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pi-cat000 · 3 years ago

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BNHA: Kakashi dimension hops crossover (4)

Summary: Kakashi gets dumbed into the My Hero Academia universe through random plot devise.

Characters: Kakashi Hatake

Fandoms: My Hero Academia and Naruto

WARNINGS: Mentions of violence/injury

START / PREV / NEXT

Doctor Wada makes an unscheduled appearance the same morning. Kakashi has the doctor’s schedule memorised and knows the man usually spends his first work hour in his office before checking in with various patients. The change is not unexpected.

“Ms Iori finished her rounds, marked everything as normal and handed the ward off without incident.” Wada and one of the floor’s morning shift nurses talk, voices lowered, too quiet for a regular person to pick up.

“It was called in around 4:15 am. We confirmed it as a burst blood vessel behind his quirked-eye, but we don’t know what triggered it. Without examining the eye itself it is hard to draw any definite conclusions. Since we don’t know what his quirk does, we didn’t want to risk staff safety without a specialist on hand.”

“Nothing else? No other symptoms?” Wada asks.

“No external bleeding. No signs of irritation around the eye socket. Clear, coherent verbal responses from the patient. Vitals are stable. The dressings on the eye were changed yesterday, and nothing was flagged then either.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Depressed at the thought of what amounted to a forced long-term infiltration mission, Kakashi’s attention drifts away from the hushed conversation. Kakashi has never been assigned to any extended infiltrations. Long, tedious things that they were. Jōnin were usually too valuable to waste on them. Even before he had made jōnin, his skillset lent itself to tracking, assassination, ambush and one on one combat not undercover assignments. It was just his luck -or maybe it was karma-that he had been shunted into one. Three years of ‘mingling’ amongst these soft-acting civilians, waiting to build enough chakra for an attempt at a technique he wasn’t even sure would work. It was enough to make even the most battle-hardened shinobi depressed.

Maybe he should run off and hide somewhere. He would skulk around for three years avoiding the locals. Less of a hassle that way. Kakashi lets out a weary breath.

“See if you can bump up that MRI. We need to make sure this isn’t anything serious,” Wada’s voice breaks through his musing as the doctor starts in the direction of Kakashi’s bed. The nurse he is talking with nods and leaves.

“Well, you have certainly had an eventful night,” Wada greats when he draws near, leaning in to visually scan Kakashi, “Let’s see what we have going on. Can you close your left eye for me so I can unwrap it?”

He habitually pushes down his natural discomfort at having a stranger close to his sharingan as the doctor reaches to tilt Kakashi’s head to the side for better access. If he was going to be stuck here then he should maintain his complacent, harmless persona. At least, until he leaves the hospital. Besides, if they had wanted to hurt him, they would have done it while he was unconscious.

“No swelling around your quirked-eye and the bleeding has stopped, that’s a good sign. We’ll run a few tests and get to bottom of this, not to worry.”

“Yeah. About that,” Kakashi rubs the back of his head to look sheepish and apologetic, “I might have tested out my, eh, quirk. You know…I wanted to see what it would do…”

There is a beat of silence, the older man drawing away, too surprised to respond.

“I think it lets me memorise things it sees?” Kakashi continues. Even if he wasn’t 100% sure about what he would do next, he is not about to abandon his shaky amnesia cover story.

“Of all the reckless, irresponsible decisions!” the doctor snaps out of his surprise moving straight into anger, “I expressly told you to wait and not to mess with it. You had no idea what sort of quirk it was! What if you had injured someone or yourself.” The concern seems pretty genuine and Kakashi almost feels bad for manipulating him.

“Young people these days…honestly. No patience.”

Young? It had been a while since anyone has called him that. Kakashi is practically ancient by shinobi standards. The response prompts a semi mournful, almost amused sigh from him, “I know, I know. I just wanted some sort of clue as to how I got here.”

The doctor takes a frustrated breath, calming “Yes. I know it’s frustrating, being restless and hold up in this bed for three straight weeks, but there is a procedure to these things. You got lucky that the only side effect was a burst blood vessel. Next time you want to test your quirk we’ll make sure it is in a controlled environment with an expert on hand. I don’t care if you have some sort of passive regeneration, quirks can be dangerous. The hospital has offsite testing facilities for a reason.”

“Yes. I understand. I won’t do it again,” he says dutifully and gets a huff of disbelief and a head shake.

“You better not.”

A pause.

“So.”

“So?” Kakashi raises a brow.

“So what did you discover? Explain it to me again.” Wada motions, impatient, repositioning a nearby chair so he can sit comfortably beside the bed.

“It lets me remember things…” Kakashi had given a lot of thought to what he wanted his fake ‘quirk’ to do without giving too much away, “I’m pretty sure I remember anything it looks at perfectly.”

A somewhat true explanation, in that recoding information and prefect recall was one facet of the sharingan; a side effect of its primary function which was to copy ninjustu and taijustu. The explanation also played into the diagnosis Wada had already written into his medical files, making it more believable.

“Then, lucky for you, something good came of your reckless behaviour.”

Kakashi just smiles which elicits the beginnings of another lecture. “Not that you should ever take quirk safety lightly. Quirk licenses exist for a reason. People can’t go about throwing their quirks around willynilly. A licence, I might add, that you don’t have.”

“Sorry. Sorry.”

After witnessing several televised reports on police arresting people for quirk misuse Kakashi knows the people here, for whatever reason, are leery when it comes to using their abilities. To the point where they actively outlaw it. He is banking on Wada being sympathetic enough not to push the matter.

Wada sighs again, “I’ll write it up as accidental use this time. Now. If your quirk lets you remember everything perfectly then what about your past memories. Any change on that front?”

“No. Still gone.”

“I see. That might mean the part of the brain linked to its memorisation function was damaged, disrupting the memories stored by the quirk,” Wada rubs his chin thoughtfully, “We’ll have to run a few more tests…a lot easier now that we know what it does I suppose.” Good. That was the conclusion he wanted Wada to come to.

“Alright, before we get to testing, were there any other side effects. Aches, pains, fatigue?”

Even as the man asks, he is pulling out a familiar penlight to shine in Kakashi’s regular eye.

“No. Nothing.”

What follows is his standard check-up routine. His vitals are recorded, his head checked over, the area around his sharingan examined thoroughly. Again. Well, as thoroughly as it could be examined without uncovering it. Next is an inspection of the chest wound he now knows is from Obito alongside a glance over his shoulder, arm and leg. Wada nods to himself as he goes, signalling that all is well.

“Your blood pressure is a little high for my liking. I’m guessing you didn’t sleep much last night what with how you were messing around with your quirk. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight,” Wada instructs as he fits Kakashi with a padded eyepatch instead of the usual wrap of bandages. He pauses to wait for a nod of confirmation.

“I will,” he blatantly lies. Kakashi hasn’t had a proper night sleep since waking up the first time, dozing for shortened intervals only. With so many squishy doctors around he doesn’t want to accidently hurt one of them should he be woken from a nightmare. It did put additional strain on his body.

Doctor Wada peers at him, “We’ll give you another week of monitoring then get some authorised quirk testing done. A brain scan as well. Depending on what we find, we’ll see what we can do about getting you a diagnosis and then discharged.”

“Hmm,” he answers, noncommittally. Not like he has anywhere else to go until then. If this were Konoha, he would have taken off long before now and seen to his remaining injuries alone. This would be the first time in a long while that he is waiting for an official discharge.

Guess he would be finding out how the hospital dealt with amnesiac patients after they healed. In Konoha, a displaced citizen would be given a menial labour job as part of the village’s many reconstruction projects and sent on their way. But this wasn’t Konoha and he should really stop with the comparisons.

He needs to decide what he wants to do: Take off, find somewhere secluded and wait the years out. Or hang around to try and salvage the situation. This world did have a lot of interesting technology so there might be value in getting a better feel for the society here. Maybe he would find something useful to take back as an apology for abandoning everyone…

What a mess this all was.

...

The following week has Kakashi splitting his time between gathering supplies for a chakra storage seal and reading through Wada’s patient files to get a sense for his upcoming quirk tests and ‘brain-scan.’

He also takes the time to read through everything else Wada has in his office - mainly medical journals - to better understand the biological differences inherent in a place without chakra. Primarily, the people were physically weaker. However, there were a lot of mutations or ‘secondary quirk factors’ which reinforced the body to better deal with the stress of the primary quirk. All interesting and potentially relevant information to remember when he got into fights. Once he knew a person’s quirk he would be able to guess how their body was reinforced and act accordingly. A fire quirk would make someone naturally heat resistant but not impact resistant, is what Kakashi concludes as he re-reads the profile of current number two hero ‘Endeavour.’ The magazines gifted to him by Iori all contain a statistical breakdown of the top 10 heroes, their strengths, weaknesses, and their criminal apprehension and crime prevention rates. It is a list that rarely changes between issues. He commits it all to memory, idly planning out combat strategies that didn’t involve obvious ninjutsu or chakra use. It helps pass the time when he is not trying to make sense of what he sees on television or stalking various people around the hospital.

At the end of the week, he steals Wada’s fountain pen, adding it to his growing pen hoard which he stashes in a vent on the roof. The storage seal he wants to make is complex and would need ink to complete. A mix between a chakra-draining-seal-trap and a storage scroll, it is well on its way to completion.

The seal would drain his chakra at a consistent and manageable rate, store it efficiently, and give him a way to turn the chakra drain off and on at will. Also, as a precaution, he includes an emergency stop in case his chakra levels became dangerously low, so it didn’t accidentally kill him if he fell unconscious.

The seal would need to be positioned somewhere on his body in a spot where the doctors wouldn’t immediately notice. He doesn’t what to explain why he suddenly has a tattoo. If he had had access to properly made fūinjutsu ink, the seal would be invisible. Alas, he would have to make do with chakra-infused pen ink.

Kakashi manages to keep himself busy enough that he expertly avoids making any concrete decision on what he wants to do with the next three years.

Note: this is slowly turning into a medical drama

#bnha #naruto #CrossOver #my hero academia #hatake kakashi #kakashi headcanons #dimension travel AU #fanfiction #world building #culture shock

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jjaeong · 4 years ago

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The Heiress, & The Twelve. Act I.

Episode III: From, Eden.

Series: KPOP Girl Group: 이달의 소녀 (LOONA).

Pairing: OT12 & Mafia Heiress Female Reader.

Summary: After the weekend came closing in, the members took Y/N to Eden—a run-down castle in the middle of the woods that served as the hideout of the Twelve—where Haseul met up with them to deliver grave news about a Family from another city stirring a reputation in their own. As if things couldn't get any worse—the members made a mistake of taking their eyes off the Heiress for a moment, leaving Y/N faced with a stranger whom she couldn't identify if they were a friend, or foe.

You stirred awake at the sudden series of knocks that pounded aggressively against your door, making you groan against your pillow before turning to your side, expecting the sight of Heejin laying on her back with her mouth wide open as she slept peacefully next to you—or even Hyunjin sitting in the middle of their supposed-to-be shared bed meditating—only to be met by the complete absence of your two roommates, left with a tidied bed and “Jeon Stitchie” laid down next you instead. The sight was already odd enough as is, knowing that the two had barely given you enough room to breathe by yourself since the start of the week and for them to suddenly break the ongoing pattern had piqued your interest even at your drowsed state.

And how Jeon Stitchie was perfectly tucked under your blanket next to you, laying on his back just like how Heejin always did before Hyunjin walks through the doors—already in her uniform—to pull the blankets off of your sleeping figures with a roaring “Jeon Heejin, Y/L/N Y/N, stand by!” as if her life had depended on it.

You barely had time to reach the door before the lock clicked open—completely catching you off guard—and the door almost hitting you as it swung aggressively to hit the wall beside it, making you stumble back and grab ahold of your closet to stare at the familiar figure with a hand on the door handle that scanned your room with sharp eyes.

“Jiwoo-unnie, did you just—how did you even—you picked the lock on my door!” Jiwoo’s razor-sharp gaze landed on yours, the serious look on her face completely disappearing into a radiant smile that had seemed almost too ecstatic for such an early morning.

But it was Kim Jiwoo, there was never a day since you’ve met her that she was never not beaming.

“And it only took me ten seconds! I usually go for fifteen but I was worried because you didn’t sound like you were breathing—”

“You can hear me breathing from.. Behind my door..?” Jiwoo stared at you, completely puzzled for a moment before she smiled brightly yet again—as if what she said was completely normal, after all.

“Well, we’ll be downstairs once you’re done getting ready. We’re going somewhere really special, so.. Just get to it!” Jiwoo waved her hands dismissively, walking backwards as she continued to face you on the way to leave the room—and when she did, you could faintly hear her start mumbling to herself just before she shut the door behind her.

“Is it just me? I thought everyone can feel if someone’s not as responsive as they’re supposed to be behind a door?”

Standing there, as bewildered as you can get from the sudden events at such an early timeframe—you started to get ready to face the first weekend with the members. As you prepared yourself for the day, your mind recalled the notebook you’ve filled out since Heejin had told you to ask her whenever you had any questions about the family—so you did, staying up every single night with the older girl since then, resulting into Heejin completely dozing off in your bed so she just decided to invite herself over to just sleep in your bed ever since—with only minor details written in the pages about the family. Most of the notes written in them weren’t even about the family itself, but the role of each member in the group—their numbers, colors, animals—it was almost confusing why they had to be categorized in such a way but the more you learnt about them, with Heejin’s insight as well, you learnt just as much as the girl could provide.

But the main idea as to what exactly The Twelve stood for, and how they were hand picked by your Grandfather and raised under the same roof as he did awfully made sense. The reason for why he picked them was to form some sort of decoy system, in which if ever anyone would’ve have had any idea about the future boss of your family—the suspected child would’ve been within the Twelve, which would further conceal your identity and not have you connected with them until the day of his passing. Apparently that wasn’t all, because though the members were raised to play as an impostor—they were heavily trained in numerous trials in order to become full aces as individuals, where each girl can hold their own with almost no effort needed. You remembered how Heejin’s pondering look turned to face your stunned expression, to which the girl couldn’t help but laugh at before pointing back down to where you had stopped writing—stating that there was more to it but you’ll get to it after the class had finished.

And even as you slipped on a pair of jeans and a large sweater, with your eyes stuck on the blue stuffed alien on under your blankets—your mind wandered towards the sudden change in your reality at the unexpected impact of the Twelve girls whom were strategically planned to keep you safe since they were even barely of age.

The thought of taking away the members’ childhood just to cover up for your own, however..

You could almost hear Jiwoo’s furious voice piercing through your dejected state and all the other members trying brush off the emotion that had suddenly seemed to have come over you.

Sighing to yourself, you reached over to grab your phone from the dresser to find the notebook neatly placed on the surface next to it. You didn’t have to guess which one of the two had been the one to place it when you pulled the first page open—finding several pink sticky notes and a few yellow sticky notes that seemed to be arguing points throughout your notes, something that never seemed to have ended even in real life when Heejin would try her best to tell the story in the best way she could only for Hyunjin to completely dismiss it and retell the entire thing in the most suspenseful manner. If you could remember correctly, Jiwoo had called them “2jin” every time they pass by the three of you at the halls—spelling it out for you just before Heejin started to whine and Hyunjin telling the two of them to shut up.

“Y/N! Hurry up!” you heard Jungeun shout from downstairs, making you just grab your phone and walk out of your room to make your way down the stairs. You’ve managed to reach the kitchen just as Jungeun leaned back from the kitchen counter after handing Jinsol some sort of document, a stern expression set on the younger girl’s features before she looked up at you to only frown.

“About time, go eat and then we’ll leave.”

“Where are Heejin and Hyunjin?” you asked just as Jiwoo came skipping past you from the front door, holding a bunch of other documents to place in front of Jungeun and Jinsol with a small smile which stretched into a full beaming one when she watched you silently take the plastic wrapped plate of omelet fried rice that Sooyoung had prepared for you before she left in the morning—not bothering to heat it up in the over because Sooyoung’s cooking was just that good, warm or not.

“Ran some errands for Haseul-unnie, they’re most likely in Eden by now.” Jungeun answered, eyes continuing to scan the documents with Jinsol sipping on her mug as she peered over the girl’s shoulder. However, your eyes caught the sight of the older girl’s eyes lingering every few seconds on Jungeun’s side-profile which also didn’t seem to pass by easily from Jiwoo’s vision as she made eye contact with you, a huge grin set on her lips.

“Eden is your hideout, right? Exclusively The Twelve’s?” the three were left speechless, staring at you as you eyed each one of them from one girl to the other while shoving a spoonful of fried rice into your mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

“Who.. It was Heejin, wasn’t it?” Jinsol was the first to break the silence, to which caught you off guard at how the girl had even found it in herself to speak to you as you thought she despised her the entire time. The girl speaking to you was enough for you to know that it indeed wasn’t anything that had concerned you—her outburst from the first day—but only was her panic settling in. But the initiative wasn’t entirely enough confirmation that she couldn’t dislike you further if you replied with too much enthusiasm, so you only replied with a hum and a nod—shoving another spoonful in your mouth as you swallowed down the mouthful from earlier, “called it, that kid—really..”

“This saves us the trouble of having to explain everything to Y/N on our own though! Can you believe that my animal is a Penguin—Y/N? Oh—and that I became part of The Twelve because one of the goons cornered me while I was on the way home from school? I was so scared! But it was so fun because once I reached Mobius—they told me I was going to be part of something huge! I was nine!” you choked on your fried rice, making Jinsol instinctively hand you the mug in her hand to which you took gratefully, not minding that the contents were just milk as you gulped down the drink slowly.

“I don’t think Heejin told her how we became part of The Twelve though..” Jinsol pieced from your shaken state before she looked back at Jiwoo who just looked at you in confusion.

“Why not? I think my story was fun.”

“Jiwoo-unnie.. No. Just—no.” Jungeun finally fixed the documents in her hands, slipping them into the file folder before looking up at the three of you and breathing in deeply before shooting you a small smile.

“Let’s go? Jinsol-unnie’s driving us today.”

“Ooh! I’m so excited to see the kids—Hyejoo! Yerim! Yeojin!” Jiwoo started chanting as she left the kitchen with Jungeun tailing her with an already tired look on her face. Quickly wrapping the plastic cover over you half-finished meal, you placed it in the fridge before turning to also follow after them when you spotted Jinsol standing by the hallway with her eyes trained on her shoes—keeping her eyes on them as you passed by the dark haired girl with your head hung low, avoiding the downcast expression on the girl’s face as she followed behind you to her car.

Another time, perhaps.

It wasn’t as far as you’ve expected, in full honesty you didn’t expect to have seen a sudden clearing from the city as it connected with a highway that was surrounded by tall trees from the sides—a completely different scene from the usual tall skyscrapers, you were almost certain that you’ve been in most of the places in town but you’ve never been through this part of it at all. But as Jinsol continued to speed through the highway, with Jungeun’s eyes stuck on the scenery by her window and Jiwoo’s wiggling feet as she kept looking through everyone’s windows from her seat like an excited child—Jinsol turned the car off the road and past a clearing that seemed to well placed for it to even stand out as an entry point of some sort. The dark haired girl that had owned the blue muscle car stopped just in front of a tall, rustic black gate that was supported by a two chipped pillars that looked just about as ancient as it could get had you sitting up from your seat to stare out your window—your eyes making eye contact with a small-scale CCTV camera at the end of one of the pillars, something you could’ve easily missed if the lens didn’t move for a split-second for you to find it zooming right back at you.

“It’s Hyejoo, Y/N. I got out of Jungie’s car to do cartwheels for her once—but she opened the gate before I can even step out of the car ever since. She grows up so fast, it’s actually breaking my heart but,” Jiwoo leaned over to your console, scrambling to lower your window and practically get on top of you as you yelped, not having enough time to react when the girl smiled brightly at the camera and waved aggressively to it’s direction, “Son Hyejoo! We’re—” the older girl didn’t even have to speak further as the gates automatically pushed open, making Jinsol automatically drive through them and make Jiwoo stagger in your hold but not before the girl managed to throw a heart at the camera one last time before sitting back down on her seat with a contented smile as you shut your window through your state of shock.

“She’s never letting you even get a few feet closer to her once we get to the house.” Jungeun turned from her seat to tease the girl whom was beaming to herself just before her best friend’s comment, the animated girl’s eye twitched before she leaned over to the girl’s chair to menacingly threaten the girl into repeating what she just had said.

Jinsol pulled over at the front of the establishment—as much as a run-down castle as Heejin had explained to you about—and was the first to get out of the car to walk over to Kahei’s awaiting figure by the beginning of the steps with a bouncy Yerim running over to the dark haired girl to embrace the girl in greeting. You had stepped out of the vehicle to study the area that could almost indeed pass as a deserted location that was unkempt by the owner of the land with leaves on the pathway, the paint from the castle walls chipping off it’s frame, everything looked just as untouched as a hidden landmark that almost looked as if it were thousands of years old. The only thing that showed any signs of recent activity around the area were the light tire tracks on the pavement, warm-toned lights that peeked through the dark blue curtains, the perfectly trimmed bushes that were set around the front of the castle—and the fountain in the middle of the arrangement of bushes that oddly seemed to be clean, as if someone had took great care to not let it become a breeding ground for mosquitos or any other harmful insects.

“Y/N, stop ogling around and get inside. It’s getting cold out!” Jungeun called for you yet again, making you turn to look at the girls whom had seemed to have waited for you by the steps as you stood there next to Jinsol’s car in daze. Your face flushed as the five girls stared at you expectantly, and so you rushed to get meet them at the top of the stairs—with Yerim giggling and Kahei smiling warmly at you and your members before she pushed the doors open, for you to only gape at the thousands of paintings that had decorated the lobby luxuriously.

“It’s pretty cool, right?” a soft-spoken voice cut through the Opera music that had played through the halls, Park Chaewon whom had now seemed to have a faded shade of her mint colored hair from the last week smiled kindly at you. Greeting her members with a smile as well just as the girl with the dark aura who had always seemed to be by her side, Son Hyejoo, didn’t even dare hide the exasperated expression on her features as her eyes set on Jiwoo.

But you could tell she was just teasing when a smile broke through her irritated features as Jiwoo tackled her in her spot—the older girl squealed, squeezing the life out of the supposed “fed up” girl as she was caught in the tightest embrace that the older girl had always given her.

“Let’s get to the meeting hall, Haseul-unnie has an announcement to make.”

“What is it about?” Jinsol asked, turning to Kahei who had furrowed her brows in thought, looking up to your expectant look to only shrug.

“She never mentioned having any announcements until Sooyoungie came..” Chaewon led your group through the hallway, with Jiwoo and Yerim clinging onto Hyejoo's arms in front of you. Jinsol, Jungeun and Kahei followed silently from behind as your eyes scanned what seemed to be a never ending arrangement of paintings that hung on the walls—and to your right revealing an open glass-ceiling garden through the glass doors, a large apple tree rooted in the middle of the field with several sofa chairs by the corners and a few training equipment such as dummies here and there. You couldn't have missed the string lights that circled over the tree and its branches to spread over the ceiling—which had your mind reeling at how cozy the certain part of the castle would look like in the evening.

"Unnie, we're home!" Jiwoo announced just as you entered the meeting hall, finding two figures standing next to each other with a dark blue velvet chair between them as they leaned over several photographs on the black-tinted glass table with golden-painted legs. Haseul stood hunched over the documents with a calculating look on her face, with Sooyoung towering over the images with a distressed expression on her face as Heejin, Hyunjin, and Yeojin sat on their respective seats—all seemed to be arranged on each side of the long table by odds and evens, with the silhouette of their animal representatives delicately embroidered on the back of each chair, their colored gems playing as it's eyes for each one.

Haseul was the first to look up at you, a troubled yet small smile settling on her lips as she leaned back to eye your members whom had eased on their own seats, with you scanning the few chairs that had obviously belonged to a specific member.

"Y/N, this is your seat." Haseul placed a hand on the top of the seat next to her, looking over to Sooyoung who gathered the papers in her hand to flash you an apologetic smile—as if revealing that the announcement that Haseul was about to make would be yet another turning point for you. However, you decided to suck it up by swallowing the hesitation down your throat to make your way towards their end of the table, your eyes glancing over to the two members that would've sat closest to you—Hyunjin, whom had a distant look on her face and Heejin, who kept her eyes locked on the desk without any word—before nearing Haseul who had pulled the chair back for you as Sooyoung started to make her way over to her own chair with her head down.

"The boss has.. Arrived." Haseul dragged slowly once you've stood in front of the chair, your eyes snapping over to your members that had stood up from their seats as Haseul reached hers—seated right next to Heejin—just before the members bowed in sync, panic quickly settling inside of you at the sight of the Twelve suddenly aligned perfectly right in front of your eyes.

"Welcome to Eden, Twelfth Boss of the Y/L/N Family." the members greeted in chorus as you stood there with wide eyes, opening your mouth to say something but when nothing came out—Heejin slightly tilted her head to lock eyes with you, and with an encouraging look, you managed to face the awaiting members with a slightly determined look.

