#i always liked how fast he just tore up those stairs. “GREAT!”

[kellterntempest]

eat tile, robotnik

[2thestars-andbeyond]

Beautiful Rose

Summary: In this fic Tamlin has a twin sister, Rosalind (Ros for short) After Tamlin denies Amaranthas advances yet again she decides to take what she thinks is stopping him from being by her side. 

Warnings: A few curse words. 

Being the princess of the Spring Court wasn’t all flowers and rainbows like you would think. After the death of my family, there was just me and my twin brother Tamlin. 

I sat in the window seat in my room overlooking my Mother’s rose garden. She always loved those roses and even named me after them. Rosalind. Which means “beautiful rose”. And that’s what my mother always called me. Father on the other hand, had many different names he liked to call me.. His favorite nickname for me was little princess, but he always said it in a mocking tone. 

There was a quick knock at my door and before I could respond to it, the door burst open and Lucien rushes in so fast that all I see is a flash of red and he’s standing by my side.

“Luc what are you doing? If Tamlin catches you in here–” I say quickly, but he interrupts me

“Ros, it's Tamlin. He’s on one of his rampages again. You have to come quickly.” He grabs my hand and drags me toward the door and out in the hallway. This is turning out to be a weekly occurrence. Me being dragged by my brother's emissary downstairs to calm the High Lord down.  

“What is it this time? Amarantha piss him off again?” Stupid bitch just can’t take “no” as an answer. She’d been pinning after my brother for decades upon decades now. Sometimes my twin senses make me wonder if they are mates. 

We stop abruptly and I almost fall. Lucien looks me in the face and says, “I’ve never seen him this bad.” It was then that I knew how serious the situation was. I pick up the skirts of my blush colored dress and I take off down the stairs. As I reach the foyer my eyes go wide. The front door is gone. There are scratch marks along the wallpapered walls, paintings tore off the wall and in pieces on the floor. Broken glass and flowers everywhere. 

I’m not surprised that I didn't hear this from my room upstairs. My room is warded so I can’t hear what goes on around the house, compliments to my loving Father for that. I hear screams from the hallway and maids come running out of the dining room. When we enter the door to the dining room, everything is in shambles there too. Wow thanks for ruining dinner too Tam. 

“It all started outside” I turn to Lucien. “You should see the front garden.” I hear a growl from the corner of the room, and I turn to see Tamlin in his beast form. I walk toward him with my hand out, not sure if he will attack me. I’m never sure if he will attack me when he is like this. 

“Brother” I say softly, “You want to turn back into your fae form? Maybe we can talk about whatever happened? Just me and you. We can take a walk through the rose garden.”

The growling turned into whimpering and when I placed my hand on the beast head, he turned back into a heaving high lord. Tamlin was gasping for air and mumbling incoherent words. Lucien snapped his fingers and clothes appeared on Tamlin. I kneeled down to where I was face to face with him on the floor. I grabbed his face. “Look at me brother, you are okay. We are back in the manor. Everything is fine.” I whispered softly. All Tamlin did was shake his head.

“Want to tell me what happened?” I ask. But Tamlin doesn’t reply. “Does it have something to do with her?” Still nothing. He just looks at Lucien like they are having a silent conversation. Great, something else I'll be kept in the dark about. I go to stand up, but Tamlin grabs my wrist.

“Tell me what happened, Tam. Please. I’ve never seen you like this. Don’t keep this between you and Lucien like you always do.” I look at him with pleading eyes. 

He swallows hard. “Amarantha. She’s–” he pauses and looks at Lucien who just nods his head as if telling Tamlin to go on. “Ros, she wants you under the mountain.” I give him a confused look. 

“Why me? I’m not the one that has denied her advances for the past few centuries.” I say standing. “I don’t understand any of this. First these stupid masks and your curse–”

“Not to mention the bitch took my eye,” added Lucien. 

“Our powers being fucked with.” I finished. I take a seat on a dining room chair that Tamlin didn't manage to rip to shreds. I run my hands through my hair. None of this makes any sense. Why in the name of the cauldron would she want me? Unless it was for leverage. 

“She asked me to be her consort.” Tamlin said and I shrugged my shoulders.

 “And? She has asked you that close to a thousand times over the years. She just wants to bed you.” 

“She’s got Rhysand for that now” Lucien commented. Poor Rhys. I can’t imagine what he must be going through under the mountain. We were once such good friends. I remember the look in the beautiful violet eyes- revenge. I cringe at the memory of that horrible night. 

“I denied her again. She was furious.” Tamlin paused, running a hand through his hair. “She said that since I won’t love her, she is coming to take the female I do love.” 

Just then the dining room filled with darkness. I stood clinging onto Lucien. Wind blew my hair around my head. Lucien grabbed the sword at his side. 

“Surely you don't plan to use that on me, do you? Fox-boy.” Purred Rhysand. He stood with darkness surrounding him. Violet eyes fixated on mine. “I’m here to collect a beautiful rose” He says with a feline-like smile on his face. 

“I won’t let you take her” Growls Tamlin. 

“Would you like to come in her place?” Tamlin stiffens next to me. “Didn’t think so.” Rhys smiles and turns back towards me. “Come on, we don’t want to keep the High Queen waiting.”

Tears threaten to spill from my eyes. What are they going to do with me? Hurry, she is waiting. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I hear Rhysands voice in my head. I turn and hug Tamlin. 

“I love you sister. I will come for you.” Tamlin whispers in my ear. Rhysand laughs. 

“I doubt that” he says in a sing-songy voice rocking back and forth on his feet.  

Rhysand reaches his hand towards me, but when i go to take it, Lucien grabs me and pulls me close to his body giving Rhysand a look that could kill. He lets me go and I kiss his cheek. He places his hands on either side of my face and wipes the tears pouring down my face away with his thumbs. I put my hands around his wrists. 

“I will see you again. I promise.” He kisses the top of my head. 

Rhysand extends his hand again and as soon as I put my hand in his, darkness engulfs us as we winnow to under the mountain. Don’t let her see you cry. I hear Rhysands voice again. I quickly wipe my face attempting to dry the tear away. It was pointless, they just kept rolling down my face. My life as I knew it was over and no one was going to be able to save me. 

[marjorie189]

Stop Doubting Yourself - A Jordan Baker Imagine

Sum: Y/N, Jordan’s girlfriend, comforts and assures Jordan throughout all of his doubts and over analyzations on his QB1 position. 

Imagine: 

Jordan is an amazing person and I love him for that. He always looks out for me, he's caring, sweet, and a good-hearted person. He always looks out for others, which can sometimes be a curse in disguise.

Jordan is so selfless that he forgets to take care of himself.

I know in my heart that he’s an angel but he doesn’t see that.

I know deep inside he doubts himself and questions his worth, especially when it comes to football.

Jordan’s insecurities started coming to light when Spencer came to Beverly. The shift of Billy’s attention towards Spencer affected Jordan, more than anyone knew.

Billy was focused on getting Beverly High’s football team to its best potential but not being completely aware that his family needed him more than ever.

It all came crashing down when the Beverly squad was having a pool party at the Bakers.

Jordan and I were laying down on the pool lounge chairs. The tension between the boys was evident. The presence of Spencer ticked the boys off big time.

“You good babe?” I ask Jordan as I acknowledge Jordan evilly having his eyes on the Crenshaw boy.

Jordan’s eyes diverted to me as he was just eyeing Layla leaving the sleeping Asher to the beaming Spencer at the pool.

“Yeah. It's just this Spencer guy comes out of nowhere, destroying everything that I’ve built and now he’s flirting with Layla. It just seems like he’s not here with good intentions. Something just isn’t right about him,” Jordan rants to me as his eyes were glued to Spencer and the now smiling Layla. I reach over to intertwine my hand with Jordan’s big one.

His eyes leave the two by the pool and meet mine, staying this time. A smile forming on his face at the touch, but quickly faltering once again.

“First it was my dad, my home, and now it’s Layla. Like what is he going to take next?” Jordan huffs as he lays back down on the lounge chair.

I smile at him foolishly.

“Well, you don’t gotta worry about him taking me,” I cheekily smile, leaning over him. My face on top of his, inches away from his laying one.

An ear-to-ear toothy smile appears on his face followed by his adorable laughter.

His arm makes it to the end of my back, loosely placing it on my lower back.

l chuckle and lean into his lips giving him a quick peck.

He smiles and looks at me longingly with loving eyes.

I feel my cheeks flushing as his eyes stay put on my physique. I nervously break eye contact and he chuckles.

“You’re so beautiful,” He compliments as he places his hand on the side of my face, reconnecting our lips.

“You never fail to make me nervous. It’s like I’m meeting you all over again,” I mumble as my eyes deeply look into his deep brown ones.

He smiles and continues with his longing looks, not breaking eye contact.

“And you never fail to make me feel better. Like who’s Spencer?” Jordan jokes.

I playfully roll my eyes with a smile and lay back down on the lounge chair.

Jordan scoots closer to me and lays his head on my shoulder. As he does, I put my arm behind his neck, wrapping it around him and running my fingers through his soft hair.

Asher was still fast asleep, tanning in the sun. JJ was up to playing pool games with a couple other teammates. Spencer and Layla were chatting it up by the pool and a few others were swimming.

“I’m going to grab a couple waters, I’m quite thirsty. Do you want one?” Jordan asks as he lifts from his previous position.

“Yeah. Please,” I smile with a nod.

He smiles brightly at me and jogs off into his house.

I take in his adorableness as he walks into his house with a playful eye roll, he could be such a kid sometimes.

A couple minutes later he comes back outside with bottles of water in hand and a furious but hurt look on his face.

I instantly frown at the miserable look on his face.

I stand up and meet him midway through his walk towards our spot.

“What's wrong?” I ask with a worried expression.

I look up at him, having a perfect sight of his clenched jaw and furious facial expression.

Jordan’s eyes were everywhere but on mine. “Hey?” I try and console.

He subsequently looks down at me, having a displeased and angry look on his face.

“Talk to me,” I urge at him.

He lets out a huge sigh and looks down into my worried eyes.

“Come on. Let’s go inside,” I suggest as I start walking with him towards the back entrance of his home.

“No,” He says immediately as he stops us on our tracks. “My dad’s in there and I don’t want to see him right now,”

“Okay then let’s go to your room,” I beckoned.

He stays quiet, which I take as an opportunity to take him inside. I’m holding his hand, leading him to the room. We walk past his occupied parents and up the stairs, into his room.

I close the bedroom door behind him as we both stand in his room.

He puts the freshwater bottles down, puts his hand to his face, and starts pacing walking around the room.

“Come on. Let it out. What happened now?” I say as I break the silence.

“Guess what he said? Just guess what he said?” He angrily says, looking over at me as he paces around the room.

He didn't even give me a chance to respond as he was already speaking again.

“He said ‘I would not have recruited him if anybody on the squad had half of his potential’. That’s what he said Y/N.” Jordan says as his voice goes from angry and exploding to hurt and feeling betrayed.

He looked like he was about to cry.

My eyes soften to his change of voice and clear look of hurt.

I walked over to him, seeing how broken he was.

“Jordan,” I let out softly once I was face to face with him, placing my hand on the side of his face. “You know that’s not true,”

His eyes fall to the ground, not looking at me, breaking our eye contact.

My heart breaks at the sight of my boyfriend doubting himself.

“Come on Jordan,” I whisper slightly to him, lifting his face to meet me.

His eyes were like glass. They were glossy and filled with tears threatening to spill.

I immediately pulled him into a tight hug at the sight of him.

“It’s okay babe,” I console, holding him in my arms.

The sounds of his sniffling tore me apart.

I turn my face a bit and place my lips on his tear stained cheek.

“Come on,” I say as I pull away from our embrace. I go to wipe the tears off his face.

“You’re an amazing player Jordan! Don’t ever think otherwise! I don’t know what your dad meant by that but everyone at Beverly knows who our QB is and that's you! Don’t ever doubt your potential because you’re a great quarterback, on and off that field,” I boast.

“But y/n… what if it’s true? I heard it coming from his mouth. What if I’m just the quarterback because I’m the coach’s son? I’m not going to lie and say that it hasn’t come across my mind,” Jordan says in distress.

“Come on, Jordan. Okay let’s say that’s true, maybe you do have an advantage because you’re the coach’s son but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a good ass player. Coach Baker knows that you can handle the responsibility and pressure of having that number one jersey. He’s not just going to give that to anyone. It’s you, Jordan. No one else,” I affirm to him in hopes that he’ll get it in his head.

“Okay,” He says with a look of belief, sending me a nod.

I smile at him knowing that he’s feeling a little better.

“You’re one helluva player, Jordan! You better see that because everybody else does. Anyone can say that you got the position because you’re the coach’s son but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a great quarterback, J! Don’t let those thoughts get the best of you! Sure, Spencer got brought to the team but he doesn’t have an influence or interference with your ability and potential as a player. I hope you see that,” I say with a frown at the end.

Jordan’s eyes meet the floor once again, staying quiet in his thoughts.

He looks back up at me after a while with a nod.

“I’ll work on it, alright? I promise,” Jordan determinedly says to me.

A wide smile grows on my face. “Good! Because you deserve it! Be proud of yourself, J! Prove everyone wrong!” I encourage with a huge smile.

He reciprocates the smile, looking handsome as ever.

“Thank you for this, y/n! I appreciate it. I love you,” He blissfully says, sending me a kiss.

Jordan came to realize that what his girlfriend was telling him was true but it was still hard for him to accept. He still had that little voice of doubt and uncertainty within himself. But, every time he doubted himself, he recalled his girlfriend's kind and inspiring words. If someone as amazing as her believed it, then it must be true.

But even after this conversation that was had with Jordan, his place as quarterback was tested multiple times.

One of those times being at the College Recruit Event; District Combine.

Players from all around Los Angeles were being tested by their height, weight, strength, and speed. They were tried and measured, seen closely by the college scouts.

Jordan came in hot, he knew what he was bringing to the table, he was confident. As he should.

But was tested with extremity.

The tests were competitive and there was so much pressure in hopes of landing on a school’s scholarship list.

Those thoughts were coming back in causing Jordan to fall back. He started focusing on all the other players and not himself. But it was a rigorous event and it got Jordan overthinking and becoming nervous. It wasn’t helping that a Crenshaw player was coming at Jordan, tearing down Jordan’s wall.

He felt like he blew it and it was messing with his head.

After the event, he went with the one person he could count on to be there for him.

“I’m sure you did amazing Jordan. Don’t overthink it! If you did even just as half as I know what you could do then you already did more than most of those guys. Because you work extremely hard! It doesn’t matter what Chris and that other Crenshaw boy said. Who’s the one that got an invite? You!” I praise.

“Yeah I know but Chris outplayed me today! He didn’t even miss a catch. What he said about me, it just gets me thinking. What if it’s true? What if I just got the invite because my dad was in the NFL?” Jordan worriedly wonders.

I let out a sigh.

“Be confident in yourself! Know what you’re worth because you’re worth a lot. It doesn’t matter if your dad was in the NFL or if your dad is your coach. You’re you Jordan! I know it must be hard to believe but trust me. Trust yourself!” I beg. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you, the way your dad sees you, the way your team sees you, and the way those recruiters saw you today!”

Jordan looks over at me taking in all my words.

A little smile peeking through his face.

“Gosh!” Jordan lets out. “You always to know what to say,”

“I only say the truth,” I smile as I get closer to him, opening my arms.

Jordan chuckles as I welcome him into my arms.

“You’re amazing Jordan! Never forget that!” I say into our hug.

“Okay.” He mumbles into my hair.

When Jordan found out that he and JJ had to fight for the QB spot, Jordan’s heart shattered.

How could Coach Montes take his position away?

Y/N, Billy, and Laura were all seated on the kitchen counter seats. Jordan came zooming into the kitchen with a stressful look on his face.

“How was your first day?” Laura asks her son.

“Fine,” Jordan replies as he goes to grab a drink from their fridge.

“What’s up with all these panicked texts I got about your new coach trying to take away your spot?” Billy inquires.

Jordan deeply lets out a sigh before he speaks.

“Montes has me and JJ going up against each other for the QB1 spot,” Jordan devastatingly states.

“JJ, who got his hand stuck in the vending machine JJ?” Billy surprisingly says.

Laura and I let out chuckles.

“It seems like you have nothing to worry about J. No offense to JJ but that spot is meant for you. You just got to prove it to her,” I say like it’s nothing.

“Exactly!” Billy says, patting my shoulder in thanks. “Come on. You know JJ’s a beast on the field. And he was a really good quarterback in junior high!” Jordan protests.

“Junior High,” Billy mocks, immediately letting out his laughs, not even trying to hide them.

“And you’re a really great quarterback who led his team to a championship,” Laura defends.

“Look, if JJ was better then, I would’ve started him,” Billy says, getting serious.

Jordan lightly scoffs and rolls his eyes.

“Oh, right. The fact that I’m your son had nothing to do with me starting,” Jordan sarcastically states.

Laura shakes her head with a smile on her face.

Billy looks at him like he’s insane.

“Do you think if Butler was my son, he’d be starting QB?” Billy asks, looking straight at his son. “You need to have a little bit more faith in yourself, son! You are Beverly’s quarterback. Everybody knows it! All you gotta do now is convince Montes!” Billy encouragingly says.

“Exactly what I’ve been telling him for years!” I exclaim.

“Okay. Okay.” Jordan smiles, getting the push he needed from his loved ones. “I will!”

“Well y/n and I have to catch up on homework. So we’ll see you two later,” Jordan boasts as he grabs onto my arms and starts tugging.

“Oh?!” I let out realizing Jordan’s plan. “Right.” “Homework already? It’s the first day of classes!” Laura interjects.

“Oh, you know… we’re seniors now so we’re getting loads of work now,” Jordan lies.

I shake my head at him and giggle.

“Alright well since you’re sneaking off to do homework I’ll be expecting all A’s from you!” Billy yells out at Jordan.

Jordan gives him a not so convincing nod before dragging us up the stairs.

My laugh echoes through Jordan’s room and we make it onto his bed.

“What? My homework is cuddling you,” Jordan slyly comments with a grin as he pulls me into his arms.

He lays my head on his chest and starts to roam his long fingers through my hair.

“See! I told you!” I sassily say to Jordan as I look up at him.

He playfully rolls his eyes at me.

“I know! Now that my dad’s coaching at Crenshaw, I’m seeing that. Thank you for believing me since sophomore year,” Jordan softly says to me.

I let out a chuckle.

“Of course. I always knew it. It’s time you finally see it too!” I smile standing up from his chest and leaning into him, crashing my lips into his.

He smiles through our interlocked lips.

“Well thanks again.” Jordan gracefully says.

I nod, sending him a couple of other pecks on his lips, chuckling.

“Anytime, babe,” I say, closing my eyes, pressing our lips with one another again.

“Okay, we can get back to kissing now!” He laughs showing his deep dimples.

“Kissing should be part of your homework too!” I tease in between our kisses.

“Yeah?” He mumbles deeply. “What else?”

I smile cheekily.

“I think you know, Baker.” I flirt with a smirk.

“Hmm?” Jordan says with a furrow of eyebrows. “I don’t think so... “ He says, teasingly, tracing his fingers down my neck and chest.

“Well then let's find out!” I reckon as I fall back into the bed with a top Jordan.

[amor-immortalem]

Everything Undesired

Genre: angst, hurt/comfort

Warnings: dead dove: do not eat, heavily implied rape, gross misuse of a pact, dissociation victim blaming

Summary: not all pact masters use their pacts judiciously or in a positive way. What happens when a pact is misused in one of the worst ways possible?

A/N: so a while back I did a comic by the name of ‘Meet Me Under the Azaleas’ I’m no longer happy with the writing I put into it originally so I wanted to rewrite it using the same plot line and adding some extra scenes that weren’t in the original comic which I’ll be taking down tonight. It should work better as a fic anyway.

Chapter 1

“You are ours. We own you.”

Those words rang in his head over and over as he stumbled his way into his room, overstimulated, exhausted- a mess. He knew it was a mistake to answer the call of those witches tonight. The thoughts of what they did, how their hands ran over his body, what they had taken away. It made his stomach churn and tie itself in knots with guilt and shame. It burned just the same as the rope marks on his wrists and ankles- wounds that would heal within the hour.

“You won’t breathe a word of this to anyone- this we command of you, Avatar of Greed.”

Those women -no, they were monsters- abused the innate trust that comes with a demon who enters a pact with a human, multiple in this case. They had violated the boundaries he’d put in place the day he started dating his human. Oh God, what would she think if word ever got out? He had no way of speaking out- to scream the truth until his voice was raw.

He needed to shower, to get the stench of sex and sweat off of him. He had to get their scent off of him. As he entered the bathroom, Mammon tore off his clothes as he started the water. The lights remained off as he couldn’t bare to look at himself after what happened. Not after how he just let them use him like that.

He stepped under the boiling water and just let it run against him. The falling water did nothing to drown out the deafening voices running rampant in his mind.

“Disgusting!” They roared, “Useless! Pathetic! Weak! Whore! ….. Scum!”

He falls to the floor of his shower, hands gripping at his hair as he let out a whimper that eventually turned into quiet sobs. The steamy air making it harder to breathe. Why didn’t he fight against them harder- against their orders. No, he just laid there and took it.

He grabbed the soap and a wash rag and scrubbed his body until every bit of him was raw and even then he wouldn’t stop. It was only when he saw the blood swirling around the drain that Mammon realized what he was doing to himself- how bad the water burned the exposed skin. It felt like hellfire raining down upon him.

He felt horrible as he reached up and switched the water off. He could still hear it in his head as he reached for a towel- all the crying, screaming, begging for them to stop.

He was a pathetic, sorry excuse of a demon, he thinks as he wraps the towel around his waist and travels down the his stairs quietly. It’s early morning now. There was only a few hours left before he would have wake up for school. He contemplated just skipping the entire day. There would be know way he’d be able to function. He could always say he feels sick- its not that far from the truth. He would decide in a few hours, he thought as he crawled into bed. It didn’t take long for her to move closer to him. His naturally warmer body temperature was what drew her to him. His body involuntarily tensing as she nuzzled into his chest, arms slipping around his body. He would only tuck her head under his chin and drape and arm over her side as he let the scent of her shampoo relax him enough to fall into a light sleep.

After a short while, someone's alarm blared among the sheets- whether it his or Arella's, he couldn't be sure. Mammon patted around for the offending phone, just wanting to get five more minutes of shut eye. He eventually succeeded but not without waking his partner.

"Morning, Love," Arella sighed, her voice still laced with the grogginess of sleep.

"Mornin', Treasure," The demon yawns as he curls back up, pulling her closer to his chest. "Sleep well?"

"I did. What time you get back last night?" Arella's voice is soft as her hand slides under his shirt, rubbing gently along his side.

"5 this mornin'." He says as he tries to hide the way his body recoils from her touch, a pang of guilt strikes his heart as she notices. "Sorry... 'm not really feelin' all that great right now..."

"No, that's alright." She removes her hand from his side, choosing instead to rest it against his cheek as she readjusts herself so she's eye-level with him on the pillow. "How selfish of those witches to keep you out so late on a school night..." Its at this point she notices the puffiness and how red his eyes are. "You look like you've been crying... Is everything alright?"

He just shakes his head. Mammon wants so badly to tell her what happened to him the night before- the real reason he got home so late, but unsurprisingly, no words come out. He just closes his eyes, letting himself relax under her gentle touch. "I'm jus' really tired s'all."

"I believe it. You only got a hour and a half's worth of sleep. Would you like to just stay home all day, just the two of us?" Arella moves him so he's resting with his head on her chest.

"That's sounds.... nice," he hums quietly, so close to falling back into the clutches of sleep.

"Alright then. Go on and go back to sleep," She kisses the top of his head, carding her fingers through the soft, fluffy locks the other hand rubbing small circles in the center of his back. "I've got you."

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

This carried on for months. The witches would summon him and as long as he complied with their wishes, they would hold his secret. By the third time, he would check out- let his mind escape to anywhere but the present until it was over. It became a vicious cycle. They would call, he would go to them, and then he would crawl into his bed for maybe an hour or two before forcing himself to get up for classes that he often fell asleep in. After the tenth, once they had finished with him, he asked why they were doing this and they told him.

“We desire something to bind you to us for the rest of our lives.”

“A child.”

The demon’s eyes widened at that. Never in his life had he been so opposed to the idea of having children. In fact, just before all of this happened he had been daydreaming about what his children with Arella would look like if they were ever so fortunate to have any but a child with one of the witches? It made him sick. A half-demon born from a demon of his status had a high probability of killing its mother- one who he would then have to raise. How could he explain that to his brothers- to Arella? The very thought filled him with dread. How could he ever bring himself to care for a child conceived from a crime? A child that would always be nothing but a constant reminder of the worst nights of his life. They didn’t deserve a life like that.

And so Mammon did the only thing he could think to do: he fled. He ran back to the Devildom, back to House of Lamentation as fast a his legs would carry him. He crashed through the doors of the house. Never had he been so greatful to be the first one home. As he climbed the steps up to his room he vowed to himself never again. He wouldn’t give them what they wanted, consequences be damned.

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

It had been six months since his last encounter with the witches. There was nothing on their end- absolute radio silence. Part of Mammon wondered if they'd gotten what they wanted from him after all. Everyday was filled with the anxiety of not knowing. His nightmares had gotten worse. Most of them were based around those nights he'd spent with them, others involved everyone finding out a one-sided version of what had happened, all spun in the favor of the witches. He dreamed of Arella leaving him, heart-broken from the implication that he would stray from her and running into the arms of one of his brothers. The worst ones- the ones he would wake up from covered in a cold sweat in the dead of night- consisted of him standing in the witches' home, the sounds of screaming, the smell of blood, the piercing first cries somewhere between the call of a demon and the screams of a human baby infecting his senses. It all felt too real. It felt like a crushing weight on his chest.

