#i saw one of those pink leather vests and HAD to give it to him i HAD TO

[galaxygermdraws]

BACK ON MY CRAP. AGAIN. FOR THE 100TH TIME. I'm procrastinating finishing the Impulse doodles so for now? Skizz. Featuring him in a leather vest (inspired by @arseniy-arsenicum33)

Uh. Will I ever draw him consistently? No.

(Reblogs with tags/comments are appreciated, Thankyu)

[localemofreak]

Got That Kinda Look To Make Me Freak.

(Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader)

Based on the song:

Emo Boy - Ayesha Erotica

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‼️Warnings‼️: use of y/n, slight smut ahead, also kinda fluffy, Eddie is a slightly awkward mf, etc. (if I forgot anything please tell me!)

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It was a nice Saturday day- and you had decided to head off to the mall, thinking it would be nice to walk around and shop at some of your favorite stores.

As you walked around the mall- that’s when you saw him.

You watched this stranger from a slight distance- he was in a cute little candle shop (wayne probably forced him to get a candle- nasty ass 💀) but he stood out like a sore thumb in there as he stood by the front window of the store.

You watched as he just picked random candles up, sniffing them before quickly placing them back down.

He had long brown wavy hair, he was wearing an Iron Maiden shirt, ripped black jeans, a leather jacket with a denim vest on top of it, the denim vest had a bunch of different pins and patches- honestly bad ass, and he also had some white Reebok's on.

You couldn't forget the million accessories on him, which you noticed first when he grabbed a candle- those rings on his fingers, they looked so cool- they definitely weren't normal rings you could buy in a Walmart.

But one thing that you knew for sure- man, was he hot..

After a moment of standing there, gawking at the random young man, you decided to walk into the candle shop while also starting a small argument with yourself in your head.

You just glanced around, looking at different candles before you finally grew some balls to head over to where the mystery metalhead was standing, looking confused as fuck while scanning through different candles.

"Need some help?-" you offered with a small giggle, he just turned his head- his eyes widened slightly as he saw you, it was obvious he was little taken away by you.

"Oh, uh, yeah- I just, don't know which one is the best.." he said, stumbling around with his words while holding a candle in his hand- you just giggled at his slight awkwardness, it was cute.

"Well- if you don't want your room to smell all girly and like flowers I suggest not the one in your hand." You giggled, pointing to the 'rose and lavender' candle he was holding in his hand.

He just looked down at the candle for a second and quickly put it back, his cheeks tinted pink from embarrassment.

"Oh shit- sorry.." he mumbled, giving a slight awkward chuckle as you shook your head and giggled a little bit more, deciding to pick up a candle that smelt like apple pie.

"No need to apologize- here, this one looks like it would fit you." You said, handing him the candle with a small smile on your face.

He picked his head up to reveal his brown doe eyes and the blush on his cheeks.

Oh god he was so dreamy.

"thanks.." he said, slowly taking the candle from you- his fingers also brushing against yours which caused a slight shiver to run down your spine.

"I'm y/n." You said- you decided to introduce yourself, thinking it would be nice- he just smiled softly and nodded his head, holding the candle in his hand.

"Eddie. Nice to meet you." He said, offering his hand out to shake- you glanced down at his hands and ring covered fingers for a small moment before shaking his hand.

Even after you shook it, you two just held hands for a good second while looking into each other eyes.

-TIME SKIP-

It felt like so much happened in just the matter of seconds, even though it was hours.

Currently, you were in Eddie's trailer- the candle you gave him that he bought was now lit on his messy bedside table.

And you and him?- you were both laying in his bed, naked, his mouth was attached to yours as he hovered over you and made out with you.

His lips muffled the moans that fell from your lips as he thrusted into you with such ease, and god weren't you enjoying every second of it.

Some crazy shit must have happened at the mall for the rest of your day to end up like this- having sex with the town's local freak in his bed.

He continued to sloppily make out with you, his thrusts sloppily and deep that indicated he was getting closer- and you were too.

Your arms were wrapped around his neck, your legs wrapped around his waist- his body was covered in sweat but it was hot.

Your nails dug into his back, leaving behind marks as you felt your stomach tighten before you finally released- causing you to let out the most gut wrenching, intense moan into his mouth.

He quickly followed behind you, thrusting faster and deeper until he came inside you- his head fell into your neck as he let out a loud moan, his voice cracking as he let it out but that just made it even hotter.

His sweat covered body collapsed on top of you as you and him just laid there, collecting your thoughts real quick- you swore you were seeing stars the second you opened your eyes.

Finally, he slowly pulled out of you and slowly got up, grabbing a random piece of clothing off his messy bedroom floor to clean you up with before he collapsed next to you, pulling the covers over you and him.

His bangs were attached to his forehead thanks to the sweat and his tattoos glistened slightly- you just slowly turned your numb body to lay against his chest, his arm wrapping around you.

"That candle smells nice." He mumbled, a tired chuckle escaping his lips as you just playfully rolled your eyes and dug your head into the crook of his neck to hide your giggle.

[babotaee]

You had met him long before he was Cal.

It had been another scorching July day in Los Angeles, but you knew that once the sun had set, the ocean breeze would roll in as it always does, chilling the night air.

You wanted to say home— you really did— but your girlfriends wouldn’t stop pestering you about “getting back out there” after your most recent breakup. You really knew it was just another excuse for them to see those stupid bikers that they always talked about at their favorite bar. Nevertheless, you had agreed to go with them that night, deciding that it would be good for you to get out of the house.

As you walked in through the doors, you were met with an array of wolf whistles and teasing comments. While your friends seemed to bask in all the attention from the grimy men, you, on the other hand, quickly became self conscious of your appearance. A bubblegum pink mini dress (his favorite because it reminds him of the day you two met) fit snugly around your curves, while a thin white sweater—more for looks rather than protection from the cold— draped loosely over your shoulders. a matching white headband adorned your head, pulling your hair back and away from your face. was it too much for a place like this? you thought, wrapping your sweater tighter around your waist.

When your friends decided to walk over and talk to a couple of guys by the pool table, you chose to break off from the group to find some place more secluded. Trying your best to ignore all the unwanted attention, you walked along the sticky floor of the bar and found your way over to a table in a quiet back corner of the building, giving you a perfect view of everyone inside. Sitting down and scanning the room, you watched as your girlfriends batted their eyelashes and twirled their hair like little schoolgirls talking to the rough looking men. You just could not understand what they saw in those guys. As your eyes continue to trail across the room, your gaze eventually set upon two men sitting at the bar, looking very deep in conversation.

At first, you couldn’t see the face of the tall one closest to you, his greasy blonde head facing toward the other man, But he looked the same as all of them— dirt stained 501s, clunky brown boots, and a denim vest that read: dead devils california layered over an old leather jacket. you watched intently as he turned his body towards the bar, taking a sip of his bottle of beer and simultaneously revealing his side profile to you. Despite the dimly lit room, you could tell that he was attractive— like really attractive, at least compared to this crowd. As you eyed his almost delicate features, you didn’t even notice that he had also began staring at you until your eyes finally met his soft blue ones.

Mortified for being caught staring, you frantically grabbed your lipstick and pocket mirror out of your purse. You hoped to look distracted by touching up your makeup, but you were quickly met with a view of your own reddening face staring back at you, worsening the embarrassment. by the time you looked back up from your mirror, he had disappeared from his place at the bar and was slowly pushing his way past the other drunken patrons— and over to you. You could not believe this was happening.

“I’m Arthur” his surprisingly soft voice says when finally approaches your table. “mind if I sit here?”

trying your best to be cordial, you introduce yourself and allow him to sit down across from you as you waited nervously for what he had to say next.

“I saw you sitting by yourself over here and thought I’d come introduce myself. Can I maybe buy you a drink?” he said, grabbing a cigarette out of his jacket pocket and placing it between his lips.

A sudden wave of confidence rushed over you as you watched him look down to light it, “Sure, you can buy me a beer— but I’m not looking to go home with you tonight… or anyone else here for that matter”

“No need to get salty little lady, taking ya home with me isn’t what I have in mind.” he let out a chuckle, “I honest to god jus wanna get to know you.”

“Well I ain’t looking for anything serious either.”

“then nothing serious has to happen between us.”

As the night went on, the two of you began to loosen up more and more with each sip on alcohol, chipping away at each others walls and telling the other things you’d probably regret telling a stranger the next morning. You told him about the recent breakup you went through with a boy who didn’t know how to treat you right, and how your girlfriends, despite how much you love them, weren't always there when you needed them the most. In return, he told you about his childhood in Canada, his undesirable discharge from the army for, “always being salty,” and how he ended up with the dead devils.

“If you’re here so often…” you pause, glancing up towards his face, “how come I never hear any of my girlfriends talk about you?” you ask, plucking the cigarette from between his long fingers and raising it to your lips to take a drag, never breaking your eye contact with him.

“well” he shrugs, maintaining eye contact, “I’ve never really talked with them that much to be honest. I like to keep to myself I guess.”

“but you came over and talked to me?” you said curiously, passing the cigarette back to him.

“Like I said, I jus wanna get to know you.”

You hated to admit it to yourself so soon after a breakup, but you were smitten, and you think he knew it too. You had always been slightly intimidated by all the bikers that you had been introduced to before, but here was Arthur— a bikerider— who, despite his rough exterior, also happened to be so calm and soft spoken and intuitive and beautiful— really beautiful. By the end of the night, Arthur’s taking you back to your home on the back of his motorcycle, your arms wrapped tightly around his middle. His large jean jacket hung over your shoulders, protecting you from the cold.

3 months later you married him.

[noyzinerd]

Teen Wolf Leather Jacket Lore

(As told from a snippet from my Sterek WIP, "Pseudology")

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"Back in the old, old, old days, werewolf parents used to wrap their children in pelts and fur blankets when they felt threatened. It worked a lot like how weighted blankets nowadays provide a number of mental health benefits, like reducing stress or promoting better sleep. The heaviness simulates a feeling of being held, which can subconsciously ease your mind.

"Pelts, however, also had the addition of smelling like animal hide and the fur would feel almost like curling up against a mother wolf's body, back when fully shifted wolves were a more common occurrence. The combination of warmth and weight and softness and the smell of food, the smell of being provided for, helped to create a sense of safety for them.

"Nowadays, a werewolf can't just walk through the streets wrapped in a big, fur pelt unless he wants to draw a lot of attention. So, a leather jacket is the modern interpretation of that. Leather is one of the few clothing materials made of animal hide. Under all of the smells of bleaches and dyes and preserving chemicals, the faint smell of prey can still be picked up. Especially if the coat is old and the protective layer is chaffed off, releasing the hide smell. And the heavy weight of the jacket on a wolf's shoulders subconsciously feels like being wrapped in someone's arms. A leather jacket to a werewolf is like a weighted blanket to a human. It comforts them when they feel vulnerable and helps them feel safe." Derek paused for a bit to allow Stiles to fully comprehend all of the information laid before him. He had considered adding in an example of how there were compression vests out there meant to keep dogs calm during thunderstorms, but ultimately decided against it. It wouldn't do to give Stiles anymore ammunition to make dog jokes.

Once the spark of understanding was clear in those whiskey eyes, Derek continued. "Stiles...do you remember what had been going on in my life the first time you saw me in my coat?"

"Your...your sister had just been murdered."

"Mm," Derek hummed in agreement. It had taken a long time for him to finally talk about what had happened to Laura without sounding horribly broken up about it anymore. Not indifferent or uncaring, just more accepting. "I had lost the last person I had ever felt close to in this world. I hadn't known about Cora yet and I didn't have any other friends or family. The jacket was a coping mechanism."

Stiles nodded, digesting the information in stride as the conversation began filling in all of the burning knowledge gaps that had probably been haunting him for years by now. "And the jackets on Erica, Isaac, and Boyd?" The boy wasted no time moving through what was undoubtedly a checklist of questions in his head, almost as if he were afraid he might forget something if he didn't get through them fast enough.

"Becoming a werewolf for the first time can be stressful," Derek said, easily indulging Stiles' curiosity, "All of your senses are heightened to a point bordering on pain, sounds that used to be imperceptible can sound as loud as gunshots, all your bones ache, and your skin feels like it's on fire. At times, it can literally feel like you're dying. I bought them those jackets because I figured it would help to ease their transitions. I never explained the reasoning behind the jackets to any of them and I never forced anyone to wear them. They never seemed to want to take them off, though, so I think it soothed them, even if they didn't actually understand why."

"That's...that's actually really sweet of you, big guy. I didn't know you were such a softie. You're like some kind of-of...you're like a cuddly Teddywolf!" Stiles was absolutely tickled pink at the name.

Shit. This was worse than Sourwolf. Way worse.

"Wait, hold on. Back at the hospital, when we were trying to find the alpha," oh, thank god for Stiles' short attention span, "wasn't Peter also wearing a leather coat?" Goddamn Stiles' attention to detail! "No, it wasn't a coat. I mean, okay, it was a coat, but it wasn't a jacket, if that makes sense? It was longer than a jacket. Like, it was closer to the floor. It was more like a leather, um, like-like a, uh... a leather…" Stiles' hand was waving insistently by his face as he struggled to find the description he was looking for.

Derek sighed heavily in defeat.

"A duster," he murmured reluctantly, taking pity on the stuttering mess Stiles had become. If he had let this go any further, Stiles was going to have a conniption.

"Yes, a duster! Exactly! Thank you! Peter was wearing a leather duster that time at the hospital. But he had been comatose for years before then, hadn't he? Since the fire? It wouldn't have made sense for him to have the coat with him before he even knew the fire was going to happen."

Well, it couldn't be helped.

And Derek had actually been hoping that he could've gotten away with his misplaced good deed after all this time, too. "I was the one who got it for him. I thought it would help him heal. Maybe give him a little bit of comfort after suffering something so traumatic."

Stiles' whirling mind seemed to hit the brakes a little at that. Derek couldn't really blame him. As far as he knew, the only impression Stiles had ever gotten about the relationship between Peter and Derek had been tumultuous at best. For Derek to get Peter a coat, now knowing the significance of what wearing a leather coat meant to a werewolf, it was easy to see how that might be unusual.

"I had gotten it for him right before Laura and I left for New York. Before I knew he was a murderous psychopath, willing to kill his own family and innocent kids for power and revenge. If I had known back then what he would become, I would have lined the seams with wolfsbane and filled all the pockets with mountain ash."

Stiles let out a sudden bark of laughter, quickly covering his mouth to stifle his outburst. The laugh managed to take Derek by surprise.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to laugh! I just would have loved to have seen that."

That sweet little smile at Peter's expense made his heart thump heavily in his chest. Was it normal to be so fond of someone for also wanting to see his uncle suffer?

Derek couldn't help the small, affectionate quirk to the side of his mouth at Stiles' enjoyment. The cute mole just at the corner of the boy's upper lip danced as he laughed, the sound carrying high and airy like wind chimes.

Derek made sure Stiles could only catch the briefest glimpse of his grin, just enough to know that Derek was fine with him laughing, before quickly turning away. Derek couldn't risk maintaining eye contact for too long. No, Stiles was too damn perceptive for that.

"So, why did you stop wearing it?"

"One day, I realized I didn't need it anymore. I think it was around the time I tried making my own pack. I think it was maybe because I didn't feel weak and vulnerable when I was surrounded by them. I found myself only needing my jacket when they were at school and I was left on my own. I was still making really bad decisions after that, getting into unhealthy relationships, and what had happened to Boyd and Erica weighed on me a lot, but it didn't feel like I could break at any moment anymore. For the first time in years, I felt like I had people I could turn to. Even when I pushed Isaac away, when I ran away to South America, when it became so hard to trust anyone anymore, I never felt truly alone. There would always be someone I could turn to if I ever got in any trouble. The more people I connected with, the less I needed it to make me feel safe. I felt protected. Over time, as I started to get my life back together, I found that I no longer needed other people to feel strong."

Stiles' eyes softened fondly at that as he said lightly, "I'm glad, big guy." There was so much sincerity and conviction in those four words that the werewolf could feel radiating rays of sunlight blooming beneath his ribcage.

Before the warmth in Derek's chest could truly settle in, the other's inquisitive, mile-a-minute brain was already pulling at the next thread within reach, his thirst for knowledge truly unquenchable.

"But isn't it, I don't know, bad for a werewolf to show other werewolves when they're vulnerable? Isn't that kinda like a sign of weakness or something?"

"That's a very good question." Derek felt impressed by just how astute Stiles could be. "Think of it like this. Most people know that smoking can be a sign of stress, right? A person will sometimes smoke when they feel nervous or when they're upset. You see it in movies all the time: detectives working on cases through a long night, someone whose hands are too shaky to light their cigarette after they've seen a murder, that sort of thing. Everyone knows that people smoke cigarettes at their low points. But, if you were to see a stranger smoking on the street, would you automatically assume it was because they were feeling vulnerable?"

"No."

"No, you wouldn't. Maybe they started smoking at a young age and now the habit is too strong for them to break as an adult. They may have started smoking during a stressful time in their lives and couldn't stop even after the stress was gone. Maybe they saw someone they looked up to smoke and wanted to emulate them. Maybe they think it makes them look cool. There are so many other unseen factors at play that people won't even think twice about seeing someone smoking. The same logic applies to werewolves and leather jackets. Just because they wear it when they feel vulnerable, that doesn't necessarily mean that's the only time they wear it. You never know. Maybe it's just cold outside."

"Whoa…that's intense. I never could have imagined so much lore from something like a leather jacket. Who would have thought that a coat could be the crutch of werewolf society?"

"Any more questions?"

"Oh, uh, no! That's all I've got."

"Good. You should feel honored. This is probably the most I've ever said to anyone in my entire life. I don't do that for just anyone, you know."

[sinful-morningstar]

Spartober 2023 Day 5 Size difference (VDante)

Author's Note: When describing the size difference I tried my best to focus on other attributes of V, and I made sure I didn't refer to him as sickly thin. there are descriptions of his collar bones and cheekbones so if that's a squick it is inhere but its fleeting...anyways as per usual there is no outright smut no penetration, just making out and teasing eachother till they are nude, and you can fill in the blanks on how hard, soft, fast they fuck around, I just do the build up to it and I love me some dirty talk so there's plenty of that in here, anyways I had alot of fun writing this prompt, enjoy ! Prompts by whatsanapocolae1 (I am using a combinmation of Spartober and Devil MayTober prompts) {5 down so far...2 more till i'm up to date..stay tuned for more content..} 5: Size Difference (VDante) “If only you could defeat Urizen..If only…no..” V grunted softly carrying the devil sword Sparda behind him dragging it along the floor as he looked upon Dante’s blood covered body.

Dante’s eyes shot open as he saw the blade coming down on him stopping it with his hands he heard a sound of approval coming from V he could see a small smirk playing on the man’s lips.

He grunted as he got up and V sat down, Dante couldn't help but notice just how small V looked compared to the Devil Sword, those slim lanky arms covered in tattoos runes of some sort that rang true to the poetry that left V’s mouth.

His mouth…Dante’s eyes looked over at V’s lips noticing just how plump they were, sure he had just woken up after resting for goodness knows how long, but how could he resist just a perfect view?.

“Forgive me..it was the only way to wake you..” V sighed softly as he looked up at Dante, he too became mesmerised by the other’s physique watching as Dante stretched. Arms wide his stretching was interrupted by Griffon.

Wings flapped as he rambled about how Nero was on his way to Fight Urizen. Dante rolled his eyes as he grabbed the bird by the neck and flung him away punting him across the graveyard before turning to face V.

V stood up slowly, his eyes meeting Dante’s as they were right up against each other, it made him blush faintly; pink dusted his pale cheeks as he looked away bashfully. He gripped his cane worried his knees would give in his mind raced, his heart hammered in his chest as he bit his lip gently.

“Well what do we have here, are you blushing over me V?” Dante asked with a smirk, moving closer as he wrapped an arm around V’s waist;he felt just how slim and petite the man was against him. He let his other hand gently move V’s chin to face him.

Their eyes locked on one another, Dante could see V up close , just how truly beautiful he was, his cheekbones so well defined they could cut a man, those plump lips that Dante desperately wanted a taste of, he was lost in V’s emerald eyes playing with his raven hair.

V didn't hesitate; he leaned into the touch as his eyes fixated on Dante while he hummed happily “Mmm, Your hands…” was all he could say he was almost dizzy from the touch, so starved of it that it left him helpless to Dante’s caress.

Dante raised a brow “Oh?, my hands?..you want my hands on your body V?” he purred gently, his eyes scanning V’s face for any signs of discomfort, he knew it had been too long since V had been held..or had he ever been held at all to begin with?… he shook his head and let his hand move to V’s leather vest gently tracing over the tattoos that ran down his chiselled chest. He was mesmerised by how the necklace rested on his defined collar bones.

“Beautiful…” he hummed gently as he started to untie the laces that strung up the vest, letting them fall to the sides, exposing V further to the cool breeze that blew past them. “Look at you..just dying to be held..” Dante sighed.

V shivered softly at the sensation licking his lips in anticipation , Dante’s hands worked wonders on him making his skin flush pink wherever those fingertips caressed leaving him wanting more as he let out a quiet moan. “Dante~” he said with a sensual sigh.

“feel that?” Dante asked massaging down V’s chest slowly working his way to the man’s waist squeezing effortlessly with just how small he was compared to him. “You like that?” he said with a determined grin.

Nodding breathlessly V looked up at Dante gently pushing them both down so that V was sitting in Dante’s lap. He wrapped his arms around Dante holding him close with a smirk, his emerald eyes shimmering with desire.”Yes…I do..”

“And I want more..” he purred his voice like velvet.

Dante let out a satisfied hum as he pulled V closer; their lips inches away from each other. “Well then C'mere pretty boy~” he said in a sultry tone as he pulled V in for a kiss. Their lips pressed up against one another, as Dante slid his hands down to V’s hips gripping them gently, making him gasp.

