#i need to move so we have room out east for her to come stay and maybe do some classes free of them

[andragoras-in-vanity]

remember being a teen and watching shit like soul eater and kimono jihen and thinking god damn i wish I had a perpetually exhausted but badass mentor to help me get through things?

well now im 27 and im the perpetually exhausted mentor with bedhead and a slight alcohol problem to my 15 year old cousin and im gonna tear my hair out about not being able to just let her stay for a bit because i know it doesnt matter fuck all what i say to her dad, shes still gonna be treated like shit just because shes a moody teen with undiagnosed add and an autustic brother who constantly talks over everyone. i suddenly need a cigarette.

[kjupchurch-xx]

Conflicting Feelings Part Six

As the morning sunset swept through my hotel room's balcony view, I felt Hugh begin stirring in his sleep, "G'day, gorgeous." He said sleepily as I felt him start stretching. 

I smiled, "Good morning, sexy." I purred, leaning up to peck his lips before moving out of the bed towards the bathroom to turn on the shower. 

Today was going to be bittersweet. I was going back home today, my stay in LA had come to an end. It was time for me to head back to the East Coast, to the beautiful, busy town of New York City. Hugh was in LA for the filming of the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie, so I'd be going back to NYC solo. Truth be told, I missed my condo in New York, but I knew I'd miss my favorite Aussie even more. 

Now that things are beginning to happen, the thought of leaving breaks my heart. I didn't realize I was reacting to my thoughts until his voice interrupted the thoughts racing through my brain. I felt two arms snake around me, "What's wrong, my love?" He asked softly. 

I sniffled, quickly wiping a fallen tear from my cheek, "I'm leaving today to go back home." I said as my voice trembled. 

He frowned, "Today?" He asked, making sure he heard me correctly. I nodded, staying silent, trying to control my flooding emotions. "Do you have to go back home today?" He asked. 

I sighed, "I paid for a round trip, so my flight's already booked. I can't get a refund and I can't afford to lose the money." 

He kissed my forehead, "I'll take care of it." He said simply. 

I looked at him, shaking my head. "I can't let you do that." 

He smiled, "I want to and I can." pecking my lips again. 

I rolled my eyes, "I don't want you doing that. I paid for first class and that's not cheap." 

He chuckled, "You do realize I make millions, right love? I'm making $20 million from Deadpool. I can assure you a first class plane ticket will not break me."

I shrugged, "And I'm staying where?" 

He looked at his phone, "With Noldsy and Blake, and of course me. You have to babysit their kids from time to time, but it's not that bad." He chuckled.  

I looked at him, "You seriously want me to cancel my flight?" I asked, grabbing my phone. 

He pouted, "I would be heartbroken if you didn't." 

I smiled, "And Ryan and Blake are okay with this?" I questioned. 

He rolled his eyes, "C'mon, you know Ryan and Blake love you." 

I sighed, "Okay, if you insist..." I logged onto my app and canceled my flight, luckily receiving a 50% refund for a last minute cancellation from the flight insurance I'd purchased when I first paid for the ticket. "It's cancelled." I said, throwing my phone down, pulling him into the shower with me. 

As we washed off he spoke, "We'll drop your rental car off when we head out. We can take mine back to Ryan and Blake's." 

I nodded, "Okay, but I need to make a stop and get some more clothes. I packed for five days and I'm not wearing the same outfits for another week." 

He kissed my forehead, while rinsing my hair out, "We can do that." 

After our shower and packing up the hotel room, we parted ways to drop off my rental car, Hugh following close behind me in his. 

Hugh's POV:  

As I followed close behind her, I was overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the course of knowing her. We'd met each other in 2020 when she starred as an extra on a show I was working on. I had very little interaction with her on the show, but backstage was a different story. She approached me and told me how she was starstruck to work with Wolverine, which made me laugh. 

She was only 22 years old when I met her, I was 51, turning 52. She was an attractive young woman. She was funny, she was intelligent and she was humble. I thought nothing about her until we'd cut up on set and spent hours talking. She had a boyfriend and I had a wife at home, not to mention I like older women. We'd remained friends until she came to my rescue when my father died. That's when things went wild for me. Several things took place that her pride will not allow her to talk about, but I couldn't stop thinking about them. 

When I arrived back to NYC and to Deb, I separated myself from her. COVID made it easier. I kept trying to block the feelings out because I knew they were wrong. I forced myself to focus on Deb, and Deb only, but that only made us grow further apart in our marriage. 

While in England, not only did I walk in on her changing and saw her breasts, there was one night she had too much to drink and confessed many things to me that she has no memory of. She talked about her difficult upbringing, she talked about her failed relationships, but she doesn't have any recollection of admitting to me that she loved me and dreamed that one day I'd be hers. Or how if my marriage ever ends, she was claiming me for herself. That night, I'd had a few drinks myself and we shared a kiss. 

I thought about how after I walked in on her, she'd became what I'd imagine when I'd wank off. I'd imagine how perfect her breasts were, how I wanted to run my hands down every curve on her body as I fucked her, and how her pussy would taste, or how tight it would be around my fingers. I thought about how much I'd want to pleasure her and make her orgasm so much that she couldn't function anymore. Just the thought of her made my dick throb.

But, it was more than just sex with her. She was genuinely my favorite human being, besides my children and of course, Ryan Reynolds. She was there for me during one of the hardest times of my life. She keeps me grounded and focused on the bigger picture, even if I struggle to see it. I'd spent 20 years thinking I was with the love of my life, until I realized I didn't know the meaning of it when she came to England that night. 

Main Reader's POV: 

As we arrived at the drop-off for the rental car, I quickly returned the keys, heading back outside only to be bombarded by photographers. They photographed Hugh, me, us in the car together, etc as they asked if we were an item. 

"They're fucking relentless, jesus christ." I mumbled. 

He chuckled, "You act like you haven't had the press bother you." 

I giggled, "Not to that extent. That was different."

He reached over grabbing my hand, interlocking it with his, bringing it to his lips, placing a small kiss on my knuckles, "Did you want to get clothes now?" 

I blushed, shaking my head, "Let's get to Ryan's first. Let them calm down and then we'll go." I said regarding the photographers. 

He chuckled, "Okay, we can do that." 

The drive to Ryan's wasn't long. It was full of Hugh singing along to songs on the radio. He had a beautiful voice and hearing it on screen was nothing compared to hearing it in person. About 5 minutes later, we arrived at Ryan's place. Ryan and Blake weren't home. Ryan was filming scenes and Blake was promoting her new movie. The kids were with a nanny since Nanny Hugh had been MIA all weekend. 

As we walked in and made it to the bedroom Hugh was staying in, he ran his fingers through his beard, "I've gotta shave this." He said to himself. 

I smirked, "Can I help?" 

He giggled, "Can you do the Wolverine shave? It has to be perfect for the film." 

I shrugged, "It can't be too hard to shave mutton chops."

"Shawn will kill me if you fuck this up." He laughed, handing me a set of clippers. 

I giggled, grabbing them. "I won't fuck this up. Do you know how in love with Logan I was as a child?" 

He playfully rolled his eyes, "Don't say it like that. It makes me feel old and it's making me feel weird. You know I was 32 or 33 when I filmed that."

I shrugged, "I was 4 when it was released." 

He cringed, "God, stop. Let's talk about something else." 

I chuckled as I began shaving the infamous mutton chops, "I love making you uncomfortable." I said playfully. 

He looked up at me, "I'm not giving you a reaction while you're shaving my face, but I've noticed." 

As I finished up showing him my kick ass skills as a barber, we heard a voice downstairs, "Oh, Hugh! Where you at big fella?! It's your favorite Canadian. A little birdie called the media just told me you're with a hot little number. Is she here?" 

We quickly jumped at the sound of his voice, looking at one another, making a run for the door to meet him downstairs.  Ryan looked at us, still wearing the Deadpool suit, "Ah, there she is. Hot little number, this is my humble abode" He chuckled as he swayed his arms around showing me his living room. 

"Why are you in your suit, mate? They actually let you bring Deadpool's suit home?" Hugh asked, smirking, knowing Ryan was instructed to not leave set with the suit. 

Ryan smirked, "Sir, I will have you know, I stole this suit." 

I joked, "Levy is going to beat you."

Ryan laughed, "He can try, but no one can beat me in this suit, darling." 

I rolled my eyes, "Mutton Chops! Look at you." He exclaimed at Hugh, noticing the freshly shaved face. 

Hugh laughed as Ryan's face got serious, "Seriously though, I have a question for you." He said, pointing towards me. 

"And that is?" I asked, furrowing my brows. 

Ryan looked at Hugh and I, "We're rounding up people to play the Deadpool variants. Blake is Lady Deadpool, but there's another female one. Do you want to do it?" He asked. 

I gasped, "Are you serious?" my eyes widened. 

He smirked, "As a heart attack, sister. Plus, I figured it would give Hughy here more time to spend with you."  

[semyla]

The Meeting

Summary: You meet for the first time the swordsman Mihawk had told you about and the Ghost Princess Perona.

The beginning of you becoming a parental figure started when you meet Roronoa Zoro and Ghost Princess Perona at your lover's castle, it was very surprising, but that wasn't the only surprise too, them finding out you were Mihawk's partner was more surprising too.

It was a normal routine for Mihawk and you to be away from each other. As you both had gone out in separate ways, agreeing to met at the castle again. Today was your last day and had set sail, before coming to the island you had restock supplies such as food, water, gardening supplies, small decoration for the castle and date nights and books.

As you put the boat on land you took the supplies that you are able to carried back and started walking. As you walk back to the castled you see your lover, which excites you to see him, but it find it strange to see him outside, he seemed to be talking to someone. You walk closer to him and call out his name.

"Mihawk! I'm back!" You yelled, making everyone turn to look at you.

You put everything down and you look at two people, they all look at you and you moved to look at Mihawk confused of what was going on.

"Love, who are they?" You said standing next to Mihawk.

"Love!?" A girl with pink hair and piggy tails repeated and a guy with green hair looked at you, both of their expressions in shock.

"Roronoa Zoro, the east blue swordsman I told you about, and Ghost princess Perona"  Mihawk said, you remember Mihawk telling you about Zoro, but you never heard of Perona.

"What are they doing here?" You asked him.

"Kuma.." He said in a low tone to you.

"I see" You said.

There was silence for a moment. You looked at them, and they looked back at you, Zoro finally making memory on who you were.

"Wait, I know you" Zoro said, recognizing your face.

"I know you too! I saw you at a fashion magazine!" Perona said flying towards you.

"Eh?" You said, confused. Did she say fashion magazine?

"You are even prettier in person!" Perona said, sounding a freaked out, in a good way.

"I appreciate the compliment" You said, still you didn't understand what she was talking about.

"What are you doing here?" Zoro asked.

"I'm guessing you both will be staying with us for a while" You said, you move very close to Mihawk, both of you looking back at each other.

“I live here with my lover-“ You were interrupted. 

"MIHAWK HAS A LOVER?!?!?" Zoro and Perona yelled with their eyes and tongue cartoonishly poking out as you went to kiss Mihawk's lips, but he moved and ended up kissing his chin instead.

"So that magazine was telling the true along!? They were right!? You two are dating!!" Perona said still so surprise to what she was seeing.

"What magazine?" You said turning to look at her.

"That doesn't matter, my dear. We have better things to worry about" Mihawk said.

"Ah! Is that couple thing again!" Perona yelled at the pet name, still more surprised.

"How did you two even met?!?" Zoro yelled, surprised too.

                                   ~~~

The first few days was pure chaos, Zoro trying to leave and Perona being her bratty self, not only that.chasing after Zoro too. Mihawk told you not to worry about it, that he will handle it, while you worry about the practical stuff, like food. You had food yes, but you will be feeding more mouths now, and prepare the guest rooms. It made you very happy you didn't have to deal with all the crazy, this was one of the things why you loved him so much, but somehow it manage to affect you in some indirect way.

You looked at the destroy boat MIhawk decide to lend Zoro, who he destroy. This was right after he left, you came back looking for it, to which MIhawk showed you what had happened to it.

"We needed that boat" You softly said as you saw your now destroy boat.

"You can use mine until we get a new one" Mihawk said.

"It will still inconvenience us" You said, you sight.

