#in the part of town that's not exactly the safest

[niteshade925]

[holylulusworld]

Indecent Proposal (21)

Summary: Your boyfriend wants to be part of their empire. You are the pawn he’s willing to sacrifice.

Pairing: Mobster!Stucky x fem!Reader

Warnings: established Stucky, caring mobsters, pregnant reader, polyamory, fluff, romance, a little angst

Indecent Proposal (20)

Indecent Proposal masterlist

“Doll, you need to calm down. I’m fine,” Steve sighs deeply. He cannot stop you from cleaning his knuckles with a swap. “We want you to eat something and have a warm bath.”

“Y/N,” Bucky runs his hand over your back. “Stevie is right. Let him clean his knuckles. I’ll get you something to eat.”

You shake your head and grab Steve’s wrist when he tries to pull away. “No. I need…I need something to do to keep my mind off what happened. Please let me do this.”

Both men look at each other and swallow thickly. It was more than a close call. They believed you were safest at their home. How very wrong they were.

One simple lie and the woman attacking you sneaked inside their well-guarded home to fulfill her mission. – To kill you and your babies.

“Steve,” Bucky knows exactly what’s going on in his husband’s mind, “don’t. We couldn’t know she’d try to sneak inside our home. She was bold and determined, I give her that.”

“We promised Y/N to protect her and failed,” Steve sniffs. “How can she still feel safe if that woman could easily sneak inside our home.”

“The security was looking for Rumlow, not that nurse. How should we have known, Steve? Sometimes we fuck things up. It happens.”

“It cannot happen, Buck!” Steve angrily replies. “We have a pregnant wife, and that woman almost killed her and our babies!”

You wrap your arms around Steve’s neck. “It’s not your fault. Bucky saved me.”

“Because he’s a horny bastard,” Steve wraps his arms around you and brings you in his lap. “I don’t want to think about what could’ve happened if he wasn’t such a horny dog.”

“Same—” Bucky is unusually silent tonight. He blames himself for not walking you to the bathroom. If only he followed you the moment you told him you needed to pee, the attack could’ve been avoided.

“It’s not your fault either, Buck. You saved me with your incredible knife skills,” you drip your head to look at Bucky. “Come here for cuddles.”

“Only for a moment. I need to talk to Jake about the security cameras and check on the gate again. We cannot risk another lapse.”

Bucky joins you and Steve. He wraps both of you in a hug and nuzzles his face in his husband’s neck. For a few moments, he allows himself to be a loving husband and soon-to-be father.

The moment he leaves the room, he’ll turn into the stone-cold mobster his enemies fear. He’ll give Rumlow no chance to escape or get even close to you.

Steve was right. It’s hunting season and James Buchanan Barnes will be the hunter bringing Rumlow down.

“Barnes, you can’t be serious,” Natasha hisses. “I was nothing but loyal to you, Steve, and your organization. I’d never betray you.”

“You’ve been loyal to the money you got from us. Nothing else. You don’t know shit about loyalty and to die for the people close to you. If you are standing in my way in this, I’ll make sure that you get out of my way.”

“Bucky,” she tries to sweet-talk herself out of the more than dangerous situation she’s in. If Bucky knows that she warned Rumlow, and told him to leave town weeks ago, she will end up dead. Just like the nurse. “I don’t know what has gotten into him.”

“We know,” Bucky sneers at Natasha. “This is about some woman who didn’t respect boundaries. She tried to kill Steve to have me all for herself.”

Bucky points at the manila folder on Natasha’s desk.

Natasha quirks a brow. She opens the folder and thumbs through the pages. “I see. She killed herself.” She hums. “But what has this to do with Rumlow?”

“She’s his ex-girlfriend. He didn’t take it well that she left him to live a better life in the big city. Rumlow took it even worse that she killed herself because I wouldn’t let her murder my husband.”

“In other words,” Natasha sighs deeply, “your dick got you in trouble.”

“That’s not funny, Romanoff,” Bucky spats. “If you know where Rumlow is, this is your last chance to help us. Think about it.” He places an envelope filled with money on her desk. “I’ll give you a choice.”

“What do you mean?” She furrows her brows.

“You can stand there and lie to me to protect Rumlow, or you’ll take the money to go on a vacation after you tell me where he is,” Bucky slides a knife out of his sleeve. He twirls it between his fingers while keeping an eye on Natasha. “I cannot guarantee your safety if you decide on protecting him, though.”

“You’re threatening me, Barnes?“ She huffs to sound confident, but in reality, she fears for her life.

“No,” he steps closer, holding his knife in a tight grip. “I’m telling you exactly what’s going to happen.” Bucky takes another step toward Natasha to underline his words. “I do not threaten people. If I tell you that I’m going to kill you, then you’ll end up dead.”

She sucks in a breath. Natasha is by all means not a damsel in distress or easily scared. This doesn’t mean she she's not intimidated when an angry James Buchanan Barnes stands in front of her, a knife in his hand.

“You can have a good life, Natasha,” he whispers lowly. “Enough money to fulfill all of your wishes.” Bucky dips his head to look at the pictures on her desk. “If you want to leave town, we can arrange that too. New identity, new life. No problem.”

“I only need to rat Rumlow out,” she bitterly replies. “It’s like I killed him myself if I do so.”

“Natasha, he sent that woman to kill Y/N and our babies. If he wants us dead because his ex-girlfriend killed herself, fine. But he went after Y/N. She has nothing to do with this shit. Rumlow crossed more than one line. You know that.”

“He tried to kill the babies?” Her eyes widen, and she drops the picture in her hands. “Why didn’t you tell me this first?”

“I thought you heard it through the grapevine,” Bucky scoffs. “So, what will it be, Nat? Are you in or out?”

“I tried to save his life, believing he’s after you because he tries to bring your empire down. I believed he’s a good cop, nothing else, Bucky.” She drops the manila folder on her desk. “If this is a vendetta because of some girl, he’s all yours.”

Bucky watches Natasha grab her phone. “I assume you’re all in.”

“I don’t want to know what happened to him. Barnes, whatever you do to him, his body cannot be found in my town. Get rid of him. Throw him into the Grand Canyon. I don’t care. Just don’t do it in my town.”

“Fine.”

“I can’t guarantee that he’s there,” she says while scribbling down two addresses and two phone numbers. “The first number is his normal phone. The other one is a burner phone he used to call me a few weeks ago. Maybe your little geek can trace one of his phones.”

“That’s a start,” Bucky grabs the piece of paper. “I was never here.” He warns, still not convinced that Natasha is on their side. “Remember, you didn’t hear of Rumlow for weeks and know nothing about his activities.”

“You should’ve been a man and come here yourself, not send a girl. If you want something to be done right, do it yourself.”

He can hear Rumlow suck in a breath at the end of the line. If only he stays on the phone for a little longer, Jensen can trace his phone and find out where the bastard is hiding.

Bucky squares his jaw and takes a deep breath. He hates being like this, but this can’t be helped.

“You know, she died too fast for my taste. I would’ve liked hurting her for a little longer. She tried to kill my wife and babies after all.”

“You damn bastard,” Rumlow growls into the phone. “First my girl, and then her sister? How can you look in the mirror, you monster.”

“What do you want to do about it?” Bucky laughs into the phone. “How about you man up and we meet to settle things between us…”

He dips his head to look at Jensen, his brows furrowed.

Jake nods silently pointing at the computer to tell Bucky he found Rumlow’s position…

Part 22

Tags in reblog.

[lovexjoe]

In Love With A Stripper Part 2

warning: alcohol, mention of death and language

Armando pulls the car to the back, taking in her attire: he smiles on the inside. She looks beautiful like this, not that bullshit she’s forced to wear. He gets out and opens the door for her. Thanking him, she mentally gives out one more prayer that this man isn’t going to kill her and hops in.

She was shocked cause she could never imagine being in a car like this, it would take her a lifetime to even buy this. The ride was silent, as she looks out the window taking in the scenery of Mexicos city lights. She’s been here on this side of town before with Andres, but she just couldn’t remember exactly. His right hand reaches for hers, she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat. His hand much larger than hers, engulfed her small one with warmth. She intertwine their fingers together and he rubs her hand with his thumb.

She’s really in the car with a drug dealer who could potentially make her disappear off the face of the earth. Yet she felt the most safest in his presence. The car pulls into a gated mansion, he spoke to the gate to confirm his ID and they headed inside.

“Do you trust me?” He looks over at her and she looks back not saying a word. Just looking at him with those doe eyes. She gives his hand a squeeze confirm that she’s okay but he knew he wouldn’t get an answer so easily. He hands his key off to a guard, opening her door for her and leading the way up the stairs. This is where he lives?! Why not just stop drug dealing and retire? He is set for fucking life. This could have potentially been her life with Andres if he was connected with the right people. She pushes the thought away cause it’ll only sour the mood.

They entered his bedroom and it was exactly the way she thought it was gonna be. Crispy clean and all black. There wasn’t a single spect of color in this room: dark and depressing. They sit outside on his balcony enjoying the city lights as they pour up a drink. He breaks the silence first.

“What’s your name?”

“You know my name…..Luna.” She takes a sip of her drink. The mixture of rum and coke easing her nerves.

“Nah that’s not you mami. The real you.” He turns his body to her, giving her all his attention. Her eyes could easily captivate someone yet here she was feeling hot and shy under his gaze.

“Xiomara…” she sips her drink again, numbing her nerves.

“Es bonita, mami” he says giving her a smile, first one of the night and it took all her suspicions away.

“He smiles! So you’re not gonna kill me, thank god!” She puts her hand on her heart and lets out a joking breath. For the first time in a long time he lets out an honest laugh. He’s never brought anyone back home, he’s always had his fun outside and returned to his empty room. But her, for some reason he wants to do things to her but he wanted more. But he can’t want more. This was for one night he reminded himself.

“Tell me about yourself” She takes in his question, wondering if she should be an open book or pick out things that were true and fill the rest in with white lies. She probably wasn’t going to see him ever again so why not?

“I came here two years ago with my boyfriend, he was a drug dealer. I didn’t know much but he had food on the table and we were gonna build a life here. He got killed during a deal gone bad and I-I had to verify the body at the scene because his mom couldn’t go….” She takes another sip. The alcohol causing her mouth to vent all the feelings she’s been holding in for a year now.

“A month after Andres passing I found out I was pregnant. It would have probably been smarter to just not continue with the pregnancy but he’s the last thing I have letting me know that Andres was real. Things have been hard so I strip to save pay the bills and my day job helps me save” Armando’s jaw clenched at the mention of her late boyfriend’s name.

“I’m sorry that you’re going through this.”

“Don’t do that….dont pity me. It sucks but there’s someone out there having it much worse than me.” He nods his head raising his glass to cheers to that.

“Tell me about you….or whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Just one night right? He wasn’t going to see her again and it’s not like anyone would believe her anyway.

“My mom’s in prison right now. She gave birth to me in prison, I was raised there till I was 6 and then they sent me off with someone to the cartel. Here I am….” He sighs and gulps the rest of his drink.

“See? I told you somebody else has it worse than me. Thank you for that.” Laughter filled the room, she notices the crinkle in his eyes when he smiles. He looked much younger when he let some happiness enter his empty heart.

“Armando? Why am I here? If you wanted to have sex…we cou-“

She stops talking when he stands up pulling her close, his hand caressing her cheek. She doesn’t know what he wants. He knows what he wants but he’s not going to admit because it’s insane. They just met.

“I can tell that this isn’t something you do. And after hearing what you been through…I want you but I’m not touching you until you beg me to….” The way he’s looking at her like he wants to devour her, she so badly wants to give in. He picks her up and carries her to his bed. She sits at the edge of his bed while he picks out some clothes for her.

Yes Armando Aretas a fucking cartel is picking out clothes for a stripper he’s beyond fond of. Boy would his mom be having a fit if she could see this. She changes in the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror and smiling. He’s definitely not what she thought he would be. She leans her head down to the black shirt, taking in his divine scent. Once she reenters the room, Tom and Jerry reruns were on the tv and he looked too cute under the covers.

Shirtless…..

How was she going to control herself? She had to or else she would look to easy. She can’t and she won’t!

She got in bed, keeping a certain distance between them. His hand trailing across her exposed skin on her inner thigh. She looked better in his clothing than he did.

