#not to mention it felt weird just constantly calling him 'The Sheriff'

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Londerland Bloodlines -- Tower Assault

Hey, I said this AU was on my mind -- and with the release of the newest (pre-alpha, admittedly) gameplay trailer for Bloodlines 2, that's unlikely to change anytime soon. So -- let's have some fic! :D Today's offering was inspired by a previous “updating the verse” post I made, where I talked about a change I thought of regarding Alice's final assault on LaCroix's tower -- rather than going in the front door and fighting her way through all those guards, she manages to get herself some climbing equipment and scales the damn building while Obfuscated. As you might imagine, this is the last thing LaCroix is expecting when he tells his elite guards (and Chunk, here called Officer Norris because that’s his voice actor’s name) to watch out for her. . .

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"Officer Norris? Has there been any sign of our – miscreant?"

"Uh, no, Mr. LaCroix!" Norris chirped over the intercom. "Haven't seen hide nor hair of her! Promise I'll let you know the moment she comes by."

"Very good, Officer Norris. Thank you."

"Uh, Mr. LaCroix?" Norris got out before he could release the button. "Not to, you know, pry into stuff that ain't my business, but – why is it you want me to keep her out all of a sudden? You weren't really clear on that before. And us in the security business – well, it's important we get our facts straight, ya know?"

"She betrayed me, Officer Norris," LaCroix replied, letting the words roll off his tongue with silver smoothness. Not that he needed to waste such talents on Norris, but – practice. "She betrayed quite a lot of people, actually. She's been selling secrets to other parties, making deals with unsavory sorts. . .and I have reason to believe she's recently caused the death of a potential business partner of mine."

"Oh wow! That is – never would have thought it of her! She's always seemed like a bit of a tough cookie, but the kind with a creamy center, you know? All molten chocolate and–"

"Focus, Officer Norris," LaCroix said, rolling his eyes. Mortals and their obsession with food. His eyes flicked over to the sarcophagus. Then again – I know what it's like to anticipate a meal.

"Yeah, sorry, Mr. LaCroix. Er – so, if Alice is this dangerous, shouldn't we, you know, call proper 9-1-1 and all that? I got some buddies in the call center–"

"I assure you that all the appropriate measures have already been taken," LaCroix cut in before Norris could go on another ramble about his "cop friends." "There is no way Miss Liddell is leaving this city without facing justice for her crimes. If she does come here, you have my full authorization to use lethal force."

"Right you are, Mr. LaCroix." Norris sighed. "Hope it doesn't come to that, though. Man, and here's me, thinking she's a pretty sweet girl once you get to know her. . ."

"The cruelest wolf can mimic the friendliest dog, Officer Norris. Remember that."

"Sure will, Mr. LaCroix. And you can call me Chunk, you know!"

LaCroix winced. "Given our relationship, Officer Norris, I don't think that's appropriate."

"Oh, yeah, yeah. . .well, anyway. I'll give you a call moment I see her."

"Thank you, Officer Norris." LaCroix released the intercom button, leaning back with a sigh. "To think I employ someone like that," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now that Bach's little group has been – disbanded, I should give him his walking papers." He smirked, one fang peeping through his lips. "Though I suppose it doesn't really matter, does it? Not with what's in our future."

Melech nodded shortly, then glanced at him, eyes questioning. "Oh, she'll come," LaCroix said, steepling his fingers in front of him. "She will most definitely come. That rabblerouser Jack will have told her by now I'm responsible for all her woes. And has she not made it very clear, during our last few meetings, that she wished our – alliance, shall we say, to be at an end? The girl is a Brujah trapped in a Malkavian skin. She must be itching for a chance to take out her temper on me, and damn the consequences."

Melech tilted his head, lips slightly pursed. "Yes, I called the Blood Hunt, but would you trust the average Brujah or Gangrel on the street to take her out?" LaCroix responded, looking up into that stony face. "After the miracles she's committed? May I remind you that she has destroyed both the local chapter of the Society of Leopold – including one of my personal enemies – and the heart of the Los Angeles Sabbat? Tasks that were beyond your capabilities? And there was that news report the other evening, of the massive wolf found crushed to death in the Griffith Observatory. Somehow, I doubt that was the work of Nines Rodriguez – though it still worries me that we can't confirm his Final Death." He sighed, then waved a hand. "Well, I suppose if he does turn up alive – so to speak – it will make the Anarchs happy. And so far they seem willing to believe that Alice has thrown her lot in with Ming Xiao and her nest of snakes. So long as they remain enraged enough to drive those ridiculous excuses for foreign vampires out of my city, I shall be content. And then. . ." He looked again at the sarcophagus, anticipation clinging to its every chip and crack. "Then we will make plans accordingly."

He pushed back his chair and stood up, walking with lazy grace to his favorite spot in front of the window. Los Angeles stretched out before him, twinkling in the dark. He reached out, longing to scoop it up and capture it in his fist. "A shame, really – she could have had it all," he mumbled, flexing his fingers. "I was just beginning to realize her worth as an agent. To survive everything she did, to accomplish so many difficult tasks as a mere fledgling. . .I will give Fish this – he picked someone worthy of being an eighth-generation vampire. If she'd only been a bit more deferential, a bit less – well, her. . .we could have done amazing things together."

Melech rumbled an agreement. LaCroix sighed. "But, of course, she refused to cooperate. To let her full potential grow under my guidance. To accept the wisdom of her elders and betters. No, she had to go it on her own – to forge down the path of the fool and the malcontent." He chuckled briefly. "At least I have the pleasure of knowing that the Anarchs don't trust her either. From what I've heard, she had an early falling-out with Nines, and the rest of them find her as irritating as I do." His brow furrowed briefly. "Perhaps we really did drive her to the Kue-jin. . .no, she's too smart for that. She'd know they'd never actually accept her." He laughed again, a little louder. "What a silly girl, to reject any and all that could help her! She must feel quite alone on those streets." He leaned toward the window, drinking in his city with his eyes, running his tongue over his fangs. "An apt punishment for the hubris of the newborn."

"God, you love the sound of your own voice, don't you?"

LaCroix recoiled backwards, the scream of a little girl ripping itself from his throat. On the other side of the glass, Alice rolled her eyes, adjusting the harness she wore. "As if getting up this bloody tower wasn't grueling enough," she continued, bracing her legs on either side of the window frame. "What exactly are you compensating for? You're not that short, and I have it on decent authority that your interest in your manly bits should have waned with the Embrace." She shrugged, bending her knees and adjusting her grip on her rope. "I'll leave the question for the primogen to debate. Right now – for putting up with all your posturing and other various pieces of bullshit, I believe you owe me your life. In the most direct sense possible."

With that, she pushed off, sailing into the air – then came rushing back, thickly-booted feet held out in front of her. LaCroix scrambled to safety under his desk as the window shattered, sending shards of glass flying. Melech raised his massive sword to shield himself as Alice rolled to a stop. "Ah – gah – GET HER!" LaCroix managed to shriek, waving one arm wildly in her direction.

His sheriff, fortunately, was quick to comply. He flung aside his sword and coat, spreading his arms wide as he called up on his dark Disciplines. Moments later, his human form morphed and twisted, stretching itself into the terrible gigantic bat LaCroix had only seen twice before. Alice gaped, eyes wide, one hand on her harness's release. "What–"

Melech shrieked at her and flung himself into the air. His talons locked around her arms, dragging her back out the window and snapping the harness like it wasn't even there. "Yes – NO!" LaCroix cried after him, suddenly conscious of the incredible violation of the Masquerade. Too visible, much too visible – but she couldn't be allowed to survive this night – "The roof!" he screamed. "Take her to the roof!"

Melech squealed and wheeled around, dragging his dumbfounded passenger up to the highest point of Venture Tower. LaCroix huddled under his desk, arms around his knees, trying to control his trembling body. It's all right, he told himself firmly. It's all right. Melech will take care of her on the roof, and we'll let the morning sun dispose of the corpse. And – and we'll come up with an appropriate story for the masses later. An – an advertising gimmick gone wrong. A Batman cosplayer gone mad. Some sort of – of mass hallucination from swamp gas carried on the wind. We'll make it right. We'll find the key. And I will never have to worry about any of this ever again.

. . .God, I hope he wins that fight.

[fanficimagery]

Hell Takes Riverdale pt. I

Imagine moving to Riverdale while your father has some business to attend to. While there, you meet some people you find yourself growing attached to.

Words: 8.8K Author’s Note: Riverdale AU where FP didn’t go to prison for his crimes and Jughead joined the Serpents because he wanted to. This isn’t exactly Northsider friendly and I’ll be focusing more so on the Serpents, so I won’t go into detail about all the drama the Northside gang constantly puts themselves into the middle of, nor will Jughead be a part of it. I will mention a certain family who lives nearby from another show, but I will NOT be bringing those characters in here. The most you’ll get is what I explain about them in the imagine.

Jughead Jones was notorious for laying low and staying out of the spotlight. At least he was until a murder rocked his small town, Veronica Lodge- along with her criminal family- moved in, and his best friends Betty Cooper and Archie Andrews put together their very own crime solving Scooby Gang. He liked a good mystery every now and then, but the murder of Jason Blossom pointed towards his father's gang and he didn't know how to cope with that.

When FP Jones- Jughead's dad- eventually confessed to the murder, Jughead didn't know what to think. All he knew for sure was that his dad was innocent. So he and his friends did their best to prove Mr. Jones of his innocence, which they eventually did, but given FP's past the police decided to keep him a bit longer.

Jughead Jones was a powder keg waiting to explode, so in a move no one expected, he channeled his anger from the crookedness of their small town Sheriff to the local high school jocks when they decided to target the new girl for laughs. Y/N Y/L/N was a meek little thing, small smiles and small voice whenever called upon. She didn't dress like someone who had money, but then again she didn't dress like she didn't have any either. She presented herself as someone from the middle class which is probably why Jughead felt at ease coming to her defense one day out of the blue.

You're at your locker, putting away your books before you head over to the cafeteria for lunch, when someone shoves their shoulder into your back. You grunt as you collide with the metal in front of you, a few notebooks falling to the floor, and you turn to frown at the culprits. Reggie Mantle and his merry band of jocks laugh at you. "Seriously?" You mumble.

Reggie smirks, shrugging. "I gotta find my entertainment somewhere and what better entertainment is there than the new girl with no voice?" You roll your eyes and bend over to pick up your belongings, only for a sneaker clad foot to kick one of your notebooks away.

"Hey!"

The sound of someone being shoved into the lockers next to you has you looking up, a beanie-wearing, plaid shirt tied around the waist, boy coming to your aide. "What the hell is your problem, Mantle?" Hands fist into the material of Reggie's letterman jacket, slamming him twice against the lockers. "Haven't you ever heard the phrase pick on someone your own size?"

Reggie shoves him back. "Cool it, Jones, less you wanna end up in a cell next to your pops."

He scoffs. "You look real tough picking on a girl. Keep walking, jackass."

Your gaze darts between the two boys, chest to chest with one another, and you practically hold your breath. You can see the other jocks just itching for a fight, but the longer Reggie and your savior stare at one another, the less Reggie seems to be amped up for a fight. He eventually scoffs, smiling. "Whatever. The little mouse isn't much fun anyway."

Reggie goes to walk away, but not before kicking another one of your notebooks further down the hall. You sigh and start collecting your things closest to you once more.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about him. Reggie's a total dick."

You glance at the boy collecting one of your notebooks for you and flash him a small smile. "It's fine. Every school has a bully. I didn't expect this place to be any different."

"Yeah, well.." He trails off, placing the stuff he collected in your locker. "I'm Jughead."

"That's an unusual name," you say. "I'm Y/N."

"Well, Y/N, would you care to join me outside for lunch? I'm kind of alone today and I noticed you don't really sit with anyone either. I'll help keep Reggie off your back," he muses as if his protection would somewhat sweeten the deal.

"Sure. Why not?" You shrug.

Once everything is situated in your locker, you grab the lunch bag that had been hanging from a hook on the inside. Side by side, you walk with Jughead outside and towards one of the concrete picnic tables. He sits down and only then do you realize he had a brown sack clutched in his hand. Immediately he pulls out two smashed sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap, and unwraps them to start eating.

"So as a token of my thanks," you say while taking a seat across from him and unzipping your lunch bag, "have a fruit cup." You toss him a cool cup of mixed fruit and he happily catches it.

"Thanks." From the corner of your eye, you watch as he stares at you until you start eating your own sandwich and chips. "So Riverdale," he says. "Why here of all places?"

You huff a quiet laugh. Of course you'd heard the whispers about you, curious about your move, but you never spoke to anyone and no one dared to ask you before now. "My half sister lives in Greendale, and she and her aunts were having some personal issues. My dad moved us here so he could help them out, but he wasn't fond of the housing situations Greendale had to offer so we ended up here."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." He takes a bite of his food. "So are you and your sister close?"

"Not really." Your nose wrinkles. You eat a bit of your own food before explaining. "She kind of hates our dad because he slept with her mom when she was married, but instead of villainizing them both for their mutual decision, she puts all the blame on him."

Jughead shakes his head. "Well that sucks."

"Yep. But she obviously doesn't have a problem calling on him when she's in trouble." You roll your eyes, opening your water and taking a sip. "It's whatever. Riverdale is.. interesting."

"Yeah. It is," he huffs a brief laugh.

Over the next month or so, you and Jughead become actual friends. He attempts to introduce you to his group of friends, but the only one you can actually stomach being around is Archie. Veronica is too nosy, Betty too suspicious, and Kevin rarely hangs out with everyone less it involves a good gossip session. So more often than not, after realizing his group of friends wasn't just your cup of tea, you and Jughead hung out at Pop's Chock'lit-Shoppe.

The retro diner quickly became one of your favorite places in all of Riverdale, but upon entering one Sunday evening and seeing Jughead's expression you know you're not going to enjoy your dinner.

"Uh oh. What's going on with your face?" You ask as you slide in across from Jughead. "You look like you have some bad news."

He grins, shaking his head. "It's not bad. I'm just not sure how well you're going to take what I have to tell you."

"Mhm. Tell me after I've gotten my food." Almost as soon as the words leave your mouth, Pop Tate himself is dropping off your and Jughead's usual order. "Thanks, Pop."

The old man chuckles. "Don't mention it, Y/N. Enjoy your meal."

"Always do." Before any other words can be spoken, you and Jughead squirt ketchup on your respective plates. He steals the cherry from your milkshake and you plop a straw into his Coke to take a sip. The both of you take a bite out of your burgers, chuckling at each other and how at ease the two of you have become with one another. "So what's up?"

"I'm leaving Riverdale High." You pause in chewing and Jughead refuses to meet your gaze. "I'll be starting at Southside High tomorrow morning."

"Oh."

"It's just- my dad's getting out." When he looks up, the excitement in his eyes at the prospect of his dad coming home makes your exterior soften and you start to feel happy for your friend. "He, uh, he's been doing good. Jail forced him to get sober and he's talking about starting over. I'm going to move back in with him."

"That's good news, Jug. I'm really happy for you."

"Are you?" He grabs a fry and quickly dips it into your vanilla milkshake. You chuckle at him.

"Yeah. I mean we mostly hang out here anyway. That won't change, I hope." He's quick to shake his head, letting you know your weekly hang outs at Pop's would still be on. "I'll just have to toughen up and learn how to throw a punch. Reggie and his goons need a nice swift punch to the throat every now and then, I think."

Jughead exhales with relief. "Please let Kevin know beforehand so he can catch it on video for me."

"No promises."

The two of you go on to finish your food, making small talk and promises to keep in touch. Eventually you have to leave, so before you go your separate ways you decide to give Jughead a ride home. And since he's no longer embarrassed to have you over after the first time you'd been over, he accepts the ride with a shrug.

FP Jones has been out of jail for three days and in those three days Jughead has noticed his dad has been a little paranoid. So one day after school, he's had enough and decides to sit down and talk with him.

"What's going on?"

FP glances away from the paper in his hand. "Nothing. Why?"

"Because you're acting weird! Ever since you got out of jail it's like you're constantly looking over your shoulder."

Jughead and FP stare at one another before FP sets the paper down, running a hand through his hair. "Someone's coming to town," he says. "Someone you don't ever want to cross."

"Okay. And?"

"It's worrisome," FP says. "Mr. Morningstar, he's the real deal, Jughead. Expensive suits, expensive cars, posh accent.. this man can be very dangerous."

"Well then round up the Serpents. I'm sure they'll enjoy running this guy out of town."

"Nah." Jughead scoffs, confused as to what his dad's deal is. "Mr. Morningstar is the one who sent one of his lawyers to get me released."

"..oh."

"But Mr. Morningstar doesn't hand out favors without wanting something in return. I don't like being in debt, Jug. Especially to someone like him."

"We'll figure it out, dad. He reached out to you, not the other way around. He can't want something too bad if he came to you first. Right?"

"I don't know, son." FP falls silent, tapping his fingers along the tabletop. "And there's something else you should know."

"What?"

"Mr. Morningstar isn't exactly.. human." Jughead scoffs, but FP shoots him a warning look. "I'm serious. This man is capable of things you wouldn't believe unless you see it in person, but I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. If he comes around, you do as I say. I'll settle my debt with him as quickly as possible and hopefully Riverdale will be in his rearview mirror sooner rather than later."

Jughead doesn't know how to feel at seeing his dad- the Serpent King himself- looking so on edge. He's never seen him so rattled, so it leaves Jughead himself feeling the dread start to seep in.

Every single Serpent inside the Whyte Wyrm was well aware of who Mr. Morningstar was and to be on the lookout for anyone fitting his description. For a week there was no sight or word about him, the same week which Jughead finally decided to throw in with the Serpents and officially become one of the gang. He had texted his friends, some more supportive than others, but he only found comfort in his decision after hearing back from Y/N who held no ill will towards him for wanting to be a Southside Serpent officially.

Jughead is still healing, everyone at the Whyte Wyrm celebrating him completing his initiation.

"Toni," FP calls out, "serve us up some shots!" The petite, pink haired girl behind the bar laughs, she readily grabbing up shot glasses and lining them up along the bar. She fills every shot glass, smiling as her fellow Serpents grab one to await the impending toast. As FP grabs one, he raises it up while staring at his son across the room who's hanging out with a few younger Serpents. "Jughead, while this wasn't the life I wanted for you, it is your decision and you don't know how proud it makes me to have you ride by side. To Jughead!"

"To Jughead!"

The Serpents all whoop and holler, downing their shots in one go.

"Hear, hear," an out of place accent muses. Those closest to the man who seemingly appeared out of nowhere all tense and FP's smile slowly vanishes as he stares at the man who hasn't aged a single year since he last saw him over fifteen years ago. "Well, well. Freedom seems to suit you well, FP."

FP schools his expression. "Mr. Morningstar."

"Call me Lucifer. No need to be so formal."

The Serpents seem to fall silent as FP and Lucifer Morningstar stare at one another. Jughead, seeing the way everyone is holding themselves as the tension amps up, pushes his way through the crowd until he's just behind his dad. "Lucifer," FP says, "why don't you follow me. We'll go somewhere a bit more private."

Lucifer gestures for FP to lead the way. "After you."

FP glances at Jughead over his shoulder, but he doesn't give him any sort of cue to follow. Instead, Jughead follows after them to a table that's not surrounded by any others over by the stage. Once seated, FP stares Mr. Morningstar in the face. "So what brings you to Riverdale? It's been a while since you were last here."

"Ah, yes," he says. Lucifer leans back in seat, smiling. "I originally came to watch a client of mine wreak havoc on your precious little town," at this, FP and Jughead tense, "but someone very important to me made attachments here and I've had to rethink my plans of letting your town burn to the ground."

"A client of yours?" FP's eyes narrow. "Who?"

"I think you know who," Lucifer says. "Annoying little bugger. But as I said before, attachments were made and I had to keep watch over said attachment to see whether or not I approved. And let me tell you, Mr. Jones, I quite liked what I saw."

"Okay?" He drawls. "So what does that have to do with why you're here? Or are you calling in a favor for getting me out?"

Lucifer laughs. "Oh no, FP. You getting out was not my doing." FP freezes. "You see, this someone important to me is my daughter. She's the one who requested you be freed."

"You have a daughter?" FP shifts in his seat. "Why would she want me out?"

"I do. And because one of your little snakelings made quite the impression on her after showing her kindness when he didn't have to." Lucifer raises an eyebrow at FP's completely flabbergasted expression. "This person was and continues to be genuine with my daughter, so I figured I'd step in and help clean up your beloved little town instead of letting it be turned inside out by Hiram Lodge. After all, it seems we're going to be in Riverdale for quite some time now."

FP glances around, but he can't see any of the Serpents being this person in question. Eventually, he asks, "Who?"

Lucifer's gaze darts up over FP's shoulder and lands on Jughead. Jughead's eyes widen. "Me? Who have I-"

"Me, of course." You choose that exact moment to walk out from the back room, ignoring everyone's stare save for Jughead's. You're a bit self-conscious of the black crystallized crown on your head and the skin tight, all black outfit your dad's minions had chosen for you, but you don't show it. The way you're dressed now, Jughead's never seen you this way. "What's wrong, Juggie? Cat got your tongue?"

Your friend gulps as he eyes you up and down. "Y/N?"

"Surprise!" You muse. At his slack expression, your smile diminishes. "It's still me, JJ. No need to be weird now."

FP glances between you and his son as Jughead asks, "Was our friendship even real?"

Your eyes widen. "Of course it was! I was never meant to make friends here," you quickly explain, "but you just couldn't leave me be when Reggie set his sights on me and you- you befriended me for me." Jughead loses some of the tension in his frame. "You didn't talk to me because of who my dad was and what he could do for you. You talked to me because you felt bad for me and then you continued to talk to me because we actually got along."

A beat passes and Jughead eventually sighs. "Don't kid yourself. I only talk to you because you let me steal the cherry from your milkshake." It takes a moment for his words to sink in and when they do you snort. Lucifer chuckles and poor FP has no idea what's going on.

"This is quite fitting, is it not?" Lucifer grins.

FP frowns. "What do you mean?"

"The Serpent Prince and the Queen of Hell. Royalty always seeks out royalty."

You freeze, Jughead's brow furrows, and FP seems to blanch as he comes to a sudden realization. Quick as a snake's strike, you slap the back of your dad's shoulder. "Not here." Then you glance at FP. "Can we continue this talk in a back room?"

He slowly blinks before he snaps out of his thoughts. "Yeah. Let's go."

FP stands and leads the way, and you grin over at Jughead. "Come on. We have some more stuff to talk about."

In a back office, FP and Lucifer have already taken their seats as you and Jughead join them. Instead of sitting, the two of you stand side by side after the door is shut behind you.

"So what exactly is going on here?" FP wonders.

Lucifer glances at you, smirking, and you sigh. You had a feeling he was going to make you explain yourself. "So I noticed instead of scoffing at the queen of hell comment, you blanched." FP hesitantly nods. "So that means you understand my dad is quite.. different."

Lucifer huffs. "I'm the devil, darling. No need to tiptoe around it."

You cringe as he so bluntly puts it out there and nervously gauge the Jones' reactions. Both seem more than a little intimidated and your heart starts to sink. "I'm still me, Jughead. Just a little.. more."

Jughead glances at you. "You're really the daughter of Satan?" You nod. "And this isn't some joke?"

