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mxliv-oftheendless · 5 years ago

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The Bridge of the Demonic Goatman (Part 2)

Because this story is way too long to post all in one place, I’ve been forced to post it in parts. Part 1 has already been posted. Here is Part 2, where Gene, Vinnie, and Paul, go into the woods.

Also, I realize how shitty the editing here is. Because Tumblr is being a fucking bitch (so y’know, the usual for Tumblr), this is how it’s gonna have to be. You should be able to figure out who’s speaking, though. Enjoy!

GENE [voiceover]: Perhaps more foreboding than the bridge is the woods that lies beyond it. It is rumored that for nearly a hundred years, people have disappeared near the bridge or in the surrounding woods. Along with the Goatman, people have reported seeing the ghostly figure of a woman and hearing the sounds of a woman’s voice or laughter. There have also been sightings of flashing lights.

[Paul, Gene, and Vinnie are now walking through the woods. Like on the bridge, the only parts of the forest we see are the parts lit up by their camera flashlights. Everything else is pitch-black]

PAUL: Okay, I will admit… this is pretty creepy.

GENE: I feel like I’m in every damn horror movie I’ve ever seen, and I hate it.

VINNIE: This reminds me of the time I went camping with my Boy Scout troupe.

PAUL: You don’t seem the type to have been in a Boy Scout troupe.

VINNIE: I wasn’t. My dad made me sign up. He let me quit after fifth grade, though.

PAUL: Oh, okay.

GENE: Guys, seriously… I’m gettin’ pretty nervous now. [shouts into the woods] Is there anyone out there?

PAUL: [shouts] Hello!

[there is no response apart from crickets. They continue walking]

GENE: People usually report being overcome with emotion in here.

VINNIE: Like…

GENE: Like, a violent emotion.

PAUL: Do you feel that way?

GENE: Uh, no. I don’t.

PAUL: Okay, good.

GENE: Not yet, at least.

PAUL: Just give me and Vinnie a heads-up when you start to feel… murder-y.

GENE: Yeah, I��ll do that.

PAUL: Great.

VINNIE: Thanks, Gene.

GENE [voiceover]: These woods are rumored to be the sight of Satanic rituals, attempting to conjure demonic entities. One paranormal investigator claimed to have found animal remains, suggesting evidence of sacrificial rituals. In fact, one local police officer told us that local pet stores stopped selling cats due to the amount of sacrificed cats being found in these woods.

Oh my God, they killed the cats? Did any survive?

Uh, no, not that I know of.

Those poor cats…

By the way, I forgot to mention, these woods are also dangerous because of the people that may be in there.

I mean, people can be greater threats than demons or ghouls, so… that’s fair.

I just realized we don’t have a way to defend ourselves if we get attacked by a person.

We probably won’t get attacked, Gene.

I have a keychain knife if that happens.

Oh, well good. If we get attacked, we’ll just let Vinnie save us.

I don’t think a keychain knife will—

The nutcases that live in the woods will cower in fear before Vinnie Vincent and his mighty keychain knife.

*wheeze* Ha ha…

*sigh* Never mind.

You’re my hero, Vinnie.

Thank you.

[cut back to Gene, Paul, and Vinnie walking through the forest]

GENE: Is there anybody out here?

PAUL: Any… Any cultists? Any Satanists? Anyone up to some crazy cult stuff out here?

VINNIE: Anyone cutting off the head of a defenseless, innocent cat?

PAUL: Still mad about that, huh?

VINNIE: Yes.

[they continue walking, swinging their flashlights around]

GENE: Y’know, guys, I feel like we might genuinely come to close to dying some episode.

PAUL: You think so?

GENE: Yeah… Who in their right mind would go actively searching for ghosts and demons, and make more than one attempt to contact them?

VINNIE: Ah, but remember, Genie: if we’re doing that, then clearly we’re not in our right mind.

GENE: … I guess that’s fair. [he stops and points his flashlight off to the side of the path]

PAUL: You hear something?

GENE: Yeah, I thought I—oh fuck! [camera cuts to looking into the bushes, lit up by Gene’s flashlight] I saw something move. I don’t what’s over there, but I saw the bushes move.

[they move closer to the bushes]

PAUL: [shouts] Hello?

VINNIE: Anybody there?

GENE: Hello? [pause in which nothing happens] Christ…

PAUL: I did see the bush move…

GENE: [swings his flashlight as he looks around] Did you hear that?

VINNIE: Hear what?

GENE: I heard a scream.

PAUL: You sure?

GENE: I’m serious, I heard a scream.

FOOTAGE REPLAY: when Gene, Paul, and Vinnie are looking into the bushes.

PAUL: I did see the bush move…

[in the background, amongst the sounds of crickets, there is the sound of a female scream]

[the footage replays over again and the scream is heard again]

GENE: Hello?

PAUL: Anyone out there?

[silence]

PAUL: What if we pretend we’re in on it?

VINNIE: Like we’re cultists as well?

PAUL: Yeah.

GENE: I want to tell you to not do that… but I also know you’re gonna do it anyway.

PAUL: Yep. [shouts aloud] We’re here for the cult stuff!

VINNIE: We saw the ad on Craigslist!

GENE: Do you seriously think a cult would advertise itself on Craigslist?

VINNIE: It’s Craigslist, Gene. It’s the only place that would let a cult advertise itself.

[there is still silence]

PAUL: Oh well.

GENE: Let’s keep walking. I don’t want to stay in the same place for too long.

[they continue walking. Along the way they pass a sign with unreadable graffiti letters spray-painted on it]

PAUL: You nervous, Gene?

GENE: Very nervous.

PAUL: Don’t worry. Remember, Vinnie’s got his keychain knife. He’s ready to stab a bitch.

VINNIE: [nods] Yep.

FOOTAGE REPLAY: as Gene, Vinnie, and Paul walk past the sign.

Paul: He’s ready to stab a bitch.

[in the background, there is another distant scream, this time sounding male]

[the footage replays again and the scream is heard again]

[Gene, Paul, and Vinnie come to a spot where branches stick out, forming something that looks a little like a structure]

PAUL: Hey, check this out. Looks kind of like a house… Perhaps a house where witches gathered? To make spells and curses? To summon dark spirits?

GENE: [hisses] Shut up, Paul.

[they move to stand in the middle of the structure and look around]

VINNIE: This doesn’t look like a human-made house.

PAUL: Who knows, Vinnie, maybe it wasn’t made by a human at all…

GENE: I’m gonna kill you, Paul. [suddenly turns and points his flashlight into the woods] Did you hear that?

FOOTAGE REPLAY: Paul, Gene, and Vinnie standing in the middle of the structure.

GENE: I’m gonna kill you, Paul.

[a quiet voice is heard, a male voice yelling “Fuck!”]

GENE: Did you hear that?

[footage replays over again]

VINNIE: Hear what?

GENE: A voice, I thought I heard a voice.

PAUL: Who’s out there? Are you a cult member? [Paul moves out of the structure further into the trees. Vinnie follows with Gene behind Vinnie]

PAUL: C’mon out!

GENE: Paul—

PAUL: Take off your cloak!

VINNIE: Release the cat you’re about to murder.

[they move closer together as they walk. There is complete silence. Gene suddenly stops and startles]

GENE: Ah!

[Paul and Vinnie look. It’s a bush]

VINNIE: [smiling slightly] Just a plant, Gene.

PAUL: [definitely smiling wider than Vinnie] You got scared by a plant?

GENE: Shut up, this forest is messing with my head.

[all three of them suddenly turn around]

FOOTAGE REPLAY: right before they turn around.

GENE: Shut up, this forest is messing with my head.

[there is a barely audible sound of a snapping branch. They all turn around]

[footage replays over again]

GENE: Did you hear that?

VINNIE: I definitely heard that.

PAUL: Yep, me too.

[they move over to where they heard the sound]

GENE: Oh God…

PAUL: Who’s out there?

VINNIE: I’ve got a knife!

[silence]

PAUL: If there are any cultists out here, I must warn you, we have protection.

GENE: Goddammit, Paul, shut up!

PAUL: [ignoring him] We’ve got a keychain knife, and a water gun!

VINNIE: It’s holy water!

[silence]

PAUL: Well, I was right. There’s no one out here. Though that branch snapping was suggestive.

GENE: Yeah. Let’s leave.

GENE [voiceover]: Multiple investigators have picked up on the name “Steve” through EVP and spirit box sessions, perhaps the name that the Goatman or another entity is going by.

I’m sorry… Steve?

Yep. Steve.

… So you’re saying that if the Goatman truly exists, and it’s really the Goatman’s voice investigators pick up… he’s using the name Steve?

That’s pretty much it, yeah.

*snickering* That’s so fucking stupid…

What fucking demon wakes up in the morning and thinks, “You know what would be a really frightening name? Steve!” Are you making this up?

I am not making this up.

God, what a fucking copout…

GENE [voiceover]: Overall, this Goatman entity and/or the other possible entities that haunt the bridge and these woods are said to be extremely dangerous and physical with those who encounter them. People have reported being thrown, dragged, and struck, and multiple people have claimed to be scratched three times, a reportedly common occurrence in demonic attacks that is a symbolic mocking of the Holy Trinity. People have also claimed to be overcome with feelings of aggression and violence. In one instance, an investigator had envisioned murdering her entire team of investigators.

[back to the woods with Gene, Paul, and Vinnie. Gene has the spirit box in his hands]

PAUL: And we’re breaking out the spirit box again, huh?

VINNIE: This’ll be interesting, we’ve never used it to talk to a demon before.

GENE: Yeah, so… we’ll see how this goes. Okay, I’m turning it on. It’s gonna be loud.

[Gene turns on the spirit box. Immediately there is loud white noise]

GENE: So just as a reminder, this spirit box is flipping through radio stations at an incredibly fast rate. Every two-tenths of a second, it switches to a different channel, and it produces white noise. And conceivably, spirits could use this to communicate with us.

PAUL: Or a demon in this case.

GENE: Or a demon, thank you, Paul. If we hear a voice saying more than one word, then the chances are very good that it’s a spirit, or a demon, talking to us.

VINNIE: Can I ask first?

GENE: Sure.

VINNIE: Okay. [raises his voice] Is there anyone here with us?

[white noise is the only response]

PAUL: Let me try. [raises voice] Is there a Goatman here with us?

[more white noise. Then there is a sudden, very noticeable noise from the spirit box]

GENE: What the fuck was that?

VINNIE: Ask again!

PAUL: Is there a demon here with us?

[from the spirit box, we hear a voice saying “Stop”]

PAUL: Is there a Goatman here? We kicked you off your bridge, Goatman; got anything to say about that?

[white noise. Then a voice says what sounds like “Goatman”]

GENE: That sounded like “Goatman.”

PAUL: Say your name.

FOOTAGE REPLAY: Gene is holding the spirit box. We see Vinnie listening over his shoulder.

[white noise, then the voice saying “Goatman”]

[the footage, and the voice, play over again: “Goatman”]

GENE: Is Steve here?

VINNIE: How did you come up with the name “Steve”? You didn’t think any other name was better than that?

[more white noise. Then a voice: “Bridge”]

GENE: I heard “bridge.”

[more white noise. Then another voice, that sounds like the same voice as before: “Steve”]

VINNIE: I heard “Steve.”

AUDIO REPLAY:

[white noise]

“bridge”

[white noise]

“Steve”

GENE [voiceover]: Based on the response from the spirit box, we’ll be ending our investigation by returning to the apparent epicenter of activity: Old Alton Bridge. Once there, we will perform a ritual that we have never performed before on this show, and that I have never done before in my life.

Wait, you’ve never used a Ouija board before?

Nope.

Seriously?

Yeah, seriously. I don’t screw with that stuff, man.

Gene, you’re willing to use a spirit box but not a Ouija board? C’mon…

Even I’VE used a Ouija board before.

Okay, listen, spirit boxes are different from Ouija boards. Ouija boards… they have the potential to unleash an angry spirit.

C’mon, Gene, people use Ouija boards at parties. They used to sell them at Toys ‘R Us. They’re not that scary.

You would say that… Can we just get this over with?

[Gene, Paul, and Vinnie are sitting in the middle of the bridge around the Ouija board. Candles are lit around them. Gene is standing, holding a large box of salt, while Paul and Vinnie are sitting on the bridge]

GENE: I just want to say for the record that this still seems incredibly stupid. We’re opening a doorway, and calling a goddamn demon to talk with us. But, luckily, I have protection. [Vinnie snorts] Shut up, Vinnie. For protection, I’m going to do this.

[Gene walks in a circle around the candles, pouring out the salt]

PAUL: A salt circle. Good idea, Gene.

[Gene finishes pouring out the salt and sets the box aside. He steps into the circle and sits down, and all three place their hands on the planchette]

GENE: So we just place our hands on the planchette and relax them. If there are spirits, then the planchette will move, because they’re moving it. Not because one of us is moving it. Got that, Paul?

PAUL: I wasn’t gonna move it! I wasn’t even thinking of moving it!

GENE: You say, unconvincingly.

PAUL: Whatever, Gene.

VINNIE: I will say, every time I’ve seen a video of someone using a Ouija board, they’re always going, “Whoa!” very dramatically. Like, you can clearly tell they’re playing it up for views.

PAUL: Are they very clearly moving it themselves?

VINNIE: Most of the time, yes. But none of us are going to move it, so… we’ll see what happens.

PAUL: So how do we start?

GENE: I guess by saying our names.

PAUL: Okay, you go first.

GENE: Fine. [out loud] This is Gene.

[they move the planchette across the board to spell out Gene’s name]

PAUL, GENE, and VINNIE: G, E, N, E.

PAUL: I’m Paul. [they spell out Paul’s name]

PAUL, GENE, and VINNIE: P, A, U, L.

GENE: [muttering] Still can’t believe we’re doing this…

VINNIE: And I’m Vinnie. [they spell out Vinnie’s name]

PAUL, GENE, and VINNIE: V, I, N, N, I, E.

GENE: Is there anyone out here, who would like to speak with us?

[silence. They all wait, looking down at the board. The planchette does not move]

PAUL: I just thought of something. If you put salt around us, doesn’t that mean Goatman can’t get to the Ouija board?

VINNIE: … Oh, God, you’re right. Gene—

GENE: But the salt would trap him in here with us. That’s what we want.

PAUL: Well yeah, but what if he was outside the circle when you did it?

GENE: … Well, what do you want me to do about it?

PAUL: Give him an entrance.

GENE: [pauses, then sighs heavily] Fine. [he turns his body around, without taking his hands off the planchette, and blows at the salt] Vinnie, you blow by you.

[Vinnie turns and blows at the salt. Paul does the same, and takes one hand off the planchette and brushes some of the salt away]

PAUL: There. There’s your opening, Steve.

[Vinnie laughs]

[they all turn back around to the Ouija board, and Paul puts his hand back on the planchette]

GENE: If there’s anyone out there that wants to speak with us, now’s the time. What’s your name?

[for a couple beats of silence, there is nothing. Then…]

VINNIE: Oh my God.

PAUL: Oh shit.

GENE: Oh, fuck…

[the planchette is moving, very, very slowly, across the board]

GENE: Fucking—Paul, are you moving it?

PAUL: I swear to God, I’m not moving it. Are you?

GENE: No, I’m not moving it! Vinnie?

VINNIE: I am not moving it.

[they watch the planchette move]

PAUL: It’s going pretty slow.

GENE: If it spells out “Steve”…

VINNIE: If it spells out “Steve” I might start going back to church.

[the planchette moves over the letter “S”]

PAUL: Go faster, you demon fuck!

[Gene and Vinnie jump. Then they start to laugh, Vinnie harder than Gene]

VINNIE: Jesus Christ, Paul…

GENE: Just dropped all decorum, huh?

PAUL: [laughing] I wanted to see if I could catch it off-guard.

GENE: Okay… Well, we have an “S.”

PAUL: How about this? If you can’t spell out your name, then this bridge is officially mine!

GENE: Dammit, Paul…

VINNIE: Seems fair to me.

PAUL: Yeah, it’s perfectly fair.

[the planchette has slowly moved up to the letter “G”]

GENE: I thought it was going for the “E,” but no, that’s “G”.

VINNIE: “G” for Gene?

PAUL: He does know your name. Maybe it’s you he wants, Gene.

GENE: I’m ignoring you two.

[camera circles around Gene, Paul, and Vinnie, looking down at the Ouija board as intense music plays]

GENE: All right, demon, this is your last chance. Tell us your name.

PAUL: Remember the deal.

GENE: [sighs] Okay, yeah, fine. If you can’t spell out your name, it’s Paul’s bridge.

[silence. They wait. Nothing happens]

VINNIE: Well, I guess that settles it.

PAUL: [loudly] This bridge is mine now!

[they take their hands off the planchette]

GENE: Guess that’s it.

PAUL: Ouija boards are crap.

VINNIE: Guys, we still have to close it.

GENE: Oh right.

PAUL, GENE and VINNIE: [move the planchette across “GOODBYE”] G, O, O, D, B, Y, E. [they take their hands off the planchette]

PAUL: Goodbye!

VINNIE: Goodbye, Goatman!

GENE: All right, let’s clean up and get the hell out of here.

[they move to clear away the salt and blow out the candles]

PAUL: Got anything you wanna say, Gene? You were pretty anxious about this all night.

GENE: I mean, I would say I’m feelin’ pretty good right now. I conquered it.

VINNIE: Yeah, you did. We’re proud of you, Genie.

GENE: I’ll just say goodbye, how about that?

PAUL: Yeah, gloat a bit, Gene. This is a win for you.

GENE: [raises his voice] Well, demons… this has been fun. It’s been real… real weird, but hey. So… goodbye. See ya.

PAUL: [picks up a candle and holds it up] As we snuff these candles, so too do we snuff you from this mortal world. [blows out the candle] You fucking cowards.

[Vinnie laughs]

GENE: Paul, if you get dragged off this bridge and thrown into the river, I won’t come and rescue you.

PAUL: He says unconvincingly.

[as Gene’s voice narrates, we see a montage of footage from the entire night]

GENE [voiceover]: Nobody knows why the Goatman and surrounding entities haunt this area, and even though we never encountered anything, I personally don’t doubt its existence. Either way, we have once again opened the door for a dark entity to enter our lives. There is a small part of my mind that is disappointed we never saw him, but I would be lying if I said I also wasn’t a little relieved. Regardless, whether or not the Goatman’s Bridge is truly infested will remain… UNSOLVED.

[as the credits roll, we cut back to the car. Gene is driving, Vinnie is in the passenger seat, and Paul is in the backseat. Through the windshield, we can see dawn slowly breaking]

VINNIE: I’m sorry, I still can’t get over the fact that the Goatman supposedly goes by the name Steve. [Paul laughs] That’s so fucking lame.

GENE: This experience has taught me nothing, except that you two are fucking weirdos. You know that, right?

PAUL: Ah, you love us.

GENE: I wouldn’t call it “love.”

VINNIE: He says unconvincingly.

BUZZFEED UNSOLVED SUPERNATURAL

What unsolved mystery do you want to see next?

#kiss unsolved #kiss unsolved supernatural #paul is a troll #seriously I made him such a troll XD #gene is freaking out even if he'll deny it #vinnie is mad about the cats #honestly I was too #a moment of silence for the cats #also I've been informed that the correct term for vinnie is a reeder #apparently on buzzfeed unsolved that's become their name for the neutral one #shout out to kategwidt for letting me know #so yeah that's kiss unsolved #if you guys want to see a true crime one please feel free to suggest it!#i'm thinking since there's three of them i'll have vinnie cover the true crime #y'know since he's kind of an unsolved mystery himself #kiss au writing #my writing #hope you guys enjoyed this crazy story!#I swear to jesus Christ on a fucking tricycle it shouldn't have been this hard to post this damn thing...#fuck tumblr

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ashiemochi · 3 years ago

Note

Can demon 😈 nonnie politely ask RE4 Leon to beat the shit out of a customer who won't take no for an answer? Pretty please? I'll give the Mochi dearest a present if they do!

(No I'm not asking because this hasn't been my exact situation at work for the past week, why do you ask, what are ya, a cop? Get off my gears.)

(...... okay maybe it has. Demon 😈 nonnie wants a little badassery to keep them going through the day.....

I'll bring presents next time Mochi dear. Work has kind of sucked me dry....)

only for you bc you provided so much for me <3

Anyone could see you were struggling with the rude middle-aged man. You had been checking out his groceries - which were a lot - for a while that a line formed behind him. Your co-workers were giving you pity looks and some kept glancing at you if you needed help.

"Okay that'll be $296.75."

The man gave you his credit card, nearly tossing it onto the counter and you brushed it off as him having a bad day (which was true). You slid the card and it let out a disappointing beep. You eyed at him but he didn't seem bothered. He was impatient though.

You had done it again yet still - rejected.

"Uhm, sir, your card has been declined."

And that was about it - which got you to this point. Him shouting his lungs out at you whilst you were trying to keep things civil. You didn't have time for this - you missed breakfast and you were supposed to be on a lunch break now. Yet here you are, wasting your precious time with a psychotic version of a male Karen.

'I'm a trusted member of society! I served in the military for five years!' He yelled.

'You're scamming me because you want my dollars!' He continued.

'Sir, your card is declined. There's nothing I can do about it - you could pay in cash?' You suggested, feeling nervous.

'No! My card works! Your machine's just busted! The customer is always right!'

God forbid whoever came up with that last sentence and you hoped they'd be six feet underground by now.

You stumbled back when he tried to yank you, gasping a little before calling out, "Security!"

Little did you know, another man was silently watching everything unfold as he was the one waiting for this mad fuck to finish his tantrum and leave.

"Hey, hey!" The blond-haired man set his grip on the 'military' man's shoulder to take a step back, "This isn't her fault - just step back."

"Who are you to tell me what to do?! I'm being wronged!" The man shoved the pretty guy away, receiving furrowed brows.

"Sir, just please calm down-" You tried again as you glanced around you and saw your manager calling for security, giving you an affirmed nod that they were on the way.

"Calm down my ass! I deserve to get these for free since you're being such a fucking bitch for no reason! I could get you fired!"

The agent silently set his basket on the counter before tapping the man's shoulder, almost too lightly that it was actually intimidating. The man twisted around with a harsh glare and an open mouth for more cusses only for white to flash in front of his eyes. He fell down onto his back, eyes stinging with tears along with his nose burning in pain.

You covered your mouth in shock, gasping sharply at what just happened, wide eyes settling on the..... Oh god, a handsome man.

"You're holding up the damn line, old man." The agent scowled as he lowered his fist, "So, do everyone a favour - either pay upfront or get the hell outta here."

"Y-you - you," The man stuttered, nearly panicking as he uncovered his nose to see blood coating his hand, "You fucking maniac! You broke my nose!"

The agent rolled his eyes, "Should be nothing if you really served this country."

The man struggled to stand up, hissing and cussing as he wiped his blood with his sleeve (though it was useless bc more blood came out), "This is an unfair crime! I could get you in jail for this! You will rot with all those disgusting criminals like you and this whore!"

The agent's eyes narrowed, almost challenging him as he picked up on the security coming through the doors, "Sure," The agent crossed his arms against his broad chest, "Then you wouldn't mind if they checked the cameras, right? After all, it's all about being fair."

"You mother fucker-"

The security man ordered, eyes glaring at both the agent and the man, "Gentlemen, I'm going to ask you two to leave."

"Nah, man!" A random bystander exclaimed, disappointed as he defended the agent, "That man helped out the lady from this crazy dude! You should take him away - not this guy!"

The security guy looked at you with a trusted gaze, "Is that true, ma'am?"

Eyes widening as you swallowed, you felt anxious under the agent's azul surprised stare and the security's one, "Yeah, this gentleman is okay - he... He helped me."

The security guy nodded and began taking away the crazed rambling man, yelling at how this was injustice and the president will hear about this. Talk about Draco and his line of 'wait till my father hears about this!"

"You okay?" The agent's voice was gentle, sliding his basket towards you and you flashed him a nervous smile, clearly shaken up.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? I mean, he shoved you." You began checking out his items almost shakingly because of the little incident and the man chuckled.

"Yeah, I didn't end up on the floor though." He flashed you a grin and you giggled a little.

You finished ringing up his groceries and setting them into their plastic bags. The man pulled out his wallet, "Okay, how much will that be?"

"On the house." You replied with a small smile, earning an amused one from him.

"No, no, I can't-"

"Please? I don't know how else I can repay you."

The man's lips twitched at you before ticking his head to the side, "When do you finish your shift?"

"Oh! Uhm..." You glanced at your watch then back at him, "In about an hour, why?"

His charming smile widened, "You could repay me back with some of your time."

Is he really asking you out on a date?!

"O-oh! Well, uhm..."

"Just say yes, oh my god!" There's that bystander goes again.

The man chuckled when you giggled then you nodded, "Okay."

"Great, I'll wait for you outside." The man took his plastic bags, flashed you a wink and began walking away.

Your cheeks turned red as you faced your next customer only to hear a whistle.

"Catch!"

A protein bar landed on your hand (with a bit of fumbling of course but boy can he toss) and you looked up at him with a surprised look.

"That's lunch, oh and," The guy grinned toothily, "Name's Leon."

#leon s kennedy x reader #leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #leon kennedy x reader #resident evil #resident evil infinite darkness #cupid answers #leon scott kennedy #leon kennedy x reader smut #leon kennedy thirst hours #leon kennedy x fem reader #leon kennedy x you #whumpie 😈 nonnie <3

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years ago

Text

What’s yours is mine 1

Warnings: nonconsent and rape, allusions to abuse, stalking, possessiveness, pregnancy, and more tags to be added.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Pairing: dark!Ransom Drysdale x pregnant!Reader

Summary: After five years, your past is far behind you but just as you think you can live your happily ever after, your ex shows up at the worst moment.

Note: I couldn’t sleep and ended up writing this and it will not be a long ongoing series but it will be a few parts. But Roo you say that all the time. Yes, well, I’m trying and I’m sorry but I’m gonna try to not be the worst.

Hope you enjoy it. Thank you. Love you guys!

Please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

“Oh my god, is that really you?” the voice made you stand stalk straight.

You took a breath and forced a smile before you turned to the indomitable woman. You never expected to see Linda again, not after you broke up with her son almost five years ago. And there she was, as rigid and righteous as ever, her thin lips curved in a mocking grin.

“Linda,” you greeted her in a singsong and looked around the grocery store. You never went to the overpriced organic market but your local shop didn’t have dragonfruit and you had a painful craving, “how are you?”

“Darling, I’m just great,” she held an empty basket on her arm, an odd sight as you never expected her to do her own shopping, “oh, and look at you!” Before you knew it, her hand was on your stomach and you struggled not shy away, “how far are you?”

“Um,” you looked down at the large ring on her finger and resisted the urge to step away as you often did in this situation, “almost five months.”

“And married?” she grabbed your left hand and pretended to admire the small teardrop diamond, “gorgeous.”

“Mhmm,” you waited for you to release you and swayed in place, “you barely look a day older than the last time I saw you.”

“You’re well? You look well,” she primped her short hair at the compliment, “oh, a baby.” She reached out again and you sighed as she rubbed your stomach, “for luck.”

You tried not to frown and ended up laughing at the tension, “well, it was nice running into you.”

“Oh, you know, I barely come down here but we’re headed up to my father’s place, you remember, such a cozy house, and Joni is in charge of food and well, I wouldn’t trust her with a plastic spoon so of course, I have a back up plan.”

You nodded along with her awkwardly, frozen in the spot as the dragon fruit barely seemed worth the torture. Linda was hard to please and alway derisive, but for as long as you were with Ransom, she had taken a keen shine to you. That alone came with an edge but it was rarely used to cut you.

You forced another laugh, “that sounds fun, getting away from the city.”

“Ugh, just another family gathering,” she waved it off with her free hand, “I’ll have to tell Ransom I ran into you, if he even shows up.”

“Well, I don’t think--”

“He’s grown up so much,” she interrupted, “you wouldn’t believe it. He got his own imprint in my father’s company publishing true crime. He’s really making a place for himself now.”

“That’s great,” you tried not to falter at the mention of her son. You hadn’t ended on the greatest terms and your relationship had been tumultuous and regrettable.

“I hope you have a great weekend, Linda,” you said, “but I got to--”

“Oh, not at all, I’m keeping you,” she squeezed your arm, “God, he was such an idiot to let you go.”

You nodded and swallowed through your tight throat, “I’m glad he’s doing better for himself.”

“You too,” she trilled, “oh, before I let you go, darling, is it a boy?”

You blinked and your smile wavered, “how did you know?”

“I could always tell,” she said, “so precious.”

She gave your stomach one last pat and disappeared into the produce section. You blinked as you looked down at the scaled fruit in your right hand. Chocolate, you needed chocolate.

You were rattled as you waited in the express line and put your things on the belt. You hadn’t thought of Ransom in a very long time. Not much. His shadow followed you around in those moments when your heart raced and your head spun, but you had learned to work through those fits. No one else knew what happened behind closed doors, they only knew Ransom, not Hugh.

You paid and shoved your fruit and candy into a paper bag. You headed out into the misty spring air. The rain had finally stopped and left the streets slick and shining. The sun was hazy as it clung to the last of the clouds and you inhaled the wet scent of grass and gravel.

You let your key hang from the ignition as you took a moment to gather yourself. You stared at the modest ring on your finger and held your stomach and you swore you could still feel Linda’s bony hand there.

You had a loving husband, Dez, and a son on the way. Ransom wasn’t a part of any of that and this was just a blip on radar, the aftershock of the storm that ended years before. You sniffed and turned the engine. You wouldn’t go back to that store, it was far too expensive and the clientele were certainly not of your ilk.

🍼

Dez was in the kitchen when you got home, the smell of steak and peppers rose from the frying pan. You kissed his cheek as he kept one hand on the spatula and you dropped your bag on the counter beside the stove. You went to the fridge and poured yourself a glass of water. You turned and leaned against the marble and drank deeply.

“So, hon, how was your day?” he asked as he put the spatula down and peeked in the bag, “hmm, odd pairing but I don’t hate it.”

“I had a craving,” you shrugged, “it was… okay,” you heaved, “what’s for dinner?”

“Steak fajitas,” he said, “I trimmed the fat for you and,” he turned and reached out to you, “and I got you some champagne… non-alcoholic, obviously.”

“You know it doesn’t have the same effects,” you kidded as you put your glass down and settled into his arms, “and well,” you looked down at your stomach, “we already got one drunken night growing.”

He laughed and bent to kiss you on the lips. He rocked you as the pan sizzled behind him. You closed your eyes and tensed as suddenly your head flashed with the memory of Ransom, of the way he’d kiss you, harder than Dez, and the way it always turned to more whether you wanted it or not.

“Hey,” Dez pulled back, “you okay?”

“Yeah,” you lied, “hormones.”

“Aw, hon, well I have the perfect dessert planned,” he purred.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmhmm, strawberry massage oil,” he framed your face with his hand, “a nice long back rub…”

“Perfect,” you giggled, “why are you spoiling me?”

“Don’t I always?” he smirked.

“Hmm, rarely without reason,” you said.

“Well…” he voice trailed off and slowly he dropped his arms. He turned his back to you and grabbed the pan, stirring the contents with a shake, “I didn’t want you to miss me too bad.”

“Miss you?” you came forward and bent your arms over the counter, “where are you going?”

“Chicago, there’s some evidence down there we need to look at and they refuse to transfer it to our office so… bullshit confidentiality clause, but we need it.”

“How long?” your heart dropped.

“Well, I gotta leave in the morning but I told Gary I won’t stay longer than Monday.”

“And what did he say?”

“He laughed,” Dez shook his head, “I promise, I’ll do my best to be back as soon as I can--”

“No, I understand,” you said gloomily, “it’s just…” you cupped your chin and tapped your lips with your fingertips, “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” he said as he turned the burner off, “and this little guy,” he touched your stomach and you shivered as you remembered how Linda had done the same with her cold palm, “so, you choose a name yet?”

“Still not naming him Superman, babe,” you chided, “but no, I can’t make up my mind. God, it’s like my mind is in shambles, I can’t remember why I go in a room or even focus on one thing for more than two minutes before I’m distracted by what colour I want to paint the nursery and I can’t even decide on that because then I’m thinking about what kind of wood the crib should be--”

“It’s fine, you’re fine,” he assured as he opened the bag of tortillas, “you’re still there, you’re just… sharing a brain right now.”

“Wasn’t enough to go around in the first place,” you scoffed.

“Shh,” he arranged the plates carefully, like a five star restaurant, tortillas stacked, steak and veg together, a little dish of cheese, some sour cream, lettuce, salsa, all divvied out in a spectacular salsa you would only make a mess of.

“I thought the pregnancy would give me a chance to finish my book, but--”

“Well, you got maternity leave after that,” he said.

“From what? Sitting at my keyboard and crying? I’ll just be holding a baby and crying,” you sighed, “you said you’d take some time off.”

“I did say that and I will,” he grabbed the plates and nodded you out of the kitchen. He set the plates on the table and you sat as he went to grab two glasses and as many bottles. He poured you your spineless champagne and had a beer for himself, “I don’t want to miss anything.”

“You can’t take forever off,” you muttered, “we both know that. I could go back to copywriting and maybe--”

“Babe, that job made you miserable and you will finish your book,” he handed you a napkin, “I’ve read your stuff, it’s… you said your ex was in publishing?”

“Did I?”

“I thought you did, you never really… talk about the exes, which I love but, I think you said something about it. You don’t think he would--”

“No,” you snapped, “no,” you said softer, “he wouldn’t.”

“Sorry,” he said startled by your reaction, “I didn’t--”

“It’s nothing, I just-- exes, right?”

