#i have a massive weakness for drawing her smiling or grinning or smirking. SHES GOT A WICKED SMILE!!!!!!!

[mokutone]

thank you to THELadyFister111 for the kofi tip!!! here is a drawing of major kira 😄

[vera-king-hrfl]

Goodnight Kiss part 2. This one was easier. Mainly because I have a massive crush on Dammon. I do usually make him a bit more naughty, but bro actually liked Avernus, so...

In the morning, you steel yourself and exit the tower with determination. You can’t talk to Lia about this. Can’t talk to Rolan. You need someone who is more experienced with this sort of thing. Your brother had returned late, but, hopefully, your intended confidant would be up and about. As you approach the forge, you hear the ringing of a hammer, and hesitate. He’s awake already, slamming his hammer into soft metal. You round the corner and he’s there, his silky stupid hair in a little knot, his stupid muscles rippling in the morning light. He won’t answer you until he’s done with whatever he is working on, so you just sit silently on the ledge nearby and watch him. He glances up, flashing you a devastating smile, before going back to his work. His focus is lovely, and watching him work has always been one of your favorite distractions, so you don’t have a problem waiting. Dammon enjoys being looked at, you know, a pleased little smile on his face as he finishes whatever he’s making.

Eventually, he hits the last blow and plunges whatever it is into a barrel of water, letting it hiss and sputter as he wipes his hands. “Hi Cal. What can I do for you?”

You hadn’t thought of how to bring this up to the handsome tiefling, and you stammer for a second before coming out with it. “There is something… I’m having a hard time. Can I ask you something?”

His face becomes more serious when he sees how earnest you are. “Of course. You know you can talk to me about anything. Let’s go around the back.” He leads you to a little covered porch, drawing two cups of small ale from a small keg, before handing you one and motioning to a chair, bidding you sit beside him.

You sit and sip at the weak beer, organizing your thoughts for a minute, then clear your throat. “Dammon… how do you get a girl to like you?”

The older man chuckles. “So it’s like that, is it? I’m not sure if I’m really the best person to give you advice, but I’ll try.” He grins. “I used to be really shy too. You remember. But the time we spent in Avernus, with all those devils… now I kind of just ask if they want a piece. Gets me smacked, occasionally, but it works as often as not. Who’s the lucky lady? Or is this just a general question?”

You smirk to yourself a bit. It worked on Rolan, you think. You cough lightly to cover it. “Yeah but you look… well, like you. And this is different. I… just a girl I know and, well, I walked her home last night and I couldn’t even talk, much less make inappropriate suggestions. I was too nervous. I don’t just want… that. I like her and I want her to like me too, but I’m not very interesting, or handsome, or like… I don’t know. It’s probably never going to happen.” You take another drink, disgruntled.

Dammon laughs. “You think too little of yourself. Don’t worry about what I look like, Cal. I never got much attention either, until I built up my confidence a little. Not the kind I wanted, anyway. Look, I know everyone is going to tell you to just be yourself and stuff like that, but I had to become… I guess, a different version of myself. I had to stop caring what people thought of me. But you’re not like that. You’re so sweet. And you are attractive, whatever you might believe. I’m sure the lady thinks so too.”

Well… she had said that you were cuter than an ogre, anyway, so that was something. “But how can I tell if she likes me? I don’t want to get smacked if I say the wrong thing. This one uses magic… hells, Dammon. It’s Tav. She could blast me through a wall if she didn’t like it.”

Dammon sits straighter and whistles low. “Really? Well I can’t help you much there, I struck out with her. She was polite about it, and I remain mercifully unsquished, but I’m not really sure what she likes. I’ve never noticed that she’s really been interested in anyone. Can you describe what happened when you walked her home? What was she like?”

You feel annoyed that Dammon had tried to seduce Tav, or whatever he did, but relieved that he hadn’t managed it. “I don’t know. I guess… She was quiet, too. She walked next to me, kind of close, you know? Like, her hand touched mine sometimes. Made me nervous. Then when we got to her house, she just kind of stared at me for a minute. I thought she was offended about something, maybe because I didn’t talk… so I just babbled something and she said goodnight and I basically ran away.”

Dammon shakes his head with a chuckle. “Oh you are delightfully clueless, aren’t you? She does like you, Cal. Trust me. Tav can talk a mile a minute about anything under the sun, for hours on end, and she definitely isn’t shy in most circumstances. If she was as mute as you were, then she was probably feeling the same way. Think about it. How close she was, the hand touching. The girl won’t get within ten feet of me since I… uh… you know, not unless there are other people around. She’s the same with most people who show any interest in her, she’s not a flirt. I bet when you got to her door, when she looked at you like that… she was probably hoping you’d kiss her.”

Your face heats, thinking about how she looked. Her eyes big and golden, little teeth biting that plump bottom lip… maybe… but that brings you to your next problem. “I don’t really know how,” you mumble.

His blue eyes widen. “Really? But…” he laughs, “I am surprised. You really are adorable, you know. I find it hard to believe nobody has ever tried to kiss you.” He flashes his teeth at you. “I might have, once, but your brother would have turned me into a sheep.”

You blush even more fiercely, stammering, “well… um… maybe some people have, but I always wanted it to be… you know… someone special. But now I realize that I don’t even know how to do it. Where to put my hands…”

“That depends on where she wants them. But I can help with that, I think. Stand up, I’ll show you a few things.” He gets to his feet, but you just stare at him, feeling like your hair is going to burst into flames. Did he really mean…

He laughs again. “Don’t worry Cal, I won’t kiss you. I understand that you’re saving yourself. It’s sweet. But this kind of thing is hard to describe.”

You rise and put down your mug, wiping your sweaty hands on your pants. Dammon is taller than you, bigger, and you feel his energy when he comes close. He isn’t what you want, but it is kind of thrilling, having him so near. He takes a breath, “Alright, so. We’re going to keep this a bit chaste.” He lifts his hand and touches your cheek. “Close your eyes. Just feel it.” You do, and he slips his big, rough hand, slowly, up behind your ear and into your hair. You feel his heat move closer, and his other hand rests lightly on your waist. He’s whispering now. “Like this, you see? Don’t grip, just… ease into it. Give her some time to pull away if she wants to. If she likes it, she’ll touch you back.” You raise your own hands, touching his own waist, gripping the back of his arm lightly, “yeah, just like that. It’s instinctive. Then you lower your head, but not all the way.” You feel his warm breath against your lips, a little tingle racing down your spine to the tip of your tail. He really is good at this… “and that’s the thing. You don’t kiss her, you just… invite it. If she wants to, she’ll do the rest.” You are almost disappointed when he pulls away, and you have to shake yourself to dispel the effect. If you could do that to her…

“Does that help a bit?” Dammon resumes his chair and picks up his mug, grinning as you finish yours and nod, preparing to leave. It takes a second to find your voice again, but you smile at him and shake his hand.

“Yeah, it just might. Thanks, Dammon. That was… interesting.” You are turning to go when the devilish impulse hits you. “I can see why Rolan likes you.” You hear him choke and spit a mouthful of ale, and speed up, grinning as you round the corner of the house.

[sydneyofalltrades]

i remember a post you made where you said moni and noel sometimes has sleepovers on the weekends so maybe you could write that if you want to :)?

yes, i would love to! i, however, have just woken up anon, so this will not be some of my best work.

“Hey, rockstar.”

Moni looked up from her tablet. “What?”

She saw Noel’s head poking out from the attic hatch. “Wanna have a sleepover?”

Moni frowned. “What’s that?”

Noel climbed into her room. “Come on, you’ve got to know what a sleepover is.

Moni shook her head. “Does it require staying at someone’s place for shelter at night?”

Noel stared at her like she had cursed his bloodline. “You, poor child, are having a sleepover with me. Grab your pillow and a squishmallow and get downstairs!”

Moni blinked as he left in a huff and slammed down the hatch. Was it something she had said?

Regardless, she did as she was told and found herself in Noel’s room. There was the inflatable mattress she had used while her mom was getting her room set up, and there was a pajama set already spread on the mattress.

“Noel? What is this?”

She looked up and saw him smiling massively. “Come on, your French disapproving face won’t work. I got you matching pajamas because that’s how it works!”

Moni looked back at the outfit and then looked at her brother. “What else happens in sleepovers then, oh wise guru?”

Noel grinned wickedly. “Little sister, you’re about to find out.”

He dragged her into the kitchen and they both made a mess making some snacks for what Noel assured her was part of the plan. Once their snacks were ready, he dragged her again to his room.

“Noel, I’m covered in flour and sugar and probably egg yolks. Can I please just take a shower and go to sleep?”

Noel laughed. “You don’t sleep during sleepovers, that’s just what they tell you. You can take a shower and get ready but we’re not even halfway done!”

“Merde, I’m going to murder you!”

“Wouldn’t want that on your conscious, petite sœur! Hurry up!”

Moni fumed but did as he asked. Her only weakness was when Noel used her native language.

Twenty or so minutes later, she sat on his bed as he did her nails and they were actually having a good time. Matching pajamas and all.

“I never realized how silly and fun this is,” Moni said giggling, “I think I really like your idea of a sleepover, poet.”

Noel finished her nails and smiled. “Finally, she acts like a proper girl.”

Moni stuck her tongue out at him. “Jerk.”

She looked at her fingernails and saw he painted them a deep blue with black undertones. It was a very good look for her.

“Okay, now we get into the most important part of a sleepover.”

Noel grabbed their snack tray and placed it on his bed. He clapped his hands eagerly.

“The gossip!”

Moni rolled her eyes. “Noel, please, we’re not doing that.”

“Oh, come on! You’ve gotta have something you’re dying to share.”

Moni pursed her lips. “Well.. there is something.”

Noel was intrigued. “Ooh, spill.”

Moni snorted. “For fifteen bucks.”

Her brother frowned. “Why?”

Moni smirked. “My information is a transaction. You get the gossip, I get the cash.”

Noel nodded. “Touché, you evil witch.”

“I’m not evil, I’m just a bit petty, is all.”

Noel attacked her in a hug and she laughed. “Stop being so silly and give me the details, Moni!”

Moni tickled him off of her. “Not happening! You’re getting popcorn all over your bedsheets.”

Noel frowned but gave up. An idea popped into Moni’s mind and she grinned.

“Stay here, I have an idea.”

She ran up to her room and grabbed a bunch of paper and pencils. Running back down she placed them on Noel’s bed.

“We could have an art challenge! For fun, we can both draw something and let the other finish it.”

Noel nodded. “That’s actually a fun idea, Mon!”

They both ended up with the silliest works ever and were laughing about them for a decent few minutes.

Moni curled up next to Noel as they watched Mean Girls, Noel’s recommendation, of course.

“You know, big brother, this was actually a very good first sleepover. I’m glad you knew what you were doing.”

Noel shrugged. “Hey, you have to know what you’re doing when your little sister never had a sleepover, so that makes the 16 years of her life pretty pointless.”

“Oh, shut up.”

They continued watching, talking, eating, goofing off, having a pillow fight that Moni surprisingly won, and eventually fell asleep in Noel’s bed, both two tired to properly lay down.

An hour or so later, their mother arrived from work and saw them, matching pajamas and all, and took a quick picture. She would definitely want to keep this memory on hand for years.

[tothemeadow]

Commissioned by @missusk​

Uzui Tengen x Reader/OC

 - After a grueling training session with Tengen, you’re hurt badly. Granted, you and Tengen don’t always get along, but he seems to feel guilty... Amongst other things. -

warnings: none

words: 3.5k

-

Above you, the winds carry the song of the heavens. Birds join in with their choir, their melody floating with the gentle breeze. It’s almost too peaceful, too perfect, and as you stare up at the cerulean sky above, you realize how utterly tiny you are.

“You’re doing it again,” Mitsuri says, a light giggle following her words. “If I didn’t know you any better, then I’d say that you’re thinking of someone.”

Shifting your attention to her, you scoff. “Please, Mitsuri, don’t make me laugh.”

The smile playing on Mitsuri’s face is all too gentle. She’s always been that way, so delicate and beautiful, and you find yourself awestruck at her genuine being. “I know love when I see it, Nanami,” she tells you. “It’s my job, after all! I’m not called the Love Pillar for nothing.”

You’re not quite sure what she’s getting at. “Mitsuri,” you start, your brows knitting together, “what are you even talking about?”

Tapping her cheek with a slender finger, she flashes you a knowing look. “Oh, you know, a certain hulking man. One that’s tall and devilishly handsome.”

Oh, here it comes again.

You roll your eyes at her suggestive tone. “Don’t you even think about it,” you warn.

Mitsuri’s petal lips purse into a pout. “I just want you to be happy,” she mopes. “Besides, I’m pretty sure he has feelings-“

“Good day, ladies!” Kyojuro’s voice suddenly booms.

Turning to look over your shoulder, you see Kyojuro step out of the manor with Tengen right behind him. The golden rays of light catch the fiery strands of his hair as he crosses the engawa to where you and Mitsuri sit.

“You’re looking as lovely as ever!” Kyojuro says. He flashes the two of you a bright smile.

Just like always, your own mouth mimics his. Kyojuro’s always been so sweet to you, helping you out in your time of need and always offering a comforting shoulder. Besides Mitsuri, he’s easily the greatest friend you’ve made in the corps. “And you’re looking as dashing as ever!” you compliment.

Shifting your eyes behind him, you notice Tengen smirking at you. The glint is his stare is teasing; your own smile falls flat at the sight of him. Amongst the entirety of the Pillars, Tengen is the one you get along with the least. He’s too much of a pompous asshole for you’re liking. He only goes on about how flamboyant he is, how great his fighting is, how much he kicks ass, yadda, yadda, yadda. Frankly, it gets on your nerves. He’s too much of a dunderhead.

He doesn’t necessarily like you either – or so it seems. He teases you constantly, openly flirts with you, all of that stuff; he knows it pisses you off, rightly so, and he does it nearly every time he sees you. Your pain is apparently his pleasure. If the other two weren’t around you, you’d love nothing more than to tell him to kindly fuck off.

“What, where’s my hello?” Tengen drawls. His ruby eyes hold a challenge; he’s just waiting for you to go off on him.

“I’ll say hello whenever I’m happy to see you,” you tell him, a mockingly sweet smile joining your honeyed words.

Tengen scoffs, his meaty arms crossing themselves over his chest. “Don’t you think you’re cute.”

“I’m adorable.” You swiftly turn back to Mitsuri. “Anyway, what were we talking about?”

You don’t miss the way Mitsuri’s eyes twinkle. “Actually,” she says, her voice sly, “I was going to help Kyojuro out with something. Why don’t you and Tengen occupy each other until we get back?”

Your eyes nearly pop out of your head at the mere suggestion of spending alone time with Tengen. Hell, you’d even let a demon eat you before you agreed to such nonsense!

“Yeah!” Kyojuro chimes in, seemingly not picking up on your growing anxiety. “The two of you could train! There’s no better way of bonding than helping each other grow stronger!”

“Oh yeah, baby. I like the sound of that,” Tengen says as he draws closer. The way he approaches you is much like how a predator stalks its prey, lithe hips swaying with each step. The foxy grin on his face makes your insides turn into mush. As he finally comes to a stop directly behind you, you can’t help but stare at how his ruby eyes practically glow in the sun. “Don’t you wanna fight me, Nanami?”

Clapping her hands, Mitsuri jumps off the engawa. “Great! You two have fun! We’ll be back later!”

“Wait, Mitsuri-“ you say after her, but she quickly pulls Kyojuro after her and scurries away.

Tengen’s hand clamps down on your shoulder. “What?” he drawls. “You want to spend time with me, don’t you?”

You quickly shrug his shoulder off. “As if.”

He cocks his head. “Not even to kick my ass?”

Damn, he got you there. You’d love to drive his ass into the ground. You know he’s only egging you on, but the idea of finally getting him to shut up for once is way more convincing. “Alright,” you say, stepping off the engawa, “let’s fight.”

As the two of you venture further into the yard, you can’t help but stare after him. Maybe it’s the lighting, but Tengen almost seems… bigger. His muscles flex with the slightest movements, his shoulders seem wider, his thighs stronger. Your eyes linger a second too long on his ass, but you quickly whip your head away. Stop it, you chide yourself.

Okay, yeah, so Tengen’s an utter ass. However, that doesn’t mean he’s drop dead gorgeous and built like a god. And yeah, maybe you want to grab onto his massive biceps and run your hands over his pectorals. You’re curious, nothing more. He’s put a lot of time and effort for a physique like that, and you only appreciate it.

…What a bunch of bullshit.

Coming to a halt, the two of you turn to face each other, readying your blades. From an outsider’s perspective, it looks like Tengen could take you out in ten seconds flat. You, however, are a Pillar, just like him. You’re not weak.

“Don’t cry if you get hurt, Nanami,” Tengen taunts. His normally cocky expression settles into a determined one. Although this is only a training session, he’s ready to give it his all. If you can’t give your whole 110%, then you can’t call yourself a Pillar.

“I’m not the one who’s going to be crying,” you shoot right back. “Gods forbid if your hair falls out of place.”

At that, Tengen snickers. “Just warning you.”

In a single blink, the fight begins.

He’s almost too quick for your eyes to follow; a blur of colors passes by your left, and you quickly sidestep to evade his duo-blades. The air hums with the force of his strike. Tengen is nothing but pure, raw strength; obviously, you don’t match him in that aspect, but you’re not hopeless.

Being the Lightning Pillar, you take pride in the strength of your legs. You swiftly kick at his side, a spark of satisfaction lighting in your chest when your foot makes contact. A growl reaches your ear, then, and a sudden blow to your ribs takes you by surprise.

Stumbling backwards, you gasp for air, but Tengen refuses to give you a second to prepare. He’s moving at you again, his blades arcing about him gracefully; his form is nothing short of perfect, completely on the offense but leaving no opening for an attack of your own. Your own blade swings towards him in flashing movements.

The fight is fast, intense. Tengen is nothing more than a blur of colors and massive size; the only real indication of your strikes landing on him is the clashing of your blades. The pain in your ribs spikes as you continuously work your body. You force yourself to control your breathing, focus on healing the wound, but you’re not given any time whatsoever.

Tengen refuses to back down. He’s fighting to win.

You lose track of time. The fight drags on, seemingly lasting for what? Minutes? Days? The sun’s still hanging high above you; from what you can tell, it hasn’t even moved.

A grunt leaves your throat as Tengen slams into you. All the air is sucked out of your lungs as you hit the ground, Tengen’s hulking body landing on top of you. Your eyes blink rapidly, mind whirling to catch up with the sudden turn of events. Did he just… Did he just beat you?

You quickly take note of the position you’re in; Tengen looms over you, his hands planted on either side of your head. One of your legs is trapped between his. He’s got you pinned down, no doubt about it.

The corners of his mouth curl into his signature smirk. Beads of sweat stick to his forehead, a faint blush lingering on his cheeks. Is it just you, or have his cheekbones always been this sharp? Full eyelashes curtain his eyes as his lids drop, his expression turning sultry.

He smells good – like sweat, musk, and pine.

“You look really good under me,” Tengen mutters. Pearly teeth sink into his plush lower lip.

Everything suddenly feels too hot. Your mouth turns dry and a lump builds in your throat. Swallowing thickly, your gaze flickers over the features of his face, lingers on the sharp line of his jaw and his velvety lips. He’s always been handsome, devastatingly so, but up close… He’s godly.

Without fully realizing it, your hands abandon your blade and link together behind his neck. His proximity is tempting, the look in his eyes hypnotizing. “Tengen,” you whisper. He visibly shudders. Slowly, ever so slowly, the two of you drift even closer. Your lips barely brush against his when a wave of pain slams you in the chest.

With a cry, you flop back against the ground, your hands leaving his neck and clutching at your ribs. Tengen appears to be in a daze; he blinks a few times, the cloud of lust dissipating from his eyes as he takes in your pained expression.

“Oh, shit!” he exclaims, panic striking his features. “Nanami, oh gods-“ His hands are suddenly caressing your face, his eyes large. “Shit! What did I-“

“My ribs,” you gasp. Now that you’re completely still, the pain in your side is excruciating. “I think they’re broken.” Your face contorts with pain.

“Nanami!” Mitsuri suddenly cries out. The two of you look up just in time to see her hurrying over to your side, Kyojuro hot on her heels. “Oh my gods! Are you okay?!”

“No,” Tengen tells her, all traces of playfulness in his voice gone. He sounds different this way, almost like an entirely new person. He scrambles off of you, his mouth set in a thin line. “I’ve got to get her to the Butterfly Estate.”

Mitsuri looks at him with startled eyes. “What happened?”

“I got too carried away,” Tengen says, voice gruff. As he looks to you, guilt shines in the red of his irises. “I should’ve controlled myself.” Gingerly, he picks you up bridal style, careful of how he holds you.

“Do you need us to come along?” Kyojuro questions, his voice laced with concern.

Tengen shakes his head solemnly. “I’ll take care of it.”

Pressed against his chest, you remain speechless as he takes off towards the mansion. You hold on tightly, focusing your breathing and deriving the pain away from your most sensitive spots.

-

As you thought, your ribs are broken.

After the first night in the Butterfly Estate, Shinobu spoke to you privately, telling you how lucky you were that your lungs weren’t punctured.

“I had to force Tengen-san to leave,” Shinobu says to you. It’s currently night two of your stay at the Butterfly Estate.

Lifting your shirt up, you let her change the bandages, her fingers gently prodding your skin. You hiss in pain as she barely brushes her fingers over the nasty bruise located on your side. “I’m surprised he stayed,” you grit.

“He’s very worried,” Shinobu says. She makes quick work of spreading a medicinal salve over the bruise before wrapping it back up. “He kept pacing back and forth outside the front entrance. Aoi even brought him tea to calm him down.”

Your entire face scrunches in confusion. “Why would he do that?”

Setting her equipment to the side, Shinobu shoots you an amused look. “You really don’t know, do you?”

You shake your head.

Shinobu sighs. “Well, Nanami, I genuinely thought you were brighter than this. It’s because he’s harboring feelings for you.”

“Wait, wait, wait. What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You have romantic feelings for him as well, don’t you? You’re not very subtle about it.”

An incoherent noise falls from your lips. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you stutter. “Tengen is the most annoying person I know-“

“You know denial is the first step in many processes, right?” Shinobu flashes you a smug smile as you gawk at her. “I’m just saying. I think you two would make a cute couple.”

“Shinobu! Don’t say that!”

Just then, there’s a knock at the door. Shinobu calls for them to enter; Aoi slides the screen open, a tired expression sitting on her features. “Someone’s here to see you,” she says to you. She sighs. “Again.” Stepping away, Tengen replaces her spot in the doorway.

“Well, I think I’ll be going,” Shinobu says, drawing herself to a stand. “Take your medicine and get some rest, okay?” After you give her a nod, she pats your shoulder and leaves the room, sliding the screen shut behind her.

Tengen quickly steps over to your bed and sinks down onto the mattress. You almost don’t recognize him – he’s out of uniform, opting for a deep blue yukata instead. His face is devoid of any makeup, his hair loose around his shoulders. He looks almost… pretty.

His eyes flicker over your face. “How are you?” The tone he uses takes you aback. Where’s his usual cockiness? Where’s his stupid smirk? Why does he sound worried?

Shinobu’s words ring inside your head. It’s because he’s harboring feelings for you.

Fingers clutching onto the thick fabric of your blanket, you sheepishly look away. “Sore,” you mutter. Your breath hitches as you feel warm hands envelop yours. Snapping your attention to Tengen, you watch in utter shock as he raises your hands to his mouth and presses fleeting kisses to your palms. “Tengen-“

“I’m sorry,” he mutters, burying his face in your hands. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Your heart thumps steadily in your chest. Your side cries out in pain, but you do your best to ignore it. “Hey now,” you say gently, not knowing how to handle this side of him, “I’ve been through worse. I’ll be alright.”

If anything, Tengen appears bummed. “I don’t care. I’m the one who did it, not some lowlife demon. I should’ve been more careful, dammit.”

You worry your bottom lip. “Do you… regret fighting me?” Anxiety gnaws at your heart; the two of you almost kissed, after all.

“I regret hurting you,” Tengen replies, not missing a beat. It’s almost like he was waiting for you to ask that very question. He pauses, then, a perplexed look crossing his face. “…I want to take care of you.”

Your eyebrows shoot up your forehead. “What do you mean?”

“I want to take you to my home.”

“Why…?”

“It’s my fault that you’re injured. It should be my responsibility to take care of you. I’ll ask Shinobu for your medicine,” he quickly adds when he sees your mouth opening in protest. “Please?”

Dear gods. You’ve never heard Tengen say the word ‘please’ a day in your life.

“I don’t know,” you tell him, voice soft. “It just seems…” Weird? Too much? Like a dream come true?

“Let me take care of you,” Tengen urges. He shuffles closer, the familiar scent of musk and pine greeting your nose. “I can treat you so good, Nanami.”

You shudder at his words. They shouldn’t have such an effect on you, but they do. “Yeah, okay,” you breathe, your blood pounding in your ears.

A soft, warm smile grows on Tengen’s handsome face. “Thank you.”

-

The next morning, you wake to a chorus of birds.

The bed you lie on is larger than the one you had at the Butterfly Estate; fluffy down-filled pillows cradle your head, thick, expensive covers your body. The scent of pine sticks to the sheets, overwhelms you in a sickeningly sweet way. A source of heat warms the left side of your body; shifting to the side, your eyes widen at the sight of Tengen.

He blinks sleepily at you. His gorgeous features are entirely lax, the silvery strands of his hair surrounding his head in a halo. “Good morning,” he mutters, his voice thick with sleep. It sends a shiver creeping down your spine.

“Tengen?” you croak. Like him, your voice is raspy.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he tells you, flicking the loose hairs from his face. “After I put you to bed last night, I kind of just… crawled in. You looked like you were cold.”

You can feel the heat steadily rushing to your face. Your breath hitches in your throat as he reaches toward you, his strong fingers pushing your hair behind your ear. They linger on your cheek, and a look of longing flashes in Tengen’s eyes.

Much like before, you’re struck by how beautiful he is up close. The gods must have carved him out of marble, inlaid jewels for eyes, wove his hair from the finest of silks. Your gaze travels down, over the line of his jaw, down the column of his neck, and settle on the exposed skin of his chest. You almost want to tell him to cover up, to pull his yukata closed, but you don’t. If anything, you want to see more of his skin.

The hand on your face forces you to look back up at him. “Nanami,” he murmurs in that wonderful voice of his, “you know how awful I feel, right?”

You’re more than aware. Before this whole thing happened, you would’ve laughed at the idea of Tengen being gentle with you. As far as you were concerned, he didn’t possess a single guilty bone in his body. Reaching up, you place a hand on top of his. A spark of electricity tingles in your fingertips, but you refuse to pull away.

“Tengen,” you start, pausing to swallow the dry feeling in your throat. “Please stop beating yourself up. You’ll take care of me, right? Make it up to me.”

Tengen’s nostrils flare. He moves closer, then, and your eyelids instinctively fall shut. His lips are softer than they look, taste like an expensive tea; you sigh, your hands coming up and linking behind his head. He kisses you slowly, but there’s so much passion in his movements. His palm burns against your cheek. He’s so warm, so delightfully hard and ridged. Your hands grow more adventurous, slipping over his strong shoulders and settling on his chest. He hums under your touch, his lips parting; his tongue sweeps over your bottom lip, silently asking for permission. You let him in without a moment’s hesitation. As his tongue slides against yours, his fingers brush through the strands of your hair, slinking around until he’s clutching the back of your head.

“Nanami,” he says again as he pulls away. His eyes narrow into pretty slits as he looks at you. “Gods, I’ve been wanting to do that forever.”

“Then how come you haven’t done it before?” you whisper.

The corner of his lips twitch into a smirk. “Because you’re so stubborn and it pisses me off.”

A huff of laughter passes through your lips. “And you’re a meathead.” The look on his face softens as you run your fingers through his hair.

“What a flamboyant kisser you are,” Tengen teases. You giggle as he bumps his nose against yours. “Let me treat you like the queen you are.”