"No. My sister, the one who lives in Greendale, was meant to take the throne," you admit. "But she really does hate my dad and refused it, so it passed on to the next heir. Hell got a little bit stuffy and some of my dad's more important minions were trying to marry me off, so I left with my dad as he dealt with business here. I was supposed to keep my head down until we moved on, but well.." you trail off, smiling softly. "I found that having a friend was quite nice." When Jughead has nothing else to say, you look towards FP. "You've raised a kind son, Mr. Jones. And for that, I'm going to offer you a favor." He seems to straighten up then, glancing worriedly at your dad. "And don't worry, this is a favor from me. I don't do contracts or cut deals like dad does. My favor is a no strings attached type of situation. This is a favor for a friend."

FP and Jughead glance at each other, and you notice FP subtly shake his head. Jughead sighs and looks at you. "Do you promise that me or my dad won't owe you?"

"Jughead," FP warns.

But you only have eyes for your friend as you step towards him and take up his hands within your own. "I swear. You're my friend, JJ. You got Reggie off my back and offered genuine companionship, so let me do something for you."

"You mean like getting my dad out of jail?"

You grin, releasing his hands and shoving at his shoulder. "Oh whatever. I was bored and you seemed like you missed him. Bite me, Jones." Lucifer chuckles and FP looks like he has no idea what's going on. "So come on. Whose life needs ruining?"

Jughead stares at you before shaking his head in amusement. "You're a little too excited to be ruining someone."

"I am my father's daughter."

Jughead stares at you, as if trying to conclude whether you're being genuine or not, and then has a silent conversation with his dad. Eventually FP sighs, cradling his head in his hands as Jughead looks back to you. "I messed up bad, Y/N. When my dad first got put into jail, someone suggested I visit this lawyer- who is also a Serpent- so that she'll guide me on how to get my dad released."

"And the snake double crossed you. Shocking," your dad chuckles.

"Shut up." Lucifer continues to chuckle, mime zipping his lips shut. You look back to your friend. "Go on."

"She gave me advice as a favor and said I'd owe her one someday in the future. I didn't think it through."

"The snake charmer is notorious for collecting favors and blackmailing you into continuing owing her favors," FP says. "She's turning the Serpents into drug runners and using video of my son delivering a crate of drugs as leverage so we don't tell her no."

Lucifer tuts. "That just won't do. Last I recalled, the Serpents were against drug dealing."

"We are," FP says, "but we can't deny her since she has that damn video. It'll be his word against hers."

Expression tightening, you glance between the two Serpents. "Give me a name."

"Penny Peabody."

Immediately you and your dad glance at one another, and you're the first to shout, "Dibs!" At his pout, you grin victoriously. "It's been awhile since I've seen any action. I'll call auntie Maze to collect the guest of honor."

You and Jughead are sitting at Pop's, waiting for your order to be brought out. It's your usual weekend hangout session, as well as a mini celebration for getting the Snake Charmer out of Serpent territory. FP had been a little hesitant around you and your father, but the more he watched you and his son, and you and your dad, he came to the realization that neither he or Jughead would be in harm's way. No one would be less they actually crossed the devil himself, so you were a bit surprised when FP had actually hugged you when you told him Penny would no longer be an issue. Afterwards, he was eager to talk to your dad and figure out a way to get the Southside cleaned up and fix the Serpents' reputation.

Seeing Jug's beanie laying on the table, you grin as you swipe it and quickly put it atop your head. "What do you say, Jones, wanna switch crowns for a day?"

He chuckles as he shakes his head. "I don't think I can pull off your crown." Your nose wrinkles at him as you laugh. "And speaking of crowns, are you going to tell anyone else anytime soon?"

You shrug. "I only talk to you and your dad, and at that your dad already knew about my dad."

"I didn't know anything about you or your dad and you told me."

"You were my friend before you found out about me being Hell royalty. I don't want to just tell anyone and then have them kissing up because of things I could possibly do for them."

Jughead nods in understanding. "I take it, it's happened before."

You touch the tip of your nose. "Bingo, JJ. Demons of Hell are shady assholes. But don't worry, if I befriend more Serpents they'll find out when the time is right."

"Well I think you're going to get your chance now because here come some friends of mine."

"What?"

"Whoa, Jughead, is that you? You've certainly changed from the last time I saw you earlier."

You smile sheepishly as three Serpents come up to your table, the one who spoke sitting next to Jughead while the tall one climbs in between you and the window, and the female sits on your free side. You pull off Jug's beanie and hand it back to him just in time for your food to be delivered. Immediately, Jughead steals the cherry from your milkshake and you take a sip of his soda. Once that's done, you squirt ketchup on your plates before you take a bite of your burgers.

"Well that was freakishly adorable." You glance at the pink haired cutie next to you and she grins. "Toni Topaz."

"Y/N Y/L/N. Well Y/N Morningstar now. I don't have to hide who I am anymore."

"Nice." She then points to the guy beside Jughead. "That's Fangs and the one on your other side is Sweet Pea." You nod at each boy in greeting, bite down on a few fries and steal from Jughead's plate every time he dips a fry into your milkshake. "So how did you and our snake prince become so close?"

Toni steals a fry from your plate and you grin at her. "First of all, I really hope you're not insinuating anything there. Don't get me wrong, Jughead's a cutie but I'd totally seduce Papa Jones before I went after baby Jones."

Jughead groans in disgust, Fangs and Sweet Pea snort, and Toni laughs out loud. "I like you."

"Maybe the sentiment will be returned soon," you say. "And to honestly answer your question, Jug came to my rescue when a few jerks decided I was an easy target at Riverdale High."

Sweet Pea scoffs. "Ugh. How do you put up with those mangy mutts?" It's his turn to steal from your plate, but you merely raise an eyebrow at his audacity before you glance at Jughead as he smothers a laugh.

"By avoiding them at all cost," you say. "Is food stealing a thing with you guys or..?"

"If you're really hungry, I'd hold onto that burger of yours. Fangs is notorious for stealing any and all food left unattended." Toni chuckles as you pull your plate towards you, but that only makes it easier for her and Sweet Pea to continue eating off your plate.

"You're all heathens," you deadpan. "At least Jughead waited a few days before he started eating off my plate."

The Serpents chuckle all around you and you find yourself relaxing in your seat. You knew the Southside Serpents had a bad reputation, but the more time you spent with them the more you realize just how wrong everyone is. The Serpents are some of the most loyal, drama free individuals you'd met and they're only riled up when someone attacks one of their own. And that- that you can respect.

During your lunch break, you're sitting alone and texting back and forth with Toni. Apparently word has gotten out that the Mayor is looking to shut down Southside High because it's unsafe for children, and the plan is to divide every Southside High student between several other high schools. Needless to say, every Southsider is pissed.

You send a text to your dad, asking if he knew what was going on, and he assures you he and Mr. Jones are looking into it.

Your can of Cola gets snatched up and you snap to attention, ready to argue back for your drink. But the sight of a grinning Jughead sitting across from you makes you relax and Sweet Pea straddling the bench right next to you makes you shake your head at them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Southside High is in chaos," Jughead says. He takes a sip of your soda before setting it back next to your books. "We were at the Wyrm when your dad asked us to collect you."

"Toni's been filling me in," you admit. "Does anyone know if the Mayor is for sure going through with this plan of hers?"

"It's such bullshit," Sweet Pea grumbles. "Yeah the school is shit ever since the Ghoulies started pushing Jingle Jangle on everyone, but it's ours."

"Don't worry, Sweets. Dad's on it. He'll figure something out."

He huffs. "Against Mayor McCoy? Doubt it."

You and Jughead share a knowing glance, and you bite back a grin. "My dad can be very.. persuasive."

"And scary," Jughead mumbles.

"Yes, let's not forget scary," you muse.

"What the hell is this?" The stern question is barked from somewhere behind you and you turn towards the voice. "Cooper dropped your sorry ass and now you're trying to lure in Y/N, Jones? I don't think so, you goddamn snake."

You roll your eyes at Reggie and his friends, and at the fact that the others sitting outside are now staring.

"Watch your mouth, you mangy mutt." Sweet Pea moves to stand, but you place a hand on his knee in order to silently tell him to stay put. He doesn't glance at you, but he does remain sitting.

Instead, you stand and step away from the bench in Reggie's direction. "What's your problem, Mantle? I know for a fact you don't care about me, so what is it about the Southsiders that has you so insecure?"

Reggie seems surprised that you've spoken back and it takes him a moment to school his expression back into one of anger. "Who the hell says I'm insecure?"

"Come on, Reggie," you grin. "You obviously have a hate boner going on for them." Jughead and Sweet Pea snort, and Reggie glares at them over your head. "So what is it? Is it because they're cooler than you? That they're so much more hotter than you and you know for a fact us Northside girls would willingly get on the back of their bikes than in the car mommy and daddy bought for you?"

Reggie sneers down at you. "Of course you'd be a Southside slut."

Jughead and Sweet Pea shout in your defense, rushing to their feet as you blink in surprise at the venom in his tone. But then anger quickly takes over and no one sees as your hand forms a fist at your side. When Reggie smirks at your silence, quick as lightning you change your stance so you can send your fist flying into his throat.

As Reggie stumbles back and gasps for air, Sweet Pea grabs you by the arm and then you're running. Sweet Pea and Jughead are laughing as they run for their bikes and you readily climb on behind Sweet Pea since he still had a hold of you. Two engines rumble to life simultaneously and you wrap your arms around Sweet Pea's waist, ducking your face behind his back so the wind doesn't sting your eyes.

When the three of you finally come to a stop, you're not in the Southside yet but you are well away from Riverdale High. The engines cut off and you finally pick up your head, and it's quiet for a few moments before Jughead starts to laugh once more.

"You actually punched Reggie in the throat." He shakes his head in amusement at you. "I did not think you were capable of ever hitting someone."

Sweet Pea chuckles. "You do know you left behind all your belongings. It's gonna be trashed by the time you go back for it."

You shrug. "The only thing worth saving was my phone and it's in my back pocket. A backpack can be replaced, and besides I think it's time Riverdale High and I take a break from one another."

Jughead and Sweet Pea's amusement slowly fades. "Wait. What?" Jughead asks. "You're dropping out?"

"No." You huff a laugh. "Transferring."

"Transferring to where?"

"Southside, you dimwits." You squeeze Sweet Pea when he scoffs at you calling him a name, letting him know you didn't actually think he was a dimwit. "I'm so over the drama of Riverdale High. I need a change. And if I want to go to Southside to be with my favorite people, do you really think my dad will let the school be closed down?"

"You really have that much faith in your old man, huh?" Sweet Pea asks.

"I do. And you should too." Jughead glances at you when you say that and you subtly shake your head at him. Soon, you mouth at him. "Now come on. Let's go see what my dad wants. I feel like going out tonight so I need to finish whatever task he has for me and make sure Toni is free."

The small gang of friends find themselves at Pop's diner once again, you being squished between Sweet Pea and Toni while Jughead and Fangs sit across from you. You and Toni share a plate of cheese fries, half of your burger having been stolen by Fangs and you steal sips of Cola from both Jughead and Sweet Pea since Sweets had finished your milkshake. When eating with them, you quickly learned extra food had to be ordered because once a plate was set down it was basically a free for all.

You're laughing at Fangs' affronted expression, from when he tried stealing cheese fries from you and Toni and you both had slapped his hand, when the bell above the door jingles. Your gaze is drawn to the group that enters, your mood souring just a tad when Archie, Betty, and Veronica enter. They glance around the diner for a booth and upon setting sights on your group, Archie chooses a booth not far from yours.

Toni nudges you to show you a message on her phone, lightening up the mood right away. But every now and then your attention is brought back to the Riverdale High group, and you can't help but notice the longing looks Betty keeps throwing at Jughead. And the fact that Jughead keeps glancing over his shoulder until he finally gets up, Betty following him seconds later to join him at a different booth.

"Did I miss something?" You ask when your friend is out of earshot.

Toni huffs. "They're doing that whole on again, off again thing. It's tiring," she says.

You frown as Jughead and Betty start talking, heads ducked close to one another, but then quickly avert your attention back to those sitting with you. You don't really have anything against Betty, but that girl attracts drama like crazy and you would rather not see her drag Jughead into it again.

The four of you left in the booth amuse yourselves while finishing off the remainder of your food, and you make sure that all your plates are stacked with the trash compiled on top so the busboy has little to no cleanup after you leave. But while you're still sitting there and waiting to see what Jughead is going to do, you can't help but overhear Veronica's obnoxious voice filling in her boyfriend Archie about all the great changes supposedly coming to Riverdale soon.

"I mean it's no longer a secret mommy and daddy are buying up property, Archiekins, but can you blame them?" Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs all tense, Fangs trying his hardest not to look in their direction. "The Northside is flourishing under their management and soon the Southside will too. We just have a few more hoops to jump through before we can start tearing down and rebuilding."

Having heard enough, you tap Sweet Pea's arm. "Move." Fangs widens his eyes at you and Toni giggles, she loving your more aggressive behavior. Sweet Pea stares at you for a moment before he grins, sliding out of his seat so you can follow right after him. Then taking a few steps towards Veronica and Archie's both, you stop and address the entitled teen. "Consider those hoops everlasting," you say. "Lodge Industries will no longer be buying up any property in Riverdale."

Veronica scoffs, smirking a second later. "And who the hell do you think you are to have any say so in my family's dealings?"

This time you smirk and you mentally cheer when you see her own falter. "Tell daddy dearest the Morningstars say hello. Lucifer will be in touch soon." You reach forward as Veronica's expression completely falls, stealing the cherry from her milkshake and catching the red, plump flesh behind your teeth and plucking the stem free. Letting the stem drop onto the table, you glance over your shoulder and gesture for your friends to follow. They do, chuckling all the while you walk towards the door. But before you walk out, you look over at Jughead and catch his attention. "Hey, JJ, we're heading out. Call me if you need a ride."

"Oh, uh, I'll come with." Betty quickly glances at him and for a split second you feel bad for her. "We're done here anyway." He slides out of the booth, ignoring Betty's frown as he makes his way towards you and his fellow Serpents.

Sweet Pea jostles Jughead, the two boys shoving each other lightly and laughing as the five of your exit. Everyone piles into your small SUV and it's not until Toni is comfortably seated in the passenger seat does she ask, "How serious were you with that threat back there? Can your dad really stop Lodge Industries?"

You slowly start to grin as you back out of your parking space. "Hiram Lodge is one of my dad's clients," you admit. "They have a.. contract of sorts, and Mr. Lodge is rich because of that. But my dad is starting to cut ties with some old clients of his and I'm pretty sure the Lodge's time up on that little pedestal of theirs is coming to an end."

"Sweet," Sweet Pea says from the back seat. "Hey, if your dad buys the school do you think you can ask him to put doors back on the bathroom stalls?"

You and Toni both snort, and you nod your head. "Sure, Sweets. I'll see what I can do."

          - - - - - - - - - - 

At the Whyte Wyrm, Sweet Pea and Fangs make a beeline for the pool table. Toni heads for the bar, her shift about twenty minutes from starting, and Jughead gets pulled into a conversation by some elder Serpents. Glancing around the bar, you don't see either man you want to speak with so you head for the hallway near the back wall where you know it leads to an office. A couple Serpents guarding the hall nod at you and let you pass without a word.

When you come upon the shut door to FP's office, you knock a couple of times and wait for confirmation to enter. A moment passes before his gruff voice is calling out that exact confirmation.

Opening the door, you walk right in and aren't surprised to see your dad in there as well. You smirk, happy to know he found a mortal he felt comfortable enough to share his identity with and that said mortal didn't go running for the hills. "FP. Dad," you greet. "Just the men I was looking for."

FP leans back in his chair as you take a seat across from him. "What can I do for you, Y/N?"

"Well first, I need to know your opinion about Sweet Pea, Toni, and Fangs." You then turn to look at your dad. "And depending on FP's answer, I need to know-"

"Your first orgy," your dad coos. "I approve. Especially the tall one. He'd make an excellent consort."

"I'm sorry, what?" FP glances between you and your dad, disbelief in his features.

You sigh, closing your eyes and pinching the bridge of your nose. "Dad, no. Just no," you say. When your eyes flutter back open, you say, "What did I tell you about speaking of orgies so freely in front of mortals? It's weird. Especially since you're my dad. You're not supposed to approve of these things."

"Well fine. Have it your way." Lucifer leans back in his seat, resting his right ankle atop his left knee and taking a sip of his drink. "Probably for the best anyway. Naamah will be upset if you deny her the chance to plan your first orgy."

"Oh my god."

FP finally laughs, shaking his head as if he can't believe what he's hearing. Your dad pouts and you give your attention to FP once more. "The baby snakes are a loyal bunch," he says. "I've had some older Serpents question you and your father's presence here within the Wyrm, but Jug and the others were quick to defend you. Why do you ask?"

Here you look back to your dad. "I want to come clean to them. Jughead knows about me and it's getting tough to censor what I say in front of the others when we all hang out."

Lucifer salutes you with his glass tumbler. "You're the Queen of Hell, darling. You can tell whoever you want."

"Good to know." You push up from your chair, smiling at both men. "Oh and I want Southside High. Veronica Lodge and her family are trying to tear the Southside down and rebuild, but I feel like throwing a wrench into their plans."

Lucifer raises an eyebrow at you. "And how do you suggest going about that?"

"By befriending Mayor McCoy, of course." FP snorts, but you continue on as if you didn't hear him. "She seems like a decent lady when the Lodge's aren't blackmailing her into doing their bidding. Give her a little taste of power, no strings attached and without letting her know your true identity, and show her you're an ally. I have a feeling she'll drop the Lodge's in a heartbeat."

FP grins, shaking his head. "You really are your father's daughter."

You glance at him and smirk. "Duh. Now carry on. I'm going to be with Toni behind the bar."

          - - - - - - - - - - 

The Whyte Wyrm is as busy as always and you happily find your place behind the bar with Toni. She serves up the drinks as you walk around, cleaning glasses and/or wiping down the bar top. Every now and then you catch your dad or FP's eye, and they signal for a round of drinks that Toni readily makes before walking a tray over to them. You then watch your boys from afar, laughing when Jughead catches your eye and purposefully makes Sweet Pea miss his shot while playing pool. Sweet Pea is apparently a very sore loser, but you can't help to think that he makes a really cute sore loser.

When Toni returns and sees where you're looking, she sidles up to your side while cleaning a glass in her hand. "So, uh, I think I should apologize."

You look at her. "For what?"

"Earlier at Pop's, when I told you Jughead and the Cooper girl were on again/off again, you looked like someone kicked your puppy for a moment there."

"Did I?" You chuckle, shrugging her words off. "It's fine. Jughead has become a really good friend to me and I'm not exactly Betty's biggest fan. They say southsiders are nothing but trouble, but those northsiders have caused a lot more trouble than any of you have. I don't want to see him be dragged into their messes again."

"Oh," she drawls. "Okay. I just thought that you were upset because she and Jughead were together again and you had missed your shot or something."

"No." You laugh. "And besides, I kind of have my eye on another Serpent, but I don't think he likes me that way."

Toni rolls her eyes. "I don't think FP is into jailbait. Sorry."

You snort, shaking your head in amusement. "A girl can dream."

Over the next couple of weeks, you get well acquainted with the power struggle between the Ghoulies and the Southside Serpents within the high school. The school is practically run down, there's no privacy within the graffitied walls of the bathrooms, and a little less than half the student population have no issue taking drugs out in the open while standing in the hallways. Not a single one of your favorite Serpents lets you out of their sight, and though you don't need their protection you welcome it. And their loyalty towards you is what leads you to take that final step in finally telling your other three friends the truth.

Walking up to the Jones' trailer, you stomp up the steps and pound on the door. A few seconds later the door opens and FP raises his eyebrows at you as he's pulling on a leather jacket.

"Y/N?"

"Hey, FP. Is JJ home?"

"Yeah. Come in." He opens the door wider and you step in, heading for the couch. "Is everything okay?"

"Peachy." You grin. You plop down in the corner of a couch, crossing one knee over the other. "I just finally decided to tell the others the truth and I wanted to see if Jughead would be there for me in case things go south."

A look of understanding passes over FP's features and he smiles kindly at you when he notices your bit of nerves. "It'll go fine. If Jug and I didn't run, neither will these three little shits." You grin at him. "Now I should get going. Will your dad and I be seeing you later?"

"Depends on how well my little bombshell is taken."

"Alright." FP heads towards the kitchen, calling down the only hallway in his trailer. "Hey Jug, Y/N is here so put some clothes on before you come out."

FP smiles at you one last time before he exits his trailer and it's not until his bike's engine outside roars to life does Jughead exit his bedroom from the back. "What's going on?"

"It's time to tell the other baby snakes about my heritage."

He blinks. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." You nod, momentarily second guessing yourself. "Yeah," you then say more confidently. "I think the longer I wait now, the higher the chance of them being pissed at the fact that I kept something like this from them."

"Okay. Where are we doing this?"

"Quarry?" You wonder. "We need privacy, but not too private that they feel trapped should they not take the news well."

Jughead exhales quietly. "Quarry it is. My bike or your car?"

"Your bike. Text Toni and the guys. I just need to grab my bag from my car."

Jughead is pulling on his jacket as he gestures for you to join him by the door, then pulling on his infamous crown beanie before pulling out his phone to text the others. He heads to his bike while you head for your car, opening the passenger door and pulling out your messenger bag. Draping the bag strap over your head and across your chest, you close the door and lock up before pocketing the keys.

When you sidle up to Jughead, he hands you his only helmet and you readily pull it on before climbing on behind him. He's not normally a crazy driver, so you loosely wrap your arms around his waist and enjoy the short ride to the quarry.

You and Jughead are the first to arrive, walking towards a spot that seems to have frequent visitors. Seats torn out from vehicles and a few crates form a half circle around an unlit barrel just off to the side of the water, and Jughead wastes no time in lighting up the barrel since it's a little chilly out.

Placing your bag on one of the seats, you walk towards the fire and hold your hands over it to warm up. Then about five minutes later, the rest of your friends show up.

"What's going on?" Sweet Pea asks as his gaze darts between you and Jug. As he sees you warming up, he stops by your side and wraps an arm around your shoulders to offer some of his warmth. Toni and Fangs stand on the other side of the barrel, warming themselves up briefly before taking a seat.

"I, uh, I have something I need to tell you guys. It's going to sound incredibly insane, but I need you to trust me when I say I am no threat to you." Sweet Pea frowns down at you and he only takes a seat when you nudge him towards the others. Jughead grabs your bag and hands it to you, and you smile faintly in thanks. Then opening the flap, you remove your crown and let your bag fall before hesitantly putting the crown on. Clearing your throat, you say, "When you guys first saw me, I was wearing this."

Fangs grins. "We thought you were just another spoiled little daddy's girl."

You grin back. "I mean I am," you shrug, "but the crown actually means something."

"Are you trying to tell us you're royalty or something?" Toni chuckles. At your neutral expression, her smile falters. "Y/N?"

You inhale shakily, glancing at Jughead who gives you an encouraging nod. "Whenever people meet my dad, I'm well aware that they think his given name is rather unfortunate." Sweet Pea snorts, grinning. A couple older Serpents at the Wyrm made it no secret when making fun of your dad's name. "But what if I told you that my dad really is the Lucifer Morningstar?" Your serious, yet nervous, expression makes the other three go still. "That I'm literally the daughter of the devil?"

The only sounds you can hear are the chirping crickets and crackling fire until, "You really buying this, man?" Sweet Pea scoffs. You briefly glance at him to see he's staring at Jughead who's still by your side.

Jughead nods, his arms crossed over his chest. "I am. My dad knew something was up with Lucifer before they outright told us the truth. He's known for years, but Lucifer wasn't a threat to him then or now so he didn't make a fuss about it."