“I don’t bite mami, come here” he pulls her close, his hand slipping under the shirt and resting on her stomach. He places a kiss on her temple as they both watched the tv till they fell asleep.

~~~~~~~

The sun creeps through his window, causing Xio to walk up in bed alone. The tv still running some outdated cartoons. Her bedside had roses and a letter.

“I had some business to take care of. There’s a driver and duffel bag waiting for you. I will see you soon - Love Armando”

She heads into the restroom and where she had a brand new toothbrush and a toiletry bag filled with products: expensive ones too waiting for her. This man really had everything accessible for him. She started to wonder how many girls he did this for. Looking at her phone, she realizes she doesn’t have time to wait around as she needs to grab Ricky from his grandma’s. She hurries up changing into her clothes from last night and heading downstairs. Did she keep his shirt? Yup, something to remember him in case she doesn’t hear from him again.

The driver hands her the small duffel bag and she gets into the car and giving him directions to her house. Reminiscing about the little commentary they had while watching looney tunes. How it felt being held by him all night. This was it for them. She doesn’t think he’ll reach out. He knows where she works but….maybe she’s just overthinking.

Andres’ mom sent her a message letting her know that she will stay with Ricky today if she wanted some time to herself. She sighs with relief, she could use a few hours to rejuvenate since she’s teaching again tomorrow. As the driver drops her off, she strolls inside and setting the bag down. She took a look inside and

Wow….she had enough money to stop stripping for a while….

The bag had a small pocket on the side so she decided to open it and what she noticed wasn’t something she was happy about.

She lets out a cry….

She pulls out Andres cross necklace …..

Taglist: @yeahnohoneybye @cardi-bre91 @onlysarang @romanreignsluver1 @minwn

@armandosbabymama @dyttomori @bbyplutosblog @vergilnelosparda @believeinthefireflies95 @cardi-bre91

[repulsiveliquidation]

La Princesa

[Ona Batlle x Reader] Part 1.5 of [She's going to be okay.] [Royalty] [Angel in the House]

Days with La Princesa!

“Patri! Help me with the cake, will you?” you yell through the house. Lucy is helping Kiera bring out the hors d'oeuvre as you were tasked with the massive cake Alexia had gotten. Ona’s mother insisted on having dinner with everyone so a large table was set up outside. The whole team was here, some of your England teammates had made the trip too since the party was during Christmas break.

Speaking of Ona, she was sat on the back porch with a virgin margarita in hand chatting away with Alessia, Ella and Grace. Leah was helping set the table as Georgia fanned away at the barbeque. There wasn’t a quiet corner anywhere, everyone buzzing since the announcement of the baby’s gender. La Princesa was the talk of the town, Ona’s hand rubbing her belly affectionately every time anyone spoke about her. It was a new habit, one that you had many pictures of on your phone.

There were steaks, seafood and piles of vegetables as everyone helped themselves to all the food. You were cutting up some steak for Ona (because she’s the OG La Princesa) when Mapi cleared her throat at the end of the table. Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes when she stood up, signature grin on her face. This couldn’t be good.  

“I would like to propose a toast to our team mom and dad. Y/N, you take care of us and make sure we’re okay. You notice things that many people would simply ignore. You’ve been there for us more than we deserve. Ona, you’re always ready to help any one of us at the drop of a hat. You are the sweetest person I know, I love you for that. The two of you are perfect together, no need to thank me for setting you two up. But because of that I propose we name La Princesa after me. Thank you, I love you both, ¡Salud!”

“As touching as that was Mapi, we are not naming our daughter after you.”

“A middle name will do.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Okay, okay! We have presents to open, cake to eat! Let’s head inside!” Leah called, ushering everyone inside as the girls began to quickly clean up. Once everyone settled inside, you helped Ona on the couch beside you, wrapping your arm around her shoulders as she leaned into you while everyone else brought over their presents.

“Are you okay, darling?” you ask her, kissing her forehead softly as you rub her arm.

“Sí, she’s been kicking a lot. I’ve also needed to pee too many times today.”  

“Our little footballer. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, mi amor.”

“Are you sure I can’t convince you of just one name; we are Spanish, she can have several names.”

“No, Mapi!” you both yell at her, Ingrid yanking her to the kitchen to help serve the cake.

//

“Oh Patri, it’s adorable!”

“How did you even get that?”

“Mamí, Esto es perfecto!”

“Girls, I didn’t think they MADE these!”

You heard Ona and the girls opening gifts in the living room. You were putting away all the extra food in the kitchen when Alexia walked in with another dish. She smiled awkwardly, being quiet. You didn’t push it, wiping your hands and moving the containers into the fridge. Suddenly she cleared her throat and you turned to look at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ona told me.”

“What exactly did she tell you?”

“That you wanted me to be La Princesa’s godmother.”

“Oh, yes. Do you want to be?”

“It would be my greatest honor. But, why?”

“When we were thinking about it, only you came to mind. Don’t get me wrong, I would die for all those girls out there and I know they would do the same for my family. But I know without a doubt that if something happened to me, my girls would be safest with you.”

“You are my family too, I will protect them with my life; I promise you.”

“I love you, Ale. You’re a sister to me, I don’t think you understand how important that has been to me over the years.”

“And you for me, hermosa. I love you too.”

//

“Baby? We’re home, love.” You shook Ona softly and as she woke, you walked over and opened her door for her. She climbed out slowly, feet swollen and aching from being on them all day. She was too stubborn to ask you to carry her, walking gingerly into the house. You were grabbing stuff from the boot of the car when you saw her walking slowly. You put everything down and walked up beside her, gently picking her up into your arms. She giggled and held onto you as you walked into the house with her and laid her in bed. She kissed you cheek and whispered an accented “thank you,” before you walked back out to grab all the gifts and bags from the car. Dropping them on the dining table to be dealt with tomorrow, you walked into the bedroom to find Ona already asleep again.

Chuckling, you slowly take her shoes off and slip your jersey she was wearing off before pulling on one of your hoodies over her small frame. It swallowed her but she snuggled into it anyway. You make quick work of yourself, changing into shorts and a sports bra before climbing into bed behind her. She searches for you in her sleep, reaching out and holding onto your arm as she goes back to sleep. You smile fondly, hand rubbing soothing circles over her belly and whispering “I love you girls,” before falling asleep yourself.  

//

“That’s not the right one.”

“What do you mean, this is exactly what you sent me to get.”

“No, I wanted the blue one, this is red.”

“Angel, you asked for red.”

“I remember asking for blue, Y/N.”

You sigh, shoulders slumping in defeat. Ona was having a bout of crazy cravings that began at 3 in the morning. She sent you to the shops to look for Chips Ahoy (a/n don't ask, they are my current obsession.) the other night but they didn’t have them so you bought a different kind and put it on a plate for her with a glass of milk like she requested. She took one bite and knew they were wrong, immediately starting to cry.

“Please Mi Reina, it’s late. You have a checkup tomorrow, we need to sleep.”

She sniffled, “But I wanted Chips Ahoy.”

“I know baby but all the stores I went to didn’t have them. I’ll go look tomorrow and buy them for you, okay? Please darling, you need to sleep.”

“You better buy all the Chips Ahoy you can find, amor or it’s the couch for you.”

“Yes, your highness.”

//

“Love, please stop moving.”

“You try sleeping with a literal football inside you kicking like there’s no tomorrow.”

“When we have a second baby. What can I do for you?”

“Talk to her please. She always calms down when you do.”

You throw the covers off and move over to lay between her legs. You can just about see her face above her belly. She's smiling, eyes sparkling as she watches you talk to the baby. You rest your head on her thigh, left hand holding Ona’s, right hand rubbing her belly softly.

“Hello princess, it’s Mama. I’ve missed you, you’re getting so big already. I had a pretty good day at training, met all your aunties too. They can’t wait to meet you, you’re going to be the most spoilt little girl out there. Now, mami is trying to sleep okay? She needs her energy so we can see if you’re being a good growing girl tomorrow hm? Can we put your striker skills to the side and let your beautiful mother sleep? That’s my girl. I love you, I can’t wait to meet you.” You kiss her belly softly, leaning over and kissing Ona too.

“For your information, she’s going to be a defender.”

“Please darling, she’s already showing signs of being a wonderful striker like me.”

[rowiewritesstuff]

Hello! Could you do a part 2 to your Yandere!Knockout vs Yandere!Ratchet?

I'm in love with it and very curious where you will take it!

Yandere Ratchet & Knockout Part 2

You were angry and scared of Ratchet, even refusing to go back to base. What he said to you was unacceptable, and you didn’t want to be around him. You aired his calls, and told everyone you were just busy with stuff away from base. 

Ratchet was angry, often showing up at your house. He quickly realized that you weren’t at home and tried anything to track you down, but your phone was off.

To calm yourself down, you went street racing. You took the cash you’d win as prizes and went town to town, crashing in your car or in a hotel- whatever was safest and most comfortable. 

Of course it was inevitable to meet Knockout yet again, as he was a speed demon. He instantly recognized your car from when you first met. He chuckled and pulled up right next to you. “Hello again, human. You’re a long way from home.”

You were silent for a moment before mustering up the courage to speak. “And? If you plan to mess with me again, I won’t go down without a fight. The Autobots are nearby.” You lied.

“Sure they are.” Knockout laughed. He wasn’t stupid. He had been watching you for a while, tracking you from race to race with a small GPS tracker on your car. 

In a slight panic, you drove away before the race even started. Knockout laughed as he gave chase. The roads of the abandoned town were old and didn’t help your attempt to escape him. You suddenly lost him, hiding in an open garage and killing your lights. You shakily held up a burner phone, debating calling the base- but then you’d have to talk to Ratchet. 

You shook, but called. “Who is this? How did you get this number?” Ratchet’s angry voice answered from the other side of the line. Your throat felt dry as you racked your brain for exactly what to say. 

“It’s me.” Were the only words you could get out for a moment. You expected him to yell at you, or scold you for leaving without a trace- but he knew that rare tone in your voice. It was fear. 

“What’s wrong? Where are you?” He spoke quickly. 

“I’m…I’m in a small town outside of Was-” You screamed as your car was cut off by a saw. Knockout stood over you with a menacing grin.

“Did you think you could get away fleshy? I’m much smarter than you little things.” Knockout laughed as he picked you up. Ratchet yelled through the phone for him not to touch you. Before Ratchet could get a trace on your phone Knockout flicked it away. He transformed around you, driving away as fast as he could.

“Now, I believe you owe me for getting away last time. Perhaps I’ll get you a cute collar… after you tell me where the Autobot base is, of course.” Your eyes widened with fear as he called for a groundbridge. You fought, trying to use your pocket knife to stab the bot. 

Knockout growled and knocked you out with a small blast of electricity. 

“I should have known my little pet needed to be tamed.” Knockout scoffed as he drove into the glowing portal and into your new home. Hope you enjoy your stay- you’ll be here for a long time.

At the base, Ratchet broke his console in anger. He knew he shouldn't have just let you go. He should have ignored Optimus' words and locked you away. Don't worry dear, he won't make the same mistake when he gets you back.

[xoxoxkisses]

I’d want to be next to you

Muichiro x reader

warnings: angst, suicide

————————————————————————

The days were no longer passing by with peace and comfort. They were now passing by with caution and warning.

Ever since the virus broke out 3 years ago, you and your boyfriend Muichiro had been hiding, gathering supplies only when it was necessary. Neither one of you were completely sure what the virus was exactly. The infected weren’t zombies, well not exactly. They still fed off humans, but they just looked like normal people, sick people.

It wasn’t hard to identify an infected. Their eyes had a weird glow and they looked ill. You were convinced you and Muichiro were the last ones alive in your town, completely alive at least. From your research, the virus ate the brain slowly, but that was only a small part of it. That was all of the information given out since the outbreak.

“Y/n?” You broke out of your trance as your boyfriend called for you. “Yeah?” You turned towards the sound of his voice as he popped around the corner of your shared house. The two of you decided to barricade your house since it was outside of town, and the safest. “We’re out of food and almost out of water. We need to go on a supply run.” You both hated going on supply runs, you tried to avoid them as much as possible. “Ugh, alright. We can head out tomorrow morning.” He nodded understanding that the two of you would have to go without dinner tonight.

You weren’t as hungry anymore, like your body had understood the circumstances you were in. You could go a day or two without food, but Muichiro was different. He was a lot bigger than you, and no matter how much he tried to ration food, it didn’t last as long as you hoped.

Thankfully the morning came fast. The two of you set out almost immediately. There was a specific route you would take to get to the old supermarket. It didn’t have many of the infected passing by, which made it safe.

It took no time to get to the market. You both split up to look for more supplies. Thankfully the store was still full, it was like it never ran out of supplies.

The two of you stayed there for about 3 hours before you decided it was getting a little late for the two of you to be out. Muichiro agreed and you both set off back to your home.

It was dark, not like the night, but like a storm. This wasn’t good, this confused the infected, they came out at night. As the two of you carefully walked back, an infected crossed your path. It was no big deal, it was just one. Until it wasn’t. Suddenly about 20 infected surrounded you and Muichiro. “Shit! What do we do?!” Muichiro slightly yelled. “I-I don’t know.” You didn’t want to die like this, but there was no escape.

As the infected grew closer, you and Muichiro looked at each other. “I love you Y/n.” “I love you too Muichiro.” As the infected were now a little under 5 feet away, Muichiro pulled you into your last ever kiss shared together. Tears filled both of your eyes as he smiled at you one last time. He pulled you in close as the infected reached the two of you.

Muichiro awoke. You did too, just not in the way he hoped. He had injuries on his body from the scratches and bites, but he wasn’t infected. In fact, he was immune. You however, were not. You stood in front of him, sickly looking. Muichiro broke out into sobs. The love of his life was now gone.

Muichiro couldn’t live like this. He grabbed you and ran back to the house. He knew you didn’t want to go like this. You were there beside him, not mentally, but it wasn’t you. As he pushed you inside the house, you started clawing at him, making pained noises. He didn’t mind though, he looked down at you and saw tears in your eyes. You were still there and you were in pain. Muichiro cried too as he pulled the gun from the kitchen drawer. He aimed it at you, wanting to free you from your misery.

When the shot was fired, you fell to the ground. Muichiro sobbed. He knew this was the right thing. Next thing he knew, he put the gun to his head and fired a shot, killing himself too.

It turned out the two of you weren’t the last ones alive. A day later someone broke into the house and found the two of you lying there dead. The person was shocked when they noticed your hands had landed perfectly into each others and a smile was plastered on your faces.

[esamastation]

Part fifty-four of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three

-

Now, Reno could be an impartial observer about this. He probably should be. Just do his job, sign his report, hand over his duty to someone else, and wash his hands of the whole mess.

But on the other hand, "So. Flying, huh?"

Sephiroth has the gall to look sheepish about it. He is actually fucking blushing. "Well. That's not exactly it, but, yes? Is that a problem?"

Reno eyes him flatly for a moment. Then he shrugs. "Hell if I know. You know, for a while there I thought you were actually trying to keep your magical metamorphosis thing down low, but you just don't give a fuck, do you?" It's kinda impressive, really.

"Um," Sephiroth answers, and takes a dainty little sip of his tea.

Reno snorts. "You're something else," he says and falls to sit across from him on the other side of the tiny little tea table. Then he looks around.

They're alone in the main hall of the safehouse. Hewley and Rude are out picking up Tseng from the town, and it's just him and Mr. No Gravity, and Reno doesn't mind admitting he might actually miss the place. It's still hilarious that Sephiroth turns into a prissy princess when it comes to decor, but Reno can't say he doesn't know what he's on about.

He actually made the place really nice, for an abandoned house. As safehouses went, it was up there.

Sephiroth watches him curiously. "Looking forward to returning to Midgar?"

"God, yes," Reno says emphatically. "I'm going to find the nearest Pilferer's, and I'm going to forget all about your… everything."

"Pilferer's?"

"It's a chain of pubs," Reno explains, waving a hand. "Shit beer for cheap, good for one thing only."

"Ah," Sephiroth huffs in amused offence. "I'm not that bad, surely."

Well, no. Reno once had to act as Scarlet's bodyguard - that is still the worst assignment he's ever had. This doesn't come even close. But… "I don't know, man. You're kinda weird."

Sephiroth blinks at that, and Reno grimaces looking away. Sephiroth it's also kinda terrifying, even like this. Actually maybe especially like this. After his training sessions and meditations Sephiroth is all relaxed and cosy - it's probably the safest he is to be around, but it's weird.

It really brings home the fact that the guy is different from what he was. Even without Hewley there to react to it, you can tell. Sephiroth is someone else these days, and his shitty lying aside, none of them actually know him. And the guy isn't that keen on explaining.

… You know what, fuck it. Reno's out of here by the end of the evening anyway. "Are you ever going to explain what the hell is going on to anyone, or are we going to have to keep on guessing?" he asks.

Sephiroth hums, noncommittal.

"Because dude, it's going to have consequences in the long run. If not for you, then for the other SOLDIERs," Reno points out. "You know that, right?"

That makes the guy react with more than demure deflection, and Sephiroth lowers his cup. "Consequences like what?"

"Oh, you know, life-altering experiments in all the worst ways?" Reno asks and points a finger at him. "You realise what this all looks like from the outside, right? You get a deadly dose of Mako and boom, new abilities? You can be sure they're going to try to recreate those results."

Sephiroth frowns at that, looking down. He taps his finger against the tea cup for a moment and then shrugs. "I don't see what there is that I can do about that," he says and looks up at Reno pointedly. "First sign of trouble, and you ferried me out of Midgar, I assumed it was to get me out of the way."

"Well, yeah. For a reason," Reno shrugs and leans back a little. Fuck, the Mako shine is spooky when it's aimed at you like this, in dim light where you can tell the guy's eyes are actually emitting their own glow. "Seemed kinda necessary to keep you from going berserk again and killing someone important. Like Professor Hojo."

Sephiroth makes a funny sort of face at that, and sips his tea. From scary to embarrassed. Yay.

Never mind, Reno isn't going to miss this place at all. "Fuck it, whatever. I don't care," he decides. "Soon you'll be Tseng's problem, and I won't waste another moment thinking about you."

"I am hurt and heartbroken," Sephiroth says blandly and snorts at the face Reno makes at him. "You have been a most pleasant babysitter, Reno of the Turks. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to get to know you."

"Oh, put a cork in it."

"No, I'm serious," Sephiroth says. "I've always found the Turks to be intriguing. Your… work ethics are almost admirable."

Reno eyes him dubiously. "You're fucking with me."

Sephiroth grins, clasping the little tea cup loosely between both hands. "Not at all. There's a core of morals that runs through your agency that I find fascinating. The scary, underhanded enforcers and spies of Shinra - hiding just enough of a shred of decency to make you… rational. Practical and yet, strangely, sympathetic."

Reno gapes at him. What the fuck - where the hell did that come from?

Sephiroth chuckles at his expression. "I think I would quite like you, if the circumstances were different," he muses and pours himself another cup of tea.

Reno feels like objecting. He can feel his cheeks heating up. "You are absolutely fucking with me."

Sephiroth grins a little wider at that, and - damn, the guy's smiles are kinda devastating. Reno had been carefully not noticing, because, hello, job, but damn. Who the hell made this guy so hot? His lips are insanely pretty.

Reno is suddenly very aware that it's been a while since he last got laid and that he really desperately needs a drink. 

"Tseng is originally from Wutai, isn't he?"

"Wha?"

