#maybe they accepted him or maybe he never came out

[windixie]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ out of touch ♱ soccer player! gojo x alt! reader pt.1

summary : gojo is the university's most popular boy and soccer player. he can get any girl he wanted to warm up his bed, so why did he catch feelings for the girl who looks like she just woke up out of a coffin?

warnings ☠︎︎ this will contain smut throughout the story. reader is implied to have a smaller chest! gojo is an asshole :( so angst, profanity, insecurities, p in v, creampie, comfort, fluff, slight breeding kink, light choking, jealousy, ill prob add to the list as the story progresses!

word count : 1.03k

let me know if you want to be added to the tag list !!

you knew gojo. hell, everyone knew gojo. annoying, loud, obnoxious, ah should I go on? that's how you described the so called star player on the soccer team. his ego reached all the way towards the clouds by how much he was admired in the community. you on the other hand, not so much. sure you were known by many but not in such a positive way. you were intelligent sure, but the way you dressed wasn't entirely accepted. you were always getting bothered by other students, one of them being no other than satoru gojo. although, it seems that you two have grown into a friendship lately.

"hey pretty" you heard an awfully familiar voice come up behind you. the white haired boy was still in his blue and white soccer jersey covered in grass stains and some of his sweat from his practice that he just came from. you gave him one of your small sweet smiles."hi gojo" you mumbled back.

he looked down at your figure. the pretty black blouse fit you so perfect as well as those mini grey jean shorts that cupped your ass so deliciously. gojo took notice of you wearing your earbuds which he took one of them and placed it in his ear. "whatcha listening to?" you faced him slightly annoyed as you looked at how his face scrunched up in disgust.

"seriously? how can your ears support all that screaming?" he grimaced as he heard the loud singing.

he let out a chuckle at that before his eyes lit up as he realized something. reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of paper handing it to you. you blamed the shot of arousal that traveled towards you as you took notice of how veiny his arms were. you glanced down to see it was a ticket. a ticket to his upcoming soccer game, to be exact.

your eyebrows picked up as you turned to him. "you want me to go to your game?" the question made the blue eyed boy nod. "want you there on the stands baby, if you can, then I promise to play even better than I usually do." you were shocked to say the least. the satoru gojo inviting you to his game personally even after countless months of relentless bullying was not something you could see coming.

but you couldn't help yourself from nodding. "yeah sure ill be there!" the feeling of your heart beating against your chest brought a scary but not unwelcome feeling. You stared at him for a moment, unsure if you were hearing things correctly. The blue-eyed boy, a walking angel blessed by God himself, smirked down at you with a flicker of something you couldn’t quite place. It wasn't the usual cocky smirk. It was different—something warmer, maybe? Or maybe you were just imagining it.

"I'd like that."

"great, ill see you tomorrow after school then?" he asked in which you let out an mhm in return. "okay pretty, try and get some sleep. you need some just by judging off your eye bags" he teased. "shut up!"

you watched the taller boy walk off. his use of the sweet and loving names made you feel a little awkward, but you shoved it down. You had a feeling that this was just another one of his ways of throwing you off. It wasn’t like he was being sweet. Not Gojo. He never was.

As you walked off to the other side of where the dormitories where taking note on how the night was now awakening due to time change. as you reached for your AirPods case to put back your earbuds your fingers stopped on your left ear. your earbud was missing.

gojo didn't take notice of the music cutting off. he was in a completely different world thinking about none other than you. he didn't understand how he caught feelings. no matter how many times he reminded himself it was you and how he could do some much better that that. he only gave you to ticket to his game only to be nice, is what he told himself. a friendly gesture friends do all the time!

"yo Satoru!" one of his friends called out to him. gojo turned to look at the boy with long black hair and big ass gauges walking up to him along with some other boys from the team. a smile crept up on his face dabbing them all up. "hey you all did well at practice today"

"yeah man that's what we came to say as well but we saw you talking to that emo freak uh whats her name, y/n?" this made gojo slightly embarrassed on how they caught him. "don't tell me you hitting on that emo pussy, it can't be that good" one of the other teammates chuckled making the white haired boy slightly uncomfortable.

"nah man, too busy with uraume" Geto patted his back "good good, lets keep it that way. she's got a better body anyways. let me burrow her sometime yeah?" the blacked hair boy received a nudge at that making him chuckle.

you looked around you trying to find the taller boy to retrieve your airpod. sighing in relief as you saw him. "gojo!" you called out making the boys turn around.

"ah she came back for round two?"

you walked up to him. "hey uhm you still have my AirPods." you said pointing to his ear. "give back your friend her AirPods satoru" his friend teased.

"we're barely friends. acquaintance is a better term" he mumbled out. as you received back your airpod, you stopped. eyes widening as you heard what he said. "acquaintance? thought we were-"

"friends?" he cut you off. "cmon I pay attention to you two or three times and now suddenly we're friends?" he scoffed. why was he acting like this? that's right, because he's satoru gojo. you were nowhere as close as him. you never will be. your face turned serious before you reached into you pocket handing him the ticket he gave you. "here, you dropped this" you mumbled.

gojos eyes fell down to the ticket in his hands. his heart broke a bit. "wait.. y/n-"

"forget it" with that you retrieved back to the direction to your dorm fighting back tears as you left the boy stunned.

"looks like you hurt her feelings, gonna go apologize?"

"nah."

© 2025 windixie. All work belongs to windixie . please do not copy, repost, plagiarize, any of my works as your own.

[nanamiscocksleeve]

Hi!!! If you're still taking requests, can you do a bodyguard headcanon for the LADS boys pls and thanks 🙏

After talking to @ballorawan740 a little more, an extra detail added for the request was that MC was hired as a bodyguard for a young girl by their family. So I made all the men single dads for this HC. IDK who had they this child with or how it happened, just go with it.

Hey Miss Bodyguard...

Zayne:

He's a rich, famous, doctor stretched thin. He hadn't expected being a single dad would be this challenging. Being the youngest person to win the Starcatcher award was no small feat after all.

His fear stems from his refusal to work with Ever. He's terrified that they'll take his daughter as leverage.

He holds interviews of course, because how else can he find the best person to keep his little girl safe? When you walk in, he feels a connection that was absent with the other candidates. You got along easily with his child, and it was obvious that you cared for her more than beyond seeing her as a paycheck.

He keeps things professional and beyond offering you a drop home at night or sometimes bringing takeout, he mostly keeps to himself, but he's drawn to the way you spend time with his daughter. He sees how happy she is around you, and he's confident in your abilities to keep her safe.

It's his daughter that points out he likes you. "Miss...I think my daddy like you!" she'll say matter-of-factly while she gets her shoes on for school. Zayne nearly chokes on his coffee, his ears turning red as you stifle a laugh behind your hands, ushering her out the door. Later that day, Zayne calls asking if it would be all right if he asked you to dinner. You accept of course, because how could anyone resist the stoic, handsome, doctor with the cute daughter?

Sylus:

Sylus has a never-ending list of reasons as to why he needed a bodyguard for his daughter. He was the leader of an organized crime group after all, and there were several people who would gladly claim his head on a platter.

He tried to entrust Luke and Kieran but after an almost near accident at a gun range he decided maybe they weren't the best choice.

His daughter is suspicious of you when Sylus hires you. You simply looked out of place in the N109 zone and part of her didn't feel like you were 'one of them'. She would constantly complain to Mephisto and insist uncle Luke and uncle Kieran weren't that bad, and that they were sorry about the gun range incident.

You finally gain her trust when you teach her how to shoot soda cans with your hunter's gun. She's impressed and says you're not a bad shot, the highest compliment she could think of.

She expresses her approval to her dad and says to him, "daddy, she can outshoot you. You should shoot guns together." Sylus who is tossing a salad for their meal glances at you thoughtfully just as you're about to walk out the door. "Is that so? Well, what does our bodyguard think?" You'll freeze for a minute and retort that you had to think about it and leave. Sylus smiles reassuringly at his daughter. "That's a yes."

Xavier:

Xavier decides to ask you to be his daughter's bodyguard after finding out there are traitors amongst the Backtrackers. Their anger at him for deciding to stay in this timeline with his daughter knew no bounds. He feared they would kidnap her and attempt to fly back to dying Philos. They'd never make it, he knew, given the condition of their spaceship. His bigger concern was them getting stuck in the deepspace tunnel with no way to find their coordinates.

Xavier's daughter has an easy relationship with you. She's seen you around the building before and you always have candy ready for her sweet tooth. If Xavier was too busy to give her attention, then down the elevator she came to knock on your door.

On multiple occasions Xavier has come down to retrieve his daughter from you, reminding her that it's not ok to visit when you were off duty. This upsets her and she looks at you teary-eyed and you insist that she's not a bother.

At this point his daughter bursts out loudly, "Daddy, I'm always either at our place or hers. Miss should just move in with you so that I don't have to come downstairs anymore!" Both you and Xavier laugh awkwardly, both of you blushing before bidding each other good night.

But after Xavier has put his daughter to bed, he considers the idea. It seemed practical, but he knew you'd never go for it. So instead he asks you if you'd be interested in joining him for hot pot one of these days.

Rafayel:

Rafayel somehow believes that because you are his bodyguard, it means you are his daughter's too. Even after you told him it would cost double since you're trying to protect two people he shrugs it off and asks Thomas to write you a check for more.

The young girl is similar to her dad and has an artistic flair, painting breathtaking landscapes and adorable little cartoons alike. She often watches you chastising her dad for not following rules and not being safe enough and senses there's more there.

She can't help but notice that some of her dad's portraits feature people with features similar to yours; the same nose, the shape of your eyes, or the fullness of your lips. When she points this out Rafayel shakes his head in denial.

Determined to be right, she pulls you into his studio where all the portraits are kept while he's out one day. You do see the resemblance but try to console the girl that artists can find inspiration from anywhere, and it might not be as simple as him having feelings for you. Of course, she pouts (so much like her dad!) and that's when Rafayel walks in.

You ask him to correct his daughter, that your relationship is strictly professional. Rafayel sighs dramatically, then says, "Yeah, it's professional. But only because I can't get her to change her mind." His daughter smirks in triumph and you leave the room blushing, wondering how you got tangled up with this family.

© nanamiscocksleeve original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating

@brekkersgf @ladyparamount @otomegamesforlife @shddyboo @supernaturalbaesduh @sweets-kozume @theimmortalbuns @venussakura

[authorpanda15]

PROXIMITY

↳ katsuki bakugō x reader

a/n: this was just supposed to be a small blurb, but it turned into a whole ass fic halfway through!!! wtf!!!

imagine forced proximity with katsuki bakugō...

-> katsuki didn’t like you, and you didn’t like him; his abrasive attitude clashed with your personality. and yet, you were a recurring presence in each other’s lives...

-> the two of you often found yourselves butting heads whenever you had to work together. he wished he didn’t have to look at your face so often, but your agencies kept pairing you two together. “you work well together,” they said. katsuki didn’t miss his agent whispering that you’re “the only person who can reign him in.”

-> as he's wrapping up his shift, katsuki receives a text from eijirō— affectionately saved as “shitty hair” on his phone— inviting him out to drinks and food with the group and for once, he accepts. after the day he had, he could use a drink, or two. but as he steps into the restaurant and finds his friends extras, he thinks that he’ll need more drinks than that when he sees you sitting at the booth.

so not only do you two have to work together, you also have mutual friends. great.

the once lively atmosphere at the table had slowly simmered, with a terrifying tension taking its place. mina, denki, eijirō and hanta would have to be completely tone-deaf to not notice the way you and katsuki stared daggers at each other.

eijirō, always amicable, was the first to speak up. “so... I take it you and bakugō know each other?”

you confirmed with a small nod, making the conscious effort to keep your eyes trained on the redhead. “our agencies thought it would be a good idea to work together.”

“ooh, that must be fun,” denki added, glancing at you and katsuki, the latter scoffing at his enthusiasm.

“if by ‘fun,’ you mean ‘I need to take pain relievers at the end of every shift because a certain someone has never heard of an inside voice before’,” your eyes flickered towards the certain someone in question; he’s already glaring at you. “...then, yes; I’ve been having a swell time!”

“the only reason I yell is because you don’t listen to me,” katsuki said, pointing an accusatory finger at you. “I swear, it’s like you’re deaf.”

“hearing loss is often caused by loud noises— now, who’s fault would that be?”

“yours, because the second you get off shift, you shove your earbuds in and turn your music volume all the way to the max!”

“music is the only thing that soothes me after working a shift with you! maybe if you had something to calm you down after a day’s work, you wouldn’t have a stick up your ass.”

eijirō attempts to interject. “guys—!”

“what’d you say to me?”

“hey, I think the food’s coming!” hanta suddenly announces to the table, which turns everyone’s attention to the waiter coming their way, balancing multiple orders on a serving tray.

you and katsuki simultaneously slump back into your seats without another word, prompting the rest of the table to breathe a sigh of relief as the waiter starts placing down plates of food.

the rest of dinner was uneventful compared to earlier. thankfully, denki and eijirō managed to bring the mood up— bless their hearts. drinks were shared and stories from the past were recalled, all the while you and katsuki remained mostly silent.

once dinner came to a close, you followed the group out of the restaurant as they discussed each other’s schedules— possibly planning when they can all hang out again.

you can’t help but wonder if they’ll invite you next time. you’ve no doubt made a fool out of yourself, acting so hostile and vulgar at the dinner table. but it’s not your fault! it’s his... isn’t it...?

you feel a sudden weight on your shoulder.

“what’s up? you look bummed,” denki said, titling his head to the side as he leaned against you.

“I, uh, I didn’t mean to start shouting back there, it’s just...” bakugō gets me so riled up... is what you almost said, but you decided to hold your tongue after a second thought. “...nevermind. I just, I hope I didn’t make dinner uncomfortable for the rest of you.”

denki patted your back and offered his signature grin. “don’t be so uptight! it’s all good!”

you exhaled, relieved he didn’t cause you to make a fool out of yourself, when denki suddenly leaned in close and whispered in your ear, “between you and me, I also think kacchan is a bit of a prick...”

“you say somethin’, dunce face?” as if he sensed he was being talked about and materialized behind you, katsuki’s presence suddenly towered over your’s.

denki yelped and cowered behind you, partially hiding his face in your shoulder. “protect me...!”

you tilt your head upwards to look at the blond not currently clinging to you. “you’re paranoid. we were just talking about dinner, that’s all.”

katsuki rolled his eyes at your reply, but didn’t argue.

for once.

later that night, after you made it to the comforts of your home, you received a message.

[lostinlovingrevery]

Just a thought and no offense but I think Logan just wants to be in love and feel loved in return.

(This isnt proofread and came out as rambling so have fun trying to read it and decipher it! 😅)

So WE ALL know that Logan can be flirty, and that he may have had a period where he was a bit of a manwhore (*cough* 70s Logan *cough*)

I feel like that period though, and any other flings, one night stands, etc whatever was less out of lust and more of a desperation to feel SOME kind of human connection bc the mans so lonely and has been treated like a soldier, a weapon for so long that hes desperate for human connection, even if it makes him end up feeling depraved afterwards. Post-nut clarity wakes him up next to some girl he met at a bar, and guilt sinks its teeth into him because he doesnt even know her name, much less actually LIKE her. The man was born in the 1800s, he may have grown with time but you cannot tell me theres not some inkling of being a gentleman- and wanting to find someone you truly love, hidden in there somewhere. I think overtime he may fall into this routine, believing he needed to be a walking sex magnet, gruff, cocky, whatever have you because hes convinced its the only way he can have a connection with someone, even if its for a few passionate moments under bedsheets, and an awkward "that was nice. Bye"

It only fuels his self hatred, convincing him that he really his just an animal, looking to get his sick desires out, eat, fuck, sleep, survive.

When we see him in the X movies, as a cage fighter he is brutal and rough and he doesnt seem to have a caring bone in his body yet he still manages to find himself caring about this young girl who stowawayed in his trailer, and does help her, even if he acts like this version of logan he created. Someone who doesnt care. But he cares. A lot.

Its not until he meets YOU, that he starts to wonder if he got it all wrong. Kind, beautiful, smart YOU.

I fully believe that logan just wants a partner. One night stands, flings, what have you, were just him lying to himself, desperate to feel something other than hate. After he lost his memories, and he began just wandering, the concept of love was lost on him. And lust wasnt there anymore either. He was approached by women, perfectly fine, pretty women, all the time during his time cage fighting, bars, etc. He turned them all away- completely opposite of logan 30-40 years ago (my timing probs not right on xmen lol) who was convinced the only way he was living was if he had ass next to him every night he went to sleep because he was lonely. This version of logan, lost, angry, wanted nothing to do with people. Some of it the repressed feelings coming out from his past that he doesnt even remember. He was convinced then that he had to be alone. Becoming a lone wolf that bared his teeth at anyone who tried to pet it. Secretly though, deep down although he wouldnt admit it, there was that deep desire, that he always felt in his 200 years, that he just wanted to find his mate. He'd call soulmates bullshit if you asked him, but the moment he meets you, hed know that it was real, and that maybe god cursed (gifted) him the ability of healing and practical immortality just so he could find you. And hed do it over and over again, the pain and suffering and loneliness, if it meant you would be the endgoal.

Logan is a pack animal. He needed a family, to protect, and cherish. When he meets and ends up at the x-men, his demeanor and attitude changes quickly to something similar to a dog that snaps at you when you pet it only for it to whine and whimper "im sorry, please dont hate me, i just dont know how to accept love.". Hes still wary, because hed never KNOWN a family before. Put aside his memory loss, the closest things he had to a family was a creep of a brother, and a woman who said she loved him under false pretenses (i still dont like you kayla even if you say it was real). He barely knew his parents, and even then that was a lie because his father wasnt even his biological father. Yeah, Logans life was pretty damn lonely, so its no wonder the man is cautious of anybody and anything.

The moment you come into his life though, that bitterness, anger, and meaningless flirting goes right out the window. Hes serious about you. Hes usually cautious, nervous around people but he meets you and its almost like he threw all those imaginary rules he has for himself out of the window.

Look at how he was with Jean in the movies. He barely knew the woman, they barely shared ANY lines in the movie yet he was almost completely devoted (dont get me started on that storyline). Trust didnt come easy to the wolverine. And Kayla- their relationship just shows how much he wants love and to be loved. I never seen origins but a lot of gifsets and read the synopsis of the plot, but i think he had a feeling with Kayla he couldnt trust (remember how he says hell never go against his gut again?) But he so badly just wanted that connection he ignored all the warning signs and did everything to build a life with this woman who not only tricked him, but put him through unimaginable pain both physically and mentally. (Look I REALLY dont like kayla but i do feel bad for her because stryker did have her sister captive). I know stryker is the evil mastermind here, but god imagine trying to find love with someone, only for it all to be a farce, even if they claimed they did love you the entire time- the intentions from the very beginning was far from love.

Oh but when he is in love with you. From the moment he met you, it wasnt love at first sight exactly, more like a feeling that you were it. Hes all about you. He sticks around, under the pretense that he just needed to make some money first, doing some missions for charles, keep an eye on rogue. He cant admit its because he wants to stay close to you. Hes like a feral cat taking shelter in your shed. Stays away at first, cautious of your spspspsp, but curious nonetheless. Completely ignores the first bowl of food you put down for it- or so you thought because when you came back it was completely devoured. It takes weeks of food and spspsps before it finally warms up to you, but after that first contact with your hand and its head- good luck ever getting rid of it. Not that youd want to 😊

Logan becomes a shadow to you, once you become something akin to friends. (Its really more than that but no ones addressed it). He teases you and flirts with you, and its something you think he does with everyone, until Ororo tells you that he only does it to you. Sometimes he just sits in your company, other times hes curious about what youre working on, not wanting to start the convo, but does things like leering over your shoulder (which he may or may not be doing just to he close to you and get a good whiff of the smell of your hair). He stresses when you go on missions without him. He slowly opens up about his past to you when he begins to get his memories back. Trusting only you (and maybe charles) with the truth ablut the man he used to be, and still is.

When your feelings finally do come out in the open though, however it happens, that first kiss, the first time you make love, etc etc. Logans a different man. I mean, hes still that cocky, grumpy person we all know and love. But he carried himself differently. Hes confident and wiser, hes comfortable, and hes happy. He found a home, his pack. And maybe after countless conversations about his past, the things hes done, and the comforting words and understandings you give him, he starts to learn that he isnt so bad, because if you love him, YOU, the most wonderful person hes ever known in 200 years, love him despite all of his violence and hatred and slight whoreish tendecies back in the 70s...then he must be alright.

He doesnt need to worry about his past anymore, when hes got you, right there with him, promising a loving future together.

[axxa-the-allikatt]

Soooooo I finally got some free time 😃✊ here’s your order of bllk characters with their short s/o with a side of some suggestive interactions 🤌. I’m making it a short series since I probably can’t finish so many characters in one sitting, so tell me if there is anyone specific you’re looking for. I’m gonna start off with my favourites, humour me.

***

1. Size doesn’t matter. I mean your height- your height doesn’t matter.

-Isagi definitely, but also anyone else who might fit this category like Bachira, Kunigami and maybe Niko + Any character from other shows that you think might fit, ignoring the mention of the bllk program <3

The first time you encountered him, the two of you were around only 11 years of age. You had been walking by the park, back home after school, when a ball had come flying at your face, knocking you squarely in the jaw. You had two broken teeth because of this, and the boy who had kicked the ball, our little sweetheart, had insisted on taking you to his home, bawling his eyes out all the way for no good reason, while you intermittently spat what blood was spilling from your gums, freaked out by the little crybaby.

Once all that confusion and worry had passed by, your parents had been given his address so that they could come pick you up.

And that was how you’d snatched a place in his life. That and the fact that once you had managed to get your hands on his address, you would randomly drop by his house on your way home, uninvited, scare the living daylight’s out of him, gratefully accept what titbits his mother would humorously provide you with, give his father a salute on your way out and never bring up the visit again.

Over the next three years, the two of you had gained a reputation as a pair, and it was a well known fact that wherever one of you were, the other was bound to be close by. So much so that your school teachers often questioned one of you when the other was absent to class.