Sweet Pea frowns. He doesn't look scared or pissed, but he doesn't look impressed either. "Why are you telling us this now?"

"That first night, my dad let FP and Jughead in on our secret because he saw how I trusted Jug and wasn't planning to leave Riverdale anytime soon. We trusted the Jones' and they now trust us. The circle of people in the know was meant to stay as small as possible, but then you three," you pause, huffing and smiling sadly as you meet each of their gazes, "wormed your way under my skin and I knew I couldn't keep a secret this big from you anymore."

"So your dad really is the devil?" Fangs asks. His gaze is set on the flames just barely dancing over the rim of the barrel, an expression on his face you can't quite decipher.

Sighing, you let your left hand wave back and forth over the flames. "My dad really is Lucifer Morningstar." You hold your hand still then, the flames engulfing your hand. Someone gasps, but you don't look up until you say, "And I'm the Queen of Hell."

"Oh fuck."

Fangs immediately shoots up, stumbling behind his seat. Sweet Pea's expression has completely shut down and Toni stares with wide eyes. Without having to look in a mirror, you already know your eyes have gone pure white and the picture you paint with the crown atop your head can look quite daunting.

"I'm still me- the same girl you've been hanging out with for a while now." You swallow down the hurt you feel at their speechlessness. "But.. I will understand if this is too much. All I ask is that this little revelation doesn't leave the circle." Still your friends say nothing and fight against the burn behind your eyes. "I'm sorry."

As quickly as you can, you bend over to pick up your bag. Shouldering the strap, you turn to walk away when Jughead calls out. "Y/N.."

"It's fine," you say and cast him a small smile. "I'll pick up my car later. I'm going home."

"Let me give you a ride home at least."

You shake your head. "I'll manage." And with that, you turn and walk away, letting a swirl of flames whisk you away.

Maybe you should have waited, dropping hints here and there to ease them in. But as you appear in your room, you drop onto your bed and let the sadness swallow you whole. What's done is done. All you can do is hope for the best now.

[ticklykitty216]

YO I JUST GOT INTO THE BRAWLSTARS FANDOM!! If you're looking for tk requests

Then how about a tickle fanfic with Colt and Shelly having a Tickle Fight (Could be a ship fic or not its up to you!)

(Ack! Sorry it’s taken me so long to get to these requests!! When I opened them I had motivation but when they started coming in I lost it, but now I’m finally (and slowly) starting to get to them!!)

(Also ngl it actually took me a while to think of how this specific scenario would play out)

(Also, I don’t know spanish, so I had to used a random english-to-spanish translator so if some of the things Shelly says doesn’t make any sense to you spanish speakers, I’m so sorry lol)

***

Shelly was unpacking some of the boxes in her room. She’d moved in a few weeks ago but never fully unpacked some of the boxes she’d brought over. She had moved in with her “friend”, Colt, because she’d been running low on money and it had been getting harder to pay the bills, Colt had offered to let her move into a spare room, she’d only planned to stay for a little while to get her situation figured out but Colt kept insisting she stay.

She’d been on the fence about staying with Colt, on one hand it was super easy to deal with bills if they both pitched in and would split their money to pay for them, on the other hand... Well, she was living with Colt. As much as Shelly liked Colt, the sheriff was... full of himself, and that was putting it lightly.

Don’t get her wrong, Shelly liked Colt, he was friendly and nice, he was a good shot as well and every now and then he says something that’s actually funny, but he also was cocky and obsessed with his appearance. This normally wouldn’t annoy Shelly that much if these things just happened every once in a while, but Colt constantly spent hours in the morning getting ready and would get sassy and snap at her when she pointed this out to him.

She’d been mulling over her options when she heard a knock at her door, “Yeah?” Shelly asked and Colt peaked his head in “Speak of the Devil and he shall appear...” Shelly thought sarcastically and Colt smiled nervously “Hey... Was just checking in on you, you’ve been in here for a while and was getting a little worried.” Colt said.

“Worried? Why would you worry?” Shelly questioned, “Well, you’ve been in here all day and I haven’t seen you that much!” Colt said and allowed himself into the room, Shelly looked out the window and saw that the sun had began to dip below the horizon, shoot, had she really been in here all day unpacking?! She looked down and saw that she’d only gotten through a 2 and half boxes of her unpacked items and frowned, she hadn’t even been unpacking she’d been lost in thought the whole day...

“I’m fine Colt, just been thinking about things...” Shelly finally respond, “Thinking about what?” Colt asked and Shelly sighed before rubbing the back of her neck “About... Your offer to stay here..” she said before then pinching the bridge of her nose “I just... It’s been...” she stammered, why was it so hard to just explain to him the situation?! Shelly growled before looking at Colt, he just stood there with this deadpanned expression that held some slight concern to it.

“I’ll... I’ll tell you later, are you cooking tonight or are we getting takeout again?” Shelly said before sighing again afterwards, Colt was silent for a moment before he responded “Oh! Uh, I can cook for us! How would uh, spaghetti sound?” Colt said and flushed slightly “Sounds good, don’t burn it this time.” Shelly said and closed up the box next to her, she’d deal with that later. “It was one time Shell!” Colt said as he exited the room.

+*+*+*+

Shelly was sitting in front of her mirror brushing out her ponytail, she never liked having her hair down, not even when she was getting ready for bed or going to sleep. Colt had managed to not burn the pasta this time, but the meatballs he’d made with the spaghetti were a little hard to chew, “How did this man survive by himself?” Shelly thought to herself while rolling her eyes and smiling.

She set the brush down and yawned while stretching, she’d already changed into her pajamas and was about to flop on her bed when she heard a knock at her door again “Yeah?” she asked. Colt poked his head in once more and smiled slightly “Hey uh, mind if I come in?” he asked “Sure, just be quick I’m tired...” Shelly said and flopped onto her back on the bed and looked at Colt.

Colt walked in, he was also wearing his pajamas and approached the bed “You said that you’d been thinking about my offer to stay?” he questioned and Shelly huffed through her nose and sat up “Yeah... I’d been thinking about it...” she said and Colt sat down on the bed as well, “I, haven’t decided fully if I’ll stay-stay, but I might stay for a bit longer...” Shelly said and Colt leaned in a little closer.

“Why not stay? I mean, I know your a little reserved and like your privacy, but isn’t it easier to share a house with someone?” asked Colt and Shelly felt her cheeks heat up a little “I mean yeah, it’s easier and yeah, I like my privacy... But, well...” Shelly said and looked away “Well?” Colt asked and shifted a little closer to her, “Well, I-” Shelly looked up at Colt and noticed how close he was to her, she flushed a deep red before quickly putting her hands to his sides and pushed him away.

** Colt let out this startled, squeal and giggled(?) as he was pushed back. Shelly, who was still flustered was now slightly confused, why did he giggle? Colt looked up at her as his face flushed as well. There was a moment of silence between them, before Shelly reached out and squeezed his side again.

“ACK! Shehehelly no!” Colt giggled and quickly swatted her hand away. Shelly for a split second sat there dumbfounded, before an evil look crossed her face, “S-Shelly...?” Colt said trying to crawl away, Shelly grabbed Colt by the legs and pulled him back over to her and she moved up so she was now looming over the sheriff “Colt... You never mentioned that you were ticklish!” she said and sat on top of the gunslinger’s thighs “WHAT?! Pfffft! I’m not ticklish!” Colt quickly said nervously pushing at her.

“Oh? Well then, if you’re not ticklish you wouldn’t mind if I did this would you?” Shelly said and began to quickly scribble her fingers into Colt’s sides. Colt made this half strangled noise as a peal of laughter tore out of him “WAHAHAIT! Shehehehelly nohohoho!!” Colt laughed as he quickly grabbed hold of Shelly wrist and tried to pry them off “What? I thought you said you weren’t ticklish?” Shelly said and started to squeeze all over his sides.

“Shehehehelly! NOHOHO! Stohohohop!!” Colt laughed and started to squirm violently underneath Shelly “Pfft! Stop? No way, I just started!” Shelly said and started to move her way up to his ribs. Colt made weird noise as her hands started to travel upwards, he started to kick his legs and shake his head “NOHOHO!! HAHAHA SHEHEHELLY DOHOHON’T!!” Colt cried out “Why not? This a bad spot?” Shelly teased as her fingers scratched at his lower ribs.

Colt let out a shriek as his ribs were being tickled, they were pretty bad. He tried pushing and slapping her hands away, but Shelly had surprisingly strong hands. He panicked for a moment before he quickly placed his hands at her sides to try and push her away. Shelly arched her back “AYE!!” she squawked and for a second she stopped her assault.

It didn’t take long for Colt to realize what he’d done “Nohoho way! You’re ticklish too?!” Colt said while giggling and Shelly flushed again “Not nearly as you!” Shelly said quickly squeezing his ribs, Colt gasped and squealed before rapidly squeezing Shelly’s sides. Shelly gasped and quickly shut her mouth and tensed up, she tried to focus on tickling Colt, but his hands were just as quick as hers, and he kept squeezing up and down her sides.

Shelly lasted a whole 20 seconds before she bursted out into belly laughter “COHOHOHOLT!!” she bellowed, but she kept up her attack at his ribs “IHIHIHI CAHAHAN’T BEHEHEHELIEVE YOHOHOU’RE THIHIS TIHIHIHICKLIHIHISH!!” Colt laughed as he started to spider quickly up and down her sides “YOHOHOHOU’RE OHOHONE TOHO TAHAHAHALK!!” Shelly laughed as she started to scratch between his ribs.

Colt using what little strength he had left pushed as hard as he could against Shelly’s middle and managed to knock her back. Filled with adrenaline he quickly turned the tabled and now loomed over Shelly, “Yohohou’ll pahahay fohor thahat...!” Colt said wiggling his fingers over Shelly’s middle. For a second Colt could see regret flash in her eyes before it was replaced with uncertainty and anger “Dohohon’t yohou dare!” Shelly said but a nervous and shy smile was already on her face “I would dare..” Colt said and plunged his fingers back to her sides.

Shelly once again arched her back and howled before she tried to fight Colt off. Colt pushed against her, keeping her pinned as he spidered all over her sides and occasionally her toned stomach as well, “COHOHOHOLT!! LO JURO POR DIOS, ¡BASTA!” Shelly howled as she shook her head “Sorry Shells, I don’t speak spanish! Could you repeat that?~” Colt teased as he tried her ribs, she apparently wasn’t as ticklish there as her laughter calmed just enough- “¡IDIOTA, HE DICHO QUE PARES!” Shelly said, she was still laughing enough to where it was a little hard to understand her.

“Pfft, who are you calling an “Idiota”? You’re the one who started this!” Colt chuckled, he may not know much spanish but he was able to pick that work out loud and clear! Shelly thrashed underneath Colt and squeezed his sides again “Nohoho! Shehehelly!!” he chortled “¡VAS A PAGAR POR ESTO!“ Shelly said and started after the gunslinger again.

+*+*+*+

After a few minutes of back and forth tickling and many things being said to each other, both in english and in spanish the two finally stopped. They both layed there on the bed gasping and panting, and giggling like madmen. Colt was laying on his back while Shelly was on her stomach, the sheets on the bed we half off and one of the pillows was on the floor.

Colt looked over at Shelly, “Whahat wehehere yohou trying toho sahahay before..?” he said through some stray giggled, Shelly was silent for a moment, “No lo tiene-” she stopped herself “It doesn’t matter, besides, I’m too tired to remember...” Shelly said dropping her head back down onto the bed.

Colt rolled his eyes before getting up off the bed and walked to the other side of the room, turned the light off before walking back over to the bed and flopped back down onto it “Hey! You have your own room and bed!” Shelly said and pushed his side, Colt giggled as he picked the stray pillow off of the ground and placed it under his head, “Sorry Shells, can’t hear you over the sound of me sleeping...” Colt said and quickly fell asleep. Shelly huffed and turned on her side away from Colt.

... She thought she might stay a little longer with Colt.

***

(Here, have this monstrously long fic, also once again sorry to anyone who speaks spanish, I don’t know it ^^’)

[writingsbymarie]

Drive - Rafe Cameron x reader

Word count: 2,890

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of drug use, angst, and a steamy make out

A/n: yes I know Rafe is not a good person, but he is intriguing and I love Drew so I just had to write for him, and in this, I wrote him much sweeter like they should have written him, and in this, he doesn't kill the sheriff. I also wrote this while listened to Drive by Halsey you want to listen while reading :). Also, send in requests for JJ and Rafe, and I’d also be willing to write for John B. and Pope. This probably one of my favorite things I have written so I hope you guys like it :)

He was a dick. God, you hated him, but for some reason, you were drawn to him. After your dad went missing you had to take care of your brother, yeah we were 18, but you couldn’t be John B.s legal guardian, so you kept your uncle a secret and found yourself a job at the country club for the summer, and that's where it all started. That's when you found yourself falling for the self-centered, arrogant Rafe Cameron. 

He was a year older than you, and before the summer you had seen him at parties and heard stories about the crazy things he did. Drugs were the big ones. Not only was he doing cocaine, but he was also selling it too. You didn’t quite understand why he would sell them since he was rich, but the boy who had so much potential and privilege was running his life into the ground. 

Your first encounter with the honey-haired boy happened at the food area of the club. You were a hostess, and he came to order a smoothie. You walked over to greet them but before you could say anything Rafe spoke up. 

“Hey pogue, bring me a strawberry banana smoothie” he demanded. You wanted to give him a piece of your mind because he didn’t even say please, but the last thing you needed was a complaint from Ward Cameron's son. So you forced a smile and choked out the niced ‘that will be right up sir’ and turned on your heel rolling your eyes the second you were not facing him anymore. You brought the order to the girl who was making the smoothies and she started the order. You looked over at a Rafe who was waiting by the golf cart with his friend Topper and Kelce. You couldn’t deny one thing. Rafe was an attractive young man. You hated that you thought that, but he was your type. A tall blonde with a toned body. The girl who made the smoothie tapped you on the shoulder and handed you the smoothie taking you out of your thoughts. You walked towards the boys who were laughing about who knows what and handed the smoothie to Rafe with a smile. 

“Have nice day boys” You said with a forced smile. “And by the way, my name isn’t ‘pogue’ my name is Y/N” and with that, you turned around leaving Rafe wondering. Rafe would never admit it, but he found you hot. He was intrigued by you and that is precisely why he came to see you multiple times a week without his friends. He would make excuses of why he was there, but eventually, it became a pattern that you caught onto. Your conversations got longer, and you began to see a soft side of a boy you thought was a narcissistic unpredictable asshole. 

The first time you started to catch feelings was at the end of one of your shifts on a Friday night. The sun was setting and you grabbed your phone to call John B to pick you up. At this point in the summer, you and Rafe had a platonic friendship. He had even given you the nickname pogue princess which you hated to admit made you blush every time.

“There's my pogue princess” you heard from behind you immediately knowing who it was. Your heart skipped a beat and you turned around to be faced with the rich blonde boy you now would call your ‘friend’. 

“Damn you couldn’t go a whole day without seeing me, if I didn’t know any better i’d say you like me kook, and that's not allowed” you smirked, giving a light hit on the shoulder.

“In your dreams princess” he winked and you rolled your eyes walking past him. 

“My shift is over Rafe so I’m not bringing you a smoothie” 

“I didn’t come for a smoothie I came to see you” he mumbled like he was scared to admit. The truth was he hated how he felt about you. He hated how his heart skipped a beat every time your eyes met his. He hated that he found himself drawn to the country club just to come to see you, and he hated that he craved your attention. You, on the other hand, were feeling the same way. You hated that every day you worked you waited for him to show up. You hate that the second he walked in you felt warm and happy, and you hated that you were falling for a kook and that the kook you were falling for was Rafe Cameron. 

“And why are you here to see me, you could be out with your friends right now doing whatever kooks do in their free time,” you asked as you turned around to face him. His demeanor was soft and it made your heart melt. It was the way his eyes on you and then and there you felt a feeling you had never felt before. Love. 

“As much as I hate to admit it. I like talking to you. It's refreshing” You wanted to respond with something witty, but you were almost speechless. His face began to heat up when you didn't respond right away. You could see the small panic in his eyes. “Sorry, that was weird I-”

“No, no, it's not weird I like talking to you too” you smiled. You walked out of the country club side by side with Rafe. 

“So how was your day?” he asked sweetly.

“Pretty good, just hate when the creepy old rich men hit on me, but they tip well so I can’t complain too much, how was yours”? You smiled.

“Pretty boring just the usual”

“What's the usual for a kook thought? Is it sitting by the pool, going for a boat ride in your yacht, and drinking in your mansion” you joked.

“I mean some days are like that” he smirked, bumping his elbow into yours.  

“Not surprised” you giggled.

“Wait how are you getting home” 

“I have to call my brother to come-”

“I can drive you,” he interrupted. It was almost desperate. The truth was he had gotten in a fight with his father and for some reason the only person he wanted to be with was you and that scared the living hell out of him.

“Are you sure, driving through my side of town for a kook is asking a lot”

“You're not asking, I'm offering” he was being sweet, and it was a weird thing to see. You didn’t understand how the boy who constantly bullied and beat up your brother and his friends could be kind. You felt guilt and love. Rafe was horrible to people you cared about, but you just couldn’t shake him. 

“Fine, but only this once, and my brother can not find out” 

“My mouth is shut”

You both walked to his car and he opened the door for you. You took a seat and fastened your seatbelt. The sun was almost set and you could see the stars starting to fill up the sky. Rafe started the car and backed out of the parking lot. You knew there was something different about him today. You just knew something was wrong or something had happened. 

“Hey Rafe”

“Yeah”

“Are you okay?” you asked your voice soft so you didn’t scare him off.

“Um, yeah why” he stuttered and it was an obvious lie. 

“You just are acting different today, you know you can talk to me it's not like I have anyone to tell”

“I don’t want to burden you with my problems”

“It wouldn’t be a burden Rafe, and maybe I can burden you with some of mine”

“If I share mine you owe me some of yours I want to know you”. He wanted to know you. You felt your heart race, and your whole body heated up. 

“Deal” 

“It’s just my dad, he doesn’t think I can take over the family business. He never believes in me. It's always Sarah. She's always been his favorite no matter how much I try to prove myself to him all he sees me as is a disappointment” he ranted, and you felt your heart drop. You knew Ward was a cruel man, but showing obvious favoritism towards a child is sad. You felt bad for Rafe Cameron, something you never thought you would think. 

“Rafe you’re not a disappointment, look parents suck, not all of them, but a lot of them. Parents should never put their child down like that I’m sorry that he's doing that to you” you assured him, and you grabbed his hand that was on his thigh and gave it a small squeeze. Rafe's heart was beating out of his chest. His hands were clammy, and he almost felt dizzy. He had never felt this way about a girl, and it terrified him. 

“Thanks” he whispered.

“Anytime” you both sat in silence the only noise coming from the soft radio.

“So what about you”

“Well my dad is probably dead, and my mom left us when I was 5, and I’m trying not to lose my brother to DCF so there's that” he didn’t say anything at first, but his heart broke for you. You had so much pressure on you, and you were only 18, and you didn’t have a parent to call you a disappointment. “Sorry that was a lot,” you said embarrassed putting your face into your hands.

“Hey look that's was a lot, and I know that there isn’t anything I can say or do to make those things better, but you can always talk to me Y/N just know that” he soothed glancing over at you for a second and putting his eyes back on the road. Your heart was swelling, and you were happy. You were so happy for the first time in months. 

“Thanks, Rafe that means a lot” and he looked at you and smiled, and with that he was near your house, and you directed him to your house.

“Thanks, Rafe for everything”

“Of course, and I hope to see you soon pogue princess”. You let out a small laugh and exited the car feeling a mix of guilt and pure happiness. Rafe found himself watching you as you walked away, and the second you walked inside he missed you, and you missed him too.

As summer went on things began to get chaotic. You were going on a crazy adventure to find 400 million in gold, but you were still working, and seeing Rafe at the country club, and Rafe had hired you to work midsummers. He even bought you a dress to wear, and this was the day things between you and Rafe turned from friends to more than friends. You were handing out drinks and Rafe had taken the last one. He had you put the tray down and invited you to see his room. You walked with him admiring the beautiful mansion. When you reached his room it was clean and huge. 

“I’m pretty sure your room is bigger than my whole house” you laughed. He walked to sit on his bed and you followed, taking a seat next to him. You were so close to him your legs were touching, and you could feel your body heating up. 

“You know I get paid to serve people here Rafe” you laughed.

“I know if you just take a break there's nothing wrong with taking a break you gotta ease up Y/n” he joked and you laughed. It was quiet for a minute until Rafe spoke up again. “You know you look absolutely beautiful tonight” at this point your heart was beating out of your chest, but you weren’t exactly sure what to say so you made a joke to cover up the blush arising on your face.

“I don’t look beautiful all the time” you questioned sarcastically.

“You look beautiful every day” he said in all seriousness, and you turned your head to see his blue orbs. You felt yourself leaning in and you saw his eyes flash from your eyes to your lips. You wanted him to kiss you, and god he has been wanting to kiss you since the first time he saw you at the country club, but he was terrified of rejection. His hands were sweaty and his heart was beating out of his chest. Your lips were inches apart, and Rafe's eyes fluttered shut and his lips met yours. You immediately leaned into the kiss butterflies fluttering in your stomach. You turned your body to get closer to him. His hands found your hips and your hands were on his cheeks. Your lips moved against each other slowly at first but both of you were desperate for each other's touch. You lifted your hips and you landed on his lap and wrapped his arms around your back pulling you as close to him as possible. The kiss became much more urgent and you pulled apart and you got on the bed and moved to get fully onto it. Your eyes reeled him in to follow you and he positioned himself on top of you and put his lips back on yours. Your hands wrapped around his neck playing with his hair pulling it a bit making him moan. His hands were feeling up and down your body and you felt euphoric. His lips left yours and went to your neck finding your sweet spot and you gasped. You pulled him from your neck and flipped him over so that you were on top and dived back down to kiss him again and his hands found your ass and you moaned into the kiss. One of his hands left your ass and he began to pull down the strap of your dress. Just as you started to unbutton his shirt you heard a voice from the hallway. It was Rafe's father calling him to come back to the party. Your face was bright red and you practically jumped off of Rafe, and Rafe told you to hide in the closet as he picked up his clothes. You felt amazing, and you thought this was the start of something beautiful, but you were so wrong. 

After your brother was pushed from the tower Ward became John B's legal guardian, so DCF wouldn’t take him away, but that wasn’t the worst of it. You had found the gold, but now you found out that Ward not only tried to kill your brother. He had killed your father. The father of the boy you loved had killed your father and you had no idea what you were supposed to do. He came to visit you at your house and you had to be the one to tell him what his father had done. You were crying when you heard a knock on the door to see Rafe.

“Rafe I can’t do this right now” you sobbed refusing to open the door. 

“Y/n what's going on your brother tried to kill my dad for no reason” and your heart sunk. He didn’t even know the truth. You opened the door, and his eyes softened. Your eyes were puffy, and tears were streaming down your face. He didn’t say anything. All he did was pull you into his embrace, and you cried into his chest. You wanted to push him away. After what his father did you wanted nothing to do with his family, but you couldn’t push Rafe away. Rafe held you in his arms rubbing your back while whispering that everything was going to be okay, but it wasn’t going to be okay. His dad murdered your dad for the gold, and you were so angry and you pushed him away and you could see the confusion in his face.