“It was a stupid suggestion,” he said, “I’m sorry, but… I have a client, he might have some contacts.”

“You don’t have to do that--”

“I don’t have to, I want to because the world deserves to hear your voice,” he insisted, “I hate to share you but I’d be selfish to keep you to myself.”

You smiled and unfolded a tortilla. Still, your heart raced as the second mention of Ransom that day had you on edge. Dez watched you build your fajita and you looked up at him.

“Well, since you’ll be in Chicago, maybe I’ll get a few pages done.”

🍼

The call came on Monday, Dez wouldn’t be home that night. You contented yourself to stay in with your laptop and sugar cookies. Still, you barely got a sentence done before you snapped your computer closed and gave up with a frustrated grunt. You slept, not well, and got up with some trouble as your hips ached.

A good morning text from Dez made you smile but there was still no promise of an impending return. You felt pent up in the apartment and lonely as its emptiness reminded you of your absent husband. Too tense to sit down and type, you opted to go for a walk, hoping it would calm your nerves.

You walked past the shop windows and stopped to peek in at used books and handmade candles. You had no destination in mind, only a restless step. There was a little store at the corner with locally made quilts and knitted sweaters. The smell of potpourri wafted out from beneath the painted door and made your throat tickle. Even so, your curiosity drew you inside.

A small woman greeted you from behind the desk. She held two needles as she crocheted some indistinguishable craft. You smiled and said hello as you headed down the centre aisle. You looked along the racks of quilts, floral, striped, plaid, and polka dot. You stopped at a bright yellow piece with honey bees along the border. You hadn’t thought of yellow for the nursery.

You felt the soft fabric and checked the tag. You lifted the quilt from the bar, content that it was worth it and a great motivator. You stopped before you could turn back, a familiar voice chilled your blood.

“It’s cute,” Ransom said as he stepped up next to you, “kinda girly for a boy though.”

You glanced over at him and folded the blanket over your arm. You backed up but as you turned he did too. He blocked your bath as he stretched his arm across the aisle.

“My mother told me you were expecting,” he said, “and she was right, you look good.”

“What do you want?” you whispered as you clutched the quilt.

“Nothing, just saying hello,” his mouth slanted.

“Hugh, I’m not stupid,” you hissed, “it’s been five years.”

“Hugh,” he repeated dully, “you remember your manners.”

“Leave me alone and let me past,” you tried to duck under his arm but he shifted his body over and backed you up to the end of the aisle.

“And married,” he taunted.

“He’s outside,” you lied, “if I stay too long--”

“I didn’t see him when you walked up,” he intoned, “he must be easy to miss.”

“Have you been following me?” you uttered.

“Only from the cafe,” he shrugged, “short walk.”

“Please, get away from me,” you quivered.

“I’m not doing anything--”

“You know exactly what you’re doing,” you hissed, “now I will scream so move.”

“Mama Bear,” he crooned, “I love it, you’re so protective.”

“Hugh,” you warned.

“Sweetie,” he hummed.

You shoved his shoulder but he didn’t move. You hit him harder and he winced. He chuckled and stood straight. He waved his arm down the aisle and stepped aside.

“Don’t make a scene,” he said, “you always did like to be dramatic.”

“Fuck you,” you snarled, “don’t come near me again.”

“Don’t act like you don’t miss me,” he called after you as you dropped the quilt on the counter, “we were so good together.”

You left without buying, a shrill apology to the lady at the counter as you went as fast as you could out the door. The bell tinkled after you and the door clamored shut. You felt nauseous and dizzy. The last thing you wanted or needed was to ever see that man again.

#ransom drysdale #dark!ransom drysdale #dark ransom drysdale x reader #dark ransom drysdale #ransom drysdale x reader #fic #series #knives out #dark fic #dark!fic #what's yours is mine

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delimeful · 4 years ago

Text

neither calm nor quiet

BTHB: Trapped In A Net

warnings: miscommunication, past familial and domestic abuse mentions, injury, violence, terrible decision making skills

When Virgil finally decided to brave shallower waters, it had already been nearly half a moon cycle since Logan had vanished.

He’d made excuses at first, telling himself that the dread he felt was just his normal brand of overwrought paranoia. For the first few days, he was half-convinced that his curiosity-prone friend would appear at any moment, probably lugging some sort of stray litter or ‘interesting human artifact’ along with him to explain why he’d been late.

Things would be normal again. Virgil would find some rocks for them to sun on and Logan would ramble on about the potential uses of his find, and maybe Virgil would teasingly suggest some outlandish way the trash was secretly a violent human weapon, just to hear Logan thoroughly refute it.

After another three days passed with no sign of the other selkie, Virgil was forced to let that fantasy fade. Logan had never been this late before, not even that time he’d managed to carry an entire minifridge along with him for Virgil to identify.

Something had to have happened to him.

He’d spent the next week scouring the currents for any sign of his missing friend, even approaching other pods and asking around, requesting that they keep an eye out for any signs of Logan. He didn’t expect much from that; the two of them didn’t socialize with other selkies often enough to make any friends, and their two-person pod was too small to spare any food during winter, so there was nothing for the other pods to gain by helping them.

Virgil knew better than most how selfish pod politics could be.

Every few days, he would return to their meeting spot and catch a few hours of sleep to keep himself from crashing, always naively hoping that Logan would be there when he woke. He never was.

In the end, he had to face what he’d already known from the beginning: either Logan was dead, or he’d gone onland and gotten himself bound by a human.

He didn’t want to believe Logan had decided to brave the human world even after Virgil’s many, many warnings against it, but believing the alternative was even worse. So, he steeled himself to do the one thing he’d sworn to never do again, and headed for the cold, rocky shores of the nearest human settlement.

Naturally, he spent so long swimming back and forth between different stretches of beach, trying to force himself to take those literal first steps, that he didn’t notice the woven fibers dancing in the water until he’d plowed right into them.

A fishing net, dyed skillfully to blend in with the water, and large enough that when he tried to twist out of it, he only became further entangled.

Panic set in, then, clouding his mind and leaving him thrashing ineffectively like a simple animal. He couldn’t help it-- he couldn’t breathe underwater in either form, had no gills to keep him steady as he was dragged along by the current. He couldn’t untangle himself while adrift, couldn’t find solid ground while tangled. He would drown.

Between one blink and the next, he found himself in open air, gritty sand pressed against his face. Waves crested gently around him, a sharp contrast to the headache pounding around in his skull.

He never thought he’d be relieved about blacking out and beaching himself, but then, he’d never been worried about drowning in his own element before.

Okay. There weren’t any humans around to see the stupid idiot seal stuck on the beach. This was still salvageable.

Taking a deep breath, he attempted to bite through the netting with his incisors, and got a mouthful of sore gums for his trouble. The dyed fibers seemed to be woven around a base net of fishing wire, because of course they were. He let his head thunk back to the sandy ground, groaning at the new surge of pain the motion caused.

Sun-warmed saltwater continued to wash over his tail, and he blinked slowly, measuring his breaths. He could figure this out. He wouldn’t dry out. He just needed a moment to put himself back together. He could… He…

His eyelids grew heavy, and everything went dark.

Roman thought the guy was a pile of garbage at first, to be quite honest.

Not on purpose, of course! But, come on, when one sees a mound of mystery washed up on shore, it generally ends up being a bunch of tangled old fishing nets wrapped around half-rotted driftwood, not a bunch of tangled old fishing nets wrapped around beautiful strangers wearing expensive-looking fur coats!

His next thought, once he’d gotten closer, was that the beautiful stranger wearing the expensive-looking fur coat was dead, and that a body had washed up on his little strip of shoreline. Pallid skin, blue lips, and deep shadows under their eyes-- the beautiful stranger wasn’t exactly giving off an aura of vim and vigor.

He’d spent a few moments staring at his contact list, trying to figure out what in the world he was supposed to do about a body. Should he call 911? … Should he call Remus?

Before he could make a decision either way, he finally picked up on the shallow rise and fall of the beautiful stranger’s chest, and realized that they were still alive! Potentially not for much longer, laying out in the cold all soggy like that, but Roman could work with mostly alive!

And so, he found himself here, carefully carrying the small but surprisingly dense stranger up to his home by the cliffs, and risking looking like a total serial killer doing it.

He couldn’t help but theorize as he walked. A beautiful stranger in expensive clothing, tangled in nets with what appeared to be a head wound… It read like an old unsolved case in a detective novel, where the mysterious stranger in question got in too deep with some dangerous people and ended up clubbed over the head and dumped into a river to tie up loose ends.

“Except you managed to survive, obviously,” Roman said to them, mostly to reassure himself. He really had to stop eavesdropping on Remus’s true crime podcasts. “And you made your way to me! Excellent choice, I’m great at nursing people back to health. Probably. I don’t have much practical experience, but, you know, I’ve read extensively about this exact thing. In romance novels. As one does.”

The beautiful and mysterious stranger continued to be unconscious. Roman was starting to feel grateful for it.

His house was empty, thankfully, since his brother had work to attend to today. He fumbled with the keys for a moment before pushing the door open and carrying the stranger inside, sighing with relief at the warm air.

“That’s got to feel much better, hm?”

He sat the stranger down in the foyer, removing his shoes to go grab some scissors from the kitchen.

“First order of business,” he announced in his best announcer voice, “getting all that netting off of you. While I’m sure you could rock fishnet leggings, fish nets on their own just don’t have the same je ne sais quoi, you know? Also, they look very uncomfortable. You’re great at staying still, so just keep that up.”

He carefully cut his way through the looser parts of netting, pulling it off piece by piece until all that was left were the abrasions where they’d formerly cut into skin. Roman had no idea how they’d even managed to get that tangled up, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. It couldn’t have been pretty.

In the process of removing the net, however, he’d noticed another rather pressing matter.

Going by the flash of thigh he’d accidentally witnessed while shifting the net around, the stranger definitely wasn't wearing anything under that fur coat of theirs. Like, nothing.

(Exactly what kind of situation had the stranger been in before this?!)

Even so, leaving them in a sodden coat couldn’t be good for their constitution. Or his poor couch’s upholstery.

Roman spent a few moments puzzling the situation out before coming up with a brilliant solution. He retrieved the fluffy gold comforter from his bed and draped it over the stranger, covering their front half with it. Then, he carefully worked their arms out of the coat’s sleeves, very pointedly not focusing on the adorable freckled shoulders this operation revealed. Finally, he tugged the entire coat out from behind them, wincing at the slight furrow that appeared in their brow.

“Sorry, sorry, I know the cold floor can’t be comfortable…”

Soggy coat removed, he was free to continue bundling the rest of the comforter around the stranger’s back, therefore making it easy for him to pick them up in a neat little bundle of blanket and deposit them on the couch. No nudity awkwardness required!

Pleased with his solution, he draped a fluffy towel over the stranger’s head and carefully dried some of the dampness from their hair. Next, he wasted no time in stoking the fire higher in his hearth, sending waves of warmth into the room and making it so the stranger’s skin didn’t look quite so clammy.

Once he’d cleaned up the mess left in the foyer and grabbed the first aid kit from under his sink, he planted himself in a chair next to the couch, feeling ready to handle anything.

“Okay, Google. How do I treat a head wound?”

Virgil felt as though he’d woken to a nightmare.

He was in the wrong body, surrounded on all sides by heavy fabric and warm air, and his coat was missing. That list of facts alone was just about as bad as any night terror he’d had.

The humming was unusual, though.

A soft tune, occasionally broken up by a half-muttered lyric or two, carried through the air, voice completely at ease. His mother had never sung to him in front of others, and it sure as hell wasn’t his father.

He tried to remember where he’d been last. The back of his head stung… he’d ended up on a beach? The tide had been turning, from high to low… He must have dried out up there, changed into his less durable form. And now he was warm and dry.

He clenched his fists weakly and grit his teeth, knowing that a human had found him and stolen him away. Just like his mother. He’d come to find Logan and lost himself before ever even starting. Typical.

“Are you with us, Sleeping Beauty?” a bright voice asked.

The humming had broken off while he was absorbed in his thoughts, and now he could hear the shift and rustle of movement next to him. He opened his eyes, already aiming the coldest possible glare at his captor.

He was sort of surprised to find that the human sitting at his side wasn’t holding his coat. His father used to make a point of handling his mother’s coat at any opportunity. He’d liked to watch his mother stare at it, resting assured that so long as he held it in his possession, she could do him no harm.

This human was much younger than his father had been, probably around as old as Virgil was now. He had dark skin and soft eyes that reflected the firelight, and he was smiling hopefully at Virgil.

“Hello there! It’s excellent to see you looking a little more lively! I was starting to think about actually calling the hospital, heh.”

Wordlessly, Virgil slowly shifted to sit up, shoving the thick blanket out and shaking the cloth from his head. He looked down, confirming what he already knew. No coat. The human hadn’t even bothered to dress him up in human trappings to ‘make up’ for the absence.

“Ah, yeah... I sort of basically pulled you out of the ocean and what little you were wearing was completely soaked.” The human rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I figured it’d be less of an invasion of privacy to just let you get dressed yourself once you woke up?”

Oh, the human was worried about his privacy? What a joke.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, truly!” the human continued, oblivious to Virgil’s rising ire. He gave a mocking little bow, pretending to respect the one he’d abducted. “My sincerest apologies.”

He was done playing along with mind games like these. Better to let the human know where they stood right off the bat.

“I’m going to kill you,” Virgil promised, and then lunged for the human’s jugular.

To his genuine surprise, he actually made contact, hands clamping onto the junction between collar and throat. The human let out a high-pitched yelp as his chair toppled over, taking both of them with it.

Virgil landed knee-first on the human’s sternum, and paused to blink down at the wheezing stranger, who apparently had been so confident in the weakness of his victim that he hadn’t bothered to bind Virgil from harming him in advance.

Unless.

His grip loosened slightly, just in time for the human’s fist to catch him squarely in the mouth. He threw himself backwards, rolling with the force of the motion to get some distance and hunkering in a crouch. It had been too long since he’d been active in this form, his sense of balance was in shambles.

The human scrambled to his feet, and grabbed the back of the chair, eyes wild. He thrust it out between them like a barrier, as though it could prevent any more strangulation attempts.

“What is wrong with you?!” he shrieked, voice cracking as his gaze flickered back and forth between Virgil and some far off point. “I tenderly nursed you back to health, and your response is to try and murder me? Unfair! Cruel! Rude!”

“Where is my coat?” Virgil replied, voice hoarse and split lip stinging. A test, because humans were tricky and loved to lie.

“Your— your coat?” The human pulled up short, head tilting slightly in a bewildered manner. A convincing actor, if nothing else. “Is that what all this is about? I put it on the coat hanger to dry! I know better than to try and wash someone’s fancy fur coat without permission, yeesh.”

A low warning growl in the back of his throat, Virgil turned his gaze from the current threat and followed the gesture the human had made.

Sure enough, there it was. His freedom, draped on a peg in the open with all the rest of the human’s fabric outer layers like some common garment.

“Do you… want me to get it— eep!” The human lifted the chair back up in paltry defense as Virgil snarled at him. He rose up and crossed the distance to his pelt in five wobbly strides, before the human could try and return it to him and lock them both into a loveless marriage.

Some of the tension eased from his shoulders as he quickly wrapped his second skin around him, that grounding weight settling back where it belonged. He still couldn’t shift back, not here, but the ocean was close enough to taste in the air.

The human was still huddled defensively by the fireplace, looking indignantly bewildered and not at all like he knew he’d just given up the perfect opportunity to control Virgil.

Which meant that-- barring some incredibly convoluted scheme-- he really had no idea. And Virgil had tried to strangle him, even if under false pretenses. He drew the edges of his pelt closer around him, rolling the beginnings of an apology around in his mind.

The mysterious stranger was still glaring at Roman like they were contemplating continuing to try and strangle him to death at any moment.

He’d brought a half-drowned stranger into his home and tenderly treated their injuries, and what had he received in return for his efforts? A murder attempt, which now that he thought about it was maybe an outcome he should have considered earlier. Remus would never let him live this down.

Assuming he lived long enough for his brother to give him shit about it, that was.

The stranger seemed to at least be a little calmer now that their reclaimed coat was thoroughly wrapped around them, rendering them more lump-shaped than person. Roman felt much more secure in glaring back, too.

He set his impromptu shield/chair down firmly on the floor. “I have no idea what your problem is, Gloomy B. Jones, but where I’m from, the response to someone saving you from dying of hypothermia is ‘thank you’, not a strangulation attempt!”

The murderglare intensified. “I didn’t ask for your help.”

“Yes,” Roman said, disbelieving, “because you were too busy being unconscious. On the beach. In 40-below temperatures!”

“That’s my problem, not yours,” the stranger responded snappishly.

Roman threw his hands in the air, but his impending frustrated rant was impeded by the sight of a stifled flinch running through the stranger. Feeling a stab of guilt, he lowered his arms slowly before continuing.

“It seems I made it my problem when I dragged your soggy self all the way to my house, so--”

“Great news for you, then: I’m leaving.” Baring their teeth in a distinctly unfriendly manner, the stranger turned to do just that.

“Hold it!” Roman called, alarmed. “You’re going into town like that?! People will think you’re a flasher!” Even his brother wouldn’t go out dressed in nothing but an oversized coat. ... Probably.

The stranger paused, squinting at him warily. Roman took it as a cue to continue.

“Look, clearly we got off on the wrong foot here. Several wrong feet. Let’s try again. I’m Roman Faroe, I work for the local newspaper, and you are…?”

“None of your business,” replied the stranger, with all the stubborn petulance of a toddler digging their heels in and refusing to move whilst smack dab in the middle of an overcrowded supermarket.

“Would you like me to call you ‘Almost-Corpse-I-Dragged-Off-The-Beach?’ Perhaps make up a thematic nickname or two for you? Because let me tell you, this is exactly how you get called--,”

“Hold on,” the stranger cut him off, a realization seeming to dawn on him, “did you say you worked for the news?”

“Yes, I mean, the newspaper not the news. Although I’m sure I’d make an excellent anchor,” Roman gestured to all of himself for effect, “my true passion lies in my carefully curated romantic advice column!”

“So, you get all the information in town,” continued the stranger, who had a strange glint in their eye.

“I mean, if you want to be a nerd about it.”

“How about this.” The stranger stepped forward, straightening out of their defensive slouch for the explicit purpose of being just tall enough to loom over Roman. “You want to know my name? I’ll tell you, if you help me track down something important that I lost.”

An investigative quest for a mysterious MacGuffin? Roman swallowed, feeling his heart flutter wildly with what felt less like intimidation and more like excitement. He could totally keep his cool, he just had to open his mouth and say something suave.

“I also want to know your origin story,” he opened his mouth and babbled instead.

The stranger narrowed their eyes for a moment, and Roman belatedly remembered the near-strangulation. Perhaps he shouldn't be agitating a femme fatale type, what with all the emphasis on the fatale.

To his surprise, it only took a moment before they capitulated, sticking a hand out. “Fine. After my thing gets done.”

Roman shook gladly, trying not to shiver at the cool touch. Had they checked to make sure the stranger wasn’t hypothermic yet? “It’s a deal, then.”

“Great.” They twisted on their heel, stalking to the door. “Let’s get this over with, already.”

“Hold on there, Surly Temple.” Roman called, hand on his hip. “I hate to break it to you, but if you go into town mostly naked, the only news we’ll be hearing about will be your immediate arrest.”

The stranger glanced down at his attire, and then released the door handle with a low sigh. “... Pants first?”

“Pants first.”

#sanders sides #ts virgil #ts roman #selkie AU #bthb #bad things happen bingo #writing #my writing #neither calm nor quiet #ncnq #oneshot #... theoretically #disclaimer: do not do anything roman does here #he is a lucky fool #logan is fine btw #theoretically.#i feel like im forgetting tags. well whatever #selkies

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fappellmoan · 2 years ago

Note

for the fic asks - F G H S T !!

ahhhhh thank you!!! i'm gonna put the answers under the cut since this is kinda long lol

also guys i love talking abt myself so like feel free to send more <3

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Paranoid that other actors in these crimes will come busting down the doors at any moment, Nancy leans over the girl and taps on her face. “Please, please don’t do this.” Tears fall in a stream from her eyes onto Robin’s face. “Robin, get up! This isn’t funny.”

Blood pools against the her neck, burying her complexion in red. Nancy tries to feel for a pulse, but all she feels is the blood on her fingers. A scream works its way from the back of her throat to her teeth. “Wake up! Wake up! Fuck.”

i dont know if this, like, super counts as dialogue, but i really loved this part of two of a crime. and the following line after nancy flips out ( Nancy stumbles back into the warehouse, leaving the door open, and collapses in the room with Robin. She tries to stop the bleeding. Holds her hands against the girl’s neck. It’s not too deep, you’ll be okay , she tries to tell her, but she can’t get the words out. We’ll be okay. We made it, kid . ). nancy is so fucking smart and capable and incredible in action and that is beautiful to see! however. thinking about how she'd lost barb and quickly grown close to robin (which i called in this fic! js. i just knew they'd bond really quickly even if they did start as annoyances), watching her lose so much blood and shit i thought would of course get an insane reaction. like. she'd maybe really snap and break down. hence the ending. i think it's probably the most angsty thing i've ever written, and even if it's not all that bad, i'm really proud of it.

Mike blanches. “I don’t think I said that.”

“Oh, you definitely did.”

“Oh,” he nods, mind spinning, “well, you know…”

Will stands to be at Mike’s level, leans forward on his knees. Mike stops breathing. “I do,” he says, “but tell me again.”

Mike swallows down a breath of courage and suggests, “I think I might like you.” His eyes flit to Will’s lips, then back to his eyes. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll allow it,” Will says, a bright smile causing lines near his eyes. Mike smacks at his arm, nervous laughter coming out with a quiet, ‘Shut up.’

as an alternative i just. i love confident will! i wanted this to be as true to the characters as i could fathom while also being. perhaps mildly corny due to the holiday feel. i was really happy with this and tying the 'crazy together' moment back into it.

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

it sorta depends! i mostly write from start to finish, unless i have a specific moment/piece of dialogue that i know for sure i want later on. then it's a little easier to build around that and i sometimes find myself writing a far better build-up than there would've been otherwise, probably. i really admire writers that have plot points and stuff super planned out in advance, but i tend to just have a vague idea of what i want and feel it out as i go.

H: How would you describe your style?

god i really don't know. i'd love to hear how it's perceived lol. i am very... i tend to be comedic i think? i'm not afraid to be sarcastic/play with irony in my narration, to the point that i sometimes worry it won't come across well. i am also very dialogue-driven, which is something i want to work on. i literally like act out what the characters say sometimes to see if it feels realistic, and because of that i also probably overuse dialogue tags and little movements in between (almost like a script instead of 'prose' or whatever). i'm sort of fast-paced as well i think? idk i've very aware of pacing. like i'm rather quippy with my transitions and stuff because it just makes sense to me. i worry it's lazy sometimes but hey it works

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

waugh i don't know!! idk if i fall into tropes very often??? i've definitely like slipped in 'sharing a bed' quite a bit throughout the years, but i think that's as close as i get. honestly maybe i need to be more tropey.

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

hmm i think it goes without saying when people really change a character's personality to fall into a clean-cut dynamic (esp when it involves....... making one character way more submissive yk.) i cant think of any classic tropes that i specifically hate

#ask games #mutual tag #fic asks #srry this is so long. lol

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thedumpsterqueen · 4 years ago

Text

Standards of Performance

Here it is!!!!! First chapter of my first fic on my new AO3! This is a multi-chapter, slow burn work. Please let me know what you think, I welcome screaming and incoherent asks about our fave special agent in my inbox. Full text under the cut, or you can find it through the AO3 link below.

AO3 link

Summary: You're the BAU's newest intern, desperate to prove yourself amongst an established team of much more experienced profilers. Agent Hotchner, the seemingly infallible team leader, sets strict expectations for your performance. He commands your respect without even trying, but is there something more to your relationship than a simple desire to impress your stony-faced boss?

Chapter: 1, Coffee Stains and Neckties

Words: 2388

Rating: Explicit, 18+

Pairings: Hotch x Reader, Hotch x You

Warnings: Not much for this chapter specifically, but let’s just assume general gore and murder stuff, explicit language, and sexual content are fair game form here on out.

Enjoy! I’ll try to update weekly, if not more often. I’ll let you know when I have a more defined schedule!

“Fucking SHIT!”

You cursed as you felt the (very, very) hot coffee soak your new skirt. Grabbing as many paper towels as you could with one hand, you tried to sop up the mess on the floor. The stain on your outfit? A shame, but nothing compared to marring the assuredly expensive cream color of the BAU’s breakroom carpet.

A low chuckle sounded off behind you, and you froze.

For the love of god, please don’t be…

“Morgan! Please tell me you have carpet cleaner, oh my god. I don’t even know how that happened.”

Morgan grinned, as he typically did, sauntering into the breakroom with his hands in his pockets. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, the janitor's got it later. I was looking for you, team meeting in five. You all good? You look a little - ” he paused, probably searching for a descriptor that wouldn’t sting too bad, “ - rushed.”

You stood up, sighing. He was right, after all. You had stayed up late last night poring over psychology textbooks and only just woken up in time to leave your apartment. As the BAU’s newest profiling intern - whatever the hell that actually meant - the pressure of performing to seasoned profilers’ standards manifested in spending practically all your free time buried in research. Hence why your hair was coated in unbelievable amounts of dry shampoo, you were wearing your unflatteringly oversized glasses instead of your usual contacts, and why your frantic attempt at pouring yourself a cup of coffee when you got into work had resulted in the giant wet spot currently soaking your skirt.

At least the skirt was black.

“You’re right. Late night,” you said, rolling your eyes at Morgan’s suggestive eyebrow waggle.

“Not like that, I wish. Just trying to catch up. Don’t really want to repeat last week’s disaster,” you mumbled, referring to the first time you actually got to question a suspect, which had ended up with a wad of saliva hawked in your face. It was only your third week in the position, but damn, if that hadn’t let the wind out of your sails a bit.

“Hey, what did I tell you then?” Morgan asked, as you walked out of the breakroom together. “You’re not a true profiler until you get assaulted by a serial killer!”

“I’m not a true profiler until I finish the year long training program,” you pointed out, “so I think I could do without the spit in the meantime.”

Morgan laughed, opening the door of the team’s briefing room for you. “Well if we’d known you were gonna be so picky, we might have gone with someone else.”

“Who’s picky?” asked Emily, looking up from her seat.

While Morgan laughed and launched into a dramatic retelling of the event as if the entire team hadn’t already fucking seen it in real time, you took your seat at the table. Reid nodded in acknowledgment, and you returned it with a small smile. Damn if he wasn’t handsome, and ridiculously smart to boot, but you were pretty sure your chances with him withered and died when you asked him what he was doing after work last Friday and he answered with, “Reading.” Point taken.

Hotch swiveled in his chair to face the table and you suddenly became acutely aware of how much of a mess you probably looked. It’s not that you cared about his opinion regarding your general appearance beyond the basic standard of professional attire, but his always-intense gaze and stony expression had a way of making you second guess even your most confidently held opinions.

“Sit,” he said, his voice cutting through the rest of the team’s animated chatter.

It would have been hard not to notice how quickly they obliged, not out of fear, but rather a respect and deference so deeply ingrained that it almost gave you goosebumps. You’d never thought of yourself as a follower, per say, but if Hotch was what a leader looked like, you certainly didn’t fit into that category either.

He scanned the table, stopping on you. “New glasses?” he asked, with a single, slightly raised eyebrow.

“I, um, not really, just didn’t have time to put my contacts in,” you stammered.

“Hm,” Hotch said, “They look nice.”

Your cheeks suddenly felt hot, and you thanked him quickly, looking down at your shoes to conceal the pink that was probably spreading across your face. Hotch had a way of speaking that made everything he said sound like the absolute truth, which was probably why such an innocuous little compliment had disarmed you so much.

Still though, jesus christ. Get it the fuck together. You’re not Reid; you’re not smart enough to be this awkward.

Hotch, blessedly ignoring how painful you just made that interaction, addressed the team while JJ passed out files. “We have a new case. Three bodies, all found completely drained of blood in various woods, off hiking trails. Cause of death appears to be blood loss from severed carotid arteries, meaning they were likely strung up and drained before being moved to where they were discovered.”

Reid spoke up first. “Erm, what exactly do you mean by various woods?”

“That’s the unusual thing,” Hotch said, pulling up a map of the southwestern United States on the screen behind him. "Each body was found in a different state, one here, one here, and one here,” pointing to spots in California, Arizona, and Nevada. “However, local police discovered the bodies within hours of each other due to anonymous tip offs, and medical examiners estimate approximately the same time of death for all three.”

Morgan whistled lowly. “So what you’re saying is, this guy kills three victims around the same time and takes a road trip to hide their bodies in places he knows won't be discovered until he calls in.”

“That’s how it appears, yes,” Hotch confirmed.

Rossi shook his head, twirling a pen that probably cost more than your entire wardrobe. “So, how are we splitting this up?”

You whipped your head in his direction. Splitting up? Of course, you should have known it’d only make sense considering the ground to be covered, but your quick mental calculations told you that there were six of them, evenly split into three groups of two, and one odd man out, both in skill and number - you.

“So, who’s getting stuck with me?” you asked, trying to beat everyone to the punch. Not that any of them would voice it, but if you couldn’t project confidence, you figured self-awareness would do.

When you entered the internship as a recent college grad around a month ago, you knew you’d be in way over your head. Everyone else on the team was a seasoned expert, and you were a 20-something with a degree in psychology who somehow managed to charm her way through the interviews of the BAU’s flagship internship program. It’s not that you weren’t smart, you were, of course, but comparatively? You were pretty sure this was shaping up to be a glorified babysitting program, and you were the baby.

“Oh, hush,” JJ said, smiling and shaking her head. You smiled back. JJ had gone out of her way to make you feel welcome, which you were unspeakably grateful for. Between her and Morgan, you sometimes felt like maybe when this year was done, you could actually belong on this team.

Hotch interrupted your pity party. “Rossi, you’re with Reid in Phoenix. JJ and Emily, you’re going to Vegas. Morgan, you and I are going to San Diego.”

He turned to you. “You’re coming with me.”

Your stomach flipped at his words. You knew he had the most to teach you, and you could observe him coordinating the entire investigation from San Diego, but the idea of your performance being directly scrutinized by your boss in such a small group made you more nauseous than excited.

“Please be aware,” he continued, “Garcia is going to have to deal with three times the inquiries as normal. I recommend you only contact her if the information you’re searching for is genuinely too difficult to find yourself.” He gave Morgan a pointed look, to which Morgan raised his hands in mock surrender, grinning.

“We’ll drop teams off as we go,” Hotch said. “Wheels up in thirty.”

____________

As you settled into your seat on the plane, your mind spun, trying to review every piece of psychology knowledge you’d ever encountered. This wasn’t your first case, but it was the first one you got to travel for, which made it feel much more real.

The hours ticked by as the team reviewed the case. You contributed - not much, and nothing they wouldn’t have thought of without you - but it was something. Narcissist, craves attention and spotlight, physically confident enough to detain and murder three women at the same time. The method was throwing the team for a loop, however. Bleeding the victims out was clinical, relatively painless - uncharacteristic of the sexual injuries found on the corpses and the bravado with which the killer executed the rest of the crime.

When you, Hotch, and Morgan trudged off the plane in San Diego, you had been going at the potential profile for hours and even Morgan’s patience was wearing thin.

“Look, Hotch, let’s hold off on speculation until we see the crime scene in person, alright?”

Hotch nodded, and took that as a cue to head straight to the crime scene. You groaned internally - having barely showered this morning and spent half the day on a plane, your greasy hair and coffee-stained skirt would have greatly benefited from a stop at the hotel to freshen up.

It’s not like you have to look good to go stare at a patch of dirt where a dead body used to to be though, right?

____________

Turns out the aforementioned patch of dirt was actually a wooded grove off a hiking trail leading to a nude beach, much to Morgan’s delight. The site itself was uninteresting except for the way the body had been buried - covered up very securely, implying remorse, another characteristic that didn’t make sense with the initial profile.

This commonality between all three crime scenes was hotly debated on the video conference between the entire team when you got back to the hotel. Cross legged on the bed in Hotch’s hotel room, you listened to Reid and Rossi snipe back and forth on the laptop about what the burial method could mean for ten-plus minutes (“It’s clearly just a functional tool to properly hide the body, Reid.” “But you don’t know that, the significance of burial practices can tell us so much more beyond function, it can even tell us about his religious upbringing…”) before Hotch put a stop to it.

“What do you think?” Hotch asked you, turning and looking directly into your gaze. You were suddenly hyperware of the proximity between you two - sitting close enough on the edge of the bed that your thighs were almost touching. Morgan had abandoned his position on the other side of you to stretch out in the armchair by the window halfway through Rossi and Reid’s debate. Hotch’s eyes boring into yours from only a few feet away and the expectant silence of the other team members on the video call spiked your heart rate, and you took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself.

“I… agree with Dr. Reid. I think it means something. The position of the hands, they were crossed across the chest, right? He didn’t need to do that. I don’t know if it means he was remorseful, but it was on purpose. I think.”

Hotch nodded, not breaking eye contact. “Good. Let's move forward with that theory.” He turned back to the laptop. “Let me know how interviews with the loved ones go tomorrow. Let’s find the connection between the victims. Call me if you need anything.” After shutting the laptop, he turned to you and Morgan. “Let’s call it for tonight. Meet me in the lobby at 7 tomorrow.”

Having been excused, you and Morgan made your way to your hotel rooms next to Hotch’s. Morgan wished you goodnight, and you unlocked your door and practically sprinted into your shower.