“Mmm~” V whimpered sweetly as he kissed back deeply, letting his tongue meet with Dante’s eagerly; tangling in a lust filled passion. He could feel the heat radiating off of Dante, their shared body heat making the air thick with desire.

They broke the kiss panting softly, Dante’s silver hair falling on his face a stark contrast to V’s raven hair on his own. They looked at one another and smirked deviously enjoying the intimacy they currently shared. Dante wasted no time taking the vest off of V, while V reached for Dante’s coat sliding it off his shoulders. Their coats falling to the ground in unison making them chuckle softly. Dante proceeded to take off his shirt, layers falling from him as V helped him get undressed.

They both sat holding each other as their exposed chests were on display, Dante was more built and rugged with minimal chest hair on his pecs trailing down to his navel where the rest of the hair went below the belt.

While V was scrawny and thin cleanly shaven, not a hint of body hair in sight just perfectly sculpted and smooth to the touch, they were opposites in every way however their differences drew them closer together.

“Dante…” V shuddered gently feeling heatrise within him, his excitement growing as it became strained against his leather pants. “I..Can't ..take it much longer..”. He gave him pleading eyes as they shimmered in the light.

“Please release me from this torment..” he begged softly.

Dante shushed V with a kiss “Shh..I’ve got you V..” he said as he unbuckled V’s belt swiftly making it crack in the wind echoing in the graveyard making V shiver and moan out in pleasure.

“Heh, you like that dont you?” he said softly in V’s ear nibbling on his neck gently while his hands went to work on the button and zipper letting the other man’s arousal push up against his hand. “Mmm yeah you do I can feel it” he teased softly. His own arousal was pressed up against V’s backside throbbing with intent.

“You can feel it too can't you sweetheart?” he said in a voice like silk dripping with seduction as he rolled his hips against V, Gripping his waist pulling him closer.

V closed his eyes as he threw his head back with a moan. He was too excited to even notice that Dante had been slowly taking off the leather pants. “Dante please..Please enough..i can feel it..i can feel you..i..I need you..” he moaned out loudly.

“Yeah? Do you need me?, need this?” he said referring to his much larger arousal that left V shivering in pleasure. He had taken off V’s pants swiftly tossing them to the side as he smirked proudly.

“Yes! Please don't be cruel” V whimpered out needily as he pulled Dante closer for a kiss, the feeling of how much bigger Dante was compared to him made him see stars he never experienced such a rush before. he practically clawed at Dante’s belt taking it off eagerly as he took Dante’s pants off; the pair now down to their underwear as their growing excitement and lust were up against each other.

Dante smirked softly enjoying just how much smaller V was against him he let his hand dive into his boxers and gently stroke him his eyes widened at just how hard and wet he was for him, he let out a small moan “Oh..V..Baby you’re gonna kill me..” He shuddered as he tore off both their undergarments and tossed them to the side. “Oh Dante…Dante..please..please be gentle..” He said panted softly knowing he was in for one hell of a ride…

[nyxnygma]

Pfffft Nerds ~Marko&Paul

[Marko x Fem!Reader x Paul]

Summary: After finding out that your type is the complete oppisite of them, Paul and Marko get jealous when you introduce them to your nerdy friend

Warnings: cursing, sexual innuendos, jealousy, pet names, poly relationship,teasing

!!NOT PROOF READ!!

A/N: I kept nearly making Y/N very northern English (like me) so I will definitely be writing a headcannon with this. I also need a some sort of fruity fic as I’m lookin hella straight.

Masterlist

“Hey Babe,” Paul grinned as he stepped through my bedroom with ease, Marko right behind him.

“Jeez Paul,” I huffed, the loud thud of my window opening frightened me. “One day your gonna give me a fucking heart attack.”

He giggled mischievously in response as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into a kiss. Once Marko was also in my room he gave me a wink before kissing my cheek and pulling me into a hug. I was to busy loving Marko to realise Paul found my diary from two years ago.

“Dear Diary. Damien is so cute with his fluffy chocolate hair and nerdy glasses. All I want in life is for him to rant about how Mr Cahill is getting the Science equations all wrong to me all night long,” He was trying so hard not to burst out in a fit of hysterical laughter as he read from the pink fluffy notebook in his hands. “Your grammar is shite in this, Y/N”

“Paul..” I said embarrassed about him finding out about my old crushes. “Gimme the stupid diary.” I let go of the curly blond and started to walk to towards my other boyfriend.

“Hang on a minute!” Marko stepped in front of me. “I would love to hear more about this.”

“No you don’t,” I crossed my arms.

“Wait hang on Marko,” Paul eyebrows shot up in shock, “there’s other people here that babe had a thing for. By any chance did you like the nerdy people?”

My face turned a bright shade of red. It’s true. Marko and Paul were the complete opposite to those I usually go for. They wear leather jackets, flirty, charming, ride motorcycles, listen to rock and have a lot of confidence whereas I usually fall for the dorky, fluffy haired, glasses wearing geeky nerds.

“You really strayed off that path, huh?” Marko commented as he swung an arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek again. “I know nothing about science except there is a guy called Einstein.”

What I failed to mention was who were my friends.

The next night the three of us rode up to the Boardwalk with Dwayne and David, who we then ditched to snoop around some shops. We were walking out the vinyl shop after successfully finding an old Kiss ‘Dressed to Kill’ album when we bumped into a handful of my friends.

“Hello Y/N!” A short girl with orange curly hair greeted as she spotted me.

“Alexa? Hi!” I reciprocated the greeting. “Oh Paul, Marko, meet Alexa, Violet and erm..” I paused as I looked at the six foot tall brunette guy in front of me who was currently pushing up his glasses, “Damien.”

I saw my boyfriends face drop as they stared at the boy in front of me. From the passage in my diary I think they were expecting a acne covered short boy who wasn’t even that attractive but instead they were faced with a tall handsome man in a sweater vest. I didn’t still have a crush on my good friend, it only lasted about a month and I then moved onto this other nerdy person, but I know how jealous the boys can get.

“Hello,” they both responded, obviously trying not to rip the poor boy apart. My friends all smiled and smiled aged back.

The thing is my friends don’t exactly know I’m in a polyamorous relationship, I’m scared on how they would react, and Paul and Marko know about them not knowing and they used to be fine with it but I think they changed their minds after learning about Damien.

“I’m glad your here!” Damien blushed, “I’ve been meaning to get back to you on that book you learnt me and your right, The Damnation Game is such a good book!”

“Yeah. I knew you would like it,” I grinned. Paul wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he looked up at his much taller opponent.

“Wanna go get food with us? Marko and Paul can come along to,” Violet smiles.

“I would love to!” I replied before looking to my boyfriends, “do you wanna tag along to them.”

“Yep!” Marko smiled. Something was definitely off with them.

We all walked along the Board walk until we got the burger place, the blonde boys sticking to my sides like glue. When we are inside I sit next to Alexa expecting Paul or Marko to fill the seat beside me but instead I was met my Damien. I caught a glimpse of annoyance in my boys’ faces as they instead sat in front of me beside and awkward looking Violet.

“So how has your been? It feels like it’s been ages since we all hung out together,” Damien chuckled, stuttering slightly. I don’t blame him for acting scared when there was two bikers staring daggers at him.

“It’s been good, thanks,” I smiled back at him.

I spent the evening laughing and talking with my friends but Paul and Marko were almost silent all night, which was highly unusual for the energetic pair.

We were about to leave the diner to go on some last minutes rides when I asked them to wait for me so I could use the bathroom.

When I was done I exited the room to be faced with Damien looking nervous. “You alright there Damien?” I asked.

“Erm.. I have something to ask you,” he nervously stated as he pushed up the glasses on his face. “Will y-you go on a date with me? Maybe? It’s okay if you don’t want to but-”

“Oh I’m sorry Damien!” I interrupt. “I’m kinda already going out with someone. Believe me, if you told sixteen me I would have said yes but your a bit too late buddy.” I tried to laugh it off.

“Oh-” he began to speak again but was interrupted by to blondes walking up to us.

“Hey Babe,” Paul calls for me.

“We’re came to see if you were okay,” Marko smirked suspiciously as I blushed a bright shade of pink as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into a passionate kiss. I was about to give them an angry glare, because they knew what was going on, but was caught on my Paul also pulling me into a kiss.

Afterwards, I looked at the poor boy in front of us who was between us with a shocked face. “I-I’m so sorry. If I had known that the three of you were.. y’know, I wouldn’t have asked.”

I could tell the boys were enjoying watch him panic. “Oh it’s fine don’t worry about it,” I smiled reassuringly. The boys weren’t helping the situation with them both touching me and smirking.

“I-I’m gonna go catch up with the girls,” he smiled sheepishly as he tried not to run out.

“God. Did you really have to do that?” I turn around to look at them.

“Your precious nerd was trying to steal you away, baby,” Marko pouts.

“You both are just a pair of big jealous babies, huh?” I sigh.

[ktrivia]

Pull Your Punches (Levi x Reader Boxing AU)

Summary:

Moving to a new city should have been scary, could have been lonely, but thanks to your giant of a childhood friend, it was easy.

He trained some of the best boxers in the world, one of whom just happened to be the man whose poster you had on your bedroom walls when younger. His pictures did him no justice though, much better in the flesh than you could ever have imagined.

To find out he had the same penchant for winding your friend up was a surprise, something you did for fun and relaxation. But this was just for entertainment, it wouldn’t ever come to anything, it couldn’t. Would it?

Author's Note:

Hi everyone! Here is part 2 of the fic that I'm transferring over. Originally this was written by me and a co-author (@zedsdead1001 ). We did alternating chapters initially so this one was hers! I hope you enjoy it!

<- Previous Chapter : Next Chapter ->

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Chapter 2

As the trip to the diner was underway, you remembered just how awkward Erwin could be when confronted by anything sex-adjacent. A few boys at school had made some terrible attempts at asking you out, childish mumbles which you'd defended against well but the usual protective nature from your friend turned into nothing, as if his strength never existed and the blonde would simply stutter and have a full on body blush. During your life a flirtatious streak had become evident, cheeky and inappropriate at times, one which Erwin had never seen. Until now. And now, it was time for some good natured fun.

"So Levi," you began with a lazy yet sultry tone, nails inspected in a show of boredom. "Remind me again what your vital statistics are?"

The pale man smirked, eyes forward and hands in pockets as he could feel his trainer and friend turn to you in disbelief, mouth slack and words unattainable. Oh, this was going to be excellent.

"Which ones, Y/N?" Giving it back with an equally seductive growl, Levi glanced over to catch your flashing stare, saw the small smile of mischief that told him you were most certainly on the same page.

"Only the important numbers."

"Well in that case, eight…" He was cut off by a large elbow to the ribs, Erwin's cheeks blazing and blue eyes burning with warning whilst you tried your best to keep calm, wondering if that were really true. "I was talking about my fucking shoe size. No need to get violent, big man." Silence descended as the walk continued, all three of you mulling over the next thing to talk about. The tallest in your group quietly pondered a way to bring the topic of conversation away from his fighter's genitalia, drawing in breath to start a soliloquy that centred around the diner, only to be interrupted by another low purr. "But then, you know what they say about men's feet and certain ratios…"

It was out there again, a filthy yet unassuming sentence which you began to laugh at, face dusted in pink and shoulders hitching with hilarity. You may have found the perfect counterpart to terrorise Erwin with.

Taking a seat in the red leather booth, you slid over, joined by Levi as the other shuffled in opposite, lips pressed tightly together as he watched how close the pair of you were sitting. A menu laid on the table and you leant over, making a huge show of brushing against the body by your side as you peered to view what was on offer.

"Hmm…it all looks so good." Tapping your pout with a finger, you stared with affected concentration, not noticing the exchange that was occurring above. Shards of silver gleamed and an expression made from pure smugness almost challenged the cobalt scowl he was met with. An impressive brow was raised and Levi shrugged, gesturing to you with a nod as if to say 'not my fault she's practically lying on my lap'.

"Y/N?"

"Uh huh?"

"Give the man some space, please. This is a diner, not one of those…clubs." Upright again, you smiled sweetly and felt a slight bit of guilt - there he was, poor Erwin in his standard vest and sensible attire, hair flawlessly slicked as it always used to be. He hadn't changed that much, had just expanded somewhat and all of the things he'd done for you came flooding back.

"Sorry Erwin. What do you recommend?" He lit up, excited at the prospect of gushing over his much beloved milkshakes, a favourite treat since childhood.

"Well, the vanilla…" Gleeful explanations ensued and you did your best to listen intently, but that was rather difficult when lithe fingers were running up and down your thigh. Levi was in this whole heartedly, the chance to behave badly and without care too good to pass up; given his fame and reputation, he usually only ever met lame fangirls, women who would throw themselves at him and reeked of cheap perfume, make-up caked on and lashes as false as their breasts probably were. But you…you had an air of superiority and fun, the way you'd called him out instantly upon meeting adding to his interest and he decided why not, let's have a little bit of enjoyment in life, especially if it meant being able to watch Erwin squirm.

The tanned male had always been an upstanding pillar, kind and gentle with that undercurrent of rage that had to be let out on the bags or in the ring, mostly a 'swell guy' who most certainly needed to relax once in a while. Even he couldn't be so straight laced at all times, there must be something inside so to pick at that flawless exterior made up for all the gruelling hours of workouts he'd enforced.

"…and the chocolate comes with a little wafer, but it can get a little…a little…what are you doing?" Erwin could tell his champion was up to no good, the way you twitched every now and again speaking volumes and he frowned. "Hands on the table. Both of you." Raising like you were under gunpoint, you showed that none of this was your fault. "Levi?"

"Order for me. I've got to take a piss." The touch on your leg swept away as he stood, stretching dramatically to lift his hoodie up and expose a muscular back, all a display like a peacock showing it's colourful feathers. As he walked away, you managed to drag your eyes onto the parental gaze that was pinning you down.

"What?"

"Y/N, when did you become so...so…forward?"

"I'm just having fun Erwin. What's so wrong with that?" You weren't ready to get into this now, the truth surely not a conversation to be held on your reunion day but your old friend could sense a tone of accusation - here it was, his virtual abandonment of you coming back to strike. He still felt terrible, leaving when he did and knowing the family he'd left you with. But he had to, needed to be selfish and the large man sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry Y/N."

"Why?" Stiffening, you sensed the incoming discussion and took the lead. "After you went, I had to adjust, sure. Become stronger and not just physically. So I did, and this is one thing that helped to get me through." Picking at the corner of the card menu, you nodded. "I don't sleep around Erwin, I'm not a slut, if that's what you're worried about. Some people read, others see a movie, I flirt. It takes the edge off and relaxes me."

"No no, I wasn't suggesting that…I…" He was getting flustered, not accustomed to seeing you fully grown and exploring sexuality - to him, you were still the little girl he'd defended and taught. "I guess I'm just not used to this. In public." A wry smile danced over your lips, about to make a comment when the waitress appeared, orders given with thanks.

Levi returned, scooting in close again to begin meddling, head tilted in your direction.

"So is this one a groupie then?"

You glared, eyes dark and full of playful malice, arms crossed as you angled backwards away from him with a look of distaste.

"Please. Like I have nothing better to do than fawn over pumped up macho men."

He got near, own tilt matching yours so your noses nearly touched, his scrutinizing stare threatening to break away any kind of walls you'd erected throughout life - his pictures really didn't do those silvery orbs justice and his voice was deep and silky, words spoken from almost an unmoving mouth.

"Seem to be doing a pretty fucking good impression of one then, Y/N."

"You should know. How many have you fucked? Must be like a kid in a candy store."

"I don't like candy. I prefer a more bitter taste." Grey eyes flicked down to your confrontational smirk, saw the way you were building up to a retort, one which he suddenly rather wished to hush with a kiss. That would be too soon though, way too easy. Whatever weird game was being played, it needed to be played properly, not ruined on day one.

"Well if you like bitter, I know a few men…"

"Here we go folks!" The waitress had stopped proceedings again, much to Erwin's delight as he'd been watching the whole exchange with a gurgle in his throat, unsure how to sufficiently stop this unexpected thing from happening. Three hugely embellished milkshakes were delivered, all of you thanking the woman who skipped away oblivious and a low mumble sounded from your right.

"What the fuck is this?"

"Hmm? It's a milkshake, Levi. Jeez, must be all those steroids ruining your brain cells."

"Don't be fucking smart. This. What is this?" Poking the bright item, Levi sneered and flicked it to one side, white liquid spraying out and splashing on your arm.

"Watch out!"

"Ever so sorry, Y/N. Allow me." Pale hands took your limb and for a split second, you were sure he'd lick the offending droplets away, his almost cat-like smile promising a raise in the stakes.

"Use a tissue. I'm begging you, please just drink your shakes like normal human beings." The hissing plea from Erwin was amusing to say the least and a napkin was swept over your skin, apologetic glance given.

"Got to do what the boss says."

Shrugging, you picked up the paper umbrella which had been ejected in your direction and twirled it between your fingers, sipping slowly on what was actually a pretty damn good drink.

"How did you find this place? You come here a lot?"

"At least twice a week, Y/N. I find it calming. At least I used to." Erwin sulked, proper and correct exterior demanding the same kind of behaviour in return and you wondered why this seemed like such a great pastime - it was so simple, using your skill of steering away from the serious things in life to forget and you queried internally. How long until you broke him? That in itself sounded mean, yet the man's pout was even twitching, a sense of fun somewhere inside of him and you laughed.

"Sorry Erwin. We've got a lot of catching up to do, we could make this a thing?"

"I'd like that. Very much. Preferably alone next time."

"Oh don't mind me. You carry on. Reminisce." Levi waved his hand to dismiss any fears, drinking deeply from the straw and disguising the look of pleasure that was dangerously close to emerging.

"Thank you. Well Y/N, tell me. You might not watch it anymore, but do you still box?"

Milk was nearly ejected, coughs coming from the pale man and you slapped his back a little harshly.

"Something funny?"

"You? Boxing? I'd call that fucking funny."

"Levi, don't make assumptions. She used to have quite the right hook back in the day."

Beaming, you winked across the table and switched sides, thanking your friend with the gesture.

"Yea right. And I'm a shitty little rookie."

"Ok, Mr Olympic medals. You and me. Bring it on." Squaring up, you took the cherry from your shake and held it by the stalk, red fruit sucked suggestively, tongue swirling as the creamy substance was cleaned away. Levi gulped visibly and you lifted your brows, popping the round item out from full lips and pointing it at your current rival. "Or are you dickless as well as brainless?"

"Oh Y/N, you'll find out soon enough that I am most certainly not dickless."

Erwin groaned, head down on the table and hands in his lap like a prayer for redemption, voice muted as he spoke.

"Let's not discuss your penis again, Levi." He sat up, blue eyes strained and tired. "And that didn't answer my question Y/N."

"No, I haven't for a while. Don't really need to anymore." The newcomer to this old relationship straightened, sensing the tone of something deeper but it wasn't his place to delve so he remained quiet, soft sips now his only sound of participation.

"It's good to keep in shape though." A kindness radiated from the blonde, unspoken history shared and you nodded.

"I suppose. Would be quite nice to get back into it Erwin, for fun rather than anything else."

"Well then, that's decided. Come down once you're all settled in at home and work and we'll have a spar like we used to." Even Levi didn't make a snide comment, just allowed the comfortable moment to settle upon those gathered, two acquaintances reunited and stopping short of dredging up the past. For now. It was only a matter of time before you talked about everything, how you'd coped after Erwin's departure, what occurred at home and your eventual move here. But for now, this was just fine.

The cordial atmosphere continued as a few stories were swapped, the odd snap sent in the direction of the dark haired man which he took well, gave some back but his attitude had changed - he sensed an internal fire within you and was interested to find out more. Perhaps it would manifest at the gym?

After your drinks had been finished, Erwin paid as his treat, any offers to assist waved away and you found yourselves outside again, slow walk taken as the large male pulled your case along, delivering you to the place you'd be calling home from now on.

"Well, here we are."

"Need a hand up with this?"

"There's elevators, thanks though Erwin." Standing on tip toes, you planted a peck on his smooth cheek, gentle hand on your shoulder squeezing in support.

"Where's mine?"

"Kiss my ass, Levi."

"With pleasure, Y/N. Maybe when I've finished wiping the fucking floor with you after a round?"

"You wish." Giving him the middle finger, you laughed as they turned to leave, Erwin's head shaken in exhaustion and Levi spun, walking backwards and palms out in question.

"Can I at least get your number?"

"Nah, I know yours though." He frowned, unsure what you meant until eight fingers were held up, your cheeky and slightly sarcastic show given with confidence until the reply came, man still stepping further away but facing you, nine of his own digits raised with a wink and you shouted over. "Yea, now I know you're lying!" One finger was retracted and Levi shrugged, calling back to where you stood.

"This isn't a lie though Y/N. You'll see."

"Levi! Jesus, please." Erwin grabbed his fighter's collar, using size to his advantage and he twirled the smaller man round, forwards travel enforced and you smiled. It had definitely been an interesting first day in the city.

Taglist (Let me know if you would like to be tagged):

@rouge-variant @missam @leviackermanmyhero245

[nationalharryleague]

Ivy: Chapter One - Incandescent Glow

A/N: Chapter One is here!! I’m so excited to share this with you all and I hope you enjoy it!! You can find the rest of my writing in my masterlist and I would love love love to hear what you think about it in my ask! Thank you so much for reading I hope you enjoy it!! 

Word Count: 6.5k

Series Masterlist

Chapter Pinterest Board

Before their paths had crossed, she had resigned herself to an existence void of the excitement, passion, and the simple enjoyment of a life in love that she consumed every day in her books. Their worn and yellowed pages held stories of adventure, mystery, and her personal favorite, romance, etched onto pages that held the ability to transport the novel’s reader. She turned to their worn leather binding as a way to escape her own dismal and boring life, living vicariously through star crossed lovers, double agent spies, and explorers who had set out to find the fountain of youth.