“No it’s not going to be okay” you wept.

“Y/n” he said as he tried to step closer, but you stepped back.

“Your father murdered my dad” you yelled, and Rafe's face changed to confusion and then anger.

“That's a lie,” he whispered.

“Its, not a lie Rafe, he murdered my father and he tried to murder my brother” you cried. 

“He wouldn’t do that Y/n”

“He did Rafe” you wept. 

“No, no your wrong, you’re lying this is all your brother”

“Rafe I need you to go” 

“No, not until you tell me why you would say that about my dad” snapped, making you flinch. You had never seen him this angry, and you finally realized why people were scared of him and you felt your heart begin to shatter. 

“Rafe get out” you sobbed and you pushed him out the door closing and locking it. You slid down the door, your chest heaving. Rafe stood outside the door trying to comprehend what had just happened. He refused to believe that his father would murder someone, but the sound of the girl he loved sobbing on the other side of the door broke his heart. As much as he loved her he thought he needed to be on his father's side, and with that, he left her all alone leaving both their hearts shattered in pieces.  

[misssophiachase]

For @klarolinefallbingo - “I am thankful for...”

Thankful (terms and conditions apply)

There’s no love lost between famous models Klaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes publicly but when they decide on a mutually beneficial arrangement and subsequently spend Thanksgiving together to sell their fake relationship will things between them move past all the pretence?

Mariott Hotel Downtown, Syracuse, NY - Thursday AM

“Reports have surfaced over night that models Caroline Forbes and Klaus Mikaelson were spotted together in Upstate New York.” 

The sound was blaring from the television. Half asleep still, Klaus groaned placing the nearest pillow over his head hoping he could try and block it out. 

“We know Caroline grew up in Syracuse but, given it’s Thanksgiving, all signs point to a new, celebrity couple alert.”

“He wishes,” she muttered, shaking the bed for extra effect. Klaus was suddenly aware of her close presence, wondering how she came to be there.  

“How are you suddenly in my bed? You know if you wanted me that badly all you needed to do was ask, love.”

“Calm down, Romeo,” she drawled. “You got the room with the TV and I was bored.”

“Is this the part where I admit I don’t watch much television? Especially the ridiculous, gossipy kind.” Klaus admitted, discarding the useless pillow and finally opening his eyes. The invading sunlight was streaming in through the blinds but it didn’t stop his gaze from lingering on his bed mate.  

Caroline Forbes was gorgeous in front of a camera, that much he knew, but fresh-faced, first thing in the morning dressed in tartan flannel she was absolutely stunning.  

“How do you think I feel? My family is going to see this,” she hissed, throwing the pillow back so it hit him squarely on the jaw.  

“Ouch, Forbes.”

“That did not hurt you big baby.” She poked her tongue out at him for extra effect. It was clearly juvenile but Klaus would be lying if he thought it wasn’t kind of adorable. 

“I thought this was the whole point of playing pretend? You want people to think we’re together because you can’t keep your hands off me.” 

That wasn’t the case obviously, they’d both decided it was the best way to keep the press off their backs and constantly speculating about their love lives. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time but now it was probably too late to change course.  

“If only that pillow could stifle that ego,” she growled, rolling her eyes. 

“Is there a reason for this unwanted wake-up call, love?”

“I told you we need to prep before lunch with my family and don’t call me that,” she muttered, pulling on the quilt so he was completely uncovered. Klaus couldn’t miss how her blue eyes lingered on his bare chest.

“I get it,” he smirked knowingly. “You’re upset I’m wearing boxers because you really wanted to see me naked.”

“Tell yourself that if it makes you feel like a man,” she drawled. “And stop changing the subject.”

“Look, I’m all for being prepared.” She gave him a look which plainly said she didn’t believe him. “But I know everything about you so it’s not necessary.”

“Oh really?” She asked, arching her left eyebrow curiously.

“Dad is Jeff, mum is Kate, dog is Lassie...”

“Yeah just like the dog in the movies,” she scoffed. “Clearly you haven’t been listening at all. I really should have known, Mikaelson.” Now, she was on her feet pacing up and down like a caged animal. 

“And here I was conscientiously memorising your brother Elijah’s penchant for suits, Rebekah’s love for fruit salad as long as the melons don’t touch and Kol’s need to carry a baseball bat around with him for no apparent reason.”

He felt an unfamiliar shortness of breath, almost like her words had affected him more than expected.  She remembered all those unusual things about his siblings? Klaus was up in an instant, his hands finding hers and stopping her pacing. He felt immediately warm from her touch but decided to blame it on the heating system and nothing else. 

“I was joking but clearly need to read the room better,” he offered sincerely. “Trust me, love, I remember everything you’ve told me. Your dad Bill loves to tell everyone childhood stories about you no matter how embarrassing and he likes to spoil the ending of every movie you watch but for some reason that only endears him to you. Your mum, Liz, is your role model not to mention the sheriff and if I forgot that it would be a mistake given she carries a weapon. Your dog Lucy is a golden retriever who likes to chase her tail but I’m sure she could rival Lassie in the rescuing stakes. Oh, and there’s a cousin who I need to stay away from because she gets a little touchy feely after a few glasses of wine.”

What he wasn’t expecting was for her to hit him in the chest quite so forcefully. “You ass.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he teased. 

“Her name is Hayley and I expect you to keep at least a few seats between you.”

“Sounds like someone is jealous.” The slight pink tinge on her cheeks was telling Klaus she was. And for some reason it made him the happiest guy in the world. 

“Just checking you’re familiar with all the traditions.”

“Like eating a lot?”

“Well, of course, and we say what we’re thankful for before we eat.” Klaus had heard about that tradition but figured given he was a bit of a foreigner when it came to the festivities he didn’t have to partake. 

Although he was doing well career wise, Klaus had never really experienced much family bonding from a young age. His mother had died and his estranged father was a tyrant. He loved his siblings for all their quirks but they weren’t exactly close either. 

“Maybe I can take a pass on that?”

5 hours later...    

“Klaus, since you’re our guest, how about you tell us what you’re thankful for first?” Liz had that sweet smile but underneath her interrogation skills clearly knew no bounds. 

Klaus had done the perfect boyfriend routine up to this point, even eating those weird, candied yams, but the increasing tightness in his chest and dry mouth was a sign his act was close to derailing. 

All because of one tradition. 

Caroline placed her hand in his under the table, something unexpected but at the same time comforting in the best possible way. 

“Mom, leave Klaus alone, I’ll go,” she insisted, squeezing his hand affectionately. “I’m thankful for...”

“No, let me,” Klaus interrupted, squeezing her hand back. Nothing felt as right as it did now. “I’m thankful for your amazing daughter. For a kid who didn’t know much about affection growing up I’m so thankful to have someone who is so kind and caring and loves me for me.”

Caroline was quiet, almost like she was trying to collect her thoughts. Had he gone too far? They were supposed to be pretending after all. 

“Now he’s a keeper and if you don’t want him...” drunk cousin Hayley offered breaking the silence. Caroline clearly wanted to kill her given the look crossing her features. 

“Thank you, Hayley,” she replied through gritted teeth. “But I, uh, do want him and, have another wine.”

Lucy barked at that moment, she was sitting underneath the table clearly waiting for scraps but Klaus figured she was most probably an ally. 

“So, do i go next?” Hayley asked, clearly perplexed.

“No, it’s my turn,” she said hurriedly. “I’m thankful for you, Klaus. You challenge me, inspire me and remind me that every day is another adventure. I’m thankful that you love me and am so excited for our future.”

The table seemed to go quiet, even Hayley. Klaus felt like he’d probably overstepped the mark but hearing Caroline he realised maybe they were on the same page.

Given it was Thanksgiving, Klaus didn’t think it was a bad time to share their unrequited feelings. So much so that he proposed on the same day a year later and at the same table and she agreed to make him the happiest guy in the world. 

The fact the tabloids cared didn’t even factor into their decision.

[imagitory]

Favorite twst boys?

Oooohoohoo, you wish me to talk about my Night Raven College baes? Let’s see then...

Ace Trappola ~ Okay, so I should admit right off the bat that I have a huge soft spot for the Heartslabyul dorm in particular. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll are one of my favorite things ever, and so most adaptations of those works tend to give me some amount of glee, even the really flawed ones. But for Ace specifically, it took me a little while to warm up to him, given that he can be a real prat, but once he and Deuce really rallied around Yuu (especially when they dropped everything on their winter break and took the bus all the way back to school during the Scarabia incident to try to rescue them and Grim -- MY HEART!!!), I fully adopted Ace as my second trash son and that was that. I also loved Ace’s development in the Ghost Bride story line, as well as his admittedly harsh, but still rather fair tear-down of Riddle immediately pre-Overblot. Ace can be really harsh sometimes, but that also makes him an incredibly honest sort who won’t take anyone else’s bull and won’t let anyone push him around -- yet at the same time, he’s also lighthearted enough that he never takes himself too seriously. In some ways he kind of reminds me of Jounouchi Katsuya from Yu-Gi-Oh!, and that’s definitely a compliment.

Deuce Spade ~ MY ORIGINAL TRASH SON. I loved Deuce pretty much from the get-go, considering how passionate he was about trying to fix the mistake with the chandelier and how adorable he was casting the only magic he could manage (“COME FORTH, CAULDRON!” XDD). Then there was the whole “chick” incident where we not only saw his delinquent side which he tries so desperately to hide on full display for the first time, but we also got to see how much he truly loves his mom and how friggin’ stupid and yet absolutely sincere he is, and I just fell in love with Deuce even more. The Wish Upon a Star event where we learn Deuce wants to basically be this world’s equivalent of a sheriff after having been such a delinquent in his younger years only made me feel all the more for this guy -- him wanting to be so much better than he was even if he’s not the smartest, strongest, or most talented guy around I find so compelling and likable.

Riddle Rosehearts ~ Yeah, I know, a lot of Heartslabyul love, but like with Ace, it took me a LONG while to warm up to Riddle. I thought he was a total jerk and I wanted nothing more than to give him a good telling-off (“go ahead, use that stupid collar on me -- I don’t have magic for you to block, you bullying prat!”) until Ace got around to punching Riddle in the face and then tearing him a verbal new one for me. It honestly took Riddle’s Overblotting for me to feel the least bit sorry for him, but it was how sincerely he acted after the fact in trying to make up for his mistakes that really softened my heart to him. Riddle has lived his whole life following rules and convention to the letter, and it’s made him miserable, so now that he’s come to grips with the fact that he doesn’t need to be miserable in order to live an upstanding life, he’s softened a bit. Even with this, though, that rule-abiding, upstanding attitude isn’t always hard to shake, and I think it makes for a much more balanced outcome than if Riddle just went hog-wild and stopped caring about everything -- because the whole reason Riddle followed the rules so closely is he wanted to do what was best for all and to be the best he could be, too. His motivation for being so strict came from a deep passion for leadership and order, and I’m glad that passion of Riddle’s wasn’t dampened, but instead given nuance. Now he can focus his passion more effectively, rather than lashing out in all directions indiscriminately. Like Ace as well, I loved Riddle’s development in the Ghost Marriage plot line, particularly his individual side story with Malleus. It really showcased Riddle’s noblesse oblige moral code, which I personally find the most compelling and likable aspect of his personality.

Jack Howl ~ JACK IS A GOOD BOY. Anyone who disagrees can fight me. (LOL, not really, but...) Like with Deuce, I liked Jack pretty much immediately. From the start, he just came across as so much more down-to-earth and honest than either of the other two main characters from Savanaclaw (even if Jack is also a total tsundere, but honestly, if you’ve watched any kind of anime, you’re fluent enough in “tsundere” as a language to know exactly what Jack really thinks of something). He was sort of depicted as a black sheep in his own dorm, and -- honestly? -- I’m a sucker for characters that are sort of on the fringes and don’t quite conform to what people expect them to be. Add to that how passionate Jack is about working hard and being the best he can be in his own right, as well as how deathly loyal he is, and he’s just overall a character I would love being friends with.

Jamil Viper ~ Jamil was the first character who Overblots who I actually felt sympathy for long before we see his side of the story in flashback form. Part of this admittedly is because I could sort of see where Jamil and Kalim’s story was going ahead of time, but the other reason is that I could see how much work Jamil put in all the time. Even though yeah, it was a real dick move to try to foist out Kalim so he could become Head of Scarabia instead, and yes, he manipulated things to make everyone see Kalim as cruel and irrational, it doesn’t change the fact that Jamil still acted like a Dorm Head a lot more than Kalim did a lot of the time, in the sense of making sure things run smoothly. Kalim definitely brings amazing enthusiasm to Scarabia as its leader and inspires a lot of positive feelings in the people around him, but if there’s a problem, it’s Jamil who often ends up fixing it, not Kalim. And from the start, I really felt for this guy who Kalim -- simply due to privilege -- didn’t seem to acknowledge he was demanding so much of, without receiving the same kind of attention and appreciation in return. I never disliked Kalim for this, because I could tell Kalim didn’t mean it maliciously and admittedly Jamil really should’ve said something since Kalim adores Jamil and would have likely been more than receptive to hearing what he had to say...but at the same time, given their power imbalance, it’s also not completely unsurprising that Jamil didn’t feel like he could say something. The best part about Jamil for me, at least, ended up coming out after he was allowed to finally speak his mind. Yeah, maybe he’s a little meaner now. Yeah, maybe he’s not so patient or amiable now. But he’s also allowed to show more of that deep, searing passion and ambition he’s been bottling up for so long. I loved seeing how much he enjoys dancing and performing through the Fairy Gala event and the recent Pomefiore chapter. I’ve loved how thoroughly (and pretty justifiably) distrustful he is of Azul. I’ve loved how he’s sort of on the fence emotionally about looking after Kalim the way he used to and making sure Kalim doesn’t expect his service the way he subconsciously did before. Jamil is one of the TWST characters who surprised me the most in how much I enjoy him, and I honestly can’t wait to see how much more he grows.

Epel Felmier ~ I WILL PROTECT THIS BOY, OKAY. Not because he’s delicate-looking, but because damn it, if he wants to eat macaroons and steak with the wrong fork, then he should be allowed to just go out and do it. I absolutely love the contrasts we’ve already seen in Epel so far. For as sweet and bishounen as his face is, he has a real rough, informal side fitting his background as a kid from the country, and yet he also has his “Prince Charming” moments too. He completely on his own comes up with the idea to arrive riding a horse when trying to impress the Bride during the Ghost Marriage event, and yet he’ll also tear into a bunch of ghosts who dare mistake him for a girl. Epel reminds me of a friend of mine from high school who also was a lot gruffer and more cynical than his short height and cute face would suggest, and it makes for a very interesting character, I think. You can’t pin this kid down or put him in a single box, and I think that’s awesome.

Vil Schoenheit ~ All right. Before the Pomefiore chapter, I thought there was no way in Hell that I would ever warm up to Vil. His slapping of people’s butts in the Fairy Gala event, his superficial focus on exterior beauty, and his bullying, condescending attitude toward Epel in particular really made me dislike him from the get-go. But then the Pomefiore chapter started and we reached the auditions...and I found myself agreeing with just about every critique he made, in contrast to Rook’s sunnier, fawning reviews. It made me feel like I was watching American Idol or America’s Got Talent and agreeing with Simon Cowell (which I honestly almost always did, whenever I watched those!). And as the Pomefiore chapter’s unfolded, I’ve seen that fascinating contrast in Vil. Yes, he’s very superficial -- but his dream is to act and be an idol, and in that world of celebrity, appearances are important. Yes, he’s very conceited -- but he’s also an incredibly hard worker who’s put in a lot of effort to improve himself and his talents to the point that he should be proud of them. Yes, he’s almost cruel in how relentlessly he pushes people -- but he never holds anyone to a standard he wouldn’t also expect of himself. Yes, he’s very forceful and sees his way as the only way -- but he does truly want those people to succeed in his own weird way, even if he can’t properly express it. Not to mention the fact that he’s constantly typecast as villainous characters, and he just wants to be a hero who makes it to the final curtain call!! My heart!! It’s made it so that like with Jamil, I’ve found sympathy for Vil long before he Overblots, and so I’m all the more eager to see how both the Overblot itself and its aftermath impacts Vil as a character and his relationships with the other characters.

Malleus Draconia ~ Oh, come on, who doesn’t love Tsunotaro? This precious child needs all of the love and party invitations in the world! (And yes, he may be an immortal fae, but he’s still a precious child to me, so there.) I would totally love chatting about gargoyles and grotesques with him. X3

[hopewritcs]

come in with the rain.

pairing: jonathan byers x reader

word count: 3.1k

request from @heartchanhee: “Hii, could you do 12 (from the fluff prompt list) and 4 (from the angst prompt list) with Jonathan Byers? (Happy ending)” ( ““how did you get in here?” / “it doesn’t matter anymore.” )

summary: y/n and jonathan used to be best friends in middle school.  they were both “art kids” that no one else wanted to spend time with.  they were best friends until the disappearance of jonathan’s brother will.  now, will’s home safe and sound, and the only time y/n sees jonathan is in the halls with nancy wheeler.

notes: hey hi hello ! i hope you like this fic. it’s kind of ambiguously set sometime around the end of season two / before the beginning of season three ? for the first like ... half or so ? of the fic is very lacking in dialogue, and is more action heavy to get the plot of the fic going.  

stranger things tag list: @thekidsofneibolt, @madhatterweasley, @shaykeijser, @rainy-bookish-days (if you wanna be added to any tag list, let me know!!)

She was angry and hurt.  Every time she’s seen Jonathan now he’s been whispering with Nancy, it’s like she doesn’t even exist anymore to him.  Jonathan used to be her best friend.  He was the person she counted on for everything, because school ( and Hawkins in general ) was a rough place.  They got through it together.  But somehow, over the past year and a half or so, Nancy Wheeler had gotten involved in Jonathan’s life, which left Y/N on the sidelines on her own.  

At first, Y/N didn’t mind.  It was around the time Will had gone missing and Jonathan was preoccupied dealing with his mother, the reappearance of his father ( albeit briefly ), and trying to figure out what happened to his younger brother.  Y/N had offered to help, and Jonathan had taken her up on it.  She’d been putting up flyers around the hallway for days after Will disappeared, but then something happened and Jonathan stopped returning her calls.  

She heard second hand from Rebecca Erikson that Jonathan and Nancy had been spotted driving off from the sheriff’s department together.  

And that didn’t sting.  Jonathan was allowed to have friends that weren’t her.  She knew that.  Maybe her problem was that Jonathan seemed to easily slip into life with Nancy Wheeler at his side while Y/N was struggling to keep up.  They didn’t not include her originally.  After a weird period, when Will was found, Nancy had fit nicely into their little duo.  

Then Tina’s Halloween party happened and Y/N watched as Jonathan helped Nancy home, an aching feeling in her chest as she watched him usher her out the front door and towards his mother’s car.  Not only had she been left without a ride, but she felt left in general too.  

The tugging at her heart only got worse when it was days later at school with both Jonathan and Nancy missing.  Someone had started a rumor that they’d left town to be together, which was only fueled by the fact that Steve Harrington--the dethroned King of Hawkins High--looked like utter shit the first couple of days.  His hair was missing its usual poof, his eyes looked puffy when he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses ( which was only during class, because Mr. Wilson had yelled at him to take them off ), and he was avoiding all of his old friends.  

During that time, Y/N had approached Steve when he was sitting alone on the bleachers outside, in the beginnings of winter.  She didn’t say anything at first, but offered him some of the snacks her mother had packed in her lunch and they sat in silence.  Both mourning the loss of their relationships.  His with Nancy and hers with Jonathan.  

Maybe it was a couple of weeks later, when Jonathan and Nancy were back in school and both were seemingly talking to Steve too, when Y/N felt alone.  She still went back to the bleachers and curled up with her sweater under her legs, snacking.  Steve found Y/N outside eating lunch alone and joined her silently, like she had that first day.  Maybe that was when she realized that she wasn’t hurt because her friend had left her.  

She was hurt because the guy she liked had left her for another girl.  

A more popular girl.  

Some might say a prettier girl.  

The emotion, the realization of it all, hit Y/N hard, because she didn’t really think about it like that.  Not until it was staring her in the face as she was wondering about what happened.  Why had Jonathan stayed by Nancy’s side and not even looked her way?  Why were they constantly together, whispering in the hallway?  All the scenarios fluttered through her mind and Y/N realized that she liked Jonathan.  Really, really, liked Jonathan Byers.  

It felt cliché, sitting on the bleachers in the warmer ( but not yet warm ) Spring weather, getting hit in the heart about her feelings for her best friend in the world.  Felt like she was in a movie, but no.  This was Y/N’s real life.  

Steve still joined her for lunch every day.  Neither of them said much, but they often shared whatever they were eating as they worked on school work or anything to clear their minds.  They didn’t ask what was on their minds, ever.  It was an unspoken agreement that their conversations ( when they spoke ) stuck to what their preferred snacks were, what the latest gossip was, or if they could get a second opinion or help on some assignment.  Y/N was grateful for that friendship with Steve, it was a superficial friendship at most, but it was still someone in her corner.  Someone who was there for her.  

As the school year was winding down to a close, Y/N and Steve spoke more frequently at lunch.  Both were set with summer jobs at the opening soon Starcourt Mall--Steve at the ice cream parlor Scoops Ahoy! and Y/N at the Claire’s as a salesgirl.  It was in one of their conversations about summer plans that Steve mentioned Nancy and Jonathan had gotten internships at the newspaper, the Hawkins Post.  

Her heart sunk.  She hadn’t really thought about Jonathan much with finals coming up, but even the slightest mention of him sent a whole shiver down her body--an ache she could only say was heartbreak.  

After school, instead of meeting for a study group at the library like she had planned, Y/N left and went on a walk.  She didn’t much know where she was going, or where she would wind up--but she knew she needed to clear her head and get rid of all these thoughts of Jonathan.  

Y/N hadn’t really thought about her direction, but once the rain had started she knew she needed to get to some shelter.  Rainy season wasn’t always forgiving, so she worried if a true storm was coming.  The problem was, she wasn’t anywhere near her own home.  At some point, Y/N had wandered into the wooded area of Hawkins, heading in no particular direction.  On the bright side, she caught glimpse of something familiar and headed in that direction.  

Suddenly, she didn’t care if she saw Jonathan Byers or if they were even still friends, she just wanted to get out of the rain.  Her hair was sticking to her cheeks and her clothes were soaked through, awkwardly draped against her body as she maneuvered through the woods to the backside of the Byers house.  Thankfully, she knew exactly which window was Jonathans.  And she also knew that it was rickety and old, and with enough leverage it would easily give and allow her the shelter she needed.  

So, she shimmied the window open and pulled herself inside where she rather ungracefully dropped to the floor.  The loud echo of water and a thud in her wake.  

“What was that?” she heard a concerned voice from another room.  

“Sounds like it came from Jonathan’s room.” 

“Jonathan, go check your room.  Make sure it’s not one of those things coming back.”  

“All those things are gone.  Don’t be weird about it.” 

“Shut up Dustin, I’m just saying.” 

“Can we just focus on this game?” 

The sounding voices got quieter as the door opened to Jonathan’s room.  All the kids, who had gathered there for a DnD night turned slumber party when the rain had started to get worse, quieted down and attempted to peer over the hallway to see what had fallen inside Jonathan’s room.  

Jonathan, as certain as he was that it wasn’t a demodog in his bedroom, wasn’t certain that it wasn’t an intruder who could hurt them.  So, when he opened his door, he reached in first to flick on the light switch before looking into the room.  “Y/N?  How did you get in here?” 