Over this time, Mammon had grown distant from both his brothers and Arella, hardly spending anytime with them. He fell apart. The grades he worked so hard to pull up had taken a nose dive, he was hardly eating- choosing only to consume just barely enough to sustain himself. He no longer slept for fear of the nightmares and he instead threw himself into side jobs that would keep him out of the house well passed curfew as well as earn him plentiful amounts of grimm. He couldn't go on like this much longer.

Everyone was worried for him. None of them had ever seen the Avatar of Greed in this manner and the gradual change in his demeanor alarmed them. Despite everyone’s best attempts, Mammon hardly smiled anymore. He just simply didn't seem to enjoy all of the things he once did. They all knew something was wrong but when asked the white haired demon would shrug it off, say he was fine when he very obviously was not. Everything came to a head the night Mammon collapsed, finally falling victim to exhaustion and hunger.

It was after this that Lucifer called the family to a meeting while Arella sat with Mammon in his room as he slept fitfully.

"What do we do, Lucifer?" Asmo seemed distraught with fear. "Our brother is suffering from something and we don't even know where to start in trying to help him."

"We have to get him to talk somehow," Satan quipped, "Perhaps Arella can-"

"If this were any other situation, I would suggest it but right now, I don't think that's a very wise move. If she forces him to talk it could very well damage the bond they share." For the first time in thousands of years, Lucifer didn't know what to do. Whatever was causing this shift in personality was eating away at Mammon. "We'll try to think of a way to fix this- to find out what happened to our dear brother. So let's start at the beginning of all of this. What do we know about what he was doing before this happened?"

"Well, Levi started, "He was getting called up by those witch sisters with more and more frequently. I heard him come home super late- like early morning hours late..."

"And after that is when he practically stopped eating." Beel chimed in.

"And he was having nightmares almost nightly, afterwards." Belphie nodded. "I did my best with my powers to look into them but there were so many mental blocks that he subconsciously put up, I couldn't see or hear anything very well and what I could see didn't make a whole lot of sense. They weren't very clear, but they had something to do with the witches... and I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt associated with them."

"Then obviously something happened while he was with them," Satan said, brow furrowed. "But what that may be, we won't know until he talks."

"Asmo, I see the look on your face." Lucifer called out to the Avatar of Lust. "Is there something, you'd like share with the group?"

Everyone's eyes were locked onto Asmodeus as the demon sat with a contemplative look on his face. He was very slowly starting to piece together what had been going on.

"Not yet, but I may have a hunch." He finally said. "Mammon has a pact with these women, correct?"

Next

Masterlist 2

[obae-me]

Hi I love your blog and your writing. I don't know if your doing request or not, so if you aren't just ignore me. But could you possibly have a hc where MC breaks a body part and had to be in a cast how would the brothers (+undateables if you have time) would react?

Oh but this is soft tho, I love writing fluff, thank you so much for the request! 💜

Lucifer

MC had been with him when it happened, and it’s something he’ll never forgive himself for. He forgets how fragile humans are and how anything can hurt them. Anything! He had prepared for monsters, demons, curses, spells, poisons, but he never thought he needed to protect them from stairs!

He was walking beside them as they both started to walk home from RAD, talking to them about an upcoming project. It was dark and rainy, and it bothered him none as he started to descend the slick stone steps. He was just about to warn them about their step when they stumbled down the stairs, hands extended to try to catch themselves, hitting each step with an awful sound before resting on even flooring with a groan.

He freaked out so badly, he called MC by five different wrong names before he finally got it right just as he reached their side. They were alive. Great. They were breathing. Fantastic. They...they had their right wrist bent in the wrong direction.

MC was fairly certain he didn’t even breathe or blink at all as he flew them towards the Devildom’s version of a hospital. He kicked the doors open, demanding MC got looked at, ignoring all of MC’s pleas to wait like everyone else. The poor doctor was not prepared for all of Lucifer’s commands and questions.

MC is not allowed to walk, not allowed to go to class, not even allowed to leave their room for a while. He’s so worried something will happen. He doesn’t even want them to sleep without him there first. His brothers are only allowed to come see MC one by one, following a strict schedule he posted outside MC’s door. Anyone found breaking the schedule will be severely punished. 

Is he overreacting severely? Yes. But does MC appreciate his affection? Yes. He’ll hold them close whenever their wrist hurts, petting their head and shushing them if they ever cry. He’ll do all his work for Diavolo in their bedroom, making sure to glance up in frequent intervals and check how they’re doing. He’ll watch over them so intently he’ll end up accidentally falling asleep in the chair by their bed, head resting on his folded arms.

Even after it’s healed, he insists on holding MC’s hand whenever they walk to make sure it won’t happen again. He’ll also pick them up now whenever it rains. He can’t afford anymore unnecessary risks. 

Mammon

He brought MC along on another one of his poor-planned money making schemes. He wanted to show off and impress them, and MC only agreed to go along to try to make sure he didn’t get himself in too much trouble. Try being the key word here. 

It ended up being super sketchy, causing both MC and Mammon to run away from angry demons. Since Mammon is impossibly fast, he held onto MC’s hand to try to keep them together. However, even if MC ended up being an Olympic runner, they still wouldn’t have been able to keep up with his speed. So, they lost their footing and fell hard against the ground. There was a rough popping noise, but Mammon got them right back on their feet. It wasn’t until they finally got home before Mammon realized that not only were they scratched up, but their shoulder...didn’t look right.

He thought maybe he could fix it himself, which was the opposite of what he should’ve done. Now, not only did it look even worse, but MC’s expression of pain caused Mammon to panic like he never had before. He held onto them tight, much too tight, and MC was almost certain he’d end up passing out before they did.

He got a doctor right away, and while they were getting checked, Lucifer and Mammon were fighting worse than they had in a long time. Mammon had hardly fought this much for anything-or anyone-before. The only reason why Lucifer let him off the hook for something this severe is because it’s been too long since he’s seen Mammon so serious.

Mammon won't leave their side, but he doesn’t feel like he deserves to be near them either, so he’ll spend time pacing by their door for hours before MC tells him to quit. They tell him he doesn’t need to feel so guilty, it was an accident, stupid stuff like this happens to humans all the time. He’ll kneel on the floor by their bed, head against their leg, looking like a scolded puppy. It’s the first time they’ve seen him cry.

It’s not everyday Mammon will do whatever they want. Even if it’s not perfect, even if he messes up, he wants to get MC whatever they want or need.

After they’re fully healed, Mammon will still check their shoulder every day, and Lucifer doesn’t complain when Mammon tones down some of his schemes for the sake of MC’s safety.

Levi

He signed both himself and MC up for this awesome parkour class. He had seen an ad for it and wanted to go, only because he wanted to learn some cool moves that he had seen in an anime. Of course, this was a demon class, so already they had the students doing crazy things like jumping roof to roof and doing flips that would take years for MC to do properly. Unfortunately, they tried it out anyway, not wanting to wimp out of it.

Next thing they knew, they heard Levi scream as one of their legs gave out on them, unable to support their landing. He was by their side, already in tears, shouting incomprehensible words as he called for help on his D.D.D. Not only did one of the brothers have to carry MC home, they had to carry out Levi as well, his brain fried at the sight of their broken leg.

He blames himself hard, having to catch his breath anytime he sees MC in their cast. He had no idea human’s bodies were so brittle, they never seemed so weak in anime. They were always fighting, overcoming impossible feats. He was so lost in the world of fantasy he didn’t know real life was so...frightening. It was a reality check he really needed, he appears to treat MC more authentically now.

He’ll make sure MC is fully entertained while they’re on the mend, it's the least he can do. Most of his setup is now in their room so they can play games with him and watch shows together. He’ll talk their ear off about his favorite plots, and promise to MC that they’d get better and he would protect them, just like his precious characters. 

MC now has little drawings on their cast thanks to him, to liven it up a bit. Covered in chibis and little hearts.

He’s used to not getting much sleep, so he’ll watch MC as they rest, watching their chest rise and fall, making sure he keeps an eye on their leg. They’re not allowed to move it much, so he keeps tabs on how much they toss and turn, sometimes holding MC in his arms while they sleep to make sure they don’t move.

Even when they’re better he is always wary about them leaving the house. He should’ve never broken his rule, home is always safe, and now he can’t relax until he knows MC is safely home.

Satan

He was always afraid of hurting MC due to his wrath, but he never knew that they could so easily be broken. He hadn’t even intended to hurt them, he didn’t! He just...he was angry, he didn’t want them to come into his room, but they insisted, they wouldn’t listen! Now look what he had done to them...

He had slammed the door on them while their finger still lingered in the door-frame, he had no idea...he didn’t know something as simple as shutting a door would hurt them so. They both heard a sharp crack, Satan originally believed it had been part of the door, the wood breaking. Until he heard MC’s shriek of pain. He opened the door back up to see their finger bent backwards where the door had shut on it.

After he had tore the door off its hinges and resolved it to splinters, he ushered MC quickly out of the house to get their finger checked. His other brothers had to quickly come at MC’s request to keep Satan from harming the medical staff when told they had to wait to get checked. It took him far too long to calm down, having to be physically restrained by Lucifer and Mammon until he cooled off. 

MC’s broken finger had been on their dominant hand, so Satan did all the writing for them. MC never asked him to, he did it anyway. He felt like it was the bare minimum of redemption. He made sure to read up more on the skeletal structure humans possessed, and MC is pleased to find that they had never seen Satan be so gentle with them. He softly strokes their hand, has a hard time now raising his voice above a whisper around them, and MC swears he now has painkillers in his pocket at all times for whenever they need it. 

Satan takes after Lucifer in being much too prideful for simple apologies, he’s hardly wrong in the first place, but he said it to them once they drifted off to sleep, head in his lap. He didn’t move from his spot all night.

Healed wounds meant nothing, Satan refused to treat MC any differently from his delicate and precious books.

Asmo

Trust him, he would have never given MC those ridiculously high heeled shoes had he known that humans were so clumsy and fragile. The heel of the shoe was so tall, whoever wore them might as well be walking on the very tips of their toes. They were a new fashion, and since he adored his adorable MC so much, he got them a pair.

The last thing he expected was to have them fall so dramatically after a single step. At first he planned on giving them props for their fall, it was like a movie scene, but then he saw how their ankle looked. Twisted and limp, MC started to hyperventilate.

He had seen some pretty disgusting positions the human body could get into, but this was wrong, it shouldn’t be like that. He had never been so serious or flown so fast before. He didn’t even say a word until they were in bed, getting some medication for the pain. He grasped onto MC’s hand and apologized repeatedly until MC was convinced he had lost his voice.

After they’ve been taken care of, he refuses to let go of them, cuddling them pampering them. He didn’t know just a simple misstep in the wrong shoes and they could just hurt themselves like that! He thought himself a master of the body, but he still had much to learn about humans, it seemed.

He calls himself Nurse Asmo for weeks, not leaving MC’s side, carting them around in a wheelchair even if they insist on using crutches or moving around themselves. He’ll have none of it. He feels responsible and so MC is under his constant care until their body is just as beautiful and whole as he remembers. He’ll want to make sure he takes care of them so well, their body will have no choice but to heal faster.

He’ll not forgive himself for allowing MC’s perfect body to get like that again. He’ll never let MC even look at high heel shoes, he knows plenty of adorable flats that would look great on them.

Beel

He’s always extra careful around MC, he knows they’re fragile, he’s well aware of the difference between strengths. Anytime he’s around them, he does whatever is necessary to make sure they’re safe at all times. Unfortunately, no matter how protective he is, sometimes accidents happen, especially when humans and demons mix.

He and Mammon were fighting over food, special food, limited edition flavor chips, and Mammon had stolen it. He didn’t even eat it, he sold it. It was an insult. They both were in demon form, battling it out, Lucifer trying to stop it, by force it would seem. They were all so consumed in combat, power flinging, furniture flying, they had no idea MC had walked in the room to check on the chaos, only to get caught up in it. A large cabinet headed in their direction, and if they hadn’t stepped back, they might have gotten fully crushed. Unfortunately, their foot ended up being crushed in their place.

Beel felt sick to his stomach, hearing the sound of the bone crack made his insides feel all twisted in a way he and his iron stomach hadn’t felt in centuries. The fighting immediately came to a close, the food they were fighting over seemed worthless to him now, for once he couldn’t care less. He refused to let any of his other brothers touch MC. In fact he almost didn’t want to touch them himself. He had such a hard time holding them, he ended up physically shaking, worried that he’d hurt MC even further. He doesn’t want to let them go, though, he holds onto them for an entire day, acting like MC’s personal shield. 

Beel skips classes, workouts, even his team practices to be with MC. MC is absolutely not allowed to move by themselves, he’s going to carry them wherever they need to go if they must go somewhere. Until they’re fully healed, all the meals are going to be MC’s favorite foods. None of the brothers get a say otherwise, but no one is going to defy Beel over this anyway.

MC never sees him fight with any of his brothers again, not with them around anyway, and if they thought Beel was already super protective, they weren’t ready for their new unofficial bodyguard.

Belphie

Honestly, he was bewildered how MC hadn’t died yet--well, other than that--in the Devildom. Lilith had loved humans, and, he in the past, had loved them too, so he knew how weak they could be. However, MC had just...tripped...on their own feet, falling right onto their own face. He laughed at first, he will admit, he had no idea how hurt MC was. When they stumbled back onto their own feet, their face and chest was covered in blood.

He was frozen for a good few minutes, his mind buzzing, his heart pounding out of his chest. He kept getting flashbacks of that terrible moment in the attic, and it was only until MC grabbed his arm, disoriented and in pain, that he was able to move again. They gasped his name to snap him out of it. They weren’t flinching away from him, they didn’t look afraid of him, in fact they were leaning into him, looking for his comfort. 

He got them home as quick as he could, making sure MC didn’t have any more fumbles on the way. Obviously once they saw the state MC was in, all the other brothers were freaking out as well. Mammon accused Belphie of doing something to them again--it was taking Mammon the longest to forgive him-- which didn’t make Belphie feel better about it. Normally he would’ve just fought Mammon then and there for such an accusation, after all the things his older brother had dragged MC into, but he didn’t have the energy. MC needed to be taken care of now. 

He did feel guilty, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Once the doctor came, he left the room, getting some air. He would wait until after MC was asleep to come check on them and make sure they were okay. He would make sure that MC’s pillow was fluffed, that they were comfortable, and then he’d fall asleep at MC’s feet at the end of their bed. He’d wake up at the slightest movement, checking over their body and face for who knows how many times now. 

While they were deep in a dream, he took a permanent marker and drew little cow spots on their bandage. It was a silly gesture, he was well aware, but even having a small piece of matching patterns made his heart happy. 

He won’t say it but he’s so glad when they’re finally healed. MC notices a sharp increase in his energy levels as he asks them to do plenty of activities together. He hardly ever wants to do something with them besides nap. 

He’ll be prepared to catch MC if they ever trip again. He won’t let them be hurt ever again. Period. 

Diavolo

He wasn’t there when it happened to MC, but Lucifer relayed the information to him as soon as possible. He didn’t freak out, at least, not in the way people would expect. It is rather unlike the Lord of the Devildom, however, to drop all his work, cancel all his meetings, and quickly make his way over to the House of Lamentation.

He excuses MC from classes immediately, making sure staying safe and healthy was their first and only priority. Not just for the sake of the program, but something in him stirred violently at the sight of seeing them pale, in pain, their forearm in a cast. He asked Lucifer for details. 

Upon hearing that it was due to some lesser demon, he laughed, but it was a terrible laugh. He calmly stated that he would handle it, but every member of the household could feel the house rumble. Not even Diavolo could stay completely tranquil, it seemed.

He knew the consequences of having a human in the Devildom, he knew the risks. He knew about the dirt in his kingdom that called themselves demons. He just didn’t realize how it would make him feel . Not only did MC have classes off, he allowed all the brothers to stay home for a while as well to make sure they were well taken care of. He had Lucifer give him daily updates on their progress.

MC is now curious why there are new changes to not only RAD but the House of Lamentation, Purgatory Hall, and even Diavolo’s castle. Simple things like ramps, elevators, railings, anything as a means of injury prevention. None of the demons need to use it, it’s all for MC, but everyone acts like it’s completely normal. All due to Diavolo’s ‘modern design’.

None of the brothers dare say anything about the Demon Lord’s frequent visits to their home, or to MC’s room. Not even Lucifer had him come over this often.

MC is thankful they never have to see the demon that resulted in their arm breaking again, but they didn’t know where they possibly could've gone. 

Barbatos

It’s safe to assume he knew about this. Except, there were plenty of timelines where something like this had happened, so he didn’t know the details of which unfortunate accident would come about. Whatever the case, he was prepared to assist and serve MC in whatever way he could.

He always thinks he’s seen everything and is well prepared for it, but it still doesn’t prevent him from having his chest hurt and his nerves shudder at seeing MC like this. On the outside, he’ll always appear neutral, so no one knows just how much he’s feeling for this human. He’s so much softer with them than anyone else.

MC doesn’t know how this demon keeps getting into their room without coming through the door, it freaks them out a bit, to be honest. They don’t complain about their room being so pristine you could brush over it with a white glove, though. 

MC thought that maybe, maybe, just once they could get away with getting up and doing things on their own. The brothers kept on fussing over them non-stop, but at one point they got called away to a meeting, leaving MC alone at home.

They got up out of bed, ready to stretch their legs and get some fresh air, trying to get some sort of normalcy back. They did all this not knowing that Barbatos was keeping a close eye on them from the shadows the entire time. 

Whether it was by Diavolo’s orders or Barbatos’ own volition, MC will never know, but they did find their little excursion to the outside quickly brought to a halt by some form of magic that transported them back to their room. Barbatos had them back in bed before MC could even reach the front gates. 

No matter how they tried, they were forced to stay safe, now even unable to get out from their bed. No matter how much they struggled, their own sheets betrayed them. The silent butler only showed up once MC gave up. He strutted over putting a soft but surprisingly stern hand over their shoulder as he went about taking care of them. Any words of protest fell on deaf ears. It was his duty to protect him, and not even MC could stop him. 

Simeon

He had no idea till he noticed that MC hadn’t been to school for a few days now. When he brought it up to the brothers, they explained how MC had staggered back home one night, hand completely busted, and they wouldn’t tell anyone why. For MC’s safety, and just for the brother’s peace of mind, MC was to stay home until further notice.

Simeon’s an angel, so peaceful, anger isn’t something he fully understands, but he felt a burning pain in his chest. Why didn’t anyone tell him immediately? Was he just supposed to figure this out himself? It had been quite a long time since Lucifer had seen Simeon frown so deeply before, eyes cloudy with distress.

Simeon had never missed classes ever. He was always much too early, much too eager to stick to regulations. So when he ended up skipping class, it shocked Luke to his core and caused Diavolo to make a note that an angel had broken the rules to go check on a human. This program was turning up all sorts of surprises.

MC was pleasantly surprised to hear the soft knocks on their door, vastly different than any of the ways the demons announced themselves. Simeon strode in, radiating warmth, carefully grasping their hand in his, and gave it a gentle kiss. The pain MC had felt no longer existed. Simeon explained that it was still best if they heal on their own, but at the very least, they wouldn’t feel pain. He would be there to make it all go away. 

He’s around MC now much more frequently, guarding them, keeping them from harm. From that point on he urges MC to let him know when things happen.

Solomon

He had been teaching MC more about magic. Not only did he think it would be beneficial for his human companion, but it would sate some of his curiosity. He wanted to learn more about MC, about their capabilities, testing to see in what ways their previous angel ancestor had changed them.

He knew they had a hard time driving out their power, so he tried different methods to assist them, methods they could use on their own. Magic rings, chants, wands. Unfortunately, once something worked, all their built up power flooded out of them at once, their temporary wand exploding into shards, and the bones in their hand following suit.

He used some of his magic to heal up what he could, being careful not to go too far or he’d overwhelm MC’s already weakened body. MC couldn't tell what was running through his head as he had them supported and cradled with one of his arms, the other one hovered over their hand. Magical circles and sigils running over their skin as it rushed to heal them. While his face seemed calm, his eyes looked a bit darker, missing the mischievous glint in them. They were tighter, laser focused, serious.

After he did what he could, both of them promised not to mention it to anyone, for fear both of them would never hear the end of it, or worse. While MC walked themselves home, Simeon used magic to keep an eye on them from his room, taking note what happened with him today. His mouth tight, arms folded across his chest, watching as the remnants from MC’s faulty makeshift wand burned rapidly in the fireplace. 

Luke

He has absolutely no idea how humans work or how weak they are. So when he heard MC had a broken bone, he didn’t even fully understand what that meant. Broke...a bone? He knew the word broke didn’t sound pleasant, and when he finally went to go see MC, his little head almost exploded.

Their body broke?? Human’s bodies could break like that?? And they couldn't just have it healed immediately??

He blamed the demons most definitely, but MC had never ever been so entertained when the little angel pointed at each and every one of the brothers--Lucifer included--and chewed them out. Each of them had different expressions. Belphie looked exhausted, Beel looked downtrodden, Asmo didn’t even seem to be paying attention. Satan looked like he was only focusing on not destroying Luke right then and there, Levi looked mortified, Mammon was the only one arguing back, and Lucifer was stunned speechless that a creature barely higher than his waist was giving him a lecture.

Until MC is fully healed, Luke makes sure to bring plenty of freshly baked sweets right to their door, not noticing seven pairs of glowing glares while he lingers in the house of demons.

[beewolfwrites]

The Oar in the Sand - Chapter Two: The First Day of Nostos

And the second chapter is here! I feel evil for writing this, buuutt we need drama. And plot. 

For those who are new to the AIB fandom, this is the sequel to my other Chishiya x OC/Reader fic - you can find the first one, and the Chishiya pov side series, either on AO3 or on my Tumblr. 

I’ll keep this short and sweet, and leave the AO3 link to this chapter here. 

And the link to my AO3 profile where you’ll find the other fics is here.  

As always, thanks for reading! Your support means the world :D

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Daylight spilled through the window onto the empty side of the bed. It wasn’t unusual for Chishiya to wake up before me, although usually in my dreaming I would feel the dip of the mattress as he left. I must’ve been in such a deep sleep that I hadn’t noticed. But that’s okay. I needed all the rest I could get.

Rubbing my eyes, I stretched out a hand to feel the sheets. They were still warm, as was the light that enveloped my fingers in its glow. It would have been peaceful morning, here in the sun and the cosy sheets, if not for the budding anticipation within me.

Noon.

That’s when it all starts.

Kicking back the covers, I forced myself to get up and dressed. No matter how much I wanted to laze around, there was no telling what would happen, and so I chose more comfortable, practical clothes – cropped cargo pants, with a t-shirt and hoodie. It was only when I headed down the creaky stairs into the overwhelming silence of the living room, that Chishiya’s absence became even more apparent.

If he wasn’t down here, that left only one place he could be.

Is he aware of how predictable he is?

Emptying a bottle of water into a pan, I lit up the camping stove, watching as the water slowly frothed into simmer before bubbling away. Then spooning some instant coffee into two small mugs, I poured some of the water into each. It wasn’t great, but it was the closest thing to a real cup of coffee we could get in this world. Carefully carrying the two mugs, I stepped outside, and immediately squinted under the sun’s glare.

If it’s this high in the sky, there can’t be much longer now.

Just around the side of the store was a fire escape ladder. I had practiced this a few times, holding both mug handles in one hand, as I shakily clambered up to the roof. I only spilled a couple of drops, but it was nothing compared to the first time I tried to do this. Moving slowly, I slid onto the rooftop.

And there he was.

Lounging near the edge, one knee bent up, Chishiya was staring out at the cityscape. The first thing I noticed when I sat beside him was the mug in his hand. And once again, I felt like an idiot.

‘You already made coffee?’ I set the unwanted extra between us, eyeing his steaming mug. ‘And you didn’t leave any for me.’

‘You were fast asleep,’ he replied, taking a sip. ‘It would have gone cold.’

‘You could’ve woken me up.’

‘And if I had, you would have complained all morning.’

I hate to admit it, he’s kind of right.

I clutched my own mug, letting the warmth seep into my fingers as I counted each blimp suspended over the city. So far, nothing had changed from yesterday. But then again, it also wasn’t noon yet. Slowly drinking my coffee, I sighed. ‘I guess I’ll just have to drink twice as much now.’

Chishiya didn’t even bother entertaining me with a reply. He seemed content with the peace and quiet. Only, when he finally set down his empty mug, he reached for the extra one.

I raised a brow. ‘I thought you didn’t want it.’

He began to drink it anyway. ‘These cups are too small.’

I dipped my head into my mug to hide my smile, although knowing him, he probably saw it anyway. The sun was now gleaming above the empty city, nearly at its highest point in the sky. Apprehension swelled uncomfortably within me, and I wrapped my arms around my knees while I finished my coffee. ‘Are you going to go to the Jack of Diamonds today?’

‘The Queen and King too,’ he said. ‘I’ll work my way up.’

It was fine. It was fine. Chishiya was clever enough to survive, and I had every confidence that he would complete the games easily. More importantly, he was the most intelligent person I’d ever met. If anyone stood a chance at clearing the Diamond face cards so we could all go home, it was him. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t scared.

He could still get hurt. He could still...

It didn’t bear thinking about.

‘At least let me come with you.’ Before he could protest or decline, I added, ‘Just to wait outside. I can’t sit here, not knowing anything.’

His expression was guarded as he downed the last of his coffee. ‘Do what you want. Although you might be waiting a while. I don’t know how long the games will last.’

A loud gunshot blasted in the distance. I jumped, inching closer to Chishiya. He was stone still. Another shot ricocheted, the clap echoing off the concrete skyscrapers. Were guns usually that loud? Loud enough to be heard all the way from here? This sounded almost like an explosion, only sharper.

Something’s not right.

