#nolan fucking with/up shadow before he leaves

[shadow0-1]

rabid dogs

[applbottmjeens]

EVERYBODY BREAKS

Tags: Remember that Makarov drabble? this is it now, MENTIONS of TORTURE and IMPLIED sexual abuse(?), It's not a great time she clearly went through some shit, Tommy mention, Makarov threatens her baby and she folds :( Phillip mention but he's not showing up in this one. (Maybe I should write a sequel where he saves her?)

Summary: Makarov quickly finishes a dragged on interrogation with a captured Shadow.

They'd been pushing her for almost a day now. Nothing. If they got too close to her head, she'd bite or spit on them.

It took two people to gag her. One to hold her fucking head and try not to let her teeth latch onto you and another to quickly pull it between her teeth.

The fearsome Sergeant Pham of the 141, or should they say…

Regina 2-1. Graves' Queen of Hearts. How her loyalties shifted as soon as her heart was stolen, this once talent in her field, sitting in a chair and glaring at them after finally taking her.

Makarov gazes at the seething woman in his chair, the captured Shadow who'd almost sabotaged his plans. He wears a suit underneath Kevlar, like this is all some fancy business for him as he moves a strand of hair away from glaring brown eyes.

"It's so nice to finally meet you in person, Annabelle." Makarov coos, gazing at the bound soldier. Her dark hair is a mess, her limbs tied to the chair, fists gripping and struggling as she sees Makarov approach her close, a tired, biding anger in her eyes. Bruises and dried blood cover her nose and cheeks, teeth forced to bite into white cloth.

"The gag. What's it for?" Makarov asks his second in command as he looks down at the prisoner before him, putting out his cigarette to inspect the bound woman before him.

"She bites, Commander." Nolan remarks, glancing down at his arm, having made the mistake of exposing it. Her teeth marks are deep, sunk into his skin disgustingly.

The Commander approaches the woman with an amused grin, as if he's witnessing a stray animal caged.

"Look at that. She has spirit," He muses, pulling her by the hair to look into her wild, seething gaze.

"I'm glad you still have that fight in you." He says in English.

No amount of drugs forced down her throat, beatings and men handling her or teeth pulled could do shit. Stubborn, stubborn woman. He seems impressed, given what they'd done.

His voice is poison in her ears, condescending. Filled with superiority. She tries to squirm against him, but he only tugs her hair back to make her stiffen like some dog.

He speaks to Andrei again, and she picks up the words "Fingers" and "Eyeball" and "Mail". Her fault for falling asleep during Russian lessons.

Maybe it's best she doesn't figure out what the rest of his words mean, for her sanity's sake.

“It’s a shame we have to ruin such a beautiful face." He chuckles, her eyes gazing at the boiling kettle in the corner.

"Remove the gag. Get her talking." He commands, and the cloth is removed and spat out of bloodstained teeth and lips.

"Kill yourself." She spat before Makarov laughs, leather gloved hands pulling her hair, forcing Anna to look him in the eye.

“Give us an answer, Sergeant Pham…"

Nothing. Another knife hovers over her hand, bare as the tip nicks the top.

“We'll send all your little fingers to your teammates- old and new..." Makarov whispers, looking Anna square in the eyes as he speaks slowly.

"Maybe even a little souvenir for your son, to have a piece of his mother with him…"

Her breath hitches. He found the weak point. “A young mother like you risking everything she has… It’s brave. It’s mothers like you that make strong sons.” He muses, mock praise leaving his lips as the knife presses slowly onto her hand.

“You shut your mouth-"

“Little Sylas Thomas is such a strong boy…”

“You shut your goddamn mouth, I swear-”

“Please, Sergeant Pham. Little Tommy wouldn’t want to lose his mother before he could even run from gunfire.”

“STAY AWAY FROM MY SON YOU FUCK!"

“Talk, Annabelle.”

He speaks like she's a petulant child, his tone patronizing. Like she's just having a little tantrum.

“..Fine…” She sobs, trembling as she’d collapsed. She hopes they kill her. She’d rather they were bluffing about Tommy than risk him ever being put into danger. She sings like a bird.

All that physical torture was mostly an experiment. For fun. The knowledge of her son was the card up their sleeve.

Fucking cheap move, Konni. She stares at the lamp upon the ceiling, cold air coming in when they leave, making her hyper aware of how exhausted she is.

Her mind thinks of Tommy, her boy, his squished face and almond eyes that light up when she sings to him.

Would she get to see her son again? Would Phillip really waste resources to rescue her?

No. She could rescue herself. She'd done this before. She's crawled out of trash and bodies dumped out in the sun. She'll leave this place a bloodbath. Dying is the least they could do for even speaking her son's name.

Đụ má...These men and their goddamn audacity.

She was gonna make Nolan regret keeping her teeth. She still had some bite in her after all…

-

Đụ má - "motherfucker"

[cgsf]

Men's Hockey (RPF) fanfiction recs:

Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick

"how to cherish your own shadow" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 15,525 | Nolan thinks about praying. He thinks about TK, how good it's been to have him here, how easily they move around each other. He thinks about the stretch of days ahead of him once TK heads home. TK looks over and smiles, soft and crooked, and Nolan imagines leaning in to kiss him, pressing their bodies together. He smiles back.

"an illicit divide" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 2,851 | TK unbuttons his shirt, opens his belt. He turns around and Patty's still standing in the doorway, a shoulder against the frame. "You coming over?" "Can't," Patty says, and drags his socked foot along the threshold between their rooms. "Against the rules."

"but i pinky promise i'll try" 🔒 (E) by anonymous | 12,152 | Nolan comes across one guy, just a scant two miles away, who actually has his face in his profile picture, which is a refreshing change. He’s cute, longish dark hair with a sneaky smile, and his name is Travis. Nolan has never started a conversation with anyone before, but again: antsy and horny.

"how winning is done" 🔒 (M) by jolach | 8,823 | Travis isn’t buying it. “Nah,” he says. “You’re not good.” He sees Patty whip his head around, ready to start shit, which normally Travis would be into, but– “You’re fucking...” he searches for a word, “awesome.” “Trav–” “You were a fucking monster out there tonight, that call was bullshit–” “Oh my God–” “You’re better at COD than me, I’ll never repeat that–” “–you don’t have to, we both know–” “You’re a goddamn smokeshow, you bagged a fucking NHL captain without even trying–” “Jesus fucking Christ,” Pat says.

"hear the river say your name" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 2,481 | "Howdy's got plans, so." Pat says it like it's a whole explanation, low and easy. It's been a while since they've been in the same room, but the way they talk to each other, the half sentences and shorthand, it's all still there. They're good to go and Pat's leaving it up to him.

"teach me how to cry" 🔒 (NR) by notthequiettype | 693 | TK knows the second he hits the ice his season's done.

"Combative" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 3,517 | "You know you could just fuck me without setting weird little benchmarks for yourself." "Yeah, but like, if I don't have a goal, how do I get better?"

"when i see your light shine" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 4,700 | Patty says, "Hey" and TK pulls him into a hug, lets himself hang on slightly longer than is chill. Patty just spreads his big hand out between TK's shoulderblades and holds on back. When they pull back TK says, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"this will be our year" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 4,380 | When TK turns back around, there's a tall, handsome guy leaning on his elbow on the bar, two fingers rubbing at his temple under his shaggy hair. "What can I get you?" "What's the least annoying thing to order?" "For real or like how people are always asking bartenders what they like to make?" The corner of the guy's mouth twitches a little. The tops of his cheeks are flushed. "For real."

"absolute ultimate" 🔒 (E) by heroics | 4,669 | It’s a kind of ritual, now, that Travis and Pat spend at least the first night of every road trip at the hotel, bickering over the Discovery Channel.

"dial this lover’s heartache" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 5,219 | TK hits Pat, 21, 7km away and pauses, mostly to size-up the bass hanging from his hand in his profile photo. TK swipes right because he likes Pat's wide, open-mouthed smile, like he's in the middle of a laugh, and the soft curve of belly sitting at his waistband in another shot. TK's not expecting the match to pop and it startles him into dropping his phone on the counter.

"just like this" 🔒 (E) by jesuisgrace | 1,144 | TK plays beautifully. He knows they should wait, but when TK rips his helmet off after the game and flips his disgusting, sweaty hair back, he wants to eat him alive.

"Slow and low" 🔒 (E) by bitter_leaf | 10,451 | “You really gave that girl a lap dance, eh?” “I fucking said I did, didn’t I—” Travis starts, irritated, because he just told Patty not half an hour ago that he did and— his stomach drops through the floor. Oh fuck. Oh shit. Oh no. No no no.

"take down some summer time" 🔒 (T) by manybumblebees | 2,507 | Summer is lake days and fishing and coolers full of beer, the boat kicking up spray in its wake, and Nolan coming to stand next to him on the deck in his too-short shorts, holding his forearm next to TK’s and complaining about his Irish skin, which burns and freckles but never tans.

"it's hard to look right at you (so here's my number)"🔒 (E) by backseats | 2,914 | “Why’d you, like…” Trav tries to kick his brain back into conversation-mode, momentarily distracted by the way Patty’s flushed all the way past his throat, down to the divot of his collarbone. “Why’d you call me, man?”

"Motivation" 🔒 (E) by connectknee | 4,696 | Kevin knows when to back off, the article said. He knows just when to shut up and leave Patty alone, something Travis has never known how to do.

"Strange Torpedo" 🔒 (E) by connectknee | 31,270 |In which TK is the unconventional first-grade teacher in charge of Nolan’s niece, and Nolan is trying to figure out what to do with his life after crashing out of hockey.

"Dead reckoning" 🔒 (E) by murkya | 10,768 | Patty came over after lunch, one eye hecticly red and his jaw occasionally grinding about as if something was wound too tight inside and he was stuck on trying to work it free.

"History, and other forms of strife" 🔒 (M) by murkya | 16,925 | Summer of ‘26, Nolan got traded to the Flyers. That was fine, just great. Shit happens.

"don't let me fall behind" 🔒 (T) by growlery writes | 2,187 | It happens quickly, too quickly, but this is how it ends: the guy is on the ground. The guy isn’t moving. Nolan is safe. There’s a knife in Travis’s side. Nolan is safe.

"keep it on a high note" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 3,915 | Nolan has never been a particularly tactile person except for with the people he's been closest too. Nobody's expanded those boundaries like TK and Nolan likes the ease of it, that he has someone around all the time who he likes to be close to.

"hold on to your aftertaste" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 8,305 | Kevin stops him at the door. "You are my beautiful, gay, virgin friend. And we are going to go take care of the one part of that description that's bothering you." It's strangely heartening and Nolan follows him in.

"Cheetle" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 7,061 | Nolan made Travis kind of stupid in all these strange, inarticulable ways that didn't really have anything to do with how smart Travis wasn't, but instead were about like, how he felt.

"see you in the depths" 🔒 (E) by eversincewefellapart | 6,718 | "You're a virgin?" TK repeats incredulously.

"my heart is thrilled by the still of your hand" 🔒 (E) by callabang & manybumblebees | 3,139 | Patty tries a lot of shit to help with his migraines, but TK still isn't expecting to hear that he’s doing a “chastity cleanse” because Tazer said it would help him to “reset his mind.”

"save your first and last dance for me" 🔒 (E) by manybumblebees | 21,374 | They're several hours, a slow dance, and too many bright orange shots that taste of cinnamon and paint thinner into their joke date to G's wedding when TK looks up at Nolan and says, "Marry me." And that's just their first wedding of the summer.

"play with fire till your fingers burn" 🔒 (T) by manybumblebees | 6,048 | Nolan goes through his first NHL camp knowing three things about the guy in the next stall: 1. He talks a lot. 2. He likes to fish. 3. The ducks in his tattoo are named after the Ninja Turtles.

"port stanley is for lovers" 🔒 (T) by manybumblebees | 7,518 | “Imagine–” Nolan chokes out, trying to stop laughing long enough not to totally butcher the delivery on this. “Bro, imagine making a whole town think we’re hooking up because you couldn’t shut up about me.”

"i'm dying, i'm dying to touch" 🔒 (E) by anonymous | 2,023 | Patty won't look at him. He's not paying any attention to TK, sitting there shooting the shit with Raff like TK doesn't even fucking exist. Fuck it. Fuck him. Fuck this.

"like home" 🔒 (T) by anonymous | 4,595 | The entire season feels like it’s going on in the next room, like Nolan’s watching it through a one-way mirror. Him on one side, hockey on the other. And then it stops, the whole season, the structure he's been clawing himself along and against, and... It's not a good week.

"if you leave the light on" 🔒 (M) by countthestars | 7,753 | “Do you really want me to come to Winnipeg?” TK doesn’t mean to blurt it out, but he’s not good at being subtle or holding back or thinking through any of the possible terrible consequences for his actions before he’s already done them, so. The question’s just. Out there. Ball in Patty’s court.

"the new three's company" 🔒 (M) by blaahaj | 3,000 | There are probably better ways to seduce your teammate than asking him to have a threesome with you, but this is working out alright for Travis.

"let's get drunk, i’ll pour my heart out through my mouth" 🔒 (M) by anonymous | 7,139 | Holy fuck, did he pick someone up last night? Travis isn’t in the habit of waking up with strangers, not really, but at least he’s in his own bedroom, that doesn’t— Wait. He knows those shoes.

"a line that we can just go cross" 🔒 (M) by whiskey_in_tea | 3,266 | Travis thinks about when he chipped his own tooth: how it felt to run his tongue over the unfamiliar jagged edge of it, over and over and over again. That’s the only reason he got it fixed, is because he cut his tongue on it, worrying at it, and that seemed unnecessary. That seemed, like, bad. He imagines saying to Pats, I’m worried about your tongue.

"I'm Your Wreck" 🔒 (M) by whiskey_in_tea | 7,126 | “If I was gonna,” Nolan says. “With a guy. Why would it be you?” “Because you love me,” Travis says, smug, shit-eating grin on that ratfucker’s face as he walks over to where Nolan’s sitting on the bed. Nolan tries desperately to trace how this night got so out of control so quickly and comes up with only: this is what happens when you make friends with the craziest person on your crazy-ass team.

"wild thoughts" 🔒 (M) by whiskey_in_tea | 6,996 | Nolan watches Travis’ hands, browned from the summer, scarred by fishing hooks and trigger pulls and ice burns and god knows what else, as they finish putting dinner on its plate. That’s the thing about Travis: he understands how to make the life he wants for himself. He’s not stupid, except about the things he’s fucking stupid about.

"working for it all the time" 🔒 (E) by whiskey_in_tea | 8,105 | It’s just, like, Travis thinks, as Patty lets go of his wrists and they walk inside together, Patty saying something about dinner plans. With other guys, there’s this static zone between them. Travis doesn’t think about it because there’s nothing to think about. But with Patty… it could happen. Just technically. It is possible. The door is open, he thinks, for the possibility of something. Not that he wants something to happen. But Travis has to admit that he thinks about it. He does.

"Surveilled" 🔒 (M) by notthequiettype | 639 | The thing about TK is that he doesn't lack impulse control; it’s that his impulse control was getting in the way of his life, so he just kind of learned to suppress it.

"Horseshoe Lake" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | 5,386 | "So, what, you just came over in the middle of the night to like, end our lifelong friendship?"

"Eye to Eye" 🔒 (M) by canary | 4,077 | Five times TK asks Nolan to talk about it, and one time he doesn’t.

"never have i ever" 🔒 (E) by anonymous | 5,653 | “Never have I ever kissed a guy,” he said, without really thinking about it. Nolan didn’t respond right away, and Travis realized about five seconds too late that that was probably a really weird thing to say.

"same building, different views" 🔒 (E) by atswimtwobros | 5,636 | Patty’s not always easy to read but Travis can tell that he hates this, being held down while Travis just looks at him. He can feel Patty’s pulse thumping in his wrists.

"haven't left your bed since" 🔒 (E) by heroics | 6,002 | "So, is it a rule that all bassists have to be really stoic and hot?" Travis asks.

"second sun came past the glass" 🔒 (E) by heroics | 3,614 | When TK glances at him across the elevator, Nolan leans against the wall and lets himself stare back. They start going up, agonizingly slow, dinging past each level. He really hopes nobody else comes in.

"headed your way with the devil on my fucking shoulder" 🔒 (E) by eversincewefellapart | 5,434 | They've been rooming since September and TK had tried valiantly, in the beginning, to strike up a friendship. When that seemed impossible, he attempted to go for a casual acquaintanceship at the very least. But Nolan consistently and coldly turned his advances down each time, shrugging into his big purple and yellow Laurier sweaters with his snapback pulled low over his eyes. TK has still never seen him hang out with anyone. He apparently runs a one-man show.

"only demons come to mind" 🔒 (T) by manybumblebees | 3,727 | Next to Nolan, TK’s slamming his gear around and swearing, and that, too, is becoming routine.

"sunlight on our clean clothes" 🔒 (E) by sarcangel | 19,923 | “Turns out I have a thing for centers,” Travis started. It came out pretty good, just a little wobble. “Or, um. Mostly one center. A center. Like, 6’2”, born in Winnipeg. Virgo. Likes cabins, dogs, weird music with violins and shit—”

"great expectations" 🔒 (E) by atswimtwobros | 5,287 | It's starting to give Travis a little bit of a complex, is all. or: the small dick fic.

"Close ain't close enough" 🔒 (E) by bitter_leaf | 33,590 | They’ve only got three nights left before they head back to Philly, training camp starting up a little over a week after that. With a heavy heart, Travis realises that he’s gonna head back home and have to deal with this same stupid flickering torch that he’s been carrying since Patty got put on long term IR that just will not go out, no matter how much he tries—and fails—to ignore it.

"Call me out (bring you home)" 🔒 (M) by bitter_leaf | 19,319 | Nolan’s gaze flickers periodically to the rear-view mirror as he barrels down the highway, one shaky hand shoved under his thigh, the other slung over the wheel. The road is quiet now that he's clear of the city but he can’t bear the thought of getting pulled over and having to roll his window down for some bored traffic cop, tell him he’s heading across provincial borders in the middle of a pandemic to get Manitoba’s favourite son to rail the existential angst out of him.

"break my bones" 🔒 (E) by anonymous | 3,387 | Nolan’s been here enough times that he heads straight to the counter. He does a double-take when he sees the new barista, then immediately kicks himself for being obvious. It takes a surprising amount of concentration to order coffee while acting like he's never gotten off to videos of the guy getting fucked to within an inch of his life.

"pictures of success" 🔒 (E) by whiskey_in_tea | 16,171 | “The trick,” Travis is saying, “is to get past where the waves are breaking.” He gestures to where the water is rising like a wall in front of them. “See how it comes up and up, then it starts falling in on itself?” The ocean crumbles, collapses, sprays them with spume. It seems angry. What’s it so angry about?

"all candor and style in the crook of your smile" 🔒 (M) by p3trichor | 12,031 | It’s a photo of Nolan on his knees with someones’ fingers in his mouth, lips slick with spit. Travis flicks by it almost too fast and he’s only got seconds to decide if he wants to screenshot it, if he wants to just give up the ghost right then and there.

"but your heart got teeth" 🔒 (M) by countthestars | 6,619 | Patty’s gonna wolf out. Travis has never seen him do it before.

"i saw you in the water" 🔒 (E) by LouLa | 24,944 | “Why are you always collecting my garbage like a weird, violent crow?” Nolan asks, bewildered. Travis doesn’t have an answer for that, he just shoves at Nolan’s face instead.

"Nothing to Prove" 🔒 (E) by canary | 42,342 | Nolan picked a college based on two criteria. One: That it didn’t have a hockey program. Two: That it was in some random corner of the southern USA, where the air was thick enough to bite, and football was the only sport anyone talked about in October. He should have known his dumb ass was still going to fuck it up.

"Sugar Honey" 🔒 (T) by canary | 3,904 | TK had always liked color. TK had always liked Patty. TK had always liked it when Patty smiled, and it seemed like he smiled all the fucking time in Winnipeg.

"How the Future Knew" 🔒 (E) by canary | 63,728 | It had been some stupid, throwaway picture from the gym. He’d been shirtless, taken a selfie in the mirror between sets. Nolan hadn’t been thinking about it, really, just like, oh, my abs look pretty good for this late in the season, and he’d thrown it on the gram. It had made some horny Canadian’s “boys next door thirst trap compilation” post on Tumblr. Nolan hadn’t heard of Tumblr before but apparently it was a thing. He’d gotten like, thirty DMs about it.

"the space between your words" 🔒 (E) by TheNorthRemembers | 18,189 | Travis visits Nolan during the offseason and starts spiralling into his insecurities after being told by Nolan's sister that she doesn't like him.

"Made of Glass" 🔒 (M) by makeit_takeit | 14,689 | Inside the locker room it’s pure chaos, noise and people and Nolan immediately feels overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it all, both literal and metaphorical. His heart lurches and his gut tells him immediately, this is a bad idea, and you don’t belong here.

"Things We Missed" 🔒 (T) by makeit_takeit | 4,622 | It was literally, unquestionably, like - the dumbest thing he’s ever done, hooking up with Hallsy. Because Nolan is very - . Like, extremely, super, totally, literal-hours-of-his-life-lost-to-conversations-on-this-topic aware, that Travis Konecny is mad jealous of Taylor Hall.

"Last Ones Standing" 🔒 (E) by makeit_takeit | 22,772 | At the bottom of the ad there’s a link, and Travis finds his finger hovering over the screen, lip still caught between his teeth. “I mean,” he says very reasonably, speaking out loud to his empty apartment like some sort of possibly-crazy person, “just applying doesn’t mean anything. Maybe I just fill it out, and see what happens. It’s not like I’m really gonna get picked to be on TV, come on.”

"Just Getting Started" 🔒 (E) by canary | 10,719 | Several things clicked into place. “Are you trying to court me with Bud Lite Lime?” Nolan asked in disbelief. “Dunno,” Travis said, with his crooked smile. “Is it working?”

"body's in trouble" 🔒 (E) by cloudsandpassingevents | 55,915 | “I don’t know,” Nolan finally mumbles. “I’m not, like, trying to – ” the rest of the sentence gets stuck in his throat. He takes a sip of tea to force it back down. “Like. I wouldn’t do anything drastic. But, like.” He gestures vaguely at the air between them. “If you had a bike that was broken, you wouldn’t just keep it around anymore, you know? Like, it’d just be useless. You’d throw it away. So, like, if your body can’t do stuff that it’s supposed to be able to do, then…” he trails off, chewing on the corner of his lip. “What’s the point, you know,” he finally finishes.

"when the night falls" 🔒 (E) by anonymous | 16,519 | In which Travis is strangely fascinated by the moody guy who keeps showing up at his coffee shop right as he’s closing. Well. The dude is hot. It’s not that complicated, actually.

"River for the Sea" 🔒 (E) by LoveLeah | 39,152 | It’s not that Nolan’s, like, hugely fucking into Travis. He literally barely knows him, but obviously he’s hot, tan and athletic with nice hair and pretty eyes and this dark tattoo just dipping out from under the sleeve of his t-shirt, wrapping around the thick muscle of his bicep.

"Bathe with You in the Sea" 🔒 (M) by LoveLeah | 2,549 | “Chase told us something,” his mom says. Travis' body feels fire hot under his parka, sweaty and closed in. “He says he thinks you didn’t come because--Travis, he says you told him you were gay.”

"Breathing Room" 🔒 (E) by makeit_takeit | 16,149 | “I dunno, dude.” Travis chews on the inside of his cheek, rubs his hand over the whiskers on his chin to feel them bend and slide and prickle under his fingers. “You ever just get tired of being in the city all the time? Just seeing like – airport, hotel, arena, bus, airport, and that’s it?”

"faith between our teeth" 🔒 (E) by waytoobright | 10,602 | For Travis, it feels like home. He knows the streets up and down every block, and he’s been working at his family friend’s hot dog stand since he turned fourteen and was legally allowed to work in the state of New Jersey. He’s got friends who work at other restaurants and shops down the boardwalk and everyone still comes back every summer. They all come rolling into town during the first few weeks of sun and sand, and then the summer really begins.

"The Strangest Trip" 🔒 (E) by makeit_takeit | 19,562 | Pat’s at the bar, back turned to the speeches. He looks like always: big, beautiful, perfect in his almost-pink-but-still-technically-taupe suit. Hair slicked back off his face, jaw clenched and trying hard to hide how much he doesn’t want to be here, gripping his wine glass a little too tight. Just looking at him, Travis can feel the almost desperate pull in his chest, the longing.

"Two Halves of a Whole Idiot" 🔒 (E) by littleconnections | 19,089 | Nolan's hair is getting long too, flicking into his eyes and Travis sits on the shore and watches, the pulling in his gut both familiar and not. What if I kiss him, he thinks.

"Friends Don't Look At Friends That Way" 🔒 (E) by Matriaya | 5,519 | Travis knows as soon as Sara suggests a threesome that he's gonna pick Patty. Obviously. Patty’s his best friend, and they see each other’s dicks like every fucking day at the rink, and he’s definitely walked in on Patty boning a chick before, so it will just be like that only… together.

"Hot House Grapes" 🔒 (E) by LoveLeah for Matriaya | 7,636 | Even after TK told him; after he found out he and TK both liked guys, he hadn't thought about TK as anything more than just TK. Like, he hadn't thought he wasn't hot, but he'd just never thought that much about it at all. Then they came back from the summer after their junior year, and Nolan walked into their dorm, and TK was sprawled out shirtless on the bottom bunk, dark tan and smiling, and Nolan took one look at him and was like: oh.

"Twice As Many Stars" 🔒 (E) by TheNorthRemembers | 230,251 | “Told you,” Nolan says, and it’s meant to be teasing but somehow his voice trails off into something softer at the look on Travis’ face. It’s not really surprise or shock like Nolan had expected, not entirely anyway. There’s disappointment there too, mixed with defiance and sadness. “You can’t save everyone.” The character's death screen is still showing, and it feels mocking in a way Nolan didn’t quite see coming. “I had to try, though,” Travis still says, unmoving for another second before he musters up a smile and presses the controller into Nolan’s hand. “You always gotta try.”

"in the name of being honest" 🔒 (E) by coastalhighway | 51,655 | From the moment the Flyers had stepped on the ice, Nolan had tried to catch TK’s eye, tried to make him fucking look at Nolan, but— The entire goddamn time. The entire goddamn game, TK never once met his eyes.

"Coming Undone" (E) by Linsky | 3,184 | For the record: Travis does hook up. A completely normal amount, even. He finds girls on Tinder and totally does go out with them. Just, that’s a lot of work, and sometimes he’s tired from hockey, and it just seems easier to stick to messaging. It’s still sort of like hooking up.

"latibule" (E) by wolver | 40,601 | "You're Nolan Patrick, right?" The guy presses on whether he gets an answer or not (he doesn't), "Bro, it's sweet we get to play together. You're fucking sick; your stick-handling skills are off the charts, my man, this is gonna be so sweet." Nolan can fucking feel the vibrations of Travis stifling a laugh, but of course Travis isn't going to throw him a rescue line like the fucker that he is. All Nolan can really do is stare blankly -- his first choice of words are highly inappropriate and he smothers them into an unintelligible mumble.

"before the wave hits" 🔒 (E) by anonymous | 16,477 | It's not really a big deal, is the thing. It's just that Travis thinks it's kind of weird that they've been best friends for three years and he's never seen Patty's dick.

"let's get tangled up together" (E) by wolver | 3,236 | Patty's back. A slice in the life from training camp.

"he's kinda quiet (but his body ain’t)" 🔒 (E) by thestarsatnight | 2,956 | Nolan is looking at him and with soft, knowing eyes, because he knows exactly how taxing it is sometimes to manage anything past getting up, breathing, and going back to bed.

"Tazete Tazone" 🔒 (M) by soupbowlfulofsins | 7,464 | One drunk kiss does not a bromance make. So obviously, Travis and Nolan step up their bro-kissing game.

"So long, Honey" 🔒 (E) by TheNorthRemembers | 11,649 | Nolan and Travis have been friends since they've been kids and in love almost just as long. Nolan is a hockey player, but Travis isn't, but Nolan still comes home to him every off season.

"wouldn’t know where to start" 🔒 (M) by anonymous | 7,090 | Travis just keeps pressing, keeps touching Nolan the same way he always has, and waits for it to stop feeling normal. It never does.

"what we do when we stop thinkin" 🔒 (E) by Matriaya | 6,687 | Travis leans up and presses a kiss to Nolan’s cheek, right smack in the hollow of it, where the fuzz is starting to creep up. It’s no more than a second, lips on skin, barely a glance, but he can’t quite meet Nolan’s gaze as he pulls away. “For good luck!”

"Good For You" 🔒 (E) by TheNorthRemembers | 40,282 | Travis finds out that Nolan has a big dick and becomes obsessed with it, discovering some stuff about himself along the way. Nolan mostly just enjoys the ride.

"Does Anybody Know" 🔒 (E) by thestarsatnight | 3,509 | Kevin was beaming at him. “Better believe we’re gonna celebrate that hatty once this pandemic’s over, TikiBar.” “Sure, sure,” Travis said, bobbing his head. There was a lot he’d told these guys over the years, a lot that he’d shared with this team, but some things were just for him, even in the jumbled up excitement of his brain. Instead, he said, “Plenty of time for you to catch up, Hayesy,” and Kevin’s answering laugh was enough.

"Rattling Cages" (E) by LoveLeah | 48,562 | Nolan gets ditched, wears short-shorts, and tries to figure out his head. Travis buys a dildo, spends $2000 on Etsy, and makes a folder for all the Nolan pictures on his phone.

"worn but young" 🔒 (E) by grace | 28,525 | Somehow though, with Patty it’s all felt different so far, though he would never have guessed it would in a thousand years. Travis keeps looking back to check how far ahead he’s gotten and every time Patty is right there with him, pacing him quiet and calm. Acting like it’s normal to want the things with a friend that Travis wants, the constant closeness, acting like Travis isn’t bothering or taking from him at all. It makes Travis feel giddy inside, like bubbles fizzing.

"shines when the sunset shifts" 🔒 (E) by grace | 15,391 | Nolan feels all the things he’s been wanting to say to someone and can’t rise up and crowd in; a pressure, a weather system. I thought I was better. I’m not doing well. It is happening again. It will happen forever. Instead he says, “Does that hurt?”

"born to be crazy, born to be wild" 🔒 (E) by anonymous | 6,353 | Nolan was not throwing himself a pity party. Was he injured? Yes. Was he injured for the seven-millionth fucking time? Unfortunately. Had he succumbed, under the covers in the wee hours of the morning, to his weakest impulse, searching his name on Twitter? Also yes. Had that sent him into a shame spiral? Obviously.

"if you need me, i'm the same as i was" 🔒 (T) by donderwolk | 4,719 | TK clears his throat, tries to go for sultry again then, but it’s part of the bit now, a little in-joke between the two of them, says, “What are you wearing?”

"i miss this time, last year" 🔒 (M) by donderwolk | 18,048 | Travis calls him about two hours after the news drops, says nothing for a whole ten seconds, then comes out with just a, “Nolan.” It’s less a word, and more a sigh. A strange and desperate thing. They haven’t spoken in eight months.

"stuck in my head, heart, body" 🔒 (E) by donderwolk | 2,434 | God, what would TK even do if he just — showed up? Pretend, Nolan thinks. Knows, really. He’d pretend, at least for a little while, that Nolan standing on his doorstep in fucking Haddonfield unannounced and on Valentine’s Day was the most normal thing a guy could do.

"sing it in my sleep" (M) by fadeastride | 3,954 | It takes three days after leaving the bubble for Travis to check his phone. He deletes most of the texts unread, but there's one from Nolan that just says, "You should come see me."

"the most exciting thing I'd ever known" (T) by fadeastride | 3,072 | The first time Nolan starts to actually think about it, they're in Claude's backyard for some kind of "welcome spring" barbecue that's really an excuse to drink too much cheap beer and cook meat over a fire. Nolan's four, maybe five, beers in when he tells Travis that he's got the balance of one of those goats that walk sideways up mountains and that he could totally walk the fence like a balance beam. "You cannot," Travis says, smashing another bite of hamburger into his mouth.

"any thrill will do"🔒 (E) by hackysack | 8,372 | Pat copes with it the same way he’s been coping with every other part of the Philadelphia break-up: he goes on Grindr.

"hold (me) still" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype & solarperigee | 3,343 | Nolan watches out of the corner of his eye as TK gets more and more jittery, before he finally springs to his feet, presses a kiss to Nolan's cheek, and announces, “I've gotta go jerk it so I'm not sitting here with a boner all game, 'kay?” Nolan doesn't know what drives him to say it, but the words are out before he can stop to think about them. “You can do it here, if you're quick about it.”

"occupying space" 🔒 (E) by toxica939 | 4,278 | Nolan loves him. The thought’s like a bruise. Something better left to poke at later, press down on, see if it hurts.

"I Wish That It Was Easy" 🔒 (E) by littleconnections | 10,393 | Getting stuck in a time loop has never made anyone realise their feelings any quicker.

"Someone Else's Solid Ground" (E) by Linsky | 21,757 | Nolan’s body has never been his friend.

••••••

That's 100!

[taughtdefense]

ethan’s pulse instantly quickens, anger & bitterness surging up from that deep reservoir of helplessness he tries so hard to keep buried. he’s been pushing away his own trauma from the school fight to try & help sam & the others, especially since miyagi-do shut down. even if mr. larusso just wants to keep everyone safe, that it was for their best interests... anthony’s flippant tone stirs up everything he’s been trying to hold down—because it isn’t just about miguel or sam, or even himself. it’s about robby, too, in a way that ethan barely lets himself acknowledge.

images flash through his mind, jumbled but so real. sam’s scars, the angry red lines tory left using a spiked bracelet, visible reminders of the fight’s brutality. miguel lying in a hospital bed, fragile & still. but it’s the memory of robby that cuts the deepest—robby’s face, panicked & overwhelmed, right before he ran. he remembers every angle that was uploaded from people’s phones about the fight, recalls his own battles with preston & his karate rival, nolan—they’d ganged up on him. he’d hospitalized nolan, but preston… preston is tougher, like ethan—an eldritch being; his younger brother can take much more physical punishment. he’d gotten away fine, unharmed & entirely trauma-free. because preston is a fucking psychopath.

ethan had wanted to reach out, to do something to pull robby back, but he’d been helpless to stop him. he couldn’t even go after him—his earplugs had been ruined, leaving him too physically overwhelmed to react. & what should he have done? go after robby, or risk destroying the goddamn universe because he couldn’t hold back his own powers?

& here’s the scarily sobering thing—he could have done that. it almost happened. (in a wholly evisceration-level, catastrophic incident involving the complete annihilation of this universe, who do i choose? robby or the universe?)

mr. larusso & johnny should have let him search for robby with them. it’s driving ethan fucking insane. all of it is.

a darker pulse thrums at the edge of his awareness, a low hum under his skin, something ancient & raw that stirs to life whenever his emotions run this high. he can feel the tension there, a shadow that coils in the pit of his stomach, as if it’s waiting for him to lose control. he clings to his humanity, keeps it close, even as he feels that eldritch side of him pressing against his mind like a tangible presence, eager to spill over. especially recently. it would be so easy to let it happen, to let go, to let the shadows deepen & twist until @himbohotel saw just how serious this was.

he doesn’t, though.

ethan feels his chest tighten with rage as he drops his backpack onto the ground with a loud thump, surprised that his body hasn’t (at the very least) shifted to gain his three sets of ink-black wings. he can’t help it—the memory of robby’s face, that glimmer of fear & regret, stays with him. robby wasn’t some cold-hearted fighter, a monster, the way people on the news outlets & in the valley make him out to be. no one else seems to see the real robby, the one ethan knows, or thinks he knows, anyway. it’s as if he’s the only one who sees the parts of robby that aren’t hardened by anger. the vulnerable side, the one that deserves compassion, not endless fucking judgment.

ethan scowls, staring down at anthony on the couch. “oh, my god. fucking christ.” he mutters under his breath.

ethan’s stomach twists, a mix of anger & protectiveness he can’t quite explain. his feelings for robby have been this quiet, complicated thing, & he’s always been aware of them, but now they’re flaring up, raw & painful. every sarcastic word from anthony feels like an attack, like he’s belittling something ethan’s heart can’t ignore.

anthony mutters, “happy now?” with that insincere, lazy tone, & ethan’s temper snaps.

