#like ?????? is this supposed to apply to all four ?????? she said some but then used the general word 'vampire' ???????

[masonscig]

okay. genuine question. how does this ask make sense. i am being so serious right now. narratively how does this make sense at the point we’re at

[benevolentbones]

beach day | spencer reid x fem!reader part 2

part 1

warnings: heated kissing!!! slightly suggestive.

word count: 1.2k

a/n: here is part 2!! hope you all enjoy, thank you for the support and 200+ followers!! reblogs & comments appreciated !!

the sun was at its highest point, casting burning rays down onto the white sand. you and garcia were splashing around, emily and jj had run off to look for seashells and derek was building a mega sandcastle with jack while hotch and spencer were sat by everyone’s bags.

“i’m getting a little cold now y/n, im getting out to warm up.” garcia announced as she began to wade back out of the water, you decided that it would probably be a good idea to take a break maybe get a drink to rehydrate, so you followed the blonde back to the towels.

“honestly hotch the water is perfect are you sure you don’t want to come for a swim?” you grinned as you walked back.

“i think i’m good here.” he mumbled, smoothing down the hawaiian print shirt that adorned his tall figure.

“well in that case- lets get ice cream.” penelope chirped, as he dried herself off putting on a violently floral beach coverup over her swimsuit.

“ice cream!” jack came running back, practically leaping onto his dad, covering them both in sand.

“well that’s one way to summon a five year old.” you laughed.

hotch sent you a joking glare before picking jack up. “yeah lets get some ice cream.” he agreed passively.

“morgan, ice cream lets go hotch is buying!” penelope yelled to derek who was now two feet deep in a hole he was digging.

“wh- i never said…fine.” hotch shook his head in disapproval as he walked away, jack still in his arms, with penelope and derek in tow.

“get me my favourite!” you yelled out as they left, earning a dismissive wave from hotch.

you turned to face spencer, who had now picked up your towel and was using it to block his legs from the sun. his face was buried in his book, with only a few pages remaining.

“can i use my towel, spence.” you smiled sweetly once his doe eyes met yours.

your two piece clung to your body, saturated in sea water. little droplets of water trickled down your bare skin, spencer’s intense stare watching as they connected to each other and fell from your figure.

he cleared his throat before speaking, “i-uh yeah here.” he quickly pass your towel to you, your finger briefly skimming over his causing heat to rise in your cheeks.

you towel dried your hair, wringing your salty locks out.

spencer closed his book, setting it down on the blue cooler to his right. he eyed you, as you began to pat your torso dry, wrapping the towel around yourself, over your two piece, like you had just stepped out of the shower.

“when did you last put suncream on?” you questioned, flicking your hair off of your shoulders.

“i don’t know- maybe four hours ago.” spencer pondered.

you gasped loudly in a playful manner, immediately diving into your beach bag and pulling out your trusted factor 30 suncream.

“i- y/n i think i’m fine.”

“you’re supposed to reapply every two hours- you should know this.” you muttered, shuffling towards spencer’s seated figure.

spencer let out a small groan, although secretly he thought it was cute how concerned you were.

“stand up please.”

“i’m not moving.” a smug smile resting on his face, he wanted to test how serious you were about the application of suncream, surely you’d give up.

you let out a prolonged exhale, dispensing suncream onto your hand.

“you gave me no choice!” you exclaimed, climbing onto the beach chair. spencer’s eyes widened as you practically straddled the man, one leg resting over either side of his lap.

you pushed back his hair with one hand, gently applying the cream to his face with the other. his face burning at your close proximity, he was staring directly and your towel clad form.

once you finished applying it to his face, you reached for the bottle again, you moved down to his neck, then to his arms. at this stage spencer was compliant, doing whatever you needed of him.

“give me your arm.” you muttered, taking his forearm and rubbing in the cream on any visible skin. spencer stirred as you shifted your weight to one side, getting comfortable on his lap.

spencer knew you were a confident person, it reflected in your work on the field, but he never expected you to go this far.

“i know you’re enjoying this.” you joked, your small laugh ringing in his ears.

“s-shut up. i say you couldn’t wait to get your hands on me.” he rebutted your remark, and now it was your turn for your face to flush.

“so what if i did…” you mumbled, taking his other arm in your hand. spencer’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to read your expression, he wasn’t certain if you meant it. so he decided to find out.

“is that why you wanted my hands all over you?” he questioned. it was a bold move, even for spencer, he couldn’t quite believe those words came from him.

this caught you off guard, you dropped spencer’s arm and stared at him, his hazel eyes stared back with intensity.

“and what if i said yes, dr.reid?” you replied, chewing your bottom lip waiting for his reply.

spencer lifted his dominant hand, slipping it under your towel to rest on your waist. you breath hitched in your throat as his warm hand came in contact with your chilled skin.

“maybe you need a top up.” he mumbled, his grasp on you not faltering.

you studied him, the fresh layer of suncream on his facing causing his skin to glow from the few rays of sun that managed to shine through the gaps of the umbrella.

your hold on the bottle of suncream loosened causing it to fall into the sand below. you brought your right hand up to his face, resting it against jaw as you smoothed your thumb over cheek.

he gave you a small smile, embracing your hold. you reluctantly leaned closer, shifting your position on him. spencer could tell what you were doing, quickly closing the gap between you and pressing his lips to yours.

it was gentle at first, a soft brush that sent shivers down spencer’s spine. you immediately brought your other hand up, running in through his hair. spencer’s grip on your waist tightened, as he brought his other to rest on your thigh.

you shuddered at his touch, your beach towel slipping away from your torso and pooling by your hips. spencer deepened the kiss, as you leaned forward, pressing your body against his. you kissed back hungrily, trailing your hands to cup his face.

spencer pulled away, taking in your features. your eyelids were heavy, your lips slightly swollen. a grin spread across his face as you leaned back in pressing a kiss to your jaw, then to below your ear.

“spence?-“ you breathed out, resting your arms around his shoulders as he continued peppering kisses along your neck before returning to your lips. spencer had wanted to kiss you for months, and now it was finally happening, he wanted to savour every moment.

his lips were soft, his kiss much more tentative this time, spencer’s hands tracing over your figure.

you both pulled back to gaze at one another, heavy breaths slipping from your lips. you could practically feel the heat radiating off of spencer. you both sat for a moment, in silence, taking in what had just happened.

“will you go for a swim with me now?” you questioned.

“i think i’ll need to after that..”

taglist!! @0108s22m @rainoftearss @potatovoyager @rac00ns-are-c00l4 @luvmia222 @shardsofmarxx @silver138 @lover-of-books-and-tea

[kitixie]

The Sapphire Ring

request: Hi! If your requests are open, I’d like to ask for a Thomas Shelby x Reader. Tommy gets injured in WW1 at some point and is taken care of the same nurse (reader) at the battlefield medic hospital. She has something distinct about her (I was thinking maybe some unique piece of jewelry so it could apply to anyone). He always remembered the nurse for helping him and the reader always remembered him as a patient she saved after losing a lot of her patients. And then years later they reconnect in Birmingham (he recognizes her jewelry first). Just helping eachother through hardship and fluff and reconnection leading to romance. You’re the best, can’t wait to see what you do with it! Thanks!

word count: 2.5k

warnings/info: no warnings for this, just sweetness and a happy ending :) also, i promise i am working on the next part of “Little Girl Gone”, so be on the lookout for that this weekend!! i had so much fun doing this request, i’d love to do more so if you have any requests, please let me know! enjoy!!

1916, in the midst of World War 1.

“Y/N, there’s a patient down the hall, he’s just out of surgery. Would you check on him, Love?”

You turned to face MaryAnn, the lead nurse tonight. Her curly brown hair framed her face a shoulders, her soft smile aimed at you.

“Of course, MaryAnn,” you said, returning her small smile.

Making your way down the hall, you ducked your head in. Most of these patients you’d already seen, so spotting a new face shouldn’t be hard. Especially if he was fresh from surgery, his moaning and grumbling would probably be heard before he was seen.

You had been working at the hospital for two years, you had only started working here because of the war. Your brother had gone off to fight, leaving you and your father home alone together. Your mother had passed away two years before that, leaving you only her cherished sapphire ring. The piece of jewelry was the only luxury your mother had ever had, growing up in a small town on the banks of Dundalk. It was a large sapphire in the center, flanked on four sides by sparking, clear diamonds. You wore the ring at all times, not much worrying if it would get messed up, as the hospital had paid you nicely, and you’d saved up a small pile just in case something happened to it. You loved the ring almost as much as your mother did, feeling as if it was your only connection left to her. You peered at the ring on your finger, continuing on your search for the mystery patient.

A few doors farther down, a loud bang came from one of the patient rooms. You rushed to the door, only to see a man standing up, and a rolling metal tray lying on the floor. You watched him for a moment, just to see what his next moves were. You observed his pale skin, almost blue tinged; then his dark hair. His head was shaved around the bottom, leaving a messy patch on the top half of his head. He looked to the tray, then to the bed, then to the window on the other side of the room. He leant over to retrieve something off the floor, when he cursed.

“Sir, are you okay?” You called, stepping into the room slowly so as not to frighten him.

He slowly turned towards you, and only when he was fully facing you did you see the bloody bandage dangling from his shoulder.

“I could use a bit of help, I suppose,” he grumbled, staring at you.

You slowly approached him, letting him see that your hands were clear. He was young, a few years visibly older than you, but young enough to justify that the only reason he was in here was because of the war.

“I’m not delusional, I know where I am. So you can stop easing towards me like I’m shell-shocked, aye?” He said, an accent coming out from somewhere.

“You can never be too cautious, ya know,” you stated, straightening your posture back up to full height, and walking normally paced towards him.

You removed his own hand from his bloodied shoulder, and nodded towards the bed. He followed orders, and sat down, rolling his head to the side so you could get a better look.

“I’m Tommy,” he offered, blowing out a deep breath.

“Y/N,” you said, focusing your attention on his now leaking stitches.

You could feel as he watched you, those blue eyes tracking your every movement precisely. He had indeed pulled out his stitches, but it was nothing you couldn’t fix.

“Ya pulled your stitches, so I hope whatever you were trying to do was worth it,” You laughed, casting him a gentle glance so he’d see the joke in your eyes.

“I was trying to get a smoke, so I’d say it was worth it.”

“You want a smoke? I’m about to restitch your shoulder, so ��ats the least I could let ya do,” you smiled, picking up his discarded pack of cigarettes from the floor, also handing him his pack of matches.

He returned the smile, immediately struck up a match, sending the smell of smoke and tobacco throughout the room. You gently closed the door, not wanting to disturb the other patients with the smell. Walking back over to Tommy, you held a small suture kit in your hands.

“This is gonna hurt, so be ready,” you breathed, not wanting him to lash out at the pain.

“I’ll be fine, Love. But talk to me, will you? Helps distract me,” he said, exhaling a long stream of smoke from his mouth and nostrils.

“Okay,” you agreed. Readying the needle and thread you began speaking right before running the small metal piece through his skin.

“I’m from Ireland, born and raised. Although I used to live in Dundalk, now here we are in Dublin. My brother is fighting in the war, at least I assume he’s still fighting, hasn’t come home alive or in a box yet,” you joked, but feeling a slight twinge of pain in your heart. You continued, “I work ‘ere every night, I like nightshift best because it’s when the least amount of people actually come into the hospital. I don’t really handle losing patients well, but that’s another story,” you sighed, nearly done with the first few stitches.

Tommy nodded his head, releasing another puff of smoke before speaking.

“I’m from Birmingham, it’s not really a place worth talking about though. I fought in the war, ‘ts how I ended up here, but you’ve gathered that much. I’ve got a couple siblings, some still at war, some not, but they’re my only family.” he said, going back to his cigarette.

“I have the one brother, and my father. My mother died a few years ago, but it’s part of my past life now.” You spoke, finishing up the last few stitches. He hasn’t flinched the entire time.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Love. But every sorrier to say I can relate.” Tommy said, gently turing his shoulders towards you now that you were done putting him back together.

“It’s alright, I’m sorry for your loss too, it never really gets better, just more dull,” you remarked, cleaning up the kit from the small rolling tray you had placed it on.

You took notice of Tommy’s staring, following his eyes as the flicked over you, assessing every detail. His eyes caught on your ring, and he cocked his head.

“That’s a lovely ring, Mrs. Y/N,” he said, drawing out the Missus.

“It’s just Miss, and thank you,” you laughed, “it was my mothers.” You gave him a soft smile, looking toward the ring on your middle finger.

You helped Tommy settle back into his small bed, then bid him goodnight with the promise to check on him tomorrow.

-

The next evening, you barely had time to check in before MaryAnn was hounding you about Tommy. He had been refusing care all day, saying that you were the only person he’d allow to check his stitching. The other nurses had tried to reason with, tried to explain that you wouldn’t be here until 10 pm, but he would not listen. He wanted your care, and only your care. You promised MaryAnn you would handle it, and went off on your way to his room. You rapped your hand against the door, slightly cracking it open.

“Tommy?” You called out, not wanting to startle him.

“Oi, finally. I’ve been asking for you all day, where have you been, Y/N?” He said, slowly sitting himself up in the cot.

“I told you Tommy, I work nightshift. It doesn’t switch over until 10,” you laughed, “although I am flattered that you refused all care other than mine.”

“Of course I would, you have the best bedside manner of all the nurses.” taking a drag from the cigarette you hadn’t noticed earlier, “Plus you’re beautiful,” he added.

Your cheeks flushed, and you brought a hand to chest, resting it over your heart.

“Flattery rarely works on nurses, Tommy. Now let’s get those stitches checked.” You smiled, your cheeks hurting from how genuine it was.

After checking his stitches, you gave him the all clear and told him he should be released in a few days, and you swore a frown flashed across his face before straightening back out. You bid him goodnight, with the promise to see him tomorrow night.

For a week straight, this little routine carried on. You’d come see him as soon as you arrived at work, check his stitches, then the two of you would just talk. You talked with him about varying subjects, both of your families, home life (although Tommy didn’t give much away here), and your hopes for the future. You told him of your plans to travel after the war ended, and he told you how he never wanted to travel again. You would compare families, your brother palling in comparison to the array of Shelby boys that Tommy had described to you. Every night, the two of you would talk, some conversations were short, some lasted so long that MaryAnn had to come pull you from his room so that you would round on your other patients. You developed a sense of kinship with Tommy, although the two of you were admittedly very different. You got excited to go to work, marking events in your day that you were excited to tell Tommy about. You thought of him outside of the hospital, more than you should. But how could anyone resist the charms of Tommy Shelby?

On Friday night, you arrived to the hospital. You checked in, and began rounding on your patients, saving Tommy for when you had a bit of free time; you had a lot you wanted to tell him. You eventually found your way to his room, softly knocking on the door.

“Tommy?” You called, easing through the doorway.

Tommy was sitting up in his cot, stitches almost healed enough to go home. You had come to dread the day he would leave, he felt like a friend, maybe more.

“Y/N, Love, I thought you had forgotten me.” He said, adding his signature Tommy Shelby smirk to the end.

“I could never forget you, Tommy,” you blushed, “Now, let me check up on those stitches.”

He nodded his head, tipping it to the side so that you could access his shoulder better.

“How’s Georgia?” He asked. Georgia was an elderly lady who lived in your apartments, you had told Tommy about how she loved to bake for you.

“She’s good, she brought me meat pies earlier today,” you said, giving a soft smile, “These stitches look healed Tommy, I think you can go home soon.”

Tommy grew a distant look in his eye, gazing to the floor.

“I don’t really want to go, if I’m honest.” He said, pulling you from similar thoughts.

“I know Tommy, but your family probably misses you, I know I would be.” You replied, trying to coax him with a soft rub of his shoulder.

He placed his hand gently over yours, his massive hand covering the ring.

“You would be or you will be?” He said, cheekily flashing you a smile.

“I will miss you, Tommy. You have been a joy to take care of, and a good friend to talk to.” You could feel tears wanting to come from your eyes, but ever the professional, you held them back.

He gave a soft smile, placing a gentle kiss to your hand.

“If you ever find yourself in Birmingham, come find me. I’ll be at The Garrison, waiting for you.”

Tommy had mentioned The Garrison a few times, noting how it was his family’s favorite bar and pub, and how they spent most evenings there. You gave him a soft nod, and retracted your hand.

“Goodnight, and, goodbye, Thomas.” You smiled at him and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, before you exited his room.

-

1921, five years later

You found yourself staring, craning your neck up to the sign in front of you. A hundred questionable decisions had led you here, to Birmingham.

The first decision, was getting married. The second, was getting divorced. Your husband had been a prick, and you knew it when you married him but he was handsome, and certainly you could have done worse.

The third decision was traveling. You had been all over the world, but you had avoided Birmingham like it had the plague. After Tommy was discharged, you quit the hospital. Every time you would walk by his former room, tears would well in your eyes and breath would catch in your throat. You hadn’t realized how accustomed to Him you had become, not until he’d left.

But now, five years after last seeing each other, you stood in front of the doors to The Garrison.

Pushing into the pub, holding the leash on your fear and anxiety, you approached the bar. An unpleasant bar keep took your order, appearing surprised at the order of Irish Whiskey for a young lady. You got your drink, and waited. Waited to see if what Tommy had said still rang true. Had he been waiting for you?

You heard a knock, coming from the window that peered into the back room of the pub. The bar keep opened it, and you nearly fainted. There, ten feet away, stood Mr. Thomas Shelby.

You stared at him, mouth hanging open like a fool. He had only gotten more handsome, a peaky cap now sitting atop his head, which looked much better now that he had some color and a fresh haircut. He was dressed in a fine suit, looking polished and refined, like a real man, not just a patient in the hospital. His eyes caught yours for a single second, and a look of recognition flashed across his face before vanishing. The window closed, and your heart sank. He didn’t remember you, or worse, he didn’t want you here.

You stood from your barstool, slapping a bill on the bar. Your ring, that same ring Tommy had stared at and asked a hundred questions about, still sat on your middle finger. The metal slapped against the bar, and you could only look towards the floor on your way out.

A warm, pale hand snatched your arm from your side, cradling that soft hand that held the ring.

“Y/N?”

You whirled around, face to face with Tommy. He had remembered you! You wrapped your arms around his neck, embracing him in a tight hug. He returned the gesture, wrapping his long arms around you and lifting you from the floor. Your head tucked into the crook of his neck, inhaling the tobacco scent you had always associated with Tommy. He gently placed your feet back on the floor before speaking.

“I never thought you’d come,” he breathed, a grin on his face, “but I am so glad that you did, Love.” He said, just before leaning in and placing a hard, passionate kiss to your mouth.

[helloalycia]

𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒 [𝐎𝐍𝐄] — 𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐍𝐀𝐌-𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐘

summary: it was only supposed to be a summer job, and yet it became so much more when you met the girl you'd soon fall in love with.

warning/s: none.

author's note: okay so being ill recently has delayed me getting this out lol, my bad. Either way, it’s finally here and will have a few parts. It’s an au so Alycia isn’t famous in this, but yeah! hope you like it! :)

just to note: Y/S/N = your sister's name and Y/M/N = your mum's name

two / three / four / five/ masterlist / wattpad

Prologue Part One...

"I want to congratulate you all, once again, on getting this job. Hopefully you'll enjoy this summer as much as we all do!"

I squinted my eyes as I looked at my employer giving a longwinded speech about how myself and a bunch of other 17-year-olds got the job to work as camp counsellors at a summer camp.

"Before you go, I want to remind you that your emails should have all of the relevant information regarding your buddy. This should help you both settle in nicely and make friends. After all, a happy team is good for the kids."

My employer, Mr. Fox, smiled at the group of us as we all waited impatiently to get on the coach already.

As if reading our minds, the coach driver approached him and mumbled something to him, making him straighten up and nod. The coach driver headed back to the coach, getting in, as Mr. Fox cleared his throat.

"Okay, you should all get going now, but remember to have fun! This is more than just a job, it's an experience!"

He looked out at us all, as if expecting some sort of reaction, but everyone stayed staring at him until he waved us away. I followed the group of teens onto the coach, taking a seat in the middle by the window since I was one of the first few on.

I didn't really know anybody, at least I didn't think I did. The job came up as an opportunity advertised at school and I applied because I needed the money before I headed off to university. My friends didn't want to do it with me which meant I was alone, but I tried not to worry about it too much. Making friends wasn't impossible.

As I put my seatbelt on and got comfortable, a pretty girl stopped by my seat and looked down questioningly.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked, and I noticed she had an accent that I couldn't quite pinpoint just yet.

"No, go for it," I said with a small smile.

She flashed me an easygoing smile in return, before putting her backpack up top and taking a seat beside me. Admittedly, I grew a little nervous as I realised there and then that it had been a long time since I'd had to make friends with someone, and I couldn't for the life of me remember how to make conversation.

"So what's your name?" she asked, taking the lead (to my relief).

"Y/N," I said with a nod. "Y/N Y/L/N."

"Y/N," she repeated, and I still couldn't figure out where she was from – Australia, maybe? Or New Zealand? I could never tell the difference – but it sounded pretty cool. "Nice to meet you, Y/N... wait, I think we're buddies! Hold on..."

She pulled out her phone and began to scroll through a bunch of stuff before nodding in agreement and showing me her email.

"Right there. Y/N Y/L/N." She smiled widely. "We're buddies."

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "I guess we are... so you must be Alycia?"

"Alycia," she repeated in agreement. "Alycia Debnam-Carey."

"Well, nice to meet you too, Alycia," I said, before adding curiously, "I'm sorry, this is going to sound stupid, but where are you from?"

She chuckled and it sounded adorable, lighting up the whole coach. "I'm from Australia, but I've lived here for a few years now."

"Ah, I figured it was Australia," I said, nodding my head. "Makes sense."

"No problem," she said with amusement. "I'm guessing you're from around here then."

"Yeah, I go to [your school name]," I said, turning so I could face her better.

"Oh, see, I go to [another school name]," she said with realisation. "Not far from each other."

"Apparently not," I said with a stifled smile. "So what made you want to do this? You really love kids or something?"

She nodded in agreement. "Yes, actually, that's exactly it."

"I was kidding."

She laughed quietly. "Well, I wasn't. I just thought it would be nice to do something like this before I go to university. Spice up my summer a bit."

I nodded in acknowledgment and she stared at me curiously.

"How about you?" she asked, and the coach began to move off when she did.