                               

~~~

This lead to both of you having a private conversation when everything had finally calm down, and the two guest had finally stop being pain, but rather now your future worry, Mihawk being defeated. Could that be possible? If so, the day it happens what will happen?

You poured Mihawk coffee into his cup and put some treats next to it, in case he got hungry. You poured yourself something too, but you never drink it, even if you had it in your hand, you look lost in thoughts, briefly looking at Mihawk and then at nothing.

"Is something bothering you my dear?" Mihawk said as he put the cup down.

"Yes, that swordsman plans to beat you, I know you want that, I do too, but.. i'm worry about you getting killed, you know my feeling for you and you know” You said, he knew how dear he was for you, just as you were for him.

"Do not worry, he may be determine, but he will need lot more time to get to my level. If you are worry about me dying then don't be, it would have happen sooner or later" Mihawk said to you, it still didn't bring you any comfort.

"You know my feelings about dying, still i’m scare by what will happen, I still have my hopes up that he will beat you, since it’s something you really want" You said, looking away for a second contemplating and then back at him.

"What happens next would not matter, we will both together buried in the deep slumber of death, now why don't you give me a kiss? I have missed you" Mihawk said and putting a smile on your face, making you immediately stand up and go up to him for a kiss.

You gave him a kiss, but not even a second your lips touched a scream sounded, you immediately backed away, looking around for the source of the scream, only to see Perona and her ghost flying around the room.

"They’re doing it again!" She yelled, next to her was Zoro a bit less surprise, but nonetheless his expression of surprise was still there, leaving you and Mihawk bit annoyed by it.

This was the beginning of you becoming their parental figure, and the annoying screaming every time you both try to get romantic.

[fluentmoviequoter]

Popstar Protection Program

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x singer!fem!reader

Summary: As a young popstar performing in LA for the first time, you don't expect to need police protection. A very reluctant and grumpy sergeant keeps you safe and gives you inspiration.

Warnings: brief angst, fluff, vague mention of heavier topics (nothing specific)

Word Count: 2.8k+ words

Picture from Pinterest (from such a good episode, too)

Los Angeles can be scary. The aerial shots in movies and TV shows make it look inviting, and the focus on the glamorous aspects tends to hide the dangerous underbelly of the City of Angels. Even scarier, you think, is walking through Los Angeles when a large percentage of the population knows your name.

When you started singing, you never expected to become a “star” or be on the covers of magazines, and you absolutely never thought you’d be playing a sold-out show in Staples Center. While you should be focused on practicing and ensuring the show goes well, you can’t think of anything else except the incident in the airport when you landed.

✯✯ 2 Hours Ago ✯✯

Getting off the plane in LAX, you first notice the lack of fresh air. After playing on the East Coast and opening in smaller venues in towns on the other side of the country, you expected this to be similar. Los Angeles is nothing like Charlotte, Boston, or even Nashville. Taking a deep breath, you grow excited to see Staples Center and all the other sights of Los Angeles.

But you don’t even exit the airport before your hopes and plans are shattered. A large crowd of paparazzi are blocking the area outside your gate. You try to navigate through them with your head down, but one of them knocks his camera into your arm, tilting you off balance and making pain radiate down to your wrist.

“Alright, back up! LAPD, move back!” somebody yells on the other side of the crowd.

Slowly, you notice that no one is pressing up against you now, and when you see a man in a police uniform, you release a shaky sigh.

“Thank you,” you say.

He says your name, glancing over your shoulder. “Where’s your protection detail?”

“My what?”

“Oh boy. I think you should probably come with me; there’s some people that can keep this from happening again.”

“Why- why did it happen?”

“Paparazzi are practically vultures. They get paid by the picture to take advantage of people, invade their personal lives, and the closer the better. My guess would be one of the smaller papers or magazines heard you were coming and wanted to get a feature out before your show.”

“So, where are we going?”

“LAPD. Mid-Wilshire station is your best bet to get good cops and stay far enough from the center to avoid the cameras that seem to live there.”

“And then what?”

✯✯ Present ✯✯

“Absolutely not!”

Sitting outside an office with glass walls, you try not to look over as you eavesdrop. Your arm has been iced and wrapped, but the pain is now the least of your concerns. Three groups of officers entered the room after the cop who saved you explained the situation to the watch commander. At least one of them seems opposed to being your protection detail for a few days.

“We’re cops, not bodyguards! There are dozens of places in this city that cater to people like her!”

“Um, excuse me,” you interject, knocking on the open door. “I’m sorry to have caused all the upset, but I will find another way. Thanks for your time.”

Sergeant Grey says your name, gesturing for you to stay. “We’re going to take care of you. It’s your first time performing here and after your less-than-ideal welcome, you deserve someone to show you that LA isn’t all bad.”

“It’s not all good either though,” one of the officers adds.

“I don’t…” you begin.

“Why does this require three teams?” Bradford asks. You recognize his voice as the one that was wholly against the idea a moment ago.

“Bradford, this is your assignment. If you have a problem with it, take it up with IA,” Grey answers.

Bradford’s jaw clenches harshly, and his eyes flit to you before shaking his head and looking away.

“This is your protection team until after your show,” Grey explains, “Harper and Thorsen, Nolan and Juarez, Chen, and Bradford works with Metro so he knows this city inside and out.”

You nod along with the names, and a few of them offer their first names as well. After introducing yourself to the five officers who seem to care, you’re directed to an unmarked SUV.

“Aaron and I will be your mobile detail. You don’t go anywhere unless we take you there. Nolan and Juarez are more peripheral, unseen, protection. Lucy will stay with you as close to 24/7 as possible, and Bradford- well, Bradford’s here,” Nyla explains.

Chuckling, you thank her for the clear explanation and climb into the passenger seat after Aaron opens the door for you.

“I love your music, by the way,” he whispers.

“Thank you. I really appreciate that, and all that you’re doing for me,” you reply.

Aaron nods, closing the door and climbing into the backseat behind you. Your hotel reservation has been changed, booked under someone else’s name, and located farther from Staples Center. Watching the streets of Los Angeles from a police car window is, at the least, safer than the alternative, but it’s certainly nothing special.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Any idea as to why Bradford hates me without meeting me?” you ask Lucy.

“Tim is grumpy. He’s protective and loyal but he’s- he’s like a dog that wasn’t socialized enough as a puppy. Vicious until he gets to know you and then he’s the best friend you could ever ask for,” she answers, holding up one of your dresses.

“You’d look great in that color,” you muse. “Unfortunately, I don’t think Bradford wants to get to know me.”

“You think so? About the color? Because I need a new dress,” she replies.

“Take that one. Get it altered or just use the fabric, whatever you want.”

“Thank you!” As she hugs you, she lowers her voice to add, “You’re also young and beautiful and famous… Tim doesn’t always deal well with people who are different than him.”

You nod, but you don’t believe her. You’ll only be with Tim Bradford for a few days anyway. It shouldn’t bother you… but it does.

✯✯✯✯✯

“We’re changing things around,” Nyla announces as she enters your room. “Lobby’s swarming with paps, but there’s also a crowd of men screaming your name.”

“So, what are you doing?” you ask.

“Bradford is taking point. He’s got some big plan that, and I quote, ‘no will catch on to.’ I won’t repeat the rest of it for your sake, though.”

“Grey is making him do it?” you guess.

Nyla hums, neither a yes nor no, but you know the answer. When he barges in a moment later, you stop talking, preferring not to give him another reason to hate you.

“Get your stuff, we’re leaving,” he demands.

You nod, walking into the suite's bedroom to gather your things. Part of you wants to know what Nyla and Bradford will say behind your back, but you’re also terrified that Nyla is just better about hiding her true feelings.

✯✯✯✯✯

“What is your problem?” Aaron demands. “She’s in danger and you’re not helping any!”

“This isn’t the job I signed up for. I am a Metro Sergeant but I’m stuck on- on princess protection duty! She’s just a kid who sings,” Tim answers.

“It’s about her age then,” Nyla repeats.

“No! Well, yes, but she- what makes her special enough for a team like this? Why does she get a real protection detail?”

“Tim,” Lucy says quietly. “Have you listened to her music?”

“Why would I?”

“Her specific genre, what she sings about has made a lot of people angry,” Aaron explains. “Those paparazzi weren’t there for a ‘Taylor Swift is in LA’; they were looking for a much bigger story.”

“Spit it out, Thorsen.”

“Plenty of people have reason to try to kill her.”

Tim falls silent, looking at Nyla. She tilts her head in a ‘we can’t prove it but it’s probably true’ gesture. He looks back toward the bedroom.

“Look, I’m doing my job. I’ll be civil and that is it,” Tim concedes.

“That’s all we’re asking,” Lucy replies. “We’ll be in the neighborhood. Nothing can happen to her with our protection, right?”

“Right,” Aaron and Nyla answer, looking at Tim.

“Right. Because it is our job, nothing more.”

You come out with your single suitcase, waiting until Tim takes it from you to speak. Thanking him softly, you listen to his quick explanation that you’ll be staying with him rather than Lucy, and the rest of the team will be patrolling nearby in case of an emergency.

“You’ll be fine,” Lucy promises. “And thank you again for the dress. I can’t imagine how much that cost and I can’t thank you enough.”

Tim’s brows furrow, but he doesn’t ask any questions. Wondering why someone in your position would be willing to give away an expensive dress days before a concert confuses him. Tim reminds himself that he can’t start caring.

✯✯✯✯✯

Tim’s house is incredibly comfortable. You can tell that he doesn’t want you here, and when he disappears into a back room with his phone and earbuds, you assume it’s his way of getting as much space as he can. Pulling your songwriting journal from your bag, you start writing, disappearing into the emotions and the story you want to share. Time falls away when you’re writing, and you don’t hear Tim reemerge or walk to the doorway before you.

Tim clears his throat, and you look up from your place on the floor. You look small and as young as you are, sitting on the carpet and leaning against the bed with a journal in your lap. Tim has something to say but nearly forgets what it is when you look up at him through your lashes.

“I will admit that I judged you prematurely, and I’m sorry,” he begins.

“It’s okay,” you offer.

“No, just, let me finish. Please?” You nod, and Tim continues, “I thought you were just an entitled kid who found a way to convince the cop from the airport that you needed special attention. Craved it, whatever. And you’re just, you’re young and famous and that confuses me. I don’t know what life is like for you, I can’t relate to any part of that fame.”

“I can’t relate to your life either, but I didn’t shut you out because of that,” you whisper.

Tim licks his lips before speaking again. “I’m sorry. Aaron told me that you sing about- that you- uh-“

“Write songs for people who will never relate to the love songs or the ‘thank God for my parents’… who will never relate to a song on the Billboard 100 or feel protected by a song? Yeah.”

“And I diminished that. I listened to your last album-“

“That’s what you were doing back there?”

“Don’t- don’t laugh at me,” Tim replies, finally smiling. “It was really good. And I truly am sorry.”

“Consider it forgotten.”

You raise your hand, and Tim chuckles as he shakes it. He sees the nearly full page of your notebook and leans down. You slam it closed, and he shakes his head at your sudden movement.

“They’re private until they’re available on iTunes and all major streaming platforms.”

“Got it,” he replies, mock-saluting. “And, just so you know, I needed songs like this as a kid. Still do, so thank you.”

✯✯✯✯✯

Throughout the next 48 hours, Tim ebbs and flows. One moment, he’ll talk to you for an hour straight, but by that afternoon, he won’t even look in your direction. It’s dizzying, and you don’t realize how much you’re thinking about it, about him, until you reach the last page of your notebook.

“Ready for the show?” Lucy asks, dressed in an event security uniform.

Shrugging, you run your finger over the edge of your journal.

“Songs?”

Lucy sits beside you, offering a hand. You lay your hand over hers, taking a deep breath.

“I thought I was making progress with Tim. He apologized and he was being nice to me and then it all stopped. Like we backslid. And, for some reason, I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Sounds like you don’t want to,” Lucy says softly. “Maybe you should talk to him.”

“I can’t.”

“Then maybe you should sing to him.”

Laughing, you argue, “That would be even worse.”

✯✯✯✯✯

Tim is humming while he and Aaron stand outside your dressing room door. 

“You listened to her music,” Aaron accuses, placing the song.

“Yeah. Even apologized,” Tim answers.

“You haven’t talked to her at all today. Did something- oh my- did you kiss her?”

“What? No, I didn’t kiss her, and keep your voice down! I had to pull back.”

“Why?”

Tim doesn’t answer but glances over his shoulder to your door.

“You like her.”

“No- maybe.”

“You need to tell her. We don’t know when or if she’s leaving.”

“That’s why I can’t tell her. If she’s leaving tomorrow there is no point, and if she doesn’t know, telling her could influence her decision.”

“What about the effects of not telling her?”

✯✯✯✯✯

You open the door suddenly, and Tim and Aaron turn toward you quickly.

“Whoa!” Aaron exclaims.

“You look beautiful,” Tim says, sending you a small smile.

“Thank you. All of you, for everything these last few days.”

“Break a leg,” Lucy says, waving as you walk toward the stage entrance.

“Everybody in position? This job isn’t over yet,” Tim radios.

✯✯✯✯✯

You notice Tim standing in the wings during your second song. As if your energy has been zapped from you, you fight not to collapse. Tim’s eyes narrow as he watches you.

“Instrumental,” you tell your bassist, who communicates it to the rest of the band.

Rushing toward Tim, his eyes search your face. His hands raise to your sides as he waits for you to speak.

“I-“ you stop, turning off your microphone. “I thought something was happening.”

“When?”

“No. Between us. I thought maybe there could be something there but then you stopped talking to me. What happened?”

“You’re supposed to be singing right now.”

“I have a journal full of songs about you, Tim!” you exclaim. “I can’t come out here and sing without knowing if those ideas have a chance of coming to life!”

“You wrote songs about me?”

“Tim,” you beg. “Just answer the question.”

“Nothing happened. We’re too different and I didn’t want to push too hard.”

“Who gets to decide if we’re too different? Because I disagree.”

“Don’t tell me you have a song about it, I’ve heard that one.”

You sigh, beginning to accept that Tim is skirting around a rejection.

“You can do better,” Tim says quietly. “No point in me showing you how I feel when you could have any man you wanted.”

“I don’t want any other man!” you yell over the music.

Tim’s eyes widen, and his hand leaps to your waist to your mic pack, turning it off and tugging your microphone down.

“Thorsen, your badge is mine,” he grumbles.

Tossing the microphone onto a nearby chair, Tim raises his hands to cup your face.

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve been sure since you said you didn’t want to deal with me.”

“That’s- I don’t think I put it like that.”

“No, you said you were a cop not a bodyguard. But I think you’re a pretty good bodyguard too.”

“I tried not to,” Tim admits. “Tried not to feel this way, I mean. But every time I see you, it’s like I see another part of you. You’re beautiful, and your music is beautiful, and I’m sorry for pushing you away and being-“

“Worthy of a breakup song?”

Tim sighs, leaning toward you. “You need to finish your concert.”

“Promise to be here when I’m done?”

“I promise.”

You grab your microphone, hooking it on quickly before waving at Tim and returning to the stage.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Aaron,” Tim radios, “Did you turn her mic back on?”

“Those things are tricky,” Aaron replies.

“Then maybe you should go talk to the tech department and stay out of my sight.”

“Yes, sir.”

✯✯✯✯✯

The lights dim, and as the crowd applauds, you run to Tim, crashing into him as you hug him tightly. His arms wrap around your waist, smiling as he congratulates you for your first sold-out show.

“You’ll come to the next one?” you ask.

“Only if you sing one of those songs you wrote about me.”

“I’ll sing them all. Even if you’re the only one in the audience.”

Tim cups your cheek, pressing his palm against your cheek as he pulls you in. His kiss is the opposite of earlier; a look that sucked the energy from you has become a kiss that breathes life and love into your very being. You pull back before leaning against Tim and can’t hear anything except your shared heartbeat.

“I think they’re calling for you,” Tim whispers.

The muddled yells of “Encore! Encore!” greet you, but you’re warm and happy in Tim’s arms.

“I don’t want you in my audience,” you correct. “I want you at my side.”

“Then I should be easy to find. Knock ‘em dead. Again.”

Tim kisses you again, and you credit that as the reason your encore was better than your performance (LA Times’ words, not yours).

[innorogers]

Lucid

Steve Rogers x Dark Past Reader (You)

Summary: Steve finds out about your past. You're nothing as he thought you were. You are better.

Warning: Steve struggling / Past revelations / You don't have to read this: Chapter 1 - Insomnia, but it would enhance the experience if you did.

What do you do the night you meet the love of your life? You spend it with to him—talking, hugging, kissing, teetering on the edge of going further... but it doesn’t matter, because one day, you won’t recall the specifics. Years from now, future you will think back to this night and remember only the magic you felt, the moments your heart skipped a beat, and the wonder of it all.

In the present, as the first rays of sunlight rise from the east and touch your face, you can barely keep your eyes open, almost drifting off against Steve’s shoulder. Once he finds out you’ve just come off a 13-hour shift, he insists on walking you to your dorm. And though it seems to take every ounce of his willpower, he refuses your unspoken invitation to stay. Ever the gentleman.

After a shift that handed you five hours of overtime, you managed to get immediate compensation—and even figured out how to maximize your sleep: you'll shower later.

So, after Steve kisses you goodbye for the sixth time, you finally close the door and collapse into your pillow. Though, to be honest, you’d rather be falling asleep on his chest.

Captain America, on the other hand, was more awake than ever. The last time he felt this energized was when they thawed him from his popsicle state. It was like walking in sunlight, and he half-expected some cheesy background music to play as he moved through the halls.

But, as always, fate was waiting in the corner to throw a punch and kick his perfectly peach shaped ass.

You were still on his mind when he stepped into the Level 0 – Avengers Only common room. You hadn’t left his thoughts since he said goodbye to you... thirty minutes ago.

To his surprise, Natasha was already there – she was never up before 11 – typing something into a computer - she was also never on top of her paperwork -.

“Oh wow, this is rare.” Steve was in a mood—no, actually, "mood" wasn’t the right word. He was still wonderstruck, wrapped up in his own bubble of happiness because of meeting you. 

“Haha, hilarious,” Natasha deadpanned without even glancing up. “Go ahead and laugh now, Rogers. One day, that ‘I’m from the 40s, I don’t know this shit’ lame excuse is not gonna to fly anymore, and you’ll actually have to do some of this.”

“Well... by then, hopefully our genius philanthropist will have invented something to take this torture off our hands,” Steve replied, handing her a cup of coffee.

Now he had her attention.

“Someone’s in a good mood…” She raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Alright, spill.”

“Oh no, not a chance,” Steve shook his head, grinning. “Not happening.”

But after a pause, he added, “Hey, we have full access to everyone’s records here, right?”

“Yeah, Level 0 clearance,” Natasha replied, still focused on her typing. “You’ve got everything on your phone. Why?”

Steve glanced at your name in his phone and tried to sound casual. “What do you know about an engineer?” He wasn’t entirely sure if that was your title—you had mentioned it, but he had only been paying attention to the important stuff (like your favorite ice cream, song, hobbies, and what you wanted to do this Saturday night…).

“You’ll need to be more specific. I need an ID or at least a last name.”

“Illithya Lancaster,” he said softly, almost smiling as your name left his lips.

“Oh yeah,” Natasha responded immediately, “the one that goes by ‘Twelve,’ right?”

That got Steve’s full attention. He sat up straight, frowning. “‘Twelve’? Is that a nickname?”

“Code Name 12. Subject ID HE0012.” Natasha continued typing as though she were battling something. “You know what that means.”

“No.” Steve’s voice turned rigid. “I don’t.”

The typing finally stopped, and Natasha swiveled around in her chair to face him. “H for Hydra, E for experiment, number 12. She was one of Hydra’s experiments, Steve.”

That was a bucket of ice water he hadn’t expected. Right to the spine. Steve took a few seconds to find his voice.

“What?”

“There.” Natasha handed him an iPad with all the information: “See, here she is. Um… mission rescue R804, Siberia… Sokovia… yeah, she’s on Hydra's top confidential list, one of the few we’ve got. Stark moved mountains to save her from rotting in a federal prison for eternity.” She spoke quickly as she read, her voice unusually soft, full of compassion.

Steve paused for a moment, trying to recall if you’d mentioned anything about a nickname last night, but he didn’t think you had.

He could barely think. His voice, distant and faint, whispered: “‘Twelve’? What… happened to the other eleven?”

Swiping the iPad, Natasha didn’t even look up, just shrugged: “What do you think?” She didn’t notice Steve’s face go pale instantly. 

“Illithya was the only survivor, barely. Used and discarded as anything Hydra could imagine… like something disposable.” 

She sighed. “I’ve seen awful things, but this is one of the files I try to forget.”

Steve’s mind was in turmoil. He couldn’t think, and the pain in his chest seemed to crush every fiber of his being.

He couldn’t believe it. You, his treasured little secret, his enchanted, magical midsummer night, this beautiful, pure soulmate he’d fallen with—the one who told him a fairy would bring him all the stars—had been used, abused, treated like a guinea pig, nothing more than a lab rat?

He was beginning to understand the emotions rising within every cell of his body: a mix of uncontrollable anger, sadness, and fear.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, his voice wavered slightly: “...How… how long was she experimented on?”

Natasha set the file aside and looked him straight in the eye. There was empathy there. She knew Steve was shaken, so she softened her voice as much as she could, though her words remained honest.

“‘Till we got her? A lifetime. She was born and raised in captivity. Her entire existence was based on an experiment.”

Steve closed his eyes. It was more than he could bear. The pain he felt intensified with every word Nat spoke. 

He clenched his fists, veins bulging with rage. How could they. 

“How did you rescue her?” He found himself asking in a calm voice, as if inquiring about any other case.

“We didn’t. She escaped, and we found her. After you and Tony split in Siberia.” Nat pulled up the file again on the tablet and handed it to him, but Steve didn’t look. He wasn’t ready.

“So, until she got away…” Steve heard his voice, sounding unnervingly emotionless, and he hated it. “Was she under Hydra’s control her entire life?”

Black Widow didn’t respond at first. She nodded, just barely, while watching him. She was using the spy stare, reading everything beneath the surface, interpreting every unspoken word, every pause, every silence was a puzzle piece for her to figure out the entire picture.

“A lifetime under Hydra…” Steve whispered.

And he felt awful for saying it.

But there it was, a poisoned seed growing in the shadows of his mind. Steve wanted to bury it deep, but he couldn’t stop. 

The doubt crept in, spreading like a toxin—the thought that everything you’d been through had changed you.

How could you ever purge Hydra’s venom from your veins? Was it still there, lurking in every dormant cell, slowly expanding like a plague, consuming all the good, the magic, the purity in you? Corrupting you?

“Stop,” Natasha suddenly said.

She gave him a look Steve recognized—she was about to ask something that would make him think, really think.

After a deep breath, she spoke: “If you’re asking about her, it’s because you’ve met her, right? So, what do you think? Did she seem like a…villain? Or was she different? Special, maybe?”

Steve leaned back into the chair at her words, the memory of you filling his mind again, your innocence, your weird yet adorable responses, your naivety, your smile…You.

The touch of your hand, the softness of your voice, the pureness of your soul. The way you’d clung to him, spoke to him, trusted him, kissed him. He exhaled slowly, a ghost smile on his face. 

“No. I never thought of her as a villain. Or as any…negative. She was different, more than different. She was…she is…incredible…she’s wonderful…she’s…” Perfect.

Natasha remained in silence. Staring at him. Then she leaned up, her words like splashed ripples on the spring's surface. “Why do you trust Barnes, Steve?”

Her tone was calm and serene, yet it made Steve clench his fists. The question was unexpected, but not unanticipated—he knew she’d ask; she always pushed when she had that look.

“He was, or is, more Hydra than anyone we’ve ever rescued from those hellholes, yet you risked everything to save him.”

“That’s different. I know Bucky, he’s all I have left of my past. And he was brainwashed.” You weren’t. You acted, and you act by choice… don’t you? Steve panicked at the thought. Everything you did, you did with your heart… right? Everything that happened last night, was true…Right?

“So if she wasn’t brainwashed, she’s guilty?” A slight ironic smile tugged at Nat’s lips. “Even though she never asked to be born into a Hydra experiment, or to live in captivity. Is she at fault, Steve? For not trying hard enough to escape?”

Steve froze at her words, realizing what she was getting at. You weren’t brainwashed, no, much worse, you’d grown up knowing nothing of life outside Hydra. You weren’t just a victim. No. He thought of you. You were a survivor. A fighter.

“That sounded a bit protective.” Steve looked at his fellow Avenger, studying her expression. “Was it just a rescue mission, Nat? You don’t usually…attach to people.”

Letting out a laugh, Natasha returned to her usual mysterious, lazy smile. “I’ll let you find out for yourself.” 

She hesitated but finally spoke under Steve’s gaze: “She’s… different, Steve.”

A slight, warm smile crossed Black Widow’s face. 

“She’s kind…and good. I don’t know how to explain it, but she’s innocent. Her heart… it’s pure.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at Nat’s words. He could hear the awe in her voice, and it made him think of you: The way you’d looked at him, the sparkle in your eyes. Tiny butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he remembered the way you’d laughed and how they took flight when he kissed you.

Without even realizing it, his voice became as tender as it could be: “Yes. She is all those things.”

“Like I said.” Natasha leaned back in her chair, her fingers returning to the keyboard. “I’ll let you find out for yourself.”

LAB 278—it had taken some time to find.

Steve silently thanked Jarvis for lighting the way as he stepped into your lab—your private, secluded lab, hidden almost a 20-minute walk from the central facilities. Steve hadn’t even known this place existed on campus.

He pushed open the door and saw you through the thick glass. He couldn’t help but marvel as he took in the entire space. Your lab looked like a greenhouse, with plants everywhere—on the desk, under the tables, on the floor, shelves, and windows. Long curtains of leaves hung down from the ceiling like rain falling through broken glass. 

Large screens dominated the room, and then Steve’s eyes widened at what he saw next. 

An armory. Their. Armory. 

A bow being analyzed by lasers, prototypes of metal gauntlets, shattered helmets, and torn suits.

And then, he saw you.

You were cleaning his shield.

Everything fell into silence when his gaze rested on you. The whole place became a quiet green ocean, so still that Steve could almost hear the plants breathing. And his own heartbeat. That stopped when you lifted the shield and gently kissed it.

“Do a good job,” he heard you whisper to it. “Protect him. Keep him safe.”

Steve snapped out of it as those words echoed in his mind. He had a hundred questions, but they vanished in that instant. He wasn’t even thinking—he was reacting—as he stepped forward and opened the door.

The look on your face when you heard the noise and turned around was indescribable. All the tension in your expression softened, and the light in your eyes brightened. 

Steve wondered, how he’d been so blind, so stupid, to believe some reports instead of trusting…you.

“Oh. Hi…” You smiled, joy sparkling in every corner of the room.

God, that smile. The happiness in your eyes at seeing him weakened his knees. He spoke, his voice softer than he’d expected. 

“Hey...”

You almost run to him under instinc. Wanting to move closer, to take his hands, but…you weren’t sure. Was it too much? Too fast? What are you (or this) supposed to be? Are you even dating? Will he hate it? So, you blushed and stood still. “I…I um… I’m so glad you’re here.”