Y/N sat up slowly, pushing the rain-soaked strands of hair out of her face and gave Jonathan a smile.  “I was just walking around when the rain started, and your house was the closest.”  

“What do you mean it was the closest?  We’re miles from your house.”  Jonathan said, his eyes wide as he studied her for a moment before jumping into action and rummaging through his dresser drawers for something she could change into.  Shaking his head he replied, “Doesn’t matter.  Here, change first, you’re shaking.”  

Was she shaking?  She looked down at her hands and noticed that, yes, she was indeed shaking.  Y/N stood up and took the sweats he was offering her with a small smile before moving past him and heading toward the familiar bathroom across the hallway.  As she was changing she could hear whoever was in the living room continue their conversation.  

“Was that Y/N?  I haven’t seen her in forever.  Hey Y/N!” 

“Will, she’s in the bathroom, she’s not going to respond to you.” 

“Who is she?” 

“She’s Jonathan’s oldest friend. Mom always said they were gonna--” 

“Does she...know?” 

“No!  She hasn’t been over in months.” 

Y/N was wringing out the scrunchie she’d kept on her wrist earlier that day in the sink when there was a knock on the door, followed by Jonathan’s voice, “You can just leave your clothes in the bathroom, hang them up on the tub to dry for now.”  

“Thanks.”  She replied, pulling her wet hair out of her face and into a loose bun.  The sweatshirt and pants he’d given her were already doing their job to warm her up, and she swiftly hung up her soaked clothes before leaving the bathroom again.  

Y/N walked right into the living room to see a group of Will’s friends sitting on the couch and floor around a game set up.  She sat on the arm of the couch and nudged Will’s arm with a smile, “Hey kid, been a while.”

“Hey Y/N!”  his face brightened up as he turned to her.  “Why are you here?”  

“I went for a walk after school and got lost.  Wound up stuck in the rain and the closest place was your house.  Do you think your mom will mind if I crash here?”  Y/N knew she probably should have directed that question to Jonathan, but the stinging in her heart wouldn’t allow her to focus on him.  Plus, she’d always seen Will as a younger brother and she hated that her lack of friendship with Jonathan had meant a lack of seeing the kid she grew up with as a surrogate sibling.  

“Probably not, she should be home soon.  Got stuck at work when the power went out with the storm.  Everyone else is staying the night.”  Will shrugged, looking back at his friends.  “Everyone this is Y/N, Y/N these are my friends.”  

“Nice to meet you guys.”  she turned her attention to the group with a small wave of introduction.  

“Y/N, can I talk to you?”  Jonathan had been watching the scene between his brother and Y/N and he was hurting.  He’d pushed her away because he didn’t want to involve her in the supernatural, other dimensional bullshit they’d been dealing with.  But that had meant pushing away someone that had become a fixture in his family’s life, someone who he loved--who they all loved.  And now he didn’t know what it was supposed to be like, how could he invite her back into his life when he felt like he’d done something wrong?  But he did want her back in his life.  

She nodded, stood up, and ruffled Will’s hair as she walked back towards where Jonathan stood over in the kitchen.  “What’s up?” Y/N asked, awkwardly tugging at the sleeves of the sweatshirt she wore, looking at Jonathan and wondering what he could want to say to her.  

“Why are you here?  Is everything alright?”  His eyes shone with worry as he looked at her.

Y/N looked up surprised, “What?  No, everything’s fine!  Like I said, I got lost on a walk.”  She walked too far, too lost in her own thoughts.  But that wasn’t something to say.  It would only make him more worried.  “Why?  Is it...not okay that I’m here?”  What Y/N was thinking about in that moment was Nancy.  She’d heard rumors that they were more than friends, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask that question.  It would hurt too much if the truth was what she expected it to be.  

Jonathan’s eyes widened and he shook his head, putting a hand on her arm.  “N-No, of course not.  You’re always welcome here.  Y-You’re my best friend.”  

She rolled her eyes at the you’re my best friend bit.  How could that be true, they haven’t spoken in months.  “Best friend?  Are you serious?”  Hurt peppered her voice.  

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” 

“It doesn’t matter anymore?” 

Y/N sighed, biting down on her lower lip as she turned her head back toward the living room.  Noticing that the entire action of the kids had stopped, all eyes on the pair of older teens fighting in the doorway to the kitchen, she sighed again.  Y/N took a hold of Jonathan’s arm and dragged him back toward his room, closing the door behind them.  

“It just.  It doesn’t matter anymore.  You’re not my best friend, Jonathan.  If you were you wouldn’t have dumped me just because you got a girlfriend or whatever it is that Nancy is to you.”  Y/N was doing her best to keep her voice down.  She was certain that one of the kids out there was Nancy’s kid brother, who she knew to be one of Will’s friends.  So she didn’t want them to overhear the argument they were having.  

“Nancy’s not my--she’s not my girlfriend.”  Jonathan explained, scoffing and shaking his head.  Then, after a moment he added, “And I didn’t dump you.”  Even if it didn’t sound like he was exactly too sure of that himself.  

“Yes you did! Of course you did.  You pushed me away.  You haven’t said anything to me in months Jonathan.  How else am I supposed to take that?”  Y/N crossed her arms, taking a step back and moving toward the window.  A quick escape, if things needed to happen that way.  

“I was protecting you!”  Jonathan shouted loudly, surprising Y/N.  She rarely saw Jonathan angered to this point.  

“Protecting me?  Protecting me?  From what? That’s a bullshit excuse and you know it Byers.  What could you possible be protecting me from?” 

“From everything.  Oh, you have no fucking idea what we’ve been dealing with, Y/N.”  

“Then tell me!  I don’t understand what you aren’t telling me!  I mean,  I love you Jonathan, so why are you pushing me away?!”  

The room got quiet after she said that.  The only sounds in the whole house was the echoing of the storm outside, rain pattering hard against the roof and windows.  Even the kids in the other room were silent, but quickly picked up stuff and started talking to fill the tension even they were feeling from out there.  

It felt like the hours were ticking by, even if it were only minutes.  Y/N cleared her throat, stepping forward and looking at Jonathan.  “Could you say something, please?”  Her voice was softer, looking at him worried about his reaction.  

He was breathing deeply, reeling in his emotions.  Jonathan hated shouting at people, it reminded him too much of his father.  He was a quiet guy, a soft spoken guy.  But he loved her.  He’d done so much to keep her from all of this.  To protect her.  He hadn’t realized that what he’d done to keep her safe had hurt her.  Had hurt them.  

“I’m sorry.”  Jonathan said, sinking onto his bed and resting his head in his hands as he took in another deep breath.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was only protecting you, I couldn’t see you die or something.”  

“Die?”  Y/N repeated, questioningly as she took a couple of steps forward to sit on the corner of the bed by Jonathan.  Tentatively, she reached out and put one of her hands on his shoulder and the other reached out for his hand.  “Jonathan, what are you talking about?  What do you mean die?  I’m fine.  Nothing’s going to happen to me.”  

“But it could have.  That thing could have killed all of us, and when it came back again.  When those monsters came back all I could see was you dying and I needed to protect you.”  Jonathan spoke so rushed, turning to face Y/N.  Tears were clinging to the corner of his eyes as he shifted in his seat, taking her hands in his and holding on.  “I’m so sorry, Y/N.  I love you too.  I love you, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay and away from all of this.”  

Between the thing could have killed us all, the monsters, and the I love you, Y/N wasn’t sure what to focus on more.  Instead, she stared down at their interlocked hands and focused on that.  She grounded herself in the moment.  

“Could you maybe say something back?”  Jonathan said quietly, breaking through her focus and pulling her attention back on him.  Him repeating her words back made her chuckle softly, shaking her head.  

“I’m not sure if I should focus on the fact that you love me too, or the whole monsters thing?”  She still wasn’t sure what he meant.  Monsters weren’t real, right?  So, what could Jonathan have meant by monsters.  

“We can focus on the monsters later.”  Jonathan explained, letting out a huff of air as he shook his head.  Of course, he was going to have to tell her everything.  Y/N deserved to know, that’s what he’d been wrestling with since everything happened.  Since he realized that he loved her and wanted to be in her life more than he wanted to keep her at a distance to protect her.  

“I love you.”  Y/N said softly, a smile spreading on her face.  “I’ve hated not having you in my life.  I thought I lost you, Jonathan.”  

“I don’t know what to say.  I can explain everything.”  Jonathan said, standing up from the bed and tugging at her to pull her toward the door.  “I’m gonna tell you about everything.”  

“Can we just...maybe focus on the monsters tomorrow?”  

Jonathan turned around and looked at Y/N, confusion spread on his face.  

“I just, don’t want to ruin the moment.  Can we just stay here?  Just let it be us?”  Y/N asked softly, tugging Jonathan back toward her and away from the door.  “For now.”  she added.  

“For now, sure.”  Jonathan nodded his head, following her back to his bed.  

They laid down, curled up together and quietly talking into the night.  The sounds of the kids playing in the other room, and the rain, the soundtrack to the evening.  

[themoonandotherslikeit]

The Daughter of a Righteous Man- Chapter 17

*SEQUEL TO THE LOOK IN HER EYES*

After her husband is drug to Hell, Ava Winchester and her brother in law Sam try their best to do right by Dean and raise her daughter, only to find that good intentions aren’t always enough. Loving someone isnt always enough.

Chapter Seventeen, Anna

Ava

"I've got the bag!" Lacey called from the nursery.

"Great, I've pumped and prepped the bottles."

"Perfect. I'll drop her off," Lacey said, taking Nel from my arms. She leaned in and kissed my cheek before freezing. "Okay we are getting way too comfortable with this."

I hadn't seen Dean for a week and a half, I'd been avoiding Sam like the plague, and Lacey had stayed over every night to help me with Nel. My wounds were mostly healed, my bruises were yellow and my fractured rib was mostly a constantly dull ache instead of an intense stabbing pain. Progress right? 

John or Bobby would occasionally pick her up and take her to Dean. I didn't know where he was staying, and I wasn't sure I had the right to ask.

"Yeah, I guess we are."

Lacey put her hand on my shoulder. "Listen, Ave. I'm your friend so I'm gonna bring out the hard truth, the big guns, you've gotta talk to him. You've gotta stop hiding out."

I groaned. "You're the one who said to give him space!"

"Yeah, I did, and you have. From what you've said since he left... well you know what you want. Now it's time to go see what he wants. If the apocalypse is really coming then we all may not have as much time as we think we do, so why waste it? Ya know?"

"What if he doesn't want me?"

"Ava, I know we don't know each other that well, but you don't seem like the kind that gets insecure."

I shrugged. "I guess the whole husband and boyfriend thing has me in a weird place."

"What about Sam? You haven't mentioned him since the incident."

"I don't know what to say." I shrugged. "I've never known what to say."

"Well you better figure it out." Lacey smiled wishfully. "Before it's too late."

Dean

I woke up to the light coming into my motel room. I groaned and rubbed my eyes, my hangover aching behind my forehead. I knew that I should be being productive, or doing anything, but when Eleanor wasn't with me I didn't see the point in any of it. My time in Hell was haunting me when I wasn't sleeping next to Ava, and I couldn't figure out how to look at her or Sam right now, so I didn't bother calling. I needed to work out my shit.

My phone rang, and the second I thought my head couldn't hurt more I was proven wrong.

I groaned, grabbing for it without checking the caller ID. Amateur move. "What do you want?"

"Dean, you finally picked up. I didn't think you would."

Sammy. I groaned again. He had called on the hour every day, and I'd be avoiding his calls. I didn't feel like talking.

"Don't hang up,” he said desperately. "There's been development... listen. I know you don't want to see me, but I found a possible apocalypse lead."

I squinted my eyes. Classic Sam, trying to weasel his way back into my life with a case. I snorted. "Give me the details and I'll check it out."

"No way. We are going together."

"Sam, come on, don't make me kick your ass again." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Do what you have to do. I'm coming by your motel."

I sat up slowly. "My motel?"

"Used find my phone."

I couldn't help but smile, the kid learned after all. "Fine, but I'm not making any promises."

"Deal."  

Click. 

I got up, and got dressed. I made myself some coffee and opted for some pain medicine. While my coffee brewed, I shoved my head under the sink and drank water right from the faucet. If felt nice rolling down my throat.

By the time Sam arrived my headache was almost gone, and I was in a less murderous mood.

"Hey,” Sam said, a little out of breath as I opened the motel door.

I grunted in response, not feeling particularly civil.

His jaw looked healed from when I hit him. That was good. I didn't feel like having to deal with the guilt that came from hurting my little brother, no matter how much he deserved it. I sat down at the small table and sipped my now-cold coffee. "So what is this intel?"

"I uh... I heard about this girl, Anna. Apparently the demons really want her. She just broke out of a locked mental ward at a hospital."

"How do you know the demons want her?" I eyed him.

"You're going to be mad."

"I'm already mad, Sam."

He winced and cleared his throat. "Ruby told me."

"Oh great. So I'm gone for a few months, you get with my girl, and are buddy buddy with demons. Excellent." I pushed my coffee away. It suddenly tasted sour.

"She sought me out. She thought we should know."

"Sure she did. And you just trust her?"

"I don't know, man. We have checked things out for less."

He had a point, but I was still pissed. I was pissed about everything, if I was being honest. "Fine, but this is strictly business," I said standing. "No brother bonding, because I don't trust you right now."

Sams jaw was tight as he nodded, probably willing to take whatever he could get.

We packed up the car, and I checked out of the motel room. She was only a five hour drive away and it was still early, so we would make it to the hospital with plenty of time.

I cranked up the music as I pulled Baby out of the parking lot. I hoped this would keep Sam from using the close quarters and miles of road in front of us to his advantage.

After an hour of awkward silence Sam finally had enough. He reached forward and turned down the volume. Right as I expected him to confront me he took out his phone and dialed. "Yup this is Detective Hanscum. Sure, badge number eight six bravo lima two seven zero. Uh huh. Looking for an Anna Milton. Can I get the missing persons report? Yup. Thanks." He turned off the phone. "So she's real." He glanced at me.

"We still don't know that she's important."

"We don't know she's not."

I gripped the steering wheel and clicked on the windshield wipers. It was starting to rain.

"Do you... can we talk?"

"Nope. Business only. I'm not ready to hear the excuses."

Sam turned his whole body to look at me. "Then what? I'm not with her. You gonna hate me forever?" He sounded like a little kid. Like when I found him wearing my favorite leather coat eating a popsicle.

"I don't hate you, Sammy, but I'm not exactly thrilled with you right now."

I sounded like a dad. Not my dad, but someone's. Someone who has a more well adjusted family.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"Have you talked to her?"

I gripped the steering wheel harder. "Man you just don't listen, do you? We aren't doing this right now. Apocalypse first. Chick drama second" I said, trying to come off disinterested as if anything with Ava could just be chick drama.

"Yeah." He sucked in his breath. "You're probably right."

"See if you got the missing persons report," I said with a sigh. "Let's get all the information we can so we aren't walking in blind."

"You got it."

——————————-  

"So the orderly doesn't remember the attack?" Sam asked, holding his pen to pad.

We were in Anna's room. It was stale, and looked like any other mental ward. There was a bed, and a desk. Windows with bars. I always felt itchy in places like this. If I ever told anyone the truth about my life I knew I'd be committed myself, and it never sounded like something I'd be into.

"Apparently she knocked him unconscious. The blow caused some amnesia. He doesn't even remember coming into the room,” the psychologist said as she clicked her own pen.

"Hell of a hit against someone who has eighty pounds on her." I eyed the doctor.

"We think she was planning it. Maybe hid behind the door."

"Anna's illness was recent, right?" Sam asked.

"Yes. A few months ago she was happy, well adjusted, journalism major, bright future."

"And what happened?" I took a step closer. "She just flipped?"

"That's the tragedy of schizophrenia. Within weeks she was overcome with delusions."

"What kind of delusions?" Sam asked, his eyebrows coming together.

"She saw demons everywhere,” the doctor said, handing Sam her sketch book.

"Interesting," I said with a cough. Sam handed me the notebook and I flipped through. A few pages in distinct, thick black lines scribbled the rise of the witnesses. Sam and I exchanged a look. I wasn't sure if I was happier being wrong about Ruby's lead, because now more than ever this all felt way too real. "Revelations."

"A lot of our patients delusions have religious undertones. Anna's father was a church deacon, so when her delusions got worse she believed the devil was going to rise. I hope you can find her, detective. It's dangerous for her to be out there alone." The doctor shook our hands. "I have patients."

"Of course," Sam said with a million dollar smile. "I think we have everything we need."

We made our way to the car before we spoke again. "Well I hate to say it, but I think Anna is connected."

"Yeah, ya think?"

I rolled my eyes in response. "I say we check out her parents house. Maybe she went there when she escaped."

"Worth a shot," Sam agreed as we got in the car.

The Milton's lived close, not even the length of two Bon Jovi songs on the radio. We got out and knocked on the glass in the door.

"Maybe they're not home," I said after a moment of silence.

"Both cars are in the driveway." 

I tried the front door and it opened easily. "Mr and Mrs Milton? We are from the sheriffs department. We want to ask you a few questions..."

Sam grabbed my arm and turned me to look into the living room. Both of her parents were dead on the floor, throats slashed.

I bent down and touched a substance on the floor. "Sulfur," I said with a sigh.

"Demons beat us here. Whoever this Anna girl is the demons want her bad."

"And they're not playin around," I agreed. "We have to find this girl. So I'm girl interrupted, and I know the score of the apocalypse. Where do I go?"

Sam stared at a photo of a cute red head inside of a church. Must be Anna. "Hey let me see those sketches again."

I handed him the pages and he examined them. "It's the window from her church. Over and over again. She's religious and scared. I bet that's where she went."

The church was a tall gray building with a large kaleidoscope style window above the main door. The exact one Anna was drawing.

We walked in with our guns drawn. Maybe it's sacrilegious to walk into a church with a loaded gun, but hey I don't believe in god anyway, so what did I have to lose?

"Anna... we are here to help you. My name is Sam... this is my brother Dean."

Behind stained glass a flash of red poked out, along with two glowing green eyes. "Sam? Not Sam Winchester?"

"Yeah actually."

"And you're Dean? The Dean?"

"Well, yeah. The Dean I guess." I raised my eyebrows.

She was young. Maybe twenty two with deep red hair. She was thin, her face angular in a way that you see in makeup models. She looked exhausted, with half moons under her eyes, but in her iris something was on fire. "They talk about you all the time! You were in Hell, but Castiel pulled you out. Some of them think that you can help save us. Some of them don't like you at all. They talk about you all the time lately, I feel like I know you."

My stomach clenched. "You talk to angels?"

"Oh, no. No way! I just kind of overhear them. They talk and I just hear them in my head."

"Like now?"

"No, not now, but a lot. I can't tune them out there are so many of them," Anna said, her voice shaking. She wanted desperately to be believed. She was in luck.

"They looked you up with a case of the crazies, but you're really just tuned into angel radio?" I asked curiously.

"Yes... thank you." She reached out and took my hand. "The first words I heard, clear as a bell. Dean Winchester is saved."

"What do you think?" I asked Sam.

He shrugged. "No idea."

I squeezed her hand and she smiled. "At least we know why the demons want you. If they get you they'll know what the angels are up to. You're 1-800-ANGEL."

The door opened, and Anna started to scream. "Her face! She's a demon!"

I turned and was face to face with a brunette. "Ruby," Sam said with a frown.

"You've got the girl, good. We have to go."

"Ruby? Are you fucking joking?"

"Dean we can fight later!" Ruby said angrily. "There's a demon on our tail. He followed you from her parents house. We need to get her out now."

"How do I know you didn't lead him here?" I growled.

She sighed and shook her head. "It's too late, he's already here."

The door swung open again, and a man stood in plaid blazer and khaki pants.

I grabbed Anna and told her to hide. Her fingers left mine and she ran back behind the stained glass again.

Sam stood in front of me and held his hand out, palm flat. He focused, and the demon walked toward us. His eyes flickered white and he coughed a few times. "Oh, Sam. You don't have enough juice." He flicked his hand, sending Sam flying through the guard rail, and down the stairs.

"Sam!" I shouted, coming at the demon. He immediately grabbed me, sending his fist into my jaw.

"Hello, Dean. Long time no see,” the demon said angrily.

My eyes met his and without seeing his face I knew exactly who he was. I knew it in my bones. His voice haunted my nightmares. "Alastair."

"I knew you missed me,” he hissed, hitting me again and again.

I was able to get my hands between us, and I shoved him away, Sam catching him, putting a knife in his chest. He flickered a bit, electricity pulsing around the wound. "Oh Sam you'll have to do better than that!" He reached for the knife, trying to pry it out of his skin.

Sam and I looked around. Anna and Ruby were gone. I grabbed ahold of him and we ran with everything we had toward the stained glass window, busting through it.

Glass ripped our skin and clothes, but nothing compared to the horrible crack I felt when my body hit the concrete at the bottom of the long drop.

We cleaned up our wounds, and met back up with Ruby and Anna at an old barn outside of town. We borrowed a car so we wouldn't be followed, at least that was the idea.

"Hey are you okay?" I asked when I saw her.

She ran to me, wrapping her arms around me. "I am... thank you." 

"Don't thank me. Not sure we are out of the woods yet," I said, stroking the length of her hair. She was freaked out, to say the least.

"Can I call my parents? I'm sure they're worried sick."

I pulled out of the hug and looked at her. Damn I hate this part. "Anna... I'm sorry. The demons got to them before we could."

She burst into tears, and I held her again. I let her cry, let it all out. She finally pulled away, wiping her eyes. "What's happening Dean?"

"I'm sorry kid. I just don't know, but I'll figure it out," I promised.

She pushed her hair behind her ears. "I need a second." She let go of me and walked into the other room to process what I'd told her. To process her grief.

"So what now?" I asked Sam.

"I don't know,” he sighed.

Ruby stood up suddenly. "We're you followed?"

"No," Sam said quickly.

"Well we have company," Ruby said stressed. "We've got to go. Where's the knife?"

Sam scratched his head. "I sort of lost it. It was stuck in that demons chest."

"Seriously?!" Ruby shouted grabbing a shot gun off the table. "Well we are fucked so I hope you two are happy."

The door blew open, and Castiel stepped into the doorway next to another man.

"Here for some divine intervention? We could use the help." I said with a sigh of relief.

"We are here for Anna," Castiel said.

"Like... here for her here for her?" I asked slowly, questioning his meaning.

"Are you going to help her?" Sam asked.

"No,” the second man said.

Castiel met my eyes. "She has to die."

"You want Anna? Why?" Sam asked alarmed.

"We want her out of the way,” the other angel said flippantly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay, I know she's wiretapping your angel chats or whatever, but it's no reason to gank her."

"Don't worry. I'll kill her gentle."

"You're some heartless sons of bitches, you know that?" I frowned.

Castiel sighed. "As a matter of fact, we are. And?"

"And? Anna's an innocent girl!" Sam exclaimed.

Castiel shook his head. "She is far from innocent."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means she's worse than this abomination you've been screwing. Now give us the girl,” the second angel said eyeing Ruby.

He took a step toward her and a bright light came, sucking the two of them away. Sam and I immediately ran into the other room to check on Anna.

"Are they gone?" She gasped. Her arm was sliced open and she was bleeding everywhere. Her hands were covered, and the mirror in front of her had a symbol drawn on it.

I grabbed her, hoping to support her, and I immediately started putting pressure on her wound.