You had grown fond of the silly boy you had met by chance and had often made him extremely flustered with your quite direct flirting conquests, while he hid behind his hands like maiden.

This was quite hilarious to due to the fact that over the years you had remained a short, skinny kid, where as the other boy had out grown you and was now both taller and more muscular due to his football training.

Your friendship came to an abrupt pause as you were to move across the world for your father’s job, with only a week’s notice to make the most of your time with the other boy.

In a moment of childish desperation, the boy had confessed to you asked you out on a date which earned him a good thwack on the head. For what joy was he asking when you were moving half way across the world in a few days and were going to return god knows when. But you had agreed nonetheless, admitting that you liked him too and that you wanted to make the most of your time with him. Ah. Young love.

Four years passed as you lived your life abroad, finishing high school, making new friends, having fun, not growing any taller, but most importantly, you had kept yourself up to date on the events happening in blue lock. Since when did your silly boy get so… egotistical? It was concerningly endearing.

Finally, you received news that you would be moving back to Japan, back into your old house, by yourself, to pursue your studies in psychology and you desperately hoped that he hadn’t moved in that time. The Blue lock program had ended a year ago, and he might have been selected for a team somewhere across the world.

Your fears dissolved into confusion then disbelief as you were met with the sight of the same boy waiting for you at the airport, with a stupid grin on his face, which was doing nothing to hide how obviously he was trying not to cry like the way you used to tease him about.

The second he laid his eyes on you he broke into a sprint, crashing into you as you tumbled over the luggage, putting your arms around him and spinning him around, bursting into laughter as his feet dragged around behind him. He had annoyingly gotten taller.

The two of you had somehow managed to get to his car before you gently pushed him against the door, crashing your lips onto his as he slid down against the door, lowering himself to your height.

Like I said, height doesn’t matter in your relationship. He’s more than eager to kneel to you. You’re the boyfriend.

***

Next up- the boys who think that since they’re taller, they’re the man in the relationship. They get put in their place 🪭. I’ll post it by next week. Probably.

[seokmn]

EXPIRATION DATE .𖥔 ݁ ˖

pairing: seokmin x gn!reader wc: 1k words warnings: pure highschool fluff, reader reassures seokmin

“i want to stay with these feelings forever”

the night sky was beautiful, with no clouds to be seen, but countless stars to guide lost people. the night breeze hit your bodies, which caught seokmin’s attention to you, noticing how you were slightly shaking.

“told you to bring a jacket,” he said softly and took off his jacket, wrapping it around your shoulders instead. “here, youll start to feel warm soon.”

seokmin wrapped his arm around you and brought you closer to him, as if he wanted to transfer some of his warmth to you. his hand started to rub against your covered arm in a soothing way.

you turned your head to look at him, hoping you were going to find him looking at you as well, but he was looking at the sky with a small smile on his face. you thought youd be a bit upset with him not looking at you, but instead you felt your heart skip a beat when your eyes landed on his side profile. his eyes moving as he mentally tried to look at all of the stars on display for him, his small smile giving you the feeling of being at home.

when he finally looked at you, you swore there were actual butterflies in your stomach. his smile grew a little and you smiled at him without realizing. “enjoying the night?” you nodded, still fascinated with his face. you couldn’t help but think to yourself how could someone be not only the most handsome guy in this entire world, but also the most kind and heartwarming human being ever?

“what is it?” he touched the tip of your nose. “cat got your tongue?” you could feel your cheeks heating up, you let out a small giggle and shook your head. “no, im just enjoying the view. its breathtaking.”

seokmin chuckled and looked up. “it really is.”

oh silly seokmin, only if he knew you were talking about him. to you, nothing could beat seokmin's beauty, not a sunset by the beach, not a sunny morning, or even a night sky full of stars and full moon.

he turned his gaze towards you again and placed his hand that was on your arm to the back of your head, caressing it with the lightest touch ever. “i see you in my future,” he chuckled. “ah, maybe i shouldn’t have said that. i think i’m going too fast.”

“i see you in my future as well,” you said without any hesitation and you could swear you saw seokmin’s eyes grow bigger for a couple seconds before they became almost too small because of the bright heart shaped grin he gave you. “im not sure what i will do after graduation. i’m not sure about basically anything when it comes to my future, all i can say with 100% certainty is that i see you there.”

he sighed happily and looked back up, but not without taking your hand in his before. “how long do you think these emotions will last?” you tilted your head as you saw his smile faltering. “what do you mean?”

“i mean, for how long will we be in love with each other and what will happen when that passion dies?” the vulnerability and fear were clear in his voice, which got quieter than before in each word that came out of his mouth. he slowly looked back at you, his eyes running through your face as if he wanted to capture it in your mind so he could never forget how you look.

seokmin is a hopeless romantic, but being in love with someone can only take two turns: a happy and long life with the person you fell in love with or a terrible heartbreak. being in love and admitting it means showing the person the most vulnerable side of yours, not knowing what they will do about it and only hoping that they will accept you with open arms and love you in the way you deserve to be loved or even better.

you knew he tended to hold himself back every time he became aware of his true and raw feelings out of nowhere.

“seokmin, im in love with you, not with the idea of being in love. my feelings for you dont have an expiration date, and if they did, there would be no meaning to me living,” you sighed and placed your hand on his cheek, the tip of your fingers in contact with his hair. seokmin leaned into your touch and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling of your warm hand on his cold cheek due the weather. “i know being in love is scary, sometimes i am afraid of how strong the feelings i have towards you are. but when i look at you, that fear is gone.”

seokmin smiled and tried his best to not cry, holding back his tears as if his life depended on it. “we’re still young, lets enjoy our time together without thinking about a deadline or anything like that. im sure there won’t be, but still… i want you to stop worrying too much, i’m here and i don’t plan on leaving at all.”

he nodded and placed his hand over yours that was resting on his cheek. “i know, i dont plan on leaving as well. it’s just,” he took a deep breath before continuing. “sometimes its scary. i dont want to stop loving you or stop being loved by you.”

you pouted in response, finding his words endearing and at the same time kinda silly. how could you ever stop loving him? is he aware of how good looking he is? is he aware of the big and kind heart he has? “i wont stop loving you, silly.”

he brought your pulse near his lips and kissed it, making your heart beat so fast you could swear he was able to listen to your heartbeat. he looked at you like a baby looking at its mom after crying for hours because it missed her.

seokmin held a constellation in his eyes. his love for life and for you being so much that it pours out through his eyes, his words and his cute aggressions from time to time.

“love you more than anything,” his voice came out as a loving wisper. he kissed your hair and hugged you. that was when he knew everything was going to be fine, that your love for him was more than true.

[tipsynight0]

For the life we never knew

Parings- Jeff the killer x female reader

Word count - 975

TRIGGER WARNING - Miscarriage, blood, grief, child loss, trauma.

Summary - a quiet night takes a devastating turn.

Authors note - As you can probably tell, I’m not your typical Creepypasta fanfiction writer. My stories lean more toward real-life experiences—raw, messy, and unfiltered. Writing has always been more for me than anything else, a way to process what I can’t always say out loud. Maybe it’s a coping mechanism, maybe it’s just a need to put pain into words.

I know I haven’t updated in a while, and for that, I’m sorry. Life has a way of pulling us under when we least expect it. But for those of you still here, reading and supporting, thank you. It means more than I can express.

I guess I’ve always found comfort in heartbreak—in taking a story and twisting it until it feels real enough to leave a mark. So, as you read this, don’t be afraid to cry, to feel. That’s what it’s meant for. And maybe, when you’re done, we’ll both feel just a little less alone.

Hopefully, I’ll have more for you soon. Until then, take care of yourselves—and try not to cry too much.

Becoming a dad was never on the radar for Jeff. Not for someone like him—a serial killer with bloodstained hands and years of unresolved trauma. Jeff wasn’t the kind of man who would teach his kid how to throw a ball or give them advice on their first crush. Hell, he barely had any idea how to take care of himself. But when Y/N came to him that day, clutching the pregnancy test in trembling hands, terror written all over her face—not the kind of fear he was used to, the kind he relished in—it was different. This fear was raw, uncertain, vulnerable. And for the first time, Jeff felt it too.

The conversation that followed wasn’t pretty. There was shouting, tears, accusations, and a silence so heavy it crushed them both. But somewhere in that mess of emotions, there was a spark—something small and fragile. A seed of hope Jeff never thought he’d feel.

As the days turned into weeks, that seed began to grow. The thought of a child, their child, burrowed its way into Jeff’s cold, damaged heart. He found himself imagining things he never thought possible: a tiny hand gripping his finger, a toothless smile, a giggle that echoed in the halls of the mansion. He didn’t just start to accept it; he started to want it.

The house was alive with a strange excitement. Even the others couldn’t help but marvel at the idea of another child joining them—another innocent soul like Sally. Jack stole prenatal vitamins and a doppler, and Jeff had spent hours with Y/N listening to the faint sound of their baby’s heartbeat. He painted the nursery himself, his hands steady in a way they’d never been before. For once, the chaos of their lives didn’t seem so suffocating.

And then came the night that shattered it all.

Jeff barely stirred when Y/N slipped out of bed. She’d been getting up a lot lately, her small trips to the bathroom almost routine. He was half-asleep when he heard her call out, her voice trembling with something he couldn’t quite place.

“Jeff... come here... something’s wrong.”

The fear in her voice jolted him awake. He stumbled out of bed, heart pounding as he rushed to the bathroom. The sight that met him stopped him cold.

Y/N was sitting on the floor, her hands trembling and slick with blood. It was everywhere—on her thighs, pooling on the tiles, staining her nightshirt. Jeff’s breath hitched, his stomach turning in a way he hadn’t felt since the first time he took a life. Blood was supposed to excite him, but this... this made him want to vomit.

“I’ll... I’ll be back,” he stammered, his voice cracking in a way that felt foreign and wrong. “I’ll get Jack. Don’t move, Y/N. Don’t move.”

He didn’t wait for her reply, didn’t dare look back. He sprinted down the stairs, nearly tripping in his panic. He found Jack in the kitchen, dragging him by the arm before the other man could even ask what was happening. His words tumbled out, frantic and disjointed, but Jack didn’t need an explanation when he saw the scene for himself.

Jack knelt beside Y/N, his usually steady hands trembling ever so slightly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Stand up,” he said softly. “I need to see.”

Y/N obeyed, her body shaking as she clung to Jack for support. Jeff stayed rooted to the doorway, his nails digging into the wood as if it could somehow anchor him to reality.

Jack’s expression was grim as he straightened, his voice heavy when he finally spoke. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

The words hit Jeff like a physical blow. Y/N let out a strangled sob, her knees buckling as Jack caught her and eased her to the floor. Jeff moved without thinking, dropping to his knees beside her and grabbing her hand.

“No,” Jeff muttered, shaking his head. “No, no, no. This—this isn’t happening. Fix it, Jack. Do something.”

Jack looked at him, his hollow eyes filled with something that almost resembled pity. “There’s nothing I can do, Jeff. It’s already happening.”

Y/N’s grip on Jeff’s hand tightened, her face pale and glistening with tears. “Jeff... it’s my fault,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

“Don’t,” he said sharply, his voice cracking. “Don’t you dare say that. This isn’t your fault.”

She sobbed harder, her free hand clutching her stomach as another wave of pain wracked her body. Jeff could only watch, helpless and furious, as the person he cared about most suffered in a way he couldn’t stop.

Time seemed to crawl, every second dragging like a knife through Jeff’s chest. He wasn’t supposed to care like this. He wasn’t supposed to feel this kind of pain. But as Y/N finally passed the tiny, lifeless form of what could have been their child, Jeff felt something inside him shatter.

He stared at the tiny, fragile thing Jack gently took away, his chest heaving as he fought to keep the scream building inside him at bay. Y/N was limp against him now, her strength spent, her sobs quieted into hollow, hitching breaths.

Jeff pressed his forehead to hers, his hand still gripping hers tightly as though letting go would mean losing her too. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry.”

In that moment, he hated himself more than he ever thought possible. He wasn’t supposed to care, wasn’t supposed to feel this. But as he held Y/N and felt the life drain from the future they’d dared to hope for, Jeff realized that maybe, just maybe, he’d wanted to be a dad after all.

And now, he never would be.

[whumpbby]

Hey, let's talk :D

magicorangelove

#the first part I wholeheartedly agree with and would like to see too - no matter how you love someone it is An Adjustment to start#living with someone#after 30+ years living alone and having this image of a person in your mind#and i don’t actually think lsz lived WITH lwj when he was small#first seclusion and then he was 6-7… anyway#the last part i don’t particularly agree with ‘cause i don’t think THOSE are the parts lwj has no idea about or would find surprising#or eye-opening or whatever#the day-to-day struggles on the other hand?…#also i do think he got better with expressing himself by this time…#then I remember that he failed to tell wwx about ayuan#and go…maybe not…..#then i think how that might have been for wwx’s benefit and change my mind again…..

For me, Lan Zhan at some point will start catching up to the moral hangover, but not because he will be surprised by the less savoury parts of his beloved, but because he will start noticing his own willingness to accept them and that can be a scary thing.

(I don't mean that WWX is a bad person - he's actually a really good guy with his heart in the right place, who tries to do a good thing whenever he can. But he also has a checkered past, made some choices that, while understandable, are morally indefensible, and he has serious issues with emotional intimacy and honesty, and a scary penchant for self-sacrifice.)

Until the realtionship started, Lan Wangji's intention towards his Wei Ying was to be The Saviour.

Like, throughought the whole of Sunshot all he tried to do was to Save Him - from the bad war, from the bad cultivation, from the bad sects... Then, he spent over a decade regetting not Saving Him. And then WWX came back and it was saving him from the bad Jiang Cheng. So, for the last 20 or some years, LWJ lived exclusively in the mode of The Saviour. WWX returning had to be like a blessing to him, he finally could play out his greatest fantasy! He got to save his beloved from more than one villain and after all that, he got to kiss him and take him to bed home! Gasp! He got his happy ending! He got to ride of into the sunset and now...

...now what? What now, once LWJ has to start realising that Wei Ying doesn't need a Saviour anymore, and that outside of that role he doesn't really know what to do? Once he has a chance to process, to familiarise himself with Wei Ying the person, he will have to face some moral quandaries he didn't have to face before. He was raised in a certain way and, as much as he carries anger towards his sect and the rules he was raised in, he was still raised with certain kind of morality that, given his character, I don't see him discarding easily or without a solid reason.

Until now the reason was his role of the Saviour that subsumed everything else. But since he doesn't have to be that anymore, what came he his behind now?

Uncritical love?

I don't think Wei Wuxian is someone who can be loved uncritically - for his own good. As much as everyone would want that for themselves in the imaginary world, lack of boundaries in a relationship harms both sides. WWX is a person that will strain against every lead put on him - and if he can't feel one, he will keep desperately pushing further and further until he feels something holding him back.

That's how he lived his first life - notice, he was always fighting for the attention of the people who were providing him with barriers. He wasn't bothering Lan Xichen in Gusu (arguably evenore handsome than Wangji) - he was exclusively pissing off Wangji and Lan Qiren. He wasn't bothering JFM, trying to discover his boundaries - he was annoying the shit out of JC and almost taunting Madame Yu. Almost, as if he needed people who would try to limit him in some way. To feel safe, maybe? To feel noticed?

He was always noticed and it never seemed enough. What can Lan Zhan do that a whole Jiang sect wasn't enough to do for their super star? Love him? As if he wasn't loved before???

So, like, if Lan Zhan is not a Saviour, that means Wei Ying isn't the damsell - as much as he likes to play up being one. He's not the princess in need of a knight. He's not perfect. Not innocent - I think Wei Wuxian would at some point become desperate for Lan Zhan to know that he's not perfect, ecause for how long can you stand to be placed on a pedestal you feel you don't feel you deserve to stand on?

The whole "between us there's no need for thank yous and sorrys" is such a deep quote - as long as you're 15 and never had a meaningful relationship of any kind. Because thank yous and sorrys are a part of normal human communication, and that communication is needed to maintain any sort of relationship - and here we have two characters obscenly bad at communicating and emotional honesty, and once you take even that simple scaffold away...

Yeah, this won't be smooth sailing for either of them.

I'd really love to read a fic where a year past the canon ends, Lan Zhan starts to realise that his dreamed-up perfect relationship with Wei Ying isn't what he imagined it to be.

That what he got is actually a wholeass person with imperfections that will get annoying after a while, with opinions that he doesn't agree with and behaviours he's not prepared to just accept. A human person that will lie to keep him happy, that will leave when any possibility of strife approaches, that sometimes doesn't want to have sex - or that sex isn't a cure-all for their problems. That whatever Jiang Cheng experienced growing up with Wei Wuxian will fall on Wangji too, because love doesn't change you as a person in 100%, sorry.

Because that's what think will be a hurdle for him - he never was in a relationship. He never even had real human friends. Fuck, he doesn't seem to have acquaintances. All he ever had was a made-up image of a boy he knew shortly in his late teens and a sect where he was the lauded Young Master everyone respected. He can't stoically stand a kid talking back to him without a silencing spell and has difficulty expressing the most basic things in useful words. For all the soulmate talk, he didn't even know the boy he dreamed building a life with - that Wei Wuxian never existed outside of Wangji's limited glimpses of him and a lot of forgiving assumption.

Like, when will it hit him that Wei Ying is actually a complex human being that isn't just for him to care about and love, and that he himself isn't happy with some things? Will he one night wake up in cold sweat when he finally understands that the man sleeping next to him orchestrated a horiffic surgery on himself and his brother, and never indicated that he regrets it and wouldn't do it again? That the man sleeping next to him kinda-sorta just looked on as people were murdered in front of him, and didn't really have any strong opinion about being brought back via human sacrifice?

Like, discarding stiff and stifling Lan rules after being burned by them is one thing, but this is a moral quandary that goes way beyond that.

[differenteagletragedy]

Baxter Ward Neighbor AU!

When Baxter moved into his apartment in Prism Vista, the space across the hall was occupied by an older man. He wasn't impolite, he was never rude, but he wasn't friendly either. They exchanged tight, perfunctory smiles with him in the hall, maybe a nod every once in a while -- and that was fine with him.

But then the old man moved out, in with a child of his, he'd heard. And you moved in.

And you were ... well, you were different.

Baxter had gotten used to keeping anyone and everyone in his life at arm's length, especially the people he had to interact with regularly, but for some reason, that simply was not good enough for you.

"Some people might think I'm a little annoying or whatever," you'd admitted to him one day when you showed up at his door with a plate of fresh baked cookies. "But I'm not trying to be, I'm just trying to be nice. It feels good to be nice, you know?"

He'd wanted to say a number of things as he accepted the gift. Things he would have said when he was younger, flirty little meaningless things to make you feel good and to make himself feel like he mattered. "You're not annoying, you're adorable," something like that.

But that was then, and grown-up, closed-off Baxter simply gave you a small smile and a plain, easy truth -- "I appreciate it very much."

No matter how little he gave of himself, you seemed to have no problem giving him more and more of you in return. Months went by, months filled with homemade dessert drop-offs, chatty elevator rides, the occasional exchange of a screwdriver. Neighborly things.

He became used to it, and then he grew fond of it. Not enough to inspire him to pursue things further, but enough that he started to feel a dull sort of ache, a pang of some sort of missing when he went too long without seeing your smile.

It wasn't until nearly a year after you'd moved in that he finally admitted to himself that maybe, possibly, he could let himself want more.

One Wednesday morning, he'd gotten himself ready for work, going through the old familiar motions. He made it out to the parking garage, operating on autopilot, until he saw you leaning against your car, tears in your eyes. It was the first time since he'd met you that he'd seen you upset, and he immediately felt the urge to make it better.

"Are you all right?" he asked you, slowly approaching you.

"No. It's my car, it won't start. It's ... I don't know, it's been making some dumb noise and now it won't do anything, and I'm going to be late for work, and then my boss --"

"I'll give you a ride."

The offer was out of his mouth before he knew it, but of course he meant it: if it would make you feel better, he'd do it. If it might make you smile again.

You shook your head, starting to refuse, but he unlocked his car, parked a couple of spaces down, and opened the passenger door with a flourish.

"Baxter ..." you said, hesitant to let him do this relatively easy thing for you for reasons he didn't understand.

But he wanted to, with a desperation he hadn't felt in years. And in realizing that, he felt something spring to life inside him. A kind of hope that he hadn't felt in years, a little feeling that maybe he could actually, truly get close to someone again. That maybe this time he could stay.

"Let's go," he said softly, a little more of a demand than a request.

If he had his way, he'd have started to crack you open right then. Get into your head, find all the things that make you tick, all the little details about where you came from and what you've done. Your hopes and fears and regrets, what little bits of nature and nurture had woven themselves together to make you so kind and good.

But for now, he reasoned, a neighborly favor would do.

[lonely-ey3s]

With All My Love (joel miller x f!reader, no outbreak) Chpt 4

Chapter 4: Casualties

Word count : 14.1k

Chapter Summary: You and Joel have your first Skype call together and continue to do so in the following weeks. You both get closer and fall deeper for each other, hinting towards a definite future together. A few weeks later after an incident that happened between you and Terrence's replacement, you open up to Joel about your past abuse and you two become closer by how he talks you through it but also by acts he demonstrates to show you what you mean to him. In the following weeks, just when you think things have calmed down, you and Maria are told you are going on a special assignment to rescue a higher-ranking officer, going to a location you aren’t sure if you will make it out - as you’ll be heading into no man's land. 

Chapter warnings: fluff, flirting, mutual pining, language, mentions of combat and war, blood, violence, hand-to-hand combat, mentions of guns and a knife, hate speech (not by either of our babies), anxiety, panic attacks, use of Y/N, mentions of abuse, descriptions of injuries, angst. 

A/N: oh my, this one is a big one but it was necessary for chapters to come! i hope you enjoy it as much as i loved writing it! please like, comment, and repost if you want to see more! thank you for all the support you've given me with the first 3 chapters, i've loved to see and hear everyone's thoughts and love! i love these two and am so happy their story is coming together - ugh love it! xx

Dividers by: @saradika-graphics

Main Masterlist

As soon as Joel hit ‘Accept’ you came onto the screen, earbuds in your ears, smiling brightly. You had an oversized shirt on and your hair down, flowing to one side. “Hey there handsome!” you said smiling and talking in a soft voice, like you might have been trying to stay quiet. 