The tall tales were never enough to fill the void or tame her desire to escape, but they placed a temporary bandage on the wound she would rather keep covered.

She spent most of her time among her books, curled into the small pink velvet couch that sat next to the large fireplace, immersing herself into the words on the page and the silence that surrounded her, as she reveled in the warmth of the open flame. The library was the one place in the large estate that felt like a home to her. Books lined the walls, placed carefully into floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Most of them had been read through already, patiently awaiting their turn to be picked up once again for her to experience another journey through their pages.

She chased a homey solace within those four walls, a comfortability she could never obtain anywhere else on her husband’s large estate. The mansion was a massive stone fortress that sat on acres of land she had never been granted permission to fully explore. The greatest freedom allowed to her were the well mannered and dignified walks she took around the garden, sometimes a trip to the small stream that ran across the edge of the property with a book tucked into her basket; but as winter fell, as it always did, she was forced back into her library.

Snow fell gently outside, covering the large and manicured lawns with a bright white blanket of quiet, but her concentration and tranquility were startled away from her when three too loud knocks fell onto the large mahogany door. She knew the knocks well, and exactly who they belonged to. They were the only ones that ever seemed to disturb her.

“Dear,” she heard her husband, William, call through the door. “May I come in?” He was boring and overbearing, but he was always polite when it came to her library. She could give him that.

“Of course,” she hummed in a slight annoyance, hearing the door swing open with a creak, as she tucked her bookmark into Gulliver’s Travels’ well loved pages. It was hard for her to tear her eyes from the book, not yet fully out of the story land she had been consumed by for hours now, but when she did, she was met with two men instead of one.

“I wanted to introduce you to the new groundskeeper, Mr. Styles.” William spoke far too loud for her quiet room and in his usual dull tone, which was somehow made even more boring by the beautiful man standing next to him.

Mr. Styles was striking. 

He had chocolate brown curls that fell in tousled waves pushed back from his forehead and vibrant green eyes that zeroed in on her with an intense but friendly gaze. A polite smile graced his pink lips which caused a pair of dimples to ghost over his cheeks, softening his rather imposing large figure.

He was tall and had broad shoulders and muscular arms that didn’t completely fit into his vest and suit jacket, and she could tell he was uncomfortable in such formal dress. He stood perfectly straight up and down, like any sudden movements might bust him out of the most likely hand me down outfit, and his slightly awkward appearance made it difficult for her to fight off a more than friendly smile.

She moved towards him, the pink roses embroidered on the delicate white fabric of her dress falling down around her as she stood from the couch, and with a greeting knod of her head, she extended her hand towards him to delicately shake. His hands were frozen as he took her hand and bowed his head to her, a side effect of the snow blanketing the ground outside, but they were also strong and calloused.

Their contact shot a spark up her arm, assuredly from the cold of his fingertips.

“It’s delightful to meet you, Mr. Styles,” she spoke with a soft but confident voice, bowing her own head towards him gently as he released her hand.

“Thank you for having me, Lady Taylor,” he spoke smoothly, with a deep and musical voice, his sharp jaw brushing against the starched high fabric of his collar. She liked the way he spoke and made a note to make sure she heard more of it in the future.

She hoped she had controlled her face and didn’t outwardly cringe when he called her by her formal title and her husband’s last name. It was an identifier she deeply loathed, representative of all she had become. She looked forward to whenever they got a moment away from her husband and she could ask him to call her Y/N, similar to moments she had in the past with all of the staff in the mansion.

“Of course,” she smiled. “We’re glad to have you.”

“He’ll be staying in the cottage on the east side of the property,” William informed her, bringing her attention back to him.

“That is the one near the stream with the ivy on it, if I’m not mistaken. Correct?” she directed her question towards her husband, toeing the line of an appropriate amount of small talk, while also encouraging the conversation to move fast so she could return to her book.

“That’s the one,” the dull man answered with a nod. “I’m going to show him to it now. I wanted to introduce him because you might be seeing him around the estate.” He paused, stepping closer to her and she felt her muscles tense slightly. “We wouldn’t want you getting startled by a stranger, now would we, darling?”

“No, we wouldn’t,” she answered with a tight lipped smile. She could never get used to his patronizing tone, even after three years as his wife. With a deep breath, she steeled herself as he got even closer, reaching his hand out and pushing a curl that had fallen from her gathered bun at the base of her neck behind her ear, then pressing a kiss to her cheek that lasted far too long to be in front of a guest. Her cheeks heated in embarrassment and she watched as Mr. Styles’ gained an uncomfortable blush to his as well.

With a patch of dampness still clinging to her cheek, William backed away and returned to their new guest’s side.

“It was lovely to meet you,” the new man said, a seemingly sympathetic look in his eye. “Your library is beautiful.”

His complement of her books brought a hint of joy back to her features. “Thank you very much. If you ever need anything to read, I may have something you could borrow,” she chuckled, raising her hand to gesture towards the rows and rows of books. “I can only read so many at a time.”

“I will keep that in mind,” he said, his lips perking up in a sideways smile that showed off one of his dimples.

William left the room without anything else to say, Mr. Styles following soon after, but for some reason she could not shake the sound of his voice and the look of his dimple from her mind. Even when she settled back down next to the fire, knees tucked up beneath her and Gulliver’s Travels back in her hands, his face remained. She found herself rereading sentences two or three times before comprehending them, her focus lost to the handsome man who was now living in the small ivy covered cottage. She was intrigued.

A few days passed before she saw him again.

Once again, he had roused her from a book while she read, making an awful scraping noise as he tried to remove the ice hanging from the outdoor windowsill of her library. He must have been watching her through the window because when her head shot up to investigate the noise, he already held an apologetic look in his eyes and mouthed ‘I’m sorry!’ to her through the window. He looked quite cute like that and she couldn’t help but release a laugh.

She decided to abandon the epic love story she had been consuming, choosing to focus on another object of interest as she moved towards the large window and opened it. A frigid wind seemed to slap her in the face, making her realize just how red his nose was. She could only guess how cold he was and how long he had been scraping ice off the house in only a flimsy wool coat.

“I am so sorry I disturbed you, Lady Taylor,” he profusely apologized, but she only smiled in return.

“No trouble at all,” she shook her head. “And please call me Y/N. I’m only Lady Taylor in front of my husband.”

His face held a slight surprise, obviously unfamiliar with such a casual relationship with his bosses. “Oh, alright then, Y/N.” He held a shy grin on his face as he looked up at her through the window, extending a hand for her to shake. “Well then, call me Harry.”

Harry, she repeated to herself. It suited him. She liked his name and the way his strong jaw and pink lips moved when he said it.

Their hands met in a less formal handshake this time, her body hanging halfway out the window into the cold to reach him. The same shocks made their way up her arm again and she blamed them on his frozen hand.

“Harry,” she started, liking the way his name felt on her lips. “You seem like you are about to freeze to death out there. Why don’t you come in for a cup of tea?”

She knew her husband wouldn’t be home for at least another hour, a result of meticulously monitoring his schedule for the last three years in an effort to appreciate her limited freedom to its fullest. William was a creature of habit, spending every Wednesday across the county with his younger brother in his own massive home; allowing her time to relax, no longer held to the absurdly formal high standards her husband held for ‘the lady of the house.’ And today, she decided she could exercise that freedom by inviting Harry in for tea.

“I couldn’t,” he tried to politely deny, bound by strict rules of etiquette in ‘high society,’ whatever that meant.

“I insist. You look frost bitten.”

When he nodded his head in concession, she couldn’t help the bright and triumphant smile that stretched across her features.

It wasn’t long before she was leading him through the massive home towards the servants quarters and her favorite part of the mansion: the kitchen. As they walked, they moved under ornate arches and impressively high ceilings, passing walls decorated with portraits of her husband’s dead relatives that seemed to judge the two commoners as they passed. She assumed her husband hadn’t given Harry a tour of the main house, as every time she snuck a peak at him, his eyes were wide in amazement at the lavish home.

The deep maroon satin fabric of her dress flowed behind her as she led him down winding hallways and past massive grand staircases. The grandiose decorations and atmosphere began to dwindle as they made their way to the servants quarters, the house taking on a much more bare-bones look. The hallways were smaller and left a pale white, a stark contrast to the brightly colored walls that lived in the rest of the house.

He followed her down a small spiral staircase that opened into a kitchen that emitted a welcoming warmth the rest of the sterile house lacked. A large stone fireplace was set into the wall to their right and copper pots and pans hung from the walls. A large cabinet held stacks and stacks of dishes of every sort and a perpetually bubbling pot of water hung over the open flame. But the centerpiece of the room was the long wooden table that was covered in flour and surrounded by smiley women kneading balls of dough.

“Hello sweetheart!” chimed one of the women from the table, her older round face framed by grey hair holding onto flushed cheeks and a wide smile. Her grin seemed to calm an anxiety that was perpetually inside her. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m doing very well. Thank you, Mary,” she smiled back at her. “How are you?”

“She’s been talking our ears off all day, Y/N,” the youngest girl, Grace, piped up from across the table, her long black hair pulled from her face in a ponytail that reached her bum. She couldn’t have been older than 16. “Thank goodness you came down here to distract her for a moment.”

“Oh hush, Grace,” Mary playfully scolded her before turning her attention back to Y/N. “My boy had the highest marks in his class this week. Isn’t that just incredible?”

“That’s fantastic!” she exclaimed, knowing how hard the boy had been working on his studies as of late from how highly his mother always spoke of him.

“It’s all because you let him borrow your books,” the older woman said in a softer and more sincere tone. “He reads them so fast now and his instructors are so impressed.”

“I am always happy to lend them to Robert. He’s such a good boy. I always miss him in the winter when it is too cold for him to come to the grounds to play.”

“Spring will be here soon enough,” the last woman at the table, Siobhan, spoke up in a thick Irish accent. Her fiery red curls were pinned up on top of her head and flour was smudged onto her freckled nose.

“The almanac predicts that we should have an early spring this year,” Y/N heard Harry’s deep voice cut into their conversation behind her. She watched as all the eyes belonging to the women at the table went wide in his direction like they hadn’t noticed him prior.

“Ladies, this is Harry Styles,” she introduced him, turning back to face him just long enough to take in his shy and somewhat awkward wave to the women. “He’s the new groundskeeper.”

“What happened to John?” Grace asked in a slight whine, her face falling in disappointment at the news.  

“She had a crush on John,” Siobhan cut in quickly to give Harry context. And while Grace denied her infatuation with a defiant ‘did not,’ her cheeks betrayed her as they turned a beet red.

“William said he got married or something of the sort,” Y/N lied, knowing William had fired him during a particular mood swing. While she held a deep distaste towards her husband, she was afraid to hint at that to the women in the event they didn’t follow his explicit orders due to their second hand dislike of him. She would never forgive herself if they happened to lose their jobs because of her.

These women were her only friends and she cherished them.

“Good for him,” Mary said before quickly turning her attention back to the curly man in the corner, staring at him intensely, as if she could see all his deepest secrets if she just looked hard enough. “It’s good to meet you, Harry,” she finally spoke, voice holding a motherly suspicion. “How did you become a groundskeeper?”

He seemed shocked that anyone would ask him a question at all, stammering slightly as he answered. “I always enjoyed being outside when I was a child, and as I got older, I found that I had quite the green thumb,” he spoke shyly, pulling his hand from behind his back to flash the ladies a thumbs-up. “I started working on estates a few years ago and I send whatever I can back to my mum and sister in Cheshire.”

At the mention of his mother and sister, Mary’s face softened.  All in the room could tell that she had deemed him trustworthy and respectable, pushing away her worst nightmares of him having bad intentions on the estate she ran inside and out.

“What a good boy,” she spoke jovially, like if she was closer to him she could have pinched his blushed and dimpled cheeks.

“Well,” Y/N began in an attempt to change the subject, “Harry has been out in the cold for who knows how long so I’m going to fix us up a cup of tea.”

“Y/N, that is what we are here for,” Siobhan said, letting out a chuckle.

“Oh no,” she waved her off, making her way towards the cabinet and retrieving a sachet of her favorite tea and a teapot. “You’re all busy and I am very capable of making my own.”

She felt Harry’s eyes on her, surely confused about the relationship she had with her staff, as she skillfully navigated around the kitchen. She knew she looked out of place wearing her formal dress, a jeweled belt even wrapped around the empire waistline, as she moved about with the women in aprons covered in flour. But she felt comfortable here, like she was experiencing a loving hug from an old and less stressful life she once lived.

Soon she was holding a silver tray with an ornately decorated tea set delicately placed upon it, Harry trailing behind her while she carried it back to her library without spilling a drop. He continued to watch her with an inquisitive eye as she expertly crafted teas for both of them, although she knew his chill had long left his bones, before she settled onto her pink couch, Harry sitting in a matching armchair across from her.

“The way you are looking at me makes me think I owe you an explanation,” she smirked over her tea cup as she brought it to her lips.

“Ma’am,” he began, but corrected himself to “Y/N,” after she shot him a playful yet disapproving look. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Fine then. I’m just going to talk to myself and if you happen to hear details about my life that might help you understand me and this house a bit more, then so be it.” She spoke calmly, with a regality that she had spent years perfecting.

Harry’s lips perked up with a closed lipped smile that seemed to say ‘you got me’ and an attentive gaze, signalling her to go on.

“I think it is probably quite obvious at this point that I did not grow up in wealth like this,” she started, ready to explain herself to the man across from her for some reason she couldn’t pinpoint. “I’m friendly with the staff because I was one for most of my life. I was a servant girl growing up, very much like Grace. My family did not have much other than too many children and I left home to start work in estates like this one when I was 11.”

He watched quietly from his seat, not giving her much of a reaction at all.

“I met William when I was 17, when I started working for his aunt in her home. He tried to propose, for the first time, after I knew him for three weeks, but his mother said no because I wasn't born into the nobility. And honestly, I was relieved because I did not like him one bit.”

Harry let out a small chuckle at her words that quickly and involuntarily brought a grin to her face.

“His mother died two years later and he proposed again, no longer needing her blessing as he then became the head of their family. He offered me the world if I were to accept. He told me that we would travel and see the sights and that he would support my dream of becoming a writer. But most of all, he promised to take care of my family financially.” She took a long sip of her tea and swallowed hard before finishing the most painful part of her story. “So I accepted, but he never followed through on any of his promises.”

“William isn’t a bad man,” she continued, “although he isn’t a particularly good one either. He likes control of his house and his wife. It is I that made a naive promise to him and I have spent every day of the last three years paying for it.”

She watched as Harry’s exterior softened slowly as she spoke with radical honesty, looking like he wasn’t sure what to say that could comfort her. While she retold the story in a calm, cool, and collected manner, she hoped she was able to fully conceal her true hurt that attempted to fight it’s way to her face.

“Well,” she said with a cheerful new tone to her voice, brushing off her somber and self-pitying mood, “now that I have spoken about myself and you may have heard some of it, would you like some more tea?”

He raised his eyebrows inquisitively at her sudden change in tone, but decided not to push it any further. “I would,” he nodded. She felt his eyes on her as she stood up and made her way back to the tea pot, wishing she could read his mind. When she returned, she poured his tea carefully and went to set the pot back down, but she was stopped when his hand grasped onto hers.

His skin was now warm, hot even, from his tea cup; but the same shocks still remained when he touched her. She couldn’t help but notice how well her hand fit in his. Her eyes first found where he held her, both of his hands cradling one of her’s gently, then they flickered to his face. Emerald green eyes bored into her own, that surely held an element of shock in them at their contact. His face was soft and sympathetic as he looked up at her from his seat. “Y/N,” he sighed, goosebumps forming over her arms as she felt his warm breath float over her skin. “I’m sorry.”

Before she could answer, she heard the familiar roll of the wheels of her husband’s carriage begin to crunch on the gravel outside the window. Her eyes shot towards the sound coming from the circular driveway and she regretfully peeled her hand away from his own, immediately missing his warmth.

“You have to go,” she instructed softly. “Head out the door to your left, make a right at the end of the hallway, and then head down the second staircase. There’s a door that leads out to the back garden on the left.” Her directions were detailed and concise, like she had used the escape route herself many times.

Harry quickly scurried out of the chair and towards the door she was now holding open for him, but before he made his departure he turned back to look at her one more time. “Thank you for the tea, Y/N,” he said, previous panic traded for sincerity on his face.

“You’re welcome, Harry. I quite enjoy your company,” she confessed. “We will have to do this again.”

He smiled softly before turning on the ball of his foot and taking off down the hallway. As he rounded the corner and disappeared, she heard the front door open and William’s lumbering footsteps clomp onto the shiny marble tile of the foyer. Her eyes flickered back towards the two tea cups that sat on the small table in the library, knowing if William came to find her, he would inquire about who she had tea with. Gritting her teeth and letting out a sigh, she made her way to the front door to greet him.  But not before she closed the library door tight behind her and made a mental note to ask Mary to retrieve the cups.

“Hello my dearest,” she breathed through her perfectly rehearsed smile. “How was your visit with Gregory today?”

“Fine,” he dismissed, leaning in to kiss her cheek and scratching her skin with the stubbly mustache he was desperately trying to grow for some reason. “What’s for dinner?”

“I can go ask Mrs. Jefferson if you would like,” she offered, always feeling odd when she referred to Mary by her last name. He didn’t answer her with words, just a negative grunt that she assumed was denying her attempt at escape.

“Is that a new corset?” he asked abruptly and she watched in disgusted horror as his eyes settled in on her chest. She knew that she was just a warm body to him most of the time, but his grotesque excuses for manners always shocked her.

She pressed her lips together into a hard line, holding back every awful thing she could think of that she wanted to spit in her husband’s direction. Instead, she just sighed and gave him a kurt “yes.”

“Alright,” he grumbled. “They looked bigger. I thought you might finally be pregnant.”

Just the thought of being pregnant with William’s child made her want to refund her lunch onto his riding boots. She could only imagine what a child consisting half of him would look like. She hoped it wouldn’t inherit his bulbous nose, or his beady eyes, or his sparse black hair that seemed to be perpetually greasy.

She prayed every day that the rank smelling tea Mary gave her to drink every morning was enough to stave off a pregnancy forever. It came from a healer woman a few counties over, that some insisted was a witch, but the tea had kept her from falling pregnant so far and she had no plans of stopping her morning routine anytime soon. She didn’t care if the woman was Satan himself, as long as she never began to swell with whatever creature William routinely attempted to put inside her.

“No.” She tried to sound regretful. “I started my cycle this morning.”

“Too bad,” he said, eyes still staring down the front of her dress. “We will just have to keep trying.”

He eventually stopped oggoling her, starting down the hallway and leaving her in the foyer without another word. She let out the sigh of relief that she always did when he left her, releasing the tightly wound ball of stress inside of her that tightened whenever he was near, but she felt it return to her when she sat down at the long dining room table for dinner later that day.

She sipped her wine carefully, watching her husband scarf down his meal at the other head of the table, thankful for the long wooden surface that kept her far from him. But for the first time in forever, her husband and his revolting habits were not at the forefront of her mind.

Her thoughts were occupied almost exclusively by Harry. Surely it was because he was new, like when a little girl receives a new doll and it becomes the center of her universe until the novelty wears off. She also realized she knew almost nothing about him, cursing herself for overrunning their conversation with her own story before they were rudely interrupted. But the small fragments she did know about him, like his love of nature, the care he took for his mother and sister, and his general kindness and care for those around him, had begun to take root in her brain and she just couldn’t shake him.

“What are you thinking about?” William seemed to shout across the table, pulling her from her dreamland.

“I was trying to decide what china pattern we should use for this year’s spring gala,” she lied seamlessly.

“There will be no spring gala this year,” he said with a mouth full of food. “I’ll be in France on business.”

The spring gala was the highlight of her dismal life and she couldn’t help but feel like she had just been punched in the gut by the news. It was a celebration on the spring solstice that the Taylor family had been holding for the last century and was the most lavish and exciting event of the year. There was endless food and drink among lively music and beautiful opulent gowns, but most of all, there were people. This party was a priceless connection to the outside world and to have it ripped away like this was heartbreaking.

“But I’ve already had a dress made,” she weakly argued, picturing the light blue satin ball gown overlaid with a delicate white floral lace.

“You can wear it next year. I have to go to France for six weeks.”

“What is in France that is so important?”

William let out a frustrated huff and looked up from his plate for the first time to shoot her a threatening glare. He was not used to this sort of push back from the usually docile woman, even if her passivity was a meticulously rehearsed act. “A lady should not concern herself with her husband’s business.”

Knowing not to push the conversation, she kept her mouth shut but shot him angry daggers for the duration of the meal. She barely touched her food, but she continued to drain and refill her wine glass.

He pushed himself away from the table after his plate was all but licked clean, looking over at her crossed arms and slumped drunk body in the chair at the other end of the room. “I know you enjoy the gala,” he spoke as gentle as his brooding voice could. “But we will not be discussing this manner any further.”

“Fine,” she said curtly. When he turned to leave the room, she childishly stuck her purple tongue out behind him. She listened to the small bursts of air Grace released next to her, stifling laughter. She grinned lazily at the young girl clearing his plate. “What a pompous knob,” she muttered as she pushed herself away from the table and exited the grand dining room through the opposite exit William had taken. She heard Siobhan’s delicate footsteps following behind as she marched towards her bedroom, the thoughtful woman knowing she wouldn’t be able to undo her tightly laced corset with her currently clumsy fingers.

