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jisungsmochi · 3 years ago

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traitor - lee jeno

starting my SOUR series !! based on songs by olivia rodrigo, here is the first installment.

player (?) jeno x female reader // friends to lovers but then goes all downhill from there

word count: 7.1k

summary: “god i wish i had thought this through, before i went and fell inlove with you”

you were more than aware of jeno’s inability to keep it in his pants, but after a reckless one night stand, you finally understood what it was like to be on the receiving end. but when jeno slips back into his old habits, will you have the heart to move on? i mean how could you get over somebody you didn’t even date...

a/n: sorry for any mistakes as usual oop

tagging bestie: @skrtbabe <3

Brown guilty eyes, and

Little white lies, yeah

I played dumb, but I always knew

“god what did you do now?” you shook your head at the raven haired boy with a blank expression. he shrugged his shoulders, eyebrows perking up,

“i just decided we were better off as friends” ah yes, lee jeno’s code for ‘she was just a fling, i couldn’t care less’. you only nodded, how else were you supposed to respond? you weren’t exactly his closest friend, but he considered you enough of a friend due to your closeness to jaemin.

you knew that he was a player, finding some sort of entertainment, getting girls to fall for him. you couldn’t really blame them, he was strikingly handsome and had his way with words. the only reason he hadn’t tried anything on you yet was because you didn’t exactly “fit his type”. also, jaemin pleaded him not to, in order to avoid any awkward situations within your friendship. jeno was occasionally playful with you, but you viewed it more of a sister-brother type thing, rather than him trying to flirt.

jaemin has introduced you to jeno near the end of high school. the three of you attended plenty of parties together ( well as many as you could before college started ). your first semester of college consisted of intense study sessions with jaemin in the library, jeno occasionally tagging along. you were both sure he was failing his classes but he didn’t seem to care much. his main focus consisting of getting wasted at as many frat parties he could.

finals were done and dusted so after your last exam, you got ready for some random frat party being held tonight. you were meeting up with jaemin prior,

“time to party or what?” you gleamed at your best friend, jumping onto his bed as he curled into a ball. you frowned at the sight,

“i’m not feeling so good, you should go without me! go with jeno” jaemin groaned, his stomach pains getting the best of him.

“oh damn, want me to keep you company tonight instead?” you sat next to him, forcing him to sit up with you.

“no no, i’m probably going to take some meds and then knock out for the rest of the night. just go with jeno, it won’t be so bad! i’ll tell him to take care of you” jaemin assured, making sure you were on board. you let out a soft sigh,

“it’s so awkward between jeno and i, right? does he even like me, as a friend?” you lay your head on jaemin’s shoulder, feeling him softly chuckle at your words.

“jeno just thinks you’re really sweet. like you have this innocence to you. he doesn’t wanna be a bad influence or anything, that’s all” you just nod, that was somewhat comforting to know. before you could respond, there was a knock on jaemin’s door. the one and only, lee jeno was standing there in all this glory.

“yeah y/n, i don’t wanna be a bad influence” he smirked as he entered the room. you felt slightly embarrassed he had eavesdropped on the conversation but jaemin decided to interject.

“take her to the party tonight, she needs to have some fun” jaemin shoved you towards jeno, causing you to bump into

his shoulder. he just smirked, nodding along to his friend’s wishes.

“come on, i’ll show you a good time” jeno practically dragged you out of the room. his grip on your wrist was quite firm, he didn’t let go until you both reached his car. jeno opened the passenger side door for you, gesturing for you to enter. jeno made his way to the driver’s side, a constant grin on his face.

“surprised to see you so dressed up” he started the car. you were taken back at first, but this was just part of your usual banter.

“so glad you noticed, i did this all for you” you grinned, feeling quite flushed in the face. jeno just let out a soft chuckle, finding your confidence amusing.

“you’re not drinking tonight?” you questioned, looking over to him.

“nah, kinda trying to cut out alcohol from my diet if i wanna have a healthy liver you know?” his eyes flicked towards you, watching as you started fixing your makeup using your phone camera.

“but don’t worry sweetheart, i’ll take good care of you so jaemin doesn’t beat my ass. don’t get too wasted or you might do something you regret” jeno warned but his words went in one ear and out the other. you knew he was going to ditch you midway through, probably off with another one of his hookups. you didn’t need a babysitter, you were perfectly capable to party on your own.

long story short, you got bored after a few drinks, now sitting on a swinging hammock on the porch of the house. as expected, jeno had left your side a while ago, off to greet his own friends. you were scrolling on your phone, thinking of texting jaemin about how he wasn’t missing out on much. but you were interrupted when jeno sat down next to you.

“bored already?” he snuggled a little too close to comfort, softly swinging the both of you in the hammock.

“you could say that” you shrugged, switching off your phone, giving him all your attention. he looked really handsome in this light, strands of his hair sticking in random places, a slight flush to his cheeks due to the cold.

“wanna get out of here then? i’ll take you home” he stood up, offering you his hand.

“wow you’re being such a gentleman tonight” you snickered, taking his hand in yours as you strolled to his car.

“i’ll always be a gentleman for you”

why did he keep saying these things?

the ride to your apartment wasn’t as awkward as you initially thought. jeno insisted you play some music, his fingers lingering near your knee, tapping ever so softly on the surface of your skin. you held your breath at the touch, he was just being a good friend...right?

as jeno pulled up to your apartment building, part of you didn’t want the night to end. he looked over at you with his glorious brown eyes and you were mesmerised. jeno noticed the way you were looking at him, feeling quite giddy with himself. he had always thought you were pretty, in a cute, dorky way. but tonight, you looked electrifying. he was in awe.

as you looked into his eyes, you felt yourself lean closer to him. jeno couldn’t hide his grin, leaning to meet you in the middle.

“may i kiss you?” you asked nervously, which only added to how adorable jeno found you. his hand met your cheek, softly stroking your skin before nodding,

“don’t even need to ask me, love” he quickly pressed his lips onto yours, giving you instant butterflies.

it finally hit you, holy shit, you were kissing lee jeno right now.

you allowed his tongue to enter your mouth, deepening the kiss. it felt like his lips were meant for yours, in a non-cliche way. he was so gentle, yet so passionate with you. he pulled away, leaving you feeling empty inside.

“how far do you wanna go tonight?” that question had you stunned. you weren’t the type for one night stands, but this was jeno. it was like second nature to him. you almost didn’t even have to think twice, you just needed his lips on yours again.

“all the way” you bit your lip anxiously, awaiting his response. jeno’s eyes widened, taken aback by your new found confidence.

“say less, but we should probably get into bed or something” he chuckled, giving you a warm feeling in your stomach. you could practically hear jaemin’s warnings going off like a siren in your head. but when jeno pulled you into your apartment, gently placing you on the bed, lips constantly attached to yours, you drowned out any other thoughts that were occupying your mind.

college was all about new experiences. so naturally, having a random hookup with an attractive guy would be on the list. just for once, you wanted to know what it was like to hookup with lee jeno, even if you were just another number to him.

the very next morning, your eyes fluttered open, taking a few moments to fully immerse yourself in the new day ahead. your gaze finally drags over to the sleepy boy next to you. you couldn’t help but admire his side profile, especially his plump lips.

“stop staring, you’re making me shy” he suddenly grumbled, pulling you closer to him, nuzzling his face in your chest. you immediately froze, of course he was awake.

“last night was fun” he mumbled into your skin, softly smirking to himself. you just sighed, he wasn’t wrong per se, you just weren’t sure what this meant for your friendship.

“y-yeah, it was” was all you managed to say, jeno felt there was something off, moving his head to face you. he pulled your chin to meet his face, placing a gently kiss to your lips.

“did you like it?” you knew he was just being cocky right now, but you couldn’t help but engage in his banter.

“nope, worst hookup of my life!” you exaggerated before burying your face into his chest. he shook his head playfully, stroking your hair as you wrapped your arms around his torso.

“what will happen once jaemin finds out?” jeno started to worry, the last thing he needed was jaemin beating his ass for hooking up with his best friend.

“he’ll be mad for like five seconds and probably scold you too” jeno raised his eyebrows, preparing himself for the confrontation.

“there isn’t much he can do about it though” he placed another gentle kiss to your forehead, continuing to stroke your hair.

“let’s do something today, just you and me. you can pick what we do” jeno suddenly offered, causing you to perk up and sit against the headboard.

“well i need to do some grocery shopping, and some chores around the place, it’s kinda messy if you haven’t noticed. but that’s gonna be so boring-“

“i’ll keep you company”

“come again?”

“i’ll help you go shopping and clean, it’s no biggie” jeno smiled softly at you, making your knees go weak. you hoped he wasn’t just been nice because you had slept together...

your trip to the grocery store was surprisingly fun. jeno pushed the cart as you mentally ticked off your list of items to buy. he would make small conversation, giving his opinion on which brands were better. he always made sure to walk very close to you, despite pushing the cart. it was like he never left your side the entire trip. and once you got back to your apartment, jeno offered to carry all the bags, making you flustered. he didn’t have to be so...nice?

“you can just leave the bags on the bench, i’ll unpack” you smiled at him, gently tapping his back. jeno nodded, quickly pulling you by the waist, your breath hitched as he placed a gentle kiss to your forehead.

“i’ll make some brunch” he smiled softly, pulling away, starting to heat up a pan on the stove. you were still in shock by his display of affection. is this what he did with all his hookups?

you didn’t have the heart to tell jeno to go home, but he seemed to have understood that he had overstayed his welcome.

“i should probably get going, you know, to

shower and all” he had a smug look on his face that you couldn’t help but giggle at. you led him to the door, the sun having just set.

“i’ll see you around i guess” you tried to make this send off as normal as possible, but jeno had other plans.

“no goodbye kiss?”

“huh”

“ah i see, you’re just shy, see you around y/n” he pulled you in for a side hug, waving softly as he made his way out the door. this had to be a one time thing.

it had been over a week since you had last seen jeno. and naturally you filled jaemin in on all the events of that night. to say he was shocked as an understatement,

“i cant believe YOU slept with HIM. you’re gorgeous, the prettiest best friend ever, but really? jeno?” jaemin shook his head. you weren’t sure if he was disappointedly or just surprised.

“i-i know. it didn’t mean to play out that way. he’s just really charming. and he’s kind of a gentleman” you couldn’t help but feel some heat rise to your cheeks. jaemin picked up immediately, of course you were already smitten.

“i say this in the most loving way possible, don’t get too involved with him. yeah you guys hooked up, but he is not the relationship type. at all. i don’t want to see you hurt” jaemin pulled you to his side as you both sat with your backs against the headboard of your bed.

“yeah, i’ll be careful” you say out loud...‘or atleast i’ll try to be’ you thought to yourself. this was going to be harder than you anticipated.

seeing jeno around campus was bound to happen. you assumed he would just shoot you a wave or a head nod to greet you but you were wrong. he would offer to walk with you to your classes, even hold your bag for you. he’d even ask if you wanted to go off campus to have lunch. you didn’t exactly reject any of these offers, but you couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. did he suddenly like you? or is he just trying to not make things awkward between you both? whatever it was, it wasn’t helping your growing crush on the dark haired heartthrob. you were in trouble.

one day, jeno had invited himself over to prepare for his upcoming economics quiz. you tried your best to help him study, but then you remembered...lee jeno doesn’t ‘study’, he winged almost every exam and barely passed. C’s get degrees (atleast that was his mindset).

“i’m tired, let’s pick this up again tomorrow” jeno yawned, pushing his textbook to the side as he sprawled his whole body onto your bedroom floor. you were seated on your bed, looking down at the hopeless boy.

“are you sure? we only have one more set of practice questions to go through” you pout, actually finding enjoyment helping him study. jeno shook his head profusely,

“no i’d rather hang out with you” he jumped onto your bed, landing right next to you, wrapping you in his arms.

“i mean, if that’s okay with you” you just nodded, feeling yourself relax in his embrace. jeno gently pulled you down so you were both laying down, facing eachother.

your eyes flickered over his features, his structured nose and jaw, his glimmering eyes and his soft lips. your fingers made their way to graze over his lips, causing him to pout.

“you’re so cute” he mumbled. you moved your hand to hide your face, feeling more flustered than ever.

“why are you getting all shy with me now? did you forget that we had sex? or was that just a really good dream?” he continued to tease, poking at your sides, causing you to let out a loud laugh. you immediately placed your hand over your mouth, feeling embarrassed by the sound that had just left it. jeno raised an eyebrow at you, slightly frowning.

“hey i like making you laugh, so i expect to hear it!”

“s-sorry, i really don’t know why i’m being like this. i-i just, it’s all catching me off guard you know?” you sighed, allowing jeno’s fingers to intertwine with yours.

“it’s alright, i find it endearing” he smiled as he started stroking your hair with his free hand.

“c-can you spend the night?” you suddenly asked, feeling his hand stop in your hair.

“i was hoping you’d ask me that” jeno ducked his head to press his lips against yours. you didn’t want to admit how much you had missed that feeling. but something about the way he kissed you, washed all your cares away. even if there wasn’t any romance behind it, it still felt electrifying.

this was how most nights were spent with jeno. some light studying, some making out, dinner, cuddling, and then more making out before you fell asleep. it was a constant cycle that you didn’t want to stop. he would always compliment you, whether it was your hair or your makeup or your outfit. practically anything he thought you should be praised for, he would compliment you. his words held greater meaning to you than they did to him. you could feel yourself getting flustered each time you received a compliment, while jeno seemed nonchalant. maybe that was just how he was.

one night, jeno decides to stay over, claiming that his heater was broken at his apartment and your bed was warm. but it was code for ‘let’s hook up and fall asleep in eachother’s arms again’. you laid beside him, wrapped tightly in your blanket as jeno pressed soft kisses on your forehead. you started tracing random figures on his chest as he quietly hummed random tunes to get you to sleep. but something was keeping you awake. jeno was hard to read, he never truly expressed his honest feelings towards people. maybe that was just his way of not having to cope with drama. but the constant push and pull between you two had caused many sleepless nights and constant doubt for you. confessing to jeno never crossed your mind prior, but it was the only thing occupying it right now. if you kept it to yourself any longer, you’d probably explode.

you had noticed that jeno’s attendance at frat parties had declined, opting to either hanging out with you or jaemin. he had already quit drinking, not finding much enjoyment anymore. he had also been trying to get above a C average in his classes. you’d say something switched in him, so could it be possible that he may like you too?

“what’s on your mind, pretty girl?” jeno suddenly snapped you out of your thoughts, causing you pull your fingers from his chest.

“nothing” you whispered flatly, but jeno was not convinced.

“come on, something is going on in that

pretty little head of yours, i can see it on your face” he smirked.

“what do you mean?”

“you have this cute frowning face whenever you’re over thinking” you suddenly changed your expression, pulling

yourself to side up as he remained still. you let out a deep sigh, knowing that your next words will change everything.

“i think i like you”

you felt jeno stiffen under the covers, his demeanour suddenly becoming cold. of course you had expected this type of reaction, but seeing it right infront of you, made you want to cry.

“y/n, i don’t think you mean that”

your breath hitched, your throat felt tight.

“i mean, i just- i think you’re amazing. of course i do. but i don’t do relationships. i don’t do feelings or love and that bullshit. atleast not right now, i don’t think i can handle it” each of his words felt like a stab through the heart. how did you misjudge this so badly?

“i fucked things up, didn’t i?” jeno looked you in the eyes sympathetically. of course he felt pity for you.

“no you didn’t. i’m still going to be around. i just can’t be the guy for you” why did you have to go and make things so complicated?

jeno senses you were still overthinking, he smoothed bits of hair from your face, gently tucking them behind your ear.

“don’t frown, pretty girl. i’m not going anywhere” he pulled you closer to him, making you lay down, face to face with him. you wanted to avoid looking into his eyes but he maintained the intense contact with you.

“i’m tired” was all you could think of saying. jeno just nodded,

“rest well” he pulled you into just chest, softly stroking your hair as you closed your eyes. you felt a singular tear stream down your face, landing on jeno’s forearm. he sighed, knowing he hurt you. but he was selfish, he just couldn’t let you go. he wouldn’t let you go.

You talked to her, maybe did even worse

I kept quiet so I could keep you

jeno hadn’t been around lately. it was probably for the best, you guessed he just didn’t want you to get attached.

you were walking to your final class of the day, passing by multiple students rushing off in different directions. you were careful not to bump into anything or anyone, but you had the worst luck, feeling yourself slam into a firm figure. your eyes focused on the boy infront of you.

“jeno” your eyes lit up unknowingly, as he greeted you with a smile.

“oh hey, careful there” he helped you remain stable, placing his hand on your shoulder.

“it’s been a while, i was thinking you could come over tonight and we cou-“

“there you are! been looking everywhere for you!” you watched as an unfamiliar girl came up to jeno, leaning into his side. her gaze waved over you, a slight scowl forming.

“y-yeah i’m just talking to a friend, uh this is karina” he introduces to you. what the hell was this? a new girl already?

“i’m y/n, jeno may have mentioned me before” you kindly smile, or atleast you tried your best to.

“oh he’s never mentioned your name, but nice to meet you” she looked over to the boy next to her, “jeno, can you walk me to my class? i’m still kinda lost” she frowned. jeno just nodded in compliance, leading her through the hallway as he sent you a small wave. so this was how it was gonna be.

“i mean, who the hell is she? how does she just waltz up in here and suddenly have jeno’s attention like that?” you frustratedly rant to jaemin, who was innocently eating his lunch as you approached him. he practically saw smoke coming out of your ears from how annoyed you were. he had never seen you like this before,

“hey, back track. explain properly” jaemin sighs, pulling you to sit down next to him as he continued eating. you finally got a hold of yourself, taking a few deep breaths,

“her name is karina or something, she’s suddenly hanging around jeno now. and he’s been avoiding me lately” jaemin’s eyes widened slightly, sirens going off in your mind.

“what do you know that i don’t?”

“it’s not my place to say” you scoff,

“not your place? since when have we kept secrets from eachother. i admitted to you that i’ve been having sex with jeno yet you can’t tell me this thing?” jaemin knew you were partially right, but he didn’t want to crush your spirit more than it already was.

“fine, karina was jeno’s first girlfriend. like first love type bullshit. he never really got over her, even when she moved away. i guess she’s back for good” your heart started to ache. gosh, this stupid infatuation with jeno was getting out of control.

“you think he still loves her?” jaemin looked at you with solemn eyes,

“i don’t know, he doesn’t really talk about her much. if anything, i sort of want him to choose you. i think you’re good for him, even if he doesn’t see it yet” you took this as jaemin just trying to cheer you up, you didn’t believe a single word he said. how well did you really know jeno? he had never mentioned karina to you before, nor that she was his first love. i mean, why would he? you were barely friends...right?

And ain't it funny how you ran to her 

The second that we called it quits?

And ain't it funny how you said you were friends?

Now it sure as hell don't look like it

jeno was at your apartment once again, his legs dangling over yours as you both typed on your laptops. your mind was trying it’s hardest to focus on your assignment that was due in less than five hours, but you were too distracted by jeno’s presence. it wasn’t unusual for him to hang out with you, but you felt slightly uncomfortable, knowing he had also been hanging out with karina more often. maybe you were just being paranoid, but how could you not be?

“quit staring and finish your work” jeno poked you playfully, shutting the lid of his laptop before moving to lay next to you. he leant against your shoulder, making your heart flutter.

“i-i am. why would i want to look at your gross face anyway?”

“stop denying it” he just snuggled closer to you. of course you couldn’t deny it. before you could respond, jeno’s phone started ringing. he quickly jumped out of your bed, hoping you hadn’t seen the caller ID. but you did. it was the one person you were hoping he had stopped talking to.

“sorry about that, it was uh just jaemin” jeno walked back into your room, acting as if nothing happened. you pierced your eyes at him, was he really going to lie straight to your face?

“i know it was karina. you don’t have to hide it from me” you shrug, pretending to type on your laptop.

“o-oh uh sorry. we’re just friends, you know. incase you were worried” was he being for real?

“why would i be worried? just because i confessed to you doesn’t mean you’re entitled to like me back. if you wanna see her then go see her, don’t use me liking you as an excuse” you felt pure frustration take over your body. you had never experienced this feeling before, even jeno was shocked.

“it’s not like that, i swear. i don’t want stuff between us to...end” jeno moved closer to you, placing his hand to your cheek, gently stroking the skin. there he goes again. these small gestures had you swooning, you just couldn’t help it.

you scrunched your nose at the contact, causing jeno to smile softly.

“so cute” he tapped your nose before engulfing you in his embrace. your assignment was long forgotten once he started kissing you. this was all too overwhelming emotionally, but physically, this felt just right.

just when things were beginning to feel normal again, jaemin had a few words for jeno.

“you can’t keep playing her, it’s time to come clean”

“give me time, y/n’s sensitive, i don’t wanna hurt her too bad” jaemin rolled his eyes.

“you’re being a real dick about this. if you have feelings for karina, end it with y/n now, or else i’ll tell her myself” jeno grabbed his arm, pleading him to hear him out.

“please don’t. promise me you won’t. i know it’s going to hurt her, but i want to do it on my own” jaemin wanted nothing more but to call you right now and have jeno confess over the phone. but he knew you deserved to hear it from jeno in person. all that the two boys could think about was how crushed you’d be after hearing the truth. but the truth will always come out one way or another.

y/n: hey jeno, i’m officially assignment free! come over and hang tonight :))

jeno: hey sorry, hella swamped with a group assignment at the moment. will make it up to you tomorrow!

you nodded to yourself after reading his message. you were proud of him for working so hard in his studies nowadays, it really seemed like he was improving. you opted to spend a night to yourself, switching on the television and eating an excessive amount of snacks from your kitchen cabinet. as usual, you were on instagram, wondering what others were up to now that most assignments were done and dusted. lee donghyuck had the most wild and sometimes, disturbing, instagram stories but you were always curious as to what he was up to. but this time you regretted it greatly. seeing a video of jeno making out with karina against the wall shattered you. you immediately locked your phone, switching the tv off completely. your body felt numb, why weren’t you reacting? why weren’t you crying? or even mad? how could you be mad...you weren’t even dating him. how pathetic of you to believe he would be loyal after practically rejecting you. you felt like a fool for falling for him. there was no way he could sweet talk his way out of this. the pain was too much for you to bare, resulting in you deciding to take a social media detox...well a detox from everyone really. you became more sheltered and isolated than ever. it was just too good to be true.

You betrayed me

And I know that you'll never feel sorry For the way I hurt, yeah

You talked to her when we were together

Loved you at your worst, but that didn't matter

“y/n, honey, you need to come out and eat okay?” you regretted giving jaemin a spare key to your apartment. he would enter as he wished, cooking you a warm meal before sitting outside your bedroom door as he begged for you to come out. you hated making him worry like this but you physically couldn’t get yourself to leave your bed. the same bed you and jeno had slept in together many times. you swore you could still smell traces of his scent on the pillow sheets.

“please just go home, jae” you groaned.

“no, i’m your friend and i need to see that you’ve atleast showered and taken care of yourself” his words made you want to cry. he cared for you so much, but he wasn’t the one you wanted to hear these things from. for the first time in what felt like weeks, you stood up from your bed and shuffled towards the door. you turned the door knob slowly, gaining jaemin’s attention. he immediately stood up, eyes scanning over your state.

“oh honey” he pulled you into his chest, gently stroking your hair.

“has he said anything?” you manage to murmur, catching jaemin off guard.

“n-no. atleast not to me. i’m sorry”

“why the hell are you sorry? he should be sorry. he should be grovelling to me to forgive him. but now he’s off, with some other girl. like i never meant a damn thing to him” you scoffed, pushing past jaemin as he trailed behind you with the tray of your now, cold, meal. you sat down on your couch, wrapping yourself in a small blanket.

“do you think he liked her this whole time and just didn’t tell me?” jaemin’s eyes shifted from left to right, which he only did when he withheld information.

“y-you knew?” he slowly nodded, the guilt eating him up inside.

“i wanted to tell you, i promise. but he insisted that he would let you down in person” jaemin tried to explain. you couldn’t even be mad at him. it must have been so obvious that jeno was into karina the whole time. you were just another name to his list. nothing more.

“am i pathetic for still liking him?” jaemin let out a sigh, unsure of how to answer. but that reaction was a good enough indication that you were indeed pathetic, for wanting a guy that didn’t want you. lee jeno was a traitor.

another night was spent alone. you were simply catching up on your usual shows, using it as a distraction from the pouring rain. what you didn’t expect was a series of loud knocks on your front door. who the hell wanted to visit you in the early hours of the morning? you proceeded with caution, twisting the door knob, allowing the door to slowly swing open. your eyes met those of the boy who broke you. you wanted nothing more than to shut the door right in his face, but he stopped you before you could even move.

“i-we need to talk” he slurred his words. he seemed drunk, but you weren’t fully sure. you could have sworn he quit drinking months ago, but the sight infront of you was telling you otherwise. jeno suddenly slumped towards you, his weak figure now latching onto you. you quickly shut the door, dragging him to your couch.

“i cant believe you’ve been drinking again” you felt disappointed. he was doing so well.

“couldn’t help myself, life is shitty. i lost you, karina and i are fighting. jaemin is giving me the cold shoulder. oh and i failed my last assignment, guess i can’t even finish the year” you had never seen him so defeated like this, you started feeling pity for him.

“but that’s no reason for you to drink yourself to this state. i’m really disappointed in you. i know you can do better” you sighed before rushing to your kitchen, grabbing him a bottle of water. jeno took slow sips from the bottle, eyes avoiding yours. there was still one question lingering in your mind,

“why are you even at my apartment? don’t you have your own?” you didn’t want to come off as rude but jeno couldn’t deny he felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

“i-i don’t know. i just feel comfort whenever i’m here. y-you gave me comfort. and i messed it all up” you felt tears begin to swell in your own eyes. why was he saying these things now? the timing was terrible.

“you’re babbling nonsense. just go to sleep, i want you gone in the morning” you grab him an extra blanket and pillow, watching as he slowly started drifting to sleep. you weren’t sure if he really meant the things he was saying, but you’d rather keep it that way. you didn’t need any more reasons to hold onto jeno. this was just a one time thing, you weren’t completely heartless. this was the night you saw jeno at his worst, and if you were being honest, you couldn’t be with him like this. you now knew, that you deserved better than lee jeno.

as expected, he was gone by the time you woke up, leaving you a small note,

“thankyou for everything”

you quickly scrunched the piece of paper, tossing it into the bin. you felt slightly relieved, this was a sign that you were finally starting to get over him.

Now you bring her around just to shut me down

Show her off like she's a new trophy

And I know if you were true

There's no damn way that you

Could fall in love with somebody that quickly

“hey so there’s gonna be a bonfire tonight, wanna come with me?”

“i don’t know, jaemin. not really up for hanging in big crowds at the moment” jaemin frowned, wanting nothing more than to see his friend happy again.

”i’ll be next to you the entire night, if that gives you more ease” he pleaded with his big eyes, rubbing his shoulder against yours. you eventually gave in, wanting nothing more than for him to stop giving you those creepy eyes. maybe something good will come from the bonfire.

you spoke too soon, the moment jeno and karina showed up, it was like somebody was impaling you with a stake to the heart. you physically couldn’t move, eyes avoiding having to meet those of jeno’s. you felt someone’s eyes on you, but refused to look up from your feet which were buried in the sand. soon enough, you felt the gaze escape, along with the two people you wanted to avoid the most. jaemin awkwardly coughed,

“this is going to be harder than i thought” you sighed, causing jaemin to press his lips together in a tight line.

“i know, but it’s not the end of the world” he shrugged, pulling you closer to him as you both soaked up the heat from the fire. you hated how jeno was showing her off like his new trophy. he constantly had his arm around her, laughing with his friends loudly, pressing soft kisses to her forehead. it made you sick.

your mind drifted to the conversations where jeno insisted he was not the ‘relationship type’. you remembered how he avoided your confession, how he only wanted your company when he felt alone. how he always interrupted you with a kiss when you would ask about his feelings. it all felt like some sort of sick joke to you. if you knew jeno the way you thought you did, there was no way he could fall inlove so quickly.

but you knew that he was inlove, or atleast falling inlove, because he looked at her the way you used to look at him. you couldn’t help but laugh at yourself, you got played. plain and simple. lee jeno was never meant to be a permanent figure in your life, he was a lesson to be learnt. you had to let him go, no matter how much it hurt, you knew it would be for the best.

it was finally summer break, instant weight lifting from your shoulders as you handed in your final paper. although this year had its ups and downs, you were beyond proud of how you managed to stay on top of your school work, and shove any thoughts regarding jeno, from your mind. it had been radio silence from

his end, not having reached out to you in weeks, until some of your classmates invited you to some drinks at a local club. you couldn’t pass on a night to finally let loose, so you gleefully accepted their offer. it was also nice way of making new friends for the following year to come.

“hot damn, who the hell is that?” your newest friend, minjeong, swooned. you shifted your eyes to the figure in question. jeno stood there in all his glory, leather jacket hung loosely on his shoulders as he greeted your classmates one by one. he was slowly making his way to you and minjeong, you wanting nothing more than to rush to the bathroom. but he definitely would have seen you,

“long time no see” he grinned, taking a seat on the bar stool next to you. minjeong noticed that you were beginning to feel uncomfortable. she tapped your arm gently, asking with one simple gaze if you needed her with you. you shook your head in response, this was something you needed to sort out, once and for all.

“it has been a while” you sighed, turning to face the boy who tore you to pieces. jeno stiffened at your tone, part of his heart aching to hear you speak to him in such way.

“how have things been? i-i kinda miss hanging out together-“

“are you serious right now?” you practically scoffed, taking a large gulp from your drink. you needed some liquid courage for the speech you were about to give.

“who do you think you are to come up here and act like everything is all good between us? i know that jaemin has told you how hurt i was over you, gosh, it was probably one of the most painful heartbreaks i’ve ever experienced. can i even call it that? a heartbreak? i mean, we never dated so technically we never even broke up” jeno slowly gulped at your words, hoping no one else was eavesdropping on your conversation. but he allowed you continue,

“we hooked up, i confessed, and it all went to shit. once something new and shiny came by, i was old news. i really thought we were going to be something. how naive i was to even believe that someone like you could be with someone like me. i guess you didn’t cheat, but you’re still a traitor, lee jeno. and i hope you never forget it” you could barely look at him, feeling hot tears fill your eyes. you clenched your fists as jeno cleared his throat before speaking.

“i-i’m sorry okay? i didn’t mean for things to go so far with us. i never want you to think that you aren’t important to me. at the time, you were one of the best things that had ever happened to me. but we just weren’t right for each other, i told you that from the start” you finally built the courage to face him, his gentle eyes meeting your pained ones.

“god i wish you had thought this through, before i went and fell in love with you” those words hit him like a truck. he knew he had messed up, there was no going back from the damage he had done. he broke someone that he truly cared about. he hurt one of his only friends. he could never forgive himself for that.

“y-you’re going to find someone. someone way better than me. someone who sees how beautiful you are, someone who will hold on for dear life because they’re scared of losing you. i’m sorry i couldn’t be that guy for you. i am so sorry” you could sense the sincerity in his voice, but there was only so much an apology could fix.

“may i ask, are you happy?” he already knew his answer, and he knew it would hurt you if he answered truthfully. but he was done with lies,

“yeah i am, are you?” you pondered for a moment,

“i will be” you firmly answered, feeling a small grin grow on your face. although this entire interaction was pure torture, you were glad you were able to air out your conscience to the one person who was filling it. you and jeno agreed to cut contact for the time being, wishing each other the best. of course you would think about him every now and then, but you were onto bigger and better things. lee jeno was just one chapter on your book of life. there was so much more out there for you, and you couldn’t wait to experience it.

#lee jeno imagine #jeno imagine #jeno fic #nct jeno imagine #nct jeno fic #nct dream imagines #nct dream fic #nct dream writing #jeno angst #jeno fluff #nct dream fluff #nct dream series #jisungsmochi masterlist #jisungsmochiimagines

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archies-litterbox · 3 years ago

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Whumptober No. 1: All Trussed Up And Still Nowhere To Go

“You have to let go” | barbed wire | bound

Summary: Douxie and Nari escape a containment facility, but it goes wrong. Painfully wrong.

Words: 2.9k

A/N: This is my first whumptober piece ever! I’m so excited to share. I Hope you like it! I’ve tagged Zouxie, but they’re not the main relationship of the story - that’s Douxie and Nari. He loves his baby sister. :)

[CW: Blood, Hand Injury, Captivity, Swearing, Escape, Mutilation]

It hadn’t been more than a week or two, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t miserable.

What started out as a normal day with Nari, which Douxie had been spending trying to get the forest demigod further away from the ever-encroaching Arcane Order, ended with black-suited goons throwing them in some underground cell in a facility in the ever-so-specific middle of nowhere.

But not before cuffing a magic inhibitor around his wrist. It would’ve made for a nice addition to the ensemble of bracelets that hung around his forearm, matching nicely to the temporarily-obselete gauntlet on his other arm, had it not been for the awful shock he got every time he tried to bring magic forth to his fingertips. And as much as he was used to electrifying sparks with Zoe, it was quite the inconvenience now.

But for Nari… the most powerful suppressant was her environment itself. With the cement walls around her, disconnecting her from nature and not allowing so much as a potted plant in their containment area did plenty to weaken her, whether these captors knew it or not.

Douxie tried to smile, “At least the Order won’t find us here.”

Nari shook her head.

“No one will…”

Douxie shrugged, “I wouldn’t put it past our friends. Zoe would make a firecracker out of anyone who’d hurt us, and Archie can track down anyone’s scent, with that dragon-y nose of his…”

He booped her nose, but she wasn’t very responsive to it.

“...I do not belong here, Douxie.”

Douxie sighed, “I know. I’ll get you out of here, I promise.”

“I mean… I am disconnected, and I feel… sick.” she said, “I’m getting weaker with every day I am not in contact with nature.”

She looked up to meet his eyes.

“I cannot stay detached, Douxie.”

And he knew that. It was an awareness that made both his heart sink and his mind think that much harder about a plan of escape.

“...Well,” Douxie looked up as he considered, “I can ask veeery nicely for a little plant to keep in here. Maybe catch a guard in a nice mood. Think that would work?”

Nari giggled, a frail thing.

“That would be nice.”

Douxie stretched his legs out to make a little pillow for the little forest goddess that had become a little sister to him. There wasn’t even a mattress to speak of here - most inhospitable captors, he thought.

Nari got on her side and rested her head on Douxie’s lap. Her antlers sort of poked into the wizard’s torso, but he didn’t mind as he ran his fingers through her hair, between the criss-crosses of green that went down into her braid. She hummed a little in contentment, and it was enough to make his heart swell.

He loved his little sister so much… and as he lolled his head against the wall to get some rest himself, he only thought about how, if - no, once he got the chance to get her out of here, there’s nothing that would stop him from taking it.

He just hoped that chance would come soon, for who knew how much longer she could go on like this, out of her element…

Well, it wouldn’t be long.

Douxie was pulled from a light slumber by the sound of electricity surging. Fuelled by panic that his nullifier cuff was going off, his eyes snapped open only to be met with darkness. The flickering, glaring light that shone from the fluorescent bulbs into the room that had been Douxie and Nari’s somewhat home as of late had gone out.

