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mirrorballmika · 2 years ago

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come what may (ao3)

bose/mika, post s2 finale, 3.5k

first df fic!! I haven't watched DF fully, so if I got something major wrong, I’m sorry

Her bedroom doesn't feel right.

Her dad tore it apart when they got home. Her mom did the same to Miles' room, combing it for anything Danger Force-related. It didn't matter how much they protested, how Miles insisted it violated their personal freedoms. All they cared about was that they had lied to them. So her dad went through every nook and cranny of her room, picking away ShoutOut piece by piece.

The gumballs in her drawer. The spare mask beneath her mattress. Her old logoless uniform hidden in her closet. He doesn’t ask why she kept it. They don’t want to hear anything about Danger Force. They made that clear downstairs when she and Miles begged and pleaded to let them stay.

Her dad even found her journals hidden beneath her floorboards. Three of them now, containing the complete story of ShoutOut. Every mistake is recorded there, telling her how to be better. Every lesson she learned is there; how to throw a punch and land a roundhouse kick. She made a guide on how to best patch herself if something goes sideways. A profile on all the weapons ranked according to her confidence with them. She’s recorded every villain she fought thus far and their known weak spots. Her entire superhero career is in those books.

If they don’t want her in Danger Force now, they really won’t when they read those.

That was half an hour ago. She lies flat on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. With all connections to ShoutOut gone, the colours on her once-vibrant walls feel faded and washed. The four walls that once denoted her safe space now feel like barbed wire around a fence. What’s more, she feels empty, incomplete. As if her dad took a limb or an organ when he left along with her things.

She clenches her jaw and presses the heels of her hands into her eyes. If she presses hard enough, maybe she’ll wake up, and this was all a bizarre dream. It’s what she used to do when she was really little and wanted something to stop. It never worked, obviously, and she should be too old for silly tricks like that. But the other option is allowing it to be real. So she pushes until colours explode behind her eyelids and until her head hurts, hoping that somehow there’s a way out of this.

A sharp tap on her window jerks her out of it. She sits up, blinking her vision back into focus. Her power unfurls at the back of her throat on instinct, building like a car engine. She crosses the short distance from her bed to the window and steadies her trembling hand as she grabs the curtain. She doesn’t think about how someone might have found her so quickly, only that she’ll scream them out of the freaking sky for trying her here.

She yanks back the curtain, ready to scream. But the face on the other side stops her in her tracks, and her powers fade like an abandoned campfire.

“Bose!”

Her parents thankfully haven’t thought to put lock her window (yet), so she hastily pulls the frame up and steps back. He pulls himself through like he’s done so many times, his landing only slightly unsteady. His bright eyes are tinged with red; his eyelashes are spiked with fresh tears. His chest heaves, his cheeks flushed, and she realises he must have run at least some of the distance from his house to here. His hoodie is tied around his waist, his hair wild and windswept around his shoulders, and she looks him up and down again because he’s really here.

“Hi,” he says casually, as if the rest of today didn't happen.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, only to decide it doesn’t matter. She launches at him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. His shirt is slightly damp, confirming her theory that he ran here, his heartbeat quick against her chest. He doesn’t hesitate in hugging her back, his arms tight around her waist. She buries her head in his shoulder, revelling in the safety his presence always brings her. She squeezes him as tight as she possibly can because he’s here, and he’s real, and he’s beside her.

There’s something beautiful in the way Bose O’Brien hugs; so open and honest that it brings sanity to her frenzied mind. She’s glad to see that’s not changed.

“I was worried I wasn’t going to see you again,” she confesses into his shoulder.

“Me too,” he replies. He tightens his hold on her until she’s pressed flat against him. Maybe if they hold each other tight enough, they can hold the pieces of Danger Force together between them.

Minutes pass before they finally break apart. She leads him over to her bed, and they sit down, her cross-legged, him with one leg tucked beneath the other. Their knees touch, their hands brushing together on the covers.

“How are you holding up?” he asks. “How’s Miles?”

“Miles is…” Her voice trails off into a heavy sigh. She wishes she could say that Miles is Miles, keeping calm, waiting for a solution to present himself. She doesn’t want to talk about the defeat she saw in her brother’s eyes, the slump of his shoulders, and the horror she felt, realising the perpetual optimism she secretly envies has finally been defeated. Telling him about the soft cries she heard on the other side of Miles’ door feels unfair to him too. So avoids Bose’s eyes and says, “He quoted the Constitution at our parents and said they were violating our inalienable rights to freedom of movement and association.”

Bose chuckles warmly, although Mika strongly suspects this is the first time he’s heard about the Constitution.

“Sounds like Miles,” he says softly. “But I’m guessing it didn’t work.” His lips press into a thin line, and he runs his hand through his hair as he looks at her, brown eyes wide and impossibly soft. “And… what about you?”

She bites her tongue. She could tell him she can’t remember ever feeling as bad as this. Her one purpose in life is gone, and she doesn’t know what she’s meant to do now. She misses him and Chapa. She feels like she let them down and that the blame for all of this sits like a rock on her chest, and she can’t breathe without thinking about it. About how her inadequacy has threatened to swallow her whole since the minute that tape came off her mouth.

She could tell him; part of her wants to, but she doesn’t. Because if she does, it’s all real, and she won’t stop once she starts. So she presses her nail into her palm, swallows the lump in her throat and gives him a simple, “I hate this”.

Bose nods and pulls her into another hug. His hand rubs up and down her back, and she deflates against him, her hands curling into his shirt. She might not have said anything, but the thing about her and Bose is that she doesn’t really need to. He knows her too well by now. It’s equal parts reassuring and terrifying.

“What about you?” she asks. She lifts her head from his shoulder. “I mean… first off, how did you even get here? My parents turned our house into freaking Guantanamo Bay. I’d thought yours would do the same.”

