#implied/referenced rape/non-con tw

[artfulacrostic]

whumptober begins!!

flying headfirst into fate

Dick let go. He'd fallen farther before, he was sure, but in the moment, as his grapple gun snagged on one of his gloves and sent him tipping sideways, he couldn't remember when.

OR: Five times in Dick Grayson's life that there was no safety net, and one time that there was.

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Whumptober 2023 Day No. 1: “But now this room is spinning while I’m trying just to fill in all the gaps.” Safety Net

[angellesword]

BAGGAGE | JJK (14)

Summary: Drowning in debt and blood, Jeon Jungkook knows he's better off alone, lest he brings people down with him.

But one drunken night changes everything.

In a blink of an eye, Jungkook found himself drowning not only in debt and blood, but also in dirty diapers and judgmental stares from you, a.k.a his long-lost love and the guardian of the son he didn't even know existed.

Genre and warnings: best friends to lovers, co-parenting, idiots in love, slow burn—really slow burn, mutual pining, angst, fluff, implied smut, kissing, minor character death, slight getting back together, cursing, blood, stabbing, loan sharks, OC cusses excessively so watch out, hurt/comfort, implied/referenced gang rape/non-con, non-graphic rape/non-con, non-consensual drug use, sexual violence, physical violence, vomiting, food poisoning.

Pairing: dad! Jungkook x adoptive mom!Reader

Word Count: 8k

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⚠️‼️WARNING!!! TRIGGERING SCENES AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. PLEASE MIND THE WARNINGS ABOVE!!! ⚠️‼️

*****

Jungkook woke up feeling wet kisses splaying on his face. He begrudgingly opened his eyes, neck stiff because of his unforgivable sleeping position across your bedroom door.

"Mornin' Kookie~," 

"Hmm?" Jungkook blinked. His brain had yet to catch up on what was happening, but his blurry eyes could already make out the tiny figure of his son.

He saw Soobin waving his little hand and smiling down at him.

"Soobin?" Jungkook blinked. Soobin beamed at him in response, prompting Jungkook's sleepiness to be washed away. He unconsciously wrapped his arms around Soobin's body to pull him closer.

"Kookie, hello!" 

Jungkook winced when his son embraced his neck and tried to climb over his shoulders. It's true that children had the energy of Olympians. Jungkook wasn't able to protest when Soobin decisively climbed his shoulder, using it as a foundation to reach for the doorknob.

Soobin didn't hesitate. With a twist, the door flew open.

Shit.

Jungkook was caught off guard. He was leaning on the closed door, so he and Soobin fell sideways when it opened. Thankfully, he immediately caught his son and protected his head from colliding on the tiled floor.

Jungkook breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. Hell would break loose if you saw even a small bruise on Soobin's skin.

"What's wrong with you two?" Your voice sent shivers down Jungkook's spine.��Speak of the person, and they shall appear. His decelerating heartbeat spiked up again at the sound of your pissed-off voice.

Jungkook was forced to flick his gaze on you. He was surprised to see you on the ground. 

You appeared to just have been woken up, too. You scratched the back of your head and yawned.

"Did you sleep on the floor near the door?" Jungkook couldn't help but ask. He sat up and helped Soobin get on his feet, wanting to check if his son got injured. But before Jungkook could do so, Soobin was already jumping into your arms.

"Ma!" Soobin pulled at your neck, visibly making you cringe. It solidified Jungkook's conjecture that you also dozed off on the floor.

However, you vehemently denied it.

"Soobin, no hugging for now. Your Mama got a stiff neck from sleeping against the door."

"I did not sleep here!" You growled at Jungkook as you fought a yawn. This was in contrast to how softly you whispered to Soobin to lay low with the hugs.

Jungkook dramatically gasped, acting all scandalized. "It's not good to lie in front of your kid, you know~."

For some reason, Jungkook was in a good mood. You, sleeping on the floor and against the door, hinted that you weren’t as unaffected by what had happened a few hours before. You probably listened to Jungkook's speech with your ears against the door.

Perhaps you went as far as almost opening the door for Jungkook—this was dangerous wishful thinking, though. Jungkook had to force himself to shake the thought away. There was another way to see if you intended to allow him to stay.

Call him selfish, but Jungkook wanted to test that theory. He licked his lower lips, eyes ogling at you, who was unconsciously mumbling that your neck only hurt because you cracked it the wrong way.

"I know how to relieve stiffed necks." Jungkook started before trailing off. He couldn't stop himself from staring at your neck.

Jungkook forced himself to clear his throat.

"Do you want me to massage your neck?"

The thought of physical contact would make you recoil if you were disgusted by an ex-convict. Jungkook's hands were clammy. It was his idea to test the waters with you, but it didn't mean he wasn't nervous. He had only developed the habit of smiling, joking, and thinking about sexual stuff when things were making him anxious. It was his coping mechanism.

A few seconds had passed now. Jungkook was half expecting you to reject him, already content with the thought of feeling your neck pulse.

At least you were alive, Jungkook thought. You were alive and near him. This should beenough. You also hadn't explicitly told him to go, so he could—

"Alright."

Jungkook's train of thought paused at that. He didn't know if he ever whipped his head so fast it felt like it almost snapped.

He didn't care. Jungkook had to look at you and confirm if he heard you right:

He did.

"You can massage my neck later." You carried your son and stood up. You unconsciously purred when Soobin kissed your cheeks and requested omurice for breakfast.

You looked pointedly at Jungkook. "You heard your kid. He wants to eat. Chop, chop, Kook."

You didn't wait for a response and just went straight out of the bedroom and to the kitchen.

Jungkook breathed out, suddenly feeling hollow. But in a good way. The anxiousness filling his heart was emptied.

He smiled to himself. Omurice sounded good for breakfast.

***

The neck massage was scheduled another time even though your neck was stiff now. Blame it on your phone, which had been ringing nonstop.

"It's the team." You rolled your eyes, though one could see that you weren’t annoyed. It was more of a fond gesture.

It was lunchtime now. Your breakfast went well. You and Jungkook dropped Soobin off at the daycare. The kid's schedule was packed since it was the school's foundation day. Jungkook didn't want to leave Soobin alone, but the teacher advised that kids Soobin's age should learn how to adjust and be more independent.

You had no choice but to drag Jungkook away from the school premises. You had other things to do, anyway. Your beeping phone was one of your agenda.

"The team's calling to know if you've accepted our job offer."

Jungkook stopped licking his ice cream in a cone, head twisting to look at you to see any sign of mirth.

You were dead serious. You furrowed your brows at Jungkook. "What."

"Nothing," Jungkook bit his ice cream until his teeth ached. "I just thought you've retracted the offer."

"Why would I do that." You frowned and offered Jungkook a tissue. What a disgusting asshole. His hands were covered with melted ice cream.

Jungkook took the tissue to cover the sight of his trembling lips. He wanted to throw the ice cream as he couldn't bear the cold. However, he didn't have the heart to waste food. He was constantly reminded of what he had to endure as kids threw ice cream at him while wearing the clown costume.

Those days felt like a lifetime ago, yet Jungkook was still here. It didn't change the fact that he felt like shit.

"You read the paper I handed you," it wasn't a question. Jungkook knew you knew of his past now. There was no way you would stay still after knowing that the person who babysat your son used to be in prison.

Frankly, even until now, Jungkook was waiting for you to drop the news to him—that he would have to leave sooner or later. You showed mercy earlier, but who's to say you wouldn't change your mind?

"I didn't." You surprised Jungkook by this admission. You squared your shoulders and snatched the ice cream cone from your best friend. You threw it in the trash can. Jungkook was about to protest, but you shushed him.

"You look stupid trying to finish that ice cream. You should have thrown it away if you didn't want it." It was Soobin's dessert in the first place. The kid handed it to Jungkook earlier before you left. Soobin thought his father wouldn't miss him so much if he had ice cream with him. "And wipe your goddamn mouth and shut it, will you? Don't look too surprised that I didn't read the paper. I told you I was shocked and needed time, but you didn't exactly give me time to process shit with your cheesy line last night."

"I'm sorry." Jungkook's cheeks heat up. He dodged your gaze, but it didn't take long for him to look at you again. You were scoffing at him.

"Now you're actin' all shy? I'm telling you now, bastard. If what you said last night was shit, I swear I will fucking—"

"It's true." Jungkook cut you off. "I mean it."

It was only then that Jungkook noticed your frozen body. Your shoulders sagged in relief upon hearing Jungkook's confirmation.

"Good." You held your head high, "Because I'd rather hear the truth from you than that paper. Do you still want to have dinner with me?"

"Lunch." Jungkook looked at the wristwatch you had gifted him. You had time before Soobin got off school. "Let's have lunch. In our usual place."

Jungkook realized he didn't want to bare his heart out in a fancy restaurant where people acted all stiff and fancy. He wanted to be in a safe and familiar environment where he knew there would be no judgment on whatever he did. No one would eavesdrop as everyone was busy in their own world.

It's the ADA. Jungkook hadn't been here in years. Many things had changed, but sadly, the one thing Jungkook hated the most remained.

Natsume--the fortuneteller who sang his prediction, was still in business. Jungkook met Natsume's teasing gaze. He started playing his guitar, ready to piss off the brunet. Luckily, you had come prepared. You immediately pulled Jungkook inside the ADA restaurant.

"I warned you earlier that Natsume still sings. You said you don't mind." You gave Jungkook a warning look. "Don't fight him. We didn't go here for that. You have a responsibility to me."

Jungkook clicked his tongue and wriggled out of your iron grip. He sighed, "Fine."

You chose a table far from the window. You couldn't have Jungkook distracted because of Natsume. Thankfully, Jungkook didn't talk about the fortuneteller anymore. He looked deep in thought. Jungkook wasn't sure where to start. The paper he gave you last night was the summary of his criminal case. Jungkook envisioned you reading that paper and bombarding him with questions.

The thing was, you were feeling generous to him. You didn't immediately go straight to questioning, opting to order food first. You didn't have to ask Jungkook. You knew he liked crab spring rolls. They were perfect with a bottle of soju.

You almost ordered the alcohol but stopped when you remembered Jungkook didn't drink anymore.

"Let's not drink. Soobin is fussy when he smells alcohol." You thanked the server after he placed your order. What you said to Jungkook was an excuse and the truth. Your son would scrunch up his nose whenever he got a whiff of your favorite wine. Jungkook knew of your intention. He smiled nonetheless.

"You're a good mom," Jungkook said sincerely, and with a quick snap, he broke the chopsticks apart to start eating the complimentary edamame. It felt nostalgic to eat this, giving Jungkook the illusion that you two were high school students whose only worry was how to earn money. 

Your lives were way more complicated than that now. You could never go back. You had Soobin and other things to consider when making decisions.

You weren’t sure whether to nod or shake your head. You settled with a subtle cough.

"I try to be. It wasn't easy at first..." You trailed off and shook your head. "Anyway, there were lots of challenges. You're doing better than me. Soobin warmed up to you fast."

Soobin liked Jang Min and Lee Sung, though it took him some time to get used to meeting up with them. But with Jungkook, things were different. You wondered if it had something to do with their biological relationship.

Jungkook couldn't use that fully as an excuse. He thanked the server for bringing in their food before answering you. "I told you before, didn't I? I've experienced handling kids."

You briefly remembered that as you felt your neck turning crimson. Jungkook had a phase where he was obsessed with getting you pregnant. You never really got the chance to know where Jungkook's fetish started. It was his cue to tell you how things started.

With a warm meal before you two, Jungkook told you how he messed up his life.

Nine Years Ago, 2014:

The thought of dropping out of university had been on Jungkook's mind for a long time, though he never gave it much thought.

That was until Jimin asked Jungkook to accompany him in social work. Jungkook didn't get it at first. Jimin was his promising senior who talked money as Francis, his business-minded boyfriend, greatly influenced him.

Jimin recently graduated college, but he was still in touch with Jungkook. As his hubae, Jungkook looked up to his Jimin-hyung. The latter usually talked about improving life, and that was all Jungkook wanted.

He longed to give you a life where you wouldn't have to struggle. You could pursue whatever studies you wanted without having to think about money.

Money talked, so Jungkook didn't understand why Jimin wasted his time entertaining illegal immigrants. It was on the outskirts of Incheon. These foreigners lived underground with their families. Jimin and some other kindhearted people visited them to feed them and offer them some minor work to get them through one day's meal.

Jungkook frowned at this. Jimin was just starting a small business. He often asked for help from the immigrants to run his business. Jungkook thought Jimin was better off with other people who were far more competent than these illegal settlers.

Jungkook didn't even want to be here. Jimin urged him, saying that if Jungkook really wanted to be business partners with him, he had to first see the kind of work Jimin was doing.

Jungkook didn't think interacting with these immigrants would convince him, but his perspective changed when a kid clung to his leg.

The kid was very small and obviously malnourished. He didn't seem to understand the danger his body was in. A carefree smile decorated his lips.

"Hyung, thank you." The kid's teeth were black and yellow. In normal circumstances, Jungkook would subtly kick the child or say something to make him go away.

But something in this child's smile softened Jungkook's heart for some reason.

"You and the other hyung there help my mom earn money!" The kid pointed at Jimin, who was busy talking to a woman. Jungkook figured that the woman was probably this kid's mother.

"We haven't eaten in days. I thought we'd have to get beaten up first."

"What?" Jungkook was taken aback. He was sometimes mean, but he didn't go around hurting people. What did this kid mean when he mentioned getting beaten up...?

The kid showed his bruised arms; he didn't have to explain for Jungkook to understand what was happening:

The kids and the people living underground were exploited. 

Jungkook clenched his jaw. The memory of younger you working in a bar lit up in his head, making him clench his hands into fists.

The indignation that abruptly clogged his veins was too much to bear, acting like a big block stopping his heart from beating.

His vision doubled. It was too much. These kids had gone through so much at a young age.

Just like you.

"I'm sorry." Jungkook dropped to his knees to look at the kid in the eyes. It was not fair. This kid was still smiling despite life being cruel to him. He didn't understand why the innocent had to suffer when far worse people were walking this planet.

"Why?" The kid caressed Jungkook's hand on his cheek. "You saved us! We want to thank you!"

After the kid said this, the other children went up to hug Jungkook. They kept calling him hyung to offer their thank you. Jungkook couldn't accept their gratitude, knowing that this was Jimin's work.

Their pleasant smile should be directed to Jimin and not him. However, when Jungkook looked at his friend, Jimin stood there, offering him a small smile and encouraging him to appreciate this moment.

Jungkook's heart throbbed painfully in his chest, and when he cast his gaze back at the kids, the pain he felt subsided, and it was quickly replaced with pride.

Jungkook smiled with only one thought in mind: I will make these kids proud.

Present, 2023:

You always knew Jungkook was closed off. He was not the type of person who would share personal experiences like this. When Jungkook told you before that he would drop out of college, you thought he was making a mistake—that he was blinded by money and pride. You never knew Jungkook's catalyst to venturing with Jimin was those kids.

The children made Jungkook want to do better, but it was also them who became his downfall.

Six Years Ago, 2017:

Things had already escalated, so Jungkook was forced to retreat to a corner, his back pressed on a cold wall with no way of stepping back.

He fucked up.

He fucked up so badly with business the same way he fucked up with you when he slept with your Jisoo-unnie.

There was no room for regret after that night. Not when he didn't have time to process things. Jungkook had to rush Jisoo to the hospital when they woke up naked on the couch.

Jisoo couldn't breathe. She was vomiting blood. The doctors said it was anxiety and her sickness acting up. Jisoo was advised not to do strenuous activity. Their tacit agreement to relieve their agony was more harmful than helpful.

Jisoo was in a daze. Looking at her made Jungkook's stomach cramp. The silence was suffocating him, too. Jungkook knew how to butter her up regarding business, but outside you, their pain, and Bighit, Jungkook and Jisoo didn't have much in common.

They were strangers who loved the same person and shared similar problems. What happened last night changed it for the worse.

Jungkook couldn't handle it anymore. He spoke.

"I'm gonna tell her."

The braid of promise from last night was combed just like that. Jisoo slowly turned her head to Jungkook, her eyes dead, and her lips were parted slightly.

Jisoo didn't say anything. She simply cupped her stomach before gently lying in bed. She turned her back to Jungkook, sick of his face already. She got what she wanted.

Jungkook sighed. He stayed in Jisoo-unnie's room for hours until he got the signal from the nurse that Jisoo could go home.

Jisoo didn't want to go home. There was no going back now. Not for Jungkook, though. He had problems he had to face, so he went home.

His home no longer felt safe after what he and Jisoo did. Jungkook couldn't bring himself to sleep, the panic and grief catching up to him every time he closed his eyes.

He avoided you like the plague, thinking that things were better off when he was alone. After all, you wouldn't understand what he was going through.

You hadn't met those immigrant kids. You didn't know what Jungkook and Jimin were fighting for. Most importantly, you didn't know what it felt like to be on top and to suddenly fall from grace.

Jungkook could almost taste it: the venom in your voice when he told you his business with Jimin had failed. He could imagine the ‘I told you so’ look painting your eyes. He could also imagine you telling him he should have just stuck to university.

Jungkook didn't really want to see you. He didn't want to see and hear about yourdisappointment in him.

But Jungkook ended up hearing it—only that with a different reason. Jungkook wasn't expecting you to show up at Bighit’s board meeting. He underestimated your capability to get what you wanted. It never occurred to him that you would buy Ango's share just so you could legally attend the meeting.

It was ridiculous. At that moment, Jungkook thought you had come to rub salt in his wound. Why else would you show up there? There was no reason for you to buy a losing share. Jungkook knew you. You would never bet your money on something risky. You didn't even want to invest in the Bighit in the first place. You only did so to appease Jungkook after your previous fight from before.

When you showed up at the meeting, Jungkook made himself think that you had bad intentions, so he hurt you first. He told you he slept with your Jisoo-unnie just because he didn't want to hear you talk shit about Bighit’s downfall.

He thought his belief was warranted because when things truly started going down, you were nowhere to be found.

It was all good at first. Jungkook thought it was better this way. Because more than anything, and despite Jungkook being fucked in the head for betraying you, Jungkook wanted you safe and worry-free. This was why he and Jisoo sought solace in each other's body. They didn't want to involve you in a mess.

In their own fucked up way, Jungkook and Jisoo loved you.

Jungkook never heard from you again after confessing his betrayal. He tried to reach you, but the case of Bighit was beyond saving. Jungkook, along with Jimin, was facing the consequences:

"When will Mushitaro arrive, Jimin-hyung?" Jungkook's skin felt itchy. The unforgiving cold wall rubbed his body, only proving to him that their current predicament was truly pitiful. He and Jimin were both grown men forced to be cramped into a small jail cell. It smelt rotten here.

Jimin couldn't do anything to appease his friend, though. He scratched his skin and was also getting agitated by the overall atmosphere of the place. "I'm not sure, Jungkook-ssi."

Three hours had passed since the police officers arrested Jimin and Jungkook. They were two different people, but Jimin said they would be having a joint lawyer. Mushitaro, their chosen representative, had yet to arrive after Jimin contacted him earlier. The law enforcers refused to let them call again.

Jungkook was antsy and feeling aggrieved. Though Mushitaro was representing him too, he still had the right to call someone—you. It was unfortunate that the officers were treating him like shit. Jungkook couldn't complain. This wasn't like the last time the police invited them over. They had an arrest warrant now, leaving him and Jimin no choice but to have their hands cuffed. It had been a few days since their last board meeting. Their other board members flew out of the country, but it didn't matter. Almost all of Bighit’s operations were handled by Jungkook and Jimin. They couldn't escape liability even if they wanted to.

This was made clear a few hours later when Mushitaro finally arrived. The lawyer knew what he was doing. Jungkook and Jimin were transferred into a much bigger room, and they were given a cup of cold water to cool down.

Jungkook normally kept his cool. He was a manipulator at best. Surely, he had thought of a way to get out of this mess. Unfortunately, the laws were difficult to circumvent as Bighit’s operation extended to illegal immigrants.

"Piercing the what?" You interrupted Jungkook's storytelling when you didn't understand the legal terms. Jungkook was at the part where he was repeating what Mushitaro had told him years ago.

Jungkook took a bite of his crab spring rolls as he responded to you, "Piercing the corporate veil."

You struggled to listen to him. Jungkook explained that companies usually had limited liability, meaning that their obligations couldn't be passed down to their board directors and stockholders. In short, if the assets of the company reached zero in value but still had some liabilities, the creditors couldn't run after stockholders like him and Jisoo.

However, with the piercing of the corporate veil, the general rule would not apply. Jungkook and Jimin were going to prison.

"The probability of Jimin-hyung and I being convicted at that time was high. That's how piercing the corporate veil works. We are both board members who oversee the operations of Bighit. We can't argue that we don't know what's happening in our company when our signatures are mostly needed in our transactions."

Jimin's boyfriend, Francis Fitzgerald, was also a board member of Bighit. Francis was a certified public accountant, so naturally, he dealt with the company's financial statements. Unbeknownst to Jungkook and the others, Francis used the company's money for his own gain and concealed the fact that the Bighit was incurring debt.

"But why are you affected by it? Isn't it solely that son of a bitch Francis' fault?" You questioned. Jungkook's chest heaved as he repeated to you what Mushitaro had said. This whole thing was still painful to talk about, but:

Generally, Jungkook and Jimin were not liable since corporations like Bighit, weren't similar to partnerships where the board members had a fiduciary relationship. Jungkook might not be the one who orchestrated the fraud, but he concealed it after finding out the truth.

You scoffed at this. But in Jungkook's defense, he and Jimin only concealed the fraud because they were trying to protect their employees.

Bighit was a business process outsourcing organization. The people they hired to take calls and be in the customer service department were the same illegal immigrants underground. Jungkook and Jimin wanted to give these people a chance at living, so they helped fake their documents and hire them.

They were good at their jobs. Jungkook never hesitated to give them a profit share and higher benefits, especially for their retirement fund. Fitzgerald embezzled the money that was supposed to be for the employees. Even their legal reserves that weren't allowed to be used or to be distributed were gone.

Jimin signed documents and trusted the auditors Fitzgerald hired. Meanwhile, Jungkook blindly followed where Jimin was going. He was getting billions of money in the beginning, so he didn't mind. What more could he ask for, knowing that their employees and their families were basically worshipping Jungkook?

When things started going downhill, Jungkook was caught off guard. He was imprisoned with Jimin, and all his assets had been frozen. Mushitaro did his best to defend them, but this was a case that enraged the public. He also couldn't milk enough money from his clients so in the end, he did the bare minimum just to have the case closed.

It was difficult. Mushitaro was being harassed by Bighit’s employees too. Most of them were deported, while the other went into hiding. They threatened the lawyer to pass their messages to his clients, saying that they wished Jungkook and Jimin to both rot in hell and that they made their lives worse. They were doing okay underground, but now they couldn't even spend time with their deported family members, and they were hiding much stricter under the police's noses.

The employees said they wanted their backpay and promised retirement funds. Once, Jungkook was visited by someone in prison. The police officer said his visitor went by your name, so Jungkook cleaned himself up for the first time in days and immediately went to see you.

But you were nowhere to be seen. Jungkook came face to face with a Bighit employee instead. No one knew how the immigrant managed to bring a knife with him, but he did. He was raging when he slashed Jungkook's eyes with a knife.

The officers were quick to seize the immigrant while some of the guards went to attend to Jungkook. He was obviously shocked. He covered his eye, feeling the blood trickling down his hand. He heard loudly how the immigrant cursed and told him to die.

That was the beginning of Jungkook covering his eye with a bandage and the hell he'd face in prison.

"Wait." You grabbed your best friend's hand to get him to stop talking. It was all in the past now, yet you couldn't seem to take it. You also had too many questions.

"Y-You went to jail after I flew to France? Where..." You stuttered a breath and trailed off, feeling your heart clench tightly in your chest. Your ramen had gone cold now. You didn't have the stomach to eat it. All you could think about while looking at your spicy red broth was the blood cascading down Jungkook's eye from before.

Regret poked at the pit of your stomach. You wanted to vomit, but you couldn't. This wasn't about you. It was about Jungkook. You bit your lip and forced yourself to ask, "Where was Jisoo-unnie...? She....she didn't help you?"

Didn't she tell you I was gone? Despite leaving and not wanting to deal with bullshit, you made sure to leave traces so that Jungkook and Jisoo would know where you went off to. Sue you for being a hypocrite, but you were desperate then. You wanted your best friend and sister to see you thriving in spite of their absences in your life. You were pretty sure Jisoo managed to find your address in France because of the clues you left.

You hated your sister, but at the same time, you craved her validation and longed to see the pain in her eyes as you hurt her back.

Why didn't Jisoo tell the convicted Jungkook about your whereabouts?

"Jisoo-noona and I never talked to each other again after...." Jungkook didn't complete his statement, yet you understood it. After we betrayed you. Their last proper conversation was when Jungkook told you that he slept with Jisoo.

They didn't exactly talk at the hospital when Jungkook brought Jisoo there. However, Jisoo showed up at Jungkook's door a few days after you left. She brought a bottle of wine and soju.

Jungkook resolutely refused the offer, almost slamming the door in the older woman's face.

"I can't, Jisoo-noona," he held the doorknob tightly. "I'm not going to drink anymore." Not after what happened. Not after we fucked up. Not in this lifetime.

Jisoo understood what he meant, though she still deflated. Her pain was too much. Her body felt like deteriorating. Her chest was hollow. She begged, "We're not going to do something stupid, Jungkook. I'm just lonely. My little girl isn't answering any of my phone calls."

She had the audacity to get sad after what she had done, but Jisoo was just human, after all. She couldn't take the separation from her sister. She missed you despite everything. Talking to Jungkook gave Jisoo the illusion that you were still within reach.

Jungkook couldn't deny it, either. He missed his best friend, too, but he knew he messed up. He had a lot on his plate right now and couldn't be bothered to carry more burden and guilt by hanging out with Jisoo.