You ignore the spike of heat swirling in your abdomen. “All it took was you doing something stupid, huh? Figures.”

Hot air fans over your skin as he buries his face in your neck. “Like you’re against the idea.” You jolt as he plants a kiss against your neck. “I’ll make you happy to see me.” Another kiss. “I promise I’ll love you so good.”

Your heart kicks in your chest. Did he just say what you think he said? “You… love me….?”

Tengen hums into your throat. “Like I said – you’re stubborn.”

You think of the words both Mitsuri and Shinobu told you. He has feelings for you.

And you’re rapidly figuring out that you do, too.

Pulling him away from your neck, you urgently press your lips to his. The slide is too easy, almost like your lips were meant for each other. You hold him close, your heart beating in time with his.

You, his queen. Him, your king.

You wouldn’t have it any other way.

[alice-dont-break]

hello this is shameless smut pls enjoy!! kinda fluffy and oops sorry idk how to write smut for them without giving ant a little bit of top energy

cw: post-pregnancy body insecurity at first and then just filth

Every Inch | Janthony Smut

When Anthony got home from work, he first found his 6-week old baby sound asleep in the bassinet in the living room. He smiled, but tiptoed upstairs immediately because despite wanting to stare at her cute little face, waking her would be disturbing the rare peace and quiet his wife was surely savoring. When he got upstairs and entered the bedroom, he found a pile of Jasmine’s clothes on the floor and a light on in the bathroom. Intrigued, he peeked his head past the door and laid eyes on the most stunning silhouette he’d ever seen.

Jasmine was standing in front of the mirror, fully undressed, looking over her shoulder at her reflection.

“Wow,” he breathed, getting her attention.

“Oh, hey sorry,” she said. She hugged herself and reached past him for the robe hanging off the door, but he gently caught her wrist. He stepped her away from the door, and took in the delicious sight in front of him.

“Damn, baby, why would you ever say sorry for giving me a look at this work of art. You admiring yourself... can I join?”

“You can stay but I’m not admiring,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes. She tried to twist away, but Anthony grasped her other hand.

“Hm?” He didn’t want to push her, but he couldn’t ignore the sadness in her eyes.

“I’m just... I don’t feel sexy anymore. Ever. This is so stupid but I literally made my mom watch bubba for an hour today so I could go to Victoria’s Secret and even with brand new sexy lingerie I felt disgusting. Do I even turn you on anymore? We haven’t done anything since...” Her voice was weak and shaky, and her lips were tightly pursed.

“Baby... baby girl you turn me on like crazy. God, look at you... you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen,” he crooned. “I just didn’t wanna rush or hurt you, but I hate that you aren’t seeing what I see. Can I show you babe?”

Jasmine furrowed her brow, but reluctantly nodded. Anthony then led her by the hand back to the mirror, where he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He nuzzled up to her shoulder as they both looked at her reflection. As Anthony looked her up and down, his eyes smouldered with lust.

“God, where do I even begin,” he groaned. “I mean, the easiest is your face. Your eyes just stun me, whether they’re soft and you’re laughin’ or looking at our baby, or piercing like your mad or tryna rile me up.”

Jasmine’s cheeks had flushed red and she tried to look away, only to be brought back to center by Anthony’s thumb on her chin.

“Your skin,” he continued while caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, “just flawless.”

She leaned into his touch and let a weak smile escape.

“Mmm and your lips, baby,” he smiled. He cupped her chin with his fingers and brushed over her supple lips with his thumb. He was dying to kiss her, but knew once he started he’d never stop, and there was too much more he wanted to say.

“Your hair, your curls... gorgeous through every state of being.” He smiled into the side of her head, inhaling the scent of her shampoo, then nipped at her ear and trailed kisses down her jaw and neck.

“And your neck,” he whispered, sending chills down her spine, “because it lets me get the sexiest moans from you.” Proving his point, he sunk his teeth into the tender flesh, hard enough to melt her without really hurting, and she threw her head back against his shoulder as a soft gasp escaped her parted lips.

He chuckled into her collarbone, and continued exploring her skin with his mouth and hands, covering every inch of her upper back, shoulders, and chest with attention. Jasmine was fully flushed with a little bit of self consciousness, but also awareness of the heat growing between her legs. His hand wandered back down from her shoulders to her waist to pull her back flush against his chest, before roaming back up to cup her breasts.

“God, and these... Jas you know I’ve always been an ass guy, and trust me we’ll get to that, but I’ve never seen anything sexier than these tits ever since you were pregnant. They’re so big... huge... and I love how just a little attention like this,” he mumbled as he circled his fingers around her nipples with a slight pinch, “gets such a reaction... god Jasmine I could spend all day just working your tits.”

As he talked, he was kneading the tender flesh with the palms of his hands and kissing her shoulders, and Jasmine could have sworn she was going to start dripping down her inner thigh. Her buds were pebbled and she writhed under his touch as he brushed over them.

“And baby, I know you’ve been self conscious about this area,” he said more softly, letting his hands slide down her waist and hips to land just where her baby bump had been only a month ago. He peppered kisses to the seam of her neck and shoulder as he rubbed his thumbs over her hip bones. “These curves are a work of art. Your shape is stunning, Jas, it’s so sexy whether you’re a million months pregnant, one week post-baby, or whatever else. I like having something to grab, too, but don’t think I haven’t noticed your abs comin’ back.” he winked with another soft bite to her earlobe and a squeeze around her hips.

Jasmine was leaning against him now with her head thrown back on his shoulder, as his mouth, his raspy voice, his touch all left her trembling. He took his chance to turn her sideways to face him and reached down to grab her ass with both hands.

“God, this ass, baby... ugh it’s just so fucking sexy. The way it’s so perfectly tight and round, especially when you wear them jeans I like, but then bounces when I’m fuckin’ up into you... or when I’m taking you from behind with my fiery handprints all over...”

Anthony was testing his own patience now, and cut himself off with another bite to her shoulder. He gestured for her to jump up and hoisted her so her legs were wrapped around his waist and his hands were gripping her thighs.

“Your legs baby, they’re so strong and toned, and even though you’re short enough to tuck right into my side, they look long and sexy and I just want to mark em all up your inner thighs... show anyone who dares to look at you in a tight lil skirt that you’re mine.”

While he spoke, he carried her slowly out of the bathroom and over to the bed. The whole way, she could feel his hardened bulge pressing against her, and was sure there would be a wet patch where her core met his waist.

When he reached the bed, he dropped her down and hovered overtop so he could whisper in her ear. “Now can I show you the next part of you I think is sexy?” He rasped. Jasmine was breathless, and could only nod eagerly. After a chaste peck to her lips, Anthony sank down to rest between her thighs, which he spread open with his hands splayed across her caramel skin.

“Mmm, this pussy,” he growled against the meeting of her leg and her mound, letting the vibration of his words send shockwaves through her already electrified body. “Always so wet and needy for me. God look at you baby, you’re fucking soaked already, hm? All for me?”

Jasmine nodded and moaned a “yes”, as Anthony chuckled.

Slowly, he prodded his tongue to part her folds, and licked a slow stripe all the way up. The sound she made was slow, husky and pained. She was already aching for more. “Your taste, babe, your juices are the sweetest damn taste in the world.”

He continued to take his time, drawing long strokes and tasting every inch of her core, until his tongue started circling her entrance. As soon as it poked inside, her hips bucked, begging for more, though a whimper was all she could muster. He used one finger to gather her juices, then slowly pressed inside.

“So fucking tight, soft walls squeeze me so tight, even when you’re nearly screamin’ and you’re asking if it’s too much, you take me so, so good baby.”

“Another,” she moaned loudly, “please.” Anthony smirked and happily obeyed, adding a second finger to her wetness.

He thrust slowly in and out, before pausing to scissor his digits and feel the stretch of her velvet insides. Her breath hitched with every movement and he wondered how much longer she could last.

“Baby hold it together, I haven’t even gotten to the best part. The sexiest part of this perfect pussy is this adorable little bud,” he grinned, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to her clit.

“Ant,” she breathed desperately.

“So sweet, so sexy the sounds I can get out of you with just the slightest touch,” he said. Anthony pointed his tongue and started flicking the sensitive area, as his fingers continued to probe deep inside. “Seriously the cutest little thing I’ve ever played with.”

“Anthony,” she moaned again, her voice growing more ragged and hungry with his every move.

“Mhmm baby... and the sexiest thing of all, my love, is how you look when you come undone.”

He heard the faintest gasp escape her lips, so with a final smirk he wrapped his lips around her swollen bud and suckled lightly as he curled his fingers deep inside her. With his free hand, he reached up and rolled her hard nipple between his fingers, as her moans became more like screams. Within seconds he felt her soft walls tighten around his fingers, and her thighs lift up off the bed.

“Ant I’m gonna... I’m gonna...”

“I’ve got you,” he purred, “come for me, princess. I’ve got you.”

Jasmine fell apart. Every sliver of tension that had been building for the past two months came undone as a wave of fire ravaged her senses. Her back arched and her head flopped back with a loud and luscious sigh, as her pussy fluttered around Anthony’s fingers. He continued gentle kitten licks to her most sensitive area as his fingers lazily moved to ride her through her high. Suddenly, Jasmine felt a massive release and Anthony felt a flood wash over his fingers and chin. He was entranced by the effect he had on her body, continuing to press with his fingers, and let his tongue roam downward to taste her juices, until Jasmine was fully limp beneath him.

When he was certain there were no more aftershocks to rock her, he pressed a final kiss to her warmth and climbed back up to hover over her face. With both hands cupping her cheeks, he leaned down to kiss her forehead tenderly.

“Did I...” she asked timidly between heavy pants. Her cheeks were flushed red, and Anthony added to their warmth with soft, wet kisses.

“Squirt? Yep,” he smirked, obviously proud of the new level of pleasure he’d unlocked for her. “That was new... and maybe the sexiest thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

“Ant that... that was... oh my god.... i need to...” As she struggled to form sentences, she seemed to be making a move to repay the favor, but Anthony just put a firm hand on her shoulder.

“You aren’t going anywhere, babe,” he teased. “You look so utterly fucked out that I’m genuinely worried you may have trouble walking all week despite not actually having had a cock inside you.”

Jasmine’s eyes were still slightly rolling to the back of her head, so Anthony just chuckled at her grumbles and gave her a chaste kiss. “Stay here, love, gonna get you a cloth. You’re literally soaked in your own cum.”

“Later... show you lingerie... s’new,” she murmured.

“Whenever you’re ready love, but not before a nap. Besides, as excited as I am to see it, I don’t know how you could possibly get any sexier.”

Instead of protesting as she did earlier, she looked up at Anthony with a faint, adorable little smile that warmed his heart.

When he got back from the bathroom only twenty seconds later, Jasmine’s eyes were closed with her mouth hanging open just slightly. He couldn’t help but chuckle at how absolutely worn out she was, so he just let her sleep. As the mother of a six-week old baby, she needed it with or without a mind-blowing orgasm. After using the warm cloth to wipe down her thighs and through her folds, he grabbed a blanket to drape over them as he laid on his side and pulled her close. With a quick glance at the baby monitor to ensure the little one was continuing to cooperate with his unplanned mission, he leaned his forehead against her temple and peppered little kisses to her cheeks as her heavy breath lulled him into a trance. He rubbed the soft skin at her waist as he kept pulling her tighter into his side, and focused on giving her all his warmth, comfort and attention, with the hope that she’d be at least slightly coherent again when she woke up.

[blueberrypossum]

Seeing the Opposing Side 

Dastardly Danny x female cop!reader

Hey guys! @greaser-wolf and I are back at it again with trading ideas and our ocs and such. I wasn't going to post this but she wanted everyone to see the story (so heckin nice I swear). For the confusion, shiki is @greaser-wolf oc that is a yokai fire pig cop that has a complicated love story with dastardly Danny, please check out her blog for amazing drawings of her and Danny! Hope you guys guys enjoy!!

⚠️WARNING ⚠️: There will be inappropriate language and themes in this! Along with graphic scenes such as blood and wounds!

Word Bank:

Carrying a torch- Having a crush on someone/ being by someone’s side 

“I won’t let you down, chief.”

Your hands trembled as you took the criminal file your boss handed you, adrenaline rushed through you like a fever as he walked away and you sat back down at your desk. 

The police stations hummed with warm life as you got comfortable in your chair, the only loud sounds that advanced the quiet talk of the officers was the phone calls and the occasional scream from a prisoner.

This was your first case on your own without the other idiot cops that you were placed under, as your boss stated, “you need someone to guide you before you go out on your own,” and then the griffin and the gorilla that was teaching you let out the bloody Mud Dogz on your first day of training. 

Oh that day was awful and you hated reliving the memory inside your head.

Your hooves pulled the file open as you took a sip of coffee, the hot liquid almost spilling over your desk as you read who you were going after. 

“The bloody Mud Dogz?!”

The few yokai beside you looked over and you tried to shrink into your seat, your hooves clinching the mugshots of each Mud Dog. Of course, of fucking course it had to be them, it had to be him!

 Your hooves bent against the picture of Dastardly Danny, the wicked smile he held in the photo gave you shivers down your spine. You’ve had a run in with him a few times, along with watching them leave the prison due to every cop in here not having a single brain cell. Your hands still ached from the cleaning duty you had to do after that.

But not anymore, you were a real cop, and you were going to prove it.

Your eyes strolled through the basic info of him, his age, height, the crimes he has done along with his group. From all the ones you’ve read, Danny’s looked innocent against them. 

In all honesty, The Mud Dogz didn’t really do bad things. They never harmed anyone and they only stole from those who weren’t poor, it was mostly rich people who would call saying they were robbed by them. Of course they would rob places like this, and worked with other crime lords of the Hidden City.

You took another sip from your coffee as you read the last known sighting of him: The Mystic Train Station. You got your gear ready for the long road ahead, with the train station being half way across the city. You strapped your laser gun against your belt and a few portable traps, along with your phone and your badge and headed towards the exit, the other larger and stronger guards almost pushing past you as if you were still an errand runner.

For months you had been one, getting the coffee, getting the files, copying paperwork and not once going out on the field. 

Not a single cop in here believed in you, yokai’s that were as small as you were known to be weak, to be on the backburner without a choice, but that didn’t matter to you. What mattered to you was that the Mud Dogz were going down, no matter the cost.

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

You made it to the train station, the underground building poured with life as citizens dove in and out of the train at rapid speed. Security guards were posted around almost every entrance of the metal hole dug in the ground, the dark and damp station was only lit by a few hanging lights and the lights that were inside of the train. One of the many trains came to a screeching halt as you strolled past the other security guards as your eyes examined the area; The Mud Dogz usually wore their signature colors of blue, purple, and orange. You pulled your denim jacket closer to hide yourself from the chilly breeze that drifted into the area. You decided to change before you left your apartment since your cop outfit would attract too much attention, especially since you were on a manhunt. 

The sighting that was described in the file was that the ogre and the rat were spotted here taking the train, the destination they went to was unknown but it seemed they used this way of travel frequently. You took a sip of your second cup of coffee, the heat that steamed out of it warmed your lips in the chilly fall weather. With how many yokai stormed through the area, you didn’t know if you should make a scene or not when you found your target, there were innocent people here and you didn’t want any casualties. Maybe you could find them and sneak your way over to-

Your body slammed into someone else, your back firmly landing against someone’s lower shoulder. A small gasp broke through your mouth as you tried to make sure your drink didn’t spill on you or the yokai you apparently backed into. The stranger’s arms held you firm as they helped you regain your balance. 

“Ah! I’m so sorry! I guess I should be looking at where I am going!” You scrambled out, your face growing red with embarrassment.

“No problem at all, doll. It was nothing more than a scuffle.”

Wait a damn minute.

You swiftly turned around and felt the grip on your beverage tighten as you were face to face with Dastardly Danny, a smug smile curled on his face as his tall frame overshadowed you, his long tail swayed back and forth as if he saw the dots connect in your head. 

You felt your eyebrows raise with shock and then they buried down into your eyes in irritation, your right hand hovering over your laser pistol. 

“Dastardly Danny, you are under arrest! I order for you to come quietly and willingly, or else there will be trouble.”

“Daw, I don’t even get a please, toots?”

“Officers don’t ask.”

“And criminals don’t play dirty.”

He was in your face now, his whiskers close enough to tickle your snout, a smirk navigated his face as his tail wrapped around you and then spun you around, his body easily getting past you and onto one of the multiple paths that led deeper into the train station, his thin figure blending into the crowd as they followed. Once you regained your balance, you threw the drink away and chased after him, your body pushing past the other yokai as the hunt began. 

Your feet stomped against the cemented ground, your eyes caught on the only thing that was unique about Danny against the other yokai: his torn ear that peaked out of his hat. You didn’t pull out your gun though, you couldn’t or else it would freak out the civilians and cause a massive wave of chaos. You couldn’t lose him now, not when he was this close. 

Danny came to a stop as he was face to face with an escalator, his lean body easily going in the middle and slid down the metal slope, his feet landing perfectly as you reached the moving stairs. 

You let out a frustrated grunt and stormed down the stairs, pushing past the civilians as you lost Danny into the several batches of animals. 

Come on! Come on, think Shiki! Think! 

You then leapt up onto the edge of a fountain and scanned the open room, your head darting back and forth as you tried to find the coffee-colored rat.

Hey! Watch it!”

Your head turned to see the criminal rat run into a bigger yokai, the rat politely taking his hat off as he ran by and you hopped off the ledge of the fountain. 

“Dastardly Danny! Get back here!”

“Not a chance, sweetheart! I appreciate your persistence though!” 

His hairless tail was in your sight now, your trained body easily gaining momentum to catch up to him. But the rat knew he was being hunted and he soon started to switch up his walking pattern, his stride crossing in-between different animals and going behind a few pillars that held up the structure. 

While Danny was taller than most normal yokai and they moved when they saw him barreling towards them,  you would almost be run over by the horde of animals that walked past you, almost as if you were the obstacle instead of them.  

Maybe I should’ve worn my uniform. 

“Excuse me! Pardon me! Coming through!”

You shoved past a bear yokai as Danny got onboard the train, his rat tail flicking from side to side as the door closed behind him. You came to a tight halt at the glass door, your enclosed hand hitting against the window, your breaths coming out ragged and sweat was dripping down your brow, but Danny’s composer was calm and his chest barely rose as his arm bent and leaned against the door. 

His eyes lazily looked down at you through the glass, his breath creating a grey shadow over the clear frame and his claws wrote the words “Nice try” in the window as the train started to build up for take off. You desperately looked for a way in, but once the doors were closed there was no way to get in. The railroad blueprint printed itself into your mind and you calculated how far each stop and the different intersections of railroads. 

As the train easily started to make its way down the tunnel, you kept your eyes locked onto Danny’s. His murky eyes traveled up and down your body, as if he was trying to see what you would do next, his hands now going in his pockets and his shoulders shrugged, as if you had lost. But you sent your own sly grin to him as you ducked by the nearest yokai and headed straight for the construction site on the left, the yellow police tape tearing under your hands as you raced through the darkness. 

Your hooves worked against each other until a small flicker of fire grew in your hands, the only sound you could hear was the vibration of the trains grooving throughout the under tunnel system and your heart pulsing in your short ears. You jumped over a bridge that was barely built, your short yet strong legs carried you easily over it, your ears flicking back and forth as you tried to listen for the train. You continued your jog through the inky cave, leftover construction hats and equipment littered the ground as you came to a huge opening to a narrow path, below you was one of the railroad tracks. 

The wind that blasted through the hollowed tunnel blew out the flame that boiled in your hands. 

“Ugh! Come on!”

You kept snapping the edge of your hooves until another dash of life blossomed in your hand and you could take in your surroundings once more. The ground beneath you started to rumble and you bent down to watch as the headlights of the train started to enter the thin subway and then the metal car went flying by you, the roar of the train whistle blistered into your eardrums and you used your free hand to cover up one ear. Your jacket flew around you and you turned on your heel to get a running start. 

You let out a shaky breath as you extinguished the light from your hand and the only thing lightning up your path was the spotty fragments of the train cars.  And you sprinted across the dirt road and then leapt onto the top of the metal animal, your hooves clinging into the scrap as the wind sped into your exposed ears. Your hand felt around for the hatch and your fingers gripped around it and you rose up on the train to pull the hole open. The air from your lungs was being sucked out of you as you pushed every muscle in your body to open it and the metal hatch let out a low hiss as it was popped open. 

You dove in and pulled the hatch with you and everything was black. 

Through the darkness, you could make out the forms of boxes and supplies and you figured you were in one of the supplies carts. You took in a few breaths of air as the adrenaline and the caffeine rocked in your veins and your heart felt like it was dancing throughout your body. You grew another flare of fire in your hand as you made your way forward and to the door that would lead you to the next carriage. You hoped in-between the carts until you got to one that was full of yokai, your light instantly going out as you shoved past the different animals, your mind counting the carts until you got to the one that the rat was on. 

Your eyes narrowed into slits as you prowled the train car, the different species of animals barely even noticing you as you tried to find the plum colored outfit that shouldn’t blend this easily in the row of dull colors. And then you saw it, his tail barely peeking over behind someone. You hid within the shadows casted by the passengers and the purple-wearing rat was in your sight. Your hooves gripped around the pistol and pulled it out, the barrel of it digging into his back.

"Did you really think you could get away from me that easily?” You asked, the stiffness in his posture brought pleasure to your heart. 

Danny looked at you through the reflection of the glass, your red shirt and jacket were scruffed up and the once holeless jeans now had a horizontal tear across your knee. The few tufts of hair that was on your head were whipped lashed and the fur on your face was tangled within themselves. But you were steady on your feet and the gun that dug into his back was handled in a tamed manner. 

You were surely different than the police officers he usually had to deal with. 

“Me? Wanting to get away from you? Never,” he purred to your reflection and you squint your eyes at him. You push yourself in front of him, the gun now lowered to your thigh but still pointing towards him. 

“Now, you listen to me, darling,” you whispered to him, your voice joking around the word darling. “When we get off this train, I am putting your hands in cuffs and taking you to jail. Got it?”

Danny crossed his arms over his chest, “I don’t even get a five-second headstart?”

“You didn’t give me one.”

“Touche.”

You felt skin under your fur relax and you leaned against the pole across from him, the bronzed tunnel foggy behind you as the atmosphere between you two went heavy and silent. 

 “How did ya get on here, anyway?”

You looked at your reflection in the window and how much of a wreck you looked like and you used your free hand to untangle the clumps of fur. 

“Oh, I just intersected the railroad and then hop on,” you said nonclonently, your fingers combing through your short hair and then turned to see the rat yokai staring wide-eyed at you, one singular eyebrow raised. 

“What?”

“You jumped onto this train?”

“Yes?”

“Wow, what a woman you are.”

A pretty blush pranced against your face and you instantly turned away, hoping that your chocolate-colored fur would hide the redness. You were used to men joking to you, you knew the slang in their voice when they did it. But Danny didn’t have that, he never had that when you talked to you. 

Why was he always polite to you? Most criminals would be hollering curse words like there is no tomorrow.

You remembered one of the multiple lessons in your college class for becoming an officer. A lawbreaker will try to persuade you or flirt with you to find a way of getting out of being arrested. Still, it felt good for someone to compliment you on your hard work for once. 

Your father’s image splattered in your hand and for a split second you closed your eyes, pushing the brooding memory out of your head. You opened your eyes to find Danny watching you, his eyes studying you as you came back to your surroundings. 

He has no control over you anymore, Shiki, get over it. No one controls you.

“You remind me of my father.”

“Why thank you.”

“It wasn’t a compliment, Dastardly.”

“Is that why you’re trying so hard to get me?”

Maybe. Maybe I just want to be told I did something right for once.

You both arrived at the new station, the sigh overhead in the train cart you were in said that you were near the Battle Nexus and the Crying Titan. As the horde of animals shoved past you, you made sure to keep your gun up against Danny’s back as you led him out of the train and away from wandering eyes. Once behind of the pillars you cuffed him, the irritating ring of the metal cuffs caused both of your ears to twitch. 

“No running? No cursing?” You asked, your hands gripping the cuffs behind his back. The tall rat gave a shrug.

“I know when I’ve been bested, and how can I be mad if it's from you?” You pushed him forward and he let out a light chuckle as you presented him to the citizens of the Hidden City.

And the way the public stared and how some families scooted their children away was a confidence boost you needed as you shoved him along, his small grunts barely reached you as you took him up and through the train station until you both made it to the exit. 

It was nighttime when you both made it out of the train station, the already once dark city was now pitch-black, the hanging lights looking like fallen stars. The buzz of life was barely a whisper as stores started to close and the awakening of nightclubs replaced it.

You could see your breath dance in front of you as you continued to force Danny onward, the yokai’s who boarded with you were now heading back to your homes. You thought about calling backup and didn’t have to endure the long walk ahead, but you didn’t want to disturb the station, along with you didn’t anyone take this credit. 

It was silent between you two, and whenever you would almost trip on Danny's tail he would look back with a shit-eating grin. 

Why did you find criminals handsome? Of course the one trait you got from your mother was similar attraction.

“Down here, this alleyway will get us to the station faster,” you ordered, your grip on him forcing him to turn down one of the ghastly alleyways, the bricks covered in graffiti and grime.

“If you just wanted to be alone with me, all you had to do was ask, sweetheart,” Danny chuckled, the desire in his voice almost made you stop in your tracks, but then you stepped right on his tail as payback. 

“Whoops,” you snickered, a smile playing on your lips as you saw his painful expression.  

“Wowza! I’m guessin’ that cops play dirty as well?” He breathed out, his tail swishing back and forth to forget about the pain.

You then came to a full stop, your ears twitching as you finally took in your surroundings. You were used to the silence of the dead part of town, but this was too quiet, as if the animals of the city were in hiding. You looked around the enclosed space you were and then started to hurry the rat ahead. 

“Whoa what’s with the hussle, toots?”

“Something isn’t right, we need to get out of here. Now.”

And then you saw the pair of glowing eyes down the pathway, the blue orbs blinking and the pupils flipping into thin lines as the creature spotted you and Danny. 

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the famous Dastardly Danny,” the voice purred, and a large white tiger walked out of the overshadow, his thin tail curling against his back. 

“Been a long time old friend.”

Danny let out a groan and a small ‘tch’ under his breath. 

“Good to see ya again, Liam, how's the business doing?”

“It was doing brilliant until you and that ridiculous group of yours ruined it.”

You looked up at Danny and then back at the tiger yokai, your hand pulling out your laser gun and aiming it at the white tiger known as Liam. 

“You are interjecting with official business, walk away or I will shoot,” you stated, and then two more yokai joined Liam behind him. You felt your eyes grow wide with fear as a wildebeest yokai and a fox yokai fell into line with their boss, their claws and hooves shined in the dimly lit alleyway. 

Did bad luck just run in my family?

You slowly backed up, your hand clutched over the middle of the handcuffs and you tried to focus in on the scruff noise Danny’s shoes made instead of the peering eyes that looked at like you were a meal. 

“Officer, if you run now, we won’t bother you. We just want Danny,” Liam said, a large paw went over his chest where his heart was placed. 

A thousand thoughts charged through your head as you gazed up at Danny, who almost seemed to lean in front of you like a shield. You could give Danny to them, you could try to take all of them down, take Danny with you, let Danny go and both of you run. 

Anger singed through you. This isn’t how this was supposed to go! You were supposed to get the bad guy, bring them to jail, and be the police officer you wanted to be! The cop you needed to be!

You kept good yokai safe, you kept innocent animals alive and took down the villain in the story, but now, as the gun shook on your hands, you took aim and shot at the men as you pushed Danny out of the enclosed space. 

“Go!” You ordered and continued to shoot at the three criminals, the agile yokai’s quickly dodging the hot bullets. One of the bullets landed in the fox’s shoulder and you sprinted towards them to dodge Liam’s attack and then to knee the horned yokai, your foot then came into contact with his stomach as you spun, sending the male henchmen into the bricked wall. You turned to continue to shoot, but a large hand wrapped itself around your throat and gun and pinned you against the rigged wall, the points and curves digging into your back as Liam’s claws dug into your neck.