An outage? A blackout?

Immediately, his mind started firing on all cylinders trying to think of how to seize this chance. The first thing he did was try to use his magic, but -

Bzzzzt!

Douxie hissed and grit his teeth as his wrist stung from the shock.

Oh, of COURSE that still works!

Alright, no magic then. What could he, what could he-

Electricity thrummed near him again, and he feared the power was already back on, and his chance for escape was gone as soon as it arrived, but it was only by the doors, kept shut by an automatic mechanism. The new power that seemed to only stick around that area made the cell doors pull open, and in the surging electricity, Douxie could distinctly see a certain hue.

A pink hue.

Zoe!

Finally, thank fuzzbuckets. Zoe, Archie, his friends - they must have tracked this place down. And before the order, too!

Despite his nerves that fuelled a sense of urgency, Douxie made sure to be gentle when he nudged Nari awake.

“Mmh…” she rose her head, “Douxie?”

“Look!” he said, pointing to the doors, “All the lights went out, but the doors opened up! And the power’s pink! Zoe caused a black out!”

She rubbed her eyes and stood, instantly livening up (as much as she could, weakened as she was) when she saw the chance to escape.

“Then what are we waiting for?” She asked, but Douxie was already getting up to take her hand and show her the answer: nothing.

Douxie took Nari’s hand in hers - so small, so… tiny - and took her running out the door. They could hear the commotion of the personnel that made up… wherever this place was (seriously, he thought area 49B had left behind their whole “imprisoning the out of the ordinary” thing after the Tarrons, so what was this? Did it matter?), and he needed to know where to move. If someone got the idea to activate that damn wristband of his remotely-

He looked up and saw one of the fluorescent lights flicker on again, just to his left. Like with the doors, he saw the pink hue. He took off to his left, and as that light flickered off behind him, the one ahead of him lit up. The same thing happened again when he and Nari ran forward, and again, and again. Not only was Zoe lighting the way, but she was turning off the other lights as soon as they weren’t needed, so they’d be harder to spot.

My darling’s a bloody genius!

Nari, winded by the sudden sprinting in her weakened state, started to stumble. Douxie swept up the little goddess and carried her bridal-style as he kept moving, kept moving moving moving -

Finally, he burst through an exit and the cool night air hit his face. Taking in a breathful, he saw the open yard of some hundred feet or so, cut off by a barbed-wire fence (with a high-voltage sign on it, although Douxie knew that Zoe had likely shut it off when she caused the blackout, standing between the facility and open forest.

On the other side of that fence, he could make out his pink-haired, married-some-fifty-times-over-in-the-past-millennium wife and his familiar next to her.

But he also saw what was possibly a more relieving sight; grass. Nature. Real nature. Exactly what Nari needed.

As if reading his mind, Nari’s energy returned within only a few of Douxie’s strides.

“I can run! I can run!” she squeaked. In a fluid motion, he put her down but kept hold of her hand so he wouldn’t lose her. It was a simple precaution, for his legs were gangly, and she was rather short for a demigoddess.

“Took you long enough!” Douxie shouted when Zoe was in earshot.

“You try tracking down a knockoff 49B like this, Casperan!” she shouted back.

“The fence is off!” Archie called, “Just avoid the barbed wire!”

Well, he’d try his best.

When Douxie heard the sound of guards and personnel pouring out the doors on their heels, it only fuelled his adrenaline further. But it also fuelled his drive to protect Nari, so he guided her in front of him, so any attempts to slow or stop the two of them would affect him first, and hopefully, affect him only.

The more he ran with Nari, the shorter, shorter, achingly shorter the distance got between them and the fence - between Douxie and his family.

But he could also hear the guards getting dreadfully closer.

Finally, Nari was close enough to get over the fence.

“Go!” he said before she could try to make him go first, “Go, GO!”

Reaching out to a nearby tree, she lengthened its branch, grabbed onto it, and used it to get over the fence. Once she’d crossed, she let go, and Zoe caught her and set her on the ground.

Nothing felt like more of a relief in that moment than seeing her on the other side of that fence.

But something else would overwhelm him and drown out that relief soon enough.

Since he’d already had a well enough running start, Douxie crouched down and leaped up once he got close enough to the fence. He could see the mesh blur in his vision as he got higher in the air. His outstretched hands went over the curls of barbed wire, and he could feel the freedom at his fingertips, and-

Something wrapped around his ankle.

The air got ripped from his lungs as he felt it stop his jump.

No.

And it pulled him down.

No!

And his hands, his hands, his hands, they went right into -

“AAAAAAUUUUGH!”

The scream ripped from Douxie’s throat easily could’ve rang out for miles.

He could barely hear it past his own scream, his own agony, but he could hear Archie gasp; he could hear Nari cry out; he could hear Zoe swear as she conjured her lightning (his eyes were still squeezed shut as tears streamed down his cheeks, but he could hear the power surging) and sent it down the line around his ankle, electrocuting the guard.

He started to fall back to the ground, but his hands - oh, sweet heart of Avalon, his hands - were still stuck in the mesh of metal, and the added weight made them burn. He dug his feet into two of the chicken-wire holes in the fence to keep himself up. Finally, he opened his eyes, blurred with tears.

Not to look at his hands - no he couldn’t bear to, not yet - but to look at his family. Zoe looked furious - not with him, but for him as the residue of her lightning sparked from her fingertips. Archie was saucer-eyed behind his glasses.

And Nari…

The poor little goddess trembled in the grass, where she should have been thriving, as she shook her head, her hands clamped over her mouth as her eyebrows upturned.

He could feel - Gods, he could feel the dripping down his wrists, uncomfortable but the most comfortable sensation in his arms right now. And he knew why they were dripping.

He drew his eyes up, and the sight nearly made him vomit.

His hands looked almost as bad as they felt; with his fingers curled and straightened in-between merciless barbs, there was more deep, deep crimson on his hands than the normal, pale hue of his skin.

Oh, sweet heart of Avalon, they were a mess.

But he couldn’t worry about them - not when he could hear the sounds of more guards from behind him.

“There’s more coming! You have to go!”

“No way, Casperan!” Zoe said. Archie shook his head fervently. Oh, curse them and their loyalty!

He looked right to Nari - to his poor, poor little sister that looked at her with tears already streaming down her cheeks.

“Nari, you have to run!” he screamed, “You must keep moving! Don’t stop running!”

Nari looked at his hands, and her face changed, adapted, accommodated for a rare look of resolve.

“...Forgive me, Douxie.”

She raised her arms. Vines sprung up from the ground by her feet.

No.

He felt them wrap around his wrists.

He felt them tighten.

He felt-

“AAAUGH!” he screamed again.

-He felt his hands rip out of the metal.

The wind snatched his cry from his throat as he was pulled into the air and over the fence, just barely landing on his feet to stumble forward.

Before he could register how much it hurt when his flesh tore away from the barbs, both vines were replaced by one of Zoe’s hands around one of his wrists and Nari’s holding onto his hoodie sleeve that lay around the other, pulling him along until he fell in stride and kept running, just like he’d been doing with Zoe this whole time.

And he didn’t stop.

Despite the agony dripping from his hands, he didn’t stop.

He couldn’t.

Not until the shouts of those agents were far behind him and those he loved.

Zoe and Nari slowed, and Douxie naturally followed suit.

“We’ve lost them.” Archie said, more grave than relieved. And it wasn’t hard to understand why - not when the adrenaline dissipated from Douxie’s body, and the pain he couldn’t register before wracked him now.

He fell to his knees, not even letting himself put his hands to the ground to steady himself. No, he could only bring his hands to his face so he could rightly see the mess.

He’d been left with two large, jagged slashes on both his palms, making blood pool in his hands, and his fingers were sliced into generously - but really, was that the right word? Generously? Was any of this truly generous?

Well, perhaps, but only in the fact that there was obviously a lot of pain to spare, and Douxie’s hands were the agonized recipients.

Shakily, he stood up.

Zoe stood in front of him and held out her hand, “Let me see.”

Douxie was reluctant, of course.

“I wont touch the cuts.” she said, “I just wanna get that cuff off.”

With that goal in mind, Douxie nodded and held out his shaking arm.

About thirty seconds and a lot of grunting and swearing from Zoe later, and the cuff snapped off. Douxie welcomed the feeling of unrepressed magic in his veins, so much so that it almost overpowered the awful stinging sensation that came with the fact blood was still trickling out of his veins right now, soaking his agonized palms.

Almost, though. Not enough.

He started to try to use his magic to improve the condition of his injuries, but using his hands to try to heal his hands was as painful as it was counterproductive; it only made his hands feel that much more like they were on fire, and after a few seconds, he stopped and shook his head.

“No, no, I can’t do it.” he said through gritted teeth, “Not yet.”

“That’s alright.” Zoe said, though Douxie wasn’t so sure, “I figured they might’ve roughed you up, so I brought supplies. Should work well enough.”

And so, Zoe got to work sanitizing and bandaging Douxie's hands while Archie circled around his feet and Nari stood a few feet away, watching on as if she were hesitant to approach her big brother.

Douxie looked at Zoe while she wrapped his fingers. After a few minutes, she’d had both his hands wrapped, finger by finger, from nail to wrist.

“‘S been a minute since we held hands, eh?” Douxie said.

“And it’ll be another minute yet, you know.” Zoe rolled her eyes, but Douxie could hear the fondness in her voice, “They’re pretty mangled, but those bandages should work fine until we get to a doctor.”

“Perhaps we’re still close enough to Arcadia that we could see Dr. Lake?” Archie suggested, however unfeasible. It was probably a joke.

But Douxie ignored the pressing issue of where to go for the moment, and instead, he walked over to Nari.

“I know being down there was starting to do a number on you…” he crouched down so he was at eye level with his baby sister, “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes… and no.” Nari said.

She brought her gaze down to his hands.

“...I am sorry, Douxie.” she said, “I know you said to run, but I could not bear to leave you. I could never keep running without you. If there had been a gentler way…”

But there wasn’t. There were never enough gentler ways to do things in this world.

“I know you would have done it.” he said.

He started to bring out one of his wrapped hands to put on top of her head, but pulled it back with reluctance.

He couldn’t touch her. It… it would hurt his hand too much to try to touch his baby sister.

And Nari knew it. That must’ve been why she hugged his waist without hesitation. Finding the least painful spot on his hand, he trailed the back of his index knuckle down the criss-crosses in her hair.

Douxie sighed.

He thought he’d be more relieved when they got out of there - exhausted, but nonetheless extremely relieved. And to an extent, he was.

But now that the dust was settling, all Douxie could think about was something he never thought he’d ever have to miss.

He thought about only minutes before, when he’d been running his fingers through Nari’s hair, in the spaces in-between the criss-crosses that went down to her braid…

And before his guitar, his hand spells, or anything else crossed his mind…

He only thought about when he’d be able to do that again, and if this sting in his hands would ever completely leave if he did.

“Please,” he smiled a pained smile as he looked down to Nari, unable to even return her hug, “Don’t blame yourself…”

But he knew that, just like when he told her to run and leave him there, she would not listen to him.

And that was the only thing that hurt worse than his hands.

#whumptober2021 #no.1 #barbed wire #tales of arcadia #fanfic #blood #injury #captivity #douxie #hisirdoux casperan #nari #nari of the eternal forest #toa archie #toa zoe #zouxie

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votederpycausemufins · 3 years ago

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Finally back with the next chapter for the scattered au fic, and it’s over 11,000 words long!

au by @hermitcraftheadcanons and @helleborusangel gets tagged for my writing In general.

Scar blinked. That’s all he did. He didn’t fall asleep, and he can tell because the endermen are all standing in the same place, minus one who just teleported. Scar has even heard them teleporting. But now, out of nowhere, there was some sort of structure in front of him. It was made mostly of endbrick with some purpur accents. An end rod was perched on top of it, giving a soft glow, and it was sitting on top of a piece of bedrock.

Scar blinked again, expecting it to be part of his imagination and disappear when he blinked again, but it didn’t. He reached his hand out and touched the pillar, finding it surprisingly warm. Or maybe it was the normal amount of warmth and he was just used to the cold of the End. Either way, it was nice.

Scar ate a bit of chorus fruit before leaning against the pillar, thinking about taking a nap. He was just starting to drift off when his eyes fell on the end rod again. It wasn’t much, but maybe he could use it. Scar stood back up and pulled the end rod off, ignoring the bad feeling he got from moving it. He would worry about that after he tried this.

Scar carefully avoided the eyes of the endermen as he looked upwards at the plants growing above him. He set his sights on a chorus flower that had finished growing and then held the end rod in his hand. He got one shot at this, that was it. Scar stared at his target as he lined up, getting ready to throw the rod. It was just like a trident. Except it was much lighter, didn’t come back, and wasn’t actually a normal projectile. But right now this was all he had.

He threw the end rod and watched it fly. His heart sank as it looked like it was going to miss, but then there was the slightest of blue glows around it, and it seemed to be nudged to the side. The rod hit the flower and then both of them fell back down to the ground, easy for Scar to retrieve. He sighed in relief before planting the flower and then putting the end rod back on the pillar. He thanked the vex for their tiny bit of help and then whatever made the pillar appear. He didn’t care why it was there, but it seemed to help him for now, so in his eyes, it was good.

Impulse was so busy trying not to die that he didn’t immediately register the appearance of a pillar. Well, he did, but all he really registered was that it was something he could use to cut the line of sight between him and the guardians. It wasn’t until he drowned yet again that Impulse really noticed that it existed. It was made mostly of dark prismarine, but there was also a piece of bedrock as well as a conduit.

Seeing the conduit made Impulse light up for a moment before he realized it wasn’t active, and also couldn’t be active due to the bedrock being in the way. Probably. His mind is still a little too waterlogged for him to think properly. Besides, even if it could have been used, he didn’t have the ability to actually get and move blocks into the proper positioning.

The sight of something that seemed so close yet so far away made Impulse angry, and after drowning again, he used his next respawn to attack the walls again, punching and clawing at the prismarine. He even took a few tiny sips of the precious air that existed in the small hole he and Etho had made, doing anything for a little bit more time. And while it didn’t let him break it completely, Impulse was glad to see he was not back on square one, the block staying damaged.

He continued to work at the block, barely registering anything else. Not the guardian that swam past and ignored him. Not the fact that he was lasting much longer than before without air. Not the fact that his hands had gained an orange color, and his nails were more like claws. Not the fact that the rest of him was slightly more blue than when he started. Just that he might get out, and not that he might not need to soon.

Jevin ate another glowberry. It was food, and food was good. He wouldn’t eat his friends the axolotls. He’s not sure he even could. And maybe he could eat fish, but that’s what the axolotls ate, so they got there first. That was fine. Glowberries were nice. Jevin reached for another one and ignored the way he was dripping slime. It wasn’t the healthiest thing for slime to get too waterlogged, but that was just for regular slime. As a hybrid, he was fine.

He ate another glowberry, it was nice and yellow. It went well with the lush green around them, the cool blue or the water, and the weird mix of blue and green that his body was. That was odd. Jevin kicked his legs a little, ignoring the globs of slime that floated away in the water. His legs were still very much blue. He shook his left hand and ignored the way it dripped. That was also still blue. He shook his other hand, which also dripped a bit. That one was much more green. He peeked into his sweatshirt, ignoring the way his slime stuck to it. That was a swirl of blue and green. Lastly, he looked at the water. The droopy look on his face was probably just the water distorting it. But his face was also very clearly green despite the water making it look more blue.

Jevin didn’t think about it much more as an axolotl swam by. It was a nice brown color. Like the roots hanging above him. He already tried following the roots, but he was too far down. Oh well, at least he had food. Jevin grabbed another glowberry. He could stay here for a while. His hand slapped against a wall.

Jevin looked over and slowly blinked. There was something between him and the glowberries that wasn’t there before. It was made of moss and stone and had a block of slime and a block of bedrock. Jevin didn’t care much. He could see the glowberries through the slime block. He stuck his hand through it and grabbed the berries. He didn’t even need to pull it to his found this time, just absorbing it into his hand.

That was fine. That was sort of normal. Nothing to worry about. There didn’t seem to be anything to worry about here. No monsters attacking him, no worry about shelter, and he had plenty of food. Jevin ate another glowberry.

Doc was focusing too much on one goat that looked like it was going to attack him. He hissed at it challengingly, but the goat didn’t really react. Another goat did, however, and a moment later, Doc found himself hurtling off the cliff and falling to his death below. When he respawned, he went to hiss at the goat again, but he then comprehended the fact that there was something new at his spawn.

It wasn’t another mob or another player, but it was some sort of pillar that wasn’t there before. It was mostly made of stone and obsidian and taunted him with iron ore as a sort of main piece of the structure, other than the block of bedrock it sat on top. Doc looked it over, poking the blocks to make sure they were real. It looked like they were. None of them were helpful to him though, especially the iron ore which he could do nothing with, but it was still something.

A goat tried to attack him and he ducked behind the pillar. The goat rammed into the pillar instead of him and was dazed, and then moments later it found itself being flung off the cliff. Doc’s eye widened at that. It seemed the pillar would protect him from the goats, but he wasn’t sure if that just happened would only happen to goats, or if anything that attacked the pillar would be attacked in return.

Doc didn’t feel like testing that right now, so he just sat down next to the pillar. It felt good to sit down and not need to worry about the goats. Well, he still needed to worry a little, but he could worry less. If a goat attacked him from the front, the pillar would stop him from going far. If he was attacked from the back, the goat would hit the pillar first. He still needed to worry about his sides, but he was still fifty percent safer than he was when he started.

There was still a lot Doc needed to do. He was still stuck on that mountain for void’s sake. But right now, anything helped. And maybe he could get all the goats to attack the pillar and go flying so he could finally try scaling down without the worry of being thrown off the mountain himself.

It had been a day, maybe two at this point. She had turned on her favorite show - well, favorite was a bit of a stretch, but she felt almost obligated to watch it for her friend - and expected to see a rerun, or maybe a special episode. Instead, there was a countdown. Confused, she grabbed her comm, pulled up a contact, and then tried dialing. She immediately got the message of the built-in answering machine, which already put her on edge, but then the episode started.

“My name is Toon Noah-” “-I’m Mysterious Goofball, and our writer is Pin Valentine.”

She couldn’t help herself. Hearing that- those names. The next while was a blur and eventually she found herself waking up after panicking so much she passed out. It hadn't been long, since the episode was still going on, but that was enough for her. She turned the tv off and then went to bed, eventually waking up to get prepared.

She tried talking to anyone involved in investigating what was going on, but they kept turning her away. She wasn’t family or experienced with what was going on. But that was a lie, she knew exactly what was going on as well as knew who was responsible. But they wouldn’t listen, so she took matters into her own hands.

But somewhere along the line, she made a mistake, and now here she was, stuck and listening to the musical chiming of the blocks around her every time she moved. The only thing besides her in the geode being a small pillar made of the new stones from the geode with a crystal perched atop a piece of bedrock. She wanted to destroy it, get rid of the whole thing, but she knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. They were always Watching, and they didn’t like you messing with their stuff.

TFC finally killed another enderman with his bare hands and got an enderpearl. He shoved the orb in his pocket, not really having the time to be careful about it. He started running to the side, somehow managing to dive out of the way in time so the dragon didn’t hit him. But he didn’t come out unscathed, the crunch that came from his arm and the following pain was enough to tell him that.

But right now he didn’t have the time for that. A respawn would fix that up before long. He just couldn’t let that happen now and lose his enderpearl. He half ran, half limped his way over to one of the pillars, just barely glimpsing the movement of the crystal that sat on top of it. He looked back at the rest of the island, watching the dragon as she flew. She wasn’t attacking him again just yet, so he took a moment to breathe.

Part of TFC regretted taking that moment to rest, the already weak adrenaline in his system fading and making the pain in his arm so much worse. His vision swam a bit from the pain, and he felt a little dizzy, but the old man did his best to stay focused. He stared the dragon down, almost willing her to attack. Even if she didn’t immediately, it was something for him to think about other than the pain in his arm.

After a few moments, the dragon left her perch and flew in TFC’s direction. He got his enderpearl ready and braced himself for the attack just before he was flung into the air. He twisted a bit in the air, trying to orient himself, and then he saw the crystal. With all the strength he could muster, he threw the pearl and hit the crystal. He was teleported right next to it as it exploded, killing him, but that was fine. That was one more crystal down.

He respawned on the obsidian platform of the End and was surprised to see something new just a few blocks away on the main island. Made of endstone, obsidian and bedrock, there was a pillar standing there. It wasn’t like the main pillars of the End, this one being much smaller and more decorative, but it did also have a crystal resting on top of it. Instead of being pink, the crystal was a bit more purple, but TFC wasn’t really thinking about that. It was just another crystal he needed to get rid of. He punched it with his newly fixed arm and let the crystal explode and kill him.

He respawned again, glad to see the small pillar without its crystal anymore. He walked past it to reach the main pillars, trying to figure out which one to try and attack next. But in looking at them, he was sure his old eyes were failing, because all the crystals were back now, not a single one missing from its place. He was back to square one.

Iskall had been reduced to crawling for the past chunk and a half, maybe more. The sun had risen recently and that was all they were completely sure of. They were pretty sure this was the direction XB had come from, but it wasn’t like there was much in the way of landmarks. Right now, the only thing was the mysterious pillar of sand that appeared near their spawn. Well, that and their bare bones attempt at a shelter.

While they couldn’t really make a roof over his head for shade, Iskall was still able to build a wall out of the sand. It gave them a bit of shade, which in this heat was a blessing. That being said, it didn’t help when night fell and everything felt absolutely freezing, but it still staved off their death in the day, which was always good.

Iskall stopped crawling and dug into the sand. The one they had near spawn wasn’t the only wall of sand they had made. They were making a number of them along their path, giving themself a number of places to rest and slowly extending how far into the desert they could travel. Each one was visible to the next one, creating a line of walls that acted as a guide along with shade.

Iskall had pushed themselves a little too far this time, because the wall was barely a block high when dehydration finally claimed them and sent them back to their desert spawn. They were immediately up again to try and get into the shade, and of course that was fairly easy since they had done it so many times already. What was different this time, though, was when Iskall looked back to their spawn, there was now a well.

Iskall covered their left eye to make sure it wasn’t glitching more than before, but the well was still there. They blinked their right eye, but again, it was still there. Worried that it was just a mirage, Iskall didn’t have much hope as they walked towards it. But fortunately, the well didn’t move further away, it actually stayed in place. And as Iskall got closer, their eye was able to make out the details a bit better. While it wasn’t exactly a standard well, it still was made mostly of sandstone. It also had a piece of bedrock and a single piece of chiseled sandstone acting as a sort of centerpiece, but unfortunately, there was no water.

Iskall groaned, leaning against the pillar and sitting in the little bit of shade it was giving. They were surprised to see how cool it felt, even though it had been in the sun for who knew how long at this point. Iskall dug the sand around the pillar to make it seem just a bit taller and get more shade. The pillar seemed to continue down into the sand, which was even stranger since they knew it wasn’t there before, so with little else to do, Iskall kept digging.

Wels munched on a piece of crimson fungus. It was surprising he hadn’t tried them straight before. He assumed it would only taste good enough in a stew, but they were surprisingly nice on their own. The only downside was he was pretty sure they were making him a little numb, since he managed to keep biting his lip or something and it all felt a little off, but it was still better than nothing.

Well, there was one other downside, and that was that the hoglins were also a fan of his treat. They couldn’t reach Wels in his safe-tree, but they did bang against the trunk to try and get to him. That made things a little difficult sometimes, but he hadn’t died recently. Or well, maybe he spoke too soon.

Wels had tried to get up and grab something from a chest that was just out of reach when a particularly violent hoglin slammed into the trunk of the tree and Wels lost his balance. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground and attacked by the hoglins until he respawned, away from the monsters, but also away from his things.

Wels used the nether brick to his left as a hand hold to get up off the ground. He started climbing into his path through the trees but then stopped and turned back around. Standing there, right next to his spawn, was a pillar made out of nether brick materials, save for the single piece of bedrock and magma block. He looked the structure over, trying to figure out where it had come from, but couldn’t seem to actually find any clues.

After a bit more gazing, Wels finally started to climb back up to his tree path, ready to chalk that up as the strangest thing that day. But it wasn’t. “Wels, Wels, Wels. What do we have here?”

“Well, I think we should stop working on makin’ more shelter.” Joe spoke up. He and Beef had reached the middle of true spawn and found a tower that had showed up, replacing their builds. They stared at it for a few minutes in shock and awe before Joe had said anything. “We can make signs to tell people what’s up, but we need to gear up and find X and Grian.”

“Why those two?” Beef looked over and asked. “I mean, X, obviously, but Grian?”

Joe nodded. “Long story, and it ain’t even mine to tell, but the long and short of it is Grian’s probably got a better idea of things than I do right now.”

“Better idea… than you?” Beef asked, not expecting that.

Joe just nodded, but then walked towards the tower, leaving Beef to follow behind. “We might want to check it out first, get more information and all that.”

Joe and Beef both went into the tower. The entrance took them to a ramp that surprisingly went down instead of up, so the pair were both cautious as they continued. When it finally opened up, they were in a large room that stretched far upwards. There wasn’t another ramp up or stairs or even a ladder. Instead, there were blocks floating there from the natural magic of the world.

None of them were close enough for someone to easily step from one to the other, instead needing to parkour their way around. In fact, based on the clear path Joe could see even as he was on the ground, that was the way you were supposed to get up. But this wasn’t another Hermit’s build, and even if it were, the situation was dire enough for an exception.

“Beef, I’m gonna start building up to see what’s at the top. You stay down here for now in case I find a trap or something and can’t get out.”

“Sounds good to me.” Beef nodded, and then Joe started using cobble to tower up.

As he built, Joe felt like the tower was stretching on forever. He had already used an entire stack of blocks and it seemed like he hadn’t gotten any closer. Beef was still on the ground and watched Joe building up, higher and higher, to the point he wasn’t sure how his neck wasn’t hurting from craning it so high. When Joe used up his second full stack of cobble, he huffed before looking down to call down to Beef, only to find the man only ten blocks below him.

“Uh, Beef, how high d’you reckon my tower is?”

“Well, you’ve been going for a while. Have you reached a stack already?”

Joe shrugged. “Now see, that’s the thing I’ve used up two stacks. But why don’t you look around the room and check again.”

Beef was confused, but did what Joe said, only to realize how close to the ground Joe actually was. “Uh, why haven’t you gotten further up by now?”

Joe responded by breaking the tower and getting back down to Beef. “My friend, I think we’re experiencing the physical form of what’s known as a shepard tone.”

Beef was a little puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you know that fun little optical illusion that shows some stairs that you can follow up and down forever while they go in a loop?”

“Yeah? Are you saying that’s what’s going on here?”

“Indeed I am. That illusion is usually just called the infinite stairs or something similar, and it doesn’t quite fit what’s going on here. A shepard tone is something that sounds like it keeps getting higher and higher, but it just resets in a way that the mind doesn’t register.”

“Which is like what’s going on here.”

Joe nodded. “Now if it weren’t for the fact that we need to find the other hermits, I would say we try scaling this place, but our time is likely spent better elsewhere.”

Beef agreed and the two of them left the tower to finish preparing to search. Having not enchanted his axe yet, Beef went to their enchanting building to change that. But when he arrived, the table was missing. “Hey Joe? Where’d you put the enchanting table?”

Joe came in and saw the empty spot. He looked through a few chests with Beef, but they couldn’t find the enchanting table anywhere. While searching, they also noticed something else concerning. It wasn’t just the table that was missing. Anything enchanted was gone as well as any backup diamond tools. All of their other unused diamonds were also missing along with all the obsidian they gathered and the few ender pearls they saved.

“Something tells me we’re going to have more trouble than we thought, Joe.” Beef spoke up. At the very least they still had whatever was in their inventories, but they were still set back plenty.

Cleo watched the villagers through the windows of her stolen house. They were slowly warming up to her and getting less antsy just being around the house. The iron golem was a different story, but something was still better than nothing. Of course, that meant she still needed to sneak out at night, but she honestly preferred that at this point.

As she continued her villager watching, Cleo started to notice all of them gathering somewhere that wasn’t the market. And even if they were, she was pretty sure it was too early in the day for them to be gathering there. If there were any danger, they would be spreading out and going home, so it couldn’t be that either.

Cleo’s curiosity was getting the better of her, but with the iron golem around, she couldn’t go far. She looked back at the front door to see where the golem was at, only to see that it was going in the same direction as the rest of the villagers. With relative safety now on the table, Cleo crept out of the house and followed behind. As she reached the crowd of villagers, none of them really reacted to her, so she moved even closer until she saw just what was getting their attention. Sitting in the middle of the crowd was a fancy pillar made of wood and stone with a single piece of bedrock and a composter of all things on top of that.

Cleo didn’t realize she had said anything out loud until the villagers turned to look at her, leaving her to book it back to the house with the iron golem on her heels. Fortunately she didn’t need to pant when she made it into the house, being a zombie and all that. She technically did need food though, which she was regretting not grabbing in her time of freedom, but that wasn’t on her mind, especially when she saw that pillar. How had a piece of bedrock gotten to that height in the overworld?

Obviously it wasn’t there before since it was so close to the village and was only now noticed, but she couldn’t think of how that would happen. Well, right now, Cleo couldn’t think at all. She was itching all over, and her skin seemed to sting at every touch. It wasn’t until she hit a very sensitive spot that she remembered what this was, something she dealt with far too frequently when she was alive as well as when she had first been turned. Sunburn.

Xisuma once again dodged the warden and let it destroy the wall behind him. After his failure before, he had gotten another burst of motivation after a death or two of sulking. The admin was doing surprisingly well now, having dodged much more attacks than actually hit him. Because of that, work on a new tunnel was going pretty quickly.

A few checks on his helmet systems gave Xisuma his y coordinate, which was up a good amount. At this point he should be hitting a new cave in no time and possibly have an escape. He might still have a warden to deal with, but it would also mean more space and possibly an eventual path to the surface.

Xisuma regretted letting himself get caught up in his thoughts as he was slammed against a wall and respawned. He sighed and collected himself before standing up and going towards the warden made tunnel. At this point, Xisuma had memorized the cave system he spawned in and his helmet had helped him adjust to the low light levels so he could see something. But apparently that didn’t really help him with avoiding the new structure right next to his spawn.

The admin ran into something new, not having remembered anything there or seen anything. In fact, as he focused, he still couldn’t seem to see anything right in front of him. That only left his hands, which he used to start feeling around. It felt like it was some sort of pillar, made up of obsidian and what Xisuma was pretty sure was some sort of deepslate variety. There were just two blocks that differed, that being a piece of bedrock and what felt like a sculk block.

Xisuma lost track of time, and before he knew it, the warden was back. With little in the way for an escape route, X hugged the pillar and hoped that the warden moved on before noticing him. But it just kept moving closer. Even if it didn’t see him, at this point it would run into him.

Xisuma held his breath and just waited for the warden to notice him. And then he felt it bump into the pillar. And then he could hear it doing the same thing he did and feel around the pillar. It hadn’t seen it. Well, Xisuma supposed it couldn’t see anything normally, but in the dark, it’s echolocation skills should have been enough.

Taking confusion as an opportunity, X got up and started running off. He eventually heard the warden following behind him, but he had gotten a head start, and that was just enough for him.

If you ignored all the stuff about being scattered in a new world with the regen bugged and chat broken, Zedaph thought yesterday was a pretty great day. He spent a while on the surface gathering supplies there before finally heading back down to his mines. For the most part, everything was right where he left it, but he was absolutely sure those signs weren’t there before.

The signs eventually led him up another path to the surface which exited at a clearing with a lovely stone starter base that definitely belonged to a hermit. And based on the signs themselves, it was Tango. That guess was verified the moment Zed went inside and Tango was working inside. The sheep hybrid immediately hugged Tango, though pulled away sooner than normal because due to the humidity of the jungle, everything felt much hotter. Or, based on what Tango said, that wasn’t the only thing.

They went back outside and Tango showed off that the whole area was clear because it had burned down because of Tango. He was pretty sure ever since they showed up in this world, he had slowly been losing control of his mob side. Bringing that up, Zedaph remembered the repeated disappearance of his wheat as well as having more trouble with his hair.

The pair were very aware of the fact that Impulse was still stuck in a sea temple, so they didn’t worry too much about their conditions so much as they focused on preparing to find the last of their trio. But they probably should have worried a little more because Zedaph ended up taking a bit too far of a tumble and respawned. He was back at his spawn, still never making a bed for himself. He supposed that could change soon if they shear him instead, but that’s for later.

Right now, Zed is more interested in the new thing next to his spawn. Since Tango was so close, he thought it was something the blaze hybrid made for a moment, but then he realized the piece of bedrock. The whole thing was mainly made up of jungle wood and vines, but it did also have bedrock as well as a melon. Zed was perfectly happy for more melons, so he broke it to take along for himself, leaving to join Tango again.

When Scar disappeared, Bdubs gave up. Before he thought the void wasn’t killing him, but then he finally saw Scar. He was actually just extremely high up and had been falling for days, but now he had finally hit the death zone. But he didn’t die, he just kept going.

Bdubs curled up into a ball to try and keep any warmth he still had close to him. No one would ever find him at this point. As far as everyone knew, no one could exist down there. He curled up more, not noticing as the black color on his hands crept further up his skin. Even if he noticed it, the void was already so dark, a little more wasn’t that surprising.

Bdubs was planning to stay that way forever, waiting to starve and hope he could keep himself from respawning. There was no point if he would never be rescued. The others could, but not him. But then there was a yell. It was so clear that Bdubs knew it wasn’t his imagination. He lifted his head up and looked around, seeing something that gave him hope once more. An end gateway was floating there.

Of course Bdubs was still falling, but the fact that it existed was enough. If he could find another further down, he could possibly grab onto it and jump in. So Bdubs started looking down, scanning the void below, until he surprisingly saw more endstone. And chorus plants. And Scar. And then he moved too close and slammed against the endstone.

Bdubs respawned and flailed his arms slightly, his orientation all screwed up from the respawn. His hands managed to find something, so before he could fall past it, Bdubs grabbed whatever it was for dear life. He felt his hands slip a little as friction fought momentum, but finally, he stopped moving, and he also wasn’t dead.

Looking up, Bdubs went to see what he grabbed. His eyes first caught what looked like an end gateway for the most part, but completely out of obsidian and only one piece of bedrock with the portal atop it. But that was all about two blocks above him and far out of his reach. He looked a bit further down and saw what exactly he was grabbing. Or more accurately, who. “Let go before I start kicking your arms.”

In exploring the nether, Stress and False kept their eyes out for any signs of life. Or at least, any unnatural signs of life. Obviously the nether had its own lifeforms that were out and about, but any hermit they could find would be great, especially if they were one of the ones to spawn in the Nether itself. Their portal had taken them through to the nether wastes, which was not the most ideal for telling if anyone was around. Anything mined away or built was likely to look like it was just part of the terrain.

With a bit of travelling, making sure to protect each other from the monsters of the dimension, the pair eventually reached a warped forest which definitely looked lived in. Trees were chopped down, land cleared and flattened, and a starter base stood between two trees that were definitely not naturally spawned.