Besides, Jungkook knew his free days were numbered. He couldn't keep involving your sister in this mess, so days after his arrest and that immigrant slashing his eye, Jungkook wrote to Jisoo. He told her not to visit or associate with him as many of Bighit’s employees were indignant with him and would lash out at anyone close to him. Jungkook also told her to extend the same explanation to you.

Jungkook wrote to you every day, yet he didn't get any response. He assumed you really didn't want anything to do with him anymore. It was both a relief and a shame.

Despite everything, Jungkook continued writing to you. It wasn't to get you to visit him or anything. His days in prison became slightly bearable every time he let out his emotions through his letters.

The messages were mostly nonsensical—at least, this was how it started. Jungkook would reminisce about your moments together, tell you about his life in prison--how he was coping with his Jimin-hyung there, and how much he missed you.

Jungkook thought it wasn't that bad until he started receiving letters from people underground. The immigrants were still feeling resentful toward him and Jimin. They detailed how worst their lives had become after being deported. Those who were hiding in South Korea managed to hide their identity, but the blame and pressure were palpable in their letters.

Even the kid who clung to Jungkook’s legs before sent him an alarming message:

My mother hanged herself. I alone now. Blame you giving false hope. You break me. The letter was written childishly. The kid forced himself to write in Korean despite knowing too little about the language. Jungkook took the letter to heart. He couldn’t sleep nor eat. And it wasn’t like there was something to fill his stomach with.

New prisoners were treated like garbage. Jungkook spent his days two cells away from Jimin. He got away from the immigrants wanting to hurt him, but the people in prison were much worse.

“You stink,” Jungkook’s cellmate spat on his face. He hadn’t eaten in two days, his mouth smelling like rotten fish and acid. Jungkook managed to get a small cup of miso soup by massaging the kitchen head’s feet for two hours. Unfortunately, Jimin didn’t know how to navigate a life in prison. He was too righteous, igniting the anger of most prisoners. He wasn’t given any ration, so Jungkook set aside his hunger and gave Jimin-hyung the soup.

“Pardon me, boss.” Jungkook didn’t wipe the spit on his cheek and just bowed his head obediently. “I’ll stay in the corner, but you can call me any time you need something. I will do anything for you.”

It was the lowest of the low, but Jungkook had to swallow his pride. This person he called boss had a lot of food stash. He was quite popular in this place. Many prisoners tried to curry favor with him. Thankfully, it wasn’t hard to please him. People like him got an ego boost whenever they thought they were being worshipped. True enough, he clicked his tongue and threw a KitKat bar to Jungkook.

“Eat that for now. Come sit with me at the table during lunchtime. Ya gotta eat, your breath will kill me.”

“Thank you, boss.” Jungkook ate half of the chocolate and saved the other half for Jimin. The boss shook his head disapprovingly. He thought Jungkook was stupid. He used the little money he had to buy papers so he could write a letter for someone outside the prison, and yet. The boss shook his head one more time, and yet he never received a response.

“I didn’t receive any of your letters.” You interrupted the storytelling again. “Where did you send them? How…” How stupid are you to think I could ever bear to see you suffer? Do you really think it would take me more than two letters to respond to you? But you didn’t say any of this. It would break Jungkook’s heart more. You changed your question, “What did you write to me?”

Jungkook didn’t have any appetite anymore, either. But reminiscing his life in prison made him want to stuff all the food before him in his mouth.

“I was told you got my letters.”

Life in prison started to get better when Jungkook started buttering up Fukuchi—the boss, though he had to face some initiation at first.

Jungkook couldn’t refute anything. He was tired of deep diving in the sea of the prison’s garbage truck just to get him and Jimin something to eat. Jimin joined his food-searching quest, but he wasn’t much of a help.

“You’re making this harder for me, Jiminnie-hyung ~ Can you just sit there and watch out for the prison guard, hmm~?” Jungkook maintained his sweet tone in spite of his exhaustion. He had to remind himself that Jimin-hyung was hurt; hence, he couldn’t move fast. His cellmates had beaten him up again. They said they didn’t like the way Jimin looked when they admitted to using his toothbrush to clean the floor. His cellmate's exact words were, “You should be thankful we’re cleaning our space with your damn toothbrush. Aren’t you acting all pure and shit? Your saliva is our holy water. Save us, Saint Jiminnie.”

The precious nickname Jungkook made up for Jimin was now tainted. They laughed and kicked Jimin when the latter told the officer what his cellmates did to his toothbrush.

Jungkook couldn’t bring himself to tell Jimin to just let it go. But at the same time, he felt like Jimin-hyung should have known better than to fight those idiotic cellmates of his. He was both frustrated and empathetic toward his friend. All he could do for Jimin was search for some food on his behalf.

Thankfully, Jimin listened and watched out for guards as Jungkook swam in the sea of garbage. He found a half-eaten pudding and handed it to Jimin.

“It’s expired,” Jimin said. They weren’t in the position to be picky, so Jungkook only beamed at him.

“I haven’t met anyone who died because of expired food. Come on, Jiminnie-hyung.~ That would do.” Jimin was on the verge of passing out. His face was pale, and his lips were chapped. He needed to eat something. With a few more coaxing from Jungkook, Jimin finally swallowed the expired pudding.

He felt a little better for a while, but Jungkook had terrible luck—his words were jinxed a few hours later. Someone from Jimin’s cell banged the gate, calling the officer’s attention to report Jimin’s state.

“Heyo! Anybody there? The blond lad right here is dyin'. We don’t want his rotten corpse in here. Help!”

Jungkook jolted awake at that. He desperately stuck his head on his cell gate, hoping to see Jimin-hyung. His action was for nought, so he helped bang the gate to get the officers’ attention, too. Fortunately, the guards appeared and were able to bring Jimin to the hospital. Jungkook would never forget the image of his friend curled into a ball while clenching his stomach. He was vomiting as he got food poisoning from eating the expired pudding.

It was a blessing in disguise, though. Jimin was able to eat slightly better food at the hospital. Jungkook swore he would never let his friend suffer again. His choice led to some drastic consequences, but he couldn’t care less:

He sought Fukuchi’s protection for his and Jimin’s sake. The initiation was hell. To Jungkook’s horror, even the correctional officers licked Fukuchi’s bottom. Everyone turned into a slave when money and power were involved. They did not bat an eyelash when Jungkook ran around the prison hallway. A group of prisoners chased after him while the others stayed locked up in their cells, watching menacingly through the crack of the gated cell how moronically Jungkook ran.

Jungkook was in the shower room. He slipped and fell because of the wet tiles marred by mold. The prisoners caught up to him. They dragged Jungkook’s already fragile body to the ground.

"Don't make trouble." Someone pressed Jungkook’s face to the floor until he couldn't breathe properly, and then he felt that person grabbing his hand, his fingertips caressing Jungkook's wrist. "It'll hurt more if you resist."

The brunet felt the syringe sinking deep into his skin. It hurt at first— but soon, it only tickled. His heart started beating so loudly that he thought it would burst inside his ribcage. His vision was doubling, too, but the euphoria pumping through his veins made him lose his inhibitions. Every emotion was amplified. Jungkook giggled when someone took off his pants, spreading his legs wide until he felt a police baton sinking deep into his hole.

Jungkook screeched. There was blood everywhere, yet the prisoners did not stop. He lost count of how many times the syringe corrupted his bloodstream. Every hole of his body (his ears, nose, mouth, and even eyes) was coated with the sticky liquid coming from those men.

His body was painted with nasty teeth marks. The shades of blue, purple, and green were such a sore in the eyes that Jungkook had to cover his body with bandages even after months of the attack. It fucked him so badly, but he could only swallow his grievances for his and Jimin’s sake.

At least now, they were not treated like trash. They had full meals now, and Fukuchi grew more satisfied with Jungkook’s mind. One day, Fukuchi introduced him to someone outside the prison.

“Lee Sung.” The outsider offered his hand for a shake. Jungkook was forced to accept the greeting. Lee Sung was a sadist at heart, though. A blade was hidden in his palm. It slashed Jungkook’s skin when they shook hands.

“You look alive. Aren’t you using the dead apple?” Lee Sung let go of the brunet’s hand, acting as if he hadn’t just caused Jungkook’s hand to trickle down with blood.

Jungkook was unfazed. He gently wiped his bloodied hand in his pants. He lied through his teeth, “Well, someone has to be sober for this, don’t you think, Lee Sung-ssi~? We can’t all be Snow White.”

‘Dead Apple’ was the drug injected into Jungkook on the day of his initiation. The effect of the drug was unapparelled, bringing the user into a different universe because of the ‘high’ feeling. It was called Dead Apple because the users would often lose consciousness or act like hypnotized zombies who would do your bidding as long as you hit something inside of them. For example, Jungkook saw Jimin through rose-colored glasses, so one of the prisoners who injected him with Dead Apple pretended to be Jimin and Jungkook, under the effect of the drug, fell into this pretense and didn’t question whatever those men did to him. It was only after some hours after the assault did he come back to his senses. 

Coming to his senses didn’t necessarily mean he would forget the assault. He remembered it all too well, and nothing—not even the unadulterated euphoria would convince Jungkook to try it again. He associated that drug with his loss of freedom and more hatred for his already wretched body. One could call him a hypocrite because despite knowing the deadly effect of Dead Apple, it did not stop him from letting other people have access to it.

Life, especially in prison, was not like a fairytale. The initiation he had to be part of Decay of Angels—Fukuchi’s group, wasn’t enough to prove he was worthy. Jungkook had to strategize to keep Fukuchi’s business prospering. He was in charge of thinking of ways to supply the other inmates with drugs while making sure the higher-ups would not suspect a thing. Some officers were part of this scheme, but not all of them could turn a blind eye. Truthfully, Jungkook had been devising plans to get the officers already in this plan to keep supporting them.

Fukuchi soon realized how essential Jungkook was to this whole ordeal, so from being a chess piece, Jungkook was promoted to king. He had the privilege now to meet members of Decay of Angels who were not in prison.

Lee Sung was present at this meeting. He was tasked to get a feel of the king in prison. One look and Lee Sung already knew Jungkook was dangerous. Lee Sung had to find a way to break him.

“And how does staying sober benefit the Decay of Angel, Jungkook-ah?”

Jungkook tilted his head as he raised his hand to show his five fingers, “Five percent.”

Lee Sung was quick to snort at the number. Fukuchi came to the rescue, “Lee Sung, I know it sounds insignificant, but do note that Jungkook-ssi right here has been in this game for only a few days.” He also explained that the officer who had been eyeing the Decay of Angels had been transferred to another jurisdiction, all thanks to Jungkook’s effort.

Now, the drug dealing in Incheon was much more free. 

Lee Sung finally looked pleased because of this. He jutted his chin out, “Very well, then, Jungkook-ah.~ Just tell me what prize you want, I can give it to you.~”

Jungkook jumped into the offer at once. He wrote a name on a piece of paper and handed it to Lee Sung. The latter laughed, thinking that Jungkook wanted someone killed. That could easily be arranged, but the brunet was enigmatic. Lee Sung never would have thought that someone could be this stupidly sweet.

“Consider it done,” Lee Sung stood up and saluted. Sometime later, Jungkook received a letter from Gogol. It contained printed photos of a kid smiling while holding hands with his adopted parents.

Choi Yeonjun. Did you like his new name, Jungkook-ah? The bottom of the letter said.

Jungkook breathed a sigh of relief. The kid who clung to his leg was okay now. Jungkook couldn’t stop with just this, though. Every time he did something for the benefit of the Decay of Angels, he would ask Lee Sung to grant him the favor of helping the previous employees of Bighit. Unfortunately, his efforts were not enough. He slowly incurred a lot of debt to Lee Sung. The latter said it wasn’t his money. It was his boss who lent Jungkook the money.

The death threats toward him and Jimin lessened, too. Of course, this didn’t go unnoticed by Jimin. He confronted Jungkook about it, knowing well that his friend was behind this. Jungkook had always been one step ahead of everything. Sadly, he was not one to make rational choices.

It was easy for Jimin to figure it all out. Jungkook would sometimes joke that Jimin could see the future, therefore giving him the ability of flawless. “Your conjecture has always been flawless, Jiminnie-hyung~!” Jungkook used to tell him.

It wasn’t any different now. Jungkook was being treated like a God in prison these days. He had the privilege to sit beside Fukuchi, and Jimin was not blind not to see the rampant spread of Dead Apple. In fact, one of his cellmates offered him to try the drug. Jimin firmly refused. He easily connected the dots, and when his conjecture had truly become ‘flawless,’ he then confronted Jungkook.

“This is dangerous, Jungkook. You have to stop.” Jimin was not one to resort to violence, but he couldn’t help but grab the younger man’s shirt and slam him against the wall. “You are dealing with illegal drugs, for Pete’s sake. Aren’t you afraid? You only have a few months in your sentence. Don’t make a decision that would harm you.”

I’m doing this for you. Jungkook wanted to shake Jimin. I’m doing this for the people who used to believe in us. I can’t abandon them. You said they’re important to you. I just want to make you happy, Jimin-hyung.

However, vulnerability and truth didn’t sit well with Jungkook. He wriggled out of Jimin’s grasp. “Just trust me, Jiminnie-hyung.”

Jungkook was in too deep. He needed to pay his debts to Lee Sung’s boss, save some money for himself, and start all over again. Their sentence was only reduced because the Decay of Angels paid some of his dues. They were billions of yen as their case impacted the Korean economy.

Jungkook wanted to reclaim his life and maybe…maybe see you again.

You still hadn’t responded to any of Jungkook’s letters, but he didn’t plan on giving up. He tripled the letter he sent, hoping that you would find it annoying and finally reply to him. He would take anything from you, even if it was just pure hatred.

Everything would be okay in no time. He would be out in prison with Jimin soon, so he smiled at his friend, thinking that Jimin understood him.

Except that he didn’t. 

Jungkook had no one else to blame—

Only himself.

He should have known Jimin wouldn’t keep his mouth shut. He wouldn’t blindly trust Jungkook when the well-being of other people was involved. It didn’t matter if they were prisoners. Jimin wouldn’t want these people to harm themselves more.

Jimin was righteous. He couldn’t just watch Jungkook destroy himself and the others, so he did what he thought was right: he told a police officer about the drug scheme in prison.

What a joke.

Did he really think he could make a difference? The police officer nodded along with Jimin, even escorting him to where he could report such a crime.

Jimin sighed in relief. He thought he could sleep well that night, but he couldn’t.

Jimin wasn’t escorted to report the crime. He was stuck in the giant walk-in freezer in the prison’s kitchen.

At five twenty-four in the morning, Park Jimin was found dead. 

********

A/N: Hello. It's been almost a month since I last updated. I hope you still remember this fic ~~

I know this chapter is upsetting. :(( I'm sorry, there might...? be more to come.

Also, a little update: life is being a total bitch to me. I have a hard time adjusting at work, and would sometimes use the little free time I have to just cry. It was a public holiday in my country last Friday and this coming Monday, but being in accounting means having no break. I still need to work :// My health is being compromised lately as I am working the night shift. It's super stressful because almost everyone around me keeps saying that I am losing too much weight. I KNOW it already :((( anyway, I'm rambling. Please tell me your thoughts about this chapter.

If you feel like dropping this fic, please do so! But please be kind in the comment or don't tell me at all.

Thank you ~~ See you next time! (Hopefully soon, but damn it's quarter close next month, so I will probably be busy waahhh)

Got more suggestions about the tag/warnings? Feel free to tell me. The goal here is to be more mindful.

[mugloversonly]

Saved Yourself

Summary: Eddie went to a club to get out of his comfort level a little… it didn't go well. Steve finds him and finds out just what happened to the metalhead. This one is kinda heavy cw: attempted rape, violence, referenced rape

AO3

Eddie’s known for a while that he was bisexual. He even had a few trysts in Hawkins. After spring break, he didn’t hookup in Hawkins anymore. Not from a lack of options mind you. It’s surprising how many people are interested in sleeping with an alleged serial killer. Especially when the real killer was sitting behind bars. If it wasn’t for his D&D sheepies and their weird band of teenage friends, he’d be on the hook for it. It really weirded him out.

He’d been to gay clubs before, but never by himself. He should have asked Robin to come with him, but he knew she was going out with Chrissy and Steve tonight (he was invited, but he needed to do this). She would have joined is the thing. After everything, the two of them had become as close as two people who already had platonic soulmates could get. But he needed to be brave and do something on his own for once.

He got to the front and flashed his ID, with his birthday last week, he finally didn’t have to use a fake.

He stepped through the door and was bombarded with lights, sounds, and smells he had never experienced. A huge smile broke across his face. He found his people.

He makes his way to the bar, and as he’s waiting for the bartender, a man sits on the stool next to him. He turned and smiled at the man. “Hey cutie,” he said. “Don’t think I’ve seen you here before” he grinned. Eddie tried not to roll his eyes. Classic pick up line.

“You haven’t. This is my first time here”. Eddie confirmed as the bartender made his way over. He ordered a beer, tilted it in thanks before taking a sip. He glanced around, and saw the packed dance floor. He wasn’t much of a dancer but, for tonight? He was pushing himself out of his comfort zone. “What’s your name?” He asked.

“Jaime.”

“I’m Eddie. Wanna dance?” He tried for a flirtatious smile. It seemed to work as Jaime stood and grabbed his elbow to pull him onto the dance floor. He immediately grabbed onto Eddie’s hands and pulled him close. “I’m just here to dance.” He made sure to be stern.

“That’s okay, baby. I love to dance.” Jaime winked. Eddie glanced around, saw the way everyone was moving and did his best to replicate it. He must’ve been doing something right because by the next song, another man was cutting in.

“Mind if I cut in?” He asked. Jaime looked reluctant but Eddie was here for a fun night.

“Sure!” Eddie exclaimed, shifting around to dance with the new guy, Daniel, he found out. Daniel, had his hands on Eddie’s hips, swaying them side to side. Eddie’s hands wrapped around his shoulders and pressed in close. The heady mix of alcohol and old cigarettes, rushed to his head.

He was right where he wanted to be; he’d found nirvana.

At the end of the song, another man cut in to dance. This one grasped Eddie from behind and thrust his hips against his ass. Eddie took the hint and ground back against him. He put his hands on the shoulders behind him, threw his head back and closed his eyes. He kind of liked the feeling of not knowing who was behind him. The music moved through him and he felt electric. He didn’t get this one’s name, but he found it added to the electricity.

By the time he took a break to get a drink, he had a few more dance partners. He stopped counting after ten. He settled up to the bar and ordered a beer but when he tried to pay, the bartender said someone already covered it, pointing to a pretty blond man at the end of the bar. He should protest, but if he learned anything from his dad, it was to never look a free drink in the mouth. He lifted his beer towards the man before taking a long sip.

The blond man came over and slid into the bar stool next to him. “The name is David, I saw you dancing. You looked incredible, can I take you for a spin?” He asked with a wink. Eddie did his best not to recoil in disgust. Nonetheless, he nodded and drank his whole beer in one go.

He was having an amazing time. David kept complimenting him, telling him how pretty he was. He’d never had someone call him pretty before and it happened so many times tonight that he lost count. Another man stepped up behind him.

“Hey Gorgeous, I’m James. Can I join you two?” Eddie giggled as the guy introduced himself. “Your ass is perfect, baby” he whispered in his ear as he squeezed his ass. He tensed a bit before relaxing again. Just like he had been doing all night, Eddie let James know he was only there to dance.

Suddenly, he found himself with David pulling him chest to chest, and James pushing his hips against Eddie’s ass. He threw one arm over David’s shoulders and another behind him to touch James’.

Eddie had never felt so desired. And it wasn’t because of his reputation. It was the way he looked. Not people who wanted to pay for drugs in a different way, or sleep with an alleged killer. Just men looking for a good and fun time, and finding Eddie. The rush made his head swirl. The two men told him how beautiful and radiant he looked. It felt like they were competing for his affection. He felt powerful. Dare say, loved.

________________

The night was going amazingly. He had danced with so many men, and even a number of women. Their hands were all over him. In his hair, on his chest, squeezing his ass and even a few bold hands lightly grazing over his cock-which he could do without; but, it was so quick he didn’t think much of it. He was sweaty, and parched, but was elated for the most part.

Eddie made his way to the bar again and grabbed a water this time. He did have to drive home after all. Instead of staying at the bar, he found an empty booth and slid in. He breathed a sigh of relief when no one approached him immediately. He was having an amazing time, but he was starting to get tired.

His respite was short lived; however, when someone he never thought he’d see here waltzed up, smirking at him. “Tommy Hagan?!” Eddie exclaimed, doing his best to keep his fear in check. He knew Tommy was in the closet after the last few encounters they had, but he didn’t think he’d ever have to see him again after he left for college.

“Eddie Munson. Long time no see.” Tommy said, a predatory grin on his face. “Mind if I have a seat?” Eddie shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Free country man.” Tommy slid into the booth, not exactly crowding Eddie, but not exactly giving him space either. He moved his hand towards him, just a bit. An open invitation that he ignored.

“You looked so beautiful out there Eddie.” Tommy said quietly. “I loved watching you move.” A predatory leer gracing his face. He wasn’t sure what his face was doing, but as Tommy’s eyes hardened, Eddie had a pretty good idea. “No, it’s true. You know I always thought you were pretty, even in high school. It’s why I was so angry at you all the time. I’d only been into girls, and then suddenly this guy turns my head.” He snorted. He knew he was Tommy’s gay awakening, but to be reminded of it here? Priceless. “If I’m assuming correctly, you’re here to meet someone. Well, I’m someone. Let me take you home.”

“Thanks, but I’m not interested in doing anything but dance tonight.”

Tommy smirked. “With the way you were grinding on me, I would have thought you’d be eager for it”. An icy feeling ran up Eddie’s spine. It must have been the man he didn’t see. His face paled and he was suddenly nauseous. Before he could respond, David slid into the booth opposite him.

“So darling, think about my offer?” He completely ignored Tommy in favor of propositioning him. How was he to reject two guys without the other thinking he was accepting?

“I’m flattered,” he was interrupted by both Jaime and James coming up to the booth too. Shit. Now there were four guys. He told them all(well minus Tommy) that he just wanted to dance. He guessed they would take a hint, but they must have assumed he was playing hard to get. “Uh, I think I want to dance some more.” He nudged Tommy so he could slide out. On his way past, Tommy groped his ass, and he suppressed a shudder. He abandoned his drink and slipped back into the crowd.

Hopefully that told the guys that he wasn’t interested. A glance behind him, told him otherwise. He ducked into a shadow on the dance floor, and did his best to blend into it. The four men seemed to be working together to find him, but they weren’t successful.

Just when he was taking a breath, he found himself face to face with Daniel, who was eyeing him with hunger. He squeaked, drawing the attention of the other four. Backed into a corner, he did his best to seem smaller. Looking around, there was no clear escape route.

“Come on Eddie,” Jaime said. “You danced with all of us. Which one of us to you like?” He didn’t know what would happen if he were to choose.

“I like all of you.” He said holding his hands up in surrender. Tommy growled in frustration.

“Which one of us do you like more?” Tommy asked. Panicked Eddie pushed himself further into the corner.

“I don’t know! I don’t know!” He shouted. The group started shouting at each other. Pushing each other and yelling, all trying to get closer to Eddie.

He wanted to feel desirable, but this was a whole other level. He didn’t exactly hate it. He could admit that to himself. Finding out that people would fight over him, just because he was cute and funny, well, that did something for his ego. As flattered as he was, he still paled at the thought that they were going to literally fight over him.

Thankfully, in all the commotion, there was an opening he could slip through. He decided he had enough fun and made his way to the exit.

He pushed his way outside and walked towards the alley behind the bar. He cursed his past self for parking a few blocks away and that the alley was the only route to his van. Behind him, he heard the voices of the men from earlier. Doing the only thing he could think of, he took off like a shot.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t as fast as usual since he was worn out from the dancing. They caught up to him and surrounded him again. They closed ranks making sure there was no way he could slip past again. “shit,” he murmured to himself.

“You’re a fucking tease, you know that?” Daniel spit, the others nodding their agreement.

“I told you I only wanted to dance” Eddie insisted.

“A pretty thing like you?” Jaime sneered. “Never only wants to dance.” Jaime calling him pretty suddenly didn’t sound so nice.

“Since you couldn’t choose,” James said. “We’ll choose for you.” He stalked forward.

“Boys,” Tommy smirked. “We can share. Take turns. Don’t worry, he won’t fight back. He never fights.” Eddie’s eyes widened as he looked around at the men. They were looking at him like he was a piece of meat. And not in a fun way. “Who should go first?” Tommy smirked. The look in his eyes sent terror through Eddie. He’d had that same look when he and Billy bought from him together. Nothing good came from that look. Bile rose in his throat as Tommy spoke again. “I wonder if we can make him cry. He’s pretty when he cries”.

There was some debate going on but Eddie tuned it out. He was doing his best not to hyperventilate as he looked down the alley for help. There was no one around that he could see. He was shit out of luck.

“Looks like, since I danced with you first, I go first.” Jaime stepped forward and grabbed him by the wrist. He yanked his hand, but he held strong.

“Let me go!” Eddie yelled, hoping his screaming would make the men back off. He didn’t see where the blow came from, but his face burst in pain and he was spun around and pinned against the wall of the bar, his arm twisted up behind him, making him gasp in pain.

Someone pushed his face against the brick, and another attempted to kick his legs apart. He was really panicking now. Five on one was never a fair fight, but add into it his fear of what would happen if he stopped fighting... Eddie thrashed around. He screamed, and kicked, and threw his body back against his attackers. Nothing was working. It was easy to hold one person down, especially if you outnumbered them.

They all fought back, smacking his face, slamming his head into the brick, a hand found its way around his neck, tightening hard.

At that, all the fight left him. He let his body go slack and closed his eyes. If he couldn’t physically get away, he could at least mentally check out right? He’d done it before. The men laughed in victory as they moved in closer. “Limp like a rag doll” Tommy sneered. Eddie was so focused on blocking out what was around him, that he didn’t hear the sounds of footsteps coming towards them.