Siobhan held her hand and securely guided her up one of the many massive staircases that inhabited the mansion, saving her when she tripped on the fabric of her dress. Y/N was thankful for her support, but couldn’t stop thinking about how her contact with Harry felt earlier in the day felt so different. She had originally attributed the electric feeling to the cold, and then considered it a result of not being touched by another person in so long. But Siobhan’s hand did not hold the same sparks.

She stood facing the mirror in her bedroom and stared at herself as Siobhan carefully removed the layers upon layers of her clothing. Her fingers skillfully released the corset from her body and Y/N took in what felt like the first real breath she had taken all day, leaving her in the bright white shift dress that was the first layer she put on every morning.

“Siobhan,” she spoke softly as if she didn’t want to disturb the silence, “do you believe in true love?”

She was quiet for a moment before she answered. “I think I do.”

“Do you think everyone gets to have it?”

“I think everyone has chances, but not everyone actually gets it.”

“Do you think a life with William is a life worth living?” 

Y/N’s own question startled herself, her lips letting the words materialize and fall from them without her consent. Her eyes fell towards the floor, unwilling to make eye contact with the other woman in the mirror after the jarring question.

“Y/N, you have had a tad too much wine tonight to be asking big questions like that.”

“I know.” Her voice was just above a whisper and laced with shame. “Will you get me my nightgown? I want to go down to the library and read before bed.” Siobhan nodded behind her, slipping the lilac fabric and wrapping a cream colored night robe around her, before helping her back down the stairs and into her library.

She ripped a dark red leather bound book off the shelf, not particularly caring what it was called or what it was about, plopping herself down on the ground next to the warm fireplace. She just needed to be somewhere else, transported far away from the nightmare that had become her life.

It took three pages before tears began to prick at the back of her eyes. This book wasn’t a tale of pirates, or war, or mythology; it was a romance, one she had read before. It told of a soldier returning home from war to rescue his one true love from a domineering stepmother, sweeping her off her feet and escaping to start a new life together. She remembered that they lived happily ever after at the end.

She couldn’t help the jealousy and sadness that boiled within her, mourning for a love and a life she would never get to have. She would be trapped within the giant fortress that had been designed to keep enemies out, but had ended up keeping her shut inside with her own nemesis. She grieved for a life she would never be able to experience.

A gentle knock on the door interrupted her wallowing. She didn’t recognize it. Mary knocked loudly, but only once, and William always knocked three times, with Grace and Siobhan usually knocking softly twice.  

She unwillingly dragged her still wobbly limbs off the ground and made her way towards the door. When she opened it, she was met with the bright green eyes that had been stuck in her head all day.

“Harry,” she greeted with a weak smile, trying her best to wipe all her tears off of her hot and angry cheeks. “What are you doing here?”

“I was hoping to borrow a book from your collection, but I can come back later,” he said hurriedly, eyebrows knitting together as he took in her tears.

“No, come in,” she said, sniffling and stepping aside so he could enter.

“Y/N,” he said with concern in his voice, his gaze narrowing in on her like the books no longer existed, abandoning his original goal of the visit. “Are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him, not sure if she was telling the truth or not. She held her robe close to her body, trying to hide herself from embarrassment, refusing to make eye contact with him and directing her attention towards the walls. “Uh-,” she stumbled over her words, “what kind of book were you looking for?”

He got the hint to stop his line of questioning about her emotional state, turning his body to face the walls as well. “I was going to ask you for recommendations.”

Her heart swelled with his words. No one had asked her about her opinions on anything other than drapes or china patterns in years. In this house, she was meant to be a proper lady, and proper ladies weren’t allowed to have brains with real thoughts or opinions.

“I have a few,” she cleared her throat. “I keep my favorites on this shelf,” she said, directing him to follow her. The shelf was at eye level for her and when she went to stand in front of it, she felt Harry hovering over her shoulder, his warm breath falling over the skin on the back of her neck. He was too close, far too close for ‘proper society,’ and too close for a married woman to be to a single man. But she couldn’t bring herself to ask him to move back because all she wanted in the world was for him to move even closer.

“These are adventure stories,” she stammered and pointed to a few, thrown off by his proximity, “and these are mysteries.” He hummed in her ear as she spoke. “And these,” she spoke softly and pointing towards the largest section of books, “are romance.”

She stepped aside so he could examine the spines of the novels, watching closely as he recited their names under his breath, perfect pink lips moving smoothly as he spoke quietly. She couldn’t take her eyes off of them. She jumped when he moved to grab a book off the shelf, breaking the trance she had fallen into as she took in his incandescent glow.

“I think I’ll take this one,” he said just above a whisper when he turned back to face her, his face hovering only inches above hers. Their faces were so close, one move and their lips would connect, indulging herself in her wildest fantasies since she had met this man only days ago. He brought the book up beside their faces and she quickly stole a glance.

Pride and Prejudice, was embossed in gold on the dark purple cover. It was new, but had quickly become her favorite romance of all time.

Her eyes connected with his once again, taking in the mischievous glint they held and the boyish smirk that had found its way onto his lips. His smile was contagious, her previous angry tears swapped for a small grin of her own. “Who doesn’t love a romance?” he asked her, smirk turning into a dimpled grin.

She wanted to reach out and grab him by the lapels of his jacket when he stepped back from her and pull his face to meet her own. She wanted to tell him not to go, to lock the door, and take her on the couch. She wanted to ask him to take her far away from this fortress and never return again. But she didn’t. She just let him walk to the door, a new book tucked under his arm.

“Before I go,” he said abruptly, turning around once again to face her. “I have a question.”

“I have an answer,” she quipped, earning a laugh from the man that sounded like the most beautiful symphony she could have ever imagined.

“There’s ivy crawling up the house on the east wall. Would you like me to take it down?”

His words reminded her that he wasn’t some gallant rescuer coming to save her from a loveless marriage and bring her to a better life. No, he was the groundskeeper of her husband’s estate. Her heart sank slightly, but she was glad to be back in reality.

“Let it grow,” she instructed softly. “Let’s see where it goes.”

Chapter Two

Reblogs and feedback mean the world!!

[moonchildsaurora]

Darling, Dance for Me?

✤ sniper!San x female exotic dancer!reader ✤ genre: Mafia AU // 30% fluff, 60% spice, 10% platonic flirting with Woo  ✤ t/w: mentions of guns/shooting, mentions of alcohol, mature clubbing themes, highly suggestive in the second half (but not smut), rated M  ✤ count: 2k+

a/n - this was suppose to be for Valentine’s Day but, oh well! Enjoy some spice with one pink haired Sannie, coz we all know even though he looks soft. . . .he’s just a devil in disguise. This is probs my most suggestive writing till date as well, it was fun and am looking forward to writing more spice in the future hehet 💙

✛ play these vibes: BOBBY - ‘DeViL’, Sunmi - ‘Black Pearl’, Kai - ‘Mmmh’ ✛

“Mother told me, never to dance with the devil, So I danced for him instead.”

Cherry rouge.

Not your usual go-to, but a special occasion calls for some special exceptions. And damn did you look like fine wine tonight. Giving your styled curls another spritz of hair spray, you took one last inspection in your vanity mirror.  

Work was throwing a Valentine’s event and thus you found yourself having to dig through the back of your wardrobe to find a suitable outfit for tonight. Bold burgundy lace hugged tightly around your body replacing the mellower neutral tones you’d wear on any other night. Your roommate had even shoved a pair of thigh highs and heels on you to match the garter.

And cherry lips to bring the whole look together.

“You’ll thank me later! Hell everyone in the club would, for presenting god’s gift to them!”

You had laughed at her supportive enthusiasm, waving her away with embarrassment though you greatly appreciated the pre-shift hype.

When you headed for the kitchen, you could hear the TV in the lounge and glanced to see your roommate watching the evening news. She turned to call out for you but stopped mid-way upon realising you were already out of your room.

“Damn girl…you’ll sure be breaking hearts tonight with that fit!!” she yelled-gasped, brows waggling for a cheeky added effect.

“Well that’s no good. Dancers are supposed to be Cupids of the night, maybe they should’ve given me Aphrodite instead.”

A smile tugged on your lips as you saw your roommate falling back on the sofa snickering. Grabbing the bottle of Ten to One from what you both named ‘The Life Juice’ shelf, you started to fill your rose gold hip flask with the white rum. The debonair bartender at the club would usually be more than happy to concoct you a cup of much-needed poison to get you through the night. However, on such a busy event, you might not even have time to swing by the bar – so plan B was in order.

Also, whoever thought to invent garter pouches was a genius in your eyes. The amount of times you had snuck in a sip or two up on the podium without missing a beat or being noticed had to be one of your greatest feat till date.

Except maybe for the one who bought said pouch and flask for you. Seeing the shadow of their pleased smirk whenever you donned on something from them never failed to coax the goosebumps across your skin. Perhaps that garnet embellished choker would be the icing on the cake then. You made a mental note to put that on before you headed out.

“Hey honey…”

The tone of your roommate turned a little more serious.

“On the news just then, another one of those random sniper attacks happened along Soleil Street. Shit, that’s only two streets away from the club.”

The city has gotten used to such news every now and then. All leads of the serial sniper always went cold, not that they left behind any substantial traces for the authorities to begin with.

The law wasn’t the only ruling force in the area. Everyone knew that.

So long as one didn’t attract the wrong attention, they’d be free to go about their business.

“I’m dropping you off, are you ready to go?”

“Wait! It’s alright, I don’t want to trouble you.”

Your roommate gave you a look before swiping her car keys from the counter. “What would trouble me is not knowing whether you’ve made it to work and back safely. Now c’mon, the night is awaiting that cute booty of yours!”

“Yes mum.”

How lucky were you to have an angel for a roommate?

“Give me a heads up if you intend to bring anyone home tonight yeah? I’ll be sure to vacate the apartment before any sinning begins here.”

Or not.

A euphoric buzz filled every corner of the club tonight. Whether it was due to the special occasion or not, everyone was getting drunk off the atmosphere. The bar was a never-ending fountain of liquid luck and smoke veiled corners of the venue where patrons dealt cards and wits. A sea of bodies dominated the dancefloor, curling around one another in ecstasy as the thumping bass set the rhythm for them.

The centre podium was where the real magic unfurled.

Up on there, you felt powerful. Up on there, was your domain to rule.

Long have you enticed all those who returned back to ‘The Blue Butterfly’. So close, yet so far, for most could only have the visual satisfaction. Of watching you, along with your fellow dancers weave around golden poles and offer hands to those who sat in plush velvet chairs closest to the podium. Only to sashay away the last minute.

How bees are drawn to nectar and moths to light, the people keep coming back.

Tonight the club was decked out in a more sensual feel to fit the Valentine’s vibe. Long drapes of rose silk hung around the podium and you used those to accentuate the flow and movement of your body curves. The silks caressed the bare skin not hidden underneath your outfit and you pretended to take shy peeks around the fabrics at the audience. Sending a lucky wink or flying kiss their way.

In the middle of a mid-air twirl, you saw a familiar figure heading towards your side of the podium. You slowly lowered yourself back down to the floor, using your legs to wrap around the silks as leverage. Not missing the opportunity to be playful – you mimed shooting an arrow towards the club’s top croupier.

Wooyoung instantly clutched his heart with his hand that wasn’t occupied with holding one of Mingi’s own cocktail infusion. Letting out a hearty giggle, you slid over the podium floors to the edge where Wooyoung had propped himself up on.

“Don’t you look simply irresistible?” he crooned at you.

You could’ve said the exact same for him. All fitted to a tee in Givenchy with a classic choker that demanded attention for prominent collarbones.

“Now, how may I be of service to you tonight handsome?” you spoke over the music.

The youthful charmer leaned in towards you, shaking dark wavy strands out of his eyes. Eyeing his cotton candy pink drink, you ducked your head and took a few sips from the straw before Wooyoung drew it away. It tasted vaguely like pink lemonade with hints of vodka and vanilla.

“Ah ah, this isn’t for you poppet. Besides…” he tipped your chin back up with two fingers, “…wouldn’t want to waste your appetite before your main course tonight, would we?”

That made you perk right up.

“V.I.P Room Aurora has kindly requested for you. Drinks have already been sent up and the room’s been booked for the whole night.”

Not that booking was really needed since it was your room. It was just for formality.  

Wooyoung helped you off the podium and smoothly guided you through the crowd, placing you in front of him so as to avoid being grabbed by uninvited hands from behind. You both stopped at the foot of the polished glass stairs that led up to the V.I.P guest rooms.

“Off you go now! Oh and try not to make too much of a mess for our cleaners, they really ought to get a pay rise from some of the things they’ve witnessed in those rooms.”

You would’ve kicked Wooyoung for his brazen tongue, but you did well to remind yourself that would be rather impudent on your part. Whilst you have a jovial bond with him, it still doesn’t erase his high-standing status within the inner circle. You knew better than to cross that line of respect.

“Won’t make any promises I can’t keep, Jung!”

You left him with a soft pat on his cheek and ascended towards your utopia that awaited.

Swinging the golden embossed doors open, sultry melodious tune of a saxophone greeted you. Like molten dark chocolate, it was rich and tantalizing. The crystalline blue hue of the room’s lighting was fitting for the slow jazzy blues.

A spacious circular sofa curved around a glass table in the centre, providing a perfect view of the bejewelled podium. The wide one-way windows were especially designed for privacy. You could spectate over almost the whole club below, something you quite enjoyed during your breaks. The countless types of people that you observed stepping into your world; from the timid newcomers to the seasoned hedonists and the stories they brought with them of their journey to ‘The Blue Butterfly’.

But there was no time for that tonight. Not when you see broad sculptured shoulders that your hands have meticulously memorised the planes of – right in front of you.  

Still clad in his all-black incognito leather fit, you couldn’t help but stay by the door to appreciate his form. A huge bouquet of ivory and deep red roses sat on the glass table with an open box of what you suspected were chocolates inside. A loud pop of the champagne bottle went off. You bit your lips when you saw his toned arms flex as he gripped the bottle in one hand and tipped a stream of golden bubbles into two flute glasses in the other.

As the music picked up, you decided it was time to make your presence known. Walking with confident steps over the velveteen carpet you went to wrap your arms around his cinched waist. Resting your cheek on the cool leather vest of his back, you took his scent in.

Smoke and city musk lingered around.

You figured he must’ve come straight from his assignment. What better reason to use than to spoil him extra as post-work relaxation? His hand came up to wrap around yours and you felt the dancing of lips leaving petal kisses across your knuckles.

“You stink…” you mumbled lightly against his back.

San let out a low chuckle before setting the champagne bottle down and turning around to snake both arms around you. Calloused hands from the years of gripping guns instead of supple flesh imprinted their warm touch into your skin.

“Oh? Then I’m sure you won’t mind helping me freshen up, right Princess?”

“San!” you squealed when you felt him deliberately rub sweat against your neck before attacking it with more love bites.

“You taste like sweet temptation.”

You arched your neck out of habit when you felt his tongue swipe across it. Teeth bit down lightly around the garnet choker San bought for you for Christmas.

When you felt hands travelling down west towards your garter, you gave San a light shove backwards to the sofa.

“Not so fast, Choi.”

His predatory feline eyes took its time to rake down your body, committing every inch to memory. You made a show of bending over to grab the two champagne flutes off the table, the sharp intake of breath behind you made you preen with pride. You took your seat on your throne, not at all surprised to feel how much pent-up tension San had through the tight leather.

Clink. A toast made for the love of two.

“Happy Valentine’s, darling.”

“Thank you, San. You sure know how to spoil a lady don’t you?”

“Only the one who’s sniped right through my heart.”

Oh the irony.

You smiled when he pulled you close and claimed a proper kiss, whispering a, “You sap,” against his wind-chapped lips. Tasting the fruit acidity from the golden bubbles as you both exchanged kitten licks.

San’s rouge-stained lips chased after yours when you broke off from the kiss to place your champagne flute back down on the table. Hands anchoring your hips in place as you reached to pluck a couverture chocolate-covered strawberry from the box. Turning back round to San, your lips formed a small pout noticing that his freshly dyed hair was still hidden underneath his cap.

He let you discard it behind the sofa and you could’ve sworn he purred with satisfaction when you ran your hands through his cotton candy pink strands. Hands gave your bottom a firm squeeze and San begun to run his fingers along the hem of your lace. The husky vocals from the record player drifted back, interlacing with the saxophone.

That was your cue.

“Eyes on me.”

You held San’s gaze, fire reflecting fire. The strawberry gets slipped past the seams of his lips and all the while San chews intently, his eyes never wavered. He’s got his precious pearl all to himself, just the way he loves it. And you have the city’s most lethal hitman watching your back from dawn to dusk. San was the dangerous game you played, only to win the safest love.    

“Darling, won’t you please dance for me?”

“With pleasure, Sir.”

[chickwiththepurpleguitar]

ok bobby & anyone clothes sharing. please. I will cry.

I had FUN WITH THIS, my friend!!! Enjoy :) featuring Evan the acquaintance from molars lol. Also Alex’s grocery store joke is a reference to @julies-butterflies tags on this post. Also, don’t ask me when or in what universe this takes place, or where Luke and Bobby are in their relationship cause I couldn’t tell you lol. 

--

It’s actually really annoying, because Bobby has objectively terrible taste in clothes.

And, okay, okay, Luke knows he’s one to talk, with his rotating slew of cutoffs and the same chains he wears on his pants every day and the sleeveless hoodie that literally made Alex cry the first time he saw Luke wearing it.

But Bobby—Bobby wears stripes. And suspenders. And leather, but like, not in any of the cool places. Bobby’s clothes are dumb. Luke hates Bobby’s clothes.

Or, at least, that’s what Luke has to tell himself to explain the sour burning that erupts in his chest when Reggie comes into the studio wearing a pair of Bobby’s suspenders.

“What are you wearing?” Luke demands, angrily putting his guitar aside. His voice comes out a little too loud, and angrier than he meant it to. Alex gives him a little side-eyed glance from behind his drums.

If Reggie notices, he doesn’t show it, just looks down at himself. “Uh… my black ripped jeans and my gray shirt and my—” 

“The suspenders, Reginald,” Luke growls through gritted teeth. “What’s with the suspenders?”

“Oh!” Reggie stretches them with his thumbs, grinning. “They’re Bobby’s!”

“His pants were falling down,” Bobby says, coming through the door behind him. “Dumbass refuses to wear a belt, but I refuse to be mooned in the middle of a bass solo. Now, are we rehearsing or what?”

Luke spends the whole rehearsal glaring at the floor so that he won’t glare at either Bobby or Reggie, cause it’s not their faults, it’s just those dumb suspenders!

Though he’s not really sure what about them exactly makes him so mad. 

A week and a half later, Luke’s almost managed to forget about the suspenders incident entirely (and Reggie’s started wearing a belt to rehearsal). They’re gathered in the studio, watching Alex try on every piece of clothing he owns because some kid at school asked him to study with him and Alex doesn’t know what to wear.

“I don’t even know if it’s a date,” Alex shouts from the bathroom. “What do you wear on a maybe but probably not a date?”

Luke rolls his eyes. They’ve been at this for an hour. Luke didn’t even know Alex owned this many clothes. Next to him on the couch, Bobby has Luke’s bike wheels-up on his lap, and he’s fiddling with the chain with some kind of pliers. On the other side of him, Reggie’s got his headphones in, bopping along to some terrible country tape on Bobby’s Walkman. So they’re no help.

Luke sighs, rolls his eyes again, and calls out, “Come on, Alex, just pick something! He’s not gonna care!”

“And what if it is a date?” Alex continues, ignoring Luke completely. “I don’t know what to wear on a date. I’ve never even been on a date!”

“Hey!” Luke squawks, offended.

Alex, shirtless, sticks his head out the bathroom door to give him a Look. “Luke, your idea of a date was taking me to the snack aisle of Ralph’s.”

“They’ve got the best fruit snacks, what do you want me to tell you?”

“You wouldn’t let me buy any.”

“Those things are expensive! I don’t have that kinda money!”

“Oh my god, you guys, shut up.” Bobby places Luke’s bike on the floor and gets to his feet, pointing his pliers at Alex. “I’ve got just the thing.”

Twenty minutes later, Alex emerges from the bathroom in his nicest pants, a pale yellow t-shirt, and Bobby’s black leather vest.

Luke’s jaw drops. His stomach coils. Reggie takes his headphones out to compliment Alex’s new look, and Alex is grinning shyly, and Bobby’s smirking proudly, but Luke just slumps back into the couch cushions and crosses his arms and pouts and mutters, “Well, now he’s just gonna think you look stupid.”

But no one listens to him.

“Why do you get so upset when other people wear Bobby’s clothes?” Alex asks him the next night after he returns from his successful study (but definitely not a) date.

Luke stammers unintelligibly for a few moments, eventually spits out, “I get upset when Bobby wears Bobby’s clothes. They’re dumb clothes!”

He doesn’t think Alex believes him, but he also doesn’t push it.

But then, three days after that, this kid Evan in Bobby’s English class stops by the garage after school and says, “Hey, man, you said I could—” and Bobby immediately goes, “Oh, yeah, here,” and hands the guy a bracelet right off his own wrist!

Behind them, guitar in hand, ready to rehearse, Luke fumes so much he can’t help but shout, “Oh, come on!”

That night, he climbs through Bobby’s window without waiting to be invited and says, “How come you give everyone your clothes but me?”

Bobby stares at him a moment, blinks, says, “You’re such a dumbass,” and goes over to his dresser. He pulls it open to reveal an entire drawer filled with t-shirts, beanies, and other items of clothing—Luke’s clothing. “I don’t bother giving you my clothes cause you’re always giving me yours! I thought that’s what you wanted, dude!”

“Oh.” Luke frowns. He doesn’t even remember giving Bobby half this stuff. “Well. The least you could do is wear them sometime.”

