed Tony, lips molding against one another in a moment that took your breath away.

His arms came around you to pull you flush against his chest, tongue peaking between your lips to push past into your mouth. You let out a soft sigh at the taste of him, berries and coffee mixed with your wine.

A trail of discarded clothes along your stairs was laid out as Tony carried you to your bedroom, lips never leaving yours even for a second. Fingers gripping his wet hair, you let out a mewl as Tony’s kisses trailed down your body, finding himself between your legs.

Your head was spinning and body was alive under his touch, mouth falling open as he brushed his nose against your glistening core.

“Tony!” you moaned, feeling his tongue flat against your strip as he tasted you with urgency, his hands keeping your thighs parted for him.

You wanted him, all of him, around you, inside you, now and forever. You were out of breath by the time he was done, crawling up your body and resuming his kisses along your collarbone, paying attention to your breasts.

His erection poked at your inner thigh, waiting and longing to be inside you. He let out a shaky breath as you wrapped your hand around his length, guiding it towards your entrance.

A synchronized groan left your lips as he stretched you in one easy thrust, forehead resting against yours as he breathed you in. The impetuosity of the moment had you reach your climaxes in no time, his steady rhythm pushed you closer and closer to the edge. Your walls clenched around his cock desperately as you came, clinging onto him and effectively speeding up his orgasm.

“Oh Y/N..” Tony let out a grunt before you felt ropes of cum paint your walls, his breath hot against your flushed skin. The desire to keep him close made you wrap your legs around him tighter as you floated away in bliss.

“I hate to bring in this angle but it’s not just me who misses you terribly. My kid does too.”

A smile made its way on your face, allowing it to turn into a chuckle, you placed your hand under your chin as you gazed up at Tony.

“Did Morgan send you here?”

“She actually threw me out of my own house to apologize. Wouldn’t talk to me unless I bring her best friend back. I bribed her with juice pops. Didn’t work. And that’s usually a fail-safe way.” he stated, shaking his head fondly while you giggled, his hand traced your back soothingly, the other caressing your cheek.

“I have to go to Malibu for a few days, Y/N.” he added after a few moments of silence.

“Oh..when will you be back?” you frowned, idly tracing your fingers around the light dusting of hair on his chest as it rose and fell steadily.

“Couple of weeks, could be more. I just need to settle this drama with Pepper for good. She’s got her eye on Stark Industries and the head office is in Malibu. The board of directors and I need to have a sit down and discuss a few things.” he sighed, all this worrying had his frown lines deepen over. You couldn’t imagine the stress he was under, he didn’t talk about it to anyone but you understood.

Squeezing his hand in reassurance, you placed a kiss against his cheek, laying your head on his chest once again.

“I will try not to miss Morgan too much.” you teased.

“What about me?” he feigned hurt, giving your sides a little tickle.

“You? I guess you’re alright. For an annoying neighbor.” you murmured, giggling when he smacked your bum playfully.

A couple of weeks had turned to four. Tony kept you updated as best as he could, calling you over Facetime whenever he had time, the call evidently would be hijacked by Morgan who spoke to you whenever she had the chance.

Carrying your bowl of strawberries, you made yourself comfortable on the couch, holding your phone up as Morgan went on about her day.

“Everything okay, honey?” Tony’s voice came through from behind her.

“Yeah, why?”

“You look a little pale. Did you eat?”

You held up the bowl for him to see, making him frown slightly. You had never been one to keen on fruits. Watching you close your eyes and rest against the back of the couch only made his concern grow.

“Relax Tony. I’m only tired. I had a long day.”

As soon as you were done with the call, you felt a bit queasy. You had to rush to the toilet as bile rose up to your throat, making you throw up.

Could be the result of a bad choice of dinner you’d made last night, you thought. The desire to finish an entire pizza overtook you yesterday and you were surprised at your own appetite.

An alert from your phone made you check the notification, it was one of your apps that helped track your period. As you opened it, your mouth went dry.

You were very, very late.

#tony stark x reader #tony stark angst #tony stark fluff #tony stark smut #tony stark fanfiction #tony stark x y/n #tony stark series #tony stark imagine #the stark squad #single dad! tony stark #marvel fanfiction #tony stark #morgan stark #mostly marvel musings

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strwyofthesun · 1 year ago

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forgive me, goodbye [pt. 2]

pairing: re2r!leon kennedy x intern!reader

synopsis: after settling into the uk, you learn of the raccoon city incident and suffer a great loss. after graduating from med school and starting up your internship, you meet someone who you thought you've left in the past.

word count: 3.7k

cont: smut, unprotected sex, p in v, mentions of death, mentions of blood, hurt/comfort, there's so much stuff goin on idk anymore

a/n: i did not expect to write a part 2 of this but my best friend bitched about not liking the ending so i did this out of spite <3 also! this takes place after the re2 events and before operation javier. i did alot of research on the re timeline and other medical related things mentioned T_T last, leon looks so cute in the pic i choose that bc his outfit there is similar to his operation javier fit

part one here !

A week has gone by since you’ve moved in the UK and you had been feeling homesick. Even though you had settled into your dorm, made new friends, and gotten acquainted, nothing beats the company of family. Not only have you been missing family, but also Leon. Feeling distressed, you decided to call your family to see how they’re doing.

You go through your contacts and scroll down to find your Mom’s contact. You spotted her name and pressed dial. The phone lets out a ring that lasted for only a couple seconds as your mom had picked up the call.

“Hey mom… Is dad with you?”

“Hey honey! Yes, he’s over here!” Your mom called for your dad and you hear his voice in the background shouting back to wait for him. You let out a laugh hearing your parents shuffle around. “What’s up hun? How’s everything going there?” Your dad asked.

“Everything’s fine dad, I’m just a little homesick…”

“Aww, hun… We miss you dearly too… You’ve grown up into such a fine, successful, smart, and independent young lady. We couldn’t be any more proud of you. Call us anytime, we promise we’ll always answer the call at the first ring.” Your mom said.

“Hey mom…?”

“Yes?”

You gulped down the lump you felt in your throat, “How’s Leon doing?”

“Oh… I heard he’s out of town.”

“…Is that so?”

“You know who I miss?” Your dad suddenly chimed in.

“Who dad?” You asked curiously while smiling.

“You and Leon. You remind me of you and your mom back in the day.” Your smile dropped hearing those words from your dad. It made you miss him even more and your parents could tell by the silence on your end of the line.

Your mom nudged your dad and scolded him, “Hun! Come on! She’s trying to move on, don’t make it any harder for our baby.”

“I’m fine mom, really. I just wanted to know…”

“Well, alright… If you say so.”

“I’ll be going now, I have a class in a bit.”

“Okay, call us if you need anything!” Your dad reminded again.

“I will, I will. Love you guys…”

“We love you too hun.” They said in union and dropped the call. It was nice hearing their voices again. You opened a box filled with pictures, looking for ones of you guys together when you were suddenly greeted with tons of pictures of you and Leon together on top of the pile. A certain picture caught your eye and you grabbed it to take a closer look. It was a picture of the night you, Leon, and your parents celebrated your graduation from pre-med. Tears fill your eyes and drops of it landed on the picture, slightly damaging the ink. You try desperately to remove your tears stains from the picture but ended up smudging the photo and getting the ink over your parents’ faces. You threw the picture back in the box and curled up at the foot of your bed and sobbed silently.

You didn’t regret your choice of pursuing your dream of becoming a virologist but God, did you really have to go through this just to reach it? You tried controlling your heaving and sniffled as an attempt to quit crying because you had a class in a few minutes. You stood up and walked yourself to the bathroom to wash yourself up. Looking into the mirror, you realized that you’re already here and it’s too late to quit now. You’ve sacrificed so much of your time, effort, and relations for this. Quitting isn’t an option.

Days passed by and you drowned yourself in your studies. You were currently one of the best in your class and according to your professors, you had the most promising potential. Meanwhile, Leon was out of town just as your mom said and was wasting away in God knows where. All he wanted to do was get away from that town and escape the memories it held. He drank his sorrows away but no bottle of alcohol could ever fill the void in his heart. It’s as if you took a piece of his heart and left with it and there was no chance of ever getting it back.

During one late night, he received a call from his co- officer telling him not to go back to Raccoon City even though there was a current crisis, but Leon didn’t listen. He sobered up and immediately headed back to Raccoon City. The following events that unfolded are to be summed up and named “Raccoon City Destruction Incident” from then on.

While studying in a café with your earphones on, you realized that it’s been awhile since you’ve called your parents. You ring them up but they don't picked up.

“Weird, they usually answer at the first ring…” You mumbled to yourself. You try again and to no avail. “Again.” you said but call after call they didn’t pick up. Now you were really worried. Out of frustration, you take your earphones off and take a sip of your coffee when you start picking up on the sounds of the café. But what caught your attention made you drop the coffee cup in your hands.

“The US government declared Raccoon City 'beyond saving' from its residents that have turned aggressive and zombie-like. They ordered a missile strike to wipe out the city and later at dawn, it is reported that two non-nuclear missiles hit the city, clearing all of its 100,000 citizens, and completely wiping it off the map.“

Ringing filled your ears and your hands trembled at the news you had just heard. “This can’t be happening…” you thought. A waiter walked up to you demanding you pay for the broken coffee cup but you couldn’t hear him well. His words sounded like it was being drowned out by water. Your body went on auto-pilot and you grab whatever amount of money you had on you and shoved it into the chest of the waiter. You grabbed your stuff and exit the café while calling for a taxi cab.

You rushed back to your dorm and packed your stuff immediately. Things weren’t properly processed in your mind and before you knew it you were on a flight back to the US. You took a cab to the outskirts of what’s left of Raccoon City before you were blocked by multiple hazard signs, barricades, and police tape. You tried to get passed it but police stopped you before you could even step past the barricade. You stare at the massive crater left by the missiles and what remained of your old home. Streams of tears run down your face and you couldn’t stop it. The police tried calming you down but it was useless. They couldn’t do anything except escort you back to the hotel you checked in.

Once you were at your hotel room, you drop to your knees and wailed. You couldn't fathom the intensity of all the feelings that you were experiencing all at once. Everyone you knew and loved were turned into those… monsters you saw on the news. They were killed, wiped out, with no trace left. Your friends, family, mom, dad, and Leon, all gone. You cried even harder now that things have finally started sinking in. You recall your last call with your parents, them saying how proud they were, and them saying they love you, it was agonizing. And Leon... Oh Leon… you left him alone and heartbroken in Raccoon City. You blamed yourself for their deaths. You imagined your parents worried sick for you because you haven’t called them in awhile as well as Leon who was probably grieving still over the breakup. The image of them worried and scared for their life, was all you could think about. Tears didn’t stop flowing and you’ve lost your voice from screaming. You asked yourself, was this punishment for leaving? Did you deserve to suffer this much?

It's 2002 and four years have passed since. Not a single day went by where you didn’t think of your parents and Leon. You’ve let yourself grieve, gotten therapy, and took a break from med school for awhile. But in the end, you pushed through with it because you knew they would’ve wanted you to push through. You were a step closer to becoming a virologist and its something you’ve worked extra hard on this time. You promised yourself that once you finished everything, you’d dedicate the rest of your life studying the viruses that caused the Raccoon City Destruction Incident and find a vaccine for any virus that could turn people to what the Raccoon citizens became. But for now, you are currently taking up your one year internship.

It was a regular day at the hospital, nothing out of the ordinary. You examined patients, spent your time in the laboratories, and conduct medical procedures along with other doctors. Soon, the mundane day of yours came to an end, or so you thought. As you were about to clock out, a fellow intern called for you.

“Hey [Y/N]! Wait up!” They said as they grabbed onto your shoulder, puffing out heavy breaths.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” You asked in concern seeing that it was most probably urgent based on the face your colleague made.

“There’s someone out there asking for a CBC.”

“Okay and? You do it. Can’t you see I’m about to leave? I’m about to be overtime.” You replied feeling annoyed from being interrupted as you were about to leave.

