#it’s technically friday for me already but okay well ignore that

[selleprotection]

guys lowkey

[allur1ngs]

✮ bloody knuckles ✮

TW: angst to fluff!! i know the summary seems like pure angst but i swear its not! semi-graphic violence? , guns, kidnapping, bada and reader get into an argument, reader acts naively and a bit selfishly (but it’s okay, she’s young and makes up for it in the end), bada still having beef w your bodyguard, protective!bada, cold!bada (this time to you too…), violent & frusterated!bada, brief mentions of sexual activity (inc…toys, ass, boobs… sorry), use of the word unnie (about six or so times) brief mentions of drugs, a creepy woman, and a surprise character from the previous installment! 

SUMMARY: breaking bada’s three rules for a night of partying backfires in ways you could’ve never imagined. now, you have to deal with the consequences of your lies

part iv. succumb (to me)

WC: 12.5k… get some popcorn y’all this is a long one

A/N: read this and this for more background on this au. i’m sure there are a ton of mistakes sprinkled throughout this fic so please ignore them, this took me so long to write and i just want to put it out on time… i promise i’ll edit it once i get the chance😭

DISCLAIMER: all characteristics portrayed are purely speculation and fiction, they are not meant to reflect bada or team bebe’s actual character, values, or attitudes. please keep this in mind!!

On an inconspicuous Thursday night, when a heat wave had just hit Seoul, you lounged in your lavish bed—free from sheets—scrolling through social media.

Pictures of cute animals and food fill your feed, making you smile down at your screen. You are about to like a particularly cute picture of a cat when a notification banner stops you midway. Your eyes flicker to the top of the screen, finding a message from your best friend, Jae Hwang.

Clicking on the notification, you're transferred into your messages app, and Jae’s text fills your screen. “Unnie, I haven’t seen you in so long!! Please come to the party I’m throwing tomorrow so we can catch up and have some fun~!"

Your lips fall open in mild surprise as you instinctively sit up. A party? You text Jae back quickly, asking the reason for the party and where it will be held.

“At my house, of course! We’re all gathering to celebrate your engagement!”

Your engagement… so your parents really hadn’t wasted any time spreading the good news. You’d barely been living with Bada for a month, and they’d already informed your friends. You shake your head and sigh rather loudly. Bada would greatly disapprove of your parents' loose lips. She preferred her privacy, not only for protection but also because she liked people staying out of her business. That much you could tell from the little time you’d had to get to know her.

Shifting your focus back to Jae’s unanswered text, you contemplate attending the party or skipping out. Though they were technically throwing it in your honor, they should have let you know beforehand instead of asking you the night before the party. You felt well within your rights to refuse, but a nagging thought holds you back.

What would you do instead? Technically, you had no plans on Friday night—or Friday at all for that matter. Saturday neither… nor Sunday. Really, you never had plans anymore. Since staying with Bada, you mostly remained inside the Lee mansion, either lounging by the large infinity pool, taking a dip in your personal Jacuzzi, or perhaps enjoying a film in the theater room on the second floor.

Or, if you wanted to leave home, you would be escorted by your bodyguard to certain malls, grocery stores, or establishments. All of which were either managed by Bada or by one of her partners. She made it clear to you from the start that going places not protected by one of her subordinates would be dangerous.

"I have connections to half the establishments in Seoul," she had muttered to you. It's incredible that despite the implications of the words falling from her mouth, Bada had a way of saying things so humbly. She didn't sound like she was boasting—though you wouldn't fault her if she was. "I bet some of the markets you entered when you were a child were run by my family, and you'd never have known."

You’d try your best to conceal your amazement at her confession, but the glow in your eyes was as clear as day to Bada. “And what about the rest?”

She let out a quiet breath, saying, "The rest are mostly run by rival gangs. Almost no stores or establishments are free of mafia influence. Not anymore, at least." Seeing the way your eyes shifted from bright to slightly apprehensive, she pushed her chair back and rose, walking around her desk before leaning on it and clutching onto its edges. "There's no need to worry about them. As long as you stay in areas where my people are, you are safe." Her hand came down to rest politely on your thigh, patting it in a comforting manner.

Her words made your stomach flutter with butterflies, and a giddy smile instinctively formed on your lips. For someone who claimed to want to avoid fostering romantic affection between you both, Bada seemed to be doing the exact opposite.

Before you could lose yourself in the tenderness of the memory, you climb out of bed, having made your decision. Because you barely left home as it is, what harm is there in going to a party? A party organized in your honor, no less. It’s a rare occasion, and truthfully, you miss Jae and the rest of your girlfriends. You haven’t seen them in over a month and texted them sparingly during that time. To be fair, it was mostly your fault—you were much too focused on getting to know Bada and adjusting to your new way of life to strike up conversations with them.

You nod your head firmly as if the action will help build your confidence before you grab onto the handle of your bedroom door and slowly open it. Standing to your right, the figure of your bodyguard, Hyo Kim, immediately greets you on the other side. She turns to face you, her black-tinted sunglasses obstructing your view of her eagle eyes.

“What are you doing up so late?” She says lightheartedly.

“Do you know if Bada is still awake?” You ask. “I wanted to ask her something.”

Hyo lifts her arm up, pushing aside the fabric of her suit to reveal a golden watch. She gazes down at it, pretending to think long and hard. “The Boss should be awake for about…” she trails off playfully, “another four hours.”

You chuckle under your breath, “I didn’t even need to ask, did I?”

“Not at all.” Hyo shakes her head while smirking.

“Alright then,” you clasp your hands together tightly, “I’m going to go see Bada.”

Hyo gestures ahead of you with her hand. “I’ll follow your lead.”

You nod quickly before advancing forward, her trailing close behind. You can’t lie; it was strange to have someone following after you almost every second of the day in the beginning. You remember that at the beginning of your stay at Lee mansion, you kept forgetting that Hyo was following you—she has the tendency to be extremely quiet when focused—and were jump-scared by her multiple times. You’d round corners and suddenly hear one of her heavier footsteps behind you, making you jump and your heart practically leap out of your chest.

At some point, you swear she started doing it on purpose, enjoying the look of fear you gave her when you jumped. Eventually, though, you started to grow used to her constantly lingering presence and even grew comfortable around her. Somewhere along the way, you’d both gotten to know each other more, and a slow but harmonious friendship grew.

“So, what are you going to ask the Boss about?” Hyo’s low and blithe voice cuts through the silence.

“Oh,” you begin, “my friend asked me to meet her and some of my other friends tomorrow night.”

“Really?” Hyo comments, her voice dripping with an emotion you can’t quite decipher.

“Yes,” you affirm. “I wanted to ask Bada if it’s okay for me to visit her.”

Hyo hums under her breath in acknowledgment. “She’ll appreciate that.”

“I hope so.” You smile lightly to yourself. “I just thought that since you follow me wherever I go, she’d find out either way, and I might as well get her thoughts on it.”

“Not to crush your hopes and dreams, kid, but I doubt she’ll say yes.” Hyo remarks.

“Really?” You pause and turn around to face her, a frown forming on your lips.

“The Boss values your safety more than anything else,” Hyo shrugs. “Meeting people she isn’t familiar with puts you at risk.”

“But they’re my friends.” You push back lightly.

“I get that, but like I said, the Boss only cares about keeping you safe.” Hyo raises her hands up in defeat.

You deflate at her words, acknowledging that she’s most likely right. After all the events that’d taken place in the span of a single month, you honestly wouldn’t hold it against Bada to be cautious of where you go. But at the same time, you can’t help but feel mild resentment at the fact that you aren’t even allowed to see your friends.

“Hey,” Hyo frowns at you like a scolding sister. “Don’t be discouraged. You haven’t even asked her yet. You never know; she just might say yes.”

You pick your head up at her words, slowly but surely nodding back. “Yeah, you’re right.” And with that, you continue walking down the corridor to Bada’s office until you reach the dark mahogany wood of her door. Lightly rapping on it, there’s a period of silence before you hear the low tenor of her voice speak up.

“Lusher, if you’re coming to ask me if I’ve finished the paperwork for POSCO’s deal, for the millionth time the answer is no, I haven’t.” Bada’s disgruntled voice makes you laugh to yourself, and you immediately bring your hand up to cover your mouth as you grin widely.

“Is now a bad time to see you, then?” You answer back cheekily.

You receive no response for a solid minute before the sound of papers rustling loudly and approaching footsteps reaches your ears. The door to Bada’s office opens, and there she stands in all her glory, looking rather flustered. “Sorry. I thought you were Lusher.”

You smile at Bada while shaking your head. “It’s alright. Can I come in?”

“Of course.” She steps aside, making room for you to walk into her office while she holds the door open for you. You say a quick thank you as pass through the threshold, missing how Bada lets the door swing closed behind her and shuts out Hyo. “So, is there a reason why you’re visiting me? It’s very late into the night; I expected you to be asleep already.”

“Well, I was about to go to sleep, but I got a text from Jae—” you pause upon seeing her frown. “my best friend.”

Bada nods in acknowledgment, moving toward a chair and pushing it back, gesturing for you to sit down. You do so, trying to ignore the nervous tension building in the pit of your stomach.

“Yeah, she invited—” you pause, choosing your next words carefully. Phrasing Jae’s invitation as a party would most likely mean Bada wouldn't let you go. So, if you just tweaked your wording a bit to make the party seem less extreme… it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, right? “she invited me to a get-together between friends.”

“A get-together?” Bada questions, folding her hands across her lap as she leans on the edge of her office table. “For what purpose?”

“Just to catch up and… celebrate our engagement.” You gesture between you both, immediately noticing how Bada’s expression shifts, her lips pressing into a thin line.

“They know of our engagement?” She asks.

“Yes,” you sigh. “I guess my parents couldn’t keep their excitement in check.”

“Your parents.” Bada shakes her head, pinching her nose-bridge tiredly. “I’ll have to have a word with them about that.”

“Please do.” You nod rapidly. “But aside from that, what I wanted to ask you was if I could be escorted to the get-together tomorrow night?”

Bada moves her gaze from the floor to your eyes, removes her hand from her face, and gives you a hesitant expression. “I don’t know… after all the incidents recently…” she trails off, a faraway look finding her eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you to feel like you’re a prisoner in your own home, or that you can’t see your friends, I just want you to be safe.”

“I get that, I really do, Bada, but this is just a small get-together.” You lie between your teeth.

Bada stays quiet, looking to be considering your words. “And you trust your friends, right?”

“I do.”

Bada lets out a light breath, while a small smile finds her lips. “All right then, you can go.”

“Really?” You give her a shocked look before you snap out of it and practically squeal, jumping up from your chair and instinctively wrapping your arms around Bada’s shoulders in a hug. “Thank you so much!”

Bada freezes in her spot, surprised by your affection. Slowly, a warm, sappy feeling builds at the bottom of her stomach, and her hands, which had been propped up in the air stiffly, gently come down to rest against your back, patting it tenderly. “You’re welcome.” She tries not to think about how lovely you feel against her or the allure of your natural scent.

You spend all Friday preparing for the party, choosing your makeup beforehand, your jewelry, shoes, and of course, your dress—a beautiful wine-red ensemble that you’d picked up on your shopping trip with Bada. She’d chosen it for you—claiming, “This dress would look beautiful on you.” The meaning behind her words, that it wasn’t the dress that was beautiful, but instead your figure that would make it look divine, had struck you in that moment.

If Bada wanted you to wear the dress, you’d buy it in a heartbeat.

For the little hours left you have in the day, you try not to get too giddy thinking of the party or how magnificent you’ll look in the dress, instead trying to busy yourself by catching up on one of your favorite TV shows. But when the milky raven sky begins to take over the horizon, you jump off of the couch, rushing to your room, leaving Hyo to scramble after you.

In your bedroom, you sit down at your antique-styled vanity, your makeup laid out in front of you. You begin prepping your skin before beginning your usual routine. It takes you a slightly longer time for you to finish because you’re being incredibly meticulous, but by the end of it, you look amazing. Before you can get distracted, you quickly dress yourself.

As your fingers curl around the clasp of your teardrop diamond earrings and secure them in place, you take a step back to gaze at yourself in your floor-length mirror.

The win-red dress hugs your body, accentuating every favorable feature of it. A similar dark rouge to your dress is blended across your eyelids in a smoky eye, making the color of your eyes pop in contrast. Your lips, fixed into a slight pout, are glossy and soft, tinted with a color of your choice. Taking your look all together, all you can say is that Bada was right—the dress does look beautiful on you.

A knock on your bedroom door startles you, your hand instinctively flying to your chest. "Hello?" You respond, a bit on edge.

"It's me. Can I come in?" Bada's voice, muffled behind the door, reaches you.

"Yes," you reply, hastily adjusting your dress and double-checking your appearance.

Bada enters just as your hands fall to your sides, her gaze immediately scanning your figure. She appraises you, from collarbones to legs, before fixing her eyes on your chest for a lingering moment.

Suppressing a nervous giggle, you greet her, "Hi, Bada."

Her eyes quickly snap up to meet yours, a sheepish cough escaping her mouth. "Hello."

Standing awkwardly by the door, Bada stares at you for a solid minute before you give a lighthearted smile. "Is there something you needed?"

"Uhh, no. Well, actually..." Bada stumbles over her words, closing her eyes in embarrassment. "Sorry, yes. I wanted to see you before you left."

You release a small breath of understanding before a cheeky thought crosses your mind. Walking closer to Bada, you do a little twirl when you reach her. "So, what do you think?"

Bada exhales while chuckling, her nervousness leaving her. "I think you are the most beautiful woman I've ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes upon."

Out of shock, you remain still, surprised by how unabashedly Bada expressed her thoughts. You expected a simple compliment, but she exceeded your expectations. "Really?" You ask quietly, sensing a shift in the room's atmosphere. An air of intimacy and something more sensual makes your skin prickle and breath hitch.

"Of course. There's no one I could think of that could make that dress look so stunning." Bada looks back at you with a serious and genuine expression.

"Bada..." you trail off, immediately thinking of countless other women who could wear the dress better. Supermodels, actresses—

"I think there's just one simple thing that would finish off the look." Bada's voice brings you back, and you give her a questioning stare. She smiles, her hand digging into her pocket before presenting you a sleek black box. Your confusion deepens as she opens it, revealing the most elegant necklace you've ever seen. Matching teardrop diamonds, akin to those on your earrings circle the chain, glittering against the low bedroom light. At the center, a silver locket shaped like a dainty heart ties it all together.

You stare at the necklace in awe, alternating between Bada's eyes and the exquisite piece of jewelry. "Bada, it's beautiful."

She watches you marvel at it, sparkles dancing in your eyes. Giving you a fond look, she nudges the box closer. "Take it."

Hesitating for a brief second, you gently retrieve the necklace. "Wow," you breathe out, fully admiring its beauty now that it’s free from the box.

"You should put it on," Bada encourages you softly.

“Oh, I shouldn’t—” you protest.

“I insist,” she cuts you off, tucking the box back into her pocket. She steps forward, taking the necklace from your hands and moving behind you. “Here, let me.” She places it across your collarbones and brings the clasp together, her long fingers brushing across your skin. 

Her touch ignites a spark, but as quickly as it appeared, her fingers are gone. She steps back, placing her hands on your waist to move you back so that you’re facing your mirror again. But this time, Bada's at your side, admiring how exquisite you look.

 “Absolutely perfect,” she whispers into your ear.

The warmth from her touch lingers as you stare at Bada through the mirror. “Thank you.” You bask in the comfortable silence in the room for a moment before speaking up again. “Can I ask, did you buy this?”

Bada places her hands atop your shoulders, a soft, wistful look finding her irises. “It was my mother’s.”

Immediately, you whip around to face her, your mouth wide open in mortification, and your eyes the size of saucers. “Bada, why didn’t you tell me?” Your hands frantically try to find the clasp of the necklace, wanting to take it off. “Here—”

“No.” Bada’s hands find yours, holding them and stopping you from removing the jewelry. “Don’t take it off.”

“But Bada, this was your mom’s—”

“And I want you to have it,” Bada states firmly.

“I can’t—”

“Are you rejecting my gift?” Although her words sound accusatory, when you look into her eyes, there’s a glint of amusement in them.

You let out a huff of defeat. “Fine.”

Bada smirks proudly, removing her hands from yours. “Good.”

After bidding farewell to Bada, Hyo swiftly whisks you away to a black Jeep, one that, according to her, is "much more secure than a sports car." Seated in the front, she drives and engages in casual conversation while you relax in the back. You take the opportunity to share stories about each of your best friends—Jae, the liveliest, Da-Eun, the second oldest, Min-Ji, the oldest, and Ryung, the youngest and most timid. Hyo listens attentively, interjecting with comments or laughter at your anecdotes.

“You all seem to be very close,” she remarks, steering the wheel to the left.

“Yeah, we are. We’ve known each other since childhood, and our parents are all friends,” you reply.

“Those types of friends… you should hold onto them,” Hyo advises. “In this line of business, it’s hard to find someone you can trust as much as you four trust each other.”

You gaze at your bodygaurd through the rear-view mirror, sensing the weight behind her words. "Hyo?" You inquire.

"Yeah?"

"Does Bada find it hard to trust other people?"

Her lips tighten, an audible exhale leaving her nose. "She hasn't fully placed her trust in anyone since the day Mrs. Lee died."

A somber atmosphere envelops the car, akin to a bucket of ice-cold water. You shift in your seat uncomfortably, your heart aching at the thought of the pain Bada must have endured when her mother was killed. "Bada was still young when she passed, wasn’t she?"

"Fifteen," Hyo nods. "Barely beginning her climb towards adulthood."

A stark silence follows after, and the rest of the car ride is silent, filled only with the quiet hum of the Jeep’s engine and the sounds of passersby. It's not uncomfortable, but rather solemn, as if you and Hyo are silently mourning Mrs. Lee's memory.

Fifteen minutes later, Hyo's driving slows as she turns into a large house—though noticeably smaller than your shared one with Bada, of course. The GPS on the tablet beeps, signaling your arrival at the destination. "We’re here," her voice rings through the background noise.

You turn away from the window you’d been gazing out of, a smile forming on your lips at the sight of Jae’s house. Out of your group, Jae always had the most luxurious home, because though all of you came from affluent families, Jae's parents were the wealthiest. Well, it seemed like now the dynamic had changed. Once you and Bada are officially wed, your combined wealth will likely rival all of theirs combined.

"How long do you think you’ll be staying?" Hyo asks.

"I'd like to say it won't take that long, but knowing my friends, I might be here all night," you admit.

"Alright." Hyo parks the Jeep in the driveway, exits, then moves to open your door. You offer a quiet thank you as she helps you step out, mindful of the relatively short length of your dress.

Leading the way to Jae's house, you pause before knocking. Judging by the time, it seems you arrived slightly early, which in party terms means very early. Fortunately, that likely means no other partygoers are here yet, as evidenced by the absence of parked cars in the driveway.

"Actually, Hyo?" you turn back to face her, a sheepish look on your face. "Could you maybe… wait outside?"

Your bodyguard raises her eyebrows, crossing her arms across her chest. "I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on you."

"I know that, but I think the girls will be thrown off by the fact that you’ll just be standing there… watching us the entire night." Though your reasoning is somewhat woven with lies, it's also partly true.

Hyo remains silent, giving you an unimpressed look. "I have a job to do."

"Technically, you can do it from out here," you weakly argue. "Please, I want to feel like a normal person again. Like my life isn’t constantly at risk, and I always need to be monitored."

Although you can’t see the look Hyo’s giving you behind her sunglasses, you notice her posture deflating, and her shoulders falling. She releases a defeatist breath, "Fine, I’ll keep an eye out from here."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" You express with a grateful smile.

"Yeah, yeah, never say I haven’t done anything for you," Hyo grumbles. "Oh, and don’t forget I have your location on my phone, so don’t even think about sneaking out because I’ll know."

"I wouldn’t dare," you joke.

"Right…" your bodyguard trails off. "I’ll be waiting in the car. If you need anything, just call or text me, and I’ll be out in an instant."

"Yup, thanks!" You give Hyo a thumbs up, and with that, she retreats back to the Jeep. You watch her go, a sudden wave of guilt crashing over you.

She'd probably be much more comfortable in Jae’s house, sitting down or enjoying the air conditioning, rather than waiting for countless hours in the Jeep while you gossip and talk to your friends. But you're in too deep now. You can’t tell her the truth or let her in, or she’ll whisk you away back to the mansion, and all your white lies will have been for naught.

Biting your lip, you cast one last look at Hyo before knocking on the front door. Silence greets you for a few minutes before you hear shuffling approach the door, and it opens. Jae’s face greets you on the other side, her eyes immediately sparkling at the sight of you.

"Oh my god!" She squeals, bringing you into a hug and squeezing you tight. "I’m so glad you’re here!" She rocks back and forth in the hug, making you laugh giddily. "I missed you so much!" When she pulls back, she’s wearing a pout across her red-tinted lips. "Don’t ghost me for a month again, okay? Or I’ll steal you away from your wife!"

"I missed you too," you say fondly. "But we’re not married yet—"

"Oh, come on, you’re engaged to Bada Lee! You’re married in every sense except legally." Jae rolls her eyes playfully, though they stray a bit before landing on something—or rather, someone—behind you. "Who’s that?" She points at the Jeep, where Hyo is sitting in the front seat, trying not to look like she's watching you.

"That’s Hyo Kim, my bodyguard."

"Your bodyguard?" Jae awes before pouting. "Why am I even surprised? Of course, Bada Lee would have her fiancée under lock and key." Jae grabs your hand, giving it a light squeeze before her expression shifts, a sly smile curving her lips. "So tell me, have you two done it yet? Is she dominant? Is she more of a boobs girl or an ass girl—"

"Jae!" You shout, eyes wide and voice full of mortification. "Are you serious right now?"

"Come on, tell me! I want to know all the stuff you haven’t told me over the past month. You owe it to me!" She whines.

You let out a long sigh. You suppose this is your karma for unintentionally ignoring your best friend for so long. "At least invite me in first, Jae. Don’t you have any manners?" You lightly scold her.

"Oh, right." She looks behind her, realizing that while she’s inside her home, you’re still outside the threshold, waiting for her to invite you in. She looks like she’s about to take a step back so you can enter before she pauses, a thoughtful expression crossing her features. "Wait, does she use toys—"

"Alright, that’s enough!" You push Jae further into her house and step inside, swinging the door shut rather loudly behind you.