And I knew exactly what.

Chishiya set his second empty mug on the rooftop. ‘It’s started.’

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

The city streets were deserted, yet I couldn’t help but stay on my guard. While the games were contained to their venues, that gunfire before hadn’t been normal – I’d witnessed enough of Niragi’s sniper to know the difference. It had gone on for several minutes, before eventually ebbing away, and only then did we set out for the Jack of Diamonds venue.

Despite the threat of the games ahead, Chishiya appeared relaxed on the surface, but there was a slight crease between his brows, and his eyes scanned every alleyway we passed, occasionally drifting to our reflections in store windows. His hands were pushed into his pockets, and I didn’t dare try to hold one.

‘Are you worried about the game?’ I kept my voice low, just in case.

‘You shouldn’t have come with me.’

I thought we’d already talked about this.

There was no way I could sit around in our little hideout, never knowing whether or not he was going to come back. I needed to be there. I needed to see the outcome with my own eyes.

‘You told me to do what I want,’ I said. ‘And this is what I want. I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine. Those guns were probably from a game.’

‘Maybe... maybe not,’ he mused.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Chishiya may not be the easiest person to read, but we both knew what he was really trying to say. We rounded a corner, heading further into the city centre. From what we could see of the blimps, the Jack, Queen and King of Diamonds were all pretty close to one another, and all within a reachable distance from the furniture store.

‘You should be more worried about your game,’ I remarked.  

‘Why?’

‘What do you mean, ‘why’? You could... you know.’

‘If I die, it’ll be of no consequence for you,’ he said. ‘And besides, I’ll die at some point anyway. There’s no use in trying to avoid it.’

His words no longer scared me, but rather, they were upsetting. How could he be so cavalier about it?

He really doesn’t care about his own life...

‘It does have consequence. I told you in the dealer’s den, didn’t I? If you’re not going to try and survive for yourself, then at least do it for me.’

The corner of his mouth lifted into that familiar sly smile. ‘Such big demands. You shouldn’t waste your own life being concerned about mine.’

We crossed the road, entering a new street, and the metal edge of a blimp appeared in the far distance.

‘I think I told you about that too. I can’t help being scared for you.’ I glanced away, looking instead at the side of a van. The words still felt strange to say out loud, even if I’d said them so brazenly during the Witch Hunt. ‘I lo—’

The van door erupted in a hot blast of glass and metal. The force blew me back, stumbling, as something struck my face. Hands gripped my forearms, dragging me away from the ground – I was on the ground? – and pulling me in a direction. I didn’t know where we were. The streets were shaking, or maybe I was. Maybe the whole world was shaking. And was that Chishiya in front of me?

Chishiya?

There was red in his blond hair and on his neck, wet and glistening. And his fingers were tight – far too tight – around my wrist. Where was he going? My feet were moving after him. No, he was the one dragging me like this, swaying us back and forth erratically. My eyes began to focus, the fog in my head clearing a little.

The gunshots... and that van. But how could a gun do that to a van?

‘Chishiya?’

If he heard me, his only response was to pull me harder until his fingernails dug into my skin. My numb legs jittered and tingled, but I tried my best to keep up with him. There was a strange humming above our heads, and I looked up, catching sight of a blimp overshadowing the office buildings above, darkening their windows and...

A gleam.

‘Chishiya!’

Glass exploded everywhere as the store window behind us shattered. Someone screamed – they sounded like me, only I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t... Someone tugged at my clothes, but I tore away, sprinting as fast as I could down the street. There was a shooter. There was someone shooting at us.

Side to side... I need to run from side to side.

As I ran, I veered in different directions, trying to keep things as unpredictable as possible. I ducked around corners and alleys, only to realise something. Chishiya was nowhere to be seen.

Don’t panic.

I slowed, breathless, as I swung onto another street, dipping behind a store.

Don’t panic.

The store crashed apart; the windows destroyed. Arms shielding my face, I toppled to the ground, coughing uncontrollably at the smell of hot plastic as mannequin limbs scattered the pavement.

I needed to run... I needed to run. My head was throbbing and burning now. Picking myself up, I pushed to keep going, running no matter how much my limbs ached. There was a strange buzzing noise that clashed painfully with the ringing in my ears.

And then I saw a glimmer of hope.

Across a traffic intersection was a large, off-white building with endless windows, marked 図書館. The entrance door shut softly as someone took shelter inside.

There!

The buzzing noise grew louder and louder, and my vision swam as I tore across the empty roads and into the building, slamming the door behind me. My legs finally gave way, and I collapsed against the wall, my eyes closing as I caught my breath.

Chishiya. I lost sight of him after that window was destroyed. Maybe he ran in the other direction. Or maybe... No.

He can’t be. He wouldn’t, not that easily.

‘It’s you.’

My eyes shot open at the familiar voice. Of all people to bump into, An was staring down at me with mild concern. It was An. Surging with relief, I tried to get to my feet to greet her, only my head flashed with dizzying pain.

‘No,’ she said. ‘Don’t get up. You’ll need your strength.’ I didn’t understand. She came in here to shelter too, right? Before I could question her, she crouched down in front of me and gently touched my forehead. Her fingers came back red. ‘What happened?’

My lungs ached with each syllable. Just getting the words out was a struggle. ‘苣屋一緒...にいた. ダイヤモンドのジャックに... 行っていた. 銃の音... が聞きた. すべて...’ I was together with Chishiya... We were going to the Jack of Diamonds... I heard gun sounds... and then everything...

I didn’t know the words for ‘gunshots’ or ‘explosion’, but An still nodded in understanding. Her eyes narrowed a little at Chishiya’s name, only she didn’t appear to be surprised by what I told her.

‘That’ll be the King of Spades. His sniper isn’t a regular gun. It’s designed to penetrate airships and armoured cars apparently.’

I didn’t understand the latter half of what she said, but one name stuck out unmistakably.  

The King of Spades?

‘どう知ってるか?’ I asked. How do you know?

An gestured behind her, and I finally noticed the two women anxiously watching us. One had long, flowing blond hair and was wearing a thin headband. The other had brown hair tied up in pigtails. ‘He attacked our camp right after the second stage started.’

So those were the gunshots we heard on the roof. And their camp...

‘Kuina?’

An lowered her head to the tiled floor. ‘I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know where she is. She left in a car with Arisu and Tatta. We were in a separate car and we drove all the way here.’

Kuina... she has to be alive. I refuse to believe otherwise.

She was strong and smart, and if she drove away with those two, she was probably okay.

Probably.

It made sense that the King of Spades started with their group, then travelled further into the city centre before running into Chishiya and I. But if he was moving to attack players then that could only mean... A sickening feeling grew in the pit of my stomach.

‘彼のゲーム会場,’ I said, ‘全部の東京だね?’ His game venue. It’s all of Tokyo, isn’t it?

‘It seems that way,’ An said, adjusting her sunglasses. ‘From what I can assume, the only place that isn’t his game venue is within other games.’ She glanced reassuringly at the other girls behind her. ‘While we’re in here, we should be safe from him, at least.’

At least?

A horrible thought slipped into my mind. A really, really horrible thought. But I almost didn’t want to believe it. It would be too unlucky – a downright cruel trick of fate.

My apprehensiveness must’ve been obvious, as An tilted her head, curiously. ‘You didn’t know,’ she murmured. ‘この建物はダイヤモンドの女王会場だ.’

No, it couldn’t be true. Maybe I misheard. I had to have misheard. My mind ran in circles, desperate to find Chishiya, to go home and finish my sentence, tell him what I tried to say before the van windows burst. But Chishiya wasn’t here. I didn’t know where he was. I was alone.

Assuming I hadn’t quite understood, An said it again, slower this time. There was no need. My fate was already sealed the moment I took shelter here.

‘This is the Queen of Diamonds venue.’

[micasaessakusa]

The luckiest man alive

Pairing: Bokuto Koutarou x Reader Genre: Angst Word Count: 3.224 words Warnings: Memory loss

If someone were to ask Bokuto what he thinks about life, he would undoubtedly give an answer that couldn’t be fitted into a three-hour monologue.

Tangents about his favorite pleasant aspects of his life would be there: his friends and family, volleyball, the feeling of victory, the feeling of being loved, and speaking of love - you.

Bokuto Koutarou believes he’s a very lucky man. 

Of course, he gives great weight to hard work, but he’s just so lucky that his hard work has almost always been coupled with, well, luck. He’s lucky to have found his passion in volleyball, lucky to have been surrounded by people who always support him, lucky to have gotten the opportunities he’s been presented, lucky to be doing what he loves, and lucky that you’re there beside him.

Ups or downs, you’re there for him. And he’s so lucky that you make your presence even more known in his slumps. Did he do something good in his past life for him to be blessed with good fortune and you in his present life?

Maybe he saved the world or something, is what he always thinks.

And because of the luck that’s always been by his side, Bokuto is naturally optimistic. How could he not be positive when he always gets what he wants, right?

Sure, people see him as someone who’s easily swayed emotionally. And someone who feels down from the most mundane things must be a pessimist instead, right? That would make better sense, but when has Bokuto Koutarou ever abided by sense?

Even in the face of whatever Bokuto shows outside, his heart and mind are always set on looking towards the brighter side of things. 

For example: he can’t hit well? Aww too bad, and for sure he’ll mope around a bit. BUT he’s already looking forward to getting back up again and hitting those super satisfying straights and thin crosscourt shots of his. 

He fails an exam? You’ll see him hiding under his desk, muttering about how he just couldn’t get his mind to wrap around topics. BUT he’s already thinking of the tutoring he’s going to get from Yukie and Shirofuku because of course they’re not going to let their ace fail and get bumped off the team for academic failure.

They lose a game? He’ll undoubtedly be inconsolable for a day - maybe even two. BUT he’s already pumped with adrenaline from the anticipation of the future MSBY training sessions that would surely tire the heck out of him. They have to work to secure that next win after all.

Luck is always on his side. How could it not be when in his point of view, he’s the protagonist of the world.

Whatever comes his way is just a challenge waiting to be conquered. He could be sad and mopey for sometime, but for all intents and purposes, he’s absolute that he could triumph over anything.

To sum it up, even though Bokuto Koutarou could not be contained in a few words, if he does try to name a few to describe himself, it would be: lucky, optimistic, and of course, grateful. Gotta be thankful for all that fortune after all.

That’s who he is. 

So when word reached him that you got into a terrible car accident that almost took your life, he cried.

He cried, sobbed-- he broke down in anguish and absolutely refused to leave your side throughout the whole operation to save your life. He remained adamant to not leave you by yourself in the weeks that took for you to recover, and he willed himself to remain optimistic that you would wake up from the coma-- that he could once again be given the chance to gaze upon your gentle, familiar orbs that he’s come to cherish so much.

It tore his heart to see you asleep. 

That’s what he took to calling it: asleep, for if he called it what it really was, he’s afraid he’d break down even more. And break down he did. Just after being told of the severity of your condition, he fell to his knees on the hospital hallway, unable to support himself from the disbelief, the sadness that he felt. But his friends and family were there the whole time, never leaving him to fend for himself.

His teammates never left his side, especially Shouyou, your cousin Omi, Tsum Tsum, and of course, Kuroo and Keiji. Even with their own busy lives, Bokuto’s just so lucky to have special people that gave him strength when he needed it the most.

Bokuto wept from the accident, but he thanks his lucky stars that you survived, you made it out alive and that’s what really matters. He’s grateful that despite what happened, you weren’t taken away from him, and because of that, he’s optimistic that you’re going to wake up and give him the privilege to be with you again.

The universe must have heard his wishes, for you suddenly woke up a couple of days after the fifth week mark.

He remembers it clearly.

It was nine in the morning, he saw the time on the dashboard of his car before he shut the engine off. Lucky he found a parking spot near the entrance, as he remembers that time Atsumu drove him to the hospital and it took them almost half an hour to find a spot.

His ringtone broke through the sound of the morning rush just as he closed the door to the driver’s seat. Plucking his mobile out of his jean pockets and holding a cup of coffee with his other hand, he answered the call, seeing ‘Omi-Omi’ on the screen.

“Yes, Om--”

“[Y/N]’s awake--”

The steaming coffee slipped from his grasp and that’s all it took for him to run through the parking lot and into the entrance. He spotted a line in the elevator so he turned a corner instead, and opted to hike seven flights of stairs to your floor, skipping two or three steps to get there faster.

His heart was beating so fast it felt like it’s going to burst out of his chest, but he ignored it. He didn’t even notice the muted ringing in his ears from the adrenaline, all he’s thinking was how he needed to see you, he needed to see you. He needed to see you he needed to see you he needed to see--

All eyes turned to him when he barged into the room.

It felt like all the air escaped his body as he stood there glued to his spot. He saw you, already seated and looking at him.

You’re looking at him.

He didn’t notice the tears streaming down his face.

He took the first step, the second, the third, and soon he found himself kneeling beside your bed, your small hand grasped into his warm and much larger pair. Holding it tight with the desperation of a man afraid to lose his only one.

And there, he let it all go. It all came crashing down on him. The tears fell even harder than before as he cried his heart out. --the panic upon seeing your unmoving body, the fear that you might not survive the operation, the horror that gripped him when they told him you were in a coma.

--the adrenaline that seized him when Sakusa called, the nervousness in his steps on his way up. The relief from seeing you awake--

“Who are you?”

His entire body stiffened upon hearing your voice. First, from the unparalleled comfort of having to hear you again after so long, but then he registered what you said.

Still sniffling, he wiped his tears with the back of his hands, only then realizing how much he cried from the moment he saw you. His brows furrowed a little in confusion, looking around the room for a bit, only then did he process the solemn looks on the faces of his friends, each one unable to look him in the eye.

“What--?” he said softly as he let his gaze go back to you. 

“I’m sorry,” you told him in an equally soft voice. “I don’t know who you are.”

Your voice was barely above a whisper, but it might as well have been a shout from how loud your words rang in his ears. You turned your gaze away from him, pulling your hand free from his grasp as you kept your own hands clasped on your lap instead.

“Kiyoomi,” you called out with a bit of urgency, making your cousin rush to your side to give you the sense of security you needed.

The doctor cleared his throat lightly, catching his attention. Still confused and unable to wrap his head around what was happening, he stood up and walked slowly out of the room as he was escorted outside. He chanced a glimpse at your tired body just before the door shut. 

He saw Kiyoomi huddled over your form as you held onto him desperately. 

You didn’t even spare Bokuto a glance.

That was around twelve months ago, just seconds before the doctor finally told him about your condition. How the blunt force trauma to your head caused brain damage, which ultimately resulted in a version of retrograde amnesia.

But it was partial, said the doctor. The accident only seemed to have affected a few years of your life. Fortunately for you, you were able to retain your memories until some time after college. At least you didn’t have to wake up at a loss about who you are, at least you know your family, at least you remember your cousin Kiyoomi, at least at least at least at least-- but it was all just a big blur to Bokuto.

The moment he heard you remember just after college --roughly about a year after your uni grad when you tried out for pro-league, he blanked out, because that means you don’t remember him.

A year, that’s how long it’s been since you woke up. One year, one month, two weeks, and six days since the accident you were in, if he wants to be specific.

Months spent dying to engulf you in his embrace. Months spent unable to lie in bed with you beside him, to just go back to talking about nothing and everything at the same time. Months spent just visiting you in Sakusa’s loft because that’s where you’re more comfortable staying.

He respects your boundaries, but he just can’t help but miss everything about you.

He misses you. 

A lot.

But still, he thanks the world for keeping you alive. He can’t even begin to imagine what life would be for him had things taken a turn for the worse, but he doesn’t have to think about that. Again, what matters is you’re alive and well.

Even with your condition, Bokuto still believes he’s lucky to have you by his side. Well, maybe not all of you, because while you’ve slowly gotten back to some of your usual routines like work, you still don’t have an inkling of who Bokuto really was, or is supposed to be for you.

The two of you go out on dates, and on some days, you even sleep in his apartment - your shared apartment. He takes you to his games, you go to family events together and the like. But even when you spend most of your time together, you still don’t remember your Kou.

He’s thankful for your safety, but he can’t help but wish for your speedy recovery every single night. There’s not a day that has gone by where he doesn’t wish for your brain to just suddenly regain what it lost.

No matter, though, Bokuto always thinks. This is just another challenge he has to overcome, and because he knows you’re strong, he’s optimistic that you could conquer this one, even if hope seems a little bleak this time around.

But he’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes to get you back.

You’ve decided to resume training with the EJP Raijin, your home team, of course under the guidance of your personal therapist and your trainers. He’s not too worried about your safety as he personally made sure to get a therapist recommended by his most trusted coaches. Plus, Motoya trains with the EJP men’s team, so really, you’re well taken care of.

The idea was also approved by your doctors who suggested you go back to doing what you mostly did before the accident to possibly try to trigger memories to resurface.

He snaps out of his trance as he watches your practice match. Your coaches let you participate in this one even though you’re still out of commission for the league proper.

It’s just training, but the way you move reminds him of when he first saw you in action. You might not remember participating in the league, but your movement now on the court serves as a painful but very beautiful reminder of what made him fall for you in the first place.

You might not have your memories, but everything else -your focus, determination, tenacity, your strength, it’s all there, and Bokuto could do nothing but smile in his sheer awe of your person.

What he doesn’t expect, however, is for you to run straight to him after having won the practice match. Sweaty and a bit out of breath, he sees you running straight towards him.

And heavens, your smile… the smile on your face right now could light up his life forever.

He opens his arms to catch you as you jump into his hold, winding your arms around his neck to keep him in a tight hug.

“Kou!” you exclaim. “We won!”

And he freezes.

You feel him stiffen almost instantly. Bokuto’s so far into his head that he fails to register the wide smile on his own face and the tears that promptly run down his cheeks.

You remember him! You remember him you remember him you remember--

“Kou?”

He jolts from his thoughts as he looks at you expectantly. You raise your hand to wipe the tears that adorn his face, a worried frown decorating your own.

“Why are you crying?” you say as you tilt your head in confusion.

“Do you remember now?” he breathes out the words so quietly you almost don’t hear them but the moment you do, it doesn’t escape his notice how the color practically drained from your face.

“I--, Bokuto--”

It feels like his heart is being gripped by barbed wires as he registers what you just said.

Bokuto. Bokuto-- you don’t remember him. You don’t. You do not remember him. You still don’t.

And that’s all it takes for him to release you from his hold as if you had just burned him. You try to reach out to him, but he steps away from you. Shaking his head in denial? Hurt? Confusion?

He sprints away out of the gymnasium, his thoughts running wild, filling his mind with unfiltered hatred of the world.

It’s just not fair! Why is this happening to him! Why must the world be cruel when he’s done nothing but good! Why must it happen to you and him! Why? Why!

Why can’t you just remember him!

And he collapses on his knees at the deserted hallway, his sobs coming out raw and wounded. The pain of having you stare at him without recognition for a year burning his heart and seizing it with just-- just hurt.

He cries at his hatred of the world. The optimism he so absolutely and almost religiously held onto for his entire life breaking apart at his feet like shards of glass.

And like that, he also finally breaks.

A year. He tried to stay positive for a year, enduring the feeling of his beloved looking at him as if he’s a stranger, as if they didn’t share years together. As if the growth they had with each other meant nothing to the world. As if everything they shared with each other was so miniscule to just be gone because of one accident.

And so he cries and cries. He lets the anguish come out. He lets the anger and hatred and pain come out with each choked sob.

It must have been a minute, five, or maybe thirty minutes, an hour.. He doesn’t know. He heaves himself out of his slumped position to sit on the floor, and he closes his eyes as he lets his head tilt back against the cool surface of the wall. 

He’s just so tired from everything.

It’s only when he opens his eyes again does he see you standing a ways away, face fallen as if the world turned its back on you. And from the looks of it, he knows you saw his meltdown.

You approach him, taking small steps in an attempt to see if he’s going to drive you away, but he makes no move to stop you.

All the while, he keeps his tearful gaze on you as you kneel in front of him.

A fresh bout of tears breaks free from his eyes the moment you take his calloused palms into your careful hold.

“Kou,” you call his name softly. “This past year has been challenging for me… but I can’t even imagine how- how terrifying everything must have been for you.”

Your voice remains low, but he hears it loud and clear, and his heart clenches from how you’ve thought about him even when you can’t remember him.

“I know it’s not the same. I’m not the same, but Kou--,” you halt, and his eyes widen open upon seeing tears in your own pair. “I don’t remember you, but when I see you sad I-- I just can’t take seeing you sad.”

A choked sob escapes your throat, and his instincts tell him to pull you into his strong hold and he does. The warmth emanating from his body makes you relax into his familiar touch.

“I still don’t remember, and I don’t know if I ever will. And I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just-- I’m sorry,” your cries reach his ears, and he pulls you even closer to his chest, hugging you against him to ease your pain away.

You raise your palm to caress his jaw, prompting him to look at you, and he does. He looks at you as if you’re his whole world, memories be damned. Challenges be damned. Because now, as he looks at you, as he actually looks at you, he sees the same you that he fell in love with.

“My brain doesn’t know you the way it used to, but my heart… my heart knows you, Bokuto Koutarou.”

He sees the same you that he keeps falling in love with over and over every single day of his life.

And as your lips meet in a whispered confession of love shared only between the two of you, he finally comprehends just how lucky he is to have you in his life.

Memories be damned.

Challenges be damned.

But his luck? He’ll forever thank his lucky stars for bringing you into his life.

For as long as he has you by his side, he’ll forever remain the luckiest man alive.

[wefoundloveunderthelight]

Love or Duty by GleefullyCaptainSwan - Chapter 6/8

Read on AO3: | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

Or on FF

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly @xsajx @deckerstarblanche

Chapter 6: A Few Stolen Moments

Emma woke with an excitement she had never felt before. Sure, she was excited to go home, she would get to see her parents again, but more than anything, she would be traveling with Killian. She hadn’t stopped thinking of him since he left her room the evening before. She knew it was wrong, she couldn’t act on her feelings, but she enjoyed having them all the same.

Liam would be departing for Locksley this morning, leaving her alone with Killian, and of course, Ruby, obviously she would not get to spend the entire trip alone, but something stirred in her chest every time she thought of having him across from her in the carriage.

Nothing would change her situation; she was to marry Prince Liam. But there was nothing that said she was bound to him right now.

The moment she met him at the carriage, her body almost hummed in response to his touch. It was nothing scandalous, a simple hand at her back as he helped her into the carriage, but the reaction was immediate.

“M’lady.” He sang as she entered the carriage.

“Thank you.” She said with a smile, meant only for him.

What was she doing? Overnight she had turned into some brazen whore who could only think of tearing the brother of her future husband’s clothes from his body to find out exactly what kind of desires he could take care of for her.

She had never behaved so abhorrently before, she had always been a good girl, abiding by her father’s wishes, never laying with a man alone, barely even letting the first boy she liked to kiss her. She intended to save herself for the man she fell in love with, the man she would marry. Only now, those may be two different men.

She sat on her bench, watching the man in front of her as her tongue traced across her lips, her thighs squeezed tightly together. To her annoyance, he was not making eye contact with her, staring instead at the book in front of him as he wrote frantically on the pages, frustrating her every sense that he wouldn’t instead drink her in, allowing her to know his thoughts.

Had he changed his mind overnight, realizing the situation they were in and abandoning his quest to have her in his arms? Had he abandoned desire for responsibility?

For a moment he looked up, his blue eyes capturing hers for a single second, the skip in her heart causing her to sigh out loud. “Is everything alright?” Ruby asked beside her.

“It’s a bit warm in here, don’t you think?” She asked fanning herself as she watched Killian settle further back in his seat.

“Not warmer than usual, are you sure you aren’t coming down ill?” Ruby asked with concern. “Does she look pale to you?” She asked Killian who gave her nary a glance before responding.

“She looks fine to me.”

Frustration filled her stomach, a sense of dread consuming her thoughts. She would not see him for a fortnight, and he had spent the entire trip writing a monologue. When the carriage came to a stop in front of the welcoming sight of the Misthaven walls, Emma tried to feel elated to be home, but instead she only felt rejected and alone.

Killian jumped from the carriage, escorting Ruby down the stairs before turning his attention toward her. He reached out and took her hand, his eyes finally meeting hers. “It was a pleasure to escort you home, M’Lady.” He bent his head, pressing his lips to her hand, looking up and locking eyes with hers.

“I shall leave our guide, Sir William Scarlet with you, until my brother’s return.” The man approached them from the front of the carriage. “He will ensure you are safe until Liam is able to visit.”

Emma stared at the man in confusion, they had not mentioned leaving anyone with them.

He bent his head, his eyes remaining on hers before leaning toward her ear. “Not a single moment.” He whispered, pressing something into her hand as it lay by her side. She glanced down to see paper folded in her palm. She returning her gaze to his before he shut the carriage door and began his journey to Lockley.

Emma pressed the paper against her side, turning toward the castle to greet her approaching parents.

“Emma, thank God you are home, we got word of the attack on your journey to Jonesboro and were worried sick.” Her mother wrapped her arms around her.

“I’m alright mother, they took good care of me.”

“We have food prepared, are you hungry?” Her father asked, examining her from all angles.

“Mostly tired from the journey, I’d like to retire if that’s alright.”

“Of course, we can catch up in the morning.” Her mother said softly, and Emma sprang toward her room, her heart pounding as she closed the heavy wooden door behind her. She hurried to her night table, lighting the candle that sat on top of it and opening the pages Killian had given her. Her eyes grazed over the delicate scroll of his handwriting, eager to read the words.

My Dearest Emma,

I have not stopped thinking of you since I held you in my arms last night. Every part of me craves to be with you, to devour you. Not as a conquest, but as the owner of my heart.

I can barely sit across from you in this carriage without wanting to take you in my arms, to kiss you with every ounce of desire I have in my being. I do not trust myself to look at you for even a second without alerting Ruby to my affections.