“people don’t just move on from this, anthony,” he hears himself say, his voice frigid, his anger barely contained. “this isn’t just a joke or a game where you can start over. sam’s got scars she’ll carry forever, & robby’s… out there, alone,” he can’t even say in juvie, because he’s pretty sure he’ll start screaming, “paying for a goddamn accident every day. he’s not some villain, & i’m fucking sick of everyone treating him that way.” anthony might not give a shit, but ethan does. he’s venting now because if he doesn’t do it later, he might do something he’ll really regret.

his breath catches slightly, his own words stirring something painful & unspoken within him. he can feel that dark urge curling up, urging him to do more, to let anthony understand the weight of his fury. but ethan holds it back, nails sharply digging into his palms.

ethan’s frustration churns like a storm inside him. completely moving out of the larusso house feels more & more like an idea he’ll go through with with every passing second, rather than a one-off thought. that’s been happening a lot since he heard the news of robby being put into juvie. anthony’s careless jokes only fuel the fire, reinforcing the idea that he needs to leave without telling anyone, giving no one any warning. he’s so furious with mr. larusso that he can’t even look at him anymore. each sarcastic remark from anthony cuts deeper, solidifying his idea to pack whatever belongs he has & leave quietly within the next few hours, before mr. & mrs. larusso come home from work & sam from a friend’s house, & just go. maybe anthony’ll fucking help him pack his bags, since he’s such a free loader, as he’s called him several times.

because of his growing, biting rage, the lamp light next to anthony flickers. just once, & barely noticeable, but it’s enough to make him want to scream out loud. he doesn’t—he holds back. always holds back.

“but yeah, sure, go ahead. laugh it off.” he pauses, swallowing hard, trying to keep his rage from broiling over, from releasing his powers or becoming more & more visibly monstrous, eldritch-like qualities & all, something that would definitely terrify anthony… & expose your nonhuman nature. “just keep your jokes to yourself, because if you can’t understand why this isn’t funny now… maybe you never will.”

[laurenairay]

Unexpected - K. Hayes

Summary: After being just friends with Kevin for over four years, can you ever be anything more?

Word Count: 10.2k

Warnings: a little angst, a lot of fluff, a smidgen of smut, friends to lovers because that’s my jam

A/N: so this originally started as a blurb which got mildly out of hand and turned into this fic. I have repeated the scene from the blurb to keep the flow the same. I have no regrets. 

This is particularly inspired from Talk About by Seaforth (thanks @antoineroussel!) and Just Friends by Virginia to Vegas (thanks @broadstbroskis!)

@danglesnipecelly @princessphilly @chicagoblackhawkslover96 @himbos-on-ice @whoeverineedtobe @flybabyfly @ipuckwithhockey @antoineroussel @babytkachuks @broadstbroskis @texanstarslove @tippedbykreider @thebookofmags @horsesandhockeyplayers @denis-scorianov @lulucanwrite @rangersftflyers @notaccurateornice @pandorasbox2020 @mattytkachuk19 @whatishockey​ @no-pucks-given​ @fanfics-for-the-hockey-fan​ @troubatrain @joelsfarabee @nuenyyx @miracleonice87

*

A party was never just a simple party when Kevin Hayes was involved. Music was pounding, beer was flowing, shots were poured, and weed was an easy haze on the back porch. You had no idea what the occasion was for one of your oldest friends to be throwing this shindig, but you weren’t complaining. Hanging out with him and relaxing after a long hard day was infinitely better than sitting at home and eating cold pizza. Again.

People always teased you about being so close with Kevin, always hinting that there must be something more between you, but you just laughed it off, knowing that he would never be interested. How could he? He had the perfect hockey WAGs lining up in queues to flirt with him – and you were just his friend. You’d known each other since you both lived in Tribeca years ago, and there had never been anything to even hint at anything more than friends. He’d never flirted with you outside of his natural charm. He’d never made a move on you in the slightest. He’d never shown the smallest bit of interest in anything other than platonic – so you knew how he felt. And to be honest, his friendship was amazing and it was something you never wanted to lose, so why would you put yourself out there when you already knew what the answer would be?

No, being friends with Kevin Hayes was exactly where you were meant to be.

You’d spent a few hours with a rotating cast of Flyers and their better halves, drinking and sharing stories about your mutual friend, but it had been a while since you’d seen him. At least a couple of non-Kevin hours. So what if you got a little needy when you were drinking? How could you not want a hug from your beautiful friend? No, bad drunk brain. Crossing that line was never worth it.

You still wanted that hug though.

So bidding the other drunk partygoers adieu, you wandered about the house in search of Kevin, coming up empty in every room…until you spotted smoke outside the kitchen window. Hah, of course. You knew how much he loved to wind down with a blunt or two. His easygoing nature was one of the things you loved most about him.

Putting down your empty drink, you walked outside, spotting Kevin and Nolan lounging on the outside sofas, Nolan with a blunt in his hand.

“Hey! You’re here!” Kevin grinned.

You shook your head fondly, wafting the pungent smoke out of your face.

“I’ve been here for hours, Kev. You’ve already seen me,” you said, smiling.

Kevin pouted, and Nolan just snickered, making you laugh.

“Weed always makes you forgetful,” you mused, sitting down on the seating next to him.

“Nuh-uh I don’t forget everything,” Kevin shrugged, turning to face you properly, “Not the important things. Like the fact that I love you, you know that right?”

Your jaw dropped slightly as his words hit you. What the everloving fuck? Why would he joke like that?

“Goddamn Kev, how high are you?” you asked, frowning.

Without waiting for him to answer, you looked over at Nolan, who just shrugged.

“I don’t know, he’s pretty baked. But I’m going to let you deal with all of that,” Nolan grimaced, waving a hand in Kevin’s general direction.

You rolled your eyes as he quickly passed Kevin the blunt and walked back inside. Yeah, thanks for the help.

“Why did Patty leave?” Kevin asked, frowning.

“Because he’s allergic to emotions? I don’t know. Maybe he just knows that you’re talking shit and he doesn’t want to deal with it,” you muttered.

“I’m not talking shit,” Kevin shot back, “I love you,”

“No you don’t,” you said, rolling your eyes again.

Seriously? Where had this come from? This wasn’t fair, he couldn’t say that when you knew it wasn’t true. Where had he gotten this lot of weed from? Clearly it didn’t agree with him.

“Yes I do! I know my own feelings,” Kevin insisted.

“Right, yeah, sure you do,” you sighed.

You were neither drunk enough nor high enough for this conversation. This was…not how you expected this evening to go. And just like that, your good mood was ruined.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” Kevin asked softly.

“Not even in the slightest, Kev,” you said, smiling sadly.

Of course you didn’t. Why, after all this time, would he be saying the words you most wanted to hear from him? There was no logic behind it – there was no way it could be true. He’d never ever shown any hint of this to be true.

“I’ll prove it to you,” he said firmly.

And then he placed his hand on your thigh, making you inhale sharply, the warmth of his large hand sending tingles through your body. No.

“This is not the time or place, Kevin,” you said shortly, “You are stoned out of your fucking mind,”

“You said my full name. You never say my full name,” he said sadly.

Of course that’s what he picked up out of that. Clearly he wasn’t going to get any easier to talk to…and while normally that made for some pretty fun conversation, tonight it wasn’t going to happen. And you couldn’t sit around and listen to more of this.

“I’m just going to go,” you sighed, nudging his hand off your thigh and standing upright.

“What? No!” Kevin said, eyes wide and sad.

“I can’t,” you said, forcing a smile, “I can’t stay and hear this, when I know you don’t mean it when you’re sober,”

“But…”

“I’ll send Nolan back out, okay? I’ll…talk to you later, Kev,” you said firmly, interrupting him.

Without waiting for another answer, you quickly walked back into the house, heartbeat racing in your ears and a lump in your throat. At least you didn’t have to go far to look for Nolan – he was standing just inside in the kitchen.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he frowned.

You just shook your head, smiling thinly, not wanting to go into it. “I’m going to go,”

“But he…”

“Kev will be fine – you don’t mind going back out there with him, right?” you said, interrupting.

Nolan pressed his lips together but shook his head. “No, I don’t mind,”

“Good. Good. Um, I’m sure I’ll see you around?” you offered.

Would you? Who knows. How long would you even need before you could see Kevin again without your heart aching?

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Nolan nodded.

You missed the determined look in the younger man’s eyes as you walked away, too intent on locating your jacket without giving in to the tears that were threatening to fall. Sleep, sobering up and some distance – that would help, right?

*

01:21

From: Kevin

Why did you leave?

Please come back?

~

01:57

From: Kevin

I meant it.

I swear I meant it.

Please call me.

~

03:00

Missed call – Kevin

~

10:17

From: Kevin

Fuck I fell asleep.

Are you ignoring me?

Please call me when you get this.

~

10:35

From: Kevin

I get it if you don’t love me back.

But please don’t ignore me, I can’t take that.

Please call me?

We need to talk. Please.

~

10:55

From: Kevin

Please?

~

11:00

To: Kevin

Kev, I can’t do this.

It’s too much.

Please just give me time and space.

~

11:02

From: Nolan

I’ve taken Kev’s phone off him.

His sad face is too much.

I know you asked for space and I’ll make sure he gives it to you.

But please, just think over what he said?

You know he doesn’t say shit he doesn’t mean, not when it’s important.

~

11:17

To: Nolan

Yeah, okay. I’ll think it over.

*

Mornings were generally your worst time of day. But this morning in particular was a terrible one. The slight bleurgh of lingering sleep made you feel groggy enough, but nothing that a quick shower and a slice of buttered toast couldn’t fix. No, this morning was terrible because your heart was still aching from three days ago. You still had no idea what Kevin was playing at, acting like that around you, but it hurt and you knew you weren’t going to be able to forget it any time soon. Kevin’s increasingly desperate text messages and the single message from Nolan hung over you like a bad shadow, but you knew were right about not just giving in straight away – you were still emotional enough now as it was, and you knew it wouldn’t have been a good idea to see Kevin immediately. No, space was exactly what you needed, even if it hurt.

Your second cup of coffee woke you up enough at least to not leave you in a pit of despair. Like Nolan had asked, you’d thought about Kevin’s words over and over again. His declaration of love, out of nowhere. His confusion and sadness and fucking desperation. You know he doesn’t say shit he doesn’t mean, not when it’s important. It still didn’t give you the answer, any answer. Because in your heart, there was still that little whisper of doubt, telling you it wasn’t true, not really. And unless you were 100% sure, there was no way you could take that chance, not with Kevin. His friendship was too important in your life to risk not having it at all, so if it meant needing time to get over him and drag yourself out of this swirling despair then you would take it.

Despair was for people who didn’t have a life to get on with. You had lived long enough without Kevin in your life before you’d met him, and you could damn well succeed in living without his presence for a couple of weeks or so. At least until you’d built up those walls again.

It had been three days and the struggle was real.

Around 9am, you were jolted out of your thoughts by a series of knocks on your front door. With a frown, you walked over to the entrance hallway, and peeked through the peep-hole, only to see Kevin. What the fuck? Why was he here?

He had a sad but determined look on this face, you could see that much – fuck, was he going to say he didn’t mean anything he said that night? That now he’d thought about it properly, it wasn’t real? It was bad enough hearing his emotions from him when high as a kite, but you couldn’t bear for him to admit it was fake when he was sober. But maybe it was what you deserved, seeing as you’d asked for time and space. Fuck. No, you’d definitely done the right thing for you…but had you done the right thing for Kevin?

What you did know for sure was that you couldn’t leave him standing outside, when he knew full well that you had no real plans today. He knew your schedule too well for that. So with a deep breath, you put on a smile and opened the door. There he stood, eyes warm albeit sleepy, that hair so perfectly tousled. Why did he have to hit every single tickbox on your list? How was that fair?

“Look who’s up before midday on an off-day,” you teased, “What are you doing here?”

Kevin smiled at your teasing, but it was as fake as you knew your smile was. Fuck. “I was in the neighbourhood and figured I’d see what you were up to. Mind if I come in?”

Ouch. He definitely wasn’t in the neighbourhood, he was here for one reason only. To talk. Fuck.

But you nodded, letting him past you into your apartment anyway. He’d given you three days’ space, like you’d asked, it was only fair that you let him say his piece now right?

“Coffee?” you asked, shutting the door behind him.

“Yes please,” Kevin groaned, nodding.

Your smile slipped a little as you headed to the kitchen, you heart already aching with the preparation of it being broken completely, but you managed to keep yourself together as you reached for the coffee pot, pouring him a large mug of the caffeinated lifeblood in silence.

“Here you go,” you said as cheerfully as you could manage.

“Thanks,” he said, smiling.

He sat down at the kitchen island, looking up at you with those beautiful big eyes, until you sat down opposite him.

“I still mean it, y’know,” he said bluntly.

You frowned, not understanding. “Mean what?”

“Mean what I said that night. That I love you,”

Oh God. Fuck. Your breath hitched in your throat, your lips parting in surprise. What…what was he doing?

“Kev, please don’t…”

“No, I’m going to,” Kevin interrupted, uncharacteristically solemn, “Because you seem to have some pretty incorrect ideas in your head and I need to set them straight,”

You swallowed heavily, biting your bottom lip. How were you even supposed to respond to that? Kevin saw the anxious look on your face clear as day, his own seriousness softening to a sad smile.

“Patty said you looked pretty upset when you left that night,” he said softly.

You shook your head, desperate for a sliver of control. “I wasn’t upset, I-”

“Even if he hadn’t spent the last three days ripping into me, I know you were upset. You’ve never just left like that,” Kevin said firmly.

Normally, you hated being interrupted. But in this case, you really had nothing else you could say. Nothing that you could say, not when he knew you so well.

“No, I haven’t,” you sighed, leaning back in your chair.

“I’m sorry that me confessing how I felt made you leave but I wasn’t messing around! I was trying gather the high courage to tell you, after all this time!” Kevin said desperately.

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.

He was serious, wasn’t he? Of course he had to bulldoze right through, in typical Kevin Hayes style.

But Kevin took your silence the wrong way.

“How could you not have known?” he frowned.

“How could I possibly have known, Kev? I’ve seen you flirting with women before – and you’re never like that around me. How could I have known that you wanted anything more than friendship when you’ve never acted like it?” you retorted.

Kevin’s cheeks flushed, and he ducked his head briefly, before he looked back up at you. Fuck, he looked a little sad? Like...like he was about to genuinely open up his heart. Fuck.

“I always thought you weren’t interested in me. Why would you be interested in dumb stoner Kevin? I figured if I could only ever have you as a friend then I would latch onto that, because having you in my life in any way is so much better than not having you in my life at all,” he said sadly.

You had never heard him this eloquent before. To be honest, it made your heart ache all over again. But he was never like this…why now?

“Are you still high?” you asked, frowning.

Kevin laughed dryly, shaking his head. “Why do I have to be high to tell you how I feel?”

“Because that’s literally the only time you’ve ever said it before?” you said, raising an eyebrow.

Kevin groaned softly, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

“You know meaningful stuff doesn’t come all that easily to me,” he huffed.

“I also know you’re not just Kevin-the-hockey-playing-himbo-from-Boston,” you pointed out, smiling slightly.

Kevin laughed softly. “You always have figured me out pretty well,”

“I’m just not a mind reader,” you mused.

He laughed again, nodding his head. “I guess I just…I saw you and I had to say it. I’ve liked you for years, sweetheart, ever since we lived in Tribeca. And I thought, maybe, just maybe, you getting your job transferred to Philly meant that it was finally our time. But it never happened. Maybe it was the weed. Maybe it was the weed and how beautiful you looked combined that actually took down those barriers which have kept me from blurting out my feelings in the past. But I swear to you, I meant every word,”

Sweetheart. Wow. Never had that word affected you more. You swallowed heavily, looking down at your hands. It was true that you’d always been able to read him well – and he was being so sincere right now that it had your stomach tied in knots. He really meant it, didn’t he? He really meant…that he loves you. That he’s loved you for years. Fuck.

It was everything you’d hoped to hear, and you’d spent the last three days trying to convince yourself he didn’t mean it. But he really did mean it, didn’t he?

“Say it again,” you murmured.

The grin that spread across Kevin’s lips sent a shiver up your spine.

“I love you,” he said clearly, firmly, looking directly into your eyes.

Your breath hitched in your throat, butterflies exploding in your stomach. Fuck that was so good to hear. Holy fucking shit.

“Kevin…” you whispered helplessly.

“I gotta know…because I’m holding onto a scrap of hope that you feel the same…do you…”

He trailed off, his voice a little desperate, a little lost, and you found yourself nodding like an idiot, tears springing to your eyes. If he could be brave, then so could you.

“Yes, Kev, I do. I love you so much,” you admitted.

Kevin laughed in triumph, a little incredulous, and he quickly stood up from the island, taking one large step towards you, and tugging you to stand up on your feet too.

“Fuck, fuck, can I kiss you?” he asked, happiness sparkling in his eyes.

You found yourself laughing, but nodded and clutched at his sweater, holding on in case your weak knees gave out on you. Kevin grinned, resting his forehead against yours briefly, before he closed the distance between you with a firm kiss. You couldn’t help but melt into his arms, kissing him back just as eagerly, throwing your arms around his neck a little desperately as his tongue slid against yours. His hands went to your hips and he easily picked you up to place you on the kitchen counter, and you gasped into his mouth at how effortless the motion was, moaning a little as he just stepped right in between your legs. It felt like second nature to hook your legs around his waist, pulling your bodies even closer together, earning a soft moan from the man that sent a pulse of heat right between your thighs. Fuck.

“Kev, wait, we shouldn’t…” you gasped, tilting your head back to break the kiss.

Because as much as you wanted to hop right into bed with him, you needed to let him know that this wasn’t all this was for you. It couldn’t be.

“Fuck, you gotta know this is more than sex for me, right?” Kevin groaned, eyes a little wild as he looked down at you.

How did he always know what to say?

“Again, I’m not a mind reader,” you laughed.

Kevin laughed as well, ducking his head to press gentle kisses into the soft skin of your neck.

“I want to take you out on so many dates. I want to tell my mom about you properly rather than just mention you in passing. I want to ignore Patty crowing in the locker room that he gave me the kick up the ass that I needed. I want to tell Brady and Jimmy that I finally took a chance. I want to show you off to the world as my girlfriend,” Kevin murmured between kisses, finishing with a nip to your earlobe.

Fuck. That was all that you wanted, and he was offering it up on a silver platter.

“I want that too,” you gasped, tilting your head more to the side.

You felt Kevin smile against your skin, nipping at you again before he lifted his head to look at you properly.

“Now can I kiss you again?” Kevin asked hopefully.

You laughed but nodded, threading your fingers through his messy curls. “You can kiss me any time you want,”

Kevin grinned and did just that.

*

Pulling into the practice arena, Kevin realised he still had a stupid smile on his face. He’d spent all morning at your apartment, mostly making out on the sofa with a little talking dotted throughout, and he’d only been able to tear himself away because Nolan had texted to remind him about the mandatory afternoon practice today. Obviously he would much rather have stayed with you, especially now that he knew what it was like to kiss you, how your lips felt against his, how easy it was to hold you in his arms, but if he skipped practice there would be hell to pay.

That, and he now knew how easily he could get carried away, how easily he could get lost in you. He hadn’t lied when he said that this was more than sex for him. Loving you was everything – overwhelming, all-consuming and wonderful – and there was no way he was going to let sex ruin that. As much as he already knew it would be incredible. He’d waited four years to be in your bed more than platonically, he could wait a little longer. Especially now that he knew you loved him too.

Fuck, you were finally his. He could finally call you his girlfriend. Fuck.

Kevin was so lost in his thoughts as he parked his car, that he didn’t notice a familiar figure walking up to him, and flinched as they knocked on the window. Nolan. Fuck.

“Way to give me a heart attack, baby cat,” Kevin groaned as he got out of the car.

“You made me catch a lift with Teeks last minute – now we’re even,” Nolan smirked.

Kevin just laughed, rolling his eyes as he pulled his bag out of his car and locked it. When he turned back to look at his friend, he saw that Nolan looked incredibly smug, almost unbearably so, and steeled himself for an interrogation. He hadn’t exactly been forthcoming in his text earlier to say that Nolan would have to find his own way to practice. Oops.

“Please tell me you came from your New York girl’s place,”

Hah, your New York girl. When you’d first moved job to Philadelphia, Kevin had referred to you as ‘a girl friend from New York’, to try to play it cool, to try to hide how excited he was that you were finally going to be reunited…and the name had stuck. Pretty much everyone on the team, including some who’d been traded away, referred to you as ‘your New York girl’, mainly because of how red Kevin had blushed when Claude had called you that when you’d first met the team.

The team liked teasing their usually-unflappable teammate.

You liked that Kevin talked about you in the first place.

Kevin just liked that people had always called you his.

“Yeah, I did,” Kevin shrugged, trying to play it cool.

But Nolan just rolled his eyes, not having any of it.

“You two talked right? Like, actually talked,” Nolan asked firmly.

That and other things. But Nolan didn’t need to know that. Kevin just smirked, nodding, and laughed as Nolan whooped.

“I swear to god I’m not getting those three days back, you owe me so bad. And I’m claiming victory for this matchmaking,” Nolan grinned.

“Meddling more like it,” Kevin mused, rolling his eyes, “You got the result you wanted though,”

“I did?”

“You did,”

“Fucking finally,” Nolan groaned.

“Finally what?”

Kevin turned his head to see Claude walking up behind them and winced. If Nolan kept his mouth shut then maybe Kevin had a chance of not being ridiculed for the entirety of practice…

“Hayesy ditched me to finally talk about his feelings,” Nolan smirked.

Oof.

“With your New York girl? Fucking finally,” Claude grinned.

One day that nickname would fade. One day.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Better late than never,” Kevin mused.

“Only took you a few years,” Nolan snorted.

Four long miserable years. But who was counting.

“Well I’m glad you finally took a chance. Fuck knows it’s been painful enough watching the two of you dance around each other,” Claude teased, before his face suddenly went serious, “She returned your feelings, right? Like, fuck-”

“She did,” Kevin said, interrupting, “She loves me too,”

Saying it out loud like that made him grin, earning laughter from his two teammates.

“Thank fuck for that,” Claude huffed, teasing with a grin of his own.

Thank fuck indeed.

*

From: Kevin

Dinner at mine tonight?

I’ve got that wine you like…

~

To: Kevin

You had me at wine.

What time do you want me?

~

From: Kevin

I always want you.

I’ll have food ready for 7pm.

But come over whenever!

~

To: Kevin

You ridiculous flirt.

Can’t wait to see you.

~

Kevin’s messages kept a smile on your face for the rest of your work day, and you didn’t bother going back to your apartment after work – heading straight to his place was all you could think about, so that’s all that you did. And the smile that he greeted you with when he opened the door – bright, genuine, happy – told you that you’d made the right decision.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Kevin murmured, tugging you against his body.

You couldn’t help but laugh, leaning into his hold as he shut the door behind you. “Flattery will get you everywhere,” you grinned.

Kevin grinned back. “Good to know,”

You rolled your eyes fondly, leaning up on your tiptoes to press your lips to his in a soft kiss, smiling at the happy noise he made as you embraced sweetly, your arms sliding up his chest and around his neck. Fuck, even just knowing that you could do this now, kiss him whenever you wanted, sent a shiver up your spine, let alone how good it felt to brush your tongue against his. It was like the floodgates had opened – now that you could kiss him, touch him, hold him, you never wanted to stop. You took every opportunity, and Kevin was exactly the same – maybe even more so, with the way his hands always seemed to stray to your ass.

The kisses eventually slowed to a few gentle pecks, Kevin looking a little stunned even as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

“Hi,” you murmured.

“Hi,” he said back, a little helplessly.

Both of you laughed, Kevin resting his forehead against yours briefly before he stepped backwards a little, taking both of your hands with his.

“I gotta finish up some dinner prep, but I can pour you a glass of wine while you wait?” he suggested.

Sweet, thoughtful man.

“That sounds perfect to me,” you nodded, squeezing his hands in agreement.

Dinner was perfect. Wonderful. Incredible. It was only a simple pasta dish, but full of vegetables and spices and flavour, and the fact that Kevin had clearly poured time and effort into making this for the two of you made it even more special. Sitting across from him at the dinner table, each talking about your days, Kevin making your sides ache with laughter…it was all you could ever have dreamed of.

Was it all too good to be true?

That niggling thought followed you to the sofa after you’d finished eating, Kevin joining you with two fresh glasses of wine. He spotted your creased forehead and frown immediately, like you feared knew he would.

“What’s that face for?” Kevin mused, raising an eyebrow.

Sometimes it was a blessing how easily he could read you. But you weren’t sure if now was one of those times. As his smile started to slip, you took a deep breath, steeling yourself. There was no point in hiding your thoughts from him. Honesty and communication were a good thing, right?

“I guess I’m just nervous, that’s all,” you admitted.

Kevin frowned to match you, his eyes immediately going serious. “Nervous? Why?”

“Things are just different now. You know that,”

Kevin’s frown immediately shifted to a smile, making your heart beat a little faster. His faith in you was mindblowing. “It’s just you and me, how it’s always been. How it always should be. Nothing’s different about that,”

But still you shook your head, smiling fondly. “I know you as Kevin-the-friend. I don’t know you as Kevin-the-boyfriend. It’s whole new territory…and I have a horrible thought in my mind saying that it’s all too good to be true,”

Kevin’s face fell again at your words, and he quickly put his wine glass on the coffee table, shaking his head as he reached out to take one of your hands in his. Your breath hitched in your throat at the emotion in his eyes, like it genuinely hurt him to hear the words that came out of your mouth, and you put your own glass down on the floor with a wince.

“Are you…having second thoughts? About…us?” he said quietly, like the words left a bitter taste in his mouth.

You quickly shook your head – you knew that wasn’t it. Not even close. But still…

“What is it then?” Kevin asked, confused.

Here goes nothing. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel real, us being together. Like I’m going to wake up and you’re going to want to only be just friends. It scares me,”

“Shit,” Kevin groaned, eyes closing briefly.

When his eyes reopened his eyes to look at you once more, the fire in his expression startled you…but also made your mouth go dry. That intensity was a good look on him, one you hadn’t seen directed your way before. Fuck.

“Sweetheart, I can’t predict the future. Hell, I can barely figure out what to make for breakfast, let alone where our relationship is going to go. But I do know one thing for certain,” he said firmly.

You swallowed heavily, letting out a shaky breath. “And what’s that?”

“That I want us to have a future. That I am all in. I’m putting my whole heart into this baby, and I just wish I knew what to do so you would believe me,”

Fuck, you did believe him. You absolutely did believe him. How could you not, when you could feel his heart so strongly?

“Kev, I…” you trailed off, a little helpless, not sure where to start.

“What can I do?” he asked, eyes a little desperate.

“I don’t know! I wish I knew. I want this to work so badly,” you murmured.

“All we can do is put the hard work in, right?” he said firmly, eyes bright and shining, “Like, if we both try with our whole hearts, then it’s got to be worth it, right? We’ve been friends for years – that isn’t going to change. We have that foundation already. Now we’re just taking that next step, learning more about each other, rather than starting something scary from scratch,”

Your eyes filled with tears at his heartfelt words, and you found yourself nodding before you could stop yourself.

“It’s still scary…but it could be scarier,” you agreed, biting your bottom lip.

Kevin nodded, smiling encouragingly, to which you let out a shaky breath.

“And no matter what, we’re in this together, yeah? We’ve got each other, more so than ever before,” he said softly.

Your eyes dropped to where his thumb ran back and forth over your hand, a small smile spreading across your lips. “I like the sound of that,”

Kevin’s shoulders seemed to relax a little, like he was letting out tension, sending a guilty pang through your body. Fuck, there you go, making him feel bad again.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled, shrinking back a little.

“Hey, no, no apologies. I’m glad you told me,” he replied, shaking his head, “I’d rather we talked about stuff like this than let it build up to something ugly, y’know?”

He had a good point – you couldn’t imagine having a nasty all-out fight with Kevin, and you didn’t want to. He was one of your oldest friends for a reason, and you didn’t want to lose that through a stupid fight, no way.

“Same goes for you too, yeah? You can…should talk to me about anything that worries you,” you said softly.

Kevin smiled, nodding. “Alright, it’s a deal,”

He reached out to pick up his wine glass from the table, holding it towards you in a ‘cheers’ motion, making you laugh. But you picked up your glass from the floor anyway, and clinked it with his, both of you taking a long drink. Kevin was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment, before he quirked a smile your way.

“Let me take you out, show you what Kevin-the-boyfriend is like,” he suggested, “Let me show you that this new thing between us is going to be something amazing,”

How could you say no to that?

“I’d like that,” you grinned, relaxing into the sofa a bit more, “I already know I love Kevin-the-friend…so I think I need to meet Kevin-the-boyfriend properly,”

And as stupid as it felt saying those words out loud, you knew you were right – you needed to see this next stage in your relationship clearly, to banish away those niggling doubts. It was still Kevin, right? Just…more.

Kevin stretched his leg out onto the sofa, nudging your hip with his foot with a big smile on his face, nudging nudging nudging until you gripped his ankle tightly with your free hand, raising an eyebrow. All you got in return was his eyebrows wiggling at you, a stupid grin on his face.

“This is going to be great, you’ll see,” Kevin said cheerfully.

You were counting on it.

*

A first date was always something to be nervous about, right? Shaky hands, pounding heart, butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms…it was all natural, right? Because you were experiencing all of these things while you got ready for your date with Kevin.

But was it truly nerves? You weren’t nervous as in apprehensive. No, not at all. Any time you spent with Kevin was always full of warmth and laughter, even when you were just friends, and you knew that tonight would be so different. No, it was nervous as in excited. Nervous butterflies? Shaky giddiness? Whatever it was, it was more than a little overwhelming, but it only took one glance at the last text Kevin sent you to keep a smile on your face.

~

From: Kevin

I can’t wait to see you, beautiful 💖

~

Simple, but effective. He always knew what to do and say, even when he didn’t know he was doing it. So instead of getting cold feet or freaking out, all you did was put on your favourite playlist and bop around while you got yourself ready. You’d already gotten your usual leg and bikini wax this morning, having planned to wear a slinky black dress with bare legs, and as soon as you shimmied into the dress you knew it was the right choice. Figure hugging without being clingy, sexy as well as classy – a little black dress is a classic for a reason. After putting on a little makeup and a pair of your favourite heels, you were ready.

Kevin had insisted on picking you up so he could drive the two of you to the restaurant, rather than meeting there, and he arrived to yours right on time. But as you opened the front door of your apartment to greet him, his face was a little stunned, and he was uncharacteristically silent. Huh.

“Everything okay, Kev?” you asked hesitantly.

He quickly nodded, the stunned look on his face slipping into a wide smile.

“You just look so beautiful. Caught me off guard,” he shrugged.

You felt your cheeks heat up with warmth, and you batted your hand at his chest, making him laugh. Ridiculous man.

“Well, you scrub up pretty well yourself,” you teased.

A crisp white button-up shirt, a nice fitted pair of jeans and tailored jacket? Such a good look on him. Kevin just grinned at your words, ducking his head to kiss you softly, making your breath hitch in your throat. Yeah, this was going to be a good night.

“Ready to go?” he asked, as he broke the embrace.

“Yeah, let me just grab a jacket,”

The drive to the restaurant was short and smooth – a Spanish tapas place, on recommendation from Claude – and you were shown to your table immediately, Kevin pulling out your chair for you with a bright smile on his face.

“Welcome! Here are your menus – would you like to see the drinks menu too, or do you know what you would like?”

You looked from the waiter to Kevin with a shrug, to see him looking at you with a hopeful smile. Huh. He already planned this out, didn’t he? So you just nodded at him and smiled back.

“Can we have a glass of Rosado each?” Kevin asked, smiling effortlessly.

“Of course, I will be back momentarily,”

As the waiter walked away, you raised an eyebrow at Kevin, who just shrugged a little bashfully.

“I never have any clue which wine goes with what. So I asked Claude when he recommended this place – a few of the guys around us chimed in with their thoughts too, and apparently Rosado goes with tomato-y garlic-y things. I figured that’s the majority of what we’d be eating, so I hope that’s okay” Kevin explained.

The fact that he had put so much thought into tonight, asking his friends and really researching, made your heart clench, and it was all you could do to nod. He really was so sweet – no-one had ever put in this much effort for you before.

A silence fell over you for a moment, not awkward, but still not fully comfortable, until you looked at Kevin and the both of you huffed out a laugh.

“This is weird, right?” you giggled.

“Nah, not if we don’t let it be,” he shrugged, smiling.

His ease and nonchalance was something to be jealous of, that much was true.

“So confident, Mr Hayes,” you mused, raising an eyebrow.

“Easy to be confident when I’ve got the most beautiful person in the room sitting opposite me,” he replied smoothly.

Oh so smooth.

“Kev…” you groaned, hiding your face with a hand.

“Come on, I’ve been wanting to say these things for years! Indulge me,” he teased.

Years. The very thought of it sent a shiver down your spine.

“You think I haven’t had my moments of weakness? Where I’ve thought about us over the years?” you asked simply, raising an eyebrow as you lowered your hand back into your lap.

Kevin inhaled sharply, making you smile. Good.

“I like that you have. Thought about us, I mean. I just can’t believe how stupid we’ve been. We’ve wasted so much time,” Kevin sighed.

You reached across the table, resting your hand on top of his with a smile. “We’re here now, right? That’s all that matters,”

“Yeah exactly,” he nodded.

Then he bit his bottom lip, as if he was hesitating on something, making you smile a little more.

“What is it, Kev?” you asked softly.

He stayed silent for another beat or two, before he looked at you intensely.

“I see my future with you, sweetheart,” he blurted. Oh wow. “And yeah, maybe that’s too soon to say, but this isn’t some brand new fresh thing – this has been building for years, and now that we’re finally together, it just feels so right, y’know?”

Your heart clenched at his sweet words, and you couldn’t stop the smile that spread across your lips. Fuck. Who knew a hockey player could be so open and in touch with their feelings? Well, it was Kevin after all. Might as well speak your own thoughts too.

“It does feel so right. I’ve never felt anything for anyone like I feel for you,” you admitted.

Kevin’s answering smile was a little stunned and a little helpless. “Fuck, same. Same for me,”

You ignored the butterflies filling your stomach, looking down at the menu in front of you to stop your smile going stupid. What was it about this man that made you feel so different? His honesty? His smile? His laugh? Fuck, all of that and more. All you did know was that you didn’t want it to stop.

The date continued on to become the best date you had ever been on. Not that you were surprised – it was Kevin after all, and you already knew there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do if it would make you smile. And you were quickly learning how true it was for you too. Having all that adoration, that attention, that smile focused solely on you? It was addictive, and you didn’t want it directed towards anyone else. You wanted his whole heart, you knew that much already, and you could only hope that he wanted the same from you.