After you got out, you looked around the room, towel drying your hair. It was nice, much nicer than anywhere you’d ever stayed. The abstract art on the walls and the modern, clean white lines of the furniture were lit by the soft glow of the sunset filtering through the sliding glass doors leading to the balcony overlooking the ocean. You poured yourself a glass of wine from the minibar (a reimbursable travel expense, right?) and stepped onto the balcony, breathing in the ocean air.

“Nice night, hm?”

You jumped, nearly spilling your drink down your front for the second time in less than 24 hours. Hotch was sitting in a chair on his balcony to the left of yours, reclining with his hands behind his head. Despite wearing nothing but your thin hotel robe, you felt the urge to avert your eyes from him. His suit jacket was shucked, tie undone and hanging around his neck, and the top two buttons of his white, collared shirt were unbuttoned. You felt like you were seeing something you shouldn’t have, like the cold stoniness of his exterior had shifted just slightly and allowed you a glimpse underneath.

It’s just a couple buttons, calm down. You’re the one who’s barely clothed in front of your fucking boss.

“It is. Shame we can’t go to the beach,” you replied, keeping your eyes forward.

Oh my god, three women were murdered and I just complained to my boss about not being able to go to the beach.

“You’re welcome to get up early and go tomorrow; might be a bit cold,” Hotch replied. You could tell from his voice he was smiling.

You mumbled in affirmation, continuing to avoid glancing in his direction. “Well, I just wanted to see the view, um, I’m gonna get to bed. Goodnight, Agent Hotchner!” You ducked back into your room, and you could have sworn you heard him chuckle before you slid the door shut.

After getting ready, beating yourself up mentally for your complete social incompetence, and tucking in under the plush, white duvet, you drifted off to sleep.

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andthatsonasahi · 4 years ago

Text

Friends: Asahi x Barista!Reader

A/N: Hey guys this is the first fic that I’ve written that I’m actually uploading onto tumblr so like, pls comment and lemme know what yall think! <3

“Asahi we barely see you anymore!” complained Suga, as they walked towards the gym to practice.

“What do you mean?! I’m always here for practice!” he argued.

“Yes but we don’t see you before or after, where the hell have you been?” questioned Daichi suspiciously.

The trio had been best friends for years, and they’d spend a majority of their free time together. Lately however, the tall ace had been MIA, rushing out of every practice the second everyone finished cleaning up. They weren’t the only ones who noticed it either, the entire team had several conversations about his possible whereabouts, Tanaka even suggesting the possibility of a secret girlfriend, which everyone brushed off almost immediately as Asahi was far too shy. It even got to the point where Coach Ukai had noticed a change in his playing style, he was more focused and driven to succeed regardless of him having seemingly less practice, a fact that he was unsure whether to be glad or worried about.

“I’m okay! You guys are just being paranoid, please,” Asahi noted with a roll of his eyes, as he opened up the gym doors, earning a confused look from both boys.

“When did you start speaking like that?!” rushed out the gray-haired boy.

“This is what we mean! You’ve changed!” noted the captain.

“Is that such a bad thing? I’m happier! I’ve even learned how to word my emotions!” defended Asahi.

“No but we’re your best friends, Asahi, we just want to know what or who is making you so happy,” teased Suga, earning a blush from him almost immediately.

“It is a girl! I knew it! Tanaka was right!” yelled Daichi victoriously, as he fist bumped Suga.

“Or boy let’s not assume, Daichi!” added the setter.

“Shouldn’t you be yelling at us to do drills by now?!” exasperated Asahi as his face continued to redden, rushing away to get the equipment they needed, in disbelief at the fact that everyone was discussing his personal life.

“Should we-” began Daichi.

“For sure,” nodded Suga.

The boy sighed as he ran out of the gym, constantly checking the time on his phone. Practice had gone a bit late and he didn’t want the girl to think that he didn’t like spending time with her. He shook his head as he noted how his friends kept pestering him about her throughout the practice. He wished that he could gush about her with them but, what was there to tell? They were just friends anyway, she hadn’t shown any sign of reciprocating his growing feelings. Or was that just an excuse? Maybe he liked keeping her a secret, keeping their conversations about absolutely anything to himself. Factually, it wasn’t anything scandalous, it was just two friends keeping each other company at a coffee shop. Yet...it was special. The connection they had, to him anyway, was almost...cosmic. He was drawn to her in a way he couldn’t quite describe, not that he was any good with words anyway. A smile began to form on his face as he saw her through the glass windows of the shop, seeing her laugh with a customer as she handed the drink to them. He was only a door away from the girl he had missed throughout the day, and the idea of that, made his heart soar with joy.

“Welcome to Cioccolato Cafe- Oh ‘Sahi! Hi!” she beamed as she started making his standard order.

“Sorry I’m late,” he began, setting his gym bag beside him as he sat down on the usual table- his table as he liked to think of it as.

“Don’t worry about it! It’s been a busy day anyway, your timing is technically great since we’re about to close up,” she reassured, humming a song as she poured the milk into his cup.

“What are you singing?” he asked curiously, wanting to make a note of it to add to his playlist he made for her.

“Oh it’s just ‘Loving is Easy’ by Rex Orange County; it’s been stuck in my head all day!” she expressed with a giggle, earning a blush from the boy as he contemplated asking her if there was a reason she was humming that song in particular, but before he could even muster the courage to ask, he was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell clinging.

“Welcome to Cioccolato Cafe! I’ll be with you in just a second!” she announced, finishing up the milk tea for Asahi and handing it over to him.

“Take your time,” replied the customer, earning a sharp head turn from Asahi.

“W- what are you guys doing here?!” exasperated Asahi as he facepalmed and began muttering under his breath.

“We just wanted to see where you’d keep going!” defended Suga as Daichi smirked at the boy’s flustered face.

“You don’t mind, do you?” asked Daichi in mock innocence.

“Of course not,” he shot back harshly, his tone being an obvious contradiction to the words themselves.

The setter and captain sat down with him, as they briefly looked over the menus on the table.

“Are you still going to deny that you’re whipped?” whispered Daichi, earning a loud laugh from his partner in crime.

“Sorry to interrupt but I wanted to know what you two wanted to order?” asked Y/N sweetly as she walked over to the table.

“Y- you’re not interrupting anything!” rushed out Asahi, facepalming yet again as he internally screamed at the sheer awkwardness of the entire situation, earning a soft laugh from the girl herself.

“I’ll have a hot chocolate please!” asked Suga politely.

“And I’ll have a piece of coffee cake,” added Daichi.

“Alright sounds good! I’ll be here with your stuff in just a few minutes, but before I do, would you like to pay now or after you’re done?” she questioned.

“We’ll pay after,” responded Daichi, earning a nod from the barista as she walked over behind the counter to plug in the order.

“She’s cute, I get why you’re here all the time Azu,” teased Suga.

“I hate it here,” muttered Asahi under his breath, as he wondered how he was going to survive this for the rest of the night.

“Wait he really did that?!” giggled Y/N, as she sat next to Asahi sipping her white chocolate mocha.

“Mhm! His face when we found out was priceless!” chuckled Daichi.

“Okay but that’s so cute! Using your height for good!” teased Y/N as she leaned into the ace with a giggle.

“Such a cliche though,” joked Suga.

“Listen, he saved a KITTEN! I don’t care how much of a cliche that is, please!” commented Y/N as she gazed at Asahi, earning laughter from the pair as they realized where his new vocabulary was coming from and a light blush from the ace.

“Honestly, this boy is a saviour on all accounts! Graveyard shifts were usually hella boring until ‘Sahi started coming around at night too,” reminisced Y/N as memories of them began playing in her head.

“We knew he was disappearing for a reason when he stopped staying late at the gym to practice,” noted Daichi.

“Oh God I’m sorry! Don’t cut practice time for me! I’ll feel too bad honestly!” rushed out Y/N with a furrow of her eyebrows.

“No no please don’t! I come here for a reason,” piped up Asahi, as he turned to the girl to ensure that she knew that he meant the words he was saying.

“Okay but still! I know how much you love volleyball!” she whined.

“If it makes you feel better, his playing has actually been getting better,” reassured Daichi.

“Yeah, he barely misses his serves anymore!” added Suga with a smile.

“Damn, guess it’s my influence!” joked Y/N as she giggled, earning a laugh from everyone, but for a different reason.

In a way Y/N was right, the only new factor that entered his life was her, and the pair were certain that if they had asked when the two lovebirds had met that the dates would match up. Even just talking to her for one night, the boys understood what their friend saw in her. She shined with positivity and joy; her genuinity and kindness were refreshing.

“It’s getting a bit late now, shouldn’t you be sleeping soon?” asked Daichi.

“Technically yes, but I still have homework to do anyway,” responded Y/N with a shrug of her shoulders.

“What are we still doing here, then? Let’s pay so you can go home, the sooner the better!” declared Suga, already getting up and pushing back his chair.

“Guys it’s honestly fine, I’ve stayed up far later!” she reassured, getting up herself and walking towards the cash register.

“Still, we wouldn’t want to keep you up,” commented Asahi meaningfully, as he gathered his things and hers.

“You guys are the sweetest, ugh! I lowkey don’t want to even let you pa-” she noted, interrupted by the money already placed on the counter before she could finish her sentence, leading her to add a “I hate yall” jokingly.

“You didn’t have to walk me home again, ‘Sahi,” sighed Y/N as she ignored the butterflies in her stomach.

“It’s unsafe for you to walk alone, I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you,” he replied honestly.

“I would’ve taken the bus though!” she shot back with a laugh.

“And? Like that’s any less safe? The possibilities are endless!” he expressed, then whispered, “Besides I- uh- like walking with you.”

“Even if you have to slow yourself down so I can keep up? Don’t think I haven’t noticed that by the way!” she teased, earning a soft chuckle from the ace himself.

He didn’t know how to respond, how could he? His mind was racing as his heart rushed to match the rhythm, both almost in a race, competing to see who could say the sentence that least gave away his true feelings. None of which ended up winning, as they had both seemingly come to a compromise that anything would be too risky.

“Y’know...I’ve never really felt as safe with you as I do with anyone else,” she expressed quietly.

“Because I’m tall and look scary?” he questioned, already preparing himself to hear yet another joke about how his physique didn’t match his personality.

“No, though that does help!” she replied with a giggle, then cleared her throat as she played with her hair, a nervous habit that Asahi had picked up on.

“It’s because you make me feel comfortable, like, I don’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing or annoying you or anything. With you I can just- be me I guess,” she admitted, before adding, “That’s such a cliche thing to say please! Tell Suga and Daichi that you have some competition for being the most cliche!” she joked as she shook her head.

“In your words, ‘I don’t care how much of a cliche that is’, that’s the sweetest thing that’s ever been said to me and I’m beyond happy that I make you feel like that,” he replied joyfully, chuckling softly.

Her heart began beating faster as she smiled brightly at his words. She had acknowledged a while back that she had a crush on him but she didn’t realize how easily the boy could make her melt. There was something about his honesty that she admired greatly; she had been surrounded and used by people, both platonically and romantically, who had never reciprocated her compliments, so to hear something back was wonderful. Was it the bare minimum according to others? Of course. Doesn't make her feel any less elated, though.

“Well looks like that’s my stop,” she finally let out, as they approached her house.

“Y/N I-” he began.

He couldn’t take it anymore, she had to know how he felt about her. His hands began to shake as he looked around nervously. What if she didn’t like him back? What if she ran away from him? Was he willing to ruin their friendship over his selfish feelings? His eyes fell upon her as he noted how cold and exhausted the girl looked, failing to see the hope that shone behind her eyes, as she prayed that the words she craved to hear would slip out.

“Nevermind, have a goodnight and please don’t stay up too late,” he said simply with a sad smile, beginning to turn around and walk away.

“Wait!” yelled Y/N suddenly, forcing him to come to a sharp halt.

Was he...going to say what she thought he was going to say? Surely not right? Yet she recognised that look, that was the very same look she gave in the mirror when she would practice telling her crushes how she felt. Did he like her? No no that would be ridiculous, she was...well, her and he was him. They were on two opposite ends of the spectrum, there’s no way in hell he’d reciprocate her feelings.

“...You too, ‘Sahi, I’ll text you before I sleep so you can not so subtly hint at me sleeping earlier tomorrow,” she teased with a chuckle.

“I’d love nothing more,” he expressed with a louder laugh, walking away as he placed his hands in his pockets and sighed.

He really thought for a second there that she was going to tell him she liked him. How could he be so naive? Of course she didn’t, after all, they were just friends.

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tokoyamisstuff · 4 years ago

Text

Betrothed Ch. 11 - Illumi Zoldyck x Reader

Chapter 11: Broken

Summary: Illumi cannot escape his past - but sometimes that fact isn’t all that bad.

Warnings: Death, Blood, Angst, the usual.

Words: ~2500

A/N: Sorry guys, this chapter probably sucks. When I’m working night-shifts I become erradic and can’t think straight, but I still wanna write, so...

Story Masterlist

No one knows what it’s like to be the bad man To be the sad man behind blue eyes. And no one knows what it’s like to be hated. To be fated to telling only lies. But my dreams they aren’t as empty as my conscience seems to be. I have hours only lonely. My love is vengeance, that’s never free.

- Limp Bizkit: Behind Blue Eyes

“Keep good care of Alluka, okay?”

He only nodded in response. You never doubtet him to protect her, yet also couldn’t help reminding him either after everything he’s been through.

After all, his fear of Illumi made him forget about his locked away sister for such a long time...

“And you’ll be listening to your brother, right?”

“Aye!” the little girl cheered, pecking the flustered boy on the cheek.

It was actually very adoring to look at those two siblings who were finally reunited, now able to make up for the time they’ve lost.

The only companion you’d take with you was your familiar Luna, and you also didn’t want to rely on Alluka’s powers now that you had a hint to your husband’s whereabouts.

Your sister-in-law had been through enough, and she also was way more than just someone to grant wishes. She had desires, dreams and a future to look out for. Both of them.

Gladly, Killua could tell you about all safehouses in Yorknew City so the Zoldyck family wouldn’t notice about you prying around. That information was more than enough for your search.

“What are you going to do from now on?”

“Getting my husband back, obviously” you shrugged at Killua’s words, clutching the ace of spades you were holding. Hisoka had given it to you - infused with a powerful nen, you could contact him whenever you felt it necessary.

“I know that’s all very much for you...” Yes, Killua had struggled with his brother’s mental illness ever since his birth. And now to act like all of that never happened just because you told him he had a change of heart? It seemed almost impossible. “So take your time processing things. We won’t bother you until you’re ready.”

Rumpling up the boy’s white hair, you grinned widely at your friends before you boarded the airship.

You were already halfway across the ocean when you got a message from Killua, warming your cautious heart:

“I’m glad you’ve joined our family. Save him.”

Days passed by as you searched safehous after safehous, as well as every shady corner of the city. Much to your dissatisfaction, your husband had always been gone as soon as you reached the scene of crime.

“I’ll find him, no matter what!” you thought just before you reached the next safehouse, deep in the mountains surrounding the great city. He had seemingly destroyed the Zoldyck Personal Transmitter, just as you had - both blessing and curse.

The view was breathtaking, yet you didn’t bother yourself with wasting any minute enjoying it. Luna’s cry told you that you were near, and that was all that counted right now.

Because there were only three spots left, and what if you’d search for him in vain and he had already left Yorknew City? Your guts twisted very unpleasantly at the thought, making it a lot harder to climb the last pile of rocks.

And there it was - a small brick house, nothing more than a one-room-apartment with the most needed items to survive a short time.

There were lights on inside, you clearly saw them from afar.

Fearing that he would leave if he noticed you, there was no other option left than to surpress your Nen completely, leaving you defenseless against every possible threat.

But when you entered, there was no one there - except...

“Oh?” As you stepped into the dim cancle light of the room, a small cat stumbled in between your legs, purring happily. “Who are you, sweetheart?”

Seems like Illumi made a friend, huh?

The thought alone made your heart feel like it’ll burst out of happiness as you pet the animal’s head, noticing that Illumi had treated it’s wounds.

Leaving Luna and the cat get to know each other, you roamed around the room, searching for any possible hint on Illumi’s location.

The house seemed to still be occupied, so should you just wait here for him?

But then, the TV that he seemingly forgot to turn off bursted the local news:

“The auction is only expected to take place in a few weeks, but the preparations are already in full swing. Even though everone is talking about the possibility of the Phantom Troupe blowing up the occasion, rumors about ‘special measurements’ have been spread. The organizers did not want to comment, however they assured us the auction will run safe and peaceful.”

“Organizers my ass” you gritted your teeth. Everyone on the world knew the legendary Ten Dons were secretly holding an Underground Auction, with the ‘legal’ one just being a distraction.

But now you could very well imagine where your lover has headed up to...

It’s the same every year. Many assassins would gather to protect the auction, very well paid by the Dons.

A very good occasion to start wiping out the profession of assassins completely.

Finding the place of action was no problem. A quick research and you knew that the tallest hotel in town was in their possession, where the assassins would probably be allowed to stay until the big occasion.

The hardest part however was what in the world you could do if you arrived there...

“P-Please, have mercy!”

As you broke into the building and entered the conference hall, the blood-bath was already in full swing, the true strenght of your husband unfolding in front of your very eyes.

“Sorry, but I cannot make exceptions” Illumi spoke calmly, hitting his enemy’s head with a needle.

There were twenty-five - no, thirty corpses laying around.

Did he really single-handedly kill all those highly professional assassins? Then again, you had never seen him go all out before...

Even though your husband seemed to have granted them a quick death, everything was a mess. Broken furniture, scattered bodyparts and puddles of blood everywhere.

Illumi obviously didn’t need any help, but the moment you saw another enemy try to attack him from behind, you snapped.

Before you could even comprehend what happened, your body had acted before your mind, leaving you only able to watch as the man fell to the ground.

That wasn’t right. Those assassins were mostly hunters, who arrested or killed criminals. They weren’t guilty or worthy of death.

And yet you did it...it was a reflex, your inherent wish to help Illumi being stronger than your rationality.

So you stood stock still as your husband turned around, furrowing his brows at the injured person laying at his feet - and finished him off.

"Oh? Y/N...” Why did his tone have to be so cheerfull, even at times like this? “What are you doing here?”

As if this was a casual chat, he stepped over several corpses until he faced you, while still remaining his distance.

You gulped harshly, even after all this time not prepared for this moment. “I-I was searching for you.”

“What for?” he plainly retorted, stepping harshly on one of the twitching bodies. “I’m glad to see you’re alright, but you shouldn’t be here.”

Folding your hands to keep them from shaking, it made your following words seem only more as if you were praying. “Because I want you to come back to me. Please...”

“I can’t do that, Y/N” he said and his pained smile ripped your heart in thousand pieces. “I’m too dangerous to be with you. I see that now. It’s no wonder you didn’t trust me back then - since I can’t even trust myself.”

Seeing your face stained with tears made him struggle with the wish to cradle you in his arms, soothing you like he always did. But he refrained from doing so.

“Don’t be sad.” He rose his bloodied hands in the air, gesturing across the room. "I found something I want to do. See? I’ll cleanse the world of other monsters like me and make it more safe for you!”

“Lumi...” Hearing this familiar nickname in your most alluring voice made him drop the facade for only a mere second. “...are you crying?”

“Huh? So that’s what it is.” Only now Illumi realized that he had been weeping as well, touching his face in surprise. He had already forgotten that he was able to cry as well."Yeah. It happens a lot lately.”

“Illumi, love-” you now pleaded, breaking out in convulsive sobbing. “You’re sick, you know that. But that’s not the right way...”

“No need to worry” he tried to compromise, pointing to his neck. “I used a needle on myself, in case my parents should get the better off me again. If I ever hurt someone innocent again, it’ll tear my aorta apart and I’ll die.”

You dared to take a few steps in his direction, but he backed off. “There’s no other way, Y/N. You’re the only one allowed to put an end to my life if you wish, but nothing else.”

“If I die, I’ll make up at least for a fraction of my deeds” Illumi thought to himself, his face now contorting to a rather mad smirk. “Y/N will be safe.”

You said nothing - no, you were left unable to speak.

Seeing the love of your life suffering so much was just too hard for you to bear.

“I’m not worthy of your love, Y/N.” God knows when he managed to appear right in front of you, but somehow he did, softly raising your chin. “I’ll never be” he added, wiping away your tears with his thumb.

“Y-You...” Softly sniveling, you embraced your husband, face wetting the fabric of his shirt. “You don’t need to be ‘worthy’. Love doesn’t work that way, Lumi. I’ll always love you! That’s up to me and you can’t just change that fact!”

“I could” he suggested himself, struggling with the temptation to kiss all your pain away. A needle could make you hate him, or even forget it all.

But he had promised himself to never manipulate other people or cut their freedom, even if just for their safety.

It was your own decision how to feel, or how you’d deal with it.

“Do you really still not remember, Lumi?”

“What exactly?” Your husband didn’t move an inch as you grabbed him tight, afraid he’d leave as soon as you let go.

“You spared me back then” you whispered, shivering as you tried to get a hold of him again. "We were still young, but you were already under their influence...”

Illumi clearly began to shake too, making you regret the previous words. Of course they would cause a flashback...

“Do you remember?”

“Vividly.”

Your husband must’ve been sixteen around that time - yet already a completely trained, fearsome assassin.

Who was his target again? He couldn’t remember.

All he knew was that the orders were to “kill the target as well as it’s allies and leave no witnesseses behind”. The job was precize, requiring to act quick to clean up every proof.

And then there was you.

Still in midst of your hunter education, you were assigned by your family to become the bodyguard over that certain politician, following him on his every step.

But now you saw it all in front of you: Illumi, with his hands firmly strangulating your airway.

He hadn’t developed his Nen abilities at the time, therefore having to do the job with his bare hands. And since you were the last one he had to get rid of, there was no need to hurry.

It was a strange feeling to have such a beautiful person writhing underneath him, piercing him with their pleading look.

Somehow it was a shame you had to die so early, and under those circumstances...

Just when you felt yourself passing out from lack of oxygen, you refrained from trying to pull his hands away - and placed one softly on his cheek.

Illumi froze, shocked by your deed. He had taken so many lives, made countless people suffer already...

But you were the only one who looked at him with such kind, sad eyes...absent of any hint of grudge.

You coughed heavily before you were able to corak out the question burning on your tongue: Why did he stopp fulfilling his mission?

"Yes, why...” he asked himself as well, rubbing the cheek you had just stoked. That sensation, the gentleness and affection of your touch was so foreign to him that he completely lost himself for a moment.

“Why didn’t you struggle?” he turned the interrogation around, almost forgetting about the severe situation both of you were in.

“Dunno” you shuddered, just now realizing that you had given in to your fate just seconds ago. “You seemed kind of sad.”

What?!? This must be some kind of trick!

“Does someone force you to do this?” The compassionate expression on your face scared him, making him want to run away from what he did not know. “You don’t seem happy to do this.”

“I don’t feel anything” the teenager scoffed, taken aback by your worry and care. “I am a highfunctioning tool of darkness and nothing more.”

"How sad...” You cracked a weak smile, and it’s brightness was enough to make him flee, your last words still spinning in his head. “I think under different circumstances, I would’ve loved to become your friend!”

You really were something else...flirting with an enemy that tried to kill you?!? Talking about being insane...

“I get now why my family was so much against our marriage...it’s a joke, really...”

It was a mystery how you didn’t recognize him right away, and how you only now remembered. They had to change all the facts, spending a huge amount of money to silence anyone knowing the truth.

Your name got changed, and everyone would have to act like you were their second child - because the one on the mission had died back then.

So the wrath of the Zoldycks wouldn’t caugh up with you to finish their job.

“You liked me...” Illumi let out a shaky breath, “...even back then.”

“Sure!” you now chuckled weakly, trying to brighten the mood. “How could one not fall for those eyes?”

“I tried to kill you.”

“You didn’t.”

Leading his hands to your neck, you wanted to show just how much you trusted him. And immediately, his hands, wandered up to your face, softly suqeezing and stroking it as if he was making sure this wasn’t just a dream or an hallucination. “You’d never hurt me, Lumi. I know that.”

And finally, he cupped your face, hesistantly moving his own closer to yours.

“Is it really okay for me to love you?” he whimpered ever so slightly - but you already pushed your lips onto his until they were inseparable.

“Yes, it is.”

_____

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145 notes · View notes

jlalafics · 5 years ago

Note

Hey can you do an everlark fake dating please🥺🥺

Anon, I’m sure you were looking for something a little more romantic than what I came up with. There is romance, but there’s some other stuff too.

Thank you for inspiring this four-parter. I hope you enjoy!

_____

Summary: Peeta needed a date for his brother’s wedding. His co-worker Katniss was more than willing to play along. Sometimes, simple favors can turn into so much more. A fake dating story done in four parts. Rated E. Definitely NSFW.

A Simple Favor

The Invite

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Peeta gawked at the frilly invitation in his grasp, then at the attached list of activities.

Three days.

Three fucking days of wedding activities to torture him.

“Can we tone down the cursing?” Katniss, his co-worker, sat down at her desk adjacent to his. “This is a place of business.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had to go to this.”

Peeta swiveled his chair, tossing the invitation onto Katniss’ desk. It landed smoothly atop her keyboard and she reached to read the perfect calligraphy print announcing the upcoming nuptials of Rye Mellark to Delly Cartwright.

She turned back to Peeta. “Yeah…so?”

“Look who’s the Maid of Honor.”

Katniss looked to the right part of the invitation which listed the wedding party.

Her grey eyes suddenly shot up at him. “Oh, holy fuck! Is that her?”

“Yeah. It’s hard to look at her name and not still see her sucking off my best friend.”

Katniss snorted. “Yeah—that’s not an image even I would likely forget.” She examined the invitation again. “Gawd, even her name is pretty. Madge Undersee.”

“Don’t remind me,” Peeta growled, yanking the invitation from her grasp. “Who plans three days of pre-wedding activities?”

“Your brother and his affianced, apparently.” Katniss gave him a sympathetic smile. “You think she’ll bring him?”

“According to my brother, they’re officially together now.”

Peeta never used to be this bitter.

However, two years ago, that irrevocably changed when he discovered his then-fiancée on her knees and giving his best friend a blowie—on his bed. Madge had wept, of course, telling him that it had just happened.

And Gale…he had begged for Peeta to understand that it wasn’t just sex…that he felt something more for Madge.

How the hell was he supposed to understand that?

Peeta had packed his things and immediately left the apartment that he and his best friend had been living in—let the fucker deal with the astronomical Bay Area rent on his own.

He then accepted a job at Panem Projects, a Brooklyn based start-up created by tech mogul Haymitch Abernathy. The uber-genius had invented an app that allowed you to search for specific non-profits and charities that one may be interested in contributing to.

On Peeta’s first day, he met Katniss Everdeen, who was part of the QA department he was in. She was a supervisor while he was just one of the lowly engineers.

They had been sitting across from one another ever since.

“That sucks.” Katniss sat back, crossing her legs, as she watched him carefully. “Did you want to get wasted after work?”

++++++

It was at their fifth round of shots that the idea came about.

“I can’t go to this.” Peeta held the invitation, now beer-stained and being used as a coaster for their peanut bowl. “It’s basically a three-day Peeta Mellark roast!”

“Yeah, and a wedding,” Katniss replied. She leaned forward, her cheeks warmed from booze. “You know what you need? A date to this God-awful event. Not just any date, a hot date.”

“Here’s the problem, sweetheart,” he replied. “I’m not dating anyone.”

“It doesn’t have to be a real date,” she reasoned. “Find a great-looking chick who’d be willing to spend three days looking like she worships your cock. Isn’t this what those dating apps are for?”

“I don’t want a stranger around my family!” He reached for the beer bottle in front of him—was this even his? “That’s how those Netflix crime specials come about.”

Katniss chuckled. “Okay. Understandable.” She met his glazed stare. “I’ll do it.”

“What?”

“I said I’ll go with you,” Katniss declared. “I’ll be your hot date.”

Peeta took a long swig. “Uh…no offense Katniss…you’re definitely pretty…but hot?”

“I have been known to dress up once in a while.”

He looked at his friend; her dark hair was in its usual braid and she wore a pair of fitted jeans along with a zip-up with the Panem Projects logo on it—some sort of fiery bird. On her feet were a pair of Converses that had seen better days.

“You’re really know how to make a girl feel desired,” Katniss told him. “I can’t think of any possible reason why Madge would dump you.”

“Hey now! That’s hitting below the belt!”

“Well, you don’t think I can be hot!” she retorted. “Give me your phone!”

Peeta, in fear of his life, pulled out his phone from the pocket of his jeans and handed it to the woman.

Katniss picked up the invitation with her free hand and started to type with the other.

“Katniss…Motherfucking…Everdeen…” She handed the phone back to him. “I’ve RSVP’d for you and added myself as your plus one.”

He looked at the browser window and then back at a smirking Katniss.

“You actually wrote ‘Katniss Motherfucking Everdeen’ as my date’s name.” Peeta had to smile. “My mother is going to love that.”

“She’s going to love me,” Katniss assured him. “She and everyone else at this wedding is going to forget who the hell Madge Undersee is after I’m done with them.”

Peeta had to ask. “Why are you doing this?”

“I know how it feels to be taken by surprise.” She was suddenly staring very hard at the dirty bar table they sat at. “Plus, you’re my friend and we take care of each of other.” Her eyes met his, her own looking like she was on the verge of breaking. “Right?”

Peeta reached over and squeezed her hand. “Right.”

++++++

“Okay, so I have prepared a portfolio of myself.” Katniss presented him with a closed folder. “Childhood photos…likes and dislikes…just some general information that a boyfriend should know.”

“34C?” Peeta eyed her doubtfully, briefly flitting to her white button down. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. You bought me a lovely dark green lingerie set for our last anniversary.” Katniss pulled out a piece of paper. “Here is a little questionnaire that I’ve made for you, just for me to know you a little better.”

Peeta skimmed over the questions. Most of them were pretty general; where he was born, his parents’ and his brother’s name as well as their ages, his favorite foods…then—

“Why do you need to know if I’m circumcised?”

“If we have supposedly been together for about six months, shouldn’t we be having sex by now?” she questioned.

“True.” Peeta looked around the room. “Is it okay that we’re using a meeting room for this?”

Katniss shrugged. “The guys in IT use this room to play Pokémon every Friday.”

“Also, when are you going to do something about…” He waved his hand out at today’s outfit: a pair of black slacks, a white button down, and brown loafers. “…that.”

“Don’t you worry your perfect little blond self.” Katniss playfully ruffled his hair. “I didn’t realize that you were so fixated on looks.”

“You were the one who suggested ‘hot’,” he pointed out. “However, my parents, who are generally good people, can sometimes be judgmental. So besides being very smart and extremely accomplished—we’re going to have to show them how great you are on the outside.”

“Peeta, do my looks matter to you?” she suddenly asked. “I mean, do you think that I’m pretty?”

Katniss wasn’t what people would call conventionally beautiful.

Her hair was a single shade of black which could be a bit-frizzy on humid days, and her complexion was sun-kissed with a sprinkle of freckles on her cheeks. However, Peeta saw deep grey eyes that sparkled when she was particularly excited about something (pushing a new feature on their app, for example) and full rose-colored lips that needed no lipstick.

And when she smiled, everything about her just lit up.

“I think you’re beautiful,” he said truthfully. “I do worry that the people at this wedding won’t see you the way I see you.”

“Then that’s their fucking problem, isn’t it?” Katniss smiled gently. “We just have to make this look real. I think we can do this.” She pushed a pen towards him. “Now, fill your questionnaire out, okay?”

“Alright.” He reached for the pen and his eyes went to her. “Katniss?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

++++++

Two Weeks Later…

“Sister—Primrose…24…a nurse in Seattle…Mom…Kate…former teacher…Dad…Marcus…former General in the Army….”

As he waited for Katniss’ Uber to arrive, Peeta went through the flashcards that he and Katniss had created in order to get through the three days leading up to his brother’s wedding.

They had everything from their first date (a Harry Potter trivia night at a bar close to their office) to any distinguishable body marks (him—a scar on his knee from falling off his bike at 12 and her—surprisingly, a scar just above her left butt cheek from a tattoo removal procedure, though she wouldn’t tell him what the tattoo was).

“Peeta?”

He had been so distracted that he didn’t even hear the car pull up.

“Sorry.” He tucked the cards in his back pocket and lifted his eyes to greet her. “Hey…holy shit.”

This was not Katniss Everdeen.

Katniss Everdeen didn’t wear her dark hair down in smooth waves that framed a perfect heart-shaped face. She didn’t wear sleeveless black jumpsuits that revealed rich olive skin and plush breasts (she was definitely a 34C).

“You like?”

She did a little twirl for him, graceful despite the stilettos she wore.

And, Katniss definitely didn’t have an ass that made his mouth water.

The unbidden thought of biting into one of those full globes caused his cock to twitch in his now too tight jeans.

“I like.” Peeta gave her a smile. “Maybe a little too much.”

She looked triumphant. “Give you a boner?”

“Fuck yeah,” he replied, a tad breathless.

“Then I’ve done my job.” Katniss wrapped her arms around his neck. “Hello boyfriend.”

Her mouth covered his own and his arms encircled her waist, pulling her tightly against his body. She teased, nipping at his bottom lip, her tongue skimming his lips before pulling away. Something surged inside him and his tongue invaded her mouth, sweeping in to taste sweetness.

Katniss growled against him, her center pressing into his now definitely hard cock.

Reluctantly—because they had to either breathe or die during the world’s hottest kiss—they pulled apart.