I do not know how my heart can be without you for even one day much less the many nights and sun rises I must brave without your face. I know you belong to my brother, but if you’ll have me, if even for a few stolen moments, I am yours.

I am leaving my trusted friend, Will Scarlet behind with you, he knows where to find me in case you wish to write back. If you don’t, I will understand.

Just know that I am thinking of you, always.

Yours,

Killian

Emma could not contain her emotions as she read the letter over and over again, carrying it to her bed as she fell back into the expanse of the fabric and pillows.

The owner of his heart, she thought.

It was undeniable, she was falling for Killian Jones. There was no stopping the desire of wanting him, and she was irrevocably destined to break his own heart once she married his brother, but there was no denying him until that day happened.

She tore through her drawers to find a piece of parchment at the bottom of her things, she didn’t know what she wanted to say, only that she needed to tell him she felt the same way.

Killian, my love,

I assumed that your silence on the ride home meant that you had changed your mind, my heart soared with joy when reading your letter to know that you felt as I do.

I must marry Liam, our Kingdom’s futures depend on it, but I cannot deny the feelings I have for you or the way you make my body sing when you are near. I have wanted no other man until you. A fact that seems almost cruel considering our current situation.

I have never been with another, I have remained pure for my future husband, but how can I give myself to him when all I want is you? In every way imaginable, I am yours.

I fear I will go crazy waiting for you to return knowing that it will be with the man I am to marry. I wish for so many reasons that our situation were different, but alas I am cursed with obeying my father’s wishes for the sake of our people.

If all we have are stolen moments, then I wait for you like a thief in the night.

Yours eternally,

Emma

Emma folded the letter, burning the wax to seal it closed.

“Are you writing to the Prince?”

Emma jumped in her seat as Ruby approached her. “Yes, that is the purpose of Will, so that we are able to converse during this time apart.” She said, knowing that she was lying. But she never did say which Prince she was writing to. A simple misdirect.

“Well, I think that’s sweet, have you changed your mind about the wedding? Perhaps this isn’t as dire of a situation as you feared?”

“I think that this letter explains exactly how I feel, conflicted, excited, full of woe, and yet perhaps something else.”

“What?”

“Perhaps the beginning of love.” She smiled brightly.

“Oh Emma, I’m so happy for you.”

Emma sighed, knowing that the happiness her friend had for her was misplaced but genuine.

She sought out Will Scarlett the following morning.

“I don’t know how this works.” She said nervously as she approached him.

“Oi, either you have something for me, or you don’t. If you do, I’ll return it to him with great haste, if not, I shall remain at your side until he returns.” He paused and then smirked. “Broken heart an’ all.” He laughed.

She smiled, handing the letter to him. “I wouldn’t want to be responsible for a broken heart, now would I?”

“I have a feeling you’ll be breaking his heart anyway. But he seems intent on letting you do it so ‘ere we are.” He took the letter from her hand, placing it into his pocket. “I shall return soon. I’m a fast rider and Locksley is not far from here.”

“Then I eagerly await your return.” She said with a grin.

And thus began their routine, as Emma waited for Will to return every other day, a letter in hand which she read immediately upon her return to the safety of her room.

My Dearest Emma,

I was beyond overjoyed to receive your reply. You have no idea how much I agonized over how you would react to my letter. Knowing how you feel makes my heart soar.

Though I do take pause at your admission. I cannot bear to think that you will give yourself to Liam. Not when you belong to me. My brother has been afforded so many things that I have wanted, but you are unmatched in my want and desire.

I count the days until I can return to you, to see your beautiful face, my body aches to touch you, to feel you beneath my skin. Without you, the sunlight pales, the scent of flowers dim, but my need for you grows as the swell of the ocean crashes against the shore.

I crave you, Emma, like a man in the desert craves water. I need you, like I need air to breathe, I want you, like nothing I have wanted more in my life.

Yours,

Killian

When she received the letter from William she nearly cried in anticipation until she was able to read it after dinner. She cried tears of joy and longing, as well as sadness from the situation. She had waited so long for a man to say the words that Killian had written and yet she was destined to another.

Life was truly unfair.

~*~

Killian worked hard to repair the damage Regina’s minions had done to the town of Locksley. The village had been razed to the ground, nary a cottage surviving that was livable. At night he read the letters from Emma. Wanting the time to speed up so that he could be nearer to her.

He tried to speak to Liam about Emma, wanting to know how his brother felt toward the woman who held his heart without rousing suspicion.

“Why are you asking me all these questions little brother?”

“You do know that I’m only two years younger than you? That does not make me little, just younger.” He corrected. “And I am still older than your bride to be.”

“If I did not know any better, I would say you are jealous.” He teased and Killian felt his mouth go dry.

“I’m…I’m not…” he tried to cover his tracks, to deny his feelings for his brothers betrothed.

“I know that you wish that you could be King, but one day you will find your place in all of this.”

Killian breathed a sigh of relief. “Of course.” It was William approaching on the road to the South that caught his attention. “I do live to serve.” He said with a bow, excusing himself to meet with the man dismounting his horse.

“What news do you bring?” He asked excitedly as the man pulled the letter from his bag.

“She misses you and cannot wait for your return.” He said, his words causing his heart to soar. “Are you not concerned that this will not turn out well for you?” He asked.

“I do not care; she is all I think about.” He said absentmindedly, staring at the letter in his hands.

“I shall feed the horse and return before dawn.” He excused himself, walking the horse toward the well.

Killian rushed to the cottage where he was staying, tearing the seal on the parchment, and sniffing the paper before he opened it to read.

Killian, my love,

I feel that I shall be burned at the stake if anyone could hear my thoughts. You occupy every space of every moment of my day. I need to see you, I feel like the moment I lay eyes on you, I will know the truth of my heart.

I do not want to give myself to Liam, for every part of my body and soul belong to you. I await your return with a renewed excitement. While I do not know what my future holds, I know how much I want to share this moment with you, even if it is wrong.

My ears long for your voice, to hear the words I have wished you to speak since we parted. Even if they break my heart.

Yours eternally,

Emma

Killian raced to find Will as he watered his horse. “Do you have something for me?” He asked as he approached.

“No, I’ll deliver my sentiments in person. Let her know that we return in two days’ time.”

“Aye. I will relay your message, but my hope is that you protect your heart.”

“I cannot protect something I do not possess, for it is in her hands.”

“Oi, you really are in love with your brother’s wife.” He joked and Killian knew it to be true. He had never loved a woman the way he did Emma.

“She’s not his wife yet.” He reminded.

“She will be soon. Your father sent word that the wedding it to take place once Liam returns to bring Emma home.”

Killian’s heart sank, he knew things were moving quickly but suddenly the excitement of returning home brought with him the realization that it would be short lived. Soon she would be his sister-in-law, and he would have to decide whether to commit treason or live his life without her.

He didn’t know how to surrender her to Liam, not when he had already surrendered his heart to her himself.

~*~

Emma sat stoically at the end of the table as her father and mother talked about the wedding plans while they ate their food. Based on the length of time it took William to arrive and announce that Liam would be returning she was sure that they would be arriving any day now.

As if they had read her mind, her father was summoned to the gates to welcome the arrival of Prince Liam. Emma paced nervously in the dining hall, awaiting the two of them to enter the room. Her mother watched her from the table.

“Emma, I’ve never seen you like this before, are you quite alright dear?”

She turned anxiously toward her mother, “I suppose I am slightly nervous, mother.” Her mother stood and smiled.

“So, you do like the Prince?” She asked with hope in her eyes.

“The Prince is very kind and noble, I expect that he will be an honorable husband. Living in Jonesboro will be very exciting.” Emma felt the guilt at the back of her mind as she spoke, indecent thoughts of torrid trysts with Killian swam through her thoughts. Emma knew the truth though, she knew the moment she married Liam, any thought of Killian would need to be banished from her mind. Living near him when she couldn’t have him in the way her heart ached to possess, would be misery.

“I’m so happy, Emma. You will see, you and Liam will be able to form a friendship and perhaps it will grow into something more. I know it is not what you wished for yourself, but I hope you can find a way to embrace it as a possibility.”

Emma smiled half-heartedly; her lips turned up partially. “Of course, mother.”

The heavy doors breached open, and Emma’s heart stopped when the men appeared. Her father and Liam had entered first, talking excitedly about his journey, but Emma could only see Killian, entering anxiously from the back, his eyes darting around the room until they found hers.

Emma could barely contain herself being this close to him without being able to speak freely. Liam explained that they had assisted Robin Locksley with rebuilding much of the town, those that could return safely had left Jonesboro to return to the small village, helping to restore order to their peaceful town. Jonesboro had left guards behind to help protect the village, but Regina’s forces had been seen amassing in the forest.

The wedding would need to take place urgently in order for the Kingdom’s to bring their people together to show a strength of force that was strong enough to deter the soldiers from advancing further.

It was decided that Emma and her family would travel to Jonesboro in the morning to prepare for the wedding. Henry had groaned when learning that he would need to travel with the family, her brother had never been one to enjoy the formality of being royal. He had no interest in following in his father’s footsteps, no interest in succeeding to the throne. Henry was only 12, he wanted nothing more than to be a child. He was creative, passive, and Emma knew that he would eventually have to lose all of that to rule.

Emma could feel Killian’s eyes on hers the moment the King arranged the travel. Things were progressing faster than either of them anticipated.

His desperate pleas through silent glances were driving her mad. She needed to speak to him urgently, if only to hear his voice, feel his arms around her, making her forget that she was about to give it all away, to lose everything she had sought and finally found.

“I’m happy to see that you have healed.” Killian said softly, bowing to take her hand in his, placing a kiss to the top of her hand. “You look well.”

Emma could feel her heart racing, trying not to appear overzealous in her response to the Prince as her brother looked on. “Thank you, I have found that even riding no longer hurts.” She said with a smile. “I go riding most evenings, as the sun begins to set.” She added softly. “In case anyone is interested in finding me tonight.” She bowed her head and stepped away from him, urging herself not to look back over her shoulder as she approached her betrothed.

“I am feeling most tired this evening. I shall get some rest before the journey tomorrow.” She announced. “Goodnight.”

Liam smiled. “You will need your sleep if you are to rise before the sun, M’Lady. Though I doubt we will be able to rouse Killian before the sun is high in the east so there may be no need to rush.”

“I shall do my best.” She grinned and tried to slow her steps as she raced toward her room. “I am taking my leave now, Ruby. I will see you in the morning.” She announced to her maid as she entered the room.

“You do not require my assistance tonight?”

“I’m sure you need to pack, I can assist myself, I assure you.” She said with a smile, removing her gown.

“Then I will see you in the morning.” She retreated from the room, closing the door behind her.

Emma changed quickly into her darkest riding frock, pulling the cape over her head as she slipped quietly from her room, peering in both directions through the halls. She crept down the stairs, exiting into the kitchen.

“Oi, you shouldn’t sneak up on a man like that.”

Emma jumped, holding her hand to her mouth as she looked at the man standing at the table, his mouth full of food. “William.”

“Aye, you bloody scared me, Princess. What are you doing out at this hour, sneaking about the castle?”

She rushed toward him. “I do not know what you speak of, I am merely here to collect some grapes in order to drift off to sleep with a full stomach.” She reached for a handful of grapes, stuffing them into her mouth and walking backwards toward the outer door. “You never saw me.”

“Saw who, M’Lady?” He shrugged, sinking his teeth into the sandwich he had built.

Emma escaped down the path toward the stables, closing the wooden door behind her as she saddled her horse, mounting the steed, and speeding off into the woods.

When she got to the clearing she dismounted and paced nervously beside her horse. Moments later she heard the hoofs of an approaching rider, peering into the shadows until Killian came into view. He was off his horse and in her arms in a few sweeping steps.

His lips bruised hers, soft yet firm as he wrapped her in his embrace. The kiss was desperate yet full of emotion, pouring all the feeling into the moment that they had been writing about for weeks. When they finally parted, her hair wild from the grasp of his fingers, she panted against his chest. “I thought we would have more time.” She cried.

“We have all the time in the world, love.” He spoke into her hair.

“Do not speak of things you know not to be true. I’m to be married in a few days’ time.”

“How can you marry him when your heart belongs to another?”

“Killian, affairs of the heart matter not in the face of annihilation.”

He pulled back, staring down into her eyes. “Do you love me?”

“Please do not ask me that.” She protested.

“Run away with me. Run away with me and we can be together.”

Emma pushed him away from her. “How can you ask me that?” She yelled. “How could you do that to your people? Without this union, they will surely die.”

“I cannot bear to be parted from you. To have you near me in the castle with every passing day as you lie in my brother’s bed. I will not survive that torment.” He said with a growl. “I would rather die than imagine you in another’s arms for even a single second.”

“Do not say such vial things.” She sprung froward, placing her hands on his cheeks. “Without you there, I will be in misery. Knowing that you will be with me, regardless of our situation, is the only reason I have even an ounce of courage to go through with this.” She placed her lips on his cheek. “Do not abandon me.”

“You do love me?” He questioned.

“With every beat of my heart and each breath of air that I take. I love you without remorse, as if the sun would surely not rise if I could not admit it even into the depth of my soul. I will love you until I cease to exist, Killian Jones.”

“Emma.” He panted, pulling her against him, his lips crashing against hers in a fury she had not experienced in her lifetime. “I love you.” He breathed against her neck, the heat of his mouth causing her skin to pebble and her knees to weaken beneath her.

“Then take me and I will always be yours.” She moaned against his ear, feeling his hesitation as he stilled his movements.

“You belong to my brother, I could not…”

“I belong to you, Killian Jones. Always.”

Without pause, he lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the center of the meadow, he placed her on her feet, removing his cloak and laying it out on the ground below them. He glanced nervously toward her, stepping closer as his hand gently brushed against her jaw. “I do love you Emma Nolan. Know that I will always be by your side, I will never abandon you.”

She felt the tears sting her eyes as he kissed her forehead, his fingers toying with the string of her cloak as he pushed the garment to the ground beside them. She was lost in a sea of blue eyes that beheld a man that she trusted more than anyone in the world. She felt the nervous jitters in her stomach, the anticipation of what was to come, knowing that she wouldn’t change this night for any in all the realms.

Without taking his eyes off her, he pulled the cloth over her head, the cool breeze dancing on her bare skin. His jaw was set firm, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, glancing at her in the moonlight as she pushed her pants toward the grass below them, standing naked in front of him.

Before meeting Killian Jones, she had never stood naked in front of a man in her entire life. She had only known him a short while and she had already presented to him twice now. The first he had stared at her hungrily from his place in the lake, but tonight, she felt as if he was memorizing her body, an appreciation of her that made her feel as if he thought she hung the very moon in the sky above them.

She had seen him naked before, the night in the lake she had been so stunned by his sudden action that she barely had time to register that he was suddenly naked and entering the water. But now, as he removed his clothing, standing bare in front of her, she found herself admiring the man in front of her. His body taut, the hair that grew along his chest that she followed lower, below the hip line until she found herself gulping at the sheer size of him.

Before she could allow the panic to set in, the knowledge of what was about to happen, he gathered her into his arms, lowering her down to the ground as he held the back of her head with his hand. His blunted arm holding himself off the ground. Looking into his eyes she knew she wanted nothing more than to experience this with him, to share this bond that no other man could ever take from them.

When his lips touched hers, his hand slipping to her breast, all other rational thought extinguished and all she could feel was the desire that had built between them. She clung to him, her hand shaking, her body shivering as he entered her for the first time, the shock of pain causing her to cry out. His attack on her neck stilled, his eyes anxiously seeking hers. “Are you alright, love. Does it hurt?”

She shook her head, unable to put into words how she was feeling. “Please,” was the only word that would leave her mouth as she urged him forward, pulling his mouth to hers in order to put out the fire between her legs. As he began to move above her, the pain subsiding and replaced with a sense of wonder and enlightenment, she cried out, their bodies drenched in sweat, his mouth on hers, moving together in a rhythm that increased steadily with each moan and silent plea. When her head fell backward against the grass, an unfamiliar feeling building in her stomach, she saw stars explode behind her eye lids, the throaty moan in her ear causing her body to clinch around him as he bruised her hips until his body stilled above her. He slumped against her as they lay in the tall grass, breathless panting the only sound she could hear around her until she felt his hand in her hair, his lips press softly against her forehead.

“You are my forever.” He whispered, pushing the strands from her face. “I will not lie with another woman for as long as I shall live.”

She stared at him. “Killian, no. I cannot ask that of you.”

“You did not ask.” He said with a small smile.

She sat up, staring down at him, her fingers playing mindlessly with the hairs on his chest. “This is not fair.” She said as a tear slipped from her eye.

“Aye, that it is not, but this is our duty, remember.” He said sadly, reaching up to wipe the offending drop from her cheek.

“It is our duty.” She repeated sadly, lying next to him, and closing her eyes, wishing more than anything to never wake up from this dream.

[potionsprefect]

A United Workforce

Pairings: Ethan Ramsey x Victoria Clarke, June Hirata x Tobias Carrick, Danny Cardinal x Sienna Trinh (all minor)

Word count: 4k

Summary: How did those associated with the victims cope with the Senator attack?

Missing moments during Open Heart book 2 chapter 11

Rating: Teen

Category: angst

Warnings: mentions of the events during chapter 11 of Open Heart book 2

Diagnostics Room 1:10pm

June had been smiling at her phone for the last 20 minutes, much to the amusement of Baz who was sat reading a medical book.

“What’s made you so happy June?” Baz asked.

June looked up a little too quickly but kept a cool and composed face. “Is a woman not allowed to be happy without a reason?”

“Not when it comes to you.” Baz chuckled.

“Ok fine. Let’s just say I got lucky.” June shrugged.

“Anyone I know?”

“Even if you did you wouldn’t have a witty remark to say about him.”

Baz rolled his eyes and went back to his book. June continued to text Tobias:

My place or yours tonight?

It didn’t take long for a reply.

That depends. How quickly can you put the key in your front door?

June smirked at the reply but before she could answer his question her pager went off.

Diagnostics Room - emergency

She looked at Baz who was looking at her with the same confused look.

“You don’t think somethings happened to the Senator?” Baz asked.

“Whatever it is, it sounds urgent.” June jumped out of her chair and hurried out the door, Baz following her quickly behind.

They sprinted down the hallway and down the stairs where they found Ethan pacing nervously.

“Ethan what’s happened?” Baz asked.

“Travis has released something dangerous in the room with Victoria inside. Rafael Aveiro, Danny and Bobby are also inside.” Ethan explained.

“Do we know what it is?” Baz said.

“No, there could be hundreds of options. We desperately need to find out what it is. Bobby has already died and the others are critical.” Ethan took a deep breath but his voice was still shaky.

“Take a deep breath. We need to stay calm for Victoria. If we panic, it’ll give her reason to panic.” June said looking at Ethan. Given the recent conversation she had with Victoria, she was convinced that her and Ethan were in some sort of relationship. And given how panicked he looked right now, June was sure she was right.

“You’re right. We can’t panic. We need to keep a level head.” Ethan said grabbing a hazmat suit. “We’ll need to put these on to protect ourselves.”

“Are there any traces in the room?” June asked as the three headed down the corridor.

“No whatever was in the can has been fully discharged. There were no traces anywhere.” Ethan replied.

“So whatever it is only lives within their bodies?” Baz said.

“Exactly. It could be a long night.”

June’s mind drifted to all the obstacles they had faced in the past. None were as serious as this but they hadn’t been beaten yet and were certainly not going to be beaten now.

Whatever this was would not win. Not if she had anything to say about it.

— — — — —

Room 516 1:23pm

The nurse looked at her colleague as he took shallow breaths in the glass box, his oxygen mask trying to help him as much as it could.

“Danny, listen to me, you are not dying you hear me!” Sarah said through tears. “You are not leaving us so soon.”

Danny gave a weak chuckle, momentarily taking off his oxygen mask. “Well now I know I can’t even observe the Grim Reaper from a distance.”

“This isn’t funny Danny.” Sarah sighed.

“I know it’s not. But that’s how I deal with situations.” Danny replied.

Marlene then entered the room in a hazmat suit, her bloodshot eyes showed she had been crying.

“Oh Danny. How did you get yourself entangled in all this.” Marlene sighed.

“You know me. Always looking for trouble.” Danny chuckled.

Danny’s breathing turned into slight wheezing, it was clear he was struggling to breathe. Sarah, who’s hand was holding one of Danny’s noticed the grip had weakened.

“No, no Danny. Danny? Stay with us. You’ve got to keep your eyes open. Don’t shut your eyes.” Sarah pleaded but it was a losing battle.

Danny’s eyes flickered, as if he was desperately fighting to stay awake but he couldn’t. His eyes shut and his hand dropped away.

“Page the diagnostics team.” Sarah said. Marlene nodded and grabbed her pager writing the message as quickly as she could.

Danny wasn’t moving. His breaths were short and shallow and his body was desperately trying to fight whatever was in his system.

Whatever this was was cruel. And it was effecting everyone.

— — — — —

Mass Kenmore 1:38pm

Aurora smiled to herself as she walked out of a patients room, file in hand. She had successfully diagnosed a benign tumour in the breast of a patient and was happy that it would simply have to be removed in surgery.

Aurora was always glad to give news like that because it wasn’t just the news the patient hoped for. Delivering good news was always better than delivering bad news.

Aurora filled in the chart and filed it away, satisfied with her work. As she looked up she saw a face looking at her.

“Successful diagnosis Aurora?” The Doctor asked.

Aurora did all she couldn’t to hold back a sarcastic retort. She didn’t like socialising with this doctor outside of the hospital walls. Not after what he did.

“Yes Dr Olsen.” Aurora gave him a thin smile.

“That’s great. Personally I’ve diagnosed three patients this morning but whose counting?” Landry smirked.

“You by the sounds of it.” Aurora retorted. She’d have this one only once.

A flicker of surprise danced across Landry’s face but he hid it well and recomposed himself.

“So how is... uh... everyone?” Landry fidgeted.

“Why do you care?” Aurora asked.

“I’m just making conversation.”

“Well don’t. I don’t want to speak to you. And neither would anyone here if they found out what you did back at Edenbrook.” Aurora glared.

“You can’t talk to me like that!” Landry glared back.

“And what are you going to do about it? Turn off my pager? Hide my charts? Spread hurtful rumours to my colleagues about me? Is that how low Landry Olsen will go?” Aurora got in his face.

“I’d do it again if it meant fairness for all.” Landry sneered.

“You little-“

Aurora’s phone cut off the sentence. She looked at her phone

You need to get over to Edenbrook NOW. Something’s happened to Victoria.

Aurora froze. Her and Victoria weren’t on the best of terms at the minute. Her outburst at the baseball match was over the top.

But from Elijah’s text, Victoria sounded like she was in danger. And if she was in danger, Aurora was going to be there for her.

“Aurora?” Landry’s voice tore her away from the text.

“I... I have to go.” Aurora said, putting her things down and straightening her coat.

“Is everything ok?”

“Nothing that concerns you.”

“You walk out of here and I’ll tell Tobias you’re bunking off.”

Aurora whipped her head round and strode up to Landry, gripping his arm tightly.

“You do that and I’ll tell everyone in this hospital what a snivelling little rat you really are, how you’ll do anything to make sure you’re in the graces of Kenmore’s gods. How Landry Olsen already fucked it up once and will almost certainly do it again because he cares about no one but himself. And if he ever thinks about trying the stunts he pulled off at Edenbrook, he will be out of this hospital faster than Usain Bolt’s 100m world record.” Aurora said through gritted teeth before she let go of Landry’s arm and walked out the hospital.

She ran down the street as fast as she could, dodging everyone in quick movements, desperate to get to Edenbrook. The tone of the text made it sound serious and the panic rising in Aurora’s chest wouldn’t settle until she knew what was going on.

Aurora entered the hospital searching the large reception area for any sign of her roommates, when she couldn’t see them she headed further into the hospital, finding them by the nurses station.

“I got here as fast as I could.” Aurora panted, the panic in her chest was made worse by the grave look on her roommates and Bryce’s face. “What’s happened?”

“There’s been an attack on the Senator. His aide released something in his room with Victoria and Rafael inside, Danny and Bobby the security guard were also there as well.” Bryce explained as they rushed upstairs.

“What was it?” Aurora asked.

“We don’t know. Travis didn’t say what was in it.” Bryce sighed.

“I didn’t think you’d come.” Sienna looked at Aurora.

“Whatever is going on between Victoria and I doesn’t matter right now. What matters is I’m here for her. And she’d do the same.” Aurora said. “I’m sorry you’ve all been caught in the middle of it this past week, I don’t think either of us want you taking sides.”

“What’s important is we’re all here for her now. And Rafael. Whatever this is, it sounds bad. Doctor Ramsey was organising for a decontamination tent so he and the diagnostics team can enter and exit the room safely.” Bryce explained.

“That makes it sound toxic.” Elijah shuddered.

“We have to keep positive. For Victoria and Raf’s sake. They’re probably terrified.” Jackie sighed.

“Agreed. If we panic, they’ll panic. We have to stay strong.” Sienna replied.

Aurora nodded and continued rushing down the corridor where Victoria and Rafael were. When she saw them, her heart stopped.

“Oh thank god you’re still standing.” Aurora said.

Their bodies looked tired, their eyes bloodshot, their hair disheveled. Rafael looked much worse than Victoria. He looked pleased to see them whilst Victoria looked slightly anxious.

“You guys shouldn’t be here.” Victoria sighed.

“Don’t be silly. As long as we stay on this side of the door we’ll be fine.” Jackie sighed.

“How did you get here Aurora? You’re supposed to be at Mass Kenmore.”

“I cut out as soon as Elijah text me. You’re in trouble so I’m here. That’s that.”