Sephiroth arches his brows and tilts his head. A stand of silver hair slides across his shoulder. "Tseng. Is he from Wutai?"

Reno thought he'd gotten used to the fancy dress shirts - and hell, Sephiroth had his chest pretty much completely bared before! Why the hell are just two buttons undone so sexy all of a sudden?!

"Oh, um. Yeah?" Reno agrees and clears his throat, shaking his head. Don't look at his collarbones. "He knows the lay of the land better anyway, so, you know, if your little soiree with the Wutai Captain has a follow up, he'll probably know what's up." … Uh.

Sephiroth gives him that slow blink again, and Reno doesn't blame him - it sounds like complete nonsense to him too.

Damn it, get it together, man, the guy isn't that fuckable!

… Except that he really, really is, and Reno wishes he could go back to professionally not noticing it.

"That's good, I suppose," Sephiroth says slowly. "I'll be looking forward to hearing his insights."

"Yeah, yeah, sure…" Tseng also knows more about Ancients than anyone not dead or in the Science Department, so whatever is going on with Sephiroth, Tseng would be able to figure it out. Probably.

Reno looks at Sephiroth's stupidly pretty face and then clears his throat. "Well, it's been - different. Let's never do it again. Try not to go nuts and kill any important scientists in the future, okay?"

Sephiroth looks away, his eyes going a little distant. "... No promises," he murmurs. Except coming from him, it's more of a purr, isn't it?

Fuuuck, Reno really needs to get out of here.

It's probably a good thing Tseng seems to kinda dislike Sephiroth for some reason. He wouldn't have this problem.

-

Get **** beamed.

[sparrowrye]

Alastor x Fem! Reader {soulmates} Part 9

Synopsis: soulmate AU where you have the same mark on your body as your soulmate, and if your soulmate dies, you die too. Alastor needs to make sure that his soulmate is safe so he can continue his reign - whatever that takes. Though it looks like we have a couple secrets of our own.

Previous Part

Part 9: playing mind games

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I started noticing books being left on the ottoman at the base of my bed. Their old covers and texture of the pages told me of their age. I didn't know what any of them were about unless I read them. I knew it was Alastor's doing, though. I kept them by the window and didn't touch them.

I sat out on the porch with Husker again. This time I shared with him what happened in the library. His grumpy face didn't change and he often let out an exasperated sigh over Alastor’s behavior. It felt nice to complain about him to someone. Husker somehow managed to coax me into talking about the big fight.

"I thought you said your powers were dampened up here," I finished.

"They are. But I also told you that Al is different."

"Why?"

He shrugged and took another sip. "Beats me. And I don't really care to find out either."

"What...do you think it would be...easier for me to practice my powers in Hell?" I asked slowly.

His sharp pupil looked at me sideways. "I don't think that's really a place you'd want to explore."

"I didn't say explore. But it might be easier for me to unravel my curse if a Demon's powers are stronger in Hell."

"That's something you'd have to ask Al, about." He leaned his face on his paw.

"The answer is no." Both of us jumped when the Radio Demon appeared by the door. "A curse is a curse and it's just as hard to unravel no matter where you are."

I sighed and leaned back in the chair. I stared off into the white landscape as Husker and Alastor talked about something else. It didn't make sense what he had said. How could it not be easier to unravel a curse? It would make my magic easier to handle and learn from, which would in turn make it easy to unravel it. So why not?

I thought back to my meetings with Rosie. She would always make a comment about the progress I was making. When she would ask me to do something with magic, it took minimal effort compared to when I used it in the house. Did Alastor have some kind of magic constraint on the house to keep me from using too much? Or to keep Husker in check? I had seen them disagree before.

Or—

My eyes widened. I slowly turned my head to look at the two of them bickering. Husker noticed first and went quiet. Alastor uncomfortably turned his head first, then his shoulders followed.

"Is..." My claws dug into the wood of the chair's armrest. "Is Rosie's place...in Hell?"

Husker's eyes snapped up to look at Alastor. His lips parted into a toothy smile. "Of course it is darling. Where else did you think it was?" I couldn't tell if he was angry at me. He always sounded so condescending so it was hard to tell the difference.

"I don't know. I just...didn't know."

"Indeed, she resides in Hell as Cannibal Town's prestige Overlord."

"Cannibal Town?"

He chuckled. "What did you think all their pointy teeth were for, darling?"

I leaned away from him despite the distance already. I couldn't help but stare at his own sharp teeth. There was always something he was neglecting to tell me.

"It's why we always visit Rosie at night and why we always use the back door. Hell isn't exactly the safest for you."

"It would have been nice to have known, though."

"There are some things you don't need to know." There it was again with the condescending tone. I felt like a child being lectured by a parent. "But this you do," he leaned down toward me, "You are not to leave her estate without me. Wouldn't want you getting into the hands of any cannibals, or worse."

"Worse what?"

He straightened up and placed his cane down. "My dear, you are not yet ready for Hell. You have still a long way to go. Speaking of which, I do think it's time for another lesson, don't you think?"

I squeezed my hands tightly together. "Do all your lessons use fear and pain?"

"That all depends on you, darling. Come along." He went into the house, leaving the door open for me to follow. I let out a huge sigh and gently hit my head on the back of my chair.

I dropped my human appearance and walked inside, leaving Husker to his whiskey bottle. I found Alastor waiting in the library, his claws drumming his cane impatiently.

He can't get mad at me for using self defense, right?

The doors all slammed behind me and the curtains were drawn. "Conjure light." To my relief, I could still make out everything in the room. I focused on my palms and conjured light from my hands. "Give shape to it."

I hesitated. Then I cupped my hands together and imagined rolling up a snowball. I took my hand away to reveal a sphere of light.

"Excellent." He appeared directly in front of me and lifted the sphere from my hands. "Now, I want you to snuff it out."

"How?"

"Use your imagination dear." He looked near the window at a sharp shadow cutting through the wood. He wanted me to control the shadows.

I looked around at all the other sharp lines from the single light he held. How did I move shadows? I only ever saw him disappear into them. And how did I get them up to the light?

I tried moving the single shadow from a chair's leg. I saw it shaking at first. Eventually I managed to pull it towards me along the floor. I was practically reeling it in with my hands. It felt heavy. I lifted it up Alastor's leg and to his arm where it promptly disappeared.

"Let's try something more simpler," he said. He lifted his cane and the room was plunged into utter darkness again. His face was illuminated in a nightmarish way from the sphere he still held. "This should be easier. Try again."

My cheeks burned with embarrassment. I looked around at the darkness as I struggled to think. He and Husker always used their hands when they were casting. So I opened my claws and imagined the darkness infecting and surrounding the little ball of light.

The light disappeared.

"Well done." Alastor appeared beside me as did the sunlight. "You seem to have a good grasp on shadow work.” He walked behind me to the other side. "You must really be in touch with your Demon side. Good job." With his condescending comment, he slipped into the shadows and back upstairs.

I looked down at my black claws.

****

I met with Rosie again a week later.

"My my, you've made even more progress," she marveled at the touch of our hands. "I'm so impressed. You must be practicing a lot."

"Yeah," I laughed nervously. I had just gotten comfortable with her before Alastor revealed who she really was to me. I couldn't stop staring at her teeth.

"Well, let's not linger any longer. Let's get right into it." She held my hands and I grudgingly closed my eyes. Would today reveal anything more than just more memories?

We started a trip down my teenage-hood when Striker owned me. He was the roughest when it came to discipline. He always grabbed my hair, held me right up to his face, and whipped his tail at me. He hated my snide comments.

We continued through the years. She asked me to focus on the faces in the crowd above me and those in cages beside me. There were faces in the cages that I recognized, many of whom were now long dead, but the crowd was never recognizable. Until one face stood out.

Husker.

His red wings caught my attention real fast. I could see him pushing through the crowd collecting bets and dishing money out. He wore his usual grumpy face but he wore a long jacket of some kind. I felt hot anger in my arms but my opponent slammed me into the ground. I finished the memory exiting the ring and walking onto a cobbled street. I looked around, utterly confused.

"What do you see?" Rosie asked.

"A town. I'm...wait...I'm in Tidebring."

"Where's that?"

"It's on a beach of the fishing district. It was where I first escaped."

"Tell me what you see."

"I see people walking. All people I don't recognize. And I see children. Their parents are holding their hands and moving quickly. It's almost sunset."

"Good. What happens at sunset?"

"It's more dangerous. Things come out of the ocean and..." I turned around to find myself in Ultopa. It was the city Striker found me. "I'm...I'm...not safe."

"What is it darling?"

"This isn't...They legalized ring fights here." I started spinning in circles. "There's no one on the streets. He's...he's going to find me."

"This is a memory, darling. Don't let the fear get to you."

"He's looking for me. He...he wants me back. He wants...he likes to play tricks." I found myself walking further down the street. I suddenly spotted the orphan boy I had saved in the alley. He was hugging a woman in the doorway. "This isn't...this isn't how I remember this."

"Darling, I need you to pull out of the memory."

"This isn't a memory." I looked intently at the boy. He was smiling and rubbing his face in his mother's skirt. Rosie was saying something else but I couldn't hear. He opened his eyes and waved to me. I waved back. When he smiled his face got really big and he laughed, revealing a set of sharp teeth.

I spun around right as Striker lunged at me. My head slammed into the concrete and his claws tightened around my throat. I could hear Rosie yelling but I was too focused on Striker's teeth near my nose.

I tried pushing him off with my legs but he wouldn't budge. He laughed loudly in my ear and ran his tongue along my neck. My blood ran cold. My struggling turned frantic. I couldn't breathe. He was too heavy.

"You're mine, oh you're mine." His voice didn't match. It wasn't his.

Cold water slammed into my face. I sucked in air and water, rolling over to cough it up. I dug my claws into the wet carpet as I hacked up more water. I could still see his face but I could feel that I was in Rosie's store.

I frantically shook my head and blinked several times. I couldn't get his smiling face out. I began clawing at my eyes but something cold grabbed my wrists and pinned them against a wall. They were glued there. When I couldn't move them I brought my face to them, desperately trying to get his face to go away.

Rosie was frantic as she tried to tell me to stop. "Get him out! Get him out!" I yelled. I dragged my face along the carpet but he wouldn't leave. His smile only grew bigger and closer. I could feel his tongue still on my neck. "Get him out!"

I could sense Rosie wasn't near me anymore, which made me panic even more. I started slamming my head into the wall, repeating the same words over and over. I tried smelling for anything but all my senses were blocked. I was floating in nothingness.

Someone grabbed my chin and pulled it up. Another hand covered my eyes and dragged it across my face. I furiously blinked and the image of Striker faded. His yellow eyes were replaced by red ones and I soon found myself staring up Alastor.

My breathing slowed as I realize I was back. Alastor gently let go of my face and I fell down on my elbows. I slowly looked around at the small, pale room. Rosie stood behind me with a hand on my back. I let out a sigh.

"Welcome back, sweetie," she said softly.

"What..." I swallowed with a dry throat. "What happened?"

"Someone got in your mind," she answered.

"What?"

Alastor stood up from his kneeled position and started looking around. Rosie went to my hands and took the old handcuffs off. I hadn't noticed the random white bar that ran along all of her walls. Was it a decoration style?

I sat up and pushed my wet hair out of my eyes. I started shivering and Rosie was quick to put a blanket over my shoulders. I could still see a faint outline of Striker's face still.

Alastor walked back over. "There was air magic involved."

"I'll have my boys clean all the vents," Rosie declared. She kept rubbing her hand in circles on my back. All I could do was stare at the floor and tremble. "It might be wise for me to visit you next time. She'll need to learn how to use mind magic before she can come back here."

"I think you're quite right, Rosie." He stood next to my cowering figure. "Thank you for saving her." He attempted to pick me up but I panicked and practically jumped over Rosie.

"I���I—I can—I can walk. I'm fine!" I yelled. Rosie looked between the two of us.

"Then let me at least help you, darling." He held out a clawed hand. Still shivering, I slowly accepted the gesture. He carefully lifted me up from under my arm and let Rosie wrap the blanket around my shoulders again.

"I'm sorry it even happened, Alastor. I didn't notice anything different."

"It's no worries," he reassured her, "It might've been too small for you to detect. We'll arrange for you to visit us soon."

"Of course. You may leave in here. I'll need to scrap this place clean again."

Alastor simply nodded before wrapping an arm around me. I felt uneasy and grabbed onto his arm when the ground fell away. We came back to the moon's blue light reflecting off the snow. The cold grabbed at my wet body and my shivering worsened.

The world went dark a moment before I found myself in front of the fire. I knelt down and pulled the blanket tighter. I stared into the fire, not yet feeling it's sweet warmth. I watched the flames wave back and forth.

I flinched when Alastor touched my chin. He still had a smile on his face but he wasn't showing any teeth. He knelt in front of me and carefully touched my chin again. He used his other hand to run his fingers along my face. It wasn't until he touched a wound that I realized my face was covered in them. It had been from my own doing.

They stung every time he touched them. I closed my eyes and braced myself every time I felt his fingers on my skin. My claws punctured holes in the blanket from holding it so tight. I didn't like how gentle he was being. It was uncharacteristic of him.

He eventually moved down to the sides of my neck. If I wasn't tense before, I was now. His claws occasionally brushed against my skin but it was mostly his fingers running across the bleeding cuts.

Then his hands froze. I opened my eyes to see him staring intently at my neck. He ran his finger along a certain path on my skin.

"What is it?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

"You have a rash here. Nothing to worry about." He pressed his palm against the spot and it tingled as his magic worked. I could see the glow of green outlining his figure again. He then touched the remaining wounds and stood up. "Nifty," he called. She appeared a second later excitedly. "Draw a bath for her." She crawled quickly up the stairs.

"What happened to me?" I asked. I was still crouched by the fire and soaking wet.

"Someone got into your head with mind magic." His cane appeared in his hands and he suddenly looked much taller. He looked out the window. "And I know exactly who it was."

"Who?" I coughed up more water. My lungs burned with every breath I took.

He finally turned to look at me. His smile widened but not enough to show teeth. "No one you should concern yourself with, darling. I'll handle it." He held out his hand, helping me to my feet.

The world went dark and my body felt like it was in water again. A moment later I was standing in my bedroom. Alastor let go of my hand as Niffty walked out of my bathroom. "It's all done!"

"Excellent." He turned to me and panic ran through me. "Perhaps you'll ensure that she's well on her own, Niffty?" My shoulders dropped with relief.

"Of course, sir!" she saluted him with the wrong hand.

"You have nothing to worry about tonight, dear," he told me, "You're safe in this house. Husker will be up shortly to watch over you."

"Where are you going?"

He took a step away and half bowed his head. "I have someone to speak to on this account. To ensure they don't try this little trick ever again." With that, he faded into the shadows.

The hot bath water was instantly soothing. Everything in me slowly began relaxing until I could move my limbs properly again. The relief brought tears to my eyes as I sank lower into the warm water. I kept my eyes on the faucet because closing them made me see Striker's face again.

I wasn't so sure I would be able to sleep tonight.

[iminloveweveryone]

Miguel O’hara

mafia au fic, NOT proofread 🌚, no SA but implications of it almost happening.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

Your working in a run down old diner, somewhere on the corner of pine street. the smell of stale coffee and cooking oil fills the air.

this is not where you’d expected to end up, all though you didn’t mind it. The pay was..okay and atleast you got free food every shift, so it’s whatever.

the bell attached to the door rings as someone new enters the diner, their heavy footsteps clanking on the old floor as they move closer.

You look up to a man, obviously taller then most, his hair is messy and a bored expression plays on his face.

he sits down in front of you, letting his calloused hands rest on the counter as he does so. You eyes trail over the surface before slowly looking up to him.

“what can i get you sir?” you ask with a small cheery smile hovering on your face. “Coffee, one milk and no sugar.” he says in a rich tone, making you wonder if he always sounds like that. You nod slowly and turn around to prepare the bland drink, before placing it down in front of him.

“anything else?” you ask with a small smile before he shakes his head. “It’s not safe for you to be working alone this late.” he points out “I know, i know.” you nod along with a sheepish smile “but my manger doesn’t seem to agree.” you shrug.

he only huffs in response, you start to move away when a sudden loud noise rings through the air, immediately catching your attention as you turn toward the noise.

“don’t worry, it’s under control.” he says plainly, taking a sip of his freshly poured coffee before standing up with a sigh. “you just sit here pretty while i go clear some things up out there, yeah?” he opens his wallet, taking a 20 out and placing it on the counter in front of me. “thanks for the coffee.” he grumbles as you stand there with a nervous expression, as he walks away.

the little bell rings once again as the door is opened and shut. slowly, you make your way over to the door, peering out only to see him gone. and whoever made the loud shorting noises no where to be found either.

that was three nights ago, and you haven’t seen the suspicious man since. And honestly you were a bit thankful, danger wasn’t something you had wanted to find yourself involved in.

walking down the cold and empty street, your heels clicking on the concrete sidewalk as you made your way home from your late night shift.

every rustle in the bushes, or gust of wind knocking abandoned objects over only making you more paranoid as this wasn’t exactly the safest part of town.

Your legs move quicker as you try to escape the cold night, wanting nothing more to be home right now. Your thoughts distract you as you suddenly bump into someone.

your stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting the interaction before you fall into profusely apologizing.

“An honest mistake, i’m really sorry.” you mumble before looking up to the man..The Man who seems all too familiar.

“That’s alright.” he mumbles, looking down at you with a cold face. You stare at him, trying to remember who he was. “wait..oh, you came into the diner a few nights ago” you say with a intrigued expression painted on your face. “Did you ever find out what all that noise outside was?” you ask curiously.

“oh.” he pauses to think as he brushes a hand through his neat hair. “Nothing, just a small misunderstanding between some friends of mine.” he shrugs non chalantly, causing you to nod slowly, still a bit suspicious of the whole situation.

“It’s not safe to be out this late, thought I told you that” he mumbles digging through his pocket before pulling out a pack of cigarettes and taking one out.

he lights it and you just shift your weight, trying to figure out an answer to his statement. “Needa’ have a chat with your boss?” he asks, inhaling deeply.

you quickly shake your head. “No, it’s just uhm we’re short on employees right now. i just have to close up alone for a little while.” you shrug.

he lets out a low hum in response, always seeming a bit uninterested in whatever the topic was. “so..what about you?” you ask politely. “what are you doing here so late?” you blink curiously.

he lets the cigarette rest in his hands as he turns to face you, his strong face almost entrancing you. “some business.” he looks down, his eyes dragging over your figure slowly. “Just tying a few loose ends up, that’s all sweetheart.” he grumbles as faint yelling can be heard inside the building.

you finally take notice of the surroundings, a few expensive looking black cars parked out front of the building.

The shouting grew louder, followed by a loud shot. something that didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest. You turn to look at him, wide eyed and worried, he only stared back coldly.

“Don’t worry about it, yeah?” he says with a chuckle, putting his cigarette out on the ground. “You heard nothin’ doll.”he stands up to his full height as two other men walk out of the building, one with a small cut across his face.

he looks up to the sky, studying the dark atmosphere. “You needa’ ride home? it’s late.” he asks looking back down to you.