"I'd like to say it was something cute like your answer," I admitted, "but I just needed the money to be honest."

She cracked a smile and I noticed how it matched her eyes perfectly.

"It seemed like a good way to make some more money before uni," I continued. "Plus, I guess, like you said, it should make for a good summer. I mean, the activities these kids get to do..." I raised an eyebrow. "Canoeing? Rock climbing? Pottery class? That's some rich people shit right there. I definitely never did that as a kid."

She snickered, nodding in agreement. "Fair point. It looks fun, that's for sure."

I hummed in agreement.

"Also, you're not like, a weirdo, so that means being buddies should be fun," she added.

I felt my cheeks heating up as I smiled with amusement. "Er, thanks, I guess?"

Her green eyes lit up as she mirrored my smile. "It's a compliment."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I figured."

She got comfortable in her seat and looked down the aisle before sighing to herself. "How long is this trip again?"

I checked my watch. "It's nine now, so... three hours, give or take."

"Awesome, I'm gonna take a nap," she said instantly, before crossing her arms and shuffling about until she found a spot.

"You're tired?"

"Didn't sleep much last night," she said as she closed her eyes. "Don't wanna be crabby when I'm there."

I quirked a brow as I studied her. She was anything but crabby, and in fact seemed like she was wide awake. Strange girl, for sure.

"You're staring," she said, before opening an eye and looking at me. "What's up?"

My lips curled into a smile and I soon began to shake my head, stifling laughter. "No reason. I guess I'll wake you when we're there."

She opened her other eye and smiled tiredly, before giving me a cute little nod. "Greatly appreciated, love."

I ran a hand through my hair as my smile somehow stayed fixed on my face. She closed her eyes again and I distracted myself by looking out the window, but all I could think about was how strange this girl next to me was.

I was unpacking my suitcase when the camp leader was making her rounds in the counsellors' cabin. There were several bunk beds and I was sharing with Alycia, who dibbed the top bunk after claiming she'd always wanted one as a kid. Again, strange girl, what'd I tell you?

"...and who do we have next?"

I looked up from my suitcase and saw the camp leader approaching Alycia and I with a warm smile – a blonde woman in her forties. Alycia jumped off the top bunk and joined my side, smiling widely at me before looking to the leader.

"I'm Y/N Y/L/N," I introduced myself, returning the leader's smile.

"Great to have you here, Y/N," she said enthusiastically. "I'm just introducing myself to everyone and letting them know who I am and what my role is. So, I guess," she laughed, "I'm Marissa and I'm your point of contact for any issues or queries you have."

"So, my boss?" I suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"Technically, yes," she nodded, then shook her head, "but I hate the way that makes me sound. So consider me one of your colleagues, like everyone else here."

"Okay, cool," I said with a nod, before looking to a quiet Alycia, wondering when she'd introduce herself.

"And would you look who decided to sign up for this summer," Marissa said knowingly, smirking at Alycia. "Alycia Debnam-Carey."

Alycia smiled awkwardly and I grew confused. Did they know each other or something...?

"I see you read my name on the list," Alycia said quickly, motioning to the clipboard in Marissa's hand. "I mean, how else would you know who I am?"

"What are you talking about, silly? Why wouldn't I know my only niece–"

"Nice, thank you! So are you, Marissa," Alycia cut her off, nodding her head.

I looked between them both as, clearly, Alycia was terrible at hiding the fact that she was Marissa's niece. I wasn't sure why she was hiding it, but whatever. It was too amusing to witness.

"Okay...," Marissa said with confusion, eyeing Alycia curiously, before looking between us with a smile again. "I'll leave you lovely ladies to settle in. There's no pressure today since the kids will arrive tomorrow, but do read your handbooks for more information. And if you have any questions, feel free to find me or any of the other supervisors."

I nodded and watched her leave, before leaning against the bunk as Alycia looked everywhere but at me.

With an entertained smile, I said, "So you're related, huh?”

She played it off very badly. "Pfft, what? What are you talking about?"

I chuckled. "You're very strange, you know that? But don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

She finally met my eyes, startling green ones filled with relief as a sheepish smile spread on her lips. "Thank you..."

"I mean, I'm definitely curious why you're hiding it, but I'm sure I'll find out eventually," I added, before going back to my suitcase.

"Sure...," she said sarcastically, before jumping up onto the top bunk to finish unpacking.

The next morning, the kids arrived in coaches and were getting their initiation in the main hall, leaving all the camp councillors to prepare for their daily activities.

Alycia and I were assigned to fishing for the morning, so we found ourselves by the lake in the early morning sun. It was beautiful out and I was grateful to be spending the summer in such a lovely area. I couldn't have imagined being somewhere like this otherwise, or even having the opportunity to.

"Okay, so according to this, we need to find the instructors and the fishing cabin," I said as I studied the handbook. "It should be nearby apparently. Hold on, let me get my map."

"No need, I know the way," Alycia said with a shrug, before leading the way.

"Oh, awesome," I said, following after her and falling into step. "How d'you know where it is?"

Alycia paused, before answering, "Studied the map last night."

I hummed, impressed. "That explains how you knew where to find breakfast this morning."

She chuckled and I cracked a smile before looking ahead. Indeed, Alycia was correct as I saw a cabin up ahead, presumably where the instructors were.

"So, are you excited to get our group of kids today?" I asked, glancing her way.

She smiled with ease. "Yeah, I am. It should be fun! Aren't you?"

"I guess," I said, noticing how her excitement was contagious and made me feel like a smile was permanently fixed onto my face. "Let's hope they like us."

She slapped me gently on the arm, taking me by surprise.

"Pardon you?" I said sarcastically with a quirked brow.

"Why would would you say that?" she asked incredulously, an amused smile on her face. "Of course they'll like us... right?"

I chuckled. "Seriously? You're fussed about that?"

"As much as I love kids, you can get some really evil ones," she said knowingly. "You don't want to be on the wrong side of an evil child, Y/N."

"Clearly you've been," I realised, finding her expression amusing. "Care to share?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "It wasn't me actually. It was a friend of mine. We were doing work experience at some primary school when one of the boys threw water balloons at her."

"That doesn't seem so bad," I said with a shrug.

"She was holding a tray of hot tea," Alycia added bitterly.

I winced. "Damn... remind me not to carry tea around or piss off any water balloon-owning boys."

Alycia breathed out with exasperation, but I could see her laugh lines appearing as she held one in.

"C'mon, let's get settled," I said to her when we reached the cabin.

After meeting the fishing instructors and being told what and what not to do, Alycia and I joined them by the lake and waited around until our group would finish with initiation.

"You know," I said, earning Alycia's attention, "I was thinking about yesterday and how you didn't want me to know about Marissa being your auntie."

Alycia closed her eyes. "Oh, god..."

"Nobody will care, y'know," I said to her with a reassuring smile. "We're all grown up. Nobody cares how you got the job, if that's what you're worried about."

Alycia opened her eyes and forced a small smile. "Right."

"I mean, it's not like your family owns the camp, is it?"

I was only joking, but the way Alycia's face changed made me realise that maybe I was right. Her eyes widened so much that I could make out the green, even with the sun streaming in my eyes.

My jaw dropped. "Your family owns the camp?!" Everything started to fit together like puzzle pieces in my mind as I realised aloud, "That makes so much sense... why you know where everything is. You were here as a kid, right? You would have to be if your family owned it."

Overcoming her terrible ability to lie, Alycia moved forward and glanced around before smiling dismissively. "That's not it. I mean, it is, but–"

"Wait, aren't the people who own this place like millionaires?" I realised, raising my eyebrows. "This is one of their many camps around the world, right? Shit, is that why you wanted to hide it?"

"That's not right!" Alycia exclaimed awkwardly. "I mean, okay, it is, but it's not my family. It's my auntie's family! She's the millionaire. Not me."

I smiled with disbelief. "Holy shit. That's wild."

"Look, it's not that big of a deal," she tried to laugh it off nervously, "I just needed a summer job and my aunt helped me out. She lives here and runs this camp, so she didn't mind giving me the job. No biggie."

I was still very surprised, never knowing anyone who was this closely linked to a wealth of that amount. I always assumed people with that much money were quite snobby – presumptuous, I know, but can you blame me? – but Alycia was way too nice to be like that, as was her auntie. Guess I was wrong.

"Look, I get why you hid it now," I said, hoping to reassure her. "Terribly, might I add, but I get it." I smiled to hopefully make her feel better. "Like you said, it's not a big deal. Don't worry. I won't say anything to anyone."

She seemed very relieved as her shoulders relaxed and an appreciative glint was in her eyes.

"Thank you," she said gently.

Sensing her discomfort, I tried to change the subject as I nudged her in the shoulder gently and nodded to my fishing rod. "So, how are your fishing skills?"

"They should be good," she said, piquing my interest, "since I was one of the kids who did the 'rich people shit' here when I was younger."

It took me a second to realise where I'd heard that before, until I realised I'd said that to her on the coach ride yesterday. Cringing with embarrassment, I face palmed as I heard her laughter surrounding me.

"Sorry for saying that," I apologised with warm cheeks. "If I had known..."

"It's cool," she said with a suppressed smile. "But seriously? I can help if you need any. I fished at a camp back in Australia as a kid. Was pretty fun."

I nodded, but I still felt embarrassed as she studied me with humoured eyes.

Why was I like this?

"It's been two weeks, mum, are you really gonna do this every day for the next month?"

My mum smiled teasingly, knowing it would bug me. Nonetheless, I cracked a smile as she and my little sister stared at me through the phone.

I was FaceTiming them in my free time and updating them on my life since almost twenty-four hours ago when I'd last called them. I'd been doing it every day since arriving here because my family just happened to be that annoyingly protective.

"You know I'm extremely jealous of you, right?" my sister, Y/S/N, said with an eye roll, though she was smiling. "Mum keeps giving me chores. Bit of a piss-take if you ask me."

My mum slapped her upside the head, making me laugh at her expression.

"Mind your fuckin' language, Y/S/N," she warned, only making me laugh harder.

"I wonder where she gets it from," I joked.

"So, how's it going?" my mum changed the subject. "What did you do today?"

I thought to myself as I recalled the day. "Er, same old same old. Went for a hike this morning, then had some lunch. Did some rock climbing in the afternoon and now we're having some leisure time before dinner. It's not too bad. Really fun, actually."

"You should've taken me with you," Y/S/N mumbled, making my mum nudge her with annoyance.

"Shut up, you love it here," my mum said, before pulling her close with a teasing smile. She looked to me, adding, "We're having fun too, Y/N."

"All she keeps saying is how much she misses you," Y/S/N deadpanned, making me roll my eyes playfully.

"Funny since I feel like I've barely left 'cause I call you every bloody day," I said with a knowing look.

"You know your dad likes it when you check in," my mum countered.

"Yeah, so do you," I fired back, making her laugh.

"Yeah," she agreed between laughter.

Before I could say anything, I looked up at the sound of the cabin door opening and saw Alycia walking in. When she spotted me, a smile appeared on her lips and her eyes lit up.

"There you are," she said, approaching me. "I was looking for you. I wanted to ask if– oh, shit, are you on the phone? Sorry. I can leave if–"

"Who's that?" my sister asked curiously.

"Oi, you finally made friends?" my mum joked a little too loudly, making me smile with embarrassment and kill myself internally.

"Sorry, that's my family," I explained to Alycia. "It's okay. If you need me, I can–"

"Hi, Y/N's friend who I've never met before and probably never will!" Y/S/N sang from the phone, making me release a shaky breath through gritted teeth.

Alycia was clearly amused as she took a seat beside me on my bed and appeared in the camera.

"Hi there," she greeted politely, a shy smile on her face. She gave a little wave as she glanced to me, before adding, "I'm Alycia."

For someone with a big mouth, Y/S/N went quiet as she awkwardly waved back in response.

"Not so much to say now, eh, tit face?" I mumbled.

"Alycia, you must be Y/N's buddy, right?" my mum realised, surprising me with how much she listened. "The one from Australia?"

I sighed to myself as Alycia laughed from beside me.

"Yeah, that's me," Alycia said with a nod. "I'm guessing you're Y/N's mum?"

"She's probably talked badly of me when mentioning me, right?" my mum joked, making me groan loudly.

Alycia nudged me in the shoulder gently as she answered my mum, "Only nice things, Mrs. Y/L/N, honestly."

"Call me Y/M/N," my mum insisted. "So, how are you finding the whole camp thing? You enjoying it?"

"She's just gonna talk your ear off, so you may as well just take it," I said to Alycia, handing her my phone.

With amusement, she accepted it and began to chat to my mum on FaceTime. Y/S/N chimed in some times and I merely sat there, praying to God that none of them would say anything embarrassing, which of course was unlikely.

"Right, I'll leave you girls to it," my mum said after ten minutes of pointless conversation. "Enjoy your evening. Love you lots, Y/N."

Feeling Alycia watching me, I got out with embarrassment, "Love you too, mum. Bye."

She waved goodbye to me before hanging up. When I put my phone away, I stood up and avoided Alycia's eyes.

"Sorry about that," I said awkwardly. "She does that a lot."

"No need to apologise," Alycia said with a kind smile as she stood up too. "They're lovely."

I finally met her eyes, giving her a knowing look. "They're embarrassing. My mum literally insists on one call every day to make sure I didn't happen to die in the forest or anything."

Alycia's smile widened as she laughed at my joke. Admittedly, my stomach flipped at the sound, as I realised just how amazing her laugh sounded.

"That's sweet though," Alycia defended.

"It's sweet when it's not your own parents," I countered.

She shrugged. "I guess. Mine aren't that overprotective."

I leaned against the bunk as I asked, "Have you talked to yours since we got here?"

"Once, when we arrived, but nothing since then," she said with a shrug. "They're not fussed since my auntie is here.

"Ah," I said with realisation. "Makes sense. She literally does this for a living, no wonder they trust you."

She chuckled and nodded, before crossing her arms and looking down at her shoes.

"What do you parents do?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, you know...," she said dismissively. "Finance."

"Sounds... fun," I said with a confused smile, before adding, "Your parents and your auntie must be complete opposites."

She cracked a smile as she shrugged again. "Yeah."

"What did you need anyway?" I asked. "When you came in before my mum hijacked our conversation to speak with you?"

Alycia raised her brows with realisation. "Oh, yeah. I wanted to ask if you wanted to get dinner together. You don't have to though."

I couldn't help but smile. "Sure thing. I see you're not sick of me just yet."

As we began to walk to the door, she glanced at me with a playful smile. "Surprisingly, no, I'm not."

I shoved her jokingly, making her stifle a laugh, before feeling my phone vibrate. I saw it was a text from my sister.

She's way too pretty to be your friend, it read, making me roll my eyes.

"Who is it?" Alycia asked as she held the door open for me.

"Sister," I said, before nodding appreciatively at her and walking through.

"Already?" she asked with confusion. "She okay?"

As I wrote my response, I answered, "Yeah, she's just being a tit."

Dickhead, I texted her back, before smiling with satisfaction and pocketing my phone.

When I signed up for this job, I honestly didn't expect to be enjoying it this much. Not only were the kids lovely, but so were the other workers. Plus, the activities were super fun, especially because we basically got paid to have a good time.

I'd like to think I had a new friend also, which was Alycia. We'd grown closer in the past four weeks of being buddies and working together, and to my surprise, it felt like we'd known each other way longer. I couldn't remember the last time I'd grown this comfortable with someone so quickly, but I tried not to question it since I was trying to enjoy this summer the best I could.

Speaking of Alycia... I was talking to one of the instructors about where the spare hiking boots were one day, and when I finished my conversation and the instructor left, I was approached by the Australian herself.

She had something behind her back as she smiled brightly my way, making my stomach do another flip, something I noticed it had been doing a lot whenever I was around her.

"Hey," I greeted her, returning the smile. "You good?"

She glanced over her shoulder for some reason, before nodding and revealing what was behind her back – some freshly picked flowers.

"Aww, Alycia, those are beautiful," I said, admiring them and giving her a smile. I knew how much she loved flowers, so this wasn't too unexpected. "You wanna put them in the cabin?"

"No, actually, they're for you," she said confidently, before holding them closer to me.

I was certainly surprised, but accepted the flowers. "Oh, I– er, wow, thank you."

I wasn't too sure if she was giving me them in a friendly way or in a bit-more-than-friendly way, so my brain was still catching up.

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to accompany me to the campfire this evening," she said, her gaze softening ever so slightly, making my throat go dry.

Was she asking me out?

"Oh, er...," I began, but was still a little confused.

She sensed my confusion and subtly motioned to the kid that was standing nearby, watching us in the distance. I wasn't sure what that meant either, but Alycia's little nod made me play along.

"I'd love to," I said, thought it sounded more like a question as I quirked a brow.

She grinned and stepped back slightly, eyes lingering on mine. "Great. I'll see you later, Y/N."

Waving goodbye to her with my free hand, I called back, "See you later...?"

I watched as she walked away and eventually met with the kid, a young girl, in the distance and began talking to her about something. I was pretty confused, unsure whether that was for show or if she actually wanted to go with me, so I tried not to think about it as I put the flowers in some water and headed to the pottery room for our next class.

About twenty minutes later, I was sat at one of the benches with a few of the other kids, focusing my attention on carving into a pot I had made. It was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself, so I barely noticed when Alycia slipped onto the bench beside me until she leaned down on it and peered up at me with shimmering eyes.

"Hello," I said with a slight laugh, looking at her. "You okay?"

"Great," she settled, before looking at my pot. "Just as great as that looks."

"Cheers for that," I said, a little chuffed with myself, before distracting myself with carving a pattern.

A comfortable silence settled between us as she played with her own clay and I decorated mine, but I couldn't help but think about earlier and what she'd asked me. I wanted to know if she was genuinely asking or not, so I figured I'd just ask.

"Hey, Alycia," I got her attention without fully giving her mine so she wouldn't think I was thinking too hard on it. "D'you know earlier, when you asked me if I wanted to go to the campfire with you?"

"Yeah...?"

I licked my lips, a nervousness suddenly washing over me as I asked, "That was because of the kid, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah it was."

I swallowed hard as I nodded, trying to hide my disappointment. "I thought it was."

I could see her staring at me in my peripheral vision as she explained.

"Basically, Angelina likes Taylor but didn't know how to ask her to the campfire tonight, so she asked me to show her how. So, I figured I'd ask you in front of her to show her."

I nodded, glad I wasn't meeting her gaze otherwise she'd know for sure that I was disheartened.

"Why? Did you want me to ask you?" she asked with a raised brow.

"No, that's not what I meant," I said quickly, flustered at the situation. "I– erm–" But I didn't know what to say, so stopped speaking.

Thankfully, she didn't take much notice as she looped her arm through mine and grabbed my attention. I looked at her and she nodded ahead, making me follow her gaze. I saw Angelina approaching another kid, presumably Taylor, with a bouquet of freshly-picked flowers, just like Alycia had done earlier.

I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Alycia was very interested as she leaned against me and watched like it was the most interesting thing ever. It must have been going well as it soon ended with Taylor accepting the flowers and both girls grinning to each other. Angelina eventually turned to walk away, but not before finding Alycia's eyes and giving her a thumbs up with an adorable grin.

Alycia returned the thumbs up before sitting up straight and smiling widely at me, a look of pride on her face.

"I am a genius," Alycia said aloud, before popping her collars on her polo shirt for added effect.

I cracked a smile, admiring how cute she looked. "Debatable, but you're definitely helpful."

She gave me a knowing look, her green eyes dark as she held our gaze. "Flowers always work, Y/N. Who can say no to flowers?"

"True," I agreed with a nod, whilst also thinking about how it helped that the girl holding them was pretty awesome too.

"Anyway, forget that," she said quickly enough, before leaning in the palm of her hand and staring at me. "What d'you say then?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

She looked to me like I knew what she was talking about. "You know... to going to the campfire with me this evening."

I tried not to laugh. "I mean, I guess so, but–"

"As my date," she clarified, surprising me yet again.

I felt my mouth go dry as I raised my eyebrows. "Oh."

She waited patiently, eyes flickering between mine with confident green ones, though there was a hint of nervousness shining in them. I realised she was asking me out for real now and had to take a moment to acknowledge it before finally responding.

"Yeah," I said, finding my words. "I'd love to... yeah."

She smiled with relief. "Great. I can't wait."

I felt my cheeks grow warm as I returned her smile, feeling butterflies in my stomach at the way she stared at me, before looking down to to my carvings again.

[differentpostrebel]

Lost and Found: A Pirate's Promise

This gif cause that alliance LMFAOO

Chapter 15: Alliances and Ambitions 

A/N: Welcome back for another Chapter! I know this was originally supposed to be posted for yesterday but unfortunately my sections got deleted so I had to rewrite it all over again. We finally got a SANJI POV! But I can't wait for you guys to read what else is in store!. And without further ado, let's get to it!.. 

Word Count: 4.7k

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15 (Here)

Sanji x Reader, Sanji X Y/N, OP X Reader

Y/N Pov.. 

“So, we meet by chance and you ask us if we want to fight an emperor out of the blue?” Nami said, her skepticism clear in her voice as she glared at Law.

"I don't trust him, Luffy. He's up to no good!" Nami continued, her concern growing as she looked from Law to me.

I remained silent, weighing the options in my mind. Law’s proposition was bold, and the risk was enormous.

"I'm not saying killing an emperor is going to be easy," Law said, "I’m just saying that our odds would be better if we stick together and work out the details."

Luffy tilted his head, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, there are four of them. Which one are we talking about?"

"Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking about it, Luffy?" Nami asked, clearly exasperated.

I stepped forward with a determined grin. "Nami, this is our big chance! Besides, it's not like we haven’t faced insane odds before." 

Law’s expression shifted from serious to smug as he prepared to reveal more. "The name of our target is—"

Nami’s eyes widened in shock as the name left Law’s lips. I couldn’t help but smirk at her reaction, clearly enjoying the moment.

Luffy’s eyes lit up with excitement, and he gave his usual wide grin. "Right, got it! Sure, we’re in!"

Nami stared at Luffy in disbelief. As she couldn't believe that Luffy agreed to forming an alliance with Law. 

Back at the encampment…

“YOU DID WHAT?!! The crew’s collective outrage echoed through the camp.

“Damn it, Luffy! How could you agree to this?” Usopp was practically vibrating with frustration as he shook Luffy. “You weren’t even gone that long!”