She could’ve sworn she saw Sora out the corner of her eye but she didn’t take her eyes of Victoria, desperate to show her that she was determined to put the past behind her and be here for her now. Whatever had happened had been long forgotten.

Aurora was determined to help cure whatever had gotten inside Victoria’s body. And she wouldn’t rest until she found a cure.

— — — — —

Labratory 6:25pm

This must’ve been the hundredth vial of blood Ethan had looked at today. He put it in the machine and waited for the results. It was a repetitive process and Ethan was beginning to get frustrated.

Ticking off every possible cause one by one was irritating him. They needed to find out what it was, they didn’t have time to go through every possible idea. If they continued with this much longer, Victoria and Rafael’s system could shut down.

Images of Victoria flashed through his mind. He felt like he was letting her down. He had managed to solve everything they had faced before. Why was this so difficult?

Before Ethan could find out the results from the machine, his pager went off.

Code blue room 516.

“Shit!” Ethan said out loud and took off down the corridor, June hot on his heels.

“Did you get the same page?” June shouted, their footsteps loud on the hard floor.

“Yes! We can’t lose him. We can’t.” Ethan’s voice cracked and he could feel tears forming in his eyes.

Ethan and June quickly put on the hazmat suit and burst through the door.

“His BP’s low.” Marlene said working through the monitors.

“I can’t feel a pulse.” Sarah said looking at the doctors.

“Start CPR and push the adrenaline.” June instructed.

Ethan grabbed the crash cart, he desperately tried to stop his hands from trembling.

“Stand back.” Ethan said, he placed the pads on Danny’s chest and shocked him. There was no improvement.

“Push lidocaine.” June said to Sarah who nodded.

Another 15 minutes went by and there was still no change in Danny’s condition. Panic had fully set in Ethan’s chest and judging by the looks of his colleagues, they felt the same way.

“Ethan.” June said taking the panels off him. She gently put them down. “He’s gone.” There were tears rolling down her face.

Ethan wasn’t sure he heard her, the sound of the monitor was deafening. He stared down at Danny, it looked as if he was sleeping. That he would wake up at any point.

But Ethan knew he wouldn’t.

“Time of death 6:51.” Ethan said in a shaky voice. He looked over at June who was looking down at Danny with sad eyes, Sarah and Marlene were crying quietly. Ethan then looked up and regretted it instantly.

Sienna was stood outside the window, being held up by Jackie, crying her eyes out. Ethan’s heart broke for her. He was sure if it was Victoria in front of him he’d have the same reaction.

Ethan didn’t even want to think about that. Losing Victoria would mean the end of the world for him.

As June turned off the monitor, Ethan headed out the room and took off the hazmat suit. He approached Sienna and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and before he could react, she went to hug him, still crying, gripping the lapels of his lab coat.

Ethan didn’t hesitate to comfort her. He had shared his feelings for Victoria with her not that long ago and right now she needed a shoulder to cry on. He was sure she’d be comforting him if it was the other way round.

“We got the results back from the machine.” Jackie said quietly, her eyes glistening with tears.

“And?” Ethan asked.

Jackie’s hesitation told Ethan everything he needed to know.

“It’s not good news.”

— — — — —

Labratory 6:28pm

Baz glanced at his two colleagues as they sprinted out the door. His pager had also gone off but he decided to wait for the results from the machine. June and Ethan were more than capable of handling whatever they were about to face.

The beeping of the machine startled him and he reached over and ripped out a set of results. Baz scanned them, seeing lots of ticks everywhere. He breathed a sigh of relief but then he noticed what it said next to them.

A maitotoxin.

Baz’s heart sank. It wasn’t good news. Yes they knew what it was but maitotoxins were deadly and there was no cure to them.

Fuck you Travis.

“What is it?” Aurora asked.

Baz handed her the results. The others craned their necks trying to read what the paper said. Their faces faded as their eyes scanned it. Sienna let our a little whimper, Jackie kicked the chair in frustration, Bryce ran his hands through her hair and Elijah felt a tear roll down his cheek.

“Is there nothing we can do?” Bryce shakily asked.

“I’m afraid not.” Baz sighed, tears swimming in his eyes.

“We should tell Ethan and June.” Jackie nudged Sienna and she nodded as they both headed out the room.

“How did he get ahold of that?!” Elijah sighed.

“We may never know.” Baz sighed.

Aurora who still held the results in her hand tossed the paper away and pulled her phone out her pocket. “The fights not over yet.” She said and she headed out the door as her phone rang.

“Pick up pick up pick up.” Aurora muttered hoping she would hear the voice she wanted to hear.

“Dr Emery?” A voice said.

“Thank god you answered.” Aurora sighed in relief.

“Where are you? Doctor Olsen said you ran out of the hospital hours ago? What’s going on?” Tobias asked.

“There’s been an incident at Edenbrook. Senator Farrugia’s aide Travis has deployed a maitotoxin in his hospital room with Doctor Clarke inside.”

“A maitotoxin?”

“Yes! It turns out he’s been poisoning the Senator in some sort of revenge plan. We need all the help we can get. Please Tobias. One person had already died and two others are seriously ill. We need your help.” Aurora pleaded. She had never resorted to begging for help, but this was a life or death situation.

“I’ll grab the team and we’ll be right over. Clarke’s not dying. Not on my watch.” Tobias said.

“Thank you Tobias.” Aurora said and hung up. She headed back into the room where she saw Baz staring at his pager. “What is it?”

Baz handed her his pager and Aurora’s heart stopped.

Danny died. Rafael is in a coma.

Tears were spilling down Aurora’s face. Travis’ actions had claimed another life and Rafael was going downhill.

They needed a cure and they needed it now.

— — — — —

Hospital Corridor 2:56am

The Paediatric wing was one of the most decorative floors in the hospital, pictures of sea animals lined the walls, hoping to calm the children who were sent there for treatment down.

Bryce wasn’t sure why he was walking around this specific floor. He had intended to check on Kyra again but had taken a detour mid route. Maybe seeing the children sleep peacefully would help calm his nerves.

The team were working tirelessly to find a cure for Victoria and Rafael. He had already lost Danny, he couldn’t lose two other friends. He felt helpless. He was only a surgeon who could offer ideas, it was the doctors who put the theories to use.

Bryce came to a stop outside Kyra’s room. She was sleeping peacefully. Her chest was heavily bandaged but she was alive. She had made it through the worst.

“Your friend is very lucky.” A familiar voice said. Bryce turned his head and saw Dr Tanaka walking towards him.

“Any complications?” Bryce asked.

“None. Her vitals are good. I think she’ll make a full recovery.”

“That’s great.”

“How’s it going upstairs?”

“Not great if I’m honest but we’re trying to stay positive.” Bryce sighed.

“Don’t give up hope Lahela. Hope is never lost.” Tanaka said before he headed off back down the corridor.

Bryce took one last look at Kyra before he headed back upstairs to where the team were working, determined not to let the maitotoxin win.

They would find a cure. And they would find it soon.

— — — — —

Labratory 4:02am

“The moment of truth.” Tobias said. He took the pipette in his hand and gently squeezed it.

This was it. If this wasn’t the cure they would be back to square one. Everyone watched with baited breath. You could hear a pin drop.

They were almost waiting for the worst. They had been back and forth so many times, if this didn’t work they wouldn’t be surprised.

And in the blink of an eye, they had the answer they had been hoping and praying for.

It has worked. The compound was sure not to bind to the plasma membranes. It would attach to the toxin.

Cheers flooded the room. Sienna practically burst into tears. There were hugs to go all around.

They had done it.

“We need to give it to them. Now.” Tobias said.

“Go to Rafael first. He’s much more serious.”Jackie said.

June and Baz nodded and rushed out the room.

“Did Ethan stay with Victoria all night?” Tobias asked.

“Looks like it. I think he wanted to keep her company.” Sienna replied.

“Is that all?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve known Ethan for a long time. He’s never shown this much dedication to someone ever. He’s completely infatuated with her.” Tobias chuckled.

Sienna, mindful of the conversation she had with Ethan earlier replied “he cares about her a lot because they work closely together.”

“With all respect Doctor Trinh I think he cares about her a lot more than you think. You should’ve seen him at Mr Bloom’s mansion. Ethan was prepared to walk out of there and never see the man again but Doctor Clarke was the only one who could’ve persuaded him to stay. And he did. Because of her.” Tobias said.

“Would you say he’s-“

“Madly in love with her? Yes I would. Now all he has to do is tell her.” Tobias laughed a little.

Sienna thought back to the conversation she had in Ethan’s car.

I decided it would be better for her career if we kept our distance.

She knew how much Victoria cared for the older doctor but she didn’t realise just how much. She thought catching her sneaking him out of her room last year was just blowing off some steam.

It was clearly much more than that.

— — — — —

Room 172 8:21am

Sienna’s eyes were so puffy from crying she could barely keep them open, the fatigue was catching up on her. Her whole body was sore.

She was currently sat outside Rafael’s room on the floor, desperately praying for him to wake up. Victoria was out of the woods. Now it was all down to Rafael to get the all clear. One down one to go.

Her heart ached for Danny and Bobby. Bobby always said hello to her whenever she arrived for her shift, whenever she was feeling down his jokes would cheer her up.

But Danny held the biggest spot in her heart. Joint with Victoria of course.

She always thought there was a little spark there. She knew he felt it too. Now she would be kicking herself for not pursuing it sooner. They could’ve had months together before all this.

Fat tears rolled down her cheeks again and she didn’t even try and stop them.

“Doctor Trinh he’s awake!” Sarah said from the doorway.

Sienna scrambled to her feet and approached Rafael’s bedside.

“Rafael? Can you hear me?”

“Sienna?” Rafael’s eyes darted to her.

“Look at me. Do you remember what happened?”

“Yeah. The attack on the Senator. Wasn’t I just talking to Victoria? Where am I now?” Rafael groaned.

“Take it easy, you were in a coma.” Sienna replied.

“What?! Did you find a cure? Is Victoria ok?” Rafael tried to sit up but winced in pain.

“Rafael no sudden movements! We found a cure. You’ve both been given it. Victoria’s fine, she’s recovering down the hall.” Sienna glared at him.

“Thank god.” Rafael breathed a sigh of relief.

Ethan then walked in the room and asked Rafael similar questions. When he was certain Rafael was clear, he turned to Sienna.

“You better go tell Victoria. I know she’ll be glad to hear Mr Aveiro’s ok. Good work Doctor Trinh.” Ethan smiled.

Sienna beamed and sprinted out the door and down the corridor, telling everyone and anyone she saw that Rafael was ok.

— — — — —

Room 172 9:34am

“Did someone say there was a party in here?” Bryce stuck his head in Rafael’s room.

“It ain’t a party until Bryce turns up.” Victoria laughed from one of the seats next to Rafael’s bed.

“Good answer.”

“Where’s Aurora?” Jackie asked.

“She’s got a shift soon, she went home to get some sleep.” Victoria replied.

“I can’t wait to hit my bed and not be interrupted for at least twelve hours.” Jackie sighed.

“Twelve? Catch me not waking up in fifteen.” Elijah laughed.

“Doctor Ramsey’s given us today off. Although he’s making us come in at 6am tomorrow.” Sienna said when Victoria shared a confused look with her.

“The more things change the more others stay the same huh?” Victoria laughed a little.

“Just work your magic on him, I’m sure he’ll bend the rules then.” Jackie winked.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sure.”

“I’m glad you two are ok. I don’t know what would’ve happened if...” Sienna trailed off, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“You don’t have to think like that Sienna. We’re ok. Not perfect but we’re alive.” Rafael took her hand.

“We’re not going anywhere Sienna. We’re here. I promise.” Victoria smiled.

“Last night was awful. I’m glad it’s behind us.” Sienna smiled sadly.

Victoria looked round at her friends all nodding in agreement. Her heart filled with warmth.

“Me too.”

— — — — —

Thank you for travelling on the angst train to your heart. We hoped you enjoyed your journey 😉

Hope you enjoy this! (If enjoy is the right word 😂🤷🏼‍♀️) Lmk if you would like to be tagged. I’m gonna go cry now 😢

Tag list: @ohchoices @openheartfan @queencarb @genevievemd @iemcpbchoices @choicesaddict5 @schnitzelbutterfingers @alina-yol-ramsey @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @stygianflood

[miceandmonsters]

Male Orc x Female Character

FWB to Friends to Lovers; nerd/jock; multi-chapter

Sometimes the first is not the worst, not even a little bit. ; 2.2k

Part 1 

Part 2

If the digital clock on the bank was accurate, Ruban was in deep shit. Admittedly, he didn’t know Nikki particularly well outside of class. But someone who graduated with a 4.3 GPA didn’t seem like the kind of person who tolerated lateness in anyone, and especially not in good-looking athletes who semi-seduced her into tutoring them. ...Not that there were many out there with enough balls– or perhaps stupidity– to try that particular move.

Ruban tore into the parking lot of her apartment complex, killing the engine on his motorcycle, and taking the stairs three at a time up to the third floor. It was a rundown complex, tired and aged, but always full up with how close it was to campus. 

He was running so fast that he nearly sprinted right past her unit, till he caught himself and knocked twice on the door. The momentary pause gave him a chance to catch his breath before the door opened. Yeah, as expected, Nikki didn’t look too happy.

“I know I’m late, but I have a good reason,” Ruban said quickly. She just lifted an eyebrow in reply. “Practice ran long, and I figured you didn’t want me smelling like… anyway, I’m clean and I’m here and I’m sorry.”

Her face softened, and she stepped back to let him in. “Just text me if you need to reschedule next time.”

“I will remember that. I promise.”

The apartment was tiny, but looked like a catalogue showroom. There was a cleanly crisp scented candle burning on the coffee table, a fluffy blanket folded neatly over the couch arm. The books on the shelves were alphabetized. Did she always live like this? ...Knowing Nikki Williams, yes. Yes, she did.

“I figured that we could work in here,” she said, meandering to the kitchen attached to the living space. “Table’s better than a couch.”

He nodded. “Usually.” Dropping his backpack next to a chair, he looked down at her. “Should we… get started?”

“Might as well.”

“Cool.” Enthusiastically, he caught her chin with his fingers and dipped down to kiss her--

But she made a surprised noise and pulled back, eyes wide. “What are you doing?”

His eyebrows flickered together. “We already talked about this? You know, the… arrangement?” Great, now he sounded like someone out of those soaps his great aunt watched.

“Yes, but…” She glanced around as if someone could be hiding in her postage stamp of a kitchen. “I didn’t think you were actually serious.”

“Oh, I’m always serious,” he joked, a grin teasing his lips. It dimmed when a new idea crossed his mind. “Do you want this?”

“Do you want this?” she asked back.

Ohh. He paused and actually gave it a few seconds of thought. Eventually, he decided that there was something deeply hot about seeing a woman like Nikki flustered and on the verge of blushing like she was right then. “Yeah, definitely.”

The blush actually spread across her cheeks now. Cute. “Okay,” she breathed. She nodded once and squared up her shoulders, a confident and straight-forward look in her eye. Determination was all nice and good, but he really wanted to see how flustered he could make her. How far down did that blush really go?

So instead of going for that kiss she was obviously angling her head for, his hands drifted to her hips. She was thrown slightly off rhythm and let him guide her backwards, step by step, till she was leaning against the kitchen counter. 

“Counter’s better than a table,” he said, grinning slightly again.

“Usually,” she replied, picking up on his joke, but her words still wobbling slightly.

There was something in the anticipation, the fact that they both knew what was about to happen, that was nearly intoxicating. He’d barely touched her and already he could see her pupils expand to consume the warm brown of her eyes.

She was wearing a light blue dress with a skirt that fluttered about her thighs. He caught the hem between his fingers, just toying with it slightly. “This dress is nice…” 

“Thanks,” she whispered back. 

He held her gaze as he slowly pulled the hem up, brushing fingertips over her thigh. She inhaled as he brushed over the soft lace of her underwear and then slid his hand between her legs. Her eyes closed and her head tilted back as he stroked her through the thin fabric, hips slightly moving to match his rhythm. He was wrong before. This, being able to watch her slow surrender, was intoxicating. Keeping the same pace, he trailed up over her underwear and then slipped underneath. Her skin was so soft. She whimpered as one of his fingers dipped between her folds--she was already wet. “Damn Nikki,” he breathed, feeling a little affected himself.

“Nicole. I…” Her eyes opened and locked with his. “I go by Nicole now–why am I saying this when you have your finger practically inside me?”

He laughed softly, enjoying the way she gripped his arm as he found her clit. “Too much?” he asked before he stroked directly again. But she quickly shook her head. “So, why the change, Nicole?” he asked, conversationally, as he circled her.

“I, uh… Ah… I thought it sounded… more… more mature,” she answered, her voice gone breathy.

“That sounds about right. Suppose Dr. Nicole is more respectable than Dr. Nikki. Sounds like a daytime television host.” He dipped his finger back to her growing wet before returning to her clit.

“Ye–yeah… that’s…” She shuddered and gripped both of his arms now. “Fuck–that’s the idea.”

“So you are going to go for your doctorate?”

“S-someda–” She blinked and seemed to realize what had just been happening. “Why are you asking me this right now?”

“Because it’s fun watching you try to concentrate while I finger you.” Her response was cut off into a groan as he slid one finger inside her. Fuck, she was going to feel amazing. But then he withdrew, making her clench around him and whine. “Turn around,” he said in a low, gravelly voice. Her eyes went wide, but she did as she was told. He shrugged off his leather jacket and then ran his palms over her shoulders, down her arms. “Hands on the counter, yeah, like that. You still want it?” he asked, mostly just to hear her ask for it again.

“Yes,” she groaned, head leaning back against his shoulder. Now, finally, he kissed her, deep and greedy, as his hand returned to her center. He started with just one finger, rocking and stroking, then added a second to grasp and press against her front wall, grinding his palm against her clit. Her knees quickly started wobbling so he wrapped his free arm around her, holding her up and against him. Every wordless groan or gritted swear fell from her lips shot straight down to his cock–he was really starting to regret the choice to wear jeans to this meeting. 

However, it wasn’t very long before she found a handhold at his neck and melted in his arms. No doubt he now sported four little half-moon indents, but he really didn’t mind at all. As he’d hoped, she was deeply sexy now that she was flushed and panting.

“Should… shouldn’t we study first?” was her first question when she’d put herself back together enough to ask.

He chuckled, tracing his tusk along her shoulder. “I’ve always been a dessert first sort of orc. And I’m not sure how well I can concentrate now.” To prove his point, he pressed his bulge against her ass, making her moan and shudder. Excellent. He kissed up her neck, nipping her ear lobe before asking, “Want some more?”

“Yes, please.”

He scooped her off her feet and sat her on the counter. She had a delighted little smile on her face as he reached under her skirt to pull off her underwear and toss them aside. “Don’t think you’ll be needing those.”

“Definitely not–oh.” Her whole core clenched and shuddered as he cupped her center while brushing his lips along her jaw. He’d intended to just tease her, but she grabbed his head and pulled him in for a demanding kiss that somehow just made him harder than he was before. 

It took a little fumbling to find the buttons on the front of her dress without stopping the kiss, but he was successful enough to expose her bra. It was the same ivory lace as her underwear. Ah, so she hadn’t actually thought he wasn’t serious… or she hadn’t wanted to run the risk of her being unready if he was serious, which sounded more like her. 

He stepped back to just look at her, breathless and the least put-together he’d ever seen her. “Damn Nikki–shit, Nicole. I’ll be better at that when I don’t have a hard-on.”

“It’s okay.” Still holding his gaze, she ran her hands over her breasts, squeezing slightly. Damn Nicole. Condom, he needed a condom now. He stepped away and snagged one from his backpack. She looked a little concerned when he turned back around and held up his trophy.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere, baby,” he promised, unzipping his pants finally. Her eyes on him could probably melt steel, which only made him take his time. However, he couldn’t stop his groan of relief as he freed his cock and then stroked himself a few times, thoroughly enjoying watching her squirm.

“Would you just get over here and fuck me already?” she demanded, looking about two seconds from tackling him to the ground. 

Grinning, he opened the condom with his teeth and rolled it on as he sauntered back towards her. She was so eager, but he really wanted to enjoy the anticipation. Rarely was a first time this good. So he just ran his cock between her folds, teasing her clit as she whimpered and mewled.

“For fuck’s sake–” she said right before she grabbed him by the ass and pulled him close enough for him to partially slip inside. They both moaned, and it was a moment before he could see straight. She was every bit as amazing as he’d thought she’d be.

“Fuck, Nic– A little warning might be–” He stopped as she started rocking her hips against him. Oh, he could watch her literally fuck herself with his cock all night–but she was going to leave him in the dust if he didn’t get moving. 

He pulled her to the edge of the counter and matched her rhythm, deep and thorough. It wasn’t artful, but damn if it wasn’t satisfying. He left long kisses down her neck, trailing down to run his tongue over her pert nipples under the lace of her bra. Carefully, he tilted the angle of his hips and was rewarded with a loud, “There!” from Nicole. He sped up, desperately wanting to see her fall apart again.

Her grip on his upper arms tightened again, eight more half-moons, the only warning he got before she shattered. A stuttered version of his name came from her lips, right before he pulled her tight to him and gave her a bruising kiss. Her pulsing around him nearly finished him off, he just– Chasing her to the edge, he picked her up with ease, bouncing her on his cock for the last few thrusts and following her over. The world whited out as he held her tightly, jerking with each wave. 

A minute– maybe, he honestly wasn’t exactly sure– later, he carefully put her back on the counter. The kitchen was filled with just the sounds of their panting as they both tried to catch their breath. He tossed the condom in the trash and zipped back up his jeans. Damn, he’d just had time-alteringly good sex with Nikki Williams. High school Ruban would have said that he was a dirty liar. Hell, three days ago Ruban would have said he was a dirty liar. But there she was, leaning back against her cabinets, a little bit sweaty, and looking like she’d just seen a god. 

She swallowed then looked over at him and asked, “Are you up to graphing polynomials? Or have you finished that unit already?”

His smug grin died. “I… you were thinking about polynomials while we were having sex?”

She nibbled on the corner of her thumbnail. “No. Just we’re done and it’s the next thing,�� she answered, obviously half in thought. Then she looked his way and suddenly seemed to catch up to the conversation they were actually having. “I wasn’t--I mean, this was good. Really, really good. I promise. You were--” She made an ok sign, then quickly amended it to a thumbs up, before dropping her head in her hand. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”

He shrugged a shoulder and batted a hand against her knee. “Hey, it’s okay… your brain just… doesn’t ever stop, huh?”

She lifted her head to shake it. “No.”

“Doesn’t that make it hard to like… chill?”

“Exceedingly.”

Suddenly, everything he knew about her made a lot more sense. “That explains a lot, actually. But yeah, we’re on polynomials now.”

A blinding smile spread across her face. “Great, I’m good at those. Let me go grab my graphing calculator.” Nicole hopped off the counter and dashed out of the kitchen. 

Ruban smiled as he realized she’d left her underwear behind.

Masterlist

Part 3 - Coming soon!

[flightlessangelwings]

Protect

Billy Russo x Powered!Reader (fem, she/her pronouns)

Chapter 1

“We got some new recruits today, Mr Russo. They look promising.”

Billy watched the room full of recruits from his vantage point on the upper balcony. Most of them looked like the usual people who applied to work for Anvil: hair buzzed, muscles abound, a take-no-shit attitude. But there was one in particular who caught Billy Russo’s eye.

You stood among the others as you waited for your performance evaluation. Billy knew better than to judge someone based on appearance, but you looked so unassuming that he wondered what you had hidden behind your eyes. He didn’t have to wait long as you were up next. Your opponent was the toughest trainer Billy had, and he was nearly twice your size. But you didn’t look intimidated at all.

With a smirk, you sparred with the trainer as Billy watched with an intense gaze. He noticed your patterns fairly quickly, and he could tell you picked up on the guy’s weak spots right away. You put up more of a fight than the other guys thought you would, and soon you had him on the defensive. He tried to turn the tide on you, though, and pushed back at you until he backed you up against the wall. He kept his aggressive moves up until your back slammed against the wall and his hands wrapped around your neck.

The other guys cheered him on, but Billy stayed silent. He saw the fire in your eyes that everyone else missed. The man you fought smirked; he thought he had won. But you stayed still and waited for the smile on his face to fade. Slowly, his gaze dropped down to finally notice the knife you held against his stomach. He didn’t even see you pull it out. The only one who noticed was Billy.

The trainer backed off and raised his hands in surrender until you shielded your knife, then he reached his hand out to shake yours. You had kept your guard up the entire time, but for the first time you let yourself relax. With a soft smile, you accept his hand with a strong handshake.

“No one has ever been able to beat me before. Well done…”

You gave him your name as you straightened your posture again, “Thank you sir.”

“We’ll have to get the final word from the boss,” he motioned up to where Billy watched from the second floor overlook, “But I’d be happy to welcome you to Anvil.”

Of course, Billy immediately offered you the job and before you knew it, you found yourself alone with him in his office.

“I don’t normally have newbies in my office so fast, but there’s something about you that I really like,” Billy said with an alluring smile on his face as he handed you a drink, “That fight was impressive.”

You accepted the drink but kept your guard up, “I see your reputation precedes you, Mr Russo,” your words were light, as if you were playing a game with him.

“I hope you mean my reputation for being delightfully charming,” he cocked an eyebrow and flashed you a devilish smile.

You took a sip of your drink and relished how smooth it was, “More like I did my research. I don’t go into anything unprepared.”

“Smart woman,” he quipped back with a wink.

You furrowed your brows for a moment. It was one thing to hear about Billy Russo’s exploits and flirty nature but it was another to have it directed right at you. You weren’t used to someone acting like this with you, especially so soon after you met. Part of you thought it was flattering, but you pushed the thought down, “It’s kept me alive all this time,” your voice was heavier this time.

He noticed the change in your demeanor so he changed the subject, “What branch were you?”