“Wow…” he said out loud without realizing. 

You softly giggled and blushed, “Joel, can you hear me?” you asked as his response was a little unexpected but had butterflies erupting throughout your stomach. 

“Y-Yeah, I can hear you darlin’...” he smiled and chuckled, shyly dragging his fingers through his hair. 

“Darlin’...? I’ve been wondering what that southern drawl sounds like, and I must say, I will most definitely never tire of it.” you smiled brightly.  

He smiled brightly, “I’m sorry if I woke you up, I uh… I did the math and thought you wouldn’t maybe see my message for a few more hours.”

You shook your head and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, “You’re sweet, you didn’t wake me. I woke up cuz it’s so damn hot here, couldn’t sleep.” looked up hearing someone stir in the room then looked back down at the screen, “Sorry, I’m tryna keep quiet, everyone else is asleep but I wanted to see you as soon as I could after finally seeing you were able to message!” you bit your bottom lip, “Sorry it took so long, it’s been a busy few weeks here.” you looked at him, he was in awe and captivated by how beautiful you looked.  

“So you’ve said darlin’. I’m just glad to know you’re alright.” he licked his lip and smiled softly, “You had me worried for a while, can’t have that pendant of yours failin’ me…”

You blushed “No we can’t have that, can we?” 

Joel smiled and shook his head, the silence and tension between the two of you palpable. 

You cleared your throat softly, blushing, “Did you and Sarah have a good 4th of July weekend?” 

He nodded, “Yeah, we did. She had a soccer tournament on Friday out of town so we took a little getaway with my brother, Tommy, he has a boat, and so we spent all of yesterday on Canyon Lake just outside of Austin… we took lots of pictures for you.” he winked. 

You would never get tired of hearing his voice. You nodded along as he talked, “That sounds like a lot of fun. Did you guys get to barbeque on the lake or eat any good food?”

“Yeah, we did some burgers and hotdogs on a portable grill we had, wasn’t so bad.” He smiled, “What about you? Didn’t you guys have somethin’ like Spam and potatoes or somethin’ like that?” he hadn’t realized he may have let part of Tommy and Maria’s conversation slip, he was just so focused on you, his brain shut off somewhat. 

You chuckled and tilted your head confused, “Yeah… we did… how did you know that? You spyin’ on me somehow Joel Miller?”  

Joel’s face fell a little, realizing he slipped, “I uh…” 

You looked at him and chuckled, “You ok handsome? Cat got your tongue?” 

He took a deep breath, he wasn’t going to start this off with dishonesty, so he anxiously scratched his scruff and then looked down a his lap, “Uh… so funny story…” he lightly let out a chuckle nervously. 

You had learned with your ex and parents to pay attention to body language and tone, so you sat up a bit straighter, anxious, a weight instantly dropping in your stomach, ‘Shit, he just got nervous’ you thought. “Joel, what’s going on?” you said softly. 

He noticed your immediate reaction, looked back up at you, and then softly smiled, “Oh no, sweetheart, nothin’ is wrong…” he bit his lip and thought of how to say what he was about to say, “You umm… you have a nickname for Maria’s pen pal…” he paused, “Reginald right?” 

You nodded slowly and then started to put the dots together, Maria had already suggested that they were related, you just didn’t think it could happen. Then you realized how the hell he knew that name then you turned bright red, “You… oh my god.” you laughed and covered your face with your hands, embarrassed. “Oh my god, you saw me make a fool of myself on Maria’s Skype call yesterday!” 

Joel laughed and bit his lip at your reaction, finding your embarrassment and shyness so fucking cute. “I um, I didn’t see you, but I was in the room when Tommy Skyped her, I heard your sweet voice though, it drove me mad to not be able to see you and say hello…” 

You peeked through your hands, blushing madly, “Oh god, I’m so embarrassed… you weren’t supposed to see that side of me already!” 

He let out a deep gut laugh, leaning his head back against the headboard, and you started to giggle back, covering your mouth, trying not to wake the others. 

“Stop laughing, I’m serious! You’re only supposed to see the lady-like side of me before you see the goof that Z and Maria have brought out in me..” you smiled at him slowing down your giggling, tucking your hair again behind your ear. 

He slowed down his laugh and smiled softly at you, eyes bright and cheeks red, thinking, thanking the universe for hearing your laugh so much tonight, “Nah, I like the goof in you, it made me smile like a fuckin’ idiot hearing you. Tommy gave me so much shit after…” he admitted. 

You smiled brightly knowing you had that effect on him, “Like an idiot huh? I’ll have to keep that up, I wanna see that type of smile on your handsome face.” you threw at him, he instantly blushed then jumped slightly when he heard Sarah knock on his door. 

“Dad? Are you good? I see we have a casualty of pasta on the floor downstairs…” she said through the door. 

You listened closely, smiling hearing Sarah’s voice, and chuckling at her joke. 

“Yeah, I’m good baby girl! I’m just on a Skype call with Y/N, umm, I left my wallet on the counter, could you order some takeout? Your choice!” he smiled down at you, watching you listen. 

Sarah smiled brightly hearing that he was talking to you. “Yeah of course Dad! Tell Y/N hi for me and thank her for my bracelet! And I will bring in your food when it gets here!” 

Joel looked down at you, “You hear all that?” he asked.

You nodded, “Can she hear me?” 

He shrugged, “Maybe?” he chuckled. 

You grinned and then put a finger up to signal to hold on, you set the laptop down on the floor you had been sitting on and then stood up, Joel seeing you only had that oversized shirt on and some very short shorts on under, his breath hitched and felt himself instantly grow hard. His throat went dry, “H-Hold..” he swallowed, “Sarah hold on a sec…!” he shouted at Sarah through the door, voice cracking a little.

She peeked her head in and giggled hearing the voice crack, “Yeah Dad?” he pulled a pillow quickly over his lap, and held up a finger like you, “Wait one sec.” 

He saw you pick up the laptop and then quietly tried to walk through the dark room, only to stub your toe on something, “Ow, fuckin’ shitballs.” you winced, hopping on one foot. 

Sarah snorted holding in a laugh at your remark. Joel looked down at you and chuckled at your phrase as well, “You ok darlin’?” 

You nodded and whispered, “Yeah, yeah just stubbed my toe. Sorry for cussing Sarah…”

You walked out of the room and quietly shut the door and looked around, one soldier saw you a few feet away and wolf whistled your way, “Damn Y/N, didn’t know you had that fat of an ass! Come over and sit on my lap mama!” 

Joel visibility got jealous, jaw clenched and zeroing in on the piece of shit talking to you that way. 

“Martinez, the only woman that would ever touch you without a ten-foot pole is your mama. Shut the fuck up and keep your eyes off my ass.” you shot back without missing a beat, walking away from him, finding somewhere to sit that was a bit more quiet.  

Joel smirked, and whispered under his breath, “That’s my girl..” 

You smiled and blushed to hear him say that, looking down at him. You looked around and then sat down against an abandoned house, and then let out a sigh, “Sorry, that took longer than a minute, is Sarah still able to hear me?” 

“I can hear you!” Sarah shouted from the doorway. 

“Oh! Lovely! Hi Sarah! I’ve heard such good things about you. I’m glad you like your bracelets, I’ll be sending something else for you and your dad in my next parcel.” you smiled at Joel and winked. 

He smiled brightly and then looked at Sarah then at you, “Do you guys wanna say hello? You don’t have to shout at each other...” he chuckled. 

You smiled and tucked your hair behind your ears, “I’d love to but only if Sarah is comfortab-” Before you could finish your sentence Sarah had jumped on the bed by Joel, hugging his arm and leaning into the screen. “Hey there!” she smiled, “Oh my gosh, your hair is so pretty down! Is that your natural color?”

You nodded and smiled, “Thank you! Yes, it is! I love your curls- I’m envious of them! I’ve always wanted curly hair!” you giggled. 

Sarah giggled, “They are a lot to manage but I do love ‘em!” she smiled and looked at Joel who was soaking in the moment, he was practically glowing. 

“I heard you had a soccer tournament this weekend, how did it go? What position do you play?” you asked. 

“We placed second and I scored two goals, one of them won the game for us! Dad took pictures…” she looked back at Joel, “Can you send them to her?” 

Joel nodded and then looked at you, “Yeah I’ll message them to you later.” he smiled. 

Sarah smiled and looked back at you, “I play a center forward, do you play soccer?” she asked. 

“I played a little as a kid with like my schoolmates but never competitively like you. However, I did just learn some tricks that some of the kids here taught me, I’ll have to show you someday and you can show me what you can do!” you said softly smiling and messing with the hem of your shirt. 

“I’d like that. Do you know when your tour is over?” she asked abruptly. 

Joel didn’t even think to ask that question. He perked up and looked at you. 

“I’ve been told that if things keep going the way they do, I’ll be home in the spring. If they get better, I could be home either right before or after the holidays but it’s been crazy here, so I’m keeping my expectations low, you know?” you said looking at the hem of your shirt, the thought of you not being home til spring made you anxious. 

Joel could tell your mood shifted, “Well Sarah and I will hope for sooner, home for the holidays, yeah?” 

You looked up and softly nodded and smiled, agreeing. 

“I have one last question and then I’ll go order take out…” Sarah said curiously. 

“Alright kiddo, shoot.” you looked her way. 

“Why Reginald?” she tilted her head. 

You let out a laugh, “Oh jeez..” you began to chuckle, “Ok, so when Maria and I sent our letters at first to your dad and your uncle, we knew nothing about them. I teased her because she sprayed hers with her perfume. I said she had no idea who or where her letter was going, it could be an old guy in a nursing home and said his name is probably Reginald or something… as that was before I knew her pal’s name, but the joke stuck and it continues to push her buttons.” you chuckled.

Joel chuckled at your sense of humor and Sarah did as well, “I like that, it’s like you're calling him an old man… I’m going to call him that now too, especially when he’s being annoying… which is all the time.” she emphasized. 

You giggled and nodded, “You can tell him that Maria’s lovely, awesome, never annoying at all roommate said you could use it if he gets mad, he can take it up with me.” you winked. 

Sarah nodded and smiled, “Will do, thanks for the ammo!” she giggled and then slid off the bed, “I’m going to go order food, I’m starving! It was nice meeting you, have a good rest of your night- well day for you!” she said smiling brightly at the camera before running out of the room shutting the door behind her. 

You chuckled at Joel “She’s a fun kid. I can see a lot of you in her…” you smiled at him. 

He smiled warmly, “Thanks darlin’, that means a lot.” 

You sat in silence together for a moment before you spoke up “Sorry to have crashed your dinner plans, did I hear there was a pasta casualty?” 

Joel chuckled lightly and looked down shyly, “I may have heard your message notification ding, and may have dropped everything I had in my hands to run over to my laptop, then after seeing your message, may have ran upstairs to call you, abandoning the mess…” 

“Oh I see… so there are only allegations against you, no concrete evidence tying you to the scene of the crime, innocent until proven guilty, am I right?” you teased. 

He looked up at you and chuckled, “Exactly.” 

You smiled warmly and sighed contently. 

“In my defense, and all honesty, I will drop whatever I’m doing to give you my time and attention… you know for the record.” he winked, smiling brightly.

You blushed and looked down shyly, smiling from ear to ear, “Now here I go smiling a fuckin’ idiot.” 

He chuckled and then bit his bottom lip, “Look at me when you’re doin’ that darlin’, I wanna see that beautiful smile.” 

You blushed harder and looked at him, laughing at how silly you must’ve looked, “God, you can’t keep sayin’ things like that, Joel Miller!” 

He loved the way you said his name, but even more, he loved your laugh. He would forever have it programmed into his brain, on repeat, along with the image of your smile tattooed right beside it. 

He bit his lip, loving seeing you like this. He thought he was out of practice with his flirting but clearly, he had quite the effect on you. “You keep smilin’ and laughin’ like that, and we are gonna have a different problem with what you're doin’ to my heart darlin’...” 

“I could say the same about you cowboy…” you said as you came down from your laugh. 

Before Joel could say anything back he heard someone call your name in the background, you looked up, looking around, and he heard them say ‘We have 3 wounded coming in and could use the extra hands if you’re awake, can you help?’ 

“Uh, hold on one sec Benson!” You looked back down at Joel, clearly torn on what to do. 

“Go, it’s ok sweetheart, they need your help. How about we do this weekly, yeah? Keep the letters coming as usual, and just do this in addition at least once a week… more if we are feelin’ freaky” he chuckled and winked. 

You nodded and softly smiled, “Yes, let's do that. I’ll message you later, ok?” 

He nodded, “Go save some lives! I’ll talk to you soon.” 

You smiled and blushed, “I’ll talk to you soon.” you stood up and ended the call. 

Joel sat in his bed, beaming, feeling happier than he’d ever felt before. 

He heard a ding and looked at his laptop: 

‘I know it's been less than a minute but I miss you and your voice already, wanna Skype again later? ❣️🥺’

He chuckled and typed back:

‘I was just thinkin’ of messaging you the same thing, beautiful 😘 Just message me when you’re free and I’ll call you! ❤️’

Reader’s POV

2 weeks later 

You and Joel had Skype called a few times in the last couple of weeks, more than the once-a-week foundation you laid out. 

You could tell that not only yourself, but he was addicted to hearing from each other. It was the highlight of your day when it happened and made your whole chaotic world slow down. 

Z and Maria met him on the last call two days ago when they crashed your call, just like you did to Maria. You couldn’t help but laugh at the karma. 

Maria and Tommy Skyped more often than you and Joel, they even started to flirt themselves as you heard eavesdropping on her last call. You and Z would giggle at her attempt to flirt outside of the window while listening together. 

You sent your disposable camera back to Joel a week ago along with another letter and parcel. This one included little candies that Z had shown you that you decided you had to share with Joel and Sarah. 

Z and you were glued at the hip, now that he was back to pretty much his full health, he helped in the clinic when you’d work if he wasn’t off playing with other boys in the village. He would help gather supplies and translate if needed between you and injured or sick village folk. 

He taught you how to say things so that when he wasn’t around you knew what to say or ask. He was patient and admired how you wanted to learn the language instead of being ignorant like most other soldiers. 

Since Terrance had been discharged to go home, Reggie got a new partner, right after you guys got back, his name was Braedon. However, something about him just didn’t feel right to any of you. He only cared about himself and Reggie even felt something off about him, he just couldn’t place it other than he was self-centered and only worried about climbing the ranks, not about saving the lives needing it or making personal sacrifices. You couldn’t stand him as he always had something smart to say or just wasn’t useful, someone always having to babysit him.

—

July 20th, 2014

13:09

You were cleaning out a wound in the medical tent, a small group had just rolled in from a camp 2 miles north that was overrun. Maria and Reggie were on the other side dealing with their problems while Braedon stood there, not jumping in to help with the obvious load. 

You were tired, hungry, and frustrated, and you didn’t have time to babysit. 

“Hey Braedon, there’s a head lac in bay 2, can you take care of that?” you yelled at him over the screams of pain from your patient and the normal hustle and bustle of the med tent. 

He looked at you and rolled his eyes, annoyed, “Yep.” then said something under his breath as he walked over to bay 2 and began working. 

Z was standing next to you and saw the reaction as well, he looked up at you, “What’s his problem?” 

You narrowed your eyes at him, glaring, you scoffed, “I don’t know Z… but it’s about to be an earful from me…” you clenched your jaw, temper starting to boil.

You addressed the wound you were cleaning. You began packing it, starting a line of fluids, and making sure the patient was comfortable, when you looked at Z, “Start to gather gauze and a pair of gloves for the guy over in bay 9, and then wait for me there.” Z nodded and then left to do what you said. 

Your blood was now boiling, fists balled. You were done with his selfishness and shitty attitude. He tended to hit the right buttons and now that you think about it, he reminded you of your ex. The difference between the two was you didn’t take that bullshit anymore and were a United States Army medic, which had given you a newfound confidence, and a ‘fuck around and find out’ attitude. 

You walked up and stood across from him as he was working on a patient that seemed to now be unconscious, “Alright, I’m just gon’ cut the bullshit and say what I want to say to you because I am for one sick of the bullshit fake ‘team effort’ you seem to put on only when commanding officers are around for you to brown nose.” You clenched your jaw and narrowed your gaze, “I’m not here to fuckin’ babysit you, neither is Reggie and neither is Maria. The four of us, we are a team - hell you and Reggie are partners, start acting like it.’ You raised your voice slightly, frustrated by his lack of urgency with Tier 1 trauma patients like this one below you, “Next- if you see someone fuckin’ bleedin’, you need to put the two goddamn brain cells you seem to possess, together, and jump in - do your fucking job.” You make eye contact with him, eyes dangerous and threatening, fists balled so tight you are putting nail marks into your palms, “Lastly, the next time you roll your eyes at me, say some backhanded comment, or cop an attitude in the slightest, I’ll knock your head so hard, it’ll fuckin’ spin.” you said lowly, giving him a fake two-second smile after. “Glad we can now be on the same page…” you bit out and then you turned around to walk away towards the bay you told Z to go to, shaking your hands out at your side, letting that energy go. 

Just as you were walking around the outside of the tent, several feet away from Z, you felt a tug at your left shoulder before you were spun around and a fist met the left side of your jaw, disorienting you for a moment, knocking you to the ground, and then immediately being kicked in the ribs a few times. “I’ll talk to you however I fucking want, you fucking bitch!” then a glob of spit landed on your cheek. “You and that dirty fuckin’ terrorist kid can fuck off!” he said referring to Z. 

You’ve never seen red and felt so much rage before. Your heart began to pound in your chest so loud you heard it in your ears, and heat rose from your back to your head. 

You grabbed a fist full of dirt from the ground and threw it up into his eyes, then grabbed his foot and knocked him to the ground, straddling his waist. You landed a blow to his nose, then another, harder, hearing it crack. You grabbed him by the jaw to center his face with one hand and then punched him again in the cheek, blood now running from his nose and mouth. 

Z screamed your name, telling you to stop. 

You didn’t hear anything, adrenaline muting out your surroundings, only focusing on him. 

Braedon flipped you off of him and tried to straddle you, to pin you down, but you did a maneuver to get out from under him and instead on top of him, putting him in a chokehold, then flipping around to one side and slamming yourself on the ground on your back, holding him against you, wrapping your legs around his knees, locking your ankles to immobilize him. He began elbowing your ribs over and over to get away, scratching at your arms, but you just tightened your grip, numb to the pain with the adrenaline coursing through your body. He started gasping for air, and you felt his body go slowly limp, so you let him go, he rolled to the side and choked for air. 

You stood up and felt blood coming from your lips and nose. You touched your lip and saw blood, “Made me bleed… big mistake.” you said to yourself, eyes focused on him like he was prey. 

He was on all fours, coughing, trying to catch his breath, Z ran to get Maria or Reggie after seeing the look you had in your eye. 

Your chest was heaving, breathe heavy, but slow and controlled. Rolled your shoulders back, and stepped forward, kicking his tailbone, knocking him flat on the ground, he whined, “Please, I’m sorry…” 

Your gaze was cold and numb, not caring about anything he was saying. 

“Get up.” you said plainly, unemotionally. He didn’t move. “Get the fuck up!” you raged. 

He rose slowly and backed up raising his hands in defeat. “Please Y/N.. I said I was sorry…” he pleaded. 

You walked him up against a wall that was behind him, crowding his space, grabbing the collar of his shirt, “Sorry would have cut it if you just went after me, but you went after Z… no apology will take that back, you revolting piece of shit.” you punched him in the jaw as he did to you which made him lean to the left to fall to the ground but then you grabbed him by his shoulders and kneed him in the groin. 

You stepped back as he toppled over and fell to the ground, holding his groin and crying in pain, you repositioned and kicked him twice in the torso, cursing him under your breath, you stepped back, he was coughing up blood and gasping for air. You took another step towards him, fist still balled and bloody at your sides, calculating to kick him again in the stomach or face, you didn’t know which, you would just swing. 

That’s when you felt Maria. She pulled you back, arms wrapping around your midsection and trapping your arms, picking you up to move you back, “Stop… you need to stop!” you fought against her, not grasping it was her. Rage still taking hold of your senses, “Let me go! Let me fucking go!” Maria looked at Reggie, holding you still, who then went and checked on Braedon. 

Z stepped in front of you to block your vision of Braedon which made you snap out of it. 

Your vision cleared and you were aware of what you had just done. Your breathing was ragged and uneven, then the pain hit you like a train, “Ah fuck..” you felt your ribs on fire with each breath.

“Ok… there we go… there you are.” she let you go and came in front of you, touching your cheek and shoulder, “Fuck…” she grimaced at your face. “What the hell happened?” she looked over you, assessing you. She knew this wasn’t your fault, something was said or done to provoke this level of violence from you. 

You fell to your knees and gripped your rib cage with one hand and your head with the other, in too much pain to understand what she had just asked before you heard Z speak.

“He hit her first.” Z said softly, “I saw it. Then called her a bitch and spit on her… and then called me a…” he stopped and looked down sadly. 

Maria looked back at him, “Z, what did he call you?” 

You looked at Z who was saddened and most likely ashamed by the slur, “He called him a dirty fuckin’ terrorist, Maria.” you looked past Z, Braedon still on the ground, bloodied and in pain. You clenched your jaw angrily, and took a deep breath, “You don’t say shit like that without consequences.” you looked back up at her, anger in your eyes.

Maria looked back at Braedon and Reggie, “Reggie, get him bay 6 and then get Sarge… a report needs to be filed against him for assault and hate speech.” Reggie didn’t care to question, he also knew you weren’t capable of this level of violence either without being provoked and you all knew there was something off with this guy. 

He nodded and had another nearby soldier help him load Braedon onto a transfer cot and then took him to bay 6. 

You shook your head to refocus yourself and stood to your feet, starting to walk away, to bay 9, wiping the blood from your nose and lip on the bottom of your shirt. 

“Uh, where do you think you’re going?” Maria asked, shocked to see what you were doing. 