“Calm down, Usopp,” Luffy said, brushing off the concern. Meanwhile, I was preoccupied with my own task. “Where did I leave my sword?” I mumbled, scanning the area. A glimmer of metal caught my eye. “There it is!” I exclaimed, retrieving my sword from the snow.

“And you, Y/N, how could you let Luffy agree to this?” Usopp’s concern shifted to me. “You’re the one who usually keeps him in check!”

“Oww, Usopp, could you not shake me right now? I’m injured and need to treat my wounds,” I winced, pushing his hands away gently.

“Forget it, this is too risky!” Nami’s voice was tinged with frustration. “We can’t just dive headfirst into a fight with an emperor!”

“She’s right. We’re not ready for that kind of battle!” Chopper agreed, his worry evident.

“Hey Doc, get this raccoon patched up,” Law said, holding Chopper’s unconscious body. “What did you do to my body?!” Chopper whined, attending to his own injuries. 

Shaking my head slightly, I moved to a secluded area and began peeling off the corset top Nami had given me. “Need any help?” Law’s voice came with a teasing undertone as he approached.

“As much as I’d love a thorough check-up from a charming doctor like you,” I said with a flirtatious smile, “I’ll just wait until Chopper’s done. But if you want to watch, it might give you some interesting notes. Or is that not what doctors do with their patients?” I bit my lip playfully.

“Chopper, when you get a chance, could you patch me up, please?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah!” Chopper hurried over, his concern clear. 

“Thanks, Chopper.” I lifted my top off, tying my hair into a makeshift bun to keep it away from the wounds. Chopper, in Sanji’s body, began applying the ointment I used during training. I winced slightly at the sudden contact but tried to relax. 

“Hey Doc, you might want to focus on this spot here,” I said, pointing to a particularly sore area. “Let me help.”

Law stepped closer, his gaze sharp. “Here, let me take over,” he said, taking control with practiced ease. He began applying more pressure to the sore spot, causing me to let out a soft groan.

“See, this area needs to be treated with a bit more care,” Law remarked, his voice laced with both authority and concern.

Chopper glanced between Law and me, slightly baffled. “Alright, but let’s make sure she’s comfortable.”

Law eyed the makeshift top Chopper had fashioned with bandages. “This isn’t secure enough,” he commented critically. With deft movements, he adjusted the bandages, ensuring they were more securely and comfortably fitted. “There, much better.”

With that, both Chopper and Law worked on treating my wounds. I glanced at Chopper, who had finished his part. “Thank you, Chopper,” I said, giving him a grateful hug. “You’re welcome, Y/N!” he replied, a smile on his face.

Turning to Law, I approached him with a playful smile. “And as for you, Doctor Law,” I said, emphasizing the title, “Thank you for patching me up as well. I’m starting to feel much better. Perhaps I can visit you after hours, just to make sure any other areas need to be taken care of?” I laughed, making my way back to the group.

Law's cheeks flushed slightly, and he looked momentarily caught off guard by my teasing. 

Just then, Robin's voice cut through the tension. “Luffy, I’ll go along with this, but we’re all pirates here. Where there are pirates, there’s betrayal. I’m just concerned because you’re so quick to trust.”

Luffy’s eyes widened in surprise, and he turned to Law with a look of disbelief. “Hey! Are you going to betray me?”

Law raised an eyebrow, his expression serious. “No.”

Luffy burst into laughter, his usual carefree attitude returning. “Well, that’s settled then!”

Usopp, still looking unconvinced, shook his head. “The rest of us are going to need more than that!”

“Come on, a pirate alliance sounds like a lot of fun! My gut says Trafalgar is an okay guy. Besides, what’s the big deal? You guys were training for the past two years! I’ll let you protect me.”

Luffy’s laughter grew louder, and the crew, initially stunned, began to relax. They exchanged smiles at the compliment their captain had given them, the mood lightening significantly.

I couldn’t help but join in the laughter, feeling a sense of camaraderie and relief. The look on Law’s face was one of mild confusion, clearly not used to the Straw Hats’ easygoing approach to such serious matters. But after the tension had melted away, he took action, switching Franky and Chopper back to their original bodies.

Nami, however, was less fortunate, and was now trapped in Sanji’s body. "You can fix this, right?" she asked Law, a hint of desperation in her voice.

“Not until your body is back,” Law replied dismissively, his tone indicating that it was simply a matter of patience.

“It’s okay, Nami, don’t worry. It’ll get fixed soon enough,” I said, trying to cheer her up with a reassuring smile.

As I spoke, my gaze shifted to the children, who were now asleep. My heart ached for them, knowing what they had been through. Their innocent faces, finally at peace, only made the situation more heartbreaking.

“So, the kids are all here?” Law asked, stepping closer to get a better look.

As Luffy and Law discussed the situation, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. “These poor kids,” I murmured, my voice filled with empathy.

Law, however, seemed less moved. “Let’s just forget about them. It’s too much work,” he suggested, his tone almost indifferent.

I shot him an incredulous look. “Why would you even suggest that? They’re just kids,” I said, my voice tinged with disbelief.

Chopper, ever the compassionate one, chimed in. “Poor kids… I want to take them all home, but they need to recover and build their strength first.”

“It’s sad. Who would do that to a bunch of kids?” Usopp asked, his voice filled with frustration.

Law’s expression remained neutral as he explained, “Well, the World Government for one. They’ve been trying to build an army of giants for years. They’ve been conducting experiments.”

“Caesar’s probably hoping to beat them to the punch, both Vegapunk and the government,” Law continued, his voice growing more serious. “But I don’t think it’s that simple.”

The weight of Law's words settled over the group, the realization that these children were mere pawns in a much larger, darker scheme hit hard. Law turned to Nami and me, his gaze intense. "Are you sure you want to help them? I mean, you don’t even know them."

Nami stepped forward, her resolve unwavering. “You’re right, we don’t. But seeing them begging for help, crying for someone to save them... I vowed that I would make sure they were all safe and sound,” she said, her voice steady as she placed a comforting hand on one of the children.

Law’s eyes softened slightly as he looked at Nami. “If I leave with Luffy, are you going to stay here alone?” he asked, concern laced in his tone.

Nami was about to respond, but Luffy interrupted with his usual determined grin. “Wait, I’m not going anywhere! If it’s important to Nami, Y/N, and Chopper, then it’s important to me. And Sanji wants to put that samurai back together too! Listen, if you’re going to work with us, get used to helping people,” Luffy said, his smile growing wider.

I couldn’t help but smile back at Luffy’s words. “Thank you, Luffy,” I said, feeling a warm sense of camaraderie.

Usopp let out a resigned sigh, already knowing the futility of arguing. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, pal,” he said to Law, shaking his head. “Once Luffy makes up his mind, there’s no turning back.”

Law sighed, clearly recognizing the truth in Usopp’s words. “Fine,” he relented, though not without a hint of reluctance. “But we have to hurry. There’s no time to waste. Putting the samurai back together can be your group’s problem, but I’ll help investigate the drug that was given to these children. The ship’s doctor should come with me—we’ll do our research behind Caesar’s back.”

“There, that should do it,” Usopp declared proudly as he finished tying Chopper securely onto Law’s hat. Chopper, still a bit wobbly from earlier events, clung onto the hat with his small hooves.

“I’m... sorry... it’s just... I can’t walk right now. I hope you don’t mind,” Chopper mumbled sheepishly, his eyes wide and apologetic.

The sight was undeniably amusing. Luffy, Nami, and Franky burst into laughter, doubling over as they took in the comical image of the usually stoic Law adorned with a small reindeer atop his hat. Even Robin couldn’t suppress a chuckle, and a wide grin spread across my face as I approached them.

“Well, well, Law,” I began with a playful lilt in my voice, circling around to get a better view. “I have to say, you look even cuter with Chopper as your new accessory.”

Law’s eyes flickered toward me, a hint of annoyance mixed with embarrassment evident in his gaze. “This isn’t a fashion statement,” he replied dryly, adjusting his hat slightly as Chopper tried to stabilize himself.

Unable to resist teasing him further, I reached up and gently patted Chopper’s head. “Hold on tight, Chopper. We wouldn’t want our favorite doctor taking a tumble.”

Chopper giggled, his cheeks turning rosy. “Thank you, Y/N! I’ll be careful!”

I turned my attention back to Law, noticing the slight flush creeping up his neck. Leaning in closer, I lowered my voice just enough for him to hear. “You know, Law, this caring side of you is really endearing. Who knew the infamous Surgeon of Death had such a soft spot?”

Law cleared his throat, attempting to maintain his composure.

Smirking at his uncharacteristic discomfort, I decided to push just a little further. Before he could react, I leaned in and placed a quick, soft peck on his cheek. Pulling back, I watched as his eyes widened in surprise, a deeper blush blossoming across his face.

“Consider that a thank you for all your help,” I said casually, my eyes sparkling with mischief.

For a moment, Law seemed at a loss for words, his usual cool demeanor thoroughly shaken. He opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by another round of laughter from the crew. After a few more minutes of banter, the plan was set into motion.

Law and Chopper were tasked with heading to the lab to find out what was in the drug that had been given to the children and to see if there was any way to reverse its effects. Meanwhile, Luffy, Franky, Robin, and I prepared to move out and kidnap Caesar Clown. Nami and Usopp would stay behind to protect the kids, ensuring their safety while we carried out the mission.

“Wait, what good is it to kidnap Caesar?” Franky asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Money?” Usopp suggested, though his voice lacked confidence.

I shook my head. “I doubt it. No one would be crazy enough to pay a ransom for that guy.”

“What we’re after is chaos,” Law interjected, his tone calm but with a hint of something deeper.

“Chaos?” Robin echoed, her curiosity piqued.

Law nodded but didn’t elaborate. “There’s no point in explaining now. We’ll worry about that later,” he continued, his voice firm. “Let’s focus on capturing Caesar Clown first. As soon as that’s done, I’ll explain the whole plan in detail.”

The gravity of his words settled over the group, and the atmosphere shifted to one of determination. We all knew this was a critical step, and the stakes were high.

Law turned to Luffy, his gaze serious. “Last chance to change your mind, Straw Hat. It’s your choice.”

Luffy grinned, his carefree nature shining through even in the face of danger. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m still on board.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Law said, a  smirk crossing his lips as we all sprang into action. 

Sanjis POV…

Running through the snow, I scanned the area, desperate to find any trace of the samurai. The biting cold nipped at my face, but it was the frustration of coming up empty-handed that really got to me.

“Sanji, mind explaining how I got this bump on my head?” Brook's voice broke through the freezing air as he ran beside me, his skeletal hand touching the spot on his skull where a noticeable lump had formed.

“No time,” I replied hastily. “We’ve already wasted too much time as it is.” Truth be told, I had no idea how it happened. It was all a blur after that yeti's ambush.

“It's a shame we can’t locate that yeti that attacked us,” Brook remarked, his tone as nonchalant as ever despite our dire situation.

(Flashback)

We had been caught off guard. The yeti brothers ambushed us with incredible speed, knocking us down before we even had a chance to react. Brook had tried to fend them off, but one of them managed to land a brutal hit, sending him crashing into the snow. I barely had time to pull myself together before they vanished into the blizzard, leaving us with nothing but a bump on Brook’s head and no sign of the samurai.

“Hey! Samurai! Where are you?” Brook called out, his voice echoing through the snowy landscape. But I couldn’t focus on the search for long. My attention was once again drawn to the way Nami’s body moved—more specifically, the way her breasts bounced with each step. It was... distracting, to say the least.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Zoro’s smirk as he observed my momentary distraction. “Hmm, wait til I tell Y/N,” he said, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“LIKE HELL YOU WILL!” I snapped back, my frustration bubbling over as I started to bicker with him. How could that moss-headed swordsman think of blackmail at a time like this?

“Well then, focus! You’re the one who wanted to look for the damn samurai,” Zoro shot back, his tone exasperated.

Before I could respond, Brook’s voice cut through our argument. “Guys, come take a look! I see a footprint!”

Zoro and I exchanged a quick glance before rushing over to where Brook was standing. “You guys see that?” Brook continued, excitement creeping into his voice. “Could it be that we’re left with the legendary Yeti?”

“No chance in hell,” Zoro and I said in unison, dismissing the idea outright.

But Brook’s enthusiasm was contagious. “If we follow them, we may find…” he paused dramatically, and without missing a beat, the three of us finished his sentence in unison, “…one of nature’s greatest mysteries.”

We followed the footprints through the thick snow, our curiosity piqued despite the tension. But just as quickly as our hopes had risen, they were dashed when the trail led us to a dead end. Frustration gnawed at me, but there was no time to dwell on it.

Suddenly, two massive shadows loomed behind us. We turned as one, and there they were—the Yetis. Their appearance was as menacing as ever, and before we could react, they fired at us. A thick gas began to fill the air, and I felt its effects almost immediately. My vision blurred, and my limbs grew heavy as I struggled to stay conscious.

“Damn it…” I muttered, fighting against the overwhelming urge to succumb to the darkness. But the gas was too potent. My knees buckled, and despite my best efforts, everything went black as I fell into unconsciousness.

“Damn it…” I muttered, fighting against the overwhelming urge to succumb to the darkness. But the gas was too potent. My knees buckled, and despite my best efforts, everything went black as I fell into unconsciousness.

After what felt like minutes, muffled voices started to reach my ears. “The Straw Hats are here, and we’ve recovered their bodies,” one of them said. The words barely registered as I struggled to regain control of my senses.

Summoning every ounce of strength, I grabbed the ankle of one of the voices and pulled myself up. “Hate to disappoint you but…”

“Hey, one of them is alive!” shouted one of the men in hazmat suits, panic lacing his voice.

“It’s just a girl. She can’t do anything,” another dismissed, clearly underestimating me.

“That’s what you think!” I shot back, gritting my teeth as I launched into action. Despite being in Nami’s body, I quickly knocked each of them down with precision. “Damn underlings,” I muttered, making sure not to overdo it since Nami’s body was more fragile and bruised easily.

As I stood amidst the fallen foes, I pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a deep drag. “Nami, I’m sorry,” I whispered, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate the smoke but needing the comfort of the habit in that moment.

I then turned my attention to Zoro and Brook, both still unconscious. With a swift kick to their heads, I brought them back to consciousness. They groaned, rubbing their heads as they sat up, trying to shake off the effects of the gas.

“Get up, you idiots. We’ve got a samurai to find,” I said, stubbing out the cigarette.

Zoro scowled at me but didn’t argue, while Brook just gave a weary nod. The three of us resumed our search, determined to find the samurai and put an end to this mess.

End of Flashback..

“Hey, Samurai! Are you here?” I yelled into the icy wilderness. “Did they already kick your ass?” My voice echoed off the surrounding snow-covered trees.

Just then, Zoro stopped, squinting ahead. “I think I found him.”

Brook and I hurried over. The samurai was half-buried in the snow, his form stiff and unmoving.

“He looks a bit frozen,” Brook noted, his tone more amused than concerned.

Without hesitation, I kicked the samurai’s frozen form. The ice shattered around him, and the samurai was released, collapsing into the snow with a loud gasp.

“I was caught in the snow and I froze!” the samurai exclaimed, shaking off the remaining ice.

“You were caught in a snowstorm,” I corrected, helping him up.

“No! The snow cannot touch me!” the samurai protested stubbornly.

“Quit being so stubborn,” I said, rolling my eyes at his pride.

The samurai was visibly trembling, clearly affected by the cold. “I believe my torso is somewhere underwater. The upper half of my body is submerged,” he explained, his voice still shaking.

“That would make sense, considering you can’t use your powers,” I replied, nodding in understanding.

The samurai looked shocked that we were willing to help him. “I accept your aid,” he said, his voice filled with gratitude.

With that, we guided the samurai toward the lake, determined to retrieve his missing torso.

“I thank you,” he said sincerely as we walked.

“Well, well, looks like someone learned how to say thank you,” I teased, a smirk tugging at my lips.

Just as we were nearing the lake, we noticed something in the distance, moving toward us.

“Could it be Brownbeard’s subordinates?” Brook wondered aloud, his voice tinged with concern.

We squinted into the distance, but as the figure grew closer, it became clear that this was something far more ominous. A giant, red shape loomed on the horizon, its form growing larger by the second.

“Damn, what is that?” I muttered, my earlier confidence wavering as we braced ourselves for whatever was coming our way.

Y/N POV… 

“So, we all know what to do?” Luffy asked, looking at each of us in turn.

“Right!” we replied in unison, our voices filled with determination.

I adjusted the sword at my back, ensuring it was securely fastened. “Alright, let’s go!” Luffy announced, and with that, we mounted Luffy’s back as he prepared to leap into action.

“Go, Cien Fleur, Wings!” Robin called out, her voice carrying a sense of grace and authority as she gracefully disembarked from Luffy’s back.

Next, Franky readied himself for a jump, his body expanding into Gomu Gomu Balloon. Clenching my left fist, I timed my jump and leaped off Luffy, landing smoothly beside Robin.

“Well, well, looks like we have company,” I said with a smirk, drawing my sword “Well, well, looks like we have company,” I said with a smirk, drawing my sword and preparing for action.

“Alright, Master Dude, come on out before we get into your lab and kidnap you,” Luffy called out, his voice carrying a mix of challenge and enthusiasm.

Robin and I exchanged scolding glances. “Luffy! That was supposed to be a secret,” I said, a hint of exasperation in my tone.

“Crap, it’s the Straw Hat crew!” one of Caesar’s underlings shouted, their panic evident.

“Straw Hat,” Smokey muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief and concern.

The atmosphere grew tense as the underlings scrambled to respond, and the real showdown was about to begin. 

“Did that guy say he was going to kick our master’s ass?” one of Caesar’s underlings exclaimed, disbelief clear in their voice.

“Yeah, like hell!” another shouted. “Down with the Straw Hats!”

With that, the underlings charged at us, their faces set with determination.

I touched the red gem on my sword, and a burst of flames erupted from the blade. The heat was intense, and the fire crackled with a fierce energy. As I swung my sword, waves of fire cascaded through the air, creating a dramatic display of flames that sent several of Caesar’s underlings flying backward. The flames carved through their ranks with precision, scorching the ground and forcing them to scatter.

I spun around, deflecting incoming attacks with fluid movements. The sword’s flames danced and leapt, its heat providing a barrier against the oncoming onslaught. Each strike was met with a burst of fire, creating a chaotic and mesmerizing spectacle. The underlings, now overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with the fiery assault, faltered in their charge.

“I got you now, Straw Hat!” came a voice from behind. Before I could react, Franky leaped in with his powerful “Strong Right!” The force of his attack sent several underlings flying, clearing a path.

“Nice one, Franky!” I called out, giving him an approving nod.

Just then, I noticed Tashigi and Smokey among the crowd. Tashigi stood out, her shirt open and a cigar in hand, creating a stark contrast to her usual appearance. I couldn’t help but tease her. “Tashigi! I didn’t know you had it in you! Granted, I never would have suspected you’d open your shirt like that and smoke a cigar. I took you more as a wine kind of gal, but I still approve. Love this for you!”

“I’m not Tashigi, you idiot!” Smokey snapped back, his voice tinged with annoyance.

“Smokey?!” I exclaimed, my eyes widening in surprise. “Wait, not you guys too?”

“Nevermind! After them, men!” Smokey shouted, rallying the G-5 unit to charge at us. The soldiers, now on high alert, advanced with the intent to capture.

Robin, quick to react, called out, “Cien Fleur Clutch!” Her abilities ensnared several of the G-5 soldiers, causing confusion and chaos among their ranks. The battle raged on as we continued to fight both Caesar’s underlings and the G-5 troops.

“How long do you think we have to wait for the master?” Luffy asked, clearly growing bored with the delay.

“I wish I knew, but it looks like we’re busting into the lab,” I replied, slashing through a soldier who was in my way.

Just then, Tashigi, still in Smoker’s body, lunged toward Luffy with a determined but clumsy attack. “Luffy!” I called out, trying to warn him.

Luffy dodged the attack effortlessly, his reflexes sharp as ever. Tashigi struggled to control Smoker’s Devil Fruit powers, her lack of experience evident in her erratic movements. Luffy, ever the tease, grabbed Smoker and managed to drag her to the ground with a mischievous grin. “What’s wrong, Smokey? Did something happen to you?!”

“Damn it, Tashigi, don’t get your ass kicked by that idiot while in my body!” Smokey’s voice, filled with frustration, rang out. Meanwhile, Luffy continued to dodge attack after attack, clearly enjoying the challenge.

Franky seized the opportunity, blasting a Radical Beam that created a massive hole in the lab’s wall. “Nice one, Franky!” I shouted, impressed by his timely intervention.

“Y/N, Robin, Luffy! Looks like we got an opening! Let’s go!” Franky called out, rallying us to move forward.

Smokey! Look up above!” shouted a G-5 soldier, pointing as something ominous began falling from the sky.

The G-5 soldiers and we watched in alarm as a red slime landed on one of the ships. “What is that?” I asked, my concern growing as the substance began to expand.

“It’s getting bigger!” one of the G-5 soldiers shouted, his voice tinged with panic.

Robin, scanning the scene, noted, “It looks like gas.”

“I don’t like this at all,” I said, taking a step back as the situation escalated.

The G-5 soldiers, desperate to neutralize the threat, began firing at the slime. But their attempts only led to a devastating explosion, taking out the soldiers on the boat. “What?!” I exclaimed, shocked by the sudden and violent outcome.

As we tried to process the chaos, another slime appeared out of nowhere. “Shit, the sky is filled with them! What is this?!” I yelled, watching in horror as more of the red slimes began to fall.

Suddenly, a sinister laugh echoed through the air. “Shroooorororo, Slimey, I’m sorry you were locked up for three years,” a voice taunted.

“Master!” the underlings cried out in reverence.

“So that’s him,” I muttered, recognizing the voice as belonging to the mastermind behind this madness.

“Are you the master? That’s it, you’re going down!” Luffy declared, determined to put an end to this nightmare.

“Shroooorororo, welcome to Punk Hazard, G-5 and Straw Hats. I am the most brilliant scientist—Caesar Clown!” Caesar announced with a manic grin. “A bit of patience, and it won’t be long until you’re all dead!”

We all stared at Caesar, our determination hardening in the face of his arrogance. Just then, Luffy seized the opportunity and lunged at Caesar, grabbing him with a triumphant grin. “I got you now, Master!” Luffy declared, his grip firm and unwavering.