Both of you only had one glass of wine with your food, as Kevin was driving you home, and by the time the two of you had reached the front door of your apartment (Kevin had insisted on walking you to your front door, even though it was an apartment building), you felt giddy. Giddy and ridiculous and unbelievably happy. This was it, this was what you had been waiting for. This moment, this knowledge, that same confidence in this thing with Kevin that he’d had all along. You only wished it hadn’t taken you so long.

But you were here now, that’s all that mattered. You and Kevin, together. As it should be.

As you unlocked your front door, you felt yourself pausing in the doorway, Kevin making a questioning noise as you stopped moving. You bit your bottom lip gently, before taking a deep breath to steel your nerves. “Do you want to come in?” you asked, looking up into those beautiful blue eyes.

Kevin’s lips parted in surprise, a stunned expression filling his face.

“Like, come in come in?” he asked, voice a little breathy.

The sheer want in his voice made you shiver, and you knew you’d made the right decision in asking him. You could basically taste the tension between you as you nodded slowly, Kevin swaying forward as if he couldn’t help himself.

But then he stopped, freezing still, making you frown.

“Are you sure? Like, it’s not too soon?” he forced out, eyes a little wild.

So you quickly shook your head, smiling at him checking.

“Kev, it’s us, right?”

He’d been saying it for weeks, that being together was just a next step in your strong foundation of friendship, so both of you giving in to that obvious desire wouldn’t ruin anything at all. You wanted him…he wanted you…so why not take things up another notch?

“Yeah, it’s us. Endgame, baby,” Kevin grinned.

And just like that, the tension burst like a balloon, making you laugh. Yeah, this was the man you were in love with alright.

“Come on loverboy,” you laughed, rolling your eyes fondly, “Let’s not give my neighbours a show,”

Kevin smirked, wiggling his eyebrows as he followed you into your apartment, making you laugh all over again. There was none of that nervous apprehension you’d felt with other guys before – it was all just excitement, fizzing and buzzing through your skin, and your mind swirled with ideas.

Stripping him down slowly, piece by piece.

Getting your mouth on him, every inch of his body, especially his cock.

Having him pin you down on your bed, all gorgeous 6ft5 of him surrounding you in the best way.

Fuck.

“I’ve been thinking about getting my hands on you since I saw you in that dress,”

Kevin’s soft words tore you out of your lustful thoughts, and you moaned softly at the shiver it sent up your spine. Fuck yes, you were getting laid tonight and it was going to be good.

“Then how about you get your hands on me?” you suggested, corner of your lips lifting up in a smirk.

He wasted no time in pressing you into the nearest wall, barely making it out of the entrance hallway, and you laughed as his hands went straight to your ass.

“Feeling better?” you mused, toying with the top button of his shirt.

This wasn’t a fiery desperate rush, crashing about, rough and riling up – no this was a slow build-up of lust and want, much like your relationship had been a slow build-up. No, this was a slow seduction, sweet and all-consuming, bodies moving in sync and taking what they wanted. And you couldn’t fucking wait.

“Hmm, a little,” Kevin grinned back.

“Only a little huh?” you teased.

“Oh I have a few ideas of what could help,” he murmured.

The flash of heat in his eyes sent a flare of heat through your body, and you couldn’t help but to dart your tongue out to wet your bottom lip, Kevin’s eyes tracking the motion, making you smile. But you had no time to tease him before he took your lips in a kiss, making you whimper at how quickly it got heated before Kevin broke away with a gasp, leaving your head spinning.

“So that’s one idea,” he grinned.

Oh fuck, this man was going to ruin you. But not before you ruined him a little bit first.

“What’s your next idea?” you breathed.

Kevin just grinned, stepping backwards a little bit, making you whine before you could stop yourself.

“Stay right where you are, beautiful. Keep your eyes on me,”

That you could do. You dramatically placed your hands against the wall, making him laugh as he dropped his jacket carelessly to the floor, and his fingers went to the top button of his shirt. He kept his eyes on you as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his strong broad chest inch by inch until he was able to drop it to the floor, leaving him in just his jeans. Fuck. You would never be able to get enough of the sight of him like this, let alone the touch (and you couldn’t wait for the taste) – the strength in his shoulders, his chest, his core, his arms…fuck.

“Get back over here,” you said, voice low and rough.

Kevin inhaled sharply, and he wasted no time in stumbling back over to you, arms caging you in against the wall in a way that made you want.

“Great second idea. What’s next?” you breathed.

Fuck. This was winding you up and up and up and you knew the night had barely even started.

“I want…can I taste you?” he blurted.

What? But before you could ask what he meant, Kevin dropped to his knees, making you gasp. Oh fuck. Oh yes.

“You want to be on your knees for me?” you asked, swallowing heavily.

“Yeah, so bad,” Kevin nodded, a little desperate.

Well how could you say no to that?

Biting your bottom lip, you reached up under your dress, hooking your fingers into the sides of your panties and tugging them down. Kevin whined as his view was blocked by the skirt of your dress but you just grinned. This was the least he deserved for stripping his shirt off so slowly. You let your panties drop to the floor when they were past the thickness of your thighs and slowly stepped out of them, kicking them to one side.

His move.

Kevin’s eyes were wide and dark as he raised his hands to rest on your thighs, lips slightly parted.

“Please, can I?” he murmured, thumbs brushing under the skirt hem.

Fuck. This was all too much, the desire, his patience, his asking. Bring it on.

“Yeah, go ahead,” you nodded, inhaling sharply.

He slowly dragged the skirt of your dress up to your hips, moaning softly under his breath when you were revealed bare to him. One of his hands bunched up the dress to hold it in place, the other placed large and firm on your thigh, and his thumb lightly stroked over the wetness in your folds…before he stopped.

Kevin looked up at you, wordless asking one last time. And you just nodded, too overwhelmed in the moment to utter any words, your heart racing at the very sight of him kneeling so comfortably between your thighs. With a smile, he shuffled a little closer to you, ducking his head to place a reverent kiss to your clit, making you gasp, earning a soft laugh.

“Fuck, sweetheart,” Kevin mumbled, mostly to himself.

Then he ducked his head down and dove right in, tongue running over your folds in a wide stripe, his tongue flicking at your clit in a way that made you gasp. Fuck. How was he so good at this, straight off the bat? You could feel him smirking against your skin, before his tongue flicked at your clit again, and you couldn’t stop your hips bucking to chase the feeling. Fuck. The hand holding your dress out of the way adjusted to rest across your hips, pinning you to the wall, as his tongue ran back and forth over your core, gathering and tasting your wetness, dipping in and out of you, making you clench down on nothing. You didn’t hold back the soft moans that spilled from your lips, your body trembling with how good he made you feel. But as you clenched down empty again, you knew you could feel even better.

“More, Kev, please?” you begged.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” he groaned, resting his forehead against your hip.

You giggled, pushing his hair out of his eyes so he would look up at you.

“I want more,” you said firmly, eyes holding his in challenge.

And fuck did he rise to the challenge.

Kevin buried his face back between your thighs, eagerly running his tongue back and forth over you, into you, winding you up higher and higher, until he backed off to just sucking on your clit. Then you realised why he’d changed tactic, as his fingers moved to trail through your folds. With a fingertip teasing at your entrance, Kevin looked up at you, those big blue eyes questioning, and it was all you could do to nod. Leisurely Kevin slid a finger into you, letting you get used to the intrusion before he started to move it, gentle and slow, sending sparks up your spine and making your eyes clench shut. Then his teeth scraped over your clit and you wailed at the electricity that shot through your body, eyes flying open to glare down at him, wild and weak-kneed. Kevin’s eyes just sparkled with laughter, and he wasted no time in sliding in a second finger, sucking at your clit in the same rhythm in which he fucked his fingers into you. Fuck. You could feel a familiar heat start to build and you moaned – it wasn’t fair how quickly he learned the cues of your body.

Two can play at that game.

“You look so good on your knees for me,” you breathed, running your fingers through his messy hair.

Kevin’s eyes flashed with fire as he moaned at your words, sending a shockwave through you, making you gasp. Good. He leaned back slightly, tongue darting out over his swollen lips, before he smirked.

“You look so good with my fingers inside you,” he rasped back, curling both fingers over and over again in a come hither motion, “Going to look even better on my cock,”

Game, set, and match. Fuck. You cried out as the onslaught of his fingers sent you crashing through your high, Kevin smirking before he returned his tongue to lick between the two digits, prolonging the wave of pleasure until you were shaking and overwhelmed. Kevin backed off a little bit, leaning back to sit on his heels, but his face radiated smugness, of a job well done, even as the hard line of his cock strained against the denim of his jeans.

It was all you could do to fall to your knees to join him, straddling his lap lightly as you fought to regain control over your breathing, his hands going straight to your hips where your dress had fallen back down.

“Fuck, Kev,” you said with a shaky laugh.

He just smirked, wiggling his eyebrows, making you laugh for real. Ridiculous man. Without saying another word, you rested one hand against his bare chest, lifting the other hand to cup his face. You stroked your thumb over the wetness lingering on his bottom lip, before pressing down lightly on that lip to get him to open his mouth, and Kevin took the hint straight away, accepting your thumb into his mouth. You couldn’t take your eyes away from the sight of him closing his plush lips around it, sucking the wetness away, the same wetness that was still between your thighs.

Then his teeth scraped over the pad of your thumb, imitating his treatment of your clit, making you moan and clench down on nothing, even more evident where your thighs were spread across his lips.

“You’re such a tease,” you gasped, pulling your thumb free.

“Not a tease if I’m planning on following through,” Kevin said simply, smirk still playing with his expression.

The intensity in his eyes paired with the way his hands squeezed your hips sent a shiver up your spine, and you let a small smirk of your own drift across your lips.

“Hmm, yes, you said something about how good I’ll look with your cock inside me?” you murmured.

The noise that tore from Kevin’s throat was barely human, more feral than anything else, and the want in his eyes sent a wave of heat through your body. Fuck, yes.

“Fuck, yes,” he groaned, “I know I just said it in the heat of the moment, but do you…do you want…”

“Yeah, Kev, I want,” you nodded quickly.

Kevin all but growled. “Hook your legs around my waist,” he said firmly.

What?

And then you felt his abs tense, as Kevin anchored himself to stand up from the floor with you in his arms, and you shrieked as you hurried to do as he said, hooking your ankles together against the swell of his ass.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” you breathed, arms firmly around his neck as he held you securely.

It was all you could do not to think about how your bare core was pressed against his abs. Fuck.

“Yeah?” he smirked.

You rolled your eyes fondly. “Take me to bed, Kev,”

Kevin swallowed heavily, his eyes flashing dark and serious.

“Yes ma’am,”

*

A party was never just a simple party when Kevin Hayes was involved. Music was pounding, beer was flowing, shots were poured, and weed was an easy haze on the back porch. At all the parties he’d thrown like this in the past, you’d always drifted to and from him, flitting from group to group just like he did, always separate. But this time, no – this time you were sitting on the sofa with his arm wrapped around your waist, leaning into his body because now you could.

And fuck did it feel good.

“So, tell us, how does it feel to be finally be called Kevin’s girl, rather than Kevin’s New York girl?” Claude grinned.

Ah yes, that nickname. Finally, it could die.

“Feels pretty fucking sweet actually,” you said simply.

Everyone on the sofas around you burst into laughter, and you could feel the rumble of Kevin’s own laughter deep in his chest. You couldn’t help but look up at him with a smile, earning an adoring smile back, as well as a soft kiss. Yeah, this was exactly where you wanted to be. 

 “How did you two actually meet?” Ryanne asked, smiling, “Like, I know you’ve been friends for years…but how?”

You found yourself smiling as you looked back up at Kevin, and he smiled down at you. It was true, you really had been friends with him for years at this point. And your first meeting was pretty funny.

“Go ahead,” Kevin shrugged.

His loss.

“Alright, so it went like this…”

~

Sunday night was grocery run night – and this week was no different. You walked into the lobby of your apartment building with both your arms full, trying to figure out how you were going to call the elevator, when you noticed a very tall guy already waiting, the elevator call button pressed. Huh, that solved that problem.

He smiled as you stopped next to him, giving you a little nod. “Hey,”

Holy shit this guy is hot. No, not the time. Tall…hot…great smile…no, focus. Be cool.

“Oh hey, you’re one of the new guys, right?” you smiled, tilting your head to look up at him.

“Yeah, I’m Kevin. I just got a place with my buddies Jimmy and Brady. A couple of floors up from you, right?”

Oh wow. He froze as your eyes widened in surprise, and groaned.

“I swear I’m not a creep?” he offered, wincing, “I’m just really good with faces,”

For some reason, you believed him. Call it intuition, or vibes, or whatever. This guy was being genuine. Huh.

“I guess I’ll have to take your word for it,” you teased.

His shoulders slumped a little as if releasing tension, making you smile. As if by fate, the elevator pinged its arrival, and Kevin gestured for you to enter first before following you in.

“So,”

“So,”

You couldn’t help but laugh as you spoke in unison, Kevin just grinning. Oops.

“Go ahead,” you mused.

“I was going to say, if you fancy meeting my other flatmates too, we’re having a little housewarming of sorts. Like, a bunch of our friends are coming over, sort of a drop in and out whenever time kind of thing. It’d be nice to meet you properly, and show you I’m not actually a weirdo? Friday, if you’re free?”

Oh wow. That was really…sweet? Sure, it could blow up in your face, and he could actually be a creep…but again, those intuitive vibes were saying he wasn’t. And it definitely beats sitting at home and eating cold pizza. Again.

And damn, if his flatmates looked anything like him? Eye candy for days.

“Friday huh? I could do Friday,” you said simply, trying to keep your cool.

His answering smile let you know you’d made the right decision.

~

“…and after that, we became really good friends, all four of us. He never flirted with me after that time in the elevator and I tried my hardest not to flirt with him. I stayed in touch with Kev when he went to the Jets and then here to the Flyers, and he was one of the first people I got in contact with when my job moved me to Philadelphia. And then everything changed a few weeks ago. The rest is history,” you shrugged.

Kevin grinned, although he definitely had a blush on his cheeks.

“You were such a creep,” Claude said, laughing.

Kevin blushed a little fiercer. “It just came out! Of course I noticed the prettiest girl in the building – that was the least awful way I could’ve said it,”

You rolled your eyes as his friends hooted and jeered, although you felt your cheeks heat up with warmth.

“Just couldn’t help yourself, huh?” you teased.

“I got there in the end, didn’t I?” he shot back with a dramatic wink.

“Only took you a few years,” Nolan snorted.

Kevin just grinned, unashamed.

It may have taken a few years, but Kevin was right – you had gotten there in the end. All the years of self-doubt and insecurity, thinking you’d never be more than just friends, had resulted in a beautiful – if unexpected – relationship. A build-up of such a solid foundation of friendship over the past four years had already given you the opportunity to learn so much about him – and you couldn’t wait to learn even more. To learn about Kevin, the boyfriend. And, maybe even more than that, if you were lucky. Yes, unexpected as this may have been, you were in this for the long haul. And you couldn’t wait.

[vecnawrites]

Two Flavors Of Delicious Chocolate

Jaune Arc was a normal guy, if one asked him. He was moderately strong, reasonably intelligent at most things, skilled at a few. If one had asked him if he would have two girls fighting for his attention, he would have laughed. However, the fact of the matter was, he DID have two women wanting him. And they would do what it took to get that fact into his head...

(Hooooolllllyyyyy Fuuuuucccckkkkk...this one got away from me! This is my second commission, from The-Wayward-Arc. I loved the idea, and it became this! An art piece is connected to my AO3 page for this one, and more should be coming when I can commission the artists!)

Jaune Arc liked to think that he was a reasonably intelligent individual. After all, he always scored at least middling in both Grimm Studies and History, and the highest in Tactics and Situational Defense and Assault. Even Weiss was admittedly (and more than a little begrudgingly) impressed by that.

...so how in the name of any God or Gods listening did he not notice this!? He looked back and forth between the two, admittedly extremely beautiful women glaring at one another before him.

One was Emerald Sustrai, a chocolate skinned, carmine eyed, mint haired beauty, with thick curves that drew the eye of every male, and even some of the females, as she walked (even him. What? He treated women well, like he had been taught. He wasn’t fucking blind), her hips swaying back and forth and bringing attention to that absolute shelf of a rear end she had. That wasn’t to say her chest had nothing to offer, as her breasts looked perfectly sized for his hands, perky and firm.

Her personality was confident, and a bit sarcastic and snarky, although that usually came out only when faced with people she wasn’t too fond of, like Cardin or her own teammate, Mercury...although in the latter, he was pretty sure it was part of how they acted with one another. Like how Yang teased Weiss.

The other was May Zedong, another incredibly beautiful classmate of his, with muted maroon colored hair styled in a way that covered her left eye, leaving only the right gray-blue orb visible, and a black beanie keeping her hair in place. She had that wallflower air about her, generally going around unnoticed by most unless a teacher asked a question, even by her own teammates (something that made him seethe), but he had always noticed her and sought to talk, even if it was only some minor casual conversation over class notes. He wasn’t going to let her feel as alone as he did before coming to Beacon.

One would think that the girl was nearly flat, maybe a double-a cup (like Weiss supposedly was, don’t ask how he knew), but that was a lie. The girl was more stacked than Yang and even Professor Goodwitch were! Her breasts had to be as large as her own head! Again, it wasn’t like he was a pervert, but having seven sisters made him able to tell when a woman was binding or stuffing her bra to either remove attention or gain it.

And he could understand why, honestly. May was almost cripplingly shy, more nervous than Ruby or Velvet when called upon by staff or someone else. She seemed to revel in being invisible and unnoticed.

But now they were both before him, glaring at one another; Emerald looked like she wanted to, as his elder sister Saphron liked to say, “Slap A Bitch”, and even the shy and bashful May looked ready to try and claw out Emerald’s eyes with her fingernails.

“If you think your shy ass can make him happy, you’ve got another thing coming! What are you two going to do, hold hands while hiding in the shadows?” Emerald snorted, popping her hip and placing her hand on it, smirking darkly at the beanie-wearing sniper.

May glared, only one being visible doing nothing to hide the intensity. “At least I didn’t have to flaunt myself like a whore to get Jaune’s attention! He always noticed me, even without knowing about my tits!”

He could see them about to fight, and his body moved before his brain did, placing himself between them and giving them both a stern look (something perfected by dealing with mischievous younger twin sisters), silently telling them both to stop.

Both huffed, curling into his sides and glaring at one another, static seeming to form between their gazes.

He tugged the two girls who had captured his heart over the semester close to him and closed his eyes, recalling exactly how this started…

Start Of The Week

Emerald Sustrai had known little in the way of happiness or of comfort for most of her life. Growing up an orphan in Vacuao, she had lived on the streets and been forced to scrounge and steal in order to survive. She had been tempered and hardened by such a thing, her heart steeled to do what was necessary, even if it wasn’t right.

She had managed to steal, scrimp, and save enough to catch a flight to Vale, and apply to Beacon. She hated Vacuao, and wouldn’t set foot in Shade for a second if she could help it. She knew that they held a ‘survival of the fittest’ ideal, and after living it for most of her life, she wasn’t going to be going through it at school, where she was supposed to be able to trust the people who she teamed up with to watch her back!

Getting to school and getting through initiation, she had been partnered with Cinder Fall, an enigmatic, but intelligent and resourceful woman who used a bow and arrows and Fire Dust. Her other partners were Mercury Black, a silver haired smart ass with prosthetic combat legs, and Neopolitan, a mute midget with a weird ass reinforced parasol for combat of all things. But even Emerald couldn’t deny that they were skilled and effective at killing the Grimm in the forest.

But she was still missing something...or rather, someone. She wasn’t an idiot, she knew that she was more likely to die before retiring, so she wanted to find someone...maybe they would last, maybe they wouldn’t. But before the year’s end, she would be free of this pesky virginity!

But...surveying the available males made her wince. Mercury? No, it was a bad idea to have sex with a teammate. She had enough to worry about, she wasn’t going to have to worry about her own teammate as well.

Brawnz Ni? Arrogant, and full of himself. She wasn’t going to give him a bigger ego. Roy Stallion? He was okay, but not her type. Nolan Porfirio? Too passive.

Lie Ren? Nice, but taken, going by the ginger with the hammer constantly hanging off of him. She would not ruin a relationship, thanks...or risk having her kneecaps obliterated by a combination War Hammer/Grenade Launcher.

Team CRDL?...Pfft, she’d sooner stick a slim teasing vibe in her pussy and seal it up to be tormented for the rest of her life before letting one of those slimeballs touch her.

But Jaune Arc...he was interesting. Kind, but not to the point of being walked over, as evidenced as he corralled his (possibly certifiably crazy) teammate, Nora Valkyrie. Not the strongest, but not the weakest, reasonably intelligent, although his strongest points were tactics and applied strategy, being the only student to be actually acing the class. He...he would work. He was handsome, in that goofy, awkward way, messy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, awkward, charming smile...and always doing small acts of kindness, even if he never got thanks for it.

The one problem? His partner, the Invincible Girl. She couldn’t tell if they were together, hell, she couldn’t tell if the redhead even liked him in that way! She looked at him softly, but it wasn’t seemingly the way that a lover looked at another lover.

An elbow nudged her, and she looked to see a head of multicolored hair, heterochromic eyes and a cocky smirk. She deadpanned at Neo. “What is it?” she asked, scowling as the shorter girl wagged her eyebrows as she glanced over at Jaune, making her scowl deepen.

“Don’t even, Neo…besides, aren’t you a card carrying member of the ‘Lady Lover’ society?” she asked, knowing that Neo much preferred females, having seen her eyes roaming over the stacked blonde on Team RWBY, Yang Xiao Long. She couldn’t see it, but she wouldn’t mock the pink, white, and brown haired girl for her interest.

Neo shrugged, almost saying “I can appreciate looks, can’t I?” before nodding over to the corner. Following, she felt her heckles rise almost instinctively, lip curling up in anger as she saw what Neo was referring to.

In the corner was the quiet May Zedong. Now, Emerald had nothing against the quiet girl who hid herself in the corners and hardly ever spoke up unless she was directly spoken to. One would think herself a complete and utter wallflower, non-threatening. But, May Zedong was a sniper. She preferred to wait and strike when it was best for her. And right now, her lovesick blue-gray eye was locked right on her future man. This would not stand. “I’ll be back to the dorm later, Neo...I have to...talk...with someone.”

Neo tapped a finger against her lips as she watched her teammate stalk off, an intense look in her crimson eyes, before shrugging and heading back to the dorms. On one hand, she hoped her teammate knew what she was doing...on the other, she would take her amusement where she could get it.

May Zedong was used to going unnoticed among a crowd. She knew she wasn’t the beauty that most huntresses-in-training were, feeling as though she had really plain features. Slightly narrow face, only one eye (a grimm attack when she was young taking the other one), she felt even her hair was limp and unappealing, even if it was a unique maroon color. Even her own teammates paid her no second glance, instead preferring to fawn over the likes of Yang Xiao Long, Cinder Fall, and Pyrrha Nikos.

A small, extremely bitter part of her knew that she could get any boy’s attention if they knew what she hid under her hoodie or uniform top. She had been extremely ‘blessed in the chest’ as it were, going from almost flat bee stings to Double-G cups in the span of her teenage years, and was only able to hide the damned things by an expensive, dust enhanced binder that made her look like she was barely a B-cup.

But while she could easily get any guy, she didn’t want to rely on her tits to do so. She’d only attract creeps to her, who only wanted her for her breasts. She’d never let that happen. She wanted to be liked for who she was, not her chest.

She had come to Beacon with her clothes, some personal items and her Sniper Rifle/Climbing Axe, Opening Gambit, hoping that she could find some happiness with a boyfriend while at Beacon, the risks of her survival until she was thirty drilled into her head by her mother.

So far, she had dealt with nothing but disappointment. Her own teammates glossed over her as a woman without so much as a second glance, even her own partner, Nolan. Hell, Brawnz had thought she was a boy until she had said otherwise. CRDL were assholes. Mercury Black gave her the creeps. He just...stared at people sometimes. Without blinking. Lie Ren was cute, but he was claimed, even if he didn’t know it yet. Nora Valkyrie clung to him like a baby koala did to its mother.

But Jaune...he...he was nice. He was kind. He noticed her, always went out of his way to talk to her, even if it was a simple ‘hello’ in the halls! Her heart beat faster and she could feel her cheeks heat up as she thought of being held in his arms, just being accepted for who she was-

“Zedong.” May was cruelly ripped from her fantasy by the curt voice of Emerald Sustrai, a dark skinned beauty that turned more than a fair few eyes with her teasing smile and swaying hips. But currently, there was no smile on her face, instead there was a severe look that made her heart race, this time not from a happy fantasy with a potential boyfriend, but from adrenaline flushing through her body as her fight or flight instincts went wild. She swallowed.

“Y-Yes, Emerald?” she asked, cursing internally as she stuttered, despising the weakness. She flinched as a cocoa skinned hand slapped right on the wall next to her.

She leaned close, allowing her to smell her scent (cherry blossoms, very pleasant), and carmine eyes narrowed. She leaned even more forwards, until May could feel the verdette’s nose poking her own. “What are you getting at, staring at my future boyfriend like that?” she growled.

May blinked, before the words registered in her brain. She scowled back, her body making more adrenaline and scowling at the surprised looking Sustrai. “You. Don’t. Own. Him.” she growled angrily. “I know he’s not dating anyone right now.” despite her anger, she felt worry when she saw a glint appear in Emerald’s eyes, her lips turning up in a smirk.

“Really…?” Emerald murmured to herself, tilting her head, “I figured, but its nice to have confirmation...that will make it much easier...especially since I don’t have to worry about potentially ruining a relationship…” she licked her lips. “Thanks for the information, wallflower. Do yourself a favor: stay away while I go for him. I’m not cruel, but you’re honestly bound only for disappointment if you go up against me.” she smirked. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a boyfriend to go claim.”

Pulling away from the beanie-wearing girl, Emerald turned and walked away, making sure to sway her hips and let the girl know what she was dealing with.

May breathed harshly as the adrenaline slump kicked in, not unlike when she was out of combat. She flushed, not only from shame that an altercation from a fellow student made her feel like she was going against a Grimm, but from anger. To be told, ordered, not to pursue the one boy that gave her the time of day, that held her interest...that wouldn’t fly. She obviously couldn’t use her tried and true method of waiting for the right moment to strike. She would have to go out of her comfort zone and attempt a strike normally…she glared at the retreating Emerald, her blue-gray eye narrowing. It was on. Tomorrow, the battle would begin!

~x~x~

Emerald smirked as she looked herself over in the mirror. She had ‘borrowed’ a few skirts from both Cinder and Neo, who were both smaller in the hips than she was, and loved the effect it had when placed on her thicker frame.

The material of the skirt clung to her ass nicely, even coming up a bit and showing off just a bit of her plump cheeks. A quick sway of her hips made her chuckle, as it showed off more of her ass, just enough that it could confuse...and arouse...those who saw her. Especially since she had forgone normal panties, instead wearing one of her thongs, the string being swallowed up by the split between her cheeks.

Sure, she had only one person in mind, but teasing others was good fun too. She knew enough that Jaune didn’t have the best self-image, either, so when they got together, it would do his ego a bit of good that he had a girl on his arm that everyone else lusted after.

“So this is what you wanted to borrow our skirts for…” a dash of red dusted Emerald’s cheeks as she looked up to see her partner, Cinder, leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed over her chest, watching her.

Emerald cleared her throat and forced the redness away from her cheeks. She knew that she had nothing to be embarrassed about. Cinder wasn’t loose, but she had shared her bed with a few boys before, generally civilians from Vale on the weekends. That way, she didn’t have to worry about them ‘getting attached’.

“So, who’s the lucky boy that managed to catch your attention, my dear Emerald?” the inflection of Cinder’s tone was more that of ‘leader’ than ‘friend’, meaning that Cinder wanted to know to make sure it didn’t affect the team. They may not be number one team of the year (that belonged to JNPR), but they weren’t far behind it.

“Jaune Arc.” she replied, her tone soft, watching her dark haired team leader close her eyes and nod, lips tilting upwards a bit. “Hmm, not a bad choice...you could certainly do worse…” opening her golden eyes, she smirked. “Best of luck. I know many others have been eyeing him, not just the girl you spoke to yesterday. If rumors are right, even a second year is interested in him...that rabbit faunus, Velvet something.” she hummed, her smirk growing a bit even as Emerald stiffened. “Go get him, girl.”

~x~x~

May Zedong stood in Team BRNZ’s locked bathroom, gathering her courage. She knew that this was going to be risky, but the potential payoff was worth the potential discomfort.

She stood naked in front of the mirror, looking over her body critically. Her large breasts, larger than her own head, jutting form her chest proudly. Most girls would consider it a point of pride, she however, considered them a point of shame and embarrassment, to be hidden away.

Carefully, she gently cupped the heavy swells, hefting them and contemplating them. The skin was smooth, not a single flaw to it, not a blemish nor a beauty mark. Her nipples were large and puffy, a horizontal slit showing that they were inverted, another oddity of her body that she disliked, along with how brutally sensitive her chest was. She always got wet simply by rubbing them, and playing with them intently could make her cum.

Letting her breasts go, she slid her hands along her sides, trailing them along her flat, toned belly and to her hips, twisting her upper body this way and that, glancing at her breasts from profile, a weak smile forming on her face as she saw the jiggle.

Glancing between her legs, she looked at her freshly waxed core. She had never liked more body hair than necessary, something she knew was shared by almost all Huntresses-in-training. Turning around fully she looked over her shoulder and pushed her butt outwards, taking a look at her rear. She knew it had nothing on Emerald’s, or even several other girls, like Velvet Scarlatina’s from second year, but it was a nice shape and firmness, something that maybe Jaune would like to grab? Spank it as he played with her sensitive tits and fucked her soaking pussy, turning her into a gooey puddle of lust in his skilled hands?

She shook herself out of her fantasy and straightened up, grabbing her panties and slipping them up her legs and covering herself, then her uniform skirt. Turning back around, May gnawed at her lower lip as she looked at her binder. She glanced at it, then down at her chest, before sighing and grabbing it, beginning the process of flattening herself down to look ‘normal’.

But as she did, a naughty thought, a wicked thought, filled her head. She would gradually start loosening her binder, until she could proudly go without the damned thing...or at least have it loosened enough that people-that Jaune-saw her as the young woman she was.

Strapping it on, she tightened it until she reached her normal almost flat state, before loosening it a bit, her breasts pushing the material a bit more outwards. Grabbing her uniform blouse and tie, she put them on, looking at herself in the mirror.

A hint of redness formed on her cheeks. She looked...she looked feminine. Her shirt bulged a bit, going from nearly flat to respectable. Was...was this what she could look like? She smiled softly as she brushed her hair, making sure her bad eye was covered before putting on her beanie to keep her hair down.

“You can do this, Zedong.” she whispered to herself, steeling herself for the day, and the battle, to come. “It’s no different than combat...time to hunt.”

~x~x~

Jaune Arc woke up feeling odd that day. Not like he had forgotten to study for one of Oobleck’s tests (thankfully, Pyrrha and Ren helped remind him and Nora of those), but more that something...interesting...was going to happen to him. He wanted to hide in his bed and just believe the world outside the dorm room didn’t exist, but knew that he couldn’t do that.

“Jaune?” he glanced to see Pyrrha, his partner in arms, and closest friend at Beacon, looking at him worriedly. He gave her a weak smile. Both he and Pyrrha knew each other’s darkest secrets. For him, it was his falsifying his transcripts and sneaking into the school untrained.

For Pyrrha...it was a more touchy subject. She had been forced to be this perfect girl, someone untouchable, indomitable...she hated it. She also feared how people would react when they learned that she had never felt any type of romantic feelings nor had ever felt sexual desire. Never even found joy in masturbation, even. They had both been blushing hard as she admitted that.

The reveal to one another had only brought the two closer as both friends and partners, and they both felt comfortable telling one another everything. So, he decided to tell her the truth. “Just have this weird feeling that today is going to be interesting…”

Pyrrha hummed. “Interesting? Or...interesting?” she asked, sending a look over at Nora, who was happily chatting with Ren. Jaune shuddered. “It feels between that, but I hope to god its not the latter…” he said softly, making Pyrrha nod. They both loved Nora dearly, but she was a handful, and they didn’t need more than one of her.

Shaking their heads, both redhead and blonde gathered their things, preparing for the day.

~x~x~

Jaune sighed as he made his way to Study Hall. Once again, Oobleck had managed to speak so fast during his class that he was going to have to do extra studies for it. As he was about to enter, he stumbled a bit, his arm lashing out to catch whoever knocked against him, although his breath still left him when he hit the wall, and (the bigger reason) something soft pressing against his groin. Opening his eyes he glanced down to see one of his year mates, Emerald Sustrai, pressed against him, her...ample...rear settling between his thighs perfectly, pressing against where his cock was sure to bulge if she kept moving like that, wiggling that ass of hers! He watched as her eyes opened (a beautiful red shade, he thought), and she looked back at him, a small gentle smile forming on her face.

Emerald smirked to herself. Step One was complete, ‘accidentally’ stumbling into Jaune and making it so her best ‘asset’ was pressed against him. Now for Step Two, Teasing.

Putting a small smile on her face, Emerald made sure to subtly shift her backside against him, wanting to see what he was packing. She knew he wasn’t small, god knows that she heard Winchester bitching about how that size ‘couldn’t be possible without drugs’.

“Thank you for grabbing me...your name’s Jaune, right? I’m Emerald...sorry for being so clumsy!” she chuckled awkwardly, inwardly loving the red hue to his cheeks...and the pressure she could feel start being placed on her ass. She was surprised. From what she could tell, he wasn’t even truly hard yet, but she could feel him pressing quite firmly between her ass cheeks! Redness seeped into her own cheeks, this...this was something special.

Before she could say anything more, her world spun as she was picked up and gently placed onto the floor again, hearing Jaune frantically apologize before taking off in almost a sprint, leaving her there, shocked and soaking her thong.

A smirk formed on her lips. “Stage one and two, complete...now for stage three later on…” she hummed happily, knowing that she could have great fun with that. She knew what fun she wanted to do next...and her semblance could surely help with it…turning, she walked away with a skip in her step, already plotting how the second phase of her plan was going to unfold…

Jaune darted into the Library, holding his books in front of him to hide his straining erection, face flushed as he made his way to the back of it, to his preferred table for studying. That had been mortifying. He desperately hoped that he wouldn’t be getting looks later due to his ‘perversion’. It would be his luck.

Setting his books on the table, he took a seat and sighed, willing his erection away so he could focus on his studies. Jaune cracked open his history text, knowing that the dry words within would slaughter any arousal ruthlessly.

“...Jaune?” he lifted his head, hearing the voice of May Zedong, a girl that he was reasonably well acquainted with. Her voice was soft, and he didn’t know if it was because they were in the library, or because of her natural shyness. But he smiled softly.

“Hey May, how are you…?” he blinked as he noticed that she had loosened her binder (he knew she wore one, but he hadn’t known it was that tight), her chest protruding more outwards, giving her a generous looking C-Cup. He gave it the barest glance (he wasn’t going to apologize for being a guy. He knew girls looked too) before locking eyes with her. He could tell she was embarrassed, but her smile was genuine.

May’s heart was beating faster than it had ever had. She felt all the eyes on her as she moved around her day, and she had only loosened her binder a bit! She could only imagine how people, how Jaune, would react when they saw her true size. She felt her heart skip a beat as he glanced at her chest, but her feels swelled even more as his eyes were only there for a second before locking on her face. “Do...do you mind if I sit here?” she asked, nervously fumbling with her own book for Tactics class. It was Brawnz’s, but she had ‘borrowed’ it so she could actually have something to talk with her crush about.