“Why did you do that?” he asked, gasping for breath.

“Because we’re supposed to be in love.” Her chest heaved, her eyes just cooling down from their kiss. “And couples in love kiss like that.”

“I know no couples who kiss like that,” he told her, a smile unexpectedly forming on his lips. “But feel free to kiss me like that whenever you see fit.”

++++++

During their five-hour flight, they went over the wedding itinerary.

“I’ve had a stylist pull looks for us for all the fancier events,” Katniss explained. “Don’t worry, nothing looks like we’re trying too hard. We’ll be more complimentary to one another.”

“What would trying too hard look like?” Peeta asked curiously.

“Well, if your tie matched my dress for example.”

A flight attendant stopped in front of their seats. “What can I get you both?”

Katniss smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “He will have…” Her fingers brushed against his ear lobe and he couldn’t help but shiver in pleasure. “…a cup of chamomile tea. I will have a coffee—”

“With milk and two sugars,” he breathed out, trying to smile up at the attendant.

“Thanks baby,” Katniss cooed at him, her hand brushing through his hair affectionately.

The woman quickly fixed their drinks, handing their cups to them one by one.

“Can I just say that you too are extremely adorable?” the flight attendant remarked.

Katniss put a hand to her chest.

“Thank you!” She looked to Peeta; her expression full of affection. “He’s just so easy to love.”

Peeta smiled tightly. “This is my dream girl…” He patted Katniss’ hand. “…right here.”

The flight attendant practically squealed before going to the next seats.

“You really could be a little bit more convincing,” Katniss remarked. “Maybe act like my touch doesn’t repulse you.”

“You don’t!” He shifted towards her. “In fact, it’s really the opposite.”

Katniss rested back against her seat. “Really?” She crossed her arms. “Convince me.”

Peeta unbuckled his seatbelt. Pressing the release button of the armrest, he pushed it up so there was no divider between them.

Katniss waited, obviously interested in what he was up to. He realized that their tray tables covered anything below the waist and his mouth widened in a grin.

“Tell me.” His hand went to her thigh. “What exactly are you wearing under this?” The fabric beneath his palm was smooth and he could feel a full firm thigh. He continued upwards towards the cleft between her thighs. “Are you even wearing underwear?”

Katniss’ arms fell to her side and she swallowed thickly. “I am.”

“And, if my hand found its way between your thighs—” His hand stopped just about an inch from her center and she let out a labored breath. “—if my fingers brushed against this practically non-existent cloth, would I find you wet?”

“Maybe,” she whispered.

Peeta leaned forward, his mouth going to her ear.

“Would you let me put my fingers to your clit? Let me rub you until you came all over this seat?” His pressed his mouth to the spot behind her ear and she shivered. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You’d happily fill this cabin with the smell of sex if I fingered you into completion—”

“Stop—” Katniss gasped out, her hand covering the hand on her thigh. “I’m convinced.”

“Good.”

Peeta moved his hand away—but not before quickly brushing the tips of his fingers at her center. The feeling of heat had him hard immediately.

“You’re far from repulsive, Katniss.” He met her heated stare. “I’ve always thought that.”

Katniss snorted. “Yeah, right.”

Peeta took her hand, placing it to where his erection demanded to be freed.

“Believe me,” he demanded, and her fingers moved against the rough fabric of his jeans. “This is because of you. Yeah, it’s extremely hot to see you in this get-up, but what makes me hard is that look in your eyes.”

Katniss licked her lips. “What look?”

“That fire,” he told her, his thumb caressing the top of her hand. “That fire in those grey eyes will always get me, if you’re in this black jumpsuit—” Her fingers enclosed along his cock, gripping him firmly. “—or if you’re wearing that ugly zip-up sweater that HR gave you for your work anniversary.”

“Excuse me?” They both jumped at the voice and looked to see the flight attendant. “We’ve just been notified that we’ll be landing a little sooner than we announced. So, if you could finish your drinks in the next few minutes—”

“Of course,” Katniss said quickly, her free hand reaching for her cup. “We’ll be done soon.”

The woman gave them a smile and moved on to the next row.

Katniss sat back, the hand on him quickly disappearing.

“You’re going to be more problematic than I thought,” she said, her eyes dark.

“Trust me.” Peeta let out a breath. “The feeling is mutual.”

++++++

“I never asked, but you and Rye are pretty close, right?”

Peeta nodded, pushing the cart with their luggage down the corridor as they left baggage claim.

“We’re probably just as close as you and Prim are,” he told her. “And Delly is great. Horrendous taste in friends, but she’s really a sweet person.”

“Do you suspect that Rye will see through all of this?” Katniss questioned.

Peeta shook his head. “We’ve done our research.” He stopped, reaching for her hand. “I also always thought that you and I had great chemistry…in the workplace. I think it transfers easily into whatever we’re trying to pull off.”

Katniss smiled. “I feel the exact same way.”

“Peeta!”

They turned to see a couple, running toward them excitedly.

Rye rushed over, pulling him into a tight hug and practically lifting him off the ground. His brother was a broad fellow; muscular from years of playing football throughout high school and college. However, Rye was as gentle as they came when it came to his younger brother and the lovely woman that he would soon be marrying.

“I’ve missed you, little brother!” Rye said affectionately. “Welcome home!”

They drew apart, just as Delly pulled away from hugging Katniss.

He reached over to quickly kiss Delly on the cheek. “Hello soon-to-be big sister.”

“Hello, my sweet little brother,” Delly greeted in return.

“Rye, Delly—” Katniss beamed at him and his heart leapt at the affectionate gesture. Taking her hand, he presented her proudly to the couple. “—this lovely woman is my girlfriend, Katniss Everdeen.”

Delly grinned at his expression. “I can already tell that she’s going to be a perfect addition to our family.”

Rye took Katniss’ hand, leaning and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“I welcome anyone who makes my baby brother smile this brightly,” he told her. “Welcome to San Francisco. Have you ever been here?”

Katniss shook her head. “This is my first time. Congratulations, by the way.”

“Thanks!” Delly glowed in excitement. “I can’t wait for all the festivities—” She whipped around to her fiancé. “—and for us to be married, of course!” They all chuckled at her exuberance.

Rye led them out into where the town cars were stationed; a man in a black suit immediately took the cart and headed to the trunk of the black Sedan in front of them.

“A driver?” Peeta asked.

“Mom and Dad insisted,” Rye responded with a grimace. “You know them.”

They all slid into the wide back seats, Rye closing the door behind him.

Delly immediately pounced. “So, how did you two meet?”

“We’ve been working together for the last two years at Panem Projects,” Katniss told her easily. “I’ve always liked Peeta and we became friends right away.”

“However, a little over six months ago, I finally got the balls to ask her out on an actual date,” Peeta finished for her. His hand found hers, their fingers entwining easily, and he met Katniss’ eyes. “And, wonderful woman that she was, she accepted. We’ve been together ever since.”

“I love it,” Delly said sincerely. “And you look so beautiful together. The children are going to be gorgeous.”

Rye smiled affectionately at his fiancée. “Don’t scare Katniss off, love.”

“I don’t know,” Katniss said, eyeing Peeta playfully. Her free hand reached to push his hair away from his face. “I’ve always loved blue-eyed children.”

“And, the children would look particularly lovely if they had Katniss’ hair,” he added, his hand reaching to the tuck a tendril of her hair behind her ear.

How did he never notice what was in front of him?

“Oh man,” Rye said, looking between them. He smirked at his brother. “You are so fucked.”

++++++

“It’s so wonderful to have you here, Katniss,” his mother said. “We’ve never had Peeta bring a girl home. You know, except for Mad—" She waved her hand, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, you are most welcome.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Mellark,” Katniss replied graciously.

“Call me Janice, my dear.”

Behind her, Peeta followed along with his father carrying their bags up the stairs.

“She seems like a lovely girl,” his father told him.

“I care for her a great deal,” Peeta said as he watched his mother and Katniss chat easily. “I don’t know how I even got her.”

“Trust me, son.” He gave Peeta an affectionate smile. “I think she feels the same way. I can tell just by the way she keeps looking over for you—like she can’t believe that you’re together.”

They stopped at the door to his childhood room.

“Well, we put some extra towels in your bedroom,” his mother told them. “And, Mags—” Peeta had introduced Katniss to the head of the household when they first entered his childhood home. “—made sure that fresh sheets have been put on the bed and she’s aired out the room as well.”

“Okay, but where will Katniss be staying?” he asked.

“We’re not so old to not know that you aren’t sleeping together,” his mother said. “So, we just set up your room for the both of you.”

“That’s perfect,” Katniss told his parents. She looked to him boldly. “Show me your room. I’m dying to see those little league trophies of yours.”

“We know that you must be exhausted,” his father told them. “So, we’ll just have dinner sent up and we can rendezvous for brunch tomorrow in the main dining room.”

“Thank you, Marshall,” Katniss said as Peeta opened the door for them. “Thank you as well, Janice.”

“Of course, dear.” His mother gave them a jaunty wink. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Entering the room, Peeta placed their bags at the end of his bed.

“What kind of life did you leave when you came to work at Panem Projects?” Katniss stared up at the high ceiling of the room, her eyes traveling to the four-post bed, and then to the floor-to-ceiling windows. She went to one immediately. “Oh my God! You can see everything from up here!”

“A house on Twin Peaks affords that kind of view. However, it’s not so great on foggy days,” he told her, watching as she examined every bit of his room from the bathroom (“A clawfoot tub!”) to the walk-in closet (This is practically the size of my studio!).

Taking off her shoes, Katniss leapt onto his bed. “Holy shit! This is heavenly!”

Peeta went to her, toeing off his own shoes before joining her.

They laid side by side, hands immediately reaching for one another.

He turned to her. “Did I ever say thank you for being here?”

“It’s all worth it to stay in this sweet room,” Katniss replied, her grey eyes dancing.

“So, you’re just here for the room?”

She smirked. “Well, I did also find out that you have a huge cock—so that’s a bonus.”

“Katniss!” Her laughter filled the room and his stomach tumbled in pleasure hearing it. He suddenly flipped, his chest over hers and the giggles fell from her lips. Peeta stared down at her, her grey eyes suddenly darkening as he examined her. “You’re something special.”

“I’m nothing.” Her chest rose and Katniss let out a shaky breath. “I just want to be here for you.”

“I want to kiss you,” he suddenly said, his hand reaching to trace her jawline. “Would you allow it?”

“Are you doing it because you want to thank me?” she asked tightly. “Or because you want to explore what is obviously between us?”

“Both, I think.” Peeta had never felt this exhilarated or this flustered by someone. Just a touch from Katniss and he was in a whirlwind, happy to be caught in it. “I just think you deserve someone less broken than I am.”

“We’re both broken.” Her hand reached for the nape of his neck, drawing him down until their lips were brushing. “I don’t know if we can fix that, but we can help each other mend.” She smiled against him. “Let’s see where this weekend takes us, and we can go from there. For now, I’m allowing you to kiss me. So, make it a good one.”

Peeta dipped his mouth into hers, sampling just a bit, and it was like he could breathe again. Immediately, his lips sought hers, his tongue sweeping into her mouth and swirling against her own. Katniss moaned and his heart rose in triumph as she pressed herself to him eagerly.

His hand reached to cradle her head, his fingers entwining in soft waves and he plunged into her mouth once more, exploring her in their kiss.

Katniss ripped her mouth off his, a string of saliva still connecting them.

“Fuck!” Her eyes were frenzied. “What the hell are you doing to me?”

He grinned. “I’m just exploring.”

Despite his attempt to remain cool, his own heart raced; the feel of her mouth…and her tongue undoing him.

This wasn’t the plan, but it felt right.

“This whole game we’re playing,” she said, her eyes full of hunger. “I’m going to crash and burn, aren’t I?”

“If you burn—” Peeta kissed her tenderly. “—then I burn with you.”

END OF PART ONE

#anon #request #fakedating!Everlark #Everlark #Everlark Fanfiction #1 of 4

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yeongwvnhi · 4 years ago

Text

You and I on top of it all

This one is quite the brutal piece of work so proceed with caution and be mindful of the warnings. Do tell me if I missed something possibly triggering.

—

Pairing - Oneus Hyung line (only one makes it) x fem reader

Genre - Angst, Suspense, Suggestive, Horror, Gore

Warnings - murder, violence, blood, weapons, language, death, injuries, guns, shooting, graphic descriptions of murder and violence, romanticizing these themes for the plot

Taglist - @twancingyunhoe @runaway-fics @bearseokie @kingleedo @malzenn

Word count - 3k

》><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><《

It was 11pm and you were hurrying down the street to get back home. You weren't planning on being outside when it started. Last year still left you shaking in your boots, but this year you will turn the table and stop being afraid.

What exactly is it?

It is the purge. The day every crime is made legal and services like police, firefighters or paramedics aren't available.

Originally you were planning on just hiding out somewhere safe until the 12 hours were over but not this year. This time you wanted to let loose, go absolutely crazy and see where the night will take you. Maybe you'll find a companion or more? Maybe you'll die, who knows?

Back on topic.. Why were you even out this late? Simple. You bought some nice weapons for tonight. What were those weapons? An array of knives, a bat with spikes and even a damn katana. This time you wouldn't hold back.

A guy came your way and immediately changed course after seeing your array of weapons. This was exactly what you wanted people to do. Fear you, be scared for their life and just run as far away as they could from you.

Eyeing the clock above your TV in the living room while taking off your shoes, you realize that it's barely 11:20pm. The fun would have to wait.

With a shrug you move into your bedroom to put on tonight's outfit. You were going crazy tonight and no one would hold you back, not even your damn clothes.

You have carefully picked out your clothes a few days ago just for tonight. All black to blend into the night, your casual tight fitting jeans and shirt and your newly bought jacket. There you would store all the knives since it had a lot of pockets.

The sound of a notification from your phone made you stop examining yourself in your mirror and with an eye roll you go to check.

Hwanwoong: Hey Y/N, I know that you will be partaking in tonight's purge… I hope you won't die so I can see you again soon..

Your best friend has always been worried about you and everything that could happen.

You: I will be just fine, Woong, don't worry. You better be safe tho or I will kill you.

After you sent your reply, you didn't bother to check if he answered. You wouldn't be taking your phone with you tonight. Everything else besides your weapons will be staying in your apartment tonight… besides your keys, you decided to give them to your friendly neighbor since he would be waiting out the event tonight.

Once again your eyes find the clock and a small smile slowly crawls onto your lips. 11:30pm. Soon the fun would begin and you just couldn't wait to finally get your sweet, sweet revenge.

You secure your sword around your back with the holster and then take your baseball bat. These spikes were so sharp and you couldn't wait to see the damage they would cause.

The weight of your jacket slowly increased the more knives you put into the pockets and you were so full of adrenalin, to find the person who took everything from you.

11:45pm, the crazed smile slowly made its way back onto your lips. Just a little while.

You got up and put your also black leather boots on, tired of waiting for the chaos to unfold.

With the baseball bat in one hand and your keys in the other you exit your apartment. You lock the door and go to knock on your neighbor's door.

The man opens the door and you give him a less crazy smile upon seeing the fear in his eyes. "Hey Keonhee, don't worry i just came here to drop off my keys!" You say and hold up said object.

The taller guy visibly relaxes and smiles back at you. "You scared me there, Y/N"

"Sorry~" you chuckle and put your keys into his outstretched palm. "Please be safe, yeah?"

Keonhee chuckles nervously and nods. "You too"

"Oh I will" you reply, "I'm going to go now. I'll see you tomorrow at 12"

He closes the door and you hear several locks clicking shut behind it, one after another.

You swing the bat up and rest it on your shoulder, mindful of the spikes, and walk down the street. It was awfully quiet now and your gaze meets the giant digital clock on a huge building.

11:53pm

"Hey!" Someone calls after you and you halt in your steps. "Where are you heading to?"

You turn around and look at the guy. Tall, black hair and also full black attire. "Why would you wanna know? But I suppose you already know the answer judging from your choice of clothing"

He walks closer and you now fully see his features. He looks too good to be true. The black turtleneck sweater isn't helping your thoughts either. "You're right" he replies with a sinister smirk. "I'm also going to fuck up someone's life"

You immediately felt drawn to him, he looked just as crazed as you right now.

But that didn't mean you'd stay here any longer to chat away, no. It was almost time and you wanted to get your hands dirty.

So you give the guy an almost too nice looking smile and turn back around.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asks and you hear his fast paced footsteps approach you. "Don't just leave a conversation like that"

You chuckle and start swinging your bat around. "I don't really care about conversations right now, pretty boy"

The Guy scoffs, but you see his smirk in your peripheral vision. "So… are you out for someone special tonight? Or do you just want to blow off some steam?"

"Does it really matter?" You question in return and meet his eyes for a second. "Also, who even are you?"

"I'm Youngjo" He replies and shoots you a grin, this time less sinister. "And I guess it does? I could help you out"

He did have a point, maybe he would actually be of help. "Fine" you nod. "Someone-"

A loud alarm shakes the silence of the city, the purge has started.

The two of you immediately look at each other with an excited expression. "Fuck it, let's spill some blood" he says and grabs you by the wrist, dragging you right into the chaos of people running around left and right.

You manage to escape his grip and fasten your pace to match his.

"Out of my way!" Someone yells and you see a guy running straight at you.

No way you're having that shit tonight. "Fuck off!" You spit back and swing your baseball bat right at the guy's head.

Pretty much to his horror because he can't stop and runs straight into your death trap. His skull smashes against your spiky weapon and you feel his blood splattering onto your face.

Youngjo has stopped running the moment he heard you spitting back at that guy and witnessed the gory scene. He felt his heart skip a beat and met your eyes, both of you dazed.

"That felt so fucking good" You murmur and Youngjo nods eagerly. For that moment the two of you completely blended out the chaos around you.

Until there were gunshots, that's when you reacted and pulled him into an alleyway, hiding behind the wall to not get shot.

Youngjo cornered you against the wall, one hand beside your head for balance. He had his gaze fixated on your side profile while you were checking where the gunshots were coming from.

"Hey" The tall guy mumbles and your attention belongs to him this instant. "I never thought I'd think that watching a girl smashing a guy's head in would be this hot"

You click your tongue and roll your eyes, but can't help the smirk that appears slowly. "You're crazy"

Youngjo's head falls down and he breathes out a chuckle before looking you dead in the eye. "It would be boring if I wasn't, wouldn't it, sweetheart?"

You can't deny the tingling feeling you felt in your stomach at that and your free hand went up to the back of his neck. "Shut up"

"Make me"

"What the fuck are you doing?" A new voice interrupts the two of you. "Wait- Hyung?"

You turn to look at the guy, annoyance written all over your face for having interrupted the moment. "I fucking hate you for this"

The guy chuckles nervously and Youngjo leans away to stand at a normal distance. "Why are you here, Seoho? And where is Geonhak?"

"You didn't just ask me that" he retorts and holds up a bloody machete. "Obviously I'm out for blood tonight"

A shiver runs down your spine, the vibes that guy gives off are insane. Quite literally.

"Oh" Youngjo's mouth forms an o-shape. "I see. But now where is Geonhak?"

"Ah! Right" Seoho piques up and nods his head in the left direction. "He started chasing some weirdo who was about to get a bit too comfy with this girl"

"Still the nice guy even during a time like this, huh?" Youngjo laughs. "Anyway, we should continue our little fun game now, shouldn't we?"

You grin and pick up your bat. "We should just go as a group, covering more people n shit"

"What's your name?" Seoho asks you out of the blue, nodding at your suggestion.

"Oh, I'm Y/N" You reply before making your way out of the alley and onto the street. "And I see a group of people right up front"

"Let's spill some blood then, shall we?" Youngjo smirks.

The two guys follow you and you hear one of them clinking blades together.

"Hey you!" You shout and the group of four, three guys and a girl, look at you. "Wanna die?!"

"What are you gonna do, little girl?" One of the guys shouts back and you halt in your steps.

With a dark chuckle, you open your jacket and pull out a knife. "I'll fucking kill you" is your only response as you throw the knife at him. It connects with his thigh, making him scream in pain and fall to the ground.

"You have good aim, doll" Youngjo mumbles while passing by you. "Now I'll finish him"

"Leave some fun for me too!" Seoho whines and just runs at the group of people, slicing the girls throat with his machete with ease.

Her blood pours out of the massive gash and you hear her gurgling on the liquid.

One of the two unharmed guys squares up against Youngjo, but he's at a disadvantage in height.

Youngjo makes quick work of the guy, pulling out a knife from a pocket on his pants and stabbing him in the chest. He pushes the guy away from him and he collapses on the corpse of the girl.

The fourth guy must've ran away so it's only the injured man on the ground and your little group.

"Finish him! Finish him c'mon!" Seoho jumps around and you look at Youngjo, but he just nods towards the guy. Your sign to kill him.

"Too bad that you will die now, huh?" You say and lunge the bat right into his face, killing him right on the spot. "Bastard" You spit and pull out your knife from his thigh and put it back where you took it from.

"Jesus christ" Seoho murmurs and you look at him. "That was fucking hot"

You shake off the remains of the guy's brain from your bat. "Shut up" you hiss, slightly flustered. "We should find your friend instead"

"Right" Youngjo agrees. "Let's go"

He leads the way with Seoho and you following behind.

"So… are you out for someone special tonight?" Seoho asks and looks at you through his sharp eyes. "You look tense, darling"

"I probably won't find him anyways, I'm tense because I don't know if I will die tonight" You give him your answer and hold your bat just a little bit tighter. "So I'm going to use that as my fuel to create as much chaos as I can"

"I see~" He chirps and focuses back on Youngjo who's still leading the way.

After a bit more walking, the two guys spot their friend sitting next to a wall, gun in hand and blood on his hands and face.

"Geonhak, what the fuck happened" Youngjo asks him straight away and kneels in front of him.

"I killed that asshole, but I also accidently shot the girl. They're both dead" he mumbles, but a satisfied grin forms on his lips. "Now she won't suffer anymore"

"Hey get up, we gotta create more chaos!" Seoho urges and you exhale a breathy laugh.

"I think there are a lot of people in the inner city. It's getting louder the closer we get" You say and nod in the vague direction. "Let's go guys"

"Ooohh sure~" Seoho immediately agrees and Youngjo also looks pleased with your suggestion.

"Oh you guys brought a companion?" Geonhak asks and stands up. "What's your name pretty girl?"

You shake the hair out of your face and scoff at the compliment. "I'm Y/N. Now let's go!"

"I know a shortcut" Seoho exclaims. "It's just-"

"No! Your shortcuts are dangerous as fuck!" Youngjo rejects his suggestion.

"C'mon let's just go this way" you tell Seoho. "We can take your shortcut on our way back, alright?"

"Fine" He grumbles in response.

Your group quickly gets to the big commotion in the inner city and you just decide to let hell break loose.

Geonhak starts shooting whoever comes into focus, Youngjo aimlessly stabs people in his way and Seoho attacks everything in his way.

"Let's dance little lady" some weirdo says and faces you, pipe in his hand. "Got ya!" He yells and strikes at you.

You dodge in the last moment, swinging your spiky bat at the dude's face, making him stumble back in surprise. "You got a mean one there, hun. Would be a shame if it went out of your hands, right?"

"Shut up asshole" you hiss and and take another swing at him, this time grazing his arm with a spike and making it bleed.

"That hurt you stupid bitch" he spits with venom. "I'll end you"

"Good luck" you huff and take a step back.

"What-" before he can finish his sentence, you hear a gunshot and blood splattering everywhere.

"Nice shot Geonhak!" You shout and give the man a thumb up. "Saved my ass"

After that little exchange you quickly go on and just smash in people heads left and right.

One was a tough nut though.

"You've got some nerves, little girl" a tall man smirks after he smacked the bat out of your hands and a good distance away from you. "Attacking others from behind. Tch"

"Stop talking, bastard" you growl and pull out your katana, glad you took it with you. "I'll kill you"

"Try to~" he laughs and throws a punch, but you step aside at the last second.

"Go to hell!" You yell and swing your blade at him, slicing his cheek and leaving him in shock.

"You'll pay for that you damn bitch"

After that, a painful shout came from behind you and you heard Geonhak calling out Youngjo's name.

"Shit-" you go to turn around and leave this fucker behind, but he kicks away your legs and you fall to the ground.

"Fuck you" you huff in pain, the katana luckily still in your hand. That's when you see your three companions.

Geonhak has Youngjo's head in his lap and repeatedly smacks his cheeks to get him to wake up.

But he won't.

He's dead.

"Oh noo~ Did your friend die? What a shame" the man mocks and laughs.

You clench your hand around the handle of the katana and roll onto your back and thrust the blade right into his torso.

"What-" He coughs in shock before falling to the floor backwards.

You just stand up and run towards the guys now, falling to your knees next to Youngjo's lifeless body in Geonhak's lap.

"Who did this?" You ask, emotionless, eyes void of anything but rage.

"I did" Geonhak mumbles, hanging his head. "I wanted to shoot the fucker you were fighting, but Hyung caught the bullet"

You remain silent, but you see Seoho behind Geonhak going rigid. "You… killed Youngjo Hyung…?"

"It was an accide-"

Geonhak couldn't finish his sentence. Seoho slit his throat right there and the green haired man's blood splattered your already dirty face even more.

But you weren't fazed. You couldn't help him anymore anyways.

That's when you noticed just how quiet everything suddenly was, so you looked around and saw corpses upon corpses.

"When did this happen?" You ask and look at Seoho, his blank stare not bothering you at all as you stand up.

"I killed the last person before I saw you guys here" He answers and you step away from the two men on the ground, dead and bleeding out.

You heard Seoho walking up next to you. "So this is it? We go home after this and try to get our lives back together?"

"Not necessarily" he says, "we can stay together"

"What do you mean?"

"People who kill together, stay together" he explains and smiles. He actually looks cute and for a second you forgot that he's a serial killer.

But so are you.

"That sounds nice" you smile back.

"So now it's you and I on top of it all" He whispers and pulls you in close by the waist. "You're mine"

Your hands wander up to his shoulders and you move closer. "Only yours" you mumble against his lips and he closes the gap, greedily moving his mouth against yours. His grip on your waist tightens and pulls you impossibly closer.

You'll never forget this day.

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wakaoujisenhime · 5 years ago

Note

hello again! I'm the same anon that requested the story with the reader giving herself up to save Eri. I really, REALLY like the way that you wrote it, and I'd certainly love to see a part 2! You have such a talent for writing angst! ❤

A/N: Hi there once more! I’m really happy to hear that you liked it, since I was a little unsure of how it turned out (had to edit it quite a few times, till I was happy with my insecure ass xDD)! So as for now I’ll be featuring Aizawa, Nighteye and Fatgum (since Kirishima and Tamaki wouldn’t make much sense due to them being unconscious during the time I decided to write this in). Additionally I tried a new approach on Nighteye’s story, so I hope you enjoy these ones as well and thank you once again for the encouraging words! ❤

Oh and before I forget: (H/N) is once again your hero name while (L/N) is your last name ^^

Tags: Aizawa x reader ✅ Nighteye x reader ✅ Fatgum x reader ✅ SFW ✅ a lot of angst (once again) ✅

Setting this time will be after Mirio was shot and when he took Eli with him to escape, but before the girls fell through the floor. Only during Fatgum’s scenario the setting will be different!

☞ 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟙

━━━━☆ ━━━━☆ ━━━━☆

Aizawa:

“Damn it all!“

Right now you were running all the way to what seemed to be the center of the battlefield where your boyfriend Aizawa was supposed to be fighting against Overhaul, the leader of the crime organization ‘Shie Hassaikai’.

Or at least that is what a very injured Mirio had told you just a few minutes ago. Nighteye had apparently given him the task to protect Eri and try to escape with her. Hoping to be of some help you tried using your quirk on him and successfully managed to rewind and heal the stab wounds around his torso.

You had a similar quirk to Eri’s and that was the exact reason as to why the pro heroes were against you joining the mission, so why were you here anyway? Well the answer was quite easy...you snuck in and tried fighting as sneaky as possible alongside the other heroes.

The reason why you decided to be a rebel despite all of the warnings you got from people close to you, was because of something Aizawa had told you just before he left for today’s mission.

‘There are things in life that only we can do, no matter how dangerous or unreasonable they are.’

That were his last words before he kissed your forehead and left for duty.

You knew that his words were meant to calm you down, but they actually did the exact opposite.

After he had left you thought about what you could do with your similar quirk and all you came up with was to sneak in, pretend you were a part of the mission and sacrifice yourself.

It was the worst possible plan, it was stupid and you knew all that but you were desperate. Desperate to finally free Aizawa from all the stress he had to endure for this mission. Sleepless nights, nightmares or even days on which he didn’t return home. You witnessed it all and it pained you seeing him like that...so you decided to put an end to his own and his colleagues’ suffering, by doing the only think you could do.

Sacrifice yourself...

“(Y/N)?! What are you doing here...?”

Nighteye’s question brought you back to the present.

You had finally arrived at the battlefield and watched the horror that unfolded in front of your very own eyes.

Nighteye was hurt, bleeding and lying on the floor.

Midoriya’s whole body was bruised and scratched while he fought against Overhaul.

And there, close to Midoriya was Aizawa who had his quirk activated but luckily enough, he wasn’t hurt as badly as the others.

Before you could call out to him, you saw someone slowly creep up behind your boyfriend, but luckily...you were quicker.

“Eraserhead, behind you!”

Chrono unfortunately beat both of you to it and managed to pin Aizawa down while pressing a knife to his neck.

“Don’t move or he’ll die.��

That warning was meant for you as well as for Midoriya, who had to fall back in order to ensure his teacher’s safety.

Meanwhile Overhaul just giggled darkly at your failed attempt to rescue the black haired man. With a small nod towards his underling, the villain began a monologue on how he’ll get Eri to come back to him and that was your call.

“Overhaul, wait!”

This was the first time Aizawa actually turned to you and one didn’t have to be an expert to notice how mad he was to see you here, but that was the last thing on your mind right now.

With confident steps you slowly made your way towards the masked villain who eyed you from head to toe.

“(H/N)! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Completely ignoring the blade which was slowly piercing his neck’s skin, Aizawa’s eyes were glued to you and no matter what kind of comment he threw at you, you kept on walking and pretending not to hear his pleas.

“Now now...you shouldn’t interrupt (L/N) here, can’t you see that we’re striking a deal right now?”

You weren’t surprised to hear your last name coming from the villain’s mouth. He as well had done his researches...considering your quirk how could he possibly not do them?

He had played with the thought of kidnapping you as well (just in case that Eri’s body would give out some day), but he would’ve never expected to hear that exact same thought coming from the person in question. There was only one problem. You actually demanded for your comrades’ safety and Eri’s freedom. It didn’t seem like that bad of a deal, since Eri was just a child which makes her less durable than a full grown adult like you, additionally her powers have yet to achieve their true potential while yours were basically your second nature.

Overhaul nodded after a short while, signalizing his agreement. Fighting over a small and mentally unstable child wasn’t worth the trouble nor the casualties, so he didn’t want to prolong this conversation any further. He also didn’t know when you might actually change your mind, so for him the clock was already ticking.

“Don’t leave me! P-Please (Y/N)...”

You were just one step away from sacrificing yourself, but Aizawa’s voice finally reached your ears and what he had just said broke your heart in thousand pieces.

What am I doing...?

Overhaul saw the determination you had a few seconds ago, vanish from your eyes so he immediately grabbed your hand and pulled you towards him, making it harder for you to escape his grasp.

Now matter how much you or your boyfriend struggled against your opponents neither you nor Aizawa could escape their grasp. Midoriya and Nighteye couldn’t intervene and risk both of your lives, so they had to stand by and watch helplessly as the both of you were being separated from one another.

The only thing the two of you were able to do was to extend your hands towards each other and call out the other’s name. Tears falling down your cheeks, your voices slowly losing their high volume and when you guys noticed that there was nothing else you could do to escape this situation you guys said your last words.

“I love you...”

“I’m sorry...”

Nighteye:

“Sasaki! Oh my god, are you alright?!”

Nighteye had just closed his eyes for what seemed to be a few seconds, but these seconds turned out to be several minutes during which Midoriya’s injuries had doubled, Aizawa as well as Eri who was alongside Mirio were gone and you had apparently arrived. He felt your arms wrapped around his sore body, but what he didn’t feel anymore was his injury...he figured that that was your doing so he looked up at you with a thankful and relieved expression.

“(Y/N)...y-you’re here”

Your boyfriend was happy to have you here next to him, but considering the situation you guys were in, it would’ve been better for you to completly stay out of this fight. So he sat up and held onto your hand, determined to get you out of here.

“(Y/N) you need to go and call for reinforcements. I’ll be helping Midoriya out while you-“

“No Sasaki. I may have healed your wound, but you still need to rest so stay and I’ll help Deku out...got that?“

Nighteye looked up at you and saw your eyes glistening with something else than determination, he trusted you but he had a feeling that you had an entirely different plan than the one you had just suggested.

You saw how hesitant your boyfriend was to answer and you felt like the more time he used to think about it, the quicker he might catch onto your plan and that mustn’t happen.

Sasaki was surprised to see you get on your knees in front of him and holding onto his hands,your actions began to scare him a little.

“Do you trust me?“

His eyes visibly widened after hearing your question, the fear he had earlier slowly began consuming him. Nighteye wanted to nod, but he feared what you might do next if he said ‘yes’. That’s when he came up with an idea.

What if I used my quirk on (Y/N)...?

Luckily you had never been against it before, so he wasn’t as afraid as he thought he’d be to read your future but desperate times call for desperate measures.

He began concentrating and calming down his nerves so that he could calmly look into your eyes and see what your plan looked like...but you were quicker.