“I’m fine Maria. We’ve got work to do.” you stopped walking and looked back at Z, “Come on Z, I need your help.” then began walking again, slowly, obvious to everyone you were in pain.

Z looked at Maria, unsure what to do. 

Maria sighed at your stubbornness. “Keep an eye on her, we only have a few hours left on shift then I’ll make her get checked out.” 

He nodded and ran to catch up with you. You hugged him to your side protectively when he caught up and kissed the top of his head, “No one gets to call you those names, not ever Z.”

He nodded and hugged your side gently back, “Yes, khahar…”

You finished your shift and then snuck away to your bunkhouse as you saw Maria still knee-deep in a patient and Z left about an hour ago to play soccer with some of his friends after you put on a brave face to convince him you were fine. You closed the door with a chair up against it and started to take off your shirt, wincing in pain. You took it off and looked at yourself in the mirror, accessing the damage. 

Your ribs were lightly bruised which would be the start of an ugly sight. You had scratch marks up and down your forearms from when you had him in a chokehold. You took a deep breath through your nose and then looked at your face, your nose had dried blood coming from it, but no signs of it being broken that you could see. Your lip was swollen and broken slightly, but not the worst it’s been. 

You tilted your head back and forth to stretch your neck as there was a pain in it from the punch, most likely whiplash. 

You saw the picture you had of Sarah and Joel taped to your mirror and sighed sadly, “Crap, he’s going to lose his shit.” you pinched the bridge of your nose and closed your eyes, a raging headache starting. 

You heard the door handle twist and then try to open, “God damn it. Y/N, let me in!” Maria sighed, shouting through the door. 

You came to the door and moved the chair, twisting the handle to open the door, “I’m not going to the med tent, I already did an assessment. In conclusion, I got fucked up. Bruised ribs and whiplash but that’s it.” you said as if that was going to stop her from dragging you to the clinic herself. 

“Nice try, you need to get checked out. Sarge’s orders. He needs it for the report, he also needs your statement.” She argued. 

“But I-” you looked at her to protest. 

“No, now. I came to get you. Go.” she said, not budging. 

You sighed and grabbed your shirt, swinging it over your shoulder, walking out of the bunkhouse towards the med tent in your sports bra, subconsciously proud of your battle wounds, wearing them like a badge of honor. 

Maria logged onto her computer quickly and sent a message to Tommy: 

‘I need you to get a message to Joel as I know it’s their day they Skype. There was an incident today involving Y/N and that other medic that we all knew was a snake. She’s fine, she just has orders to get checked out by the medics and give her statement to our sergeant. I’m not sure if she’ll feel up to Skyping but I just know you told me about Joel's anxiety. I just don’t want him to worry if he calls and she doesn’t answer. Thank you, talk soon. xx’ 

She then ran to catch up with you. 

Joel’s POV

He woke up that sweet Sunday morning at 6 am, excited to hear from you today at around 8 am, which was your normal scheduled time if Sundays went easy for you.  

It had only been two days since you two last spoke but for him, it felt like an eternity, he loved the normal scheduled Sunday Skype sessions, but the ones where you or he would randomly say, ‘I miss you, do you have time to talk?’ made him begin to fall in love with you more and more, and the comfort you brought to him, he had no words for it. Even from thousands of miles away, you became an integral part of his life, of his being. 

He saw that you messaged him earlier in the day for you before you started your shift: 

‘I can’t wait for tonight cowboy! Hope you are sleeping well! 😘’

He smiled and typed back: 

‘I’ll see you soon sweetheart. I miss you. ❤️’

A few moments later as he was walking down the stairs he got a text message from Tommy: 

‘Hey, you up?’ 

He texted back almost immediately: 

‘Yeah, just about to cook some breakfast before I Skype with Y/N…’ 

Within seconds he had an incoming call from his brother, he answered, “Hey what’s up?” he smiled softly, walking the rest of the way down the stairs. 

“Mornin’... hey uh.. I just got a message from Maria about Y/N...” Tommy said sadly and softly, trying not to set off alarm bells for Joel.

Joel felt his heart drop into his stomach, “What? What do you mean? W-what’s wrong?” 

Tommy sighed softly, “Maria said not to panic or worry, she’s fine, she just wanted me to pass along a message to you. I’m going to text you a screenshot of her message, ok?” 

Joel put Tommy on speaker and opened up his messages from Tommy, “Yeah, send it.” he said, feeling sick to his stomach. 

Tommy sent it, “She sent this about 3 hours ago. I’m not sure what’s going on. Maria said she’d keep me updated, I just messaged her asking for an update but she’s still offline.” 

Joel read through the message, twice. “Fuck, what’s that weasel's name, Braedon?” he could feel his anger bubble up, the want to protect you but not being able to from this distance was something he was constantly battling internally. 

“Yeah, that’s him.” Tommy sucked in some air and sighed, “Maria has said there was something off about him for a couple of weeks now. He must’ve shown his true colors.” 

Joel huffed, frustrated, “Yeah, just did it on my girl… god if I was there I’d-” 

Tommy let out a chuckle, “I know, you and me both brother.” 

Joel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Thanks for the update, just let me know if Maria messages back and I’ll let you know if I hear from Y/N…” 

“Sounds good, will do. Talk to you later.” Tommy said softly before ending the call. 

Joel sighed and shook his head but then decided he wasn’t going to let his consume him, if Maria said you were ok, you were ok.

He started to make breakfast for himself as Sarah had spent the night at a friend's. 

About an hour later he heard from Tommy via text: 

‘Hey, Maria just messaged me, she said she has 2 broken ribs and a bunch of bruised ones, a fractured nose, a small split on her lip, and a small concussion. They gave her a sedative and she’s sleeping for the rest of the night.’ 

Within ten seconds he got another text from Tommy: 

‘HOWEVER…’

Then another paragraph came through: 

‘She said you should see the other guy. I guess Y/N beat the shit out of him. He has 3 broken ribs, several bruised ones, a broken nose, a broken cheekbone, missing 2 teeth, a concussion, a bruised trachea, and get this… a testicular tear. 🤣 Maria said she hit him so hard in the balls that he has a severe bruise and it has torn the protective tissue. He needs surgery for it, LOL. Atta girl 🎉’ 

Joel chuckled which turned into a guttural laugh the more he read the injuries you inflicted on this piece of shit. 

‘Shit. Remind me to never piss her off… haha. Did Maria say when she might be awake? I’d like to check on her.’ 

‘She said she’d be out the rest of the night for them, I’d say send her a message later tonight, maybe she’ll be awake tomorrow morning for them…’

Joel nodded and sent a thumbs-up emoji back to Tommy before thinking of what to do to fill the rest of his day, then he got an idea. 

He grabbed his truck keys and headed to the store. 

He got back home a few hours later and started putting everything together. He had grabbed a big box, a sympathy card, a nice fluffy blanket, some of your favorite snacks you had mentioned to him, some icy hot cream, some fuzzy socks with whales on them, some face masks he found on sale, and a candle that he thought smelled like him. 

He wrote in the sympathy card:

‘Rest in Peace: Braedon’s ball sack. Cause of death: his own damn fault and my girl standing on business.

I’m sorry to hear you got hurt darlin’. I’m sending this while you’re sleeping off being sedated. Hopefully, you’re feeling much better by the time you get this, but I just wanted to send some stuff that I’d get you if you were actually, well here. 

Sarah says you can never go wrong with a nice fluffy blanket. I also got you some of your favorite snacks that I know you’ve been missing since being there. I thought some icy hot would be something ya’ll don’t have on hand and thought it might bring you some relief. Fuzzy socks, with whales, obviously. I thought since Sarah likes these face masks, you might enjoy them too… you can do them with Maria, I sent a few. Finally, a candle. Now something that brings me comfort when I am hurt or sick is cuddling someone that brings me comfort and just inhaling in their shampoo or perfume, their scent. I thought maybe since I can’t be there, this might be a good placeholder. It’s the closest I could tell that smelled like me. Sarah said a mix of eucalyptus and spearmint, so this was the closest to that. :) 

Get well soon. I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself, just know in the future, I’ll be the one breaking bones for you. I’ll protect you so you don’t ever have to go through this again. I promise. 

With all my love, 

Joel’

He didn’t hesitate or think twice about the last part, he meant it with every part of him. He knew neither of you was ready to say the big three words, but this was close enough to express it. 

He packed everything in nicely and tightly and then wrote your address and left with it to go to the post office to drop it off. 

By the time he got home from the post office, it was 5 pm and the Cowboys game was on. Ironically playing the Broncos. 

He kept checking his phone and laptop for any update or message from you or Tommy, but nothing had come in. 

It was 9 pm when he started to head upstairs to bed. He started to brush his teeth and wash his face when he heard the beautiful sound of a ‘ding’ from his laptop. He dried off his face quickly and got into bed, sitting against the headboard, eagerly opening up his laptop to see a message from you:

‘Hey cowboy, you still up? ❤️’ 

He immediately hit the call button, desperate to see you. 

Within a couple of seconds, a dark screen came on, and your camera turned off. “Hey handsome.” he couldn’t see if but you were smiling softly. 

“Hey sweetheart… I uh… I can’t see you… can you turn your camera on for me?” he said softly. 

You swallowed, and took a breath, “Joel… it’s bad… I…” 

“I don’t care, I need to see you, please let me see your beautiful face darlin’...” his brown eyes pleading with you, he looked so damn cute when he looked at you like that. 

“I… it’s going to be hard to see me, the lights are all off due to my concussion.” you tried to make excuses, you knew it would be hard and upsetting for him to see you like this. 

“Baby I don’t care if I can only see that bright smile of yours, I just… I need to know you’re ok. Please?” he smiled softly, trying to plead his case. 

You gently chuckled but then winced at the pain caused by that in your ribs, “Ah.. fuck… right, can’t laugh.” you let out a breath.

You turned on the camera, you had an Army hoodie on, hood over your head, Joel could see your face fully due to the brightness of your screen being illuminated against your skin. 

His eyes turned sad and he winced, “Oh god… sweetheart. I… what happened?” he reached out and touched the screen like he was trying to touch you, “Tell me what happened baby…”

You rolled your shoulders back and tried to stretch your back, sore. You sighed gently then softly smiled at how he was being, gentle and loving. “Long or short story handsome?” 

“Tell me everything baby, I have nothing but time for you…” he softly smiled back. 

You told him everything, at least the details you could remember, some of it was fuzzy, but how it started, you would never forget. You explained how he most likely will be dishonorably discharged if you file charges against him for aggravated assault and hate speech. Sarge wanted you to think about it and let him know later today. 

“You are filing charges against him, right? I mean he… he put hands on you, fuckin’ spit on your face.” he started to get upset as he realized the utter disrespect he gave you by spitting on you, that alone didn’t sit well with Joel. 

You nodded, “Yeah, of course I am. I don’t much care about me getting a few bumps and bruises, I’m more upset about what he said about Z. That’s what filled me with rage, not by being knocked on my ass, it was that fucking…” you visually were getting more upset, anger festering up. 

“Hey hey, it's ok baby, take a breath…” he said softly. 

You sighed and gripped the bridge of your nose, “I just… I’ve never felt so angry, you know? I… I don’t remember doing half the things I was told I did. I almost killed him at one point they said, one slight movement and boom, broken neck.” you closed your eyes, softly chuckled and then immediately winced again. “I mean, I’ve been beat up before, I know how to take a hit, I know how to take one and stay down, hell that’s why I joined. Came into boot camp with bruised ribs, I’m sure I had a concussion too from the jackass, but that’s not what fueled me.” you shook your head and clenched your jaw. “Sayin’ something that vile, about Z? A kid? That doesn’t just slide off so easily…”

There was a pause, some silence followed by Joel softly speaking up.

“Darlin’, what do you mean you were beat up before you joined?” Joel asked, sadly looking at you. 

You hadn’t shared that part of your past with him yet, you never found the right time, it just seemed too heavy to bring up. 

You looked at him and sighed before instinctually looking down, embarrassed and for some reason nervous, “I umm..” you swallowed the lump in your throat, tears starting to surface, “His name is Charlie. I, unfortunately, was trapped with him for quite some time. He was my ex, that turned into… well a monster.” you bit the inner part of your cheek, “There’d be days he’d lock me in a room or I’d be so beaten I wouldn’t be able to move. He uh.. he was very emotionally, and mentally abusive but mostly physically abusive.” you looked at him, tears streaming down your face, and took a breath, fiddling with the string of the hoodie, you hadn’t thought of him since meeting Joel, you found such solace and security being in his life. He never made you feel unsafe or undesirable. “The night that I left for good…” your bottom lip quivered. 

“Baby, it’s ok, you don’t need t-” Joel softly began. 

“No, I do. You deserve to know Joel.” you cut him off and then bit your lip gently, “The night I left, he beat me within an inch of my life. I was coughin’ up blood, barely passed my physical.” you scoffed. “I honestly only made it out alive because he stopped beating me to get the damn takeout he ordered.” you swallowed hard, tears streaming down, you wiped them gently. “When he passed out, I took my shoes, keys, and wallet, and never looked back. I don’t even have a phone when I get back… hell I don’t even have a home to go back to.” You hysterically let out a sad chuckle, then instantly reached down and held your rib cage and groaned, “I just drove and drove and when I saw the recruiting office, I parked my car there, signed on the dotted line, and took the bus to Fort Jackson.” you let out a heavy sigh, “I joined so he wouldn’t find me. I… I filed charges against him numerous times but his buddies worked at the sheriff’s office and nothing ever seemed to stick. I knew I needed to disappear. Plus, I thought that I would have some job experience for when I would get out in the real world if I joined.” you shrugged. “I’m sorry I never told you, it just seemed too heavy to bring up randomly and I guess I was just avoiding letting you know that dark part of my past.”

Joel just sat and listened, supportively nodding and taking in everything you shared with him. 

“Baby, have nothing to be sorry for.” he began, “No one will ever hurt you like that, ever again, do you understand me?” he softly said when you finished speaking, and you nodded. 

“I will never lay hand on you, and if I ever do, you better leave me after you did what you did to that fool, Braedon. What was it? Testicular contusion with a scrotal tear?” he questioned. 

You chuckled and nodded through tears, wincing again. “Stop makin’ me laugh, it hurts!” you teased.. 

Joel chuckled and apologized and then smiled lovingly at you, “I promise, this will be the last time, at least until you’re here with me, that a man will ever lay hands on you, yeah?” 

You smiled lovingly back and nodded, that three-word phrase edging itself on your tongue for the first time. Neither of you had made anything official but it felt like it was an unsaid thing, you know? You both adored each other and from a distance took care of each other. You had both just seamlessly fit together, into each other's routines, expectations and so much more. He felt like your best friend and you were sure he felt the same about you. You had never felt this way about someone before, it scared you but it also felt so freeing. He made you feel like yourself again, she had been lost for so long since Charlie, but Joel brought her out. 

He looked at you like there was something worth looking at. 

He blushed softly, “You make me really happy, you know that?” 

You shrugged and looked away shyly, “Never coulda’ guessed…” you teased and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, “You make me really happy too, cowboy.”

He bit his lip trying to contain his smile, “I like when you call me cowboy too, it uh..” he cleared his throat, looking down shyly, “It’s somethin’ only you have called me. It uh… makes me feel all types of ways darlin’.” he peeked up at you with those big brown eyes, you felt your cheeks heat up and a heat start to form between your legs. 

You shyly looked down, “I can relate to that same feeling when you look at me with those big brown eyes of yours...”

He chuckled softly and licked his lips, “I’ll be sure to remember that for future reference.” he started to smirk. 

You blushed and smiled widely but then winced, “Ah, damn it, can’t smile and laugh, this sucks.” 

He looked at the time, “Do you have to work today?” 

You shook your head, “They are tryna tell me to take the day off but we are short-handed already with Braedon now being in critical care adding to the load we have to deal with. I think I’m fine, I’d take it easy.” 

Joel raised an eyebrow, “You? Take it easy? Darlin’ takin’ it easy is somethin’ I’ve never seen you do since you’ve been there.” he chuckled, “Take a day, rest. I’m sure if the world turns upside down they’ll come to get you but you don’t need to work, you need to get better.” he softly said, “Please, at least take today off, for me?” he used those big brown eyes. 

You shook your head and softly chuckled again, “You are awful cowboy…” you winced. “Usin’ those brown eyes to your advantage, again. But I’m sure you also just saw the time and know if I don’t work, you’ll get more time with me…” you looked at him with your arms folded, raising your eyebrow, which he found adorable. 

“You are not 100% wrong sweetheart, but no, I’d let you rest, get some more sleep…” he grinned, “And just call you again later.” he winked. 

You bit your lip and shook your head, looking down, “You’re lucky I like you so much cowboy.” you looked back up at him, “Alright, deal. I’ll rest up and then call you back again when you get up to talk shortly before you have to go to work.” 

“You seem to forget darlin’, I own the company, I can be as late as I want to if it means I’m talkin’ to you.” he smiled. 

You raised your eyebrow and smirked, “Mmm I seem to remember you have a consultation and monthly meeting tomorrow with your crew, all before 9 am. You sure you can just… roll in late to those, handsome?” 

“For you, absolutely…” he said with zero hesitation or doubt in his voice. 

You shook your head smiling like an idiot, not caring that it hurt, and teasingly rolled your eyes, “Get to sleep handsome, you’ve got a big day tomorrow. Call me after your meetings, and I’ll get some more rest. Sound like a plan?” 

He nodded and sighed dramatically, “Fine, deal. I’ll talk to you then.” 

“Good. Sweet dreams cowboy.” you softly said. 

“I will sweetheart, as you’re always in ‘em” he winked.

You bit your lip shyly, “And you in mine. G’night”

“Goodnight sweetheart.” 

You hadn’t slept so well in a long time, and just like you said, you were with him in your dreams, wishing it would soon come true. 

2 weeks later 

You did as you promised and took the rest of that day off, in fact, Joel convinced you to take another day as your pain management was still balancing out. He would check in on you via video chat or messages. He continued to prove he was your rock. He wasn’t going anywhere and even from a distance he provided you with a level of comfort, security, and love that you had never felt. 

When you got his care package a few days ago, you have never felt so happy in your life. This man went out and not only gathered things but things with a purpose and reason behind them. He remembered the candy and chips you missed. You had only mentioned them in passing, but he remembered. The candle sent you over the edge emotionally. You laid in your bed that afternoon, tears streaming down your face, eyes closed, holding the candle by your face, wishing, dreaming it was him next to you. You prayed the smell would last until you were back home and could travel to see him. You said you wouldn’t light it for that specific purpose, to make it last. 

You hung the card next to his picture on your mirror and looked at the last part constantly, ‘with all my love’... your heart was so full and you knew as soon as you could get home, you wanted nothing more than to be with him. You loved him too, and couldn’t wait to tell him when you were able to say it against his lips or in his arms. 

Your injuries slowly but surely healed. You still had issues with your ribs, but you would for a while, but your face and nose healed up nicely. 

You pressed charges against Braedon, and after he was medically released he was sent back home. Maria said that she had heard he was trying to press charges against you when you went and discussed it with your commanding officer, they agreed with you, you were acting out of self-defense, and just because he couldn’t defend himself, didn’t mean your actions were like his, assault. However, your commanding officer and you did have a laugh and he told you if there was ever a next time, maybe pull back before you hit them in the balls so hard you lessen their chance to have kids. You said you’d try. 

Joel had sent you pictures of the rocking chair he was working on, Sarah even took some of him sanding some wood down and you couldn’t wait to thank her personally for them as it was Joel in his element. Not only that but you couldn’t help but note that he had his biceps flexed, his shirt tightly fitted, he was somewhat sweaty, and wore the most irresistible jeans that hugged him perfectly. You may have kept that one under your pillow and used it late at night when you couldn’t sleep and needed to relieve some tension. 

You went back to work full time and continued writing letters to Joel, sending photos you and Maria took. The last few were a little shorter than normal as you two had already spoken to him 3 times this week for at least 2 hours each time, there wasn’t much to write about, but you still wanted to keep up the routine you had, as you loved it was something just between you two. 

He mentioned in his last letter that when you got home he would take some work off to spend time with you and wanted to know what you wanted to do in that time, he had a few ideas he said but also wanted to do things you wanted to do as well. You wrote back a few days ago that you wanted him to take you dancing as in one of the last calls you had, he was cooking dinner and had music on in the background and started dancing to make you laugh, he also told you that he and Tommy knew how to line dance and won an award when they were younger, so dancing was a must. You told him you also wanted to host a barbeque with him for Sarah, Tommy, and Maria, and maybe some neighbors too, you wanted to try his baby back ribs he kept going on about and you mentioned you made a really good mac and cheese, the two could be good together. You also asked what his ideas were, wanting to know a sneak peek.

—

August 4, 2014

14:43 

You were taking inventory of supplies when your commanding officer came over, you stood to attention and saluted him. 

“At ease soldier.” he said sternly. 

You stood and put your hands behind your back, still standing respectfully, “Sir?” 

“Pack your things, you and your partner are going to aid Delta 42.” 

Delta 42. Instantly your stomach sank. 

You all had heard of the destruction and loss of lives that happened there. You all called it ‘no man's land’ - no one made it out. 

“Sir, may I ask how long this assignment is? To prepare?” you could feel your anxiety rising. 

“3 days. You have 3 days to find a superior officer that has sent a distress signal and transport him back here before we pull you out with or without him and god willing with both of you still alive…” he said so unemotionally, so matter of factly, he knew he was sending you and Maria to your possible death. 

“Sir, do we have coordinates?” you said, starting to disassociate. 

“Everything will be given to you en route. You have 15 minutes…” he nodded and then turned to leave. 

You felt your heart race start to race and your breathing became quick and panicked. 

‘Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth’ your mind annoyingly reminded you. You did so a few times and focused on calming your heart rate down. 

“Ok… 15 minutes.” you put your clipboard down and ran out of the supply closet towards your bunkhouse. You changed quickly into your gear and then packed what you needed into your bag. You grabbed the photo you have on your mirror of Joel and Sarah and put it into your vest pocket that laid over your heart. Maria came running in shortly after, doing the same thing. Both of you frantically getting your bearings, panicking internally.

You looked at the time, 8 minutes. 