Suddenly, there were grunts of pain, and Eddie was falling to the ground. He landed harshly on his hands and knees, coughing and sputtering as he gulped in air. He blinked his eyes clear, and as the spots disappeared from his vision, he saw a man silhouetted, against the street lights. He had a magnificent swoop of hair, a gray members only jacket, and blue jeans that hugged his frame. In his hands, was a nail studded baseball bat that he was swinging with intent at Eddie’s attackers.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. This had to be a mistake right? Until he heard the man’s voice.

“You better get the fuck out of here assholes, before I make you.” He swung again. Steve.

Steve and Eddie had become unlikely friends. After the new freshman he adopted had spoken so highly of Steve Harrington, Eddie was convinced it was all an act. But after Jason Carver broke into his trailer and attacked his girlfriend, Chrissy Cunningham, as Eddie watched, he stopped thinking about reputations and rumors. He managed to knock him out before he did real damage, but that made him angrier.

In his desperation, Eddie picked Chrissy up and carried her to his car. He was going to take her to the hospital, but he knew how this looked. So he did the only thing he could think of, and drove to Steve Harrington’s.

By the time they had patched Chrissy up, agreed that the two of them should hide there, and pulled Eddie’s van into the garage, Chrissy and Eddie were heading fast towards platonic soulmate territory and Steve was becoming Eddie’s best guy friend. Even Carver killing other teens and pinning it on Eddie couldn’t damage it.

In fact, it was Steve who helped clear his name, along with the rest of the party.

So seeing Steve here, made him instantly feel safe, before he remembered where he was. Outside a gay bar. Shit.

His adrenaline was still quickening his blood, his heartbeat filled his ears. His vision blurred. He could vaguely hear Steve yelling again. All his attackers ran off as soon as Steve started swinging. All except one.

Tommy Hagan.

He didn’t seem to care that someone he knows saw him outside a gay bar, in fact he smirked. “Steve-O. Why are you defending this trash? I know the kind of guy Munson is and I know he’s beneath you. He’s used goods. Trust me.” He smirked. For once Tommy was right. Eddie was unworthy of Steve. Especially here in this alley. He was trash, horrible and dirty. Used up.

It’s his fault he’s even here. If he hadn’t come alone. If he told someone where he was, if he hadn’t danced. If he wasn’t such a...

“He’s such a fucking tease.” Came Tommy’s sneer, almost as if he pulled the thought right from his mind. “What, because he finally graduated, he’s too good from me now?” Eddie was filled with shame. His face heated and tears filled his eyes again. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to hold them back. He did his best to keep them quiet but he wasn’t sure he was successful. Especially when Tommy laughed meanly “even if he wasn’t easy, he’s a fucking murderer”.

Eddie took gasping breaths. Even here, miles from home, he can’t escape. No matter that Carver had confessed, there were still those who thought he’d brainwashed him into killing the other teens and he staged his own injuries when he fought Jason to protect Max.

For reasons he couldn’t name, it hurt worse that Tommy thought that. He hated himself for caring what he thought. Hunched on the floor of the alley, he rolled himself into a ball, arms tight around his legs.

He vaguely heard Steve yelling and a short scuffle. When the fighting stopped, a figure made his way over. Through his sobbing panic, he couldn’t tell which of them it was. A hand reached out and he flinched back so violently, he slammed his shoulder into the brick wall. His panic increased tenfold when the hand didn’t stop. He let out a little whimper. “Don’t touch me” he pleaded, “not again.” His voice was rough as the words clawed from his throat. “Don’t hurt me”. White hot shame coursed through him as he begged. “Not again, please”. Fear was quickly overtaken by relief when the hand pulled back.

“Hey, hey. It’s me. It’s Steve.” A hushed voice reassured. Steve. With a shudder, he tried to regulate his breathing. Steve held his hand out, palm up, in invitation. Grateful to have a choice this time, he grabbed his hand. Steve took his hand and pulled it to his chest. “Follow my breaths.” He breathed in and out deliberately until Eddie’s breathing returned to normal. He pulled his hand back and wiped them over his face before wrapping them around himself.

Rocking back and forth, he dragged his hands up and down his arms in an attempt to self-soothe. “Thanks…for the breathing, and the rescue.” Eddie whispered. “Not to sound ungrateful, but how did you end up in this alley?” He couldn’t meet Steve’s eyes, not until he calmed down.

Steve cleared his throat. “The bar across the street is where the girls and I went tonight. I took a smoke break, when I saw someone practically sprint out of the club and people follow.” He took a shuddering breath. “I just reacted. Popped the trunk, grabbed the bat, and took off. It wasn’t until Tommy started talking shit that I even realized it was you.”

“Right place, right time.” They nodded in agreement. Wait…Steve is with the girls. Shit. “Listen, can you not tell the girls about this? I’m sober enough to drive, and I’d really like to go home and forget.” A frown graced Steve’s mouth.

“They wouldn’t judge you Eddie.”

“No,” he agreed. “I just can’t deal with their concern right now.” Eddie grabbed Steve’s hand again, holding tightly. Trying to get him to understand. He searched Eddie’s face and whatever he saw there convinced him. He sighed.

“Fine. I won’t tell them. But unless you plan to hide for the next week or so, they’ll see the evidence. So, you should be ready to tell them something” He gestured to the other man’s face. Eddie reached a hand up and felt something wet. He expected tears, but his hand was covered in blood. “Robin is going to go on a rampage, and knowing Chrissy? She’ll help.” He chuckled not noticing Eddie’s face pale.

The panic returns, his breathing speeds up, he turns to look at Steve, his frightened eyes reflected back to him. He felt the world tilt and he knew he was running out of time. He needed to tell him to call...he needed...

“Wayne” he manages to say before he promptly passes out.

____________

Eddie never had the luxury of waking slowly. His eyes burst open and he startled when he doesn’t recognize where he is. Remembering the last time this happened, he sat up and quickly threw off the scratchy blankets. Swinging his legs off the bed, he makes to stand up before someone was on him. He screamed and thrashed, pulling himself out of the arms around him. He made a break for the door, before he was being restrained again.

Still trying to fight his way out, a bustle of people ran through the door. He cried and begged to be let go, to not be hurt anymore, but they ignored him and stuck a needle in his arm. He screamed out for his Uncle Wayne to help him, but he was no where to be found. His body started to slump, whatever they injected him with causing him to feel drowsy. “Wayne,” he whispered helplessly. “Steve, help me”. Then he was unconscious again.

When he next woke up, it was quiet. He blinked slowly in the harsh light as he stretched his arms. Or tried to, but he was stopped. He looked down and his wrists were bound to the bed. Not again. Eddie thought as he thrashed against the binds. Whimpers fell from his lips as he struggled. A wrinkled hand grabbed his own. Instead of panic, this time he was filled with relief. “Wayne” he whispered, instantly calming. He saw his Uncle’s calm face come into view as he reached over and hit the call button.

“Hey kid.” Wayne said softly. Before he could respond, the door opened and a nurse came in. She checked his vitals and unbound his wrists.

“Sorry about these,” she said looking genuinely remorseful. “You woke up fighting a few times so we had to sedate you. The straps are a precaution.” Her eyes hardened as she explained. “I told them it was a bad idea to restrain you as that would probably cause you more panic, but hospital security never listens to us.” She shook her head in annoyance. “The doc will be in in a minute, but for now, close your eyes.” She left some cream for his wrists if he needed it, and placed something from the cafeteria on the tray in front of him. “Alright, open.” She whispered with a wink. He opened his eyes and found a bowl of vanilla ice cream. “The good stuff, that’s for the doctors and pregnant people.” His favorite. Eddie found himself smiling for the first time in hours. Maybe days. He had no idea how long he has been here. The nurse left with another apology for the restraints.

“I thought you promised no more hospital this year?” Wayne eyes shined with tears. Suddenly, Eddie went from relief at seeing his uncle to guilt for making him sit next to another hospital bed. There was no way he would be able to hold back his tears, so Eddie didn’t even try.

“I’m sorry, dad.” His eyes burning as the tears kept coming. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Wayne cursed under he breath before he nudged Eddie. He slid over and Wayne got into bed with him. He held him close like he did when Eddie first moved in. Shushing him gently and petting his hair, he spoke the mantra from his childhood, “nothing to apologize for. It’s okay, we’re okay.” Repeating it over and over until Eddie’s tears dried up.

“I know you didn’t mean it Ed. This isn’t your fault, you hear me?” Wayne pressed a kiss into his hair. “Not your fault” he said again, as if he knew Eddie hadn’t believed him. He nodded into his uncle’s chest. “Are you feeling up to some visitors?” Eddie shook his head, before nodding it, and then shaking it again. Wayne huffed. “Which is it?” Amusement clear in his tone. Eddie wasn’t sure if he could explain to his uncle that he only wanted to see one person. Nevertheless, he tried.

“Steve” was all that came out, but luckily his uncle knew what he needed.

“He’s been waiting in the lobby for you for two days now.” This caused Eddie to sit up.

“Two days?”

“Yeah son. It’s Monday.” He’d been at the club on Saturday. Wayne was missing work today and Steve was likely missing work too. His eyes prickled again with shame and self-loathing. If he hadn’t been so stupid and easy, none of this would have happened.

“They wouldn’t allow anyone but me in the room since you kept reacting aggressively when you woke up” Wayne rubbed his back soothingly, misinterpreting Eddie’s tears. He fell back into Wayne’s chest. Too exhausted to sit up. “I’ll go tell him he can come back”. Wayne goes to disentangle himself from his nephew, but he grabs his shirt and won’t let go. He let out a pitiful sound that broke Wayne’s heart. Sitting back on the bed, he gathered Eddie back in his arms. “Alright, alright. I’ll let one of the nurses know he can come back. Is that okay?” Eddie nodded. “He’s here with two those young ladies, Robin and Chrissy. He tried to tell ‘em to go home, but they’re as stubborn as him, if not more so.” He chuckled and Eddie weakly joined in.

As much as Robin and Steve were platonic soulmates, so were Eddie and Chrissy. She wouldn’t go anywhere once she knew he was here. And Robin would never leave Steve here alone. It warmed his heart to know he had such good friends. “Steve first.” He pressed the words into his uncle’s shirt.

He called for a nurse to let his friends know he was awake. Not five minutes later, Steve practically threw the door off the hinges. Eddie startled so violently, he would have fallen off the bed if not for Wayne’s arms around him. He sent Steve a glare over Eddie’s head. Steve slid into the room much quieter.

“Sorry” he whispered. He looked at Eddie like he wanted to reach out but was afraid of hurting him. He gave him a tentative smile as he held his hand out, once again giving Eddie the choice to take it or not. Feeling seen, Eddie took his hand with a grateful smile. “How’re feeling Eds?” He kept that same hushed tone.

Eddie shrugged. He hadn’t taken the time to check himself over. “What happened?” Based on the look on Steve’s face, Eddie isn’t sure he wants to know.

“What all do you remember?” Steve asked. Thinking back, only one thing came rushing back; being cornered by Tommy Hagan.

“Tom...Tommy, he.” He felt Wayne’s arms tighten; Eddie’s sure he recognizes the name. He felt his airways close, the heart rate monitor picked up speed, as did his breathing. Steve took a step closer, but Wayne held his hand up to stop him. He wrapped his arms tighter around Eddie, being sure to leave his arms free so he wouldn’t feel trapped. He rocked them back and forth, and began singing the song that always worked to calm Eddie.

“Someday I wish upon a star, with clouds so far behind me” the familiar tune of Somewhere over the Rainbow coming back to him instantly though it’s been some time since he’s had to sing this for his nephew. His deep husky voice filled the room until it drowned out Eddie’s quieting sobs. Steve remembered how this helped the last time he was in the hospital and joined in softly.

When Eddie joined in, Wayne knew he was calming down. He reached a hand out to Steve and gently grasped it. The other hand was wrapped around Wayne’s arm, holding him close. “Thanks for rescuing me, Stevie.” He whispered. “If you hadn’t shown up when you did I don’t know...I mean I know what would have happened and I’m really glad that it didn’t.” He said wetly. It was obvious to everyone that he was trying not to cry again.

“Eddie, you said something in the alley.” Steve said morosely. He glanced at Wayne, unsure if he should ask in front of him. Before he could, there was a knock on the door. The doctor opened it a few seconds later. She was a short, older black woman, about Wayne’s age. Her long salt and pepper hair was pulled back into a braided bun.

“Hello Eddie. I’m DR. Kate. I need to check your vitals, do a quick exam, and ask you some questions. Is that okay?” He stiffened. He’s always hated Doctors. “Your Uncle told us you’d be more comfortable with a female doctor. Is that true or would you prefer a male?” She smiled at him kindly.

“He’s right.” Eddie said. “You can check me out.” He’d been wary of men since his father, which was why he pushed himself to go out last night. Or a few nights ago. Look at all the good that did him.

“Okay, I need everyone who isn’t family to step out please.” She said to the room, though it was obvious she was talking to Steve. Eddie’s heart picked up, the monitor going crazy. He grabbed Steve’s hand so tight his knuckles turned white.

“No, no. Don’t make him leave.” He cried out. His eyes welled with tears and he willed them not to fall. Seeing his reaction, DR. Kate pursed her lips.

“One moment.” She turned and walked out of the room without another word. The three men looked at each other the confusion clear on all of their faces. Dr. Kate came back with a sheet of paper she handed to Wayne. “Sorry Eddie. Since I haven’t done an exam on you yet, and you have a head injury, I can’t say if you are in good mental capacity to consent; however, if you Uncle signs this form, this young man can stay in the room.” Everyone turned to Wayne. The ball was in his court.

He looked at his nephew, then back to Steve. Steve has always been good to Eddie, not to mention he saved Eddie. With no hesitation, he signed the line, giving Steve permission. The doctor took the form and moved to Eddie’s side. “I’m going to need the two of you to step back from Eddie please.” She said with a warm smile towards Eddie. Wayne unwrapped himself from his nephew. Steve tried to take his hand away but, he was still white knuckling Steve’s hand. The boys made eye contact and Steve melted at the trust in Eddie’s eyes.

“Don’t worry Eds. I’ll be right over there next to your uncle, and I’ll come right back over if you ask. Doctor be damned.” He said not taking his eyes off him. “No offense Dr. Kate.” He said towards the doctor. She just laughed. That seemed to reassure Eddie that Dr. Kate could be trusted. He finally let go of Steve’s hand and allowed him to step back. Dr. Kate pulled out a flashlight and went through a few questions. Other than the few seconds the light was in his eyes, Eddie kept Steve in his sights. He always felt safer with Steve.

Steve never took his eyes off Eddie, making sure he knew he was there for him. Wayne looked between the boys who only had eyes for each other. He smiled to himself, but was a bit worried about the doc. If she noticed the boys, she didn’t say anything.

“You have a moderate concussion. Do you feel a bit foggy?” She asked. Eddie nodded. “I thought so. Don’t worry, that’s normal. The wound on your head needed ten stitches, there are a few scrapes that needed some cleaning, and your right shoulder is sprained. You have several bruises, but nothing too bad.” After she was done with her physical exam, she grabbed a stool and sat next to Eddie. “You were asleep due to blood loss from the head wound, plus the sedation we had to use when you woke up agitated.” She took a deep breath. “Eddie, can you tell me what happened?” She asked gently. Eddie shook his head. “You don’t remember what happened or you don’t want to talk about it?” She asked. The distinction was very important. Eddie couldn’t speak so he held up two fingers, indicating the second thing she said. “Okay Eddie.” She gently grabbed his hand. “Can you look at me please?” He made eye contact with her. She gestured to her coat and pulled open the collar. Inside was a small rainbow pin. Eddie relaxed a bit.

“Steve?” He called. Steve came over right away and Eddie grabbed his hand. “I was at The Hideaway, and I danced with some people. Afterwards, some men followed me outside and they tried to” he trailed off. Steve squeezed his hand and Eddie took a deep breath. “Tried to hurt me, I didn’t know what to do it was five on one. I tried to fight them, but I couldn’t. One of them grabbed me by the throat, the others laughed.” He stopped again. His eyes were far away like he was lost in the memories.

“Hey,” Steve said softly. “Stay here, Eddie.” Eddie nodded as his eyes cleared. He went on to explain to the doctor all that he could remember.

“I was scared.” He whispered. Unable to hold them back anymore, tears rolled down his face. “Terrified. I figured they’d kill me before they let me go. That’s when Steve showed up.” He took a harsh breath. “I was going to let them.” The shame swept through him again. Red hot and ice cold. He pulled his hand from Steve’s and buried his face in them. “I was going to let them just take...take what they wanted so they’d leave faster.” Sobs shook his body, loud and horrid. Dr. Kate set her hand gently on his arm. Despite the soft touch, Eddie still jumped about a foot. “If I hadn’t danced with them-” At that Dr. Kate shushed him.

“Hey, this is not your fault, sweetie. At all okay?” She reminded Eddie of Joyce. “You’re the victim here.” She reassured. Eddie’s lip wobbled before he launched himself into her arms. She held him, rubbing her hand up and down his back, and rocked slowly back and forth. “Shhh”she whispered as she did her best to soothe the boy. Eddie held on tight until his eyes dried. He didn’t move just yet.

“Thank you. No one’s ever said that to me before.” He said, muffled into her shoulder. She didn’t like the sound of that.

“Has something like this happened before Eddie?” She asked quietly so only he would hear. He stiffened in her arms, but still held tight. He made a noise in affirmation. She didn’t know what to say to that, so she asked a question instead. “Are you going to press charges?”

“I..don’t think so.” He admitted. He should, he knew he should, but the thought of going through all that when all he wanted to do was forget...no.

“If you choose to, I can help. But it is your choice.” She promised.

Normally, she wouldn’t stay with a patient this long, but Eddie wasn’t a typical patient. He may be 21, but he was still a child. A scared boy in need of comfort. She’d seen too many scared boys like him in her hospital and she’d be dammed if she’d abandon him when he needed her.

Finally he pulled back and thanked her shyly. Reassuring him that it was not a problem, she recommended he talk to a professional. “If you need help finding someone...safe” she said tapping her jacket. “I can give you a hand.” She gave his forehead a kiss before she left the room.

Eddie dropped his hands into his lap and fidgeted with his rings. Even though Dr. Kate was understanding, he still felt dirty. Like he was a used tissue. He felt the bed dip and saw Steve sitting on the edge. He held his hand palm side up on the bed, a silent invitation. One Eddie wasn’t ready to accept yet. Steve tried to catch his eye but he couldn’t meet them. “You can get the girls.” He said as he wrapped his arms around his torso.

Steve looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it before he headed back to the lobby. Eddie watched him go then turned to his uncle.

Wayne saw the emptiness in his eyes and jumped up, immediately climbing back into the hospital bed with his nephew. Eddie curled up tight on Wayne’s lap, making himself as small as possible so he’d fit under his chin.

They stayed that way even as the door opened and Steve and the girls came in. Chrissy gasped and dashed towards the bed. With no hesitation, she climbed in with Eddie and Wayne laying her head on Eddie’s arm. “Hey Chris.” Eddie said as he pulled her into his side. “I’m alright.”

“What happened?” She asked. There was no point in asking if he was hurt, it was obvious.

When Eddie didn’t speak, she sat up. His eyes were closed, but the tears spilled out anyway. The sight made her own eyes tear up.

“Oh, Eds.” She whispered. He didn’t need to say anything. There was a throat cleared nearby and she glanced to the side to see that Robin and Steve came closer. She could tell Robin wanted to ask questions but she gave her a look and she backed off.

Robin put her hand on Eddie’s elbow and Steve held his other hand. Even though he was broken, Eddie was surrounded by love. He was so grateful. “Thank you.” He whispered.

__________

Eddie was discharged on Tuesday. Steve rarely left his side for more than a few minutes the entire time.

The longest was the hour talk he had with the hospital therapist. With everything he’d been through, she recommended he start going regularly. When he mentioned he lived in Hawkins, she grimaced and offered to be his therapist as long as he didn’t mind driving to Indy every few weeks. He agreed and they scheduled an appointment.

For the most part, Eddie was out of it, staring blankly at the wall. He forced himself to eat and talk when he was talked to, but he didn’t start conversations. As he was wheeled out to Wayne’s truck, he finally spoke up. “What about my van?” He asked. Steve agreed to drop Chrissy and Robin off at his van so they could bring it home. The plan was to meet back up at the trailer for lunch. Wayne insisted to thank his friends for being there for him.

Eddie was thankful for everyone, he was, but he hated himself for putting himself into the situation. He needed time to be alone. He just wasn’t sure what he’d have to say to Steve to get it.

He appreciates Steve. Really he does. But he doesn’t think he can tell Steve the truth.

Lunch was...to be frank Eddie didn’t’ remember much of lunch. The girls and Steve met them at the trailer, everyone laughed and joked and did their best to pretend like Eddie hadn’t just been in the hospital. It was harder than he expected to participate. He tried to play it off like he was just tired, but the drugs wore off and he remembered more of that night.

He hated himself for not being more aware of his surroundings, of just dancing with whoever without thinking. He hated himself more than anything that he went alone and didn’t tell anyone where he was...he was so lucky Steve was nearby. He wanted to thank him but he was so embarrassed and he didn’t want Steve’s pity.

By the time everyone was leaving, Eddie was exhausted. “Do you want me to stay the night Eds?” Chrissy asked. It was something they’d done before to help with the nightmares. He looked at her big eyes and wanted to say yes. He really did. But he shook his head anyway before waving goodbye to them all and locking himself in his room.

He lay awake that night, lost in the memories he’d rather forget.

____________

A week later, Eddie visited Steve at family video. It was the first time he’d left the house since the incident has he’d come to call it. It wasn’t unusual, visiting Steve, after everything with Carver and especially after the club...Eddie needed to feel safe and Steve was his safety.

“Do you want to come over tonight, we can watch one of the Star Wars.” Steve suggested as he restocked the shelves.

“Sure. But not the third one.” Eddie sighed. They watched it every time because…

“But that one has the teddy bears!” Steve and Eddie said together. Eddie more teasingly than Steve’s indignation. Steve laughed but before he could say anything else, the bell above the door rang.

“Be right with you!” Steve called. He quickly laid down the tapes in his hands and went to the front, with Eddie not far behind. But the person behind the counter made Eddie’s bones chill.

Billy Hargrove stood cockily with his hip popped against the counter. Eddie ducked behind the shelf nearest him, hoping he hadn’t been spotted.

“What can I get you, Hargrove?” Steve sighed. Billy sneered in distaste.

“Heard you were friends with Munson.” Eddie’s breath caught. Oh, god. Why was Billy asking about him?

“And if I am?” Steve answered, voice low. Billy just huffed a laugh.

“I heard he got into some trouble, just wanted to make sure he’s okay.” Billy laid the charm on thick. Eddie swallowed against the bile in his throat. That dick didn’t care about him, he must want something.

“He’s fine.” Steve reassured coldly, doing his level best not to glance in Eddie’s direction. Steve didn’t know exactly what was going on, but the fact that Eddie hid from the man, told him it was better to keep them apart.

“Well, tell him I’m looking for him. For old time’s sake.” Billy laughed as he exited the video store. Steve followed him to the door, locked it behind him, and flipped the open sign to closed.

“He’s gone, Eds.” Steve called as he calmly walked toward Eddie’s cowering form. “You’re safe.” Eddie sagged against the shelves, tucked his knees up to his chest, and sobbed into his knees.

“He’s never going to leave me alone, is he?” He whispered. Steve sat next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“What’s he want from you, anyway?” Steve asked. Eddie sighed. He should really tell someone, and Steve was safe. He felt safe.

“You promise you won’t tell anyone?” Eddie plead.

“I promise.” Steve said. “Do you want to go to my house?” He offered. Eddie shook his head violently.

“It’s happened at your house.” He admitted. “I’ve never told anyone but Wayne this.”

“Take your time.” Steve said softly, his hand began rubbing soft circles into Eddie’s shoulder.

“Do you remember that night in the alley? When I said not again?” Eddie began. At Steve’s nod, he continued. “It started with Billy. It’s actually one of the reasons I stopped selling.”

“Wait, is this about you getting paid for sex?” Steve asked shocked. He’d heard the rumors, everyone had. But he didn’t really believe them. Eddie sobbed harshly as tears spilled freely down his cheeks.

“I didn’t want to.” Eddie whispered. “And not in the ‘oh god I have to do this to survive’ kind of way. But, in the…” He paused. Steve rubbed his back which helped him calm down. “I met Billy in the woods for a deal and asked me if I’d accept sex instead of money for weed. I said no. He asked if he could pay me for it instead. I said no again. But he didn’t like that.” His eyes glazed over, as he got lost in the memories.

“Eds?” Steve whispered pulling him back to the present. Eddie sighed.

“He grabbed me, held me against a tree. Took what he wanted. It hurt a lot, I bled some. Then he tucked $20 into my pocket and walked away. Left me there with my fucking pants down.” Eddie wiped his eyes and leaned his head back.

“I’m so sorry.” Steve whispered.

“I took the money. We needed it. I never said anything about it to anyone except Wayne. Didn’t bother going to the hospital, no one would’ve believed that I didn’t want it. I refused to sell to him for a while. But, he cornered me one day, told me if I didn’t give him what he wanted, he’d take it out on Gareth.” Eddie choked out. He turned to Steve and held tightly to his hands, imploring him to understand. “I couldn’t let Billy hurt him. So, I let him do whatever wanted to me. It wasn’t so bad, after a while. I learned how to just shut it all out. Pretend I was somewhere else.”

Steve sat horrified on Eddie’s behalf. He never should have gone through this, never should have been put in this position.

“Eddie…” Steve sighed. He didn’t know what to say.