You slowly raised your hand, softly moved his glasses away and covered his eyes causing him to flinch lightly.

“Please don’t...not yet. Just trust me Sasaki.”

Before he could answer you kissed his lips ever so gently and soon you felt him kissing you back. After a short while you got up slowly and smiled at your boyfriend as you turned your back to him and began walking towards Midoriya and Overhaul.

——

What did she just say...?

Sacrifice herself...for Eri’s sake....?

What do you think you’re doing?

Don’t leave me behind like this...you mustn’t..

No..don’t look at Midoriya like that...not with that smile of yours.

S-Stop don’t...don’t turn to me

Don’t give me that look...

Heh, you were always bad at hiding your true feelings.

If you feel bad then don’t leave.

Why did you even come up with such a dangerous plan anyway?

Do you have any idea what he’ll do to you?

Midoriya, let go of me! Don’t intervene!

I’m going to stop you or did you seriously think that I was going to let you off the hook, just like that...?

(Y/N) think this through, please! He’ll tire out your body on purpose and who knows whose life he might ruin next with the help of your quirk!

He might even decide to target me next..

D-Don’t cry, please...

I know you want to protect us, but your decision is way to hasty so-

Hey! Get your dirty hands off of her!

No..!

(Y/N)!!!

I woke up teary eyed and completely drenched in sweat.

That dream again...damn it.

How many times does this make already?

Since Overhaul took (Y/N) away from me there wasn’t even one night on which I haven’t dreamed about that one moment.

The mission was considered a success in the end, but not for me...

Since I had seen All Might’s Future back then, I was afraid to look into anyone else's....but now?

After I’ve lost my most precious person...this is something I am going to regret not doing for the rest of my life.

I mean...what else can I do?

Fatgum:

Your fist collided with a villain’s cheek.

How many does that make now?

To put it frankly, you just don’t know anymore...

These past few minutes you were running around beating up villains left and right, thanks to the order you had received to support any hero you came across and help them save Eri.

You knew that the girl should be your top priority at the moment, but you couldn’t deny the fact that the worry for your boyfriend Taishiro (also known as Fatgum) was way bigger than that for the girl.

“(Y/N)? Is that you?!”

Your boyfriend’s voice suddenly called out to you from one of the rooms, startling and making you stop in your tracks.

“Taishiro!“

Seeing him in his skinny form was something you weren’t used to since it only occurred when he used up too much of his power.

You looked around in order to catch a glimpse of his momentary situation. Him and Red Riot were fighting against two peculiar looking man whose appearance was clearly different than that of the other evil guys, they looked....stronger.

“Listen, you need to go and help with the fight against Overhaul!”

At your boyfriend’s sudden order your eyes went wide.

“W-What? You can’t be serious...I can’t leave the two of you alone! Look at yourself...you and Kirishima are badly hurt, so-”

“(Y/N)! This is not the time for worry, we’re on a mission right now. Concentrate on the important things!”

It surprised you to hear him sound that cold and it hurt your feelings a little, but you decided to suck it up. You had to admit that you were quite the worrywart when it came to your boyfriend and that was sometimes inappropriate...like right now.

With a small but hesitant nod you exited the room and once again began running at full speed, but now you at least had a clear goal in mind.

——

“Don’t worry Kirishima. You did an amazing job and deserve some rest.“

After fighting two members of the Eight Bullets and winning against them, Fatgum needed to take a breather and think about what to do from now on. So alongside his enemies, he went to the aid room and began taking care of his disciple while his thoughts wandered back to you.

He wondered if the things he said were perhaps to harsh and thinking about the possibility of having hurt you with his words, only made his heart drop.

If there had been another hero by his side right now, he wouldn’t have hesitated to run and look for you, but right now all he could do was wait...

——

After what felt like hours reinforcements had finally arrived and happily delivered the message of the mission’s success. Everyone was in good spirits and felt relieved and now, all Taishiro wanted to do was wrap his arms around you and kiss you all over.

So when he saw Sir Nighteye, Aizawa and Midoriya standing together while talking to an injured Mirio he just knew that you had to be somewhere close to them as well...so he began jogging in their direction, completely ignoring the pain throughout his body.

But he soon noticed that something wasn’t right...

When the trio saw him approaching, their facial expressions suddenly changed. Now they looked somewhat sad.

“Hey you guys! Have you seen (Y/N)? As far as I remember she should’ve been with you.”

“Well yes...she was”

Nighteye was the first to speak up. He took a quick glance at his surroundings and took a deep breath.

“In order to protect us and Eri, (Y/N)....went with Overhaul.”

After processing what the man with the glasses had said, Taishiro felt like he had been run over by a giant truck.

W-What did he just say...?

“W-Wait...you mean to tell me that you guys just stood by and let her sacrifice herself just like that?“

It was Aizawa’s turn to talk now so he stepped forward.

“There wasn’t anything we could do, we tried to talk her out of it, but she kept on insisting.“

“I don’t care if (Y/N) did! The two of you are pro heroes damn it, you could’ve sto-, no...you should’ve stopped her even if she resisted!“

They continued arguing back and forth, getting more heated with each passing minute. Mirio and Midoriya didn’t know if they should or even could do anything to stop them at this point, so they remained silent.

Suddenly Fatgum felt a gentle tug on his shorts which caused him to pause his argument and look down.

He found himself looking into a pair of big red eyes which belonged to none other than Eri, who was holding out a small pendant to him.

“The nice Miss that saved me, told me to give this to a big, cuddly looking and yellow dressed man...I think she might’ve meant you.“

A little reluctant he took it from her small hands and looked at it.

He gasped as he realized what kind of pendant that was.

“(Y/N)...“

Seeing the muscular man fall to his knees and gently caress the small object in his big hand was surprising and heartbreaking at the same time.

Between his silent sobs, he softly pet Eri’s head and thanked her several times.

The pendant he now held close to his heart was the first present he had given you. It had your and his name engraved on the outside and on the inside there was a small photo of the two of you cuddling.

When you received it, he made you promise him to always carry it with you...until the end of your days.

#bnha scenarios #mha scenarios #bnha x reader #mha x reader #aizawa x reader #nighteye x reader #fatgum x reader #bnha angst #mha angst #━𝙱𝙽𝙷𝙰 #━𝙼𝙷𝙰 #━𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽'𝚂 𝙴𝙲𝙷𝙾

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originalhybridloverfics · 4 years ago

Text

Good To You - CH 24

A/N: I'm sorry for the insanely long wait but I hope the length of the chapters makes up for it!

Updates are really slow for me, I have some family stuff that came up, if you follow me on tumblr or twitter you probably already know about it, and on top of that I got sucked into another fandom that has consumed me.

I want to thank everyone who is still reading this story despite the unbelievably slow updates.

Genevieve and Celeste stroll through the cemetery.

“Oh, I remember this cemetery. Hmm. Hasn't changed a bit.” Genevieve mused.

“I've been coming here over a century, wearing one face or another,” Celeste replied.

~*~ ~*~ ~* ~

1919

Genevieve approaches a woman kneeling in front of a tomb in the Lafayette cemetery, praying to her ancestors.

“Clara Summerlin, will you come on?” Genevieve complained. “We're gonna miss everything.”

The two walk over to where a crowd of witches is standing around a bonfire, playing conga drums and watching as a witch dance around the flames. Papa Tunde walks out with an albino python around his shoulders, which he hands to his twin sons after clapping in order to quiet the crowd.

“Told you. Every witch in the Quarter is here to see the great Papa Tunde,” said Genevieve.

“Witches of the French Quarter, thank you for your welcome.” Papa Tunde addressed the crowd of witches. “It is good to be among people of the faith. I, too, practice ancestral magic, honoring those who walked the path before us. From them, we draw strength. And you will need strength, for a great darkness is coming. The city your forefathers left you is now overrun by pirates, beasts, and vampires.”

Papa Tunde takes the python from his sons and throws it into the fire, and many of the witches gasp in surprise and fear.

“I practice other magic, as well. Sacrificial magic, channeling power from the lives of my offerings.” Papa Tunde explained. “I use this strength to vanquish my enemies, and I will punish your enemies for their greed. In return, you will accept my family into your coven, and me as your leader.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

1919

Two men enter the room and join Elijah and a police officer at a table where a meeting was taking place.

“Gentlemen, make yourselves at home.” Elijah greeted. “Mayor O'Connell appears to be running late, but there's much to discuss, so I shall begin.”

Klaus walked down the stairs to join them. “One moment, please, brother. You know how much I enjoy these illicit, little gatherings.”

“Do not be troubled. Despite my brother's reputation, I can assure you, we've invited you here to broker in peace.” Elijah assured the men. “You have my word.”

“And, lucky for you, my brother always keeps his word,” Klaus told them. “You two are from the Guerrera crime family, a brutish pack of thieves and killers. And that's nothing compared to what you become on a full moon, is it?”

“Yes, yes, yes. Of course, a bite from your kind is not lethal to an Original. Conflict between us would not end well for you at all,” Elijah cautioned. “Let's state our proposal here. My brother and I control the ports of the city, but with Prohibition soon to be the law of the land, there'll be a certain uptick in the kind of federal presence we prefer to avoid. Therefore, I'd like to suggest a system whereby, under our supervision, of course, the Guerrera family can traffic alcohol into the city of New Orleans for a profit. We would still be in charge, but our rule would remain a secret.”

Papa Tunde walks into the room with his sons following behind him.

“This all sounds very good, but tell me, how will it benefit the witches?” asked Papa Tunde.

“I am sorry.” Said Elijah. “This is a private meeting.”

“Yes, for kings of the city, but I, too, am a king, and I have rules,” replied Papa Tunde.

“I'm impressed. You're either quite ambitious or quite mad. What's your name, mate?” asked Klaus.

“I am Alphonse Bellatunde Delgado, Papa Tunde to my followers, and I come to ask that the witches be granted fair tribute for allowing your existence in our city.” Papa Tunde responded.

“Are you suggesting that you speak for the French Quarter witches?” Elijah questioned.

“I do now, and I expect our future negotiations to go very smoothly.” Papa Tunde answered. “As a guarantee, I brought a gift. I await our next gathering.”

A small leather case is placed on the table. Papa Tunde and his sons leave. Everyone else gathers around as Klaus lifts the lid on the trunk to reveal a head inside with a symbol carved into his forehead.

“Well, I suppose we'll need a new mayor,” Klaus said.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Marcel walked into the Abattoir Courtyard Davina and Josh beside him.

Marcel grabbed a table with Davina and Josh. Davina was supposed to be meeting with Sophie at Caroline’s request to start searching for a way to save Katherine.

Most of Marcel’s guys weren’t happy that Klaus was now in charge and Marcel appeared to be following his lead without question. And were shocked to see Davina alive and well having believed she was dead after learning the truth about her and Marcel’s connection with her.

Diego sees him enter and approaches. He walks over to the table Marcel had chosen.

“Hey, Marcel, maybe you know what's going on. Klaus ordered us to meet here, and now he's a no-show.” he looked at Davina. “And how are you alive?”

“Caroline,” Davina answered simply.

“Klaus has a lot on his hands to deal with. Give him time.” Marcel told him.

“Like what?” Diego challenged but before Marcel could answer. Klaus enters the room with Caroline and on his other side is Thierry.

“Dearest brethren, your attention, please.” Klaus’s voice ringed loudly through the courtyard. “No doubt, you're all surprised to see Thierry Vanchure, who's supposed to be rotting in the Garden for the crime of killing one of our own, and I personally decided to issue him with a pardon.” Klaus declared. “I hope you'll all welcome home Thierry.”

Thierry smiles and gives Diego a hug.

“Welcome home, man,” Diego told him.

“Now some of you may see the difference with Caroline.” Klaus continues, pressing his hand to her lower back and the other resting on her stomach. “It turns out the wolf Hayley who I had believed to be carrying my children was working with the witches all along and had stolen my children from their true mother. Now they are back where they belong and the witches will soon pay for what one of their own has done.”

Caroline forced a smile before moving toward Marcel’s table, ignoring the stares of disbelief she was receiving. “Davina, thanks for coming.”

“You said you needed my help,” Davina replied.

Caroline frowned, tilting her head at the younger girl. “You know you don’t have to help me just because I helped you, right?”

“Caroline, you saved my life.” Davina countered. “I owe you everything.”

“No, you don’t,” Caroline told her. “I didn’t save your life so you would feel indebted to me. I want you to live your life how you want. I do want your help but I don’t want you to feel obligated that you have to. You can say no.”

Davina smiled. “I know, that’s why I want to help you. You're not like everyone else.”

“As long as you know you have a choice.” Caroline gestured to the stairs. “Let’s go see Katherine.”

Davina smiled and linked their arms.

“You too, Josh,” Caroline called over her shoulder as she started up the stairs.

“Coming.” Josh quickly followed. “Hey, Caroline, any chance you have some blood bags lying around. I haven’t eaten all day..”

Marcel tuned out the sound of Josh's voice turning to Klaus as he took a seat across from him. “You're in a good mood,” Marcel said to Klaus. “You must really love the fact that Caroline is the mother of your children.”

“It’s definitely a gift,” Klaus responded. “But before I can truly celebrate this turn of events I have responsibilities that I need to tend to.” Klaus turns to address the crowd of vampires. “The witches have gone too far with their actions against Caroline. Actions they will pay for. However, since their Harvest failed, their magic will soon be gone forever. Now there has been a debate, on whether to kill them or keep them on their toes. I, however, want them dead, every last one. Diego, I wonder if you might lead a rousting in the cauldron. One that ends in blood and carnage.”

Diego smiles and starts to plan with the other vampires.

Marcel smiled. “As much as I would love to shed some witches' blood, especially after everything they put Davina through, I do have another girl to see so I will be taking a personal day.” Marcel stood and left. Confident that Davina would be fine in the compound with Caroline there.

Klaus' eyes narrowed, wondering where Marcel was headed and who he was going to see. Almost everyone he knew was at the compound.

Diego and the others looked up at the sound of multiple voices and a group of men, women and even a few children walked into the compound.

Klaus smiled at Zach and the other wolves and walked over to them. “Caroline has been expecting all of you. She’s currently occupied with helping someone who doesn’t deserve saving but until she has a moment free why don’t you get to know the place and divide up some of the empty rooms amongst yourselves.”

“We will be staying here?” Zach asked speaking up on the behalf of the wolves who were more than a little surprised.

“Caroline has insisted that you all stay with us and what Caroline wants she will get,” Klaus responded, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“What the hell is going on here?” Diego walked over, glaring darkly at Zach and his group of wolves.

“I’d like you to meet Zach and the rest of my pack,” Klaus smirked. “They will be staying here at the compound. Indefinitely.”

Diego's eyes darkened with hate. “You’re kidding, right? They terrorized the Quarter for centuries. It’s why Marcel ran them out of town.”

Zach stared Diego down. “Wrong pack. We don’t run from anyone. Not anymore. And we only came to New Orleans once we heard of Klaus’s children.”

Diego scoffed as more vampires gathered behind him.

“What he says is true. Zach is of my bloodline. Not the New Orlean wolves and they are welcome guests in my home and every single one of you will treat them so or face my wrath.” Klaus’s voice hardened like a steel blade.

The other vampires started yelling out their protest.

“Quiet.” Klaus thundered, eyes flashing, a growl emitting from deep in his chest.

Diego glared but was wary. “You expect vampires and werewolves to co-exist? You’re crazy.”

The other vampires' protest increased.

“Maybe so,” Klaus smirked. “But you will work together, starting today. Zach here will be joining in on the witch hunt.”

Diego glared but said nothing. Klaus was in charge and as of right now there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Katherine looked over at the door as it was opened, feeling Elijah squeeze her hands in reassurance.

Caroline walked in followed by a girl who couldn’t be more than sixteen and a young male not much older than Caroline.

“Caroline,” Elijah greeted.

“Sorry to interrupt but I was hoping to check on Katherine and introduce her to Davina.”

“And why do I need to be introduced to kids?” Katherine raised a perfect brow as she sat up more in the bed. She had been feeling weaker and weaker. It was only a matter of time before her body completely gave out on her. She didn’t want to think about it, refusing to think of the fear that came with knowing you were going to die.

She hated it. She was Katherine Pierce, sick, frail, weak, was not the way she was supposed to go out. For the last 500 years, she had clawed and kicked and screamed to get everything she wanted to make it this long when she had a man like Klaus Mikaelson intent on killing her.

“Because Davina here is going to save your life.” Caroline wrapped her arms around Davina’s. “So if I were you I would be a little nicer.”

“Nice isn’t in my vocabulary.” Katherine retorted.

“Expand your vocabulary because without some witchy interference you're going to die soon.” Caroline stepped further into the room.

“And you care so much about my well being, why?” Katherine asked.

“For telling me the truth. Let’s not pretend we’ve ever been friends because it would be a lie. Still, this is my way of repaying you for once doing something when you had nothing to gain from it.”

“I wonder what Elena would say about you trying to save me?” Katherine taunted, trying to push Caroline’s buttons.

“I don’t much care what Elena has to say about it.” Caroline retorted. “This has nothing to do with her.”

Katherine smirked. “I gotta say, I’m warming up to you. Getting out of Mystic Falls suits you.”

Josh cleared his throat, making Caroline realize she hadn’t introduced him. “Oh, and this is Josh.”

Katherine looked him over. “He comes across as a puppy,”

“Puppy?” Josh wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not.

“Caroline,” Elijah interjected. “Just how do you intend to save Katherine's life. She is getting worse by the day. I’m not sure how much time she has.”

“Yes,” Katherine said. “How do you and this young witch plan on keeping me alive?”

“Well, I planned on seeing if Sophie knows anything or maybe looking at The Original Witch book of spells. Generations after generations of witches walk this city. Someone has to know something.”

“Caroline, I don’t think Sophie is going to be so keen to help,” Elijah interjected. “We’ve ruined all her plans and have taken her prisoner. Let’s not forget the torture.”

Caroline’s eyes darkened at the mention of Sophie. “Who said she had a choice in the matter?”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Sophie’s arms dangled above her from chains attached to the ceiling, her feet barely touching the ground, she had to stand on the tip of her toes, her shirt was soaked with blood, her neck covered in red stains.

Her skin pale and dark circles beneath her eyes, exhaustion coming off her in waves.

She looked up as a knock sounded on the door. The werewolf guarding her sent her a disdainful look and pulled the door open.

Caroline stepped in. She was alone. Davina was with Katherine, Josh had stayed with his friend.

“Did you really come here alone?” Sophie asked, eyes glaring. “How wise is that?”

Caroline moved forward. “You and I both know, you are too weak to do a thing to anyone, and secondly if you did anything and I mean anything you would be scattered in pieces across this floor.”

“What do you want?” Sophie asked through clenched teeth.

“Your help.” Caroline stepped closer, her eyes filled with hate.

“You have got to be joking!?” Sophie exclaimed in disbelief. “You’ve chained me up like an animal, tortured me, fed on me, healed me only to do it all over again. You keep me weakened and you expect me to help you?! You’re crazy!”

Caroline grabbed her by the neck, eyes blackening, her temper flaring. “You will do whatever I asked you to do. You live because I say so, because I allow it. The second I say otherwise you will be dead and forgotten. Don’t test me. The sight of you makes me see red and I want to rip you apart until there is nothing left. Even now I fight the urge to kill you. I rather delight in your screams as I slice you open and cause you excruciating pain.”

Sophie's eyes darkened and she looked at Caroline in revulsion. “You sound like Klaus. Has being with him changed you that much?”

“Being with Klaus has been the most freeing thing I’ve ever done,” Caroline said, feeling like the words were the most honest she ever was in her life. “Selfish, deplorable, disgusting individuals like Hayley and yourself have no legs to stand on moral ground.” Caroline pressed closer, her hand tightening on Sophie’s throat cutting off her air. “You can do as I ask or we can make this into another torture session. If you won’t do as I say. I will turn you into a vampire. I know from a friend that there is no worse fate than this for a witch. I’ve seen it. The disconnect a witch feels is hollow.”

Sophie glowered. She hated Caroline. She underestimated her and now she was just starting to realize who she was dealing with.

Sophie tried to pull back from Caroline’s hand. “Okay. Okay.” Caroline released her. “What do you want from me,” Sophie asked, struggling to breathe normally again.

“You’re going to help me save someone’s life.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

“Klaus.”

Klaus was in the middle of giving orders to the wolves and vampires, splitting them up into two separate parties when he heard his name from someone he wasn’t expecting to hear from anytime soon.

He turned to see Stefan standing in the middle of the courtyard. “Stefan, mate, what are you doing here?”

“I came to see Caroline?” Stefan’s brow furrowed as he saw all the people lined up awaiting further instructions. “What is going on here?”

Klaus turned back to the two groups. “You know your orders. Go.”

The wolves and vampires shared a hateful look and dispersed.

Klaus focused back on Stefan. “Now is not a good time.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not here for you, isn’t it?” Stefan replied.

Klaus tensed, a voice in his head whispering that Stefan was there to convince Caroline to leave him behind and go back to Mystic Falls.

“Look, Klaus, I’m not here to play games. I’m here to see my friend. You can tell me where she is or I can call her and tell her I’m here, either way, I’m not leaving.”

Klaus rolled his eyes heavenward. He would never hear the end of it from Caroline if he told her he sent Stefan away. She had such a soft spot for the younger Salvatore but so help him if he was there to take Caroline from him, he would find himself in Marcel’s Garden.

“Dwayne,”

Dwayne stepped forward seeming to move out of the shadows startling Stefan.

“Take Stefan here to Caroline, then if she wishes for you to leave do so,” Klaus ordered.

Dwayne’s face brightened. He wanted, needed to be near Caroline.

He started walking, not even stopping to see if Stefan was following.

Stefan shot Klaus an uncertain look before following behind Dwayne.

Dwayne led him down a corridor and down a flight of stairs, the sound of a bloodcurdling scream had him, stopping. His mind screamed that Caroline needed his help and he took off on a run past Dwayne. He burst into a room, slamming the door open with his shoulder. “Caroline!” he looked around the room frantically and froze.

A dark-haired girl was strapped to a med table, blood pouring down her skin, dripping into a large puddle on the floor, she was crying out in agony, she tried to thrash around, attempting to get away, to break free but was restrained tightly to the table with barely any movement. When she turned her head his way, shaking from the pain, Stefan recognized her.

Hayley Marshall.

His eyes shot to the blonde standing over her, pouring something over the girl. The blonde’s back was to him, he couldn’t see who it was but he knew he had to stop her. What did Hayley do to deserve to be tortured like this? Her cries were echoing off the walls, the stench of blood filled the air.

He moved forward grabbing the girl by the arm spinning her around. “Stop, what are you-” Stefan released the blonde, taking a step back in shock. “Caroline?!”

“Stefan, what are you doing here?” She pushed her hair back from her face, streaks of blood coating the blonde strands from her hands that were coated in Hayley’s blood.

“What the hell are you doing, Caroline?!” You’re torturing people now? This isn’t you?!” Stefan stepped forward again, crowding her. “First Damon, now Hayley, who’s next?!”

“She deserves it and so did Damon!” Caroline shoved him back not liking the way he was standing over her.

Suddenly Stefan found himself pinned against the wall by Dwayne.

Stefan’s eyes widened as he stared in the face of an angry hybrid. “Oh my God,” he looked past the werewolf to Caroline. “Klaus can make hybrids without Elena’s blood?”

Caroline turned and stuffed a gag into Hayley’s mouth cutting off her screams and cries of pain.

“Klaus didn’t make him. Tyler did, trying to prove he was right about why Klaus cared about his children.” Caroline said, her hand drifted down to her stomach. “Let him go, Dwayne.”

Dwayne let Stefan go reluctantly but he was eager to get closer to Caroline, coming to stand beside her.

Stefan pushed off the wall, rolling his shoulders, he followed the movements of Caroline’s hand’s, his eyes widening. “Your mother told me what was going on but I had trouble believing it.”

But how could he continue denying it when he could see the roundness of Caroline’s stomach. “I don’t understand.”

“You want to know what Hayley has done to deserve this? She stole my babies, she used magic to steal a pregnancy for her own gain. I’ve taken back what’s mine but that doesn’t mean, she gets to walk away from this after everything she has done.”

Caroline turned back to Hayley gripping the surgical tool, a rib spreader, and spread Hayley’s open wound where all the blood was coming from open wider.

Hayley whined in pain, sniffling. “Please, it hurts.”

Caroline’s eyes hardened. “Good.” She lifted a bottle of liquid and started pouring it inside Hayley, watching Hayley’s insides burn and sizzle as her bloodcurdling scream filled the air.

“Is that wolfsbane?” Stefan asked, alarmed.

“Yes, mixed with hydrofluoric acid,” Caroline answered, a dark smile pulling at her lips.

“Caroline, you have to stop.” Stefan came forward again.

Caroline put down the container of Acid and wolfsbane. And removed the rib spread from Hayley’s body. “She needs time to heal until next time.”

Caroline bit into her wrist and squeezed it over, Hayley’s mouth giving her only enough so she would heal slowly and not die from her wounds.

“Next time?” Stefan repeated.

“Dwayne take care of this for me,” Caroline ordered and walked out of the room.

Stefan followed her. “Caroline, stop, we need to talk about this.” he grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him.

“What’s there to talk about?” Caroline asked, shrugging him off. “I am causing Hayley pain for her deceit.”

“Caroline, this isn’t you. You don’t torture people.” Stefan protested. “You’re good.”

“What I am is tired. Why am I always the pawn in someone’s larger game? I will not allow my children to suffer nor will I allow them to be used. I’m done being a casualty. If I have to do things that I otherwise wouldn’t then I will without hesitation and if you can't accept this then maybe you shouldn’t have come here.”

“I came here because I realized what a bad friend I’ve been. I’m not going to turn back now. I wasn’t there for you. I can’t make up for what happened to you in Mystic Falls but I can be here for you now. I can’t imagine what you’re feeling. How you handle this is up to you but I am not going back to Mystic Falls.”

“Then follow me,” Caroline said and turned walking down the corridor, expecting Stefan to fall into line behind her.

Caroline led Stefan upstairs and into a room, he was shocked to see Katherine lying in the bed, Elijah sitting beside her and on her other side was Nadia.

Nadia had shown up, demanding to be with her mother. Caroline hadn’t much cared about keeping the mother and daughter separated.

There was a woman in the room and a younger girl, a dark hair male, and another man who was watching the dark-haired woman like a hawk.

“What’s going on here?” Stefan questioned, looking to Caroline for answers.

“We’re going to save Katherine’s life,” Caroline told him.

“I’m sorry, what?” Stefan was in disbelief.

“I’m still doubtful about it myself,” Katherine spoke up. “It’s good to see you, Stefan.”

“Klaus is okay with this?” Stefan asked, looking to Caroline.

“He’s willing to accept it for me,” Caroline said and then did a quick round of introductions to the room.

“Have you found anything yet?” Caroline asked Davina, coming forward.

“Not yet,” Davina answered, casting a curious look at Stefan.

“Stefan and I will go through the books Elijah has required and I’ll call Bonnie, see if she knows something. Maybe there’s something in the Bennet books that can help.” Caroline said, after thinking it over.

“You really think Bonnie’s going to want to help save Katherine’s life?” Stefan asked skeptically.

“No but I’m asking as her friend and I will explain why I am trying to do this.” Caroline insisted.

“I believe Katerina is in good hands.” Elijah smiled over at Caroline and walked past her and Stefan into the hallway. “I will be back shortly.”

“Alright, so this is what we’re going to do, Sophie and Davina continue searching here. Josh and Stefan will go through the books in the study. I will call Bonnie and see if I can get her to help. Dwayne.”

As if he was just waiting for Caroline to need him Dwayne appeared.

Caroline shifted away. He made her uncomfortable with how he was always ready to do whatever she asked. She didn’t like using the sire bond he had to the twins and how he was always lurking in the shadows wherever she was, creeped her out.

“Dwayne, you will make sure Sophie doesn’t try anything if she does lock her up and get Zach or one of the wolves to deal with her until I have the time to do it myself. Nadia, you can stay with Katherine.” No one moved much to Caroline’s annoyance, she clapped her hands. “Well, you got jobs to do. Go!”

Davina nodded and continued searching the book in front of her, Sophie glared but did as she was told.

Josh motioned to Stefan to follow him and led him out of the room.

“You really think this is going to work?” Katherine asked Caroline.

“Yes, because I will make sure of it,” Caroline answered.

“I don’t want to be human,” Katherine argued.

“You don’t want to be dead either, do you?” Caroline retorted.

Katherine shot her a look. “What do you think?”

“Good, we’ll save your life, and then we’ll find a way to turn you back into a vampire.”

Caroline stepped out of the room to call Bonnie in private.

Katherine watched the door close behind her. She hated the feeling of hope that was beginning to rise within her.

Damn Caroline Forbes and her unending optimism and determination.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Rebekah and Elijah walk through the streets of the Quarter as they talk about recent events.

“Now, you may doubt him, but today, I saw Niklaus demonstrate mercy towards an enemy. Tell me that's not progress,” said Elijah.

“That’s Caroline’s influence,” Rebekah stated. “He wants to be better for her. He’s not the same brother we knew the last thousand years. Honestly, she is the only reason I’m not still working with Sophie.”

Elijah turned to her abruptly. “You were working with Sophie?”

“Not anymore. Not after everything she has done.” Rebekah responded.

“Are you the reason he let Thierry out?” Elijah eyed her with suspicion.

“No, that was Caroline,” Rebekah told him. “She didn’t like that he was locked up for protecting someone he loved. Though we should keep a close eye on him. Thierry despises Klaus and for good reason. He got the witch he loved killed. However, I was thinking, he knows about French Quarter covens because he dated a witch. Maybe he can lead me to whoever stole off with the Harvest magic.”

“Rebekah, we are all devastated by the outcome of this ritual,” Elijah began.

“That's just it,” Rebekah interrupted. “There was no outcome. Davina is only alive because of the Elixir. We both know that power like that doesn't just vanish. I say someone stole it. I'd like to know who, and then I'd like to make an ally out of them and then kill them.”

“To what end, exactly?” Elijah asked. “When will killing everyone who challenges us be enough?”

“I'm tired of being threatened and controlled by our enemies, being moved on a chessboard like sacrificial ponds,” Rebekah told him. “If you want to stop bullies, you need the power to stand up to them.”

“You’re not alone in this Rebekah. You have me and you have Niklaus.” Elijah insisted. “He is finally making an effort. He's invited us back into our family home. He yearns for our family to be reunited. He’s there for Caroline and their unborn children.”

“Yes. He's in a brilliant mood now, but for how long?” Rebekah challenged. “What about when things fall apart with him and Caroline? What then? He was bad before but if anything were to ever happen to Caroline or their children, he will be inconsolable, wreaking havoc and pain wherever he goes. And who says he won’t turn that anger on us and bury a dagger in our hearts?”

“I believe that he is approaching some semblance of peace here. As long as we keep Caroline safe we have nothing to worry about,” Elijah argued. “Leadership may, in fact, be a good thing for him and as I am quickly learning Caroline may very well be the best thing to ever happen to him in his thousand years on this earth.”

“I hope it’s enough and that Stefan has not shown up here to take her back to Mystic Falls. That’s not her home anymore.” Rebekah said. She had been surprised to learn that Stefan was here but she didn’t think he would be staying long. It was only a matter of time before he found his way back to Elena and his brother in Mystic Falls.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Her phone call with Bonnie didn’t go as well as Caroline had hoped. Bonnie was hesitant to help Katherine but Caroline kept insisting that she owed Katherine. Caroline reminded Bonnie that Katherine was human and was no longer in New Orleans.

Caroline kept insisting until Bonnie finally gave in. Bonnie ended the call with the promise to look through her family journals and she would let her know immediately if she finds something.

Caroline walked to Elijah’s room and sifted through his things until she found what she was looking for.

Esther’s grimoire. Grabbing the book she left the room and found a sitting room in the compound, she settled into the end of a couch and started sifting through it.

The smell of blood filled the air and she looked up to see Klaus carrying a glass of blood and a plate of food.

“What are you doing?” Caroline asked.

Klaus set the plate and glass on the table in front of her. “Have you eaten?”

“No,” Caroline shook her head and took a drink of the blood, savoring the warm liquid sliding down her throat.

“You should,” Klaus took the seat next to her. “I know you're dead set on finding a way to save Katherine but you can’t neglect yourself or the babies.”

Caroline’s eyes widened suddenly and pulled the glass of blood away from her lips. “Do you think blood is bad for them?” her other hand dropped the book in her lap, placing her hand over her stomach.

“I think nothing that is good for you can possibly be bad for them.” Klaus reached for the book. “Are you looking through my mother’s book for a spell?”

“I was hoping it might have something to help Katherine,” Caroline admitted and reached for the place of fruit grabbing an apple slice. “I found nothing so far.”

“Where did you find it?” Klaus asked.

“Elijah’s room. I went and took it,” Caroline took another drink of the blood.

Klaus laughed. “Elijah’s is not going to like that.”

Caroline shrugged. “I don’t care.”

Klaus tossed the book on the table and turned his body more towards her. “Did you speak with Stefan?”

“I did. My mom told him about what’s going on here and he came out of concern, I guess.”

Klaus nodded, his body becoming tense. “Has he managed to convince you to go back to Mystic Falls?”

Caroline placed her glass on the table and turned toward him. “Klaus, we’ve been over this. I’m not returning to Mystic Falls. Not even for Stefan.”

Klaus swallowed, choosing his words carefully. “Things are different now. Why would you stay here after everything that was done to you?”