Her heart warmed as her crush nodded with an affirmative, now, it was time to make her initial chink in his armor. “W-would you mind helping me with Tactics? I could help with History in exchange?” she offered. Fortunately, she was a fair hand in History, being in the top five of the class.

Jaune swallowed. “S-Sure!” he stuttered a bit, his nerves jumping a bit at being alone with a pretty girl. Hopefully this would go better than just before he entered the library?

Jaune was wrong. It was worse. May had always felt comfortable around him, and it showed; she sat next to him, scooting her chair as close as she could get it, practically leaning against him, squishing her chest against his arm. This had the additional effect of getting him to notice that her blouse wasn’t buttoned all the way, giving him a tantalizing view into her cleavage, something he knew no other man saw.

He hated himself. He knew that May was afraid of being objectified, just like Pyrrha, but here he was, having the urge to stare at her. Every glance he made not only made his cock twitch, but his embarrassment and shame grow.

May was pleased, very pleased. She could see the subtle shifts in Jaune’s body, his cheeks flushing like her own were. She wasn’t going to make her final strike now, that would come later. She pressed herself more firmly against him. “...thank you for helping me, Jaune. It helped and I really enjoyed spending time with you.” she said honestly. “...can we study together again?” she asked hopefully, looking into those startling blue eyes.

She smiled as he nodded. “Thank you!” she grabbed him in a hug, although she failed to immediately notice that she pulled his head down to her chest, pressing his face against the exposed tops of her breasts. But even when she did, she only hugged him tighter, despite the redness on her cheeks.

Jaune stiffened, in more ways than one. For not the first time, he bemoaned being so large. Why couldn’t he have been more normal sized like Ren was? Her scent invaded his nose, vanilla and cinnamon, and his cheeks burned, even as his cock swelled and began making a distinct shape down the inner thigh of his uniform slacks. He had to act fast, before she thought him nothing more than a complete pervert!

May squeaked as Jaune quickly slipped out of his arms (unknowingly putting a delicious pressure on her sensitive nipples, making her panties soak. In a flurry of activity, Jaune collected his books and notes, rapidly saying, “It’s been great, May! We should study together again sometime! Sorry, I just remembered I had something important to do! Talk to you later!” he blurted out, before dashing off, leaving an aroused May sitting at the table.

She licked her lips, having seen the distinct ‘manprint’ that her crush had running down his inner thigh. She rubbed her thighs together. She knew that he was big, but not that big…

She swallowed and grabbed her things, standing and deciding to head back to the dorm. Walking away on slightly shaky legs, she knew she would be taking a long personal shower when she got to the dorm room.

Reaching the dorm, Jaune threw himself face first on the bed, face red and eyes wide. Had...had that really just happened? Did two beautiful girls just...what had happened?! Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he forced his aching cock to calm. One good thing about being surrounded by so many beautiful girls all his life, he gained an almost semblance-like ability to force his cock down.

He sighed as it thankfully shrank down and calmed, even though his balls still felt the effects of the arousal that had flooded through him not too long ago. He closed his eyes and sighed. Hopefully, this would just be a one off thing...something that he could laugh about year later on.

Poor Jaune. He had no idea what he was in for.

~x~x~

Two days had passed since the initial incidents, and Jaune had attempted to put them form his mind. Granted, it was impossible really when the two subjects of his thoughts were constantly there, smiling, waving, greeting him.

Considering neither of them were screaming ‘pervert’ or spreading rumors about him, he guessed things were good between them, leading him to wave back and smile awkwardly. Of course, Yang had to make jokes about it, acting as though him getting female attention was something noteworthy…

...and he supposed it was, considering his luck with Weiss. That didn’t mean he needed to hear the jokes about how he was finally getting attention from the ladies.

Rolling his eyes, he sighed and stood. “Very funny, Yang...now, if you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to head off and go anywhere but here.” he said, standing and heading off, distantly hearing Ren, Nora,  Pyrrha, and even Ruby going off on her sister. Bless them.

As he left, he failed to notice carmine eyes watching him, following his every move. And both failed to see the calculating blue-gray eye.

Jaune sighed as he placed the barbell back down on the rack, wiping sweat off of his face and neck with his workout shirt. His muscles burned nicely, and he felt pleased with himself. He had come a long way from the unmuscled noodle that had sneaked into Beacon.

Now, while he wasn’t the best warrior, he could certainly hold his own, no thanks in part to his wonderful Partner and teammates. He knew that he would have been dead by now without them.

“Oh, hi Jaune! You decided to get a workout in too?” his eyes widened as he turned and saw Emerald walking up to him. His mouth went dry and he bit his tongue to try and stave of the twitch in his shorts as he saw what she was wearing.

A tight sports top held her sizable breasts snugly in almost a shelf, while she wore sinfully tight black shorts that looked almost painted on. And he was only seeing her from the front. He both desired, and dreaded, seeing what they looked like from behind. ‘Danger, Danger, Jaune Arc! Abandon The Area!’ his mind screamed as the beautiful young woman walked forwards, her hips swinging.

“H-Hi, Emerald…” he mumbled, eyes darting everywhere for help, but heart sinking when he realized they were alone in the gym. He quickly scrambled for an excuse. “Sorry, but I have to go…”

Emerald pouted. “Are you sure? I need to do some squats, and it would really help if someone spotted me...would you, please? I don’t want to overdo it…” she bat her eyes a few times, not overdoing it, but still pulling the ‘sweet demure girl’ act.

She barely resisted the urge to smirk when Jaune nodded, instead cheerfully going, “Great, thanks! Only going to do a few sets today, since I know classes aren’t far away, but there’s enough time to get a quick workout in, along with a nice hot shower! That’s always nice after a workout to ensure you don’t cramp, right? Feeling the hot water running over your body...there’s nothing like it!”

Jaune bit the inside of his cheek as the beautiful girl put the image of her standing under the shower head, the steaming water running over her trim, curvy body...he could feel himself getting hard in his shorts.

Emerald smiled as she slowly turned around, making sure to highlight her ass in these sinfully tight shorts of hers. She had honestly outgrown them, but had kept them around for reasons even she didn’t know...until now, at least.

Bending down and grabbing the barbells, making sure to push her ass out, she smirked when she heard a stilted intake of air. “Ready?” she asked, raising herself up, not waiting for an answer before dropping herself, pushing her ass out hard, quickly falling into a rhythm of rising and falling, making sure to showcase her ass and thighs.

Jaune was hard, unable to stop his cock from getting fully hard and stretching out his shorts lewdly. As embarrassing as that was, he preferred that to it sliding down his leg and peeking out to say hello to the world. He was just very grateful she was facing away from him, otherwise he knew this would end badly.

Emerald smirked widely as she performed her squats. Jaune had apparently not noticed the mirror across from them, and she had a perfect view of how hard he was staring at her ass...and how hard he was in response. She licked her lips and her core tingled, warmth bubbling up in her belly as she imagined being speared by that cock.

Despite loving the fact that Jaune was captivated by her ass, she knew she had to finish up sadly. But she wasn’t going to let that end her fun, there would be plenty of chances to tease him later. So, as she went down for her final squat, she rocked backwards, letting out a squeak as both she and Jaune hit the mat, her ass squashing against his cock.

Jaune groaned piteously as his cock was pressed down by those soft cheeks, just like two days ago, as Emerald rubbed her head and-oh god-squirmed on top of him, his balls going haywire. He bit his tongue to avoid making any sound that could tell Emerald exactly what was happening underneath her.

Forcing his eyes open, he saw her rubbing the back of her head, before glancing back, although not down, much to his relief. He twitched as she shifted more, her ass rubbing against his cock. ‘Oh, fuck, she needs to stop!’ he thought, panicked.

Emerald had to hit Jaune with her semblance, she couldn’t keep the smirk off her face anymore as she subtly wiggled her plump ass on the thick meat stick underneath her. “Ow…” she whined piteously, rubbing the back of her head, “Are you okay, Jaune? I hope I didn’t hurt you!” she asked, forcing the weight of her ass on his cock more, loving the panicked look on his face. She was glad that they were alone and that her ass was facing him; she was soaked.

The groan that hit her ears made her smirk, more teasing to be had then. “Did I hurt you?! Hang on, let me see where I landed!” she slowly dragged her ass down Jaune’s cock and placed herself on the mat, turning around-

-only to see Jaune up already and rushing to the showers, hunched over. She blinked, before she smirked, standing up and slowly following, intending to find him and watch what she knew he was doing. Maybe even ‘help’.

She herself failed to notice her follower, the blue-gray orb narrowed in anger.

Jaune groaned as he stood naked under the shower spray, one hand on the wall and the other performing what was known as a ‘tactical jerk’, rapidly tugging at his cock, trying to bring himself to orgasm before anyone else arrived.

“Fuck...why...how did she not notice?” he groaned, his cock and balls aching terribly as he pumped hard on his cock. “She can’t have not felt it…” even now, he could feel the warm squeeze of her ass on him, almost a phantom sensation that drove him wild.

He moved his hand for a moment, only for his eyes to snap open as a warm squeeze seemingly did envelop his cock, a tight warmth that made pre spurt from his tip. Looking before him, he saw nothing, but sniffing, he smelled the scent of cherry blossoms, just like the girl who he had been spotting. The sensation began to move, confusing him utterly, but the pleasure made him quickly forget thinking about it too hard.

Emerald smirked at a job well done. Jaune was wrapped in the throes of her semblance and she had stripped and slipped in front of him, capturing that massive cock in her ass. She hummed to herself as she began to rub that hot hard flesh, her ass moving along it, her own honey leaking down her inner thighs. She knew they would have to be swift, after all, people could come into the gym or its showers anytime. But she knew enough that Jaune had to be close. She just needed to...make...him...cum!

Jaune released a broken sound as his balls finally began to release, his cock spitting his copious seed all over the wall in front of him, much to his shame, his cock throbbing and balls pumping out a massive amount of cum, utterly painting it white.

Shame filled him, and after a quick rinse, he swiftly dried off, dressed and made his way out.

Under the spray of the water, Emerald hummed to herself as she rinsed herself clean. While she couldn’t see how much cum was on her backside, she could definitely feel the warmth that coated her. She chuckled. “Step three, complete…” she murmured. She would hunt him down again and next time, she would ask him out. She was sure he’d be all for it.

Hidden in the shadows of the corner, a tear-filled blue-gray eye stared at Emerald in rage. May knew about Emerald’s semblance, and she knew that Jaune didn’t see what had really happened. Slipping away, she wasn’t going to give in. No, she was going to fight for Jaune!

Creeping back, she May skulked out of the showers, already preparing for her next move. She needed to do something special.

~x~x~

Jaune sat in Survival Class, an elective course, but one he found damn useful. Even as he looked over the diagrams that they were working on today, he knew his mind wasn’t in it, it going back to the scene in the Gym earlier with Emerald. Glancing around, he supposed it was okay, though...after all, there seemed to be low turnout for the class today. As an elective, you came when the class had something you wanted to learn in it.

He sighed as he felt his cock, still semi hard, twitch in his slacks. He still felt phantom feelings of her rear on his lap, like when he was in the shower…

“Hi, Jaune! Can I sit with you?” he looked to the side, hearing May’s voice, only to choke as he turned. May’s chest had grown again, and now matched Yang’s size. He quickly shook himself though, knowing that she would hate gawking. “S-Sure, May.” he stuttered, watching as she happily took the seat next to him, her breasts bouncing slightly as she settled. Glancing around, Jaune noticed that they were the only two in the classroom, which filled him with a bit of trepidation, but he trusted May. He knew she wouldn’t do anything to embarrass him.

He heard the door opened and a flush filled his cheeks as he saw Emerald enter in her uniform, looking up and waving at him, although her smile seemed...dimmed. He didn’t know what caused that and would have thought more on it, but he was distracted-incredibly distracted-by May leaning into his arm again as she pointed out something in the book. If anyone asked, he wouldn’t be able to tell them, since his entire focus was on the softness pressing against his arm.

While Jaune was...preoccupied, both Emerald and May were having a stare down, giving one another very ugly looks, unimpressed with the fact of what the other was doing or did. Their eyes were cold, and if one looked closely, it would seem like lightning was crackling between the two beauties. May was happy that she had arrived first and foremost and was able to sit next to Jaune, while Emerald was incised for the same reasoning.

After a moment, Emerald smirked, immediately making May stiffen, wondering what the devious verdette had in mind.

Heading over to the table that held the books they used for the class, Emerald wasn’t going to let Zedong get in the way of her snagging her future boyfriend. She’d just get the sight that Jaune was going to be able to enjoy whenever he wanted, too! She laughed to herself as she stretched straight out over the table, feeling her skirt rise and rise, cool air brushing over the skin of her ass...the dual gasps made her smirk and glance over her shoulder, using her semblance to hide the blatant action, her cheeks red, even though she thought this was so hot…

Both Jaune and May stared in shock as Emerald’s skirt moved up more and more, until the entirety of her ass was completely exposed, the smooth chocolate skin taut and unblemished. More to the point, she was lacking underwear, letting them see everything.

May was horrified. She had no idea that Emerald was going to be that blatant with her wants! She knew that it wasn’t an accident, either! She could see her shifting her stance (subtly, of course) to arch her rear up and make it spread a bit! Glancing at Jaune, she was disheartened to see him staring with a dark blush on his cheeks, although she could understand it. Acting quickly, she did the first thing that came to mind to get his attention back.

Jaune’s mouth went dry as he saw her cheeks spread, allowing him to glimpse the darker circle of skin between the half moons, and the plump, pouty lips just beneath. He lost his battle keeping his cock soft, the shaft swelling with blood and pitching a massive tent in his slacks. He didn’t know how long he stared at the enticing image before he heard a squeak, and the wind was knocked out of him as he fell out of his chair and onto the floor, something warm landing on his crotch, making him freeze in horror.

Glancing down, he saw May, planted face down on his crotch, her cheek rubbing up against his hard shaft, her warm hand on his thigh, her breath seeping through his clothes and brushing over his balls; his cock ached.

May had attempted to put her hand over Jaune’s eyes, but slipped and slammed into him, taking them both to the ground. As the dizziness faded, she felt something hard poking her cheek and noticed that she was taking in a wonderful, musky scent. One that made her pussy clench in her panties. Opening her eye, her face burned as she realized somehow she had ended up face first in Jaune’s lap. Her eyesight grew hazy and stung as tears of humiliation filled them. She hadn’t meant for this!

She threw herself up and back, looking down at the ground and tried to take in a breath to calm herself, but all that came out was a loud ‘Hic!’ as burning hot tears began to stream down her face, falling onto her skirt. She couldn’t bring herself to look up at her crush, knowing that she would see the most disgusted look on it-she froze as strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her close to his chest. “It’s okay, May...its okay...it was an accident…”

May buried her face into her crushes chest, taking deep breaths of his scent, her emotions settling and her love for Jaune growing as he comforted her after that humiliating experience. She snuggled against him, letting herself relax to the powerful thump, thump, thump of his heartbeat.

Neither noticed Emerald stomping out with a scowl.

~x~x~

Another two days had passed, and while things had been slightly awkward between him and May, it wasn’t bad enough that they couldn’t interact with one another. However, today was an off day for classes (something about a staff wide meeting? He didn’t really care enough to confirm it), so he was planning on heading to one of the indoor pools. Oddly enough this meeting coincided nicely, since the team had reserved it today anyway. Now, instead of a few hours after classes, they had the entire day to laze away in it if they wanted. Which they were going to.

Nora laughed as she changed into her swimsuit in the middle of the room, uncaring if her teammates saw her naked. None of them batted an eye, used to Nora’s wild side by now. “This is going to be great! How often do we say that we get to just sit by and swim in a pool all day?” she asked.

“We don’t, since the pools are always filled up on the weekends, and we don’t want Pyrrha in a swimsuit appearing in the tabloids. Its bad enough people are taking photos of her in classes, for God’s sake.” Jaune sighed, shaking his head as his closest friend and partner blushed.

“I’m sorry!”

“No, Pyrrha, don’t be sorry that other people don’t know boundaries.” Jaune said, patting her on the shoulder. His partner looked very attractive in her modest two piece bikini, but he knew that people would only be able to admire from a distance. After all, most of them never had the nerve to speak to her, and even if they did, Pyrrha, being on the Aromantic Asexual side of the spectrum, wasn’t cruel enough to lead them on.

A knock on the door drew their attention, and glancing to make sure his teammates were decent, Jaune moved over to the door, opening it to see…“May? Hey, what’s up?” he smiled as he saw his shy friend in front of their dorm room.

May blushed brightly as she saw the boy she loved without a shirt and wearing only swimming trunks, her mouth going dry as her eye roamed over her muscled form. Feeling warmth bubble up in her belly, she cleared her throat and spoke, hoping her voice didn’t crack. “I...I came to see if you wanted to hang out...but I can come back later?” she asked hopefully, hoping that she got some time with her crush today...without her trying to muscle in.

Pyrrha blinked. While she may not feel it herself, she could see that May was attracted to Jaune. Hell, she likely would be attracted to Jaune if she was capable of feeling those types of emotions. He was a great man. She smiled and moved forwards. “We’re going to the pool, May. Would you like to join us? The more the merrier?” seeing the beanie-wearing girl’s surprised look, she winked from behind Jaune’s shoulder.

May had to bite the inside of her cheek to avoid the face-splitting smile she wanted to reveal, instead managing to say, “A-are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother...or get in the way of team time.” she nearly winced, since most of the time she was left out of ‘Team Bonding’ stuff in BRNZ, since she was the only girl.

She didn’t see Jaune’s eyes soften, but she did hear him. “It’s not bother to spend time with a friend, May. You’re welcome to come. We’d be glad to have you.” she couldn’t keep the joy off her face this time as she smiled wide. “Thanks! I’ll go get my suit! Which pool are you heading to?” she asked. This could be her chance! And it looked like Jaune’s own partner, Pyrrha freaking Nikos, approved of her going for him!

“The smaller one on the West side of the dorms. More private.” left unsaid was they chose that one to make sure Pyrrha had peace, since it was one of the few of them that didn’t have windows to the outside, meaning no loiterers attempting to hide with cameras. It may have been against the rules and punished harshly, but that didn’t stop perverts in their attempt to get pictures of swimsuit malfunctions.

“Thanks! I’ll go grab my suit!” in a burst of emotion, she hugged him, before darting off back to her own dorm to get her suit. She had thankfully bought one in case she ever had the courage to do something like this.

Granted, it wasn’t ideal, since preferably, it would just be her and Jaune, but at this point, with what Emerald had been pulling, she couldn’t afford to stay her usual self anymore...besides, worst came to worst, she had her semblance to fall back on.

Entering her empty dorm, she dug her bikini out of the bottom of her dresser, blushing at the thought of Jaune seeing her in it, wondering what he would saw when he saw how large her breasts were, before shaking her head. Now wasn’t the time for talk, it was time for action. She wouldn’t allow anything to stop her.

May was pouting. Honest to god pouting. Why? Apparently, Team RWBY had overheard Pyrrha and Jaune inviting her to the pool, so they invited themselves! And what’s worse, Emerald had found them and gotten an invite too! But she wasn’t going to let an extra five people stop her! She was going to get Juane’s attention!...right after her knees stopped trembling.

She stood before a mirror in one of the small changing rooms, wearing her bikini. The bottoms were a pretty lavender color, and a modest side-tie in style. The top, however...well, it was a bikini...in theory. The two tiny triangles covered her puffy, inverted nipples for sure, but a good portion of her pink areola was still visible.

Her blush was dark, almost taking over her face, but she wasn’t going to be deterred! She was going to go and show her crush what she had to offer!

Knock! Knock! May looked at the door, seeing the outline of someone’s shadow underneath it. Part of her hoped it was Jaune, but she knew he was too much of a gentleman to do such a thing unless someone else was there. “Hello?” she was proud her voice didn’t crack.

“May? Are you okay?” her shoulders relaxed when she realized it was Pyrrha and not Emerald here to taunt her. She had seen the smug look that the verdette had on her face as she went into one of the changing stalls herself.

“Yes, thanks! On my way out!” she called, gathering her clothes and putting them into her bag, making sure that they wouldn’t go ‘missing’ mysteriously. Standing and moving to the door, she opened it to see the redhead standing outside.

Despite the embarrassment, she couldn’t help but feel amused when Pyrrha’s eyes went wide, the normally reserved girl blatantly staring at her chest. She chuckled, making her breasts bounce. “Take a picture, maybe?” she teased, getting the redhead to rapidly shake her head and back up, looking incredibly flustered.

“I’m sorry!” Pyrrha yelped, before calming and taking a deep breath, looking May in the eye. “May, are you sure you feel comfortable wearing that? I mean, there’s more than just Juane out there…” May felt her eyes widen. “I can tell you like him, and honestly, on some level, I think he likes you too, but Juane...he’s not unintelligent, but he has a very low sense of self-worth.”

May nodded. Anyone could honestly see it. The blonde seemed to hold himself to an impossible standard. “But, I think you’re good for him, so let’s go and you can make his eyes pop out.” Pyrrha chuckled, and May nodded, her heart rising as she realized she had a great ally in Pyrrha.

As they headed back to the pool area, they could hear voices, Yang talking predominantly. “Damn, Em. How do you hide that? It’s bigger than Blake’s?” May’s expression soured, knowing exactly what Yang was talking about.

Emerald had happily shown off her thong bikini to May, revealing the same amount of ass that she had shown off in Survival Class the other day. She knew that Jaune was likely just as embarrassed as he was then...but he was likely to be more when he saw her.

“Oh, its a bit difficult, but a good skirt or pants does wonders!” Emerald’s voice was cheerful, but she could hear the hidden dislike within it; then again, May knew that Emerald had no real respect for those who flaunted themselves. Hell, she could honestly say that she had never seen Emerald act like this before until she decided she wanted Jaune.

As Pyrrha reached for the door, May took a deep, calming breath and nodded. Showtime.

Emerald smiled to herself. It was so easy to tease Jaune like this! And with the little wallflower out of the way, she had full access to him! Just a little longer and she was sure he’d be interested in spending some time alone with her on their free day…

The door opened and her jaw, and she was sure everyone else’s jaws dropped. Where had the shy little wallflower gotten the courage to wear something like that? Off to the side she heard huffing and jealous murmurs from Schnee, which at any other point would make her laugh, if she wasn’t so shocked.

Instead of being downright flat, like she had thought, the mousy girl had tits bigger than Xiao Long! When the hell did that happen?

May ignored everyone’s expression, from Yang’s shock, to Weiss’s not so little amount of jealousy, to even Nora grabbing Ren by the head and shoving his face into her own sizable chest; her attention was solely on Jaune, who was staring at her with awe. Filling her with strength.

Walking up to him, she sat down next to him. “H-How...how do I look?” she didn’t care what the others thought of her, Jaune’s opinion was the only one that mattered. If he didn’t like it, she had wasted her time!

She watched his throat bob as he looked over her body, making the warmth bubbling in her lower belly grow, wetness beginning to form in the bottom of her swim bottoms. “Y-You look wonderful.” she smiled as his voice cracked a bit.

“Thank you.” she said, relieved. She was happy that he wasn’t disgusted by how lewdly...large...her breasts were.

Time passed, the group having fun, or as much as they could have while stewing in jealousy over Emerald’s and May’s attributes.

Both Jaune and May were swimming together, making Emerald frown. There were too many people to use her semblance effectively, but maybe she could make it so they were misdirected...a smirk appeared on her face as she moved slowly through the water, weaving her semblance.

May was enjoying herself greatly, she and Jaune had stopped for a few moments and relaxed, Jaune sitting on the edge of the pool, and May floating before him in the water. She smiled at him, happy that this was going well. But now, she needed to talk to Jaune. “Jaune...I need to tell you something.”

Jaune looked down at May with a smile. “Yeah? What is it, May?” he asked. This...this was very comfortable. He truly enjoyed spending time with her, and even Emerald; she had sat with her and May and they had just talked. And despite the embarrassment of all this week, he found himself attracted to Emerald, just as he was May. It had been a very pleasant day.

May looked up at Jaune. This was it, she was going to do it! “I wanted to tell you-” her eyes widened as she felt her top slipping. Cheeks turning dark she saw Jaune’s eyes widening so she knew he noticed it to.

Before panic set in, she activated her sembalnce and pushed herself closer to Jaune as her top slipped off and began to float away, pressing her breasts onto his lap. She took several deep breaths as her heart rate calmed down. Looking up, she blushed more as Jaune was definitely noticing her now, especially if the poke on the underside of her breasts told her anything.

Jaune glanced around rapidly, waiting for the laughs, the shrieks, the mocking, the perverted jokes, but nothing came. In fact, none of them were even looking their way. Looking back at May (doing everything he could to not stare at those magnificent breasts, massive with puffy, inverted nipples, the flush from her face extending down to the top of them), he gave her a confused look. “H-How?”

Emerald agreed with Jaune. ‘Yes, how?!’ pulling off her top was supposed to embarrass her! Not basically make her set her tits on their crush’s lap!

May blushed. “I...it’s my semblance. When activated, anything surrounding me is...normal, for lack of a better word. It helps during combat, or in embarrassing situations like this, but I really don’t like using it much...but I left you and Emerald out of it...because…” she swallowed. “We both like you, and Emerald used her semblance on you in the gym showers!”

Jaune’s head spun. “I...what? You...you like me?” he asked, stunned. A nod from May. “Emerald does too?” another nod. “Sh-she used her semblance on me in the gym showers? How?” he asked. He was fairly certain he would have would noticed her doing something to him…

May blushed. “Her...her semblance is Hallucinations...she made it so you didn’t notice her in the shower with you…” his cheeks burned as he remembered the incredible heat and tightness that wrapped around his cock, bringing him to a swift orgasm. “Th-that was her?” he asked, mortified.

May bit her lip. “She does like you, just like I do...she just doesn’t...well, neither of us have ever...tried to get a boy, you know?” she glanced to her side, seeing a shocked Emerald looking at her, holding her top in her hand. Looking back up at Jaune, she smiled weakly. “Can we talk? We...we can go to one of the empty study dorms?”

Looking between the two beauties, Jaune swallowed and nodded. “Y-Yeah...I...I think that would be a good idea.” he said, quickly reaching over and plucking May’s top from an unresisting Emerald’s hand and handing it to the maroon-haired girl to put back on.

After May’s breasts were covered up (a part of Jaune mourning the loss of the beautiful sight), the trio gathered their things and left the room, uncaring that the moment that the door closed and May dropped her semblance around them, the room descended into confusion over where the three went.

~x~x~

Now, here the three of them were, in a student study dorm, the girls having swiftly gotten into another argument when they settled in here before he stopped them. He wasn’t going to let this ‘competition’ for him go on any longer. He wouldn’t deny that the two girls were beautiful, and he felt for both of them...his eyes hardened. It was time to take charge. Clearing his throat, he looked between the two of them.

“Now, both of you have been enjoying teasing and tormenting me this past week...that means, both of you are going to be fixing this.” he gestured to his tented pants, his hard cock jutting outwards. “Are we understood?” Jaune growled. “Now, don’t waste my time...clothes off.”

Neither Emerald nor May would admit it out loud, but they were soaked. Jaune taking charge and demanding that they finish what they had started by teasing him so was...hot. Instantly, they began tugging at their own clothes, shirts being tossed to the side, bra and binder falling to the ground, skirts, thong and hip hugger panties following, leaving both naked and dripping before their lover’s, hopefully boyfriend’s, eyes.

Jaune licked his lips, his cock straining in his pants as he looked over their bodies. They really were beautiful, and some part of him still couldn’t believe that they were truly interested in him...but the eager looks on their faces...those weren’t fake. They were real.

He walked around them, close but not so close her touched them, reaching out and just brushing his fingers along her backsides, watching with lust as goosebumps rose up from their skin. Jaune’s nostrils flared as he smelled a sweet fragrance wafting up from below, making his cock throb.

While Emerald’s ass was larger and more soft, his fingertips sinking into the fat cheeks, one couldn’t that deny the firm heart shape of May’s rear end was delightful as well.

Moving around to their front, he hummed, placing a hand on each girl’s hip, slowly and teasingly drawing his callused hands upwards. He chuckled at their their trembling, smirking at their needy whines. “Really?” he chuckled, “You two are begging for it already? I mean, you both tormented me all week...maybe I should leave you both on the brink for an entire week before finally taking you?”

Jaune didn’t know where all this confidence was coming from, but he did know that he felt empowered by the looks of panic and fear the two girls had, followed by immediate pleading to not do something so cruel to them, that they couldn’t take a whole week of being on edge-

“Like you had no problems letting me?” he asked. “You have a weeks worth of teasing and blue balls to make up for. I’m not cruel, so...if you promise not to tease and then refuse to follow through anymore after tonight, I can forgive you.”

Both May and Emerald breathed a heavy sigh of relief as they realized they weren’t about to be as teased and tormented as Jaune had been. It would have been hell! They were both already dripping down their inner thighs with need! Both shivered, releasing keens as Jaune’s hands moved down again, cupping their soaking cores. He did nothing, just cupped their slits. It didn’t take either of them long before they were grinding themselves shamelessly against his palms, shuddering and moaning as the callouses on his fingers and palm rubbed over their slick, sensitive skin.

It didn’t take long for them to break, both keening and trembling as they came hard, squirting along his palms, faces flushed darkly as they both realized they had cum in less than three minutes, but Jaune looked...he looked amazed, not amused.

Both slowly came down from their intense orgasms, watching with flushed faces as their lover contemplated their juices on his fingers, before tasting them, licking them clean and making their pussies clench.

The girls looked at another, and nodded. For now, they were on the same page. They had drove the man they both wanted to fits, and it was up to them to make it up to him.

Jaune blinked as he saw Emerald whisper rapidly to May, who blushed fiercely, but nodded. Before he could ask, both acted, moving him and having him sit on the bed. Glancing between them, the both looked at him softly. “We did you wrong, Jaune...we treated you as though you were a prize to be won, although among all the men here, you are one…” May began, looking ashamed, her blue-gray eye looking down, before it snapped back up as she realized what she was staring at.

Despite the situation, both Jaune and Emerald chuckled, before Emerald sobered and continued. “We’re going to make it up to you...be the best girlfriends we can be. We promise.” seeing Jaune’s shocked look, she smirked. “You heard right...you hit the jackpot, tiger!”

Glancing at May, Emerald nodded again, and May slipped down onto her front, her upper body held up by her elbows, while the verdette girl turned around, setting her plump rear on his thigh. “We couldn’t decide who would get to please you first, and well, our assets are quite opposite to one another, so I thought, “Why shouldn’t our forgiving boyfriend get the luxury of a titjob and an assjob at the same time?”...oh! I can tell some part of you likes that thought!”

Both May and Emerald giggled from how hard Jaune’s cock was twitching, obviously imagining what they were about to do. Locking eyes with their new boyfriend, both moved, sandwiching and engulfing Jaune’s large shaft between their impressive endowments.

Jaune groaned darkly, his cock feeling as though it was being utterly smothered by four large, warm pillows. Opening his eyes, he saw both Emerald and May looking at him with equal amounts of lust, and glancing down...he barely saw his tip emerging through the twin cleavages. He huffed, his fingers digging into the sheets by his body. He could feel his balls churning already, but knew that he was nowhere close to cumming.

He took deep breaths, as they started to move in tandem, in such a way that he was wondering if they hadn’t practiced this beforehand. “Fuck...you two…” his voice was almost a growl, something that disturbed him, but he could see the effect that it had on his two new girlfriends. Both were looking at him with lust in their eyes, their movements getting even more frantic, his cock slipping in their cleavages, his tip popping up and out between them as they fell, Emerald’s rear and May’s breasts squishing against his thighs.

“Like it, lover?” Emerald asked, eyes hooded halfway. “I...I won’t lie...I’m getting wet just feeling this thing between my cheeks...how about you Zee?” she asked.

May blinked at the nickname, but smiled softly. “Y-Yeah...this...this is really turning me on…” she was mortified at saying that out loud, but she wasn’t going to lie about the fact that her juices were streaming down her inner thighs. It didn’t help that her sensitive nipples were dragging along the soft skin of Emerald’s rear end.

Jaune groaned as both of them worked harder and faster, getting him closer to his end, growling as both stopped their movements, leaving him on the brink again. He scowled lightly as both moved off of him, although it lessened a fair bit as they leaned over and kissed him. “Don’t worry, baby…” Emerald smirked, “We’re going to get you off, we just don’t want to waste all that’s in here,” Jaune hissed as two different hands cupped his large balls, rubbing the swollen and packed spheres gently. “by letting it spit out onto our tits or ass, that’s all. We want it in us…”

May hummed softly, kissing Jaune again and getting lost in the addictive feel of his lips. Pulling away from his lips, she rubbed her nose against the blonde’s, pressing her tits against him. “We want you to fill us up...I tasted it before, I want it in me. No condoms, I’m on the shot...I...I want to feel it raw…” her cheeks burned, but Jaune only smiled softly, reaching down and cupping her cheek.

“If you’re sure...is it alright that she goes first, Em?” Juane asked, giving the cocoa-skinned verdette a glance, knowing that May had far more self-image issues than she did. The carmine-eyed girl pouted, but nodded. It would give her a chance to contemplate her own problem.

Emerald hadn’t hadn’t renewed her birth control. She hadn’t bothered resuming the shot; after all, why get something that you weren’t going to use at all? Now she was kicking herself. She’d figure out something. There was no way that May was going to be the only one fucked tonight!

Jaune kissed May again, which the buxom beauty accepted eagerly, moaning softly as Jaune’s tongue prodded at her lips. Clutching at him, May slid her body over his, enjoying the feel of his body pressing against her own. A small whimper escaped her lips as her sensitive nipples rubbed against his chest. Her pussy clenched around nothing as she pulled back from the kiss, a thin line of saliva stretching between their lips several inches before breaking. “Make...make love to me, Jaune...please don’t make me wait…”

Jaune kissed her again swiftly, rolling them over so May was on her back and he was looming above her.

May blushed, completely exposed before Jaune’s gaze. Her GG-Cups were on full display, her areola puffy and engorged, although her nipples were still tucked away in their little slits. Her trim legs were spread wide, exposing her soaked core. Even her milky, scarred eye (a testament to a Grimm attack when she was young) was uncovered from its hidden shield of her hair. She should have felt mortified. But with Jaune’s hungry gaze on her...she only felt...desired. Like a woman. She released a keen as Jaune leaned down and pressed kisses along her neck and collarbone, his fingers roaming her sides.

A squeal erupted from her mouth as Jaune’s firm hands grasped and toyed with her breasts, the callused digits almost sinking into the soft flesh. She squirmed and shook beneath him as his fingers rubbed over her sensitive areola, teasing the sensitive nubs.

Pulling back, Jaune stared into her visible eye as her face scrunched up, feeling her hips arching and rubbing up against him. He chuckled. “Sensitive there, are we?” he asked letting his index fingers and thumbs trace around the protruding flesh, his hard cock throbbing hard as he watched the busty girl squirm and writhe. This was breathtaking.

May was mortified! She couldn’t cum from just having her nipples teased! She wouldn’t, she wouldn’t, she wouldnnnnnn’t-a shameful keen escaped her mouth as Jaune’s fingers pinched, her nipples popping out of the small slits they hid in; her core clenched, her pussy squirting her fluids onto her thighs and on the sheets. With a whimper, she covered her face with her hands, not wanting to see the laughing expressions that she was sure both had.

Jaune was the furthest he had been from laughing in a while. He had never remembered be so hard in his life. Sharing a glance with Emerald, who looked just as shocked, Jaune grinned and slipped his hands down to May’s toned thighs, gripping them and spreading them a bit wider, slipping between them, the tip of his cock a hair’s breadth away from her soaked core.