Once inside, you scold her for a solid five minutes straight about manners before the two of you properly greet each other and begin a normal, casual conversation—thankfully with no mention of your and Bada’s sexual activity, or lack thereof. Instead, you're practically interrogated by Jae about every aspect of your life with Bada while you help her finish setting up for the party.

You stack up red solo cups, place beers into multiple coolers, and set out chasers. Thankfully, it doesn’t take much for the two of you to finish, and once you do, you simply lounge around a bit. Jae takes the break as an opportunity to compliment how amazing you look in your dress.

"Is that Chanel?" She asks, motioning for you to do a spin.

"Yes." You nod, doing as she wishes. "Bada picked it out for me."

"I bet she’s regretting her decision right now." Your friend giggles. "No one’s going to be able to resist you tonight!"

"Jae, stop exaggerating." You laugh.

Your lighthearted conversation continues until slowly but surely, party guests begin to arrive. They come in small waves, all dressed much more elegantly than the average partygoer. You assume they must be some of Jae’s rich friends that you’ve heard about only in passing because you don’t recognize some of them. The thought sends a small prickle of worry to the back of your mind, but you choose to ignore it for now. Instead, you greet each guest kindly, albeit rather awkwardly.

As the dark sky deepens in color, the living room starts to get more and more crowded, the rest of your friends arriving along with other guests. Min-Ji gets there first, wearing a classy black cocktail dress. She greets you with the same enthusiasm as Jae, but her demeanor is slightly more controlled, her older age shining through.

Next, Da-Eun arrives, dressed in green, and lastly, Ryung. By the time she settles in, the party is in full swing, music leaking out of speakers, and beers being passed around. You’re fully immersed in the atmosphere, happy to be surrounded by your girls and other somewhat familiar faces. You can’t lie, partying with your friends really puts into perspective the loneliness you hid behind your home’s mansion walls.

But in contrast to your free spirit, Hyo is struggling. Multiple cars have begun to pull into the driveway, groups of people entering the house and giving her a peek inside. The home has many more people than it should for a "small gathering." 

Her first instinct was to exit the Jeep and head toward the door to end your night prematurely, as well as tell you off for not only lying to her but also to Bada. However, through one of the windows, your silhouette peaks through, the light in the living room shining against your features and displaying your expression of pure joy as you dance with your friends and sip beer.

She stops mid-stride, conflict brewing in the confines of her mind. Deep down, she knows you deserve to enjoy yourself. Being stuck in a mansion—while large and full of entertainment—is nothing compared to the comfort of being with friends, partying, and drinking. “Fuck.” Hyo mutters under her breath, passing a hand through her hair in frustration. She takes another look at your smiling figure through the window, then turns back. “The Boss is going to kill me if she finds out about this.”

She stays back in the Jeep for another hour or so, listening to the music coming from inside the house and the loud chatter, keeping an eye out while checking her phone every other minute. Your location never moves, thankfully. It seems that you have the foresight not to take it as far as sneaking away from her for some fun.

But, of course, there’s no need for you to do so because the party is practically buzzing with energy. Couples and friends dance together, grinding and touching each other playfully, while some are playing cup pong or various other party games in corners of the room. You, on the other hand, have moved away from dancing, instead cooling off with another beer as your friends chatter amongst each other.

“You’ll never guess what happens next!” Jae grabs onto Min-Ji, tugging on her hands with poorly concealed excitement.

“What?” Min-Ji indulges her younger friend.

“Bada stops him right before he leaves the store just by saying, ‘And where do you think you're going?’” Jae lowers her voice and puts on a serious expression when imitating your fiancée.

“Really?” Min-Ji's eyes find your figure, a small smile curving her lips upward.

You smile back at her shyly, nodding.

“And then, she makes the asshole pick up her clothes from the ground!” Jae divulges.

“Does he do it?” Da-Eun cuts in, smirking widely.

“Of course he does! Like a little worm, he picks up all the clothes and gives them to her.” Jae points at you, letting go of Min-Ji’s hands.

“Bada must have a very strong presence,” Ryung comments quietly.

“More like everyone in the store was on Bada’s payroll,” Jae snorts. “Right Unnie, didn’t you say Bada has ties to half the population of Seoul?”

“Yes,” you confirm. “I think everyone in that store had guns on them.”

“How do you know?” Min-Ji asks.

“Well, they were all putting their hands in their pockets like they were going to pull out a firearm,” you reminisce. “And they were all staring between the man and Bada like they were waiting for her word to dispose of him.”

“It’s so crazy hearing about it.” Jae whines. “I wish I was there!”

“Don’t say that.” Min-Ji scolds her. “It must have been scary at the time, wasn’t it?” She looks back at you, posing the question.

“I wasn’t really scared for myself.” You shake your head. “I was more scared for the man. You should have seen the way Bada was looking at him.”

“I can imagine it now.” Jae tries to imitate a hardened and scary glare but ends up failing.

“You just look like you’re constipated.” Da-Eun laughs loudly, pointing at a now offended Jae. The younger girl hits Da-Eun, whining about how she was really trying to look serious.

You join in laughing with Da-Eun and Min-Ji at Jae, when you suddenly feel a tug on your right hand. Your laughter dies down as you turn to face Ryung, who’s looking between you and another corner of the room. You give her a confused look, trying to find what she’s gazing at. “Ryung? Is something wrong?”

“A woman's been staring at you since she got here.” Ryung whispers, casting her eyes to the other corner of the room.

You follow her line of sight to an unfamiliar, relatively attractive woman dressed in a loose white dress shirt and slacks. She has fiery red hair and a boyish look. She’s already watching you, her eyes unabashedly trailing up and down your figure, completely unbothered by the fact that you caught her staring. In fact, she smirks back at you.

You turn away from her quickly, a prickle of anxiety running up your spine. Though most would be excited at being ogled by an attractive woman, there’s something about her gaze that unnerves you. It's like she knows something you don’t.

“Do you know her?” Ryung asks, a worried look crossing her features.

“No.” You shake your head, a trembling breath leaving your lips. “I’ve never seen her before in my life.”

Da-Eun, Min-Ji, and Jae stop laughing at the sound of your nervous voice, turning to face you with questioning looks.

“What’s going on?” Min-Ji asks, noticing your rigid posture and Ryung’s grim expression.

Jae mutters your name, her voice becoming uncharacteristically quiet.

“There’s this woman that’s been staring at Unnie the entire night.” Ryung secretly motions towards you, then looks back at the woman with red hair. All of your friends' eyes follow, seeing how the woman gazes at you darkly; even with all their eyes on her, she doesn’t cower. Instead, she continues to watch you.

“Alright.” Da-Eun rubs her hands together, her expression dripping with anger. “Let me go have a word with her—”

“Not so fast.” Min-Ji grabs onto Da-Eun’s arm, pulling her back and keeping her from advancing toward the woman. “Jae, do you know her?”

Jae bites her lip, shaking her head. “I don’t remember inviting anyone that looks like that.”

“Then let me—” Da-Eun tries to wiggle out of Min-Ji’s hold but is unsuccessful.

“Don’t be so rash.” Min-Ji asserts. “Let’s just ignore her. If she decides to bother you directly, we’ll be here, okay?” She looks back at you with a caring expression, placing her hand on your shoulder.

“Okay.” You agree shakily, turning your back toward the woman’s direction.

For the rest of the night, you constantly feel her eyes on you. Though you try to act normal, a spike of fear runs up your body when you see someone approach you or accidentally brush up against you while you dance with your friends. You consider asking Hyo to come get you, but you don’t want to sour the mood of your friends. So you deal with her predatory gaze, and do your best to ignore her overwhelming presence.

Hyo’s eyes scan the neighborhood leisurely when a notification banner pops up at the top of her screen. Her eyes snap toward it, finding a text message from none other than her boss light up the screen. She takes in a deep breath as she presses it, her screen being moved to the message app.

Bada’s text reads, “How’s it going?”

Hyo lets out a sigh of relief, quickly texting back, “Good, she’s having fun.” She watches Bada’s text bubble show up soon after indicating she was writing, but it disappears a few seconds later. Hyo takes the opportunity to add, “Her friends are very lively.”

Bada’s text bubble appears again, but this time she sends a message saying, “Focus on doing your job.” Hyo huffs under her breath, exiting out of the messaging app and switching back to managing your location.

Her brief distraction keeps her from noticing a new group of men heading toward the house. Most slip in, it’s only until the last is about to cross inside that Hyo looks up, her eyes catching a baggy of white powder one of the men is carrying.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” She hisses. Immediately she exits the car, dialing Bada’s personal phone as she races up the driveway and slips into the house behind the man.

Inside, you’re slowly becoming more and more unnerved by the red-haired woman. Your friends try to take you around the living room, using the other partygoer’s bodies as a shield between you two, but she doesn’t allow them to. She moves through the crowd until she has a clear view of you again, then just stands there, her gaze unwavering.

“She really doesn’t give up, huh?” Min-Ji curses under her breath.

“What a creep,” Da-Eun adds.

“Are you okay?” Ryung asks you.

“I don’t know.” You admit, rubbing your arm uncomfortably.

“Hold on,” Jae cuts in. “I think she’s coming this way.”

Four pairs of eyes snap in the direction Jae is looking, finding the woman weaving through the crowd of partygoers in an attempt to reach you.

This time your entire body goes rigid, intense fear running through your veins as your friends rally around you, muttering comforting words. Their voices and the loud bass of the music in the background fade away, all you’re able to focus on is the woman with red hair only a few feet away from you now.

She’s just about to reach you when a firm grip grabs onto your arm, pulling you away from your friends. You jump at the person’s touch, instinctively trying to recoil away before you turn to see a familiar face.

“Hyo.” You breathe out in relief. 

“We’re leaving right now.” She says firmly, pulling you through the crowd of people. 

“Hey!” Da-Eun surges forward at the sight of Hyo taking you away. “Who are you–?”

“No, it’s okay, that’s her bodyguard,” Jae informs your friends.

Your friends share resounding noises of astoundment before Hyo starts to firmly push you toward the exit. You say a hurried goodbye to them, catching out of the corner of your eye the red-haired woman. She’s now wearing a frown as she quickly retreats into the crowd of dancing bodies, hiding away from your gaze, as well as Hyo’s.

The entirety of the drive back home is dead silent, but this time it’s not comfortable. Hyo’s lips are set into thin and firm lines, her expression unchanging as she switches lanes and drives through the jet-black night. You try to will your voice to work and make idle conversation, but the words get stuck in your throat, a deep feeling of regret pooling at the depths of your stomach.

The car ride back unfortunately felt much shorter than the ride to Jae’s house had. One minute you're just barely pulling out of her driveway, and the next you're passing the gates into your mansion's driveway.

Hyo parks the car, exiting quickly and opening the door for you like she always does. You still say thank you, but this time she doesn’t acknowledge it, she simply lets you take the lead as you begin the walk of shame into your home.

Walking through the front door, the first floor is eerily quiet, missing the sounds of Bebe walking around or talking amongst themselves. You hesitate before walking up the right spiral staircase to the second floor, then move to your right toward the direction of your bedroom.

“We’re going this way.” Hyo breaks her silence, motioning with her thumb behind her, toward the corridor that leads to Bada’s office. You gulp but say nothing in response, instead choosing to listen to her and head toward your fiancée. 

The sound of both your and Hyo’s footsteps echoing against the cold marble floor causes even more unease in your mind, the feeling all but tripling when you see a dark mahogany door come into view. You stop right in front of it, your legs starting to feel weak and your hands sweating. You try to build up your courage to knock on the door, but Hyo’s already a step ahead of you.

She doesn’t bother to knock, she simply grabs ahold of the door handle and pushes it open. She gestures for you to head inside which you do timidly, the door closing right behind you.

Inside the office, your eyes immediately find Bada’s figure. She’s sitting in her chair like she always is, looking incredibly tired. And instead of wearing a soft expression at the sight of you, her face is blank, not a single wisp of emotion to be seen. 

“Sit down.” Her voice cuts through the tension in the air.

You do as she says, noting that she doesn’t get up to pull your chair back for you like she normally does. “Bada,” you begin, voice quiet and full of remorse.

“I heard you had fun tonight.” She cuts you off, her tone harsh. “A party, was it?”

You close your eyes in embarrassment. “I’m sorry–”

“Are you?” She interrupts you again. “Truthfully, are you?”

“Yes.” You say frantically, trying to convince her. “I didn’t mean for it to go this far.”

“You had multiple opportunities to tell me the truth.” Bada asserts, her hands coming in front of her to clasp together tightly. “The night before when I asked you about your so-called ‘get-together.’" She lists, "You could have told me anytime today, or Hyo when she was driving you. Instead, you unabashedly lied to my face and deceived me.”

You swear the wind is knocked out of your chest at her words. Her dark brown, almost grey eyes are cutting into yours, wounding your heart as you will something, anything out of your mute vocal cords. “Please believe me.”

“I can’t.” Bada shakes her head. “All I asked of you was three things.” Much like she had when you first arrived at the Lee mansion, she holds up three corresponding fingers. “Tell me the truth, remain loyal, and never put yourself in unnecessary danger.” She places all three fingers down. “Somehow you managed to disobey all of them in the span of a single night.”

Tears prick at the corner of your eyes, and heaving breaths start to build in your windpipe. You can deal with Bada being upset with you, but there’s something about her calm disappointment that hurts you more than you could have ever imagined.

“What would have happened if someone at that party brought a gun, hm? What if they knew who you are to me? What if they wanted to hurt me by hurting you?” Her voice slowly rises in volume but never reaches a full yell. “More than anything, you put yourself in danger. All for the sake of a good time.”

You hang your head in shame, acknowledging that she’s right.

“I can’t trust you anymore.” She states plainly.

Your head snaps up from its hunched position, your eyes widening at the implication of her words. “What? Bada, what does that mean?”

Your fiancée remains quiet for a moment, her blank look doing nothing to soothe your heightening fear. Then, she speaks up. “It’s late, you should go to sleep.”

“Go to sleep?” You cry. “Bada–”

“I’m sorry, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” She tears her eyes away from yours, staring to her right. “I can’t look at you right now.”

Her words are the final blow to your breaking heart. You stand up from your chair loudly, attempting to hide your devastated expression as tears fall from your eyes in steady streams. You race over to the door, pull it open, and run out of the office, accidentally bumping into Hyo on your way out. You don’t say anything to her, simply wanting to get as far away as possible.

Lusher, who’d been rounding the corner about to head into Bada’s office catches sight of your teary eyes and sighs. She makes eye contact with Hyo, sharing a knowing look with her before entering the office.

“I’m not in the mood, Lusher,” Bada mutters, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“Don’t you think you were a little too hard on her?” Lusher contends.

“She put her life at risk,” Bada states firmly.

“She went to a party, so what? She’s at the age where she’s supposed to be having fun with her friends, clubbing and drinking.”

“She lied to me,” Bada argues.

“Listen, I know that–” before Lusher can finish her sentence, the door to Bada’s office opens again, this time much more violently. Hyo stands in the doorway, a worried look encompassing her features.

“What now?” Bada snaps at her.

“Boss,” Hyo huffs. “the keys to the Jeep are gone.”

“What?” Bada stands up with urgency, her blank expression morphing into nothing but unrivaled anger. “Where did you put them?”

“I had them in my pocket–” Hyo freezes, a look of realization glinting in her eyes before she stops and runs a hand down her face in frustration. “Your fiancée pickpocketed me.”

“She pickpocketed you?” Lusher says incredulously. “So she just left? But it’s dangerous to be out this late, and in that dress–”

“Lusher, gather all of Bebe.” Bada interrupts her, voice loud and commanding. “You,” she points at Hyo. “find her. Now.”

“Yes, boss.” Lusher and Hyo say in unison, scrambling to do what their superior asked of them. 

Meanwhile, Bada remains standing behind her desk, a mix of fear and unadulterated anger building in her. She feels immediate regret for the way she’d treated and spoken to you. She never should have let you leave in such a vulnerable, and most likely intoxicated state.

She could never forgive herself if something happened to you because of your argument. She slams her hands down on her desk, almost breaking it with the amount of force she uses.

Bada storms out of her office, heading down the corridor toward her bedroom, pushing the door open before heading toward her bedside table. She opens the first drawer, revealing a black pistol. She grabs it, about to exit her bedroom when her eyes catch the portrait of her mother hanging just above her bedside table. She takes a moment to face it, her face morphing into a grim expression. 

“I won’t fail you, mother.”

Lusher, Tatter, Kyma, Minah, Chehe, and Soweon, otherwise known as Bebe are all gathered in the armory room, guns in their hands. Lusher dons a sniper, Tatter a pump shotgun, Kyma a handgun, Minah a rifle, Cheche a break action, and Soweon a pistol.

“She managed to pickpocket Hyo?” Soweon exclaims, loading her pistol with bullets. “How is that possible?”

“She must not be as innocent as we thought.” Cheche comments. “Out of all of us, Hyo is the most alert and aware of her surroundings. She has some skill.”

“Enough talking.” Lusher cuts in, clicking a magazine into her sniper. “We’re wasting time. Boss wants us to find her as soon as possible.”

Bebe falls into line, following their second-in-command to the first level of the Lee mansion where Hyo is, tapping her foot against the marbled floor impatiently.

“Do you know where she is?” Bada’s booming voice causes all her subordinates to freeze. It’s brimming with urgency, and full of poison.

Hyo looks up at where her boss is standing at the top of the spiral staircase, her aura demonstrating absolute authority. “I think she’s lost her phone.”

“What do you mean?” Tatter speaks up.

“The location stopped moving right in front of her friend, Jae’s house. But it’s not inside, it’s farther down the road.”

The room becomes astoundingly quiet, so silent you could most certainly hear a pin drop. Although no one has the heart to say it, they all know the truth. You’ve been taken.

But then, Bada’s heavy footsteps begin descending the stairs, her eyes alit with a fiery passion and her eyes fixed into a firm glare.

“We’re finding my fiancée.” She demands. “And if she’s not home by the end of the night, it’ll be your head on a pike.” She points at Hyo, her pistol held firmly in her other hand.

“Yes, Boss,” Hyo says fearlessly. Truthfully, she felt partially at fault for what had happened. If she had only brought you home the second she realized you were throwing a party, or if she paid more attention when you bumped into her, you would be here, safe. 

Before they can all head out, Bada’s phone buzzes in her pocket. She stops, pulling it out and observing the caller ID. Her eyes widen when she sees it, immediately pressing the answer button and holding the phone up to her ear. She mutters your name into the speaker, causing all of Bebe to freeze and look at her in shock.

“Where are you?” Bada says, voice soft and full of worry.

“Hello?” A voice that is most certainly not yours greets her ears.

Bada’s expression shifts immediately, her eyes narrowing to slits and her voice dropping. “Who the fuck is this?”

“Are you Bada Lee?” The voice says hurriedly.

“Yes. How did you get this phone? Where is my fiancée?” Bada demands.

“This is Jae, Unnie’s best friend.”

“Jae?” Bada says, her tone calming the slightest bit. “Where is she?”

“Bada, you need to come here quick.” She cries. “Unnie called me a few minutes ago saying she wanted to stay the night with me, but right when I saw her pulling into the driveway, another car parked beside her, and I think they took her!”

Bada’s hands form fists as she motions with her head for Bebe to go into the garage full of cars. They do so immediately, piling into a modified and armored SUV with a sunroof. Lusher sits behind the wheel while Hyo takes the passenger’s seat. The rest of the girls sit in the back, guns positioned in their laps, Minah poking out of the sunroof with her rifle propped up in front of her.

Bada follows after them, getting into her personal, fortified sports car as the door to the garage slowly begins to open. She puts Jae on speaker, “Did you see who took her?”

“It was dark, but I recognized one person,” Jae confirms. “It was this woman who was at the party I threw for Unnie. She was staring at her the entire night like a creep.”

“What does she look like?” Bada asks through her teeth.

“She’s wearing a white dress shirt, a pair of black pants… oh, and she has very vibrant, red hair!”

Bada pulls up next to Bebe’s car, her eyes meeting Lusher’s, a new type of rage building in her irises. “Seong.”

When you awake from your slumber there’s a pounding ache at the back of your head, and your eyes are blurry. You blink as you try to gather your bearings and sit up, but your arms are held behind your back by something. You start to panic, your head whipping around as you begin to remember what had happened just before you lost consciousness.

You’d been driving the Jeep toward Jae’s house whilst sobbing uncontrollably, realizing that your selfishness would most likely cost you your engagement to Bada.

When you were a few minutes away from Jae, you called her with trembling hands, breathing heavily into your phone.

Your friend muttered your name into the phone, sounding like she’d just woken up.

“I’m sorry.” Your voice shook with emotions. “Is it okay if I stay with you for the night?”

“Of course,” Jae answered immediately. “But what’s wrong? Have you been crying?”

“Bada and I got into a fight.” You admitted. “I think she’s going to call off the engagement.”

“What?” Jae’s incredulous voice rang out of the phone.

“I’ll tell you everything in a second, I’m right next to your house.” You made a left into Jae’s neighborhood, finding the lights in her house on. You parked a little further down the street, seeing stray liquor bottles and red solo cups littering her lawn, most likely thrown away by her drunk party guests. “Okay, I’m here.”

“Where?” Jae’s figure approached the window that oversaw her driveway, her eyes squinting as she tried to discern your body from the pitch-darkness of the night. “I don’t see you.”

You sniffled into the microphone, switching hands as you climbed out of the Jeep and waved your hands to get Jae’s attention. “To your right.”

Jae’s eyes shifted in your direction, and after searching for a few minutes her eyes shone with recognition. “Oh, I see you!” She waved back at you, the interaction distracting you to the point where you didn’t hear a car pull up next to you until people were clambering out of it, their heavy footfalls approaching you.

You jumped when you felt an arm grab you, gasping and struggling against their grip. “Let me go!”

Jae’s voice came out of your phone, saying your name, but before you could answer her or call out for help, something hard hit you in the back of your head and caused you to fall limp into your kidnapper's arms. But before you fully lost consciousness, you caught a brief glint of red hair from the corner of your eye. 