Joel and Z. You needed to alert both of them to the situation. 

Joel first. You did the math quickly in your head, it was close to 1 am where he was, so you tried calling him, no answer. 

“Fuck. Please answer…” you said to the screen. 

You tried calling again, no answer, status: offline. 

You looked at Maria, she was trying the same thing with Tommy, “You getting him either?” 

She shook her head and sighed. 

You slammed your hands against the desk, frustrated, feeling so much pressure, “Fuck! 15 minutes isn’t enough!” 

You looked at the time, 5 minutes. 

You frantically typed:

‘Joel, I was just notified that Maria and I are being sent on an immediate field assignment. Please answer… I need to talk to you.’  

You waited for 30 seconds, watching the clock climb closer to the time you needed to leave. 

‘Joel, baby, please answer me.’ 

You tried calling again, no answer. 

You sighed heavily and tears began to fall against your cheeks. You had so much to say to him in case you didn’t make it back. You needed to hear his voice one more time. 

You took a breath and looked over at Maria, she had no luck either. 

You swallowed and debated telling him how severe this was, you didn’t want him to stress for the next few days, but you wanted to say things that would only be said in the event of something serious happening. 

You were having an internal battle with yourself that you couldn’t afford to have with the little time you possessed. 

Fuck it. 

‘I will be back in 3 days. 3 days. I’ll come back to you, I promise. And if by some cruelty I break that promise, just know, you have never left my mind since we met and you won’t until my last breath. You are my waking thought, my sweet dream, and everything in between.’

‘You will always be the one I long for, the love I would cross the universe to find.’ 

You sobbed, genuinely not knowing if you would now get the chance to say those three words to him, the words he deserves to know you felt for him. 

‘I love you cowboy, and I’ll do everything I can to get back to you to tell you that in person.’ 

You looked at the clock, 3 minutes, you cursed as you shut your laptop “I need to find Z.” you said to yourself and Maria before grabbing your bag and rifle and running out of the bunkhouse. Maria running after you shortly after. 

You had no idea where to find him, you hadn’t seen him all day. 

“Z?” you frantically looked in the med tent for him, but he wasn’t there. 

“Z!” you shouted, Maria as well. 

Reggie looked at you both, confused and now concerned seeing how frantic you both were, “What’s going on?” 

You looked at Reggie, and you had tears welling up, “We are going to no man’s land. Where’s Z?” 

Reggie’s face dropped, “I uh, I don’t know, he usually is by the field if he’s not here…” You instantly bolted that way, you had less than two minutes before you needed to be on that aircraft. 

“Z! Azzami!!” you practically screamed, trying to spot him as you ran. 

Maria shouted at you “Y/N, we gotta go! We can’t wait any longer… Reggie will tell him!” 

You stopped and looked back at her “I- we… what if we don’t make it back?” you sobbed. 

“He knows. He already knows we love him.” Maria said, tears streaming down her face as well. 

You dropped to your knees, feeling defeated by the situation, so you yelled out loud in frustration, hurting your lungs and ribs. This isn’t supposed to happen. 

Maria felt the same way and came up to you and touched your shoulder, “We need to go. We are going to be late.” 

You looked at her and took a deep breath then wiped your eyes and shoved everything down and stood back up. “We’re making it back, together, yeah?” 

Maria put her forehead against yours and nodded, “Yeah, you and me. We got this.” 

You nodded, “Ok, let’s go.” then you both took off running towards the aircraft waiting to take the both of you to the next three days of absolute hell. 

Joel’s POV

Joel woke up to getting texts and calls from Tommy, at 5 am. He had at least another hour to sleep but when he turned over and looked at his phone he saw he had 4 missed calls and 9 messages from Tommy. 

His heart dropped, his breathing hitched and he immediately thought about you. 

He scrambled out of his bed, knocking things off his nightstand, and ran downstairs to his office, opening up to laptop. 

He saw 8 notifications on his Skype. 

“Fuck.” he opened up yours and his chat log and started reading. 

Tears started to gather in his eyes, his heart pounding as he read, panicking by how you were talking. Where were you going? What danger are you getting thrown into? Thousands of thoughts swarmed his mind and then they all stopped when he read,

‘I love you cowboy, and I’ll do everything I can to get back to you to tell you that in person.’

He couldn’t help but smile for a moment, holding onto that feeling, that you love him, but he was brought right back to reality and fell to his knees and softly sobbed.

This can’t be happening. I can’t lose her. I love her and never got the chance to say it back. He thought to himself. He didn’t know what to do, he felt so helpless, everything was out of his control. 

His phone buzzed again against his desk, a call from Tommy. 

He grabbed it and leaned up against the wall behind his desk, the room dark, the house silent, Sarah still peacefully asleep. 

He sighed and leaned his head against the wall behind him, “Hey…” 

Tommy seemed just as distraught to Joel’s surprise. He knew Tommy and Maria liked each other as you told him in confidence but he didn’t know it was like this. 

“What did Y/N say? Maria said they were going on a field assignment, some idiot general sent a distress signal and they are sending them in to get him, she said it would be a few days… Joel she was sayin’ things...” his voice cracked. 

“I know.” Joel sniffled. “Y/N said similar things…” he chuckled sadly. “Things you only say if you think you’re about to die.” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tommy please tell me what the hell is going on, what did they get thrown into, what are their odds?” he said softly.

Tommy sighed, sniffing as well, “Depending on the area, they could be going into an active combat zone, or they could just be going on a wild goose chase, with the possibility of being an open target. I don’t know man, I just know for them to send only two medics means they want less attention drawn which to me means they could be going into active combat for which they’ll most likely be going in with a combat specialist to assist.” 

Joel sighed, “Ok, so if they do go with someone trained in combat that’s better than nothing, right?” 

Tommy bit his inner cheek, “I guess, I just… why them?” 

“They are some of the best in their area and Reggie right now is partnerless. Y/N said he isn’t supposed to get someone ‘til next week, they can’t send him solo.”

Joel was right, they won’t send Reggie alone and they weren’t going to separate you and Maria. However whether you liked it or not, you two had the lowest mortality rate in the region and worked well as a team. It was a no-brainer to send you on this assignment. 

“Will you keep me posted if you hear anything sooner and I’ll do the same?” Tommy asked. 

“Of course. I’ll uh.. See you in a few hours at the office, yeah?” Joel scratched his head, he was now up for the day, and he wouldn’t be able to sleep with this news. And he didn’t sleep very well for the next 3 days. 

Reader’s POV

As soon as you and Maria got into the aircraft and buckled in, it took off. 

Maria and you looked down at the open door, watching you fly away from what you knew as safety. 

You turned your head and noticed another soldier across from you, looking stoic, and composed.  

The pilot came on the intercom, “We are headed to Delta 42, this is an active combat zone. Everything will be there, tanks, snipers, missile strikes, you are going to no man’s land!” 

You took deep breaths, trying to stay calm, get into the zone, and focus. 

“Private Coleman is Special Forces, para-rescue. He’s going to be your protection and guide. Your jobs are to not only get out with Captain Williams but get all 3 of you as well out alive.” 

Coleman nodded at you both and gripped his rifle closer to himself, “Good to meet ya’ll. Let’s make it back home, yeah?” 

You and Maria both nodded, cracking a smile, “I like your attitude.” you said over the comms. “We are on a first-name basis, I’m Y/N and this is my partner, Maria.” you tapped Maria with your elbow, and she nodded. 

“I’m Jack.” he looked out the window. “We are going to touch down, we are all 3 going to get out and run to the southwest wall, from there we will gather our bearings and make a plan. We have at least a 5-mile radius to cover before we get to Captain’s coordinates.” he looked back at you two, “Any questions?” 

“Yeah, how are you not shitting yourself right now?” Maria asked, internally freaking out. 

Jack laughed, “I’ve been in and out of here 4 times ladies, I’ve already done that the first two times…” 

A brief wave of relief washed over you. He’s been here 4 times. Someone that knows the area and threats, we’re gonna be ok, you told yourself over and over internally. 

The pilot came on comms, “Alright, we are descending, get ready!” 

You all three unbuckled and grabbed your things, strapping your backpack on and putting your rifle over you, pulling out your necklace charm from under all your gear, putting it to your lips, and kissing it. 

You grabbed a bar above your head to hold on and watched as the aircraft descended slowly towards the ground. 

You took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

“I have heat signatures coming from your east, take cover as soon as your feet hit the ground!” the pilot said through the comms system before shouting “Now! Go! Go!” 

You all three jumped out, the aircraft about 3 feet from the ground. 

As soon as your feet hit, the aircraft took a sharp turn and started firing rounds to your east. You all three ran immediately to find cover. 

You felt a bullet fly past your left arm. You fell to the ground to take cover then rolled onto your back and sat your head up to look through your scope, saw the target, and pulled the trigger, landing a blow the their shoulder. 

You stood back up and ran towards Maria and Jack to catch up. 

You all made it to the southwest wall. Explosions and gunfire happening all around you. 

Jack shouted, “Ok, the sooner we get this sack of shit, the sooner we can get out of here! We are to move up south to these coordinates, that’s where his distress signal was sent from.” he showed his GPS. 

“What happens if we get there and he’s dead?” you asked. 

“Still need to get him home! We call for an airborne rescue and take the body…” he shouted back. 

You nodded and ducked as something hit the wall above you knocking debris onto you. 

“Alright, let’s get to work!” he smiled and started walking towards the destination. 

–

For the past two days, you’ve been shot at, missiles and grenades exploding around you. You don’t know if your hearing will ever be the same. You helped those that were wounded around you and then would instruct them if they could make it out the southeast wall and travel north there was a safe haven camp 2 miles that way. Anyone however who was not an Allied force and injured was immediately killed by Jack. He had no empathy for the enemy, and after what you had seen, neither did you. 

You were less than a mile from the Captain’s coordinates when you heard someone from behind you, as you turned to see, you were cut in the arm by a knife, “Fuck!” you saw a man with a hand knife make another swing at you, you stepped back and shot his knee cap to disarm him, he fell to the ground and then before you could do anything else Jack shot him in the chest.  

You stood there in shock for a second, breathing sharp and fast. 

That could have ended so much differently, I could have died. You thought. You gripped your rifle, trying to ground yourself, but then quickly turned to the side and vomited. 

“You good?” Maria asked, touching your shoulder. 

You nodded and wiped your mouth with your hand, “Yeah, just nerves and starving… not a good mix.”

Jack looked at you both then you, “You’re bleeding…” 

You looked at your arm, “Shit.” 

Maria looked at you and pulled out her kit, “I got it. You’ll need to clean it when we get home but here…” She sprayed some bacterial spray and then wrapped it with some gauze and tape. “That’ll hold.” she softly smiled at you and you smiled at her, “Thanks partner.” she nodded. 

“We have until the morning to get to the coordinates. Let’s take a 2-hour break, get something in our systems, rest up, and then push through the night, yeah?” 

You nodded and so did Maria. 

You all found a small abandoned house and took turns taking 30-minute naps, grabbed something to eat from your packs, and got something to drink. 

You took off your helmet, put it in your lap, and leaned your head against the wall behind you. Almost there, just a little bit longer. 

You pulled out the picture of Joel and Sarah and smiled softly. The house you were in shook as a nearby explosion happened, you ducked your head down and instinctually grabbed your necklace.

Once the shaking stopped you looked back at the picture and gently brushed your finger against it, thinking of what life will be like with them once you’re out of here. Holding onto that, keeping that in the back of your head for the next 24 hours. 

Jack stood up and pulled a map out of his pack, “Ok, we are right here.” he pointed to an area on the map, “Williams is here.” he pointed to another location a little further south. You and Maria looked at the map. 

“What if we went down this road? It's covered by overhead coverings… looks like it may have been a marketplace before…” you pointed to a road to the east of your location which would lead directly to the coordinates, “It would give us cover to move faster and avoid getting hit potentially from above?” 

Jack looked at your suggestion, “Maria, any suggestions?” he looked her way. 

She shook her head, “If she suggests we go that way, I trust her suggestion.”  

Jack looked at you, and took a breath, thinking, “My only concern is if it was a marketplace and has that overhead coverage, it might be a camp base for the enemy.” 

You thought for a second, “What if we threw a smoke bomb in? If anyone would be in there, it would create movement, and if it’s invaded, we just walk away and go just up here?” pointing to the main road. “Main road will take longer but it’ll be plan B. The hope would be this road works…” 

Jack nodded, “That’ll work. How many smoke bombs do we have?” 

“We each have two, that’s 6 total. We have maybe a thousand yards to location… if we throw one every 150 yards we can scope out targets and create a cover for us.” Maria said. 

Jack looked at you and Maria, “That’ll work.” he nodded, “Ok, pack up, we can use the lack of light tonight for further coverage.” 

You both nodded and gathered your things. You put your helmet back on and put the photo back in your vest pocket after kissing it gently. 

Jack looked at you then Maria, “If anything happens to me, you need to grab my radio, and once you get to Willams, carry him to a rooftop nearby and turn to channel 5. Call for Alpha 402, tell them where you are, and they will send a rescue aircraft within minutes.” 

You both nodded. 

He nodded back and then you all started heading to the road you hoped to take. Praying this would be a simple task now that you’ve made it this far, hoping this would be over soon. 

—

You made it down the road with 4 smoke bombs and no movement, you had around 200 yards to go. You kept telling yourself that was easy, that’s 2 football fields. 

Jack threw the 5th smoke bomb and waited, scoping out and watching the terrain in front of you. No movement, no sound, it was quiet. 

Too quiet. 

“We need to run…” Jack said all of a sudden. 

“What?” Maria said, not grasping what he said. 

“There’s no sound, no birds, nothing, something is going to happen. We need to run,” he said quietly. 

All of sudden you heard sirens, sirens signaling only one thing. 

“Fuck. Run!” Jack said running, you grabbed Maria’s hand and pulled her with you. 

You ran for your life. The sirens got louder the more you ran. 

Jack yelled “Over here!” he cut to the left and like a miracle you saw someone peeking out for the rubble, it was the Captain. 

You and Maria immediately ran over to him and knelt, you quickly checked his pulse, it was weak but there. 

You looked and saw he had an abdominal injury as well as a broken leg.

“Maria, splint the leg fast, I’ll pack the abdominal wound.” you looked up around you for the tallest building. 

“Jack, call for air support immediately after we finish addressing these injuries to that building…” you nodded towards a tall building. 

He nodded and kept a lookout, “We need to get him moved, hurry!” 

You packed the wound as best you could and gave him a shot of morphine quickly. Maria splinted the leg and also sprayed it with that same antibacterial spray. 

“Ok done.” you said, looking at Maria. 

“Me too, done.” she said. 

Jack pulled out his radio and called for air support, expressing that you were in the middle of a possible missile drop and that air support was needed immediately. 

You stood up and grabbed Williams, picking him up like you did with Terrance. “Let's go, we have stairs to fucking climb, and I wanna get the fuck home…” you said straining starting to walk towards the building. As you entered the building you heard gunshots from behind you, you turned to find Maria on the ground, bleeding. 

“Maria!” you shouted.

Jack shot back towards where the shots were coming from and then took cover in the building you were in, “Let’s go! She’s gone.” 

You shook your head, you could tell she was still alive, “No, she needs help! Jack, she needs help!” 

“Listen I’m not here to get her to safety, I’m here to get him. We need to move.” he pushed you towards the stairs. 

You looked at him in disbelief, anger brewing, “Then you get him out. I’m not leaving without her.” you set the Captain down, grabbed the radio he had on his belt, and started walking back out.  

“You’ll never make it! Don’t be stupid!” Jack shouted as he lifted the Captain over his shoulder. 

“She’s my sister, I’m not leaving her…” you said as you ran back out to her. 

Maria was 20 feet from the building. A few shots went past you, you shot back a few times and then threw the last one of your smoke bombs to create some cover. 

You got to her and dragged her to some cover nearby. She was shot in the shoulder and stomach. 

“You need to go, leave me.” she said, breath ragged and uneven. 

“Maria shut up. I’m not leaving you.” you said, putting pressure on her stomach. 

You looked up at the sky and didn’t see a plane coming in yet, you had time. 

You hurried and gave her a shot of morphine and then packed her abdomen, “I’m going to carry you. We’re going to make it. I need you to take my pistol and shoot anyone you see behind us until we get into that building, got it?”

Maria shook her head, tears streaming, “Y/N, please, you need to leave me, I’m dead weight.” 

“Maria, I made a promise to your parents I would take care of you, and you and I made a deal on that fucking plane we were both making it back, now shut up and say you’ll cover my back!” you shouted at her, focusing on packing her wound. 

She looked at you, tears streaming, she was scared. 

“I’m not leaving without you.” you looked at her, and shook your head, “You would do the same for me.” 

She nodded, and chuckled, “You’re so annoyingly stubborn.” 

You chuckled and smiled at her, “Yes I am, which is why we will make it out of here.” 

You finished packing her wound and then zipped her vest back up to cover it, keeping it in place, “Ok, ready?” 

She nodded and you handed her your pistol. You then grabbed a grenade you had and threw it to make some cover. You grabbed Maria’s arm swung her around your shoulders and started running to the building. 

She fired a couple of shots and from what you could tell hit something or someone. 

You got inside and looked up, you had at least 12 flights to climb, “You owe me.” you said with a chuckle before you started climbing the stairs, adrenaline driving you. More than halfway up you heard the sound of a plane nearby. 

“Fuck we gotta move. Hold onto me!” you shouted. 

She wrapped around you as best she could and gripped your vest. 

Your legs were burning, your heart pounding so hard you felt like it was going to burst, but you knew you needed to keep pushing. 

You made it to the top floor and Jack was loading the Captain in.

“Wait!” you called slamming the door open. 

Jack looked back and saw you, yelled at the pilot to hold on, and leaned out of the cockpit to help you load Maria in. 

You stepped and grabbed the handle to load yourself in when you felt something hit the side of your leg, you looked down and saw blood, “Fuck.” you looked behind you and before you could react or shoot, Jack fired a round, “Get in!” you pulled yourself in and sat on the floor. 

“Ok, Robbie let’s get the fuck out of here!” Jack shouted and you felt the plane pull up and turn towards safety. 

You immediately assessed your leg, starting to spray bacterial spray and then wrapping it with gauze and a wrap, hard-wired when seeing blood to address it. 

You looked over at Maria after and she was already looking at you. You started laughing, “We did it.” 

You chuckled which turned into a laugh, “Fuck, yeah we did!” 

Jack joined in, and you looked over at him, sarcastically saying “Fuck you, saying I wouldn’t make it.” 

He chuckled, “Shouldn’t have underestimated your stubbornness…” 

Maria laughed louder, “No, no you shouldn’t have!” 

You all three were in a fit of giggles when the pilot came through the intercom, “We need to divert to Delta 27, Delta 30 is under attack.” you all stopped laughing and you looked at Maria. 

Z and Reggie. 

You pulled yourself up and limped towards the cock pit, “What do you mean under attack?” 

“I just got a message that the enemy opened fire on it, with several casualties, it’s not safe to land.” 

Your heart immediately dropped, “But… I got people there… we have family, please, just… just drop me down, you don’t have to land, I can do a drop-off. Take them to 27… Please.” 

Jack came up behind you, “Drop us down, they’ll need reinforcements.” 

The pilot looked at you both and nodded, “Fine but just so you know you’re going back into an active combat area.” He started to turn the craft back towards your camp. 

“No disrespect sir but we were just in no man’s land, this will be nothing...” you said looking at Jack, he nodded, agreeing. 

You went back and knelt by Maria, taking her hand, “I need you to get in contact with Tommy and Joel. I need you to tell Joel I will be ok and I will call him as soon as I can but I needed to get Z and Reggie. Tell him…” you paused, thinking of what to tell him, “Tell him I meant my last message with everything in me and I’ll keep my promise, it’s just taking me longer, but I’ll make it back.” 

She nodded and looked at you, “Promise me you’ll call me when you’re somewhere safe.” 

You nodded and gripped her hand. “I promise. You get some help and stay alive until I get to you, deal?” she nodded and chuckled. 

You stood and looked at Jack, “We are looking for a kid named Z and the medic here, his name is Reggie. We get them to safety first then we reinforce.” 

He nodded, “Got it.” 

You let out a shaky breath and looked down at the camp, explosions and smoke everywhere. 

“This as close as I can get!” the pilot said. He hovered over a building, you let out the rope ladder and slid down, Jack following behind you. 

“Alright, follow me, I think I know where to find Z.” you said as you headed down the stairs.

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Taglist: @vod80 , @sarahhxx03, @blahkateisdone, @sunnytuliptime, @pedroscurls

[yoredoesmore]

Hello! I saw you opening request again, can I have a request for soshiro and fem reader where they spend time each other for holiday?

Maybe they're having a cafe date in this cold season or maybe ice skating or spend time alone together?

Memories of Snow | Hoshina Soshiro

pairing: Hoshina Soshiro x Fem!Reader

genre: /romance/fluff overload

summary: You take your boyfriend out on a cute date to help him relax during the holidays.

wc: 1,7k

a/n: I'm falling to my knees, rubbing my hands together and apologizing for taking this long for your request. please accept my apology anon please please please 😣

Enjoy :>

It was that time of the year again. Tokyo sat covered in a crystal white blanket and the freezing temperatures urged everyone to take out their coats and fuzzy winter scarfs. Christmas lights illuminated the streets and the smell of baked goods and hot chocolate lingered in the air.

It was a beautiful time to be, and your favorite.

Your mitten covered hands tried their best to work the phone in your hands. The cold air threatened to dry out your skin the second it came in contact with it, which is why you refused to take them out of the warm fabric. You knew better now.

It was already five past seven and Soshiro had yet to respond to all your messages.

“Im ag the Christmas makest where eate hiu”

Soshiro has long adjusted to your typos, therefore you did not bother to correct your mistakes (not that it was possible with these things on anyway).

Worried that something might have happened to the man, you tried to dial his number but upon the first sound ringing up, you felt a hand wrap around your wrist.

“Someone's impatient.” Soshiro placed a gentle hand on your cheeks before leaning in for a kiss. His lips moved gently over yours, capturing your heart in a swift motion.