“It got worse after he told Tommy.” Eddie whispered. “The two of them would come to deals together or separate but, they both...It was the prom after party at your house in ‘83. I didn’t want to go but, I needed the money. Tommy and Billy, locked me in the laundry room with them and...you know.” Eddie mumbled.

“Oh, god. Eddie. I’m so sorry.” Steve said emphatically. “If I had known, I would have put a stop to it.” Steve felt sick. He saw Eddie stumble out of the laundry room that night, looking broken and Steve thought maybe he just got too fucked up on his own supply. But now, knowing what he knew he wanted to break something.

“It’s not your fault Steve.” Eddie promised. “After they graduated, it was easier to avoid them. I stopped dealing, got a job at the mechanic’s so I would be harder to corner. Tommy and Billy moved away for school and I haven’t seen them since.” He shrugged even as he barely breathed. “I guess Billy’s back or he heard from Tommy what happened...I don’t know.” He curled up even tighter.

“Listen to me. I am not going to let anything happen to you again.” Steve said determinedly. “No one will lay a hand on you like that again.” Eddie stared hard at Steve’s face, looking for any hesitance but he didn’t see any. He saw something he couldn’t name, a fondness he’d seen on the other man’s face a few times.

“Promise?” Eddie asked.

“I promise.” Steve swore.

_____________

Steve made good on that promise not even a day later. Eddie, Chrissy, Robin, and Steve were spending the day at the trailer; with Eddie’s permission, Steve had filled the girls in on the club and the events that led to his rough time at the video store. Eddie would have been embarrassed but unfortunately it was a story the girls were all too familiar with.

Steve gazed at Eddie fondly as he talked with the girls. A movie played softly as they talked, doing there best to keep Eddie’s mind off everything, when a familiar Camero pulled up outside.

“I’ll take care of this.” Steve said as he stepped outside to stand guard on the Munson’s porch. The three people left inside peaked through the window to watch the confrontation.

“Is that you, Harrington?” Billy scoffed. Steve sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s me. Don’t cream your pants.” Steve put his hands in his pockets calmly. Billy slammed the car door and Eddie flinched back from the window. His hands started shaking but he couldn’t stop.

“Munson home?” He asked.

“Why you asking?” Steve glared. Billy stepped up the porch steps until he was toe to toe with Steve.

“I just want to say hi.” He scoffed. Steve put two fingers against the other man’s chest and pushed lightly.

“He’s not home.” Steve said pointedly. Billy snorted and his eyes clicked to the window behind Steve’s head.

“I can see him in the window.” Steve swore under his breath.

“Just leave him alone.” Steve implored. Billy glared, reared a fist back, and slammed it into Steve’s nose knocking him back a few stumbling steps. He shouldered past and burst through the door.

Eddie gasped and back up a few steps until his back hit the wall. Chrissy and Robin stepped in front of him, but Billy was too strong for them to hold back and they fell to the floor.

“Leave me alone, Billy. I mean it.” Eddie spit out between gritted teeth. Billy smirked as he stalked forward. Before he could close in, Steve came up behind him in a tackle taking them both to the ground.

As they grappled, Eddie ran to his room and grabbed Steve’s nail bat. When he got back, Billy was straddling Steve, wailing on his face as the girls tried to pull him off. With a roar, Eddie swung the bat into Billy’s arm tearing into the muscle fiber. Billy screamed in a weird pleasure/pain and turned to glare at Eddie.

“Leave me alone!” He screamed again as he raised the bat. Steve rolled into Billy’s legs sending him to the ground again. Eddie swung the bat down between Billy’s legs and glared at the man.

“If I ever hear from you again, I’ll cut off your balls.” He growled. “Got it?” Billy sighed but Eddie lifted the bat and aimed it at his crotch. “Got it?!” He shouted.

“Got it.” Billy sighed. Steve watched Eddie in awe; the lights from the trailer shone behind him like a halo and he looked so strong and regal. It wasn’t the time, but Steve thought he looked beautiful.

“You better call your friend Tommy and tell him the same goes for him. Now get the fuck out of my trailer.” Eddie said as he stepped back, still holding a defensive position. Billy groaned but rolled to his feet and shuffled awkwardly out of the home, tail tucked between his legs.

Eddie didn’t relax until he heard the Camero pull away but even then, it was Steve pulling the bat from his grip that allowed him to crumble. Steve held him closely, keeping him safe.

“Did I just do that?” He asked in awe of himself.

“You did it, Eddie.” Steve whispered. Robin held him tightly on the other side.

“I just did that.” He laughed and started crying happily. The shame he felt at letting it happen before seemed to lift as he finally found the courage to stand up for himself.

“I doubt you’ll ever hear from either of them again.” Chrissy said as she too joined the hug.

“I’m free.” He sobbed.

“You’re free.” Steve whispered. Eddie held tightly to his arm.

“I’m safe.” He said as he laughed some more. “Thank you, Stevie. For keeping me safe.” He said to the man.

“You saved yourself.” Steve implored. Eddie smiled.

“I guess I did.”

tags

@katyawriteswhump

buy me a coffee

[ao3feed-18trip]

la campanella suona perforando i miei orecchi

by Anonymous

kinari deattaches kuguris prosthetics, in a slow, painful process.

spoilers for kuguri novel, heed the tags

can be read as platonic or romantic kugunari except its not much of them

Words: 869, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 18TRIP (Video Game)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: M/M

Characters: Domeki Kuguri, Azekawa Kinari

Relationships: azekawa kinari & domeki kuguri, frederick/domeki kuguri, solomon/domeki kuguri

Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, spoilers for kuguri novel, kuguri centered, Character Study, Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Flashbacks, the mild part is the comfort

[thenoellebird]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/66115735/chapters/170440093

Chapter 2 of my Ax Therapy Au, "Ad Astra Cum Amico" (To the Stars with a Friend) is up on Ao3

Be warned, this is not a happy chapter. (As shown by the art lol)\

Since I have like seven chapters written and am excited, Ima be putting up the first few pretty quickly.

TW for chapter: implied/referenced rape/non-con (nothing explicit) and rape aftermath

[sixteenhearts]

My Lestappen Fic List ♡

Ao3: mirrormirrora

(✔️ = Completed)

Fluff & Humour

1. Among US (Love Edition) ✔️

Summary: An anonymous account reveals that two drivers are secretly dating, and everyone assumes it's Max and Charles… Except for Max and Charles themselves... ?

2. Sun, Sea and Something Something ✔️

Summary: Where the boys go on a trip, post on social media, share stories in interviews and everyone on social media tries to connect the dots about the mysterious trip.

3. Call it What You Want ✔️

Summary: Five times Charles and Max tries to soft launch their relationship and fail, and one time they succeed without even trying.

4. Kissed and Confused ✔️

Summary: "Never have I ever kissed another driver from the current grid"

In which Charles, Max and Daniel confuses everyone, including themselves.

5. Sparks Fly ✔️

Summary: A journey through the years of Charles and Max's secret relationship.

Romance & Angst

6. Marry You (with paper rings) (ongoing)

Summary: Between being blackmailed by a creep, Max’s questionable plans (and his surprisingly impressive origami skills), and the chaos of married life, Charles is just trying to survive.

TW: Attempted Sexual Harassment, Non-Consensual Touching (not between lestappen)

7. All those shadows (almost killed your light) ✔️

Summary: When Max finds Charles disoriented outside a club, Pierre’s accusations reveal a darker mystery.

TW: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con

8. In the Stars ✔️

Summary: “Of course,” Pierre adds, smirking faintly, “when your best friend calls saying he’s somehow taking care of a ghost baby with his number one rival, you kind of have to show up, no?”

TW: Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death (not to lestappen), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse (not to lestappen)

9. He wanted a groom (I was making my own name) ✔️

Max proposes, Charles declines. The aftermath devastates.

10. Even after all this time (I'm still into you) ✔️

Summary:

Charles_leclerc posted

Hello Everyone. Max and I have decided to end our relationship and remain good friends. We have shared so many great moments and he is and will always be a very special person to me. Please respect our decision and respect our privacy at a time like this. Thank you.

11. and now we lie awake (making beautiful mistakes) ✔️

Summary: Max and Charles occasionally hook up. Everyone has opinions.

Lestappen AU

Alternate Universe - Pirate

12. I'm afraid (of all I am) ✔️

Summary: "I decided the moment you stepped onto this ship that you were worth everything."

Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers

13. Our Love (is untouchable) ✔️

Summary: “Whatever you do, do not let Max touch you.”

Max puts up walls (metaphorically). Charles walks through walls (literally).

[call-me-medusa]

rangerdanger's 9-1-1 fic masterlist (one year of writing for 9-1-1!!!!)

Enter Buck | G | 3.5k | link

Five times Eddie let his crew peek behind the curtain of his life and one time he had to slam the door open for them. Or, Hen & Chim don't know that Eddie's wife and his best friend Buck are the same person.

Guilty As Sin? | T | 7k | link

Eddie figures out his own sexuality and tries to work though his feelings about that, along with help from his best friend.

Press Conference | G | 2.6k | link

The fallout from the Friends to Fiancés trope.

Attitude of Gratitude | M | 10.5k | link

Five times Buck and TK helped each other through their addiction over the phone, and one time they celebrated.

TW: Addiction, Past Drug Use

Left Your Mark On Me, A (Strawberry) Tattoo | G | 2k | link

Eddie gifts Buck something a little sentimental for their engagement.

as you wish | G | 4.3k | link

The five times Eddie told Buck 'As you wish' and the one time Buck understood him.

we aren't then we are | G | 3.7k | link

Eddie and Buck know about their feelings for each other, but they aren't in any rush to get into a relationship. No one gets it but them.

til you're building a weapon | M | 5.5k | link

Eddie sees Buck's self-harm scars and they talk about it.

TW: Depression, Self-Injury, Implied/Referenced Suicide

The Word Wheel | T | 11.7 | link

Eddie learns how to use his words.

penance. | T | 16.5k | link

Eddie figures he can pay penance for being gay and the fallout that's happened because of it. Over a 24-hour shift, Bobby and Buck try to show him he's allowed to want the things he wants, and the universe doesn't care what he thinks he deserves.

the dreams you left neglected | T | 5.4k | link

Eddie gets a chance to talk to his younger self after Christopher left.

the second that never ends | T | 5.3k | link

Buck and Eddie share something during Chimney's bachelor party. They talk about it and have to make some hard choices about their relationships.

bed chem | E | 6.6k | link

The three times Buck and Eddie talked about sex before they (+1) had sex for the first time.

yeah! | E | 6.6k | link

Eddie and Buck didn't meet at the fire station. They met in WeHo, a few months after Eddie moved to LA.

i need to want something more | T | 9.8k | link

Christopher is gone, Eddie's in therapy, and Gerrard's in charge. It's a whirlwind, but at the end someone comes out, someone gets hurt, and things end up better than they was before.

(i needed saving) and a good mistake needed making | T | 6.3k | link

Buck and Eddie fall together at the most inopportune time. It doesn't help Eddie feel any better about himself.

ain't no saints here, baby | T | 5.6k | link

Buck and Eddie fall together at the most inopportune time. Eddie's just glad to have Buck- it's the only time he feels right.

your many sorceries | T | 9.8k | link

Buck gets struck by lightning. Eddie wants Buck to wake up from a coma so he can say the things he never said. Maddie thinks Eddie can do more to help Buck than he realizes.

eddie diaz and the amazing, awesome, very good day | M | 5.4k | link

Buck's doing nice things for Eddie and he doesn't understand why.

But it's not real | G | 2.2k | link

Buck drops Eddie off after their first date, and it might just make Eddie's heart explode.

when | M | 4.7k | link

Buck has depression, and Eddie knows. Him knowing doesn't help Buck ask for help at all.

TW: Depression, Implied/Referenced Self-Injury, Implied/Referenced Suicide

Was I even on your way? | M | 3k | link

Or, Buck gets reminded of something that happened he'd rather forget.

TW: Past Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape Recovery

you'll find you again | E | 4.6k | link

Or, Eddie's learning how to want joy for himself

Drunk words, sober thoughts | T | 5.6k | link

Or, Eddie says some things he never thought he'd say. Hen wants to solve his problems, and Buck just wants a clue on what's going on.

eddie diaz's gay awakening(s) | G | 3.3k | link

Or, Buck wasn’t Eddie’s gay awakening. He actually had about five gay awakenings, now that he thinks about it.

[angelsberrymilk]

Sam can't sleep, so he leaves the motel room he's sharing with Soldier Boy to get a drink from a nearby soda machine, but while he's gone Ben wakes up from a nightmare and freaks out over not seeing his Sammy in the next bed.

thanks so much for the request. hope you'll like it! <3

soldier boy x sam winchester (samboy)

1.6k words

tw: Canon-Typical Violence, Recreational Drug Use, Night Terrors, Sam Winchester is Not Okay, Not Beta Read, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Threats of Violence, Soldier Boy Has PTSD (The Boys), Depression, Rare Pairings, Crossover, Dimension Travel

ao3 link

Sam couldn't sleep. He misses his brother and misses home.

The motel room feels a little familiar, the scratchy sheets and the old AC rattling away keeping the worst of his thoughts at bay. But the lack of his brother's snoring next to him was unnerving. Soldier Boy sleeps different. He's either moving around, trying to fight off imaginary enemies, talking to himself, or sleeping so still you'd think he was dead.

Sam really tried to rest, because he knew the road ahead of them in the morning was long. They had to keep moving, after all, Soldier Boy was not meant to be out in the world, his escape was purely meant to aide in the destruction of another Supe, Homelander, a tyrant who happened to be his biological son, built in a lab using his sperm. Soldier Boy barely remembers what happened, all he can really remember is the bloodshed and the utter chaos of it all. Soldier Boy doesn't care about Homelander, doesn't care about The Boys or their little mission, that's why he eventually decided to fuck off and get away from them, or maybe they left him, who knows, he was high off his mind on at least 10 different drugs half of the time.

So there they were, in a shitty motel, sharing a room, Sam trying to go to sleep while Soldier Boy begged someone to stop in his dreams.

Sam's heart twists in his chest at the man's scratchy voice, deep in slumber, he feels a pull to go and help, but he knows he can't, if he gets close, he may lose an eye. Soldier Boy is already unpredictable awake, so it's even worse when he's sleeping.

When he can't take it anymore he throws the sheets off himself and leaves the room, slowly closing the door behind him, trying not to wake the man up in the other bed.

Sam breathes in the mild air, the sound of buzzing could be heard coming from the streetlight over. The parking lot was half full and nobody was out. It was quiet, and peaceful, if you ignored the sound of blaring sirens in the distance.

Sam dug his hands in his pockets and started walking, he followed the numbered doors, without a goal or direction in mind. He just needed to walk, stretch his legs and get away from the pleas of help, coming out of the mouth of a man with his brother's face, he had his voice too, sometimes, if not deeper. And Sammy can't take it when he's hearing Dean beg and beg while he's just sitting there.

He knows his brother, knows how much he must be suffering right now. He knows he must be flipping the world on its head to try and find him. He knows that he must be hurting, he must be guilty too, angry at himself. Sam wishes he wasn't that close to his brother, he wishes they were raised different, that they weren't so fucked up, that just the thought of one of them dying sends the other in a spiral. He wishes he didn't matter.

Sam spots the vending machine then, white and red, glowing in the darkness of the very early morning. He contemplates walking on, going around the whole motel and go back to bed. But then his throat itches and he coughs, realising it was dry and he needed to drink something. Sam takes out a wrinkly bill and stands in front of the machine, the light illuminating his tired face as he looks over at the options.

Sam goes for the cream soda can. The machine eats his bill and he presses a button, the thing whirring and finally dropping so he can stick his hand inside the mouth of the machine and take it out. Sam turns around and leans his back on it, feeling the cool glass through his thin t-shirt.

He cracks the can open, soda bubbling right to the top, Sam quickly licking at the foam so it won't spill over his fingers. Taking a big sip, he hums, letting the sugary fizzy drink sit in his mouth, he closes his eyes, sees Dean behind his eyelids, sees his freckles, his spiky hair, bright green eyes and his rosy pink lips. He's skinnier, younger, prettier too. He's arguing with Sam, about what they should get from the machine, they're also fighting over who gets to put money in. Sammy's shorter, hair softer, longer, he's whining, he doesn't want to share with Dean, but Dean is telling him that's how it works, he gives him a taste and he'll return the favour.

When Sammy opens his eyes, he swallows, and he feels the drink go down his throat and settle in his stomach, it's a weird, comforting feeling. He's still alive, he's still breathing, so there's still a chance he'll see his brother again.

Sam brings the can back to his lips for another sip when it's knocked out of his hands, he's pushed hard against the machine and before he knows it, he's staring into big green eyes.

"Where were you?" Soldier Boy looked shaken. His eyes were wide and his forehead was wet with sweat. He had his hands on Sam's collar, holding him tight against the vending machine. Sam stared at him with wide eyes, shoulders hunched. Ben's panting was loud in his ears, so was the buzzing of the machine at his back and the fizzing of the drink now coating the ground.

"Are you okay?" Sam whispers.

Soldier Boy holds on tighter, crowds him against the machine, their knees touching and breaths mingling, "Where did you go?" He hisses. And even though Sam knows he's trying to seem threatening, all Sam can see is a scared man, tormented by his nightmares.

"I was thirsty, I was just here," Sam answers.

Soldier Boy pants, trying to come up with something to say, something to do, but he couldn't. So his eyes keep flitting around, trying to find some sort of threat to neutralise until Sam takes pity on him and brings his hand up, trying to take his hands off his shirt. At first, Soldier Boy doesn't budge, "Ben, please-"

Then Soldier Boy does something he's never done before, "I'm not-"

"What?" Sam is getting worried here, his hands around Ben's, trying to meet his eyes now that he's shaking his head and trying to avoid eye contact.

"Don't call me that," He shudders, "Don't fucking call-"

His nostrils are flaring and his eyes are wet and red with unshed tears, he's shaking too and his chest is slowly starting to glow. Sam gulps, terrified of getting blasted to bits so he quickly complies, "Okay, I won't, I swear,"

"They took me, and said my name- I was frozen for 40 years-" SoldierBoy keeps going, riddled with PTSD and superhuman strength. The light in his chest is getting brighter and Sam is panicking, trying to figure out a way to get his hands off him, to calm his down, when it finally clicked.

"Dean?" Sam says and he sees how Ben's shoulders sagged and his breath faltered for a second, he sees his eyes glaze over, as if he's in another world, he sniffles and the light of his chest fades away and Sam lets out a sigh of relief.

"Say it again," Soldier Boy whispers and gets even closer, if that was even possible, nose to nose, head tilted up so he can meet the taller man. Sam can't see anything anymore with Soldier Boy this close, he sees his longer hair, green eyes and that's it.

"Dean," Sam says again, heart hammering in his chest because this was weird, this was fucked up and weird.

"Good," Soldier Boy hums, taking one hand off Sam's collar and brushing his hair back, patting Sam like Dean used to do when they were little. "Good boy," He praises him and Sammy feels thirsty. He start to mourn his cream soda, now sticky on the ground until his eyes land on the man's wet lips, after he's licked them.

"You're Sammy, my Sammy, and I'm Dean," Soldier Boy says it again, cupping one of his cheeks and Sam tries to fight off his terrified tears but fails, Soldier Boy shushes him as soon as it rolls down his cheek, catching it with his thumb. "Hey, don't cry, if you want to cry I'll give you something to cry about," Soldier Boy says and chuckles at the end, wet and weird.

A laugh escapes Sam, more anxious than amused, or anything else really, he feels out of his fucking mind. Soldier Boy keeps petting him like he was a dog until he leans down and presses a kiss to his mouth, Sam's eyes widen, trying to push him off but failing. Soldier Boy holds him tight, trapping him, and then Sam's world spins and he realises Soldier Boy is at his back now, his cheek pressed against the cool dirty glass of the vending machine. Sam's eyes squint at the lights inside of it, tries to get off it, but Soldier Boy is an immovable object. He presses close, not leaving an inch of space between them, grinding his half hard cock right against Sam's ass.

He panics, "Wait-"

Soldier Boy shushes him, and he feels shuffling behind him, he feels like he's about to vomit when he feels clammy fingers at his waistband.

"Wait, no-"

"Shut up, Sammy," Soldier Boy hums against his shoulder, he sounds drunk, out of it.

"No, Dean, Dean!-" Sam trashes against the glass, and the more he calls for Dean, the more pleasure Soldier Boy seems to get out of it. He thinks he's gotten Sam where he wants him, convinced him that he's the Dean he deserves, while Sam is crying for help, crying for his big brother to come and save him from the monster.

.

.

.

@klingyklaus @toasty-broski @28confusedthoughts @winchesterdefender @blackkmariah @106skin @redpopcat @arwenadreamer @nguyetdahuong @asongfortheunloved @rancidlovers @bcatwinchest @supfan67 @unabashedhonesty @hellfire-fist @nanacupid @arthrodira @loserluizard @jocelynfan @waywardsamdean @sastielbeltscene @sam-sinchester @masoena @winchestermylove @sammybeann @azrielrose @saltmonellas @boypussysam @monkibizznes @daddysboydean @notanotherthembo @i-already-know-im-going-2-hell @jinkieswouldyoulookatthis @katamcauley @sams-princess-hair @redcl8ver @yuetyin940 @loserluizard @arthrodira @runawaydr3amerao3 @giulmu @palepuppytimetravel @waynesmywife

[disguting-girl-reads]

MY FAVORITE (LONG) FICS - Wincest Edition

I will not be placing them in any specific order. Also, a long-fic in my definition is anything above 50k words.

Pine Sweat by Goshen (applecrumbledore)

Sam watched Dean hack up firewood with his hatchet. The magically-induced heat wave had his shirt soaked with sweat.

“Did you ever have a, uh… experimental phase?” Sam smacked his lips, trying to think of a diplomatic way to phrase it. “That kid—by which I mean you—has been staring. At me. Kind of a lot.”

(Sam and Dean get sent back to 1996 and go on a hunt with their teenaged selves. The kids don't know who they are.)

This one is so sweet and funny and the plot is so good!! I usually don't go for time-travel stories, but that's a comfort one for me, I really love teenage Dean and Sam in this one.

10 chapters (105,324k words)

TW: Canon-Typical Violence, Animal Death (brief), Mild Gore (not many TW, that's a mostly wholesome one)

To Sound The Depths by Pendragony

Dean has always set aside his needs, repressing his instincts for the sake of Sam. Sometimes he thinks he doesn’t even know how to be an Omega any more. When the brothers pose as a couple to investigate a spate of drowned Alphas, Dean starts to get back in touch with his Omega self. But when the heat is on, will Dean still be able to protect Sam?

a fake dating ABO AU that I love so much. Fake dating for a case is one of my favorite plots in Wincest fics.

15 chapters (66,460k words)

TW: Slight Dub-Con, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Attempted Sexual Assault

Suave & Complicated by OldToadWoman

Sam and Dean discover a useful, little, magical artifact. No one is forcing them to do anything. No one is going to die if they don't. They don't even feel a strange compulsion. But… it would be really helpful if they powered up the magical stone… and… all they have to do is kiss.

This one is so damm funny. It seens almost like a crack-fic, but the plot is good, and the smut is still hot. Dean is so oblivious in this one, poor dumb thing lol

11 chapters (56,923k words)

TW: Canon-Typical Violence (it's just a really wholesome one)

The Truth In The Lie by flawedamythyst

Sam and Dean pretend to be gay lovers while they hunt a monster on a bus tour of Nova Scotia.

Another fake dating for a case. Also, that was the first wincest fic I've read!

13 chapters (62,264k words)

TW: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Canon-Typical Violence (only TW's is what usually already happens on the show, soooo)

Kill The Lights by silver9mm

Less than a minute had passed since Sam had killed the guard and then five more people. This man’s speech had lasted maybe twenty seconds, but Sam had been separated from Dean for three hundred and sixteen days and nine hours, which made the total time of his life without Dean nearly five complete years, and the thought of listening to this fucker talk for one more second instead of getting his brother and getting the fuck out was unendurable.

I think that's the darkest wincest fic I have read so far. This one wins the most-fucked-up-fic-award in this post. It's really hot, though, and I really enjoyed this one.

35 chapters (143k words)

TW: Extremely Dubious Consent,Rape/Non-con, Bad BDSM Etiquette (really bad guys, lol), Unhappy Ending, Implied Bestiality (really only implied, there's no graphic scenes)

[ghostf1ux]

Aftershocks

Day 2: Holding Back Tears

Word Count: 5.5k

TW/CWs: Discussion of and implied/referenced rape/non-con

Part 1 || Part 2 (here)

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

When Alice had been taken, she'd been angry and scared.

Angry, because she'd been stupid enough to get grabbed off the streets of Crime Alley.

Scared, because despite the work Rojo had been doing for years, she could never shake off those trust issues burned into her bones by living on the streets, and she didn't know if he would find her. Scared, because if he didn't find her fast enough, she knew she'd never be able to come back.

Scared, because despite being only nine years old, she was the oldest kid locked in this warehouse, from what she could tell. Which meant she had to be the strong one, protect the others.

It's what Rojo would do. 

So that's what she did.

Even with the ropes burning her wrists with the tightness, even with the shitty bundle of cloth shoved in her mouth and kept there with a haphazardly slapped on piece of duct tape, she kept the others calm. She let the younger ones cuddle up to her, too sympathetic of their too-skinny, shivering forms to do anything else.

It took an hour, she thinks. Maybe two.

When the first man standing along the edges of the warehouse disappeared into the darkness, she smiles and motions for all the kids to close their eyes. Rojo always told them if they got in a situation like this, that once he got there, to close their eyes. 

She knew why he always told them that. She's not stupid, and she's not naive, either.

Which is the reason why she keeps her eyes open, and the reason she herds everyone into the furthest corner of the cage they're all in when the guys keeping them there get distracted by seeing their friends get picked off one by one, seemingly by a shadow.

A few gunshots later she sees Rojo jump down from the rafters, a whirl of red and black so fast she can barely make out what he's doing before all the guys are quiet on the ground.

