#no exit is worth risking your safety over i wish people would REALIZE THIS

[corporrealism]

i hate driving sm i got into a minor accident driving to work at 5am with nearly zero traffic. how does this happen

[astrella-writes]

prompt | @ssoftlydreaming​ asked: nfjsja ok from sweet home can you do lee eun-hyeok and basically he has to decide if he should risk the danger of everyone in the apartment complex or save reader who is outside and struggling to survive.

warnings | female pronouns, angst, spoilers for episode one of the netflix adaptation of sweet home, if you haven’t watched episode one complete then this won’t make much sense, panic attacks, the general horror of sweet home, eun-hyuk being a logical pain in the ass, somewhat of an open-ending.

word count | 1.7K

author’s note | i hope this satisfies your masochistic desires! i’m honestly so happy to have angst as my first request, and that isn’t sarcasm at all.

The sound of his descending footsteps echoing throughout the concrete stairwell became background noise to Eun-Hyuk as he stared at the unanswered messages he had sent you well over an hour ago. This was strange behavior coming from you, considering you usually responded back within minutes. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, he tried to think of a logical explanation to calm his increasing worries. Perhaps your phone died on your walk home, or you had to work over-time without a chance to inform him.

He was certain some minor inconvenience caused your abrupt absence, although he couldn’t shake off the unnerving feeling settling like a burden of tense muscles upon his shoulders. Realizing there wasn’t much more he could do, especially since all the calls he gave you went straight to voice mail, he decided to wait patiently for a reply from you and try to keep his thoughts clear during the meantime.

Eun-Hyuk stuffed his phone into his pocket as he finally reached the half-open double doors that led out onto the first floor, his ears immediately picking up on the commotion before he looked over at the front entrance that was blocked by the shutters. A group of people stood dispersed nearby, talking amongst themselves and watching one resident in particular as he tried tugging on the metal bracing that barely budged. The man sighed, dropping his arm and admitting defeat as he walked away from the shutters, mumbling to himself.

‘First the elevators aren’t working, and now this?’ he thought to himself, unimpressed with the current situation, especially since he had work that night. He wasn’t the only one annoyed by the circumstances as the surrounding people openly expressed their vexation. Although, unlike most of them, he remained calm and simply observed the scene with his hands in his pockets. Multiple residents spoke loud enough for him to catch on to the fact that the security guard was missing, which made little sense considering this was an issue for him to resolve.

“Excuse me?” a feminine voice sounded from behind him, causing him to turn around and look at the woman. “Do you have any service on your cell?” Despite having just been on his phone, Eun-Hyuk was so preoccupied with his thoughts regarding your whereabouts that he didn’t notice the minor detail of whether he had any service.

Pulling out his phone and unlocking it, he immediately dialed your number, taking the possibility to hopefully connect with you and find out where you were. When his ear met with a high-pitched ringing, Eun-Hyuk lowered the phone, lost in thought for a second before looking at the woman.

“I guess not,” he said, watching as her face dropped in disappointment and she turned to walk away, but he stopped her with a question. “What’s going on here?” 

The woman hesitated, wondering if anything was even worth sharing considering she would give him more questions than answers. She went on to explain how every main exit had been closed up, locking everyone inside. Although she speculated someone was behind this, she had no idea who it was and for what purpose it was done. 

The explanation caused Eun-Hyuk to swallow thickly before turning his gaze towards the concealed entrance. He stared for a moment, silently wishing for your safety.

                                                          ―――

A shrill ringing penetrated your ear, causing you to jerk your head away from your phone and hang up on your attempt at calling Eun-Hyuk. With a frustrated cry, you threw your cellphone upon the ground, hearing the shattering of the screen as it smacked face-first against the concrete.

On the verge of tears, you made yourself as small as possible in the alleyway's corner, pulling your knees up to your chest as you rested your forehead on top of them. Your breathing grew increasingly more labored as the sensation of dread and pure hopelessness consumed your mind.

Eun-Hyuk’s words repeated in your head during times like this, when you were at risk of having a panic attack. Stay still. Take slow breaths. Think of something nice.

You squeezed your eyes shut, allowing the gathering tears to flow freely down your cheeks as they gathered at the tip of your chin. Forcing yourself to take in deep breaths, your trembling body gradually stilled. Eventually, your thoughts morphed as you focused on your breathing, rather than the surrounding chaos.

Think of something nice.

Eun-Hyuk’s face filled your mind, the sight prompting a ghost of a smile. You recalled your first meeting which occurred almost a year ago, when you had just moved into Green Roof Apartments. Someone had suddenly removed the towering stack of boxes you were carrying from your hold, and just as you were about to thank the person for helping, you realized you recognized him.

It turns out that you both used to attend the same high school, although you weren’t in the same class, your friend group interacted with his friend group quite a lot. Seeing his face brought back all those times at lunch when you would sneakily try to steal glances at him without your friends noticing. They noticed, of course, and teased you relentlessly about your crush but they were nonetheless supportive. They even proposed setting you two up on a date, because a ‘little birdie’ told them he had been crushing on you too.

Unfortunately, you were in such denial that someone as handsome as him had feelings for you, and rejected the offer. He was simply unobtainable, the extent of your relationship never surpassing polite greetings and friendly smiles until you both graduated and never saw each other again. Or at least, that’s what you assumed would happen.

It seemed fate gave you two another chance, unsatisfied with your prior silent pining and not acting upon anything. Considering you both matured immensely, talking came easy, and it wasn’t long before a much deeper connection began blossoming between the both of you.

His sister reacted indifferently when she walked out into the hallway one day, only to witness the both of you moving suspiciously away from each other, as if trying to conceal something. She caught on immediately, especially since her brother had been mentioning you quite often.

“Seriously? He’s the best you can do?” She scoffed, eyeing her brother disapprovingly before pushing between the both of you and walking off. You stared at her retreating figure in shock, oblivious to the smile on Eun-Yoo’s face as she disappeared down the stairs.

Once his sister found out, Eun-Hyuk became increasingly more open in terms of your relationship. And eventually, after a long week of his sister degrading him for not moving to the next step, he asked you to be his girlfriend. It wasn’t the most romantic of set-up’s; he had knocked on your door and asked you so casually that you wondered if he was joking.

When he assured you he wasn’t, you almost knocked him off his feet from the abrupt hug you gave him, accepting his simple proposal.

The memory faded, and the realization hit you like a truck. Eun-Hyuk was waiting for you, and you couldn’t give up on him. Taking a deep breath, you got up from the ground, trying not to focus on the screams and sounds of destruction in the distance as you lightly jogged towards the entrance of the alleyway. You peered behind the wall and looked both ways. The coast was clear; it was now or never.

                                                           ―――

You raced around the corner, narrowly dodging the attention of a nearby monster as its head popped up from one of the many dumpsters lining the brick wall of Green Roof Apartments, the location you had been trying to reach from when this all started.

The sound of metal creaking, which you quickly recognized to be the shutters descending, urged your aching legs to run faster as the darkness before you faded the closer you got to the entrance. That’s when you noticed Eun-Hyuk struggling to keep the shutters open as a distraught woman crawled towards him. He reached out a hand towards her, just as he looked up and made eye contact with you. His eyes widened at the sight, although bloodied and bruised, you were very much alive. You smiled at him, relieved, feeling safe already.

That was until you heard a rustling coming from your right, along with animalistic groans, as if something was just stirring back to life after being immobilized and ready to lash out again. A flurry of panicked voices came from the lobby of the apartment, everyone watching in horror as the hunched-over silhouette of the monster with a snake-like tongue began recovering to its full height.

Luckily for you, the monster disregarded your presence as it ambled towards the entrance. You stood frozen in fear as the shadow of its body passed over you, the sound of its languid steps lulling you into a trance as your body trembled lightly. 

It was perceptible that trying to run past it would end in your demise, leaving you stuck on what to do. Your pleading eyes drifted towards Eun-Hyuk, hoping he would come up with a plan to distract the monster long enough so you could make a break for the gap underneath the shutters he had been holding open - a perfect enough size for you to slide under.

He stared you dead in the eyes as he dropped the shutters; the metal clanging loudly against the tiled floor. You blanched, staring back at him in disbelief. A semblance of guilt took over his features, and you shook your head in denial. 