“Yes, because you're usually on time.” You rolled your eyes in a playful manner as you pulled away from him and smiled, immediately forgiving his actions.

“So, what does my Snow Angel have planned for us?” His hands wrapped around your fuzzy mittens. One thing you have noticed was that Soshiro loved matching your nickname to whatever season or event was currently taking place. It was a cute habit of his, one that you have gotten deeply attached to.

The both of you began to walk down the christmas market, taking in the beautiful scenery around you and the sweet smell of roasted almonds. You have been looking forward to this day ever since he got the green light to take this day off. Attending the christmas market was like a tradition, one the both of you have grown quite fond of.

“Sooo, it occurred to me that we never went ice skating together and lucky us, the market renovated their ice skating rink! I got us two tickets for that and afterwards we can grab something to eat and look around a bit more.”

While you were talking, Soshiro couldn't help but lose himself in your presence. your eyes shone with such anticipation and joy, it caused his heart to melt the cold around him away.

He was always so on edge at work, as the vice president it was his duty to take care of everything around him and protect his division after all. It was a constant pressure that rested on his shoulders. But with you around him, that weight was lifted and he was able to enjoy the moment.

When it came to dates specifically, it was usually you who took care of everything. The reservations, the schedule, the dress code– you loved taking care of it all. Of course it was always nice to see Soshiro handle those things when he found the time but most of the time, all he had to do was show up and take care of the financial aspects.

Upon arriving at the skating rink, you noticed how many people were already enjoying the sports. Couples, families and friends danced around on the ice, having an enjoyable time. You have been looking forward to this for ages now and you couldn't wait to try this out with your boyfriend. But as you turned around to look at his face, he had a..less excited expression on.

“What's wrong, Soshiro?” you asked, pulling your tickets out of your bag.

“Don't tell me that you have never done this before.” Your words were meant to be taken as a joke, you didn't even look at him as you spoke that sentence but when Soshiro didn't laugh or make any other signs that he hadn't taken your words to heart, you paused in your actions.

“No way..”

“It's not that big of a deal, I mean how hard can this be.” The man crossed his arms over his chest, the usual sassy expression hanging on his lips. He was avoiding eye contact as well, what a cutie.

You wanted to tease Soshiro for this. Poke at his ego a little and drop a few jokes but you decided against your worse judgment. Your boyfriend was amazing at many things, so many that it was painful to compare your achievements. Thus, having him admit that he was unable to do such simple thing as holding himself up on the ice did feel like a win for you.

This was going to be interesting.

*

He was exceptional.

Soshiro moved on the ice as if he was born to do so. Your boyfriend made it seem effortless, keeping his posture while elegantly moving through the crowd. It was a sight to behold, watching the man who almost stumbled over himself upon entering the icy rink now holding himself up like it was nothing.

Meanwhile you stood in the corner, admiring his skills.

You had told him that you needed a break but in reality you simply wished to admire the man.

It should not have been that much of a surprise to you, after all you were well aware of his abilities as noted before. The master of blades and swift movements was bound to find his calling on the ice. And not to mention– he looked unbelievably handsome.

Once the lap was finished, Soshiro returned to your side. His chest heaved up and down in order to regain his stamina and his rapid breaths visualized in the cold evening wind as misty clouds.

“This is funnier than expected.” Soshiro smiled, placing his hands on his hips.

“You sure are enjoying yourself, Soshiro.”

“Sure am. My girlfriend is excellent at picking fun activities after all.”

A knock of wind suddenly hit your face as you found yourself being dragged back into the center of the ring. “Let's try it together!”

Soshiro didn't even wait for your answer as he urged your stiff body closer to his. But you did not complain nor refuse, as you were all too used to Soshiro's sudden antics and therefore simply followed behind him.

You haven't laughed like this since breakfast this morning. Soshiro held your hands while moving along to the music. Your feet followed him, matching his pace and rhythm. The people around you almost became nonexistent in your eyes– it was simply the two of you who existed in the moment.

He held your hands as you tried a trick and pulled you back up after failing miserably. But you just laughed it off, not paying the failure any attention.

But before you knew it an hour passed and it was time to clear the ice. Soshiro and you went for one last round before the magical time was over.

“What a bummer. I could have gone for another hour.”

Hearing him say this earned a smile out of you. The smile on your face sat brightly as you wrapped your hand around his and pulled him along.

“The day's not over, so let's find something else to do!” Soshiro welcomed your enthusiasm by giving your hands a soft squeeze.

You ended up walking around the market for another hour, relishing in the festive spirit, enjoying the moment and stopping by almost every food stand. And just when you believed that the night could not go any better it started snowing.

Tiny crystals of ice landed on your skin and melted on impact. This was no weather to return home to, Soshiro said and guided you towards the nearby river.

Less people now walked the street but those who were outside enjoyed the view of the water along with the snow.

“Remember last year, when we went to the christmas market and it started snowing just like this? A little earlier than now but it was so beautiful.”

“And so cold as well. Yer fingers almost froze off.” The both of you laughed at the memory, the image of you desperately trying to heat up your fingers by rubbing them against each other so clear in your mind.

You were about to continue the story, when all of a sudden you found your arms being lifted up to your chest. One by one, Soshiro removed your mittens, until your fingers stood exposed in the cold winter air.

“Instead of buying yourself gloves Y/n, ya asked me to hold yer hand instead, but im pretty sure that mine were just as cold as yours."

Soshiro chuckled. "And I wasn't allowed to wear my gloves anymore either, ya said somethin bout 'let's suffer together'. Froze my one hand off that day but the other one did feel kinda warm."

And just like that, Soshiro took your hand in his and smiled. It wasn't a grin or one of his sheepish smiles but one that instantly warmed your hands and heart.

“So..would it be selfish of me to ask you to do the same for me now?”

Your words temporarily got stuck in your throat as you found yourself unable to answer him. Soshiro was so smooth with his words, catching you off guard in the moments you least expected it. But most importantly, he was sweet and caring and meant everything he said.

“You're already holding them, silly.” You somehow managed to reply, slightly flustered by his tender smile.

“And I already feel so much better.” He replied, pocketing our mittens with a sheepish smile.

The snow continued to fall over the world as the two of you walked down the river, hand in hand, while enjoying the beautiful scenery and old memories.

[milchig-de]

What's mine is yours; only ours

Pairing: Scaramouche/Wanderer x Reader (as Traveller)

Warnings: None!

Summary: You give the Wanderer, formerly Scaramouche a name. It's yours!

Notes: Aw man i have such big feelings about my name, it really meant a lot to me to give Wanderer his name. I gave him mine and it just... I know he's just a guy in a game but idk. it really touched me i guess. i wrote this when the main quest for this just came out but i only now found it again, polished it and gave it an acceptable ending. also i have like. no idea how to insert y/n without it being like. sorta bad so forgive me 😔

"You want to share your name with me? Huh. Not a bad choice."

You smile at him. His heart picked up speed. How was it, Scaramouche? wondered, that you could make him feel such odd things so suddenly?

"Are you sure about your choice?"

"Yes, I think this will fit."

This name, your name, will fit him?

There had been many unpleasant encounters between you and him, and now that he had his memories again, he could truly grasp the severity of those encounters and the current situation. The entire time you've known who he was, what he was. And even though he was your enemy, someone you must have hated, the person who tried to kill you, you still found it in yourself to help him.

When you saw him that time at the bazaar, you could have easily walked away, just pretending it never happened; after all, you were the only one who knew about it. Even with the fable Nahida had stored away, she wouldn't have been able to uncover who he was. He didn't even remember himself.

You could have left him in idiotic unawareness, you could have left him to simply live his life in an agonizing lie. Yet you chose to. present the truth to him and Nahida.

You had certainly earned his utmost respect.

And even now you were still willing to go to lengths for him that would have not been necessary. Offering a part of yourself up to him? After all he had done? Amazing. Not only that, now you were telling him it was a name befitting of him; a name you yourself had carved into the shape it is today, and to now bestow it onto him... He felt quite honored. Perhaps you also wanted him to be like you, to grow into a better person of himself. Or maybe it was an incentive to push himself harder, so he could make something of himself. The future was his to choose, and he'd make sure he made the right choice this time.

He wasn't very good at expressing himself yet, so he hoped all of these emotions shone through his words in a way you could understand.

Your eyes twinkled in understanding. Perhaps you had known his thoughts all along. Maybe one day, the Wanderer would also come to understand your thoughts on this decision.

For now though, only one thing was left to do for him.

"I accept it."

And with this, yours and [Y/N]'s path separated; though you're sure you'd be seeing each other again very soon.

[212-apricity]

siren songs and stolen kisses, the bell tower

ssask masterlist main masterlist

author's note: guys im so sorry i havent updated since literally BEFORE CHRISTMAS but ive been locking in for school rn (sixth form is NOT for the weak) and the other day when i was gonna post my friends invited me to a party and i got super drunk and completely forgot🙂...BUT we're back now🥳💖🙏🗣️‼️

OH and i havent proofread this so im sorry for any mistakes or anything and also:

Y/I = your initials

𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔: 𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔

The late afternoon sun cast long, golden shadows across the cluttered salvage yard, highlighting the rusted car parts and scattered tools that formed a chaotic maze. It wasn’t much, but it felt like a temporary refuge for the Pogues—a brief sanctuary in a world that seemed hell-bent on breaking us. I leaned against an old pickup truck, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, the cool metal grounding me. My eyes darted nervously between Pope, Kiara, and JJ. JJ’s blue eyes burned with a fire I knew all too well: a volatile mix of anger, frustration, and helplessness.

Above us, the faint drone of Ward’s plane sliced through the tense silence like a taunt, a constant reminder of everything slipping out of our grasp. Pope’s voice broke the heavy quiet first, tight and bitter. “There goes the gold,” he muttered, his gaze locked on the plane’s retreating silhouette.

JJ exploded instantly, his emotions boiling over. “Goddammit!” he roared, kicking a plastic chair with enough force to send it flying in pieces. It splintered against the gravel, the shards scattering like his temper. Pope wasn’t far behind, grabbing a crowbar from a nearby pile of tools. With a furious yell, he swung it into a stack of metal drums. The clang reverberated through the yard, each echo sharpening the tension around us. “Fuck!”

“Pope, stop!” Kiara shouted, her voice rising in alarm as she took a cautious step toward him. But he didn’t hear—or maybe he didn’t care. The crowbar came down again and again, each strike more furious than the last. JJ, Kiara, and I exchanged a worried glance. This wasn’t Pope—not the level-headed, focused friend we relied on. It was as if the pressure and frustration of everything had finally cracked something deep inside him.

Finally, Pope’s swings slowed, his energy drained. With a final clatter, the crowbar slipped from his hands, and he sank into a nearby chair, his chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. JJ let out a low whistle, his eyebrows raised in a mix of surprise and concern. “Yeah, dude,” he said, his tone lighter than the moment warranted. “That was… intense.”

Still breathing heavily, Pope stared down at his hands as if searching for answers in his palms. JJ reached into his pocket and pulled out his vape, holding it out casually. “Here you go, chief,” he offered, his smirk barely concealing the weight of the situation.

Pope hesitated, his hand hovering over the vape. “A little weed never hurt no one,” JJ added with a shrug, his tone dripping with nonchalance.

“JJ,” Kiara snapped, her sharp tone cutting through the moment.

“Relax, Kie,” JJ shot back, his irritation flaring.

She crossed her arms, her disapproval radiating. “You know he doesn’t smoke.”

To my surprise—and evidently Kiara’s as well—Pope took the vape. It wasn’t just an acceptance; it felt like a challenge, a way to push back against her judgment. JJ grinned, leaning back on the wreck of an old car, his expression triumphant. “Well, maybe not until today,” he quipped.

I moved closer, sitting beside Pope and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Kiara’s frown deepened, her concern clear as she tried to reason with him. “Pope,” she said judgementally, “Yeah, what’s that gonna help?”

Pope exhaled a shaky breath, the weight of everything pressing down on him. “I lost my scholarship Kiara,” he admitted, his voice breaking with defeat. “Walked out in the middle of the interview. Everything… it’s not gonna happen. It’s gone.”

My chest tightened at his words. I squeezed his shoulder gently, wishing I could somehow lift even a fraction of the burden he carried. Kiara’s face twisted in shock and disbelief. “You did that for us?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“No,” Pope replied, his tone resolute as he stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the gravel. His frustration bubbled over again, spilling into his next words. “Not for us. For nothing.”

JJ stepped up beside him, his expression calmer now, almost uncharacteristically so. “I’m here for you, Pope,” he said quietly, pressing the vape back into his friend’s hand. “Welcome to my world.”

“JJ—” Kiara started, her voice rising with protest, but I cut her off, unable to hold back my own frustration. “What, Kie? He’s right. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

A heavy silence fell over us, broken only by the distant cawing of seagulls. Pope raised the vape to his lips, inhaling lightly before exhaling a thin plume of smoke. Kiara shook her head, her eyes filled with quiet desperation. “You don’t have to do that,” she said.

Pope turned to her, his patience fraying. “Why do you care?” he snapped, his voice sharper than intended.

Before Kiara could respond, movement behind us caught my eye. “John B,” I said, my voice a mix of relief and alarm.

We all spun around to see him approach, his figure disheveled and unsteady. Blood streaked up his arms, smeared all the way to his wrists. My stomach dropped, dread washing over me like a tidal wave. We rushed toward him, our questions spilling out in a panicked tumble.

“Dude! Dude, you good?” JJ asked, concern softening his usual bravado.

“Oh my God, John B!” Kiara exclaimed, her hands hovering near him as if unsure whether to touch him.

“John B, are you okay? Where’s Sarah?” I asked, my voice rising with panic.

John B didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed on the ground, his expression distant and haunted. The sight of him like this sent my mind racing, each horrific possibility more unbearable than the last. Whose blood was it? Sarah’s? Rafe’s? Ward’s?

The sound of approaching sirens snapped us out of our collective worry. “Cops!” JJ hissed, his voice low but urgent. Without hesitation, he grabbed my waist and pulled me behind a stack of rusted metal, his grip firm and protective.

We crouched together, my back pressed against his chest as we waited for the sirens to pass. His breath was warm against my ear, steady despite the chaos around us. In that moment, amidst the tension and fear, I felt an unexpected sense of safety in his arms. When the sirens finally faded into the distance, JJ loosened his hold, though his hand lingered on my hip—a silent reassurance that he had me.

“We need a plan,” Kiara said, her voice shaky as she peeked out from our hiding spot. “This isn’t over.”

JJ glanced down at me, his usual smirk returning for a fleeting moment. “You okay, princess?” he asked softly, his tone carrying an unexpected gentleness.

I nodded, my cheeks flushing at the nickname. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Good,” he said, his voice low and steady.

𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔: 𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔

As John B’s voice echoed through the Twinkie, the tension in the air was palpable. The urgency in his tone cut through everything, even the thick fog of confusion that still clouded my thoughts. Rafe had killed Peterkin. My brother. The same brother I used to confide in. I’d never been more shaken in my life, and as much as I wanted to confront him, to get answers, I knew I couldn’t right now. The truth needed to come out, but I was still struggling to process what that meant.

I sat next to JJ, trying to hold it together. He could sense I was barely keeping it together, though, and before long, he shifted closer to me. He didn’t say anything at first, just placed a hand on my knee, the warmth of his touch grounding me. His eyes, usually so full of mischievous energy, were soft now, full of something deeper, something tender.

“Hey, you good?” he asked quietly, his voice low, only for me to hear. The way he spoke my name made it feel like we were the only two people in the world right now, and for a brief moment, I wanted to believe it.

I managed a shaky nod, though the lump in my throat made it hard to speak. “Just… a lot to take in.”

JJ squeezed my hand, his thumb brushing over my skin, the comfort of his touch pulling me back from the edge of my panic. “I’m here, baby. I got you.”

His words, simple but powerful, gave me something to cling to. I leaned into him slightly, resting my head against his shoulder. He didn’t pull away; instead, he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer. His body was warm, a steady presence that seemed to push back the cold, chaotic storm swirling in my chest. The soft hum of the Twinkie’s engine and the rhythmic sound of the tires against the road were the only things that filled the silence now, but for some reason, with JJ beside me, it didn’t feel quite as suffocating.

“John B,” JJ called out suddenly, breaking the tension. “What are we doing at the police station?”

I glanced over at John B, watching as he hesitated, gripping the steering wheel with a tightness that made his knuckles white. I could tell he was wrestling with the decision, the weight of what they were about to do.

“Somebody’s gotta tell them what happened,” John B finally spoke, his voice rough, but determined.

Before anyone could respond, Pope let out a dramatic cough from the back seat, still trying to get the hang of JJ’s vape, the noise cutting through the otherwise quiet tension.

“Easy there, Chief,” JJ teased, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. It was clear he was trying to lighten the mood, and despite everything, I couldn’t help but laugh lightly, the sound escaping me despite my best efforts to keep it together.

John B’s hand clenched harder on the wheel as we pulled up closer to the police station. I could tell he was hesitating, the reality of what he was about to do weighing heavily on him. JJ leaned forward, his hand resting on John B’s shoulder, his voice steady.

“I’m gonna be real with you, man,” JJ started, his tone serious now. “You might end up in the lion’s den, but you do not go there on purpose. It’s fundamental. Just like my old man taught me…”

At the mention of his father, I rolled my eyes. JJ’s father was a man I had little respect for—abusive, manipulative, and dangerous. JJ had grown up in that environment, a fact that always seemed to haunt him.

“JJ,” I interrupted, my voice carrying the weight of my frustration, “your old man’s an abusive liar.”

Before JJ could respond, Pope cut in, his voice uncharacteristically firm. “I agree with JJ,” he said, surprising everyone in the car, myself included. “Screw the police.”

Kiara whipped around in her seat, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You goin’ to the dark side now?” she asked, clearly judgmental.

Pope didn’t flinch. “When’s the last time the police helped us?”

John B spoke next, his voice quiet, almost as if he were talking to himself. “Peterkin looked out for me, all right? Tried to, at least.”

There was a moment of silence as we all processed his words. Despite everything, there was a part of me that didn’t want to believe Rafe was capable of murder. I couldn’t fathom it. The brother I once knew couldn’t have done something so terrible. But the evidence was right there, and it had to be acknowledged.

I closed my eyes for a moment, a wave of dread washing over me, but JJ’s arm around my shoulders gave me something to focus on. He kissed the side of my head, a gentle gesture that somehow made everything feel a little more bearable, even if just for a moment.

“Let’s just get this over with,” I murmured, my voice thick with emotion.

As we approached the police station, Kiara’s voice cracked the silence again, this time filled with concern. “I have a bad feeling about this, guys,” she said, her eyes darting nervously around the car.

Pope, still working through the effects of the vape, muttered, “What don’t you have bad feelings about, Kiara?”

She gave him a pointed look, but before she could respond, my phone buzzed again. Rafe or Sarah—neither had responded to any of my texts. I couldn’t help but feel a gnawing sense of anxiety build up again as I checked my phone, hoping for some kind of message. Anything to give me clarity. Anything to give me peace of mind.

JJ, noticing my growing frustration, gently took the phone from my hands, stopping me before I could spiral further.

“It’ll work out, sweetheart,” he said softly, his voice reassuring.

I looked up at him, meeting his gaze for the first time in what felt like hours. His eyes were full of a tenderness I rarely saw. I was grateful for it, grateful for him. It didn’t fix everything, but in that moment, it was enough.

I leaned my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes as the car bounced along the uneven road. The steady rise and fall of his chest under my cheek was a comfort, grounding me in a way nothing else could. Pope started coughing again, and I couldn’t help but chuckle despite everything.

“Here, let me show you how to do it,” I said, reaching over to take the vape from his hands. “You’re gonna choke yourself out at this rate.”

Pope, looking embarrassed, nodded gratefully as I demonstrated how to inhale properly.

“Inhale from the pen, hold it while you inhale the air, then hold that, bring it down to your lungs and then exhale slowly. You’vve got to do it slowly or you’ll choke.”

JJ laughed lightly behind me, as I repeated the words he’d said to me years ago when I asked for him to teach me, his low chuckle sending a shiver down my spine.

“Maybe you should teach him how to roll a blunt next,” he teased, his voice warm with affection.

I rolled my eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips. “Shut up, J.”

Before we could say anything else, we were jolted out of our conversation by John B’s frantic shouting.

“Start the car, Kiara!” he yelled, rushing up to the Twinkie.

Kiara’s eyes widened in alarm as she scrambled to the driver’s seat, shifting gears and starting the car without hesitation. The chaos that followed was instant. We all screamed at John B, asking him what he’d done. “Just drive, Kiara, drive!” John B shouted as the deputy sheriff, Officer Plumb, came running toward us, trying to catch up.

The Twinkie lurched forward, tires screeching, and as the deputy caught up to the door, Pope screamed, “Open the door, John B!”

John B quickly obeyed, the door swinging open and knocking Plumb off her feet as we sped away. The moment was chaotic, but the adrenaline of escaping gave us all a brief moment to breathe, albeit raggedly.

We sat there in stunned silence, catching our breath, the world outside feeling more dangerous by the second.

“Everybody okay?” Kiara asked, looking around at each of us.

I nodded slowly, my heart still racing. JJ was quiet next to me, his hand finding mine once more, grounding me in a way no words ever could. He didn’t say anything, but the gentle squeeze of his hand spoke volumes.

𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔: 𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔

The sun beat down on the dusty road, casting a heat haze over the Twinkie as it idled at the side of the road, parked in a secluded spot. The air felt sticky, thick with tension, as if the world was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. Inside, the Pogues were sprawled in every corner, trying to stay out of sight. Y/n, lying in the backseat, could hear the occasional rustle of the others shifting, but it was quiet, almost too quiet.

She fiddled absentmindedly with JJ's lighter, flipping it open and closed in her hand. The soft click of the lighter’s lid echoed in the otherwise silent car, and she kept her eyes on the motion, trying to focus on anything that wasn’t the mess they were in. JJ’s head was resting on her chest, his hat pulled low to shield her eyes from the harsh midday sun. She could feel his breath against her, a steady rhythm that calmed her more than she wanted to admit.