Between Keralis and Wels, they were pretty sure this was made by the former. Both women went into the base, finding it was only a facade and there was nothing behind it except for chests and a respawn anchor. Since they weren’t in danger, they joked about it actually being Grian’s base seeing as it had no back. They also used it as a place to rest, waiting a bit and hoping Keralis would return soon.

After maybe nearly an hour of waiting and no one returned, Stress got up and made a sign and left that behind while False made sure the coast was clear and they could continue exploring. They originally planned to keep going until finding a fortress, but something much more interesting appeared in their path. It was made mostly of warped wood, but also had a block of bedrock and a piece of twisting vines.

Based on the fact the bedrock existed, they were pretty sure this wasn't something Keralis built, but it still wasn’t natural, so False and Stress carefully split up to cover more ground. Here and there, they found more signs that Keralis had been around, such as a chest here and there or a partially chopped tree, but no sign of the builder himself. When the pair met back up, they paused the search for their fellow hermit to instead locate a fortress.

With the lack of natural regeneration, the ability to make health and regeneration potions was going to be important. While they didn’t currently have enough resources to make a proper blaze farm, they did have False herself along with an enchanted sword, so for the beginning of the world in their situation, it was pretty good.

They happened to stumble upon the fortress by accident, Stress digging into the walls to escape a magma cube that had followed her through the delta. While it couldn’t get through the one block wide path, she still dug further back until finding the other side of the wall, and a fortress visible from the opening.

Xb had nearly a third of a stack of rotten flesh he dried until it was practically jerky. He had tested it out a bit, finding that it could still give him a hunger effect, but it was less likely to happen. He also had a few pieces of normal rotten flesh, but those were for an emergency.

While he hated to think about it, the undried rotten flesh at least had some sort of liquid in it. And since the main problem Xb was having in the desert was dehydration, it was better than nothing. He would have gathered more, but since he didn’t have a chest to keep items in, having more than he was going to need was just going to be a waste, his items getting left behind to a place he was unlikely to return to.

While he wanted to head towards Iskall, it was obvious there wasn’t much else in the way of life. The other direction is what would have been spawn, so he was more likely to find life that way if the world was the same as what they chose in the first place. He made sure his food sources were prepared as well as some sandstone he crafted up. It would help him mark his path so he wouldn’t get lost in the future. It would also help anyone who went looking for hermits a path to his main ‘base’ and then he could lead them further to Iskall.

Xb waited until the sun was starting to set to start his journey. While he would also need to deal with the mobs that spawned at night, he needed to deal with husks anyway since they didn’t burn, and the chill of night would help stave off any dehydration. Slowly but surely, Xb weaved his way between mobs and through the desert, placing markers along the way. The desert seemed almost endless, but just as the sun was starting to rise, Xb saw the best thing ever, a river cutting through the desert.

Before he could reach it, a skeleton shot him and stole the rest of his health, but right now he was too happy about the fact that he had found water, and hopefully that would eventually lead him to a different biome. His plan was to race over to Iskall and tell them the good news, but instead, he stopped and looked at the new thing in the sand.

It was made mostly of smooth sandstone, but also had a piece of bedrock with regular sand sitting on top of it. Making sure he wasn’t hallucinating, Xb touched the pillar a few times to make sure it was actually real, surprised every time that it was. He knew it wasn’t there before, but why now? Was it that whatever put them in this situation was tracking when they reached some sort of goal? Because he had just found water, and now there it was.

As far as Xb knew, that was the answer, and he wasn’t really looking for a new one. Instead he just started off towards Iskall’s spawn, ready to tell them the news and hopefully help them get to the water as well.

“Tango! Tango Tango Tango!” Tango looked over at Zedaph who was repeating his name. “Tango, you’ll never guess what I found.” The blaze hybrid looked over at his friend, an eyebrow raised in questioning.

“Alright, so- wait did you grab my stuff?” Zedaph asked, and a moment later Tango gave him his items back. “Alright, so when I respawned, something new was at my spawn, and I didn't put it there, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t unless blaze have some special bedrock power I wasn’t aware of.”

“No, we don’t. What exactly did you find?”

Zedaph shrugged. “Well, it was made mostly of jungle wood, but I also got these melons out of it.” And he showed off the fruit, which made Tango bristle a bit.

“Any chance you can put that back? Normally just grabbing a melon out in the world would be fine, but this was obviously built into something we didn’t make while we’re already in a bad situation.” Tango pointed out, and Zedaph agreed, putting the melon back together and running back to his spawn.

While the sheep hybrid was away doing that, Tango got curious. Obviously Zedaph hadn’t spawned next to whatever that was, but it was now at his spawn. Tango hadn’t been to his spawn recently, so for all he knew, there was another one of those at his spawn.

Leaving a sign behind for if Zed returned before him, Tango set out towards where his original spawn had been. While it took a little bit of searching, the fact that it was also a bit burnt up similar to his base made it much earlier to find. As he reached the clearing, he also spotted a new structure, though it wasn’t the same as how Zedaph described.

Instead of something made entirely of jungle wood, Tango’s structure was mainly mossy cobble, though it was decorated with a few jungle buttons. It also had a piece of bedrock like Zed had mentioned, but instead of a melon, there, sitting in a pot, was a single jungle sapling.

Tango stared at the pillar for a few moments before he jumped as some nearby leaves caught fire. He stomped them out so the whole forest wouldn’t go down, then he booked it out of there to get back to his sign and hopefully tell Zedaph about what he found.

Hypno continued to walk in the ever shifting flower fields. He had essentially given up on finding an exit as the place seemed to go on forever. He partially thought he was going around in circles, but the flowers he saw in the distance were never quite the same, so obviously he wasn’t. Or maybe he was just going crazy, because he kept hearing what sounded like cows, but he never actually saw any.

The few times he glanced at his comm, hoping he could get some information, Hypno saw there were a few death messages getting in that proved that this flower forest couldn’t be the only thing around, but the biomes still seemed huge if he couldn’t escape this one.

The hermit grabbed another dandelion from the ground and bit into it. It was a bit dry and it didn’t taste the best, but right now it was all Hypno had. It was keeping him from completely starving or getting dehydrated, but he had already managed to die a few times from starving from walking around. Also once dying to a bee when he got frustrated enough and it stung him just enough to kill. At this point that was actually sounding appealing again.

Hypno stumbled, his foot getting caught in some of the foliage. He let out a shout before he collided with the ground, accidentally biting his cheek in the process which honestly just added insult to injury. He groaned as he turned over, lying on his back. At this point he didn’t have the energy to get back up, especially since he had just spent the whole night wandering around.

He squinted up at the sky, the sun finding its way directly to his eyes. At this point, dying and trying again would probably be a good idea. He would start back at spawn and make absolutely sure he walked straight in one direction and- Is that a cow?

Hypno weakly lifted his head to see a yellow cow trotting it’s way over to him, curious about the noise and the thing lying in the grass. He watched as it got closer before he didn’t even have enough energy to keep his head up. Eventually it was right above Hypno, looking down at him. A dusting of pollen seemed to float around it, which the hermit found mesmerizing.

Before long, he closed his eyes, exhaustion and starvation finally catching up to him. Even when he respawned, Hypno didn’t really feel like getting back up. Well, that was until someone said his name. “Hypno, is that you?”

Hypno lifted his head up to see two unfamiliar things. The first was a thing made of honeycomb and birch. It also had a piece of bedrock with a pot with some sort of yellow flower sitting in it that was not a dandelion. It actually reminded him of that cow. The other thing was what seemed to clearly be Etho leaning against the pillar thing. “Hey, how long have you been out here?” Hypno asked, slurring his words just a tad.

“I’m pretty sure it’s been about a day. Are you doing okay? You’re looking a bit worse for wear.”

Hypno just waved it off. “‘M fine. Just had trouble finding a way out of this biome. But obviously you know where to go since you’re here.”

Etho sighed. “Yeah, about that. I just sort of keep appearing at people’s spawns when I die. I was just over with Grian and the bots. They had something that looked like this too to be honest, so I’m guessing it’s marking all the different spawns.”

Hypno nodded a bit, letting his head go back to resting in the soft grass beneath him. “Hypno, what happened to your hat?”

Hypno gave a weak shrug, then lifted his arm to check his hat. It mostly felt like it was coated in pollen, which wasn’t surprising given the state of his comm, but Etho guided him down until he felt what was clearly a tear in the fabric. Investigating a bit more, Hypno finally found something pointy that had gotten into his cap and torn it. He grabbed whatever it was and tried to pull, but it seemed like it was caught on something, because pulling seemed to hurt a bit.

Hypno tried a few more times before Etho grabbed his hand and stopped him. “Hypno, I think you’ve got a bit of a problem.” The ninja spoke, making Hypno hum tirely in a questioning tone. “I think you’re growing horns.”

Keralis had been on the overworld for about two days at this point. No one had come back into the house since he arrived, which was a bit worrying, but for all he knew, they were going through the nether looking for him. He would have loved to go back through and tell whoever it was that he had found their portal, but Keralis was pretty sure he wanted to stay away from the nether a bit longer.

The base he had ended up in was very different from the fiery nether, being a house sitting on the beach near the ocean with a coral reef. It was nice and cool and colorful as opposed to the hot two toned nether. It was day at this point, so Keralis was back at the shore with his feet in the water, blissfully taking it all in. A few tropical fish swam by, and he put a hand in to feel them nudge against it.

He had found enough string to make himself a fishing rod, so he was set on food, especially since he also had the resources to make a soul campfire. Keralis never used it since he never got any pork to cook, but it was nice to have the option, and now he was having something better than suspicious stew.

As he pulled another boot up from the water, Keralis realized something looked different. He squinted a little, the slight rippling of the water making it hard to tell what he was seeing. Wondering if it was another sign of life, the builder put his fishing rod to the side and started wading into the water, eventually swimming over to see what it was.

The last thing Keralis expected to see amongst the coral was a piece of bedrock, but there it was, surrounded by a mixture of coral and wood in some sort of small monument or pillar. There was also a sea pickle growing on top of the bedrock, which was odd, but also seemed to accent the decoration.

Keralis stared at the build for a moment more before surfacing to refill his lungs with air. He floated there for a moment, catching his breath, and then his already naturally wide eyes widened more as he saw something similar in the distance.

Taking another deep breath, Keralis swam over to a structure made of a different color of coral with sandstone instead of wood. The bedrock was still present, but this time a single piece of kept was growing there, flowers budding to show it was fully grown even at its diminutive height. There was nothing else around but the natural coral itself, and obviously a hermit couldn’t place bedrock, but here it was.

Keralis swam back to the surface once more. He originally was going to just get more air and go back down, but instead something caught his eye yet again. But this time it wasn’t underwater, but on the shore. Hermits. Hermits were there, on the shore. Keralis shouted to get their attention before swimming towards them. He wasn’t alone anymore.

Normally, getting to explore new things the gods added to the worlds was fun. Especially when it was something that was still in their special exploration worlds that people could visit and learn what was new while it also changed around them. Normally they were called snapshot worlds. But something told her this wasn’t one of those.

It had been a few days and absolutely nothing seemed to be new. If anything, it was all getting worse. She had finally gotten her comm to start partially working again, giving her coordinates and opening up chat, but she still couldn’t send anything. Instead, all that was coming through were death messages.

A few of the names in the deaths were familiar, being the names of more famous people. I mean, there was Doc, the imprisoner of the first god. Xisuma the Blood God and creator of bedwars. Etho the near immortal. And more after that. Sure, she also had a few claims to fame, but none as important as those.

She tried to send a message once her comm was working again, but she just got an error message of a failure to send, followed by a few more death messages. It looked like she wasn’t going to get help from any of those people, and she also hadn’t fixed her comm enough for a portal back to the world hub so that wasn’t an option either.

Instead, she had set up a bit of a base, having gotten lucky and spawned not too far from a structure. She salvaged the fabric making up a tent to make herself a bed, then explored the pit right next to it. It was filled with some new block that was a mix of gravel and dirt, maybe a bit of sand too. Picking up the block and scanning it with her comm, she identified it as loess.

With a bit of testing, she found it was too loose for the natural magic of the world to help hold it up. She also found with her limited use of magic that there was something hidden within some of the loess. Digging up the block seemed to be enough to damage and completely destroy whatever it was, so she did her best to keep the new block still.

A bit more exploring led her to finding some old string and a number of copper nuggets and then her mind filled in the blanks. When everything was first revealed, there were supposed to be brushes to dust through dirt and gravel, but obviously that wasn’t the case anymore with the loess existing. With a bit of fiddling, she was able to make herself a brush from the materials left behind and start to brush at the loess.

It had almost become a daily task for her since she had been here so long, but as it was slowly giving her resources, she didn’t mind that much. She even managed to get a special old stone sword at one point. It was about to break, but it had a special name carved into it in galactic which she was slowly translating out.

The only other issue she was having was the fact that her health wasn’t regenerating. She hadn’t yet died, but at this point it was getting close. She was taking more and more precautions while looking for artifacts, having to go deeper and deeper for more loess. And then one day, about five and a half days into her stay there, she finally wasn’t cautious enough.

A zombie had snuck up on her and began to attack while she was translating the sword once more. In a panic, she dropped the item and the zombie grabbed it instead. She attempted to escape the cave, only to trap herself in the corner and find no way to escape without dying.

The sword was enough to take her remaining hearts and send her back to her bed. She took a walk around the area to calm herself down before stumbling upon a new structure. It was made from granite and dripstone, but also had a piece of bedrock with some more loess sitting on top. Part of her wanted to see what was within the soil that was so important to keep on a pedestal, but the energy coming from this pillar thing made her reluctant to do anything.

She pulled her comm out to simply take a picture of the structure and save it for later, and she did, but then she saw her death message which made her eyes widen.

Geminitay was slain by Zombie using ⊣ᔑℸ ̣ ᒷꖌᒷᒷ!¡ᒷ∷ ᔑリ↸ ᒲ𝙹リᓭℸ ̣ ᒷ∷ ᓭꖎᔑ||ᒷ∷

She needed to get herself an anvil.

Redstone was very easy. Okay, normally it was very easy. But when you were making something entirely new and couldn’t get into the zone because of the illagers making noises all around you, it became much harder. Especially when they weren’t just existing around you and actually trying to pull your attention away on purpose.

Mumbo grumbled as he lost his place again, tearing up his current redstone circuit and scribbling out his notes. It have been well over a day at this point and the illagers were still trying to get his attention. Of them, Eflyn was the most vocal, them being the head evoker in the mansion and the only reason Mumbo was allowed to stay unharmed. Which is why when he finally followed when the illager finally threatened to take that immunity away.

With some hesitance, Mumbo followed the evoker to whatever was getting them so worked up. He was led to the room he started in, the old beds having been removed and replaced with a structure of dark oak. In the center, it featured a block of bedrock, and perched on top, though there was no obsidian to house it, was a piece of what seemed to be a nether portal.

The evoker stood nearby as Mumbo approached the structure slowly. The portal piece was of course radiating a good amount of magical energy, but that wasn’t what caught Mumbo’s eye. Though the color of bedrock made it tough to see, putting his hand on the stone, he could feel something carved into the side.

Furrowing his brows, Mumbo pulled some redstone out and smeared it against the block. The red dust stuck to the block, completely coating it. He then grabbed his notebook and took the flat edge to level the dust. All the redstone on the main part of the block was wiped away, getting pushed to the ground, but the dust within the carving was left behind, the flat edge passing over it.

When Mumbo stepped back, a red mark was left within the redstone, now clearly visible. Chiseled into the side of the block was a rectangle in the shape of a portal, though broken partially by the disconnected squares in the top left and bottom right corners.

“My word.” Mumbo said, shocked. “And how did it get here?”

“It just appeared.” Eflyn replied. “If anything, I was assuming you would know better than I.”

Mumbo tilted his head. “I’m sorry. Why would I know stuff like that? I’ve been working as much as I could these past few days.”

The evoker nodded, then took a careful step forward before gesturing to the pillar. “I’m sure as you can tell by the symbol, that was created by a higher power than us or the vex that assist us.”

Mumbo looked back at the symbol. “Higher power? But that’s just something I’ve seen Grian with h- are you okay?” A moment after he said Grian’s name, the evoker had suddenly gotten defensive and moved back, as if they were expecting something to happen.

“I… expected them to be upset.” Eflyn explained. “Most higher beings such as… them are unhappy with their true names being spoken. It is why we simply call the vex by that collective name.”

Mumbo thought it over, trying to figure out what was being talked about. “I… I assume you are talking about the Watchers? Grian said that’s what that symbol was for. He had it on some sort of mask.”

“On a mask? I… I would assume a white one with a purple symbol?” The evoker carefully asked, leaving Mumbo nodding at first before shaking his head. “It wasn’t?”

“No. Well, the mask was white, yes, but Grian’s was a black symbol, not purple.”

“I see.” Eflyn responded in a quiet voice. “I think that… we may be able to assist you with your… project.”

Mumbo didn’t notice the tone, more excited at the prospect of help. “Oh! That would be very nice. I would be grateful for any help.”

The evoker nodded, then led Mumbo away. It looked like something other than redstone would be needed for this odd man’s goal. But fortunately evokers like them had the needed skills to teach magic.

Though he had left, sitting in the back of the mesa mineshaft was a pillar built just like the others, though it had terracotta and red sandstone building the bulk of it. Sitting on top of the bedrock in the build, instead of chiseled red sandstone, there was a block of gold ore just sitting there.

Similarly, back at the ravine Ren started in, there was a pillar made of the different types of stone, the main piece on top of the bedrock being some pointed dripstone, pointing up to the sky.

Both Ren and Cub were far enough from their spawns, they weren’t able to find the new structures. Both of them had gotten beds, so even if they died, their respawns would take them to their bed as opposed to their starting spawn. But the pillars still stood there, since someone else could use them.

Grian preened his wing for the thousandth time, trying once more to pull the immovable ice and snow from his feathers so he could fly. Grum and Jrum stood nearby, watching their dad with trepidation. After he had seemingly killed Etho, the avian had been pushed off the cliff by the bots in the heat of the moment. A minute later, he was back, having respawned on the bed.

Both of the bots held up their hands offensively, ready to fight if they needed to. But Grian had just stared at them with his bright amethyst eyes, hardly blinking. He used up his magic from respawning to summon in some bales of hay, which in a moment had been spread around the bed in the shape of a nest.

Jrum had been the first to try approaching, but while it went well at first, eventually something upset Grian and he acted violently until the bot had gone back to his brother’s side. And that’s where they were now. A day and a half later, Grian was still in a nest by himself while the bots stood in the snow nearby.

While the cold wasn’t enough to kill the robots, it was still slowly freezing their joints in place. Before long, they wouldn’t just be standing there because it was open, they would be stuck there. Grian was their main source of warmth, and he wasn’t letting them nearby.

“I give up! He can fight me all he wants but I don’t want to freeze!” Jrum finally shouted, then stomped over to the bed nest. Grian was immediately defensive, trying to keep the bot away, but Jrum refused to be stopped. Even as Grian tried to push him out, Jrum stayed in place, stubbornly refusing to move. When their dad couldn’t do anything, Grum joined his brother, and while it upset Grian just as much, the bots didn’t care and curled up next to their dad until eventually calmed down.

Somehow, both the bots got to sleep, Grian putting his wings over them as blankets, but when they woke up again, Grum specifically being the first up, the avian was gone. Grum slowly pulled himself out of the nest and over to what else caught his eye. On the snowy pillar that had appeared there days ago, there now seemed to be glowing text.

As far as he was aware, that was supposed to be added into the worlds to let item frames and text on signs glow, but this seemed to not be the same as that. Instead it looked like the symbols that enchanting tables pulled in from nearby bookshelves, but just floating there. Because it was a language his dad was able to read, Grum also knew how to read it, though the translation confused him at first.

The words started by saying ‘step one’ which implied that there were supposed to be more steps. Unfortunately, only one was listed. But that could be explained by the instruction itself. ‘Step one, all twenty eight reach the origin.’ Grum was pretty sure that ‘the origin’ meant spawn, but what was confusing was that it seemed to say twenty eight people. Maybe. The symbols for saying twenty eight were going between saying that and twenty six. With Grum and his brother around, that of course made twenty six, but why were there suddenly two more people involved.

Grum used his communicator based functions to look at the list of those in the world, surprised to see two names that were not there from the start. Those two were Pearlescentmoon and Geminitay. Grum was glad to see a familiar name, Pearl being a friend of Grian’s, but he didn’t immediately know the second name. He checked the chat to look through the messages and find out when they had arrived, since he had turned off his notifications for all of those when it was too much.

He didn’t scroll back too far, instead having two other messages catch his attention. The first was a death message from one of the new people, Geminitay having been killed by a zombie with a specially named item. That gave Grum the idea of named items being used to send messages. The other was a message about the people in the world changing, but instead of one of the new people joining, someone else had left, that being Grian.

Excited about the possibility that their dad had found an escape, Grum made some snow into a snowball and slowly had the magic essentially burn itself into the snowball as he tried naming it. As the text was in galactic and not standard text, it was going to come out weird, but something would be better than nothing.

When the message was done, Grum ran over to Jrum and shook him awake. “Jrum. Jrum! Wake up! We need to try something!” The other bot woke up from being shaken, then looked up at his brother asking what they needed to do. “I need to kill you with this snowball!

Jrumbot was slain by Grumbot using ||⊣╎ᒷᒷ∴ .

Underwater, in a different ocean than the spawns of Stress, False and Impulse, was an underwater ravine filled with glow squid. They swam around, glad that nothing else was spawning down there with them. Even though there was a cave nearby. Even though the cave had an air bubble. Even though in the air bubble was a pillar, so similar to the others scattered around the world. It was made of kelp blocks and oak wood for the most part, but there was still the item on the bedrock.

Sitting on top of the bedrock was an oak wood sign. Text was added onto the sign in blue, and it glowed due to the ink of a glow squid. As opposed to what was found on the pillar on the mountain, the message there was in standard text. Though no one was there to read it, it was ready for when someone did arrive to see its message. ‘Step three.’

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peachy-artist · 4 years ago

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Time for me to write an essay on Mallek and MSPA Reader’s relationship. Hiveswap Friendsim spoilers down below!

So, actually, I’m not done talking about this yet and I need a distraction from all this stress life is forcing me into, so let’s talk about this some more! Let’s do a full-on analysis of Mallek’s and MSPA Reader’s relationship!!!

(these tags are from this post by the way; please give the artist some love for good art and making me think on this)

I’m going to try to go through this chronologically, but it’s Homestuck and you know how that goes.

When MSPA Reader first meets Mallek, he literally takes their breath away. Of course, the joke is made that the MSPA Reader can’t catch it now because they drove away and their breath is miles away by now. But, take the joke away and MSPA Reader is looking at Mallek, unable to breathe. This could be for two reasons: they’re fearing for their life as they have been kidnapped by a blue-blooded troll (understandable) or they immediately got attracted to Mallek (also understandable). I’ll be honest, I think the former is more likely as MSPA Reader actually mistakes Mallek as an indigo blood at first, but let’s just put all clues on the table, just in case.

But wait!! MSPA Reader spends quite some time talking about Mallek’s appearance right after. There’s not much of a need to do this. Right after stating that Mallek’s “straight chillin’”, they could have shown Mallek’s image to show what he looks like. Describing it in text means that the MSPA Reader themself is thinking about it. So maybe it’s not so unlikely that MSPA Reader is immediately attracted to Mallek after all.

Let’s get the counter-argument out of the way. Mallek could be checking you out because he thinks your a robot and MSPA Reader is brainwashed into friendship and will befriend anything that moves. But consider...MSPA Reader could be mistaking their attraction for friendship because Doc Scratch messed with their head. Who’s to say that MSPA Reader wouldn’t recognize their attraction for something more if they had a clear head?

Let’s consider this textbox. Mallek comes in the 11th volume. MSPA reader has spent some good time in Alternia and should know by now that nobody blends in. By this time, they met Chahut. They met Azdaja. They met Zebruh (oh gosh, Zebruh...). They met Kuprum and Folykl. In a world where everybody stands out, everyone blends in. So why would MSPA Reader have noticed someone like Mallek. One word. Attraction.

Okay, I do actually think MSPA Reader is leaning in because they think Mallek thinks they’re a terrific friend and they finally found someone who understands. But, I think that actually helped boost up MSPA Reader’s romantic attraction to him! Once they started thinking “*gasp* maybe?”, it’s hard to let that connection go, even after being shot down.

We’re not discussing much on Mallek’s part right now because his main attraction to MSPA Reader at this point is thinking that they’re a robot. But, like I said, we’re putting all clues on the table.

All right, now we got the two different long endings. I’m gonna go with the bad one first, where MSPA Reader lies and says they’re a high-tech robot.

HAHAHA, MY HEART STOPPED AT THIS PART. Okay, but for real. There is NO reason for a flirty smile if you’re just interested in cracking a robot. And it could be that the MSPA Reader is misinterpreting it. But then the questions stands as to why they see it as flirty. Is it because they themself are attracted to him? Le gasp!

Even the MSPA Reader feels that Mallek was hitting on them. And note that they didn’t do their usual “I just want friendship, bud!” Instead, they’re bewildered and confused and in love.

Do I need to explain this one? I don’t think I do.

Nice choice of words, Mallek. Thank you for proving my point further.

More focus on his appearance that would only be necessary if MSPA Reader is attracted to him HMMMMMM...

Okay, bad ending done and clues have been put on table. Now to turn the magnifying glass to the good ending, where MSPA Reader confesses that they are not a robot.

Okay, I know the MSPA Reader has this super power to make even the most inhibited people open up, but this here is a clue and on the table it goes! Mallek takes MSPA Reader to his special place after just meeting? HMMMMM...

Yeah, Mallek could have easily went, “Well, you’re not a robot. Bye!” There was no reason for him to keep hanging with MSPA Reader. Unless, of course, he’s attracted to them now. And now that he knows that they’re not a robot, it’s safe to assume it’s romantic attraction than just interest!

More focus on appearance!

MSPA admits to trying to be flirty! This is big, seeing as before, they avoided flirting like the plague. They just want friendship! But they sure seem comfortable with Mallek 👀

Some more focus on appearance! Also, MSPA Reader is touched that Mallek came to save them.

It’s a crime for me to post this text box without Mallek himself. Anyway, MSPA Reader almost drowned and instead of being like, “Man, trolls sure are violent”, they are enamored with Mallek being shirtless and his piercings.

And here’s the great slip of the tongue. Coolboy Mallek who so flawlessly hit on MSPA Reader in the bad ending fumbled and confessed that they think MSPA Reader is cute. He’s so embarrassed that he flushes, instead of just trying to play it off as no big deal. He’s vulnerable now and is confessing that, yes, the MSPA Reader is cute and he is attracted to them!

He’s stuttering now and trying to change the subject, trying to distract MSPA Reader so they don’t realize he basically just confessed his attraction to them. Also, this leads up to him with a very big moment...

Mallek’s sign!! Mallek gives MSPA Reader one of his hoodie’s with his sign on it. The infamous hoodie that MSPA Reader wears for the rest of this game and Pesterquest. Signs are a big deal for trolls. In Hiveswap Act I, Xefros tells Joey that even using the same typing quirk as another troll is reserved for special relationships. In Galekh’s route, he looks to the matching hoodies in shock because wearing the same sign is a big deal.

Mallek should know this. He’s lived in Alternia his whole life. He knows sharing a sign is a big deal. MSPA Reader also has been in Alternia for a while by now and likely realizes that sharing a sign = a big deal. So Mallek suggesting MSPA Reader wear his sign and MSPA Reader stating that they “can’t think of anything [they’d] like more”? They’re basically matesprits at this point, let’s be real.

Okay, I am no where near done talking about this. I still wanna analyze their relationship in Galekh’s route and maybe Pesterquest too, but this is long enough as is. So, assuming I don’t lose steam, gonna end it here and keep the rest for a part two!

#hiveswap #hiveswap friendsim #mallek adalov #mspa reader #homestuck #mallek x mspa reader #analysis #long post

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crimes-inc · 3 years ago

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Whumptober Day 1

CW: blood, injury, death threats

2130 words (I really don’t know how it ended up this long, it’s 1:45 am on day 2 oh god)

Let me know if you want to be tagged in upcoming prompts or need certain things tw tagged!

All Trussed Up and Still Nowhere to Go

Barbed Wire | Bound

The sign on the self-storage entrance stated they closed at 10. Yet here he was at the exit at 9:47 rattling the padlock uselessly against the surrounding metal of the gate.

Chase stubbornly, and perhaps desperately, gave it one last shake before turning away with a grimace. There’s no way they closed-up shop early with him still inside, right? He only had a few boxes to store away between moves and hadn’t been here that long, maybe half an hour. Hell, he signed a check-in sheet, wouldn’t they be responsible for making sure everyone had signed to check out as well?

The smart thing to do would be to give the owners a call, but Chase had decided to just leave his phone in his car to avoid losing track of it while he moved a few boxes back and forth between the unit and the parking lot. The “smart thing” wasn’t an option.

“Not exactly well-known for ‘smart things’ anyway.” he muttered to himself.

God, he could kick himself. If he ended up stuck here all night, then the morning wasn’t going to be too bright once his phone is blown up with missed messages. Stacy would be as pissed off as ever and just use the incident as another nail in his parental rights coffin, regardless of whether the kids were involved or not. Explaining his humiliating plight to Jackie or Schneep would just lead to two different well-meaning lectures on shit he already knew but can’t seem to get right. Maybe Marvin would laugh the whole thing off but the magician’s attitude towards danger and plain dumbass-ery seemed to change with the tide so there was no telling what he’d say.

Damn it, Chase, think! That’s later, focus on NOW. he chided himself.

He straightened his snapback hat and strode away from the padlock. Someone had to still be floating around, or maybe there was another exit he could use that would automatically lock behind him. After all, he figured the gate, fence, and locks were mostly there to keep people from getting in, not out.

He stole a glance at the high fence surrounding the lot, razor wire lining the bottom and three strings of wire leaning outwards towards the top. Yeah, definitely meant to keep people out. Still, that looked like a wickedly dangerous climb. He’d rather risk the sleepless night inside than getting torn to shreds to get out if he didn’t have to.

He straightened up and walked around the main office, also locked of course, but there was a security camera attached to the awning. Maybe if he…?

Chase jumped up and down waving up at the little white device. It was a long shot but maybe somebody was watching or could send someone his way at the very least. If not, well… if someone ever looked back at the tape, they’d get a little entertainment from the idiot hopping around on-screen. Not so different than his youtube channel if he was honest.

Chase checked his watch again: a crappy digital thing his daughter dug out of a box of Cheerios after he accidentally drowned his Apple Watch in the kitchen sink. “It’s glow-in-the-dark!” She’d declared to him with a proud grin. Chase gave a sad smile back at the face of Shrek strapped on his wrist. He hadn’t seen her face in weeks now.

He swiped at his eyes, recomposing himself. Hell of a time to get swept up in his broken family situation. It was nearly ten now, if there were any remaining workers around, he needed to find them quick.

“Hello?” he shouted, “Anyone still here? Kinda locked in…”

Chase made his way further into the maze of units, keeping his eyes peeled for an employee, caught between hope and hopelessness with each step he took.

Eventually, as he started closing in on the opposite end of the lot, he heard footsteps. He perked up and walked toward the sound.

“Hey, is someone there?” he called out. “Gate’s locked up front and I—”

The sound of the footsteps quickened its pace, and, wait, that sounds like a second pair but it was coming from…

Chase pivoted around in place just in time to see a man bring a pipe down on his head.

He came to in a daze, eyes fluttering open and closed, only vaguely aware of someone dragging his limp body along the pavement. He didn’t even remember falling, and his head was pounding heavily against his skull.

“—thought you said the place was cleared out!”

“Look,” the man gripping Chase said, “I saw closing shift take off, how was I supposed to know some idiot would still be wandering around?”

“Maybe the fucking remaining car in the parking lot would have tipped you off, Shane!”

“What the fuck do you want me to say? I only saw what the cameras were showing before shutting them off completely.”

A third voice joined in, “Shut up, that asshole was making too much noise as it is—let’s just hope he’s the only one around, we’ve pulled too many strings to turn back now.”

Chase felt himself get propped none-too-gently against the outer wall of a unit. He didn’t dare open his eyes. Whatever situation he’d stumbled into, he wasn’t in safe hands and any struggle he put up in his disoriented state would be a losing battle from the get-go. By the sound of things, these people had managed to break into a unit and were rummaging for goods.

The man knelt next to him again and held Chase’s arms together. The loud, sticky sound of duct tape rang out before Chase felt it be looped around his wrists a couple times. Once secure, he stood and turned away.

“Okay then,” the man—Shane—said in a more hushed tone, “the job’s not blown. But what do we do with him, Joseph? I don’t think he got a good look at me before I took him down. We might be able to set him loose once we clear out.”

“That’s a mighty big assumption.”

Chase tensed as the man named Joseph stepped closer to him. A hand was placed on his shoulder as he was shifted forward. He felt his wallet and car keys be slipped out of the back pocket of his jeans.

“Hm. No phone. Eh, we’ll check his car later. See if anyone knows he’s here.” The man mumbled to himself. No one spoke as the contents were searched through.

Chase’s mind was becoming frantic. This seemed beyond just petty theft. While he was glad he hadn’t let on that he was conscious for fear of immediate and violent action, he didn’t know how he’d get out of this without a clear look at his surroundings and his arms taped up.

“Chase Brody. Ugh. Family type, good god, there’s more fucking kid photos in here than cash.”

Joseph paused another moment, most likely pocketing whatever cash Chase had had on him before. Chase was doing his best not to so much as swallow.

“No cops, no witnesses.” He announced, “I’m not blowing this job because some motherfucking dumbass was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We’ll drive him out a few miles and get rid of him. Edith, drive his car over and we can just dump him there. See if the client will throw in a bonus for the trouble.”

As his car keys were tossed to the woman named Edith, Chase snapped his eyes open and kicked Joseph’s legs out from beneath him, causing him to stumble to the ground. Chase shot up as quickly as he could and sprinted away from the thieves. Blood was pounding in his ears. Shit, he didn’t know where to even go. The main gate was still locked, those assholes had probably managed to cut their way through the fence. That probably wasn’t an option for him since he didn’t know where it was or if there were more of them…

He heard cursing somewhere behind him, prompting him to go faster and take a turn down another row. He wasn’t getting out of here, he wasn’t getting out of here. It would only be a matter of time before they caught up to him and they might just kill him on the spot now that he’s proven himself a runner.

At least I managed to get a decent shin-kick in before I die. Chase thought.

He shook the grim thought away, no, he wasn’t dying here tonight and he wasn’t going to uselessly beg to be let go. He was getting out.

Chase began chewing at the frayed edge of the duct tape on his wrists, shimmying his hands the best he could. It was only a little bit of give, but he pumped his wrists sharply against his chest. It took a few tries but finally on the third try, the twisted duct tape broke free.

He peeled the grey adhesive away from his skin and made a sharp turn directly for the tall, barbed fence. He leapt up as high as he could, his right hand just barely missing a barb, and started maneuvering his way up.

“THERE!” a shout came from behind him. Too frightened to look back, he started climbing faster. While trying to be careful about his hands, the soles of his shoes seemed to keep getting snagged on the jagged metal forcing him to stop and kick himself free every few inches higher he seemed to get.