Caesar’s eyes widened in surprise, his confident demeanor faltering for a moment. Before Caesar could react further, the rest of us prepared for the next move, ready to face the twisted scientist and end his reign of terror. 

.

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..

We are back with another new chapter! Yall this was supposed to be posted yesterday but some parts got deleted, so I had to write the portion. But we finally got a Sanji POV.. and we now know the enemy threat is Caesar Clown. Next Chapter is tonight! And you guys don't want to miss this! Thank you guys for following along as well as following, liking and commenting! Thank you for showing love to my first fan fic! I know its a bit long, but I cant wait for you guys to read the whole cake island and wano Chapters I have in store!. The plot will be plotting! 

[lance-space-mommy]

Revel in my Greatness

Just when life seemed to be going upward for Midoriya, chaos had to ensue.

Midoriya was happy he got into UA High School. He was bullied for being a plain looking nerd all his life so at least he could say being a nerd got him into the best school in Japan. He convinced himself it was because he was perceived as an easy target and nothing they said held any weight.

So what if he had freckles? It didn’t matter that his hair was untamable and he had a babyface. It wasn’t like he was in control of his appearance.

Of course the same line of thinking didn’t apply to him being a bookworm. He couldn’t help it and he didn’t want to change a thing. He loved reading, studying, and growing smarter with each passing day. Education and knowledge was far more powerful than being popular.

None of that mattered once he entered the most prodigious school in all of Japan. Only the smartest people in the world got a chance to attend. Sure, a person may want to present themselves in the way they want to be perceived, but no one was getting into the school just because they were popular or they had status.

After their first round of exams passed, students' rankings were announced. Midoriya was ranked fourth in his class of twenty. He did his best, but he also focused on maintaining a social life and worked out daily.

Meanwhile Momo Yaoyorozu, number one, and Tenya Iida, number two, focused a lot more time on studying and less on other aspects of their life. Bakugo, who placed third, studied a lot, but also prioritized sleep.

It was a miracle Midoriya was so smart and it was a mystery to him how he managed to keep his rank at number four. He was always doing something and mainly studied enough to get by. He supposed he was gifted to a degree, but tried to avoid thinking of himself in such a way. It was disrespectful to his friends.

On the topic of friends, everyone in class 1-A loved Midoriya. He was passionate, charismatic, and humble. To many in the class, it was refreshing to talk to someone so goofy, but down to earth at the same time.

Within the first month of being at the school, Midoriya had bonded with everyone but Bakugo. That was to be expected.

Bakugo was Midoriya’s childhood rival. Ever since they were young, Bakugo has been insistent on making everything a competition. Midoriya didn’t mind, but he always wondered what made Bakugo so hateful toward him.

It was hard to swallow, but Midoriya knew the only reason he was bullied growing up was because of Bakugo. If Bakugo hadn’t been so cruel, his old classmates wouldn’t have targeted him. Still, Midoriya could have punched Bakugo in the face, but he wasn’t going to risk his record.

Uraraka was the first person Midoriya became friends with. They met the day of the entry exam. She stopped him from falling. The entrance exam consisted of two parts: a written exam and a practical section.

The practical section consisted of five intelligence based challenges a duo had to complete under a short time frame. Uraraka and Midoriya chose one another and he helped her pass when he carried the partner section of the exam. She made some great points, but the pressure of the challenges being timed frazzled her.

Todoroki was quiet and withdrawn. Midoriya was worried why he was so bitter and later helped him out in the middle of an important debate. Midoriya was stern, but genuine when he disciplined Todoroki on his attitude. The two were inseparable ever since.

Iida and Midoriya got along for multiple reasons. They were both academic scholars, they always seemed to help each other grow even during the moments when they butted heads. Midoriya even saved Iida when he was planning to use his skills to blackmail his brother's workplace when they unfairly fired Tensei.

Those were just three people in the class Midoriya bonded with. Midoriya also got along with Ojiro, Tokoyami, Tsuyu, Kirishima, and the rest of the long list.

Despite how popular Midoriya was, no one really knew about his hobbies. Midoriya was a comic book nerd and loved doing hero analysis. Many people knew he liked analyzing things, but he never specified what.

No one knew Midoriya worked out either. The school uniforms hid away each perfectly developed muscle he trained hard for. Midoriya spent two hours every day at the school's gym. UA High was a large boarding school so it made sense they had a bunch of random facilities.

Sure students could leave campus, but offering different options for the students was for their safety. While it was horrible, there were people who would attempt to rob the students. UA High did have a stigma that only rich people attended. At least that’s what the parents of the teens who didn’t pass would convince themselves.

There were a couple of students who regularly trained at the gym that Midoriya became friends with. Mirio Togata was the main person Midoriya talked to and he was a third year. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, in class 1-B, was another person who Midoriya often saw at the gym, but they weren’t close.

Midoriya was minding his business, happily talking with Todoroki, Uraraka, and Kirishima in between classes. Suddenly someone came up to the group with a phone and a strange gadget.

“Midoriya!” shouted the random person with a chipper tone.

“Hello! What can I do for you?” questioned Midoriya, turning his attention to the mystery individual.

The girl with long periwinkle hair flashed a bright smile. “Mirio was telling me all about you and I just have to know your result!”

“Oh, you must be Nejire! What result are you talking about?” reiterated Midoriya, still confused about what she could want.

“Your grip strength. Mirio just bought this to track his progress and said he was curious about your score,” explained Nejire, holding up a grip strength hand trainer.

Midoriya flashed a smile, happily taking the instrument from Nejire. “Okay! Let me do this quickly.”

Uraraka, Kirishima, and Todoroki were confused. They recalled that Mirio was part of the big three, but they’d never met him before. The three were mainly shocked that Midoriya knew Mirio.

Kirishima pulled out his phone to record the exchange. The class may or may not have had a group chat without Midoriya in it to gush about everything he did. This was going to be one of the things they talked about.

Uraraka and Todoroki were busy watching Midoriya squeeze the grip strength hand trainer. Midoriya bent his elbow and squeezed tight, eyes closing and he tried to not grit his teeth too hard.

Letting out a sharp breath when he was done, he looked at it before turning it to Nejire. “A little over sixty kilograms!”

Nejire’s jaw dropped. Todoroki’s jaw dropped. Uraraka’s jaw dropped, Kirishima’s jaw dropped.

“Thank you! Gotta go,” shouted Nejire before bolting away in excitement.

“Of course!” called out Midoriya with urgency, a bit startled by her sudden evacuation.

Midoriya turned back to his friends, bowing. “Sorry for interrupting our conversation! Anyways, you were talking about Mina throwing a banana at Kaminari.”

Kirishima held up a hand, forcing Midoriya to pause. “Hold on dude. You have a grip strength of sixty kilograms! What the hell?”

“What? Is that bad?” asked Midoriya in a panic, worried he disappointed his friend.

Kirishima shook his head dramatically with wide eyes. “That’s super good! I’ve never met someone who’s even gotten close to the score you just got. You work out?”

“Yeah! I do cardio in the morning and I weight train two hours later in the day,” revealed Midoriya shyly. He didn’t think anyone would find that aspect of his life interesting.

“So that’s why you seem to disappear!” gasped Uraraka, connecting the dots. “I find it kind of amazing that you manage to dedicate two hours every day to working out.”

“Could you lift me?” asked Todoroki curiously, not bothering to try and hide his intentions.

Midoriya smiled, holding a thumbs up. “Yes! I can do it after school if you’d like.”

Todoroki nodded with a small grin. “Please.”

Kirishima jabbed a thumb to his chest as he shouted. “Me too!”

“Me three!” pitched in Uraraka, more than happy to be lifted like a princess.

A warmth flooded Midoriya as his friends showed interest in what he put a lot of effort into. Still the conversation made heat rush to his face. It wasn’t everyday he got this kind of attention.

Midoriya kept his promise, but the rest of class 1-A was quickly filled in. Bakugo was pissed by the news. He couldn’t believe Midoriya was somehow one step ahead of him. Marching to the gym, Bakugo could already tell it was empty except for Midoriya.

Walking into the large area filled with untouched equipment, Bakugo spotted Midoriya in the back. He made his way over, ready to shout and tease Midoriya when he was stopped in his tracks.

The sight in front of Bakugo was godly. Midoriya had a barbell with an insane amount of weight on it. Midoriya seemed unbothered as he back squatted the large amount of weight. Midoriya was wearing some gym shorts and a baggy tee shirt, but Bakugo could see enough.

When Midoriya squatted, he brought his knees over his toes. Midoriya also hit incredible depth with his butt just inches above the ground. Bakugo watched as Midoriya’s shorts rode up enough to show his leg muscles flexing. Midoriya was mainly training his quads so Bakugo got a good look at just how impressive the muscles were.

Bakugo couldn’t even feel mad about Midoriya’s muscles because it was clear Midoriya worked incredibly hard to get to this point. Still, Bakugo would find a way to poke fun at Midoriya.

When Midoriya racked the barbell, Bakugo stalked forward with a smile.

Midoriya noticed Bakugo and quickly slipped off his headphones. “Kacchan!”

“So the rumors are true. You are a meathead,” remarked Bakugo, smirking as he crossed his arms.

Midoriya sat down his headphones and grabbed his water. It was nearing the end of his workout so a break was greatly appreciated. “Rumors?”

Bakugo stopped a couple feet before Midoriya and rolled his eyes. “The extras were showing everyone videos of you lifting them and the grip strength shit.”

Midoriya’s hand rose to cover his face as his heart began pounding in his chest. “Oh god. They recorded that?”

“They sure as hell did Nerd.”

“This is so embarrassing. I don’t want people knowing I work out,” cried Midoriya, throwing his head back.

Bakugo raised a brow, crossing his arms. “The fuck… why not?”

Midoriya swallowed hard before sitting down on a bench. “It’s stupid. You’d make fun of me.”

“Probably, but I still want to know,” admitted Bakugo, walking to stand before Midoriya again.

“I’m insecure of my body. I always felt too skinny and that clothes fit me weird. So I started training to gain weight. I guess I’m still not satisfied and I’m worried everyone will start making assumptions or begin to have an opinion on my body,” rambled Midoriya, struggling to explain what exactly he was feeling and thinking.

Bakugo rolled his eyes before kicking Midoriya’s leg. “You’re an idiot.”

“Waa-chan!” yelped Midoriya as he threw his legs away from Bakugo’s direction.

“Why does anyone's opinion of your body matter? You’re already smarter than all those losers so you should be more worried about them taking advantage of your mind,” commented Bakugo, trying to process the fact Midoriya didn’t like his body.

Midoriya wilted where he was sitting, bowing his head as he rocked his feet back and forth on the heels before he sighed, “You’re right.”

Bakugo was quiet for a moment, already regretting what he was about to say. “Your body is fine the way it is and anyone would be jealous of your legs.”

“You think so? I always try to hide them,” confessed Midoriya, looking down at his muscular thighs.

“You shouldn’t. If I had a body like yours I’d show it off. If anyone has a problem with your body, that's a personal problem and has nothing to do with you,” argued Bakugo, getting irritated at the mere thought of someone picking on Midoriya for his body.

“That’s… really nice of you to say. Thank you, Kacchan. It means a lot, truly,” thanked Midoriya with a small, flattered smile as he stared up at Bakugo through his eyelashes.

Bakugo felt his cheeks heat up and he was quick to have another explosive outburst as he barked, “Shut it Deku! If you keep spending all your time training you’ll never be number one.”

Midoriya suddenly felt a little bold and teased Bakugo back. “It wouldn’t matter anyways, you’ll always be the best.”

“Damn right!” shouted Bakugo, quickly turning on his heel and leaving the gym. As he made his way to the door, his mind was racing.

No way in hell am I going to stay here and get all soft and cheesy for Deku of all people. Not a fucking chance.

Bakugo thought this to himself as he saved the pictures and videos he just took of Midoriya working out to his hidden folder. The groupchat could starve for once.

Bakugo may have gotten the privilege of stalking Midoriya in the gym, but everyone in class 1-A got the blessing of seeing Midoriya’s muscles. After Bakugo complimented Midoriya, Midoriya was given the confidence to wear shorts around the dorms.

Besides, he happily lifted Todoroki, Uraraka, and Kirishima outside all at once. The entire class was able to watch him activate a large portion of his impressive muscles without even seeming a bit overwhelmed by carrying three people. Many pictures were taken.

Uraraka, Todoroki, and Kirishima may or may not have set one of the pictures taken as their phone background.

“Wow, Midoriya’s legs are impressive,” commented Jiro one afternoon as she was eating yogurt.

“Your welcome,” grumbled Bakugo, before stuffing his face with curry.

Everyone in the kitchen shot their gaze to Bakugo before looking to where Midoriya was standing. Suddenly the kitchen was filled with countless Midoriya lovers shouting. “What!”

Midoriya smiled bashfully while Bakugo laughed at the rest of the group's frustration. Midoriya walked away, no longer hiding his smirk. He’ll never let a soul know he set the entire situation up.

That’s how you remain humble while establishing dominance.

[ajthemenace]

Terms & Conditions Apply - Chapter One

Summary: A "Fifty Shades of Grey" type of take on Oberyn Martell. After he buys tech firm Logistica for its assets, the wealthy, powerful and brilliant Oscar Martin takes interest in Cara Kavanaugh, the programmer whose code he wants to use. Although she feels physical attraction to to Oscar, his reputation for being a playboy, a womanizer, and a bit of a snake prevent her from forming any attachment to her new boss. Despite his flirtations, she resists him for months until one night the tension and chemistry between them boils over and the two find themselves unable to keep their hands off each other. Trying not to fall for him, Cara discovers Oscar has more dark things looming in his past, including a dangerous rivalry with fellow tech magnate, Tyson LaGrieve; a wife that died under strange circumstances, and other secrets Cara can't imagine.

Notes: This reimagines Oberyn in a realworld setting, as a powerful tech mogul. When I started writing this, I wanted to explore the dom/sub and BDSM aspects of 50 shades but I chickened out, so it's really just a spicy romance with very light dom/sub under tones. The FMC is autistic coded.

Pairing: Oberyn Martell x OFMC

Warnings: Extreme dipictions of violence, sex and sexual activities, alcohol use, and discussions of violence, sexual violence, murder, etc. Please read responsibly.

Chapter One: The Prince and The Programmer

Oscar Martin .  The world knew the name.  He was synonymous with innovation and technology, but he was just as synonymous with words like affair and scandal. And he was standing less than 20 feet from me.   I watched as he moved through the office.  His company, MarTech, had just purchased the company I worked for, Logistica. The news had broken a few days before, but now it was official. Logistica was a small analytics and algorithm development firm that had some piece of tech or information he wanted.  That was how he did business; he wanted something, he bought it.  The tech and financial papers called him the Prince of Tech , due to his youth and good looks, but he had a reputation for being a viper in the boardroom… and in the bedroom, if the tabloids were to be believed.

He was handsome; tall and slender, about 38 or so, with dark hair, and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache.  He moved through the office gracefully, looking around at everything with curious brown eyes.  Those eyes swept over my team in our cubicles, barely registering us as people.  To the likes of him, I suppose we weren’t.  We were peasants.  Cogs in the machine. Not worth bothering with.

But then he paused, and his gaze settled on me. 

I looked away, embarrassed.  But when I looked back, he was smiling at me.  It was a small smile of amusement, but it was definitely there.  He gave me a small wink, so tiny and fast I wasn’t sure if I saw it at all.

Then he turned and followed the group into the conference room. My face felt hot, and I realized I was probably blushing.

“Cara, are you okay?” Lisa Sonnet, my cubemate and colleague asked as she returned from the bathroom.

“Yeah, just feeling a little warm all of the sudden.” I said softly.  Lisa glanced through the glass wall into the conference room at Oscar Martin.

“I can see why, that man is… Oof .”  She said, sitting back down next to me.  “Too bad he only dates super duper models.”

“Super duper models?”

“Like, only the most famous models,”  she said.  “Your Stephanie Allisons and your Nadias and your Tula Faracosis.”  She went on, sitting down.  “The best of the best, with perfectly symmetrical little faces, and tiny perky boobies.”  She continued, gesturing to her own pendulous breasts.  Lisa was in her late 50s and had four kids.  She frequently bemoaned that she used to have a much better body, but her kids had sucked it out of her.

I said nothing. I couldn’t imagine wanting to be involved with a man who was just as frequently on TMZ as he was on CNN.  It sounded exhausting.

“I heard he only dates women until they are 23 and then he dumps them.”  Another team member, Jackie Woller said.  She must have overhead us.  She rolled her chair to the edge of her cube and peeked around the corner at us.  “At the stroke of midnight on your 23rd birthday, he kicks you out of bed unceremoniously.”  she said in a mock ominous, slightly spooky voice.

“That’s Leonardo DiCaprio.”  I said, feeling myself smile a little bit.  I glanced back at the conference room.  Was it my imagination, or was Oscar Martin looking at me?  I ducked my head, counted to 10, and then looked up again.

He was definitely looking at me.  He was leaning back in the chair in the conference room, not paying attention to whomever was speaking.  One of the lawyers, I thought absently.  Our eyes met. He smiled again, and this time, he lifted his fingers in a slight wave.

“Hi,”  He mouthed.

I ducked down behind the wall of the cubicle.

“What’s wrong?”  Lisa said, hearing the ruckus.  Then she looked up. “Oh.”

“What?”

“Oscar Martin is looking over there,”  she said.  “He’s… kinda laughing to himself?”  She said slowly.

“He waved at me.”  I said.  “I’m mortified.”

“We should all stop staring and get back to work before he fires us.”  Jackie muttered.  “Though, he’ll probably do that anyway.  Gut the firm, get whatever tech we have that he wants, and then leave us all on the street.”

I turned back to my laptop; my code was still compiling, so there wasn’t much for me to do. I pretended to be working diligently for the next 45 minutes, and resisted the urge to look up.  However, when I eventually  heard the door to the conference room open, I couldn;’t help myself.

They filed out of the conference room, Oscar Martin shaking hands with lawyers and my boss following behind, looking rather pale. I looked away again, chewing nervously on my bottom lip.  I wondered if my boss had already been canned.  How long for the rest of us? 

“Hello,”  A quiet voice said.  I recognized it, the light hispanic accent wrapping around the word like silk. I looked up to see Oscar Martin leaning on the wall of my cubicle looking down at me. “Oscar Martin.”  He extended his hand.  After a beat, I shook it, but I still didn’t speak.  “And your name is…?” He prompted me.

“Cara Kavanaugh.”  I said quietly.

“Cara.”  He said.  He smiled, a strange look on his face.  Something between surprise and satisfaction..  “It’s nice to meet you, Cara.” He turned back to the others who were waiting for him. “One second.”  He said.  The lawyers nodded.  “I hope I see you around.”  Then he left.

“Did that just happen?” Lisa said, her eyes wide.

“I think it did.”  I said.

“Wow,” Jackie said from her cubicle.

“I caught a whiff of his cologne, ugh, he smells so good.”  Lisa moaned. “Why do you think he was looking at you ? You’re pretty, but you’re no Tula Faracosi.”

I waved her away dismissively, and looked up again as Oscar Martin headed towards the main entrance of the office.  He gave me another look over his shoulder as he went.

What on earth was going on?

After work, I headed to my apartment, idly wondering if I should brush up my resume.  I’d worked at Logistica for about 6 years, starting there right after college. I’d had several positions within the company before becoming the lead project programmer last year.  I didn’t relish the idea of a job search… and while there were no shortage of programming jobs in the world, I had liked working for Logistica.

I opened my laptop, but instead of pulling up my resume, I googled Oscar Martin instead.  His wikipedia page was the first result not from a tabloid.

I read the details about him.  He was 6’1”, Argentinian, spoke Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French, and he had been married once, when he was young.  His wife had died at age 22.  I didn’t possess the Google Sleuthing Skills some of my friends had, so I couldn’t find much else about her.  Cause of death was “unspecified cancer.”  That was tragic.  He had been 24 at the time.  I read about the success of his company, MarTech, and the various companies it had absorbed over the years.  I read about the famous women he was linked to, believed to have dated, rumored to have left broken-hearted.  Taylor Swift’s latest album allegedly had a song or two about him on it. Models, Singers, Actresses all, with beautiful faces and glamorous lives.

And he had smiled at me.  I didn’t think myself unattractive; I have a pretty face, with pale skin, bright blue eyes, and a nice smile.  My hair was actually freshly minted at the salon, and my caramel colored waves were top notch, but I wasn’t a model.  I wasn’t glamorous.  I was a programmer who wrote code. I went to bed at 10:30 after watching reruns of Friends . I had been wearing a men’s graphic t-shirt that said “Tell Your Dog I Said Hi” on it, for crying out loud.  

I made myself dinner - microwaved veggies, minute rice and costco rotisserie chicken, very glamorous- I thought as I sat down to eat, then I watched TV for a while.  Around 7pm, I called my best friend Keith.

“You’ll never guess who I met today.”

“The pope?”

“I don’t think you could be more wrong.”

“Donald Trump?”

“Closer,”  I laughed.  “Oscar Martin.”

“Wow,”  He said.  And then “Oh no,”

“Yeah, so if you know of any outfits looking for a programmer…”  I said.

“I’ll keep an ear out.  So it’s official?”

“He signed the paperwork for the company today.  I suppose it’ll be a few days before we get marching orders.”  I said.  Then I changed the subject.  “How’s Carolina?”

“Doing okay, postpartum has been rough on her.”  He admitted. 

“Can I do anything?”

“Maybe swing by and see her at the shop.  I think she’d like that.”

“I’ll come by after work one day this week.  But let’s let her think it's a surprise.”

“Deal.”  We talked for a bit longer, discussing his infant son and his work, before I finally said good night.

“Thanks for asking about Carolina.  I know you and her-”

“Hey, water under the bridge.”  I said quickly. “Have a good night.”

“You too.”

I went to bed that night wondering if my badge would work on the front door of the building in the morning.

The next morning, I arrived at the office and my badge worked.  I was getting into the elevator when I heard someone call “Hold the door!”

I put my hand in front of the door to prevent it from closing, and a breathless Oscar Martin slipped in beside me.

“Good morning Cara.”

“Uh, Good morning.”  I returned, trying to disguise the fact that my breath had caught in my throat.  I studied him out of the corner of my eye.  He certainly dressed like a tech guy; jeans, sneakers, and a yellow, blue and green plaid button down.