Y/n glanced down at him, her fingers trailing over the brim of his hat, moving to his neck. The lightest of smiles tugged at the corners of her lips as JJ shifted, his tousled blonde hair falling over his forehead, still messy even under the hat. He stirred slightly, murmuring something unintelligible, but his position didn’t change.

“You good?” she whispered, nudging him gently.

He let out a soft, almost inaudible grunt in response, but the smile he gave her was enough to tell her he wasn’t asleep—just content. “Mmhmm... just trying to avoid the sun. Can’t let it mess up my look, y’know?” he said with a lazy smirk, his eyes still closed.

She rolled her eyes but didn’t protest. The simple, playful teasing was one of the things she loved most about him.

The soft voice of the radio broke the stillness. “Good news for residents of the Outer Banks. Dominion Power says their underwater transmission line, which will restore power to 90% of the area, should be functional within 24 hours.”

JJ’s head shot up suddenly as the sound of sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder as they approached. His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, then to the side of the road. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, eyes widening as the sirens got closer. He didn’t move to sit up, but the tension in his body was palpable, and Y/n felt it before he spoke again.

He remained on her chest, but his hand gripped her hip with a tightness that made her stomach flip. The sirens passed by, the sound growing fainter until it was nothing more than a distant hum. He exhaled in relief and flopped back down with a groan, resting his head on her chest again.

Y/n let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, her fingers threading through his hair absentmindedly. She focused on the radio again, trying to push the paranoia out of her head, as did everyone else.

“And still no arrest in the shooting death of Sheriff Susan Peterkin. The state police have issued a statement regarding a local person of interest, a juvenile from—”

The radio cut off abruptly, and Kiara’s voice sliced through the silence. She was sitting in the passenger seat, her hand stretched out to flick the radio dial off with a sharp motion.

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” Kiara muttered, her eyes flicking to the rearview mirror nervously. She rubbed at her temples as if the weight of everything was starting to settle on her shoulders, too.

JJ sat up, his lips twitching into a smirk. “Alright. Let’s game this out. Maybe you guys can help, you know, being the smart ones and all…” He gestured lazily toward Pope and Kiara in the front seats, but his gaze flicked back to them. “But who are the cops gonna believe? Ward Cameron, or us?”

Y/n felt the weight of his words settle in as she kept fiddling with his lighter, trying to avoid looking at him too closely. She already knew the answer.

“The accuser’s a big shot developer, kind of lord of the island, got the governor on speed dial. Isn’t that right, Y/n? Kind of person?” JJ continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He gave her a sly look as he leaned over her slightly, nudging her shoulder with his.

Y/n rolled her eyes but didn’t respond, the teasing in his voice making her stomach do that familiar flutter. “Probably,” she said with a grin, but JJ’s expression didn’t change. She tried to ignore the way his words made her heart skip a beat, instead focusing on the lighter again.

JJ raised an eyebrow and pressed on. “And the accused is John B. Who is… pretty much a homeless 16-year-old boy at the moment.”

John B made a sound of protest. “Thanks,” he muttered dryly, not missing a beat.

Pope let out a frustrated groan, rubbing a hand over his face. “Shit,” he muttered, clearly weighing the reality of the situation.

JJ continued, clearly enjoying the tension in the air. “Okay, man. Yucatán. Alright? I’m saying that’s the only option.”

Kiara glanced back at him, her brow furrowed. “What other option do you have?”

John B’s eyes flickered with something—resentment, maybe—before he sighed. “JJ, enough with the Mexican bullshit. Sarah will bail me out.”

“She did witness the whole thing,” Kiara chimed in, turning to glance at John B, her eyes softening just slightly.

John B nodded at her, a brief moment of gratitude crossing his face. “Thanks.”

Pope raised an eyebrow, his voice skeptical. “And she’s gonna snitch on her brother? No offense, Y/n.”

Y/n shifted uncomfortably, her gut twisting. She hadn’t thought much about Sarah’s involvement, but Pope had a point. There was no way Rafe would let Sarah testify against him.

JJ snorted, then took a puff from a blunt he’d suddenly lit up. He leaned back, eyes half-lidded as he exhaled the smoke slowly. “Not happening, bro. Okay? We’ve gotta get you off the island.”

Pope turned to glance out the window, chewing on his lip as if the gears were turning in his head. “The ferry. It’s the only way.”

As if on cue, sirens blared again, and JJ’s eyes widened. “Exit stage left while you still can. Before the entire island’s on lockdown.”

“Guys, get down,” Y/n whispered, her voice tight with nerves as the sound of sirens grew closer, this time much louder.

Pope cursed under his breath as the police cars sped by, their flashing lights cutting through the silence.

“Sarah’s not a Pogue, John B,” Pope said, clearly frustrated.

Y/n felt a pang in her chest, but she couldn’t tell if it was guilt, dread, or something else entirely. She hadn’t thought about Sarah and John B’s connection for a while, but the words felt like a cold reminder of the danger they were in.

JJ leaned closer to her, pressing his shoulder into hers. “Yeah, you can’t stay here, man.”

Y/n gave John B a soft look, knowing JJ was right. They had to move. Fast.

𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔: 𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔

The atmosphere in the car was tight with nerves, the faint hum of Kiara’s parents’ car the only sound as they drove in silence, the occasional creak of the suspension filling the gaps. The tension among the Pogues was thick—each of them trying to wrap their heads around what came next. JJ’s hand rested on the back of Y/n’s seat, his fingers idly tapping on the fabric as his mind raced, likely thinking about the implications of their next move.

They pulled up to the ferry terminal, the familiar sight of the metal gates and wooden booths looming in front of them. Kiara hit the brakes, coming to a halt as Pope unbuckled his seatbelt, already opening the door. Y/n glanced at JJ, who was still absentmindedly twirling his lighter between his fingers, his eyes focused on the terminal.

“You sure this is the best idea?” Y/n asked, her voice tinged with doubt. “I mean, what’s the plan if the ferry’s not running?”

JJ didn’t respond immediately, just gave her that crooked, half-smiling look, like he always did when he didn’t have an answer but knew he’d figure it out. He squeezed her shoulder, a silent reassurance. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, babe. Stay cool.”

As Pope headed off toward the ticket booth, Kiara rolled her eyes. “Why is it always Pope doing the talking?” she muttered under her breath, running a hand through her hair.

JJ grinned, leaning back in his seat and locking eyes with Y/n. “He’s got the whole ‘nerdy, intelligent’ thing going for him. They’ll believe him.”

Y/n smiled softly at that, reaching over to squeeze JJ’s hand, feeling the warmth of his palm against hers.

John B, sitting beside her in the backseat, watched Pope’s retreating figure with a furrowed brow. “You think the ferry’s even gonna be running?” he asked quietly, his voice strained.

Before anyone could respond, Pope came back to the car, looking less than thrilled. His face was grim as he walked up to the window, a crumpled piece of paper in his hand.

“Okay, alright, no,” Pope muttered, shaking his head as he leaned in the window. He handed Kiara the paper, the frustration clear in his voice, “Bad news,” he announced, holding up a crumpled paper. “The ferry’s not running. And there’s this.”

He handed the paper to Kiara, who opened it with a frown, her face falling as she processed the information. She handed it to Y/n, who read the poster in stunned silence.

John B’s face was plastered on the wanted poster. WANTED: John B Routledge. Reward: $500,000.

“Oh, John B. This is not a good look for you,” Y/n muttered under her breath, her fingers tightening around the paper. She handed it to JJ, her stomach twisting.

JJ didn’t even hesitate before speaking up. “Congratulations, John B. You’re famous.” He smirked, but it was clear he was more worried than he let on.

Kiara groaned, looking between the group. “So, now what?”

Pope, clearly uneasy, turned to face them. “We need to get him out of here. They’re looking for him everywhere. We can’t stay here.”

Kiara was already thinking ahead. “We need to go to the HMS. No running lights. No attention.”

John B shook his head. “It’s at the Chateau Kie.”

JJ leaned back, sarcastic as ever, “I wonder if the cops got that place staked out. Oh wait… they definitely have that place locked down.”

Kiara shot him a glare. “Yeah, thanks, JJ.”

Pope, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, went quiet for a moment before an idea popped into his head, "JJ," he said, his voice breaking the stillness of the car.

JJ snapped his head around, startled, as if he had been caught doing something wrong. His face twisted in confusion. "What?" he asked, his tone defensive.

Pope didn’t seem to notice JJ’s agitation. His excitement was palpable as he turned to look at him. "Does your dad still have that boat? The cigarette boat, the Phantom? The one he used to race?"

JJ clenched his jaw at the mention of his father. His heart skipped, and he immediately wished Pope had kept quiet. "Maybe," he said curtly, his voice low. He didn’t want to talk about it. Didn’t want to think about it. But Pope’s words had unlocked something in his mind, something he couldn’t ignore.

Pope turned back toward the front of the car, clearly excited at the idea of what this could mean. "John B, you could get right up the coast, no problem. It's fast as hell. You wouldn’t have to worry about anyone catching you."

JJ felt a knot twist in his stomach at the suggestion. The last thing he wanted was to take something from his father, especially not something that felt so personal. The boat was more than just a piece of equipment—it was a symbol of everything he hated about his father. "Okay, Pope, look," JJ said slowly, his voice becoming more cautious. "It's not gonna be that easy."

Y/n, who had been watching the interaction, turned around from the backseat. "Okay, well, the surf’s running from, like, three to four," she said, trying to inject some logic into the situation.

JJ shook his head. "I don’t even know where the keys are," he muttered, frustration creeping into his voice.

Pope wasn’t deterred. "Well, find them," he said, his words almost like a command. "Just get us the boat. We’ll figure out the rest."

JJ’s nerves were starting to show now. He was trying to keep it together, but he was definitely starting to feel the pressure. "I’m thinking," he said, his words coming out a little more forcefully than he intended. "Just—just give me a second."

But Pope wasn’t having it. He was way too excited. "Why is nobody moving forward?" he asked, practically bouncing in his seat.

Kiara, who had been silent up until this point, sighed and turned around from the front seat. "Pope, can you relax?" she asked, exasperated. "JJ, how much weed did you give him?"

Before anyone could respond, John B, who had been lying down in the back seat, suddenly sat up and looked out the window. "Guys, your car’s on the poster," he said, his voice tense.

Everyone froze. Pope's hand instinctively reached for the horn, and suddenly the car was making noise, attracting even more attention from the people around them. A kid on the sidewalk pointed at the car excitedly, shouting, "Mom! Look, it’s that guy from the poster! Right there!"

"Asshole," Y/n muttered under her breath, her eyes wide as the situation escalated further.

JJ’s head snapped back around to Pope. "Pope! Turn the car on," he snapped, trying to get their attention before it was too late.

"Drive!" John B and Kiara shouted almost simultaneously, and the chaos continued.

But as if things weren’t bad enough, a guy walked up to the car, looked inside, and started banging on the window. "Hey, he’s right there!" the man shouted. He pointed directly at John B, making the situation even worse.

Kiara, Y/n, and JJ were all screaming at Pope to drive, their voices filled with panic as the guy outside the car continued to shout. John B was trying to cover his face, but it was clear that they were about to get caught.

Just as the tension hit its peak, Officer Plumb, the deputy sheriff, appeared. He was walking toward the group, clearly alerted by the commotion.

"POPE!" Y/n screamed, desperate. "Just drive away!"

Pope, however, seemed to be on a different wavelength entirely. He slammed his foot on the gas, but he hit the pedal too hard and too quickly. The car shot forward and collided with the one in front of them. The sudden impact sent Kiara and Pope lurching forward, the seatbelts keeping them somewhat in place, while John B nearly toppled over his lying position.

JJ, who had been leaning toward Y/n, smashed into her side as the car jerked. He quickly sat up, his hands grabbing her as he tried to regain his balance. "Sorry, baby," he murmured, brushing a kiss against the side of her head. His heart was still racing, and the adrenaline from the chaos was making it hard to focus.

"Pope what the hell are you all doing?" Y/n shouted, clearly panicking as the car remained stuck.

"Back up, Pope!" Kiara shouted, her voice a mix of anger and panic.

Pope, realizing his mistake, slammed the car in reverse and backed up, the car jerking backward. JJ leaned out the window, shouting at the car behind them, "That’ll bump out!"

Kiara was still screaming from her seat next to Pope. "Pope, what the hell? You’re gonna get us killed!"

"Pope!" JJ yelled, looking over at him. "I should be the last one to tell you this, but you are not okay to drive, dude. Stop!"

Pope, apparently unfazed, slammed the brakes hard. "JB, get out," he ordered, a sudden sense of urgency taking over him.

Y/n leaned in, her voice low but filled with determination. "He’s right. We’ll draw the cops. You run."

"I’ll get the rig," JJ added quickly. "Meet me at the dump tomorrow, three o’clock. Okay?"

"Yeah," John B said, nodding as he opened the door and ran out of the car.

JJ shouted behind him, "Three! Tomorrow at the dump!"

As soon as John B was clear, the Pogues erupted into shouts, telling Pope to drive. Pope revved the engine and tore off into the night, the chaos of the situation slowly settling in the rearview mirror.

𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔: 𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔

JJ, Y/n, Kiara, and Pope had pulled up outside Tannyhill, standing in the cool evening air. The plan had been hastily thrown together, but they were all committed to whatever it took to clear John B’s name.

Y/n was the first to get out of the car, her movements slow and deliberate. As she closed the door, JJ immediately turned to her, his eyes filled with concern.

"Babe, you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, his voice low, almost protective. His eyes searched hers, looking for any sign of hesitation.

Y/n turned to look at him, her gaze soft but resolute. "She’s the only one who can clear John B," she said firmly. "Plus, I need to see if she’s okay."

JJ didn’t look convinced, but he knew she was right. "Last place they’ll look because of how stupid it is," he said, trying to ease the tension.

Kiara got out the drivers seat, "Okay, I’ve got a plan," she said, with determination.

Pope, way too high, shot her a look. "A plan?" he asked, a small laugh escaping him. "Yeah, okay. Let’s do a plan." his enthusiasm grew more than apparent, "Yeah! Let’s plan. Let’s plan it out!" His voice was a little too excited, clearly amped up by something else.

Kiara raised an eyebrow and turned toward him. "Can you handle a plan right now?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Pope scoffed in reply, his face growing more animated. "Course I can handle a plan right now! I’m plan guy! I’m Mister Plan-o-matic!" He stood up in his seat, gesturing wildly, then started singing, "Thinkin' of a master plan, aye! Cause there ain't nothin-"

Kiara immediately shoved her hand over his mouth. "Shh!" she hissed, trying to get him to stop.

Meanwhile, JJ pulled Y/n to the side. He looked at her seriously, his hand resting on her shoulder. "Hey, are you sure you’re okay with being here? I mean, we can leave, right now, if you want. Just say the word, baby."

Y/n gave him a small smile, her eyes warm. "No, thanks, J. I’ll be fine. I mean, since I’m basically disowned and have never been acknowledged as one of his children, Ward would 100% kidnap me or whatever if he sees me just march up to the front door." She looked at him with a small laugh, but the seriousness in her voice was unmistakable. "He knows I’m on your guys’ side, and he knows I’d rat Rafe out if given the chance."

JJ pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly against his chest. "I just don’t want you getting hurt."

Before Y/n could respond, they heard Pope’s voice calling from the front. "Kiara, I love you," he said in a loud, sudden declaration.

JJ and Y/n froze, pulling away from each other as they realized what had just happened. The awkward silence that followed was almost unbearable. Kiara immediately denied Pope’s confession, but it was clear to everyone that the situation was more complicated than they wanted to admit.

JJ looked at Y/n, a nervous smile tugging at his lips. "Should we…?"

Y/n nodded quickly, her eyes wide. "Yes. Please."

The two of them hurried away from the awkward scene, walking toward a nearby tree to escape the tension.

As they reached the tree, Y/n smiled and pointed at the trunk. "This was my favorite tree as a kid," she said, her voice soft and nostalgic. "I used to come here to think when things got too much at home."

JJ nodded, looking up at the tree. He could see how much it meant to her, as she told him stories of her and her siblings making up games and treehouses up it.

As they stood there talking, Kiara and Pope continued their own conversation. But their voices seemed distant to Y/n and JJ. The moment felt calm and almost normal. So calm that Y/n didn’t notice JJ’s pocket knife in his hand against the tree as his gaze shifted between the tree and her.

The moment was interrupted when Kiara called out to them. "Come on, guys. We’ve got to go."

As they were walking towards an awkward Pope and Kiara, Y/n’s attention was drawn to a small carving on the tree. She smiled as she recognized the familiar letters. "J.M + Y/I" carved into the bark inside a heart.

She skipped up behind JJ, giving him a quick kiss on the back of his neck as she teased, "Aw, Maybank, you sweet on someone?"

JJ laughed, looking down at her. "Shut up."

Y/n smiled at the carving one last time before following Kiara.

𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔: 𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔

After the awkward moment with Pope and Kiara, they finally made their way over to Tannyhill, where Sarah’s window awaited. JJ and Y/n approached the side of the house carefully, making sure to stay out of sight.

Y/n climbed the tree to get to Sarah’s window, knocking lightly. Sarah, who had been lying in bed, jumped at the sight of her sister, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Y/n!" Sarah gasped, rushing to open the window.

They both tried to slide the window open, but it was stuck. After a few moments of effort, Y/n finally gave up. Instead, she held up John B’s wanted poster for Sarah to see.

Sarah looked at it, her mascara smudged from earlier, but she didn’t seem surprised. Y/n asked, her voice quieter now, "Are you in on it?"

Sarah shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Did you think I was?"

Y/n smiled back. "No."

The two of them shared a moment of silent understanding, and Sarah finally said, "Okay, what’s the plan?"

Y/n took a deep breath, her thoughts racing, but she knew exactly what needed to be done next.

𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔: 𓆉°❀⋆.ೃ࿔

part nine done!!

i love bucky barnes

ALSO OMG IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO DO THAT COOL GRADIENT THING ON TEXT PLEASE TELL ME IVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO IT BUT IDK HOW TO

remember, taglist and requests are open!! feel free to send me a dm or comment on literally anything and if you have any requests for this series or literally anything else send them in!!💞💞

taglist: @harryssideboobz @onelonelybitch @jeyramarie @snowtargaryen @agnxstic

[unofficial-writing]

Sugar cookies

✵ Pairing: Fred Weasley/f!reader

✵ Word count: 2k

✵ Summary: You were notoriously horrible at any form of baking or cooking, but hopefully having another shot at it could improve the well-earned reputation

✵ Warnings: Established relationship, possible inaccurate cookie baking (I'm no chef), really nothing but fluff

Baking was a form of art, and you had never been that kind of artist. Every time the thought even crossed your mind, something had already gone wrong. Something was on fire, severely burnt, the wrong consistency, or just tasted awful. No matter how many times you tried, there was never any sort of improvement. No food or dessert had ever survived in your hands. So it wasn't often anymore you could be found in the kitchen, having mostly accepted that this was simply not your strong suit. However, every so often, you found a sudden urge to try and prove you could learn, even if you already knew the likeliest outcome. Today was one of those days, that urge tempting you into giving it another try.

It was a warm and quiet morning in the burrow, Molly and Arthur being away and most of the others busying themselves in different ways. You took the opportunity to try yet again at baking something. It was safer for everyone if there were fewer present to witness it, or possibly taste it. If you could get that far this time.

You approached the situation optimistically. The plan was to choose something simple to make and an even simpler recipe to follow. Just cookies couldn't hurt, right? It seemed easy enough, as long as you were careful.

Leaning against the counter, you studied the little book. There were very few ingredients, and that only meant fewer places where mistakes could be made. You were definitely capable of this. So with a newfound confidence, you got to work gathering an array of bowls, pans, ingredients, everything you thought you may need and more. As you scattered them across the counter at random, You were caught by the only other Weasley in the household.

Fred walked in on what was turning out to be a manic episode. You could tell he knew this based on the sudden panic in his face. "What are you doing?" He questioned, fearing the day he'd find you here again. Flashbacks of previous incidents were likely spinning through his head.

"A good morning would suffice." You replied without looking up from what you were doing. Another quick check of your book and you were ready to go, carrying hope for a more positive ending this time. Fred strode over lazily, sleep clearly still clinging to his mind. He slid his arms around you to gaze over your shoulder.

The embrace briefly distracted you from your task. And to further this, he pressed a long kiss to the top of your head. "I'm sorry, love. Good morning." His voice was muffled against your hair, but the way it sounded was almost tempting enough to drop everything in your hands and give him your full attention. Unfortunately, you were far too determined for that.

"That's much better," You remarked, earning a chuckle. Against your better judgment, you wiggled out of Fred’s arms to continue on with your cookies. After a few words of complaint, He leaned an arm on the counter beside you, finding the only open spot that hadn't yet been touched by your wave of disaster. You prepared your first ingredients, movements followed by his curious gaze.

"Now, don't tell me," He started sarcastically, continuing only once you glanced up at him. This look only lasted a moment, as you were in the middle of measuring flour. "You're making something."

"Clearly," Was your simple response. You were so focused on getting everything right.

"Something simple?" Fred gestured down to the not-so-simple mess on the counter. "I'd guess it's something even you couldn't ruin? Dare I say cake? Cookies, maybe?" He watched you pour the flour into a bowl, which came back up to coat the front of you in a white puff of smoke. A snort of laughter escaped his mouth, resulting in an immediate glare from you. It was very early in the game for you to be wearing your cookies.

"That's enough from you." You pointed a finger of your now powdered hand at him. "Unless you'd like to be covered in flour as well."

His expression changed as he considered your words. "Well, I could think of worse things to—” You put an end to his statement by launching a handful of flour at him, coating the both of you in a thin layer of white. He first tried to wipe his face with the back of his hand, only to find it would smudge. You roared with laughter at this discovery.

After your fit had calmed, you picked up a spoon in an attempt to return to your work. But you had started something Fred would be more than happy to finish. "Oh, no you don't." He grabbed your arms and pulled you to him, tickling and completely disarming you. Laughter jumped back into your throat and your utensils clattered to the ground.

"Fred! No!" You struggled to say, squirming to find an escape. By the time he had stopped, you could barely breathe and practically choked on the giggles that tried to escape your lips.