you chew on your lip, not sure about getting in a car with a with someone you’d just met. “come on cariño, don’t wanna leave you alone out here in the dark.” he says in a sincere tone.

you let out a quiet hum in thought. “Okay, thank you” you mumble as he starts walking towards the vehicle.

you open the door and sit down, shutting it firmly and reaching for the seatbelt. “Where you goin’ too?” he asks, turning to face you.

you tell him the address to your apartment and the car engine roars to life, driving down the empty and dark road.

the radio plays mindlessly in the background as you look out the window. “How come you’re still workin in that shit hole?” he breaks the silence “Coffees less then decent and it’s dangerous for you to be around there at night.”

you sigh a little. “Not sure where else i would work, i don’t have much of an option.” You look over to him, his dark eyes staring down the road and his rough hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel.

he turns a corner and your apartment building comes into view, the front entrance dimly lit by the lamp posts.

he parks out front, turning the engine off and looking over at you. “let me give you a ride from now on, i’m in the area anyway.” he gives you a stern look “And i have no problem doin’ something extra to keep a sweet thing like you safe.” he grins at you.

you wet your lips, trying to think. Sure it would be great to not walk home in this dangerous area at night..but yet again-

“Don’t think about it too much, darlin” he pulls you away from your thoughts. “i’ll go by your work round’ 10, you can decide then.” he shrugs .

“okay?” he asks “okay.” you nod slowly before grabbing hold of your purse again and turning to open the car door. “thank you for the ride..” you trail off, realizing you don’t actually know his name.

“Miguel.” he finishes for you. “Y/N” you say with a sheepish smile before exiting the car and closing the door gently.

you walk into the lobby of your apartment, peering out the window as the car slowly drives away, And then he’s gone.

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The night passes quickly and you find yourself back at work, struggling to drag the trash outside. you let out a groan of annoyance.

“Need some help muñecita?” he chuckles, almost scaring the life out of you. “God! you scared me” you say dropping the bag on the ground harshly.

he hums and walks forward to pick the bag up out of your hand, swinging it into the trash bin with ease.

“your shift over?” he asks and you only nod, following him as he walks back towards the door of the diner.

you lock up the diner and stand out front of the building with him. “you want that ride yet?” he asks looking toward you.

you glance down at your shoes and back up to him. “yes please.” you mumble, following him to the car.

once again the engine roars to life, driving along the road. “hope you don’t mind, gotta stop by work.” he sighs “No, i don’t mind at all” you say politely as he nods.

You reach the large brick building and he motions for you to follow him inside. you walk along side him, into the luxurious building, your heels clicking on the marble floors.

he leads you to a sort of waiting room and assures you he’ll only be a moment before taking off.

a minute or so passes by before a man walks in, he’s short and round, with a grouchy look on his face.

a whistle escapes his mouth as he looks over to you, looking you up and down in a gross manner.

he takes short strides over to you, making you lean further back in the chair. you look around the quiet room nervously.

“what ya’ doin here, sugar?” he asks stroking his chin. “waiting for a friend.” you reply in a monotone voice.

“think i can keep ya’ company?” he chuckles, licking his lips. “no, that’s okay. i wouldn’t want to trouble you.” which only seems to earn another laugh from him.

“trust me sugar, it’d be no trouble.” he grumbles on. “it’s okay, really.” you try to tell him but he only seems to move closer, his hand now on your arm.

suddenly heavy footsteps can be heard approaching, before miguel walks in. A cold look covers his face, but it only seems to become sharper as he sees the man near you.

the man turns around, also hearing the footsteps and immediately backing off when he saw who it was.

“Boss! Was just..” he rambles nervously as he backs up. “get out.” Miguel warns and he quickly leaves the room.

Miguel’s face softens he turns to look at you, all worried and fidgeting with your hands. he walks up to you, a sorry expression on his face.

“you okay sweetheart? did he hurt you?” he asks, his gaze analyzing you. “i’m fine..” you mumble, quickly standing up.

“m’sorry muñecita, i’ll deal with him tomorrow.” he nods “promise.”

the two of you make your way to his car, he opens the door for you before getting in his side and turning the keys.

you lay your head on the seat tiredly, shifting in the seat to get comfortable, and out of the corner of your eye you see his grip tighten on the wheel.

you must have fallen asleep because you feel someone gently tapping on your shoulder, waking you up just enough to talk.

“we’re here” he mumbles softly. You let out a quiet hum, barely a response. you feel him unbuckling the seat belt and you instinctively latch onto him, wrapping your arms around his neck.

he lets out a quiet groan into your neck. “come on then” he chuckles, picking you up swiftly. you wrap your legs around him and he walks to the elevator.

you tell him your apartment number as he clicks the button and the doors shut. You shift in his arms slightly, trying to get more comfortable, which earns a groan from him.

“Gotta stop moving like that..” he grumbles in your ear, waking you up a lot.

the doors open to your floor and he steps out of the box, walking down the quiet hallway. he stops at your door and lowers you down to the floor, causing you to let out a dissatisfied whine to which he only chuckles.

you dig through your purse for the keys to your house, pulling them out and unlocking the door.

you turn around to face him, a tired pout on your face as you look up at his chiseled face.

he stares back down at you, a smug look covering his features. “you need to get to sleep sweetheart.” he says, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear and leaning down toward you.

your eyes scan over his face. “mhm..” you hum out quietly, biting your lips slightly. “mhm.” he mimics you, his face creeping down to your neck as he places a soft kiss.

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rahhh anyway lemme know how you feel about this freaks AND if i should do a part two or wtv 😋

[torchship-rpg]

Dev Diary 14 - Star Union Members!

Hello cosmonauts! Today we’re going to go back to the lore and identity Dev Diaries and cover the remaining members of the Star Union. So far, we have done Terrans & Lunars, and Martians & Spacers. These groups collectively make up the Solar Union, which is far and away the largest and most influential member of the Star Union (as the names imply). 

However, there are three other members; let’s touch on them.

Camp Aldrin

The first member we’re going to talk about is actually still within the Sol system! Camp Aldrin was once a major mining base on Earth’s Moon and a small second city, but the costs of maintaining two sets of infrastructure saw it rapidly outpaced by Armstrong City and eventually become something of a ghost town, home mostly to military bases and robotic mining. It is like Armstrong City in most ways, a network of underground tunnels, just smaller.

That changed during the war, because as Solar Patrol started winning battles, it started taking prisoners, and nobody was exactly sure what to do with them or where to put them. The initial plan was to keep them on Earth, which would be cheapest and safest, but Aquillians are not exactly accustomed to 1 g, so that was deemed needlessly cruel in short order. So, Camp Aldrin was repurposed instead; hardly anyone was living there, the systems were robust, it was close enough to Earth to make feeding everyone easy, and escape risk was very, very low on the moon.

Of course, the Sol Union hadn’t really run very many prisoner of war camps in the last half-century, so it dusted off the models it had used during its expansion on Earth, which was basically to have the prisoners self-organise a little community under their supervision, which is a very good way of ensuring that after the fighting is over, the enemy soldiers you release have familiarity with your mode of political organising. This worked extremely well among the Aquillian prisoners (and various auxiliaries and unlucky others who ended up there), who had up until this point lived pretty miserable lives as press-ganged crews of rockets and space stations. Camp Aldrin was the kind of place where the guards didn’t bother carrying weapons.

Then the war ended, and a lot of the prisoners didn’t want to go back. Some left for the new Aquillian republics, some hardliners tried going back to the various Remnants, but after that was over, there were 200,000 people still living in this creaky old moon base who wanted to stay.

So after some negotiation, the guards handed over the keys, and Camp Aldrin was the second full member of the Star Union.

The details of this identity are going to depend a lot on the Aquillian identity, which we’ll go into in more detail in the next Identity-focused dev diary. What’s interesting for our purposes is that Camp Aldrin’s Aquillians are distinct from the other groups because of their ongoing enthusiasm for biological and genetic modification, which is very taboo among other Aquillians. This is basically an excuse to play just about any kind of space elf you want; whatever characteristics you think a space elf should have, there’s a subculture on Camp Aldrin like that.

The other common Traits of Camp Aldrin’s citizens are War Veteran (for obvious reasons), and Dark History, in case you want any juicy dark secrets or old enemies from before you ended up here.

Camp Aldrin’s flag is based on the old uniforms they gave prisoners, which had a terrible colour scheme and a big symbol on it so everyone could recognize escapees on sight. If the ears didn’t give it away.  (Which it might not on Earth. God, can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to be part of some cool fantasy elf gene-mod subculture and then you meet real space elves and it becomes hashtag problematic? How do you explain to people you just liked Lord of the Rings before First Contact?)

Proxima

Gee humanity, why does the Star Union let you have two members?

Well before FTL was invented by humans, we sent tiny near-light probes to the nearest systems using our mastery of Fuckoff Big Space Engines. When the images came back decades later, people were overjoyed by the readings from Proxima b; despite being a tidally-locked iceball orbiting a flare star, it had both liquid water and abiotic oxygen generation in the upper atmosphere. Sure, it was cold, you’d need to live in canyons on the terminator band to avoid the howling winds, you need to bring your own soil to grow stuff, and there’s no terrestrial source of metals, but other than that it's basically just like home!

Needless to say, the moment FTL drives were invented, humans threw themselves on some FTL rockets and made the months-long crawl (they were shitty FTL drives) to the nearest star to set up a colony. Compared to Mars, it was basically paradise! Sure, it took months to get supplies from home, and there was no FTL communications yet so that was the only time you got any news, but the basics were covered.

Then one day, after an unusually long delay, one of the supply rockets came in and told them, hey, first contact just happened. Anyway, we’re at war with a giant alien space empire, everyone back home voted to set up an emergency War Council with way too much power over basically everything, and they’ve unilaterally decided that the colony project isn’t affordable in a war economy, so pack it up, you’re heading home.

Needless to say, people reacted in an entirely rational manner. Which is to say, they concluded that the Solar Union had just had some kind of insane military coup, probably by the same bloodthirsty maniacs that oversaw the Elysium Emergency (which was a formative event for most of the colonists), and was trying to shut the place down because it was outside their control. So, naturally, they promptly declared independence, then immediately fell down a rabbit hole of spiralling radicalization and internal conflict as they tried to figure out how to survive in their half-built colony when Solar Patrol would surely be arriving with the jumpjets at any moment.

This is where we get our two Proxmia identities. The first are the surface-dwellers on the planet themselves, who are the far better-known group. Properly Centaurians, but universally known as Proxies. The Proxies had no doubt that humanity would triumph in their war against these mysterious aliens, if it was even real; they were largely Terrans who had grown up at the centre of the Solar Union’s power and could not conceive of something beating them. Obviously, this meant they’d be next! 

This group seized heavily on the preliminary plans to do a Martian-style genetic engineering process and decided that going full-steam ahead and making themselves a distinct species would make them too much trouble to re-integrate back into the Union. And, of course, this could be used to create The Ultimate Specimens of Post-Humanity, an impulse that never ever goes wrong ever.

So, obviously, it went wrong. Sure, a lot of Proxies were faster, stronger, maybe even smarter than the human norm back home. But mostly what happened was they made their kids really sick. Even when it worked out, a lot of them were left with chronic pain, neurological disorders, or permanent dependence on various medicines or procedures to have any kind of decent quality of life, things not in abundance on the tiny colony. To make things worse, the place was rapidly falling apart, and the adults were accelerating this process fighting one another over whether to swallow their pride and call home, or somehow try to tough it out. Eventually, the older generation were overthrown by the super-kids they made, who promptly called their grandparents and asked for medical assistance.

Proxies are a chance to play with all the really fun gene-engineering stuff and make a post-human character. There’s a few recommended Traits; almost all Proxies have a tapetum lucidum for better night vision in the eternal twilight of the terminator band, and the Augment trait’s mix of bonus abilities and medical or metabolic drawbacks is perfect for representing it. The Cold Resistance trait is also a good one; a lot of Proxies have an insulating layer of fat or some other adaptation which makes it easier to survive the bitter cold.

The other group in the system which split off were the Proxima Spacers, a group of Spacers who tagged along with the colony to set up mining in the rich asteroid belts in the system. As Proxima b has no local metals, they were the ones who’d need to provide them, in exchange for food and biological compounds from the surface colony. Being Spacers well-accustomed to the precarity at the edge of the system, and just how fragile the Solar Union was, they were convinced humanity was going to lose the war, and they’d be next when the aliens swept in to clean up. Human extinction was surely imminent. 

So they started to hide, disassembling their major stations and rebuilding them into the sides of low-spin asteroids, spreading out into many small communities and increasingly relying on cold-gas jets to make increasingly infrequent journeys between stations and to the planetary colony. They put up shielding, used lasers in place of radio to communicate, and did everything they could to disappear. They became the Archivists; doomsday survivalists in space.

When the Solar Union returned to the system, it at first looked like the vast majority of spacers had fled down to the colony or died, but over years they slowly became aware of the Archivists through intermittent contact. They mostly want to be left alone to their task, though sometimes members join Star Patrol, either defecting from the tightly controlled and spartan lifestyles of the spacers or, worryingly, spying and gathering information to squirrel away. For the most part, the Archivists seem to just be focusing on long-term survival, and may even have spread to other systems using their reserve of old FTL drives for redundancy.

An Archivist is a really good way to play a loner. The exact mix of Traits is a bit up in the air right now as we rebuild character creation, but you get all the common Spacer ones with a few extracts to represent the culture of secrecy and isolation you grew up in. Archivist communes are often organised quite a bit like mystery cults to compartmentalise information, so lack of trust is something very central which you may need to overcome.

Proxima's flag is a stylization of the sky as seen from the colony, with the three stars in the system and the endless sunset.

Corvus Peasants’ Republic

Finally, we have the first member to consist of aliens and not be located a convenient walk away from Earth. The unimaginatively-named Corvus is the natural exonym given when a wartime Solar Patrol rocket crashed on an alien world and were greeted by a bunch of crow-people; they presumably didn’t recruit them for creativity. 

The Koath are a species of hunched, bipedal non-humanoid aliens with an interesting evolutionary history. As best anyone can tell, their distant ancestors were once the domesticated pets of a humanoid species which managed to Great Filter itself about a million years ago, possibly over the fact that they’d bred at least one strain of their companion animal to be able to speak and possess the intelligence of a ten-year-old child. The Koath emerged as survivors of the apocalypse, which included a pretty severe biosphere collapse and resource depletion, and have become the dominant form of life on their world.

At first glance, Koath societies look more or less mediaeval, mostly in that really late period where people were doing really cool things with waterwheels, granted, but there’s not a lot of industry or steelworking owing to the easy sources of carbon fuels and decent iron all being long-depleted. For those reasons, the Koath have been at roughly this state of infrastructural development for roughly a hundred thousand years, at the edge of their population carrying capacity and unable to intensify production any further, resulting in interlocking networks of feudal kingdoms prizing stability in an attempt to build up their resources and overcome the gaps.

This does mean that the Koath have a lot of interesting surpluses, though. Having had organised agriculture for ten times longer than humanity, the Koath have selectively bred some absolutely incredible crops; not just for eating, but for just about everything. Need a dye? They can cross-breed you arbitrary Pantones. Need paper? They can make you a lot of it. It’s so impressive that while the planet had consistently been considered not worth conquering, it has long been considered worth visiting, which means the Koath have learned a lot of things they don’t have the technological infrastructure to have discovered on their own… which dovetails with a quirk of their biology.

Koath are really good at languages. Really good. It’s what their ancestors were bred for. They start talking within months of being hatched, and they make up new languages constantly because it’s easy and fun. They have unique languages for regions, religions, guilds, and within families. They can learn to read in weeks. They’re all literate, they make paper with the waste-products of food production, and they’ve had moveable type for longer than human civilisation has existed. And they are, to a fault, curious.

A Koath peasant working the earth with a bronze plough might not know much about quantum mechanics, but they’ve at least heard of it. They have a rich body of secret political writing written in coded languages about how much it sucks living as serfs so a lord somewhere can have the county’s only lightbulb. So when a human spaceship filled with 3d printers, the diagrams for 3d printed guns, and a bunch of very confused communists who immediately bristled at the idea of ‘local lords’ crashed in their neighbourhood, the local peasants did a whole little revolution about it, and were then promptly besieged by every single one of their neighbours.

So that’s the Corvus Peasants’ Republic. Not a whole planet even; a tiny peninsula of possibly overenthusiastic little bird communists trying to build up technological infrastructure while literally having trebuchets pointed at them. They’re very excited to be a part of the Star Union, because every iron-rich asteroid found out there is a new steel foundry back home, so maybe their people can enjoy all the cool technology they’ve had blueprints for since Ur was the happening place on Earth.

As a Koath, you get the Polyglot Trait, obviously, and the Non-Humanoid Bodyplan trait which gives you some cool little tool bonuses when you use your claws, vestigial feathers, and adorable little legs that give a surprising burst of speed, at the cost of needing special tools and being bad at throwing things. You are also a really good recipient for the Out of Time trait, as you may have gone from living as, you know, a peasant, to operating a spacecraft in a few short years. The Prodigy trait also does double-duty here for the curiosity and literacy of the species.

A year ago this little guy was a farmer.

[gliphyartfan]

your recent mafia au got me thinking. With halloween right around the corner, I'm curious to know how the chain would do on halloween after finally being reunited with reader. Would they go trick or treating? Go to or a have a halloween party? Have a scary movie marathon? They definitely would be excited to see reader in a costume, probably even try to match 😄 hope you have a good halloween 🎃 gliphy

Hope you have a happy spooky time too!

Hmmmmm had to think on this for a while

The Mafia Chain wouldn’t exactly go trick-or-treating, kinda can’t given they are…well Mafia.

But there’s no way they’d let Reader miss out on the fun.

(Plus it’s mean more memories made with their darling ya know. )

Maybe they take a spin on the tradition, where they orchestrate a lavish Halloween street party, shutting down part of the town for “security reasons” (though really, they just want to control the scene and since the territory closest to their home is safest? Not like the people living there would care about what the people who do more than cops do.)

They’d definitely make sure the streets are filled with decorated stalls, spooky lights, and candy stands so they can walk around with reader and enjoy the night together.