Your eyes stung with tears, and you wondered whether to cry and beg for him to help you or keep the remaining bit of dignity you had left. The monster suddenly shot its tongue within the gaps of the barred metal and Eun-Hyuk disappeared from sight as he dodged; the trance you were in instantly dissipating as you came to terms with the situation.

He left you to fend for yourself, surrounded by a horde of monsters. You weren’t sure whether to give up or keep going, considering nothing seemed worth fighting for at the moment. 

Did he regret it? Of course. Would he do it again? Without question. Eun-Hyuk would sacrifice anyone to keep his sister safe, even you, and even himself.

[easily-infatuated23]

Undercover- Part 2 (Healer!Draco x Reader)

Prologue, Part One, Part Two , Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

a/n: heres part 2! i realized these parts are short but i’m still figuring out the story as i go. the more into it i get the longer they will become. also would you guys like me to create a taglist? i’m not 100% sure what that is (still new to this) but i will figure it out if you want one :) Y/H/H= your hogwarts house

pairing: Healer!Draco x Reader 

word count: 1.2k

warnings: cursing, mentions of blood and kidnapping 

summary: After Reader disapparates from the hospital, Draco finds her and brings her to Malfoy Manor, but can she trust him? 

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

My heart was pounding. After disapparating into the bathroom stall of a muggle bar I’d been to before, I felt paralyzed. The pain in my side was excruciating. I looked down at my shirt. There was a small red stain slowly growing. I lifted up my shirt to reveal that the wound had partially reopened. I should have expected this. Usually after a wound of such severity and depth you wouldn’t be allowed to apparate for at least a few weeks. “Damn” I muttered. I wished I could use a spell to close the wound but for all I knew, they could have a trace on my wand. I exited the stall and walked over the sink area. I placed by bag on the counter and opened it, pulling out some of the supplies I had smuggled from the hospital. Healing had never been my strong suit but I had to try. The disinfectant stung and I felt tears pooling in my eyes as I wrapped the bandages around my waist. Once I finished attempting to patch myself up, I finally stopped to think about where I could go. I couldn’t go home to my flat or tell my family otherwise they might be targeted. I couldn’t return to my boss or the Ministry either, any one could be behind the contract torture and killing of muggle-borns. I was truly alone.

Just then, I heard the door start to open. I quickly hid in one of the stalls and crouched on the toilet so my feet would be hidden. I was in too much pain to attempt to disapparate again. I pulled my wand out, trying to prepare myself for whatever or whoever might have found me. I heard one set of footsteps enter the bathroom. “Colloportus” I heard a male voice whisper. Fuck. Someone had found me and locked me in. Trapped. Not my favorite place to be. “Y/N? Y/N it’s me, your Healer, Draco Malfoy” I was stunned. Draco Malfoy had some how followed me from the hospital. I jumped down and exited the stall, wand still drawn at the ready.

“How did you find me?” I asked. “It’s a new hospital protocol, your assigned Healer places a small ‘DNA trace' on you. It’s like the Appare Vestigium tracking spell but with a twist We started it with memory loss patients who would find their wands and try to leave the hospital before they were ready. If they managed to get out, we would be able to find them before too much damage could be done. It was so effective it was instituted for all patients as a safety precaution.” He said calmly. I paused, trying to decide if he was lying to me. I decided this seemed like a probable answer. “Second question, why are you following me? Did I not tell you that death would befall you if you did something like this” I questioned seriously. “Yes,” he chuckled. “The group of dark wizards that stormed in the moment you disapparated made that pretty clear” he said. “See,” I said “that’s proof. Now get out of here before I hex you into the next century.”

He put his hands up defensively. “Look I just want to help you. Why did you give a fake name when you checked in?” “You still haven’t answered my question, why are you following me?” I said again, taking a step forward and raising my wand higher. “When they stormed the hospital room and said your real name I was confused because it sounded a bit familiar and was obviously not the name you used when you arrived. Plus you looked really scared right before you left and it reminded me how scared I was when I was involved with You Know Who. It made me want to help you the way no one helped me” he replied. Just then the door nob started to turn violently, followed by loud bangs on the door. “Oh god they found me again, look I’m sorry but I have to go” “And I am really sorry about this”. He replied. “Wait what are you sorry fo-” before I could finish my sentence he drew his wand and muttered a spell, then the world went black.

When I woke up, I could feel the pain in my side pulsing. I blinked my eyes, trying to keep them open for long enough to see where I was. I looked at my arms and saw I was tied down. I went into complete panic mode. I started thrashing, trying to jerk the robes off of me. The pain in my side worsened but I knew it would be a small price to pay if it meant escaping death. Then I heard his voice. “Hey hey woah calm down you aren’t in danger. I only restrained you so that you wouldn’t try to run off”. It was Draco Malfoy again. I stopped thrashing. As furious as I was that he had essentially kidnapped me I felt an inherent trust in him that allowed me to relax a bit. “If your idea of help is kidnapping then you have a really twisted sense of what the word help means”. I looked around the room more. I was in a king bed with black sheets on it. There was a large dresser against a wall and french doors that appeared to lead to a balcony. “Draco, did you take me to Malfoy Manor?” I asked, a tone of anger growing in my voice. “Yes and I didn’t kidnap you. I rescued you. There is no way you would have survived another solo apparation. And I took you to the Manor because it’s the safest place to be where I can heal you fully and for you to tell me what you are so involved with that people want you dead” he said. “I really can’t tell you. You honestly have no idea how much danger you have brought upon yourself by taking me to your home. I’m serious. If you don’t untie me and let me go disappear somewhere, we’ll both end up dead. Besides, what makes you think those goons haven’t figured out your little DNA trace stunt.”

He went silent. He had slightly considered it but his curiosity and desire to protect the familiar stranger had pushed down any fear of death that loomed over his actions. “Draco you don’t even know who I am. Don’t risk your life for me. It’s not worth it” I sighed. He sat down next to me and looked at his hands. “I know your name is Y/F/N Y/L/N. I know you were in Y/H/H and that you were two years behind me at Hogwarts.” I was taken aback. How did he know that? He must have done research on me after I left the hospital. “I realized it was you once I brought you back here, you look quite different now then when we were at school”. His voice softened as he gently stroked my head. “I’ll make you a deal.” I said suddenly, breaking him out of what seemed to be a trance. “If you take these restraints off of me, I promise I won’t run and I’ll let you heal me fully.” He smirked slightly, clearly thinking he was finally getting his way. “But I will not tell you the details of why the Dark Saints are after me.” He raised an eyebrow. “The Dark Saints huh?” Shit.

[brain-deadx0]

The Lost Prince ch.3

Summary: The kingdom of Elan had once been at peace. It’s said that so long as the royal family lived the land would flourish with them on the throne. But when an unexpected enemy appeared and took the lives of the royal family many stopped believing in the legend. It was simply a ploy by a former ruler to discourage a coup. But some say that the new king sparred the young prince out of fear of the myth, and that one day the true heir would once again take the throne.

Chapter 1

Previous

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER SUMMARY: They have a plan... it may have been a bad plan.

WARNINGS: imprisonment, forcing someone to perform demeaning acts, injury of a main character, blood, let me know if there’s anything else

As the sun began to set Virgil and Janus huddled together away from the door. As much as they appreciated the open door earlier, while looking at the flora and fauna, it was now letting in the cool evening breeze. Neither dared speak aloud outside of the safety of their room which only made ignoring their growling stomachs harder.

They hadn’t eaten since the night before and they couldn’t exactly bring along the small food stash they kept for emergencies. Virgil was actually starting to miss the stale bread when a pair of robins suddenly flew through the door.

The birds each held a small branch covered in berries as they landed in front of him and Janus. Virgil slowly held his hand out and one of the robins hopped towards him to drop the berries in his palm. Janus did the same with the other bird. The two young men nodded in thanks before the two robins flew away again.

“Didn’t know they did that.” Janus murmured before eating one of the berries.

“Unless one of them could get us the keys I don’t think we’ve needed them to anyway.”

The berries hadn’t been near enough to fill the two up, but it did help to quiet their stomachs. It took some time but eventually the two were able to doze off.