Steve noticed the way you flinched, the way you wanted to reach out but held yourself back. It made him feel…sad, like something was cracking in his chest. He wanted to reach out and take your hand. But he didn’t—not yet. 

Instead, he stepped closer, his voice gentle as he smiled. “…And I’m very glad to be here.”

“Oh.” You weren’t sure if it was the lack of sleep or if you were just lost in his eyes, but your mind was racing, and you couldn’t stop yourself from blurting out something dumb, like really dumb.

“I missed you.”

Oh, what the hell. You wanted to bite your tongue. Especially when you saw Steve freeze. Okay, that was stupid as fuck, you thought, looking down, unsure of what to say next.

“I’ll take it back, I’m sorry, that was stu—” But before you could finish, you were pulled into a tight embrace.

Steve pulled you towards him, wrapping his arms around you in a tight, protective hold. As if he wanted you to melt within him.

He realized how absurd he had been for holding this back, how deeply he craved you. Like a primal longing, like a dying plant thirsting for a drop of dew, or desperate for air.

“Please…don’t be.” He whispered, pressing your head to his shoulder, inhaling the scent of your hair, his eyes closed as he sighed. “I missed you too.”

“Oh.” You awkwardly ran your hands along his back, fumbling at first, before simply giving in and hugging him tighter. You caressed his neck until he rested his forehead against yours, exhaling deeply.

And you smiled. 

“So…you did find out, huh?”

He stood silently, with his chin in your shoulder. And after a while he said in a bitter tone: “How’d you know?”

“‘Cause you look exactly like Tony and Natasha did when they found out. And… because you’re in my lab. I mean, I don’t think this place is a hot spot, huh?” You laughed and broke the hug slightly, but he tightened his grip on your waist, unwilling to let you pull away. 

You caressed his face, inhaling the warmth of his breath, and looked into his eyes. 

"Steve, what happened to me isn’t a burden for you to carry, you know that, right?”

Steve froze. 

Isn’t it? 

Wasn’t it because he hadn’t destroyed Hydra when he had the chance?

Because they didn’t find out sooner?

Because… he wasn’t there?

You struggled to read people, especially someone you cared about, so when you saw the pale, stiff look on his face, you paralyzed.

Was that why he came? To tell you it was over? Well…to be honest, you wouldn’t blame him. After all… you were you, and he was… Steve Rogers. And you were…Hydra’s Frankenstein.

That thought must have shown on your face, because Steve noticed the change in your expression—fear and shame, like you were some kind of Quasimodo who had his mask ripped off.

The mere thought made Steve’s blood boil—the idea that he might reject you because of your past, as if you were to blame for things you couldn’t control. As you were…sinful and…bad.

He suddenly cupped your face and spoke firmly, the words echoing from his heart, the same words he should have said the moment Natasha told him the truth.

“Hey, hey… look at me. Look at me.” He stared straight into your eyes. "Don’t doubt me. Don’t doubt… us.” His voice was filled with protectiveness and anger. “I’m here, and I…” I’m falling for you.

“Do you regret it?” Your voice trembled. “Last night… do you regret… meeting me?”

“No.” His voice was steady and resilient, unwavering and unshakable: “Not in a million lifetimes.”

You held your breath for a moment, trying not to cry. Then spoke as you were telling a secret. 

“I always wondered…What would I have been like if I were… normal? If I had normal parents—a father working in a bank, a mom as a teacher. I’d go to school, go to prom, fall in love… have friends… but…” 

You pressed your fingers into his hand and smiled softly.

“… I wouldn’t change anything about my past, if that was the road I had to take, that leaded me…to finally meet you.”

Steve felt like he could’ve started crying at any moment. 

Your past had left a crack in his heart, something he could never fix, something that would always hurt. And yet, you said it was all worth it? All the suffering, all the pain… just to meet him? How could he… how could he deserve you? He couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe.

“God…” he murmured, his voice filled with pain. “How can you say that… how can you still be so…” 

Kind. Good. Pure.

Natasha was damn right. You were everything she said, and more.

“Hmmm… Maybe…” You thought out loud. "Maybe I always knew I’d meet you someday, and I had to be good enough… to be… worthy.”

Steve exhaled, trying to calm the storm in his heart and mind. 

The weight of your words hit him hard. He paused for a moment before he pulled you against him, his arms wrapping around you tightly, as if that could protect you from all the misfortune or pain that might come in the years ahead.

“Damn it…”

His voice broke as he whispered.

“I can’t believe I found you…”

“Well then,” you whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. 

“Thank you for finding me.”

Time stilled for a moment, but before he could think, Steve’s body had already reacted, he pinned you against the workbench as his hand weaved through your hair, and his lips pressed yours in a deep kiss. 

He couldn’t hold back anymore, he needed you, wanted you, to hold you as close as possible, without letting you go ever again.

All the composure he had been trying to maintain disappeared the moment he felt you. 

Your lips, your tongue, your scent… Any sense of reason was hanging by a thread. 

He lifted you onto the desk, sending pens and books scattering to the floor, but he didn’t give a damn. Not when your legs wrapped around his hips and you moaned his name as his hand tightened around your waist.

“Jesus…”

The way your voice sounded, the way you were looking at him, the way you were sitting with your legs around him, everything was driving him desperately crazy, struggling to keep control to not to tear your clothes off and make you his right there. 

He broke the kiss before doing something reckless, but his body was tense, and his breathing panting. 

“You’re driving me crazy…” He breathes heavily, leaving a deep kiss in your forehead.

“What?” Your mind was still spinning from his kiss, and you replied without thinking: “Well yeah, welcome to the club.” 

Steve left out a laugh, All the intense revelations from earlier had nearly made him forget just how incredible your comebacks were. 

He looks down and kisses you again, this time with more tenderness than passion, and he speaks as he continues. 

“I’ve been thinking about this since I left you this morning…”

“Can you…” You could barely form a word without moaning: “Can you think…of taking this further?”

“…” 

That made him stopped. 

The suggestion sent a shiver down his spine. Oh you and your amazing comebacks. His mind suddenly flashed, imagining all the things he’d wanted to do to you, maybe in his room, in the bed, with you under him, moaning his name as you just did, only louder and louder…

Steve quickly shook the thought from his mind, trying to force himself back to reality. 

“God… please don’t tempt me.” He could feel his body reacting to his own imagination, so he pressed his forehead against yours, clenching his fists, trying to regain some control.

“I…” You wanted to say, "I don’t mind," or even, 'I don’t give a damn if you take me right now...You know what, there’s actually a bed at the back of this lab.' But then his phone rang.

“What the hell…” He glanced at the caller ID and groaned, “For gods sake, what timing…” One hand reached for the phone while the other held you firmly. “I’m sorry, babe, give me a sec.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the sound of him calling you that for the first time, but before you could process it, Tony Stark’s voice echoed through the empty lab.

“I don’t know what you are doing there, Cap…And trust me, I don’t wanna know…but Jarvis just sent me a reminder, to remind you, that there are cameras everywhere in the working campus. Everywhere.” 

You could tell there was a humorous tone in Iron man’s voice.

“Even in remotely located labs for top secret employees.”

End but TBC-

Continue to:

3: Reverie |

4: Nightmare |

5: Awakening |

6: Dusk |

7: Hypnagogia |

8: Lull |

9: Vigil |

10: Eclipse |

Alright, thanks for reading up to here. Hope you enjoyed it!! <3

So when I started writing Part 1, I was like, 'Oh, let's just write cute one-shots and short stuff.' And here I am with a complex OC and a struggling Steve. I'm so sorry for that :3 I just can't help myself!

Part 3 comes with 'the one night I made you mine and made you beg' thing I was hoping I'd finally get to. I promise! (Still have no idea how I'm writing that through my working shifts, tho.)

Okay, have a good one <3 Lmk if you liked it ? Report and everything is highly appreciated <3 :D

Love.,

Moon.

[strniohoeee]

Abscond

Pairing: Matt Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: Matt and Y/N had that cute innocent teenage love, but what happens when Y/N’s life is flipped upside down; and he’s the one that got away?🫂

Warnings⚠️: None….hope you enjoy this one tho…she cute or whateva🤭

Song for the imagine: The One That Got Away-Katy Perry

Never planned that one day

I’d be losing you

In another life

I would be your girl

“Is that the last box?” My mom asked me as I walked into the front door

“Yes finally, never realized how much stuff I had” I said walking up the stairs to my bedroom

“Well you were away for a good 5 years” she said laughing

“True, didn’t feel like I had so much stuff though” I said laughing

“I’ll let you unpack, and I’ll start some dinner” she said walking away

“Okay! I’ll be down in a few” I said walking up to my room

I stepped into my room placing the last box down….god this room needed some major upgrades. Can’t believe this is what my room looked like when I was 16…who did I think I was

I started to unpack some things, mainly my clothes and some trinkets.

“This room is such a disaster” I said looking around and laughing to myself. I can’t believe my mom left my room the same since I was 16….shes so weird.

I headed down to eat and chat with my mom after I cleaned up some more.

“Mom why’d you leave my room the same” I said laughing

“Well with your father getting full custody, and me knowing your father, and him not wanting you to come here, or me to go there I wanted to keep the memory of you from the last time I would see you” she said smiling

“Yeah dads a dick….Im so glad to be back home. I just missed Boston so much, Arizona is utter crap” I said laughing and drinking some water

“The east coast is better” she said laughing with me

“We have so much stuff to catch up on, and so many things to do” I said getting emotional

“I know. I can’t believe my babies 21 I can not drink with you” she said taking a sip of her wine

“Can’t wait for our drunk nights laughing and crying about random shit” I said

“Those are the best times” she said nodding her head

I had finished eating, and helped my mom clean up the kitchen

“Alright I’m going to head upstairs, and clean up some more, and unpack” I said kissing her on the cheek

“Okay baby, and if you need help let me know” she said drying her hands

“Will do” I said smiling at her before heading back upstairs

I got upstairs and started throwing all my stuff I didn’t want in trash bags for donation, putting more of my clothes away, and putting my new stuff out where my old things were.

I was pretty much done, and I decided to put my shoe container under my bed, I lifted up the skirt of the bed

“Oh god so much dust” I said making a grossed out face

I decided to get the broom and sweep underneath, I was sweeping when all of a sudden two Polaroids flew out from under my bed

“The fuck?” I said leaning down and picking them up, wiping the dust off of them

It was two Polaroids of Matt and I from when we were 16…. Holy shit…

My brows furrowed. When I moved to Arizona I swore I packed these, but I couldn’t find them after days of tearing my room apart

My dad never liked me talking about or speaking to boys, so I assumed he found them and threw them away. I held so much anger towards him for that….and the whole time they’ve been here.

I flipped them over and on the back of the left one it said

“Don’t forget about me I love you-Matt”, and on the right Polaroid it said “be us against the world, in another life I would make you stay”

All my memories started flooding back of Matt and I

Flashback

I was neighbors with the Sturniolos my whole life, but never spoke to the boys. I was always so scared, but one day when I was 13 my mom threw a party and invited them, the triplets and I immediately became friends.

We went to the same high school, and had most of the same classes together. They were the best things to have happened to me. By the time we were 16 I started to realize that I may have liked Matt, but was always so scared to tell him

One night I was just so fed up of never saying anything to him, so I got up and walked over to their house, texting Matt to meet me outside

“Hey Y/N are you alright?” He asked shutting the door behind him

“Yeah I’m good, I’ve just been thinking about some things” I said smiling at him

“Oh? Tell me” he said walking down the steps

“Walk with me?” I asked

“Yeah let’s go” he said following me

“So uh I’m not sure how to put this, and I’m not sure that you’ll feel the same way, but Matt I really like you” I said looking over at him

“Like, like me like me, or like me as a friend?” He said confused

“No Matt, like I like you. I have a huge crush on you” I said getting shy

“You do?” He said looking at me

“Matt YES” I said looking at him

“Y/N….I have the biggest crush on you too” he said smiling

“You do?” I asked confused

“Yes! Hasn't it been obvious?” He said

“No not really” I said laughing

“Well I do” he said pulling me in for a hug

From that moment Matt and I started dating, spending every second together. There was nothing but laughs, long conversations and overall innocent love you see in the movies.

“Hey Y/N, could I kiss you?” Matt asked me one night while we were watching a movie in my living room

“Yeah….ive never kissed anyone before though” I said getting nervous

“Me neither” he said also getting nervous

“Okay, so this could be a learning curve for us” I said laughing to break the awkwardness

“Uh yeah” he said getting shy

Matt had turned towards me, and leaned in kissing me first. It took me a few seconds to register what happened, and then finally I kissed back.

My stomach exploding with butterflies and fireworks…I never wanted to leave this moment. Matt had pulled away, and from that day on he couldn’t keep his lips off of me, but then again neither could I.

Everything was going good for 6 months, before my mom came home one day stressed and crying

“Mom? What’s going on” I said looking at her

“Baby….im so sorry” she said looking over at me and crying

“Mom what’s going on you’re scaring me” I said getting worried

“Y/N your dad won custody of you” she said looking down

“What? I’m 16. How does he magically get custody of me now?” I said getting upset

“I know baby trust me I tried to fight it, but he’s got a better rep than me” she said shaking her head

“What that’s not true! You’ve been here for me and where has he been? Gone nowhere to be seen…..I can’t believe this” I said shaking my head and letting out a sigh

“Trust me I know. I tried, but they don’t care they just look at his perfect record” she said wiping her eyes

“So what now?” I said scared of what she has to say next

“You have to go move with him” she said avoiding eye contact

“IN ARIZONA?? NO” I said raising my voice

“You don’t understand. We have no choice” she said

“This is so unfair. I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave you, and my friends and I don’t want to leave Matt” I said starting to cry

“I know you don’t, and I’m so sorry that you have to do this, but there’s no other choice” she said shaking her head

“When do I leave?” I asked

“Two weeks” she said looking down

“TWO WEEKS! I don’t even get to finish the school year, or properly say bye to my friends and boyfriend” I said shrieking

“Y/N…..this hurts me too okay” she said

“I can’t believe dad…” I said rolling my eyes

I waited till the very last day to tell Matt and his brothers. I couldn’t spend two weeks with them knowing that we’re all hurting while we’re hanging out. So I much rather just tell them the night before I’m leaving. I can’t be here to see their pain

The night before I was leaving I texted Matt asking if I could come over, and he said yes. I walked over, and he let me in

“What’s going on?” He said noticing my demeanor

“I have to tell you and your brothers something” I said sniffling

“Okay yeah we’re in Chris room” he said

We went up to Chris room, and they all looked concerned

“What’s going on? You’re freaking us out” Chris said

“I’m moving…..to Arizona….with my dad” I said avoiding eye contact

“WHAT?” They all screamed

“Yeah I know, he won custody, and now I have no choice” I said crying

“This is bullshit” Matt said

“Trust me Matt I know” I said shaking my head

“When do you leave?” Nick asked

“Tomorrow morning…my flights at 5AM” i said

“What? And you didn’t bother to tell us sooner” Matt said

“I know okay. I just couldn’t sit here and see us all hurting, so I rather rip the bandaid off now, and not have to see the hurt in your eyes” I said wiping my tears

“I can’t believe this” Matt said

“Will you visit?” Nick asked

“I have no clue, my dads like a drill sergeant….he hates my mom, and he will probably hate me too. I’d be lucky if he lets me visit for the holidays” I said

“This is fucked” Chris said

“Very….” I said

“Well instead of being sad let’s try to make these next few hours memorable for you” Nick said smiling

That night we watched movies, and shows and laughed and ate snacks and took pictures and videos to always have one another

“Y/N let’s take Polaroids, so you’ll never forget me in Arizona” Matt said

“I could never forget you” I said looking at him

He pulled me in and snapped two Polaroids of us, writing on the back, and handing it to me

“I love you so much” he said pulling me in for a hug and kiss

“I love you too Matt” I said smiling at him

Later on that night I went back home and packed up the last of my things that I would be carrying with me. I thought I put the Polaroids in my bookbag, but what actually happened was I didn’t close the pocket, and they fell out when I put my bag on causing them to fall under my bed…..

It was 3:00am and my mom was in the car waiting for me. I looked at my room one last time

“I guess I’ll be back one day” I said shutting the light off and closing my door

I walked outside to see Matt and his family talking to my mom

“We’re going to miss you so much” Mary Lou said pulling me in for a hug

“I’m going to miss you guys too” I said sniffling

I hugged all of them, and waited to hug Matt last

“Matt I love you so much, and never forget about me” I said letting a tear slip

“I could never” he said letting a tear slip as well

I pulled him in for a hug, and kissed him

“I guess I’ll see you when I see you” I said to them

“Bye Y/N” they said

As I got in the front seat I waved

“Love yall” I said before getting in

My mom started to drive off as I stared into the side view mirror…..my whole life just gone down the drain….and now I have to start a new life in Arizona with my dad

We had gotten to the airport, and this was my first time flying alone, so I was nervous

“You’re going to be okay baby, I love you and let me know when you landed okay? Call me every single day please” She said letting tears fall

“Don’t cry mom” I said pulling her in for a hug

“How can I not? You’re leaving me” she said

“I’ll be okay, I’ll call you everyday and I love you too” I said before getting out the car

“Love you baby” she said and I shut the door walking to my new life

My dad was an absolute asshole. All we did was fight and yell and bicker. He never let me see my mom. I never went back to Boston, and at 17 when I graduated he put me in a private college. I could’ve left, but by that point I had so much fear in my heart because of him.

I had gotten two jobs so I could save and move out, and go back to Boston. I only did three years of college before dropping out. My dad was fuming, but I was 21, and I was ready to see my mother again

I hadn’t really kept up with the triplets because I didn’t want to endure that pain, but about a year ago I saw they were really famous on youtube. My tik tok page has become full of videos of these people I used to be so close with, and my ex Matt.

It was so crazy to see, but yet again we never spoke to each other for these 5 years.

Flashback Over

“God this is crazy” I said examining these Polaroids of us

I went downstairs to my mom

“Hey mom look what i found” I said shaking her the Polaroids

“Holy shit, you and Matt” she said looking at the pictures

“So crazy how fast 5 years can change everything” I said

“Man yall had such cute innocent love” she said smiling at the pictures

“Yeah I never talked to them again after i left” I said

“Yeah I know they’re mom always asked about you, you know they're super famous on social media now. They were just on tour last I spoke to their mom” my mom said

“Yeah I’ve seen it on my social media pages….its so crazy” I said

“You know Matt’s super cute now” she said winking at me

“Mommmm stop” I said laughing

“I’m just saying, you know You should see if they’re home I know that they live half in LA and half here because of their job” she said

“Mom I doubt they’d remember me or care because it’s been so long” I said rolling my eyes

“You act like you’ve been gone for 20 years, they will remember you” she said laughing

“I don’t know. I feel like we grew apart at this point, so would they really care to see me?” I said

“I’m sure Mary Lou always said they asked about you! Go on” she said shooing me

“Okay” I said giving up

I decided to walk over to the Sturniolos house, knocking and getting super nervous about who would open the door.

I heard walking, and suddenly the door was opening up

“Hi” I heard Mary Lou say as she opened the door

“Hi Mary” I said smiling at her, she looked at me a little confused before suddenly her eyes got wide

“Y/N??” She said shocked

“Yes!” I said smiling at her

“Oh my god! Look at you! You’re all grown up. My god it’s been so long” she said pulling me in for a hug

“I know…. 5 years and 6 days to be exact” I said pulling away from the hug

“Please come in” she said waving me in

We walked to the kitchen where I sat at the island

“Jimmy! Come look who’s here” she yelled

Suddenly Jimmy came in from upstairs

“Holy shit!” He said smiling at me and pulling me in for a hug

“When did you get back?” He asked

“About a few hours ago actually” I said

“Man the boys prayed every day you’d come and visit” he said

“Yeah I know….my dads not the nicest” I said shaking my head

“I figured it was him” Mary Lou said

“Are you back for good?” Jimmy asked

“Yes! I’m back for good” I said smiling

“Oh wait till the boys hear about this” she said

“It’s so insane how fast 5 years go by” Jimmy said

“I know I was saying the same thing earlier….i'm just so glad to be back home” I said

“We are too! Man this is amazing” Jimmy said

“I should call the boys” Mary said, I assumed she meant FaceTime, and that they were back in LA

“They’ll be so happy to see you” she said

I smiled at her, and right before she went to call one of them, the front door opened

I heard three deeps voices laughing and talking

“Oh well never mind they’re home” she said

“We’re in the kitchen” Jimmy yelled out

Chris walked in first with Nick behind him, and then Matt behind Nick

“What the fuck” Chris said looking at me as he stopped in his tracks

“Is this real life?” Nick said looking at me

“Y/N?” Matt said looking at me with a shocked expression

“Yeah” I said smiling at them

The End

Alright guys I hope you liked this one, and lmk your opinions and if I should make a part 2 TEHEHE🤭🤭 love yall so very much, and always thank you for the support and love 🥹🖤🖤

-J💅🏽

[ladylooch]

Bones - Part 4 [Mack x David]

A/N: *inhales and exhales heavily* Here we go.

I'm sorry...... & good luck. Would love it if you came to talk to me in my asks about this one.

Word Count: 5.1k

Rangers Looking To Make Moves, David Carlson could be one of them.

Insider Sources Hint at Huge Deal Between Stars and Rangers.

Rangers In Search Of Forward Depth: Potential Move Involving David Carlson?

“Mack? Ready in about five?” Her editor, Sonja, asks as she power walks by Mack’s cubicle. 

“Yep.” Mack answers back absentmindedly. She is currently scrolling through her newsfeed, scanning the ballooning elephant of David’s trade rumors. 

Mack tried to talk herself out of looking, but she hasn’t been able to put her phone away. Social media is a dangerous drug. Mack considers herself an expert navigator, but these rumors involve her life outside of 280 characters. The line between reality and rumor has begun to blur. While this happens in her brain, David says nothing. He probably has his reasons, but Mack can’t help but feel betrayed. Why isn’t he talking to her about this? Doesn’t he trust her? This feels like something they should be talking about, even Lucie said as much at breakfast last week.

Mack finishes reading over the comments of speculation. The rumors seem to be trending towards Dallas or Seattle. Mack’s stomach drops out when she realizes how far away both those options are.

“Ready?” Andrew, her colleague asks. Mack nods, putting her phone into her desk and gathering her notebook. The entire walk to the glass enclosed conference room, Mack tries to shed her personal life. Normally, she steps over that threshold and she can become whoever she needs to be to tell a story. Not today.

Today, Mack is quiet, listening to her team members add productive discussion for next quarters issues. Several locations are floated around that should make Mack excited and jumping to go for them. None of them do. Instead, she finds her focus trailing out the window to the building across the street. The world moves around her, but Mack feels stuck in place. Her least favorite thing.

“Mack, how is your hand not up?” Cecilia, another team member, asks. Mack turns back to her.

“What? Sorry?” Mack’s eyes divert to Sonja who looks back at Mack with a neutral face.

“Would you like to volunteer for Ireland?” Sonja repeats.

Mack has been dying to go to Ireland. There is so much to do there, so many different directions she could take her story, and although she has lived in and traveled all over Europe, she hasn’t made it there yet. She is constantly chatting with her coworkers about how she wants to do a story there. But now her hand stays in her lap. How could she leave the country with it being such tumultuous times at home? What if she leaves and David is traded? Coming back to New York and him not being here would slice her open. 

“When?” 

“Three weeks, but you could go as early as Thursday if you want more exploring time.”

“Oh. Um.” She anxiously rubs at her thighs. “I-”

“You could go after Cabo too.” Sonja answers. Cabo is the Allstar trip she has put together for the Rangers with recommendations from her colleagues. Everything is scheduled including a huge house right on the water. It has multiple pools, a hot tub, a private beach, and exclusive access to the Yacht club. 

“I’m gonna have to say no.” She hears herself say. WHAT!?She shakes off her inner demon who wants to launch a ‘just kidding’. Her whole team looks back at her with surprise. “I just need to stick around here right now. If that’s okay? I’ll take something close.” 

“We have that story on hidden gems in America? A lot of them are on the East Coast. Easily day trips.”

“Yeah, that sounds great!” Mack answers with enthusiasm she doesn’t actually feel.

The meeting moves on, but Mack can’t. Did she really just turn down Ireland for New Hampshire? With everyone’s assignments in hand, the meeting ends. Again, Mack is slow to react. Sonja stays behind.

“Are you okay?” She asks when it’s only the two of them. “You are not yourself.”

“I am a bit distracted.” 

“Anything I can help with?”

“Nope. Thanks for letting me stick around though.” Sonja laughs, shrugging.

“Something is definitely up if you’re missing out on Ireland. Let me know how I can support you, okay?”

Mack nods then Sonja power walks off to her next meeting. After swiping her phone from her drawer, Mack avoids sitting down at her cubical and heads straight to the bathroom at the back of the office. She walks into the last stall, letting her back hit the cool tile. Mack’s head finds her hands, awkwardly shoving her nose to the side due to her phone.

What the hell is happening to me?

Her phone starts to vibrate against her face. She pulls back, seeing David’s picture.

“Hello?” She answers quickly.

“Hi, are you home?”

“No.” Worry settles into her voice.

“Oh okay, no worries. I left my wallet at your place. Just figured it out, now Woody is buying me lunch.” He chuckles. 

“Oh, you can go grab it after lunch?”

“Okay, can I wait for you to get home too? Kinda miss ya.” 

“Yeah.” Mack smiles to herself. 

“I’ll take a look at your bathroom sink too. The water pressure is horseshit.”

“I put in a maintenance request.”

“Why? They didn’t fix it right last time? I hope they come up while I’m working on it so I can teach them what to do.”

“Please don’t.” Mack sighs, but she can’t help a little giggle.

“When will you be home?” He asks her. Mack can hear traffic whizzing by him as he presumably walks along a sidewalk.

“Probably a few hours.” She mumbles. 

“Alright. I’ll entertain myself.” He assures her.

When Mack gets home, she realizes that means he cleaned her entire apartment, fixed her sink, and has dinner in the oven. 

“Wow…” Mack trails off as she walks in. She puts her work bag on the counter and smiles at him by the stove. “Thank you. I haven’t had much time to clean.” She murmurs.

“I know.” He nods, toweling off his hands with the one over this shoulder. “I’ve been keeping you at my place a lot. I figure if I created the problem, I should clean it up.” He puckers his lips for her. “Hi.” He greets her after their kiss.

“Hi.” She smiles. It doesn’t quite brighten up her face or reach her eyes, which David takes notice of.

“You okay?” He tilts his head at her.

“Yeah. Tired.” She lies. 

Well, maybe not fully. She is tired, but the things that are keeping her up at night are things she could be discussing with him. Yet, Mack believes that if he wanted to talk to her about any of this, he would have already. She swallows hard, trying to will the anxious energy in her body away. David’s hands on her hips hold her in place when she tries to move around him. 

“I’m not believing that.” He smiles sympathetically. “But if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.” Mack nods. She brushes her hand over his stomach as she walks past. She heads to the fridge to grab a sparkling water from inside. David watches her as she cracks the cap open, taking down a few gulps. She hiccups as she pulls the bottle down from her lips. “Why don’t you go change? That outfit looks great, but you should be comfy with the weather we are having.” He points to the window where sheets of snow fall down. 

“Oh that escalated.” Mack murmurs. She walks to the window, looking out at the droves of swirling snow flakes. She sighs, happy to be in here watching it than still commuting home.