The next day, Bobby enters the studio in a sleeveless Weezer shirt and tosses a Soundgarden hoodie into Luke’s lap. Luke burrows into it like an eager puppy, not caring that it has sleeves because it’s warm and soft and smells faintly of Bobby’s cologne.

He spends the whole rehearsal grinning and staring at Bobby’s muscular arms, and Alex and Reggie roll their eyes and exchange amused looks over Luke’s head, but Luke’s much too happy to care.

And maybe Bobby’s clothes aren’t so bad. 

--

Taglist: @whenweremarried @sunsethimb0s @pink-flame @penguin0613 @fighttoshine @sunsetcurvecuddles @nickalicious @reggiescrookedteeth @brightattheorpheum @queenmolina @spidergirl0325 @jandthephantoms @lexilucacia @sapphossidechick @acnhaddict @cest-la-vie-de-la-lee @sunset-bobby @lenacarstairspotterstewart @moreflowersthanweeds @conversationaltreestump @burntchromas @shellydominique 

[myheelsdontmatchmysweatpants]

This is my first collab fic and I could not be more excited! I'm so thankful that I can be part of the group!

The AU for this month was Sex Work. The Masterlist for this collab can be found here. Please take some time to check out everyone's contributions! There are other fics and amazing art!

That being said here is my fic, big BIG shout out to @doinmybesthere for being an amazing beta reader and sweet angel bb. ily Emme!

Please please please read the warnings. They are there for a reason!

Warnings: consensual noncon, mentions of being burnt, stabbing and blood; no prep penetration, disrespectful use of the word "whore", blackmail, psychological abuse?, Mineta (nuff said) he gets what's comin to him

You’re in the doctor’s office getting a regular checkup when you overhear the nurses in the station next to you talking.

“Look! They posted the new hero rankings today.”

“I forgot those were today, too bad they can’t have the conference during the pandemic. I miss seeing Deku all cute and blushing.”

“FUCK” In your brief moment of panic you forgot where you were. You cringe and look at the nurses, trying your best not to look like you were gonna be sick. “Sorry ladies, didn’t mean to yell.” No point in offering an explanation. You wouldn’t be able to tell them anything anyway.

As you very impatiently wait for your blood results to come back you check the tacky red cell phone you have to keep with you at all times. You had put it on silent since you were in the doctor’s office and you were glad you did. Taking a quick look at your screen had your stomach dropping into your ass.

M.M: Gonna move my appointment up to today.

M.M: You better get ready. I’m not happy.

M.M: I’m sure you saw the postings. Number 36.

M.M: I made sure to pay for any accidents in advance.

M.M: I’ll see you tonight.

Why does he have to be so fucking horrible? Accidents my ass.

The messages make your skin crawl, you should have figured the hero rankings would piss him off but honestly you never paid enough attention. With a heavy sigh you opened up your web browser and pull up the list.

“Number 36...number 36…. Number 36…” When you finally reached the hero you were looking for, you let out a sigh.

Hero Ranking Number 36: The Rainy Season Hero Froppy

Well at least you had her outfit already, for some reason she was one your client asked for a lot. Not that you wanted to ask him why, not with the way his black eyes looked whenever he saw you dressed up like her.

I don’t know if I should feel glad that he isn’t actually taking this out on her. Or upset that I’ve had to deal with this for months.

“L/N, Y/N?” The doctor walks up holding their clipboard and closing the privacy screen. Your file almost too much for the metal clip at the top. “Your test results came back negative and your burns seem to have healed very well. I would tell you that any strenuous activity should be avoided but we both know you can’t do that.”

Their poor attempt at humor had your stomach rolling. “Haha anyways Doc, I think I’m gonna need another medkit to take home today. I can schedule my next appointment online, right?”

You can’t handle the thinly veiled pity in their eyes and look down, reaching over to your side to grab your purse. You hear them moving around and a dark blue plastic box is put on your lap.

“If I remember correctly this is your favorite color, right? You are able schedule an appointment online but if you would like I can schedule it for you. How about in two days? Afternoon work for you?”

You look up after clutching the kit to your chest, you know they are just trying to be nice. All of the nurses are especially nice to you and as endearing as it might be to some people, to you it just feels dirty.

“Afternoon is perfect, thanks Doc.” You get up and walk towards the privacy screen. Before leaving you stop for a moment “Blue ismy favorite color.”

As you make your way back to your living quarters you scroll through the internet looking at every picture of the Pro-Hero Froppy you can find. Your quirk can project a person’s desires onto your body by reading them in their eyes. It’s easier when the person has a clear view of what or who they want. However, your client’s desires are such a jumbled mess that it’s easier if you know what it is beforehand.

Hopefully, I can act like her enough that I don’t have to look at his desires this time. I can’t stand how disgusting they make me feel.

You pass by a few familiar faces on your way back to your rooms but don’t pay them any mind. They in turn leave you alone, most of them knowing that when you have that look on your face you were in a mood.When you first were offered a position at the brothel you thought it would be easy money. You had been stripping for several years, known for how you looked different to everyone who saw your dancing. The beautiful, enchanting, flexible Erised. You had built up your quirks ability to be able to project almost a full clubs worth of desires. Sure, it caused extreme fatigue and chronic migraines but the money you raked in was well worth it.

A few months ago

After an especially successful night a patron walks up to you after you leave the stage.

“I have a job opportunity for you, courtesy of my employer.” He hands you a card you read “Heroes Consulting Agency” in bold silver letters.

“I’m a stripper hun, not sure I can do the type of consulting you’re looking for.” You go to hand it back, but they put their hand up.

“I’m afraid I must insist, why don’t we treat you to lunch and you can listen to our proposal?”

You put your hand back down and study them. They are dressed in a white button up with a vest, definitely out of place in a strip club. You would look in their eyes, but they didn’t really have any, their whole body seemed to be made of dark smoke. You don’t work in the nicest of places so someone with their kind of full body quirk isn’t unusual.

“Alright, I give. I’m not really one to pass up free food.” The rational side of your brain is telling you that you have more than enough money to buy your own food but the stingy part telling you to take it while you can is a little louder.

“Excellent choice Miss Erised. Someone will meet you at the address on that card tomorrow at around 5pm? Should give you enough time to recover from the side effects of your quirk.” They give a slight bow and walk off towards the exit, a large something getting up from a seat and following closely behind.

Sam, one of the waitresses walks up to you with a tray filled with drinks. Her normally short stature elevated with high heeled leather boots. “Did you know that person Y/N?”

Oh man, I do not have the energy for this.

You turn to her and survey the tray before grabbing something that looked like a fruity cocktail. “No, but they offered me a job. Gonna go have lunch with them tomorrow.” Sipping from the glass you tuck the card into your bra, making sure to not show it to the girl.

“That’s weird, don’t they know you’re a stripper? What is someone dressed that nicely want to hire you for? Also did that person look familiar to you or is that just me?” Any normal person wouldn’t be able to keep up with her unending questions, but you had known her for years. The tray in her hands tips dangerously to the left but she balances it out without a second thought.

Guess she does have to be quick on her toes to be a waitress at a strip club.

“They were here for my dance so yes they do know, either way I’m getting free food so…”

She huffs, aware of your attitude for anything “free”.

You finish the drink and place the empty glass back taking a couple bills from your bag and tucking them into her apron.

“Thanks for the drink Sam, but I gotta leave before my headache hits.” You walk off before she can say anything further. You really wanna be nice to her but her endless energy really gets on your nerves sometimes.

By the time you make it to your modest apartment, you can feel the pain starting behind your eyes. You drop your stuff by the door without turning on any lights and walk to the box safe hidden in the kitchen. After you make sure all the money is secure you grab a glass of water and head to the bedroom. The bottle of pain killers already set out on your nightstand. You should really take a shower but for now, you strip down, take a few pills, drink the whole glass of water, and lay down. It takes a while for the pills to kick in but once they do you finally fall asleep.

When you finally wake up the next morning your headache is gone, and you have to piss like no one’s business. You grumble as you stretch your tight sore muscles and get up to go to the bathroom. After taking care of business, you get into some light clothes and walk into the kitchen to make some food. Thankfully, you had some leftover rice and spam in the fridge, so you pop that in the microwave. You put the kettle on for some green tea and down another glass of water as it heats up.

Remembering the offer from yesterday and the promise of free food you pad over to your pile of things by the door and grab their card. It’s sleek looking with a plain black background and silver lettering. The address isn’t something you recognize right away so you look it up on your phone.

“What the fuck?” Why is this place in a business park?

You scroll down and check the street view; the building is a high rise surrounded by a mostly empty parking lot. The entrance of the building is blurred, probably to keep the privacy of anyone entering or exiting.

“Well, I guess it’s a nice gig. Better dress the part.” Or maybe you’re gonna get murdered.

“Wow, I really have to stop watching all those true crime shows.” You put the card in your wallet and head back to the kitchen. The microwave beeps and the kettle whistles shortly after. When you’re done eating you put the dishes in the sink to soak and head to the bathroom to finally take a shower.

By the time you have finished showering the whole bathroom is filled with steam and your body has a pink flush to it. You open the door to air it out and finish cleaning up for the day. Your outfit consists of your nicest jeans with ankle boots, a long sleeve blouse and a dark cardigan. You grab one of your smaller over the shoulder purses and leave your apartment.

One of the things you allowed yourself to really splurge on was a car. Public transportation was not as reliable as it could be and with your hours not the safest either.

By the time you make it to the building the sun is starting to set, giving the sky beautiful pink to blue coloring. As you park and get out of your car a young woman walks up to you.

“Welcome Miss Erised! Please follow me and I will escort you through the building.” The woman’s blonde hair is in two messy buns, her face childlike. Her voice was high pitched enough to grate on your nerves a bit, but you ignored it.

As you follow the person through the lobby you take a glance around. Looks like a high-end hotel lobby. There is a front desk area with a marble counter top, women that are dressed in matching button ups with their hair up in buns or ponytails. Random potted plants and small trees dot the area, and a nice chandelier hangs in the middle of the ceiling. No one besides the women at the front desk are in the area.

“Doesn’t seem to be busy right now.” You didn’t even really mean for her to hear you, but she did, and you sounded like an asshole.

They turn their head slightly with a knowing smirk. “It would seem that way wouldn’t it?”

Conversation halts while you stand in the elevator which you were thankful for. They had chosen a floor close to the middle of the building, which gave you just enough time to rethink your life choices.

By the time you got to your floor you are tired of the silence. Normally you hate small talk, but you figured you would give it a shot. “Do you like your job?”

The woman turns to you and smiles, here canines peeking out a bit while shrugging her shoulders. “It keeps me busy, plus I get to make so many friends.” The gleam in her eyes flashes menacingly for a quick second, you decide to pretend you didn’t see it.

As you get to the end of the hall, she opens a door and gestures you inside, closing it behind you. There is a nice desk to the left of the door, other than that the room is sparce. The person sitting in the chair has quite an eclectic look about him. Grey hair parted to the side, shrew eyes behind circular wire rimmed glasses, a gold chain peeks out from the slightly open white button up with a purple blazer. He reeks of cigarette smoke the evidence of his habit tossed into the half-filled ash tray on the desk.

“So nice of you to join me Miss Y/N. Why don’t you have a seat, we can talk about your new position.” He gestures to the only other chair a smirk on his face that shows of his missing tooth.

“I haven’t accepted the job yet Giran, and I thought I told you I don’t want to work for you.” You aren’t used to seeing him in this type of place. But you do know him so there is no need to put on a show. You lean back in the chair and cross your arms.

“How rude of me, you won’t be working for me, but I have been given authority to hire for this company.”

You don’t bat an eye; most large companies use outside help for hiring. “What is this position you would like offer me?”

“This company provides heroes with a way to alleviate their… desires in a safe and discrete way.”

“So, you hire prostitutes for heroes to have sex without worrying about anyone telling the press about it.”

“That is correct.”

“I don’t know if your just stupid or if you forgot but I’m a stripper not a hooker.” You sit up in your chair fully ready to leave the room.

“They would provide you with a fully furnished apartment, medical coverage with 24/7 access to their fully trained medical staff. Any cash given to you by your clients you can keep, however they would take a percentage out of the money they initially pay for your services.”

“Let’s say I’m a little interested, how much is the initial pay for my services?” You want to deny the offer, nothing wrong with having sex for money but it isn’t really your thing.

Giran doesn’t answer right away, instead putting out what is left of his cigarette only to pull another one out of his blazer and lighting it up. “The starting hourly rate is $2,500 an hour, they would take 30 percent from that.”

Holy shit, that’s as much as I make in a day and I would be making it an hour? You keep your face neutral but something in your eyes must have tipped him off.

“You would start tomorrow; most clients keep a contract with their favorite employee and we actually have someone lined up for you already. He has extremely specific tastes and you are the perfect person to fill in.”

“I’ll have to talk to the club owner; would it be possible to start later?” You don’t want to seem to eager, especially not in front of him.

“I don’t see that as a problem, they can give you one week but that’s it.”

You stay silent, making it look like you’re thinking about it. After a moment you lean forward in your chair and stick your hand out. “Sounds like a deal to me.”

Giran grabs you hand and gives it a firm shake. “If you ever need help or have any questions call the number on the card. Now I believe you were offered dinner, let me take you to one of my favorite places.”

You let his hand go and rise from the chair. As Giran comes around the desk and walks towards the door, he stops for a moment and turns to you. “Welcome to the team.”

Dinner was actually genuinely nice; the food was good, and you were able to have a comfortable conversation with Giran. Of course, he didn’t tell you anything about himself, but you had no problems with that, you didn’t wanna share anything to personal about yourself either. He dropped you back off at your car after dinner and shook your hand again before driving off.

By the time you got home you had decided what you were gonna tell the club owner and mentally packed your apartment. Not wanting to take all of your things you moved most of it to a secure storage facility. Having had it for a few years already in order to store the overabundance of clothes you owned.

After the week was up you had quit your job and packed all of your belongings. You realize you don’t know where you are supposed to go so you pull out the card and call the number.

“Hello, how can I assist you?”

“Giran never told me where I would be moving my stuff to. Could you give me the address?” You pick at your nails while waiting for him to answer.

“Of course, Miss Erised. Will you be needing any assistance for your move?”

He sounds so polite; I wonder if he is always like this.

“No, I’ll be fine on my own thank you.”

He gives you the address and let you know that you can call if you need any additional information.

“Good luck Miss Erised.”

When you get back to your apartment you immediately go into the shower and wash up, using the tea tree oil that Froppy had said she uses in an interview.

I don’t understand how people can like this stuff, but he gets easier to handle if I smell like those women.

When you are done you towel dry your hair and make sure to lotion your whole body. When your hair is dry enough you straighten it and leave it down. He likes it better when its down.

You go to your closet and rifle through until finding the very skimpy version of Froppys hero costume. All it really has in common with the original is the tan harness and the green with black and yellow stripes. Otherwise, it is a one-piece bikini without a crotch. You grab your black leather over the knee boots and get dressed. After checking the time, you give yourself a moment to mentally prepare.

I hate this, I hate him. Disgusting filthy little bug. A false hero, a plague. I can’t wait to leave this place.

Standing in the middle of your room you close your eyes and take deep breaths, allowing your consciousness to drift. You have found that the best way to endure these sessions is to detach yourself from the situation. Only focusing on the absolute necessary and maintaining the effects of your quirk. Giving yourself another minute to get into character you walk to the door joining your apartment to the “service room”.

Thankfully, he hasn’t shown up yet, you shut the door hearing the lock click into place, the door seamlessly vanishing into the wall. Sitting on the edge of the bed you face the door that Mineta will walk through and wait.

No matter how many times we do this I never lose the feeling of wanting to vomit while bathing in bleach.

When he walks in you see that he is wearing his hero costume, as atrocious as it is. He never really deviated from the original design. You immediately start your performance.

“Mineta? What am I doing here? kero” You clasp your hands together in front of your chest and look around frightfully.

“Hello Tsu, what a pleasant surprise to see you here.” He walks up, taking off his gloves and throwing them to the side.

“I don’t understand, do you know where- “Your sentence is cut off, pain in your cheek sharp and hot.

“I don’t believe I gave you permission to talk Miss thirty sixth hero.” He stands there with his hand still up as you cup your cheek and look up at him, the tears in your eyes real. He pulls his hand back again as if to slap you and you flinch.

“Good girl, now finish taking off my outfit for me.” Mineta walks back a few steps and holds his arms out. Your fingers are clumsy as you take it of piece by piece.

Mineta abruptly grabs a fist full of your hair and yanks your head back. You grab his hand with both of yours trying to ease his grip.

“Do you think if you do it slow enough, I’ll get bored and go away?” He pulls harder. “Huh? You really think you’re gonna get out of this don’t you.” He tosses you towards the bed and you scramble to get back on your feet.

The tears in your eyes have started to spill over and you start babbling. “Please let me go Mineta, I don’t know what I did but please pleasejust forgive me kero. I won’t tell anyone about this just please don’t hurt me kero.”

He doesn’t answer you, just finishes taking off his outfit before he is walking towards you again, a vicious gleam in his beady eyes.

You back up until the back of your legs hits the bed. You open your mouth to speak but before you can utter a single word, he slaps you again.

“I told you not to speak unless I told you to once already. Now I’m gonna have to punish you, aren’t I?” He shoves you onto the bed and follows, using his knees to push your legs open he sits up and gives himself a few pumps.” No need to prep you, I want this to hurt.”

You are sobbing at this point, your hands covering your face when you feel him push into you. A scream rips out of your throat and you reach forward to push him away.

“You know Tsu, these meetups have been the best. I’m thinking next time I will find the REAL you and have even more fun.” He closes his eyes a leans his head back, fully immersed in only getting himself off.

To engrossed in his own world, he doesn’t realize that you have gone still. Your tears have stopped, and you have pulled your hands back from him.

DISGUSTING

“Find the real me?”

VILE

You break character, bringing your full consciousness back. You voice is just a whisper at first, so he doesn’t hear you, doesn’t stop thrusting.

FALSE HERO

“Find the REAL me?!” You are screaming at him now.

He finally stops, hearing you the second time. For a second you see fear in his eyes before they fill with rage.

MONSTER

“Hey! You better start doing the job I paid you for, I don’t come here for you to question me.” He lifts his hand up, as if to slap you again. Before his hand comes down you grab it, squeezing until he yelps in pain.

This job is over, he isn’t worth keeping around anymore.

“You think I give a shit about a little piss ant like you?!” As you sit up, he yanks his arm away and pulls out of you. Stumbling back, he starts shaking a finger in your direction.

“You can’t talk to me like that! You’re just a whore!”

You dart forward before he can put more distance between you and grab him by the neck. As you pick him up you snarl and let your quirk fade away.

“I may be a whore but I not a monster like you. You are just a fake hero, a plague on this world and I will get rid of every single one of you.” You throw him onto the ground still holding on to his neck and squeeze.

“In other news, Minoru Mineta also known as the pro hero Grape Juice has gone missing after several videos of him have gone viral. He was last seen leaving a brothel that has requested to remain nameless. The videos contain triggering scenes of the pro hero having relations with a prostitute while she is dressed in various hero suits the resemble his old female classmates. He even refers to them by name. The videos contain triggering images, and it is recommended to not seek them out. The original videos have since been taken down but are reuploaded onto the internet on several other sites. The prostitute shown in the videos has also gone missing. Any information on the whereabouts- “

The T.V. turns off, the voice of the news anchor no longer filling the dimly lit bar. The people present remain silent for a moment before a man with burns all over his body starts to laugh.

“You could have really fucked that up Doll. Good thing we got enough evidence.” You sneer at him, making sure you change your appearance to match your own desire. He flinches when he sees his own face.

“I wish you had cut him! There wasn’t enough blood to keep his appearance up for awfully long!” The young woman with two messy blond buns in her hair twirls a knife around.

“I’m terribly sorry Toga, but I didn’t have anything sharp with me.” You pick at your nails and look over at Kurogiri, who is busy pouring a glass of whiskey for Dabi. “Do I get a break after this one or do you and boss man have another gig for me?”

[descendantofthesparrow]

Queen - Uma x Harry Hook x reader - songfic oneshot

=

Cross my heart and hope to die

I don't need another guy

To fight my battles, to overshadow me

Don't ya know I'm dangerous?

Fire burnin' in my blood

I got this handled, I don't need rescuin'

Being the daughter of Aurora and King Phillip was tough, or at least tougher than others thought it would be.

Always sit up straight, never slouch, never sit with your legs apart, never curse, never lash out, always be kind, always smile, never spit, Never show blemishes, never be over a certain weight.

Always be perfect

….then again….those were the expectations of the granddaughter of Leah, mother of Aurora.

Your parents had different expectations.

Now how to protect yourself, know how to wield a sword, know how to shoot an arrow, know how to fight on horseback, know when to strike and when to stand back, know when to act like a lady and when to act like a knight.

Be sad, be angry, be happy, be snarky, be you.

Luckily you had never stuck on your grandmother's teachings as your sister did. you had grown in your father's teachings of the sword.

As the younger daughter of Phillip and Aurora, your grandmother paid less attention to you, since she was paying attention to Audrey, who had prince Ben at her side, the awaiting heir to Auradon.

You relished in the time you had away from the aging spiteful EX-queen.

You can call me a princess all you like

'Cause you love to keep me helpless by your side

But that ain't what I want, I'ma show you

I'ma show you

You tried to help your sister grow her confidence within the family to step away from your grandmother, but Audrey was deep in her claws, unable to break away from the poison.

It hurt watching your sister, once the brightest girl to be around, slowly become a snake, sneering behind backs and teasing those who didn’t “match” up to her.

You hoped one day that she could break free of your grandmother's influence.

Though during the point the first four vks came along, you saw the sliver of the sister you once knew, when Ben “broke up” with her.

She had come to your room after the game, crying her eyes out, jumping into your arms, and sobbing her heart out to you.