“I’m gonna cut him off on the other side—”

“Don’t bother, Shane, the fence will tear him to shreds before he reaches the top. He’s got nowhere to go.” Joseph said, “Grab his leg. Once he falls, hold onto him, and I’ll tear him into finer pieces.”

Chase kicked his foot free and started grabbing blindly higher. It was just blood, just a few punctures and cuts, he was going back home alive tonight. Scars, be damned. He could feel someone’s hand flail at the cuff of his jeans below him, urging him to climb faster, not daring to look down.

He reached the top. His hand reached the top of the bar to keep his balance, and he hoisted his legs up to stand on it precariously. The way the fence curved the three lines of razor wire outward was going to be tricky but he could—

The fence shuddered beneath him, as the man Joseph threw his weight against the chainlink below, Chase’s foot fell forward and he fell against the three wires bodily, barbs, piercing his shoulder and chest through his shirt. He let out a short scream, trying to free himself from it. The fence shook again as Chase picked himself slowly off the wires, flinging his left leg over to the other side, not quite reaching a foothold below him. His other leg grazed against the wire again, blood slowly cascading down his calf.

His left foot finally managed to find a resting point and he gripped the wire with his hand as he started to work his whole body over and down—the fence shook a third time. Both feet slid out from underneath Chase as his shoulder and hands caught all his weight against the wire, making a slick, sharp red line from the crook of his elbow to his shoulder, and his hands spilling blood through his grip. He released the wire and reached for a lower hold when his other hand let off too soon sending Chase to the ground below.

He landed hard on the ground, just outside the self-storage, one leg partially caught in the coil of barbed wire waiting at the bottom. His body screamed in agony, though Chase himself was breathless, the wind knocked out of him from the fall. He scrambled to his feet, adrenaline and desperation taking over and ran. Whatever profanities and threats were being shouted behind him being drown out in the wind and the turmoil of fear echoing in Chase’s mind as he bled and ran away, away from his captors, his would-be murderers.

Eventually, the injuries began catching up to him, though it seemed the thieves had not. Shit, he was going to need a fuck-ton of stitches. What had started as minor abrasions had become horrible, open and freely-bleeding gashes. Hopefully the hit he’d taken to the head earlier would become nothing more than a goose egg.

The humiliating phone call to his friends about being locked in a self-storage was seeming like a great idea about now. Fortunately for Chase, an upcoming 24-hour convenience store was waiting for him just ahead, and inside, a man with a red hoodie and a slurpee was working the counter tonight.

#Whumptober2021 #jacksepticeye #jse egos #writers of jack #tw blood #tw injury #whumptober day 1 #chase brody #first time posting online #jacksepticeye fanfiction #barbed wire #bound

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lilyharvord · 4 years ago

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The Chain (Part 7)

Main concept: Two love struck idiots get sent back to a pretty UGH time period in their lives (that required me to reread all the books again) and have to hide the fact that they know everything.

Find Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6

tag list: @delilahlbard, @king-maven-calore, @thatoddgirl777, @elliekratzzz, @evangelineartemiasamos, @evangeline-of-montfort, @scxrletguardsdawn, @freaky-freiday, @petergrantkavinsky, @kuwei, @whatsup-gorls, @katiemoore (here ya go ((: thank you for your interest), @redqueenetwork(let me know if you want a tag and I’ll add you to the list ((: )

I wake to watery blue sunlight. The sun has just finished peaking over the horizon, making me grumble immediately. There was no reason I should be up this early. I didn’t schedule training, and I didn’t promise Gisa breakfast. Besides, I’m exhausted and my head is foggy, which is a very unwelcome combination.

Sighing loud enough that Cal should hear me, I bring my arm up to cover my eyes. “Cal, close the curtains.” I murmur, before smacking what would normally be his back. I only hit empty sheets though. My eyes fly open as I sit bolt upright.

This isn’t Montfort.

The buzzing in my head is from the cameras trained on me, and the fogginess is from the alcohol last night. The alcohol I drank to keep from grabbing the knife next to my hand and stabbing it through the top of Maven’s when he reached across to offer me a glass of water. Even with that moment, I had made it through the night. I had given him a smile, one that I almost thought was real. I’d forgotten that he had been funny, that he had a good sense of humor. He was kind to me last night. I know he had been the first time around too. Deep down in a place that Elara had never touched, he had protected that kernel of love that made him fall in love with a Red boy in Corvium. I wonder if Thomas knew that he was one of the few things that kept Maven from completely losing his mind. So odd how two Reds made two princes question everything.

I rub at my forehead to try and alleviate the ache there before giving up and throwing the comforter back to swing my legs to the side. The marble floor is freezing, especially after the warmth of my bedding. I wish Cal was here, just so I could throw myself back under the blankets and I stick my feet against his legs to warm them. He always hissed at the feeling when I did it, but let me anyway, only to leach the warmth from one of his hands and press it against my thigh to make me squeal.

I have half a mind to crawl back into bed, bury myself in pillows and blankets, and pretend I’m in Paradise Valley during a snow storm. A light knock on my door startles me though, and wipes away the remaining fog in my mind. No rest for the wicked apparently.

Standing quickly and ignoring the gooseflesh that erupts on my skin, I hurry over to the chair where I unceremoniously tossed my robe from last night. I blindly shove one arm into a sleeve and call for another second from the maids waiting outside, hoping they at least give me that time to look semi-decent.

The three of them hurry in though, the one at the front carrying my dreaded schedule. I’d almost forgotten about it, and honestly wish that I had. Lessons that will bore me to tears, and then tense lunches and dinners with the ladies of the court are going to haunt my days while Elara stalks my nightmares. More acting, more games within games, I think I’d rather run head first into a wall than do all of that.

The girl, who can’t be much older than me, dips her head as she offers the thin piece of paper, drawing a sigh from me as I take it and sink reluctantly into the vanity chair. I know exactly what it will say, but that doesn’t stop me from scanning it to check for discrepancies. Nothing seems out of place. Then again, Elara was too smart to give herself away on something like this.

Protocol lessons will be miserable. I can remember most of what I learned, but I can’t exactly show up and claim that. Maybe I can tell Cal to put me in training earlier. There was no harm in that right?

I know that the best part of my day will be Julian. I hadn’t seen him at the feast last night, not that he would show up to something like that. He probably spent the night surrounded by his books, sipping whatever bitter alcohol he was willing to stomach for the night. If he’s on my schedule, Elara can’t possibly know anything. She wouldn’t dare put us together. He’d been a major collaborator with me, and we posed a serious threat because of that.

I read the schedule over and over again as the maids arrange my hair and pick out my outfit. When I glance over my shoulder at the tight leggings on the bed that have been laid out, I grimace. “Anything more… practical?”

The maid brushing out the skirts of the gown to go with them glances at my closet hesitantly, only to disappear inside again. Another maid turns my head forward to the mirror as she begins painting my neck, chest and face with the silver paint. Her hands are delicate. With the work she does, and how well she does it, she must be an artist of some sort.

Pants and a jacket appear in my peripheral vision, a silent question from the maid holding. I nod in agreement, and she hurries away to press and prepare them. My skin crawls in the growing silence. I can’t even hear the birds that are probably singing as they wake up outside.

I don’t remember it being this awkward. Then again, I had been so focused on avoiding mistakes that I didn’t have time to think about the people around me. It had been that selfish part of me that fed the character of Mareena. She had died years ago though, and I plan to keep her dead and buried after what I did as her.

I glance at myself in the mirror again, looking over the paint as the maid finishes and begins lining my eyes. It has been a long time since I let someone put this heavy of makeup on me. I look wicked and lovely. Beautiful, like a knife Evangeline would twirl between her fingers.

Today will be the first chance to truly observe Elara since our encounter in the cells. Nothing appeared amiss last night, but I wasn’t going to put anything to chance in this den of wolves. Too much rides on my success to fail at this point.

Stepping carefully into the pants, I let one of the maids help me into the jacket. Her fingers dance along my skin quicker than my lightning, careful to avoid touching the paint and smearing it. I feel like a china doll that might shatter if they handle me too roughly.

Still, I’m ready earlier than I anticipate. Lucas and I might be able to simply stroll through the palace instead of the sprinting walk I remember from my first day. Even if I had arrived late before, arriving early this time around won’t change anything. In fact, it might even make Elara over look me more. I could use that to my advantage when I start poking my nose in places it doesn’t belong.

The maids bow away from me when they finish, their hands tucked into the sides of their skirts. I raise my chin at the girl looking back at me in the mirrors. She looks cold, colder than I remember. I won’t let her take over again though. I won’t let her get the foothold she got during my initial time here. She had been armor then, but she’d still almost drowned me before I threw her to the side to save myself.

Swallowing I turn away from the mirror and whisper my thanks to the maids before crossing the room for the doors. One rushes to open it for me, her eyes downcast. I glance her over, taking in her delicate features. She reminds me of Gisa so much, my stomach turns thinking about it. What is Gisa doing now besides bemoaning a lost future along with her broken hand? She heals, I remind myself, even if a part of her will never forget that phantom pain.

I want to reach out and set my hand on this girl’s shoulder though. I want to comfort her, if only to reassure myself that everything will be fine. I squeeze my hand in a fist though and thank her before stepping into the hallway. I shouldn’t be thanking them so much, but the words leave my lips so easily.

Lucas waits across the hall, his expression carefully schooled into neutrality. But the minute I step out and smirk at him, his lips quirk up in that grin that sometimes haunts my nightmares. He would have continued giving that smile to world if it wasn’t for me.

“Babysitting duty again?” I tease lightly, hiding the hitch in my breath by adjusting my jacket and pulling it closed too tightly. Nodding in the direction of the breakfast room and starting at a comfortable pace for my short legs, he says, “Do you want an honest answer?”

With a shrug, I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. He gives me another smile and I give him a weak one in reply. “Here’s to us having a good friendship, Officer Samos.” I can’t bring myself to wish for it to be long. The pang I’d felt when I saw him for the first time again was not as bad as I thought it would be. It still ached, but at least I didn’t feel like I was swallowing nails when I looked at him. Maven was another matter entirely. The only positive was that I didn’t have to see him much around here. Not yet that is.

“Likewise, my lady.”

I chuckle at the title, both disgusted and amused by it.

The breakfast room is empty when Lucas ushers me in ahead of him though. And when he enters on my heels, he glances around for a moment before whispering that the queen should be on her way. With a quick, practiced bow, he departs from the room.

I’m earlier than I expected. I had hoped Elara was here already, that way she wouldn’t have the chance to surprise me. Lucas’s quick departure means Elara cannot be far away though, and I wonder if she scares him as much as she does everyone else. It’s odd to think everyone sneered at Cal’s mother just because there was a possibility that she had sung his father into marrying her, yet no one dared to whisper about the possibility that Elara might have done the same thing. I think if anyone tried they would end up dead though. I want to believe I would have said something.

I walk by the wall of windows that overlook one of the numerous gardens, watching the way the rising sun’s rays catch on the dewy grass below. Reaching my hand out, I let the light play on the rings decorating my fingers. I miss my engagement ring, as silly as that is. I never thought I would miss a piece of jewelry. Still, I missed tracing the braided bands with my thumb and spinning it on my finger. It had become a habit during meetings while I was thinking. I miss that blood red stone the most though.

The door from the other side of the room opens, and I tilt my head to see who it might be in the glass. Too bright to be Elara. My lips curl up in a smile as I spot Evangeline’s curtain of platinum hair cut across my peripheral vision.

“Good morning, Lady Samos,” I tell her, not bothering to look at her as I do. Just the fact that I am not remotely surprised by her appearance will make her blood boil. I’m sure she spent countless hours perfecting her hair and outfit to make me feel inferior. The fact that I haven’t even deigned to give her the response she wants will send her reeling. I know it will. She’s too calculating to let it show when she replies though.

“Such a change of costume for you Lady Titanos. Where are the pretty dresses?”

“I figured today called for practicality. Don’t you agree?” I finally turn to look at her, my smile rapier sharp. She returns the smile, her fingers dancing at her side.

Turning toward the table to sit down, I catch Elara sliding into the room like a wraith. Our eyes meet and I drop mine quickly, building up the mirrors I did when she first tried to invade my mind. It’s a maze in there, one that even I wouldn’t be able to find my way through. I trust it to hold, but only for a short time. My brain might be jelly by the end of this breakfast and I’ll have to go through the rest of my day with a headache if I’m not careful.

Even during the long, grueling interrogation I had been terrified that she would find a crack in my armor, that she would slip through and find everything. I didn’t want to think about how pathetic I had felt, locked up in that silent stone cell, panic lacing my blood like a drug. There had been no way out, no way out if anything went horribly wrong. I guess I should be thankful that nothing did go wrong.

She walks to the head of the table, where a neat placement is waiting for her. “You should eat quickly, Lady Blonos does not tolerate tardiness.” She drops into her chair with cat like grace, and without another word. One of the servants that came in with her hurries forward with a bowl of fruit.

I edge toward the table, but not before Evangeline cuts by me, one of the rings on her finger elongating to a point that she tries to swipe at my hand with. I yank my hand away to grab the chair and pull it back, hiding the dodge expertly. My eyes dart to her, and although she tries to hide her surprise at my agility, some of it still slips out.

“You’re still taking Protocol?” She asks as she slides into her chair, trying to hide her discomfort as I do the same.

Raising a brow at her, I smoother my confusion. “You mean you aren’t?”

A servant places a bowl in front of me, but I don’t tear my eyes from Evangeline. What possessed her to try and snap at me like she did? I know she wants the truth, and I know she’ll eventually try to get it in the training arena, but I didn’t think she’d be bold enough to try here. Maybe she thinks Elara isn’t in on it, and she’d get away with exposing me? I doubt it. Evangeline is not stupid. She knows a puppeteer when she sees one.

I pick up my fork and spear a melon before taking my knife and spinning it just enough that it catches the light. With a graceful flick of my wrist I slice of the extra green rim that must have been missed. Evangeline eyes the fluidity of the movement though, her cheek twitching imperceptibly at the silent threat.

(///////)

I hate Protocol.

That is all I think as I stalk with Lucas toward the Glass Terrace for luncheon. I hate Lady Blonos and I can’t wait until I never have to see her again. Cranky, nasty old woman, with fingers like spiders grabbing my shoulders. A heartbeat after the thought crosses my mind though, I grimace. She dies a quick death at least. My hand twitches towards my own throat, imaging the blade that severed her head from her shoulders. There will be one at my throat too soon enough, when Evangeline faces me in the Bowl of Bones.

In my distraction, I almost miss when we step out into the warm sunlight. My first inhale of fresh air settles my nerves though. What I wouldn’t give to be outside all day. But as I step under the glass canopy, I end up just hoping I don’t sweat my paint off. It’s hotter out here than I remember, and the humidity is miserable. At least in Montfort when it got warm there was a breeze. A bead of sweat rolls down my neck, and I tense as it rolls between my shoulders blades. Shimmying to get rid of it, I feel a few more beads pop up on my hairline. Cursing, I try to stand as still as possible.

Elane appears in front of me so suddenly I feel like she purposefully cloaked herself to surprise me. Sonya is not far behind her either. Two parts of Evangeline’s little trio. I wonder if she kept Sonya around to hide her affair with Elane. I doubt it. Sonya would have figured out the truth before anyone else.

“Lady Mareena,” they coo in unison, before bowing stiffly. I incline my head in response, playing the game they have started.

“I’m Sonya of House Iral.” Soyna tosses her hair gracefully. I can see the way she shifts to make sure that movement is perfect. I would smirk at the posturing if I wasn’t focusing on locating Elara in the crowd of ladies. “And I’m Elane of House Haven.”

Oh, I know. I’ve had far too many awkward walk-ins on you and Evangeline in her office for my liking. Then again, she had snuck up on me and Cal plenty of times too. A perfect little spy. Her lips curl up in a delicate smile as I look her up and down. Flirt, I want to tease, and have to almost swallow my tongue to keep from saying just that.

“We wanted to welcome you.” Elane says as she looks me over as well. A few weeks ago in Montfort, she had looked me up and down under the outdoor lights of a restaurant too. Smiling after I had thrown my head back to laugh at something Carmadon had said, she remarked that I was glowing. I had turned a pointed glare on her, and she had turned away to sip her wine with a smirk. I’d waved her away saying it was just a trick of the light. Now, I can feel the same stare as she observes me, looking for the most minute details to hold against me.

“Thank you.” I clear my throat after that, letting her know she’s stared just a little too long. Her lips purse just a hint, and her cheeks flush white under her makeup.

“You also participated in Queenstrial?” I ask quickly, giving her a chance to recover. She may be a pain in the ass now, but she is my friend in the future and I don’t need Sonya getting any ideas about anything.

Still, Sonya almost sneers at my words. “We did. Obviously we were not so lucky as you or Evangeline.”

Luck really had nothing to do with it. I would never consider myself lucky. I dip my head in understanding. “My intentions—”

“Your intentions remain to be seen,” Sonya purrs, before turning about quickly and snapping her fingers. “Grandmother, come meet Lady Mareena.”

I scan the crowd of older women that Ara departs from, looking for a familiar orange gown. Anabel is nowhere to be seen though. I don’t know why I thought she would be here. How had she managed to slip back into the court during Maven’s reign though?

Ara eyes me even as she walks over, making me stand a little taller to try and appear like I’m uncomfortable with her presence. It doesn’t take much to do that though. All I have to think about it how Ptolemus severed her head from her body.

Sonya yaps away, trying to make me uncomfortable, and for a moment she probably thinks she’s succeeding. It’s Shade’s face flashing through my mind at the same time that I remember the light leaving his eyes that really drives me to shake slowly though. I can almost taste the smoke of Corros on my tongue when I inhale. I can hear the airship engines screaming behind me, calling me like a siren song. All I had to do was turn and keep running for them. But Shade, Shade had to come back for me because I had to get my revenge.

My stomach drops and I know my face pales. Not right now, I can’t fall apart right now. I squeeze my hands into fists, focusing on my nails dig into my palms.

Sonya finally stops speaking and I almost jump before dipping my head. “Apologies for my absent… thoughts. It’s a pleasure to meet you my lady.”

“I knew your father, Mareena. And your mother.” Ara observes coolly, her eyes looking me over like a butcher would their next slaughter.

“I wish I could have known them like you do.” I reply, my mind still trying to keep up with the conversation while also trying to prevent a barrage of Samson’s carefully concocted memories from taking over. It’s a losing battle. My stomach turns as the Blackrun going down plays at an inhuman speed. Metal tears around me, and wind whips at my hair. I’m falling so fast that I can’t even draw enough air to scream. Am I falling into a cage or am I standing in a garden full of pretty women with fangs and claws? Am I wrapped in Cal’s arms or am I suffocating in the heat of this glass gazebo?

“Your father had blue eyes, as did your mother.” Ara tests, her expression cold.

I drag my eyes up and dare to meet hers. I tilt my head to the side, the sound of the gardens fading back into focus as by sheer willpower I force the memories back so that I can gather enough air to breathe. There is no way out of the corner I am in, and I can’t even begin to think of something to say to fill the silence. A whisper of skirts on stone distracts Ara as Elara cuts behind us to ask everyone to sit. I hide the twist of relief in my stomach by dipping my head again and excusing myself.

(/////////)

I’m so deep in my own thoughts, planning responses for any future Iral interrogations that I almost miss Maven appearing around the corner on my way to Julian’s.

“Still alive?” His words make my back snap to ram rod straightness as I come to an abrupt stop that makes even Lucas stumble. My toes curl in my shoes and I can almost feel my lightning begging to come to the fore as Maven closes the distance. Why does he have to look so kind and young? How could I not have seen the honey coated trap for what it was? I’d needed a friend though, and he had been the perfect map to mirror all my insecurities onto. Elara probably didn’t even need to read my mind to know that.

Play the game. I remind myself to smile sheepishly at him. I’m a good actress now, and I will make sure he believes every second of my performance.

“Unfortunately for the other Queenstrial girls, yes.” The joke is a weak one, but he still chuckles at it. Next to me, I can feel Lucas’s presence still. He’ll usher me along so that we’re not late for Julian. His presence actually eases my tension. I don’t know if I’m ready to be alone with Maven just yet. The temptation to end all my suffering before it can begin might be too great. I need Lucas to get us moving again. I’d rather be early for Julian. The more time I spend with him, the happier I think I’ll be. And I’d rather be as far from Maven as physically possible right now.

“They’re a slippery sort.” He admits, looking me over. I squeeze my hand into a fist, pushing my nail into my thumb to avoid lashing out at him. The silence gets so heavy his skin tinges silver and he looks down to avoid my unwavering glare.

“Where are you off to?” I finally mange to get out, forcing my fingers to unfurl. His eyes snap up and he blushes hard for a heartbeat. I caught him off guard. Good, slip up and give me a reason to hate you more in this moment.

“I was actually on my way to walk in the garden. Cal was—” his lips draw tight for a moment before continuing “—supposed to meet me. He got caught up in a meeting.”

I don’t want you around him either. I want to sneer and dig my nails into his neck when he shrugs in disinterest. I don’t want you hurting him more than you already have.

“How unfortunate,” I admit instead. He actually looks like he feels bad for Cal when he replies, “I don’t envy him his schedule.”

Lucas clears his throat, and my eyes snap to him as he nods in the direction we should be going. “Someone told me she didn’t want to be late to anything today. And we’re going to be late now.”

Maven’s eyes dart to him as if he just realized he was standing there. Tilting his head to the side like a little puppy, he says, “I was actually wondering if you were done for the day and wanted to join me in the garden.”

“I have Lessons.” I want to smirk at the way his smile falls. He recovers marvelously though, and reaches out to take my hand. His skin is warm, the perfect temperature. He’d been icy last night. I wonder if Elara told him to find the perfect temperature, one to match Cal’s.

“I won’t keep you then.” He murmurs before he passes us and continues down the hall. I feel like I’m going to be sick. That was how she did it. That was how she molded him into the perfect little shadow for me to love. She’d picked my brain for everything I liked about his brother from our first meeting and whispered it in his ear. Warm smiles and warm hands, she had probably told him, ooze sympathy and kindness, you’re the sibling that is unloved, the one to match my longing for something greater. Then she had molded his words and his ideals to match mine, the perfect counter to Cal’s abrasive thoughts of wanting to keep the world the way it was. I hadn’t even realized it, but Maven had put his foot in the door with this moment, and I had held it open for him. Sneaky son of a bitch.

“You know, we’d get there much faster if you actually moved.” Lucas teases, making me almost jump. I glare at him before starting down the hallway so fast that he jogs his first few steps to catch up.

“Shut up Lucas.” I growl under my breath.

(////////)

The minute I’m in Julian’s rooms I shrug off every bit of protocol, every nasty thought and let myself sag in relief. It smells just like his Montfort apartment in here. My heart aches even more when I remember the teas Sara used to put in my hands with her gentle smile as she sank down into one of the massive fluffy chairs they kept in their sitting room. It was always warm there too. Sara liked it cozy, and Julian let her have whatever it was she wanted, even if he melted into a puddle of sweat in every sweater he owned.

Married for four years and Sara still acted as chaste as a young girl when he was around. I want them to have that happiness here too. I know I won’t see Julian smile the way he does when she walks behind him and trails her hand along his shoulders for a long time though. Every moment in Montfort was like she feared he’d disappear if she didn’t touch him continuously throughout the day.

I run my fingers along the faded covers of the books he keeps stacked around these rooms like columns holding up the weight of the world. I wish I could grab and carry stacks of them back to my room. I could bury myself in them and pretend I was curled up on my couch with my head in Cal’s lap while he ran his fingers through my hair and tried not to fall asleep. I could pretend I’m hundreds of miles and years away from this horrible place.

I stop before the map I remember so well. I’d seen it so many times in this room that it had become a staple. I tilt my head as I look at the mess of lines and colors. The old world, before people tore it to shreds. We put it back together, or at least we had been trying to. I drag my eyes west from Archeon to find Ascendent buried deep in the mountains. It’s not even marked on this map. It never seemed so far away than in this moment. Even when I had looked at this map for the first time those mountains had only seemed a few hand lengths away.

“It’s strange to look at the world as it once was,” Julian’s quiet voice makes me glance over my shoulder in his direction. In the silence of these rooms, he is a faint ember of life. He appears out of an aisle of his books, the afternoon sun cutting across his face like bars in a prison. His yellow robes whisper along the floor as he approaches me. I’d forgotten how this place had drained him. He looks like old, cracked paper. It’s fitting I suppose, but it’s not right.

I can’t help but grin at him, unable to hide how happy I am to see him. He takes it in stride though, even giving me a little smile as he gestures to the map. “Can you find where we are?”

Don’t go so fast, I want to beg him. Let me stay here as long as physically possible. Let me be here in this sanctuary as long as possible. “I’ll try.” I whisper as I pull my eyes away from him to look at the map. He waits while I pretend to read. I could pick us out as easily as I can call lightning these days, but I go slow on purpose. Reaching up with a finger, I point to the inlet that is the Stilts. “There.”

He nods, pleased. “Do you recognize anything else?”

I bring my eyes back to the map. For a moment, I contemplate pointing out Montfort. Julian would be an impossibly useful ally here. The wisdom he could give us, the advice, it would be priceless. That’s a conversation to have with Cal though. He’ll probably refuse to bring Julian into this mess any earlier than we have to though. He can be so damn protective over the few people he has left. Julian would be able to handle himself though. Better than me and Cal probably.

In the end, I point out Harbor Bay. His smile deeps and I relish in the warmth that floods through me by simply being in his presence. Even if he’s oblivious to our future relationship, I trust him more than anyone else here.

“This is Delphie now,” he points out the city, and I nod as he traces the river to point out Archeon. We’ll be there soon enough, and Julian will not make it further than the gates of this city before Elara catches him and Sara.

When he finishes, he looks at me expectantly and waits to hear anything else. Instead I turn to him and say, “The cameras are off in here.”

His brows shoot up toward his hairline comically, and I have to stifle a laugh. I haven’t seen that look in a long time. There wasn’t much I could do to surprise him after our years together. The news I was planning on sharing might have been the last time I saw that look.

“So there is a difference,” he mutters.

“How did you get them to turn them off?” I want to know so that I can turn them off in my own room without people noticing. Cal and I could meet then, discuss our next moves without people noticing. We could meet to determine if things were proceeding correctly too. It would make all of this so much easier.

“Mare, I’m here to teach you your histories, to teach you how to be Silver and how to be, ah, useful.”

His lips pull into a disgusted expression, and I raise a brow as he changes the subject quickly. The way he looks at me though, makes me swallow the next words I am about to tell him. Instead, I tilt my head to the side and ask the same question I had asked before.

“How do you plan to do that Lord Jacos?”

His eyes narrow for a moment, and I tense as I realize he never did tell me who he was. It’s not on my schedule, and there is no way Elara would tell me his name. She can barely spit out the name Jacos anyway. I have a feeling she thought Coriane’s spirit would be able to haunt her if she did utter it.

“Your colors, yellow, house Jacos. Lady Blonos taught me the colors this morning. Your sister was Queen wasn’t she? Cal’s mother. You two even look a little similar.” I stumble over the words, trying to cover my tracks. It’s a pathetic attempt, one I know he can see right through.

He at least has the grace and mercy to laugh outright at my last comment. The light returns to his eyes as he says, “your flattery will get you nowhere with me, Mare Barrow. But yes, I am the late Queen’s brother and Tiberias the Seventh, otherwise known as Cal, is my nephew.” He drops into a comically low bow. I chuckle at it. Even though I feel like I’m playing a game with him, it still feels like we are sharing a secret truth with each other. Forgotten gods, I just want to tell him the truth so that he can know and help me. I wonder if he would actually believe me if I did. Julian had seen plenty of crazy things in his life. What was one more?

“So you and I are supposed to stop a rebellion?” I ask as he rises. He tilts his head to the side, considering my words before saying, “yes, I suppose. My dear brother-in-law and his queen believe you can do so, if we use you properly.”

“It’s idiotic,” I admit before turning back to look at the map. He watches my side profile carefully while I look over the map, and try to keep my eyes from snagging on Montfort. “They’re wrong if they think the riots will stop, and the people will stand down. The Scarlet Guard is marching, and they are not afraid. Change will come someday, whether that’s tomorrow or in a year, it will come. The world won’t stay the same, I won’t let it.”

For a moment, the ragged inhale he takes makes me think I’ve said too much. But when he steps up next to me to look at the map he says, “I have waited a long time to hear someone say that. What my people are doing to you and yours is wrong to the deepest levels of humanity. You are right, change is coming, because the continuous cycle we put you through will end poorly.”

I look at him, seeing a different type of warrior. Julian had never been one for violence and destruction like me and Cal. He was built for manipulation and careful chess games. But he had spent just as much time if not more shaping the world alongside us. He would do it all over again too. I know he would. If he were in my shoes right now, he would suffer the hell, the torture, and any agony just to get us all to that shining future. “So what do we do?”

He grins at me, a tiny hopeful smile that makes me square my shoulders proudly.

“We start by figuring out exactly what you are.”

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sorry-but-we-have-moved · 4 years ago

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The ABSOLUTE CRAZIEST shit happened on my Sims 3 game last night, so i’m going to make a long list detailing the events in chronological order.

Also note, my Sims are both fictional characters and OCs living on this resort-type lot. The lot is custom built, and the main focal point of the story is the pool, which is located in the center of the lot. In hindsight, this all could have been avoided had i had more step-ladders and had never added a fence around the edges to prevent Sims from climbing out. Also, it probably didn’t help that i used a trick to merge the basement with the pool, a trick that proves itself to be very buggy. I’ll be referring to Sims by their first names, and i’m only tagging/including the ones that are relevant to the story.

- The household i’m controlling is 8 people, 2 older adults and 6 younger adults, 7 are related to one another. At the beginning of this story, they’re all pretty spread out and split up in the place.

-Alice, the oldest youngster, is the only one at the pool besides her father Jack. She jumps in via diving board.

- ^ Seeing this, Jack decides to enter the nearby bar to “express fear of swimming” to Mei, who is listening to a woman named Salotta play piano. Mei doesn’t seem to want to respond to Jack, or she’s too enthralled with the piano playing to pay attention. He sits and waits there for many, many minutes.

- Meanwhile, Alice(OC) is already out of the pool, which is now filled to the brim with other sims. I initially don’t see this as a problem because they’re still able to swim around and use the ladders. What i don’t realize is the ones who have to wait on others to climb out are the ones in danger.

- Jack finally gives up trying to tell Mei of the impending disaster and just turns to face the piano player and listen. Again, i figure since he’s no longer worried about the pool, that the trouble is over. How wrong i am.

- Seconds later, Hoang(OC) drowns. Everyone’s first reaction is to immediately try and leave the pool.

Then, after climbing out, Lucio makes his way onto the water slide and re-enters the pool Hoang just died in.

- A majority of them just never leave the pool, in fact they started having a fucking breath holding contest. BLU Scout and Candie(OC), nearby also holding a contest are Troy and Alice. The choices Sims make in the face of death truly astound me.

- At this point, Hoang appears to have been blipped from existence because there’s no ghost, no corpse, no urn or gravemarker, and no sign of the Grim Reaper coming to get his body. The only one who’s reacting to his death is Guthard(OC) because they shared a household. Guthard also happened to be present in the pool when Hoang died.

- Back in the bar, everyone is reacting to the drowning with symbols that suggest they want to try to find Hoang’s body in the pool but can’t. Everyone in the pool appears stuck, like they, too, are searching or they’re just in total shock.

- ^ Remember, Jack has the Hydrophobia trait. He has a fear of swimming, and knew something bad was going to happen with the pool. But, against his better judgement he is now IN that very pool, looking highly distressed but again, he put himself in there. Also, people are still having underwater contests cause that’s what you do when someone drowns. - Also, he just casually turns into Jesus because of course he does:

- ^ The Grim Reaper finally shows up to try to collect Hoang’s ghost. But there’s a problem. He, like others, is climbing into the pool to try to find the body, but it’s not there. So he spends a good few minutes climbing in and out of the pool from different floors, taking the nearby tube elevators as he does.

- Suddenly, ANOTHER person drowns, this time it’s Akande (Doomfist). Now, HIS death is really fucky for several reasons. Shortly after he drowns, EVERYONE that was in the pool suddenly ascends through the roof of the lot. The only remaining Sim is Ashe because she was taking the water slide.

- After some searching, i find everyone NOT on the roof, but on the bottom floor in the basement area. Outside of the pool somehow.

- Now Akande is wandering around, apparently trapped in physical form so he’s not going to be collected to go to the underworld anytime soon:

-He produces TWO, i repeat, TWO gravemarkers in his name. One of these, i’m assuming is Hoang’s and the name’s just a misprint by the game, but there’s another glitch going on that is absolutely hilarious. - Akande is technically a ghost according to the game, since he started phasing through walls and doing the floating animation. But at the same time, he doesn’t have the ghost texture, and he’s able to interact with the environment like he never died, with the added bonus that he can haunt things and people.

- ^ Angela, whom always has some form of interaction with him in previous playthroughs, decides to strike up a casual conversation with him now that he’s a permanent ghost resident. Gabriel (Reaper), who’d been absent this entire time, suddenly rushes to the scene and looks at Akande like “oh what the f***?” - And just like other playthroughs Akande makes a mean comment to Angela which she berates him for before leaving. Even while dead, he’s still an ass.

- ^ I check on the other members of the household to see how they’re handling the chaos, Hazel(OC) is just in the kitchen sharing a canned soup lunch with Jenny(OC) so i’d say this didn’t get to him too much. Also, Akande decides to get himself a ghost salad from the mini-fridge:

- After eating the salad he goes and grabs one of the soccer balls from the “item shop” i have set up on the lot. Then everyone walks in and grabs a ball for themselves, now they’re taking soccer lessons from Akande’s ghost

- Alice, for some reason, goes all the way to the opposite end of the lot to play soccer not with Akande, but with BLU Scout from earlier - Akande sees himself in one of the mirrors on the lot and thinks he looks pretty good as a ghost - Then he goes upstairs and haunts a telescope for a few minutes

- ^ This also happens - Third drowning death happens out of nowhere, and it’s Juelle(OC). This leads to a cascade effect and Jenny(OC) drowns around the same time, and despite me taking the time to actually delete some of the fence now that i’ve suspected it to be the problem, it doesn’t prevent the next several deaths from happening - Mei is the next one to drown. And Angela just. Decided to quicken the process:

Mercy said “No heals 4 U” - Junkrat and Roadhog end up dying together which idk whether to be happy or sad about that, either way they died a couple - Candie and Tyreen go down next, followed by Ashe and Salotta (The piano player from earlier) - Lucio dies right next to the fucking step-ladder like he was gonna climb out and then just gave up

Like seriously dude - Troy lasted a pretty damn long time in this cursed fucking pool, but then he drowns as well:

- Akande is still living as a fucking ghost btw, and he’s casually floating past the pool as all of this happens like “hm. interesting.” - The Grim Reaper, meanwhile, FINALLY gets around to sending ghosts into the underworld. Sometimes people walk by it, react to it like it’s a roadshow, and go about their business. Just some normal everyday shit, y’know? - When he finishes, Grim goes down to the laundry room and does laundry for everyone, only to leave a soggy pile of clothes on the floor in front of the washing machine.