“Mack.” David calls softly to her. She looks over her shoulder at him. “Go.” He encourages her, head tilted towards the hallway. She nods again, doing as he asks and wandering down to her bedroom. 

She knows she is spacey and acting weird. But she isn’t quite sure how to act with him right now. A giant elephant is sitting on her chest and he is behaving like everything is normal. Mack quickly changes into a soft sweatsuit in a sage color. She pulls her hair back into a pony tail, then pulls on new, warm socks with reindeer faces on them that her mom put into her Christmas stocking.  When she walks into the main area again, the TV is playing local news. The sports section is on but it rolls through without any mention of David, other than his goal a few nights ago, the last time the team played.

“It’s weird you’ve had so many days off.” Mack says, leaning against the counter by the bar stools. 

“Yeah. I hate it.” David shakes his head. He pulls the towel off his shoulder, tossing it onto the counter.

“What are we having?”

“Spatchcock chicken and asparagus.”

“Fancy.” Mack smiles at him. He stares back at her. 

“Why are you over there? C’mere.”

“You’re so sensitive today.” Mack rolls her eyes. “If you wanna cuddle just ask. No need to get grumpy that I’m standing across the room from you.” She tries to keep her tone light, but it’s a little snippy.

“Kay, get over here I want to cuddle.” He begrudges. Him and Mack both know she is deflecting. She doesn’t want him looking at her too closely right now.

Mack walks across the kitchen, sliding her arms around his waist. David crushes her into his chest and she can’t help but melt into him. Her shoulders drop, jaw unclenches, and mind quiets completely. The trade rumors dissipate. The worry about what could happen to them floats away. It’s just the two of them holding each other in her kitchen. David’s hand smooths over her pony tail, then begins to rub long strokes up and down her back. Mack turns her nose more into his chest. David tightens his grip on her, then drops his mouth to her hair.

It’s clear they both needed this hug. 

They don’t break away until the timer for the chicken goes off. David pulls it out. As it rests, he roasts the asparagus. Mack puts together a salad with leftover vegetables in the fridge. Then they sit down and eat dinner together with a glass of wine each. When it’s over, Mack and David move through the apartment in sync, cleaning up the main space. As the dishwasher roars to life, Mack flips all the lights off and takes David’s hand to lead him down to her room. 

There, they make love to each other. It’s soft and slow, filled with gentle smooches and quiet moans of pleasure. Afterwards, they tangle their limbs together. David falls asleep first, surprising to Mack. She studies his face as he sleeps, seeing the lines on his face soften in his slumber. With David out, a familiar monster begins to awaken inside of her. 

It comes out in the quiet, darkness of night. It confuses her and brings back all the things that had melted away when she was in David’s arms. A huge lump fills her throat. She rolls over to her other side. Doing so makes David’s hand fall off her hip. A cold shiver rolls through Mack as she buries her nose into the pillow case beneath her face. 

During sex tonight, David had murmured really sweet things to her. He told her he loved her. He told her how beautiful she looked today. He told her how much he missed her while they ran through their different, separate days, that the world gets quiet when she is in his arms. But he didn’t say anything about the rumors that swirl around him in his professional life. Every time he has an opportunity to tell her and he doesn’t, Mack can feel herself retreat a little more. 

Right before he drifted to sleep, David had sleepily murmured that he couldn’t wait until they find a place together. The memory of that now has a single tear dragging down Mack’s cheek.

Because for the first time, she doesn’t feel like her and David are on the same page. He is already thinking about them moving in together. She’s never thought of that. She’s never thought of anything beyond the current day with him. Now he sees a future for them that Mack isn’t sure she wants this way. A future outside of New York isn’t of interest to her. If David isn’t in New York, there is nothing tying them together anymore, therefore if he leaves New York nothing ties him to her anymore. 

Meanwhile, she has stupidly turned down assignments to stay with him. Her brain is consumed of thoughts of him even when she is away. Panic begins to thread through Mack’s body. She’s too in love with him. This is all way more than she signed up for. She never wanted this. He’s changed her entire life and she went along with it.

How could she have let this happen? How could she have let it go this far?

Mack rolls to her back, staring up at the ceiling. Tears race from the corners of her eyes, falling into her ear canals. This has gone too far. She can’t do this with him. With perfect timing as always, her monster starts to whisper:

You’ll never be able to keep him. You can’t pretend all the time to be good enough for him anyway.

Mack shudders at the words that slice deep into her soul. She wipes her tears then wills herself to sleep. 

In the morning, this will all look different. She is sure of that. 

Long before the sunlight streams into her room, David awakens her to make love again. He is above her, dragging his cock through her core with soft strokes that set her on fire. When she shudders through her orgasm, he fills her up with his own, then collapses into the bed next to her. As his breathing evens out, he brings her into his side, holding her close to him.

“I’m excited about our future.” David murmurs, fingers getting slower. “We’re gonna give Lucie and Connor a run for their money.” He kisses the top of her head. 

Guilt swirls through Mack’s body. 

David continues planning for a future with her while she is choking in fight or flight. 

A tear slides silently down her cheek. David’s soft breathing behind her tells her he has fallen back to sleep. 

Mack blinks more tears down her cheeks, bottom lip trembling.

He deserves so much better than this. So much better than her. Those words are no longer the dark monster from before. Instead they’re just the truth.

And she’s going to make sure he is free to find what he deserves.

In his arms, attempting to memorize his touch, she starts to make her plans. The Ireland assignment comes to mind.

On Thursday, she’ll go there. Do what she was always going to do.

Run.

Or fly… like the humming bird he compares her to.

He won’t be surprised. He’ll be hurt, sure. But he’ll move on. He has to.

She tells herself this is all for his freedom. 

But deep down, the monster reminders her its for her own.

- - - & - - -

(David)

On Thursday, David looks down at the burger he ordered, mouth salivating at the big, half pound patty dripping cheese and bacon grease. Now this is a damn burger. One he might even find in his home state. Props to the place for sticking to the owner’s midwestern roots. He assess the sandwich, deciding two hands on this one would probably be best.

“That looks fire.” Connor murmurs. He opted for a French Dip sandwich and fries. 

Between the two of them, there isn’t a green vegetable in sight. 

“I’m going to crush this.” David confirms. He unrolls his silverware set, putting the napkin in his lap just in case some drippage misses his plate. Connor does the same.

“I’m so excited to have beef. Haven’t been able to have it at home since…” Connor trails off. David raises an eyebrow. Connor grins then shakes his head. “I can’t tell ya.”

“Slut.”

“Can’t get enough of her, man. Don’t act like you don’t get it.” 

David smirks. He does get it. In fact, he almost cancelled on this lunch so he could stay home and bury himself between Mack’s thighs again and again. But Mack said she had to get some work done, so here he is for the second time in two days eating lunch with his D partner. Mack and David had transitioned over to his place last night to meet up with the Woods. He loves that she is comfortable working from his place when he isn’t there.

David swipes a tater tot through some ketchup then pops it into his mouth. He hopes by the time he gets home Mack is doing better. She was weird when he left this morning, weird last night too. He is glad they have some time together before he goes on the road this weekend. Mack has an assignment in New York that is keeping her home with him during that time. All he wants to do is go to the rink, order glutinous take out and fuck. 

Connor hulks down a huge bite of his sandwich as David digs into his burger. He needs his napkin immediately, swiping it across his covered lips. 

“So how you doing with everything, man?” 

David swallows.

“What do you mean?” He asks, then goes in for a second bite.

“With the rumors.”

“Oh. I’m not listen.” David dismisses. “I can’t worry about that shit and play. It’s too hard.”

“Yeah, I get it. I was the same. Where are you at with your contract?”

“Doug said we would talk about it after the season. My agent doesn’t think here is any concern. It’s not like I’m gonna ask for the bank.”

“No, but get what you’re worth. I need you around here with me. Can’t handle the Hischier girls by myself.” David chuckles. Silence fills the space between them as they both take a few more bites. “How is Mack taking it all?”

David pauses mid-chew. He shakes his head slightly, then answers when he swallows.

“We haven’t talked about it since none of it is true.”

Connor looks up quickly from his fries. They hover in his pile of ketchup as alarming blue eyes look across the table at David.

“Yeah, but you warned her and everything right?”

David’s tongue runs along his back molars as an awkward silence fills the table.

No, he didn’t.

“I mean, no? She knows that shit out there isn’t true.”

“Sure, but you told her that right?” Connor clarifies, pointing at the center of David’s chest.

David stares back at his defensive partner. Slowly, Connor’s mouth falls into a cringe.

“That is not the person to leave in the dark on those rumors, man.”

As if Connor’s words are the final puzzle, it all clicks for David. The way Mack was this morning. How she turned away from him immediately after sex last night. How quiet she has been, almost to the point of calculated. His heart hammers to a stop in his chest then a big intake of air raises his huge shoulders.

“Oh FUCK!” He yells. 

She’s running.

He knows it and the awareness cools his blood, sending a chill down his spine.

“What?” Connor asks, concern etching his brows together.

“She wanted me to go to lunch with you so she can run. I’ve gotta go, Woody.”

In a calmer moment, David would pull out his wallet and throw down a few bills. But a glance at his phone tells him he doesn’t have time. He’s been gone for over a half hour. She might already be packed and he’s gotta stop her. His long, athletic stride carries him the five blocks back to his place. He rushes by Philip without a greeting, then pounds the up button on the elevator.

“Come on!” He shouts when it takes too long. He eyes the stairwell, but his heart might explode if he runs up all those flights of stairs. The doors open and he almost barrels over a couple and their kid as he rushes in. “Sorry.” He mumbles, pushing the button for his floor, then the ‘close door’ one repeatedly until it does. He bounces on his feet, heart pounding in his ears as he attempts to catch his breath. The doors open, he flies into the hallway, not seeing her. He tries the door on his place and finds it open. 

Fuck, he hopes she is still here. 

“Mack!” He yells. 

No answer. 

His sneakers slap hard against the wood floors as he heads down the hallway. He can see her pony tail floating in the doorway. Instant relief flowing through him.

She’s still here. 

His relief is short lived when he walks forward and sees her packed suitcase on the bed.

- - - & - - -

(Mack)

Mack is zipping up her suitcase when she hears the apartment door open. Her gaze snaps to the doorway. David’s hurried foot steps rush down the hallway. She frowns, then goes back to stuffing her phone charger into the side pocket. This is not ideal, but she planned for it. She is ready for this interaction. Ready for him to beg her to stay here with him and prepared with an army of reasons why they are never going to work, now or in the future. 

“Mack, stop packing.” He calls to her from the hallway. Mack freezes. Of course he already knows. She keeps going, putting the suitcase on its wheels. They meet at the door of his bedroom. “Babe, I’m not going anywhere. I talked to management. None of this is real. I’m not being traded.” Disappointment has Mack sighing internally. She wishes he had told her this days ago.

“Okay.” Mack shrugs, keeping a blank face. David frowns. His eyes move to the right, looking over his room. Every single thing of hers is gone, down to the collection of hair ties on her side of the bed. “I’m heading out of town for awhile on a long assignment. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” David chews on the inside of his cheek, searching her face. He shakes his head slightly, looking confused and hurt.

“Mack, what are you doing?”

“I’m packing.” She swallows hard, hating the way her voice wobbles slightly.

“You’re going out of town. Why do you need your house slippers?” He motions to where they used to sit by the door.

“Because I want them at my place.”

“So, you going out of town means you aren’t going to keep anything here either?”

“I don’t see the point to that.” Mack shrugs. “Like I said, I am heading out on a long assignment. I’m going to be gone for awhile. I’m not sure when I will be back, so I’m taking everything with me.” 

“What?” He questions. “Where are you going?”

“Ireland.”

“Since when? You just told me two nights ago you were here in New York through the Allstar break, and suddenly you’re leaving for an undetermined amount of time?”

“Yeah. That’s this business.” She says flatly, unemotional. David shakes his head.

“What is happening?” He whispers, getting closer to her. He reaches out for her cheek and Mack immediately pulls away. “Is this about a few nights ago? I didn’t mean-“

“No. It’s not. But that was a reminder to me how… different we are. And I think we should be realistic about our shelf life.” David’s eyebrows furrow together. That hurt him. Mack looks away, not wanting to see the sting on his face.

This is inevitable, the monster reminds herself. She’s just pulling the plug before they go back to hating each other and make this harder for everyone around them.

“Shelf life?” He sighs heavily, stepping aside for her to pass by him. He is hot on her heels into the main area of his place. “What the fuck, Mack? We love each other.” 

“For now.” She shrugs her shoulder, going to her purse and double checking she grabbed everything she needed from the main area. She finds her water bottle and phone where she put them a few minutes ago. She’s officially packed. Mack grabs the key to his place, trying to ignoring the light up, corn key chain and the way it burns her skin in her hand. “I can give you your key back.”

“Stop.” David snaps, enclosing her hand with his. He grabs the keys out of her hands. He shakes his head, looking at her, panic all over his face. “Just…” He licks his lips, looking out at the city. “Talk to me.” 

“I am. You don’t like what I’m saying.” She retorts. 

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. We literally had an incredible night and I make a comment about how I’m excited to move in together someday, and you’re running now? What are you afraid of?” He emphasizes the last line at her, pausing with his hands out to the side. The Iowa keychain in his hand is blinking red, green and blue. Mack stares at it, pursing her lips. A huge lump swells in her throat. She tries to swallow but can’t. 

“I just don’t think this is going to work.”

“What?”

“You and me. So I think we should.” She moves her hands apart. “Go in different directions.” 

Stunned, David straightens. He blinks, trying to absorb the blow of her words. He runs the hand without her keys in it through his hair then blows out a heavy sigh. His hand roughly rubs at the stubble from where he shaved his beard off yesterday, leaving only his signature mustache. Mack blinks off the slight hitch of his breathing on the inhale. 

“Okay.” He nods his head, taking another deep breath. 

David stands on the other side of the island, green eyes intense with emotion as he pins her to the cabinets behind her. He shakes his head then stands to his full height. The keys in his hand slide across the counter to her. They skid to a stop next to her right hand. His arms cross over his chest.

“Okay, I’ll see you when you get back then.”

“David.” Mack rolls her eyes, throwing the keys into her purse.

Why won’t he let her go easily? How can’t he see what she sees? How different they are? How this started with them hating each other and grew into this thing that was never supposed to happen? How she isn’t meant for this WAG, farm wife, American lifestyle that he wants? She needs to be free- wings wide open so she can breathe. Not turning down assignments and worrying about moving to Dallas.

David doesn’t say anything else to her, just stares her down. Mack can tell he is holding everything he can inside. For her benefit or his, she can’t tell.

“I don’t know when I’m coming back.” She reiterates.

“Okay.” He is eerily calm now.

“So we should go separate ways.” 

“No.” He says clearly and assertively. “You wanna run from me, baby? Then just run. Go. But when you’re done with that, and you come back home, I’ll still be here, loving you. You can more your shit back in then too.”

Mack swallows, looping her arm through the handles of her bags, looking down at them because she can’t look at him. 

“It’s for the best.” She repeats. 

“Mack. I love you. So much.” He whispers, words rough and callused like his hands from working the farm his whole life. The words sound painful as if they rip up his body when he says them. Nothing like the ones he whispered to her last night when they made love. 

It almost gets her to stay.

She hesitates for three more seconds, but her mind screams go. So she does.

“Goodbye, David.” 

He puts his head in his hands as she turns to walk out of the kitchen. She can hear his heavy, uncontrolled breathing behind her until the closed door cuts them off. 

Mack doesn’t breathe the entire ride down the elevator. A numbness comes over her as she tries to convince herself to keep moving forward. She thought she would feel better after doing this. That she was holding them back, him mostly, and cutting the tie would give her back that feeling of freedom she craves. The freedom that he deserves too.

All she feels now is dead inside.

Mack walks out of the building, strutting across the sidewalk with her hand high in the air to hail down a cab. She isn’t sure how her feet are moving so fluidly with how violently she shakes.

“Goodnight, Ms. Hischier.” Philip calls cheerfully behind her.

“Bye!” She calls, waving over her shoulder. She can’t turn around. If she turns around, her feet are going to go right back through that door. 

And she just can’t.

This is not who she is.

She isn’t a WAG. She isn’t a farmer’s girlfriend. She isn’t anywhere close to wife material or a forever kind of girl.

She is a runner. A lone wolf. Who should have taken that elevator home a year ago instead of jumping into bed with her brother-in-law’s teammate. 

The words continue on like a self-deprecating mantra she can’t silence. 

David deserves better. He deserves a wife. Someone who wants to settle into that small country life with him, or in Dallas, and stands next to him through the storm. Not someone who can only see this working if all the cards are stacked in their favor.

Mack, I love you. So much. His voice rings through her brain.

“Fuck.” Mack sobs, shakily trying to breathe in the back of the cab as it pulls away from him. 

Over her heart, her fingers clutch his number on her neck. She pulls, snapping the necklace off her body.

“Ow.” She whispers to herself as her head falls back to the head rest.

If this was what she needed to do, then why does it hurt this damn bad?

Read more Mack and David here.

[girls-alias]

Christmas Wish - Dean Winchester

Title: Christmas Wish - Dean Winchester Words: 2,959 Relations: Dean Winchester X reader. TW: Christmas chapter.

I walked with my friend in the mall. We were doing last-minute shopping for Christmas when we stumbled upon the mall fountain. She chuckled bringing my attention to it. It had been decorated for Christmas with a big sign explaining that throwing a coin into the fountain and making a wish would come true on Christmas day. She's superstitious so she pulled two coins from her pocket, a wide smile on her face. I accepted one of the coins reluctantly with a sad smile. I know exactly what I'm going to wish for, it's the same thing I always wish for.

I held the coin tightly, putting my heart and soul into the wish. Mentally begging it to come true. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I wish Dean would find me," I thought to myself before throwing the coin and watching as it sunk to the bottom of the fountain floor. I sighed knowing that this wish was no different from all the other times I had wished. Just like always I knew I was going to be let down. Dean Winchester was the one who got away.

It was a classic case of the right person but the wrong time. Dean and I had been hunting together when Sam was in college, we were somewhat young and irresponsible but we were a team. After 2 years we finally started dating, it was perfect, it was natural and amazing. We only experienced it for a month before his dad disappeared and Dean had to ask Sam for help. We tried long distance for a little while but with both of us constantly hunting and Dean's new mission of finding the yellow-eyed demon, we didn't work out.

We agreed mutually that it was a bad time and it only hurt more knowing we were separate. We both cried, we told stories and all I needed was his arms around me, reassuring me but unfortunately, we had to do it over the phone as we were on opposite sides of the country.

I know I should forget about him and should have fully moved on in the 11 years since I've seen him but no man ever compares to him. He's ruined my views on relationships because I haven't had a single boyfriend as good as Dean. There was a time I stayed adamant to keep my phone number so he could always reach me but when I was fighting a small gang of vampires, my phone and SIM card were destroyed. It ruined me but it had been years since I had heard from him and so I should have let it go by that point.

My best friend woke up early to wave me off as I left. She doesn't know that I hunt monsters, she thinks I'm a pilot so it explains why I'm gone for weeks and sometimes months. It also gives me an excuse to not have a fixed address as I explained I would rather stay in hotels so that I don't have to pay for electricity in a house I won't be in. She's not the smartest person I know so it makes it a little easier lying to her. She'll believe anything.

My friend tried insisting that I stay for Christmas but monsters don't rest, I don't have time. It was the day before Christmas Eve when I left, much to her dismay. We'd already exchanged gifts and she's amazing. She knows I never buy new clothes so any holiday for exchanging gifts she gets me a new wardrobe. It comes in handy as I often get clothes ruined when I'm hunting but sometimes she gets me things I wouldn't be able to fight in.

I stopped in a motel in East Iowa, I had seen suspicious activity on the news which made me think it was a possible shapeshifter. They're a pain in the ass but someone's got to do it. I tried checking in, and getting a room for the night but they explained they were booked full for the next couple of days. Not ideal but I'll just have to live in my car for a little while.

The hunt was tedious, but it was quick as the shifter was sloppy and I killed the shifter in the early hours of Christmas morning. After living in my car, it soon became apparent I had an issue with my car. I had stopped in a diner car park, opening the bonnet to take a look. I soon came to the realisation I either had a leak in the coolant tank or a clogged heater core and so needed replacements. I asked in the diner if there were any mechanics open or somewhere I could get car parts on Christmas day. I was given the address and directions to a salvage yard that never seemed to close.

*********

I pulled up to the salvage yard, finding it was a house on the property. I stopped the car, assessing the house as I wondered if I should leave since they were probably celebrating Christmas and didn't want to disturb the owner. I sighed knowing I couldn't keep sleeping in my cold car. I climbed out of the car and approached the front door. I knocked lightly and checked the time on my watch making sure it wasn't too early to be knocking. The door opened to an older gentleman looking at me a little confused, I smiled politely.

"Hi, I just need some car parts. If it's not a good time, I can just go," I explained but he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, you need a hand?" He asked but I shook my head.

"I'll be okay, I'm just having an issue with either my coolant tank or I have a clogged heating core so I'll just look for replacements," I explained but he nodded with a smile.

"I'll help, it might be easier finding it together," He explained, stepping inside to grab a jacket.

"Oh, you don't have to. I realise it's Christmas and you're probably celebrating with family," I explained but he chuckled.

"Nah, my two boys are out of state, we're not big on Christmas," He explained making me a little sad he was alone and I smiled sadly as I nodded.

"I totally get it, I don't have family so Christmas is just another day to me," I explained as he stepped out, leading me to the scrap cars.

“So you’re doing nothing today?” He asked as he popped the hood of a close by car. I chuckled as I did the same with another car.

“Yeah, I’ll be on the road again.” I shrugged. Happily getting my hands dirty as I checked the car.

“Well, why don’t you stay here? We may be strangers but I’ll cook you a warm meal.” He explained and I was touched by his sentiment.

“Maybe I will. I’m Y/N,” I explained, holding my hand out for him to shake. We didn’t care about the oil on our hands and shook them with a smile.

“Bobby,” he explained.

*******

Bobby and I had found the parts. He helped me install the parts and after letting the car run a while it was perfect. I tried paying Bobby but he refused. His argument was that I was making his Christmas more bearable.

We went inside, Bobby was wondering what to make for Christmas dinner as he hadn't prepared anything special. I walked into his lounge following him as he explained he would have a microwave meal.

"I don't mind having a microwave meal with you, I quite like them and I can always-" I stopped as I looked to the ceiling surprised. Bobby seemed to notice my silence as he turned around to look at me confused before following my line of sight. He seemed stunned silent as if he couldn't think of a lie. "You're a hunter too?" I asked, pointing to the devil trap painted onto the ceiling. He smiled happily.

"Thank God, I had no excuse ready." He chuckled, relaxing as he took a seat at his desk.

"Wait, You're a hunter and your name is Bobby. You don't know Dean Winchester, do you?" I asked it's a long shot but -

"Yeah, I practically raised him. Sam too. They're my boys I mentioned earlier." He explained a little confused before his eyes widened. "Y/N Y/L/N?" He asked. I was shocked he knew of me. Either Dean has talked about me in the past and he had a great memory or he's heard of me from someone else. Weird coincidence though. I nodded softly. His lips curled into a wide grin. "I've been looking for you for years!" He exclaimed excitedly shocking me as he jumped up to grab his phone.

"Looking for me why?" I asked, worry filling me as I wondered if this whole thing might be a trap.

"Sam asked me to track you down so you and Dean can meet again, he's never shut up about you. He thought you died," He explained as he started dialling the phone before freezing. "Do you want to see him?" He asked. I grinned at the news. Dean never stopped talking about me, he was looking for me. Oh my God. This can't be real. What are the odds?

"Yeah, I always wondered what happened to him," I replied playing it cool but inside I was doing cartwheels, dancing, hell, I was even doing back flips. Am I really going to see Dean again after all these years?

Bobby called Sam and explained that he found me and to bring Dean, we would get some food for making Christmas dinner. He excitedly explained he wanted to make it a real Christmas. Sam said it would be a few hours before they could get here, around 7PM but was more than happy to make the trip.

Bobby put me in charge of decorating as I helped him get everything from the attack and he was quick to leave to see what food he could get. I felt a mixture of anxiety and excitement as I remembered the Christmas wish I had made in the fountain, never believing it would actually come true. But here I am, decorating a stranger's house, food soon coming, Dean, the love of my life on his way. I worried about how he might react to seeing me. I worried I wouldn't be the same or maybe he wouldn't but I always knew he was the right person, wrong time but now might be the right time.

*******

Bobby was back after a few hours. Nowhere was open but picked up a menu from a restaurant that was open and happy to deliver. He helped me finish putting up the decorations before he shooed me off to dress nicer. I laughed as I went back to my car, deciding to move it to the back of the house so he wouldn't see it. He hasn't seen this car but I don't want him suspicious someone else is here. It might ruin the surprise. I changed into a nice dress my best friend had got me and mentally thanked her for getting it for me. I figured it would be good somewhere along the way if I had to work undercover but those kinds of jobs hardly ever come up.

*******

Bobby was more excited than me. He had given me a glass of whiskey for liquid luck but he soon tipped the bottom of my glass as I was taking a drink, the car was pulling in and he wanted me out of sight but for me to have finished my drink. He grabbed the glass from me and guided me to the dining room before closing the double doors with a wide smile.

I listened as Bobby greeted them at the door, my stomach doing flips as I heard Dean's voice. I took a deep breath, stabilising myself as I felt like I was dreaming.

"Hey, Bobby. Merry Christmas," Dean commented as he entered the room behind the double doors. I waited anxiously as I knew only the wooden doors were the only things separating us.

"Merry Christmas boys," I heard Bobby add with some shuffling sounds as if they were exchanging hugs. "I've got you some gifts under the tree but Dean, yours is in the dining room," Bobby explained.

"Thanks, Bobby. You didn't have to," Another voice explained happily and I knew it must be Sam. "We've got you a small bag of presents in the car," He added making Bobby chuckle.

"Thank you, I think Dean should get his first and then we can have a drink," Bobby explained, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

"We'll drink first," Dean seemed to shrug.