“No.” You whisper, reality finally settling in. “No, no, no.” You try to move your hands, but your eyes find them secured behind your back with handcuffs. You struggle against them, trying to wiggle your hands out but they’re closed tight against your flesh, making the steel rub your skin raw. You hiss in pain but continue trying until your wrists are red. You try to move toward the wall behind you, leaning on it to help you stand up.

Once on your feet, you stomp on the floor, trying to break the heel of your platform heels. You repeat your action a few times on each foot until part of the heel breaks off, leaving you with shoes that are easier to run in. You huff out in exhaustion, but you’re not done yet. Using the wall once again, you attempt to get your arms in front of you by jumping and pulling your arms under you. Thankfully, you’re successful, and let out a breathy laugh of victory. 

 You slide down the wall, taking a small break when you suddenly hear footsteps coming close to the room you’re trapped in. Your eyes widen in fear as you try to back away further from the door.

“Look who’s awake.” The woman with red hair enters the room, her voice coming out in a sing-song.

“Who are you?” You rasp, sitting up tall. Although you’re terrified out of your mind, you know better than to show it. 

“The name’s Seong, sweetheart.” She smirks, one of her lackeys trailing after her. “And you have something I want.” You stare back at her as she gets closer to you, bending down so you’re at eye level. “Not going to ask me what it is?”

You say nothing, instead just keep eye contact with her, never once wavering under her unnerving gaze.

“Ah, we have a strong one here.” Seong laughs heartily. “I can see why Bada keeps you around.”

Mentally, you curse at yourself. Of course you’d been kidnapped as some sort of leverage piece between this woman and Bada. She’s most likely one of the rival gangs that’d been waiting for the chance to pounce at an opening to get through to Bada. And you’d stupidly given her the perfect opportunity.

“Well…” Seong’s voice drops, chills running down your spine as her eyes lower to your figure. “I’m guessing she doesn’t just appreciate your banter, huh?” She reaches out to touch you, her cold hands dragging across your collarbones. “So pretty…”

“Don’t touch me.” You spit, tone dripping with disgust as you recoil away from her.

“So lively too.” Seong chuckles.

“Bada’s going to come get me.” You cut in, glaring at the woman with fiery hair.

“Oh yes, I’m counting on that.” Seong smiles. “You know, she owes me a lot of money.” She stands up and begins to pace around the room. “My father and her father used to work together back in the day. But once Lee died and your little wife took over his business, she cut ties with him. Apparently, selling drugs is too ‘corrupt’ for her.” She scoffs loudly, the sound full of resentment and anger. “My father lost all his connections. He had to start selling to junkies on the streets, and now he’s running out of money.”

She stops in front of you again, a twisted smile stretching across her face.

“Bring him in,” Seong says to the lackey behind her. He follows her orders, trailing out of the room before he returns minutes later, a man shuffling behind him. When the man steps into the low light of the room, you audibly gasp and your eyes widen. “Remember him?” Seong stands next to the man–the same man from the mall. The man that’d harassed you, and had been humiliated by Bada.

Here he stands, the right side of his face swollen and colored in grotesque combinations of yellow and purple bruises.

“You.” The man rasps, his eyes shining with a crazy glint.

“This man right here was beaten half to death by Bada when I found him lying on the street.” Seong pats his shoulder. “Imagine my surprise when he told me how he’d accidentally hit on the Bada Lee’s fiancée, and almost gotten himself killed because of it.” She circles around the man. “Finding you after that didn’t take much. And look at you now…”

“Lying on the floor like some pathetic bitch.” The man spits. “How does it feel?”

“Go to hell.” You snap at him, eyes set in a glare.

“You should be careful how you speak to me.” The man warns you, walking closer before he bends down in front of you. “You’re the one who’s restrained, and at our mercy.”

“And yet despite that, it’ll be your blood that stains this floor when Bada finds me.” You retaliate.

The man’s face screws up in anger, and in a flash, he grabs onto your necklace, using it to tug you forward painfully. “You bitch–”

Your eyes go wide as you watch your necklace–Bada’s mother’s necklace–stretch in his hold. “No–” you choke out, using what little control you have of your hands to slug them against his face, taking his hands off the necklace. But unfortunately, his strength ends up ripping it off your neck, the broken jewelry falling onto the ground. “No!” You cry, scrambling over to the necklace, trying to grab it with your hands.

The man turns to face you, wearing a look of anger you’d never seen before in your life. He raises his fist, about to punch you when a hand stops him from doing so.

“Now, now, let’s not get too caught up in our anger.” Seong pulls the man away from you and pushes him toward the door. “We’ll have our fun once Bada arrives, believe me. You can do the honors of killing her if you really want to.”

Seong follows the man out of the room, her lackey trailing behind her before she stops to give you one final look, and closes the door to your room, leaving you trembling and in almost complete darkness.

In the raven black of the night, Bada, Tatter, Chehe, Hyo, Kyma, Minah, and Soweon stand at the door to Seong’s hideout, guns held tightly in their hands. Bada turns to look at a building across the street, holding a thumbs up in the air. Atop the building is Lusher, her sniper propped up against the ledge of the roof, her scope focused on Bada’s signal. She traces the red dot coming from her sniper around Bada’s thumb, indicating she’s ready.

“Lusher’s in position.” Bada turns back to face Bebe, nodding at them. “Let’s not waste any more time.”

“Yes, Boss.” They all parrot in response.

Bada turns to face the doorknob, pointing her gun at it before shooting. Tatter steps up first, shouldering the door open with intense force, making it swing open and reveal Seong’s hideout. Some lackeys that had been standing around jump at the sudden intrusion, their hands instinctively reaching for their guns. But all of Bebe’s members are twice as fast and skilled. Tatter shoots down one man with her shotgun while the rest of Bebe pile in, backing her up and mulling down the waves of oncoming men like they’re bugs.

Bada steps in last, shooting a man who was running in as backup, then shooting another who almost managed to get a shot in on Minah. She charges forward without fear, cutting through the mess of flying bullets and punching one of Seong’s men in the gut, then shooting him between the eyes. His blood splatters against the side of her suit as she kicks his body away, continuing her advance until she makes it out of the entrance of the hideout, and into a split hallway.

Bada keeps her pistol trained up and ears keen as she hears Lusher’s sniper bullets break through glass windows and hit some of the men still flocking to the entrance. An emergency alarm begins to blare in the hideout, red lights bathing Bada’s figure as she studies both paths ahead of her.

Suddenly to her right, she hears loud footsteps approaching and whips around to face a man running down the hallway. Thinking quickly, she shoots him in the foot before he has the chance to reach for his gun. He falls to the floor, screaming in pain whilst clutching his wounded foot. Bada walks over to him, kicking his gun away then aiming her pistol at his head.

“Where is she?” She yells over the loud, blaring alarm.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” The lackey wails.

“Yes you do. Tell me or I’ll kill you!” Bada places her pistol on the man’s forehead, making his pathetic wailing increase.

“Okay, okay, just please don’t shoot me!” He begs.

Bada grabs the man by his clothes, hoisting him up and pushing him forward, causing him to stumble and almost fall onto the floor again. “Show me the way, now!”

The man cries as he hobbles forward, leading her in your direction.

“Fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven…” your voice mutters amidst the silence, keeping track of the minutes passing by since Seong left. You stare at the steel door separating you from your freedom, hoping with every minute you count, Bada gets closer to finding and rescuing you.

It’s at minute forty-two when bright, red lights flood your room, blinding you and throwing you off your count as loud alarms sound outside. You sit up, your heart beating wildly in your chest.

“Bada…” you sigh in relief. She came for you.

Another five minutes pass before you hear movement coming towards your room, making you scramble towards the door. But when it opens, you’re not greeted by the sight of your fiancée. No, instead, Seong rushes inside, her red hair ruffled and her breaths uneven as she closes the door behind her.

“Fucking–” She mutters, her eyes finding you instantly.

“I told you.” You smirk. “You’re all dead.”

Seong stares back at you silently before charging up to you and slapping you across the face. You shriek and recoil back as she breaks into manic laughter, pulling out a gun from her pocket. “Maybe, but if I die, you’re coming with me, sweetheart.” She clicks the safety off, her finger in position to press against the trigger when three loud bangs come from outside your prison, making you scramble back in shock, and Seong turn to face the door.

A long moment of tense silence follows before the door to your prison slowly creeks open, Seong gulping as the hand holding her gun starts to tremble. Right before the door fully swings open, a shot is fired from the person outside, grazing Seong’s cheek and making her cower away.

She runs over to you, picks you up from the floor and holds onto you by your throat, her gun pressed up against your temple. "Don't get any closer, Bada Lee,” Seong yells, digging her fingers into your throat. “or I’ll kill her!”

Bada side-steps away from the door, revealing one of Seong’s men dead behind her, blood leaking from his foot and his forehead. “Let her go, Seong,” Bada demands. “Your problem is with me, not with her.”

“But that’s just the thing, isn’t it? When you hurt one person, the people you care about suffer!” Seong laughs maniacally. “You had no mercy for my family, so why should I have any for yours?”

“You did all of this because I refused to sell your drugs?” Bada spits, her voice dripping with venom. “You’re pathetic, just like your father.”

Seong’s face reflects sheer anger in response to Bada’s words. She’s about to pull the trigger of her gun when Bada shoots first. She hits Seong in the knee, causing her to collapse and shoot the ceiling instead of you. You scramble away as Bada lunges forward, tackling Seong and knocking the gun out of her hand before she can try to shoot at you again.

Unfortunately, Seong is strong as well and fights back against Bada for her gun, both trading blows with each other until Seong manages to get Bada’s gun from her grasp. She pistol whips Bada in the face, giving her a cut across the nose as Bada falls to the floor, blood falling from her wound.

“Not so tough now, huh, Lee?” Seong screams as she points Bada’s very own gun at her.

“You should know that even if you kill me,” Bada says through heaving breaths, “you’ll still never make it out of this building alive.”

Seong bares her teeth at Bada, pushing her gun closer to her temple. “You’ll still be dead.”

“Don’t!” You scream, emerging from behind Seong, holding her gun. “Put the gun down or I’ll shoot.”

Seong clicks her tongue, laughing condescendingly as she turns to face you. “You don’t have the guts to kill me.”

“But I do.” Bada jabs her fist into Seong’s stomach, knocking the woman off of her and the air out of her lungs. Bada takes her gun back and places it in her pocket as the woman with red hair heaves against the floor, her eyes the size of saucers.

Bada walks over to your trembling figure, her gaze soft as her hands come up to grab yours that are still holding onto Seong’s gun.

“It’s okay, you’re okay.” She whispers tenderly into your ear, bringing you against her chest as she quietly soothes your shaky breaths.

“I thought you were–” You begin, the words falling from your mouth through gasps.

“I know, I know.” She shushes you. “Everything’s all right now. Give me the gun, honey.” You let go of Seong’s gun, allowing Bada to take it into her hands as she faces the red-haired woman who’s writhing on the floor. “You should have known better than to touch the people I care about, Seong.” Bada’s voice is cold, and more charged with rage than you’ve ever heard her carry before. “You’ll always be your father’s waste of a daughter.”

Through Seong’s choking breaths, you hear a sob wrack her voice, tears falling from her eyes and running down the sides of her face.

Before Bada pulls the trigger, her unoccupied hand comes down to shield your eyes. “Don’t look,” She whispers softly, “and cover your ears.” With tears streaming down your face, you plug your ears and shut your eyes, a deafening shot following soon after. A few minutes pass before you feel Bada move you around, hugging you close to her chest as she breathes a sigh of relief. “It’s over.”

It’s like the floodgates open at the sound of Bada’s soothing voice because you start to sob violently into her chest, wishing you could cling onto her, but you can’t your hands still restrained by handcuffs. “Bada.” You cry, burying your face into her warm body heat.

“I know, I’m so sorry.” She whispers. “I came as fast as I could.”

“I thought she was going to shoot you.” You sob. “I was so scared–”

“Shh, it’s all right honey, I promise. I’m okay.” She pats the back of your head before pulling away to gaze into your eyes. They’re wide and filled with tears, but so infinitely beautiful to her. Bada wipes your tears away with her thumb, smiling softly at you. She takes a step back, taking off her suit jacket before placing it onto your shoulders and rubbing up and down your arms. “Let’s go home, okay?”

Bada’s room is warm, the atmosphere a far cry from the prison you’d been held in. You sit on Bada’s fluffy bed, staring into the distance with a faraway expression while waiting for her to return.

Thankfully she does as soon as the thought crosses your mind. She makes her presence known by knocking gently on the wood of her bedroom door. “Can I come in?”

“Yes.” You croak.

Bada enters the room with a mug of piping tea in one hand, and uses her unoccupied one to close the door behind her. She sits next to you on the bed, handing you the mug while muttering a soft warning about how hot it is.

“Thank you.” You say quietly, taking the drink and blowing on it.

Bada places her big hand on your thigh, rubbing it gently as she looks into your downcast eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now that you’re here.” You admit, staring at the ripples in the tea caused by your breath.

“I’m glad.” Bada’s eyes move from yours to your hands, noticing how red and raw your wrists are. She removes her hand from your thigh, gently touching your wrist so she can turn it over to get a better look at it. “Should I get you some pain medicine?”

“No.” You answer quickly, your eyes shooting up from your tea and meeting hers. “Stay with me, please.”

Bada nods silently, rubbing the skin just above your wrist. “I’m sorry.” She whispers grimly. “You got hurt because of me.”

You stare at Bada with an incredulous look, shaking your head rapidly. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t lied to you and went to that party, Seong would have never been able to get to me–”

“You went to that party because you missed your friends,” Bada argues back lightly. “I deprived you of a social life in my obsession with keeping you safe, and look at where it got us.”

“Bada Lee, this is not your fault.” You say firmly. “You saved my life.”

Bada looks like she wants to argue more, but holds herself back. The silence between you two allows your still-racing mind to catch up, and you suddenly sit up, eyes wide and full of sorrow.

"What is it?" Bada questions, noticing your expression.

"Bada..." you trail off, turning to the side to grab something you'd hidden. Facing her again, her mother's broken necklace is in the palm of you hand. "I'm so sorry. I tried to keep it safe..."

Bada takes the necklace out of your hand and holds it up in front of you both. "I don't care."

"What?" You breathe incredulously. "But Bada, it was your mother's–"

"And it can be fixed." She says softly. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Your look of shock melts into a sappy smile. “Me too.” You agree, placing your mug-free hand on top of Bada’s. She moves her hand around, weaving your fingers together tenderly as her thumb swipes across the skin of your hand.

“Did Seong hurt you anywhere else?” Bada asks, scanning your face for injuries.

You turn your face to your right, showing her your left cheek, which is now slightly bruised. “She slapped me.”

Bada’s eyes take in your injured cheek, a storm of emotions flashing in her irises for nothing more than a split second before she masks it with a caring expression. She brings up your arm so that it’s in front of her, places her lips on your hurt wrist, then she brings it back down and brushes her other hand across your left cheek. She leans in, pressing a soft kiss to each of the growing bruises.

When she’s done she leans back, nothing but pure care in her eyes as she gazes at you.

“Can I ask you something?” You mumble, butterflies dancing in the pit of your stomach.

“You can ask me anything, honey,” Bada whispers, tracing shapes onto your hands. 

“You always kiss my injuries.” You point out, careful to keep your voice sweet so she knows you like her display of affection. “Is there a reason why?”

Bada’s eyes leave yours for a brief moment, finding something above your head and gazing there before her eyes move back to you. “My mother, she used to…” she trails off, “she used to do that when I was younger. It always made me feel better.”

You smile softly at Bada, warmth flooding your veins. “That’s beautiful.”

She smiles back at you, muttering a soft thank you. You both allow a comfortable silence to fill the room until an idea pops into your head.

You quickly place your mug of tea on Bada’s beside table, then turn to face her. She gives you a confused expression when you take both of her hands and lift them up. Bada’s long fingers curl against yours, displaying her bloody and bruised knuckles. You lean down, placing a soft kiss next to each of them, unable to see how Bada’s eyes widen at your actions until you pull away.

When you look back at her, she’s looking at you like you hung the stars in the sky. You smile at her, then lean up, placing one final kiss on her nose, right below the cut Seong made.

Pulling away for the final time, Bada brings you closer to her, missing your warmth as she touches her forehead to yours and closes her eyes.

“Please never leave me again.”

❝ should my hands be stained with blood, let them be so, solely for you. ❞

[stonesparrow]

I have this WIP and I don't know if it'll ever get fully written out so uhhhh throwing this summary blurb from my notes out there in case anyone wants to ask about it. I'd describe it as like...an office/lab assistant au with a focus on a slow burn three-way queerplatonic relationship.

Our Girl Friday

After years of getting nowhere in her job interning at a fashion magazine publisher and suffering abuse from her boss and coworkers, Ogawa Yuzuriha decides to quit, though she has a hard time finding another job. Suddenly, she finds an advertisement for a position as a personal assistant to a reclusive scientist, and jumps at the opportunity. Little does she know that her new employer and his bodyguard will change her life forever.  

Snippet under the cut:

Yuzuriha double checked the address. Then she triple checked it.

This…can’t be the right place, can it? Given the advertisement she was expecting something a bit more impressive than a nondescript looking house in the middle of an ordinary street. But no, the number was correct, and there was a little sign next to the door reading “Ishigami Laboratory.” After a moment of hesitation, she rang the doorbell.

An enormous man with dark hair opened the door, and Yuzuriha held back a gasp—he was quite handsome, with a strong jaw and impressive muscles.  

“Oh!” He gasped. “Hello! I—how can I help you, Miss?”

Yuzuriha shook off her shock. “Um, I’m Ogawa Yuzuriha. I’m here for a…job interview? At three o’clock?”

The man’s eyes widened. “Oh! Oh you’re—right, sorry, please come in!” Yuzuriha was ushered inside and to a couch.

“Would you like some tea, Ogawa-san?”

“Um, sure. Tea sounds lovely, thank you.”

As the man busied himself with a teapot, Yuzuriha glanced around the floor. It looked pretty much like how you’d expect an average home to be, with neatly arranged furniture and flowers on the dining room table. This doesn’t exactly seem like a science laboratory…

The man set down a tray with two cups of steaming green tea. “Oh, I should introduce myself! I’m Oki Taiju, S—Dr. Ishigami’s bodyguard.”

Yuzuriha fought back the urge to raise an eyebrow. What’s a bodyguard doing giving job interviews? “It’s nice to meet you, Oki-san,” she said politely. 

Oki smiled at her. “So Ogawa-san, you’re interested in being Dr. Ishigami’s personal assistant?”

Yuzuriha nodded. “I saw the advertisement in the paper, and I applied right away.” Not technically a lie—she did apply to the ad immediately, along with three other jobs that had already rejected her. Personal assistant wasn’t exactly Yuzuriha’s dream role to play, but she needed something to pay the bills and it didn’t seem too difficult. 

“Is that envelope for me?”

“Yes, I brought my resume and credentials,” Yuzuriha said, opening the envelope she’d brought with her and handing Oki the papers inside. He scanned them appraisingly as she sipped at her tea, eyes widening. 

“You last worked at a fashion magazine, Ogawa-san?”

“Yes, as secretary to the editor,” Yuzuriha said. “I know I don’t have much experience listed with being a personal assistant, but I’m well versed in answering phone calls, sorting mail, and organizing schedules.”

She’d hoped to rise through the ranks and acquire some connections in the fashion world, but that work environment…Yuzuriha repressed a shudder. Quitting that job was probably one of the smarter things she’d done in her 30 years of life. 

Oki nodded. “That’s mostly what we’re looking for anyway. Dr. Ishigami doesn’t have a lot of time to answer messages, and if he ignores people too much they get upset.” He handed the papers back to her. “Would you be okay with starting tomorrow?”

Yuzuriha blinked. “Huh? Aren’t you going to ask me some more questions before just giving me the job?”

 Oki scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Ah…I’ll be honest with you, Ogawa-san…you’re the only applicant we’ve gotten in weeks.”

Yuzuriha stared at him. “Oh.” What was she supposed to say to that? “I…would’ve thought that a renowned scientist like Dr. Ishigami would have people lining up to work for him,” she said eventually. 

Oki sighed. “Yeah, you’d think that, huh? But Dr. Ishigami is…” he shrugged. “He can be a bit…much, for some people. Not that he’s a bad person! Really, he just doesn’t mix well with others.”

“I…see.” That could be a red flag, but Yuzuriha really, really needed this job. “Well then, I’ll do my best!”

Oki smiled so blindingly bright Yuzuriha nearly had to shield her face. “That’s great!” He bowed his head suddenly and she squeaked in surprise. “Thank you so much, Ogawa-san! Really, from the bottom of my heart, I’m so grateful you’ll be working with us!”

“Ah, I’m glad too!” Yuzuriha stammered. Was he that desperate for someone to accept the job?

Oki stood up. “Okay, let me give you the tour!”

“So, um,” Yuzuriha said as Oki led her through the house and pointed out the bathroom, the office where she’d be working, and the library. “Dr. Ishigami’s laboratory is also his home?”

“Yep,” Oki nodded. “He doesn’t like commuting to work, and he’s very particular about the way his equipment and research is set up—he doesn’t want anyone else messing with his process. The lab covers most of the basement floor, while the rest of the house is living space.”

“What’s Dr. Ishigami’s schedule like?”

“Oh, right!” Oki nodded. “Okay, so usually he gets up around 10am, works until 2pm, has lunch, then works until 7pm, has dinner, then works until 1am and goes to sleep. Unless he has an event or a meeting he needs to go to, that is. You’ll be in charge of keeping track of those.”

“Uh, right…” Yuzuriha tried to focus on the frankly very generous wages she’d been offered. “So then…shouldn’t you show me around the lab?”

His face fell. “Ah, well…Dr. Ishigami doesn’t really like strangers in his working space.”

Yuzuriha frowned. “But I’ll be going down there at least a few times every day, right?”

Oki scratched his chin. “Well, he’d prefer it if you didn’t. There’s a phone line in the office that goes directly to the lab, if you really need to talk to him while he’s in there. Otherwise you’ll probably only see him in the mornings and when we go to meetings or events.”

Okay, the flags were getting a little redder, but Yuzuriha tried to look on the bright side—at least the guy wouldn’t be constantly in her face all the time like her last boss.

With the tour complete and the paperwork in order, Oki saw Yuzuriha out the door, and she found herself looking over her shoulder at the house as she walked away.

