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saveyourblood · 17 days ago

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Pretty Boy - Ch 3 (Buddie x Reader)

Summary: You can feel Buck staring. When your eyes meet his, you realize he’s staring at your hand, which is still on Eddie’s knee. You slowly retreat, which makes Buck turn his attention to your face. You smile softly. He just looks out the window. The one where you’re an advanced paramedic, Buck and Eddie are firefighters, and you think you might be in love with both of them.

Ch 1 | Ch 2

Chapter Summary: You have a new, beautiful coworker.

A/N: Ladies and friends, he's arrived Word Count: 3.4k Warnings: somewhat graphic description of a medical procedure, mentions of blood

“You are cheery,” Hen says with a weird face as Bobby walks through the garage.

You and Hen are standing next to each other in your street clothes; she’s just finishing her shift, and you’re starting yours. You were catching up with her when Bobby made his appearance, and now you’re both following him up

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Bobby counters.

“Maybe 'cause you've been like this for weeks, and it's starting to get on my nerves,” Hen counters. “What’s goin’ on with you?”

Buck walks in with his phone over his head in one hand and his duffle bag in the other. “I got another DXA scan, and guess who dropped another half percent!”

“What?” Hen asks.

“A DXA scan measures your body fat; you can see your percentage in every part of your body.”

“You know that’s not why people get them, though, right?” You ask Buck.

He gives you a confused look.

“DXA scans are used to screen for osteoporosis. So the majority of people getting them are post-menopausal women, people older than 50 with fractured bones, and… you,” you explain.

“You’re in good company, Buck,” Hen laughs.

“Hey, can that scan measure the fat in your head, too?” Chim says as he joins the conversation. He gets a laugh out of Bobby.

“Ah, see, that would be funny, but we're about a week away from submissions being due for the Hot Days, Smoldering Nights: Men of the LAFD wall calendar, and I'm already at my goal weight, so it seems like my head is clearly working perfectly,” Buck returns.

“Do you really need to use the whole title?” You ask.

“You could just just say ‘hat idiotic, reductive, sexist calendar that insults the dignity of this organization and furthers the myth that all firefighters are male,’” Hen agrees.

You offer her a fist bump, which she accepts.

“Yeah, that’s not any less words,” Buck argues.

Bobby smiles. “Hen, come on, it's for charity.”

“No, Bobby, you too?”

“Why not? They say a man is at his sexiest when he reaches 50.”

“This is so not a conversation I want to be having with you people,” you interject.

“I think sorority houses all across this great nation are ready for a new Asian sеx symbol,” Chim takes a bite out of whatever he’s eating. “It’s our time.”

You raise your eyebrows. “You know what? I’m team Chimney.”

“I think it's great. You know? I like that you're both going up for it,” Buck agrees.

“Oh, because you don’t think we stand a chance,” Bobby argues.

“Did I say that? I mean, sure, let's be real. They are only picking one candidate from each station—”

“—That is a beautiful man,” Chim interrupts Buck.

“Where’s the lie?” Hen concurs. “And I like girls.”

You follow their line of vision to a man about 15 feet away, changing into an LAFD t-shirt. His abs ripple with each movement, as do his biceps. He has dark brown hair, matching eyes, and god, his face. He might be the prettiest person you’ve ever seen in real life.

“Who the hell is that?” Buck asks, turning back to Bobby.

“Eddie Diaz: new recruit,” Bobby clarifies. “Graduated top of his class just this week. Guys over at Station Six were dying to have him, but I convinced him to join us.”

Your head snaps in his direction. “The probie? My probie?”

“Your probie?!” Buck asks in complete dismay.

Bobby smiles again. “He served multiple tours in Afghanistan as an Army medic, got a silver star.”

“I get to see what he’s made of,” you tell your Captain. You smile wide. “What a niee present, Bobby! And it isn’t even my birthday.”

Everyone except Buck laughs at your remark.

“The air nozzle is embedded in his asscheek,” The mechanic says he walks the team over to the victim, Hector. “I shut it off, but I was afraid to move him.”

The second you lay eyes on him, you know it’s the worst case of subcutaneous emphysema you’ve ever seen. You’ve seen air get trapped under the skin from gnarly chest trauma, but this definitely takes the cake.

“Alright, let’s get him on his side,” Bobby instructs, “maintain pressure on the wound.”

You, Eddie, Buck, and Chim carefully lift on Bobby’s count, then set Hector on the floor. You immediately grab your stethoscope and listen to him while Eddie gets vital signs and Chim starts an IV.

“Systolic is in the 80s,” Eddie says as he takes his own stethoscope out of his ears.

“Hypotension, respiratory distress, and ipsilateral absent lung sounds … what are we look at here, Eddie?” You ask.

He catches your gaze and contemplates. You can see when the light bulb goes off. “Tension pneumothorax.”

“So how do we fix it?”

“Needle decompression,” he says almost immediately.

“I’ll get a 14 gauge,” Buck volunteers, already going through your bag.

“If his systolic is already in the 80s, he needs more than that,” you say calmly as you cut away Hector’s clothes. “What’s your next intervention?”

Eddie smiles in that way only a trauma junkie can. “Finger thoracostomy.”

“Buck, Eddie needs lidocaine, betadine, a hemostat, and a scalpel,” you instruct. “Chim, get us a three-sided occlusive dressing ready.”

“Wait, you’re letting me do it?”

“Have you seen one?” You counter.

“Yeah, in the field once or twice.”

“See one, do one, teach one.”

You take everything from Buck as he hands it to you. You pass the betadine to Eddie. “Prep the site, I’ll draw up your lido.”

Eddie pours the reddish-yellow antiseptic over Hector’s side. You draw up some lidocaine and pass it to him.

“Where are you giving it?” You ask.

“5th intercostal space, anterior axillary line,” Eddie says, using his fingers to find the landmark. “A pinch and a burn here, Hector.”

Hector winces as the medication is injected.

“How big should the incision be?” You ask Eddie as open the scalpel and hemostat packages.

“2-3 centimeters.”

You smile and hand him the scalpel. “Go for it. Once you make the incision, use the hemostat to spread the tissue to get down to the intercostal muscles.”

Eddie nods and makes the incision. When he’s ready, you pass him the hemostat, and he does as instructed. “Now what?”

“Use your finger to spread the muscles and enter the pleural cavity. When you get in, you might have to sweep your finger to release any adhesions. Once you do, you should feel and hear the air come out.”

Eddie nods and inserts his finger into the incision, twisting his hand once it reaches the pleural cavity. You can hear a ‘hiss’ as the air rushes out.

“Nice work,” you tell Eddie. “Leave your finger there until it stops, and then we’ll place the dressing.”

“Good job, both of you,” Bobby praised.

“That was badass,” Chim agreed.

Buck just stared at you both.

After dropping Hector off at the ER, the day’s pace came to a crawl. Rather than sit around and binge-watch something, you decide to sneak in a workout. You already know what you’ll be doing — your local gym has a squat rack, but it doesn’t have a punching bag. There’s something so therapeutic about channeling all of your anger into your hands and just hitting something.

“Need a partner?” Eddie asks from behind you.

You stop, turning to look at him. He’s wearing black sweats and a tank top of the same color. The sides of his shirt are low-cut, so you can see the definition of his ribs peaking out. It should be illegal for someone to look that good.

“Sure,” you say, nodding to the bag.

Eddie gets the memo; he stands behind the bag in a shallow lunge stance, holding each side. You begin punching again, but now, it doesn’t swing as violently. It makes for better strikes and a better workout. After a few minutes, you have to stop because your heart is pounding and you’re dripping in sweat.

“Thanks,” you tell Eddie breathlessly as you grab your water bottle.

“Are you kidding? Thank you,” Eddie says with a smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever done something that cool before, even in combat.”

“Yeah, our job is pretty cool, isn’t it?” You agree. You were always bad at taking praise.

“Well, it helps that you’re an excellent teacher,” Eddie continues, running a hand through his hair. “I mean, you were so calm and collected. I gotta be honest, I was freaking out a little, so seeing that you weren’t really helped.”

“Wow, I… never would’ve guessed that you were scared. You did great.”

Eddie smiles again. “Thanks. It’s just… different, helping civilians instead of soldiers. It’s more pressure sometimes, I guess. I mean, when people hear you made it out of Afganistan, twice, they set pretty high expectations.”

“You live up to them,” you assure with a smile of your own.

“What’s going on here?” Buck says as he approaches.

He changed too, now wearing black shorts and a navy tee with the sleeves cut off. He looks less than thrilled to see you talking to Eddie.

“Just talking about the call between sets,” you say.

“Oh,” Buck says with a shrug. He looks at Eddie. “Yeah, good call.”

Buck brushes by both of you, heading towards the squat rack. You and Eddie share a look. His words were kind, but his tone was not.

“What’s your problem, man?” Eddie asks, approaching Buck.

“Okay… you. You’re my problem,” Buck replies. He puffs up his chest a little; it’s subtle, but you pick it up. “You're-you're not supposed to just walk in here like you've been here for years. It's meant to be a getting-to-know-you period. You're meant to respect your elders.”

“You’re not his elder, Buck,” you point out.

“Look, I in no way meant to, uh, be too familiar or step on anybody's toes,” Eddie raises his hands. “I get you’re frustrated, but you don’t have to take it out on me or be threatened by me. We’re on the same team.”

Buck takes a step closer to Eddie. “Why would I be threatened by you? The only reason you did so well today is because she walked you through everything. If it weren’t for her, you would’ve done needle decompression, and the guy might not have made it. You’re not impressive—she is.”

Something you always hated about working with men? Being dragged into their dick-measuring contests. Upon hearing Buck call you ‘impressive,’ though, your stomach may or may not have done a backflip.

“Glad to see we’re both on the same page,” Eddie agrees.

Now, both of them have called you impressive. Maybe working with men isn’t always so bad.

The next call you go on is to a supposedly detonated grenade. You say ‘supposedly’ because if it actually deployed, you don’t think the man who did it would be the one calling 911. But he did. So it probably didn’t.

Bobby, Buck, and yourself are the ones who enter the house first. It’s clear from everything in the room that the man is a fanatic of the military.

“Militia nut?” Buck says as the three of you follow the muffled calls for help.

“In here!” The man calls out again.

Bobby is the first to open the door, and judging by the way he rushes inside, you know he found the caller. You and Buck follow him.

“What’s your name, sir?” Bobby asks as you and Buck get to work.

“Charlie,” he responds as you wrap a blood pressure cuff around his arm.

“Alright, Charlie, tell us what happened.”

“Damn grenade went off while I was taking it apart,” he replies.

You aren’t entirely convinced that’s what happened, but you can tell something happened. His thigh is a bloody mess, and without looking closely, you can see shrapnel.

“Why are you taking apart a grenade?” Buck asks.

“I was cleaning it. I’m a collector.”

“No kidding,” Bobby remarks as he surveys for other potential injuries.

“You pulled the pin?” You asked, moving to inspect the wound.

“It ain’t that kind of grenade. It's a 40-mike-mike. A practice round for an M203 grenade launcher. I picked it up at a flea market in Brea, part of my 'Nam collection. My screwdriver must have touched the propelling charge.”

“I see metal and a lot of shrapnel, Cap, and I think the femoral artery’s been nicked,” you explain as you move your flashlight around. “We gotta transport him. Now.”

A few men from another rescue team help you and the boys get Charlie onto the stretcher and out the door. You can see Eddie is waiting in the rig like you told him to, and he helps pull Charlie into the rig.

“Buck, I want you to travel with him to the hospital, help keep him stable,” Bobby instructs.

You’re already climbing into the rig, but you spare a glance at Buck, who looks rigid and unimpressed. “Copy that, Cap.”

“Hey, you gotta learn how to play nice,” Bobby continues. “It’s one team, Buck.”

“I’m guessing you’ve seen a lot of shrapnel wounds, Eddie,” you say once the ambulance takes off driving.

ETA to the hospital is 10 minutes, and you’ve already instructed the boys to apply a tourniquet and bandage the wound. There isn’t much else to do other than trend vital signs.

“My share,” Eddie nods. “Those dressings are soaking through. I’m gonna change them.”

You give him a simple nod.

Buck sits on the bench, simply watching the two of you. When he catches your eye, you shrug. He scoffs and laughs.

Once Eddie pulls the bandages back, the look on his face changes. “I thought you said this was a practice round.”

“It is,” Charlie says.

“What’s going on, Ed?” you ask.

“You see that cap?” Eddie says, pointing to a piece of metal in Charlie’s leg. “Practice rounds have blue caps. Gold caps are live.”

The cap is gold.

You start banging on the ceiling to signal the EMT driving. “Pull over!”

Within 10 minutes, you’re all now standing in a random parking lot with multiple EMS crews as well as the LAPD bomb squad. They took an X-ray of Charlie’s leg, which clearly shows an encapsulated piece of metal.

“He has a goddaamn live round in his thigh,” you say in disbelief.

“I thought the thing already went off,” Buck interjects. “Isn’t that why we were called?”

“The launch grenade has two components: gunpowder which makes it travel and an explosive charge that makes it go boom,” Eddie explains.

“So… why didn’t it go boom?” Buck asks the obvious question.

“It's fitted with a proximity fuse. It's a little smart sensor that tells the cap it's traveled a safe enough distance from the shooter to explode. From his hand to his leg probably wasn't far enough.”

“Well, we can't bring him inside a hospital full of people, not with that still stuck inside him,” Bobby says.

“We called the military for help,” Jim, the bomb squad officer, explains.

“Why can’t you do it?” You ask. “You’re the bomb squad. Isn’t this sort of your job?”

“You can’t diffuse a grenade,” Jim clarifies. “We need to find someone who knows how to pull that thing out of him without setting it off. They're sending someone up from Pendleton. Should be here within the hour.”

“Captain, he doesn’t have an hour, not without a trauma surgeon,” you say.

“I can do it,” Eddie volunteers.

“You’ve done it before?” You ask before Bobby can.

“Well, none of the guys I served with were dumb enough to shoot a live round in themselves, but I'm familiar with the ordinance.”

“I’m in,” Buck says.

“Fuck it, so am I,” you say.

Next thing you know, the three of you are getting strapped into bomb squad attire, which you find kind of silly. If the grenade goes off, you’re all fucked, heavy vest or not. But you aren’t in the position to make smart remarks, so you stay silent.

“You know you don’t have to do this,” Bobby says as a bomb squad tech straps you in.

“Someone has to make sure those two don’t claw each other’s eyes out,” you smile.

He doesn’t laugh.

“We’ll be okay, Cap,” you promise softly. “All 4 of us.”

Once you get back into the rig, you station yourself at Charlie’s head while the boys are to his side. You push ketamine through the IV line, and within a few minutes, he’s out.

“You ready?” Eddie asks, looking between you and Buck.

You give a firm nod.

“Ready,” Buck says.

Eddie instructs Buck to apply pressure around the wound bed, which helps expose the grenade. He begins using the tool given to him by the bomb squad to extract it.

“Pull it out,” Buck says. “Come on.”

“I gotta be careful,” Eddie says slowly, concentrating on what he’s doing instead of Buck’s remark. “The sensor measures the distance traveled based on how many rotations the shell made after the launch. The key is not to turn the shell while we pull it out.”

“Okay, yeah, so don’t turn it,” Buck agrees.

You can’t help but chuckle.

Eddie manages to extract the grenade, and Buck helps him deposit it into the box.

“Well, gentlemen, I say we get the hell out of here,” you remark.

You all do exactly that. Leaving the box with the grenade on the rig, you all carefully move the gurney out so you can get Charlie on a different ambulance. Bobby has a rig on standby, so it’s the easiest task of your night.

“You’re badass under pressure, brother,” Eddie says, turning to Buck.

“Me?” Buck asks as if Eddie would be talking to anyone else.

“Hell yeah. You can have my back any day.”

“Yeah. Or, you know, you could... you could have mine.”

Both you and Eddie laugh.

Eddie offers Buck a hand, which he accepts. “Deal.”

“Nice work, all of you,” Bobby praises. “Glad you made it out of there.”

“Come on, the guy’s a professional,” you say, gesturing to Eddie. “I was never worried.”

Less than a second later, the ambulance explodes. The doors are blown open, and the windshield simultaneously pops off the vehicle and shatters. You all duck for a moment, then turn to look at Eddie.

“You guys hungry?”

“What about GI?” Buck says to Eddie as the latter plays pinball. “Like GI Joe! That’s a great nickname.”

Buck is trying to come up with a nickname for Eddie, which apparently, he’s been doing for awhile. You just haven’t been around to hear about it, either on different calls or not on shift at all.

“More like Gastrointestinal,” you chime in as you finish up charting a case. Hen, who’s sitting across from you, laughs.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Eddie says as he continues playing.

“Alright everyone, listen up!” Bobby says, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I’ve got an announcement to make. I just got off the phone with the people from the calendar, and they have made their choice.”

“Well, no hard feelings, no matter who won,” Buck says to Eddie, offering him a fist bump.

“That's good, Buck, 'cause they didn't pick you,” Bobby says.

“Well, it’s obviously a fix!” Buck replies. “Nah, congratulations anyway, GI!”

Eddie laughs.

“They didn’t pick him either,” Bobby continues.

“Huh. You?” Buck asks.

You all look to Chim, who is crunching on some celery. “No way, you gotta be kidding me.”

“Hah! I called it from the start,” you shout with pride. “Everyone remember that?”

Everyone stares at you.

“Right, not about me,” you laugh awkwardly. “Congrats, Chim!”

“Or should we say, ‘Mr. April’!” Bobby chimes.

Everyone approaches Chimney, offering high fives.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Sergeant Grant says as she enters the loft.

Bobby approaches her, and she apologizes for something. It’s clear that something happened between them, but you have no clue what it is. She grabs his face and kisses him.

You all stare at them.

“What are you all lookin’ at?” Bobby eventually says. “There’s no more announcements.”

You and Hen share a look, then turn to the boys.

“Pay up,” you say simultaneously.

Ch 4

#911 abc #evan buckley #evan buckley x reader #911 show #911 on abc #911 reader insert #evan buckley/reader #eddie diaz x reader #eddie diaz #evan buckley x eddie diaz x reader #Buddie x reader #buddie x reader #i can write

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fish-at-fish-fish-resort · 9 months ago

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holds out hands . may i hear your oc lore

since this is a sequel to this unanswered ask from my main

ill give you my agents (and 2 related ocs) bc giving you all the ocs in one post will be really hard i have SO MANY. too many. ANYWAY sillies under cut!!!

lets start with 3 because thats where the timeline starts

heres a p old timeline drawing thingy that still holds up i think

yeah just read through it. holds up. three is mostly the target of self projection lmao.

smore fun facts ab them:

they were team callie in the s1 final fest

they are wildly competitive

they sleep with an eyemask on bc the scrred eye glows in the dark (it bothers eight)

they value abilities over looks on gear so most their outfits are atrocious unless someone forces them to look good.

they can speak octarian

if they had a penny for every time they let an octarian who just got to inkopilis live with them theyd have two pennies. which isnt a lot but its weird it happened twice right?

which brings us to the next one which is actually an octoling oc i made back in like 2016??? def splatoon 1 era. shes been redesigned a bajillion times but the story is mostly the same. after the octavio fight she is also one of those octos who tried to get to inkopolis. this one was found by three who was like. i jave no idea what ur saying ur coming with the the old man totes knows octarian from his divorce. this n that and they teach eachother language and culture and its sweet and cool and they probabyl had some wlw stuff going on until 3 had a wholeass gender crisis

this is her btw. the drawing on the right is more up to date. im still thinking of renaming her. ill never find a name that fits. her original name was marianna but thats too close to marina!!!!!

shes also a fashion designer! she likes to use traditional octarian or military designs in her clothes. her pieces are not meant for turf wars though. shes still in close contact with three, and they hang out a lot. she wants to get three to ask the squid sisters if they could wear some of her clothes on a splatfest. three forgets.

next up!!!!! agent 4. i have two of those. they independently became agent 4 and then unrelatedly also became college roommates.

hash is more of a canon adjacent agent 4. poser, loser, really dramatic and really loud. kidna does whatever they want and also likes to leave graffitti on the kettles they clear. theyre also an only child. they also call marie mom jsut to annoy her. also their hairstyle is the bob in the front but the back is spiky/shaved. theyre a silly lil punk.

ikarus is a cynical asshole. and also a self centered poser whos set on looking cool for whoevers watching. he has 2 younger siblings and 1 older sister. hes from outside greater inkopolis, thinks hes better than the in city inkopolitans but behaves the exact same. he sucks i love him. he really looks up to n respects marie bc she reminds him of his elder sister. his fav brand is toni kensa

ikarus got the agent job first, n got rlly mad when they found out that theres another agent 4 bc he didnt show up enough nd marie just hired someone else. they share a uniform. they try to annoy eachother by puttinf the weirdest smelling stuff in the uniform b4 leaving it at the canyon. when talking ab em as agent 4 i like to use #4 for hash and n°4 for ikarus

the two also have a 3rd roommate

she doesnt have a name though. and if she does i forgot it :(

the three actually make a pretty good unit in their apartement. hash and ikarus only find out theyre both agent 4 when its time for the boss fight and both of them show up to get it done with. theyre both very competitive. they end up fighting over it and hash wins. ikarus is on the truck w sheldon and marie and is yelling insults at the battlefield until marie shuts him up so she can sing.

thw three roommates also always do salmon run shifts together. if they fuck up on a wave they always blame it on the one freelancer. yes they also kiss.

for eight i actually made this ref here recently!

theyve always been really fascinated with inklings and also were going to become an engineer before running off and landing in the metro.

they are very well spoken but also pretty shy. they try to make a good impression on people. finds it hard to trust others.

it took a while until he got used to sleeping in a bed. still sleeps with an eye open sometimes. its a habit.

theyre usualyl the one forcing three into at least okay looking clothes. oh also this tall loser likes to wear heels n platforms. hes literally taller than marina and still wears heels.

he actually started learning inklish back in octo valley from really outdated books. after coming to inkopolis hes been given a buncha annotated language books from marina (and from three, who still had the ones they used w the other octo girlie). but they still end up using some really old phrases and words that kinda leave some people perplexed.

oh also they're not THAT good at fighting (they were never a soldier) theyre smart and persistent though. still ended up severely in debt w pearl bc of the metro. pearl offered he can just work as stage crew for off the hook for a few tours or so and theyre good. he took the offer immediately bc bro barely got income to repay that all normally.

#whew that was barely organized but ummm yayyyy thats them!!!!#i have WAY more ocs but these are the agentssss #keep asks coming!!!!!#agent 4 #agent 3 #agent 8 #ikarus #hash #eight #three #splatoon agent ocs #splatoon agents #new squidbeak splatoon #splatoon oc #splatoon #fin scratching

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fanartandfanfiction · 1 year ago

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@callmehopeless posted a prompt

about the hogwarts legacy boys getting down and dirty outside. I chose the Garreth prompt because I loooove him. I've been in a Garreth mood lately. Anyway, here's what I came up with.

18+ CONTENT WARNING, SEXUAL CONTENT

Garreth was nearly done with his potion when he heard a knock on his door. He looked up as Leander and Harper came in.

“Garreth. I thought we discussed brewing potions in our dorm room.” Leander said with a sigh.

“Where else am I supposed to experiment? Sharp said I’m not allowed to use his classroom after hours anymore after last time.”

“Can you blame him? You shot fire out of your mouth like a dragon and caught his jacket on fire.” Harper said as she sat on his bed.

“What are you guys doing here?” Garreth asked as he prepared his last ingredients.”

“Numb nuts here forgot his textbook. I came to see what you were doing.”

“Can you go one single minute without insulting me?” Leander huffed.

“No. It’s my birthright, I earned it.”

“It is not! You’re two minutes older than me!”

“Guys, can you take your bickering elsewhere? I need to focus.” Garreth said. The Prewett twins frequently argued, and normally he enjoyed it (free entertainment!) but not now.

“I’m leaving.” Leander grabbed his book and left with a slam of the door, annoyed by his sister.

“So watcha making?” Harper said from his bed. Truthfully he liked seeing her there. He’d been friends with the Prewett twins for a long time, but he longed for something more with Harper. And seeing her now, on her stomach with her legs in the air, skirt hitched slightly up was doing things to him he didn’t need to focus on right now.

“With this potion, I hope to make the drinker physically stronger.” He said as he sprinkled pearl dust on the top.

“Why are you adding pearl dust?”

“I think it’ll balance out the potion, it’s a bit intense.”

“Wanna go for a walk? It’s really nice outside.”

“Sure.” Garreth smiled and slid his potion in his pocket. Maybe he could try it outside in case he started breathing fire again.

They walked away from Hogwarts and to a field where they’d picnicked with their friends on occasion. It had a large oak tree that provided comfortable shade, even on the hottest days.

“I’m going to try it out here. Maybe I can rip this tree right out of the ground!”

“Find another tree, I like this one. Garreth, you have got to step testing your potions on yourself!”

“Are you volunteering?” Garreth grinned.

“Absolutely not. Go ahead.”

Garreth tipped the potion up to his lips and downed it. He instantly felt a change, but he didn’t think it was strength.

“Well?” Harper asked from under the tree. He looked over and she was suddenly the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Her legs were long and tan, her lips were pouty and naturally tinted red, her red hair fell in waves down her shoulders, and her piercing green eyes were boring into his.

“Um. It’s not quite working the way I intended.” He said while gritting his teeth. All he could think about was how badly he wanted to rip that skirt off of her and just-

“Garreth? Are you alright?”

“I…think it’s best if you leave.” He was trying not to look at her, but suddenly she was standing beside him.

“Do you need to go to the hospital wing?” Harper asked, eyes full of concern.

“God, Harper, you’re KILLING ME.” He groaned and tried to think about anything else.

“Me? What did I do?”

“Alright, there’s no polite way to say this but the potion has done something to my sex drive that’s shifted it into high gear and I can’t think of anything else but fucking you right now, so you should probably go.” He put his head in his hands and groaned. He felt a hand on his shoulder and that sent a shiver through his body.

“Maybe I could help you release that tension.” Harper said in his ear. Garreth was clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

“Harper, don’t say things like that.”

“But I mean it. Come on Gare, we’ve both known there’s something here. And right now all I can think about is what I want you to do to me.”

Garreth literally groaned. “Are you sure? This will change things. I don’t want you to regret it.”

“Fuck me, Garreth.” She said in a hot breathy voice in his ear. In a second he’d pinned her against the treel and was kissing her like it was his last day on Earth. He began trying to unbutton her shirt and she started working on his pants. He lost his patience with the buttons and just ripped her shirt wide open.

She gasped as the cold air hit her exposed chest, but he silenced her with a kiss. He couldn’t wait much longer.

“Harper, are you a virgin?” He asked, though truthfully he wasn’t sure if he could be gentle.

“No.” She said with a grin.

“Thank god.” He quickly pulled down his pants and boxers and flipped her around. “Grab onto something.” He groaned as he positioned himself. She grabbed the tree and bent over. Needing no further prompting, he quickly pushed himself all the way inside of her in one thrust. She cried out and he was worried he’d hurt her until she whispered for him to keep going.

He felt like an animal. Nothing would put out the fire inside him until he’d fucked Harper until neither one of them could walk. He began quickly pounding into her, gripping her hips and slamming her against him as he thrusted. She began moaning and it spurred him on. He wrapped her hair around his hand and tugged at it, making her cry out again. Anyone could stumble across them but he didn’t care.