“Will any of your fellow officers miss you if you were gone? What about your family?” He questioned, his nails broke past your skin and you could feel the warm liquid stain his hand. A yelp escaped your lips and your legs lifted up to kick him, but the fox held you down. 

“Because with how stupid you act, I can’t believe that anyone out there would care about you.”

You didn’t even realize the tears that were falling down your face until your fur went completely damp on your face. 

Your vision started to get blurry and stars started to sparkle at the corner of your eye, and then a loud grunt came from white tiger strangling you and the claws released you. 

You wheezed for air as your body slid down the wall, your eyesight barely coming back as you listened to the violent grunts of fighting. Your hand was still wrapped around your gun, the strain in your hooves started to pinch your nerves.

“Come on, is dat your best hit?”

Danny?! Danny came back to help? He didn’t run? What kind of criminal is he?

As your vision started to clear, you could make out the figures in front of you. Danny was quick on his feet, his body easily dodging the punches and kicks the yokai’s threw to him. But he was losing, the blood that soaked his suit and his nose, along with his hands still being cuffed. Your throat burned but you took aim anyway, shooting the wildebeest in his chest, sending him flying back. 

The three men looked back at you as you rose up, coughs still escaping your mouth as you checked how many rounds you had left.

 The rat was at your side as you both were cornered against the wall, dry coughs still raging out of your mouth as he looked down at you. 

“Y’know, it would be easier to fight if I didn’t have these around me,” he stated, his hands raising up, the metal shackles showed signs of digging into his fur. 

“I already let you go, you’re the one who decided to come back.”

“You’re pop didn’t seem to teach ya manners.”

“Oh my- fine! Fine!”

Before the last two yokai could attack, you took the keys out and unlocked his cuffs, the metal material falling to the ground as Danny rubbed his wrists, a cat-like smile growing into his face.

“Now the fights even.”

Danny picked up the fallen cuffs and curled them into his hand, punching them in Liam’s face as you continued to shoot at the fox yokai, his fast and quick body dodging almost every shot. But his shoulder was weak from the last shot and when he pounced you lifted the butt end of the gun and slammed into his injured shoulder. The orange mammal let out a yelp and your elbow went into his stomach, and then a fist in the face made him flip backward and plant face first into the ground. 

One down, one more to go. 

Danny ducked as the white tiger swiped at him, his claws tearing into the bricks behind him and almost into the rat’s hat. A growl ran its way through your throat and you shot at the tiger, one laser point going into his back, his body rapidly moving away, his icy eyes landing on you. A low snarl rumbled in his neck and he punched Danny down the alleyway, the large crash echoed back towards you as his body and trash cans came in contact. 

You swallowed the lump in your throat as you continued to shoot at Liam, and then the clicking of an empty slot reflected throughout the area. 

Of course.

The white tiger charged then, knocking the gun out of your hands and you stumbled away, your arms raising up to dodge the hits he threw. But he was a tower compared to you, you had to face guys like him in the academy, but this was your first fight alone. You ducked as another hit came towards you, fear became power as you decided to strike. Your hooves swiped at him, the curve cutting into his cheekbone, and then another one into his stomach. 

Liam let out a roar and his claws went into your leg, the razer-like talons dug into your jeans, quickly breaking past the fabric and into your fur and flesh. A scream raged through you as the nails shredded into your leg muscle and then with a long and antagonizing slowness, he threw you to the side. You could taste the salty blood in your mouth and your leg was feverish and wet, with the loss of air and blood, your vision once agains went blurry. The night was cold against your damp fur, and before you blacked out, all you could think about was your father, and how he was right about you.

You were a failure.

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

You woke you with a start, sweat pouring through your fur as you blinked several times to take in your surroundings. You were on someone’s couch, the black leather under you was worn and old. You took in the apartment around you, the grey walls were dim against you and the area seemed to be clean, seemed.

A hiss of pain passed your teeth and you looked down, your jeans were completely cut off until it was to your wound, which was now bandaged and cleaned. Your neck still burned and it was wrapped as well, the calmly ointment stuck to your fur. A bottle of water and medicine laid next to you on a stool and a blanket was curled around you. 

Where am I? What happened to Liam and Danny?

You tried to lift yourself up, but the pain that blasted from your right thigh brought you right back down. Shouldn’t you be in a hospital, not in someone’s apartment?  Then you heard it, the small chatter of voices in the room next to you and you went for your gun, but it was gone. You checked your whole belt and everything you had packed for this hunt was gone. 

Alright, whoever touched me is done for. 

You looked around and saw the coffee table stuffed with medical gear, ranging from antibiotics and pills. You spotted the scissors that were used to cut your bandages. You lifted yourself up on your elbows and let out a shaky breath and leaned over to the wooden table, the tip of your hooves barely grasping the blade before you completely rolled off the couch. 

A violent grunt came out of your throat and your hand went to your side, the row of bruises under your fur ached against your body. 

The voices went still and the patter of footsteps rushed into the room with you, your free hand going for the scissors and hiding it under yourself. 

You watched with half-closed eyes as four pairs of legs came into view, your head felt hot with fever as someone helped you up and back on the couch. Through the lights of the ceiling you could barely make out the figure that felt against your forehead. 

“How ya doing, doll?”

“Danny?”

The significant details in his face came into view as he smiled down at you, his tall figure no longer in a suit but in a regular t-shirt and pants, a few wraps were around his arms as well. 

“Ohhhhhh, I would have rather been beaten to death,” you groaned as you placed your hands over your eyes, the urge to scream out weighed heavy in your lungs. 

“Well that’s a weird way to say thanks.”

More anger bubbled in your stomach as you recognized Loathsome Leonard’s voice, so that meant the whole Mud Dogz group was here, and that you were in their home. What will your boss think if he finds out? What would he do to you since not only did you let the Mud Dogz get away, but you were wounded and taken to their hideout. Maybe you wouldn’t get to leave, maybe they wanted to get rid of you so you no longer bothered them. 

You opened your eyes with a sigh. 

No, if they wanted you gone, if Danny wanted you gone he would have left you on that street, he wouldn’t have brought you back here, he wouldn’t have bandaged you up…

“Okay, who ripped my jeans?”

A female cat came up from behind the ogre, her thin tail swishing back and forth. 

“Sorry about that. But it was the only way to get to your wound without undressing you. Also I’m the one who stripped you of your weapons, Danny’s orders that no guy touched you,” she said, her eyes going over the medical table, her eyes narrowing. 

You felt a large pressure release from your shoulders that a girl looked at you, even if she was working with other criminals. The cat yokai looked over at Danny and then eyed the table, his eyes following hers. That pressure was replaced with panic as you pushed your back further into the couch, the cold blade digging into your shirt.

“Luckily for you, that leg didn't need stitches. They should heal on their own time with proper care daily. ”

“I know.”

The brown cat raised an eyebrow and walked past you and to the kitchen, her eyes flicking over you as if you prey. 

“Okay, little piglet, then you don’t need my assistance anymore.”

You puffed out a gust of air and placed your hand over your wounded leg and groaned as the long gashes moved under your touch. Leonard and Mickey looked over at Danny and he gave them a curt nod and they followed the feline into the kitchen, their bodies disappearing. The rat was about to follow, but your voice stopped him in his tracks. 

“Why?”

He turned back to look at you, to look at little and weak you. But you held yourself strong up on your elbows once again, the sweat dripping from your eyebrow showed the strength you were using to get yourself up. For a while, Danny just believed that you were just another cop, too dumb to notice and too native to care. But you were persistent, you chased him down with every last tooth and nail you had, you jumped onto a bloody train to catch up to him. 

You were unique. You were stubborn. You fought for what you wanted.

 So, when you left him go to save him from Liam and his gang, he knew he had to come back for you. When Liam sank his claws into you, Danny took him down and carried you back to the Mud Dogz apartment, instantly calling up Leonard’s feline friend to patch you up. 

He knew about the scissors under your back, but he sat on the end of the couch from you, his body relaxed against your paranoid one. 

“Why what?”

“I’ve been chasing after you for months. You know it, and yet, you’re nice to me, you make jokes when your life's on the line. And when you had the chance to run, when you had the chance to get rid of me once and for all; You didn’t. What kind of criminal are you?!”

The rat’s tail twitched and he gently leaned towards you, his eyes interested in the words you were spilling out. You went stiff under his gaze and you fully lifted yourself up, your back now leaning against the armrest of the couch. 

“You said I reminded you of your father, is he a criminal as well?”

You clenched your teeth in your mouth and you crossed your arms over your chest, the blade you sat on now was calling your name to pick up and attack. You were talking to a felon, someone who broke laws and ruined yokai’s lives, but his file came back to your mind. He never stole from the poor, he never hurt anyone, and he reminded you nothing of your father. 

“Yes, but I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

The luminosity of the ceiling lights appeared over you as Danny took in a full look of you. You were pretty, gorgeous even, your dark coffee fur shined brightly in the room, the outline of your fur dusted with gold. He wouldn’t admit that he found your snout and the few tufts of fur on your head cute, nor that he found you attractive, but he would admit that you were unlike anything he had ever known. 

“You seem real conflicted, doll. Something on yer mind?”

You let out a breathless chuckle as you looked up at the light.

“You are so different from what I was taught to go after. My father, other criminals, I’ve watched yokai’s kill for money, I’ve watched families be torn by murder. My father was the same, but you, the Mud Dogz, are not. They don’t teach you that there are different criminals.”

You balled your hands into fists and held the tears that were trying to build back. 

“But I can’t rise to the top without following orders. I can’t get the respect I deserve without taking out the criminals I was trained to hunt for! And since I failed at protecting my mother and siblings from my father, a bloody criminal, I guess I feel like I need to save the city from criminals! But who are even the criminals anymore?! Yokai like you or the ones who step over me like I’m nothing!!”

You were gasping for air now, the blade now in your hands, every muscle in your body pushed against the tip of your hooves as you held it with every fiber of your life.

“That tiger was right, no one sticks around me when things start to fail.”

 You wondered if the other members of the Mud Dogz had heard you, but for once you didn’t care. You were failing, just like he said you would, the years you trained to become better, stronger than most was worth nothing in this moment. 

Danny hadn’t moved a muscle as your panic sizzled over you like an electric wave. The conflict that seemed to control you was something he hadn’t seen from other officers. Most broken animals were because of a missing or abusive parent, and to hear that you had to become the hero for your mother and siblings made more sense with how unbreakable you were, but you were already broken so many times that there was nothing left to break.  

“Do you feel like yer doing that?” Was all he asked. 

“Doing what?”

“Saving people, helping the city?”

You were quiet for a second and you rested your head on your stable knee. 

“….No.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m being told to go after men like you, when real criminals are getting away.”

You then flipped the scissors over until the handle faced Danny, the tears gone and a newfound determination in your eyes. Danny gave you a smile and took the blade. Danny felt something in his heart twitch when your hand lightly touched him, the hard crack of your hooves and the softness of your fur. But he ignored it and threw the weapon onto the table

“ I will put you in a prison these days though, Dastardly Danny. I’m the type to not know when to quit.”

“If it’s you, then I’ll be honored.”

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

You woke up the next morning sore and uncomfortable.

After you and Danny had your chat, you were given your weapons back and the feline cat led you out of the apartment blindfolded. You were skeptical at first, but the sheek cat stated that it was that so then the cop standing in front of her wouldn’t know where they lived. It was a few minutes of walking until she untied it from your eyes and gave a wave goodbye after handing your black jacket back. 

“I cleaned it and patched up a few holes in it.”

“Oh! Ah, thank you.”

You wondered if you would see that cat again, but if she hanged out with the Mud Dogz, then you beat every dollar in your bank account that you would. 

You went straight home and fell asleep, and then called off work once you were awoken by your alarm. 

Yet when you called, the pride in your boss’s voice was noticeable.

“Good job with the arrest last night, I’m guessing you’re taking the day off due to injuries?”

Arrest? 

“The arrest?”

“Liam Asad and his gang. They had been terrorizing store workers for weeks now.” 

You then got a notification on your phone and it was a message from one of your colleagues, you opened up the message while your boss mumbled on about it and saw that Liam and his two other goons were tied up out front of the police station, a note with your name on it stuck against the ropes. 

Shiki Chibana.

Your mind jumped back and forth with confusion and you went back to talking to your chief. 

“Anyway, good job again, Miss Cibana, enjoy your day off, you deserve it.” And then he hung up. 

You were still staring at the image of the yokais tied up when your room went silent. The mammals were beaten to hell, the blood stains from either fists or your laser pistol, and the penmanship on the paper wasn’t your handwriting. You recognized it instantly on every Mud Dogz calling card you studied.

You rushed as quickly as you could to get your jacket on, barely even seeing the piece of paper that flew out of it. You limped over to it once you spotted it and picked up the crumbled paper, coffee stains dotted against the sides.

“I’ll be carrying the torch for ya while you believe you’re failing.”

A little heart was curved into the word ya as you read Danny’s handwriting over and over, your hooved thumb brushing over the word torch. 

What did it mean? Danny used so many slanged words that you hardly knew what he was saying half the time. 

He turned Liam in, before you even had the heart-to-heart to him since you had this letter in your jacket pocket. You looked out your studio window and opened it, taking in the crips air and the busy sound of the city below. You continued to reread the letter over and over, your lips unknowingly curling into a shy smile. 

You weren’t afraid to admit when you were wrong, and maybe you were wrong about Danny. Or maybe you were just into bad boys with soft hearts. 

[suite43]

"Shadow Striker! C’mon, get a move on!" Flamewar called, promptly jumping off the roof as she finished speaking.

Shadow Striker smirked, standing over the blue and white autobot, who in turn was staring up at her with a little bit of fear and a little bit of awe in her wide blue eyes. Shadow Striker leaned down close to the autobots audial fin, whispering.

"Better luck next time, I suppose."

Strongarm did not have time to process a response as the back end of the Riser's massive gun slammed into the side of her head and left her unconcious on the rooftop.

She woke up to Sideswipe kicking her in the side, not hard enough to break anything that wasn't already broken but hard enough to hurt goddamnit. She rolled over with a groan, finding one wrist cuffed to some structure or other, and her weapon missing, almost definetly taken by those brutes from the night before. Damn.

"-ngarm! Primus, Strongarm, did they knock your brain out or something? Helloooooooo?" Sideswipes annoying-ass voice faded in as her audial systems rebooted and she pulled herself up as much as she could.

"When did you get here?" She grumbled.

"Oh, like an hour or so ago."

"And I'm still cuffed because?"

"I thought it'd be funny," he said. "Got bored of waiting for you to wake up, though."

"Right. Where's Prowl?"

"Had, uh, 'more important concerns'. Bumper's with him, they're trying to track these Rise chicks. Javelin's downstairs, though, taking stock."

"And you're on babysitting? Figures."

"I know, right? When is that asshole gonna let me do something cool?"

"'Cool' isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Wanna trade? I'd love to get my ass kicked by some Risers."

"Tell that to my broken ribs," Strongarm muttered. "Now untie me, idiot."

///

Strongarm did not leave her shift early on account of any injuries. She would never dream of it. No, she was dismissed by her senior officer after giving an adequate description of the prior evening's events, and sent to a medic for minor repairs, who in turn insisted that she spend the next few days on bedrest. It was orders. She didn't have a choice.

That didn't make the hours upon hours of sitting around with nothing to do any less agonizing. Playing with her cat and idly switching between the three TV channels she got could only keep her busy for so long, and her mind kept drifting back to the night before.

It was circumstance that Strongarm had been there at all, really. She'd been in the area following up on something or other when alarms started blaring and the call was made. She pursued, and found a group of (presumably) Risers bickering over which of them was stupid enough to trip the alarm (Strongarm's money is on the two-wheeler. She seemed twitchy.). Among them was the known Riser and scary as hell Shadow Striker, brandishing a massive blaster, presumably from the weapons cache that had been broken into a few weeks prior.

Strongarm had no intentions to engage with a group of four incredibly well-armed and dangerous criminals, with only her small, non-lethal pistol, her lacking hand-to-hand combat skills and absolutely no knowledge of what backup, if any, was coming.

Unfortunately, Strongarm is not built for stealth, and Shadow Striker was very perceptive.

Strongarm plays the fight in her mind over and over. Shadow Striker had notoriously impressive marksmanship. She could've just shot Strongarm and been done with it. But she didn't. The more she replayed it, the wide shots and simple mockery, drawing Strongarm closer and closer, an incredibly powerful kick to the side of the chest, the shoving and running and chasing drawing them up to the roof where Shadow Striker finally seemed to stop playing with her food and go for the kill, it all seemed like it had been a game.

She had had Strongarm disarmed and completely overwhelmed. She had dug her heel into the plating of her chest, pointed the barrel of the gun right between her eyes, a small, satisfied smile on the stoic brute's face. Strongarm felt absolutely certain she was going to die.

And yet, she hadn't pulled the trigger. Non-lethal head injury only.

Better luck next time, I suppose.

Better luck next time.

Strongarm couldn't get the sound of it out of her head. The low rumble, almost like a purr. The slight brush of the exhaled breath against her fins. The absolute satisfaction that dripped from Shadow Striker's every word.

What the hell did that mean?

///

"You left her alive?" Flamewar said incredously.

"Killing Autobots in the city streets isn't exactly low-profile," Shadow Striker responded flatly.

"Yeah, neither is tripping the alarms," Hyperdrive chimed in. Flamewar shoved him.

"It wasn't my fault!"

Shadow Striker rolled her eyes and let them get to their bickering, sitting back in her usual spot to get to work dissasembling, cleaning, and reassembling her favourite gun.

She took a deep breath, letting herself fall into the familiar rythm of her work, the soft shuffling sounds of moving parts. She could do this with her eyes closed. She often did, in fact. Gathers the mind.

That Autobot. She could've killed her. Wouldn't have felt too bad about it. But when was the last time anyone had put up such a fight? Shadow's reputation preceded her, just a mention of her name got most rational 'bots running the other direction. Absolutely nobody smart would try to fight Shadow Striker alone, much less with three others there. And absolutely nobody landed a punch.

It wasn't for any skill the Autobot had had. It was wild, determined flailing that got her one good, solid hit across the jaw and a trickle of blood from Shadow Striker's nose. She'd laughed, despite herself. Knowing what the autobot was capable of made the rest of it much more fun. And she supposed that meant she owed the bot something of a reward. If, y'know, not killing someone counted as a suitable reward for... well, for anything, really.

Shadow wasn't quite sure about that. But she was certain, if the dull ache in her jaw was any indication, that she was looking forward to next time.

///

Strongarm found herself leaping at every mention of Rise activity for the next few weeks. She spent all of her downtime sparring with Sideswipe (who talked a big game but whined like a newlyforged at every dent he got) or Javelin (who never tried all that hard and usually lost within five seconds). She was determined that she would not be outmatched again.

Sideswipe told her it was a case of bruised ego. Strongarm told herself it was a desire to bring the Riser to justice. But she couldn't help but wonder if it was something else that made her stomach flip and her spark skip a beat every time she thought about her.

Perhaps it was fear? Disgust? Anger? Frustration?

Something like that. Surely.

Regardless, despite her best efforts, Shadow Striker always managed to outpace her. Always one step ahead, whip-smart, adaptable, experienced, and all around incredibly skilled. Strongarm had no chance.

She was stubborn, though, and she didn't quit. And, every time she saw Shadow Striker, she got her ass royally kicked.

Something was different this time, though. For starters, Shadow Striker was alone. The big warehouse out on the fringes of the city only had the one life sign, and a quick scan confirmed that there were no other visible mechs. Shadow sat casually atop a big metal crate of goods, idly examing her weapon, miming shooting it at things with a bored expression. Strongarm kept close to the shadows, behind a stack of boxes, determined to get the element of surprise.

"Oh, good, I was beginning to think you hadn't found the little clues I left you." That was different, too.

"Oh, come on!" Strongarm rolled her eyes. "You can't tell me your hearing is just that good. It's not possible."

"I set a tripwire around the perimeter. I was pinged as soon as you came in. You should pay more attention, Autobot."

"Pay attention to this!" Strongarm chucked the blade in her hand at Shadow Striker, who smirked as it grazed just past the side of her helmet, clattering to the ground. She set the gun aside and cracked her knuckles, getting ready.

"Right to it then?"

"Why, you have somewhere you'd rather be?" Strongarm threw a punch, Shadow sidestepping her without even trying.

"Mmm, no, I don't think so." She slammed her elbow into Strongarm's back. "Trust me, this is the most exciting part of my week."

"I could say the same," Strongarm said. "Can't take too long, though, I'm going to have a lot of paperwork to fill out when I bring you in."

Shadow Striker huffed out a laugh as she stepped out of the way of another blow. "You'll have to catch me, first."

The two continued in their fight, until Strongarm was on her back, pinned by Shadow Striker's weight holding her arms above her head.

"You're getting better," Shadow Striker muttered between breaths, voice low and close to Strongarm's audial. "You're strong. You have potential. Why not use it for something worthwhile? You'd make such a pretty Riser, you know."

Strongarm paused for a moment, her processer stalling on that last bit. Had she just been called pretty?

She shoved it out of her mind and jerked her head up as hard as she could, crashing her forehead into Shadow Striker's nose, the purple mech pulling away with a hiss of pain as a small trickle of energon dripped out, and Strongarm used the moment of weakness to flip the two of them over, pinning the slender warrior under her own weight.

"Don't get too comfortable. Arrogance makes you stupid," Strongarm grinned, just a little smug.

"Agreed." Before Strongarm could even blink Shadow Striker had pulled her arms free from Strongarm's grip and shoved the autobot off of her, stepping on Strongarm's chest to jump back up on her crate, grab her weapon, and climb up the pile of crates and shelves to one of the large windows near the top of the wall. "See you next time."

And then she was gone. Strongarm cursed, slamming one fist against the ground, hand clutching her side. God damn.

///

They saw each other again a few times, the banter and routine becoming familiar, Strongarm getting better and better at predicting where Shadow Striker would be and what she would do.

She did not ever predict that she'd see the Riser climbing through the window into her kitchen in the middle of the night.

"What the hell?! What are you doing here?"

"Didn't know where else to go," Shadow Striker muttered through clenched teeth. "Couldn't make it back. Too many eyes."

It was then that Strongarm noticed Shadow was clutching at a wound on her side, a cloth pressed up against it, absolutely soaked with energon. Her eyes widened as she tried to figure out what the fuck she was supposed to do. This was a criminal, in her apartment, where she had no right to be and how had she even found it in the first place and how long had she known the address? But it was also an injured Cybertronian, in need of help, and Strongarm felt like she had a duty. Shadow Striker needed to go to a hospital. Strongarm wasn't a doctor. But if she went to a hospital, well, she'd almost certainly be arrested. Which was... Strongarm wasn't sure how she felt about that. That was a bad sign.

"Do you have a clean towel?" Shadow Striker asked, snapping Strongarm out of her dumbstruck silence. "And a first aid kit. I can do the rest."

"I... Yeah. Yeah, I do." She went and gathered supplies, bringing them back to the kitchen, where Shadow Striker was peeling the old rag off of the wound, revealing a huge gash on the side of her stomach.

Shadow waved her over, taking the first aid kit from her hands. She was giving herself something of a patch job, but Strongarm couldn't take her eyes off the way her hands shook and the way her face twisted in a wince at every motion, jerky movements doing a rather shit job of fixing anything.

"Give it to me," Strongarm said. Shadow Striker gave her whatever passed for a skeptical look at the moment. "Just tell me what I need to do. I'm a quick learner."

Shadow sighed, handed over the tool she'd been using, and talked Strongarm through getting her to a point where she wasn't dripping blood and everything seemed more or less stable.

"This'll do. We have medics, when I get back they can do something properly."

"Where's 'back', exactly?"

"Ha, you're not getting anything out of me that easily," Shadow Striker muttered, still holding her side, voice exhausted.

"Well, it was worth a try." Shadow hummed in agreement, eyes closed, leaning back against the wall, still sitting on Strongarm's countertop. "Are... when are you leaving?" Strongarm asked.

"Whenever the heat dies down a bit."

"You know I'm technically 'the heat', right?" Shadow shrugged.

"Go ahead. Call your boss. I'll be halfway out of the city faster than Prowl can flip a table." Strongarm rolled her eyes.

"Eat something before you go, you sound exhausted."

"No. M'not taking your rations. Sentinel keeps you low enough on fuel as it is."

"You lost a lot of blood. If you leave like this, now, you'll probably pass out before you can get anywhere." Shadow Striker just huffed.

"Suppose I'm staying the night, then."

"What?"

"Kidding," Shadow laughed weakly. "My boss'd kill me if I spent the evening at an autobot's. Unneccessary risk and all."

"And I'd almost certainly be fired, or worse, if anyone found out about this."

"So it's our little secret then."

"So it is. And so's this," Strongarm said, handing her a small cube of energon. Shadow looked like she was going to protest, but evidently thought better of it, and took the cube.

They stayed there, talked for a bit, and eventually Strongarm was able to coax Shadow Striker into moving to the couch, which honestly wasn't a huge improvement from the countertop but it's the thought that counts, she supposed. Strongarm didn't intend for Shadow Striker to fall asleep there, and she guessed Shadow didn't intend for it either, but she looked strangely serene and Strongarm couldn't bring herself to disturb her. She left the lean purple mech there, trying not to stare too much at the way her strong features looked so delicate like this, her lips parted just so as puffs of breath slipped in and out, her red eyes shut softly, twitching and muttering as she dreamt.

Strongarm tried to ignore the fluttery feeling in her chest, and went to bed. Sleep was fitful, but when she heard the soft tread of someone sliding through her bedroom door quietly, she did her best to pretend to be deep in recharge. A hand traced delicately over the plating of her arm, across her inner wrist, tracing delicate cableing up her forearm and to the bulky armor of her shoulders, and she tried to stay still, even when that hand reached back down and intertwined slender fingers with Strongarm's own and a figure bent down to press a kiss to Strongarm's cheek, the ridge of her nose nuzzling softly against the warm plating as Strongarm tried so, so hard not to move and scare Shadow away, even as her spark was beating out of her chest.

After a long moment, Shadow Striker pulled away, letting out a long sigh, muttering a quiet what have I gotten myself into? under her breath, and Strongarm couldn't help but feel the same as Shadow Striker walked away.

When Strongarm got up for work, Shadow was long gone. When she came home from her shift, there was a cube of energon on the coffee table, labelled with a note.

Let's call it even. - SS

[amerrierworld]

Wicked

Marvel (Thor Ragnarok) oneshot

For anon 

Summary: Thor sets you up on a date with Hela, and everything seems to go well until old high-school ‘friends’ interrupt your meal.

Characters: Hela x fem!reader, Thor, former high school friends (I haven’t given them names or too much detail, so imagine whoever you’d like :) )

Word Count: 2,107

Warnings: uh, annoying high school girls?

“Are you sure about this?”

“Of course!” Thor responded, trotting next to you. “Trust me, you’ll love her.”

“Hm, why am I finding that so difficult to believe?” you huffed, pulling at the sleeves of your shirt as you walked down the street. “If she’s anything like her brothers, I doubt I’ll be able to sit across from her without slapping her across the face immediately.”

“Very funny, Y/N,” he responded. “Give it a chance, will you? You’ve been single for forever. And Hela’s been single for, well, eternity.” 

“I can’t help but wonder if this is just a scheme of yours and Loki’s to try and keep Hela off your butts from what I’ve been told.”

The God of Thunder shot you a look as he led you inside a diner, winking at a few passing people who squealed in delight at recognizing him. You rolled your eyes.

As the two of you waited at the front of the diner for your date, you shuffled nervously, hugging your purse tightly.

“Just don’t question her power, you know?” Thor was going on about all the tips he could think of so Hela wouldn’t accidentally kill you and everyone else enjoying their lunches.

“And don’t bring up family, bit of a sore topic that. Steer clear of Asgard and the Avengers, she’s still a little salty about not getting to rule it and such. Oh, and don’t talk about me or our brother too much, she finds us really annoying.”