I hope this isn’t a mistake…

[acciotherapists]

Little Sparrow (Chapter 10: The Phone Call)

Loki x Reader Mafia AU

When Tony Stark's little sister wakes up deep in enemy territory she assumes her life is over. She'll be killed or worse: used as a bargaining chip against her estranged brother. What happens when the mafia leader, Loki Laufeyson, offers her a deal she can't refuse? No sentiment. Only revenge. What happens when the truth is revealed? Will she betray her only family or betray the man she loves to hate? Little Sparrow is an enemies to lover's fic riddled with betrayal and spice!

Tony was seething by the time we reached the compound but I ignored him, slamming the door to my room the moment I reached it. My phone buzzed and I took it out, finding a message from Loki.

There was a pause as he typed another message

L: Please tell me you’re okay

Y/n: I’m fine. How’re you and Frigga?

L: We’re fine… I need to hear your voice… Are you alone?

Y/n: I doubt it. My brother probably has FRIDAY keeping an eye on me

L: FRIDAY, seriously? That’s his AI’s new name

I chuckled to myself.

Y/n: My brother always did love his acronyms

L: I suppose so

He sent a small heart and I sent one back before slipping my phone into my back pocket and slowly opening my door. Nat was standing directly outside and I sighed.

L: Call me when you can… I need to hear your voice

Y/n: Give me 20 minutes and I’ll find a way out

L: I love you. You know that right?

Y/n: Yeah

“Seriously? He has you on guard duty?”

“It’s what’s best, Y/n.” She refused to meet my eyes.

“Yeah, well, I’m going for a walk. Guess you’re following me.”

“Can’t you just stay in the compound?” She finally looked up at me.

“Nope. I’m an adult. If you’ve been ordered to follow me, go ahead. What do I care? I can’t stop you but you can’t stop me from taking a walk.” I began walking past her.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’re going to call him, aren’t you?”

I paused, turning to face her. “Why do you care, Nat? Why are you working for my brother anyway?”

She chuckled. “I work for SHIELD, love. Your brother just happens to be an old friend.”

“And you do the bidding of all your old friends?”

She rolled her eyes. “Just… explain this to me, Y/n… What is it with you and this guy?”

“He’s a good friend… or was. I don’t know what he is now.”

She smiled knowingly. “What do you want him to be?”

“I don’t know that either.”

She smirked.

“Can you just let this one go, Nat? He’s worried about me and I just want to tell him I’m okay.”

“Why would he be worried? We’re your family.”

“Yeah, but… so is he.”

“And there it is.” She smiled. “Just admit you love him already.”

“Shut up.”

She chuckled. “Well, you know I have to come with you but I’ll stay far enough away you won’t even know I’m there.”

I hugged her. “Thank you, Nat!”

She stopped me before I could walk away, slipping her hand under my elbow.

“Sorry about this… but if you don’t want your brother following us… this is for the best.”

I looked down to find a tiny tracking device in her hand.

“You… Nat… That’s how you found us, isn’t it? That’s how you knew where to go… I led you right to him.”

“You didn’t know, Y/n… and we thought it’s what was best.”

I took a breath, trying not to show how angry I was.

“Thanks for telling me.”

She nodded, sticking the tracker under my doorknob and we left the compound.

*** 

Nat kept her word, remaining at a distance as I dialed Loki’s number.

“Y/n?” He instantly picked up.

“Loki?” I breathed a sigh of relief hearing his voice and it sounded like he did the same. “I’m so sorry they found us! I swear I didn’t know! That day Odin told you to bring me on the next sighting… they stuck a tracker to my jacket. I swear I didn’t know.” I knew I was rambling at this point but I had to explain it to him. I had to tell him the truth. 

“Slow down, darling. It’s alright.” He gently shushed me. “I don’t blame you. In fact it’s technically Odin’s fault. He told me to bring you and I advised against it because I knew what they were capable of. I’ll enjoy breaking this particular news to him.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“Darling, I could never be mad at you… especially not over something like this.” There was a brief pause before he spoke again. “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”

“They wouldn’t hurt me, Loki… not intentionally anyway.”

“Have you seen your fiance?” he spat the word bitterly.

“No, but I’m sure he’s around somewhere. My brother’s far too proud to call off the arrangement. Seth will probably show up with some half-assed apology and a bouquet of roses or some bullshit like that.”

I could hear Loki laugh on the other end of the phone. “I suppose I know not to show up at your door with roses then.”

“If it’s you holding the roses then perhaps I wouldn’t mind.”

“Keep trying, damnit!” I heard Loki hiss to someone. “Sorry, darling, I’m still here. So if it’s me with roses… you’ll let me in?”

“I’d let you in no matter what.”

I heard Syf in the background. “We got it!”

“Loki, what’s going on over there? Is everything alright?”

“Darling, I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”

My eyes widened. “Loki… what’ve you done?”

Taglist: @honeyrydernot @asgards-princess-of-mischief

[scullysexual]

You're Never Just Anything To Me (2)

@today-in-fic | ao3 | Prev.Chapter.

A look into Mulder and Scully's relationship starting from Millennium going all the way up to Requiem.

II. Rush.

“Would you like to come over tonight?”

“Mulder, it’s a Wednesday,” her voice shrills through the phone.

“Well done, you know the days of the week,” Mulder says with a massive grin, hoping the convey the joke through the phone.

She grows quiet and he thinks for a second that he’s overstepped the mark and offended her but then her voice sounds again.

“Shut up…” she says but he can hear her smiling.

“Seriously, so what if it’s a Wednesday? I miss you.”

“You saw me three hours ago.”

“Yeah, too long ago. What’s wrong with coming over? I stayed over on Monday.”

“Yeah and look at how much scrambling around we had to do to make sure we got to work on time. Separately.”

There was a lot of fumbling. Alarms going off an hour before they usually would. He had to get home, shower, change his clothes, and drive to work. They also kept getting distracted. Well no, he kept getting distracted, trying to convince her to skive off work and stay here and have sex all day. Scully shot that idea down immediately and his distractions had meant he only had an hour to get home, do his thing, and get himself to work.

“Bring some things with you, shower here, and we’ll go to work together.”

She laughs. “Then they’ll definitely know we’re sleeping together.”

A thrill runs through him hearing her say sleeping together. That’s what they were doing after all. Even weeks later from that first night on New Years Day and he still couldn’t believe it. He grins like an idiot.

“They already think we’re sleeping together. Does it really matter if they know?”

“Of course it matters, Mulder. There’s a reason it’s…frowned upon. You know they’ll split us up.”

She’s right. They might even take her away from him. Permanently. No, he couldn’t have that. Will not have that. Not now. Not ever.

Scully sighs. “I think we need some rules.”

“What? Why do we need rules? Rules are boring, they get in the way.”

“And for good reason,” she says. “Workdays are for work things. Weekends are for us. Okay?”

Mulder nods to himself. “Weekends are for us.”

“I’m glad we understand.”

“But does that mean I could, theoretically, invite you around through the week and say I had a case to discuss with you and if one thing led to another we wouldn’t technically be breaking your rules because I invited you around to look at a case?”

He hears her exasperated sigh and smiles. “Mulder, stop trying to find loopholes already. But yes, you could invite me round to go over a case through the week.”

Mulder listens, wanting to hear more.

“But Mulder.”

“Yes?”

“You keep your hands to yourself.”

…

He starts living for the weekend. Starts counting down the days, even hours, till he can have Scully in his arms, her mouth on his, her body beneath him. When Work Stuff melds into Us Stuff.

He finds himself unable to wait until Saturday. When Friday rolls around he can barely contain himself. He glances towards Scully every moment he gets and she does well to ignore him, to get on with their boring end-of-week paperwork unaffected by whatever has affected him.

It's 1:37pm, his lunch half finished on his desk when he finally asks.

“So…” Mulder begins and Scully looks up at him from her salad. “Since tomorrow is a Saturday and not a workday that means Friday nights aren’t school nights.”

“What is it you’re asking, Mulder?”

“Can Friday nights count as the weekend?” he chokes out desperately.

She smiles to herself. “Always searching for a loophole,” she says more to herself than him. Then he watches as she thinks it over. “Yes. Okay.”

“Starting today?” She looks at him aghast. “Please,” he pathetically begs.

Scully sighs. “Starting today.”

Mulder lasts until 4:46pm. Those last 14 minutes are tortuous. He’s stopped typing his report, he can’t remove the images of what he plans to do to Scully tonight from his mind. He looks over at her. Since his question at lunchtime he’s noticed she’s become a bit more restless, her foot tapping incessantly against the footrest of her chair. She remains more focused than himself, still scribbling away at expense reports but the calm, collected, in control person of this morning is slowly starting to unravel.

“Scully?”

She jumps up like she’s been shocked, slamming the accounting book shut with more force than necessary.

“My place,” is all she says.

It’s 4:52pm.

…

They barely make it through the front door.

Scully had wanted to throw the weekend rule away as soon as she mentioned it but listening to Mulder try to loophole is way out of them only made her resolve more certain. Rules were necessary. They needed to not get caught out.

His lips crash into hers and Scully gasps as he picks her up, holding her between her entry way wall and his body. She thought about putting a plant here, the space looked so empty and sad. Now she realises it would just get in the way. The space has a purpose: them.

They don’t even take their clothes off properly.

The waiting, the anticipation, counting down the days and the hours until they could devour each other again had gotten the both of them pent up with energy. It was like all the other years only this time they knew it was going to get resolved and that just made the energy between them stronger.

Scully unbuckles his belt, undoes the button on his pants. Mulder pulls her tights off, pushes her skirt up, and drags her underwear to the side.

He’s thrusting into her with no time wasted. Scully’s head falls slack against the wall, withering and moaning as Mulder ploughs into her at a hurried pace. It’s quick, hard, and slightly erring on the rough side as her lower back is constantly being slammed into the wall by his eager hips. There’s embarrassing wet sound emitting from between her legs but Scully can’t bring herself to care as she crests over the peak. She becomes dead weight in his arm only perking up slightly when she feels the surge of Mulder’s cum rush inside her.

They fall to the floor and don’t move for what feels like hours.

…

Perhaps he could get used to this weekends only thing. It only seems to serve them in the long run.

They had sex three times in about as many hours. Pouring an entire workdays week worth of sexual escapades into one night, probably because they both know it’ll be another week before they can do it again.

Food has been ordered and there’s about an hour delay, not that either of them are complaining. Their night is quite simple; sex, nap, sex, eat, nap, sex, more sex, sleep. They don’t talk about work. They don’t talk about future cases. They don’t talk about what happens if it’s the weekend and they’re on a case and staying in a motel.

Mulder doesn’t ask because it’s a weekend and even if they aren’t at home surely that means this won’t be put on hold.

But looking at Scully, thinking about her rules, there’s a vague thought that it just might.

Scully was hovering somewhere around his legs, near his groin. She had gone to the toilet and he expected her to return to his arms, to continue their post-coital nap. Instead she had disappeared halfway down the bed. He had no idea what she was doing.

“You have a pretty cock.”

Mulder’s eyes burst open. “Excuse me?” Said pretty cock becomes alive.

“It’s pretty,” states Scully doing nothing to elaborate on her original statement.

Mulder swallows as she trails her finger from base to head. Now his dick was really starting to wake up.

“Uh, thanks…I guess?” He’s never had someone compliment his penis before.

“It’s the nicest one I’ve seen,” she mutters to herself.

Mulder doesn’t like to think about Scully having sex with other people, seeing their cocks. It draws up mixed feelings for him. On one hand, the idea of her with anyone but himself as a course of jealously surging through him. On the other hand, it turns him on. A lot.

Then he frowns. “Scully…what are you doing?” Because her hovering her face around his cock had his thoughts going elsewhere.

“Huh?” she asks, looking at him with confusion.

“Why are you just looking at my dick?” He catches a look in her eyes and is quick to placate it. “Not- not that I don’t appreciate you calling my dick…pretty I just…You’re there and…”

“Oh..” it dawns on her then just what is question was. “Well…I was gonna ask because you asked me on New Years Day but then I didn’t know if I needed permission but then what if you didn’t like that and I should’ve asked and…” She was rambling now. Something he’s known her to do when she’s scared or anxious about something. He gently interrupts her.

“Oh I like that, Scully.” She looks at him still unsure. “As for permission…consider it granted. You no longer need to ask from this point forward.”

She smiles, reassured. “Okay.” She moves so she’s between his legs and Mulder waits, holding a breath as she holds him gently at the base.

The first touch of her tongue, the heat of her mouth, has his eyes rolling back into his head. He clenches the duvet so as to stop himself from grabbing her. He let’s her do her thing, explore him with her tongue. The newness in it, the inexperience with his cock in particular spreads a loveable warmth through him. He loves her. He loves her so fucking much.

“Fuck, Scully…” he breathes and Scully hums around him. The vibrations coursing through him. He’s close, so dangerously close. He wants to come in her mouth but it’s their first time and what if she doesn’t like that…Now he was rambling, spiralling, all the while feeling his balls tightening. He’s seconds away from blowing.

His hand unclenches the covers, finding her, tapping her, trying to gain her attention.

“I’m gonna—”

Her eyes widen in realisation. She pulls her mouth off him and pumps him the rest of the way. He finishes it, his cum spilling all over stomach.

Mulder lets his orgasm settle as Scully scampers off into the bathroom. He hears the sound of a faucet and closes his eyes trying to calm himself down.

He jumps at the contact of a warm cloth against his stomach, eyes reopening and finding Scully.

“Sorry,” she apologises shyly but continues to gently clean him up like he usually does with her. His heart grows bigger.

“I didn’t know if you wanted me to…” He coughs trying to find the words. “If I was allowed to…”

She smiles at him sweetly. “Consider this permission to come in my mouth next time.”

Mulder is dumbstruck as she wanders off to the bathroom again. She said it so sweetly, so innocently yet the words that came out of her mouth were not sweet or innocent.

He loves her so much.

He almost says it when she emerges out of the bathroom and climbs back into the bed, snuggling down beside him. He stops himself at the last minute, bites his tongue to keep the words from falling out on their own accord. Instead he squeezes her against him, presses a kiss to her hairline and hopes his actions conveys what he longs to say.

…

“Mulder…” she warns for the third time.

“I’m not doing anything.”

Mulder stands incredibly close to her, the front of his body flush with the back of hers. It’s unnecessary given the amount of space behind him. He’s doing this on purpose.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” she says.

“And what am I trying to do?”

His hands touch her hips, she can feel his bulge pressing into her lower back. He’s doing what he’s been trying to do all week.

“No, Mulder.” She pulls herself away.

“Please,” he begs, desperation on his face. “It’s been a fantasy for so long. Just this once.”

This is what she was worried about. Us Stuff getting mixed in with Work Stuff. They have to keep them separate. They can wait until the weekend.

But it was only Tuesday and even with the addition of Friday night falling into ‘weekend’ it still felt so far away.

This was proving difficult for both of them.

“What if someone comes down here?” she asks eyes straying to the office door.

“Who comes down here?”

“Skinner?”

“Skinner’s been down here once and that was just to throw my resignation back in my face and tell me it was unacceptable.”

“You handed in your resignation?” Scully asks surprised.

“No, I just told you Skinner threw it back in my face.” He shakes his head. “You’re changing the subject. No one comes down here, Scully. No one cares.”

“No, Mulder.” She can’t do it. She can’t let the lines be blurred. “Rule Number Two—”

Mulder let’s out an exasperated groan.

“No sex in the office,” she yells above his groan.

Mulder pulls away from, sitting back down in his chair and looking at her like a child who’s just been denied ice cream.

“It’s my most frequent fantasy,” he mutters with pity to himself.

Scully sighs. “Do you have your report. I’m going to give it to Skinner.”

He yanks the papers from the printer and smacks them down onto her hands looking every bit like a spoilt child.

Scully can’t help her grin at his behaviour.

“Hey,” she says gently and Mulder looks at her with hope in his eyes. “Friday. We can act out any fantasy you’ve ever had.” His eyes light up and he thinks he’s won. Scully quickly adds. “At home.”

She makes her way towards the door, smiling as she hears him mumble and grumble about how “Home isn’t the office now, is it?” She shuts the door behind her, shaking her head but still smiling.

Then a dark thought overcomes her and makes the smile fade. Did he and Diana do it in the office? No! She can’t think like that, it didn’t matter. Diana was gone, 6 feet in the ground, Mulder has made it clear to her that Diana was history.

But still, Scully couldn’t help but wonder if he was constantly comparing herself to the other woman.

[elgascreamslikehell]

Fuck it Friday

and yap, i wasn't tagged, but here it is. Suddenly in more or less literal way.

***

When credit starts on the screen Eddie pauses the movie and smiles.

'I have no idea you've never seen this. It's like a classic'

'It's a cartoon from the sixties! I wasn't even planned yet, I'm not sure my parents were born! But i like it', - Buck is literally glowing.

'How come? You didn't actually see it! So, technically, you still haven't seen that'

'I have a very good imagination and you are a perfect descriptor!', - well, he is. And Buck's imagination is actually very good. There's one small problem. Lately his imagination works in a mysterious way. 18+ way. It's getting a little annoying.

'Okay', - hell, why can he hear Eddie's smile? 'I think Chris is sleeping already. Give me a minute, I'll take him to the bedroom and be back with you'

Buck hears noises and Chris's muttering something and it's such a comfortable situation it's scary. He wants this. Buck wants it to be his life and his family and his son and his Eddie. Fuck he wants Eddie to be his.

He can't actually recall the last time he wanted something so badly.

When Eddie's back Buck's still curled on the couch

'So, what do you want to do now?'

'You…', - Buck's smile has a little glance of guilt: 'You don't want to know'.

'Buck?', - is he blushing? What has Eddie asked that makes him blush?

'Sorry. So, you haven't told me, what's with the doctor?'- change the topic, change the topic!

'I'm cleared for work, so tomorrow Bobby finally will have another person. As I know, he was not really a fan of the substitution he was sent. But I totally can get it, after Jonah…'

'Promise me you'll be extremely careful'

Eddie frowns: 'As always. Buck.. why?'

'Just promise. You know… you're my best friend', - it should be the stop-word for his brain and…other parts but why is it not working now? Eddie is sitting so close Buck can feel his warmth and this very specific wooden note of his cologne, even his pulse - Buck can feel it and all of this is driving him insane.

'Okay?', - Eddie sounds confused a little but he's definitely still smiling.

'Eddie. Look at me'.

He hears Eddie's deep exhale.

'Fine', - and he's not moving like he was looking at Buck all this time. He really was.

'And?',- it's strange for Eddie's taste.

And then Buck puts his hands on Eddie's face making him smile even more.

'Dios, Buck, don't you trust me a bit? Are you checking if I'm looking at you?'

How easier it could have been if Buck wasn't blind. His fingers gently touch Eddie's skin and Eddie freezes. Not that he doesn't trust Buck, it's just too much intimacy in this.

'Buck?'

His heart skips a beat when Buck kisses him.

Buck is scared as hell.

That's funny. Not that he didn't imagine that - well, usually it was more like nightmares about him losing all self control - but it is so much different in real life. First of all - Buck kisses him. This fact itself makes it thousand times more intense even if it's not even a real kiss. Not like Eric kissed him. But when Eric kissed him he didn't feel a thing…

Yet. Buck kisses him.

And fuck Eddie feels so much.

…Buck recoils with horror on his face and it makes Eddie chuckles

'Oh my god I'm so sorry Eddie I don't know what I…'

Shut up, thinks Eddie tenderly but doesn't say a word. Instead he leans back to return this kiss.

Buck still tastes like syrup mostly. Syrop, coffee and lust.

Kissing Buck feels right. Kissing Buck feels like home. Kissing Buck feels like something Eddie misses the whole time.

Kissing Buck feels like water in the desert or oxygen under the water.

Oxygen, by the way, is a good idea because Eddie is dizzy again.

When he slightly moves back he gets two things. He never wants to kiss anyone but Buck. And if they try to ignore it it would be the biggest mistake at least in his life.

'Eddie…', - Buck's panting a little like he tried to run a marathon. Well, not that Eddie is better now, answering as quietly as he can: 'What, Evan?'',- please, please, don't say.. anything stupid. Better don't say anything at all.

'Kiss me once more'.

Well, not that he needs to be asked.

Buck feels too much. It's all too much. And hell he needs to see, that's most probably the first time when he eagerly needs to see Eddie. Just to be sure. According to his other senses though… He hears Eddie's shaking breath and how he's silently hissing when Buck's hands go under his shirt trying to get it off, to get more skin to sense.

Buck knows there are scars, he saw them, actually, plenty of times, but there's something intriguing to investigate with eyes closed. To have this sense of Eddie's skin on his fingertips, to feel how Eddie's trembling and shaking, how he shivers under the lightest touch, everything.

It all feels like a very sick fantasy in a good way when Eddie's palms run up his abdomen slowly - what the actual hell, Eddie, why are you so slow? - pulling off his t-shirt.

'Fuck, i need to see you…', - it's more like an exhale than a normal talking but fuck he needs to see him so badly.

And Eddie smiles, his voice really changes when he smiles: 'I don't think so. It's more…interesting'.

Buck actually isn't sure it's interesting. He thinks it's like a torture. Pleasure, of course, but torture.

His heart is beating so loudly, like a drum orchestra because it's Eddie. Like, really it's Eddie. It's Eddie kisses him, it's Eddie mutters something in spanish Buck just can't hear properly.

He exhales noisily when Eddie's biting his neck and moans, arching on the couch, when Eddie's tongue draws a line from his neck to chest, repeating those Lichtenberg figures Eddie just can't unsee.

There will be fingermarks on his back tomorrow and whole 118 will see it - and that's the last relatively reasonable thought that comes to Buck's head before it is all displaced by his feelings and Eddie-Eddie-Eddie-Eddie….

***

Tagging:

@krayfish @blackberry-l @kaseysgirl86-blog @brightlyprofiling @idealuk @1stbonesfan @angryangeldreamsalad @criminally-obsessed @amelia9bl @silvergold-swirl @itsamaaaadworld @vasudharaghavan @livingonzenstreet @nothingbutmande @spanishrose6 @sunflowerdiaiz @fanf98 @logicloveandsense @simply-mev @ronordmann @still--not--over--merlin @z02fl @vanjalen @thatshroomintheforest @steadfastsaturnsrings @cagdahl @newtalot @dreamforrest @pirrusstuff @fionaswhvre @911-on-abc

[snowbellewells]

Let's spread some love 😘. What are some of your top five favourite cs fics?