"Drinks after," Bobby insisted. There seemed to be a little silence before I heard footsteps approach the door. I took a deep breath, instantly worried and unsure how to stand. I decided to clasp my hands together and let them fall in front of me. The doors opened.

Standing in all his glory was Dean Winchester. The love of my life, the man I pined over for 11 years. He looked confused but as his eyes found mine he broke into a wide smile. He hurried to me. Engulfing me in a tight hug as he rocked us side to side slightly. I giggled as I hugged him back. My arms wrapped over his shoulders as he squeezed me tightly. I forgot how tall he actually was until he straightened up and lifted me off the floor for a second.

He buried his face into the crook of my neck, his smiling cheeks noticeable against my skin. He pulled away, his hands still on me as he didn't want to be far. "What are you doing here? You're alive, I can't believe you're alive. How did this happen?" He asked excitedly. I chuckled as I admired him. He hasn't changed for the worst, he's even more handsome than I remember, he's more rugged and definitely still the epitome of my type.

"I had car troubles, it was a complete coincidence," I explained as his smile never faded. He pulled me back into a hug making me chuckle. I hugged him back, squealing as he lifted me from the ground again and kept me up. He's still strong. God, if only he knew what he was doing to me. I noticed Bobby and a tall guy smiling as they watched us. "Hi, Sam. It's nice to meet you," I chuckled as Dean's grip didn't waver. He chuckled.

"Nice to meet you too," He added. Dean spun around so I was facing the other way. I heard the doors closing as he took one hand from around me to close the doors. I chuckled a little nervous as to why he wanted to be alone with me but it also made butterflies flutter in my stomach. He held me up with one arm, he didn't struggle and didn't seem to even consider putting me down.

Once the doors were closed, he put me down. His hands cupped my face as he admired my eyes. "I've been waiting for you," He explained, my insides turning to mush. I smiled.

"Me too," I added, he grinned at my words.

"Good," He swooped down, connecting our lips in a passionate kiss. I swooned as his lips graced mine. The kiss I had dreamed of for years. The kiss I had imagined so many times. The kiss no other compared to. He smiled against my lips as my hands move to the back of his neck to hold him close to me. One of his hands moved to my hip, pulling my body against his. I pulled away slowly when I heard Bobby and Sam snickering to themselves probably talking about us. Dean seemed reluctant to pull away.

"We can't just ignore them," I explained but he looked disappointed. I chuckled as I shook my head. "It's Christmas," I added so he playfully rolled his eyes but his smile never left his lips. He pulled me back into a sweet kiss before pulling away again.

"Be my girlfriend again and I'll stop ignoring them," He hinted, his smile turning to a smirk. I blushed at his words knowing I had never wanted anything more in my life. I nodded a little too excitedly. He chuckled as he connected our lips, celebrating the rekindling of our relationship after 11 years. I should have made the wish in the fountain years ago.

*****

It was the best Christmas I ever had. We ordered Chinese food they opened presents, we exchanged hunting stories and acted like a real family. As the night was winding down, Sam took one of the spare rooms while Dean and I took the other. I worried he would want to make up for all the nights we had missed but as soon as we were in the room alone his arms never let go of me. We cuddled all night and it was the best sleep I remember ever having.

We stayed at Bobby's a few days before Sam and Dean had to go back on the road. Dean rode in my car, kissing me when I stopped but holding my thigh the whole time I was driving. He still looks at me the same way he used to, the love in his eyes only seemed to grow as we spent more time together. He had only changed for the better but he was still the same and loving man I had fallen for. He's still perfect for me.

Masterlist

[eleventhdoctorsangel]

Never wanted you to hate me

Nami opened the door to Kaya’s room as we rushed inside to see that she was safe and Usopp was there. “Thank god you’re still alive.” Nami said. “Why wouldn’t we be alive?” Kaya asked. “Y/n was right about Klahadore but his name is Kuro he’s been poisoning you.” Nami said. “Poison? What are you talking about?” Kaya asked. “I overheard them in the kitchen. It’s been going on for years.” Nami said. Kaya looked over to Usopp. “Did Usopp put you up to this?” Kaya asked. “I didn’t even know. I gave you that tea.” Usopp said. “Think about it Kaya. When did you start getting sick? Was it around the time Kuro started working here?” Nami said. Kaya seemed to think about it. “Listen to me. If we stay here we die. We have to leave now.” Nami said. Kaya looked between Nami and Usopp. “Kaya I know you’re scared but Nami is right we need to leave.” I said. “We need to get the security shutters up.” Kaya said. “Where can we do that?” Nami asked. “Follow me.” Kaya said going to a wall as a door opened and we all quickly walked into closing it behind us.

“Where are we going?” Nami whispered. “We gotta get out of the house.” Usopp said. “There’s another crank that can open the shutters. It’s in my parents bedroom in the east wing.” Kaya said. “Are you sure? Maybe there’s another way.” Usopp said. “This is the only option. We have to go.” Kaya said but started to cough. No no no not now. I went over to her try to cover her praying that there wasn’t too much noise. But then five swords pierced through the way barely missing Kaya and I then almost getting Nami and Usopp. I pushed Kaya to Usopp as ten swords pierced through the wall trapping me where I was cutting my arm. I let out a hiss of pain. “Run.” Usopp said as we ran through the passageways.

“Are you okay?” Nami asked. “I’m fine it’s just a cut nothing I can’t handle.” I said. “Now I see why Zoro thinks it’s necessary to keep you locked away.” Nami said. “Not helpful.” I said laughing a little. Kaya stopped in her tracks. “Kaya come on we got to go.” Usopp said. “She got hurt because of me.” Kaya said. “No Kaya I didn’t okay. We will talk about this later but we need to get to the crank in your parents room okay. Please Kaya we have to keep moving if we don’t Kuro will beat us there and then we will never be able to make it out.” I said. Kaya nodded and we started to move again.

Then Usopp opened a door and we walked into a large room covered in white sheets and cobwebs. “Okay. Big creepy room. No problem.” Usopp said. Kaya managed to get the lights on as Usopp freaked out about something. “It was a spider.” Usopp said. “We treated him like family. How did I not see it? How did I not see him?” Kaya said as tears filled her eyes. “It’s not your fault. He took advantage of you. Now I need you to be strong so we can get out of here.” Nami said as Kaya nodded. Kaya walked over to a covered painting and pulled the sheet down. The painting was of Kaya and her parents. “What would they think of me? They’d be so disappointed.” Kaya said. “No. No they’d want you to survive and that is exactly what we are going to do.” Nami said. Kaya pulled the painting out and behind it was the crank. The four of us pulled it out and tried to get it to start moving.

“Why is this so difficult.” I said. “No idea but we got to keep trying.” Nami said. “Where are Luffy and Zoro when we need them.” I said. We still struggled to move the crank but we could bare get it moving. “God this thing need’s some oil.” Usopp said. “No it just needs a little elbow grease.” Nami said. “Kaya. Oh miss Kaya.” Kuro said. “Hide.” I whispered. We rushed to put everything back where it was. “Sounds like we have a bigger rat problem than I thought” Kuro said. Nami, Kaya and I quickly hid under a desk and Usopp hid close by. “Maybe we need a cat in the house.” Kuro said as the doors opened and he walked in. Crap crap. “Now now Kaya I know you’re in here. Come out. There’s not point in hiding who we are anymore. Isn’t it exhausting putting on airs pretending we’re better than we are? You’ve had every opportunity this world has to offer. What have you done with your life?” Kuro said as he destroyed the room. I quietly and carefully brought my hand up on top of the desk trying and hoping to find something to use as a weapon. Nami looked at me shaking her head. I felt something cold I grabbed it quickly pulling to me. It was a letter opener well it’s better than nothing. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You are a pathetic spoiled sniveling little brat.” Kuro said as he stood next to where we are hiding.

I felt as Kaya grabbed ahold of my hand for comfort. But the Kuro stabbed through the desk Kaya covered her mouth with her free hand to keep from screaming. “Oh come now Kaya. Let’s not make this more difficult than it need be hmm?” Kuro said walking away. Just consider this payback for all those years spent listening to your incessant whining. Klahadore the soup’s too hot. Bring my blanky Klahadore. Make my tea. Brush my hair.” Kuro said. As we heard a mirror break. “Oh Klahadore I miss my mommy and my daddy. When all I wanted to do was rip your tongue out!” Kuro said. I took this opportunity to quietly move the sheet I saw that Kuro had his back to me I threw the letter opener at him the quickly moving back grabbing the sheet to make it seem like it was never moved. We could hear him groan out it pain. I couldn’t believe I hit him.

“Now I wonder which one of you managed to hit me. Where to look next? Well you always were daddy’s little girl even if he didn’t have enough time for you hmm?” Kuro said. “Don’t.” Nami whispered. “I’m stronger that you think.” Kaya whispered back. We all three ran out from under the desk only to be grabbed by Kuro. We were pushed to the ground Kaya and I on one side Nami on the other. I pushed Kaya behind me as Kuro had pointed a sword to my neck. “Too easy. Then Kuro caught something as Nami came or to us. I looked back to see Usopp with a sling shot behind us. Kruo was gone in the blink of an eye appearing in front of Usopp knocking him down. Then coming back to us. “Goodbye Miss Kaya.” Kuro said raising his hand. Then a hand appeared grabbing his wrist.  

Luffy! Thank god. Luffy pulled Kuro’s arm from us. “These are my friends. You don’t get to mess with them.” Luffy said. “You are annoyingly resilient.” Kuro said pushing his glasses up with his palm. “Well I am made of rubber.” Luffy said. “You two go Usopp I’m going to help Luffy.” I said. “Are you crazy what are you going to do.” Nami said. “Make it up as I go.” I said. They got up and went over to Usopp. I started to look around to find anything else I could use as a weapon. I grabbed at lamp pole and went over to Luffy.

“What are you doing?” Luffy asked. “Helping.” I said. “But you’re going to get hurt. I won’t.” Luffy said. “Well I already got hurt so what more can happen. Is Zoro okay?” I said. “He’s fine. He’s taking care of the other two.” Luffy said. “Did you really think that the two of you can get the best of me? I’m Kuro of the thousand plans.” Kuro said. But it was hard to tell where his voice was coming from. “Then come out and fight me.” Luffy said. “No you poor poor sap. So you think you want to be a pirate? And you girl don’t think I didn’t notice that mark on you. It’s from that clown am I right. I wonder what would happen if you were returned to him dead.” Kuro said. “I am a pirate.” Luffy said. “You heard what Luffy said he became strangely fond of me not only would Zoro hunt you to the day you die but so will Buggy.” I said. “You sound confident. Are you sure that those two cares enough to care about if you’re alive or dead.” Kuro said. “Then you don’t know Zoro he would put his life on the line to protect Y/n.” Luffy said. Kuro just laughed. “And how long have you been on the seas and know them? A week? A month?” Kuro said. Luffy and I both turned around and saw that Kuro was now behind us. “I was a captain of years and I never failed in a raid. Not once. And what did I get in return? A life of worry and a target on my back as wide the east blue?” Kuro said. Luffy tried to punch him but Kuro dodged it. “Is that what you want? Either of you? A lifetime of always looking over you shoulder.” Kuro said as he appeared in front of us I tried to hit him but missed.

“You’ll never get a peaceful night’s rest because someone’s always waiting to slit your throat. Pirates, Marines. Why even your own crew. But I have to say you might are going to have it worst girl. Traveling with a bounty hunter will make you a target to use against him to stop hunting whatever new bounty he’s after. As for being marked by that clown. Other pirates or marines could use you against him. You’re going to end up dead no matter who you chose it’s all a matter of how long you’ll last longer with.” Kuro said. “Not my crew.” Luffy said. “You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.” I said. “We’ve got each other’s backs. Always.” Luffy said. I let out a cry of pain as I felt Kuro cut me again. “Until the day they don’t. I’ve killed more crewmembers than I care to remember. They’re expendable. Every single one of them.” Kuro said. I quickly check to now see four more cuts in the middle of my boobs. “Seriously again with cutting near my boobs. I swear the next pirate who cuts near my boobs I’m cutting their dick off.” I said.

“Being a pirate is not about raiding villages or perfect plans. It’s about adventure. And freedom.” Luffy said. Kuro laughs. “Freedom? There’s no such thing with a bounty on your head.” Kuro said. “You gave up on your dream. No one who does that can ever call themselves a pirate.” Luffy said. Kuro laughed again. “Looks like you’re the one giving up now.” Kuro said. I decided to swing again. But this time I hit Kuro in the face. By the amount of blood pouring out of his nose good chances are that I broke it. “No. I’m done talking. Now I’m listening.” Luffy said. Luffy was waiting on the perfect moment and he finally landed a hit on Kuro. “Didn’t plan for that did cha?” Luffy asked. I stepped back to let Luffy finish the fight with Kuro. Luffy grabbed Kuro arms pulling them apart from each other. “Gum Gum Bell.” Luffy said as his head stretches back then headbutts Kuro out of the window. I dropped the lamp to the ground. “Whoo!” Usopp yelled making me laugh. I went over to the others. “Are you okay?” I asked as I helped them up from the ground. “We’re fine. We should be asking you that.” Nami said. “I’ll be fine it’s not like these are deep. But we should go check on Zoro.” I said.

We made our way back to the front of the house to see that the Sham and Buchi were now tied up and Zoro was opening the doors to let the sunlight in some. As we got down the stairs Nami and I walked passed Sham who hissed at us. Being beyond done I kicked her in the face breaking her nose as well. “Wow you broke two people’s noses so close together I’m proud of you.” Nami said. “Why thank you.” I said smiling. “I’m sorry about the mess. You probably need some new staff.” Zoro said. “I think I’m done with staff for a bit.” Kaya said. “I don’t blame you.” I said. “Too bad we can’t collect their bounty.” Zoro said. “No. No. The Marines already know where we are. We have to get out of here.” Nami said. “Where are we gonna go? We don’t even have a ship.” Luffy said. “Yes you do.” Kaya said. Luffy smirked over to Nami.

Within the next hour and a half, was spent rushing to get everything on the ship. I’m honestly surprised that we managed to get it done as fast as we did. Now the six of us were standing in the shipyard looking at the new ship that was going to be home to us. “Wow. That looks just like your lawyer friend.” Luffy said. “Merry ran the shipyard after my parents passed. He was their dearest colleague. My oldest companion.” Kaya said. “Then his memory will live on. I hereby name this ship the going merry!” Luffy said. “It’s yours now. Your new home.” Kaya said. “Thank you Kaya. Whoo! Yeah! We did it!” Luffy said as he threw his arms in the air as he hugged Zoro and Nami. “Oh come on how come you’re hugging Y/n.” Nami said. “I don’t want to bleed from my boobs again.” I said. “Usopp!” Luffy yelled and went over to him. I looked over to Nami and Zoro. “What are you waiting for? Get your stuff.” Luffy said. “What stuff?” Usopp asked. “You’re coming with us. Right?” Luffy said. “What? Uh. Uh. No. I. I couldn’t.” Usopp said. “Just come on already.” Zoro said. But I could see that Usopp kept looking over at Kaya. “I’m going to need a great sharp shooter. Just like Yasopp. And I saw what you did back there. Sticking up for your friends. That’s exactly the kind of guy I need on my crew.” Luffy said. “But. I couldn’t leave syrup village. What. What about Kaya? She needs me to take care of her.” Usopp asked. Kaya walked over to him. “Usopp you’ve been a great friend but I think it’s time I start taking care of myself.” Kaya said.

Nami, Zoro and I walked over to where Luffy was. “But I said I’d never leave you. And don’t you need help with the shipyard?” Usopp said. “The shipyard was my parents dream. I think I might do something different. Like study to become a doctor.” Kaya said. “So I guess this is goodbye.” Usopp said. “I’ll see you again someday. And when I do I expect to hear all about the real adventures of Captain Usopp.” Kaya said and kissed him. “They. They do know I’m the captain right?” Luffy asked. “Let them have this one.” Nami said putting a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah Luffy.” I said. We watched as they pulled away from their kiss. “Well we should get going before the Marines find us.” Nami said. We all made our way up. “Don’t worry Kaya I’ll keep an eye on him. Nami and I both will as you can tell from Luffy and Zoro we already have our hands full.” I said. “I appreciate it Y/n. I can’t wait to see you and Nami again.” Kaya said and hugged me. “Us too.” I said hugging her back.

I climbed on board the going merry and as we sat sail we all waved to Kaya. I watched as Luffy rush over to the sheep head. “Be careful. You know what happens if you fall.” I said. “I know.” Luffy said. “Such mom words.” Zoro said. “You think you’re so funny don’t you.” I said. “I do actually.” Zoro said. “Hate you.” I said smiling. “Hate you more.” Zoro said. “Well I’m going to go fix us all something to eat. Maybe we should look for a cook next because I can only do so much.” I said. “Well until then I know that we’ll appreciate it. You’re a decent cook.” Zoro said. I smiled shaking my head as I went down to the kitchen to fix an early lunch.

Nami and Zoro were the first two to come down and eat. I sat a plate for Usopp and Luffy aside along with the extra I made because Luffy is a bottomless pit of a growing boy. “Thanks for cooking lunch for us Y/n. It’s really good.” Nami said. “I know Zoro told you to tell me that but I’m glad you like it. I might not be the best cook but I can manage until we find someone else.” I said. “I didn’t tell her to tell you anything you need to give yourself more credit.” Zoro said. “He’s right. Just look how much you have changed over the past few days.” Nami said. “Thanks guys.” I said smiling.

It wasn’t long before Luffy and Usopp came to join us. “Lunch is ready boys. I already set a plate for both of you and don’t worry Luffy I made more.” I said. “Thanks.” Both of the boys said. I noticed Usopp was holding something. “What’s that?” I asked. “You guys must check this out. Using my unparalleled artistic talent I made use a new jolly roger for the ship.” Usopp said. Usopp handed it over to Luffy as he opened it to show us. Of course he made it look like him. I looked at Nami and Zoro who had the same expression as I did. “I know. I know. My flair for design often leaves people speechless.” Usopp said. “Yeah I’m not sure that is what’s happening right now.” I said. Luffy pretty much shoved the flag to Usopp. “I already drew our flag.” Luffy said. “Okay but this one is so much better.” Usopp said. “Boys you two better behave or I’ll put you both in time out.” I said. “Neither of the flags are gonna scare anyone away.” Zoro said. “Okay but the jolly roger is supposed to reflect the captain.” Usopp said wrapping the flag around himself like a blanket. “I am the captain. We are the straw hat crew.” Luffy said. “They call me captain Usopp.” Usopp said. As they both started bickering about who will be the captain. Making me and Nami both laugh then it got the boys to laugh. “You see. This is what it’s all about. From now on it’s all gonna be smooth sailing.” Luffy said.

“You better not have just jinxed us Luffy.” I said. Then then sounds of cannon fire was heard and then there was an explosion. “Thanks for opening your mouth Luffy.” I said. “What was that?” Uospp asked. That was met with more cannon fire. “Y/n’s right you had to open your mouth.” Nami said. We all ran out of the kitchen and on deck. Nami and I were the first to climb the stairs. “Marines! We’re under attack!” Nami yelled. Luffy grabbed a telescope to see if by any chance it was some marines that we already had a run in with. “Grandpa?” Luffy said confused. Wait a damn minute. “Grandpa?” Nami, Zoro and Usopp asked. “I’m sorry but bitch what?” I said.

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[ghostwise]

Matacuervos, ch. 6 - The friend at midnight 3.3k words - cw: death, canon-typical violence, discussion of childhood trauma, slavery, and child abuse Zevran reels from a revelation about his past. Things do not go according to plan. The night ends with an unexpected visit. Read update on AO3 - Read from ch. 1 on AO3

It was in the Brecilian Forest where Zevran first told Hamal about his parents. 

All of it. The whole sordid story. The dead whore mom with her Dalish gloves. The unfaithful father. A childhood of lice, abuse, and malnourishment at the hands of the Crows. But the telling felt right somehow, there in those groves where Clan Sabrae had brought up young Mahariel. 

If Hamal’s own troubled past was in that frigid landscape, Zevran’s legacy of sorrow could come and intertwine with it. Perhaps both would find some measure of comfort then. 

And so the pines caught up every secret in their needles. The story sank into the damp and mossy earth.

Zevran had not thought of his past since, and he didn’t plan to start now.

The payment that undid your father. 

Over the course of an hour, Gloria Amilcar betrayed every single thing she knew about El milagro’s business with the Crows, including the contract that had led to Zevran’s orphaning. It turned out that his mother needn’t have been a widow. His father had been, contrary to what he’d always believed, a good man.

Or had he?

More than likely the words were just a ploy the woman was using to throw Zevran off his guard. That wasn’t hard to believe; it had worked so well, after all, as he worried and plucked at her story over and over again in his mind.

The payment that undid your father. 

Had his past all been a lie? 

It made no difference. He shut his eyes and pushed the question away.

Sra. Amilcar sat at her desk all the while. It was not just about his parents; with a dagger at her throat, Zevran had cajoled a wealth of information from her, including Crow contracts dating back thirty years, not to mention plenty of material he could use as blackmail against powerful men throughout the country, if the need ever arose.

She looked up at Zevran, her eyes wide.

“So now I’ve told you everything I know. You won’t kill me?”

“I haven’t decided.” Zevran aimed a half-hearted glare at her. “Do as I’ve asked, then we’ll see.”

She nodded grimly and got up.

It was late, and the brothel sang with activity. Sra. Amilcar’s absence had not been noticed, for the hosts were busy collecting payment and escorting guests up to dingy rooms. Bawdy lyrics resonated as she and Zevran exited down the hall, past all the revelry. The back door was through the washroom, which was cramped, hot, and muggy even with the windows open.

The light that spilled out onto the street was golden, but the air outside was all silver, and clouds had rolled in from the east.

Zevran marched the woman towards the apartments. An uncharacteristic silence struck him as they approached. The lively voices from before were gone. Where was everyone?

“Stay here,” he said, slowing to a stop. “Don’t move. If you run, I will catch you within ten paces.”

Warning issued, he crept forward, scanning the nearby alley. There were several sets of footprints in the dirt, leading away from the apartment. An uneasy feeling gripped him. But before he could investigate, the door to the apartment opened to a darkness from which a slight figure stepped out.

“Help!” Gloria shouted, and she stumbled forward as if pulled in by the sight of that figure. “Nadia! Help me! He aims to kill me!”

Zevran whirled around. Sra. Amilcar’s voice cut off in a muffled scream, as Hamal had snuck up beside her, and clamped his hand over her mouth, silencing her. 

“Now, now,” Zevran scolded. “I thought we had an understanding.”

Nadia made no move to reach for Sra. Amilcar, nor did she run for help. Instead she regarded the older woman with a loaded gaze, her eyes carrying something deeper than betrayal.

“Is it true, Gloria?” she asked softly.

Zevran looked at her.

Just a hundred yards away, El milagro stood apart, humble and self-contained, floating in a world where pain and sorrow could be vanquished—albeit, temporarily, and for a set price. But here, in the moonless night, Gloria Amilcar stood face to face with every sin she’d ever committed against her fellows in exchange for a comfortable wage. 

“How many?” Nadia asked. “How long?”

It was too much. Amilcar went limp in Hamal’s arms. 

“Shit! Did I suffocate her?”

“She’s just fainted. Perhaps she finally felt something for the children she’s delivered to their deaths over the years,” Zevran said without any sympathy. More importantly, he was surprised by Nadia; by both her unexpected appearance and her help.

“Bring her inside,” Nadia said in Antivan. “We’re not on a busy street exactly, but we are hardly away from prying eyes.”

Zevran raised a brow, looking at Hamal for some guidance.

“Long story, but I had to tell her the truth,” Hamal explained hurriedly. “Took a bit of luck and a fucking complicated game of charades, but I think I explained the situation. She made sure the children were safe. They’re not here, Zevran,” he added, as he carried Sra. Amilcar into the building. “Nadia took them away. She will be contacting the guard.”

Zevran blinked. That had not been the plan.

“Then I can only be thankful,” he said in Antivan. “To you both.”

What a mess this all was. As they entered the building, Zevran wished he could confer with Hamal in private; tell him what he had learned, plan what they should do next. He had hoped to compel Sra. Amilcar into luring the slaver into an ambush. That was becoming more difficult by the minute.

As for the apartment, it still smelled familiar, like dust and mold and absence, like the black spot in the corner of the room, which had grown in size since he’d lived here as a boy. Zevran cast a quick glance around, noting the toys strewn on the floor, and a pile of books on the table, with titles like El gato con botas and El flautista de Hamelin. The windows hosted a pair of floral curtains.

Hamal laid Sra. Amilcar on the floor, resting her head on one of the soft plush toys.

“My husband tells me you orchestrated an evacuation,” Zevran said, turning to face Nadia. He gave a curt nod, feeling strangely awkward and unlike himself. “Thank you. We… could not have done it on our own. However, I cannot help but wonder… my husband is a stranger to you. Yet, you agreed to help so readily. Why?”

“It must seem odd,” Nadia admitted. “But I suppose… it’s because I remembered the day you went away, Zevran.”

“Me?”

She paused to give him a proper look, curious and lingering. “Yes. It never sat right with me, you know. Even though we were told the orphaned children were going somewhere better—it never sat right with me! Children should not be sent off without a goodbye or a kind word! And knowing what I know now…” She sighed. “Adelmar was heartbroken. We found out you and the others were gone only when we came to read to you the next day. So what if you were orphans? You were—in a small way, you still are—ours.”

“Ah,” Zevran said, struck by the idea that he had ever been anyone’s. 

“Do you remember Adelmar?” Nadia asked.

Zevran thought about it. Nadia and Adelmar had been so kind to him and to the others—of course he remembered. Their visits were one of the few good things he experienced in those years. It hadn’t all been cruel.

“Of course I remember her,” Zevran answered. “I remember you, too.”

“That’s why I helped. Because we loved you. And you love him.” She looked at Hamal with certainty. “So we’ve never met. But we’re still kin. Of a sort.”

Such sweetness seemed out of place here. Zevran glanced up at the molded corner of the ceiling.

“I’m glad,” he said softly. “Because someone is going to knock at that door any minute now. And I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything!” Nadia said earnestly.

“I need you to leave.”

She hesitated. Zevran could see her deliberate over her situation, before speaking. 

“I know what I am getting into,” she said carefully. “I know we are talking about slavers here. You think me naive? In my line of work? Violence and abuse are no strangers to me. I face danger often. And forgive me, but this very much involves me. It involved me even before I knew what was happening, right under our noses.”

“Crows,” Gloria croaked out, half-conscious, from her spot on the floor.

“Gag her,” Zevran snapped at the interruption, and Hamal pulled off one of his gloves to do so—but Sra. Amilcar spat the words as quickly as she could with all her meek strength.

“He’s a Crow, Nadia! I will not help them! He’s the dangerous one-!”

And now came a litmus test Zevran knew well. Though he wished he didn’t.

In the past, revealing his status as a Crow had been an occasional risk he dealt with by killing a person or buying their silence. Now it was a half-truth that could only hurt an already delicate situation. His shoulders tensed, and Hamal exchanged a frantic look with him—he’d do whatever he was told, this Zevran knew. But he really hoped they would not have to restrain Nadia too.

“Is that true?” Nadia asked.

Zevran looked at her evenly. “We haven’t lied to you.”

Nadia’s eyes darted low, then back to him, but each look was tenuous, as if she was struggling to keep him in her view. As if she were reconsidering all those words about kin and memories.

“You are a Crow?” she asked again.

“No! Not anymore, I swear it! And the less you know, the better, believe me.” Zevran urged her further, “But it is all the more reason you must leave! Forget you saw us! Tell no one!”

Nadia shut her eyes.

All too quickly, their time was up. Three heavy knocks sounded at the door. 

“Please,” Zevran whispered. “Run. Hide upstairs. Do anything else. You took the children to safety, you’ve already done your part.”

Zevran grit his teeth. At this rate, he would lose his chance.

“Fuck it,” Nadia said at last with a sigh. “I believe you, Zevran. But I will not leave, and you haven’t the time to argue. Let me help! At the very least we owe each other that!”

.

Fuck it was right.

Despite his best efforts here Zevran was again, helpless against the whims of fate. It wasn’t what he’d planned. But he was flexible.