"Thank you, I—Um.. At.. Ease..?" your words seemed to have done its job when the members eased themselves back down on their seats, making you scramble to sit in yours but not before making direct eye contact with Jiwoo that seemed to be stifling a laugh—with Yerim in your view as well, who shot you an encouraging smile. Haseul then stood up from her seat, almost everyone's eyes looking up to the girl—with the exclusion of Hyunjin and Heejin—to listen to what the woman had called the meeting for, Haseul turning to scan all the members as if counting them before she nodded, turning to Sooyoung who had quickly walked over to he leader to hand her the documents from earlier.

"I've called for a meeting today—for this one announcement, something that.. We haven't encountered since the passing of Y/N's parents," Haseul laid out several photographs of young men in black suits, the images seemingly caught around town as a different man was seen holding a picture in hand, asking civilians if they could identify whatever—or whoever—it was they were looking for, "these were taken just three days ago, by our people. The idea was that these mystery men wanted nothing but to simply look for someone in the city but.." Haseul bit the inside of her cheek to eye Heejin carefully, looking up at you before pointing at one specific picture of a slim figure with sharp eyes and blank features.

"This man has been identified to be Jeon Wonwoo of the Lee Family, the same family that is subsidiary to.. The Jeon Family," it didn't take you a minute to figure out that it wasn't entirely coincidental that the last name was from one of your own, but finding Heejin's fists clenched from under the tinted glass was already proof enough of her ties to the mentioned Family, "We've only observed their patterns for the past three days, they've always sent different men each time but—I didn't think they'd send someone high-profile.."

"But we don't know that yet, Unnie! They could just be looking for a runaway member for all we know! Right..?" Yerim countered, looking over to Kahei who had now leaned back against her seat to tilt her head in thought. Haseul stared down at the photographs on the table before looking back to Kahei as well, eyes hesitant as she did.

"Vivi."

"I doubt that they're here for anything other than finding out how exactly we're running the Family without a real boss, they're here for Y/N and her alone. Heejin, however.." Kahei trailed off to glance at the rigid younger girl beside the Leader, her sharp gaze moving to you before she hummed as if she had finally come to a conclusion, "they wouldn't have banished her for them to start looking everywhere after, but the chances of it aren't high—not entirely non-existent as well."

Kahei turned back to stare at you again for a moment before nodding and looking up at Haseul’s calculating gaze, a firm expression set on the eldest girl’s features.

“They’re here for Y/N, but the plan goes with keeping Heejin and Hyunjin at the Mansion with you once they finally decide on a proper visit. Three days at most, they won’t stay here long unless.. They want something else.” your eyes kept moving from one member to another, your thumb brushing against the ring on your finger as you assessed the situation slowly.

“And that something else being..?” the members’ eyes snapped over to troubled look as Haseul slowly settled down on her seat, eyes stuck on the images on the desk with a pained expression as Jungeun tore her eyes away from you to rest her chin on her prepped knuckles on the glass—a pensive look on her face.

“They want to test us.” the members all sat in silence for a moment, avoiding each other’s gaze as they contemplated the sudden strained atmosphere at the announcement. However, the members looked composed as if they knew exactly which steps to take next if ever it had come down to it—but that didn’t entirely seem to reassure them, they’ve decided on what their move would be and now it was the opposing family’s turn.

It was then you realized that your arrival at Eden would be only kept brief for the moment, and after the meeting everyone would return back to their usual posts and continue as planned.

“I have suspicions that tomorrow would be the day their Family would pay us a visit, what I need from the six of you,” Haseul turned to look at Jungeun, Jiwoo, Chaewon, Yerim, Hyejoo, and Yeojin with a wary eyes, “is to double the security. Y/N is our main priority—but you are all suspects of their search as well.”

“Let Heejin stay with you, I can protect Y/N better if—”

“No, if they take Jeon with them.. They wouldn’t think our Heiress is there at all, the more uncertainty the better. You are staying with us, Hyunjin.” Hyunjin clenched her jaw at the finality of Haseul’s decision as the Leader then looked back to meet your distressed expression.

“Y/N, you’ll be left with the six and Jinsol nearby, you’ll be just as safe as you were since their arrival. Your job is to find the closest member you can if things get out of hand—if the members don’t find you first.”

“Worst case scenario..?” you questioned with a small voice as Haseul leaned back on her seat to stare at a dispirited Yeojin in front of her.

“Casualties, mostly civilians. We’ll be notified to evacuate you before anyone else.”

“Okay.” you answered shortly, staring down at the ring in your hand—slightly feeling the burn that had come with the title of your name. The members started to converse with themselves about how exactly they’d approach the situation, who had their schedules aligned with you—and if no one was close enough to you a member or two would lay down their class hours to make sure that you were within their sight. You spaced out for the rest of the meeting, only being snapped out of your daze when it was time for you to leave with Sooyoung as Haseul asked Jinsol to stay for a while longer. Sooyoung had an arm wrapped over your shoulders as soon as you had reached her by the entrance of the hall, your eyes locked with the image of Yeojin standing next to Haseul's chair as she spoke with her older sister.

As Sooyoung pulled out of the drive way with radio playing in the background as you rested your head against the window—something you've always done since Sooyoung had gotten the vehicle from her "part-time job" that had now been revealed to be a Mafia member—you reached over to jab a finger on Sooyoung’s shoulder without even looking at her. The older girl glanced at you from her seat, swatting your hand away before shaking her head and sighing at the realization that you were trying to grab her attention because this was actually the first time it's only been the two of you since the members had appeared in your living room.

"You're annoying." Sooyoung told you when you slipped your shoes off to pull your knees up to your chest, still leaning against your door as you kept your eyes locked on the scenery in front of you—with the comfortable silence taking over the car yet again.

"Since when?" your question broke through the silence, making her straighten on her back to glance at you before facing the road ahead of her. She took a few seconds before comprehending what exactly you meant by the question.

"Nine. I first heard your name when I was nine," Sooyoung started, drumming her fingers lightly against the wheel as she thought carefully at the speech she had planned since the beginning, letting out a heavy breath before continuing, "our parents were close—with my parents serving under your Family, just as my family did before them—but they were really close. It was your Mom that asked my parents to take you in if ever something happened." the older girl could feel your perceptive eyes locked on the side of her face as she kept her own locked on the view of the sun that had slowly set in front of you two.

“And when I reached the age of ten I was initiated into the Twelve, you’ve only been my sister for about four months since then.”

“You just accepted? Just like that?” you asked the older girl who’s lips broke into a small smile.

“It was hard not to say I didn’t want a little sister when you stood there by the boss—with my family and I standing in the middle of fifty-thousand men—looking so lost and completely unaware of where you’d be in a couple of years,” Sooyoung glanced over to you with a pained look on her face, “you were six, Y/N. Do you even remember what the Mansion even looked like?” you pursed your lips before shaking your head, finding it oddly concerning about not having any memories connected to the Family.

“I can vaguely remember their voices—my parents, but other than that.. I just brushed it off thinking that your parents were my own so..”

“Well technically, they are but.. They’re still your parents too, Y/N.” Sooyoung reassured you, something that tugged on your heartstrings before you snorted at the older girl but nodded in reply.

“But, Unnie,” the older girl hummed as you nibbled on your bottom lip in thought, eyeing the view from the windshield to collect your thoughts before looking back at Sooyoung, “I didn’t just.. Take away your childhood, right? The girls—Jiwoo-unnie was from that orphanage, Mobius, I didn’t—”

“Oh, no—Y/N, it’s nothing like that. The Y/L/N Family had been in partnership with their foundation for as long as I can remember, we don’t just take kids from that place. It just serves as an option for those kids who weren’t able to be adopted or—in Jiwoo’s case—if they were was exceptional. She knew what she was getting into, so she had matching last names with Jungeun.”

“But she said she was cornered?” Sooyoung broke into a short laugh, shaking her head before facing you with a full smile.

“She out-smarted fifteen goons on the way home from school, yes that was real. And like I said—she’s exceptional.” you tilted your head at the amused expression that remained on Sooyoung’s face as she turned back to the road ahead of you two. The image of a young Jiwoo swiftly sprinting through several alleys with fifteen goons scrambling to catch up to her was stuck in your mind, making you lean back on your chair with your eyes set on the ceiling of the car as you wondered about how the other girls had come to become a part of the Twelve.

And Sooyoung had just mentioned Jungeun—could it be that she was also from Mobius?

“Y/N,” Sooyoung called for you, making you tear your eyes away from the ceiling to look up at your older sister whom looked back at you with a somber expression on her features—the complete opposite of what she had just looked for only but a few moments ago, “I know there would be a time where you’d start to think that this is your fault—maybe you’ve already thought this through but I just want you to know that it isn’t. The boss—as selfish as his intentions may be—had always treated us more than children he’d pick up to hide his only grandchild, he treated us like an actual member of the family, Y/N. Your Grandfather was a great man, and.. Your parents were, as well.” you tore your eyes away from the older girl for her to only reach over and place a hand on top of your hand, where your ring sat as a reminder of who exactly you were.

“Haseul wasn’t lying about the Family’s values, your Family’s values. The only reason why we’re the strongest out there at this moment is because our people believe in us, they believe in the vision that your name brought and they would do anything to keep it alive. We’ll do everything to keep you alive to carry it on, Y/N,” Sooyoung’s hand tightened around yours as you kept your eyes locked on the window beside you, feeling her burning gaze as the car pulled into a halt by a stop light, “because you’re the only one that can maintain that peace, you’re the only person our people will willingly listen to because you have the blood of the bosses running in your veins. I know you’re a good kid too, Y/N. You’ll become just as great as they were, I just know it.”

“Everything still just—feels so new to me. I don’t know what to tell you, Unnie” you breathed, feeling Sooyoung’s hand loosen for a second before she sighed on her seat to pat your hand gently, pulling them away just as the light turned green. You then basked at the silence that had settled in the car yet again, but it was easily cut short when Sooyoung had reached over to pinch your arm and started to ask you how you’ve been since the members had acquainted themselves with you. The entire car ride consisted of you and Sooyoung catching up with the heavy details and the light ones as well, with the night quickly setting in and for the first time for an entire week you had your room all to yourself—with the bed next to you empty, but Jeon Stitchie still remained laying under the covers next to you.

“Ugh, I’m beat. See you later, Y/N!”

One of your classmates waved over to you as you jogged out of the field to find the nearest vending machine which stood by the entrance of the school. You groaned once you spotted the taped “out of order” sign on the glass, turning to make a beeline for the vending machine by the parking lot by the shed in front of the school—with only the idea of having a cold drink in hand after a strenuous day in PE. Pumping your fists to yourself when you’ve reached the machine, you dug through the pockets of your pants to find just about enough money to shove into the slot and acquire a cold beverage. Twisting the cap open and quickly taking in a few mouthfuls of the cold drink, you sighed to yourself as you stared at the machine in front of you gratefully before looking down at your drink in hand and sitting down on the empty bench next to the machine.

“Hello.”

Hey,

I took a break from writing since it was my brother’s birthday a few days ago, and I’ve experienced a short “writer’s block” which was honestly.. Infuriating. And for that, I am writing again and will be uploading Episode IV shortly because.. I can still see the imagery.

By the way, while I was gone we’ve hit 30..ish plus followers? I’d love to interact with you guys and ask you guys what you think but honestly, it’s just not my thing —interacting with my readers, I mean. The last time I had a writing account was back in 2014 if I remember correctly, and let’s just say a close friend of mine thought that it was alright to share it to everyone we meet lmao.

I’ve realized that the reason I find such things uncomfortable was because writing is something I hold close to me, it’s personal because I created this in my head—and for it to fall into the wrong hands is upsetting. And so I keep these things to myself, but I guess it’s just LOONA’s effect that got me back into this head space. But I love this group so much, it’s hard to keep everything at arms length when these girls make you want to reach out and open yourself up to the world.

Honestly the type of people you could only dream to be surrounded with, right?

Alright, this is Episode III’s author’s note. I guess if I were to start interacting with you all—the first thing I would ask is who’s your bias in this group.

Mine is Aeongie.

Laters,

JJ.

>ovc: loonatheworld (180613)

https://youtu.be/P7THoYMANxc

youtube

40 notes · View notes

valhallanrose · 4 years ago

Text

Show Your Fangs

After years of feeling aimless, Astoria finds an unexpected avenue to reassert control.

You can find the rest of the Cursetaker arc of Astoria’s story here.

3.9k words. CW for attempted manipulation.

Title: Show Your Fangs by The Crane Wives

On the eve of their twentieth birthday, Astoria found themself climbing into the rigging of the Moorish Lady, thighs locked firmly around the rope and hair ripping free of its haphazard bun to dance in the breeze that made the sails grow full. The sky was starry overhead, the moon broad and full, and not a cloud blocked their light as they were guided back to Rosinmoor.

At this vantage, they could see the peaks of Castle Kintyre, the colors of the stained glass windows melting together into hues of rose and gold from the distance they were at now. Idly, they wondered if their family was waiting in the great hall to meet them before they sat down for dinner.

Castle Kintyre had seemed so big the first time they left. And rationally, they knew that was simple perception - of course it would have seemed literally bigger when they themself had been smaller in stature, but it was somewhat amusing all the same. The Whitethorn Citadel was perhaps the same size, if they had to hazard a guess, but...this had been their world, once. A life behind stone walls, in rolling fields and on rocky cliffs, on stone beaches and crystal lakes - a life that had once seemed utterly satisfying was as peaceful as it was positively boring.

Funny to think how big the world had gotten when they had the opportunity to see it all.

“...toria!”

They were pulled from their musing when a voice, somewhat swept away by the wind, managed to reach their ears. Astoria shifted their grip on the rope, looking down at the deck to see their grandmother standing far below with a somewhat amused look on her face.

“Are you really going to make me climb up there?” Myrna called playfully, tapping her cane on the deck a few times. “I’d love to, but I’ve only got one good knee, and I’d like to keep it that way for at least another ten years.”

Astoria cracked a smile, carefully unwinding the rope that had been wrapped around their right leg and letting out a small gasp as they dropped down faster than they’d anticipated.

With a huff and a gloved hand raked through their hair, they began the descent down, sliding slowly as to keep control, until they were perhaps three feet off the ground and could simply let go and let their boots thump firmly on the deck in front of Myrna.

“Time to go?”

“Soon, dear.” Myrna sighed, offering her arm to Astoria, to which they set their hand in the crook of her arm and frowned as they fell into step beside her.

“Why do I have a feeling I won’t like where this is going, granny?”

Myrna leaned against the side of the ship, smoothing silver curls behind her ear as she gazed out over the Strait of Seals. Neither of them paid mind to the crew, who began to prep the ship for it to pull into the inlet at the base of the Cliffs of Balgaire, knowing that they both would be more likely to be in the way than helpful on a journey at night and respectfully staying out of their way.

“You know I’ve been writing Malvina.” She began, and Astoria nodded, folding her arms across their chest and tilting their head back to look up at the sky.

Despite no longer being clan head, Malvina was well involved in the background of Canonach affairs - Astoria remembered clearly the days that the matriarch had joked that she had her nose so tied to clan affairs she’d be buried with it poking out of the ground to sniff out gossip.

With Astoria’s permission, Myrna had written to her not long after their enrollment at the Citadel, detailing as much as she could to explain what had happened in the weeks prior to keep someone in the family in the loop. And for all Malvina loved gossip, a secret laid with her would be locked up as tight as a vault should you ask to keep it that way. Not even her wife, Lorraine, would be privy to such a request - an agreement that Lorraine knew at least meant something was serious.

“I do. She’s written to me a few times - sent me new gloves for my birthday.” Astoria wiggled their fingers subconsciously, the leather of the gloves in question already molded to their hands like a second skin. “Is she alright?”

Myrna chuckled, Astoria catching her nod out of her peripheral. “Oh, she’s fine. Lorraine caught a nasty fever a few weeks ago, but they’re both right as rain. But...Malvina’s kept things quiet, as you asked. I wanted to ask you if you plan to tell the family while you’re home, or if we should continue to keep this between us for the time being. Whatever your decision, I respect it, but I would like to walk in and be on the same page as you before we face the rest of them.”

Astoria was quiet for a long, long moment, closing their eyes and letting the calls of the crew fill the gap between them before they managed to muster up the words they wanted.

“I haven’t been home since I was fifteen, if I remember right. Before Bulan. I’d like at least one last week where I know things will be normal.” Slowly, Astoria reached up, gathering their hair in both hands and refastening their lazy knot at the nape of their neck - letting their hands fall to rest on the sides of their neck as they glanced back to Myrna.

“Those first days in Galbrada...I had to repeat myself so many times, tell my story so many times, be picked at and interrogated and smothered so many times. I love my family, but I have no doubt it will be a repeat of that all over again.”

Myrna nodded slowly, turning to rest her back against the railing and folding her hands over the silver-wrought handle of her cane. “I thought that might be the case. Still, I just wanted to be sure. You’ve got a knack for surprising me, my little rascal.”

Astoria laughed as Myrna threw an arm around their waist, dragging them into an embrace and smiling as they pressed their face to the crown of Myrna’s head and buried their nose in her curls.

They would remain like that until the Moorish Lady finally came to a stop at the shores, and together, they took the first steps onto dry land - the first steps on the soil of their home.

* * * * *

Coming back was...eventful.

By the time Myrna and Astoria had made it up to Castle Kintyre, the hour was late, and though the family had already eaten - Myrna and Astoria had been unsure when during the day they’d arrive exactly - they were happy to linger and chat while the visiting Canonachs raided the kitchens for leftovers.

Many of the youngest cousins had gone to bed by the time they’d arrived, as well as some of the more daytime inclined relatives (Myrna grumbled about her own twin being a wuss for going to bed before the clock struck twelve) who would likely receive word of their arrival by morning.

Astoria did not miss the gap left by Senga, or their step-father, James, both of whom had apparently been perfectly lively until the Moorish Lady was spotted by a scout, but they couldn’t find it in themself to care. Their mother had a habit of making herself scarce when Myrna came to visit. Their grandmother was the embodiment of ‘hell hath no fury’, and Astoria vividly remembered the thorough reaming her mother was given after the incident in the library all those years ago.

It’d been kept largely quiet among the family - only Myrna, Senga, Astoria, and Malvina knew the whole story - but gods if it didn’t make the holidays tense.

Still, Astoria felt light as they left the hall, filled with joy for seeing their family again and looking forward to the following morning - they’d already received many early birthday wishes - when they’d get to see the rest of them over a traditional Moorish breakfast. The day had been long, as had the journey, and they were looking forward to crashing in the comfort of their bed and letting sleep claim them.

The way to their bedroom was muscle memory no matter how long they’d been gone. Down the hall, to the left, shortcut through the lounge, nestled in the corner with two broad windows looking out over the grounds toward the Frozen Sea and the twinkling lights of Rosafearn in the distance. Absolutely the best room in the castle - it had been Astor’s, once, until he explicitly stated the only person who would take over the space would be Astoria. It’d long since been painted and redecorated, but the old armchair set by the window had been his and would remain there until it crumbled the next time Astoria put their ass in it.

They closed the bedroom door behind them with a tired sigh, reaching to undo the buttons of their blouse as they strode across the room -

Only for the light to click on unbidden and a voice greeted Astoria from across the room.

“Hello, Catriona.”

Astoria yelped, scrambling to clasp their shirt together as Senga leveled them with a cool stare that somehow made them feel more naked than they actually were.

“Bloody - hell are you sitting there in the dark like that for?” They breathed, trying to calm themself as Senga folded her hands neatly in her lap and held Astoria’s gaze.

Astoria always knew they had their father’s eyes - somewhere between blue and green, depending on who was looking - but Senga’s had always been like ice. Pale, pale blue, almost white, and absolutely unnerving when she looked at you like you were something to be gained.

Something in her eyes made Astoria think they were, to her, the greatest prize of all.

“This is my home, I have every right to be where I please. Is it so wrong that I wished to spend a few moments with my child?” She asked, smoothing the single silver curl she had behind her ear and uncrossing her legs.

“...no, I suppose not.” Astoria murmured, sitting cautiously on the edge of the bed nearest to her and buttoning their shirt back up as Senga leaned forward in her seat. “How are you, mother?”

“Peachy, darling, absolutely peachy.” She reached for a sheaf of paper on the coffee table, leafing through the pages idly as she spoke, cutting straight to the point when she looked back up and offered them to Astoria. “You know, I’m hurt you never wrote to me once while you were away. You wrote to Malcolm, for birthdays, and you wrote to your cousins a few times...and Malvina. Oh, you wrote so many times to Malvina, you and my mother. I’m counting, what, thirty letters since you went to Galbrada?”

Astoria’s heart dropped like a stone into their stomach as Senga tutted, throwing the papers back on the table when Astoria didn’t reach to take them. She rose from Astor’s armchair, skirts sweeping across the rugs until she had Astoria’s chin grasped tenderly between her fingers and forced them to meet her gaze.

“Why would you hide something like this from me, darling?” Senga crooned, tucking a bit of hair behind Astoria’s ear. “You know you can tell me anything. We don’t keep secrets from family, remember? Secrets lead to strife among us.”

Astoria tried to turn their head away, but Senga’s grip tightened on their jaw, even if her sickly sweet tone didn’t change.

“You could have come home to Rosinmoor so much sooner. The Argyllians have always had magic in their bloodline, they were more than capable of teaching you whatever you could have learned in the Republic. They would have taken you in, taught you the ways of the court...no matter. What’s done is done. We have much to catch you up on.”

Senga released their jaw suddenly, reaching to smooth out their collar and straighten their shirt as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Do get some rest, darling. You’ll need it. I invited some friends of mine to visit tomorrow. They’ll begin teaching you the ways of the court, catch you up on the who’s who and the what’s what - several courtiers from different clans to bring you up to speed on each. It’ll be a process, surely, but you’re a quick study, otherwise I’ve no idea why you spent all this time with my mother. They’ll be here for about two weeks, so you’ll have to learn as much as you can before they go, and then your lessons will start to keep you on track.”

Astoria paused then, brows furrowing as Senga began to dig in their wardrobe to rifle through the clothing that was too stiff and formal for them to cart around while they were globetrotting.

“Mother, I’m only here until the end of the week.” They said, voice trembling slightly as Senga paused mid examination of a blouse with broad lace sleeves. “Granny and I have a dig to go to in the Fennekh Desert at the end of the month, I can’t stay much longer than that. I just wanted to see everyone while we had the time.”

The tension between them both was so thick you could have bitten it.

Astoria flinched when Senga took one step closer, then another, until she was right in front of them with that lacy blouse draped neatly over her arm.

“I know what you did in Galbrada.” She said softly, tilting her head as she looked down at Astoria. “A room of people - three of the best minds and magicians of the Whitethorn Citadel, and your bull of a grandmother - frozen by the blood in their own bodies at your command. Deny it all you wish, Catriona, but we both know it’s true.”

They tried to speak, but Senga’s voice rose, silencing them in a moment and making them flinch back as she stepped closer. Already being interrupted made them flush with irritation, but they bit their tongue, hoping that Senga would tire herself out in the end if they just let her keep ranting.

“Do you understand what that power can mean for you? The Canonach seat was always your birthright and it always will be, that won’t change. But you could become the greatest of all of us if you choose not to suppress it like you’ve been told all this time. That kind of power is strength, darling, a strength that will protect this clan so long as you hold the Barony.”

Astoria took another step back, feeling their hip bump the edge of their nightstand and quickly moving to fix the lamp as Senga advanced on them. They felt heat building in their chest, like a kettle on the stove, but they tried to tamp it down until their back hit the broad pane of glass that looked out into the starry sky.

“It is time for you to grow up. You will be twenty tomorrow morning, and it is time to stop gallivanting about carefree when you have duties to fulfill. I shouldn’t have let it go on for so long, I should have demanded you come home after Myrna supported that first year of your little temper tantrum.” Senga’s hand snapped out, grabbing their chin and forcing them to look her in the eye as her fingers dug into their cheeks. “Do you hear me, Catriona?”

Something...something snapped in Astoria then, and their own hand shot up, grabbing Senga’s wrist and ripping it away from their face with a strength they didn’t know they had.

“If you’re going to address me, mother, at least give me the respect of calling me by the name I’ve called myself for as long as I can remember.” Astoria spat, shoving her hand away and stepping to the side to try to work themself out of the corner they’d been physically backed into. “You’ve weaponized ‘Catriona’ every time I did something you didn’t like, every time you wanted me to bow to your whims and sit pretty like the perfect child you pretended you had.”

“How dare you -”

“How dare you treat your own child as you have treated me all these years?!” Astoria shrieked, voice breaking slightly as Senga seemed to freeze in place at their outburst. “How dare you make my cooperation a condition I had to fulfill to earn your love, make me feel like I had to prove myself over and over to you to earn scraps of respect?”