“Oh, is Guantanamo Bay that video game Henry told us about?” he asks. “I’ve been meaning to check it out.”

“Honey…”

“Sorry,” he says sheepishly. She rolls her eyes fondly. The smile on her face feels both good and alien. Stupid as it sounds, she was worried she wouldn’t smile again after tonight.

“My mom is pretty mad at me,” Bose tells her. He looks down at his hands, fingers pulling and picking at his nails. “I tried to explain everything to her, but she wouldn’t listen to me. It got… it got pretty bad. She said some stuff, and then I said some stuff that she really didn’t like.” His jaw clenches, hurt flashing in his eyes. “Then she sent me to my room.” His hand curls into a fist, his shoulders tensing. Anger doesn’t look right on his face. His face was made for giggles, smiles, and dimples and seeing him like this hurts her in ways she can’t explain. “I snuck out through the side entrance, though. She doesn’t know about it.”

“I thought she found that entrance during that thing with the cat.”

“Other side entrance,” he says. “I didn’t even know about it until two weeks ago. It’s still good for sneaking in and out. Probably better than the other one. I’ve snuck out twice, and they didn’t even notice.” He lets out a heavy sigh, eyes closed for a second. Mika wonders what images are playing out in his mind. Going by the look on his face, they’re not good, and she grasps his hand. He gives her a grateful smile as she rubs her thumb across his knuckles, squeezing her hand back.

They sit silently for a few minutes, hands clasped and heads touching. Bose’s free hand curls and uncurls on his knee, his jaw clenching. Mika just tries not to let her self-pity drown her, but the look of absolute hopelessness on her best friend’s face doesn’t do much to stop her.

It shouldn’t be about her, yet she can’t look at him without feeling like she did this.

“She hasn’t told my stepdad yet,” he says weakly. “At least, she hadn’t when I left. I don’t even know how he’ll react.” He smiles bitterly, an expression so unlike Bose it almost makes her heart stop. “I don’t think he’ll be too happy to find out his favourite superhero was his dumb stepson.”

“Bose…” she whispers softly. Her hand travels to his shoulder, rubbing in circles against his shirt.

“She said she might call my real dad and tell him, though.” He shrugs, picking at the cotton on her bedsheets. “So I guess there’s that.”

“Oh honey,” she sighs. The nickname rolls off her tongue, as natural as his own. He sighs and lets his free hand slide over to hers. His fingers run over her knuckles, the feather-light touch a stunning contrast to his heaviness slumping his shoulders.

“Can I ask you something?” She blinks his response kind of unexpected given the circumstances.

“Uh, sure.” He slides off her bed and stands up, pulling at the hoodie around his waist. He bounces on the balls of his feet, radiating so much anxiety that Mika stands too, arms folded over her chest and her steps tentative towards him. “Everything okay?”

“Uh… yeah.” He wets his lips quickly, tossing the hoodie sleeve between his hands. “I just wanted to ask, um… when you told your mom we were kissing-”

Her eyes nearly bulge out of her head. She didn’t know where that question was heading, but it wasn’t there. That moment honestly seems like a lifetime ago.

“Yeah?” She takes a deep breath and prepares herself to remind him that they weren’t really kissing.

“When you told her we were kissing, but it was a lie, obviously,” he continues. He laughs a little, trying to combat the nervousness that hums in the air like electricity. She nods slowly, and he runs his hand through his hair. She sees him wet his lips slightly. “But… what if we really had been kissing? What would you have done? Would-would that mean anything?”

The words take a bit to register with her. Partially because of how they’re worded, because it’s Bose, and words sometimes are different for him than they are for everyone else. But then she realises, and the next few seconds are dedicated to her absorbing their weight. All the while, Bose looks at her, his hands still fidgeting with that hoodie sleeve.

She’s an intelligent girl. It’s what people know her as. So she’s not in the business of lying to herself just to make her life easier. She won’t pretend she doesn’t know why her mind immediately jumped to kissing Bose. Or why her heart picks up whenever he brushes past her. Or why his smile often leaves her breathless and his embrace feels like home. Why he’s sometimes the first thing on her mind when she wakes up, and why she always sees his face when she listens to those stupid love songs.

So yeah. She likes him. Yes, in that way.

But he doesn’t like her in that way. She knows that because she knows Bose, and because she saw him with Glerp. She watched him go on his thousand dates. She knows how he acts around girls he likes, and it’s not how he acts around her. She won’t kid herself into thinking he does. Because she’s smarter than that and because it hurts less this way.

She’s also smart enough to know how awkward it would become if he knew she liked him. And she cherishes this friendship more than anything in the world. So she paints on a gentle smile, straightens her spine, and meets his anxious gaze.

“Bunny,” she says softly. “It was just a lie to throw off my mom. It didn’t help in the long run, but… that’s all it was. Pretend.” She pats his shoulder and hopes her smile is enough to hide the pain. “Don’t worry, we’re not actually going to start kissing.”

“Oh. We’re-we’re not?” He frowns, his face falling, and Mika’s hand freezes. She knows she recognises the disappointment creasing his features and the sadness in his puppy-dog eyes, but her brain tells her it’s impossible. Realisation creeps up on her, slowly, until it threatens to engulf her entirely.

“W-why?” Her mouth is impossibly dry, her voice cracking on a single word. She clears her throat, but it does little good. “Why would you ask that?”

Bose takes a deep breath, his shoulders rising beneath her hand. Her hand moves of its own accord, travelling down to wrap around his wrist. Their thumbs brush, his hand turning against hers. She doesn’t know if the quickened pulse she feels is hers or is.

“Because… I like you, Mika.” He looks down, a pink blush across his cheeks. “Like, I like you like you.”

For a second, there’s nothing, just the two of them and the words hanging in the air between them. He waits, his eyes searching hers before he steps away from her, his hand slipping out of her grip. He spoke the words so quietly and carefully as if he was afraid they’d break something, but they echo around her head and plaster themselves on the walls.