-

King Saul flipped though the pages of the old book while he waited for the servant to get there and translate. He couldn’t read whatever language it was written in, but the illustrations provided some clues. Most of it seemed to have something to do with the royal family and fae.

“Your Majesty, the servant is here to translate.” He heard someone call from outside his tent.

“Send him in then.”

A few moments later the servant walked through the door. “Your Majesty,” he bowed.

”Here,” King Saul said as he passed over the book, “now tell me what I need to know.”

“Of course, your Majesty.”

The servant flipped to the right page and began to translate, “If a time may come when their majesties are unable to have a child of their own volition or-“

“I don’t care for those parts. Just tell me the steps and what we need.”

“Yes, Sir.” The servant said before starting again, “The current head of the family and intended heir must share blood... Any amount will do... They then must join hands at sunset... The family head must willingly pass the bond... And both must say the spell.” He summarized.

“So we prick fingers, hold hands, and say a spell. Sounds easy enough.” King Saul mused, “And the spell?”

“I believe it’s “pactum sanguis densior sit quam ex utero sumus participes per familia necessitudines ita et in terra” your Majesty.”

“If that’s all then you may leave.” King Saul told him as he took the book back.

The servant bowed once more before exiting the kings tent. King Saul managed to locate the words of the spell and proceeded to write them down.

-

‘Perhaps,’ He thought to himself, ‘if the false king were not so self centered he might have realized the differences between me and the man who had originally delivered the book.’

...

By the time the sun rose on the second day, Virgil and Janus were wide awake. When the soldiers not standing guard had started waking up it was hard to ignore. Especially when they started to cook breakfast.

“Bastards...” Janus mumbled, earning a small smile from Virgil, “They could’ve at least done it down wind.”

“Some people aren’t very considerate I’m afraid.” A voice told them.

Both young men jumped and instinctively tried to move away from whoever had spoken.

“Oops, didn’t mean to startle you.” A somewhat willowy man in servants clothing told them.

Janus and Virgil shared a cautious glance at each other as the man reached into the satchel at his side before revealing a small loaf of bread. “Here,” He said as he held it out to them, “you’re probably feeling half starved by now.”

The two shared another look before Janus slowly reached forward to take the bread, “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” He told them before whispering, “your Majesty.” He winked.

“... Who are you?” Janus asked cautiously.

“You can call me Emile.” He smiled, “And you two have more people on your side than you think.”

”What?” Virgil asked.

Emile’s only response was a finger to his lips and a wink before turning and walking away.

“Well,” Janus started, “that was...”

“Weird.” Virgil finished, “That was definitely weird, right?”

Janus nodded, “Probably.”

The two of them were wary of the bread at first, but whatever fears they may have had were gone after the first bite. They silently decided the taste was because they hadn’t had fresh bread in years. But neither could remember even the freshest bread tasting so sweet.

Neither mentioned it but both felt full and surprisingly invigorated despite the small amount of food.

...

Within a few hours the camp was packed up, the wagon door was closed, and the group was on the move once again.

The weather wasn’t unpleasant and they even seemed to be making good time. That is until a loud thudding sound broke the silence.

Virgil and Janus had let themselves relax as their minds wandered with the shifting of the wagon. It wasn’t until they were suddenly flung into one corner that they realized something had happened.

“Ah what the fuck?” Virgil hissed.

“Sorry,” Janus told him as he attempted to pull himself away, “You alright?”

“Yeah, you?”

“I’m fine. My landing was a bit softer than yours.”

“Oh ha ha.” Virgil deadpanned.

“What’s going on?!” Saul boomed from somewhere ahead of the wagon, “Why are we stopped?!”

“My apologies, your Majesty, but a wheel has fallen off of the prisoners wagon. It doesn’t appear to be damaged, but we’ll have to stop for a while to fix it.” Someone standing nearby said.

“Well hurry up then!”

Janus and Virgil barely managed to get themselves upright by the time the door was opened. “Don’t get any ideas.” The soldier said as he unlocked the metal door.

“Come on we don’t have all day.” He grumbled when the two hesitated.

They shared a somewhat baffled look before Virgil moved to leave the wagon. His feet had barely touched the ground before he was grabbed by the collar and flung to the side, “Hurry up.” The man spat.

“Virgil!” Janus called when his friend hit the ground.

“I’m good.” He told him as he moved to stand up again. He was halfway up when a different soldier appeared next to him and pulled him to his feet. “The ground isn’t nearly as hard as the floor.” Virgil said when Janus joined him. Janus gave a sad smile in agreement.

While several people worked to put the wheel back, Virgil and Janus took the opportunity to soak in the feeling of the ground beneath their feet. It was so soft! And squishy! Even their bed mat was nothing compared to how comfortable the ground felt.

The soldiers were nearly done when the King road over to them on a large grey stallion. “How much longer?” He asked them.

“Almost done, your Majesty. It should be ready in just a minute.” One of them answered.

Saul nodded before turning his attention to Janus and Virgil.

Janus hated the way he looked at them. Normally it was somewhere between happy that he had taken over the kingdom and pissed that he and Virgil still existed. But now there was a bit of greed there too. By some miracle it managed to make Janus hate him more.

Virgil wished he could wipe that smug look off of Saul’s face. Preferably with a chair. But unfortunately he was not that brave and not that stupid. Also he was severely lacking in the chair department at the moment.

“The wagon is fixed, your Majesty. We are ready to continue when you are.” One of the soldiers informed.

“Good. Throw these two back in and let’s move on.” The king ordered as he turned his horse.

“Wait!” Janus said before Saul could leave.

The King paused to look at him but didn’t respond.

“Please, before we go any farther let Virgil go.”

Saul smirked, “Why would I do that?”

“Please,” Janus begged, “you don’t need him. Let him go, and let him live. I promise I will transfer the magic.”

“Why should I believe that? Besides, that scullery rat is good collateral. Why would I risk letting him go while he’s still useful?”

“I swear I will do whatever you ask. Just let him go free. Please.”

Virgil was sure Saul wasn’t actually considering letting him go. There was nothing to gain after all. He just wanted to toy with Janus. As soon as he started getting bored he’d laugh in their faces and they’d be back in the damn wagon.

Honestly he wasn’t sure whether or not to be relieved by that. On one hand he couldn’t escape, but that meant he wouldn’t have to leave Janus.

Virgil was startled out of his thoughts when Saul dismounted and walked over to them.

“Prove it.”

Janus blinked. What?

“Kneel.” Saul told him.

Janus spared a glance at Virgil who shook his head.

Despite his friends opposition Janus took a breath and dropped to one knee before bowing his head. “Please, your Majesty.” He tried again, “Let him go.”

The King’s lips curled into a cruel grin, “Kiss my boot.” He told him.

“Janus no!”

“Silence!” Saul commanded.

“Janus, don’t. Please.” Virgil begged him.

Janus closed his eyes. He hated him. God he hated Saul. He could live forever and never hate anyone more. But his love for Virgil was worth more than that hate. And his life was worth more than Janus’s own pride.

“Please, your Majesty,” he forced as he shifted to both knees.

“Janus...”

“Let my friend go free.”

Virgil couldn’t bring himself to watch. He closed his eyes and turned his head away. But that didn’t prevent the hushed laughter of the soldiers from reaching his ears.

“Someone grab a rope.” Saul ordered, “I believe we may be able to work something out.”

Virgil tried to ignore everyone and everything around him as he opened his eyes. He kneeled next to Janus and tentatively reached to grab his arm. Janus didn’t look at him.

“You shouldn’t have done that. We would’ve been ok.” Virgil choked before pulling him closer in a poor excuse for a hug.

“Just make it.” Janus told him as he attempted to hug back, “Go find that useless knight of ours and don’t look back. Please, Virgil.”

Virgil clung to him tighter, “I can’t just leave you like that.”

“You can and you will.” Janus told him, “Promise me, Virge.”

He wanted to promise. He did. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He couldn’t make that promise. He would stick to his plan and follow them. He couldn’t leave Janus behind. Not after everything.

“Please.” Janus begged.

But before Virgil even had a chance to reconsider he was pulled back by his hair. He attempted to cling to Janus, but was ripped away as if he hadn’t been holding on at all.