Then he's picking the lock of the cage open, Alice being the first to approach him with a pointed glance down at the gag. A little buzzing, staticky sound comes through his helmet, a sound she's familiar enough with by now to know it's a disbelieving chuckle.

“Are any of you hurt?” He asks first, head tilting towards the others to glance over them before returning his gaze to Alice's.

“Just some cuts, scrapes, malnourishment, and dehydration,” Alice responds. She rubs her wrists after he cuts the rope off, then moves to help the others up. “You can open your eyes now, it's okay, we're safe.”

“Rojo!” One of the kids exclaims, a five year old if Alice had to guess. He runs over to the crimelord-slash-vigilante, beaming brightly. “You came!”

“Of course I did, Alex. Promised I would. Sorry I took so long.” Rojo helps the rest of the kids out, getting their varied restraints off as he goes. “You all have safe places to go?”

A vague chorus of affirmatives meets his question, accompanied by a few negatives. The vigilante nods, turning to Alice.

“Can you take the little ones to the safehouse? I'll make sure they get home once I've wrapped this up.”

“You got it, boss.” Alice salutes seriously, sticking her tongue out at him when he ruffles her hair in response.

He watches the warehouse door while Alice gathers everyone up, and walks with them out the back way. As soon as Alice turns around to guide the younger ones, he disappears from view. She knows better than to think he isn't continuing to watch them, make sure they get out of the area safely, but even in spite of that she still tries to find him in the shadows of the building. 

She's unsuccessful.

Turning away, she resigns herself to seeing some of the kids off and taking the ones who don't have a safe place to go to the closest of Rojo's shared safehouses, which are actually just apartments he's in charge of that he keeps stocked for kids that need a temporary place to stay. It's a long walk, but not too long. It takes them thirty minutes at a brisk walk to get there.

Alice gets the younger children settled in, fed, and hydrated, before resigning herself to staying up to keep watch while they sleep. 

Thirty minutes pass.

Then forty-five.

Then an hour.

Alice's gut twists into something like dread when there's still no sign of Rojo's appearance. Dealing with the bad guys at the warehouse shouldn't be taking nearly this long.

She glances between the room housing the three small children and the window.

She hesitates.

She lifts the window glass as gently as possible before speed-walking back to the warehouse, switchblade clutched in her hand. Just in case.

A dark van comes driving around the corner and Alice leaps behind the closest hiding spot, holding her breath and flicking the blade out. The van meanders past, not slow enough to be looking for victims, just a little faster than the average car would be driving. 

But it came from the direction of the warehouse.

Something niggles in the back of her mind, telling her this is important. As soon as the van passes her, she peeks over the edge of the dumpster to get a glimpse of the license plate. In the darkness she can make out the first couple symbols, but the shadows make it impossible to see the rest.

Repeating the letters over in her head like a mantra, she decides to forego subtlety and sprint the rest of the way to the warehouse once the van is out of sight. 

When she gets there it's quiet. Silent. It crawls across her skin, but she steels herself, readies her blade, and pushes carefully through the back door into the warehouse.

Contrary to when Alice left, it's barren. The cage is still there, but the bodies Rojo left behind are gone, not even the drops and small pools of blood that should still be here from the fight before are left. It's like the whole place was wiped clean and nothing ever happened.

Even the cage is pushed back further into the shadows of the random crates, shitty tarps left half draped over them.

“Rojo? You here?” Alice calls out tentatively, looking around slowly. Only her own echoing voice answers her, before fizzling out.

Again, quiet. Way too quiet. Empty-quiet.

Walking forward slowly, she sticks near the edges of the crates lining the walls as she scans the rest of the room for anything.

The clatter of something sliding against concrete makes Alice flinch in surprise, whirling around towards the source of the noise. Her breathing is heavy with anticipation– eyes wide as she searches for the sound.

She freezes when she sees the gun on the ground. It wasn't there before. Slowly, the blade lowers as she takes it in. It's big, and dark, with slightly glowing red accents and details on it. Special attachments are fitted to it. When she gently picks it up and flicks the safety back on, it's a lot heavier than it looks. 

This is a very specific gun Alice has only ever seen one person wield.

This is Rojo's gun.

He isn't here.

She (safely) clutches the gun to her chest, running out the door to see the tire tracks in the slightly muddy front road.

Something went wrong.

They took him.

And she's the only one who knows.

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

Dick groans dramatically as Tim continues rambling over the comm line in his ear, swerving around a car going too slow for his taste.

“Baby bird, I don't need you to re-explain the reason I shouldn't just eat sugary cereal for breakfast. I am aware of the nutrient factors and whatever and I've decided that I deserve that treat in my life,” Dick argues cheerily, a grin plastered across his face. He can hear Tim's exasperated eye roll, despite the fact that it's silent. It's about vibes.

“Okay, but you shouldn't also have it for dinner,” Tim sighs tiredly, like he's had this argument several times before. That's because he has. Dick doesn't know why he keeps trying.

“Maybe you just need a little more joy and whimsy in your life.” Dick shrugs, working the stray strand of hair stuck on the edge of his domino out of it. Tim mocks him in the very little-brotherly way he picked up from Jason as they speed down the main border street next to the Bowery, heading towards Crime Alley and then Bristol.

“Whatever. When you keel over because you've had too much sugar, don't come crying to me– fUCKING CHRIST–”

Both vigilantes startle when a kid runs out of the Alley and into the street just ahead of them– tires skidding loudly on the asphalt as they have to swerve opposite ways to miss her, just barely not crashing their bikes.

Dick breathes out a heavy sigh, before hopping off his bike to face the kid. “Hey, that's pretty dangerous, maybe look both ways before you–”

“You have to help him!” The girl cries, running up to Dick with wide, scared eyes. She's heaving for breath and keeping something tucked close to her chest, hidden under her jacket. He crouches down to her level just as Tim jogs over, looking a little wary and confused.

“Help who?” Dick rests his elbows on his knees, looking up at the– she's gotta be less than ten years old– girl. She unfurls her jacket and hands him something metal and heavy and handle first– a gun. A very recognizable gun.

“Rojo saved us and then he didn't come back,” she explains, wiping her eyes with her sleeve furiously as she tries to catch her breath. “They took him– there– there was a van leaving the warehouse. When he didn't come back I went to look for him because he always makes sure everyone gets home and it had been too long and–”

“Hey, hey, easy, we'll find him,” Dick assures her, ignoring the spike of anxiety in his stomach in favor of handing the custom black and red Jericho 941 off to Tim, who's speaking lowly into his comm. “Can you show me which warehouse it was?”

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

When Dick and Tim get there to investigate, it's both worrying and disappointing. Between the distinct lack of evidence, the partial plate they were able to get from Alice before sending her to Jason's community safehouse, and the lack of cameras in Crime Alley that make tracking the van impossible, it wasn't looking good.

Oracle managed to remotely activate the tracker on his helmet, but it was just a decoy location that served to throw the Bats off the tail. All they found was his mask and domino, in perfect condition, sitting on a table in a nondescript basement under a shady looking store that was probably a front for money laundering. No note, no ransom, nothing. They just took him and left without a trace.

That fact only made Dick's anxiety about the whole situation worse.

It took hours before they found anything. They had to resort to locating all of Jason's known enemies, then figure out which ones had the means to pull this off, then deduce who would actually have the balls to try it. 

His list of enemies is long.

Thankfully, most are dead or out of commission, making the process of going down the list a whole lot quicker. Between everyone who had access to anything, they were able to narrow down the list to a few handfuls of people.

That being said, all of them either couldn't have done it or wouldn't have done it.

Which, again, leaves them with nothing.

And then Tim had recognized one of the mob names from a case he was working on after Jason had supposedly dismantled them. Looking further into it, it seemed he only killed the leader before having to get out before finishing the job, for whatever reason. A quick call to Talia tells them that it went down during the time he had been on the run from the League, and that the mob was under Ra's’ control at the time. After that, the mob, located in Russia, had gone dark. Intel said the main compound was blown to smithereens and not a soul survived it.

She also informed them of the nature of many of the members of this mob. It was possible one of the members’ meta abilities had led them to survive.

After that, they took to investigating each known member of the mob that had been there, narrowed it down to the metas, and then scoured every source of intel they had for those names and faces.

Thankfully, it wasn't too long of a list, and they managed to get a couple hits. None had been spotted anywhere near Gotham in recent time, but there was one who hadn't been spotted anywhere in the past couple weeks.

Following the money trail from him was done easily enough, and then they were able to find the transport Jason had been taken in. 

It was at this point Dick and Tim headed back out in the vaguely same direction the mobsters were going while Babs combed through what footage she could find to track them down.

Eventually, they found the location. In a grand total of six and a half hours, give or take, they finally found Jason.

Hopefully.

There were no guards posted outside the derelict house, but that really doesn't mean anything, besides the fact that they have some vague amount of intellect. They circle around to the back, starting on the second floor. 

Sneaking through the window proves to be the best plan when they're able to soundlessly take out the few armed guards up there. Immediately they notice the unnatural cold that persists within the building, chilling them to the bone despite the very-much-not-winter-weather outside.

Within the next minutes, the brothers are systematically taking out each goon one by one. 

At least, until they get to the hallway to the basement. 

It's heavily guarded, five different men standing outside it. They all carry weapons, though some have been flying carelessly to the side. Blunt weapons with little splashes of blood, from what Dick can tell through the night vision of his domino lenses. 

Silently, he gives Tim a countdown before rolling a smoke pellet into the room and flinging himself in as soon as it goes off. The smaller vigilante is right behind, covering Dick's back while he flips and sounds between the men in the cramped space. He doesn't even bother trying to spare them the trip to the hospital, not when his little brother's life is on the line.

As soon as they're all knocked out cold, Dick throws the basement door open, rushes down the stairs, and throws the (much more expensive and way heavier) second door open as well. 

He freezes, eyes widening and blood running cold while he tries to take in the scene in front of him.

Immediately, his eyes lock on Jason. 

Jason, who’s hanging from his wrists, blood cascading down his arms from whatever wounds are beneath the cuffs.

Jason, who’s trembling and shaking erratically and involuntarily, broken little sounds he’d never make in a million years slipping between his lips.

Jason, who’s been stripped of everything except his pants, who’s injuries are on clear display to anyone that so much as glances at him, blood pooling around his feet.

Jason, who’s covered in so many scratches that are closer to gouges that ooze blood in steady streams, marks that lead to the burned in handprints and fucking bite marks across his waist, his chest, his arms, his shoulders, his fucking neck–

The man holding Jason– his brother, his fucking little brother– is barely a blur of a figure behind his little brother. Dick doesn’t see, doesn’t process anything past the sight of Jason’s twitching and squirming, his own body fighting him as little orange sparks of electricity dance over the surface of his skin. They’re barely visible, but Dick can still make them out, make out the little involuntary flinches when one of the bolts touches a hidden injury under his skin. 

At some point, Tim pushes into the room behind him. The guy who has Jason shifts his grip from his hips– a placement that makes Dick’s skin crawl and his rage spike, hands shaking with the effort of holding himself back– to grabbing Jason’s hair and yanking his head back, holding a wicked-looking knife to his throat. Tim falters, and Dick can feel the way he glances at him for help but all Dick sees is the arc of electricity get bigger– stronger– 

And then Jason cries– sobs, his voice hoarse and broken and in so, so much agony.

Dick’s will, his fraying thread of self restraint in the delicate situation, snaps.

In the next moment he’s flying across the room, ripping the knife out of the man’s hand and stabbing it through his wrist– the one holding Jason back by his hair. He screams, or, at least, Dick thinks he does. He doesn’t really know.

Not when his fists are pummelling into the guy’s face, his ribs, anywhere he can hit to cause damage, to cause pain.

Not when he can feel those phantom hands tracing over his own body, an all-too vivid memory of rain pattering against his face.

Not when the guy is unconscious on the ground and Dick keeps going, because his rage burns hot and fiery in his veins and he can’t seem to actually see the face below him.

Not when he can hear her words echoing in his ears, panic and disgust twisting painfully in his stomach as his own body is helpless to push her off, to push her away, to do anything to stop it, to get away–

“–ing! Hold him up, I need to get the shackles off.”

Dick blinks and he can finally see the mess of the man below him, barely breathing. He blinks again, turning his gaze up to Tim, who’s holding his shoulders and meeting his gaze with a strange, panicked and worried intensity he never lets show in the field unless someone is gravely injured. He points back to Jason with his words, who’s gone completely limp despite the clear pain it causes him. His first little brother breathes out a slow, stuttered, despaired keen, muscles twitching under his skin as if he wants to reach out towards them. His shaking– shivering, rather– is so violent and painful it makes Dick choke out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a sob, scrambling away from the body to get to Jason.

Quick fingers take care of the blindfold, but all it reveals is tear-streaked closed eyes, squeezed so tight it has to be in reflex to the pain. Then he’s carefully, gently embracing and lifting him, mindful of the injuries he can see and feel beneath Jason’s skin. He flinches despite it, another whimper accompanying the action. Dick can feel his breathing– already fluttery, erratic, and painful just to listen to– speed up dramatically, but Dick just shushes him calmly, combing his fingers through his little brother’s hair as Jason coughs weakly.

“Shh, shh, I’ve got you, we’ve got you, little wing, it’s okay, you’re gonna be okay, you’re safe now,” Dick murmurs, trying to keep his anger and panic and worry out of his voice in some attempt to be comforting. He’s usually so much better at this, having been doing it since he was nine years old and working the streets as Robin, but when it comes to family…

A few tense moments pass while Tim works diligently on the best way to get the cuffs off before Jason weakly– so weakly– tucks his face into the crook of Dick’s neck with a shuddering breath thick with tears he doesn’t have the strength to shed. He smooths his free hand through Jason’s hair, smoothing the sweat-soaked locks out of his face.

“Fucking piece of shit put fucking prongs in these cuffs just to torture him a little more– I swear to god if he isn’t already dead he fucking will be–”

Dick glances up at Tim with a pointed look, the boy just giving him a deadpan stare in response once he notices Dick’s look.

“I’m not calling an ambulance for him. I don’t care about B’s rule,” Tim snaps quietly, mindful of how his volume makes Jason react. Dick raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything in response. He watches Tim as he unlocks the first cuff, noticing the high-strung tension in his body, the slightly jerky movements that are usually fluid and smooth, the way his brow is furrowed in concentration when he’s trying to focus on one thought instead of the unwanted ones trying to flying through his head.

Why does it seem like this is personal for him? Past it just being their family.

Personal in the same way it’s personal for Dick.

He subconsciously tightens his grip on Jason when the idea crosses his mind, gut twisting. Surely Tim wasn’t–?

No. 

Right?

But then, Tim was never one to share with them, especially in a family as emotionally repressed as this one, where it always seemed weakness wasn’t an option (thanks for that mentality, B). It’s possible he could’ve just not told them… god knows Dick doesn’t, hasn’t.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Dick startles out of his train of thought when Jason’s second wrist is released and he sags bonelessly into his chest, briefly tensing, twitching and spasming, before going limp again. Dick nods to Tim to help him carry Jason up the stairs, which is done quickly and gently as possible. There’s no furniture Dick wants to touch with a ten foot pole, so they just lay Jason down on the ground, head pillowed by Dick’s legs from where he’s sitting leaned against the wall with his legs bent.

He checks Jason’s pulse and breathing, both fast and fluttery, but not in dangerous levels. Tim gets started on wrapping his wrists, while Dick returns to threading his fingers through Jason’s hair in that way he’s never said he enjoys, but everyone knows he does.

“Hey, hey, open your eyes, Jay. Come on, stay with me here,” he pleads quietly, hoping to keep him from falling asleep just yet.

Slowly, bright teal eyes blink blearily open, finding Dick’s face immediately. He breathes out a sigh of relief, smiling down at him. Jason’s gaze flicks over to Tim, who meets his eyes for a few moments before nodding to himself and returning to wrapping Jason’s wounds.

Briefly, Dick panics when his eyes slide shut and his head lolls listlessly into Dick’s abdomen, but it’s washed away when he recognizes the slower breathing pattern of sleep. No surprise he’s exhausted, after what he went through.

Tim tends to the worst of his injuries while Dick holds him, keeping him warm in the cold house. Not too much longer later, the Batmobile arrives and the two of them get Jason loaded in.

He’s in and out for the whole ride back, drifting between barely awake and fully asleep.

Back in the medbay of the Batcave, both Dick and Tim help Alfred get Jason changed and help dress his injuries.

He just barely manages to keep the bile in his stomach when he’s forced to actually dress the handprints and the bite marks.

By the look on Tim’s face the whole time, he guesses he’s having the same struggle.

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

Consciousness comes back to Jason in broken, foggy pieces. Sharp, but unclear.

He knows he hurts. He’s in pain. He’s cold. His nerves are still jittery and twitchy.

He doesn’t know why.

And then it all slams into him like a fucking truck and he throws himself out of– where is he? Laying on something vaguely soft, rapid beeping in the background that abruptly shifts to a long whine that grates on his ears, needling into his skull and it hurts, it hurts so much, so he tries to back away from it– tripping and stumbling over whatever else is in the room, ignoring the pinpricks of pain over his otherwise trembling body.

“Jay– Jason– Jason!” A voice yells worriedly, close, far too close. He flinches, pressing himself further back into the corner. There’s so much– sound, noise, smells, feeling– whatever he’s wearing scratches painfully against his chest and back, and suddenly he can hear that voice again and those hands on his body and he just wants people to stop fucking touching him–

“Little wing, I need you to open your eyes,” a different voice coaxes, softer than the other one. “You’re safe, you’re in control here, okay? No one’s going to do anything you don’t want them to. Open your eyes for me, please.”

Jason slowly, cautiously flutters his eyes open, not even aware they were closed. A kind face smiles encouragingly back at him, dark blue eyes searching his tentatively.

“There you go. Can you breathe with me? We’re in the Cave, it’s just me and Tim right now. Deep breaths for me, little wing,” Dick murmurs soothingly, exaggerating his own breathing for him to follow. He tries, once he manages to actually focus on it, but it’s hard, god it’s hard because his heart is still beating out of his chest and every instinct in him is screaming at him to move, to fight, to hide, to get away even though somewhere in his mind he knows he’s safe.

Dick seems to see something in his curled up form– when did he end up on the ground with his arms wrapped around himself?– because he shuffles back about a foot and it immediately makes something in Jason’s chest a little lighter, a little less constricting. He finds himself able to follow the pattern, heart slowing down with the more even breaths.

Once he has a handle on his own thoughts, he averts his gaze from Dick’s and takes in the room. Now that he’s not panicking, he can easily recognize it as the Medbay in the Bat Cave. Several cots line the walls, various pieces of medical equipment are scattered around, and the place is pristine as always.

Except for the path of destruction caused by his panic to the corner of the room, of course. Tim stands by what he guesses is his cot, the furthest one from the door. There are medical supplies strewn about the cot itself, mostly bandages and various antibiotic and burn creams.

Well. That explains a lot.

He lets himself relax a bit, unfolding slightly from his little ball but keeping his arms wrapped around his mostly bandaged torso.

“How– How long has it been?” He asks, voice scratchy and hoarse. Tim moves in the background, setting a glass of water with a straw a couple feet away and sliding it towards him.

“We found you yesterday after the sun rose, and you’ve been out since. Technically it was earlier today but it’s past midnight, so.” 

Dick shrugs, keeping a sort of easy air around him despite the tension threading through his muscles. “No one’s left for patrol yet. I was gonna stay in, and Tim has stuff to work on at the computer.”

Jason hums, taking careful sips from the water. They fall into a sort of awkward, loaded silence that no one really wants to break.

“We, uh. Can we finish up the bandages?” Tim finally asks. Jason tenses up just at the idea, pressing back into the wall. “If we don’t, it’s more likely to leave scars or get infected…”

He scoffs sardonically, forcing himself to his feet. “Sure, yeah, whatever, Timbit. Just make it quick.”

Jason settles back on the cot, sitting cross-legged and facing one of the long sides so they can both have enough room to do whatever it is you need to do. He focuses on a breathing pattern as they tread closer and tentatively resume what they were doing prior to his little freak out, dutifully ignoring the way his skin prickles uncomfortably and his whole body tenses just at their proximity. He definitely ignores how each touch– half a moment of contact, barely even a brush against his skin– nearly causes him to flinch away and makes his eyes sting as he forces himself to remain relatively still.

Fuck. Seriously, he’s been through far worse, why the hell does he feel like sobbing?

He tilts his chin up at Dick’s prompting so they can re-bandage his neck, biting the inside of his lip hard enough for it to bleed in an attempt to keep his eyes from betraying him.

He’s not angry, he’s certainly not sad, so why the hell does his body feel the need to do this to him?

It’s stupid, that’s what it is. His childhood on the streets was worse than this. The Joker was worse than this. Hell, the Pit was definitely worse than this. That’s not even counting having to dig his way out of his own grave– that he could definitely understand wanting to cry about. That fucking sucked.

But he wasn’t even there for that long. Some electrocution, some freezing, and maybe he really did want to die there for a hot second but that’s besides the point because it’s a coin flip whether he feels like that on any given day. Really, it’s a fifty-fifty whether he wants to die or if he feels like he’s already dead.

Maybe that says something about him.

He dismisses the thought with a suspiciously choked half-scoff, rapidly blinking his eyes. Dick pulls back, trying to meet his gaze, but he averts it before he can.

“Jay, you… you know you’re allowed to fall apart, right? Especially about something like this, you–”

“Don’t fucking tell me that, Goldie,” Jason snaps, pulling away from them both to curl back up at the head of the bed. Neither try to stop him, glancing between him and each other.

“I’m just saying, we’re here for you. That’s what family does, we help pick up the pieces when we fall apart.”

He rolls his eyes, fixing his glare on a random crack between the tiles on the floor of the Medbay. “Whatever. Look, I’m fine, okay? Don’t make a big deal out of something that isn’t a big deal. I’ve had far worse. I grew up on the streets, trust me, this isn’t my first fucking rodeo.”

The other two exchange glances again.

“I think what he’s trying to say is that we get it,” Tim tries carefully. That makes Jason’s attention snap to the two of them, scanning them both. Slightly uncomfortable, but no lies. He growls, deep in his chest, a flare of familiar protective rage surging in his chest.

“Who?”

Tim answers first. “Ra’s’ sister, when I was… looking for B. It didn’t actually– I wasn’t– Cass got there in time,” he finally gets out. It doesn’t really help the rage, but it does make him relax slightly.

Dick, on the other hand, is uncharacteristically silent, hands fidgeting. Anxiety is written into every line on his face. Jason and Tim stay silent, waiting for him to speak.

“She– she’s in jail, now. For something else. But she’s already gone,” Dick finally says, wringing his hands.

Of course it’s at this moment all three flinch as the door slides open, revealing Bruce in the suit, sans cowl. He has a bundle of fabric in his arms, which he sets at the foot of the bed. He glances at the three of them, then clears his throat awkwardly.

“I… brought all your favorite clothes you still have here. I wasn’t sure which ones you might want.”

Jason blinks, slowly reaching out to grab his favorite Wonder Woman hoodie from the pile and slipping it on with only a little difficulty. It’s then that he realizes that it’s not just his stuff in the pile. He sends a questioning look at Bruce, who has thinly-veiled pain in his eyes.

“I figured I’d bring down things for all of you. If… if any of you want to, to talk about it. Someday. I understand.”

It’s the three boys’ turn to look at him incredulously, Tim opening his mouth to ask the question they’re all thinking before a different, haughty voice echoes across the cave.

“Father! Oracle has requested you at the computer, she insists she must show you something relating to the case,” Damian calls from further into the cave, most likely by the computer. Jason notes the brief stiffness, and the forced relaxing of muscles, before it clicks.

Oh, he was going to put his All-Blades to good use. Demon heads are going to roll.

Bruce clears his throat again, stiffly making his way out while the three eldest brothers of the family exchange glances, collectively agree to not talk about it, and Tim follows them out. Dick grabs his own hoodie from the pile, then turns to Jason with a small smile.

“If you want a distraction, I bet we could kidnap Tim for some Mario Kart?”

Jason huffs a reluctant laugh, waving him off. “Sure, go get the baby bird. Wait until B leaves though. I’d… like a second. Alone.”

“Of course,” Dick smiles, stepping towards the exit. “We’ll be out here, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah. Scram.”

[dixonsdarkelf]

Finding Myself, Finding You: Chapter One

Main masterlist Series masterlist AO3 link Wattpad link

Story is 18+ for mature content/themes, minors do not interact please

TW/CWs for this story--implied/referenced past rape, canonical violence, non-canonical violence, blood, gore, referenced past suicide, swearing, surgery, excessive drinking, nightmares, vomiting, amputation, medical procedures, non-con medical procedures, referenced past medical torture, referenced past drugging, attempted SA, panic attacks, mental health struggles, referenced sibling death, referenced parent death

Each chapter will have its own TW/CWs listed

This story, Lydia Vector, her family & bestie (c) me, dixonsdarkelf

TWD & its characters (c) AMC & Robert Kirkman, the writer of the comic series

TW/CWs for this chapter--blood, violence, amputation, swearing

“Lydia Rae Vector, Board-Certified in Trauma Surgery!”

The grin that spread across my face caused my cheeks to ache. I looked out and saw my parents and brothers, who fought like hell for their front-row seats to witness their only daughter and sister receive her certification. This was the moment I had worked my entire life for.

My residency was complete. And my boards had been passed. I was officially a surgeon.

The “waterproof” mascara I had spent my last $20 on ran and flaked into my eye, causing it to water more. I take my certificate from the officiator, shake his hand, and look out to the audience once again.

And I see him. Every single time, I see him.

A man stumbling down the center aisle, appearing drunk and disorderly, but he’s covered in blood, and his skin is bluish-grey. Decomposition has clearly already started. That was evident by both the open wounds on his body and the putrid stench that accompanied him. And the rest always happens the exact same way.