I like you, Mika.

She prides herself on her way with words, but all she can do here is a simple “What?”. He stands at her window seat, pulling on his hoodie. She hadn’t even noticed that it had started raining outside.

“I like you,” he says again. He runs his hand through his hair, and flashes her a smile she almost believes. “But you don’t like me back and that's cool. It’s fine. We can still be friends; I am so okay with still being friends-”

“Bose.”

“Maybe Schwoz can build another memory wiper. Or Ray can talk to our parents. I’m not sure if I want him around my mom, but my stepdad, sure-”

“Bose.”

“And if you don’t want to be friends, that’s fine too. We can just… You know… be in Danger Force. And I promise I won’t bring it up-”

“Bose!” She ended up in front of him, her chin tilted up to look him in the eyes. Bose’s ramblings die on his lips.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “I didn’t mean to make things weird.”

“It’s okay.” He goes to say more, but something stops him. She stares up at him, a million thoughts racing in her head. She filters through them and narrows everything down to three common threads. Number one, she’s liked Bose for god knows how long. Number two, she convinced herself Bose didn’t like her back. Number three, she was clearly wrong because he just said he likes her.

And he’s here, standing in front of her.

This might be the closest she’s ever been to him; their breaths mingling, the overhead light dancing in his eyes. His hand cups her cheek, his thumb brushing beneath her eye. Her hands are shaking, but she hooks her fingers around his belt loops. She pauses for half a second, wondering if this is really happening, then pushes herself up on her toes.

In all the time she’s liked him, she’s never once wondered what kissing Bose would feel like. She'd thought there was no point in wondering about something that won’t ever happen. Well, she was wrong about that, and now she knows what it’s like. Bose’s lips are soft, and he wraps his arm around her waist. His kiss is careful but also playful, and that infectious happiness she loves radiates through his touch. She grins against his mouth, her hand tangled in his hair. He kisses her in a way that makes her toes curl, her heart flutter, and a giggle sticks in the back of her throat. His kiss makes her feel all the things she usually associates with; safe and reliable and more at home than she feels here, in her own bedroom. He kisses her in a way that doesn’t make her forget what just happened or make it unimportant, but puts it all in a box and puts it to one side.

“Mika-” They break apart just as the door clicks open. Her mom steps into the room, whatever she is about to say dying on her lips. Her eyes nearly bulge out of her head when she sees Bose. Specifically when she sees Bose’s hands on her daughter’s waist. Bose lets her go and stumbles back, pulling his hoodie further down his body. Mrs Macklin folds her arms and looks him up and down, her demeanour more than making up for her initial shock.

“I think you’d better go home, young man,” her mom says.

“Yeah. Of course. Uh… good night Mrs Macklin.” His show of politeness doesn’t impress her. He turns to Mika instead, pulling his sleeves over his hand. “I’ll… see you later, Mika?”

Mika nods. It’s not a definite answer. But she’s not giving up on Danger Force, and certainly not on him. She hugs him again, not caring if her mom is right there. She hugs him because she needs it and in case this is the last she sees of him for a while. She lets it linger for as long as she can, and Mika feels overwhelmingly hollow when he lets go.

He climbs up on the window seat, giving her mom her third heart attack of the day.

“Through the front door!” she snaps. Bose winces and slides back down. He gives two little thumbs up and, despite everything, Mika hides her grin behind her hand. “Of course. That’s how people get in and out of houses.”

“Wait in the kitchen,” her mom says. “I’ll get my husband to drive you home. Do your parents know you’re here?”

“No.” Her mom exhales and rubs her forehead. Mika winces and looks at the floor, hands pressed behind her back. She knows a stress headache when she sees one.

“Well, we’ll all have to have a serious conversation about this. Chapa’s parents too.” She opens the door further, a signal even Bose can pick up on.

Mika looks up and catches his eyes one last time. She tries to smile at him, and it’s helped when he grins over at her. Butterflies dance in her stomach, and she doesn’t hate it, at least this time.

Bose waves at her before disappearing through the door, his footsteps growing quieter on the stairs. She hopes Miles is down there and runs into him too.

Mika bites her lip, her mom still hanging in the doorway.

“So you weren’t lying about the kissing thing?”

“Technically… yes, I was,” she confesses. She sighs, her shoulders deflating in time with her mom’s. “It’s complicated.”

“I’ll say.” She doesn’t close the door on the way out, but Mika denies the invitation. Downstairs feels even more difficult than her bedroom, and she doesn't want to say goodbye to Bose for the third time.

Instead, she sinks onto her bed and closes her eyes. Having your world turned upside down twice in one day tends to make a girl dizzy. She’s not opposed to change, but adjusting will take some time. From part-time superhero to full-time nobody. From silently crushing on her best friend to kissing him in her bedroom. It’s a lot, and it pulls her in two different directions.

One tears her apart. And the other, despite everything, makes her feel like she’s still together.

#danger force #bomika #bose x mika #mika macklin #bose o'brien #dangerverse #bosemika

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feralthoughtdump · 4 years ago

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Arsonist’s Lullaby

Part One: Kiss With A Fist

Part Two: Only Angel

Bucky and his Angel’s relationship grow closer.

Word Count: 6.8K

CW: violence, Bucky and his nightmares, John Walker being an ass, a little bit of fluff, smut, brief shower sex, Bucky steps on the reader with his boots, spitting, choking, spanking, Bucky using his metal arm, crying, FATWS ep. 3&4 spoilers

The cold air of the cargo container was strange, given that they were in a southeast Asian island. It sent a chill down Angel’s spine. Like something would go very wrong. They survey the empty space, searching for Nagel.

Sharon was certain Nagel was here, but there was no sight of him.