“i-I thought we were-I thought” she had cried, burying her face into your shoulder.

While you held no grudge against Mal for her mother's actions against your own (unlike your grandmother), you weren’t on the best terms with Mal for a while after that.

During cotillion, your sister had gone off with your fairy godmothers, while you stayed behind to help Jane plan for the grand event. Uma, the daughter of Ursula, had caught your attention as she appeared.

She had spelled Ben to free the children still on the isle, you mentally commended her on her act, through the way she went about it was a bit interesting and too similar to Mals way of doing things that it left a bad taste in your mouth.

Though it got the job done, with the documents for another 4 vks to come to Auradon being worked on soon after cotillion.

How to treat me like a queen (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty"?

Uma's face had been…interesting as you found her on the western shores of Ursula’s strait, holding food and a bundle of warmer clothes for her.

“why?” Uma had asked, shrugging on the dark blue hoodie and crossing her arms, staring down the box of warm food in your hands.

“because it will be cold the next few nights, and I'm not going to let you starve if I can help it” you responded, face blank as you held out the food to her.

She started at you for a moment, before nodding, taking the food and slowly eating it, before her eyes brightened and she soon devoured the entire meal.

You smiled and handed her a map of the surrounding area “be safe, there is a cave that keeps away the ocean draft and hardly ever gets cold or wet.

Uma watched you with curious eyes as you walked away that night, surprised after each day when you continued to return to her spot, holding new clothes and food for her.

Within the next year and a half, you and Uma had grown close, telling you of her boys, Harry Hook, and Gil, her best friends and those whom she trusted with her deepest secrets and life.

You decided you would try to convince Ben to get Uma's boys off.

Vk day came around the corner, Uma listening as you told her the new vks that would be coming to Auradon.

She brightened a bit as the Smee twins came up.

“Skipper and Sterling, good, Harriet probably made them sign up, otherwise they would have never tried.”

“do you think Harry and Gil will sign up?”

“dunno, probably, to find me at least, but I know Mal and her goons would never choose them, as long as they are loyal to me, Mal sees them as her enemy”

You hummed, remembering Mal's insistence on the search for Uma. The irony that one of their own was helping hide a villain.

“then let's hope one of the other ones can look past Mal's rivalry with you and let others look on to a new path”

Uma snorted, shaking her head “Evie would be the only one to do that, Mals boys, especially Jay, are too wrapped up in her delusions”

You sighed and nodded, crossing your arms as you stared across the moonlit sea at the smog-covered isle. “well figure something else out then” Uma grinned at you.

“optimistic aren’t you?”

You grinned back “someone has to be”

Only three days later, as you were running late to Janes birthday and after hearing about your sister's sleeping spell, you grabbed your sword that had been enchanted by your godmothers, the same enchantments as your father's sword, and ran out to look for any sign of your sister or the vks. you came across sleeping bodies just outside the dorms, looking around with wide eyes you hovered above a sleeping student, waving your hand in their face and snapping.

“Audrey what did you do” you whispered, leaning back and crossing your arms, looking around the courtyard.

“they’re asleep” you perked up and spun around, seeing the vks entering through the opposite pathway of the garden. “all of them” Evie looked around with worried eyes, her mouth dropping open in a gasp as she saw you “(y/n)!” she yelled, running towards you at surprising speed considering her heels “you're awake!”

“y-yeah?” you yelped, wrapping your arms around her as she slammed into you “why wouldn’t I be?”

“well” Evie stuttered “Audrey-the scepter-she-nevermind, im glad you’re okay!” you nodded slowly, peeking around Evie and spotting a snickering Uma.

You rose your brow at her and she shook her head, nodding towards the two taller boys looking around the courtyard.

One was taller, with dark-colored hair and a long dark red vest-jacket, black faded and worn pants with black boots and a silver hook in his left hand. Harry Hook, son of Captain James Hook, Uma's first mate.

The other was a slightly shorter teen male with longer blonde hair hidden by a dark orange cap, a short-sleeved leather shirt, and dark orange-yellow pants with dark brown boots. Gil, son of Gaston, her quartermaster.

Her boys.

The darker haired one, Harry, turned to you, locking his bright Blue eyes with yours, you felt a shock run through your body, your breath stopping as you stared into his eyes.

Harry felt his breath stop, watching as the girl with alluring (e/c) eyes stared back at him. He couldn’t look away, something holding him in place.

“guys!” Harry felt the hold release as the girl looked away and to Evie, who was gesturing to a statue of a girl in a band uniform "Hanna got turned to stone!”

So treat me like a queen (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty"?

Mal had taken over the group, ordering to head to Bens castle to look for him. You walked silently beside Uma as you traveled on foot to the castle, too occupied in your thoughts to notice Harry continue to stare at you.

He couldn’t figure out why and how you somehow stopped him in his tracks, unable to breathe or move.

The only other person that had done that to him…was Uma.

“Ben!” Mal called out, worried eyes flying about the hallways “Ben!!”

“he might not be here Mal” you offered, raising your brow as Celia sighed and tossed in other (depressing) option.

“or turned to stone” Evie covered the young girl's mouth and shook her head.

Eyes on me like I'm a prize

But you better recognize

I'm not your angel 'cause I belong to me

Uma frowned at the slashes across the wall, following the slash with her hand and calling out to the group “hey!” Uma turned, pointing a the slashes that had destroyed the map hanging on the wall “What's this?”

“um” Carlos muttered, his eyes widening in fear, as walked over to the slashes and turned to mal “any chance this was here before?”

Mal bit her lip and shook her head a bit, continuing forward after dude, calling out for ben.

“Ben!” she opened a set of double doors, leading to a room of knights lining the walls “Ben?!”

Harry let out a whistle and stepped around you, walking towards a suit and trailing his fingers across the blade. Jay leaned towards him, whispering in his ear, sneering at the pirate.

Harry just smirked and walked off after Uma.

You followed close behind Uma, feeling something off about the room, like someone was watching you.

As Mal and Uma argued,  you and Harry glanced at each other as the knight in front of you started to move, you squinted at the pink smoke pouring from its helmet.

“guys?”

“I believe we’re being challenged” Harry tried, Uma holding up her hand to silence him.

“Let's split up and look for Audrey” Uma suggested, raising her brows as mal denied it and held out her hand. “that makes absolutely no sense, unless you give me the ember she's going to spell you!”

You and Harry pressed your lips together and looked at each other with wide eyes as the knight moved again “GUYS!” you yelled, gesturing to the knight as the girls jumped and looked at you.

“we ‘ave a bit of a situation ‘ere” Harry growled, glaring up at the empty suit of armor that began to move as if it was being worn.

“you like a prince mal? Well, how bout a knight in shining armor….or knights”

You can call me a princess all you like

'Cause you love to keep me helpless by your side

But that ain't what I want, I'ma show you

I'ma show you

You quickly backed away, Uma holding onto your arm as you ran towards the doors when two knights blocked the way, Celia standing behind them eyes wide with fear.

You groaned and turned, spotting a set of swords on the wall. You maneuvered around Jay and Mal and grabbed them, handing them to Evie and Carlos as you backed into the group, eyeing down the knights.

“Let's do this” you muttered, gasping as Harry stepped in front of you and pushed you back. “stay back princess, wouldn’t want yeh getting hurt” you felt your brow twitch in agitation, but ignored him, watching the knights as they surrounded you. Uma hopped down beside you and Harry, smirking at the knights, waving her fingers tauntingly.

You sighed and drew your sword, feeling the enchantments run through the hilt. You took a step forward, making Harry twitch, and in blinding speed, you knocked several helmets off the knight's heads, the suits crumbling to the floor with a loud crash.

“Did anybody else forget that (y/n)s a genius with a sword?” Carlos chuckled, watching as you took down three more knights with only a sidestep and a flourish of your sword.

“huh?” Harry asked, yelping as a hammer swiped at his head, Jay appearing behind it and striking its shoulder, sending it to the side.

“she takes more after her dad doesn’t she?” Jay supplied, grabbing Harry's arm and forcing him to his feet, blocking another swipe as Harry nodded behind him.

How to treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty"?

You glanced at Uma, who was being held down by four knights, and bolted over to her, half leaping in the air and drawing your sword down, slashing through the metal of their arms like butter and colliding into Uma and half dragging her across the room, looking back at the knights as Audrey's scream of frustration rang through the room.

“holy shit” Uma muttered in your ear, grabbing your shoulder to stabilize herself “how come you never told me you could do this shit?” “you never asked” you laughed, flipping your sword and turning, smirking at the knights who were trying, and failing, to sneak up behind you.

“still would have been nice to know” Uma snorted, running around you and slashing at one of the knights, backing away and behind you as you ran forward and swung your sword around, slicing off their helmets, side flipping as the crashed to the ground.

“Uma?” Harry panted, sliding next to her and smiling at you, who was blocking another knight from slashing at Evie. “can we keep her?”

Uma laughed and nodded “yes, yes we can keep her”

“awesome” Harry breathed, biting his lip, watching you spin on your heel and unarm a knight before spinning into a squat, slashing off their knees and smirking as they crashed to the ground.

So treat me like a queen (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty"?

You pouted and kicked the boot of a fallen knight, all that fight only for them to be defeated by a simple spell and some dance moves.

The boring way to end a battle if anyone asked you.

You sighed and cracked your neck, sheathing your sword and walking over to the squabbling VKs. “what's next?” you asked aloud, rolling your eyes as Mal assumed you were talking to her.

“we’re going to the museum to look for any clues”

“there's no point to that though! We know it's Audrey who took the crown and scepter, logically we should go to her room or something and look for any clues there!” Uma pushed, gritting her teeth as Mal shook her head.

“Mal” you sighed, dropping your shoulders “you don’t want to hear this but Uma's right, going to the museum is pointless unless we're going for the wand or something, I say us girls go to Audrey's and the boys look for ben”

Uma nodded, staring Mal down, who glared back. Evie clapped her hands together, making the two jump “that sounds perfect, lets meet at my place in, two hours okay?”

The rest of the group nodded, you walked up to Celia and gently pushed her to start moving as the vks started waling out of the room to set on their missions.

Harry glanced back at you as he walked alongside Gil, watching as Uma turned to you and whispered something, smirking as your shoulders bounced.

He turned back sighing as he listened to the dog talk.

Yeah

You can call me a princess all you like

‘Cause you love to keep me helpless by your side

But that ain’t what I want, I’ma show you

You walked alongside Uma and Harry as they separated from the other vks to look for Celia and Gil. “you coming with us or something lass?” Harry asked aloud, raising his brows as you shook your head.

“no, I’ll help you find Gil and Celia and then help you get where you need to go, then I’ll come back to help my sister get her head back, that scepter is warping her mind and I won't lose her” you stated, voice strong with conviction.

Uma and Harry glanced at each other before Uma turned to you, going to speak when Mal suddenly ran up, yelling out Uma's name.

“uma-uma! Wait! Please wait!” Uma glared at the purple-haired girl as she skidded to a stop “I need your help, we have a chance if we work together!”

Uma sneered at her “your friends kick you to the curb?” Mal's face said it all “good”

“Ben saw something in you, and-today Uma I saw it too! You care! Uma, you care about everybody!” Uma rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and staring at Mal blankly “and Auradon is worth saving!”

“and my sister isn’t?” you sneered, Mal suddenly turned to you “you know what the scepter is like, it poisons the mind Mal, it's taken over my sister, and because of you, I might not get her back, because of you, she turned to something dark to get revenge…You know” you cocked your hip, glaring at the wide-eyed Mal

“she never got an apology from you or Ben, you love spelled Ben for the wand, had him “break up” with Audrey by declaring his “love” for you, do you know how many nights I spent with Audrey, holding her in my arms because she couldn’t sleep she was crying so hard, crying so hard she threw up?

You are not the only one with feelings Mal, Audrey did love ben, my grandmother screwed up what love meant to Audrey but she did love him, and you took that away and never apologized. So you know what Mal” you got in her face, glaring into her shiny green eyes “you deserve whatever Audrey does to you, and when I get back, I will save Audrey myself, because it seems I'm the only one who actually fucking cares about her”

You shoulder checked Mal and walked off, Mal desperately calling your name. “you talk pretty….but they’ve already made up their minds” Harry sighed, following Uma as she pushed past Mal and followed after you.

How to treat me like a queen (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty"?

You grinned at Uma as she walked across the bridge from the isle to Auradon, Harry, and Gil at her side.

“Welcome to Auradon Uma” you laughed as Uma leapt into your arms, spinning her around for a moment to keep your balance “officially at least” Uma rolled her eyes as she pulled back, taking your hand and pulling you off to dance, Harry, following close behind.

“yeah yeah, thanks for everything by the way”

You hummed, raising your brow “for giving me food, clothes, all that stuff for the past year”

“so yer the one who took care of the cap’n all this time huh?” Harry asked, looking to Uma for confirmation.

“I guess?” you shrugged, smirking as Mal turned to you with wide eyes “uh I think Mal heard that one?”

“who cares” Uma chuckled, grabbing your hand and pulling you toward her, Harry following her lead and grabbing your other hand “care to dance with us pirates princess?”

“it would be my pleasure” you bowed, giggling as Harry spun you and held you to his side, Uma laughing along and letting him spin her with his other hand.

So treat me like a queen (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty"?

-end-

permtaglist

@queer-cosette​ @sephiralorange​

@lunanight2012​ @lunanight2012​

@daughter-of-the-stars11​ @musicarose​

@imtryingthisout​ @remembered-license​

@random-thoughts-003​ @verboetoperee​

[miraculouswolf99]

I Put A Spell On You (Song Fic)

My first miraculous salt fic. Doubles as a song fic and a Halloween fic. Features the best song from the best Halloween movie of all time. Hocus Pocus.

*****

Adrien was happy. No one else in class knew why he had been smiling all day. Chloe was probably the only one in the room that knew why he was so happy today. But she was not going to tell anyone and ruin his day when Liar Rossi would would just use it to make up some more lies and ruin his happiness.

Things had not gotten better since the lying Italian had joined the class. Even though now that Marinette had transferred to Mendeleiev’s class, things had not gotten better. If anything, things had gotten worse since now Lila thought that she could not freely lie and manipulate almost non-stop with no one there to attempt to expose her.

The class was now half and half with who believed the liar and who doesn’t. The ones that don’t believe her being Adrien, Chloe, Nathaniel, Kim, and Juleka. Sabrina was decided to be a neutral part and not take a side. She listened to Lila’s tales, but normally stayed by Chloe’s side. Alya, Nino, Alix, Max, Ivan, Mylene, and Rose were all firmly on Lila’s side and nothing could ever change their minds.

Adrien had finally been starting to stand his ground against the liar since he had seen her chase Marinette away. He was reaching his wits end with her constantly hanging on his arm and never letting go when he asks or even demands her to. Adrien had managed to convince Bustier that he was too bust with his schedule to tutor Lila and that he would be better off sitting in the back with Nathaniel since it was more quiet than being next to Lila “never shuts up” Rossi.

“What are you so happy about today, Sunshine,” Nathaniel asked his friend.

“I have some friends coming today,” Adrien answered. “They were visiting their grandparents in the United States and decided to stop in France on their way back to their home in Greece. Their names are Lyon and Vallia Garden.”

“You know Greeks, cool,” Nathaniel said. “When did you meet them? Obviously it wasn’t a time close to now since you have not left the country and no Greeks have showed up here either, to my knowledge.”

“I met them about a year before my mom disappeared,” Adrien says. “Their family owns and operates an incredible animal and nature sanctuary that almost takes up the entire island they live on. They host a lot of charities there. Concerts, celebrity birthdays, auctions, art shows, even cooking contests. I was there with my parents for a charity fashion show.”

“Do you speak Greek or did they speak French,” Nathaniel was curious since he did know that Adrien already also spoke Mandarin and English.

“They speak French,” Adrien says. “They were the only ones there that were my age, so I was glad to have someone to talk to. We’ve kept in contact ever since.”

“Sounds great,” Nathaniel smiled at his friend. “Do they know about... everything going on?”

“Dear god, no,” Adrien stated. “Lyon is fiercely protective of his friends. He is a master archer and when he caught poachers trying to break into the sanctuary, he actually shot them all before calling the police.”

“I am not sure whether to be terrified of him when they come or in awe of him,” Nathaniel admitted.

“Nothing wrong with both, as Vallia would probably say,” Adrien chuckled. “I do admit that they can be pretty scary. Especially since when they help out at their family sanctuary, Lyon seems to have a way with their wolves and Vallia seems to be a lion whisperer.”

“I am both terrified and looking forward to meeting them,” Nathaniel nervously laughed. “I just hope Marc doesn’t faint when he learns this stuff about them. I love him, but we all know he is naturally timid.”

“I know,” Adrien chuckled. “Remember when he first met Kagami?”

“I will never let him live that down,” Nathaniel smirked, loving it when he is able to tease his boyfriend.

Before the two could continue their conversation, there was sudden yelling from outside the classroom and coming from the courtyard. It sounded like four people arguing, two of them not sounding like they were French.

“What is that,” Nathaniel wondered as they stood up.

“I’m a little worried to find out,” Adrien stated.

The two had stayed behind to chat after the bell rang and everyone else left for the day. They immediately left the classroom and looked over the railing and into the courtyard. They were soon joined by Marinette, Marc, Kagami, Aurore, and Mireille from Mendeleiev’s class, who had also heard the yelling.

“What’s going on,” Marinette immediately asked.

They all look over the rail. They see two people arguing quite loudly with Alya and Lila. They certainly were both unique-looking teens.

The first was a girl that was quite beautiful and had a grace and elegance to her style. She had long blond hair braided with roses and butterflies and had pink streaks. Her eyes were a stunning silver that you could see, if you were close enough, had specks of blue in them. Her style was a red, pink, and purple dawn colored dress with gold flats. On her wrists were diamond rose cuff bracelets, a butterfly on the one on her right wrist. 

The boy next to her gave off a very icy exterior that also screamed honor and loyalty that only a knight would have. A tall boy with hair that was actually black with streaks of white and blue in it, coming to the length of Adrien's. His eyes were the opposite of the girl's, blue with silver specks. His outfit of choice was a sky blue t-shirt under a white jean vest, matching the blue pants with white boots. On his hands were white fingerless gloves. Around his neck was a sword and shield pendant as well as a white cloak only going down to his knees. 

“Lyon, Vallia,” Adrien gasped.

“Those are your two friends from Greece, Adrien,” Kagami asked, Adrien having told her during their last fencing practice.

“Yeah,” Adrien said. “Their plane must have landed earlier than expected and they decided to come here.”

“Why are they arguing with Alya and Lila,” Mireille wondered.

“If it has something to do with that liar, it’s probably her fault,” Marc, of all people, stated.

It was a pretty open secret in the school that literally everyone but most of Bustier’s class, plus Bustier herself and Damocles, were all aware that Lila was nothing but a manipulative liar. In fact, most of them were shocked that the class, teacher, and principal believed her outlandish lies in the first place.

“Maybe Lila tried to cozy up to them and they caught her in a lie,” Marinette guessed.

“Lyon and Vallia do come from a rich family,” Adrien said. “Not only is their family known for their sanctuary, but they also have the largest jewel collection in the world. Like the medallions on their foreheads.”

They all looked and saw that the two did indeed have crystal medallions on their foreheads. Vallia’s was a rose quartz butterfly and Lyon’s was a sapphire wolf.

“What is up with that book that Lyon has,” Kagami noticed.

They all looked and saw that Lyon was holding a pretty large book that looked very old. It was bound with brown leather that had Frankenstein-like stitches all over it along with old silver metal on the cover as well. It also had a very large buckle.

“They did say they wanted to show me something,” Adrien said. “They went to the US to celebrate Halloween with their grandparents so maybe they got some type of prop and wanted to show it to me.”

They all quickly started to get into the courtyard and make their way over to the four. In a city plagued by a terrorist that uses negative emotions, arguments usually lead to someone getting akumatized.

“My brother does not worship the devil,” Vallia shouted at Alya and Lila.

“That book is a Book of Shadows,” Lila pointed at the book in Lyon’s hands. “It’s a tool of witchcraft, which is all about worshiping the devil. I should know. My great uncle is a world renown priest back in Italy.” 

“Not all witchcraft is devil worship, you pathetic liar,” Lyon sneered. “And there is no world famous priest in Italy since the last well-known one was arrested five years ago for killing people using fake exorsisms.”

(Reference to an episode of Criminal Minds.)

“Lila is not a liar,” Alya yelled. “You are, you devil witches.”

“This isn’t even a real spellbook,” Vallia screamed at them. “It’s a movie prop out grandparents won in an auction. They knew we loved Halloween, so they got us a prop from out favorite Halloween movie.”

“See, that proves you worship the devil,” Lila accused. “Halloween is a devil cult holiday, my great uncle proved that years ago but America rejected his facts and still celebrates it.”

“It is not,” Lyon yelled. “You are the worst liar I have ever come across. You should be ashamed to insult an entire holiday just because you don’t like it. Pathetic, just like all you other mythology copying Italians.”

(Reference to the Roman and Greek rivalry from Percy Jackson.)

“How dare you,” Lila screamed.

“Lyon, Vallia,” Adrien called. “Calm down.”

But it was too late. A black and purple butterfly already came flying down. It went inside of the book Lyon was holding. The butterfly outline appeared over his eyes.

“Your favorite holiday and your culture insulted all at once,” Hawkmoth says to him. “Hocus Pocus, I am giving you the power to right this wrong. All I ask is for the miraculous of the ladybug and black cat in return.” 

“I will show this liar some real magic,” Lyon said, transforming.

“What the hell,” Vallia gasped, backing away.

Lyon had changed into an almost male version of Winifred Sanderson. He was in a mostly green outfit with a green leather vest and pants with black leather boots that matched the black silk shirt under the vest. He also wore a long and shiny green cloak with a hood. He was still holding the book.