“C’mon, do me a favour will ya? I’ll do your stool examinations for a week. Pleaseeeee…” your colleague said while giving you puppy eyes. You cringed at the sight of them and finally gave in to their request.

You rolled your eyes and gave an empty threat. “Fine, I’ll do it. You better stick to your word or else.”

They nodded their head ecstatically and hugged you before they left. “Ugh…” you thought to yourself. If you had just declined, you would’ve been home by now doing anything as long as you weren’t here in the hospital. You grabbed a folder and headed to the counter whilst keeping your head down.

“Hello, good evening, I heard you came in for a CBC?” You greeted.

“Yes, how long do I have to wait for you [Y/N]?” A familiar voice asked. You stopped fiddling with the folder and furrowed your brows. Where have you heard this voice before? Then, it clicked. It couldn’t be…

You looked up at the person opposite to you and met a pair of piercing blue eyes you know you’ve seen before. The tall frame, muscular build, dirty blonde hair. You couldn’t believe it. It was like staring at a ghost. The blood drained from your face as you step back in horror, refusing to believe that the Leon Scott Kennedy was standing right infront of you, alive.

“Woah, hey, are you okay?” Leon asked as he held his hands out.

“Am I okay…? Okay?! I thought you died?!” You screamed which caught the attention of other hospital staff and patients. You look around and apologized and looked back at Leon. “Look, I’ll do your CBC. But you have explaining to do.”

“I know I do, I’m sorry [Y/N]…” Leon apologized and looked down, feeling ashamed from being away from you all these years and suddenly popping out of nowhere.

You scoff and led Leon to a room to extract a sample of his blood. He took off his jacket revealing his more muscular figure. He looked different now. His eyes were as captivating as ever, but it lost its shine. You didn’t want to pry now, but if he escaped the incident back at Raccoon City, he must’ve seen some fucked up shit. You grab the tourniquet and start to tie it around his arm.

“Tell me if it feels too tight.” You instructed Leon and he nodded in response. “Is this alright?” you ask to which he nodded again in response. You start feeling around his arm trying to locate a vein. Your touch sent shivers down Leon’s spine, painting him a shade of pink. You'd almost miss it if his long hair blocked his face. You chuckled at the sight of Leon, “I’m barely doing anything. Did you miss me that much?” you teased.

“You have no idea.” He replied smiling.

Once you’ve located the vein, you did the standard procedure and in a blink of an eye you had a sample of his blood. You took of the tourniquet off his arm and patched him up. He stood up from the seat and put his jacket back on. The silence was deafening, as an attempt to break the ice, you asked, “So… Why do you need the CBC?”

“Just an excuse to see you to be honest.”

You quickly turned to face him, “Are you crazy?” you spat.

“Borderline. It’d be nice to know if I’m healthy or not though.”

“You wasted my time and equipment Leon.” You said while crossing your arms.

“Okay, okay, I’m kidding. I need it to update my health information for the government.”

“Hmm, okay. Do you want the results now or tomorrow?”

“It can wait. Come on, let’s head out now. My treat.”

“Don’t rush me!”

You finish up whatever’s left to do and finally clock out. You and Leon left the hospital and walked up to the parking lot.

“Here, put this on.” He tossed you a helmet and wore his as he started his motorbike. You put on the helmet and sat behind him.

“Hold on tight ‘kay?” You barely held onto Leon, still feeling off. He sped up on the road which made you nervous. Leon felt that you weren’t holding on properly and suddenly stopped, making you jerk forward and wrap your arms around his torso. “I told you to hold on tight didn’t I?” He smirked at you and you rolled your eyes at him. “Won’t say I told you so.” He said his final warning and revved the bike.

The streets were almost empty which gave Leon the opportunity to drive faster. This made you hold onto him tighter and Leon smiled at this under his helmet. “Not a fan of thrill rides huh?” You could barely hear Leon over the sound of the wind going past you. “I swear to God Leon, if you speed u—“ Before you could even finish, he drove even faster. You had a strong grip on Leon at this point and you could hear his muffled laughing.

Sooner or later, you arrived at a hotel where Leon was staying for the meantime. He parked his motorbike and the two of you got off. You punched Leon hard on the arm you took the blood sample from.

“Ow! What the fuck?” he said laughing.

“I hate you.” You said to him with a straight face.

“Aw, cute. You know you could never hate me. Even from the grave.”

“Haha, very funny Leon.” You said sarcastically.

The both of you walked into the hotel and entered the restaurant inside it. You both sat down and ordered food. And while waiting, Leon finally tells you about what happened four years ago.

“I want the truth Leon.” You demanded.

“Okay, please, keep an open mind alright?” You nodded in response and Leon recounts the events of the Raccoon City incident. You listened to him intently. It was hard to imagine him go through all of that. You were feeling thankful though that he is still safe and sound now.

“My parents, Leon? Do you know what happened to them?” you asked desperately wanting an answer. He shook his head and said “I’m sorry, but I don’t know. I really am sorry I didn’t save them…” You muttered a small “Oh…” and reassured Leon that it was okay. “I just wish I called them a bit more often… I think they were worried about me even up until their death…” You say quietly.

“[Y/N]… You are their only daughter, of course they cared. I’m sure they’re glad to know that your strong, healthy, and most importantly, you're safe now.” Leon said while holding your hand. You felt a tear run down your face and Leon used his other hand to wipe it off. He kept his hand on your cheek and gently caressed it. “I’m so sorry for the way things ended Leon… I didn’t want to… But—“ you were cut off by Leon.

“It’s okay… I forgive you [Y/N].”

“But I don’t forgive myself! There wasn’t a single day where I didn’t long for your presence by my side. I wanted you near me again.”

“I felt the same way too....”

No other words were said. You looked into each other’s eyes and reignited a spark that you thought died a long time ago. The moment was short but it felt longer than that. Too bad it was actually cut short by the waiter that brought you your food. You grinned from ear to ear and Leon let out a laugh. The both of you enjoyed the fine dining and soon you escorted him to his room.

“I’ll… be off now…” you said awkwardly to Leon while he stood leaning on the door frame.

“Do you really have to leave? It’s late at night. Stay with me for the night. It’s not safe out there.”

“Leon…”

“For old times sake…” Leon pleaded. He moved closer to you, grabbing your waist and leaning into your ear. “…Please?” he whispered.

You look at Leon, heat running through your body. He was a burning candle, and you were a moth that just couldn’t resist. Your lips crashed onto his and he slammed the door shut behind you. The both of you make it to the bed and swiftly take off each other clothes and threw it to the bedroom floor. Leon sat upright, back on the bedframe, while you were on top of him. You grinded on him slowly making him groan.

“Fuck, you don’t know how much I’ve missed this.” Leon breathed.

“Tell me Leon… How much did you miss me?” You said as you run your hands through his hair, tugging at it. You teased him, running your wet cunt along his hard dick. Leon breathed even heavier, you could feel his dick twitch as it longed to be in you.

"I'd think of you, when I touch myself... I missed you touching me, making you screaming my name, being inside you. I missed it all. Please, let me fuck you..." Leon begged. You held yourself up and positioned his dick under you.

You and Leon both moaned when he entered you. It took some time for you to adjust to Leon again. "So tight... You haven't been fucking anyone else have you?" He asked. You shook your head and he started thrusting into you, catching you off guard. You moaned and whimpered from Leon suddenly fucking you.

"Come on baby, use your words." he demanded.

You tried to speak but your words were slurred. "O-only... you... Leon. I've only f-fucked you..."

"Mhm, that's right. You're mine, got that? And I'll make sure people know that." Leon sucked onto your neck leaving hickeys on it, marking what's his.

He quickened his pace leaving you a moaning mess. Sounds of skin slapping against each other echoing in the room. You moaned his name over and over again like a prayer. As you feel your climax coming, your walls tightening around Leon's dick. He moaned your name into your ear. "You feel so fucking good baby."

"Leon, I'm close..." You managed to get the words out of your mouth. "Cum for me baby." Leon said as his thrusts get sloppier and rougher. A scream escaped your lips as you came. Leon finished inside you making sure every bit of cum filled you to the brim.

Leon looked at you and cupped your cheek. "Why don't we make up for lost time?"

The sunlight peaked through the gaps of the curtains and you find yourself in bed beside Leon as he sleeps peacefully. You admire Leon's beauty for a little while and brushed his hair to the side. His eyes flutter open and he greeted you in a raspy voice.

"Good morning love, did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby." You replied.

"Mhm, that's good. Come closer."

You move closer to Leon and lay on his chest. "There's something I didn't tell you last night." he said and you could hear his heart beat faster.

"Tell me..."

"I was recruited by the USSTRATCOM shortly after the incident at Raccoon City, and I'm a government agent now. These past 4 years, I've been training intensely. And in a few days, I'll be leaving for North America to my next mission."

You lay in silence, taking in the words Leon had just said.

"Say something please, [Y/N]..." Leon pleaded.

"Do you... want us to get back together, Leon? I want you to be realistic. If you're an agent, who goes on missions that you could possibly never return from, would you really want to be tied down to me?" You asked.

"I do want us back. God knows how much I want us back together. And I don't care about all that mission shit. I will return from every mission just for you."

"Are you sure Leon? Because this time, I'm willing to stay. I've lost you once, and I'm not making the same mistake again."

"I'm always sure when it comes to you. We'll make it work this time, I promise. I love you [Y/N]..."

"I love you too Leon." Those words coming out your mouth after years of longing for him gave you a feeling of euphoria and nostalgia all at once. Who knew that this time around, we'd fall right back into each other's arms.

#leon #leon kennedy #leon scott kennedy #leon s kennedy #leon x reader #leon x you #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy x you #leon scott kennedy x reader #leon scott kennedy x you #resident evil #resident evil x reader #resident evil x you #leon kennedy smut #leon s kennedy smut #leon scottt kennedy smut #leon kennedy angst #resident evil angst

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ifitmeanslosingyouthenno · 2 months ago

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terrible things

day 2 whumptober prompt: alternative "shivering"

cw: mentioned stillbirth/miscarriage, car accidents, memory loss (not really but kinda)

aaron finds him in the back porch again, even if the rain has been going steadily for the past few hours

even from inside, through the glass door, he can see neil’s shaking

he doesn’t know if the shivering is from the cold or…

he doesn’t know if neil realizes he’s shaking

he doesn’t bother to grab an umbrella, before he’s putting on his boots and a thick jacket, hesitating before he’s grabbing kate’s for neil too

the rain isn’t too heavy, somewhere between drizzle and actual rain, but aaron isn’t sure how long neil has been standing here

knowing him it could be anywhere between 15 minutes and 3 hours before aaron found out he had left his bed again

“neil? can you hear me?”

to his credit, neil doesn’t startle, simply blinks his eyes sluggishly, taking a few seconds to focus on the man in front of him

“andrew?”

for all that aaron hated neil for years, for all that he thought neil didn’t deserve andrew, for all that he thought andrew could have gone for anyone but the most irritating man alive, his own heart skips a bit at the vulnerability in neil’s voice, so unfamiliar yet the only thing he’s heard for the past few weeks

“no, it’s aaron remember? you’ve been staying with me and kate for about 3 weeks now”

for all that aaron would have done anything to never interact with neil josten again when they were in college, the confused look on his face makes him miss when things were simpler

“i- where’s andrew? where’s my-?”

it seems an unconscious movement, the way his hands settle on his belly, and it makes aaron’s eyes sting

“why don’t we head inside neil? the rain’s cold and you don’t have a jacket, you’re shivering”

as if only now realizing, neil moves so that he’s holding himself, hugging his stomach tightly

“no, i’m not- i want andrew”

aaron doesn’t even know when he started associating college with simpler times

“he’s- he’s not here remember? he’s visiting nicky in germany, you’ve been staying with me and kate”

neil’s lips are trembling, and his eyes widen almost childishly, “when is he coming back?”