“Have you worked for Logistica long?” he asked as the elevator crept up to the 25th floor. His accent was so smooth, giving his voice a musical quality.

“Six years,”  I said quietly.  I felt so awkward making small talk with him.  I felt like Ann Boelyn making cheerful conversation with the man holding the sword.

“That’s a long time in this industry.”  He commented.  “Do you like it here?”

“Yeah, I do, a lot.” I said honestly.  He nodded.  Mercifully, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to my floor.  I stepped out.  He followed me to my desk. 

“I hope I see you later, Cara.”  He said, and he headed to the conference room, where it looked like a meeting had already started.

“Did you really just walk in with Oscar Martin?” Lisa asked as I put my things down.  I sat heavily in my chair. 

“Yes, why?”

“You rode in the elevator with him?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Ballsy.”

“I was already in the elevator.”  I shrugged.

“He’s looking over here again.” Jackie called in a low voice from her cube.

“This is ridiculous.”  I muttered. “You two are being ridiculous.”  I grabbed my laptop. “I’m going to go work in one of the empty offices.”

Shortly before lunch time, an email went out that there would be a catered lunch for staff, compliments of the new owners.  I rolled my eyes, but I wasn’t too proud to turn down a free meal, so at 12, I headed down to the breakroom.

It was a feast.  Kabobs of shrimp, Chicken, and tender steak, exotic salads, grilled vegetables, rice pilaf and more.  The junior programmers had loaded down their plates and were scurrying back to their cubes, but some of the upper management were schmoozing with Oscar as he stood in the breakroom, a plate in his hand, but not eating.

I helped myself to some food and while I was grabbing a plastic fork, Oscar excused himself from the ass kissers and came alongside me.

“How’s your day going?”  He asked, his accent wrapping around the words in an almost sultry way. It would seem there was no such thing as a free lunch.  I was going to have to pay for it by being polite to my executioner.

“Fine, thanks.  And thanks for lunch.”  I said, holding up my plate.  I started towards the door but he fell into step beside me.

“So you’re a programmer.”  He said.  It wasn’t a question, but he didn’t elaborate.

“Yeah,” I said.

“And you worked on the Omega project.”

“I wrote the code for it, yes.”

“I was very impressed with it.”  He said. “That’s actually why I wanted to buy Logistica.”

“My code?”

“Well, your code, and the program it powers.”  He said. “Would you ever consider coming to work directly for me?”

I blinked at him.

“What?”  He asked, perplexed.

“I do work for you, you own the company I work for.”

“Yes, but I have a need for a programmer outside of what I plan to do with Logistica.”

“What do you plan to do with Logistica?” I asked sharply.  Careful, Cara .  I chastised myself.  Fortunately, he looked amused.

“I haven’t decided yet, but I intend to use your code for a project I’m working on.”  I wanted to ask him if it was for his weapons division, but bit my tongue.

“I get the sense you don’t like me much.”  He went on, still following me toward the office where I had set myself up to work for the day.

“I just don’t know you.”  He was right, I didn’t like him, but hopefully this lie would help me keep my job.

“Well, my offer stands; your work speaks for itself, you’re clearly brilliant.”  He said. “Think about it.”

“Thank you.”  I said, unsure of what else to say.  He gave me a perfunctory nod, and then disappeared, presumably back to the conference room.  After lunch, I was pretty full, and the empty office was starting to feel a little too warm. I headed back to my cube so that I wouldn’t fall asleep. I didn’t have much to work on but I didn’t think this was a good time to be seen sleeping in an office somewhere, even if the new boss had just offered me a job.

“Get lonely?” Lisa asked when I sat back down.

“Hot.”  I muttered.

“The rumor mill is flying.”  Lisa said.  “Three people asked if you got let go.”

“Why?”

“You weren’t at your desk.”

“Jesus.”  I muttered, opening my laptop and trying to find something to do to look productive.  The conference room was empty.

“Cara?”  My boss, Kevin McCormick, came up to the edge of my cubicle.  “Can you come with me please?”

“Should I bring my purse?” I asked.

“Just come with me please.”  Kevin said.

I cast a look back at Lisa.  Her eyes were wide.

I followed Kevin to his office.  A man I didn’t recognize was there. At least it wasn’t Betty from Human Resources.

“Hello Ms. Kavanaugh,” the unfamiliar man said.  He was probably 50, with thinning dark hair, and broad shoulders.  He wore a suit.  “My name is Benton Reavis.  I am the inside counsel for MarTech, and Mr. Martin  would like to extend you a rather lucrative employment option.”  He slid a manilla folder across the table to me.  I opened it.

“The salary is listed on the first page.  The additional benefits are listed on the second.  We are proud to offer you full medical, dental, and vision, plus 12 weeks paid vacation,” He went on, but I wasn’t listening.

$450,000.

“There has to be a mistake.”  I said.

“No, there’s no mistake.”  Mr. Reavis said.  “Mr. Martin was very explicit about the offer, particularly the salary.”

“Uh…”  I stammered.  “I can’t- this is…”

“Mr. Martin has reviewed your entire portfolio and employment history at Logistica, and he’s quite impressed with you.  He feels you’ve been under compensated for your work, and he would like to offer you the position of head of development at MarTech.”

“Can I… think about it?”

Mr. Reavis looked surprised.  I suppose it must have been surprising that anyone would need to think about that salary offer.

“Of course, but please be aware that we are actively recruiting so-”

“You’ll have my answer by tomorrow morning.” I replied quickly.

“Very well. My number is inside if you have any questions.”  Mr. Reavis said.  “I don’t think I need to tell you that this is a very lucrative offer.”

“I’m aware.”  I said. “I just don’t think I’m qualified for it.”

“Mr. Martin does.”  Mr. Reavis said with a shrug.  “He’s very rarely wrong about these things.”  I pressed my lips together, and thanked him for his time.

I tucked the folder under my arm and headed back to my desk again.

“Should I get you a box?”  Jackie asked.

“No. I still work here.”

“What’s that?”  she pointed to a folder under my arm.

“Something about the code I worked on for the omega project.”  I said, tucking it into my bag.

“Uh-huh.”  Lisa muttered. “Keep your secrets.”

Towards the end of the day, I headed towards the elevators.  Oscar Martin was waiting for an elevator himself.

“Going down?”  He asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

“To the lobby.”  I said, narrowing my eyes.

Now he laughed.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“You don’t hide your thoughts very well, and it’s becoming really clear you don’t like me.  Am I going to get a disappointing phone call from Mr. Reavis in the morning?”

“If you mean, am I going to decline your job offer, I haven’t decided yet.”

“I see.  Can I ask what it is about me you don't like?”

“I told you, I don’t know you.  I just know your reputation.” I said. 

“I see.”  He frowned a bit.  “Well, I hope you’ll allow me to show you the real me.”

The elevator opened then, and he gestured for me to go ahead. I did, but he didn’t follow.

“Weren’t you waiting for the elevator?” I asked.

“I’ll get the next one,”  he replied, and I could tell I’d hurt his feelings. That was surprising.  The elevator doors closed before I could say anything else. I sighed.

Once in the lobby, I headed home on foot.  The weather was nice, and it was only 10 blocks.  At home, I studied the job description.  It sounded like a dream, and if the offer was coming from anyone else, literally anyone else, I would have taken it. But my mother had a saying about not getting into bed with serpents.

I sighed.  I had student loans and my rent was going up at the end of the month.  I needed a new bike and I liked to eat out with my friends on occasion.  This job would open doors for me, too.  Oscar Martin knew EVERYONE in tech.  And the salary , I thought again.  It was almost half a million dollars.  Even after taxes,  I would be set.  I could move to a nicer apartment.  And what if I refused?  Then I’d have no job in a few weeks when he eventually gutted Logistica.  Or worse, he might feel slighted.  A man as powerful as he was could easily make sure I never worked in tech again.

I bit my lip, and then I dialed the number on the business card stapled inside the folder.

“Mr Reavis?  It’s Cara Kavanaugh.”  I bit my lip. “I’d like to negotiate a couple of stipulations on your employment offer.”  If he was going to try to buy me, I was going to make him pay through the nose.

“You don’t feel it’s a generous offer?”

“I do, but I’m very happy where I am, and in order for me to leave, I’d like to ask for two additional concessions on Mr. Martin’s part.”

“And what are those?”

“First, I would like assurances that my team at Logistica be kept on and offered positions in the development group should MarTech decide to do layoffs or liquidation at Logistica.  They are good workers and I would like them to be involved in any project I work on.”

“How many team members?”

“Six.”

“And your second concession?

“A hybrid work model.  I would like to work from home two days a week.”  I said.

“I’ll discuss this with Mr. Martin and have an answer for you shortly.”

My phone rang less than 20 minutes later.

“Mr. Martin has agreed to your terms.”  Mr. Reavis sounded surprised.  “Congratulations, Ms.Kavanaugh, and welcome aboard.  You’ll need to report to MarTech HQ tomorrow morning to make it official and so we can provide you with an updated offer letter to match your requests.  The address is-”

“I know where it is.”

“Please be there by 9am.”

“Thank you.”

I sat down on the couch in disbelief.  I was going to be the head of development for one of the biggest tech firms in the world, at 5 times my current salary. Maybe now my dad would finally be proud of me.  

I looked at the framed photo of Keith and I on my side table.  We had been dating at the time it was taken.  I didn’t have feelings for him anymore, not like that, but I had a pang of loneliness and sorrow when I looked at it.  We had been a great couple, but he had said “It’s like a best friend thing, not a love of my life thing.”  when he broke up with me.  He wasn’t wrong, but I hadn’t felt that it was a bad thing, that we were friends.  So what if it wasn’t this big passionate thing?  It worked.  We had been happy, or so I’d thought. And then he’d met Carolina, and that had been that.

I leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. I hoped I wasn’t going to regret this. It wasn’t like me to make snap decisions, but if nothing else, I would be able to pay off my student loans in a few months, so even if it all went south, that was a silver lining.

There was something eating away at the back of my mind, though.  I was good at my job, but I wasn’t that good.  Unless he saw some potential in the Omega Project that I didn’t.  It worried me.  But this wasn’t a contract, I wasn’t locked in for any length of time, so I could leave if it didn’t work out, I rationalized.

I normally wore jeans and a t-shirt to work, but I thought I might need to look a little more put together for this… I settled on a pair of dark green trousers and a white top, and set them aside for the morning.  I set three alarms on my phone, then I had another unglamorous meal before I called my parents to tell them the news.  They put me on speaker phone so they could talk to me together.

“You have to get everything in writing.”  My dad said when I finished.

“I know Dad.”

“Let me know if you want me to have Murray look it over.”  Murray was the family lawyer.

“It’s fine Dad, I can handle it.”

“They’re paying you how much?”  My mother was in disbelief.

“Almost half a million.  I’m going to run their whole development team.”  I said, reading over the offer letter in front of me. 

“Cara, please don't take this the wrong way, but are you sure you know what you’re getting into?  The things they say about that man on TV.”

“I’ll be careful, mom.”  I promised. “I’m aware of his reputation, but this is going to open so many doors for me.”

“I worry that if it doesn’t work out he’ll-”

“Mom!”  I said.  “Don’t talk like that, positive vibes.”  I said.  I didn’t want to think about what a powerful man like that would do if it didn’t work out.  And I didn’t want to tell her that I felt like I couldn’t say no, either.

“If you’re sure,”  she said, but I could hear the doubt in her voice. “He’s very handsome.”  She conceded.

“I’m not interested.”  I said.

“Good.”  My dad said. “You do your job, keep your head down, and your nose clean.”

“He really said he wanted to buy Logistica because of your code?” My mom spoke again, but there was an ember of pride in her voice. 

“More or less.  I don’t know if he was flattering me or not, but that’s what he said.”  I said.

My parents talked about the offer for more than an hour before finally letting me go.  I went to bed, but couldn’t sleep.  I was too anxious about the morning.  It was late by the time I dozed off.

[ckret2]

bill doesnt really strike me as the type to be really into listening to music, but if he were, do you think there are any particular genres/artists he would enjoy/hate less?

You're in luck because I've put COPIOUS thought into this.

Here's all the canon and semi-canon info about Bill's musical tastes I can recall off the top of my head:

ONE. From the AMA, his favorite "song" is a rising Shepard tone.

*MY FAVORITE SONG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rzIiF7LpPU

TWO. He is interested in the "good stuff" out of human pop culture, which includes the song "96 Tears" by Question Mark & The Mysterians.

Are you at all interested in human pop culture?

JUST THE GOOD STUFF! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7uC5m-IRns

THREE. He knows the song "Stacy's Mom". This says nothing about whether he likes the song, but he's knowledgeable enough about recent human pop culture that he can casually drop a reference to it in a joke. It's probably safe to assume he's familiar with a broad variety of popular human music.

Hey Bill. What's up with Wendy's mom?

WENDY'S MOM HAS GOT IT GOING ON. SHE'S ALL I WANT AND I'VE WAITED FOR SO LONG.

FOUR. When he gives himself a super cool car its radio is playing a rap song. I wasn't able to find any identification for the song, but it sounds to me like it could potentially be by Lil Bigg Dawggg, the same in-universe artist behind "Straight Blanchin'"—so, extremely popular mainstream rap. (Song heard at 2:50).

FIVE. He's got some kind of generic-sounding electronic dance music playing during his Fearamid party.

SIX. The "We'll Meet Again" scene. He can play the piano. I suppose you could choose to believe that Mr. All-Seeing All-Knowing Eye can play any instrument and he just happens to pick the piano for effect—he might not even actually be playing, since the song keeps playing itself when he turns away—but I choose to believe he's playing it and at some point he actually made the choice to learn piano for fun just because he wanted to. As someone who took piano lessons for over a decade, assuming that is indeed his own playing, I'd rate him as competent and skilled (that's a pretty impressive run at the start), but no virtuoso. He'd be a hit at the family holiday party but not in a concert hall. The choice of "We'll Meet Again" might mean he's got a soft spot for WW2-era popular music but might just be a "he knows human popular music and will freely reference it for a joke" thing.

SEVEN. "No! Synthesized music! It hurts!" Considering the circumstances, this may or may not actually apply to his musical tastes. Maybe only this particular synthesized music hurt him because Mabel had specifically decided that Xyler and Craz's music would injure Bill, maybe only extremely 80s-sounding synthesizers hurt him, etc. Most damning to the theory that he's got some kind of synthesized music allergy is the fact that almost all the music he's shown to voluntarily listen to and presumably enjoy (rising Shepard tones, the rap song, the party music) makes use of synthesized sounds. Still, it's worth mentioning that this is something he said at one point. (At 2:06.)

If anyone else recalls anything I missed about Bill's musical listening habits, toss it at me.

So, that's what we've got canonically. On that basis, here's what I headcanon about his tastes:

ONE: favorite music

His absolute favorite "music" is stuff that doesn't sound like music to humans at all. So sounds that are created to follow certain patterns (not quite as random as, say, pure white noise); and on top of that, sounds that, subjectively, sound extra creepy to humans or make humans anxious (think how folks claim Shepard tones can drive people "insane"). So think nuclear alarm sirens, unnerving tornado sirens, War of the World tripod horns, Saturn, foghorns, The Backwards Music Station. If you want some actual music that sounds as close to these kinds of sounds as possible, thus far I've collected Curious Noises & Distant Voices, 20210310, Happy Happy Happy—and if you want to start drifting into more "musical" sounding genres, Tira Me a Las Aranas or Ledge.

I feel like noise as a genre ought to have a lot of music that fits the sound I'm looking for, but in practice a lot of what I've crossed paths with is really harsh/loud—sounds like breaking machines and blasting microphones—rather than the more swoopy tones I'm looking for. I think of all the noise subgenres I've sampled, death industrial noise is the closest subgenre to what I want, but it's not quite there either. I've had some success looking at hauntology artists, but that's a pretty big umbrella stylistically speaking. Does anybody know a genre that sits somewhere halfway between noise & ambient?

TWO: favorite human music

So that's that for Bill's alien musical tastes. As far as his human musical tastes, he cites Question Mark & The Mysterians specifically as "the good stuff"—so I imagine that's probably his idea of the best kind of music humanity's produced. So: extremely sixties. Hammond organs out the wazoo. Bands with occult-sounding names and lead singers who claim to be Martians that lived with dinosaurs and will be alive in the year 10,000. I tend to tilt him toward bands/songs that fall under the "psychedelic" umbrella, considering that the aesthetic tends to be kinda, well... just go google "psychedelic art."

Tell me this isn't what Earth would look like by Weirdmageddon day 30 when Bill starts to get bored. I mean come on. The only difference is Bill's version would have more fire and blood.

So start with some of your traditional psychedelic songs—Incense and Peppermints, White Rabbit, Breathe (In The Air), Time Of The Season, Purple Haze, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, etc.—and branch out from there. Slap on any decent psychedelic/hippie-themed playlist and you're good: try this hippie playlist, this psychedelic pop/rock playlist, or this dark psychedelic playlist.

Once you get past the more mainstream stuff, I go toward weird things that sound like they ought to be from a lost 1960s art house film that accidentally predicted the rise of UFO cults—things that vibe with Bill's occult + conspiracy theory + faux religious figure vibes. Think Bruce Haack, such as the album Electric Lucifer, particularly Electric to Me Turn, Cherubic Hymn, or War; Joe Meek's album I Hear a New World, particularly the title track or Orbit Around the Moon; or the particularly alien-sounding The Red Weed (Part 1) off Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds.

And after all that, I poke at modern psychedelic rock songs that lean more heavily into witchy & occult imagery—such as Astral Sabbat or Come a Little Closer—but by this point we're really on the fringe of the sound I'm looking for. There isn't nearly enough Hammond organ.

THREE: favorite human party music

Now, compared to the last couple of sections, this section is gonna be something of a cop-out, because I've done less musical digging; but when it comes to what he'll slap on for a party—which I imagine makes up probably a good 75% of his casual music consumption—he's just gonna slap on any popular current music he thinks is good for a party.

Currently? That probably means a lot of hip hop and EDM. Okay. In the 80s he probably woulda put on disco. In the 21st century he'd put on Get Low, First of the Year, Shots, DotA, Intergalactic, and Dragostea Din Tei (hardstyle remix), in a row, without a second thought, and with no heed to the humans going "what the FUCK is this party mix." These are not the best examples of what he'd play; just the first, most cringe, and most discordant examples I could think of. The more easily a potential party song can be described as stylistically or lyrically "obnoxious," the more likely it is to make his playlist. Does it sound like it should be played extremely loud? Would it offend the neighbors? Does it have a bass line that sounds like it could crack concrete and break ribs? Would humans recognize it as part of a widely-known meme, but not know whether Bill (an alien) is oblivious or if Bill (a troll) added it for that reason? It's going on, he's hitting shuffle, and it's not coming off the party playlist until he gets bored of it and finds something newer and even more obnoxious to replace it with.

If anyone has any good recommendations for specific genres that would yield a reasonable pool of Party Songs That Would Get Noise Complaints Filed (And Also Don't Go Together At All), I'm willing to take them. My gut says crunk and dubstep, but my hip hop knowledge is lacking and my EDM knowledge is extremely eclectic.

(Anyway if you made it this far I'm rewarding you with a link to my Bill Cipher spotify playlist I listen to when writing fic. It's 50% songs that I think actually match the "music he'd like" categories, 50% songs that are about him but that he wouldn't necessarily like, 50% songs about his relationship issues, 10% songs that are NONE OF THE ABOVE but that need to be in there because I need them for fic-writing vibes, and one single solitary song that is not actually about Bill at all, but rather about Pacifica, but that i put on the playlist anyway because it's a REALLY GOOD Pacifica song and I don't have any other Gravity Falls themed playlists so here it is. "That adds up to 160%—" and what of it. The percentages aren't even accurate.)

[artbyblastweave]

As a big superhero guy, I have a question: Why do you think it's so common to show Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Hank Pym, Hank McCoy (ESPESCIALLY those last two) as, at best, morally ambiguous and at worst, downright awful in modern portrayals? Is it standard American anti-intellectualism, tied into our growing distrust of science and technology, or is it just that they seem kinda bland?

I don't think it's anti-intellectualism per se. For three of the four I think it's just a consequence of contemporary writers being Allowed To Notice And Unpack Things.

For Reed Richards, it's the result of fans and writers applying a level of scrutiny to early plots and character beats that weren't intended to stand up to any real level of scrutiny. He's a guy who got all his best friends horribly mutated by taking them up in an untested spacecraft. He's a guy who brainwashed a bunch of captured skrulls into thinking they were cows. He's a guy who keeps whipping up extremely specific technological solutions to the problem at hand, which never seem to trickle down to the consumer market- hence the "Reed Richards is Useless" trope. And he's gotta dodge and weave around patriarchal accusations vis a vis a lot of the casual sexism of early FF, where Sue had limited combat utility and was often in the mix as the Damsel-in-distress classic. And obviously excising the unconsidered sexism from the dynamic is the right way to go, but treating that early recklessness/ruthlessness/callousness seriously, as an actual personality flaw that he has, and has to work around, is significantly more interesting than just rewriting the character to not behave like that.

For Iron Man it's the result of people starting to take more seriously the moral implications of the fact that he's an arms dealer and a billionaire. (Apocryphally, Stan Lee did this to see if he could create a character who would be popular with his left-leaning audience despite being everything they hate ideologically, but I take this with a grain of salt.) Another element, I think, is that in preparation for the release of Iron Man, Marvel made him a headliner in Civil War in 2007; the nature of Civil War lent itself to him doing a lot of authoritarian bullshit, and said bullshit sort of set the bar for his capacity for extreme behavior when pressed. Put Iron Man in any situation, try to determine the extent he'll go to in order to resolve it, and you have to take into account that time he was sticking his colleagues in virtual-reality prisons on behalf of the government. A demonstrated willingness to do atrocities for what you think of as the greater good does add some flavor and tension, I have to give them that!