He wore a placid smile as he stepped through the door to meet the man.

“Good evening, serah. You were expected.”

It was a Crow talent to read your target as quickly as possible in just a few seconds. A cursory glance told Zevran a lot already. The man at the door hesitated. He didn’t answer right away, so it was likely had had been expecting to meet Sra. Amilcar, which meant he was already on the defensive. And he was dressed in comfortable, common clothing, covered with a shawl, so it was likely he was armed.

There was no mistaking it. This was the man who’d taken him and the other children, all those years ago. 

Older and greyer, but it was him.

And he didn’t recognize Zevran.

“Good evening,” the man returned, and he eyed Zevran briefly before glancing away. “I’ve a meeting with the lady of the house.”

“She is otherwise disposed,” Zevran said warmly, knowing very well that in that moment Hamal had restrained her, and was bringing her upstairs. He would be at one of the upstairs windows in probably two minutes’ time. A lot could happen in two minutes. “I will be helping you tonight. Won’t you come in?”

“I only meet with her,” the man said, painting the words with an apologetic gesture. “I’m sorry to hear she’s not available. Perhaps it’s best I come back another day. You her secretary or something?”

“That’s right,” Zevran said. “I am Amrit, her secretary. Surely she informed you of my recent hiring? She is ill, and she apologizes, but I assure you there is no need to reschedule. I am more than capable of managing our business, despite appearances. Won’t you come in?”

The man regarded him, unconvinced, but not threatened yet.

“I really do regret hearing of her illness,” he said at last. “Have her send word when she is better. I will return then.” He turned and began walking back towards the carriage.

“But our agreement!” Zevran hurried after him in the unguarded fashion of an angry man who had very little understanding of his circumstance. “Please! Sr. Rossi will have my head!”

“That so?” The man grunted, pausing at the front of the carriage. “Not my business. Anyway, I’m not walking back the deal. Just waiting to talk to the lady in charge. You understand. Delicate business, this is.”

“What does it matter who you deal with, so long as you get what you need?”

“I suppose you want me to hand all that money straight to your hands, elf?” He gave a dry chuckle. “But do not worry! If what you say is true, then we’ll talk again soon.” He paused and gave him what was no doubt meant to be a lecherous smile. “Maybe we could talk alone then, you and I. Being as you are such an enterprising young man we could work out an agreement of our own. What do you say?”

The suggestion did not escape Zevran, and he nearly bristled; once he would have leaned into it, using it to manipulate his target, but it was all too crass in these circumstances.

“Unfortunately,” he said, “that won’t work for me.” 

It was time for a more direct approach. Not willing to let his target escape, Zevran drew his dagger and aimed a kick at the back of the man’s knee, knocking him down. The man fell against the carriage and steadied himself against one of the wheels. Regaining his balance and drawing a shortsword from beneath his shawl, he stepped towards him.

“You little elven whore!” he spat.

“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” Zevran returned, easily parrying a strike from the man’s blade. He had the advantage as far as his eyesight was concerned; every small detail of his enemy was clear as day to him. But he had no idea what Hamal or Nadia were up to. Only that Hamal would be upstairs any moment now, and Nadia, Maker willing, was flanking their position to get to the carriage unnoticed.

It was clear that the man was familiar with his weapon, but not often called upon to use it. Each strike was just ever so slightly unpracticed. He tried again and again to land a blow upon Zevran, without success, and as he was an older man, having been in this cruel business for over thirty years, he tired quickly.

After trying and failing to disarm Zevran, he made a sudden dash onto the carriage, and took the reins into his hands. But Nadia had done her part with shocking efficiency; they hung from his grip uselessly, and he looked at Zevran with wide-eyed fury.

“You’re dead, Amrit. I’ll gut you quick!”

“Try!”

“Don’t touch him!” Nadia hissed.

The rest of the pieces fell into place. Nadia appeared from the opposite side of the carriage, having climbed up to ambush the man after cutting the horse’s reins. She grabbed her enemy with surprising efficacy—clearly she knew how to incapacitate a violent man—and as Zevran disarmed him, she pinned his arms from behind, and pressed a borrowed dagger against his throat.

The man stood stock still, glaring up at Zevran.

The scuffle had been short, but not effortless. Zevran’s wrists ached from the strength he’d needed to deflect each attack. He climbed up onto the carriage in order to regard the man more closely.

Here was the beast who’d stolen so many of Rialto’s children, who had been selling them for decades, to the Crows and who knows what else.

“Clever. What now?” the man asked. “You cut my throat and rob me?”

“Ah-ah,” Zevran said. “Not so easy, I’m afraid.”

The man spat at him. Saliva landed on his cheek, and though Nadia tightened her hold on the dagger, Zevran retorted with a calm smile.

“Let’s get you inside,” he said, grabbing the cut reins so as to bind his hands together. “We have much to discuss.”

He hadn’t taken him for a mage.

A blast of energy exuded from the man, briefly occluding Zevran’s senses; in that moment he couldn’t see, speak, or hear, and he certainly couldn’t move or react. 

He’d experienced something similar before, in Ferelden, only that time it had been Morrigan unleashing her magic upon their enemies, stunning them. Maker, he missed having a mage on his side.

The mage leapt off the carriage, pushing Nadia off and onto the ground on the way. He’d incapacitated his own horse in the attempt to escape, so he made a run for it, boots striking the cobblestones in a relentless pace.

Zevran came to his senses with a throbbing headache. He let out a shout as he saw the man already far down the street, headed towards the brothel. 

“Hey!” 

Nadia whimpered from where she had fallen. Hamal must have made it to the window, for an arrow zipped overhead with a characteristic whistle. Zevran did not doubt Hamal’s aim; he was a gifted archer, but that was the problem. The arrow struck with enough force to knock the man off his feet. Zevran cursed.

It gave him a feeling that the whole situation was unraveling. An ugly pit grew in his stomach—fear of retribution, perhaps an old response from growing up in the Crows—and worse still, as Zevran ran after the man, another figure rounded the corner, limping along with her cane.

“Amrit?” Rocio asked, seeing him. 

Where had she come from? She must have followed them, Zevran realized. In fact, she must have had hurried all the way across Rialto to get here. She had come, not knowing how fate had worked its mysteries in order to bring them all here: Zevran, Hamal, Rocio, Nadia, Gloria, and this loathsome man at the center of the web. But Rocio was so much like him, after all, so how could Zevran truly be surprised?

Her eyes traveled to the injured slaver, now at her feet. Her expression shifted to one of horrified recognition.

“It’s you.”

“Get away from him, Rocio!”

“I remember you,” Rocio said. “Do you remember me?”

The man looked up at her, bleeding. He didn’t have a chance to answer before she swung her cane in a shining arc, and struck him on his skull. The man cried out in pain.

Zevran urged his stunned body to carry him closer to the scene. 

Rocio had stumbled onto the ground, thrown off balance by the ferocity of her own attack. She struck the slaver again and again with her cane. The blood pooling around him did not deter her in the slightest. 

Zevran had underestimated her. He’d left a crucial clue, by omission, tipping her off to the exact location where he suspected the next group of children would be taken from.

“Bastard!” Rocio cried. She seemed to only grow angrier with each blow. “Son of a bitch! You will never—take another one—again!” 

Finally, Zevran knelt before her, watching his chance of getting answers vanish. But he could hardly be upset about it. 

Somehow in the gleaming moonlight, the sight of Rocio’s vengeance was too stark and beautiful. A well deserved victory, and a catharsis that brought tears to Zevran’s burning eyes. 

[jimblejamblewritings]

luck be a (leading) lady | part 14.

[Posted 2023.08.12]

Summary: Y/N has always been a background character. That’s just life for some folks isn’t it? But what if she’s determined to not just be another member in the ensemble? What if someone helps her step into the spotlight in her own special way?

Warnings for the Series: a teeny bit of angst but mainly fluff

Pairing: ricky bowen x black!reader

Word Count: 3.0k

Previous Part | (Series Masterlist) 

Despite the documentary trailer coming out, the general public didn’t believe you and Ricky were together. According to everyone, the whole show was an act. A very entertaining act but an act nonetheless. Not that you or Ricky minded. With the increase in auditions and booking small roles, you wanted your personal life to stay personal for just a little longer. You told Gina that much as you helped her finish packing.

Her mom was back into so your roommate turned sister was officially leaving your house. Gina dragged her entire closet into your room so you two could pack up and watch a movie on the projector screen in your room.

“I can’t believe your moving. Seriously,” you said as you shoved her jackets into a box.

“You act like I’m leaving the state, I’m literally across the street.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe that old couple finally chose to live in a nursing home.”

You and Gina paused before you bursted out in laughter. It was really nice to have her stay near by. While you were friends with the rest of the drama club, Gina and Ricky were still your only close friends at East High.

“You know what I can’t believe,” Gina started. “That two of my best friends are leaving me next year.”

“Senior year. I still haven’t processed it yet,” you admitted.

A knock on the door caught your attention. Your dad was standing in the doorway with a plate of fruit. “My lovely senior and junior…”

You and Gina rolled your eyes.

“Gina, your mother wants me to remind you that she’d like you home by ten thirty and that you two can talk tomorrow at school.”

“Got it.”

“Thank you, here you guys go. Let’s try to finish packing before the night is over.”

“If you really want us to finish. Dad, you could he—”

The sound of your window opening made you all turn. You laughed as Ricky practically fell into your room. He jumped up with a quickness.

“Hi, Mr. L/N. Y/N, Gina.”

“Hello, Richard. You do know we have a front door, right?” you father pointed to downstairs.

“Yeah but since you guys said I’m allowed over any time, it’s not as much fun unless I’m going through the window.”

Your dad looked up at the ceiling. “I have clearly overstayed my welcome talking to a bunch of teenagers. Okay, Gina, home by ten thirty. Richard no sleeping in Y/N’s room but you are welcome to take any other room upstairs. Bed time is eleven, no negotiations. School’s tomorrow… I can’t believe my baby is a senior.”

“Dad, Dad, there’s plenty of time before I graduate. We don’t need to start crying now.”

“Oh, whatever.”

You chuckled as your dad left the room before focusing on Ricky again. He had no problem showing affection towards you with Gina in the room because she was the only person that knew you and Ricky were a real couple. She wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about being sworn to secrecy no matter the reason but she was still just happy to be let in.

Your boyfriend sat on the bed, actually helping you pack up Gina’s closet. “I wanted to give you something but I couldn’t really wait until tomorrow. Well, both of you, kind of.”

“What is it?”

“So, I’ve had this melody stuck in my head all day and it reminded me of Y/N.”

“Sap,” Gina muttered.

“I think it’s sweet.” You leaned over to give him a peck.

“Anyway, I know you don’t really write songs but you have an ear for music Y/N and Gina does write lyrics so I thought maybe we could work on this together?”

“Of course.”

“Okay.” Ricky stood up to leave. “I actually do have to get home. One of Dad’s only rules is bed by ten on the first day of school.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded. “Yep, it’s been a tradition since I started… and it is nine thirty so I do need to go.”

You gave him another kiss. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow… Oh! Did Lucille send you the filming schedule?”

“Yeah, I’m just glad the filming is here. Senior year away from East High would’ve been such a bummer.”

“I know right. Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

~~

You leaned against Ashylnn’s locker, chuckling as you watched Kourtney and Carlos take pictures with fans. It was weird to say you guys had fans.

“So what do you think, Y/N?”

“Hmm?” You focused back on Gina and Ashlynn.

“About Ash and Maddie giving each other relationship advice.”

You and Gina shared a look before you stood up straight. “I think that’s for Ashlynn to figure out but we need to figure out how to get to the drama club before we’re late for Ms. Jenn’s big announcement.”

Ashlynn’s eyebrows furrowed. “For me to figure out what?”

“Nothing,” you said with a laugh before grabbing her and Gina’s hands and leading them to the drama club.

You guys weren’t sure why Ms. Jenn called everyone in for a “surprise.” It was pretty obvious that the next play was going to be High School Musical 3. Without stupid Zacky Roy around to throw the Drama Club off their game, you guys were going right back to doing Disney TV shows for musicals. You just hoped that next semester you guys did Teen Beach Movie before you graduated.

You felt Ricky squeeze your hand once before you guys broke apart and left the drama room with everyone else to go to the Pep Rally. Staying lowkey was going to be so hard. You let Ashlynn and Gina walk in between the two of you on your way to the field.

“Can you believe auditions are this Friday? I need to pick a song,” Ashlynn said as she started searching through a list written down on her phone.

“What part are you going for Ash?”

“I’m thinking Kelsey or Sharpay. You?”

You shrugged. “Whatever doesn’t interfere with filming and my calculus homework. You know I’ve been demoted at Saltwater.”

“What?!”

You chuckled at your friends’ expressions. “Not like that. Bennet agreed that Principal dancer is too much to handle with school and filming so I’m only principal for the fall ballet since we’ve been rehearsing it before filming next month and then I’m just a first soloist for the rest of the time. It’s better this way anyway. This is the exact arrangement I’m going to having at Berklee. I’m thankful to get but my academic advisor sends me an email like every other day with updates. My inbox is dying.”

You guys sat down in your seats, finally moving to be next to Ricky.

“That still means we get to come watch you perform at Saltwater, right?”

“Yeah, you are looking at Coraline Jones in our fall production.”

Before your friends could celebrate you, the pep rally started much to your relief. You were still getting used to being the center of attention without losing the ability to breathe. Part of the reason you weren’t so prepared to be the lead in a feature film. A small film but still… The first Twilight movie was an indie film.

At least you didn’t have time to overanalyze that because the dude who played Coach Bolton was at the pep rally? You and Ricky rolled your eyes and sighed at the same time with the announcement of High School Musical 4 being filmed at your school. Just why?

Of course all the students were cheering no matter what, hoping that filming would mess with classes a little. You had a little fangirl moment when they announced one of the new stars of High School Musical 4. Mack and Dani.

Kourtney played Dani’s TikToks over and over again when you guys were at camp. Hopefully she could act because her TikToks seemed so nice. And Mack? Well you couldn’t help but squeal a little when they announced him.

Your friends looked at you causing you to laugh. “You don’t understand, I had one of the biggest crushes on him when I was little.”

“Me too!” Gina said with excitement. “Mark and Spark was my comfort show.”

“You know, he was supposed to be the first male lead in the movie I’m filming and my heart stopped until he cancelled of course.”

“Well now we know why,” Ashlynn said before focusing back on the stage.

You leaned your head on Ricky’s shoulder, having felt him tense up behind you. He relaxed when you grabbed his hand for a brief moment.

“You know I don’t mean anything by it. It was just a stupid celebrity crush,” you whispered.

“Celebrity crushes are still crushes.”

“Well then it was a stupid little crush. Is that better?”

“Yeah,” Ricky said with a squeeze of your hand.

You made a note to stay at Ricky's for a late dinner later after ballet rehearsal just to make sure he wasn’t still jealous. This relationship really was new territory for the both of you. But that would have to wait because now it was time for a second surprise in the drama room. You were getting real sick of surprises. And super sick of the security guard trying to block access to the drama room because of “filming”.

“Ahh!”

You all turned at Kourtney’s scream.

“Corbin Bleu?”

“Oh great,” Ricky muttered.

“Okay, okay. I deserve that a bit. But I am here to make amends. I know that documentary wasn’t what any of us expected.”

“Seb isn’t talking to me.” Carlos pointed out.

Ashlynn nodded along with him. “Yeah and Big Red is in Cairo for six months.”

“I hear you but we’ve found a way to make it up to you.”

“Uh, who’s we?” you asked with a raised hand.

You heard footsteps before you saw the people attached to the noise. You couldn’t believe it. Standing right in front of you was the original cast of High School Musical. Honestly, Corbin might have actually gotten you guys the best apology gift ever.

Featured extras in High School Musical 4? That was sick! So was everyone character development. You had to admit that you didn’t see Troy and Gabriella being in couples’ therapy… because you thought they would’ve broken up freshman year of college since they were such an on and off again relationship. The entire class was giggling uncontrollably at the prospects of being together on set.

Kourtney raised her hand. “Well, if the movie is going for authenticity casting a drama class to play Ms. Darbus’ drama class then Mack and Dani should consult us. The real life kids of East High.”

“This is why she’s the smart one,” someone said as you all high-fived.

Apparently, the OG cast thought she was brilliant as well because it didn’t take them any convincing. She was immediately assigned to Dani. You playfully shook her shoulders to let her know you were proud of her.

“Do we have any volunteers for Mack?” Lucas asked.

“Right like someone who grew up loving his tv show. Or two someones?”

You tried to back out of being Mack’s guide but it was too late. You were stuck co-guiding with Gina. All you wanted to do was focus on movie rehearsals, ballet rehearsals, your relationship, school, and drama club. That was a lot of things. Guiding Mack was not on your list of things.

You acted like that wasn’t the case when you went to go see the superstar, putting on your best smile. Your eyes went wide at an almost naked man getting his calf measured.

“Oh my,” you and Gina said at the same time.

Mack looked over. “Can I help you?”

You let Gina take over as you tried to look everywhere but at Mack, feeling embarrassed and more awkward than usual.

“We are so sorry. We are real students here, only one credit on IMDb so far but anyway, we were assigned to give you a hand.”

“Yeah, I’d love to know who assigned you to interrupt my costume fitting.”

“No. That was our bad.”

“Yeah,” you offered up. “If we had known you weren’t dressed we would’ve come way sooner before school ended… Soo-sooner because you’d have clothes on. Not whatever you l-look like you, like you’re thinking of. Oh my goodness.”

“Would you mind turning around?”

You and Gina looked at each other before doing just that. “That was probably the first thing we should have done.”

“Okay. So, I do have to ask,” Gina started. “Do you still keep in touch with the dog from the show?”

“There were seven of them and they all retired to a farm upstate.”

“Oh that’s so swee—”

“Uh, G,” you cut her off. “That means they aren’t, um, currently pr—”

“It means they’re dead.” Mack had put on a shirt so you guys could turn around. “The farm is heaven.”

“Well that ruined everything,” your friend muttered. “Okay, we’re going to leave now and we can all pretend we never met.”

“Oh, I’m way ahead of you.”

“Good luck on the movie, Mack. Hope you break a leg, literally.”

“Good luck with your lives, superfans.”

You felt your face get hot as you marched up to him. “Her name is Gina Porter and can I just say, I’m so glad High School Musical 4 took you in. Acting alongside you in Sweet Pea Americano would have literally killed me… G-Gina, why did I just say that?”

“I’m proud of you.” She swung her arm over your shoulder so you guys could leave. “Even with anxiety, you always stick up for your friends.”

“I think I’m going to pass out.”

“Come on, let’s go see if Ricky got a smoothie for us at the food truck.”

While you were mortified at your actions, Gina proudly recanted the entire story to Ricky who echoed her sentiments. You guys went you separate ways. There was no carpool with Gina today. Carlos called her over for an emergency meeting of the Finer Things Club at Kourtney’s house, leaving Ricky to drop you off at Saltwater. You guys stopped at a salad bar first so you could get some real food into your system.

“Oh, Gina finished the lyrics to the song.”

“Already?”

“You know her. Once she gets started on a mission, she can’t stop until it’s complete. Do you want to hear it?”

“Of course, do you have the lyrics on you?”

You handed Ricky your phone to look at the screenshots of Gina’s song journal. Your harmonies were rough and sometimes the melody fell off but the two of you had fun singing all the way back to the car.

“Are you sure you don’t mind picking me up?” you asked him as you leaned into the driver’s side window after getting your bags from the back of the car once you guys reached your destination. “Because we don’t get out till eleven and Mrs. Porter said it was fine for her to pick me up since Saltwater is between Kourtney’s house and ours.”

“It’s fine, baby, I like picking you up.”

“Okay. Oh, don’t forget. Gina’s driving tomorrow morning.”

“I can’t believe she got a car.”

“I can’t believe she got a license.”

You said bye one last time and headed inside for you ballet rehearsals. While you were dancing, Ricky was doing homework, and Gina was laughing as she got into Kourtney’s room. Ashlynn and Carlos were already there and Kourtney… well, she was meditating at the edge of her bed. While, Ashlynn had nearly forty missed texts from Maddox. Gina so had to tell you about that when you and Ricky came over for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Her smile faded at the announcement that Kourtney wasn’t sure about doing the school musical or not. She wasn’t sure if Dani was the best thing for Kourtney. She especially wasn’t sure when her friend suddenly became supper eager and chipper to answer her phone call. Kourtney put Dani on speaker after the others swore to be quiet.

“Hi, so I was studying you. Not in a creepy way but I’m really trying to get into character as a real East High drama student.”

Gina made a face when Dani suddenly stopped the speak pretty harshly to the driver taking her to the airport.

“Anyway, you’ve got that X factor, Kourt, and I want to help you grow your footprint. But I’ve been looking through your post and to be honest I’ve noticed something.”

“It’s the honesty for me,” Kourtney said with a nervous lilt to her voice.

“If I’m going to show you exactly what it’s like to grow an audience and you’re going to do the same for me as an East High student, I want you to tell me everything you know about Ricky Bowen.”

Gina bit her tongue as her other three friends stared at each other with suspicious looks on their faces. She got strange vibes for some reason but didn’t want to act on what could be nothing. Besides, she promised you two that she wouldn’t say anything to anyone. And how could she tell Kourtney not to mention Ricky to Dani if she didn’t ended up revealing something?

~~

You looked down at your phone to see a text from Ricky.

I’m still on my way, baby. Don’t worry, I’m stopped at a red light. I’ll be there in like 10 minutes. I wish your rehearsal didn’t end so late so we could’ve stayed up cuddling.

You smiled at the text before sending a little heart emoji, nothing that would require Ricky to look down at his phone after the light turned green. You ruffled around your bag to get your water bottle, reaching for your phone again when you felt the familiar vibration of a text. Another one from Ricky.

This red light is long. Do you want to get McDonalds after this?

You shook your head, deciding it was better to just answer him in person. A groan left you mouth when you felt the vibration again. That light wasn’t going to be red forever, if he was texting while driving then you were going to scold him because that could seriously inju—

Why was Mack now following your Instagram?

(part 15)

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[aishangotome]

Alfons Sylvatica: Chapter 14

Chapter 13

♡———♡

Kate: I think... I've fallen in love with you.

I mutter softly -

Alfons: ...That's troublesome.

!....A gasp escapes my throat at the unexpected reply.

Kate: A-Alfons... you're... awake...!?

The eyelids of Alfons, who should have been snoring, lift, and his gray eyes reveal only a look of exasperation.

Alfons: You say you like me... This is the most troublesome development.

Kate: ...

Alfons sits up languidly and runs his fingers through his hair.

Alfons: It's just an illusion, an illusion.

Alfons: You're probably mistaking love for a man who happens to save you in a pinch and makes you feel good.

Kate: An illusion...?

(He doesn't even know how I felt before coming to his room...)

I can't help but feel my blood rush to my head.

Kate: ...I don't need you to reciprocate my feelings, but...

Kate: Please don't dismiss my feelings...!

Alfons: ...Feelings are intangible, how can you know they're real?

His fingers touch my chin.

Kate: Well...

Alfons: ...Well?

He pulls me closer, his breath tickling my lips... and my body aches with anticipation.

As if sensing this, he smiles faintly.

Alfons: Until you realize it's a misunderstanding, you're not getting any more pleasure.

Alfons: If I touch you like this... it'll only accelerate your misunderstanding.

Kate: ...

Alfons: Now, I'm injured. Would you please let me rest?

He easily releases me, not even trying to touch me anymore.

Even though he wouldn't listen to my refusals and kept reaching out to me so persistently.

(I should have known, but...)

My chest aches terribly.

It's so painful.

Kate: ...I understand. Good night...

I leave the room as if running away, and the door slams shut.

Alfons: ...Haha.

Alfons: I quite like you too, you know.

Alfons: That's why... it would be troublesome if it wasn't a misunderstanding.

--His murmur dissolves into the air, unknown to anyone.

-

From the information Alfons and I obtained by sneaking into the "Purification" club's members-only hotel, the name of Gore, a member of the House of Lords, surfaced as a person deeply involved in the East End incident. William and Victor were to thoroughly investigate him and his faction.

Victor: ---The contents of the "confidential" letter were a check. The destination is a company with an extremely clean business model.

Victor shares the details with the Crown members gathered in the dining room.

Victor: There is nothing wrong with the contents of the check itself.

William: But in reality, it's probably a reward for the perpetrator of the arson plan in Docklands.

William: The company where the money flowed had been marked as a possible front company for a criminal organization for some time.

Alfons: It's a blatant distraction.

(But even knowing that...)

Kate: We can't get the police to move with just this one check, can we...?

Harrison: Well, that's right.

Harrison: There's no physical evidence that the "arson plan" even exists, and there's no evidence that Gore is involved.

Harrison: It's unreasonable to expect them to believe that the company the check is addressed to is involved in the plan based on just this one check.

Victor: That's right. But that's why we're here, Kate.

Victor: To fight evil with evil for the prosperity of Britain - that's the mission of the Crown.

I look up at Victor's words.

Victor: It's an order from Her Majesty the Queen.

Victor: To stop the arson in Docklands and punish the "Purification" club faction, including Gore.

His jewel-like eyes, darker than darkness, gleamed bewitchingly... and a shiver ran down my spine.

Victor: -By the way, Alfons.

Suddenly, Victor turns his gaze to Alfons.

Victor: Is the injury from last night's mission okay?

Alfons: I got a little carried away with my pranks and messed up.

Kate: No, that injury...

-CHOICES--

It was supposed to be me

He protected me

..... (stay silent)

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

Kate: I was supposed to be the one who got hurt...

Alfons: The gun could have been pointed at either of us. The odds were fifty-fifty.

He utters another smoke-and-mirrors theory as if breathing.

(Alfons was at the back of the room just before he was shot. It wasn't a coincidence.)

(He's protecting me so that I don't get into trouble.)

(Even though he pushed me away like that...)

I don't want him to be kind to me, but part of me is happy.

(...He's really a liar and a horrible person.)

Victor decides to send Alfons, Elbert, Roger, and for some reason, Jude and Ellis on a mission to stop the arson in Docklands.

Victor: Jude, you know the geography of the Port of London and the immigrants in that area, right?

Jude: ...Yeah, I'm the most "knowledgeable" one here.

Victor: Kate, can you come with us?

Victor: If you're tired from the missions every day, you don't have to push yourself.

Kate: ...No. It's my duty as a Fairytale Keeper to accompany you.

(...I'm such a fool.)

I said it was my duty, but my true feelings were elsewhere.

(Even though he just pushed me away like that... I don't want to take my eyes off Alfons.)

I want to keep watching him, as if he might disappear at any moment.

(...These feelings are, as Alfons says,)

(It was a misunderstanding - I have to make it so.)

-I don't know how to bury the love I've become aware of.

-

"Eternal fire" punishment for the illegal immigrants of Docklands.

On the night of that plan...

Disheveled Man: Who's there!?

A figure lurking in the warehouse district under the cover of darkness is startled by a sudden visitor.

Jude: Good evenin', we're here to interrupt ya fun.

Ellis: There are... about seven of them here?