Senga’s face flushed, and she turned, tossing the blouse onto Astoria’s bed and moving toward the bedroom door. “I’m not going to speak with you if you want to behave like this. We can talk in the morning when you’ve calmed down.”

Before she’d even reached the door, Astoria had moved in front of it, flipping the lock and positioning themself in front of the mechanism so Senga couldn’t leave.

“No. No. You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to run away because you don’t like what you’re hearing. For once in my life you’re going to open your ears and listen to me, because I’m only going to say this once.”

Their blood was boiling, so hot through their veins that Astoria thought they were going to burn up, but the words kept spilling over faster than they considered putting a damper on them. And they didn’t want to, if they were honest with themself. It was the first time they spoke unfiltered to Senga, truly voiced how they felt, and it felt...it felt like flying. It felt like they had control for the first time in years, and they weren’t ready to let go of that feeling just yet.

“You said that the primary reason you even had me was so I could take the barony one day.”

Senga’s eyes rolled, and Astoria’s temper flared as she dismissively waved a hand. “You’re still on about that? Come now, let bygones be bygones. That was years ago.”

“I am not nearly done speaking.” Astoria said firmly, holding a hand up to stop Senga before she could continue. “But yes, I am ‘still on about that’, as you put it. I’ll carry those words in my mind for as long as I breathe, because it was what made me open my eyes to the truth of things. You don’t own me, my life, or my freedom for as long as I am strong enough to bite back. My temper tantrum, as you called it, was the first choice I ever made for myself without fearing what you’d say to me when I told you. And I learned from that choice, and every choice I made after, that you can do nothing to me if I don’t allow it. You are too selfish to consider a reality in which your plans fall through, thinking your way is the best way regardless of what I want.”

“If you cared about something beyond yourself you’d have seen in those letters how I told Malvina about my nightmares, about my fears, about how I felt like I was losing myself until I learned to control my magic rather than force it outward. But you only had eyes for what you thought you could stand to gain, what you thought I could give you, not my own well-being or my opinions on the matter. I’ve made it clear for years that I never wanted the barony, and the power that I have won’t change that. You don’t have to accept it, but understand it’s the way things are. Understand that I’ll take no more of this. You are no family of mine, Baroness, and you never will be if I have anything to say about it.”

Senga reached out, as if to touch their cheek, but Astoria dodged her hand and raised an arm to gesture for her to stay back. “Blood is thicker than water, Astoria. No matter what you say, you cannot possibly abandon your family so easily.”

“I prefer an alternative interpretation. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb - the bonds in the family I choose are stronger than those that are given by birth. And I choose Myrna, who has been more my mother than you ever have been. I choose to find a family who will love me for me, who won’t attach conditions to their acceptance and approval, who see me as I am and expect nothing more than Astoria Fenharrow, lover of bones and dirt and other things long since dead."

Astoria reached behind them and turned the lock again, opening the door just as the grand hall clock began to toll midnight and gesturing to the empty hall.

“Now get the hell out. Your house it may be, but it’s my goddamn bedroom.”

Senga opened her mouth to argue, but Astoria was already walking across the room, picking up the letters they’d sent to Malvina and tossing them into the cold hearth with every intention to use them as kindling for the cool summer night. She turned on her heel, and just as she took a few steps out into the hall, Astoria called out to her again with their tone clipped.

“Oh, and one more thing?”

Senga paused just beyond the doorway, looking back over her shoulder -

Something in Astoria’s face made her freeze then, going so pale it was like she’d seen a ghost.

“You lay a hand on me again without my consent, and I swear I will make sure you no longer have one.”

The door fell shut as Senga disappeared down the hall, and Astoria let out a trembling sigh, hands shaking as they peeled off their gloves to toss them on the table. They ran a hand through their hair, looked up to gaze in the mirror mounted above the hearth -

And then startled when they looked into their own eyes and met red, red, red irises that stared right back. Astoria took a few steps closer, removing their glasses and letting the chain catch them against their chest when they raised a hand to their eyes.

Sclera, black as night, making scarlet irises seem to glow as they looked back at their reflection and blinked a few times. They moved to wet their lips and froze when their tongue slid over a canine that definitely hadn’t been that sharp before, and with a cautious finger, pushed their lip up to look at the teeth behind it.

They had...fangs.

“Look at that.” They muttered, blinking a few more times and watching with intrigue as their eyes faded back to familiar white and turquoise and their teeth seemed to almost...retract, as if they’d never been fangs at all. Logically they knew they should be terrified, but they were high on adrenaline, and they gave their reflection a bit of a smile despite themself. They weren’t afraid - they thought it strange, surely, but at this point, strange was the name of the game.

“Guess mother knows I can bite back after all.”

#astoria fenharrow #my writing #manipulation cw

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marlmckitten · 4 years ago

Note

Hey are you taking prompts now?? If yes then can you please write a fanfic where sirius gets a panick attack after he leaves his house and marlene only knows how to calm him down and then he confesses his feelings to her for the first time properly??

YES YES YES, I LOVE THIS!

Sirius’ Home

It wasn’t a pretty scene. There was yelling, crying, yelling, throwing of things, cursing and worst of all, admitting feelings that they had always though. Sirius always knew his mother did not love him, he was a disappointment, he wasn’t what they wanted. But he had never heard it completely out loud before. Not in such ferocity. His head was whirling, did that really all just happen? He remembered being so angry he could scream, and then he did. His mother told him he was never welcome there again, he was no child of hers, and he would be better off to the family if he were dead. Then she blasted his portrait of their family tree and he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. He even knew where to go.

Euphemia and Fleamont Potter had told Sirius that he was always welcome with them. He was practically their second son. Sirius often wondered if they understood just how much that meant to him. They could not possibly know. But he was grateful and told them so much whenever he was over. They even said if he needed somewhere to live he could go there, but now actually asking to live there... It felt like a lot. As he walked in the direction of his best friends house, the scene he left hit him. He realized just how final his actions were. That there was no going back. Never. He could never talk to Regulus again. Or his cousins- well he actually could talk to Andromeda again. He was comforted by that thought until he imagined what school would be like when it resumed. Seeing Regulus around. And Narcissa. Not being able to so much as smile at them. Sure, he didn’t always get along with them but they were still his family. Or, they were his family. ‘Not anymore.’ He thought to himself.

His legs stopped moving and his breath shortened. He felt like he couldn’t breath, like everything around him was going dark. He felt hot tears pour down his cheeks and he couldn’t stop it. Everything hurt. His stomach was knotted, his heart felt so heavy like it was going to fall right through him. The young man’s legs collapsed and there he was, half way through a park and he couldn’t even tell if he was on the ground or the grass, nothing mattered. Not his life, not anything.

From a distance, as if the voice was underwater, he heard some words, “Prongs? Mate? What’s going on?” The voice was concerned, he knew that he knew the voice but it wouldn’t register in his mind. James Potter gripped both of Sirius’ shoulders and shook him, he was clearly concerned. “Fuck, Sirius, snap out of it! What’s going on? SOMEONE HELP!” He screamed out, terrified. But Sirius could not even process words. He was aware of himself nodding, but nodding to what?

“I’m- no. I’m fine,” his mouth moved, words came out but he didn’t even recognize his own voice, his breathing continued so rapidly that no oxygen was getting to his lungs. What had he done? How could he have been so stupid? He had nothing now. NOTHING. He was being dramatic and now his mother and father wanted him dead. His brother probably hated him. Hell, even Andromeda wouldn’t want to see him. The air around him felt heavy now.

“Lils!” James Potter screamed, “I dont know what’s happening, he’s just kinda- You okay, mate?” He repeated.

Sirius nodded again, wiping the water out of his eyes, “I just need to .. sit. For a minute,” his fingers grasped the dirt under him, as if feeling the Earth would bring some sort of sense to what was going on.

“Why didn’t you tell me to hurry!” Lily said, aggravated.

“I- what?” James answered, looking from his best friend to his girlfriend.

Lily replied, “I thought you just wanted to get ice cream! That’s what you said, I even waited for Marlene to finish getting ready I didn’t know it was an emergency!” She sat in the dirt beside Sirius, wrapping an arm around him. It was almost comforting. “What happened?”

James seemed to understand what she was saying, “No I was- I mean... I didn’t know he was here, I was coming to meet you and he was here. Must have been on his way over i don’t know-”

“They kicked me out,” Sirius answered, as if he just now realized that they had been talking to or about him. “My parents want me dead. They said never to come back.” Saying the words out loud triggered the reaction again, his heard clenched and he still couldn’t breath. “I can’t breath.”

Then a more relaxed voice came from behind them all, “Oi, what’s going on? Why you all sitting around like that?” This voice registered with Sirius instantly, it was Marlene McKinnon. And the smell of cigarette smoke and cheap vanilla perfume wafted over him, he managed to take in a breath deep enough to actually get some air, he turned and looked at her. The blonde witch had her hair down, combed but still messy. She had a pair of ripped rights and a short leather skirt with a plain black t-shirt half tucked in. Her makeup was a little messy, as if she had slept in it. And her blue eyes reached Sirius’, her groomed eyebrows furrowed, “What’s going on?” She asked again, this time more seriously.

Sirius finally stringed together a coherent sentence. “My mother disowned me.”

“Like- forever?”

“Forever,” he repeated, gulping loudly.

Marlene plopped down with the three of them now and ran her fingers through his hair, “I’m so sorry,” she said quietly and sincerely. “Just, take deep breaths.” For a woman that usually threw a few insults his way and told everyone else to simply fuck off, this was incredibly sweet. And clearly unexpected since Lily and James exchanged a glance but said nothing.

Three deep breaths later, Sirius managed to get a grasp of where he was. He noticed the trees, the empty childrens playground. The dirt that was now covering his clothes and all his friends. “I didn’t mean- Not forever,” he said, and a sob he didn’t expect emitted loudly.

Marlene put her arms around him and hugged him closely to her, “It’s okay,” she said, “They’re your family, I understand.”

Of course, there was no way she fully understood, but he did need to just let the emotions through him. He wasn’t used to reacting so emotionally to things, but this was a special occasion. A day he surely would never forget.

James and Lily were realizing that they were having no effect and eventually backed off, leaving her to comfort him. The pair stayed in the dirt, her arms wrapped comfortingly around him while he breathed, and cried and smelled her, letting himself drift back to reality. He repeated himself a few times, how his mother hated him. How he could never see Regulus again. And how he was sorry.

Marlene kept telling him it was fine. He had nothing to apologize for, she could not imagine what this felt like.

An hour passed and James and Lily returned, holding ice cream out for both of them. “Thought this might help?” James offered hopefully.

At last, Sirius smiled, pulled himself away from Marlene and took the ice cream. The cold, sweet treat made him realize how hungry he was. Having a full emotional breakdown was exhausting. He said so, they all managed a chuckle and went to get some real food.

Each of them kept an eye on Sirius, but he seemed to be recovered from his panic attack. None of them judged it for him, or even mentioned it. At one point James assumed, “You’ll be sleeping at my place then?” And Marlene grinned announcing they’d all be having a sleepover at James’. Lily reminded her, that she had just spent two nights at Lily’s and had to go home eventually, but she waved Lily off claiming that today was a big day. Sirius officially had a new family and they were going to have a family night. This made Sirius’ entire face light up and soon enough, James was writing to Peter and Remus to come over as soon as they got the owls as well.

Of course, they did. And all six friends had a great night, eating snacks, telling stories and sneaking some firewhiskey from James’ parents. Until one by one everyone was asleep.

“Marls?”

“Sirius?”

“You asleep?”

“Obviously not.”

“Follow me.”

Sirius had not fallen asleep, he hadn’t been able to. Something had dawned on him today, and he had to act on it. Marlene was almost asleep when Sirius called, but she figured today wasn’t a day to throw a pillow at him and tell him to shut the fuck up. So when his dark body moved and slipped out the door, she followed.

Neither of them spoke, he did not tell her what he was doing as he began climbing his way onto the Potter’s rooftop. And she did not ask. Then he settled, leaning back and looking at the stars, she watched him and did the same. It was still silent except for the sound of owl’s hunting and the wind in the trees.

“So... are you gonna murder me or what?” Marlene finally broke the silence.

He turned his head, “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Uh-huh?”

“I... If I say something and I’m being ridiculous can you promise me to never talk about it again?”

She smiled, “Depends how dumb it is.”

The pureblood rolled his eyes and lightly hit her leg, “I’m being serious!”

“I thought you were always Sirius.” She chuckled, it was a joke he often made himself, she couldn’t resist being the one to make it. He exhaled loudly and looked back up to the stars. She frowned, “Okay, sorry. What is it?”

“No, it’s dumb.”

“It’s not,” she assured him, “I was just being a dick, what’s up?”

He was actually in disbelief. He never had troubles with things like this before. But today seemed full of firsts, he looked at her again, and this time she looked back. If you asked Sirius, he thought her eyes were a thousand times more beautiful than all the stars in the sky. But he wasn’t about to say so. He opened his mouth, then closed it, looked up then back at her. Her perfect blue eyes were still focussed on him. Then she reached her hand out and and gasped it around his. He paused, before tightening his fingers around hers. He moved, ever so slightly, to be closer to her. Marlene followed suite. They did this for a while until there was only a few inches between them. She licked her lips, and blinked. He held his breath, bit his lip and finally told himself to just say it, “I really like you Marls. In more than a friends kinda way.” He expected her to laugh, make fun, push him away, something to that accord. But not roll her eyes, that was just hurtful! “Hey! I’m not that bad, I know you could do better but I don’t deserve an EYE ROLL!”

Her brows furrowed and then she laughed, he was even more angry now. He tried to sit up to tell her, but as he did so, she pulled him down and instinctively he crashed his lips down on hers, he had nothing else to lose. But much to his surprise, she kissed him back, her spare hand, held his cheek, keeping him in place as her lips parted and let his tongue in to explore her mouth. He let out a soft moan at the sensation of snogging Marlene McKinnon and his hand caressed her cheek, her neck, her side, and then played with the hem of her shirt, she pulled him closer and he took it as a sign. Before he knew it, his hand was under her shirt, she must have taken her bra off when they were getting ready for bed and his fingers were pleased to feel her bare breasts, her nipples hard with excitement, or from cold, but he chose to believe it was from him.

What felt like an eternity later, he pulled away from her, hand still cupping her perfect breast and eyes looking meaningfully into hers. She smiled, “I only rolled my eyes cause I thought you were gonna kiss me, not get all lovey dovey with words.”

“Yeah I should have done that instead.” He agreed, giving her breast a little squeeze.

“I’m not having sex with you tonight.” Disappointment must have been evident in his face but he removed his hand from her shirt, and instead ran his fingers through her hair, “Not cause I don’t think you’re hot and probably a great shag but... I just don’t wanna be another girl who gets a night or two with the infamous Sirius Black.”

“You’re not,” he assured her, “I’ve had my eye on you for the last year, I just thought you’d never be interested.”

She smiled and pecked his lips again, “Well I am.”

“I got that.”

“But I want a proper date.”

“The rooftop and some stars isn’t good enough?”

She giggled, “Proper. I gotta go home tomorrow. And you have to move into your new room here properly, but the next day I’ll be free.”

“And we can have sex?” He winked.

Playfully, she slapped him off of her, sitting up herself. “Depends on how good the date is. I want flowers, a nice dinner, the whole thing!”

“I don’t know how to do all that,” he said defensively, following her as she started their route back onto the ground.

“Well, it’s a good thing your new brother does.”

That statement warmed Sirius more than anything else could have. His new brother? He hadn’t thought of it that way. This morning he was the next Black heir. Miserable, doomed to a loveless marriage and a life he would hate. Now he had the funnest brother in the world and a date with a woman who possibly was the love of his life. He grinned, grabbed Marlene and kissed her one more time, before they snuck back into the house, his house. Foe the first time in his life a place he may even call his home.

#blackinnonreadathon #blackinnon #sirius black #marlene mckinnon #james potter #lily evans #lily potter #marauders #comfort #fanfic #fanfiction #love #harry potte

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bluebellhairpin · 5 years ago

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Spitfire

Steve Rogers X Small!Reader

A/N: I’m small. This fic is self-indulgent. I’m calling it ‘Self-Care’. I actually just want a hug from Chirs Evan but between that and writing a fic, one is much more likely to happen compared to the other. - Nemo

Summary: You’re small. Always have been and (unless you get hold of Scott’s Ant-Man suit) always will be. But that doesn't stop you from wanting to thrown hands with anyone that comes your way. You manage to shock everyone at an after-party of one of Tony’s parties, proving worth isn’t dependent on size or strength.

Masterlist

You’ve been small your whole life.

Your siblings say it’s an unfair advantage, due to the fact you can still hide under the bathroom sink when playing hide-and-seek.

Your father says you’re petite. That it adds to your charm. And that you’ll always be his baby even though you’re well over ‘baby’ age.

Your mother says that it makes things easy. You can still buy clothes from the teenage and children's section, and you require slightly less food.

You agree with all of them. It’s an advantage. It’s part of your charm. And it means you can survive on less. All things that come in useful in your line of work.

Being small, you can hide in places where the enemy can find, or go places they can't follow. You can charm others into giving you information you need for people on your side.

That, and whatever you lacked in height you made up for in spirit.

You were fire, burning with a passion and brilliance that no one before you ever had.

You were an Avenger, a fighter, a friend. And most importantly, you could wield Mjolnir. Not that you knew that yet.

“You all are so funny to watch.” Thor said, having recovered from Steve’s little featurette with the mighty hammer. “Wish to have a go, (y/n)?” he asked, smiling into his cup.

You looked over at Thor’s hammer, resting innocently on the coffee table, then looked next to you at Steve, him having returned to his seat beside you with his arm behind your shoulders on the couch.

“Don’t see why not,” you started, letting out a lazy breath as you stood, looking around the group. “The worst I can do is look like Mr. Playboy and not lift it, right?” you said, wrapping your hand around the handle, sending a cheeky smile to Tony, then lifted Mijolnir with all you had in you.

You let out a yelp, the hammer having yielded to your grip instantly and almost colliding with your face with the force. You dropped the hammer, stepping away from it, shocked. You looked at Thor, sure his face was mirroring your shock as much if not more, then looked back at the hammer.

Steve was barely able to move the hammer, being almost as physically strong un-aides as Thor, so both Tony and Rhodey (hell even you) rode it off as him just being, well, strong enough in his own right to move it. You, however, weren’t physically strong like that, not unless you pulled a Tony and put on a Iron Man suit. The only reason you beat Steve in training was because you knew you needed to be quicker and more agile than him.

Theoretically, Mjolnir shouldn’t have budged when you went to hold it.

“I need another drink.” Tony said, moving to stand to go to the bar, but was pulled back into his seat by a less-shocked Rhodey muttering something about how he ‘definitely does not’.

“Well, that was unexpected.” Thor managed to say, and you bent down to hesitantly pick Mjolnir up again. When it came without a single moment hesitation, you stared at the hammer for a little longer before a grin broke across your face.

"Behold! The might of Thor!” you said, giggling as you raised the hammer into the air, smiling between Steve's returned smile and Thor's still shocked face.

"I'm off. Sleep is what I need after this new development." Natasha said, downing her drink then sent a wave to your group before walking, Clint hot on her heels, blabbering something about a bet and money being owed.

"I suppose it is a bit shocking. Anyone else need to owe up to thinking I, (y/n), was not 'worthy'?" you asked, resting the hammer on your shoulder as you made your way around the coffee table in laps, eyeing Thor, Tony and Steve all in your strides. Rhodey was spared. He'd already told you he thought you were more worthy than Tony.

Not like that was hard.

Over the next few days, nothing could manage to wipe the smugness that you carried around like a air of grace.

By the time a week passed, you’d turned in down a couple notches, however still made sure to test your worthy-ness around the others. When asked, you called it a ‘assertion of dominance’.

A month, and most of the others had forgotten about your new-found power. Mostly because you stopped flaunting it every waking moment of you life. However Steve - like the love-sick puppy he is - kept looking at you as if you were worth the sun and the stars that were in the sky.

Everyone knew how much you meant to Steve.

After he defrosted you were there, whether it be to talk to, to teach him about the new tech, or to just exist in the same space together, and for that he was grateful. For that he loved you.

He knew you were more than you looked, that was proved with how you treated him and literally everyone else. But then came something that rocked him beyond words.

Someone - presumably Hydra - took you away.

You were on a morning run, one that you’d decided to take later in the day, and they seemed to simply lift you off the face of the earth with no hot trace of where you were taken. Obviously, that sent Steve and most of the Avengers in a frenzy. The only calm one seemed to be Thor.

Steve would be lying if he said that Thor’s attitude didn’t bother him.

“Could you not be so indifferent?” Apparently Natasha wasn’t too happy with Thor either. “There is a crisis happening right now.”

“I’m just waiting. (y/n) would know what they’re doing.”

“Waiting on what?” Steve said, leaning on the table they were all seated at. “For them to be killed?” Thor paid Steve no mind, only looked down to his feet. Then Mjolnir shot out from under the table and crashed through the window, flying off to somewhere in the distance.

“No, waiting for that.”

“Okay, Meanswing, tell me why I have to replace my window.” Tony said, leaning his elbows on the table with his chin in his hands.

“I knew (y/n) was smart.” Thor started, smiling at the hole in the window. “All they had to do was call Mjolnir and not only would we know what direction they’re kept, but they’d have a weapon to get away with.”

“Okay, lets go help!”

They didn’t need to help. By the time they managed to teach down where you were, you were walking towards them, hammer resting on your shoulder again, the building behind you collapsing in some parts with smoke rising from others.

“Hey guys. Glad to see you could make it.” You said, giving Mjolnir back to Thor, barely managing to get the words out before Steve scooped you in his arms. Holding you tight, he took you to the quin-jet, the others following behind, slightly awestruck. “Woah, someone missed me.” you giggled, ruffling Steve’s hair as he sat down with you ontop of him.

“Hell yeah I missed you, my little spitfire.”

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers one shot #captain america x reader #captain america one shot #steve rogers imagine #captain america imagine

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nightwingshero · 4 years ago

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Hold Me Down Chapter Three

Here’s that stuff. It’s a long one, which is shocking. I’ve been doing a lot of writing recently, but I tried to get this done before I focused solely on my commission queue. I figured a nice, long chapter would be good to put out for Wren content. @dieguzguz @ja-crispea y’all can laugh at Jacob now, lovelies!

I didn’t fidget often. Not anymore, at least. Those kinds of things were drilled out of you immediately. Maybe that should have been my first red flag, the way that he broke down every little tick that made you human and unique. But I suppose that would have been a needle in a haystack, and what 12-year-old kid looks for those kinds of things when someone saves them from the system? None of them.

But here I was, bouncing my leg as I sat in the chair, my table by the front window, giving me the perfect view of the people going about their day. I envied them, so wrapped up in their own little worlds. What I wouldn’t give to unfuck my life. Wishful thinking got me nowhere, though.

As much as I would have loved to allow myself to disassociate, I had too much on my plate that needed to be handled. And just being in this fucking restaurant was risky. I couldn’t help my mind wander to Rowan. All these years…I sighed, throwing a glance around the room. She didn’t recognize me, but what had I expected? There was at least eight years between us. She was someone that I could look up to, someone I was close to until she left. Someone I aspired to be as Dutch put her on that pedestal. At the end, it was all just bullshit.

Giving a look around, the place seemed dead, but I had to keep in mind that I was in the door the second the damn place opened. I didn’t care much for the old rustic country style, to be honest. It wasn’t my style, but god did it resonate the same aesthetic of its owner. I could never say a word against that. I furrowed my brow a bit as I caught sight of one of the other customers here. The man was sitting in the middle of the room at one of the two-chaired tables facing the window. If I had been on a job, I would’ve chosen the same seat, it was perfect. You could see what was going on outside while keeping an eye on the entrance, and it was deep enough in the room so he could easily check the exits and the coming and going of the employees.

I eyed his clothes, trying hard not to scoff. If I had to label him, it would be hipster mountain main with the big dark beard and flannel. Slowly, I grab my cloth napkin, quickly hiding a knife under it as I placed it across my lap. Was I paranoid? Probably. But after thing that had happened, I wasn’t about to take a chance. Not by a long-shot.

I turn at the sound of the bowl being set down in front of me and I wrinkled my nose. “What the hell is that?” I asked, glancing up at the blonde.

Mary May sighed heavily, placing a hand on her hip with a shrug. “Casey is experimenting, trying new things.”

“You sure he isn’t trying to poison me instead?” I looked wearily at the dish as I poked around with my spoon.

“It’s greasy and unhealthy. He said it would do you some good and that he’d cover it.” She wiped her hands on the white apron wrapped around her bright blue flannel. Was that a fashion thing I had missed out on? “Says that you’re his favorite, so gotta treat you special every now and then.”

I threw her look. “He saw my face. That’s what you’re saying.”

Mary May gave me a sheepish look. “You do look pretty rough, Wren.”