oh how he wishes he could turn back time

how he wishes andrew and neil hadn’t gotten in that accident as they headed to the hospital for the baby’s birth

how he wishes they hadn’t left the hospital with a wooden box instead of a baby, potentially permanent damage to neil’s cognitive state and a career ending fracture for andrew

it’s been months now, and aaron doesn’t know if what made andrew leave was the loss of the baby or the loss of neil

realistically it was most likely both

he wishes he wouldn’t have to lie to neil, but seeing as he doesn’t have the slightless idea where andrew was, it was too late for that

“soon, remember? he said he was coming back soon”

“soon, yeah, he’s- he’s coming back”

there’s so much certainty in his voice, aaron can’t stop a few tears from falling

“yeah, so why don’t we wait for him inside huh? let’s get you dry and warm, come on”

neil’s quiet obedience, and the way he mindlessly follows aaron’s direction as they head back inside, and aaron makes sure he towels down and puts on some warm clothes is so fucking wrong

this isn’t neil josten

he wishes he could fucking turn back time

aaron watches as he, once again, gets under the covers

“goodnight drew”

neil is still shivering

and now so is aaron

ngl i cried a bit writing this lol, like this went veeeery differently to what i had planned, like the idea was for andrew to find neil shivering on the roof after a nightmare and idk where the fuck this came from also yes neil is trans in this au because my mind said so in the middle of writing this and yes they end up in a car accident on the way to the hospital bc neil is in labor, and it's bad enough that neil gets traumatic head injury with bad damage that could or could not revert, and it's a stillbirth, bc they were rushing to the hospital bc neil wasn't neil his due date yet, and he could feel something was wrong, and in the end due to complications from the birth itself plus the complications brought by the accident just weren't compatible with the baby surviving :( and yes andrew is alive, he just couldn't stand everything happening to them, like aaron says, he lost his unborn child, he lost the man that he loves, and he got frustrated, he hurt too much and he left, but not before making sure aaron would look after neil this is probably one of the saddest things i've written lol sorry if it's too much and so very sorry for ranting here and yes the title is from terrible things by mayday parade

#aftg #all for the game #aftg fic #aftg hc #aftg headcanon #neil josten #andrew minyard #andreil #aftg au #aaron minyard #whumptober #whumptober 2024

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midnightsnyx · 2 years ago

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what if i told you (i love you) part 2 - joel miller

pairing: joel miller!fem reader

chapter summary: when joel and ellie's stay turns out to be longer than expected, you have to figure out how you're going to deal with having him around. word count: 1.9k warnings: insinuated smut, angst, mentions of death, mentions of abortion, little bit of fluff(?), and ellie being a cool big sister! let me know if i missed anything please. also this isn't edited lol sorry authors note: GUYS!!!! WHAT THE HECK! thank you all so so so much from the very bottom of my heart for all the love on the story. comments, reblogs, and likes feed my angsty writing soul <3 y'all are the best! please take caution to the warnings for this chapter and read safely <3 if anyone wants to send thoughts, suggestions ect, here is my ask box. and lastly, if you want to be added to my tag list please fill out this super short form here <3 oh one more thing! I know last chapter was in past tense but I hate writing that unless I’m doing flashbacks so from now on, it’s all present tense unless I do a flashback

masterlist what i write series masterpost

Boston 2018

The first time you could blame it on the bad liquor. The second time, you could say it was the adrenaline from nearly getting killed by a pack of clickers but the third time you found yourself underneath Joel Miller, there was nobody to blame but yourself. You’d been working with him and Tess for a couple years and always thought the two of them were together. However, while on a supply run with just Tess about a year after you met them, you discovered that while there was an initial attraction, things were strictly business between them. You really had no plans to deal with the man further than supply runs and trades but after you had a taste of what could be, you didn’t want to go without.

You knew that things weren’t exclusive and never would be. It was simply a way for the both of you to blow off steam in this shitty world so after you missed your period not once, but twice, you realized that things might be more complicated than you had planned. Approaching Joel about the situation was not something you were looking forward to so you confided in Tess, who after scolding you, said you had two options. She knew a person who “took care of these problems” and could get your situation resolved with little to no damage or you could do what she thought was unfair, and bring a new life into the world that had become so cruel, most didn’t want to live anyway. You weighed your options for about a week, avoiding Joel whenever he tried to get you alone because all you wanted to do was blurt out that you were pregnant to get it off your chest but somehow, you knew how he would react.

Everybody had lost someone during the outbreak and although it was never confirmed by Joel, you knew he’d lost a child. Somewhere inside you, there was a small hope that maybe this tiny little life inside you could help fill some of the void but it was smashed when you eventually told him.

His cold expression and cold words were hurtful but not unexpected.

“How could you be so careless?”

You’d argued with him for over an hour, the whole “it takes two to tangle” argument but eventually you had enough and told him if he wanted nothing to do with it, this was the time because you weren’t going to wait around forever. So when his last words to you were “leave”, you decided then and there that you were done with Joel Miller. You’d waited a few weeks after Tess asked you to even though you knew that he wouldn’t come around. The day you left, you said goodbye to Tess, telling her where you planned to go and told her if Joel asked about you, not to tell him anything. If you could help it, you planned to never see Joel again.

Jackson, Wyoming 2023

Much to your dismay, Joel is at the dining hall the next morning. He’s sitting with Tommy and Ellie but you can feel his eyes on you while you watch Jack eat his breakfast. It’s like a repeat of yesterday, only this time you’re worried that Hazel may have actually poisned his food. She grumbled when he walked in the doors but didn’t say much.

Ellie eventually makes her way over to where you and Jack are sitting, shyly asking if she can sit with you and play with Jack. You hesitate but Jack gives you puppy eyes and you can never say no to him. Some of his facial expressions always reminded you of Joel but with the man actually being here now, you’re noticing it much more. You look over at him and his eyes are locked on the three of you sitting together so you look back at Ellie.

“So…�� you begin, waiting for her to look up at you and when she does, you can see the mischievous look in her eyes.

“You’re gonna ask me about Joel,” she grins, “y’know, he was talking to Tommy about you last night. They thought I was asleep but there was a lot of yelling.”

“What exactly were they saying?” you ask, and she looks back at Jack, taking the piece of food he offers her.

“I dunno, Joel was grumpy that Tommy didn’t tell him that you were here but Tommy told Joel that you didn’t want him to know,” she says, “he’s always grumpy though, so that’s nothing new.”

You weren’t planning on asking her but you’re dying to know how exactly Joel ended up dragging a teenager all the way to Wyoming.

“What’s the deal with you and Joel?” you ask, “not a long lost kid, are you?”

She just laughs and shakes her head, “nah, I mean he acts like a dad but he’s just fulfilling a request from someone. I’m just cargo.”

She says it non-chalantly but something in her expression changes, so small you barely notice. It’s there though but before you can question her further, she turns the tables back to you.

“What the deal with you and Joel? I mean, clearly the kid is his… did he-”

“Ellie,” a voice cuts in and you both jump, not noticing that Joel somehow snuck up on the both of you. Before either of you can answer, a little voice speaks up.

“Hi,” Jack says, waving at Joel who once again, looks shocked that there’s a child there. The boy offers him a handful of mushed up fruit and you watch as Joel hesitantly accepts it.

You’ve watched Joel take down countless clickers and raiders so it amuses you that a toddler scares him.

Jack takes a loud slurp of his water and tries to hand it to Joel before you take it from him, rolling your eyes. Ellie is watching the interaction with amusement and you can even see Tommy from across the hall, watching closely.

“Who’re you?” Jack asks, trying to pass Joel more food. You take his plate, ignoring his grumbling. Another thing that Jack does that reminds you of Joel are his mood swings. Some days he is a chatterbox and others, you can barely get a peep out of him. Those days, he reminds you of Joel.

When Joel looks at you, this time with panic written across his face, you shrug. You’re beginning to find this amusing because who knew all it would take is a toddler to break the big Joel Miller.

“Ellie, I have to go with Tommy for a bit. Don’t leave the four walls of this town,” he points at her when she raises her hands in defense, “I told Maria to keep an eye on you.”

“Don’t worry old man, I think I’ll hang out with these two,” she tells him but then shyly looks at you, “if that's alright.”

You nod and watch as her face lights up. She goes back to talking to the little boy sitting next to her and you look at Joel who is shifting uncomfortably.

“Uh, thanks,” he mumbles without looking at you before quickly walking back to Tommy. You watch the two of them leave, the older man casting one more glance you way before his brother pats him on the back firmly.

“He’s got it bad for you,” Ellie says absently, “like real bad. Were you two like, together?”

You stare at her for a solid minute, wondering where the hell this kid came from. Was she this blunt before? Or has Joel corrupted her?

“It’s complicated, and a long story.”

“Is it longer than a week? ‘Cause I think that’s how long we’re staying,” she says and you hide a frown. You’re still trying to find out exactly why they’re here and now you find out they’re only staying a week? You can’t decide if you are relieved or disappointed.

“Why don’t we go for a walk?” You offer, wanting to get out of this conversation because talking about your non existent relationship with Joel to a 14 year old is at the bottom of your to-do list. “Jack likes seeing the sheep and horses.”

Ellie grins and you can’t help but smile when she offers her hand to Jack who accepts it eagerly. You can tell she’s trying to fill a void and you’re beginning not to mind.

. . .

Later that night after Jack is long asleep, you sit outside on your porch wrapped up in a winter jacket and blanket. It’s cold but you need some fresh air to try and get your thoughts straightened out. Ellie tried to bring up yours and Joel’s history multiple times but eventually gave up on it once she realized you weren’t going to say anything. You haven’t seen Joel since this morning, spending the day with Ellie and Jack, then eating dinner and dropping the girl off at the house she and Joel are staying at before going back to your own and putting your kid to bed.

Joel showing up out of the blue is bringing back too many memories, some good but some bad.

Suddenly, a voice breaks you out of your thoughts and you curse Joel Miller again for sneaking up on you. Being in Jackson so long is making you let your guard down too much.

“Hey,” he says, standing at the bottom of your porch steps awkwardly, “the kid gone to bed?”

Small talk. He is trying to make small talk.

“What do you want, Joel?” You ask shortly, half wanting to leave before he says anything else but if he is seeking you out, you want to know what he is looking for from you.

“I, uh, I wanted to say thanks,” he says stumbling over his words, “for entertaining Ellie today. She was real pleased-”

“I didn’t do it for you,” you snap, “she’s a good kid.”

He just nods, staring at the ground and scuffing his boots on the dirt. You watch as he clears his throat and looks up at you, a sadness in his eyes that you’re not sure you’ve ever seen.

“Tess is gone,” he says, and even though you had your suspicions since she’s not with him and he travelling all the way here, his words feel like a punch in the stomach.

“How?”

“She got bit on our way here,” he tells you and you just nod, swallowing back tears. Six years ago, you might’ve let him comfort you but all you want now is to yell or scream at him. Ellie wouldn’t tell you why they were here or why she was with Joel and you know you won’t get anything out of him. You know the only reason for his late night visit is to break the news about Tess.

When you stand up, his mouth opens to protest but he just offers you the closest thing he has to a smile. It’s pitiful.

You turn to walk inside but his voice stops you. Refusing to look at him, you pause but stay facing the door.

“He seems like a good kid,” he says quietly and you know he’s referring to Jack.

There’s a million things you can say to him, you can turn around and yell or scream at him. You could ask him why? Why did you push me away when I needed you? Why didn’t you want Jack? What hurt you so bad, that you couldn’t accept him?

Instead, you walk inside your house and close the door behind you.

. . .

tag list: @sloanexx @wandering-poetess @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibii

@chiogarza @jellybeanxc @iranispunk @imonmykneessir @wakaladjarin @sleepylunarwolf @pedropascalfan221 @abovenyx

@starjoyyy @shuriri4life @cavillary

if i didn't tag you & you asked to be, it's cause you didn't show up when i tried! if it didn't work, msg me & we'll figure it out :)

#joel miller x y/n #joel miller imagine #joel miller reader insert #joel miller x reader #tlou fanfiction #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #joel miller x you #allies writing

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delimeful · 1 year ago

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not always what they seem (5)

warnings: misunderstandings, remus-typical mentions of gore and cannibalism, swearing, arguing, lmk if i missed any!