Emerald, sick of being left out, leaned down and gently pulled May’s hands away from her face, looking into her embarrassed...sister-girlfriend?...she looked into May’s eye. “Come on, Zee...Jaune’s about to make you his...don’t hide behind your hands for this…” she smiled as she watched May’s eye immediately shoot down to see Jaune’s cock moments away from breaching her core.

Jaune smiled softly as he moved just a bit, allowing his head to touch her sticky lips. “Are you ready? I want confirmation…” he looked May directly in the eye, refusing to move further without her okay. He watched May nod, staring directly down at their potential joining.

That wouldn’t do. “I need you to tell me with words, May…” he said softly, rubbing his cock along her soaking lips gently. “I want to hear your beautiful voice telling me you want me to fuck you…” he hummed, turning his head and planting kisses on her toned calf muscle, running his nose along the smooth skin as May released small squeaks of sound, but nothing resembling words. He was patient. He had waited this long, he could wait until she found her ability to talk.

Fortunately, Jaune didn’t have to wait long. Emerald hummed and gently cupped one of May’s tits. “If you don’t tell him, he won’t fuck you. If he won’t fuck you, there’s no need for him to be where he is. It will be my turn. He’ll be fucking me. You wouldn’t want me to go first, now would you?” she asked, seeing May’s eye widen in panic.

“NO! Fuck me, Jaune! Don’t fuck her first! Please, I want it! I need it! Fill me with your cum!” May cried out, bucking her hips upwards, trying to take Jaune’s cock into her core. There was a beat of silence before her her lightly tanned face turned dark red, her cheeks resembling dark cherries.

“Heh, such a naughty girl, and a screamer to boot!” Emerald chuckled, gently fondling May’s breast, feeling heat flow off of her. “Don’t worry about it sweetie, its just us. But you heard her, stud; fuck her and fill her up!”

Jaune took a deep breath. While both had used their semblances to please him before; Emerald giving him that assjob in the gym showers while hidden from him and May had used her own to rest her breasts on his lap in front of everyone at the pool, he had never done this. He wanted it to go well.

“Looking at May, he smiled as he slowly began to push his way into her core. Huntress-in-training she may be, but she was a virgin and he wasn’t small. So he was slow to enter her and spread her open. He watched her face as she mewled and squirmed underneath him, digging her fingers into the sheets, gasping for air and whining for more.

Finally, Jaune bottomed out, his hips pressing against May’s, his own face tense as her walls were rippling and flexing tightly around his cock. She was hot, scorching even. Combined with her internal movements, it felt like she was constantly cumming around his cock. The look on her face only made him think more that she was cumming.

Slowly he pulled back, watching May’s face pinch and hearing the weak mewl coming from May’s mouth, feeling her thighs trembling in his hands. He watched her arch as he thrust back in, pleasure hitting him hard as well.

Seeing May starting to relax, Jaune knew it was time. Shifting his grip in her thighs, Jaune began to move faster, making May’s visible eye widen as he suddenly began to pound into her, loud smacks and claps filling the room as flesh smacked against flesh, pale hips colliding against tanned ones, Jaune’s swollen balls smacking into May’s toned ass.

Emerald stared jealously at May’s ecstatic face, before deciding that May shouldn’t be the only one having any fun. Sitting up, she carefully shifted so she was kneeling over her face. “It’s only fair I get off too, you know…” she teased, before plopping down and placing her pussy on May’s mouth, her ass covering the rest of the girl’s head. She moaned as May immediately started lapping away at her core, her tongue surprisingly skilled for a girl who had never eaten pussy before. She smirked as she saw Jaune’s eyes fill with lust, but she had to readjust herself as she nearly rocked off of May’s face as Jaune began fucking her even harder, his grip on the maroon-haired girl’s legs shifting a bit more.

Her eyes widened as Jaune lurched forwards, almost bending May in half, locking her legs down, putting her into a mating press and slamming into her. She threw her head back, a choked cry escaping her mouth as May screamed into her pussy, sending vibrations along with the sensations of that surprisingly wicked tongue. She released a choked cry as she came hard, squirting over May’s face.

May could see and hear nothing, could only smell Emerald’s intense scent of cherry blossoms and natural musk, could only taste her sweetly tangy arousal, and feel...oh Gods above, could she feel Jaune fucking her, bending her in half, making her his breeding bitch-her slick pussy clenched around him in sudden orgasm, a wail of pleasure leaving her mouth, being muffled by the slick flesh that hadn’t moved from her oral cavity. She thrashed underneath her two lovers, bucking upwards and trying to get more and more pleasure, to receive Jaune’s cum and become his woman.

Jaune growled as May clenched and flexed and squirmed around him, her juices leaking around him and dribbling down onto his pulsing balls. He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to hold back too much longer. This was, these two were too erotic to maintain calm. “C-Cumming!” he groaned, hearing May squeal eagerly as his balls rose and fell, his sack squeezing as his thick cum spurted out of his tip, forcefully filling up the maroon-haired girl’s core.

May cried out into the soaked flesh above her, heart singing as Jaune filled her up, claiming her body as his, and his alone. No other man would stretch her out, would fill her up...no other man’s seed would ever take root within her.

Feeling Emerald slip off of her face, she inhaled deeply the sweet air and stared at her lover. Feebly, she raised her arms, wordlessly asking for a hug. She moaned as she found herself scooped up into strong arms and smelling Jaune’s musky scent, her core flexing and rippling around his still twitching cock. “...Love you…” she moaned, nuzzling against him. “Love you too, May…” he hummed.

Jaune slowly, very slowly slid his still hard cock from May’s body, both staring at the veritable waterfall of semen that spilled from her pussy and onto the sheets. May managed a giggle. “You really did fill me up…” she whispered in an awed voice. Looking up at Juane, she kissed him. “You’re going to be doing that again soon...”

Emerald let the two have their moment, before she pouted, reaching down and gently squeezing Jaune’s balls, quickly gaining his attention. “I...I haven’t renewed my birth control yet, but I want it raw too…” she pouted. She cursed herself at the fact that she hadn’t thought of something as simple as birth control. Her eyes brightened. “You can fuck my ass.”

The blunt manner of speech made both May and Jaune gape at her, although Jaune’s sticky, twitching cock told Emerald that he really liked the idea. She slowly spun around on the bed, pushing her ass out and giving it a wiggle. “I know you want to~” she teased. “I don’t mind...after all, it is my best feature~”

Reaching back, she grabbed her cheeks and spread them, revealing her winking little pucker to her audience of two. Glancing over her shoulder she smirked, seeing both her boyfriend and fellow girlfriend staring. “You’re nice and lubed up due to Zee, so c’mon, lover...claim what every boy’s thought about!”

She watched with amusement as Jaune reached out for her almost zombie-like, his hands grabbing her ass and squeezing tightly, making her moan as his strong fingers sank into her flesh. “Yeeeasssss…don’t be afraid to get rough with it…” she groaned, getting wetter and wetter from Jaune’s rough handling.

SMACK!

A guttural moan spilled from her lips as Jaune’s strong hand slammed against her bubbly backside, making the cocoa-colored flesh ripple and sending a pleasant sting through her body. SMACK! Another one on her opposite cheek made her juices start sliding down her inner thighs.

Repeated spanks covered her ass, falling in a random pattern, sometimes going from cheek to cheek, other times he spanked a single cheek several times, the sting building until it became almost painful, the fire between her thighs growing and growing and growing until-

Jaune stopped.

A piteous whine escaped her lips, looking over her shoulder desperately at him, seeing him smirking. “You’re not going to get to cum that easy, Emerald…” she felt a slick feeling, and knew that it was Jaune’s cock. It slid between her cheeks, the cum slicking up her crease and covering her tight little pucker. A bit of adjustment and she felt his tip poking the small circle. Her pussy quivered. “Please…” she keened.

Jaune thrust.

Emerald’s eyes widened as Jaune bottomed out in one go, hips slapping her stinging rear as all ten inches of cock spread her wide. “Fuck!” she groaned, gripping the sheets as Jaune drew back until just his tip was still inside her, then plunging back in again. Smack!

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Jaune’s thrusts were rhythmic, and every time he bottomed out her ass cheeks were spanked hard by his hips. Broken moans spilled from her lips even as her own juices dripped down from her pussy and onto the bed, dark spots forming and growing in size.

Seeing May looking at Emerald hungrily, Jaune smirked and spun them around, much to the dark-skinned girl’s shock. Her carmine eyes widened as May spread her legs, revealing her cum stuffed pussy. “Eat me, Emerald...you made me do it to you, so its only fair...and hey, you get to taste Jaune! Won’t that be great?” she teased.

Emerald could smell it, the tangy, slightly bitter scent of their mixed arousal, her mouth watering as she found herself leaning forward…

...only for May’s legs to wrap around her head and drag her in, smushing her face against the maroon-haired girl’s cream-filled core. “MMMMMPPPHHH!” she whined, only making the one-eyed girl moan and Jaune rail her ass even harder.

May watched as her boyfriend railed her sister-girlfriend, and said sister-girlfriend sucked and licked and slurped away at her soaking pussy, sending pleasure through her body.

Jaune slammed into Emerald’s ass, enjoying watching the ripple of her flesh jiggle as his hips slammed into her, watching May moan and clutch at the Verdette’s hair as she was eaten out. He fucked her hard and powerfully, giving her all of the aggression that he hadn’t given May. He could tell she loved it, just like he did. She was already cumming, her anal walls squeezing bearing down on his cock, her juices spilling down her thighs.

He knew that he was close too, but he wanted to wait, hold out for May to cum again...lurching forwards, he began to slam himself against her, his balls slapping against her pussy, sending droplets of her cum flying as he slammed his lips against May’s.

“MMMMMMHHHHPPPPPHHH!!!” the trio moaned in unison, their screams of passion drowned out by their flesh.

May squirted hard, covering and almost drowning Emerald in a mix of her cum and Jaune’s, while Emerald sprayed the sheets with her clear cum as they came in unison.

Jaune, however, growled as his balls snapped taut and he began to pump his cum deep into Emerald’s backside as he devoured May’s lips, their tongues tangling against one another.

Slowly breaking the kiss and moving away, all three panted for air. “F-Fuck…” Emerald gasped, her head slumped on May’s inner thigh, licking her lips of May’s and Jaune’s cum. May was speechless, her massive chest heaving as she fought to get back her breath.

Jaune rolled his hips slowly, letting the last drops of his cum side from his cock as he slowly pulled back, watching in awe as Emerald’s ass gaped, his cum spurting out as the formally tight little hole struggled to close.

Grabbing his lovers and shifting them, Jaune slumped in the bed, followed by two female bodies, May and Emerald each grabbing an arm and pulling it close, his limbs being swallowed up by May’s massive cleavage and Emerald’s more modest one. Their legs entwined with his as they relaxed, their heartbeats finally calming down and breathing returning to normal.

“Ah, hah...that was...that was…” Emerald slumped against Jaune, trailing off, unable to come up with the words necessary for what she honestly was feeling. May hummed, nuzzling against Jaune’s shoulder. “...Perfect…” was the only word she said, and despite the fact that she had been Emerald’s worst enemy not two hours ago, the mint haired girl found herself agreeing.

“Yeah...perfect…” she hummed, closing her eyes and resting against her new boyfriend as fatigue finally hit her. She knew that she wasn’t done, not by a long shot. She may have agreed to work together with May tonight to make sure they both got what they wanted, but that didn’t mean that she was going to be passive all the time...the next morning, she was going to wake her boyfriend up with her mouth.

...little did she know, May had the same idea, dreaming of driving Jaune wild with her own talented tongue.

A Week Later

“Jaune? Are you okay?” Pyrrha asked, looking at her closest friend in concern as they studied in one of the study dorms. His face was flushed and a fine sheen of sweat was on his forehead. He looked at her and smiled, although it seemed strained. “I’m just fine, Pyr. T-Thanks for asking!” he said, although his voice was tense. Tilting her head, Pyrrha nodded and going back to her work.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, despite the immense pleasure that flooded through him. Looking down, he narrowed his eyes at a naked May beneath the table as she swallowed the head of his cock in her mouth, while her breasts swallowed the shaft, eyes bright as she looked up at him happily.

That wasn’t the only thing happening. Before Jaune in the middle of the study dorm, on top of the table he and Pyrrha were sitting at, was a naked Emerald. She had changed positions several times already, from doing exercises in booty short that showcased her magnificent ass, like Yoga and squats (reminiscent of the teasing she did to him in the gym), to belly dancing, to stripping herself of her bottoms and twerking, clapping those fat cheeks together, to the position she was in now, sitting on the table before him, legs spread lewdly and cupping one of her breasts as she openly fingered herself in front of him.

Jaune wondered how he had gotten so lucky. He had two beautiful girlfriends, both of them surprisingly adventurous...to the point of Emerald using her semblance to keep his partner from noticing anything odd as they both played with him...and each other.

Jaune bit his lower lip to contain the groan as he came hard, coating May’s face and tits in a thick, gooey mask of his cum. Eyes brightening, Emerald turned and hopped off the table (making sure to wiggle her ass in his face as she did so), crawling underneath it and immediately attacking May, kissing her deeply as they both began to scoop up his cum, moaning happily as they devoured his seed.

His cock, having lost none of its rigidity even with the massive cumshot he had painted May with, twitched. As he watched, both his girlfriends leaned forwards, pressing their lips to the head of his cock. Right next to his partner. Who remained oblivious due to Emerald semblance.

God...he loved his life right now.

[cathrrrine]

RUN | Pietro x Reader

Originally from my Wattpad

CHAPTER 15 - GHOST

----

[2009.]

Cold, unforgiving metal met the tender skin of my arm as I blocked his punch. That's going to leave a bruise. His blows were getting stronger, faster. He was testing my skills, they wanted to see how far I could be pushed. Although I wasn't far from the edge, I wasn't going to let myself fail today either.

"Focus!" He yelled.

I grimaced, ducking under his arm and landing a punch to his gut. Rookie move, but it was all I had at that moment. He grabbed my arm, quick as lightning, and dragged me by the chin so he could look me in the eye. My fists were still clenched but the exhaustion was starting to take a toll on me. I panted heavily as I tried to mask how drained I was.

With my arm still in his grasp, he said, "Who are you fighting for?"

It was almost a mantra that I was forced to reiterate every single time I fucked up. "Hydra."

He said it again, louder this time, his grip on my hand growing tighter. He could break my wrist if I didn't deliver. Hell, he could break every single limb I had. I couldn't fail.

"Hydra!" I scoffed. I belonged to them. I had to die for them. Hydra ran through my blood, and if it was ever spilled one day, it would be justified in their name.

That's what they told me.

Who was I to question them? I was nothing but a vessel, a weapon for these people. If I failed to deliver what was asked of me, I'd be killed. How ironic was that? To kill or be killed.

I hated it.

As soon as he let my arm go, I thrusted the top of my head into his face. I heard what sounded like his nose breaking and true enough, as I regained my balance and faced him, I found him wiping blood from his nose with the heel of his hand. It was satisfying, to say the least, to see that I finally made a dent.

"Perfect." He nodded.

God, it wasn't over yet.

He pulled his knives out of the holsters he wore, spinning them in the air and catching them both flawlessly. It was his signature trick. Honestly, I thought it was a bit too dramatic. But what can I say? Hydra loves their drama.

"Pay attention." He pointed the tip of the knife towards me. "Or you'll bleed."

He pounced, spinning his knives like they were toys and not murder weapons. He thrusted his right knife in the vague direction of my shoulder, I took a half-step back and circled around so I was behind him. It only took a second for him to whip around again, but I expected that move. So, I threw my leg up as soon as he did and I kicked the weapon out of his grip.

The knife spun around threateningly in the air before falling onto the concrete across the room with a thump. He didn't seem to pay any mind to his fallen weapon. That's when I remembered he had another. He twirled it around his fingers before gripping the handle and thrusting his right arm with full force, the gears of his metal arm whirring as he did so.

I thought I had it. I jumped back so he wouldn't catch my rib, but he was quick to calculate my movements. I should have known.

The pain was searing.

Blood oozed out of the newly-made wound on my calf, the knife buried to the hilt. I screamed uncontrollably as the pain of it kicked in, my body going limp immediately.

"That's enough, soldat."

Tears were falling down my face against my will. You know how sometimes your body does things you don't want it to do? I know, logically, tears were just how your body reacted to certain things. For example, being stabbed in the goddamn calf. But I knew, despite literal fucking science, the people around me took it as a sign of weakness. That's how messed up in the head they are.

But I wasn't weak. I just got through 2 hours of intensive training with the Winter Soldier while they just watched.

I'd like to see the lot of you fight him and manage to not get killed.

One of the medics went over to my side and helped me up. The Winter Soldier stepped aside and watched me with disdainful eyes. I knew I disappointed him. That alone could have fucked up my assessment. How did I not see it coming? How did I miscalculate that movement?

The Commander leaned in to talk to him as he watched me limp away. I made eye contact with both of them. The Commander's lips were moving but I couldn't make out a word of what he was saying.

Through pain-ridden eyes and a half-delirious mind, I could almost make sense of what the conversation was about.

Girl...Mission...Out...Threat.

Next thing I know, I was being treated by Dr. Nolan in the Medical Room. I don't think I processed anything yet. My brain felt numb. My eyes were glued to the knife — now on a metal tray — that I failed to dodge.

My mind flickered through all the different scenarios that I could have went with. I was beyond frustrated with myself and with my complete and utter failure. What were they going to do with me now? They couldn't really kill me...could they?

My mind reeled back to the conversation I saw that the Soldier and the Commander had earlier. What were they talking about? Did they finally decide what to do with me? The defective agent?

I wasn't perfect. I tried to be, but I wasn't. Somehow I always found myself disagreeing with their rules and their missions, even if I carried them out anyway. Although, sometimes I couldn't help but protest. I had to. Even if the consequences would hurt me. If they knew that I'd gone against more than just a few of their regulations, there's no doubt I'd be dead within the minute.

Footsteps came through the corridor, yet I didn't even think to look up.

"Your mission." The familiar faded black of a case file was thrown into my lap carelessly, the papers crinkling in protest as it landed. I looked up to see an annoyed expression that was attached to the face of one of the high-ranking agents.

"Mission? I thought I failed the assessment." My thumbs flicked through the papers almost automatically, scanning through the details quickly. I didn't miss the red stamp on the front. This wasn't just any mission.

He–David, I think–shrugged, "The Commander asked me to hand this to you. You're leaving in an hour."

"What?"

I was...thrilled and appalled at the same time. The whole point of the assessment was for them to see that I was worthy enough to be placed on important missions like these. If they trusted me with it, that means I succeeded.

"In an hour?" Dr. Nolan chipped in. "She hasn't fully recovered from her stab wound yet. You need at least two to three weeks of rest."

The red star-shaped stamp looked even more brighter in that moment, even if the room was poorly lit. "I've had worse. I can survive a limp."

"You won't even be able to walk." He raised an eyebrow at me in disagreement. Somewhere deep down, I knew I should listen to him. I wasn't in the best shape for a fight, let alone a mission like this one.

David huffed, "Orders are orders."

Then my brain clicked back into place. David was right. I nodded once. "I'll be at the hangar in 30 minutes."

"You better gear up by then. They wont wait up for you."

Dr. Nolan sighed and shook his head before wrapping my leg up with bandage. "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."

———

Snow was blowing in my face. The cold seeped through my coat, prickling my skin like tiny little needles made of ice.

"Any minute now." He spoke through the earpiece.

We were supposed to ambush a S.H.I.E.L.D operation that was a threat to Hydra. I wasn't entirely sure why I was sent along with the Winter Soldier, but I wasn't in the place to argue. Not when I just barely survived the assessment.

"Get in position." I crouched down, trying to smother a whimper that threatened to escape my throat. My calf was burning, but that wasn't a priority right now. Everything was always burning somehow, and I learned to ignore it overtime. I scanned the area through the scope of my sniper rifle. As soon as a car came into view, I steadied my hand on the trigger.

"Now."

Four continuous shots for each tire. Every single one blew out and the car spun out of control, spinning from left to right. It was a narrow road, the plan was bound to work to our liking. After a few nasty turns, the car swerved off the cliff, leaving nothing but dust and debris in it's place.

"They're not dead yet. Keep an eye out."

It was quicker than I expected, but I spotted two figures climbing out of the wreck after a while. Their movements were slow and staggered, but alive nonetheless.

"Target acquired."

I watched through the scope as he stepped out of his position in the shadows. One of the figures moved in front of the other, shielding them with their own body. I knew it was useless. He'd kill them both anyway.

A single shot rang out. I could picture the bullet going through one body to the other. They both dropped to the ground, dead.

"Target eliminated."

"Roger."

He didn't say a word. I didn't hear the usual rustle of his movements through the earpiece. Silence engulfed me. Usually, I wouldn't be so unnerved. He was always silent. But this time it felt...strange. I stayed where I was, unmoving. Something in my head told me I shouldn't move, shouldn't speak.

It seemed too easy.

I don't know what it was, but I didn't take my eyes off him. Something about this whole thing seemed...off. He could have completed this mission alone.

Why did they ask me to go with him?

He turned away from the bodies and faced me. I gulped, hands trembling as I held my rifle reluctantly. What was he doing?

"Sir?" I managed to say. Everything was telling me to RUN. NOW.

Slowly, he raised his gun and pointed it towards me.

Girl...Mission...Out...Threat.

My whole body trembled at the sight before me.

"Take the girl on your next mission. I need you to take her out. She's a threat to us, soldier. She's defective. Eliminate her. "

I was right.

Bang! The sound of a gunshot snapped me back to reality. It was real. They wanted to kill me. The Winter Soldier was standing ten feet away from me with a gun in his hand, ready to kill. To eliminate the threat.

Out of reflex, I pulled the trigger of my rifle that was pointed to his head, only to find it empty.

Four bullets. They only gave me four bullets and nothing more.

Without thinking, I ran. I dropped the rifle and ran as fast as my legs could take me. I heard another gunshot, closer this time. That's when I started to feel a strange sort of stinging at the back of my leg. The pressure felt strenuous as I continued to sprint in the snow.

Oh, God...Dr. Nolan was right.

I could feel the pain taking over once more as my stitches started to pop. Warm, thick liquid ran down my leg and seeped through the pants of my uniform as the wound on my calf bled out. Between the stinging cold and the stinging pain, I was starting to feel hopeless. I couldn't possibly go against him.

Bang!

Closer this time. I was running blindly into a vast, wide-open landscape of infinite snow. Not only that, but I was also leaving behind a trail of blood behind me. Deep scarlet upon stark white. What a contrast. Was this Hansel and Gretel or some shit?

"You cannot run forever." His voice was crisp, threatening. I couldn't take the fear that ran cold through me. If I stopped running now, I wouldn't ever get up again. He was the embodiment of fear, and he was chasing me.

I tore off my earpiece and threw it behind me. How could I have been so foolish today? Of course they sent him out here to kill me.

All along I thought I was playing the part perfectly. But, maybe I didn't hide my doubts of Hydra as well as I thought I had. Did they find out about everything I've failed to do?

How could I have killed those innocent children? How could I have murdered that innocent family? Or that innocent man who just so happened to stumble across a Hydra operation?

I was fine with the blood and the gore. I was used to that. The only thing that never sat right with me was when the innocent had to be slaughtered. The first time I went through with it, they haunted my dreams. Their animalistic cries for mercy, their howls of pain...I couldn't live with myself.

They were right. I was defective. I didn't have the makings of a Hydra agent. I wasn't as ruthless as I should be.

I ran and ran, hoping that he was far behind me. The snow was getting thicker by the minute, it was getting harder for me to see and to navigate.

I ran until my aching feet hit the pavement of a road that led to a small village. It looked homely, with houses and shops lined up along the road. Lanterns hung from roof to roof, providing light in the heavy snowfall. If I didn't know any better, I'd try to hide there. But I knew he would only tear it apart and kill everyone on sight just to eliminate me.

Then I sensed footsteps behind me. There was no time to think. It was my only option.

I sneaked through the worn paths of the area, trying my best to lay low. It didn't help that I was sporting a mean limp and bleeding all over the place. People saw me and they avoided me. I started to wonder why I thought heading here would help me. I scanned the area for anything, anything that would help. A weapon, a car, a spot that I could take shelter in...

Then, out of nowhere, I bumped into a woman.

"Oh!"

I held onto her arms as I tried to keep us both from falling. The woman was wearing a niqab. Her piercing green eyes looked right at me, distracting me from my original plan for a moment.

"Are you alright?" She asked, gently.

I must have looked horrible. Sweaty and bloody with panicked eyes. I didn't notice that her arms were still locked on mine, keeping me upright.

That's when I felt it, the surge of energy suddenly coursing through me. It was a peculiar sensation, but I welcomed it. Her green eyes widened. I knew she felt it too.

"You're-" she gasped, trying to pull away from me. I held onto her tighter, not wanting to let go just yet.

"Please." I begged. "It won't hurt."

I had to go before he came.

I heard gunshots behind me. I couldn't let him get to me, not when I just found the key to my escape.

"Who are you?" The woman whispered, struggling against me.

"Someone you’ll help escape death." I looked into her eyes, trying to let her see how desperate I was. I didn't want to take anything else from her but this.

Her eyes jumped from mine to behind me, before flickering back to look at me again. "You're like me, aren't you?"

"You don't need to do anything." I assured her. "I just need to leave."

It took a second of hesitation for her, but slowly, she nodded. She opened her mouth to say something, but I never heard what it was. Because that's when the screaming erupted.

I closed my eyes and teleported myself the fuck out of there.

[cm-top-10]

C.M. Top 10: Most Dark & Gore Scenes &/or Characters in Cartoon Series

Warning: The following top ten may contain possible spoilers for those who haven't seen newer series. This post may also contain forms of graphic violence & some gore scenes that maybe too much for you to witness. So for your safety & others do not look unless it's at your own risk.

You've been warned...

We all discover at some point in time that not everything you know is allover the rainbow. Most times we see things we can't unsee or learn dark secrets of someone you thought you knew your whole life. & sometimes we learn things the hard way. Or the messed up dark way...

So for this 1st dark Top 10 features the most characters with a dark histories, secrets or just straight up dark/gore scenes. Which character did you not expect to have a dark side? Sadly you be the judge...

1. Invincible - Omni Man beating his son to a pulp.

After learning the dark truth that was revealed to Mark about his father's true intentions. Nolan tells his son the truth about why he was sent to Earth & why he killed the Guardians.

Telling him the reasons why he's here was so he could eliminate any potential threat to the Viltrum Empire. & that he was raising his son not out of responsibility or heroics, but to have him as a bred soldier of the Empire to kill anyone who stood in their way.

& he wanted Mark to join their cause with him.

After Mark angrily refused to help him conquer the planet. Nolan nearly beats the life out of his own son & yells to the top of his lungs saying how pointless it is to protect his home world. While killing millions of innocent people in the process of their brutal fight.

However before he could finish him off, Nolan suddenly realized what he did to his own child & fled the Earth in machspeed, shedding a tear.

They say fatherhood is complicated, but not like this...

2. Castlevania Lords of Shadow - Gabriel's dark fate

While on his journey to slay all three of the Lords of Shadow. Gabriel slowly learned they were the founders of the Order & told him the truth of his order's true intention from each Shadow Lord who too were being used by the Brotherhood of Light. Then when he finally reached the final Lord of Shadow, he learned about his wife's death & fell into dark despair.

Over time his heart grew darkened. & knew nothing but bitterness & sorrow...

But after defeating the three Lords, Laura appears to tell Gabriel that he awakened another ancient evil known as the Forgotten One. Who had plans to destroy all creation & they had to venture to the Brotherhood's fortress to find the entrance to where he was imprisoned.

However only dark begins can enter the realm. & the only way he can bypass it's effects & to defeat this ancient evil, was to become one himself...

So Laura asked him to drink her blood & free her of her torment. Hesitant at first he did what was asked of her & dranked every last drop of her blood, until she died.

He then defeated the Forgotten One & saved mankind. But at a cost of his soul & happiness.

Thus becoming a vampire.

A vampire the world would soon know & fear as Dracul the Dragon.

But that is another story...

3. Baki the Grappler - Yujiro Hanma

As most know Yujiro is the world's most unstoppable & cruelest warrior in the history of fighters. Not even the U.S. Military dares to go near him. Yes Yujiro the Orge has struck fear into many people, even military personnel of different countries. & he did it with no weapons & has turned the U.S. into his personal playground for death & battles.

But the most cruelest thing he's done was ripping the face of one of China's most respected Kaioh masters while facing him in battle, testing his worthiness. The reason Yujiro did this challenge was not to prove his worth but to show all of China & their leaders that they are worthless to him. & showed them all that he doesn't care about their hatred towards Japan noir their worthiness.

& he struck that fear into all who witnessed Ryu Kaioh getting defaced & brutally defeated. Yes this is one man who's definitely going to hell & is going to smile about it.

Because Satan himself would be pissing his buttflap in his sights in fear. While Yujiro fucks his succubus wife in front of his face knowing how little fucks he gives about his "sins."

4. Primal - Sauropod Massacre

After being infected by the Zombie Virus. The infected sauropod becomes a mad rouge & slaughters it's own herd in a bloody rage & massacre.

It left no survivors, ripped them apart & destroyed many of the herds' eggs leaving nothing remaining...

Truly whatever zombie virus this was it drove this poor creature mad & didn't stop until everything wasn't breathing.

Luckily Spear & Fang were able to run it into a dormant volcano. Where the infected dinosaur burnt to ash.

Hopefully now the poor beast is at peace...

5. Star Wars Rebels - Master Luminara's remains

In the search for Luminara to replace Kanan to be Ezra's new master. They soon learned too late that her remains were being used to lure any surviving Jedi out of hiding. So that any Sith Hunters like the Grand Inquisitor would slay them on the spot.

Sadly no one knows whatever happened to her corpse after they escaped. Or if the Empire even still has her.

Rest in peace Luminara wherever you are...

6. Legend of Tarzan - Death of Clayton

While battling in the trees, Tarzan defeated Clayton by tangling him into the jungle vines. But during his blind rage he angrily swiped vine after vine, until one wrapped his neck. Tarzan tried his best to warn him, but in his rage Claton cuts the vine that he was holding on to.

Then after it broke they both plummet to the ground. Tarzan landed safely, Clayton however was hung from above by one of the vines wrapped around his neck after it snapped it straight out from the fall.

There truly are things worse than fate...

7. RWBY - the Death of Adam Taurus

After weeks of stalking Blake & her group. Blake had no choice but to confront Adam for the last time with the help of Yang. The battle was harsh, but in the end they managed to out-think him by stabbing him from different sides. One in his chest & one in the back.

He then fell to his death over a huge waterfall after hitting his head over a ledge before plummeting into the water. Hopefully they've finally seen the last of Adam Taurus.

But let's also hope he doesn't pull a Cinder...

8. TFP Beast Hunters - Predaking beats the scrap out of Ratchet

After using Ratchet to wipe out mankind. The Decepticons threw him into the frails of a vengeful Predaking. Predaking then beats & claws Ratchet, throwing him around like a rag-doll. Until he was ready to finish him off, luckily Ratchet convinced him to hear him out. & told Predaking the truth about what had happened to his Predacon army.

After he told Predaking that it was Megatron who ordered his race's extermination. He asks why he did so & Ratchet replys--

Ratchet: Being on the receiving end of your might. One theory springs to mind, Megatron fears you & any like you.

In his blind rage Predaking stormed his way to Megatron, wiping out anyone who stood in his way.

Which led to his own demise, but that is a story for another time...

9. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Stealy Joe gets his ass beat by Jotaro

Now this slimy bastard got what he deserves. Not only did he try to humiliate & blackmail Jotaro into doing his bidding. This cocky motherfucker goes & threatens a random little girl out of the blue. If Jotaro didn't face him like a man & does what he says.

With him up to here with the man's assholeness, our boi Jotaro decided enough is enough & beats the ever loving shit out of this guy. & after punching him multiple times, he literally sends him flying into a wall & throws him his receipt.

Rest in Hell, Joe you worthless bastard!

10. The Falcon Captain America & The Winter Soldier - Captain America U.S. Agent gets his arm broken.

John Walker the former Captain America was given a mantle he wasn't worthy of. Don't get me wrong as much as I had my doubts of him, I was willing to give him a benefit of a doubt. That is until he soiled Steve's good name by using his shield to kill a man in cold blood.

During his blind rage of vengeance, he chased down one of the Flag Smashers & constantly beats him over-&-over with the shield. & then kills him with a fatal blow to the chest area in front of tons of people.

After he murdered one of the perps, Falcon & Bucky tried to ask him to hand over the shield peacefully...

You can take a wild guess what Walker's answer was. He then attacked them with rage & ego, losing his shit. However that ego died as soon as Falcon & Buck breaks his arm to get the shield back. He was then discharged by the U.S. government & was relieved of his duties as Captain America.

Not only that but he then found his way into a dark path he may not be able to uncross.

But that part is another story for another time.

Either way he got dealt some shitty karma.

[imagines-r-s]

sticking it - j. farabee

chapter 1

a/n: ok, this chapter is very dialogue heavy lmao, but yolo. (feedback is always welcome, feel free to send asks about the series, i would absolutely love to talk about it.) i’m also kinda debating to have a ‘sticking it’ blurb night sometime soon?? anyways i hope you all enjoy this one 

taglist: @butgilinsky @barbienoturbby @sunsetholland @lovenhlboys @sortagaysortahigh @hockey-racing-fubol @oopsiedoopsie23​ (if you want to be added, just send me an ask)

warnings: uh, kathryn? that can be considered a warning i think, swearing, i think that’s it? if i missed anything lmk 

sticking it masterlist

wc: 3.2k

(gif not mine)

“You want me to go where with you?” Joel asked the group in front of him.

“My cousin has a gymnastics meet and we were wondering if you wanted to go with us tonight after practice?” Kevin repeated for the third time. 

“Dude, you have to come. These things are surprisingly super fun, it’s not hockey and there’s no physical fighting, but it’s still pretty cool,” Travis said, shrugging his shoulders. 

“Are you guys going to keep asking until I say yes?” to which Kevin, Nolan, and TK all nodded their heads. “Fine, I’ll go.”

“Ok, sweet. Karly is planning on coming, too, so I’ll just meet you guys there,” Travis interjected as he grabbed his practice bag. 

“We’ll pick you up around 4:30, we have to get there early since Pat has to give his pep talk, all traditional stuff, yada, yada, yada,” Kevin said. 

“Yeah, okay, just let me know when you’re on your way,” Joel said as the two of them went to their cars. 

…..

“y/n, I don’t understand why you’re still worried, your knee will be fine,” Nicole reassured you as the two of you walked into the arena, “Adrian already said you’ve been out for long enough and he’s waiting to hear news of the y/n y/l/n revenge tour, you can’t let him down, dude.”

You rolled your eyes, “well, Adrian can suck it up, he’ll be fine.”

“Ok, that’s how you want to be, then tell Marcus and Michelle that you’re scratching every event today. It’s fine by me, you’re my competition, but good luck petitioning onto the Olympic team after that,” Nicole said, walking ahead of you towards the locker rooms to get dressed. 

“Wait, Nic, stop,” you quickly followed after her, “Your reverse psychology isn’t going to work on me, but I’m not scratching every event.”

“That’s what I thought. Now, babes, you have to realize you’re going to be okay and getting in your head about it will only push you back ten steps. And I missed having actual competition,” Nicole caught the small smile on your face in the mirror, “ok, we honestly have to get ready if we want to have time in the tunnels before we compete.” 

Grabbing your garment bag that held your competition leo and warm-ups in, you started to get ready. Quickly getting your leo on, you took note of how beautiful the new leo was. A navy blue, long sleeve leo with mesh sleeves and rhinestone decals or as Michelle always called it ‘all blinged out’. Once you put on your warm up pants, you did a light makeup look that was pretty much just eye shadow and mascara and then pulled your hair up in a tight, but simple messy bun. 