She wasn’t wrong. I hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, so there were dark marks under my eyes, but that was nothing compared to the massive bruise on the side of my face with the split lip. The back of my head was still rather tender from being knocked out and if I wasn’t so adamant about getting out of here, I would definitely be planning my revenge. I don’t normally leave a score unsettled, but things were heating up way too quickly. “Yeah, your locals here are super friendly and welcoming, by the way.”

Mary May pulled out the chair across from me, sitting down as she leaned against the wall, resting her arm over the back of the chair. “Someone I know?”

“Depends. Have you heard of the Drubmans?” I asked, taking a bite. I chewed a bit, discovering it to be some sort of stew that I couldn’t pin down. I made a face at the unexpected heat to it, eyes watering as I tried to swallow and clear my throat. “Holy shit.” I gasped out.

“The Drubmans? Like, I-will-sell-you-this-boat Drumbans?”

I looked up at her exasperated expression and pursed my lips. “You couldn’t have fucking warned me—”

“I’m sorry, I took you for someone who knew not to do something stupid.”

“Stupid--? I’m not from here, Fairgrave! You and Sharky—”

I was caught off by the sound of the front doorbell, a young brunette rushing in. His brown eyes landed on me with a smile and wave, before his brows furrowed at my appearance. “Hey, Wren. What happened to your face?” he asked, walking closer to the table as Mary May gave him a stern look. “You look like shit.”

“And you’re late.” Fairgrave taunted, but he just rolled his eyes.

“Good to see you too, Xander.” I muttered, taking another bite, forgetting momentarily what I was eating. I made another face as he laughed.

“Ah, yeah. Casey is playing around with the Brunswick stew. Has a kick to it, doesn’t it?”

“Can I have a cheeseburger, for fuck’s sake?” I wheezed before taking a drink of water. Xander nodded, grabbing the bowl and tugging at my ponytail playfully before walking away. Mary May sighed, leaning forward and resting her elbows against the table as she watched him go. I frowned. “Everything okay?”

“Xander has been coming in late more and more. His head is always somewhere else.” She threw me a rueful smirk. “Apparently he’s been seeing a little blonde thing on the side. Married, too.”

I scoffed, leaning back as I placed the napkin and knife back on the table. I threw the man another glance to see him playing on his phone as he continued with his lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. “What a fucking cliché. That’s so damn disappointing. What’s her name? Have you met her?”

“Nah, he says they have to keep it on the downlow. Swears they’re the new Romeo and Juliet.”

“They both die in the end.”

“That’s what I told him. And then he told me that they lived in the movie.” Mary May laughed with a shake of her head. “That’s when I realized that he was referring to that stupid kid’s movie with the gnomes.”

“I don’t have any words for that. At all. I couldn’t even attempt to bullshit my way through that conversation to save my fucking life.” I replied as I tried to fight the laughter, but I was failing. Mary May sobered up a bit, giving me a serious look.

“So, the Drubmans is why you wanted to meet then?”

I sighed, watching as my fingers played with the napkin, rolling and twisting it. “I need to get out of Atlanta, May. I…I’ve gotten into a lot of trouble, a big shit storm.”

“How big we talking?” she whispered. I glanced up at her, playing with one of my chain earrings, swaying with my movements.

“Two detectives showed up at my place yesterday morning. There’s a fed in Atlanta that’s taking a look at some of the criminal activity. They’re wanting me to play ball or I go to prison. And this,” I pointed at my face with a sickly-sweet smile. “Was Hurk Drubman trying to blackmail me into helping his family.”

She let out a whistle. “Two sides breathing down your neck? Fuck. Who’s the target? Like, what’s the motive?”

I glanced around before I leaned in. “Remember that gala? The one you said would be a good hit?”

“Yeah?”

“You never told me it was for the Seeds, May. I ran into John Seed.”

Her eyes widened, the shock having her lean back. “No…no, the tip was on Charles Laney. I didn’t say anything about the Seeds—”

“It was John’s event and his man—”

“Charles was not in John’s pocket when I handed you that tip, Wren.” She pointed at me, pursing her lips. “John Seed wasn’t even on the radar. And John never attends his own events, it would be unlikely for you to run into him regardless.”

“Well, he attended this one. And he caught me.” I shake my head. “Honestly, it was my fault for not digging deeper, making sure I had all the facts before making the move.”

“So what? You had a little run in, and he caught you? And you’re not dead…because…?”

“Yeah, that’s a long story. But at the end of the day, I refuse to be in the crosshairs of two rival families and the fucking cops.” Mary May frowned at me as I bit my lip, my hands shaking. “I need out of here as soon as possible. I lost most of my money in L.A., so I don’t have enough to get my ass out of the country and to get a comfortable set-up going. But I’m hoping Sharky could give me some sort of deal, and I can get him back later. He knows I’m good for it.”

She nodded slowly, deep in thought. “He could. And you getting overseas would put some good distance from the feds, and I think that’s the biggest thing.” She chuckled, throwing me a smirk. “Such a shame you can’t start over and hire John as your lawyer. Now that is something I would pay to see.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not a fucking chance. That arrogant asshole would drive me to murder, I swear it.”

“Oh yeah?” she cocked her head. “No chance of the two of you working together?”

I narrowed my eyes at her as Xander returned. I threw him a smile before he walked away. Grabbing some ketchup for my fries, I threw her another glance. “What are you getting at? I know your scheming face when I see it.”

She just shrugged. “I don’t know why you don’t come clean. Just tell them what’s going on, you know? You scratch their back, they scratch yours. I know Seeds are a crime family, but they’re still a bit honorable with how they work. It won’t go unnoticed.”

“Yeah, about that.” I dipped a fry in the red sauce, popping it in my mouth. “I had another run in with the baby brother last night. I held him at knife point, kinda ruffled his feathers a bit. I think that bridge is beyond burned at this point. He’ll probably kill me the next time I see him.”

“Jesus.” She breathed. “You know, as approachable as you really are, you definitely know how to make enemies and choose them, too. I think that you might’ve shot yourself in the foot on this one, Wren. John Seed is a powerful person, it’s better to have him as an ally than an enemy.”

I wrinkled my nose at her in disgust. “You’re kidding me, right? Did you not hear what I just said? Look, I came here to keep my head down, and you and Sharky both insisted on me coming here—”

“Because we can help you!” Mary May insisted in a hushed tone. “We have your back, Wren. You were in deep shit, and I know you don’t want to admit it, but you needed the help. You can’t do everything on your own.”

I sighed, looking away. She wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t like I couldn’t help it. You learn quickly to not lean on other people, and Dutch’s way of teaching it…I flinch as flashes of that damn fire flit through my mind. “I’m not used to working with other people, Mary May. And I appreciate the help. I know you didn’t mean for this to happen.” It’s quiet between us, but I paid it no mind as I pop another fry in my mouth. “But that aside, working with John Seed would’ve been a terrible idea. I steal from the rich that don’t deserve the wealth they have. That’s 99% of them, by the way. Working with someone that I would’ve easily made a mark isn’t in my best interest, because I assure you, John Seed is the perfect example as to why I do it.”

Mary May only hummed, but that was fine. It gave me time to eat the burger Casey whipped up for me. It wasn’t fair of me to believe that this was on Mary May and Sharky. I was the one that mis stepped when all they wanted was to help me. The fiasco in L.A. cost me dearly, and I wasn’t about to jump from one mess into another. It was nice to have people on my side for once.

“But they dropped by my apartment before letting me go. Drubman’s men, I mean. Destroyed my apartment and everything. The threat was pretty clear, May. If I stay any longer, I’m either going to die or get thrown in prison. Hurk said that once the Seeds are taken down, I get to walk away and stay out of prison. But I’m not stupid, he wouldn’t let a liability like me walk away. He’ll probably kill me right after, so I don’t have an out. I don’t win in this scenario, and I’m not interested in walking myself to the Devil’s door.”

“So, what do you need?” Mary May asked, finally speaking as she stole a fry.

“I need to know where Sharky went after the shake down. Where has he been laying low?”

She frowned, glancing at me curiously. “Sharky wasn’t approached by anyone. He’s been working at a tattoo parlor a few blocks down. I thought you knew that?”

“I thought he ghosted and went into hiding after I told him the job went sideways. And it kinda made sense after what happened yesterday. They said they shook him down.”

“Yeah, right.” She snorted. “Sharky wouldn’t ever give you away. You know that.”

I smiled, pushing my empty plate towards her. “I know. But I have a bag packed at home. I just need papers and I’m gone.”

“Where you gonna go?”

“Hmm. Maybe Greece. Somewhere nice and relaxing. I think I deserve it.”

Mary May chuckled as she stood, picking up the plate as she went. “Well, you make sure you stop in and say bye before you go. Don’t forgot us little people.”

I watched her walk to the back and disappear. Part of me was disappointed, honestly. I had high hopes for this working out, but things heated up way too quickly, and there was no way out. Running was never my forte, I hated tucking tail. But my game had been off since L.A., and I just needed a damn break. Peace and quiet to help me think over my next move and let things cool off.

Standing, I finally make my way out of the restaurant and into the bright sun. I was ready to get the hell out of here, despite growing a bit fond of the city. I tried hard to not get attached, but sometimes I couldn’t help it. Mary May and Sharky were the only friends, or allies, I allowed myself to have. It went against everything that I had learned from Dutch. No emotions, no attachments. We couldn’t afford it, and that mattered was the job and the family. That was the only concern you should ever have.

Turning, I began my way down the sidewalk, slowing as a red head pushed off a black SUV and stood there, opening the door. Her braids and ponytail gave her a female warrior look that I couldn’t help but admire, but the dark sunglasses shielded her eyes. Unease twisted in my gut as I stopped. White tank top, dark blue jeans, and biker boots that I definitely wouldn’t want against my throat. I turned around and froze, the man from inside standing behind me with his hands in his pockets.

“So, I guess I wasn’t paranoid, then.” I said icily.

He gave the smallest hint of a smile. “No. Good instincts, though. Impressive.”

“Now, we’re going to need you to come with us.” The woman called and I frowned.

“I don’t think so.”

The man cleared his throat. “Ah, I think it would probably be best. We wanted to give you the option to come quietly, rather than jump you. We thought this would be more polite and our boss insisted.” I weighed my options as people went about their day around us. “You won’t be harmed, I assure you.”

Finally, I sighed. “Fuck it. Let’s go.” I stepped in the back of the SUV with a roll of my eyes. I was leaving either way. What was the worst that could happen?

I eyed the building wearily. I had expected a warehouse, or maybe a strip club. Possibly an auto shop or a fucking marina, at this point. But a dark glass skyscraper wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I kept throwing my new friends weird glances as they escorted me to the building. To say I was underdressed was an understatement, but saying I stood out like a sore thumb was more accurate. Faux leather pants, heeled combat boots, with a loose black tank top stood apart from the suits and dresses of the white collared professionals milling around.

The leather jacket was unorthodox, but it helped hide the knives I had strapped to my forearms. I felt a spike of anxiety as we talked across the shiny floor, the three of us taking our own elevator. Patience wasn’t a virtue I possessed, and once I made a decision, I usually worked actively to make it happen. So, being dragged here was making me feel as if I were about to burst out of my skin. I was ready to leave, to get as far away from this damn city as possible.

The elevator doors opened, showing a private office space. It’s a dark modern style, something of good taste I could appreciate. But it’s completely empty, and I wonder if maybe this is where the CEO spent most of his time, assuming this was one of those kinds of businesses. What the hell did I know? The lack of people wasn’t exactly encouraging though. I follow tall dark and handsome with the woman following close behind as he led me to another room.

It was a conference room with dark windows and a massive tv mounted on the wall. It’s a beautiful contrast of wood, grey, and black. Glass sputnik lights brightened the room just a bit, and taking in the rest of the room, I come to a halt. His blue eyes are watching my every move, and I shiver because I can almost feel the way they travel over me.

“Oh, fuck me.” I muttered, but the room is dead silent, so it travels. John’s lips turn into a coy smirk, and my next step is calculated. My brain is racing, taking in the space, the exits, everything I needed if shit hit the fan. I feel the shift coming over, the calm and calculated mask as I step into a role I knew like the back of my hand. It was like slipping into warm water slowly until you finally went under.

“Oh, darling, I appreciate the offer, and I’ve thought about it. But,” John replied with a click of his tongue. “You’re just not my type.”

I returned his coy smile with one of my own, walking slowly towards the table and deeper in the room. “Never thought for you to have such a good sense of humor, Johnny. It’s hilarious, you believing you ever had a chance to begin with.” My black nails drum against the back of an office chair, and at the opposite head of the table, I caught eyes with none other than Joseph Seed himself.

While John sat to his left, his wife and sister sat closely to his right, as far away from me as possible. Taking a quick note of the oldest brother’s absence, I recalculated as the woman continued to follow me, but the male guard stayed at the door. The only exit I could really find, unless I threw a chair through the glass wall. I squeezed the chair as I smiled at Joseph. Seemed sturdy enough.

“I’m very glad you could join us. Thank you for being so kind to accept the invitation.” His voice is calm, soothing almost, and as gentle as his eyes. It threw me for a loop, because you didn’t ever expect the head of a crime family to be kind or polite.

“With all due respect, I don’t believe I had much of a choice in the matter. But I appreciate you not kidnapping me off the street. Your…colleagues don’t practice in the manners you’ve displayed.”

His brows furrowed as his wife threw him a confused look. I hesitated for a second, catching John’s narrowing eyes as he tilted his head. So, they weren’t very aware of what the Drubman’s had been up to, which meant they probably got tired of me sniffing around. I was about to continue when movement to my right caught my attention.

I go rigid for only a split second, allowing myself just that momentarily slip as Jacob Seed enters the room with Rowan right behind him, a quick brush of her hand against her stomach. Our eyes catch, and this time, I know she recognizes me. It’s ice, at first, that enters my veins, much like that night. But slowly, and surely, it begins to boil.

She smiled at me, soft and sad, but I’m careful. Oh, so careful as the porcelain of my skin shows the same smile that I’ve shown the rest of them as she speaks. “Hello, Wren.”

My eyes don’t leave her for a second, and while I appeared at easy, almost nonchalant, inside my muscles were coiling like a snake, ready to strike at any second. “Rowan.” I keep my voice light, a slight lilt that only barely hides the sickly-sweet venom dripping off the tip of my tongue. It’s a light tread, almost a nudge, to test the waters. This is no longer about the family in the room, its just her and I, in our own dance. “Long time, no see.”

“It has been a while, hasn’t it?” She agreed, slowly making her way down the length of the conference table, both her and Jacob walking towards John. I turn on my heel, walking around the opposite side as I trace my fingers across the tops of the chairs.

“And here I thought you didn’t recognize me.” I slowed as she came to a stop, resting her hands on the back of a chair. She looked good, genuinely. It pissed me off even more, fueling the dark twisting sense of betrayal in the pit of my stomach. She knew, of course, how this game worked. But the 12 years without her gave me the element of surprise. Rowan hadn’t learned my habits, hadn’t learned my tells because she hadn’t been there to see them.

“I would always recognize you.” She breathed out, a glossiness settling in her eyes. “Even though you were still pretty young the last time I saw you.”

There. I come to a complete stop as I feel it, the rip in my chest as my blood pounded in my head. I keep smiling as I move my hand to fidget with the sleeve of my jacket, casual as ever. But there’s a millisecond that feels like minutes, where my eyes finally sharpen on her. The eyes have always been, and always will be, the mirror to the soul, and hers widen when she takes a glimpse of mine, because she knows it’s too late. That my fingers have brushed the cool metal of my knife.

She only has time to take a step back, and that was something I indulged her. Because it’s the next second that knife is gone, and my elbow is smashing the face of the red head behind me. I twist around quickly and grab a handful of hair as Rowan cried out, my knife hitting its mark as I smash Viking Princess’ face against the table. Twisting her arm, pressing and trapping her body with my hip, I pull her Glock out with my right hand.

Rowan’s eyes catch mine once more as she holds her shoulder in shock, blood soaking her shirt as she stares down the barrel of a gun that’s aimed right at her face. Cool and calm as ever, my breathing stays even, but I’m a hurricane on the inside and for the first time, the Seeds see my true self.

“Jane!” a soft cry pierces the air as the little sister rises from her chair, but before she could rush me, Joseph’s wife pulls Faith close to hold her. I glance down quickly, connecting the dots. I realize then why the woman was familiar, and now Faith’s significant other finally had a name. Jane.

Rowan laughed, meeting my eyes with something shining there that I can’t pinpoint. “Ah, there she is. I was wondering when you’d drop the act. Always have been good at changing faces, huh?”

Jacob was at Rowan’s side as she gripped the knife, breathing heavily through the pain as her face pinched. Jacob threw me a dark glare, his blue eyes on fire. “You’re lucky you missed, girlie.”

“No.” Rowan hissed as she pulled the knife out smoothly from her shoulder, eyeing the blood that stained the custom blade. Something crossed over her face, but it was gone when she met my gaze once more. “She didn’t miss.” Rowan her hands in defense, taking a small step forward. “Did you?”

I don’t say a word as I watch her gently place the knife on the table. It’s hard to keep my composure as I seethe, the loathing and hurt oozing out of me like toxic waste. I hated every word that fell from her lips, a nostalgia she had no right to, not anymore. The pain in my chest was worse than I could have imagined and that’s when it hit me just how buried this feeling had been. How it still bothered me…I had never moved past it.

“Never thought of you as a gun person.” She nodded to the Glock I aimed at her.

“People change.” I replied, my voice hard. I could feel his eyes burning into the side of my face, so I spare him a glance.

John is still reclined with his hands folded in front of him, but even I can tell he was more tense than he was minutes ago. There’s a hard edge to his jaw as there’s a burning in the depths of his irises. He takes it in, and for once, I don’t know how to feel. I hate how vulnerable I am, that my mask is gone and there’s no going back. All for the sake of the absolute wrath pumping through my veins for someone I believed I was close to. I hated giving into the instincts, leaning into what Dutch had built me into. And I hear a click of a gun as the hairs on the back of my neck rises, that telling sensation running down my spine as the other guard points his gun at the back of my head.

Rowan hums as she examines the wound. “They sure do. You’ve improved since I last saw you.”

“And you’ve gotten slower, Rowan. Can’t say I’m exactly shocked.” I sneered. She stops, looking at me with deep regret and I hate the way my heart tugs at it. I hate my hand is beginning to shake the slightest. This was always my problem, why Dutch always told me I would never be like Rowan. I was so emotional, so empathetic that it would almost become a liability. And all their eyes were on me.

Jacob stepped forward. “Drop the fucking gun—”

Rowan placed her bloody hand on his chest, pushing him back. “If she was going to kill me, she would have already, Jake. She wouldn’t need the gun, the knife would have found my throat before Jane got slammed against the conference table.” She sighed heavily before jutting her chin out. “She’s proving a point.”

The way she says it, like I’m a petulant child that didn’t understand the adult’s conversations, made me feel like bursting out of my skin. “No. No, I’m so done with this shit. What’s going to happen is you’re going to tell Lumberjack Steve to back the fuck off, let me walk out of this damn room, and building, and let me get the fuck out of this godforsaken city, because I have had it with this fucking love triangle that you’ve dragged me into.” I snapped.

“Love triangle?” Faith asked, her soft voice breaking.

There was a clearing of someone’s throat before Joseph’s soothing voice joined the tension. “I believe there was a mentioning of colleagues—”

“Yes,” I snapped, my eyes finding John’s once more. “Hurk Drubman Sr. sends his regards.” I reveled in the slight shock he gave away, the way Joseph leaned back and exchanged glances with Jacob. For once, I felt I had finally been able to shake this arrogant asshole and his family. I had leverage, I had information, and I felt that, for once, I was the one holding the cards.

John clicked his tongue as a look of discontent settled on his features, and he began tapping his fingers against the table. “He hit you?”

I swallowed as his gaze weighed on me, my heart picking up in pace. “His men snatched me off the sidewalk last night for a little conversation. And well,” I gave him a cheeky smile. “You know how charming I can be, John. Except Hurk is a bit less tolerant than you are.”

“Wren, I’m sorry. We had no clue.” Rowan breathed out and my face twisted in disbelief as my eyes pinned her down.

“You’re sorry?”

She closed her eyes momentarily, but it was obvious that this hurt her just as much as it did me. This reunion was nothing short of painful. I was just too angry to care for hers. “You have to understand why I had to—”

“I was 15!” I snapped, my voice rising an octave. The tears began to pool as full on rage began to break through the walls that I had spent so long building to keep her at bay. “I was 15 years old, and you left us behind!”

“I foolishly believed you would be safe with Grace, Wren. I thought you were better off where you were—”

“With him?!” I shrieked. Scoffing, I shook my head at her. “You were the only family we had left, especially after what happened with Eli.”

Rowan paled and I get a sick, dark satisfaction from hurting her. Reminding her of how deep she was before disappearing. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret what I did.” She whispered.

I swallowed. “I thought you were dead. We all did. He told us you betrayed our family.”

“I always had eyes on the inside. They went silent after a while; I didn’t know what was going on. Grace stopped corresponding—”

“Grace is dead.” I replied, my voice breaking. Her dark brown eyes go wide as she stumbled back. Jacob placed a hand on her lower back, but she doesn’t register him.

“You did it.” Her voice breaks, making her almost squeak out her words. “You passed his test.”

I shook my head, my mouth twisting. “No Rowan. I didn’t.” I swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat to no avail. “I couldn’t bring myself to do it. She…”

“She what, Wren?”

I’m visibly shaking, the gun quivering in my hands, but I’m too scared to put it down. Too worried that I’ve gone too far to turn back now. I needed to get the fuck out while I still had some semblance of control. “Doesn’t matter.” I ground out. That’s a rabbit hole I can’t afford to go down, the guilt still all-consuming. “I’m packing my shit and I’m leaving.”

“What stuff?” the man behind me asked. “We’ve been by your apartment—”

“Yes, and I’m sure the door was wide open!” I snapped sarcastically. “Hurk made sure his men gave me a nice reminder of the shit I’ve been dragged into.”

Joseph stood, placing his hands on the conference table. “Ms. Blake, I understand that you are in a bind. Please. Put the gun down and let’s talk. I believe there’s a solution for all of us.” I gave an uneasy glance around the room. John’s dark look and Jacob’s murderous glare wasn’t at all reassuring. As if reading my mind, he spoke again. “You won’t be harmed, you have my word.”

I throw a look at Rowan, and she gives me a quick nod, but I don’t know if I could trust them. The thought of getting roughed up again seemed exhausting.

“Randy, stand down.” Joseph called. The man behind me lowered the gun and stepped away. “Whitney, why don’t you take Jane and Rowan to get cleaned up.”

The woman I assumed to be Joseph’s wife stood, nodding and dragging Faith with as she walked towards Rowan. He raised his brow at me, and I looked away, slowly lowering the gun and stepping back. Jane shot up, her hand going to her nose as she glared at me.

“You broke my fucking nose.”

“That’s enough, Jane.” Joseph called.

She whipped around, fire burning in her eyes. “Joseph—”

“Enough.”

His voice sent a chill down my spine, and I’m reminded that this man is dangerous. That he isn’t just someone that has been nothing but kind since I’ve been here. No, he’s someone that I need to keep a distance from. So, when he looks at me again, I feel my walls come back up.

“Please, have a seat.” Joseph gestured to the seat in front of me as he sat back down. Looking down, I wrinkle my nose at the blood on the conference table. Moving down a chair, I pull it out and take my seat as I was left alone with the brothers.

The silence is almost deafening as I try to get comfortable. I finally glance at Joseph. “You wanted me for a reason, I take it?”

“Yes.” Joseph gave a gentle smile. “John spoke rather highly of you.”

“Doubtful.” I muttered, making John throw me a shit eating grin.

“It has come to my attention,” Joseph continued, ignoring John and me. “That you have found yourself in quite the predicament.”

“I suppose you could say that.”

“Hmm, yes. I’m sure the FBI haven’t exactly as been any more gracious.”

I paled immediately, and I have to fight the urge to kick myself. I recalled Hurk Sr. briefly mentioning ties in the police department, but I didn’t stop to consider this a possibility. My heart started to race. “What are you talking about?” I breathed out.

His smile never wavered as his eyes seemed to see straight into my soul. “A friend of ours has brought some…unfortunate news.” His attention shifts from me to the door as he straightens just a bit more. “And he’s finally decided to join us.”

My face pinches in confusion as I turn my head. And for once, I don’t school my expression to hide my shock. He’s nervous, and you can tell by the way he tugs at his cheap suit. His gaze is downward as he walks in. Jacob grips him by the shoulder tightly as his eyes finally find mine.

“Pratt.” My voice is detached and firm, trying hard to recover but failing miserably. I can’t hide my distaste for the detective.

He doesn’t say a word as John gives him a malicious smirk. He clears his throat. “Blake. Didn’t uh…I didn’t know you were going to be here.” He mumbled.

“The feeling is mutual.”