“I wonder why?” 

“Haha,” he said, bumping your arm. An easy silence fell between you two, and you glanced around to see anyone that might stick out to you as a god.

“What does she look like?”

“Oh, irritating, mostly,” Thor sighed. “Like an absolute pain in your ass, completely incoherent of understanding other people’s lives-,”

“Stop it, you doof,” you said, shoving him lightly. “I’m serious.”

“Right, well she looks a little like Loki- same dark hair, love the colour green. Bit of a copy cat if you ask me. Tall, just as tall as me-,”

“Intimidating, cunning, and absolutely bored to death by her little brother’s dialogue,” a smooth voice spoke up behind you. “Is this her, then?”

You turned around and stared, stunned at the sight in front of you. She was tall, with black boots adding an inch or two so she towered above you. With a tight, dark green tank top hugging her curves and showing off her toned arms and a pair of black leather pants she looked, frankly, delicious. 

You swallowed thickly and blushed as you met her gaze, piercing green eyes framed by a mess of black waves. 

“Hello sister,” Thor said dryly. “This is my friend, Y/N. Treat her nicely.”

“Oh, don’t worry little brother. I don’t bite... often.”

She gave you a coy smirk and you felt your face become even more flushed. Thor clapped your shoulder.

“Right, I’m off then. You two have fun,” he shot his sister a warning look and she smirked back before he was gone.

“Should we find a seat, darling?” Hela began, pressing a hand to your back. You nodded meekly as you watched her. She moved swiftly like a cat waiting to pounce. Either way, her sudden touch on your body sent your heartbeat into a wonderful overdrive as the hostess led the two of you to a booth.

-

“Do you do this often?” Hela asked, grumbling as she scanned the menu.

“What? Dating?”

“No, ordering food like this,” she said. “How are you supposed to just pick one?”

Her dark eyebrows were furrowed intently and you couldn’t help but giggle, making her look up.

“We can split an appetizer first, if you want,” you offered. “You don’t have to just pick one, but it’s not very common to go scrounging on like, three meals at a restaurant.”

She hummed in acknowledgement, her gaze flickering down to the menu again, almost nervously. 

“So what would you like to start with?” you asked. “The calamari is pretty good, unless you don’t like fish? Maybe nachos...”

“What are nachos?”

You blinked at her, stunned once again, but for a completely different reason. This time you burst into full-on snickering that didn’t dissipate for a solid few minutes, with Hela staring at you in confusion until you were done.

“What?”

You patted her hand. “We’re getting nachos. I can’t believe you’ve been on Earth with those two knucklehead brothers of yours and you haven’t ever had nachos.”

Hela was looking at your hands touching before a grin split across her face and suddenly she seemed more at ease.

“Nachos it is.”

-

Your meal with Hela was going wonderfully, which was a surprise for both of you. You steered clear of the advised topics that Thor had told you about, but found that conversation flowed easily enough without it; Hela was more intrigued about Earth and your every day routine than any realm-enslaving conquest she’d ever been on. When Asgard did come up, it was always in passing, or by her own choice, and you listened whenever she spoke of it, holding her hand tightly. 

You learned her favourite colour is green, that she had a pet wolf named Fenris that she couldn’t wait for you to meet and that she’d only been on Earth for a little while, so she wasn’t really sure how to act human around everyone. 

Nodding along, your hands intertwined easily and automatically. Hers were cool to the touch and you found yourself tracing her figure with your eyes as she spoke. The conversation turned to you, talking about your upbringing, and you were eagerly talking to her about your life when a high-pitched, god-awful squeal caught your attention. 

“Oh my god! No way! Y/N?”

Rising from a table a bit further from your booth was a trio of girls from high-school that you’d hardly talked to since graduating. Your stomach plummeted; they were the exact few ‘friends’ that you had during your four years that you avoided after leaving that school behind once you realized how horribly toxic they really were.

Your face paled as you forced a smile on your face, and your fingers suddenly had Hela’s hand in a trembling death-grip. She noticed, eyes scanning between you and the group, silently watching. 

“Girl, it’s so great to see you! How long has it been? God, you look so different than you used to!”

You grimaced and said a weak ‘hi’ to them. You pulled your hands from Hela’s and buried them under the table to wring them together, sweaty and trembling. 

“What are you up to these days? Do you work in the city? I never would have thought you would have made it, you know? None of us could have imagined it in high school! You were always so weird back then, right?”

The same preppy tones, glamour bags and glittery lip gloss stared at you like demons coming to haunt you again. You had been much different than their clique from school, and yet you had found yourself wound up in their drama and constant bickering anyways. 

Through your haze, you made out a clear, cool voice from across you speaking up.

“I’m sure Y/N wasn’t anymore weird than anyone else who went to that school of yours,” Hela chipped in. You came back to reality to watch Hela speak with the leader of the girl group, a loud and pretentious girl who had a way of making everyone feel useless without trying. Yet your date was staring at her with a feline look, waiting for something to happen. 

“And who is this, Y/N? Your girlfriend?”

“I’m Hela, pleased to meet you,” she ignored the question and reached to shake the girl’s hand. In a split second you saw her face contort in an ungodly pain from Hela’s grip. She struggled to pull her hand free and when she did she was huffing, clearly offended. You smirked a little.

“Huh, quite a grip there, lady. Martial arts?”

“No, just a lot of experience killing people.”

The girls chuckled nervously. “What, are you one of those Avenge folk or whatever?” they scoffed, cackling amongst themselves as if they had made the best joke of the century.

“No, but Thor, who spends a lot of time with them, is in fact my brother.”

“O. M. G. What! You know Thor? As in God of Thunder? Like, super-hot blonde dude with a hammer and stuff?”

“That’s the one. Although he seems more fond of Y/N than me, sibling-rivalry and all that.”

In an instant you were bombarded with questions how did you meet him? is he really that hot? god! isn’t he an absolute dream? c’mon Y/N let us meet him you owe us that much at least.

Your heartbeat sped up again and you found it difficult to breathe, clamping your hands together. Your leg was bouncing up and down until you felt a heeled foot press against your calf, rubbing up and down soothingly. 

“If you’d like, I could introduce you much faster you know,” Hela drawled, drawing their attention like a predator playing with its prey. “I can easily summon him if you want to come outside for a second. It’ll be too much of a commotion indoors.”

They were scuffling about like puppies begging for snacks as Hela stood up, towering over them. You felt nervous, wondering what she was going to do but she turned to you and winked before saying,

“Be back in a minute, babe.”

Once you got your bearings again, you shot up from your seat to follow and hurry outside, afraid to find three corpses littered on the street. You hated high school bullies, sure, but not that much.

As soon as you stepped out the front doors, high-pitched screaming erupted from the streets and you watched all three girls scamper for their lives, away from Hela and a massive black wolf that was growling and roaring at them by her side. A shimmering portal was pulsing behind Fenris, and Hela was nearly doubled over in laughter as they ran.

When she saw you approach nervously she stretched out a hand.

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite either, unless I ask him to.”

She gave you the sweetest of smiles and your anxiety melted away. You placed your hand in hers and she pulled you closer to pet Fenris, who nuzzled your palm. 

“Off with you, now,” Hela said, patting the wolf’s head. “You don’t fit anywhere in this world.”

Fenris purred in protest and Hela tutted. “Now, now, I’ll visit soon. Thor keeps telling me if I bring you here they’re either going to hunt me or fear me, and apparently that’s not what the Avengers want right now. Scram now.”

Fenris turned like a wounded puppy and you giggled as he grumbled, before stepping through the portal and disappearing. 

“You alright, darling?” Hela asked suddenly, standing much closer than before, her face inches from yours.

“Y-yeah, I think so. Now that they’re gone.”

“They were absolute bitches, you know that?”

You laughed softly. “Yeah, they’ve always been like that.”

“Were you really once friends with them?”

“Yeah, surprisingly. I was a different person back then, and a lot of things happened that just weren't right. Eventually I locked them out of my memory but seeing them like that; that was the best revenge ever.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Though I’m afraid when Thor gave me a blueprint of ‘typical first dates’, summoning a giant wolf and scaring off old bullies wasn’t anywhere on the plan.”

“Oh, that’s alright. Regular first dates are boring anyway.”

She grinned again, a hand snaking around your waist and pressing a kiss to your forehead. You sucked in a breath.

“I couldn’t let them stand there and belittle you like that, it angered me so much.”

“Hey, at least you didn’t kill anyone,” you said, poking her playfully. “I consider that progress.”

She smiled at you.

“I had a wonderful time, Y/N.”

“Me too,” you breathed, before leaning up and pressing your lips to hers this time. She held you tightly as you kissed, her cool touch making you relaxed and dizzy all over.

You pulled away and brushed your hands through her hair, feeling the soft textures run through your fingers.

“Does that mean a second date is in order? Thor said a first kiss shouldn’t be until the third date, at least.”

“Thor is an idiot,” you mumbled against her lips. “I may owe him one for the best first date ever, but he’s terrible with dating advice.”

A/N: this was so much fun to write! thank you for the anon who prompted this <3 i don’t know about you, but I definitely had some specific people in mind when writing the hs girls and it made me very satisfied to write them running for the hills. let me know what you think folks!

[noladyme]

The Crown Princess of Charming - part 14

Welcome to Charming - its name says it all. Cat needed a fresh start; and though she hadn’t planned on that being in the arms of the crown prince of this little town’s bikerclub - that was what happened. Charming CA would either be the death of her - or a whole new life.

Rated M

Tags (let me know if you want on the list) @wonderlandfandomkingdom​ @edonaspanca​

14

Happy finally went to get some sleep. Jax had forgotten one of Abel’s teddy-bears; and I saw the big guy sneak it with him into the bedroom.

The day passed quietly. I spent most of it curled up on the couch; or pacing back and forth. Honestly, I was surprised I hadn’t made indentations on the floor, from where I walked. Jax was late, and I was worried. Around 3 pm he still hadn’t checked in.

I felt like I constantly had a set of eyes on me. You could say a lot about Happy; but he didn’t follow me to the bathroom, when I went. I literally had to stomp Tig on his foot; to keep him from holding the door open. Once I’d washed my hands; I stormed into the main room; and looked Clay hard in the eyes. “I’m not running, Clay. Stop riding my ass!”. He chuckled. “I only ride one ass. She’d cut off my balls if I took a trip anywhere else”.

I sighed. “Just… lay off me”, I said. “I’m in just as deep as you at this point”. The president stuck out his massive chin at me; and narrowed his eyes. “Why are you still here? Why didn’t you run when you could?”. I grinned at him sarcastically. “When do you mean? After I was drugged? Beat up? Almost raped?”, I scoffed. “Because I love Jax. And I’m the stepmother of your grandson”. Clay seemed taken aback. “Fair enough…”, he said. “Ok. We’ll let you powder your nose in peace from now on”.

I scoffed; and went outside for a smoke. I knew no one would have a problem with me smoking inside – the amount of cigars Clay went through attested to that – but I needed some peace. Bobby followed me. “Really, Bobby?”, I sneered. “You shouldn’t be alone right now”, he said. “I know you don’t see it yourself; but you’re limiting on an anxiety-attack”. “I’m fine…”, I whispered; and tried to light my cigarette. My hands where shaking too much, and Bobby put me out of my misery, by lighting it for me. “Thanks… sorry”. “We all know you’re on our side, sweetheart”, Bobby muttered. “Then why are you treating me like a prisoner?”. “That’s just Clay… being Clay. He’s a hardass”. He lit a joint for himself. “I hear you’re getting married…”.

I smiled for a second. “Yeah… we are”. “When?”, Bobby asked; taking a hit from the blunt. “After… all this is over”, I said. “And after Opie and Lyla. I don’t want to steal their thunder”. Bobby looked at me questioningly. “You’re very… nice”. “Thanks?”, I said with a chuckle. “I just mean, you think about others a lot. Want them to be happy…”.

I shrugged. “Good people deserve good things… right?”. Bobby smiled. “We’re the good guys?”. “I think so… you’ve all been kinder to me than anyone I’ve ever met before”, I said. “What about your family back home? Friends?”. I shook my head. “My so-called friends all seemed to disappear once Kohn came in to my life… And I have no family to speak of”. I took a draw from my smoke. “Except all of you…”. Bobby put an arm around me. “Well… I’m too old to be your brother; but I’ll be your fat, jolly uncle. How about that”. “That works”, I grinned.

A rumbling of engines sounded; and Opie, Juice, Chibs and Jax came up the gravel road – followed by Mike and Quinn; in the van I’d arrived in myself. Jax got of his bike. “Why is it every time I turn my back, one of my brothers has his hands all over my old lady?”, he grinned. He walked up to us; and pulled me into his arms – instantly making me feel safe. “Hey, darlin’. They treating you good?”. “I was just having a smoke with my fat, jolly uncle”, I smiled. Jax furrowed his brows; then shook his head, and kissed my lips. “Let’s go inside. We have some things to talk about”.

---

Moments later we were all gathered in the cabin. Mike and Quinn took the couch; leaving Samcro and me to sit at the table. Jax was seated beside me; not having let go of my hand for a second since we were reunited.

Juice and Bobby had played rock-paper-scissors to figure out who would wake up Happy. The younger biker had lost; and held a bag of frozen peas to his chin – from where Happy had punched him.

Clay struck the gavel; to let it be known church was in session. “I just want to start this meeting, by thanking our visiting friends from the Nomads and Chicago, for being here with us today”. “You know I’ll always have Redwood’s back”, Quinn said. “I’m here for miss Rose”, Mike smiled. “And… Samcro”, he added with a playful smirk. Clay nodded. “Your loyalty to us won’t be forgotten… and we’ll need it”. He looked towards Jax.

“You all know the shit that’s been going on with Cat, and that sack of shit who took her…”. “You killed that asshole”, Piney said. “It was beautiful”, Chibs growled. Jax clenched his jaw. “Yeah… well now I have murder charges pending”, he said. “Stahl is going to use those charges to pull a RICO on the club. Everything we’ve been doing… They can bring us all down. Kill Samcro; and in the exhaust of that, The Sons of Anarchy all over the states”.

There was a murmur of anger in the room. “All of us?”, Mike said. “Yeah”, Clay said. “We can stop that…”, Jax said “I had a meeting with the state prosecutor”. He looked out the corner of his eyes at me. “They’re willing to kill Stahl’s case – if we hand them Nichols”. “Kill the drugs?”, Tig asked. “We voted that in just a minute ago…”. “I know!”, Jax said. “But either we kill the drugs, or we kill the club”.

Clay cleared his throat. “The Mayans are willing to return to our old agreement, if we get rid of our white power business”, he said. “It’s less money… but the way those assholes forced our hand – made us their bitches… They need to go”. Jax sent me a look, and a smile ghosted his face. Reputation over money.

“Is handing them Nichols going to be enough?”, Bobby asked. Jax shook his head. “No… the prosecutor needs something more in return”, he said. “I need to go away on drug-charges; so they have something to override Stahls case against me. Her evidence is weak enough as it is. They promise make the murder-charges disappear”. “Just you, though? Man, you won’t survive alone on the inside…”, Juice said. Clay raised his brow. “That’s the part you all won’t like… tell ‘em, son”.

Jax sighed. “As a show of good will, the prosecutor wants three sons – on top of me – to go away. I negotiated her down from the whole charter – to keep the table alive”. He paused for a second. “We get 3 years for possession… out in one, on good behavior”. I sawllowed hard. One year - it would feel like 100. Jax squeezed my hand under the table. “Shit…”, Tig snarled. “Clay stays outside… Chibs as well – we don’t want his sorry ass deported back to Scotland”, Jackson said. “And Piney can’t go – sorry man, you’re too old to have our backs”. “No complaints from me”, the old man chuckled. “We’ll give Phil his patch while you’re away… his year is up; and he took one for the club with that gunshot to his gut”, Clay said. The men all muttered in agreement.

There was a quiet suspense. Opie, Juice, Happy, Bobby and Tig all looked at each other. “Look, I’m not telling you who goes inside… it has to be voluntarily”, Jackson muttered. “I’ll go… It’s my turn”, Happy said. “And me… It’s one year”, Juice muttered. Tig frowned. “Shit…”, he said. “I got out of it last time. I’m in”. Bobby grimaced. “Now I feel like an asshole…”. Clay shook his head. “Bob; you and Opie have underage kids… Just let your brothers take this one”. Happy patted Bobby’s shoulder. “It’s good, man”.

“And Cat?”, Chibs said. Through the whole conversation, I’d been quiet – trying my best to keep calm, as they discussed which of my new family members would go to jail, with the man I loved. “What about her case?” Jax looked at me. “Stahl wants you in for questioning. She’s planning to use the recordings from your phone, to make you flip on me”. “But I won’t”, I said. He sighed. “We’re gonna let her think she can get us both at once. Me as a murderer and drug mule – which will bolster her case – and you as a witness”, he said. “In stead, I hand the drugs to the prosecutor… but I need your help”. “What do you want me to do?”, I asked.

Jackson turned to face me; taking both my hands in his. “You’re going to lead Stahl of my track; while I deliver Nichols to the prosecutor”, he said. “I’ve had agents following me around ever since I left you in the house; to go deal with the Mayan situation”. Opie nodded. “We had to turn back three times to get here… it’s why we were late”. “I’m gonna meet up with Nichols in one of our warehouses; where I’ll tell him we’ll be storing the drugs”, Jax said. “It’s already set up for the day after tomorrow… but if I have agents tailing me; he’s gonna make a run for it”.

Clay leant back in his chair, and lit his cigar. “What’s the plan, VP?”. Jax smirked – his facial expression sending warm tingles through my body. I told myself to focus. “We’re gonna do a bate-and-switch”, he said. “Stahl knows you’re too important to me, to just leave you behind. When I go to meet Nichols; she’s going to think we’re making a run for it”. “How so?”, I asked. “We’re gonna tell her”, he said. “The bug in your phone. We’re going to get her riled up; and have her send her agents after us”. “So we just… talk about running away?”, I asked.

Jax nodded. “Yeah. Three drivers; one passenger. Stahl will follow us to the warehouse; where we’ll pick up a dummy bag, that’ll look like drugs – and you ride away with Tig; who’ll be waiting in the building for us. We’ll make it seem like you’re still with me. I’ll disappear somehow; until Nichols shows up… you’ll be leading the agents away”. “That’s… some action movie shit”, Opie said. “How can you be sure she won’t know, you’re not the one continuing on with Cat?”.

Jax looked at the blue flannel I was still wearing. He grinned. “I wouldn’t let anyone else ride around with my girl normally. My old lady is going to be a bright, blue flag for them to chase”, he said. “The rest of us will be wearing hoodies and masks”. “And pants, right?”, Tig said. “Man, you think I’m gonna let you ride with my old lady, without your pants on?”. Tig’s face faded into a sulk.

“We’ll nail down two more locations after the warehouse. Cat stays on my bike with Tig; then jumps on with Juice; and lastly Happy”, Jax explained. “At each stop the driver with Cat creates some kind of chaos, for her to jump on to the next one. You spread out, and continue on. In the end, they won’t know which driver to chase. They’ll be too distracted; and use too many ressources to chase you - giving me a chance to focus on the deal with Nichols. Quinn; you and the Nomads will be in the warehouse as well; having my back”. Quinn nodded. “Of course, brother”.

Chibs sighed. “What do you need the rest of us to do?”, he said. “Be pissed… make it seem like Cat and I stole from the club, and are really running”, Jax said. “Happy and Juice were in on the plan – and we were all going north to sell the drugs… I was afraid of getting charged with murder; and asked my brothers to help me and Cat get away”. He lit a cigarette. “Clay; you Bobby, Chibs and Opie end the chase; before the agents get to them”, Jax said. “Cat hands over the bag to Clay…”. “Why?”, Bobby asked. Jax smiled. “Because once the agents realize it’s a dummy, they’ll know for sure you had your hands out of the drugs all together”. Clay nodded. “That way, club business will stay under the radar from the ATF. It’ll be like Jax planned it all on his own… which he did”. He sent his stepson a look. “He takes the fall. Samcro is kept out of it”.

“It’ll give us a bit of breathing room to rebuild our relationship with the Mayans”, Bobby muttered. Jax’s jaw clenched for a second. Muling for the Mayans still made him uncomfortable.

I swallowed hard. “What happens then?”, I said quietly. “After I give Clay the bag…”. He chewed his lip for a second. “You get caught…”. “What?”, I cried out. “Yeah. You give Stahl what she wants, saying you’ll testify in a trial against me. Lowen will write up a document for her to sign; stating she won’t charge you in return for your cooperation. She won’t be able to send you away for anything”. “You want me to snitch?”, I gasped. Jax shook his head. “I’ll already be in the state prosecutor’s custody. There won’t be a trial; so it won’t matter. Tig, Juice and Happy will be joining me, once you’re all back in Charming”.

Juice raised his hand carefully. “You think she’s just gonna let Cat go?”. “She’ll work fast to get you out of town; into protective custody. Cops will stop you at the county border. She’ll have to hand you over to them. Her case will be dead”.

There was a low murmur of chuckling and cursing around the room. “This is crazy, brother… you think we can pull it off?”, Juice. “I know we can… Look, I trust you all with my life. And I trust you with Cats life”. He squeezed my hands.

“You really have it in for this Stahl woman”, Quinn said. “She set Jax up…”, I muttered. All eyes where on me. “She used Kohn’s sick obsession with me… knew he’d go after me; and made sure Jax would try to get me back at any cost. Even murder”. Mike frowned. “Bitch… you’re telling me that fed-asshole kidnapped you; and she knew about it?”. I shrugged. “Can’t prove it… but yeah”, I said. “Before that, she put Kohn in contact with some Nords, who he paid to drug and beat me… she knew what would happen”. Rage ghosted Jax’s face. “We took care of it… she’s the last piece of the puzzle”.

“She’s mine”, Opie said. Everyone in the room looked at him. “You’re not the only one here, that has a score to settle”. Donna, I thought. “Unser…”, Clay muttered. “He’ll be the one to pick up Cat. We only need one cop in a police-car to pull her over”. Jax nodded. “It’s his time… he’s been a good friend to the club; but it’s time to retire”. He looked at Opie. “He’ll look the other way, while you get retaliation for your family”. Piney patted his sons back. “It’s time, boy”.

Clay cleared his throat. “Mike… can you have Chicago hold down the fort in Charming, while we pull this off?”. Mike nodded. “Yeah”, he said. “We got your back. You thinking lockdown?”. Clay nodded. “Just in case white power decides to make a show of force”. “It’s good, man”, Mike said. “But I wanna be there when Opie takes down that agent bitch. She almost had my kid’s favorite teacher killed”. I sent the bearded guy a smile. He winked at me.

Clay sat up straight; looking around the table. “This is a big pill to swallow… for all of us. Take a few hours; think it over. Then we’ll vote”. Chibs shook his head. “I don’t need to think. We do this… for our club; our brother – and our little sister”. He sent me a crooked smile. I blushed. “Ok”, Clay said. “All in favor of going through with Jax’s plan, say aye”. There was a resounding aye from all the men in the room. “All opposed?”. Quiet. “All right”, Clay said, and was about to pound the gavel.

“Wait”, Jax said. “Cat, we can’t do this without you. We need to hear you say it…”. I looked around the table. Every man in the room had just agreed to exact vengeance for what I had been through – some of them would even go to jail for it. Yes; they were also trying to protect their club – their brotherhood – but they had vowed to make sure Stahl could never touch me again. “I’m in”, I said. Jax put his forehead to mine. “Thank you”, he whispered.

“Then we’re good to go”, Clay said. “The day after tomorrow. Clubhouse, at 8 am… Let’s do this”. He struck the gavel; and church was over.

---

Jax and the rest of the club spent the evening planning out logistics surrounding switch-points. To be taken in on possession; the men going to jail had to have some kind of drug on them. I was hauling the dummy backpack. “I got it”, Opie muttered; and went to plant the bag at the warehouse – before going home to Lyla. Piney, Mike and Quinn followed him; to set up the clubhouse for another lockdown.

Tig called a Mayan rep; and managed to talk them in to giving the club half a kg. of heroin to be split between him, Happy, Juice and Jax. They’d be carrying it on their bodies; and get taken in for possession that way. They left soon after his call ended.

Clay left with Bobby, Quinn and Mike – leaving me and Jax alone in the cabin. “Are you ok?”, Jackson muttered; as I was packing up my things. “No”, I whispered. “You’re going to prison for me…”. He was sitting in the recliner in the bedroom. I zipped up my bag. “One year, Cat”, he said. “I’ll be back”. “Why is this so easy for you?”, I asked. “It’s not… I don’t want to leave you… Abel…”. He sighed. “If Stahl manages to pull of RICO… that’s hard time, babe. I won’t see my son – or you – before he’s a grown man… if ever”.

I grimaced. “I’m sorry…”, I muttered. “I’m sorry I came into your life and messed everything up”. Jax stood up; and rushed over to pull me into his arms. “You did nothing wrong, Cat”, he said. “If I hadn’t come… hadn’t given Stahl what she needed to get to you – you wouldn’t be here… you’d be living your life, raising Abel… you could have any of those women hanging around the clubhouse. I’ve been more trouble than good for you”. “Yeah”, Jax said. “I’d spend my days muling guns and drugs; and my nights getting my dick sucked by girls; whose names I’d be too wasted to remember the next day”. He sighed. “And I’d be hating myself… every second of it”. “You shouldn’t”, I muttered. “You’re a good man”. “That’s what you say… And you being who you are – that means something to me”. He put his hands on either side of my face; and looked deeply into my eyes. “I’m starting to believe I can make a difference in my club… be a good father. Because you believe in me”.

“I love you, Jackson”, I said quietly. “I love you”, he smiled. “When I get back outside; I’m gonna marry you”. I grinned. “After Opie and Lyla get hitched. Let’s give them that”. He bit his lip. “Ok… we’ll steal their officiant; and you can grab a centerpiece for a bouquet”. I laughed. “Not what I had planned”, I said.

He looked surprised. “You got plans already?”, he asked. “What; TM? Vows under a lift in the garage?”. “Your mom would kill us…”, I chuckled. “Nah… the clubhouse. Leave the prospects with the dishes”.

Jax grinned. “Deal”, he said; and kissed me deeply. “After that, let’s see if we can get you knocked up. We’ll make some beautiful babies”. My jaw dropped. “Wow… Ok; I hadn’t thought that far”. He frowned. “You don’t want more kids?”, he asked. “Yes! Of course I do…”. He narrowed his eyes. “Mine, right?”, he smirked. “No, Juice’s”, I leered. He sent me a menacing grin. “Told you not to joke about that”, he said. “Yes, sir”, I pouted playfully. He let out a deep exhale. “I should throw you down on this bed, and begin the babymaking right away… show you who the daddy is”. I grimaced. “See, now you’re bringing Tig into it again…”.

Jax laughed; and kissed me again. “Come on; finish up. We gotta get home”. He patted my bottom; and went in to the main room. I grabbed my bag, and followed him. “I still don’t understand why you want us to go home”, I said. “I thought you wanted me out of Stahls hands as long as possible”. He opened the door for me, so we could leave the cabin together. “We need to make everything seem as normal as possible”. He’d brought my new helmet and handed it for me to put on. “She doesn’t think I’m running?”. He grimaced. “Didn’t seem to catch on… She’s been asking Gary down at the coffeeshop about you. Which is good for us. Makes everything seem normal”. I shook my head. “So, where did I go for the last few days?”, I asked. He shrugged. “We’ll figure it out”.

We got on his bike, and began our ride home.

---

About 30 miles away form the cabin, we we’re suddenly followed closely by a dark car. Every turn we took; it was right behind us. Jax squeezed my hand gently; when he felt me tense up. I tried to relax; and held on to him a bit tighter.

The house was warm and quiet when we arrived. Our late-night ride through the forest and down the highway; had me feeling cold through and through – so it was a welcome surprise to see Gemma ready with a pot of coffee. Abel was in his crib; sleeping.