The crowd notices him, and slowly, the entire auditorium falls silent. Security starts to come around from the emergency exits, but before they can get to him, the man has made his way to the front row.

And he attacks my mother.

Her screams, the screams of my father and brothers, the screams of the audience and the screams coming from my own throat haunt me. He rips her vocal cords out with one swift bite, and her screams cease as quickly as they began.

And this is always where my nightmare ends.

I wake up in a cold sweat, nothing unusual there. I throw myself upwards, letting out a small yelp and feeling all over myself with my hands, checking for wounds and blood. My mornings went exactly the same way.

Every. single. time.

The small shed I had spent the night in looked even dustier during the day. I used my hands to prop myself up off of the floor and and pulled my backpack, which was my pillow every night, out from behind me. Scooting slightly to my left to get out of the blinding sun coming in through the window, I unzipped it and went through the checklist that I always do, making sure every weapon I had was still in its place.

“Axe, knife, guns, spear,” I said out loud, pulling one of the small guns and the collapsible spear out and setting them on the ground next to me. Checking that the safety was still on for both guns, I checked for my other items. Nothing had ever been stolen from me in the night, but you couldn’t be too careful.

“Journal, water bottle, clothes, food, tools, gauze, lighter, bandages, disinfectant, sewing kit, pills, and my most unique weapon.” Once everything was accounted for, I took the blanket I had been using and folded it as best as I could, stuffing it in on top of everything. I slipped my water bottle out and took the smallest sip, just enough to get rid of my cotton mouth and dry throat. I slipped the gun I left on the floor into the strap on my leg and extended my spear, getting up off of the ground and dusting myself off.

I paused for a moment and listened to the birds chirping outside. I wonder what they were saying to each other, I thought to myself. They seem happy. Of course they did. They don’t have to live through the end of the world in the same way humans do.

My reveling in listening to bird calls was quickly interrupted by the sound of a scream. A human scream. And Walker groans.

I swung my backpack onto my shoulders and jumped to the corner next to the door. I lifted my head slowly, just enough for my eyes to enter the window frame.

There was a man, probably around my age, on the ground, and three Walkers surrounding him. I could see that he had lost his knife in the scuffle, and I imagine he was hesitant to use a gun because he didn’t want to attract more of the reanimated corpses. I readied my spear, took a deep breath, and kicked the door open in one fell swoop.

“Aye motherfuckers!” I yelled, drawing the attention of all three Walkers towards me. I skipped backwards, away from the man, putting a little more distance between myself & the undead. I swung my spear and stabbed the closest one right between the eyes, pulling it out and watching the heap fall to the ground. The other two went down similarly. I paused for a moment, perking up my ears and listening to make sure no others were coming.

Once it was clear, I ran to the man. He was still on the ground, groaning in pain. That’s when I saw the bite on his ankle. My heart sank. But I knew what I needed to do. I ran and kneeled down next to him.

“Hey, what’s your name man?” I said to him, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. I saw a small glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“A-A-Aaron,” he said, gritting his teeth through the pain.

“Alright Aaron, my name is Vector. I’m a doctor, and I can save you, but we gotta get you inside that shed right there. Can you sit up?” He nodded and used his arms to pull himself into a sitting position. I got up on my feet and put an arm around his back, under his arms.

“Alright Aaron, let’s get you on your feet,” I told him, and I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye. He put his body weight onto his right foot & onto me, and we slowly stood up together. Thankfully, the shed was right by us. I got him through the door and helped him back down onto the floor. Once he was on his back, I moved like lightning to get out my small axe, disinfectant, lighter, bandages, gauze, and two of my shirts, one with long sleeves and a small one.

“Aaron, you probably know where this is going, but I’m going to have to cut your foot off. And then I’m going to cauterize your wound so it hopefully won’t get infected,” I said between inhales, taking the my smaller shirt and tying it into a knot to form a gag. We couldn’t have him attracting any more Walkers. “I need you to take this and bite down as hard as you can. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes…” Aaron said. I saw a couple of tears leave his eyes. He put the knotted shirt into his mouth, laying his head back onto the dirty floor. I poured a small amount of disinfectant onto my axe and onto his leg, just above the bite mark. Some of the disinfectant ran into the wound, and he writhed in pain.

“Alright.” I looked over at him, meeting his eyes, “I need you to stay completely still. Bite down as hard as you possibly can. You got this my man.” He squeezed his eyes shut. I raised the axe up, lining it up with where I was going to make my mark.

“I’m so sorry Aaron,” I whispered, swinging the axe down as hard as I could. Thankfully, his foot and ankle came off with one hit. His blood sprayed across the shed, getting onto the walls and all over both of us.

Despite the muffling of the shirt, his screaming was loud. The tears were flowing. And so was the blood. I grabbed my lighter with my right hand and grabbed Aaron’s hand with my left one, squeezing it to remind him he wasn’t alone.

“I’m going to cauterize it next. This pain is probably going to be worse, but I know you can do this. Just keep breathing through your nose and squeeze my hand when you need to,” I told him. He didn’t nod or acknowledge what I said in any way, but I had to keep moving to stop the bleeding. I flicked on my lighter and held it to his open wound, gliding it back and forth across the whole area. I did this for a couple of minutes to ensure the whole area had been cauterized. For Aaron, I’m sure it felt like hours. He squeezed my hand so hard that I was sure he was going to break it. His muffled screams were the only sound I heard.

“You’re doing great bud,” I spoke softly, “I have padding and gauze that I’m going to put onto it next, then I’m going to wrap it in one of my shirts. Keep biting onto that one for as long as you need.” This time, he opened his eyes, which were bright red from crying, and nodded. I took a couple of pads and pressed them to his leg, holding them in place while I started the gauze wrapping.

“I’m sorry I don’t have an ice pack or anything to help with the burning,” I said. He spat my shirt onto the ground and let out a small chuckle.

“Sorry? You just saved my life.” I took my long-sleeved plaid button-up and wrapped his leg in it, using the sleeves to tie it around his calf. He was still hyperventilating a little.

“Just rest for right now,” I instructed, “once you’re doing a little better, I’ll help you get back to your home base.” He tried to pull himself up to a sitting position, but I lightly pressed on his shoulders to let him know to lay back down, “Stay like that. Just focus on your breathing. I have some water, and I have food if you’re hungry.”

“What did you say your name was?” he asked me. I pulled my water bottle, which was about half-full, out of my bag.

“Vector,” I repeated. I scooted over to him and helped him lift his head enough to sip some water without choking on it. I took my knotted shirt and unknotted it, giving to him to wipe the tears and water off of his face. He rotated his head and looked up at me.

“Vector, why did you help me?” he asked, “you could’ve just killed me, saved your resources. Or taken my stuff and ran.” I squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

“I took an oath,” I explained, “I’m a doctor. This is what I do.”

“How can I—“ a cough stopped him mid-sentence, “repay you? I can get you food, water, supplies. I have a community. Just say the word and whatever you want is yours.” I leaned back and grabbed my spear, which I had dropped on the way in, and collapsed it fully, rolling back and forth on the floor between my hands.

“Honestly, I could just use directions to a certain place, I must be close to it by now. I’m looking for a safe zone, it’s called—“

“Alexandria.”

I cocked my head at him, my words catching in my mouth and my facial expression displaying my shock. “How did you know that?”

“It’s the only one around here. We’re only a couple miles out” he laughed. Despite my protests earlier, he used his upper body to pull himself up into a sitting position, leaning back against some boxes, “I’m actually from there. I’m a recruiter. I go out with my partner Eric, and we search for survivors, like yourself, and see who would make useful additions to our community. And hell, we could definitely use you.”

I couldn’t believe my luck.

“I’ve been looking for Alexandria for months.”

© message below & 'continue reading' divider were created by me. Three-heart divider was created by @/enchanthings.

[the-delta-42]

The Walking Dead Game What Ifs Master List

Reunions - What if Marlon & Brody survived and Clementine & AJ went back to Richmond? - 3 Parts - Complete

Between Reunions - the Ten Years between the start of Gabe and Clementine's relationship and Gabe's death - In progress

Jesse - What If Clementine had an Older Brother? - 4 Parts - WIP

Long Road Ahead - What if the whole Motel Group survived to the Final Season? - 4 Parts - In Progress

In the Pines - What if the whole Cabin Group survived to the Final Season? - 3 Parts - Planned

Big Brother - What if Luke was part of the Motel Group? - 3 Parts - Complete

Garcia - What if the Garcia's survived to the Final Season? - 2 Parts - Planned

Kids - What if all the Kids Survived to the Final Season? - 4 Parts - Planned

Everetts - What if Lee and Carley survived to The Final Season - 4 Parts - Planned

Sister - What if Sarah Survived to the Final Season? - 3 Parts - Planned

Duck - What if Duck Survived to the Final Season? - 4 Parts - Planned

Survivor - What if Lee survived to the Final Season? - 4 Parts - Planned

Rebecca - What if Rebecca survived to the Final Season? - 3 Parts - Planned

Bobby - What if Lee had a son? - 4 Parts - Planned

Kenny - What if Kenny survived to the Final Season - 2 Parts - Planned

Revenge - What if AJ died in The Final Season?

Kindness - What if Carver was a good guy?

Road Trip - What if the Motel group left the Motor Inn earlier? Prompt Submitted by @thecrusadercomrade on AO3

My Sunshine - What if AJ got bit instead of Clementine?

Take Us Back - What if Clementine died at the end of The Final Season?

Taken - What if all of the Ericson’s survivors were captured? TW: Implied/Referenced Torture and Rape/Non-Con.

Bruised - What if Carver attacked Clementine at the cabin?

Found - What if Kenny was leading Delta?

Hurt - What if Troy assaulted Clementine in the Comic Book Store? (TW: Implied/Refenced Rape/Non-Con)

Provisions - What if The Stranger joined the Motel Group?

Restoration - What if the Communities re-founded the USA?

Settle the Score - What if the New Frontier stole from the Saviors?

Captured - What if the Bandits captured the Motel group? Prompt submitted by BetterThanBrainiac on AO3 (TW: Rape/Non-Con, somewhat Graphic Violence and homophobic language)

Truth - What if Jane didn’t lie to Kenny and Clementine about AJ?

Protector - What if Kenny was Bitten instead of Duck? Submitted by Darkwubs on AO3

Paradise - What if Kenny, Clementine and AJ ended up in Alexandria? Submitted by Soundwavefan113

School - What if Lilly was the leader of the Boarding School? Submitted by Mr_Giancarlo on AO3

Bitten - What if Clementine got bit in the shed?

A Second Opinion - What if Carver had another doctor?

Ericson - What if the Cabin group found Ericson’s instead of the Ski Lodge? Prompt Submitted by Worker72 on AO3

Redemption - What if AJ wasn’t at McCarroll Ranch? Prompt Submitted by TheKnowitAll2008 on AO3

Outed - What if Lee’s past was exposed to everyone by Larry? Prompt Submitted by Darkwubs on AO3

Nurture - What if Katjaa got bit instead of Duck? Prompt Submitted by Spectacular Webhead 11 on FF.net

We lucky few - What if Lee, Lilly, Duck, and Clem were the only survivors of the St Johns? Prompt Submitted by BetterThanBrainiac on AO3

Child - What if Clementine found out AJ was at McCarroll Ranch before she met Javi? Prompt Submitted by Worker72 on AO3

Karma - What if Howes fell before Carver returned from the ski lodge? Prompt Submitted by Worker72 on AO3

Surviving Parent - What if Clementine’s Mother survived? Prompt Submitted by Worker72 on AO3

Nightmare - What if Clementine decided to kill all the Cabin Group members? Prompt Submitted by BetterThanBrainiac on AO3

Survive - What if Carver shot Clementine instead of Walter at the lodge? Prompt Submitted by Darkwubs on AO3

Trigger - What if Nick shot Clementine? Prompt Submitted by Guest on FF.net

Switch - What if Clementine died instead of Sarah? Prompt Submitted by SaltyStar_28 on AO3

Losses - What if St Johns succeeded in capturing and eating the Motel survivors? Prompt Submitted by Darkwubs on AO3

Negan - What if Clementine & AJ joined the Saviors instead of the New Frontier? Prompt Submitted by Spectacular Webhead 11 on FF.net

Carry On - What if the Motel Group went to Ericson's? Prompt Submitted by CRed1988 on FF.Net

Regret - What if Clementine left with Bonnie, Mike and Arvo? Submitted by @kiquedelic on Tumblr

Plot Twist - What if Molly was the Stranger? Prompt Submitted by BetterThanBrainiac on AO3

Parents - What if Clementine’s Parents were at home? Prompt submitted by Cred1988 on FF .net

Forged in Fire - What if Ben survived getting impaled? Prompt Submitted by TicciTomboy0 on AO3

Bit - What if Duck was bitten at the Pharmacy? Prompt Submitted by Darkwubs on AO3

Warning - What if Ben warned the Group about the bandits? Prompt Submitted by Darkwubs on AO3

Terminus - What if the Cabin group found Terminus? Prompt Submitted FilipBalogh on AO3 Author’s Note: The submitter has added the stipulation that Terminus didn’t resort to cannibalism.

Safe and Sound - What if the Motel and the Cabin Groups survived to TFS?

Compassion - What if Clementine saved Lilly and Minerva? Prompt issued by @buffboybucko and @rain-arrow09 on Tumblr

Boys - What if Louis and Aasim were traded instead of the twins?

Divided - What if Carver stopped the Cabin group’s second escape plan?

Savior - What if Negan was part of the Motel Group?

Ironic - What if Clementine and Kenny found the prison?

Witness - What if Brody survived?

What Price a Friend? - What if Javi died in ANF?

Military - What if the army settled at the Motel with the Motel Group?

Confrontation - What if Lee’s Ex-Wife was at the Pharmacy?

Split Second Decision - What if Clementine shot Nick?

Stay - What if Clementine wasn’t kicked out of the New Frontier?

Mafia - What if Lee was a Mobster instead of a Murderer?

Shock - What if Clementine’s parents were at Ericson’s? Inspired by TheCrusaderKing/@thecrusadercomrade on AO3 TW: Mentions of past rape/non-con

Teachers - What if Lee managed to save David Parker from the bear trap? Prompt Submitted by CRed1988 on FF .net

[arctic-space-penguin]

Tenth BTHB fic - Thrown Down The Stairs [Kaidan Kara Nage Otosa Reta] - 9981 words

Neko means cat and Raion means lion in Japanese

Hope Sterling Thorne - Leo Ace Yarrow - Donnie Neli (eagle mutant) - Mikey Olive Asato (Hope and Dove's cousin) - Raph [Dove Sterling Thorne - Hope's sister]

also as for ages: Hope, Leo, Donnie, and Olive are 29; Raph and Ace are 30; Mikey and Neli are 28; Casey is 33; April and Cass are 31; Dove is 37

Tw: IMPLIED/REFERENCED sexual assault (which means it's NOT shown explicitly!), non-con, rape recovery, drinking, self-harm

(makes a rating system and doesn't use it, couldn't be me)

Me: *mentions someone getting thrown down the stairs once and never again* this is fine :)

---

Hope woke up with a groan.

"Finally awake, hm?" an unfamiliar deep voice asked.

She tried to get her arms under herself, but they gave out before she could get into a less vulnerable sitting position. The man chuckled, bent over, and lifted her up by her arms onto the bed nearby.

"Where am I?" she demanded weakly.

Her question went unanswered. The man, revealed to be a lion, was glancing her up and down as if in a trance.

"What are you doing?"

"Admiring your form," he replied. "You are surprisingly lithe for a cat mutant. Normally only yokai are like that."

She narrowed her eyes. "One, I have a husband creep. Two, I do something called exercise everyday."

He got closer to her. Close enough that she had to lean back to not be so close.

"You don't have anyone but me anymore, Neko."

She snarled, lifting her arms up to shove him away. He simply grabbed her wrists and held them above her head. She eyed her legs, but he had thought ahead, having them pinned down by his already.

"You do anything to me and you will regret it later," she warned.

He chuckled. "I'm sure I will. Wait here, I have something for you."

She launched herself to her feet as soon as his weight vanished from on top of her. She silently assessed her situation, tail flicking back and forth in agitation.

She was taking a walk with Leo in the Hidden City market when something in an alley had caught her eye. She had told Leo to wait while she checked it out, but she never did come back out did she?. That stupid lion's chloroform worked too fast.

He had this planned.

That was her last thought before the door to whatever room she was in opened again. But it wasn't the male lion that opened it, it was a younger female one. Before Hope could say something, she closed the door and left. A few seconds later, the male lion came back in.

"Here." he held out a black collar studded with small agate and amethyst stones. "It matches how pretty you are."

She resisted the urge to gag or flinch at that comment. He came closer and clipped it closed around her neck.

"Perfect. Now. There is an outfit ready for you in the closet by the door."

Hope kept her eyes on him as she made her way over to the closet (a walk-in one, cool). Hanging from the ceiling was a kimono. Not too short and not too long either; white decorated with a cherry blossom flower design.

"What's the occasion?" she asked hesitantly.

"I am having people over and you're going to be present wearing that. But..." he explained.

She rolled her eyes and approached the kimono. He came up behind her to rest his hands on her shoulders.

"You cannot say a single word even when addressed. You cannot lay a hand on any of the guests. You must obey when asked to do something. And if you don't..." he trailed off to slowly circle her mouth with a finger. "You'll get something less than pretty on your face."

"You'd muzzle me?" she took the sleeve of the kimono in her hand.

He leaned down to get close to her ear. "Or some other punishment worthy of your body," his hands previously on her shoulders trailed down to her legs as he spoke.

She swallowed down fear a snarky comment and finally removed the dress from the hook it was on. He smiled, walked to the door, and turned back around to say something else.

"One hour until they arrive. There's a bathroom across the hall with makeup you can use."

With that, he was gone. Hope took a deep breath and prepared herself mentally for the night. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and pulled the (admittedly beautiful, don't tell him she said that) kimono down to cover as much as it could. She took another deep breath before heading to the bathroom.

The young female lion from before was inside. Hope froze at the entrance, but was beckoned inside.

"Koko," the lioness handed Hope a mascara bottle.

"Arigatō," Hope took it gratefully.

The lioness finished the lipstick she had been doing and popped her lips. "You don't have to speak Japanese to me. And sorry for walking in on you earlier." she continued when Hope didn't speak. "They aren't here yet, you can talk. My names Fumiko."

"Hope," the cat said. "Not your fault I was naked."

Fumiko hummed. "Yeah, Dad's not the greatest. You're the fifth one he's brought in like this. Sometimes I can see why he brought in one, but most I can't. You are definitely one I can."

Hope put the bottle down and grabbed the lipstick. "That's reassuring."

Fumiko titled her head curiously. "I have a feeling you won't be as quick to break as they were. Yokai normally are quick to go, but mutants last longer if I've learned anything from the one other he brought in."

Hope sighed and tossed the lipstick down haphazardly. "Well, thank you Fumiko, but I should be going."

"Wait, you have thirty minutes," the lioness reminded her. "Let me do your hair?"

"Neko."

The lion's voice interrupted anything Hope would have said. Fumiko slammed the bathroom door closed before he could poke his head in.

"I'm going to do her hair, Dad! It'll only take a few more minutes!" She shouted.

"Fumiko, young lady, you are not doing this again!" he growled.

"I am and you can't stop me!" the lioness locked the door under her voice to disguise the click it made.

Hope had to admit she was kinda impressed at this girl's bravery against her father. Fumiko sat her down on the toilet after he had stomped off.

"I'm quite curious about your life before... this whole situation," Fumiko whispered, tone matching her words, pulling a brush from one of the sink drawers. "Tell me, how old are you?"

"Twenty-nine," Hope replied.

Fumiko ran the brush through her hair slowly. "Oldest so far. Most don't have family other then their parents. Do you have family like that?"

"...yes."

Don't reveal more than necessary, Thorne, don't reveal more than necessary.

The brushing continued and finished in silence.

"When my dad comes to get you, call him Raion. If he calls you Neko, it's only fair."

Hope nodded. "I'll... keep that in mind. Thank you."

Fumiko didn't acknowledge Hope when Raion got the door unlocked and open.

"Ah, Neko, good, you're done," he greeted enthusiastically. "Everyone should start arriving in about ten minutes and I want you with me."

Hope nodded again. "Hai."

He smiled, grabbed her wrist, and tugged her from the bathroom to the front door. Fumiko appeared on Raion's other side when she was ready, but he sent her to the kitchen to get the food ready instead.

Her legs were starting to get tired from standing from so long when it finally opened to reveal a bird yokai. Raion welcomed him in eagerly.

"Ay, Kenzo!" the bird playfully punched the lion's shoulder, sparing her a glance. "Got a fifth now, did you?"

"Sure did. Much stronger than the last four, I just know it," Raion nudged the bird back.

She flinched every time piercing eyes landed on her as the night went on. Raion had made her stay by him most of the time unless drinks or other were needed. But during the third trip to the drinks, a dog yokai resembling Ace approached her.

"Kenzo told me you couldn't speak tonight, pretty," he spoke lowly as if he didn't want anyone to hear. "Right?"

She grabbed a wine bottle but didn't say a word. The dog chuckled, catching Raion's eye for a split-second for permission. When he got it, she was whisked away into the room she had woken up in. He quickly locked the door and she suddenly feared for what would happen.

What she wasn't expecting was for him to turn to her with wide eyes. "What are you doing here?"

She raised an eyebrow in question, trying to keep to the silence rule. He started pacing.

"I won't tell Kenzo you talked. Please, what are you doing here?" he pleaded.

She straightened her back in surprise. "Why do you want to know?"

His gaze snapped to her. "Do you know who Ace is?"

"You are his father!" It was her turn to widen her eyes. "I could ask you what you're doing here too!"

"Shh! I know it looks bad, but I promise I'm only here because I was invited," he explained.

"Yeah," she hissed. "By the one that kidnapped me when I just wanted to spend time with my husband."

He muttered a few somethings to himself before a knock came from the door. He jumped away like he had been shocked.

"Why do I hear Neko talking in there?" Raion asked. "She knows what will happen if she talks."

Hope snapped her mouth shut, teeth clicking. The shepherd kept looking between her and the door nervously.

"She wasn't talking! We were just... playing a game to see if I could guess what her voice sounds like! ...I guess I got it right," he shouted back eventually.

She facepalmed. This was not the dad that Ace had told her so much about. This one was too nervous and fidgety, not confident at all. Raion audibly rolled his eyes on the other side of the door.

"If that's it, get her back out here for someone else. And we still need more drinks!" Raion added before he went back to his seat.

Ace's dad turned to her with a much more calm expression. "I will tell my son about this. You will--" He broke off and one of his ears lifted, voice dropping so low she could barely hear it. "We will get you out of here. I've seen what he does to people he kidnaps, but I need you to bear through it like the strong person Ace said you are. Please."

She nodded resolutely. She could handle herself for now. Raion crashed the door in right as the shepherd finished talking, stormed right up to Hope to grab her wrist, and dragged her out of the room.

"Get. The. Drinks," he snarled.

She got the wine bottle again and swiftly obeyed, praying he wasn't mad because she had talked. She had half a mind to let a thought of he shouldn't be telling me what to do float through her head. When she was able to return to Raion's side after putting the bottle down, the collar started to feel too tight on her throat, reminding her of its existence. All the feeling in her left side went to where his hand rested on her waist.

Any command thrown her way she followed, no matter how embarrassing it was. She just really didn't want to get punished more than she knew she would for talking. No words while doing them, just like Raion's rule she pretended to not have broken already. Eventually, everyone got tired and left, making Hope realize that she hadn't seen Ace's father exit the room.

Raion took her right back into that room when no one was left in the house except for them and his daughter. The lion jammed and locked the door before whirling on her.

"You talked," he pointed an accusatory finger at her. "I warned you what would happen," he shredded his shirt and pants, pieces falling to the floor. "Now let's see how long you can last, little kitty."

"Please please please, I'm sorry!" she cried, backing away quickly. "He said he wouldn't--"

Raion picked her up and threw her onto the bed. He was on top of her a second later, pining her arms above her head just like before. She whimpered, screamed, and cried desperate tears as he pounded into her in any way he could, but no one outside could do anything to help her.

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

"Ace! Ace, hey!" Leo waved his hand to get the shepherd's attention.

Ace straightened at the sound of his voice and turned in his direction. "Leo?"

The slider leaned over once he reached Ace to catch his breath before standing back up and beginning to explain. "Hope said she saw something in some alley and went to check it out, but she never came back out, so I went in too to see why she wasn't coming, but all I saw was an abandoned cloth and--"

"Woah, woah, slow down," Ace put his hands on Leo's shoulders to ground him. "You're saying Hope's gone?"

Leo nodded shakily. Ace glanced behind him right as a customer left his restaurant and pushed Leo inside to the back, sitting him down in an empty seat.

"Look, um, maybe we could tell the police about this?" Ace suggested, earning a flat stare. "I know they might not be that reliable, but they're the only choice we have!"

"Even so, there is no way we're getting them involved in this. Are you able to close right now?" Leo asked.

"Uh..." Ace paused to think. "I suppose I could..."

Leo leapt up from his chair. "Great! I'll even help you!"

Ace scrambled after him out of the small office. They managed to get everyone in the place out (without yelling) in two minutes. Then they headed immediately for the lair to tell the rest of the family. And by the rest of the familly, they mean the rest of the family.

Raph, Mikey, Donnie, Olive, Neli, April, Draxum, Casey. Heck, even Cassandra and Dove came over as quick as they could.

"Where is she? What happened?" Cass demanded.

"She just vanished! I swear I don't know where she went!" Leo held his hands up in surrender.

Cass backed off after April calmed her down a little, but she was still suspicious because her best friend doesn't just vanish. Olive took the initiative to speak next.

"How are we going to find her if what you said was true?" she asked timidly.

"I don't know, but--"

"Wait, my dad!" Ace interrupted suddenly. "He's friends with a yokai that's works in close quarters with the Three Heads! He could try to convince him to help!"