“Detective Pratt has done his job well, informing us that there’s a certain…ploy in place against us.”

I casted him a venomous glare. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I hissed.

He swallowed, shrinking into himself under Jacob’s heavy hand. I fought the urge to lunge across the table. If he had kept his mouth shut, I would’ve been long gone by now. But instead I was here, probably about to get a bullet in my head for fucking with the wrong family. John’s taunting voice warning me over and over to leave his family be made my teeth clinch tightly, wounding my pride. Lovely.

“I’m sure there are some hard feelings here, and I understand. But I’m sure you can understand loyalty, Ms. Blake. You can’t fault him for doing his job.”

His words don’t ease a fucking thing, on the contrary, it made me feel worse. “I understand.” I heard myself say, as if I was on autopilot. Slowly, I was switching into survival mode.

“Good. Now, I appreciate your incentive to move on to another city, and I will be more than willing to help you with that.”

“But?” I asked, meeting his eyes once more, and ignoring John’s intense stare.

Joseph let out a small chuckle. “Nothing gets by you, does it dear?”

“Kind of my job to not let it.”

“Ah, yes, that’s fair. Well,” he took a second to clear his throat before continuing, leaning forward and folding his hands on the table. “I have a proposition for you. I understand that the FBI are circling around you, so to speak. Asking for my family in return for your freedom.”

“Which we know is very unlikely to happen.” John added. I gave him a sharp look, trying to figure out if he was being serious or just an obnoxious ass, but I came up empty. Its weird, watching this man go from a cocky asshole to someone who is serious and all business. It occurred to me that I was finally seeing him in his lawyer role. “Chances are they’re going to use you to get what they want, and then from there, they’ll gather a case against you. You will either go down with us or be thrown in with whatever organization you originated from.”

“And now there’s the issue with the Drubman family.” Joseph cut in, taking back control of the conversation. “Clearly they saw an opportunity.”

“They claim to have ties in the police department.” I replied, eyeing Pratt.

“None of that is shocking in the slightest. Hurk Sr, if nothing else, is resourceful. But you have two groups that are weighing down on you, pressuring you to infiltrate and destroy my family.”

There’s something dangerous in the gentle gaze he gives me, and this is the first time I became truly terrified of Joseph Seed. I fight the urge to glance at John, because why would I? And I hated to admit this, but a part of me naively believed he would protect me from his older brother. It was foolish, because I was the enemy. I was the threat to him and his family, and I was answering for it.

“Then let me leave.” I whispered, finding myself desperate to be relieved of his pointed gaze. “Let me get the hell out of here. It would solve both of our problems.”

“But, unfortunately, it wouldn’t.” I frowned as he sighed, glancing at his hands briefly. “That would only serve one party, and it would be extremely short lived. Burke is very determined to keep you in his pocket. John explained to me that you would not be allowed to leave the city, not risking you disappearing from his radar.”

“Doesn’t take a big-time lawyer to state the obvious.” Pratt muttered.

Joseph and John gave him an unsatisfied look as I whipped around. “No one fucking asked you, asshole.” I snapped and he glared at me. I couldn’t explain my irritation towards the man, but something about him set me off. Maybe it was the fact that he reminded me of a weasel, the little shit. “You have some fucking nerve—”

“Language.” Joseph correct softly as Jacob squeezed a little too hard, making Pratt flinch.

“Quiet, Peaches.”

I couldn’t help the way I smirk or the way I quirk a brow at him. Peaches, huh? His glare at me intensified, but I brush it aside as I brought my attention back to Joseph. “So, Burke isn’t going to let me go easy?”

“Neither of them will.” Joseph corrected. “Not now, after they’ve gotten their hooks in you.” I turned and glared at the table, my skin crawling at his verbiage. I hated the idea of someone pulling the strings to control me. It was infuriating. “Luckily, we can work this to our advantage.”

“What is it that you want from me?” I asked, my irritation barely contained. I knew I wasn’t going to like this, and while they were scheming, I was trying to figure out a way to get the hell out of this alive. Just because I was willing to listen, didn’t mean I was willing to comply.

“I want you to do what you’re supposed to do. Or what you are being told to do, I mean.” Shooting him a look, he continued. “You’re going to work for me, Ms. Blake. John tells me that you are very skilled at keeping up pretenses—”

“You mean working a mark? As a con artist?” I asked with a raised brow.

His mouth twitched before he continued. “Yes, I suppose that’s one way to put it. My offer is that you work for us, pretend to infiltrate our family, while feeding the false information we give you to both the feds and Drubmans. In return, you have our protection from both.”

I scoff as I lean back in the chair with my arms crossed. “I can take care of myself, thank you.”

“Apparently not, darling. Or at least, that’s what it looks like from where I sit.” John taunted. I immediately threw him a death glare, ignoring the sting to my ego. I was ready to claw those pretty eyes of his out.

“John, that’s enough.” Joseph reprimanded, throwing him a pointed look. “It’s not just protection, Ms. Blake. This is only temporary.”

“So you say.” I replied warily. “With all due respect, things like this are never temporary.”

“No, I suppose you’re right. Though, I’m not like most people in this…lifestyle. My family, we keep our word. And I give you my word. You do this, not only will you have protection, but I will personally see to it you find your way out of this city safely. We can set you up somewhere of your choice. You will also be properly compensated for your time and help.”

“That’s awfully generous of you.” I responded suspiciously.

“There’s nothing in this world that’s more important to me than my family, my people, Ms. Blake. What you consider generous, I consider a necessary investment to ensure the future of the people I care about.”

I hesitated, completely baffled by the passion in his eyes. I clearly underestimated this family, because I wasn’t expecting that. “So, I pretend to work for you? Is that it?”

“No,” he leaned back, putting his foot on his knee. “That would be too risky. It puts you in the path of the feds and our competition, and neither of us want that. No, you’re going to become engaged to my brother.”

I stared at him before quickly looking at Jacob. Him? Wait…no, he was married to Rowan, wasn’t he? Did I pick up the vibes wrong? No, that can’t be…

My eyes widened as Jacob’s smirk did the same. I immediately turn to see John staring at Joseph incredulously. Oh. Oh.

“Absolutely not—”

“Oh, there’s no way in hell—”

“Brother, we didn’t discuss—”

“That little shit? Just kill me—"

“This is a bad idea, I assure you—”

“He’s an asshole—”

“Enough.” Joseph spoke out, silencing both of us as he raised his hand, and then turned to John. “You’re the only one of us that this could work with. You’re the only one that isn’t either engaged or already married.” He turned back to me. “I can’t hire you as an assassin, con artist, or anything thing else similar to that. That wouldn’t be infiltrating, not in your style, at least. This needs to be believable, and that’s not the way to do it. You understand, don’t you?”

I open my mouth to protest, but I close it when I realize that everything that he’s saying is right. I avoided violence, so me being added to their ranks wouldn’t make sense. No, my technique was always more subtle, taking a different approach. If I were doing this for real, it wouldn’t have been much different than what he had planned. The difference was the man sitting next to him.

John threw me an icy look, clearly not happy with the turn of events. At least that was something we could both agree on. I couldn’t help but think how much of a shame it was, in a different situation, he could have been charming. The first few minutes of knowing him had been pleasant.

Too bad he was such an arrogant prick.

“Look, I’m not exactly down for an arranged marriage. Especially to him.”

“It wouldn’t be real, obviously. You both will pretend to be in love for the public, the feds and Drubman will believe you’re doing what you agreed to do. Being engaged to John will offer you protection on all fronts, and that’s important with the attention you’ve gathered.”

I’m quiet as I take it in, weighing my options. I couldn’t leave, that was no longer an option. And slowly, piece by piece, everything fell into place. I eyed Pratt, and that’s when it clicked. “I don’t have a choice.”

“You still can say no, of course. But I think you know what will happen if you do.”

I hated his soft voice, hated how polite and gentle he was, because it hid how fucking clever and manipulative he was. Saying no would give me freedom to get the hell out, but that would be my only choice. They knew, so any chances of working myself out a deal with the feds was off the table, and there would be a target on my head from the Drubman’s. And it occured to me the real reason Pratt was here. I swallowed. He would take me in on the spot, with just a word from one of the brothers. Not even that, he would have to for Burke. I clenched my teeth. I’ve been played.

“You promise me a safe way out?” I asked softly, trying my best to keep my rage at bay.

“I promise.”

I sighed, eyeing him with distaste. “Fine. I’ll help you. But I don’t have to actually marry him, do I?”

The look on John’s face told me he had been offended, but Joseph ignored him. “No, not really. If we play everything correctly, this will be over in a few months. We can get away with a simple engagement.”

“Good. I can handle that.” I replied. Anything to keep me from getting thrown in the ocean tied to a concrete block or prison. I could handle a few months cuffed to this idiot to get the hell out.

“Hmm. At least she’s an upgrade from that Holly girl you were running around with.” Jacob muttered. “Kinda gives you a way out, Johnny. Keep the crazy broad off your back.”

John shot him a look. “Shut up, Jacob.”

“Just sayin’ you really know how to pick ‘em.”

“Fuck y—"

I rolled my eyes and stood. “This has been fun and all, but I’m gonna go ahead and go. We’re done here.” Without another word, I turned on my heel and walked out, shooting daggers at Pratt on the way.

I smashed the elevator button repeatedly, becoming more and more impatient by the second as I heard approaching footsteps. “Where are you going?”

The sound of his snobby tone made me groan. “Please go away, I’ve had enough of you for the last 24 hours. I need a break from Your Holiness.” I almost cried as the elevator doors dinged open, desperate for my escape.

“That’s awfully rude of you.” John said with a twist of his mouth. “And don’t you think you should be coming with me?”

“Are you kidding me?” I laughed as I pressed the lobby button. “I’m not staying with you, if that’s what you’re suggesting. As far as I’m concerned, as long as there’s no ring on my finger, I can enjoy my personal space while I still can.”

I smirked as I had the absolute pleasure of watching the doors shot to John’s reddening face. It was short lived, however, because I collapsed against the wall with a heavy sigh. I was exhausted to say the least, and there was nothing I wanted more than to curl up and hide in my trashed apartment.

“What the hell is going on?!”

To say I was shocked would have been an understatement of the century, but the fury underneath was quickly approaching the surface. I was absolutely looking forward to falling face first on what was left of my bed. So, it was a bit of a shock when I found movers taking my stuff out of my apartment, piece by piece. Spotting the landlord, I rushed over.

“Hey! Did you hear me? What do you think you’re doing?” I snapped, pointing at the apartment.

She was middle-aged, my landlord. Grey and brown hair in a bun as her bangs brushed her forehead, and no matter the weather, she always wore a shabby sweater. She was the strangest woman I had ever met.

“The tenant gave a notice, so we’re cleaning it out for the next one.” She replied with a frown, eyeing me up and down.

“The tenant…? I am the tenant!” Was she daff? I paid her rent every month, always on time and never short. We weren’t friends, but we were civil and polite enough.

She raised her brow at me before looking at the pages on her clipboard. “So, you’re ‘Duncan’ then?”

I gapped at her like a fish. Duncan? Who the fuck was Duncan? “What? No—”

“Then you’re not the tenant.”

“I’ve been living here for the past six months!”

“Under Duncan’s roof. It’s in his name, dear. Positive side, he’s going to be the one responsible for paying for the damages. But there’s nothing I can do, I’m sorry.” And with that, she turned, walking away with finality.

I tried to take a deep, calming breath. As much as I loved him dearly, I was going to kill Sharky. The only alias he was supposed to use was one of mine, but clearly, he had other plans. Turning to leave with a huff, I stop short. This time I can’t help my fists clench as Randy and Jane stand there by the top of the stairs. I could see the bruising on Jane’s face starting to form and the redness of her nose almost made me feel sheepish.

“You’re supposed to come with us, John sent for you.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me?” I asked, feeling exasperated. But when they didn’t laugh or even crack a smile, I realized John’s men had zero sense of humor and I was officially fucked. I’d never felt so cornered in my life and I had to fight the instinct to run and get the hell out of there. “Of course you’re not. Fucking Christ.” I ran a hand over my face as Jane smirked.

“You’ll learn pretty quick that John usually gets what he wants.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

#deputy wren blake #john seed #rowan palmer #jacob seed #faith seed #jane williams #randy miller #whitney seed #joseph seed #my ocs #my writing #Far Cry 5 #hold me down #i can't believe you've done this

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alkhale · 5 years ago

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Katsuyu marriage dynamic was sooo adorable. Kinda makes me wonder about what ToFu’s marriage dynamic would be like. Especially when Fuyu used to joke about marrying rich or teasing Shouto about being “Rich boi todoroki”.

Married ToFu/ShoYu goes something like this:

- the early stages pre engagement are rocky, the unexpected twist is that ToFu as a couple fights more than people would expect, these two are horribly bull headed when it comes to each other

- like KatsuYu they live together and their schedules are always clashing. Their schedules take a bit more of a toll on them because Todoroki is a lot more emotionally dependent then he lets on, visual, physical confirmations of presence are things he really wants from her but CANT GET IF THEYRE SO BUSY (Roki is needier than people expect)

- Pro Hero shouto’s interns always keep their mouth shut but notice how agitated Todoroki gets when he hasn’t seen his significant other in a long time, he has a blanket at work Fuyu made for him that’s half red and white and sometimes he wraps it right over his shoulders, leans back in his office and sleeps

- When she isn’t home and he is, he stares at the calendar of their schedules and often writes small notes (“free for an hour this day” or “off early”) and hopes

- Fuyu thinks about him a lot on the job, she misses him but can’t work her mouth to say it. It bums her out when she comes back to their stupidly nice and big apartment and she only sees traces of him left behind (his uniform, her clothes already washed for her, food restocked, their futon half folded, flowers left in a vase for her)

- she used to live in a smaller apartment and all the fancy equipment and furniture weirds her out and she’s always just yelling ROKI WTF IS THIS WHAT DOES IT DO or skeptically stares at the fancy machinery or runs off the personal grocery shoppers

- It takes a lot of convincing to move her into a nicer place. Todoroki has to fight many battles, keep doing your best, Roki

“Just let me call you the taxi.”

“It’s literally a twenty minute walk—“

“You just finished a two day shift.”

“It’ll be good for me—“

“I miss you.”

“God damn it, call the fucking car.”

- Endeavor is always sending them shit and gifts and Todoroki wants to throw it all out but Fuyu always feels bad when his dad sends a box of crabs or beef and is usually softer on Endeavor in secret, she stays rigid with him though because it’s a rocky slope and Roki comes first for her no matter what

- Fuyu is D O N E with this rich shit, she doesn’t know where all this money comes from, Pro Hero Shouto’s bank account statements blow her god damn mind, he suggested a shared account and she always says no because Fuyu Funds are sensitive and she’s never seen that many numbers

- Fuyu is the only that brings up marriage without realizing it, she’s the one that says one morning into his shoulder that she wants to stay with him forever. He asks if she promises never to take it back, she says yes

- Todoroki buys the ring, Fuyumi helps him pick it out and when he gives it to her Fuyu still has the audacity to look surprised like where tf did this come from??? And Roki is just??? You???

- they have a traditional Japanese wedding, they try to keep it small and intimate but it’s stupidly hard

- a lot of people don’t know they’re together, Fuyu is fine with that because she thinks part of Todoroki’s revenue is his bachelor status but whenever people ask he points and says that’s his wife and she’s just >:o but with a blush

- half the televisions in his agency are always tuned to different channels that broadcast Fuyu’s activities, she told him to stop it but he doesn’t

- sometimes Todoroki scares the shit out of an intern sitting down next to them on a couch and watching his wife on the screen in silence before calling her to tell her to rest and quietly listening to her cuss him out but still looking stupidly content about it because he gets to talk to her

- when Shouto visits the Akaito Agency theres yelling before it gets quiet and Eiji usually finds them wrapped up in each other on her couch or Todoroki holding her hand while she sleeps (they hold hands a lot)

- on free days they really love going to visit his mom or family or spending the entire day somewhere like movies or a solid date, she teaches him how to cook, some days they never make it out of the bedroom

- sometimes after really long days, Fuyu slips into the futon behind him and wraps her arms around him. Shouto waits before he turns around and wraps her up and she ties their strings together and falls asleep listening to his heartbeat

- they’re a bit stupid, but they love very passionately, these two

#ohbab #todoroki shouto #kouki fuyu #todoroki x oc #bnha oc #ToFu #ShoYu #roki x fuyu #ohbab headcanons

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crowsvalentine · 5 years ago

Note

write the baby fic please!!!!!!!!! i NEED to know what happens next

Part 1, Part 2

She’d found him just as Jesper had said

Sitting against the wall, a second, emptying bottle in one hand looking at the pieces of a half finished bassinet

Without a word she shut the door before Jesper could follow her and slowly slid down to sit next to him

“He’s too large for one of these,” she said quietly after a moment, “he would need a proper crib”

“I wouldn’t have known that,” there was a hint of anger in his voice

Justified anger but Inej couldn’t help when her face dropped

“My mother-”

“Your mother was correct, Inej, I am not fit to be a father and Ketterdam isn’t fit to be a home”

“Then why are you building this?” she kicked a wooden rod with the tip of her boot

“If I had the time I would have had one built and carved to resemble a ship.”

He’d thought about it

She wasn’t sure if it was just now or if it was months ago, but he’d imagined what their child’s first bed would look like

The tears pricked her eyes again but she didn’t let them flow, because it was Kaz’s turn to mourn

He needed time to mourn for the time lost with his son, time where he was supposed to be able to do all of this for him and learn what it meant to have a baby to look out for

“You would have been,” she paused, “you will be a good father, Kaz”

“How are you so sure? You must have agreed with your family if it had taken you nine months to even mention his name to me. And even then it was only because I’d found the letter.” He took another drink from the bottle. “Would you have even told me? Or was I to go the rest of my life not knowing that I have a son”

He still hadn’t looked at her since she came in, how could he after what she’d done?

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Inej took the bottle from his hands

And it wasn’t until she’d down a quarter of the bottle did Kaz finally turn to her and he was quick to snatch the bottle from her hands

“Stop it, you don’t even drink”

“There’s a lot that’s changed in the time I’ve been away, Kaz,” she admitted, “you were no longer the most important person in my life once I learned of my pregnancy. I never thought I could even have a baby after what Heleen put me through and I needed to take every precaution to ensure the safety of Neren,” he said nothing, just nodded so Inej continued, “the barrel was never somewhere I wanted to raise my children, not where such cruelties could ever take place. But it is your home, Kaz, somewhere you love more than you would like to admit so when my mother said you would never leave such a place I believed her.”

“I would have left, for him”

“I know that now, you’re building a bassinet for saint’s sake, Kaz Brekker,” she emphasized his name, the tiniest of smiles on her face as she did. “This is why I wanted to come back, to prove to my mother and father that Neren will be safe here with you”

“Why did you wait so long to come back? I would have proven this months ago”

Her smile dropped

And she slid her knees up to hug to her chest and as if sensing what she was about to say, Kaz wrapped and arm around her shoulders to pull her into his side

And as she began explaining, she felt his lips press into her hair

She’d cried for Kaz when she went into labour

Begged her mother to get him, her state of mind making her forget he was a sea away and would never have made it in time

From what she was told, there was more blood than they had ever seen

Her aunts had called it a miracle when she’d opened her eyes at all after everything

The combination of her body being too small and Neren not being the right way around had caused such unexpected complications that no one was sure of what to do

Her mother and aunts were just that, just family members, their only knowledge of childbirth coming from their own experiences from doing this with the other female members in their camp

Inej’s situation was unprecedented to them

Neren was healthy, thankfully, but Inej was far too weak

Her parents cried as if her death was written in stone and Inej believed it herself

She slept for days after the birth, barely waking to feed Neren

It took nearly three months to fully recover, and by the time she was on her feet again her parents had made up their minds

And in her weakened, vulnerable state

They’d convinced her

Because the only thing on Inej’s mind was the safety of her Neren, of her son

And some how, her family made her see that Kaz wasn’t the safest choice for him

“I was going to give him up, I was going to allow my cousin in the capital with her husband raise him as their own so I could go back to sea and live my life,” she admitted, “that was the plan once he wasn’t so dependent on me.”

“But you fell in love with him”

She smiled

“I love him more than life itself. The time spent with him once I was recovered made me see you in him more and more every day”

“Really?”

“He has your eyes, and your nose, and saints does he have your temper,” she laughed, imagining the look Neren had developed whenever he was mad about something, “he’s wholly you, no one would imagine he was my son”

Inej felt him take a shaky breath, his chest moving under head head and she looked up to find a single tear move down his cheek as he shut his eyes

As if trying to conjure up the image of him

She moved then, carefully maneuvering herself to sit facing him on his lap

Wiping at his eyes, she smiled as he looked at her

“I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

Finally, this is what she’d been wanting to tell him since she noticed the notebook in his hands

The words he hadn’t allowed her to say before he stormed off

“Will I meet him?” he asked, so quietly, as if scared she was about to lie to him about the most important thing in his life

“Why do you think I finally came back? I was going to tell you tonight but you’d already found the unfinished letter before I had the chance,” she paused, and waited, her smile growing as the realization started to hit him. “Neren will be here in two weeks, he’s on a ship to Ketterdam as we speak”

#i write for soc #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #kanej #six of crows #crooked kingdom

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ghost-town-story · 4 years ago

Text

FebruarOC Day 16: Percy

Percy took a deep breath, then crossed the lunch room and approached his target. “You’re Summer, right?”

Summer blinked and looked up at Percy. “Yes,” she said hesitantly.

“I’m Percy,” Percy introduced himself. “Can I talk to you for a second? Alone,” he added, glancing around at the table full of people. He noticed her boyfriend’s arm wrapping around her waist and barely refrained from rolling his eyes.

“Whatever you have to say, you can say it here,” Summer said dryly.

Percy leaned back for a moment with a sigh, glancing around yet again. He wasn’t sure how many people he wanted to share his theories with, but he knew that number definitely didn’t include the crowded lunch room they were currently in. “It’s about Aydan,” he finally settled on.

Summer exchanged a look with her boyfriend, then she stood. “Okay. We’ll go somewhere quiet. But Will’s coming with.”

“Really?” Percy said before he could stop himself. “He doesn’t trust you that much?”

“It’s not a question of trust,” Summer replied, rolling her eyes. “You’ll understand in a bit. Come on.” With that she passed by Percy, heading out of the lunch room. Percy hesitated, then followed with a huff, Will close on his heels.

Summer didn’t slow down until they left the school building, emerging onto the frost-covered athletic fields. “Alright,” Summer said, turning to face Percy again. “Shouldn’t be anybody else out here, so we should have the privacy this discussion needs.” And suddenly, Summer’s gaze turned sharp. “What do you know about Aydan?”

Percy held her gaze steadily. “It’s more of a theory than anything,” he said. “But my sister, Sora, went missing yesterday afternoon, and I think her disappearance and Aydan’s might be linked.”

Summer exchanged a hesitant glance with Will. “If she’s barely been gone a day, then what makes you think—”

“Don’t you pull that shit with me too!” Percy snapped before she could finish. “The police refuse to look for her just yet because it’s too soon, but I know my sister! She’s not lost, and she wouldn’t just disappear without a trace! Not to mention Seanna and Calder—” He cut off, wary of revealing too much.

“Seanna and Calder?” Will asked.

Percy shook his head. “I need to know you believe me first.”

“Then tell us why you think they’re linked,” Summer said.

“A while back, I caught Jay talking to Sora,” Percy explained. “She said it was homecoming committee stuff, but he was acting way too shifty for me to believe that.”

Summer let out a heavy sigh. “Of course Jay is the common factor in everything,” she muttered.

“Everything?” Percy questioned.

To his surprise, Will was the one who answered. “There’s something going on here Percy, something that could potentially be dangerous. If you want to get involved, that’s your choice, but it’s only fair you know the risk involved first.”

“What do you mean, dangerous?” Percy asked.

“Dangerous as in we’re apparently poking our noses into government business, and we’ve been warned to stop doing that,” Summer spoke up.

Percy narrowed his eyes at the pair, but ultimately, if the information they apparently had could help him find Sora, then his choice was easy.

“I’m in.”

“Okay.” Percy finished clearing off one of his old bulletin boards and took a step back. “Let’s consolidate everything we know.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to put everything out in the open like that?” Will asked.

“My parents don’t look close at what I have hanging up here,” Percy replied. “But if you’re that worried, I’ll take it down when you two aren’t here.” Will didn’t look entirely appeased, but he conceded the argument.

“So we have Aydan, Sora, and Jay.” Percy scrawled each of their names on notecards, which were then pinned up on different corners of the board.

“I can start with Sora. I know she and Jay were talking about something they wanted kept secret from me.” Percy strung a piece of yarn between their names with a little note about their discussion. “And, before you guys came over, the police were here. They’re finally starting to take this seriously, and they had a picture of the last person Sora was seen with. I snagged it and said I would ask around school, since the guy is around our age.” Percy pinned the picture to the board under Sora’s name.