“Clay came home an hour ago”, Gemma said. “Explained the situation”. She looked at her son with sad eyes. “Baby… you really need to do this? What about the baby?”. Jax hugged his mother. “This is for him as well… I can’t go away for murder. And the club would die”. Gemma held on to him for a long time. “One year? That’s walking… maybe even his first words”. Jax frowned. “I know. But if I don’t… I might not see his first anything. Ever”. He sighed. “I need you, ma’. Cat needs you, for what’s coming”. Gemma looked towards me. “She’s got me. They both do”. She looked back at her boy again. “Shit… my son’s getting married”, she smiled. “Clay told you?”, Jax muttered. “You should have told me”, she chided. “It’s been a crazy, few days”, I said quietly.

Gemma waved me over; and dragged me in to her hug with Jax. She kissed both our faces. “I swear, Jackson… I will teach your old lady to cook!”. We all laughed. “Thank you”, Jax said; pulling himself out of her grasp. “Did you bring it?”. Gemma nodded. “It’s in my car. I’ll get it”.

Jax went to the window to look for possible agents staking out the house. “Ok, go. Leave it on the doorstep; and go home. I’ll call you tomorrow”. Gemma kissed his cheek; and left the house.

Jax went over, and took my hand. “You ready for this?”, he asked. I swallowed hard, and nodded. He let out a deep breath; and walked towards the door. “What was that thing, that guy Shakespeare said? All the worlds a stage…”. “And the men and women merely players”, I muttered, and tried to smile.

Jax opened the door; and picked up the bag containing the kitchen towel and my android. He handed the package to me. “Open it”, he whispered. I took a deep breath; and unwrapped my phone. We looked at each other intently.

“Cat, are you sure about this?”, Jax said. “Sure there’s nothing different about the phone?”. He raised a brow at me. I paused for a second; not sure what to say – before coming to my senses “No, baby. It’s fine…”, I said. I knew the conversation couldn’t end like that. “I need it… if Ray calls”. Jax nodded, and smiled. “The principal…”. “Yeah…”, I said. “You really thought it was bugged? Is that why you had Gemma take it?”. “It was probably nothing”, he smiled. “I just don’t want anyone to know what we’re planning… that would be bad”. I smirked. “I’m sorry I questioned you”, I playfully pouted. Jax looked at me in surprise. Good one!, he mouthed; before frowning in jest. “Just don’t let it happen again!”. “What, you’ll bend me over, and spank me?”, I grinned. Jax raised a brow at me. “That’s a promise, darlin’”, he grinned.

He walked into the living room, and I followed him; leaving the phone in the kitchen. “Did you have fun on your girl’s trip?”, he asked. “Sorry I couldn’t pick you up sooner. I had some preparations to make”. I thought about it. “It’s fine. We had fun…”. “Hmm…”, he muttered. He was writing something down on a pad. Lyla’s been shooting for 2 days. Out of sight. I looked at him and nodded. I was getting exhausted; trying to think of things to say; playful or not. Jax noticed my expression; and scribbled another few lines down. Relax. Doing good. Just any other night at the house. He smiled warmly at me.

I swallowed. “We talked about flower-arrangements for the wedding. She’s really excited”. Jax smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure she and Ope will have a perfect day… Too bad we’re missing it, huh?”. I chewed my lip. “Opie’s not in?”, I said.

Jax walked back into the kitchen; closer to the phone. “Nah, he wouldn’t understand…”. He sent me a look. Who, he mouthed. “Who’d you get?”, I said. Jackson smiled. “Juice. Talking to Happy tomorrow”. He put a finger to his mouth; mouthing Tig, to let me know not to mention him.

I heard Abel crying in the nursery; and ran down the hall to get to him – and away from the phone. I picked up the baby; and held him tight. Jackson had followed me into the room; and wrapped me and our boy in his arms. “You’re doing good, baby”, he whispered. “Just keep it up”. “It’s hard”, I answered. “I know…”. He looked down at Abel. He was quickly settling down from being held to my chest. “Shit…”.

He walked into the hallway. “Could you get the kid to shut up?”. I frowned. What are you doing, Jax? “Cat! He’s giving me a headache!”. Abel was letting out little squeaks; and yawning. I put him down in the crib; and followed Jax back to the kitchen. I shook my head at him. What? He frowned. “Have Neeta take him tomorrow”, Jax said. “Ok…”, I said. He sent me a painful look.

I finally understood. “What’s gonna happen to him when we leave?”, I said. Jax swallowed hard. I stroked his hair, and grabbed a beer from the fridge – handing it to him. “I dunno… I guess my mom will take him. Maybe Wendy will want him”. “We can’t bring him?”. He clenched his jaw. “What, on the bike?”, he snarled. “He’ll be fine… I don’t care”.

I went over to where he was sitting – taking his hand. “Ok”, I said; and kissed his knuckles. He took a swig of the beer; and stood up. “I gotta take a piss…”. He stormed down the hall. I followed him back into the nursery; and closed the door behind us.

Jackson was cradling his son in his arms, on the couch. I sat down next to him. “That sucked…”, he frowned. I stroked his cheek. He had tears in his eyes. “I know, baby…”, I whispered. “We know it’s an act…”. “Yeah, but saying the words…”. I kissed his forehead. “Abel knows you love him”. Jax looked at me, and smiled slightly. “He’s my little man, you know?”. I nodded. “Remember why we’re doing this. He’ll thank you some day”. Jax kissed Abel’s head; and went to put him back in the crib.

“It’s late”, I said. “We should get some sleep”. Jax nodded, and took my hand, leading me out of the room. “Do we need to bring it?”, I whispered; and nodded my head towards the kitchen. Jax shook his head. “Not tonight”, he answered. “I’m all acted out”.

We closed the bedroom door behind us, and turned on the baby-monitor. After undressing; we curled up on the bed. Jax wrapped his body around me; holding me close.

“I love you”, he whispered into my ear; his warm breath sending delightful shivers down my spine. “You trying to get some, Teller?”, I smiled. “Always”, he grinned; and pulled me closer. “But honestly; I think the little biker is tuckered out from all the driving I’ve been doing the last few days”. I chuckled. “Sure it’s not all the girls sucking your dick, whose name you’re too wasted to remember?” “Nah, babe. I’m all done with that”, he said. “Besides; you give the best blowjobs I’ve ever had”. I smiled at him. “That’s sweet”, I said. I sighed. “A year…That’s still a long time”. “You could get a vibrator”, Jackson smiled. “What? Wrap it in your cut; and have it lying next to me in bed?” He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know whether the thought of that makes me horny or uncomfortable”.

I felt his penis stir against my thigh. “I think the little biker just answered that question for you…”, I said. He looked down. “You know, I think you’re right”, he chuckled. He rolled over to lay on top of me. “But let’s not call him little again… that was a poor choice of words”. He grinded against my warmth. “I agree”, I smirked.

Jax put his lips to mine; and we spent the next good while tending to both the bikers, and their old lady’s needs.

---

I woke up naked in Jacksons arms. His hand was holding on to my breast; and he was muttering in his sleep – smiling. For a second, I forgot all about the last few days; and what we had coming up. My stomach was rumbling.

“Jax”, I whispered; stroking his hair to wake him up. “You promised me pancakes”. “What?”, he mumbled. “In return for that thing I did… Baby… wake up”. He blinked his beautiful eyes for a few seconds. “Shit… I did. Didn’t I”. I nodded. “I’m hungry…”.

Jackson stretched; and gave my breast a final squeeze, before sitting up. “You make the coffee”, he smiled. He put on some boxers; and went to check on Abel. I pulled on my robe; and walked into the kitchen. My phone was still laying on the table; and all joy left my body.

Jax came up behind me. “He’s still asleep”, he smiled. I looked at him; then gestured to the phone. “He’ll sleep through anything”, I muttered. Jax’s face dropped, just as mine had. The stage was once again set.

“You just about packed up? We leave tomorrow morning”, he said coldly. I closed my eyes, and sighed. “Yeah, just gotta wrap up a few things”. “Good”.

I put on a pot of coffee. “Pancakes?”, Jax muttered; trying for a slight smile. “Not hungry…”, I said. “You gotta eat, babe”, he said. I shook my head. “Can we go out? Once Neeta picks up the kid?”. “No. I gotta finish up at TM”.

I went to the fridge, and grabbed a cup of yogurt; then a spoon. “Ok. I’ll… hang out. See Lyla, maybe”. Jax shook his head. “Lay low. We can’t let anything slip”. He sat down, and pulled me down on his lap. “Look, we’ll talk later, ok? I’ll let you know what the plan is”. I opened the cup, and put a spoonful in my mouth. “I understand”, I said quietly. Jax stroked my cheek; and smiled. “Give me a taste of that”, he said; and grabbed the spoon from me; taking a large mouthful of my yogurt. “You want your own?”, I smirked. “Nah, I’ll eat yours”, he grinned; and took another mouthful. “Hey!”, I laughed. He licked his lips, but missed a smidge of the yogurt on the side of his mouth. “You got something right… there”. I licked it away, and smiled.

Jax kissed my lips gently. “We’ll be ok, baby”. “Yeah”, I breathed.

---

Jax had to leave the house a few hours later, to figure out the last details of the plan. We made it seem like he was meeting up with Juice and Happy; which in reality he was. Tig would just be with them as well.

Neeta would be handing the baby over to Gemma later on; so before he left; Jackson disappeared into the nursery with Abel for a good hour. I decided to give him space to say goodbye; merely dropping in to hand Jax a bottle.

He was sitting in the recliner, cradling his son – tears in his eyes. “Hey…”, I whispered. “I got his bottle”. “Thanks”, Jax muttered; blinking away a tear. I smiled; and left my boys to it. Behind me I heard Jax whispering to the baby. “Momma Cat’s gonna take care of you, son. We both love you so much…”. Once I’d closed the door behind me; I had to take a minute to collect myself in the bedroom

After Jax left, Abel kept me busy. I could pretend to play house when I had him with me. I bathed him; fed him – and sang him old classic rock songs. The chance that our plan might fail, made me very aware that I might never see him again; so I kissed his precious face every chance I got. Neeta picked up the baby at noon; and I was alone in the house.

Act normal, I kept telling myself. I began doing laundry. Dishes. I washed the kitchen floor. Anything I could do to keep myself occupied. My android rang around 7 pm. I was unsure whether to pick it up or not; but when I recognized the number; I decided to answer the call.

“Agent Stahl…”. “Did you save my number?... That’s a compliment!”. I sighed. “What do you want?”, I sneered. “You’ve been out of town for a few days, it seems…”. Yeah, you haven’t been able to hear me through my phone, bitch. “Girls trip. My friend’s getting married”. “Lyla Dvorak?”, Stahl said. “How’d you know?”. How many conversations have you been listening to? “Small town…”, she said. “Look, I have some questions for you, on some evidence I’ve just received… so I’m going to have to ask you, not to leave town for the next few days”.

Jax came through the door with Happy and Juice. I gestured for them to keep quiet.

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere”, I said into the phone. “Really…”, Stahl said. “Ok… tomorrow morning good for you?”. I looked at Jax. “I have plans tomorrow morning”, I said. “I expected as much… When can we talk, then?”. “Just give up, agent. You got shit on me or Jackson”. “Oh, but I do… I’ll catch up with you sometime tomorrow; don’t worry. See you then!”. She hung up. I threw the phone on the counter.

Jax narrowed his eyes at me; and closed the front door with a slam. “Hey babe!”, he said. “Who was on the phone?” “Stahl”. I chewed my lip. “She’s on to us”. I sent him a slight smile. He returned the gesture; and came over to kiss my cheek. “Shit”, he smirked. “That’s bad”. “You sure that phone’s not bugged?”, Happy said; stifling a smile himself. Juice stepped closer to my android. “It shouldn’t be!”, he said loudly. “I sure checked it!”

Jax smacked his brother’s head; and put his finger to his lips. Act normal!, he mouthed. Juice mouthed a sorry in return.

“Don’t worry about that now. Clay might be on to us”, Jackson said. “We need to go over the plan. Sit down… Cat, get us some beers”. “Ok, baby”, I tweeted; acting every bit the obedient old lady. I opened three beers, and put them on the table. Jax grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket, and scribbled down some words. Plan is set. Tig is up to speed. Just listen, and agree. I nodded. “You guys want dinner?”, I smiled. “What… You’re cooking?”, Happy said. “No thanks”. I sent him a putrid glare. He grinned at me.

“I called my mom. She’s taking the kid tonight… and forever after that. She just doesn’t know yet”. “Good”, Happy said. “We can get out clean”. “Yes!”, Juice said loudly. Jax rolled his eyes at him. “Cat, go fix yourself up. You look a mess”. My jaw dropped. Jax scribbled quickly. Sorry. Just pretend to leave. “Let the men talk”. “Ok, Jax”, I said – sending him a deathly stare. I walked to the doorway; leaning against the wall to hear what he had to say.

“She gone?”, he said, looking at me. “Yeah”, Happy muttered. “Good”, Jax said. “I love her, but she talks too much… You both clear on the plan?”. “Yup”, Juice said – having finally caught on to the fact that he didn’t have to yell. “Tomorrow morning. We leave TM together”. “Who’s your girl riding with?”, Happy said. “Who do you think, asshole?”, Jax answered. “Bitch rides with me”. I furrowed my brow; and walked into the living room; knocking over a squeaky toy, to get his attention.

I stomped down the hallway. “I gotta check on something”, I heard Jax say; and he followed me into the bedroom – closing the door.

“What the hell, Jax?”, I snarled. “Why are you talking about me like that?”. He took my hand. “I’m sorry”, he whispered earnestly. “I have to give her something she can use, to try to convince you to flip on me”. I shook my head. “I hate this, so much”. He pulled me into his arms; and kissed my forehead. “Believe me; I feel no better about using those words, than how I felt yesterday; when I said those things about our boy… Just, please. Let’s finish this” I closed my eyes. “Ok… You owe me a shitload of orgasms, Jackson!”. He smiled softly. “I’ll deliver. I swear”. I kissed him deeply; and then smacked him across the face. He looked flabbergasted. “I needed to do that”. “Y-yeah”, he muttered. “Can you kiss me again, so I know you’re not mad?”. I chuckled; and gave him a peck on the lips.

He went back into the kitchen; and I followed quietly behind – once again, standing in the doorway. Happy looked at me protectively. “All good?”, he muttered. “Yeah. Just needed to help her find her g-spot”, Jax leered. “For a teacher, she’s not too bright”. I smirked menacingly at him.

“So, we go to the warehouse; pick up the drugs – and haul ass north”, he continued. “I got a buyer set up. We’ll get a good 500 grand. Evenly split, three ways”. “Sounds good”, Juice said. “What was that about Clay?”, Happy asked. “We’ve been going head to head about all sorts of shit. He overheard me talk to my old lady, I think”. “Shit”, Juice said. “What about the drugs?”. “He doesn’t know I’ve already made negotiations. He want’s us far away from heroin”. He sent me a meaningful look. Right. Clay wants nothing to do with drugs. “We should have won that vote”, Juice said. “Yeah, well… we’re on our own”, Jax responded. Keep the club out of it.

“Meet up at the clubhouse; move out – never look back”, Happy said. “That’s right”, Jax said. He made a gesture for the conversation to wrap up. The others didn’t seem to know what to say. I rolled my eyes. “Jax… Baby?... I lost it again”, I said playfully. All three men looked at me with wide eyes. Jackson bit his hand to stop from laughing. “Right boys. Get out”, he said. “I’m laying pipe”.

Happy and Juice left the house quietly; both still still staring at me in wonder all the way out the door.

Jax walked over to me; and we held each other for a moment. I was painfully aware that this would be our last night together for a good while. And I planned to make the most of it.

[patrickstargang]

Luz and the Lights (Owl House fic)

Yesterday felt like a blur to Luz, so much had happened in so little time that it didn’t even register that she fought against the ruler of the Boiling Isles. She woke up like it was any other day. It also didn’t register that Lilith was staying with them now since her first reaction to seeing her in the morning was immediate panic followed by slowly remembering her helping free Eda, taking away her curse, and so on.

After the panic subsided, Luz began the lessons she promised to Eda and Lilith. The two of them- plus King- sat on the couch with a piece of paper and a pencil in front of them. Luz quickly demonstrated the light spell, drawing the symbol on a loose piece of paper without having to think about it. Eda drew the symbol, but the circle wasn’t symmetrical and the lines were not the slightest bit straight.

Eda looked at the paper unamused. She tapped the paper with her pencil. Nothing. She tapped it two times. Still nothing. She tapped it repeatedly with a bit of rhythm to it. Still nothing.

“Am I missing something, I’m drawing it just like you showed me.” Eda kept tapping the paper both in annoyance and confusion.

“Well for one, you don’t really have a perfect circle. And these lines need to be a bit cleaner if you want it to work.”

Eda’s frown quickly vanished, noting just how observant Luz has gotten with the small details of her spells. She flipped the paper over to try again.

“Well kid, it seems like drawing a ‘perfect circle’ comes to you pretty easily”

Luz smiled and shrugged at the comment.

“I mean, I’ve done a lot of drawing in the past so I have some experience. But it might just be young, nimble hands!” Luz followed it up with a little jazz hands movement.

Eda smiled again, focusing back on drawing.

“I’ll ignore that subtle jab at my age.”

Luz then looked at Lilith’s drawing, but she was surprised to see she was still drawing. She was also surprised to see how disheveled Lilith looked. It was like she hadn’t slept at all, her hair was the most unkempt it had been in years. She was careful to make it a perfect circle, the only problem was that more than a minute had passed and she was still working on the circle.

“That's good, but you still need practice if you want to do it quickly.”

Lilith gripped the pencil with extreme intensity. She was coming to the end of the circle, her focus sharpened. But then the pencil broke under her grip. She stared at the broken remnants before she gave up, letting her face slam down to the table in defeat.

“What's the use, if I can’t even do the basic light spell how am I supposed to progress any further. I used to be the leader of the Emperor’s Coven and now I’m relegated to drawing shapes.”

“Hey, at least you're still as grouchy as you were in the Emperor’s Coven,” said Eda with a smug smirk on her face. Lilith raised her head up from the table to respond with a piercing glare, before bringing her face back down.

Luz looked down, unsure of how to help. She could handle Eda’s snarkiness, but Lilith seemed to be in somewhat of a low place. She reached out her arm and patted her shoulder.

“It’s okay, you’ll get it down soon. Just a little practice and you’ll get it down in no time.”

Lilith brought her head back and slowly composed herself again. She looked a little less defeated.

Luz finally brought her attention to King. He held the paper in front of him with a determined face.

“Alright King, show me what you got!”

He handed the paper to Luz. What was on it was a bunch of mostly incomprehensible shapes and lines that slightly resembled someone familiar. She slowly glanced at King.

“It's a self-portrait,” he said with an air of pride.

Luz looked at the paper. Then back at King. And then back at the paper.

“........I love it.”

“I knew you would,” he said as he crossed his arms and raised his nose up. Luz returned the paper back to King.

Luz looked at her new pupils as they got back to practice. It was one thing to be learning magic at Hexside, but it was another to actually be somewhat of a teacher. It was strange to think of the Boiling Isles as home, but it started to feel like that more and more. She still needed to find a way to make it back to the human world, but for now, it seemed that was going to be a while.

Then at that moment, a voice suddenly interrupted the calm atmosphere.

“HOOT HOOT

SCARY GREEN HAIRED GIRL APPROACHING”

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Luz’s eyes narrowed as she tried to pinpoint why that description sounded familiar.

“Wait, green hair? Is he talking about Am-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Hooty squawked loudly as the door flung open. A crutch began to pop through the door as Amity entered the house. She was out of breath, looking around the place with worry in her eyes. Her eyes stopped when she finally found who she was looking for.

“Luz!”

Despite the fact that her leg was broken and that she was using crutches, she rushed right over to Luz and hugged her. This surprised Luz, both for how sudden it was and also that it was usually her that was doing the hugging.

Without realizing it, Amity dropped her crutches and had to hold on to Luz’s shoulders after she was done hugging her. Luz had never seen her like this, she's never seen her as worried as she was at the door, and also as relieved as she was right now. She also noted how tightly Amity was gripping her shoulders.

“You're okay! Well, it looks like you're okay. Are you okay? Did anything bad happen? Did you get hurt? Please tell me you didn’t get hurt?”

Then Amity stopped dead in her tracks. She just realized that she just hugged Luz out of nowhere, which she never did, and was holding on to her shoulders. Her face turned red as she quickly withdrew her hands and balanced on one unbroken foot. It seemed that she was willing to risk falling over on her broken leg than to be embarrassing in front of the girl she liked.

But it didn’t take long for her to be embarrassed again as Luz hugged her back with a hearty laugh. While it caught Amity off guard, it also brought her balance back.

“Amity, I’m fine! It’s great to see you!”

Amity laughed nervously, still trying everything she could to not be obvious. Then Luz’s eyes narrowed again.

“Wait, did you walk all the way over here on your crutches?”

Amity stiffened, just now realizing that she did just that. She was still a bit out of breath, both from the walk and from finding Luz. This sudden self-awareness reminded her to pick them up off the floor.

“Well, when I found out what was going on I contacted Willow and she said that were probably back here. My parents wouldn’t let me leave so I had to sneak out before sunrise.”

Luz nodded intently as she talked.

“So what you're saying is that you DID walk all the way over here on your crutches.”

Amity stiffened again, not sure how to change the subject.

“Yeah, I guess….. But it wasn’t bad, really! It was just a quick stroll! It was nothing, really!”

Amity suddenly read the massive grin on Luz’s face, she knew what it meant.

“You're gonna scoop me up again aren’t you?”

Then Luz scooped her up again.

Amity’s face was now awash in red. She tried to hide it the best that she could while stumbling over her words.

“No, yeah, awesome, this is fine!”

Luz was confused about why Amity was acting so nervous. Must have been from exhaustion.

Luz turned back around to the others, still smiling as if a lot didn’t just happen over the past few seconds.

“Alright, first day of Shape Spell Class is dismissed. Don’t forget to study!”

Eda nudged Lilith to get her attention.

“Let's give them some time to catch up.”

Lilith looked at Amity, lightly surprised. The last time that she saw her, she was preparing to be a part of the Emperor’s Coven. She seemed determined, focused, unwilling to let anything distract her. Now she seemed to be showing a greater deal of weakness since then, she seemed to be much more open now. To her, it was strangely comforting. She didn’t know why, but that was a question for another time.

“Your right Eda, let's give them some space.”

As they left the living room, Luz carefully sat Amity down on the couch. Amity exhaled slowly and then turned to Luz.

“Okay, tell me everything that happened.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

Luz held her chin in thought. It was hard to even begin as it was a somewhat long story.

“Okay, so this is basically what happened……….”

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

“...........And that's basically what happened.”

Amity just froze in absolute astoundment. She raised her hand up trying to collect her thoughts.

“So let me get this straight, not only did you fight with the leader of the Emperor’s Coven, but you fought with Emperor Belos, THE Emperor Belos, and are now a wanted criminal?”

Luz nodded, smiling mostly out of nervousness. Amity covered her face with hands, exhaling louder than before.

“How can you be so calm about that?! Do you realize that you could have gotten yourself killed?!”

Luz’s nervousness subsided, but her smile stayed.

“I can handle it, don't you know I’m not a rookie anymore. I’m a real witch now!”

Luz followed up that statement with a theatrical gesture, but it didn’t seem to phase Amity. Her face was still serious. Luz awkwardly composed herself realizing it might not have been the best time to gloat.

“I’m being serious. You always do these impulsive things and get yourself into trouble, but this is unbelievable.”

“I thought you would have been more upset about me becoming a wanted criminal,” said Luz, trying to make the conversation a bit more light hearted.

“Oh no, I am mad about that too, but that's not important right now. You just recklessly put yourself in danger there and you were doing it all alone. I don’t know what I would have done if you got hurt, or worse.”

Luz could tell that Amity was being serious, more serious than usual at least. It was strange, Luz still remembered when Amity saw her as someone who would never make it as a witch but now she's always trying to help her out. Not only that but she really seemed to care about her. Just like everything that happened yesterday, Luz was amazed at how much has changed.

Luz put a hand on Amity’s shoulder, radiating a warm, reassuring smile.

“I promise I’ll be more careful from now on, okay?”

Amity’s stern look slowly faded, now she was returning the smile.

“Okay.”

“Now it's my turn to be worried, you seriously walked all the way over here on your crutches?”

Amity raised a finger about to protest but slowly dropped it knowing there wasn’t anything she could say to dispute it.

“Your leg’s still busted up, you really should be resting.”

“But I had to know you were okay!”

Luz let out a playful giggle.

“You really are getting soft on me, huh?”

“......Maybe,” said Amity softly.

“Anyways, you really shouldn’t be doing any more walking today. It's a good thing we don’t have school today.”

Just then, Luz’s eyes lit up. She had an idea.

“You could spend the day here! We could do some training and I could show you all the spells I’m teaching Eda.”

Amity thought for a moment on the idea, it was tempting. She returned to her stern face.

“I’m not sure, my parents might be wondering where I am. They might be mad if I don’t come home soon.”

Luz frowned, letting her arms fall to her sides.

“Awwwww, but we could do a slumber party and read the new Azura book.”

Now it sealed the deal for Amity.

“Actually your right, I think I should just stay here for now.”

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

Amity found herself getting lost in the house at night, she didn’t visit as much as she would have wanted so the area was still somewhat new to her. It felt strange staying the night, nothing like what her home life was like. There was a much calmer atmosphere. But on the way back to Luz’s room, she saw something- or this case someone- that brought back that tense feeling.

It was Lilith. She was making her way down the hall but noticed Amity. They both felt that they should say something, but the situation was already incredibly awkward. It was especially awkward since the last time they saw each other it was on a somewhat sour note. The silent unease was broken as Lilith decided to speak first.

“So….are you still training for the Emperor’s Coven?”

Amity didn’t reply, she didn’t feel like talking about it. Lilith’s eyes shifted around nervously.

“You look...different.”

Amity forgot that she was wearing the otter pattern pajamas that Luz lent her. She scowled but it was hard to hide the embarrassment, so she decided to deflect it back.

“Well so do you..”

Now Lilith was reminded that she still looked as messy as she did in the morning. Her hair was starting to look more like it did when she was a kid.

They both stayed in silence again, unsure if they should just leave the conversation at that. But then Amity decided to speak up.

“I heard about what happened with you and Emperor Belos.”

“What are you getting at exactly?”

“How did you do it. How could you throw away your reputation just like that?”

Lilith sighed, scratching her temple.

“Look, the Emperor’s Coven isn’t all that you think it is. I’ve had to sever a lot of relationships to be a ‘good leader’ because I thought I was doing the right thing. But I wasn’t. I wasn’t keeping my position because it was good for the people, I just didn’t know what else to do. There's some terrible things happening up there and I couldn’t let Eda be sucked into it anymore. I wasn’t willing to turn a blind eye anymore.”

After a moment Lilith then chuckled lightly while pointing at her new grey pupil.

“Heh, blind eye. Get it? That was an unintentional pun there…..”

Amity’s usual stern expression turned into one of worry, both about the unethical actions going on within the Emperor’s Coven but also for Lilith’s mental state.

Lilith’s caught on that she still needed to work on her humor and awkwardly made her way down the hall. But before she settled into the night, she spoke from the other side of the wood walls.

“If you take any advice from me, then listen to this. You're better off being a good person than a great witch.”

Now Amity was left alone in the hall. She had a lot of thoughts swimming around in her head. It was only recently that she started to have doubts about being part of the Emperor’s Coven, but this made those doubts justified. It didn’t seem right anymore, now that she knew what was really going on. But more than that, she feared what her parents might think. Her parents always had ridiculously high expectations for her, so what would this mean to them. They were never really the understanding type. Would they see her as a failure?

Luz suddenly popped her head out of one of the doors. She waved her hands.

“Amity!” she said quietly.

Amity was broken out of her daze and made her way to Luz’s room. It was mostly dark except for some of the moonlight coming through the window and the flashlight on Luz’s phone. It was still hard to see some of the room.