"That's an... idea," Leo agreed.

"What's the friend's name?" Neli wondered.

Ace sighed and tried to remember. "Oh! It's Ke... Kenzo! That's right!"

That made Draxum narrow his eyes. "That lion is bad news. He was accused of kidnapping someone's daughter when I was still living down there."

Leo flicked his eyes to the goat. "Was there any evidence?"

Draxum shook his head.

The slider pinched the top of his beak. "If there wasn't, then he might not be guilty. We have to try."

"I'll ask my dad when I get home," Ace said.

"Home..." Leo held his breath. "I gotta get home! Inari, her kits! We'll talk more about this later!"

In a split second, he yanked a sword out, had a portal, and hurried through it. The five foxes greeted him with hungry and furious barks. He sheathed his sword back and headed for the cabinet that held their food.

"Sorry, Dad got distracted."

They made excited sounds when the food was dumped into their bowls. He settled on the couch anxiously and watched them eat without really registering anything. The only thoughts and images going through his head were ones of how to get Hope back. He didn't notice when Flicker had approached him until she was curled up comfortably in his lap.

Her soft fur calmed him down a little. He slowly ran his hand down her back. Falcon crept up and nosed open his pouch to pull out the cloth with his teeth and whine. He faced the orange fox and gently tried to take it back, but Falcon didn't let go.

"Mom's gone right now, bud," he whispered. "I need the cloth."

Falcon growled, tore it from his grip, and rushed to their bedroom. He sighed and got up to follow. The sight he walked in to made him decide to not take the cloth back. Falcon had gotten it on his head and put his paws over it. Finch trotted in behind him and found a position next to her brother. Leo stared for a few seconds before he felt paws grapple at the back of his shell. He helped whichever fox it was by reaching his hands back.

Pads hit his palms. A head rested on top of his. Then his legs were headbutted. He twisted his head to glance back and see Flint and Flicker do it again, which left Inari to be the one he was holding. Flint and Flicker headbutted him for a third time with added barks.

"Okay, okay, I'll go inside," he chuckled.

When he reached the bed, Inari got off him. He was pushed onto the bed and adjusted himself to be more comfortable. The foxes all found spots around him and closed their eyes. He cast his gaze over each of them.

They don't deserve to have their mom disappear like this.

Meanwhile, Ace had walked home the long way.

"Mom, Clem, I'm home!" he called when he got there.

His mom came rushing out from the kitchen. "Oh, Ace, thank goodness, there you are!" she captured him in a hug. "Where were you?"

"I was at my restaurant all day," he replied, tilting his head. "Leo came by and said that Hope went missing, so I had to go to the lair."

She took a deep breath. "That's right, I'm sorry. Clem is in her room if you want her."

"I was actually looking for Dad," he told her.

"Oh, your father left for Kenzo's a while ago for some party or other," she waved dismissively. "He'll be back soon, I'm sure."

He huffed. "I was going to ask him to convince Kenzo to help us find Hope."

She registered his words this time. "When did she go missing?"

"Also a while ago, give or take," he replied.

"Hopefully you find her soon!" his mom exclaimed. "She was always really nice! Speaking of coming over, you should invite that turtle you like to dinner again sometime!"

"I will when she's found, Mom," he laughed.

Back to Leo, when he woke up in the morning, it was to Inari dropping his phone on his face and many, many distressed texts. The most concerning one was from Ace.

Guys, my dad didn't come back home last night from a party at Kenzo's

Leo was out of bed in a blink, sending an be at the lair in a sec and jostling the still-sleeping foxes around him. "Sorry, guys. Looks like we have to go back to the lair."

The slider snatched his swords from beside the bed where Inari had probably put them and made a portal. The five foxes happily went through before him for him to follow. Everyone was gathered in the living room when they appeared.

"We need to go to Kenzo's to see what's going on," was the first thing he said.

Draxum sighed. "If we all go, he'll know somethings up."

"Then only one or two of us should go," Raph suggested.

"I have to be one of them that does, since my dad's there," Ace added.

"Just because your dad didn't come home from this Kenzo's house doesn't mean he's there," Cass broke in quickly. "But I want to be the second to go."

Leo shook his head. "Ace and Draxum are going. If Ace's dad is still there, then what Draxum mentioned earlier about the kidnapping thing is true, making Kenzo a possible reason for Hope's disappearance unlike I previously thought, in which case we should send two people least likely to try and pull a rescue attempt then and there."

Cass grumbled, but everyone else seemed to agree.

"If she's there, but not Ace's dad, then what do we do?" Mikey wondered.

Leo turned to his little brother. "I'm glad you asked because that wouldn't be true. If he's still there, then-- wait. Wait, if he went to the party and she was there then he would've seen her! Ace, does your dad know what she looks like?!"

Ace's eyes brightened in realization. "He does!" his excited expression fell immediately. "But if you're going where I think you're going, then he's probably hurt or tied up or both."

"I know, but it's a probable scenario. Okay, Ace and Draxum go to Kenzo's and ask if he's seen Ace's dad. The rest of us will wait for a confirming call from either before coming up with a plan to rescue anybody, got it?" Leo glanced at everyone in turn.

He got collective nods.

"Perfect. In the meantime, how about some movies to get our minds off of this clearly dire situation?"

The movie marathon made a few fall asleep. Leo couldn't sleep, however, mind too crowded with different way this could all go down (most weren't great). In one, Kenzo decided to kill Hope and Ace's dad. In another, Hope was forced to do many things she wasn't allowed to protest on. In a third, Hope was punished for something oh-so menial.

The shepherd and goat had left for the Hidden City as soon as the plan was decided and movie started.

Ace had almost never been alone with Draxum before, but the walk was less awkward than he thought it would be.

"I don't believe I was told how you and Donatello met," Draxum whispered eventually (so no one would call the cops on him).

Ace was admittedly startled, but conversation was conversation. "Oh, uh, we met when Leo and Hope dragged Donnie to my parent's restaurant make him try something new."

Draxum hummed and went silent. Ace nervously wrung his wrists as they got closer and closer to Kenzo's house.

When it finally came into view and they reached the front door, Ace took a deep breath and knocked. Muffled curses and stumbles could be heard from the other side. Ace and Draxum exchanged a quick glance before the door opened to Kenzo.

"Ah, the Great Baron Draxum himself!" the lion greeted. "Please, come inside both of you!"

Ace and Draxum exchanged another understanding glance before stepping into the large house. Kenzo shut the door behind them.

"I wasn't expecting guests, but I'll get someone to clean the place," He told them. "You can sit or do whatever you would like."

Draxum cleared his throat. "We came to ask if you had seen Ace's father."

The shepherd nodded. "He came here last night for a party and didn't come home."

Kenzo stiffened and turned to them with a carefully neutral face. "Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that. I have not seen him since he left, unfortunately."

Ace glared after the lion as he left for a different room.

"Don't do anything rash," Draxum reminded, noticing his expression. "If the way he was speaking was any indication, she might be the one he was talking about."

Sure enough, as if on cue, the familiar figure of Hope exited the room Kenzo had went into on shaking legs. She had gotten on step out of it when she looked up and saw them, making the lion run into her and have to push her on.

"Move it, Neko. Our guests and I expect a perfectly clean house," he commanded.

Ace watched her with wide eyes. The kimono looked nice at least, if one ignored the blood stains and rips. Kenzo suddenly got between Ace and her, blocking his view.

"Neko is mine. She belongs to me now," he warned.

"No, sorry, I wasn't--" Ace awkwardly cleared his throat. "Sorry."

Kenzo seemed satisfied with that and backed off. "But she is a beauty isn't she?"

Ace paled, not at all in agreement or wanting to answer that. "Uh, y-yeah. I guess..."

Fortunately, Draxum had obviously had enough.

"If Kenzo doesn't know where your father is, we should be going. Ace, come on."

Ace gratefully scurried for the door, but Kenzo wasn't done. The lion smirked with their backs to him.

"I'm afraid I cannot let you leave."

"And why not?" Draxum demanded without turning around.

"You two are companions of N--"

He didn't get to finish. Vines had sent him flying across the room. Ace grabbed onto the doorknob, but it wouldn't open. They were trapped.

A lioness came hurtling down the hallway with the rooms, unbeknownst to them all. She gaped at both what was happening and at who she saw.

"Ace?!"

The shepherd startled and spun around. "Fumiko!"

"What are you doing here?!" she asked.

"Trying to find my dad!" he replied.

"Liar."

Ace didn't have time to react before he was roughly grabbed by the arm and dragged to a door. Fumiko tried to get her father to let him go, but Kenzo merely smacked her away, opened the door, and threw Ace down the steps.

Thankfully the lights were on, otherwise the door slamming and locking would have been the tiniest bit more terrifying than it was to make him start panicking. He scanned the small basement, but nothing caught his eye before he got away from the stairs.

As soon as he spotted his dad tied up, a yelp came from the top of the stairs. He caught Fumiko in a blink, helping her steady herself. She huffed and yanked away when she was able to stand again to sit in a far corner of the room. He sighed and a thought floated through his head.

Where had Draxum gone?

Back at the lair, Leo (and the foxes) was the only one left watching the movies. Everyone else had gotten too anxious.

All his attention was on the projector screen. Only when a magenta glow illuminated him from behind did his concentration break. Inari and her kits leapt to their paws, ready to defend him before realizing who it was.

"Leonardo," Draxum rumbled from above.

"Draxum," Leo tilted his head back. "Where's Ace?"

The goat took a step back, making Leo sit up and twist to keep his eyes on him. When Draxum didn't answer, someone else did.

"Oh, the shepherd was captured by the lion who thought he could take my sister and get away with it."

Leo flicked his gaze to the ceiling where the voice came from. A cloaked figure fell and landed skillfully before removing the hood and mask. Dove glided forward, clicked the projector off, and casually leaned against the wall that appeared behind her.

"I'm not one to meddle in other's business, but it's hard not to when your sister was kidnapped," she leaned to the side and was about to hit the floor before vanishing in a blink. "Especially when she also has a family outside of me and mom," she appeared again in front of Leo and pressed a finger to the tip of his beak, then was gone again. "And Draxum too as a replacement dad that I also may or may not want."

The goat and slider finally caught up with her. Dove waved cheekily from where she had stopped.

Leo sighed. "So Ace has also been kidnapped. Third person we know that has. At least we know for sure that this Kenzo guy was the one we need to go after."

Dove nodded and hummed in a teasing way. "You know, I probably could've told you who had done this."

"Wha-- Then why didn't you?!" Leo sputtered.

"Like I said, not one to meddle in other people's business," she shrugged. "I can tell you have a plan, though. Who would you like me to get? I recommend the strongest fighters like Cassandra or Draxum here."

Leo groaned. Dove was always so... ugh, he didn't even have the right word right now. "We only need the ones who are prepared to fight to get Hope out of there now. Cass is the only other one I can think of besides us."

"Olive may not look tough, but she can be when she needs to. Plus, she's our cousin, so I don't see why--"

"No," Draxum interrupted. "Olive would only get killed if she went. Kenzo fights dirty, he'll go for whatever or whoever he thinks is the weakest first."

"Fine, I suppose you're right, I was watching too," Dove relented. "Just Cassandra then?"

Leo nodded and she blinked away with a smirk. He glanced at the foxes around him, an additional idea sparking up in his mind.

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

Hope woke up in the morning to Raion waking (he had apparently fallen asleep on top of her).

He pushed himself up and smiled down at her. "Didn't mean to wake you too, pretty," he punctuated his words with a kiss she didn't have the guts to push him away for.

She remained frozen on the bed even as he got off. He left the room in silence and she released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She brought her hands up to cover her face and sobbed. It was her fault that last night had happened. She shouldn't have talked. If Ace's dad had just left her--

Wait.

Ace's dad!

Where had he even gone? She had never seen him leave this room after Raion had dragged her out. She really hoped he was safe and okay so she could get out of here soon.

A distant knock echoed through the house. Raion stumbled out of the other room had gone into, trying to get pants on at the same time. The sight only made her sob more.

She heard him open the door and say something. Two more pairs of footsteps joined his a second later as whoever it was entered the house. She curled her hurting legs closer to her chest and turned her back to the open door before resolving to get up in case he came back.

When she tried to stand up, her legs almost gave out, forcing her to grip the bed tight to stay on her feet. She was given a few minutes to adjust before he inevitably reentered the room.

"Come, the house needs cleaning, we have guests," he commanded.

She hurried as quickly as she could to do the door so he wouldn't get her out himself. It seemed to work... until she turned the corner to see Draxum and Ace standing in the living room, making her freeze right there.

What were they doing here? They were just here for Ace's dad, right? Surely that had to be it! There's no way they would come here to save her without everyone else, right?!

Raion nudged her from behind. "Move it, Neko. Our guests and I expect a perfectly clean house."

She mouthed an "Hai," no one could see or hear, then scrambled across the room painfully slowly to reach the kitchen. She felt eyes on her the whole way until they were blocked.

"Neko is mine. She belongs to me now," Raion told whoever had been watching.

"No, sorry, I wasn't--" She heard Ace awkwardly clear his throat. "Sorry."

"But she is a beauty isn't she?"

"Uh, y-yeah. I guess..."

Her hands slipped off the handle of the cabinet she had reached down to open.

"If Kenzo doesn't know where your father is, we should be going. Ace, come on."

Footsteps all-too-eagerly went for the door. She grabbed a bottle of cleaner from the cabinet.

"I'm afraid I cannot let you leave."

Oh no, he knew. How did he know?! He hadn't heard what Ace's dad told her last night did he?!

"And why not?"

"You two are companions of N--"

A crashing sound interrupted whatever Raion would've said. Hope startled, poking her head over the top of the counter behind her to get a better look. Her view of the purple vines made it obvious what had happened. That's when Fumiko came running from her room at the commotion. Hope saw her widen her eyes at Ace.

"Ace?!"

The shepherd practically leapt through the roof and spun around. "Fumiko?!"

Hope paled and slid to the floor with her back against the counter. A rough, yet soothing hand on her face and whispered words calmed her down a little, but vanished as quickly as they had appeared. The next sounds she heard were yips and a shout a minute later.

Raion loomed over her, hauling her up by her arm. "Stay in your room for the rest of the day. I might be in there later to keep you company in my way, but don't count on it."

She nodded stiffly and obeyed as soon as he released her arm. It still wasn't easy with aching legs, but it would stop soon, she knew that much. If only his words hadn't suggested reversing that process too early.

An idea flashed quickly through her mind.

Raion would be in his room, right? He wouldn't be able to see if she left her room? Maybe.

With that small reassurance, she headed for the door. She had accidentally left it open a crack, but that made it easier. She slipped out and darted for the closest door that wasn't the bathroom.

She closed the door as quietly as she could, starting down the stairs slowly in case she stepped on one wrong. She heard the voices of Ace and Fumiko below, which made her trip. She covered her head to protect it from the concrete at the bottom of the steps and closed her eyes, but no collision ever came (why would someone leave concrete as the floor of their basement?).

She felt herself being moved in a hurry to be sat against a wall.

"--pe! You're okay for now, what are you doing down here?"

She slowly peeled her eyes back open to see Ace and Fumiko staring down at her with concerned eyes. Hope's face scrunched up and tears flowed down her face like waterfalls. Ace shifted himself to be sitting next to her. Fumiko did the same on the other side.

"Leo has a plan," Ace whispered. "He's coming and you are going to get out of here."

Hope lifted her head and wet her lips to try to speak before her gaze landed on what she wanted to ask about. Ace and Fumiko glanced at each other nervously. Ace's dad was tied up on the wall under the stairs, bloody with a few scars. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it only looked like it hurt, which made her sob more.

"Hey, hey," Ace got in front of her. "Hope, you're okay. I need to know if my dad promised to help you."

No, no, she couldn't talk. Raion had said he would punish her if she did, and she didn't want to have that done to her again. Ace's father coughed, readying himself to rasp something out.

"Kenzo made a rule... that she couldn't speak. I thought it was just for the p-party, but he might have applied it outside of that too. But I--" he broke off to cough again. "I did try. Kenzo approached me when the night was over and brought me down here."

I'm so sorry.

Hope curled in on herself. That's when the door to the basement was slammed open and almost came off the hinges from the force alone. She couldn't help the high pitched whine that tore itself from her throat. Raion had found her and know her life was over.

She was never getting out of here.

Raion stormed angrily down the steps towards them. Ace and Fumiko stood defiantly in between her and him, but he was much stronger and got past them easily. Hope slowly craned her neck up to look into his eyes.

"I thought I told you to stay in your room for the rest of the day."

She turned her eyes back down and they glazed over. He narrowed his eyes.

"I might just punish you in front of your pathetic friends."

There was a long beat of silence before she was being hauled up unforgivably and pressed into the wall.

"NO!"

The air became tense the second that word was screamed. She didn't know who had done it, but her throat was extra sore now and everyone's eyes were on her.

"What did you just say?" Raion growled.

She wet her lips again, but words left her like before. She wasn't allowed to speak, so why did--

Her mind erased all thoughts when the punishment started. She was reduced to screaming and crying within moments, just like the first time. Ace and Fumiko were too frozen to do anything but watch.

Then everything happened oh-so quickly when Dove teleported in like planned. Hope was shoved impossibly further into the wall one second and the next she fell to the floor like a ragdoll or a puppet cut of its strings.

"Move!" Hope heard distantly.

Familiar barks filled Hope's ears, making her sit upright and try to stand. Raion toppled to the ground, drowned in orange, black, and bordering-on-white fur. The smile that would've normally come at seeing such a thing would have appeared, but it was prevented by fear of punishment.

In Hope's hurry to get as far away from him as she could, she didn't notice the three new people who had joined the scene until she had run into them. She heard her fox's yips behind her as they were tossed off of Raion so he could stand. Leo, Cass, Draxum, Dove, Ace, Fumiko, and (finally untied) Ace's dad all blocked Raion's view and path to Hope. Her five fox babies squeezed between their tight line to get to her side and cover her in frantic, frightened licks.

"You're never going to touch her again," Leo growled. "Dove."

Hope's sister took the steps it took to reach Raion and place one finger on his nose. "Oops."

The lion only had time to widen his eyes before he vanished in a haze of multicolored dots.

Dove spun back around. "Leo."

The slider completed the swing of his swords he had started. A portal big enough to fit all of them opened under their feet. Hope hugged the closest fox even closer as she fell through. Only when she was on the metal floor did she register how close everyone was.

And that made her scramble backward, releasing the fox in her grip. Her breaths grew faster as she dragged her gaze over everyone before her. Dove pushed herself off the floor and swept her cloak back behind her. The six others took a step back to avoid it hitting them.

Dove slowly took the two steps to reach Hope, sank to her knees, and gently reached her hands to grab her sister's.

Then leaned forward and started crying.

Dove never cries.

Why is Dove crying?

"I am so sorry," Dove sobbed. "I should have been there to stop you in the first place."

Hope's eyes squeezed together and tears began to fall from her eyes too. Dove raised Hope's hand to slip her fingers in between hers.

"I know I haven't always been there for you, and I'm sorry about that too, but you got hurt this time," Dove used her free hand to cup Hope's cheek. "I will never leave your side again, you can be sure of that. Make up for--"

Hope interrupted Dove's apology by yanking her into a hug. The older accepted it easily, burying her face in her sister's shoulder, staining the bit of kimono there with tears. Dove realized Hope still had it on and pulled away, lifting a hand to use her mystics.

"Let's get you out of this thing then watch a movie you like or whatever."

Leo started to follow after them, but that was when the entire rest of the family left their places of solitude to see what was going on. Olive in particular almost burst into tears at the sight of her cousin back home. Dove offered Olive a smile and beckoned her to join them.

Leo let a smile of his own grace his face at the sight of his wife happy again. Mikey threw his arm around his neck.

"Guess you're stuck with us, Lee," the box turtle sighed.

"I guess so," Leo agreed with a chuckle, casting a final look over his shoulder before willingly being pushed along to who knows where.

Hope let Dove shred the bloodied and torn kimono into strips then take a step back to make a better outfit. Olive approached from behind Hope to unbuckle the collar and let it hit the floor.

"Oh, I got the perfect thing!" Dove exclaimed.

A black shirt with a white outline of buildings and baggy jeans adorned with sown stars appeared in Hope's arms.

Dove nodded confidently. "Yeah, that should do. And you'll never have to see or wear another kimono again if that's what keeps you from remembering."

"What are we going to do with this?" Olive held the collar as far away from herself as she could.

"Same place I sent him," Dove snatched it away and they watched it vanish.

(Somewhere in a really dark cell, Kenzo was pelted with the stones previously on the collar.)

Dove dusted her hands off victoriously. Hope finally got the clothes on after getting distracted. Her older sister seemed to remember something and faced her excitedly.

"Ready to not be in your mutant form again for a really long time?"

Hope nodded eagerly. Oh boy, was she. And she probably wouldn't wear it into Ace's restaurant for a long time either. But, just as the cat features returned to being human ones, her face crumpled and she cried again. Movies sounded terrible now; all she wanted to do was take a shower, but she couldn't say that, just had to do what she was told or risk being punished.

Dove and Olive were quick to wrap her in a hug, whispering that it would be okay.

It won't be okay.

Hope pushed them both away. Prolonged contact like that made her skin prickle.

Just like Donnie.

She tossed her head side to side, looking for something. Someone perhaps.

Leo.

Hope ran out of wherever they were. Her eyes landed on Leo's train car. He would be in there, wouldn't he? Doesn't hurt to try. Right before she reached the door, however, Dove was blocking her way in a blink. Hope tried to push past her, but Dove didn't budge.

"Tell me what's wrong," Dove begged.

"Just get out of my way!" Hope shouted.

Dove widened her eyes. Hope did too when she realized what she had done.

("What did you just say?")

She scrambled backwards before spinning around and hurtling for the bathroom.

(She needed a shower.)

Something stopped her from closing and locking the door. She stiffened, praying it wasn't Dove. Thankfully, it was who she had been searching for before she had shouted. Leo's eyes were only filled with concern for her.

She grabbed his forearm and yanked him into the bathroom, going to lock it, but he still stopped her.

"Leave it open for now," he murmured. "What's wrong?"

She lifted her eyes to stare into his and shook her head firmly. He frowned.

You know no one here will hurt you.

She shook her head again to clear it. Leo sighed and took Hope's hands in his.

"Say something, anything," he pleaded.

Let him hear your voice again, Thorne.

"I'm sorry."

He straightened his back in surprise.

"I went into that alley."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued anyway, suddenly eager to make herself hurt later.

"I made you worry about me when I was fine."

He shook his head. "You were kidnapped, that doesn't make you 'fine'."

"I was fine," she repeated. "I only want to go home and take a shower right now."

"I agree with the slider, you were not 'fine'."

They both blinked up at Dove dangling from the ceiling. Hope's older sister stood up from the sitting position and circled them, cloak dragging on the floor.

"I saw what happened, sis. I wouldn't have cried if I did not," Dove stopped with her face in Hope's. "The question is when you will be ready to tell him about what really happened in that basement and maybe somewhere else too."

Hope turned her head to the side and glared at the floor. "I never will be. He doesn't deserve to know what happened there."

Dove sighed and finally descended from the ceiling to stand in front of Hope. "He's your husband, imōto. He loves you no matter what, and you love him too." Dove spun Hope around to face Leo. "He won't blame you and you shouldn't blame yourself either."

Hope let Leo cup her face with both hands and raise it. He searched her eyes for something before slowly bringing their faces closer. Dove turned the other way, but a small smile curved her mouth upward.

The kiss they met in wasn't heated like usual, but rather soft and meant to be comforting. He was the one to end it after a half a minute.

"You can tell me. Please. I don't you to think you can't tell me whatever is."

She hesitated a second too long. Dove stood on the ceiling once more to be closer to his tympanum. Whatever she was saying (it wasn't good, run, he's going to blame you) made his eyes widen. Hope avoided his gaze when it turned angry and dangerous.

"I'm going to kill him," Leo snarled.

"Unless you'd like to try to find him in a cell that totally doesn't exist at the spider's new Sports Nexus, I don't recommend doing that," Dove said.

He shrugged.

"Can we please go home?" Hope asked timidly. "I just want... to..."

Whatever strength she had gained in her legs vanished in a blink and she sank to the floor. Leo caught her under her arms before she could hit the floor.

"Okay," he took a deep breath. "We'll go home."

He lifted his free hand up to his mouth to whistle. Inari and her four kits came hurrying into the bathroom. Dove offered them all what she hopes was a reassuring smile, raising her hand to hold it out palm up. He paused before pressing a finger to it.

"Thank you for everything you've done so far."

"She's my sister," Dove reminded him back. "I'd do anything for her. ...Even if it came down to destroying the world."

"I don't doubt it."

With that, Leo put his finger into the center of Dove's palm and the group in front of her disappeared in a mix of purple, black, and white spots.

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

A week following, Hope was doing better, breakdowns becoming few and far between. Or at least it would seem that way.

{Family Group Chat - 

[DonnieH: I need a willing test subject.]

[WifeST: I can do it]

[HusbandH: anyone but her]

[AceY: come on, this is the first time she's wanted to do something since she came home Leo!]

[DoveST: what he said]

[HusbandH: how did you even get on here?!]

[OliveA: I invited her on, she's family too]

[HusbandH: oh, and Raph just invited you on too]

[RaphH: Raph did]

[DonnieH: I wanted someone to help me, not start an argument, prolonged sigh.]

[HusbandH: whatever Hope can do it but if she ends up getting hurt again then I will personally pay you a visit Dee]

[WifeST: hey, I can handle myself, thank you]

[HusbandH: I didnt say you couldn't]

[WifeST: it was implied]

[HusbandH: maybe but I can worry about you all I want]

[DonnieH: Can you two fight literally anywhere else?]}

Nobody expected what she did the night after that conversation.

She crept out of the bathroom once Leo had fallen asleep, to the kitchen and knife display before hurrying into the bathroom. Inari and Falcon tried to follow her in, but she closed them out to prepare herself for what she was about to do.