“Marines,” you answered simply.

Billy’s face lit up, “I knew there was a reason I liked you,” he refilled both your glasses and raised his to clank them together before he took another drink. “What’s your story?”

You smiled at him as you drank with your new boss, and you got the feeling this would be a regular thing, “I joined when I was 18. The whole pay for college, see the world, get opportunities deal, you know,” it wasn’t the whole story, but you still weren’t exactly sure why you told him that. Yet, you felt comfortable with him. You wondered what his story was like as you finished off your second refill.

And Billy was definitely curious about you, “Where were you deployed? Iraq? Afghanistan? Somewhere else?”

Your face dropped as the playfulness disappeared from your demeanor, “I can’t tell you.”

He noticed the frown on your face and decided not to push it. He knew all too well the horrors that stay with you, “I understand,” Billy took a deep breath, “Either way, I’m happy to have you with us now. I think your skills will be a great asset,” he paused to take a sip of his drink, “And if you don’t mind my asking, what brought you to Anvil?”

“Thank you, Mr Russo,” you replied with a faint smile, “I just wanted to use my skills to do some good, you know? I tried the whole ‘normal life’ thing and it didn’t work out. So I thought, I have the means to protect people, might as well put it to good use. Someone recommended Anvil to me at a support group I was in.” The fire in your eyes was gone, replaced with a vacant expression. If he only knew the weight that your words carried. 

Billy found himself completely intrigued about what you had gone through to affect you like this. He had only just met you, but he could tell that you were a strong person, and you had a good head on your shoulders. You didn’t strike him as the type to take any shit from anyone or to break down easily. Yet, you completely closed off when he asked just a simple question about your past.

We all have our demons, he thought.

Time went by in a blur and before you knew it, you had been at Anvil for almost two months. You quickly impressed everyone around you, and Billy always looked forward to seeing you. In fact, you had done so well for a new recruit that you were already assigned to your first protection detail.

Billy led the squad of course, and you followed with several others to the hotel where you all were tasked with protecting a visiting ambassador. Word was that there was a threat to his life, and Anvil was the first call the ambassador’s people made. You and the others were all in the lobby, dressed in your tactical gear with your weapons ready as you waited for your next instructions.  

“We pair up and cover the building,” Billy spoke to the group in an authoritative tone, “Ludgate and I will stay at the ambassador’s side,” he motioned to you and said your last name, “you and Maxwell cover the stairwell,” he went on and assigned each pair a position before the group broke and took their positions throughout the hotel.

You stood alert at the stairwell door with your partner, Maxwell. He was a quiet guy but he seemed ok. He was nothing compared to Billy though. Wait, where did that thought come from? You spoke to Billy pretty much every day since you had drinks with him in his office, and he left you confused about your feelings after almost every time he spoke to you. But, now was not the time to dwell on your boss. You were here for a job, and you had to be focused.

Everything was quiet so far, no sign of any threats. The team at the doors checked over every person who entered the building and the team had eyes everywhere. Comms were clear, and you started to wonder if the information they were given was a false lead.

Then, out of nowhere, an explosion from the roof shook everyone off balance. The previous calm was gone and replaced by shouts through your comms and people in a panicked state. The men placed throughout the lobby quickly worked to evacuate the civilians out while those placed around the perimeters kept their guard up for the next wave of attack.

“They’re coming from the top,” someone shouted through the comms, and half the team in the lobby rushed up to meet their enemies.

“Shit, they hid in the rooms,” another said.

“Fuck,” you muttered under your breath. You and Maxwell stayed at your post, which was now more important than ever. You positioned yourself to face the stairwell door while you let your partner watch the lobby when another explosion tore through the lobby.

Smoke filled the area as a group of men wearing masks and dressed in all black rushed in. You and Maxwell raised your guns and easily shot down any of the threats who tried to reach the stairwell. You could hear the shouts of your other teammates in your earpiece and it sounded like the men also got in from the roof to cause a distraction before their reinforcements burst into the lobby. 

That meant that your job was more important than you thought, and you and Maxwell had to protect the stairwell and make sure none of your enemies' backup made it up the stairs. You clenched your jaw as you thought about how it was just Billy and just a few others up there with the ambassador and they most likely would need more backup.

“Maxwell,” you shouted over the sounds of gunfire, “I’m going up the stairs to help Russo. Guard the door.”

“You don’t get to give me orders,” he raised his voice to you in reply. 

He glanced over at you, but that split second was all it took for him to become distracted. In that one moment, one of the infiltrators fired directly at him. You kept your focus, so you were quick to react. 

You pushed Maxwell aside and once your body blocked his field of vision, you raised your hand and formed a small energy circle in front of you. A subtle hue of blue and silver formed in your hand that created an indestructible barrier. The bullet hit your small shield and you immediately recalled the energy to keep your power hidden. In another swift movement, you fired your gun and hit the man right in the head.

With a heavy exhale, you turned to him, “You ok?”

Maxwell looked at you wide eyed; he clearly did not expect that from you, “Go,” he said after a nod, “I’ve got the door.”

“Thanks,” you replied, “Make sure no one gets by,”

“You got it,” he said as he raised his weapon. You then disappeared into the stairwell and once you were gone, a scowl came across his face. Maxwell glanced behind him and noticed something odd: there was no bullet lodged in the wall. If you pushed him out of the way, it should have hit the wall. Instead, he looked down to find the shell on the floor right at his feet. He furrowed his brows as he tabled his inquiry for later.

As soon as the door closed behind you, you raised one of your hands to ready your powers while the other held a firm grip on your gun. You also kept your knife strapped to your waist so you could easily grab it if you needed it. The echoes of gunshots could be heard from the upper levels and you ran up as fast as you could. You made it up almost five flights before bullets started to rain down on you.

You were ready, and you raised your arm above you and called on your energy shield to block the hail of bullets. The men who shot at you cursed loudly, frustrated that they couldn’t hit you no matter how hard they tried. They were so wrapped up in their anger that they didn’t even notice the soft blue and silver glow of your energy shield above you. 

As soon as there was a break in their shots, you raised your gun and hit one right in the face. The other man dodged, and immediately shot back. You raised your shield again as you waited for another window. When it didn’t come, you decided on a different strategy. You pulled out your knife and concentrated your energy into the tip of your weapon. It was a newer trick you learned, and the knife helped you to focus your energy to push it forward like a whip or a bullet. With a flick of your wrist, you lashed your energy up towards the man, which glowed a deep blue in its more concentrated form.

He knew he was done for, and right before your burst of energy hit him, he pulled out a grenade and tossed it down towards you. You didn’t see it until it blew up a couple floors above you, and with a deep breath, you raised your energy shield again. In your earpiece, you could hear yells from your team but you ignored it to focus all your strength into your shield. You pushed forward to get yourself out of the stairwell, but it was harder now that you had railing and concrete to hold up with your powers.

With a grunt, you finally made it to the door and pushed yourself through. You crashed through the door, and completely pushed it off its hinges in your rush to get out of the stairwell. All your breath was forced out of your body as you landed on your side on top of the door. Luckily, you dropped your shield before you burst through because a familiar voice greeted you with your name in the hallway.

When he heard the pound at the door, Billy raised his gun in anticipation of unwelcome company, but immediately relaxed when he saw it was you. “What are you doing here?” his voice was tough, but you could hear the concern as he rushed over to help you up.

“Thought you could use some backup,” you strained as you stood to your feet. You noticed right away that it was just Billy and the client alone in the hallway, “Looks like I thought right. Where’s Ludgate?”

“He’s injured. He ducked into one of the open rooms,” Billy replied with a frown, “So yeah, I could use your help,” he added in a lighter tone.

Luckily for you all, the majority of the attackers were already taken care of by the time you reached Billy and the ambassador and the two of you easily took out any stragglers who tried to come at you as the two of you led him down to the lobby. You and Billy seemed to read each other’s minds and easily anticipated each other’s action. It was refreshing how well you worked together.

Once all the threats were taken care of and the ambassador was confirmed safe, Billy finally relaxed. He put on his usual charm as he spoke to the ambassador and some other men you didn’t recognize but guessed were high ranking officials. With a final handshake, Billy sent them off on their way before he came to speak to you.

“I should say something about leaving your post,” he said your name, “But I couldn’t have gotten this job done without you. So, well done,” Billy extended his hand to you.

With a soft smile, you took it, and you were grateful that he couldn’t feel the surge of energy that pulsed through your hand.

~

Notes: I’m a little nervous about this because I really want to get this story right, but I’m also really excited for this little series. This was originally supposed to only be one or two chapters but it got away from me while I was working on it, so as of now I’ve got it outlined at 5 chapters. Next chapter will be some fluff and cuteness, since this was a pretty explosive opening to the story lol. As always, let me know if you’d like to be added to my Billy Russo taglist

Billy Russo taglist: @witchygagirl​ @runawayolives​ @morriganwarrior 

[fallingstarnovel]

Chapter Four

“Holy fuck!” Evan yelped, before running down the stairs and opening the front door. “Dude, you are fast!”

Ruth laughed and scratched the back of his neck. “It seemed like an emergency.”

“You’re not wrong,” Evan grumbled, before quickly ushering him inside. “I was going to apologise for the mess but I guess you’ve seen everything already.”

Ruth, to his credit, managed to look completely non-judgemental as he stepped over a pile of shoes and pizza leaflets. He waited patiently for Evan to close the door behind him before speaking.

"May I see it?"

Evan hummed and hawed for a moment, before sighing. May as well get this over with. He turned around and lifted up the back of his hoodie so that the tattoo was poking out over the waistband.

There was an intake of breath behind him. He felt a warm hand nudge his hoodie a little further up his back, being careful not to actually touch his skin.

"How bad is it," Evan said, full of dread. "Can you read what it says?"

Ruth hummed under his breath. When he spoke, he sounded like he was trying to be very careful. "Would you believe me if I said that someone put a curse mark on you?"

Evan laughed out loud, and looked at Ruth. The laughter died at the dark look in the other boy's eyes.

"Oh. You're serious."

Ruth nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, curses are..." Evan began, before stopping himself. There was no polite way to say "curses aren't real". "They're... Kind of spiritual, right? More based in belief than fact."

The dark look was still there in Ruth's eyes, but he did manage an amused smile. "You're a skeptic."

"I'm a scientist," Evan replied flatly. "Trying to be. Sorry. If you're one of those people who believes in magic and stuff, that's super cool, I'm not going to call it bullshit. But this is probably just a normal tattoo."

"Just a normal tattoo that appeared on your body without you noticing."

"I might have been drunker than I realised," Evan said hotly. "But even if someone was trying to somehow curse me by tattooing me, I'm not bothered about that. Curses are... um. Probably not replicable in lab conditions. I'm more worried about the fact that they managed to somehow jab a needle in me when I wasn't looking and do some of the chunkiest black work I have ever seen. So what does it say?"

Ruth's gaze skittered away. His pleasant smile was like glass. "I don't know."

"Damn it. You're sure?"

"..."

"So how do you know it's a curse?"

Ruth swallowed. He hesitated, before holding out a hand. "May I touch it?"

Evan said "yes" without really thinking about it. He realized his mistake as soon as he felt two warm palms come into contact with the small of his back, brushing along his skin.

Oh no. This was really nice. It had been quite a long time since he had been touched by someone. With a nervous laugh, he jumped away in shock at the electric feeling that rushed through him.

"Cold hands," he lied.

"Oh. Sorry."

That was his second mistake. There was the sound of Ruth blowing on his own fingers and rubbing them together to warm them up, and then the hands were back, except now they were hot and unignorable.

Idiot. Idiot fool stupid ass. He just invited this random guy over to his house and said "oh sure touch my back in a totally normal kind of way" and now he's making it weird, and poor Ruth was probably standing there like, what's this weirdo doing blushing like some kind of idiot because I'm touching his freaky new tattoo? His weird drunken tramp stamp? Just copping a feel of this guy's lower back like a spectacularly PG version of a freaky train groper?

God, he wished he could get his brain to shut up when he was nervous.

"... It doesn't feel like a tattoo," Ruth said after a moment. "It feels like a curse."

"A curse to do what?"

"It's a bad luck curse," Ruth said. His voice was strange. "Luck so bad it'll force you to..."

Evan stared at him over his shoulder. "To what."

"..."

"To what."

"But it is only triggered when, under certain conditions..." Ruth began before trailing off. "The conditions will not be met. There is nothing to worry about."

His smile was very reassuring. One of his dimples popped. It was incredibly sweet.

"You're sure?"

"I'm certain."

Evan tore his eyes away and sat down heavily on the couch, putting his head in his hands. "So some kind of spiritual nutjob has put a weird mark on my ass. Wonderful. That's really great."

"I'll fix this."

Evan looked up at Ruth in surprise, before shaking his head. "You can't just remove tattoos so easily. It's going to cost so much money to remove, and it might not even work. And it's going to hurt."

He sensed Ruth coming closer, close like he might reach out and touch. But he didn't. He was silent.

"... You think it was someone at the party."

"Yeah. Maybe. I don't think I had it before then, and I don't know when else I would have been drunk enough not to notice it happening."

"A curse mark can be placed with just a touch–"

"Dude," Evan groaned, throwing his head back, "it's not a curse mark, it's just a pain in the ass. It's a tattoo. And I have to deal with it. I wish I–" he groaned, and buried his head in his hands again. "This always happens. I shouldn't go to parties."

Thick silence again.

Ruth’s voice was gentle. His hand landed on Evan’s shoulder. "You didn't ask for this."

"But what if I did?" Evan said. "It's the not knowing that’s the worst. What if I did want this? But why would I... I never would, but who knows? Who knows?" He stood up suddenly. "That's why I have to find someone who was there and ask them."

“I can help you do that.”

“... you can? How?"

"I think I might know a couple of people who were there," Ruth answered. "I can ask them."

Evan stood up and grabbed Ruth's shoulders. "Please! Can you come with me to meet them?"

His expression turned sour. "I would prefer you didn't. They are... they're not good company."

"I don't care. I need to ask them. Please."

A long tense silence, and then:

"Alright. I will ask around."

Evan sighed and collapsed back on the sofa. "Thank you. Really."

"There's no need. Anything you want, I'll do."

He gave Ruth a weird look, tilting his head in curiosity. "Are you this charitable with everyone? You've been so nice to me."

Ruth's smile returned with a vengeance. Cheerful sunshine was practically flowing from every orifice. He said, rather carefully, "not with everyone, no. But you could say that it's something that sustains me. Being helpful, I mean."

"Huh. You enjoy being a good Samaritan, then."

Ruth nodded. In between talking about the curse nonsense, and the desire to help people, and the way he was a little – hm, intense, Evan wondered if he hadn't accidentally made friends with a very motivated missionary. Weren't Christians supposed to love thy neighbour?

Oh no, was Evan being indoctrinated into a fundamentalist cult? Was that why Ruth was being so nice?

"... Are you religious, Ruth?"

He hummed, seeming to think about the question. "That... is complicated. I guess so. But maybe it's more accurate to say that I... that I do my own thing. Are you?"

That did not rule out the cult side of things. Evan nodded, hiding his suspicions deep where they couldn't possibly offend this potential fundie.

"I do my own thing too," he said, deciding to be cautious just in case. "I just try to be nice and hope for the best."

"A good philosophy to have," Ruth said with a laugh. "Keep it. Well, I should probably go and track down the people at the party. If you want anything, you can call me whenever you like."

Hm. Way, way too nice. "I will," Evan lied, before guiding Ruth back to the front door. "Thanks again."

"It's nothing at all," were Ruth's last words before he left, bundling out onto the street and walking away.

Evan watched him go. Watched that bundle of curly blonde hair and a warm blue scarf grow smaller and smaller until it turned a corner and once again disappeared.

A few days later, Evan was waiting outside of his lecture hall, when someone suddenly stopped beside him. He squinted at them, finding their face oddly familiar. That long brown curly hair, the wide set of their shoulders...

Wait a minute, this was the person from the party who kept giving him shots! Sand! No - Ice?

“Rock,” said Rock, looking exceptionally nervous. Their eyes kept darting to the side. “From the party.”

“No, yeah, I remember,” Evan mumbled, feeling a little dazed. What the hell. They just suddenly turned up with no warning. “What’s... up?”

“You said you had questions,” Rock said quietly. They seemed completely different now from that night. Whereas before, they were loud and bouncy, projecting their voice across the music, now they seemed to be holding their arms close to their body as if trying to look smaller.

It was weird.

“Um. Yeah. Hey, let’s just...”

Evan stepped aside from the other students who were waiting outside the lecture, and Rock followed, until they were both in a slightly more private spot.

“Are you good?” Evan asked, because Rock looked very sweaty.

They nodded quickly. “I’m good. I’m chill. Look, whatever you wanna ask, please go ahead.”

Evan thought about it. This was his chance. He needed to make sure he didn’t mess it up.

“So... did I do anything weird?”

Rock stared at him in disbelief. After a moment, their gaze once again skittered around the place. “No. Not really.”

Okay. Good. He would just have to try and believe that. “Sweet. Okay. Christ, um. Did anyone at the party have a tattoo gun?”

Rock swallowed and shook their head. “No.”

Shit. “Are you lying to me?”

Rock’s eyes widened, and their back stiffened. “No. No, I swear. Nobody had a tattoo gun.”

“Were you upstairs with me when we were... playing a game?”

“I was.”

Nice! A witness!

“Did I kiss someone?”

Rock nodded.

“Who?”

“Ophelia,” Rock said hesitantly. “She kissed you.”

Ophelia... “Was she, by any chance, the girl with the black hair and the platform boots?”

“That’s her.”

Wow. Hot Goth Girl kissed him. Evan thought he would feel excited about that, but instead he just felt a little nauseous. He was so drunk. How could that have been enjoyable? Surely he was way too much of a mess for her to get anything out of it...

“Rock, can I have your number? I might have more questions if that’s okay.”

Rock suddenly looked a little panicked. “You’re not satisfied?”

“What? Uh, I guess? Look, you don’t have to, I just--”

“No, you can, you can,” Rock said, hurriedly pulling some paper and a pen out of their pocket and wrote down a number. “Here. And... please, look, tell him that I’ll do anything you want, okay? I’ll cooperate, I’ll behave!”

Evan stared at them. “Tell who?”

But Rock was already running away, visibly sweating.

Huh. Weird.

Evan kept throwing glances behind him as he finally trailed into his next lecture. He found it difficult to concentrate on the class.

Bad luck followed Evan around that week like a bad smell.

He dropped his phone while he was walking, and the whole screen shattered so bad that he could barely see what he was typing anymore.

Whenever he went walking, he ended up stepping in dog muck. He didn't even know there were this many dogs in the city. How come all the owners had suddenly decided to be lazy bastards who didn't clean up after their mess?

If he forgot his umbrella, it rained, and if he brought it, he lost it. And then it rained anyway.

But all of this wasn't so bad when he thought about it. At least he still had his health, and his lectures were still taking place, and anyway. He wasn't doing as much walking now that exam season was underway.

It was today. Exam day. One of the big ones. He had small exams all week leading up to this one, but this was the one he was most worried about.

Evan still wasn’t sure he believed in the concept of luck, but he figured that now was as good a time to start believing as any. He pulled out his favourite pair of socks from the drawer and decided that they were lucky. As he walked to the exam hall, he made sure not to step on any cracks.

He wasn’t sure that cracks would affect his exam score. Weren’t they supposed to break your mother’s back if you stood on them?

He didn’t take any chances. If he wanted to pass this exam, he couldn’t risk getting called out halfway through because of any back related medical emergencies.

He also avoided walking under any ladders, or seeing any magpies, or opening any umbrellas indoors. If avoiding bad luck was a game, he had the high score.

Evan was just across the road from the exam hall when he saw that strange flash of black in the corner of his vision. He turned on instinct to see the black cat he often saw around campus sitting on the pavement a little bit ahead of him.

The cat looked up and made direct eye contact. Evan stared. He stared so hard that he didn’t notice where he was putting his foot until it was too late.

There was a groan and the sound of old metal creaking, and Evan found himself stuck up to the knee in the rusty grating of a road gutter. He tried to pull himself out, but he was well and truly stuck.

Something honked. Evan looked up to see a truck racing towards him. It was okay - the truck was far enough away that it could brake long before it reached Evan. He hoped. He tried yanking his leg out of the gutter again, but it felt like something was holding onto his foot.

Lazily, he felt the swish of something soft against his hand. The cat jumped past him, before racing up the road towards the truck. It ran out into the road.

The drive had presumably already been stressed out by the sight of a kid stuck in the road. He was already honking his horn and slamming his foot on the brakes, making an awful screeching noise. The cat must have exacerbated the situation, because all of a sudden, the cab of the truck veered sideways as if the driver had just pulled a sharp right.

In horror, Evan could only watch as the side of the truck began to tilt. It leaned, and leaned, tires squealing, black smoke pouring from where they scraped along the tarmac. Cars beeped, people screamed, but nobody was close enough to help.

Evan was going to die here, he realised. The truck was rolling over, and it was going to squash him flat. He would die right before his exam and fail it. Why couldn’t this happen afterwards? Didn’t he study hard? Didn’t he spend all night revising his notes and memorising formulas?

All that hard work, wasted! If he knew he was going to die today, he would have spent last night doing something fun instead!

The sun suddenly broke through the clouds. Sunlight bounced off the wet tarmac and the muddy puddles at the edge of the road. Evan couldn’t even think. All he could do was watch.

A strong hand suddenly gripped his underarm and pulled. There was a horrible lurch as his leg was pulled free from the grate, his jeans getting shredded and a terrible pain running down his calf, and then Evan was being lifted up and out of the grate into someone’s chest.

A sudden flurry of movement, and Evan was out of the road. A mere second later, the side of the lorry slammed down on where he had been stuck. Someone screamed far away.

If he was still there, he would have been flattened into a pancake.

Someone laid him down on the pavement, gentle and kind. Evan looked up, dazed and dizzy with adrenaline, everything seeming too sharp and too clear. Above him, looking down with a sweet smile, was a boy with curly blonde hair. The sunlight hit him from behind and made his hair glow gold at the edges, his face cast into shadow.

Evan swore he saw two huge white wings spread out from the youth’s back, one tall and strong, the other held slightly lower as if it was injured.

“Ruth,” he gasped. “Ruth, you're...”

“Don't talk,” Ruth replied gently. “Just rest. I have you.”

“Hey... hey, kid! Are you alright?”

Someone was running towards him, one of the bystanders who had seen the accident. Evan closed his eyes for a second. The pain in his leg was unbearable. At least he wasn’t flat.

When he opened his eyes again, Ruth had disappeared. A random woman was hovering over him, asking him questions and sounding panicked, but he could barely pay attention at all.

Was that... real?

Author's note:

if you've managed to read this far, it's lovely to have you on board! i've had internet issues so i had to post this later than i wanted to :( but now it's here!

thank you and enjoy, see you soon :)

Previous Chapter | Contents | Next Chapter

[harcourtholmesii]

In This Here, Beautiful World... (Part 1)

Fandoms: Team Fortress 2

Pairings: Medic X Heavy / Scout X Miss Pauling / Scout’s Ma X Spy / Soldier X Zhanna / Engineer X Original Character / Saxton Hale X Maggie

Warnings: - Swearing - Physical Abuse and Violence - Verbal Abuse - Minor Gore - Implied Death

Words: 1913

Summary: When the world goes to shit, in order to survive, you need to be ruthless, and you need to be prepared to do whatever it takes. When nine strangers and their families come together to fight back the zombie plague, tensions will rise between them all, threatening to pull them apart and kill them from the inside-out. It’s a shitty summary, I know. ^^

Enjoy!

‘Hey! Yo! I got a delivery here for a Mister Brookes!’

 Jeremy hammered his fist against the door, louder than the first time. He had been standing out here for a good twenty minutes, waiting for this douchebag to open the door. The boss would kill him if he returned with cold pizza or if he got a call from the tenant saying he never received the order.

 Jeremy shifted from foot to foot, his sneakers squeaking lightly against the cracked linoleum floor. He couldn’t just wait here forever! He was already running behind schedule and he needed the money!

 He pounded his fist against the door again; a neighbour poked her careworn face out her door to peer at the disturbance.

 ‘D-Do you mind keeping it down, young man?’

 ‘I wouldn’t have to be loud if this guy would just open the door!’ He continued to pound his fist, hearing how the hinges whined under his abuse.

 The old lady shut her door when it became obvious he wouldn’t stop. For a moment, the thought came to Jeremy’s mind that she might be calling the cops. He wouldn’t stay here anymore if that was the case, and he sure as shit wasn’t leaving a perfectly good pizza on this ungrateful dick’s doorstep.

 He stomped down the hall, passing by the old lady’s door. He could hear her speaking to someone on the inside, but he didn’t stop to wait for the sound of sirens. It wasn’t like he was trying to disturb the peace; he just wanted some fucking tips!

 He leapt onto the railing of the stairwell, letting his weight skirt him down the metal of the banister. He whipped down one flight, and then another, until his feet planted themselves firmly on the first floor. He pushed the glass doors out of his way, the frame cracking loudly against the brick of the building.

 He trotted down the stairs, looking about left and right for some dumpster. Instead, the sight of an older man pushing a small trolley of garbage bags and raggedy clothes caught his eye. Jeremy felt the anger lessen, if only a little. He hated seeing people roaming the streets like this, without a home or place to go to. Filthy rich dickheads and politicians wouldn’t spare a single coin to them and it made him sick.

 He approached and simply cleared his throat to get the scraggly man’s attention. He couldn’t see his eyes beneath the unwashed hair, but as he offered the pizza pie to him, those hands shook excitedly, reaching out and taking it with hesitance. Those tanned hands opened up the box, the smell of melted cheese and cooked meat wafting into the air.