Their captors were up to something.

Janus studied the far side of the room with narrowed eyes, ignoring the pulsing headache that had slowly been developing over the past few hours.

By all accounts, he should have woken one of the others up for a watch shift far before now. Instead, he’d seated himself behind them and watched the aliens unerringly.

A large part of his job required him to observe people. The way someone moved and gestured and reacted physically while conversing with others gave away more than most knew, and Janus was well-practiced in the art. He could read practically anyone like a book.

These creatures might have been from an entirely different library, so to speak, but he’d never let something like that stop him before.

Logan was the easiest, because he had the most to work with and his features were… not quite the most human, but certainly mammalian in nature.

Janus had met many a stray cat whilst lurking totally non-suspiciously in dark alleys, and he found himself appreciating the experience when he observed the way Logan’s ears flicked and flattened in response to certain conversations or actions.

Ever the instigator, Remus had provided his own contribution in the form of thoroughly disturbing the aliens. He’d likely made them think their specimens were damaged with his little shoulder stunt, and while Janus had been quick to point out the potential pitfalls of the behavior, he’d also taken careful note of the way Logan had reacted— their pupils had gone still and slitted, their ears nearly vanishing with how flat they’d gone, and their tail lashing behind them.

The whole mess had at least tapped a wellspring of useful information: Patton’s hands went still and their voice low, while Roman had begun to audibly buzz, rising up on their toes. Clear tells of concern and stress were worth his weight in gold in this sort of situation.

It was extremely tempting to let Remus do whatever he pleased just for the reactions, if it weren’t for the concerningly high odds that the behavior might get him slapped with a defective or diseased label. Janus didn’t have the same preoccupation with panic that Virgil did, but he was still very aware of the ways the situation could turn sour.

Janus wasn’t fond of feeling helpless, and in a situation like this, every glimpse of the aliens was accompanied by the looming knowledge that he was utterly outmatched on nearly every level. Resources, physical power, environment, presence— they held far too many of the cards.

Luckily, they didn’t know they’d picked up someone who was more than experienced at pulling cards from thin air.

He would scrape and gather every sliver of control he could get, and eventually it would be enough to get them out of here.

For now, however, it was vital that he bide his time and pay attention.

Thus, when piles of boxes began to accumulate across the lab and the aliens abandoned their prior workstations to begin setting something up behind a divider, he’d immediately started tracking their movements.

There was nothing overtly morose or angry in their movements, which was a relief in more ways than one. The way they were testing had shifted a few times, and the last thing Janus wanted was for them to decide humans were simply out of their expertise range and better off under a different lab’s scalpel.

Better the devil you know, after all.

Plus, Janus had already memorized a bunch of their tells, and would be incredibly annoyed to have to start fresh with a new gaggle of terrifying giant scientists.

Thankfully, there was no sign of that yet.

In fact, they seemed almost enthusiastic, chattering between themselves as they moved boxes from place to place, or opened one and pulled some strange apparatus out before moving out of sight again. Whatever they were making, it was exciting to them.

Of course, that could mean very bad news for the resident lab rats.

Janus was attempting not to let Virgil’s catastrophizing or Remus’s… imagination infect his plans, but he ended up watching for any sharp-edged implements anyhow.

It was only once they started cleaning up their mess, shuffling boxes and packing items away, that Janus finally reached over to wake up his companions.

“Rise and shine,” he said, opting for a wakeup call that was more obscure and hopefully, harder to translate.

None of the aliens seemed to be in easy hearing range, but better safe than sorry. He still wasn’t sure whether or not they were being recorded by default, after all.

Earlier, he’d tried using a variety of complex synonyms to teach Virgil what he’d learned of their language, only to receive an exhausted, dead-eyed stare.

“I write for a living, but even I can’t handle the ‘swallowed a thesaurus’ vibe you’re putting out right now,” he’d said, and Janus had reluctantly conceded.

Now, Virgil’s body reacted much quicker than his mind, which seemed to be a pattern with him. He jolted awake the second Janus tapped his shoulder, inhaling sharply before flailing away from them to land in a disoriented heap a couple feet away. He attempted to scramble even further back, head whipping from side to side like he expected to be jumped from every angle at any minute.

Janus held his hands up non aggressively, firmly planted in his spot, and watched as the fog of sleep slowly lifted from their youngest member’s eyes.

“A graceful riser, aren’t you?” he commented dryly.

“Shut up,” Virgil muttered, but the tension seeped out of his shoulders quickly enough that it was a little flattering. There was some trust there, after all. “What’s goin’ on? Did– Did nobody wake me for a shift?”

“It hasn’t been that long,” Janus lied smoothly, ignoring the little pinch of doubt in Virgil’s brow. “Our gracious hosts seem to have something planned.”

The distraction worked; Virgil immediately swiveled to glare across the room at where the giants were tidying up.

Still played out on the ground like a ragdoll, Remus cracked open an eye to stare up at Janus. He undeniably knew Janus was full of shit, but didn’t bother saying anything about it as he pushed himself from laying to standing in one move, yet another freakish display of flexibility.

“So,” he said, slinging one arm around Virgil’s shoulder and failing to sling the other around Janus, “what are we thinking? The alien version of a Hawaiian-style barbeque, or Saw-style torture chamber?”

Virgil elbowed him in the gut, but didn’t actually take the opportunity to wiggle out from under his arm. “Stop speaking forever.”

“Aw, but then how would I seduce the aliens? I know I’ve got a smokin’ hot bod, but sexiness is only skin-deep or whatever.” Remus perked up slightly. “Ooh, that’s an idea! What I actually need to show them is my gorgeous skeleton. That settles it, I’m voting Saw trap.”

With all the unfortunate timing of a bad sitcom, Patton approached, carrying one of those transparent cells they’d first awoken in. Virgil took a few steps back just seeing the thing, and Janus wondered what it was specifically about the item that upset him. Claustrophobia? Acrophobia? A simple hatred for the reminder of how very trapped they were?

Regardless, this was the sort of negotiation that he could handle.

“Hello,” Patton said, setting the cell down on the table near them. They said a few other things, too, none of which Janus caught, but the meaning was clear enough when they slid the lid to the cell off and held an expectant hand out.

“I don’t suppose you learned how to say ‘hell fucking no’ in alienspeak yet?” Virgil muttered, edging a little closer to Remus without even seeming to notice he was doing it.

“The next lesson, perhaps,” Janus shot back dryly, and then stepped forward but stopped short of actually climbing onto their hand.

“No cell,” he spoke carefully, pointing to the clear box and then shaking his head firmly.

He wanted to keep as much of their language secret as possible, yes, but there were some words that they definitely wanted the aliens to understand. First and foremost, the word ‘no’.

Patton hesitated, hands freezing in place in a way that Janus expected meant uncertainty, but Virgil clearly saw the stillness as a precursor to attack. Shaking himself free of Remus’s willowy form, he edged close to Janus with his eyes locked on Patton and a snarl that seemed mostly like a baring of teeth.

Janus was fairly sure that biting would have little to no effect on the alien’s craggy, tortoise-like skin, but it was the sentiment that counted, he supposed.

He didn’t react to his impromptu emo bodyguard, keeping his attention locked on Patton, and simply held his hands out, cupped and palm up.

After a moment, Patton reached a second hand over to mimic the posture, and Janus stepped close to it. “Virgil, if you’ll step forward and touch that first hand?”

“If I’ll what.” The glare was practically audible.

Janus sighed. “Work with me here? Unless you’d prefer the box. It would certainly mean less effort for me.”

A short beat of silence, and then Virgil reached forward and tentatively touched his fingertips to Patton’s hand. Janus nodded shortly and then beckoned at another one of Patton’s hands and held his hands out in demonstration again, hoping the intent would come through even with the difference in body language.

There was a pause as Patton looked over at where the other two giants were waiting, and then lowered a third hand into range.

“Remus,” Janus said, and glanced over his shoulder with barely hidden amusement. “Do I even need to ask?”

“You had me at hand stuff!” Remus responded brightly, skipping up to the upheld hand and hopping slightly to casually seat himself on it, like he was boosting himself up to sit on a counter or oversized stool.

Janus took a steadying breath as subtly as possible, and then climbed on himself. This was the first test of how much influence they had. It was better to know now rather than later, especially with an opportunity involving such low stakes.

“We’re really doing this, huh,” Virgil said, and scuffed his hands through his hair roughly with a groan before visibly steeling himself.

To Patton’s credit, he remained patiently still even as Virgil hauled himself into their hand at a snail's pace.

Once they were all settled, Patton lifted them up with all the due diligence they’d used with Janus previously, and glanced over at the cell.

“No,” they echoed the English thoughtfully, and then turned away from it, watching their reactions closely.

The way Virgil relaxed slightly, his expression evening out into something like relief, likely spoke for itself, but Janus nodded slowly in approval anyhow.

Hm. Perhaps their chances of getting out of this alive weren’t as dire as first assumed.

—

Patton turned around slowly, holding all three of their small, skittish guests with an astounded tint to his skin.

“Tell me the recorders were on,” he demanded, his free hands twitching visibly with the urge to fidget. “Tell me you guys saw that!”

His voice went a little too high-pitched, Logan’s ears flattening back slightly, but both he and Roman seemed just as delighted as him.

“We weren’t close enough to catch most of what they said, but the outcome speaks for itself, I think,” Logan said, watching Patton’s hands almost as intently as the Nilh was.

“I’m so jealous right now, you have no idea,” Roman announced. “How did you convince Purple to let you hold them?! They hissed at me!”

“I didn’t,” Patton replied, moving slowly and smoothly towards them. “Yellow did.”

The three of them looked at the tiny alien in question, who didn’t balk but grew the slightest bit tenser on Patton’s palm.

An experienced deceiver, Patton thought sadly, and couldn’t help but wonder just what their former specimens were actually feeling about the situation.

“There must be something that allowed Yellow to take a directive role in the group,” Logan mused, voice rumbling. “They have been leading the other two from the beginning, remember? They were picked up from entirely different locations, but from the beginning there has been a sense of cohesion between them all. It may be worth checking for hivemind organisms, parasitic or symbiotic.”

“I doubt it,” Roman replied. “I caught a hivemind bug in my youth, and the way they move just doesn’t have all the signs. They’re on the same branch, but they’re not interwoven pieces of bark, you know what I mean?”

“I suppose,” Logan said.

“Not really,” said Patton, who hadn’t grown up in a biome with populous tree life.

“Anyhow, if you two will scoot out of the way, I have a feeling that our test chambers will provide some solid evidence against the hivemind theory,” he added, still carefully monitoring his passengers for any sign of fear or unbalancing.

Once the path was clear, he moved forward and then paused at the entrance to the chambers.

They’d been designed with the specimen sect in mind: the entrance had grooves for the box to slide neatly into, at which point they could remotely open the door to the connecting hall and allow the specimens easy access to the space on their own time.

They weren’t dealing with specimens anymore, though, so this could be solved simply enough!

He set the three of them carefully on the stretch of table in front of the first chamber’s entrance, and manually slid the door open.

“Patton, is that… wise?” Roman asked tentatively.

“They seem to respond best to being given choices!” Patton replied. “... Maybe be ready to intervene if they head towards the edge of the table, though.”

—

“I am not doing another death maze. I’m drawing the line in the sand, man,” Virgil announced to the room at large, despite the fact that only half of the occupants could understand him. “The real line in the sand was like, one abduction ago, but I’m drawing a new, deeper line in the sand. Screw this.”

Remus rubbed his hands together in purposefully cartoonish glee. “Y’know, I could get used to this whole space lab rat thing if they keep throwing so much enrichment into my enclosure. I haven’t gotten to destroy the same thing twice in a row since they gave up on rebuilding the local billboard in my town.”