She pressed the cold steel to her arm and took a deep breath. The knife tore through skin multiple times before the pain from the cuts overturned that of the burning sensation that had been between her legs for two days now.

Unbeknownst to her, Inari and Falcon had caught the scent of her blood and went back into the bedroom to paw and lick Leo awake. The slider grumbled and attempted to push them away, but they didn't give in.

Leo was paid back with more slobber on his face when the other foxes woke up and smelled the same thing. The smell only got stronger the longer she was in that bathroom by herself, which was what got her husband to finally stumble out of bed and let the foxes lead him to the door.

"Hope?" he knocked twice. "What are you doing in there?"

When he reached for the doorknob, it clicked with the lock. He sighed and strained to get the small key on the top of the door.

"I'm coming in whether you want me to or not," he warned.

"Don't you dare!" she shouted back.

He twisted the key in the lock, but something stopped him from opening the door. She pushed back against him and it shut again.

"Go back to bed," she ordered weakly.

"Not until you let me in."

She threw her hand back against the door. "No."

Leo felt a snout nudge his leg and looked down. Inari held his sword up for him to take. He readied for a portal as the door finally opened; Hope stood in the doorway to block whatever he would see, but it was open.

"Put this away first," she handed him the knife.

He nodded calmly despite the new swirling of emotions. He took it, hurried to the kitchen, and hurried back.

"Can I come in now?"

She hummed, hanging her head and slowly sidestepping. He mouth fell open and his face paled at the sight. She walked backwards until she hit the wall and slid down to sit.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just couldn't take the pain between my legs anymore."

He cast his gaze over the blood splatters and puddles before turning to her. Cuts and stabs littered up and down her bare arms, hands, one or two were on her face, and there had to be some on her leg he couldn't see. He crouched in front of her and brushed a finger over one on her cheek, making her hiss and pull away.

She gestured at the bathtub. "Can you get that ready please? I'll clean the blood later."

He silently complied, filling it to the near brim, leaving just enough space for her to fill. She scrambled eagerly over to it and started to lift her leg over the side when she remembered he was still there and her clothes were still on.

"Could you, um..." she trailed off.

"Oh, right, yes, of course!" he passed her a final wide smile before clicking the door closed.

She took a deep breath, stripped her clothes, and melted into the heavenly warm water. Not ten minutes later, Leo snuck back into the bathroom and closed his eyes to lay his back right outside the tub. She sat up and made sure it was only her head poking over the edge.

"Leonardo."

He hummed in acknowledgement, keeping his gaze on his phone. She rolled her eyes and returned to the water. They let the silence reign for a few more minutes before he couldn't take it anymore.

"You better be done by the time I come back for the surprise I'll have."

She opened her eyes quickly (when had she closed them?). He smiled and tilted his head at her curiosity before vanishing out the door. As fast as she's ever done, she jumps up and runs around getting dry. Every time a part of her dried, she put clothes on.

Seven minutes later, he was back and she was ready. He put the bag he had on the kitchen counter.

(She swore she heard it clink.)

"What's the surprise?" she asked.

"Oh, you'll love it," he winked. "It starts with covering those cuts and ends with being surrounded by our babies."

Hope let him grab her arm to hold it out while he wrapped the cuts with bandages from his pouch. Then he moved onto the other arm before crouching and tentatively pushing up the pant leg. She bent over to help him the rest of the way. He got the bandage up as far as it could go before ending it by attaching it to the wrap under it and pulling away. He stood back up and applied two smaller pieces to the ones on her face.

"There. Now! Get one of the four bottles and join me on the couch."

She obeyed easily. He watched her curl up beside him on the couch before turning the TV on as mere white noise.

"Feel up for a would you rather game?" he wondered.

She rested her head on his shoulder and nodded, lifting the bottle to her lips. "Sure, why not."

"Would you rather have wet gloves or wet shoes every time you go out in the snow?" he asked eventually.

She hummed in consideration, returning the bottle to her side. "Gloves. They'll get wet anyway, and you can always put something on under them. ...would you rather spend a year on an island with someone who never stopped talking or completely alone?"

"With someone. At least I'd have someone to talk to. Okay, um, would you rather not have knees or not have elbows?"

"Is that because I lost a leg? I would choose to not have knees. Would you rather be able to hear all the positive things people say about you or all the negative things people say about you?"

"Positive!" he answered with a wave of his hands as the beer he was drinking started kicking in (how was it possible he had already had more than her?). "Would you rather go a year without combing your hair or a year without deodorant?"

Hope drank a bigger sip to make up for what he had. "My hair's pretty short, so a year without combing. Would you rather be bored all the time or too busy all the time?"

His voice got high and pitchy when he decided, drawing out the words. "Busyyyyyyy. Dance or... make ouuuttttt?"

She sighed and got off the couch, hearing the whine of protest that got. "One of has to stay sober, you big drunk baby. Can't believe it has to be me. Let's go, come on, to bed."

"No, wanna stay... uuuuuppp," he stumbled to his feet anyway.

"As soon as you hit that bed, you're going to pass out, believe me I know. You need your sleep," she told him.

"Prettyyyyy," he smiled down at her.

She pushed down the bad feelings that surfaced to tug her stupidly drunk husband to the bedroom. She shoved him toward the bed and watch him tumble onto it without her aid to keep him up.

"So soft..." he murmured, crawling under the covers and curling up.

She shook her head fondly, heading for the bed, waiting for the inevitable when five barks called for her attention at the door. She turned to face their foxes.

"Hey, babies," she knelt down for them to come closer.

Falcon managed to get the best spot of having his paws on her head. Flicker, Flint, and Finch made jealous little sounds while finding good enough replacement spots. Inari sits in front of her and lifts her paw to put it over her hand gently.

She rubs Inari's black paw with a thumb slowly. Sometimes she swore this fox was a human with how she acted.

"Momma's been through a lot in the last week and a half," Hope whispered. "But I'm sure you could all tell."

She got small barks in reply and chuckled, feeling them get even closer. She leaned her head back against the bed, making Falcon have to move and get in her lap instead. They didn't realize Leo had heard and gotten onto her side of the bed until he spoke.

"You know, when I said the night would end with being surrounded by them, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."

She startled, also spooking the foxes. He flashed her a smirk when she twisted to glare at him.

"You were faking, you faker," she accused.

He shrugged and adjusted to be upside down. "I'd call it acting. Plus it was so worth it to get here. Who knows how long we would've gone if I hadn't."

She rolled her eyes and pushed to get into the bed with him. Inari, Flicker, Falcon, Flint, and Finch leapt up as well and got into their usual spots. Leo and Hope let themselves relax, but her phone ringing (that was still in her pocket, oh convenient) rang.

She tugged it free to see who it was.

It was Ace.

Without an ounce of hesitation, she hit the answer button. "Hello~"

Ace responded in kind. "Hey! Sorry it's so late, but I couldn't do this until now. My mom wanted Donnie to come over, so I told her I would invite him after you got back, and since now you are, I was wondering if you two would come too. As a double-date-but-with-my-family kind of deal."

"We'd love to come!" she exclaimed. "What time tomorrow?"

"Um... I was thinking around four, but whatever works for you," he replied.

Leo moved his head to be in the camera. "You don't have work at the school do you?"

"Oh, no, I shouldn't. They didn't call me in at all," she dismissed. "See ya at four tomorrow then, Ace."

She was about to hang up when the shepherd stopped her.

"Wait, I actually wanted to say something else," he paused. "I'm glad you're doing better after what happened. Just proves how strong everyone knows you are."

She smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry you and Fumiko had to see it the second time," she suddenly remembered something. "Wait, how did you and her even know each other in the first place?"

"I'll answer that later, okay byeeee!" Ace quickly hung up.

She laughed and stretched to put her phone on the bedside table. Leo hugged her close when she turned back.

"Twenty bucks says they used to date," he offered.

"Make it thirty and you're on," she bit back.

"Deal."

Inari put both her front paws over their mouths. They laughed quietly together before the black fox decided to squeeze herself between their faces and get them quiet that way.

Seriously, there had to be a way to prove Inari was secretly a human, right?

About an hour later, Inari deemed it fit to move away again. Hope used the opportunity to move her top half closer to her husband and hug him back. Whichever fox(es) were in between them moved to the outside so they could be pressed together.

"I missed nights like this," she murmured wistfully.

"We do it almost every night," he reminded softly.

"The one we didn't made me realize how much I would miss it."

He huffed. "Don't mention that ever again, please."

"I would want to do nothing else..."

She drifted to sleep as soon as those words left her mouth. He took her hands and rubbed them gently, making her smile softly in her sleep. He sighed, got a final look at her, then fell asleep himself.

---

I struggled with writing Kenzo nearing and during the rescue :(((

The texting scene is labeled how Hope would name people btw (she changed hers and Leo's after they got married)

fair warning, Hope had lost her right leg in a previous incident you can read, but I forget to write it in sometimes, so if I do and you see it, no you didn't

don't ask about Fumiko's relationship with Ace bc she was only meant to be for this and I needed something else interesting. but if Fumiko wasn't just for this, then I'd tell you that they did used to date :333

Tags:

@tonystarkwasrobbed

@ceciturtle-myproudtime

@kitkatthekitkatkat

@badthingshappenbingo

Ao3 Link

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

~*~

1. ITMF a fic where the Lans or the neis or the cultivation world in general find out about the abuse wwx takes at jiang sect and the other sects trying to help him @zerokogane

Warming up (to him) by barisan (T, 9k, LQR & WWX, WangXian, Hypothermia, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Temporary Character Death, Medical Inaccuracies, YZY Abuses WWX, JFM Bashing, pre-wangxian, Good Uncle LQR, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort) I have recommendations for the 1st one where Lan Qiren steps in!

Rediscovery, Reconstruction by ExtraPenguin (M, 27k, JFM/WWX, LQR & WWX, WWX/OC(s), rape/non-con, underage, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Rape Recovery, bildungsroman, Self-Discovery) tw for csa and rape, this one makes the abuse even worse but it's a wonderful fic about Lan Qiren stepping in to save Wei Wuxian (also has wwx/original character)

Blooming Bruises on my Soul and Body by xxxMiaHikarixxx (T, 13k, WangXian, Living on Streets, psychological abuse, WWX being a protective brother, JC being a protective brother, Good brother JC, Good brother LXC, Happy Ending, Angst With Some Comfort, Physical Abuse, Neglect, LXC is a Wangxian supporter, LWJ is whipped, Hate Crimes, multiple POVs)

🔒💙 Holding shreds by barisan (T, 5k, WangXian, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, No Sunshot Campaign, Body Swap, Not for sexy shenanigans, Chronic Pain, Hurt WWX, Hurt LWJ, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Abusive YZY, Bad Parent YZY,  Bad Parent JFM, Good Uncle LQR, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Inaccuracies, POV WWX, Angst with a Happy Ending, Jiāng Family Bashing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Getting Together, Smart WWX)

~*~

2. Hi! Now that I finished my exams 😭, I'm ready to read a lot of new Wangxian fics! ❤️

So, for the next ITMF, I was thinking in fics about:

A) The Lans (LQ, LXC, LWJ or any Lan) looking for WWX in the burial mounds after he saved the Wens, bc they need his help. And then the Lans decided to help WWX after watching the truth.

B) Or the Lans visiting WWX bc LWJ said WWX didn't have any army and when they understand the truth, they decided to help WWX and the Wens.

Plus if there is a Wangxian weeding 😍. Please happy ending in both cases. 🙏

Thank you so much!! Love this blog 🤗💜

@wangxiansgirl

2A)

Weep You No More, Sad Fountains by athena_crikey (T, 59k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-it fic, Whump, Curses, Fever, Delirium, Stabbing, Loneliness, Confessions, LXC realising sympathy is not support, LQR Being an Asshole)

2B)

Discordant Rhapsody by nirejseki (T, 49k, LQR & WWX, wangxian, JC & WWX, WQ & WWX & WN, LWJ & LQR & LXC, canon divergence, fix-it, hurt/comfort, trauma, politics, protective LQR, protective LWJ, protective WWX, LQR centric, whump, angst)

🔒 the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break by RoseThorne (E, 91k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, Self-Esteem Issues, Fix-It, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, PTSD, Handfasting, Panic Attacks, Getting Together, First Time, Aftercare, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, /Referenced Torture, Scars, Chronic Pain, Golden Core Reveal, First Time, Switching, sex-related injury, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, LSZ is a Wèi, Good Sibling JC, Dissociation, Burial Mounds Settlement Days)

~*~

3. hii! i hope you guys are doing well <3! I've been in a nhs mood, and I was wondering if you have any recs with nhs and wwx friendship, fix it, canon, anything works! i read the one in your last itmf i think, and I'm just craving more of those two! thank you in advance! @flexible-racoon

~*~

4. ITMF a dead dove focusing on CQL nieyao's age gap @crypticidentity

~*~

5. Itmf canon-compliant ish fics (not modern setting) where the first thing Wei Wuxian does after coming back from the dead is run straight to Lan Zhan? Thank you!

~*~

6. HIII is there any good arranged married Wwx and Lwj? Or maybe they're married fr and they have A-yuan as their son? @naoenowa

True Gold Fears No Fire by defractum (nyargles) (M, 69k, WIP, WangXian,  Royalty AU, Ancient China, Wuxia, Historical Inaccuracy, Arranged Marriage, Identity Porn, Mutual Pining, Emperor!LWJ, empress!wwx, Eventual Happy Ending, Misunderstandings)

Into the Oubliette by Ruixx (M, 124k, WIP, WangXian, Growing Up, Fix-It of Sorts, Arranged Marriage, Time Travel, Sibling Bonding, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Canon Divergence, Light BDSM, Breathplay, Wwx protection squad, Sunshot Campaign, War Politics, Hostage JYL, Visions, LXC Redemption, general lwj, Internal Sect, Politics, Good Uncle LQR, Lan OC’s, No Golden Core Transfer, Empire Building)

🧡 hypothetically, of course by johnnyfucksup (G, 22k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Character Study, Kinda, Inter-sect politics, a little bit, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Strangers to Lovers, Getting to Know Each Other, Falling In Love, The Mortifying Ordeal of Falling In Love With Your Betrothed, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Love Confessions, very awkward ones at that, Slow Burn Speedrun)

A Wonderful (business) Arrangement by Orchidaisy_55 (E, 58k, wangxian, JC/NHS, LXC/JGY, JYL/JZX, Arranged Marriage, Modern, A/B/O, True Love, First Love, Mpreg, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Domestic Fluff, WWX is LSZ's Parent, mentions of miscarrage, Anal Sex, secondary sex characteristics, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Unplanned Pregnancy)

The Ties That Bind by silverclaw (G, 43k, wangxian, A/B/O, Arranged Marriage, Modern, Alpha WWX, Omega LWJ, past toxic relationship, Slow Burn, husbandiest of husband material WWX, mention of mpreg in relation to side-character, hurt LWJ, WWX falls first AND harder, No Smut)

After I Met You by Amandyalmonds (M, 78k, wangxian, Dragon LWJ, Fox Spirit WWX, Canon Divergence, Royalty AU, Slow Burn, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Madam Yu's A+ Parenting, Protective WQ, Protective LWJ, Canon-Typical Violence, Unreliable Narrator WWX, Arranged Marriage, Miscommunication, Autistic LWJ, WIP)

Cultivator Lan's Wedding by squishh (Not Rated, 14k, wangxian, LXC/QS, Arranged Marriage, hidden identity, Nobleman Ryu's Wedding AU, slightly more based in historical reality, still xianxia tho, Wife swap, Slow Burn, Bisexual WWX, Demisexual LWJ, No War AU, No Yīn Iron, WWX's canonical backstory - mostly, YZY is slightly less abusive, still abusive tho, JYL not engaged to JZX, Canon-Typical Violence, No homophobia as a form of self-care to the author, Happy Ending, JC and WWX have a much better relationship here, POV Alternating, POV LWJ, POV WWX, Crossdressing, Historical Fantasy, WIP)

🔒 it's just a little white lie by MohnDoe (T, 1k, wangxian, Inspired by a Reddit Post, Modern Setting, Arranged Marriage, WIP)

Not Lost, Just Undiscovered by anancites (E, 107k, wangxian, Modern, Arranged Marriage, Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Idiots in Love, Mildly Dubious Consent)

~*~

7. Fics which go with the lyrics: " These days, I'm way too lonely

I'm missing out, I know

These days, I'm way too alone And I'm known for giving love away, but

I want someone who love me

I need someone who needs me

'Cause it don't feel right when it's late at night

And it's just me in my dreams So I want someone to love, that's what I fucking want "

Song: that's what I want, by Lil nas x

All the ways that you remain by Spodumene (G, 23k, WangXian, Modern AU, Canada, Romance, First Meetings, Cottagecore, There Was Only One Bed, Mention of Parent Death, Getting Together)

~*~

8. itmf fics where wwx hurts lwj (emotionally or physically)

Over the Rotted Bridge by vailkagami (T, 314k, WangXian, Temporary Character Death, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, LWJ dies, Wei Wuxian doesn’t die, neither do (most of) the wens, JYL also lives, Original Character(s), outside pov, YLLZ WWX, Canon Divergence, CQL Verse, Illustrated, Grief/Mourning, Non-Consensual Resurrection, mute LWJ, Hurt LWJ, Slow Burn, canonical death of a child (mentioned), Survivor Guilt, PTSD)

~*~

9. ITMF heavy angst BUT I don't want it to be whump

Twin Demons of Mò by XiaoFeiFei (ArfBarkWoof) (M, 358k, MXY & WWX, wangxian, JL & MXY, XY & MXY, JGY & MXY, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, Abuse, Death, Twin Demons of Mo AU, MXY Lives, Major Character Injury, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Minor Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Minor Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Torture, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Canon Divergence, Self-Harm, Found Family, Sexual Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, POV Alternating)

~*~

10. ITMF a fic where wwx died in the past and then lwj waits for him to reincarnate and lives into the modern world where they meet again but wwx doesn't remember until later (or its fine if he remembers too )

based on a photo on Pinterest whose link ill paste cos I can't attach photos for some reason in the ask

Thanks again! Ly guys! @maurader--here

All Old Things are New Again by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (M, 51k, WangXian, XuanLi, ChengQing, Reincarnation, Modern AU, canon still happened, extreme post canon, Sugar Daddy, Kink Negotiation, gentle dom!LWJ, canonical levels of consent play, Modern Cultivators)

the recluse at the end of the moonlit path by beesinspades (T, 28k, WangXian, Modern AU, Reincarnation, Post-Canon, Jack of All Trades Artist WWX, Immortal! LWJ, Mutual Pining, Light Angst, Reunions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Asexual Character, good vibes, [Podfic] the recluse at the end of the moonlit path by b_ofdale by Beria1021)

🧡 We Were Never Strangers by NeverEnoughWangxian (M, 36k, WangXian, Reincarnation, Modern AU, POV WWX, (mostly), College Student WWX, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Immortal LWJ, Immortal LSZ, Dreams, Pining, Sharing a Bed, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Sexual Tension, Sexual Content)

~*~

11. Hello! Any fics where LWJ is shown to bond with animals?

No specific animal, just that it treats LWJ a bit specially or listens to him etc.

Thank you for your work!

in the arms of the angel by ScarlettStorm (E, 37k, WangXian, Modern AU with Magic, Fox WWX, animal rescuer LWJ, Comedy, Smut, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Adhd WWX, the mortifying ordeal of getting your head stuck in a peanut butter jar) it sort of fits bc lwj is in animal rescue & has some powers to make the animals feel calm & safe!

Lan Zhan's University Days (JAFFY) by sami (T, 10k, WangXian, Modern AU, Kinda, cultivated to immortality, University, outsider pov, Wei Wuxian is a chaos gremlin, ridiculous future bullshit wwx vs Local Culture) Sami's Lan Zhan's University Days from ridiculous future bull series. The cows in the farm and in later rfb glimpses with various baby animals

~*~

12. IMTF: I recently finished the WIP “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades” by Phantomhill which was amazing and hilarious. I’m now itmf any fics with the same premise of bringing the original Yiling Patriarch forward into the modern era, preferably without relying on reincarnation for the other characters. Any ships acceptable except self-insert. Thanks! @jensownzoo

结局难更改 (the ending is hard to change) Series by PorcupineGirl (G, 50k, WangXian, Time Travel, Modern with Magic, Modern Cultivators AU, Canon Divergence, Time Traveler WWX, discussion of canonical character deaths, conveniently localized fires, Discussion of Canonical Suicide Attempt, mostly happy but slightly bittersweet ending, Reincarnation, LWJ POV, Established Relationship, Aromantic JC) might fit as it involves WWX ending up in the future instead of falling to his death

~*~

13. Hello all, sorry if this ask is too explicit 😳

I’m looking for fics where Wei Wuxian has a small penis and Lan Wangji has a big one 🍆

Love me some size difference

Thanx in advance

The Damage You Do by stiricide (E, 104k, WIP, WangXian, Modern AU, Dom/Sub, Dark LWJ, Mobster LWJ, Possessive LWJ, Sex Worker WWX, Sugar Baby WWX, WWX adopts LSZ, Dubious Consent, each chapter has sex tag notes on it, BDSM, Sounding, Panic Attacks, Angst with a Happy Ending)

~*~

14. Do you have Yunmeng bros reconciliation fics that have reverse golden core reveals (wwx finding out about jc getting captured in his place). Angst is fine :)

Thank you!!!! &lt;;3 @twlaei

~*~

15. For the next ITMF can i get fics where LZ plays their song before an audience while wy watches speechless? It could be a recital, it could be a party, it could be a wedding...it just has to have lz playing his heart out for WY while an audience is present.

LZ could be singing or playing any instruments like violin, guqin, piano etc.

For example, drag my teeth across your chest (by ana_cp) - violin. // last part in a FF post ~Mod L @imstillthinkingaboutithmm

Talisman by Witch_Nova221 (M, 192k, WangXian, Modern AU, Eventual Romance, Theatre, Rock Band, Childhood Friends, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Spousal Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Stalking, Minor Character Death, Friends to Lovers, Orphans, Mutual Pining)

~*~

16. ITMF for...

Fics when either WangXian or any other pairing (bonus if it's a rarepair or the Juniors are involved) are discovered by someone walking in on them? Even more bonus if WangXian are together and it's them walking in on someone! Thank you! @fomalhaut48

I spy by Anonymous (E, 9k, wangxian, Voyeurism, Masturbation, Rough Sex, of the wangxian kind, Pseudo-Incest, is it uuuuh incest if one spies on their adoptive parents, the juniors get more than they bargained for, Blow Jobs, Face-Fucking)

Countless Roads by SunBlueSun (E, 5k, wangxian, Accidental Voyeurism, Switching, Versatile | Switch Wangxian, Porn with Feelings, Minor Original Character(s), Love, hanguang jun has flowers in his hair, POV Outsider)

Friends with Great Benefits by FrameofMind, Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle) (E, 15k, wangxian, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, First Time, virgins, Voyeurism, Accidental Voyeurism, Semi-accidental voyeurism, WWX's canonical heteronormative assumptions, cutsleeve awakenings, Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, (it depends on who you ask))

a new light by museaway (T, 2k, wangxian, Accidental Voyeurism, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, POV Outsider, Canon Compliant)

~*~

17. Itmf wwx is in a slump, depressed, burnt out, breaking down, etc and lwj swoops in with tender loving care to pull him from his slump.

12 Hours In Hell and Paradise (Or: Lan Zhan’s Distinguished Guide to Seasonal Depression) by demonicsalad (T, 4k, wangxian, Modern, Friends to Lovers, Developing Relationship, Mental Health Issues, Neurodiversity, Love Confessions, POV LWJ) Not quite what OP on 17 asked for, it's from LWJ's pov and primarily his struggles, but it is cute fic about both sides of WX battling seasonal depression and comforting each other

总有一天; a place to hide (can’t find one near) by yiqie (E, 76k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pianist, Getting Together, Mental Health Issues, Suicide Attempt, Suicidal Thoughts, Depression, Hospitals, Overdosing, Eventual Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Additional Warnings In Author's Note)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[sterek-ao3feed]

On sunny days, I go out walking

Read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/63693040

by Lord_potato

With Stiles in the hospital after the nogitsune threat is over, Derek has nothing to do expect talk to the Sheriff.

Words: 1215, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of Autumn comes when you're not yet done

Fandoms: Teen Wolf (TV)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Derek Hale, Sheriff Stilinski (Teen Wolf)

Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale & Sheriff Stilinski

Additional Tags: Hurt Stiles Stilinski, Post-Nogitsune Stiles Stilinski, Hospitals, Derek Hale is a Softie, Good Parent Sheriff Stilinski (Teen Wolf), Hurt/Comfort, mostly - Freeform, Stiles is going through it but Derek and the Sheriff are moderately alright, Family Bonding, Protective Sheriff Stilinski (Teen Wolf), Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, tw mentions of Kate and references to her abuse towards Derek

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63693040

[call-me-medusa]

fic: Was I even on your way? [911, buddie]

3K | M | ao3

A soft knock starts on the door. “Buck?” It’s Eddie. Of course it’s Eddie. “Are you feeling okay?” Buck feels like he’s going to throw up. “No.” “Can I come in?” Buck closes his eyes. He tries to take another deep breath, trying to remind himself he’s in Eddie’s bathroom, in Eddie’s house, probably the safest place he’s ever been in L.A, and that he’s not in an office trying to talk about a kid’s death. He scoots closer to the toilet, resting his back on the edge of the tub, “Yeah.”

Or, Buck gets reminded of something that happened he'd rather forget.

Tags: Past Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape Recovery, (Buck talking about what happened with Dr. Wells years later), POV Evan "Buck" Buckley, Established Relationship, Love Confessions, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eddie Diaz Loves Evan "Buck" Buckley, Worried Eddie Diaz, Not Beta Read

TW: Past Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape Recovery