For Hank Pym, it's totally down to the midlife crisis arc from 1981, where he rebranded as Yellowjacket, got drummed out of the Avengers for using excessive force, and battered his wife Janet when she tried to. You know. Talk him out of building a robot to perform a false flag attack against the rest of the team to get back in their good graces. The whole arc was supposed to be a very deliberate tragedy about his mental breakdown but it kind of poisoned the well on the character and became the thing future writers endlessly relitigate, either doubling down on it (The Ultimates, Marvel Zombies) or trying to repudiate it (Mighty Avengers, Avengers Academy.) Even before that, though, he had a pointed loose-cannon mad scientist situation going on even in comparison to the others on this list- his debut was a Twighlight zone-style horror story where he nearly gets himself killed testing the shrinking formula, and he also created Ultron and nearly got everyone killed that way!

I have no idea what's going on with Hank McCoy. I don't think I want to know what's going on with Hank McCoy. Every time I turn my ear in the direction of that corner of the fandom these days, all I hear is screaming. Are you guys alright

[sarcasticscribbles]

Artschool Dropout

I made a thread about how and why I became an artschool dropout, and want to share it here too. Storytime! It's mainly a highlight of parts I despite in the art worlds; capitalism and superiority. My experience was affected by the environment, and hell was a bad environment

Back in the distance year of 2019 I went to an(community) art college in like the *fancy* part of my area. I lived across the lake on the countryside, so I was not prepared for this environment. Rich people cosplaying poor is the best description. Fancy clothing made to look dirty and no-one wore shoes. It was very networking-vibe, with "omg we HAVE to talk more later" but never doing so. Like nurses energy. To be fair I became more and more non-approachable as time went on.

A good note is that Swedish education is normally free, even uni degrees, but this one cost money. It was that was never addressed or mentioned when I applied; that's on me maybe, but the few friends I had didn't know either. A lot was beaten around the bush when it came to expenses. A big draw for the school was a trip they made to Berlin during a film festival. Once the time came around they mentioned the cost for the trip (which was not mentioned before, I thought it was included) and kinda of shamed people if they wouldn't pay and go. Saying how its a highlight of the education and the few staying behind just watch movies for a week. In addition, the film festival wasn't included in the price, and we would have to pay extra to go. It was supposed to be a week, but two days was for travelling by train.

The price was something I would rather use for a private Berlin trip. It wasn't a lot, but I refused to do it, mainly for how indirect they were with everything. A friend and I said we wouldn't go and a staff complained how they would have to keep the school open just for us.

My classmates weren't an issue, it was the teachers and system, which all just felt like a money laundering scheme. One day we travelled to Stockholm, and we were tasked to go four hours alone, sit and stare at an object and think what it made is feel. Those were the instructions.

Four hours. Alone. Then home.

I and one other instead went to grab a coffee and trash talk. Once the time was up, I just made up on the spot "what it made me feel" and he gave me a job well done. I understand the assignment, but the execution from the teacher was all wrong.

It wasn't my crowd tho, I came from a gaming development High school while these people were like, social studies. I'm used to a nerdy crowd, is what I'm trying to say.

I have two funny examples:

I was talking to some guy during a break the ice get together with the whole school (very small school) and I explained I studied video game development before, and he said "omg that's so cool!!" And I answered, "yeah! Do you play?" And he said "yes, the piano :)"

And other time we were talking about painters, and when they asked me who my favourite was, I thought I would joke and said "oh, donatello :) because I love purple" and NO ONE got my tmnt ref and instead thought some Italian Renaissance was my favourite artist.

But back to the main issue, it was the school: First day our teacher handed us supplies from a closet and I was like "wow! Thank you! When these run out (BECAUSE WE'RE FKN ARTISTS) can we grab new ones in the closet?" And she said "no :) this is for the two years you are here" Like eight different hardness pens and a block of paper.

My worse experience was that every Tuesday was lecture day (although we didn't have grades nor exams) and all students gathered in a dark room to look at a PowerPoint about culture and people.

Fun in theory, but again executed so badly. My last lecture one teacher said "oh, and we gotten complaint not everyone can take notes during the presentation, so we thought one from each class could take notes and share with everyone else later :)! Any volunteer?"

Like ??? What? I raised my hand and said "you have a PowerPoint there? Why can't just share the presentation with everyone if they want to go back later?" AND SHE ANSWERED "that is a great idea, but unfortunately that would take weeks. So this is a better alternative:)"

TO THIS DAY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE MEANT BY THAT

Smaller details ; expensive lunch, creepy teacher keeping images of women's privates on screen (and I'm an artist I don't mind nudity) pointless activities and little progression. I can't give it a fair judgement, I only lasted three weeks but jumped in the opportunity to leave.

Cherry on top was I had communicated in private with my mentor about quitting and the day it was decided I had to go back to get my stuff and have one last day and the teacher (not my mentor) exclaimed in the shadiest way "Sophie? I thought you quit" I hadn't told my friends yet.

Last day I replaced all my supplies with new from the fancy closet, and me and my friends stole coffee from the cafeteria during lunch (it was only included if you bought food) to celebrate my time. We all hated the system of the school, but all of us loved art.

My experience is mainly the environment the school was located in; upper-class pretending not to be. The people were alright and i got a few friends before quitting. It was also traditional, general art when I prefer digital art. The school, system, and teacher were hell, which is a shame because it took something I loved and turned it into all the things I hate. i don't regret going and I don't regret quitting when I did. Best thing to come out of it was my literal label Artschool Dropout

[richarlotte]

How I got into University!

Demographics:

Gender: Female.

Race/Ethnicity: African-American

Residence: Michigan.

First Generation; Super Low Income.

Underrepresented Minority (and Woman).

Intended Major:

Psychology, Sociology, or Public Policy/Health.

Academics:

(UW/W) GPA: 4.0/4.75.

Large Public High School.

Ranking: 25/750 or similar.

0 AP classes, mostly honors.

I took 2 Gaps and applied at 20.

Standardized Testing.

I applied test optional to most but got a 33 on my ACT.

Extracurriculars.

1. President of Women in STEM Club.

2. I created my own zine promoting women’s health and wellness.

3. I interned and volunteered at a gynecology clinic for my last 3 years of high school.

4. I worked shifts in the labor and delivery unit at my local hospital.

5. I worked with at a low income women’s clinic for my two gap years.

6. I cheered and danced throughout all four years of high school.

7. I was a part of a few other groups in HS such as Science Olympiad and similar .

Recommendation Letters.

My School Counselor.

I read this letter and it was good! I ate lunch in her office a lot and felt that we had a connection and this letter showed that I wasn’t tripping lol. She celebrated my achievements, used quotes from my classmates and teachers to show who I am as a woman, and said I exceeded my own circumstances and was extremely capable. I’m happy that she wrote the letter and that she asked that I be given opportunities and given the chance to succeed in higher education.

My Boss.

This was a necessity. My boss went to Harvard Undergrad and Harvard Med and he has told me that I have potential since the day I started working for him. I wasn’t supposed to read the letter he wrote on my behalf but he was heartfelt, only spoke praises, and made it clear that he believed that my future will be bright. He wrote two long pages and described my emotional maturity, intellectual drive, and commented on my commitment and compassion towards people.

My Science Teacher.

He wrote the best letter of them all and made it clear that I’d worked my ass off to get where I am today and really pursued every path I’ve wanted to walk. He was kind, he wrote some of the nicest things I’ve ever read about myself, and he wrote about how I made Science Olympiad and STEM Club into a whole new world.

How I applied:

Major shoutout to the Coalition App.

Essay.

I wrote my personal essay on childhood illness and what it meant to me. I had a lot of experiences and I made a point of talking about how growing up poor and sick made me want to become a doctor and bring affordable healthcare to minority and low income women. It sounds convoluted but I promise it was a good essay and I was so proud of it. The only feedback I got was on my grammar and it took me two months to perfect each line.

Acceptances.

UMiami

Southern California

Columbia (+Barnard)

NYU

Brown

UChicago

Washington

UCLA

Princeton

Georgetown

Stanford

Dartmouth

(Foreign Schools)

Waitlists.

None!

Rejections.

Harvard (Elle Woods was wrong, it is hard lol)

It took me a year of really working hard to prepare myself to apply and then actually do it. I was terrified of rejection going in and really self conscious of myself when entering the process as I had minimal support as I was in foster care growing up and I’m happy to say that I will be attending college without having to worry about the price of where I’ll be going. I’m so excited to finally get to go somewhere fun and do something with my life; I feel like I’ve been waiting for this forever and I’m happy that move in day is so soon.

Richarlotte x

[heyclickadee]

So, today on silly headcanons that don’t matter and would probably never apply to the batch’s situation but I like them anyway: Random thoughts on what would happen if each of the batchers had to make a cake (and had unlimited access to all of the ingredients that they’d need):

Omega: Woo!! Cake!! *makes a bunch of space chocolate (there’s space chocolate, right?) cupcakes with a few different colors of icing so that she can put them together and make it look like Ruby. Wrecker keeps walking by to help out and even sneaks her some ruby chocolate chips so it can be a ruby chocolate Ruby cupcake cake. The end result is very cute, even if Omega does have to end up having to use mantell mix to make the face (someone kept eating her cupcakes and she ran out by the time she got to the face). The kitchen, though—it’s a complete disaster by the end, and Omega had the best time making that mess*

Hunter: So…my batter’s cured solid in the mixer. Is that supposed to happen? *Okay, so, his cake looks gorgeous. He’s managed to paint a sunset on Pabu onto what looks like a three tiered cake with buttercream, and it’s got this amazing texture and impressionistic look. Unfortunately, when you cut into it, it’s just three tiers of ground up ration bars fused into a kind of concrete using burnt caramel. It tastes like sand and death.*

Echo: It’ll be perfect as long as I follow the recipe. *He looks at the recipe, sees at least five ingredients he can’t eat, and decides to make a smoothie that he can eat instead. He’s not a big fan of cake, and that’s okay. It’s a really good smoothie.*

Tech: Baking is just chemistry. What could go wrong? *Lots of things. Lots of things can go wrong. Turns out that chemistry (outside of biochem) is a bit of a blind spot for Tech, and our guy can’t just follow directions without experimenting a little. Or a lot. In the end, he does end up with something. It’s not cake, but it’s definitely something. Some might call it clam chowder in a bread bowl. Really good clam chowder in a bread bowl. Just—it’s definitely not cake.*

Crosshair: Hhmm. *Crosshair can’t be too bothered to make a cake, so he buys three boxes of space funfetti cake mix, follows the directions on the box exactly, stacks the three funfetti cakes with funfetti icing in between, and then decorates the whole thing with the icing leftover from both Hunter’s and Omega’s cakes. That said, his piping is amazing. Everyone’s afraid to eat his cake because it looks so pretty. He also ate about five of Omega’s cupcakes, but it’s okay—she kept putting them on his side of the table so that he would.*

Wrecker: YEAH! CAKE TIME, BABY!! *disappears for three days and re-emerges with this gravity defying illusion cake that looks like the Maurader flying over a rocky moon full of B-1s. The B-1s are made of tempered chocolate and full of salted caramel, he’s using at least four different flavors of cake and three different kinds of cream filling, there’s a ganache river on the moon surface, the marauder cake is actually levitating (because Star Wars), it has jets of sugar glass that actually light up coming out of the engine, AND it fires choux pastry proton bombs that actually explode with jogan fruit mousse when they hit the ground. There’s even a whole section especially made for Echo so that he can eat it. And it all tastes perfect. He ends up the designated cake guy on the rare occasions they need a cake, and he couldn’t be more delighted.*

[madlockcal]

( BENJAMIN WADSWORTH, CISMALE, HE/HIM ) CALUM MADLOCK the TWENTY FOUR year old is said to remind people of FIDGETING WITH SHARP OBJECTS, FUCKED UP BOX OF CIGARETTES they are known to be AMICABLE and INDECISIVE which makes sense when you think about how they are A DRUG RUNNER in THE BLACK SPADES.

Hi hello! My name is T and in this essay I will be introducing you to my home boi Calum. There will be some triggering topics below so please proceed with caution!

basics:

full name:  Calum Alexander Madlock

nicknames:  Cal, CAM, Callie,

gender:  Cismale

pronouns:  He/Him

sexuality:  Pansexual

age:  24

date of birth:  April 5th

Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA

zodiac sign:  Aries

likes:  Sprite, cough syrup, mixing the two, yoyo’s, video games, collecting key chains

dislikes: When it takes people to long to unlock the car door, cold fries, reality TV

Background: (tw: Overdose, drug use)

What all can be said about Calum Madlock? He wasn’t the popular kid in high school by any means. At least not for his personality he wasn’t. The only time anyone really paid him much attention was when he set the head cheerleaders uniform on fire on a dare. She deserved it anyways. Especially after slapping him for trying to get her best friend to steal a car with him. His drug dealing tendencies were another story. He didn’t start out that way. On the contrary. Calum's home life was decent. He was born to two very wealthy parents who loved and adored him, but loved traveling the world for work even more. Leaving him most of the time with his grandparents. Which on its own should not have been a reason for Cal to spiral down the path that he had.

Unfortunately like most men in his family, Calum was cursed with the same luck of falling for people who had a knack for damaging them. He met Natalia Walsh on his first day of school freshman year and fell instantly in love with her. Didn’t have to do much chasing. She fell for him just as quickly. As per usual things started out innocent. Girl likes boy. Boy likes girl. Girl also likes drugs. Calum learned quickly that Nat had been raised by an entire family of addicts and despite her assurance watched as the girl he loved just as quickly fell victim to the powers of addiction. Fortunately for Nat, Calum was far from the good boy his parents and grandparents had expected him to be. Had, had his own introduction to pot and cocaine when he’d been out to visit his cousins in Portland. Envied his cousins life for his ability to get high so freely without having to hide it from anyone.

As time went on he and Nat grew and developed new loves for trying different things together. Everything was all good until coming home from a stint in rehab and having been informed by his grandparents that they’d gotten a call from her parents. They had come home and found her dead on arrival thanks to an unknown cocktail she’d taken without telling him. Calum had no idea where she’d gotten it but her parents still reached out to his grandparents immediately to warn them. This earned Calum a one way ticket back to rehab.

Lot of good that did him right? Wrong! Because how are you ever supposed to recover from knowing you could have done something but didn’t? By drowning yourself further. When he’d returned home from rehab he was immediately transferred to a boarding school for the rich and the preppy. People he didn’t fit in with and certainly didn’t get along with. But he’d found solace in rising to the top as the number one drug dealer that school had ever seen. They didn’t have to like him. Not when they needed him. And he used this to propel him through his remaining high school years. Sure things weren’t perfect. They were never going to be for a kid who got his kicks getting high and making a menace of his peers. Unfortunately when it came time for college applications, after all the money his grandparents had spent having to send him to boarding school, it meant he had no choice but to apply for a scholarship if he wanted any hope of getting into the school they had also hand picked for him. Little did they know, the "scholarship" he received was far from real and instead had him running away to New York. He no longer felt the need for the familial ties he'd once craved. Not when he'd find himself affiliated with The Black Spades. They'd become his new family, and made doing the kind of business he'd always thrived in a breeze.

[helloalycia]

the Clarks [three] // alicia clark

summary: now that Nick has finally returned from rehab, you both have to start considering what happens following graduation.

warning/s: mentions of relapsing, drugs and alcoholism.

author's note: it’s a bit late again, my bad! but here’s part 3, hope you like it 🥰

one / two / four / five / masterlist / wattpad

18 years old...

Time had flown so quickly since Nick returned home and, before I knew it, we were counting down the days until graduation. There was only a week left before we'd both be walking onstage to collect our diplomas – something we were both surprised to achieve, but nonetheless grateful.

We were laying on his roof the evening before our last week in school, staring up at the stars and chatting about anything and everything. It was one of those moments you didn't want to end because you were at peace and nothing could change that.

"Are you gonna leave if I pull out some weed?" he asked suddenly, ruining the moment.

I groaned quietly. "Nick..."

He laughed quietly, already pulling out a joint and lighting it. "It's only weed, it won't kill me."

I gave him a disapproving look. He was supposed to be clean, but he'd been using weed on and off for the past few weeks. It was better than much worse drugs out there, but it still worried me in case he got addicted again.

He breathed in before sighing with relief as he got more comfortable, moving one arm behind his head to use as a pillow.

"What do you think you're gonna do after school's finished?" I asked him once it fell quiet again.

"Dunno," he said honestly.

"Haven't you applied for any colleges?"

He snickered, as if I'd said something amusing. "Nope. Mum's been on my back about it, but I don't know if I want that right now. Why force it?"

I hummed in acknowledgement, admiring the few stars dotted in the sky. "You've been through a lot this past year. Maybe you should use this time to focus on yourself for a while."

He put his joint to his lips once more before handing it over to me. "Maybe. What about you?"

I quirked a brow, looking between me and the joint. He tried not to laugh as he waved it in the air.

"C'mon, it won't kill you," he teased.

I sighed, figuring it would be okay to let loose just this once. Accepting the joint, I took a smoke and pulled a face at the taste. I'd had weed before, but only a little, and aside from the momentary high it gave me, I wasn't a huge fan.

"I don't know either," I finally answered his question. "Not properly anyway."

He laughed as he nudged me. "Yeah you do. C'mon. Tell me."

I shrugged. "I'll be working full time at the diner, hopefully only for the year. They said they'd take me on. I'm saving to go to college."

"How wise," he joked, making me smile and roll my eyes.

I smoked some more, letting myself fall into nothing as I embraced the silence, and then Nick and I both turned to the left when we heard a noise on the roof.

"Gee, thanks for the invite." It was Alicia.

Nick groaned lightheartedly. "Go away. I'm trying to hang out with my friend and you're ruining it."

I slapped his arm playfully. "Shut up, Nick. She can join us."

"I was going to anyway," Alicia said before laying down beside me.

Nick grumbled to himself as I chuckled, then I passed her the joint. She gladly accepted, smoking it, before glancing over at me.

"So, what were you talking about?" she asked.

"What Y/N's gonna do after graduation," Nick filled her in.

She hummed, looking back to the sky. "Working, right?"

"Uh-huh," I confirmed.

"If only we could all get straight A's like you, Leashy," Nick teased.

"If you tried, you could, idiot," she retorted, making me chuckle as he scoffed.

The three of us stayed up there for a little while longer, talking nonsense, getting semi-high and preparing ourselves for the last week of school tomorrow. By the time the sky started spinning above me, I knew it was probably time to pack it in for the evening, but before I could say anything, Alicia spoke up from beside me.

"You'll still be around, right?" she asked. "Afterwards?"

It took me a few seconds longer than usual to realise she was talking about after I graduate, and I looked over at her, nodding.

"Of course," I said. "Where else would I go?"

She smiled softly, eyes dilated and half-lidded at the same time, and just like me, she was slightly out of it. It didn't help that I couldn't seem to look away from her, and I wasn't sure if the moment was abnormally long or if I was too high to make sense of it, but I couldn't stop thinking about how pretty she looked. About how much I wanted to kiss her right now. About how I was certain I'd stay by her side as long as I could because she meant so much to me, more than I'd ever let on.

When I found my thoughts drifting, I looked up at the sky again and blinked, suddenly coming out of my weed-induced daze. That was weird, thinking of Alicia like that. She was my best friend's little sister and she thought of me as family. I was being weird. Oh, God.

Massaging my head briefly, I began to sit up. This is why I wasn't a weed person, especially not whilst laying next to the girl I had major feelings for.

"You okay?" Alicia asked, and Nick nudged me with his foot, his way of checking in.

"Yeah, just tired," I half-lied, because it was kind of true. They didn't need to know the rest. "I'm gonna call it a night."

"We all should," Alicia agreed. "Early start tomorrow."

I hummed in agreement, and avoided looking at Alicia for the rest of the evening.

Graduation day finally arrived, and though my mum didn't care enough to see me collect my diploma, I still had the Clarks standing in my corner, making it worthwhile.

The last thing I expected was for Madison and Alicia to throw Nick and I a joint celebratory party at their house after the ceremony. It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for me – the other nice things also being from them, funnily enough – and I definitely cried. Nick appreciated it too, but he was never a fan of these sorts of things. Either way, I was grateful enough for the both us.

Madison had invited some of the neighbours and Alicia had invited some of her friends to hang out with. It was a small affair, but I didn't have anyone special to me other than them anyway, so I loved it nonetheless.

It was at this party where I finally met Alicia's boyfriend, Matt. He was nice enough when she introduced him and he seemed to treat her the way she deserved. Truthfully, there wasn't a single fault. And yet, I still didn't like him. I knew why, but that didn't matter. My feelings didn't. So, I played nice and avoided them like the plague, as one does.

After conversing with everyone, I took a breather in the corner of the garden where some food was laid out. Nick found me there, revealing that he was heading off.

"So soon?" I asked with confusion "This party is mainly for you, Nick. You can't just leave."

He waved a dismissive hand. "No one will care. Besides, you'll still be here. I'm gonna go hang out with Gloria."

Gloria was his friend from rehab, and though she seemed lovely, the two of them didn't seem to bring out the best in one another. Still, it was clear she was more than a friend to him, so I couldn't comment.

"Why don't you invite her here?" I suggested, before popping some fruit in my mouth. "Everyone seems to be bringing their partners."

He chuckled, giving me a look. "Firstly, Gloria isn't my partner. Secondly, that technically leaves you out. Where's your partner, Y/N?"

"Non existent, arsehole."

"Hopefully not for long," he said between laughter, before hugging me. "See you later."

I sighed as I watched him leave. It was his day too, and if he wanted to celebrate with Gloria, who was I to stop him? My eyes drifted from his retreating figure to the other party guests mingling in the garden, and then they settled on Alicia and Matt, lingering without meaning to. She was giggling at something he said and it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

It was stupid to still like her after all this time, especially when she had a boyfriend, but I truly couldn't help it.

"How's my new graduate doing?" Madison suddenly appeared, earning my attention.

I returned her smile and straightened up. "I'm good, Madison. Thank you again for doing all this. It's wonderful."

"You gotta stop thanking me," she said with amusement, before standing beside me with her drink and looking out at everyone. I wondered what she wanted, but before I could ask, she said, "I got you a little something."

She pulled out an envelope from behind her back and held it out to me.

"Oh, Madison, you really didn't have to. This party is more than enough," I said, attempting to decline, but she shook it for emphasis.

"Stop it, Y/N, just take it."

It didn't feel right to, but it was also rude to decline her sweet gesture, so I reluctantly accepted the envelope and opened it. My jaw immediately dropped when I pulled out a cheque for five thousand dollars, addressed to me.

"It should cover most of your time at community college, right?" she asked innocently, like she didn't know.