“And then Aydan and Jay,” another length of yarn connected those two, “were friends, and disappeared around the same time.” Percy took a step back. “And that’s what I have so far.”

Summer hopped off of Percy’s desk to take a closer look at the picture, then swore softly.

“What?” Percy asked.

“I know that kid,” Summer said. “I don’t know his name, but he’s connected to Jay somehow. He picked Jay up from school that one time, and one night I found him and Aydan getting coffee together, so Aydan knew him through Jay.”

Will joined Summer in investigating. “His name is Baz,” he said. “Or at least, that’s what Jay called him the one time I ran into the two of them.”

Percy didn’t know whether to be elated at the new information or uneasy about how tangled this web was getting as he scrawled the info on a series of notecards. “Okay. One piece at a time.” He tacked up the new notes: Baz’s name, the connection between him and Jay, and the one between him and Aydan. “First, anything else to put on this card?” Percy tapped the note between Baz and Jay.

Will hesitated. “They’re dating, as far as I know. And Aydan knew.”

“I thought she and Jay were dating?” Percy carefully asked, eyeing up Summer.

Summer threw up her hands. “Fuck if I know!” she exclaimed. “She stopped telling me shit when he showed up.”

Percy shrugged, not wanting to poke that nest any more than he had to, and added Will’s comment to the notecard. “Anything else?” he asked.

Will and Summer shook their heads.

“Okay. And anything else about how Aydan and Baz are connected?”

Summer huffed again. “All I know is that she trusted him, apparently more than she trusted me. She wouldn’t even tell me why they were getting coffee.”

“Do you think there was a reason?” Percy asked. Summer shot him a glare, and Percy held up his hands. “I’m trying to put together what happened, chill.”

Summer sighed heavily. “It looked like they were having a serious discussion when I found them, but she never told me what it was about. Kept refusing no matter how much I asked.”

“Okay.” Percy carefully added that to the board. “And Aydan and Jay?”

“They kept to themselves a lot,” Summer said. “Aydan didn’t like to talk about him to me. She thought I was being nosy.” Summer scoffed.

“We’re pretty sure Jay is behind Aydan’s disappearance though,” Will added. “They were at Ben’s party together, the night she disappeared, and when Ben left to take her home, Jay left right afterwards.”

Percy paused in the middle of writing this new information on a notecard. “You don’t think he’s the one who caused that explosion?” he asked.

“Maybe,” Summer sighed. “It depends. If he was okay with Aydan hating him, then he very well could have. But if he didn’t want her to hate him, then I doubt it. Ben was Aydan’s best friend, before Jay showed up. She would never forgive Jay if he… did something like that to Ben.”

“Okay.” Percy finished up the note and added it to the board.

“What if he didn’t have a choice though?” Will suddenly spoke up.

Both Summer and Percy shot him a confused look.

Will blinked as if realizing he’d spoke out loud. “I—never mind. Just a thought.”

“Okay.” Percy kept his eyes on Will for a moment longer to see if he would change his mind, but Will just shook his head and focused back on the board of information they now had. “So what are we missing here?”

“Why did Jay and Baz target Aydan and Sora,” Summer said. “Because right now, I can’t see any connection between Aydan and Sora other than the ones Jay and Baz made.”

“So we should find out more about them,” Percy decided. “How do you two feel about digging through databases?”

Summer let out a soft groan, closing her eyes. “For Aydan, I’ll do it, but I won’t enjoy it.”

Will nodded in agreement, though Percy noticed he still had a thoughtful look on his face. Percy had to wonder if he knew something that he hadn’t even shared with Summer.

“You know, if it wasn’t so annoying, I’d be flattered by your obsession with me.”

The three teenagers jumped at the unexpected voice and whirled to face it. Jay was leaning against the door to the study room they’d borrowed, his expression unreadable behind his tech goggles.

“You have a lot of nerve coming back here after you kidnapped my cousin,” Summer hissed, leaping to her feet.

“That’s a bold accusation my dear.” Jay shifted in the doorway to let the door swing shut behind him.

“Don’t you “my dear” me!”

“But it’s true, isn’t it,” Percy backed up Summer. “You kidnapped Aydan, and Sora.”

“I didn’t kidnap either of them,” Jay said, his voice level.

Percy was about to argue but was cut off as Will put a hand on his shoulder. “Why are you here?” he asked Jay.

“You three are poking your noses where they don’t belong,” Jay said. “I’m here to tell you to stop.”

“Why? Because you work for the government?”

“What?” Percy hissed, turning to look at Will. Will kept his eyes on Jay though.

“What makes you say that?” To his credit, what they could see of Jay’s face remained impassive, and his voice stayed steady.

“I know what that scar on your arm means,” Will said.

“You’ve never seen my arm.”

“I don’t think I need to,” Will countered. “It’s too convenient to be a coincidence. So tell me Jay, who sent you? My mom? Myles?”

“Neither.”

“Bullshit!” Will hissed.

“I am telling the truth.” And for the first time, Jay’s mask cracked, a flash of anger showing through. “And you’re damn lucky neither of them have noticed what you’re up to yet. If they had, they would be a lot more forceful about stopping you. I’m merely here with a warning. Quit while you still have a chance. Cause if you keep going, you will attract the wrong sort of attention. And I might not be able to save your asses.”

“Why would we want your help?” Summer snorted.

“Oh, trust me.” Jay gave her a humorless grin. “When faced with the alternative, you’ll be grateful for my help.”

Summer scoffed.

Jay shrugged. “Well, that’s my message delivered. Keep your noses clean kids. Hopefully I won’t need to see you again.”

“Hey, wait just a second,” Summer started, but Jay pressed a button on his goggles and disappeared in a flash.

“Motherfucker,” Summer hissed. She turned to look at Will. “You okay?” she asked lowly.

Will sighed, pressing his hands against his eyes. “I don’t get it,” he said. “You and I basically confirmed Jay has the same scar on his arm that James did, and Myles told me it meant he worked for the government. Why would he lie about that?”

“To cover his ass?” Summer suggested.

Percy shook his head. “He didn’t look like he was lying though.”

Will groaned. “I hate running into dead ends!” he growled. “Every single turn we take, somebody is trying to stop us and I’m sick and tired of it!”

An idea popped into Percy’s mind, and he spoke before he could think it all the way through. “I might have an idea.” Two heads snapped around to look at Percy. “Your mom works for the government, right Will?” Percy started hesitantly.

Will nodded.

“So, if Jay is to be believed, she’d try to stop us if she knew what we were looking into,” Percy continued. “Which stands to reason, why stop us unless she, and by extension, the government had something to hide?”

“I’m following you so far,” Summer said carefully.

“And what better way of unearthing government secrets than by looking for them in a government database?”

Will blinked. “I’d be so dead if we got caught.”

“Then we don’t get caught.” Percy faked confidence he didn’t quite feel. “What other leads do we have?”

Will let out a heavy sigh. Finally, he spoke again. “Only if you’re absolutely sure we won’t get caught.”

“Give me twenty minutes alone with your mom’s computer, and I can guarantee it,” Percy responded.

Will groaned, then sat up. “Okay. Fine. But only because I’m so sick and tired of hitting dead ends.”

Percy nodded, hoping that this chance would be worth the risk.

Percy sighed, taking a few steps back from the bulletin board to take it all in. The information they’d gotten from Will’s mother had answered some of their questions, but it had also brought up a lot more for Percy. He was hoping that when Will and Summer took a look at what they’d found, they would be able to help him make some more sense of it.

There was a knock on Percy’s bedroom door, and he opened it to find Summer standing there. “Hey,” Percy greeted. “Where’s Will?”

“I don’t know.” Summer fidgeted nervously with her phone. “He hasn’t been answering his phone all afternoon.”

“Huh.” Percy frowned. “That’s weird. He didn’t say anything had come up when we planned to meet.”

“That’s what’s got me really worried,” Summer admitted. “Usually if he goes radio silent, he warns me about it before hand. This time, nothing.”

A soft cough from behind Percy startled the both of them. Percy spun around to find Jay standing in his room, studying the bulletin board.

“What are you doing here?” Percy demanded.

“Woah, chill out, I know it’s bad form to teleport directly into a building but I couldn’t exactly just waltz in here,” Jay defended himself. “Shut the door Summer, there’s a dear.”

“I’m not your dear!” Summer snapped, but she complied.

Jay pulled up a screen from his tech goggles, pressed a few buttons, then closed the screen. “There. Nobody should be able to listen in now.”

Summer and Percy exchanged a nervous glance.

“I’ve already said, I’m not the one you should be worried about,” Jay said with annoyance. “I’m here because congrats, you’ve poked too far, and Will’s already paying the price.”

“What? What happened? Where’s Will?” Summer demanded.

“According to security footage,” Jay said, pulling up a screen and flicking it over to Percy and Summer, “it looks like his mother found out, and confronted Will about it.”

Percy watched as the screen showed silent footage of Will standing in his mother’s office, his face pale and fearful as his mother spoke forcefully to him.

“Just a few minutes ago, she took Will and left the house. I haven’t been able to track them, the traffic cam system is a mess to hack into, but if I had to bet, she’s either taking him to a government facility, or they’re coming for you two. We don’t have much time.”

“Why should we believe you?” Percy demanded.

“Because Sora and Aydan did,” Jay replied. Percy choked on his next words.

“Like I said, we don’t have much time,” Jay continued. “Summer, you’re probably in the most danger, since Allison would be able to recognize you in the security footage. Do you two trust me?”

“With what?” Summer asked.

Jay sighed. “If the government gets their hands on you, it won’t be good,” he said. “I can’t be 100% sure what they’ll do to you, but I do know that they don’t want their secrets getting out. I can guarantee they’ll try to silence you, one way or another.”

Summer paled considerably. “And if we go with you?”

“Then we’ll hide you and keep you safe,” Jay replied.

“Is that what you did with Sora and Aydan?” Percy asked.

“More or less,” Jay said with a shrug. “They’re a slightly different case, but essentially yes, we took them to hide them from the government.”

“Because of this Nova thing.”

“Yes.” Jay glanced at his watch. “We should get going if you’re coming with me. I don’t know how much longer we have.”

Percy glanced at Summer, waiting for her to make the first move. After all, she had known Jay better when he’d gone to school with them.

“Fine,” Summer decided. “I’ll go with you.” Percy nodded in agreement. “But I want to see Aydan when we get there,” Summer continued.

Jay let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll let her know you want to see her,” he replied. “But I won’t force her to do anything.” Summer bristled, but Jay ignored her and held out his hand. “Come on then,” he said.

Percy carefully took it, and Summer put her hand over his, though she was glaring at Jay. Jay continued to ignore her as he pulled up another screen from his goggles and pressed a button.

Their surroundings disappeared in a haze of teleportation, and when Percy’s vision cleared, it was to find themselves in a strange room.

“You two good?” Jay asked, taking back his hand.

Percy and Summer nodded, though the latter looked decidedly more queasy about their method of transportation.

“Come on then,” Jay said, turning on his heel and opening the room’s door. “I’m taking you to Boss now,” he added over his shoulder. “He’s the guy in charge down here, and he’s also the best at explaining everything to newcomers.”

“Down here?” Percy asked, looking around as Jay led them through a series of hallways.

“Yup.” Jay popped the p. “We are currently in one of the abandoned underground cities. Well, not quite as abandoned as most people would think. It’s one of the safest places for Novas though. GPS signals don’t work down here, so we can’t be tracked.”

“Huh,” Percy said, filing that information away for later. He almost wished he had grabbed his notes from his bulletin board before they’d left, because it would be so satisfying to see the pieces click together.

The thought of home cause a flash of guilt in Percy’s chest though. He’d just left without even a note for his parents, who would now have to deal with both Sora and Percy’s disappearance.

“Will we ever be able to go home?” he asked Jay.

“Maybe,” Jay replied. “Maybe not. I honestly don’t know.”

Percy nodded, biting his lip.

They soon reached their destination, as Jay opened a door and ushered Percy and Summer through.

There was a guy working at a desk within, and he looked up as they entered. “Got that bad?” he asked with a wince.

“Yeah,” Jay sighed. “Boss free?”

“Yeah, I’ll just let him know you’re here.” The guy stood and disappeared into the inner office, leaving the three of them alone.

“Feel free to ask Boss whatever,” Jay told Summer and Percy. “If anybody would have answers, it would be him.”

Summer finally spoke up again. “What about Will?” she asked.

Jay paused before responding. “I’ll see if I can track him down,” he said. “And when I find him, I’ll give him the same choice I gave you two.”

“You mean you’d leave him?” Summer demanded.

“Only if he felt he was safe enough to stay,” Jay replied. “I won’t leave him there if he wants the safety we can provide.”

Summer looked about to argue more, but she was cut off by the return of the secretary. “Boss will see you now.” He glanced at Jay. “Gonna go in with them?”

“Not if I don’t have to,” Jay replied.

The secretary nodded. “Boss said you’re free to go if you wish.”

“Okay. If he asks, I’m gonna be tracking down Will.”

“Alright.” The secretary turned to Percy and Summer. “You two can head in.”

Percy grabbed Summer by the arm before she could continue her argument with Jay and pulled her into the inner office. There, they found a man sitting at a desk, obviously waiting for them.

“Summer Rivers.” He looked at Summer, then shifted his gaze to Percy. “And Perseus Reyes.”

“Just Percy,” Percy muttered.

“Take a seat,” the man said with a smile. “As you can guess, I’m Boss.”

Percy and Summer took a seat in front of the desk, but before Boss could say any more, there was a knock at the door.

“Yes?” Boss called.

The door opened to reveal Baz, and on his arm was—

“Sora!” Percy breathed. He glanced at Boss, who nodded at him. Sora said something in a low voice to Baz, and Baz nodded and pulled away, disappearing back into the outer office.

Percy hardly cared about him anymore though, as he leapt to his feet and swept his sister into his arms. “You’re alright,” he muttered into her hair.

Sora let out a soft laugh, nestling into his embrace. “Yes, I’m fine,” she replied.

Holding his sister once again, Percy knew that no matter what, it was worth it to know that she was safe.

#writing #in which i write #snippets #nova #februaroc #februaroc 2021 #bad ending is bad but i'm tired lol #i might fix it in the morning but for now it's finished 10 minutes before midnight #rip me lol

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bumblesimagines · 5 years ago

Text

The Runaway

Listened to Heaven and Back, Dancer in the dark, and I never existed by Chase Atlantic while writing this. I’m also not completely sure how old Fangs and Sweets are but I’m gonna say seventeen.

Y/N) hopped out of the back of the truck, knocking on the side to tell the driver he had gotten out. The pickup drove off, the driver waving to him. (Y/N) pulled his hood over his head, noticing the odd stares. (Y/N) looked around the gas station. He cleared his throat and approached an older man.

“Excuse me, sir. Do you know of any diners around here?” The man looked at him.

“Uh, yeah... Pop’s. Best burgers and milkshakes around.” He gave him directions.

“Are you new? Saw you getting out of that truck and you seem pretty young to be alone.” He crossed his arms, raising a brow. (Y/N) swallowed, glancing away from him.

“Uh, yeah. I’m eighteen.” (Y/N) replied, giving the man a small smile before turning around and walking away. It wasn’t a complete lie. He was gonna turn 18 in a month or two. (Y/N) followed the man’s directions and spotted the bright red sign. He jogged up to the door, glancing at the teens on motorcycles. (Y/N) entered the diner, hesitating in taking off his hood. He looked around the diner, eyes landing on someone. His heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. Veronica seemed to feel eyes on her and looked up, eyes widening.

“Oh my god...” She whispered. (Y/N) quickly spun around, leaving the diner. The door opened and he heard her calling out.

“(Y/N)! Please! (Y/N)!” Veronica yelled. (Y/N) stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes shut. Veronica caught up to him, grabbing his arm and spinning him around, almost collapsing into his chest.

“Where have you been? D-do...” Veronica sniffled before breaking down, gripping his jacket as she cried into his chest. (Y/N) glanced at her friends, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Vivi.” He whispered. Veronica pulled back, trying to compose herself. She wiped her cheeks and checked her fingers.

“Thank god I’m wearing waterproof makeup.” She whispered, sniffling. (Y/N) couldn’t help but chuckle.

“When mom told me you had gone missing... Oh, god. I didn’t... I couldn’t...” Veronica stared at him, eyes watering again.

“Do you know how worried I was?” She glanced at her friends who were watching with concerned and confused gazes.

“I didn’t think you’d remember me to be honest.” (Y/N) said, blinking away tears. Veronica scoffed.

“Sandbox love never dies.” She quoted his favorite movie, Jennifer’s Body. (Y/N) smiled.

“God, did you walk here?” She asked.

“Some. I hitchhiked.”

“You hitchhiked?! Do you know how dangerous that is?!” (Y/N) shushed her, getting looks from the teens on the motorcycles. Veronica took a couple of breaths, calming herself.

“Okay. I’ll call mom-”

“No!” (Y/N) interrupted her making her blink.

“She’ll tell (D/N). I can’t go back, he’ll send me off to rehab or boarding school. I just got out of juvie, I don’t want to be locked up somewhere again.” (Y/N) said. Veronica stared at him.

“Excuse me, what?”

“You wouldn’t understand, Vivi. I’ll get going-”

“I just got you back, I’m never letting you out of my sights again.” (Y/N) sighed, knowing she meant it.

“Come.” She grabbed his arm, dragging him inside. She made him sit next to her, the guy with a beanie having to pull up a chair.

“Guys.” Veronica breathed out. “This is (Y/N).”

“Wait, the runaway friend? How’s that going...” Beanie guy trailed off, getting a pointed look from the blonde.

“(Y/N), these are my friends. Archiekins, Betty, and Jughead.” Veronica introduced them. (Y/N) nodded to them, taking off his backpack and placing it on his lap.

“I don’t wanna sound rude or anything... Why’d you run away?” Betty asked.

“I have a lot of issues. Wanted to clear my head.” (Y/N) replied.

“Welcome to the club, buddy,” Jughead mumbled, grabbing some fries from Betty.

“I got out of juvie....” (Y/N) trailed off. “How long have I been gone?”

“Almost a full month.”

“Yeah.” (Y/N) shrugged.

“Why were you in juvie?” Archie.. kins? asked.

“Caught with drugs. I was in there for a year... A trip alone helps.” (Y/N) sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“Drugs?” Archie’s brows raised.

“Like I said... I have issues. Being an addict is one of them.” (Y/N) sighed, fiddling with his bag.

“Are you going to leave?” Jughead asked.

“I was thinking Louisiana or New Mexico-”

“Absolutely not!” Veronica shook her head.

“Why not? Both places are nice.”

“I’m not talking about that! You can’t leave. Stay with me.” Veronica pleaded.

“Vivi... Your mom has enough on her plate.”

“I’d offer my place but my parents are pretty... Strict.” Betty said, frowning.

“You can stay with me. I’d have to talk to my dad though.” Archie said. (Y/N) shook his head.

“I don’t wanna be a bother. Plus, I don’t think I can trust adults yet.” All eyes went to Jughead.

“I have a friend. Sweet Pea-”

“No. Sweet Pea is not on the table.” Archie shook his head making Jughead do the biggest eye-roll (Y/N) had ever seen.

“Fangs.”

“Why not Toni?” Betty looked at him.

“Someone named their child Fangs?” (Y/N) whisper-asked Veronica.

“My name’s Jughead, you shouldn’t be too surprised,” Jughead said with a chuckle as he stood.

“Come. They’re outside.” Jughead said. Veronica scooted out of the booth, letting (Y/N) out. Archie and Betty paid, following them outside.

“Sweet Pea, Fangs!” Jughead called. (Y/N) trailed behind, tempted to take off. He didn’t, seeing Archie’s jacket, figuring he was on a sports team and was probably faster than him.

“What’s up?” One guy asked.

“Do you have space to take in (Y/N). He needs a place to stay for...” Jughead glanced at him.

“Probably a week or two.”

“(Y/N)-”

“A week or two.” (Y/N) cut Veronica off. The guy nodded slowly.

“I have two beds,” He told him, glancing at the tall male beside him.

“Fangs Fogarty, by the way.”

“(Y/N).” Veronica looked at him.

“What’s in your bag?” She asked, taking it and opening it.

“Were you seriously expecting to survive on alcohol and drugs?” She asked, rummaging through.

“It was worth a try.” (Y/N) shrugged, making Fangs chuckle.

“Fangs, promise you’ll take all these drugs away.” Veronica looked at him.

“Not the heroin-”

“Heroin?!” Betty’s eyes widened. (Y/N) glanced at her. The only girl sighed.

“Toni Topaz.” The two shook hands.

“It depends on what drugs you have. Taking some away quickly can kill you.” Toni informed. Veronica sighed, holding her head.

“Okay. Make sure he stays perfectly healthy. Please. Includes the alcohol.” She said. Fangs threw a leg over his bike.

“Hop on.” He said. (Y/N) took his bag back from Veronica, taking the helmet and getting on. Fangs started up the engine.

“I’ll visit every day,” Veronica said. (Y/N) sighed but nodded. Fangs pulled out of the parking lot and drove off. (Y/N) tightened his grip on Fang’s hips making the male glance back. (Y/N) looked up at the sky, liking how hard the wind felt against his skin.

“You seem pretty used to riding.” Fangs said.

“My ex had one. He liked racing a lot.” (Y/N) explained, gently resting his head on Fangs shoulder. He felt Fangs tense a bit but eventually relaxed. They continued to ride in silence until they reached the trailer park. Fangs parked his motorcycle, letting (Y/N) get off first.

“Home sweet home.” Fangs said, taking the helmet from (Y/N). They entered and Fangs gently took the bag from (Y/N).

“That Lodge girl wasn’t kidding.” Fangs mumbled, taking out the multiple bottles of vodka, whiskey, wine, champagne, and so on. (Y/N) scratched his neck, shifting his gaze elsewhere.

“Alright. Weed, some pills, cocaine, painkillers, pretty sure that’s morphine, and lastly heroin.” Fangs breathed out.

“Do you take all of these?” Fangs asked.

“Not the cocaine.” (Y/N) said, somewhat innocently as the tall guy from before entered.

“Cocaine?” He questioned.

“This is Sweet Pea.” Fangs introduced. Sweet Pea eyed him before turning his head and kissing Fangs. His brows raised upon seeing the contents on the table.

“Damn.” He whispered.

“Withdrawals gonna kick your ass.” Sweet Pea added, crossing his arms.

“Thanks for the encouragement.” (Y/N) sighed. He saw a small amused smile appear on his face for a quick second.

The next weeks were hell. (Y/N) was surprised his body hadn’t given out on him. Fangs, Toni, Vivi, and Jughead kept an eye on him, encouraging him. Sweet Pea would occasionally ‘babysit’ though he’d mostly complain about Northsiders and Bulldogs. (Y/N) knew he cared a little. He’d had a worried look whenever (Y/N) had a bad reaction. Eventually, the hell weeks were over.

“I’m gonna relapse. I already wanna down a whole bottle and inj-”

“Quit talking like that.” Fangs cut him off. (Y/N) sighed softly, resting his head against the wall. There was a beat of silence before he heard rustling and felt the bed shift. He turned away from the wall, staring into Fangs dark brown eyes.

“You’ve done pretty well so far.” Fangs whispered. (Y/N) gently reached forward, playing with his dog tag.

“Thanks.” He mumbled, looking down at the tag. Fangs watched him before placing a hand on his cheek. (Y/N) flinched slightly, the coldness of Fangs rings being unexpected. Fangs smiled at his reaction.

“Go to sleep, (N/N).” He patted his head. (Y/N) rolled his eyes and pushed his head away, facing the wall again.

“I’m not a child.”

“Mhm.” (Y/N) closed his eyes, sleep coming easily to him. He finally slept peacefully for the first time in some weeks. The next morning, he actually felt refreshed. He woke up, noticing that Fang’s bed had been untouched which made him wonder if Fangs had slept beside him. (Y/N) got out of bed, leaving the bedroom and entering the kitchen.

“Moring, (N/N).” Fangs greeted with a smile, glancing at him.

“Hey.” (Y/N) answered, yawning. He took a plate of pancakes from Fangs and ate it as Sweet Pea entered the trailer.

“Morning.” He greeted both of them. (Y/N) started the chew slowly, realizing he had slept in one of Sweet Pea’s flannels. He glanced at the male who was already staring at him. (Y/N) drank some orange juice, avoiding eye contact.

“Will you be staying in Riverdale?” Sweet Pea asked.

“I don’t know.” (Y/N) replied, looking at them. Fangs and Sweet Pea shared a look.

“(N/N), you know this is like... Your home now, right?” Fangs faced him.

“I rea-”

“Stop saying you don’t want to get us in trouble. It’s almost been two months, do you really think we’d let you stay here if we didn’t want you here?” Sweet Pea stared at him, pressing his lips into a thin line. Fangs smiled, amused at Sweet Pea’s silent embarrassment.