Caroline nodded slowly. She needed to get her point across. Klaus had insecurities and she more than anyone understood how powerful they could be, if she let the insecurities take root it could ruin what they were building. He needed her reassurance to silence the voices in his head telling him she would return to Mystic Falls.

Caroline pushed at his shoulders, shoving him back.

Klaus fell back against the cushions surprised. Caroline threw a leg over his hip, settling into his lap, and grasped his face in her hands. “I need you to listen to me and hear me, Klaus. I am not going back to Mystic Falls no matter what happens. Not for Stefan. Not even for my mom. My life is here, with you. I will go where you go. As long as you want me by your side I am going to be there. I won’t leave you.”

Klaus leaned his forehead against hers, his hands coming to rest over her stomach, over their children. “I am never going to want to let you go, love.”

“Then don’t,” Caroline whispered. “Don’t let me go. Always fight for me. Always want me.”

Klaus couldn’t take it anymore. He surged forward, burying his hands in her hair and clashing his mouth against hers.

Caroline deepened the kiss and Klaus licked into her mouth, tasting the blood she had been drinking on her tongue.

A groan tore from his throat as she circled her hips, grinding against him. He grasped at her hips urging her down on his rapidly hardening jean-covered cock.

A whimper pulled from Caroline’s mouth and she gripped his shoulders for leverage, looking for friction as she ground her hips against his, desire taking over.

“Hey, guys, we got a problem,” Diego announced entering a room in the compound, looking worried.

Klaus broke away from Caroline with a growl, his hands digging into her hips.

Caroline looked over her shoulder at Diego, perched in Klaus’s lap. “You know there’s this thing called knocking.”

Diego’s worried expression twisted into mild disgust.

“Just a little common courtesy would be nice.” Caroline reluctantly removed herself from Klaus’s lap.

“What’s wrong?” Klaus asked, readjusting his jeans as he stood. “And there better be a real problem or I might just kill you for the interruption.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Thunder rumbles overhead as Diego leads Klaus, Caroline, and Stefan to the Cauldron to show them what he found.

Stefan had insisted on tagging along last minute when he realized Caroline was going.

“We came to kill the witches, just like you said,” said Diego. “And these two, they went missing. Found them like this, not even staked. Just dead.”

Two vampires were on the ground desiccated, symbols carved into their forehead.

“Someone has to account for this!” Klaus growled.

“Are we talking about revenge?” Caroline questioned. “I’m only asking because even though I’m no expert on magic, I know that marks got to be tied to some bad mojo.”

“I don’t like this,” Stefan said, having a bad feeling. Caroline was in complete agreement.

“Revenge is only the beginning,” Klaus told Caroline before turning to Diego. “We're gonna find whoever did this, and I will show them what suffering is.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Thierry and Rebekah walk into a warehouse at the docks to investigate.

“Used to run things down here for Marcel,” Thierry explained. “Thought you'd like to see what I found before Klaus did.”

Rebekah smirks. “Not a day out of the Garden, and you're already proving yourself useful.”

“We made a deal, and if it screws things for your brother, I'm all for it,” said Thierry. “Though, to be honest, this stuff makes my skin crawl. I've never seen anything like this.”

“Except you’re a little late to the party,” Rebekah told him. “I have ceased my plans for my brother.”

“What?” Thierry glared at her. “You can’t-”

“Quiet,” Rebekah cut him off. “I have seen this before,” Rebekah said as they stop in front of another salt circle on the ground with two dead vampires inside. Both are desiccated and have the same symbol carved into their foreheads. “I have, a long time ago,” said Rebekah, recognizing the mark. “Somebody is copycatting a very dangerous witch. They draw their power from sacrifice.”

“I just don't understand why someone would leave it here for us to find,” said Thierry, distracted by the turn of events.

“Unless they wanted it to be found.” Rebekah pointed out.

Papa Tunde appears from the shadows behind them. Rebekah notices him in shock and horror.

“Mademoiselle Mikaelson.” Papa Tunde greeted.

“That's not possible,” said Rebekah, still unable to believe what she was seeing.

“Sure, it is, chére. It's magic.” Papa Tunde told her.

Rebekah speed vamps toward him to try to kill him, but Papa Tunde simply reaches out and grabs her by the throat. “Symbole du masque et de l'ombre, embrace-toi. Embrace-toi. Symbole du masque et de l'ombre, embrace-toi. Embrace-toi. Symbole du masque et de l'ombre, embrace-toi. Embrace-toi. Symbole du masque et de l'ombre, embrace-toi.”

Rebekah starts to desiccate, and thick gray veins pop up all over her face and neck. Terrified, Thierry speeds vamps and disappears out of the warehouse, leaving Rebekah on her own.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Klaus, Caroline, Elijah, Stefan, and Diego, and many of the other vampires are congregating in the courtyard, discussing their current situation.

“Ah! Someone will die for this.” Klaus declared.

“Remarkably, I don't disagree,” said Elijah. “However, I would like to know where they learned such dark magic.”

“I had hoped never to see that symbol again,” said Klaus. “I recall it is the signature of a fool who once stood against us.”

“Isn’t someone always standing against you?” Stefan asked with an arched eyebrow.

Caroline smacked his arm. “So not the point, Stefan.”

“Clearly, some upstart witch is salvaging old tricks,” Elijah responded.

“Ugh, witches,” Caroline said. “I’m really starting to hate them.”

“Bonnie was a witch,” Stefan reminded her. “Before she became an anchor, she was a witch.”

“Bonnie’s, Bonnie.” Caroline defended. “And she’s different. She’s not morally questionable.”

Stefan couldn’t argue with her there. Plus, Caroline’s hate for the witches in New Orleans was understandable. “What about Davina?”

“Davina is innocent, nothing that has happened is her fault.” Caroline defended her new friend.

“I'll do for him as I did the other.” Klaus turns to Diego. “Diego, when night falls, I want you to gather every vampire in the Quarter. Get me the head of whoever did this and put it on a stick.”

“Yeah. That's gonna be a problem,” replied Diego. “Everyone is freaked out, man. We haven't had witches killing vampires in a long time. Marcel made sure of that.”

“Marcel is no longer in charge and is busy chasing after his human. You lot are left with me. Now, who of you will fight to defend our home?” Klaus looked around to see that no one comes forward. “Not a single one of you will stand with me, so afraid are you of this new threat? You should know better. I'll handle this myself.”

“We will stand with you,”

Klaus turned to see Zach and his pack stepping forward and he smirked. “Good.”

He turned to Caroline. “Stay here, I don’t want you near this,”

Caroline wanted to argue but she did not want witches near her unborn children again. “I’ll be fine,” She brushed a kiss against his stubble jaw.

It wasn’t nearly enough for Klaus, he grasped her chin and kissed her deeply.

Stefan cleared his throat after a moment, uncomfortable seeing Klaus and Caroline kissing each other like they’ve been doing it for years.

Klaus turned and the wolves followed, sending disgusted looks the vampires’ way.

Caroline lifted a hand to her lips watching him leave.

“Stefan a word,” Klaus called over his shoulder. Stefan rolled his eyes and followed him out onto the street.

Klaus turned to him. “Keep an eye on Caroline, will you? It’s only a matter of time before she involves herself.”

“I’m not going to keep her prisoner for you,” Stefan glared.

“I didn’t tell you to keep her in.” Klaus rolled his eyes. “I said keep an eye on her as in help her if she needs it. I promise you now if one hair is harmed on her head and you could have prevented it, your brother won’t be the only Salvatore I want to kill.”

And with those parting words, Klaus left.

Stefan sighed, he came here for Caroline but it looked like he was going to have to deal with Klaus on the regular.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Cami spoke into her phone. “Sophie, the restaurant is an epic disaster again. Do you think maybe you could come in today and…”

The voice mail interrupts: "User's mailbox is full."

“Good-bye,” Cami said annoyed, ending the call.

“Looks like I should've been here last night,” said Marcel.

Cami, startled, looks for anything she can find to use as a weapon, finally settling on an empty liquor bottle on top of the bar. “Before you try anything, I'm on vervain.”

“Yeah, Klaus mentioned you broke free of his compulsion. Good for you.” Marcel wondered.

“What are you doing here?” asked Cami.

“Wanted to see you.” Marcel sits down at the bar.

“I thought now that you have Davina back you wouldn’t be leaving her side.”

“Except now I need to keep New Orleans from falling apart,” Marcel told her.

“Is Klaus causing trouble?” Cami questioned.

“When isn’t he?” Marcel responded, “and I’m more than likely going to have to be the one to clean it up. He has his hands full with Caroline and his kids and Hayley’s betrayal.”

“What are you talking about? What did Hayley do?” Cami questioned.

“Right,” said Marcel. “You wouldn’t know.” He reached for a bottle and poured two shots. “You’re probably gonna need a drink for this.”

Cami joined him at the bar. “Tell me,”

“Caroline is the one Klaus knocked up before coming back to New Orleans,” Marcel said.

Cami’s eyes widened. “But she's a vampire and Hayley is the one who's pregnant.”

“Not anymore,” Marcel shook his head. “The twins are back with Caroline now.”

Cami’s shoulders slumped forward. “I’m so confused.”

Marcel laughed. “It’s pretty unbelievable. From my understanding before the witches brought Caroline to New Orleans, she and Klaus got busy in her hometown, and by some dark magic on Sophie’s and her sister’s behalf they made it possible for Caroline to get pregnant and-”

“But how did they even know about Caroline?” Cami questioned.

“Witches talk.” Marcel shrugged. “Plus, when Klaus Mikaelson truly cares about someone other than himself people tend to notice. It’s no surprise word traveled. Anyway, when the Deveraux witches learned their plan worked and that she was pregnant they lured her here, took her babies, and put them in Hayley’s womb. Hayley went on to pretend it was her pregnancy.”

“Why would someone do that to another woman?” Cami was disgusted.

“The witches promised to help Hayley find her family and she was desperate enough to take the deal,” Marcel said.

“Still,” Cami shook her head.

“So while he’s dealing with that I have to deal with all the other drama he’s left in his wake,” Marcel stated.

“Marcel, I'm sorry,” Cami told him sympathetically. “This all sounds so complicated.”

Marcel shrugged. “Same old, same old.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Elijah walks into Davina’s room to find her going through her old sketches.

“There you are.” Elijah greeted. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping Katerina?”

“I needed a break and something keeps bothering me,” Davina answered, continuing her perusal of her sketches.

Elijah gestures to the sketches. “And it has to do with your drawings?”

“I don’t know but I feel this pull. I know they're telling me something,” Davina insisted. “I don’t understand why I was drawing a witch who has been dead for longer than I’ve been alive. I’m killing time, now that I'm on vampire lockdown.”

“Are you sure it has nothing to do with the harvest?” Elijah asked and Davina glared at him. “Whoever did this, we will deal with them,” Elijah stated. “It won't be long.”

“I'm not worried.” Davina declared. “I can handle what’s thrown my way. I just want to be prepared. I don’t want to get caught off guard. Something’s coming and I need to know what it is so I can protect the people that I care about.”

“I do apologize if you feel all of our problems have fallen on your shoulders,” Elijah told her. “Finding a way to save Katherine, the Sophie and Hayley situation, Caroline. Stefan’s arrival. Rebekah is off trying to make things right. Niklaus grows more agitated with every new threat. You're just a child none of this should have fallen on you.”

“I’m not a child,” Davina said strongly. “I was forced to grow up sooner than I should have but I did it and I can handle this and I will. For Caroline but ultimately for myself. They have not beaten me down and I intend to show them they never will.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Marcel is still sitting at the bar with Cami when his phone rings. It's Klaus. He hits the ignore button and returns to his drink.

“El presidente?” Said Cami.

“He likes to keep track of his people,” Marcel responded.

“Why are you loyal to him, exactly?” Cami wondered.

“For someone who says she can't stand the guy, you sure ask a lot of questions about him.” Marcel pointed out.

“My interest is purely academic.” Cami defended.

“I know what you're doing,” Marcel said, knowingly. “You're mad he used you, and you want to get back at him. Maybe you're hoping I'll let slip some chink in his armor. Friendly advice--don't do that. It won't end well. Let me tell you a story about someone who went up against Klaus.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

1919

Marcel returns home in his military uniform to find a party being held at the compound. Marcel sees Rebekah sitting at a table with an unknown gentleman, and walks toward her.

“This was right after I returned from World War I. I'd been trying to get away from New Orleans for a while. Something kept drawing me back.” Marcel began.

“Why don't you get me some Martinis?” Klaus suggested. “Thank you.”

“Aren't you gonna welcome me home?” Marcel asked Rebekah.

“I wouldn't want you to think that I was happy to see you,” replied Rebekah.

“How long you gonna hate me?” Marcel asked.

“You left me in a box for fifty-two years.” Rebekah glared. “Twice that seems like a good start. Come on, boys.”

Marcel watched her walk away with a look of longing.

Klaus approaches Marcel. “There he is. Our war hero triumphantly returned. Oh, good to have you back, Marcellus. Welcome home.” They drink together. “Mm.”

“Haha! The prodigal son has finally learned to hold his liquor.” Elijah teased.

“The Army'll do that to you,” Marcel replied.

“Well, it's good to have you back,” Elijah told him. “Niklaus was beside himself in your absence.”

“Now that you are here, perhaps you could help settle an argument,” said Klaus. “You see, you've traded a war abroad for one here in the Quarter. Some rogue witch wants a piece of the city we built, and Elijah, for reasons beyond my comprehension, insists that negotiation is our best recourse.”

“Yes,” said Elijah.

“On the topic of your failed comprehension, you neglect, as a soldier, Marcel has seen not only how small the world has become and how fast news can travel, but also the very horrors of war itself.” Klaus continued. “Surely, Marcel would agree with me.”

“The best way for us to defend our home is by exercising discretion.” Elijah insisted.

“So who's the witch you want to kill?” Marcel asked.

“His name is Papa Tunde,” Klaus answered. “I think he's a charlatan. “

“Well, Marcel shall be able to decide that for himself. You invited him here.” Elijah reminded.

“Of course. We're not savages, are we?” Klaus replied.

Papa Tunde arrives at the party, and Klaus immediately approaches him.

“Thank you for accepting our invitation, and welcome.” Klaus greeted. “I hope you'll allow me to play the role of host. If there's anything you need- Anything at all…”

“Pleasure before business, then,” replied Papa Tunde. “Hahaha! Hahaha!”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

“I didn't get it at first,” said Marcel. “Klaus was the one who wanted to go to war.”

“So, why was he inviting his enemy into his home?” Cami questioned. “Why be so generous to someone who he's gonna have to kill?”

“But, you see, that's the thing. It was all part of Klaus' plan.” Marcel told her. “He was sussing the guy out, learning his weaknesses, his strengths, getting him to let his guard down. That's how Klaus does it. Then he goes in for the kill.”

“Because he's a two-faced sociopath.” Cami accused. “There's nothing enviable about what Klaus does. He is a monster.”

“We're all monsters, Cami,” Marcel told her. “If you're powerful like Klaus is, you just don't have to bother hiding it.”

“Davina’s powerful,” said Cami. “She is not a monster.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Papa Tunde finishes doing his spell on Rebekah. She laid desiccated in a circle of salt, with his symbol carved into her forehead.

He stands back and admires his work. “It is done. The power of the Original sister flows through me.”

“And will that be enough to make Klaus suffer?” Asked Celeste.

“I will hurt Klaus Mikaelson as he hurt me,” said Papa Tunde. “When I am done, he will wish that he could die.”

“You’re going for Caroline?” Celeste inquired.

“His children will die before they even take their first breath.” Papa Tunde promised and celeste smirked.

Caroline had interfered with her plans when she saved Davina, she would celebrate the blonde’s untimely, tragic demise along with Klaus’s abominable spawns.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

“You gonna open this place today?” Marcel asked.

“And risk you eating the clientele?” Cami asked in return.

“Oh, and here I thought you were starting to like me again,” replied Marcel.

Marcel's phone rings again and he answers it.

“Ah, you've stopped chasing after Cami long enough to pick up the phone.” Klaus’s voice came over the line.

“I figured you'd just keep calling,” Marcel replied.

“I'm in the Cauldron now,” Klaus informed him. “You could meet me here, we could start burning passersby at the stake.”

“Sorry. I'm in the middle of something here.” Marcel replied.

“Is she more important than what is happening?” Klaus asked.

“Is Caroline?” Marcel countered. He knew the answer but he wanted Klaus to understand that he could care about someone as well.

Klaus scoffed. “Please you couldn’t possibly feel so deeply for Cami so quickly. Finish up with her and come and help me end this.”

Marcel hangs up the phone not taking too kindly to Klaus’s tone.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Katherine tensed as Klaus walked into her room. Her face forming into a scowl. “Have you finally come to kill me?”

Klaus scoffed. “You have long since lost your importance to me. You live because Caroline wants you to, if you want it to continue that way, I would advise you keep in her good graces.”

Caroline walked in and swatted at him. “Be nice.”

Stefan snorted from the doorway. “I can’t believe you just said that to him.”

“You’re still here?” Katherine asked Stefan in surprise. “I would’ve thought you would have returned to be Elena and Damon’s third wheel by now.”

“Perhaps, I’m learning,” Stefan countered, shooting her an annoyed look.

“Enough,” Klaus said, impatiently. “I did not come here for you.” He turned to Sophie who was glowering at them. “I came here for you, the witch I was looking to brutalize.”

“What now?” Sophie shut the book she had open in her hands. “I am trying to do as you asked.”

Caroline stepped forward. “While I would love to torture you some more, there are some more pressing matters at hand.”

Klaus speeds vamp towards Sophie and grabs her in a chokehold. “Perhaps you could explain the attacks on my men.”

“What about helping me?” Katherine protested, the witch couldn’t help her if she was dead.

“I will handle it.” Davina stepped back into the room, picking up the book Sophie dropped when Klaus hoisted her up by the throat. “We haven’t given up on making sure you don’t die.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Elijah is in the courtyard, trying to reach Rebekah.

“Rebekah is not answering her calls,” said Elijah.

“You worried about whoever killed those daywalkers still being out there?” Josh asked.

“Yes, I'm worried. She is dead set on making things better for Caroline,” replied Elijah. “I’m not sure how far she will take this.”

“Can she really be in any real danger?” Stefan asked. He had left Klaus and Caroline to deal with Sophie not wanting to get involved with torturing the witch.

“Things here in New Orleans are a lot different than Mystic Falls. Much more dangerous. Enemies around every corner.” Elijah notices Thierry drinking alone at a table and joins him. “Thierry, is it?”

“That's right,” Thierry answered.

“My sister is rather fond of you. Strange, she's not typically drawn to unremarkable men.” Elijah commented. “Would you care to explain your sudden magnetism?”

“I don't know what you're…” Thierry started.

Elijah, annoyed, grabs him by the throat and pushes him against the wall.

“You can either tell me what you know, or I can distribute tiny pieces of you throughout the Quarter.” Elijah threatened.

Stefan crossed his arms wondering where Elijah was going with this. Usually, it was Klaus’s method to use threats and fear to reach a goal.

“She asked me to keep an eye out on witch stuff,” said Thierry reluctantly. “I found something, and when I showed her, we were jumped by some guy. He desiccated her with his touch.”

“Like a coward, you left her.” Elijah accused angrily.

Stefan dropped his arms and stepped forward. “You did what?”

“What was I supposed to do, fight some warlock that took out an Original?” Thierry asked.

“Yes, if you were friends you shouldn’t have left her,” Stefan scolded.

“Where was this, exactly?” Elijah questioned.

“The docks, warehouse 57,” Thierry answered. “I was just doing what she asked. You cannot tell Klaus about this.”

Elijah throws Thierry against the wall. He's unconscious. “I shall take that into consideration,” said Elijah.

”I'm coming with you.” Caroline appeared. “I need a break from hearing Hayley wail when all I want to do is kill her.”

“You're not going with Klaus to handle the witch thing?” Stefan asked.

“No,” the truth was she was concerned for Rebekah. She was still mad at Rebekah but she didn’t want her in any real danger.

“No. Stay here.” Elijah instructed. “The compound is safe.”

“First, Rebekah is in trouble. I'm going. Second, I don’t care what is safe” Caroline was not going to stay behind. “And third, you don’t get to tell me what to do. No one does.”

Elijah considers this and sighs. “Do not leave my sight. I don’t look forward to being daggered by my brother for the rest of time.”

“If Caroline is going, I’m going,” Stefan said. He was determined to stay by her side and be there when she needed a friend. He needed to make up for being a bad one.

Caroline nods, and the three leave for the docks.

Elijah prayed nothing was going to happen to Caroline. He would really hate to end up in a coffin even longer than Finn or watch Klaus ripped Katerina’s heart just to watch him suffer.

Niklaus was the most vengeful, vindictive person he knew.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

“Me calling things off with you wasn't lack of interest. I was hoping to save you from all this.” Marcel told Cami.

“Well, thanks, Romeo, but I'm in it,” Cami replied. “So, when are you gonna get to the good part with Klaus and that Papa guy?”

“Papa Tunde said he wanted to empower the witches. Mostly, he wanted money and territory. Klaus and Elijah weren't about to give him either. He didn't like that, so he went on a rampage.” Marcel continued his story.

“No one was safe. Not the humans in the faction. Not the Guerrera werewolves. He even went after the witches who opposed him. Elijah offered a truce. He gave his word, in fact, but Klaus, being Klaus, he had another idea.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Papa Tunde is waiting in their meeting place when he hears someone enter. “You're late, Elijah. It's not like the noble brother to keep me waiting.”

“I'm sorry, mate. Elijah is the brother you meet when negotiations are to be had. I'm the one you get when negotiations are closed.” Klaus informed him, something dangerous shining in his eyes.

“You do not scare me,” said Papa Tunde. “You have no idea the power I possess.”

“Oh, in fact, I made it a point to learn all about your power,” Klaus responded. “I noticed how you're almost always near those twin sons of yours, how they bear your distinctive mark. Got me to thinking--you channel their power, don't you? Which, of course, begs the question: what would happen were that power to be taken away, if those sons whose lives you depend on were suddenly struck down? What of that power then?”

Marcel brings in a box and sets it down. Papa Tunde looks into the box and sees the severed heads of his twin sons.

“I will kill you for this.” Papa Tunde vowed enraged.

“I cannot be killed.” Klaus declared confidently. “You, however…”

Klaus zooms over to him and presses his thumbs into Papa Tunde's eyes.

“Aagh!” Papa Tunde cried out in pain, blood streaming out of his eye sockets.

Klaus pressed harder, his thumbs smashing through his eyes and into his brain, killing him.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

“That's awful!” Cami was horrified.

“Oh, to Klaus, it's just business,” said Marcel.

“And don't you think there's something fundamentally wrong with that?” Cami questioned. “Don't you worry you'll end up one of his victims or, worse, just like him?”

Cami wondered how Caroline could justify being with someone like Klaus if this was the man that laid beneath all the art and charm. Let alone have children with him.

Papa Tunde suddenly appears in the bar. “Poor Marcellus. You remain always in the shadow of your father. Climb out from beneath it, will you, so you can die like a man?”

“Cami, you need to run now. Don't look back. Just go.” Marcel urged her urgently, wanting her to get to safety.

“I think she should stay,” said Papa Tunde. “I prefer an audience, and I'm about to put on quite the show.”

“Marcel?” Cami was unsure of what to do.

“I said get out of here,” Marcel ordered.

Cami, terrified, hesitates in the doorway, not wanting to leave Marcel alone.

“You cannot defeat me.” Papa Tunde declared, he strode forward like he was stalking prey, his sights set on Marcel. “I channel the power of an Original vampire. Soon, I will have all three. But first, I will take you, however not before you can tell me where I can find Caroline Forbes. I will take from Klaus what he has taken from me.”

Even after all this time the loss of his sons still left him with unbridled rage and the need to take everything from Klaus.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Sophie examines the abandoned desiccated vampires that Papa Tunde left for the vampires to find at the docks. “It's a complex spell. Old-school stuff, rooted in sacrificial magic. Whoever did this to your guys, my guess is they were an offering to gain more power. More guys they kill, more power they have.”

Klaus's phone rings, and when he sees it's Cami, he answers it, motioning for Zach beside him to not take his eyes off of Sophie. “I didn't expect a call from you.”

“You need to get to Rousseau's now. Some lunatic witch doctor looking for Caroline is killing Marcel.” Cami told him. “He refuses to give her up. I can maybe buy him some time, maybe lie about where she is-”

“Say one word about Caroline to him and I will make you regret it. There is a line that can’t be crossed. Not even by you.” Klaus hung up abruptly, meeting the worried eyes of Zach, he was gripping Sophie by the arm, ensuring she didn’t try anything as he got distracted by the mention of the only vampire he considered a part of his pack. “Stay with her.” He ordered

Zach nodded. “Caroline?”

“Don’t worry about her. I have it covered. Keep your focus where it’s needed.” Klaus looked at Sophie. “If you try anything your coven will suffer the consequences.”

“I’ll make sure she doesn’t try anything.”

Klaus turned to see a familiar face.

“You, your Katherine’s daughter, right?” Klaus' eyes narrowed on the brunette who's been in and out of the compound since they brought Katherine to New Orleans. He hadn’t really cared to question her whereabouts. She held absolutely no importance to him.

“Yes,” Nadia answered. “We don’t need her breaking free. I need her to save my mother.”

“I need her to suffer.” Klaus retorted. “Don’t make me regret this or I’ll take you from your mother just like I did the rest of her family. “

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Caroline, Stefan, and Elijah arrive at where Theirry told them about. Rebekah's body was on the ground. Caroline started to run toward her but Stefan stopped her pointing toward the magic circle beneath Rebekah’s body.

Elijah is also on the phone with Sophie.

“Rebekah!” Elijah goes to kneel next to her, but can't cross the barrier made by the salt.

“What’s going on?” Caroline questioned.

“Some kind of boundary spell.” Elijah answered..” Someone is channeling her. Typically, it's a lethal process, but, because she's an Original, she can't die. Instead, she's an endless source of power. “

“So what are we supposed to do?” Stefan asked. “I can only imagine the damage that could be done by channeling an Original.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Papa Tunde bends over Marcel and holds his knife to his forehead as he begins to carve in his mark. “As I recall, you're one of the few people Niklaus Mikaelson ever gave a damn about. You know what he did to my family.”

“Aah!” Marcel cried out.

“The sins of the father are paid for by the son. I will take pleasure in telling Klaus how you died.” Papa Tunde told him. “And how you refused to give up the woman carrying his spawns.”

“Wait!” Cami screamed, running back inside. “I can get Caroline here. Just don’t kill him.” She ignored the look of betrayal coming from Marcel. She was trying to save his life.

“No!” Marcel snapped through the pain. “She has to stay away from him.”

“Marcel, he's going to kill you.” Cami protested. “If we give him what he wants-”

“You will do no such thing!”

Cami gasped, whirling around to see Klaus, his face black with rage.

She took a step back frightened.

“I would kill anyone who puts Caroline in danger for whatever the reason.” Klaus shoved Cami back and she crashed into a table, crying out in surprise and by the force. “No one’s well being is worth more than hers.”

Papa Tunde glared. “You cannot protect Caroline or your children she carries, no more than you can protect Marcellus, here.”

Papa Tunde prepares to kill Marcel but Klaus runs forward, ripping him away from Marcel.

“I remember killing you,” said Klaus. “I rather relished it. What a joy it is to relive fond memories.”

“I can crush you before the eyes of your son.” Papa Tunde said, brushing himself off. “Then, I will consume you both and then I will kill Caroline and end your children’s lives before they take their first breath. This time, I'm stronger.”

Klaus' eyes turned amber. “Stay away from my family!”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

“You're not listening. We cannot enter the circle. There's some kind of confinement spell... If I can't remove her, we can't break the link.” Elijah explained to Sophie on the phone.

“It's a convoluted spell. It's like a witch's recipe. You can spoil the balance by adding a more potent ingredient.” Sophie informed him. “A mystical binding agent. I don't know, volcanic ash, rock salt...anything up to and including eye of newt.”

“What about the blood of a witch?” Elijah inquired.

“Do you have the blood of a witch?” Sophie asked, confused.

Elijah turns to Caroline. “I need a favor.”

“Why are you looking at me? I have vampire blood.” Caroline protested.

“The babies, Caroline,” Stefan interjected. “Their Quarter witches.”

Caroline nodded slowly, she raised her wrists to her lips and bit into it gingerly, drawing blood. She walked toward the circle, holding her wrist out and letting the blood fall on the magic boundary line. It starts to fizzle and deteriorate.

Elijah is able to get through, and he quickly picks up Rebekah and takes her out of the circle.

He nodded at Caroline and Stefan to follow him before speed vamping out.

Caroline looked down at the ruined magic line. A little surprised it had work and that her vampire blood had not tainted it. She vamped away and Stefan followed in her wake.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Papa Tunde has the upper hand on Klaus, Papa Tunde’s superior strength throwing Klaus off and is about to finish him off when he suddenly becomes weak when his link to Rebekah is broken. Klaus is able to stun Papa Tunde long enough to run over to Marcel.

“Uhhh, is he dead?” Cami asked.

“Get out of here.” Klaus glared at her.

“Is Marcel dead? Did that guy kill him?” Cami questioned, ignoring his glare.

“He didn't finish him off. Marcel needs blood to heal. Go. Find me someone off the street.” Klaus ordered.

“I'll do it,” Cami told him.

“Fine. Get over here.” Klaus snapped. He didn’t have time for this.

Cami rushes over to Marcel and puts his mouth to her neck. “It's ok, Marcel. It's ok. It's ok, Marcel.”

Klaus barely spared the two of them a look, needing to find Caroline. She was being used as a target against him. Again.

He needed her beside him. He needed to know she was safe.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Rebekah ambushes Thierry in an alley. “Ah! I should rip out your coward heart.”

“What, Rebekah? We made a deal to take out your brother. You were the one to go back on that deal, and at the end of the day, it's every man for himself.” Thierry responded.

“I am so sick of self-serving narcissists. Are men simply incapable of thinking about anyone but themselves?” Rebekah demanded angrily.

Elijah speeds up to Thierry and snaps his neck.

“Oh, I asked you to cease these petty moves against our family, and yet you conspire with this fool. Is this what it's come to, making moves against your own blood?” Elijah asked, looking at Rebekah with disappointment.

“I called it off and don't you try and shame me,” Rebekah replied. “Nik grows more powerful by the day, and you do nothing but encourage him. Before the truth came out, I was set on taking him down but this isn’t about Klaus anymore, it’s about our whole family. I know we need to stick together for the sake of Caroline. She has a target on her back. If we don’t stick together her children may never see their first sunrise. I refuse to let that happen. She has inherited enemies she doesn’t deserve.”

“I offer him, my counsel because it's clear to me that he needs to make the city our home. Now, perhaps leading these derelicts will curb some of these impulses, grant him some degree of happiness. Caroline is that happiness. We will all protect her.” Elijah said. “We all will make sacrifices in the name of this family, Rebekah, but know this. I will never stand against you or Niklaus.” Elijah told her.

“What about Hayley?” Rebekah questioned. “Are we just going to let her live after everything she has done to deceive our family for her own gain? Are we just going to let her go?”

“We are going to let Caroline and Niklaus decide her fate, she wronged them more than any of us. It should be them who decide her punishment. Not us.” replies Elijah.

Rebekah glowered, she wanted to kill Hayley for her treachery. The wolf girl didn’t deserve to breathe another breath.

“I think death would be a blessing for her.”

Elijah and Rebekah turned to see Stefan standing there.

“How long have you’ve been there?” Elijah questioned with narrowed eyes.

“Long enough to know Rebekah was making plans against your brother,” Stefan answered.

“Will you tell him and Caroline?” Rebekah demanded.

“No,” Stefan answered. “I don’t see what good it will do.”

“Be sure that you don’t, Stefan,” Elijah told him. “Or your time here in New Orleans won’t end well.”

Stefan watched him and then looked at Rebekah. “Did he just threaten me?”

“What are you doing here, Stefan?” Rebekah asked on a sigh.

“I came here for Caroline. She should have a friend here.” Stefan said. “And I have a lot of making up to do in that department.”

“I know that,” Rebekah rolled her eyes. “I meant here. Why did you follow me?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Stefan admitted.

Rebekah met his eyes, she could see his honest expression but then again it wouldn’t be the first time Stefan deceived her into thinking he actually cared about her.

She looked away. “Don’t bother yourself with me. I’m fine. I always am.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Marcel walks into the Jardin Gris Voodoo shop, where Rebekah is standing and waiting for him.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Rebekah said in greeting.

“That symbol is already up and down the cauldron, more of them popping up everywhere,” Marcel said.

“I suppose Papa Tunde is marking his territory,” Rebekah replied.

“I'm told you saw him, as well,” said Marcel.

“Yeah. Brought up a lot of memories. Memories that are best left buried.” Rebekah stated.

Marcel swallowed. Memories of a secret long since buried 90 years ago that if it ever came to light would find him and Rebekah on the run for their lives.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

1919

“You're soused. Celebrating Klaus' defeat of the mad Papa Tunde?” asked Rebekah.

“Not celebrating, drowning sorrows,” Marcel told her. “I'm the one who brought Tunde to town.”

“What?” Rebekah replied.

“I made some inquiries while I was abroad, wanted the most dangerous witch anyone could find,” Marcel informed her.

“Why on earth would you do that?” Rebekah wondered.

“For you,” Marcel answered. “I figured if someone as bad as Tunde comes in, maybe Klaus gets chased off. Very least, he's occupied enough that he can't stop me from trying to get you back.”

“You mean to tell me that you would tear down everything my family built, everything you helped us build, risk your own life on the off chance that I would show you the slightest bit of affection?” Rebekah asked.