Okay Anon, so I genuinely haven't been ignoring your question, and I truly do LOVE to sing the praises of our many, MANY talented CS and OuaT fic writers, but it is so hard to have an answer of only 5!!! I would honestly say it is pretty much impossible!!! (Krystal @kmomof4 did force me to give her a Top 5 list this summer, but I only did it because she insisted it was necessary ;p and I'm still not sure it would always be the same five, depending on mood and what I'm JONESING for - ha ha, that pun was unintentional! - at the moment!)

In all seriousness though, even at that, I had to make up multiple brackets, like "normal" people do for the NCAA Sweet 16, to try to narrow down my choices. For real! I had several different sheets just to try to narrow it down somewhat: One Shots, Two or Three Shots, Short MCs, Long (Epic) MCs, Enchanted Forest fics, Modern AU Fics, Missing Moment/Canon Compliant Fics, Canon Divergent Fics, Whump and Hurt Comfort fics, you get the idea....It went on and on!

Still, in the effort to at least attempt to answer your question, and highlight some great stories and authors, as @booksteaandtoomuchtv did a few days ago, here's a sampling from my shorter story favorites (in no particular order, and certainly not complete or extensive)

Some AMAZING shorter works:

"One Jump Ahead" by: @andromeda3116

"A Charm of Powerful Trouble" by: @spartanguard

"It's Not Your Eyes" and "Round and Round" by: @killians-dimples (on ff.net that's the username anyway)

"Hold My Heart"// "All for Love" /// "Lessons Learned" /// "A Place Called Home" by: Montana-Rosalie (again, sorry it's ff.net, but sometimes I've loved them long enough that's the only place I can find them! And if you thought her MCs could be devastating, well, she can do it in one shots too!!)

"With You" by: @seastarved

"Protective" and "Monster Tamer" by: @vickyvicarious

"Every End is a New Beginning" by: @drowned-dreamer

"Moonlit Comfort" by: @imlaxdris71 (Just FYI - this is technically Irish Swan Trio)

"Slipped Away" by: @niniadepapa

"A Light to Fight the Shadows" and "Breathe Out (so I can breathe you in)" by: ladybonehollows

"Double-Edged" by: @iverna

"Saudade" by: @apiratewhopiness

"Raging Fire"// "My Pleasure"// "Hope for the Orphans" // "An Education in Southern Gothic" // "Blackbird" // "Something Beautiful" // "Better than Chocolate Cake" by: @searchingwardrobes

"Hope is the Thing with Feathers" by: @searchingwardrobes and @hollyethecurious

"Somewhere Out There" and "In the Viper's Den" by: @kmomof4

"Flicker from View" // "Never Nothing" // "the Swan and her Handler" // "The Promises We Keep" by: @elizabeethan

"Drift" and "Leaving Las Vegas" by: @thisonesatellite

*** Okay, this got away from me Nonnie! And I'm gonna have to come back with another post - this is already super-long, and it's just the shorter ones, and I know I've left out many authors I simply adore! I'll be back with longer ones, maybe I should try to make it a Friday habit. Hope this answers your question at any rate! :)

[neoheros]

atsumu's parents are coming to visit — and it's definitely safe to say that you are both freaking the hell out.

okay — it's not that his parents aren’t supportive of the two of you — if anything, they’re the complete opposite.

they’re so sweet, nice, and kind, and so so generous with helping out if either of you would ever need it.

they supported atsumu as much as they could, and apparently, that included supporting him when he made the choice to ask you to marry him so young.

you've met his parents numerous times before, and each time they've been nothing but sweet to you — they’d tell you on and on about how lucky atsumu was to find you, or even going to the extent of telling you they'd always seen you as part of their family already.

so normally, it wouldn't really be a big deal for them to come over.

except of course for the fact that they're coming here — to yours and atsumu's small, messy, cramped college apartment.

"we can't do this." atsumu grumbles, his face planted directly on the cold kitchen counter.

"they're gonna make me go back home and live with them after they see this place." he mutters miserably.

you sit across from him, a notepad in front of you as you nervously tap tap tap the pen in your hand on the same counter your husband is moping on.

"calm down, we'll be fine." you coo, letting your free hand come to his hair, ruffling it lightly as you try your best to reassure him.

the initial panic from his parents' sudden call has quietly subsided, now only leaving the despair and moping for the two of you to wallow in.

you never liked to wallow — you always thought it made things worse — but seeing atsumu in front of you, so shot down that his parents are coming to town, it made you warm up to the idea of just sitting around and moping with him.

atsumu looks up from the counter, sighing deeply at you before he takes the hand you had in his hair and gently places it on his cheek.

he buries his face deeper into your palm, his gaze is soft, "we need to cancel."

"we are not going to cancel on your parents, tsumu." you roll your eyes, immediately pulling your hand away from him as you ignore his deep groan in complaint.

you will not wallow. not when atsumu’s already doing enough of that for the both of you.

and besides you like his parents, and his parents like you!

you’ve got nothing to be worried about. it’s just dinner, they’re just visiting, just traveling around the area, and just dropping by to see their son.

no reason for you to worry.

"you are dying of a sickly disease!"

atsumu brings you out of your thoughts, his hands slapping his face harshly as if he was trying to wake himself up, then he stands, and he looks at you.

what did he just say?

he gives you a wide grin, "how good can you pretend to be dying of a sickly disease on friday night?"

your shoulders fall apprehensively, "we are not going to give me a sickly disease on friday night."

and atsumu falls back to his chair, a stark frown falling on his lips as his shoulders drop along with him, and he mutters, "i said pretend…"

so — planning wasn’t going well.

you and atsumu certainly cannot serve his parents in this mess. you had to make a lot of changes before this friday.

( and not to mention the dinner that’s actually going to be taking place, like, did they expect you or atsumu to cook?

have they met you or atsumu? )

"i can always ask coach to put me in for friday night." atsumu smiles meekly, his head propped up on his hand as he watches you from his side of the counter.

"and leave me here alone with your parents?" you scoff, shaking your head, "i would kill you."

“hey, i love you so much,” he replies to you, eyes softening as you look back at him, the edges of his lips curling into a soft smile, and he shakes his head, “but if i get the chance to leave, you are so on your own in this one.”

“what —!” your mouth falls, “they’re your parents!”

and atsumu scoffs back, “technically, they’re your parents now too!”

“oh no, don’t pull that cutesy crap on me!” you cross your arms on your chest, voice raising slightly, “i promised your mom you would be there!"

"invite osamu, dye his hair blond, call him ‘tsumu’ all night," atsumu counters, waving you off as if it were nothing, "no one’s gonna notice!"

"they’re gonna notice your corpse in the kitchen table when i’m done with you, that’s for sure!"

"just make sure not to put me on the porcelain plates — wouldn’t want them to crack!"

there's a lull of silence in the air, your leg falling asleep as you've been seated by that stupid counter for an annoying amount of time now.

"okay," you let a deep breath out, shoulders heaving along with you as you do so, and you look back to atsumu, still on his side of the counter, still moping.

you lift his head up, "we need to figure this out now."

"they’re gonna make me go home." he tells you, the evident frown showing on his face as you hold his head up, "i don’t want to go home."

you nod, “we’ll fix this place up, and even if they don’t like it, i promise i’m gonna stop them from taking you home.”

atsumu doesn’t budge.

"remember the crab puffs i’m treating you to if you do this." you coo, combing his hair out of his face.

he quirks his eyebrow.

"remember that you love me." your voice is stronger this time, your grip on his face harder along with it.

atsumu gives you an unconvinced look, his eyebrows quirking at that.

"remember that i am watching volleyball rep with you for the next month." you let his face fall back down, sighing deeply as you roll your eyes.

he picks himself back up, his shoulders falling dramatically as his own dramatized sigh falls out of his mouth.

"fine." he shakes his head, reluctantly giving out his hand to you, "show me the list."

the list. the list of things you and atsumu are deciding to get done in the apartment before his parents arrive. a depressing list, a list that is mockingly spelling out cut out coupons and skimping on groceries for the next month.

you absolutely hate this list.

"we cannot do all these by friday." your eyebrows furrow together tightly, mouth almost agape at the very lengthy list the two of you have come up with.

a total of thirteen items, which in theory, isn't a lot, but for broke college kids with a five day time limit - it's literally way more than enough.

"yes we can," atsumu tries to pirch you up, "we just, i don’t know, get cleaners to help us."

you let your head rest on your hand, “with what money?”

and atsumu, a sly grin forming on his face, shakes his head teasingly, his free hand coming to take his phone out of his pocket, and his other annoyingly patting on your head.

he grins, "ah, you have much to learn from me."

you tilt your head in confusion as he gives you his phone, the screen already showing a familiar contact you and him both recognize deeply, and his grin is wider.

you look at him, "you’re shameless."

and he looks back at you, "that's my middle name."

the contact - contacts - atsumu shows you is the all too familiar numbers of osamu miya and suna rintaro, both who's promised you before to help out with whatever you want whenever they can, a promise that you're sure they'll regret after today.

"they insisted to help if we ever need it." atsumu reminds you, his nose scrunching up lightly as he grins.

you're unconvinced.

"we need the help." your husband reassures you, but there's still a specific way his grin widens when he says, "we’re calling them."

your shoulders fall, but you won't deny your own smile coming to form on your face.

"okay deal," and you roll your eyes when atsumu cheers, but before you could say anything else, you take the notepad back into your hands, writing quickly and sliding it back to him, "but, how about—"

atsumu takes the notepad, reading what you've just written down.

"ask osamu to cook for us?" he grins widely as he reads aloud.

you nod, and atsumu looks at you, stars in his eyes, and his hand reaching out to cup your face.

he nods in approval, leaning in as he says, "i am so proud of you right now."

there's laughter bubbling in your chest as he leans in closer, but you let him close the gap between you and him anyways.

the grin stays on his face as he kisses you, toothy and smiley as he does so, but you're the one who has to push him away when he refuses to let go of your lips.

you pull back, eyes crinkling, "it's going to be fun having them here."

and your husband shakes his head, "it’s going to be fun having them clean our apartment."

you wave him off, rolling your eyes gently as you coo, "we’re going to help them, atsumu."

and atsumu scoffs, "i am so no longer proud of you."

"this is an opportunity to sit back!" he tells you, exclaiming with hand motions you would rather laugh at than explain, "you do not work. you lounge and mock those who are!"

you give him a kiss on the cheek.

atsumu shakes his head, "have i taught you nothing?"

"okay, okay," you smile, "i’ll try to be better."

he sighs disappointingly, "yeah, you better."

you pick up your things to walk away, the tilted click of your heels coming off as joy, and you're very proud to say that it is, but before you could take another step to go, atsumu grabs your hand to stay.

"hang on!" he takes your notepad, "one last thing to add!"

your mood falls, "one more thing? atsumu, we cannot afford to add anything else, we are scrimping on on scrimping, we cannot—"

he slides back the notepad to you after excitedly writing on it, and he gives you a wide smile as he insists that you just read it.

you watch him quizzically as he watches you in anticipation to read what he's just written down, and when you do, you won't deny your own smile coming to form.

you look at him, rolling your eyes, "i love you too."

[xhopelesslyromanticx]

Broken Nose - Jude Bellingham x Reader

Masterlist

Warnings: Blood and cursing

summary: In which Jude accidentally shoots Masons sister in the face with a football.

„Ouch, Ouch, Ouch!“ you stumbled across the pitch, holding your nose while the guys came running towards you.

„Oh my god! Y/n are you okay?“ Mason asked, looking at you worriedly as Jude caught up with him completely out of breath.

You looked up at your dumb boyfriend who was standing next to your even dumber brother while blood started dripping down onto the green grass.

„Jesus Baby! You’re bleeding.“ Jude tried to approach you but you just took a step back, kneeling onto the ground in Masons backyard as you tried to stop the bleeding with your hands.

„Yeah, no sh*t Sherlock.“ you groaned, trying to handle the pain while looking at Judes worried face „You f*cking shot me in the face!“

„I’m so…sorry.“ Jude stuttered, Mason just pressing his lips together as he watched his sister curse at the younger boy.

It all had started as an innocent bet between Jude and Mason. It was a Friday night and you had hung out at your brothers house when suddenly the discussion of who could hit the bar of the goal more times in a row emerged.

You didn’t want to get involved in the childish bet between the two guys, so you just stood there at the end of the pitch that was set up in Masons backyard. As you scrolled through your phone, hearing the boys act like literal five year olds.

„No ,that was clearly way too f*cking close mate!“ Jude yelled as Mason hit the bar for the sixth time in a row.

„Stop whining around Bellingham and just shoot.“ your brother hissed, making you roll your eyes.

And then, next thing you knew a football hit your face. First you didn't even comprehend what had happened. You dropped your phone, looking at the two guys standing in the dark. It felt like someone had thrown a literal rock at you.

„I thought you were supposed to be good at this sh*t.“ you cursed, extremely pissed off that your nose might literally just be broken „How the f*ck can you miss the bar like that?“

„I…I don’t know love. I’m so sorry.“ Jude stuttered, clearly helpless as Mason now leaned down to you.

„Y/n? Can I see your nose.“ your brother asked, also sounding worried as you put down your bloody hands revealing your face. Masons whole face scrunched up and you could just tell that it had to be bad.

„Holy sh*t.“ Jude stated, knowing it had to hurt pretty badly from the look of it.

„Can you get some f*cking tissues already Bellingham.“ your brother now yelled at your boyfriend, starting to panic about what he had let happen under his supervision. Well technically he was pretty much the enabler of the whole thing. But how was he supposed to know that Jude would miss that badly?

„Mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me.“ Mason stressed, while Jude ran inside the house. You looked at Masons face, lit up by the garden lanterns he had set up around the field, not believing what he was saying.

„That’s what you’re worried about Mase!“ you hissed, completely hysterical as your brother flinched at you outburst „I might be permanently disfigured and you worry about mom and dad!“

„Hey don’t blame me!“ Mason said, running his hands through his hair nervously „It’s not my fault your boyfriend has zero aim.“

„Oh, don’t blame it all on him Mason!“ you spat back, defending your boyfriend „This was your stupid idea!“

„I got some napkins!“ Jude arrived, completetly out of breath as he held out what looked like Masons whole napkin collection in both his hands.

„No, these are like fancy Jude!“ Mason hissed and you felt like you were about to lose your mind. So did your boyfriend as he sent Mason the most confused face „Are you sh*tting me Mount?“

Your boyfriend now kneeled down next to you before gently holding a napkin towards your nose, ignoring your brothers stupid remarks. This time you even allowed him to touch you. Evidently you needed his help.

„Ouch.“ you groaned, tears filling your eyes as your brain finally processed how badly it really hurt. He might not have any aim but damn he could shoot hard.

„I’m so, so sorry baby.“ Jude put one hand behind your head , supporting it as he caressed your hair „Do you think we need go to the hospital?“

You swallowed, trying not to start crying like a baby as you looked back and forth between your brother and boyfriend before slowly nodding. Mason cursed to himself, pacing up and down as Jude tried to comfort you.

„Okay.“ Jude now whispered, clearly feeling guilty about this „That’s fine. Do you think you can walk?“

„Yes, of course I can walk.“ you said, your voice muffled by the napkins. Well this was gonna be such a fun Friday night.

„Make sure she’s not bleeding onto the car seat though.“ you heard your brother tell your boyfriend as you were sitting in the back of the car, waiting for them in absolute agony.

„Really Mason?“ Jude squealed, representing exactly how you felt as you looked out the window , trying to keep yourself from screaming.

„What? They are like brand new!“ with that Mason got into the driver seat of his Mercedes and Jude got into the backseat with you.

„Is it bareable?“ Mase asked, looking at you through the rearview mirror as he started driving off. You just nodded, not in the mood to talk anymore.

This is exactly why you didn’t want to hang out with your brother on the one weekend that Jude was actually home. The two of you had been doing long distance for a while now and with him finally on a break this was the first weekend in months he was home. Mason of course, being the annoying brother he was, immediately invited Jude over. You’re theory was that he just wanted to keep an eye on the two of you, still getting used to the fact that his younger sister was dating his teammate. And Jude being Jude of course wanted to be on good terms with your brother and agreed on coming over.

„Bellingham your aim is actually so sh*t.“ Mason joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere but Jude immediately signaling him to cut it off. Jude could always sense when you were mad and right now you were in fact fuming with anger.

Angry that your older brother seemed to be an actual child, competing against your boyfriend and always picking on him in front of the other guys. Like he was trying to show he was superior to him or something.

„Can you shut up for once!“ you yelled at your brother, taking the napkins off your face as the bleeding had finally stopped. Jude pressed his lips together, clearly uncomfortable with the tension in the car as he put his hand on your shoulder in attempt to calm you down. Jude at least knew when to shut up, that was nothing you could say for your brother.

„What he shoots you and I get yelled at?“ Mason now hissed, clearly offended as he rolled his eyes.

For the rest of the drive no one basically said a word expect Jude checking in with you from time to time. You always just nodded and tried to give him a smile to reassure him, leaving the boy in the black hoodie worried and confused on what to do.

„So, we have an emergency.“ Mason spoke to the middle-aged woman behind the glass, who was obnoxiously chewing on her gum.

„I can see.“ the blonde woman looked at you standing behind your brother with Judes arm around your waist. Nurses and doctors rushing through behind you as the emergency waiting room was completety full with people. Was Friday night like rush hour in here?

„What happened?“ she now sighed, obviously having dealt with a lot of situations like this before.

„Ehm… So he shot her, my sister, in the face... with a football.“ Mason mumbled, clearly embarrassed to do this.

„Well, that’s not a big deal most of the time…“ the woman now stated, confused on what kinda shot we were talking about. As she looked Jude up and down.

„Oh, it was a pretty hard and direct shot believe me.“ Mason now stated as you put your napkin down to show the woman the result of it. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at your bloddy face.

„You weren’t trying to shoot her face. Were you?“ she asked surprised as she started filling out some forms.

„What?“ Jude squealed, completely confused on why that was even a question „Of course not!“

„We are professional football players.“ Mason now stated, grinning at the woman. Oh, great it was bragging o'clock again. God, sometimes you hated your brother. „We were playing a game, who could hit the bar of the goal more times in a row. I won.“

„So if you are professional football players.“ the woman rolled her eyes, cleary unphased as you almost burst out into laughter „Why did you miss the bar that badly?“

She sassily handed Mason some paperwork as he just looked at her baffled. You kinda loved this woman.

„You fill this out and wait here.“ she pointed at Mason before pointing at Jude and you „And you two can come with me.“

Jude and you followed the woman in some room, where she ordered you to sit down on the bed. Handing you some clean tissues before she told you a doctor would come in shortly.

„This sucks.“ you groaned as Jude sat down next to you, the woman closing the door behind her.

„Yes, I’m so sorry.“ he sighed, looking at you from the side as you looked around the hospital room.

„No, not that.“ you now looked at your boyfriend, who sent you a questioning look „Well, that sucks too but… I actually was looking forward to this weekend. I wanted to just spend it with you and then Mason had to come in with his dumb plans and his even dumber games. “

Jude chuckled quietly, understanding that this was typical sibling stuff as he himself had a brother „I don’t think you can blame him for this one though. I was the one that did it.“

You looked at your boyfriend with a frown as you saw his guilty face. Taking the palm of your hand and putting it on his cheek „I love you."

It was probably the pain that was making you emotional. Jude grabbed your hand as he planted a kiss on the back of it „I love you too and I want you to come to Germany with me. I thought about it and I think you should take that course at the university. Even if just for a while.“

You looked at the boy with raised eyebrow and teary eyes. Jude and you had talked about you coming to Germany and attending university there for a while now. But till now it had been just an idea.„You do?“

He nodded, caressing your hand as he held it in his lap „Well, I will have to ask Mason for permission first.“

You both laughed at the thought of your brother. Then shorty after a doctor and nurse came in. They cleaned you up and some scans all while Jude sat there holding your hand.

„So good news.“ the doctor came in, holding some of the scans as he showed them to you „It’s in fact not broken.“

„Thank god.“ Jude sighed in relief as if a big weight had been lifted of him.

„But it’s a severe contusion, so you will have to take these medication.“ he handed you a bag filled with different pills „And you might wanna avoid an activity...that could put pressure on your nose.“

You bit your lip, trying not to laugh as the guy in the white scrubs looked at Jude „So no more shooting girls in the face Mr.Bellingham.“

„I can’t believe he knew who I was.“ Jude groaned as you walked out the hospital room „That’s so embarrassing!“

You chuckled putting your hand around his waist as you pulled him close. Jude placed a kiss on your forehead before you entered the waiting room, scanning it to find your brother. Only to see him sitting on a chair in the corner with his head buried in his hands.

„I’ll wait outside. You should go talk to him.“ you boyfriend stated as you sighed, knowing he was right.

You approached your brother, the sight of him kind of breaking your heart.

„Mase?“ you asked and the guy looked up at you startled.

„Is it broken?“ he asked quietly as you sat down next to him.

You shook your head, sending him a reassuring smile „No, just a severe contusion.“

Mason sighed, relief clearly evident on his face as he shook his head „I’m sorry for being a dick sometimes.“

You chuckled, putting your hand on his shoulder „Mase. You are not a dick. It’s just that I had been really looking forward to this weekend with Jude.“

„Yes, I understand that.“ he sighed, biting his lips as he looked up at you „It’s just hard for me. You are my little sister you know? And I used to be the person you’d wanna spend time with and I feel like he just came along with his stupid charming personailty and dumb smile and took that from us.“

You giggled, hearing Mason depict Jude like that. But in all honesty he really was charming and he also had a great smile.

„Well, how about we make a deal.“ you suggested, looking at your brother „When you visit me in Germany we will make time for just the two of us?“

„Germany?“ Mason raised his eyebrows, looking at you surprised „You’re moving to Germany?“

„Well, for a time at least.“ you smiled at your brother, hoping he could see that this was what you wanted „I’ll attend university there and live with Jude. It will be a good experience I think.“

„That…“ Mason stuttered and you could tell this was hard on him.He sighed before taking a deep breath „That sounds great. I’m happy for you Y/n.“

The rest of the night was spend with the three of you driving around town, getting all kinds of junk food and drinks as you celebrated your decision to move to Germany. And for that night, everything was just right. You might have almost had a broken nose but in return you had also realized what a great brother you truly had.