“Why is so dark in here,” Amity said. “I thought we were going to read.”

Then Amity noticed a few loose pieces of paper and a pencil on the floor. Her face was puzzled while Luz grinned.

“We can still read, but I wanted to show you how to do those drawing spells. I thought you might like it.”

Amity was curious, Luz showed her the light spell before but she never tried sketching it out for herself. By all accounts it was a basic spell but doing it in this fashion was something new to her.

She put her crutches to the side and laid down on the floor in front of the paper. Luz flopped down and grabbed a pencil. She quickly drew the symbol and showed it to Amity.

“All you need to do is draw the shapes and then tap it.”

Amity gave a determined nod. Luz gave her the pencil as she analyzed the original drawing. She started sketching trying to follow it as closely as she could. When it was finished, she tapped the paper. But no light.

Amity turned the paper over and tried again, trying to be even more precise. She tapped the drawing. Still nothing.

She pouted while Luz tried to analyze the situation.

“Maybe you just need a new way to approach it. Here…”

Luz pulled out a new piece of paper. She took the pencil and laid the tip of the lead near the bottom. Then she suddenly took Amity’s hand and placed it on top of her own. Amity did everything she could to contain herself.

“Try feeling the movements my hands make when I draw the circles, it might be helpful.”

Luz was completely oblivious to Amity turning red again, she was more focused on getting the symbol right. Then she finally drew the last line and tapped the paper.

The paper folded into itself and became a soft, amber light floating upwards. Amity looked up, even though it was still a simple spell there was still something breathtaking about it. Luz’s smile grew as she saw how awestruck Amity was with her little trick. It only occurred to her just then that Amity was starting to see her as a real witch, not as a lesser but an equal.

Amity felt a great sense of comfort around Luz. Even after everything that had happened, even with her doubts about her own future, Luz was still someone who helped give her clarity. It took her a while, but being with Luz reminded her why she wanted to be a witch in the first place. It reminded her of what learning magic for the first time felt like.

They were both enraptured in the moment that Amity didn’t realize she was still holding onto Luz’s hand, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Now where did I put that book…”

[in-class-daydreams]

Parlay (Kuroo x Reader)| Ch. 1

Pairing: Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader (ft. Roommate Kenma)

Word Count: ~1,600

Genres: Fluff, angst if you squint, general buffoonery

CW: Maybe some baby swearing, but otherwise none!

Summary: (Y/N), a first-year student attending Tokyo U, is living with her best friend, Kenma Kozume. Little did she know, her life would be turned upside down after being exposed to Kenma's volleyball teammate and close friend, Kuroo Tetsurou. One wrong move, and the parlay's stakes only get higher each time. 

Chapters: First | Previous | Next

“Bonnie left her spot!” the girl’s voice was bursting with sheer panic as her roommate and close friend frantically flipped between security screens to avoid what seemed to be an inevitable death. Even though she was practically draped over him, he barely registered her full weight on him.

He couldn’t play Five Nights at Freddy’s on his channel now. Everyone had already played it a long time ago and he was sure to get some backlash for ‘copying’ other streamers. Still, any self-respecting gamer should have at least played the game at some point. Unfortunately, he’d had to drag his poor roommate into it, and it turned out that together they had the combined courage of a sugar-free gummy bear.

Kenma elbowed his friend in the side. “Shh! I know!” he hissed at her. (Y/N)’s clammy hands were clamped tightly around his shoulders as she half-leaned over him to get a good look at the screen. Both of their eyes flitted around the screen, focused on scrutinizing each and every visual detail. The screens were dark and his power level was getting dangerously low. He exited out of the security screens to slam the left door on one of the animatronics. As the metal door slammed down, they caught a glimpse of the animal’s unnaturally large teeth and the murderous look in its eyes. Quickly clicking through the security screens once more, the female’s eyes landed on something disturbing. She jumped and slapped his shoulder frantically.

“Close the doors! Close the doors!” she squealed. Kenma quickly checked on the door. The duck was still at the left door and it was eating up his power supply. He was only at 3 a.m., and he was determined not to waste any more power.

The in-game clock struck 4 a.m. and his eyes flitted down to his power level. He paled at the ‘2%’ staring back at him.

“Freddie left his--!”

Suddenly the security screens went blank and game’s lights shut off abruptly. The whole game went quiet as the two roommates stared in horror. The doors raised. Luckily, the animatronic was gone from the left door, but they were sitting ducks in that powerless room surrounded by robots with murderous intent. They sat in petrified terror as mere seconds dragged on.

Just then, the animatronic bear leapt and roared right at the two players, its shrill screaming causing their toes to curl. They clung to each other fearfully at the sudden sight. Soon, the ‘game over’ screen appeared and the room went quiet once again. The pair sat in blank silence for a long moment. After a pregnant pause, (Y/N), slow and unsure, stood up off the floor and carded her fingers through her hair.

“I guess I should get to class,” she murmured barely above a whisper. 

Kenma stared blankly at her. “Okay. Be safe,” he said robotically. 

She tiptoed around the house gathering her school supplies and made for the door a bit quicker than would be considered normal.

“I’ll be back in about two hours!” she called over her shoulder as she tried to hasten away from the apartment as quickly as possible. 

~~

‘Went for groceries. Be back soon. 

030’ 

    She had to laugh. Kenma had started drawing those faces to be ironic and poke fun at her, but now he couldn’t stop. Oh how the turns have tabled.

Even for someone as academically-inclined as her, (Y/N) was exhausted from her advanced calculus lecture. It was a class for second-years and older, but when she’d thought she could handle it. 

“Everyone thinks they’re ‘that bitch’ that can handle it early, but trust me, very few people are ‘that bitch,’ (Y/N),” her cousin had advised. Against her cousin’s advice, she’d signed up for the class anyway, thinking it’d be easy peasy lemon squeezy for someone who did so well in math in high school. Oh how wrong she was! Now she was stressed depressed lemon zest. After dragging herself through the door of her shared third-floor apartment, she was grateful to see Kenma’s cute note upon her return.

Five Nights was still running on Kenma’s laptop on the living room floor. That stupid bear’s freaky metal face grinned back at her. Rather than be stared down by an animated murder bear, she toed the laptop closed and decided that if Kenma didn’t know she’d touched his precious laptop with her “sweaty, unsanitary feet,” he couldn’t be mad at her (truth be told, he had a very hard time being mad at her at all). The damage was done, though, and the teen felt those unblinking eyes on her still.

She thought she’d heard some odd rustling down the hall where the bedrooms were.

‘Come on, (Y/N), it was just a stupid game,’ she thought.

Rather than sprint back out the front door, she decided to go to the kitchen and start on dinner. ‘Lasagna, grilled chicken, noodles.’’ She mentally ran through all the recipes she knew. They had Chinese food the night before, and fried chicken the night before that, but it had been a while since pasta night. Hopefully Kenma would come home with the ingredients she needed. She reached into her jeans pocket to text her roommate, but before she could, the rustling down the hallway happened again. This time, it was unmistakable.

 Her pulse quickened and she fumbled around for the nearest weapon-like object. She wrapped her fingers around a small metal water bottle. Sure it was only about 12-oz., but it would do. She steeled her nerves and crept down the hallway pressed up against the wall like 007. The noise seemed to be coming from Kenma’s room.

“They must have known we’d both be out of the apartment! They could have been stalking us for weeks, oh my god, we don’t even have any valuables, though! What would burglars want with us anyway? We’re in college and our entire budget goes to rent and food! I can’t die over this, I’ve already paid my tuition for this semesterohgodohgodohgodohgod,” (Y/N)’s inner monologue began spiraling into hysterics as she trembled outside her friend’s door. Her legs felt like lead and her arms were frozen up close to her chest. The girl was petrified as Kenma’s bedroom door swung open and before her was a massive silhouette.

Pause. Then she screamed a seemingly impossible sound to achieve with human vocal cords and started sprinting for the door. After nearly knocking a newly-arrived Kenma to the floor, she squeezed him in a vice-like bear hug.

“Geh--you’re crushing me,” Kenma wheezed. In her rapid rambling, he could make out the words “burglar,” “murderer,” and “tuition.”

The first-year patted his friend’s back gently to get her to release him from her crushing grip. She had an unnaturally tight grip for someone of her stature. Behind her, a tall, muscular man with unkempt black hair and piercing eyes strolled confusedly down the hallway.

The Not-Burglar raised an eyebrow. Turning to Kenma he asked, “You didn’t tell her I was here?”

“I did. She’s a bad texter,” Kenma replied while peeling (Y/N)’s arms from their spot stuck to his body.

“Huh? O-oh...my bad,” she supposed she hadn’t checked her phone since before her class started. She held up a finger and reached into her pocket, “But wait! I have this for you instead!” 

From her pocket, she held up a finger heart for her friend to see. The latter rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the smirking male before him.

“Well, (Y/N), this is Kuroo Tetsurou. Kuroo, this is (L/N) (Y/N).”

(Y/N)  seemed to have calmed down, because she replied, “It’s nice to meet you Kuroo-san! I’ve heard a lot about you!”

Kuroo noted the radiant grin she gave him and shook her hand.

“Same here. But I didn’t realize Kenma was hiding such a cutie from me,” he smiled that smile that made all sorts of people weak in the knees.

Desperate to avoid eye contact, the smaller girl’s gaze shifted around the room nervously before finding a target, “Ah Ken-ken! Lemme help you with the groceries!”

‘K-ken-ken..? Never heard that before...’ Kuroo thought.

“It’s okay, I got it,” Kenma continued putting away groceries and ignored the pout she threw his way.

“Kuroo-san, since you’re already here, do you want to stay for dinner? I’d like to apologize for jumping to conclusions earlier,” she bowed deeply.

“I could never decline a special request from such a--”

He shut his mouth at the truly frightening look his best friend shot him before interrupting, “Don’t be a pervert, Kuroo.”

“Ken-ken, you cooked dinner yesterday. I can do it today,” (Y/N) insisted, unable to successfully nudge him out of the way. Kenma was surprisingly strong.

“It’s fine, I got it,” he stopped his preparations just long enough to give her a genuine smile that Kuroo himself had only seen a handful of times.

‘Why is this girl so special to you, Kenma?’ Kuroo wondered.

“Come on! At least let me help! Kenma~  Don’t ignore me!”

‘Now this is definitely a sight I’ve never seen before.’

~~

After dinner, as he was saying his goodbyes and gathering his things to leave, Kuroo concluded that his best friend really had found another person that complimented him as well as Kuroo did himself. This was definitely a welcome surprise. He was happy for his friend, of course, though at first, he was puzzled as to how a simple roommate could have embedded herself so deeply into Kenma’s heart. He pondered that thought for a bit before having an epiphany just as he was on his way out the door.

“Thanks for the dinner (L/N)-san, I really enjoyed it. Treat Kenma well! He’s never had me meet a girlfriend before.”

Halfway out the door, he shot them a cocky, conspiratory grin and strolled out into the night.

~~

A/N: And that’s the first chapter of Parlay! It’s our first fic on this blog and honestly the first fic I’ve ever been even slightly confident in, so I hope you enjoyed. We’ll be updating regularly, so feel free to shoot us a message or an ask if you want to be added to our tag-list. Thanks! <3

- Admin Mango-Chan

 Hello everybody! Thank you so much for clicking and reading this story! There will be plenty of chapters with a lot more action and drama on your way! See you soon! :)

- Admin Kiwi-chan

[imagine-loki]

Monsters and Magic

TITLE: Monsters and Magic

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 87/?

AUTHOR: nekoamamori

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine you’re a vampire who helps the Avengers defeat an evil seethe of other vampires, and Loki befriends you after you end up in their custody

RATING: T 

NOTES/WARNINGS:  Also on AO3 click here

The shock broke in an instant and your legs buckled as your blood spilled and the pain registered.  Loki caught you and eased you to the ground.  You couldn’t think past the pain, gasping for air as your blood spilled and spilled.  You tried to stay still, but it was so hard with now much everything hurt, how the world span.  How shock made time move strangely and gave you images of the scene around you in snippets. 

Thor shifted at the sound of the gun, moving to protect Tom and Chris, trusting you and Loki to protect yourselves.  

Loki’s hands went to your chest, his magic green around them as he tried desperately to heal you.  His hands were soaked with your blood as he worked.  The pain eased a little and your breathing cleared so you were able to focus better on what was going on. 

A man stepped out of the crowd, some large gun you couldn’t identify the type of in his hands.  He was wearing body armor, clearly thinking himself capable of surviving a conflict with the gods.  He gave Loki a look of absolute hate, rage mixed with pain etched in the man’s features.  He addressed Loki directly, drawing Loki’s gaze away from you, though he continued pouring power into healing your wound.  “My wife died in the alien invasion you caused. She died in my arms and there was nothing I could do to save her. Now you will feel my pain as your wife dies in yours,” the man snarled at Loki with such malice and hate.  It didn’t matter to him that you and Loki weren’t married.  You were dating and that was enough.

Rage and fear burned in the man’s eyes as he glared at Loki, glared at you.  He blamed and condemned you just for dating Loki.  Loki glanced between you and the man, trying to decide whether to kill the man who had harmed you or focus on what healing he could.  Healing wasn’t one of Loki’s specialties, and more than a cut or bruise was extremely difficult for him to do at best.  He couldn’t leave you while his magic was the only thing keeping you alive, no matter how much he wanted to kill the man who had harmed you.  “You will regret that,” Loki snarled.  

Thor surged forward, Mjolnir in his hand.  The civilians were safe, so he could help Loki.  “I’ve got him. Take care of her,” he told Loki as he went to safely disarm and subdue the man. 

Loki turned his attention back to you, trusting Thor to deal with the idiot who had shot you.  “It’s alright, dearheart. I’ve got you. Everything will be fine,” he tried to reassure both you and himself as he worked on trying desperately to heal you.

The man with the gun dropped it immediately when facing Thor.  He really just wanted to watch you and Loki suffer.

Asshole.

You hoped there were be a special place in Helheim for him. 

“Loki?” You gasped.  It was hard to see him through the haze in your eyes, but you managed to give him a reassuring smile.  

“I’m here darling. Don’t worry,” Loki soothed.  He pushed his healing magic as far as it would go.  He would push past his limits, past exhaustion, to give you every ounce of strength he could.  He managed to vanish the bullet from inside you, instead of having to rip it back out, which caused much less damage. 

“I love you,” you told Loki softly, feeling a familiar sensation of fading away.  You’d felt that before when you died, when you were turned.

Loki gripped one of your hands tightly in his as he threw his healing magic into you. “Stay with me, kitten.  You have to!” Loki told you, panic in his voice as he tried to hold you to the living realms. 

There was a flash of green light and suddenly another pair of hands were on your chest, glowing just as green as Loki’s.  You tried to focus on who it was who was now kneeling next to you. “Let go now, little Loki, I will heal her. You’ve done your job,” your mother told him gently.  You’d recognize her voice anywhere, but she shouldn’t have been there.  There was no reason for her to have known to come.  You couldn’t say you were upset though, besides Frigga, she had been the strong healer in all of Asgard.

Loki stood shakily, exhausted to his bones, but relinquished the duty of healing you to one who was trained for it.  Loki had been well beyond his skills and abilities to try to heal such a massive wound.  He had barely been keeping you alive.  At that point, only rage and desperation were keeping him on his feet.  

You couldn’t help a small mew as your Loki left you, delirious with pain.  

Tom did something incredibly gentlemanly, and a bit surprising for a civilian.  He knelt on the blood soaked ground beside you.  He took your hand in his, acting as your substitute Loki to keep you calm while your mother healed you.  He looked similar enough to your Loki for the deception and spoke softly and soothingly while your mother worked.  

Thor had the gunman pinned under Mjolnir, the gun well out of reach.  He had started to move back to you to help Loki.  Loki had stood before he could.  “Her mother is healing her,” Loki hadn’t questioned how your mother knew to be there, he just accepted it.  He glared at the gunman, rage sparking around him.  “I have other matters to deal with,” he said and moved to confront the man under Mjonlir.  

Thor nodded and moved automatically to stand with his brother to address the gunman.  To support his brother in dealing with the man who had tried to kill you. 

“You were supposed to suffer like I had!” The gunman protested from under the hammer.

Loki grinned menacingly, darkly.  “I have suffered enough by others hands. My lady has done nothing to deserve your wrath,” he informed the man as magic sparked around him.  “Do not think I will not kill you for trying to take away one of the only things in any of the nine realms that means anything to me,” Loki told him coldly, ice forming around his feet in his cold rage. 

“And my wife had done nothing to deserve your wrath! Neither had I! She died in my arms during that attack! You were supposed to suffer the same fate!” The man protested, pissed that his plan had been thwarted.

Loki’s rage only grew.  “I had no control during that attack! You cannot fault a man who had no say of his own actions,” he didn’t bother telling this moron that he had actually worked behind the scenes and behind the mind control to get the Avengers to assemble and defeat him to keep the stone from Thanos.  “That weapon you saw me use had me under its control too. I had no say in what I was doing. I was a puppet to someone else’s plans,”

The man scoffed in disbelief.  “It was your hands and by your actions that all those people died,”

“Because I had no other choice!” Loki snarled “My life was not mine to control during that battle. I was being used! I am sorry for your loss but I was just a pawn, used by someone else!” Loki had thought this was all behind him, especially after the movie had explained things to the people, had told them of his torture and mind control. 

The gunman was too full of rage and grief to think clearly.  Especially since his plan was killing Loki’s ‘wife’ in recompense. “Best say goodbye to your wife. That bullet went straight through her heart,” the gunman replied cruelly. 

Loki smirked in reply.  “You underestimate the power of Asgardian healers. A stray bullet did little, especially after her mother and I both treated her,” he turned his back on the man and returned to you and your mother.  “How is she?” He asked softly, nodding to Tom in thanks for keeping you calm. 

“With a little rest she’ll be just fine,” your mother replied with a notably malicious smirk.  Your blood had stopped flowing and while your heart was weak, it would heal.  

Loki raised an eyebrow. “What is that look for?” He asked suspiciously.  He was right to be wary of the ladies of Asgard. 

“You surely do not expect a lady of Asgard to sit idly by when faced with her daughters attacker, do you, highness?” She asked in reply, her voice far too innocent and sweet.  

You managed to sit up and were cradled in Tom’s arms with his suit jacket around you shoulders to keep you warm.  You were still loopy and out of it, but alive and relatively well. 

Loki summoned a dagger and presented it to your mother.  “I would not dream of it. A gift, as thank you for helping my love. I know she is your daughter, but I still want to thank you for what you’ve done,”

“Both of you, this is not the place. There are too many witnesses. Let us bring him to the tower to face justice,” Thor urged, being quite reasonable and non-oafish for once.  He knew better than to have the mortals witness the gunman’s brutal execution.  He also knew there would be an execution.  

Lokis sighed. “I hate it when you’re right, brother,” he grumbled.  He moved to help you out of Tom’s arms and into his own. He pressed a kiss to your forehead, relieved you were well enough to stand.  “I’d be happy to teleport all of us to the tower. Brother, would you mind grabbing our guest?” He asked, too politely. He was hiding his rage under the veneer of court politeness.   

“I know you do, but it does seem to happen so rarely that I cherish the moments that I am right and you are wrong,” Thor teased, even as he plucked Mjolnir off the man and lifted him off the ground, dragging him to Loki and the others.  

You were fighting to stay awake and leaned on Loki, not very aware of what was going on around you.  You did manage to give Tom his jacket back.  Or promise him a new one since his was drenched in blood. You weren’t quite sure on that point.  “Loki?” You asked him again, your voice a soft mew. 

“Do you want us to come with you?” Tom asked for himself and the other actors.  He wasn’t sure of Loki’s plans.  

“If you wish to come, you may. It is your choice, but I must get my kitten home to be looked over and to rest,” Loki replied.  He wouldn’t stop the mortals, but wasn’t really inviting them either. “Though I’m not sure you will be seeing much more of us tonight. We have things we must attend to. But you many join us if you want to,”

Tom nodded his understanding. “We’ll stay here and answer the police’s questions,” Tom offered more helpfully. The actors would be very good at answering questions from the police and giving statements. 

Loki nodded his acceptance before he turned his gaze back to your group. “Ready?” They all nodded, except for the gunman, who was being held too tightly by Thor.  Seconds later, you were all back at the tower. “Brother, would you show our guest to the containment cells? I must take Kitten to Lady Natasha to be looked over. Do not start interrogation without me,”  Loki trusted that you would be safe with Nat and she could keep an eye on you while he and your mother were busy. 

Loki scooped you up in his arms to carry you to the medley while Thor nodded and started dragging the gunman to the containment cells.  You laid your head on Loki’s shoulder. “Noodle?”

“It’s alright, kitten.  You’re safe now,” he told you gently and kissed your forehead.  “You’re safe and alive,”

That was all that mattered at that particular moment. 

The man who shot you was likely not to be alive very much longer.

[penmansparadise]

Billy Hargrove Imagine - Something Special

* I DON’T OWN ANY GIFS POSTED* *CREDIT TO THE GIF OWNERS*

Okay, sooo it’s been a FAT minute since I’ve posted something.  Being a full-time college student is just absolute shit.  I know I have so many requests that I still haven’t written, but I needed to get my inspiration to write again back.  I am hoping that I will get to some of the requests while I have this short break before my next classes start up again.  However, I may end up writing another Billy imagine just so I can get my creative juices flowing, so stay tuned.  I really hope that you all enjoy this.  Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!!  

Warnings: Mild language 

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Reader

                                               ____________________

I clenched and unclenched my hands as I stared at the Blue Camaro parked in the driveway. Why Ms. Williams paired me with Max Mayfield, of all the middle schoolers in this rundown town, I had no idea. The stupid “Big Sister” program was straight bullshit anyway, but there I was, sitting in my car perched in front of the Hargrove/Mayfield residence. I blew out a long breath before getting out of my seat and walking to their front door.

Standing on the other side of the wooden door, I could hear Ratt blasting through the house. I tried my best to ignore it as I knocked three times. It wasn’t long before the door flew open to reveal the one person I was hoping would not be present during the visit. Sweat beaded on his forehead, causing his golden hair to stick together. He was wearing a worn white tank top that clung to his toned chest. Without even meaning to, my eyes took in every inch of him.

Billy was what most people called “popular.” Ever since he arrived in Hawkins, he had everyone turning their heads. I mean, honestly, it was hard not to. He quickly fell in with the “in-crowd,” and gained the title of “King of Hawkins.” Billy was the guy every girl wanted, and the person every guy wanted to be. He was the complete opposite of me. I was the quiet, good girl who got paid to write other people’s English papers. I always listened in class and was always home by curfew. Although there were many parties thrown, I was never in attendance. I never once thought for a second Billy would know who I was. But, he did.

Billy raised his eyebrows, and a small smirk fell onto his lips.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Y/N.”

Heat rose to my cheeks as I came back to reality.

“Yeah, well, same.”

Billy let out a chuckle,

“I live here.”

I shut my eyes tightly, completely regretting opening my mouth. I shook my head and brought my eyes to meet his again.

“Right, um, sorry. I know.”

He was amused at my inability to articulate my scrambled thoughts, but he was patient.

“I’m here for Max. I got paired as her mentor through the Big Sister program. We had a meeting today to talk about…girl things.”

His eyebrows rose again.

“Well, Y/N, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Max isn’t here.”

My stomach turned as embarrassment enveloped me. The red hue returned to my cheeks, and my eyes widened. I stood motionless and mute in front of Billy as he watched me.

“Okay,” I finally said, “I guess I’ll just go then.”

I quickly turned to leave and got halfway to my car when Billy spoke again, stopping me in my tracks.

“You could always stay and wait for her. She should be back soon.”

Something fluttered in my chest at his invitation, but I didn’t move immediately. I could see my car sitting on the curbside. It was beckoning me to jump in and drive home. The meeting could always be rescheduled; there was absolutely no reason for me to stay. But, for some unknown reason, I turned to face him. He stood there, leaning up against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. A small smirk played on his lips as he waited patiently for me to make my decision. I let out a breath and gave a nod.

“Okay,” I said before walking into the house.

I took careful steps as I followed Billy toward the couch. The TV, tuned to MTV, blared “Take Me to the Top” by Mötley Crüe. I watched as he bopped around the room, picking up miscellaneous items in a weak attempt to tidy up. A light laugh escaped my lips at the sight of Billy, Mr. Big-and-Bad, dancing around his living room.

“This is a great song and all, but I prefer “Live Wire.” It really shows off Vince’s vocal range, you know?” I said, looking at the photos perfectly placed on the beige walls.

Billy stopped and turned to face me with confusion written all over his face.

“You listen to Mötley?”

My eyes connected with his as I sat up a little straighter.

“I do, actually. I would have killed to see them in concert when they were in Indianapolis. My mom wouldn’t let me go though. She was worried I’d get kidnapped or something.”

Billy’s mouth was nearly on the floor as I spoke. I narrowed my eyes at him and let out a huff.

“Why is it so surprising that I listen to Mötley Crüe?”

He moved himself to the loveseat across from me and plopped down.

“I just assumed that someone like you would listen to lighter music, you know? Like Madonna or something, I don’t know.”

My jaw dropped, and my hand flew to my chest in mock offense.

“Mr. Hargrove, there is quite a lot that you don’t know about me.”

He smirked and placed his arms across the back of the couch.

“So, I am learning.”

The two of us sat across from each other for hours talking about music. Billy was shocked when I told him that I saw Poison live, and even more floored when I told him I flashed Bret Michaels’ bodyguard to get backstage. He laughed when I told him I had a massive crush on David Lee Roth, and I laughed even harder when he said he did too. We were in the middle of debating which Def Leppard album was better when Max finally came through the door.

“You honestly think ‘High ‘n’ Dry’ is better than ‘Pyromania?’” Billy asked.

A smile was spread across my face as I answered with confidence.

“Absolutely! I mean, ‘Bringin’ on the Heartbreak’ is amazing! How could you think any different?”

Billy was about to speak when Max pulled both of our attention to the door.

“Y/N?”

I sprang to my feet, heart beating loud enough for their neighbors to hear.

“Max!” I damn near shouted.

I cleared my throat and took a calming breath.

“You’re back. I’m here for our meeting. You know, for the Big Sister/Mentor thing.”

Her eyes narrowed with skepticism as she looked from Billy to me.

“Right.” She said, drawing out each syllable. “Let’s go to my room then.”

She took my arm in her hand and began dragging me toward her room. I sent Billy an apologetic look before Max slammed her bedroom door shut.

The meeting was longer than I expected. Max unloaded everything on me, something I was not expecting. I tried my best to listen and nod when appropriate, but I could not concentrate. Billy’s perfectly structured face was burning in my mind. From his deep blue eyes, and the way they held my gaze to the way his nose crinkled when he laughed. When Max finally realized I was not fully present, she decided to let me go stating she was tired.

She didn’t walk me to the door, but I didn’t mind. I made my way through the quiet house and to the front door. My heart nearly stopped when Billy grabbed the doorknob before me.

“So, I’ll see you next week at the same time?” He asked with a playful grin. “We still have to decide which Def Lepp album is better.”

I let out a small chuckle at his comment. Against my better judgment, I nodded.

“Yeah, same time next week; I’ll be here.”

He smiled before opening the door and watching me leave. I got in my car, trying my best to hide the wide grin spread across my lips. I gave a little wave before driving off with the thought of seeing Billy again playing in my mind.

From that day forward, it was a routine of ours. I would arrive exactly two hours before my meeting with Max was scheduled to spend time with Billy. We would sit in his room, me on his bed, and him on the floor, and just talk. It started out as small talk. He asked what my favorite color was, and I asked what his favorite season was. As the months rolled on, the conversations got deeper. He moved from the floor to lying next to me on his bed. He told me about his mother and how he tries so hard to make his father proud. I told him about my parents and how suffocating they are by controlling my every move. He told me he doesn’t like to fight, but he doesn’t know how else to express his emotions. I told him that I didn’t want to go to college, but couldn’t bear the thought of telling my parents. Slowly, but surely, we grew closer and closer.