- ^ He also goes upstairs and mops up a puddle someone made, i guess someone pissed themselves seeing him or the ghosts - Laughs while pointing at Gabriel (mad he took the moniker of Reaper i guess?) and then just poofs out-of-scene - Moira starting mourning Akande and Roadhog (Junkrat and Roadhog were part of the Talon household cause convenience) in the kitchen which makes Akande start ghost crying - At this point the population on this lot has been dramatically reduced, so it’s actually impossible to fill it up to the point of overcrowding. And it seems that everyone’s learned their lesson, and they never get in the pool ever again. They just walk past it on their way to the bar or something. Also, shockingly, no one from my active household ended up dying. - However, Kyle(OC) ended up frozen for a few minutes because he was going to mourn basically EVERYONE who ended up drowning and that filled his action queue too full. I had to cancel the actions so he could use the bathroom and get some sleep

- TLDR This story ultimately ends, entire households have been decimated, pets have lost their owners to a fucking pool, i can’t do anything with the gravemarkers even on my own community lot, no one wants to go swimming ever again in their lives, i think i now have PTSD

ᴼᴷᴬʸ ᵗᶦᵐᵉ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗᵃᵍᵍᶦⁿᵍ ʰᵒˡʸ ˢᴴᴵᵀ

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thessalian · 4 years ago

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Last Line Meme

I got tagged in this by @shadoedseptmbr. I dunno who to tag in this except maybe @hyperewok1, but if anyone else is working on a Thing, please show me!

As for me ... to make it make even remote sense, I had to include the last couple of paragraph of it. So here’s where I stalled on the novel I still need to finish when I have the spoons:

Access Mundi, Chapter 32 (last half-page or so)

Annette tucked the empty bottle into her bag. “We don’t have time for that, no, but if I didn’t get a break I was totally going to pass out. Which would, like, basically be me dying in this mess. But I’m totally better now!” She bounced to her feet and immediately had to reach for Jez’s shoulder so as not to fall over backwards into the fountain. “Okay … mostly better now.” Then she frowned. “Do we have anyone else here? Might be good to know how outnumbered and stuff we are, you know?”

Mama Jez nodded in the general direction of the fountain opposite, where some of the screams were drowned out by wild, half-mad cackling. While the sound was certainly witchy enough, Annette could see no conventional magic. Instead, she saw Mad Maudlin, standing atop the plinth normally kept vacant for rotating art exhibits, tapping on a smartphone as they cackled and, at one point, shouted, “Fly, my pretties! FLY!”

Some did. Mad Maudlin’s technomantic army included a half-dozen drones repurposed as bombers, which dropped what looked like water balloons but, given the fact that their targets caught fire or melted or in one memorable case turned into an equal volume of spiders, clearly were not full of water. Annette frowned. “I … really didn’t think that Mads, like, went in for potions and stuff, you know?”

Mama Jez just shrugged. “And I quote: ‘It’s like chemistry, only with more newt’. Science is Mads’ jam, honey. You know that.” Then she sighed. “How about Lyta? Can we get Lyta? Maybe she can unweave that lion bullshit.”

Annette squinted over to the main square, where Carl, Alfhild and Greer fought two gigantic stone lions. Edged weapons were not the best weapon against their prey, and while they seemed to be holding their own, the best they could do was carve small chips out of the large stone cats and try to avoid the bone-crushing blows from their sledgehammer paws. “I wish, but cell reception is a total no-go. We’ve got what we got unless we go Way-walking, and I am so not up for that right now. And if you go…”

“Yeah, yeah, army of the dead goes too, probably.” Mama Jez assessed the battlefield to gauge how integral her undead minions were to the continued survival of the good guys and civilians. Given the dearth of Hunters, and the fact that the mortal police were more interested in getting the civilians to safety than dealing with the madness, the dead were necessary indeed. “No one’s up for that. So we need a way to communicate or we need a miracle.”

#Thess writes stuff

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mintycanoodles · 5 years ago

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mmmmmmaybe a Cupcake Wars au where the Graduation Kiss never happened and Bitty and Jack went their separate ways never able to shake the feeling they missed out on something big and maybe neither of them really get over it but what can you do but waste countless sleepless nights thinking about what if’s??

so a handful of years down the road Bitty has his bakery and Jack is the darling of the Falconers but is a walking talking PR disaster who never really grew out of the hockey robot thing. so.

The Falconers are having some sort of Thing and get involved with Cupcake Wars to promote it. And who gets guest judge duty? To work on his public persona and media navigational abilities? Jack of course.

And who, of course, is one of the contestants??? Bitty duh so Bitty goes, and iirc contestants aren’t told the theme or guest judge beforehand so the drama bomb that drops when eyes meet and repressed feelings get tapped into and yeeesh now that’s what I call Awkward.

so. Despite two participants with major internal and interpersonal drama happening, the episode actually goes mostly smoothly. Neither Jack nor Bitty mentions it to anyone on the production team because whose business is it anyway and obviously no one did any homework on them so they?? act like they just don’t know each other???????? It’s not like they can sneak off for five minutes and hash it out so both just. Try not to interact directly too much but come on you know things happen.

Bitty can’t exactly forget Jack’s favorites and Jack cannot even begin to be unbiased (not when every taste he gets of Bitty's baking feels like home again, even after all this time). Jack may or may not fight the judges at every critique aimed at Bitty’s cupcakes, but Bitty hardly needs it, he solidly trounces the competition and wins. And gets invited to the Falconers Thing. Which works out pretty great in Jack's eyes.

Except it doesn’t. Bitty avoids him all evening? He cold shoulders Jack the whole time and Jack kind of gets it, the cameras are still rolling and they can’t exactly catch up now but still? Before Jack gets anything approaching a chance to talk Bitty packs up and he’s out of there as soon as he’s contractually able to.

So Jack may or may not eat his feelings in cupcakes over it. It feels like another missed opportunity and it stings and he wonders how he keeps getting it so wrong.

According to Georgia it’s an unqualified success. She watches the footage, pats him on the back for going through with it, and says something offhand about how well he got on with a few of the contestants (one in particular she notices. she doesn’t mention it). Jack gets in a funk over it, but there’s nothing to do but forget about it until the episode airs.

No one, definitely not Georgia, definitely not the PR department, is prepared for the chaos the premier causes. It’s not immediate, the episode comes out on a quiet Tuesday and the Falcs do some promotion for it, but not much, so some of Jack’s diehard fans watch it but they’re not expecting any kind of major major response. It was supposed to be something small and light to soften Jack’s image and work his media relations muscles. Who even watches Cupcake Wars anyways???? Plenty do. And they go nuts for the episode.

People who have no idea who Jack is, barely an idea what hockey even is, see Mr. tall dark and Canadian and see too exactly what Georgia had seen. Bitty and Jack and all the special attention paid to the little southern baker boy.

It’s, of course, obvious to anyone with eyes the sparks between them, the lingering looks, how Bitty can barely stop from grinning when Jack lists off his every favorite part of Bitty's cupcakes but has monosyllabic responses for the other contestants. As subtle as the two thought they’d been, they really hadn’t and it’s only a matter of time before it’s trending on Twitter and every lovelorn Cupcake Wars fan is writing RPF and subtweeting the Falcs and Bitty's account about it.

This is not exactly the public image Georgia had been hoping Jack would cultivate. They try to put out the fires, calm things down and make a few #relatable Twitter posts about it that the PR interns cook up. Georgia wheedles the real story out of Jack, and it throws her off kilter actually, once he fesses up to a few details that would make the collective heads of the internet reel, but she’s a professional. The PR team is a crack squad. They get things under control.

Until, of course, some intrepid fans uncover The Truth.

Mamely, how Bitty and Jack totally knew each other because they were totally on the same hockey team in college??? And had totally set records together and there were totally pictures still archived on school websites of celebration hugs and even a few traces left of a senior photography project that featured one Eric R. Bittle (and others) in touchingly intimate portraits???? and uhhhhh explanations????????? are needed?????????

#cupcakegate takes the Twitterverse by collective storm. Kardashians whom??? Bitty gets bombarded, the Falconer’s can’t make a single post about a home game without demands for updates on the drama and Georgia is nearly drowning in it all but wading through it like a champ.

The PR department reaches out to Bitty in an email that Bitty never responds to, his stomach too tied up in knots over all this debacle is bringing up, but he feels like this is partially his fault. He tries his best. He does a tell all vlog to set the record straight.

He tries to keep it simple, stick to the main points.

Why didn’t they say anything? Why act like they didn’t know each other?

Neither of them knew the other would be there (truth) and they didn’t want to disrupt filming or make it seem like Bitty had an unfair advantage.

Are they currently romantically involved?

No (truth).

Had they ever, at any point, back in college, been romantically involved?

No (truth?).

Was there anything, anything at all behind the long looks and soft gazes? A single spark? An ounce of unspoken, hidden attraction?????

No (lies).

Bitty bears his heart a little, gets going on a tangent on their relationship back in college and how much Jack helped him through and what a good team they’d been and how he’s a little sad he and Jack drifted so far apart (lies, it hurts, it’s never stopped hurting) but he’s happy for Jack and really proud of him and glad he got the chance to see him again and wishes him the best (truth).

Of COURSE this only makes things worse. Bless Bitty's heart but he has zero self awareness when it comes to Jack and his clearly lovesick vlog brings avid followers of the whole debacle to new emotional heights. People are invested. The drama continues.

It comes to a head when Jack himself braves the world of Twitter, finally, to try and hash things out privately with Bitty so he logs onto the dusty old handle Georgia created and verified for him ages ago that he’d, bless her heart, just never gotten the hang of. He knows Bitty's handle from all this hullabaloo now so he opens up a message, stares at the blinking screen for about a minute, then promptly has a breakdown.

Everything comes back to him. Every warm moment they’d shared back in college. Every time he felt Bitty there for him and every inch of home and safe Bitty ever gave him.

And how he never told Bitty how he felt (lies. still feels). How he’d let that slip right through his fuckup fingers.

It takes him two weeks to draft the message. That’s ages in internet time, so things die down a bit in the interim and other celebrity dramas unfold so Jack finally stops getting pestered about it by every pap and chirped by every team mate. He’s glad they’ll never put him on reality baking competition show duty again but is it worth it? (yes. yes it is)

It gives Jack plenty of time to stew and stew he does, until he’s finally able to write out a pretty succinct summary of everything he never got a chance to say.

It boils down to a couple main points:

Bitty was probably the best thing that ever happened to Jack. Bitty made him softer and better able to handle things and just gave him the safety net he needed and he would always be grateful to Bitty for that.

Jack had also never meant for them to drift apart, he’d always wanted to stay in touch, actually, he’d always wanted so much more than that but Jack knew Bitty didn’t feel the same way, so Jack created the space between them and he was sorry he’d been such a poor friend and had gotten it so wrong.

Jack hoped, maybe beyond hope, that it wasn’t too late. Jack asked if they could be friends again, that he missed Bitty, and he hoped to hear back from him.

Jack is rather proud of himself for all the emotional eloquence that goes into the message. He thinks Shitty would be, too. Of course, it is kind of annoying he has to split it up into so many pieces and tag Bitty's account in each one so they’ll send to him, something about a 140 character limit? Jack doesn’t really get it, but social media isn’t his thing. So he sends his piecemeal message and waits patiently for Bitty to get back to him.

Georgia regrets ever trying to get Jack any amount of media exposure.

Jack’s not so private love letter is screen capped, saved to hard drives, printed into longevity and takes the internet land by storm all over again. Jacks completely oblivious to it until day two or so when Shitty, Lardo, and every person he knew at any point at Samwell bomb his phone. Georgia does her best, she really does, but it’s the last straw for the PR team. They’ve long since collapsed in a puddle of tears and Georgia has to coordinate the disaster relief effort herself and enforce the media lockdown until they can just deal with this and Jack, it’s okay, we’re all here for you and your sexuality is valid but honey, no more internet for you. Georgia does take the thread down but its too little too late and there is going to be a million and one interviews about this and she hasn’t slept in days and-

and Jack feels bad for her. He feels a little embarrassed his personal business is so out in the open like that but. Well. It’s his own fault. He should have probably asked a few more questions about how to work Twitter. But deep down? It’s a huge weight off. He’d never exactly planned on coming out publicly because he never really thought he’d have anyone who would make him consider it but. Well. He’s said what he needed to say. About time.

He lets Georgia tell him what to do and what to say to whom. He does a few interviews, nothing televised, just a few online publications. It takes several more weeks for any of it to approach any sort of calm again, but eventually, an equilibrium is reached. And then, only then, does Jack get a call from a number he doesn’t have saved yet.

“Hey, Jack,” he hears in a thick southern accent when he picks up, and it doesn’t, not at all, send a shiver of pure warmth all the way down to his toes (lies, all lies).

“Bittle-Eric? Bitty. Hey,” he says. Bitty laughs.

“I think maybe we should talk. Would you, maybe, want to meet up for coffee sometime?”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course, I’d love that.” (truth)

#zimbits #omgcp #whoops i slipped and wrote a fic?#this was just supposed to be an idea but then it kept happening #a cupcake wars au that no one asked for but here it is anyway #and i shall call it;#All is Fair in Love and Cupcake Wars

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lostinthewiind · 5 years ago

Note

Can I request a Ronald Speirs one-shot? You don't have to do it if you don't want to xx

Of course, I can :) I haven’t written for everyone’s favourite murder daddy in quite a while so I’m looking forward to this!

Tag List: @warmommy @gottapenny @croatianbagudna @wexhappyxfew @scissorsfordoc @curraheev @mayhem24-7forever @one-who-hunts-eagles @bandofmarvels @i-am-a-lost-girl16 @wildwilliamguarnere @majwinters @theonetryingtolive @higgles123 @those-dusty-jump-wings @medievalfangirl @maiden-of-gondor @whoabrekker @thefricklefracklesin

For the Better

You couldn’t believe it. No matter how many different ways you tried, you just couldn’t wrap your head around all of it. How had it happened? How had you let it happen?

You swore you had paid extra mind to be as careful and cautious as possible, but somehow all of your efforts had turned out to be futile. In the end, none of it mattered. In the end, you were still fucked.

Zipping up your duffle bag, you drew in a deep breath in an attempt to drown out the sound of the metal zipper; the sound of defeat.

Once everything had been packed and there was absolutely nothing left to delay the inevitable, you swung the hefty bag over your shoulder and headed for the door of your barracks. The room was otherwise dead silent so the sound of your boots against the hardwood floor echoed throughout the room, filling your ears; each footfall reminding you of all the ways you had failed.

Stepping out into the brisk night air, you shoved your free hand into your pocket and headed down the long main path of the camp; the path that led out to the front gates.

The surrounding area was quiet and still because most of the men were either sleeping or out drinking with their buddies at the bar. You wished for nothing more than to be drinking at the bar with everyone else. You wished for nothing more than for everything to be normal again.

You were glad that everyone was gone, however. No one being around meant that there was no one around to ask you any questions; no one to ask you where you were going.

You wished you could have had the chance to say goodbye to the guys but you knew it was for the better for you to just slip away in the night and never look back. It would be better for you and better for everyone else involved. It was just better.

One rule you told yourself over and over again in your head. All you had to do was follow one rule.

You weren’t exactly sure how you were going to get back home to the states after you went AWOL, but that was a problem for another time. The troops were going to be sent back out to the front lines in a few days and you knew you had to be gone before then. No matter how much you wanted to, you couldn’t go back to war.

The thought of having to give up crushed your spirits and made you feel about two feet tall. You had spent years training and convincing people — mostly men — that you had what it took to be a Paratrooper, and now here you were, proving to not only the world but yourself that you didn’t have what it took.

Turns out, you weren’t a Paratrooper.

“Y/N?”

You froze on the spot. Shit. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone around, and the worst part was that you recognized the voice; it was the voice of the one person you had been hoping to avoid the most.

You knew you had to face him, so with slumped shoulders and the fakest smile in the whole wide world, you spun on your heel and looked back at Ronald Speirs.

“Sir,” you greeted him with a curt nod as he walked toward you, his eyebrows furrowed as he eyed the bag you had with you.

“Sergeant Y/L/N.” he returned the nod with one of his own as he came to a stop a few feet away from you. “Where are you...where are you going?”

“Going?” you attempted to play dumb at first but then you realized that there was no possible way you could explain away why you had all your belongings packed up. With a sigh, you let your facade fade away. “I was really hoping to avoid this,” you admitted.

Speirs took a single step closer, his confusion reaching an all-new high. He was oblivious as to what was going on and you had really hoped to keep things that way. The less he knew, the better. “Hoping to avoid what?” he asked.

“This.” you gestured to the both of you. “Running into you. Lying to you. Failing at lying to you. Having to tell you the truth.”

“Well, you won’t have to lie about anything if you just cut straight to the truth.” his eyes continued to flicker between you and your duffle bag. “Y/N, what’s going on here? Why aren’t you with everyone else? Why do you have your bag packed?”

Shrugging the bag strap off of your shoulder and letting the heavy pack drop to the dirt beside you, you scratched the back of your neck out of nerves and dreaded what was about to come. “I’m leaving,” you told him.

“Leaving?” he scanned the area around to make sure the coast was clear before closing the gap between the two of you and placing his hand on your upper arm. “Why?”

You let out a chuckle even though nothing at that moment was even remotely funny. Ironic, maybe, but funny? No. “Because of this.” you swiped his hand off of your arm and averted your gaze, choosing instead to look at the buttons on his jacket. “Because of us.”

“Us?” he seemed to catch on a little more to the situation at hand. “Did someone find out about us?”

“Not yet.” you shook your head. “But they will.”

Speirs scoffed, his fingers bumping against yours in a subtle attempt to get you to hold his hand like you always liked to do. Well, like you always used to like to do. “No, they won’t. You’re just being paranoid.” he tried to ease your concerns. “We’ve been pretty good at hiding what goes on between us for the past few months, and you know me, I don’t make mistakes.”

“Well, maybe you don’t make mistakes.” you pleaded with yourself to just turn and go; cut him loose and make a dash for it...but you couldn’t. “But apparently I do.” you pulled your hand away from his and shoved it back into your pocket. “I made a big mistake. A very big mistake.”

“Okay,” he was back to being completely and utterly confused once again. “Okay, that’s okay. Whatever it is, we can fix it. Talk to me and we can handle it.”

A small smile played at the corners of your mouth but not even for a second did it grow into anything more. “If it were under any other circumstances I would believe you.” you caught yourself thinking about how things would play out in an alternate universe for a moment. “If it had happened any other way I wouldn’t be doing this, but it isn’t. I broke the rules, I slipped up, and now I have to deal with this in a way that doesn’t end up hurting anyone else; in a way that doesn’t end up hurting you.”

“Hurting me?” Speirs grabbed your arm and pulled you off of the main path behind one of the small buildings. “Y/N, it’s time to stop beating around the bush here. I need you to be honest with me.” he took your face in his hands and forced you to look up at him. “What is going on?”

You swallowed hard, and although you tried to stop yourself from saying it, the words just sort of forced their way out of your throat. “I’m pregnant,” you whispered just loud enough for him and yourself to hear even though there was no one else around.

Speirs’ pupils blew out and he immediately let go of you. With a stumbled step backward, his hands went to his head and he began to take deep, calming breaths. “You’re...you’re...” he couldn’t even get the word out.

“Pregnant.” you felt the tears start to well up in your eyes but refused to let them fall. “Yup, and although I’m guessing you already figured it out based on your reaction, it’s yours.”

Speirs began to pace back and forth in front of you, his mouth moving a mile a minute but none of the words anywhere near loud enough for you to make them out. “What are we...” he finally stopped pacing after a while and turned to look at you. “What are we going to do?”

“Well, we aren’t going to do anything.” you started to head back toward your bag in the path. “I am leaving. That’s what I am doing.”

Before you could get very far though, Speirs grabbed onto your wrist hard and pulled you back toward him. “No.” he barked. “No, you’re not leaving. There’s got to be some other way to deal with this.”

“There isn’t,” you told him firmly. “Trust me, I’ve spent the past few weeks trying to think of something, anything that would be better than this, but there isn’t. I can’t stay. I can’t go back to war while I’m pregnant and I can’t let anyone find out about us.”

Speirs continued to hold onto your wrist tightly, determined not to let you go. “You don’t have to be worried about anyone finding out about us.” he tried his very hardest to change your mind. “They won’t do anything to you. I promise I won’t let them do anything.”

You almost laughed right in his face. “I’m not doing this for me.” you yanked your wrist out of his grip. “Either way, I’m done. However this plays out, I’m still pregnant and I’m still going home. I’m doing this for you, you idiot. If I leave tonight no one will be the wiser as to why. No one will ever know I am with child. No one will suspect anything. If they find out about the baby, they find out that I broke the rule...they find out that I slept with someone. They find out about you and then God knows what they’ll do to you.”

“You don’t need to worry about-” he started.

“You love this too much to say goodbye to it.” you cut him off before he could say something else to try and sway you. “Being in the army is what you were made to do. Ronald Speirs belongs on the front lines, more than I ever will or ever could. I’m doing this for you whether you see that right now or not. I just hope someday you will understand. I’m not worth throwing your career away over.”

“But...” he watched as you slowly began to back away. “But that...that’s my baby.”

Your hand instinctively went to your stomach even though you were still pretty much flat and not showing. “It is.” you nodded. “And should you want, you are more than welcome to be apart of his or her’s life after the war is over. I’ll write to you, I promise. But this is for the best, please believe me when I say that.”

Speirs stepped toward you again and this time you didn’t back away. When he reached you, he placed his hand over yours on your stomach and pressed a soft kiss to your lips. “We’re gonna have a baby?” he seemed much more excited about the prospect of being a father than you had ever imagined.

“Yes.” you smiled up at him. “We’re gonna have a baby.”

For as long as he could, Speirs held you in his arms and gently rubbed his hand over your belly. Eventually, though, you knew you had to leave because the bar would start kicking the drunk soldiers out and the path would fill up rather quickly.

“I have to go now.” you kept your voice low.

“Okay,” Speirs reluctantly stepped back from you, his eyes glued to you the whole time. “Okay.”

“Goodbye.” you began to back away again.

He remained in the shadows of the building. “Goodbye.”

#band of brothers #band of brothers fanfiction #band of brothers fanfic #lostinthewiind #hbowar #ronald speirs #ronald speirs x reader #speirs #speirs x reader #reader insert #x reader #reader imagine

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marshmallowgoop · 5 years ago

Text

Gushing about Promare (Mega Spoilers!)

I know not everyone has gotten a chance to see Promare yet, but I first saw the movie months ago and have been dying to talk spoilers ever since. So, avoid this post if you haven’t had the opportunity to watch the film yet, but since there’s a tiny bit more availability now, I finally just wanna gush for a sec!

First of all, Promare surprised me. I wasn’t really too interested when the project was revealed, and even when I learned more details at last year’s Anime Expo, I was only moderately invested. The note that the film would be kid friendly is what got me more on board, but I suppose what really got me, more than even the stunning soundtrack (which I think might be Hiroyuki Sawano’s best OST, honestly), was the Trigger x Monster Strike collab.

Maybe surprisingly, I am actually somewhat self-aware, and I recognize that I’m totally biased, but okay, seeing Ryuko and Senketsu noted as characters for the game, right beside Lio and Galo...

Let’s just say that my heart was taken. Seeing that image of Lio and Galo made me fall in love with them, and the comparisons between Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship and Lio and Galo’s that I found in the 鮮流 (Senryu) tag on Twitter sealed the deal. Teaming up and fighting with the Power of Love is my jam.

So, I got hyped. I expected to like the movie.

But I didn’t expect to find it to be the best thing that Trigger has ever made.

(Well, that I’ve seen, anyway.)

And even after sitting on it for a while, I still think Promare is Trigger’s strongest work (that I’ve seen). Sure, I’ve read many complaints that the film tries to do too much in its short timeframe, that there are too many characters who don’t get fleshed out as they should, that it’s way too predictable and cliche... but I respectfully disagree.

I mean, I do feel Promare would have worked better as a series, sure. But Promare uses its time excellently. Maybe it’s an odd comparison (or maybe not?), but while The Shape of Water devotes a ton of screen time and attention to subplots and fleshing out characters other than the main leads, Promare stays focused. This is the story of Lio and Galo, and it never, ever forgets that. Whereas The Shape of Water drowns its monster love story inside plots of Russian spies and rotting fingers, Promare stays focused. Promare knows what it is and knows what it’s about. It’s the most cohesive and thematically strong piece that I’ve seen from Trigger, and I’m more than glad that the artists decided to focus on Lio and Galo rather than shove in all sorts of good stuff about the other characters at the expense of muddying its heart and soul.

Because as much as I love Kill la Kill—and as much as it’s still my favorite Trigger work, even if I don’t see it as Trigger’s best—that’s... exactly what that show did. I can’t even say for sure what the heart and soul of Kill la Kill is! Sure, I’ve argued that it’s most definitely a love story between a girl and her sailor uniform more than anything else, and I most definitely have evidence to support that claim, but I recognize that tons of other claims with tons of other evidence behind them could be made as well. Maybe, for example, as expressed by director Hiroyuki Imaishi before the series premiered, Kill la Kill is really ultimately a story about the rivalry and eventual friendship between Ryuko and Satsuki. Or maybe it’s about overcoming fascism, or a warning about wearable technology, or about puberty, or finding family, or really a million things. I’ve been in the Kill la Kill fandom for years, and let me tell you: I’ve seen just about everything.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But the huge variety in interpretations for the anime most certainly points to the idea that it ain’t all that focused. It’s... a bit all over the place. Too much good stuff shoved into one work, resulting in a mixed mass of awesome that’s maybe kinda hard to make sense of.

(And, for the record, I’ll point out that as much as I often feel alone in my reading of Kill la Kill, I’m really not alone at all. An interviewer for Newtype magazine once said, “When you watch through to the last episode, you keenly feel that Kill la Kill is a story about the relationship between Ryuko and Senketsu,” writer Kazuki Nakashima himself has pointed out several times that Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship is central to the story, such as in his note in the Kamui Bansho that “You could say that Kill la Kill tells the story of a lonely young woman meeting and losing an irreplaceable partner,” and even among English-speaking fans, I can at least link to this one comment not by me that reads, “It's also weird that they say that Ryuko vs. Satsuki is the core of character drama; while it’s majorly important so far, it’s seemed more like Ryuko and Senketsu share the most important relationship.” I know I’m biased, but, okay, I have support, seriously.)

In my humble onion, Promare combines probably the two strongest story threads in Kill la Kill by essentially making the Satsuki character and Senketsu character the same person. You get the rivalry that turns into a friendship, and you also get the synchronization and coming together of two different people who seem like they shouldn’t get along—the combining of “oil and water,” as Galo himself puts it. The fact that the designs of Lio and Galo’s robots were confirmed to look like Kamui in the last live-drawing session (with eyes on the shoulders and teeth on the chest) only strengthens the Ryuko and Senketsu connection, and, c’mon, you can’t tell me that those trailers and promotional materials weren’t hyping up the Lio/Galo rivalry like Kill la Kill hyped up the Ryuko/Satsuki rivalry. Promare takes two of the greatest parts of Kill la Kill, smashes them together, and makes something fantastic. This is what I would have wanted Kill la Kill to be like.

Yes, Promare’s plot is absolutely predictable and cliche, but that ain’t at all a downside! The film utilizes its cliches well, and our main leads are so charming that the journey is endlessly enjoyable. Promare is ultimately a sweet character drama with lots of flashy action, and that character drama is excellent.

I love so much about it. I love how Galo makes an offensive remark to Lio and immediately apologizes, understanding that it was wrong. I love that Galo saving Lio’s life is presented so respectfully, and I love that Galo isn’t at all bothered or embarrassed by pressing his lips to Lio’s, and I love that when Galo freaks out afterwards, it’s simply because he started a fire when he’s devoted himself to putting fires out. I love how Lio’s flames protect Galo, I love the lyrics to “Inferno” and how they amplify the story, I love that there’s a happy ending and the Burnish don’t all die out because that’s somehow “for the best,” I love that there’s a beautiful heart explosion when Lio and Galo save the world. I just love love love these two characters and this film.

But of course, to address the elephant in the room, I do wish that Lio and Galo’s relationship were more explicit; as is always the case in Trigger works that feature potential LGBTQ+ romances, it was stated at both Anime Expo this year and in the latest live drawing that there are no wrong interpretations and everyone is free to think what they would like. But when someone asked if there would be more “boys kissing” in future Trigger works at Anime Expo, and the answer was “yes,” I’m hopeful and don’t feel bad about what we got. Lio and Galo are a sweet, sweet step in the right direction, and I hope for more explicit, charming, respectful LGBTQ+ content in the future from this studio.

Tl;dr, as silly as Promare is, it almost feels like the studio is growing up. The film is what I consider to be their strongest work to date (that I’ve seen, of course), and I crave more over-the-top, kid-friendly, endearing works from Trigger moving forward.

#promare #spoilers #promare spoilers #kill la kill #monster strike #'for a sec' she says lolll sureeee.....#longer than i meant but ey feel free to send me more train emojis and i'll post some shorter stuff lol #(i'm not answering the last one i got though sorry. i just feel like i'll get ragged on for whatever i say. and i am not dealing with that)

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airanke · 6 years ago

Note

And Ammon x Hravi in flavour 12 please and thank ^ω^

12. “a hoarse whisper “kiss me””Hravart x Ammon

Ammon tapped his fingers along his thigh. He’d been tasked with attending this… formal event. He highly doubted that, however, because firstly? The party was being thrown at Freehold, of all places, and secondly? That meant pirates.

Lots, and lots, of pirates.

Of course the rogue didn’t have much against pirates personally - but they were decidedly neutral. They didn’t care about factions, didn’t care about this war, and certainly wouldn’t be against instigating - or participating in - an all out brawl.

Sighing, he looked at his invitation, rubbing the page between his fingers. Anduin had been very specific. Don’t get distracted, don’t make your presence obvious, don’t get too close to anyone. Find the troll hunter with the scars, give him the proposition, and then get out. For whatever reason, Anduin had refused to tell Ammon the name of this troll hunter, and Ammon wasn’t sure if it was because the high king didn’t know his name, or if the name would simply give away too much. Other Alliance leaders had been present when Anduin spoke to him about it, ‘so I’ll hafta’ assume that’s why… Genn looked mighty suspicious. I wonder if this hunter’s the vigilante that’s givin’ everyone - Horde and Alliance alike - so much trouble…’

He scuffed his boot against the floor, and took one last look at himself. Smart casual. Black slacks, dark gray and red striped shirt, red-threaded vest, and a black hat. Gloves on his hands. Invitation in his pocket.

Satisfied, Ammon strode to the door. His faithful prowler rested on the ground, ears flicking as he approached. He gave the beast a few gentle strokes, whispering compliments to it.

Freehold was soon within Ammon’s sights. Along the way, the rogue had gotten swept up with a group of rowdy Alliance. A party with pirates sounded like the best place for them.

And those pirates certainly outdid themselves on the decorations. Lights were strung from every inch of the place, and there was a massive corral set up for all the mounts. Soon, Ammon was clutching a number in his hand, with a matching tag attached to his prowler’s saddle. He tucked the number inside his breast pocket, patting dust off the front of his vest. He’d since flashed his invitation to the woman at the corral, and kept it stuffed in his breast pocket as well.

He stood still for several minutes, observing the crowd that had already gathered. Horde and Alliance mingled, and while tensions were obvious, everyone seemed more keen on having a good time than getting into fist fights. Drinks were being passed around, and most were making small talk.

Good. That would make Ammon’s job easier.

It made perfect sense why Anduin had become so hopeful upon hearing that Ammon had received an invitation to the party - the majority of the faction leaders hadn’t, and for good reason. If Ammon was invited, then that meant that the vigilante hunter had to have been invited as well. This troll had all but made a name for himself as a neutral party, and one that killed Alliance and Horde at the drop of a hat if they weren’t careful - especially the latter.

Ammon had to get tabs on the man; had to see if he would show his face in a place where he was actually welcome.

Ammon shook his head, sighing, ‘better I don’t think about it. Right now, I should focus on gettin’ m’ bearings, learn the lay of the place.’

As he walked forward, pushing away from the corral, a long, pink feathered neck snapped out. Startled, Ammon stumbled to the side, where a draenei moved to steady him.

“Vou alvight?” the woman ask, concerned. Ammon held up a hand to her, offering a smile.

“Yes, thank you, luv.”

She beamed at him, eyed the beast that was dancing by the side of the corral, and moved away. Ammon gave the beast his attention, scowling–

Then staring.

“… Hydrangea…” he muttered, walking forward. The hawkstrider fluffed up her feathers. Her eyes narrowed. Ammon pouted.

“One of these days, you are going to like me,” he informed her.

She pawed at the ground with one of her legs, clucking. Ammon sucked his lower lip into his mouth.

“Buuut it looks like tha’ day won’ be t’day!” Ammon laughed nervously. He might be an incredibly skilled rogue, but the last creature he ever wanted to fight was Hydrangea.

Especially since she seemed so intent on disliking him.

He quickly turned on his heel and strode toward the ebbing crowd. Freehold was massive. Ammon doubted that the party was only being held in one section.

But now he was giddy. If Hydrangea was here, then that only meant one thing: Hravart was here. If he could, Ammon would like to find the priest as soon as possible, before getting swept up in the drinks and the dancing - but he shook his head, ‘focus, Ammon, focus.’

Freehold was made up of three separate sections, connected by bridges. The party extended to all three, and on each area, there were buildings on the ground, and buildings built upon both stilts, and the other buildings. The upper portions were packed, especially around the banisters as people sat on them, leaned against them, used them as tables, and chatted amongst themselves. Ammon was quick to note, however, that one section was bleak, and devoid of light and chatter. The place left him feeling uneasy, and he avoided it, wandering instead toward one of the many, many bars that Freehold had set up along the ground.

All too soon he had a beer in hand. He took a sip, wrinkling his nose. Bitter, of course. A pleasant aftertaste, though; Ammon would nurse it, and for now, he posted himself at the corner. He engaged in light conversation with those around him, the usual ‘hello, how are you, I’m here to have a good time, what brings you around.’ Boring, normal conversation. He longed for something more… engaged.

‘Well, I’ll get there,’ he sighed, setting his empty mug to the side. An hour had already passed. Time to let his feet, and eyes, wander. Two hours passed; he’d had a lovely conversation with a group of pirates, but they had yet to see a troll hunter with blue hair, and obvious facial scarring. A third hour passed, and Ammon was still yet to get any sort of lead, especially since the Horde aligned races seemed rather unwilling to talk in depth with him. One orc in particular seemed to know more, but the moment Ammon tried to get more out of the man, he clammed up.

In the fourth hour, a startling sight caught Ammon’s attention. Sitting at one of the bars that had no cover was a rather imposing troll. One that had horns coming out of his head, and the telltale, sick green eyes of a demon hunter.

Ammon couldn’t help but stare. Apart from being attractive, the rogue swore he’d heard of the man - U’thel was his name, with his platinum blond hair, sharp features, and strong build. He wore some semblance of a suit, but had what looked to be a kilt on over top of pants. Ammon couldn’t tell from this distance. He could see small specs of color on the troll, indicating beads, or jewellery.

Those fel green eyes were boring holes into him seconds later.