Virgil sighed. “…I don’t even wanna know, man.”

Janus, who had not had the privilege of entering the death maze so far and had no plans of changing that, turned on his heel and started walking the other way.

Only seven steps in, Patton’s hand drifted down to block him from heading any further in that direction.

“No,” the giant said, and gave a solid attempt at shaking their head. Another string of alien syllables, and a flat-handed gesture towards the open doorway.

The other two aliens hovered closeby. Janus considered for a long moment, mostly just to test a few more boundaries before acquiescing.

“Tell me you’re joking,” Virgil groaned, watching him turn around and walk back that way.

“I don’t want to set a precedent that it’s normal or tolerable to ignore a ‘no’.” Janus shrugged. “We can save that for when it’ll be more useful.”

“Useful like avoiding a literal electrified rat race, maybe?” Virgil snapped back, but when Janus showed no signs of stopping, he trudged after him. “Okay, sure, whatever. I’m not jumping in front of any spike traps for you. Your funeral.”

Virgil had already jumped in front of far scarier on Janus’ behalf, but he had enough sense not to say so aloud. Not yet, anyhow. It would make for invaluable teasing material later.

“Can’t spell funeral without fun!” Remus added in cheery anticipation, having waited by the doors expectantly.

He seemed to have understood the sort of boundary-testing Janus was going for quicker than most. It appeared he certainly was keener than his lackadaisical and outright deranged demeanor would imply.

Janus wasn’t typically the kind to take point, but he supposed he had led them into this mess. He was fairly sure at this point that there wasn’t anything intended to harm them inside anyhow. And if there was, well, he’d bluffed his way through worse odds before.

With the same false confidence that carried him everywhere, he led the way through the doors and down the narrow hall into the first room. To his surprise, the doors didn’t immediately slam shut behind them. The lights flickered on, revealing… a floor utterly swathed in fabrics?

“It looks like a laundromat threw up in here,” Virgil muttered, nudging at a pile of fabric warily.

Remus took a running start and cannonballed into one of the larger mounds, thrashing around in it for a moment before sitting up and scanning the room expectantly.

“No death traps here!” he announced to them after a solid ten seconds had passed. “Maybe it’s the alien version of a nice padded cell?”

“It would be a fairly poor cell,” Janus argued, motioning towards the clearly visible doorway on the other side of the room. “I imagine it’s a test of their own, though I can’t imagine what.”

Virgil paused. “Didn’t the big insect idiot take some of your clothes? Remus, don’t even start.”

Remus closed his mouth with a click, grinning.

“Yes, he seemed rather fascinated with it. Persistent, too,” Janus added, his tone distinctly non-complimentary.

The worn hoodie he’d been lent was surprisingly comfortable, but it didn’t change the fact that it didn’t exactly look professional. His appearance was something he preferred to manage himself, besides.

“I’d say maybe it’s a request for tiny clothes, but that’s stupid.” Virgil turned in a slow circle. “Plus there’s no actual sewing supplies.”

Janus glanced up, but the ceiling was opaque. However the aliens were monitoring them, it wasn’t through that.

“The far door is open. Let’s see if the next room can illuminate what precisely they want from us.”

—

“They didn’t pick any textiles!” Roman bemoaned as Patton tapped at his arm in a soothing pattern.

“I told you we shouldn’t have put it first,” Logan said with an ear flick.

“Give it more time,” Patton encouraged. “They’re probably going to go back and forth between rooms a fair few times. We’ll learn their preferences eventually!”

—

“I am never leaving this room. Ever.”

Virgil snorted, as though Janus was being facetious when he actually felt dangerously close to swearing an oath on the matter.

The next room was broken up into five smaller spaces, which turned out to be temperature-controlled.

Janus was currently in the warmest room, practically directly below the heating vent and he had no plans of exiting any time soon.

Remus, who had started sweating as soon as they got to the second warmest area, had already detoured to the coldest section and was currently exposing his pits— and by extension, his body odor— to the fans.

Janus wasn’t going in that section for love or money.

“Stop turning into a puddle,” Virgil demanded, kicking at one of Janus’s legs lightly. “You don’t even know how this thing is heated. We could be getting radiation poisoning right now.”

“Who needs warmth with a ray of sunshine like you in the group,” Janus asked, earning himself a glower. “You have no sympathy for the disabled. For shame.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Come on. I want to leave but I don’t want to get separated. That’s how they get you in every horror movie ever.”

Janus stretched out a little further, sighing as the heat sank into his bones. “Ahh, the horror.”

“Fine,” Virgil snapped, rising. “Don’t come crying when they start baking you like a pie.”

He stomped off with the energy of a twenty year old. Being an ancient five years older, Janus envied his spry nature.

He’d have to get up and keep moving after all. Just… in a moment or two…

—

They watched as two of the little aliens settled firmly on opposite ends of the climate choice area, with the third one storming off without settling in any particular one.

“…I rescind my hivemind theory.”

“Stars above,” Roman made a low buzzing groan. “This is going to make temperature control so unnecessarily difficult.”

“We’re certainly going to have to get creative,” Patton agreed, unable to conceal his amusement. “Two choices in and we’ve already got trouble on our hands, literally.”

He waved a few hands around to his teammates’ shared exasperation.

“A species with such variance in three samples alone… It’s going to be explosive when we share this footage.” Roman mused. “Nobody’s going to know what hit them.”

Looking down at their tiny guests, Patton couldn’t help but agree.

#nawts #not always what they seem #ts virgil #ts roman #ts janus #ts patton #ts logan #ts remus #my writing #sanders sides fic #g/t #space au #writing

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cellythefloshie · 2 years ago

Text

;; Look At My Face

Summary: Dunn is livid after a high hit leaves him bloodied. You are able to bring him some comfort after a concussion spotter has him removed from the game. Kinks & TW: Hurt/Comfort. Notes: Reader is a medical resident/intern for the Seattle Kraken Organization, this would make her 24+. If this was going to be anything more than a short one-shot I would spend more time researching the NHL concussion protocols so you get a lot of generalization. I am also in no way a medical professional - my knowledge goes as far as basic first aid. AND yes I spent a good 20 minutes studying the different members of NHL medical teams just for 700 words. We're lucky I wanted to keep this shorter. Inspired By: This Gif Set. And the incident from the Ducks vs Seattle games on 2023-03-07. Word Count: 708

The hit from Max Comtois had been high. His shoulder collided with Vince Dunn square in the face and down onto the ice where he lay still until his slow-moving body had lifted itself from the ice. Everyone had seen it. Well, everyone except the officials. The crowd was left roaring in disapproval, and Vince? He was livid. Skating back to the bench, where the trainers waited to get a good look at the damage done, he spewed profanities. He let out a few choice words, coward and fuck among them as he smacked his stick against the boards in protest. It was only then the referees made a call - but the hall wasn’t against Comtois for his high hit. No, it was against Vince for his unsportsmanlike conduct.

Vince was in the box for a limited time before he was removed from the box, and sent down the tunnel to you and the rest of the medical team that waited for him. The concussion spotter had seen something, and he would have to spend the rest of the game away from the ice. He was still fueled with anger as he trudged down the hallway. He was met by the team’s primary care physician, who sat Vince down and began to go through their set checklist laid out by the NHL’s concussion protocol.

As a medical resident welcomed onto the team’s medical staff in an intern capacity - one of the NHL’s desperate attempts to assure more women were involved and represented in hockey - you stood by, filled out the needed paperwork and did as you were told. This was a huge learning opportunity for you, and you hoped to one day return to the organization in a physician role - so you refused to do anything to fuck things up.

“Stay with him,” the physician told you when he completed his list, “if there are any changes page me - and get that cut clean up.”

It was a simple enough task, and you accepted it with a nod. Pulling on a pair of gloves you stepped in front of Vince who sat still half-dressed in his equipment in his stall. He had hoped to return to the game, but you were sure the clock was creeping onto its final minutes. You cleaned him up in silence, your eyes carefully examining the shallow cut on the bridge of his nose. His visor had cut through the skin on impact, sending blood streaming down his face.

“You won’t need stitches,” you assured him after a moment, your careful touch wiping the blood away with some gauze and antiseptic.

“Thanks, Doc,” he muttered his tone calmer than it had been when he had first entered the room - but his look of frustration remained.

You could see it in the tension of his jaw and in the glassiness of his eyes. Vince looked to be on the verge of tears. Not because he was in pain, but because he was frustrated. The officials had missed another blatant call. Not only was it missed it had sent him back to the locker room, he could miss games because of it.

It left him sighing in his seat in front of you, his bright eyes blinking slowly to keep even a single tear from falling. Then, came something that surprised you. Vince was leaning in, defeated, and his forehead came to rest against the curves of your waist. You could feel his hot breath washing over you through your team-branded polo, and it was followed by the touch of his hands. They stroked over the breath of one of your thighs, a hand on each side as his arms came to wrap around your leg. It was an innocent thing, an action born from the need for calm, the need for comfort.

It was a comfort you provided, letting him hold you, and you had even lost yourself in the tender moment as you raised a hand to stroke through the curls of his sweat-drenched hair. The two of you remained there until your phone vibrated against your hip, a silent reminder that he was now cleared to go home.

#vince dunn #nhl rpf #nhl hockey #nhl imagine #rpf #hockey rpf #hockey players #hockey imagines #vince dunn fanfic

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snowe-zolynn-rogers · 1 year ago

Text

Pairings: None

Word Count: 1,997 Words

Summary: The daycare crew are having a normal night. Or so they think.

Warnings: Injury, Blood, Gore, Amputation, Stabbing, Broken Bones, Eye Trauma, Bruises, Waterboarding, Aftermath of Torture, Aftermath of Violence, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Controlled Shock, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Prosthetics, Blindness, Partial Blindness, Trauma, PTSD, let me know if I should add anything else.

Abnormality

Tonight was unusually…normal. Sun was cleaning up the daycare for the day. Moon helping with things that needed fixing like the one bent bar in the play structure he was currently bending back to normal. Lunar was preparing for tomorrow like he usually did.

The only thing really missing was Solar. He wasn’t sitting at the security desk taking inventory of the children pre-checked in for tomorrow. Usually Solar would take great pride in making the list and taking note of any children with accommodations and making sure everything needed for the accommodations were taken care of.

But he was notably absent. None of the three had noticed this until almost halfway through closing procedure since Solar was usually to himself about it. But his occasional muttering that was not there was weird not to hear at this point. It was unnerving not to hear it, hear him giving little chuckles when the known rowdy or rambunctious kids were on the list.

“Sun, have you seen Solar today?” Moon asked.

“No, why, have you?” Sun responded almost immediately, almost as if he’d been waiting for the question to be asked.

“Guys, if Solar’s missing or something, we’ve gotta find him. He’s our brother too!” Lunar told them from where he was just finished with the coloring pages and crayons.

“I agree. I have to patrol soon anyway, I’ll go look-“ Moon was cut off by the heavy daycare door being opened and a form collapsing on the ground. It was a barely recognizable figure but he still knew exactly who it was.

The collapsed heap on the floor was dripping water, blood, and oil. Their right arm entirely missing with wires exposed and fizzling still. Their hair was clumped and tangled with water and oil and blood and what looked suspiciously like acid of some kind.

Their back had two knives stuck into it still, their face sitting against the floor with their clumped hair shrouding it. Their clothes were waterlogged and bloody and oily. Moon could also visibly see that their leg had been broken in two places at minimum.

“What the-!” Lunar screeched, looking at the person in horror at their state. In truth, Moon was shaken by it too. He knew he’d have to fix it, but the sheer amount of injuries was horrific. He couldn’t imagine how they felt.

“S-Solar?” Moon asked, shakily kneeling by him and moving his hair off his face. Moon almost vomited at the sight. Solar’s right eye was hanging from it socket and he had a large stab wound in the other, which was fizzling with severed wires.

“Please, no more.” Solar had a fraction of his voice, his voice box sounded broken and crushed, actually. And it was letting out white and jarring sounds as he begged for an end to the torture that had already ended.