“I would,” Marcel answered. “I did. I'd do it again.”

“Klaus has killed a thousand Tunde's. All his life, there's only ever been one man he has truly feared. My father Mikael.” Rebekah told him.

“The vampire who hunts vampires,” said Marcel.

“If he came here, Klaus would flee and never turn back,” Rebekah told him. “All we need is a witch who can help us find him.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Klaus commanded the attention of the whole compound as he spoke directly to the vampires of the french quarter.

“Not long ago, you all united against me. You failed. Since then, in my benevolence, I have wiped the slate clean, yet it seems clear you think that I am the one who needs to earn your respect, your loyalty. You're mistaken. It is you who must prove yourselves to me. Our community is under attack. I require soldiers. I need warriors, not cowards. Each of you has a decision to make. You either fight alongside me and my wolves or you leave now.”

“We don't owe you anything. If staying in the Quarter means living under your rule, working with wolves, I'd just as soon get the hell out.” Thierry declared.

Caroline grabbed Klaus’s hand as they watched a handful of vampires join Thierry and walk out of the compound. Thierry looks at Diego in hopes that he'll come along, but he gives him a pained look and stays behind.

Theirry couldn’t believe his friend was choosing to stay. Diego hated wolves and for good reason. His family was torn apart by them.

Afterward, Marcel, Caroline, and Klaus talk with Sophie.

“I got to admit, I thought you'd lose a lot more guys than that,” Marcel told him.

“Well, good riddance to them, I say,” Klaus replied. “We've no room for slackers or cowards in our kingdom. Now that you've regained your composure, let's move on to the next item of business, shall we, with a little help from our prisoner Sophie.”

“The last thing I want to do is help any of you!” Sophie snapped.

“Now, now, don't be difficult,” Klaus told her.

“You're lucky you’re still alive. You should be more grateful.” Caroline said, wanting nothing more than to slap the taste out of the witch's mouth but now was not the time to torture her some more. That time would come again later.

“You'll only live as long as you're of use to me, and right now, your best use is to explain why a witch I killed has come back for revenge. Come on. Resurrected witches with vast power?” Klaus insisted.

“It's the Harvest. To die and be reborn.” Sophie told him. “I don't know how, but someone jacked that power, and they used it to bring back three witches, just not the right ones.”

“Davina’s not in danger, is she?” Caroline asked, speaking the words before Marcel could.

“I don’t know,” Sophie answered.

“Well be sure.” Marcel ground out. “I will not lose her.”

“Let's concentrate on the immediate problem, shall we?” Klaus suggested. “Papa Tunde wants revenge. He'll continue to attack us, channeling power from the vampires he sacrifices. He kills, he grows more dangerous. So how do I end him? He needs sacrifices to gain power.”

Klaus needed to kill him, he wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing he was out there, wanting to take from him what Klaus himself took from Papa Tunde.

“Hmm. You keep him from killing any more nightwalkers, that's a start.” Sophie told him.

“Easier said than done in a city full of them.” Caroline snapped at her, just hearing Sophie speak made her want to rip her tongue out through her throat.

“Caroline’s right,” Klaus said. “If he finds the one place with a load of vampires ready to be sacrificed,” Klaus stated.

They all look at each other with a look of dawning realization.

Stefan who was standing back, for the most part, minding his own business stepped forward. “What’s happening now?”

“Nothing good,” Caroline said and leaned into Klaus’s side, seeking his touch. She felt more grounded when she could feel any part of him pressed against her.

Klaus’s arm wound around her waist, his hand curving around her side, unthinkingly, he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

It was actions like these that threw everyone around him, having never seen Klaus so tactile so affectionate.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Klaus, Marcel, Stefan and Caroline, and Zach arrive at the garden only to discover that they are too late. All of the vampires are dead, sacrificed by Papa Tunde.

Not only that the wolves he had guarding the place until he got there were dead.

Caroline’s hand went to her mouth, she knew every wolf by name, she had got to know in the short period after being introduced to them and had formed an attachment.

They were good and they had welcomed her into their pack, willing to overlook that she was a vampire, they trusted her and protected her and she did the same for them.

Now, here they were. Gone. Dead at her feet.

Anger coursed through her with a viciousness that left her reeling.

“How could this happen?” Zach stumbled forward, falling to his knees in disbelief.

“This..this act of violence,” Caroline turned to Klaus, her eyes blackened with her rage. “Can not go unanswered. Their lives meant something. These were our people and they slaughtered them! We have to make everyone involved pay!”

Marcel's brow raised up to his hairline at her harsh reaction.

Klaus was enthralled by her words, the anger coming off her in waves, she vibrated with righteous anger for their wolves.

The way she had accepted his wolves as her family was something he admired. “Nothing that has happened today will go unanswered, I promise you that, love.” He cupped her face, his thumbs tracing the black veins beneath her eyes. Soothing them away.

Caroline breathed slowly, her eyes closing at his touch. A calm washing over her, pushing her anger back down just beneath the surface. She nodded and released him. She stepped forward and placed her hand on Zach’s shoulder. “We will make this right.”

Zach nodded numbly, his hand coming up to cover her own. Thankful for her support, he looked at Klaus seeing the same readiness to avenge the wolves in his eyes.

Stefan wanted to reach out and offer his support to Caroline but it seemed she had all the support she needed.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Celeste meets with Papa Tunde near a crypt in the Lafayette cemetery.

“Is it done?” asked Celeste.

“This blade now contains all the power I harvested from the vampires. It will do things worse than death, even to an Original,” said Papa Tunde.

“And are you ready for the final offering?” Celeste questioned.

“Will you avenge my sons?” Papa Tunde asked.

“Klaus will never get the chance to see his children be born,” Celeste vowed darkly

Papa Tunde nodded in acceptance. “In the name of the witches of the French Quarter, it is my honor.” Papa Tunde hands her the bone knife.

“Thank you, Papa Tunde.” Celeste stands behind him and slits his throat with the knife.

Celeste breathed deeply, her hands coated in Papa Tunde’s blood. Her plan of making Klaus suffer was closer than ever thanks to Papa Tunde’s sacrifice to her cause.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Caroline walked into Katherine’s room, Davina sat on the floor surrounded by a mountain of books. Elijah was seated on the bed next to Katherine who appeared to be asleep.

“Where’s Josh?” Caroline wondered.

“I told him to go find something to drink. He couldn’t stop talking about blood.” Davina looked up from her book to Caroline. “How did today go?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Caroline said. “I rather talk about how things are going here. Have you found anything yet?”

“No,” Davina answered reluctantly. “But I will find something. I will, I just need more time.”

“I don’t know how much time she has left.” Elijah didn’t look away from Katherine. He reached his hand brushing her hair back from her face. “We need to save her before it’s too late.”

“She knows that,” Caroline cut a look at him. “Don’t pressure her. It’s not all on her.”

“I promise I will try everything I can to help her.” Davina insisted.

“Good but don’t forget to take care of yourself too. Have you eaten at all today?” Caroline asked.

“No,” Davina shook her head.

“Come on, then,” Caroline looped her arm through hers. “I haven’t either and I am starving for blood but I am craving actual food. I talked my friend Stefan into cooking for me. He’s a good cook. He makes great pasta.”

“Caroline,” Elijah protested but Caroline ignored him and walked out the door with Davina.

She would not allow Davina to neglect taking care of herself.

Nadia, Katherine’s daughter appeared in front of them in the hall. “Where are you going? You're supposed to be helping my mother.”

“And she will but right now, she is going to eat and then get a good night's sleep and rest her mind.” Caroline moved protectively in front of Davina. “And if you don’t like it, you can leave.”

Nadia took a step forward as if to challenge her and Caroline raised one pointed brow, daring her to try something.

Nadia with an angry huff pushed past them into her mother’s room.

“Do we like her?” Davina asked as they walked down the stairs.

“Not sure yet,” Caroline answered, leading Davina to the kitchen. “Don’t really know her.”

Stefan was pulling something out of the oven, Josh was seated at a table, drinking from a bag of blood while engaging Stefan in conversation.

“Something smells good,” Davina said, looking toward Stefan.

“That would be baked pasta. I hope you like Italian.” Stefan popped the platter on the counter.

Caroline leaned forward getting a better look. The melted cheese mixed with red sauce and beef looked delicious and smelled even better. “It looks great, you know, if you’re going to be sticking around I might talk you into cooking for me more often.”

“I am sticking around and shouldn’t Klaus be the one taking care of your food cravings?”

Klaus walked into the room. “I take care of all her cravings.” He tugged Caroline into his side, placing a kiss on her neck.

Davina made a disgusted face. “TMI.”

“Agreed.” Stefan put two plates on the counter and filled them with pasta putting them in front of the two girls. “I am not used to seeing the two of you together.”

“Well, you better get used to it then because it’s not about to change.” Caroline took a seat and started digging into the food. “Thanks for the food, Stefan. I’m starving.”

“I would imagine,” Klaus moved around and set a glass of blood in front of her.

“Is it your blood?” Caroline asked curiously, giving Davina a look of encouragement to eat.

“No,” Klaus pulled up a seat next to her, his hand resting on her knee.

“Pity,” Caroline said, wishing it was his blood. She loved the taste of his life-sustaining life force on her tongue.

Klaus moved his hand on her knee higher, fingers curling around her thigh. “Later.” his eyes held promise and Caroline felt heat rush through her.

“You guys are blood sharing?” Stefan asked, surprised. Wow, being together was one thing and accidental pregnancy another but blood sharing, that was like a whole other ballpark of seriousness in a vampire relationship. The only thing more serious would be if they had shared the vampire mate claim.

“Not really,” Caroline said. “He doesn’t drink from me and I don’t like being poisoned by a hybrid bite”

“You could always bite your wrist for him,” Davina suggested and Caroline looked at her. “I know this is not a discussion for me.”

“Actually, that’s a great idea. Klaus and I will have to try it.” Caroline said, her interest piqued.

“We will?” Klaus asks, his eyes darkened with want, imaging the taste of Caroline’s blood on his tongue as he was buried deep inside her.

Caroline bit her lip. “We will.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Stefan cut in. “How about you keep the blood sharing interest in the bedroom and eat your food.”

Klaus grinned. “I could eat but it’s definitely not food.”

Davina’s eyes nearly widened and Caroline choked on air, her cheeks heating. “Klaus!”

Klaus smirked at her in response that devilish smirk that had Caroline squeezing her thighs together as desire shot through her.

“I think I am going to take my food back to my room.” Davina stood up and made a quick exit, waving a hand when Caroline called out an apology.

Stefan sent Caroline a strained smile. “I’m going to leave you to enjoy your food.”

Caroline watched him go, knowing it was just an excuse for him to leave. He might be weirded out by her relationship with Klaus but she didn’t care.

She dug into her food, moaning at the taste. Stefan sure did know how to cook.

Klaus’s hand tightened on her thigh and she looked at him to see his pupils were blown wide, eyes dark with that look she was quite familiar with and despite the hard and difficult day, her lips pulled into a smile.

“Want some?” She asked, her smile coy and flirty.

“Yes,” he answered.

Caroline extended a bite to him.

“Not of your food,” he said roughly, resisting the urge to pull her against him.

Caroline's own eyes darkened with want. She quickly ate her food and pushed the plate away and downed her glass of blood.

The second she was out of her seat and on her feet, Klaus hauled her against his body, urging her to wrap her legs around him.

Caroline did so eagerly, her arms going around his shoulders, eyes sliding shut as his mouth slanted over hers.

Klaus groaned, he could taste the blood she had been drinking on her tongue.

It was mere seconds before Caroline felt her back resting against soft sheets, Klaus’s weight a comfortable feeling settling over her.

Klaus pulled his mouth from hers tugging at her shirt.

Caroline rose up, allowing him to remove her shirt.

She fell back against the bed as he kissed a path down the valley of her breast to her rounding stomach.

His hands moved to cup her belly, the softness in his kisses had tears filling Caroline’s eyes, her chest tightening with emotion. “I’ve been avoiding my mom.”

Klaus looked up at her, waiting for her to say more. “I know she’s going to have questions about the pregnancy and I can’t talk about it with her.”

Klaus pushed down his desire and moved back up her body, he rolled off her laying on his side, and pulling her into him. “Why?”

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel real,” Caroline confessed.

“What?” Klaus looked at her taken aback. “What doesn’t feel real? Us? The babies? All of it?”

Carolien placed her hand on his heart, wanting to reassure him. “Not us. What we have is the realist thing I have ever felt in my life. I meant the pregnancy.”

Klaus's hand came to rest over her stomach. “Trust me it’s real. I can hear their small hearts. I know you can too.”

“It’s a beautiful sound,” Caroline’s eyes grew wet with unshed tears. “I love hearing it, knowing they're there.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Klaus asked, his hand absentmindedly stroking her belly, caressing his unborn children.

“What if they’re more hers than mine?” Caroline whispered, voicing her fears.

“I don’t understand,” Klaus said, her words confusing him.

“She had all this time to connect with them, to form a bond. I feel like I missed so much. I feel like they're no longer mine. It's almost like she has this claim on them that I don’t. And if I feel like this now, how can I possibly be a good mother to them?”

Klaus lifted a hand to her cheek as a lone tear slipped from Caroline’s eye and brushed it away. “Caroline, love, you are everything any good mother should be. Your kind, loving, caring, selfless, forgiving and so fiercely protective of the people you love. Being a mother is going to come naturally like everything else for you.”

Caroline's lips pulled into a smile before she put her hand on the back of his neck and leaned forward, pressing her mouth to his in a meaningful kiss.

Klaus kissed her back, his arms going around her, pulling her flush against him, his lips moved down her jaw. “Is that all that’s bothering you? Today was a hard day. How are you dealing with everything?” His every word was pressed against his skin as he spoke.

“Shh,” Caroline rolled onto her back, pulling him on top of her. “Everything else can wait. Talking can wait.” She pulled his mouth back to hers. “I just want to feel us.”

Klaus kissed her deeper, her mouth opening beneath his inviting him inside, he reached behind her unfastening her bra.

Caroline pushed her head back, her body arching as his lips traveled across her skin, leaving a burning fire in his wake.

She put everything else out of her mind and focused on the here and now.

She and Klaus, the way he made her feel, how he knew her body like one of his sketches.

She lost herself to the most real thing she ever felt.

And when he finally pushed inside her, eyes locked on hers, one hand digging into her thigh the other planted next to her head, she felt like everything would work itself out.

She would make damn sure of it because she was not giving up the life she was building or her new family.

Always and Forever.

It was the Mikaelson family motto.

And now it was hers.

She held on tightly to Klaus as he moved inside her, branding himself on her soul.

She opened herself to him, letting down all her walls and defenses, pushing the love she had into his heart, wanting him to know, to believe after all his time on this earth he wasn’t alone and he never had to feel like he was.

She will always be there.

She wasn’t going anywhere without him.

A/N: Thanks for reading!

Tags: @zinebaklaro @eloiselili @caritobear @paulinhaals @lord-luminous @bellarkehotchniss @fantasylover4evr @storm-pirate

#Klaroline #klaroline fic #klaus x caroline #klaus mikaelson #caroline forbes #fanfic #fic: good to you #the vampire diaries #the originals

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fairylightsandchai · 5 years ago

Text

The Internship - Part 4 (Finale)

A/N: Hello, again! Just popping in again to say that I know I don’t usually post fanfic here, but I really wanted to take part in @darkficsyouneveraskedfor‘s Pre-Code Challenge! Just ignore this if you don’t follow me for fanfiction. :) Also, I’ll be adding tags in a reblog.

Read Part 3 Here!

As a side note, since writing this, I’ve made a side-blog dedicated to writing fanfic, so if you guys wanna check that out, click here!

Pairings: Dark!Professor!Steve Rogers x Reader, Dark!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You are a student in the former-Captain America’s American History class, and you soon notice that Professor Rogers has been paying more than a professional amount of attention to you. But when he approaches you with an internship opportunity that’s too good to be true, how can you say no?

(A/N: This fic contains non-con elements, stalking, and manipulation, and this part will inclue rape, breeding kink, and kidnapping. It is also inspired by The Wild Party, a film from 1929. I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think.)

Being back in your childhood bedroom was bittersweet. The same twin bed was pushed into the corner; the same pictures were on your walls. And yet so much had changed since the days when this was your home.

You lay curled up on the small mattress, watching your window with unseeing eyes. It had snowed last night; a pure white sheen rested over everything. The only disturbance to the blanket covering your front yard were the footprints and tire tracks your mom had left behind when she’d gone to the store that morning.

With a sigh, you rolled over onto your back, one of your hands coming to rest over your stomach. You still hadn’t told her. Hell, you were still having trouble accepting the truth yourself.

When you’d shown up shivering on her doorstep – barefoot, covered in blood, and with no luggage to speak of – she’d bombarded you with questions. You hadn’t been able to answer anything, though. In fact, you didn’t say anything on your first night being back home. You’d just shuffled into the living room, sank down onto the sofa, and cried.

After a night of fitful sleep, you’d told her the basics in the morning – that you’d been raped and kept as a hostage by a very powerful man. Her first reaction was anger, and she’d grabbed her coat and urged you to come with her straight to the police station.

But then, she’d seen your eyes. You hadn’t looked in a mirror yet at that point, but she’d always been good at reading you. She could see how helpless, how hopeless, you were. And when you’d told her that he was too powerful, too well-connected, to be punished for the crimes he’d done to you, she’d believed you.

After that, it was like both of you were grieving. She emailed your professors for you, explaining that you wouldn’t be returning to finish out your semester. She’d even hired some people to pack up some of the things from your apartment and bring them to her house; you’d told her that you didn’t feel safe going back, and she hadn’t questioned you.

Once you got past the initial shock of what had happened, you’d been a shell of your former self. All you could do was cry or sit staring blankly at the wall, trying your best to trample down the fear, the anxiety, that at any moment Steve would come busting down your mother’s door to take you back to his basement.

It was so bad that you couldn’t keep your food down, especially in the mornings. You’d given up on trying to eat breakfast altogether; after spending a sleepless night plagued by nightmares, you couldn’t keep anything on your stomach.

It was only after the second week of you being there that your mom started to question you further – not about who had done this to you, but, rather, a much more disturbing topic.

You’d been hunched over the toilet bowl early in the morning, catching your breath after another round of nausea, when you felt her comforting hand on your shoulder.

“Sweetheart, I… I need to ask you a question,” she’d murmured. “It’s an uncomfortable question, but it needs to be addressed, alright? Did he… Did he ever use protection?”

Your eyes had flown open, and you knew. You didn’t need a test to confirm what you already could feel in your gut, but you took one anyway, and your greatest fears had been confirmed. The trauma, the terror, that you now lived with weren’t the only souvenirs that Steve had left you with.

You were pregnant.

You still hadn’t told your mom, even though it had been a week since you found out. You’d always found a way to dodge the question, thinking stupidly that, if you just ignored it, if you refused to acknowledge the life growing inside of you, then it would go away. It hadn’t, though, nor would it ever, and you were faced with a decision to make.

Were you going to keep it?

With a sigh, you got out of bed, taking the first shower you’d had in days. You tried to keep your mind off of everything, to banish all thought so you could have a few minutes of peace, but everything reminded you of him. It was his fingers washing your hair, his hand scrubbing your skin clean.

“See how much better it is when you just let me take care of you?”

You sobbed, sinking to your knees as his voice echoed in your ear. How long would it take for you to be free? To be truly free of him?

By the time you got out of the shower, it was almost noon. After pulling on some leggings, an oversized sweater, and some thick wool socks, you made your way into the kitchen, deciding that you would start off with some coffee and, if you could keep that down, some toast.

You froze where you stood, however, when you heard the bell ring.

Feeling your heartbeat quicken, you creeped to the door, trying to keep your footfalls silent. Ducking your head, you peaked out of the peephole.

A policeman was standing on your porch, his hands shoved into the pockets of a thick winter coat. You let out a sigh, feeling relieved but also confused at his presence. You opened the door just a crack, poking your head out from behind it and trying your best to smile at the man.

“Hello,” you greeted him timidly. “What can I do for you, officer?”

He looked up and gave you a warm, close-lipped smile, and you were both struck by how handsome he was and how familiar he looked. You couldn’t, for the life of you, place where you’d seen him, but you knew without a doubt that you’d met before.

“Good morning, ma’am,” he smiled. “Are you Miss (Y/N) (Y/L/N) by any chance?”

You narrowed your eyes, feeling a pang of uncertainty.

“Why do you ask?”

He chuckled, taking his hands out of his pockets to show you his badge. You noticed that he was wearing leather gloves as he showed you his identification.

“I’m Sergeant James, NYPD,” he said. You turned the badge over in your hands, looking for any sign that it could be false, but it looked authentic to you. “I’m here in regards to an anonymous tip we received regarding you and a Mr. Steven Rogers. You might also know him as Captain America?”

You gulped, squeezing your eyes shut as you envisioned his face again – smiling at you, scowling at you, cumming inside of you-

“Wh-what,” you asked, shaking your head, “What kind of anonymous tip?”

“…I think it would be best if I stepped inside for a few minutes,” he said, taking back his badge. “You don’t look so good; this might be a conversation best had sitting down.”

You nodded hesitantly, slowly opening the door wider for him. You closed and locked it behind you before leading him to the sofa, sitting as far away from him on the couch as possible. Once you were settled in, he took his hat off, revealing neatly cut brown hair – it was almost a militaristic hairstyle, you noticed, but his clear blue eyes softened the look, especially when he leaned towards you and gave you an honest smile.

“Listen, Miss (Y/L/N),” he began, “I know that, if any of the allegations our anonymous tip made are true, then you’ve been through quite the ordeal, alright? I’m not here to question or judge you; I just need to ask you a few things. And, if you’re comfortable with me after our little talk, I would like to bring you down to the station with me to talk to a few of my colleagues, ok?”

You gulped and nodded, bringing your knees up to your chin and hugging them tightly. After clearing his throat, Officer James leaned back against the sofa, his eyes never leaving yours.

“Is it true that Steve Rogers abducted you?” he began. You closed your eyes, nodding.

“Yes.”

“What did he do after he abducted you?”

You felt a tear slip past your eyelids, and you jolted when you felt the officer’s hand on your knee. You looked down and saw that he was just offering you a handkerchief, though, which you gladly took.

“Thank you, sir,” you murmured, dabbing at your eyes. His smile only grew, and he gave you an encouraging nod. “Um… After he kidnapped me, he, um…” You paused, trying to swallow back more tears, and Officer James waited patiently for you to regain your composure. “After he kidnapped me, he um… He raped me. He kept me for five days and…and…”

You paused, setting your forehead on your knees and trying to breathe.

“Hey, hon, it’s ok,” the officer tried to soothe, but you flinched at the nickname. “So you’re saying that you never consented to any kind of sexual interactions with him?”

Your breath caught in your throat, remembering that last night. You had been the one to suggest going back to bed; you’d wanted him to fuck you, even if it was just part of your escape attempt. But, surely, that didn’t count… Right?

“I… No,” you finally answered.

“Seems like you had to think about that for a second there,” Officer James noted. “Are you sure that you didn’t-“

“What would it matter if I had?” you snapped. “The first time I tried to fight back, he hit me again and again and again, and then he raped me. I just… I didn’t want him to keep hurting me.” Your voice cracked, and you could see the sympathetic look in the officer’s eyes.

“I understand,” he said, but you only rolled your eyes.

“You understand? Have you ever been kept somewhere against your will? Forced to do something that you hate, that will leave you scarred for the rest of your life inside and out?”

“Yes.” Your eyes widened at the officer’s abrupt answer. His eyes were hard and truthful when he’d said so, and you immediately shut your mouth against any further protests.

“Now,” he went on, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, “Do you have any proof that it was Steve Rogers who violated you?”

“I… I have scars on my, um… my wrists,” you stuttered, pushing up the sleeves of your sweater so he could see where Steve had tied you up with rope. “And I could show you where he was keeping me; there’s bound to be evidence there.”

“Well actually, the police have already studied his home, and we did find DNA from the both of you,” he assured you. “That was the first thing we did after we got the tip; that’s why I’m here. But any semen or similar fluids had either been on the sheets, which Mr. Rogers informed us he washed before we could get there, or they’d been on another surface that he’d similarly cleaned. So, while we do have proof that you were there, we cannot prove that the two of you were…intimate.”

You gulped, feeling your limbs go numb at the sound of Steve’s name; he had survived. And he’d escaped. If this police officer could find you, then what was stopping Steve from doing the same?

“Miss (Y/L/N),” he went on, oblivious to your rising panic, “Steve Rogers is a national icon. He will have the best lawyers, and he will have the public on his side going into any trial. Now, I want to help you. Right now, we can’t prove anything, but if you come with me to the station, we can-“

“I do have something,” you interrupted him. Slowly, your eyes raised up to meet his, and you let out a shuttering breath before speaking again.

“I’m pregnant.”

The officer blinked once, twice, before fully processing the statement. His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out as he stared at you. You looked away in shame, the world around you warped by the tears you were desperately trying to hold back.

“I found out a week ago,” you murmured, surprised he could hear you despite how quiet your voice was, “and I haven’t told anyone. Not even my mother. I… I wasn’t planning on keeping it, but if there has to be a trial, and if you need proof that he forced himself on me, then… I’m sure we could get a DNA test done to prove who its father is.”

“I… And you’re sure it’s Steve’s?”

You nodded. “He’s the only man I’ve ever been with.”

The officer was quiet for a long moment, clearly thinking hard about what you’d said, and once more you were struck with how familiar he looked; it was driving you crazy, not knowing where you’d seen him before.

“You must be feeling a lot of confusing…conflicting emotions right now,” he eventually spoke. “And I’m sorry you’re under such duress. But I promise that I want to help you.”

You gave him a small smile, sitting up a little straighter.

“That means a lot, sir,” you spoke. “I know a lot of people aren’t going to take my side over Captain America’s.”

The man smirked and shrugged, standing up once more.

“Well, to me he’ll always be a punk from Brooklyn,” he said. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, could you come with me?”

“With you? Where are we going?” you asked, standing beside him. Something about what he’d just said was rubbing you the wrong way; there was something…endearing in his tone of voice when he’d called Steve a punk.

“Down to the station, ma’am,” he answered. “We’ll need to take your statement and ask a few more questions.”

“Do we have to go now? My mom-“

“Ma’am, Steve seems very intent on finding you again. You would be safest going with me, rather than waiting here for him to find you.”

You nodded, although all of your instincts were screaming at you to run away from this man.

“A-alright,” you managed. “My boots are up in my room; is it ok if I go and grab them?”

“Of course. I’ll wait right here.”

You gave him a forced smile before walking over to the stairs, climbing them slowly so as not to alert him. When you got to your room, you locked the door behind you before grabbing the burner phone your mom had gotten you for emergencies. You dialed her number with shaky fingers, but, to your dismay, you only got her voicemail.

“Mom,” you whispered, “there’s a man who says he’s a cop here at the house. He started asking me… He asked me about him, Mom. And he wants me to go to the police station with him. I-“

“Ma’am?” You jolted when you heard a knock at your door, and you backed away from it even as the officer called out to you. “Are you ok in there?”

Your doorknob jiggled, and that’s when you knew – there was something off about this, about him.

“Mom, I never told you, but the man who kidnapped me was Steve Rog-“

You screamed when your door was suddenly kicked in, and before you could do anything, the man was upon you, ripping your phone out of your hand and crushing it – just like Steve had done to your old phone.

“I’d really hoped it wouldn’t come to this, sweetheart,” he sighed. “I really do feel for you; Steve shouldn’t have done what he did to you. It wasn’t right.”

“Who are you?” you whimpered, kicking your legs as he picked you up and held your body against his. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doll, I really wish I could say I had noble intentions,” he grunted, struggling to carry you down the stairs with you thrashing around in his arms. “Wish I could say I was doing this for my friend, or in the name of whatever love he thinks he has for you.”

He ripped your front door clean off its hinges and started trudging through the snow with you still captive in his hold, and you screamed, begging the neighbors to come help you. When you got to the police car, though, you looked around and saw no one coming to your aid. With a rough shove, the man had you sprawled out in the backseat, leaning down to give you a smirk.

“But the real reason why I’m doing this is because Steve made a deal with me that was too good to refuse.”

With that, he closed the door, not even seeming bothered when you struggled to open it from the inside. No matter how hard you tried, though, it wouldn’t open, and when the man was settling into the driver’s seat he looked back at you through the plexiglass partition separating you.

“This is a police car, doll. You’re not getting out of it any time soon.”

You pressed yourself against the door as he started driving away, trying to wave at anyone who might see you being abducted. Even after you left Buffalo behind, you still tried to wave at any and all pedestrians, vehicles, or street cameras you could see. But no one helped you.

After an hour, you slumped against the leather upholstery, your head pounding from all the screaming. Your eyes wondered to your driver, your mind teasing you once more with his familiarity. You’d seen his face somewhere before. But where…

It was when his eyes made contact with yours in the rearview mirror that you realized. Years ago, you’d seen news reports of the bombing at the UN the day the Avengers were supposed to sign the Sokovia Accords. And after that, pictures of the ‘Winter Soldier’ had been plastered all over the place. He’d even been one of the ones to fight against Thanos before and after the snap.

And he’d been the man in Steve’s sketchbook.

Bucky Barnes.

“Bucky?” you breathed, watching in the mirror as a grin split his lips.

“There ya go,” he chuckled. “Was wondering when you’d realize it.”

“You’re doing this for Steve,” you sighed, feeling your newly-found freedom slip right through your fingers.

“Mostly, yeah,” he confirmed. “I mean, you hurt him pretty bad, doll. And not just with your little Swiss army knife. You broke the guy’s heart.”

“He raped me! He tortured me-“

“I know, I know,” he interrupted. “I know. He’s not the same kid I grew up with. And back then, I would’ve been ashamed of him for what he’s done to you.

“But I can get it. Neither of us are the same people we were back then. We both got so much darker, doll. I’m not saying what he’s done to you is right. And I sure as shit ain’t saying what I’m gonna do to you is right. But it’s a small price to pay for the things we’ve had to see and do over the years.”

Your blood ran cold, and you once more pressed yourself against he door, putting as much distance as possible between the two of you.

“What… what you’re going to do to me?” you repeated.

Bucky nodded, tapping against the steering wheel absentmindedly. You could see that he’d taken his gloves off, and now he had both hands, one flesh and one metal, exposed as he drove.

“That’s part of the deal Steve made with me. See, we shared a lot of things when we were younger. Toys, clothes, that sorta thing. So…when Steve told me that, in return for me chasing you down and bringing you to him, he would share you with me, the idea really appealed to me. The three of us’ll live together, just like a little family. Especially now that you’ve got a little one on the way-“

“You’re fucking insane,” you spat, starting once more to pound at the window you’d been leaning against. “You’re both fucking crazy!”

All Bucky did was chuckle, nodding his head.

“Yeah, you’re probably right, sweetheart.”

_______

Eventually, you must’ve fallen asleep, because when you woke up, the car was stopped and Bucky was leaning over you in the backseat, trying to pick you up. You immediately were on high-alert, and you swiftly kicked him in the chin and crawled around him, throwing yourself out of the car.

You landed face-first in the snow, and your bare feet were already aching as you scrambled to stand up. Bucky huffed but made no move to put his hands on you again, and when you took a look around yourself, you soon realized why.

It was nighttime, but the thick snow gleamed in the moonlight, illuminating the thick forest all around you. You saw the tire tracks from Bucky’s stolen car wind down a long driveway, disappearing around a bend about a hundred yards away from you; you would never outrun him.

“Go ahead and start walking, dollface,” Bucky drawled, coming to stand beside you. “It’s about three miles from the first stop sign. Ten miles from any neighbors. Go ahead and see how far you’ll make it before your toes start freezing and breaking off.”

You whined, hugging yourself in the cold. Your tears left frozen tracks down your face, and when Bucky put his arm around you, you couldn’t even muster the strength to shake him off.

“Listen, hon,” he murmured. “Steve is gonna wanna punish you for running off on him. But if you get it over with and let him do what he wants to you, I promise I’ll be gentle. I’ll even be nice. But you’ll have to behave.”

You let out a sob, letting him pull you into his arms as you cried into his chest. He shushed you softly, his footsteps crunching in the snow as he carried you to a small cabin close by.

You were right back to where you’d started. The only difference was that, now, you had two super soldiers holding you in captivity.

You held your breath as Bucky walked into the cottage with you, and you flinched when you heard a record player – ‘It’s Been A Long, Long Time’. It was the same song you’d danced to with Steve a month ago, and tonight, it had an even more sinister feel to it.

No words were spoken as he set you down on a sofa, and you kept your eyes resolutely on the ground. It didn’t really matter, though; you could sense Steve nearby. You could feel his eyes on you. You tried to keep your crying quiet, a skill you’d gotten good at over the last month.

You could hear Bucky whisper something to Steve, and then two pairs of footsteps walked away into the other room. You strained your ears, trying to make out what was being said. You thought you heard Steve’s voice say something like, “Are you sure?”

Eventually, you gave up, staring into the warm fireplace just to the right of the couch. The glow and heat radiating from it should’ve been comforting, but nothing could soothe the ache, the emptiness in your chest. You’ll never be able to escape, you thought. You should’ve given in when you had the chance.

All too soon, you heard the footsteps approaching again, and soon you saw a pair of jean-clad legs come into view. A throat cleared above you, and reluctantly you looked upwards.

Steve was glaring back down at you, and you were surprised to see his face freshly-shaven. Somehow, it made him look colder; you were able to clearly see the way his jaw was clenched as he stared down at you. He knelt down in front of you, getting onto one knee while his eyes searched yours. He heaved a sigh, setting one of his hands on your thigh.