“Right.” (Y/N) nodded, going over to the sink and washing his plate. Sweet Pea cleared his throat.

“We were gonna head over to Whyte Wyrm. You two coming?” He asked. (Y/N) glanced at Fangs.

“I’ll stay here.” He said. Fangs frowned but nodded, leaving the trailer with Sweet Pea. He heard the motorcycles start-up and the roar of the engine fade away. (Y/N) shifted his gaze onto his bag. He walked over to it, opening it and seeing that his money was still inside, along with some other stuff. The itch to leave started to annoy (Y/N). Rule number one that he learned from other runaways was to never stay in one place for too long. (Y/N) wanted to follow that rule.

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the-rebel-archivist · 5 years ago

Text

The Warmth Inside

Another one shot from Cullen’s perspective!

For once, the Inquisitor has more work to do than Cullen does. Keeping her company long into the night, he decides whether or not to return to his lonely tower across the battlements in the cold. I also briefly indulge my headcanon that Cullen’s actually really good at drawing but only uses his skill to doodle in margins (mainly weapon designs).

Prompt: A quiet moment, relaxing, a kiss on the cheek, unexpected softness, a laugh

The fur of Cullen’s mantle tickled his nose. There was a draft coming in through the windows of the inquisitor’s quarters. There was always a draft somewhere. It didn’t seem so bad in the daytime, it was almost refreshing then, but at two o’clock in the morning it was intolerable. Still, it was warmer in here than in his own tower - he was dreading the cold walk back across the battlements - and improved significantly over it by the Inquisitor’s presence.

Raynda was at her desk, her head propped up on her hand, blinking hard. Each blink seemed just a little bit longer than the last and her head was dropping lower by stages. Finally it slipped from her hand and she sat up with a start, then leaned back in her chair and shook her head in an attempt to clear it. She ran her hands over her face in exhaustion, leaving a smeared black streak of ink behind. “I am so fucking tired right now,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve been up since five, trained until my fingers ached, had to deal with diplomats all day, and now I have to make up for the time I lost with them to finish up these reports before tomorrow.”

Getting up from his spot on the loveseat where he had been reading to keep her company, Cullen stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “And you’re cold and hungry and there are wolves after you?” he asked teasingly, leaning down closer to her and wiping the ink from her cheek.

“Big ones, with sharp, pointy teeth.” She looked up at him, her expression falsely mournful with a slight pout on her lips. Her hair had fallen out of its ponytail and wisps of it surrounded her face, shining redder in the firelight. Maker, everything about her begged him to kiss her. Being able to do so whenever he wanted and knowing that she wouldn’t pull away was such a newly discovered joy.

“I have historically found that a cup of tea can help to keep the wolves at bay. Shall I get you some?”

“You would have my undying thanks,” she said with a tired smile. “I’m at a good stopping point to take a break anyway.”

He took her hand as she got out of her chair and used it to pull her gently toward him. Taking her face in his hands and brushing the loose tendrils of her hair back he kissed her gently before turning away with a half smile to pour tea from the kettle hanging over the fire.

Raynda sat down on the loveseat that he had so recently vacated - “flopped” may even have been a better descriptor - and he could feel her eyes on him. “How are you not tired at this hour?” she asked.

“I’ve gotten used to being awake this late. Or early, depending on how you look at it.” He left unsaid that he preferred to delay going to sleep from fear of the nightmares. How could he possibly tell her about those? And how could she ever stay once she did?

He brought the tea over to her, along with some for himself. Raynda always seemed to have nice tea, herbal and almost sweet enough to have without sugar. The mug in his hand was warm and Raynda herself radiated heat. The whole scene must have been incredibly picturesque, he thought to himself, with the two of them sitting close together by the fire and sipping hot drinks. He’d never been very good at drawing people, but it might be a cute thing to sketch for her if he got a chance; she always seemed to enjoy looking at the poorly-drawn doodles he put in the margins of his notes.

“What do you have left to do tonight?”

“Just sign about a billion letters Josephine had drafted for me. I have no idea what they say and I’m fairly certain that I’m signing my soul away.”

He laughed. “If you write out your signature for me to copy I can probably help you sign them.”

Raynda covered her mouth with her hand dramatically. “You would help me forge documents?” She touched her hand to her collarbone and shook her head. “I’m shocked, Commander. Shocked and disappointed.”

“I’ll tender my resignation immediately.”

“Wait until the morning. There’s no point resigning before the crime has been committed.”

“You have some ink on your face,” he told her with an amused smile after they had finished signing the letters and were sitting once again on the loveseat. She scrubbed at her cheek with her palm and most of the ink came off, leaving only a small dark tint.

“Better?” she asked.

“Mostly. But you also have something on your face right… here,” he said as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. She laughed delightedly, a tinkling laugh that made him feel warm inside.

“That was very smooth of you,” she said with some appreciation.

“I’m quite proud of it.”

She rested her head against his shoulder, readjusting uncomfortably after a few moments. “You are aware that you don’t need to wear armour up here, right? It’s unlikely that I’ll find you offensive enough to attack.”

He felt a flush come over his face. “To be quite honest, it’s mainly to keep warm before I make the trek outside to return to my room.”

“You don’t have to go.” She gave him a teasing smile. “My reputation, such as it is, must already be in tatters from you being here so late. I can’t imagine anyone truly believes all we’ve been doing is paperwork.”

“It’s not that… I-” He touched his neck and looked away, unwilling to meet her gaze. What would she think of him after she knew? As long as she was unaware he could almost envision himself as a whole man, but was that not a lie? She deserved someone better, not a man imprisoned by his own weakness and frailty of mind.

He felt a hand on his face pulling it toward her. She was looking up at him, her eyes soft. “Please stay, Cullen.”

“I have… bad dreams. They will wake you up.” He waited for her to say something funny and flippant in response, maybe something about him being a child. That was the best case scenario. Perhaps instead she would be upset that he hadn’t told her before. In his darkest moments he had even imagined that she would turn him away, reproach him for his failure to overcome his past when he’d been trying for the past ten years with no success. If she would just let go of him he could slip away and not bother her with his problems again, she had enough to contend with without an attachment to someone irreparably broken.

“From the Circle?”

He nodded wordlessly. Would there be no reprieve from this? Why did she insist on exposing his every flaw if she was only to tell him to go?

He tried to pull away but was prevented from moving when she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Don’t leave.” She bent his head down to her shoulder, running her hand through the hair at the nape of his neck. “You aren’t alone, not anymore.”

He didn’t know how to describe what he felt. Relief? Uncertainty? A need to cry he hadn’t felt in his waking moments since he was a boy?

“You don’t need to hide, not from me. I’ll always be here for you. Cullen, I... I care about you, all of you.”

I love you.

The thought sprang unbidden into his mind. He’d never told anyone he loved them. Whatever he felt for her was something he had never experienced before. But it was too soon. Probably. He was no judge of appropriate timing in a relationship.

“I care about you too.” It seemed so weak, such a pitiful statement in contrast to what he felt, but it was safer.

“Then don’t make me worry about you being out in the cold. Come to bed.”

He breathed in her scent. He didn’t know what home was supposed to smell like, but it smelled like her. He loved her. There was some freedom and joy in that knowledge.

“Alright.”

When he awoke the next morning from his first sound sleep in months he had his arms around her and she was holding him back. The draft was still blowing in through the window. He felt her hair tickle his nose.

#cullen rutherford #cullen x lavellan #raynda lavellan #dragon age inquisition #dragon age fanfiction #the one where cullen is too hard on himself #and I just want to hug him

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ilovemygaydad · 6 years ago

Text

punk!patton is adopted by single parent logan part 2/?

part one - part three - part four - part five - ao3 version - masterlist (includes asks)

pairings: eventual moxiety, eventual logince

warnings: swearing, lots of emotions, anxiety, worry, panic attack mentions, patton’s an asshole (both intentionally and not), a tiny bit of accidental ableism, hurt feelings, food mentions, possibly something else

***feel free to send me questions or comments! i’ll answer them to the best of my ability, and everything is tagged under “punk!patton au”

here we go babey

for the entirety of his week-long suspension from school, patton just contemplates these icky, weird feelings that he’s having

because he thought that he’d gotten rid of them, but the way that he tried to protect virgil obviously proves something different....

before that day, he’d never tried to protect anyone before

it was patton against the world through and through

but then this... this boy in these pastel clothes shows up, and suddenly patton wants to protect him!

like what the fuck?!

he decides to pretend that these emotions don’t exist because feelings are too much fucking work

so he goes back to school like nothing happened

which goes totally fine because virgil doesn’t attempt to talk to him for the entirety of their first block

when the bell rings, however... virgil pretty much slams his hands on patton’s desk before he can get up, leaning in with stern expression twisting his normally soft features

(which is only accentuated by the still-fading black eye that virgil mostly covered up with concealer...)

“are you okay?”

and patton is just taken aback by how forward virgil is being--especially since he’s wearing a light blue skater skirt and gray long-sleeved crop top, which is not the epitome of sternness, and pat stutters out a shy “yeah” before virgil goes off on a tiny rant

“that’s good! i was really worried that you’d gotten in a ton of trouble with your dad for swearing at those parents, and i had no way to know if you were okay, so i kind of freaked out for the whole week. and, like, i’m really sorry that i got involved because it ended up getting everyone in super big trouble--especially you--and that kind of sucks. so, yeah, sorry.”

patton hadn’t been listening since the word “worried,” as he’d become entranced by virgil’s color-shifting lip gloss. he sees pinks and blues and purples as virgil talks, and he leans in just slightly to get a closer look

and it’s absolutely NOT because virgil’s lips look so pretty and soft pshhhhhh no

virgil notices that patton’s staring at him with furrowed brows, and he realizes that he’s looking at the lip gloss he’s wearing, and he sort of

freaks out...?

he flinches back and covers his mouth with his hands in one of his familiar bouts of self-doubt

“why are you staring at my lip gloss? does it look bad?” he rushes

and patton’s like

????????? what?????

no???????

and in an unexpected turn of truthfulness, patton says, “no, it looks really pretty.”

and for some reason, there’s a weird, fluttery feeling in patton’s chest when virgil takes his hands away from his face and smiles

[john mulaney voice] now we don’t have time to unpack all of that!

luckily enough, patton is saved from having to deal with the emotions when the warning bell for passing time rings, and both teenagers rush to scoop up their things and go to their next classes

even luckier, patton doesn’t have his next three classes with virgil, so he doesn’t have to think about his--gross--emotions

but then

lunch time rolls around

and patton hadn’t prepared for how absolutely fucking awful that mess would be!

as soon as he walks into the cafeteria, he’s accosted by so many noises and smells

he tries to leave, but the lunch monitor tells him that the kids aren’t allowed to leave once they enter until the end bell rings, which is such bullshit, but patton really doesn’t need another tick on his permanent record

clutching the brown bagged lunch in his fist, he scans the cafeteria for somewhere to sit and finds virgil sitting at an otherwise empty table near the trash cans

with a groan, patton makes his way over and plops himself across from virgil, who squeaks at the sudden companion and nearly drops his phone to the floor in surprise

“do you not have a lunch?” patton asks, choosing to ignore the fumble

“ah, no. i can’t eat the school lunches because i have celiac disease, so i usually just sit here on my phone”

with probably more force than necessary, patton tore the top off of his lunch bag and pulled out an apple, holding it out to virgil as he ordered, “eat it”

virgil hesitated for a second, but ultimately took the apple and bit into it, wincing as lip gloss got all over the skin

patton smiles gently and says a quick thanks to virgil before digging into his own lunch

they exchange a bit of banter, and all is going well and good until patton gets curious

“why do you dress like that?”

virgil freezes in his spot, and an emotion flashes on his face that patton deciphers just a few moments too late

“i--i’m sorry, i’ve got to go!” virgil mutters, leaving the half-eaten apple on the table and running from the cafeteria, ignoring the angered shouts of the lunch monitor

patton only spends a few seconds staring at the doors that virgil ran out of before he turns back to his lunch and shrugs. it’s not like he was really that into making friends at school. and he was already planning on sitting in the library for lunch

he didn’t care

he really didn’t

he didn’t!

patton pretends not to notice the fact that virgil’s name is called in several of his last few classes, but the quiet boy isn’t there

later that night after dinner, logan is sitting at the kitchen table grading some homework assignments from his first graders

“grading” being used very lightly. he was mostly looking to see if they actually followed the minimal instructions on their writing sheet

but then the doorbell rang, which was confusing for logan because he wasn’t expecting any visitors

he walks the few meters to the door and opens it

standing outside is a man in a slouchy hat and very... colorful clothes

“hi, are you logan summers?” the man asks in an odd accent that logan can’t place

“yes, and you are...?”

“roman sanders. my son, virgil, goes to the same school as patton”

and logan is internally going oh shit what the hell did patton do now

on the outside, he simply says “do you want to come in? it’s a bit chilly, and i’d rather not cause a draft.”

roman nods and steps inside, and logan closes the door. he leads his “guest” to the living room where they can talk in comfort.

“did patton do something to virgil?” logan blurted out as soon as they were seated

“sorry, can you repeat that? you were talking too fast for me to read your lips.” roman gave a lighthearted laugh and took off his hat to reveal a mess of brown hair that didn’t quite cover the bright red hearing aids that wrapped around his ears

which would explain why his speech was different. he couldn’t actually hear what the sounds were supposed to be like

logan felt like an idiot

“my apologies. i just asked if patton did something to upset virgil. he isn’t the most... gentle person.”

roman’s smile turns to a grimace “virgil called me in the middle of the day to ask me to pick him up from school. i was lucky enough that all of my patients had scheduled for the morning, and i was able to get to the school without feeling guilty about cancelling someone’s session last minute. when i got to the school, virgil was sobbing. virgil likes wearing gender non-conforming clothing, and apparently patton asked why he liked to dress the way he did, and it spooked the poor kid. i was hoping to clear some things up so virgil would feel better.” (roman is a therapist)

logan

well

he was kinda pissed

patton of all people shouldn’t be judging others for dressing against the norm, since he did the exact same thing!

he quickly excused himself and dragged (figuratively, though he would have resorted to fireman carrying the teenager if he’d refused) patton to the living room to talk to roman

introductions happened blah blah blah and roman asks what patton did to upset virgil

and patton’s like “i was curious about his clothing style????”

roman kind of just narrows his eyes at patton and says “i want to know exactly what you asked before i make an assumption on what to do. words can trigger emotional responses depending on the person, especially with added influence of tone.”

logan will never admit that he’s surprised at how intelligent this man is

and how he’s a little bit attracted to him

and patton being patton said, “i just asked, ‘why do you dress like that’ and he got all upset! it’s not my fault he got offended by my curiosity”

logan pinches the bridge of his nose, and roman pulls out his phone

“we’re calling virgil, and you’re going to apologize to him”

roman starts a facetime call with virgil, and signs “hey, starlight! i have someone here who wants to talk to you.”

virgil both audibly says and signs “who?”

it sounds like he’d been crying

roman turns the phone so that it’s facing patton, who just crosses his arms and turns his face so that he doesn’t have to see virgil

“patton,” logan says in his Dad Voice. “apologize”

and then patton glances at the screen and sees virgil’s red nose and the tear tracks down his cheeks and how bad virgil looks, and he breaks

his voice is quiet and shy as he says “i’m really sorry for upsetting you. i was just curious as to why you chose such a unique style in an often unforgiving environment. i should have worded my question better”

patton peeks over at virgil, who seems to contemplate the apology for a few seconds before saying “i forgive you” with the tiniest baby smile that makes patton’s heart melt

and they both kind of seem to forget their dads are there until the phone is turned back to roman, who took the smiles and not speaking as a cue to take the call back

“i love you” he signs to virgil

“love you too,” virgil says (and presumably signs) “but please don’t hunt down every person who hurts me and do this. you’re lucky that i didn’t catch you, dad, because i would have kicked your ass before you would have left the house”

roman smiles, and patton lets out a surprised laugh because he didn’t think that someone as cute as virgil could physically swear

“dad, can you give the phone over to patton and let me talk to him in private for a few minutes?”

roman hands the phone over and follows logan into the next room (where logan definitely isn’t eavesdropping and relaying all of the information to roman)

“so,” virgil starts as soon as patton gives him an all clear “i wanted to explain to you why i dress the way i do even though it’s really simple: i just like the soft fabrics and colors. they make me feel much happier than when i tried to fit in with the other kids by wearing hypermasculine clothing.”

“that’s valid,” patton says because he doesn’t really know what else to say

“why do you dress in all dark colors and edgy clothing?”

patton hadn’t thought about virgil reversing the question on him, but he feels compelled to answer

so he does

he talks about his life at the orphanage and how he shut himself off from the world. he knew that people didn’t like him for his emotions, so he just tried storing most of them away and pushing others out of his personal space. he lashed out so easily because he was lonely but didn’t know how to properly express his emotions

and by the end of the explanation, virgil is a little teary, and he says “patton, you are far more lovable than you think. i’m sorry that the world told you otherwise”

and now patton is crying a bit, and they kind of just sit there for a second and take in their emotions

for once, patton doesn’t try to mash them down

the parents come in a few minutes later when the kids calmed down, and roman took his leave, but patton doesn’t forget to say goodbye to virgil first

and he’s actually kind of looking forward to seeing virgil the next day, even though he won’t admit it

to be continued in.... PART THREE

okay so here’s the thing fam... so many of you asked to be tagged that i don’t know if i’m going to be able to fit everyone. literally. SO if your name isn’t on here, or you notice someone whose name isn’t on here that asked, i’m sorry, but i literally can’t do anything about it. it will take me years to tag everyone even with infinite tags. the amount of love this has received is great, but i am human

tag list: @residentanchor @eeveeawesome @xionical @absolutesandersidestrash @stormcrawler75 @musikasworld @ironwoman359 @a-weirdo-with-a-computer @thegaypotatoroyalty707 @darkrainbow333 @ravenclawunicorn1 @noahlovescoffee @whymustibedraggedintofandomhell @romansleftshoulderpad @still-waiting-for-cookies @emounicorn2006 @lana--22 @angels-ofthe-sea @demonickittykat @lonelysoul43 @the-virgil-mary @five-second-cookies @noisywolfbatbakery @band-be-boss-blog @heck-im-lost @lamp-calm-sanders @patton-e @knightofbloodcancer @cloudchaser7 @really-sleep-deprived-nerd @era-eclipsed @khadij-al-kubra @anxiousmorality @are-you-really-sure-about-that @today-only-happens-once @notalwaysthevillian @backatthebein @sunshineandteddybears @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2 @emo-sanders-sides-loving-unicorn @dodos-in-damnation @some-lost-meme-boi @dead4sevenyears @spookyingarbageisland @the-poison-apple-of-art @radioactivehelena @the-melody-of-eliza @im-a-mess-aaaaaa @whycantihavemorethan32characters

#m writes things #moxiety #logince #patton sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #punk!patton au

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whereconfusionisarhyme · 4 years ago

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(A/N)Under the cut is a rewrite of the song 16 Going On 17 from Sound Of Music. It’s modernized, and it’s gay. Tumblr doesn’t have center text, so please just pretend that the stage directions are in the center.

It was inspired by the Broadway Backwards version of Sixteen Going On Seventeen, but it’s not a neccessary thing to watch to get the scene.

***

CHARACTERS

Lessie – Mezzo-Soprano/Soprano. Upbeat, bouncy, sassy.

Raffaella – Alto/Mezzo-Soprano. Good posture, subtle emotions, cautious.

***

(Lessie enters stage left dragging Raffaella by the hand. Lessie is excited and eager to reach their destination, while Raffaella is apprehensive and wildly looking around in a mixture of confusion and worry. Lessie stops center stage and looks somewhere offstage, barely containing her excitement.)

LESSIE

There it is!

(Raffaella stares at the same spot, but with incredulity. She slowly turns to Lessie and tries not to squash her best friend's excitement.)

RAFFAELLA

Lessie...Lessie...I love you...but I am not letting you take a single step into that warehouse.

(Lessie noticeably flashes her eyes up at the words 'I love you', but tries to cover it up with pouting.)

LESSIE

But Raffaellaaaaa. That's not fairrrrr. We did the thing you wanted to do yesterday. You said we can do my thing today.

RAFFAELLA

Yes, I did, but the key difference you seem to be overlooking is that I went to a BOOKSTORE at 2:00 pm. YOU want to go to a WAREHOUSE at 11:00 pm.

LESSIE

Firstly, you got the time wrong it's actually about 12:30 right now. Secondly, I don't want to go to the WAREHOUSE. I want to go to the RAVE inSIDE the warehouse.

RAFFAELLA

What?! A rave?! That is completely and utterly ridiculous. We're going home.

LESSIE

We are NOT going home. My parents probably won't let me go out again with you this month, so I have to make the most of tonight.

(A beat. Raffaella looks taken aback for a moment and a flicker of sadness flashes across her face. She quickly recovers and continues as if nothing happened.)

RAFFAELLA

Why won't they let you?

LESSIE

Because I went out with you today.

RAFFAELLA

Is there some sort of limit to how many times you're permitted to go out with me?

LESSIE

Well, yes but it's not like a set number. They think I'm spending too much time with you, and that I should get a boyfriend.

RAFFAELLA

Why do they want you to get a boyfriend?

LESSIE

Because it'll "give me experience for when I get a husband". After all, "how can I expect to snag up a good one if I don't know how.".

(Lessie crosses her arms and walks around the stage, waving her hands around and trying to hide her obvious disdain at the notion of getting a husband.)

RAFFAELLA

That...odd.

LESSIE

Tell me something I don't know. So, yeah, I'm not going home.

(Raffaella attempts to compromise with Lessie, worried for her safety.)

RAFFAELLA

Well, if that's the case, let's just...go see a movie then. We can watch an R-rated one if you can't squash your need to be rebellious.

LESSIE

Please, girl, I'm staying. I'm not giving this chance up.

(Less stands on the box farthest to the right of the stage and looks offstage, at the warehouse. Raffaella pulls her back and off of the box.)

RAFFAELLA

Please, "girl", why do you need to go in there?

LESSIE, JOKINGLY SINGING AND SHIMMYING

I love the night life! I've got to boo-gay~

RAFFAELLA

Nonono, that's it. We're getting away from this place.

LESSIE

No, fine, you go. I'm gonna stay.

RAFFAELLA

No, it's too dangerous. You're just a baby.

LESSIE

I'm not a baby! I'm 18.

(Beat.)

RAFFAELLA, DEADPAN

You're 16.

LESSIE

Nearly 17. And 17 in basically 18.

(A beat. A sigh from Raffaella is heard.)

RAFFAELLA

You wait little girl On an empty stage For fate to turn the light on

Your life little girl

LESSIE

I'm not little.

RAFFAELLA

Sure.

RAFFAELLA

Is an empty page That men will want to write on

LESSIE, LOOKING AT RAFFAELLA WISTFULLY,

To write on

RAFFAELLA

You are 16 going on 17 Baby it's time to think

LESSIE

Sounds disgusting

(Raffaella send Lessie a 'done' look. Lessie scrunches up her nose and smirks at Raffaella.)

RAFFAELLA

Better beware Be canny and careful Baby you're on the brink You are 16 going on 17 Fellows will fall in line Eager young lads And grueways and cads Will offer you food and wine

LESSIE

Sounds amazing.

RAFFAELLA Totally unprepared are you To face a world of men Timid and shy and scared are you Of things beyond your kin You need someone Older and wiser Telling you what to do I am 17 going on 18 I'll take care of you

(Raffaella goes to boop Lessie on the nose. Lessie grabs her hand and moves it away from her face. Raffaella briefly looks down at her hand in Lessie's before her attention coming back up to Lessie when the girl talks.)

LESSIE

You aren't 'going on 18', your birthday was literally 2 days ago.

RAFFAELLA, SMIRKING

It doesn't change the fact that you're still a 16-year-old baby while I'm a 17-year-old adult.

(Lessie lets go of Raffaella's hand.)

LESSIE

Two weeks. Two weeks between my birthday and yours. Only TWO WEEKS. Nobody found this little bit funny when we were six, and it still isn't funny when we're 17.

RAFFAELLA

I'M 17. You, on the other hand, are-

LESSIE

Don't you da-

RAFFAELLA

16.

LESSIE

You're not my friend anymore.

RAFFAELLA

I have to stay your friend, because I am older and therefore obligated to take care of you.

LESSIE

I can take care of myself, thank you very much.

(Lessie's lyrics are sung in a sickeningly sweet soprano. So much mugging that she would be arrested and put before a jury.)

LESSIE

I am 16 going on 17 I know that I'm naive Fellows I meet may tell me I'm sweet And willingly I believe I am 16 going on 17 innocent as a rose Bachelor dandies Drinkers of brandies What do I know of those?

(Raffaella sticks out her leg and trips Lessie. Lessie glares at her. Raffaella gives an innocent look. Lessie recovers quickly and continues her sarcasm.)