Wild. Four, and Wind would absolutely sneak away to join the kids for some trick-or-treating action, or rather Reader suggested they do that and they happily followed along to act as their “distraction” while they grab the best candies~

Of course, Warriors and Twilight would follow, trying to keep them out of trouble (and failing. miserably. but laughing about it.)

Meanwhile, Time and Legend would remain at the center of the party, to keep track of everyone, but also more than happy to show off their costumes with reader. probably something classic, refined, and flattering.

Sky and Hyrule would help keep the event running smoothly, subtly making sure everything stays perfect, all while stealing glances at reader in their costume.

And given that they probably have their inside men in the force patrolling the area, no chance of the street party being shut down!

Moving on!

—

—

If they decided on a private party, they would most definitely throw a Halloween party, a grand, mafia style event, where everyone is dressed to impress.

Reader would be the highlight of the night, no matter what costume they chose. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now, matching costumes?

The absolute joy they'd get out of matching with reader cannot be understated. Whether it's sophisticated and dark, playful and spooky, or elegant and fantasy, they'd all be vying for reader's attention, secretly hoping their costume combo stands out the most.

The Chain would throw in every effort to ensure reader felt included and adored, and they'd take great pride in matching, each of them holding onto that sense of togetherness after so long apart.

Time would insist on matching costumes, something a bit dark and classy like a vampire lord with reader as his elegant vampiress, both dripping with sophistication and mystery. He would hover close to reader’s side all night, using any excuse to keep his arm around them.

Time might not show it outwardly, but he’s positively thrilled to be by their side again, and this night would be his way of celebrating that.

Legend would take a more playful approach, maybe convincing reader to go with a theme like ghost hunters or a dynamic duo from old horror films.

He wouldn’t admit it, but seeing reader so lively and happy in their costume would melt his usually standoffish demeanor. He’d tease them constantly throughout the night but would also make sure they stay close, pulling them into photos and conversations with that subtle smirk of his.

Wild would go all out on the costume front (I mean he’s an outfit fanatic during his journey and that follows him no matter what. So says I)

even if it’s just an excuse to see reader in something cute. He’d push for something fun and adventurous, maybe a fantasy-themed costume like a knight and a princess, or even something totally random like an iconic horror duo. If he has Majora’s Mask, he’ll definitely use that. (To Time’s exasperation)

But make no mistake, he would absolutely fawn over reader the moment he sees them, telling them how amazing they look. His eyes would practically glow when they finally match his energy in costume.

Warriors would go for something elegant but with an edge, a suave prohibition era mobster look that complements reader’s stunning costume.

He would shamelessly flirt with reader the entire night, likely offering his arm as he winks, “You know, we could conquer the world together.” There’s a mix of possessiveness and affection in the way he sticks close to reader, enjoying the evening but always keeping an eye on anyone who might try to approach them.

Twilight would likely pick something a bit rugged but undeniably charming, maybe a lone werewolf paired with reader’s mystical witch or something similar. Or he’d go all homely with just rancher style. (Or maybe he’d get a custom made outfit of his old rancher clothes. He’d love the idea of Reader wearing an Ordonian style outfit along with him)

He’s more subtle about his excitement, but reader would catch him watching them with those soft, almost longing eyes as they move through the party. When no one is looking, he’d pull them aside for quiet moments together, placing a hand at the small of their back while admiring them.

Hyrule might pick something like dark fairytale characters, enchanted but with a spooky twist. While he would try to remain composed, his face would give away how enchanted he is by reader’s costume. He’d be stuck in this constant state of awe, keeping close and helping them with anything they need, making sure their night is nothing short of magical (pun intended). He’d smile a little too hard when reader leaned into his side during the night. (Maybe use some of his magic to scare the kiddos wandering around)

Sky would go for something dreamy, maybe suggesting they dress as characters from a fantasy romance, like a noble knight and their beloved, or something with whimsical elegance. He’s a romantic not matter what.

He’d spend the entire evening doting on reader, sneaking soft compliments about how stunning they are, while enjoying every second of being close to them. He’d suggest they dance at some point, perhaps a slow, romantic waltz under the glow of the party lights.

Four might not outwardly say it, he would love matching costumes. His choice would lean toward something subtle and coordinated, like characters from a fairy tale or folklore that connected to his background or a more classic pairing. He’d be delighted if reader chose something matching without him asking, feeling a quiet sense of pride as they walked together, his heart warming every time someone noticed.

And if anyone flirted with reader or tried to steal their attention, Four would silently position himself between them, guiding reader back with a slight but unmistakable possessiveness. His quiet, intense focus would make it clear to anyone watching that he had no intention of letting anyone come between him and reader, especially not on a night like this.

—

Now if the Chain did manage to have a quiet night in (after ensuring that everything was secure and all potential dangers were far away), a scary movie marathon would be on the table. Reader would curl up with a blanket on the couch, and soon enough, the Chain would join them, turning the cozy night into a cuddle pile.

Wild and Wind would be the instigators, immediately throwing pillows around and getting everyone to relax.

Hyrule would sit at reader’s feet or close to their side, finding comfort in simply being near them. Four would join him.

Twilight would definitely steal the spot right next to reader, wrapping his arm around them, pulling them into his side for extra warmth.

Warriors and Legend would also stick close, trying to act casual but secretly thrilled to be near reader.

Throughout the night, there would be subtle touches, Sky handing reader popcorn, Time placing a blanket over their shoulders when the night gets colder.

The atmosphere would shift from spooky to soft, (and probably back to spooky if Reader is a horror fanatic) each of them finding an excuse to be near reader, their hearts light with the warmth of finally having them back.

By the end, reader would be snuggled right in the middle of the Chain, surrounded by warmth and affection as the night came to a peaceful close.

[nonexistent-introvert]

Lost

pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Word Count : 2.1k

content: Joel giving you life advice and assurance, him being your comfort.

A/N: It's been a hella long time, this may be a little too personal of a story but I have had a rough few months. And this was a little fic i wrote to comfort myself with my fav comfort character. Finally decided to post this in hopes that it may help someone ahaha.

 “Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Ellie grew up pre-outbreak?” Joel’s eyebrows raised in curiosity. “Why the sudden deep question?” He questioned you back as he sipped on the steaming hot cup of coffee in his hand. You shrug, “Just a thought.”  

   Joel and you sat on his front porch, just watching the sunset over the horizon, a beautiful backdrop for Jackson’s village. He ponders your question for a while before sitting up in his chair, “You mean if she didn’t grow up during the outbreak, but before, when we didn’t have to worry about the infected?” He clarifies. You nod as you stare off into the distance, watching the various villagers go about their days. “I mean, she’s 18 this year. If life was normal she would probably be going off for college this year. Not- not going out for patrols and helping out around town, or even fighting for her life every time she’s out of Jackson.” You continue adding on. Joel hums, “College huh?” He lets out a small laugh at the thought of an education system. It had been too long since he had last heard about any form of education. “Mmm, she would probably be going off for college, like every other teenager back then, where she would figure out her life from there.” Joel hums as he imagines what it would be like in an alternate universe. 

   “Do you think she would be happier than now? If let’s say she had the chance to go to a college instead of fighting for her life.” You ask again. Joel places his mug down on the table separating the both of you. “Probably, I mean I never went to college properly but it would probably be better than fighting for your life.” You look at him as he answers, “You really think so?” Joel’s eyes widened and he let out another laugh, “Come on, who in their right mind would prefer our life now to back then?” You simply smile and laugh a little. “We only think that way because we had them to compare to, Ellie only knows life throughout the outbreak, she’s been fighting since she’s young, learning how to defend herself and survive. Even now at 18, she’s been doing the same things as she did since young, it’s a form of normalcy for her.” Joel turns his body to face you, “What’s your point exactly?” He asked, not quite understanding where you’re coming from. You meet his eye for a few moments, trying to search for the right words to voice your opinions. 

    “Becoming 18 was the scariest part of my life, and arguably the hardest part of my life too. That’s saying a lot since I literally survived 20 years in a stupid zombie apocalypse.” You laugh, and Joel gives you a judgemental look, he can list down a list of worse periods of his life compared to turning 18. 

   “Becoming 18 brought about so many changes in my life, I had to prepare myself for college, choosing a major, being in a completely new environment, new friends. I just felt so pressured and overwhelmed with everything. However for Ellie, ironically enough, she’s in a more stable environment than she has ever been. Jackson is the safest it gets around here, she can live a semblance of a normal life here, hanging out with friends, indulging in her hobbies, and doing typical teenage things. For someone go fought for their survival everyday, Jackson is practically a safe haven. Personally, I know 18-year-old me would have done anything for some semblance of stability back then.” 

  Joel just stares at you for a moment, he clears his throat upon noticing that you seemed to be getting a little emotional just thinking about it. “My life changed when I was 20, 18 wasn’t bad for me, I knew I wanted to be a musician so a music degree was the way to go but I had to drop out when Sarah’s mum got pregnant with her. I worked tirelessly to afford a wedding and eventually, our life together with Sarah, balancing college on top of multiple jobs would have killed me.” He shares with you, looking away as he realizes you’re trying to subtly wipe the tears that are forming in your eyes. “One moment I was a college student and then suddenly I was thrown out to the adulting world without any prior warnings, forced to adapt and overcome. Plus the pressure from both sides of the family regarding the pregnancy, fuck I thought I was gonna lose my mind.” Joel continues. “As much as I say that, it taught me to appreciate the small things in life, sure i have my regrets but seeing Sarah.. having Sarah turned out to be the biggest blessing of my life. No matter how much life hated me, it was easier every day when I see Sarah, she was the light in my world. It made all the shittty things I went through worth it.” He says confidently, you can see the pride shining in his eyes at the thought of Sarah. Your hands reach over to give his hand a little encouraging squeeze. Joel used to have trouble even talking about Sarah, but he had came a long way since then.  

  “I’m sorry I went on about my grandfather's story, it’s your turn.”Joel chuckles, he picks up his mug to take another sip of his coffee, you had always been a cheerful person, he was curious about how your life was at 18 for you to tear up just thinking about it. 

  You sat there silently for a few moments, then you inhaled deeply, trying to muster the courage to tell Joel. You never had the opportunity to share what you went through prior to this conversation with Joel. 

   “I didn’t have life as tough as you but I don’t know, I just felt so lost you know? I didn’t know what to do with my life.” You started, your body tensing up just at the memory of it. “I was so afraid of suffering in my chosen major if I ended up not liking it. I didn’t want to waste my time studying something I didn’t like. Then I spiraled and thought that if I chose the wrong major I would be condemned to a job or industry I hated. I couldn’t bear spending my time on a job that I didn’t like. I just felt so doomed and trapped at that point in time, I was so lost, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.” Your words started to leave your lips at a faster pace, just the memory of it evoked some overwhelming emotions inside you. Joel moved the table separating the both of you immediately and shifted his seat right next to you. He revealed his bare palm to you, a soft invitation for comfort. You placed your hand in his immediately, letting out a sigh of relief when he held your hand tightly, giving your hand a few squeezes to ground you. “It’s okay, you’re fine now.” He murmurs softly. Silence fell over the two of you as you took a few steadying breaths and he patiently waited. 

  “You didn’t talk to anyone about this? About how lost you were?” Joel questioned, a worried look on his face. His hand still holding yours. You shook your head, “Not in detail anyway, I tried asking in general. My dad caught hints of how I felt, he just kept telling me about how it's normal to feel lost and that I’ll figure it out along the way, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling of anxiety.” Joel’s eyebrows furrowed, this made him wonder if Ellie or Sarah had ever felt anxious before and he had just never caught on. “I started spacing out a lot, I couldn’t remain in silence because if there wasn’t something to occupy my mind, it would go back to overthinking about the future. I knew I wasn’t in a good place, but I felt my feelings were invalid since there were people out there in worse situations than me. So, I- I just smiled a little bigger and laughed a little louder, trying to mask how I felt inside.” Joel lets out a breath at that, “No one should ever feel like their feelings are valid. Just because you’re in a better situation doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve to feel that way. The feelings and pain you went through still affected you and hurt you, it was real.” Joel says firmly, a determined look in his eye. He firmly believed in that statement. You gave him a soft smile, “I just wished young me knew that, but knowing my stubborn ass, I would have continued to spiral anyways.” 

  Joel stretches his legs, letting out a grunt as he does so. “Have you ever thought of taking a gap year? To figure out what you wanted?” He suggested. “Thought about it, my dad didn’t like the idea of me wasting a year, he said the longer I waited the value of my grades loses and it would be even harder for me to get into college.” You answered. Joel let out a scoff, “It’s not a waste, it's better than you impulsively choosing a major and then regretting it for the rest of your life or even possibly destroying your mental health more trying to do well in something you found no joy in.” Yion shrugs, “At that point of time, I didn’t even want to commit myself to further studies, knowing me, I would have just settled for any job as long as it was stable even if it wasn’t the best choice financially for the long term.” 

   “There is no such thing as a stable job, every job has its own pros and cons. What matters is the fulfillment you get from it.” Joel answers. He would know, everyone around him didn’t like the idea of him becoming a musician because it took a stroke of luck to even do decently well and stand out in the industry but Joel knew for a fact that he wouldn’t enjoy anything else as much as he would being able to perform for people. It was the whole reason why he went ahead with his music degree. He would never know if it would turn out to be a choice he regretted since he had to drop out to support his family but until now, having the opportunity to study music was one of the best decisions he made. You sigh, “Well I felt like I had tunnel vision. I just saw myself on a path that led nowhere. Maybe I was in a bad place altogether too.” Joel hums in understanding. “You made it this far, even pulled through a whole apocalypse. Can’t say many people did the same. For someone who claimed they’re weak, you did make it 20 years in surviving an apocalypse. You laugh at the irony of it all, “Hm, turns out I did better when there weren’t many options. The only way to survive was to live, I didn’t have any other path to walk. The world narrowed it down for me.” Joel smirked, “Oh, how kind of them.” He replied sarcastically. 

   “So, do you think Ellie would be happier going off for college?” You asked again, linking back to the original question. Joel smiles, his eyes twinkling as the tangerine sunlight highlighted his features. “She would be happy as long as she finds the most suitable pacing for herself to move through life,” Joel concludes. “Life only seems fast-paced because everyone else moves at a fast pace but that doesn’t mean everyone can keep up. Determine your own pace and progress through at your own pace. It’s the only way you won’t feel stressed and pressured which tend to equate to you being content.” 

   Joel finishes his coffee. “Feeling lost is normal, it usually happens when you think you’re left behind and everyone is moving tenfolds faster than you. However, life was never meant to be some race to be the fastest, you could always set your own pace and continue moving forward. Being slower is better than pushing yourself past your limits and ruining yourself in the process.” 

   You look at him with admiration. Then you cleared your throat and laughed a little to lighten the tension. “Joel, that was really wise.” He looks over to you as he clears his throat too, trying to hide a small hint of a blush. “Heh, must be the old age catching up.” He murmurs. 

   You stare onward, looking at Joel and then to the various villagers of all ages living their lives in Jackson. You smile subconsciously. 

   Everything does work out in the end. 

[x-aefx]

ONE TIME THING - BELLA RAMSEY (part 6)

Pictures above are not mine

Summary: unbeknownst to you, you meet actor Bella Ramsey. You two hit it off but your paths lead two different directions.

Bella Ramsey x female reader

Taglist: @evieguhbyebroski @amberputh @assgardangod @niwritespoetry @mainslutsblog @obsessedmunson @guacala @that-one-little-soybean @overtrred28

Warnings: drinking, drunk people, man handling (?)

Part one ⬇️

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The week went by slowly. You visited your friends, and eventually your family when you couldn't prolong it anymore. You loved your family and you missed them but the constant questions about your life that would soon turn into a lecture was tiring to listen to every time you visited.

You did manage to get your house in better shape, not that it was messy inside. You had moved the furniture about to create more space which was a success.

Thursday was really the only day of the week so far that didn't require you to leave the house. Those were the best days. You thought so anyway. To your dismay it arrived slow and left quick.

Your phone buzzed multiple times one after the other from beside you as you lay snuggled up on the couch. Your eyes squinted at the screen before they adjusted to the light.

You clicked on the notification not properly registering who it was, but when you did you found yourself smiling happily.

You smiled as you tapped into the picture to make it bigger. They looked good. You typed back your response.

Almost immediately Bella sent her response back.

You rolled your eyes. He wasn't a mystery guy, you knew Ethan. Maybe it's been a while, but nevertheless he wasn't a stranger. You had told Bella that many times since you first told them when you both met for lunch. Regardless, Bella always referred to them as 'mystery guy' even when knowing his name.

You stared at the text. They weren't being serious surely? It was just a joke. The more you stared and left yourself to your thoughts, the more your heart hammered in your chest. Quickly you typed something.

You waited again for Bella's response.

You groaned. You did not expect Bella to take such a dislike to Ethan. They hadn't even met him yet. An idea struck you.

You raised your brows as Bella responded in record breaking time.

"seriously? They didn't even consider it!" You mumbled. Shaking your head you got up from the coach and prepared yourself for your shower.

★ ★ ★

You woke up late that morning. You rushed to complete all your errands before you went home to do your hair. Straightening was definitely the safest option. You applied light makeup to make it easier for yourself when you got back home.

The dress you chose was simple. It wasn't too revealing or short but the colour complimented you well and sat on your body in a flattering way. You paired it with red heels.

Ethan arrived at your house at 8:30, exactly as he said he would. You gave yourself a once over in the mirror before you went to greet him.

You exchanged your hello's and made small talk in the car. Ethan never spoke much, even as a boy.

You could hear the music that was playing from outside. The last time you were hear was for your sisters graduation. The bar was probably as old as the town, but the music was good and the drinks were the best in the area.

"if it's too crowded we can go somewhere else." Ethan spoke from behind you. You turned to him and smiled assuringlly.

"no don't worry, I don't mind crowds."

Ethan nodded. He placed a hand on the small of your back and lead you inside. He directed you to the bar.

You watched as Ethan shouted words to the barman that didn't reach your ears due to the loudness of the music and chatter. You watched with interest as the man at the bar poured the drinks, trying to figure out what Ethan had ordered you. The two glasses were pushed towards you, the liquid was a pinky colour, appearing red at the rim of the glass. You looked at it uncertainly.