“Remove his chains and then tie him to a tree.” Saul ordered.

“What? No! Let him go! Please!” Janus yelled, “I did as you asked!”

“You did,” he agreed, “and I’m releasing him. Perhaps we can come back to check on him once we complete our little errand at the Delego.”

Janus watched as Virgil attempted to fight back against the soldiers trying to tie him up. All of a sudden he was eight-years old again. Being held too tightly by a man twice his size while his best friend fought tooth and nail just for the infinitesimal chance of escape. And once again he was too scared and too useless to do anything but cry and scream at the bad people to let him go.

The second the chains were off Virgil started swinging. He couldn’t let them tie him up. He wouldn’t stand a chance of helping Janus if that happened. He thrashed against the hands and ropes trying to get some sort of opening. He could vaguely hear Janus screaming something as the soldiers continued to close in on him with the rope.

Virgil sensed more than felt himself fall to the ground. He had to fight harder! They were gonna win and then they would take Janus away and he would never see him again.

He couldn’t move his arms anymore. His legs flailed harder, trying in vain to somehow prevent the inevitable. His legs were stuck now. Something was behind him- Wait something is by his face. He hears what sounds like a scream and his mouth fills with blood.

“Motherfucker!” The soldier who had attempted to gag him yelled when Virgil sunk his teeth into their hand. They quickly pulled their hand back and turned it into a fist.

“NO!” Janus screeched when Virgil’s head lolled to the side, “Virgil!”

“Little bastard.” The soldier spit on him as they clutched their injured hand.

“Remember your promise,” Saul said as Janus was pulled to his feet, “and then maybe we can come back and untie him.”

“You lying son of a bitch.” Janus spat.

He felt a blinding pain as the back of Saul’s hand landed against his face.

“We’ve wasted enough time.” Saul announced, “Let’s get moving.”

“Virgil!” Janus yelled as he was dragged back towards the wagon, “I’ll come back for you! I promise!”