“Is it wrong that he actually looks hot in that outfit,” Adrien let slip, then instantly covered his mouth.

“Okay, we will come back to Adrien’s crush later,” Marinette stated. “For now, let’s run.”

Adrien immediately rushed forward and grabbed Vallia.

“Adrien,” Vallia was confused and worried. “What’s going on? What happened to Lyon?”

“Hawmoth is a terrorist here in Paris,” Adrien gave a quick explaination. “He takes advantage of negative emotions to turn normal people into his mind controlled villains.”

“Someone is mind controlling my brother,” Vallia was pissed. “When I get my hands on him, Hades will look like a puppy in comparison.”

“Maybe later, but we all need to hide so that Ladybug and Cat Noir can save your brother,” Adrien said.

Hocus Pocus then opened his book. He smirked as it glowed.

“Wicked ways beneath the skin, let all who taste it now join in,” he cast.

(Reference to Descendants 2.)

Out of the book came magical glowing chocolates. They all shot around the school and into the mouths of multiple people. It forced them to eat the magical treats, including Vallia, Nathaniel, Marc, and Kagami. Music then started playing out of nowhere as Hocus Pocus smirked again.

“Oh crud,” Adrien swore, running away along with the few students and staff that managed to avoid the chocolates. 

He transformed and was soon on the roof of the school. Ladybug soon joined him. But they were shocked that the school was now in a full-blown musical moment. Hocus Pocus took “center stage” with Vallia and Kagami as his main back-up singers.

“I put a spell on you And now you're mine You can't stop the things I do I ain't lyin'.”

“It's been three hundred years Right down to the day Now the witch is back And there's hell to pay.”

“I put a spell on you And now you're mine!”

Hocus Pocus seemed to have used the chocolates like mind control treats. Everyone that eaten one had was now dancing around the courtyard in very Halloween-like manors. Some even seemed to be doing Micheal Jackson’s Thriller moves.

Alya and Lila, who had not gotten chocolates, were not allowed to leave as the dancers forced them to stay in the courtyard.

“What the heck in going on,” Ladybug was so confused.

“I guess whatever movie his akuma form is based off of had a musical number in it,” Cat Noir guessed.

“I put a spell on you And now you're gone (Gone, gone, gone, so long!) My whammy fell on you And it was strong (So strong, so strong, so strong!)”

“Your wretched little lives Have all been cursed 'Cause of all the witches working I'm the worst.”

“I put a spell on you And now you're mine.”

Hocus Pocus walked around the courtyard as he sung, Vallia and Kagami making amazing back-up singers. Alya and Lila still looked terrified even with the catchy song playing around them.

“Even as a back-up singer, who would have thought that Kagami could sing,” Ladybug said.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Cat Noir agreed.

“(Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! She ain’t lyin’)”

“If you don't believe, You better get superstitious.”

“I put a spell on you... I put a spell on you...”

“Ah say into pi, alpha maybe upendi!”

“Ah say into pi, alpha maybe upendi!”

“In comma-coriyama"

“In comma-coriyama”

"Hey hi, say bye-bye-i-i-i-i-i-i-i"

"Bye, bye"

The song ended with a pose from Hocus Pocus and his two back-up singers. He still had his menacing smirk on his face.

“I think it’s time our little liar had her own spell placed ob her,” Hocus Pocus stated. “Like... a truth spell, perhaps.”

Let’s just say that the heroes were petty and decided to let the liar’s kingdom fall before defeating the akuma. And Adrien was certainly glad to have his friend back and a really cool book from their favorite Halloween movie. He just wished that the name of the movie would stop slipping his mind. Oh well, gives him an excuse to talk with Lyon more.

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Emp-Ire, “Fallen Star.”

Here it is, the end of an arc. I hope you guys like it and thank you so much for humoring my little detour. I needed this :)

The sun rose turning the sky to a bright tangerine orange. Golden rays of sun filtered across the open desert landscape, highlighting ten silhouettes against the horizon. Ten men and ten horses trekking their way across the surface of an alien planet leaving only footprints in their wake across the open landscape.

Adam lifted his head to the open sky and took a long deep breath. The scent of the alien planet in early morning was snuffed out at a moment when he received a strong whiff of cigarette smoke and coughed, looking over at Deputy Thompson, who had lit up and was taking his second long drag.

“Those will kill you you know.”

“So will continuous self doubt.”

“Point taken.”

The Deputy blew a ring of smoke into the air, “Besides, gets me relaxed before we go out to do something stupid.” he glanced towards the front of the group where the sheriff had taken point, riding on the back of his glossy black horse now coated in a thin layer of orange dust, “Ain’t that right sheriff.”

The man turned slightly in his saddle, “The only one bringing the dumb here is you Thompson.” He turned around on his horse and fell back slightly to speak with them, “Besides if it wasn’t for McBride and his group, we would all be at home drinking cold beer and spending time with our wives, but instead he’s dragged us out of bed to go chasing after him, and I intend to make him regret that.”

He turned to look at Ramirez and Adam, “Now, you boys probably didn’t hear this, so I am going to give you the rundown. Last month we caught one of McBride’s boys out past the border of Caster and Collville, and with a little bit of… persuasion, he graciously told us a few things. Turns out McBride and his men are planning on robbing a train coming from one of the outlying colonies and in towards the capital. He plans on doing it halfway through its journey between Hander and Chelsey where there are the least amount of people and the least amount of eyes.”

Ramirez snorted, “A train job, seriously? Isn’t that a bit cliche?”

The Sheriff frowned at him, “I don’t think McBride was really considering the literary appeal of white might and might not be cliche, when he determined that there is a LOT of expensive stuff being brought in on that train.”

Adam tilted his head slightly, “Like what?”

“The crops grown here on this colony are a cardinal ingredient in many pharmaceuticals all across the galaxy both human and alien. Drug companies and hospitals alike pay top dollar for our crops to be refined and bottled right here. It only grows in very specific conditions in very specific towns on the western rim. It is harvested and refined on the rim, and then put on the train to the capital where it is tested and then sealed for shipping.” If McBride gets his hands on those bottles, he can sell them on the black market at top dollar, where they will be used for refinement in a whole myriad of illicit drugs, including but not limited to human derived hormonal drugs, which support not only the black market, but also slave trafficking rings.”

Adam and Ramirez both blinked in surprise, “Really, we had…. No idea.”

“The government doesn’t like to talk about how important some of the colonies are to the workings of the inner ring, but we supply a lot of natural resources and raw products that can be both dangerous and expensive once they get out. This is not to mention that the train just so happened to fall on the very auspicious day when they are moving a group of rich city investors on that same train…. Came to take stock of their investments on the rim, and are now being shipped back to the capitol. Our job is to make it to the train before McBride does, or, barring that we don’t make it in time, we need to at least stop them and stop the train before those crates go missing.”

“How many days away are we”

“We have about two or three days, so its best we pick up the pace.”

After that their voices were silenced, and only the sound of thundering hooves could be heard over the hard packed earth.

***

Adam was shaken awake on the third day, bleary eyed and confused, rubbing sleep from his eyes and rubbing his hands along the light stubble dusting his cheeks and chin. Ramirez knelt over him, “Rise and shine sleepy head, today is the train job, you wouldn’t want to miss it.”

Adam groaned and rubbed his head wobbling to his feet as the other men around him began to rouse, The air was filled with the smell of smoke from last nights dwindling campfire, now just ashes in the dirt before them.

A few of the men kicked dirt over the still smouldering remains while Adam and Ramirez worked to pack up camp, hoisting saddles onto the back of horses.

“You alright?’ Ramirez asked as he stood next to Adam, the two of them pulling their saddles onto their respective horses.

Adam nodded and shook himself  little, “Yeah, just a…. Weird dream is all.”

“What was it about.”

He shrugged, “Can’t really remember much, but right before I woke up, it was like I was looking down at myself sleeping, from above, I swear I saw you walking across camp to wake me up, but…. That might just be me misremembering.”

“OR you had some sort of out of body experience.”

He snorted, “Yeah sure.”

“Remember anything else?”

“Blue fire and maybe some mountains, but that is about it.” He tightened the girth strap on his horse and patted Maroz on her soft velvet snout. The horse gummed at his hand with her upper lip, and he smiled slightly, patting her on the neck, “That’s a good girl.” 

With the other men ready, the group of them saddled up and began their ride out into the desert.

The Sheriff kept there pace as fast as he could without tiring out the horses, knowing that they might need to chase.

“Not to question the wisdom of this sheriff, but how are we going to catch up with a train. I mean it may look and sound like an old time train, but we both know it isn’t, the thing can probably go at around 200 mph.” 

The sheriff turned to look back at him, “That’s true, but due to the nature of the location, they have to slow the train coming through the valley, there are some pretty tight turns and curves that would be dangerous at such high speeds, not to mention that it is a common crossing rout for cattle, and the train needs to be slow in the area to keep from turning someone's livestock into pink mist. A collision that big and going that fast could also potentially derail a train. Its never happened, but the engineers say it can so thy like to keep it safe.”

“How slow?”

“Very slow, I would say about thirty mph through the hot zone, and that is….”

“About as fast as a horse can run.” Adam sighed, 

“Precisely, now let's speed it up, the train is coming and we still have a ways to go.”

As the day wore on, Adam’s heart began to race, and he could feel it thudding away in his chest pressing out against the vest he wore like it was going to crash through his ribcage. Ramirez rode along beside him, a surprisingly fast learner when it came to horses and riding them.

Off in the distance, Adam caught the blast of a train whistle.”

“Speed up boys!”

Adam kicked gently against the Horse’s sides and snapped the reins, and below him Maroz bokre into a light gallop bouncing him up and down wit her thundering gate. With all ten of them riding at that speed, they sounded like rolling thunder.

Light flashed over the badge on his chest.

The whistle came again, and the roaring of the train grew louder as they poured over the ground, between rocks and around shrubs.

The plateau around them began to slope downwards, and as they came over the rise, the land below them morphed into sharp focus, a vast tract of land snaking between high plateaus, and a silver rail that ran like a glittering snake between them. And along that silver line came a roaring black goliath missing only the blaack puff of burning coal and smoke to set it aside from the trains of old.

And just behind it, ran at least a dozen black dots, slowly gaining.

“GET ON THAT TRAIN!” The sheriff shouted over the roaring, and the entire group of them broke down hill at a full gallop. Adam leaned low over his horse’s neck, feeling her body move and roar beneath him. His ears rung with the sound of the approaching train and the clatter of hives over packed earth.

The train was approaching now, fast, and he was coming up just on the left, pulling his horse into a shallow parabola that brought his run just parallel . The sounds was deafening now, though he thought he could hear the call of men’s voices. The horses legs rolled like a blur beneath him, and Maroz huffed and puffed and and snorted with exertion. He was close now, and the glittering rails of the track rolled by just to his right.

His heart throbbed in his chest.

Just ahead of him, the sheriff kicked his boots from the stirrups and threw himself sideways onto the train, grasping on with a grip of iron.

Other men began to do the same.

He heard a gunshot.

With a swift motion, he kicked his feet from the stirrups and braced his boots against the saddle. Maroz remained steady below him, and with a final prayer and a deep breath, he launched himself sideways reaching and grasping for anything he could hold to. 

He caught one of the hand rails beside a compartment door and was jerked away from Maroz as her gait slowed.

His feet whipped behind him in the wind before he scrambled o gain purchase, the leather of his gloves helping maintain his grip as he hauled himself upwards and onto the side of the train just between compartments.

A voice, from over the sound of the roaring, and he looked back to see Ramirez and his horse sprinting after.

The horse’s back was lathered and wet, its eyes wild as it pushed itself forward.

Ramirez clung on with gritted teeth.

Adam reached out a hand, “JUMP!”

And like the good marine Ramirez was, no fear and no questions, he kicked his way frew and threw himself awkwardly sideways.

He would have landed below the train had Adam not caught him by the wrist and hauled him inward, where he scrambled onto a precarious handhold.

“GET INSIDE.” Adam shouted, “I’m going to head back to the cargo car.”

Ramirez nodded, swinging around Adam and onto the hitch that held the cars together. Adam hauled himself upward and onto the top of the speeding train. Wind whipped at the brim of his hat, and te bandana around his neck.

He jogged along the top of the train, his boots thundering against the meta.

At the end of the train a man appeared, one of McBride’s men, and Adam had just enough time to duck to the side as a bullet hissed past him.

He turned and fired off one shot. It went a bit wide, but caught the man by the brim of the hat, blowing it completely off. It got caught up in a gust of wind that pulled it down and under the train.Adam fired another shot just as the man was preparing to fire again.

The bullet caught the man in the upper chest, and before Adam could really take in what had happened, the man fell, pitching backwards off the train and hitting the ground hard in a cloud of dust only to vanish as the train whipped past.

Adam stood, stunned for a second. He’d never shot someone before, at least no one human, but the sound of gunfire broke him from his reverie, and he dived down as the bullets flew past him, crawling across the open top of the train with  clawing hands. Another head appeared over the edge, and he fired off a wild shot with one hand hoping to t least deter the man for a moment.

His bullet did more than that, and before he knew it another body had fallen to the dust below the train.

Footsteps on the train behind him, and he rolled around in panic only to see the Sheriff running past him, “GET TO THAT CARGO CAR!”

Adam leapt to his feet, racing forward alongside the sheriff, wobbling slightly as the train rolled forward.

The Sheriff held a shotgun in one hand, and it only took the first two of McBride’s men to figure out what that meant.

Adam raced alon after him until a hail of bullets stopped them in their tracks.

They dropped down before one of the cargo cars and found Deputy Thompson with his back pressed against the wall, “THEY’RE TRYING TO DISCONNECT THE CARGO CARS!” he shouted over the sound of the wind.

“If they do that we’re fucked!”

The sheriff turned and looked at Adam, “You go up top,Thompson and I will go distract them from the inside. If you can get your hands on McBride, do it, and keep them from detaching that car.”

Adam nodded and jumped up to catch onto the edge of the car as the two other men prepared themselves to breach the door. Adam had just pulled his feat up when he heard the slame of the door being pushed open and the rapidfire of gunshots. He used the noise as cover to run along the top of the car as th men were distracted.

He could hear voices and more gunfire as the fight concentrated inside that cargo car.

He had just com upon the edge when he looked down, Finding McBride and one other man desperately working to get the clamp undone.

Adam didn't’ waste time.

A sharp gunshot was the only warning McBride and his man had before the second man pitched backwards and fell over the connecting metal clamp.. McBride looked up only to find a gun aimed at his face.

McBride went to pull his weapon but there was a sharp click as Adam fired…. But there was no gunshot.

McBride was still in the process of lifting his weapon as Adam made a last second decision, leaping downwards towards McBride.

The man’s eyes widened, and he jerked to the side. There was a gunshot, but the bullet went wide. A hot flash of searing pain cut along the underside of his ribcage before he slammed into McBride, pitching them both back through the opening and into the cargo car.

They were a mass of tangled rolling limbs as they scrambled to gain the upper hand. McBride grabbed him by the font of the vest with one hand and punched him repeatedly with the other until he was seeing stars. With one last ditch effort he kicked the man in the chest sending him pitching backwards towards the door. McBride landed on the floor with the clatter, and the two of them leaped to their feet.

Adam ran forward throwing a sharp jab at the man’s face which caught him along the cheek. McBride came in close slapping him against a pile of crates, and they ended up clawing at each other, grappling for the other man’s throat like two vicious dogs going for the kill.

Adam Kneed McBride in the stomach sending him staggering back before coming in with a low uppercut to the face.

He reeled backwards hand to his nose.blood already streaming down his face.

Adam looked around desperately for an upper hand, and, surprisingly, found one. A long steel rod stacked up against the wall, likely for use in some kind of construction, and left as scrap.

It grabbed it.

McBride laughed, “What are you going to do with that, hit me over the head with it?”

It was a bit of an enclosed space, but there was still enough room, and Adam spun it in one hand like the shaft of a Drev spear, and crouched low in a ready position point forward, using a stance that he thought was the inferno, before realizing that, somehow he had gotten the foot placing wrong.

That was strange, why had it felt so natural.

Like he had done it before.

He shifted his stance and grinned at McBride motioning him forward, “Why not come see.”

The look on McBride’s face was one of apprehension at first, glancing between Adam and his improvised weapon.

At some point, his pride overtook him, and he came charging forward, likely trying to get inside Adam’s guard before he could strike.

A pity that Adam was trained with the spear, a pity for McBride at least, because instead of swinging the shaft at him from above, he struck forward like a snake, trusting with an overhand grip, that sid the rod don the length of his arm and protruded from just under his triceps.

McBride doubled over, holding to his sternum with a look of agony.

WIth another sharp crack, Adam came down with the reverse end of the spear wheeling it around in a blur and sending the man crashing to the ground, unmoing. He staggered back to his feet bleeding from his lip, and from his nose, and from a cut above his eye. He was seeing stars, but he still had enough energy to hogtie McBride and grab his loaded weapon from the floor before heading into the car.

There was one man left, and with the pressing of cold steel to his temple, the man stopped and raised his hands.

“Might want to put the gun down, partner.” Adam hissed, some measure of sarcasm entering his voice.

The man’s weapon clattered to the ground.

The Sheriff and Thompson stepped from behind cover.

“You get McBride?”

“Yeah I got him, trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey.”

“What happened to your face.”

Adam frowned, and the two other men laughed.

“Thomspon, you take care of McBride, Vir and I are going to check the rest of the train and clean up whatever mess has been left.”

The other man nodded, and Adam fell into step with the Sheriff as they moved up through the inside of the train. All they found at first were scared passengers cowering in their seats, but finally, they met up with a man trying to make his way through one of the doors and into the next car.

Adam and the sheriff aimed their weapons, “Stop right there, your boss has been captured, and it might be best for you to surrender now.”

The man raised his hands wide and scared.

“Come slowly.”

Adam saw what the man was thinking seconds before it happened, and raised his weapon to late as the man went bolting through the door.

He and the sheriff broke into a run chasing after the man and down the length of the train.

They made it to the last car, when the man stopped in the middle, Adam looked up his gun raised to see what had stopped him. Ramirez was coming through the opposite door, whistling tunelessly. His eyes fell on Adam first, “I was wondering when you were going to…. His voice fell away as he saw the man between them.

A clear calculation had gone through the bandit’s head and he raised his gun towards his only hope of exit, and fired.

Ramirez jerked once eyes wide and then….fell backwards as if in slow motion.

Adam screamed, and the two of them raised their weapons at the same time, unable to fire for fear of hitting Ramirez a second time.

The man brushed past him thundering through the door. Adam leapt forward, catching Ramirez just before he hit the ground urging the sheriff forward, “Get that Bastard.”

He knelt on the hard metal floor of the train carriage, holding Ramirez in his arms. The look of shock had still not passed from the other man’s face, and Adam’s hands shook, “Ramirez…… R-ramirez.” His voice quivered a bit as he desperately looked for the bullet wound, sure he was going to see a spot of blood begin leaking across the other man's chest at any moment.”

Ramirez blinked in shock.

“Ramirez! I….Angel, stay with me dammit. Where were you hit!”

Ramirez blinked again reaching up with a shaking hand and began patting at his chest and body brows knit in confusion, “I…. I thought.”

Both of their heads turned, very slowly as they caught sight of a glittering bit of gold lying on the ground before them.

A dented, golden star.

Adam sighed in exasperation relief.

“No friggin way.”

Ramirez stared at the star on the floor, “Huh, ill be damned.” He looked up at Adam, “You know if I had known a nearth death experience would be what it took for you to hold me like this, I might have tried to die sooner.”

Adam harumphed and dropped ramirez unceremoniously to the ground with a thud, “Drama queen.”

Ramirez grunted, “I thought we were having a moment, you using my first name and all.”

“The only moment we are going to have is the moment I put my boot up your ass.”

“Kinky.” Ramirez said, reaching down and picking up the deputy star from the floor inspecting it with some measure of pride. Up ahead the train was beginning to grind to a slow halt.

The Sheriff returned a moment later, dragging the man who had made the ill fated attempt to Kill Ramirez.

He seemed only marginally surprised to see Ramirez on his feet, and laughed when he saw the star, “Well I'll be…. First time I’ve ever seen that happen.”

He looked between the two of them.

“Good work boys, some damn good work.”

***

The capital city stank of horses and mud, but the two men were smiling as the sheriff saw them off at the train station, “We owe you boys a debt of gratitude. Risking your lives like that, and helping us take down McBride and his cronies. This county will be forever grateful.”

The two of them looked down at the gold stars on the front of their vests, and slowly reached up sadly unpinning them from the front of their shirts and holding them out to the sheriff.

The man shook his head, “Keep em. And I’d be glad to work with you again if you ever decide to return. You’ve earned my respect and more.”

The train whistle bored, and the two of them were forced to step inside waving to the sheriff and the other deputies as the train began to roll forward slowly with a soft chug, chug, chug.

Ramirez and Adam left town surprisingly forlorn to watch their friends, and their horses go.

But they had a stack of pictures both print and on their implants. 

The one picture that they both held, was a sepia photo of a group of men standing before the sheriff’s office, all with glittering badges, accept fo the trust up group of men kneeling at their feet. At the Center stood Adam and Ramirez Adam With his hand on McBride’s shoulder like a prise hunt, and Ramirez with his dented golden star.

[marshmallowprotection]

Reverse AU

She didn’t know what it felt like to take a break. 

Well, perhaps there was one point in her life where she knew what they felt like but honestly, she wasn’t going to let herself stop. Her goal was the obliteration of everyone that had ever spurred her to rot in Hell. Her blood boiled every time that she thought of all of the ways that she’d been hurt. 

And? 