“Bucky tells me you’re pregnant,” he started, and you gulped when you finally heard the voice that had haunted your dreams addressing you directly.

You looked away, neither confirming nor denying his statement.

“I wouldn’t,” he growled, “do anything that could tempt me to do something rash right now, doll. I would love nothing more than to tear you apart for what you did to me, so I’d suggest answering my fucking question.”

With a trembling bottom lip, you nodded, making yourself meet his gaze again.

“Yes,” you whispered.

Steve took in a deep, shuttering breath, bowing his head for a minute while his hand squeezed your thigh so hard that it was almost painful. You were stiff as a board as you waited for him to say something more.

“Typically,” he started, “I would be overjoyed at hearing that, baby. But I think you have an idea of just how much trouble you’re in. I loved you, and you…”

He trailed off, looking back up at you with an almost pleading look.

“You almost killed me, doll,” he breathed. “But more than that, you broke my heart. You made me think you cared about me.”

Your teeth clenched together, and you leaned forward, your nose nearly touching his as you spoke.

“You,” you murmured, “raped me. You kidnapped me and beat me and broke my soul. The only regret that I have is not sticking around to stab you in the heart.”

Despite the fury you could see rising up within him, you felt almost lighter. A part of you was satisfied with the glimmer of hurt you saw flash across his face, and despite how scared you were of him, you knew that he hadn’t totally broken you – nor would he ever.

After heaving a sigh, Steve stood up and grabbed you, roughly pulling you into his arms as he marched into the nearby bedroom.

“Is that how it’s gonna be?” he grunted, throwing you onto the bed. “Fine. You want to make me your villain? You wanna paint yourself as a victim with me as your big, bad ‘rapist’? Fine. Then I’ll fucking act like it.” You felt tears running down your cheeks as you tried to crawl away, but his hand wrapped around your ankle and pulled you back to him harshly. His other hand slapped you across the face so hard that you saw stars for a second. You blinked, shaking your head as you felt a sudden wave of dizziness.

“Oh, don’t cry yet, babydoll,” he chuckled. “Oh, no. Not until I give you something to cry about.”

As you waited for your head to stop spinning, you were vaguely aware that Steve was taking his clothes off. You knew what was about to happen, but still you couldn’t summon the coordination to try and move away.

“I tried to be good to you, doll,” he was saying. “I was gonna treat you like a goddamn princess. You could’ve been spoiled rotten. But instead you decided to be an ungrateful little bitch.”

You whimpered when he dragged you over to the edge of the bed, and without any warning he plunged his cock into you. You screamed and clawed at the sheets beneath you; it was somehow even worse than the first time. Because it wasn’t just the pain, oh no. It was the knowledge that you were trapped again, and the chances of you pulling off another great escape were nonexistent.

Steve immediately started pounding into you, the bed squeaking and shaking in protest to his harsh movements. You felt like you couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. You were just along for the ride as he used your body.

You weren’t really even wet, but that didn’t stop him. No, he wasn’t fucking you for your pleasure. Hell, he probably wasn’t even fucking you for his. His teeth were gritting together and his muscles were as taught as a bowstring as he focused on your body beneath him.

“I’m gonna fuck you every single fucking day, doll,” he grunted. “Gonna watch you get all round and swollen with my baby. You’re never gonna forget who you belong to again, you hear me?”

You could only whine in response, looking away from him. And that was when your eyes focused on the man standing across the room.

Bucky was watching you two with an unreadable expression, his arms crossed over his chest. You stared at him pleadingly, begging him with your eyes to help you, to stop Steve. But you were met with cold steel in response, and after a few moments you had to look away.

Steve was getting close; you knew all of the signs by heart. The veins in his neck were becoming more prominent; his voice was getting rougher; his thrusts were becoming harder and more irregular. You couldn’t tell if it was disappointment or relief inside of you when you realized you were nowhere near close to cumming, but whatever the feeling was, you pushed it down and tried to focus on anything but the man on top of you.

“Shit-!” With one last thrust, you felt him cum, his hot seed filling you up. You let out a sigh of relief, wanting nothing more than for this to be over with, but your hope were completely dashed when, after catching his breath for a few seconds, his hips bucked against yours once again.

“What?” Steve laughed after seeing the look on your face. “You didn’t think it was over, did you? Oh, no, baby girl. We’re nowhere near finished.”

You yelped when he flipped you over onto the belly, shoving your face down into the mattress so hard that you could barely breathe. His hand came down on your ass hard, and you tried your best to crawl away from him.

“Fucking lay still and take your goddamn punishment,” he growled, pinning you down with a hand between your shoulder blades as he spanked you once again.

He stopped after three more, though, and when you felt him pull away you knew better than to hope it was over. You weren’t surprised when you felt him kick your legs apart again, nor were you surprised when he crawled up onto his knees between them.

But when you felt your cheeks being spread apart, you realized with a cold dread what exactly he was about to do.

“N-no, please no,” you shrieked. “Steve, I’m sorry, I’ll be good, I’ll never do anything bad again, I swear-“

“God, I missed hearing you beg,” was all he said before thrusting into your ass.

If it weren’t for his hand pushing your face into the mattress again, you were sure you would have made your own ears bleed with how loud your scream was. The sting was unbearable; every thrust felt like he was splitting you in half. You could feel the movements of his hips in your goddamn teeth, and it took all of your focus just to breathe in and out.

“Jesus Christ, baby,” he panted. “You’re so fucking tight, so- fuck, so warm-“

You clung to the sheets as he started thrusting in earnest, struggling to lift your head up with the grip he had on your hair. You gasped for breath, vaguely aware that you were babbling, stuttering half-formed words that all amounted to please, stop.

“I wouldn’t have to do this if you’d just been a good girl for me,” he growled, bending over to press his lips against your ear. “You think I like punishing you? You think I like hearing you beg me to stop instead of begging me to make you cum? Because I don’t. But I have to be sure you’re sorry.”

“I-I am sorry,” you cried, trying to turn your head to look at him. “I’m sorry, I swear, I swear I’m so so sorry, Steve-“

“Yeah?” he asked, hips still moving at a brutal pace. “You’re sorry, huh?”

“Yes!” you shrieked. You managed to turn and look over your shoulder at him for a second before he pushed your face back into the bed.

“Prove it, then. Beg me to cum. Tell me you want me. And you better make me believe it, slut. Because if I have any doubt whatsoever, I’m gonna keep fucking your ass until you pass out.”

You felt his hand let go of your hair, and you shakily leaned up on your elbows, forcing your hips to move with his despite the pain. You arched your back, looking over your shoulder again at Steve, gulping when he met your eyes.

“Please cum for me, Steve,” you begged. “Please, I’ve been so alone since I left. I’ve been so bad, I… I deserve to be punished and you deserve to use me.”

The words tasted like poison on your tongue, but they were working. Steve’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he kept slamming into you.

“Don’t stop, baby,” he growled, letting his head hang back.

“Please, baby, I want you to cum in my ass. I want to be good for you, now; I’m ready to be good for you, Steve.

“I… I love you.”

His eyes flew open at that, and you suddenly felt his hips give one last twitch before he came again. He let out a long, drawn-out moan, rocking into you slowly as he rode it out. You bit your lip and tried to lean away from him, desperate for him to pull out, but he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you up onto your knees, your back against his chest.

“Fuck, baby,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to your cheek. Slowly, inch by inch, he pulled out of you, and you gave a relieved little whine.

When he let you go, you flopped onto your side; your legs felt numb, and you looked down to see blood smeared over your inner thighs. Steve gently rolled you onto your back, cupping your cheek and making you look at him.

“I’m not stupid enough to believe you meant that last bit,” he sighed, stroking your cheek with his thumb. “But I know that one day it’ll be true. You’ll see. I’m willing to give you a second chance, doll. You know why?”

He waited expectantly for an answer, and you stamped down that last spark of pride inside of you as you opened your mouth to speak.

“Because you love me?”

A smile stretched his lips, and the hand stroking your cheek turned rough, gripping your chin and pulling you into a searing kiss.

“Yes, doll baby,” he growled. “I love you so much. But it’s also because you’re mine. I own you, and if you ever try to leave me again, I’ll lock you up in the basement and leave you there to starve.”

He let go of your cheek and pulled away, and you heard him pick up his jeans behind you.

“She’s all yours, now, Buck,” he said. “I’m gonna go make some dinner; your plate will be in the microwave when you’re done.”

With that, he walked out, closing the door behind him.

Up until then, you’d been laying there limply, but upon being left in the room with someone you didn’t even know, you forced yourself to sit up despite the pain in your ass the movement brought.

“Well,” Bucky sighed, sauntering over to the bed. “I’m surprised you’re still coherent after that. I didn’t know Steve had it in him.”

You were tense while he walked over to the bed, but you slowly started to relax when you saw him sit on its edge.

“C’mere,” he said, patting the space next to him. “I’m not gonna fuck you tonight.”

Your eyebrows furrowed, but you eventually crawled over and sat next to him, leaving a safe amount of distance between the two of you.

“But… I thought that I was part of your deal with him,” you said.

“Oh, it is,” he nodded. “And I plan on fucking you tomorrow. But, uh… Well, no offense, doll, but your pussy isn’t all that appealing with blood and another man’s cum dripping out of it. Not to me, at least.”

Your cheeks burned with shame and you turned away. Bucky sighed and set his hand on your thigh, and when you scooted away from him, he made no move to pull you back.

“Listen, hon. I meant it when I said that I realize this is a fucked up situation. And I also meant it when I said that I wanted a family with you, Steve, and your bun in the oven. I think both of us know that you’re not getting out of this, right?

“I mean, you could run away. I’m not saying it’s impossible for you to escape from us, but what’ll you do after you get out? He’ll be able to find you wherever you go on this planet. And most people out there wouldn’t believe your story if you told them. And even if they did, this is Steve we’re talking about. No prison can hold him, and Stark will get him the best lawyers in the country. You’re not gonna win this fight.”

You whimpered, knuckles white as you gripped the edge of the bed. Deep down, you knew he was right. You knew that you were trapped. But he didn’t deserve your resignation. He didn’t deserve to break you. You didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

“I know it’s still hard,” Bucky sighed. “But if you’d let me, I would like to be able to at least be your friend. You don’t have to like me; you don’t have to trust me. But I’d like to at least be civil with one another. Ok?”

You made no reaction, and you heard the gears in his metal arm whir as his hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Fuck, I’m crazy,” he muttered.

“You’re telling me,” you sighed. A laugh spilled from his lips and you saw him smile over at you from the corner of your vision.

“Listen, doll,” he started. “I’m gonna go eat. In the meantime, I want you to take a bath, ok? When you’re done, come in here and lay down. I’ll be here waiting.”

With that, he got up and left you, and you waited until the door clicked shut behind him before hobbling to your feet and waddling into the en suite bathroom. The bath you ran for yourself was lukewarm, and there wasn’t enough water in the tub to properly cover your body when you sat down in it, but you didn’t care. With the first rag you’d found in the linen closet, you scrubbed at your body, watching the white cloth turn red after cleaning the cum from your used holes.

You didn’t linger once you were done. Standing up from the now-pink bathwater, you dried off with a towel and drained the bath. You didn’t glance in the mirror, and you didn’t pause to take a breath. With your head bowed, you walked into the bedroom to find Bucky sitting on the bed wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to fuck me,” you stated, startled to hear how lifeless your voice was.

“And I’m not,” he answered. “But…I’m not going to pretend that watching the two of you earlier didn’t make me horny. If you do as I say, I’ll make it worth your while.”

You felt no fear, no stirring in your chest as you made your way over to him, standing next to the bed. Bucky sat up as you approached, swinging his legs over the bed and spreading them wide. Your eyes darted down, seeing that he was already half-hard.

“Go ahead and get on your knees for me, sweetheart,” he commanded. You did as he said without having to be told twice. “Now take off my underwear.”

You stared ahead as his stomach as you complied, rolling his boxers down his legs and tossing them to the side.

“Have you ever done this before?” he asked, tilting your chin up. Your eyes were still looking forward, unseeing.

“No.”

Bucky hummed and dropped your chin, reaching down to hold the base of his cock.

“Well, ya gotta start somewhere, I suppose. Start off by-“

You batted his hand away, replacing it with your own and squeezing his shaft. You hardly even registered the stilted gasp he made when you started to stroke it, pausing only to lick your palm.

“Jesus, hon, you’re-“

He was cut off when you leaned forward, licking a stripe up the slit on his head, ever looking forward, the numbness in your legs seeming to spread into your chest. You felt…empty, totally empty, as you wrapped your lips around the head of his cock, going off of instinct to get the deed over and done with.

“Sh-shit, ok,” the man above you groaned. He was now fully hard, and his hands moved into your hair as you started bobbing up and down, taking more and more of his cock with each downward stroke. “Fuck, doll, I wasn’t exactly expecting this.”

You didn’t make a sound as you struggled to swallow around his cock; he wasn’t quite as long as Steve, only shorter by maybe an inch or two, but he was just as thick. Your jaw was already sore, but you pressed on, thinking back to all of the smutty romance novels you’d secretly indulged in and trying to copy what you’d read about the characters in them doing.

You breathed through your nose and bobbed up and down, gripping his shaft and stroking whatever you couldn’t fit. When Bucky’s hips stuttered upwards you gagged a bit, pulling back to take a calming breath before getting right back to it.

“Ohhhh, fuck,” he breathed, letting himself fall back onto the bed as he guided you to move faster. “That’s so good; fuck, how are you so good-“

You didn’t let up, letting him guide your pace until, with a groan so deep that you swore you could feel it in your chest, he was cumming down your throat. You gasped in surprise, gagging at the sudden intrusion, but only a little bit dribbled down your chin before you reflexively swallowed.

“God, baby…” Buck sat up on his elbows, watching as you sat back on your heels and wiped your chin. “What the fuck came over you?”

You only glared at him, getting up onto your feet on wobbly knees. His smirk only grew, though.

“There it is,” he grinned. “The anger. I knew it was coming at some point. For what it’s worth, I’d be angry too. But I think I know what’ll help. Come over here.”

He patted his stomach, and you hesitantly walked over, climbing up onto the mattress beside him. You let out an undignified squeak, though, when his hands pressed against the back of your thighs, manhandling you until you were straddling his neck.

“What are you doing?” you asked, fighting to keep your balance.

“I know that you must be tired of being used tonight, doll,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to your inner thigh. “So why don’t you use me for a change, huh?”

He grinned and licked his lips, and you froze when you realized what he wanted you to do. The real surprise came, though, when your pussy clenched at his words.

“I… I don’t-“ you tried to say, but he leaned up, swiping his tongue against your slit before letting it fall back again.

“C’mon, it’ll feel good,” he cajoled. “I learned this in Paris from a lady who had no doubts about what she wanted in life. And she sure seemed to like it when we did this.”

You bit your lip and looked away from him, fighting back the shame blooming in your chest as you hesitantly lowered yourself closer to his face.

As soon as you were close enough, Bucky wasted no time in delving in, pushing his tongue past your folds and lapping softly at your clit, running the flat part of his tongue up and down slowly. You gasped, closing your eyes as you felt your body responding despite its soreness; you could already tell how good he was at this.

He let out an obscene moan as he trailed further down, sliding his tongue past your entrance and running it along your walls. You hated to admit it, but its cool wetness soothed the ache left behind by Steve, and a moan worked its way out of your mouth before you could bite it down.

“C’mon, baby,” he encouraged you. “I wanna hear how I’m doing; let me know what feels good.”

Your hands sought out his hair of their own accord as he started tongue fucking you, your hips rocking in time with him. Every now and then, he would pull back to lap at your clit, spreading your wetness over the tight little bud until you felt your legs trembling.

“Bucky-!” you gasped, falling forward to support yourself with your hands. You’d never felt like this before; a part of you was extremely satisfied that he was better at this than Steve. That part of you wanted to moan and scream and gloat in Steve’s face that Bucky was bringing you more pleasure with his tongue than Steve ever had.

You felt your orgasm coming over you fast, and all you could do was buck your hips and grip Bucky’s hair. Somewhere close, though, you registered the sound of a door opening, and you turned your head to see Steve leaning in the doorway, watching you with narrowed eyes as you rode Bucky’s face.

You gasped, trying to pull away, but Bucky’s hands gripped your hips hard, pulling you back down and shoving his tongue inside you. The moan you let out was borderline pornographic as you felt your pleasure build up inside you, pushing you through your climax so hard that your ears started ringing. Your hips spasmed, but Bucky held them steady, slowly lapping at your pussy while letting out a content hum.

Once your body stilled, you rolled over onto your back, trying to slow your breathing as you watched Steve turn away from you and look at Bucky.

“You learn that in Paris?” he asked.

“Yep.” Bucky smirked and licked his lips, his stubble glistening with your juices. “I’ll coach you sometime, Stevie. She sure seemed to like it.”

For the first time that evening, Steve’s smile didn’t hold any malicious intent, and he looked up at you before turning back to his friend.

“I don’t need you to teach me how to please my girl, Buck.”

Bucky rolled his eyes and pulled himself to his feet, bending over to grab his boxers.

“I think she’s our girl now.”

You closed your eyes, exhaustion starting to take you over. When a hand came to rest on your cheek, you knew it was Steve, but you were too tired to pull away when he pressed his lips against your forehead.

“You hear that, doll? You’re our girl now. We’re gonna make such a beautiful family.”

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #stucky #stucky x reader #dark!steve rogers #dark!steve x reader #professor!steve #professor!steve rogers #dark!bucky barnes #dark!bucky x reader #non con #kidnapping #smut #steve rogers x reader #bucky barnes x reader

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adikospodcast · 3 years ago

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EP. 2: THE ABDUCTION OF EUROPA [TRANSCRIPT]

hello everyone and welcome back to adikos, a true crime podcast, or welcome in case you're new! my name is arete, i'm your host, and first of all i'd like to thank you all so much for all the support you've been giving me on my first episode: i'm obviously still really new to podcasting, it's something i only do in my spare time, but i'm really, really glad you guys enjoyed it, and i'm definitely gonna keep going with your support!

so, today i wanted to talk to you about a case that is really old and really well known, but that surprisingly few people actually know the ending to: i'm talking about the story of the abduction of europa here, and i feel like most people are tangentially aware of that, since she is the woman who gave the name to europe, but not many people actually know the full story beyond like, the moment she got kidnapped, and they don't know that this case actually has a happy ending, which is lovely to hear about for a change, with all the terrible and grim stories that are so common in true crime!

now, before we go on talking about this case, i wanted to give you a bit of background on europa's actual family history, because there are a lot of players at hand here, and i just wanted to make sure that basically you know who they are, even though i'm going to keep reminding you just in case throughout the video. so we have her father, agenor, who was born in memphis, in egypt, to poseidon, the god obviously, and to libya, but he left egypt to be ruled by his brother and he settled down in what would become phoenicia, and he founded the city of tyre. in tyre he met a naiad whose name is telephassa, though some people report it as argiope, but i'm gonna refer to her as telephassa since it's the most commonly used name, and the two married and together they had four children, who were: phoenix, who would become the heir to the throne, cadmus, cilix, and europa, who was the only girl in the family, basically. now, in this case we have another element, another participant, whose relation to the family is really unclear, and i wanted to try and clear up, basically, his presence in the whole story: he is thasus, and he's said to have basically a different connection to the family in pretty much every source i looked at; he has been said to be the son of agenor, the son of cilix, or even the uncle of europa and her brothers! so the one thing that we actually know about him for sure is that he is somehow, someway related to europa, which will be relevant later on when we get into the actual events of this case, but i just wanted to give you this basic, real brief overview of the family tree, so you can have that in mind basically throughout this story.

so, europa grew up in tyre, surrounded by her family and by plenty of friends: by all accounts, she was an extremely beautiful young woman, and she was really kind and sweet, she really got along with everyone she met. she and her brothers were really close growing up, and all three of them were really protective of their little sister, but she also had lots of female friends, aside, of course, from her handmaidens. so, according to one source i read, the night before everything went down, europa had a dream that really deeply shook her to her bones: she dreamt that she was being contented between two lands, which were personified as women, and one was dressed as basically was the custom in europa's culture, she was clinging to her, saying she belonged to her, but the other woman was dressed in foreign clothes that europa had never seen before, and she was violently tugging on her, and she ripped her away from the other woman, saying it was the will of the "bearer of the aegis" for europa to belong to her. the aegis is, as you may know, the legendary shield of zeus, it's basically his symbol, and in my opinion this may have been a prophetic dream of sorts that the fates may have sent to her, seeing what was going to come in her future.

europa woke up terrified and shaking, she was understandably really afraid of this dream; she called for handmaidens and told them everything about the dream she'd had, and they suggested going down to the beach together, to* help her clear her mind out, basically. now at this time it was nearly dawn, the palace was still asleep, besides the girls, and europa and her handmaidens just snuck out in silence, headed down to the beach without being escorted by anyone, but without even telling anyone, which is obviously a really unsafe thing to do – please always tell someone where you're going, in case something happens – but europa didn't want to have to wake anyone up, understandably, and besides, they thought, they were not completely alone: they were quite a large group of girls, so in their minds it would be a bit hard for anyone who wanted to harm them or sneak up on them to actually do something, because they were so many.

now, basically, the beach that the girls had gone down to was somewhat close to the palace, and it was at the base of a hill; and at the top of the hill was the enclosure of agenor's cow herd, which really just gives you an idea of just how old this case really is, this was still a time where having a big herd of animals was what made your wealth, what made your affluence. so, because this was right at sunrise, the cows were beginning to stir, obviously the herd was beginning to wake up, and suddenly they started acting up, for no apparent reason: they began pushing against the enclosure they were in, they even broke down the fence that was holding them in, and they set themselves free basically, and then the entire herd began running down the hill and running towards the beach that the girls were on, which is obviously really frightening, i don't know what i would have done if i was one of those girls.

now, at this point the girls were just lying in the sand, playing on the seashore, enjoying themselves, looking at the sunrise in peace, but when they noticed the herd of cows that was barreling towards them, obviously they got really scared, and they tried to move out the way so they wouldn't be trampled; however, once the herd actually got to the shore, it began to calm down, and the girls were able to get close again, and some of them even began to play with the cows, petting them. and when they were interviewed, europa's handmaidens reported that europa herself got really close to this one specific big white bull she said she'd never seen before among her father's animals, and she began petting him, and weaving him a flower crown, and the bull just sat there patiently and tolerated all that she did to him, just everything that she could do, he just to let her do whatever she wanted with him. now, the situation that the girls were in was obviously a bit unusual: obviously it's not every day, and it was not every day at the time, that you would go to the beach and be surrounded by cows, but they weren't really worried, you know, they had no reason to be; as long as they didn't anger any of the cows, any of the bulls, they thought they could enjoy themselves for a bit, then head back to the palace and tell agenor that the herd had escaped; however, they could never have imagined what was about to happen, obviously.

once europa was done leaving her little flower crown for her bull, she showed it proudly to all her handmaidens, she was really happy about it, and she climbed on the bull so she could reach him better and put it on his head. now, according to what the girls said when they were interrogated, in that moment, when europa climbed on him, the bull got on his legs, with no sort of warning whatsoever, he took off running straight into the sea as if he was taken by madness, and europa was obviously powerless to do anything but try to hold on and not fall off into the sea. she called for help, she screamed as if she was being murdered, but obviously the other girls couldn't do anything: they risked getting seriously injured if they got too close to the animal, and they thought they were too far away from the palace to get help there and come back in time before anything had happened.

now, what happened next was even crazier than that, and that is that once the bull actually hit the sea in his run, he wasn't stopped by the water, he kept galloping straight ahead as if he could just easily travel across the water, and europa obviously held on even tighter, she was terrified that she might fall into the open sea, she didn't know how to swim all the way back to the coast! and at that point, the handmaidens lost all sight of both her and the bull, and they realized that something supernatural or divine was probably afoot, so they rushed back to the palace, they called on to agenor, told him what had happened; now, many of the people who originally were reporting on the investigation when it was still ongoing were quite suspicious of the fact that the girls hadn't gone to call for help while europa was being taken away, but only after she had been lost, only after her traces had been lost, and some even insinuated that they may have had something to do with the disappearance!

now, obviously i can understand that you want to follow every possible trail you have and consider every single suspect during the search and the investigation for a missing person, especially when it comes to the last people that saw her, but i don't think that this suspicion really holds, or even held at the time, any water whatsoever: the girls, the handmaidens, were europa's closest friends, and there was no enmity between them that could motivate them to do something terrible to her and invent a lie to cover their tracks, and this is not even to mention the fact that they were a bunch of young girls on a beach, they had no tools or anything to even harm her or hide her body, even if they had wanted to hurt her. and to me this is, at least, the case of someone witnessing something terrible and being traumatized, shell shocked, and unable to do anything until it's over, and if i try to put myself in their shoes, though hopefully i'm never going to be in the same situation, i can completely sympathize with their behavior.

thankfully for the girls, agenor and his family had always known them and their families, and they were ready to believe their terrified account of what had happened, especially when they saw that the herd had been let loose and the fence was torn down in a way that couldn't have been done by them, even if they had tried. everyone in the palace was extremely scared and really upset at europa's disappearance, she was a lovely girl and all those who knew her really could never have hoped for something like that to happen, and everybody both in and outside the royal family offered to help look for her.

agenor, since he was the king of tyre, he was aging, he was getting really old, he made the incredibly hard decision to not go search himself for his daughter, but remain alone to rule the city on his own, as he was afraid he would be more of a hassle than a benefit to the search efforts; but he sent his sons, who were europa's older brothers, to lead the search parties that would look for her, and he made them swear on the gods and on their life that they would never come back home unless they had found her. telephassa, europa's mother. was absolutely distraught at the loss of her daughter, of course, but she vowed that she would find her no matter what, and she left tyre to look after her herself, alongside thasus and a small search party of their own.

all the brothers said their goodbyes to their native land and vowed to find their sister no matter what, and they left with all the volunteers who wanted to help look for the princess; they took different ships and sailed in various directions, so they could try and cover as much ground as possible, and whenever they encountered land, whether it be an island or a coast, they would explore it and usually interrogate the locals, if it was an inhabited place, on whether or not they had seen any girl in the likeness of europa, wearing the usual tyrian attire, possibly with a bull or with another animal, or even with a god; but no matter who they asked, all they received was no after no, and europa just seemed to have completely vanished into non-existence. now, these search efforts went on for years, and they explored practically every island and every coast in the eastern mediterranean, which is obviously a massive area to cover. i cannot begin to imagine what europa's relatives were going through, knowing their sister, their daughter was gone, and desperately looking for any sort of closure about what had happened to her. and the brothers were obviously interviewed many times on this case, later in their lives, and cadmus said that they knew their sister was still there, just barely out of their reach, as if the gods were taunting them or something, and that their failure to find her had deeply traumatized them for the rest of their lives, which to me is terrible to even think about.

eventually, even though they were being eaten up by guilt, by sorrow, the brothers had to settle down somewhere, after years and years of fruitless searching. cadmus ended up settling in boeotia, he founded the city of thebes and married the goddess armonia; cilix found himself in the south of anatolia and he conquered the area, the area we know as cilicia, and he gave origin to the population of the region, which we know as cilician because of him; thasus and telephassa had taken to exploring the northernmost parts of the coast, and they ended up in thracia, which is really far away, and they settled down in the very small island of thasus and they founded a colony there, and this was the farthest away from their homeland of tyre of any of them; as for phoenix, what ended up happening to him is one of the saddest parts of this whole case, in my opinion.

so, you remember how i said that agenor had forbidden his sons from ever coming back to tyre unless they had found their sister? well, the brothers took that really seriously, and for good reason: agenor was one to stick to his promises, no matter how outlandish they were, and none of them wanted to risk what may have happened if they had dared to come back. only phoenix, who was the heir to the throne, dared to come back years after the events, to reclaim his rightful place in the city; and as soon as he and his ships even set foot on the land of tyre, agenor spared his son no mercy whatsoever. at first, he thought that maybe he had actually found europa and brought her back, but once he saw that his sister was not with him he threatened to kill him, kill his own son, if he did not leave immediately, and that he would not be so kind the next time he saw him. and obviously phoenix ran away with his ships, with his people, but he didn't go really that far from home: he settled down in the northern part of the coast, and when his father died and the throne became empty he wasted no time going to tyre, snatching it up and conquering it, and basically conquering all the neighboring territories, and creating the area which we now call phoenicia in his honour.

now, you might be thinking that this story is sad enough on its own, it's one of the sadly many cases of a girl getting kidnapped, disappearing, and her family never knowing what happened to her despite their best efforts, and even falling apart because of her disappearance; but in this case, we actually do know what happened with europa after she was kidnapped away by the divine bull, and i think that once you hear what happened you'll find it a bit ironic, to say the least. so, once the bull took off into the sea with europa on his back, he actually landed in crete, and he brought the girl to the highest point in the island, in the middle of the woods on top of a mountain, so that nobody would notice what was happening and where, which actually means that she was probably not so far away from her brothers when they were first looking for her, since crete must have been one of their first stops, i assume, being so close to the coast.

obviously europa was really terrified, and she had no idea where she was, what was going on, but she had also caught on to the fact that this bull was probably a god, or at least some sort of supernatural creature, and she just froze and let him take her where he wanted, obviously she didn't want to anger him. when they reached the mountaintop, the bull tossed europa to the ground and he revealed himself in his human form; he introduced himself as zeus, the king of the gods, and told her that he had been beguiled by her virginal beauty as soon as he had set his godly eyes on her, and that he had brought her to crete to seduce her and then give her a husband which was fit to marry zeus's lover.

europa was understandably quite shocked: it's one thing to joke around with her friends about seducing zeus, and it was definitely another thing to be actually abducted by him, with the very real possibility of being violated by him. she balked at first, refused to do anything with him, and when zeus saw that forcing himself on her would be of no avail, he went for a different route to get to her heart instead: he gifted her a lavish golden necklace, sculpted by hephaestus himself, and promised her more gifts to come if she were to accept him. and seeing how far he was willing to go to seduce her, to have sex with her, europa thought she had no choice but to accept his advances; she gave up, she let him take her, do whatever he wanted with her, and when she was, later in her life, interviewed about her relationship with zeus and the children she bore by him, she stated that when he would come to seduce her she would just lay down, dissociate herself from what was going on, think of anything else that could get her through the encounters.

every time that zeus came down from the skies to visit her, he would bring a new present, and each one was more miraculous, more enchanted than the last: the first was talos, an animated bronze giant which moved of its own will, and whose entire original purpose was to actually protect europa from being kidnapped or harmed, which i think is quite funny; the second gift was laelaps, a hunting dog which always managed to catch its prey, and the third was a magic golden javelin which never failed to miss its target. and all of those objects have actually gone down in history, and you may have heard of them before, because europa actually kept them, even after the end of her relationship with zeus, as she passed them down to her sons, after all they were still magic items gifted to her by a god and they may turn out to be useful one day.

speaking of europa's sons, her relationship with zeus actually gave her three children, minos, rhadamantos and sarpedon. obviously she couldn't be left to raise them all alone in the woods, but she also couldn't publicly reveal that she had slept with zeus and had his children, which would risk unleashing the wrath of hera on herself, and also the judgment and disbelief of everyone around her; and of course zeus himself knew this, he had done this countless times before, and even to europa's own ancestor io, who you may know as the woman who was turned into a cow to protect her from hera. so, zeus introduced europa to asterion, the king of crete, and through his intermediation the two of them got married, and asterion even adopted arapa's three sons, since he had no male heirs of his own. and all of them, minos, rhadamantos and sarpedon, would go on to become really important figures, especially minos, who would actually ascend to the throne of crete, and europa was able to live a long, happy marriage with asterion and with zeus's blessing, though she never was able to see her brothers, or parents, or friends, or even just her country again, and they in turn never really know what came of her.

so, this was the case of the abduction of europa! i think this is a really peculiar story, like you don't hear many of them nowadays, and this is for a few reasons. obviously this case is extremely wrapped up in its supernatural element, of course, it centers the abduction of a girl by a literal god, and i feel like it just goes to show how far back this case dates to, to the point that the gods were still mingling with humans on a daily basis and engaging with them, both in the positive and, obviously, in the negative ways. and i think that cases which directly center the gods are far more tricky to handle than the ones where everybody is human: like, with the case of procne and philomela, which i talked about in the last episode, all the people involved were humans, they all had the same standard of morality, more or less, so we can more easily empathize with them, say what they did was right or wrong; but the morality of the gods is so deeply different from ours that we can think something is wrong by our standards, but we will never know the actual reasoning behind a god's actual action, we will never know what their morality is, what the moral value judgment of that action is for a god, and i think that's what makes cases like this really tricky to handle, and why i think i'm going to focus more on human-dominated cases in the future, if that makes sense.

another reason why this case really fascinates me is how bittersweet it is: obviously we know, from the reporters who tracked europa down years and even decades after the event, that she ended up being fine, living a long, happy life, but her brothers, her father, her mother never got to know that, and it's not like europa could exactly reach out to them or vice versa, and that is what really makes this whole story stand out to me: it's not every day that you get a case where everybody's fine in the end but they don't know that, and they are still haunted by that uncertainty; it's the way we, as bystanders from centuries and millennia later, are able to get a closure that the family involved was unfortunately never able to get.

i hope you guys enjoyed today's episode, leave a like if you did! let me know what you thought of this case in the comments down below, and if you have any suggestions or any cases you'd like to hear me talk about, and subscribe if you'd like to never miss out on another true crime episode of this podcast. always remember that every tragedy is born of man's hubris, and i will see you guys next time!

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