The door was slammed shut and the wagon began to move.

~~~~~~NOTES~~~~~~

Good news: Virgil is no longer in immediate danger. Bad news: He’s unconscious and tied to a tree... Also Janus is still in immediate danger.

Y’all. I SWEAR there is going to be happier chapters. But we gotta get some of the bad stuff out of the way first. Next chapter might have some nice stuff but yeah. Don’t hold your breath for fluff.

[floosies]

Series: La Munenca del Barrio

Warnings: NSFW, Blood, violence, smut, strong language, and drug use

Rocio Cruz lives in a Brooklyn block best known for its vibrant and ignored community. What she always ignored though was the underground scene in the borough, the evils that lay in it and its people. That all comes to an end when she’s introduced to those things she ignored.

Chapter 8: Coronao Now

Series Masterlist

It’d been over a month since the incident, Rocio’s face was better now but she’d gained a  small cut by her right eyebrow. Steve swore he liked it though, he said it made her look tough. With her now living at both his homes, she’d became more subjected to meeting people in the crime world. One of which was a nice girl who’d worked for Steve for years. She’d began teaching Rocio how to shoot, when they spent time together. It was a nice way to let out pent up anger and learning a skill she’d never think of having. On one of the shooting lessons, Nat gifted Rocio a kimber classic carry elite, to say that she was shocked was an understatement, “thank’s Nat, it’s pretty.” She admired the gun for a moment before Nat broke her out of the trance, “better hide it away well, remember Steve has no idea about this Careful with it too, it’s got the safety on but it’s still loaded.” She nodded carefully placing in it her purse. 

Another person who Rocio had the ‘pleasure’ to get to know better was Bucky. Turns out he was more than just snorting snow. He was the business guy, as he explained one night at dinner, “see Steve is mostly morals and muscle. Me though, I’m the guy with the wits.” Rubio just rolled his eyes at the comments his brother was saying. Anyways, that led to a bargain scheme. Bucky made a good ‘business deal’ in California with some new kid who was supposed to be taking over his uncle.

Long story short, he wanted Steve to go with him as a back up in case the deal got dicey. Apparently, the kid was known to be both a playboy and an asshole, so it was better not to take a risk. Of course, the fucking trial was in a week. However, Barnes made it a big deal that they would only be on the west coast for the weekend. Rubio being Rubio though, he was not going to leave his munenca alone in Brooklyn while her mom might still wanna take another swing at her.

So now Rocio was packing for warmer weather. She wasn’t even concerned about the whole thing. Her mind was drifting to her siblings who she’d seen a couple of times now through this whole thing. They knew about their dad coming home soon, and they were excited. Marco even smiled at the idea which made Rocio feel better. Her fear about him hating the world wasn’t going to be entirely true. It did break her heart a bit when he admitted to seeing what their mom did to her. 

She didn’t notice that her eyes were beginning to swell up with tears. She didn’t even notice Steve coming into the room, “que tienes munenca?” His voice was gentle, as he pulled her body into a tight hug. Trying as best to compose herself she shook her head, “nothing. estoy bien. I was just umm...thinking about my siblings and the whole trial thing again.” She responded, he nodded. “Listen, this is probably a good thing then. Us going away for a bit, it’ll be a mini vacation.” His reasoning was solid for the most part. He wished he could do more like guarantee her that everything was gonna be solved but hell even his own victories came at some expense.

They met Barnes on the jet. The thing about him that was interesting to Rocio was that he was dating Nat. It was interesting because she was Russian, so they were just known as that around where she grew up, los rusos. People were terrified of them because they got the messy work done. Knowing him now, she realized he was actually very nice. It was odd but it kept her mind busy instead of thinking about the fact that she was on a flying death machine.

It was around three in the afternoon when they got to the beach house in California. Exploring around the grounds they finally reached their room, “listen guys there’s gonna be a party we’ve gotta attend tonight.” Bucky saw Steve’s eye roll, “i’ll make it up to ya pal, it’s just a little welcoming party it’ll be fine.” It was not a little welcoming party. It was a mansion party that led to a private beach. 

Steve’s grip around Rocio’s waist got tighter, “I don’t want you to go too far from me munenca.” The place was like a fuckin night club, they were led to a table by on the second floor of the mansion. There Bucky and some kid waited for the pair, “guys this Tim, he’s the ‘investor’ for the business deal here. His uncle owns the state practically,” the whole time he was talking the guy’s eyes were practically undressing Rocio. She rolled her eyes, to most of these guys she was practically a toy. 

Tim cut him off eventually, “thank you very much for that introduction but I think your friends here are very bored.” He went to shake Steve’s hand, “Steve Rogers, a very well known name around here and you must be Rocio Cruz, your dad’s name is legend, loyalty is hard to come by today.” He said kissing the back of her hand. He wasn’t ugly or anything but she knew Steve would be mad as hell now. Tim’s eyes were still wandering on her, “if you need anything let my men know, there are drinks going around too. Please, enjoy yourselves and welcome to California.” He left after that, Steve looked over at his girl, annoyance and jealousy very clearly on his face.

From where they sat, they had a good view of the dance floor downstairs. That’s when she recognized a familiar face, it was Wanda. The two had met briefly once before. Her husband Vis, was both an informant and consultant for Steve. The two made eye contact, Rocio waved for her to come upstairs. They hugged as soon as they were next to each other, “what are you doing here?” She asked Rocio, “business trip.” Wanda nodded, “hey Steve, could I take her for a bit?” He looked over at her, she had those big doll eyes, sighing he agreed.

He watched from upstairs as they started dancing to some fast paced song. Bucky had a cigar now, another thank you gift from Tim, “wanna go have some fun downstairs?” Steve shrugged, “why not.”  It’d been such a long time since Rocio had been to a club or even danced, she was thankful for Wanda in this moment. It was hot on the dance floor but drinks were being given and pretty soon the alcohol was making her forget the sweat that was forming on her body. She felt hands on her waist turning her head around she saw Steve, “you’re a tease munenca, mejor nos vamos?” She giggled continuing to dance, her hips now grinding against him. Wanda winked at her, as she danced with Bucky. Another quirk, two words. Open. Relationships. Sure the two had significant others but that didn’t matter. Steve wasn’t like that at all though, and Rocio was relieved for that.

Who would’ve thought that boring Steve would be a good dancer but he was. It was getting intense and the hazy look of lust was in their eyes. “Wanda could you come with me to the bathroom?” She looked at Steve then, “we can leave after.” He nodded his eyes still fully blown, he kissed her before she headed off. The girls were giggling messes as they went to the restroom, “so you’re gonna get with Barnes tonight?” She asked her as they fixed themselves up a bit. “Maybe, why not. He looks good tonight,” Rocio shook her head, “traviesa.” They walked back out, and what a coincidence, Tim was just about to enter when they exited.

His smug smile made her annoyed, “ladies. Would either of you like to play in a little snow?” Wanda answered before Rocio could, “no we’re actually heading out.” He nodded, “in that case, could I talk to Cruz for a moment?” She looked over at Rocio who looked confused, “about?” He still had that stupid smile on his face, “nothing bad, I promise.” It was better not to piss him off, she assumed, “Wanda wait here?” The girl nodded as the two walked off a bit out of hearing range from where she was waiting.

She waited for him to speak, “so Rogers calls you munenca? That’s a doll right?” What a bunch of bullshit, “is that why you pulled me aside? So you could try to hit on me?” Maybe it was the liquor but she was not in the mood, she started to walk away. His hand gripped her wrist, “I wanted to say that with everything going on, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to have a back up plan. Trust me that old man won’t be there forever. That old money is nothing compared for what I have here. Also, if I wanted to I already would’ve fucked you.” The only thing that could be heard was the sound of the slap she gave him. “You’re disgusting.” She started walking away, “trust me you’ll be begging me soon.” She rolled her eyes still walking, “tu no entiendes? Fuck you.” Wanda could see the anger basically giving off on her.

The car ride was quiet, Bucky didn’t care though he was still trying to get his night’s worth. Steve was about to ask her what happened when she said quietly, “en la casa.” So he waited til they got to the house. The deviants left quickly to Barnes’ room while Rocio and Steve stayed downstairs for a bit. He heard the whole story, she was concerned with how calm he was until he stood up from his seat, “I’m going to kill him.” She shot up, “remember Bucky has business with him.” He looked at her, “munenca you’re right but he’s still going to die. I’m still going to kill him,” his voice was so calm. So much for a getaway

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @kevaaronday!

Read on AO3

*****

Heard you were tough (but you don't look it)

1 - That Asshole 0 - Derek 1

Usually Derek got a different response after he’d saved someone’s life.

Depending on if the person was in the know or not, he either got some very surprised screaming about monsters, or a sincere thank you and the occasional offer to be thanked in some other way. Which he always declined, because that would be taking advantage.

This guy, this… asshole. He was different.

“I had that,” he was immediately yelling at Derek.

Different, and clearly delusional.

“You were seconds away from death,” Derek wondered if The Asshole was on something. “The Omega’s fangs were inches from tearing your throat out.”

Derek had jumped in immediately, without a thought for his own safety. As an Alpha, he’d heal pretty damn quickly from anything a crazed Omega could do to him. And the guy almost getting his throat torn out was human - at least at first glance.

“As if,” The Asshole was actually laughing at him.

“I get that you probably have a weapon or two in hand,” Derek did not have the patience to be dealing with a hunter who thought himself invincible. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t be killed.”