"Madison, I..." Five thousand dollars? That was more than I'd saved in the past three years! "I could never take this. I– What the hell?"

"It's yours now," she assured me. "A gift."

I glanced at her, seeing her kindness reflected in her eyes, the same one she offered to me ever since I moved in next door. But this was too much. I couldn't accept it.

Ignoring her, I put the cheque back in the envelope and tried to give it back to her, but she refused, hiding her hands in her pockets.

"Madison–"

"No," she said sternly. "You're like a daughter to me, Y/N. I see a lot of myself in you and I care about like I do my own kids."

I pressed my lips together, unsure how to respond. She never spoke how she felt, so this was a rarity.

"Nick, he... he's lost," she continued, smiling at me dryly. "He doesn't wanna go to college apparently. I'm hoping that'll change, but..." She clicked her tongue. "Alicia is already set. It's always been smooth sailing for her. So, that only leaves you. And I know that your mum, she... well, I don't expect her to have saved for you, and I know you've been saving for yourself, but it'll take too long and I don't want you to miss out. So, I'm giving this to you and I want you to enrol now. For this year. It's not too late."

Tears were making their way to my eyes as I looked at her. "Madison."

"Please," she said gently.

Nobody had ever cared this much for me before, nobody except her. I'd always known she considered me family, but there was playing family and there was actually being family. And nobody just handed somebody five grand unless they meant it. And Madison, especially, wouldn't do something like this unless she meant it.

My mum, my dad... they never cared. Not truly. And though Nick and Alicia would both argue that their mother had no emotions, I'd always think the opposite. This woman stood before me was the most sensitive person I knew.

Unable to answer with words, I nodded slowly before pulling her in for a hug so tight that I was certain I couldn't let go. She rubbed my back comfortingly before we both pulled away and I looked down at the envelope once more.

"I'm gonna pay you back," I promised, to which she instantly shook her head.

"No way. It's not a loan, Y/N, it's a gift."

I breathed out slowly, laughing to disguise from my embarrassment at crying with happiness. She may have gifted it to me, but I knew I'd pay her back one day anyway. For everything.

"I'm so so proud of you, sweetie," she said, resting a hand on my shoulder and making me look at her again. "You're gonna do amazing things one day and I can't wait."

More tears rolled down my cheeks and I felt an overwhelming happiness flood through me. I wasn't sure what I'd done to deserve this, but I was glad for it.

"Y/N, hon, can you go get Matt and Alicia? Dinner's ready," Madison called to me in the living room.

I glanced back at her from the couch. "Sure thing."

I would have much preferred not to, but I also knew I needed to get over myself about this whole Alicia thing, so I forced myself off the couch and headed upstairs to Alicia's room. Her door was almost closed, slightly ajar as per Madison's rule whenever Matt visited. I was about to enter, but I paused when I heard them talking in quiet voices.

"I just can't wait to leave already," Alicia was saying, which is what earned my attention because she sounded a little fed up. "Get as far away from them as I can."

"Not too far, I hope," Matt joked.

"Not too far, of course," Alicia agreed, before they both sighed in unison, and I cringed, knowing they'd probably just kissed.

I was going to stop lurking and just walk in, but I couldn't help but overhear as she continued. And I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but I had an instinct to just listen.

"I'm just tired," Alicia continued. "Looking after Nick, being mum's second priority, dealing with Travis..."

Travis was Madison's boyfriend, a recent part of the Clarks lives, and a better one, in my opinion, but of course Nick and Alicia didn't see it that way because their father's death was still fresh for them. Travis was a teacher at school, which is how Madison and him had met, so Alicia probably saw him more often than she wanted to.

"It's just easier to look after myself," Alicia finished. "I basically have been anyway."

"And what about Y/N?" Matt asked curiously.

"What about her?"

"You wanna get away from her too?"

I held my breath as I awaited her response, the second of silence killing me.

"Of course not," she said matter-of-factly, which had me relieved for a moment before she unfortunately continued, "but she won't leave here. And I can't hang around."

Definitely not expecting that, I frowned and stepped back instinctively, but I must have made a sound as Alicia called out loudly.

"Is someone there?"

Flushing with embarrassment, I cleared my throat and pushed the door open, poking my head in, but I couldn't for the life of me meet any of their eyes. "Madison said dinner's ready."

"Oh, okay," she answered awkwardly.

"Matt, you can stay too," I added uncomfortably.

"Actually, I should head back," he answered, "but thanks for the offer."

I nodded and turned to leave, heading back downstairs and forcing myself to ignore everything I'd just heard. It wasn't my business anyway, and I shouldn't have been eavesdropping. It had just taken me by surprise is all, as Alicia had never expressed thoughts of leaving as strongly as she had just then.

When the Clarks and I sat together eating dinner, I felt Alicia's eyes burning holes into the side of my head, but I refused to meet her gaze. I still felt odd and I couldn't stop thinking about her words. Were her family that bad that she wanted to leave so quickly after graduation? Was I?

After dinner, once I'd helped Madison clear the table, I was on my way to get my jacket when Alicia suddenly pulled me to the side, out of sight from everyone else as we were alone in the living room.

"You heard me talking to Matt, didn't you?" she blurted out in a hushed voice.

I blinked, looking down at her hand which was still gripping my arm. She let go once she realised, and I played dumb.

"No, I didn't."

She narrowed her eyes, studying me carefully as if debating whether to push it. Finally, she rolled her eyes and turned to leave, but I couldn't seem to just let it go.

"Are you really just going to leave?" I asked calmly. "Go as far away as you can?"

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You don't get it."

"Then explain," I said with confusion. "Because it sounds like you're counting down the days until you get your diploma, then you're off."

She met my eyes, giving me a look. "It's not like that. But yes, I've been applying to colleges far from here."

I frowned, a little hurt that she'd never told me any of this before and that I'd found out the way I had. "Well, at least I know you'll get in, right? You're not dumb."

Her expression softened and she tried to touch me, but I backed up. "Y/N."

"You don't know how grateful you are, do you?" I said, a little sterner than I intended, but it was the only way I knew. "Your family. They're a little dysfunctional, sure, but they care. And the way you talk about them, like they're such a burden–"

"They are!" she snapped in a low voice, surprising me. "Nick is back on drugs, and who has to be there when he's coming back down? Me! I babysit him like he's the younger brother. And mum, she's always at his beck and call, but me? She couldn't care less!"

I scrunched my eyebrows together in shock. "Alicia, that's not true–"

"It is!" she exclaimed angrily. "You wouldn't know."

Her anger was contagious and I scoffed, shaking my head. "So, what? They're all a burden because they need you? Makes me wonder what you think of me."

"That's not fair," she said in a low voice.

"Isn't it? I won't leave here. Isn't that what you said?"

She opened her mouth, eyebrows raising with disbelief. "That's because it's true! You won't! This is your chance to get out, make a life away from this one, but you stay!"

"I won't, or I can't?" I answered, glaring at her with teary eyes. "In case you've forgotten, I have fucking nobody! No money, no family, nothing! I don't even have a freakin' car! Where the hell would I go? I'm only at fucking college because your mum felt sorry for me and gave me the money! So, of course I won't just leave. I can't!"

She'd never hinted she felt this way before and it was horrifying. Had I overstayed my welcome? I was technically an adult now, but I never thought... maybe I had pushed my luck. Either way, there was a way to tell me and this wasn't it. And now I felt humiliated, burning with anger and hurt and it was so much worse because it was coming from Alicia.

"Wait...," she murmured, eyes roaming my face as her expression softened and the reality of the conversation hit her. "Just wait. Y/N, I didn't mean it like that. I shouldn't have said that."

She attempted to touch my face, but I moved away and wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"It doesn't matter," I said, tired. "Forget it. Just– forget it."

"No, just– Y/N, wait, please, I'm sorry–"

Walking past her, I grabbed my jacket and didn't bother to stay any longer or hear her out. Clearly, I wasn't wanted.

The next day, I was sat on campus eating lunch after class. It was supposed to be a well-needed moment of quiet in one of my favourite places – next to a park where some ducks always came out near the water and made for a lovely sight. I wasn't able to focus in class after everything that went on last night, so I thought a lunch alone in my favourite spot would help, but it was just my luck that I couldn't even have that.

A familiar figure began to approach the picnic bench I was sat on, not even giving me chance to open my sandwich.

"Hey," Alicia said when she stopped before the bench, looking nervous.

I sighed, dropping my sandwich. "How did you find me?"

She waved her phone in the air. "Find My iPhone."

I was seriously regretted enabling that function, but we'd all agreed to do so after we couldn't find Nick that one time when he went on a night out. Now, I just wanted to be alone.

"I want to apologise and I couldn't wait any longer," she said softly.

"Forgive and forget," I said dismissively, picking up my sandwich again. "You can go now."

"No," she said stubbornly, before taking a seat opposite me. "Y/N, I'm so fucking sorry. I never meant to say what I did. I didn't mean it like that at all. You were right. I have more than most and I took advantage of it. I guess I just wanted to start fresh."

"Yeah, without everyone," I reminded her, looking between her eyes. "Without your family. Without–"

"Not without you," she stated with an apologetic look. "Never without you."

I wanted to believe her – she'd never lied to me before, but after everything she'd said... there had to be some truth to it.

"I applied for colleges here too," she shared, resting her hand on mine on the table. "I don't know where I'm going or what I'm doing, but I'm not trying to run away. You're all my family. I love you."

I swallowed hard, looking down. "Maybe I don't get it. Not fully. But I just thought–" I paused, not even sure what I was trying to say. "I don't know."

She squeezed my hand gently, earning my attention. "The best thing that could have happened to me is us taking you in as one of our own. The last thing I wanted was to make you feel any less."

I sighed, hating how much I cared about what she thought of me. About what all of the Clarks did. But they were all I had.

"I'm so sorry," she repeated. "I never meant to upset you and I've been kicking myself since I said what I did."

I nodded slightly, resting my other hand on hers in reciprocation. "It's okay. I get it. Your situation is tough and you had to grow up a lot faster because of Nick... I've tried to help ease that burden for you, but Nick can get out of control sometimes, I know."

"I appreciate it," she said, but I wasn't looking for acknowledgement, I just wanted her to be okay.

"I'm sorry, too," I told her. "The whole making your problems seem smaller thing wasn't cool."

"Thank you," she said with a nod of acceptance.

"Wherever you choose to go to college, I'll still be here for you," I promised her. "Whether it's Timbuktu or around the corner."

She cracked a small smile, bringing a light to her eyes that I'd missed. "I know."

"Ideally not Timbuktu though," I added lightheartedly. "Flights would be a little pricey."

A quiet chuckle flew from her lips as she nodded. "Noted." Her smile reminded as she met my eyes hopefully. "I have a free period. Wanna eat lunch together?"

I returned her smile. "I'd like that."

19 years old...

Nick's MIA. Is he with you?

I read Madison's message with furrowed brows, both confused and worried for my best friend. It was the third time this month he'd gone rogue, worrying his whole family.

Attempting to call Madison, I cursed when she wouldn't pick up then dropped her a text to let her know he wasn't but that I'd update her if anything changed. Then, when I finally finished my morning classes, I gave Alicia a call as I waited for the bus.

"Y/N, what's up?" she answered straight away.

"Your mum just said Nick's missing again," I said, but before I could finish, Alicia was already speaking.

"He's been found," she assured me, though she sounded understandably pissed off. "They brought him into the hospital this morning. Idiot got hit by a car. No surprises what he was up to."

I chewed on my lower lip, worried. "Is he okay?"

I could imagine her eye roll as she said, "Considering he didn't get arrested, I'd say he was great." She paused, then her frustration left her tone as she said, "I've got class, Y/N. Can we talk later?"

"Of course," I said, feeling bad for her because this sort of thing had been happening a lot more than usual lately. "Sorry. See you later, Leashy."

"See you later."

I wanted to check on Nick, but he was in hospital overnight and when Madison offered to let me join her, Alicia and Travis to visit him in the morning, I couldn't afford to miss class. I almost did, but Madison assured me it was okay and he'd be fine, so I promised I'd visit later that afternoon. Only, when I tried to arrange it with Madison, they revealed he'd escaped the hospital without telling anyone.

Naturally, I was worried out of my mind, but Madison and Travis promised they were searching for him, so I shouldn't worry about it. Easier said than done, of course.

That same day, after class, I tried ringing Madison to see if there were any updates about Nick's whereabouts, but there was no answer.

By the time I'd stopped by to grab some lunch and headed home, I went straight for the Clarks house to check in. I was surprised to find Madison at home.

"Y/N, you're here," Madison said when she answered the door, immediately pulling me in for a hug. "I was just about to call."

Confused, I returned the hug. "Er, yeah... I just wanted to see if there was any news with Nick."

At this, she pulled me inside the house and that's when I saw the idiot himself stood in the living room. Relieved at the sight of him, but also concerned because of some bruises covering his face, I pulled him in for a hug.

"You fucking idiot," I muttered.

He hugged me tight, about to say something, but Madison spoke up instead.

"Alicia's calling... Y/N, can you just– can you watch him for a sec?"

"Sure," I said, still confused with why she was panicked. "Everything okay?"

It wasn't hard to miss the deadly stare she shot her son, who looked like he had a million and one things to say.

"What's wrong?" I asked him when I saw his ghastly expression and inability to stand still.

He simply shook his head, saying nothing, but he looked anxious. Madison left two of us alone, heading into the kitchen.

"You can be such an idiot sometimes," I scolded him once she was gone. "Using again? Getting hit by a car? Are you insane, Nick?"

He wasn't listening to a word I was saying as he took a seat on the couch, knees bouncing up and down with impatience. I rolled my eyes, knowing how this would go since he hadn't listened to me for a long time now.

"...no, Alicia, don't touch him!" Madison was saying, on a phone call but loud enough for us to hear.

She returned not long later, looking stressed out and as anxious as Nick did. Was I missing something?

"What's up? Is everything okay?" I asked her supportively. "Is Alicia okay?"

She brushed her hair from her eyes. "She's with Matt. He's sick."

"Yeah, a load of people were off sick today in class," I realised, before shrugging. "Maybe there's a bug going around."

Madison wasn't satisfied with that answer though, as she went to grab her car keys. "I'm gonna pick her up. I don't want her getting sick, too."

"I can get her her if you want," I offered, but she shook her head and glanced at Nick, who was sweating profusely.

"No. You stay with Nick. I won't be long."

Not really getting much of a choice, I nodded and watched her leave. Nick didn't reveal much, even when Madison left, but he seemed troubled by something and no amount of coaxing from me would help. He was suffering from withdrawals, just over twenty-four hours passing since he'd taken anything, and the symptoms were making themselves known.

After what felt like forever, Madison returned with an irritated Alicia in tow. Though, as soon as she saw me with Nick, her irritation disappeared.

"He's not doing too well, Madison," I told the blonde, kneeling beside a shivering Nick.

"I'm gonna get him his prescription," Madison assured me, before looking between Alicia and I. "You girls look after him. Travis will be here soon with Liza and Chris, so keep an eye out."

Alicia and I exchanged confused looks. Why was Travis bringing his ex-wife and son back here? And what was Madison so worried about, apart from Nick?

"You're gonna make me stay here and look after this idiot when Matt needs my help?" Alicia asked her mum.

"Alicia, don't argue this," Madison said knowingly. "Stay put, okay?"

She didn't wait for a response as the door slammed behind her when she left. I sighed, using a damp cloth to cool Nick's forehead. Meanwhile, Alicia threw her backpack on the floor before looking to me.

"Can you watch him? I wanna check on Matt," she said.

"I–"

"No," Nick groaned, pushing me away as he struggled to sit up. "Mum said you have to stay."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "You've got Y/N."

"Is he okay?" I asked her, noticing her worry behind her mean girl facade.

"He's sick," she said with a frown. "Didn't show for our date in the park and that's why I went to check on him. His parents are out of town, Y/N, I can't just leave him."

The last thing I wanted to do was go against Madison's request, but I truly didn't see the harm in her checking on him.

"Okay, fine," I gave in with a nod. "Go. I'll watch Nick."

She smiled appreciatively before making her way to the door, but Nick didn't seem to like this as he forced himself to stand up.

"Alicia, no!" he shouted after her, making her roll her eyes. "You can't, Alicia, it's not safe!"

"Nick, sit down!" I shouted at him when he leaned against the couch for support. "Nick– Nick!"

I screamed his name when he fell to floor suddenly, convulsing, and Alicia was by my side in an instant, helping me help him.

Alicia and I sat on the two armchairs, exhausted and nervous as we watched Nick laying on the couch, sleeping. Madison still wasn't back with his meds and, considering we'd almost watched him choke to death on his own vomit, we were pretty impatient for her return.

"You okay?" I checked in with Alicia.

Her green eyes flickered from Nick to me. "No. You?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "You thinking about Matt?"

She nodded weakly.

"I'm sure he's fine," I tried to put her at ease. "Have you tried calling him? Maybe his parents are back."

"He won't answer," she said monotonously.

I frowned, unsure what else to recommend. Thankfully, keys were rattling at the front door and in walked Madison with Nick's meds.

"I've got it," Alicia said, grabbing the bag and attempting to wake up Nick.

"Y/N, have you checked on your mum?" Madison asked randomly.

I quirked a brow. "Er, no. Am I supposed to?"

She glanced out the window uneasily. "There's a lot going on out there. Just do it, hon."

Already knowing I'd regret it, I gave my mum a ring there and then, to which she picked up after a few rings.

"Mum? It's Y/N," I said, in case she happened to be too drunk to read her caller ID. And woo-hoo, guess who was right?

"Y/N?" she asked with confusion, before exclaiming with realisation, "Y/N! What do you want?"

Unsurprised at this point, I said, "Where are you? Are you coming home?"

She laughed, though it was hard to make out because of the sound a man talking nearby, giving me the creeps. "I'll be on my way soon. Don't wait up."

I rolled my eyes. "Right. See you later."

Once I hung up, I realised Madison was still waiting to hear an update.

"She's drunk," I told her the usual. "But she's gonna be back soon."

She nodded distractedly, before saying, "When she comes home, you need to check if she's sick. And if she is, you shouldn't touch her."

"Mum," Alicia said disapprovingly, before I could even think to speak. "Not now."

I shook my head with confusion, looking back to Madison. "What?"

"This sickness, it's spreading," she said with concern. "I don't want you getting sick, too. Just promise me you'll check, okay?"

Alicia scoffed, unimpressed at her mum's ignorance.

"I promise," I told her. "Besides, she'd have to actually make it home first..."

[roseofdarknessblog]

Love Treatment (Reiner Braun x Reader)

Word count: 4 840

Disclaimer: english is not my first language, I apologize in advance for any mistakes

Summary: Every Titan Shifter has a unique ability to heal different kinds of injuries. That can be considered a pretty useful skill, mainly directly on the battlefield. But amidst the chaos of the Marley Mid-East War, Reiner Braun finds himself injured without being able to handle the situation himself. Fortunately, there is someone very special in Liberio′s Military Hospital, who could help him heal in more than one way.

Love Treatment

„May I come in?“ you asked, before entering one of the hospital rooms. Almost all of them were full, but you were used to it by now. War was a horrible thing, many casualties happened every single day for almost four years now.

Injured soldiers straight from the battlefield were coming to the hospital daily. And today was no different. You were pretty busy since early morning when your shift started just a short while after sunrise. Even earlier than other days, because the workload was just too much for your colleagues. And it seemed that the rest of the day is going to be just as hectic.

„Sure,“ said the young Warrior on the other side of the door. When you walked in, Reiner Braun, the inheritor of the Armored Titan was sitting on the edge of the bed, his golden eyes fixed on the door.

„How are you feeling?“

„Fine.“ He shrugged with an almost deathly tired look on his face. His white uniform was soaked in blood, mainly from the gunshot wound he suffered before shifting into his Titan form. At least that’s what you’ve been told. „I wasn’t expecting you, exactly.“

A shy smile made its way to your lips. „So you’re disappointed?“

„No, I wouldn’t put it like that.“ With a small chrome tray in your hands, you walked closer and put it down on the bed. „Do you know what happened?“

„You’ve been shot and the wound is not healing for some reason. Even though your titan powers should’ve taken care of the injury a long time ago.“

This was the first time you witnessed something like this. Surely, you’ve heard about similar situations during your time in medical school, but never actually came in contact with such a case.

What made it even harder, was your long-lasting crush on Reiner.

The two of you got to know each other shortly after he returned from Paradis. It was here in the hospital when he brought in his cousin Gabi, who managed to sprain her ankle during military training. The girl wasn’t even nine years old at that time, she was too young to be a soldier. At least in your opinion.

You were one of the very few Eldians who got to work here in the military hospital. Being the best and more successful student in your year, you dared to apply as a surgery resident in a prominent hospital under the head of the military. And thanks to some miracle happening, you got positive feedback in a couple of days. You spent the last four years working your absolute hardest, studying day and night, to become the best Eldian surgeon in the whole of Liberio.

All of your hard work started to truly pay off a couple of months ago when you saved the life of one of the highest-ranking generals in the Marleyan Navy. Your surgical preceptor and all of the other doctors were too busy saving the lives of another high-ranking military personnel. The general was in a critical state, basically on the brink of death. Maybe that’s why your colleagues rushed to help people, who had more chance to survive.

You were supposed to be helping your preceptor, just like every other time, but decided to act against his orders. With the help of two nurses, it was you who saved the general’s life. Getting three bullets out of his body, suturing the wounds, and tending to some other injuries, you worked in total concentration and didn’t let anything or anyone disturb you. It took you almost five hours until you were finished and his condition wasn′t critical anymore.

The general lived, and it was only thanks to you. Your determination to save every patient, who was under your care. Even if people like him hated people like you.

A couple of days later, when he was feeling a bit better, the man called you into his hospital room for a talk. You were beyond surprised when he wholeheartedly thanked you for saving his life and said, that you should expect a very interesting reward. After he was released from the hospital, you received an important message. Marley decided to grant you an unimaginable gift – the status of an honorary Marleyan. And not just you, but your parents and two younger sisters as well.  

Since that moment, you were walking around the hospital and your hometown with a red armband, which now seemed to catch Reiner’s eye as well.

„How did you get the armband?“ he asked a little shocked, while you sat down next to him. It seemed that a little chat would do some good for both of you. After all, you needed a quick break after all the work you’ve already done today.