Startled, Ammon perhaps looked away too hurriedly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the troll get up. U’thel was huge. His stride was confident, and Ammon vanished. It was incredibly off putting to have someone stalk toward him so openly, and the rogue peered down at the crowd from one of the upper gangways. The demon hunter stood exactly where Ammon had been, the heavy rise and fall of his shoulders indicating he had just released an agitated breath.

‘Shouldn’ve stared at ‘im for so long,’ Ammon chided himself, being careful not to let his gaze fall on U’thel again. Someone came up alongside Ammon, and he simply inclined his head to acknowledge their presence.

A champagne flute was offered to him. Ammon hesitated before accepting, still looking over the crowd. He never knew a hunter could be so hard to find. A rogue he could understand, but a hunter? Ammon sighed, shaking his head. U’thel still hadn’t moved from his spot, and other party goers maneuvered around him.

The rogue scowled, looking down at the rail. The person who had come up next to him was drumming their fingers along the wood, and with hearing as good as his, it got to Ammon.

He opened his mouth to speak but… the hand was obviously scarred. They looked like small bite marks, some long, some short, and peppered everywhere. Ammon’s chest tightened at the sight.

The drumming was loud, drowning out everything around it. It slowed, but never ceased.

When Ammon finally looked up, he found himself staring into sweet brown eyes - but they were deceiving in their kindness. The smirk was knowing.

The facial scars matched the description Ammon had been given.

Without a word, the troll jumped onto, then off of the banister. Ammon only got out a half gasp. His grip on the flute was tight as he leaned forward.

‘Was that him?!’ he clenched his teeth, frustrated. The troll had clearly done his fair share of jumping off things, and he rolled right up to his feet.

And then he was slinging his arm around the demon hunter of all people - worse, U’thel wrapped his tattooed arm around the smaller troll’s shoulders. It was a protective gesture that Ammon was familiar with.

Ammon slunk away, discarding the flute on an empty table. He glared at the ground. The scars matched, but the hair was wrong. The eyes were correct, but the behavior was off. He brought a hand to his chin, lost in his thoughts.

Only five hours had passed. He intended to stay as long as he could, and the sun had only just begun to kiss the horizon.

“I need another drink,” Ammon grumbled, eyes scanning the area. There was a nice little secluded spot, closer to where the main portion of dancing was taking place. Ammon made his way there immediately, intent on the bartender. Within seconds he was seated, hand wrapped around a mug.

Boisterous laughter caught his attention. With mug to his lips, Ammon turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.

And nearly spat his beer everywhere. The bartender made a face of disgust, but handed Ammon a napkin anyway, and the rogue hastily wiped it over his face. His cheeks were burning with blush, and his green eyes were still focused on the man that had been the source of the laugh.

Gods, he was hot - and what was it about trolls that seemed to draw Ammon’s attention? This troll had flawless skin, a minty blue, stomach paler than his back. His attire was fully appreciated by the rogue, dark chains hanging between both shoulders, resting against his chest. Ammon could make out the different colors of a tattoo, and the jacket he wore could hardly be considered that. It was cropped, barely coming down to the troll’s waist, and it was what the chains were attached to. His pants were tight, silver embroidery decorating the seams, belt cinched on his hips. Ammon swallowed thickly, eyes trailing up to the troll’s face.

Gods.

His hair was dark, tipped in fuschia, and styled up in a drooping mohawk. He had a tail, and one earring hanging down from his ear. The tusks, though, Ammon found he recognized. Thin by the lips, thicker around the middle, and tapered out to a sharp point at the end.

As any person would, the troll realized he was being stared at. Ammon flushed deeply, quickly looking away. The troll’s eyes were brilliant, and Ammon could just barely make out the color. Orange, with a hint of fuchsia and pink swirling in them.

‘Shit,’ Ammon slammed back the rest of his beer. He’d heard the troll say a farewell to who he was speaking with, and before he could properly compose himself, the troll’s hand came to rest on the bartop.

‘Fuck,’ the rogue breathed in, and looked up, giving the troll his most charming smile.

“Caught me starin’, I see,” Ammon began, earning himself a low chuckle, and a delicious smile.

“You,” the troll poked Ammon in the chest, and the rogue was distracted by the swinging chains, and how they teased him with snapshots of the tattoo on the taller man’s chest, “you be Ammon, right?”

Startled, Ammon’s eyes snapped back to his face. At first, he was panicked - he was so sure he had been careful, not made himself obvious, mingled with the crowd, and hung back enough.

His panic eased when he saw that there was a twinkle in the troll’s eyes, as if he were hopeful he were right.

“Yes, luv. Ammon Delory,” he chose to take the risk.

Immediately the troll’s face lit up with a brilliant grin, and he pushed away from the bar to look across from them and call out:

“Rosebud! I be findin’ ya secret!”

‘… rosebud? Does he–’ and he could do nothing to stop the eager smile that spread across his lips. Coming toward the two was none other than Hravart - though Ammon certainly preferred his hair long, he wasn’t about to complain about how it was short. That, and Hravart had long bangs. Ammon could still toy with those.

“Ammon!” the priest’s ears flicked up, then back down.

And he looked up at the other troll with such adoration in his eyes that Ammon felt his heart sink, just a little. He knew that Hravart wouldn’t let just anyone touch him, and here he was, cuddling right up to this other troll. Ammon had hardly been given the chance to appreciate Hravart’s attire.

‘… hang on. Hravart mentioned ‘ee had a sibling,’ his eyes widened at the realization. Yes, this was a hug he had often shared with Cedric: tight and warm; all encompassing, like a shield.

“Your brother?” Ammon asked, hopeful. Hravart laughed - a sound Ammon loved, and cherished, because it was so uncommon - and nodded his head.

“Gulzar. He finally be findin’ me, wit’ a lil’ help from… uh…” Hravart frowned, pulling back from his brother to look up at him, “where she be goin’?”

“Hmm,” Gulzar hummed, glancing at Ammon. The human tilted his head, brows furrowed.

“She be aroun’,” he poked Ammon in the forehead, then laughed when Ammon made a face, “apparently her cousin be here! So she be goin’ ta look fah her.”

“Mm,” Hravart leaned against his brother, and this time, Ammon was given a moment to appreciate the priest’s suit. The jacket was tailored, with the lower portion of it cut away to show the stomach area. He wore a shirt underneath - of course - and golden swirls decorated the edges of the jacket. Hravart’s cuffs were much the same, decorated with those golden cutouts. His pants were a bit looser than Gulzar’s, but no less form fitting.

The rogue sighed through his nose. He spotted rose cufflinks too, and as per usual, Hravart was wearing his floral themed earrings. The collar of the jacket came up onto Hravart’s neck. It would be fun to pull that away–

“Wat you be doin’ here, Ammon?” Hravart’s voice interrupted the rogue’s thoughts. He wasn’t sure how much he should say, and Hravart added, “I mean, aside from bein’ invited.”

“Hum,” Ammon turned on his seat to face Hravart, pursing his lips, “though’ it might be fun! Didn’ think I’d see you here though, luv. I was beginnin’ to lose hope after the first few hours, even though Hydrangea tried to peck me when I was passing by the corral.”

Hravart chuckled, shaking his head, muttering under his breath about how protective his hawkstrider was. He looked up at his brother affectionately, then turned his dark eyes back to Ammon, “mah brothah’s confidant be a rogue, like you.”

Gulzar turned positively red at what Hravart had said, and sputtered something in Orcish. Ammon furrowed his brow - he was still unfamiliar with the language, but from what he could gather, it seemed like Gulzar was trying to refute the fact that this female friend of his was his confidant.

Hravart was unconvinced by it, if him rolling his eyes was any indication to go by. He moved away from Gulzar’s side, which, ultimately, put him closer to Ammon.

“I be knowin’ love when I be seein’ it,” the priest quipped in Common. Gulzar’s blush only deepened.

“I see that runs in th’ fam’ly?” Ammon asked, and Hravart burst into surprised laughter. Gulzar frowned comedically at the rogue, and Ammon beamed, “I’ll take tha’ as a yes?”

Gulzar made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat, which only encouraged Ammon to laugh.

“She’s not… I don’… I… she’s not my confidant, rosebud…” he tried to argue.

“Mm mm mm!” Hravart purred, batting his eyes, “right, right, m’bad. I be meanin’ ya flame.”

“Hravart–”

“Oooh no, no,” the priest waved his hand, and Gulzar’s blush spread along his ears, “no’ flame! I’m sorreh! I meant, steady.”

Ammon choked on a laugh at Gulzar’s expense. He grappled with his brother, trying so hard to scowl - but the hunter’s smile pulled incessantly at his lips.

“Hravart behave!” he said. Hravart shook his head wildly, twisting out of Gulzar’s grip to get behind him. Ammon couldn’t help staring really, a blissful smile on his lips. This truly reminded him of all the time he spent with Cedric.

‘Hell, it’s making me miss ‘im.’

“Your d a t e~” Hravart emphasized. All Gulzar did was release a disgruntled groan - and then he said something in Orcish that made Hravart light up like a winter veil’s light. And scurry away.

“Yeah dat’s right,” Gulzar cooed, glancing at Ammon, “git embarrassed. Two can play at dat game, rosebud.”

“I don’ be playin’ no games…” Hravart mumbled, pointedly not looking in Ammon’s direction.

“Care to explain?” the rogue asked, looking suspiciously between the two. The people around them laughed and joked amongst themselves. That reminded Ammon of how much he loved parties, ‘especially since we rogues prefer to keep as low a profile as possible.’

“Bu’ hey, since ya gonna’ tease me ‘bout her so much, I’ll be leavin’ ya wit’ ya swain~”

Ammon lifted his hand from his fist. Swain?

“Or mebbe I should be callin’ him ya beau?”

Oh.

‘You’re talking about me,’ Ammon realized, and Gulzar made it more obvious by looking at Ammon, bouncing his brows. Ammon quirked one of his own brows.

And watched - with a sinking heart - as Hravart gave adamant chase to his brother. He would have liked to spend more time with the priest, but the smaller troll was clearly determined to run his brother down.

So he spent the next hour making idle conversation. It was getting late, and music flowed through the air. Ammon watched the dancing couples from his spot leaning against a fence.

If he weren’t so damn dedicated to what Anduin had asked of him, he would have been looking for Hravart the moment Hydrangea had gone out of her way to try and peck him.

He settled for watching the crowd of bodies dancing to the piano instead– and where did the pirates get a piano from anyway?

Ammon scoffed at his own thought, ‘from one of their many raids, probably. But damn, tha’ girl sure plays well.’

All he could really tell was that she was a void elf, wearing a beautiful starlit dress, and she was so into what she was playing she was hardly aware of her surroundings. For the briefest moment, Ammon thought he saw Gulzar leaning against the stage, watching her, but when he blinked, any visage he had seen of Hravart’s older brother was gone.

Ammon sighed. A shadow fell over him.

He looked up to find Hravart offering him a hand.

“Dance wit’ me.”

It wasn’t a question, yet Ammon couldn’t say no. He accepted Hravart’s hand. The tango wasn’t a dance that he was familiar with, nor was it one that was foreign to him. He’d always known that Hravart boasted more strength than his lithe build implied, but the troll was such a powerful, almost overbearing lead that Ammon found himself seduced by the confidence with which Hravart held him close.

The music reached a fever pitch. Ammon tangled his fingers in what he could of Hravart’s jacket, if only to have something to desperately grasp onto. He had to have some way to keep his balance. Ammon’s face was red, body hot, and he clenched his teeth together.

“Do you like what you see?” Hravart purred. His hand slowly slid up Ammon’s back, holding him closer, and Ammon was trapped between those smooth, porcelain tusks and that dark, luscious gaze.

“Yes,” he could barely breathe.

Hravart smiled.

And let him go, spinning him away. He bowed politely, keeping one hand raise, and Ammon could see the teasing smirk that chased the adoring smile away.

Gods, Ammon was kicking himself for forgetting what a tease Hravart could be. He could only stare as the priest strode away, and the song came to a cacophonous end. The roar that rose up from the crowd at least stopped Ammon from thinking that everyone was staring at him stare after Hravart like a fool.

Hydrangea tried to peck Ammon again the next day.

The rogue jumped away from her beak of course, scowling at her, still incredibly frustrated from the previous evening. He’d arrived later than he had last night, too.

‘Gods damn it,’ he grumbled, weaving his way through the crowd and immediately heading to the upper platforms. He’d thought about it as much as his mind would let him last night: the troll hunter he had seen - the one that fearlessly latched himself to U’thel’s side - was definitely the man he was looking for.

As such, Ammon deduced that he’d have an easier time finding this hunter on the upper parts of Freehold, given that’s where he’d run into the other man. Ammon was less careful this time; he walked with a purpose, and people stayed out of his way. If he could find U’thel, the hunter might be close, and soon the human was looking down at the area below, eyes scanning over the crowd.

He cursed under his breath and pushed roughly away from the banister, ‘’course when I’m actually lookin’ for ‘im, I can’t find ‘im!’

And just like last night, Ammon’s mind wandered. It wanted to focus on other things; it wanted to focus on those dark eyes, and that two-toned hair, and those soft looking lips–

A high-pitched, quiet screech escaped Ammon before he could stop it. Some other party-goers gave him looks, while one particularly drunk patron burst into laughter, and Ammon hurried away from the spot, flustered.

He did not need to think about Hravart any more than he already was!

‘Stupid sexy suit, and stupid cute smile, and stupid sexy eyes,’ Ammon rubbed at his forehead, agitated, ‘GODS why did he have to tease me like that?!’

“Excuse me.”

Warily, Ammon looked in the direction of the voice. It wasn’t one he recognized, and clearly belonged to a female.

A void elf stood not too far from him. Her bangs were styled in the usual curls that Ammon saw so frequently on blood elves, but the back was clearly short. Her void tendrils coiled tightly around each other to form braids, and she wore a perfectly tailored suit, no shirt underneath, jacket unbuttoned enough to show the slightest hint to her cleavage.

Ammon narrowed his eyes at her. He could see hints of shimmer in her suit, much like how her void tendrils shimmered, and he recalled that the pianist from the other evening had worn a dress very similar in material.

“You are Ammon, correct?” she spoke again, her voice warm, but eyes cold. Ammon curtly nodded his head. A friendly smile brightened her features.

“Faian Summerscribe. Gulzar’s escort.”

“Ahh,” Ammon returned her warm smile, “you were the pianist from yesterday.”

“I was. The boys didn’t introduce me to you, so I must say I was a bit miffed at them.”

Ammon chuckled, “you wanted to meet me?”

“Of course,” Faian gestured to a nearby table, and Ammon followed her to it, “I’ve only known Hravart for a day, but if anything were to happen to him, I would kill everyone in this place, and then myself.”

A snort of laughter escaped Ammon before he could reign it in. Faian’s eyes glimmered.

“I doubt you’ve known ‘im for only a day, hun,” Ammon said, and Faian laughed, short and soft.

“You doubts are correct. I’ve known him for little over three weeks. I was there when Gulzar found him,” and she smiled so fondly that Ammon understood why Hravart had said he knew love when he saw it, “at that point I’d known Gulzar for little over a year. I’d only seen him so happy once before.”

“When was th’ first time?”

“When I took him to a garden of wildflowers.”

“Oh?” Ammon was intrigued. Her pale skin flushed.

“That’s what his name means - or, um, more accurately, ‘field of flowers’.”

“And how did you find me?”

Her expression was knowing; he was agitated, and he wasn’t trying his hardest to hide it.

“Hravart explained your looks in great detail - before you stumbled across him and Gulzar the other day. As he’s a priest, that photographic memory comes in handy,” she sighed through her nose, leaning back against her chair, “that, and I was looking for you. We’re both rogues. We find who we seek sooner or later.”

“Mm,” Ammon folded his hands together over the table. He saw the look in her eyes.

“Who are you looking for?”

“A troll, Ms. Summercribe,” Ammon began quietly, and in Zandali. Her tendrils coiled more tightly, and she slowly nodded her hand.

“I understand, it must be a difficult situation to be in,” Faian informed him, making a hand gesture for him to continue. Ammon wet his lips, and glanced around. Most of the trolls in the area were out of earshot.

“Make that two trolls. One is a demon hunter named U’thel, the other is a hunter whose name I don’t know - my client either didn’t want to tell me, or couldn’t.”

“Oh? And why has she been giving you so much trouble?” Faian asked nonchalantly. Ammon’s lips quirked up at one side. This was why he liked talking to other rogues: it was so easy for them to throw off eavesdroppers, and it helped that he was speaking a different language from her.

“He’s good at hiding, and worse, I’m positive he knows I’m lookin’ for ‘im. I thought I was bein’ subtle but…”

Abruptly, Faian stood. She gestured over Ammon’s shoulder, toward a more secluded alcove. He followed her as she walked there, and when he leaned against the wall, Faian braced a hand above his shoulder. She leaned in.

Ammon could definitely see why Gulzar was taken with her. She was intelligent, and sly, and definitely a rogue for all the right reasons.

“You’re looking for the vigilante, then.”

“You know?”

“Yes. Shion. He’s been the subject of much gossip, and causing the Horde as many problems as he’s been causing the Alliance.”

Despite knowing this already, Ammon asked, “where’d you get that information.”

Faian’s expression was schooled to indifference, “I have connections - specifically, Gulzar. He’s a Darkspear ambassador, and with me playing bodyguard, I get to go with him into Horde territory. I’ve overheard whispers of Shion going around Orgrimmar, and saw him once.”

Ammon nodded, glancing to the side. Good, no one was paying them any mind. Faian leaned closer, and Ammon played the part, nudging her cheek with his lips.

“And?” he asked softly, “the more information you can give me, luv, th’ better.”

“He’s not right in the head. Everyone avoided him, as if he were a death knight, and he stalked right into Grommash Hold with three Deathguards following him. Guards there have whispered about how Blightcaller tried to rip out his spine, but he obviously lived through that ordeal. Others gossip that the Dark Lady is more fond of him than she should be, which is why he hasn’t been outright killed upon entering Orgrimmar,” Faian shifted to rest her elbow on Ammon’s shoulder, and he easily slung an arm around her waist.

He was grateful she gave him the chance to digest that information before she continued, “Gulzar taught me Orcish, so when he’s in guard buildings, I can understand what’s being said. That’s how I got all my information. Shion is confident, and boasts incredible skill for someone so young, but there’s something off about him.”

Ammon did not expect the concern that crossed her features as she drew back, her hand lingering on his before dropping away, “I don’t know who sent you to find him, but be careful, Ammon. He’s turned his weapons on his own faction, and you definitely won’t be an exception to his violent nature since you’re a part of the Alliance, as it were. Shion is dangerous, and he’ll make sure you see that first hand.”

He nodded his head, pulling his arm away from her waist, “thank you, Faian. That bein’ said, since you’re an elf… got any tips?”

She hummed, tapping a finger to her lips, “if he knows you’re looking for him, then he’s laying low - so stop looking for him. He’s a hunter, after all, they can blend in with their surroundings, perhaps better than rogues can at times. That, and their tracking is greater than ours. He might be keeping a look out for you. And this U’thel you mentioned… he’s deadly,” she gave Ammon a wink, “and not just because his looks are sharp.”

There was nothing Ammon could do to stop his chuckle, “I’ll keep that in mind. My client really didn’t give me much to go off of.”

“Mm. I won’t ask why they have you looking for Shion, but I can only assume it’s not good. If you like, I can take you to Hravart, and Gulzar. They’ve been attached at the hip since Gulzar found him, so they’re never too far from one another.”

A wave of relief washed over Ammon, “ya know whot? I’d like that. Better’n trying to find someone who doesn’t wanna’ be found.”

Faian smiled, and soon Ammon was weaving through the crowd with her.

She was wrong, though. Ammon knew why Anduin wanted him to find Shion, and if what Faian said was true, that Shion had somehow gotten Sylvanas’ favor, then it made even more sense to Ammon why his brother-in-law had shown ‘concern’ for Shion’s well-being.

‘What better way to learn Sylvanas’ plans than to use someone that she favors? A spy who can pull the wool over her eyes, use her likin’ of him to ‘is advantage,’ Ammon thought, eyes honing in on Gulzar first. He was wearing something… unlike anything Ammon had seen a troll wear before.

Then, of course, there was Hravart.

Ammon had never seen the priest with more necklaces, and a small group had gathered around him. They weren’t touching, so Ammon assumed that was why Hravart was fine with the attention.

Still, he couldn’t help bristling at the sight. The necklaces Hravart wore covered most of his chest, and he had a deep green to lime sash tied around his waist. The fabric was held there by a black belt, and covered the lower half of Hravart’s stomach. His skirt - much like his brother’s - was rustic brown and a lighter tan, with gold thread shimmering throughout it.

Faian quickly attached herself to Gulzar’s side, shooting a look at anyone who came too close - and then she looked at Ammon. As if she expected him to sidle right up to Hravart.

So he did.

He placed his hand right against Hravart’s lower back, resisting glaring daggers at those in the group, and gazed up at Hravart instead.

There was relief on the priest’s features. Damn. Ammon should have done this sooner.

“‘Ello luv,” he purred, drawing circles on Hravart’s back with his thumb. The tenseness in Hravart’s shoulders released, and he offered Ammon a small smile.

“‘Ello, secret.”

Ammon pouted, “c’mon, Avi. Secret?”

“Ammon,” his smile was palpable.

“Hravart.”

“Freckles.”

“Freckles!?” Ammon exclaimed, a blush rising to his cheeks when a coy smirk crossed Hravart’s lips, and he lifted a hand to gently tap his fingers over several parts of Ammon’s cheek.

“Mmhm.”

“Darling,” Ammon countered. Triumph crossed his features when Hravart’s ears flicked up, and his cheeks reddened.

‘Hah!’ he wanted to say, oblivious to the people in the crowd giving the two eyes, ‘can’t top that can ya, Avi?’

Rather suddenly, Hravart cupped Ammon’s face in his hands, those dark eyes shimmering with flickers of holy magic.

“Wassa,” the priest murmured, brushing his thumb along Ammon’s cheekbone. The rogue stared at him wide-eyed. Ammon knew what it meant. He knew Zandali. He knew that word.

Before he could address it, of course, Hravart’s hands slipped away from Ammon’s face. That look of teasing was replaced by something more troubled, and Ammon knew that if Hravart had his long hair, he’d be wringing it out right now.

To Ammon’s surprised - and honestly, his relief - Hravart shook himself out of whatever negative thought he’d found himself in, and he leaned down toward Ammon.

“Wassa,” he repeated, as if needing to solidify it to himself, and cast away whatever worries came with saying it.

“Okay. Fine. You win,” Ammon whispered, intending to reach up but realizing that Hravart would withdraw if Ammon made it clear he was so desperately wanting a kiss.

He tangled his fingers in Hravart’s many necklaces instead, quirking a brow, “what’s alla’ this, anyhow?”

“Jewellery,” Hravart said, pointing at his brother, “dis be mo’ traditional troll garb. Could be callin’ it our version o’ a suit.”

“I like it,” Ammon chirped - then he tugged on Hravart’s many necklaces. The priest went where he was urged, and the red tint to his eyes became more obvious.

“Though, I must say, luv, you look ravishin’ in a suit.”

He hoped he was being obvious. He hoped it was so obvious. Hravart blushed, glancing off to the side. The priest raised his arms to Ammon’s shoulders, and stopped moving when Ammon tugged on his necklaces.

Hravart leaned down. Ammon’s heart thumped in anticipation.

“Do you be implyin’ dat you want ta undress me, Ammon?”

“What if I do?” Ammon whispered hoarsely. Hravart merely smiled, and untangled Ammon’s fingers from his necklaces.

“Keep knockin’, Ammon,” the priest purred. He turned back to his brother, and Ammon heaved a loud sigh. He shouldn’t have expected anything less of Hravart, not after the priest had finally regained much of his lost confidence.

Ammon rejoined the trio after a moment of staring at Hravart’s back. He was not familiar with the tattoo that Hravart had there, but considering how he ignored any questions others asked about it, Ammon opted not to press his luck on the issue.

He danced with Hravart again instead. This time, it was more of a polka - everyone else around them was doing it, so why not? Even Gulzar and Faian joined in. They were all laughing. Ammon loved Hravart’s smile.

Ammon truly didn’t want it to end, especially when Hravart grabbed his hands and pulled him into closed position. It was nice to forget about the war. It was nice to forget that their factions were butting heads, because here, in Freehold, Horde and Alliance partied together like it was the defeat of the Legion.

‘Maybe that’ll be th’ only way ta end this,’ Ammon thought, pressing one hand against what he could of Hravart’s bejewelled chest, ‘by deciding we all wanna’ be a part of a neutral faction.’

Once again, Hravart was holding Ammon close, a twinkle in his dark eyes. He leaned in, and Ammon immediately pouted deeply.

“Do you like what you see?”

“Always.”

Hravart laughed, poked him in the nose, and let him go. Ammon groaned, grabbing at Hravart’s necklaces in an attempt to pull the troll down to his level.

“Stop teasin’ me, luv,” Ammon grumbled.

“You be fun ta tease, Ammon,” Hravart admitted, glancing off to the side, “bu’ mebbe I be doin’ it too much.”

He leaned down to give Ammon a kiss on the forehead, before withdrawing shyly. Ammon accepted this, and released Hravart’s necklaces. The rogue watched as Hravart meandered away.

Two hours later, and Ammon found himself playing hide and seek with his elusive target.

He had first spotted Shion leaning against a bar-top, having a conversation with a couple of orcs. With the shirt he was wearing open until mid-way down his chest, Ammon could make out the clear details of a scar on his chest.

It looked nasty, but even from this distance, Ammon knew it wasn’t inflicted by a weapon.

Shion had realized he was being watched, of course, and casually excused himself from the conversation.

He’d disappeared from Ammon’s sight, and so Ammon disappeared from everyone else’s. At first, the rogue kept a watchful eye out for U’thel. He was convinced that the demon hunter wouldn’t be too far –

Yet, Ammon hadn’t seen the large troll for the entire evening.

He shook his head, ‘no, don’t get comfortable. A troll demon hunter is unheard of, and Faian told you that he was dangerous. That Shion was dangerous. Don’t forget that.’

Currently, Ammon scowled at the dark crevices between the buildings. This was the section of Freehold that made him uneasy the first day. Pirates who chose to turn in early meandered around the upper platforms. One or two waved to Ammon, and he returned the gesture with a smile.

The last thing he wanted to do, however, was to wander into the dark areas, despite being absolutely certain that Shion had come over this way.

Ammon took a step back. The noise of the party was a fair distance behind him. If Shion was as dangerous as Faian implied, then it would be unwise to confront him in such an empty space. He took another step back. Then another.

A figure in the shadows crossed their arms over their chest. Ammon swallowed, narrowing his eyes. The dim light offered Ammon no way of knowing if the figure was Shion, ‘even though if I make an educated guess, based on the height, and the ears… yeah, that’s him.’

Firelight wandered along the walls as a tired woman made her way toward Ammon from behind the figure - and when she passed him by, Ammon hummed.

Shion’s expression was blank. The rogue couldn’t guess anything from the hunter’s posture outside of the fact that Shion was waiting.

Once the woman was out of sight, Ammon steeled himself, and strode to the mouth of the alleyway.

“You.”

Startled, Ammon looked up, eyes wide, frozen mid stride.

How in the hell had U’thel hidden from him with tattoos that bright!?

The demon hunter dropped down in front of him, and before Ammon could pivot and sprint away, U’thel had him around the throat. Ammon sputtered, and for a brief moment, panicked. He kicked his legs uselessly as U’thel lifted him off the ground, eyes burning holes into the rogue’s skull.

“Why you be lookin’ fah him, eh?” U’thel demanded, voice low. Ammon gasped for breath, and from over U’thel’s shoulder, he watched as Shion pushed away from the wall and slowly made his way closer.

“I don’ fuckin’ like it,” the demon hunter continued, while Ammon did what he could to calm his panic. U’thel’s arm was too long for Ammon to be able to kick him effectively in the chest, or neck, but he could twist himself out of U’thel’s grasp.

“Don’ tink dat I didn’ notice ya be lookin’ fah him fo’ a reason.”

“Put ‘im down.”

U’thel didn’t spare Shion a glance - and to Ammon’s surprise, Shion delivered a sharp elbow to the center of U’thel’s chest. The demon hunter snarled. His grip on Ammon tightened.

Ammon grasped U’thel’s wrist tightly, and swung his legs back, before using the momentum to swing them up. He locked his legs around U’thel’s arm, and twisted his body, wrenching himself from U’thel’s grip.

Shion released a low whistle, then body blocked U’thel when the demon hunter moved to pin Ammon to the ground.

“‘Ey, ‘ey, ‘ey, calm down, big guy,” Shion mused, while Ammon flipped back up to his feet. He didn’t run, no, Ammon had a feeling that if he ran, U’thel would give relentless chase. Best not to make himself look like prey.

Shion had his hand clasped over the back of U’thel’s neck, and was obvious breathing against the side. U’thel, on the other hand, had his fierce gaze focused on Ammon.

Ammon took another step back. If he could just get Shion alone, then this wouldn’t be a problem. U’thel clearly didn’t trust him, but Shion seemed to be more conversational.

‘At least for now,’ Ammon shuffled back more. This caught U’thel’s attention, and the low growl that came from his throat was not friendly.

Ammon really wanted to know what the relationship between the two was, because Shion had just decided that his best course of action - while having his back pressed against the larger man’s chest - was to bite U’thel’s neck.

If it weren’t for the fact that U’thel was clearly angered by the action, Ammon would have thought their relationship teetered on being sexual in nature.

Shion’s defiant expression after U’thel had fisted a hand in his dark hair and jerked Shion’s head away from U’thel’s neck made it clear to Ammon that this was one of the more complicated friendships he’d come across.

And he didn’t miss the subtle gesture Shion made with his hand, while both he and U’thel were glaring daggers at each other.

Ammon vanished, sprinting away. He just barely caught a hint of the conversation

It was in demonic.

The knowledge that Shion could speak the harsh language sent an unwilling shiver up Ammon’s spine.

He took a moment to catch his breath once he reached the area where the main party was. After that, it didn’t take him too long to find Hravart again, though he watched in befuddlement as Hravart handed off necklace after necklace until he was left with three. Most of the people who received a necklace were pirates, and Ammon could have sworn he spotted a few specifically pointing to which one they wanted from the priest.

Ammon breathed deeply, then wrapped his arms around Hravart from behind. The priest stiffened, at first.

“–oh! Ammon, dat be you!”

“Mmmm do ya even have anything left for me, luv?”

Hravart laughed, turning around in Ammon’s arms. The rogue leaned back to avoid getting a facefull of bronze and gold necklaces.

“Oh Ammon,” that teasing look came back to Hravart’s face, and he leaned down, nose brushing against Ammon’s, “you wish.”

Once again, Ammon was left to stare after Hravart, looking like a damned fool - and blushing like one too.

The third, and final evening.

Ammon avoided Hydrangea easily this time, going with a crowd instead of on his own. The Hawkstrider glowered at him from her spot in the pens, and Ammon stuck his tongue out at her.

A minor victory; he’d take it.

He wandered to the upper platforms, seeking Faian this time. She was pleasant to talk to, and where she was, Hravart or Gulzar would certainly be.

Fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Ammon was grabbed by the back of his shirt, and jerked into a nearby building. He twisted his body around, eyes fierce, and latched onto the wrist of the person who’d grabbed him.

“Watch it, rogue.”

The voice gave Ammon reason to pause. Rough, and low, and definitely belonged to the glowing eyes in the corner.

“… well, tha’ was fast,” he mused, releasing Shion simultaneously to Shion releasing him. The hunter gave Ammon a crooked smirk, and sat himself down at a nearby table. He kicked his feet up onto the table, crossing them over each other, and tipped his head back enough to expose his throat.

“You be lookin’ fah me. I be assumin’ you wanna’ talk, so let’s talk.”

“Sounds good to me, luv,” Ammon replied, taking his place in the seat opposite to Shion. The troll sat comfortably - and perhaps, too relaxed. Ammon was no threat to him - and Ammon was glad. He would rather Shion not perceive him as a threat and be less wary, than see him as one and be on guard.

Anduin had given him some ideas for a proposition, and while the rogue was certainly more interested in trying to seduce Hravart right now, Shion was ready and willing to give him the chance to extend Anduin’s offer.

U’thel, on the other hand, seemed to be displeased with the entire situation.

“I’m surprised he’s lettin’ you talk to me.”

“I be knowin’ mah way around beasts,” Shion said smoothly, gesturing at U’thel with a thumb, “I got dat one under control.”

Ammon could have sworn that U’thel was blushing when the demon hunter looked off to the side, muttering under his breath.

“Back ta you. Wat you want, eh?”

“Not really what I want, but what the high king offers.”

Shion’s playful expression disappeared. Cold calculation took its place, and he leaned forward against his arms, clasping both hands together after setting his feet back on the wooden floor.

“Dat so.”

‘Treading on thin ice now. Can’t believe that ‘is look’s got me worried. Faian was right when she said he was dangerous,’ Ammon nodded his head, glancing at U’thel before focusing back on Shion, “yes. It’s been brought to the high king’s attention that you’re not wholly welcome by the Horde anymore, and of course, not so much by th’ Alliance.”

Shion was silent; Ammon continued, “but, you’re rather close to the warchief, no?”

“I don’ recall evah gettin’ ya name,” Shion said, voice low. Ammon was hesitant.

“… Ammon.”

“Careful wat ya say, Ammon. Mebbe ya high king didn’ tell ya,” the troll flexed one of his fingers, “I c’n be real triggah happy.”

Ammon chuckled out of nervousness. That was such an obvious threat.

“Well?” he continued confidently, regardless of how uneasy Shion made him.

“I won’ confirm nor deny dat obsahvation.”

“Understandable.”

“Wat I will tell you, is dat I be a loose cannon, Ammon,” Shion leaned forward, brown eyes harsh, “tell me, do ya tink dat Sylvanas controls me?”

‘So he’s familiar with her. Very familiar,’ Ammon reasoned, and shook his head in response to Shion’s question.

“Den do ya tink ya high king can control me?” his grin was toothy, like a wolf’s.

“No,” Ammon responded firmly, “I have a proposition for you. The high king wants someone on the inside, watching the warchief’s every move. Someone she won’t suspect; someone who has her trust, but isn’t devoted to her. Any and all forsaken are out of the question.”

Ammon paused, licking his lips nervously, and glancing at U’thel again before continuing, “from what you’ve mentioned, you don’t sound particularly devoted ta her. The high king wants information; wants to be able ta counter her when things get real bad.”

“Wat’s in it fah me?” Shion inquired. His eyes betrayed his interest, and he held out a hand before U’thel could even move. The demon hunter growled. Shion snarled something at him in demonic, and again, Ammon shuddered at the sound.

It sounded so wrong coming from the hunter.

“Sanctuary in Stormwind, and Boralus - other Alliance designated areas can be discussed should you accept,” Ammon said, remembering Anduin’s offer easily, “you can stay as long as you want, wherever you want, so long as ya don’t cause much trouble - as in, not gettin’ all trigger happy on us, Shion.”

Shion furrowed his brows, tapping his thumbs together. U’thel spoke up - but in demonic of course, and Ammon bit back the frustration at knowing that U’thel had chosen that language specifically because it was one that the rogue would definitely not understand. Shion scowled, draping his arm over the back of his chair, and though Ammon couldn’t see Shion’s full face from this angle, the gestures the troll was making with his arms and the tone of his voice indicated that he felt a similar frustration to Ammon.