Though, he couldn’t smell any wolfsbane on this guy. He couldn’t smell much of anything, which was probably a bad sign. If hunters had somehow learned how to block their chemosignals, that would take away a large part of the advantage the wolves had over them.

They needed that advantage.

His pack was probably going to call him paranoid, since they had very little problems with hunters anymore, now that Chris Argent had turned out to be a decent person. But it wasn’t paranoia if it kept all of them alive.

“I don’t need weapons,” That Asshole rolled his eyes at Derek.

That was a new one. He hadn’t ever heard a hunter say that before. They were always so dependant on their guns and their wolfsbane - or even bows. This guy seemingly carried none of those things. Though he was wearing so many layers it was hard to tell.

“Do you have claws hidden underneath that plaid?” Derek had to ask.

Because that was the only way that The Asshole would have made it out alive. There was no way a human got that close to a rabid Omega without any weapons on him and still lived to tell the tale. Not without some kind of interference. Or someone saving their ungrateful ass.

“Nothing up my sleeves,” the guy pushed up said sleeves.

Nothing to see there. There was nothing special about this guy, until Derek turned to look at the Omega (the corpse) lying on the ground, and then looked up to find that The Asshole was nowhere to be found.

Well, fuck. Clearly this was no random human. The smell of petrichor told him that much - funny how that he could smell, when there was nothing about the magic-user himself that Derek could get a scent on. So he was powerful, and could have probably handled himself against that Omega - but was it worth the risk?

And still, a ‘thank you’ wouldn’t have been out of place here. Derek was just saving a life, it was That Asshole who had to make it into a big fight. Just because Derek hadn’t wanted him to die at the hands of a feral Omega.

That was about as kind as he got.

2 - The best Spark ever 1 - Grumpy Wolf 1

So clearly the Beacon Hills Alpha was a self-righteous ass, but it wasn’t like Stiles could just let him die. That would be… less than ideal for his standing in the local community. Also, he wasn’t actually that much of an asshole. Not usually, not to anyone who didn’t deserve it.

He was just in doubt about how much the Alpha deserved it.

Still, there was a difference between actively being an asshole to someone and letting them die because of a troupe of egomaniac hunters. Beacon Hills needed an Alpha, and Stiles was going to get one over on the asshole Alpha - so clearly two reasons to do the right thing. That and Stiles’ hatred of hunters. That made three.

Ugh, guess he had to show off now. He hated doing that (no he didn’t).

“Hello there fellas,” Stiles did enjoy playing the harmless human card when it gave him an advantage. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but it feels like the start of a bullying PSA.”

That stopped these rednecks in their tracks - and seriously, why were hunters usually rednecks? Was it the racism or the love of guns? Or both? Both.

“You’d best get on your merry way, boy,” the one with the baseball cap started threatening him.

And that meant he really didn’t know what he was up against, which was awesome for Stiles but not so much for these guys. And not so much for the Alpha’s ego, clearly, because he was halfway to growling at Stiles before he even spoke up. Right, because it was perfectly fine for Stiles to be the damsel but this guy is too manly to be put in that position?

Fucking toxic masculinity!

“I’m going to need your pet Alpha for that,” Stiles grinned. “I kinda called dibs.”

That surprised them enough that Stiles could get off the first spell with a quick flick of the wrist - a modification of the mountain ash circle that allowed nothing or no one to enter or exit the circle without Stiles’ permission. And since the asshole Alpha was very much outside that circle…

“You’re welcome,” Stiles cocked his head, waiting for some appreciation from said Alpha.

He got none.

The Alpha was basically growling at him. “You called dibs?”

Maybe that wasn’t the best thing he could have said about an apparently extremely paranoid Alpha. But he’d already said it, and well, he stood by it. Because underneath that anger, and the heavy brow, and the asshole behavior… Well, underneath all of that the Alpha was kind of hot and Stiles would have hate-sexed him in a heartbeat. If, you know, he wasn’t an ungrateful ass. Or if he seemed like the kind of guy who was into hate-sex.  

“I’m sorry, are these rednecks more your type?” Stiles had no trouble keeping the circle intact. “I am not sure you’re kink-compatible.”

The joking just riled the Alpha up even more, which was a whole different level of entertaining. And watching the Alpha’s eyebrows twitch when Stiles easily tightened the circle the hunters were still trapped in, well that was just the icing on the cake, really. The guy was really pissed off that Stiles was powerful enough to save himself and others - such a savior complex.

“Well, I’d best be off,” Stiles wasn’t going to let the Asshole Alpha get another word in. “I have some criminals to hand-deliver to the Sheriff. You’re welcome.”

And with that, he left an Alpha werewolf in the dust. Like a BAMF.

3 - Dangerous magic user 1 - Derek 2

There was no way that Derek was going to let a dangerous magic user run through Beacon Hills unchecked. This was his territory, and it was his job to keep people safe, and therefore it was his job to know when dangerous people were around who risked tipping the balance.

And this guy - there was no way that he wasn’t dangerous. Someone that powerful, who could trap groups of hunters with a flick of his wrist and casually drag a protective circle after him… Maybe Derek had trust issues - and he knew he did - but he couldn’t trust the intentions of anyone that powerful. Especially when this person hadn’t even introduced himself to the pack, which was supposed to be tradition.

It almost made him miss Deaton. At least he remembered how things were supposed to work, enigmatic as he might have been before randomly bailing two months ago. He never even explained why he left or where he’d gone. And he’d left no forwarding address.

The wendigos were a bit more of an urgent issue, though.

Derek’d had to look through his mother’s old journals, the one she always locked up in the vault because she didn’t want the kids to get their hands on them. She’d spoken of the creatures, mentioned how dangerous they were and how imperative it was that they be kept far away from humans - especially those who were born with magic in their blood.

Did he mention that wendigos had an immunity to most spells?

Clearly the pain in the ass magic user hadn’t done the research, because he was still out there, in the Preserve in the middle of the night, flinging spells at an advancing wendigo. Derek knew his pack was dealing with the rest of the family, but they’d left the most dangerous one to him - as they should. Derek healed faster than they did.

“Get out of the way,” he threw himself into battle without another thought. “They’re mostly immune to magic. You need to get to safety.”

The magic user didn’t listen, not right away. But Derek couldn’t spend too much energy keeping track on him, not when he had a cannibalistic creature to get rid of. Looking back once already earned him a slash across the ribs, and he was lucky it wasn’t worse.

“What the hell is that thing?”

So clearly the magic user wasn’t leaving.

“Wendigo,” Derek shouted at him. “Now leave. Please. I’ve got this.”

The please just… came out. It was completely unlike their previous interactions, but Derek had said it and now he had to deal with it. Or he could just pretend he’d never said it and deal with a dangerous monster instead. That sounded like the better option.

Sometimes he wished there was another way to deal with a wendigo. But there wasn’t. His mother had tried, several times even, and if Talia Hale couldn’t do it… It had to be impossible.

He took a deep breath, trying to center himself, trying to anchor himself to his pack as he let the wolf into the driver’s seat. Against a creature like this, it is best to shift completely. Like his mother had.

It hurt to have his bones completely rearrange themselves, but he was used to pain. It helped him heal the scratches from the wendigo a bit quicker too.

“Holy shit, did you just?” Mage was still there.

Derek-wolf growled at him. Not safe for Mage with nice scent .

Not until after he shifted back, his body too tired to maintain the shift after he’d managed to defeat the angry wendigo singlehanded, did he realize that the magic user had never left. That he’d stuck around to watch Derek save his stupid life, for some reason.

Though he disappeared as soon as Derek’s pack came to find him.

He didn’t say thank you. Not surprising.

4 - The Amazing Mischief 2 - Sexy Wolf 2

So apparently the Alpha could actually turn into a wolf. Stiles was reluctantly impressed. Reluctantly, because the guy was still an asshole who thought Stiles couldn’t handle himself against one single wendigo - and yeah, okay, maybe he was right about the whole immunity to magic thing, but still.

But the full shift? Impressive. Saying please? Heartbreaking. Protecting Stiles even in full wolf form? Confusing. Stupid. Weird.

Grudging acceptance was not the way he wanted to go with this guy.

And so, when he saw another chance to piss the Alpha off by saving his ass, even though he had a whole pack he could call in for backup instead… Stiles just had to take it.

And yeah, technically he was the protector of the town now, after that vet had just disappeared and his Dad had dragged him back from Poland because they really needed the help. And after the weeks he’s had, with the Omega and the hunters and a family of wendigos - well, Stiles is never dismissing the Hellmouth-like quality of Beacon Hills ever again. So technically it was now his job to protect idiot martyr Alphas - even though his job description just said “consultant”.

Ugh, damn Alpha werewolf and his martyr complex.

“We have got to stop meeting like this, Sourwolf,” Stiles leaps in front of the monster with a smug grin on his face.

Is that actually a fucking kanima? He’s never seen one of those in the flesh before.

“Of course you’re here,” the Alpha is not amused.

“Danger’s calling,” Stiles shrugged as he erected a magical shield. “Did you murder anyone recently? Other than the wendigo? Because he shouldn’t be after you like this, sexy wolf.”

That one just kind of slipped out, but Stiles was certainly not going to walk it back. No, he was totally going to own it - he’d hit on Alpha werewolves before. Sure, those were probably less hot - and less of an asshole. Infuriatingly, that made this guy just Stiles’ type.

Which was something he’d have to contemplate after he saved him from the kanima.

“Please just call me Derek,” the Alpha hid his face.

Because he was actually… blushing? That was awesome. Even the kanima seemed to think it was funny, which was just…

“Is he our new Daddy?”

Where the kanima had just stood, a smug douche-looking guy had taken his place. There was still a slimy quality about him, but it didn’t seem like they were in any kind of real danger, so Stiles figured he could drop the shield.