“Are your boys coming tonight?” Nicole asked, meeting you by the door of the locker room. “Yeah, you know Kevin wouldn’t miss it, but I don’t know if anyone else is coming,” you replied. 

“Oh, well Nolan better be here, you need your pep talk,” Nicole added which made you laugh, “okay, well I’m going to let you do your pre-warm up-warm up and I’ll see you out there soon. You got this, babes.” 

Once you saw Nicole leave the tunnel, you immediately put your headphones in and started listening to one of the hype playlist that Nolan had put together for you. You went through visualizing your routines, visualizing the perfect motions, tumbling, and skills. You were stretching your legs out when you heard a familiar laugh sound from one side of the hallway, turning you saw Karly, TK, Nolan, Kev, and then beside them, Joel Farabee. 

You had never met him personally, but you had seen him play enough times to know who he was. He was also usually included in game highlights if you missed a game, so you were well aware how significant he was to the team. 

You stood up quickly and made your way over to them, “Karly, omg, I’ve missed you, babes. Tiki Bar, I’m still planning on stealing your girlfriend, just so you know.”

“You really have your priorities in order, don’t you, y/n/n?” Travis said.

“I like to think so. Hey, Kev, thank you for bringing your friends along for the y/n y/l/n revenge tour.”

“Dude, you didn’t mention this tour?” Nolan questioned. 

“Oh, well Adrian said this is my comeback meet, so it’s a revenge tour to show how cool I am,” when you got a nod in response from Nolan, you looked over to Joel who stood awkwardly beside him, “Farabee, do you talk or just stand awkwardly 24/7?”

When he heard you say his name, his eyebrows rose in surprise, “how come you know me, but I don’t know you?”

“Well, you see, I actually talk to people instead of just standing off to the side awkwardly. Plus, you’re literally Kev’s teammate, so it would be bad if I didn’t realize who you were.”

“I feel like you’re just upset I wasn’t talking to you, babe,” Joel added. 

“Awe, yes, of course. The pain in my heart from not talking to you is unbearable, thank you for sparing a few words,” you said sarcastically, placing your hand over your heart.

“Ok, children, that’s enough of that for today. We just came to wish you good luck, we’re going to go wait outside the tunnel so that way you can get your pep talk as usual. Now, c’mon, Beezer,” Kevin pushed Joel out of the way and towards the exit before he could say anything else. 

“Are we skipping over that for right now or?” Nolan asked as you walked back to where you were standing by the wall before they came over. When he got a simple nod in response he let out a simple ok, “what event are you starting on?”

“Floor. I’m pretty sure at least.”

“Ok, what’s the worst thing about the floor for you right now?” and the two of you talked about each event like you did every competition. Nolan doing his best to make sure that you talked out everything that was on your mind. Giving you a quick hug and a quick you got this, he made his way back towards his seat. You made your way back to get your warm up jacket from the locker room and went to find Marcus. 

By the time Nolan had made it back to his seat, the announcement that warm up and stretching would start now went off. “Ok, I genuinely thought the only people that did gymnastics were like 10 year olds,” Joel said. 

“10 year olds doing gymnastics is honestly a really boring thing to watch. Like when y/n was 10, I hated going to her meets. She was good, yeah, but it was boring and all of them had the same routines. 0/10 would not recommend,” Kevin added. 

“Are we all just ignoring whatever the fuck happened when y/n/n met Joel? Or was I the only one that noticed?” Nolan was shocked by the fact that no one had mentioned it. When the group went quiet for a moment, the only thing that could be heard was Karly holding back a laugh. “Care to share with the class, Karly?”

“Nope. I want to see how this one plays out before I make any comments,” to which the whole group looked at her confused. “It’s a developing story. It has to develop, obviously.”

Once the national anthem was over, the first event that you had was floor. “y/n/n, I don’t care how you do today, I just need you to go for everything. You have it in you to get high scores anyways, so just focus on doing your skills,” Marcus said, “you just have to do this 1 minute and 30 second routine, land all your tumbling, do your jumps well, stay tight, and you got this.”

“Representing the United States of America, y/n y/l/n on floor,” the announcer read over the loudspeaker. 

“Alright Twinkle Toes, go have fun out there,” Marcus told you one last time before you made your way up to the floor. You stood there anxiously, awaiting the judges who were somehow never ready on time to salute you. Once they did salute you, you flashed your best smile and marched onto the floor, going to your beginning pose. 

The group up in the stands were anxiously awaiting for your music to start, which did include Kevin having to yell at Joel to put his phone up before you performed. All of them believed in you, but this was your first competition back and they weren’t sure how it would go. Would you be back to your old competition level? Better? Would you hurt your knee again? They knew the risks, but simply pushed it to the back of their head. 

Just stick the landings. Four tumbling passes. Three leap series. Two turns. And one score. You have worked your ass off to get back to where you are now; this was your comeback and if you started off great, you could only go up from there. Hearing the beep that signaled that the floor music was starting, the first few notes of ‘Feeling Good’ rang out and you started your routine. 

Starting off your routine with a small dance combo and some poses, you went straight in with two back to back tumbling passes. After the first tumbling pass, the tension in your body eased up. You were back in your element for the first time officially since your injury and you couldn’t have felt better. Right now you didn’t care what score you got, you were just happy to be back. You went for your leaps and jumps, then your final two tumbling passes. 

After finishing your routine in your end pose, you saluted the judges again and practically ran back to Marcus. “I did it, oh my god. I did that,” you weren’t in shock, but the realization finally hit you that you had officially had a great start to the comeback tour. “Yeah, we all knew you could, y/n/n. I’m not shocked,” Marcus hugged you. 

When the camera came around as results of your routine came back, you simply smiled and waved towards the camera as you listened to Marcus tell you the plan for the rest of the competition. When the score results came up, it showed that you were in first place. Everyone else had competed in one event already, so you knew it wasn’t just an accident. You were back. 

“Dude, are you crying?” TK nudged Kevin, who quickly wiped his tears. 

“No, but if I were, it’s a completely valid response to a time like this,” Kevin said quickly. 

What you hadn’t noticed from where you were was how much Joel had been watching you. Before your routine started, he couldn’t have been less interested, but once he saw you performing and the smile on your face after you finished your routine he was hooked. Everyone did take note of how much he was watching you, especially Karly. 

“And the story keeps developing,” she thought. 

With a good score on vault and on bars, you were still doing fine in the meet - it was you and Kathryn Davis for first and second, but this event would show who won all around. The only event that you had left was beam, you only hoped that your hesitation wasn’t as obvious as you felt. You obviously wouldn’t be doing the dismount, you were just going to do a double back that you had solid and weren’t afraid of doing. But even with that, you still had fears looming around a dismount you knew like the back of your hand. 

The fear that you had for beam was evident when you had a few too many wobbles - which made your score lower - luckily there were no falls, but it still affected your score. Even with a lower score you still beat Kathryn in All Around, but came third on beam. 

After awards and talks with media, you made your way back to the locker room to get your gym bag. “y/n, oh my god. Babes, you did amazing. I’m so proud of you,” Nicole came rushing in for a hug. 

“Thanks, Nic. I’m just glad to be back, winning was just a plus,” you said, smiling, “do you still plan on coming with me, Karly, and the guys if we go out to eat?” to which she simply nodded. The two of you made your way to the usual spot you met Kevin after a gymnastics meet. 

Eventually the group made their way over there, all of them quickly congratulating you. “y/n/n, I hope you know how proud I am of you right now,” Kevin said softly after hugging you, “you’ve come such a long way and you rocked it today.”

“KD is slowly approaching,” Nolan said. 

“y/n, omg, it was so cool competing against you. Sorry to have beat you on beam though, maybe if you tried your dismount you would have won,” she said, a fake smile on her face.

“Well, sweetie. You do know that’s just one event right? In everything else, I still beat you. Even when I hurt myself last year, I still somehow ended up with the gold, so you honestly have nothing to brag about,” you said, your fake smile matching hers.

“I see you brought your hockey players to help you out here, how nice of them.”

Everyone watched cautiously, Kevin ready to pull you back if he needed to; Nolan, TK, and Karly were all ready to jump in and help you fight; while Joel just stood there realizing how much he liked seeing you when you were mad. A lovely dynamic for today. 

“Hun, if anyone needs help, it’s you. Especially in the math department, apparently. But congrats on the one gold medal, you deserve it,” and with that you stepped away from her and towards the doors of the arena. 

Somehow Joel was the one that was walking closest to you, “hey, you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. She just annoys me a lot, nothing crazy,” you shrugged. 

“You did good today. It’s crazy what you can do out there honestly,” he said genuinely. 

“Awe, Farabee, that’s so sweet. ”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get used to it, babe,” he said, slightly nudging you.

“Are you guys seeing this, too?” Karly asked the guys walking beside her, “like y/n and Bee? Or are your eyes not working today?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have introduced the two?” Kevin says looking back towards you two just as you trip Farabee, “yeah, maybe not the wisest decision?” 

“Haha, suck on that on-,” your sentence interrupted as he pulled your shin to where you ended up on the ground of the parking lot beside him, “that was uncalled for, Bee.” 

“No, it was perfectly reasonable, you were rude to me earlier, so it’s payback.” 

“What the fuck is she doing on the ground?” Nicole asked as she caught up to the group, confused by your and Joel’s actions, to which everyone around her simply shrugged. 

…..

“There she is, the gymnastics superstar. How was the first night of the ‘y/n y/l/n Revenge Tour?” Adrian asked as you entered his office. 

“Eh, same old, same old. You win some and you lose some, and then people are extremely petty about the fact that they lost, so they bring up a traumatic injury that you hardly ever talk about while making fun of you losing an event, yada, yada, yada,” you smiled. 

“Didn’t really know all that, but I’m proud of you,” Adrian led you over to sit on the bench, so that he could check your knee, “your knee looks- why is there a phone number written on your shin?” 

“Ohhh, haha. About that. I forgot to wash it off,” you said simply. 

“Girl, I know there is way more to that story that you aren’t sharing. C’mon spill.” 

“Ok, well basically. Kevin brought one of his teammates to the game, and there’s this kinda like tension that’s there, but it’s not. So, I kinda tripped him in the parking lot to show that I’m so in love with him and he tripped me back, then we all went out to eat. We’re basically engaged now, we’ve already bought a house and a dog,” you said in a monotone voice. 

“Ok, enough with the attitude, I just asked about the boy. So, what’s his name?”

“Joel Farabee.”

“What’s your specific nickname for him?” Adrian placed some athletic tape below your knee, just as precaution.

“Bee, but he doesn’t have a specific one from me yet, we aren’t that close,” you jokingly rolled your eyes, “no, but he couldn’t find a blank piece of paper, so he just wrote his number on my shin.”

“Did he not see your arm? And have you texted him yet?” Adrian asked as you started with your daily drills, rolling his eyes when he saw you shake your head, “look, he’s a hockey player. I have dealt with a few of those. 7/10, might recommend. They’re interesting individuals, that’s all I can say. But you have to text him.”

“Ok, well read me the number and I’ll text him,” opening your phone, you pulled up your texts, “wait, what the fuck do I say?”

“Well, there’s this word in the English language that works as a simple greeting when you don’t know what else to say. A three letter word, pretty simple.”

“Adrian. I don’t need the attitude today, this is stressful enough,” you quickly typed up the message and practically threw your phone across the room right after, “there, I did it.”

“Did you just throw your phone?”

“Yep, but I texted him,” you said, holding two thumbs up.

“I didn’t realize how much you doing gymnastics your whole life influenced your social skills. My deepest condolences to you,” the both of you looked over towards where you threw your phone when you heard a notification go off, “you better check that before I do.”

“Okay, fine,” quickly grabbing your phone, answering quickly to which he responded just as fast, “he simply asked if I was going to be at Kevin’s later and if I wanted coffee, so, are we done here?”

“Mhm, get your coffee. And I expect updates.” 

As you were on the drive home, your phone started buzzing continuously, you realized that it was just Nicole, “hey, babes. What’s up?” 

“Have you checked twitter? Or instagram? Or anything?”

“No? I’ve been at P.T, why?”

“You’re not going to like what I’m about to say, so if you’re still in the car, I suggest pulling over for your own safety.”

You pulled into your apartment complex, “ok, I’m home. What’s up?”

“Just check Kathryn’s instagram, but apparently she’s been training her 3.5 dismount on beam for months and she has it now. She said she plans on competing it at the U.S. classic in May.” 

[megslovesbooks]

Only Honest When It Rains

Read on Ao3

“Eddie–” he begins, but falters, unsure what he’s even asking.

“I’m fine Buck.” Eddie says, his gaze never leaving the road in front of them, his color worse than ever.

It takes everything in Buck to keep from slamming on the breaks and bringing them to a screeching halt in the middle of the fourlane. It's the first time Eddie’s lied to his face, or at least the first time he’s been so painfully aware of it. He’s tempted to let a surge of righteous anger crest behind his ribs, but it's becoming increasingly clear that they’ve both been lying to each other for weeks. He’s fine. Eddie’s fine. Its all fucking fine. Buck sets his jaw and presses his foot a little harder on the gas.

Or

In the aftermath of the prison riot Buck worries, Eddie spirals, and Chris just wants to have a movie night.

cw/ a minor kitchen injury and some blood

chapter 1/2

3k-ish

Eddie calls Buck roughly 30 hours into their 48 hours of downtime.

It’s just after noon and Buck is sitting blearily at his kitchen counter trying to decide if it’s worth putting on shoes to go get a cup of real coffee or if it’s better to just suck it up and make the instant lurking in the back of the pantry. They’d been on a 24 hour shift and then stayed at the hospital waiting for word on Nolan so by the time Buck had fallen into bed around 10am yesterday he’d been so dead on his feet he doesn't really remember much between then and now. He must have gotten up for things like water and food at some point he supposes, but it's all sorta gray in his head. At least he’d been too tired to dream. Small mercies. He’s just about made his mind up to go with the instant, his body still feeling too heavy and sore for doing much today beyond Netflix and the couch, when his phone begins to ring. The sound sends a little spike of adrenaline through him, he’s got the ringer on ‘do not disturb’ and only a few of his contacts are set to supersede that. Bobby, Taylor, Maddie and—

Eddie’s name flashes on the screen, the picture one Buck himself had taken of the Diaz boys at the beach last spring. They’re both laughing about something just outside the camera’s field of view. The memory usually warms him, but lately--it’s not that anything’s wrong exactly, it’s just--off. And maybe it’s that he’s spending more of his down time with Taylor and maybe it’s that Chris is getting bigger (the thought twists something low and melancholy in his chest) and has been hanging out with his school friends more and there have been fewer movie nights at home. Maybe it's that Buck is certain something is going on with Eddie but he doesn't know what. He can see it in the line of his shoulders and the shadows under his eyes, and the way Eddie seems to be avoiding all human contact that isn’t Chris like the plague. When Buck tries to bring it up, all Eddie ever says is ‘I’m fine’, which is clearly untrue. Maybe that in itself is enough to cause the low level tension he’s been feeling almost constantly lately. He’s used to knowing Eddie’s thoughts, or at least his behaviors, as well as his own. They aren’t even working together much these days with Chim still on leave and Buck is feeling more and more like he’s losing sight of the shore.

He fumbles with the phone for a minute before managing to hit the answer button.

“Hey.” He says, voice rough with disuse.

“Hey.” Eddie answers, sounding as steady and relaxed as he ever does. Sometimes it makes Buck want to shake him. “Did I wake you? I can let you go.”

“No.” Buck clears his throat and tries again. “No, I’m up, just haven’t had my coffee yet.” Eddie hums an agreement and then drops into silence long enough that something like worry starts to prick at the back of Buck’s mind. “Everything OK?”

“Yeah.” Eddie says, his tone light, but now that Buck is more awake he can hear the brittle edge to it. Buck knows he’s probably just tired, Eddie doesn’t have the luxury of sleeping for nearly 24 hours straight after a long hard shift. Still. “Chris was hoping you’d be free tonight, I told him you probably have plans but--”

“I’m free.” Buck says, maybe a little too quickly, but it's Chris after all. Its Eddie.

“Great. Pizza and a movie at our place?”

“Sounds perfect.” Buck says, his chest full of warm thoughts of Chris wanting to hang out with him. No matter how many times they do this it always feels like some kind of rare gift, to be chosen by the people he loves most in the world.

“Great.” Eddie says again, then goes oddly quiet for the second time. Buck hesitates, something he would never have done even a few weeks ago, then pushes forward through his own unease.

“You ok Eds?” The question is soft, as if he’s afraid to spook Eddie through the phone.

“Of course.” Eddie says, and whatever that weird edge to his voice had been, it’s gone. “See you tonight. Is 5 too early?” Buck can feel his mouth twist unhappily, he wants to keep pushing until Eddie gives him some sort of answer that feels real, but all he says is,

“Can’t wait. I’ll bring the pizza, tell Chris it's his turn to pick the movie.” Eddie chuckles and the sound is so familiar and somehow so foreign it makes Buck’s chest ache.

“He already has a stack ready, I’ve been told they are ranked in order of importance and also time. He’s angling for a double feature.”

“Well, I think we can swing that.” Buck says.

“See you in a bit then, gotta go run some errands.” Eddie says and it's not until they’ve hung up that Buck really stops to think about how skillfully Eddie deflected the conversation away from himself and just how often it's been happening lately.

***

He shows up at the Diaz house at 5pm sharp. The truth is he’s been a little antsy ever since getting off the phone with Eddie hours ago and he’d had to force himself not to rush right over. A couple cups of coffee had burned away the last of the sleepy fog in his head and the rest of the afternoon he’s been actively working not to go over the events of their last shift in too much detail.

Don’t think about the sick rush of adrenaline as he looks over and sees the gun leveled at him from the passenger seat of the ambulance. Don’t think about the cold horror of seeing Chris’ photo in Mitchell’s hands. Don’t think about watching Eddie’s entire body lock into a frigid combat mode Buck has never seen from him before, even in the midst of their worst days on the job. Really REALLY don’t think of the sound of the gunshot and the bone deep fear that he’d fallen back through time, that he could still taste Eddie’s blood on his lips.

They’d made it out. Saved a life. It was all fine.

Eddie was fine. He was. He’d given his statement to the police in an even voice, he’d cleaned Mitchell’s blood off his fingers and the back of his neck with steady hands, he’d sat with Savannah while she waited for news about her son, his instinct to help those around him as profound as ever. He answered Bobby’s questions in detail and assured Hen he was perfectly fine. Except he wasn’t. Buck knew he wasn’t. He’d been almost unnaturally still as the hours in the waiting room stretched on, the lines of his body pulled taut like wires about the snap. Buck had reached for him only once, and while Eddie hadn’t exactly flinched, he’d slipped out of Buck’s touch with such precision the message had been perfectly clear. It was the last time they’d spoken one on one for the rest of the night.

Hen had shot Buck a worried frown, but he’d been shaky with the adrenaline comedown and his head had been pounding, and whatever she’d been thinking she’d kept to herself while prodding his bruised face with gentle fingers. After that, after learning that Nolan was going to be ok, after the sun was up and the shadows of last night began to take on a dream like haze through the filter of his exhaustion, after watching Eddie turn and walk away without a backwards glance, it was all Buck could manage to get home, reassure Taylor, and then collapse into bed.

Now here he is, his jeep full of the smell of hot pizza, Eddie’s house a friendly beacon outside his windshield, and a nervous energy in his gut he can’t explain. Pulling in a noisy breath Buck scoops up the pizza and heads for the front door. He rings the bell instead of walking in. Chris opens it with a speed that tells Buck he’s been waiting. It would be enough to make his throat tighten with emotion alone, but he has to actively blink against a hot feeling in his eyes when the kid throws himself at Buck for a hug, heedless of the pizza boxes balanced in his hands.

“Hey buddy.” Buck says, and he only has to clear his throat a little. He tells himself he’s still a little worn out. That’s all. “It's so good to see you.” Chris pulls back, clearly gearing up for some sort of story or explanation, but then he frowns.

“You hurt your head.” He says, “Are you OK? Is that why dad was being so weird yesterday?”

Buck doesn't know what to say to that, and before he can ask for more clarification on what ‘being weird’ means Eddie is there, taking the boxes out of his hands.

“Let Buck get in the door before you start catching him up on everything alright mijo?” He says with a grin and Buck can’t tell if he overheard Chris’ comment or not.

“Hi.” Buck says, and feels a little of the sharp weight in his chest ease when Eddie smiles at him in that warm, familiar way.

“Hey.” He says, then Chris is pulling Buck towards the living room and Eddie and the pizza are disappearing into the kitchen. Chris gives him a detailed rundown of the movie options and they decide to go with The Nightmare Before Christmas because it’s almost Halloween (“I thought this was a Christmas movie?” “It can be BOTH Buck.”), followed by The Lego Batman Movie. By the time they’re finished making the selection Eddie is back with food and drinks and they all settle in. Buck doesn't miss the way Eddie seats himself in the chair across from Chris’s side of the couch instead of sharing the space with him and Buck like normal. He’s still within easy reach, still part of their conversation, but it's a deliberate disruption in their usual routine. The unease in Buck’s gut returns with a vengeance but the opening notes of This is Halloween are filling the space between them, making it impossible to do much about it.

They’ve just started the next movie, Lego Batman in full batmode, when Eddie gets up and starts clearing the dishes off the coffee table. It's another break in tradition. Usually Buck clears the dishes and sets the kitchen to rights while Eddie is getting Chris in bed before they both join in for the bedtime story. Buck moves to stand, reaching for one of the empty plates, but Eddie waves him off.

“I got it.” He says, and vanishes into the kitchen before Buck can formulate a protest. A few minutes pass before there is the sound of breaking glass.

“Fuck!” Eddie says, loud enough to make both Buck and Chris jump. They look at each other, startled, then Buck forces a grin.

“Oops.” He says lightly, reaching over to squeeze Chris’s arm in what he hopes is a reassuring way. “Five bucks in the swear jar for dad!”

Chris smiles but there is still worry etched all over his face. The Diaz household doesn't have a swear jar. Eddie never uses language like that in front of Christopher. Buck used to tease him about it until one night when it was late and they’d had a couple beers, and Eddie had told him that his dad used to swear at him and his sisters when he was angry at them. About how even though it was only words, and he never raised his hand against them, it made Eddie feel so small and afraid. Buck can still hear the slight hitch in his voice when he says he never wants to make his son feel afraid in his own home.

Something’s wrong.

“It's OK buddy.” Buck says gently, tucking Chris’ blanket a little more snugly around his legs then pushing himself to his feet. “I’m going to help dad in the kitchen for a minute, we’ll be right back.” He glances back at the couch as he passes the dining room table. Chris has turned his attention back to the movie but he’s clearly still on alert, half listening to whatever it is that’s happening behind him. With a sigh Buck steps into the kitchen and closes the door softly behind him, unsure what he’s walking into.

At first glance nothing is amiss, Eddie is bent over the sink, water running full blast, he seems fine. But then Buck sees the shards of the broken glass that litter the counter and floor and the way Eddie’s body seems to be trying to push as far away from the water as it can while keeping his hands under the stream, every line of his back a ridged, silent scream.

“Eddie?” He’s trying to keep his voice low and easy, but something hot and sour is beginning to creep up the back of his throat. “What’s going on?”

“Go back to the living room Buck.” Eddie grinds out, and it's such a flat dismissal that Buck has the sudden urge to laugh. What the hell is happening?

“Uh. No.” He says, edging closer around the table. He’s near enough now to see that Eddie’s whole body is trembling, sweat soaking through the back of his t-shirt, his ribs heaving like he’s just finished running up a dozen flights of stairs.

“Eddie.” Buck says, easing himself into the space beside him, “What--” then his eyes catch on the contents of the sink. “Jesus Eds!”

It's a mess. Eddie has one hand closed tight in a fist under the running water but it's not enough to stem the steady flow of crimson dripping from between his fingers and over the curve of his wrist. There are more shards of glass in the sink, all splashed a thin red. The memory of looking down as the water in his shower spiraled down the drain, pink with Eddie’s blood, is so visceral that Buck has to suck a breath in between his clenched teeth. Now is not the time for that though, so he reaches out and turns off the water and tries to take Eddie’s hand in his so he can see how bad it is. If the amount of blood is any indication it's not great. Before Buck can touch him though, Eddie is pulling out of his reach, stumbling back as if he’s not quite in control of his own body. His back hits the fridge with a thud and he stays there, looking like a wounded animal caught in the headlights.

“Hey.” Buck says, his throat tight. He’s furious with himself for letting things get this far. He’s known for weeks that things were bad, for them both, and usually he’d have been on it like a dog on a bone, it's just that he feels like he doesn't know how to do that anymore. He’s pretty pissed at Eddie too, truth be told. What the fuck are they doing? To each other? To themselves? “You need to let me look at that Eds. Come on.”

He reaches out again, getting close, but leaving the final inches for Eddie to cross. For one long terrible moment they look at each other across the void while Eddie’s blood drips down onto the asphalt between them. Then without speaking Eddie reaches his hand out, Buck takes it in both his own, frowning at the tremors he can still feel rolling through his best friend’s body. Carefully he eases Eddie’s fingers open, hissing softly as the wound comes into view. It is bad, but not nearly as bad as he feared. The gash is jagged and deep, but most of the damage is in the meaty part of the palm, avoiding tendons and connective tissue. It's bleeding a lot though, too much for regular bandages. They’re going to need to get him stitched up.

“OK.” Buck says, letting go with one hand so he can reach for a dish towel on the counter. “OK.” He keeps his other hand firmly locked around Eddie’s wrist, he’s half afraid if he lets go his partner will disappear into the night. Towel acquired, he wraps it snugly around Eddie’s palm and folds the fingers back over it.

“Can you keep pressure on that?”” He asks. When there isn’t an immediate response Buck looks up sharply. Eddie is silent under his hands, his gaze fixed somewhere just over Buck’s left shoulder. “Eds?” He says more forcefully, “You still with me?”

Eddie pulls in a harsh breath through his nose.

“Yeah.” He says. “Yes.”

Buck doesn't entirely believe him, debating for a moment if he should get Eddie into a chair before leaving the kitchen, but when he lets go and steps back half a step Eddie remains solidly propped against the fridge.

“Stay here.” Buck says. “I’ll tell Chris what’s happening then we need to get you to Urgent Care. Don’t move.” He expects resistance, at least verbally, but Eddie continues to gaze into the middle distance. He’s keeping steady pressure on his hand though so Buck shoves his fear down for a little longer and heads back toward the living room.

He’s halfway to the couch when he looks down at his hands and sees Eddie’s blood smudged across his skin. Shit. SHIT. He course corrects, heading for the hall bathroom, something wild and terrible thrashing in his chest. He turns the water on with shaking fingers and scrubs his skin clean as quickly as he can. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Keep it together Buckley. Fuck. He can’t afford to have a breakdown now. Not yet. He sucks in three deep breaths and doesn’t meet his own eyes in the mirror. Somehow he makes it back out of the bathroom without screaming and makes a quick stop in Chris’s room for shoes and a sweater on his way back to the living room.

“Hey Superman.” He says, reaching over and switching off the tv before crouching down to start helping Chris into his shoes. “Listen, your dad cut his hand on a broken glass. He’s ok, but we’re gonna take him to the doctor just to make sure OK?” Chris’ eyes are huge in his face but he just nods. Buck is just about to tell Chris to pull the sweater on while he goes and gets Eddie when Chris pulls out of his grip, slithering off the couch a little frantically.

“Dad!” He says, and Buck looks up to see Eddie walking towards them. He seems perfectly steady, but his face is paler than Buck would like. He’s added a second dish towel to his hand and he’s got his arm cradled against his chest where it's mostly out of sight.

“It's OK bud.” Eddie says, leaning down to press a kiss to his son’s head. “Just a little cut.”

“Do you have to get stitches?” Chris asks, part interest and part worry.

“Looks like it. Yucky huh?”

“Yeah.”

Somehow Buck gets them all into the jeep and heads toward the nearest urgent care center, the ER will take hours and something deep in his chest tells him the sooner they can get this over with and back to the house the better. There’s some sort of silent countdown running out on them, Buck isn’t sure when it began but he knows whatever is at the end of it will not be easy. Whether it will be disastrous remains to be seen. Buck turns up the radio a little louder so that Chris can’t hear them,

“Eddie–” he begins, but falters, unsure what he’s even asking.

“I’m fine Buck.” Eddie says, his gaze never leaving the road in front of them, his color worse than ever.

It takes everything in Buck to keep from slamming on the breaks and bringing them to a screeching halt in the middle of the fourlane. It's the first time Eddie’s lied to his face, or at least the first time he’s been so painfully aware of it. He’s tempted to let a surge of righteous anger crest behind his ribs, but it's becoming increasingly clear that they’ve both been lying to each other for weeks. He’s fine. Eddie’s fine. Its all fucking fine. Buck sets his jaw and presses his foot a little harder on the gas.

[wefoundloveunderthelight]

Mystery Of Pixie Hollow by GleefullyCaptainSwan Chapter 6/11

Read on AO3: | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

Or on FF

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly @xsajx @deckerstarblanche @jonesfandomfanatic @winterbaby89

Chapter 6: Lady Bell

Killian cursed his decision to go to the carnival on his own. He stuck out like a sore thumb, a single man wandering around a children’s carnival alone.

He could feel eyes on him from all directions as he dipped his head, pulling his jacket collar up around his neck. Looking behind him he felt as if he was being watched. He walked faster, disappearing behind one of the buildings at the back of the carnival. He looked over his shoulder and saw that he was alone. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned back toward the sound of children laughing and playing near the rides.

“What have we got here?” he heard the voice behind him.

“Just looking for the restroom, gotta take a piss.” He laughed.

“’Fraid you’re in the wrong place for that.”

“Guess I am, I’ll just head back this way and…”

The man grabbed him by the jacket. “Don’t think so. Seen ya around a few times now…boss is gonna want to talk to you.” Killian jerked away from the man only to feel a sharp pain on the back of his head as his vision swirled to black.

Peering through slanted eyes he could make out shapes in a darkened room. He sat up, grabbing his head as he winced in pain. “Bloody hell.”

Standing up he realized he was in a trailer, one of the offices most likely behind the carnival. As much as he wanted to meet this Peter, he knew that this was not the way to do it. He wasn’t helping Alice by being reckless and getting caught. He should have never come here alone so soon after the last time. He was behaving irrationally.

He dug through the drawers looking for anything he could use to escape from his prison. Before he could finish his search he heard a noise at the door. The knob jiggled suddenly and then stilled. Killian backed himself into the corner of the room, reaching for a nearby lamp, holding it over his head as he crept behind the door.

The door squeaked open slowly and he held his breath waiting to strike. A shadow stepped into the room and Killian lifted his arm to swing before the intruder’s hair caught in the light, blonde streaks shining in front of him. She spun around to face him, raising her arms in front of her.

“Killian.”

He dropped the lamp to the ground. “Swan? What are you doing here?”

She shrugged, “Checking out the carnival. Thought maybe I might be able to find something, and then I saw Felix. I didn’t know what to do when he dragged you in here. I waited until I saw him leave and came looking for you.”

He looked at the door. “How did you get in? I checked the door; it was locked.”

“I picked the lock.” She said matter-of-factly.

“How did you know how to do that?”

“Everyone has something in their past they aren’t proud of.” She shrugged. “I think we should get out of here; don’t you think?”

“Good plan, love.”

Emma followed behind him in her bug as he drove back to his boat. They walked in silence across the dock, neither saying a word as they entered the small living quarters below.

Walking over to the cabinet he pulled out two glasses and sat them on the counter. He poured rum into each and handed one to Emma as he walked to his sofa and sat down, tipping the glass into his mouth as he welcomed the warmth of the liquid.

He watched as Emma hesitated before tipping the glass back and taking a swig of her drink. She looked at his wall, walking over and running her fingers along the photos hanging there. “She has your eyes.”

“Aye. Her mother always said she had my attitude as well.” He tipped his glass toward her and took another sip. “And what of your lad?”

“He has his father’s eyes and my attitude.” She laughed.

“Is his father not around?”

She frowned and sat down on the couch next to him. “Neal Cassidy remains not only the biggest mistake of my life, but also the biggest disappointment.” She shook her head with a light laugh. “He’s been out of my life since I found out I was pregnant with Henry.”

“That must have been hard.”

“He was a low-level criminal who thought he was big time. Grade A loser, but I didn’t exactly do a good job resisting him either. If it weren’t for my friend Will, I probably would have ended up in prison right next to Neal.”

“You? Prison?”

She snorted, “You don’t learn how to pick locks because you’re an upstanding citizen.”

“Seems it was a useful skill tonight.”

“I was supposed to go on a big job with Neal the night he got caught. I had just found out I was pregnant, and I thought if we just had enough money, he’d walk away from that life, start a family. All I needed to do was meet Neal at the docks, but Will showed up instead. Convinced me that Neal was never going to change and took me home.”

“What happened to Neal?”

“He got busted that night, apparently it was a setup, the cops knew her was coming the whole time.” She sipped her drink again. “Neal did his time, two years up state, I sent him pictures of Henry, wrote to him once a week, and when he got out of prison, he left me a hundred bucks under my door mat and I never heard from him again.”

“Sounds like it was for the best.”

“Doesn’t make it any easier.” She frowned. “But I’m sure you understand that.”

“Aye, raising a child on your own is never easy.”

“But still rewarding.” She added.

“Aye.” He sighed. “Seeing her the other night, she’s grown so much.” He heard his voice crack and he paused. “I was so close. I almost had her.”

He heard the woman beside him sniffle and looked up to see tears coming down her face. “I’m so sorry Killian. It’s my fault she’s still out there.”

“Love…” She looked up at him. “It’s not your fault. You were right. It’s not just about Alice anymore. How many other kids has he taken? How many other Alice’s? If we don’t find them all, we still lose.”

“What if we never find them?” She sobbed and Killian found himself sliding next to her, his arms wrapping around her back as he pulled her against his chest.

“Don’t give up hope, love.” The woman melted against him, her body shaking as she continued to cry. Killian found himself running his fingers into her golden locks, trying to sooth the woman in his arms. “I promise you; we’ll find our children. I won’t stop searching until they are home safe.” He closed his eyes, leaning into the woman, enjoying the warmth of having her in his arms.

It had been so long since he had held a woman, much less one who seemed to need him so desperately. He didn’t want to release her until he knew she no longer needed his embrace. The way she was clinging to him made him collect her into his arms even tighter.

~*~

Emma woke to a banging noise above her, and a man’s arms wrapped protectively around her back. She heard a groan beneath her and opened her eyes. She was currently laying against Killian’s chest, his arms hugging her tightly.

She heard the bang again and Killian stirred beneath her. “What the bloody hell is that noise?” He groaned and Emma felt a stir in her chest at the tenor of his voice as he woke. His eyes opened wide as he recognized the awkward situation they currently found themselves in. Another bang above them.

“I think someone is upstairs.” She said softly, brushing her hair away from her face as he released her, and she sat up with a yawn.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He stood and climbed the stairs toward the noise above them.

Emma adjusted her clothing, standing up as she looked around the room. They must have fallen asleep in the evening. Emma remembered crying into his chest as he promised her that he would find their children. She looked at her watch, it was nine in the morning. She had slept through the night. She heard voices above her, and she walked toward the stairs, climbing a few steps in order to hear the conversation above her.

“I thought my lawyer was clear yesterday that I wasn’t speaking to you.” She heard Killian’s voice.

“We had a few more questions to ask.” Emma recognized the voice as Officer Nolan’s.