“Garreth!” She moaned his name as he railed her, though nothing seemed to be enough. He needed more.

“On the ground, on your back.” He growled in a throaty voice. She did as she was told and he grabbed her ankles, positioning her so he could go as deep as possible. He slammed into her again and she cried out. This was better.

“FUCK Garreth! Right there!” She was breathing heavily and he obliged, thrusting hard and fast. He could feel that she was close, she was clenching her walls around him and gasping. She came hard, screaming his name and wailing.

“Not done yet.” He whispered, flipping her over. “On your knees.” She got up on her knees and bent over, and he quickly reentered her. The only sounds in the quiet meadow were the slapping of flesh, his grunts, and her moans. He was gripping her hips so hard he was probably leaving bruises.

“Holy shit, Garreth! I’m gonna-” Her second orgasm took both of them by surprise.

“I need to be closer.” He hissed.

“I don’t think you can get any closer.” She let out a giggle as he flipped her over on her back and climbed on top of her. He supported his weight with his elbows and pushed into her again. She cried out and wrapped her legs around him.

“Yes, THIS!” Garreth grinned and pounded harder than he had been. They were down in the grass and dirt, getting absolutely filthy, but neither one of them cared. Suddenly, rain began to fall around them. The tree provided some shelter, but not completely. Harper laughed and Garreth was too focused on fucking her brains out. He kissed her neck as he continued pounding away at her. “Harper…I’m about to come!”

‘

“Me too!” Her nails dug into his back as they both reached their peaks. Garreth let out a primal scream as he thrusted and spilled himself inside of her. She was screaming his name and he felt like he was nearly going to black out. He finally collapsed, the potion’s effects had been relieved.

Harper was breathing heavily underneath him. “I hope you wrote down whatever was in that potion.”

“It wasn’t too rough?” Now that he’d come back to his senses, he was worried he’d hurt her.

“Garreth, you made me come three times. No, it wasn’t too rough.” She kissed him gently and he reciprocated.

“I think it’s safe to say our friendship is ruined. How about you become my girlfriend instead?”

“Works for me.”

“What about your brother?”

“Are you wanting to date him too?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, I meant he’s going to be pissed when he finds out. What are we going to do?”

“We’ll deal with that later.”

“Should we head back? We’re absolutely soaked.” Garreth said, feeling guilty for the state they were in.

“Not yet. I want to enjoy my time with you out here. Just the two of us.” He kissed her as the rain came down on both of them.

Leander looked up at the sound of the common room door opening and his jaw dropped. “What the hell happened to you guys?!”

“We fell.”

“Poachers.” They answered at the same time. Harper cleared her throat. “We ran into some poachers. It began to rain and we fell.”

“Well you’re both absolutely filthy. You probably tracked mud all the way here. Go clean yourselves up.” Leander snorted and went upstairs.

“Do you think he meant clean up together, or…?” Harper slapped his arm and they headed towards the bathrooms.

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy fanfic #garreth weasley #fan fiction #fanfic authors #fanfic prompt #hogwarts legacy garreth

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azlrse · 3 years ago

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Well, Congratulations. Ya got me hooked on the yandere cookies! I love the unique details and headcanons for em.

If I may please ask, could you do another(and or soft) Yandere!Herb cookie x reader? Maybe the reader is from a secretly abusive family. And spending time with Herb is the reader's only escape from their home life.

Forget Me Nots (Soft Yandere Herb Cookie x GN Cookie!Reader Hcs)

CW: semi yandere themes, implied ab*se, angst mixed with fluff.

A/N: I'm so sorry for posting less here 😅

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Your life in your household was your worse nightmare; screams here and there, constantly throwing the fragile cups towards the wall and even insulted in your own home.

You were quite relieved that you didn't recieved hits from your family but suffering through the degradation and harmful words really took you down.

Your only escape through this nightmare was hanging out with your closest friend, Herb Cookie, the most sweet and kind gardener you've met.

Pretending to go to the market to get something, you always went to his garden to cool off. You even broke down there and explained everything to Herb.

"There there, let's sit down and talk about it while I make tea."

You couldn't even drink the tea due to your constant sobbing as you have your mental breakdown. You kept on spilling everything as he listened to every single word, patting your back and even hugged you.

But what you didn't know is that this cookie fell head over heels for you and knows everything. Herb knows your situation and it pisses him off on how your family treated you.

How did he knows about your situation? Well, let me explain.

A few nights ago, he's bringing in some forget me nots when he hears the loud screaming in your home. He makes sure that he's not seen by your relativy as he watched through the living room window. And his eyes went wide at the sight;

You are kneeling down while balancing some books on your head and arms. Herb also sees the distress and fatigue you had through your face.

"You won't leave this spot for two hours till you balanced these books. One drop of those items will result to another hour!!"

All you did was dropping the plate by accident and even apologizing for your actions, but your aunt gives no shit towards you.

But when you saw the flowers on your bedroom window, it made you smile a bit for there is someone out there cares for you.

From that time on, he would constantly bringing some various flowers every night. From yellow bells to lavender but forget me nots are your favorite flowers.

When he visited your home (you were alone at that time), he was in awe by the sight of your small garden, filled with different types of flowers and you always took care of them.

At that moment, he told you that he was the one who sent you those flowers, making your heart flutter. You didn't know that Herb was a gentleman and was generous enough to share his plants to you.

Now back to the present, your family was suspicious about the flowers on your garden as it expands more and more days passes by.

They're surprised that someone out there admired you, which made the berating worsen.

"Your lucky someone liked you, nobody would've wanted someone as ugly as you."

"I wonder when the sending of flowers will stop. I'm curious to see if they truely liked you."

As for Herb, he couldn't contain his feelings for you. For him, you are the most beautiful/handsome cookie he ever saw and befriended. Despite your situation, you still remain as a kind and gentle cookie.

He wants to take you away from that household. Your sanity there is already draining and it tortures him to see you impaled by their words. You deserved so much better and what better way for you to have freedom was to live with him?

He will take care of you and give you so much love and kisses from him. He would be the perfect lover for you.

But when your family knew that you lied on where you're going, they didn't hesitate to burn down your flower garden, sending you in tears. All the flowers Herb gave you, is now gone.

You just sat down as you stared the now destroyed garden, didn't speak due to your hoarse voice and shock.

This made Herb very angry and pissed at the same time. What your family did was off the limit and decided that enough was enough, he's gonna take you away. Wether they liked it or not.

As night fell and you were also planning on running away. Taking all your clothes and prized trinkets with you in your small bag. All of the sudden, a small sound came from the window.

"Hey (y/n). Are you there?" You didn't hesitate to slowly open the window. And there he was, holding tightly from the strong vines.

"Herb, what are you doing here?"

"I was planning on rescuing you, I saw everything what happened and it's not safe for you to be here. You can stay with me."

You were profusely thanking him for staying with him in his home.

"No problem, I wouldn't leave the cookie I loved the most-"

That made your eyes wide as he constantly apologize over and over again for his nonsense but without hesitation, you hold his hand and smiled softly at him.

"It's okay, I like you too Herb."

HE WAS SO HAPPY!! You actually liked him too?! You just made him the happiest cookie in all of Earthbread.

Before the both of you walked away from your former home, he spread some poison ivy seeds around the house. Worry not, for these grow fast overnight ;))

Now that would be a sign that they won't hurt you anymore but if they speak ill towards you, they might like some thorned stems on the floor of the house....

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Do not republish, edit, or repost to other websites.

Reblogs and likes are appreciated! 💕

#tw implied abuse #tw yandere #yandere cookie run kingdom #yandere cookie run x reader #yandere cookie run #yandere herb cookie #crk herb cookie #herb cookie x reader #herb cookie imagine #soft yandere

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tmntallthewaydown · 4 years ago

Text

Tales of the Hidden City Writing Appreciation Post Pt.1!

The last batch of episodes, Tales of the Hidden City, were excellent. As an animator, it’s easy to get bowled over by the visuals of the show and just rant about those, but I wanted to spotlight another awesome part of Rise of TMNT -- the writing!

The writing is always fun in the show, but there were parts of these episodes that I really wanted to call out for how clever and great they are.

Each of the Tales of the Hidden City eps puts the characters in a situation where their strengths are negated or challenged. (Also, big cheer for a bunch of episodes finally exploring the Hidden City. It’s such a fun location, I want to see it all.)

Donnie Vs Witch Town an episode where Donnie’s tech can’t solve the problem Raph’s Ride Along an episode where Raph’s heroics are seen as anything but Hidden City’s Most Wanted an episode where Mikey’s peacekeeping can’t keep the peace Bad Hair Day an episode where the face man’s face ain’t enough

I figured I’d do a separate post for each episode so it doesn’t get over-long.

I’ll be focusing on character development mainly since that’s what stood out to me most!

Donnie Vs Witch Town

Directed by Abe Audish, Written by Ian Busch, Storyboarded by Alicia Chan

*Spoilers for the episode!* I won’t do full recaps, and assume you’ve all seen the ep if you’re reading this..

We start with Donnie referencing the Shadow Fiend in the Battle Nexus.

“Rumour has it, this Shadow Fiend is quite the fierce champion”

I’m assuming this line’s here because the writers want to keep dropping us tantalizing crumbs to set up the Shadow Fiend as being an important figure in this season. The writers want to keep them present and in our minds as well as let us know that whoever the fiend is, (I bet we all have guesses), they’ve gotta be making quite the name for themselves if even the Turtles have heard of them.

April says she’s headed to Witch Town, whereupon Donnie is horrified. I think horrified is the right word.

“Drop it, D.” “Why not ask me? Mr Science!”

The “Drop it, D” is an elegant way to imply this conversation is a continuation of one they were having pre-episode. April is already very done with the discussion.

Donnie’s line is great because it’s one of two times in this episode that he calls himself ‘Mr Science’ or ‘The Science Guy’. Here, the line comes off as triumphant and proud, but later there is a feeling of desperation to it. It’s a really nice parallel to set up at the beginning, so we can hammer home the duality of what that label means to Donnie.

To preface, this episode deals with Don’s self worth being tangled up in his ability to do Science good. Because of this, he does a lot of projecting in this episode. For the most part, you can assume any time he mentions ‘Science’, he is actually talking about himself. Basically, substitute that word for his own name, and it makes the subtext more obvious.

Here, have these just because they’re fun.

Don ‘helping out’ with various Science Fair projects. April has a good reason not to ask him for help again.

A nuclear powered cooking multi-tool?

The Erupting Volcano. The floor is literally lava.

The Classic Potato Battery experiment.

“Hmm. That must have been the work of another Teenage Mutant Ninja Dummie.”

I’m calling out Donnie’s response here just because I enjoy the consistency the writers give to the way he handles failures. Innnnn that he will feign complete ignorance of the incident and claim it must have been someone else entirely.

“You turned a cuddly animatronic bear into a psychotic robot bent on destroying us? No? Got April Fired? Mmm? Nothing? Mmm?” “That does not sound like me, no.”

- from Al Be Back

In general it’s an established part of his character that he has problems accepting failure.

Donnie deflects blame in many other episodes - to April in ‘The Purple Jacket’ and to his brothers in ‘Todd Scouts’ off the top of my head. This trait is pertinent to this episode in particular because the apology we get at the end of the episode from him is by far the most full and cohesive admission of blame he has given in the two series so far. I’d say it’s a step forward on the level of Leo’s apology from the ‘Air Turtle’ episode (another great episode showing Leo’s growth towards becoming a team player!).

Either way, it’s nice that we see him redirect the blame early in the episode so the moment can provide more of a contrast to him coming full circle and accepting the blame later.

One last thing about the line - I put my hands up to admit that this may be me overthinking it, but Don essentially calls himself a dummie here. Whether this was intentional by the writers to hint at his insecurities or just a fun line, I couldn’t say - but since it relates back to events later in the episode I thought it might be worth mentioning.

Moving on, Donnie accompanies April to Witch Town despite it being the last place he wants to be. It’s our first hint that his obsessive need to convince April that all Mystic stuff is garbage might run a bit deeper than just vocal teasing.

April calls him out on being closed minded and we get

“Oh I’m sorry, I was just stewing over how everyone needs to be more like me.”

Of course we know that’s not how he really feels, as we’ve all seen that episode.

The writing here is nice and subtle. It lets us know that Donnie isn’t being honest. He’s giving April sass, but the sentiment he’s expressing is false.

The episode continues with Donnie comparing every feat of magic to it’s scientific equivalent until April essentially tells him to can it if he doesn’t want a bat to the plastron. The witches show off, prompting exclamations from April at how amazing their magic is.

Then we get one of my favourite lines from Donnie as he snaps.

“Your Mystic Magic is not amazing, it’s simple and soft. There, I said it.”

That soft is a word that Donnie would use as an insult, associating it with something he dislikes and looks down on, is very affecting. You know what else is soft?

The writing here is so revealing and wonderful. They could have used any insult, but the writers chose to have him express his frustration in a way that sheds light on the way Donnie sees himself. It gets right to the root of the problem he has in this episode, which is that without his science and tech, Donnie doesn’t feel like he is particularly ‘Amazing’ either.

That April calling magic amazing is what prompt’s Don’s snap, rather than any of the words of the townsfolk, is one of the clues we’re given to the truth behind D’s drive in this episode. The writers will bring that back later on!

So April and Don are kicked outta Witch Town when Don’s improv musical performance to convince April to let him help her instead ends up blowing up in his face.

Popping this here because watching Donnie get deservedly smacked by April at this point was very cathartic for me. Dingus.

Donnie offers to help the witches in return for them helping April. It seems sweet at first, but it becomes plain fairly fast that this is really another opportunity for D to try and prove that science is king.

“Ah would you look at that. Banished, and I still saved the day.” “Wait, is that why you did this?” “Nooo! It’s because I was sorry - about being closed minded - about how wrong I were.”

Again, it’s up to the writers to show us that Donnie is lying about his motivations here. That little bit of incorrect grammar (saying ‘were’ instead of ‘was’), calls out to us that something is up. Donnie is smart, and it’s out of character for him to word things sloppily. It lets us know that all is not well, and that things are yet to be resolved, internally at least.

I couldn’t help calling out this wonderful posing, even though I’m trying to focus on the writing. It really sells us on the dissatisfaction brewing between them. Gorgeous acting from the animators.

The peace offering potion the witches were making seems to work, and Donnie wastes no time in trying to rub their faces in the fact that science provided one of the ingredients - until it becomes clear that Donnie’s contribution has soured the brew. He tries to avoid blame and responsibility, as we’ve seen him do in previous episodes (and earlier in this one). Nothing I’m calling out here besides the novelty of seeing a mob of witches trying to lynch a scientist - a bit of a historical reversal!

The big bad is storming Witch Town and Donnie gets ready to smack down - specifically “because when I defeat it with my tech, they will have to admit science is better!”

It’s worth saying that on the word ‘they’, he points directly at April. Because as we’re about to discover, it’s not actually proving to these random villagers that Science is best that’s important to him (though maybe that would be nice), but about proving to April specifically that Science is best. Thank you animators/storyboarders for making that subtext more explicit!

At this point we as the audience have had it up to here with Donnie’s bullheadedness. The reveal that D’s gripe is personal and April/brother specific, rather than just a frustration with Witch Town in general, goes some way to explaining why he is so obsessive over it.

Donnie’s Tech Bo breaks in the conflict, and we get the awesome reveal of April’s Mystic Bat. She is of course, badass with it and kicks butt. April saving Donnie’s hide with Mystic Magic prompts the confrontation between them that is the emotional heart of the episode.

“Why are you so obsessed with proving me wrong on this!?” “Because! I’m the Science Guy! (sigh) If Mystic Powers can do everything I can do but better, then why would you guys even need me?”

Here is the payoff to the opening ‘Mr Science’ line from earlier in the episode. The wording is similar, however this time the line is tinged with defeat. The duality revealed is that Science makes Don feel powerful, but without it, he feels powerless.

The visuals that go hand in hand with the dialog are very telling here, too.

The image of Donnie holding his broken Tech Bo isn’t just to show us that his technology isn’t enough to win, that it can be broken. It’s also showing us how he sees himself, drawing a direct comparison between Donnie and his broken Tech. He’s not always perfect, but he’s ultimately useful, right? Until he’s not. I’ve no doubt that this was a deliberate move from the Storyboarders, and I think they sold the moment brilliantly.

His words make it clear that Donnie believes that “if Mystic Powers can do everything I can do but better”, ie, help April with her project without blowing her classroom up, why would she not keep going to Mystics instead of him in the future?

With her not ‘needing’ him for scientific assistance any more, he sees no reason for her to continue hanging out with him. This ties back to the clues the writers dropped earlier in the episode, that suggest he doesn’t regard himself highly without his science.

The obsession this episode with disproving how ‘Amazing’ Mystic Magic is in front of April makes a lot more sense through the lens that he is fighting to keep April’s friendship.

“You Guys” expands this sentiment to include the rest of his family. If his tech ends up letting down the team and is unneeded then by extension, he would also be unneeded.

As viewers, we know this is untrue. Even beyond the fact that these characters rely on one another emotionally, we saw Don fight alongside his brothers in ‘Insane in the Mama Train’ - all of them tech-less and Mystic-less - and they kicked butt, even if they did end up being eventually captured. However, it’s clear from the writing here that this isn’t how Donatello himself feels.

“You’re not important to me because of your tech, you’re important to me because of you! I don’t think Mystic Powers is better than Science. If anything, they’re stronger together, just like us! Right?” “Right!”

April’s comeback is wonderful. Super eloquently written and gets right to the heart of his insecurities. First undermining the thought that if Don didn’t have tech, she wouldn’t need him, then framing Mystic Powers as something that will bring them closer together. Beautiful writing!

I also want to just celebrate how the writers handle April’s characterisation as being someone who is super excited and curious about any kind of Mystic Magic or supernatural shenanigans. I really like this consistency in her character where she is way into anything otherworldly or unexplained. I hope we get to see more of it in the future!

We get to see April and Donnie kick butt together which super fun! I’m very happy we got another episode with these two, the way they bounce off one another is really enjoyable to watch.

“I was wrong to not be more open-minded. It’s just that Mystic Powers are the one thing I have not been able to solve. As a man of Science, it is maddening to finally come upon something that you do not understand. Especially when your dum-dum brothers totally do, and they wave their dum-dum weapons in their dum-dum hands all the dum-dum time! But that is just a long way of saying I am sorry’.

The apology is very articulate, letting us know that D is truthful here. It’s a nice little payoff when compared to his earlier lie with April, where the writers had him fudge his words to imply his dishonesty.

April actually believes him this time too, judging by the lovely acting here.

We’re treated to this perspective on Donnie’s feelings, which reveals a couple of interesting things to us. ‘The one thing I have not been able to solve’ indicates that he has previously attempted - and failed - to understand Mystic stuff, which is new information. It goes against our impressions from the rest of the series so far (that he is simply disinterested). We also learn that his brothers’ understanding of their powers has created a knowledge imbalance that is a frustration to him. I very much hope that the show keeps taking steps in this direction with Donnie, just because I would love to see an arc that results in him getting more involved with the Mystic side of things.

To wrap up the episode, I really appreciated the way the writers handled the internal conflict in Donnie Vs Witch Town. There was a lot of subtlety and subtext in the writing, which I am absolutely here for. Donnie’s end reveal really recontextualizes the earlier shenanigans in a meaningful way, and marks a step forward for him. April has her Bat now, and Don is a little more open to Mystic Powers as a possibility! I’m excited to see where we go next!

Thanks for sticking with me, if you got to the end, and I hope you found it as interesting as I did! ‘Raph’s Ride along’ is the next ep I’ll dig into.

#rottmnt #donnie vs. witch town #analysis #writing #episode #rise of the tmnt #april o'neil #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt april

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kindness-bliss · 4 years ago

Text

New Beginnings Ch. 10

Timothy Thatcher x OC

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: none

Maya sighed as she sat in the and leaned her head back against the headrest “Why did you lean in to kiss me ?” she finally asked

“I just felt the moment was right, you held my hand on your own and I thought maybe it was a good idea. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, I just did what I felt was right in the moment” he explained “I apologize, I really do. I would never wanna make you feel like it was forced”

“Don’t do it again” she said softly “Now hurry up so you can drive me home and we can both change, you got your outfit ?”

“Yeah, just um a black long sleeve button up and black pants, that okay ?” Marcel asked

“Perfect” she grins as they got out “Also feel free to loosen up tonight, I can handle my drinking”

He raised a brow as he pulled in and followed “Do I need to remind you about what happened in Berlin ?”

Maya widened her eyes as she blushed and shot him a look “You said you’d never bring it up, so don’t start now”

“Sorry but you causing world war 3 at a club at 2 in the morning that led to us running through the back door isn’t exactly a small thing” he laughed as he brought his bag in “I’m not even drunk ! I’m fine, let’s go dance !” he mocked in her voice “and then suddenly a fight about who knows what and bam we’re in a taxi. How you weren’t some kind of fighter in your life still shocks me”

“I felt like it” she shrugged “she insinuated my Cartier bracelets were fake so I let her have it, period. Oh yeah and she hit on you right in front of me, she deserved it”

He laughed, shaking his head “how about none of that tonight ? Just fun, enjoy yourself with your friends and celebrate your cover”

“I invited Fabian” she blurted out, taking out her curling iron to touch up her hair “he said he’s coming, I gave security his name”

Marcel nodded as she took off his t shirt and ironed his shirt “That’s cool, glad he can make it”

“If you two don’t say sorry and make up tonight I swear” she groaned. Yeah they had been friends for a little over half a year but that didn’t mean him and Fabian were back together. Those two were like a married couple and seeing him without Fabian made her sad, he wasn’t the same without him and it killed her inside

“I can’t promise anything but if he’s there obviously he knows I’m going to be as well so who knows” Marcel admitted as he fixed his hair

“Lay off the gel, you look you belong back in Germany in some grade school with this haircut” she laughed fixing her eye shadow “Plus it’s gonna be hot in there”

“Then I’ll take my shirt off,” he smirked. “I think some girls there would really like to see that, don't you think ?”

Maya rolled her eyes, going into her closet and picking out a body con sequin dress, something to make her stand out from the others. She wanted to be absolutely sure she looked better than anyone else there, especially after what Tim had told her. Tim. As if that Dickies wearing, missing tooth asshole knew anything about fashion she shook her head. “No one cares Maya, he doesn’t matter at all” she repeated in her head turning and widening her eyes as she saw Marcel changing

“Wow...wow” she muttered quietly as she hid behind her closet door and peaked, taking a look at his perfectly tan body and abs, watching him check himself out in the mirror while buttoning up his shirt. He had to me the most vain individual she had ever met yet there she was hiding so she could admire him from afar. Her, the actual model, hiding in a damn closet to stare at him of all people. She quickly snapped out of her own thoughts and changed, putting on her heels as she walked out

“Alright all-” Marcel stopped speaking, practically stopping his breathing when he saw her

“Hey” Maya grinned softly as she saw his face

“Maya….I….” he took a moment to think clearly about what he wished to say, not wanting to make himself seem even dumber than he already did

“I-wow” he chuckled out finally as he put his hands in his pockets

“You...you look beautiful, stunning”

“Marcel, you’ve seen me in dresses but thank you” she giggled

“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve seen, ever” he said sincerely “you look beautiful every single day but tonight is just wow”

She looked at him, trying her best to keep her look calm and friendly but part of her wanted to jump him right then and there. “Come on, let’s get going it’s late” she grinned as she went back out with him to the car and allowed him to take a picture of them to post ******

“So now explain” Johnny said as he sat with Tim in the living room of his home “why exactly did you um...snap ?”

“I did not snap” Tim responded calmly as he pet their dog Pawdme

“I...words didn’t come out as well as I hoped okay, that’s all”

“Um...you went to college right ? like graduated, correct ?” he asked

Tim nodded as he gave a confused look “uh yeah, I uh have a degree in Journalism, worked at a newspaper company for years. Actually” he chuckled “when we met in evolve I was stil- wait what does this have to do with anything ?”

“So you’re telling me you’re college educated with a degree in JOURNALISM of all things, like as in good with words and writing yet you don't know how to speak to a woman !” Johnny exclaimed “You legit use big ass words and write pages yet when a girl clearly is giving the whole “take me in the back seat of your car now” eyes you insult and demean ?” “Johnny, enough” Candice spoke up “He gets the point, clearly he’s upset and mad”

“Thanks” Tim nodded, “and to answer all your questions, yes, I get it. I acted like a moron and well here I am trying to think of ways to apologize once again and convince her I want her with me”

“Well we can all talk about this tomorrow, we got somewhere to go” Johnny stood up dressed in a button up and black jeans along with Candice in a black dress

“A funeral ?” Tim asked confused as he looked at both of them “sorry for your loss, whomever it may be”

Candice let out a soft sigh as he looked at Johnny and nodded towards Tim with her head “tell him…”

“Okay, first it’s “Johnny, shut up!” and now it’s “tell him” he mocked in her voice as he put his hands on his hips and looked up at Tim

“We’re…..we’re going to Maya’s cover launch party, she invited us a month ago and well we RSVP’d and honestly I won’t lie, it looks like a lot of fun, man. She rented out the entire club. It's at EVE and I mean we don’t get to do shit like this, it’s the best club in the city and we’re on the list and I feel special alright ?”

“Wait wait, what ?” Tim asked bewildered “You two are going ? Like actually going ? This isn’t some sick joke right because if it is I got pranked” he put his hands up “the act can stop now, I get it”

Johnny and Candice looked at each other as they both turned and gave him a sorry look as Candice’s phone buzzed “sorry Tim...we gotta go now, Oney’s waiting with Joanne”

Tim scoffed as he nodded and opened the door, catching Oney about to knock “I know, don’t even try to explain” he said as he shut him up before he could even speak

“Well damn” Oney shot him a look “Guess that means, you don’t wanna be my plus one….”

“What ?” the other 3 asked in unison as they looked at him

“Joanne can’t make it, she has work so that leaves me with a plus one” he showed the message “Maya never said I couldn’t bring Tim” he gave a shrug

“Wait…. He can’t go like that” Candice emphasized “babe quick, go look for a bigger shirt and Oney, switch pants with Tim and Johnny will give you another pair…..NOW !” she raised her voice at the 3 of them as she watched them scurry and go to her bedroom

“Wow, who knew you could clean up so nicely” Johnny smirked “let me do your hair now, you can’t go out looking nicely dressed with messy hair, oh and cologne, you gotta smell good in case ”

“You’re not serious ?” Tim asked

“You want her to see you looking good right ? So listen to me, if you look good and smell good she’ll like fall in love with you, she won’t even remember you insinuated her work was cheap, or that bikini models are whores or that-” Johnny gulped when he saw him glare at him “here just..just add a little gel and um see you downstairs, hurry up”

Oney chuckled as he watched him get ready “If this doesn’t work, then I don’t know. Not gonna lie you look….nice. You really do, this is probably what she wanted to see”

“Whatever” Tim shrugged as he finished buttoning up the shirt “I just wanna talk to her that’s all, talk to her and get this settled and we’ll go from there” he nodded as he followed him back to Candice and Johnny’s Uber and sat down

“Wow” Candice grinned “look at you, I mean it. You clean up so nicely Tim, you really do”

“Thank you” Tim said softly as he gave her a small grin. “How the hell did I get myself into this ?” he thought to himself. None of this was him, he could feel the sweat start to build up in his arm pits as he moved around in his seat lifting his head up when Oney offered him a mini bottle of Patron

“A roadie, to loosen up before we get there. You could use it, need a chaser ?” he offered some seltzer water widening his eyes as he watched him chug it down in one gulp

“Give me another, now” Tim nodded as he reached out his hand, taking the second bottle and downing it “there, much much better”. No not really all that better but at least it calmed his nerves slightly as he watched them pull up to the club. He looked through the crowd to see who he recognized, some were definitely other models but lots were from work. She really had invited everyone but him, not like he expected it anyways.