[multifandomimagines]

Obvious - A Kai Parker Imagine

Characters: Kai Parker x Reader

Word Count: 2285

Summary: Kai and the reader go to a party at the Salvatore house, but they can’t keep their hands off each other.

Warnings: Alcohol, suggestive comments, making out

Written by: Josie

A/N: First imagine! Really hope you guys like it, we’ll be posting more like this soon so be sure to check out our page to help us get going! x

Disclaimer: Gif isn’t ours - credit to who it belongs to.

Kai and Y/N didn’t have what was known as a typically conventional relationship. A witch with unlimited power and a somewhat insane siphon, both with a thirst for chaos and excitement? I mean, causing mayhem together isn’t usually on most people’s date night ideas list.

The Salvatore house was once again home to a massive Friday night party, courtesy of Caroline Forbes’ charm over Stefan, who reluctantly agreed to let her use their house as the venue. Only one of the couple was technically invited, as Y/N was best friends with the hostess. The others weren’t exactly thrilled at Kai appearing by her side with a wide grin when they arrived, but they wouldn’t object. For now at least. Not when he brought enough snacks and drinks for at least ten people.

A few drinks later, and the two witches were almost ready to let loose on the unsuspecting partygoers. What they were planning wasn’t quite as extreme as Kai would have wanted, but Y/N was able to convince him of something both fun, and that wouldn’t kill her friends or land them in a magical coma of sorts.

“Come on,” Y/N giggled as she dragged her boyfriend by the hand away from the snack table and toward the middle of the room. Kai eyed the food with longing as he was taken away from it like he was being torn from his soulmate. He kind of was, really. “Dance with me.”

Turning back to his girl, he raised an eyebrow at her flushed expression. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Only enough to give me confidence,” She turned to face him when she reached her destination in the middle of the crowd, having forced herself and Kai through various sweaty bodies. Kai got smacked in the face by a dancing drunk blonde on the way, but Y/N’s grip on his hand was too strong to give him the chance to get angry at her.

Kai smiled and pulled her close as she wrapped her arms round his neck, beaming up at him. “I thought you wanted to cause some trouble?” He smirked, leaning close as he spoke. Y/N was already a little tipsy, but having him this close made her feel completely intoxicated. He was stronger than any alcohol she could drink, and she never got hungover after a hit of him, she only wanted more.

“I do, but can’t we just act like normal people at a party for a bit? And besides, I like this song!” She swayed with him as the bass boomed through the speakers, making it all the more intense.

“You know I’m not all that much of a dancer.” Kai chuckled at her moves; she was so carefree once she let herself go and her smile was enough to pull at the corner of his lips.

“You liar,” She hit lightly at his chest and looked up at him with a challenging fire in her eyes. “You dance all the time at home.”

“Okay yeah, but that’s not in front of everyone else,” His eyes drifted behind her as she cocked her head in confusion. “And your friends are watching us.”

Y/N turned her head to the side, still latched onto her boyfriend, and caught Damon and Elena keeping a watchful (and definitely judging) eye on the couple. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to Kai. “Let them,” She spoke, reeling him in with her gaze. He was basically putty in her hand. “Just pretend we’re back at home, dancing in the living room, just like we do at the weekends.”

A smile crept its way back onto Kai’s lips as the memory flashed against his mind. Saturday nights were traditionally romantic - they’d cook dinner together, cuddle on the sofa and watch tv, then afterwards he’d always somehow end up twirling her around the room with the lights dimmed until they couldn’t dance anymore, and he’d carry her upstairs to bed.

“Unless,” Her voice by his ear pulled him out of his reverie, looking forward to tomorrow’s date night and thinking about how well he was going to treat her. “You fancied going somewhere else?”

The hair on the back of his neck pricked up at her words, eyes snapping to hers, pupils dilated. His signature smirk appeared, quickly melting her down. “You know me so well.”

Grabbing her wrist, their roles were reversed as he dragged her out of the crowd this time, eyes darting quickly as they searched for somewhere to hide.

“Here,” Y/N said, pointing to a small storage cupboard. “No one ever comes in here.”

“Well then,” Kai said, pushing her inside and closing the door behind them. “You’ll be the first.”

In a flash, she was slammed against the door as Kai’s lips moulded with hers in desperation. He had needed this all night. He might be an expert at hiding it, since emotions had never really bothered him before, but the critical gazes of her friends made him uncomfortable. They made him start questioning every move he made, just because he wanted Y/N’s friends to approve of him and be happy that she’s with him. Kai Parker would never let stupid emotions get to him. Not like love. At least, not until her.

She sighed into his mouth as he took her breath away, her hands gripping his hair tightly while his held her waist firmly in place. His fingers slowly trailed up her shirt, brushing the skin underneath, making her shiver. Breathing heavily, her hands found their way to his chest as he pulled away from the kiss and moved his lips to her neck.

“Eager, are we?” She giggled, her voice thin from the exhilaration. She felt Kai chuckle in response against her skin, sending a tingling sensation through her veins.

“Impatient, actually. I want you now.” Kai trailed his lips down to her collarbone, and back up to her jawline.

Y/N was finding it harder and harder to think straight as Kai pulled away, his fingers tracing the faint marks he’d left on her neck. I’ll definitely have to add to these later, he thought. “What about the plan? Still want to cause a little chaos?”

Kai’s hand that was on her neck moved behind and into her hair, her head automatically tilting up to make capturing his lips easier. “To hell with the plan.”

Leaning in for another heated kiss, their lips had barely met when the door of the storage cupboard swung open and the two of them fell to the ground with a good thump, Y/N groaning as Kai’s whole body weight crushed her.

“Seriously?” Caroline stood over the couple with her hands on her hips, looking mostly irritated yet somewhat amused. The twinkle behind her eye when she looked at Y/N gave that away - she was always the most supportive of her dating Kai.

The female witch glanced sheepishly up at her friend, lightly shoving Kai to the side. The siphon didn’t even want to make eye contact with the blonde vampire. He was yet to familiarise himself with how to deal with awkward.

“Y/N, I thought I said making out in dingy cupboards was off-limits! Raise your standards,” Caroline eyed her friend, the ghost of a smirk lingering on her lips. After looking briefly at Kai’s embarrassed expression, she leaned in closer to Y/N and whispered, “If you guys want to have some fun then just leave. The party’s starting to clear out now anyway, and it’ll be a lot more fun than in a dusty old closet.”

She winked at her and strutted back into the crowd, not before giving Kai a light pat on the shoulder on her way past. She was right, the crowd was slightly smaller than before.

“God,” Kai sighed. “That was awful. I don’t like awkward, it’s my least favourite emotion so far.”

Y/N laughed at her boyfriend; he still discovers himself experiencing new emotions all the time, and she finds it oh so endearing to see how he reacts to the foreign feeling. “Well if anyone was to catch us, I’m glad it was Caroline.”

The tall boy looked at the girl he thought was an angel, although she didn’t quite see herself that way. Sometimes that made him sad, another feeling he didn’t particularly enjoy. “Let’s just get out of here,” He said, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers, something she always loved. “Bring the party back home, just you and me. We can pick up where we left off and no one will even notice we’re gone.”

Y/N grinned, happy that they were always on the same page. She took a step forward, watching as Kai’s eyes lit up more and more the closer she got to him. Their sparkle seemed to be directly proportional to his distance from her. “You just read my mind.”

It wasn’t long until Kai was driving his silver car back to their shared apartment, one hand on her thigh as it always was. She was his comfort blanket no matter what, and physical touch was Kai’s love language, so even when driving he craved some contact with her to keep himself sane.

Mostly sane anyway.

Eventually, they returned to the warmth of their apartment and wasted no time in latching onto each other. See, that was the thing about Y/N and Kai. She might be his comfort blanket, but he was hers too. When they’re apart it feels like two separate parts of a magnet, aching to be able to touch, see, feel the other, so when that ache is satisfied, it’s like a force unlike any other, and pulling them apart proves difficult as neither of them wants to ever be away from the other.

Their love for each other was obvious, you’d have to be blind not to see it. The only reason Y/N’s friends tolerated Kai was because they couldn’t deny the clear adoration and care he had for her. They’d tell her Y/N, he can’t be trusted, he doesn’t feel, he can’t feel love, but when you witness a love like they have, how could you ignore it? They’d almost come to a silent truce: Kai stays out of trouble and never hurts Y/N, and they’d leave him be. It worked for them.

What they had said about him not feeling love was true though, before. Kai thought that love was a wasted feeling - relationships crash and burn everyday, he’d said once, so why would he let it waste his time if he can’t one hundred percent confirm that it would be for life? Y/N came into his life like a wildfire spreading through dry forest, this new and unusual feeling coursing through him at an alarming pace, and it made him want to scream. He couldn’t understand why he was unable to shake this one girl out of his head, it was distracting him and he couldn’t concentrate, it was a nuisance.

But as time went on and he started wanting to make sure she was safe and happy, it became less and less of a burden to him. In fact, he started to revel in it. Any excuse he could find to see her, he’d take it. Any chance to protect her, he’d be there in an instant. He actually started to care, which baffled him at first because Kai Parker doesn’t care. But as he looked at her then, wind blowing her hair around her face, he didn’t mind it. Maybe caring wasn’t so bad, if it was this one girl he cared about. He decided then that he would dedicate all his emotion to her, all his care, all his time, all his love.

Love. When Kai realised he was in love, he wasn’t sure if he was awake or dreaming. Love was pointless, he told himself so. But he couldn’t bring himself to lie to himself any longer. It may have been pointless to him back then, but not now. Now, his whole reason for living was to make this one girl happy, this one girl who had managed to change a man so set in his old toxic ways. He loved her.

Y/N wasn’t sure if she’d ever definitely know that she was in love. I mean, how can you really know? Everyone’s experiences with love are different, and all relationships vary, so there’s not one set formula for it. Love is complex, and that was scary to her, because she didn’t want to let someone in thinking they’re her soulmate, and they end up breaking her heart. She’d made that mistake before, and she didn’t want to let the wrong person get to her again. But with Kai, there wasn’t a single question or doubt in her mind. This, this was what love was supposed to feel like. All that fear of allowing the wrong person into her heart had vanished in an instant, because she knew there would be no one else ever again now that she had Kai. He had taken up residence in her mind and there was no space for anyone else. He was her person, she knew, it was obvious. She loved him.

Back in the apartment with the two of them getting lost in each other, those intense feelings resurfaced. In that moment, it was just the two of them: no problems, no death, no prison worlds. Only the crystal clear love they had for each other that everyone could see. It even got them a bit of a reputation in the local supernatural community as the couple that defeated all odds.

The sociopath who learned to fall in love, and the witch that taught him how.

[stephspurs]

A Family Affair | Euro 2020 Football Fanfiction

here is the second last part besties wahhh I'm so sad its coming to an end!! I'm also so sorry about this part, it'll break a few hearts :'( Love always, Steph xx

Part 11 | parte undicesima

warnings; heartbreak, swearing & angst - i'm sorry in advance. word count; 2185 writing tools; third person until dashed line, first person thereafter. final update; Wednesday 18/08 5pm AEST. tags (as requested by users); @footballffbarbiex @obsesseds-world @abysshaven link to fic masterlist here

A few days had passed since the Villa match and Amelia had heard from Jack when he returned to Birmingham. He sent her a simple text to let her know he made it home. That’s it. The two went from previously not going more than 24 hours between FaceTimes or calls or memes to a simple made it home a few hours ago, thanks for a good time x.

No “speak soon”, no promise of a FaceTime , no double kiss at the end of the text that would have typically been there otherwise. If anything, she was more mad that he made her feel like a side piece; like one of his instagram girls that she knew he entertained throughout the week. Amelia knew that she, for lack of better terms, fucked up. She fucked up their friendship, and was praying to all of the Gods that would listen to help her not fuck things up with Ben, too. However, the fact that she didn’t go to church as often as she should have is probably the reason that Ben refused to make eye contact with the girl. It was either that or…he already knew.

“Benj, hey, wait up.” She called as he walked out to his car after a particularly long day at Cobham.

“Don’t call me Benj,” he coldly stated without turning around, continuing his stride.

“Okay fine, Chilly. Wait up will you!”

“Don’t call me Chilly either, that's reserved for friends.”

“Okay, if I can’t call you Benj, or Chilly, what can I call you?”

“The best mate of the guy you fucked multiple times on Saturday night” He spat out at her, as he finally turned around, ready to see the shocked look cast over Amelia’s face as she stood a couple feet away from him. He wasn’t expecting to see Mason at his car, just across the way or Jorgi at his, a few cars down. But they were there and it didn’t matter; they were going to find out sooner or later, anyway.

“He told you.”

“He told the group chat, Amelia. The fucking group chat! How does that make you feel? He’s already bragging about it. Your bed isn't even cold yet! It probably doesn’t bother you that much though - you’re just like him.”

“He fucked you when he knew exactly how I felt about you, having gone to him for advice as to how to apologise to you. I called him on Friday after I left your house and gushed to him like a bloody little girl because I was so happy you forgave me, and that we had kissed. And then, just like that, you let him weasel his way between your legs.”

“I know I should be taking this out on him, and I will don’t worry, but you knew what you were doing also. You knew exactly how I felt about you. I was ready to commit to you that night and you said you wanted to be friends, that you needed time to heal or whatever. So I hope you’re happy and are healing, because I take it all back.” With that, Ben turned around and got in his car, driving away from the girl who felt remorse worse than she ever has in her life.

Witnessing the whole exchange, Jorgi gave Mason a nod to say “go check on Ben, I’ll look after Amelia” and walked up to the girl from behind. Without scaring her, he firmly grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her to his chest where she let go of all of the emotions she had been keeping inside. With every stab of the knife that was Ben’s words, she felt herself becoming more vulnerable and exposed than ever before. She refused to let him see her cry. That wasn’t something she was willing to let anyone see; she didn’t realise all she had been holding together until she no longer had to, until she had the physical support of Jorgi holding her up in the middle of the training ground car park.

Ushering her to his car - she could collect her own another day - Jorgi  put her inside before any other first team members - or worse, staff members - could see the distraught girl and drove them both back to her place where he spent the rest of the evening comforting the girl and letting her know she wasn’t alone. He had even made a desperate call to Fede, asking for advice on how to cheer the girl up. Of course, her Italian ex-lover had been worried the moment his national teammate had told him that the girl was inconsolable and was just about ready to board a flight to her, but Jorgi had calmed him down too. Fede’s advice of coffee, warm pyjamas and clean sheets had done the trick of putting the girl to sleep for the night.

The next few days had come and gone, and the two heartbroken almost-lovers were back to the beginning - Ben ignoring Amelia and Amelia trying to get Ben in a room. But it wasn’t to be. Towards the end of the week, Amelia had received a phone call from Mr Mancini, formally inviting her back to the Italian National Team staff for the upcoming friendly matches and preparation for the 2022 World Cup. Without any hesitation, she accepted her role and began to prepare the necessary procedures that would need to be implemented or maintained during her time away with the Italian side.

Sharing the news with her fellow Italians, Jorgi and Emerson, she decided that she wanted to be the one to tell Ben. She wanted him to know, whether he cared or not, that she wasn’t running away from him and that she would see him soon.

“Chilwell, please stay behind after the session.” She decided it was best if she requested it in the company of the rest of the first team and also the staff members. She was being selfish but she didn’t want him to run away from her again.

He remained sat in his seat as the rest of the team and professional staff left for the evening. Arms crossed, slouched down, looking at everything else in the room but the girl who was nervously wringing her hands together.

“I’m leaving for international duties tomorrow morning.” With that sentence, he stopped tapping his left leg and looking at the cornice details. Instead, his attention was focused on her.

“But we don’t break up for internationals for another week.”

“I know, but Mancini has requested I come earlier to settle back into things over there.”

“It’s only an hour flight away, how difficult could it be?”

“I thought you’d be happy to see me go.”

Silence. Ben didn’t have an answer for her. Of course he didn’t want to see her around Cobham on the day-to-day basis they currently had to endure, but that doesn’t mean he wants her to go back to Italy. Even if it was only for a couple of weeks. Especially if it meant she was around Fede again.

“Well, much to your dismay I'll be back here in 3 weeks. And, Italy are playing England in the last friendly match of the break.”

With a slight nod of his head, Amelia presumed that their conversation was done with. She turned to gather her paperwork and heard the chairs behind her move, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing. She sighed into her hands. How did she let this happen? She preached to Ben how much she didn’t want to be selfish with his heart, and that's exactly what she did. But hey, it takes two to tango. Deciding there was no time like the present, she dialed the contact that once made her smirk but instead only made her furious to look at.

“Amelia, hey, how are you? Sorry it’s been a hectic couple of weeks.”

“Cut the crap Jack, you never intended to keep this friendship after you got what you were after.”

“Excuse me? You wanted it just as bad as I did.”

“You’re right about that, I thought I wanted it. Now, though, all I feel is regret. You know Jack, I knew from the moment we met that you were just my type, the kind that only calls me late at night. I knew a guy like you, and he treated me more or less the same. I gave myself to him, over and over for the better part of 3 years, and it was only when I left that he decided I might have been worth it... worth him.”

“But not you, you couldn’t help but run to your group chat and brag about your latest conquest, about how you made me feel wanted, only to rip it all out from under me the next morning and every day since. Honestly Jack, I think it's time you grew up a little. For Ben to confide in you how he was feeling and for you to just have blatant disregard for your so-called best mate. I can’t believe you would stoop so low. I know I'm in the wrong here too, but you are his best mate for crying out loud! How could you do this to him?”

“I don’t even want to hear what you have to say, I just needed to get that off my chest. Lose my number Jack, find some other hopeless girl that you can lure in with your foolish words and sweet nothings because I’m done. I’m done with whatever this was to you.”

______________________________________________________________

“You’re probably not going to believe me, but you have no idea how happy I am to see you here,” I heard from behind me, spinning around on my heels to see the ever-charming, boyish grin I used to love with my whole heart. This time, it's a different kind of love - it's an unconditional love shared between two people that are glad to exist together in the same crazy world.

“Federico, amore mio.” (Federico, my love) I stood up from my place on the bench at the Technical Headquarters and Training Ground of the Italian Football Federation, bringing the taller, heavily tattooed man into my arms. A gentle rock from him, side to side, to let me know that he can feel the weight of my moral compass.

“Vieni, cammina con me” (come, walk with me) He looped our arms together, and we strolled around the perimeter of the pitch that I was using to visualise my plays for the upcoming games. By the time we made it to the first set of goals, Fede had had enough of letting me mull over my own thoughts.

“Tesoro, Jorgi called one night a couple weeks ago. As smart as he is, it turns out he is hopeless at calming down an emotional female. While I'm not proud of knowing exactly how to calm you down, being that it was more often than not my fault you were inconsolable in the first place, I had to get some information out of him as to who upset my favourite girl in all of England.”

So I launched into the story, telling him everything from Mykonos to that fateful night a few weeks ago. Fede being Fede, he wanted to know everything, but I stopped just short of letting him know how many times Jack took me to paradise (much to his dismay). By the time I had wrapped up, we must have walked the pitch at least 3 times in its entirety, before retiring to the centre circle where we sat on opposite sides of the half way line staring at each other.

“I’m sorry that I ruined you for any other man,” Fede spoke solemnly.

“Fede, no - it was my stupid mistake to sleep with Jack.”

“No, let me finish amore. I’m sorry that I made you love me so deeply, and convinced you that the way I treated you was the right way, that the way I was with you was what you expect in every man to come after me. This Jack, he sounds just like me about 5 years ago - before I met you. But Ben, he sounds like the man I am trying to better myself to be, to be the man that deserves the kind of love you have to give.”

“I want you to listen to me. You need to fight for Ben. From what I have heard from both yourself and Jorgi-”

“That boy cannot keep his mouth shut to save himself,” I muttered under my breath.

“Amelia, you have a heart that deserves to be loved. Open yourself up to Ben. Tell him how you feel. From experience, you are very hard to ignore when you’re so vulnerable. Be honest with him, apologise, make him feel wanted, not like a second choice. Let him know how much you care for him, and equally how much you want him to care for you. He will see your sincerity and realise just how truly irresistible you are.”

Part 12. | la parte finale

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

It's been a while, but the Undertaker role on Friday night among us got me thinking!

The glitch where a player doesn't die instantly after being injured happens again, this time to Etho. He's in shock at first and can't communicate what's going on, and the Undertaker imposter (pick who might go best with Etho) starts to drag him away. The Imposter quickly realises that somehow, horribly, this guy isn't actually dead, and makes a snap decision to drag him to the medbay and try to save him rather than hiding the body, knowing they'll probably get seen on the way and have their cover blown. Whether or not the Imposter succeeds in their first aid attempt is up to you!

(Also gives room to explain Etho's absense that night with him having to recover from the glitch! Fluffy recovery opportunities!)

yay for the return of the long-and-painful-death glitch! lol

technically a sequel to this one

...

  It’s the first match of the session and the tension is palpable. The newest role has everyone quietly excited: the Undertaker role, allowing an imposter to move a body from one place to another. It’s such a simple thing and yet, as with all the special roles, it could be a game-changer. 

  Crewmate Etho is on his own again, monitoring the cameras in security. There’s six people left and even though they’ve already ejected Impulse, Etho isn’t completely convinced it was him. He has two suspects in mind, and he wants to make sure he knows where they are. 

  But all of a sudden, he hears the vent flap open and he spins around…

  ...just in time to see a flash of green and feel a sharp pain in his stomach. 

  Etho sinks to his knees, pressing his hand against the wound to try and help the pain. He lets himself collapse to the floor, the agony dulling his senses and threatening to pull him under. He’s not even attempting to stem the blood flow; he knows he’ll be dead in seconds. 

  But seconds go by.

  A minute.

  He doesn’t die.

  His mind is fuzzy. But he knows something is wrong. He just can’t do anything about it except lie on the ground and slowly bleed out.

  Eventually, something takes hold of him under the arms and starts to drag him away. Even though he’s seconds from death, he feels a bolt of panic and he lets out a groan.

  Immediately, the grip on him is released and at the same time, he hears a quiet yelp: “HOLY fu-!”

  A very brief pause.

  “E-Etho…? Are you… alive…?”