Totally unprepared am I To face a world of men Timid and shy and scared am I Of things beyond my kin I need someone Older and wiser Telling me what to do

(Lessie walks behind Raffaella and wraps her arms around Raffaella's middle, bringing herself down to peep her head in between Raffaella's torso and arms. She begins to sway back and forth.)

You are 17 going on 18

(Lessie looks up at Raffaella with an uncanny sweetness and says to line with unexpected sincerity.)

I'll depend on you

LESSIE

Sike, I'm going to the rave.

(Raffaella grabs Lessie by the hand and pulls her back. Lessie spins into Raffaella's arms. They make eye contact. They are both noticeably flustered. Lessie hastily pushes Raffaella away. Raffaella is saddened by the loss of contact but Lessie doesn't notice, lost in her own thoughts.)

(Musical interlude. Consider using either modern or timeless type of dance. They end on opposite ends of the stage.)

(Raffaella and Lessie do that iconic 'walking away and coming back again' that is memorable from the original Sixteen Going On Seventeen scene. On the final time they meet in the middle, Raffaella pulls Lessie into a kiss. At first, Lessie gets pushed back by the force, but quickly pushes forward and return to kiss. Raffaella pulls back in surprise. Raffaella runs offstage right. Lessie holds her fingers up to her lips and squeals in excitement. Her head snaps back up to where Rafaella ran off to. She reaches out her hand. She exits stage right in the same direction as Raffaella, yelling.)

LESSIE

Wait, Raffaella, wait up!

(End scene.)

***

Comments are always appreciated!

Video I was talking about

youtube

#sixteen going on seventeen #sound of music #wlw writing #script #musicals #musical theatre #theatre #write assist

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darkpoisonouslove · 5 years ago

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Falling for You (to Catch Me) Chapter 2

Summary: Two years after Faragonda fell in Griffin's arms their friendship is going well to the point that they're celebrating Christmas together when a sweet little tradition threatens with the possibility of another downfall.

With a little over 5k words comes the second chapter... We should've all known there would be a second chapter. There always is a second chapter. -_- Don't get me wrong, nothing against more ideas but I am running on a tight schedule here. The good news is that those were ideas I was planning on writing anyway so... this wasn't really counterproductive.

Griselda’s apartment looked nothing like it’s usual. Of course, that was to be expected since Christmas decoration was only hung around at that time of the year and it was the first Christmas after they’d gotten their degrees and had found their own places. What was unexpected was the ridiculous amounts of mistletoe hanging around the apartment that didn’t allow you to take two steps without being caught underneath one and having to kiss whoever happened to be next to you at the time.

It had been the twins’ idea since Griselda looked just as uncomfortable with it as Faragonda was but she’d gone along with it and Faragonda had a good idea why. All three Ediltrude, Zarathustra and Griselda seemed to navigate the rooms carefully so that they were always far from Faragonda and Griffin, upping the chances that the two of them would have to kiss when they inevitably got caught under the mistletoe. Griselda had been insisting for months that Faragonda tell Griffin about her feelings which made no sense since Griffin already knew how much Faragonda valued their friendship. It was unspoken since neither of them wanted to offend any of the other three women but they were best friends. There was nothing to say since they didn’t need words to communicate.

Griffin had pulled her to the side, however, to talk to her, revealing that Ediltrude and Zarathustra were playing a prank on them, hoping to make them squirm for the rest of their Christmas celebration. And of course, she wouldn't be Griffin if she hadn’t come up with the perfect plan for revenge already. She’d offered that they turn it against them by actually kissing like their life depended on it and leaving the twins and Griselda flustered instead. And Faragonda had accepted, hoping that Griffin would brush off the loud beating of her heart that she could certainly hear as the effect of the adrenaline of foiling their friends’ scheme.

Griffin herself had seemed to be getting quite a kick out of it since her own heart had been pounding under Faragonda’s palm when she’d pulled her into a kiss, wrapping her in her arms, her lips on Faragonda’s even softer than her embrace just like Faragonda would've expected them to be if she’d ever thought of them more extensively. And they parted when she slid the hand that wasn’t enchanted by Griffin’s heartbeat in the long purple locks, letting a bit of air come out in a rush and brush against her own lips as if begging to be let in her mouth and mingle with her own breath to feed her life. It had been the perfect opportunity to deepen the kiss and touch Griffin’s being with the tenderness Griffin had shown her at their first meeting when she’d saved her from falling–though, it might have caused a whole another fall–but she’d pulled away, lest she fell too deep down their rabbit hole.

Griffin had apologized for the sudden kiss, explaining it had been practice for the ones that would surely follow considering the apartment was like a minefield of mistletoe, her breathing ragged and making the words sound harsh. And the abrupt way she let go of Faragonda, like she’d been burned, when she’d realized she was still holding on to her was harsh too, but Faragonda had tried not to think about it too much since it was bound to happen again. For all the kisses that would follow would be fake.

They were on kiss number eleven currently and had been given a rest now that Griffin had gone to the kitchen to make the eggnog punch–she’d only been allowed in there after she’d sworn she wouldn't spike it–but Faragonda’s mind kept drifting to that first kiss even as she watched Ediltrude kiss her sister on the cheek when they ended up under some mistletoe themselves only to get shoved away playfully. It had been different from the rest that had been more racy and even somewhat empty even though Griffin’s tongue had been in her mouth and her lungs had been full of Griffin’s breath as they put on a show in front of their friends who’d seemed rather disappointed that their plan had backfired and that had seemed to inspire Griffin to get more creative with her charade. She’d even dipped Faragonda once, making all her blood rush to her head and make her dizzy.

And even after all of that, that first kiss still stood out. Griffin had called it practice but it had been more than that. It had been more real since there’d been no mistletoe to compel them to kiss, just their own free will. And even if they’d been pushed by spite–or some other not so selfless intentions–all of that had melted away once their souls had connected just like their bodies had. She’d felt closer to Griffin than ever and that had seemed impossible to accomplish right up until it had happened. She had to wonder if perhaps that was her Christmas miracle this year–she’d met Griffin two years ago, and last Christmas they’d been on vacation together, getting her the gift of sleeping in Griffin’s arms–and she didn’t want to be ungrateful but she couldn't imagine having to wait another year for more.

“Faragonda, will you come give me a hand in here?” Griffin’s voice came from the kitchen, drawing not only her out of what she was doing, but also everyone else.

“You need some more love, Griffin?” Ediltrude yelled, her eyes locked with Faragonda’s the whole time and a wide grin appeared on her face, making Faragonda shake her head. She was used to Ediltrude’s teases by now and sometimes even found them funny since she’d never had a friend quite like that. This time she could’ve lived without them, though. She wished they would all stop meddling in what was none of their business.

“No, Faragonda’s all I need,” Griffin yelled back, her voice sickly sweet to the point where it nearly made Faragonda wince. She knew that sound well and it was like the quiet before the storm. Or in this case – the honey before the lemon. Only, Griffin didn’t just get bitter, she got vicious when she deemed someone deserving of punishment, and Faragonda was certain Ediltrude knew that–perhaps even better than she did–but it didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest. It could have something to do with the fact that she was on her second glass of whiskey already, though, Faragonda doubted that. Ediltrude could hold her liquor and had no measure when it came to the smart comments.

Ediltrude sighed dramatically. “I guess we’re just here as props in your love story,” she said as if to prove Faragonda’s point before walking over to Griselda since she needed a new victim now that she’d gotten everything she could from the situation.

“Well, you heard her,” Zarathustra spoke while chewing some popcorn, the bowl of it that was now half empty clasped tightly in her hands. Faragonda just hoped that she wasn’t taking the whole thing as a replacement for some comedy show she’d skipped on watching since they’d agreed on no TV and phones in order to truly be together. “She needs you,” she looked like she’d even give her a nudge but that would require her to get closer which could prove ill-advised with all the mistletoe hanging above their heads like an omen of doom. “Griffin will kill me if I get stuck underneath one of those with you,” Zarathustra added as she looked up at the offending things as if she’d read her thoughts before shoving another handful of popcorn in her mouth and going to join her sister who was having the tables turned on her.

It seemed that Ediltrude’s idea to torture Griselda had gone horribly wrong as she was currently caught in the middle of a lecture against getting wasted which only made her roll her eyes and drink half of her whiskey at one go and that, in turn, had Griselda’s eyebrows knitting. It was the perfect moment for Zarathustra to interfere before a fight could break out between the two, and she seemed happy to assist, the threat of the mistletoe pushed somewhere at the back of her mind.

Faragonda didn’t have time to dwell on that curiosity as she headed for the kitchen to see how she could help Griffin. She’d hoped they’d have some alone time but the thought had fled her mind with everything that had happened in the short period after they’d all gathered.

Frankly, aside from the war with the mistletoe, things were going better than she’d expected. Griselda was holding up considering the fact that Ediltrude had put her feet up on her coffee table before noticing her extensive book collection and deciding to go through it by pulling out everything all at once, sending Griselda’s organizational system to hell, and Zarathustra had set out to thoroughly explore Griselda’s mini bar, mixing herself a cocktail which should have been less concerning than it was considering her Chemistry degree but, alas, they’d all been afraid of some part of her concoction exploding or–the more likely option–of her poisoning herself. And that was all considering that Griselda had limited their access to the living room only and was watching them like a hawk. She’d complained that they’d already wrecked the other rooms when they’d been putting up the mistletoe and Faragonda would've been more sympathetic if said mistletoe hadn’t been brought in for the sole purpose of inconveniencing her and Griffin.

Griselda had managed to handle the situation, though, by getting into a long debate with Ediltrude over the origin of tarot cards–Faragonda wasn’t sure why that was of such interest, besides of course, Ediltrude’s passion for divination and Griselda’s competitiveness–and had brought out the popcorn as a peace offering between her and Zarathustra. She’d even laughed at one of her jokes which could be too dark if you were unprepared for them. They could probably even be described as having fun and the phone ban had been lifted for a few minutes so that Ediltrude could show pictures of the Christmas hats she’d made for her two snakes, making even Griselda admit that they looked weirdly adorable. It was all good up until the moments when the dreadful mistletoe would come into play and force her and Griffin to go along with their plan.

“What can I do?” she said as she walked in the kitchen to find Griffin leaning on the counter as if she was ready to examine the catch of the day. It made her heart speed up once again as she wondered what was going on in Griffin’s head. She wasn’t quite certain what her reaction would be to another potential scheme of Griffin’s to mess with their friends. The one they were already following seemed like a double-edged sword.

“I need a knife,” Griffin said, the look in her eyes decidedly malicious and the words startling her for a moment as she panicked that her thoughts might have been loud enough for her friend to hear.

“A knife?” she echoed as she couldn't move from her spot, studying Griffin carefully as she was trying to figure out what was going on. The eggnog punch was already in five glasses that were placed on a tray and everything seemed ready. So unless Griffin had decided to take the revenge up a notch, she couldn't figure out what she could possibly needed a knife for.

“Yes, I can’t open the packet of cinnamon sticks,” Griffin said as she grabbed said packet to illustrate her words. “I already sacrificed the tea, might at least have the cinnamon,” she explained pensively as she left the cinnamon sticks back on the counter, her energy lessening tangibly at the mention of her noble sacrifice and Faragonda had to admit that she understood. Tea had become their drink not only because they shared each other’s passion for it, but also because they had quickly become friends over it when they’d first had some together at the campus cafe. And they’d kept sharing secrets over a warm cup of tea, growing closer and closer to each other’s hearts. “I have no idea where Griselda holds her knives, though,” she folded her arms as if to both demonstrate her helplessness and try to deny it.

Faragonda smiled at her theatrics. “You could’ve asked Griselda, you know,” she said as she walked past Griffin to open the drawer with the cutlery. Not that she minded helping her out. Quite the opposite, in fact, especially when she knew that Griffin had specifically requested her help. Maybe she wanted some alone time, too, and now was probably their last chance for that since Ediltrude had brought her entire arsenal of nail polish so the next few hours would probably be devoted to manicure.

“No, I couldn't have since she’d tell me that cutting the packet with a knife is not the most efficient way to open it and would then start lecturing me to the point where it would be a miracle if we managed to get our eggnog punch before next Christmas,” Griffin said, grimacing and gesticulating dramatically and making her laugh.

“I suppose that’s not very far from the truth,” Faragonda said as she grabbed a knife and turned to hand it to Griffin who moved to take it but stopped before pulling it out of Faragonda’s grasp. “What is it?” she asked, tensing instinctively at the sight of Griffin’s stiffness. It reminded her too much of that first time she’d seen her tense and try to hide herself and all the times it had happened after that. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it always had her heart clenching painfully in her chest because Griffin deserved better and she hated the fact that sometimes she was helpless against the demons in Griffin's head.

Griffin turned to look at something and Faragonda followed her gaze to see some more mistletoe hanging from the cupboard right above their heads. Ediltrude and Zarathustra hadn’t even spared the kitchen in their attempts to prank them. They weren’t there, though, so those were efforts wasted.

“We don’t have to...” she felt herself trailing off just in time with her heart sinking when Griffin pulled the knife out of her hand but the disappointment didn’t have time to set in when she heard the ring of the metal against the kitchen counter.

Griffin cupped her cheek and drew her into a kiss that was nothing like the ones when they’d had audience. It was slow and sensual, making her head spin so hard that she had to grab at Griffin’s waist to steady herself and not miss any of the softness she was being snowed in under. Griffin’s tongue was less invasive and more giving this time and she let it in her mouth not because of their plan or because she couldn’t refuse to, but because she wanted to. All the previous kisses had been somehow obligatory–except maybe the first one and she had yet to find the words and courage to thank Griffin for not making their first kiss like that, but that would mean maybe saying more than she was ready to–and she hadn’t been able to quite enjoy them. Of course, she couldn’t have stayed completely impartial to Griffin’s lips on her own but something had been missing, and now it was as clear as day what that had been. They’d been so wrapped up in getting back at their friends that their souls hadn’t been able to reach each other, but now with nothing else in the way, they were free to sink into each other completely.

They merged into one being and it was a feeling that Faragonda had felt at one point or another of their friendship but never so intensely. And it wasn’t that they hadn’t trusted the other with themselves but that they hadn’t trusted themselves with the other. Despite their deep connection from the moment she’d fallen into Griffin’s arms, she’d had her doubts when it came to being good enough for Griffin and her fear of telling her about her feelings had only convinced her that she shouldn’t as it was proof against the selflessness of her love. She’d love Griffin whether she’d tell her about it or not so keeping it from her only deprived Griffin of the ability to know her own friend completely and of the chance to make her own choice. And now something had changed.

It may have been the feeling of utter loss when they’d parted from every kiss or perhaps the wrongness of those when they weren’t coming from a place of pure intentions and feelings, but it had finally made them open up to each other fully and give expression to their feelings. And that was the only gift she could ask for every day for the rest of her life as she held on to Griffin’s waist and let herself get completely carried away in Griffin's kiss, putting all of her love into what she was giving back.

Griffin pulled away, gasping for air, though not as harshly as she had all the previous times, for this kiss had given them more than it had taken from them and even the lack of oxygen wasn’t enough to kill them now that their lives were bound together. “I wanted to,” she whispered as she didn’t have enough air for more but it was enough to cause flutters in both Faragonda’s stomach and heart. Perhaps in her brain too, because she didn’t know what to say.

She took Griffin’s hand that had never left her cheek in hers and gave it a squeeze, for words seemed insufficient and unnecessary after the transformative power of the kiss. It had changed their entire reality and looking at Griffin's eyes was the only thing she needed to confirm it without a sound uttered between them. Their hearts had spoken and they’d both understood the message that had been loud and clear in the way they clung to each other like no force in the universe could tear them apart. Griffin had walked into her arms and wanted to stay there and that left Faragonda speechless as she admired the miracle that was happening between them.

“We have to go before they barge in here to collect us and any food and drinks that haven’t made it to the living room yet,” Griffin spoke quietly as if to not disturb the flow of emotions around them and as much as Faragonda wanted to stay in that moment, she had to agree. It would only be more jarring to be pulled away from their little cocoon of shared love from the others.

“I’ll go make sure Ediltrude and Griselda didn’t kill each other. They seemed to be on their way to a fight with only Zarathustra standing between them,” Faragonda said, taking a few seconds to make herself let go of Griffin since that was the last thing she wanted to do. The fact that Griffin didn’t seem to want to let go either didn’t help.

“I’m sure Zara doesn’t want anybody anywhere near Griselda,” Griffin said, her voice full of amusement that was bordering on evil glee and had Faragonda stopping dead in her tracks even after she’d made all the effort to get past Griffin without giving into her urge to draw her into a hug.

“What?” she asked since she wasn’t sure she could make herself go before Griffin cleared up what she meant. Could it be that their friends were at the exact same position as her and Griffin? Well, not exact same since Griselda and Zarathustra definitely weren’t such close friends but it was still similar enough to be ironic. And if it was true, she was surprised that Griffin hadn’t tried turning the mistletoe on them yet. Perhaps Griselda and Zarathustra’s Christmas miracle was not having anyone meddling in their love life, though, as much as she hated to admit it, if not for the mistletoe, her and Griffin could have–and probably would have–still been in denial about their feelings.

“I’ll join you as soon as I’m done with the cinnamon sticks,” Griffin didn’t care to elaborate, instead acting as if she hadn’t said anything. Though, that was an answer in itself that made Faragonda hurry to the living room.

Her attention was immediately captured by the fight between Ediltrude and Griselda that still seemed to be in progress with Griselda going on and on about the health issues excessive amounts of alcohol caused while Ediltrude looked bored out of her mind. She had her arms crossed and was slouching as if Griselda’s rant was draining all the energy out of her and the whiskey she was drinking was her only saving grace. Which was bad news because the last sip of it went down her throat right as Griselda was explaining the negative effects of alcohol on the brain in gruesome detail which didn’t seem to faze Ediltrude but the lack of alcohol in her glass was a different story.

She walked away from Griselda right in the middle of her sentence and if Faragonda knew anything about her friend, it was that that would just anger her more. It wasn’t in your power to walk away from Griselda once you’d started an argument with her just like it wasn’t in your power to win said argument. Griselda was always prepared for anything that could be thrown her way which certainly made the idea of her and Zarathustra as a couple interesting since they were total opposites in that.

Improvisation was Zarathustra’s second nature which made the fact that she still hadn’t blown anything up with her experiments that much more impressive. She was more instinctual which Griselda could probably use, though they were both very adaptive which would make them a great team and perhaps that could even be expanded to a romantic context.

“Running away instead of facing your defeat?” Griselda asked as she went after Ediltrude, hellbent on not letting her off the hook.

At this point there wasn’t a force in the universe that could stop that argument and Zarathustra seemed to have figured that out as well since she was currently sitting in the armchair nearby and working on finishing the bowl of popcorn, looking rather intrigued by the spicy turn of events that was certainly more interesting than Griselda’s facts and statistics. Or perhaps it was the thought of Ediltrude’s impeding loss of the argument that provoked her interest.

Ediltrude came to a halt so abruptly that Griselda bumped into her, unable to maneuver in time to avoid collision. “I’m not running,” Ediltrude said through gritted teeth, her grip on her empty glass tightening so much that her knuckles turned white, and Faragonda was afraid she’d hurt herself if she broke the glass when she saw where she was standing. “You’re obviously in lecture mode and I can’t handle that when-” her words died in her throat when she turned around and her hand with the glass that she was going to wave in front of Griselda’s face demonstratively froze when she noticed the mistletoe hanging above their heads.

Griselda’s face changed as well when she realized what had prompted Ediltrude’s reaction without even having to look up. She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled slowly, looking so tortured that Faragonda almost felt bad for her. They’d brought it on themselves, though, and she couldn't help but appreciate the poetic justice.

“What’s the matter, Griselda?” Ediltrude asked smugly as she, too, seemed to appreciate the opportunity to get back at Griselda for her previous words that the situation provided her with. Too bad she was playing with fire since Griselda never let herself get cornered. “Scared of a little kiss?” she teased, forcing a mask of innocence and faked worry on her face that quickly morphed into a victorious smile when she riled Griselda up even more which was an accomplishment in itself.

The grin was wiped from her face almost instantly, though, when Griselda grabbed at her shoulders and crashed her lips on Ediltrude’s which Faragonda couldn’t even call unexpected since she doubted Griselda had ever lost an argument in her life. And just the fact that she had to kiss Ediltrude wouldn't be enough to stop her from winning this one either.

Faragonda still had to press her palm against her mouth to keep her shock from getting the best of her and her gaze darted to Zarathustra who looked like she’d been struck by a lightning, the bowl of popcorn falling from her hands and hitting the floor, ending the scandalous spectacle, the little remaining popcorn scattering across the floor much like the whole atmosphere had. That most definitely was not the justice Faragonda had wanted, nor the way she’d wanted Griffin's words confirmed.

Ediltrude seemed just as shocked as her sister, her hands raised in helplessness that would've been comical if it weren’t so painful to watch and she didn’t move a muscle even when Griselda let go of her and stepped back, looking quite shocked herself and like she couldn’t process what she’d just done. She seemed to be focusing her attention on keeping her breathing even until her brain restarted while Ediltrude had stopped breathing altogether.

The atmosphere was tense like all the air had been sucked out of the room and the ticking of the clock that could be heard in the dead silence was like the timer to a bomb. Only, there was no telling when it would hit zero and blow up their entire Christmas celebration.

Faragonda’s whole focus was on the other three women and it took her a moment to register Griffin walking past her with the punch, her head turning a little too slowly to see the movement. Griffin's steps did, however, cut through the quietness of the room loudly enough to be the trigger for the explosion that they were all waiting for with baited breath and Faragonda rushed after her to lead her out of the room before she could do the wrong thing like setting the tray with the punch down too loudly or starting a sentence with the wrong word, but she tripped over the carpet and found herself falling face-first right into Griffin's arms.

She seemed to have set down the glasses just in time to catch her once again as if to recreate their first meeting in order to celebrate the imprecise anniversary of it and the new shape their relationship had taken now and it was enough to outshine all other thoughts as if they were Christmas lights that someone had plugged out.

“I remember you promising me that you’d be more careful,” Griffin said as she helped her regain her balance, her tone teasing and caring at the same time and it drew Faragonda’s gaze to her lips. She still hadn’t quite figured out how Griffin could combine warmth and coldness in herself so perfectly but she’d learned that she was addicted to the unlikely mix. She herself lacked a bit of cold that still allowed people to take advantage of her sometimes but Griffin's ice queen demeanor was as alluring as it could be frightening. And Griffin could be plenty terrifying when she wanted to which probably should have made her take her word to her more seriously. But she’d seen enough of the green fields behind the ice walls to be unable to fear Griffin's heart.

“You’re here to catch me now,” she offered, holding on to Griffin's hands to show there was genuine emotion behind the words in equal amounts with the flirtatiousness, perhaps even more. Griffin had been there for her from the moment they’d met and she could never imagine a life that she wasn’t a part of anymore. She didn’t want to.

“Will you two just kiss already?” Ediltrude spoke, startling Faragonda with the sudden reminder that they weren’t alone.

“We’ve been doing that all day,” Griffin quipped back at her, apparently having remained more present than Faragonda who was getting carried away even now–twelve, they’ve had twelve kisses in a little over two hours, and even if not all of them had been optimal, it was still a high number that would make for an incredible Christmas tradition–during their little moment. “You covered the entire apartment with mistletoe.”

“Lesson learned,” Griselda said too quickly, giving away her discomfort with the scene that had occurred just a minute ago. Her arms were crossed as if to keep the memories of it and her bad judgment away and she avoided looking anyone in the eye.

“Oh, come on, Griselda!” Ediltrude said, taking the time to look apologetically at her sister–or at least that was what it looked like to Faragonda–before speaking. “Learn to loosen up a little,” she said as she came to stand next to her and bumped her hip into Griselda’s with a lot of force, making her lose her footing and stumble, falling in Zarathustra’s arms that kept her from hitting herself at the floor.

“Are you insane?” Griselda asked, though, her irritation didn’t seem enough to propel her to move out of Zarathustra’s hold which would be brushed off by someone who didn’t know her closely, but to Faragonda it was so telling that she felt herself clutching Griffin's hands in a death grip. Griselda wasn’t a fan of physical contact unless she felt secure enough in her relationship with the person to trust them to put their hands on her. So she might have been a little more comfortable with Zarathustra than Faragonda had realized.

“Don’t worry, Zara is right there to catch you,” Ediltrude said, winking at both of them which drew a snowstorm of protests from both women as they jumped to their feet almost in sync to defend their innocence.

It sounded ridiculous from the side and made Faragonda and Griffin share a knowing look before leaning in for a kiss, knowing that their friends were preoccupied with their own drama to notice the change in their relationship.

#winx club #winx faragonda #winx griffin #winx griselda #winx ediltrude #winx zarathustra #fanfiction #my fanfiction #my writing #falling for you (to catch me)

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