“Remember, leave no later than 3” Candice said as they got out and reapplied her lipgloss “Jesus, she’s popular look at all these people”

“You don’t say” Johnny looked around “And she invited US, that means she really does like us and thinks of us as friends. She’s SO nice”

“She is. She really is something” Tim whispered to himself as he stood with them ************

“I love seeing you two so happy and together !” Maya smiled a little tipsy already as she put her arms around Fabian and Marcel’s shoulders

“The two besties are back together ! You can go back to taking your little sexy shirtless gym pictures now !”

Fabian chuckled “well thank you I think ? Thanks for inviting me again”

“Yeah yeah of course, anything to get you two back together” she sipped her martini, feeling slightly buzzed as she sat next to Marcel and put her hand on his thigh “oh my god, you look so cute tonight I can’t believe I didn’t tell you already” she pouted

Marcel chuckled as he placed her hand back on her lap gently “Thank you, you’re telling me now and to me that’s all that matters”

“Maya maybe, maybe we can stop the martini’s for a bit” Fabian suggested as he motioned for the waitress to come over and order them waters with lemon

“What a complete party pooper, I thought Italians were supposed to be fun. This is NOT how Jersey Shore made it seem” she rolled her eyes, pulling out her compact to look herself over as she watched Fabian just laugh at her

“Hey... still very very pretty,” Marcel grinned as he closed it for her. “There’s no need to keep looking at yourself when you look perfect, now have some water so you can sober up a bit and enjoy your night. Everyone’s here for you”

Maya stood up and fixed her dress when she saw Candice walk towards her “hey, oh my gosh you look beautiful !” She gave her a hug and smiled, tilting her head when she saw Johnny take a selfie with her custom cake “why...why is he ?”

“Listen he’s telling everyone we know he’s at a celebrity party and how you’re his friend, he’s truly living it up” she admits with a chuckle

“I just...I like how you guys came, you two are so kind and nice and to be honest I kinda like you guys here more than the others my agent made me invite” she smiled softly “Can I offer you a drink ?”

“Oh yeah sure, I’d love one of those fruity ones you’re having” Candice grinned as she walked over to the bar with her “Listen before we enjoy the night, I have to tell you that Oney’s girlfriend couldn’t make it so...so he brought Tim”

“What ?” she spat out her water “He’s here ? As in right now ? Candice what the hell ? After what happened earlier ?”

Candice sighed as she took her drink in one sitting and got up “Long story short he feels horrible and wants to talk to you, really talk to you. 100% serious this time, no insults nothing so when you’re ready you let me know and I”m getting you two together to talk even if it’s the last fucking thing I do” she nods

“I just wanna enjoy my night and maybe when I’m a little more drunk so I can let his ass know everything I’ve been feeling” Maya nodded as she cheered her and took what she believed was her 15th shot of the night

“So are those real ?” Candice asked as she pointed to her revealing dress “because they look real but they also look way too perfect to be real”

Maya laughed as she touched her shoulder with her arm “They are, but did you drink before getting here ?”

“May have had a couple roadies” she admits as they continued to drink together, getting rowdier once everyone else came to join

“Let’s give it up for Maya !” Johnny yelled as he raised his champagne glass “MY friend is a model and she’s on an ACTUAL magazine and on a billboard !”

“To me ! For being really fucking pretty and having an amazing body !” Maya exclaimed drunkenly as she leaned on Marcel

“And with REAL boobs !” Candice added as they all cheered together and moved to the dance floor as the DJ played a playlist of mid 2000’s songs

Everything was great, perfect actually until Oney spotted Tim talking to a girl, a little too close for comfort in his eyes as he left and sat down keeping a close eye on him

“So what brings you here, do you know Maya ?” the girl asked Tim as she grinned and sat too close to him at the bar

“In a way yeah, you ?” he nodded trying his best to keep up straight as the alcohol from the car ride and the beers he had consumed were beginning to hit him

“well she won this cover over me. Some thing about brunettes over blondes, Kara by the way” she reached her hand out “and you are ?”

“Tim” he responded as he turned around and faced her, looking her up and down as he raised a brow at the less than favorable red number she had on “drink ?”

“Vodka soda” she smirked as she ordered “oh is this your friend ?”

“What ?” Tim asked confused as he turned and saw Oney with crossed arms standing behind him

“You’re drunk, come with me”

“He’s fine with me” Kara smiled sweetly “Don’t worry, your friend is perfect with me here”

“Tim….”

“I’m fine” Tim shrugged “You go and continue being stupid, I’m fine here with her”

Oney shook his head and sighed as he left him alone and went back as he sat down on a couch and watched

Maya pulled Marcel close to her as she turned around against him, moving to the beat of the music as she felt him move with her, putting his hands on her hips both swaying to the old Ice Cube song that played loudly in the club. They had gone to multiple clubs in the past and danced to way too many songs but this time something was different and they both felt it

Marcel felt the jolts in his body as he touched her hips and felt her backside press right against his groin area. Gulping to get rid of what felt like a ball stuck in his throat he made sure to keep his hands there as they moved

“You good ?” she asked not realizing what was even going on with him as she looked up

“All good, we can keep going” he nodded

He was positive his once black shirt was now soaking and see through with sweat as he tried his best to make sure he didn’t get hard as he squeezed her sides every so slightly. As he heard the song end and change to what he recalled was an old Lil Jon song, he groaned feeling her move quicker. Part of him felt like it was best to just leave to the car and handle what he needed to do but the other part said he needed to be composed for her. All that went out the window the second he looked down and saw her dress slowly ride up as she moved lower and lower

“I...I gotta go to the bathroom” he blurted out as he turned her around and saw her eyes, he knew better than anyone what that look meant

“We….we should go to the bathroom” she whispered as she laced his fingers with hers and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth gently

Marcel shuddered as he looked around and noticed everyone too busy to even notice them gone, he quickly took her hand and rushed to the nearest bathroom with her as he pushed her against the wall and crashed his lips onto hers, moving his hands up and down her hips as he moved down to kiss her neck feeling one of her hands on the back of his neck and the other immediately trying to undo his belt

“Not...not here” he whispered as he stopped her hands and held them in his as he kissed each of them “This...this is cheap, I don’t want it like this with you. You deserve more”

“My place” she kissed his lips again not wanting them away from hers any longer “You and me, my place. I want you, I need you Marcel” Marcel looked in her eyes trying to see any doubt , going with his gut as he nodded and walked with her, hitting a stall with his shoulder

“Busy” a female voice groaned “um really busy”

“Sorry” Marcel apologized quickly, cursing as Maya tripped against him causing him to fall against the unlocked door, widening his eyes at the view in front of him

“What’s going-” Maya stopped speaking immediately as she felt her heart drop to her stomach as she saw Tim entangled with a girl doing way more than kissing. She felt her legs turn into jelly as she watched him kiss and move her against him, at her party of all places.

Tim heard her voice and immediately opened his eyes as he pushed Kara off and fixed his pants and shirt “Maya ! No…..No listen I-I” he stuttered struggling to form a cohesive thought as he reached his hand towards her earning a hard punch across the nose and kick in the groin “Fuck that hurt !” he grimaced in pain not sure if he needed to grab his balls or nose

“Marcel, why is she crying ? what’s going on ?” Johnny asked concerned he watched Candice going after her “Did someone hurt her ? Tell me and I’ll knock them out !”

“That, that’s what’s going on” Marcel said coldly as they both looked at Tim and Kara exit the bathroom both disheveled with Tim’s more than obvious broken bleeding nose

“I told him to stop” Oney spoke up “He didn’t listen, brushed me off. The second he saw me talk to Johnny is when he left”

“It wasn’t your job to babysit” Johnny answered disappointed as he stared “Grown men can take care of themselves, or so we thought”

“You’re not getting a foot near her !” Oney exclaimed, fed up “How fucking dare you do this to her ? At her own fucking party ? Was this what you wanted all along ? To just come here and ruin her night ?”

Tim shook his head as he held his nose with his hand “I….I can’t….I can’t even talk, where is she ? I need to talk to her now” “You’re getting you and your little prost-.....friend the hell out of here NOW” Oney ordered

Tim snarled as he felt her touch his hand “get the fuck away from me”, scaring her enough as he watched her walk away quickly and hurried out the door. He looked at the guys and pleaded with his eyes as he watched them walk away from him

Marcel clenched his fists in anger as he calmed himself down for a second before walking quickly to the parking lot of the club searching around space by space as he found Candice consoling Maya on the pavement and rushed over

“Maya, Maya come on let’s get you home” he said softly as he kneeled in front of her and dabbed her face full of mascara tears with his sleeve. His own heart breaking as he saw how devastated she looked. Nothing mattered more to him than making sure he got her home and safe

“Listen to Marcel, he’s gonna take you home sweetie” Candice whispered as she helped her stand up as Johnny, Fabian and Oney joined them with sorry looks on their faces “It’s brisk” Fabian said softly as he took off his suit jacket and put it over Maya’s shoulders to cover her up “I’m gonna, I’m gonna take her home now, is that okay Maya ?” Marcel asked as he pet her head gently

Maya simply gave a small nod as her eyes stayed glued to the floor, her whole night and heart done for.

#timothy thatcher #timothy thatcher fic #timothy thatcher x oc #timothy thatcher imagine #marcel barthel #marcel barthel fic #marcel barthel imagine #fabian aichner #candice lerae #johnny gargano #oney lorcan #NXT

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seimeinotaka · 4 years ago

Text

Movie Review (Vil x MC Fic)

(Cross-posted from AO3)

His confidence shaking, Vil keeps pondering over himself and why he keeps losing to Neige. It somehow ends in a discussion with Ann about Type-casting, the role of an actor, and focusing on what is truly important.

Thanks to polyphenols@AO3 for beta-reading this!

The kitchen was empty, for everyone had gone to bed, having learned that crossing Vil and breaking the rules wasn’t something to take lightly. Twenty minutes before curfew, Vil was washing the cup he had just used. He needed water to clear his head. Beating Neige in the VDC, being the fairest of them all. He had these goals in mind, but no matter how hard he tried, it was never enough. The water from the faucet couldn’t flush his thoughts away, as it flowed down his hands, so cold but Vil hadn’t even noticed either.

“-senpai?”

Why?

Why couldn’t he beat Neige?

What did Neige have that he lacked?

The cute character he always showed? Was it just that? Something he couldn’t even work with?

The hero, the beautiful holder of the Legendary sword. That was Neige’s role.

The cold beautiful villain. That was Vil’s role.

The water stopped.

“!”

Vil suddenly realized someone was next to him, having been struck slightly by their elbow, as this person turned off the faucet.

“Schoenheit-senpai, are you alright?” It was Ann, who had taken him out of his trance.

“Manager…yes, I’m fine,” he replied, still in a daze. He hadn’t meant to get so carried away in his thoughts that anyone saw him like this.

He wasn’t as annoyed as before with her, since she seemingly didn’t insult him and had apologized for whatever she had meant to say, though he was far from being on friendly terms with her. She seemed to be treating him with a certain distance, since their discussion had ended abruptly when she stormed off. He was perfectly fine with this unspoken arrangement.

Ann didn’t reply to his calm reassurance, but her expression let him know she wasn’t buying his words. She could keep her worry to herself, channeling it to win the VDC instead.

“…There’s something I wanted to talk to you about…” she finally said, after taking a deep breath to break the awkward silence. “It’s not about Epel…it’s about you…”

For a second there, she seemed to hesitate. Actually, this expression was the same one she had been wearing ever since she apologized when they crossed paths. As if she had something to say but feared doing so. Vil had never intended to ask her anything, ignoring her gaze if she had nothing to add to their discussions or practice.

“…Go on.” He prepared himself mentally, he was going to end up annoyed, but if he didn’t pretend to hear her now, she would be nagging him later on. He could certainly do without that, so he would take the lesser of the two evils.

She took a deep breath, and somehow bluntly stated, “You are going to get angry at me, but I might have heard your conversation with that Adella woman. About a film where Neige Leblanche got the lead and they wanted you to play the villain.” And just as that, she looked at him, ready to face her punishment.

He would have actually punished her, if he hadn’t been taken by surprise.

“How…?”

He had been extremely careful in answering his calls, only twice had he been contacted, and she wasn’t around then. Had Rook told her something? Rook had fine ears and he might have heard the phone calls, but he doubted his vice dorm leader would betray him and tell that private information to her.

“The other day… at the end of practice. I forgot my tablet after we uhhhh…had a discussion.” She grimaced, and forced herself to look at him. “I left it there but you were talking on the phone and I couldn’t just enter.”

“So, you decided to eavesdrop instead,” he coldly replied.

“It was an accident, I didn’t mean to! By the time I had realized what was happening, you left the room and I didn’t know what to do,” she hurried to add, stepping back defensively. “I’ve been thinking hard if I should talk to you about it but… Whatever. You are angry anyway, so, before you kill me for eavesdropping, lemme ask the following: Is Neige really that good? Or was it because he looks like the good hero?”

She was extremely right in him wanting to kill her in that moment, though her second question took him by surprise. “What do you think, Manager?” He was not going to talk about Neige.

“So, it’s the second…. I had a gut feeling it was like that. I looked around the internet, he’s mentioned a lot, I guess, but he just looks cute to me. I honestly don’t see why everyone goes wild about him. But I guess he does have the appeal to play the good-natured hero, just as you do look like a good fit for a handsome villain.”

He certainly did not need to have her rub salt on his wound, it was bad enough that Rook would blab and praise Neige. Clenching his fist, he was wondering how to curse her to make her stop.

“That’s pretty disappointing and boring, actually,” she said flatly.

“…What?”

“What do you mean what?” She looked at him confused, unaware that she was the one not making any sense at all. “I looked up the Legendary Sword, it’s supposed to be a groundbreaking film series, right? But if they go for such basic casting, is it really groundbreaking?”

Vil stared at her for a moment, a mix of extreme annoyance and deep confusion because what did one thing have to do with another? Not to mention, it was a series he loved.

"Have you even watched the first one?!"

How dared she say that.

"....No, but that's not really my point."

He gave her a scornful smile, as he said, “Of course, Manager. Here you go again, please give me your opinion on things you don’t know the least about.”

"I don’t need to watch a film to get a sense of what they are going for. I can get the aesthetic they are going for, and usually that goes in hand with the setting.” She shrugged her shoulders. “From what I heard of your conversation, yeah I’m sorry, it won’t happen again, you didn’t get to audition, so they offered you the role. Probably the same happened with Neige, so it means they are basing the casting on your physical appearance.”

It wasn’t his physical appearance entirely, but she wasn’t that wrong actually. He was almost impressed she could have figured it out. And that meant he had to be more careful than he thought. Though he should have suspected something, if she managed to dupe Azul.

“That’s pretty disappointing, they aren't taking your acting skills into consideration. A true actor can make the audience believe in their character, no matter how they look. That's strength of their histrionics."

"Don't you realize you're being overly idealistic? You didn't strike me as the type," he interjected, arching an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure what she was trying to do, but he was almost curious to see how farfetched her ramble would go.

"But, am I wrong? Also, you got a point. The plot and allegiances, the roles of the characters shouldn't be spelled out from appearances. That actually lessens the strength of your acting. It kills the story when I can see someone and know exactly that he is the bad guy just because he wears purple and looks cold. That’s not creative, it’s extremely boring. I thought that as a fashion model and probably a trendsetter, you would prefer to break the rules."

He wouldn’t deign to give her an answer, but she didn’t look at him like she was expecting one.

"The fact that you said I didn't look the type, that's exactly my point. I prefer when my characters are deeper than what they only look. When they surprise me because someone looks cute but isn’t the cute type, that keeps me on my toes. To subvert the expectations of the audience, while showing them a story they can't predict, that's what I would call legendary. Surely, a movie like that should have a legendary casting too."

"I see you keep taking about things you do not know. You keep talking about a movie you haven't seen and the casting of a sequel you don't know."

"...You have a fair point, but I can tell that the casting is very safe. To cast the cute actor as the protagonist and the beautiful sexy one as the villain. They didn't really take any risks."

"Perhaps you weren't paying attention to what I said before,” he groaned. “You have to understand the visuals that suit the atmosphere. A group of elementary children singing metal will look off."

"I actually want to hear that."

"Forget it, your taste is too extreme to understand my point," he grimaced, giving up on trying to get through her thick skull.

“I guess… though I find it sad that for all the boldness you have, you’re stuck with mainstream ideals. Though it seems to come with the industry. They are the ones with the money.”

"Suppose you are in charge of casting, Manager. Do you mean you would have me as lead instead?"

"I wouldn't have a prince charming as the lead in the first place. But the role would go to the one who acts the part better. Not just looks."

Vil looked at her with a stony expression, somehow her words stung and he felt uncomfortable.

"Though, if we have a hero like that, to cast you as the prince charming, the good hero they are picking Neige for... I would honestly prefer that. It's a risky decision, and many would question your casting, but if you were to sweep everyone's minds with your performance, you would win even more than if you went with a typical casting. There's a higher risk, but an even higher reward."

"Fufu, you still have no idea what you're talking about. Unfortunately, as much as your ridiculous idea sounds compelling, the truth is, Neige was cast as the main character."

"If it makes you feel better, I can write you as a main character in a story I make."

He smiled mockingly at her. "Ara, should I be touched? That a mere potato acting as a manager makes me her main character in her story? Focus on your studies."

"I mean, we can’t change things now, but if you were the hero and people questioned it, it's your job as the actor to prove them wrong."

"You sound awfully confident in my abilities."

"Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

Vil was taken back. That was the most unexpected way to compliment someone, though he couldn't say he hated it. That said, she was incredibly annoying.

"You do enjoy talking about things you have no clue about."

"What I don't have a clue about? If I look carefully at you, I can tell you've honed yourself a lot."

"...what?"

"It's the way you conduct yourself. To be this knowledgeable about food and skin care, about music too. Dancing styles, dance moves. There's a limit to natural talent. You could understand things in theory but you call them by their names, that doesn't come from simple experience. Your pose is always perfect, both when you're walking and when you're fighting. To be able to have that degree of grace, you can't always do it unless you've trained yourself to be graceful. I get the feeling you're always pushing yourself to be perfect in any way. No matter what. Like you could be wearing burning shoes and you wouldn't show your pain."

He looked at her, she liked saying the oddest things. Why was she focusing on that? Normally, people commented directly on his beauty. He wasn’t used to being told this, he was doing only the necessary things to achieve his goal. The obvious things that no one focused on. That no one praised.

You didn't praise the method, you praised the results. The finished product. It didn't matter if you did your best when you failed. The result was all that mattered.

Just as he couldn’t beat Neige.

However, her words made him uncomfortable. Was she offering a cheap clap on the back as his fate, and he hated that word, was to be the loser? Some cheap, meaningless sympathy as an equally miserable bandage to his mortally wounded pride?

"What is your game, Manager? Is this some attempt to get along with me to further your goals?"

She huffed, visibly frustrated and annoyed at him, when he should be the one groaning at her and her nonsensical questioning. "You know, you're really smart but you're horribly stubborn. I'm not dissing you. Damn this school. You're all a huge bunch of weirdos, you're always focusing on the oddest stuff."

"As if you can truly say that to me."

"Really? Riddle got so angry about breaking even the most ridiculous inconsequential rules that the Queen of Hearts made. I get things like ‘Don't run with scissors in the hall’, because you can actually get hurt, but the color of roses? The tea you serve after 6? That's just showing off your power in meaningless bullshit. It alienates people instead of making them like you. He is devoted and meticulous, except he's focusing on the stupid stuff.

“Leona is capable, he's actually smart and he could be an excellent student and magift player but he can't be bothered to do anything because he doesn't want to be compared to others. Well, duh, you're always going to be compared. Damned if you do it, damned if you don’t, it’s way better to be damned for doing your thing. The rest can go fuck off. It’s not like they are going to do things for you, and they won’t live your life.”

Was she trying to get on his good side by dissing everyone?

“Azul, for all the intelligence he has, is a big idiot. All the effort he made to hide his past, just to crumble because of a photo. Why would you want to alter it so much that you're no longer yourself? I don't understand. He could see how far he had come and how much he had improved himself, that the Azul in that picture, who was extremely cute mind you, would be just proud of who he had grown into. But no, he had to drag everyone with those shady contracts, trick everyone to profit off them, try to trick me instead of asking for help like a fucking normal person. I would have helped him without any of this idiot contract bullshit if he was just sincere and not an incredibly fucking shady yakuza.

“Jamil. Don't get me started on him, I'm still salty about it. It's a custom in his country, I understand that. His parents were in the wrong, I understand that but. Did he really have to try to fucking kill us? In the bloody desert?! Not to mention, he had Kalim, KALIM! Kalim wouldn't have minded that Jamil told him the truth about him having to play the incompetent servant when he's like a fucking genius. Getting average grades on purpose is really hard, you have to be super smart to do that! Hell, Kalim would have been the first one to support him if he knew the truth! Kalim trusted him, Jamil was his best friend. He even forgave him. With Kalim at his side, things would have been different. But no, Jamil had to fake this shady nice persona to get us to like him, then use everyone for his stupid nonsense and instead of talking! Like normal people! Attempted murder! Of course that is the right answer."

Her rant made him furious. It wasn’t her ranting about the others, as several of them, like Leona, were annoying in many degrees. It was because it showed how she saw the other students, and it made him wonder how she would later see him.

How would she casually dismiss all his struggles?

"I wish I had this much drive to care about stupid shit."

"You are exactly as Leona and Azul said you were,” he replied, wanting furiously to slap her, to make her shut up, “an obnoxious brat who talks as if she knows everything. Casually dissing everyone while supposedly praising them? I thought you were supposed to be a good quiet prefect. Your opinion doesn't matter."

"It does matter because when you die, you can't do anything of these things. You could fall off your broom next class, crack your skull and die, but all you worried about was an idiot meaningless thing, instead of doing what you really wanted."

Vil stared at her, shocked for a moment, her words a slap to his face. He didn't expect them nor the tone she used, a clear-headed but extremely heartfelt answer. It was rational, not spat out in the heat of the moment, almost a product of actual experience.

It was in that moment he realized she genuinely meant what she said before. She was genuinely praising his efforts, the things no one else even considered. And he wasn’t sure how he should feel. He was feeling annoyed, he could imagine her ranting about him next. 'You are an idiot, trying to best Neige in being the fairest.'

But what was the thing she would compliment him on as well?

The answer would have to haunt him, because he was not going to ask her about himself. He was scared of that answer. He was scared of being focused on something wrong, of being told his path was wrong from the start.

He had devoted himself to being the fairest of them all for so long, just to be told it was an impossible task from the start. The effort he put into it would be absolutely meaningless, as they weren’t in a fairy tale, and even if they were, they weren’t its main characters.

“Manager,” he said in a tone that he himself couldn’t discern. It was such, though, that Ann quickly cooled down from her rant, going from emboldened to suddenly stay silent, and hesitant. “I will not repeat myself. Stop talking as if you understand my feelings. You don’t know me, I don’t know you. All you need to know is that you have to devote yourself to the VDC.”

“But… I thought-”

“Yes, you always ‘thought’. Whatever you thought, you are wrong. Stop delving into others’ personal affairs.”

He saw her opening her mouth, but he wouldn’t entertain her any longer. She had damaged him enough, making him fear for a moment of his own goals, to let her destroy his shaking beliefs and crumbling confidence. With a fierce glare, hiding his inner turmoil as he had always done, the iron mask befitting a queen, he looked down on her once before leaving her alone, with only the wind to listen to whatever useless opinion she had to share.

This was a challenging fic to write given the limited information we’re given, at the time ofc, about Neige and the nature of the casting, as well as his personality. It was also interesting for me because it’s part of the culmination of the previous chapters. Vil is a very perceptive person and he would normally recognize when someone is genuinely praising him. However, in an overblotting state, where he is stressed and second-guessing himself, it wouldn’t be that hard to see that he finds it difficult to trust strangers, especially someone like Ann.

Ann herself is not entirely right either. She has good points about the others and about Vil, but she tends to see things from her own perspective and how she strongly feels, in particular to people like Azul due to her own personal reasons and past. Hence, she can’t sometimes really relate to things that oppose to what she believes and feels. Because she is also blunt, while well-intentioned, she can come off as obnoxious and intrusive, especially with how she words things. Basically both right now are not well emotionally and logically to reach an agreement and see each others’ points. But Vil wouldn’t be well right now because we’re in the middle of Pomefiore arc, F.

Thank you for reading!

#twisted wonderland #vil schoenheit #vil x mc #twst oc #twst

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taeguboi · 5 years ago

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“Go Get ‘Em” - Jimin x Tall!Reader [Fluff]

Where are my tall girls at? I wanted to show some appreciation by writing this small piece after seeing this post here

A/N: I am only 5′7 myself and I’ve only experienced something similar once, when I was seeing someone shorter for maybe a couple of weeks, so I’m really sorry if I have written anything inaccurate or anything that makes anyone feel offended. I am additionally sorry for not proofreading before posting and for not being very creative lmao

Fiction Masterlist

You always looked so amazing to Jimin. You were iconic with the way you could pull off any look, whether it was those high waisted trousers paired with a crop top or high heels with a red dress.

It all started with a glance across the room when you were spending time with your friends and he was hanging with his. He was adorable. He has this cute smile that feels like sunshine radiating across the room and you remember how his cute little hands grasped his coffee cup that day as he took a sip of that caffeinated drink when you first saw him.

Jimin was actually the first one to approach you after you had spent about half an hour being hyped up by all your friends to go over and talk to him because, quote, “guys just don’t have the balls anymore”.

You were pleasantly surprised that you didn’t have to be the one to talk to the guy first. You were always taller than everyone else in school and along the years, you had developed a certain sense of self-consciousness about your height after repeated comments about you and the guys you’d date.

“Doesn’t it weird you out?”

“Why would you even date a guy who’s shorter than you?”

“You know maybe you shouldn’t wear your heels to the prom y/n…”

It bothered you and it hindered you from dating anyone at all in the many years you’ve been out of education now. You always had to be the one to ask a guy out because he was either too intimidated or embarrassed to even approach you, yet the stark reality was that you were super shy and you could give anyone all the love in the world if you wanted to.

You and Jimin sat for hours talking once you had introduced yourselves and gotten comfortable with each other. He didn’t even appear to care when you got up out of your chair when he offered to walk you home; in fact, he held his elbow out for you to link on to and you happily walked down the street together.

When Jimin asked you to be his girlfriend, it felt like a God send. You finally found somebody who was handsome, charming, extremely good abs… who cared if he wasn’t tall, dark and handsome, just dark and handsome?