  This time, Etho can’t muster another noise. But as he attempts to move his hand, arm, leg, anything, his chest spasms and he lets out an involuntary cough.

  “Oh my actual god, you ARE alive…!”

  Etho is able to identify the voice now, and it’s one of the people he suspected of being the imposter. 

  But before he can make another attempt to speak or move, Brody takes hold of him again and continues dragging him. More panic hits him; Brody must be the Undertaker but he knows Etho’s not dead, so where is he taking him? He wishes he could look but when he opens his eyes, the world around him is still too fuzzy for him to register where he is.

  Finally, Brody stops dragging him and heaves him up. Etho can’t work out what Brody is trying to do until he registers a soft surface below him and he realises.

  Brody has brought him to medbay.

  “Stay with me, Etho,” Brody murmurs, hurriedly collecting up first aid supplies. The benefit of being an imposter here is the fact that he’s able to shut the medbay doors to ensure he’s not disturbed. 

  But he realises there are two people who need to know about this. 

  Thankfully, one of them vents into the room just as Brody is cutting open Etho’s shirt to access the wound. 

  “Brody, what on earth are you doing?” Astro demands. “What is this?”

  Brody fixes him with such a serious look that a chill runs down Astro’s spine. “Astro, there’s been a glitch. When you stabbed Etho, he didn’t quite die.”

  Astro stares at him in shock. “Wh-What?”

  “He’s still alive and suffering horrible pain. Astro, I need you to go get Evil.”

  Astro, frozen in horror at what he’s caused, doesn’t move.

  “Go get Evil!” snaps Brody, giving him a quick push. “Just GO!”

  Managing to shake himself into action, Astro jumps back into the vent.

  Brody turns back to Etho and finishes cleaning up the wound. Unfortunately, the majority of the machinery in medbay is just for show, so he can’t assess any internal injuries Etho has. But all he really needs to do is keep Etho alive until the game ends. 

  As Brody is patching up the wound, the medbay doors slide open and Astro reappears, followed by Evil. Astro closes the medbay doors again while Evil dashes over to the bed, his worried eyes asking a silent question.

  “It happened again,” Brody confirms. 

  “Again?!” Astro bursts out. “This has happened before?”

  Evil nods slowly, ignoring Astro. “You two are the imposters, then?” 

  “Yeah. But I don’t care about that now. I just need to keep Etho alive until the game ends. The post-game process will heal him.”

  “Guys, WHAT are you talking about?” Astro demands. “What’s going on?”

  Brody huffs annoyedly. “Evil, catch him up.”

  As Evil explains, Brody finishes patching up Etho’s injury and starts to wrap a bandage around his body. Throughout all of this, Etho has remained pale and still, prompting Brody to continually check his pulse. He’s still alive, but barely. Brody’s treatment is helping him cling onto life. 

  Evil appears back at Etho’s side. “How is he?”

  “Hanging in there. Where’s Astro?”

  Evil points over at the corner near the vent, where Astro is sitting against the wall with his knees drawn to his chest, his face buried in his hands.

  “What’s wrong with him?” 

  As a response, Evil simply gestures to Etho.

  After a moment, Brody sighs and hands the tail end of the bandage to Evil. “Finish this off for me quickly.”

  He joins Astro in the corner and crouches down next to him, awkwardly placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “This isn’t your fault, Astro,” he says.

  “How is this not my fault?” Astro responds despondently, his voice muffled through his hands. “I caused this.”

  “You were playing the game. There’s no way you could’ve known this would happen.”

  He doesn’t get a response to this, so he gently pulls Astro’s hands away from his face, forcing his friend to look him in the eye. “Astro. You can’t blame yourself for this, okay? Etho is gonna be fine. And going by what happened last time, he won’t even remember that this happened.”

  “But I will, won’t I?” asks Astro quietly. 

  “Actually, I’m not sure,” Brody admits. “Impulse was the imposter in this situation last time and as far as I know, he never found out what happened.”

  “Oh. So even though Etho won’t remember me stabbing him and leaving him to bleed out very slowly, I actually might?”

  Brody nods reluctantly. “You might.”

  Astro lets put a low groan. “I feel sick…” 

  “Brody?” calls Evil at that moment, his voice low and shaky.

  Brody turns his head. “What?”

  “He- He’s not breathing.” 

  Brody’s stomach drops and he shoots forward so fast he almost trips over. He rushes back to Etho’s side and checks his friend’s pulse using both his wrist and his neck. 

  He finds nothing. 

  Touching Etho’s hand, he finds his friend’s skin cold already, confirming what he already knows to be true. 

  A muted noise comes from Astro as he turns away. 

  As Brody hangs his head, Evil reaches over and gently touches his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs. 

  “We need to end this game,” says Brody, forcing himself to keep his voice steady. “Now.”

  With almost no hesitation, Evil says, “One of you kill me.”

  Brody glances sharply at him. “What?”

  “There’s five of us left, right? Etho was the sixth. So there’s five left now. Kill me and end the game.”

  “Are you sure?” asks Brody hesitantly. “The glitch might happen again.” 

  “I’m sure,” Evil responds firmly. “Like you said, we need to end it. It’ll take too long to just vote you guys out; I’m standing right here so you may as well end it by killing me.” He glances over at his friend. “Astro?”

  “No,” says Astro shakily. 

  “Astro, it’s okay.”

  “No it’s NOT!” Astro’s voice rises. “You think I can bear causing so much pain and suffering to two of my friends in the same game?! I’m NOT killing you!” 

  Evil quickly nods. “Okay, I understand. Brody?”

  “Aren’t I in the same boat?” Brody says. “Do you really trust me to do it properly?”

  “Yeah, I do.” Evil gives a brave smile. “I trust you, Brody. With my life.”

  Ignoring the twinge in his chest, Brody draws his gun and aims it directly at Evil. “Okay. Good luck.”

  Taking a deep breath, Brody fires. 

  BANG.

  And luckily this time, the game acts as it’s supposed to. 

  As soon as Brody respawns in the lobby, he rushes over to his friend. “Etho, hey. You good?”

  “Me?” Etho blinks. “Yeah, why?”

  Brody gives a slow nod. “Nothing. Just checking.”

  He draws Evil aside to a corner of the lobby. “Okay, Etho definitely doesn’t remember,” he confirms.”

  “Does Astro?” asks Evil.

  Brody glances over at their green-clad friend, who’s leaning against the wall, arms folded and eyes staring blankly out into space.

  “...I think he might.”

  Evil and Brody approach Astro, who glances numbly at them as they get closer. “I remember,” is all he says. 

  “So the crewmate in the situation won’t remember what happened but the imposter will,” says Brody thoughtfully. “Interesting. I wonder why that is?”

  “I don’t really care,” Astro responds bluntly. “I just want to forget that whole thing ever happened.”

  “No, this is good. Kinda. It means you’re now part of our little trifecta of people who know about the glitch. Evil and I promised each other last time that if we experience this again as imposter, we’ll go find each other and let them know, even if we’re the imposter.” He fixes his friends with a serious look. “This is a dangerous glitch. Astro, promise me that if this does happen to you again, you’ll come find one of us.”

  Astro watches him for a moment, before slowly nodding. “Okay. I- Hey, Etho’s leaving.”

  Brody turns just in time to see Etho leave the lobby. Frowning, he quickly follows Etho out and catches him just going down the corridor. “Etho, wait!”

  Etho pauses and glances back. “Oh, hey. I just let Tango know I had to leave; I’m suddenly not feeling too great.”

  “O-Oh.” Brody stares at him. “I’m sorry to hear that. Feel better.”

  “Thanks. See you.”

  Brody watches his friend disappear round the corner, his mind racing. This has NEVER happened before. Etho has never felt unwell this early in a session before — or really ever. Surely it’s no coincidence considering what happened last round? Even though his brain doesn’t remember what happened, maybe his body does. 

  Or maybe his code does. 

[acciotherapists]

Little Sparrow Chapter 10

Loki x Reader Mafia AU

When Tony Stark's little sister wakes up deep in enemy territory she assumes her life is over. She'll be killed or worse: used as a bargaining chip against her estranged brother. What happens when the mafia leader, Loki Laufeyson, offers her a deal she can't refuse? No sentiment. Only revenge. What happens when the truth is revealed? Will she betray her only family or betray the man she loves to hate? Little Sparrow is an enemies to lover's fic riddled with betrayal and spice!

Tony was seething by the time we reached the compound but I ignored him, slamming the door to my room the moment I reached it. My phone buzzed and I took it out, finding a message from Loki.

L: Please tell me you’re okay

Y/n: I’m fine. How’re you and Frigga?

L: We’re fine… I need to hear your voice… Are you alone?

Y/n: I doubt it. My brother probably has FRIDAY keeping an eye on me

L: FRIDAY, seriously? That’s his AI’s new name

I chuckled to myself.

Y/n: My brother always did love his acronyms

L: I suppose so

There was a pause as he typed another message

L: Call me when you can… I need to hear your voice

Y/n: Give me 20 minutes and I’ll find a way out

L: I love you. You know that right?

Y/n: Yeah

He sent a small heart and I sent one back before slipping my phone into my back pocket and slowly opening my door. Nat was standing directly outside and I sighed.

“Seriously? He has you on guard duty?”

“It’s what’s best, Y/n.”

“Yeah, well, I’m going for a walk. Guess you’re following me.”

“Can’t you just stay in the compound?”

“Nope. I’m an adult. If you’ve been ordered to follow me, go ahead. What do I care? I can’t stop you but you can’t stop me from taking a walk.” I began walking past her.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’re going to call him, aren’t you?”

I paused, turning to face her. “Why do you care, Nat? Why are you working for my brother anyway?”

She chuckled. “I work for SHIELD, love. Your brother just happens to be an old friend.”

“And you do the bidding of all your old friends?”

She rolled her eyes. “Just… explain this to me, Y/n… What is it with you and this guy?”

“He’s a good friend… or was. I don’t know what he is now.”

She smiled knowingly. “What do you want him to be?”

“I don’t know that either.”

She smirked.

“Can you just let this one go, Nat? He’s worried about me and I just want to tell him I’m okay.”

“Why would he be worried? We’re your family.”

“Yeah, but… so is he.”

“And there it is.” She smiled. “Just admit you love him already.”

“Shut up.”

She chuckled. “Well, you know I have to come with you but I’ll stay far enough away you won’t even know I’m there.”

I hugged her. “Thank you, Nat!”

She stopped me before I could walk away, slipping her hand under my elbow.

“Sorry about this… but if you don’t want your brother following us… this is for the best.”

I looked down to find a tiny tracking device in her hand.

“You… Nat… That’s how you found us, isn’t it? That’s how you knew where to go… I led you right to him.”

“You didn’t know, Y/n… and we thought it’s what was best.”

I took a breath, trying not to show how angry I was.

“Thanks for telling me.”

She nodded, sticking the tracker under my doorknob and we left the compound.

*** 

Nat kept her word, remaining at a distance as I dialed Loki’s number.

“Y/n?” He instantly picked up.

“Loki?” I breathed a sigh of relief hearing his voice and it sounded like he did the same. “I’m so sorry they found us! I swear I didn’t know! That day Odin told you to bring me on the next sighting… they stuck a tracker to my jacket. I swear I didn’t know.” I knew I was rambling at this point but I had to explain it to him. I had to tell him the truth. 

“Slow down, darling. It’s alright.” He gently shushed me. “I don’t blame you. In fact it’s technically Odin’s fault. He told me to bring you and I advised against it because I knew what they were capable of. I’ll enjoy breaking this particular news to him.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“Darling, I could never be mad at you… especially not over something like this.” There was a brief pause before he spoke again. “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”

“They wouldn’t hurt me, Loki… not intentionally anyway.”

“Have you seen your fiance?” he spat the word bitterly.

“No, but I’m sure he’s around somewhere. My brother’s far too proud to call off the arrangement. Seth will probably show up with some half-assed apology and a bouquet of roses or some bullshit like that.”

I could hear Loki laugh on the other end of the phone. “I suppose I know not to show up at your door with roses then.”

“If it’s you holding the roses then perhaps I wouldn’t mind.”

“Keep trying, damnit!” I heard Loki hiss to someone. “Sorry, darling, I’m still here. So if it’s me with roses… you’ll let me in?”

“I’d let you in no matter what.”

I heard Syf in the background. “We got it!”

“Loki, what’s going on over there? Is everything alright?”

“Darling, I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”

“Loki… what’ve you done?”

*****

Taglist: @12-pm-510 @honeyrydernot @evelyn-kingsley @xalphafox

[teddy06writes]

Through Thick And Thin

requested by this anon: “If you are still doing requests, could you maybe do a royal AU of a Knight! Awesamdude x royalty reader? Thanks!” 

Awesamdude x reader

trigger warnings: some swearing, mentioned character death

premise: royalty au; you are heir to the throne of the dream smp lands, Sam is the knight who has been sworn to protect you. When L’manburg, a rising power begins to attack, Sam stays by your side, even as the kingdom falls

{also I did my best to keep this gender neutral, but it might’ve ended up leaning for feminine, sorry about that}

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

“Do you take one lump or two?” You forced a polite smile onto your face. 

“Two, with lemon, not milk,” Bad said, “Try not to look so bored, you may be able to pull a smile on your face, but your eyes wandering about this room betray you.” 

Etiquette lessons were something you had finished long ago, but your mother had arranged for a brush up, seeing as the ambassadors of L’manburg would be arriving Wednesday. 

You nodded, quietly filling his tea cup with what he requested, and sliding it across the table too him. 

“Now, serve the tea cakes.” Bad instructed. 

As you cut the sponge cake into pieces you let your eyes drift again, look to where Sam stood beside the door. 

He bit back a smile, scrunching his nose at you. 

It took all your willpower not to giggle, regaining composer as you passed the plate across the table. 

~~

“I just think its stupid shit,” You said, tapping the toe of your shoe against the gravel path, “I already know how to poor tea and address nobles.” 

Sam chuckled, looking around the garden, “I suppose you do, but brushing up on those things never hurts.” 

“I did my time learning tea and titles, and dances and all that. I don’t see why I should have to do it any more. You should help me sneak out of lessons.” 

He laughed again, “I don’t know if I can partake in helping you get out of your duties.” 

“You used too.” You fake pouted, moving to sit on one of the benches lining the path.

“Yes well that was before, this is now. I’m not a stable boy any longer. We both have different duties to attend to.” He said, turning to look at you. 

You frowned, “I thought your duties were to protect me.” 

“They are.” 

“Then you’d have to go with me if,,, say I snuck away to go down to the shore tomorrow. Where we used to go in the summer.” You grinned cheekily. 

“Yes, I would have to,” He admitted begrudgingly, “But, considering you have to handle preparations for the ambassadors stay, I would be forced to suggest waiting till after they leave on Friday.” 

You chuckled, “I like the way you think.” 

~~

The morning of the ambassadors arrival came all too quickly, and you woke early, carefully dressing. 

There was a knock on the door, around 9:30, to which you sighed, “Come in.” 

Sam appeared in the door, holding a glass box, “His highness says you must wear this.” 

You look wearily at the small crown he was holding, then back at him, “You’re joking me.” 

He shook his head, “Dream insisted.” 

“Oh for XD’s sake.” you muttered, taking the box, and moving to set it atop your desk.

Slowly you extracted the crown, setting it gently atop your hair, adjusting it slightly in the mirror before turning to Sam, “How’s it look?” 

“Heavy.” He laughed. 

“Oh shut up,” You grumbled, moving past him into the corridor, “How long until the ambassador arrives?” 

“Half an hour or so.” He reported.

~~ Negotiations had began the moment Wilbur Soot and his cabinet members walked in the door, hardly leaving any time for introductions. 

You sat uncomfortably in your chair, these men were not like the ones you were expecting to be meeting. 

They were loud, harsh, and in the young blonde boys case, quite rude.

“Simply put, we don’t want to start a fight if we don’t have to, with you or any of the other neighboring  kingdoms.” Wilbur finished. 

Dream crossed his arms, looking at the treaty that had been placed in front of him, “You want our land?” 

“No, we only want a small piece of your land, just the farms that are technically within L’manburg’s borders,” The young Lord Tubbo clarified, “The original treaty clearly designates them to us.” 

“With all due respect, Mr. President, His Highness never agreed to the original terms.” Bad pointed out. 

George nodded, “Your nation has grown separately, never attached to us, the farms have never been yours.” 

Dream couldn’t help but chuckle as he cocked his head, “Your here for something else, aren’t you?” 

Wilbur sighed, “Yes, I suppose we are. Well, gentlemen, I should come clean. I come here seeking power. Something to put me at an advantage. I came here to ask for (y/n)’s hand in marriage.” 

“Excuse me?” You snapped, eyes wide. 

“You heard me. I wish to make you my betrothed, lord knows its the most you could accomplish in a life time.” He repeated, something malicious in his voice. 

The Dream SMP’s side of the table grew very tense. 

“I reject your proposal,” You stared him dead in the eye, “I would never marry a man like you.” 

Before anyone else could speak, you stood, “Perhaps you’ll work out a different arrangement. If you’ll excuse me.” 

With that you gracefully glided out of the room, loyal knight on your heels. 

It wasn’t until you reached the safety of the farthest garden from the castle that you felt like you could breath again. 

“I’ll kill him,” Sam muttered, pacing along the path, “No one speaks to you like that and gets away with it.” 

You sank onto a bench, pulling the crown from your head and running your hands through your hair, “He’s vile! The whole lot of them are!” 

“They’ll never get away with this. Everyone knows you’re mi-” He stopped himself, shaking his head. 

“Why, for a moment did it look like Dream was actually considering it?” You muttered, tears springing into the corners of your eyes. 

Sam quickly sat beside you, taking your hands, “Hey, I won’t let it happen. You’re- you belong here.... with me.” 

You looked up at him, with wide eyes, “Sam- you really mean that? With you? Truly you’d allow it?” 

Practically the whole palace staff had known since you’d first met Sam that you’d fallen for him. It had seemed like you were always destined to be together. 

“Yes, if you would.” 

You nodded, resting your forehead against his, “I would.” 

For a moment, the world seemed right. 

For a moment, nothing was wrong. 

For a moment, it seemed like there was a chance. 

Until a loud explosion rang through the castle, ripping through the tranquil morning.

Distantly you could hear screams of pain, yells of triumph and fights breaking out. 

Sam quickly stood, turning to the castle, where all the other guards seemed to be running too. 

“Sam...” 

Your shaky voice broke him from his almost trance, “What wrong dove?” 

“Sam they all had gladiolus flowers on there lapels. They all- the all had gladiolus on there lapels.” 

How you hadn’t realized it before you weren’t sure. 

“What?” 

“Gladiolus means ready- or armed.” You said quietly.

Sam stared at you for a moment, before someone else entered the garden, “You really shouldn’t have turned down that proposal (y/n)!” 

“Run!” Sam yelled, grabbing your hand to pull you along with him. 

You ran blindly with him, down the paths and toward the back of the garden. 

Sam pushed you toward the gap in the hedge, “Go! Down by the shore, where we used to go in the summer. Go! I’ll be there as soon as I can, lock yourself inside, and only open up for me.” 

You barley had time to think before he shoved you through the hedge, turning and drawing his sword to face Wilbur. 

~~ You stumbled along the path, you were almost there- almost there- almost to the abandoned light house. 

The sounds of fighting faded behind you as you tripped once more, picking yourself up and going even faster as the sea came into view. 

You threw yourself against the lighthouse door to get it to open, quickly closing it behind you and locking the door. 

You leaned against it, struggling to catch your breath. 

After a moment, your eyes adjusted to the light, and you looked around at the dusty space. 

When you were young, this had been Sam and yours special place, somewhere to avoid lessons. 

The only servant who’d known about it had helped you move furniture out there long ago, and the space seemed semi inhabitable. 

You fumbled to light a lamp, then found your way to a cabinet, looking for a cloth, or rag to clean with. 

Soon you were busying yourself with fixing the place up, desperately trying to ignore the fact that Sam was taking a very long time to get there. 

Once you finished the first floor you climbed the stone steps to the next, and began working there. 

Night had nearly fallen when you heard a rough knock at the door. 

Armed with a small paring knife you’d found in the old kitchen you crept to the door, peaking out the small window to check who it was. 

Quickly you unlocked the door, throwing it open and pulling Sam inside, “Holy shit Sam you had me so worried!” 

He grunted, moving to sit at the table you had turned upright, as you locked the door again. 

“Are you hurt at all?” 

He shook his head, “Just tired, I came the long way, to make sure no one was following. Are you alright?” 

You sighed with relief, “I’ll be okay, long as your here.” 

Sam smiled, “I’ll be here through thick and thin.” 

[georgiapeach30513]

……what was the incident with beau and bunny 😏

The "incident"...that clearly made Beau uncomfortable to talk about in front of his, at that point, father-in-law. The incident that let it be known that Bunny and Beau weren't just hanging out...

🖤🖤🖤🖤

I Don't Know About That

Summary: Ari finds out

Pairings: Beau X Bunny

Rating: explicit

Warnings: unwanted groping, angry Beau, angry Ari, cockwarming, loss of virginity (technically), 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 1.5K

Desperate Lives AU Masterlist

Beau & Bunny Masterlist

"Beau!" James shouts seeing that Volkswagen van roll up the driveway. "Beau! The Bunny is here!" Beau was abnormally quiet today. A few of the larger crew was sent to the build to finish it up, and James forgot that Ari was even here.

"You two have been spending a lot of time together," his deep voice tells Beau. "Thanks, she's been feeling out of sorts until you two started hanging out. Curtis was scared that she'd spread her wings and go back west," it was a thought that had been plaguing Beau's mind, but he couldn't worry about it. He just enjoyed spending time with the hippy girl. "Well, go on, go get the food. Knowing my Bunny she's made enough for everyone."

Beau lays down his tools and starts jogging down to meet her, mumbling out a, "My Bunny," before he gives her a warm smile. "What cha doin' Bun?"

"Well," her eyes quickly look around to see if anyone is looking before cupping his cheek and giving him a gentle, sweet kiss, "I brought you guys some lunch."

He blows out a puff of air, before his own eyes start looking around the build, "We can't do this here. I'll go clean off the table, if you wanna bring it in?"