 ‘T-Thank you…’ Jeremy just nodded, offering him a lazy wave of ‘don’t worry about it’. He took off at full sprint down the street, leaving behind the apartment and the man in his dust. He had to be quick back to the restaurant, so his manager wouldn’t get pissy.

 He ran at great speed down the bustling city streets, dodging about those that got in his path. Families, businessmen and construction workers had little time to part ways for him. He compensated for their lack of awareness by leaping over the guard railings, jumping the hoods of stationary traffic and racing through the wavering legs of scaffolding. He got the odd call from some of the workers, but it had become a common enough practice, Jeremy was almost ignored by bystanders.

 The wind whipped his hair and face, threatening to throw the delivery cap off his head. Finally, he rounded a corner and into the shop, in time to see his boss glowering from across the counter.

 ‘You’re late.’

 ‘Yeah.’ He muttered, replacing the empty pack onto the shelf. He threw himself into compiling the list of orders and strangling his waist with a rubber apron. ‘I know. I know. Guy wasn’t home or was ignorin’ me. I tried!’

 ‘So what happened to the order?’

 He hated the shakedown. This was not the first time that Jeremy had arrived back to the store, hands empty of payment.

 ‘I just left it on the doorstep.’

 ‘Are you kidding me, Jeremy?’ The boy rolled his eyes, roughly taking the pizza cutter and beginning his work on dividing the pie apart. A fly buzzed in his ear, which he swatted away in disgust. ‘You know to wait for the customer to open the door!’

 ‘I woulda been there the whole fuckin’ afternoon!’ He barked back, cutting into the pizza harder than he meant to. The box splintered beneath the pressure and the blade near sliced his fingers. He slammed the lid down, and started upon the next one.

 ‘Did you call them?’

 ‘The phone’s been broke’ for a while now! I can’t call them with that garbage!’ He was lucky that this place had been so lax with language. He and the manager often shared bouts of abuse, but it made it easier to adapt. Instead of shutting his lips, he could hurl curses back at the useless prick behind the counter. He knew it tested the man’s patience, and certainly didn’t encourage the man to keep him around, but he put in the effort. And the man couldn’t deny that he was the best delivery boy he had, not to mention the only one.

 ‘You keep this shit up, Jeremy, and you’ll be outta here faster than your mother can pump out another brat!’

 Oh, now that was too far!

 Jeremy could take this shit when it was aimed at him, but at his family, at his ma specifically, he wouldn’t stand for it. He didn’t even want to work at this shitty pizza place anyway!

 He threw off the smock, tossing the prepared pizzas across the steel table and at his ex-manager. He leapt over it, and with hands clenched, hit him once across the nose. There was the spatter of blood and the satisfying crack of cartilage, as the man was sent reeling back and into the tubs of sauce.

 Barbecue, crème fraiche and tomato sauce went flying all about, coating the man head to toe in the expired spreads. Jeremy tore his shirt as he ripped his nametag off and tossed it into the dickhead’s shocked face. Guess he hadn’t been expecting someone like Jeremy to fight back.

 Jeremy may have been scrawnier than his brothers, but he was fast, and more than a little anger fuelled his strength. He leaned down on the tile, gripping the man’s collar tight and lifting up the mess just enough that they nearly met nose-to-nose.

 ‘Don’t you ever talk about my ma again! You even look in her direction, even get one whiff of her perfume, and you’ll lose those nuts of yours, you got that?!’ He dropped the shaking mess of a manager back into the sea of red, white and brown.

 Then Jeremy stormed out, slamming the door shut behind him.

 He didn’t run off like he had done to get to the restaurant. He took his time, instead, to simmer down. He didn’t want his ma to see him like this. He knew she’d be disappointed that he lost another job, and he couldn’t just tell her what that dickhead had said. He just hoped she would forgive him for being so brash.

 He passed by a number of stores, all at various points of shutting down for the afternoon or for good. Graffiti created a continuous line for him to follow along; signatures, doodles and even grand pieces of street art provided a guide as to his location, wherever he was in the city. An electronics store was still playing the local news as he passed it by, detailing some local flu hotspots, and an old music shop had been packed up into several wooden boxes.

 The townhouse he lived in with his ma was at the end of a long street, between two apartment buildings that crammed it tightly between them. It appeared as if squashed by the neighbouring buildings; three storeys tall, with a pair of windows to each floor. It was an icky cream colour, with a small rooftop garden that had two lines of wet clothes waving about in the breeze.

 Jeremy plucked a key from beneath the mat and entered inside. The lights were on, and he could hear in the room to his left their old, junk box playing some fitness program. He sighed, feeling his shoulders sag as he attempted to release his fuming breath and calm himself before he met his ma.

 She spoke first when he entered the living room.

 ‘You’re home early.’

 She pulled herself back up from a stretch, turning to offer him the warmest smile he ever did see. He stuttered with apologies, attempting to tell her what happened without mentioning what that asshole had said. She just fluttered her hand, as if shooing away his discomfort and his excuses, rounding the old couch and bringing him into a hug.

 He relaxed immediately, returning the affection with a tight squeeze.

 ‘I’m sorry.’

 ‘Don’t be. You can always find another job; one much more suitable for the fine, young man you are.’ She said. His ma always knew exactly what to say. ‘I couldn’t be more proud of my boy. You held out for six months, Jeremy. You blew your last record right out of the water!’

 He huffed a breath of laughter, the only sound he could manage with all this praise. He knew, through the smile and the gentle words, that his ma was a little bit upset. He needed a job; just so he could support her as his brothers did, if not just himself. Her work as a pre-school teacher had been able to keep them all above water, but the old townhouse was falling apart without the necessary care.

 His two eldest brothers, Mark and Kieran, had left about a year ago; both of them attempting to pursue some apprenticeships in engineering and hospitality. The third oldest, his brother Blake, had been talking with their ma recently about moving in with his girlfriend out of state.

 Lucas, Julien and Oliver had stayed in school, but hadn’t gotten the grades to gain any kind of scholarship. They were still at work, no doubt, doing more than Jeremy ever could. They could put up with the bullshit demands of customers, and the abuse from their managers. But this was the third job that Jeremy had left behind this year alone.

 ‘Why don’t you come sit down, and you can tell me what really happened?’ She kissed his cheek and guided him to the lounge. The fitness program was switched to the news, but turned down until the broadcast was a mere mutter.

 Jeremy felt embarrassed to say much to her, but he knew that his ma wanted to hear what he had to say. As he spoke, detailing the list of demands he had suffered through that day, the news station switched headlines. Unbeknownst to Jeremy or his ma, a fast-acting viral infection was rapidly spreading through several different hotspots across the city. If they had been paying any mind, they would have seen the havoc being caused from the crappy cellphone footage.

 They only noticed when a scream radiated from the television, the one recording the chaos suddenly on the ground.

 Another, sickly man, had his face buried deep into his intestines.

[rizlowwritessortof]

Never Look Back

Bethany Rae Cooper didn’t realize when she met the Winchesters in her family’s bar and grill that her life would never be the same. But she’s always believed that everything happens for a reason, even if it’s not exactly what you were expecting…

“Bethany Rae!  Get your butt back in here!”  Beth heard her stepfather’s voice clearly through the front door as she strode angrily away from the bar, her long dark ponytail swinging with each step.  "Beth!  I mean it!“

"I’m out of here, Rick.  I’m done.  See you around,” she shouted back, unlocking her dingy-white beat-up ‘65 Ford Fairlane and climbing behind the wheel, slamming the door.  She threw up a cloud of dust as she backed up and tore out of the dirt parking lot, fishtailing a little as she hit the main road.

Her thoughts flew furiously as she drove.  Seriously!  Did Rick and her mom think she was going to let them treat her like a child forever?  She was twenty-freaking-five years old, and they had the nerve to try and tell her who she could go out with!  The guys that left about a half an hour before her were both–well, hot, with that sense of danger around them that seemed to draw her like an alcoholic to his whiskey.  And when the one who introduced himself as Dean had asked her to leave with him, her mother had come unglued and ordered them out of the bar.  Actually, unglued was an understatement–she had never seen her mom so upset, and accusing her of overreacting just made things worse.  Dean had slipped her his cell number as he left, winking, and she had stuffed it into her pocket so her mother wouldn’t see.  Beth reached for her pocket–the scrap of paper was still there.  She smiled defiantly to herself, then reached for the ipod and cranked some tunes, driving a little too fast as usual and letting the music wash over her, fitting her angry mood.

She came to a screeching stop in the driveway of their faded two-story house, slamming her car door and walking with determination to the front door.  She took the stairs two at a time, grabbing a suitcase from her closet and throwing clothes into it with abandon.  She filled a duffle bag with more, then grabbed a box and added her CD’s, laptop, a few books and pictures, and anything else she could think of on the spur of the moment.  She had threatened before, but this time she was really leaving, and she wanted to be gone before her mother or Rick had a chance to catch up to her.  She loaded her car quickly, then left her small Midwest home town in her rearview mirror, not even caring about a destination.  All she cared about was getting away.

She thought with frustration of the two years she had been gone from home, free, pursuing what she wanted to do with her life.  It had been two–no, three years now.  Nursing school.  She did well, too–and then her mom had the heart attack, and she came home to help out, then let them guilt her into staying to help run the bar and grill.  Gave up her dream to help her family, and in return they tried to run her life.  Well–no more.

It was already 1 a.m., and she knew she needed to find a motel room for the night.  Hopefully they wouldn’t follow her out of town.  They’d think this was just a tantrum, and by the time they realized differently, they hopefully wouldn’t be able to find her.  Not that she didn’t plan to let them know she was all right–just not for a few days.  She spotted the motel sign, lights partly burned out, about 30 miles from Lovell, just on the edge of Greybull, and pulled into the parking lot.  She walked into the office, reaching for the cash in her pocket, and stopped dead as she met the green gaze and wide smile of Dean Winchester, who was standing near the front door.

“Well–look who just crashed our party, Sammy,” he said, his voice husky and warm.  "Beth, right?“

Beth felt herself blush a little, nodding with a half smile.  "Yeah.  And you’re Dean, and you,” she said, turning towards the taller man, “are Sam.”

“Right,” Sam answered, nodding with a friendly smile.  "I take it you continued that shouting match with your mother after we left.“

"You have no idea,” she answered, shaking her head as she stepped up to the desk.  "Single room, please.“  She registered and paid for her room, then turned to face the brothers, who stood waiting for her to finish.  Dean’s smile was gone from his face, and she looked at him quizzically.  "Something wrong?”

He shook his head, squinting a little as he looked at her.  "Look, I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you.  Didn’t even know that was your mother, in fact.  I hope you’re not burning any bridges here.“

She looked back at him, one hand tucked into the back pocket of her jeans.  "Don’t worry about me.  This has been coming for a long time.  Tonight was just the last straw.”  They walked out of the office together, grabbing bags from their vehicles and heading for the doors to their rooms, which were next door to each other.  

“Want to come in for a drink?” Dean threw the invitation over his shoulder as he entered their room, then turned to wait for an answer.

She stared at him, tempted for a moment, but then smiled and shook her head.  "Look, no offense, but I don’t really know you guys.  But thanks for the offer.“

The smirk was back on Dean’s face, and it made her heart falter a little.  "Smart girl,” he countered, and Sam smiled as he waved goodnight, closing the door behind them.  

Beth entered her room, throwing her bag on the bed and shaking her head at the hideous early-70’s decor.  She dead-bolted her door and headed for the shower, hoping it wasn’t too disgusting.  She was pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness, which helped somewhat to make up for the ugly.  She put on an old threadbare t-shirt and a pair of shorts, brushed through her long dark hair, and crawled into bed, sighing with relief and exhaustion.  It didn’t take long for her to drift off to sleep, deciding that morning would be soon enough to figure out where she was going.

A loud crash jolted Beth from a deep sleep, and she lay there, not sure if she had really heard it or if she had been dreaming.  She squinted at the alarm clock, which read 4:23; then another crash and a muffled shout startled her completely awake, her heart pounding.  The sounds were coming from next door, Sam and Dean’s room, and she scrambled out of her bed, heading for the door.  She stepped outside, planning to knock and ask them if they were all right, but the door was standing wide open.  She moved aside barely in time to avoid being flattened by a body flying out of the opening, and stood open-mouthed as Dean looked up at her, his face bloodied.  "Get back to your room!“ he ordered harshly, launching himself up from the ground and rejoining the chaos inside.  Beth backed up, her eyes wide, and did as she was told, listening, horrified, to the noises coming through the walls.  

A few seconds later, it seemed as if the silence was deafening in contrast.  Beth debated with herself, but concern for the men next door won out, and she left her room again, going to their door.  Sam was slowly getting up, while Dean was–holy crap, he was pulling a knife from the body he knelt next to on the floor.  A small sound escaped her lips, before she had time to clap her hand over her mouth.  Dean’s expression as he looked towards her frightened her almost more than the scene before her, and she turned and ran back to her room, Sam’s voice calling out her name behind her.  She grabbed her phone, shaking with shock, and heard Sam calling her name, banging on her door.  "Beth, please–just let me talk to you.  I need to explain what’s going on.”  He sounded very calm, but she was scared out of her wits.  

“Leave me alone!  I just saw your brother stab someone!  I have to get the police!”

“No, Beth–please.  Just let me explain.  Please.”  She was hesitating, and she didn’t understand why.

“How do you explain him pulling a knife out of someone’s body?”

The next voice she heard was Dean’s.  "Beth–open the door.  We need to talk.“

"No freaking way!  You are not getting in here!”  The door flew inward with a crash, and Beth backed away with a small shriek, dropping her phone and backing into the wall.  The panic she felt was so intense she was seeing spots before her eyes, and she could hear Sam’s voice trying to calm her.

“Beth, please listen.  We’re not going to hurt you.  Just calm down and let us explain.”  Sam walked towards her slowly, stopping to pull a chair out from the small table nearby.  "Please, Beth.“  He nodded towards the chair, and Beth peeled herself from the wall and perched there, ready for instant flight.  She glanced, terrified, at Dean, who sat on the bed next to his brother, staring at the floor, the muscles in his jaw working.  He picked that moment to look up, and she was relieved to see that the murderous, chilling expression he had worn earlier was gone.  He looked frustrated and tired, and he spoke softly to her.

"Beth, I know this is going to be hard to believe, but what we just killed in there–they were demons.”

Her dark eyes widened in disbelief.  "Demons.“  She turned her gaze to Sam, who looked back at her calmly, and nodded as he answered.

"That’s right–demons.”

“Demons?  Like 'The Exorcist?’”

Dean’s voice was quiet but tense.  "Yeah.  Demons.  Head-spinning, pea soup-spewing, pain-in-my-ass demons.“  His cell phone rang just then, and he grabbed it roughly from his pocket, standing and moving to just outside the door of her room.  "Bobby–got anything?”

Beth looked at Sam again, her mind reeling.  "Sam, seriously?  Those things are real?  I mean, I thought they were, but not here.  In hell.  Where they belong.“

"They’re real.  Unfortunately.  And their boss is kind of pissed at us.  He thinks we have something that belongs to him, and he wants it back.” “Satan is pissed at you?  That’s great.”

“Not Satan.  Crowley,” Dean answered as he entered the room.  "Bobby’s got nothing right now, Sam.  But he’s working on a better way to hide us from them.  Apparently he’s found a way around our hex bags.“

"Crowley?!”  Beth’s voice was incredulous as she stared back at Dean.  "Hex bags?  You guys are seriously yanking my chain.“

"No, we’re not.”  He met her gaze full-on, and she almost flinched.  "I know how crazy this sounds, believe me.“

"If those are demons, why don’t they disappear when you kill them?”

“This isn’t 'Charmed,’ sweetheart.  They don’t disappear.  At least the bodies they’re possessing don’t.  What we have in there,” he nodded towards their room, “is what’s left of the poor sons of bitches they possessed.  Most of the time the only thing keeping the bodies alive are the demons inside.  They just wear them like a rental tux for the prom.”

A single tear was making its way down Beth’s face, and she brushed it angrily away.  "You’re telling me that those things can get inside anybody?  Every person I meet could really be a demon?  They just stroll around up here like they own the place?“

"Look, we’re not trying to scare you, Beth.”  Sam spoke in a soothing voice, but she looked at him, eyes wide with fear.  

“Really?  You’re scaring the crap out of me.  Good job.”

Dean approached the table, pulling the other chair out and sitting down in front of her.  "Beth, I’m sorry.  I wish you had never seen any of this.  But you have to believe us, we are the good guys.“

"How do you know those things aren’t going to possess you?  How do you…”  Dean’s hand went to the neck of his t-shirt, and he pulled it down to reveal a symbol tattooed on his upper left chest.  She looked over at Sam, who was doing the same.

“Anti-possession symbol,” Sam answered quietly.  "We had amulets, but we figured in our line of work, we needed something more permanent.“

"And what exactly is your line of work?” Beth asked, her voice shaking a little.  She looked up into Dean’s green eyes, and was surprised to see a brief flash of vulnerability, quickly masked.

“We’re hunters.  We hunt demons, and monsters, and ghosts.  Whatever evil thing we run across.  We try to save as many people as we can.”  He looked back up at her, unflinching, waiting for her reaction.

Beth stared back at him, her eyes wide.  A few seconds passed before she shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment.  "You guys have to be crazy.  That’s the only explanation.“

"Well, darling, I suppose you could be right.  But what they just told you is the truth.”  Beth almost fell to the floor as she leapt from her chair and whirled around to see where the sarcastic voice was coming from.  Dean’s chair hit the floor as he stood, an angry sneer on his face.

“Crowley!"

"Good.  You know me, and I know you.  Now tell me, who is this charming new friend of yours?”

“Where did you come from?” Beth stammered, backing up by the headboard, as far as she could get away from this new threat.

“Hell, darling–and I need to get back.  You can’t find good help these days.”

“Then you should go, don’t you think?” Dean growled.  "And she has nothing to do with this, or with us.“

Crowley’s brows raised, and he threw a disbelieving look Dean’s direction.  "Really?  Seems like you were all getting rather cozy together.  Breaking the ice, as it were.  And she does look like your type, Dean.”  After a few seconds of silence, he sighed impatiently.  "All right.  I can see we’re getting nowhere like this.  Why don’t you just tell me where it is, and we can avoid any more unpleasantness for the time being.“

"Screw you,” Dean ground out between clenched teeth, barely getting the words out before Crowley sent him flying with a wave of his hand.  He crashed against the far wall, landing with a thud and a grunt of pain.  Sam took a step towards the demon before Crowley spoke again.

“Really, Moose, do you think that’s wise?”  He looked towards Beth, who was still cowering by the bed.  "You try to raise them right, teach them how to behave, and this is the thanks you get.“  He twisted his hand in the air, clenching it into a fist, and Sam cried out in pain, dropping to his knees on the floor.  

"Stop it!  What do you want?!” Beth screamed at him, running to Sam’s side.  Crowley flashed an evil smile, and released Sam, who leaned back on the bed, breathing heavily.

“I like her, she’s got spirit.  Hope she can keep it.”  Crowley folded his arms and continued.  "Now, boys, I grow tired of this little game.  Where is the Colt?“

Dean was sitting up slowly across the room.  "We don’t have it, you brain-dead dick.  Remember a couple of years ago, the hunters that killed us and sent us to heaven?  They cleaned us out.  Haven’t been able to find them since.”

Crowley sighed again.  "Lovely.  I think you Winchester boys had better get your priorities straight.  I need that gun.  And you need me to take you off my most wanted list.  Sounds like a fair exchange, don’t you think?“  He tilted his head and grinned, then focused on Beth, who still knelt next to Sam.  "It’s been a pleasure meeting you, ducks.  I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again soon.  I look forward to it.”  As she gazed back at him, quaking with fear, he vanished.

“Sam, are you all right?” Beth asked quietly.  Sam nodded, and she rose to cross the room, kneeling next to Dean, who was leaning back against the wall under the windows.  "Dean?  How about you?“

Dean looked at her, his brows drawn together in frowning disbelief.  "I’ll be fine.  Sammy, my shoulder’s dislocated again.  I could use a hand.”

Beth stood and moved away as Sam came to help his brother.  She grabbed the ice bucket from the dresser and headed out to the ice machine a few doors down from their rooms.  She was only gone for a moment, but as she drew near her door with the ice, Dean came flying out towards her.  A look of pure relief crossed his face, followed by another frown as he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room.  "What the hell were you doing?“

"Getting some ice for your shoulder!  Why the hell are you yelling at me?”  She jerked her arm from his grasp, her dark-lashed eyes spitting fire back at him before she turned to go to the bathroom for a towel.  She made an ice pack and, despite her anger, positioned it very carefully on his shoulder.  He raised his other hand to hold it in place, glancing up at her with an abashed expression.  

“Thank you,” he muttered, then fired off a glare at his brother, who stood behind Beth, trying unsuccessfully to smother a grin.

“You’re welcome.”  Beth’s voice was short, but her hands were gentle as she put them on his face, tilting it to one side, then the other as she examined the cut on his forehead and one on his lip from the previous demon fight.  "These need to be cleaned,“ she murmured, turning to go back to the bathroom for the first aid kit and a clean cloth.  Sam cleared his throat, and Dean shot him a murderous look, but his brother turned his back, shoulders shaking with silent laughter, as Beth approached.  She took the warm washcloth and cleaned the cut on his forehead, then his split lip.  He spoke softly as she dabbed antibiotic ointment on his forehead.

"You clean up after a lot of bar fights?”

“A few.  And I went to nursing school for a couple of years, just didn’t get to finish.”

“Dean.”  Sam’s voice held a warning, and Beth looked down at Dean’s face in time to catch a leering grin.  

Beth looked at him sternly.  "Really?“  But the corners of her mouth teased at a smile in spite of her efforts to stifle it.

"Could have used you in a couple of hospitals I’ve been in,” Dean teased, and Beth shook her head as she gathered up the first aid supplies.  "So, when do I get my sponge bath?“  That earned him a wet washcloth in the face, and Beth walked to the bathroom to put away the kit.

Sam shook his head, a disgusted look on his face.  "Jerk.”

“Bitch,” Dean retorted, tossing the wet rag at him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

[starlocked01]

And at Last I See the Light

AO3

Masterpost- Previous- Next

Summary:  This is the story of how I died. I have been told it's a story worth telling, but I fail to see how anyone benefits from my death. Luckily, this story is not about me, but rather the most remarkable man I ever had the distinction of meeting. Content Warning: Major Character Death, Cussing, Kissing, Crying, Panic and Anxiety

Day 21 Analogical- (Combined AUs)  You see the world in black and white until you first touch your soulmate, Everyone is born with a gift or power that is nullified in the immediate presence of your soulmate, You have until midnight of your 26th birthday to find and identify your soulmate or else you both die.

This is the story of how I died. I have been told it's a story worth telling, but I fail to see how anyone benefits from my death. Luckily, this story is not about me, but rather the most remarkable man I ever had the distinction of meeting.

I should explain. This man was my soulmate in life and his gift was one of renewal. Flowers drooping in a vase would spring up at his touch. People nearing death found their ailments eased a while longer so they could say goodbyes. Wounds healed quicker for him and the weary found new strength at his encouragement. It was a gift that brought more beauty to the world; one I failed to appreciate.

Perhaps you will not repeat my mistakes.

Virgil yawned and stretched awake. The bright grey of the morning dawn made him squint in annoyance as he rolled out of bed and thudded to the floor. He could dream in color and frankly preferred dreams to the living world.

Today especially Virgil would have preferred to roll over back asleep. Today marked the beginning of the end as most people saw it.

Virgil had one year left to find his soulmate or they both would die.

That was of course unless his soulmate was older and had less than a year of their own. Frankly, Virgil thought the universe had a rather twisted sense of humor. It withheld color and life from those who most needed a reason to push forward each day. And gave them a freaking time limit to fall in line.

Soulmates were bullshit.

He'd already been touched by every kid at school and from the surrounding districts. Normally, when kids graduated high school and hadn't found their soulmates, they'd go to college to find a wider selection of people their age to try and match with, but Virgil had decided against college. He'd been called crazy but frankly, he didn't much care.

Virgil shrugged on what appeared to him as a black hoodie with drab grey patches and ran his fingers through his hair. His bangs fell right back in his face as he headed down the stairs. He brushed his hand through the vase of flowers his grandmother constantly forgot to water and watched as petals and leaves in various shades of grey perked up, ready for another day of neglect.

For his birthday, the atmosphere in the kitchen sure felt like his funeral.

"Good morning, Nana," Virgil murmured, grabbing the box of cereal from the table and reaching in to grab a handful.

"Get out," she spat at him, "either find your soulmate or die in obscurity so I can pretend you found a lovely woman and settled down in the country."

"Love you too, Nana," Virgil sighed and grabbed his messenger bag.

"Why are you the only one who doesn't want to be happy?" she asked, voice choked with sadness.

"I don't need a soulmate to be a complete person. If I find someone I find someone. If not, oh well. I've had friends and family I was happy with and soulmates tore them away from me. It's a broken system and if I die being myself, I'll come to haunt you until you join me in the afterlife," Virgil smiled softly and kissed her on the cheek.

She laughed dryly, "you don't scare me, little verbena. Please, try to find them. I love you." Virgil saluted as he left the apartment for work.

The great thing about working in the library was the quiet shuffle of people reverently browsing through the shelves piled high with more words than they could possibly read. Virgil enjoyed the calm and helping people find what books they were looking for. Except when the only fact they knew about the book was the color of the cover. When those people asked he would flash his grey eyes at them and smile sweetly before saying they all looked the same to him. Most people would act horrified and apologize profusely. Some would get angry and demand assistance he couldn't provide. Roman usually stepped in at that point, and despite having met Janus a year ago, rarely was able to locate books by color. At the very least he always offered Virgil sympathy when the guest walked away.