"You killed them?" Sam asked.

"Just sent them away... far away." 

"You want to tell me how?"

"That just popped in my head. I don't know how I did it. I just did it." She looked up at us desperately.

"How do you know this stuff Anna?" I asked, crouching to meet her eyes. "Think. How did you figure out those markings?"

"I...I think I may remember,” she said, hushed, she bit her lip. "It all came as a flash. First the sigil, and then..."

"Then what?" I asked her.

"Everything." Anna met my eyes. "I was an angel, Dean."

I looked at Sam alarmed and back to her. "An angel? Why do they want you?"

"I fell. I... I ripped out my grace."

"Your what?"

"The part of me that makes me an angel. I wanted to be human... so I fell and my mom became pregnant with me." She shook her head. "It's all still a little muddled, but I think I forgot the longer I was here. It was somewhere in my mind, locked away."

Sam and Ruby left us alone so I could stitch up her wounds, and so they could make a game plan. The angels would come back for her. They were angry that she left.

"This'll hurt, sorry about it," I said before pouring alcohol on her wound to clean it, and then pouring some on the needle I was going to use to stitch up her arm.

"It's okay,” she murmured.

"Can I ask you something? Why would you fall? Why would you want to be one of us?"

She looked at me as I stitched. "You don't mean that."

"I don't? A bunch of - of miserable bastards... Eating, crapping, confused, afraid."

"I don't know. There's loyalty... forgiveness... love." She sounded dreamy.

"Pain," I countered.

"Chocolate cake."

"Guilt."

"Sex."

I grinned. "Yeah, you got me there."

"I mean it. Every emotion, Dean, even the bad ones... every pain comes with joy. Falling in love... all of it. It's why I fell. It's why... why I'd give anything not to have to go back. Anything."

I could see the look on Sams face when he held Ava. How he didn't deny it when I asked if they were together. "Feelings are overrated, if you ask me."

"Beats being an angel."

I tied her stitches shut and held the cotton bandage over it. "How's that possible? You guys are powerful and perfect. You don't doubt yourselves or God or anything."

Anna winced and then laughed. "Yeah. Perfect... Like a marble statue. Cold... no choice... only obedience. Dean, do you know how many angels have actually seen God? Seen his face?"

"All of you?"

"Four angels. Four. And I'm not one of them."

"That's it? Well, then how do you even know that there is a God?"

"We have to take it on faith... Which we're killed if we don't have." She said grabbing my arm. "I was stationed on earth 2,000 years. Just... watching... silent... invisible... out on the road... sick for home... waiting on orders from an unknowable father I can't begin to understand. So don't tell me that..."

I laughed and shook my head.

"What is so funny?" She asked, annoyed.

"Nothing. Sorry. It's just...I can relate." I smiled and wrapped her arm. "Overbearing dad, check. I'm a soldier too."

“Hey Dean? Thank you. You two didn't need to protect me."

I shrugged. "You don't need to thank me. It's what I do."

"I don't know. Maybe I don't deserve to be saved,” she said looking away.

"Hey, Don't talk like that," I said, turning her face to look at me.

"I disobeyed. Lucifer disobeyed. It's our number one rule, and I knew it. Maybe I got to pay."

I took a deep breath, and stood up. "Yeah, well, we've all done things we got to pay for."

"Dean," she began as she stood up. "I got to tell you something. You're not gonna like it."

I eyed her. "Okay. what?"

"About a week ago, I heard the angels talking... About you... What you did in Hell. Dean, I know. It wasn't your fault. You should forgive yourself."

My jaw was tight and I blinked away wetness in my eyes. "Anna, I don't want to, uh... I can't talk about that."

"I know. But when you can, you have people that want to help. You are not alone. That's all I'm trying to say,” she said, taking my hand in hers.

I sucked in my breath and turned to look at her. There were things I couldn't say. Not to her, or Ava, or Sam. Not to anyone. Things I'd done that I couldn't bury forever. If pain was being human, then maybe I didn't want to be human. I just wanted to forget.

Anna reached up, touched my cheek, and pressed her lips to mine.

—————

Chapter Eighteen, Help Me Unravel My Latest Mistake

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So Unprofessional - Jake Peralta x Reader

Based around the episode “The Road Trip”. Enjoy! Also on AO3. My other one shots start here.

Holt came over to you and Jake. The two of you had been going over your open cases at Jake's desk before you set off for a prison transfer. You would have preferred to stay and work the cases but you couldn’t refuse the instructions of your CO. "Morning, detectives. Let's go over the prisoner transfer upstate." he requested. You closed your file and looked to him. "The perp is called Jesse Hermick. Arrested for nine counts of armed robbery but he skipped bail." you informed him. "He was just picked up in Neustadter, New York, trying to pay for a hoagie with a gun." Jake added.

"The sheriff said we have to pick him up tomorrow morning at 6:30. We're going up today and spending the night." you finished. Holt nodded, handing out a file to you. "Here are the transfer forms. Please don't--" "Get any Jake on them?" you posed, taking it from him. "They'll be in my safe hands the whole time, sir. Maybe I should put them in a bag in my overnight bag." "That's a good call." Jake reached beneath his desk and pulled out a bottle. "All the drinks I'm taking are blue." You grimaced; anything with artificial colours was a huge no-no for you. "Naturally." Holt said. He looked to you. "Call me if you need anything." You nodded. "Yes, sir." He took his leave, heading to his office. You went over to your desk and put the forms into your overnight bag. "Hey, I hope this is cool with you, but since we're not technically on duty 'til tomorrow morning, I invited Sophia to join me upstate," Jake told you, "The B&B we're staying at looks really nice. It's almost like it's haunted by fancy ghosts." You smiled. "Why would I mind?" Of course, you really did mind. It wasn’t anything to do with Sophia; she seemed nice, even if she was a defence attorney. You had just been hoping to spend some one-on-one time with him. The truth of the matter was, you fancied Jake. You moved from a precinct in Manhattan about a year ago and he had been partnered with you on your first case at the 99. It had helped you remember how fun police work could actually be. The two of you went for a drink once the case was solved. He'd told you how his dad left him when he was a kid and you'd told him how your mom had done the same. There were many differences between you but you felt you'd found a kindred spirit. And from that moment on, your heart had leeched itself to him. "I just thought all the romantic stuff might be awkward. You know, because of whatever girl your pining over." Raising an eyebrow, you walked back over to his desk. "I'm not pining over anyone." you assured. "And why do you assume it's a girl?" "I've just never seen you get this fixated on a guy before. Remember the girl from the grocery store?" he explained.

You went bright red. "I only mentioned her once." Jake scoffed. "Yeah. Once a day." You shook your head and sighed. "For the record, it's a guy." His eyes widened. "Who is it? Do I know him? Is it Charles?" he probed. You could barely mask the unattractive snort that the thought elicited. "It's not Boyle." "Well, whoever he is, he must be special." A warmth washed through your body. "He is." You tore yourself from his gaze, walking to your desk and grabbing your bag. "You finish up. I'm gonna wait in the car." "Alright. I'll be out in a sec." You nodded, pulling the bag up onto your shoulder and walking out of the bullpen. Once the elevator doors closed, you had to resist the urge to smack your head against them. Hard. Jake was going to bombard you with questions in the car and the more he knew, the more likely he was going to figure out who the 'mystery guy' was. And that would not end well.

It barely took five minutes for Jake to start his bombardments. You managed to dodge the first few of his questions until he asked, "Is it someone from the 99?" Your heartbeat sped up and your palms grew sweaty. He was sure to work out it was him (if he ruled out those not in the 'inner circle'). "I know you said it was a guy but I've seen you making eyes at Rosa and…" You couldn’t help but laugh. "You think I like Rosa?" you wheezed, "I mean, she's gorgeous. But she's freaking terrifying." "Point taken." he replied, chuckling a little. "It's definitely no-one on the squad, then. Unless it's me." Luckily, you had enough residual laughter to brush it off though you could feel your cheeks burning up your face. "Jake Peralta, the only way you will ever find out is if I get drunk enough to lose my filter. Which will never happen." A smirk grew on his face. "Never say never, (y/n). We're not on duty until tomorrow." You shook your head. "So unprofessional." you sighed. "Am not. I do most of my paperwork and I wear a tie sometimes." "Sometimes I wonder how you even reached detective status." "Because I'm a badass hero and the commissioner's always like 'Peralta, you're Brooklyn's number one. Take all the cases'. " He paused before explaining, "It was a dream I had once. John McClane gave me the Medal of Valor. Kate Hudson was there. Also the Ninja Turtles." You chuckled. "You have a weird brain." "So do you. Because you're pining over Terry? Gina? Amy? Holt?" he suggested, his voice growing more exasperated with each name. "I'm not gonna tell you, Jake. And you're never gonna work it out."

"Come on, (y/n), I'm Brooklyn's number one. I'm gonna find out." You shook your head again, something you found yourself doing a lot whenever Jake talked. Placing your head against the window, you watched the scenery whiz by in a blur of colour. And you hoped to God that Jake would give up on trying to figure your secret out.

Sophia was already at the B&B when you and Jake arrived. "Hey." you greeted. "Hi, (y/n)." she replied with a smile. You went to the check-in desk to get the key to your room. "I have a room booked under (y/l/n)." you told the man at the desk. He typed your name into the computer then looked at you for the first time with a bright smile. "Of course, ma'am. I'll just get your key." He turned to the board behind him. For some annoying reason, you couldn’t help but tune into Jake and Sophia's conversation. "I got us the room of a thousand dolls." she finished. "Oh, sounds creepy." he remarked. "Super creepy." They both chuckled. "So I'm gonna go unpack, and then I'm gonna take a bath, and then we have dinner, and then--" "Doin' it." You had to stop yourself from reacting to his indelicacy. "I was gonna say dessert." "Oh. Synonym. Cool. Better." You felt so stupid; you were a grown woman, wishing you were the one having failed innuendos with Jake instead of Sophia. It was as if you were in high school again, pretending in your head that you were strong enough to hold up the main cheerleader in the pyramid. You couldn’t really blame young you for that - the girl had some pretty strong arms. "Ma'am?" You were dragged back to reality by the concierge holding your room key out to you. "Thank you." you said. "Enjoy your stay! And don't forget to try one of our famous mapletinis!" You smiled weakly before turning to the couple. "We're gonna go up to settle in." Jake told you. You nodded. "Cool. I'm um…" You tried to think of something to do that wasn’t staying holed up in your room all night. "Gonna hit the bar. Try a mapletini." you fabricated. "Hey, I'll join you if you want." Every fibre of your being was telling you to say yes but instead you found yourself saying, "It's fine. I'm sure you and Sophia have got stuff you wanna do." Jake turned to his girlfriend and whispered something. She nodded. "I'll see you later, (y/n)." You smiled as she went upstairs. "Is everything alright?" Jake asked, "Just tell me if I pushed things too far with the whole 'who do you fancy' thing. I'm just really--" You butted in. "It's fine. I'm fine." you reassured. Jake wasn’t an idiot (most of the time); you knew he knew something was off but you also knew he wouldn’t pry. "You're sure?" You nodded. "Absolutely. I'll join you for dinner, if you're lucky." You chuckled awkwardly. Get it together, you told yourself. "Go have fun with Sophia. I promise you I'm fine." "Excuse me, sir? Can you call room 14 for me and tell him to get his butt down here? This place is about to get turnt and he's gonna miss out." "Ma'am, we've already placed the call. He said he'll be down in a moment." Somehow, one mapletini had turned into two. After the second drink, everything became a bit fuzzy. But at least you were having a good time now and not constantly thinking about what Jake and Sophia were doing. "Thank you…" Your voice trailed off as you peered at the bartender's name badge. "M…m…marrow? Mermaid? Mervin?" "It's Meredith." she corrected. You shook your head defiantly. "I'm pretty sure it says marrow." You paused before a really good idea popped into your head. "Can you do me favour, marrow?" you asked. "It's Meredith." she repeated with a heavy sigh. "Whatever. I need you to call room 14. Tell him that our perp is in this hotel and we can take him back to the 99 now." You jabbed you finger down on the bar to emphasise the urgency. "Ma'am, I've already called room 14. And as I said before, the man at the other end told me he'd be down in a moment." She moved down the bar, probably to take someone else's order. Following her down, you dropped into the seat in front of her, preventing her from moving on. "His name's Jake." you told her with enthusiasm. "He's got sparkly eyes and a great butt. And really strong arms. Or maybe that was the cheerleader." "(Y/n)?" Your head whipped round so fast that you probably could have given yourself whiplash. You gasped. "That's him." you whispered to the bartender. She grunted before moving to the next customer. "Jakey!" you whooped, hopping off your stool and skipping over to him. "Are you drunk?" he queried, his amusement of the situation written all over his face, "I thought you were just having one mapletini?" "I did. But then I fancied another one. I had a glass of wine after that. It was fruity…I think. And then," You lowered your voice, "I stole someone's shots." He tried and failed to fight the grin on his face. "I may have been waiting a long time to see drunk you," he began, "But we have to be up early tomorrow. Isn't that 'so unprofessional'?" He made his voice higher at the end. He was mocking you. You scoffed and raised an eyebrow. "That was supposed to be me? I can do a way better me than you can." You cleared your throat loudly as if Jake was supposed to expect something amazing. "So unprofessional." you said, changing nothing about your voice. He chuckled. "Okay. That was cute." You were sure you were blushing but the room was already so hot that you couldn’t tell. "Let's get you to bed." He placed a guiding arm around your waist and it was as if you could feel every single chemical reaction exploding inside you like tiny fireworks. It was a good job he was helping you as your legs had turned to jelly. Looking up at him with a sort of dazed smile, you remarked, "You're looking after me." "Of course I am. That's what friends are for." he replied with a warm smile. The fireworks inside of you died off - all of them clumping together and sinking to the bottom of your stomach. Before you had any idea what was happening, words came tumbling out of your mouth. "I hate it when you say that." you admitted. His face fell and you instantly regretted your words. "Say what?" Apparently, there was no stopping you now. "That we're friends." His brow furrowed. "You don’t like that we're friends?" You shook your head. "No, I do. But I don't." And when his brow creased even further, you found yourself saying, "I want us to be more." His expression didn’t change. You didn’t know whether he'd heard you. "It's you, Jake," you continued, "The mystery man. The hang-up. The special guy." The look on his face was unreadable but you didn’t know if that was because you were drunk. "You like me?" he uttered.

"Well, duh." you replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And today was supposed to be about us. We were gonna play ping-pong, drink mapletinis and see if we could find any fancy ghosts." Realising how much you sounded like a whiny, jealous bitch, you stopped. Something gurgled in your stomach but you chose to ignore it. For once, it seemed Jake was speechless. "You laughed when I suggested it was me." he said. "But I didn’t say no. Why do you think I was so cut up about you going undercover? Why do you think I always volunteer to check over your paperwork? I let you drink blue drinks in my car." Your stomach gurgled again and something shifted inside you. You started to giggle. "What?" Jake asked confused. "I'm about to throw up on your shoes." you tittered. And, before he could even react, you did exactly that.

You slumped into the car seat, placing your sunglasses back on. Why, oh why, did you drink last night? Of course, you knew the exact answer to this and couldn’t bear to remind yourself of it. You’d been so stupid and now you were paying the price. Jake shut his door, the sound reverberating through your skull, after securing the perp in the backseat. “You did a pretty good job of not seeming hungover.” he chuckled.

You groaned. “Turn off your mouth siren.” “I’m sorry. Is it too loud for you?” he replied, raising his voice. You cringed away; it felt like someone was just hammering away at your brain. “Jake.” you whined. He reached for the drink holder and held out a bottle to you. “Want some blue?” You stared at the bright blue liquid for a moment before taking it from him. Unscrewing the lid, you considered if a dry mouth was good enough excuse to stoop this low. But after last night, you didn’t think that was physically possible. Jake watched in wonderment as you chugged at least half the bottle. “Wow. Last night really broke you, huh?” You nodded. “I only stopped throwing up about an hour before we left.” There was a pause. You watched as he opened his mouth then closed it again, contemplating whether or not to say something. Knowing that whatever he wanted to say would be a stain on your character from last night, you jumped in. “I know this goes without saying but I’d really appreciate it if you don’t tell Holt.” you requested. “Of course. I’ve done way worse when I’ve been on duty.” You raised an eyebrow. “Worse than getting drunk, puking on your partner’s shoes then turning up for a prison transfer hungover?” “Good point.” The hesitant air settled in the car again and you watched Jake’s jaw shift before speaking. “So, last night you said something to me.” Your heart leapt up into your throat and your face burned bright red. “I did?” you choked out, sincerely hoping drunk you hadn’t spilled your secrets to him. “Yeah. You…um… told me how you wished we could have spent time together yesterday." You didn’t think your face had ever been so red; drunk you sounded like a needy toddler. "Oh, God. Jake, I am so sorry." You paused before adding, "Did I say why?" He shook his head and you sighed with relief. "You just said I was a funny guy then vommed on my shoes." You covered your face with your hands and groaned again - Jake was never going to let you forget that. "How are your shoes, by the way?" you asked, muffled by your hands. "Oh, they were past their best about two months ago. Picked these up in lost and found. They'll do." You lowered your hands and peered at his shoes. They were illuminous colours and someone had drawn flowers all over the white fabric. "Yeah. Until we get back." you said. "Oh, no. They'll do until they fall apart. Or someone throws up on them again." The two of you laughed. "Anyway, because we missed out on time together, I want to make it up to you." he offered. Your heart swelled as you stuttered, "Oh, Jake…y…you don’t…" "(Y/n), this idea took me forever. Let me have this." You sighed but kept schtum. "You and I are gonna have ourselves a good old competition off. I was thinking we could go to that arcade your brother used to take you to. It'll have air hockey, shooter games and probably some dance machines." Eyes wide, you looked to him with a small smile - he'd remembered about the arcade. "But it's in Manhattan." "We both have a day off next week, yeah?" You pushed your sunglasses up onto your head. "And you want to spend it with me?" You were completely gob-smacked; the endorphins were rushing through you. Jake must have been the most thoughtful guy you'd ever met. "It may surprise you to know that I like spending time with you." The familiar feeling of fireworks set off inside you. "I like spending time with you too." Jake gave you a quick glance and the look on your face confirmed that what you'd said last night was true. It seemed it wasn’t so hard to get you to spill your secrets after all.

[otg2012]

All Alone in the Danger Zone by OnTheGround2012

Character/s: Stiles, Jackson (mentioned), Derek, the sheriff, Zach (OCC) and Kyle (OCC). Summary:  When Jackson found out that his young client was a werewolf they decided to call the alpha. In this chapter Derek meets Kyle and they all talk about his situation. Author’s Notes: Questioning, Detention, Fluff, Future fic, AU - Canon divergent, Original characters. 1169 words. Cross-posted on AO3. This is part of my series “All I Saw Was You”. Feedback and kudos are always a great thing. 

If you would like to support my work, come visit me on my Tumblr.

“Okay, I’m here… so, what did you have tell me?” Derek says when he arrives at the station.

Stiles and Jackson look at each other in that way that Derek knows so well by now. That way that means they know exactly what the other one is thinking.

“I think… You know, I think it’s better if you just meet him,” Jackson says.

“Meet him? Who do you want me to meet?”

“Well, actually, he’s a new client.”

“Your client?” Derek frowns. Obviously that revelation has sparked his interest like Jackson expected.

“Zach and I arrested him this morning. He was selling drugs in the street. And Jackson offered to take his case.”

Jackson snorts. “I wouldn’t say that I exactly offered…”

“Well, I asked you and you accepted, which is pretty much the same,” Stiles says, waving both arms.

Jackson shakes his head and licks his lips but doesn’t say anything. Sometimes it’s pointless trying to argue with the way his husband sees things.

“Okay,” Derek says, still frowning. “And since when do you represent Stiles’s scumbags?”

“That’s why I want you to meet him. He’s not a scumbag... Just come with me for a second. All you need to do is say ‘hi’, okay? That’s all.”

“Say ‘hi’?” Derek asks obviously confused.

“Yeah. That’s it. Just follow my lead.” It’s gonna be weird and he’ll have to lie to the kid but they have to do this.

“Okay, fine.” Derek shrugs. “Where is he?”

“In the interrogation room.”

Derek follows Jackson inside the room where Kyle is waiting and Jackson can easily see in Derek’s face that a dirty red-haired kid is about the last thing he was expecting.

“Hey Kyle, I just want you to meet my colleague Derek. He’s helping me with some stuff… so he wanted to say ‘hi’…” Jackson says.

“Yeah, hi… I…” Derek hesitates, looking at Jackson for a second before he shifts his gaze back to Kyle, “I’m helping Jackson with… you know… with your case.”

Jackson has to stop himself from smiling because Derek is so bad at this. He’s never been good at following other people’s lead. He always needs to be the Alpha, he can’t help it.

“So now I have two lawyers?” Kyle asks, frowning.

“No, I’m your lawyer. He’s just helping with the whole social services stuff.”

“Social services? You mean they’re here?” Kyle asks, getting suddenly very nervous, almost on alert.

“No, they’re not here. I don’t think they’re coming tonight. But they’ll at least phone and we’ll talk to them for sure. Now I need to talk to Derek about something so, I’m sorry to keep you waiting but it won’t take long. I promise. I’ll be right back,” Jackson says, before leaving the room with Derek.

                                                       *******

“A wolf?” Derek raises his eyebrows and shakes his head with disbelief. “I mean, a born wolf?” Derek asks no-one in particular once they are reunited with Stiles, Zach and the sheriff. “Who is this kid? And where are his parents?”

“He’s an orphan,” Stiles says. “All we know is that he’s from LA where he was recruited by a drug dealer.”

“He says that his parents died when he was three,” Zach adds.

“So, he was in a foster home?” Derek frowns.

“Not exactly, in LA he fled every foster family he was sent to and then he was homeless for I don’t know how long… quite a long time, that’s for sure. Then here, the guy he was working for offered him his garage.”

“And what are social services saying? You’ve talked to them, right?”

“Yeah, well… we’ve talked to them on the phone. They’re trying to find him a group home unless we find him a guardian who could take care of him at least while we solve his legal situation and we take down everyone involved in the operation.”

“I hate to say this but I think he’s right…” Zach shrugs. “I feel like they just gave up on him. And of course, his record doesn’t help either. Kids his age don’t usually get adopted and have even less of a chance if they’re constantly breaking the law.”

“What are you thinking?” Jackson asks Derek, waving his right arm.

“I’m thinking that it’s pretty simple, actually.”

“Simple? How is any of this simple?” The sheriff asks confused. This situation is anything but simple.

“Simple as in he’s a lone wolf. Simple as in he’s always been alone and as a kid, it sucks but as a wolf, it’s…” Derek hesitates as he tries to find the right words. “It’s so much worse than that. Just imagine what turning the first time must have been like for him. What it still must feel like. He must see it as a curse... I’m sure he hates it and wishes he could stop it. He must have felt helpless since that moment and helpless people take desperate measures.”

“That’s why he’s never stayed with a family,” Stiles says.

“He had to be terrified that they would find out,” Jackson finishes for him.

“He’s been living in fear all his life. And getting arrested only made it worse,” Stiles continues.

“Yeah,” Derek nods. “Every wolf needs a pack… especially at his age. One thing is for sure, if he’s sent to a detention center, it’s going to be a huge mess… just imagine if he turns there, which is obviously going to happen since there’s no way he knows how to control it.”

“He panicked when we mentioned the possibility.” Zach explains.

“Yes, we can’t let him end up there,” the sheriff says.