Although our little talks had been going on for months, I still got excited about seeing Billy. When I pulled up in front of his house that day, I saw him waiting on the porch. It was different, but I tried not to look too much into it. Trying to mask the happiness bubbling over inside of me, I sauntered over to him. A wide smile spread across his lips at the sight of me, making my heart jump.

“Hey,” I said more to my feet than Billy.

He chuckled lightly.

“Hey.”

We stood in silence for a moment before Billy finally spoke.

“Can I take you somewhere?”

My mouth opened and closed with no words coming out at first.

“Um,” I began, “Yeah, sure.”

Billy’s blue eyes brightened at my response. He didn’t say anything in return, instead, he took my hand in his, and led me to his car. The feeling of his fingers intertwined with mine sent shock waves through my entire body. He opened the passenger side door for me before rushing to get behind the wheel. His nervous, jittery movements made me giggle. He was not acting like his normally cool and collected self.

In the car, from my peripherals, I could see him stealing glances of me. My heart pulsed in my chest, and I moved my hand to my face to hide my smile. “Faithfully” by Journey came from the radio, and molded with the sound of rubber over asphalt in perfect harmony. The windows were down, blowing the smell of Billy’s cologne and dewy grass into my face. I let myself look in his direction for a moment. His golden hair, whooshing wildly around his face, shined under the late afternoon sun. One hand sat perched on the top of the steering wheel while the other hung lazily out the window. His slender fingers drummed along to the radio. His eyes were glued to the empty road ahead of us. I bit my bottom lip as I let myself drink him up.

Billy turned the car down a dirt road, and shortly after that, we were parked under a large oak tree. There was nothing surrounding us but greenery. Billy got out first, and as I was taking in the view, he opened my door. He took my hand before guiding me to the front of his car. Standing in front of me, he gently placed his hands on my waste. He was closer than he had ever been. I could feel the warmth coming off his tense body. His hands gripped my hips a little before he lifted me effortlessly onto the hood. A nearly inaudible gasp left my lips at the sudden movement. He removed his hands from my body and sat down next to me. His arm brushed against mine, giving me shivers. The feeling of his body close to mine made my stomach tighten.  

In a sad attempt to lessen the obvious tension between the two of us, I spoke.

“This place is beautiful, Billy. How did you find it?”

His eyes never strayed from the tree standing in front of us.

“I was driving one night to clear my mind when I came across the dirt road. It was probably kind of stupid now that I think about it, but I turned down it. I realized it was a dead-end, so I got out and sat for a while. From that day on, when I needed to just get away, I came here. It’s a good place to think.”

I took in the picturesque scenery in awe. With the sun setting, the tree coverage made me feel like I was in a fairytale. Billy cleared his throat, gaining my attention again.

“Can I, um, I need to tell you something, Y/N.”

He was fiddling with his hands, a nervous habit of his that I had picked up on. I gave an anxious nod to urge him to go on. His eyes were looking everywhere, but mine as he spoke.

“These past few months with you have been amazing.” He said.

My mouth fell slightly agape, not sure what to say in return. But, before I could reply, Billy continued in a rush.

“I’ve learned so much from you. Not just about who you are, but also about myself. I’ve learned that I don’t have to punch someone to get my point across, and it’s okay to walk away sometimes. You taught me that being a big brother isn’t as terrible as I made it out to be. Max is actually a pretty cool kid.

“I’ve learned that you love power ballads because they make you believe that people can really be in love. I also learned the hard way that you prefer the wall side of the bed.” He gave a light chuckle as he playfully rubbed the arm I hit months back when he tried to take my side of the bed. His eyes finally pulled away from the grassy roots ahead of us and met mine. He smiled and let out a sigh.

“You really are something special, Y/N.”

My cheeks flushed from the blunt compliment. Billy never ventured down the road of flattery with me before. Something had clearly changed between us. I gave a nervous laugh and waved him off.

“Oh, don’t give me that much credit.”

“No, really.” Billy began, “You’ve made me into a better person. I’m a better version of myself when I’m with you, Y/N.”

His steady gaze held mine as I hung on to every word that he spoke. I could feel the heat climbing up my neck again and quickly averted my eyes.

“Stop looking at me like that!” I said with another nervous chuckle, “You’re making me blush.”

I looked back up to find his eyes still set on me. My hands began to sweat as I held onto my knees for support.

“I, Billy…” I trailed off.

His eyes began to gloss over before he finally spoke again.

“Y/N, I think I’m in love with you, and that absolutely terrifies me.”

My breath caught in my throat at his words. They echoed in my ears and embraced my heavy beating heart.

“Why does it terrify you?”

He ran his hands over his face before running them through his perfect mane of hair.

“I don’t know. I just, I’ve never felt this way before, for anyone. I’ve never known what this could feel like. The only other person I felt genuine love for walked out of my life without looking back. I’m afraid of putting myself in that position again. I’m scared that if I let myself be vulnerable again, you’ll leave just like my mother did. I don’t want to feel that kind of pain ever again, Y/N. I can’t go through that again. I won’t make it.”

“Billy,” I said, placing my hand on top of his, “I’m not going anywhere. Not now, not tomorrow, and not six months from now.”

He moved his gaze to meet mine again. With my eyes glued to his, I gave his hand a squeeze.

“You’re not the only person who has learned new things these past few months, Billy. I used to be a hermit who only left the house to go to school. You taught me how to embrace the world around me. You showed me that there is more to life than just math and science assignments. I’ve learned that taking risks is scary, but dammit it’s so worth it. Billy, you taught me how to live, and you showed me that even I am capable of falling in love.”

My hands were shaking, and this time Billy gave my hand a squeeze encouraging me to go on. I shut my eyes and let out a breath.

“I’ve never felt these feelings before. The way my heart jumps at just the thought of you. Or how your smile makes it hard to breathe. Billy, I’ve never craved another human being before. This is all new to me.”

I opened my eyes and met his cerulean orbs, full of anticipation.

“You’re not the only one who’s terrified, Billy.”

We held each other’s gaze for a moment, acutely aware of the other’s every movement. My heart was racing, and my breathing quickened with each passing second. I felt his hand leave mine, and slowly land on my right cheek. My eyes shut as I leaned into his warm touch. Every one of my senses was on high alert. I could hear his short breaths as he inched closer toward me. I could feel his other hand land softly on my left cheek. I could smell his coconut shampoo as his little ringlets brushed against my face.

Our lips were only inches from one another, and my whole body ached for him to close the distance. His thumbs drew small circles on my cheeks before he finally connected his lips to mine. My hands gripped his toned arms as I melted into the kiss. He pulled me closer until I was practically in his lap. I let my hands wander up his arms until they found the back of his neck. My fingers tangled in his soft curls as our lips moved together in complete bliss.

When he reluctantly pulled away, I was breathless. He moved his hands to my waist and hoisted me onto his lap. Straddling him, I placed my forehead against his and smiled. He gently rubbed his nose against mine, making me chuckle.

“I love you so much, Y/N.”

Tingles washed over me at his words. With a cheesy grin plastered on my face, I leaned close to his ear, and whispered,

“I love you so much more, Billy.”

A low chuckle shook his body as he wrapped his arms around me. He trailed kisses up and down my neck before leaning back onto his hood and pulling me into another passionate kiss.

[sockablock]

Prompt: "You tried so hard, and I am so, so proud of you." Feel free to edit to fit whatever character and/or scenario you might come up with.

Beau wakes up.

First, she notices the sound.

Where before had been screeching blades, roaring flames, the burning of radiance and the groan of a crossbow and the low, rising hums of a thousand angry beetles, all buzzing, all thrumming, all achingly hungry—here, in this moment, in this minute, there is nothing.

There is…almost nothing.

Beau opens her eyes.

She is greeted by the light of a gently-crackling fire. It illuminates a clearing, soft under moonlit sky. The grass has been pushed down where the ashes burn, and a circle of stones surround the glowing logs.

A figure sits in front of the flames. Outlined in embers, lounging against a stump.

It is staring at Beau.

Its eyes glimmer red.

There is a moment, as neither of them speak.

And then a string of curses spills out into the night. Very, very quickly, Beau scrambles to her feet.

“—fuck!” she shouts, throwing her hands into the air. “Fucking hell, seriously? Gods, I can’t believe this. I never thought…I didn’t think…”

Molly drapes an arm across his knees. “Nice to see you too, dear,” he grins. “I’d ask how you’re doing, but…no point, eh?”

Beau mutters another awful swear. She matches his smirk with a withering glare.

“Don’t tell me I’m stuck here with you. My life wasn’t all bad, I can’t deserve hell.”

One of Molly’s eyebrows arcs up. His head tilts just faintly to the side.

“Is that where you think this is? Hell? You think hell’s a tranquil midnight forest?”

“I think hell is wherever you are.”

There’s a pause. Then:

“Touché, Beauregard. You really haven’t got any love for your old friend?”

Beau rolls her eyes, then shuffles forward in the grass. She sits down inches from Molly’s side.

“You motherfucker,” she whispers softly. The tears on her cheeks are orange in the light. “You dumbass. Why’d you have to go and die?”

Molly pulls her in for a hug. She can hear the slow jingle his charms. It has been almost a year since she’d last heard that song.

After a while, they break away. Molly gives her a complicated smile.

“I could ask the same of you. Nice gash across your stomach. Very dramatic. What an exit!”

Beau scowls, mostly out of habit. She presses a heavy palm to the wound but feels no blood, no wetness, no pain.

Her hand is clean when she draws it back up. She sees now, already, her flesh begin to heal.

“Is that…is that normal?” she murmurs. “Did yours do that? Does it mean…am I really dead?”

Molly leans back against the stump. He lets his horns tap onto the wood.

“Ha! How would I know, dear? I’m just as lost as you. Maybe more so.”

Beau crosses her arms. She also lies back. Up, high above, is a mosaic of twinkling stars. The dark expanse of the universe lies beyond.

She doesn’t recognize a single pattern. Strangely, somehow, that’s…alright.

“What do you mean ‘more so’?” she asks. “You’ve been here ages. Shouldn’t you be…I dunno, shouldn’t you be an expert, by now?”

Molly snorts. His jewelry chimes. “Beauregard, you wound me. Who do you think I am?”

“I thought you were adventurous,” she counters. “I thought you always seized life by the balls. I thought you were all about living in the moment and exploring anything and everything you came by.”

Molly watches the stars in silence. He shuffles a little, and the grass below them rustles.

“I suppose we never did know each other as well as we should have, eh?”

Beau considers this. She sees a comet.

“I think…we were friends. I guess that was always good enough for me.”

Molly cracks a very small smile. She doesn’t see it, but really. She didn’t need to.

“Thanks, Beau. I thought so too.”

They lie there in the quiet a moment more, listening to the rhythm of the fire.

Then Beau rises. She glances all around.

“Is this…is this it, then?” she asks. “Is this all there is? I mean…just some woods and a burning pit? Where’s the excitement? Where’s the reward? We were…we were heroes, dammit, shouldn’t we get a little more than this?”

Molly peeks one crimson eye open. He’d never had pupils, but she could tell that he was staring.

“What are you talking about?” he asks.

Beau waves a hand, encompassing the forest. “This!” she repeats, significantly louder. “I’m talking about all this. Or—gods, or lack thereof. I mean…come on! This is the afterlife? This is barely better than the…the life-life! If I wanted to sit around all day, staring into an open flame and listening to nothing but crickets and other shitty bugs, I could’ve just stayed alive! I mean, gods above, I’d really prefer that.”

Then she hesitates, and her gaze darts to Molly. He hasn’t moved a muscle, just continues to stare.

“Er,” she adds hastily. “Er…sorry, I guess. I’m being pretty insensitive, huh?”

There’s a beat as the campfire crackles on behind them. Then Molly sighs.

He shakes his head.

“Well, it’s nice to know that some things don’t change.” He sits a little straighter, and nods beyond the trees. “Want to know a little secret? Just between us old friends?”

Beau raises an eyebrow. “Will I regret it?”

The answer is a chuckle. He points into the distance.  

“There’s actually a town only a few hours’ walk from here. It looks rather lovely. And it’s pretty rambunctious, especially when you get much closer. Sometimes they have fireworks. Usually, they have music. It’s…it actually seems like quite the party.”

Beau raises an eyebrow. She quickly looks him over.

“What the—then…why the hell are you still here? The Molly I knew would’ve jumped at that place. I mean, gods, remember Hupperdook?”

“I do,” Molly answers, and she realizes too late. Still he continues to plow on ahead. “The Molly you knew was alive, dear. Alive and…well, he had friends.”

The flash of weak smile cuts through the quiet night.

“I, ah…I don’t really want to head over, yet. Especially not if I’m going to be alone.”

Beau crosses her arms. “But you’re alone here. Sitting all by yourself in the forest.”

His smile turns softer. His shoulders fall a little.

“You can still be lonely in a crowd, dear. Besides, I mean…you’re here, aren’t you?”

Beau considers this. She lets out a sigh.

“Yeah, well, I suppose that’s true. Fat lot of good that’ll do the others. We were in a fight, you know. A really bad one. With this crazy golem. It threw out a spear, and I ran to protect Caleb, and…I guess I got unlucky.”

He gives her a gentle pat on the arm. “It happens to the best of us,” he says. “Believe me dear, I would know.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

He barks out a laugh. The glimmer in his eyes seems to warm as Beau grins.

“Come on,” he says, gesturing at the fire. “Why don’t you humor me a bit? Stay a little while. It’s been so long. We should catch up! And maybe we could get to know each other a bit better. We didn’t have many chances, before.”

Beau watches the soft, hopeful turn of his mouth. The threads of his coat shine gently in the light.

She’d always thought that thing was too gaudy. Looking at it now, well.

It was Molly’s.

She sits down. She returns to his side.

“Tell me a story,” he murmurs in the moonlight. “Any kind of story. Anything at all.”

Beau makes a quiet humming sound in her throat. She thinks back on her life. She chooses a story.

Then she remembers how long he’d been alone.

She chooses every story.

She tells Molly about her life growing up in Kamordah, growing up on the massive, sprawling Lionett estate. She tells him about the childhood she’d never had, about being forced into lessons and being forced into dresses, about being told she was the heir of a prestigious winery, and how she was supposed to grow up and be a Lady. She told him about getting into fights with other kids, she told him about how she hated being controlled, she told him about the smuggling and the stealing, the being caught, the being discarded, the running away—

She told him how free she’d felt with the Nein. How much she loved them. How much she loved them all.

She told him that they’d been her real family. She told him why she’d left her old one.

She told him about Tori. She told him about the letter.

She told him about her brother.

“I mean…can you believe that?” At this point, the fire before them has grown low. “Seriously…gods, I had a brother? And I…man. I never got to meet him. I never…I guess I never will, huh?”

She stares reflectively into the embers.

“…should I…at the time, should I have tried?” she murmurs. “Should I have tried to go and see him? To talk to him, and…I dunno, to try and speak to my parents again? Should I have tried to…to change? Molly, I hated them, I thought they hated me. But I think…I should have tried—”

And then she’s in his shoulder. His hands gently pat her on the back. Her lungs are shaking and her fingers tremble and she’s crying again, for the second time. In front of Molly. Molly, of all people.

Absently, she thinks that this is probably the wrong tiefling.

But then she remembers everything else. Everything they’d been through, everything they’d lost.

She settles down. Her chest falls still.

“It’s okay,” Molly whispers. “Beau, it’s okay. Whatever happened before, whatever happens now, I…I know there’s a lot that I missed. There’s a lot I don’t know. There’s a lot I’ll never know.”

He leans back, and wipes away a tear.

“But there is one thing that I’m sure of. And it’s that you tried. I know that you tried. You never stopped trying, and as annoying as you were, as bloody irritating as you got, my dear, my friend, you tried so hard. And I am so, so proud of you.”

Beau sniffles a bit. She hadn’t done so in many years.

She’s dead now. Maybe some rules don’t matter.

She uses her sleeve to clear up the rest. She nods at Molly, and tries to match his smile.

“Thanks, uh…yeah. Thanks.”

His grin widens. There’s a little bit of fang.

“Oh, I’m gonna remember this one. I can’t wait to tell the others.”

She rolls her eyes, and hits him on the arm.

“You dick. I hate you, you know that?”

His laughter is everything in the quiet.

“I do. And for the record, I hate you too.”

Beau manages to snort at that. She can feel the dampness drying on her face. She opens her mouth to give a retort, but then, all of a sudden, there’s…there’s a feeling—

It’s like someone had wrapped a string around her heart. And then they’d pulled on it.

They’d pulled hard.

Beau glances down. There’s a sharp intake of breath.

“Molly, I’m—”

“Gods, what in the—”

Beauregard’s body has turned into light. She’s still there, still present, but her form has shifted, it’s becoming translucent and blurry and soft, she’s glowing, she’s vibrating, she can feel something warm—

And then there’s a voice. It’s distant, it’s far. It’s impossibly quiet, but it’s still there, she can hear:

—friend. The…the first real friend that I ever had. I miss her, and…and…and…please. She’s my family. She’s all of our family. Beau, if…you can hear me, I just…I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, I wasn’t there in time—

Molly reaches out.

He takes her by the hand.

He tries to, anyway. She isn’t fully there.

Somehow, this is wonderful.

Somehow, it is terrible.

“Go on,” he whispers, nodding his head. That smile is back, though just a bit sad. “Go back, Beau. Tell them I said ‘hi.’”

She stares into his gaze, pleading, gripping tight, she tries to wrap her fingers around his wrist, like she can drag him, like she can bring him too—

“We never came for you,” she realizes. “Molly, we never—we didn’t—we didn’t think—”

He shakes his head. There was never any malice.

“Those were borrowed years, dear. It’s okay. I’ll wait. I’ve got all the time in the world.”

“But you’re alone—”

A different voice now, low and twangy, pleading all the same—

—my first mate, Beau. I couldn’t have done any of it without you—

“I’m not alone. Not really. I’ve, ah, I’ve been sort of watching—

She shakes her head. “That’s not enough. We’ll bring you back—”

Molly’s grin is gentle. It’s soft.

“Ah, but perhaps this has all been a dream?”

Even at a time like this, Beau can glare. It’s honestly quite impressive.

“You’re a dick, you know that?”

“Takes one to know one. It’s been a pleasure.”

—regard, er…I know we did not get off on the right foot, but over this last year, you have become—

She is nothing but a fading ghost in the light now, almost returned, almost brought home.

She narrows her eyes. She shakes a fist.

“I’m coming back. I promise, I’m coming back. One way or another, I’ll see you again. You fuck. Save a drink for me.”

Molly laughs. “I’ll meet you in that town. Fair enough?”

She nods. Maybe it’s reluctant, but she nods.

“Go out there and enjoy yourself, you bastard. If anyone’s earned it, I think you have.”

She’s almost gone. Her voice is a whisper.

Molly leans back against the stump.

“See you later, Beauregard. But not too soon. Like I said. I’ve got time.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fine.”

And then there is a slow and fading breeze. A quiet shiver in the trees all around.

And then he’s alone again.

Just like that.

A few moments later, he opens his eyes.

The fire has almost completely died. The last tiny embers are growing cold and dim.

The smoke has stopped winding up through the trees.

He glances off in the direction of the town.

Just at the edge of his hearing:

Music.

Very, very slowly, Molly breathes a laugh.

He stands up. He brushes off his trousers.

If he gets going now, he can make it before dawn.

—

if you have a request, my inbox is open! My ko-fi link is in my bio, if you’re feeling charitable

[maddrmatt]

Kairi’s Epic Journey: The Quest for Sora

New to this fanfic? Click here to properly begin!

Chapter 4: The Darkest Dream

Destiny Islands

On the beach of the Play Island, Kairi sat on the sand.  She gazed out to the ocean while occasionally throwing a stick out to the surf.  Pluto ran after the stick and once he retrieved it, he brought it back to her to throw again.

As she continued her game of fetch, Kairi soon noticed something.  There was a glowing light in the sky that was falling toward the ocean.  She stood up and ran to the water’s edge as the light splashed down.  Pluto watched with her.

A moment of silence passed.  Suddenly, a figure broke through the surface of the water. Kairi gasped when she saw that familiar spiky brunette hair.

It was Sora.

‘He’s back!  He made it back!’ thought Kairi as tears of joy ran down her cheeks.

“Sora!” she called.

Sora turned around and saw her.  “Kairi!” he called as he fought through the water toward the beach.

Pluto barked happily as the Hero of Light approached the Princess of Heart.  Once he reached the beach, Sora stopped to take a breath before he looked into Kairi’s eyes and gave his trademark grin.

“I-I’m back!”

Kairi threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder.  “You’re home!”

The two of them just stood there on the shore holding each other.  They both wanted to savor this moment as much as they could.

Pulling away, Kairi gazed into Sora’s eyes.  The eyes that she always adored so much. “Sora, I…”

Suddenly, Sora’s smile vanished.  “Kairi, look out!” he cried.

Without warning, Sora whirled them around and pushed Kairi away.  Though it was unintentional, she ended up falling on the beach.  She barely had time to recover before she gazed up and saw a horrible sight.

Standing directly behind Sora, was a figure in a black coat like that of an Organization XIII member.  It had its right arm raised with a Keyblade in its hand.  With a powerful downward thrust, it slashed it against Sora’s back.

Sora’s body arched forward.  His body started to crystallize.  Soon, it burst into bits and scattered to the winds.

A horrible recreation of Xehanort’s cruelest act only with a reverse of roles.

“Sora!  No!” Kairi shrieked as tears of anguish streaked down her face.  Once again, something, or rather someone, had torn her and Sora apart.

She gazed toward the figure in the black coat with a look of absolute rage.  “Why?!” she screamed.

The figure said nothing.  Instead, it pointed its Keyblade toward Kairi.  With its free hand, it made a gesture as if to goad her.

“Fine!  Have it your way!  You’ll pay for what you’ve done!” exclaimed Kairi as she summoned Destiny’s Embrace to her hands and charged at her enemy with a cry of fury.

Once she reached the figure, she slashed her Keyblade.  The figure simply blocked it with its own.

Kairi made several attempts to land a blow on the figure.  But every time, she was blocked.  As if to mock her efforts, the figure held its free arm behind its back.

‘It’s as if it knows my every move.  Maybe I can surprise it with some magic,’ thought Kairi.

After the figure blocked one more attack, Kairi leapt backward and shouted, “Light!”

A beam of light erupted from the tip of her Keyblade and shot toward the figure.  However, the figure suddenly surrounded itself in a dome of dark energy. The light reflected off of it and soared harmlessly into the sky.

Kairi waited for the dome to dissipate.  She planned to attack the figure the moment it let it’s defenses down.

The dome vanished.  But to Kairi’s shock, the figure was no longer there.  She looked all around for any sign of her adversary.

Suddenly, she screamed in pain as a dark blast struck her in the shoulder. She pitched forward onto the sand.

Kairi quickly turned around to see the figure approaching her with it’s Keyblade raised.  She quickly lifted up her own to block it just as the figure brought down its own.

An explosion of light burst from the point of contact between the two Keyblades.  Kairi shielded her eyes with her free hand.  

When the light died down, Kairi unblocked her eyes and gazed in horror at her Keyblade.  Or rather, what was left of it.

She was now only holding the handle.  The rest of it laid scattered in pieces all around her.

She barely had any time to mourn the loss of her first Keyblade when the figure pointed its own at her.  Now that her rage had been replaced by fear, she finally got a good look at her opponent’s Keyblade and was shocked by both its familiarity and unfamiliarity.

It almost looked like a dark parody of her Destiny’s Embrace.  But it was completely black in color and instead of flowers, it was covered in thorny vines.  The Paopu fruit keychain was cracked in half.

“Who are you?!” she demanded.

The figure just began to chuckle evilly.  The voice sounded eerily feminine and familiar as it raised its free hand to its hood and pulled it down.  

Kairi’s eyes opened wide in horror.  She could not believe what she was seeing.

The hair was pure silver.  The eyes were a deep golden.  The skin was a shade darker.  The mouth wore an evil smile.  But the face was her own.

She was facing what appeared to be her if Xehanort had, against all odds, turned her into one of his vessels like what he did to Terra and tried to do to Sora.

Kairi didn’t know what to do.  What could she do against this Dark Kairi with her Keyblade broken?  She still had her magic.  But without her Keyblade as a conduit, it would exhaust more of her strength than normal.

All of a sudden, the two Kairis heard wild barking.  They both turned to the right and saw Pluto charging at the Dark Kairi with a determined look.

“Pluto, no!”

Pluto leapt into the air with his teeth bared.  The Dark Kairi responded by raising one of her legs and launching a kick to the dog’s stomach, sending him flying in the opposite direction. Pluto whimpered in pain as he landed hard on the ground.

Kairi rushed to the side of her canine companion.  “Pluto, please be okay,” she said as she caressed the side of his face.

Pluto opened his eyes and gave a weak smile.  In spite of the dire circumstances, she smiled back.

“Don’t worry, Pluto.  I’ll make sure that…creature pays for what she’s done.  Somehow.”

Looking up, she saw that her dark doppelganger was gone.  She looked all around for any sign of her. Then she finally caught a glimpse and it was nothing good.

The Dark Kairi was running right toward the entrance of the Secret Place!

“No!  Get away from there!” she cried.  But her cries fell on deaf ears as the Dark Kairi crawled in.

Leaving Pluto where he laid on the beach, Kairi took off in pursuit of her foe.  She didn’t know why the Dark Kairi was going into the Secret Place.  But there was no way she was going to allow her to desecrate that place with her presence, especially after what she just did to Sora.

Reaching the entrance, Kairi crouched downward and entered.  She tried to move in as quickly as possible.

Soon, she came to where she could stand up fully.  Looking ahead, she saw the Dark Kairi standing between the paopu drawing and the door to the world’s heart.  

She had planted her Keyblade on the ground and was leaning on it casually.   With an evil smile, she made a ‘come here’ gesture with her finger.

Enraged, Kairi charged forward with her fists prepped.  She was looking forward to beating the tar out of this abomination who had slayed Sora in front of her.  But before she could even try, the Dark Kairi pushed her hand forward with an open palm.

Suddenly, Kairi froze in place.  She struggled to move but found that she could not.  The Dark Kairi had hit her with some sort of paralysis spell.

With her foe immobilized, the Dark Kairi moved over to the paopu drawing. She gave an evil smirk as she pointed her Keyblade at it.

‘No!  Please don’t!’ Kairi begged inwardly since the paralysis spell robbed her of the ability to speak.  She tried even harder to break out of the spell’s grasp to no avail.

Giving another gaze of sadistic glee, the Dark Kairi charged up a dark magic attack with her Keyblade.  Once enough energy gathered, she blasted the drawing.  Shards of rock burst in all directions and then all that was left of the drawing was a massive gash in the wall.

Tears dripped down Kairi’s cheeks.  Losing her Keyblade was bad enough.  But the destruction of the drawing hurt her even worse.  What had started as simple childhood drawing evolved into a testament to how much Sora and her meant to each other.  Now it was gone.

But apparently, the Dark Kairi was not finished with her vile vandalism. Her attention now focused on the woodcut on the door to the world’s heart.

Seeing her latest project in danger, Kairi once again struggled to break free from the spell.  But it was fruitless.

Instead of using a spell this time, the Dark Kairi raised her Keyblade with both hands.  With a powerful thrust, she plunged the Keyblade specifically in the spot where Kairi’s and Sora’s hands were intertwined.

Having seen two important tributes to her and Sora destroyed, Kairi gazed daggers at the Dark Kairi.  ‘When I get out of this spell, I’m going to tear you apart with my bare hands!’ she silently threatened.

Then dark cracks began to spread throughout the door.  Dark energy began to pour through before the door shattered into bits.

Before Kairi knew it, a massive Demon Tide shot out of the door and streaked toward her.  It pushed her painfully through the tunnel to the outside.  Once it emerged from the cave, it deposited Kairi on the beach and soared off.