Well for some reason, a lot of strangers seemed to be bothered by the appearance of a taller girl with a guy who doesn’t reach her height. Weird looks and snide remarks when they thought you couldn’t see or hear was kind of a bummer. It wasn’t even anyone else’s business though; any other couple walking together hand in hand in public and they probably wouldn’t bat an eyelid, not even wanting to see or get involved with any of their public displays of affection.

You stopped wearing your heels after a couple of months of the relationship. In fact, you threw many of them out or gave them to charity, bar the expensive ones. You started to make sure that whenever you took a photo with Jimin, you were both seated or on a slope with him on the raised part. You found yourself starting to have to justify why you’re dating him whenever anyone came at you with those same remarks you’d received in high school… Yeah, it turns out people don’t grow up fast, and they don’t learn to defy social expectations and instead encourage them and all the prejudices that some with staying ‘normal’.

One day, just as the two of you were getting ready together for a night out with friends - who by the way had been nothing but fully supportive of you two being together - Jimin had noticed something. As gorgeous as you were to him in your outfit for the night, he couldn’t help but think about how much he missed some of your most classic outfits with which you’d wear heels.

Jimin adored you from the moment he saw you across the room. Sure, it was a little surreal when you brought yourself to your feet on that first day he met you and you may have slightly towered over him, but you’re everything he’s ever wanted in a girlfriend. You’re loyal, warm, funny and to him you’re a supermodel.

Jimin is proud to be dating you, to have you by his side. Sure, the comments about his height did make him feel a little conscious at times, but there was nothing he could do about his height, or his feelings, or that his soul mate was a few inches taller than him.

“Y/n?”

“Yeah Jimin?” you ask, applying your lipstick as you sat at the dresser.

“I… uh… Not that I’m telling you what to wear, but… Don’t you normally have… a different pair of shoes with that outfit?” he questions, coming up behind you and rubbing your shoulders affectionately.

Your heart sank a little at this, knowing that the pair of shoes you normally would have worn with your best dress and prettiest cardigan were on the top of the closet out of sight and out of mind where you couldn’t see them to dwell on the fact that they make you miles taller than your boyfriend.

“I know…I just fancied a change I guess” you lie with a sigh, not thinking about how Jimin can see and read your expression through the mirror.

The way your head tilted down and your lips didn’t even so much as point just a little bit upwards from each corner told Jimin that you felt something different to what you were telling him.

“Oh, really?” he asks, seeing if he could maybe gently coax it out of you.

“Yeah…” is all you can reply.

“That’s a shame” he sighs, planting a kiss on your cheek as you pop the lid back on your lipstick. “They were kind of my favourite on you, that’s all”

You take a deep breath and let out an exasperated sigh. You know you can’t, or shouldn’t, hold this in anymore. This was eating at you for real now.

The other day at the park was what really did it for you. Some dude came up to the two of you, an old school friend of Jimin’s. At first, he seemed friendly enough and the three of you were chatting and getting along just fine. It was what he said when he had to go that changed your opinion of him and apparently your opinion of how you should dress around your own boyfriend.

“Snagged a tall girl, eh Jimin? How much did you pay for her then?”

You managed to laugh it off right there and then, convincing yourself that the guy had non malicious intention but you couldn’t stop thinking about those words, running through your mind, even in his voice though you barely knew him, like it was just a few seconds ago.

“I’m sorry, I guess I just didn’t want people thinking you’d spent a great deal of money to have me on your arm” you reply in a bad attempt to make light of your problem, not meaning for it to come out as rude or snappy as it does.

Jimin’s face dropped as you produced that sentence. You’d both been over this before. You had spoken about the highly likely chance that any time the two of you went out together, someone would say something. Your relationship is perfectly normal, everything about this is perfectly normal; people just aren’t used to seeing the height advantage being on a girl and not the guy because it’s not something they see often.

You had so confidently told Jimin that you loved him no matter what and that you wouldn’t let this affect you… he was kind of surprised to hear you say this now after weeks of you being silent on the matter. He thought you might have actually recovered from the initial shock of it all.

“Y/n…” sighs Jimin, giving you a big cuddle from behind by snaking his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder.

“I’m sorry babe” you sigh, a little smile not failing to escape your mouth from the hug.

“Talk to me” he advises, sitting down on the bed next to the stool you’re sat on.

Turning to face him, you do your best not to make yet another sigh.

“I feel like I embarrass you” you pout rigidly, eyebrows furrowed.

“Honey…” Jimin drawls out, reaching for your hands to hold. “It’s a lengthy process I know; brushing off the stupid comments and the strange looks but… In the end, that’s their problem, not ours that they don’t think that’s how a couple should look. You even said yourself, it’s what’s inside that counts. I remember that specifically when you were telling me how amazing and charming I am…”

You playfully push Jimin’s shoulder as you sit down next to him on the bed and you smirk at his little light-hearted comment.

“I guess I’m just finding it difficult still, even after all these years” you admit.

“Come here” he replies, bringing you in for a hug.

Jimin’s hugs feel perfect, not like what anybody else speculated. It’s no different to that of a girl being shorter than a guy, really, and Jimin knows this himself from having previously dated girls shorter than himself.

“I’m sorry”

“No, no, we’re not doing that again” Jimin intervenes before you can allow the sting in your eyes to turn into tears.

“But I--”

“Tonight, we’re taking a stand. We’re in control” he insists, rubbing your back and then pushing you away so that he can look you in the eyes.

“We’re going to embrace it. You’re going to put on those sexy heels and you’re going to wow everybody and you’re going to make everybody jealous that they can’t have you. And I’m going to hold my head up high and be proud that only I get to dance with you and I’m the only one who gets to kiss you”

“What about the people who say all those horrible emasculating comments about you though?” you ask. This is one of the biggest reasons you wear flats more often now. It hurts you to watch Jimin being insulted in that way. He isn’t feminine or any less of a man at all. He’s a gentleman who treats you right, he loves you and adores you and he makes it be known to you, and God knows that in the bedroom, he has this way with his words that really make you feel a certain way…

“I stopped listening to those people years ago” replies Jimin.

He’s right! Even if this talk only temporarily boosts your confidence about the issue, you’re going to fling these flats off, go straight to the closet, and god dammit you’re going to rock it!

The grin on your face shows Jimin that his words have gotten to you just right. He says nothing as he watches you reach for a foot to slide off your shoe and fling it across the room.

“Woah, easy there, tiger!” he jests watching you grab the other shoes from your other foot.

“Okay, sorry, got carried away” you giggle this time carefully placing the shoe on the ground.

“It’s okay. I’m just happy to see you happy” he smiles.

He’s right. You are happy. You love those heels. Your fashion taste is a part of who you are. Letting other people influence the way you dress meant letting other people influence your personality.

As you rush to that closet to reach for the heels, you grin a little more as you think about all the things Jimin has told you he admires about you and loves about your height. He loves how you can reach things for him that he sometimes can’t. He loves how you could have a career just sitting and looking pretty if you really wanted to. He even loves how when you’re both getting in the mood with each other, he doesn’t have to bend over to devour one of your breasts with his mouth.

It’s these reasons and a lot more beneath the surface that Jimin adores you increasingly with each day that passes. He watches you try to keep your balance as you put on your heels and he looks at you with such endearment.

You know when you experience something and have one of those ‘wow’ moments? Those times in which your heart flutters and you’re rendered speechless at the sight of that certain something? That’s exactly how Jimin feels as he watches you walk back over to him in all your glory in the one pair of shoes that you had really wanted to wear deep down tonight.

“Stunning” is all Jimin can say as he brings himself to his feet to bring you in for a sweet kiss.

_________________________

Fiction Masterlist

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irwinkitten · 5 years ago

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feisty | a.i | part two

notes: so this was deff requested after i posted feisty about 8 months ago lmao i got sent an anon who literally astounded me with their idea and so working off that, part two started to get created and honestly i love it so much. however, as i posted the other day, it reached 16k and i was like “this isn’t even halfway done i need to stop and reevaluate this” so i’ve decided it’s gonna be three parts with part three already started. request: Hi I was thinking ab Feisty (I’m the one who requested a pt 2) but like I was really thinking about it and I absolutely adore the way Cassie was written. She’s strong, she’s powerful, and she knows what she wants. She never turned her back on the idea of a pack and being part of one even tho she’s human. I was wondering if maybe you could incorporate the idea of her having a wolf, but that wolf is locked inside of her, but it slowly makes it way out in different ways. Like the idea she’s a 1/? Like one day she’s getting extremely riled up and all of a sudden only her eyes shift and everyone around her is like “um the FUCK Luna???” And no one knows how she was able to do that but then maybe she finds some sort of ancient script ab humans among werewolves and they’re actually extremely powerful and something to be feared bc they’re sent to guide the pack and all of a sudden it makes sense bc Roxanne and Trixie are both extremely smart and intelligent and the other humans within 2/? The pack that have come around during her time also have the same intelligence and wisdom that the wolves tend to overlook and it look Cassie for the packs to understand and appreciate their power and it’s like up to her to continue to push forward and make sure that all packs respect the humans as if they were a wolf themselves but inside the humans is a wolf more powerful that they’re in tune with which is why they are able to lead the pack and point out the flaws in plans and makes them so 3/? Valuable to the packs in different forms and she’s out here being bad fucking ass and she won’t take no for an answer and she just has all this power and she knows she might just be a human in many of the wolves eyes forever but she’ll be damned if she doesn’t go down trying to change that bc no one, I repeat no one, should disrespect her or the others like her bc they are not less than the wolves and idk that might not be the way you were thinking of taking it but it’s just what I imagine 4/? Bc I think it would be really cool to see the other wolves reactions to her having some sort of power within her that’s untapped, along w the other humans and the backlash and rebellion that could ensue. Like how are these ~humans~ so powerful they’re just that, filthy, disgusting humans and I think that would be a really cool spin on it but that’s just me lol. Tbh it’s time to go reread feisty again and just revel in how well written Cassie is and how much I am DYING for a part 2 5/5 ALSO sorry I was just thinking that you could make Roxanne’s mate someone powerful as well, showing that even those who are tortured are destined for greatness warnings: mentions of murder, death, word count: 14.2k lmao am i ever gonna write a small one shot that’s an oc? probably not.

part one

donate to my ko-fi here

The low alarm that keened throughout the small town of werewolves, it was one of both comfort and panic. The panic was of those who had been living on the edge, scared to step from the packs boarders without a warrior or two within distance or sight.

The comfort resided within the Alpha and Luna, both who had planned and expected this to happen.

There was a traitor.

The pair peeled themselves away from the bed, both fully focused on the fact that what they had seen, what had been pointed out to them had come to fruition.

“Luna?” A soft voice came from one of the rooms below theirs as they reached the next floor below, both dressed in similar attire, yet the Alpha’s attire was less restrictive than the Luna’s.

“You were right Trixie.” The soft tone of reassurance did nothing to stop the teenagers lip from wobbling.

“So many are going to be hurt.” She whispered dejectedly as the Luna opened her arms out to the young girl. She stepped forwards into the embrace.

“Come, the elders will insist you are awake.”

Nothing was spoken as the young woman and her charge continued further down, heading into the office that was located on the ground floor.

“Luna Cassidy, it’s about time.” The scathing tone of the Elder of Vinewood Pack reached her, Cassidy Irwin drew herself to her full height, meeting the Elder with a hard glare.

“Trixie Teller is the one who foresaw this. Need I remind you that she is but a child in all of this? They may be rogues but they are waging war, Elder Greydown. The knowledge of such a thing being right is distressing for any wolf, let alone a human teenager.” She snapped in return. The Elder scowled but did not refute her argument.

“Elder Greydown, I do not want to remind you, yet again to respect my Luna.” Cassidy watched as the Elder bowed to her mate.

“My apologies, Alpha Ashton.” Cassidy ignored the slight against her and bundled the trembling teenager into the spot between herself and her mate. Ashton did not hesitate to let his arm wrap around the teenagers shoulders, and she leaned gratefully into her Alpha’s comfort.

“Beta Hemmings has made contact with the warriors on patrol. They know not to engage, and survey the attempted attack.”

“Who knew of the council meeting?” Another Elder spoke up. It took a second before Cassidy realised it was Elder Maybanks.

“None outside this circle were told. Not even young Trixie knew of this.” Eyes fell on the form of the still shaking human teenager whose eyes were heavy and her body exhausted.

The silence of the alarm was deafening and the howl that followed in its wake was pain filled.

“They found the traitor.” Trixie whispered. Cassidy wanted to shield her from the pain, the dull reminder of her loss of Talon still serving her as a constant reminder of the failure that haunted her dreams.

“Should the human even be here?” Elder Greydown spoke, his tone condescending.

“You are coming very close to insulting someone under my protection, Elder Greydown.” Cassidy snapped. She received a scoff in return and Elder Maybanks exploded.

“You teach our pups to be tolerant, yet you cannot be tolerant of the two humans who have served our pack faithfully! It begs the question, what kind of tolerance are you filling the pups heads with in the first place?”

Ashton held back the growl of frustration. He knew the Elder’s struggling attitude with the changes that Vinewood Pack had undergone.

“Now is not the time.” Cassidy spoke, her tone stern and unrelenting. Elder Greydown huffed, but did not argue with her. She shared a look with Ashton and Elder Maybanks. They knew that they would be asking Greydown to step down before the week was out.

A sharp hiss escaped from Trixie before it turned into a whimper.

“He’s hurt. Abel is hurt.” She got out as Cassidy held her face, forcing the teenager to look at her.

“You are here and safe. Alpha Irwin is tracking each of the warriors.” She knew better than to make the promise that he would return safely.

“His brothers are with him. He’ll be healed before he gets home.” Ashton reassured the teenager who gave into the tears. Cassidy understood. She allowed the teenager to cling to her in comfort as Ashton moved to his desk, tapping away at the laptop.

“Rosewood has confirmed that it’s Leo.” Ashton muttered and she sighed as Trixie finally relaxed against her. She carefully lay her down on the couch, tucking the blanket around her.

“How bad?” Cassidy finally asked once the teenagers breathing evened out.

“Sixteen wolves were injured. Two are serious, but the pack doctor with them has reassured me that they’ll be okay eventually.” Ashton murmured and his gaze returned to the two Elders in the room.

“We will require you at the offices by noon.” Both of them bowed to Ashton. Elder Maybanks bowed to Cassidy, Elder Greydown did not.

“If he wasn’t an Elder, I’d have Calum break his neck.” She muttered darkly once Ashton nodded that the two Elders had indeed returned home.

“He’s going to be retired from his position. Are your new teachers ready to take over the position?” She sighed.

“I think so. But there’s still some animosity between Roxanne and Gwen.” Ashton sighed.

“Gwen believes that Roxanne is the reason for her Aunt and Uncles’ demise and her cousins restriction, doesn’t she?” Cassidy nodded.

“Gwen is still openly hostile with her, and as much as I have tried to ingrain that Roxanne was the victim, she will see nothing of it. Personally, I’m close to pulling Gwen off the course and moving her to something that isn’t so potentially volatile.” Ashton nodded at his mates words, allowing her to talk freely.

Ever since they had returned so many years ago from his first visit to her old pack, she’d planned with various teachers about teaching the pups to practice tolerance and acceptance of humans within the pack. It became more so when more humans had been born.

Only a handful, but Ashton could see that each of them were gifted. Born years apart, the youngest only being just shy of a year old, and the oldest at the age of six already, Ashton knew that changes needed to be made and fast.

The human girl they had rescued so long ago, Roxanne Teller, had been a significant trigger for the changes. Cassidy was determined that no child should suffer the fate that she had suffered.

Just shy of her twenty first birthday, Roxanne had been determined to do her adoptive parents proud. And she had excelled with Cassidy as her mentor.

Her younger sister, Trixie, was in a league of her own. Freshly turned fifteen year old was an extrodinaire with technology. Ashton had been the one to encourage that. But when she had turned thirteen, she’d been gifted with prophetic visions.

The Moon Goddess, Selene had appeared to both Trixie, and the Irwins, to explain the prophetic nature of the teenagers dreams.

They were dreams that could not be altered by choices or decisions. They were outcomes that the fates had decided themselves. Cassidy, was rightfully angry with her Goddess for placing such a burden onto the shoulders of someone so young.

“They will be prophecies of the years you will experience and the years you will never see. They are to guide my children into the rightful acceptance that you have started.”

Cassidy knew she could not remain angry with the fates if they had deemed Trixie their host to record prophecies for years to come.

Many had complained of Ashton taking both girls under his wing, but at the Alpha’s conference, both Ashton and her previous Alpha, Isaac Lockard told them of the successes that Cassidy had.

That was the day the first laws began to change. Abuse of a human born or mated into a pack would be met with penalties and jail time. Anything that could be seen as an attempted murder will be met with either exile or execution.

Alpha’s grumbled about that until Cassidy stood up on the podium, her eyes sharp as she snatched a dagger from one of the security wolves belts and sliced her hand open like she did to her own pack.

Alpha’s watched in fascinated horror as her blood trailed down her hand, dripping onto the stage.

She’d forcefully pointed out that any attack on a human could be considered attempted murder because there was no accelerated healing.

The High Council has been quick to distinguish parameters of what was considered abuse and what was considered an attack.

It wasn’t a lot, but it had been a start for Cassidy.

===

Both were used to sleepless nights, and this one was no different. Ashton had his werewolf stamina to keep him going, Cassidy relied on caffeine to keep her afloat.

When Trixie stirred, she jolted awake in shock, a short gasp of hair escaping as black curls seemed to fly everywhere, wild eyes searching the room.

“It happened.” It wasn’t a question but Ashton nodded anyway.

“We had some injuries, but they’ll make a recovery. We found the traitor.”

The tone in Ashton’s voice had dropped from reassuring to deadly in seconds, and Trixie couldn’t help herself as she shuddered. Part of her was grateful to her Luna that she demanded Trixie be kept away from any kind of interrogation.

She didn’t want to be on the end of Alpha Ashton’s tone.

The shrill ring of the phone made the teenager jump in fright and Cassidy smiled as Ashton answered the phone.

“Morning Isaac.”

Something was spoken for a second as Ashton placed the phone handle face down before hitting the speakerphone button.

“You’re on speaker now, Isaac. Trixie is with us.”

The other Alpha did not need to be told the warning in Ashton’s tone. Keep it teenager friendly.

“Leo was injured last night. Hope nailed him good, however he was rescued by a wolf waiting on standby. It looks like there are a few traitors from packs within their cause.” Cassidy sighed.

“We managed to catch ours, or at least the only one we hope we have. What about your side?” Cassidy finally asked.

“Dead.” Came the blunt response and Trixie gasped.

“Isaac.” Cassidy snapped back as she took a hold of Trixie’s hands. “There was nothing you could do for them, sweet girl.”

“My apologies Miss Teller. Unfortunately, there would’ve been no saving this wolf. The rogues had clawed into their very minds and warped their entire views.” Trixie finally nodded before a blush crept up her skin.

“It’s forgiven, Alpha Isaac.” She finally got out and Ashton smiled at her reassuringly. “If I can be excused? I know that Rox wanted to meet for breakfast and she’ll crucify me if I’m late.” Ashton nodded.

The excuse was weak, but she was still too young in Ashton’s eyes.

Once the door had closed, Cassidy moved herself to Ashton’s lap, his arms winding around her waist.

“Who was it, Isaac?”

“Gregory Sampson.” Cassidy closed her eyes at that, her heart sinking at the fact the sweet boy she knew had turned traitor.

“Who discovered him?” She felt Ashton’s hand on her hip, his thumb rubbing slow circles into her skin.

“Kallie Tyson.” Came the amused response and Cassidy snorted.

“What tipped her off?”

“She was there the day Leo was exiled. Apparently he hadn’t bothered to dampen his scent and she smelled him all over Sampson. She’s been wary of a lot of wolves after the whole debacle years ago. When she realised the scent, she went to patrol and alerted them.” Isaac explained and she sighed.

“Was Sampson executed immediately?” Ashton’s tone was a lot more calmer than the harsh tones he’d spoken earlier.

“No. We got him for all the information that he was worth. I know that another two packs caught traitors, not including yours. Cassidy I’d say collate with the other strategists. Get the information any way possible and work through it.” A low sigh escaped her lips and Isaac paused. “Cassie?”

She tried not to groan, she knew that when her old Alpha called her Cassie, it was his way of checking in with her as her surrogate family member and not her old Alpha.

Before she could speak up, Ashton cut her off, giving her an apologetic glance.

“Elder Greydown has been testing her patience. He’s been the one who has been teaching other pack Elders for tolerance with humans. However he borderline disrespects Cass in front of other Elders and pack members.”

Cassidy found she couldn’t be angry with Ashton as she laid her head on his shoulder, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek to convey that she wasn’t mad at him.

Isaac growled audibly.

“I’m assuming that his position is about to become open to other Elders?”

“Yes and no.” Cassidy answered calmly. “I’ve been training pack members to take over that role. However there’s been animosity between the two of them so I may ask for an outside Elder to come in and learn but then teach other packs.”

“I’ll speak with Elder Orion. You know he forever asks after you.” Cassidy grinned.

“That’s because I’m respectful to my elders, old timer.” She teased and Isaac barked out a laugh.

“Alright trouble. Get in touch when you want to plan with the strategists. I’ll spread the word to the other packs.”

“Appreciated Isaac.” Ashton muttered before the line went dead and Cassidy sighed.

“How long do we have until we need to be at the offices?” This earned a tired groan from Ashton.

“I don’t want to have to deal with Greydown’s disrespect. I’m hoping that the other Elders being there will reign him in but I’m not going to hold my breath. We need to start moving now if we want to get there on time.”

Cassidy moves from her mates arms, but not before giving him a gentle kiss. He smiled in return before pushing himself up and the two headed to get changed from the black outfits they’d worn in preparation.

Part of Cassidy was raging. Angry that rogues would make this attempt. Another part of her was filled with sorrow, knowing full well that there would be packs that would collapse from that kind of onslaught.

By the time the two had reached the offices, her mind was whirling. She greeted the Elders that were gathered, unsurprised at the lack of respect from Greydown.

It hit her.

She kept her body relaxed, refusing to give away her realisation. She knew that the moment he was discovered, it would either cause more problems or give them their solutions.

Taking Ashton’s hand in hers was always normal. Absentmindedly, she began to trace letters into his palm, making out soft patterns at each space so the game wouldn’t be given away.

The Elders knew she was very touchy with her mate for good reason. They eventually got used to their Luna’s quirks, barely concealed amusement on their lips at the resigned look on their Alpha’s face when she threw herself into the architectural planning of new homes.

Ashton understood her message, immediately switching to plan B. They’d concocted this plan when lay together, her mind frazzled with worry of a traitor being someone so close to them they’d never suspect it.

“Greydown.”

“Yes Alpha?”

“Tell me Greydown, why do you respect me but not my mate? And if you utter a word about her humanity, I’m sure she will take gleeful pleasure in throwing you from the window.” Ashton’s casual comment was met with a look of fear.

He pinned the older man down with a dead stare, the mirth gone from his face.

“She doesn’t know how to run a pack. And as your Luna, she still falls under your command yet flounces it regardless.” Both Irwins could see the hesitation. His words were just another dig at her humanity without outright saying the words.

“Tell me Elder Greydown, I have ever disrespected your authority?” Cassidy started. Ashton leaned back with a smirk.

“No, Luna.”

“Have I ever been found lacking with my leadership, especially when I was appointed the Head of the strategists?” His smirk grew wider. Greydown became slightly flustered, his cheeks dark as he avoided looking at her.

“No Luna.”

“Look at me.” Her voice rang with the authority she held as the Alpha’s mate and Greydown’s head snapped up, staring at her in shock and awe.

“Why do you believe that my humanity is a problem then? Everyone knows a wolf's mate is their ultimate weakness. Why is my humanity a deciding factor in that too? Or do you just hate humans on principle?” Greydown kept his lips pressed shut. “Answer me, Elder Greydown.” Her voice rang with the authority once more and he found himself unable to keep his mouth closed much longer.

“They’re a disease that needs to be taken under control. We’ve had six runts born since you arrived and clearly it’s knowledge of a disease to spread to packs, to ruin the hierarchy.”

Ashton’s smirk had fallen from his lips, standing from his chair as he stalked forward, closing the distance between the two.

Cassidy didn’t even try to stop her mate. She’d learned fast he was a possessive mate at the best of times but anyone disrespecting her?

She could only hope for Greydown that Ashton was in a kind mood.

“Watch how you speak about my mate, Greydown.” The growl was low, a warning.

Greydown scoffed in return.

“I will speak of the human how I want. She wants to believe she’s Luna so badly.”

The room froze at the Elders words, Ashton glancing back to his mate who had closed her eyes in rage and frustration.

She paid no mind to the others as she rose from her seat, her eyes snapping open and glaring at Elder Greydown. She didn’t miss how his eyes widened and his cheeks drained of their colour.

“You have no right to speak to me like that. Let alone the other humans in this pack who will outsmart you six ways to Sunday. You’re relieved of your duties of teaching tolerance. Tell me, would Leo Lockard treat this failure with the retribution he tried to give to me?”

The shock turned to horror. He attempted to move but found himself being pinned down.

“Sit still.” Cassidy snapped, her anger flooding dangerously. Greydown froze and didn’t move.

“Get him out of here.” Ashton snapped to the two guards that had restrained Greydown. His attention turned to Cassidy.

“Love, you need to calm down.”

“Why?” Ashton didn’t respond to her, merely pulling her to the mirror that sat in the office.

She stared at herself in shock, fingers reaching up to touch her skin, her eyes focused on the amber coloured eyes that stared back in shock.

Her gaze met Ashton’s as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“We can ask around other Elders. They’ll have something we can work on, with what’s going on.” Cassidy found her voice lost as she looked back to the mirror, watching as the amber coloured eyes faded, leaving her bright green eyes confused and tired.

===

It’d been days since Greydown had been exposed as a traitor to the pack. Ashton had kept the techniques used quiet, but he relayed all the information that Greydown had given them.

Part of Cassidy was screaming at her, telling her that something was off with the information.

“Ashton, I’m not saying that I don’t believe you-” The gentle smile from her mate as he cut her off relaxed her tense shoulders.

“-but it feels like something is wrong. I know sweetheart. But we’ve tried every tactic.” Ashton climbed into bed with her, her body automatically pressing against his as they fell into their positions easily.

Sometimes Cassidy marvelled at the bond. Their first year together was almost purely physical, like they were trying to reconnect their souls. And she’d guessed that in a sense they were. But the smallest thing would set Ashton off, and vice versa.

They learned what buttons could be pressed and what they needed to avoid. And after the first year, it calmed down so fast part of her wondered if it had just been a bizarre yet realistic dream.

When it had come to nights, they could share the night easily, no hastily ripped off clothes or pushing their delights into the early hours of the morning. Some days Cassidy just enjoyed being held by her mate, and others she enjoyed the way he ravished her until the early break of dawn.

Tonight was a night where she was content to lay in his arms, fingers trailing up and down her skin.

“Would you be willing to let me try?” Her question made him tense, but she was surprised he didn’t outright reject the idea immediately. This caused her to turn her head towards her mate who was wearing a contemplative look on his face.

“That wouldn’t be a bad idea. He wouldn’t expect you.”

“And we can see if what happened the other day happens again. It looked like he couldn’t even fight my orders, although he must’ve tried.” Cassidy’s tone was convincing, hardly daring to believe that her mate was even considering this.