Moon could see the damage to it visibly. His throat had handprints on it, deep and bruised in already. It sent fire through him. He wasn’t scared anymore, he was absolutely livid. He gently held Solar’s remaining hand and he didn’t care that his hand got covered in liquids as he put his hand on Solar’s head and pet his hair as best he could.

“You’re okay. You’re safe, Solar.” Moon tried to assure him.

“Please, Crescent, stop!” Solar’s voice broke and whirred like gears and a few musical notes played in Solar’s distress. But the words had hit Moon harder than Solar’s panic.

Crescent? The same Crescent he’d ran away from? Moon felt a whirl of emotions as he got Solar into his arms as carefully as possible, avoiding the knives that would have to stay in for now. They hadn’t just basically allowed Solar to be tortured all day with their neglect to check on him, but they’d left him at the mercy of his abusive brother who had somehow managed to get through dimensions.

“That’s…Solar…” Sun’s horrified voice came from nearby and Moon nodded to tell him he was correct. Moon could hear Lunar throwing up into one of the trash cans.

Moon felt something before he saw it, having been touching Solar. It felt like jolts. Moon’s horror grew seeing Solar had a few sparks and glitches before Solar let out a scream, filled with glitches and whirs as a controlled shock wracked his body.

With his proximity and contact, Moon felt the volts of it and it made his endo ache with sparks but he refused to put him down. He refused to let his brother hurt alone. He tightened his grip to give Solar what comfort he could and held him until the shock ended.

Solar fizzled and jolted with aftershocks, his body twitching and his mouth leaking oil and blood at the toll the shock took on his already battered body. He didn’t deserve this but Crescent had decided he did for whatever reason.

“Sun, take care of Lunar. I need to fix him.” Moon told him and called his fly wire. The hallway to his room would be too long of a walk. So fly wire to get up to the balcony it was.

Moon was at this for hours, Sun and occasionally Lunar coming in to check on them. But finally Moon had fixed Solar as best he could.

Solar’s leg had been set, the endo fused on the breaks and plating put in to support it. His new ‘prosthetic’ arm was tuned successfully and connected properly to Solar’s wires and his systems. Moon had managed to replace Solar’s right eye but the wires in the left weren’t salvageable so he’d put in a spacer replacement eye until he found a way to fix the wires and replace the eye properly.

Moon was working on washing Solar’s hair and face off the blood and oil when Solar finally woke up from his temporary power off. Solar jolted up, fighting something Moon couldn’t see and screaming once he felt the water and washcloth on his face and protecting his head.

In a blind panic, Solar swiped at Moon’s arms and it caused him to drop the bowl of water he was holding onto the floor but Moon gently held Solar’s hands, shushing him and slowly calming him down.

“Don’t do that again! Please, Crescent, please!” Solar hiccuped.

“He’s not here, it’s okay. It’s me, it’s Moon. You’re safe, Solar.” Moon assured him, bringing him up to sit so Moon could hold him.

“I…I was so scared…” Solar’s voice broke and it made Moon’s heart ache.

“I’m so sorry, Solar. I’m sorry we weren’t there when you needed us. But Crescent will never hurt you again, I promise.” Moon assured him, rubbing his back.

“N-No water. No more water.” Solar sniffled.

“Why no water?” Moon asked. Then the realization dawned on him. The water in Solar’s artificial lungs that he’d had to siphon out. The way water had only doused Solar’s face and hair.

“He waterboarded me. Please no water.” Solar hiccuped.

“Okay, we’ll use the sanitizer station instead. That way there’s no water.” Moon assured him.

“Don’t leave.” Solar whispered.

“I’m not leaving. None of us are leaving you alone. Not until we get that asshole and make him pay.” Moon rubbed his back as he helped him up. Solar was shaky on his net fixed leg but Moon held his arms around him to support him relearning to use the limb properly.

Moon got him to the sanitizer station and went in with him since he wasn’t stable yet and let Solar hide against him as the machine beeped and filled the pod with sanitizer mist.

Solar trembled a little bit Moon made sure he was comfortable against him and pressed his head against Solar’s, tucking Solar’s face into his neck. The machine whirred and dropped down the machine that Moon carefully put Solar’s hair into for it to use steam and sanitizer to wash it out.

For how scared he’d been, Solar was being incredibly brave at the moment, letting the machine clean him without water while he clung to Moon. Once Solar was sanitized, Moon grabbed a towel once the machine stopped and wiped off Solar’s face softly, avoiding his mouth and nose so it wouldn’t send him into a panic again.

He wrapped the towel around Solar after and led him out, drying him off of the mist and more so hiding his body so Solar felt like he had the security of not being nude. Moon didn’t mind to see his siblings naked, but Solar was newly traumatized, Moon didn’t want to add another layer of stress to the situation.

“I have clothes for you in your room. Do you want me there or to help you?” Moon asked.

“I can do it.” Solar told him. “Stay outside?”

“Of course.” Moon agreed, leading him to his room and Moon stood outside waiting as Solar shakily closed over but didn’t shut the door.

“How is he?” Sun whispered.

“He’s alright now. I’m gonna kill Crescent and present Solar his head as a trophy. The damage was so extensive I had to replace most of his internals.” Moon whispered back.

“It was that bad? It didn’t look that bad…” Sun looked at the closed over door in confusion. Sun was right, it hadn’t looked as bad as it had been.

“A lot of blunt force trauma to his internals. His abdomen was beginning to swell by the time I found the bleeding because it was so full of oil and blood.” Moon sighed. Solar had been in such horrible condition, he was glad he’d had enough parts on hand to replace everything and his computer had been able to synthesize new parts and the prosthetics.

“Moon? Sun?” Solar asked, slowly opening the door. Thankfully he’d managed to get dressed successfully, and he hadn’t needed help. Moon was a bit proud, he thought it would take longer for Solar to accustom himself to his new eye and new arm.

“Hey, Sol.” Moon gently brought him in for a hug.

“I’m really hungry. Can I eat?” Solar asked.

“Yeah, I knew you would be. I replaced your stomach. I told Lunar to make something light so you don’t stress all the new internals.” Moon smiled. He would be happy for Solar. Protective more so than normal, but happy Solar was home and he was safe and recovering.

“What did he make, do you know?” Solar asked.

“Well, he knows your food sensitivities so he made smoothies and chicken and pasta soup for dinner, I think.” Sun piped up.

“I’ll have to thank him.” Solar gave a little smile as he let the twins lead him to the kitchen in the break room that was usually for the daycare kids but they used it as their own kitchen as well.

“You don’t need to thank anyone for anything, we’re your brothers. We love you and we want to see you healthy and happy. Doing these things for you like making you food or fixing you even are small in comparison to how much you mean to us.” Moon ruffled his hair and Solar couldn’t hold back the teary smile and Moon loved seeing him smile. Solar was such a hard-working sweetheart, it was nice to see him relax and be taken care of , especially after something so horrible happened to him.

“I hear my big brothers!” lunar called out.

“Yeah, you caught us.” Sun chuckled.

“Get those tall butts in here and get your food. I already fed the kitties too.” Solar gave a laugh as he pet one of the cats sitting on the far end of the counter.

“Hi Ratchet.” Sun greeted his cat.

“My god, his name is Ratchet?” Solar asked with a laugh.

“Well, there’s Ratchet, Hatchet, and Bubble.” Sun told him.

“Moon?” Solar asked for Moon’s attention.

“Yes?” Moon asked back with a little chuckle.

“We’re never letting Sun name a cat ever again.” Solar snorted.

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tomionefinds · 2 years ago

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Hi, do you have any fics where hermione travels to the past and they meet and establish a relationship but then when she’s thrown forward to her time again she ends up meeting him as Voldemort??

Hey Anon,

We had an ask like this a while ago, and also another in our ask box. Gonna copy/pasta our answers and add a few more I thought of since then. -JD

Building a Mystery by StBridgit M | Complete | 256k Avoidance of death provides a powerful impetus for Lord Voldemort to use more than one method to stay alive. If the Horcruxes were not his final play, what would happen? Would it be worth the price he will pay? Hermione finds herself out of place and out of time. What will she do when there is nowhere to run? A Tomione pairing that morphs into LV/Hermione. Reviews welcome!

A Big Ball of Wibbly-Wobbly by Colubrina M | Complete | 27k The war is over, the good guys have won, and Hermione Granger goes to sleep in her lovely flat only to wake up in 1953 in the bed of someone she’d really much rather were dead. “I’m working on the ‘kill Lord Voldemort now, work out the temporal paradox issues later’ plan,” she tells him. He laughs. Tomione. COMPLETE

Carpe Diem by Bertie Bott M | Complete | 118k The future is explained through the past and everything happens for a reason. Hermione becomes an active part of the history she studies so diligently in class. A dream come true, right? Nothing is as it seems…

Bound by Sharkdiver1980 E/Ma | Complete | 59k After a freak accident occurs while attempting to destroy one of Voldemort’s horcruxes that sends Hermione back in time to the year 1947, she finds herself forcefully subjected to a new law put in place by the ministry to counteract the damage to the wizarding population done by Grindelwald. It was no wonder she had never heard of Proclamation no.1682, otherwise known as “The Marriage Law”, since it had obviously been repealed almost as quickly as it was instated. The problem was, she had already been assigned a husband. HG/TMR

Somewhere in Time by SerpentInRed M | Complete | 345k Sent back in time by a mysterious person and trapped in the past with a missing Dumbledore and an overbearing, charismatic Dark Lord, they had no idea how much they could dabble with time before the world they had known shattered into pieces.

All The Wrong Choices by QueenOfTheDreamers (QueenOfDreamers) M | Complete | 165k Hermione Granger is kidnapped by Severus Snape and taken to Lord Voldemort, who behaves in a bizarrely familiar manner with Hermione. When she’s rocketed back in time by Voldemort, she realises just why he knew her so well in the 1990s - it was because he’d known her very well indeed, as Tom Marvolo Riddle, in an entirely different time. She had to go back because she’d been there. But will she stay? Also has a sequel: Clocks Out of Order.

Restricted by Flaignhan T | Complete | 35k What harm ever came from reading a book? TRHG

The Diary by LittleMulattoKitten, weestarmeggie M | WIP | 121k Hermione was suspicious when she found an old journal amongst her things. Tom was intrigued the night someone else's handwriting appeared in his diary. Lord Riddle watches his past unfold from Hermione's side of the timeline to make sure history repeats itself without Albus's interference.

#tomione #time turner/time travel #complete #time jumping #hermione goes back to the future #met: at Hogwarts #volmione #rated: m

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namig42 · 5 months ago

Text

Finally another chapter done, and it's a longer one to boot! Come gather around for some soft comfort in this Wyllstarion fic!

Just One Yesterday (Ch. 16)

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Read it on Ao3

Summary: This is a modern AU where Wyll is a police officer and Astarion is a sex worker. Despite a problematic start, the two manage to find a connection and have it build in time into something more while also dealing with their demons.

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Without his car and only his damaged body, it was a chore getting anywhere in the city. Wyll decided it wasn’t even worth going home to clean himself up. He had a finite amount of time to do something to take down Cazador and would need every possible second of his time to count. He dragged himself out of the police station and decided that the first thing he needed was information. Whatever he could scrape together, he needed to do it now and come up with some kind of solution, no matter how rushed or sporadic it may be.

It took him over an hour rather than the fifteen minute drive to make his way over to the library. On a Tuesday at nine in the morning, Wyll could only hope that the library was open. He needed to talk to find the smartest man he knew and come up with a plan with him. Gale was not only intelligent, but also kind. So kind, in fact, that Wyll could only hope he would have some sage words of advice and also not be immediately deterred by Wyll’s current state.

After stumbling his way through the city streets, Wyll finally staggered his way up the library stairs with a throbbing in his side that was only getting worse and worse with every step. Honestly, it was a miracle he was on his feet at all, but he couldn’t stop to rest. There was no time. Wyll forced himself up the final few steps and fell against the front entrance doors, delighted to find that they gave way to his weight and opened.