Disheveled Man: Damn it! We were told we wouldn't get paid if there were witnesses. Get them!

The men, who seemed to have been pouring oil inside the warehouse, rush towards the two with weapons in hand.

Jude: Iron pipes, huh... Ya poor guys can't even get a gun, can ya?

Ellis: I'll be careful not to hurt you.

Disheveled Man: Whoa!? What the-!?

Ellis leaps gracefully, jumping over the men's heads - and by the time I realize it, the men are immobilized as if their wrists were bound by invisible ropes.

Disheveled Man: What the hell did you do!?

Ellis: Shh, quiet... You're disturbing the neighbors.

Jude: Ya should have been sleepin' instead of playin' with fire for money, huh?

Jude taps the foreheads of the restrained men with his index finger.

Instantly, the man who was just shouting falls to the ground as if he's fainted.

Kate: ...Are those your abilities?

Elbert: Yes... Ellis can restrain anyone he touches on the head. Jude can put anyone he touches on the forehead to sleep.

Alfons: They're perfect for interrogation and assassination.

The places Jude marked as "If you want to wipe out illegal immigrants, I'd target this place" were all hits, and Crown successfully captured the arsonists in a corner of a residential area, an alley lined with bars, and this warehouse district in the harbor.

(This is the last place Jude marked.)

(I hope we were able to stop them all...)

Elbert: Roger, what's the situation around us?

Roger: ...Two blocks away, one person at 4 o'clock.

Elbert: One of their friends?

Roger: No, probably not an arsonist. They're approaching... suspiciously after hearing the noise.

Alfons: What a fool to go check out the source of a noise in the middle of the night.

Alfons: Leave the careless and pitiful witness to me.

With that, Alfons slipped out of the warehouse.

(----!)

-

Hiding in the shadows, I peek outside.

Alfons: Good evening. Lovely night, isn't it?

Alfons smoothly touches the back of the neck of the figure who seems to be the witness.

Alfons: "You didn't see anything here. You must go home and sleep soundly."

A whisper like a lullaby is carried on the night wind.

(He could scare them away by showing them something frightening...)

But when he uses his power, he only whispers words that calm the heart.

(If I asked him why, he'd probably say, "Because it would be troublesome if they caused a commotion.")

-

Alfons: Good grief... I wish they would plan their schemes in a less conspicuous place.

By the time Alfons returns, the arsonists have been tied up with ropes by Jude and the others.

Kate: ...With this, we should have been able to stop the plan, right?

I spread out the marked map, confirm that there are no omissions, and let out a sigh of relief.

Roger: If Jude didn't miss any spots, that is.

Jude: Huh?

Roger: Next, we need to confirm if the number of guys lying there matches the number of heartbeats in the warehouse, and then-

That's when Roger interrupted Jude.

Kate: !

With a loud explosion, a pillar of fire rises from the back of the warehouse.

The flames crawl across the warehouse floor, and the heat wave scorches my skin.

(Why suddenly...!? We caught all the arsonists-)

Alfons: It seems the oil spilled on the ground vaporized and ignited from some kind of spark.

Kate: S-Some kind of spark!?

Roger: That's concerning, but first we need to put out the fire. El, let's get the fire extinguisher from the carriage.

Elbert: Right.

Jude: Damn, it's troublesome when the trash burns to a crisp before we can squeeze out information.

Ellis: Jude and I will drag the arsonists out.

Crown immediately assesses the situation and starts to move.

(I'll help put out the fire too.)

A beat later, I try to run out as if propelled, but then-

(Huh?)

Something unbelievable appears in my vision, and my feet are rooted to the spot.

Alfons: Kate, inhaling smoke will burn your lungs. You should move a little further away-

Kate: Wait! Over there...!

I strain my eyes to see past the raging flames - and there, cowering in fear, is a young boy.

Alfons: ...Ah, I see.

Alfons: All his friends were captured, so he was probably hiding, holding his breath.

Kate: F-Friends...

Kate: Are you saying that child is an accomplice of the perpetrators...!?

Alfons: Look at the boy's feet.

Illuminated by the flames, matchboxes are scattered around the boy's feet.

Alfons: That boy is the spark.

Alfons: He was probably hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right timing.

(Why, a child like that... Ugh, no time to think about that.)

(Right now, I have to find a way to help him...!)

Kate: Stay there! Get low and try not to breathe in the smoke...!

Alfons: .............

(He won't be able to get out if the flames keep blocking him... If he jumps into the flames, he'll get badly burned.)

(I have to find a way to create an escape route for him...)

I look around and notice sandbags piled up next to the warehouse.

(That's it...!)

Kate: ...!

I jump and manage to lift a heavy sandbag, then throw it into the flames.

Then I run back and lift another sandbag.

(It's heavy...)

Alfons: What are you doing?

Alfons crouches down next to me and meets my gaze.

Kate: The boy might not be able to hold out until the fire extinguisher puts out the flames.

Kate: I'm piling these sandbags to create an escape route...

Alfons: That boy started the fire.

Kate: That's... irrelevant right now!

Alfons: .............

Alfons: ...Sigh.

Alfons: You really are straightforward, aren't you?

(Ah...)

He chuckles in exasperation and takes the sandbag from my hands, then tosses it into the flames.

(Alfons...)

Alfons: Hey, that boy will die if you keep spacing out.

As I desperately carry the sandbags back and forth, Roger and Elbert arrive with fire extinguishers from the carriage and start spraying around the sandbags.

--Eventually, a small path opens up in the flames.

Kate: Come on! Come this way!

Boy: ...

The boy cowers in fear, trembling.

Alfons: He won't come. Maybe his legs have given out.

Kate: Then we have to go get him...!

The moment I try to run, someone grabs my arm from behind.

Kate: Alfons...!?

Alfons: Honestly...

He pushes me back and jumps into the faint path created in the flames. With a light step as if taking a stroll, he approaches the boy and touches the back of his neck.

Alfons: There... "You're not scared, you're not hot."

Boy: ...! ...?

The fear disappears from the boy's face, replaced by confusion.

Alfons lifts the child up and returns with the same light steps as before.

Alfons: Here you go. A gift for the kindhearted robin.

Kate: ...It's alright now.

Boy: Uuu... Waaaaah!

Perhaps the terror had been too great, or the illusion of "not being scared" planted in the boy's mind quickly dissolved, as he burst into tears in my arms.

-

It seemed the boy had been tricked into aiding in wrongdoing by bad adults in his impoverished life.

According to Roger's examination, the boy had minor injuries. He was to be transferred to the special ward of the Royal Hospital for treatment.

(Thank goodness...)

An overwhelming sense of fatigue washes over me after the relief, and I sink my leaden body onto the sofa.

Kate: It's been a long... night, hasn't it?

Alfons also sits down a short distance away.

Alfons: Honestly, it's been a while since I've done that kind of manual labor.

Alfons: Thanks to you, I'm sore.

Kate: Huh...? You don't have to go, Alfons?

Alfons: They were saying they were going to interrogate the people they caught earlier.

Alfons: I'll leave that kind of thing to the interrogation professionals.

Alfons waves his hand dismissively and laughs.

The image of his back, illuminated by the flames as he headed towards the boy, suddenly resurfaces in my mind.

Kate: Thank you for helping me rescue that boy.

Kate: I was happy.

Kate: But... I also felt like I knew you would help.

He laughs in surprise at the words I add after "but."

Alfons: I was moved by your suffocating sense of justice and acted, but... I'm starting to think I made a mistake.

Alfons: I should have seen your face of despair when we couldn't save the boy.

(I know that's not what he really meant.)

Kate: ...You're the one who goes around showing illusions because you hate seeing faces like that.

Alfons: You really like that theory, don't you?

Kate: It's the "truth" to me.

I quite like our conversations with him, which are like arguments and playful banter.

-I realize that now, and my heart aches again.

(I really do like Alfons.)

(...I can't pretend it was a misunderstanding.)

Alfons: ..........

He glances at my face and stands up from his chair.

(He's trying to run away again.)

I intuitively sense it, and my body moves.

Alfons: Well then... I'm going to go get a drink.

Kate: In that case, me too.

I stand up and take a step closer to him.

Kate: Take me with you.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 14 Premium Story

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[satansapostle6]

The Man Who Sold The World | Luke Castellan

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Katherine. She was the one who started it all for Luke Castellan, the reason he did what he did.

Warnings: Mature themes/language. Violence. Sexual content.

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve: The Prophecy

Katherine wholeheartedly kissed Luke Castellan as he drove, not caring if he crashed the car. She’d never felt more invigorated and alive in her life. She needed to feel it. She needed to feel him.

“Slow down, baby,” Luke mumbled into her kiss, chuckling as he tried to glance at the open road every now and then.

After the debauchery on the way from New York to Baltimore, Luke and Katherine had decided together that it was best they get as far away from the east coast as possible instead, just for a little while as their bullet sounds healed, which certainly didn’t take as long considering their healing powers.

Of course, their identities were safe after they destroyed the security cameras in the restaurant on the way out, also thanks to the Mist, but still, Luke knew that somewhere, there were police sketches of them hanging up on a bulletin board. So, they were headed to Arizona to lay low.

“Slow down, baby,” Luke murmured, becoming increasingly aware of the few cars around them.

“Why?” Katherine said innocently as she watched him struggle.

“Because, I’m gonna crash,” he stated.

“So?” she asked, genuinely indifferent to the outcome of that risk-taking.

“So, we don’t wanna almost die again, do we?” he questioned.

“What if we did?” she asked softly, an eerie provocative quality to her voice. “We’d die happy, wouldn’t we?”

Luke just chuckled at her, driving down the highway in Kansas. It had been several days since they’d headed off toward Arizona, and they were getting closer to their final destination.

“Luke?” Katherine spoke quietly.

“Yes?” he prompted her.

“I thought about what you said,” she finally said.

“What did I say?” he asked for a reminder.

“About going back with you. To camp,” she said, capturing his attention as he stared at her, trying to discern whether or not she was serious.

“You… You have?” he asked, not sure how to respond.

“Yeah… Do you still want me to come with you?” Katherine asked him, a soft expression on her face.

“…Yeah,” a soft breath escaped his lips. “I do.”

She smiled, seeming pleased with his response. “Okay. I’ll come with you,” she decided with finality.

“R-Really?” he stammered. “You want to?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, seeming certain. “I do.”

“Alright,” he nodded, considering the idea as he smiled. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do.”

It was another day or so before they reached Arizona. They laid low in a motel from Sells for little over a week, not leaving the room unless it was for food. The entire week was dedicated to questionable motel TV and sleazy lovemaking. The couple didn’t really speak to anyone else throughout the entire stay, focusing solely on each other the entire time.

That left them plenty of time to spend entire days in bed, enjoying each other’s company over anything else. Katherine and Luke both chuckled as he laid shirtless under the covers in the air conditioned room with his arm around her, their noses touching as they held one another.

“You know I love you so much,” Luke said suddenly for the first time, moved by the moment.

“I love you just as much,” she whispered back, looking him in the eye without fear or trepidation.

Something in Katherine had changed when Kronos brought her back to life. Like didn’t know what had happened, but he knew that whatever Kronos had done had actually affected her in some way. He didn’t know if it was wrong, but he actually appreciated it on some level, feeling as if she’d had some sort of epiphany.

“I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you,” Luke admitted to her.

“Nothing’s gonna happen to me,” she promised him, her hand gently resting on his cheek.

“You can’t promise that,” he murmured, a look of fear in his eyes.

“Well. I can promise you I’ll always be with you. No matter what,” she promised him. “I’ll always be right here.”

“I hope so,” he sighed, closing his eyes in a silent prayer as he pressed his forehead to hers.

It was a couple days before they left for New York again, heading back to the camp. They took about five days, getting a decent amount of rest along the way. Once they finally stepped through the magical barrier at Camp Half-Blood that only permitted demigods to enter, Luke found himself reinforcing his arm around Katherine as they walked through.

“We just have to talk to Chiron,” he murmured as a few people noticed her presence already. “Then you’re good to stay.”

Katherine nodded silently as he walked her to the Big House. ”Wait right here,” he told her as he walked into one of the rooms alone as she waited out in the hall.

There was a short discussion going on between Luke and whoever was inside that she couldn’t hear. After a few moments, Luke came back out, looking pretty happy.

“Okay. You ready?” he asked her.

“Mmhmm,” she nodded, his smile overtaking her as she unconsciously returned it.

He walked back into the room with his arm around her protectively, as Chiron, the first centaur, looked at her in surprise. Luke turned to look at his girlfriend, realizing that she had a glowing symbol flashing above her head as she walked: a silver set of scales.

“It seems that your mother, Nemesis, has chosen to claim you without our asking,” Chiron observed, pleasantly surprised. “You’re lucky.”

Luke smiled down at Katherine, resisting the urge to completely dote on her.

“You will be staying in Cabin 11, with Luke, and the other children of Hermes, and the minor gods.”

“Okay,” she agreed with a nod.

“Of course,” Chiron said more stiffly, “I will firmly ask that no funny business take place; one of the rules here is that two campers may not be alone together in the cabins at any given time.”

“Of course,” Katherine nodded, both she and Luke trying to hide their massive smirks.

“We will provide you with a place to sleep and a camp shirt, and you are also free to use anything in the armory or anywhere else in the camp for training,” the half-man explained.

“Got it,” Katherine nodded.

“Good. So,” Chiron continued. “You’ve lived on your own all this time?”

She nodded again. “I left home when I was thirteen.”

“You’re very resourceful to have survived this long, Katherine,” he told her. “Not many demigods would have been able to survive this long on their own.”

She just smiled, looking up at Luke.

“Anyways. I won’t keep you; there’s still lots for you to see. I trust Luke will show you around,” Chiron smiled as Luke nodded in response.

The two of them walked back out to where the car was parked, retrieving the few belongings that they both had. All of Katherine’s possessions fit into a big garbage bag. Luke showed Katherine the bunk he was meant to give her in the Hermes Cabin, then pointedly walking her over to private rooms he said some of the other counselors had claimed.

Despite being the largest cabin at the camp due to the amount of unclaimed and minor god children, Cabin 11 was still constantly packed. It felt like there was hardly any space to walk. Glad to have somewhere private for her and Luke, Katherine left her things in his room, as he walked her out to give her a brief tour of the camp.

As they walked through the camp grounds, Luke smiled pleasantly as a young blonde girl crossed their path, who couldn’t have been older than twelve. She initially smiled when she saw Luke, but then seemed more hesitant when she noticed Katherine.

“Hey, Annabeth,” Luke smiled, “Long time no see.”

The girl, Annabeth Chase, who Katherine had remembered his stories about from before he arrived at camp, just smiled meekly.

“Hey,” she murmured, looking at the stranger next to him.

“This is my girlfriend. Katherine,” Luke introduced her politely. “Katherine, this is Annabeth. One of the strongest, smartest people I know.”

There was a certain pride to the way he said it.

“Hi, Annabeth. Nice to meet you,” Katherine said softly.

“You’re a daughter of Nemesis,” Annabeth said with a lack of filter. “I can tell.”

“I am,” Katherine nodded pridefully, a curious look on her face as she tried to decide how she felt about the short interaction.

“Welp. We gotta get going. See you later,” Luke told the girl, continuing on as Katherine put the discomfort of the lack of conversation behind her.

As Luke ushered her around, his hand resting firmly on her back, everyone at the camp began to notice the newcomers that wasn’t actually a child. He showed her just about everything at the camp: the cabins, the arena, the strawberry fields, and the beach…

Luke felt oddly proud, just walking around with Katherine. He liked the idea of showing her off, of walking around being the only one allowed to touch her at all. He liked having Katherine on his arm, because he knew no one else could. They didn’t stand a chance. Any of them. Many people looked at her, and the two of them together, for many different reasons. One of them in particular was a remarkably slim girl with dark hair and blue eyes.

“…Who is that?” Katherine asked, noticing the girl practically tracking her movements.

She seemed to be all but glaring, not even blinking as her head turned as far as Katherine walked.

“Who?” Luke asked, tracing her gaze. “The one with the blatantly obvious stink eye?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s Silena Beauregard. Head of Cabin 10, Aphrodite… I think she’s always had a huge crush on me,” he admitted.

“Well, if she keeps looking at me like that, I’ll crush her.”

“Love, I appreciate the thought,” Luke said humorously as he tightened his grip on her, “But I think she’s one of the ones that could be useful to us.”

“Right. We have a shit ton of recruiting to do eventually,” she sighed. “You should get in her pants.”

Luke stopped dead in his tracks, looking at her in disgust.

“What?”

“She’d obviously do anything if she thought you wanted her to do it. You gotta give these people something to hope for if you want them to follow you,” Katherine reasoned.

“I guess that’s true,” he mumbled, not liking the idea. “I guess I’ll lead her on, or something.”

“Good,” she nodded her approval.

The two walked around the camp together, until they were stopped by a rather disheveled looking middle-aged man with a Diet Coke in his hand walking out of the Big House.

“Hey! You two,” he barked them down.

“Mr. D,” Luke called promptly as Katherine realized who they were speaking to.

Dionysus, the god of wine and general debauchery, one of the camp’s directors.

“Go see the Oracle.”

“The Oracle?” Luke questioned. “Why?”

“You think I know?” the malcontent demanded. “Just go up to the attic. Chiron said the damn thing’s acting up.”

“Okay,” Luke sighed, as they walked back up to the Big House.

“The Oracle of Delphi?” Katherine questioned, recalling the multiple times he’d mentioned it. “Why would it have something to say to us?”

“I don’t know,” Luke admitted, trying to think. “But… I think it has something to do with what she said when I went on that quest, right before we met,” he remembered.

“What did she say?” she asked him, not recalling him ever telling her about it.

Luke just sighed. “The last lines never made any sense to me until we went off together… I think it went like this.

‘You shall run for your life,

Never free from strife.

You shall find a new reason,

As affinities deepen.’

That’s what the oracle said to me.”

Katherine stared at him for a moment, trying to fully process.

“That’s you and me,” Luke told her. “For some reason, you and me are part of a prophecy.”

She nodded silently as they walked into the Big House, now fully understanding the gravity of the situation.

“There you two are. Go up to the attic,” Chiron said immediately upon their arrival. “It’s asking for you.”

They both agreed, without any further questions. Luke led Katherine up to the large, dusty attic of the house, taking her to the Oracle, the dead body of the last woman to inherit its power, which had just been stored up in the attic over the years.

Luke watched as it slowly came to life, reanimating like some sort of Halloween animatronic.

“I don’t think there’s a quest,” Luke said thoughtfully. “The one I just came back from… It was the only one the camp has seen since the last quest I went on.”

Katherine nodded, knowing that both quests of Luke’s were sore subjects that he didn’t like to discuss very often. They both watched as the corpse came to life, showing them both the same vision before it spoke. It was a vision from the past, of the two of them eating at a diner on the way back to New York.

The Oracle began to speak, its voice seeming to be wheezing in pain.

“Hate burns in the name of love,

And this love was not sent from above.

You will both turn your backs to home,

It will always be you, together and alone.

Betrayal will be rewarded,

And love is perverted.

One soul has already been claimed.

One will be sacrificed to pain,

The other to an eternal reign.

Time will betray you,

And blood will ensue.”

Katherine and Luke exchanged worried looks as the dead corpse snapped back into place, no longer moving at all. They both took a moment to recall her words, the ominous prophecy burned into both of their brains.

“‘Time will betray you’….” Luke echoed.

“‘And blood will ensue’,” Katherine nodded.

Both knew that meant nothing good.

“‘Betrayal will be rewarded, and love is perverted’,” she repeated.

Luke thought for a moment, considering the endless possibilities.

“What we’re doing…” he realized, looking her in the eyes as his hands held her gently by the forearms. “It’s not gonna end well,” he looked at her, an almost pleading look in his eyes.

“Did we ever think it would?”

“I don’t know,” he confessed, thinking about his own betrayal of the camp. “But I always thought, on some level, it’d be worth it.”

“It will be worth it,” Katherine said poisonously, the look in her dark eyes consuming him. It will be worth it, when we burn this shit to the ground,” she promised him.

Luke held her for a moment, wondering if this was someone he recognized. He had certainly seen Katherine like this before. She probably would’ve said the exact same thing even before Kronos healed her, but something in that moment still felt eerily different to Luke.

-

Chapter Thirteen

[klbwriting]

Broken Prism

Chapter 16

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Toddxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none, just a hint of violence

Summary: Jason and YN have settled into the Batfamily, but things never stay nice in Gotham

The heat in Gotham in mid-July was the worst. The pavement was sticky, the city smelled rank and it made having to walk around all day the worst experience possible. That was why so many people saved their outings until after dark. And that’s what you did also. You needed to meet a contact about Joker. He was still in Arkham but there were rumblings that Harley Quinn was resurfacing after her escape from Blackgate in early June. Your contact was supposed to meet you at the docks around 11PM, and it was still in the upper 80s with no breeze. The river looked refreshing honestly and you understood for a moment why Killer Croc would want to stay underwater all the time. It was 11:30 at the moment and you were about to give up when someone climbed out of the water.

“King Shark?” you said, having not expected that at all. “You said your name was Nan.”

“My name is Nanaue so I told the truth,” he said. You let out a nervous breath, not exactly a fan of all those teeth and being alone. “Are you Lady Red?” You nodded, still pleased with the name you and Jason had come up with to keep your name off the street as much as possible. He wasn’t going to want you out there fighting crime in a cape yet, but you could do your job and hopefully keep your real name and where you lived under wraps.

“You have information on Harley for me?” you asked. He nodded. “What do you want in exchange?”

“Nothing, Harley is my friend and I want you to stop looking for her. She is with us now, she does not like Joker anymore,” he said. You nodded.

“So, she’s not planning to break him out of Arkham?” you confirmed, and the shark shook his head. “Good, thank you.”

“Tell your friend he should take a shower, I can smell him from here,” the shark said before diving back into the river. You laughed out loud at that, turning and looking towards the nearby warehouse where you knew Jason was hiding, watching.

“Well, that was rude,” he said into the communicator you had in your ear. You laughed even more. “Do you think he’s lying about Harley?” You could hear the nervousness in his voice. He still had nightmares about Joker, you heard him across the hall crying out sometimes and had one more than one occasion run into his room and climbed in next to him, letting him curl around you as he listened to your heartbeat to fall back asleep.

“I normally can tell if people are lying, but he is a giant shark so it’s a little harder to tell, but I think he was telling the truth,” you said. King Shark’s voice has been even, his eyes focused on you, not skirting around. “I’m going to head down to the Diamond District, I need to visit CADMUS. You can go back to your own thing; I don’t think a scientist is going to kidnap me.”

“I’m sorry have you met most of the scientists in this city? They’re the worst,” Jason answered. “But I do have to get moving, Penguin is trying to run some guns through East End and well, I need some more guns.” You rolled your eyes, climbing into the McLaren you so desperately loved to steal from Bruce’s garage.

“Yes, more guns, Bruce will love that,” you said. You heard him laugh and smiled. “Did you show him those new designs you were working on?” He didn’t answer. “Red, your designs are good and they would help you be less lethal, which we all know he will love, and you should also show him your updates to the exploding gel.” You heard him clear his throat. “Ok, I’ll stop, see you at home later Hoodie.” You took the communicator from your ear and drove off towards CADMUS.

Jason heard you disconnect, not being able to stop the smile that appeared when you said you would see him at home. He didn’t exactly know how or when it happened, but he had a home and a family again. He was even on decent terms with Tim, though he wasn’t telling anyone that yet. Even Bruce had taken him back to the basketball court to see how he did, and he was pleased to say he won that round of 1-on-1. And YN, she had made everything come together, held him together, even when he was about to fall apart. The nightmares didn’t stop, and sometimes even the coping skills that Dr. Thompkins was teaching him in their sessions wasn’t even to keep the sound of laughter and screeching metal at bay in his mind, but he was having more good days than bad now. It was refreshing and freeing.

He dropped down to the ground from the warehouse and hopped on his bike, heading towards East End to deal with Penguin and get himself some new guns. He was just crossing over into East End when he saw too late the spike strips across the darkened alley. He tired to veer but they bike hit them, tires bursting and sending him and the bike spinning out. He slid on the pavement, lucky for his armor and helmet or he would have been torn to shreds. He still felt the pain of impact but thought he was safe from most of the damage. He jumped up, ready to attack when he felt the bat to his back. He spun, guns aimed and fired at the retreating attacker. What the hell? He looked around, watching as dozens of guys walked out of the surrounding buildings. And there on the fire escape was Penguin.

“I see you got my invitation,” he said. Jason didn’t respond but saw what was going on. The gun run was a ruse and he had fallen for it. “Your men are dead, I already had them thrown into the river. You on the other hand, you are a bigger problem.”

“I’ve heard that before,” Jason snarked, watching around him for someone to make the first move.

“Ya, well, it's time I deal with you. Go ahead boys, have fun, but I want him alive,” Penguin said, waving his hand and disappearing back into the building. They descended and Jason knew, even as he fought and clawed and shot and stabbed, that he didn’t have a chance.

By the time Tim responded to the tracker alarm Jason had activated all that was left in the alley was his guns and a torn-up leather jacket covered in blood.

[letmeapologise]

❝ 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ❞

.ೃ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 ! 𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 ✰ ´ˎ˗

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 ⌇ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭

⋆ ｡ ˚ ⋆ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ⌇ 𝐟𝐞𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫. 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐞. 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭. 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬 ੈ✩‧₊˚

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 ⌇ 𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐝 "𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲" 𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚

ೄྀ࿐ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 ⌇ 𝟐.𝟑𝐤 !

↳ 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ೃ⁀➷ 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 !

IT SEEMED AS IF NOTHING WAS GOING HIS WAY, even the weather; crisp air biting and nipping at the cut on his cheek, a sharp sting coming from it when the wind blew at his face. It was nine sixteen, somewhere in north-east London, he didn’t know where – Dushane just gave him an address and he drove over with Dris in the passenger seat, listening to him complaining about Erin being home alone. Sully eventually found the building he assumed they were staying in, and strolled up to it, eyeing two pedestrians walking on the other side of the road. The street lights flooded yellow shadows around him, he walked past it to the door with Dris tailing behind.

“Took your time, bruv,” Dushane shook his hand and gave him a side hug, doing the same with Dris as they made themselves acquainted in the decrepit building, Sully collapsing onto a sofa and spreading himself out onto it for comfort. He sighed deeply, there were various people gathered around the room, some youngsters even being there which was untypical. Everyone was decked out in black puffer jackets, only Jaq had her hood down, hands stilled in her pockets as she watched him and Dris be introduced to the room with a slight frown.