“So, what do you think we should do?” Zach asks, looking at Derek.

“Well… I think the best for him would be to join my pack.”

“Really? That would be great.” Stiles smiles. “You could help him so much.”

“Yeah, but for that to happen, we have to make sure that he stays in Beacon Hills,” Zach runs a hand through his dark hair. “What are the chances of him going to a detention center or going back to LA?” He asks, looking at Jackson.

“If he pleads guilty and collaborates with you on the case, I’m confident that the prosecution will accept a plea bargain and he’ll be charged with a misdemeanor, which means he’ll avoid the detention center. And regarding where he’s sent after that, it’s also going to the depend on what he’s offered here… Beacon Hills doesn’t have the same amount of resources as you all know. If he can’t go to a group home like we were saying, we need to find some other option.”

“Okay, great.” Zach licks his lips, waving his right arm. “This is such a fucking mess.”

“Can I talk to you?” Jackson asks resting his hand on Stiles’s shoulder, pressing lightly. “I mean, in private.”

Stiles frowns. “Yeah, sure.”

“You can use my office if you want,” the sheriff offers.

“Thanks,” Stiles says before following Jackson to that room, closing the door behind him.

[theolddarkmachine]

Kingdom- Chapter One

Gajeel has had the dream about dying for the blue haired girl for as long as he can remember. Which is weird, since he’s never met anyone with blue hair in his life.

Levy has always loved myths and legends. So much so, in fact, that she was currently getting her master’s in mythological studies.

What neither of them realized was that they were living a legend all their own.

AKA the one with a knight, a princess, and a curse that keeps bringing them together just to pull them apart.

DON’T FORGET TO READ THE PROLOGUE IN CASE YOU MISSED IT SINCE I’M THE WORST AND DECIDED TO RANDOMLY POST IT BEFORE I’D SAID I WAS GOING TO POST ANYTHING! Anyway, you may start reading this and think that it’s the preview I’d posted a while ago. While it does start the same, it’s completely different because that had been a random ditty I’d written once the idea had entered my head and I wanted to test the waters. So yeah. Don’t let the first like four paragraphs fool you! This is all new!

********************************

Everything was dark and the only thing Gajeel could feel was a heavy weight across his chest and the cold that was biting at his fingers. So this is death. The thought was oddly comforting. He hadn’t expected it to be so calm nor had he expected it to be so quiet yet as he lay there, the weight on his chest growing heavier and the chill working its way through his body, it was the most serene he’d ever felt. Well, that wasn’t quite true. A flash of blue danced across his mind’s eye accompanied by the memory of a tinkling laugh. Gajeel had always known she’d be the cause of his death. He’d been born to give his life for her after all, and he’d happily do it all over again if he could. Knowing his blue haired princess would live on was all he needed to go on in peace. The weight started to suffocate him as the cold gripped his heart like icy fingers. Light started to eat away at the edges of the inky darkness surrounding him. In the distance, he heard her voice. It was faint, but it was there. He smiled into the light as it consumed the remainder of the darkness. Yes. He would do it all over again.

***

The light of the early morning sun poured through Gajeel’s bedroom window, landing squarely on his face and pulling him from the dream. The first time he’d had the dream, he’d woken in a cold sweat. Everything had felt so real that he’d woken his foster dad at the time up in the middle of the night to ask him to check if he was, in fact, alive still. Granted, he’d been 10 years old at the time, but he couldn’t really be blamed for freaking out over the fact he’d literally felt what it was like to die. At 25 years old, he’d had the dream enough now to be used to it. It was actually a weird night if he didn’t have the dream. He almost missed it when he woke the next morning after not having it.

A groan escaped his lips as he slung an arm over his eyes to block out the sunlight. Just another day, he thought to himself, as he willed his body to let him go back to sleep. As if it was that easy. He’d never been one to be able to get back to sleep after he’d woken up, much to his dismay. The sound the city outside his window wasn’t helping much either as cars constantly honked, people yelled loudly and the occasional siren went past. Why he’d chosen to move to a big city was beyond him. He’d always hated huge cities, but something had just seemed right about this one. The feeling that drove him to move to the city was the same that drove him to do a lot of things. It always started as an idea that tickled the back of his mind, just barely there but there enough to always be on his mind. Then the feeling would grow until he couldn’t do anything else until he did whatever it was that had been on his mind.

Gajeel liked to think of it as his intuition, but he couldn’t ever shake the feeling that somehow the feeling and the dream  were tied together. Shaking his head to clear his mind of that thought, he groaned again before rolling over to look at his alarm clock. It was 8am, far earlier than he wished to be up given he hadn’t gotten home from work until 3am. If being a bartender didn’t pay so well in tips, he would have ditched it long ago. Luckily, it did.

As he stared into the alarm clock as if he could will the time to go backwards, he felt the dull ache at the back of his mind, urging him to go for a walk. Of all the times to act up. With an exasperated sigh, he reached towards his nightstand and grabbed his phone. If he was going to go out for a walk, he was at least going to make it worth it and get some coffee out of the deal. After punching the number in from memory, he pressed the phone to his ear and through his arm over his eyes again to keep himself from being blinded by that pesky sun.

“Thanks for calling Kiwi Tree Cafe, how can I help you?” A surprisingly deep voice answered. If Gajeel wasn’t so used to the ridiculousness of such a low tone saying something as absurd as “Kiwi Tree Cafe,” he would have laughed.

“Hey Lily, ya take your break yet?” He asked without introduction.

“Want to use me for my goods, I see,” his friend chuckled. Well, more like his brother, really. Gajeel had bounced around from foster home to foster home until he’d landed in one run by Lily’s surly sheriff father. He wasn’t sure what they’d seen in him, since he’d been in enough homes to know there wasn’t anything to see, but they’d kept him around anyway. He’d spent the rest of his time in the system with them, and he and Lily had been inseparable.

“I’m just helping ya out, Lil,” he laughed. “You shouldn’t complain about having someone willing to try your weird new creations for free.” This elicited a sigh from the cafe owner.

“They aren’t weird, you just don’t have any taste,” Lily replied half jokingly. “But no, I haven’t. Be here by 9.” The line went dead before Gajeel could even reply. Typical Lily. Hoisting himself out of his bed, he felt the need to get outside grow stronger.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Gajeel sighed into the quiet that filled his apartment. It would actually be kind of nice to get out for some fresh air. It was Fall and the air had a nip of cold to it and the trees were covered in a beautiful array of orange, yellow and red leaves. If he was being honest, it was his favorite time of the year. He went to the bathroom to relieve himself and brush his teeth. He inspected his reflection as he raked his fingers through his unruly black hair in the closest attempt of taming it as he was going to make. The studs that ran in a row above both of his eyes and lined his nose glinted with the light from his bathroom lights. All in all, he didn’t look as tired as he felt, which was a plus. He was at least presentable enough for Lily to not send him out of his popular breakfast spot with a to-go bag. Leaving his bathroom, he snagged a pair of grey jeans and a frayed black knit sweater from his dresser. The feeling had grown further and was taking over all his thoughts as he tugged his sweater on.

“Fuckin’ impatient,” he growled to himself. He was aware it was crazy to talk to a feeling, but, well, he did often wonder if he was crazy. With the feeling and the dream combined, he wouldn’t be too shocked if he was. After pulling on a pair of worn black boots, he grabbed his keys and wallet and headed out the door. The thought that was wreaking havoc on his thoughts was already started to dissipate as he made his way down the stairs to the entrance of his building. It wasn’t until his foot hit the pavement outside his building that it disappeared entirely. The cool air rushed into his lungs, making him feel lighter. Breathing it in deeply, he thrust his hands into his pockets and turned right to head towards the cafe. It was only a couple of blocks from his apartment, which had been a stroke of luck for him when Lily had announced its location. As he made his way down the street, a familiar shade of blue caught his eye. It was just a quick flash as the woman rounded the corner ahead of him and disappeared around the other side of the building. A small spark of recognition fluttered through his chest, and was gone almost as quickly as she had been, yet it had been enough to stop him in his tracks.

What the hell was that?

“Hey guy, keep movin’,” an angry voice said as someone knocked into his shoulder, knocking him out of his momentary stupor. With a quick shake of his head, Gajeel continued towards the Kiwi Tree Cafe.

***

“This is our Brazilian roast infused with kiwi and cocoa,” Lily said proudly as he sat across from Gajeel with two steaming cups of coffee and a tray samplers for all the pastries being served that day. “Meant to boost immunity and promote heart health. And before you say anything about how that sounds weird, just give it a try. It’s going to change your life.” He couldn’t help but chuckle as he saw Lily’s obsidian eyes light up as he talked about the strange drink. Truth be told, while Gajeel gave him a hard time, he’d never actually made anything he didn’t like. But what kind of brother would he be if he didn’t bust his balls from time to time. Not to mention the fact Lily was a 6’2 tall, muscular guy with inky black hair that spiked every which way and an undercut with a crescent moon scar that ran through his left eyebrow. He looked more like he would a bodyguard for a gangster than a pastry chef, so honestly, he made it too easy sometimes to pull his leg.

“Your obsession with kiwis is worrying,” was all he said as he picked up the cup and took a quick sip. As expected, the combination that shouldn’t work at all was delicious. Lily’s ability to make a damn good cup of coffee was inspiring, not that he could tell him that. “It doesn’t make me want to die, anyway,” was what he ended up saying. His brother shook his head as he took another sip of his own cup.

“You’re in denial, but I’ll take it. Now, are you going to tell me what’s up?” The question caused Gajeel to stop with his coffee midway to his mouth.

“What do you mean?” Lily eyed him suspiciously.

“Well, when you came in here you looked like you’d seen a ghost,” he replied, still staring at his brother as if he could just lift the answer straight from his mind. Gajeel hadn’t been aware he’d looked as shocked as he’d felt by the brief glance of the blue haired woman.

“It’s nothing,” was all he said, hoping Lily would drop it.

“That dream again?” Lily had known about the dream for almost as long as he’d known Gajeel thanks to a particularly bad night when he’d woken up yelling for someone he hadn’t known. His brother took his silence as an answer. “Any luck finding the blue haired dream girl?” One of the best things about Lily was that though they’d grown old enough to know better than to believe that his dream was anything other than just that, he’d always held onto the notion that the blue haired girl really was out there somewhere. Whenever Gajeel found himself questioning his sanity about the whole thing, he at least knew he could count on Lily to make him feel that maybe the dreams weren’t a sign of some psychosis. Right now, though, it felt eerily like he was reading Gajeel’s mind.

“Not yet,” he said, his tone sounding wrong even to his own ears. The pastry chef opened his mouth to say something else when a young man wearing an apron with Kiwi Tree Cafe embroidered across the chest. Gajeel didn’t recognize him, which most likely meant he was new in to the cafe. His suspicions were confirmed when he opened his mouth.

“Uh, Mr.-”

“Call me Lily,” his brother said, cutting off the young guy, whose expression became comically confused.

“Lily?” He said flatly. Gajeel bit back a laugh. It wasn’t the first time anyone had questioned how Lil had gotten his nickname. It was one of his favorite stories to tell, much to his brother’s dismay. The poor guy had gotten completely hammered one night when they’d been troublesome teenagers and gone on a tirade about how strange panther lilies looked. He had been so offended by the look of the flower that he had managed to talk about them until he’d passed out for the night. The next morning, the sheriff had decided calling him Panther Lily for all his days would be punishment enough for his indiscretion, which soon turned to Lily and well, the rest was history. Given the way he was glaring at Gajeel meant now was not a time he would be able to get away with telling the tale though.

“What is it, Droy?” Lily asked, opting to ignore the new baker’s confused inquiry.

“Oh, uh, I think I broke the mixer. Again,” Droy said sheepishly. Lily sighed loudly before turning back to Gajeel.

“Droy, you’ve literally been here for four hours, how is that possible?” The question seemed to be rhetorical as Lily stood up and turned his attention back to Gajeel. “Well, duty calls. Mind taking the dishes to the back when you’re done?”

“Using me for free labor,” Gajeel chuckled.

“I’ll call us even, then,” Lily said as he headed towards the kitchen behind the counter. “Oh, and Gajeel?” He called back before he disappeared behind the kitchen doors.

“Yeah?”

“Stay out of trouble, would ya?” There was a strange look in Lily’s eyes as he appraised him from behind the counter. It wasn’t really like him to warn Gajeel about keeping his nose out of trouble, especially since whenever he got in trouble, it was usually with his brother by his side. Blue hair suddenly flashed across his mind’s eye.

“I’ll try my best,” was all he said as he took another sip of his coffee.

***********************

[bananannabeth]

BITE: Chapter 11

percy jackson / teen wolf crossover i’m so, so sorry this took so long. i’m ridiculous and i appreciate you putting up with me. 11/? - Lydia

Lydia didn’t want to go to school. She didn’t have to go to school. She was far enough ahead that she wouldn’t have to make up for any missed content, and, unlike Scott and Stiles, her attendance wasn’t yet in the red. So, technically, she could stay home and research Lycaon and his abilities and start working out a plan to protect Scott.

The thing with protecting Scott, though, was that it was sort of Stiles’s thing. And even though she’d never admit it out loud, she and Stiles seemed to work quite well together when it came to forming plans for anything pack related. And there was no doubt that the Sheriff would be forcing Stiles to go to school, so if Lydia wanted to see him she was going to have to go to school too.

To figure out a plan, of course.

Not just because she wanted to see Stiles, or anything. That was ridiculous. She would never.

She swiped on a final coat of red lipstick, pressing her lips together firmly and frowning at her reflection. Now was not the time to start getting sentimental. They were on the brink of something big and dangerous, and she needed to stay focused.

She needed to figure out how much Lycaon knew about Scott and the pack, the extent of his powers, what he had planned for Scott -

The obnoxious beep of a car horn broke her train of thought. Lydia rolled her eyes as she slipped into her heels, wondering which idiot wasn’t ready for their ride and was inconveniencing the whole neighbourhood.

And then the horn sounded again, followed immediately by a knock on her bedroom door.

Her mom was standing in the doorway, fingers curled over the edge of the door. “Lydia, honey, Allison’s here to take you to school.”

Lydia blinked. “Allison?”

“She’s downstairs,” her mom said.

“Yes, of course.” Lydia composed herself instantly, smiling brightly and hiding all traces of surprise. “Right. Let me just - grab my bag.”

Her mom smiled and pulled the door to behind herself. Lydia shot to her feet and marched over to the window, wrenching back the curtain to glare down at Allison’s car on the street below. As she’d suspected, Isaac Lahey sat in the front passenger seat, leant over the centre console with his hand on the horn.

“Oh, that little -”

“Lydia!” Allison called from downstairs.

With one last glare outside, Lydia straightened her curtains and ran to meet her friend.

Allison of course looked beautiful and bashful, waiting at the foot of the stairs. “Sorry,” she said as soon as she saw Lydia, “I told Isaac we’d just be a second, but he’s impatient.”

Lydia hummed disapprovingly. She stepped off the stairs, looped her arm through Allison’s and swept her out the front door in one smooth movement. “Did he stay the night?”

Allison balked. “What?”

Lydia was unperturbed. “At your house. I mean, it’s pretty early, and you don’t normally give Isaac a ride to school -”

“No, I - No, that’s not what -” Allison’s cheeks flushed a beautiful pink hue as she shook her head. “No, Scott asked me to pick him up.”

Now that was interesting. Lydia quirked an eyebrow. “Scott asked you to pick Isaac up? From Scott’s house?”

“Yeah, well, Percy and Annabeth stayed there last night and they’re coming to school today, and obviously they couldn’t all go on Scott’s bike, so Stiles came to get them but they wouldn’t all fit in the Jeep so…” She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.

“So why are you here?”

“Stiles suggested it. He said none of us should be alone at the moment. I thought he’d messaged you about it?”

“No,” Lydia murmured, keeping her expression carefully neutral. “No, he hasn’t messaged me.”

Allison raised an eyebrow at her but, thankfully, they reached the car and she was spared from any more discussion. She slipped her arm free to open up the back door of the car, leaving Allison to slide into the driver’s seat. Isaac turned his head to watch her as she sat down, clenching his hands over his knees.

“Good morning, Isaac,” Lydia greeted, smiling demurely as he craned his neck around to look at her.

“We’re going to be late,” he said in reply.

Lydia fluffed her hair out and grinned. “Not with the way Allison drives.”

Scott and Stiles were waiting for her in English. As soon as she walked in and took her usual seat at the desk beside Stiles they swivelled in their seats to face her.

“So?” Stiles asked, tapping his fingers on his desk.

“Good morning, Stiles, Scott, how are you both?” she asked, straightening her books.

“Uh, good?” Scott answered, somewhat confused, while Stiles just rolled his eyes and huffed.

“I didn’t find anything helpful,” she said, to put him out of his misery. “Not yet, anyway. I’m still looking, there has to be something in the beastiary that can help us.”

Their faces fell, and Lydia’s chest constricted. She wasn’t used to this feeling, of letting people down. She hoped that it never became a frequent enough occurrence for her to become used to it.

Before she could reassure them again that she was going to find something, Percy and Annabeth entered the room, timetables in hand. They looked tired, but otherwise gorgeous. There must have been something about demigod genes that made you exceptionally attractive, Lydia reasoned, because there was no way that sixteen year olds could have skin that clear and features that symmetrical without godly intervention.

“Hey,” Percy said, waving a hand as he sat down behind her.

“Hi,” she said, sitting up a little straighter and making eye contact with Annabeth.

Annabeth eyed her warily from the seat behind Stiles and said nothing.

Not one to back down from a challenge, Lydia addressed her directly. “Did you get any more information last night?”

Annabeth tilted her head on the slightest angle, nearly imperceptible. “Nothing new,” she said flatly. She pulled a pen from her pencil case without looking and tapped it against her desk.

“We were talking though,” Percy said, leaning forward over his desk and dropping his voice low. They all leaned in closer to him to hear him better. “Can you tell us more about the Nemeton?”

Lydia glanced quickly at Stiles, who swallowed thickly. “It’s old and evil and tried to kill us all, what more do you wanna know?”

“How, for starters,” Annabeth said. “Is it a conscious nature spirit, is it a portal, is it cursed?”

“Okay, so there’s a lot more to know.” Stiles slouched back in his seat, one arm draped over the back. “Do you think the Nemeton brought Lycaon here?”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes as someone slid into the seat beside her. They took one look at her before getting up and moving to another desk. She never stopped drumming her pencil.

“We can’t talk about this now. We don’t know who’s listening.” Even though his words were serious, Percy was obviously trying to stifle a laugh.

“I’ll take you to Deaton tonight,” Scott said. At Percy and Annabeth’s blank looks, he elaborated. “He knows all about this stuff.”

“Is he your mentor?” Annabeth asked.

Scott smiled. “He’s my boss.”

With perfect timing, their teacher chose that moment to begin the lesson. Lydia turned around in her seat, uncomfortably aware of Annabeth watching her.

She tried to focus on the analysis of Poe’s The Raven they were meant to be doing, but all she could think of whenever she read the poem was the flock of birds that had swarmed the classroom back when this mess with the Nemeton and the Druids and that traitorous bitch Julia had just started. She remembered how Stiles had thrown himself over her to protect her from the crazed birds, how scared she’d felt, and how naive she’d been about how much worse things were going to get.

She thought about the way Percy and Annabeth were constantly watching each other’s backs, how they’d faced down those monsters the other day as if they did it all the time, how their eyes had darkened when Hazel had mentioned a war, and she wondered how much worse things were going to get.

“Miss Martin,” the teacher said, in a tone that suggested it wasn’t the first time.

Lydia snapped to attention, sitting up straight and looking at the questions scrawled on the board with wide eyes. She had no idea what she was supposed to say.

“Uh.” She stalled for time. “Well…”

“Allusion to Roman mythology,” Annabeth whispered behind her.

Lydia had no choice but to take her word for it. Without looking back, she said, “It’s an allusion to Roman mythology.”

The teacher looked impressed, but obviously wasn’t satisfied. “Do you care to expand on that?”

“Plutonian,” Annabeth whispered again.

Lydia quickly glanced over the lines written on the board, finding the phrase ‘Night’s Plutonian shore!’

“Pluto’s the Roman god of the afterlife,” Lydia began, gaining confidence as she spoke. “Metaphorically, he’s associated with things that are dark. The line is a play on this, referring both to the darkness of literal night and the darkness of the narrator’s despair at the death of Lenore.”

“Very good, thank you, Lydia.”

Lydia exhaled as the teacher turned her attention back to the wider class. She pushed her hair back off her forehead and shook her head at Scott and Stiles, who were wearing identical expressions of concern.

When the lesson transitioned to individual writing time, she turned slightly in her seat and reached over to Annabeth’s desk. “Thanks.”

Annabeth smiled. “No problem.”

“You got lucky with the topic on that one,” Percy said, twirling his pen between his fingers. “Good ol’ Death Breath.”

It was so weird to hear them talk about a god as if he was a real person, so casually, like they personally knew him… Maybe they did?

Annabeth scoffed. “Please don’t call him that. And I may hate English, Percy, but everyone knows the basics of The Raven.”

“Because of that Halloween episode of The Simpsons, right?”

Annabeth was barely able to catch her laugh and turn it into an exasperated sigh, which made Percy grin, and Lydia smiled at the two of them.

“What were you doing, anyway? You looked out of it,” Scott said.

“I was just thinking…” Lydia looked down to her notebook, sitting open on her desk, and her stomach plummeted. “Oh, no.”

No, no, this wasn’t happening, not again -

“Lydia.” Stiles was instantly there, up out of his seat and crouching beside her, one hand splayed on her back and the other on her desk, on top of her notebook. She tore her gaze away from the page and saw that he looked as worried as she felt.

“What is it?” Scott asked, leaning over Stiles’s shoulder.

It was a tree. A drawing of a huge tree, outlined in stark black, covering her entire page.

“It’s not the Nemeton,” Stiles said, twisting the page upside down and then back the other way.

Annabeth and Percy’s chairs scraped against the ground as they pushed them back, leaning over their desks to get a better view, and Lydia tensed because this was bad, there was no way this wasn’t bad and everyone was crowded around her and the teacher was definitely going to yell at them all to sit down any second now -

“It’s not the Nemeton,” Stiles repeated, as if that made everything okay.

“No.” Annabeth sounded horrified. “It’s Thalia’s Tree.”

.

[reivenesque]

Heart of the Heartless [CH13]

Chapter 13: Topic of Concern: Assassinations.

It felt weird and strangely empty not having Liam by his side. His presence had been a constant for more than a week and the comfort he provided had been there for much longer. Not having Liam there, the sound of his heart constantly beating a steady rhythm, the sound of his breathing like a calming mantra, the feeling of safety and protection he afforded—it just felt wrong and Theo was on the verge of turning his truck around and driving back to pick him up and never let him out of his sight again. But it wasn’t fair to Liam and it wasn’t fair to his parents.

Liam had gone above and beyond for Theo so many times already, especially considering the sour state of his relationship in the beginning and Theo was always striving to prove to both Liam and Scott (and himself) that he was worth the trouble. It was hard, because deep down he didn’t think he was worth anything at all.

Melissa was working a double shift that night; he’d heard her mention it before she walked out the door that morning. He wasn’t sure if she’s said that to him or to Scott or to both, but it just meant that unless Scott was back from his brooding session with Malia, it was just going to be him and the groceries in the house for the night. He honestly didn’t mind, but after being with Liam’s company for so long, the thought of being by himself in the house that wasn’t his, surrounded by pictures of the family he didn’t deserve, everything about it just felt oddly lonely. But he didn’t mind that either, it was more than he really deserved.