You looked up at Ethan when you felt his hand pulling you towards a quieter area.

"I was surprised when Aaron told me you were still living in the area. All you ever talked about was wanting to leave it." Ethan chuckled. He brought his glass to his mouth, wincing slightly as the liquid passed his lips.

You looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"I was a teenager. I didn't know what I wanted."

"I was sure you'd be living a lavish life in LA or somewhere. You were always very determined about getting what you wanted. What changed?"

You looked at Ethan slightly shocked at his forwardness. Ethan's face however, remained serious and the tiniest bit intrigued.

You took a long sip of your drink. It burned as it slid down your throat, you liked it.

"maybe I realized that I don't need to move away to live the life I want. That everything I need, I already have around me."

You looked at him for his response, but Ethan only smiled and shook his head.

"you don't believe me?" You inquired.

"I believe you, y/n. I just didn't realize how much your plans for the future changed. How less... eager..you had become."

You swallowed down the rest of your drink. Ethan looked at you concerned. You gave him the realist looking smile you could muster.

"I'm going to get another drink." You muttered, not caring if he heard you or not. You were annoyed. The way he spoke of your life almost as if he was mocking, made you want to slap him.

You pushed your way to the bar. Wincing everytime someone's elbow met your ribcage, or when someone stood on your foot.

You shout over the crowd at the barman when he smiled at you.

"something strong, please." You didn't care what he gave you, even when you were sure you probably never tried it before. You looked around you, people dancing, making out, laughing. It made you feel so lonely yet angry all at the same time. Usually you never got drunk or even went to bars. Usually you were the taxi friend, the one who stayed sober to drive everyone home.

Tonight, you decided would be the exception. Everyone else was letting lose and having fun, why couldn't you?

One drink turned into two, two turned into three. Your legs wobbled slightly when you walked and you mood seemed to have lightened.

"there you are! You were taking so long I was afraid you had left!" Ethan grabbed onto your arms when he noticed you lose balance slightly. "What had you to drink?"

You ignored his question, "dance with me"

Before he could say anything you were already pulling him amongst crowds and crowds of people. You began dancing to the familiar song that was playing, you ignored the feeling of Ethan's hands on your body. Instead you chose to focus on the music, the colourful lights and the people around you. You made eye contact with a girl Infront of you. She smiled sweetly, the way she danced with so addicting, you couldn't look away. As she danced she moved closer to you.

You noticed the glass In her hand. She cupped your chin with one hand. The way she looked at you made you want to fall to your knees. Using her thumb, she beckoned your lips open. She brought the glass to your lips, and you drank the unfamiliar liquid whilst maintaining eye contact. It was stronger than your last drink, it sparked more confidence inside you.

You glanced back to see Ethan had disappeared. You turned your attention back to the blonde. Your hands travelled up her body swifty, then to her neck before cupping her face. She smirked at you as she leaned in closer to you. Your lips met hers, the kiss was heated and rough. Her hands moved around in your hair, as yours explored every part of her that they could reach.

The more you kissed her the more your thoughts ran wild. Picturing things you knew you shouldn't be imagining, pretending the lips you were kissing were someone else's. Someone you had grown close to recently. Bella.

You parted from her.

She smiled again at you. You closed your eyes and took a breath in as you felt her hot breath on your ear.

"look for me after." The moment she said it you felt her hands leave you, you knew she had gone. You also knew you probably wouldn't find her after.

Your eyes landed on the neon sign for the women's restroom, you made your way towards it. The music echoed inside it, most cubicle were empty, only the odd one with a closed door.

You made your way for the one closest to you. Shutting the door behind you, you sat on the toilet lid and pulled out your phone.

The screen lit up and your fingers shakily moved to the messaging app. You could barely read the writing on the screen, it was all blurry and you couldn't make sense of your own thoughts.

It was like someone else was controlling your movements. Your fingers began typing on the keyboard, you could barely register what it was that they were trying to write.

Your head lulled to the side where it rested on the wall dividing it from the other cubicles. Your eyes fluttered closed briefly as you smiled widely. You hummed as your mind was in a haze and your vision was beginning to get dizzy. You tried standing up again, using the wall on each side of you as support. You pushed the door open and returned to the dancing crowd.

You let yourself fall into your own little world. One filled with colour and made you smile. Your hands found their way into your hair, combing it with your fingers as you danced.

Your eyes were closed for a while before they opened again. It was all a blur, all the bodies dancing looked as if they were one. The different coloured lights blended beautifully into one. Everything looked so much more prettier, you thought.

You slowly turned your head when you felt hands on your waist. You stared, not knowing if you were making this up.

"bella?" You smiled drunkenly at them.

"let's get you home, you've had enough fun for one night." Bella smiled softly, they pulled you in closer to them.

You found yourself tripping over your own feet .You definitely would've fallen if Bella wasn't supporting you.

★ ★ ★

As soon as Bella seen your text it was obvious you were drunk, and they knew they wouldn't get any sleep not knowing if you got home safely or not.

They took it upon themselves to drive down to Luna Bar knowing you said in your text that you would be there. Seeing how big the crowd was from their car window, they braced them-self for a hard search.

Pushing through countless bodies they looked at every face they passed, only getting more and more frustrated when they didn't recognize any of them as yours.

They looked ahead. They didn't need to see the face to know it was you. Something about the figure Infront of them was so familiar. When they seen the eyes that were glued onto you, they frowned and pushed forward eager to get you into the safety of their arms.

When they reached you, they placed their hands on your waist so you wouldn't loose your balance.

"Bella?"

They way you said their name so innocently drove them mad. Your drunken smile made them smile back.

"let's get you home, you've had enough fun for one night." Bella smiled softly, they pulled you in closer to them.

As they lead you outside to their car you sometimes would trip over your own two feet. Part of Bella found it adorable. Overall the journey out of the bar wasn't that difficult of one.

Bella vaguely remembered the area you lived in, they figured they could always bring you back to theirs if they got lost. The car drive was quick and mostly quiet. Sometimes you would randomly start saying an incoherent sentence then stop talking completely. When Bella would prompt you to continue, you would just do the same again. It was another thing Bella found adorable.

They got out of the car first when they made it to your home. They ran over to the passenger side and opened the door for you. It occured to them that your house was probably locked, they cringed when they realized they would have to search your bag for the key. They didn't snoop, just searched with their fingers for what felt like the key.

Once they found your keys they helped you stand, putting one of your arms around their shoulders. You leaned into them as you slowly walked. Bella noticed your eyes drooping every now and then, they tried getting you inside as quickly as they could.

Despite wanting to get you safe in your bed, they couldn't help but notice how your home reflected you perfectly. Bella smiled, it was very you.

Getting up the stairs was the hardest part, but the both of you managed.

Bella carefully laid you down on the bed. Taking the cotton wipe that was left on the bedside table, they poured the makeup remover that was also left beside it. They rubbed at you skin gently, getting any makeup off your skin. When that was done, they undid your hells and left them on the floor beside the bed.

They didn't want to cross any boundaries by changing you into your pajamas, that would be weird. Bella pulled the soft blanket over your body. Their fingers combed through your hair, getting it away from your eyes.

Leaning down, bella placed a chast kiss to your forehead. They smiled down at you as you lay there so peacefully all comfortable in bed.

Moving to stand up from the bed, you must've felt their presence leave you. You slowly opened your eyes again.

"stay, please" you mumbled. You didn't think it was audible but Bella heard you.

Bella froze, unsure of what to do. They hesitantly turned to face you, they noticed your outstretched hand.

"I can't" bella smiled sadly.

"please?" Your eyes were closing again and your voice got quieter.

Bella couldn't resist when you looked so lovely. They moved to lay beside you on the bed. Lifting up the blanket they climbed in beside you, making sure to take off their shoes and rings.

They wrapped the blanket around the both of you again, their arms wrapped securely around your waist as your face rested on their chest. Bella smiled as they looked down at you. They found that they couldn't stop smiling. It wasn't long before the both of you fell asleep.

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Once again not proofread!

[hugsandchaos]

Friendship Is Haunting

Prologue Part Three

2,784 words

Zecora walked through the forest and easily avoided the exposed tree roots. Her eyes and ears were open for any sudden movement around her. The forest was dangerous with many predators and hostile flora. The morning was often the safest time to leave her house since creatures were either going to sleep or waking up, but one could never be too sure that every one of them weren’t active. The morning light breached through the canopy and lit up some of the forest floor well enough for her to see where she was going. The first of the birds chirped in the distance, and soon enough, others would slowly follow. Then the busy day for survival would begin. Zecora was planning on stopping by a lake up ahead to collect some water from it and was following a path in her mind to get to it, but a red color in the middle of her imaginary path made her stop in her tracks.

She stared at it for a few seconds before taking a cautious step forward. Blood wouldn’t hurt her, but whatever caused it to spill in the first place could be nearby. She lowered her head to get a closer look. It was dry. She relaxed a little bit knowing that whatever happened occurred about an hour ago or more, but as she lifted her head to continue albeit on higher alert, she spotted some kind of green liquid dried up barely a step away from the blood. Then Zecora noticed another drop of blood. Then another, and another, and more of the green stuff followed the drops of blood. Before she knew it, the zebra was following a trail of blood and the green stuff. She didn’t have to walk very far before she looked up and realized that she was heading towards a cave.

However, inside the cave, just a few steps from the entrance, she could see a creature leaning against the cave wall. The white around their waist looked... familiar, in a way. Z could see from where she was standing outside that the white was stained with the blood and the odd green substance she’d been following, and their legs had multiple untreated scrapes. Zecora first thought was to help the creature, but there were problems. The first one was that she hadn’t brought any medical supplies. She hadn’t expected to be met with such a sight on her way to get some water. She didn’t have magic to carry the creature, or a carrier either. It was left at her house. As she looked at the creature, she realized he might be a bit heavy for her carrier to make the whole journey from her house and back, and might actually need her wagon.

Zecora paused that train of thought. If she could wake them up, then she could help them walk to her house. With this new plan in mind, she came closer until she could lift a hoof and give them a careful shake. There was no response. She tried again, but it had the same results. She tried again. The creature groaned, but didn’t wake up. She tried again. No response. The zebra’s panic began to really climb, and in only a few seconds, she made up her mind.

As fast as she could, Zecora turned around and broke out into a sprint. Her house wasn’t very far when she walked, so running there and back wouldn’t take much time. She just hoped that the creature’s life wouldn’t have been lost in that time. She zipped past a tree which was familiar to her for the lowest branches curving upwards slightly almost like a masquerade mask and turned right. A few seconds later, she spotted her house through the thick greenery. Zecora’s heart was pumping faster as she ran around it to get the wagon on the other side. She ducked under one of the wooden beams and stood back straight up when her ribcage was under the metal harness. She lifted her hooves to make a few adjustments before taking a few steps forward to test it and make sure it was secure. Thankfully, it was, and the wheels worked as well as she had hoped. Now with a way to carry the creature, Zecora began running again. The wagon wasn’t exactly as pretty as the ponies of the nearby town, but it was well suited for riding through difficult terrain and narrower roads than what the other carts would’ve allowed. This made it easy to get back to the creature almost as fast as she had left them.

Luckily, no predator had gotten to them in the few minutes she was gone. Unfortunately, however, the creature still hadn’t woken up. She went inside the cave and turned around so that the wagon was next to the creature. After that, she got herself out and was by the creature’s side in seconds. Now comes the hard part.

Zecora moved one of her hooves behind the creature and pulled them away from the cave wall. They were lighter than she had expected for their size, but she still had to wriggle her other hoof behind them to move them far enough from the cave wall to get their entire body on the ground. She ducked low and quickly moved behind the creature to catch them from falling down. They were quite heavy, and the zebra briefly lowered even closer to the ground, but she managed to rise back up a little. Their arms hung above and behind her head. She could feel the creature slowly beginning to slip off, but she used one of her hooves to wrap around the arm dangling in front of her and managed to pull them. This way, more of the creature’s body would be on her back and even out their weight. Zecora slowly pushed herself up and kept her good around the creature’s arm. She leaned slightly whenever she felt the creature slip in order to keep him up. Their weight was putting quite a bit of strain on her, but she pushed on and walked a few steps closer to the wagon. Each step was a little difficult to balance, but she made it.

Zecora reached up and unlocked the back of the wagon before pulling it down to a small ramp. The climb was extremely short, but very tiring. She slowly dipped her head down and crouched, allowing the creature to slowly slip off her back and into the wagon. Their arms and legs were stretched out of the wagon, but Zecora, panting and ready to continue despite her body already pretty sore, adjusted them into a more comfortable position the best she could. She had went by the way their limbs had moved and made sure that they wouldn’t fall out. Now the creature was seated with their chin tucked into their chest, both arms by their side, and knees bent and up. It was a little bit small, but it would work. Zecora backed out and raised the back up again. As she began locking it, she heard something. Something that made her heart skip a beat.

The sound could only be described as a mixture between a hiss and a chirp, and the zebra knew exactly what that meant.

Zecora’s heart somehow got even faster as she locked up the back of the wagon and rushed to the front. She quickly readjusted the harness and bolted out of the cave. Adrenaline was giving her more strength to pull the wagon, so she was able to push herself into a speed-trot even with the heavy cargo. She didn’t know if the gaidryc was following her, but she didn’t dare slow down or turn back. It was much better to be safe than sorry. She had to get to her house as soon as she could. Her heart was now practically pounding against her chest, ready to burst out. Still, her mind screamed at her to run faster. Through her frantic mind, Zecora kept the heavyweight behind her in mind and did her best to avoid roots, rocks, fallen vines, and other debris that could cause her to have to stop. She soon took another turn at the tree with the “masquerade” branches. It gave her hope that she’d make it. She turned and continued.

Soon enough, she saw her house. The sight of it gave Zecora more hope that she’d make it. She hadn’t heard the predator since the cave, but it could easily be following her and she wouldn’t notice. She closed the distance between her and her house a little slower than she would’ve liked, but she made it regardless and stopped a meter away from her door. Quickly pulling the harness off, she practically kicked her door open and ran towards the carrier she kept inside. The wagon was too big for the doorway, and the creature was very heavy, so she’d have to use the carrier. It was just big enough for small distances. She bit the harness instead of taking the time to put it on and sprinted back outside. To her relief, she didn’t see anything outside aside from the wagon and the injured creature. The gaidryc wasn’t there. Still, she wasn’t about to slow down. Zecora rushed to the back of the wagon and unlocked it.

The creature was awake, but barely. Their eyes seemed to struggle to stay open and stared off into the distance. They were unfocused and threatening to close. She laid the carrier at the bottom of the ramp and, as gently as she could, bit the creature’s clothes. She used just enough strength to hold them in her mouth and hoped it wouldn’t be enough to accidentally cause some bruising. She pulled on them and slowly backed up. The creature let out a small groan as they were dragged down the ramp and onto the carrier. Once they were on it, their eyes had closed again. Luckily, the steady rise and fall of their chest helped ease the zebra’s anxiety that the situation was even worse than she thought. Zecora moved to grab the harness and pulled them inside. Once she was finally inside, she shut the door. She felt like she could take a moment to breathe, but the creature was still injured. Who knew how long they’d been out there? Or if the scrapes were already infected? Zecora quickly got back to work after hardly a moment’s “break” and rushed to the shelves where she kept her medical supplies.

When Danny came back to the waking world, he felt as if he was even more exhausted than before. His entire body was heavy, and he felt as if he could practically sink into the soft mattress. The blanket above him wasn’t bad either. It felt as if it was his only source of comfortable heat. He was familiar with not feeling like getting out of bed and ultimately (regrettably) defeating that urge, but this time, it felt like it was stronger than ever. Danny didn’t even want to move to muzzle into the comfort of the bed. He was just so tired, and his head was so fuzzy, and the bed was so...

Danny’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He began pushing himself to wakefulness and fighting back against the urge to go back to sleep. When did he lay in a bed? Last he remembered, he had passed out in a cave. Not a bed. Where was he?

It was surprisingly difficult to open his eyes, and once he did, everything was still blurry. Danny groaned in discomfort as he struggled intensely to lift one of his arms. He tried to sit up, but then he heard what sounded like... hooves? He turned his head to the left, where the sound was coming from. It took him a while to let eyes focus, but when he did, he was absolutely shocked.

Danny’s body moved way too fast for itself as he sat up and tried to crawl back from the zebra. He stopped when his head began to spun and groaned in discomfort. The slightly familiar dark spots briefly clouded part of his vision, but after a couple blinks, they were gone just as fast as they came. Once his vision was cleared up, he saw that the zebra was still there. Not only that, it was closer.“Please, calm yourself! You need to rest to regain your health.” The zebra spoke in a pleading tone. Danny froze. He heard her voice and watched her mouth move, but the fact that a zebra had just spoke was baffling.

Her face had a slightly more humanoid appearance, almost in a cartoonish way. It was flatter than the zebra’s he’s seen in pictures and her eyes were bigger, too. This was both slightly unsettling and the tiniest bit comforting. He didn’t know how long he was in shocked silence, but it must’ve been a while since he noticed that her expression shifted to what had to be concern.“You... You can talk.” Danny muttered. Oddly enough, the zebra seemed to calm down when he said that. Given their close proximity, he wasn’t surprised that she heard him. The zebra lifted a hoof to her chest and breathed a brief, silent sigh of relief before smiling at him.“Speaking is something I’m able to do, and I’m pleased to know that so can you.” She said.

How was this possible? Had he been somehow pulled into another universe or something?! One full of talking zebras?! How long had he been unconscious? He wanted to say only a few hours, but it obviously wasn’t that if he had been transported into some kind of treehouse. Unless he was knocked out pretty hard. Wait, what if this was a dream? Or a hallucination?