When Wyll stumbled in, he looked to the desk. Gale was missing, but thankfully there was another man there sorting through some books. The gentleman was even older than Gale with a thick head of graying hair pulled back into a neat bun and a wide, flat nose. He caught sight of Wyll, and the warm, welcoming smile quickly contorted into a look of panic. “My goodness, are you alright sir?” he asked in a deep, scruffy voice.

“Is Gale here?”

“He is,” the older man said, curious as to what a brutalized stranger could want with the head librarian.

“Could you please fetch him for me? It’s urgent.” Wyll was now leaning against the desk, grateful for the brief respite it provided from the pressure on his cracked bones.

“Certainly…” the older librarian said with a worried look. He hesitantly made his way into the office behind the desk, and after a few minutes, Gale came rushing out and saw the sorry state Wyll was in.

“Wyll! By the gods, what’s happened to you? What on earth are you doing here and not at a hospital?”

“Gale,” Wyll said with a pleading voice and a seriousness in his eyes that must’ve unsettled Gale by the intensity of the look. “I need help.”

“Of course you do! Just look at you! When were you hurt? Come along,” Gale continued to babble worried remarks and ask a great deal of questions as he came around the desk to help put Wyll’s arm around his shoulders and lead him to the back office behind the desk. As he raised his arm to drape it over Gale’s shoulders, Wyll couldn’t help but let out an immense wail of pain. Gale tried to distract Wyll from the frightening sensation with his words, though it could’ve also been a way to calm himself as well.

Gale continued to worry and question Wyll as they stumbled through the door into the back office. There were books piled high all around the room and boxes full of even more. A couple desks with old computers were tucked away in the mountains of books as well, and the whole room was covered in a thick layer of dust. Wyll did his best to distract himself from the pain that flared with each step by honing in on Gale’s doting words, almost motherly in their frantic concern, and the musty smell of the dusty books filling the room. He didn’t even notice that Gale was leading him towards a spiral staircase hidden behind the clutter of the office.

“I’m sorry for the lack of an elevator. Do you think you can manage a few steps?”

Wyll nodded and up they climbed. It was definitely more than a few steps though. By the time they reached the halfway point, it had felt like over a hundred steps to Wyll. Gale tried to laugh and make light of the trek, “I try to make this trip as little as possible these days with the state of my knees. It’s such a pain. You would think they would’ve installed a proper elevator at this point for distinguished, older gentlemen such as myself, but unfortunately not on the library’s budget.”

Wyll managed to chuckle a bit at that comment. “It may not be my knees, but you definitely have someone to share in your suffering.”

Gale smiled as they continued the journey up. “As do you, my friend. Come on now, almost there,” he spoke with a bit of a grunt.

A few more rotations, and finally Wyll was led directly into Gale’s tower. The walls were lined with dark green wallpaper and dark wooden shelves that were filled to the brim with all manner of books. There was also a couch and coffee table that were covered with even more literature and loose sheets of paper. An opening on the right side of the room led to the kitchen, and towards the center was a small hallway that must’ve led to the bedroom and bath. To the far left side of the room was a large stain-glass window, one of the ones that Wyll recalled looking up at each time he passed the library, that opened up onto a lovely little balcony. It was an idyllic spot, especially in comparison to Wyll’s humble little abode.

“First things first, let’s get you cleaned up.” Gale helped Wyll down the short hallway and into the bathroom. The style of the restroom was a bit outdated, something a person could imagine their grandparents having, but there was a comfort in the old sconces on the wall and the soft, cream colors of the ceramics. Wyll took a seat on the toilet lid with a heavy groan, thankful for the respite for the first time in almost two hours, and Gale promptly went to grab him an old towel after offering him all of his own personal grooming supplies.

“Wash up, have a shave, whatever you like. I’ll go find you something else to wear.”

“Gale,” Wyll spoke with a pained voice. Gale’s attention was caught and he froze in the doorway for a moment. “Thank you. You really don’t have to do any of this.”

Gale softly sighed and smiled. “What are friends for if not for the things that they have no business doing?”

He left the bathroom and closed the door, leaving Wyll alone to strip out of the bloody garments and step into the bath for a shower. As Wyll tried to stand from his seat, he nearly screamed at the newfound flare of pain in his side. The adrenaline was beginning to fade and left Wyll in a terrible state. It took nearly everything he had just to get himself back on his feet in order to take off his clothes. After a great deal of agonizing effort, Wyll managed to kick off his pants and was finally left with nothing on. He stepped very carefully into the clean, porcelain tub and turned the shower onto what he could only assume was an acceptable temperature. The shifting cold to hot water felt heavenly on his hand as he waited for the temperature to adjust, so much so that Wyll didn’t even bother to wait for the temperature to settle before turning around and letting the water hit his back. The warm feeling brought out a moan of pleasure that Wyll didn’t even notice in the midst of his euphoria.

Wyll stood and let the water run down his back for a while with his hands resting against the wall for support. It soothed the pain immensely and left his muscles somehow more relaxed than they had been in a long time, even after a crash like yesterday’s. Eventually, his pain subsided enough so that he could start to properly clean himself. It hurt to raise his arms any higher than his shoulders, so his hair would have to deal with just a rinse of water, but he managed to get the dried blood off his neck and arms with just a bit of scrubbing. He used Gale’s soap and was relieved to find himself able to focus on the strong smell of the lather in his hands. The smell of oudh permeating his senses reminded Wyll that Gale certainly was an older man because only a distinguished gentleman like him would desire such a heavy scent as this. Despite its intensity though, it was a welcome distraction in the midst of all the pain still coursing through Wyll’s body, even with the soothing water dulling a great deal of it.

It must’ve been nearly an hour before Wyll turned off the water. When he finally stepped out of the steaming shower, Wyll noticed a neatly folded pile of clothes on the bathroom counter. Gale must’ve snuck in at some point while Wyll was in the shower and left them for his battered guest. Wyll softly smiled in his appreciation for Gale’s hospitality as he examined what his host had left for him. There was a neatly knitted burgundy sweater and a pair of black slacks. The garments seemed a bit nice to be lending out to someone else, but Wyll didn’t think his blood spattered clothes from the previous night would be worth the extra attention later when he went to execute whatever plan it was he managed to concoct. It only occurred to him now just how insane he must’ve looked while limping his way to the library earlier. It was shocking that no one on the street had tried to stop Wyll, though maybe they were afraid of the crazy, bloody man that might attack them if they got too close.

With great difficulty, Wyll managed to get the sweater over his head. It was a touch loose, but quite soft and comfortable against his skin, especially in the increasingly cold weather of late autumn. The pants were loose as well, but with Wyll’s belt, they fit just fine.

Wyll looked at himself in the mirror once he was fully dressed and was surprised to see his own reflection. He was finally able to see the damage to his face for the first time since the accident last night and was surprised just how little he could recognize himself. Wyll sighed as he leaned forward on the counter in order to more closely examine his appearance.

He held a hand up to his eye and began to lightly touch the bruised, purple parts of his skin. The black eye, a bruised lip he hadn’t even felt, the many thin lines along the side of his neck from the dagger, it was a lot to take in. Wyll clicked his teeth more in annoyance than anything as he examined himself. It bugged him how much more damaged he became every passing day. Soon enough, if things kept up the way they were going, he wouldn’t even be able to recognize his own face.

In a moment of petty insecurity, Wyll couldn’t help but wonder if Astarion would be able to look at him with that same affection he did before as Wyll became more and more damaged. A few scratches down his face were bad, but salvageable. This though? He looked horrendous, even after the dried blood was cleaned off. If Wyll’s face was only beaten and misshapen more over time until he was a hideous version of his former self, how could someone as lovely as Astarion still look at him and call him handsome?

Wyll shoved the negative thoughts out of his head. This was no time for insecurity. He needed to focus on getting information and make a plan for tonight. Whether or not Astarion found him attractive after all of this should be the least of his worries. What mattered most was slaying the beast and freeing Astarion. After that, it didn’t matter what came next. Astarion deserved freedom, that was the only thing that needed to be focused on.

Wyll made his way out of the bathroom and back into the main living space. There were some clanking sounds coming from the kitchen and a heavenly smell wafting through the air of the apartment, like chicken and spices. Wyll turned the corner while supporting his weight against the wall and saw that Gale had apparently begun cooking while he had been tidying up. Wyll’s stomach growled and he finally felt for the first time how hungry he was. He couldn’t even think of the last time he had a proper meal and his mouth began to water at the sight of food.

When he spotted the younger man peeping at his culinary work, Gale smiled at him. “How are you feeling? Are the clothes alright? I hope they’re to your liking. Most of my clothes are a little larger these days, so I didn’t know if they’d be too unflattering on you.”

“It’s fine, thank you.” Wyll said, his eyes transfixed on the pots and pans on the stove.

“Good, good. Come, have a seat. It’s not much, but I made a lovely pasta dish with a bit of garlic and cream.” Wyll sat down at the small, circular dining table and watched Gale fitz about. After about ten minutes of the culinary performance, Gale brought over not only a plate of an alfredo that looked divine, but also a sliced loaf of garlic bread that was still hot from the oven and a small salad filled with the brightest colored vegetables. It was the nicest meal Wyll had seen in years.

“Go ahead, dig in. I hope it’s alright. I consider myself an appreciator of cuisine, but there are times my skills don’t always match my intentions.” Wyll barely heard Gale over his hunger. He dug into the pasta and melted at the taste. Whether it was Gale’s knack for cooking or this intense hunger, Wyll didn’t know. All he knew was that this was the best meal he had ever tasted. He devoured the pasta like it was his last meal on earth, then had a piece of bread and a bit of the salad. Gale stopped talking as he watched his guest voraciously appreciate the meal. At one point, he urged Wyll to slow down a bit so as to not make himself sick, but the words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Once the plate was cleaned, Gale offered seconds. “There’s plenty more if you’d like.”

Wyll was a bit out of breath after eating so quickly, but his stomach craved more. He hadn’t had a home cooked meal like this since he was a boy and wanted to savor it to his heart’s content. Wyll was a bit of a cook too, but he never had the time nor energy to make a nice meal for himself. He lived off of instant noodles and low effort meals mainly. If he had someone else to cook for, maybe he’d indulge in it like how Gale was now, but he didn’t think he himself was worth the effort.

Gale brought him a second helping, and this time Wyll ate it at a much slower pace, savoring the taste fully as the warmth and care of the dish filled his mouth. Gale seemed pleased to have someone so enthusiastic about his cooking. He barely touched his own plate as he watched Wyll eat. “I take it that the meal turned out well?”

“It’s absolutely incredible.” Wyll said after swallowing a bite, already twisting his fork and preparing for another.

“Ah, I’m so glad to hear. It’s nothing complicated, just an old family dish my mother used to make occasionally. If you’d like the recipe, I’d be happy to share it.”

Wyll chewed and swallowed another bite of pasta. “Another time, maybe.”

“Right, I assume that cooking wasn’t what you came to talk about. How did you end up in such a state?”

“I was attacked last night,” Wyll said with an exhausted tone. The shower and meal were a lovely, domestic distraction, but now it was time to return to the heart of the matter. “Do you remember that girl you caught staring at me yesterday?”

“Yes?” Gale said, incredulous how a timid little thing like her could’ve damaged Wyll so much.

“Well… she was actually an assassin.”

“Wyll,” Gale sighed, almost like a disappointed father. “Just what kind of trouble have you found yourself in?”

Wyll sat still in his chair and stared down at his half-eaten plate. He truly thought about the question for the first time since all this began. Though he often thought about stopping Cazador for the sake of everyone he’s hurt over the years, that wasn’t Wyll’s true motivation. The people that could be saved in the midst of everything were often his mind, but there was really only one person that Wyll truly cared about rescuing.