Kairi, now freed from the paralysis spell, slowly got up.  She was in a lot of pain.  Summoning all her strength, she managed to cast a Cure spell to banish the pain as she witnessed the Demon Tide soar in and out of the Play Island, destroying everything in its path.

In addition, more dark cracks were spreading throughout the island.  The ground began to collapse, revealing an immense dark void below.

‘No!  Not again!’ she thought.  Then a feeling of dread came over her as she turned to where she had left Pluto.  He was still laying where he was.  But as the ground cracked underneath him, he soon fell into the void and vanished from view.

It wasn’t long until the Islands had completely broken apart.  All that was left was her standing on one of the few pieces of intact land swirling about in a cyclone of Heartless.

Then she heard an evil laugh.  She turned around and saw the Dark Kairi standing on her own piece of land. She had her Keyblade pointed at her with which she unleashed a powerful dark blast that destroyed the piece of land Kairi had been standing on from under her.

“No!” screamed Kairi as she fell into the void.  The Dark Kairi mockingly waved goodbye to her from her own land piece.

________________________________________________________________

?

Hours seemed to pass as Kairi continued to fall into the void. Craning her neck, she gazed downward. But the darkness kept going on so she probably wouldn’t have been able to see any bottom even if there was one.

Suddenly, her descent slowed, and she soon found herself on solid ground.  But still, there was nothing but darkness all around.

“Hello?!” called Kairi.  All that she heard in response was an echo.

“Can anyone hear me?” she called again.

“She was never meant to have a Keyblade,” said a voice from nowhere in particular.

Kairi gasped.  She recognized that voice.  It was Terra’s.  But she never would have expected him to say something so cruel unless he was still under Xehanort’s control.

Then other voices came out of the darkness: the familiar voices of her friends.  And they all said the meanest words possible.

“How right that is.  She just inherited it from me by accident.  I would have chosen someone more worthy,” said Aqua’s voice.

“She was hardly worth Sora putting his heart and mine in danger just to set her heart free,” said Ven’s voice.

“The only good thing that came out of his first sacrifice was Naminè’s and my creation.  Still, what did Sora ever see in her to make such a decision?” said Roxas’ voice.

“The moment someone grabs her, she just freezes up.  All that training together for nothing,” said Axel’s voice.

“I’m ashamed that my appearance is based on the memories of someone so useless,” said Xion’s voice.

“Sora should have let me replace her in his memories.  I wouldn’t have let him down like she did,” said Naminè’s voice.

“She should’ve passed on her Princess of Heart powers to someone who would have made better use of them,” said Mickey’s voice.

“After all that time trying to rescue her and this is how she repays us: by getting our friend killed,” said Donald’s voice.

“She should have just either stayed home or found some other world to hide on and left all the fighting to the professionals,” said Goofy’s voice.

“We should’ve never befriended her.  I’d still have my best friend if it weren’t for her,” said Riku’s voice.

Then Kairi heard one more voice.  It was the one she wanted so badly to hear again. But the words were nothing she ever wanted to hear him say.

“Why did I share that paopu fruit with her? She said to wanted to part of my life forever but she’s the reason it ended.  I don’t know how I could have ever loved her,” said Sora’s voice.

Hearing the voice of her beloved Sora say such cruel words felt like a knife in her heart.  With tears in her eyes, she sat down on the ground and clutched her knees to her chest.

‘They’re all right.  Even if I’ve done a few useful things in the past, they pale in number to how much trouble I’ve caused.  This darkness is where I belong.  No home.  No family. No friends.  No Sora.’

The void was silent except for Kairi’s sobs. No more voices were heard.  But their awful words still resonated in Kairi’s mind.

She had truly reached the deepest depths of despair.

________________________________________________________________

Onto the next chapter!

[bapyess1r]

Sunny Daze

WARNINGS: violence, cursing

Pairings: Team Drake x OC, Sam x OC

Tags: @desertvvitch , @unchartedterritoria, @peakymarvels, @marshmallow--3

Author’s Note: I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far 🥰

Chapter 13

Sunny’s POV

We climbed the massive steps to the tower and I was absolutely in shock. I had only ever seen buildings this tall in New York. And the fact that it was this old made it all the more magical to me. I stood at its rocky, caved in base, shielding my eyes from the sun as I looked up at it. “Fuck I hope I don’t have to climb that…” I said aloud. I didn’t notice I had until a trill of laughter exploded from Sam’s mouth behind me. He thought I was kidding but I was oh so serious about that. “I’m deadass, Sam. I’m not climbin’ that.” I smiled as I listened to Sam continue to laugh at my lack of trust in heights, shaking my head.

“Sam! Come gimme a hand with this.” Nathan called from a little shack with weak wooden doors. Sully and I approached them cautiously as they drove their masses into the doors until they broke open, revealing a dark hallway leading into a staircase. They both take a flashlight off their belts and shine them on the underground darkness. Sam looked back at me, suppressing a smile as I threw my head back. Sully chuckled and patted my back as he entered the dark hall.

“Let’s hope there’s no skeletons in there, sweetheart.” He said as another laugh spilled out. I stalked over to punch him in his arm, snatching the flashlight from his hands and powering down the stairs with the rest. “Ow!” He exclaimed, massaging the spot where he’d been hit and following close behind me.

I walked very carefully to make sure a step wouldn’t break beneath me and shrieked when Nathan fell before me suddenly. Sully put an arm out to stop us from falling too. There was a large chunk of stairs missing halfway through. “Shit- Nathan!” Sam shouted, worriedly.

“I’m good!” We heard him say and I sighed in relief. Sully and I shined a light down below us and it actually happened to be a decent little drop. The old man jumped first. Then Sam insisted on jumping next so that he could catch me. He stared up at me with a small smile as he stretched his arms out to me. I chuckled before letting myself fall into his arms. It wasn’t a big jump and I could’ve done it myself but I just couldn’t bring myself to take away his moment. He set me down as we walked into a dark and dirty room full of empty shelving. Sully and I hung back while the brothers scouted the room and we held a conversation amongst ourselves.

“So uh…. you and Sam, huh?” He asked me as he lit himself a cigar. My heart skipped and I turned to look at him with widened eyes. “Don’t look at me like that, Sunny. As old as they may be, I do have eyes.” He spoke in a fatherly tone. Though my lips parted, words just couldn’t come out. “All…I have to say is what I’m always tellin’ ya, kid. Be careful. Sam’s been away a long time and he’s not the same man I used to know. Things could get kinda hinky.”

“First of all, there is no Sam and I… It was just a kiss… One we didn’t even talk about. We trust each other and so far he hasn’t given me a reason not to.” I told him, crossing my arms as a mosquito bite began to itch on my shoulder as I watched the boys move a shelf over to reveal a bricked over opening. Sully groaned and rubbed his temples as if he were conversing with a hard headed teenager.

“Sunny, I-” Sully began but he was cut off by the sight of the boys taking cover.

“HEADS UP!” Nathan shouted before tossing a grenade at the partially eroded brickwork; a loud bang sounded through the small quarters, sending Sully and I flying back into the wall a bit from the pressure.

“Are you alright?” I asked Sully with worry.

“I’m alright, kid.” He told me, coughing for the harsh smoke and dust that had kicked up in the room. I shot Nathan a raised brow and he shrugged.

“I told you ‘heads up’.” He said simply before entering yet another dark hallway. I made a face before reluctantly following him in. I look over at Sam and he’s quite literally shaking with excitement. This could possibly be it and we were so close. ‘Thank god. I could use a real shower.’ I thought as we approached a gate. As soon as Nathan cranked it even just a little bit open, Sam was racing to crawl under. He ran up ahead of us with an anxious smile.

“And he’s off…” Sully commented as Sam started off into the next room.

“C’mon! Keep up slow pokes!” He shouted before dipping behind a corner. Something was off to me. The deeper we got, the more I began to get those bad vibes.

“Sam, slow down!” I said, running after him like an idiot. It was now occurring to me that one day he might get me killed, running off like this and me going after him.

Almost like it was too good to be true, there was a stairwell spiraling into the floor with Avery’s sigil near it. Sam flew down the flight before we could even step in the room. I hesitated a moment before going down the steps as well. “Sam! Sam, wait up!” Nathan called out to his brother.

“Guys! This way!” We heard Sam shout back, clearly miles ahead of us. We found ourselves going down a stoney, dark flight of stairs and up a mound of dirt that left very little space between it and the caved-in ceiling. We crouched through the opening and slid down a dirt slide. Just as we landed, Sam had dipped around another corner.

“Jesus H…” I wheezed, running forward trying my best to keep up with him.

“He seems excited.” Sully mentioned.

“He’s got a lot riding on this. Just let him be.” Nathan chortled.

“How is it that he can be this big and that fast? That shit defies the laws of nature.” I grumbled to Nathan.

“He was always this fast. I mean always.” He replied as we caught up to him. His lanky limbs slipping through a crack in the wall, a bright light on the other side.

“C’mon!” Sam exclaimed excitedly. And with that, we were slipping into the bright sunlight room. I shook my head with a laugh as I entered the room behind them, looking up at the ceiling that seemed to loom over us greatly with a hole blown through it. Likely some old battle damage. I realized suddenly that we were inside that tower.

‘And I didn’t have to climb a damn thing…’ I thought with a smile, resting my fists on my hips triumphantly as I watched Sam and Nathan gravitate towards what looked like a large stone map. Although I don’t think the boys got that right away.

“Magnificent…” Sully said, marveling at the insides of the largest watchtower on the volcano.

“I’m not seein’ any treasure though.” I sighed. That meant we were far from done with this expedition.

“Nathan! Come check this out!” Sam called out as he looked at the elaborate stone carving. “There’s gotta be a way through here.” He said anxiously.

“Alright, just hold your horses. Let’s take a look… There’s Avery, Thomas Tew…” Nathan’s voice trailed off when he couldn’t remember the other pirates. Obviously Sam picked it up.

“Adam Baldridge, that’s Joseph Farrell, and there’s Richard Want…” He said. Nathan grinned and tapped his brother on the shoulder.

“Pirate captains! I told you-” he gloated.

“Alright, alright. So maybe your little pirate pool theory wasn’t so crazy after all.” Sam smirked as he ran his eyes over the carvings before him.

“So what do you think the trick here is… press a button? Pull somethin’ maybe…” Nathan asked as he examined the statue before him.

“Check the arms.” Sam said, pulling on the stoney likeness of the ancient penitent thief. Sully and I stood back to watch as the two men fondled poor St. Dismas with an amused grin. I coughed to interrupt their moment and they both turned to look at us.

“When you boys are done feeling up the poor man, why don’t you step back and actually look at this thing.” Sully chuckled.

“Can’t always be the brains…” I smirked as the boys took a few steps back to where we stood.

“The trapezoid is obviously the volcano.” Sully began. “The crown, that’s King’s Bay…. We got ourselves a map, gentlemen… and Sunny.” I snorted as I, too, marveled at the stoney depiction of the land. Sam gave a chuckle and stared in wonder.

“Victor, you’re a goddamn genius.” He said. Sully seemed to perk up and patted Nathan on the back.

“Ha! You hear that, Nate?! Genius.” Sully chuckled, pleased by the compliment. I watched the men work out where we needed to go next, using a coin that we’d found from a trial in Scotland when we found the map of King’s Bay. They narrowed it down to two towers but the image on the coin was kind of faded so it was hard to tell which one actually contained the treasure. As I listened, I walked around the room, admiring the handy work of these pirates. They were so ahead of their time. That’s when a familiar smell crossed my nostrils. Cigarette smoke. I looked back at Sam and he wasn’t smoking at the moment. I obviously wasn’t smoking…

“Sully,” I called out as I picked up the filter, still burning just a tad. The group turned to look at me a moment. “You didn’t happen to… start smoking cigarettes by any chance?” I asked cautiously.

“No….” Sully answered. And at the moment all of us knew exactly what was about to happen. I tossed the filter and ran to the group, pulling on my gun and my knife.

“Ah shit.” I grumbled, taking a good look at my surroundings.

“Looks like we’re not the first ones here…” he said in a low tone as they began to draw their weapons as well.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” I heard from above us. And just like that, the ceiling came crashing down with a massive explosion and a shootout ensued.

We cleared at least two waves of mercenaries before the fight stopped. I leaned against a slab of stone to catch my breath. My arm stinging a bit from a graze I’d gotten in battle, my ears ringing from the gunfire in close range. “Y’know… Even though she’s hot, this Nadine chick and her people are seriously getting on my last nerves.” I grunted as I glanced at my bleeding arm. This fight was much harder than the last few. They had armored men this time; much harder to kill. I sighed as I slipped my weapons back into their holsters and picked the fallen bodies for ammo as the men went back to the map to figure out what to do. “Are you guys okay?!” I shouted from across the massive room as I straddled a dead man and took his bullets.

“All good here!” I heard from Nathan and Sully.

“Sam?!” I shouted looking around.

“Yeah! I’m over here.” He said and I saw him wandering towards the map again. I crossed the room as I watched him pat down a body that had fallen in front of the map.

“Whatcha doin’?” I asked as Nathan and Sully approached as well.

“Just confirming a suspicion…” he mumbled before pulling a piece of paper from the man’s vest pocket. “Shit. Take a look at this.” He held out the paper to Nathan and the group drew closer a bit together. It was a digital map with twelve locations circled along King’s Bay. ‘Shit…’ I thought to myself with a huff. “They’ve figured it all out already. The sigils, the locations, the works…” Sam said shaking his head and walking about as if he’d been defeated. I could feel the anger and disappointment radiating off of him as he gripped the sheet in his hands.

“So now what?” Sully asked.

“‘Now what’? Now we’re screwed. Okay, and you know why? Because there’s four of us and god knows how many of them. And they have a head start-” Sam snapped and I rushed to him to put a hand on his shoulder.

“Okay, sure, but they don’t know where to go.” I said gently. Expecting him to snap back, he turned to me and spoke in the same tone as I, only more disappointed.

“Neither do we, doll. We narrowed it to two locations and we still don’t know which is what.” He sighed, hanging his head. I dashed in front of him and picked his head up, staring into his saddened hazel eyes.

“So then, we’ll do the obvious. We split up. We’ve come too far to just…. quit.” I said simply. He lifted his head with a nod as if it was the best idea he’d ever heard. For a smart man, he could be really stupid sometimes as I’d come to realize.

“Alright then. That might just work.” He turned to face the other two men and held out the paper to them. “You guys check out this tower and I’ll get the other.” He said pointing to the locations on the map. “It’s not too far from here. I can make it.” I could see that twinkle sparking up in his eyes again. But worry started to fill my chest at the mention of him with no back up.

“No, no, no-” Nathan began.

“Like hell you're goin’ by yourself!” I snapped and Sam looked at me incredulously. “I’m comin’ with you. Rafe and Nadine’s gotta have guys all over these towers by now-” I suggested rather forcefully but he stopped me.

“Exactly. So if we wanna catch them, then we need to split- sweetheart, this was your idea…” he argued.

“Yeah, ‘split!’ As in ‘evenly!’” I emphasized. He gave an annoyed huff and pulled me aside from the group by my arm like I was a spoiled child. I was fuming.

“Sunny-”

“What?” I snapped. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before he started again.

“Sunny… If you can’t already tell… I care, alright. And if I’m stuck with those feelings then you gotta deal with the consequences, sweetheart- which means…. listening to me when I’m trying to keep you safe.” He told me, staring into my eyes with what seemed like good intent. But I wasn’t having it. I lowered my voice, mocking him with my arms crossed; accent and all.

“‘Uh, if you wanted safe, then you’re in the wrong line of work, sweetheart-’” I said, furrowing my brows, using his own words against him. He stared quietly for a moment before shaking his head.

“Sunny, please!” He snapped before returning to his hushed tone, placing his hands on my shoulders as he towered over me. “Please… I’d feel better knowing you were with Nathan and Victor.” I looked at him with narrowed eyes as I fixed my mouth to speak again but he ran his fingers through my hair quickly and held my face in his hands. “Please.” My nostrils flared as my eyes locked with his. I puffed, tearing my gaze from his as I chewed the inside of my cheek, shaking my head and tapping my foot. I stomped before turning away to join the other men. “Thank you…” I heard him say.

“Mhm.” I mumbled passive aggressively in response.

We left the tower the same way we entered. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glad to be above ground again. We walked Sam over to one of the spare Shoreline Jeeps and I shook my head as he climbed inside. Nathan put a hand on the door as we all stood by. “If you run into any of those Shoreline guys, you call me immediately.” He said.

“Will do.” Sam nodded.

“You be careful out there, Sam.” Sully said to him.

“Always am.” Sam replied. Then he brought his gaze to me. “Sunny…” I only looked at him for a second, my arms crossed with an annoyed pout playing on my face. He didn’t say anything though. He just glanced over my face. I snorted and looked away. The dirt seemed more interesting than him going off by himself at the moment. He just chuckled and smiled before putting the car in drive. “See you soon.” He told us all before speeding off. I watched go until he was out of sight, my arms crossed and my brows knitted together. In my peripheral, I could see Nathan and Sully heading for our 4x4. I walked over slowly, passing the extra Shoreline Jeep just lost in thought. He was going to get himself killed. There was just no way I could let him go out there like that by himself. His dumb ass didn’t even take another gun with him. It was when I put a hand on the car that I had made my decision.

“Let’s go Sun-” I heard Nathan say but I had already made up plans of my own.

“I’m not goin’ with you.” I said as I glanced at the pile of artillery in the trunk, trying to decide what I’d take.

“Sunny, now goddammit-” Sully started. He already knew what I was gonna say.

“Sully, I’m goin’ after him and that’s that, dammit! He is gonna get himself killed and he’s too damn stupid to see that! Nathan, I’m goin’ and you can’t stop me.” I said, grabbing a .9mm and spare deserter bullets. Nathan opened his mouth to speak but the older man cut him off.

“You’ll get yourself killed goin’ after him, Sunny!” Sully shouted at me. He never said it to me out loud but I knew he thought of me as one of his own kids. And because of that he had a tendency to be a bit overbearing. I loved him a lot for it though. He cared more about me than my own father. I could die today and he would never know; probably wouldn’t even care.

“Sully, c’mon…. it’s Sunny. I don’t like it any more than you do but if anyone is good at self perseveration, it’s her. She can keep herself safe until she meets up with Sam.” Nathan said in a calming voice. Sully just stared at me.

“I’ll be fine.” I said, looking at him with a nod. He just shook his head and lit himself a cigar.

“That boy is gonna be the death of you, Sunny Spurrs…” he mumbled. I smirked as I started off for the other car.

“Trust me. I’m aware.” I said shaking my head.

“You let me know when you reach the tower. I’m so serious, Sunny.” Nathan shouted to me.

“Of course.” I said. I hopped into the 4x4 and turned the key that was left in the ignition. I drove up next to Nathan and Sully’s car and sighed.

“If you stay on his tracks, you might just be able to catch up with him. Be safe. Steer clear of the big trucks-”

“Nate, I got it.” I replied.

“Ok. Go. Hurry up.” He said, finally backing off. And with that, I floored it, watching out for the tracks to Sam’s car. He was gonna be pissed but I didn’t care. With his life on the line, he couldn’t afford to be stupid right now.

I followed his tracks to a tower just like the one I had left. Parked right out front was the Shoreline Jeep he’d taken. ‘Well….good… This is good.’ I thought as I released my seatbelt and climbed out of my vehicle. When I arrived at the door, it had already been riddled with bullet holes and kicked in. He definitely wasn’t the cleanest executor of the two brothers but at least it was efficient. I turned on my flashlight with a squeal and shined its glow on the darkness before me. Lined along the walls were skeletons tied to the wooden beams that supported the structure. I suddenly wished I had stayed with Nathan and Sully. ‘God dammit….’ I thought as I descended the stairway with haste. ‘Please Jesus, if you love me, don’t lemme die…. Like for real…’ I shook my head as I stared into the darkness before me, trying my best to keep as far away from the wrapped skeletons as possible.

So far, I hadn’t had to do much. I had gone down a full flight of stairs, doorways had already been opened, all of which practically lined floor to ceiling with the bare-bones of old pirates. The more bodies I saw, the more disturbed I became. This Henry Avery guy was not somebody to mess with. I walked by a slew of caged skeletons all with the sign “thief” hanging around their necks. ‘Fuck that’s horrible….’ I thought with a shiver. As I walked into a room, I detected a faint scent of cigarettes. ‘Please let that be you.’ I thought as I noticed a bright orange filter still burning a bit. I came across a massive hole in the wall that led into another tunnel of darkness and sighed. That’s when I heard a loud bang.

I jumped, digging my nails into my palms nervously. I walked down the tunnel, the smell of cigarettes getting more intense by the second when I heard another loud bang. “Shit!” I heard a panicked voice say. It sounded like Sam. He could be in trouble. I began to sprint towards the rapid bangs, running through several rooms filled with singular skeletal parts; jaws, rib cages, hands. Although with Sam possibly being in danger, I couldn’t think about that. As I passed through a room with more tied up bodies, I collided into something hard and with a scream I was snatched up several feet in the air trapped in a roped net. I found my cheek squished against a warm chest, the scent thick with smoke and sweat. When I looked up, I was met with the familiar set of hazel eyes and furrowed brows. He grunted in frustration as he looked upon my face. I smiled awkwardly with a shaky laugh.

“Heeeyyyy….” I said showing my gums. He wasn’t amused in the slightest. He just raised a thick brow at me and growled a little. “I- I can uh….. I can get us out of this!” I stuttered reaching for my knife. His nostrils flared as his lips curled into something sassy. That’s when the bodies around us began to spark up, the embers running up a string slowly, like a timer. These weren’t just some dead bodies… These were bombs. “Oh shit…” I mumbled as I began to quickly cut the ropes, racing against the clock. He shook his head and forced a brief but fake laugh as I reached up to cut the thick ropes that bound us.

“Didn’t I tell you to go with Victor and Nath- because I specifically remember telling you to stay with Victor and Nathan- why don’t you listen?!” He grumbled in annoyance. I huffed, rolling my eyes as a few pieces of rope snapped at the slice of my blade.

“Sam, now is really not the time to have this argument-” I began but he just couldn’t hold it in.

“Why don’t you listen?!” He shouted dramatically.

“You’re gonna find out real fast that I never listen. To anybody. Ever-”

“I’m tryin’ to keep you from getting yourself killed-” he snapped frustratingly, interrupting me.

“I can take care of myself, dammit!” I hissed. “You’re the dummy who ran off by himself.”

“I didn’t need you here-” he retorted. I scoffed as a few more ropes snapped.

“And if I hadn’t been here, what in the everloving fuck would you be doing right now, huh? Tell me that, Sam-” I was beginning to lose my patience with him. I scrunched up my nose as he stuttered a moment, the weight of our bodies dropping us a bit as we hung by four more ropes.

“I would’ve… I would’ve um…” he didn’t have any damn idea what he’d do. I snickered as I cut us free and our bodies fell to the dusty ground with a loud thud. Quickly, we jumped into the hallway before the room could explode. Our bodies landed in the gravel just as more skeletons lit up.

“Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me-”

“We gotta go, Sunny!” Sam sang as he rose to his feet quickly, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me with him as he started to bolt down the tunnel. We ran quite a distance from the onslaught of exploding mummies until we reached the entrance of the tower. The both of us threw ourselves onto the hot red dirt, just as the last mummy had blown up, the doorway caving in on itself.

I turned over to lay on my back, catching my breath as the sun beat down on us. I couldn’t believe I had just done that. My nervousness turned into some kind of dissociative laugh. I was going to be insane by the end of this trip. I looked over at Sam as he sat up to stare at the now blocked entrance, a look of annoyance still playing on his features. We had to cut the bullshit now before we went any further or else we weren’t going to get anything done. ‘Let’s hash it out now, big boy…’ I thought with smirk.

“You have a lighter. You could burn the ropes, idiot.” I said poking his chest with a small finger to break the silence. He rolled his eyes as he stood and lit himself a cigarette. I scoffed, shaking my head as I rose to my feet as well. “Let’s hope all that noise didn’t attract Shoreline.” I commented but he still refused to answer me. I forced out a quick breath before speaking. “So this is the thanks I get for saving your ass?”

“I didn’t need to be saved-” he snapped. I opened my arms to him and flexed my lip.

“Holy shit- welcome to my world-”

“Sunny, you’re not getting it!” He shouted, rubbing his thick fingers on his temple and wiping away a thin sheen of sweat. I set back on my heel and crossed my arms.

“What am I not getting, Sam?” I asked.

“I can’t lose you!” He snapped. And there it was. The crux of the problem. “I am… fully aware that you can hold your own but I’ll be damned if you died on account of me. Because of my mistakes. Okay, then I have to live with that and I don’t wanna.” He told me, his fingers nervously tapping on his cigarette. I knitted my brows together and held his face in my hands.

“Samuel Drake. I’m only gonna say this once so you better listen up and listen real good.” I began, staring him deep in his eyes. “I am a grown ass woman. And I will do whatever the hell I please. If that means risking my life to save you, then goddammit that’s what I’m gonna do. Not because I have to, not because of Nate- because of me. Because I want to.” I told him.

“Sun-” he started but I placed a finger on his plush chapped lips.

“Don’t interrupt me. I’m not done.” I said authoritatively, and he shut his mouth with a deep sigh. “Unfortunately for you, I care, too. Which means…. if you’re in trouble… I’m gonna come runnin’.” I said with a gentle smile. A slow grin threatened to pull on his lips as his shoulders seemed to relax and he inched closer to me.

“Y’know… there were an awful lot of skeletons in that tower… and it was pretty dark, too…” he said letting his hand rest on my hip to pull them to his, a rough thumb stroking the exposed skin under my tank top. My heart started to speed up as his nose brushed against mine.

“What about it?” I asked in a breathy tone.

“You braved all that for little ol’ me, sweetheart?” He smirked, hooking a finger under my chin and pressing his lips over mine slow and sweet. I betrayed myself with a soft moan into his mouth as his tongue darted across my lower lip. “Thank you…” he mumbled against my lips. That surge of euphoria coursed through my body as his thick arms wrapped around my waist.

Suddenly, he’d lifted me up in his arms and sat me on the hood of the Jeep, his hands roaming my body as he deepened the kiss. The fact that I was absolutely soiled with sweat and covered in dirt didn’t seem to matter to him when he kissed along my neck and collarbone. I ran my hands through his damp hair as he rolled his hips into mine. I most certainly wasn’t against screwing on the hood of a car in the middle of nowhere. Just as I had tugged on his shirt, suddenly Sam’s smartphone rang. He ignored it the first time but as it continued to ring, he groaned into my mouth and rested his forehead on mine. He pulled out his phone and sighed with a smile. “It’s Nate. I should probably take it, huh?” He chuckled before kissing me again. We broke the kiss, heaving in a needy fashion as he answered his phone. “Hey, little brother. You find somethin’?” He asked. I could hear my best friend’s muffled voice panicking on the other end and suddenly I grew concerned. “Woah, woah, slow down- he what?!.... Shit. Alright, hang tight we’ll be right-” he was cut off by the sound of bullets flying by us. He pushed me down on the hood quickly, ducking his head and covering my body with his own as he hung up the phone immediately. I could hear the sounds of multiple engines approaching and gunshots firing off towards us. The beat of my heart sped up from arousal and adrenaline as he pulled me off of the car and ducked down in front of the car grill. “Rain check?” He asked me with a smirk. I just smiled and pulled my gun and knife from their holders, ready to take some people down.

A truck had come, full of ten mercenaries. “Did they really need that many? Jesus lord…” I mumbled as I watched the men begin to surround us. Sam just shrugged with a chuckle. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they’re feelin’ a little threatened.” I smirked. It genuinely pleased me to know that Rafe Adler couldn’t get what he wanted just because he threw his money around.

“Wanna piss him off some more?” He asked me as he tugged on the pistol wedged in its holder on the back of his dirty jeans. I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows.

“Absolutely. You take five, I take five?” I smirked.

“Let’s do this, sweetheart.” He said with a shit eating grin. He stood to fire two headshots and I ran from cover to slice a man’s throat and use his body as a shield when I fired shots at the other four. And we were off….