“Don’ be so fuckin’ difficult,” U’thel suddenly spat, digging his claws into his arms. Ammon had to admit, he was impressed that Shion had such an iron grip on the demon hunter.

‘Guess he wasn’t lyin’ when he said he had U’thel under control,’ Ammon gave Shion a pointed look when the hunter turned back to him.

“… if ya king be wantin’ mah services, den I be needin’ ta make sometin’ clear,” Shion finally said after a long silence. Ammon nodded his head. His heart dropped into his stomach when Shion pointed at U’thel.

“We be a package deal.”

Ammon chewed on his lip. That would definitely throw a wrench in things. Shion could more easily hide his presence, but U’thel?

“I don’ be Horde aligned,” U’thel said flatly, interrupting Ammon’s thoughts, “Sylvanas don’ be havin’ shit on me. She figahed dat out de first time I almost be takin’ off her dog’s head.”

He moved now, pressing his hands against the table and leaning in close, green eyes blazing. Ammon leaned back, blushing despite himself.

“Ya king best be careful wat he be askin’ for,” U’thel growled, the tattoos on his body pulsating, “we don’ hold allegience ta no one.”

Shion pressed a hand to U’thel’s chest, pushing him back.

“I’m sure it can be worked out, then,” Ammon said, shifting his green eyes back to Shion, “so? I’ll be in the area for a few more days, specifically near the edges of Boralus. If you’re interested, luv, I’ll keep an eye out for ya.”

The hunter leaned back against his chair, eyes narrowed. U’thel returned to his spot on the dresser behind the table. His scowl made Ammon lick his lips again.

“There’s obviously a lotta’ risk that comes with this kind of offer. If the warchief gets wind of it, it could be the end of you.”

To Ammon’s shock, Shion scoffed. His gaze was amused, his eyes practically letting off a red glow.

“Did ya not hear me when I be sayin’ dat I be knowin’ mah way around beasts?”

‘So he’s not worried about Sylvanas catching on. At all. Gods, that makes me ten more levels of uneasy,’ Ammon swallowed, “I did hear tha’. Didn’ realize it extended to the Banshee Queen.”

Shion’s smirk could make even the most weathered warrior piss himself.

“That aside, it could still affect your freedoms in regard to Horde territories,” Ammon corrected. Shion’s smirk disappeared at this.

“That’s something that you need to consider - but, it’s on the table. As I mentioned, I’ll be in the area, and again, around the edges of Boralus. Here,” Ammon slipped the golden flare that Anduin had given him out of his jacket, and set it in the middle of the table, “use this when you want to give me your answer, Shion.”

The hunter eyed the flare, his nose twitching.

“… I’ll tink ‘bout it,” Shion said softly, reaching out to take the flare. Ammon breathed a sigh of relief. Good. He would report that back to Anduin as soon as possible, that at least Shion was thinking on it - and to, of course, mention that the hunter had a demon hunter friend that was reluctant to leave his side.

Which, gave Ammon a thought, “now, before we go our separate ways, on the topic of U’thel. Would you be willing ta compromise on that?”

“Depends,” Shion mused, leaning back against the chair. He ignored the displeased rumble that came from U’thel’s throat.

“For example, you can work with ‘im as a team, but when it comes ta the topic of sanctuary, only you have access to the cities I mentioned.”

“U’thel be half night elf,” Shion chirped, “so I don’ be tinkin’ it’ll be a problem - ‘less ya high king don’ be havin’ as much powah ovah de Alliance den I be assumin’, hm?”

Ammon had to clench a hand into a fist. Shion wasn’t… wrong in that assumption - but Ammon chose not to comment on it.

“Just in case.”

“I’ll tink ‘bout it, Ammon.”

“Glad ta hear it, luv,” the rogue beamed, rising from his seat. Shion stayed where he was, and simply watched Ammon leave.

Now, Ammon couldn’t resist choosing to vanish, if just to have a slight glimpse of what would take place afterward.

U’thel pushed forward aggressively, and grabbed Shion by the chin.

Of course, the door swung shut before Ammon could see anything else, and his keen interest in dissecting their relationship - whatever it was - had him rooted outside the door a moment longer. No sound apart from harsh demonic assaulted Ammon’s ears.

‘Damn it. Maybe if I can find out more about this relationship of theirs, Anduin c’n use it as leverage in some cases.’

Finding Hravart was a breeze. With Shion off his chest, Ammon discovered that locating who he wanted to locate was so easy it was like taking candy from a baby.

He wasted no time in grabbing Hravart’s hand in nothing less than a vice grip. The priest looked at him in shock, and Ammon hated his attire; hated the dark shirt, hated how it fit him so well despite how it hung loosely, hated that he’d gone and left it unbuttoned. Hated the dark black pants he wore that hugged his legs like a shameless lover. He hated how the golden rose and thorns necklace rested between Hravart’s collarbones, hated how it coiled up his neck.

“You dance with me,” Ammon said huskily. Hravart complied, blushing furiously. Ammon cursed his height. Wished he were taller, because leading Hravart in this waltz would be simpler.

He knew exactly where he was going. He pulled and directed until they were both shrouded in shadows, and the red tinge to Hravart’s eyes intensified once they were hidden from most curious gazes.

Hravart brushed his fingers along Ammon’s cheek, catching along his auburn hair. His lips were pulled up in a knowing smile, and he purred:

“Ammon, do you like what you see?”

“Kiss me,” Ammon whispered hoarsely in response, hoping against hope that just this once Hravart would release him from the endless cycle of teasing.

He never knew he would be so happy to be trapped between those porcelain tusks. Hravart’s lips were like silk, and the pressure was as perfect as a dream.

Ammon thrust his hands into Hravart’s dark hair, desperate to keep the weight there. Hravart had stiffened, and Ammon drew back for a quick breath.

“Let me have this,” he breathed, prodding at Hravart’s soft lips with his tongue. The troll was holding Ammon’s wrists loosely in his hands.

Ammon never expected Hravart to taste like the roses he often wore.

(( TAKE THIS AND ALL MY LOVE @druidickats FFS SODLHFADSUOHSDOAFSHUF ))

#Air writes #WoW #World of Warcraft #Ammon Delroy #Hravart #Kiss prompts #Prompts #Written prompt

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scuzmunkie · 6 years ago

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Run, Little Rabbit, Run: Chapter 3

A/N: My sweet, precious, darling little pumpkins!! I’m so sorry for the late update! Things have been really crazy, we had some really scary weather but luckily the hurricane turned into a tropical storm! Anywho, thank you so much for all the love and support from you guys!! I love each and everyone of you!! As always, lmk if there are any mistakes and if you’d like to be added to the tag list!! And now I give you chapter 3! Smooches!

Baron Corbin x OFC

Word Count: 1,500+

Warnings: Language, some steamy elements, intimidation.

Summary: Run, Addie, the Constable is coming for you.....

+++

“Girl, are you ok?” Alexa asked Addie, who was aimlessly poking her food with her fork.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. I’m-I’m good. Just thinking is all.” She said, giving Alexa her best attempt at a reassuring smile.

“Oooh, a certain Constable running through your mind?” Nia asked with a cheeky grin.

Oh, he occupied her mind alright. For the past couple weeks he would lurk around her work station, watching her every move. If she turned a corner, he’d be at the end of the hallway. When she tried talking to someone about what had happened, he’d show up and slowly shake his head while raising a single finger to his lips, a threatening smile on his face. Wherever Addie was, Baron was sure to be, crowding her world and plaguing her mind.

“Mind if I join you ladies?” Addie’s head snapped up as she gawked at Baron who was standing right next to her chair, staring directly at Addie.

She immediately stiffened, her grasp on her fork tightening. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t scared shitless. What she wouldn’t give to go back in time and choose the ice cream over running in the damn woods. See, this is why exercising is dangerous!!

“Not at all, in fact Alexa and I were about to leave but why don’t you stay and keep Addie company?” Nia said, winking at Addie. She knew all about Addie’s crush on Baron but had no clue about the pure fear that was currently surging through her body.

“I’d love nothing more.” He smirked, not once breaking eye contact as he sat down right across from Addie, who was mentally begging the girls to stay.

Once they had left, Addie looked everywhere else but at Baron. Why was he sitting here? She hadn’t breathed a word of what happened to anyone, had she? Oh shit, Cory! She had asked Cory an innocent enough question about Baron’s past, well tried at least, but is there really such a thing as an innocent question?

Feeling like she was gonna throw up, Addie tried to push her chair back but found that it wouldn’t budge. Sighing, she looked under the table and saw that Baron had one of his long legs extended, hooking his foot around one of the legs on her chair, preventing her from leaving.

“Why are you doing this to me?” She whispered. “I haven’t told anyone about your condition.” She seethed, but quickly covered her mouth. The last thing she needed right now was Baron getting pissed off.

Baron licked his lips as he looked at the scared girl in front of him. Her body was soft, unlike all the other women he had been with before. His wolf wanted to jump over the table and bury his face in her belly, her fear doing nothing to sate the beast.

“Yes, but I’m here to remind you who you’re dealing with.” A dangerous grin on his face. Leaning forward, he placed a large calloused hand on her forearm. “I heard you asking Cory about me. Did you really think that my best friend wouldn’t tell me you were digging for information?” She winced at his vice like grip on her arm.

Addie sucked in a breath, damnit she was stupid to go to Cory. By now her hands were shaking, panic beginning to set in. Feeling like she had no other option she decided that bad decisions were the way to go as of late.

‘So much for not pissing him off.’ She thought to herself as she quietly raised her foot and, with all her might, stomped Baron’s leg that held her captive.

Baron yelled in pain, retracting his leg and letting go of Addie as she seized the opportunity to make her escape. She quickly ran from catering, Baron hot on her heels.

“Shit! Shit! Shit” Addie muttered as she ran from Baron, taking odd turns here and there. Why were the hallways always so empty?!

Growing tired, she found a small crevice behind a few crates. Crawling in, she pressed her back against the wall, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees as she listened for any sign or Baron. Steadying her breathing, she heard heavy footsteps run past the hallway that she was currently hiding in. Just to be safe, Addie waited a few minutes before crawling out of her hiding place. As she dusted off her clothes, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

‘Yup, this is where I die.’ She thought to herself.

She silently slid into the dark corner of the hallway hoping that by some miracle she’d go unnoticed. Just as she reached the corner, she was slammed against the wall, her back stinging from the impact. Strong hands pinned hers above her head, Baron’s face mere inches from hers. The soft light from the main hallway barely illuminating half of his face, but she didn’t need much light to see his angry expression. Addie stared at Baron, noticing that his brown eyes were now pale blue and his teeth were sharp, his canines longer than the others.

“In what universe did you think that was a good idea?” He said, his voice gravelly and dangerously low.

Addie kept her mouth shut. She wanted to scream at him, tell him to get bent, but ‘eaten by werewolf ‘ didn’t sound like a fun way to die.

“When will you learn to answer me? What’s wrong, kitten, wolf got your tongue?” He growled, his breath fanning across her face.

Not one to think before she spoke, Addie looked him in the eyes and blurt out;

“I have a mint in my bag if you’d like.” Earning a loud growl in her face.

Addie closed her eyes as she quickly turned her head to the side, her neck left exposed as Baron stared at the soft, inviting skin. Little did she know that his wolf took this as her presenting her neck to him, a sign of submission. She flinched as Baron ran his nose up her neck, inhaling her intoxicating aroma, however it was then that he noticed something off about her scent. Later on he’d think about what it could be but for now he drowned himself in his prey. Addie whimpered when she felt him drag his warm tongue along her jugular. She had to bite her bottom lip to stop a moan from escaping. Still, she couldn’t help the fear from taking over again.

“Please,” she softly pleaded, “don’t eat me.” Hearing her beg made him shudder as he pressed his body closer to hers.

“Trust me, little rabbit,” he kissed under her ear before he continued, rubbing his jaw into her neck, “if I did, you’d be begging me to never stop.” He growled against her now heated skin.

She slowly turned her head back to him, looking into his eyes. She wished the situation was different, that she was in this position under different circumstances, but no, she was here because she pissed off a werewolf. Baron stared at her full lips, leaning down, moving closer to Addie. She couldn’t lie, she dreamt of this day for so long, she didn’t care how it happened. She closed her eyes, the heat from his lips moving so close to her waiting mouth. But before their lips met he let out a dark chuckle.

“Keep quiet little girl and we won’t have to keep meeting like this.” He whispered, a cruel laugh leaving his lips as he pulled back, leaving Addie feeling humiliated.

He backed up, walking away from her and around the corner. How could she have been so foolish?!

‘Wake up Addie,’ she scolded herself ‘in what world would Baron Corbin ever want someone like you?’

Wiping away a few tears, she slowly made the long walk back to her work station, put on a brave face and went on as if nothing happened. She knew that she was nothing more than a thorn in Baron’s side, a new form of entertainment for him. But like a child with a new toy, he’ll eventually grow tired of her and move onto something new.

—-

Dolph stood in the backroad watching Addie as she set up her station. Something was different about her, something...submissive. It called to him. He silently made his way over to her.

“Hey, beautiful,” Addie looked up from organizing her makeup supplies to see Dolph smiling at her in the mirror’s reflection, “why so sad?”

“Oh, hi Mr. Ziggler, how can I help you?” She asked, avoiding his question completely.

He wasn’t buying it. He walked closer to her and wiped away the residue from her tears with his thumbs. “How many times do I have to tell you? It’s Dolph.” He gave her a sympathetic smile, his hands staying on her face.

“Thank you, Dolph.” She whispered with a sad smile, placing her right hand around Dolph’s left wrist.

“Don’t cry cutie, things will be alright.” He gave her a wink as he left her to finish her work.

Addie watched him through the mirror as he retreated, a curious and confused expression occupying her face. Dolph had never looked twice at her. Up until this very moment, she wasn’t aware that Dolph even knew her name. She smiled to herself, maybe she could forget about Baron through Dolph...

But then again, it was pointless for her to invest her feelings in anyone at this point.

Addie was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice a pair of eyes watching her and Dolph from the shadows.

@haven-raven012591 @calwitch @wrestlingfae @neversatisfiedgirl @team-elias @lost-in-the-stories @hanaslay @captainwinterwriter @feathers-and-flesh-and-wrestling @kittysilver86 @hardyfangirl3 @yndaree @belsoleleann @imagine-all-the-fandoms

#baron corbin x oc #female!oc #wwe #constable corbin #angst #wwe angst #werewolf #corey graves #baron corbin angst #wwe imagine #wwe fanfiction #baron corbin imagine #baron corbin fanfiction

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collateralfiction · 6 years ago

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Bailey

Squinting my eyes against the harsh sunlight that was beaming through the window, I turned my head to the side, burying my face deeper into Adrian’s chest. From his chest lightly rising and falling, I knew he was still asleep. Sighing softly, I turned my head on the side instead, watching the beautiful view of the sun and how well it meshed with the skylines. After bowling, we as a group had dinner on the pier but it was nothing short of tension filled. Whether they wanted to admit that or not is up to them, but I certainly felt the different vibes that was roaming around the table. Adrian barely spoke to anyone beside Austin and me when he wanted to. Justine stuck by Caiden side the whole time, slightly making Adrian look at them suspiciously but not enough to question it just yet. Even August was being a bit strange. No one is speaking on it, so I don’t know what the problem is. But knowing these group of people, anything can happen at any given moment. Anyhow, after that, I tagged along with Caiden and Justin to the local tattoo parlor. That would have been a perfect time to get my matching tattoo along with my mother and sister but instead, I got a flash tattoo. It took less than an hour to complete and I was more than satisfied with the results.

“Adrian,” I cooed lightly, tapping his neck annoyingly. It doesn’t take much to bother him and I seem to work his last nerve all the time. Groaning, he swatted my hand away with ease and positioned himself so he was now the one lying on me with his hands pinning my arms down by my side. “It’s already ten if you didn’t know, Adrian,” I mumbled, feeling his morning wood on my inner thigh.

“Give me five minutes, shit,” he grumbled.

“Okay, well, let me go. I’m hungry,” I complained, feeling his grip on my arm loosen. I slid out of the bed slowly and slipped on my pajama shorts before slowly making my way outside of the room. I continued to walk until I made it towards the kitchen where a buffet of food was placed along the kitchen counter. The employees made sure every day we were catered to so they could avoid any complaints. What I didn’t notice was that Justine was already at the table eating. She had on a pair of Beats headphone and her attention was focused solely on her phone along with her plate of food. Ever since she brushed off my attempt at trying to listen to her when she was clearly down, communication between the two of us ceased completely. There was the occasional few words here and there but other than that, it was nothing substantial.

With a small sigh, I began to fill my plate with what I desired before grabbing the jug of Pink Lemonade and pouring a good amount. I considered whether I should sit at the table or head back to the bedroom but the former chose seemed more convenient, so I sat on the other end of Justine, opposite side. It wasn’t until I sat down completely, and my plate made a sound against the glass table did she notice me. Normally, I would have offered up a small smile or hello but lately when I do, it’s not returned so there is no point in me doing it anymore.

It was never that hard for me to mind my business and ignore something that I didn’t want to pay attention to, but it was becoming a tad bit difficult with Justine staring at me every so often. It appeared to look like she had a problem with me but yet again, she wasn’t speaking up either and there was no way I could read anyone’s mind. “How much longer will you be here for?” Justine questioned. I looked at her through the corner of my eye, not sure what her question was aiming to do or mean.

“Does it matter to you?” I asked. “You weren’t concerned about it a few months ago,”

“That’s because you weren’t directly fucking up my life. Thanks a lot, Bailey. You’re the best,” she said sarcastically. I was taken aback at her sudden attitude towards me and how harsh she was being to begin with. Where this anger came from, I had no idea, but I wanted to find out. She had been so nice and warm every day prior to this with not the slightest hint of her possibly being angry at me. Was her anger even directed at the right person? I don’t think so. But if she does have a legit reason as to being angry at me, why didn’t she speak sooner? Like when I asked what’s wrong a few days ago? Biting down on my bottom lip, I refrained from saying anything that just might hurt her feelings. This was one of the main reasons why I had mostly boys as my friends. As cliché as it is, they were less difficult to talk to. They were either 100% blunt or 100% goofy, there was no in between with them. Unlike boys, there’s a whole range of emotions that aren’t as easy to deal with. I didn’t have it in me to deal with her attitude so early in the morning. Walking away hurriedly, I almost bumped into Adrian before he caught me by my forearms.

All it took was one look for him to notice something was wrong and as if on cue, he asked, “What’s the problem?”

“Nothing,” I muttered.

“Don’t lie to me,” he gritted.

“I’m not, Adrian. I just don’t appreciate your sister having an attitude with me for no reason at all,” I scoffed, snatching my arm away from him. He looked at me through squinted eyes before nodding his head slowly. As much as she may be going through something difficult, so was I and in no way should I be on the receiving end of her hatred. Without saying anything, he grabbed ahold of my small hand in his and pulled me back in the direction of the kitchen and I couldn’t help the tired expression that showed on my face. As suspected, she sat at the table still as if she didn’t say anything out of line. This time, at the sound of more than one pair of feet nearing her, she popped her headphones off and stared between Adrian and me.

“I don’t have time for your fake bullshit, Justine. If you not ‘bout to speak, don’t stare,” Adrian stated rudely, slightly surprising me. I mean, he could be very vicious with his words. That was no secret, but I did expect for him to take it somewhat easy on his own sister, but he was just as blunt as he was with anyone else. I want to say that it’s contributed because of how stressed he is and how Justine has been acting lately but I can’t be too sure. I squeezed his hand a little tighter, not wanting him to completely go off on his sister this early in the morning where people are around and could overhear. Besides, even if Justine and I were at odds, I would never want to see the demise of their relationship. They were all they had left. I whispered for him to stop and it worked somewhat but now they were just in an intense standoff, neither one looking away. “Go sit and eat,” Adrian muttered, keeping his attention solely on his fuming sister.

Like a weak puppy, I listened and traipsed towards my somewhat warm meal, grabbed it and placed it in the microwave to warm it up some more. Adrian grabbed a few warm butter biscuits off the platter and opted for taking an ice-cold bottle of water with him to the table. There, the two siblings continued to stare at one another, and it was starting to make me slightly uncomfortable. Licking my lips, I sat in my original seat which was beside him and began to eat once more. “When were you going to tell me you had Bailey fucking with Lonnie behind my back?” My eyes widened at her question but not once did Adrian falter or look concerned. In his eyes, what’s done is done and there was no taking it back either.

“I didn’t have to,” he stated with a shrug. “I’m not obligated to tell you anything as far as I’m concerned. I’m a grown man and I do what I please. You know nothing you say has an influence over me so don’t sit here and act like you’re mad because of that,” he spoke evenly, lacking all types of emotions. He wasn’t fazed in the least bit by Justine and once again, it pained me to witness this. I felt the need that I should leave and give them their space, but I wasn’t sure what would happen if I did. So, I stayed seated, watching two angry people go at it.

“And what is the point of this? To prove that I was stupid to bother with a dude like Lonnie, huh?” she snapped.

“Yes,” I tore my eyes away from my barely touched plate of food and onto Justine’s face. For a split second, I witnessed the sadness in her eyes before it took over her whole face. It was possible that Adrian’s one worded answer was true but there was another part of me that believed he only said that to get under his sister’s skin and to infuriate her which he easily did. I could literally see her caving right before me. “I don’t know why you stand up for this nigga so fucking hard. He hasn’t done shit for you besides help make Austin. But when is the last time he’s seen his own son? You’re forcing this nigga to do something he clearly doesn’t want. Why?” Adrian asked sternly. “You still talking to this nigga?” By the silence that came from Justine, that was all the confirmation Adrian needed. He shook his head in disappointment. “You will never learn, will you? You prove my point every day,”

“Fuck you, Adrian!” she spat. “You’ve done nothing but bring me down and everyone else!”

“You do that on your own,” While Justine was drowning in hysteria and loudness, Adrian remained with his cool exterior. “But so what? You’re this angered because Bailey was working against Lonnie? Fuck outta here. Yeah, she was dating Lonnie and you know what? Not once did you ever cross his mind. Now what the hell does that tell you? He doesn’t give a fuck about you or Austin, like I’ve been telling you for the past seven years! You want your kid around someone who would try to rape a female?!” he spat, banging his hand on the table. I cringed at Adrian putting it all out on the table for his sister to hear. My head immediately dropped. I knew Justine was staring at me, I could feel her piercing stare from the other side of the room. Adrian could have expressed this differently instead of coming for the jugular; goodness.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Your knight and shining armor tried to rape Bailey. Doesn’t sound so nice, does it?” he stated sternly, standing up. “You’re protecting this nigga or what?” She remained quiet, no longer staring at Adrian but at me. Shaking his head with a sad chuckle, he left the table quickly, not realizing that Austin was secured in the corner of the room, looking like a deer caught in headlights. I hadn’t even noticed him standing there at all and I wondered how much he did hear and if he understood any of this. As far as I was concerned, I never saw Adrian and Justine go at it in front of Austin so this must have been something hurtful to watch. Shaking my head, I went to go look for Adrian but stopped when Austin moved from his original spot in the corner to in front of me.

“Do they hate each other?” he asked softly.

“No, of course not! Just a little sibling discussion,” I tried to soothe. “Uh, c’mon, let’s give your mom some time to herself,” I said, turning my head to the side so I could get a glance at Justine. It was like she was paralyzed in her seat and couldn’t move because of the bombs Adrian just dropped on her. It was bound to come up but right now? Yikes. He nodded slowly and took ahold of my hand as we walked away from Austin’s mother. “How does a movie sound?” I asked.

“Okay,” he mumbled. I sighed deeply, walking towards the movie room. I just hope Adrian wasn’t doing anything destructive.

TPP

“Kennedy is Bailey,” That was all Xavier had to hear for his blood to begin to boil. He knew that there was something suspicious about Lonnie and as suspected, he was right and couldn’t believe it. As any normal person, his mind would have went in the direction of happiness, as he was close to finally bringing Bailey back, but that’s not what was on his mind. The fact that Lonnie tried to rape his younger cousin was and that set him off more than anything. Knowing that if his uncle found out about that, he knew he would destroy that nigga without a second thought to it and Xavier was going to do just that. He didn’t include Ryan on his plans because he knew that Ryan would possibly put a stop to it and truth be told, Xavier didn’t want any interference from anyone. So, Xavier called Lonnie up and asked if they could meet up and now he was currently at Lonnie’s house. Lonnie believed that Xavier was interested in the topic of discussion they were having but he didn’t know better and certainly didn’t know Kennedy was family he was fucking with.

Xavier, with such ease, pulled out his 9mm caliber, pointing it at Lonnie’s back. Lonnie was going to the fridge to retrieve a bottle of beer and when he turned around and noticed the gun pointing at him, he let out a dark chuckle. “What’s this for?” he asked, tensing up.

“You see, I knew something was wrong with you when I met you. I just didn’t know what yet. That was until everything started to click,” he chuckled dryly, licking his lips shortly after. Lonnie clenched his jaw, not sure what he was referring to but by the way he stood with his chest out, if he was going to die, he was going to die like a man, at least. All his dirt is already done, he did what he had to do and Adrian will find out soon. His job is completed. “This Kennedy girl you was fucking with is actually my cousin and her real name is Bailey,” Lonnie stared at him harshly, not wanting to believe such a thing, let alone believe that he was fucking with Ryan’s ex girl all along. Damn, he thought, Adrian fucked over two niggas with one girl. “And you tried to rape her. I don’t play that shit,” Xavier grumbled.

“So you’re about to kill me over someone I didn’t even know was related to you?” Lonnie questioned.

“Wrong… now you do know she’s related to me and I’m still going to kill you,”

“It’s not even wor-“ Lonnie wasn’t even able to finish his statement before a bullet smoothly pierced the middle of his head, blood quickly splattering the surrounding area. Smoke from the gun clouded the area for a few seconds before it died down.

“It is worth it, bitch,” Xavier grumbled, not fazed by Lonnie’s slumped body. He shook his head and proceeded to get up, grabbing the beer bottle Lonnie was once going to drink. He pulled out his phone and called a good friend of his uncle’s that’ll clean this mess and make it appear as if it was a random home invasion. One down, Ryan is next to go. Although Mr. Banks put Xavier and Ryan to work together, Mr. Banks knew it was only a matter of time before they did their own things and with Ryan confirming Xavier thoughts, there was no way Xavier could act as if he valued Ryan’s word.

Bailey

It was easier said than done, coaxing Austin to forget about what he just saw with his own eyes. Regardless of what movie I selected for us to watch, it seemed like he had more questions than I had answers and I felt bad that I couldn’t give him those answers. It came down to finding Adrian for him because it seemed like only Adrian could somewhat make Austin feel better. I haven’t seen Justine after that breakfast catastrophe and she probably locked herself in her room by now, not wanting to face anyone. I don’t know when the next time Adrian will come around and apologize to his sister for his behavior because at this point, he seemed over everything. He wasn’t going to apologize for his actions. He wasn’t going to be made look like he was dumb when all he did was look out for her and I completely understood that; shit, everyone has a breaking point. I just didn’t think it would have gotten to this point so soon.

I just didn’t understand why Justine couldn’t see it her brother’s way for once. She was rooting for Lonnie so hard yet failed to realize the bigger picture. Although I didn’t speak my thoughts aloud, I know Adrian was thinking the same thing. “How is he?” I asked, walking into our bedroom.

“He’s fine, now. He actually went to sleep,” Adrian mumbled. I climbed in bed beside him, laying my head on his chest. “Thanks,” he grumbled.

“For what?”

“One, for not ripping Justine’s head off. Yeah, that’s my sister and all but her mouth is something else and two, for trying to console Austin. He’s not meant to be around this type of environment. I don’t know, my original plan was to make Austin and Justine relocate but now I just want Austin to go somewhere else,”

“Like where? You got family outside of New York?”

“My grandmother. She lives in Georgia,”

“This isn’t your maternal grandmother, right?”

“Naw,” he chuckled. “How’d you know?”

“I listen during our conversations,” I smiled. It was a conversation we had way back after our initial rocky stage and he was elaborating on who the important women were in his life. He mentioned his grandmother but if I remember correctly, he said that she had passed away a while ago.

“I call her my grandmother, but I’ve known her since I was young. You see, I had an older brother,” I paused a little bit, taking in Adrian’s statement. I should have known that Adrian had more things up his sleeve to reveal; the things that circulate around Adrian are endless. I just didn’t expect to hear that he had an older brother. I always believed it was just Justine and Adrian, but I was wrong. Remaining mum, I allowed him time to continue. “All three of us used to travel to Georgia every now and then before I settled in New York for high school. Down there, my grandmother had a friend who I call my grandmother as well ‘cause she would look out for us as if we were blood. She was dope as hell and I usually make it my mission to visit her every year, but I haven’t seen her in over three years due to all this bullshit,”

“So, let me guess. That’s your first stop when this blows over,”

“If I’m not arrested,” I bit my bottom lip and sighed, not knowing exactly how to respond to that. Only time will tell, and time was running out quickly.

“Why do I feel like when we go back to New York, all of our plans will dissolve?” I mumbled. Grasping my waist in his hands, he placed me on his lap so that I was now straddling him. Licking my lips, he forced me look at him, knowing that I was purposely avoiding his gaze.

“Is that what you’re really worried about?” he questioned.

“I wish you didn’t kidnap me, and we had met in a different scenario, you know? Like, somewhere in a supermarket and you come up to me with a cheesy pick up line. Things would have been so much easier. Do you ever stop to think and wonder how your actions have an effect on others? Like, what’s going to happen to Austin?” He sighed tiredly, closing his eyes momentarily.

“Sometimes but I’ll make sure Austin is taken care of before anything can ever happen to him and that’s my word. But, I never run away from any of my issues, as you can see, but shit happens,” he said.

“You gotta do better,” I muttered, locking my hands with his. “Where’s the next stop going to be?” I questioned, sliding off his lap and onto the open space next to him.

“It’ll take us a while to get back to our villas ‘cause we so far from ‘em now, so that’s where we’re heading now. I don’t know when we’ll be back though,”

“Alright, I’m going to take a nap,” I said, slipping under the covers.

“You mad now?” he asked, hovering over my small frame. His lips roamed on the side of my neck, attempting to get some sort of reaction out of me. His hands slipped underneath my shirt, the pads of his finger tickling my skin. “Oh, so you don’t want to answer me now? Why you so salty for? I’m the one that should be upset. You don’t see the shit I gotta deal with on a daily basis?” he continued to talk, his fingers nearing the hem of my cotton shorts. I was a little worried about the future of Adrian since he seemed to be a little nonchalant about the repercussions he could possibly face. He had a family to look after and without Adrian around, how could he keep a watchful eye on things from behind bars? I was probably stupid for being this compassionate about his predicament when I should show him nothing but hate but it really is hard to do so when you start to talk to and understand a person. “It’s cute that you’re worried ‘bout me, shorty. But, I’m good so don’t be,” he stated confidently. I opened my mouth to speak but instead a harsh gasp left my mouth as soon as Adrian’s fingers pumped into me.

“Oh my God,” I breathed.

After a fuck, shower and nap later, Adrian and I both were comfortably lying in bed, separating ourselves from everyone else. Occasionally Austin would come in but other than that, communication with others has been low. Caiden does come in every once and a while though. I had asked about how Justine was doing not too long ago, and I guess she had literally cried herself to sleep, based on what Caiden had said. I tried to convince Adrian to go talk to her, but he wouldn’t listen at all; he’s so fucking stubborn. The only person I see him listening to is Austin. “You’re actually getting reception out here?” I mumbled tiredly, looking for his requested phone.

“I know right. Ain’t that some dope shit?” he chuckled. Handing him his vibrating device, he took a look at the caller I.D. and sighed, mumbling something inaudible.

“What’s up?” he answered. He looked at me through the corner of his eye slightly before swinging his legs off the bed and turning to face the other way. I immediately took that as my cue to go outside and give him some privacy. I didn’t end up too far as I only managed to make it a few feet outside before I heard a loud ‘what?’causing me to retract my steps and step into the room once again. His face was completely flushed red and it wasn’t because he was embarrassed, hardly is he, but because he was angry as hell. He was pacing the floor quickly, trying to alleviate his anger but it seemed futile. I carefully maneuvered around him, sitting on the middle of the bed. I couldn’t quite hear who was on the other end of the line but from the baritone voice, it sounded like someone important.

“I’ll be back in two days, the most. I‘m leaving tonight then,” Leaving? My brows shot up and I listened even more closely than before. He roamed around the room, packing shit up quickly, not caring where his clothes went or not. I wanted to interrupt him for a second, but I was scared that he just might fling me for doing such a thing. The phone conversation lasted another ten minutes before he tucked his phone away in the back pocket of his sweats. I remained quiet for a few seconds before I found myself speaking up again.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” I mumbled, scooting towards the edge of the bed.

“Fuck am I doing on a boat?” he muttered to himself, sitting down as well but that didn’t stop him from stuffing the clothes he had in his hand in the duffle bag. I carefully wrapped my arms around his neck from behind, feeling just how tense and rigid his body was. The worrisome feature that seems to occur at any given moment was making its appearance.

“Adrian,” I cooed softly. “Talk to me,”

“Bailey, it’s really not a good time,” he said sternly, lightly pulling my arms from off of him. I frowned my face up at his action before he stood and turned to look at me. “As soon as this boat docks, I’m leaving for New York,” My eyebrows meshed together, and my demeanor softened.

“How, Adrian? We’re still a few miles away from the city,” I told him. “Relax for a second and breathe. What’s going on? There’s nothing you can do right now,” Still, that didn’t stop Adrian from gathering the amount of clothing he did bring into the duffel bag he carried onto the boat.

“Justine’s crib been ransacked. My step pops just called telling me,” My mouth fell. “I need to be back home, now!” he gritted.

“Wait, slow down. What do you mean her crib was ransacked? Someone broke in?” I asked.

“That’s what the fuck ransack means, Bailey!” he yelled harshly. That easily made me shut my mouth, although I had something on the tip of my tongue that I wanted to say. Obviously, right now wasn’t the right time to rip into him or do anything that might make him more upset. I just thought that hearing that tidbit of information was really random. All of a sudden when Adrian isn’t even in the states something like this occurs? Although I knew someonewas out there looking for me, I knew it couldn’t have been anyone from my side. I just wouldn’t see it as something beneficial if they were looking to get me back, to be honest.

“If you’re going to New York, I’m going as well!” I stated with enough conviction to get my point across. Adrian didn’t bother to say anything to me, seeing as that his mind was already gone and that there was a high chance that the last thing on his mind was whether or not I accompanied him. I just wasn’t too positive if going back this soon was the best thing for neither of us.

Between those two days, might I add chaotic days, everything seemed to happen in a flash. There was literally no time to sit and allow things to marinate because time was moving too quickly. As soon as the boat had docked two days ago, we hastily returned to the villa, collecting our belongings. At this point, he hadn’t mentioned anything to anyone about what was occurring back home and rightfully so. It wasn’t until Justin had caught him packing his things and calling for his jet to arrive early the next morning for an abrupt departure did Adrian finally allow them to know what was up. However, he didn’t want everyone coming back at once, he barely wanted me to come back. So instead, he ordered August and Caiden to stay with Justine and Austin until he got to the bottom of this.