“It’s one way of looking at it. But also, if he’s the only traitor to the pack, he’s the only one that knows about your eyes and the slight change. It means we have an avenue to look into that people may underestimate you for.” She could see that his mind was disappearing down various ideas. So she reached up and kissed him softly.

“We’ll keep considering my handsome mate. But both of us need rest, especially if I get to do this tomorrow.” The tease was delicate but Ashton could only grin.

“As you wish, my love.”

The following morning, Trixie was waiting for the couple at the breakfast bar. The majority of wolves that lived in the main pack house had either gone to school or work, or they’d be returning home from their shifts in the next few hours.

“Alpha.” Ashton took in Trixie’s exhausted state, her hands trembling but the determination set on her face intrigued him.

“Yes Miss Teller?”

She’s following formalities, Cassidy mused as she remained at Ashton’s side.

“Selene came to me last night. She has instructed me to oversee the next three days.” Immediately Ashton tensed and Cassidy wondered if he was going to change his mind about her dealing with the traitor.

Then it dawned on her that the techniques he’d most probably used wouldn’t be good for a fifteen year old human to see.

“What were her exact words, Miss Teller?” Ashton’s response was calm, but Cassidy knew her mate better.

“Tell your Alpha that the next three days are crucial for you. A prophecy will be in play that you do not understand, but must follow through.” Ashton hummed as he took in her exhausted appearance.

“What happened in the dream, Trix?” Her body seemed to sag at the use of her name as tears flooded her face.

“It was Roxanne.” Dread filled Cassidy’s stomach.

“She was h-hurt so badly. But no one cared about her!” Ashton was quicker than Cassidy as he soothed the distressed teenager. “S-she was dying, in the middle of a road. They hurt her so much. Tied her to a kennel and left her in the wilderness.” Cassidy froze.

“Sweetheart, what else happened?”

“She was crying for our Luna, but they laughed. They-they-” She was sobbing into Ashton’s chest now, her words cut off from her sobbing but when the two mates shared a look, they knew exactly what she had seen.

Her nightmare had been a mixture of what had actually happened to her older sister with her own nightmare of Cassidy never answering the call she’d made as a child. Cassidy left her mate to comfort Trixie as she called Roxanne.

“Luna?” Her voice was groggy and tired.

After the prophetic dreams began, Rae Teller had requested that Trixie remain in the pack house, knowing that the urgency and frequency of these dreams would be too much for the teenager. It’d distressed both the sisters and parents when the move first happened and Trixie was struggling, feeling like her parents were rejecting her.

However Rae called her every night for a month and visited as often as her new job would allow. She’d rediscovered her talent in peacekeeping, and often went on envoys with her husband to attempt to settle various conflicts.

Trixie then understood the need of her job and was the first to convince her parents to make the first trip when she was fourteen. Roxanne had already moved out of the pack house by that point but the sisters would meet for lunch before their respective school hours and work hours and almost always shared dinners together.

“You’re needed at the pack house today.” She responded softly.

“Is Trixie-”

“Your sister is fine. I’ll explain when you get here.” Cassidy cut her off calmly, knowing that she needed to be the voice of reason at this point.

Roxanne hated her past, she never opened up about it to anyone apart from the therapist that Ashton had convinced her to see not long before her eighteenth birthday. She’d resisted till she broke down in front of her Alpha. That was her turning point.

She’d never talked about the details to her parents, but they knew she’d been abused. However it had been some kind of unanimous agreement that Trixie would never learn of the horrors Roxanne suffered.

Their Goddess had taken the decision from their hands and shown her in her dreams in the worst way possible.

When Roxanne arrived, her hair dishevelled and clothes seemingly the first things she could pull on-sweatpants and a tank top-Cassidy intercepted her at the door.

“I need to tell you so it doesn’t shock you. Our Goddess came to Trixie last night.” Immediately Roxanne was wary, her dirty blonde hair falling in front of her eyes as she pulled it into a loose bun.

“Luna, what did she show her?”

“There’s something that’s going to happen today, I’m going to see the traitor we caught,” Roxanne’s eyes widened, “she was told she needed to be with me as it happened. However, the Goddess emphasised her point by showing you.”

“Me?”

“Specifically, what happened to you before I found you.” Cassidy watched as Roxanne took a step back, her face filled with shock followed by anger. Then resignment.

“It scared her, didn’t it?”

“She’s clinging to my mate sobbing her heart out, distressed because she saw you getting hurt. Apparently you called out for me and I never came.” That in itself was distressing for Cassidy, to turn her back on someone in need.

Roxanne didn’t hesitate to hug her Luna tightly.

“You came for me regardless. And you came for her too.” Cassidy felt slightly guilty, her own distress at the words eating her up. But Roxanne didn’t relent as she pulled away and looked towards the kitchen.

Cassidy needed no further encouragement as she led Roxanne to the kitchen to find that Ashton had sat on the bar stool, Trixie was sat cradled in his lap like a child. His voice was soothing, the sobbing having receded to gentle hiccups of noises as his fingers worked through her dishevelled jet black curls.

All Cassidy could think at that moment was how good a father he would be when they were ready.

“Trix?” Roxanne’s voice was hesitant and Cassidy watched as the younger sister scrambled off Ashton’s lap, launching at her sister, the tears still streaming down her face.

“Alpha told me that it was real. Please, please tell me he’s lying.” Cassidy could feel the tears prick the corner of her eyes. Roxanne’s were falling down her cheek.

“Alpha wasn’t lying, baby. Before Luna saved me, those nasty people who had me, hurt me in the worst ways. But then Luna rescued me, and brought me to you, where momma was the first wolf to show an ounce of love towards me.”

“R-rox.” the younger Teller’s voice trembled as she gasped her sisters name, but Roxanne shushed her, soothing her back curls with her hands as she pulled away to look her sister in the eyes.

“Then you came in, sat atop our Alpha’s shoulders and asked me to be your sister, that your warrior would protect us both and we’d have big brothers who are teddy bears.” Cassidy pressed her lips to stop the giggle at the description of Josh and Jacob.

The twins had lived up to that description, both of them forming solid friendships with the girls as they got older. No other wolf dared to insult the girls, knowing that it would get back to the warriors and they’d be facing a pissed off Alpha.

“I was reborn that day because of you, Trixie. You, momma and pops gave me a new life that I wanted. Whatever our Goddess showed you was probably true, I was treated with cruelty and hatred. But I found love in abundance with you.”

It wasn’t much longer till Trixie had calmed down enough to let her sister go, only to return to her Alpha and accept the hug that he offered her.

“I’m assuming our Goddess showed you that to show what could most likely happen. She’s done it before so we’ll follow her guidance for now. But any signal that you want out, just show and we’ll get you out of there, okay?” Trixie nodded against his shoulder before he moved and began to make breakfast.

Roxanne sat down, throwing a cheeky smirk to her Alpha.

“It’s not often you get an Alpha making breakfast for you Trix. Maybe I need to come by more often.”

“You can make your own breakfast, ratbag.”

“Hey, I came over here at your mates request! I was lying in the most comfortable bed at the time.” Roxanne whined in return, earning a laugh from Ashton.

“I doubt your mate would appreciate you calling him a bed.” Roxanne snorted.

“He makes the bed worth the comfort, but he doesn’t match the comfort of that bed and he knows it.” Ashton laughed, Trixie’s own soft giggles joining in and Cassidy smiled as she realised their ploy.

To make the teenager giggle.

When they reached the pack offices, Trixie was a lot more relaxed. Roxanne had foregone this trip, not entirely comfortable with the idea of watching an interrogation.

Ashton didn’t begrudge her this, instead asked her to coordinate with the other Elder’s with Elder Maybanks. The Elder never questioned the change, knowing that the disrespect would never have gone unpunished in Ashton’s eyes.

Cassidy felt her nerves, knowing that pack eyes were on her whether they’d announced this or not. People looked to how she dealt with situations and this was another one.

Calum greeted them with ease, pulling Trixie into a bear hug which made her giggle.

“Everything okay little bird?” His voice was quiet and she nodded her head, glancing at Ashton. He nodded it in return.

“Selene came to me last night.” Calum raised a curious eyebrow at that.

“She decided to show her something that involved her sister.” Cassidy’s voice was tight and Calum gave her a confused look before she shook her head subtly.

He took the indication and moved the subject forward.

“So that was what drew my mate from me first thing? Sounds fair. Didn’t think I’d see you here though, little bird.” The statement wasn’t laid with curiosity as the group finally moved, Trixie pulling away to move back to Cassidy’s side.

“I was told to be here.” Was the only reply she could give. Ashton smiled at her before motioning to his Head Warrior to hold fire.

Calum fell silent as they made their way through the offices, his stern glare making wolves pause in their approach.

Abel held no such qualms when he realised who was with his Alpha.

“You’re safe.” Trixie breathes before rushing to meet him, her arms going around his neck as she held him tightly.

“I’m sorry. Jacob got to me quick enough so it’s only desk duty for a few days rather than weeks.” He murmured in return and she simply held him a little bit tighter.

Cassidy watched with relief as he comforted her and she shared a small smile with both Ashton and Calum.

Abel had been invaluable to the Tellers. After his discovery that Trixie was his mate, he made every effort to help them get Roxanne settled into what should’ve been a life that she should’ve experienced growing up.

Trixie was kept in the dark about her mate until she moved into the pack house and finally understood that loving her best friend the way she did was okay because he was hers.

When Ashton offered to allow Abel to stay in the pack house she shook her head almost immediately; to Ashton’s confusion and Cassidy’s amusement.

“I-I don’t want that with him. Not yet.” Her voice was timid and Cassidy understood.

Ashton wasn’t quite so understanding.

“But he’s your mate?” Cassidy took pity on her own mate.

“She’s not ready to explore that side of their relationship. He’s her best friend and she’s comfortable enough to admit that she loves him but this is new territory for her. Not to mention, I doubt she wants anything untoward happening under her Alpha’s roof.” Cassidy’s explanation had sent Trixie red as a tomato, her eyes unable to meet her Alpha or Luna’s gazes.

But she nodded.

Then the light-bulb clicked for Ashton and he pressed his lips to hold back a laugh. He knew that laughing at the young human would distress her.

“Don’t be ashamed of your choice, Trixie. You know Abel will wait for you.” Ashton finally managed without choking on the words.

She’d fled soon after and then Ashton had laughed at the fact that she was so mortified.

But in that moment, the way her hands fluttered around his face-her eyes and hands searching for any visible injuries-it was painfully obvious how much she cared for him.

“Abel, with us if you will?” Ashton instructed as the group began to move once more. Trixie was torn between her Luna and her mate and Cassidy simply came up to her other side so that she was sandwiched between them.

Two more wolves followed behind whilst Ashton and Calum took the lead.

The group remained silent until they reached the elevator, only daring to talk as they passed underground level.

“Why is Trixie here, Alpha?” Abel finally asked and Cassidy just nodded at Ashton’s brief glance.

“She’s here because we found the traitor. Elder Greydown. We’ve tried to get all the information, however we’re not sure to trust it so religiously. So my mate is going to take a crack at him. According to Selene, Trixie must be with her.” Abel felt his stomach jolt as they reached the lowest level.

Cassidy took pity on the warrior wolf, his eyes darting to an oblivious Trixie.

“She was shown what happened to her sister.” Calum blanched at that, his sharp gaze meeting Cassidy’s.

“She didn’t.” He barely got out, his eyes flickering to Trixie who had seemed to hunch in on herself once she’d registered the conversation.

The group reached the first offices available to them which in turn gave Calum a second to pull his own composure as he sat down with Trixie.

“Have you spoken to Rox since the dream, little bird?” She nodded her head. “Do you understand what happened in the dream?”

She hesitated.

“I understand some of it. But not all of it.” She whispered and Calum wiped his hand down his face, a slow breath escaping him.

“Calum, I do not need her distressed before the interview.” Ashton warned and Cassidy sighed.

“She needs to understand it. As much as I hate the fact that Selene took the decision from all of us, she needs to understand the actions of those wolves and the consequences that followed.” Ashton frowned at his mate but did not contradict her as Calum leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees as his chin rested on his clasped hands.

“Tell me what the Goddess showed you, little bird.”

She described the dream in horrific detail, registering every mark and cut that had covered her sister's body in the dream.

Abel had fallen into his stoic face, Cassidy belatedly realising he was there that day to see the aftermath.

Calum was patient and wiped the tears that appeared on Trixie’s face as she described how both girls had been calling out for their Luna, but she never came.

“I’m so sorry you had to witness that, little bird.” Calum murmured and she took in a shaky breath at his words.

“Why did she show me that?” She finally whispered, the tears still in her eyes. Glancing to his Alpha, Calum rubbed his face with his hands before pulling away, a sigh escaping his lips.

“Our goddess is showing you that we’re on the right path. That had Alpha Lockard not cared for our Luna like he did, she would’ve died. That the packs would’ve potentially fallen to rouges if this continues.” Cassidy felt her stomach twist as Ashton’s arm wrapped around her possessively.

She couldn’t even find it in her to tell him to leave her be, because she knew on some level that hearing your mate might never have survived was difficult to hear.

“Humans are at the centre of this. There’s something in play that we don’t know about yet, but Greydown knows something.” Ashton finally murmured and Calum nodded his head as they finally stood and made their way to the interrogation rooms.

“If you need out, hit the door once. Twice if you need help.” Ashton murmured to Cassidy. She took a moment to see that he was genuinely worried, his eyes anxious and she placed her hand on his cheek, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“We’ll be cautious.” She murmured, knowing it was entirely pointless but she needed him to know that the thought was there.

Greydown openly smirked when they both entered the room, his arms bound behind his back, legs shackled to the chair he was sitting on.

“The big bad Alpha decided to send the humans? Ha. That boy was never an alpha. He wanted to so desperately believe but letting humans do a wolf's work? Pathetic.” Cassidy kept silent, her eyebrow lifting up being the only indication that she was listening.

This unnerved Greydown as Trixie followed her Luna’s example and kept her face impassive.

‘Don’t say a word. He’ll crumble.’ A voice whispered to the young human. She gave no indication, no acknowledgement. Simply stared at Greydown.

“Humans have been a bane to all the packs, to the lives we lead. Why should they be the ones who don’t have to hide?”

Silence was his only answer once more.

“Infections. The old prophets believed humans to be some kind of saviours of the packs. You’re nothing but thorns in our sides.” Cassidy moved.

“You believed words of a prophet?” Her tone was empty, and Greydown sneered.

“They were heralded as truth for centuries. But no humans were born to packs until now. Their words are nought but lies and desperation.” Trixie hid her smirk.

“Why were they lies and desperation?” Cassidy kept her tone impassive once more and Greydown scoffed before spitting at her. Trixie stiffened, the disrespect sending something akin to fury down her spine.

“The human born to wolves of lore, will hold the knowledge of Alphas unsure. To train and love and win the days, the wolves must seek their human mates. The one who shows the righteous path, will guide the Alpha to their new start. The prophet, the hurt, the broken and bent, will bring new times of peace and death. The dead reborn shall hold the keys, to start anew with the springtime breeze. The lonely wolf with no chance to escape, shall tear one from life to meet their fate. The humans born to wolves of lore, will lead the packs to glory and more.” The words were intoned, emotionless as another scoff followed.

Cassidy shared a look with Trixie.

“You will tell me how much Leo knows of this.” There was a firm edge to her voice and Trixie witnessed her Luna’s eyes flash amber.

“Leo knows nothing of the prophecy. He refused to believe in something that would, in his eyes, be wrong.” Greydown responded before his eyes widened and his lips clamped shut.

“Tell me what you know of what is happening to me.” Trixie felt a tingle run down her spine. Something in her was begging to submit to her Luna. Something she’d never felt before.

Greydown’s lips parted despite his obvious attempts to keep them shut.

“There were prophecies, that depicted the human born to wolves would possess the wolf. The human would have control of the wolf inside but there would be no change, no transformation. It would mark the start of an era that would either succeed or collapse. The prophet never said.”

Greydown’s words were forced, reluctant. But Cassidy paid him no mind as she turned her attention to Trixie.

Cassidy watched as Trixie stiffened, her eyes rolling back into her head as she let out a harsh breath. Her first instinct was to reach out but Greydown twitched and she froze.

“The traitors are gone, the cause is done but the wolf that roams alone will continue. The wolf that was denied will fight and the wolf that has sprung forth will thrive. The traitors are gone and the cause is done.”

Greydown stared at Trixie in shock as her head tilted forward, her eyes refocusing before her knees gave out.

The door burst open, Calum and Ashton storming in. Calum went to Trixie, scooping up the teenager with ease whilst Ashton wasted no time in knocking Greydown out before his attention returned to Cassidy.

“It’s answered a lot of questions. We’ll need to go to the Elders to learn more about this prophecy.” She nodded, but her focus was on Trixie who had taken in a startled breath.

“I’ve got you little bird. Abel is waiting for you.” Calum’s voice was gentle as they reached the meeting room they were previously in and Abel wasted no time in getting to his feet, cradling his mate so gently as she trembled.

“That was scary.” She finally whispered, her eyes finding her Luna who was pressed against her mate, relaxing to his touch as his fingers massaged her temples.

“It means you’re a strong prophet little bird. And we need to talk to the elders sooner rather than later.” Calum piped up and Cassidy sighed.

“There’s a lot we need to discuss with them. And maybe we can get this worked out before Leo decides to try his hand at another ambush.” Cassidy muttered as she sent Trixie a reassuring smile, leaning into Ashton’s touch.

===

When the Elders met, Cassidy brightened upon seeing Elder Orion. And despite her ingrained sense of respect, the second he opened his arms in greeting, she allowed the comfort of her previous elder wash over her.

“You truly have thrived, Luna. Your father and old Alpha pass on their wishes.” She found herself smiling at him before greeting the other elders.

“Luna Cassidy, what happened after we dispersed?” Elder Maybanks went straight to it once they were sat down. She sat protectively next to Trixie, her mate on the other side.

Abel realised there was more to the situation and remained silent as he comforted his mate, knowing she needed that more than anything.

“A lot of things have happened, Elder Maybanks. Our Alpha has been interrogating the traitor, when Selene came to young Trixie once more. She was shown what happened to her sister upon a decision that was made to use the new skills I’ve acquired,” she hesitated but Elder Maybanks nodded, “he told us about the prophecies.”

Elder Orion's gaze sharpened at her words and Elder Maybanks sighed.

“What else happened, Child?” Cassidy found herself hesitating, glancing at Trixie. The young girl took in a deep breath, her shoulders determined, but her hands trembled.

“I gave a prophecy.”

The Elders froze.

“Are you sure?” Elder Maybanks words were sharp, a steely glint in his eyes.

“I saw it with my own eyes, as did Head Warrior Hood. She’s a true prophet and a strong one.” Ashton cut in before Cassidy could snap. She bristled at the silent accusations of deceit from the Elder but Ashton had stopped her from putting her foot in it.

The worried looks shared between the Elders caused the Alpha and Luna to exchange worried looks. If this was concerning the Elders, what was happening?

“This changes a lot of things.” Elder Orion muttered as he leaned back in his chair. “Luna Cassidy, do you remember what I taught you about prophets?”

Cassidy could feel every set of eyes on her, and she determinedly ignored the look of shock from Elder Maybanks as she tried to remember what Elder Orion was discussing.

“I remember when you taught me about the witch trials, how packs were found by hunters who were seeking out witches and razed towns to the ground, no man, woman or child surviving. You mentioned something about prophets being saved by other packs but I don’t remember much else.” He nodded his head, turning to the other wolves in the room.

“Whilst Cassidy was growing up, Alpha Lockard assumed that she may have been a prophet. Not to say that she wasn’t extremely clever in her own right, but she seemed to predict the wrong moves that were made. We later realised that she had a strategic mind, a mind that calculated every potential move. There’s not been a prophet within the packs since the 1700’s. After the witch trials, they simply vanished.” Elder Orion explained.

This caused an alarm for Trixie, her grip on her mates hand getting tighter.

Elder Orion noticed immediately and smiled kindly to the distressed teenager.

“It is simply believed that prophets moved packs and never spoke about their gifts. We have always watched out for potential prophets in the more recent years, but in my own living history, I’ve never seen or heard of a prophet until you, Miss Teller.” This did little to soothe her, but Cassidy placed her arm around Trixie in comfort.

“Why is any of this important?” Calum finally asked, his eyes flickering between his mates little sister and Elder Orion.

“Because if Selene has truly gifted her as a true prophet, it will change the tide with the rogues. But also she will be sought out by many other packs, determined to bind her to their pack with a mate of their choice.”

Those very words were the wrong ones to say.

Abel growled lowly, the noise startling Trixie as his own body seemed to fight the transformation, amber coloured eyes glowing.

Cassidy felt her stomach swoop before Ashton stepped in.

“Abel, if you shift, you will hurt her. I’m ordering you to calm down.” The power of the command was heavy, his eyes falling shut as he went to move his arms around Trixie, but he froze.

Without any prompting, the teenager moved so that she was sitting on his lap, allowing him to pull her closer, his face pressing into her hair as he took in slow, steady breaths.

“I think that answers that.” Ashton muttered and Cassidy just felt the absurdity of the comment hit her, a giggle breaking through her lips before she was laughing, her head resting on Ashton’s shoulder.

“I think Luna has lost the plot.” A soft whisper came from beside her and she found herself struggling for air as she shook her head.

“I haven’t lost the plot. Just my mates comment, and the whole absurd idea that Abel would even let anyone near Trixie if she were in danger.” The teenager understood her Luna's words immediately and the two shared grins.

Ashton merely rolled his eyes at his own mate fondly, a soft smile on his lips before his attention turned back to the elders.

“Is there anything we can do for now?”

Elder Orion shook his head.

“The best thing we can do is protect her secret. Greydown will have to die regardless of his knowledge. He heard her prophecy.” This sobered the room up immediately, Trixie’s smile fading as she realised the implications.

“Is that because of me?” The question was timid and Elder Orion paused, his gaze turning to Cassidy and Ashton who turned their attention to the timid teenager.

“He was a traitor to the pack regardless of him hearing your prophecy. Traitors to the pack have two options. Exile or death. Greydown knows too much to be allowed exile.” Ashton explained softly and she sighed, a small nod following seconds later.

“I understand.” Cassidy could see that she did understand, and grimaced slightly, but there was nothing she could do.

“We also need to discuss what happened to Cass. Her eyes turned amber when she interrogated Greydown when she realised he was the traitor. Do you have any ideas?”

The two Elders shared a look before Maybanks spoke up this time.

“There is something, Greydown wasn’t wrong when he said that Elder’s across the globe believed that prophecy to ring true. We need to get full facts from some contacts. When we know more, we’ll sit down with you, if that’s okay Luna?”

Cassidy nodded her head.

“That works for me Elder Maybanks. It’ll give us a chance to deal with the consequences of today before we look into my own changes.” The two Elders nodded before the group dispersed and they went back to the main offices.

“Abel, finish up today and then take the next couple of days off. It’ll help your healing so long as you do nothing strenuous, so no weights and no shifting.” Calum finally muttered and Trixie stared at him in shock before turning to her mate.

Abel seemed to break into relief, his lips curving into a gentle smile. He knew a gift was being given to him at this moment and he decided to take it.

“Thank you Warrior Hood. I’ll be sure all paperwork is done and then take my leave.” He pressed a kiss to Trixie’s temple before making his way back to the small cubicle that was his whilst the rest of the group headed out of the pack offices.

“I’ll take Trixie back home.” Casidy hummed and Ashton nodded, his lips meeting hers in a short, sweet kiss.

“I’ll handle the problem. If there are any issues, I’ll call. Drive safe.” And with those words, they disappeared back into the pack offices and her gut knew what was going to happen. But she ignored those thoughts. Greydown was beyond saving, so it would be a mercy.

The ride back home was silent.

When they returned home, Trixie disappeared into her room, causing Cassidy to sigh before she made her way to her office.

It was one thing she was insistent on when her move to the pack became permanent.

She knew that Ashton had nothing to hide from her, and he knew that she had nothing to hide from him. However they both realised that being up in each others space wasn’t going to help either of them.

So she convinced Michael to stay on as strategist, however he then convinced the Elder’s to make her appointment not only official, but put her up there with the other Alpha’s. Within three years of moving to Vinewood, she was appointed the Head Strategist for all of the continents packs.

She accepted the title with grace in public, but within the confines of Ashton’s office, she voiced her ways of brutally murdering Michael as payback for putting this on her shoulders.

However, she shone as she went from strength to strength and that was when both her and Ashton decided to install an office for her and her alone. It meant that any confidential information would remain as so, but also it gave her the space that was not only hers, but also showed her hard work and the results of that hard work.

Once ensconced within her office, she contacted the other packs that had been attacked, gathering the information about the traitors and anything they had in common. That was what they needed to discover before Leo twisted his claws into more wolves.

It was easy to work in the silence, tapping away at her computer as she emailed back and forth with a few of the other pack strategists.

It was only when a gentle knock on her door made her pause, tearing her eyes away from the computer.

“Come in.”

There was a second of hesitation before the door opened to reveal a red eyed Trixie Teller and she felt her heart going out to the teenager.

“Sit down sweetheart.” Her tone was reassuring and gentle, coaxing the young girl to try to relax.

Once the door was shut and Trixie was seated, Cassidy studied her for a moment before she resumed typing away, knowing that the young girl would speak when she was ready.

She’d been dealt with a lot of knowledge, some of that being the death of a pack member because they heard her prophecy. It was a lot for anyone to take in, let alone a teenager.

The silence seemed to stretch on for longer than Cassidy had expected, but she’d glanced over a few times to make sure she was still there.

She was, but her eyes were glued to the floor, not even glancing up.

So Cassidy stopped, switching off her monitor and resting her hands on her desk.

“Talk to me sweetheart.” And finally, Trixie looked up, a frown upon her features.

“Today has been a lot.” The statement was simple, but it spoke volumes for Cassidy.

“It has. What do you want to talk about first?”

“Elder Greydown, well I guess he isn’t an elder anymore, but still. Why would Alpha kill him instead of exiling him? Even if he didn’t know of the prophecy?” The question was a good one, and Cassidy had been expecting it.

“You see, Greydown had continually disrespected me as Luna since day one. This has been six years of abuse that’s been building up. However, he committed treason against the pack. He willingly put young wolves in danger because he believed us to be diseased.”

She watched as Trixie’s face dropped.

“You wanted to redeem him, didn’t you?” The question wasn’t accusatory, and one look upon Cassidy’s face helped Trixie understand that. So she nodded.

“I didn’t want to think he was that bad that he deserved death over exile.” She finally whispered and Cassidy sighed once she realised that they’d stumbled onto the crux of the matter.

“It’s nice to try and see the best in people, trust me I did that for years. It was how I met my best friend. But sometimes, people just don’t have any good qualities in them. Greydown was one of those wolves who refused to see silver linings. He did not teach tolerance to the pack pups like he was meant to, he could have knowingly sabotaged that ambush that resulted in Abel getting hurt.”

She hated using Trixie’s mate as a point, but she needed the teenager to know that he’d arranged for it to happen in such a way. Mates were sacred, and had he succeeded in killing Abel, she would’ve been a shell of a person, either choosing to live like her sister had done and pray for a second chance mate, or follow after him.

And Cassidy was certain that she would’ve chosen to follow after him.