“You interrupted our sparring session,” Alpha Derek had crossed his arms over his solid chest.

And no, Stiles, that was a terrible road to go down.

Best to focus on the fact that there was a fucking kanima in the pack, and no one had bothered to inform him of that. He was going to have to have words with his Dad about this. Yes, his father would hear about this.

“Still saved your wolfy butt,” Stiles had to argue.

“I was in no danger whatsoever,” Derek rolled his eyes.

Ugh, the sass was a great look on him, and that was just unfair. He was just glad he was good at masking scent, because he did not want the wolf to have that kind of advantage.

“Still counts.”

Figuring that was a decent enough exit line, Stiles made a magical escape. Sure, it was a waste of his power, but he was trying to make a good impression here. Sort of.

5 - Mr. Stilinski if you’re nasty 3 - Derek freaking Hale 2

Research was key, especially when dealing with a pack that he was going to be having dealings with for a long time, if his Dad had his way. Dad was so happy to finally have Stiles close again, that he was about five seconds away from setting up a play-date with Alpha Hale and his pack. He only dropped it when Stiles assured him that he had it handled.

Sure, his Dad only dropped it long enough to seriously laugh at him, but it worked.

So the next time he approached the Hale pack, he followed the protocol that Babcia had drummed into him. Which was all well and good, until they got attacked like ten seconds after Stiles had finally properly introduced himself to Derek.

“Chimeras,” the blonde girl cursed. “Fucking chimeras.”

Oh, his Dad had filled him in on those, and Stiles was not in any way looking forward to this, but he was prepared to handle them. If he had to, because those kids had probably not asked to be turned into this, had not asked to be made feral.

“We just have to hold them off long enough for Lydia to get the cure,” Derek showed why he was actually a good Alpha. “Stay safe. Be careful. Don’t go after them alone. You know Theo and his traps.”

Fucking Theo was still around? Of course he was. He was never happy until he was making everyone in this town miserable. Sucked for him that Stiles was back now, because Stiles had never had any patience for his brand of dangerous bullshit. Also, Stiles was way more powerful than he was, and he was going to enjoy rubbing that in Theo’s face.

Just, well, he still didn’t want to hurt any innocent people.

“There’s a cure?” Stiles turned to Derek. “I can hold them for a while. How long do you need?”

The look on Derek’s face was just unfair. It was grateful, warm, pleased - Derek trusted him, trusted Stiles with his life and his pack’s lives. And that was… stupid of him. Sure, Stiles had saved his life… well this would be the third time’s charm.

Okay maybe it wasn’t stupid.

And maybe they made it work, with the girl named Lydia - he vaguely remembered her from elementary school, before his Mom died and he went to live with Babcia to get a handle on his abilities - and all of Derek’s pack. But Stiles’ powers were the only reason no one was harmed while they waited for the cure to work.

That wasn’t arrogance, that was the painful truth.

“Thank you,” Derek looked at him way too sincerely.

“Yeah, had to save that hot ass,” Stiles was babbling, he knew he was. “Disregard that. I’m just going to go. Because well, it’s your turn next. Or whatever.”

It was. Stiles was in the lead now, and it wasn’t like Stiles wanted to be saved… He just wanted to be chased, a little. Maybe wanted Derek to like him. He wanted this not to be the last of this thing they were doing. He didn’t want to go back to the politics of it, the usual business of the pack and the protector.

He kinda just… wanted Derek. Which was stupid, but it was what is was.

6 - Stiles 3 - Derek 3

It took Jackson about fifteen jokes about getting a new daddy to get Derek moving. Yeah, he was disappointed in himself too.

But Stiles - and what even was that name - was different. He was the Sheriff’s son, a good old boy from Beacon Hills, but he was also a powerful mage and the most immature asshole Derek knew outside of his own pack. Derek was drawn in by him, like magic, but it was also terrifying.

But when he saw those hunters, those very same hunters that Stiles had chased off a few weeks ago, trying to move in for some revenge… Well, he didn’t even think. He just leapt, growled at them like they couldn’t just put him down with a single bullet.

“Stay away from him,” he growled out from a suddenly fanged mouth.

So much for his fabled control. Because they were threatening Stiles, and Stiles was…

Not his. Not like pack, no matter how badly Derek wanted just that. Because Stiles had proven himself worthy, putting himself out there for Derek, risking himself to keep Derek’s pack safe. It made him special, made him worth taking note of as a potential ally. It was the humor, the flirting, the seeming fearlessness that made Stiles worth taking note of as a potential partner.

“Did the beast find himself a pet human?” Hunters were never original.

“A friend,” Derek growled. “A mage. A powerful mage. And the son of the Sheriff.”

Maybe he thought of Stiles as just another harmless human at first, as someone who needed protecting. He knew better now, knew just how dangerous Stiles could be to people who meant harm. Staying back and letting Stiles handle things was never going to be his first instinct, but having Stiles and his bag of tricks around could make such a difference in this dangerous town. They could really make a difference here.

“Skip the mating rituals,” the hunters were not impressed.

“I have Chris Argent on speed dial,” Derek warned, and somehow that worked.

Derek kept his claws out, kept up the beta shift just to be sure, but the hunters backed off Stiles and walked away. Sure, they’d be back, but Derek could handle it. Or he could let Chris do it.

“Guess we’re tied now,” Stiles turned to him, impish grin on his face.

“I’m sure we’ll have more opportunities,” Derek responded, because he knew exactly what this was. “But I’m not just going to let you win.”

This was actually a mating ritual - it was courting in the most roundabout way. And he didn’t have to doubt Stiles’ interest, because he was right there with him. They could bicker and get to know each other later, but the interest was obvious from both sides.

“Good,” Stiles stepped in closer.

“How about we go on a date that doesn’t involve violence?” Derek found himself making the first move. “Tomorrow night?”

That put him in the lead in another competition, and Stiles was already getting pouty that he hadn’t been the first to score. It was childish and overly competitive and perfect for Derek.

“I had that,” Stiles huffed. “I was going to ask you.”

Good, so at least they were definitely on the same page. And Stiles was going to say yes when he got over not being the one to ask.

“You snooze, you lose,” Derek pointed out.

“You’re terrible and I can’t believe I’m dating you,” Stiles rolled his eyes.

Okay, so maybe Stiles wasn’t over it yet, but he could work on it. His pack was going to mock him for all eternity, but Derek kind of couldn’t wait for Stiles to be a real part of his pack.

“I’m assuming that’s a yes,” Derek grinned. “Pick you up at seven.”

As Stiles huffed and puffed and groaned, Derek was the one making a perfectly-timed exit this time.

Score for Hale.

[hyuwujin]

train rides

pairing: reader x felix

genre: the fluffiest fluff :)

length: 2.5k words

warnings: none

summary: Spending the day with Felix is always a blast but your feelings for him certainly give you an internal conflict. Should you risk ruining a meaningful friendship by confessing or remain in the safety of the friend-zone by keeping quiet?

a/n: wOAHHH this is probably the fluffiest thing i’ve ever written but i hope y’all like it! honestly, this took me wayyyy too long but here it finally is!! i’d like to thank my fav bbs @hyyunjinn @hyunjinh @seungchanie bc i’ve been hyping this up for a while and you had to deal with it asdfgh;;;thank you for giving me the motivation to finally finish it!! ILYYYY<333

also @straykidzz and @ultnamjin i dont think i ever mentioned my fic to you??but i love and appreciate you soooo much! (pssst we should also talk more bc ily)

“C’mon Y/N! This way,” an eager Felix pulled you by the wrist into the train station. Furrowing your brows at his enthusiasm, you looked around the nearly empty train station for a sign of anything worth enthusing over. 

“You still haven’t even told me where we’re going,” you grumbled, dragging your feet against the stained orange floor tiles. 

“It’s a Wednesday afternoon. There aren’t many people on the train since they’re already at work,” Felix grinned, guiding you into one of the train cars. You looked around the close to empty car––a mother and a child sat at the far corner and a well dressed man staring down at his brief case in the middle of the car––and shrugged with a nod of acknowledgement. 

Felix let go of your wrist to grab one of the poles inside the train car. He spun around the metal pole, effortlessly, and motioned around the empty car with his hand. “See?”

“Where are we going?” You couldn’t contain your curiosity and wondered what was making Felix so excited.

“The train’s last stop is at that theme park you mentioned last week. I know you wanted to go so–o let’s go!” Felix settled down in a seat and patted the seat next to him with a smile.

“Felix, you do realize it’s freezing out, right?” You pointed to the jackets you were both wearing. 

Adjusting the beanie on his head, Felix sighed. “But the park’s open! Besides, all that walking will tire us out anyway.”

“If I catch a cold, I’m blaming you,” you squinted your eyes and pointed an accusing finger at Felix. 

“Then I’ll be the one to take care of you,” Felix winked with a cheeky smile, causing you to snap your gaze away from him to avoid him seeing the blush creeping up your neck. 

“No–o. I’ll get you sick so you’ll suffer with me.”

“You would do that to me?” Felix placed a hand on his chest in feigned hurt. 

Looking back at him, you stared blankly at his obviously fake pained expression. “Yes.”

Scoffing at your reply, Felix looked away from you and towards the closing train car doors. “Stand clear of the closing doors please.” 

Plopping in the seat beside him, you nudged him. “It’s a long ride. You sure you made the right choice?” Throwing him a grin, you continued to nudge his side with your elbow.

“Now that I think about it…” Felix trailed off, looking up as if in thought. Looking back down at you, he scrunched his nose up and nodded. “As annoying as you can be, how many Felix and Y/N days do we have nowadays?”

“Hey! If anything, you’re the annoying one in this friendship!” 

“Yeah right,” Felix chuckled lowly, causing your stomach to do a flip. Can he not do that? “You’re definitely the annoying one. Who’s the one who showed up at the dorm at two am because you wanted to be fed?” 

“Hey! I was hungry, alright? You show up at my place at unusual times, too!”

“For good reason!” 