But Angel could hear the slight vibrations of music coming from… somewhere.

She approaches the back of the container and feels around the rough metal wall.

“Hey, I think he may be in here.” She beckons them over.

Pressing a gloved hand onto the metal, she pushed, revealing a small laboratory in front of them.

“You three go ahead.” She mutters. “I’ll keep an eye out with Sharon.”

Before they can say anything, she strides out of the container.

“You don’t need to worry about them.” Sharon crosses her arms as the door closes. “I know them well. They can hold their own.”

“Oh, I know.” Angel chuckles.

“Bucky likes to call you Angel, huh. Seems like you two bonded pretty quickly.”

She gives Sharon a humored look as they stroll around the dock.

“I thought psychopaths couldn’t form bonds.”

“You know I didn’t mean it.”

Their eyes dart all over the place, looking for any oncoming bounty hunters.

“How’d you get my photo anyways?”

“Heavy analysis of CCTV footage, a few phone calls, and a lot of digging. The photo was shit quality, but it was enough for me to go off of.”

“Was it enough to catch me?”

“I guess so. Then Zemo blew up the UN so we tabled the case.”

“Interesting. Maybe that UN bombing was a blessing in disguise. Saved me a life sentence in a high-security prison.”

They turned a corner.

“You wouldn’t have gone to jail. MI6 would’ve given you a job instead.”

“Hmph. I’d rather die than be a servant.”

From the corner of her eye, Angel spots a passing black shadow.

“Guys,” she presses a finger onto her earpiece. “Someone’s here.”

A gunshot rings out from the container and the hairs on the back of her neck stand. Sharon gives her a knowing look and they turn the safety off of their guns.

“Here.” Angel whispers, handing Sharon a knife. “It’ll come in handy.”

Three bounty hunters transverse on them and they open fire, taking them down one by one.

“We don’t have much time, hurry up!” Sharon yells into the earpiece.

A bounty hunter wraps their arms around Angel and she grabs a knife, jamming it into their arm.

Adrenaline floods her system, dialing her senses up to ten. A swift roundhouse kick sends another hunter tumbling to the ground.

From behind her, she hears Sam and Bucky yelling and she runs towards them.

“It’s in every action movie!” She hears Sam yell.

If her life wasn’t on the line, she would’ve laughed.

“You okay?” She pants.

“No! We’re not!” Sam yells. “Zemo shot Nagel!”

“What? Where is he?”

Her question was answered when a container set fire and exploded. She spots Zemo standing atop another, donning a purple mask. Before she can point him out, he sprints away.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Gunshots ring from her right and Bucky wraps a protective arm around her. In her peripheral she sees a bounty hunter riding towards her on a motorcycle, guns blazing. She quickly wriggles out of Bucky’s grasp and sends a knife into the tire, throwing the hunter off of the vehicle and into the fire.

“Good aim.” He says, mouth agape in surprise.

“You just threw that dude into a fire!” Sam exclaims.

“Yeah, well, he was going to kill us.”

They continue to run through the maze of crates, turning corner after corner, dodging bullet after bullet.

As much as he hates to admit it, the sight of Angel in action, when her violence wasn’t directed towards him, sends a rush through his system.

Zemo speeds towards them in a convertible, signaling them to get in. Sam jumps in the passenger seat while Bucky and Angel sit in the back.

Her pupils are blown wide and Bucky swears he can feel the electricity radiating off of her. Without stopping to calm down, he grabs her face in his hand and presses a passionate kiss on her lips.

His heart skips a beat when she kisses him back, and in the corner of his eye, he spots Sharon giving either him or Angel, a thumbs up.

…

Bucky makes it a habit to call her Angel all the time. He likes the way it slips off his tongue. He likes the way her eyes seem to glimmer when he calls her that. It’s as if the more he calls her Angel, she seems to glow more and more.

He calls her Angel when they board the jet on the way to Latvia.

He calls her Angel when she sits down to change the gauze on her thigh.

He calls her Angel when they get to the Riga safe house.

The more time he spends with her, the more he notices the little things about her. He notices how her tongue sticks out a little when she does her eye makeup.

He notices how her head would bop along to music in her earbuds

He notices how she’ll curl up on the couch, tucking her knees close to her body, while she sketches.

He notices how she’ll mutter curses in different languages. Mandarin, French, Russian, Spanish just to name a few.

He notices how she took off her jewelry when she showers with the exception of a gold chain. A gold chain with a dangling pendant. A pendant of a little angel.

He notices how she uses apple cinnamon body wash. It made her smell warm. It made her smell like home.

She gets along with Sam. Even Zemo.

She talks about philosophy with Zemo and when she converses with Sam, they talk about music.

She’s a force to be reckoned with. Fiery. Just like Selby had said. A firebird.

And despite her cool, hardened front, there was a gentleness to her.

The jet had touched down in Latvia late and night and they collectively decided to get a good night’s rest before finding Karli.

He had woken up from a nightmare. Reliving the memory of killing Yori’s son.

He didn’t know what compelled him to do it, but he padded over to Angel, reading Anna Karenina. Glasses perched on her nose, hair loose and resting past her shoulders.

She looks up at him.

“Nightmare?”

Bucky nods, tears pricking are his eyes.

She places the book on the floor and stretches out on the couch.

“Come here.” She whispers arms open wider

She let him lay his head on her chest, nose pressed against her sternum. With gentle hands, she runs her fingers through his hair, slowing his rapid heartbeat.

The serum had made his hearing sharper and from his position between her breasts, he could hear the soft thumping of her heart. It calmed him.

“Can you sing to me?” He mumbles.

The hand playing with his hair stops.

“Sing to you?” She asks.

“Mhm.”

“I-“ she pauses “I don’t really-“

“Please.” He begs.

She’s quiet, just calmly stroking his hair, then she sighs.

“What do you want me to sing?”