“He’s the reason why Abel got hurt?” There was a steely glint in her eyes, her jaw clenching and Cassidy hesitantly nodded her head.

“Ashton uncovered his treachery. It’s another reason why exile was not possible. He actively worked against the pack that nearly resulted in a death. The last time that happened in any pack and they chose exile, it led to the rogue issue that we have currently.”

“Leo?” Cassidy nodded. “What happened?”

And so the two sat there as Cassidy told her stories of her best friend, of how he had put faith in her plans but Leo-the jealous son of the Alpha who favored her-sabotaged her plans, therefore worked against the pack that resulted in Talon’s death.

Trixie remained stunned as she heard this tale for the first time, her unease slowly slipping away as she found herself engrossed in the story that her Luna was telling her.

By the time that Ashton had returned home, both girls had migrated down to the kitchen, choosing to cook a small meal together as Cassidy told Trixie tales of her childhood.

And despite how the day had gone, the heaviness that weighed on his chest, seeing the two of them giggling together over something that his mate had done when she was a child, it lifted Ashton’s soul from the floor back to the heavens where she’d first lifted it when he met her.

Trixie greeted her Alpha with ease, despite knowing what he had done, she realised that this was simply consequences of an action that nearly killed her mate.

“Alpha. Did you get a chance to eat today?” Cassidy smirked at the jet black haired teenager, Ashton shaking his head at his apparent new keeper.

“Not today little miss. There was plenty of deskwork with the field work that we had today, so not much was consumed food wise. I’ve certainly had my fair share of caffeine though.

This made Cassidy giggle.

“My mate seems to drink coffee like it’s water.” The look of disgust that Trixie gave her Alpha made Ashton smirk.

“When you have to patrol so many nights in a row whilst still remaining upright in the middle of the day, coffee would be your best friend too. I know that Calum is just as addicted and drives your sister up the wall with it.” His arms wrapped around Cassidy as he pressed a kiss to her cheek in greeting.

Trixie snorted.

“Yeah well, she likes the stuff too. It’s no surprise that they’re mates really.” Ashton laughed at her statement and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Don’t let her catch you saying that otherwise she might skin you alive.” He teased her playfully as she finished up the meal, elbowing his stomach as she moved to get some dishes.

This was what Cassidy loved. It was simplicity at its finest but also it was Ashton teaching Trixie to stand up for herself. If she could stand up for herself against her Alpha, then the world had no chance.

“Yeah well, she’d skin you alive first so I’ll just hide with my Luna under the nice, new, wolf skin rug that we’d end up acquiring thanks to my sister.” This set Cassidy off as they finally sat down to eat and she noticed that the dark cloud that hung over her mate had slowly disappeared.

“Brave words, tiny one. How about you and me do some training this week?” Her eyes lit up as a grin stretched across her face.

“Absolutely. Do you think we could include Abel this time so that he knows that I can protect myself? I know he’s my mate and he’s always going to worry, but I just want him to worry less.” She explained in a rush, Ashton nodding to her request.

“It shouldn’t be too difficult. But we’ll get Cass involved so she can sit on him to stop him from shifting and protecting you from me. Sound fair?” She nodded at his words as they dug into the meal and a feeling of peace settled over the trio.

Cassidy knew better than to think that this would last, but she was going to enjoy it whilst she could.

===

The first training session had been a disaster.

Abel hadn’t known what to expect, and watching his Alpha phase and launch at his mate was not on his list. Cassidy hasn’t had a chance to stop him before he shifted and crouched in front of Trixie.

It took Abel more time to come down from that bout of anger, but they left the session at that and Abel had kept his silence.

The next session was better. He was able to stop his initial reaction, especially after a firm talking to from his Luna, he watched.

And even though her techniques needed refining, he could see how she handled herself. That was when he began to understand why she wanted him to see her train.

Cassidy stepped in from time to time as well, showing the teenager some of her own moves. Ashton stepped back when this happened and Abel began to understand why his Alpha only had mild concerns for his mates safety.

She was a badass.

By the end of the session, Abel was relaxed in the knowledge that should anything happen, she could take care of herself.

“Why not make something like this mandatory for all of the humans in the pack, Luna?” Abel questioned as the quartet headed inside. They would grab some food before the two males would head back out to the pack office buildings.

“Because they’re children. They rely on adults to protect them.”

“And Trixie doesn’t?” Cassidy smiled at him.

“No. I don’t think she’s really relied on anyone since that day six years ago. It may seem simple to you Abel, but human children are so fragile compared to a young wolf. We’ve got a couple of the older ones in a self defence class, anymore at this point would be too much. When they hit thirteen, they’ll come to me and I’ll start teaching them then.”

“Two styles to switch it up, then?” And Trixie grumbled as Cassidy grinned.

“Someone in the pack who uses their brains.” This earned her a confused look and Trixie sighed.

“Luna had to practically spell it out to us why we were in self defence classes as well as training with her.” The way her cheeks turned pink had Abel grinning as he squeezed her hand gently.

“I have a step up since I’m one of the warriors. I can guarantee you other wolves would not think of it that way.” Ashton glanced at his watch and sighed.

“Practice with Cass, T-bird.” The teenager grimaced at the nickname as she ducked from the hair ruffle that her alpha bestowed on her as he walked past to kiss his mate.

Her own mate laughed before doing the same thing and kissing her forehead before he got up and headed out, Ashton following seconds later. Trixie hid her face in her arms, her hair a mess thanks to the two men.

“Stupid Alpha and stupid mate messing up my hair.” The grumble had been loud enough for Cassidy to hear, earning a round of laughter.

“C’mon, I’ve still got some time before I’m expecting a call. How about we take a look at your English papers.” The groan that followed from Trixie made Cass laugh as she all but frog marched the teenager upstairs to her office

Barely fifteen minutes in and her phone goes off, earning a curious look from Trixie as Cassidy picked up the call.

“Luna Irwin of the Vinewood pack. Who am I speaking with?”

“Cassie, thank god.” The relief in Issac’s tone caught her off guard.

“Two seconds.” She tilted the mouthpiece away as she looked to Trixie. “Would you mind finishing off downstairs? I’ll join you when I’m off.” The teenager didn’t argue as she gathered her things and shut the door behind her as she left.

“Cassie it’s been mayhem.”

“Issac slow down please, what’s happened?”

“There’s another traitor in the pack. But they killed a human child.” Her heart stopped at his words.

“Who?”

“That’s just it. We don’t know. I was sent an email, and god Cassie it’s gruesome. I thought it was a wolf at first because the kids' eyes were amber, but when we checked the registry and the young boy that was murdered was definitely human.”

“Fuck.” The whisper might as well have been a scream. “It’s been happening to me, the amber eyes thing. The Elders believe it’s a prophecy in play. Fuck.”

“I’ll forward it to you, but it’s brutal.” And with that, she opened up her computer, clicking through until the video uploaded to her screen.

And as she watched, she felt sick. Tears burned her eyes as she tried not to cry out, but when the final blow was delivered, she couldn’t stop herself.

Issac had stayed on the line for her, his steady breathing being the only thing that stopped the panic attack overwhelming her.

“I need to contact Ash, fuck, Issac this is big. The Elders are going to get involved.” Her brain was going miles a minute. “Have you found the little boy yet?”

“There’s a team working on it now. We’ve already been in touch with their parents. It was Demela’s and Mason’s youngest lad. Joseph.” And she felt her body lurch uncomfortably.

“Issac.” His name came out as a sob.

“I know.” He soothed.

Joseph had been one of the four children born into her old pack after she left. He came from a family with six older brothers who doted on him regardless of his status as a human. The first time she’d visited and she’d been introduced to the family, she’d clicked instantly. It had also been the first time that she’d really considered having a child.

“I need Ash. He needs to know.” Part of her felt disengaged and heartbroken, the other part of her was planning out how she’d skin the traitor for this.

“With the state of distress, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on his way.”

Issac’s words rang true when there was a firm knock at the door before it opened.

“Cass? Baby?” His frantic eyes searched for whatever was causing her this kind of pain. But she couldn’t get her words to work, only pointing at the video that was still open on her computer.

Issac spoke up.

“It’s something you need to watch, Alpha Irwin.”

Ashton realised immediately that if something could make his mate this distressed, then it was a bad thing.

And so he clicked play.

Cassidy tried to block out the noise, the images. But she couldn’t. Her heart broke all over again. But she could feel her mates anger through the bond. Anger that was mounting into fury and she grasped his bicep.

“We can’t leave this. We need to find the traitor.” Her words were quiet but determined. Ashton nodded once, his jaw set.

“We’re flying out to you, Issac. Expect us by nightfall with the Elders.” The decision was firm and Cassidy immediately moved and headed to their room to pack a few bags.

“Trixie will need to come with us.” Ashton’s words made her jump in fright, her hands trembling as she continued to fold the clothes up before packing them.

“She cannot see that video. And so help me goddess if Selene decides to take that decision from our hands because I will march up to her fucking door and demand judgement.” Her tone was harsh, but Ashton could hear her fear, her pain under the words. “He was a child.”

And her composure slipped into tears, Ashton pulling his mate closer as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“We’ll explain in basic terms to Trixie. We will warn her that should Selene take the choice out of our hands, it is gruesome. I need to call an emergency meeting. We need to get a warning to the families as well.” Ashton rattled off and Cassidy took in a deep breath.

“Calum, Luke and Michael need to see this. They need to prepare.” Ashton nodded at her words as he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

“Finish packing, I’ll go talk to Trixie.” She didn’t argue as he left the room. She knew that there was no way that she’d have been able to even describe what happened.

By the time that the trio had packed and gotten to the offices, Ashton instructed Trixie to stay with Abel until they left. He didn’t miss the frown, but Cassidy simply gave her a reassuring smile.

“Protocols need to be followed, Trix. Twenty minutes tops and then we’re heading for the airport.” Trixie nodded at Cassidy’s words and turned her attention to her mate, the two of them quietly discussing her latest pet project with an old computer.

When the Irwin’s reached the conference room, she fought down the need to be sick as Ashton played the video for the other three as well as the remaining Elders. Their reactions were ones of horror, but it was Elder Orion who had tears down his cheeks.

“Little Joseph, Demela and Mason’s youngest, correct?” He whispered and Cassidy nodded as she tried to wipe her tears away once more.

“Issac is searching for-for the place. He’s contacted the family. This was a brutal attack but it also means that there are potential traitors we don’t know about. Sleeper cells, if you will.” Calum nodded at her terminology.

“We’ll talk to the other families which have human children and see if we can convince them to the pack house. It’ll be easier to defend rather than trying to split our forces seven ways to protect the land.” Ashton nodded at Calum’s immediate response.

“Every wolf we have available has to be on this. Four teams on rotation for the pack house and double the patrol on the borders. No one gets in or out of the pack lands. Trespassers are to be captured and interrogated immediately, any violence is to be met with full force.” Calum nodded at his Alpha’s orders.

“Michael.” Cassidy’s voice was softer, but caught the blonde’s attention.

“Yes Luna?”

“I’m going to be coordinating with other packs on this. See if there have been any-any other murders.” She stumbled over the words and he nodded his head in understanding. “Also I’m going to place you in as my second in command. If any other strategists get in touch, they’ll be redirected to you. As of right now, I will be uncontactable until further notice.”

“Has it been approved?” His eyes glanced to Elder Maybanks who nodded in return.

“We cleared it last week. It was intended to be a surprise for you, but as you can see that’s had to change immediately.” Cassidy held back a snort.

“Luke, it’s basic day to day running as possible.If anyone asks, there’s been a credible threat with another pack that needs to be dealt with. Shutdown pack lines until we return home.” Luke nodded at that before Ashton returned his attention to Calum.

“Trixie will be coming with us. She’s already told her sister she has to go but not why. You need to make sure she doesn’t follow us. It’s going to be tough enough with the devastation from my Luna.” Calum nodded once more as he let out a breath of air.

Ashton and Cassidy were gone once it was confirmed that everything had been set in place.

They collected Trixie from Abel who looked unsure and the trio were up in the air quick enough. It wasn’t unusual for packs to have access to small airports, most preferred to travel by car or by shifting. But this wasn’t an option and it was the fastest way for them to get there without causing widespread panic.

Matthew was there to greet them and didn’t hesitate to pull his daughter into a warm hug as Ashton helped Trixie off the plane.

He greeted her with the same amount of ease and Ashton a firm handshake before they were bundled into the car and off again.

“Who else knows?” Ashton’s question was quiet but Matthew shook his head.

“The trees have ears.” Was all he replied with, causing Ashton and Cassidy to exchange alarmed looks. Nothing else was spoken about as they made their journey to the pack offices. It spoke volumes of the tragedy that had happened because there was no one else greeting them when they arrived.

They entered the building without being looked at twice. Cassidy stopped herself from going over to Demela and Mason when she spotted them. The couple looked exhausted and their children looked equally tired.

When they reached Issac’s office, Trixie had shrunk into Cassidy’s side, the intimidating and unfamiliar wolves unnerving her. Cassidy was briefly reminded of Hope as her dad knocked on the door before letting them into the office.

“Cassie.” Her eyes snapped to her younger sister who looked relieved to see her. She wasted no time in moving around the desk and launching at her older sister.

“Alpha Irwin, thank you for coming at such short notice.” Issac’s voice was tired and Ashton waved him off.

“You do the same for us, Issac. This young lady here is Trixie Teller.” Ashton gestured to Trixie who found herself feeling like a deer caught in headlights.

“Miss Teller, I’m so pleased to be finally meeting you, I just wish it was under better circumstances.” She gave him a wry smile in return.

“Likewise, Alpha Lockard.”

“Looks like humans can be taught manners, brat.” Issac’s voice carried to Cassidy, Trixie shooting a confused look to her Alpha who simply shook his head when Cassidy laughed.

“Oh no. With her own Alpha, she’s worse than what I was. With her sister, they tease him relentlessly.” She fired back before letting the girl go.

“Trix, this is my sister Hope. Long story short, she’s next for the Alpha title.” Trixie nodded as she shook hands with Hope.

“It’s nice to meet you Hope, I’ve heard a lot about you.” Hope gave her a crooked smirk.

“All lies, I assure you.” And Trixie giggled.

The giggle broke some of the tension and Issac’s shoulders slumped as he ran a hand down his face.

Cassidy truly saw her previous Alpha in that moment, the tired lines around his eyes.

“How’s Pandora?” Cassidy’s question brought a smile to his face.

“Good. Little Jessie is driving her mother mad.” This made Cassidy laugh. A few years after she’d left the pack, Issac had announced his mates pregnancy with sheer glee and she loved getting updates from him about the rascal.

“At least Pandora knows how to handle rambunctious pups with no sense of self-preservation.” Issac chuckled as he rummaged through papers before handing them over to Ashton.

“I understand the need to keep Miss Teller protected but does she need to be here for this?” Trixie remained silent, only casting a glancing look to her Alpha.

“She’s a true prophet.” Issac’s jaw fell slack, a gasp of air escaping from Matthew. Hope held a look of polite confusion.

“ Touched by the goddess herself.” Matthew whispered and Trixie shifted uncomfortably under the stares.

“Pack it in. She’s frightened enough and doesn’t need you two confusing her.” Cassidy snapped at them both and the two men exchanged looks.

“Cassie, you remember when we thought you were a prophet but instead you were scarily smart?” Matthew tried to keep his awe from his voice but didn’t quite succeed.

“I only know what you told me. I don’t remember much else.” At this, Matthew sighed before sitting down. Issac pressed his lips together.

“Do you want me to tell her?” Matthew shook his head.

“Tell me what?” The hesitation was in Cassidy’s voice as she looked between her dad and old Alpha with uncertainty.

“Parts of your memories don’t remember it because the Elders locked it away. When you were seven, you’d been stolen from under our noses.”

Her body went still.

“We believe that it’s linked with this killing. There’s no recognisable scent and it was a child who was not only human but one we’d been watching for prophetic tendencies.”

“You’re not telling me everything.” She could see the tears in her dad's eyes and then she slowly realised.

“No.” The word was a whisper but Matthew flinched.

She could never remember her mother’s death. She was told that it was a sudden death, that there was no notable cause for it. She’d been seven at the time because her eighth birthday had been the first one without her mother. Jamie had been three.

“They killed her in retaliation to us rescuing you.” She could feel her heart shatter. It was too much and with the situation going on, she couldn’t take off like she wanted to.

“I need to go.” She was up and out of the room, the tears running down her face as she took off for her old home, using one of the pack cars they’d arrived in.

Ashton didn’t even have a chance to try and stop her, the sudden heartbreak catching him off guard mixed with the overwhelmed feeling.

“I take it that the Elders locking the memory away was for her benefit?” Ashton couldn’t be angry. He understood to an extent that to watch a child suffer like so was difficult.

He watched as tears rolled down his father-in-law’s face.

“She awoke every night screaming. There were days when she would fight to get out of the house, her trauma so much that she couldn’t tell that I was her own father.” Matthew sounded so broken, Issac’s hand coming to rest on his Beta’s shoulders.

“Alpha?” Trixie’s voice was nervous and Ashton turned to the teenager and noted the pale pallor her skin took.

“Trixie? Are you okay?” The second he said that, her body slumped into the chair and Ashton swore.

“This is too fucking much Selene.” He snarled, scooping the teenager up, cradling her carefully. Hope looked stunned for a second.

“Selene?” In truth, although Ashton had known she was there, she’d kept herself quiet enough to have become background noise, something he wouldn’t have noticed had she not spoken up.

“Young Trixie usually has prophetic dreams, only once has she gone into a trance. But with the prophetic dreams, if she is awake at an inconvenient time, she will suffer in such a way until she passes out. Cassidy believes this to be because she is young and therefore is not trained to handle the drastic changes.”

“Your mate may be onto something there, Ashton.” Issac finally hummed.

The young human twitched and the colour began to return to her cheeks and Ashton sighed.

“You love her like your own, don’t you?” Matthew murmured, his face clear of tears but his eyes rimmed red. Ashton nodded.

“She has kind and loving parents who love her and her sister. It’s not a parental kind of love, more like I see her as a younger sister, someone to protect. It’s the same with her older sister. The only instinct that is stronger is my bond to Cass.” Hope giggled.

The giggle once more eased the tensions that had been building up and he felt the heartbreak ease in his chest. She was somewhere safe.

“And what’s so funny little miss?” Matthew teases his youngest child, unable to stop the smile at her cheeky grin.

“Sounds to me that Alpha Irwin got bitten by the same thing that had Cassie practically adopt me so many years ago. The only thing that was stronger than the bond she has with me was the one that Leo created. It’s why when the bond was broken, my bond with her was what eased it and helped me function.” Hope explained gently and Ashton understood.

His awe for his sister-in-law increased tenfold and she found herself blushing at his impressed look.

Matthew finally chuckled.

“Somehow we thought she was just an anomaly, however the fates certainly matched you two well, Ashton.” And Ashton grinned.

Trixie finally stirred and her cheeks went dark as she pressed her face into Ashton’s shoulder.

“It happened again didn’t it?”

“Unfortunately so, my favourite human.” At the muffled curse, Ashton laughed.

“Selene really picks her moments.” She finally pulled away and retook her seat, eyes locking onto Hope.

“When Luna returns tomorrow, you and her will need to head to the next city over, without guards shadowing you. One to drive and one as a backup but they stay in the car. A rogue is unsure and has the information we need. Selene wishes for him to be tried under pack law and for Luna to use her gift on him to get the truth.” Ashton knew better than to voice the outrage but he tampered it down to a raised eyebrow.

Issac and Matthew however, disagreed entirely, voicing their displeasure.

“Hope that’s an ambush at best, suicide trip at worst!” Issac snapped and Trixie turned her gaze to the other Alpha. Ashton recognises the look immediately and turned his attention to the other three.

“You will listen to my avatar on this earth Issac James. The rogue is unsure about the goals of the rebellion and is pulling away. Cassidy Helen will set things right for another pack and give Hope Rose a second chance.”

Both Issac and Matthew froze.

“Selene.” They whispered in unison. Hope was speechless.

Ashton tried not to smirk as Trixie returned her attention to Ashton.

“I will visit Cassidy Helen tonight. Do not panic if you feel your bond fall dormant. I’m most proud of you Ashton Fletcher.” He simply inclined his head before he watched Trixie give a little shake before meeting her Alpha’s amused gaze.

“At least it wasn’t in front of a prisoner this time?” She offered timidly and Ashton burst out into baritone laughter.

“Life will never be dull with you and your sister around, Trixie. Issac, Hope, Matthew, we will see ourselves down to the canteen for some food and let you digest this information. As you realise, this cannot be known by anyone, not even Jamie until Selene deems it safe. Like you said, the trees have ears.”

Issac could only nod weakly before Ashton escorted Trixie down to the lower floors where the canteen was situated and they got themselves some food.

Trixie remained by his side, unwilling to stray towards the unfamiliar stares. She felt like she was under such scrutiny but once those eyes turned to the man next to her, their gazes dropped and they never cast a look in her direction.

Confused, Trixie turned to Ashton to question the strange behaviour but then she saw the murderous look upon her Alpha’s face and understood why they averted their gazes so fast.

Unsure how the other wolves would take her teasing her Alpha, she kept herself formal.

“Alpha, will Luna be okay?” Ashton glanced at the teenager and noted her shy hesitance. He smiled kindly at her as they collected food. She didn’t protest when he paid for it.

“This was just a step too far. She needs to process that before she’ll come back. She’ll always come back to us, but much like when you hide away after it’s been an overwhelming day, it’s been an overwhelming week for her. We just need to give her space.” Understanding dawned as they sat down and ate silently, listening to the steady flow around them.

It was towards the end of their lunch that Hope appeared, paying no mind to the small bows from her pack. Trixie frowned.

“May I join you?” Hope’s question was met with a nod from Ashton but the frown on Trixies face didn’t let up.

As Hope sat down, she finally caught the look on the teenagers face and raised an eyebrow.

“Everything okay Miss Teller?” The use of her last name startled her and a blush coated her cheeks but she remained silent. Hope wasn’t too sure how to take this and Ashton snorted.

“She takes offence to ignoring your pack when they acknowledge you. It’s not something I like to practice unless I’m in an emergency.” Ashton explained softly, and Hope had the decency to look ashamed.

“It’s still something I can never believe. Alpha Issac is still working on that with me.” Trixie nodded but remained silent as she took another bite of food, clearing the plate.

Ashton had pushed his plates to the side long ago but waited for the teenager, knowing her discomfort.

“Would you like to see her training? Your sister has been training her so far and it’d be nice to get an outsiders opinion of her progress who knows where she should ideally be.” Trixie grinned and Hope returned it with a smile of her own.

“I would be delighted Alpha Irwin. Miss Teller, if you would follow me?” And the trio left without another word between them, the stares of the pack members following them out of the doors.

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therainroguefanfiction · 4 years ago

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⚾ Adversary; Yuuichirou Tajima (Sportember #008)

📑 Table of Contents | ⚾ Challenge Post

Genre: Slice of Life, Angst, Fluff, School

Word Count: 2,796

Pairing: Reader x Tajima

World: Ookiku Furikabutte

Prompt: Adversary

Sport: Baseball

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Your eye twitched as you looked down at your test, seeing a bright red 90 written at the top of the page. Sako, your seatmate, smirked at you as she pushed her test to the edge of the desk, allowing you to see the perfect score.

“Damn, another one-hundred. I’m just way too good at school work.” She sighed dramatically, flipping her black hair over her shoulder.

“Wow, you’re so smart, Sako-chan!”

“You’re the smartest kid in the whole year!”

Sako laughed loudly, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “What can I say? I’m just so perfect! Ahaha!”

Your jaw clenched, hand fisting around the test and nearing tearing it from the force. ‘What can you say? How about nothing.’ Stuffing your things into your shoulder bag, you stood up and left the room. Ever since Sako transferred to your class during your second year of middle school, she had made it her personal goal to beat you at everything you did and, no matter how much effort you put in, you were never able to beat her.

Not even once.

Academics, sports, art – she truly was amazing at everything she did and that pissed you off to no end. It made you feel insignificant, useless, like your efforts were completely pointless.

“What’s your problem?” Abe questioned after rounding the corner, nearly running into you.

Since both of you were heading for the baseball field, you fell in step with each other. “S’nothing.”

“Clearly. Was it the test?”

“…”

“Did you fail?”

“No.”

“Then, what’s the problem?”

Your lips parted but you quickly clamped them shut, choosing to shrug off the question instead. No one knew about your feud with Sako and, honestly, you worried that people would find it stupid. Even you found it stupid sometimes and, when you started high school, you had made a vow to yourself not to let her get to you, but you had long since broken that vow. It’s as if he knew exactly what buttons to press to get under your skin.

“No problem, just tired.” You finally answered.

Abe shrugged, silence falling over you. You heard the rest of the team before you saw them and that helped to lift your spirits. They had grown to be like family to you and you cared so deeply for them. ‘Well, I can’t consider Tajima family, though…’

Your cheeks heated up as you thought about the first-year. For you, it had been love at first sight, but you knew he just considered you as one of the guys. That was fine, though. Being friends with him was enough for you, as long as you got be close to him.

“Y/N~” Mizutani ran up to you, throwing his arms around your neck. “I want to show you this new technique I’m working on.” He started to explain, but you had already zoned out, eyes focused on your crush as you passed him by. He had his back to you, talking excitedly to Mihashi about one thing or another and you couldn’t help but chuckle at how excited he was.

‘He’s so damn cute.’

“You should just tell him,” Mizutani stated when he realized you weren’t paying attention.

“Nah, I’m not even his type. It’d be a waste of effort.”

He deadpanned at your excuse. “People can have a type and still fall in love with someone that doesn’t fit that type.”

“When the hell did you start sounding so smart?”

“Rude!” He bumped his shoulder against yours, making you laugh.

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“Y/N, wait up!” Coach Momoe jogged toward you with a smile, making you pause. “I need a favor.”

“Sure, what can I do for you?” You smiled politely as you turned to her, readjusting the books in your arms.

“Well, Tajima and Mihashi are failing several subjects,” she stated with an annoyed look on her face. “If they don’t get their grades up soon, I can’t let them play anymore!”

You realized what she was asking, forcing a soft smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll see what I can do to help them out.” It’s not that you didn’t want to help the boys, and you certainly wanted to spend more time with Tajima, but next week was the History pop quiz and you had to study harder. You were sick and tired of feeling inferior to Sako and you were determined to finally beat her at something. Just once, that’s all you wanted.

Lurking around the corner of the building, though, was Sako, listening in on the conversation. A plot was quickly forming within her mind and she smirked when she thought about your reaction.

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When class ended, Sako shot up out of her chair, rushing out of the room with her black hair swaying behind her like a cape. Your brow furrowed in confusion as you paused, staring at the door. ‘What the hell is up with her? She never leaves without insulting me at least once… maybe that’s a sign that things are getting better for me.’ With a soft smile, you gathered your things and headed for the baseball field. What you found, however, made your heart clench painfully.

Tajima and Mihashi were sitting in the dugout on the bench, facing each other with their notebooks between them. Sako stood behind Tajima, one hand on his right shoulder while she leaned over his left, her chest pressing against the back of his head.

‘Why… is she here?’

“Y/N,” coach Momoe sent you a concerned look as she approached you. “Sako told me that you weren’t feeling well. Why didn’t you tell me that you’re stressed out about school? I would have understood.”