Adrian was really giving August the cold shoulder, unbeknownst to me and every time I tried to ask, he would just ignore me as if I didn’t ask a question. Austin was the least bit happy to see him leave. The two of them actually had a long conversation before Austin allowed his uncle to leave. After that, the five of us boarded the jet and was on our way back home. We had at least fifteen minutes left before we landed in New York and my nerves seemed to have skyrocketed in that amount of time. My legs continued to shake as I looked out at the sky. Everything was so tense, and I just felt like this was a foreshadowing of everything that was bound to happen.

An announcement detailing our landing ensued and I buckled up and leaned back into the cushioned chair. Adrian, Brian and Justin conversed the whole plane ride. About what? I don’t know and I doubt anyone will tell me. The plane landed safely, and I gathered the few belongings I did have, making my way to the entrance and exit of the private jet. From the somewhat large windows, I noticed a black Escalade waiting outside for what I assumed to be ours and as I slowly descended down the steps, the harsh air of New York nipped at my skin. It was still the middle of July, but it felt like the beginning of November.

“Welcome back, Mr. Peters,” Adrian had caught up with me and snaked his hand into mine, catching me off guard. He was either hot or cold and it was always unexpected. Adrian simply nodded and pulled me in the direction of the backseat. I got in first before he followed and from the window once again, I watched Justin and Brian talk for a few minutes before departing into another vehicle I hadn’t noticed before. Our luggage was put into the trunk and once we were all settled, we finally left. I stared at our conjoined hands and briefly looked at Adrian. It was crazy how I felt as if we were putting in all this energy for nothing to actually happen at the end of this. I wasn’t stupid and I knew that we could never be; I just didn’t understand why I was tricking myself into believing otherwise.

We had passed through multiple neighborhoods in order to get to Brooklyn. The brownstone that I had recognized a few months back belonged to none other than Justine. From the outside looking in, nothing seemed strange. “Com’on,” Adrian muttered, snapping me out of my thoughts. I moved without verbally speaking and trekked behind him slowly. It felt weird being in the city again, as if this was a place I was actually excited about being in. With ease, Adrian unlocked the front door and trekked further inside the house with me following close behind. Behind the light brown colored door, I didn’t know what I expected to see but I was certainly shocked as hell.

From coming here months ago, everything was left in a neat and primped order. Now, things were thrown out of the draws, furniture was flipped upside down, there was broken glass on the hardwood floor, things out of place and all pictures that were once on the wall appeared to be stepped on and scattered along the floor. My feet continued to carry me around the house, and I felt so bad for Justine. The fact that Adrian told her what happened and yet he’s forcing her to stay away, I just can’t seem to fathom what could possibly be going through her mind right now. We might be at odds but it’s obvious she’s going through it. I pushed one of the doors back slightly, revealing Adrian in what appeared to be Austin’s room. Compared to other rooms, this room was the one that remained the same and neat as hell. “This was all Lonnie’s doing,” Adrian said.

“Hmph,” I sounded, crossing my arms over my chest. I leaned against the doorframe and waited till Adrian turned to face me.

“What?” he snapped.

“Nothing,” I retorted. “I’m going to go wait in the car,” I declared, not knowing why my presence to be here to begin with was needed. This was just too much for me to take in.

“Your fucking attitude is not necessary,” he said, snatching my forearm in his hand. “You can drop that shit right now. I don’t know where that shit is coming from but let it go,”

“Fuck you,” I spat.

Adrian

I didn’t understand where this hostility was coming from with Bailey, but it was irritating the shit out of me. Right now was not the time for her to cop an attitude, especially with me. Old Adrian would not have a problem making a reappearance and I know that’s the last thing I know she wants. So it’s better if she remains to herself and stay out of my way. It’s bad enough that I got people gunning for me but to deal with Lonnie’s bullshit as well? Fine, I can handle it all then. Pulling up to my crib, I slipped out of the backseat, not bothering to wait for Bailey to leave as well. She got me too fucked up. I used the key to enter into the vacant household, nothing seemingly out of place. I briskly walked towards one of the hidden closets, yanking the door open and taking a look at the camera footage. As far as a brief look at the camera footage, there was no apparent break in, no one lurking around my premises and everything seemed to be copasetic. But in reality, it was far from it

Shaking my head, I trekked up the steps to my bedroom and slipping in with ease. To my surprise, bipolar ass Bailey was sitting down on my bed with an envelope in her hand. For a second, I believed that it was the one I had given her but by the expression on her face, I realized that it wasn’t as she extended her hand for me to take it. “This was left by the door. You would have seen it if you didn’t barge past,” she said.

I quickly glanced at it for a millisecond. “Go pack your things,” I muttered without glancing at her. I made my way towards the desk, sat down and began to open the envelope. At this point, I had no expectation for what I was about to see or read. I was drained from everything and a tiny part of me wished I had never been this curious to actually find out what had occurred over a year ago. Huffing dramatically, I finally found the willpower to open the envelope and grasp the crisp letter out of it. Since when did niggas feel like it was appropriate to send letters? I scanned the letter, going straight towards the end to see whether or not the sender left a name and to no surprise, there wasn’t. “Type of bullshit is this,” I mumbled, beginning to read the tell-all letter. Within the first paragraph, I already knew who was behind this and I was itching to find him.

What’s hidden in the dark, must come to light sooner or later, right? Well, at least I think so. There’s really so much to be said but only so much space to write it all, this’ll have to do though. I think it’s best if we start from the very beginning. Remember that plan you had with Ryan that seemed to fail miserably? Well, there’s a few reasons why that plan actually failed to begin with. One,you were working with Ryan of all people. Two, Ryan is my friend, emphasis on friend. Three, there are a lot of people willing to see the demise of you and four, your family will turn on you in a heartbeat when it works in their favor.

That was your first downfall. But of course with every action, there is a consequence and yours was not an exception. But see, it could have been. But not when your plan has been switched into a set up by none other than your precious sister. Oh yes! She’s the one that hatched the idea. But don’t worry, she wasn’t the only one in on it. It was the three of us. Ryan, Justineand me of course. I don’t need to write my name, you know by now, right?

Anyhow, the goal was to destroy you. It was working pretty well to start off. Once I found out you were working with Ryan, I knew that this was the perfect time to make my move, but it wouldn’t have worked as efficiently if Justine wasn’t apart of the mix. With a little convincing, fake promises and fucking your sister’s brain out on a daily, she finally gave in. She acted as our insider. Of course, there was going to be things you didn’t want Ryan to know and the only way any sort of information would leave your lips, is if you told Justine. She was really convincing with wanting to know, huh? She probably made it seem like she cared wholeheartedly. Wrong. After collecting all the information we did need on you, we devised a plan to set you up.

I informed Ryan on this and he gladly assisted and played his part. Justine was the one that made sure you were caught in the act of doing something illegal. So ultimately, Justine is the reason why you had that little stint in prison. Fucked up, right? Well your sister isn’t as innocent as she plays to be, how unfortunate. She was the one that made sure the FBI knew when and where to locate you so you would be the one caught with your hands tied. Being that, that was a successful plan, I took the initiative to wire money out of your bank accounts, you know, the one that has your illegal and legal money? Check your funds during the period of time when you were incarcerated, your legal account that is.

All information supplied by your lovely sister.

But that’s not it. Things get much more juicer. I’m pretty sure you’re fuming right about now, and this will most certainly anger you. For Justine’s sake, I hope she isn’t near you.

If you recall, the same time you were put on trial was the same time Austin went missing. Well, he wasn’t truly missing. I knew where he was andso did Justine. I guess you can’t really blame Justine for this but then you can. I knew that if you found out something were to happen to your nephew, you would potentially jeopardize your life in order to make sure he is safe. So, I came up with the idea of using Austin as a piece of my plan. The whole idea was to make you come out of character to gain a higher sentencing, working in my favor to slowly destroy what empire you seem to have. It didn’t work but my plans still went through.

Justine wasn’t too fond of the idea, but I didn’t care. I told her about what I had in mind and that I would need Austin to execute this. While I pretended to act as if I was done plotting, I asked if I could have Austin for the weekend; the same week in which he was took. This is when I was still given time with Austin before she was granted sole custody. Anyhow, in that time period, I mentioned to Ryan, your number one enemy, what plan I had in mind and the cut he would have in this if he went along with it. And he did. To cut a long story short, I told Austin to go the corner store where Ryan was waiting already and that’s when he was taken. I clearly knew where my son was and so did Justine, she just didn’t know what was happening to her beloved baby… that is until she saw it for herself. If I were you, I would fuck Ryan’s life up for abusing Austin, but I can’t say much since I allowed for it to happen.

Check the police reports if I were you.

All in all, what I was seeking for didn’t work out since I didn’t get the reaction out of you that I wanted. But in the long run, I see that I still managed to cause some damage. I know that by the end of this letter, you’ll probably come after Ryan and I, and I’m perfectly fine with that; my job is done. Your sister isn’t as perfect and innocent as she seems, huh? Who would ever think she would aid in harming her own brother and lying about her knowledge of Austin? Just go and ask her and see how quickly she fucks up and begins to stutter-

I couldn’t even find it in me to finish the rest of the letter. What I read thus far, I didn’t want to believe nor think it could ever be true. But my mind was racing, and everything was slowly piecing together… Before I could even process my actions, my fist was colliding with the white colored walls.

Bailey

I had one suitcase packed to capacity with all the amount of clothing I seemed to have accumulated over the few months. Being back in New York just gave me this weird feeling. It was once a city that I adored but it just brings me to the point of exhaustion. Like, everything that I despise and want to get away from is here. There’s absolutely no way of avoiding it and with seeing how destroyed Justine’s place is, I know it’s only a matter of time before shit hits closer to home. It had been over an hour since being back at the house and I hadn’t heard not a thing from Adrian. I don’t know if that could possibly pose as a good thing or not but whatever it meant, I was slightly worried since he usually checks up on me despite the situation. I probably acted like a bitch earlier when I didn’t have to, but this was all getting to me and I just wanted to be done with it all.

Standing up to retrieve my black Timberland boots, I heard an unusual sound from one of the rooms on the same level as me and went to take a look outside. I stood near the staircase, staring down below and not noticing a thing at all. I must be hearing things. The minute I went to head back into my room, I heard that same exact sound again, making me walk quickly in the direction of the source. To my surprise, Adrian stood in Justine’s room, fucking up all of her personal items. What? Adrian seemed like such a different person so quickly; his face was completely flushed red, his veins were more conspicuous, his chest was heaving in and out rapidly and there was a noticeable amount of blood on his clothing and hand.

I felt like in these past two days I found myself asking him way too many questions like, what’s going on, what’s wrong, etc, and I can see my questions annoying him which is why I’m so timid in actually asking now. However, I didn’t want to see him self-destruct and cause any more harm than what he’s already doing. I just wish Brian and Justin were around to diffuse this situation for me. Despite me being in the same room as him, it didn’t stop him from causing any more damage, even when he looked at me. It seemed like it just ignited more anger. But that’s when I knew I should step in and say something to him. Slowly stepping over broken items, I trailed closely next to Adrian and placed my hand on his back in a somewhat comforting manner. “Whatever is happening right now, I think you should stop and relax before you jump to anymore conclusions,” I said calmly.

“My sister is a fucking fraud, Bailey. You can’t trust no one,” he yelled with frustration. I knew the less detailed questions I asked him, the better for him but I wasn’t understanding. “I want her out my fucking house!”

“You can’t kick her out. Where will she go? Her house is trashed!” I exclaimed, grabbing the glass vase from his hand before he had a chance to smash it against the wall.

“I don’t care where she goes; I don’t. I just know I don’t want to see her in my face,” he gritted.

“You know you would be an asshole for that, right?” I said seriously. He snatched away his hand from me causing me to stumble, trip over the material on the floor and land on my bottom. “Fuck,” I hissed, feeling the glass that was located on the floor pierce my skin. Adrian hovered over me and pulled my face in his grasp.

“You don’t get it, do you? My own blood sister turned her back on me for a stupid nigga like Lonnie. She played the innocent role until shit caught up to her. She can’t even be truthful or loyal to her own blood?” he asked rhetorically. “I don’t want that shit around me. Fuck her! I knew there was a reason you can’t trust everyone. I knew it and it’s sad as fuck that my sister had to confirm that shit for me. I’ve been telling you for the longest not to trust everyone you encounter, B. You see the shit I’m dealing with?!”

“But that doesn-“ I said with my voice muffled a bit since he was restricting me from talking properly.

“Yes the fuck it does. How would you feel if you knew the person who killed Riley was staying up in this crib?” he said seriously, snatching his hand away from my face. My face contorted into confusion at his words. I didn’t know if he was saying that to be a jackass or if he had meant it but the longer the silence lingered in the air while he continued to viciously throw Justine’s shit around, I began to slowly connect the dreadful pieces.

“You killed him?” I said, surprisingly loud with just the right amount of bass.

“I was in jail, couldn’t have been me. But, August? Yeah, he did,” he said nonchalantly. I could feel my body heat rise and the once loving vibe that used to encompass this house with all the lively people that lived in it, vanished within a heartbeat and I felt myself breaking down all over again. How could they have possibly gone through so many months and not think to mention such a thing? How could August sit in my face and hold plenty of conversations with me but omit to mention he killed Riley? I’m a thousand percent sure they knew of who I was before this, who I surrounded myself around and so forth. For them to think they could hide something like this for so long, boggled my mind and it actually hurts my feelings. My bottom lip trembled with force as I stood up slowly, slightly cringing at the feel of the glass cuts on my exposed legs.

“Wow, Adrian,” I chuckled darkly. “You allowed me to sit there and pour my heart out to you about Riley when you already knew of him? You had me thinking you didn’t know a damn thing about him, and you sat up in my face, knowing damn well you did and to make matters worse, you knew who fucking killed him. You preach all this nonsense about being truthful and being trustworthy, but you can’t even fucking tell me the truth from day one?”

“Niggas die every day, B,” he dismissed. I couldn’t help the tears that began to pool at the corner of my eye.

“And you don’t even fucking care. I’m so speechless right now,” I muttered, refusing to allow any tears to leave from my eyes, at least not in front of his emotionless face. “I’m so stupid for believing a nigga like you,” I mumbled, briskly walking past him and out of the haphazard room. There were no footsteps heard behind me at all so I knew that he hadn’t followed me. To think that Adrian would be 100% honest with me and would at least have the decency to tell me something like this earlier, blows my mind. He could tell me everything else, including how Ryan ain’t shit but couldn’t tell me this? Although it wasn’t necessarily him that pulled the trigger, it might as well have been with the way he was holding out on potentially telling me. August didn’t even have the guts to tell me and made me wonder if that was the reason Adrian was giving him the cold shoulder all along. Shaking my head, a part of me was glad that I once again was snapped back into reality of Adrian and his bullshit. But then there was another part of me that just wished I knew this sooner and that August would have opened his mouth. I mean, what’s the worse that I can do? It’s not like I can resurrect Riley, but this does indeed leave me with weight on my shoulders now.

All that was running through my mind at the moment was fuck it.

I was drained.

Emotionally and psychically.

What I would do just to be in my bed for a day, the options are endless.

I would love to wake up and think of this as a horrible nightmare.

I just know that Adrian is the last person I want to see, and I have plans of getting away from him. I just didn’t know where I would go. It’s not like I can waltz back into my parent’s house, let alone my old apartment.

I tried my hardest to stop the influx of tears as it worked to no avail, causing me to become flustered. The white envelope that Adrian so graciously gifted me with a few days ago sat upon the neat bad, waiting to be unfolded and read. I didn’t want to potentially see anything else that Adrian might have to say, whether it be written down or not, but something was urging me to do it now so if it was a heartache, I could get over it quickly. Snatching the paper of the bed, I quickly ripped it open, not caring how it looked appearance wise and slipped out the blank white card that was contained inside. In what appeared to be words written by a sharpie, were three of the most important words I never thought I would get the chance to do while here and from the fact that it came from Adrian made me quite suspicious. Why is he playing with my emotions? It read:

Call your pops.

At this point, I rather take that call from Ryan.

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never-shuts-up · 7 years ago

Text

Murder or a Heart Attack

AO3 Link

Summary: After a tag team victory at Summerslam, Dean still isn't sure how he's supposed to feel, or what new disaster he's just left himself open to. Seth still has a knack for making everything more complicated, but the best things don't come easily.

Notes: Set immediately after Summerslam 2017. Apologies to all my anti-Ambrollins friends, I still feel you but I also needed this, really badly. And there’s offscreen Ambreigns, for all the reasons.

Content note: includes an adverse reaction based on past trauma. I hesitate to classify it 100% as PTSD, but could be interpreted that way.

As soon as he stepped through the curtain, everything faded to a blur. Spots from the bright light still stung his eyes as cameras - probably mostly phones, but whatever the hell - began flashing around him to replace them. Immediately they were pushed through to the media area, and the cameras just kept going. Dean kept wanting to pinch himself, and see if he would wake up. The title over his shoulder, and a mere arm’s-length away, with the same title over his, the one man who had caused him no end of hurt for so many years. Seth was smiling, laughing, joking easily with commentators and on-lookers alike, and the expression on his face was one Dean hadn’t seen in - well, he didn’t even know how long anymore.

He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed that smile. Not a plotting-smirk, not a rehearsed camera-grin, but a real, genuine smile, that lit up and transformed Seth’s entire face. It felt like he was looking at somebody else, someone he thought was long gone.

Was this really him? Who, even, was the real Seth Rollins anymore?

As the crowd began to disperse, Dean felt a hand on his shoulder. Seth leaned in, so close that a wet strand of hair brushed against Dean’s cheek. “C’mon, let’s get cleaned up.” Dean nodded a response back, and they turned and headed toward the locker room.

As he fumbled around in his locker, Dean still couldn’t shake the feeling of having wandered into someone else’s dream. They had done it - actually done it - and while he knew they could, believed they could, he hadn’t predicted it would feel like this. So strange, yet familiar; so good, yet uneasy. Memories of the past three years rattled around in his head, and this new experience refused to fit in with them, like a piece had suddenly been tossed in from the wrong puzzle.

Seth emerged from a cloud of steam, smelling like expensive conditioner, shimmied his way into those damn impractical tight jeans, and began rummaging through his own things for a shirt. Dean busied himself with cleaning the protein bar wrappers out of his pockets and the bottom of his bag - with the past week of media and travel, it was long overdue.

Seth was the one to break the relative silence.

“Did you make any plans for tonight?”

“Nah, not really. Was going to just grab something to eat and collapse. You know, the usual.” Dean shoved the rest of his clothes back into the duffel bag and headed to the garbage can with a couple handfuls of various wrappers - including, for some reason, an inordinate amount of straw papers and a very mangled Popeye’s cup. “Why, did you?”

“Not really. But, uh, if you’re just going back to the hotel, maybe I should give you this now.” When Seth turned back around, he had a brown paper bag in his hand. “I had to go up to Greenpoint to get it, but I’ve heard it’s the best in town.”

Dean opened the paper bag, slightly mystified to find a white bakery box, tied artfully with black and white twine. As he raised the lid, the faint aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg greeted him, and he nearly did a double take at what was inside.

It was a perfect apple pie.

If you put a picture next to “apple pie” in a dictionary - no, that wouldn’t be in a dictionary but maybe just a cookbook or a guide to things you could buy that are close enough to buying happiness - this would have been that picture. The crust was an even golden brown, punctuated with decoratively placed slashes that showed a hint of filling flecked with spices.

Dean looked at the pie for a long moment, then back up at Seth, catching him in half a second of fidgeting before he realized his tag partner was watching. An amused half-smile crept onto Dean’s face. “So, you heard that whole thing about the pie, huh?”

Seth grinned, apparently relieved at Dean’s reaction. “Obviously. You really still think Roman ate it?”

“Dunno. It’s been fun giving him hell about it though. Gets a rise out of him, and he keeps saying Ron did it.” The friendly teasing between Roman and Truth amused Dean to no end and was, to be honest, one of the highlights of having him travel with them. Once one of them found something to dig the other about, it would keep them going for days. Dean tried not to think about how, despite treasuring his rare time alone with Roman, everything seemed so much more natural and enjoyable with a third person in the car. “I kinda don’t care anymore, but having something to tease him about kept him from worrying so much about tonight.”

Seth went back to rummaging in his bag. “So you two are still…”

“Yeah.”

“I figured. Wondered if anyone would catch your little slip-up back there.” Dean felt heat rush to his face as Seth gave him an exaggerated wink-nudge, and he fought off the urge to shove the pie directly into Seth’s face. Sometimes even Seth’s friendly teasing skirted awfully close to the line, and Dean wasn’t sure what to expect from him anymore. The weight of the pie in his hands - a visible, tangible, spice-and-sugar-scented sign of what, exactly? - had just made everything more complicated.

Dean set the bag aside, next to his duffel, and shrugged. “Ehh, I’ve got a reputation for sayin’ weird shit to uphold. Wouldn’t want to let the people down.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. Or the other thing. After tonight, they’ll have plenty to talk about.” Seth’s cavalier attitude toward the relationship that Dean was so clearly trying to keep secret still annoyed Dean a bit, but he was a little occupied wondering what his tag partner was getting at. “Also, I figured we would either want to toast victory or drown defeat, so I brought this too.” He handed Dean another paper bag, this one smaller and heavier. Dean was pretty sure he could tell what was in it, but was still surprised to open the bag and find a compact, rather expensive-looking bottle of some whiskey he’d never heard of, with a heavy wax seal on top.

“Special occasion, huh? You went all out.” Dean regarded the bottle with approval. The name was unfamiliar - some kind of artisan small batch bullshit, most likely, but knowing Seth, at least it was probably good. “So, should we just open these here, or -”

“Actually, I had an idea about that. I figured you’d want to wait around for Roman, but if you text me when you get back to the hotel, I think I know just the place.”

—–

Dean climbed the last few steps and let the door swing closed behind him. “I thought the roof deck was supposed to be-”

“Closed after ten? Yeah, I know. Pulled a couple strings at the front desk, and they gave me the card to swipe in.”

Clever. Turning on the charm to get what he wanted was just such a typical Seth move, and Dean had to admit the roof deck was pretty impressive. The three-foot wall surrounding the perimeter was made of fake-rustic-looking wood and topped with raised flowerbeds. Motion-sensing lights flickered to life as they stepped out onto the walkway. There were a few tables with umbrellas, now folded up for the night, arranged around the middle, and a bunch of chaises and Adirondack chairs off to one side, mostly stacked up out of the way but with a few pointing to the main attraction: the view. Dean let out a low whistle as he took in the Manhattan skyline rising up right front of them - how had it seemed so far when it was right across a river? - all lit up and glittering like a drag queen’s jewelry box.

“Hot damn. This place really is something else.” Dean could feel Seth’s eyes on him, searching his face for signs of approval. And he had to give him credit - it felt like the right place to go for some quiet in a city full of noise, for some fresh air on a hot summer night.

“Worth all the hype, right?”

“Couldn’t say. Since we don’t get to see any of it or nothing.”

“Everything looks great from here though.” Seth dragged one of the metal chaises to a space with a clear view, sat, and motioned to the middle, where Dean put the box and bottle down. “And I have to hand it to them, Brooklyn knows a thing or two about food. That pie shop had about nine other things that all looked amazing. Different stuff like salted honey, but I didn’t think that would be your thing. Good coffee, too. I should have just brought you there, but I wanted it to be a surprise.” Seth was rambling now, as he rummaged through the bag and pulled out two plastic forks. Dean could tell it was nerves, and even though he wasn’t sure why, it still warmed him someplace inside to hear it. “How’s Roman holding up?”

Dean shrugged, and sat down on the other end of the chaise, taking out and opening the bottle. “Not great. He’s down at the room taking a long shower. You know, the usual.”

“Think he’d want to come up?”

“Don’t know, I didn’t ask. Figured he’d understand me being gone for a few minutes.” This level of interest was uncharacteristic. Seth was still giving Roman a wide berth, rarely asking about him, and usually finding reasons to leave a room whenever he showed up. Skirting the boundary between respectful distance and all-out avoidance, ever since Extreme Rules. Dean couldn’t really put a finger on what had changed, but it seemed they had both just moved on. No longer contending for the same title, they weren’t even in the same orbit anymore. Dean wasn’t sure if that was worse or better - but it was easier. Even if easier didn’t always mean better.

“So it’s not weird for him, you and me doing…what we’re doing?” Seth had seemingly forgotten the two plastic forks in his hand, and was studying Dean’s face intently, with an expression that walked the razor-thin line between apprehension and hope.

“Wasn’t wild about it. He tried to tell me what a bad idea it was, that first time. Made me promise I was gonna take care of myself, not take some stupid risk for you. Dunno what he was thinking, he knows I don’t follow instructions. When you first apologized, he said it was bullshit and I shouldn’t fall for it.”

Watching Seth’s face fall, Dean realized too late that he probably shouldn’t have said that. Except no, he definitely should have said that and more because Seth deserved to know the truth, even if it hurt. Especially if it hurt.

He watched Seth let out a ragged sigh, and take a hand through his hair like he always did to try and compose himself. “Not surprised. He’s looking out for you, and I can’t really blame him for not trusting me.”

Dean nodded. Seth was taking this better than he had expected, but he still looked tense, as if holding onto something much more uncomfortable than a couple of forks. Something about the set of his shoulders and jaw seemed imminent, as if he could jump off the edge of the roof deck. Instead, he turned to face Dean straight-on, gripping the seat of the chaise as if to steady himself, and looked him directly in the eye.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Having the full force of Seth’s gaze directly on him made something in the pit of Dean’s stomach twist. His partner’s face was all intensity, always, but he saw something unfamiliar written in the crease of his forehead and the corners of his mouth. In the half-light of the streetlights and garden lighting, Dean couldn’t quite read what this new something was. Twisting at the lid of the bottle in his hand, he could do nothing but let Seth continue.

“Being here with you over the past week - I realized, I’ve been going about this all wrong. I know I apologized - sort of - but it wasn’t right.” Seth paused long enough to inhale deeply, eyes closed, as if about to dive into unfamiliar waters. ”I’m sorry I pushed you around. It was mean, and shitty, and uncalled for. And you deserve better than that, so I hope I can make it up to you.”

The knot in Dean’s stomach began to unclench, and unravel, but it didn’t exactly feel good. Surprisingly, these soft words, these unfamiliar words coming from Seth just replaced it with a hot wave of resentment. Dean bit back a whole string of words that ran through his mind on a loop - are you fucking kidding me - what new bullshit - what the fuck is this fucking game - and took a deep breath to try and compose himself, but could feel his entire body tense, ready to attack. He clutched at the knees of his jeans so hard that his knuckles must have been nearly white, and tried - unsuccessfully - to keep the edge out of his voice.

“So you’re really sorry, and you really mean it?” Seth nodded. “So, why now? Why do you pick now to apologize and not, I don’t know, a month ago when you were playing your bullshit games?” Once the words started pouring out, Dean realized he couldn’t stop. “Where was this fucking sorry face of yours when you were turning the whole crowd against me? Were you just stringing me along until you had that title? What the fuck took you so long to figure that out?”

Seth flinched at every word, and the deepening look of hurt in his eyes both gave Dean pause, and made him feel strangely satisfied, vindicated. But he stopped to allow Seth to respond.

“I know it hurt. I know it made you angry. But I couldn’t take the risk that you would say ‘no.’ I had something all prepared, but as soon as I got out there, the second I looked at you, it hit me that I didn’t have any idea what I would do if you turned me down. So I pushed it, and I know I pushed too hard. And it wasn’t until I looked back at the video package that I realized just how shitty it was. I sounded like such an asshole, and you looked so hurt. And I can’t say I didn’t mean it, because at the time, I did. I just didn’t mean for it to come out like that, and I’m sorry it hurt you.”

Dean let the tide of words wash over him, and it started to sink in that this was real: Seth would never have put so much of this out in the open if he didn’t really mean it, and looking him directly in the eye, Dean realized he could identify a few of the unknowns that flickered across Seth’s face: guilt, which was no less than he deserved, but also regret and a tinge of fear. That was bullshit - what did someone like Seth have to be afraid of? - but nonetheless, there it was. But Dean’s own reservations refused to slip away so easily - after all, that face had lured him with false promises before. No. My terms. I’m not letting you push me around. Roman was right that you would try. And I’m not gonna let you get away with it that easily. “You still made me look like the bad guy, and you didn’t exactly make me want to trust you again.”

“You’re right. I did. And I shouldn’t have. You did exactly what you said you were going to do. I should know you better than that - me, of all people. And it’s one of the things I like about you. I mean, I know the way your head works isn’t always straightforward, but the way you put it out there is. Figured you were trying to make a point. And I give you a lot of credit for that, you know? Being honest.”

“That’s pretty new to you, right?” Dean tried to play the compliment off with a joke, but realized it had hit much closer to the mark when the smile Seth cracked looked more embarrassed than amused, and his gaze shifted to somewhere on the ground.

“Yeah. I guess I forgot what that was like. You know? You spend enough time around liars, you just start to assume everyone’s lying. You start to assume everyone’s out to push you around. And you start finding ways to defend yourself before they attack. And I gotta stop doing that now. Especially with you. If there’s one person in the world I can stop doing that with, it’s you. This whole week proved it. What we did tonight proved it. I didn’t realize what I was missing, and I’m going to do whatever I can to keep it.” He turned himself fully to face Dean, folding one leg under him on the chaise, and stuck out a hand. “Can you let me?”

Seth’s open, expectant face turned Dean’s stomach into knots all over again. How was this supposed to feel? Anger and hurt and longing tumbled together until none of them were even recognizable anymore. And before Dean knew what he was doing, he had closed the few feet of distance between them, and taken Seth’s hand.

“I’m gonna try,” he found himself saying. “I want this as much as you do, but you dealt me a whole lot of hurt. And don’t even think I don’t feel it all over again whenever I see your stupid face. But you’re still my brother.” Dean paused and tried to gather himself. Roman had told him, time and time again, that he needed to keep firm boundaries with Seth, and it was Roman’s mix of concern and rage that swam to the front of his mind now. “And I know we’re better together, but if you pull that shit with me again, I can’t make any promises.” The words “and I don’t think Roman can either” sat right on the tip of his tongue, but he held them back. Involving him wasn’t fair, and it probably wouldn’t do any good.

Seth put his other hand over Dean’s and gripped it firmly, for a very long moment. “Okay. That’s fair - it’s no more than I deserve, but yeah, fair. Because I’ll have to do better if this is going to work. And I get that it’s been hard for you. So, thank you. For letting me back in.”

“Back in?” The turn of phrase sent a twinge through Dean’s chest as its meaning sank in. “Little brother, half the reason this is so fucking hard is that - for all these years - you were still there. You got in my head, got in my heart, and even when you fucked around with it, and even when I wanted to break your dumb coward face, I still couldn’t shake that. When you get down to it, you were never really gone.”

Dean’s words were cut off as Seth leaned in and wrapped him in a tight hug. He felt rather than heard the response, murmured half-into his ear, half-into his shoulder, and vibrating through his entire chest: “Neither were you.”

Despite the warmth of Seth’s touch, Dean felt his shoulders tense and shudder, and suddenly it was very hard to breathe. His vision blurred the lights of the skyline together, into a rough haze. Every nerve seemed to be fighting the urge to flinch, to push away, and even his fingertips itched to take control. The places where those maddeningly familiar hands pressed tightly against his back were the same ones that had been black and blue for days, crossed by marks from that steel chair and then by everything from boots to the edge of the apron - does he really think this could ever undo all that hurt, and what the hell have I just left myself open to?

Seth released his grip and pulled away, moving his hands to Dean’s shoulders. Forehead creased and eyes soft in the half-light, he seemed to shrink a little, as he studied his friend’s face and the realization of what he was seeing there hit home. Dean wasn’t sure exactly how he must have looked in that moment, but judging by Seth’s expression, it must have been as messed up as he felt.

“Shit,” Seth muttered, in a tone that was half sharp frustration, half sigh. “I did that, didn’t I?”

Dean nodded.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s going to take a lot for you to believe me, after how much I hurt you. And I’ve gotta let you make your own decisions.” Guilt - real, true, sincere guilt - etched itself across Seth’s face in deep lines, and he seemed to be torn between looking Dean directly in the eye and staring at the ground. “Just… if it’s too much, please tell me, okay?”

Dean nodded again. The city lights shifted out of the haze and back into clarity as he placed his own hand on Seth’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Okay.” And for the time it took for both men to breathe in deeply and let it out, nothing else mattered.

As everything settled slowly back to here, back to now, Dean dimly realized his phone hadn’t buzzed since he’d come up to the roof. A few floors below, Roman was probably asleep, and the space next to him was made up just for Dean, with the pillow exactly where he liked it, and it sure wouldn’t have been there all those years ago. Roman’s arm was probably flung instinctively over that space, protectively, waiting for Dean to come back and crawl under it, waiting to hold him until he fell asleep. It was different, but better, and he never wanted to go back to a world where that space didn’t exist.

This was never going to be the same either. But maybe it could be better too. The kind of better that came from being older, smarter, and knowing what kind of bad could come with the good - knowing all of each other’s ugly parts and scars and sharp edges.

Maybe things didn’t need to be the same to be right. Or at least, start fumbling their way toward right.

Seth shifted his position first, composing himself and slipping an arm around Dean’s shoulders as he took in the lights of the skyline that seemed to rise so close to them. “So - and I’m not trying to change the subject -” he paused dramatically with a bit of a self-satisfied smile, “that’s a really good whiskey that you haven’t even opened yet.”

Dean smiled back, tentatively, but with warmth spreading back through his chest. “Right. And a pie that I’m gonna need one of those forks for.” Seth looked at him quizzically, apparently having forgotten the forks entirely. “The ones behind you, doofus.”

“Oh. Right.” Seth laughed nervously and fumbled for the two forks and the box.

“Should make sure we save some for Roman.” Dean watched Seth’s face intently, unsure how he would react. “Since he had a rough night, and all that,” he added, hoping he didn’t sound as tentative as he felt.

That small, slow smile crept back onto Seth’s lips, as he untied the string on the box, and Dean was already thinking that maybe he could get used to seeing it more often. “Deal.”

Notes:

During the lead-up to Summerslam, I had a really hard time watching Seth’s “apologies” and watching him string Dean along - it read as extremely manipulative and hurtful, and set off alarms for a number of abuse survivors I have talked to. When someone tells you a character reminds them of their abusive ex, it’s hard not to listen - much less when THREE do. I went through several weeks of wondering if I could continue to write and identify with someone who could avoid making a real apology and still get applauded and cast as a “good” guy for his manipulative behavior. This was my attempt to make it right, and make the shift in their in-ring relationship more believable. After watching clips from the WWE2k18 event, it was very clear that there was more going on between these two than what we saw in the promos. And the apple pie incident seemed like a perfect opportunity.

The title is from an Old 97s song, which sounds like a love song but is actually about the songwriter’s roommate’s cat who escaped (but came back). I tried to change it, but “Murder (or a Heart Attack)” is a vicious earworm that just would not let go. And it just seemed to fit.

#stuff I wrote #fan fiction #seth rollins #dean ambrose #fix-it #pie with too much plot

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