"You just have to go where the young people are, Virgil. They come to the city looking for soulmates, you need to spend more time with people your age. I'm sure your soulmate is out there looking for you!" Roman grinned, "Jan and I go to this great bar-"

"Let me stop you there, Princey," Virgil chuckled, "I don't do bars or crowds. Even going with you two sounds like a nightmare. I'm not going to subject myself to that for what? Some strangers to touch me and change the whole world to color? Lame," Virgil rolled his eyes. They had this conversation once a week.

"Um, excuse me. I need assistance logging on to your computer system. If I need to register for a card to do so I would like the forms to start that process," Virgil swiveled in his seat towards the man's voice and lost his own.

He looked like a man out of an old black and white film, (to Virgil every film was black and white, but Nana insisted there was a difference when pictures changed to color) his hair was slicked back and face was punctuated by thin black glasses frames that accentuated the stranger's cheeks and nose. His silhouette was sleekly defined in a black polo and grey jeans, with a slightly more saturated grey tie. Virgil felt as though the man's presence had taken his breath away.

"Can you help me?" the man cleared his throat and Virgil snapped back to present.

"Sorry, of course, sir. Do you have a form of identification to apply for a library card? The card is required to access the computers, unfortunately," Virgil rattled off the spiel from memory while pulling out the form and a new card. The stranger handed him his driver's license.

The first thing he noticed was that it was an out of state ID. The second was the birthdate, just a month before his. The third was the man's name.

"Thank you, Logan. If you would just fill out this form, I just need to make a copy for our records."

"Certainly, thank you- what's your name?"

"His name is Virgil and he's single," Roman slid in with a wink at Logan. Virgil quickly turned and walked to the photocopier, heat rising in his cheeks. He could just hear the man's reply.

"Thanks? I don't really do relationships. Do you have a pen?"

Virgil took several deep breaths. He'd had crushes like this before. It would go away as he learned more about this Logan. He grabbed the copy paper and the ID and returned to the front desk.

"Here's your ID back," he traded Logan the ID for the paperwork and scanned through it quickly, "looks like you forgot to put down a phone number, what was that?" Virgil realized a second too late how that would sound to literally anyone as Roman snickered at him, but there was a blank space on the form.

Logan looked incredibly confused, "no, that's- I couldn't have forgotten. The number is- wait," he pulled a cellphone out of his back and read the number off to Virgil who jotted it down in the correct space.

"You're looking kinda pale there, Logan, do you need to sit down?" Roman looked concerned and even Virgil could see what he was talking about.

Logan shook his head, "I never- ever- forget anything. Ever."

"There's a first time for everything, I guess," Virgil shrugged and slid the library card across the desk.

"You don't understand, my gift is perfect recall. A permanent eidetic memory. I don't forget. I should know my own phone number like I know the digits of pi."

"Nerd!" Roman coughed to hide his laughing and both Logan and Virgil glared at him.

"That is pretty strange.. I hope it gets fixed for you soon? Anyway, you're all set, Logan. Let me know if you need anything else," Virgil smiled.

"Thank you-" Logan snapped his fingers a few times before giving up trying to remember, head hung in defeat.

"Virgil," Virgil supplied softly.

"Thank you, Virgil. It was nice meeting you two," Logan walked away from the desk and straight toward the nearest open monitor.

"You better ask him out or I'm breaking up with Janus for a chance at that," Roman said in a low voice to Virgil.

"No, you won't. He's out of both of our leagues anyway," Virgil smirked at his coworker's offended gasp and returned to checking in returned books.

"His tie was blue, by the way," Roman winked and turned to find another patron who needed help.

Logan came back to the library every day except the holidays for the next few weeks and always made a point of asking Virgil when he had questions or needed help. Roman insisted it was mutual pining but Virgil held fast to the comment that Logan doesn't do relationships. Unless he heard otherwise from Logan himself, Virgil refused to imagine a relationship was possible.

He was completely blindsided when Logan asked if he would like to hang out after his shift.

"I'm sorry, come again?"

"I would like to spend time with you when you are not otherwise preoccupied with your duties. Is that not acceptable?" Logan was always so direct. Virgil felt his heart flutter just a bit, nowhere near as intense as it had the day they met.

"I mean yeah that would be cool," Virgil smirked.

"So do you do bars or-?" Logan looked put off even making the suggestion.

"I know a cafe that has decent decaf; if you'd like we can walk there from here. I'm off at 6," Virgil watched as Logan nodded decisively.

"Excellent, I look forward to it," Logan grinned and Virgil found himself grinning back.

Roman slowly inched closer in his rolling chair, eyes wide with excitement and jaw dropped in disbelief, "Virge, do you have a date after work?"

"No! We're just hanging out," Virgil turned to ignore Roman.

"'Hanging Out' is code for a date. Maybe he's your soulmate! Brush his hand or something and find out!" Roman was bouncing in his chair now.

"No! That's so rude! Did you do that to Janus? Don't answer that- I bet you did," Virgil rolled his eyes, "it's not a date to the extent of my knowledge."

"Oh my god, you're mirroring him. You like him so much! Virgil, this could be it!" Virgil glared at Roman and shushed him in true librarian fashion before standing to grab the cart and collect used books from the tables.

Virgil picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he turned to leave but was surprised to see Logan waiting for him by the door. He had been certain Logan would have either forgotten or changed his mind and left by now.

Roman gave Virgil a huge cheesy grin and a thumbs up, "good luck on your date!" his whisper could probably have been heard in Russia.

Virgil felt the heat rising in his cheeks and shrugged his hoodie on tighter over his shoulders, waving off Roman and walking over to join Logan by the door.

"Hey," he said awkwardly.

"Are you ready? If you need more time-" Logan started.

"I'm fine. Let's get out of here before Roman starts taking pictures," Virgil turned to leave, taking purposeful steps to the door and flipping Roman off behind his back. Logan followed briskly. Virgil led him to his favorite coffee shop, quiet on the walk there.

The question was burning in his mind though. Was this supposed to be a romantic date? Or worse a soulmate test. Virgil had gathered that Logan was rather frank, but he really didn't know the man at all.

Both of them reached to grab the door to the shop at the same time. Virgil snapped his hand back.

"Please, allow me," Logan opened the door and ushered Virgil inside. Virgil wanted to shrink until he was invisible. He tried a quick controlled breathing exercise to calm his nerves. They each ordered and Logan excused himself.

"Virgil! Come help me out over here!" the owner, Mr. Dolenz, looked rather put out by a droopy speckled grey potted fern by the front door.

"Oh no, not Tabitha," Virgil walked over, surveying the damage to the plant. Each leaf he fingered grew stronger and healthier until the whole fern was practically an inch taller. Virgil smiled as Mr. Dolenz thanked him profusely, "maybe keep an eye out to make sure people aren't dumping drinks on her. That could really mess with the soil pH."

"You're a miracle worker! You and your boyfriend's drinks are on me," the owner clasped Virgil hard on the back. He couldn't respond before the man was already bustling back towards the kitchen. Virgil turned to see that Logan had apparently returned in time to hear just enough. It was difficult to tell, but Virgil thought Logan might be blushing.

"What was that about?" Logan cleared his throat and straightened his tie.

"Oh, people like to dump drinks they're done with on the plants and it kills them. So I just use my gift to restore the plants before they're dead for Mr. Dolenz. I think he made a few too many assumptions tonight," Virgil scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh, what is your gift?" the look on Logan’s face was fascinated with Virgil’s claim.

The barista called their names and they collected the drinks before selecting a table by the windows in the corner, "I can renew things. Makes sense that I'm a librarian," Virgil laughed dryly at the tired joke, "basically I can bring a little bit of life back before it's gone. Can't really raise the dead though," he took a sip of his decaf mocha.

"That must be at least fairly useful. Is there a reason you didn't go into a medical profession?" Logan sipped his iced black coffee, looking intently at Virgil.

Virgil couldn’t take the internal tension in his mind any longer and blurted out, "is this a date? Are you trying to figure out if I'm your soulmate?" his eye went wide and he bit his tongue.

"No, did I give off that impression? I didn't want to seem too cold but-" Logan looked crestfallen.

Virgil smacked the side of his head and cursed Roman for planting the thought in his mind, "Logan, I'm sorry. You didn't- Roman- I- ah… I'm sorry. I'm just so used to everyone trying to force me into romantic scenarios that I did it to you when I knew that's not what this was- I'm so sorry. I made it awkward and now I'm rambling and you're probably just going to stand and leave-" Virgil felt a tear slip down his cheek as Logan cleared his throat.

"Actually, I understand what you mean. I too haven't found my soulmate, nor am I interested in finding them," Logan took a long sip of coffee, "I've accepted this is my last year alive. I actually moved to the city because my family wouldn't stop trying to force me into relationships as well."

"Really? Wow, that's… it's so messed up!" Virgil was worked up now and Logan was going to get the rant whether he wanted it or not, "why cut short someone's life just because they haven't found one person out of billions on the planet? And yet somehow for 99% of the population, it works! But where does that leave people like us? Discarded by the universe. It's asinine," Virgil huffed and Logan listened calmly until he was done.

"I agree," came Logan’s simple reply.

"You do?"

"I do. It's asinine. But it's how life works. Life is an ass," Virgil tried to hold back a laugh.

They talked about everything until the cafe closed. Logan talked about his research and writing and Virgil listened in wonder. Virgil talked about his interest in flowers and their symbolism while Logan nodded along. Virgil learned about Logan's previous job as an Astronomer and Logan listened to Virgil's rants about library patrons. They were joking and laughing for the whole walk back to the library. They agreed to go out for coffee at least once a week and it quickly became Virgil’s most anticipated evening each week.

Roman teased him to no end, but Virgil was comfortable in his growing friendship with Logan. His initial crush had faded into nonexistence and he simply enjoyed the man's company.

The months flew by and soon it was fall again. Virgil was so busy with the library's Halloween decorations that he almost didn't notice that Logan had not come in all day. He tried to shrug it off but the voice in the back of his head told him he needed to worry about this or he'd probably never hear from Logan again.

When Logan was nowhere to be seen the next day, Virgil texted him, asking if everything was okay. The response was sobering.

L- I apologize. I've been feeling too weak to get out of bed for the past few days. I hope you find your soulmate before your birthday, Virgil. Dying is less peaceful than I had calculated.

Virgil stared at the screen, scanning the words over and over. He could feel panic screaming in his chest, trying to drown out the world. There had to be something- he texted back.

V- can I come over? Maybe my gift will make it easier for you?

The reply was nearly immediate.

L- There is no need. I will rest today and be back to my research tomorrow. This book has a rather final deadline.

L- No pun intended.

Virgil couldn’t focus for the rest of the shift or the rest of the night. Worry for his friend gnawed at his stomach and kept him up late into the night.

True to his word, Logan arrived at the library at his usual time the next day. Virgil felt overwhelmed with relief that was quickly replaced with deep dread. Logan looked terrible. He had dark bags under his eyes and gaunt hollow cheeks. He carried himself as tall as he always had, but there was a new looseness to his movements.

Logan smiled as he approached Virgil’s station at the front desk, "I'm sorry I worried you, Virgil. Are we still on for tonight?"

Virgil nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Great, thank you," Logan turned toward his usual workspace. Virgil kept an eye on him all day. If he was honest with himself, he was scared. It was like seeing his own future, but instead of watching himself dying, he was watching the man he'd come to consider his best friend waste away.

At 6 Virgil signed out and waited for Logan to make his way to the door. He suggested he drive them over to the cafe and Logan readily agreed.

Virgil held open the door and insisted on picking up the tab. Logan wouldn't let him help physically but he would do everything he could for this man.

They sat quietly at their corner table. Virgil’s mouth was dry but he couldn’t bring himself to drink.

"Virgil?" his head snapped up hearing his name, "I have a bit of a surprise confession to make," Logan fiddled with his cup, not making eye contact, "I recently discovered that I am demiromantic. I had assumed I was aromantic but it seems I have developed feelings for you," Logan's laugh sounded hollow, "that must be pretty frightening coming from a walking corpse."

"Logan, when we first met, I had a huge crush on you. And I'm so glad we've gotten to know each other this year. I- don't have those feelings anymore, but I'm flattered, knowing you," Virgil hoped honesty would be the best policy.

Logan nodded, deep in thought, "that's fair. I'm sorry for imposing on you."

"No! No no no. You haven't. I- I understand- one-sided feelings hurt and you look like you're in so much pain. I'm not upset or weirded out. You're my best friend, Logan, and I love you platonically."

"I have less than a month until my birthday," Logan groaned softly, clutching his stomach, "I probably won't be coming in much anymore."

Virgil nodded, understanding, "can I try to use my gift on you?"

"No. I knew this was going to happen. There's no sense hiding from it now," Logan smiled weakly.

"Can I at least visit you after work? I don't want you to be alone," Virgil could sense Logan wanted to make this a goodbye but he wasn't ready to let go yet. He felt desperate to be there for Logan every minute he could afford.

Logan could see the panic in his eyes and nodded. He didn't want to be alone either.

Virgil showed up every night after work. He cooked and cleaned and did anything he could for Logan in the time they had. After Halloween, Virgil started to feel the effects of the deterioration himself, but he pushed the pain down to focus on being there with Logan.

The night before Logan’s birthday was quiet. Logan laid in his bed and Virgil sat in a chair beside him. The clock ticked audibly, much louder than it should have been. Virgil picked up the nearest book and began reading aloud. Logan visibly relaxed. After a while, Virgil turned to face Logan and whispered words of encouragement and strength. Logan wouldn't let him try anything else but it usually helped people who were tired. Nothing changed.

Logan started crying. It was barely noticeable at first (Virgil noticed) but grew in fear and pain.

"Logan, I'm here. You're not going to be alone. I promise," Virgil wanted to grab his hand, to physically comfort him in some way, but when he tried Logan pulled his hand away from Virgil's reach.

"Virgil, I love you. If I had a soulmate I would have wanted him to be you," Logan's voice was a rasp, paper-thin.

"Just, wait for me in the afterlife, I won't be long," Virgil tried to laugh but he sounded hollow.

The clock ticked louder, midnight was minutes away. Virgil wiped the tears from his cheeks and tried to smile for Logan, pulling every fiber of his being into being strong.

"Maybe it was you and I've been running from the truth," Logan reached out his hand and the clock struck midnight just before he touched Virgil’s cheek, "I think it was, but that doesn't matter anymore. I lov-" the light in his eyes extinguished like a candle finishing a wick. Logan’s body fell back to the bed and Virgil shattered.

Logan was gone. And Virgil knew that his dying breath was right. They were soulmates but it was too late.

Virgil collapsed on the bed, sobbing and holding Logan close. He was so light at the end, almost incorporeal to the touch. Virgil cried over all the pain he could have prevented, the sleepless nights dreading this one, for the friend he'd never talk to again. Logan was the only one who had ever understood, who had accepted his choices, who had believed in him when everyone else pitied him. And he was gone.

He was gone.

As if possessed, Virgil kissed his soulmate’s body on the lips and then leaned to whisper in his deaf ear, "I love you too, Logan. I love you too. You were my soulmate. I'm coming," with that he collapsed in a fresh batch of tears, crying until he was exhausted and his face was contorted and purple from the exertion.

Virgil opened his eyes. Blue. Blue eyes stared back at him from the face he'd often dreamed of in color like this. This had to be a dream. A dream of lovely blue confused eyes and disheveled brown hair. The room hadn't changed except it was morning and everything looked just like a dream. Because it had to be a dream if Logan was looking back at him with deep brilliant blue eyes filled with more questions than answers.

"Virgil?" Logan's voice croaked. Why couldn’t he dream of his soulmate how he wanted to remember him? "Virgil, what happened? What day is it?"

"It's a dream, it can be whatever day we want it to be," Virgil replied, his throat raw and voice cracking as if he'd been crying. This was rather on the nose realistic for a dream.

"Check a phone, Virgil, this isn't a dream," Logan pleaded.

"I wish it wasn't a dream. I don't want to wake up and find you cold," Virgil sighed. Kinda a stupid dream if it wasn't going to be a happy one.

Logan reached over and pinched Virgil hard on the arm. With a yelp, he jerked back and fell out of the bed. Most dreams would have ended there but as he stood, Virgil could see those blue eyes focused on him. He sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was on low battery but he could still read the date.

"It's November 3rd," Virgil read of the screen just before it went black.

"My birthday. I shouldn't be alive… why am I alive?"

"You can't be, that's why this is a dream?" Virgil wasn't so sure of himself anymore. Nothing in the room had changed from the night before but everything was bright and colored like his dreams.

Virgil smacked the side of his head with his palm. It hurt and Logan jumped at the sound. Dream Logan would have expected the sound.

"What was that for? Are you okay?" Logan looked alarmed. He tried to sit up in the bed. Virgil walked over and offered him a hand up. After glancing around the room, Logan accepted his hand and pulled himself up with Virgil’s help.

"So…" Virgil started.

"So," Logan answered.

"This isn't a dream."

"Not likely."

"The world is in color?"

"Yes. Your hoodie is purple and black, nothing like how I dreamed of it."

"Your eyes are blue."

"My dad always said they were. Yours are brown."

"Yeah, Nana always said she loved my eyes and hoped I'd see them someday."

"Why am I alive?"

Virgil shrugged, "miracle?"

After a long back and forth, Virgil and Logan came to the conclusion that Logan had indeed died that night but somehow had been brought back.

Virgil described how he'd tried to use his gift on Logan before midnight, how he'd broken down and cried over his soulmate for most of the night. Virgil vaguely remembered the kiss and whispered confession.

"That's it, your gift worked on me because I was dead. I wasn't spiritually present so you were physically able to bring me back and the soul followed," Logan's eyes were aflame with the complexity of the situation.

"Promise this isn't a dream?" Virgil sat on the edge of the bed and reached for Logan’s hand.

"I promise," Logan took his hand. It felt warm and good and solid and real.

Because it was real. Logan was real. He was here. To stay.

This is the story of how I died. Thank the stars I didn't stay dead.

Tag List: @stoicpanther @ifrickenhatedeverythingaboutthis @idontgiveafuckaboutshit @tsshipmonth2020

[bungou-stray-dingus]

Hey there! Can you right how S/o would comfort Chuuya and Dazai when she caught them crying? For chuuya, he thinks back when he was a member of the sheep and for Dazai, he thinks of Oda and his death?

OH THIS IS SAD, I LIKE WRITING SAD STUFF

(SAD BOI/GURL GANG)

I hope you enjoy!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Chuuya

You had told him that you were gonna go grocery shopping, and that’s when you first suspected something was wrong. He usually went with you, always so protective when it came to you leaving the house by yourself, but this time he just kissed your cheek and told you to be careful.

When you walked in you were shocked to see that he was still in the same spot as when you left, but he was curled into himself on the couch, his body shaking and he sobbed silently. He must not have heard you come in, he didn’t look up at all, or maybe he just didn’t care that you walked in on him crying, which wasn’t like him at all. He never cried, not even around you. You quickly set the bags down on the floor by the door and walked over to where he was sitting.

“Chuu, what’s wrong?” You asked quietly, taking a seat next to him. You didn’t touch him, not knowing whether he would accept it or not. You weren’t expecting him to fall over onto you, laying his head on your lap as he continued crying. You ran your fingers through his hair, letting him cry for a little longer before you asked anymore questions. You knew how hard it was to talk while crying, you had to just let him get it all out first.

“You know that group of kids we saw yesterday?” He asked, finally rolling over on your lap to look up at you. You nodded as you wiped away a stray tear from the corner of his eye. It was a small pack of seven or eight kids running around the streets, led by three older, maybe teenage year kids. “They just reminded me... so much of....” He couldn’t finish his sentence as he started to break down again.

“Hey, shhh.... Take your time, honey.” You crooned as he curled up in fetal position, burying his face into your stomach. You weren’t used to seeing him like this and it made your heart break. He seemed like a child in this state, and the only thing you could do was hold him for now until you found out what was wrong.

“They just made me think of my old friends. They betrayed me, but... I betrayed them.... It’s all that stupid Dazai’s fault. They were all I had though, when I had no one else, I had them. I just think back to when it was just me and the sheep....” He hiccuped as he finished his explanation, sniffling as he stared up at you with glossy tear framed eyes.

“It was easier then... yeah?” You asked. He hadn’t told you about the sheep, not even once. It was a part of his life that he usually didn’t dwell on, but seeing those children must have triggered memories that tore him apart inside.

“I guess... Not really, now that I think back. But back then, when it was just the sheep I felt like it was. They were real friends, we would look after each other, and I left them to work with the Port. I hated the Port Mafia then, I let them down. Am I a bad person?” He asked, and you quickly shook your head no. This was a completely different side of him, he seemed so... fragile. You leaned over to kiss his nose, then his forehead, then his lips.

“Chuuya, you are an amazing person. I don’t know much about what happened then, if you’d like to tell me about it I’ll gladly listen, but you must have done what you thought would be right. You always do what’s right. That’s why I trust you, that’s why everyone at the Port trusts you. You’re a great man.” You nodded to him and he weakly smiled and took a deep breath before finally sitting up. You stretched your legs and he sheepishly apologized.

“You really think that?” He asked, and you smiled back to him.

“I know that.” You said, and he leaned over to kiss you, deeper this time. You tasted the salt on his lips from the tears that had fallen earlier.

“I guess you’re right. If I hadn’t have left the sheep I wouldn’t have met you.” His hand slid to the back of your neck as he pressed his forehead against yours. “I’m so glad I met you Y/N...” You kissed his nose before you pulled back, he was smiling wider now, and the only sign that he had been crying were the red rims of his eyes and the glistening streaks on his cheeks where his tears had ran.

“I’m glad I met you too. Are you okay though?” It was still a shock to see him like that, and it worried you more than you’d let him know.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. Now that you’re here, it’s alright.” He nodded and got up off the couch, smoothing out the wrinkles in his pants and walking over to the door to pick up the bags of groceries that you had dropped.

He acted as if the whole thing never happened, and you didn’t want to bring it up, knowing how much it hurt him to think of those things. He helped you prepare dinner, smiling the entire time, just having you there next to him was enough to brighten his mood. You usually feared that type of emotional responsibility, but with him it was different. You would do anything for him, even if it was just being there for him when he was surrounded by dark clouds, you would gladly do it.

Dazai

The golden brown and red leaves littered the ground and Dazai kicked through piles as the two of you walked through the streets. He wasn’t his usual self today, but you didn’t question his mood, you had no reason to. You knew exactly why he was acting this way, and you couldn’t blame him. Oda’s birthday was always a rough day for him, he would be silent the entire day, usually holing himself up inside and sulking. This was the first year that he had wanted to go to the cemetery, and you agreed to go with him, even if just for the emotional support that he might need.

He bought a small bouquet of flowers and held them in shaky hands as he walked up the stairs to Oda’s grave under the large tree. He brushed the leaved away from plot and dropped to the ground in front of the headstone.

“I’ll give you some time.” You said, leaning down to kiss the top of his head before walking away. You knew that it was what he would want, its what you would have wanted too if you were him.

As much as Dazai talked to you about Oda, you were never able to fully grasp how close the two actually were. Sure, they both worked in the same place, and they often went out at night to Lupins, but you weren’t aware of the deepness of their friendship.

You made your way back to the grave, slowly walking back up the stairs. Dazai was leaning against the tombstone, but you could hear him sniffling.

“Why did you have to leave?” Dazai asked as he stared up at the sky through the bare spots in the tree where the leaves had already fell. “You were my only friend. Are you... are you at least proud of me...?” A muffled sob escaped his lips and you took the final steps to be next to him.

“Dazai...” You whispered his name, kneeling down on the ground in front of him.

“I’m not crying.” He said quickly, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. He tried to push himself up off the ground but you placed a hand on his leg to stop him, and he sighed.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, it’s okay to cry. If you’d like I can leave again.” You said, and you saw how hard he swallowed, trying to hold back his tears.

“Don’t leave. You don’t have to. He never got to meet you.” He mumbled, dropping his head into his knees.

“Well, I’ll introduce myself.” You said, and he peaked up at you from behind his legs. “Hi Oda, my name is Y/N. I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you before, Dazai has told me so much about you. I hope you’re proud of him and watching him from wherever you are. He’s such a great man, and that’s all thanks to you.” You said, and Dazai finally broke. The tears rolled down his cheeks in streams, he couldn’t wipe them away fast enough.

“He would.... have.... loved you....” Dazai said between choked sobs and you felt the lump rising in your throat. “Do you.... think he’s p-proud of me?” He asked, looking at you with the saddest eyes and you felt the warmth of your own tears start to fall.

“I think he’s so proud of you Dazai.” You said, and a sudden gust of wind rushed by, sending the leaves circling around you, Dazai, and the tombstone. “It must be him, letting you know he’s here. He’s always with you Dazai, that’s how you have the strength to do what you’re doing. You changed, and you did it for him.” The leaves settled at Dazai’s feet and he reached down to pick one of the leaves from the ground.

“He’s the reason we’re together... if it weren’t for him I wouldn’t have joined the Agency... do you really think he’s always with me though?” He asked, sniffling loudly as he tried to calm his shaky breaths.

You reached over and placed your palm over his heart. “He’s always in here, and I think that it’s the best place for him to remain.” He nodded, wiping the remaining tears that clung to his lash line.

“Thank you, for coming here with me. I don’t think I would have been able to do it without you.” He got up off the ground, grabbing your hand to help pull you up. He wrapped his arms around you from behind as you both stared down at Oda’s grave. “I think he’s proud of me for finding you, he must see how happy you make me.” He turned you around to face him, he was smiling for the first time all day and you mirrored his smile right back to him. “Maybe we can do this every year?”

“Of course. I think he’d like that.”

Dazai and you walked out of the cemetery together, hand in hand. He had a new aura to him, it wasn’t the same sadness that he carried with him on this day every other year. It was bittersweet, still somber, but not completely black. There was some light coming back in the day as he spent the rest of the evening reminiscing on fonder memories with his best friend.