"Okay," he tucks a tuft of her messy wavy hair behind her ear, before watching her skip off to the van. He turns around for one second. One quick moment, and doesn't even think about the pig that had been eyeing the tiny little girl from afar.

"That's some service," he says to her. Arleigh ignores him and continues to get the lunch, wishing she could exclude this douche bag. He leans over trying to look under her dress. Unsatisfied with the view he lifts up the frilly dress.

"What the hell?" her hands go to push her clothes down while she scowls at him.

"You know what you're doing, coming to a job site with all of us. You're wanting the attention. What's the kid got?"

"Get off me!" Beau comes running towards them, sucker punching the man in the face.

"What the hell man?" the man sputters from the ground. "Why the hell is this stupid bitch even coming here? Every fucking day. You fucking that hippy pussy? Is that what this is?"

"This stupid bitch is my daughter and she can come here as often as she wants," Ari's thick body towers over the man, while Bunny runs over to Beau holding his hand tightly.

"I didn't know."

"You didn't have to know. I don't pay you to be a disrespectful asshole to women. You come on my job sites, you conduct yourself like a man should. Get your things, and get off my site. You can come by Friday to collect your last check."

"But...Beau hit me."

"And you assaulted my daughter. James is already calling in the sheriff to make a formal complaint."

"Dad, stop."

"My daughter comes here out of the goodness of her heart, bringing lunch for everyone, that her and my wife prepared for us, and you think you have the right to grope her? Because she's wearing a dress? Learn something," he turns to nod a thanks to Beau, and looks at his daughter who's still trembling. Four years on her own, and she's still just his little Bunny.

"Eva would have punched him herself," tears well in her eyes, and her other hand grabs towards Beau's. "I wanna go home," Ari walks to his daughter giving her a big hug, and even still she doesn't let go of the young boy. Whispering an I'm sorry in his ear.

"Bunny, you can't drive. Beau, take her home. Stay with her. I'll make sure we get your truck to you. She seems to feel safe with you. You'll get comped for the rest of the day. Go on," Ari gives Arleigh a kiss to her head before turning to walk away.

As soon as he is out of sight, Arleigh clings to Beau. "Bun, let's get out of here, okay?" still unmoving, he scoops the little thing up, and carries her to the passenger seat. Jogging over to the driver's side, and takes the long journey to her house. Turning up Arleigh's favorite band Fleetwood Mac, as she sits there thinking.

"I don't wanna go home."

"Why?"

"There! Just pull over," Beau pulls over a bit, and looks at her. Bunny's shivering had stopped, but she still looks scared. "He's right."

"No he wasn't."

"He is. I wore this dress to get your attention."

"You already have it, Bun. You have it everyday. No matter what you wear, you have my attention. You can wear a paper sack, and you've got it. I gotta admit though, I like the short dresses that you wear with no bra, for when it's just me and you," she giggles looking up at him.

"I don't really own a bra."

"I could tell."

"There's a bed in the back," pulling at his hands, she leads him to the back, even when he says her full name, "Shh, just kiss me, and we'll see where it goes," sitting on the bed, Beau begins to sink down over her. His lips connecting to every part of her exposed skin with the most gentle care he can. Reveling in the taste of her sun kissed skin. The honeysuckle smell that is one hundred percent Arleigh Grace.

Her little fingers pull at his shirt, and she starts kissing the freckled skin on his shoulders. His hand drifting up her dress, while her fingers struggle to undo his belt and pants. "Gah!" she shouts in frustration. His mouth pulls off her nipple, smiling up at her. "You're clothes are so hard to get off, and you're already sucking on my tit. Get it off. I don't want our playing around anymore."

With a cute little laugh, he stands up to wiggle out of his pants, leaving the boxers on, and she nearly drools at the bulge in his pants. "You think you can handle these?"

"Take those off, too," sitting up she pulls off her dress, and starts shimmying out of her panties, leaving Beau to gawk at her. "B, I'm laying here naked. What's a girl gotta do?"

Beau starts to get in his head a bit. up until now, he could play it off as having fun. But now, he knows it's that much more. There's no reluctance this time. Not feeling like he was doing something to hold on to someone. It's exactly what he wants, even if he doubts his abilities. "Bun, I'm not that experienced."

"Me neither. We'll figure it out," giving her a sweet smile, he walks over to the bed, staring at her drenched core. "I'm not afraid, B."

"Me neither," he whispers. Lining himself up, he slowly sinks into her. Overcome with a sharp pain, Arleigh's voice whines out, "Oh shit, Bun, I'm sorry."

"Don't stop," she assures him, and Beau fully sinks in, and holds his position. Arleigh just stares up at him panting, unable to speak. "I'm sorry," she whispers.

"You're perfect, Bun."

"Is everything OKAY!?" As quickly as Ari opened the door he closes it back. "I thought you two were just friends."

"Oh. My. God. I had to have you pull over on the side of the road, knowing either my dad or daddy was going to drive by."

"Can you not say that while I'm inside of you?"

"You know, I'm gonna just go. Is everything okay other than your lack of being friends?" Ari's eyes look around the sky, the trees, the rocks.

"Yeah, dad. We're good. Please leave."

"Yep. Okay."

"I'm glad that wasn't your other dad," Beau grunts. "Him and his axe terrifies me. He'll chop it off. Wait, is your dad gonna talk. I really don't want to die."

Arleigh laughs up at him. Her tiny little titties jiggling with each bit of laughter. "Are you really that scared of my daddy?"

"Yeah. He's terrifying. He chased me with an axe when I was little. I was at the Drysdale's, and I don't remember that much, but he was chasing me. And laughing. He only stopped when Mrs. Drysdale told him to quit torturing me. He was torturing me. Imagine if he knew we were having sex?"

"We're not. You just hovering over top of me," Beau's face falls flat while he looks at her. "You're not into this anymore are you?"

"It's not like that."

"I get it. You're a poor, pitiful, wittle baby who is scared of Sheriff Everett. How about we go back to the cabin? We had a good flow on that bed loft?" Beau gives her a nod. "And I expect a repeat of this moment right here, even if I have to climb on top of you."

Beau cocks up his eyebrow before pulling out, "I'd like to see you try," causing Arleigh to take a deep gulp. "But we'll definitely repeat this when we're not on the side of the road. You think I'm still getting paid?"

"Seeing how he seen your ass...I don't know about that."

Masterlist

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Out Of Time ~ 127

MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 3,080ish

Summary: Tony and Y/N run into an old friend and meet two of the Children of Thanos.

Previous in Out Of Time:

“Tony—“

“I know, getting ahead of myself again. You know what there should be no more surprises. Let’s have a nice dinner tonight and we should have no more surprises. I should promise you.”

“Actually, Tony, I really need to talk to you about something. I made—“

“Tony Stark,” a man with a red cloak appeared a few feet away. There was an orange portal behind him. “Y/N Rogers, I’m Doctor Stephen Strange. And I need you both to come with me.”

The necklace around the man’s neck immediately caught Y/N’s eye as Tony moved to stand protectively in front of her. It was the same necklace that the Ancient One wore, it housed the Time Stone.

“I’m sorry, what are you doing here?” Tony asked. “You giving out tickets or something?”

“We need your help,” Dr. Strange responded, glancing at Y/N, which made Tony tense. “Look, it’s not overselling to say that the fate of the universe is at stake.”

“No,” Y/N gasped softly.

“And who’s ‘we’?” Tony questioned.

“Hey, Tony,” Bruce Banner greeted, nervously emerging from behind Dr. Strange.

“Bruce?”

“Y/N.”

“Hi,” she responded quietly.

“You okay?” Tony asked.

Bruce came up to Tony, giving him a desperate hug, not answering the question. Dr. Strange was focused on Y/N. Slowly, she walked up to him.

“It’s time,” he told her.

“I know,” she responded quietly.

Tony guided Bruce over and through the portal, grabbing Y/N’s hand as he passed. Dr. Strange was the last one through, closing the portal after them. Another man, Wong, was waiting in the building on the other side of the portal. Tony sat down while Y/N stayed standing, nervously biting at her nail. Bruce told them of what had happened to him and why he was back. Wong used his magic to show the universe and five of the six Infinity Stones.

"From the dawn of the universe, there was nothing,” Wong began, “Then, boom! The Big Bang sent six elemental crystals, hurtling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones each control an essential aspect of existence.”

“Space. Reality,” Strange named the Stones, each one lighting up as he did. “Power. Soul. Mind. And,” he opened his necklace, “Time.”

“Tell me his name again,” Tony ordered, very attentive.

“Thanos. He’s a plague, Tony,” Bruce answered. “He invades planets. He takes what he wants. He wipes out half the population. He sent Loki. The attack on New York. That’s him.”

Tony stood up and looked at Y/N. It was obvious that Y/N knew about the Infinity Stones. Honestly, he wasn’t all that surprised but he was a little hurt. Things were falling into place now, the headaches, the connection with the Tesseract, her powers. She was connected to all six Stones.

“This is it…” He said quietly to her. She nodded. He turned to face the other men. “What’s our timeline?”

“No telling,” Bruce replied. “He has the Power and Space Stones, that already makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe. If he gets his hands, on all six Stones, Tony—“

“He can destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of,” Dr. Strange interrupted.

Tony leaned against the cauldron near the stairs, stretching like he was about to go for a run. “Did you seriously just say ‘hitherto undreamt of’?”

“Are you seriously leaning on the Cauldron of the Cosmos?”

“Is that what this is…?” 

The cloak on Dr. Strange’s back suddenly smacked Tony’s arm, surprising him and Y/N. Tony looked at the thing, slightly offended before straightening himself up. 

“I’m going to allow that,” Tony continued. “If Thanos needs all six, why don’t we just stick this one down the garbage disposal?”

“That’s not how it works, Tony,” Y/N sighed.

“No can do,” Strange said.

“We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone,” Wong added. “With our lives.”

“And I swore off dairy, but then, Ben and Jerry’s named a flavor after me, so…”

“Stark Raving Hazelnuts,” Strange stated.

“It’s not bad.”

“A bit chalky.”

“A Hunka-Hulka Burning Fudge is our favorite,” Wong said.

“That’s a thing?” Bruce questioned.

“Whatever,” Tony said. “Point is: things change.”

“Our oath to protect the Time Stone cannot change,” Strange said. “This Stone, and Y/N, may be the best chance we have against Thanos.”

“Y/N?” Bruce repeated. “Why Y/N?”

“My… My abilities,” she nervously answered. “They’re from the Stones. I can control them.”

“Not gonna happen,” Tony quickly stated. “That Stone needs to go because it may also be his best chance against us.”

“Well, if we don’t do our jobs,” Strange said.

“What is your job exactly, besides making balloon animals?”

“Protecting your reality, douchebag.”

“Okay, guys, could we table this discussion right now?” Bruce requested. “The fact is that we have this Stone. We know where it is. Vision is out there somewhere with the Mind Stone, and we have to find him now.”

“Yeah, that’s the… thing,” Tony muttered, awkwardly.

“What do you mean?” Y/N asked.

“Two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder. His offline.”

“What?” Bruce exclaimed. “Tony, you lost another super bot?”

“I didn’t lose him. He’s more than that. He’s evolving.”

“He’s with Wanda,” Y/N whispered. “They’ve been sneaking around like we have, haven’t they?”

“That’s been my guess.”

“Who could find Vision, then?” Dr. Strange asked.

“Shit,” Tony quietly muttered to himself. He looked around at the others. “Probably Steve Rogers.”

“Oh, great,” Strange sighed in exasperation.

“Maybe. But…” Tony sighed.

Looking over at Y/N, he was met with her scared gaze. Everything was going to suddenly change, he knew it. It just hoped this didn’t change where they stood.

“Call him,” Bruce pressed.

“It’s not that easy Bruce,” Y/N responded. “Things happened. Technically, it’s illegal for me to be here right now. Everyone in this room should be calling the police.”

“The Avengers broke up,” Tony clarified. “We’re toast.”

“Broke up?” Bruce repeated. “Like a band? Like The Beatles?”

“Cap and I feel out hard. We’re not on speaking terms.”

“Then Y/N. Call your brother.”

“I have no way to get a hold of him,” she shook her head. “I haven’t spoken to him in two years.”

“Tony, Y/N, listen to me. Thor’s gone. Thanos is coming. It doesn’t matter who you’re talking to or not.”

“I know what’s at stake here, Bruce… I’ve known for a while now.”

Y/N could feel everyone’s gazes on her. Bruce was questioning what she meant, but the others knew and they looked at her with pity. With a sigh, Tony pulled out a flip phone. The one Steve had mailed him. He flipped it open, hovering over the call button to the only number on the phone.

“What’s that?” Y/N asked. Tony met her gaze and went to explain, but it was too late. She already knew. “He sent that to you,” a statement, not a question. “You've been able to contact him the whole time…. Have you ever…?”

“No,” Tony shook his head. “I almost did once. When I found you at the cemetery that first time. But then—“

“The Soul Stone took me. And you were worried… don’t worry. I don’t blame you.” She let out a shaky breath as she walked over and grabbed Tony’s free hand. “Call him.”

Looking back down at the phone, Tony hovered his thumb over the call button once again. Y/N gave his hand a slight squeeze as she watched. But before he could press call, an unusual rumbling could be heard from outside. Tony looked up and around, noticing that something was off.

“Say, Doc, you wouldn’t happen to be moving your hair, would you?” Tony wondered, pointing the phone at Strange, whose hair was slightly moving.

Strange looked up. “Not at the moment, no,” Strange answered.

Looking up through the whole in the ceiling, Tony and Y/N saw debris flying by outside. All of them looked towards the doors, able to see things flying by and people running. 

“I’m not ready,” Y/N whispered. “I-I can’t…” Her heart was pounding. “I… I can’t—“

“Woah, woah, woah,” Tony was in front of her, hands rubbing her shoulders. “No one’s asking you to do anything right now. We don’t know what’s going on out there.”

“I won’t be able to save them all…” She shook her head, tearing up. “I already know that… And I’m not ready for that…”

“But you don’t know that, Y/N. We don’t know what’s out there or what’s about to happen. But we will do our best to figure it out and prevent what’s coming. Together, alright?” Y/N nodded. “Alright.” Tony ran a hand down her arm and intertwined his fingers with her. “Let’s go see what we’re up against.”

Holding hands, Tony and Y/N walked up to the front doors, glancing back at the men behind them before going through them. Outside was chaotic. People running and screaming in alarm, traffic tangled, a litter-filled wind. As the two make their way towards where people are running from, a woman fell at Tony’s feet. He quickly helped her up.

“You okay?” He asked, concerned.

Ignoring him, she quickly keeps running. A car suddenly crashed into a pole behind Tony and Y/N. They flinch, turning to see a man inside.

“Help him!” Tony shouted. “Wong, Doc.”

“Go! Got it!” Bruce replied, rushing to the car.

Slipping his hand into his pocket, Tony retrieved a pair of sunglasses. He put them on, keeping him and Y/N going towards the issue.

“FRIDAY, what am I looking at?” He asked his AI.

“Not sure,” FRIDAY responded. “I’m working on it.”

“Hey! You might wanna put that Time Stone in your back pocket, Doc!”

Dr. Strange moved his arms, golden bands appearing around his forearms. “Might want use it,” he responded.

“Don’t leave my side,” Tony told Y/N.

“Okay,” she replied with a nod.

Approaching an intersection, the two turned the corner together. Floating over the street, was a huge circular ship.

“FRIDAY, evac anyone south of 43rd Street,” Tony directed. “Notify first responders.”

“Will do,” the AI replied.

From behind them, a large gust of wind came, clearing the dust and debris from the air. Both Y/N and Tony turned to see Dr. Strange behind them. He threw a wink at Tony. For a split second, Tony is begrudgingly amused. Close together, they walk closer to the ship, stopping when two beings appear in front of them.

“Hear me, and rejoice,” the skinny one exclaimed. “You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. Be thankful, that your meaningless lives are now contributing to—“

“I’m sorry,” Tony interrupted, folding his arms over his chest as he stepped up, “Earth is closed today. You better pack it up and get outta here.”

“Stonekeeper,” the alien called, looking at Strange, “does this chattering animal speak for you?”

“Certainly not. I speak from myself,” Strange responded. Magical shields are readied at his fists as he stepped forward, Wong emulating him. “But you’re trespassing in this city and on this planet.”

“It means get lost, Squidward!” Tony shouted.

“He exhausts me,” the skinny being commented to its larger, bulkier being. “Bring me the Stone.”

The larger being dropped its huge hammer, dragging it along as it obeyed the ordered. From slightly behind Tony, Y/N’s hands began to glow purple.

“Banner you want a piece?” Tony asked.

“No, not really,” Bruce responded. “But when do I ever get what I want?”

“That’s right.”

Channeling his anger, Bruce attempted to release the Hulk. But instead of Hulk coming out easily, green shows up on Bruce’s neck and then quickly disappeared.

“Been a while,” Tony continued. “Good to have you, buddy.”

“I just... I need to concentrate here for one second,” Bruce said. “Come on, come on, man.”

“Where’s your guy?”

“I don't know. We've sorta been havin' a thing.”

“There’s no time for a thing.”

“I know.”

Tony pointed forward and the approaching being. “That’s the thing right there. Let’s go.”

Bruce gave out a loud grunt, but still failed to release the Hulk. Dr. Strange stared at Tony and Bruce in disbelief, while Y/N slowly had her powers snake their way to the two beings.

“Dude,” Tony muttered to Bruce, “you’re embarrassing me in front of the wizards.”

“Tony, I’m sorry,” Bruce apologized. “Either I can’t or he won’t—“

“It’s okay. Hey,” Tony set his hands on Bruce’s shoulders, “stand down.” He turned to Wong, guiding Bruce back. “Keep an eye on him. Thank you.”

“I have him,” Wong replied with a nod.

“Damn it,” Bruce murmured. 

Tony then noticed Y/N’s hands. “No,” he quickly said, rushing in front of her. “You need to save your strength.”

“If I can stop them, I want to before it’s too late,” Y/N retorted.

“Really no time for this,” Strange cut in.

Tony turned to see the being coming closer. Stepping up, Tony taps his new arc reactor, revealing his nanotech Iron Man suit that quickly forms to him. He forms a shield on one arm, protecting him from a hit from the being. Then Tony forms a set of blasters that easily throw the being back to the skinny one, who gestured and deflected his massive companion into some cars.

“Where’d that come from?” Bruce wondered, in awe.

“It’s nano-tech,” Tony responded, turning around. “You like it? A little someth—“

Suddenly, a spike of earth shot up and threw Iron Man far up. Using uprooted trees and other debris, the skinny being began attacking the rest of them. But before the attack can even do anything to the small team, Y/N steps forward motioning her hands in front of her and dissolving all the objects in one swift movement.

“Interesting,” the skinny one observed. “You are a strong one. I sense a great power in you.”

“And I sense a great deal of annoyance,” Y/N responded.

“Dr. Banner,” Dr. Strange said as Y/N and the being were having a stand off, “if the rest of your green friend won’t be joining us…”

Strange teleported Bruce away, along with half a taxi. Iron Man then returned to the fight, pushing a car thrown by the skinny being back at it. The car get cuts in half, and the being was untouched. Y/N put her hands in front of her, blasting the being with a purple beam. It flew back, crashing into the building behind it.

“Gotta get that Stone out of here, now,” Tony ordered, blocking a blast meant for Y/N.

“It stays with me,” Strange responded.

“Exactly. Bye. Y/N, get out of here!”

“No way in hell!” Y/N replied as Tony flew through the forming obstacle course.

As Tony made his way through, Y/N began to destroy the obstacles in his way. Before he could get to the end of the course, Tony was cut short my the big guy’s hammer, sending him through a building at high speed.

“Tony!” Y/N screamed. 

Her emotional scream caused power to be released from her whole body, destroying everything the alien had put in their way. She was panting and angry when the dust settled again.

“Well, well,” the alien chuckled, “I guess I was right.”

“Leave here,” Y/N demanded. “Before I end you.”

“I can’t wait to see you try.”

“Y/N, go!” Strange ordered, him and Wong being to fight off the being.

“What?!” She exclaimed, helping them. “You know what I’m capable of, what I’m meant to do. Why order me away?”

“Just listen to me!”

“Not without the Stone! You and I both know that I can protect it better than you!”

“And why is that?” The being asked, having heard the conversation while using the surroundings to attack.

He shot bricks turned into sharp points at them. Channeling the Time Stone, Y/N turned back time so that the bricks were dust. The Time Stone glowed in the necklace and Y/N’s hands were glowing green.

“Impossible,” the being whispered. “You… You’re channeling the Stones.”

Y/N blasted him with a powerful beam, sending the alien back and scraping agains the road. It stood back up, cuts littering its body. Angry, the aline used a broke fire hydrant’s water steam to knock Wong back several meters, rending him unconscious. Dr. Strange then snaps a whip of magical energy to bind the alien’s hands and yanked. The alien flew forward with the pull and pins Strange upside-down against a building, using the bricks to trap him.

“Get to Stark!” Y/N heard Dr. Strange say in his head. “Listen to me! Get to Stark! Now!”

Y/N hesitated slightly before deciding to not listen to Strange and attack the skinny alien from behind. The bricks continued to pile on Strange as the skinny alien turned around to face Y/N. Debris began flying at Y/N in all directions. Using her powers, Y/N blocked them, set them away, and dusted them. But she couldn’t see everything that was coming. From behind, the alien launched at car at her. It hit her, hard, shooting her forward and skidding her across the road, knocking her out. The alien turned its attention back to Strange.

“Your powers are quaint,” it taunted. “Especially compared to the girl over there. You must be popular with children.”

The alien reached out and tried to grab the necklace holding the Time Stone. It quickly jerked back when the necklace burnt its hand.

“It’s a simple spell but quite unbreakable,” Strange stated.

“Then I’ll take it off your corpse.”

The alien pulled Strange away from the building and threw him to the ground. Strange began to gesture to use the Time Stone, but utility cables pin down his arms, wind around his torso, then tighten around his throat.

“You’ll find… removing a dead man’s spell… troublesome…” Strange choked out.

“You’ll only wish you were dead.”

Knocking out Strange, the alien raised a portion of street pavement to use as a carrier. With a smirk, went over to Y/N.

“Thanos will be eager to meet you,” it said, using its powers to pick her up and tie her next to Strange. “Or kill you. Guess we’ll just have to see.”

next chapter >

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