“You know you can send memes by message, right? You don’t have to come over and show me them!”

“I like to see your reactions,” Felix softly smiled at you and you felt yourself smiling, too. 

The train stopped at its designated stops, hence more people entered the train car and soon, you found yourself squished next to Felix with strangers sat on either side of you. 

“There aren’t many people on the train since everyone’s at work, huh?” You mocked, glancing at Felix.

Unplugging one of his earphones from his ear, he sighed, “I didn’t think it’d get this packed! Besides, our stop is soon. Don’t worry.” 

“You’re lying aren’t you?” You asked, monotonously.

“Psh, no…maybe.”

You huffed in response and crossed your arms stubbornly over your chest. Rolling his eyes with a smile, he returned the earphone to his ear and nodded his head along to whatever he was listening to. 

Without him noticing, you peered at Felix and watched as his eyebrows furrowed and his nose twitched as he continued to listen to music. 

“Excuse me,” you felt a nudge on the other side of you. Turning your head, you smiled politely at the old woman who was beaming at you.

“You two are very cute.”

“Excuse me?” You raised your eyebrows in surprise at her statement. 

“You are dating, aren’t you?” The old woman raised an amused brow and glanced over at the oblivious boy beside you.

“What? Me and him? No. No way! W–We’re just friends,” you shook your head profusely at her accusation. She thought you and Felix were dating? On what planet would your interactions make it seem like you were dating?

“Oh, that’s a shame,” the woman looked down at her lap with a sad smile.

That only confused you further and you furrowed your eyebrows. “Why?”

“My husband and I…we were the same way when we were kids. You two bickered and teased back on forth just like we had so it was quite easy to assume,” the old woman looked back up with a soft smile.

“Really?” You turned your body away from Felix to face the old woman and stared at her with curious eyes.

“Mhm,” she hummed and looked up in reminiscence. Leaning closer to you, she mumbled with a nudge, “You also look at him with desire, love.”

Choking on a cough, you leaned back away from her. “W–what? No, I don’t!”

“Well, of course you say that. But you can’t see how others look at you. Does he not notice?”

Slumping your shoulders in defeat, you sighed. “If I made it that obvious to strangers in a train, he probably does. Annnnd that means he probably chooses to ignore it.”

Swatting your hand with a scoff, the woman shook her head. “How old are you? You’re in your teens? Boys at this age can be very oblivious. Believe me, I have my fair share of grandsons and they don’t know the difference between having a girl look at them and having a girl really look at them.”

Laughing lightly, you nodded in understanding. Looking back at Felix, you wondered if that was the case. Maybe he didn’t notice.

“Are we there yet?” You nagged, playfully smacking Felix’s arm in impatience. 

“Y/N, for the millionth time, two more stops!” 

The train ride was much longer than you thought and it didn’t help that Felix was practically ignoring you to listen to his own music. Rude, you thought to yourself with an eye roll. 

Most of the people had left a few stops earlier than yours, including the old woman who was sat beside you––she left patting your hand and wishing you luck, whatever that meant–––and now it was back to you and Felix in the train cart alone with the exception of very few people.

Leaning your head back, a sigh escaped your slightly chapped lips. Feeling your eyelids become heavier, you fluttered your eyes shut. You listened and focused on the squeaks of the train against the tracks, the light chatter of other passengers and Felix’s foot tapping.

“Y/N?” 

A light shake to your shoulder woke you up. Humming in response, you slowly blinked awake. 

Chuckling at your sleepy expression, Felix pointed to the open train car doors, “We’re here.”

Leaping up from the seat, a grin found it’s way to your face. “Finally!”

“Come on. This train’s going to get full soon from people leaving the park,” Felix tugged you by the hand closer to him and guided you out of the train. 

“Wha–” you trailed off when exiting the train station. Looking up at the already darkened sky, you pouted. “If was daytime when we left!”

“You said it yourself; It’s still cold so it’s still getting dark early,” Felix looked away from the sky to glance at you. 

“Well, what are we waiting for then? We’re here finally!” You pulled Felix toward the entrance––you didn’t even notice you’d been holding his hand since you left the train car––and grinned widely. 

“See? Even thought it’s chilly, people are still here,” Felix motioned with his free hand toward others strolling down the boardwalk leading to the games and rides. 

“They’re crazy,” you instinctively shivered, causing you to shove your own free hand into your coat pocket. Acknowledging your slightly quivering nature, Felix put his hand up and took off the dark beanie on his head and placed it on yours. 

“You’re here, too, aren’t you?” You didn’t have to look at Felix to know he was smirking. 

“Only because you dragged me,” you reminded with a pointed expression. 

“Now now, we’re here to have fun! Where’d you like to go first?” 

Felix looked down at you with a soft smile and you couldn’t help but mirror it.

“Okay I’ll admit, that was probably the most fun I’ve had in a while,” you laughed, heaving the large stuffed pink giraffe over your shoulder into the train station. 

“Me too! I’m glad we finally got to hang out again. You know, since the debut is coming closer, we haven’t gotten many chances to see each other,” Felix smiled, sadly, lugging his own giant teddy bear on his shoulders. 

“Hey! Even with you and the guys’ debut coming, there’s no way I won’t still see you! Hell, I’ll come by the studio or practice rooms every day if I have to!” 

Stopping in his tracks, Felix turned around. “Really?”

“Of course,” you furrowed your brows, wondering why he’d question it. Before Felix could say anything else, the train car caught your gaze and your face fell. More specifically, the packed train car.

“We won’t have seats!” You whined rushing past Felix and grabbing his hand on the way. Entering the cart, you both looked around for any seats and your shouldered hunched in defeat when neither of you found one.

“It’s okay. We’ll just stand until people get off,” Felix shrugged, guiding you through people near an empty space for standing. 

“Dude, do you know how lazy I am?” 

Rolling his eyes, Felix nodded slowly, “Y/N, I was the one who carried you on my back for the past two hours.”

“Oh,” you looked away, bashfully, “…right.”

“So where you going to put these?” Felix flicked his head toward the giraffe you held close to your chest and the teddy bear under one of his right arm. 

“These? It’s just the giraffe,” you scrunched your eyebrows and looked down at the stuffed toy.

“There’s no way this giant teddy bear is going to fit in my room. You should have it.”

“And you think I have the room?” After a moment of silence, you gnawed at your lip and tapped your foot against the train car’s floor. “Well, if you insist.”

Felix smiled to himself in victory and took a step closer to you. Widening your eyes, you instinctively took a step back. Furrowing his brows at your antics, Felix put his hand up and grabbed ahold of the bar above your head. 

Oh, that was what he was doing.

You mentally scolded yourself at where your thoughts went.

“Hold onto me.”

Blinking rapidly, you looked up at Felix. “Huh!?”

“The train’s going to leave soon. You don’t have anything to hold onto,” Felix continued to stare at you in concern. Were you okay?

“Oh,” you took one hand off the giraffe and grasped onto his arm. A blush crept up your neck and you looked down and stared down at your shoes as if they were the most interesting things you’ve seen all day.

The train jerked forward causing you stumble…right into Felix’s chest. If you weren’t blushing before, your face was probably as red as a tomato now.

“Uh,” you stuttered, looking up at Felix’s own widened eyes. “S–sorry.”

Just as you were going to pull away, Felix wrapped his free hand around you. “I got you.”

Great, you thought. Now I’m hyperventilating.

You stayed like that for a while and you couldn’t complain. As much as you were flustered, you enjoyed being this close to Felix. He smells good.

After some passengers had left the train at their stop, you both sat next to each other at the nearest open seats. 

“…Y/N?”

“Huh? What?” You shook your head out of the trance you were currently in and smiled apologetically at the boy beside you. “Did you say something?”

“What’s going on in that head of yours? It looks you’ve been having a mental battle,” Felix lightly tapped at your temple and smiled. 

“It’s nothing,” you shook your head with a wave of your hand. 

“You sure?” Felix pressed. He needs to stop looking at me like that.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

“You know I could’ve walked home alone, right?” You raised an eyebrow as you and Felix stood in front of your house. 

“It’s late. Gotta know you’re safe.” Felix shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and rocked back on forth by the heals and balls of his feet.

“Thanks,” you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and unlocked your front door. Pushing the giant stuffed animals into your house by your feet, you entered your home.

“Hey, wait,” Felix called out, causing you to turn around.

“Hm?” You turned around.

“When’s our next date?”

Choking on a breath, you blinked, “Sorry I don’t think I heard you right. Say that again?”

“Our next date?”

“This wAS A DATE!?” You felt the blush you managed to keep away from your face for the time being begin to slowly spread to your cheeks.

“Come on, Y/N. I spent my money on you, held your hand, hell, I even carried you but let’s not get into that, and won you stuffed toys. Doesn’t that sound like a date to you?” Felix smiled, cheekily, still rocking forward and backward.

“I uh––” you averted your gaze to look at the ground. “You mean, you feel the same way?”

“Same way? Of course, Y/N. Not gonna lie…you’re pretty obvious,” Felix shrugged.

Widening your eyes in surprise, you shouted, “You mean you’ve known? This whole time?”

“Everyone knows by now,” Felix rolled his eyes with a smile at your expression, “the guys were practically begging me to hurry and man up and tell you my feelings.”

“…I really don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. How ‘bout I pick you up tomorrow morning for some breakfast? We could chat about us then. Now, rest up,” Felix turned to go and you opened your mouth and closed it multiple times though no words came out.

“Goodnight!” You finally managed to shout after him. 

“Night Y/N,” Felix said in a singsong voice without bothering to turn around. “See you tomorrow for our second date.”

You closed the door behind you with a sigh and leant against it before looking down at the two large stuffed animals on the floor. Could I get any more cliche than this? 

Ignoring your thoughts, you squealed and scurried up to your room not able to wait for the next day.