“Anything. Just… please, I want you to sing for me.”

She ponders for a moment before she parts her lips, voice shaky and quiet.

When I was a child, I heard voices

Some would sing and some would scream

You soon find you have few choices

I learned the voices died with me

He closes his eyes and noses at her sternum.

When I was a child, I'd sit for hours

Staring into open flame

Something in it had a power

Could barely tear my eyes away

The song is unfamiliar. He didn’t listen to music all that much anymore. And even when he listens to music, it was mostly from the 40s.

All you have is your fire

And the place you need to reach

Don't you ever tame your demons

But always keep 'em on a leash

Her voice, still soft and quiet, is haunting. The way it wraps around the lyrics, warms his heart. He breathes in the smell of her apple cinnamon body wash.

When I was 16, my senses fooled me

Thought gasoline was on my clothes

I knew that something would always rule me

I knew the scent was mine alone

He loves the way he can feel her chest move up and down. The way her voice sounds so rich with his ear pressed against her chest, the music echoing within her ribs.

All you have is your fire

And the place you need to reach

Don't you ever tame your demons

But always keep 'em on a leash

He reaches his hand to play with the angel pendant on her necklace. Finger running over the grooves.

When I was a man I thought it ended

When I knew love's perfect ache

But my peace has always depended

On all the ashes in my wake

As he drifts off to sleep, he can hear the last lines of the song lingering on her lips. The images from war. The torture he endured, the people he’s killed, the amends he has yet to make, all temporarily fade from his mind.

All you have is your fire

And the place you need to reach

Don't you ever tame your demons

But always keep 'em on a leash

And for the first time since Steve left, Bucky was able to sleep without disturbance.

…

“You have a lovely voice.”

Angel was pulled from her sleep when she hears Zemo’s voice.

She glares at him and places a finger on her lips, shushing him. Bucky was still lying on top of her, still asleep and she didn’t want to wake him.

“My apologies.” He smiles.

“Were you watching us last night?” She interrogates quietly.

“No, but I do have a keen sense of hearing. I heard you singing to James.”

She turns her head to meet his eyes.

“He had a nightmare. It was the least I could do for him.”

“Understandable.” He nods. “My son used to have nightmares and my wife’s voice was the only thing that could put him to sleep.”

“I’m sorry.” She mumbles sympathetically. “About your family, I mean. I know you lost them a while ago.”

Her hand combs through Bucky’s hair.

“I understand how vengeance and anger overtook you. You needed your revenge. But don’t hurt him.”

“Hurt who? James?”

“Yes.” Her voice darkens. “If you lay a finger on him, I won’t hesitate to bury you.”

Zemo sighs.

“I have no intention of harming him. I see the way you look at him. It’s the same look I used to give my wife. You care for him dearly and given your line of work, I know you’d do anything to avenge the people who harm the ones you love.” He walks towards her and offers her a cookie. Angel takes it with a wary hand.

“You’ve got anything else you want to say?”

“I do have a question about that song. I knew that something would always rule me.” He quotes. “Was that about yourself, or James?”

She narrows her eyes.

“It was just a song.”

“Yet it implies that something will always have power, control, over the songwriter.” He tilts his head.

“What are you implying, Baron?”

“It’s not an implication. It’s an observation. You two share a common trait. For James, it’s his past. His time as the Winter Soldier looms over him. As for you, you seem to have this, how do I say it, a compulsion to kill. It will always stick to you.”

“Baron, I suggest you pick your next words very carefully.”

Bucky stirs and she lifts her hand from his head.

“Mmm. Good morning.” He mumbles, voice rough and heavy.

“Good morning to you too sleepyhead.” She coos, rubbing his cheek with her thumb. “Did you sleep well?”

“Mhm.” He hums.

She gives Zemo a look that says ‘get out.’

Zemo gives her a smirk and walks away, leaving the two of them alone.

Bucky opens his eyes and Angel can feel her heart melt. He balances himself on his arm to press a kiss to her nose.

“You look cute with bed head.” He chuckles. “So pretty. I could just eat you up.”

“You look quite pretty when you sleep.” She giggles and rubs her nose against his.

He places his head back on her chest and they lie there for a while, listening to the sounds of the city.

Finally, she sighs.

“Alright, Bucky, I’m gonna go take a shower.”

He whines and wraps his arms around her.

“No, stay.”

“Bucky,” she says sternly, “I have to wash my hair, let go.”

With a huff, he sits up and lets her get off of the couch. As she stands she turns around spotting Bucky, arms crossed and a pout on his face.

“I never said you couldn’t join.”

Bucky jumps up and runs to her. He places his hands on her waist and turns her around, pressing a kiss to her lips. She links her fingers with his and he follows behind her towards the bathroom.

While they wait for the water to heat up, she reaches into her bag to pull out bottles of product.

He spots the shimmering bottle of apple cinnamon body wash and smiles.

“Apple cinnamon body wash.” He notes.

“Mhm. It's inexpensive but it smells nice.”

“It does.”

She places her hand under the stream of water and gets a feel for the temperature. The water is hot, just how she likes it. Her hands pull the t-shirt over her head and then her cotton underwear.

Bucky waits for her to step into the shower before he strips down and joins her.

A content smile crosses her face when the hot water hits her body but her peace is broken when she hears Bucky yelp.

“Why is the water so hot?”

“I like it hot.” She turns to face him and playfully pokes at his navel. “It’s relaxing.”

“You’re going to boil me alive.” He grumbles.

“If you don’t like the hot water,” She bluntly states, “then get out.”

She shampoos her hair, letting the bubbles froth around her fingers, and then she pours a bit into her hand and reaches up to massage it into Bucky’s hair.

He runs a metal finger down her sternum, collecting a bit of the bubbles that run down her body. When his finger reaches her scar, his touch lingers.