“N-No, I’m fine.” Your mind was spinning in overdrive, trying to process the current situation, unable to tear your gaze away from Tajima.

“Don’t lie to me,” she scolded lightly, putting her hands on her hips. “You look like you’re about to pass out. Go home and get some rest, Sako will tutor them in your place.”

‘No, no no!’ You wanted to scream, to cry about how she had lied to them. ‘But they won’t believe me. Why would they?’

Tajima glanced up, his reddish-brown eyes meeting your own. Sako also looked up, giving you a victorious smirk as she leaned closer to him. Tears welled up in your eyes and you lowered your head, biting down hard on your lower lip to keep them at bay.

‘This isn’t fair… damn it!’ The books you were holding slipped from your grasp as your arms fell to your sides. ‘She really won’t be happy until she takes everything from me…’

“Y/N, what’s -”

You turned on your heal and took off running, ignoring the concerned calls of your name. Tears trailed down your cheeks, warm in the summer breeze. It felt like your heart was slowly cracking within your chest, a pain filling you like never before. Everyone loved Sako, so you knew Tajima would be no different.

‘This is your own fault, Y/N. You shouldn’t have been so obvious about your feelings!’ You always knew it would hurt if Tajima ever expressed an interest in someone, but you were sure you could get over it as long as he was happy, but… why her?

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A loud banging sounded on your bedroom door for the third time that morning, but you ignored it once again, staring blankly at the wall, wrapped tightly within your comforter like a burrito.

“Y/N!” Came your older brother’s voice, slightly muffled by the door but still quite worried. “It’s been a week, you can’t keep missing school! You’re gonna get held back, you know.”

But you didn’t care. If you were to get held back, then you wouldn’t be in class with Sako anymore which meant no more competitions, no more losing, no more feeling inferior. It sounded like a good option to you.

Your brother sighed and you heard feet shuffling down the hallway followed by a thick silence, the kind of silence that makes your ears ring. You tried so hard to go back to sleep, but your mind kept going back to the team. Did they even miss you? You doubted it since none of them had stopped by to check on you. Had they replaced you with Sako? Jealousy mixed with pain and anger, making tears well up within your eyes, but you wiped at them furiously because you were so damn tired of crying.

There was another knock on the door, softer than before. It wasn’t your brother. “Y/N, open up.” Mizutani’s voice floated to you, much softer than your brother’s had been so you had to strain yourself to hear him properly, but you could hear his concern. “It’s been so long, I forgot what you look like! Come on~ don’t you want to see your bestie?”

Your hand clenched around the covers because you did want to see him, but there was something inside of you that kept you in bed, preventing you from reaching out.

“I brought you a llama plushie!”

For the first time in a week, your spirits lifted slightly, eyes gaining a bit of life. Your body felt heavy and sluggish as you forced yourself up, toes flexing on the white carpet. The lock clicked as you turned it, stepping back as the door swung open. Mizutani’s usually cheerful smile was flipped into a worried frown, eyes searching your face, but you refused to look up from the carpet.

“Here.” He held out the small, purple plush to you and you accepted it gratefully, pulling it against your chest as you closed the door behind him before slinking back to your bed. He followed, plopping down onto the end, leg pulled up so he could face you.

“Thank you,” you mumbled softly, rubbing at your swollen eyes.

“Don’t thank me,” he grinned, folding his arms over his chest. “Tajima bought it for you, but your brother wouldn’t let him see you.”

Your cheeks burned at the thought, holding it tighter. “Really?”

“Yup! The whole team came to see you, but since your brother didn’t know what happened to you, he refused to let any of us see you, not even me!” He huffed, as if the idea offended him. “Finally, he agreed. Took him long enough.”

“I see…” you chewed on the inside of your cheek, feeling guilty for doubting your friends.

“Did you really think we forgot about you?” He quirked a brow, an amused grin upon his lips. “The team loves you, idiot.”

“Don’t call me an idiot, you idiot.”

Mizutani laughed, but then he sent you a serious look. “You want to tell me what happened? You know I’m here for you always.”

You frowned, lightly brushing the curled fur atop the llama’s head. “It’s… Sako.” As soon as the words left your lips, they refused to be stopped, tumbling from your mouth like rain from a clouded sky. You ended up telling him everything from the moment she entered your life and it felt so amazing to get everything off of your chest. You felt so much lighter, even with the tears sliding down your cheeks. “It was so stressful, but I could handle it all. At least until she… she…”

“She started hitting on Tajima,” Mizutani stated as he started to piece it together. He had thought it was strange how Sako suddenly showed interest in the baseball team and especially in Tajima himself. Everyone had thought the same thing, really, but no one could have suspected what the truth was.

You nodded. “I don’t know how she found out about my feelings. It’s probably my fault for not being more careful, but I know she was planning to take all of you from me, to prove once again that people will always choose her over me. I know that because she did the same thing back in middle school.”

His eyes widened a bit in surprise. “Really? What happened?”

“When she first transferred, I tried to befriend her and even brought her into my friend group. One of those friends I had a crush on and we had a date on the weekend, but he stood me up. I later found out that she had convinced him to leave me and go out with her instead. When I confronted her about this, my friends got angry at me for accusing her of such a thing. I don’t know how she did it, but she turned everyone against me, made me out to be the bad guy. I… Mizu, I’m so scared that she’s going to do it again.”

He frowned sadly, placing his hand over yours. “Y/N, that’s not -”

The door burst open with enough force to bounce off of the wall, making you nearly jump out of your skin. Tajima stood in the doorway, looking angrier than you had ever seen him before. Your face burned, knowing that you must look horrible with your red eyes, swollen from crying, and your hair sticking up in all directions.

“Tajima!” Mizutani scolded, turning to sent the boy an annoyed look. “I told you to wait outs -”

“That won’t happen!” He declared loudly, his reddish-brown eyes boring into your own. Like a magnetic pull, you couldn’t force yourself to look away. “No one can replace you, Y/N, especially not someone like Sako!”

“Oi! You can’t just -”

“Listen to me!” Tajima interrupted him again, closing the distance without ever breaking your gaze. “There’s only one you in the world and no one can compare!” A grin slowly slid onto his lips as he held his hand out to you. “Besides, she’s too late because I love you already!”

“N-No shame!” Mizutani cried in disbelief. He couldn’t imagine just blurting that out without fear.

Tajima laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “Besides, you’re the only one that really gets me going when I masturbate, Y/N.”

“Are you an idiot?!” The orangette cried, jumping off the bed and grabbing the front of Tajima’s shirt. “You can’t just say stuff like that!”

“Eh? Why not?”

“Because it’s weird!”

“What do you mean weird?” He huffed in response, putting his hands on his hips. “It’s completely natural!”

You suddenly started laughing, hiding your face in the soft fur of the llama.

Mizutani’s face fell as he turned to you. “Don’t encourage him, Y/N.”

“I’m sorry,” you chuckled, smiling brightly as you reached for Tajima’s hand, still outstretched toward you. His fingers curled around the back of your hand, his eyes shining as they met yours. “Thank you so much, guys. I… I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

With a relieved sigh, Mizutani sent you a smile. “No trouble at all, that’s what high school is for, right? Drama is the essence of life.”

“No,” you wrinkled your nose. “This is not an anime, Mizu.”

“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes. “Are you gonna come see the others? They haven’t stopped messaging me since I arrived.” To prove his point, he pulled the phone from his pocket and showed you the screen where the notifications were constantly scrolling as new messages came through.

“Yeah, just… give me some time to get a shower?”

“Sure thing.” He headed for the door, pausing to wait for the black-haired boy.

Tajima leaned forward so he could whisper in your ear, voice lowered. “You finally beat her at something, Y/N~” He then pecked your cheek and headed to the door. “Man, I’m starving!”

“You just had breakfast, how can you be hungry?”

“I’m a growing boy!”

Their voices faded as they got further down the hall. You glanced down at the plush in your hands, unable to stop smiling. He was right – this time, Sako wasn’t going to take away the people that you cared about. ‘I don’t think my heart has ever felt this full before… what a strange feeling.’

“Y/N, hurry up~!” Tajima whined as he stuck his head back into the room. “Let’s go get food!”

“Ah, I have to shower, hold on!”

“Shower later,” he pouted. “You look gorgeous just how you are!”

“F-Fine,” your face heated up as you headed for the door. “At least let me change into some clean clothes.”

With a nod, he headed back down the hall and you shut the door, locking it for good measure. You quickly changed into some comfortable, clean clothes and tried to make yourself look as presentable as possible before heading for the living room. The entire team was there waiting for you, smiling brightly when you arrived. They pulled you into a tight group hug, telling you how much they missed you and asking if you were okay.

You had never felt so much warmth in your entire life.

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allbeendonebefore · 4 years ago

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Any headcanons for Oliver? I read the list of headcanons for some of the other provinces that you did and I’m very curious.

oh boy those were ages ago i’ll dig up a few so i can remember the vibe of the things i wrote

for those of you just joining us, my past headcanon posts

BC | AB | SK | MB 1 + 2 | NB

while other provinces are torn between living in one city or another or out in the middle of nowhere, oliver doesn’t have that issue. he lives in toronto and holidays in one of an entire network of cottages across the province and does not feel conflicted about that in the least. and he doesnt live “in toronto” in the gta, he lives IN toronto in some old annex style house and good luck getting rid of him.

he LOVES living alone, he relishes his independence, he does NOT miss being trapped living with jean NOT ONE BIT!! he does NOT create fake arguments over what should go over the mantle or what to make for dinner with the chattery squirrel outside because he’s LONELY.

Self indulgent headcanon but since he understands how difficult it is to live in the city and how valuable a good education is, he will occasionally rent out the basement to a quiet and tidy university student or two. He has a soft spot for kids who are trying to find their feet and figure out who they are away from their parents (as long as they do their chores).

Despite his downtown living and his urban elite image, he has experience working in factories and on farms and that tends to catch people off guard. He knows his way around milking a cow and he loves to tinker with machinery, getting his hands dirty doesn’t bother him even though he does love to mope and solicit pity.

he just cannot physically help being overdramatic and bitchy, it’s just the tough outer layer he developed trying to survive american assimilation (and jean’s cutting words lol). he thinks his sarcasm is among his most endearing quality, since the people who Get It always laugh.

OF COURSE THERE ARE GRADES OF MAPLE SYRUP ??? why Wouldnt there be

he thinks his most relatable story is tfw you cut the bag of milk too open and it sloshes everywhere and doesn’t get the mixed reception at parties

It’s not that he doesn’t drink or that he’s against drinking, per se, at least, not anymore. He just likes being the designated driver because he likes the moral high ground, not because he’s secretly a mother hen who wants everyone to get home safe.

he grew up in the southern... peninsula (you know that... sorry i get so confused about whats north and west in ontario.)Anyway it’s not that he doesn’t Also represent Northern Ontario, it’s just sometimes hard to pry him out of his original comfort zone and he sometimes gets stuck in his own head in the south.

it’s not like mani would know what to do with all that space up there anyway, it’s just best that he takes care of it, it’s always best that he be left to manage things, he’s just more organized, he’s the brains, he’s the one with the vision, no he does not accept constructive criticism, what kind of leader would he be if he was openly questioned... that’s not how he was raised at all. imagine, entertaining other people’s ideas.

Ollie likes to think he’s the rational one but pretty much every move he made in his early days was out of fear and anxiety; he can sometimes be overly cautious and people who just go out and do things just baffle him.

He’s really open with his feelings (particularly when it involves complaining, which he loves) but he’s horrible at delegating tasks or asking for help. He also gets easily frustrated when people have given up on helping him without him having to ask, but he still insists on trying to do everything himself.

is it weird i cannot fathom him in anything but an mlm relationship lol

He won’t forgive rude behaviour, even if he appears like a doormat to an American. He remembers when he’s been rude to and compensates by being overly polite. The only person who’s immune to this seems to be Jean, who always seems to be getting away with being rude...

that said he drops way more f-bombs than most of the others and americans always either think it’s either adorable (and make fun of his perceived accent) or are SO SHOCKED that their INNOCENT BABY FRIEND would have such LANGUAGE!

has such. a weird. distorted. romantic idea of what road trips are. i dont know if he knows how to travel in places where rest stops arent cleaned every couple hours or if he’s ever had to pee in the bush or stay in a place without electricity in the time that he’s owned a car.

he’s always been a huge natural history nerd, he loves spending time in natural history exhibits and geeking out over weird birds and fish and minerals.

shakespeare in the park anyone?! shakespeare in the living room??? shakespeare over zoom conference? reciting shakespeare while outside oil painting the fall colours?! DID SOMEONE MENTION SHAKESPEARE.

he also loves sailing and swimming and he’s got a weirdly extensive canoe collection squirreled away somewhere.

had a LOT of pressure on him as a kid to be the Good and Perfect child, not like those nasty yankees. He’s not very good at acting out and being rebellious, but he will absolutely stand his ground on an issue that’s dear to him, particularly if his control over something is threatened.

anywhere you can’t take a train to is fake adn should not have been counted

he’s still an avid tea drinker and has lots of opinions about tea time and has been making the same recipes for literally 200 years (jean puts up with this because he cannot be assed to make his own little fine cakes, ok, and if ollie has extra for him to take home its to his advantage. if oliver makes extra specifically because he knows jean likes them, that’s for him to know. and same with homemade fudge and butter tarts and candy and ice cream, neither of them outgrew their sweet tooth)

also he’s somewhat motivated by jean’s blunt reactions to his baking because thats how he’s going to survive the blue ribbon baking and jam making events against those tough and bitter old ladies, jean is perfect practice (although some of his best and most nuanced insults don’t translate very well)

his french is not bad nor is he embarrassed of it, he’s annoying in both official languages.

he gets mad when you say he’s practically interchangeable with matt but he still seems to think the things he does are things that all canadians do or like or have, i mean, why wouldn’t they? but they still owe him for that.

he compensates for his relative lack of interest or seeming inability to ask the others how they’re doing (because thats rude! and prying! and he’s sure they’re just fine! he doesn’t meddle anymore because people get upset when he rearranges their pantries) with an almost weird obsession with his self image and what’s happening internationally

#IM SORRY I TRY TO MAKE THE HEADCANONS NOT ALL SALTY AND BITCHY OLLIE BUT #pc: ontario #pc headcanon #hapo rambles #hapo replies #Anonymous

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calebbrewster · 5 years ago

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Hey! I love your blog ♡ I'm glad there are still active TURN blogs around. On that note, I've been trying to find more ppl to follow to get a bit more of it on my dash, but I get the feeling most of my follows are to mostly dead blogs? Would you recommend me one or two that still post about it? (As many as you can tbh). Thank you and happy holidays! (♡ your header's lovely btw). P.S: How do you feel about Caleb Brewster?

thank you so much!

of course, here’s a quick list of some blogs i know of that post TURN on a pretty regular basis:

@francishollahyde@unshaven-insane@ragtags@townhulls@revolutionarytea@americantoinette@continentalblue@baguetteems@postsfrom1776@princesspatria (tumblr won’t let me actually tag her for some reason)@1hamandjam1@schoop-de-doop@bucephalussays@historicalhuman@general-wheeee@hiddensidekick

(to all turn fans who see this: help out and REBLOG/LIKE THIS if you post about turn:ws!!)

about Caleb Brewster, I’m so glad you asked, but i’m going to put it under the cut because this could get long (also, spoilers)

GOD i love this chaotic bastard angel of a man. he’s wild, he’s funny, a ball of pure energy. he’s so off-the-wall insane but he’s also a rock. he’s the anchor to our little core four of characters. he’s Ben’s conscience and companion, Abe’s voice of reason and sometimes the fire under him, he’s Anna’s safe space. He cares for them, protects them, keeps them sane.

somewhere in a book on the Culper ring it talks about Caleb kinda being “in it” for the fun of it rather than purely for “the cause” and I thought that was really interesting because Caleb is portrayed in a similar light in the show - he is shown to hate the redcoats and have disgust for tories but it’s usually more on the behalf of the people he loves, not so much a personal dislike. he hates Simcoe for Abe and Anna in the beginning (and hits him when he teases Ben). but I’ve always gotten the feeling that it’s his loyalty to the people he loves that drives him more than a general sense of injustice (which is what drives Ben and Anna- is this making any sense? who knows).

speaking of loyalty, let’s talk about that! Caleb is the most ride or die bitch you will ever find (apart from Mary, i think that’s what makes them understand each other so well). in one of the deleted s1 scenes, Caleb and Ben talk about Caleb leaving the army after the new year because his bounty will be up. buT THEN DING DONG, BEN IS IN DANGER and so Caleb, of course, stays and I get the feeling he wouldn’t have really left in the first place. Caleb’s loyalty fuels him to heights and limits the other characters shy away from and it makes him invaluable to the cause.

another thing: I have rarely heard a male character admit his wrongs and apologize as consistently as Caleb. when he makes the wrong decision or fucks up, he admits to it and attempts to make it right (even when he’s not really in the wrong!!! example: ALL OF SEASON FOUR THE FUCK). He apologizes to Anna when he insults her ability and calls spying “men’s work,” he tells Ben that he understands that Ben is dealing with more than he [Caleb] has to after the fight with Bradford, and when confronted by Robert, he apologizes and takes full responsibility for what happened to Samuel Townsend. this boy is by no means perfect but he knows that and attempts to be better after his mistakes and i love him for it!!!

and dANIEL HENSHALL can we talk about the incredible work that man put into this show. he’s the lovable madman for 3 seasons and then suddenly there’s a PTSD storyline and Dan just blended it in there in a way that felt real and believable. he made it hurt when Caleb wasn’t his usual sunshiny self (which we got a preview of in 1x10 when Caleb’s uncle is killed - heartbreaking scene), he made it hit home when Caleb sits against the tree and screams about how Simcoe has won. and theN 4x08 when Caleb nods to Ben like, “I’m going to do this and I’m going to be okay,” our hearts burst with happiness and relief because even though he’s never going to be the same he’s still Caleb fucking Brewster and we love him. I love him.

misc other things i love: this man’s smile!!!!!!! fucks me up. it’s like sunshine. his clothes: iconic. that BEARD: ICONIC. his eyes are so pretty. the adorable way he holds that huge ass tea cup and shakes his head when Mary asks if he wants sugar. the way he flirts with literally everyone. how he tells Robert he loves him after getting sucker punched. I CO NI C.

I feel like this is all jumbled and very badly summarized but that’s the jist of it? I could do another section on how much he loves Ben but that would get really shippy and long (longer than this already is jesus)

tl;dr Caleb is baby

#ask #turn fandom #also tagging as #caleb brewster #because that was lowkey a thesis

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luciens-one-and-only-sea-otter · 5 years ago

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Five Otome/Romance Game Men I Adore

Hai hai many thanks for thinking of me for this tag game @justine-the-guillotine !!

I always feel pressure to do these things perfectly, even though it’s just talking about things I like :’) so please bear with me in my, probably, screaming appreciation. I’ve been thinking of a list a characters for a whole day and honestly I’m suddenly blanking,,, who do I adore? lol who knows,,, Well actually you are about to know cause I am going to tell you LOL. OkAY. Enough of this blabbering, onto the list of many mens.

Please know I am excluding Lucien (MLQC) because it is obvious that I adore him to a fucking fault. If you want to see me do a whole appreciation about those him just hmu in my asks or message me and I will go on for days bby

This list is in no way order of most to least adored, I physically could not make that kind of decision jkdfjksdfh. ALSO PLS KNOW I DO SWEAR LIKE A FUCKING SAILOR AND I TALK OF SMUSHING LOVELIES OFTEN. IT”S JUST MY PERSONALITY SO SHHHHH IF YOU DON”T LIKE IT DON”T READ IT BOO, THAT SIMPLE!

Takeda Shingen (Ikemen Sengoku) - Okay, I will be honest, I was very skeptical of sengoku period romance games because I had played some in the past,,, but holy shit, Shingen blew me away. He quickly rose up the ranks of otome men in my heart, and I think about him at least once a day now. I related so much with his MC because it was so hard not to lust and swoon over that man. I have no idea how or when I fell hard for him but it happened and I am not mad at all. I self insert so much with my games,,, and it’s easy for me to slip my real feelings into my fantasies. And honestly I really wish I could have Shingen IRL, ~~though I’m sure I would absolutely freak out and hide under a rock if he ever paid me any attention. He represents the perfect man, lover, and husband to me; he’s on a god level kind of man. Shingen is compassionate, knows boundaries and has never restricted MC from doing anything she loved (without good reason), he’s reliable and strong in a way that makes my heart melt. AND LET’S NOT FORGET HOW FUCKING BRILLIANT THIS MAN IS, HE IS SO FUCKING SMART AND I WISH CYBIRD LET US SEE HIS EXTREME INTELLIGENCE MUCH MORE,,,, He’s just so damn perfect it is near infuriating how good of a man he is. He fits my normal type so well; me saying “Tall, Handsome, Flirtatious, Sexy as Fuck and Infuriating” might of as well have been about Mr Takeda “I’ll marry you and give you everything for one smile” Shingen. I also really like characters that are loyal to their loved ones (yes in contrast to my bastard villain type kink, I also love those who show loyalty and devotion to the people they love) Shingen does more than enough of all of and I really do look up to him as a person and model for character,,,,, oh gods, and the way I imagine he would make sweet baby making love to ---*cough cough* ALRIGHT LETS STOP HERE BEFORE THIS BECOMES A WHOLE ASS SHINGEN APPRECIATION POST!!!

Sirius Oswald (Ikemen Revolution) - I’m really tempted to just insert a daddy kink meme and leave it at that,,,, He is my absolute top otome man, or rather,,, one of my top “I wish you were real and we were married” men. As much as I whore around and claim to love a new man the most (besides Lucien because they’re on the same level now) every week,,, I will always come back to Mr. Flower Daddy. He holds such a precious spot in my heart, I can only try to explain the things that he makes me feel. Like a giddy school girl in love for the first time, but in this story they end up together. High school sweetheart kind of love that lasts till they’re old and wrinkled with time. Gods, thinking about Sirius makes me sob and my wallet sob harder . I must have a thing for men who keep denying their affections for MC (aka me self insert) because of things like responsibility, friendship, being labelled an old geezer,,etc. I have played his route about eight times over (probably) by now, it’s a little upsetting that his route wasn’t as spicy as his side content. Please Cybird, let Mr. Flower Daddy be the sexy and dramatic man he can be. I love the way he cares for others, how hard he works to achieve the bonds and peace he has now for not only everyone he loves, but for the country they all live in as well. His many layers intrigue me, seeing his reactions as well ughhhh I love this man so fucking much, how do people irl deal with love like this? I’m sitting here dreaming over Sirius Oswald,,, and his,,, big hands,,, Never have I held such large and terrifyingly real emotions and lust for an otome character. The man just screams let daddy take care of you baby but also let daddy wreck your pretty whore mouth, little lady or maybe that’s just me projecting my kinks onto this pure (lol) man. Not only is his body, heart, and morals absolutely stunning, HE IS ANOTHER INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENT BEING AND I CANNOT STRESSSSS HOW MUCH I FIND SMART PEOPLE INCREDIBLY SEXY AND THE WAY HE USES HIS TALENTS TO SUBTLY AID HIS LOVED ONES UGHHHHHH I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE. GODS PLEASE LET ME BREAK INTO THE SIXTH DIMENSION AND MARRY THIS MAN!!!!

Kent (Amnesia Memories) - OKAY LET ME JUST SAYYYY HE IS THE BIGGEST BABY AND BIGGEST MAN AT THE SAME TIME AND YOU CAN FIGHT ME ON THIS IDC BUT HIS OUTFIT IS THE SHIT!!! FUCK YOU BELT HATERS!!! His outfit and his love slaps like the wholesome man he is. Absolutely I would love to h*ld his h@nds and give him the best smooches I can give. Because that is what he deserves. I really loved this game, growing to love Kent was easy despite his big brain fucker throwing math questions at me from time to time. I’m not sure what makes me like Kent so damn much, but I do and that’s what matters skjdfdskjfh. He is so damn precious,,, you all know those “you so fucking precious when you smile” song video thingies? That is exactly how I feel about Kent. He’s so damn precious I want him to be happy always. And I will fight anyone who bullies him hnnn.

Myeong Hwi aka Theodore Wilson + Lee Gun Wook aka William Harris (Mystic Code) - Mystic Code used to be one of my favs, till they did the whole updating and redoing the story thing, with no full voiced lines etc (I really hope they bring that back). But two stood out to me the most was Captain Wilson and Lieutenant Harris. Both have very strong personalities and care for the greater good, and thick as fuck lets be real with that dom energy . I adore men with strong and noble (?? is this the right word??) personalities and also possess a compassionate heart. As Theo is with the MIU team members and Will is with MC.

Theodorus Van Gogh (Ikemen Vampire) - whoallowedthismantobethisfuckingattractiveandlegal?????? *insert his magic mike CG* I have played Theo’s route in JP a few times, once to completion but knowing him in the EN version I am already absolutely in love with this man. How this came to be? Maybe it’s his bittersweet personality, the way he cares for MC in the same way Sirius does, but he’s a bit more brash about it than Sirius. I absolutely adored his character growth in his route and as you get to know him better he opens up more and more, ahh the tsundere is quite the cute trait XD. He is strong willed and passionate, he is caring of his loved ones, he is loyal to his family, blood or found, and he is an absolutely attentive loving person. Why ask for more when you can just love Theodorus Van Gogh? He is the absolute softy packed into a large brooding and brash package with a shiny 8-pack abs that I wish to slather maple syrup on and lap up for the love of---- for someone who loves pancakes so much. And I very much admire his drive to do what he wants and needs to do to the absolute best of his ability. His will to thrive for the best he can get has me swooning. He truly is a breath taking man,,, whether that be because he is being a complete sweetheart all of the sudden or he’s whipping you some nasty insult that is itching for a rebut.

Alright, that’s it! I cheated a little lololll but there aren’t any rules so >;3c I can do as I wish.

I uhhhhhhh don’t interact with many other otome blogs T^T (but maybe you can change that hwehwe) so I won’t be tagging anyone. However, if you do see this and want to join in and tag your friends pls do!!! Share the love, pass it on, scream about more 2D mans.

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forasecondtherewedwon · 5 years ago

Note

Hello! I am in love with everything you write. You’re so creative and you’re inspiring me to finally sit down and write something again. I love reading fics with flustered Peter and DAMN you deliver. I’m wondering if you could do a drabble with 23? :)

Hello, @sydzygy! Thank you for the prompt! Your message was so wonderful that I wish I could’ve gotten to it sooner! I have been writing this one for a while though… the end kinda kept getting further away until, whaddaya know, it’s over 5000 words. Plenty of flustered Peter AND flustered MJ though!

Thanks to you too, Anon! I saw the “please.” I appreciated the “please.” I made the fic NSFW.

Venus, ParkerPairing: Peter Parker x Michelle Jones (Spideychelle)Rating: E/NSFWWord count: 5602

23. “We bet and you lost, so you have to do it.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t intervene,” Peter hissed to Nedas they climbed the dune. “Some ‘guy in the chair’ you are.”

“I didn’t know he was going to make skinny-dipping thepunishment!” his best friend argued back. “How was I supposed to guess that,Peter?”