He really had found himself in the middle of a huge pile of trouble for someone who was barely more than a beautiful stranger, and even worse, had dug himself even further into danger solely because he wanted a chance to know Astarion better. He didn’t even know what Astarion really wanted or anything about him outside of a haunted past and a love for literature and revenge. All those fairy tales Wyll had indulged in during his youth seemed to have left him in one now: falling for a stranger and doing everything just for a chance at getting to know them better.

He really was an idyllic fool.

He continued to think, wondering if it was a good idea to tell Gale the truth. It may put the other man in danger, but Gale seemed wise and experienced enough to know not where to stick his nose when he smelled trouble. Maybe… maybe just talking to someone about the truth of it all would help him think clearly.

Wyll took a deep breath before finally speaking again. “Do you remember when you asked if someone I cared for was taken by the Szarrs?”

“Yes, I do.” Gale answered, leaning in and offering a look of sympathy.

“Well… it’s a bit more complicated than that. I’ve found myself falling for one of Cazador’s… hunters.”

“How long has this been going on?” Gale asked, a bit surprised at the sudden turn of circumstances.

“I’ve only known him about a month, but I don’t know why my heart won’t stop skipping at the thought of him. We spent one night together, and he spared me from being taken like the rest of Cazador’s victims. Then there were a few more nights where we got to know each other even more. Each time we’ve met, he’s kept me safe from Cazador, even at risk to himself. Every single moment with him has left me wanting to know him more and more, and now all I want to do is free him from Cazador. It’s short-sighted and idiotic, but all I know is that I have never felt myself care for another like this. This desire to protect him… I don’t know what it is or why it’s so strong.”

“Would you like to tell me a bit about him?” Gale asked with a kind smile and inviting, knowing eyes.

Wyll didn’t realize how excited his heart would be at the prospect. Before he could even think, he found the words pouring out of him. “He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, with silver hair the color of moonlight and softer than the finest silk. He has the most dangerous smile that would put any incubus to shame, and these eyes that are so full of expression and life. His voice could charm any harpy or siren, and the way he moves is like poetry brought to life. When I’ve seen him lower his guard and allow himself to be vulnerable and genuine, I have never found myself more drawn to another. There’s a warmth behind that cold, charismatic veneer he puts up to the world, and the brief glimpses I’ve had of it have captivated more than any of his other not so negligible charms.”

“My, you really have found yourself smitten.” Gale said with a fond smile as he watched his young friend gush about his newfound love.

“It terrifies me how quickly my heart has been taken, and I can’t help but wonder if it all happened too quickly and if these feelings can be true if they grew in such a short amount of time.”

“Well, when was the first moment you felt your heart skip?”

Wyll thought about it for a moment. “It was that very first night after a long discussion of literature.”

“Ah, yes. My heart would be stolen as well after such a titillating discussion.” Gale said lightheartedly. Wyll appreciated the comedic relief and continued.

“He was lying next to me, and as I looked at his face in peace, I felt… something, and when we parted, there was a warmth in the kiss he left on my cheek, and it left me longing for more time with him. The feeling only grew after the next time I got to enjoy his company, and even more the time after that. Still, I feel I know so little about him.”

“Well then, what do you know about this mystery man of yours?”

“Well… He was a lawyer once upon a time. He’s an older gentleman, though I can’t say for certain what age. Late thirties, perhaps? He enjoys a good glass of red wine and his favorite book is the Count of Candlekeep.”

“He sounds like he has excellent taste.” Gale said and smiled.

“He does,” Wyll said wistfully. “I also know that under that cold, lonely facade, he has the capacity to care for another, and I wonder if it’s too bold of me to think that I’ve been on the receiving end of that, to think that he might enjoy my company as much as I enjoy his, or if maybe I’m simply a reprieve from his cruel world or that my infatuation with him is only because it’s been so long since I felt my own heart stir.”

“But Wyll, does any of that matter?”

Wyll looked at Gale in confusion. Gale leaned forward and pressed on. “Does it matter, these questions? Do they change what your heart feels?”

“No,” Wyll said, unsure of where Gale was going with this.

“Does your heart stir any less at any explanation for these feelings?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Do you trust this man of yours?”

“I do.” Those words, Wyll spoke firmly. Even if his mind told him to doubt what was happening and if he could trust his own heart, Astarion’s actions proved to Wyll that there was no need to doubt the man he cared for. More than once, Astarion kept Wyll safe from Cazador, even if it would’ve been so much easier to let Wyll be caught. Wyll couldn’t fathom what punishments Cazador had concocted for Astarion, but if he knew of Wyll’s existence, there was a chance he knew of their relationship as well. The fact that Astarion chose to keep Wyll safe instead despite that fear… it was telling of his character.

“Then that’s all you need,” Gale said, leaning back into his seat. “If you have trust in the one you care for, then there’s no need to speculate on the reasoning behind their actions or yours. The fact that you’ve both taken those actions for one another should speak for itself.”

Wyll took a moment to let the statement sink in, and the sentiment invigorated him. It was nice having someone to speak to that could remind Wyll of how useless speculation could be. The outside voice was more than welcome in Wyll’s panicked, overthinking mind. “Thank you Gale. Truly, a friend right now makes this whole scenario a bit more tolerable.”

“Of course, Wyll. It’s been a while since I had another person to enjoy the company of besides Tara. Ever since I left Waterdeep, companions are difficult to come by.”

Right, Gale hasn’t always been the resident wizard in this tower. “Can I ask what brought you to Baldur?” Wyll asked out of curiosity.

“Just some difficulty after a messy divorce is all. Mystra, my ex-wife, she nearly ran me out of our home after a stupid stunt I pulled to try and resolve our differences.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…”

“It’s quite alright, Wyll. I’ve managed to carve myself out a nice little pocket here in Baldur. It’s no Waterdeep, but I’m learning more and more to call it home.”

The two men sat at the table for a silent, tense moment, but it wasn’t long until Gale clapped his hands and ruptured the silence. “So tell me how I can help. I assume you didn’t come find me simply for a sweater and a meal. Is more research needed? What can the library offer you?”

“There’s no time for research,” Wyll spoke, remembering Mizora’s orders from earlier. “I need to figure out a way to destroy Cazador by dawn.”

Gale looked at Wyll incredulously. “Well, that’s a terribly short timeframe. Why the sudden urgency? Does it involve your lover?”

“No, it involves myself. I’m being… forcibly relocated for work, and I don’t know when or if I’ll be back in the city.”

“I never did ask what you do for work,” Gale realized. As tempted as Wyll was to confide in him about his own captor and danger, he knew it was against his contract with Mizora. He knew Gale wouldn’t be the type to get him into any further trouble, but even one slip of the tongue could result in Mizora ordering Wyll to make Gale disappear. It wasn’t worth the risk, not now.

“I work for an office,” Wyll said after a brief moment of hesitation.

“Really? Well, it seems like a brutal workplace to forcibly relocate employees.” Gale said with a hint of doubt.

“Yes, it really is brutal…” Wyll said with a small sigh, shrugging off Gale’s disbelief of his answer. It didn’t matter, so long as Gale didn’t know the truth about Mizora. “Still, I need to do something tonight, and you’re the only person I could turn to for help.”

“Well, I am flattered,” Gale said with a charming smile. “Do you already have some sort of plan in mind?”

Absolutely none. “I was hoping you might help me think of something.” Wyll said a bit sheepishly.

“Well, I did stumble across something interesting last night,” Gale said as he stood up from his chair and waved his finger. He walked over to the coffee table littered with pages and rustled through the pile while mumbling to himself. After a moment, he spoke up, “a ha! Here we are!” He came back to the dining table and offered Wyll a sheet of paper. There was a list of about thirty names that Wyll glanced over. “I managed to go through a few periodicals and noted a few of the names that stood out, and even had a bit of time to look further into a few of the names.”

As Wyll scanned the list, he noted the few names that were circled and had extra notes.

Sahed: Administrator at Baldur University. Only faculty that seems to be involved with Cazador and the school. Actually friends?

Zariel: Chief of Police. Cazador’s contact for police affairs. Connections to terrorist groups? (Tabloid speculation)

Raphael: Loan shark. Son of Mephistophales. Rarely seen with father.

The name that seemed to have the most focus was the next one.

Mephistophales: Prominent political figure of Baldur City. Seems to hold influence over all politics and most affairs in the city. Always on the winning side of elections for people and bills being passed. Photographed with many investors who seem to find themselves with some increased influence just a few issues later.

Mephistophales… Wyll recalled the name a bit from his youth. His father worked with many of the city’s politicians and kept up on them, but Mephistophales was not a man that he approved of. Wyll remembered his father reading the paper sometimes in the mornings while they shared breakfast and listening to his father’s commentary. Whenever Mephistophales was featured in the paper, he would scoff and complain to himself about how a devil like him was allowed to influence a city. “That bastard will lead us all straight to hell one day…”

What would Cazador want with Mephistophales? A taste for this power that he could provide? Did Cazador want even more influence over the city? If it was only a matter of money though, Cazador was known as the most prominent investor in town. Perhaps they made a deal already and this was all a thing of the past, but Wyll didn’t recall any newfound increased political power in his research of Cazador’s career the first time he was here.

“Any thoughts?” Gale prodded as he watched Wyll think intensely.

“The involvement with Mephistophales seems like a lead… though I would need to look into it deeper. I can’t think of anything here that could be of use right now, not unless I were to break into the manor tonight and try to find something incriminating…” Wyll pondered the thought and began to seriously consider the idea. There was always that cellar where Cazador’s victims were taken. Maybe…

“Wyll, if I may, is it Cazador you wish to stop, or do you simply want to break your lover free of him?”

Wyll’s concentration broke as he looked at Gale a bit baffled. Of course he wanted to stop Cazador. He had to. There was no way anyone under him would be free at this rate, not unless someone destroyed their captor.

Gale looked on in concern and continued, “under the limited time, I think the wisest use of it would be to find your man and run. If you’d like, you can even bring him here. I may not have much, but there are a few small assets in Waterdeep I could spare for you two to help.”

“Gale, that’s too much to ask of you.”

“It’s no trouble at all, really.” Gale insisted. “Helping a friend is never too much to ask.”

Wyll recalled Astarion’s story of the last time he tried to run from Cazador and the hell that awaited him upon return. It seemed unlikely that he could get Astarion to try and run again, but maybe last time they didn’t have any help. Maybe Wyll could persuade Astarion to try one last time if they had someone else to rely on.

It was a risk, but then again, so was everything else Wyll had done over the past month.

“I want him to be safe, but I worry about Cazador’s reach. He likely has connections outside the city.”

“I highly doubt that,” Gale spoke. “In all my life in Waterdeep, I never once heard about a Cazador Szarr outside of those vampiric tabloids. Mystra had plenty of connections, and even she never spoke that name. Once you flee the city, I’m sure you two will be safe. If not, think of Waterdeep as a first stop on a quest to reach somewhere else.”

Wyll considered the thought, but reminded himself that Cazador wasn’t the only danger at this point. When Wyll ran, Mizora would come hunting for him too. She would find a way to ruin everything for the two of them if she caught the two of them fleeing from her domain, and Mizora certainly did have reach outside of the city. The moment Wyll wasn’t on a plane to Menzoberranzan, she’d come hunting him down. Still, if he could get Astarion out of the city and free from danger, then his own punishment, no matter how severe, would be worth it. Even if it meant taking him away from Astarion for good, as long as he was free, then it would be alright.

“Okay…” Wyll said. “Okay, I’ll find him tonight and try to get him to run away with me. If all goes well, I’ll be able to give you both a proper introduction.”

“Wonderful,” Gale said elatedly. “Then let’s get some things sorted for tonight so you two can leave as soon as possible.”

“Are you sure that you’re okay with this?” Wyll asked. “If Cazador finds out that you’re an accomplice, there could be serious trouble for you as well.”

“Please, that man won’t be able to touch me. Mystra might despise me, but she’d never let anyone else punish me. That’s her favorite pastime.”

#bg3 #wyll ravengard #astarion #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #modern au #wyllstarion #bloodpact #fanfic #writing #mine #just one yesterday

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