Seeing the guilt in his eyes, Angel places a finger underneath his chin and has him look into her eyes instead.

“Don’t.” She murmurs. “You’ll only torture yourself reminiscing on the past.” She pulls him under the stream, letting the water wash away the shampoo in their hair.

She’s got a meticulous shower routine, one that she likes to perform herself, yet she’s okay with Bucky standing next to her. When she combs the conditioner through her hair, she does the same for Bucky, knowing it would soften his hair even more and make it smell like vanilla and pomegranate.

She places a bit of the apple cinnamon body wash in her hands and rubs it onto his body. Her hands pay extra attention to the scar on his shoulder.

“It’s got vitamin E in it. Helps with scars.”

Bucky turns her around, making her face away from him.

She can’t see exactly what he’s doing, but she hums with relaxation when she feels his strong hands rub the body wash into her skin.

“You’ve got some knots in your shoulders.” He notes.

“I’m aware of that.”

“You’re stressed.”

“I am.”

When the water washes away the body wash, the shower is filled with the scent of apple cinnamon.

She’s surprised when she feels a kiss on the back of her shoulder but nevertheless, she enjoys it.

Bucky presses another kiss in the center of her shoulders and kisses her along the line of her back. He sinks to his knees and places a kiss onto the dimples of her back.

“Buck, what are you doing?” She smirks, turning around.

“I just wanna love on you.” He murmurs against her skin. “Can I?”

She blinks owlishly, then slowly nods her head.

“Y-yeah” she breathes.

Bucky places a kiss on her scar and runs his tongue over it, sending a fire through her.

“Open your legs for me, doll.”

She shyly parts her legs and Bucky smiles up at her.

He grabs her waist, hoisting her knees over his shoulders, pressing her back against the wall.

She lets out gaspy whines when he kisses and nips at her thighs, letting his stubble rub against the sensitive skin.

“Bucky,” she whimpers “we- we’re going to waste water.”

“Don’t worry about that, doll.” He murmurs. “Just let me make you feel good.”

He licks a stripe up her folds, causing her to gasp. She grabs onto his hair, pulling him closer.

“So sweet, baby. You taste so sweet.”

She doesn’t reply. She couldn’t. Not when he was making her feel so good.

She slaps her other hand onto the wall, trying to hold herself up. Bucky tightens his grip on her and leans in closer, continuously licking into her, making her head spin.

She tries to say something, tell him she’s close, tell him she’s going to cum quicker than she thought, but the only sounds that leave her mouth are breathy moans.

When he pulls away, she whines. He gives her a cocky grin.

“Wanna cum?”

She vigorously nods her head.

“That’s a shame.” He lets go of her legs, almost dropping her onto the tile, and wraps an arm around her waist to keep her steady. “We’ve got a big day ahead.” His tone is teasing, almost mean. “I’ll let you cum later.”

She’s left on the edge, and she’s angry. No, not angry. Frustrated. Frustrated and desperate.

“You’re mean.” She grumbles, shutting off the water.

“If you give me attitude, I won’t let you cum at all.” He chuckles.

She pushes him away and wraps a towel around her body.

“I don’t need you to cum anyways.” She grumbles under her breath.

As she walks away, he grabs her by the back of her neck and pulls her into his chest.

“If I were you,” He lowers his lips to her ear, “I’d behave. Now,” he releases his grip and gives her ass a smack. “Get dressed, we’ve got a lot to do today.”

She digs through her duffel to find a simple red jumpsuit. The neckline is low enough to be teasing, but it had enough support and pockets to be practical.

“Sounds like someone had a good morning.”

She turns around, a big grin stretching across her face when she sees Sam.

“Sam! Good morning!” She cheers.

“No need to good morning me when I woke up to the sound of fucking.” he grumbles, annoyance in his voice.

She chuckles as she buttons the front of her jumpsuit.

“So, Bucky tells me we have a lot going on today. What’s on the itinerary?”

“Hopefully, we can track down Karli and convince her to stop. At least that’s my plan.”

“Sounds good.”

He grabs his jacket from the chair. “I’m headed out to get something to eat. Do you want anything?”

“I’m okay.” She smiles at him. “Thanks for asking.”

Sam reaches the door and turns around.

“One more thing, you’ve got a great voice.”

“Was I that loud or did no one sleep at all last night?”

Sam chuckles.

“I think after the past few days, it’s hard for anyone to get a good night's sleep.” He looks down, fiddling with his fingers. “What you did… what you did for Bucky in Madripoor, when we were undercover…”

“What did I do?” She asks curiously.

“When Zemo had him go all Winter Soldier, you fought alongside him, you got to that first guy before Bucky did.”

Angel is quiet. She says nothing, looking down at her hands and picking at her cuticles.

“He might not say this to your face, but I’ve been around him long enough to know that he’s thankful. And so am I.”

She doesn’t know what to say. What would she even say?

“I can see now why he likes calling you Angel.”

With that, the door closes.

She walks over to the kitchen, looking through the cabinets. The shelves were fairly empty, mostly just tins of cookies and candy, and a box of cherry blossom tea. She huffs in frustration when her fingers brush over the tin of candy, barely moving it.

“Need some help, doll?”

Bucky grabs the tin and places it on the counter.

Her frustration is reignited at the sight of him in a tight, black t-shirt. She wants him to bend her over, fuck her until she sobs.

But she knows he won’t give her that.

Before she can grab it, Bucky holds it above his head.

“You’re evil.” She mutters. “Come on, give me it.”

“Nope!” He smirks.

“Go fu-“

She yelps when Bucky loops his thumb through the belt loop of her jumpsuit and pulls her close to him.

“Remember what I told you? Watch your language.”

“Give me the candy or you’re not getting head for a week.”

Bucky’s eyes widen and he hands her the box.

“Thank you.”

She presses a kiss to his nose and walks away with the box.