“You were supposed to stop it from happening in the firstplace! You were supposed to make somekind of excuse on my behalf as soon as the words ‘I bet Penis can’t do abackflip’ were out of his mouth! I can’t let people know I’m good at thatstuff! It would totally blow my cover! I had to throw it.”

“If I can make a suggestion,” Ned huffed as they neared thetop, brushing through tall spikes of grass; the navy skyline widened. “Youshould work on not reacting to peer pressure. I didn’t make you take the bait.”

Peter sighed.

“I know, he just bugs me. I’m so sick of being called―”

“PENIS! PEEEEENIS! HURRY UP, YOU FUCKING TURTLE!” Flashyelled from the beach. The beam of his flashlight made looping patterns on theground.

Exchanging a weary look, Peter and Ned crested the dune andtook long, uneven strides down the other side, sand pouring into the sides oftheir shoes.

“Flash, come on, man,” Peter tried as they approached hisnemesis. “This is stupid. It wasn’t a fair challenge. Nobody can do abackflip.”

The other boy was unrelenting, grinning in the moonlight.Ugh. Peter just wanted to go back to the campground where the decathlon teamwas set up and have another s’more. Get into his pajamas. Maybe talk to MJ nowthat Mr. Harrington had hit the hay and quit supervising their every move.

“We bet and you lost,” Flash reminded him mercilessly, “soyou have to do it.”

Peter glanced at the dark lake, slow waves licking the shorein a way that made him want to sleep rather than submerge his naked body intowater that was going to feel a hell of a lot colder now that the sun had gonedown.

“Don’t wimp out, Penis.”

The nickname startled Peter and he gave Flash a sharp look.

“You better not look.”

“Oh please,” Flash said, rolling his eyes. (Peter was alittle bit insulted.) “I only have eyes for one man, and that’s Spider-Man.”

Ned failed to muffle his abrupt chuckle and his best friendglared at him.

“Sorry,” Ned mouthed. Flash’s well-known crush on Spider-Manwas a touchy subject for Peter. Shockingly.

The three of them watched the water for a minute. The soundof it, washing in and out, was really peaceful. What a beautiful night to beutterly played by some jackass. Suddenly, there was the vibrating of a phone.It turned out to be Ned’s.

“Betty’s air mattress keeps deflating,” he informed Peter,eyes on the screen. “She asked if I could come help her.”

“Go ahead,” Peter allowed with a half-hearted smile. “Youdon’t need to stick around for this.”

“You should be thankful I’m such a nice guy and didn’tinsist on an audience,” Flash piped up.

Ned gave Peter a sympathetic look and traipsed back towardsthe dunes and the campground beyond. Flash, completely devoid of sympathy,clicked his flashlight off and on impatiently.

“Let’s goooo,” hecomplained.

Peter groaned.

“Fine, but turn around. I’ll yell once I’m in the water.”

“Sounds fair,” Flash agreed.

Of course it was fair―it was the one part of this horriblemisadventure that Peter’d had a say in. Wearily, he shed his clothes, droppedthem in a heap on the sand, and sprinted for the water. He wasn’t going to callback to Flash until he was submerged up to his neck.

MJ didn’t know who was where―as far as she was concerned,being the team’s captain for practices and tournaments didn’t translate intobeing their babysitter for field trips and retreats―just that she was alone.And she liked it that way.

The campfire scene had been pretty mellow until Abe haddecided to experiment with physical equilibrium by balancing their quarteredlogs of firewood, stacking them higher and higher, flames dancing upwards toengulf them. Yeah, that was a little too Lordof the Flies for how MJ wanted her weekend to go, so she’d left thewarnings and chastisement to Betty. (Ned had just shown up to potentially MacGyverher air mattress so the air would quit whistling out every time she laid downon it, leaving his girlfriend free to stop Abe from burning his eyebrows off.)

She’d wound through a thin barrier of trees to escape theglow of the fire and reach the valley of the path leading up between the dunes;now, MJ was scrambling upward, trying to keep her footing while also openingthe new app she’d installed on her phone before they’d left the city. It wassupposed to display the segment of sky currently over her position and map outwhich constellations should be visible to her. As she moved her phone around,the view would apparently shift, offering her information from horizon tohorizon, in any direction. Camp was just too bright and too sheltered to giveher the celestial panorama she craved.

Right when she lifted her gaze from her screen to check outthe vantage from the top of the dune, a blinding light swung across her face.

“Oh my god, this is perfect, here.”

It was Flash’s voice, but MJ could only see pitch black.Asshole had completely wrecked her night vision. What was working was her senseof touch, tested when Flash shoved something against her stomach and shegrasped it instinctively. He was already half-running, half-tripping past her,heading for their team’s campsite while MJ attempted to figure out what she washolding. Soft… lumpy… something that felt like denim?

She stuffed her phone into her pocket (she wouldn’t be ableto see the screen until her eyes adjusted all over again) and staggered generallydownwards, aiming for the soothing sounds of a beach post-nightfall.

After a considerable amount of blinking as she made everyeffort to improve her sight, MJ figured she was halfway across the beach,somewhere between dune and lake. She was sufficiently close to distinguish adark shape in the water. Quickly, she brought the bundle she’d been carrying toarm’s length and realized it was an entire set of clothes. Minus shoes, but MJalmost fell over one of those on her next step. Had Flash murdered someone outhere and tricked her into finding the body? What a shithead.

“MJ?!”

She flushed like she’d been caught. She also jumped a littleand something dropped limply onto her foot.

“Uh…” MJ called back to Peter, recognizing his voice and thepale circle of his face a little ways out in the water. “…hey, Parker. Why do Ihave your underwear?”

Stooping, she snatched up the item that had fallen and wavedit over her head like a flag of surrender. She’d spoken before she was certain,but one of the pieces of clothing was definitely jeans and, out of the cottonythings that remained, well, whatever she was flailing in the air was the onlyone with an elastic band.

She assumed Peter was crouching because the whole team hadbeen swimming earlier in the day and found the drop-off was a good 100 yardsout, but he confirmed it. With a sudden splash, he started to rise out of thewater and head in her direction. He sunk back down just as abruptly and MJsmiled to herself at his embarrassed laugh, lowering her arm. Excellent, she realizedshe could see now―maybe not far enough to view Peter in detail but, obviouslyshe wouldn’t want that. Why would she want that? She wouldn’t.

“I’m not sure,” he called to her, “but I could guess. I thought I left my clothes on the beach.Between that and you having them, well, that’s gotta be Flash.”

“That clears everything up,” she replied wryly, tossing hisclothes down with a plop and walking to the water’s edge. Amusingly, Petershrunk back a bit. “Let me recite that timeline back to you. First, you’re downhere with Flash. Second, you strip naked. Third, Flash blinds me and gives meyour clothes. You’re pretty smart, Peter. I think you’ll agree that storyleaves a few highly suspicious gaps.”

He groans loudly and MJ grins.

“Flash tricked me into trying to do a backflip, I lost a betwhen I couldn’t, and he has zerosense of human decency.”

“But you can do a backflip.” She was puzzled.

“What?”

“I’ve seen you do a backflip.”

“You have? When?”

Woops. The perils of being very observant. It wasn’t likeshe’d spied on Peter, she’d just forgotten something after decathlon practice afew weeks ago, gone back, and seen him flip off the stage in the auditorium. MJdidn’t know his gymnastic talents were a secret, exactly, she just hadn’tmentioned them to anyone because initiating conversations still wasn’t secondnature. If these abilities were asecret, she wasn’t protecting him on purpose. Definitely not.

“Uh, don’t remember,” she said, airily blowing him off. Shefrowned. “Aren’t you cold out there?”

She saw him shrug.

“It’s actually not that bad. I had my head under for aminute, which is probably when Flash booked it out of here with my clothes.” MJsnickered and didn’t reply. “Ok,” Peter said after a few seconds, “well, I’llsee you back at camp.”

She stiffened.

“I’m not your personal courier.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean I didn’t come down here to deliver your clothes,loser. I’m not leaving yet.”

“But I’m naked!” he yelped.

MJ’s body was just trying to keep her warm without theexternal help of the campfire. That was all this sudden surge of heat was.

“You know, I did actually comprehend that when I had yourboxers in my hand.” She glanced sideways where she’d set his clothes. “You maywant to shake them out before you put them back on, by the way, unless youenjoy sand in delicate places.”

She could practically hear Peter’s weary exhale, butsomething in MJ insisted that she not vacate the beach just because he told herto. This wasn’t his private property and he had no authority over her. Shewasn’t his to… to… Heat flooded her again, face to feet. Yes, this wasdefinitely just her irritation at being bossed around by Backflip Boy.

“When are youleaving?” he tried.

“When I’m done.”

His words sounded like resignation to her, so MJ began torelax again, the way she’d felt when she’d strolled out of camp on her own. That was weird. This calm was something she usually (always) experienced whentotally alone. But Peter was here. Peter was here and he was lazily swimmingcloser, toes probably creeping along the sandy floor of the shallows.

“So… why’d you come out here?”

MJ started to explain, then paused to fish the phone thatwas her alibi out of the pocket of her jean shorts.

“Trying to see the stars better. There’s too much light atcamp.”

“Oh yeah? Cool!” He propelled himself forward some more. Atonce, she was panicky, heart beating too fast. She concentrated on her phone,the screen mostly dark but for the points of light representing stars.

“I said ‘stars’ not ‘Star Wars,’ before you get tooexcited,” MJ warned sarcastically, not looking up.

“My interest in space goes beyond the fictional.”

She raised her head, readying a snarky reply that never came.Peter had his shoulders above the water now, arms out to the sides for balance.As she stared, he tipped his head back, rewetting his hair, then brought it upagain. Her fingers went slack around her phone and she had to catch it with herother hand.

“What were you trying to see specifically?” he asked, wipingwater away from his eyes as it ran down from his hair.

It was a struggle to compose herself, but she did it.

“Well, I sure wasn’t looking for Uranus.”

Peter huffed and stroked with his arms, sending himbackwards several feet. MJ was laughing.

“Peter, don’t. It was a joke. I can’t see anything.”

It took a long, careful stare before he drifted neareragain.

“I know,” he eventually conceded. “I know you can’t seeanything. The dark, the distance, the distortion of the water…” She wanted tocough the word ‘nerd,’ but she restrained herself. “But I’m vulnerable here,”Peter went on, gesturing at himself with both hands. “I can’t leave.”

“Do you want to?” MJ asked without thinking it over.

Peter met her eye.

“Do you?”

She swallowed and cocked her head stiffly, jerky with afluttering anxiousness. It wasn’t a dare, it wasn’t a bet (yeah, Peter’dprobably had enough of those for one night), and yet there was something aboutthe way he’d said it―those two words.

Maintaining eye contact, MJ sat in the sand. This was herstaying. She shuffled her feet out of her flip-flops and flicked them off tothe side, then stretched her legs straight out until her heels were in the lake.Peter was also in the lake. Everything was fine. She inhaled with precision.

Oh fuck, she could see his bare chest.

Abruptly, MJ lost ground on the confident who cares that you’re nude below thewaterline? thing, wimping out and turning her gaze decidedly downwards toher phone screen. She read the words ‘Ursa Minor’ a dozen times, but kept her back stiff like she was concentrating very hard, focusing on something desperately important.

It wasn’t sustainable, this tense effort to ignore Peter.She couldn’t do it at school when he was a dork in the marching band and shesure as hell couldn’t do it when he was bare-ass naked in a lake. Being underthe broad, dark sky was suddenly claustrophobic. MJ couldn’t breathe. Her facewas overly warm. She was going to be asphyxiated by her attraction to Peter.YES! FINE! She was attracted to him!

“Ursa Minor,” MJ mumbled to herself in the fanatical tone ofa madwoman. She was Mrs. Rochester on a beach. Now there was a woman who would’ve been entertained by aconstellation-identifying app, stuck up in the attic all that time. God, MJ wasspiralling. Brontё was her crazy place.

“I know some stuff,” Peter said from the water.

She braced herself for the sight and, yep, there was his wetskin, just glistening away in the moonlight. How dare he.

“I could show you,” he said.

MJ’s mind totally fuzzed on what Peter might be wanting toshow her. Lake Peter. After-dark Peter. Wet Peter. Her heart was bursting likea bagful of popcorn kernels, one eruption after the next.

“Constellations,” he explained, as though she hadn’tresponded because he hadn’t been clear, rather than because she’d gottensidetracked wondering about his sexual savoir-faire.

“How are you going to show me? I won’t be able to tell whatyou’re pointing at.”

“I could come out… but I’d wanna dry off before putting myclothes back on.”

“Yeah, no,” she said immediately. “There’s a time limit onhow long I can respectfully avert my eyes before I get bored standing there anddecide to walk back to camp.”

“You could come in,” Peter replied quietly.

“In… the water.” MJ shivered involuntarily.

“It’s not that cold, right?”

He pointed at where her feet were partially submerged. Shewanted to laugh if the water temperature was the reason he thought she’dshivered. Was Peter just going to pretend that the biggest issue with hissuggestion was the possibility of her getting chilly?

“So you’ll be a gentleman while I get undressed?”

Instantly, he flushed and gestured before his words couldcatch up. Only he didn’t say what MJ expected him to.

“That’s not very fair.”

She gave him a stern look.

“Why not? Sure, I’ve been sitting here with your clothes,but I didn’t watch you remove them. I didn’t stare at your naked body! Not mostof it,” she added under her breath, seeing as she’d been eyeing him in thewater all this time.

Peter glanced down quickly, grinning like he’d heard whatshe’d said.

“I’ll turn around,” he promised, glancing up withsuspiciously trustworthy eyes.

“No.”

“No?” he choked out.

“Just… cover your eyes,” she requested, getting to her feet.“Then I’ll be able to watch you and know you aren’t somehow ogling myreflection.”

“What if I peeked through my fingers?”

MJ laughed because she knew Peter Parker would do no suchthing.

“Then your guilty expression would betray you the second youdropped your hands.”

He chuckled to himself.

“Yeah, good point.”

“So… cover ‘em, Peter.”

She saw his mouth fall open slightly.

“We’re actually…”

“We’re actually,” MJ confirmed, grabbing the hem of hert-shirt. His eyes grew wider. “Chill. We’re just two nerds talking about astronomy.It’s not a big deal.”

She began to draw her shirt up her stomach slowly, givinghim plenty of warning, and he slapped his hands over his eyes, splashinghimself with lake water. Pausing for nerves, MJ saw Peter shift to regain hisbalance after lifting his arms. The disturbance swished his wet cover to andfro and when it settled, she could see more of his chest. Plus all of hisarms―raised as they were. Face hot, she wondered how long it would take to heata beach by starlight, if they could put a hold on the sun. Because the nightwouldn’t last forever, MJ quickly yanked off her shirt and chucked it on top ofPeter’s clothes.

Her gaze slid intently from the heap to the boy in thewater. He was diligently blocking her out, palms flat over his eyes and fingersstretched up his forehead into the front of his hair. Although she couldn’ttell right now, MJ knew it would curl aggressively as it dried, like it hadthis afternoon after everyone went for a dip together. She thought about it,thought about him, and stared straight at him too as she unbuttoned her shortsand shimmied her legs to shake them down to the sand.

Peter’s chest rose and fell as she watched, reacting tosomething. Must’ve been a ripple in the water, she figured. Something shecouldn’t see from here.

“You haven’t asked,” MJ noted, unclipping her bra. Pile.

“W-what should I ask?”

“If you can look yet. And I didn’t say you should.”

There was a pause, thick like wet sand.

“You’re surprised I’m not more impatient? Do you want me tobe?”

She’d need sunscreen to protect the rest of her exposed skinfrom the way her face seemed to be glowing, ready to sear. How he’d flipped herremark around on her… MJ hadn’t expected it. Another question he’d put to herbluntly that sounded so innocent. But it wasn’t, not really. This wasn’t themsussing out who wanted the last hamburger and was too afraid to be rude. Thiswas a more complicated politick of desire and it couldn’t all be questions andevasions; eventually, there would need to be blunt answers for Peter’s bluntquestions.

“Just an observation,” MJ muttered.

She removed her underwear carefully, keeping them away fromthe sand by lifting her feet high and maneuvering the leg holes swiftly anddexterously around her heels to preclude transfer. All she left on was theelastic in her hair.

“I’m… I’m coming into the water now.”

“I can hear you.”

Maybe her racing heart was drowning out the noise of herfeet, because all MJ heard were tinkling slaps, then gentle swooshing as thelake greeted her ankles, her shins, the tender backs of her knees. Peterrotated towards her as she got closer, she noticed, still covering his eyes.Wading past him, MJ flicked water at his head―a couple feet away when her armwas stretched all the way out to the side. They both laughed. She didn’t stopmoving through the water until it came up just above her breasts when she wasstanding, wetting more of her skin as she sunk down.

Despite attempting to ease the tension (she felt it, he mustbe feeling it), MJ’s heart was still banging hard enough that she expected tosee ripples racing away from her on the surface of the water. She glanced backat the beach, then at Peter. The air was still and the rest of the world seemedpeacefully distant, if not empty. She hopped from foot to foot on the sandylakebed, swaying pleasantly in a way that belied how uncontrolled she felt onthe inside, not just because of the weak current her motions were creating.

Peter dropped his hands and looked at her. MJ drew her armsinstinctively inward, treading water in front of her chest.

“I thought you would wait until I said you could open youreyes,” she told him, not actually upset.

“I figured you’d be… uh… covered by now.” He gestured at hershoulders, peeking above the surface like the curved backs of baby geese.“You’re tall, but you’re not thattall.”

“You figured oryou knew? Am I supposed to believe that you hadn’t already calculated the depthof the water compared to my height, and considered the distance from the beach?The length of my stride, maybe?”

“I just didn’t want to show off.” Peter shrugged, grinning alittle. “Make you feel vulnerable.”

“Oh, you mean like I did to you,” MJ joked.

Incredible. All it took for them to have a non-abusiveconversation was less light and fewer clothes. (No clothes.) There weren’t awealth of ways to replicate these conditions once they got home. There was oneway―one very specific way―but she hadto remember her own excuse for their behaviour: they were just two nerds with ashared interest in astronomy. Every step they’d taken since she’d descended tothe beach was motivated purely by logic.

Yeah, better not consider that intentional state of denialtoo closely.

“Let’s start easy,” Peter suggested.

He flowed towards her―smoother than walking on land, thoughhe did that with a weird gracefulness too―and MJ’s heart flipped end over end.She looked at his face too long after he’d extended his arm, pointing above them.

“The Little Dipper.”

“Ursa Minor,” she corrected. “Yeah, I’ve pretty much gotthat one down.”

Peter appeared blue in this light. Blue and soft anddreamlike, like he was going to take her hand and fly her to Mermaid Lagoon.Wait, wrong Peter.

“Well… hmm.”

His concentration shifted upward, high above the both ofthem. MJ’s remained fixed on his face and the way the moon and the lake ruledits bright places and its shadows; noticing him across a classroom or from theother end of the lunch table wasn’t the same as performing a close study of hisprofile from less than three feet away. The definition of his jaw was asurprise, with his head tilted back. It trapped a shadow beneath it, like aledge. As MJ dragged her eyes slowly down, she tried to discern the exact spotat which that darkness dissolved into the light bouncing up off the water,making his throat pale and vampiric. Or maybe she was the vampire. She certainlywanted to bite down on his skin with her teeth.

MJ yanked the elastic from her hair and shook her head,trying to clear it. Unfortunately, it was as ineffective as shaking a snowglobe and expecting to see through it more easily. She was hazy with Peter, whowas pointing to Venus, checking to make sure MJ was staring at the correctdazzling speck.

“That one?” she asked, squinting although the light sourcewas minute and far, far away. (God,she thought, don’t say that out loud. Notafter you told Peter this wasn’t about Star Wars.)

Peter angled his head in her direction, eyes still on thesky.

“No, the bright one.” Absently, it looked like, he glancedfrom her to Venus, attempting to establish a guiding line he could point along.“Down a little… I think.”

“You think?”

Honestly, MJ wasn’t putting too much effort into findinganything. Her priorities had changed. There were so many fewer opportunities tobe alone with Peter than there were stars visible from the state of New York.

“Just…”

Peter sighed and suddenly his hands came around from behindher, holding underneath her jaw like he was lifting a heavy chalice with bothhands. Like the Holy Grail or something. His thumbs pressed to its hinge, hisindex fingers resting against her cheeks. He directed her manually, helping herfind Venus. MJ was going to burn him. Her face was too hot.

“Do you see? Oh.”

He must’ve snapped out of his science-daze and realized howhe was touching her. How they never touched. They might’ve shaken hands once.(It was three times―she remembered.) Peter’s fingers sprang away from her skin,jack-in-the-box quick, but MJ grabbed his hands.

“I see,” she said, turning weightlessly in the water. Thewet ends of her hair stroked her back.

She let go of one of Peter’s hands and, miraculously, itlanded on the back of her neck. The pads of his fingers were pruney. The otherhand MJ kept, her arm crossing her body to maintain contact.

“It is a bigdeal,” he told her. She vaguely recalled stating the opposite, lying. “It is.”

Cautious, MJ leaned her upper body closer, led by her lips.Her gaze went from Peter’s mouth to his eyes, mouth to eyes, up and down, likeflipping a light switch on and off repeatedly. When her lips actually met his,it was strange. She was too aware of them, the texture. Then, MJ was aware ofherself, trembling. They broke the kiss.

Peter held her face again with both hands and she saw thathis expression was calm, the way that his eyelashes flapped lightly with hiseyelids half-lowered, brown eyes warm and deep, staring at her mouth. Beforeshe could take a breath or think anything through, she kissed him again,quickly.

Heat burned through her, a match dropped in a trail ofgasoline. MJ inhaled hard through her nose and pressed her mouth firmly toPeter’s as he slid his hand to the back of her neck; his thumb dug in next toher spine and it felt really good, like a massage.

Tentatively, their tongues touched and retreated. Then,Peter surged forward like he knew what he was doing and, hell, she wasconvinced, finding his shoulders and grabbing on. Having someone’s tongue inher mouth was decidedly more thrilling in practice than in theory. MJ felt herhead tilting more to the side, rocking forward and back, as her lips moved withPeter’s.

While the sand dipped and swished under her curling toes,his desire was her solid ground.

The second time they paused to breathe, MJ noticed she’dwrapped her arm over Peter’s shoulder, and that his hand had caressed downwardfrom her neck to her upper back.

“You wanna get out?” he panted. In the moonlight, she wascaught up in counting the freckles on his nose; they’d darkened and multipliedsince the decathlon team had arrived at the campground.

She could tell he was trying to figure out what the rightthing was, so that he could do it. Typical Peter.

“No.”

He raised hopeful eyebrows and MJ felt shy. Not because theywere slowly circling, hands on each other in perfectly appropriate places(though on each other’s naked bodies nonetheless), but because she was admitting,out loud, in one syllable, that she wanted him.

“I was right, wasn’t I?” Peter checked, head inclinedtowards hers. “Water’s not too cold.”

“You better not be peeing, Parker,” MJ threatened.

When he laughed in surprise, she threw her other arm behindhis neck and pulled herself close to him with a smirk on her mouth.

The kiss was softer than she’d intended. That was becauseher legs had rubbed against his underwater. It wasn’t just their knees bumping,which had been likely enough as they’d moved closer since they were bothcrouching slightly; the outer part of MJ’s thigh brushed along the inside ofPeter’s. The side of her slim calf encountered the solid curve of muscle inhis. It woke things in her, like the first spark catching on a crumpled pieceof newspaper when Mr. Harrington finally got the campfire going after insistinghe didn’t need a lighter (and being shocked and disappointed when Flash hadreadily produced one and offered it up to hurry the process).

MJ could tell Peter felt it too―not just her leg, the awakening. Which was really asuper clichéd and simplistic way to think about adolescent sexuality, particularly female sexuality, but yeah, it appeared that her relationship withher own passion was coming down to this. A moment with Peter Parker, floating between Venus and a shallow drop-off.

Peter’s hand swept down her back as he released a shakysigh; MJ felt as though she was waking up to find herself shuffling onto hislap, lifting her legs with sleepy slowness to hook them over his. They sanklower into the water together, chins briefly dipped.

“Hey, MJ,” he murmured.

She bit her lip.

“Peter,” she acknowledged.

This kiss was gentle on purpose, exploratory and calm enoughto slide through the surface of their pooled attraction without a ripple. Itdidn’t stir up anything more frantic, as her lips compressed steadily to his.Peter’s hand was secure on the small of her back, her arms loosely around hisshoulders. Their warm exhalations left the mildest currents in the air betweenthem.

He began to play absently with her hair, collecting it witha hand that skimmed behind her shoulders, then closed in a circle like a slackelastic. MJ smiled against his mouth and felt the little dimples of muscle inhis back when he moved his arm. Their tongues met again, but it was easy and incontrol. She thought about bobbing there all night with him and creeping totheir tents when the sky turned a thin, pale grey.

Then Peter had to go and shift his hand, allowing cool waterto touch the spot his palm had warmed on her lower back. Making her shiver.

MJ hadn’t known that about him, that such a tiny reactionwould cause him to respond like it’d been a seismic tremor, like she’d shakenthe ground beneath his feet, but when she moved, he moved. His mouth surgedagainst hers and he gathered her so close that her stomach was pressed upagainst his erection―her stomach and lower, legs splayed on his lap.

It was as sudden as an undertow and, fittingly, she didn’tknow which way was up. This, this had been lurking all that time she’d spentwatching Peter, this had been waiting for her while she was waiting for him. MJclung to it now (and to him) and couldn’t believe she’d spared him even onesecond to point at the sky. He wanted to show her Venus? Too late. She’d foundit for herself and, yeah, maybe it was more a Venus of the Greek goddessvariety, but Peter didn’t seem to be having any issue with that.

There was a wetness between them that wasn’t just the lake.Though the water worked against it, Peter and MJ―foreheads bumping lightly asthey closed their eyes and breathed hard―kept replenishing it, bodies grindingtogether out of sight below the dark, glassy surface. Her calves were tense asshe hung on to him.

All the external rubbing made MJ’s insides feel electric;maybe she was lighting up like a jellyfish, sonic blue. It certainly seemed toshock him when she drew in a demanding, shuddering breath and climaxed, handsclenching to fists behind his back, nails catching his skin.

“Oh my god,” he said, and she opened her eyes to thepleading scrunch of his forehead. A pair of eyes like lucky pennies in afountain. “Is it ok if I…?”

MJ smiled in satiated amusement and rocked her hips. Themotion urged an oversensitive wiggle out of her, until Peter’s hands held herfast, hugging her body to his. As his hips bucked, she instinctively nuzzledthe side of her face into his and scooped up a handful of water. He groaned hername and she felt immortal.

Lifting her hand, she slowly tipped the water out onto theback of Peter’s head. It rewet his hair and trickled along the back of hisneck. MJ parted her arms to give it a path between his shoulder blades and inthe meantime, Peter came. When his chin tucked over her shoulder, something hither hard in the heart. She hugged him back fiercely.

And they floated.

In the end, MJ got out first while Peter sat with his backto her in the shallow water, arms on his bent knees. She threw on her clotheswith her skin still wet (camp and the chance for a hot shower followed by dry pajamaswere close), then he did the same while she faced their lake.

Their hands had never touched each other anywhere beyondthose appropriate places, but their fingers linked as they climbed the dunesand they shared a shy, silent look over that little intimacy.

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