“I don’t have anything else to say to you.”

“Do you recognize this girl?” The man asked and she heard a rustling of papers.

“I have no idea who she is.” Killian answered.

“She went missing last night at the carnival.” Emma put her hand to her mouth. Another little girl missing.

“I already told your boss, I don’t recognize her.”

“And what about her?”

Another silence and then she heard Killian cough. “What is this?”

“Do you know her?”

“That’s Alice.”

“We believe she’s the one who took the girl.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Killian…”

“Get out of my house.” She heard Killian yell angrily.

“We just want to know what happened too…”

“Either you arrest me or get the fuck out of my house.” He yelled and Emma flinched.

“Alright, we’re going. But trust me, we’ll be back. We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

“I doubt it.” Killian responded and then she heard the door slam and a crash above her. His footsteps stomped until they got closer to the stairs and their eyes met as he came into view.

He paused his steps. “We need a new plan.”

“What happened?”

“Another child was taken.”

“I heard you say Alice’s name...” She said softly as he descended the steps, walking away from her and crossing to the other side of the room.

“They think Alice took the child.”

“That’s not possible.” She exclaimed, stepping closer to him and tentatively running her hand across his back..

“If she is, it can’t be by choice. We need to do something a bit more…” He exhaled. “Drastic.”

He spun around and faced her as Emma gulped nervously before nodding her head with a new determination. “Alright, what do you have in mind?”

~*~

Alice looked around the dark room at the faces of the children staring back at her. It was as if they were waiting for her to say something, anything to make them feel better. But Alice didn’t have any grand words tonight, not after she spent the evening ruining the life of another young girl. She sighed and sat down in the corner, wrapping her arms around her knees.

She hated what she did. Taking the young blonde girl by the hand and telling her that she had a secret place to explore in the fun house, that only she could come to. She lied to the child, she lied and led her into the belly of the beast. She may not have been the one to put the chloroform over her mouth, but she may as well be the one responsible for destroying her childhood.

“Are you ok?”

She turned her head to see Henry approaching her, she shrugged as he took a spot beside her on the floor. “Look at her.” She turned her attention to the new addition, the young child crying on the dirty mattress across from them. “She hasn’t stopped crying since we got here.”

“She’s scared. We all were when we got here.”

“Yeah but this is different, she’s different. Somehow…” She said softly trailing off. She didn’t know how the girl was different, or perhaps she was different because this time, she was responsible for her being here at all.

“You know this isn’t your fault? You had no choice but to go with Tink.” The boy said forcefully.

“We always have a choice.” She frowned. “My father would be so disappointed in me.”

“Don’t say that.” He demanded. “I’m sure that your father would understand.”

“You don’t even know him.”

“No, but if he’s anything like my mom, he would love you no matter what you did.”

She sniffled and pressed her chin closer to her knees as she squeezed herself with her arms. “Sounds just like my dad, actually.” She laughed for a moment and then paused. “I miss him so much.”

“We’re gonna get out of here, I just know it. My mom will never give up.”

She smiled at him sadly. “You’re still new, eventually that hope and optimism will be replaced by sadness and longing.”

“Don’t give up.”

“I know, but I just don’t have it in me to hope anymore.”

He smiled. “Then I’ll just have to have enough hope for both of us.”

She nodded and brushed a hand through his hair. “Deal.” Taking one last look at the girl on the mattress who seemed to have finally cried herself to sleep, she stood up and offered a hand to the boy beside her. “Come on, you’re going to need all the rest you can get if you’re going to keep up that positive energy.”

~*~

“Are you sure about this? Last time you got pissed ‘cause I punched her in the face, now you want to kidnap her? Don’t you think someone might notice if she goes missing? Pretty sure that might bring about more questions than a black eye would.”

Killian stared at the black street in front of him. “We’re running out of time to play it safe. If they’ve got Alice mixed up in what they’re doing, we don’t have time to worry about who might ask questions.”

Emma sighed beside him and returned to staring out the window. “I know.” She responded softly.

“We’ll be careful, we just need more answers and she’s our best chance at getting them.”

Killian knew that going after Tink was a risk, but it was one he was willing to take ever since he saw the photo of Alice. If she were helping in the abductions, he knew it would never have been by choice. Alice was an agreeable child, always wanting to please, but he knew she would never willingly do something that was wrong.

He could hardly imagine what the girl had gone through for the last five years. It broke his heart knowing he had been unable to find her, to save her from whatever hell she was currently going through. Knowing that Emma’s young son was now wrapped up in the same nightmare made him sad, he only hoped this his Alice could comfort the boy if they were in the same place.

He tried not to imagine what type of child his Alice had grown into. He had missed five years of her life. Five years without her father could easily have changed her from the energetic, happy, optimistic girl he had raised. He hoped that whatever her fate may be, that she would have the chance to find that person once again.

“Wait, slow down.” He was pulled from his thoughts suddenly as Emma grasped his arm. “Back there.” Killian slowed his truck and looked around anxiously at the buildings around them. “Park over there. I think I saw something a couple buildings back.” Killian pulled over, putting the truck into park. He leaned over and reached into his glove box, revealing a pistol as Emma gasped beside him. “Is that necessary?”

“Do we have any idea what we are dealing with?” He stared at her. “We don’t, Swan. For all we know they have guns too.” He climbed out of the truck, slipping the pistol into his jeans at the small of his back. He knew it was a risk having a gun on him. He wasn’t legally permitted to handle a firearm since leaving prison, but he couldn’t take any chances right now.

“Have you ever used that thing before?” Emma inquired anxiously.

“Of course not.” He exclaimed. “Well, I mean, not this one in particular.”

“Then why do you have it?” She questioned, stopping suddenly.

“Look, you have no idea what my life has been like. Being a convict, spending time in prison, things change after that. I didn’t make a lot of friends on the inside and people don’t forget who you are once they know your name. I’ve survived all this time by being smart, and I’d like to make sure it stays that way.”

“Sorry, I just…”

“I get it, Emma. You’re scared, someone took your son, the cops don’t seem interested in doing anything about it, and you met this guy you know nothing about. But try something new Swan, it’s called trust.”

“You think I don’t trust you?” She answered immediately.

“Is that not what this is about?”

“Of course I trust you, you’re the only person out here doing a damn thing to help me right now. I already lost Henry, but if something happens to you, what will I do then? I can’t lose you too?”

“Well, love you don’t have to worry about me. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s surviving.” His thumb traced her jaw lightly. He tried not to smile, now wasn’t the time for whatever he was feeling toward the woman in front of him. He cleared his throat. “Come now love, let’s get our kids back.”

He turned toward the alley beside them, catching the motion from the corner of his eye. Instinctively he wrapped an arm around the woman in front of him, dragging her toward the building and out of sight of the person entering the alley. He put a finger to his lips to warn her to stay silent and she nodded nervously.

He peered around the corner of the building, watching as the transaction took place at the end of the alley. The two spoke quietly next to a rusted dumpster, the woman looking over her shoulder before passing a bundle to the shady man. The man coughed, reached into his pocket, and shoved a white bundle into the woman’s hand.

The woman had her back to them as the man skulked toward them. Killian turned toward Emma staring down at her. He had to think quickly before the man reached them. She stared up at him with anxious eyes. He could hear footsteps to his right, the sound getting closer and closer with each beat of his heart. He pressed forward, his hand on the brick wall behind Emma’s head as his mouth connected with hers in a searing kiss, a shocked cry squeaked from her mouth as he swallowed the noise, his tongue sliding into her mouth until her shock was replaced with a hungry desire.

He barely registered the disgusted grunt the man emitted as he passed them, mumbling to himself something about needing to “get a room” before he continued on his way.

Killian let the kiss linger for a moment longer than he knew he should once the danger had passed, suddenly caught up in the woman’s mouth, the way she gripped the collar of his jacket tightly, as if releasing him would somehow cause her to float away.

Reluctantly he broke the kiss, his forehead pressed against hers as he tried to resume a sense of calm. Her eyes were still closed as she bit her bottom lip. A smile formed on his face. “He’s gone.” He whispered.

“What?” She returned softly. He turned his head, staring at the retreating form of the man who was now turning the corner at the edge of the building. “Oh yeah, right.” She stammered. “Let’s go.”

He pushed away from the wall, peering down the alley again at the woman who was still facing away from them. They walked quietly to the end of the alley, careful not to make noise as they approached the busy woman, her head tilted toward the sky as she reveled in the feeling of whatever high she was currently enjoying.

Killian stilled Emma beside him, clearing his throat. “Evening, Lady Bell.”

[trashforhockeyguys]

Don’t Hold Me -10- Carter Hart

A/N: Whoops. My fingers slipped. Don’t hate me. It’s not all that long either. Sorry.

Mentions of abuse. 

There was a strange feeling in your gut as you watched Carter on the ice. Like you were being watched. But you’d been having that feeling for a few weeks now. Every time you left your dorm room, or simply walked anywhere, it was like someone was lurking just behind the corner of a building. You tried to credit it to you just being paranoid, he was still in the city. Ethan hadn’t seen him back home, no one had. As far as anyone knew, he was in Philly for business.

The crowd roared as Carter made a save, dumping the puck to Travis. You tried to watch, but you just couldn’t focus. You felt like sinking down again and making yourself as small as possible, maybe that way no one could see you. You honestly felt like you could just throw up. So much about being here just didn’t feel right. 

Your hands shook as the time slowly ran down on the clock. As soon as time ran out, you couldn’t get out of there as fast as you could. You’d already texted your roommate to come get you. You didn’t want to wait for Carter, or Travis. You needed to get out of there.

“You okay?” She asked when you got into her car.

“I don’t know,” You replied, “I just...I don’t know.”

“Alright, we’ll, let’s get you home,” She put the car in drive, “Do you want me to drop you off at Carter’s?”

You shook your head, “No...I’ll text him and tell him I don’t feel well. I just want to go back to the dorm.”

It took no less than an hour for Travis to call you and ask if you were okay. Carter was unsure what to do, but Travis… he wanted to know automatically. You lied and told him you just ate something at lunch that didn’t settle well with you. You didn’t want to tell him how you felt, or how paranoid you were.

You caught yourself looking over your shoulder all the time. You tried to hide it and act normal around Carter. You’d gotten really good at it too. He didn’t question anything, no matter how uncomfortable you felt. It wasn’t that he didn’t care, because he cared more than you thought he could. 

A lot of days, while he was home from practice, he’d watch you work on your homework, and ask questions about your art projects and your family. He wanted to know everything he could, all while knowing he could only push so far. 

Days turned into weeks, and somehow you found a new normal. But life with Carter wasn’t what you’d expected. You trusted him, and you cared for him deeply….you probably even loved him. But you weren’t sure if you were really ready for something like this. And then there was the constant fear. 

“Hey, earth to Y/N,” Travis snapped his fingers in front of your face, “Are you going to come or not?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Summer? I asked if you were still coming to Canada to the farm?”

Spending the off season with Travis was something you’d talked about since the start of the semester. You weren’t yet ready to go back home, and now it seemed like an even better idea.You didn’t even want to think about being home. You loved your family, but the idea of being back in that town made you want to be sick. 

“Uh...yeah. Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Hey, you okay?” Travis sat down next to you, worry flooding his face.

“I think I saw him again.”

He cursed and tugged his hair, “Where?”

“At the last game,” you replied. 

Your body started to shake. You hated that this was your life. You wanted to say that you were just imaging him, and it wasn’t actually the human being that made your life a living hell. But you knew it was, you saw him scanning the face of everyone that walked by him, just waiting for one of them to be you. You knew he was here for you.

“Damnit. Fuck.”

“He didn’t see me.”

It was a lie. He saw you the second you rounded the corner. But you were with a group of the girls. You had the families with you. He couldn’t get to you as long as you were in a group. You’d gotten a couple of them to agree to go back to the seats with you. You’d be safe as long as you stayed with them, you knew that. But you didn’t want Travis to know any of that. You didn’t want him to think that the arena wasn’t safe for you anymore. You didn’t want him to tell you that you needed to stay hidden. 

“Jesus Christ,” He stood and started to pace his living room, “Dammit. He was supposed to be banned from the fucking building.”

Nolan seemed to pick that exact time to walk into the apartment, carrying lunch. Carter was meant to come over once he got off the phone with his agent. The plan was the four of us were going to have a movie night, since we hadn’t had the time to do something like this in awhile. 

“What’s going on?” Nolan asked. 

“He was at the fucking arena,” Travis looked like he was about to punch right through the wall in his living room.

“What? How the hell?”

“Can you two stop please!” You suddenly begged. 

You pulled your legs up to your chest, forming a tight ball with your body. The need to be small was back. You wanted to just disappear. The walls felt like they were closing in on you. He knew where to find you. You were sure he was lurking on campus, just waiting for you to be alone. 

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? Damnit, I have to call Ethan.” 

“I didn’t tell you because you’d do this!” You yelled, getting up from your spot on the couch, “You’d want to lock me up in this stupid apartment, or my dorm. Or hell, you’d want me to go home.”

“Damn right I want you to stay! Does Carter know?”

“No! Travis! He doesn’t, and you aren’t going to tell him a damn word!” You yelled, ignoring the fact that Nolan was just watching all of this unfold, “We’re finally settling into whatever the hell this is. He’ll want me to stay hidden too! I’m done letting him control my life Travis!”

“He almost killed you Y/N!” 

You flinched. The scars and ghosts of where bruises once were seemed to burn. You were suddenly aware of every spot his hands had once been. Every time you lied to cover for him. You took a step away from Travis. Any anger that you held melted away. He seemed to realize what he’d done, because his face slowly changed. 

It was almost like he could see you slowly starting to relive every memory. Every single moment that you spent with him. He could see it all over your face. Suddenly Nolan was right by your side, carefully putting a hand on your shoulder. Even though you knew it was him, you still flinched and shied away from him. 

“Y/N, I’m sorry..”

“I know exactly what he did to me Travis,” Your voice was small, quiet. Any bit of fury and fight you had was gone, “I see it every time I close my eyes. I remember all of it.”

“Carter is outside, I told him you weren’t feeling well,” Nolan told you softly, “He said he’d take you back to his place.”

You nodded, but didn’t take your eyes off of Travis. You felt crushed in a way. He was your best friend, he should know not to mention things like that. He’d been there through it all, he knew how you felt about it. He knew that things like this were off limits for you, yet he did it anyway. He did it to try to prove a point.

“Y/N...Please.”

“Not now TK,” Nolan told him, grabbing your bag for you, “Just leave her alone.”

He led you outside and towards Carter, who was waiting for you outside. He was leaned against the hood of his car, hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. He looked worried at the way that Nolan was having to lead you towards him.

You knew that he instantly knew something was wrong. You wondered if Nolan gave him any sort of heads up, or if he was just going in blind. But Carter reached for you the second you were close enough. He wrapped you in his arms, making you feel safe and warm. 

“You got her?” Nolan asked, knowing full well Carter would do whatever he had to in order to make you feel safe.

“Yeah, I got her.”

The sound of his voice was so soft and loving. He was gentle and calm. So unlike what you’d once been used to. He made you feel safe, instead of afraid of your own shadow. But as much as you...as much as you loved the way he made you feel...you couldn’t help but wonder if you could really do this to him. Could you really drag him into your life? 

“Can you take me home?”

You weren’t sure which home you were asking for. Did you really even have a home anymore? You didn’t feel safe in the town that you’d grown up in. He was everywhere. Reminders of what happened were everywhere. Philadelphia didn’t feel safe now, because he was here. You felt him watching you everywhere. Where was it that you were asking Carter to take you?

“Do you want some coffee? Or tea? I can make you something when we get back?”

You shook your head, not trusting words. You didn’t know what you wanted. But as much as you hated yourself for it, you knew that you wanted to stay close to him. Because above all else, he made you feel safe. Somehow, he made all of it just go away for a few seconds. And everything just seemed to be okay. 

“Alright.”

“I just want you to hold me.”

He reached over to hold your hand. You didn’t fight him, or shy away. You wanted to feel him, you wanted him to ground you for just a moment. You loved the man sitting next to you. But you weren’t sure how long you could love him before you ended up dragging him down with you.

[taughtdefense]

TODAY HAS BEEN A DAY FROM HELL. specifically, a karate hell. with a suddenly—unsurprisingly, you suppose—pissed off miyagi princess sam leading near-daily charge after charge against cobra kai, the escalation being partly influenced by hawk's impromptu head shave before prom, you've had to fight against more miyagi do/eagle fang people gunning for you, your partners, & your friends/allies than you have in all your time as a cobra. it’s erring on the side of ridiculous at this point, but you’ve learned to take the attacks less & less seriously than when the brawling first started. it’s almost cartoonish at this point—

that’s not to say you don’t give 100% of your effort in fights, though. you do. the enemy deserves no mercy—especially if the enemy keeps coming after you unprompted.

just this morning at the largest goddamn public park, of all places, sam'd come out with her fists flying... towards you. that'd amused you, & it was clear you were trying to keep your laughter at her to a minimum while you'd easily caught her balled-up fist with a slow, intentionally lazy smile. it wasn’t even an active thought, you’d just caught her fist, brown eyes wiped clean of emotion. you'd twisted her hand at just enough of a sharp enough angle to nearly break a bone in her forearm. but you'd gotten the message across; it was a silent warning to her, that if she tries going after you again, she'd be dealing with more than surprise, wounded pride & a throbbing arm. as far as you’re concerned, she can hate tory all she wants, but going after you unprompted is kind of… well, amusing.

if she was anyone else, you’d have snapped her wrist before she could’ve blinked, or kicked you away, or gotten out of the hold—or literally hospitalized her. but you’d let her go, simply because you didn’t feel like dealing with the headache of the larusso’s going after you legally. samantha’s increasingly erratic behavior has become tiring very quickly. she’d went after your dojo, a trend for her, lately. in that same instant you’d caught samantha’s wrist ( without even bothering to turn around ), you’d sensed & then promptly knocked shadow flat on his ass with a kick. charlie had stopped evading landon & nolan long enough to pick shadow up off the concrete, while you’d kept fighting both dojos with the same practiced, learned ease. but after that, the enemy group had given you a wide berth.

vaguely, you wonder if mr. larusso is aware of what his precious daughter is doing. what mr. miyagi would say to his essential granddaughter going around, intentionally picking fights. you were just defending yourself.

you’ve been pretty pissed off all day. a few hours after the park fight, a handful of the miyagi-do & eagle fangs still followed you a few blocks, lead by hawk this time. they’d clearly been raring for another fight. it didn’t culminate into anything ( no spontaneous 1v8 took place unfortunately ), but the fact is that they’d followed you around, like a pack of bloodthirsty fucking vultures circling their prey—you. that’d made you uncomfortable, & a little bit done with today, despite it being the middle of the afternoon at that point.

to make today’s sucky events even worse, johnny had basically ambushed you at your apartment while you were getting ready to leave for practice, dressed up in your gi. he’d asked—told—you to break up with robby. his argument was that he doesn’t like who you became underneath kreese & silver’s rule. he was worried that your devotion towards his son would have an unhealthy impact on robby.

you’d just stared at him blankly, like you were expecting him to say he was just kidding. he wasn’t. you’d started laughing him out of the apartment, & swiftly told him to fuck off & slammed the door in his face, which you know pissed him off. the idea that he of all people has any iota of a say in his son’s life, playing the concerned dad card seventeen years too late, is laughable at best, utterly pathetic at worst.

❝ i can't fucking believe this shit. the audacity of him, & the fucking dojo, i swear to god... ❞ you mutter/complain to no one in particular as you burst into the semi-packed cobra kai dojo. you’re pissed off, that much is clear. you pull off your shoes & drop your bag on the floor, tying your black belt tighter around your waist with an annoyed grunt, knuckles white. kyler jumps at the sudden interruption of calmness & lands flat on his ass in the middle of a spinning back kick, which internally amuses you, but outwardly you ignore him.

you instantly make a beeline towards robby. it takes no time at all to reach your boyfriend. both your hands reach out before you cup the sides of his face to angle his head up, moving your head down to meet him halfway at the same time, kissing him in greeting. you pour all of your frustrations about the day’s events into this kiss, turning the kiss into something a tad rougher than you’d normally display in public, wrapped up in your own little world with your boyfriend. you really needed this: to be close to him, even if you saw each other earlier. today’s fight, johnny’s sudden house-call, & the fact that you were followed have eaten away at your more outwardly emotionless nature.

you completely ignore everyone else in the dojo—including kyler, who groans in either annoyance at the public display of affection, or pain from his fall. it doesn’t really matter in the long run, anyway.

❝ get a room, you two. ❞

clearly fed up with his bullshit, you pull back from robby reluctantly. ❝ fuck off. ❞ you snap. kyler rolls his eyes.

you pull robby to the side of the dojo, squeezing his hands gently. you run your thumb over his knuckles & sigh softly as you sit down on the floor, pulling robby down next to you in one smooth motion, pressing your back against the quieter corner of the dojo. neither of your sensei’s are here yet, so it’s fine. across the room near the cobra kai motto, tory glances over at you & robby, clearly concerned about your outburst while you were walking in. you catch her eye, but other than that, you don’t even make any indication you want her to come over—she just knows that you want her to. she calmly tells talia, nova, stef, paze & scarlett that she’ll see be back over to them in a bit, she just wants to check on you. she absentmindedly bumps stef’s shoulder lightly as she passes by her sister on her way over. you watch her, leaning your head on robby’s shoulder for a few moments, still trying to process/decompress.

tory crosses the room & sits down next to you, placing a hand on your shoulder. her purple nail polish catches slightly in the light. ❝ what happened, eth? ❞ she queries, a curious glint in her eye.

❝ way too much, tory. ❞ you reply bitterly, chuckling humorlessly. interested, she sits down on your other side, & you take your girlfriend’s hand. your relationship is still in the new stages, but tory’s clearly—already—very comfortable with both you & robby. you look over at your boyfriend, then continue.

❝ so, my love… your dad fuckin’ dropped by my apartment on my way out the door. ❞ you begin, a bitter taste settling in your mouth. you’re frustrated, that much is clear. ❝ he basically told me to break up with you. like he has any right to have a fucking say in our relationship. ❞ tory’s eyes widen in surprise. ❝ holy shit. ❞ she whispers, a little shocked johnny had gone that far. you nod, annoyed. ❝ & then, earlier, ❞ you continue, annoyance clear on your face, ❝ a few members of miyagi-do & eagle fang followed me for a few blocks. led by that traitor, hawk. ❞ you grumble.

tory’s facial expression changes from surprised to furious. her shoulders tense. ❝ what the hell? ❞ tory’s eyes fill with anger. she clenches her jaw. ❝ yeah. today’s really sucked. ❞

you give @taughtpain & tory a recap about the past hour’s events.

[moonaft]

When Sorrows Come reactions

Spoilers: I did not get bingo.

25 squares, from left to right, top to bottom: 1. Malvic appears at the wedding 2. Sylvester attends the wedding 3. The High King or Queen gets elfshot 4. One of Tybalt's enemies from the short stories appears 5. Hope chests are relevant 6. Something is revealed about the False Queen 7. There's at least 3 Firstborn at the wedding 8. Someone calls Toby a kingbreaker 9. Dianda punches someone important 10. Toby drinks someone else's blood 11. August attends the wedding 12. Hirsent crashes the wedding 13. [Free space] Toby's dress gets blood on it 14. One of Tybalt's friends from the short stories appears 15. Eira is behind the trouble 16. Gillian attends the wedding 17. Lore about the Torquill family 18. Quentin's identity gets revealed 19. Sylvester doesn't attend the wedding 20. Someone mistakes Sylvester for Simon 21. Raysel's plotline moves forward 22. Toby learns about Tybalt's short story past 23. Someone gets elfshot for the second or third time 24. Toby insults nobility we haven't seen before 25. Lore about the Sollys family

Date: April 11, 2015, roughly 6 months after A Killing Frost. No mischief occurred around Christmas 2014.

Are nobles seriously inviting the kingbreaker in order to make contact with her mother who she pissed off during the divorce? Have they been paying attention at all?

Technically, Toby has never committed treason. She definitely didn’t commit treason against Rhys because she never swore loyalty to him. 

I think this is the first book that introduced Simon ahead of Sylvester and described Sylvester as Simon’s brother as opposed to the other way around. Sylvester is still on thin ice, by the way. There’s a reason I have both “Sylvester attends the wedding” and “Sylvester doesn’t attend the wedding” on the bingo card.

The Luidaeg denied Sylvester’s request to wake Raysel up - why? Did she want to get the wedding out of the way before Raysel’s trial and October’s next rolling emergency?

Yes, the Quentin problem when getting married at the High King’s knowe. Don’t change his appearance and everyone knows where the Crown Prince is fostered. Do change his appearance and everyone in Toby’s party now knows who the Crown Prince is.

“Dean Lorden is probably technically my brother now” woot.

Toby is voluntarily eating and drinking! After so many books of having food forced of her because she keeps forgetting to do so.

Confirmation that Toby officially owns her place and Luna can’t get Sylvester to reverse that decision.

Dean kissing a strange boy -> ah, they went with changing Quentin’s appearance and bloodline. And they went to the Luidaeg for it. Banshee, huh?

Poor Dean. Toby’s approval means something to him. And Toby continues to eat, good for her.

Yes, I too would love to know more about Sylvester’s Dark Years. Sylvester POV, when?

Dean has now officially heard that Oberon is back, and isn’t reacting. I have to assume the Lordens know the details behind how they broke August’s curse.

Oh Quentin, I love you.

Dean still thinks the Merrow descend from only Titania, but Pete confirmed in The Unkindest Tide that Oberon is her father.

Dean does not understand the value of landlines. Kids these days...

I had not considered that Toby and Tybalt’s wedding would be a historic event.

Surprise wedding date! It really couldn’t have been any other way.

Yes, who would have told Sylvester about the date?

Yep, calling Bridget and Etienne is the best option. And Etienne knows May didn’t tell Toby the date, interesting.

Dammit, Sylvester. I can’t cross that square off yet, he might redeem himself. And Etienne talking sense into Toby!

Did the fae make their kingdoms based on state borders? The West at least was based on SCA kingdoms and principalities. I wonder if Highmountain has a new Crown yet.

Good to know that Oberon can go where ever he wants in Faerie. He could probably bring Riordan back if he wanted to. Is Danny not coming? I can’t say I blame him.

Jazz knows about Oberon too.

I do hope August shows up at the wedding, it’s on my bingo card.

Huh, I knew that Ash and Oak aka New York was a place without fae these days, but I assumed some purebloods and changelings could still live there. Uncomfortably, perhaps, and maybe you couldn’t anchor a knowe there anymore, but I didn’t think it was actively hostile to every fae.

Hey, is that Lowri and Nolan? Nolan’s on guard duty, interesting.

Yes, the Ludiaeg could have married you at any time. Should have thought of that before everyone started offering you their knowe for the wedding.

Oh good they’re bringing Walther.

Makes sense Arden can’t come but she is sending Nolan. Nolan definitely is enjoying life these days.

Confirmation that Madden’s boyfriend is human and doesn’t know about the fae.

“I can go order her to arrest herself, if you’d like” Love it.

I have to assume the Tuatha Express is faster than air travel and not as tiring for the people who aren’t opening portals.

Nessa, the Gwragedd Annwn, a new species. As pretty as the Daoine Sidhe are to a nearly human Toby, wow.

And... she thinks the Luidaeg is Toby? I hope this isn’t a calculated insult. I know Quentin grew up with some bigoted people but this is deliberate.

And Oberon is apparently Tybalt?? What is going on her?

Kerry! We haven’t seen you since A Local Habitation. ‘There are no bad Dayes in this week” aww. I love you, Kerry.

Beacon’s Home is actually a Kingdom and not a Selkie-now-Roane holding? Cool.

It seems important that the Maples vs Ash and Oak decision was happening right before/during the American Revolution but I don’t know why yet.

“The ducal consorts are Daoine Sidhe”, yep both of them. 

“Sweet Titania, I love that woman [Dianda Lorden]” Still waiting for Toby’s bisexual awakening.

The Luidaeg confirms the Gwragedd Annwn are Black Annie’s descendant line.

Quentin confirms something’s wrong with Nessa, maybe she isn’t like this at all.

Whee, slightly more Stacy weirdness. I think Barrow Wights would be descended from Maeve, her illusions shouldn’t be better than Toby’s.

Tybalt is apparently descended from both Oberon and the Luidaeg, if his line comes from the Cait Sidhe Malvic sired with his Roane lover.

Confirmation that the Luidaeg can see the future, at least some of the time.

At least Aethlin and Maida seem happy to see Toby.

Maida doesn’t recognize Cass’s bloodline - interesting.

“Um, my boss is Queen Windermere, and my [human] graduate advisor is Professor Weinstein, and my parents are Mitch and Stacy Brown” Cass I love you.

Oh, Nessa isn’t Nessa.

Not!Nessa, holding Toby at knifepoint is not the detergent you think it is.

Toby has a new knife now, sweet. Not!Nessa is a Doppelganger, we haven’t seen one of those in several years. The one in Rosemary and Rue, who wasn’t Gillian?

“Archers,” “I was right about that?”

Perhaps Toby shouldn’t be the one giving orders to open portals, but Aethlin clearly isn’t doing it.

“I punched it in the face” Why do I have the feeling that’s going to solve a lot of problems in this book? And hey, this isn’t a Firstborn or Queen, so Toby got her wish of punching more punchable people.

“You don’t have the authority to order an arrest in my knowe.” Well, maybe you should give her that authority, High King of the Westlands who was almost assassinated.

“Purebloods forgot things, quickly, when they can’t see them anymore” Interesting.

“And even in a backwater Ducky run by a politically unambitious man” Shadowed Hills predates the Mists, Sylvester really just went as far as he could. Or maybe settled there once Amandine built her tower.

“Is he going to try to stab me? Is he better at stabbing than the last batch was at shooting arrows”? I love you Raj. I wonder if the local King of Cats will make an appearance.

Ah fuck, first dead body.

Toby having the most sense in this scene, I love it.

Did Aethlin basically make Toby a hero of the Westlands as well? “Our visiting hero”

Aethlin is not showing up well in dealing with security, nor are his guards.

“People who put deadly traps on doorknobs often forget the obvious, which is that it’s a good idea to lock doors.”

Three dead bodies? RIP Aethlin’s guards.

Only two dead bodies so far. Once Broken Faith had 4, I believe, but we’re only a third done. Good job on not dying, Caitir.

Gordon, hello. I thought the reference to ALH in the “books to re-read” was about the nighthaunts but didn’t expect to see her.

Looks like neither Nessa nor Honey are dead.

This poor Ellyllon doctor, welcome to Toby’s world.

Ah fuck, Tybalt’s elf-shot again.

Good thing Caitir’s a Candela. Thank you, Raj.

Jazz is apparently betting that Toby’s getting elfshot before/during the wedding, this is a girl after my own heart. As is May.

Walther has a fan, I love it.

The Bridge Trolls can search for clues if they want, I guess. We don’t need to worry about people messing with the crime scene anymore.

Toby’s sweet talking the knowe, that didn’t take long.

Toby, Quentin is never going to leave you behind even when he’s knighted and moves back home. He would sooner move the capital to SF.

Evening got her hooks into Aethlin back in 1906, huh?

“I am the breaker of the unbreakable” Yes you are, Toby.

Black Annis was originally named Ismere? I love the lore we’re getting in this book.

There are rumors that Quentin is Toby’s squire, probably started after OBF. The Beacon’s Home Selkies knew about him, after all.

All the Maeve descendant lines with dead Firstborn imprint on the Luidaeg, this is so cute.

So many reasons why Tybalt shouldn’t go looking for Toby as she walks up. Tybalt’s back!

Nolan is great, I love him. Aethlin’s reassuring Nessa, glad to see it.

How does Fiac know enough about Simon and Amandine’s marriage to have negative feelings about it? It sounds like he was around them to notice it.

The Doppelganger isn’t bringing the Revolution, what a pity.

Fuck, she can’t kill Aethlin now. Damn.

This is exactly the scene I wanted to see with a different Daoine Sidhe, but fine. The guards need more training.

Eira killed other seers than the Roane, did she? Did she want there to be no one who could guess her plans?

Toby thinks Maida is upset with her, while I think Maida thinks Toby is the only one she can trust.

Why do none of the Daoine Sidhe save Simon specialize in blood magic? They all suck at it.

“We need to interview your entire staff, and by ‘we’ I mean ‘you’, and by ‘you’ I mean ‘someone you trust’“ Toby’s got this under control.

“I’m sorry, was that disrespectful? I meant fuck you, Your Majesty.” Quentin is not holding back. Chelsea and Raj are literally eating popcorn while watching this. Despite what Toby thinks, she has a court of teenagers.

I wonder what the series would have been like if Penny was sent to Shadowed Hills with Quentin.

I’m glad Quentin got the chance to yell at his father, he needed it. Look, family drama that isn’t related to Toby!

Walther: “I carry the base ingredients [of elfshot] whenever I travel with Sir Daye.” I would too, Walther.

...Are the rest of Stacy’s kids also Seers?

Oberon exists to be more than background, apparently.

Confirmation that the Luidaeg is a century older than Eira! And the Luidaeg will know if she wakes up.

Yes, Toby gets her own court with all her squires and also brothers. Quentin, Raj, one day Chelsea, Peter if he can convince Toby to do it. She has two Seers, an alchemist and her favorite aunts and family in Saltmist.

So the Summerlands have suns as well as moons.

Oh hey, Julie, I thought you died off screen. We haven't heard from you in several books. They’re getting the band back toge- the High King got poisoned?!

“For example, it would be really unreasonable of him to die right now, thanks.”

“If this is where you want to suddenly remember the High King’s evil grand vizier who you just forgot to tell us about until now, that would be great.”

I thought Maida’s father was still alive?

Aethlin has survived his third assassination attempt in the past 24 hours, sweet.

Why did the Librarian call Fiac the Seneschal? He’s the Court Seer.

Oh, so Toby did settle her debts with Mag about her mom’s biography.

We’ve met Tybalt the Torquill family historian, now meet Yenay Ng, the Tybalt historian.

OK, I... didn’t see that coming.

I approve of Toby punching former King Shallcross in the nose. She should punch more nobles on screen.

Huh, I guess that’s where Eira was before she showed up in the Mists.

Is this guy Dawn’s father? The timelines sorta fit.

Aethlin has managed to not get poisoned or stabbed again, good for him.

Of course they enchanted the wedding dress to not get covered in blood. Good thing my ‘free’ space on the bingo card was “Toby’s dress gets blood on it” which was technically fulfilled with the first dress.

I assumed “wine-colored” meant white until it was described in more detail. I approve of dressing the wedding party in red - it will hide the blood.

Sylvester?!? Nope, Simon.

Aww, Simon gets to walk his daughter to the altar. He gets to see his daughter married!

“Then go. Get married. Be happy. You’ve earned it.”

And the wedding is finally on! The local Cait Sidhe are here! Surprise appearance by August!

“As did the man who looked heart-stoppingly like Simon Torquill, but absolutely wasn’t” Oh Sylvester, you made it after all.

I think this is the first time Sylvester’s been referred to in terms of Simon rather than the other way around.

Whoops, more assassins.

I see you, Simon, using your blood to fuel your transformation spells, just like your daughter. Followed immediately by Sylvester charging into battle. And Oberon continues to be background scenery.

Another guard’s death - 3 now? Maybe more?

“Now I have a longbow, motherfuckers, ho, ho, ho” Love you, May.

Badly attempted jailbreak is a bust. Toby’s dress remains pristine.

Surprise appearance by Gillian! I assume August tackled her to the ground when the arrows started flying.

Wedding is complete! Reception go!

I assume Etienne was instrumental in getting Sylvester to the wedding, not only physically but also by yelling at him about what an idiot he was.