It made her want to destroy everything that hurt her to prove that she was stronger, no, that she was better than the rest of them.  She would survive and prove that she was always meant to be on top in the end. It was her promised destiny, the will of paradise, the very scorch of the earth that she’d been given a new chance on, and she wouldn’t lose this chance. 

Her head ached, but there could have been a few reasons for that. She figured off the top of her head that it was the need for another bottle of elixir, and her second guess was the fact that she hadn’t had any rest since her target had been chosen. He was meant to go to the apartment and trick those damn fools. 

He was meant to make them bend and break with his sincere smile and—

Her fingers paused against the keys, staring deeper at the CCTV camera of her target as he continued about his day. He had such a lovely face. He sought to find an identity outside of his twin brother, and his attention brought him to dress like such a prince. It made her heart flutter every time she thought of his handsome features. 

He was perfect. 

He was going to make everything work. 

And yet, she clicked her tongue distastefully. She didn’t want to share him. She didn’t want to send him into the lion’s den with those fools.  Whenever she envisioned him with any of them, it made her blood boil even hotter in a room that was meant to be chilled to keep her from falling asleep. He was better than those liars… than that bastard.

She didn’t want to share. 

She… 

She thought of her Savior, what he would think if he knew what she was thinking, and yet, at that moment, she felt drawn to do something that would get her into trouble. However, if she played her cards right, she could keep the cute prince and manipulate his brother to go into the apartment instead since he wouldn’t be the wiser. 

It might be enough to spurn them to give up in the future if they got close enough to his brother, and then she could manipulate them all one by one until they crumbled beneath the Savior’s feet once and for all. 

That way, paradise could be… united, in the future. 

“Yes, that’s it, that’s what I’ll do, it could work,” she cocked her head as she watched him check his phone, not knowing what was going to happen to him very soon. “I’ll destroy them… I won’t have to share you to do it… haha… haha… hahahahaha! I can get you to help me another way from my side… Savior will understand. He always does.” 

He had saved her when she was so scared and lost, and she now hoped to do the same for someone that she saw herself in. Paradise was welcoming to all, and even if it meant more work for her, she wouldn’t care. As long as she had him, as long as she had paradise, as long as she had her goals, then it would be alright. 

She had to act now when her prince was alone… and she had to do it without informing her Savior, but she was far too excited to stop now that the thought occurred to her. She was the strongest, she was the most trusted member of paradise. She wouldn’t face punishment for furthering their goals, she would be praised. 

Praised as she deserved… 

The thought of those mint eyes looking upon her with pride was all that she wanted. 

“Wait for me, my darling… our paradise awaits.” 

—

“Hey, what’s with that face? You don’t think I’m going to do something horrible to you, do you? I swear I’m not some creep,” the look in her eyes didn’t make that nervous smile on her lips. “I swear, I promise.”

It was almost unnatural how her eyes glimmered with a mint glow to them, but it drew Saeran in for some reason. She beckoned him forward with that friendly smile of hers and he felt compelled to listen. 

It wasn’t like him. 

Well, that is to say, it wasn’t like him to go out on a limb for someone he didn’t know well. Sure, he was kind, and many people would say that he was too selfless of a person but that was why he had answered this girl’s text message after he had found a lost phone. 

Her brown-locks were curly and a bit fringed in front of her eyes, it seemed a little messy but it was a windy day. She was foreign but she had a good grasp of the language. A jacket hung loosely from one shoulder, and a pink cropped tea covered most of her top with just her abdomen showing before it edged into her jeans. 

What stood out about her the most was the almost unnatural glow of her eyes. If he hadn’t had the confidence to meet her gaze, he would have missed the almost cat-like quality of the emerald green in her forest eyes. He wondered if it was because of contacts. He wore some sometimes to make his outfit more cohesive. 

She was starkly contrasted against him, with the pink vest he was wearing and the long bell sleeves of his top. She didn’t seem to think he was out of place nor did he think that of her. It would be brazen of him to call her style strange when they both pushed against society. They were on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Those that rebelled against the common culture with something that made them feel good. For some people that meant that they wore as much leather and shredded jeans as they could, and for others, it meant that they wore enough frills to counter the universe with a smile on their face. She was a punk and he was more princely. 

He wasn’t one to judge others. 

“No,” Saeran said, simply. “But, you know how it is with strangers these days. Everyone is always very wary of others.”

Though, he didn’t budge from his spot. It wasn’t like she posed a threat to him, she was barely five feet tall. He was nearly a head taller than her and even if she tried something, he doubted she’d get very far if she was a threat to him. She was too small, too lithe, and too sincere over the phone to seem like she may try something. 

She flashed her lashes at him and held out her hand to him with injured fingers. There were braces on her joints and carefully wrapped fingers as if she’d worked too hard. 

Something in her eyes lit up again as she giggled. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess it was pretty silly to get so worried about finding my friend’s phone like that. It was nice of you to offer to return it to me. Thank you so much for bringing it back to me, you’re such a prince. I appreciate it.” 

“It was no problem! I was on my way to meet someone anyway, so it wasn’t out of my way,” he said. Against that unease, though, he could feel his heart speed up at the way that she had complimented him. It wasn’t often that someone spoke to him in a way like this or looked at him with intrigue and interest. 

He pulled the phone from his pocket and looked down at it once more. It did strike him as odd that the device was… barren. There was not a thing on it except for a messenger app of all things. He wasn’t going to question what sorts of things people were doing these days but it did kind of bug him to think that it could have been something weird.

Instead of grasping the phone, her fingers pressed tightly against his own over the device. Her hands were ice cold, almost as she had been locked in a deep freeze for a few hours. She was impossibly close now, peering up at him like a very curious kitten.

A part of him wanted to shrug her hand away from his but her eyes had him haunted. 

“You know, you have much prettier eyes in person,” she cooed as his body went stiff. In-person? Did that mean she had seen him before? “I love them… they’re golden. They remind me of the honeysuckle that I’d grow around my home when I was a little girl. Or, wait, the deep glaze of honey from the bees fresh from the hive. It’s you... it’s you, you’re the perfect assistant.” 

Saeran was very concerned now because she was speaking about him as if she had seen him before. He wanted to wrench his hand away from her but she was a lot stronger than she looked, believe it or not. Or, maybe he was just a lot weaker than he thought. What was she talking about? What was she trying to imply? 

“Excuse me?” he asked, his voice light and unsure. “What are you saying?” 

The caramel sweet that had once been her laughter had now had the taste of a pan filled with burned sugar. It was so sweet that it seemed wrong. She cocked her head, “Oh, right. I forgot, prince-y is so too naïve for his own good but that’s my favorite thing about you. You see, I was going to make you play a little game for me but… I just decided I don’t want to share you with them… with him.” 

What? 

Saeran shook his head, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m not—”

“Did you think you had a choice, prince? Oh, that’s so cute!” She countered, her eyes narrowing to a slit, and her hand simply pulling him harder.  “Don’t worry. I’ll be taking you to paradise. Doesn’t that sound sweet? It’s much better than what you’ve been subjected to out here… ignored… neglected, and treated like a doormat by everyone around you. I want to give you the world.”

Saeran shook his head, but there was no arguing with someone that was hiding a weapon stashed in their coat pocket. He could see it, and she knew that he’d seen it. She was armed and there was no way in Hell that he was going to fight that. “What makes you think that you’ll get away with that sort of thing? There are cameras all over the place.” 

It doesn’t matter if he’s bigger than she is. 

That took away the middle man. 

Her smiled widened. “Not much point in cameras if you can hack their feeds to loop the same five minutes over and over again, prince. So, what do you say, are you going to come with me to paradise? Or are you going to make this more difficult for the two of us? Trust me, I don’t mind being cruel with what’s mine but… I don’t want to have to hurt that porcelain face of yours. It’s too precious for my goals.”

Saeran looked around at the street as it was emptied. 

Nobody was around and nobody could do a thing about this. Those cameras… she’d… hacked them? There was no way she had been able to do that, but here she was. What was this even? Had this all been planned from the start? His mind wandered with thoughts that they shouldn’t as he knew that he was trapped like cornered prey.

“You know that I could just run right now, don’t you?” 

“Wouldn’t you have already tried if that was the case?” 

“...” 

“Poor little prince, don’t worry about it. I’m just trying to help you. I know all about you, I know all about how you feel miserably abandoned by your brother… desperately trying to gain attention from the world that ignores you. You’ve been lost for so long… haven’t you? Trying to get by with your smile and faith but it’s exhausting…” 

“You don’t— You don’t know anything about me.” 

How could she? 

Hackers could learn anything and everything about your life if they wanted, right? Was she trying to bluff to get inside of his head? He stiffened at the mention of his brother, not wanting to fixate on the thought. 

He was in the middle of a dangerous situation, this wasn’t the time to focus on Saeyoung or that problem! He could worry about that later when he had the time, this girl wanted something dangerous from him. 

She took his silence as a good sign. “I don’t? What a shame, then I suppose I’ll have to get to know you from this moment forward, won’t I? That’s right. You’re lost but I found you… so, just let go, give up, and let me take you to paradise. I’ll take good care of you.”

“...”

The dejected look in his eyes told her all she needed to know. That sickly sweet laugh of hers echoed in his mind as he gave up, and her backup arrived. 

[labyrinth-runner]

"I... Think I'm in love" with Dan?????

Okay, so I’m writing this one as a sequel to War of Hearts, because it just fit and I hope that’s okay.

Title: Love Heals

Word Count: 3000

Your wedding night was quiet. He helped you with the ties of your gown and then retired to his own room. The bed felt too big for just you alone as you tossed and turned trying to get comfortable. Eventually, you grew tired of it and slipped on your robe before padding down the hall.

You took a steeling breath before gently rapping your knuckles against the door.

The door was open in a matter of seconds and he was looking down at you with concern in his eyes, “Couldn’t sleep?”

“The bed is just...” you trailed off, looking down at your feet. You felt silly, standing in front of this stranger because you couldn’t sleep.

Gently, he tipped your chin back up so that you would look at him, “Would you like to sleep in here?” His voice was soft.

You allowed yourself to nod.

A small smile settled on his lips as he stepped aside for you to enter. 

Tucking your arms behind your back, you stepped into his candlelit room. You noted that his bed wasn’t turned down yet, meaning he hadn’t even gone to bed. As you turned back to him, you realized he was still in his suit.

“What were you doing before I knocked?” you asked curiously as you sat on the edge of the bed.

“I was writing to my estate to have them ready the manor for you,” he replied.

You swallowed the lump in your throat, “You want me to go to the manor without you?”

“It’s to be your home,” he said, brows furrowing.

“But you won’t be there,” you murmured.

“If you would like, you can host as many friends as you want,” he offered as he leaned against his desk.

If you were being honest, you weren’t sure you were ready to leave home and your parents. “How far away is it?”

“Two day’s ride,” he estimated. “It’s in upstate New York. I own an apple orchard.”

Somehow, you could see that. You rested your hands on your hips as you came over to him, “Am I expected to pick these apples?”

“Only if you want to eat or cook with them,” he smirked.

You smiled back, feeling the tension break. Then, you folded your hands in front of you. “When do you have to go back to the frontline?”

“At the end of the week,” he replied, gently reaching forward to take your hands in his. They were warm and slightly rough against your skin as he dragged his thumb back and forth across the backs of your hand.

“You should get some rest,” you said softly, taking your hands back. Your hands trembled slightly as you reached up to unbutton his vest. “At the very least, you should get more comfortable.”

“You don’t have to do that,” he said, taking your hand and kissing your finger tips. “Get some sleep. I’ll join you when I finish this letter.”

You withdrew from him, slightly in relief, and slightly in disappointment. Gingerly, you took your robe off and hung it off the bed post before slipping into bed. After closing your eyes, you let the soft sound of his pen dragging across a page lull you to sleep.

The days passed by swiftly. It wasn’t nearly enough time to truly get to know your husband. Soon enough, you found yourself at the train station about to say goodbye.

“Well, this next one is mine,” he murmured as you stood there on the platform.

“Will you write to me?” you asked, a little too eagerly.

“If you wish it,” he said with a slight smile. “Although, I don’t suppose that my stories of war would be pleasant to hear.”

“If you don’t wish to talk about war, then romance me instead,” you shot back.

A slight tinge of pink settled into his cheeks. “Alright, Mrs. Torrance. I think I can do that.”

Mrs. Torrance. It was like an arrow to your heart.

His train pulled up to the station and he gave you an apologetic look. “I wish we had more time.”

“Win the war and you’ll be back before you know it,” you replied with a soft smile. “Be safe, Captain Torrance.”

“I’ll try to come back to you in one piece,” he said, taking your hand and giving it a squeeze.

It wasn’t enough for the occasion. He was going off to fight and you might never see him again. Sure, you barely knew him and had only been married for a week, but a hand squeeze was not enough for the gravity of the situation. You tipped up on your toes to kiss his cheek, letting your lips linger on his skin for a moment more than you would have a week ago.

“Good bye, Captain,” you said as you pulled back.

“Good bye, my dear,” he grinned before saluting the superior officer ushering troops onto the train.

You stayed on the platform longer than necessary, not moving from your spot until the train was far into the distance and had disappeared around the bend. Then, you got into the carriage with all your things atop it and rode for your new home.

                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The manor sprawled in front of you. An orchard engulfed the horizon around the house and you could not help the smile on your face. It was so much grander than he had told you. 

As the carriage pulled up the drive, you let a small chuckle escape your lips. This was your home? It was so much more than you could have imagined. Stepping out of the carriage, the cool, crisp air filled your lungs. It was so much cleaner than the city.

Hired help unloaded your bags into the manor as you went up the stairs of the porch. 

“Mrs. Torrance, this was left for you,” the butler said before handing you a letter.  

You took it, walking absentmindedly through the house as you explored.  

Eventually, you happened upon what you figured was your husband’s study. Books lined the walls and a large brown mahogany desk sat amidst it all. You ran your hand along the leather chair before sitting down and opening the letter.

Dear wife,

If you’re reading this, then you have arrived at Helen Rivington Estate without me. It’s something I would have liked to avoid. After all, I should have carried you across the threshold as any husband ought. I can only hope that absence will make the heart grow fonder. In lieu of my physically being there, I thought I would leave you a little hunt around the grounds to show you my favorite places.

Until we meet again,

Dan

You flipped the letter over and found a series of clues. A grin broke across your face as you started off on your quest.

The hunt took you all around the estate as you found little clues and poems that let you get to know the man you had married more and more. By the end of it all, you found yourself in a secret library behind the room you’d started in. Light streamed in through a stained glass window, coating a plush chair in a warm glow. If the room outside was your husband’s study, then this would be your special place that you could go to be close to him when he needed to work.

You sat down on the chair and started to pen your first letter to him, telling him all about your day’s adventures. Words flowed freely with more ease than earlier that week. You were comfortable with who you were, and what it would be like to be Mrs. Torrance.

It was the first letter of many that the two of you sent back and forth for months while he was away. With each stroke of the pen you fell more and more in love with him. Rarely did he ever mention the war, true to his earlier statement. Although, sometimes you wish he had. You wanted to know what life was like for him. You wanted to share in his struggles and emotional hardships. 

Every response contained a small couplet of a poem that he wrote for you, usually based upon the contents in your letter. However, they always made you smile. Although he wasn’t home, his letters made it feel as if he were only a moment away at all times. It made the loneliness of the vast estate and the quiet of your bedchambers more bearable as it filled with your laughter at his words.

And then the letters stopped.

You weren’t sure if it was something you had done or if something had happened, but you went through your days with a pit in your stomach. Something was wrong, but you didn’t know what. Weeks without correspondence turned to months and you found yourself retreating back into your worries and sadness. Part of you debated returning home to surround yourself with those you knew and loved.

The idea was growing more and more appealing as the seasons changed and you found yourself pulling the shawl tighter around yourself as you walked in the orchard. You had sent staff home for the season and were walking through the rows of trees with a basket in hand. Absentmindedly, you picked apples and placed them into the basket, letting the silence surround you.

Then you heard it.

The familiar clip clop of horses hooves up the gravel drive. 

You stood in disbelief, sure that you were hearing things until you saw the carriage come down the drive. The basket fell from your hands and you hiked up your skirts. You scrambled over fallen apples and tree roots to get back up the drive. 

Your heart hammered in your chest as you took in the body on the back of the cart. 

“No,” you whispered, dropping your gown. You walked towards the carriage in a haze.

“Ma’am, are you Mrs. Torrance?” the man driving the cart asked.

“Yes,” you breathed as he came to a stop.

The man nodded and got into the back of the carriage. “Come on, Danny. You’re home,” he said as he pulled a man up into a position so that he could help him walk.

You let out a breath of relief. He’s alive. Then, you rushed over to help the man carry your husband into the house. Together, the two of you managed to get him into bed.

“What happened?” you asked the man who had brought him.

“The Captain was sent sprawling from canon fire after being shot in the arm. We were deep in the South for weeks. I’m surprised he lasted as many skirmishes as he did. Then, he got hit down in Georgia. The camp doc was able to get the bullet out of his arm and disinfect it. It won’t go green on you, but he can’t shoot in this condition. If he can’t shoot, he’s better off staying home,” the man explained. “Besides, the doc said that being home with his lovely wife would recover him faster than seeing our ugly mugs.”

You had to crack a smile at that.

“Ma’am, if I may be so bold,” the man replied, “Your husband is one of the bravest men I’ve ever known. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

“Thank you,” you murmured, seeing the other man out the door. 

After he left, you returned to the side of the bed with some fresh water and cloths. Gently, you dabbed at your husband’s face, cleaning off the dirt and ash that had settled there.

“I must look like a mess,” he murmured, eyes still closed.

“No worse than when I married you,” you teased.

“You wound me more than any bullet could,” he smirked, opening his eyes to look at you. They softened as he saw the worry lines etched on your face. Gently, he reached up with his good arm to swipe away a tear you hadn’t noticed.

You covered his hand with your own, leaning into his touch. “When you didn’t respond,” you sniffled, “I thought the worst. I thought you were killed or that you regretted this.”

“Oh, sweetheart, never,” he sighed, rubbing his thumb along your cheek. “I promised you I’d come back.”

“In one piece, Captain,” you shot back.

“Dan,” he smirked. “If you’re going to yell at me, at least use my given name.”

You couldn’t stay mad at him. It was in that moment that you realized, full and truly that you loved him. Yet, in the back of your mind, you remembered all the constraint of your wedding night and the distance he had purposely put between the two of you.

“We’ve got to clean you up,” you replied. “If your face is this dirty, I can’t imagine what the rest of you is like.”

Dan winced as you helped him sit up before gently starting to disrobe his torso. 

Avoiding eye contact, you set to work smoothing a clean cloth over his body, working in slow circles to clear the caked on dirt and grime. 

“You’re holding your breath,” you murmured, looking up at him through your lashes as you focused on his chest.

“You’re so close,” he replied.

“I’m your wife,” you said with a chuckle, “Is it so wrong that I am close?”

“No,” he swallowed, “I’m just not used to it.”

You nodded, finishing up your work. “I’ll wash your uniform. Let me just find you some replacement clothes first.”

“I can dress myself,” he quickly said.

You gave him a skeptical look. “If you need me, call for me. I should start dinner soon.”

He nodded, watching you as you left.

As the door clicked shut behind you, a feeling of disappointment washed over you. It wasn’t a flat out rejection, but it felt like one. Perhaps you were overthinking it. You shoved it aside and decided to work at the matter at hand, nursing your husband back to health.

                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the next couple of weeks, the two of you grew closer. You’d talk in the sun room over tea; you’d read together in the study; you even showed him how you had redecorated the secret library to suit your interests. Discussion flowed just as easily now as it had in your letters. Yet, every time you’d make physical progress towards intimacy, he’d pull back. 

It was infuriating. 

One day, while you were picking apples in the fields together, you confronted him. “Why do you always pull away when I get close?”

Dan stopped a few paces behind you while still holding the basket, “What do you mean?”

“Whenever I get too close to you, you pull away. It’s like we take three steps forward and two steps back,” you sighed, turning back to face him. Gently, you took the basket from him and placed it on the ground to take his hand. 

He interlocked his fingers with yours, “I don’t always.”

“Dan,” you murmured. “I....think I’m in love.”

He dropped your hand and shook his head. “You can’t mean that.”

“I can, and I do,” you pleaded.

He was pulling away yet again, but this time you wouldn’t let him. Gripping the collar of his shirt, you pulled him down to your level and kissed him. To your surprise, he started to kiss back. His arm snaked around your waist to pull you flush against him before he pinned you to a tree. His hand came up to cup the side of your face as he deepened the kiss. Your mind was racing as you registered the feeling of his soft lips against yours. How someone could kiss in such a loving, yet passionate way was new to you. Eventually, you broke the kiss for air.

“I thought you didn’t-” you started.

“I love you,” Dan said sincerely.

“But-”

He gave you another quick kiss. “I know you didn’t want this, so I didn’t want to push you.”

“I didn’t at first,” you admitted, leaning your head back against the tree trunk to look up at him. “But, then I got to know you and I fell in love with you.”

“Oh?” he asked with a large grin on his face. 

“Yes,” you grinned back. “I’m proud to be Mrs. Torrance.”

Without warning, he scooped you up in his arms. 

“Danny!” you laughed as you wrapped your arms around his neck. “What are you doing?”

“If you remember correctly, I told you that I wanted to carry you into our home when you moved in here,” Dan told him. “I plan to do that.”

You rested your head on his shoulder. “I won’t protest.”

He carried you through the house and towards the bedroom. As he opened the door with his back, you heard the distant sound of bells.

“What’s that about?” you asked curiously.

Dan beamed as he looked down at you. “The war’s over. Those are the celebration bells.”

“So you’re home for good now?” you asked, trying to keep the obvious glee from your voice.

“I’m home for good,” he grinned before kissing you deeply as he lowered you to the bed.