She knows what Bucky’s doing. He’s riling her up, teasing her.

But two can play that game.

She sits up on the counter and opens the tin.

Turkish Delight. Candy she used to eat as a child.

He’s staring at her. She can feel it. Her fingers pluck a candy from the box and hold it up.

“Want one?”

Bucky walks over to her and wedges himself between her thighs.

“Sure.”

She unwraps the candy and places a finger on his chin, beckoning him to open his mouth.

Her fingers place the treat on his tongue.

“Sweet, isn’t it?”

He kisses her and she can taste the sugar on his lips.

“Almost as sweet as you.”

She grabs another and hops off of the counter, humored by Bucky’s frustrated look.

“Sam probably wants everyone ready by the time he gets back. So, I don’t know.” She eyes him up and down, ready to drool at the sight of his arms. “Get dressed.”

“Oh doll, I’m already dressed.” He chuckles.

“Good. Then help me out.” Her fingers deftly unbutton the top of her jumpsuit, exposing her black sports bra. She reaches for her harness and shoves it in Bucky’s hands. “Buckle me in.”

…

Sex was the last thing on her mind when she’s face to face with the new Captain America.

“Karli Morganthau is too dangerous for you to be pulling this shit.” He yells.

Angel rolls her eyes at the sight of John Walker.

“How’d you find us now?” Bucky replies, voice full of annoyance.

“You think two Avengers can walk around Latvia without drawing attention?”

Angel’s seen his face in the news. Lemar, the better of America’s new dynamic duo.

“No more keeping us in the dark, and you can tell us why you broke him” John points to Zemo “out of prison.”

“He did that himself, technically.” Bucky answers.

“That is an unbelievable explanation! And who the hell are you?” He points to Angel.

“I’m a friend.” She grumbles, eyes narrowed.

“You have no business being here. And whatever you’re wearing, all you’re going to do is draw attention.”

“And your little Mr. America getup isn’t?”

“Why don’t you go back to working in European intelligence or whatever it is you do.”

“You better watch your mouth, Mr. Walker.” She snarls. “Is that really how you speak to a lady?”

“I know where Karli is.” Zemo interrupts their feud.

“Well, where?”

“All we know is,” Sam answers, “It’s a memorial. We’ll intercept her there.”

“That means civilians, high risk of casualties.” Lemar states.

“Alright good.” John schemes. “We’ll move in fast, take her by surprise.”

“Not a good idea, John.” Angel retorts. He halts in his steps and turns to her.

“You have no clue what you’re getting yourself into. This is an American situation.”

She leans in until she’s staring into his eyes. Rage broils inside of her.

“Let me tell you something John, I don’t care about your medals of honor. I don’t care that you’re wearing that red and blue suit. So I’ll tell you this once, and only once. If you dare speak to me like this again, I won’t hesitate to-“

Bucky pulls her back, giving her a stern look.

“Hey,” he rubs her shoulder, trying to settle her anger. “He’s not worth it.”

“Oh, so she’s your little girlfriend huh?”

Angel presses the tip of her knife against his chin and backs him into a wall.

“You stay out of Bucky’s business.” She seethes.

“Hey, hey, hey!”

This time, both Sam and Bucky had to pull her away, but she keeps her murderous glare trained on him.

“Jesus Christ, Barnes. Keep your little psycho under control.” John spits.

“Hey, don’t speak to her like that,” Sam demands. “Just because you don’t know her doesn’t give you an excuse to be rude.”

“Either you show her some respect,” Bucky says “or all of the help we have to offer is off of the table.”

Sam nods in agreement and eventually so does Zemo, who adds a small shrug.

“I wasn't actually going to kill him.” She mutters under her breath.

“We know.” Sam pulls her into a side hug. He directs his words back to John. “I want to talk to her alone.”

“I’m not losing her again.”

“Look, the person closest to her died. She’s vulnerable. If there’s any time to reason with her, it’s now.”

“What?” John halts in his steps. “No, wait stop. We are way past reasoning with her.”

“Sam,” Lemar states. “If you walk in there cold, you could die.”

“But if you walk in guns blazing, you could have the blood of hundreds of civilians on your hands.” Angel folds her arms. “Besides, if things go wrong, I’m trained in mixed martial arts.”

“You think a black belt will save you from a super-soldier?”

Angel snorts.

“It has before.”

Bucky looks down and stifles a laugh.

“I used to counsel soldiers dealing with trauma, okay?” Sam argues with John. “This is in my wheelhouse.”

They’re all silent, staring daggers at each other.

“John,” Lemar breaks the silence “If he can talk her down, it might be worth a try.” He gives Angel a kind smile. “And I think we give this girl a chance to show us what she’s got.”

“Thank you.” She smiles back.

“I’m sure this can all come to an agreeable conclusion.” Zemo points forward. “My associate is just up ahead.”

They watch as Zemo approaches a young girl, handing her some money. She beckons them to follow her down a cobblestone path, into a building, and through the boiler room.

“You’ve got ten minutes,” John states while handcuffing Zemo to a pipe. “Then we’re doing things my way.”

While they wait, Angel spends her time playing with her butterfly knife, spinning the handle around her fingers.

“How do you not cut yourself doing that?” Lemar asks.

She spins the knife closed.

“I have before, it’s just about practice and being careful. Here, I’ll show you.”

Bucky observes Angel showing off her knife tricks to Lemar.

Despite the stressful situation, he still felt a pang of possessiveness. She was his Angel. He gave her that name and when she said she’d accepted it. In a way, she was his and he was hers.

“What’s your name? I don’t think you’ve ever told me.”

He hears Lemar ask.

Angel giggles.

“It’s Artemis. Like the goddess.”

Artemis. It’s fitting, Bucky thinks. The goddess of the hunt.

“That’s really cool. Let me guess, your parents were huge mythology fans?”

“You can say that.” She chuckles.