„I saved the life of a high-ranking navy general. All my colleagues were busy with other patients, so I did it by myself with the help of two nurses,“ you explained, studying Reiner′s face.

When was the last time you saw him? How many months ago? Five or six, maybe even more. Some days it was hard to keep track of time. But that didn’t change anything about the fact, that you used to think about him almost too often. Daily, mainly when you couldn’t sleep at night and wondered what was happening on the battlefield.

„I didn’t know he would reward me like this. It was a pleasant surprise.“

„Oh wow, that’s great. Your whole family got the honorary Marleyan status, right?“

„Yeah, my parents and sisters wear them too.“ Would you accept it if it was meant only for you and not for your closest family? No, of course not. If it wasn’t for their undying love and support, you would never make it this far. „My mom wants to move out from the internment zone, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea. You know all too well that these armbands don’t change how Marleyans see us.“

Reiner nodded quietly, probably reminiscing over his own experiences he never told you about.  At least not yet. But you were sure, that his life wasn’t that much better just because of the red armband. Not after what you’ve heard about Paradis, where he spent almost five years of his life.

„So...“ you said after a while. The silence was starting to be uncomfortable, so it was better to get back to work. „Can I take a look at that wound?“

„Yeah, sure,“ he said immediately, turning his head away from your face.

You watched him carefully unbutton his uniform, baring the area under his left collarbone, which was covered in a big piece of gauze. Whoever was shooting, was probably aiming for the heart and missed. Even with his Titan powers, you weren’t sure he would survive something like that.

An uneasy feeling washed over you. Even thinking about something like that happening to Reiner...

„How did you get shot? When did it happen?“ you asked, reaching for the small chrome tray with all the necessary supplies you’d brought and pulling it closer. You had to push all the bad thoughts aside and concentrate.

„I had to leave the Titan’s body behind in a pretty dire situation, and before I transformed again, somebody shot me. I don’t even know from where that bullet came, it simply hit me.“ The area around the wound was cleaned from any remains of dried blood, but visibly reddened and swollen a bit. It surely hurt, if he didn’t take any analgetics before coming here. „I thought it would heal, but it was still pretty painful and bleeding after the battle.“

„Did you see a doctor there?“

„No, they had plenty of work with other wounded soldiers. I still hoped it would heal on its own. And Pieck helped to patch me up a little, so it was okay.“

„So the bullet is still inside?“

Reiner shook his head. „No, it went completely through me.“

You worriedly furrowed your brows, placing one of your hands on his forehead and cheek to check his temperature. Fever was sometimes the first sign of an ongoing infection, which was pretty common with gunshot wounds. Mostly, when they weren’t treated right or soon enough.

„Okay, strip from the waist up,“ you commanded him.

What surprised you the most, was how subconsciously and innocently Reiner leaned into your touch. For a moment, you felt bad about pulling your hand away in panic. You could feel the embarrassment pooling on your face, while he was taking off the top part of his uniform, almost too visibly avoiding eye contact with you.

When you heard that the inheritor of the Armored Titan was here and needed medical attention, you took the case without thinking. After all, seeing Reiner for at least a couple of minutes was what you longed for the last few months. But now, sitting there in front of him, with all sorts of thoughts going through your head... Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. Perhaps you should’ve let someone else look after him and have a word later.

„Are you in any pain right now?“ you asked while looking at his back. There was an exit wound near his shoulder blade under another piece of gauze, which you really carefully took off. The angle of the bullet seemed pretty unfortunate, but the important thing was, that it wasn′t stuck there anymore. And if he was in a pretty decent shape, there couldn′t be any serious internal bleeding happening.

„Just a little.“

„Do you want anything to help with it?“ He shook his head even without thinking, again tearing his gaze away from you in a hurry. It seemed much safer for him to look at his armband, which he was now holding in his right hand. „Are you sure? The suturing is going to hurt.“

„No, I′m fine. You can start.“

You waited for a bit, but eventually got to work, putting on a pair of sterile gloves, before you did anything else. Cleaning the area with saline was the next step. Reiner watched you do your job without any words.  

„Tell me, if it gets too painful, okay? I′ll give you some medication, there is no need to suffer in order to play a tough guy.“

The tiny smile on his lips was a bit of a surprise. But it somehow gave you the confidence you needed at that moment. Operating on other people and treating their wounds felt completely different. You usually weren′t nervous. But now... your hands were slightly shaking.

„Believe me, many soldiers try to convince me, that they don′t any local anesthetic or other pain meds, then end up whining and crying the whole time. I truly hate that. It′s no fun when I can't talk with them during the procedure because they are too busy wailing.“

„So I have to talk to you as well?“ he teased, while you got hold of the necessary instruments. A needle, forceps, and medical scissors. You were taught that using the curve of the needle was the best method to pass the suture through the skin. „What would you like to hear about?“

You shrugged, carefully avoiding pulling the suture through the skin in a straight line while using the forceps to avoid touching the wound directly. Reiner winced a little, but that was it. No other movement or other demonstration of pain.

„Maybe you should start with the reason you′re here. I′m sure you haven′t told me everything yet.“

Closing a wound was an easy procedure. It was repetitive work, the hardest part was starting. At least in your opinion. Everything that came after, became purely automatic to you.

„So?“ you asked, when Reiner stayed quiet, averting his gaze once again. But it surely wasn′t because he didn't bare to look at a bloody wound. „Wouldn't you feel better if you talked to someone?“

You never truly viewed him as a talkative person. And that was okay, there was no need for him to share every little detail of his life with you. But right now it seemed a good idea to make him open up a little. It was pretty obvious, that something was very wrong.

„If everything was fine, you wouldn′t be sitting here getting sewed back together. Your mental state is important for using your titan powers. Healing abilities including.“

„Aren't you a little too smart?“

You smiled. „Well, if I wasn't, I surely wouldn′t be here today.“

Closing the wound under his collarbone took you very little time. Before you knew it, you instructed Reiner to turn his back to you, so you could do the same thing with the other half of the wound.

„Why did they send you home? This could have been done right there on the battlefield by any medic. No need for a hospital visit and a flight to Liberio and back.“ You were determined to get him talking. He wasn't leaving this room until he told you what really happened.

He could be stubborn, you already knew that. But you could be a million times worse when you set your mind to it. After all, you weren′t doing this out of boredom, but to help him.

„I won′t let you leave until you talk to me.“

„It seems that the war will be ending soon. We only have one more battle to fight, if everything goes well at Fort Slava. Everybody is busy with planning right now, we are set to attack next week,“ Reiner finally said, after letting you work in silence for several long minutes. He winced occasionally but didn't show any other signs of being in pain. But he was far from being relaxed either, the precisely defined muscles on his back and shoulders were visibly tensed. „They need me in the best shape possible, that′s why Commander Magath sent me here.“

„And are we supposed to find out why your wound wasn't healing or just properly stitch you up and send you back?“ you joked to ease the dense atmosphere, slowly finishing with the suturing. „I personally would try to find the main reason for your problem. So you don't end up like this again. Even though it could have been worse... much worse. It seems that the shooter was aiming for your heart, but missed.“

„Unfortunately,“ he sighed quietly.

„Stop that!“ you scolded him immediately, finishing your work almost at the exact same moment. It still surprised you how well Reiner took the pain. Almost as if he didn′t feel anything the whole time. „Did you see your family before coming here?“ you asked, trying to change the subject.

Reiner shook his head, while you started to carefully dress his wounds. For some reason, it was becoming harder to focus on your work with every passing second. All you could think about was him. You desperately wanted to help the Warrior sitting beside you, but it seemed he had no interest in letting you do that.

He probably didn't even know you liked him and cared for him much deeper, than for your other patients. After all, you were at work, you had to act professionally. Personal feelings and emotions had nothing to do at the hospital ward.

„Okay, all done. You can dress up,“ you said after a couple of minutes, looking Reiner over one more time really carefully. He seemed much different from the time you saw him last. But not in a good way. „So... are you going home now?“

„No, I think I′ll stay at the HQ for a couple of days.“ You raised your eyebrows in surprise, while you tidied up your medical instruments, desperately trying to occupy your hands and therefore your mind as well. „Why do you ask?“

„Just wanted to know. I bet they miss you, especially Gabi.“ You knew almost nothing about his relatives. Only that he grew up without his father and that his little cousin wanted to inherit his Titan one day. „Seeing them for a couple of hours could do you good, maybe help you relax a bit.“

With one eye still on his back, you watched as he slowly put his uniform back on. But other than that, it didn′t seem he was in a hurry to leave this place. And you didn′t want to be the one to chase him away. So even though you had tons of other work to do and patients to see, you stayed there with him. Just sitting in complete silence, while Reiner was looking to the ground, fingers playing with the edge of the red armband still in his hands.

There was something about that particular moment. About seeing him without that damned piece of fabric on his left arm. Something, that made your heart ache for the young blond Warrior. You knew what he had to undergo, how hard he had to train since being a little kid.

And right there, in that moment, for maybe just a second it seemed, that he was just as scared, tired, and defeated, as a little kid forced to complete such harsh military training.

„You can stay here if you want,“ you said suddenly, not even thinking about the words which came out of your mouth. Only after they′ve been said out loud, and got Reiner′s attention. „I mean... I′m working the night as well. So if you′re not going home, you can stay here. With me,“ you added a little quieter, already regretting your stupid habit of talking before thinking.

„I don′t think it′s a good idea,“ he said, putting the armband back in its place. Without even looking at you, he suddenly stood up and tried making his way to the door.

But only until you got to your feet as well and reached for his hand. Your still trembling fingers wrapped around his wrist, as you urgently pulled him towards you. „Stay,“ you said firmly. „Please, stay.“

The whole world around you felt like it was on fire when he finally turned his head and looked at you in pure shock. You could feel your heart breaking into million little pieces when you once again saw the sadness and despair in his beautiful light brown eyes.

If only you knew how to help him and ease his suffering.

Reiner carefully pulled his wrist from your grasp, but almost immediately reached for your hand again, gently interlocking your fingers. You ran your thumb along his knuckles, pulling him even closer until his body collided with your own, and you wrapped your arms around him as tight as possible.

Only then you truly understood how much you yearned for this. To feel him this close and know, that he was okay. Alive and with you. At least at that moment.

„You don′t have to tell me anything, just... stay here,“ you whispered into his chest, gently resting your head against his right shoulder. You′ve dreamed about this moment many times – simply being in his arms, safe and sound from all the horrors of the world around.

„I wanted...“ he started but got quiet almost immediately. However, when you didn′t start talking, he took a couple of deep breaths, before speaking again. „I needed to come home for a couple of days,“ he said, running his fingers through your hair softly and lovingly. „I needed to see you and hear your voice.“ You smiled into his chest, wrapping your arms around his body even tighter. If it was only possible for this moment to never end. „I needed to remind myself for who I need to keep fighting for.“ His voice almost broke, as he got those words out.

With another tiny smile, you caressed his chest and tilted your head slightly back, to look into his face. Reiner was already looking at you, his eyes waiting to meet yours and tell you so much more, without even using actual words.

„I missed you so much,“ you said, fighting many different emotions all at once. There was so much you wanted to say to him. But was it the right moment? Or would it be better to leave everything for later? For after the war, when you finally can be together? „And prayed every night, that you′ll come home unharmed.“ You could feel his whole body relax against yours.

„Trust me, that bullet was so worth it.“ A shiver run down your back when he laughed quietly and pressed a kiss to your forehead. „By now it′s probably healed.“

„So much for my hard work,“ you teased him, while your eyes involuntarily wandered to his lips. How many times did you dream about kissing them? Probably too many. „Just try not to get injured again. We can see each other under much more pleasant circumstances.“

The height difference between you and Reiner was almost too perfect. Standing on your tiptoes, while he slightly bent down was enough to close the distance between the two of you. But before your lips finally brushed against each other, a loud knock on the door startled you.

„Just a moment!“ you shouted, suppressing your laughter. „We′re almost done.“

Reiner closed his eyes with a smile as well, cradling you in his arms just a moment longer, before he let go. As he sat back onto the hospital bed, you slowly opened the door, only to find your supervisor standing there. He needed your assistance with a complicated surgery immediately.

With an apologetic look toward Reiner, you left the room and hurried after your supervisor, debating the case while you were getting ready. It was truly a complicated surgery, which lasted almost six hours. You were dead tired when you finally walked out of the operating theatre and headed to the dressing room to change into a fresh pair of hospital uniform.

You wanted to find Reiner again, but more work got in your way and didn′t let you relax until late at night. The only thing you were able to do, was to fill out an official paper about Reiner′s medical condition and your decision to keep him here overnight for observation. Almost everything you wrote down was simply made-up nonsense, but it did the trick. Nobody questioned your decision, not even your supervisor. Quiet the opposite – he complimented your dedication to your work and thus to Marley itself, by taking such excellent care of somebody so important for the military.

It was almost midnight when you finally had time to get off your feet and eat something. Your head and back hurt as if someone beat you up, while your feet could barely carry you anymore. The morning was still far away, anything could happen until the first rays of sunshine appear on the horizon and your 24-hour shift will be finally over.

After hesitating a little, you made your way to the room, where Reiner was staying. It was late and quiet almost everywhere around you, so you didn′t want to knock and disturb someone. You just very carefully peered from behind the door, finding Reiner laying in bed. Thankfully, he wasn't sleeping.

„I was starting to think you forgot about me,“ he said quietly, sitting up without any sign of being in pain. Only a small lamp on the nightstand was switched on, but it gave out enough light for you to see the content, but somehow still sad look on his face. „Too much work?“

You nodded tiredly and closed the door, making your way to the bed. Sitting down felt more than nice after such a long day. „How are you feeling?“ With that question, you reached for his hand. It was surprisingly warm compared to your always cold ones. „Did the wound truly heal up already?“

„Yeah, it′s completely gone. I′m okay.“ You shook your head with a smile, slipping into Reiner′s arms almost immediately. „But only thanks to you,“ he added gratefully, running his hand up and down your aching back. If you closed your eyes, you could very easily fall asleep right there. „I really mean it.“

„And I meant what I said earlier. We can see each other under more pleasant circumstances and outside the hospital.“ You let the tips of your fingers slide along his jaw, gently grabbing his chin and tilting his head more toward you. Everything about him seemed so perfect. Every little detail of his face, even his disheveled hair. „Next time, please, don't get butchered just because you want to see me.“

„What if there won′t be any next time?“

„What do you mean?“ The light you thought you saw in his eyes was gone once more. His smile vanished, while his gaze lingered over the contours of your face. He was truly looking at you as if he never saw you before. Or as if he′ll never get the chance to do it again. „It will all be over soon, Reiner,“ you reassured him, resting your right hand against his chest, right over his steadily beating heart. „And after that... well, I don′t know what is going happen to Marley or to us, but...“

You were glad, that he shut you up with a tender kiss. His lips finally, after so many months of thinking about it, collided with yours, and for a glimpse of a moment helped you forget about reality. About the tiring work here in the hospital, and about the war itself.

Right there, it was only you and Reiner.

„Just say if I′m crossing any lines,“ he said a little hesitantly, his soft lips brushing against yours once more. You didn′t even dare to open your eyes. What if he disappeared? What if this all turned out to be just a dream?

„You have no idea how long I was dreaming about this moment,“ you whispered, cupped his cheeks, and kissed him again. A million times more urgently, as if he was the only thing keeping you from death′s reach.

Seconds turned into minutes and if it wasn't for your need to breathe, you would stay like that probably forever. As you tried to catch your breath again, Reiner leaned against you, burying his face into your hair. It didn′t take long until you hear a quiet sob escape his mouth, while his arm pulled you even closer to him.  

You knew this was coming. From the moment you saw him earlier, you could tell he′s going to break and let all his anger, disappointment, exhaustion, and sadness out. And it was more than okay. To be honest, it made you feel so much at ease, that he let his guard down like that in your presence. That he trusted you this much. That he wasn′t afraid to show you, just how much these last few years affected him.

„Cry it all out, it′s okay. I′m here,“ you whispered reassuringly, running your fingers through his hair in a calming motion, while simultaneously pressing tiny kisses to the top of his head. „You′re safe with me, I promise.“

Hearing him cry for many long minutes was truly one of the most painful things you′ve ever witnessed, but there was very little you could actually do to help him. Besides holding him tight and making sure he knows, that you will always be there for him. Always. In any kind of situation.

„I′m sorry... I just...“ you shook your head before he could continue, planting a kiss on his temple. As he slowly pulled away to look you in the eyes, you couldn't help but smile, while wiping away the remains of his tears. „I′m sorry,“ he said again.

„Nothing to be sorry about, Reiner,“ you assured him, leaned closer for a quick kiss, and made yourself comfortable on the hospital bed. Reiner watched you with teary eyes until you opened your arms and pulled him into another hug. „Try to get some sleep, I′ll stay here.“ His head came to rest on your chest very carefully, while his arms tightly wrapped around your waist securing you in place. He truly wanted to make sure you′ll stay there and won′t leave him. „Everything will be fine. Maybe not tomorrow or in a week, but eventually.“

„As long as you′re with me,“ Reiner whispered, his lips pressing against your neck.

A content smile made its way to your lips, as you felt Reiner relax in your arms. Everything about that moment felt so right. The weight of his body on yours, his arms holding you close to him, and the mere reality of the two of you being together like this.

School and work always came first to you, there simply wasn't time for silly little romances. Not when you were determined to fulfill your dream. But looking at the brave and handsome Warrior, who was holding onto you for dear life while slowly falling asleep on your chest, made you reconsider everything.

Maybe making room for love in your life wouldn't be so bad.

[rpstartersinc]

* 𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓.

feel free to change pronouns / wording!

“ what’s the point, she’s dead? ”  

“ you look like a man who could do some wishful drinking. ”

“ been behind this bar since you were in short trousers. ”  

“ not seen you in here before. ”  

“ i don’t get out much. ”  

“ i bet you’re the life and soul of the party, eh? ”  

“ whilst he was a bit of a sadistic cunt, he was first and foremost a professional. ”

“ he’s eye-fucking us. ”  

“ there’s blood everywhere. ”  

“ you must be a tough guy then. ”  

“ you don’t look like a tough guy to me. ”  

“ finish the fucking story. ”  

“ am i supposed to be scared? ”  

“ anyone else make a move on me, i’ll kill them! ”  

“ get away from that door! ”  

“ you remind me of someone. ”  

“ only takes a moment to be courteous. ”  

“ i don’t blush now, darlin’. ”  

“ can’t fucking hear myself think. ”  

“ well, to be fair, you have just blown his foot off - it will sting a bit. ”

“ nice and quiet. ”  

“ you’re full of shit, apparently. ”  

“ you eyeball me i’ll blow your fucking head off. ”  

“ this isn’t the first time i’ve looked into that end of a shooter. ”  

“ prison turned you into a stone-cold killer, did it? ”  

“ i’m gonna take pleasure cracking your fucking skull open. ”  

“ i got pretty good at waiting. ”  

“ doesn’t know the meaning of dishonesty. ”  

“ means more to me than life itself. ”  

“ never, ever, ever lend money to family ”  

“ why do you talk to me like that, eh? condescending. ”  

“ you always fucking get excited, you and that temper. ”  

“ i don’t wanna do anything illegal. ”  

“ trust me, it’s a piece of piss. ”  

“ so you knocked him out cold? ”  

“ it hurt, and i don’t just mean the money. ”  

“ i made a mistake, right? it’s not gonna happen again. ”

“ about two and a half pounds of none of your fucking business. ”

“ if she causes you any trouble, you can knock her out cold, can’t you? ”

“ i didn’t have a criminal record, i never had that mindset. ”  

“ say excuse me, cunt. ”  

“ excuse me, cunt. ”  

“ you should’ve said please. ”  

“ they make me look scary as fuck. ”  

“ got into a bit of a scuffle. ”  

“ nothing to be proud of. ”  

“ i was on my own. ”  

“ it was clear that i was gonna have to look after myself. ”

“ it’s self-defence, clearly, right? ”  

“ what do you want me to do, let them stab me? ”  

“ i had to change myself into something i didn’t even recognise anymore. ”

“ the body can be strengthened to a degree, but it’s your mind that makes you impervious to defeat. ”

“ just like the skin on your knuckles, the mind can be made callous as fuck. ”

“ i learned how to take pain, but more importantly, i learned how to dish it out. ”

“ my daily existence became about survival. ”  

“ i bet you didn’t know it’s possible to make your own napalm in prison. ”

“ probably not gonna be easy for you to hear. ”  

“ i didn’t think you had it in you. ”  

“ none of us had planned on being held hostage today. ”

“ i’ve got the devil me in me, too. but i learned to accept my wickedness, i learned to apply it for good. ”

“ you’ve gone and messed up my nice interrogation room floor. ”

“ i fucking remember it vividly. ”  

“ this is so fucking bad. ”  

“ i’ve been living with the threat of violence hanging over my head, twenty-four-fucking-seven. ”

“ i’ve been stabbed half a dozen times. ”  

“ i’ve killed people, with my bare fucking hands. ”  

“ you do have a problem with your attitude. ”  

“ you’re a loose cannon. ”  

“ i never said a fucking word, not a syllable! ”  

“ you’re not thinking straight. ”  

“ there’s no coming back from that. ”  

“ maybe i don’t wanna come back. ”  

“ oh, shit me, that toast smells nice. ”  

“ are they aware of what you do? ”  

“ i didn’t take you for the violent type. ”  

“ you sure are racking up the reasons to get yourself killed tonight. ”

“ i hope your little revenge mission was worth it. ”

“ key words there - revenge. ”  

“ when i found that purpose? well only then could i bear all the pain and suffering, because now it all had a meaning. ”

“ why are you protecting him? ”  

“ they’re gonna kill you in here, you know that, right? ”

“ i’d quite like to leave, actually. ”  

“ the only thing you’re ever gonna be remembered for is being a fucking mess. ”

“ i’m alright not being remembered for anything. ”

“ whatever satisfaction you think you’re gonna get out of all this is gonna be very fucking short-lived. ”

“ i will not be fucking disrespected. ”  

“ what’s done is done. ”  

“ that’s what happens when you get other people to do your dirty work, you forget to check the gun to see if it’s loaded. ”

“ two shots, two barrels, and i’ve already used both of them, you dumb fuck. ”

“ i think i’ll call it a night then. ”  

“ sorry about the mess. ”  

“ i’m thinking clearer than i have done in years. ”