He missed Liam, and it had barely been fifteen minutes since he pulled out of Liam’s driveway.

The drive back to the McCall’s house was done in silence with a lot of thinking. The actual driving itself was done almost on instinct because Theo pulled into the street down the way from the house before he even realized it. Even when he pulled into park in front of the path leading up to the house he didn’t move to step out. He needed time to gather his thoughts; something he hadn’t been able to do in ages; not since it all started, and definitely not since Liam managed to turn his brain into the consistency of mush. There really was more to him than people really gave him credit for.

The house was dark, not a single light on in any of the rooms which meant that Scott was definitely not in and Theo subconsciously let out a sigh of relief. He honestly wasn’t prepared to deal with Scott, or any of the pack for that matter, without Liam acting as the go-between. Melissa was a different case. She hadn’t been secretive with her anger at first, he could see that and truth be told, he kind of appreciated it. But she was also very open with her acceptance and her forgiveness and she always made a point to tell him as much when it was just the two of them alone. He felt comfortable with Melissa as he felt comfortable with Liam, for two completely different reasons.

The movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention because it was coming from the house, or rather, it was loitering on the front step trying to peek in through the blinds and it definitely wasn’t Melissa or Scott. The scent was unfamiliar but it was definitely human and male; more than one person in fact, that second person he saw instead of sensed when the figure rounded the corner, obviously coming from somewhere in the back.

Theo dropped down to lie on the seat, out of sight, carefully peering out the corner of his window to what the two people were doing.

They conversed for a moment on the porch. Theo couldn’t hear what they were saying from that distance, but they were definitely arguing about something before the walked down the steps, across the lawn headed towards the obscure van with dark tinted windows parked across the road and down the street.

Theo’s eyes watched them as they passed his truck, his eyes continuing to follow them until they got to their own vehicle; pulled out of park and drove away without turning on their lights. He took a moment to just think. They definitely came looking for something—or someone… someone like Melissa. The name jarred something loose in his brain and he realized that their vehicle was headed in the direction of the hospital, so he quickly put his truck in gear and tried to think of a quicker route to get there since they already had a considerable head start on him.

He drove quickly, weaving in and out of traffic, hearing the blaring sound of people’s horns fading out as he passed. His other hand fumbling with his phone trying to call Scott or Liam or someone, but the cell service was down and the dial tone went almost immediately into an annoying beeping sound that made him was to slam his phone down on the dashboard. But he needed to keep his head and rein in his anger because it wasn’t going to be of use to anyone, at least not at that moment.

It was the sound of muffled screams that piercing through him like a lightning bolt the moment he pulled into the hospital. It wasn’t loud and it wasn’t even near, but somehow he zeroed in on it as all the other sounds in the vicinity melted into the background. It was coming from the parking lot out back so he floored the pedal of his truck, leaving tracks and making a piercing squeal when the tyres skidded on the cold asphalt as he pulled out.

He came on the scene just in time to see the two men dragging a struggling Melissa into the back of the van; her screaming muffled by the hand covering her mouth and her movement restricted by the arms around her torso, pinning her hands to her side and the other man trying to get a grasp on her still kicking feet.

Theo leaped out of the truck before it could come to a complete halt. In that moment everything else just faded away and his eyes could only see through a monotone tunnel vision tinged red. He paid no attention to anything his path, only the sound of his footsteps thundering in his ear repetitively; thudding and thudding and thudding until there was near silence and only the sound of padded paws and claws scraping on the ground. Suddenly he could hear everything and he could smell everything; all his senses were heightened several folds. He could almost taste the salt in the tears trickling down Melissa’s face and hear the sound of her heart pounding against her chest.

No one seemed to notice the ominous presence closing in on them until it was too late and Theo pounced before the two men could even fully turn around.

He heard Melissa’s startled cry when the man dropped her feet to the ground the moment Theo leaped onto him with all fours, but she was quick to recover, bringing her head back to slam against the face of the man holding her from behind.

His teeth clamped down on the man’s neck, not enough to tear the vocal chords out of his throat but enough to incapacitate him. He could taste the bitter tang of copper on his tongue, sending his instincts into hyper drive and he turned around immediately, attracted by the smell of blood pouring out of the other man’s nose. His jaws clamped down on his leg and tearing at it like a piece of raw chicken, eliciting a wail of agony that assaulted his ears like a bullhorn. The wounds weren’t fatal, or at least they wouldn’t be fatal if tended to quickly and luckily for them, they were in the parking lot of a hospital—the screaming commotion slowly but surely attracting a growing crowd of spectators.

At least it would give the sheriff department time to come and pick them up before they escaped.

He padded back, away from the grisly carnage and found Melissa leaning into the driver side and pulling out the key, actively switching off the vehicle and liberating them of their means to escape. She slid out and her eyes found him hanging back, hiding between two parked cars almost immediately. For a moment Theo didn’t know how to react, he didn’t know if Melissa even knew it was him and not just some random animal attack, but her eyes quickly slid over to his truck sitting haphazardly near the end of the lot, the lights still on and the engine still running and she seemed to put two and two together because she said, “Let’s go,” and took off running towards his truck.

Theo followed without word, reaching the truck before Melissa and changing back into his human form just as she reached him, jumping into the passenger seat without a second word.

“We have to call Scott,” she said; her eyes still teary and her heart still thundering, her hands shaking slightly as she fumbled with her phone.

“I tried, the phone lines are down,” he said, putting the car in reverse and tearing out of the hospital compound in a heartbeat.

Melissa leaned back in the seat, closing her eyes and struggling to catch her breath. It seemed like the enormity of the situation had finally just hit her. “Who were they?” she asked, opening her eyes to look at him.

Theo reached up to wipe the still warm blood from his chin, smearing it further across his chin and neck. His own hands were shaking and he gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I don’t know. I caught them scoping out your house when I got back. It seemed like they were looking for either you or Scott,” he said.

Melissa rubbed her hands on her face and took a slow deep breath, repeating the motion a few more times before she turned back to Theo, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. “And you came to warn me? They could have been after you too,” she said.

“I don’t think anyone knows I’m staying there for the time being, at least, I don’t think so. Besides, we don’t really know who they are or what they want,” he said. “Have you called the Sheriff?”

Melissa shook her head. “No. Like you said, the cell line’s down. But I’m sure someone from the hospital’s called the sheriff’s station by now. Let’s just hope the cell problem isn’t town wide.” Her expression turned thoughtful. “And Theo… thank you.”

Theo could feel the blush creeping onto his cheek which he tried to cover with a cough. “It’s nothing,” he said.

“It’s not nothing. You saved my life. I don’t think…uh—just… thank you,” she said, squeezing him slightly on the shoulder.

Theo turned to look at her briefly before quickly looking away, muttering a sheepish; “You’re welcome.”

“Get to the house,” Melissa said. “If this is what I suspect it is, I’m sure Scott is making their way there already.” She looked around the truck suddenly, as if just realizing the very apparent absence. “Where’s Liam?”

“He decided to go home—should… should I go pick him up??” he asked.

Melissa looked conflicted and Theo shared her worries. If it was just him, he’d be halfway to Liam’s already. But it wasn’t just him; he had Melissa to think about too. Liam’s house was quite a distance away from where they were, in the opposite direction of Melissa’s house, especially with the phone lines down and with no means of communicating with anyone. They could reach Melissa’s house first before even getting halfway to Liam’s and they needed to regroup and let Scott know what happened. It would be more dangerous than anything else to get caught out in the open without a plan or back up. Theo wasn’t one to worry about those little details, but he knew that he wouldn’t be of use to anyone if he got captured or ended up dead.

Plus if nothing else, he was confident in Liam’s ability to defend himself if it came to that.

“I think it’s better if we rendezvous at home first. Something could happen between here and there and it’s better if everyone is in the loop. Besides I’m sure Scott will find him immediately if there really is something happening.” Melissa looked as unsure as her tone suggested, but Theo couldn’t blame her. Both of them were on edge after what happened. There were things to focus on first but that didn’t ease the dark feeling in his gut telling him that something terrible was definitely happening in Beacon Hills, but he knew the best plan was to regroup and plan their next move.

He made Melissa wait in the truck as he canvassed the area first; making sure that there wasn’t any unwanted persons hiding in or around the compound. Only when he was absolutely sure that the coast was clear did he motion for her to step out of the truck and run over to him before making their way into the house.

The immediate first thing that hit him when they entered was the fact that they weren’t alone in the house, but the scent was familiar, friendly, which immediately eased his nerves.

They found Stiles and Lydia in the kitchen sitting in the dark. Stiles was pacing up and down nervously and kept walking over to the window to glance out at the street. Lydia was at the table with her head in her hands. Neither of them seemed to notice Melissa and Theo entering until Melissa cleared her throat, causing them to jump slightly.

“Melissa, thank god,” Stiles immediately rushed over, pulling her into a hug.

“Stiles, Lydia? What’s going on? Did they come for you too?” she asked.

That perked Stiles up. “So they did come for you? How did you get away?”

Melissa motioned to Theo standing silently by her side, his hands and face still smeared with blood and blood soaking the entire front of his shirt. “Theo saved me. He saw them canvassing the house and came to warn me. Just in time too. A few more seconds and… well…” she cleared her throat. “What about you two? Did people attack you as well?”

“No,” Stiles said, looking back at Lydia still sitting quietly at the table. “Lydia had a… well, feeling. All the phones were down and we couldn’t contact anyone so we came to the most neutral ground we could think of,” he explained. “Here. Do you know where Scott is?”

Melissa shook her head.

There were sounds of shuffling footsteps by the door before it flew open and what sounded like a tangle of bodies falling through.

Theo rushed out, his claws bared but what he found was the door open and an empty hall.

He sighed. “I know it’s you, Corey.”

And the next minute, lo and behold, Corey and Mason materialized sprawled out on the floor in a tangle of limbs.

“Did they come looking for you too?” he asked when the two of them finally straightened up.

Mason shook his head and motioned to Corey. “Corey said he felt you calling him.”

“Me?” he asked, bewildered.

“Not calling, per say… it was more of a… feeling actually,” Corey said.

“Why?” he asked again, still no less bewildered.

“It makes sense,” Mason interjected. “Your connection I mean. You did bring him back to life, so the supernatural bylaw must still technically consider you his Alpha. It’s pretty awesome if you think about it.”

Nothing about it was awesome at all, but he moved back into the kitchen, announcing to the occupants that it was just Corey and Mason and the four of them (including the still catatonic Lydia) resumed their silent watch in the darkness.

Theo eventually stepped back into the shadows, watching everyone around him conversing with each other in hushed whispers. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the sounds of his surrounding; trying to listen to the noises beyond the walls and trying to sense the reverberation in the ground. If more people were coming for them, he wanted to be ready; he wanted to know they were coming. He unlocked all his instincts, all the animalistic senses he possessed, blurring the line between his human self and his chimera self and utilizing everything the Dread Doctors had done to him, using all the enhancements they’d put into him.

The distant sound of a car engine headed in their direction caught his attention and his eyes flew open.

“There’s a car headed in this direction,” he said suddenly, causing Melissa, Stiles and Mason to stop whatever it was they were talking about and automatically duck out of sight, Corey moved to the table to sit beside Lydia, circling his arms around her shoulders while Stiles scrambled over to the small window to peek out at whoever was approaching.

His exhale of relief was a good sign. “It’s Scott and Malia,” he said before he pushed away from the window to go meet them at the door. Theo could sense the relief rolling off him in waves.

Melissa’s own relief was apparent and she almost cried.

Scott had one foot inside the door, his hand still on the handle and his voice worriedly calling out for his mom the moment he entered. When he saw Melissa, his smile just washed away all the apprehension that had been on taut in his shoulders before he rushed over to her, circling his arms around her and pulling her into a firm embrace. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he said. “I was so worried.”

Even from the distance, Theo could smell the sweat and grime and blood that wafted off of Scott and Malia who’d just stumbled in through the door. It was obvious the people hadn’t just come for Melissa; they had come for Scott as well.

“It’s all thanks to Theo actually,” Melissa said when she pulled away. “They had me, and if Theo hadn’t showed up… I don’t know what would have happened.”

Scott’s smile dropped at her words and his eyes went immediately to Theo standing in the back in the shadow of the corner. Theo didn’t know how he was going to react, and the look he gave him was completely unreadable. But without word, Scott immediately marched over to where he was standing, grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into a firm hug. Pounding him on the back in what Theo thought was a thankful manner.

“Thank you,” he said into his ear, his voice almost cracking with emotion. “I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for what you did.”

“It’s… uh… it’s fine, Scott, really,” he said, patting Scott on the back hesitantly, not really knowing how to react.

“No, it’s more than just fine, Theo,” he said. “It’s my mom.”

“This is all very touching,” interrupted Stiles, “Truly, but can we continue this when—oh, I don’t know, when there aren’t a bunch of psycho people trying to kidnap and murder our family and friends, hmm?” Stiles hmm’d pointedly; his arms stretched out to make a point. “How ‘bout it guys?”

“Stiles is right,” Melissa said, to which Stiles’s scoff of, “As usual,” could be heard being muttered in the background.

They made their way to the dinner table, gathering around it without taking seat as Stiles retreated to the kitchen to check on Lydia who was still lost in whatever trance she was in.

“What happened to you guys?” he found himself asking.

Scott turned his eyes to him and shared a look at Malia who was keeping watch by the window beside the door. “A group of them came after us. Maybe…seven or eight, dressed in black and camouflage with weapons. None of them smelled familiar but they were definitely human.”

By this time Stiles had walked back into the room, just in time to hear the last part of Scott’s comment. “So it was the two of your against an army?”

Scott exhaled once and shared a look with the still strangely silent Malia. “Not really. They literally came out of the trees, and we definitely would have been brought down if it wasn’t for—” he looked around confusedly when he was about to finish his sentence, obviously not finding whatever it was he was looking for before he rolled his eyes and said aloud to no one in particular. “Are you waiting to make a grand entrance?”

There was silence for beat as everyone looked around at each other trying to make sense of Scott’s words. Theo allowed himself to blend back into the background, just being a spectator in watching everything unfold. He felt so out of place in that moment, more so because Liam wasn’t there.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Stiles said, disgruntled. “Or rather, who are you talking to? There’s no one else in—”

Suddenly there was male voice coming from somewhere behind the front door that Theo didn’t recognize. “I came all the way back here for you, you bet I’m going to make a fucking entrance,” it said, and the tone was casual enough conversing with Scott that Theo was sure it was someone he knew.

Stiles’s seemed to figure it out at the same time he did and if his groan and massive eye roll was any indication, the newcomer definitely had some sort of history with Scott and Stiles.

Scott chuckled through it though. “Guys,” he announced, turning half around to motion to the front door just as it swung open and a tall, curly haired guy strutted in. Theo looked around at the rest of the faces in the room; Melissa beamed, Stiles rolled his eyes but Mason and Corey both looked just as confused as he was. “Meet Isaac,” Scott said. “Isaac Lahey.”

Tbc.

Did I mention that this story has evolved from being my whump fantasy into being my fantasy headcanon come true for the show? Well it has, and hopefully it’s the same for you guys too.

[sourwolf-hobrien]

The Adventures of FBI Stiles - Part One

Stiles wants to thank Rafe a thousand times over and he wants to throw him in the nearest pit of hell for all the shit he's had to put up with since he was offered the ability to work with the FBI. Sure, he was used to skirting the law, hell it felt weird when he WASN'T. But this was the FBI for fuck's sake. And okay, there were a lot of people involved in the application process, and things easily could be lost or messed up, but on the chance that he got found out, Stiles could go to prison. Guantanamo Bay at this point, for all the things he'd seen on FBI time.

Not to mention all the people that he'd come in contact since he got his official FBI badge. Would he drag every one of them down with him too?

Okay, okay. So maybe he could convince the big guys in charge that it was all on Rafe for this? He was the one who said he could help Stiles in to the FBI. He never said it would involve ILLEGALLY entering the agency without the usual four years of college, the strenuous background check, and security clearance.  

Well, the security clearance was a work in progress. Even just the basic clearance takes about 60 days and he'd only just been in DC for a month. He may have been given the account info of his superior so he can access the more top-secret databases. (Top Secret clearance can take up to 9 months, and there were important baddies Stiles had to help catch. Legal channel could wait, apparently.)  

For the background check, god, the favors Rafe must have had to use to interview Stiles' neighbors and practically everyone in Beacon Hills about him, and NOT make him sound like a psychopath or serial killer … The FBI personnel file on Mieczyslaw "Stiles" Stilinski was wrapped in blackmail, secrets, lies, and NDAs of all involved so that Stiles looked as wonderful and sought-after as possible.  

On paper, he was the well-behaved son of the Beacon Hill's sheriff. Glowing school record; salutatorian, right below Lydia Martin, of course; edited compliments from Finstock (the original of which Stiles found and vowed to frame in the future). Every interview of neighbors and acquaintances (especially nosy Mrs. Carson) were nice and normal. Comments from the staff at Sarah's Café was void of any mention of supernatural events or odd mentions of him having bruises constantly and blood always showing up on his clothes when he'd show up at their diner at ridiculous hours of the night. He looked so stellar, Stiles didn't know if anyone would believe he was the same person as his file.

*     *     *     *     *

By the time Stiles was leaving Beacon Hills after the Ghost Riders disaster, Rafe had already begun processing Stiles' FBI application. (He still thought about finding someone to complain to and demand recompense for his pain from that nightmare)

Sometimes Stiles had to stop asking questions, because the whole goddamn town was a disappearing act for three months before he left. That almost definitely meant that Rafe had people working on him getting in to the FBI for a while.  

Thankfully Scott's dad had realised that there were things that went bump in the night and the rag-tag group of teenagers and Derek were actually trying to fight off those creatures.  So it was only slightly surprising that Stiles was offered to work with agents on the more supernatural cases. Stiles may have tried to ask about the X Files division a bit to enthusiastically as soon as Rafe told him the news.  

It was actually quite a quick thing, because one minute Team Good Guys finally defeated the Big Bad of the Month (the semester, really at this point), and the next Stiles was told there was a spot at the FBI waiting for him if he wanted it. It was really only after Stiles was packing up the most helpful magic books and clothes that weren't flannel and screen tees, did Rafe decide to mention that bringing Stiles on as an agent involved all kinds of illegal actions. Yet, because of unexplainable and gruesome crimes reaching dangerous levels and Stiles' extensive experience, the people in charge of "It's Not the X Files, Stiles" Totally the X Files were willing to do whatever it took so Stiles could work for them.

*     *     *     *     *

After a decent flight and barely a second of reprieve in the almost swanky hotel room, all paid for by the lovely people at the FBI, thank all the deities that shine upon him, Stiles had to report to some random business building to meet the people in charge of his fate.

He had another X Files joke on the tip of his tongue the moment he entered the right room, but was instead intimidated in to sitting down in the nearest chair by the angriest, buffest guy in a suit he'd ever seen.  Perhaps he had a history in the military, maybe a bodybuilder. Definite possibility of both.

"I have been fully briefed on you Mr. Stilinski," the man glowered at him. Well, that was DEFINITELY not a good sign. Stiles' eyes went comically wide in concern and slight fear.  

"Yes, I do mean fully." The man showed no signs of letting Stiles speak any time soon. "Agent McCall has used resources in extreme measures to help get you here, and my people speak very highly of you. I have seen what you can do." Stiles began to open his mouth to respond, but the man didn't allow him. "My people have our ways. As soon as Agent McCall found our office and informed us that all unexplained events had not only been explained but handled by you and your friends, we began doing what we could to keep an eye on you. You aren't the easiest group to keep track of."

Despite the importance of the situation, Stiles was already getting distracted by his surroundings, specifically the stacks and stacks of papers covering the handful of tables that filled the room. It was a pavlovian response of sorts; whenever his father had case files strewn across the dining room table, he did whatever it took to get as much info as he could when his dad wasn't looking. So being surrounded by manila folders, envelopes, and the occasional photo peeking out of the papers, they were all just calling his name to be looked at.  

He had started running his hands across the papers the moment he sat down, but he was about to reach for one of the files, when he thought better of it. "Can I..." he thought twice about waving a folder in the guy's face. "If these are above my clearance, this is severe cruelty to my curiosity," Stiles flailed his arms in the general direction of the mountains of paper.  

"Technically everything you do and see here will be above your security clearance." The man looked both smug and severe at this, which only made Stiles want to mentally swear louder. "The legal aspects of your work will be handled by me and the rest of the team. You will be officially documented as an intern with us, but will act with the capacity of a fully-fledged agent."  

Stiles spluttered in surprise. "You actually trust me with that much power? Didn't you just say you were fully briefed about me?"

"With the amount of cases and depth of research you will have to go through to solve them, you'll want all the resources available to you."

"Hey Giles!" A voice started from the hallway, getting closer to the room. "You even tell the kid what our division is, or are were you planning on shrouding us in a shadow mystery for a few more hours?" Someone with frazzled hair poked their head in to the doorway, eyes quickly narrowing in mock annoyance at Giles (if that actually turned out to be his name, Stiles might have to rethink his life choices. And maybe sharpen a stake or two.) "You know we got a shit ton of cases to solve by the Winter Solstice so if you could hurry this up, that'd be great." The door quickly opened the rest of the way, and they more or less swooshed in to the room, now clearly panting. And maybe smoking a bit? Yep, there were definitely singe marks and wisps of smoke throughout their clothes.

They quickly walked over to Stiles and patted his shoulder. "Actually no, scratch that. There's a dragon manifesting itself in the relics library and the ghost of Hannibal haunting my ass, so I'm gonna steal our illegally acquired prodigy here and get to work on saving the day. You know where the timer is, I'm trying to beat my personal best of the week." Trying to keep track of what was happening, Stiles hadn't realized he was being whisked away by the crazy scientist type agent.  

Halfway out the door, as his brain restarted, Stiles halted. "Wait, what are you timing? Are we saving the day or working on your lap time?"  

Scientist Agent smiled so brightly as they answered. "I'm trying to beat my personal best. Current winner is when I stopped the rise of zombie Hitler, a coven of witches planning on killing all readheads – no really, they were close, I was a bit slow on that one, and solved an argument between two different culture's angels of death. In between breakfast and lunch."

God, okay. What kind of lives do these agents have? "That must have been quite the morning," Stiles eyes couldn't get wide enough. Maybe he could pick the team's brains for their adventures and knowledge on different creatures. Good thing he had a copy of the bestiary encrypted and hidden in his suitcase. If he could just ask a few questions about the crazier days, he'd probably put the whole Hale library to shame, he'd have to find a larger file system to hold it all, he could...

"What? No. Just a slightly shorter morning. That was just last week. And I've been trying to get as fast as the rest of the team. I'm one of the slower ones when it comes to saving the day. That's why I've got the timer."

Shit. What kind of abilities did Rafe think Stiles had? They know he's human, right? And this division of supernatural crime fighters expected him to what, be able to do what they couldn't do?  

The smell of smoke was getting stronger, and yep, he just heard a lion sized roar blended with the sound of paper rippling.  

"You know how to calm down book dragons, right? This one's in a rarer dialect of Arthurian Welsh, and whatever monk copied this did a really bad job. But it shouldn't take too long. God, you're lucky today's apocalypse is so easy."

Oh fuck.

(A/N): Sorry for the late posting, had some terrible car troubles. I should have this up on AO3 soon. Check back for new updates on this as 6B continues 

info on this story HERE