Something poking his arm snapped him out of it. He jerked his arm a little and blinked a few times to help refocus his vision. The zebra had briefly touched him and looked at him worryingly. This definitely wasn’t a dream, or a hallucination. The touch was too real to be either of those things.”I’m sorry for making you uneasy, but you started to look queasy.“ She said. That’s when Danny noticed something. His legs, which he used to kick himself back, were now uncovered by the blanket. The scrapes he had left unattended in his frantic escape from the house were now bandaged up. One of the bandages had a splotch of red. It was the bad leg, he must’ve somehow missed it. He glanced at the zebra and looked at her in disbelief.”...Thank you.” He said, hardly believing that he was talking to a zebra. She gave him a warm smile.“You need not to thank me, I’m happy to help. Although I’m not sure how to assist you to regain your health. Your species is one I’m unfamiliar with, so I fear some medicine I have might make you more sick.” She said.

The words felt almost as if he heard them, but wasn’t able to pay attention enough to understand it. Just like in class.“I’m sure you said something, but I’m gonna need a minute to process.” Danny said. The zebra nodded in understanding and turned around.”I will give you space to think. Let me know if you need something to drink.” She said as she walked away. Danny hadn’t noticed this, but there were apparently thin, white curtains in what would be considered a doorway. She closed them to give him some privacy and dim the room a little. It was easier on his eyes that way.

The young halfa slowly moved to lay back down. He was still extremely tired and really wanted to just sleep. He wanted to sleep for weeks, maybe even months. But a part of his mind kept reminding him of the danger he could be in right now. He fought to stay awake so he could think, but he eventually lost that battle and slipped right back into sleep’s comfortable, warm embrace.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Danny stayed with Zecora while he healed. He wasn’t allowed to do much for the first week (not that he had much energy), but by the second week, his injuries had healed enough for him to be “allowed” to get up and move around more. The young halfa soon began to trust the zebra and appreciate her helping her. He was later determined to pay her back for the big favor she’d done for him, even when he was distrusting of her. Before he knew it, he had made a new friend.

[tgmsunmontue]

Can't buy me love 1/3

Hangster, Explicit, ~16k (complete, posting chapter/day)

(Part of the Top Gun AU Bingo - squares for Ranch, Single parent, Billionaire, and semi power-balance).

MANY BELATED THANKS to @nevergettingoverit for the beta and correcting all my typos and the discussion of the word fossick.

Summary: Jake doesn't need help around the ranch, but he's not going to turn down cheap able-bodied labor either. He's not stupid. The fact that Bradley knows nothing about ranching doesn't exactly help his case, but he's a fast learner.

---------

                Jake had had plans. He’d planned to get out of Texas and away from his family, as loving and supportive as they are… None of his plans had come to fruition.

                None of his plans had included getting his high school girlfriend pregnant.

                None of his plans had included becoming a single parent when his girlfriend then died in a freak accident when their baby was only a few months old.

                None of his plans had included never leaving the state of Texas.

                None of his plans had included studying agriculture, business and keeping up to date with stock bloodlines.

                None of his plans had included raising a young girl in Texas for fifteen years.

                None of his plans had included being single at thirty-three and with no-one he’d consider having something serious with.

                And yet here he is, and while he finds himself lonely in the evenings, he can visit his parents’ house, or any of his siblings. He can go into town and see some of his friends. Find someone to scratch the particular carnal itch he gets sometimes when he isn’t tired from working all day.

                Despite all of that he wouldn’t change his life. Ashley is amazing and delights him every day, even when she swings between terrifying and annoying.

                So his plans had changed, but he’d made new ones and maybe put his dreams on a shelf. He can get them down, dust them off, and look at them later.

…            …            …

                He sees her leading a horse out of the stables, knows it’s not late enough for her to have done all her chores if she also had homework, but she’s already got a horse saddled up for riding.

                “Ashley! You done your homework?” he calls out, jogging a little to reach her so she can’t pretend to not hear him and simply ride off.

                “Ugh. Yes dad, of course I have. I did it in study period. Anyway, I’m just going to grandmas to help in the garden.”

                “Oh, okay. You’re a good girl. Ride carefully.”

                “Always do!”

                He watches until he can’t really make her out, knows she’ll be well in sight of his mom’s kitchen window now, that while she’s between his house and his parents’ place she’s the safest she can be.

…            …            …

                He’s not expecting anyone, so his eyes narrow when he sees the tell-tale cloud of dust indicating a car is headed toward him. It gives him time to wipe his hands, to just place himself in a slightly more defensible spot than out in the wide open space of the yard. A dusty beaten-up truck comes to a slow stop, engine switched off and then a man is getting out, alone and he looks harmless. Jake doesn’t shift, looks can be deceiving.

                “Hello, can I help you?”

                “Hi. The woman, Michelle, at the diner in town, said you might be looking for workers?”

                Jake runs his eyes up and down his body, and he’s in t-shirt and jeans, but clean and tidy, clearly not worn on a ranch doing hard labor.

                “What’s your name?”

                “Bradley Mitchell.”

                “Jake Seresin” Jake offers, holding his hand out. “Ever ridden a horse?”

                “Nope.”

                “Ever roped or dealt with cattle before?”

                “Nope.”

                “Ever stepped foot on a working ranch before today?”

                “Nope.”

                Jake raises an eyebrow and bites back the comment about not expecting a greenhorn that’s his age, especially not one that is wanting to work on a ranch.

                “How about you tell me what skills you do have,” Jake offers, because maybe the guy will surprise him.

                “I have a degree in mechanical engineering. I’m good at fixing things that are broken. I can follow instructions, am able bodied and am keen to learn. And I don’t need paying until you feel I’m worth paying.”

                Jake raises an eyebrow at that, because that’s one hell of a bargaining chip he just put on the table. Not that they’re hurting for money at all, but free labor is still free labor. However it also raises a couple of red flags, because people aren’t usually willing to go unpaid if they have nothing to hide.

                “You got any ID on you?”

                Bradley pulls out a driver’s license, one for California, and it definitely shows his name as Bradley Mitchell. Hmm. So not hiding that at least. And he’s a couple of years older than Jake. The guy in the photo looks healthier than the one standing in front of him, but he’s not going to judge. He rubs at his face, not really sure, because it’s not like they’re in desperate need for help either. But he does need some help, there’s always work to be done and never enough time or hands to do it all. He pulls out his phone and takes a quick photo of both sides of the license before handing it back to him.

                “You’ll get room and board and a small allowance a week, then after a month we can talk a weekly pay rate if you feel like sticking around. Earlier if I think you’re worth it.”

                “Sounds fair,” Bradley agrees easily. Too easily.

                Jake just hums and shows him to the bunkhouse.

…            …            …

                He rings the sheriff and asks her to do a check on a Bradley Mitchell from California, says he’s bringing him on to live on the ranch so just wants to keep his family safe and he knows it’s calling in a favor but he also has Ashley to consider and it still feels like the bare minimum, and he should still ask to do a reference check, but people can lie so easily, can be bought so easily, that he’d rather just watch and make his own judgement call. He sends through the photos he took, knows it’ll probably take a day or two, that she has more important things to do than run a background check, but it’ll happen. Just to be safe he asks his mom to keep Ashley at her place.

…            …            …

                The next morning he heads out to the bunkhouse earlier than usual, not needing to get Ashley to school, which gives him more time. He introduces Bradley to the other three cowhands, explains with a dry expression that Bradley has zero experience so will be shadowing Jake so he can learn some basics. And Jake stresses that he means the basics, which gets a few sniggers from the others but, well, without the ability to ride a horse or deal with cattle he is pretty useless. However there are jobs he can assist Jake with, that free up one of the others, so it does work out. He sends the others out, gives them a list of jobs and they leave with tips of their hats, Mikey giving his shoulder a shove and a muttered good luck under his breath.

                “So, you ever collected eggs before?”

                The look Bradley gives him is dry, like he clearly thinks Jake is an idiot for asking given their conversation the day before and Jake gives him a conceding look, gesture for him to follow him out to the coop.

                “Okay. So you gotta be careful the shell is hardened. Too fresh and the shell will be warm and you picking it up will just crack the entire thing. Okay? If the chickens are still sitting sometimes it’s best to just leave them and come back later. If they’re broody then they won’t move, and some will give you hell if you even try.”

                “Okay. I didn’t understand half of that.”

                Jake laughs and then walks him through it all, actually shows him how to collect the eggs. Decides to leave them all in the bunkhouse kitchen despite it usually being split fifty-fifty with his own house; he doesn’t want to take Bradley there, he is still a stranger.

                He starts doing some of the two-man jobs or tricky ones which just become so much simpler when there is another pair of steady hands. They re-fence all of one side of two paddocks, and he’s pleased to note that Bradley is indeed able bodied and able to follow instructions. He asks for clarification when he doesn’t understand something, rather than assuming or guessing and Jake appreciates it, because it means they’re doing the job once, the right way, the first time. That level of maturity is a benefit then, not afraid to ask questions and appear clueless in the face of new tasks. Jake definitely prefers it over some cocky kid who thinks he knows everything and then fucks up, wasting time and resources.

                Despite his tidy fingernails and soft-looking hands he doesn’t shy away from any of the jobs that Jake has him help with. Seems equally content mucking out the stables as he is using a post-hole augur, makes observations about fence placements, and land features, which tells Jake he’s probably well versed in some theory of land use, if never exposed to the physical and practical side of it. He arranges for Ashley to stay at his parents again and rings Mandy and learns that the check has come back clear, except for one parking ticket in San Francisco. Okay. So not a serial killer. Or at least not that has a trail of bodies attached to him. If there is anything it’ll be white-collar crime, because Jake’s still suspicious as hell.

                He doesn’t think of himself as overly protective, but he is careful. The fact that he’s taken Bradley on with just a simple background check, no references… other than checking he wasn’t a wanted criminal. He doesn’t get bad vibes from him, just… he’s hiding something and Jake’s not going to go prying, because every man is entitled to his privacy. Except he also has a responsibility to keep his child and family safe, so he doesn’t blame himself if he’s a little more watchful of Bradley than he is of his other workers.

…            …            …

                He has to relax his guard eventually though, Ashley getting impatient about getting back to her own bedroom and she gives him the stink eye when she is dropped home by his dad the next evening, her horse in a trailer because it’s after dark and he won’t let her ride when it’s dark. He invites his dad down to the bunkhouse to meet Bradley. His dad has always been a good judge of character and is even tempered, he’d like his opinion. The other cowhands greet his dad with friendly backslaps and greetings, introduce Bradley themselves and Jake just shrugs, excuses himself to go back to the house and check on Ashley and apologize probably.

                He’s right on the money, he does have to apologize and promise she’s allowed a sleepover that coming weekend. He also makes pancakes with fruit for dinner, a more silent apology for being overprotective. He knows she can look after herself, has ensured she knows how to use a gun, some basic self-defense. But he knows he’ll never forgive himself if something happens to her that he could have somehow prevented. All the other workers are men he’s known for over ten years. He went to high school with Mikey. Having someone new, someone he doesn’t know, makes him feel a little uneasy.

                His dad turns up two hours later, wide smile in place and he’s nodding his head, clearly impressed by whatever conversation he’s had with Bradley.

                “Leave him with me, I can show him a few things.”

                “Thanks dad.”

                It will help, if he’s able to get out with the others and drive the cattle, two teams of two working much more effectively, even if Mikey and his dogs work seamlessly as a team all by themselves. His dad worked this ranch for years before Jake took over most of the day-to-day running. He can leave a list of jobs that his dad can do and show Bradley, jobs he wouldn’t generally ask his dad to do now, not with him getting on in years, but he is capable of teaching and knowledgeable in what needs to be done, so getting him to help with Bradley just makes sense.

                The next day goes quickly, working with the others and he wants to keep checking in on his dad, who had collected Bradley that morning. He’s glad Ashley is at school, doesn’t need his attention split three ways rather than focusing on the tasks at hand; two ways is bad enough, but he can’t help it. Not until he knows Bradley Mitchell better and gets a feel of his character. He’s washing up when his dad finds him, Ashley doing her homework at the table.

                “He’s a fast learner. Knows some weird things, but sometimes oddly useful. He came up and looked at my old truck you know, got the engine turning over but said he’d need a couple new parts to get it running properly.”

                “Huh. Okay then,” Jake says, because so far everything is working out. “And what feeling did you get off him?”

                “That he likes to be useful. And that he’s…” his dad lets out a long sigh. “Lonely? No. Isolated maybe? He’s not sad or upset, but there’s something.”

                Jake nods, because yeah, he’d got that feeling too. He’s just not sure what to do about it.

…            …            …

                While Bradley clearly can’t ride a horse or herd cattle he can cook, something the others appreciate when they come back to the bunkroom kitchen in the evening and there is a stew bubbling away with what looks like bread rolls rising in a dish, ready to be slid into the oven.

                “You can cook.”

                “I can. Didn’t think of listing it amongst my skills when I introduced myself.”

                “Well, it’ll endear you to the others a lot more if it tastes as good as it smells. They’ll put up with a lot if they’re getting fed well.”

…            …            …

                “Ashley! Are you wearing makeup?”

                “Yeah.”

                “Where did you get makeup from? When did you get makeup?” Jake asks, and his daughter is sixteen, he knows she isn’t too young for it, but it makes her look so much older and his heart can’t handle this, seeing his little girl, looking so much like her mother, getting ready to leave the house for school.

                “Grandma took me. Plus she took me for some lessons, said what she knew wouldn’t be suitable for my skin tone. Kathryn and PJ are still allowed to come over tomorrow right?”

                “Yeah. Of course,” Jake says, because apology sleepover. Right.

…            …            …

                He finishes for the day and he goes in search of Bradley. His dad had called him, left a message telling him he’d sent Bradley back on a horse of all things, which is a small miracle considering a week ago the man couldn’t ride. But also his dad had suggested that Bradley might need help getting off the horse, so he has to go and check to ensure Bradley isn’t lying somewhere injured. He heads to the stable first and Jake finds him immediately, all in one piece and apparently uninjured, leaning against the fence and watching Ashley ride in the arena doing basic jumps.

                “Afternoon.”

                “Afternoon,” Bradley greets back, but he keeps watching Ashley and Jake tries to not let that bother him. “She’s good…”

                “You can barely tell the front end of a horse from the back, you can’t tell if she’s good or not.”

                “Hmm. Touche. Except your dad’s been giving me riding lessons the last few days. Then this afternoon he said I could ride back here, or walk the horse with a lead. I rode, but I then had to get her help to get off the horse.”

                Jake snorts, he’s glad Ashley was there to help, because he can imagine the damage Bradley could have caused if he’d tried to dismount without help when he’s not used to riding, but he’d been trying to keep them separated.

                “How’s the body holding up?”

                “I have muscles I didn’t even know existed. I think your dad has been limiting it so I don’t become completely useless,” Bradley says with a quiet laugh and Jake would put money on his dad doing exactly that.

                “You’ll get used to it.”

                “So everyone keeps telling me,” Bradley says quietly. “She seems like a good kid. Happy,” Bradley says, and his dad’s words come back to him from a few days ago. Isolated. He wants to dig a little now. Also he wants to head off any questions about how young he is to have a sixteen year old.

                “My god-father has a step-daughter the same age, she reminds me of her…”

                “What’s her name?”

                “Huh? Oh. Amelia. And my god-father is Pete and his wife is Penny… anything else you want to know?”

                “Well, I figure you’re either running or hiding from something. Just don’t want you to bring any trouble to our door…”

                “I feel like I’ve been running my whole life. I guess I’m trying out the staying in one place for a bit…” Bradley says, and his eyes are still on Ashley as she rides around the arena and Jake sucks in a breath, needs to be upfront because he gains nothing by beating around the subject.

                “Well, I’m a little protective, so maybe don’t spend too much time watching her okay? Might give me the wrong idea.”

                Bradley surprises him then by laughing and coughing in an awkward combination that leaves him almost choking, head shaking when Jake offers to slap him on the back.

                “Sorry, sorry… just… no. So many levels of no. She’s a kid. Young enough to be my kid, and also I’m… I’m gay. So I’m not ever going to be, uh, interested, even if she were ten years older…”

                It’s like he’s braced himself for a punch and Jake wonders how many times he’s maybe been hit for just blurting it out like that.

                “Gay people exist in Texas.”

                “Do they? Could have fooled me.”

                “Bisexual people too. You’re fine,” Jake says, looking away, because he doesn’t come-out to many people, let alone strangers he’s known less than a week, even if they miss it as an actual acknowledgement of his own sexuality. However if Bradley hangs around long enough he’ll likely hear about him anyway, he’s definitely a favorite subject of conversation.

                “Okay… good to know thanks. Also I won’t bring any trouble to your door. I’m not in any trouble. The only people looking for me are my family. And I’m not an asshole, they know I’m alive. Just not where I am exactly. I just… need a break. And you’re good to be cautious. You don’t know me.”

                Jake nods, wonders what has maybe happened that he can just walk away from his family, job and life and walk onto a ranch in the middle of nowhere Texas and hide away from the world.

…            …            …

                “You okay baby?” Jake asks, watching as Ashley taps a pen against her bottom lip.

                “Yeah, this calculus is kicking my butt though.”

                “Yeah, I can’t help with that sorry. You want me to see about getting a tutor or something?”

                “No, I’ll ask Mr Mallory and see if he can explain it again. I’ve almost got it, but there’s just like… something I’m missing.”

                “Okay, well you let me know. I’m just going to go and lock up.”

                He heads out to double check the gates, stops by the bunk house and it’s not late by any stretch, he knows the others have headed into town to blow off some steam, which just leaves Bradley Mitchell at the kitchen table, long legs stretched out, reading a book, quietly drinking a cup of something that doesn’t smell like coffee at all. Probably some type of tea.

                “Evening again,” Bradley greets, clearly relaxed and not bothered by Jake suddenly appearing.

                “You said you had a degree in mechanical engineering.”

                “Yeah.”

                “You do calculus?”

                Bradley nods slowly, clearly unsure where Jake is taking this exactly.

                “Ashley is working through some problems, if you have some time over the weekend I’d appreciate it if you could maybe have a look.”

                “Yeah, of course. Got nothing but time. What jobs have you got lined up for me this weekend?”

                “Oh, you don’t have to work weekends.”

                “Jake. I don’t mind. I enjoy it.”

                Jake pauses and then shrugs.