“What we doin’ then?” he glared at Dushane. “Fuck you mean what we doin’ Sully, take a guess,” he kissed his teeth and looked around the room, half-torn curtains flailing about in front of the window. He glared at one of the people in the back of the room, a black balaclava adorning their face. “Yo, what are you wearing a bali for, stupid yute,” he shouted, half-chuckling to himself at their apparent stupidity. They narrowed their eyes at him, staring right back. “Sully, calm down, fam. Leave her be,” he looked away, addressing everyone’s attention to the table in the centre of the room and jabbing a finger at it. “Listen, yeah, this is where we’re all gonna meet from now on. But don’t be stupid ‘n’ come in through the front entrance, go through the back ‘n’ only when you need to be here. Yeah?” people nodded, grumbling affirmations and their own understandings at him.

“What’s going on with Jaime then?” someone asked, Dushane contorted his face up as if disgusted by what they just said. “Don’t worry about Jaime, he’s just a yute. Worry about yourself,” he announced, his eyes searching around the room for whoever asked. There were a good twenty people crammed into the room, Sully was just surprised no one had nicked the seat he was sitting in before, though word had probably gotten around that he had told someone before to move off of one before, to say politely, it was more so a threat involving the gun stashed in the front of his jeans. “If it’s not an emergency or something that ain’t important, just meet in ends, don’t be stupid about it,” Dushane continued. “If I catch you here tryna waffle about what you’re doing, won’t end well for you, trust me,” he enunciated. 

People nodded around the room, but out of the corner of his eye Sully could still see the masked individual giving him a dirty look. They were, as he described before, wearing a black puffer jacket like everyone else – must have been a new trend amongst the youngers – a black bali, with a matching black baseball cap, hands stuffed in their pockets – or her, as revealed by Dushane – must’ve been one of Jaq’s mates or some gyal Dushane was linking. Dushane was too boujee about his women, this one clearly wasn’t, Jaq’s mate it is. He glared at her momentarily, looking her up and down. Only her eyes were revealed, piercing into the side of Sully’s skull, maybe she was just thick or a junkie.

“A’ight, now get out. Don’t tell anyone ‘bout this place, yeah?” everyone ushered their way out except for Sully who was still lounging on the chair, Jaq, Dushane, and Dris, who was now smoking. Dushane tilted his head at him, ignoring the flow of teenagers beside him going out the door. “Yo, Dris. You taken your meds today?” he just nodded, Dushane smacked the cigarette out of his mouth and stood on it. “Stop takin’ other shit then.” Dris rolled his eyes, staring at the stamped out cigarette on the floor. “Fuckin’ dickhead,” he mumbled, Sully laughed, his eyes locked on the people still leaving until he noticed a necklace hanging around the masked woman’s neck, he frowned, recognising it and subtly pouting to himself. Then he saw the matching bracelet on her wrist, he stood up immediately, shouting at her while she was halfway out the door. “Yo, come ‘ere,” he flicked his head at her, she looked down and exhaled deeply, walking up to him without saying a word.

He looked down at her, at the necklace, different coloured links going round her neck and ending in the middle with a seashell; the same one he had bought before for his you. He was originally going to ignore it, being realistic to himself it was just a necklace, probably only cost one quid from a beachside shop. Maybe he was making a mistake entirely, he just wanted to make sure. Maybe she had stolen it from you. He remembered you pleading with him to get a matching necklace, and he just scoffed at you, grinning.

“I don’t like necklaces,” he had said, smiling at you while you looked up at him with pleading eyes, then held out a bracelet. “That’s why I got you this,” you had said, it was the exact same, but small enough to fit around someone’s wrist. He rolled his eyes as you laughed. “Please, Sully, come on. It would suit you, wanna remember this day don’t you?” the corner of his eyes crinkled, looking away and placing a hand over his head, then slipped the necklace on his wrist with thinned lips as you celebrated, dancing around in the sand in front of him. Of course he wanted to remember that day, it haunted his dreams and his nightmares so much that he woke up in cold sweats with visions of you sleeping beside him. Once he rubbed his eyes and cleared his vision you were no longer there. He had only given you the bracelet when he left to stop the nightmares, at least that’s what he told himself, he didn’t tell you anything. Just left it on your bedside table while you slept, unaware of him being there at all keeping in mind it was three in the morning and he had just broken into the house through an open window.

He had wondered if you always kept a window open for him, somewhere. In case you wanted him to come back. “Where’d you get the necklace ‘n’ bracelet?” he interrogated, she said nothing. “Why you wearing a hat inside too?” he criticised, still nothing. “Ay, what’s wrong with this bitch?” he stared at Dushane who looked at him as if he had something to say, but didn’t want to. He turned to Jaq. “Who is this yute?” he questioned her, she just shook her head, shrugging and looking at Dushane. “Why’s no one talking, ay?” he kissed his teeth. “Dickheads,” then pulled her into a separate room, still saying nothing. “Take off your bali,” she shook her head. “Hey, I said take it the fuck off.” She finally made an audible noise, kissing her teeth and tilting her head up at him, taking the baseball cap off and stuffing it in the back pocket of her tracksuit bottoms.

Then peeled off the balaclava bit by bit. Sully stared at you in shock, his eyes widened. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he hissed, half-pushing you against the wall of the room and locking the door best he could. You shoved him back, throwing the cap and the balaclava down onto the floor. “Why you so rude, man?” he furrowed his brows at you, his bottom lip tucked in. “I said, what the fuck are you doing here?” it was you, he couldn’t believe his own eyes, he knew he recognised the jewellery. He just couldn’t comprehend that his girlfriend – if you were still calling yourself that – was now in this industry, the one thing he didn’t want to happen, the one reason why he left in the first place.

“You fuckin’ left, Sully. What was I supposed to do?” he ran a hand over his face, exhaling deeply, murmuring profanities under his breath that gradually gained in volume. “Why here?” he hissed, his hands on your shoulders. “Why are you doing this?” he almost growled out, a rasp in his voice, you just kissed your teeth. “I dunno Sully, why’d you leave?” you continued, jabbing a finger at his chest while he looked away. “There’s your fuckin’ answer for you,” he sighed deeply, stepping back and basically kneeling onto the floor with his hands covering his face. He had loved you, present tense, he loves you, he will always love you; but this was overstepping the mark and you knew it. He couldn’t even imagine comparing you to the woman he left with his daughter a year ago, now you were decked out as he never even knew you, as if you were like him. He didn’t want you to be anything like him. You dreamed of a white picket fence life in a two-bedroom flat, you didn’t know what he dreamed of. That’s the problem, what did men like Sully dream of?

“Née, you have to go,” he reprimanded, not even looking at you. “Please, just go, it’s not worth it.” You looked down at him with a cruel glint in your eye, lip threatening to start quivering as you faced the man who left you. “What’s not worth it? What’s changed, Sully?” he looked up at you with a disappointed expression, his facial features hardened with an unbecoming guilt, as if he caused this, a corruption of something so pure. The whole point of him leaving last year was to keep you safe from a rival gang that was so very close to ending his own life, what was stopping them from using you as leverage? He couldn’t help himself, he needed to leave for your sake, of course he didn’t want to – he was selfish like that – but he had to, and yet the consequences of his actions got you into even more danger. “You were fine with doing this shit all those years before, when I said it wasn’t worth it,” you tore through him, adding to your argument.

“It’s different, it’s not like that, Née. It’s not that simple, you know that,” he mumbled. “Don’t fucking call me Née,” you sharply declared, both of you in silence, staring at each other until Sully returned to looking at the floor, staring at the dust residue beneath you and him – there was no more you and him – he held in a tingling sob threatening to escape through his mouth and nose. “What was I meant to say to tell Josie, huh?” you blinked at him, anger overcoming your senses and you had to hold yourself back from letting it do so, you had experience doing so in the last year. “What was I meant to tell our daughter,” you repeated. “When she asks me ‘where’s daddy’?” Sully was glad he was hiding his face from you, ashamed, as his eyes turned wet at the mention of his daughter, gulping back a wail, or a scream. 

“Where’s daddy, huh?” you shook your head down at him, lip curling up as if you were about to cry, a single tear slipping out which you quickly wiped away without him seeing. You sniffled. “Sorry, baby. Daddy left ‘cause he’s too much of a fuckin’ pussy to stand up for himself ‘n’ his family, huh?” you shoved his shoulder again, he remained unmoving. “Why’d you fuckin’ leave, Sully?” you shouted. “Babe, I was gonna come back, I just needed time,” he mumbled his excuses, standing back up with gleaming eyes, you didn’t even correct his word of endearment, just shook your head at him with trembling lips, screwing your face up. “What was I meant to do? Wait for you? How long? Let me ‘n’ your daughter starve?” he shook his head dumbly at you.

“You didn’t put food on the fucking table, Sully. This is me stepping up for our daughter, so fuck off ‘n’ leave me be,” you leaned down and grabbed the balaclava and hat off of the floor, dusting it off with your shirt, stretching it out. He watched you unlock the door and leave, and opened his mouth, he didn’t even remember what came out of his mouth but all that it was met with was silence.

A few moments passed as he just stared blankly at the open door, then went through it, the group of people from earlier darting their eyes over at him as he came out through the door you just went through. “What, blud?” he narrowed his eyes at Dushane interrogatively. “Nothing, brudda,” he kissed his teeth, watching as Sully peeled back the curtains to watch you crossing the road with your headphones on. “Why’d you let her join, you fuckin’ wasteman?” Dushane raised his hands in mock surrender. “Listen, fam. She needed some p’s, we’re just helping her out, you know what I’m saying.” He glared at him, and then at the two other people in the room. “Fuck off,” he mumbled, walking towards the stairs and pulling his phone out his pocket.

୨୧ @𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐞. 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝. 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 ୨୧

[wonderlandleighleigh]

She turns to Dinah when Susie is distracted in her office one day and bites her lip, opening her mouth to make a request, but doesn’t get a chance. The other woman hands her a little slip of paper with a phone number and address on it.

Midge frowns, perplexed. “What is-“

“You got hypothermia because you went to see his show,” Dinah shrugs, grinning at her understandingly. “I figured you’d want his contact information.”

Midge smiles gratefully and slips it into her purse.

*****

She thought she’d be too busy to think about him, but when it’s quiet and everyone else is asleep, she wonders how he is. If he’s enjoying the warm weather. How things are going with his daughter. If he’s happy.

She wants him to be happy.

Midge just wishes…

Sometimes Midge wishes for a lot of things.

But she keeps moving forward. She starts landing more jokes on the show. Ethan is still having sleep issues, but she knows if she’s patient and attentive things will get better. Esther is getting more grown every day and she worries she’s not doing enough for her little girl, but she does try.

She dozes off in front of the television one night, and when she blinks awake, it’s to find the sun coming up and the morning news on.

Except Walter Cronkite only does the evening news, but here he is anyway with some sort of special report.

Midge narrows her eyes at all comes into focus.

“…Found dead at his California home of an apparent heroin overdose…”

Her stomach lurches hard as she shakily gets to her feet.

“…Survived by his mother a one daughter-“

“No,” Midge mutters as the screen flips to –

She had no idea they’d be willing to show real dead bodies on TV, but there he is. She knows exactly who it is, having seen him bared before her, warm and beautiful, very recently.

She means to crumble back onto the couch but misses and hits the floor instead, and suddenly she’s yelping awake, sitting up quickly.

It’s still dark out.

The television is still on its test screen.

Midge fell off the couch.

She scrambles to her feet, rushing for her purse and Dinah’s little slip of paper, and soon she finds herself back on the living room floor, behind the couch with the phone in her lap, shakily dialing his number.

“One AM here,” she mutters, looking at the clock above her. “Eleven there…so he’s either out or-“

His voice is confused when it picks up. “Hello?”

“You need to come back,” she blurts out.

“Midge?”

“You need to come back, you can’t stay in LA,” she babbles. “It’s- bad for you. All that sun is bad for you.”

“Wait-“

“You can move your daughter here,” she keeps going quickly. “There are tons of great apartments and schools, and we can plan playdates and-“

“We don’t do that,” he reminds her gently.

There’s a warmth in his voice that brings tears to her eyes.

“We could,” she tells him. “We should. We should do that. Ethan is weird, and he could use another friend, and Esther could use a little girl who’s a little older and probably the coolest kid on the planet who listens to free jazz and smokes candy cigarettes.”

“Kit’s pretty hip,” Lenny admits, getting sidetracked. “Midge-“

“See! Her name is Kit! That’s a cool name! She doesn’t belong in California, she’s an East Coast kid.”

“Are you ever going to tell me what has you so terrified that you called me up in the middle of the night to demand that I relocate again?”

She freezes, unable to tell him. Partially because she’s starting to realize just how insane she sounds and partially because it’s cruel to tell him.

“Midge.” His voice is so gentle.

“I had a really terrible dream,” she says, trying to steady her voice. “And I just-I want you to be happy, but I miss you like crazy even though I’ve been trying to ignore it, and I thought I was doing a good job but then I had this awful nightmare tonight and I just-“ She loses steam finally, blowing out a breath. “Sound like a lunatic.”

 “A little,” Lenny admits. “Though I admit it’s kind of a turn-on.”

“Lenny.”

“If I said I was sorry for that joke, I’d be lying,” he tells her. “Midge, I…”

She waits.

She waits for him to shut all of this down. To assure her that all is well. That he’s fine. That he has to stay in LA. That they don’t do these kinds of things. She feels herself tense up, taking a breath and closing her eyes.

“I miss you, you know.” It comes out quiet. “There’s a lot going on with the legal troubles…with a lot of things. I wish…I wish I could be…”

“You could.”.

“You have too much faith in me.”

“Just enough.”

“How did you get this number anyways?”

“I’m a very good stalker,” she says.

Lenny sighs softly. “I’m back in New York in two weeks. Let’s get a drink. We’ll talk.”

“You promise?” she asks quietly.

He means it when he says “I promise.”

“Okay,” she says after a moment. “Did you have a gig tonight?”

“Yes, and I even managed to stay out of jail,” he says. “It went pretty well, all things considered.”

“I’m actually kind of surprised you’re home.”

“I had to relieve the babysitter,” Lenny explains. “I’ve known prostitutes with cheaper rates. There’s something in that. Something about childcare being a worse gig than sex work.”  

“With sex work you leave sticky for the right reasons,” she giggles, and it makes him laugh, too.

“Please tell me you’re using that,” he says, and she can hear him smiling through the phone.

“Bet your cute little ass I’m using that,” Midge tells him. She sighs. “I’m sorry, Lenny. I shouldn’t have- I just-“

“It’s nice to be missed,” he admits. “And if I’m being truthful, I really do hate it here.” His voice goes quiet again. “I miss the snow.”

They both sit with that for a moment, letting to quiet wash over them. Three thousand miles away, and one sentence makes her feel more connected to him than ever, even though she knows she should be giving him shit for letting her nearly freeze to death after yelling at her.

“Two weeks?” she asks finally.

“Two weeks,” he promises.

 ***** 

It turns out that while they both intend to keep that promise of meeting in two weeks, it’s harder than he thought it would be to catch her. Between her day job at the show, and her night gigs and her kids, and his lawyer meetings and his gigs it winds up being almost impossible. 

When he steps into the Button Club (previously warned hat it’s her ex’s club, and the man has no idea that Lenny and Midge…well…were ever Lenny and Midge), he lets his eyes rake across the crowd of people.

And realizes he’s just in time for Midge’s set. 

He manages to slip into a small table in the back and orders himself a scotch and water from one of the waitresses before sitting back and watching Midge do her thing.

God, she’s so fucking good.

She runs with the sex work childcare joke, too. 

“You know why it’s more expensive?” she asks. “Because in childcare you leave sticky for all the wrong reasons. There’s jam. There’s gum. There’s play-doh. What’s a little sweat and jizz compared to that?” 

Lenny laughs hard, giving a clap that catches no one's attention except the owner.

Ah, shit. 

"Mr. Bruce. It's an honor to have you at my club," Joel Maisel tells him. 

Lenny glances at him and then nods to Midge."I'm here for her."

"Midge is good," Joel agrees. "Is there anything I can get you?" 

Lenny could just let it go. 

He could. 

He won't. 

"Yeah, a martini, up with olives for when she wraps up."

Jo stands there frozen. "You uh…you know her drink."

"Three years of camaraderie and closeness I fucking should by now," Lenny comments, before turning back to watch her set.

To Midge’s credit, she hasn't let seeing her ex and whatever Lenny is to her throw her off her game, and he's relieved when Joel walks off. 

Lenny grins at her mischievously.

*****

She heads for his table, sits and takes a sip of her martini. "Did you torture my ex?"

Lenny considers. "Maybe the tiniest by knowing you cocktail preference."

"Lenny."

He grins and leans in. "Hi Midge. Great set."

"And I didn't even have to go on a date with you this time to get the compliment," she teases. She sighs. "Thank you for meeting me. I know the setting isn't ideal."

"I did promise. And scheduling was tight, but we made it work," he says. He gazes at her for a moment and impulsively reaches for her hand. "Anymore bad dreams?"

She lets her guard down a little, letting the warmth of his long fingers envelope hers as she nods. "Same thing, over and over."

"Ready to tell me what it is?" He asks. 

"No," Midge admits honestly. "But we worked so hard to meet in person so I kind of have to." 

And she does. About waking up in front of the television to a news broadcast about his death. The graphic photo she keeps dreaming about. How she wakes up before she really knows what's happening other than "Lenny died alone."

His thumb is circling her palm by the time she finishes. Her eyes are glassy. She hates that a silly dream makes her cry but she can't help it. 

Lenny takes a deep breath. "I don't have the best proclivities, as you're aware," he admits. "But I'm going to do my damndest to keep that from becoming reality."

She opens her mouth to offer help but stops when he holds his free hand up.

"I know you want to help, Midge, and I love you for it but-"

He stops as they both adjust to the weight of those words. 

"You-"

"I-"

"Refills?" Joel's voice asks from over them, and Lenny moves to let go of her hand, but she tightens her grip. 

"Wait," she blurts out, staring into Lenny's wide, shocked eyes. "You love me?"

"He what?!" Joel snaps. 

Lenny swallows. "Midge, here? Now?"

"You tell me, you said it," she snaps.

"I don't expect you to feel the same," he tells her quietly. "I just-"

"Of course she doesn't," Joel blurts out nervously. 

She can barely hear Joel's panicked voice as she gazes at the man in front of her. She lets go of his hand to stroke his jaw. "Lenny, don't be stupid. You know I do." 

"You do?" He asks, a little baffled. 

"You do?" Joel asks in shock. 

 Midge can’t help grinning warmly at Lenny. “A little hard not to at this point, don’t you think?” 

“You scraped me off of a sidewalk, watched me have an utter meltdown, and then do the pee-pee dance in front of your building,” he points out dryly. 

“The pee-pee dance?” Joel ponders, confused.

“So attractive,” Midge jokes. 

“You nearly lost a toe because I yelled at you instead of sleeping with you the night of my Carniegie gig,” he adds. 

“I would not have slept with you after you yelled at me,” she argues.

“I’m sorry?” Joel asks, really panicked now.

“You also watched my entire suitcase fall open and dump its contents onto the carpet at JFK and then watched as I stood there and didn’t clean it up,” Lenny goes on.

“Endearing,” Midge shrugs.

“I am standing right here!” Joel snaps loudly, finally getting their attention. 

“Right!” Lenny cries, turning to him, looking more than a little annoyed. “Drinks! She’s have another martini up with olives, and I will have a double scotch and soda.” 

“That’s not-” 

Midge takes a deep breath and looks up at her ex-husband. “Joel. We’re trying to have a conversation. Can you please-” 

“No!” he cries. “No, I won’t please! I want to talk to you in private. Now.” 

“No,” Midge says simply.

Joel stares at her. 

“I’m in the middle of a conversation,” she reminds him. “It’s an important one. And it has nothing to do with you. So you can either go get our drinks, or we can leave.” 

He stands there, weighing those options, and Lenny glances down at his watch.

“You get fifteen more seconds to decide,” he announces without looking up. 

Joel gives a groan before storming away, leaving them to their conversation as the other patrons of the club turn back to their drinks and conversations.  

Midge closes her eyes and takes a slow breath, letting it out.

“So that’s the ex?” Lenny asks, hiding a grin behind his hand. 

“That’s him,” she confirms. “I don’t know how much you would love me if you had to deal with him all the time.” 

His voice comes out soft again. “It would be worth it.” 

She finds herself re-taking his hand, playing with his fingers. “What do we do?” 

“Well,” Lenny drawls out.  “I hate LA. It turns out the lawyers here are, actually, better, you keep having nightmares about my untimely death and it turns out we’re in love with each other. And while I very much should not drag you into all of my horrible garbage…” 

She watches him carefully, knowing that there’s hope written all over her face where there shouldn’t be. That this could all blow up spectacularly, she can’t can’t help herself. 

He leans in, his eyes avoiding hers in favor of looking at their hands. “I want this with you.” 

His words have her tugging him in closer, letting go of his hand again to cup his jaw, pulling him into a tender kiss. 

**** 

Susie Myerson tries really fucking hard not to get involved in her clients’ personal lives. 

Because they’re actual friends, Midge makes it fucking hard to stay out of it, though. 

So does her shitty ex-husband. 

“I don’t need to be here,” she snaps as she steps into the Button Club. “The whole point of her gigging at this place is to try out new material, and give me a couple of nights where no one needs me to hold her fucking hand!” 

Joel looks livid and pale, and he points aggressively toward the main room of the club.

“What?” Susie snaps. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” 

He points harder. 

Susie rolls her eyes and wanders over to the entryway, letting her eyes scan the crowd, and eventually she lands on-

“Oh,” she says simply, watching as Midge pulls away from Lenny Bruce her hands still cupping his face in the most tender gesture Susie has ever seen in her entire fucking life. 

She’s had the misfortune of seeing Midge with a number of men. That Benjamin guy. Nice, but stiff. Joel. An asshole. 

She’s never seen her alone with Lenny, though, and it’s-

Fuck. It’s love. 

“You gotta stop it,” Joel demands. 

Susie snorts out a deep, dark laugh. “For so many reasons, go fuck yourself.” 

“Susie-” 

“First and foremost, Midge’s lovelife is none of my business,” Susie stops him. “Is this ideal? No. Do I think it will probably blow up in her fucking face? Yeah.” 

“So stop it!” 

“Second of all: That’s not just some fling,” Susie goes on. “That’s not just grabbing a quickie in an alleyway after a gig.” 

“Thanks for that mental image,” Joel complains, squeezing his eyes shut, looking pained.

“Look at his face,” Susie goes on. “Look at hers. That’s real. And I may be a heartless asshole sometimes, but even I know not to stand in the way of that shit.” 

“Susie,” Joel says warningly. 

“And third of all,” Susie says as she grins slowly. “It’s gonna be way too much fun to watch you lose your wind over this. It already is.” 

Joel glowers at her harshly, and, without a word, storms back behind the bar, slamming the office door behind him. 

Susie rolls her eyes and slips back to the bar to get a drink.

***** 

“The kissing is nice but it doesn’t solve our problems,” Lenny points out gently as he allows himself the indulgence of brushing his fingers through the ends of her hair. 

“What’s the lease like?” Midge asks. 

“Month-to-month,” he admits sheepishly.

She laughs. “Lenny.” 

“I may be a man with a lease, but I never said I was any good at it,” he admits. 

Midge takes a breath, and he knows she’s talking about how long he should stay at the house in LA, and what they can do to plan his move back to the east coast and she’s dropping the name of some lawyer her father knows, but he’s missed her so much all he can do is gaze at her face; commit her eyes to memory; let himself be soothed by that lilting intensity in her voice. 

“Are you paying attention to anything I’m saying?” she asks finally. 

“I’ve changed my mind,” he tells her. “I think the kissing would solve our problems.” 

She laughs, and it’s the best sound ever. 

Sadly, they’re interrupted again by the scrape of a chair coming up to the table, and Susie taking a seat with her drink, which she sets down with a loud thunk. “Okay.” 

Midge looks deeply confused. “Wasn’t tonight a Midge-less night for you?” she asks. “You didn’t even want to hear my name tonight.” 

“Joel called, said there was an emergency, and then alerted me to…whatever the fuck this is,” she explains, gesturing towards the two of them.

Lenny sighs and pulls away from Midge, sitting back against the wall. 

“Tell me what’s going on,” Susie says. 

Midge hesitates, and glances at Lenny, before both of them wind up launching into a years-long tale of irresponsible flirting, ridiculous weather-related shenanigans, and their current predicament. 

“Right,” Susie nods after they’re done. “So you’re in love.” 

Again, Midge hesitates. 

“It’s a new development,” Lenny admits, even though it really fucking isn’t. 

“Sure,” Susie waves a hand. “Look, I could care less, but the press is gonna eat this up hard, so we’ve gotta strategize your story here, and while I typically don’t condone telling the truth, I think it’s our best bet. It makes both of you look like sweet, adorable disgusting lovebird angels.” 

Lenny opens his mouth to protest, but the short woman lifts up a hand. 

"You wanna keep fucking my client, you're gonna do what I say."

He shuts his mouth. 

"Good," Susie nods. "I'm leaving. Don't fucking get arrested."

*****

Joel steps out of his office as Susie heads for the exit. "So? You get rid of him? Put a stop to it?"

Susie grins then. A strange, satisfied grin. "He'll see you at the next family dinner."

With that, she leaves, and Joel feels bile gather at the back of his throat. 

***** 

They sit and talk for another hour, and in the back of Midge’s head, she knows that they should have left after Susie did; that sitting here for another hour is likely driving Joel up a wall, and leaving will be much harder the longer they stay.

But Midge is selfish sometimes, and she just doesn’t want to break whatever spell Lenny is under that has him talking about real things, as his real self. 

Because what if he chickens out? 

What if she chickens? 

What if it all just crumbles? 

What if her terrible dream becomes real anyways?

Lenny leans in then, narrowing his eyes at her. “I can see the wheels turning, you know.” 

She grins sheepishly and shakes her head. “It’s fine. Everything is fine. Really.” 

His eyebrow lifts skeptically. “Having second thoughts?” he asks.

“No. I’m afraid you might be.” 

“Oh, I’m terrified,” he admits. “But I want this much too much to run now.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” Midge asks softly. 

Lenny sighs softly, thinking it through. “Then…we’re gonna break up, and we’ll probably hate each other for a while, and you’ll talk shit about my dick on stage, and I’ll sleep with a woman who’s far, far too young to make myself feel better, and then maybe one day when we’re old, we’ll look back on it at some sort of comedy special where they wheel out the geriatric set and we’ll laugh about it.” 

“Even if we don’t break up, can I talk shit about your dick on stage?” she asks hopefully.

He chuckles and sips his drink. “You have blanket permission to tell audiences whatever you would like about my shvantz in your act.” 

She beams. “You really do love me.” 

"You wanna head out? See if we can sneak past guard at the door?" Lenny offers. 

Midge finishes her drink and gets to her feet. "I'm going to have to face him sooner or later." 

Lenny nods, getting to his own feet and helping her into her coat before they wander towards the exit.

Midge makes eye contact with Joel as he downs his umpteenth drink behind the bar, and shifts from Lenny to at least say goodnight. 

"His place or yours?" Joel asks bitterly. 

"Probably coffee in the village," Midge tells him truthfully. "Go home, Joel. Sleep it off."

"You coulda told me," he snaps. "Shoulda told me." 

"I didn't want to," Midge tells him honestly. 

"Why?"

She pauses, gazing at him for a long moment. "Because there are so few things in my life I don't have to share. That are just mine. This was just for me. Goodnight, Joel." 

She wanders back over to Lenny, taking his hand and heading for the door.