Fred picked up the spoon off the ground, narrowly dodging a slap to the arm. If your cookies turned out poorly now, you could place some of the blame on him. He went to rinse it off, which gave you enough time to add most of the remaining ingredients to your bowl.

You checked back with the book to ensure it was still going well. Other than the rapidly growing mess in the kitchen and all over you, it seemed fine so far. As long as there were no other setbacks, you may actually succeed this time.

As if you spoke it into existence, Fred turned around at the sink, just as you were placing the cookies in the oven. "Slight problem," His hands were held away from himself, face twisting into concern.

Your gaze was pulled to him to see he had tried and failed to rinse the flour off his hands and arms. Instead of washing away, it clumped and stuck to his skin. The realization hit you at the same time and you stared at each other, both covered in more flour than what was in the cookies.

Water did nothing against the powder. It was mixed with whatever other ingredients escaped the bowl, turning it into a glue and making the situation far worse. You took ahold of one of Fred's arms, but it immediately made your hands sticky as well. No matter how much you scrubbed, it only further spread across the skin

"It's not coming off," Fred announced simply, as if you weren't actively trying to fix the problem.

You sighed. "I can see that, love." You pointed to a bar of soap at the edge of the sink, beckoning Fred to hand it over. He obliged and reached for it. The soap helped significantly, freeing some of the sticky paste.

It took no small amount of effort, but you eventually had clean arms and hands. Fred took the bar from you, wetting the soap in his hands and lifting it to work it into the flour on your face. You gazed up at him while he did this, letting out a little giggle as he struggled to keep his eyes from finding yours.

Fred had very little self-control when it came to you. It didn't take any convincing for him to give in and meet your stare. It was intoxicating. Whatever you had been doing previously was easily forgotten the moment the look was exchanged. He practically melted, thumb still brushing across your cheek while his mind drifted away from cleaning your messy faces.

You did try to resist– or so you told yourself– But a flicker of your eyes toward his lips and it was over. You met in a sweet kiss, the chalky taste of flour finding your tongue. It was warm and gentle and filled with the same longing you felt every time you kissed him; even back to the very first time. The act was so simple, and yet was more than enough for him to take over your entire mind and body. You were completely at the mercy of your lover.

His hands cupped your face, the mixture of soap and flour making a mess of your skin. He held you there with no intention of moving and in turn, rapidly draining any of yours. This only lasted until a distinct burning smell reached your nose.

Fred noticed before you, lips parting from yours as his eyes fell on the sight. "Y/n," He muttered and let his hands drift down to your shoulders.

"Hm?" Was your oblivious response, further proof you belonged nowhere near an oven. Realization hit you at the same time as the harsh scent.

"Is that supposed to be on fire?" You jerked your body around to follow his gaze, only to find that your cookies had gone up in flames. How? You had only taken your eyes off them for a few minutes at most. Your hands went to your pockets, but there was empty fabric where your wand should have been. So Fred's was the next best option.

He wasn't one to handle emergency situations well. While you calmly tried to locate a solution, Fred seemed to lose any instinct for survival. "Fred," You snapped a finger to get his attention. "Your wand, love."

"Right," He searched around the counter for it. A sigh escaped your lips and you put a hand on his arm to stop him, taking his wand from his pocket. With a swift flick, water sprayed from the tip of it and extinguished the flames, which had roared on during the moment of panic.

As the fire subsided, you lost any hope in salvaging your dessert. They came out of the oven pitch black, hard as a rock, and now waterlogged; definitely not edible. You set them on the counter so you both could get a good look.

After a moment or two of dead silence, Fred made a poor attempt to lighten your disappointment. "Well, this isn't the worst thing I've seen you take out of an oven." You shot him the makings of a glare, which confirmed his attempt had ended in failure.

The expression turned into a frown. "Maybe I'm just destined for burnt cookies." As the words came out, so did a giggle. You really were cursed. Every single time, without fail, something goes wrong. You were convinced you were the only one with such terrible luck when it came to baking.

"Or maybe you just need more practice." Fred suggested, giving you his smile. Somehow he had become more enthusiastic about this than you.

You leaned onto the counter, sinking down in defeat. "I think I’ve had a little too much practice." Adding another kitchen disaster to your resume didn't make you any more eager to jump back into it.

"One more couldn't hurt, darling." He pulled out another set of ingredients, this time indenting to help you rather than distract. With Fred, your chances for success were greatly increased but still slim. Even with the odds stacked against you, how could you refuse? Especially at the sight of him standing there, so ready to try again with you. So with an exaggerated sigh, you got back to work.

These cookies had made it much farther than the previous batch. Even just surviving long enough to make it out of the oven was a victory. You could admit there was an obvious improvement. But even though they looked the part— mostly— One taste and you found they were not the most appealing to consume. It was a sign of progress, but still not something anyone else would find edible.

Finally, you were able to start coming to terms with your skill; or lack thereof. Baking was such a delicate art, and you just had to accept that not everyone was meant to be that type of artist.

Find more like this here!

[whiteboysurvivor]

tsk tsk.

cw: angsty, hurt/no comfort, insecurities, mention of death, description of death, condecending tones, 2nd POV, slight manipulation, victim blaming (?). ( my brain is jus running, lemme know if there's anymore ♡)

a/n: soooo whatcha think..? i'm tryna branch out and reconnect wit the jjk fandom with their FAV topic ♡♡♡ (angst !)

loving him was like knowing the world was ending but accepting it. Not making any plans to prepare for an apolocalpse because you were satisfied with your life and could die without regrets.

being inlove with him was like being next to a warm fire in your favorite jammies with a cup of hot chocolate. You feel content and all gooey inside.

being loved by him was like floating on a cloud you never thought you would be able to touch. Always imagining it but knowing realistically, you would just fall through it. But when it actually comes? oh it keeps you stable and standing, never letting you fall.

But all good things have to end someday. It's just how life works.

Eventually, you might regret making no plan for the apolocalpse because now you're at your last painful moments of death.

Sooner or later, that fire will go out and leave nothing but ashes of the sticks in its place. You will finish your hot chocolate and your jammies will get smaller on your body.

That stable cloud? Oh it'll go away on a particularly warm and sunny day. Then you'll fall just like you expected, all the way down till *splat*.

It's not being pessimistic, it's being realistic. It's knowing that you were never meant to last long.

He was destined for more. More than the world could give him. More than *you* could ever give him.

You should've known that. You're a particularly smart individual, aren't you?

You could've predicted that change was coming after that mission ended. You saw it.

Saw it in his face. Saw it in the way he drifted away emotionally then physically.

But you never came to terms with it, did you? No, you wanted to dream.

To dream that he'll give up his silly aspirations of rebuilding the world and come back to you. Come back to lay in your arms once again.

It wasn't until you were handed that single report on that fateful day. The day Suguru Geto was finally taken care of.

By none other than the strongest, Satoru Gojo.

You were so upset and acted irrational, cursing Gojo and even challenging him. Though, you knew you would never win against society's strongest sorceror.

You're very lucky he took pity on you then. He very well could've ended your life with ease.

Maybe that's what you wanted. Maybe you wanted to go to that paradise with Geto and live on your days.

That's just childish wishing of you. You're an adult, haven't you learned independency?

Didn't your guardian ever teach you about not relying on others to live? I suppose not since you're acting this way.

How disappointing. Love has turned you into a fool.

A strong person turned into yet another weak-willed fool. I had high hopes for you, you know?

Maybe you'll change and remember how perfectly you lived before him.

He was never meant to become such a big person in your story anyways. It was a slip up on my half, apologies.

I know better now than to let someone get close to you. You were meant for solitude.

It is *your* destiny.

why? well because i said so. I know what is good for you. I want nothing but the best for you.

i'm on your side, remember?

[rosewoodcafe]

But Daddy I Love Him

Sebastian Sallow has been my brothers best friend since their start at Hogwarts. Since that day Ominis brought him to the Gaunt Manor I have been irrevocably in love with him. Only recently I've found out that he loves me just as deeply. Would the Gaunt family relinquish their societal positions and views in the name of love?

Sebastian x Reader

[This was based off of the song But Daddy I Love Him by Taylor Swift]

I looked down the length of the Slytherin table, spotting my brother and his best friend. It was their seventh year, the last time I will be able to casually see the love of my life in my day to day life.

"Are you with us or too busy in your la la land." Imelda said as she waved her hand in my face. She was graduating after this year as well.  

"I am just thinking." I responded.

"About your future husband?" She laughed, picking some food up with her fork. "You know your family would never allow it."

"I know, but I can't help that I've loved him for years." I sighed, placing my head in my hands as I balanced my elbows on the table. "He'll never notice though, and I'll die if he ever dates anyone."

"It is a shock that he's never even asked anyone out. He's the finest guy in school, almost every girl has gone for him at some point."

"No need to remind me Imelda."

She laughed as she put more food in her mouth, my gaze focusing back down to the end of the table. Sebastian turned his head while talking with Ominis, looking directly at me. I moved my gaze away, staring at the food in front of me.

~

Classes ended later that day, the last of the summer air lingering before fall came in made it perfect to study outside while the quidditch tryouts happened. Ominis ended up joining me, stating that he couldn't have any of these Slytherin boys trying to win my affections in their sweaty uniforms. I neglected to inform him that one of them had already caught my eye.

I hardly focused on my homework that I had pulled out to work on. Ominis chatted next to me, about how he got accepted into the law school in America, how his girlfriend would be going with him. I loved his girlfriend, she was a pureblood but didn't share the same views as our parents, which made her a perfect addition to the family. Our parents were perfectly fine with Ominis marrying her, as she would fit the perfect Gaunt and produce Gaunt heirs that would be of their approval.

Would they think that about Sebastian? Approve of him and I? He was a half-blood, his mother being a muggleborn, but they didn't need to know that- did they? 

I focused back at the practice as a bludger came directly towards us, a panic rising in me as I feared Ominis and I would be slammed with it. Sebastian raced the ball, beating it to the punch and batting it away.

"IF YOU'RE GONNA HIT IT, DON'T KILL THE PEOPLE ROOTING FOR YOU!" He yelled out to the kid who was trying out to be the second Slytherin beater. Ominis laughed as if we couldn't have just died, and Sebastian flew a bit closer to us. "You two alright?"

"Of course Sebastian." Ominis said without a second difference. Sebastian's eyes lingered on me for a moment before he smiled.

"I'm- yes I'm okay." I said, trying to keep the red away from my cheeks.

"Good, I'll talk to you both after practice." Sebastian said, shooting a wink in my direction.

Oh.

My. 

Merlin.

I think I may have died and come back to life. In my shocked state Ominis simply leaned back into the stands.

Maybe my feelings aren't so unrequited as I thought before.

~

As the snow began to fall, ushering the end of the autumn season, I was seen with Ominis, Sebastian, and Ominis's girlfriend more often then not. At first I thought it was a one off thing, I so happened to be in Hogsmeade at the same time the three of them were, but then I was getting invited to join them whenever they wanted to get out of the castle. Ominis and Raven, Ominis's girlfriend were natural partners who clicked together like two puzzle pieces, and she understood him in a way nobody else could. Which left me and Sebastian to hang out with each other while they were off being love birds.

I grew to know him closely, figuring out that we honestly had so much more in common then I thought.

"So you've been friends with Ominis since you were eleven, right?" I asked one day as we walked the snowy village, trailing behind Raven who was leading Ominis about.

"You are correct. I met him on the train ride to Hogwarts, with my sister." His laughter filled the air, and filled my body with warmth. "He was like a small kitten, curled up close to a window in one of the compartments. He was timid as all hell, but he eventually warmed up to us."

"That's so sweet, I was worried for him when he left." I smiled toward my brother, who was smiling lovingly at Raven who hadn't seemed to notice yet. "I'm glad he found friends, and someone who loves him like he should be loved."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Have you found someone who loves you in the way you deserve?"

The question hit me like a train. Of course I have, and he happened to be standing right next to me, tall and lean, the absolute beauty of a man. I couldn't tell him that though.

"Well, no. I wouldn't say I have yet." I looked down to avoid eye contact, and avoid him seeing my red cheeks. "I guess I haven't found the right one yet."

"A shame," he paused, "you'd be a lovely girl to be with."

~

"SLYTHERIN CATCHES THE SNITCH, WINNING THEM THE GAME!"

The crowd burst into cheers, Ominis and I screaming with the crowd. Sebastian and Raven met in the middle of the field, high fiving with the snitch firmly in her grasp. I led Ominis and I down with the rest of Slytherin house, Raven slamming Ominis with a kiss, which he gladly accepted.

"WE DID IT!" I felt two hand pick me up by my waist and spin me. I laughed and met his eyes, those gorgeous brown doe eyes. He set me down and brought me closer to him, our faces mere inches apart. "Can I kiss you?"

"Wh-huh?!"

His lip pressed needily into my own. They were sweeter than anything at Honeydukes, soft and slightly cracked, his musk filling every portion of my head. He pulled away, looking directly into my eyes, the biggest smile on his face.

"You won the game!" I said stupidly, my eyes wide in shock of what just happened.

"This was a bigger win in my book." He grinned, pulling me in again.

Heaven couldn't get better then this.

"SEBASTIAN ARE YOU SNOGGING MY SISTER?"

~

"Father! Why don't you give him a chance!" I yelled, tears flooding my eyes as I walked about Gaunt Manor, trailing my father.

"He is a half-blood, and no daughter of mine will be with someone less then what the Gaunt name is worth." He spoke sternly.

"But I love him! Doesn't that mean anything to you!" I cried out. "Doesn't love mean anything to your cold heart?"

"This cold heart will not have this family be disgraced by your foolish idea of love." He yelled. "You will leave this boy at once!"

The door of his study slammed shut. I dropped to my knees, my sobs echoing the elegantly decorated home. Ominis found me later, a wreck of a girl, helping me up and trying to make me feel better.

~

Returning back after the break was hard. Attempting to be happy while knowing you were going to be forced to leave the one person you've loved I had barely spoken to Sebastian since we've all returned.

"Hey! Love, wait up!" Sebastian shouted as I walked quickly out the Slytherin common room. "Please I need to talk to you!"

"What Sebastian?!" I snapped. My coldness caused him to be a little shocked, which saddened me to do this to him.

"I need to talk to you." He said softly. "You've barely spoken a word to me since you've returned, and even Ominis won't tell me what's going on. He deemed it a conversation me and you should have alone. So please, tell me what happened?"

I felt tears well into my eyes, his arms immediately wrapping around me.

"My father won't allow it. He says that I cannot be with someone who tarnishes the Gaunt name." I cried into his chest, he squeezed me tighter. "He wants me to leave you, but I can't and I don't want too."

He didn't speak at first, only holding me tighter. Small whispers were passed about as people walked by, ones that were particularly loud enough for me to hear.

What a mess.

Over a Half-blood, a Gaunt should be better then that.

Sebastian Sallow is hardly a boy to cry over.

Would've been better if he stayed away from that Gaunt.

He pulled me away, dragging us into the boys dorm.

"Sebastian I can't be in here-"

"I don't care, listen to me love." He said, holding my face gently. My cheeks cupped in his large calloused hands. "I am not, letting you go. They will have to pry you away with dark magic, because I am not letting you go."

"Sebastian, they will hurt you."

"And I will take it all, as long as it means I get to spend every moment of me being alive with you in my arms."

That day we held each other, the sadness of the winter break washing away with each kiss he planted on me. Why would someone want to destroy such a happiness?

~

Their seventh year had come to pass, Ominis and Raven getting married that summer, and Ominis running away, just as he always wanted. I still received his letters, but it wasn't the same without him.

Sebastian rented a small home in Hogsmeade, being close enough that it wasn't suspicious when I visited him. He had gotten accepted into the Auror program, which took some convincing on my part to get him to sign up for. He was genuinely happy, and nothing could ruin what we had. As soon as I graduated I would run away, right into his arms, and never see the cruel Gaunt Manor again.

~

"By law of the Gaunt name, you will be married to Thomas Malfoy on June first of the year eighteen ninety-six." I read aloud the letter on my bed.

The feelings all came crashing down. Father had said I would be married, but I didn't think it would be so soon after graduation. I hoped it would be enough time that I could run, and not have to deal with the wrath of two angered families.

I held the letter, my tears soaking the signature of my father, and the family crest stamped below.

~

"My love, how I've missed you!" Sebastian said gleefully as he opened the door to his house. "What's wrong?"

"Seb- they... oh Sebastian!" I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight to his body. "I want you to have me! Before this foul loathsome boy can."

"Woah, what is going on my love? Why are you asking this of me?" He said softly, petting the back of my head as I cried.

"They want to marry me off," I took a breath between sobs, "to that Malfoy boy!"

"What!? You can't marry him! He's older then I am! Love we have to stop this!" Sebastian panicked.

"I can't do anything about it! My father has it planned right after school is over. I will be stuck in a loveless marriage."

"No you won't I-" He started. I held him down, looking up into the same doe eyes I fell for years ago. 

"Please, stay. If I only have this year left with you, I want to make the most of it." I said to him, placing my hand on his cheek. He leaned into my touch.

"You're my girl, forever." He said leaning down to meet my lips. "That will never change."

"Never?"

"Never."

Our lips collided in a passionate embrace, his sweet lips being my addiction for centuries.

~

With graduation passed the wedding preparations started, a white gown with lacy long sleeves. Something that would show off the riches of the Gaunt family. I felt empty, a shell of myself.

Ominis returned to see me, knowing that he would be the only other family I'd willingly want here.

"How are you doing?" He asked me as the house elves prepared my dress on my big day.

"You know it's bad luck to see the bride before she walks down the isle." I said sadly, trying to get a smile out of someone today.

"Lucky for everyone here, I can't see." Ominis smiled. His hand touched my hand, trailing up the sleeve up to my shoulder. "I can only imagine how beautiful you look. I'm sorry things are going this way."

"Thank you Ominis, I suppose not all of us can be lucky enough to run away before the Gaunt name eats you whole." I said to him, placing my hand over his. His own wedding band shinned brightly. Light piano music began to play as a knock on the door let me know that it has started. "Well, let's get this over with."

"Wait." Ominis said, he was listening intently. "I- never mind. Let's go."

He held out his hand, guiding me out into the hall. Flowers cascaded across every surface, the gardens in full bloom. The entire Gaunt family, and the families of the sacred twenty-eight were all here to witness the reunion of two powerful pureblood families. 

A house elf handed me my bouquet of flowers, which I held at my waist. My father held his elbow out for me, which I took reluctantly.  As I walked down the isle, I felt every pair of eyes on me, their own whispers accompanying them.

Such a good Gaunt.

Marrying into a good family that one.

So civilized and perfect.

She'll produce perfect Gaunt babies.

My father released me at the end of the alter. I stepped up to meet my future husband. Ominis was nowhere in sight, and neither was Raven. 

The officiant droned on while I was stuck in my own head, trying to hold myself together. My life was over, and this was the final straw. I would never see Sebastian again.

"Do you Thomas, take her to be your wife?" The officiant asked him.

"I do." He responded.

"And do you take Thomas to be your husband?"

I lingered for a moment, taking in my families gaze.

"I-"

"WAIT!" 

I turned my head to the house, where Sebastian stood. He had a white button down on, and his black slacks. He ran down the steps to the back of the isle, the crowd shocked and murmuring amongst each other. 

"Love I will be your husband and cherish you everyday!" Sebastian shouted. "If you love me, then run!"

I kicked off my heels, and picked up my dress, sprinting down the isle to him. The shocked shouts and gasps caused enough chaos for me to collide with Sebastian, hugging him close.

"Let's get out of here!" He said excitedly.

"I don't have anything packed?! I hav-"

"Raven and Ominis have everything covered, we are going to America with them." He smiled. "Now let's go!"

He took my hand and sprinted up the stairs as I heard my father scream. We reached the top step and I stopped for a moment.

"FATHER, HOPE YOU KNOW I'M PREGNANT WITH THIS HALF-BLOOD'S BABY!" I shouted out. He shot a curse out, which we avoided. Manically laughing we ran through the house, finding Raven and Ominis at a carriage out front.

"Hop in we don't have a lot of time!" Ominis said, ushering us both in. "We'll be right behind you, they'll take you all the way to London, where we will make our getaway. You have the money right Sebastian?"

"Right here." He responded, holding a small pouch up.

"Alight now get going!"Ominis yelled. The carriage took flight as we watched them apparate away. The crowd of people ushered out the front door, but we were to high to be stopped.

"Wait," Sebastian said breathlessly, "are you actually pregnant?"

"I had hoped it would be a more special way to find out." I smiled. His face dropped into shock, then a grin. He pulled me into his lap and kissed me deeply.

"I think finding out by giving your father a heart attack is the most memorably way you could have told me." Sebastian laughed against my lips.

~

"Do you Sebastian, in sickness, in health, in poverty, and in riches take her to be your wife?" Ominis asked. The cliffside below creating a beautifully scenery as Sebastian and I held each others hands. My dress silky and simple, how it was always meant to be. Raven stood as a witness, our baby girl in her arms.

"I do." Sebastian said, his doe eyes looking deep into my soul.

"And do you, dear sister, take this idiot to be your husband." Ominis said. "You can say no if you wish, I can always plan another escape."

"I do!" I laughed out. Ominis smiled at my acceptance.

"Then by the power invested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife." Ominis had a tear fall from his eye, which he quickly wiped away. "You may now kiss Mrs. Sallow."

Sebastian smiled as he cupped my face, leaning closer before pressing his lips into my own. The sweetest taste I've ever known. He pressed into me, lifting me up and spinning me, our lips still locked. We pulled away breathlessly.

"I love you Mrs. Sallow." He whispered, his stubble growing in slightly. The freckles I loved so deeply being so prominent as the sun started to set.

"I love you more Mr. Sallow." I whispered back. "Promise to never leave?"

"Never." He smiled.

"Never?"

"Never."

[Raven is actually based off of @ravenwind-75 who has been so supportive and kind to me as I've been writing on here. I just want to say that I appreciate you and everyone else who interacts with my content daily. I write for me, but it's nice to know other people get some joy from it too]

[Other account I want to thank is @shyamanuensis who has followed me since the start, and each time has always been there to show support, ily sm <3]