                “You can join me for a few hours. I don’t do as much, like to spend my time with Ashley, riding or doing some catchup on the admin. But you’re right, animals don’t care about days of the week.”

                “Great. I’ll see you after breakfast then.”

                Jake nods, knows a dismissal when he hears one.

…            …            …

                When he gets up the next morning he can see Bradley already out and about, collecting eggs, horses released to pasture. As he watches Bradley stops and tilts his head back, facing the rising sun like he’s soaking it up and he looks calm and at peace, however Jake suspects he is anything but. Nevertheless he does seem to like it here and Jake feels more relaxed about him being around. He has breakfast, leaving Ashley to sleep in because he knows she’s going to have a late night with the sleepover and her friends being here. Also trying to wake her up is a battle he is not picking to have today. He leaves her a note and heads out, mind already on the little odd jobs that he and Bradley can get done.

                The day passes quickly, Bradley helping him pull some of the dead branches down and using the chainsaw to reduce it to moveable and usable pieces for firewood. They move some of the cattle, fix a couple of lines of fence, scrub out some troughs. He’s easy to be around, doesn’t try and fill the silence between them with meaningless chatter and Jake appreciates it, despite his burning curiosity. They head back for lunch and Jake says he’s finished working for the day, but he’ll do some riding that afternoon if Bradley wants the practice. He concedes he definitely needs it.

                They split for lunch and he spends some time with Ashley, talking about school and her upcoming tests. He goes and does the admin, pays bills for feed and veterinarian services, materials and other costs. The accounts are all nice and healthy and in good shape, he’s got nothing to worry about, which is a good thing, he can save all his worry for Ashley and her future. Not that she doesn’t have a significant college fund, her mother’s college fund going to her and her mother’s side of the family all topping it up for years. She’ll have her choice of places.

                Of course when he finds him later he’s sitting side-by-side with Ashley, a textbook held in his hands and he’s pointing at something and talking. Ashley is nodding, scrunches her face in disgust and Bradley laughs, shakes his head, pokes at the book again. Then her face lights up, like she’s suddenly got it and his heart swells and he gets closer, can hear what they’re saying.

                “Thank you so much. I just wasn’t getting it. You explained it way better than Mr Mallory.”

                “What was the issue?” Jake asks.

                “Application of separation of variables,” Bradley states, and Ashley nods and Jake can do nothing but nod and smile, his own calculus at high school so long behind him it’s a hazy memory at best.

                “So much easier to understand now. That’s all my homework done now dad! Which means I can ride until my friends get here.”

                “You still have your chores.”

                “Nope! They’ve already been done. Bradley did them already.”

                “I didn’t realize they were her jobs on the weekends. Ashley, you let me know if you have any more questions. Happy to help.”

                “Thanks Bradley! Tomorrow I can teach you how to get off a horse properly.”

                The look on Bradley’s face is self-deprecating and Jake would tell Ashley off for being rude, but he thinks she legitimately wants to help Bradley with something he can’t do so he just does his best to hide a smile, glad that clearly Bradley doesn’t have an easily bruised ego.

                “Sorry about the whole chores thing, didn’t mean to step on any toes.”

                “It’s fine, I should have told you. Totally slipped my mind to be honest. As long as they get done, I don’t care. She’s a good kid, she still went and checked. Thanks for helping her with the math.”

                “Any time. Was good to do something different with the brain.”

                “You’re welcome to come for dinner. The girls will be making pizza.”

                “Oh, thank you, but I have been to one teenage girl sleepover and I ended up with braided hair, glittery gel nails and a facemask which I am certain is used for torture by the military. Never again.”

                “I bet your skin felt amazing afterwards though,” Jake says, lips twitching in amusement.

                “I can neither confirm nor deny. I will leave you to your evening.”

…            …            …

                Jake’s mom insists on coming to spend the night for the sleepover, like he can’t handle four teenage girls. He’s just going to let them have free reign in the kitchen and hope for the best. However he is glad of his mom’s presence when Angelique is the mom in question to drop the other four girls off. All of the moms and dads of Ashley’s friends are at least ten years older than him, which isn’t that much and definitely doesn’t stop any of them making a pass at him, men and women both, married and divorced. He’s learnt to be very careful about who he is anything more than passingly polite with, lest they take it the wrong way. Angelique is one of the still-married and pushy as hell types and he’s glad he can leave his mom to the negotiating and instructions, doesn’t need to have her running her fingers over his arm as she asks him if he needs any help.

                She does eventually leave, his mom an expert at making it clear she does not need to stay and is in fact, not welcome to stay. The sleepover goes flawlessly, in that he’s back in Ashley’s good graces, makes them all pancakes for breakfast and then arranges to take them all to church, where they’ll be collected by their parents; two girls going with his mom and two with him and Ashley. He isn’t particularly religious, but he does like the sense of community, when they discuss at the end how some people need help with hay baling, or others with harvesting, or branding and he’s always willing to help out. While he’s been the subject of their gossip more often than not, they’ve also been the first to help him or his family.

                He’s back at the ranch by lunch, leaving Ashley with his mom so she can continue to socialize and be dropped home later. He can use the excuse of needing to get back to the chores, although he suspects that Bradley has likely already taken care of some of the more critical ones. Sure enough the horse feed has all been topped up, their stalls mucked out and the horses themselves out in the pasture where Jake had let them out earlier that morning. He finds Bradley in the kitchen, and he’s just wearing jeans and t-shirt, but is barefoot and is kneading what he assumes is bread dough. Everyone else has the day off, and he should have told Bradley he didn’t expect him to do anything.

                “Where did everyone disappear to this morning?” Bradley asks and Jake stares.

                “It’s Sunday…”

                “Yeah. And?” Bradley asks, as if it’s a standard day of the week and clearly for him it is, not like how it’s ingrained for Jake as the day he goes to church. A look of realization comes over his face. “Oh. Everyone goes to church?”

                “Yeah.”

                “Huh.”

                “Sorry, didn’t think to see if you wanted to come. You’re welcome to come along next week if you want. If you want to be the center of attention and have a bunch of people talk about you behind your back that is.”

                “Why do you go if they do that?”

                “Oh. That happens regardless of whether I go to church or not,” Jake states, because it does. He got used to it when he was the seventeen year old father of a new baby, and then the looks had become slightly pitying when Jessica had died. Then they’d continued to watch him, and the looks had turned approving and respectful. He knows he’s proven a lot of people wrong, and he knows he has his parents to thank for their unwavering support.

                “Yeah, I get that.”

                “Anyway, I just wanted to say I don’t expect you to work every day, you’re entitled to days off.” Bradley’s grinning at him and Jake rolls his eyes. “I’m aware I’m not currently paying you anything, and you could decide to just… walk out the gate if you wanted to. But don’t go thinking you need to work yourself to the bone for me or anything.”

                He catches a brief something in the look Bradley gives him and he doesn’t even have time to parse it before Bradley’s laughing.

                “I might make a couple of phone calls home, let them know I’m okay. Once I’ve got this bread rising anyway.”

                Jake just nods, says he’ll leave him to it, because Bradley had mentioned family, and of course he is staying in touch with them. He has a life away from here, one he will likely return to once he’s gotten the break he said he wanted.

…            …            …

                Another week ticks by, the routine becomes settled again, Bradley’s presence still not standard, he asks far too many questions for anyone to be able to just ignore him, but he has found multiple ways to make himself useful, playing to his strengths. He’s become an infinitely better rider, Ashley taking him out every time she rides herself, and it surprises him that he trusts Bradley with her. Although when he learns Bradley has been talking to her about all the places he’s visited it makes Jake wonder if he’s making it up simply to make Ashley’s wanderlust greater, or whether he is as well travelled as he talks.

                He catches him talking on the phone one evening, his voice soft and he’s reassuring someone, asking them about school and he suspects it’s maybe the person Bradley had mentioned, his step-father’s god-daughter or something? He can’t remember, but the fact that Bradley is talking to her tells him it’s someone important to him. He walks away, not wanting to eavesdrop any more than he already has, but it makes something else in him settle, that Bradley isn’t as footloose and fancy free as he’d first thought. That he does have roots and people he cares about, even if he’s away from them right now.

                Another week slips by, and he realizes that the month trial is coming to an end. While Bradley isn’t an experienced ranch hand by any stretch of the imagination, not worth the money Jake is paying Mikey, he definitely makes himself busy and useful enough that Jake needs to consider paying him more than the tiny stipend he’s been leaving in an envelope for him every week. He finds him out riding, following Ashley’s directions and she’s trying to convince him to try a jump, which he is adamant about not trying.

                “Hey dad.”

                “Hey honey. How’s your favorite student coming along?”

                “He’s stubborn! And he won’t take any risks. Just keeps playing it safe…”

                “He’s also old and terrified about falling from a height and breaking a limb!” Bradley calls out, clearly having heard Ashley slandering his good name. Jake laughs.

                “You want to show him how it’s done dad?”

                Jake gives Bradley a look, there’s a flash of amused challenge and he feels a sudden flash of desire to look good in front of his kid and Bradley licking in his gut.

                “Yeah, why not. Come here and let me have a turn.”

                He watches as Bradley swings himself off, clearly more comfortable with that now and Jake immediately adjusts the stirrups before swinging himself up into the saddle, encouraging Chester into a gentle canter. There are jumps set up, clearly Ashley has been riding, her own horse loves jumping, whereas Chester is a steady and dependable work horse, able to jump when coaxed into it and given a firm hand, but the simple bars Ashley had laid on the ground for Bradley to apparently jump over wouldn’t have even made Chester blink. Getting used to a horse jumping is a learned skill though, and he’s glad Bradley at least is willing to speak up about his own limits. Jake never competed in any rodeo events growing up, but he still knows the mechanics of how they all work and he knows he can’t do anything on Chester that is more complicated than letting him just run and jump and hanging on for the ride. He clicks his tongue, jerks his head toward the gate and Ashley swings it open.

                “I’m going to take him for a quick run. I’ll be right back.”

                He lets out the reins then, leans forward and just urges Chester into a full gallop. It’s been a while since he’s just ridden fast for the sheer fun of it and he lets out a whoop of joy, glad that Chester doesn’t spook easily. It’s exhilarating and he makes a wide circle, doesn’t want to end up a long way away on a horse that’s run out of steam. When he comes back into the arena, he can feel the coiled energy and attention of Chester now focused and he heads into a loop, plotting out a route to take the lower jumps, because he does agree with Bradley, he also doesn’t want to fall and break a limb, even if it’s far less likely for him then it would be for Bradley. He completes the circuit and comes to a stop beside them, adrenaline buzzing through him and he jumps off, rubbing his hands over Chester’s neck in comfort and appreciation.

                “Damn that felt good.”

                “I can see where Ashley gets it from. That was amazing.”

                “Thanks.”

                There’s something in Bradley’s gaze and it’s been a while since Jake has had that directed at him, especially from someone who isn’t married, ten to fifteen years older, never had it directed toward him when he’s at home…

                Desire.

                Blatant open attraction.

                He licks his lips and Bradley’s eyes flick down, following the motion.

                Oh.

                God he really needs to get laid. And not with Bradley. Because he is Bradley’s… boss. Even if he’s not exactly paying him yet. He will be. Paying him that is. And not for anything else.

                Shit.

                He turns away, busies himself with Ashley, talking about her schoolwork, and putting the horses away and the moment, if it had even been a moment, slips away and Bradley is simply leading Chester back toward the stables, no longer looking at Jake.

(This is complete, posting a chapter a day)

CHAPTER TWO

[throneofsapphics]

Manon x reader x Asterin (angst) please 🤸‍♀️

think for yourself.

(part two)

Manon x Reader x Asterin 

Summary: “I don’t care how you feel about this.” The white haired witch said through gritted teeth, those gold eyes seeming to burn a brand into you. 

“When have you ever cared?” Your voice was quiet and you went against all common sense, turning your back to walk towards the kitchen area. “Leave.”

Word Count: ~1.4k

Warnings: angst, slight injury, blood 

A/N: angst is my favorite thing to write. I'm so sorry. also not proofread very well

It was late at night, in the small cabin you lived in, a few miles from the nearest village, perfectly secluded. The safest way for you to live. When you made trips into town, they welcomed you with open arms - mostly because of the herbs and goods you would barter or sell, but you did have a few friends there. Nobody there knows exactly where you live, nor did you invite anyone over, and you always took different routes home, shaking any who tried to follow. Even if that meant you would double the amount of time it took you to get back. Paranoia is good. It’s kept you alive. However, any common sense seemed to fall away for two witches. Who’d thankfully captured your heart instead of tearing it out. 

-

I haven’t seen your kind for some time.” A smooth and cold voice purred from behind you. Rarely could anyone sneak up on you, not with the senses from your Fae heritage. You slowly turned to face them. To of them. Witches. One with white-blonde hair and a predatory look in her eyes stalked towards you, the other fell into step a pace behind her, matching each other in pace and stride. Instead of the urge to flee, a small voice told you to stay. So you did, with that immortal stillness. Fleeing would give them a chase, something they undoubtedly would enjoy. 

You didn’t flinch as iron nails snapped out, or as one dug under your chin, tilting your face upwards. You met the burnt-gold eyes with a defiant gaze. “I don’t remember them being quite so pretty,” the other commented, and you could hear the amusement but didn’t dare take your eyes off the witch in front of you. The nails snapped back, and the two walked away without another word. 

-

The cabin had one bedroom, a living and kitchen area, and an outhouse. A few hens cluck around outside, along with a particularly nasty rooster you caught Manon eyeing once in a while. Like it would be her next meal. 

You laid, stretched across the couch with your head in Asterin’s lap, her fingers running through your hair, and Manon sat not too far away, in a worn down but cozy red armchair you’d come to associate as hers. 

A tension filled the room, both of the witches seeming on edge, and you couldn’t figure out why. Finally, you sighed and sat up, ignoring Asterin’s huff of protest and angling yourself so you could easily see both of them. “What is it?” you asked. 

“We’re leaving.” Manon said bluntly, and Asterin winced. 

“When?” You replied, fighting the dread that crept inside you. The left frequently, but something about this felt different. Off. 

“One week.” 

Your heart dropped, eyes starting to burn slightly but Manon wouldn’t react to your tears, she never did. Asterin, on the other hand, would. To anyone else, except maybe the rest of the thirteen, she would seem just as unflinching, the perfect mask of stone obedience. But, the corners of her lips turned down ever so slightly. Guilt, you could sense her guilt. If they were telling you this early … 

You cleared your throat, “how long?” 

“We don’t know.” Asterin said softly. 

“Can I ask what you’ll be doing?” 

“You can always ask,” she teased, but it fell short. She and Manon exchanged a glance, and Asterin continued - to your surprise. “The King has been breeding Wyvern’s. He needs riders for his aerial cavalry.” 

The world froze around you. You felt fate tightening its strings, twisting around your heart. Ironteeth witches as aerial cavalry for the king's army. That same army who … but they didn’t know about that, or they never would’ve told you. 

“Are you going to say anything?” Manon snapped, your silence annoying her. She didn’t like being ignored. 

“Why?” You looked back and forth between the two of them. 

“When we are done, when we’ve served” Manon said the word with disgust, “him, we will keep the wyverns and reclaim the wastes.” 

The wastes. The homeland both of them had been dreaming of for longer than you were alive. But serving him? The King had already conquered Erilea, committed various genocides, banished magic, and had an entire continent under his thumb. What more is he planning to do? Manon, herself, would never make the choice to serve a king, to follow his orders, meaning it had to have come from her grandmother. The High Witch of the Blackbeak clan. You tried to swallow your anger, you really did, but the words came out before your filter could catch up. 

“Is this how you’re going to spend the rest of your life, following your grandmothers every order, whoring yourself out to that King?” Before you could blink, both were on their feet. Manon’s iron nails dug harshly into your skin, and you felt the warm slick of blood starting to drip down your neck as she dragged you to your feet. 

“I should kill you.” Manon snarled, cold fury in her eyes. You’d insulted her, hit right where it would hurt. Good. Asterin laid a hand on her cousin's shoulder, but her eyes were cold too. 

“Do it,” you snarled right back, “your never master would order you to anyway.” 

Asterin barely yanked Manon back in time, scratches that would scar left blood dripping down your neck. “Be careful what you say next,” she warned as Manon shook off her grip. Seconds ago, Manon may have killed you but you could tell she wouldn’t now. 

“I don’t care how you feel about this.” The white haired witch said through gritted teeth, those gold eyes seeming to burn a brand into you. 

“When have you ever cared?” Your voice was quiet and you went against all common sense, turning your back to walk towards the kitchen area. “Leave.” 

Two sets of footsteps left, the door creaked open and slammed shut, and hushed arguments sounded outside your door. Too quiet for you to hear. One set came back in as the heavy oak door creaked, but closed quietly this time. 

“She does care,” Asterin said softly, her arms wrapping around your waist to pull your back to her chest. Despite the anger still bubbling in you, you melted back into her, resting your head against her shoulder. “She’ll be back in a few days,” she murmured, not expecting a reply from you. 

She let you lay in her arms until late that night, content to enjoy each others embrace, as if she knew what would happen next. 

-

Manon stormed towards your cabin, intent on doing something. She wouldn’t apologize, but didn’t want to leave on those terms, with your words in her mind. Whoring yourself out. Your new master. If you were anyone else, you would’ve been dead before the second curse had been uttered. 

Asterin followed closely behind her. They knew something was off as soon as they arrived. It felt stale. The hens and that gods-damned rooster were nowhere to be seen. She slammed through the door and the place was empty. You hadn’t been there in a few days. A quick scan told her everything essential to you was gone.

She whirled on Asterin. “Did you know?” Her second shook her head, her emotions flooding through her eyes. 

A small note on the table. Manon’s stomach dropped seeing it. She didn’t want to, but she had to read it. Instinct told her the note was meant mostly for her, even without a name on it., 

I love you. If you ever loved, cared for, or respected me, you’ll leave me alone. I hope you learn to think for yourself one day. 

Discolored spots and splotched ink littered the page. You cried while writing it. Manon dropped it like it burned her, and stalked out the cabin without a look back. 

Asterin read it one. Twice. Three times, and memorized it before destroying it. She took one last look around, trying to memorize every detail, before letting out a long breath and following Manon. 

-

The battle was over, and Manon still felt empty. A gaping hole left in her soul. Twelve pieces of her were missing. But, footsteps sounded behind her, and she prepared to snarl at whoever might be disturbing her. She was surprised when Abraxos didn’t react beyond curiosity. Manon knew that scent. Intimately. She whirled around to see you. Alive. 

“So you did learn to think for yourself.”