Etienne is a little younger than Tybalt, good to know.

They’re going to Disney world without the kids, neat. Surprise August again! Good to know Helen’s seeing a therapist.

Galen has a crush on Poppy. I love this man that we will probably never see again.

Why is Simon a Count again? Shouldn’t he also be Duke Lorden? Does he get a lower title because he’s the second husband, like a courtesy title? Also, glad to see him and August being Lordens.

She hugged him!

Oh hey Sylvester. You could have started with “You make a beautiful bride” and avoided a shitton of trouble. You made it all about yourself. It’s better than if you didn’t attend at all, but man, Sylvester. You disappointed Toby and me.

“Once and future King of Cats”

She accepts the Lorden boys as her brothers!

What does Cliff think of Gilly spending so much time at Half Moon Bay? Does he think she’s in a cult?

Aw, May and Jazz are going to get married!

Oh hey Pete. Only two Firstborn at the wedding, can’t mark that one off. Nice blessing!

That cake sounds super delicious. Fuck, did Oberon give his knife to Toby and then not take it back? Toby has a replacement for her iron knife now?

Oh hi, Gilly. Your mother’s really excited to have you here. I love Quentin egging Toby into eating the cake. “Quentin pressed a fork into my hand, trying to urge me to get on with it.”

And the final blessing comes from Aethlin. He has got to do something to thank her for all her help in stopping the assassination attempts.

Afterthoughts: I am sad none of Tybalt’s friends and family from London/Europe attended. Morane was alive as of 1911, with no word on the others. Hermeline, if she’s still ruling in the Court of Fogbound Cats, has been ruling for nearly three hundred years.

On the other hand, we got a ton of Toby feels and secondary characters. Love the reactions of the Teen Squad.

What a good and heartwarming book.

Spots crossed off:

2. Sylvester attends the wedding 8. Someone calls Toby a kingbreaker 10. Toby drinks someone else's blood 11. August attends the wedding 13. [Free space] Toby's dress gets blood on it 16. Gillian attends the wedding 18. Quentin's identity gets revealed 22. Toby learns about Tybalt's short story past 23. Someone gets elfshot for the second or third time 24. Toby insults nobility we haven't seen before 25. Lore about the Sollys family

Spots not crossed off:

1. Malvic appears at the wedding 3. The High King or Queen gets elfshot 4. One of Tybalt's enemies from the short stories appears 5. Hope chests are relevant 6. Something is revealed about the False Queen 7. There's at least 3 Firstborn at the wedding 9. Dianda punches someone important 12. Hirsent crashes the wedding 14. One of Tybalt's friends from the short stories appears 15. Eira is behind the trouble 17. Lore about the Torquill family 19. Sylvester doesn't attend the wedding 20. Someone mistakes Sylvester for Simon 21. Raysel's plotline moves forward

I should note some of these are rather literal - Eira caused trouble in the back story but she wasn’t active in the main story like she was in both The Unkindest Tide (telling Torin to stop the restoration of the Roane) and A Killing Frost (taunting Toby).

[treatian]

The Chronicles of the Dark One: Magical Loopholes

Chapter 32: Coming Clean

Useless. Moe French was wholly and completely useless!

He didn't take anything from Moe. Though he'd been tempted to hold the man down or wallop him over the head to get blood from him to find Belle, he resisted the urge. If she had left on her own and if she did come here, the last thing he wanted her to find was her father lying there bloodied by his own hand. Of course, the second that Moe told Belle about what had happened up in the cabin, he was doomed anyway, but at least he stood a better chance at getting to talk to her by leaving her father in peace. If she'd left on her own free will, if not…

It was time to start making further inquiries. He didn't want to assume the worst where Belle was concerned but history had taught him that he might need to plan for the worst. The worst, in this case, was that Belle had been taken. Whether she'd been lured off the property and taken or left on her own and been found by someone like Regina, he wasn't sure. But he had to consider either scenario.

Unfortunately, the moment he stepped outside the flower shop and looked around, he was struck by a foreboding sense of paranoia. There were people everywhere; people walking down the street, people driving cars, people going about their business. Anyone could have taken Belle. Regina would have been his first suspect, but he doubted that the woman would risk that right now. That still left others. Many others. Enemies he hadn't thought to find with Belle safe in his home, people he'd made deals with that might have carried grudges, even the ever-present shadow of his mother and father presented some torment. So many, many people. If Belle hadn't been taken yet, then he needed to find her before someone else did.

But he didn't know where to begin. He didn't know where to start. He was oscillating again, swaying from panic and anger back into debilitating sadness and hopelessness.

Fuck! He was the Dark One. He couldn't be brought to his knees like this. He had to focus! Usually, in this situation, he would have called Dove and had him mobilize his cousins. That brood would have found her in thirty minutes or less. But after the confrontation with Dove, he didn't know if the man would voluntarily work for him, and after he'd learned that his deal with Regina had fallen through the cracks, he wasn't sure if the one he'd made with Dove's father would have similar results. He was alone. He had to find Belle on his own, or else find someone who would be able to.

Someone who knew how to find someone…he knew of two people who fit that bill perfectly. One of them, unfortunately, was beyond reach at the moment. But the other…David. He and Mary Margaret had moved heaven and earth to get back to each other several times over back home. He knew how to find people, and, by some miracle, he was also one of the few people in town who already had a hint about Belle, thanks to a previous conversation. Maybe he could find her. Or at least tell him how to find her. They had, of course, made a deal to stay out of each other's business, but this arrangement would be a request, a loophole to that deal. And with his own wife and daughter missing, he might just be sympathetic enough to his plight to help in some way.

His magic traced David Nolan to Mary Margaret's apartment. It wasn't surprising. He knew that the makeshift center created in front of Town Hall had all but disappeared in the last few days, and he didn't expect him to go home and live with Kathryn now that their memories were back. The apartment made the most sense for a man waiting for his family to return from another realm.

He thought through his options one last time as he stood before the door, unhappy about what this might imply, but unfortunately, he came to the same conclusion he had before. This was his only option. With a deep breath, he knocked on the door, and it swung open what seemed like impossibly fast to reveal David, who immediately looked at him and rolled his eyes.

"May I have a word…" he managed to get the words out before David could close the door, only for his eyes to be drawn to something gold shining on his belt buckle. "Sheriff?"

"Uh, acting Sheriff," David corrected. He fought back a smile. Mr. Gold processed all the ways that wasn't technically legal, but he didn't particularly care one way or another. With Emma gone, the title suited David in some way. Besides, he'd bet Regina loved it. "And I'm already late on another busy day, cleaning up the mess you made."

"My apologies," he muttered as David ushered him in regardless. He meant it too, looking back on things now and all the trouble this had brought him where Belle and Bae were concerned. If he'd known that, he would have timed things differently. "That was a moment of poor judgment on my part. And it's not lost on me that I'm now here to ask for your help."

"Well then, it shouldn't be lost on you when I say no."

"Hear me out first," he insisted as the boy gestured to the door. He extended his hand and held out the picture of Belle. "I'm here to report a missing person."

There was a long pause while David's hands slid from his face to the paper and then back again, contemplating, thinking about it. His heart beat as he silently made up his mind, and he wondered if this wasn't a mistake. This meant she was anonymous no more. But, he reminded himself, there were worse people in this town that could know about her existence; the Snow Queen, for example. Finally, David took the paper, unfolded it, and looked at her.

"She left my home early this morning. Her name is Belle."

David's mouth hung open as he stared, then glanced up at him suspiciously. "Back in our land, you mentioned you loved someone once. Is-"

"Yes," he answered quickly, turning away from him and trying not to relive that memory.

"You also said she died."

"I'd thought she had." From behind, he heard the sound of the door closing. Good, that was good.

"Well, why don't you just use the tracking spell you gave me to find Jefferson?" Jefferson…was that who he'd been trying to find? Interesting, but not the reason he was here. And also…not relevant to this discussion.

"It only works if you have something the person owned. I don't."

"How can you be sure she's gone missing and not…run away."

"I can't," he interrupted as he felt a sharp pain in his heart that might have had something to do with being the Dark One and having a heart that was slowly blackening or Belle…he wasn't sure. He didn't want her to have run away, but he didn't want someone to have taken her either. Running away was reassuring but also heartbreaking. He just needed to find her. Then he'd know. Then he could decide how he felt.

"Look, the townsfolk are less than sympathetic to my plight. But you… You're in the rather unique position to understand exactly what I'm going through." David sighed and looked away, stared at something behind him. He was getting somewhere with him. He didn't dare look at what he was staring at, just waited for his gaze to return to him. "Will you help me?"

David looked back at him, his jaw set firm. He was staring, but he could practically see the wheels in his head turning uselessly. It was done. David was a stubborn man when he wanted to be. If he made up his mind, then it was made up. If the answer was "no," then he'd have dismissed him by now. The fact that he was still sitting here thinking through it meant that he'd already decided. He'd do it.

Finally, David sighed. "Look…for this to work, you're going to have to give me some information. I know that's not your forte-"

"What do you want to know?"

"Who is she? Really."

No, information wasn't his forte, and he wasn't pleased, but he'd expected that he'd require at least a bit of knowledge before outright agreeing. And he was old; he knew how to give away the essential parts while holding the truly important details close. For Belle, to get her back and make sure she was alright, he'd do what he had to.

"A Princess."

"She's royalty!" David balked. "Do I know her?!"

"Doubtful. She's the daughter of King Maurice," he clarified matter-of-factly.

He watched as David's eyes went glassy for a moment in thought, then widened in realization. "Moe French? The owner of Game of Thorns?"

He gave only a single, curt nod. "Yes."

"He has a daughter?!" David's eyes wandered down to the picture he'd given him on her.

"She was gone by the time you entered into that society. When his land was invaded with ogres, she made a deal with me that I'd rid her land of them, and she'd come to live with me as a maid. We fell in love."

David watched him from under his eyes, suspicion and judgment flashing in front of them before he picked his head up to observe him again. "You thought she was dead. Was that a lie?"

"No. After I dismissed her from my service, Regina informed me that she'd returned to her father and had died, but it turns out Regina had kidnapped her and was holding her against her will without my knowledge."

"Regina? That's believable enough, but where's she been all these years."

"Regina put her in an asylum, I suspect to bide her time until she could use her against me. Belle's curse was no memories, no family, no name, nothing. She was freed just before the Curse broke and found me. She got her memories back when the rest of you did. We've been together ever since."

"Okay…is there any reason to suspect Regina did something to her then?"

"No," he answered with little hesitation. "Regina has many flaws, but she's intelligent. She knows that if she dared to try something like that again, I'd kill her."

David huffed. "'Your business'…this is why you sent the Wraith after her after the Curse broke. You found out what she did to Belle."

He nodded.

"Against better judgment, or maybe because of it, I'll assume you already talked to Moe French."

"He claims that he hasn't seen her."

"Why can't you just use magic to find her?"

"In order to keep her safe, I put certain spells over her."

"Let me guess. Those spells make it difficult for even you to find her."

"Unfortunately," he growled.

"Okay, so you last saw her this morning. What happened before that?"

"We fought," he admitted tapping his cane nervously against the floor. It wasn't really a "fight." A fight implied two people arguing when in fact, she'd asked questions, and he'd refused to answer them, but he knew what David was searching for. Motive. He was looking for a reason she might have left. "Fight" was the best way he could think to describe it, even if it did chaff his soul a bit. "We argued over my use of magic. She got frustrated with me, I went downstairs, she went upstairs, when I went to find her, she was gone."

"Look…if she left-"

"Then I'll leave her be, Sheriff," he assured him. "But she has no knowledge of this town. Since she got her memories back, she's either been at my house, the shop, or the woods, aside from a few hours when she was out on her own when magic came back, she's never been anywhere else, hasn't met another soul for twenty-eight years, probably longer with how Regina kept her. I just need to know that she's safe, that no one has taken her, and she's left of her own accord."

"I was going to say, 'if she left, you might just want to wait for her to come back."

"If I had any confidence she'd be safe on her own, I would."

David took a deep breath, then folded up the paper he'd given him and stuck it in his pocket. "Fine," he muttered, moving toward to grab a leather jacket that was reminiscent of Emma's, only black instead of red. "We'll start on Main Street. If she's not been captured, then we have to assume she…wandered off," David explained as they left the apartment. His hesitation told him that he wanted to say "ran away" but had managed to stop himself in time. "If she's lost, then she'll likely go somewhere familiar, and it sounds like the closest, most familiar place is Main Street."

"And you what…just intend to start asking questions?"

David shrugged, slipping his keys into his pocket. "Let's see where it gets us."

The man moved to lead him from the apartment landing, but he reached a hand out and stopped him, unhappy with his plan of action. Belle could be anywhere, and he just wanted to start asking questions?

"Look, let's get this straight," David began with an attitude that suggested he had properly interpreted his frustration. "If we do this, then we do things my way. I do all the talking. If you can't agree to that, then you are more than welcome to find someone else to help you."

He wanted to strike back, to offer a quick comment about his way being slow and inferior to what he could do. He wanted to tell him that he didn't want his help nor need it. He wanted to remind him that it was only because of "his way" that he had everything he'd ever needed in life and more.

But he couldn't. And David knew it. He couldn't because the truth was that he wouldn't have been here if he didn't need David to help him with this. He had no other options, no other choice.

"If that's the way it must be," he muttered. But as he turned, it was David's turn to put his hands on him and stop him.

"Agree," he demanded. "No loopholes or tricks, agree."

Sometimes the False Prince was a damn bit too smart for his own good. But he had no time observations or arguments. Belle was out there somewhere, and David was leaving him with very little room to play with words. A younger Dark One, one who hadn't learned to love power and control as he did, wouldn't have seen any of what he offered. Fortunately, he did. He knew that there was a difference between "very little room" and "no room at all."

"If you help me, then I agree to do things your way until we've discovered who took Belle or where she's gone too. Happy?"

David crossed his arms and thought for a second before slowly nodded his head. "Despite the wiggle room you allowed yourself…yes."

David moved around him and descended the stairs leaving him shaking his head at the boy he'd watched turn into a man.

Too damn smart…

[ohmightydevviepuu]

our little life (rounded with a sleep) / chapter 9

our little life (rounded with a sleep) chapter nine [9/12] AO3

--

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful detective. She had blonde hair, green eyes, no family, and she was good at finding people; in fact, she proclaimed this on her office door. “Swan and Humbert,” it said. “Private investigations, missing persons, and bail bonds.”

Only lately, she's been thinking that maybe it should say "Emma Swan: Loner, Loser, Complicated wreck."

Her partner's been killed on a case after she made a deal with her landlord to find what had been taken from him. But when she tracks a possible perp to a bar on the outskirts of town, Emma will find out exactly how deep the rabbit hole goes.

--

as ever, none of this would exist without @thisonesatellite​.  pretty sure this kicks off another section that i made her read 3 times.  after changing, like, five words.  listen, i needed to know if it was better, ok?

to @profdanglaisstuff​ and @katie-dub​, always.

to the @captainswanbigbang​ for a hell of an event.  i owe you all so much.

--

cw: canonical character death rating: T/M (implied violence, language) word count:  ~4k AO3 chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter four | chapter five | chapter six | chapter seven | chapter eight

--

chapter summary: Shit gets real.  Very real. In her dreams--and in her life.  Emma has to decide:  is she ready to try something new?

--

Emma opened her eyes. She was once again on her back, on the least comfortable mattress she had ever had the misfortune to encounter--which was saying a lot, considering some of the places Emma had slept in her life. There was a single bare bulb illuminating the space and shadows cast along the wall by the bars of the cell door.

She was in one of David Nolan’s holding cells.

“What luck,” drawled a voice--a woman, haughty and self-assured and someone Emma had heard before. “The Savior.”

Emma did not sit up as she registered the words, or the obvious capital letters of the title; she merely waited, turning her head so that the speaker came into view. Her posture was impeccable, and though she did not appear especially tall she established a sense of presence. There was not a hair out of place on her head and her clothing was simple, but obviously expensive. It was easy to see where--who--Regina Mills had learned her habits from.

“Cora Mills,” Emma said, her attention going back to the ceiling and the bulb, making her affect as disinterested as possible. “You look pretty good for a dead woman.”

read the full chapter on AO3

chapter nine

Emma stood in the doorway, watching her son sleep for the first time in her--and his--life. His hair was just a bit too long, she realized suddenly, seeing the way his fringe fell into his eyes. Liam was on the floor, and his eyes opened when she took a step into the room. Emma shrugged--hoping he would understand what even she could not.

Because she needed to leave.

She needed to be somewhere else, out of all of this, out of this bullshit of magical nonsense and curses and--everything.

She was going to take her son and she was going to get the fuck out of Dodge, away from Evil Queens and Dark Ones and roommates that felt like family and a bartender that felt like he could help her be a part of something, if only he wasn’t so monumentally fucked up.

Liam just watched her, watched her as she shook Henry gently awake, and then he nodded. He looked sad, but resigned, and Emma had to wonder: how many friends did Liam Hook truly have? Maybe he was a little lost, too, just like his brother, just like she had been.

Like she still was.

“Come on, kid,” she said, hoping her voice cut through the sleepy haze in Henry’s expression. “We’re getting out of here.”

--

Ruby had caught her in the hallway as Emma left Hook’s office, and the grin on her face was devilish, her eyes glittering in delight. “Angsty midnights with the hot-slash-insane bartender?” she asked. “I love it.” But then she had sniffed, and though Emma knew it wasn’t possible, it was like she smelled the alcohol in the air around her, even though neither Hook nor Emma had had anything to drink.

“Angsty midnight drinking sesh with the hot-slash-insane bartender?” Ruby’s expression changed, and she pulled Emma toward her, both of her hands on Emma’s shoulders, her gaze boring into Emma’s skull. “Babe, listen. You know I love you. And I know we’re going through something terrible. But--”

“I know,” Emma said.

“This is insane, Em.”

“I know,” Emma said.

“There’s gotta be a better way for you to work through your shit,” Ruby said.

But that’s not what Emma did--was not how she operated.

She was going to do what she always did: run. It was all she knew how to do.

--

Emma tried hard to not imagine Jefferson watching them through his telescope as she guided Henry toward her car. Henry’s delight with the dilapidated little yellow Beetle was almost enough to banish the worry.

Almost.

Until she started driving toward the edge of the neighborhood and the questions started.

--

“Wait.” Henry was suddenly alert. “You want to go now? We’re leaving now?” He looked over his shoulder. “Where’s your stuff?”

“You’re all I need,” Emma said. “I’m getting you out of here. Away from all of this, away from her.”

“No.” There was steel in Henry’s voice. “No. Stop the car. You can’t leave--you have to stay, you have to break the curse.”

“I don’t,” Emma said. “I don’t have to do anything but help you.”

“Emma,” Henry said. He was pleading with her. “You’re a hero. You can’t run, not when you can help everybody.”

Emma bit her lip. “I know it’s hard for you to understand--”

“You’re scared,” Henry said. “That’s pretty easy for me to understand. I’m a kid, I’m not an idiot.” He crossed his arms.

“I’m doing what’s best for you,” Emma said, turning her blinker on as she came to the main street that would lead them back into the heart of the city. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? Isn’t that why you were looking for me?”

He shook his head. “I wanted you to break the curse. I wanted you to bring back the happy endings, and for us to be a family.” His voice broke. “Please, Emma, don’t make me go. We need you. Your family needs you.”

“Henry--”

He reached over and grabbed the steering wheel.

“Henry!” Emma swerved, yanking on the wheel to pull the car back onto the road and into the right lane. Her heart was racing as she turned to her son. “We need to--there’s a difference between fairy tales--fantasy--and reality.” “I’m not crazy,” Henry fumed. “Killian believes me!”

“Captain Hook’s opinion is not what I’m interested in right now, kid,” Emma snapped.

“You’re letting your feelings cloud your judgment. You’re scared, but you know I’m right. Running isn’t what’s best for me. Running is never what’s best. I thought--”

“What?” Emma said, her eyes flickering back to him.

“I thought you were different.” He slumped in his seat.

It was just a flash out of the corner of her eye--red eyes, four feet--and for a second, she would have sworn it was Graham.

The car went off the road.

--

Something was wrong with the apple tree.

It was black, the leaves curling in on themselves; the fruit wasn’t red, but shriveled and brown.

It was dying.

The man in the animal-skin coat with the glittery skin was visibly pleased, Emma could tell. His toothy grin was wide and his fingers positively writhed with glee.

“Excellent work, Savior,” he hissed. “The curse is weakening.”

“You want the curse broken,” she said. “Why?”

“I’m planning a little trip,” he said.

“You’re going to need travel insurance,” Regina said, and Emma whirled around. “Because I’ve found a solution to my Emma Swan problem.”

It wasn’t Regina Mills but the Evil Queen that stood before her, in a gown of jet black with divided skirts that trailed behind her. She held her hand, palm up, out in front of her, and there was a ball of fire in the air. “An old, reliable solution.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Rumplestiltskin warned. “I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, Your Majesty, that all magic comes with a price.”

“Then you can pay it,” she seethed, and the ball of fire trembled.

An arrow shot through the air, causing the fire to extinguish itself, and Regina’s mouth dropped open. “You!” Her expression changed from shock to hurt to anger. “You could’ve hit me!”

“I never miss,” Graham said. His eyes flashed, one red and one black, and Emma saw the wolf.

--

They were back in the office.

Swan and Humbert.

“Emma,” he said. “I want to talk to you.”

“You--” Emma said. “You’re--”

“Please, Emma. I need you to understand.”

“Why?”

“So that I can understand,” he whispered, and kissed her, sending warmth from the tips of her fingers straight down to her toes. It wasn’t--it wasn’t a romantic feeling, it was comfort and affection and trust and connection.

It was being a part of something.

“Did you feel that?”

Emma nodded, speechless.

“That’s what you did for me,” Graham whispered. “I died a free man, Emma.”

She cupped his face in her hands, feeling the scratch of his stubble on her palms. He kissed her, again, on the crown of her head, and his fingers combed through her hair, stopping at the chain around her neck.

“Emma,” he said. “Your fate is in a precarious place. You must hurry.”

“Wait--” Emma said.

“The opportune moment will present itself,” Graham said. “The rest is up to you. Find your family, Emma. Free them from the curse.”

“You’re--can’t you come with me?”

“I cannot,” he said, but his voice held no regret. “I gave up my heart so that the queen would spare Snow White’s. Wait for the opportune moment. Don’t let my sacrifice be in vain.”

“Graham,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

She pulled him close, one more time, and kissed him softly on the mouth.

If the first time she kissed him had been a gentle brush against her soul--the warmth of a sunny day--this was an inferno, burning everything in its wake as the energy rushed through her. It was raw and unfettered as it pushed every molecule in her body, electrifying her senses until she couldn’t feel anything but him.

“It’s you,” Killian whispered. “Don’t you know, Emma? It’s all for you.”

She chased after him, searching for more, but he stopped her with a smile. “I know you feel like a pawn, love, but remember: you’re only a pawn if you don’t know you’re being played. There’s hope, Swan. All you have to do is believe.”

It was just a kiss, but it felt like--

“Just look at me,” he said, “and believe.”

It felt like magic.

--

Emma opened her eyes. She was once again on her back, on the least comfortable mattress she had ever had the misfortune to encounter--which was saying a lot, considering some of the places Emma had slept in her life. There was a single bare bulb illuminating the space and shadows cast along the wall by the bars of the cell door.

She was in one of David Nolan’s holding cells.

“What luck,” drawled a voice--a woman, haughty and self-assured and someone Emma had heard before. “The Savior.”

Emma did not sit up as she registered the words, or the obvious capital letters of the title; she merely waited, turning her head so that the speaker came into view. Her posture was impeccable, and though she did not appear especially tall she established a sense of presence. There was not a hair out of place on her head and her clothing was simple, but obviously expensive. It was easy to see where--who--Regina Mills had learned her habits from.

“Cora Mills,” Emma said, her attention going back to the ceiling and the bulb, making her affect as disinterested as possible. “You look pretty good for a dead woman.”

“So do you, dear.”

Emma’s already-spinning head took a moment to process that, and a deep breath that she hoped was not noticeable--but she did not give Cora the satisfaction of a reaction.

There was a low, throaty chuckle. “I’m glad to see you’re not wasting your energy on pleasantries, Miss Swan.”

Damn.

A villain with a sense of humor, then. Not that Emma had the energy to spare for ‘pleasantries,’ not after the accident and the dreams and--

“Hook?” Cora said.

Emma once again did not allow herself to react, but she wanted to, as she heard the footsteps, low and languid, and the dry tone of his voice when he said, “Startling, aren’t I?”

It took no effort at all for Emma to imagine him making an ironic bow. “Some might even say striking,” he said.

Emma willed herself not to move, to maintain her calm demeanor. She didn’t even turn to look at him, not when she recognized the cadence of his words and the harshness of his consonants.

“I appreciate the warm welcome,” he said into the silence. He gave new meaning to the word deadpan. “And what have we here, Your Majesty?”

That got Emma’s attention--fucking hell, was everybody royalty in this magical, mystical Enchanted Forest? She turned to face him, finally, unsurprised to see the carefully blank expression on his face. He lifted an eyebrow at the movement. “Oh,” he said, licking his lips. “Don’t get up, princess. Not when I can think of so many pleasurable things to do with a woman on her back.”

In spite of his tone--and his leer and his stupid fucking eyebrow--a shiver went through her as Emma remembered all of the times in their crazy-short acquaintence when the space between them had seemed nonexistent, the pull between them too great, and she wondered. She thought of the way he had kissed her in her dream and the way it had made her feel, and she wondered.

Just how many things did he know how to do, with a woman on her back?

“‘Your Majesty’?” Emma repeated, trying to shake herself loose of his jibe, and his eyebrow, and that other title. Speaking of royalty.

“Do not misunderstand me, princess.”

“Cora is the Queen of Hearts,” Hook replied, and she did not have to imagine it this time, the ironic tilt of his head or the quirk of his mouth. “In Wonderland.”

“I hate Wonderland.” That’s what he’d said, and he’d meant it all the way down to his bones, but there was no emotion in his words as he turned back to Cora. As if he was done with her already.

“The time for that is done." "Just as I have done with you.”

It was his voice that was doing that to her, making her doubt, making her uncomfortable, and it didn’t help when he said, “Cora, darling--you seem to have a Savior in a cage. How does one come upon such treasure?”

“It’s you, Emma. It’s all for you.”

Emma closed her eyes.

“After everything we’ve been through, Hook, why do you still doubt me?”

It’s all for you.

“When I’m the one who brought you here, and preserved your memories--your purpose?”

“Your arrival reminded me of my purpose, but I cared not one whit whether this curse ever broke.”

“I may be a simple pirate,” he said, “but I know where my interests lie. How else do you think she wound up so easily in your grasp? It was all about waiting, my dear Cora, for the opportune moment.”

Emma covered her sharp inhalation with a cough.

“Wait for the opportune moment.”

That’s what Graham had said--that’s what the man in her dreams had said.

“You might have imparted that advice to Jefferson,” Hook said darkly. “You realize he almost cost you everything?”

Killian. Killian had said that. Not Captain Hook.

This was it, Emma knew.

The opportune moment.

“Satisfied?” Hook asked Cora.

Emma was in a cell with a woman capable of murder and worse on the other side of the bars, and all Emma had was her wits and--if she could let herself believe it--Hook. She ignored his words, his tone, his eyebrow, all of it, and listened to what lay beneath: the flash of desperation she was sure she wasn’t imagining, and that phrase. Hook didn’t know--couldn’t know--that she had dreamt of him saying that. He didn’t know that she had overhead his rift with Cora.

“You chose her. Now you have to live with the consequences of that decision.”

He was trusting her. Trusting her to trust him.

Try something new, darling.

“You,” Emma spat.

It’s you, Emma. It’s all for you.

She stood up quickly and walked the three steps to the bars. “That’s why--that’s why you gave me my necklace back. It was all about making me believe I could trust you.” Emma put the extra emphasis on ‘my’ and waited, watching him as he took two steps forward and leaned his head so that he was almost directly against the cell door--so that their eyes met, and Emma knew she wasn’t imagining what she saw there.

Hope.

Just a flash, and so quickly she almost missed it--so quickly that she would have missed it, except that she was looking for it for the first time in her life.

“I should have known,” Emma said, putting bitterness into her words. “You’re not exactly the sentimental type, are you?”

It was funny, or it should have been, to accuse the man who claimed to have carried a grudge for three centuries of not being emotional.

“I’m not,” he agreed, biting off the word. “You should have thanked me, Swan. That’s what’s customary when one receives a gift.” His body blocked Emma’s view of Cora as his fingers brushed against hers, and Emma couldn’t suppress the shiver as she felt him. The same warmth and tingle she had felt in the office--“Perhaps it shall serve as a reminder to both of us”--he’d said, and she felt it again, the anticipation.

“Right,” Emma said sarcastically. “Because you’re a goddamn gentleman.” She stepped back, as much for herself as for the pretense, and she clamped her fingers around the small metal pin he had slipped her.

Maybe they really were a team.

“Because I believe in good form,” he said. It was his turn to step away and return his attention to Cora. “And speaking of intentions, love, what are yours toward our captive friend? Mercy seems a bit out of character.”

“Oh, not mercy, Hook,” Cora said. Her eyes were sharp and narrow and focused entirely on Emma. “She’s going to help me, whether she wants it or not. I intend to get what I need.”

Emma straightened her spine and looked Cora dead in the eye.

“It doesn’t matter,” Emma said. “You’re still going to lose.”

Cora laughed. “Such bravery.”

Emma could do this. Emma did do this, day in and day out--got her skips and perps and clients to talk to her, to stall, to tell her what she needed to know. She could do this. She could get out of this cell and out of this fuckery and take her son--

Her son, who had been in the car with her when she’d gone off the road--oh, shit, this was why she could never be a mother; where was her son, was he ok, who had him, all of the questions she should have had on repeat from the instant she’d regained consciousness were on a loop in her head as she tried to maintain her composure in front of Cora. The fucking Queen of Hearts.

Emma didn’t even know how long she’d been in this cell.

“You get off on this,” Emma said. “This is the part that you like, the control and the power trip--”

But Cora knew. The bitch could tell, could see it in her eyes or some shit, because she laughed.

Again.

“The Savior,” Cora said, drawing out the word in what was unmistakably a gloat. “But all you are, child, is a name on a piece of paper, did you know that? Did you know that Rumplestiltskin mapped out your life before you were even born?”

Emma wanted to laugh at that--to laugh, or to cry, because there was absolutely no one in this world who could have predicted the path that her life had taken to lead her to this moment. She had made her own choices, and had to live with her own mistakes, but no one was going to tell her who she was.

Only--

Henry would tell her to be a hero.

“You’re not powerful,” Cora said. “You’re a pawn, which is exactly why you are here. You’re the Savior because it was all part of the plan.”

“You’re only a pawn if you don’t know you’re being played.”

“This is the part where you tell me what you need, right?” Emma said.

“I need to be close to my daughter again,” Cora said simply. “You and this curse are currently the only things in the way of that.”

Emma barely flickered her eyes toward Hook before she punched back, a sudden flash of insight becoming clear to her. “What about the dagger, then?”

“The what?” Cora asked. She hadn’t even batted an eye, but Cora wasn’t the only one who could read people. Emma had gotten to her. Behind Cora, Hook shifted his weight, holding Emma’s gaze for just a split second with a barely-perceptible nod of his head.

Try something new, darling.

“Rumplestiltskin’s dagger,” Emma said, quietly enough that Cora needed to step closer. “That’s what you really want, isn’t it? The power? I wonder, Cora dear, what your grudge against the Dark One might be?”

That had to be it, Emma knew, otherwise Cora would be holed up with Gold, plotting to do whatever the fuck it was that people who wanted to break goddamn curses did. Bad blood there for sure, Emma decided, and knew she’d hit her mark because Cora’s expression changed. She was a handsome woman, but the glare she leveled at Emma could probably turn things into stone.

If Emma believed in magic. Or daggers, or Rumplestiltskin, or one-handed pirates with sinful eyelashes who couldn’t keep their own personal space; who read her like a goddamn book, who told her secrets in the dark that made her feel seen and understood and made her wonder, in all of those times they’d been inches apart, what it would feel like if there was no space between them at all.

But she didn’t. She didn’t believe in any of it.

Liar.

“Listen,” Emma said, leaning forward. “You should know that I don’t have any fucks to give about this fight. I don’t give a shit about plans or saviors or curses. I’m just trying to get justice for my partner, and to move the fuck on with my life.”

Emma did not look at Killian as she spoke. She meant it--she meant all of it.

Liar.

Cora’s eyebrows narrowed; she was clearly unimpressed. Definitely another expression Regina had learned from her mother.

Which was fine--Emma almost had the lock open, anyway.

“I’m not like him,” Emma said, gesturing with her chin at Hook. “I don’t have any grand delusions about my life or its purpose. You let me out, let me go on my way, and I will tell you where your precious fucking dagger is. Or I will see you behind these bars, Your Majesty.”

Emma pushed the door open and stepped out.

Cora laughed for the third time. It was refined, and practiced, and unpleasant, and all of the hairs on the back of Emma’s neck were standing on edge.

“You’re going to tell me,” Cora said, “or he is. I’ve been waiting twenty-eight years for this.”

Hook interjected then. “I’ve been waiting a hell of a lot longer than that, Your Majesty.”

“So pretty,” Cora sighed, “and yet so useless. You can hardly blame me, Hook, for your failure to seize the--how did you put it? The opportune moment. I told you, Hook--”

Cora moved, and Emma attempted to dodge.

She was unsuccessful.

“You chose her. Now, there will be consequences.”

And then all there was--was pain. Her body, about to split open--her lungs feeling like there could not possibly be enough air in the universe. The feeling of something closing in around her heart.

Crushing it--

--or trying to.

Emma could feel it, Cora’s hand actually inside of her body, and the violation of it all--the physical intimacy, for Cora to be that close and to have her fucking hand inside of Emma’s body--was almost as bad as the literal physical pain. Which was overwhelming.

Until it wasn’t.

Killian had Cora in a headlock, his hook against her neck. “Let. Her. Go.” Each word was its own sentence, snarled directly into Cora’s ear, and Emma could feel him pulling Cora away from her in the way that Cora did not let go of her heart.

Her fucking heart.

“Don’t you know, Hook?” Cora gasped. “Love is weakness.” Her grip tightened, and she pulled.

Like she was trying to pull Emma’s heart straight out of her body, and this was it, this was what had happened to Graham, this was how he had felt in the moments before he had died, like his body was exploding and collapsing in on itself all at the same time, in horrifying, indescribable agony--

“I died a free man, Emma.”

Only--

There was a burst of white light, and Cora hissed in pain. Her arm, her hand, stopped moving, and Emma could take a breath again as Cora sagged against Hook, who had not released her from his grip. His face was devoid of any emotion but his eyes were icy chips of pure rage as he pulled her bodily away from Emma, who doubled over the moment Cora’s hand left her chest, heaving breaths and swallowing the bile that bubbled up in her throat.

“What was that?” Emma said. Her words came in raspy syllables.

“That,” Hook said, and his voice made his face seem expressive, “was Cora’s final mistake.”

And it really wasn’t fair, Emma thought--later, much later--that for all of her wishing to know what was happening, what the actual fuck was happening, and where was her son--Henry burst through the door, tailed immediately by Regina as she harangued David, who was pulling a bewildered Mary Margaret along with him--as Killian dug the tip of his namesake gently into the delicate skin along Cora’s neck, and she gave a horrifying shudder.

So much for not believing in magic.

“Mother?” Regina said, rushing up behind Cora and catching her as Killian let her fall. “Mother? What’s wrong?”

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