His eyes narrow when she smiles at Lemar.

Their conversation continues and Bucky’s jealousy burns brighter when she places her fingers on the fabric of Lemar’s suit, giving him a comment on how she’s got an eye for fashion and how nice the fabric was. From his position by the door, he sees her turn to him and give him a wink.

Bucky scowls. That little minx.

John crosses his arms and stares daggers into her.

“What exactly do you do, anyway?” He scoffs. “Are you some kind of spy?”

Angel raises a brow.

“I’m not a spy. I’m just a problem solver.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” John shakes his head and secures the shield on his arm. “Nevermind. I’m going in.”

“Oh, come on John, it’s only been eight minutes.”

“No. Don’t do that. Don’t patronize me.”

“I’m not-” Angel sighs and turns away, focusing her attention on pulling her hair back.

Bucky stops him before John can get through the doorway.

“It must be so easy for you.” John’s voice is full of malice. “All that serum running through your veins. Barnes, your partner needs backup. Do you really want his blood on your hands?”

Bucky can see Angel slowly shake her head, telling him not to give in to John’s words. But he can’t. He’s already done so much harm. He’s responsible for the deaths of so many people, he can’t let Sam become another.

So, he lets John walk past him, Lemar following along.

Angel runs up to him.

“Bucky, why’d you do that?”

“I can’t… I can’t risk it. I can’t risk losing him.”

She sighs and places a gentle hand on his cheek.

“I understand.” Her lips land a gentle kiss on his nose. “But don’t let his words get to you. Now,” She grins and lightly smacks his ass. “Go make sure he doesn’t kill anyone.”

With one final kiss, Bucky runs off.

She turns around to see the handcuffs dangling from the pole. Her blood runs cold. Zemo escaped and who knows what he’ll do.

She runs through the halls, boots quietly slapping on the concrete floors. From her left, she hears a series of loud gunshots and crunching glass.

Her feet lightly tread next to the walls, ears picking up every little sound.

She jumps, heartbeat pounding when the thump of a body falling to the ground meets her ears.

Did Zemo kill someone? Was it Karli? Another Flag-Smasher?

She runs through the door closest to her. From behind a table, she spots John staring at a small vial. A small vial of the serum. Before she can say anything, he runs away.

As she quietly walks into the room, she spots Zemo, lying on the ground, unconscious. No one else was here.

She crouches down next to him and gently shakes his shoulder.

“Baron? Zemo? Come on, wake up.”

He doesn’t move.

She picks up his wrist, pressing her pointer and middle fingers on the vein. A sigh of relief passes her lips at the feeling of a pulse.

Her hands shake his shoulder again, this time, with more vigor.

“Zemo!” She shouts.

His eyes snap open and he groans in pain.

“You passed out Baron.”

“I’m aware.” He grumbles. “John Walker threw the shield at me.”

“Of course he did.”

She offers him a hand and helps him stand up.

“Can you walk?” She asks.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.”

The two make their way through the city until they reach Zemo’s apartment. Sam was already there, typing away on his computer.

Angel wets a towel in the kitchen and hands it to Zemo.

“Go, lie down. Put this over your eyes.”

She walks down the hall towards Bucky’s room. With a tired sigh, she removes her shoes, jumpsuit, and harness.

Her eyes close as she lies on the bed in her underwear. The sports bra felt much too tight but she didn’t care. She was tired. Her morning sexual frustration had caught up to her but she didn’t feel like doing anything about it.

Even though it was only seven in the evening, she just wanted to sleep.

Right when she’s drifting off to sleep, the slam of the bedroom door jolts her awake.

Bucky is standing in front of her, arms crossed, eyes filled with rage.

“Get off the bed.” He snarls.

She laughs and rolls over onto her stomach.

“No. If sex is what you want, let’s do it on the bed.”

She hears a sigh behind her and her eyes widen when she feels Bucky’s hands wrap around her ankles.

“Buck, what are you-”

Her words come to a halt when he pulls her off of the bed and onto her knees.

“You wanted me to fuck you?” He seethes. “Fuck you rough until you can’t speak?”

“That was the plan.” She smirks.

He twists a hand in her hair and pulls her head back. Her breath is shallow as she looks up, meeting Bucky’s angry eyes.

He’s mad. At the entire Karli situation, and maybe with her. But his anger towards her, she assumes, is fiery, lustful anger. Anger that she can have a lot of fun with.

“If you had let me cum earlier,” She snaps, “ maybe I wouldn’t have been such a brat.”

She rubs her thighs together, trying to alleviate the arousal burning through her. A whine leaves her lips when he kicks her legs apart.

He tightens his grip on her hair.

“You really need to learn some respect.”

Bucky places the toe of his boot on her back and pushes her face down onto the floor. She doesn’t resist, giving in to his dominance.

“Aww, look at you,” he mocks, “You were so bold earlier, my Angel. Where did that fire go?”

Her heart swells. He’s no longer calling her Angel. He’s called her his Angel. She was his.

Footsteps echo around her and she takes a shaky breath when his black boots come into view.

“Look at me, doll. I wanna see those pretty eyes.”

His voice is commanding, authoritative. It drew her in, made her head spin.

She looks up at him with wide eyes as he bends down on a knee.

“Were you trying to rile me up? Trying to make me angry?”

She nods.

Bucky roughly grabs her chin, cold metal digging into her cheeks.

“Use your words.”

“Y-yes Sergeant.” She squeaks.

He stares down at her, anger and lust in his eyes.

“Open your mouth.”

Her lips part and Bucky spits, letting his saliva pool on her tongue.

His fingers press on her chin, closing her mouth. She swallows, heat burning in her tummy.

“So now, you want to be a good girl, huh?”

He picks her up by her neck and shoves her face into the soft mattress. His fingers loop around the elastic waistband of her panties and pull, the fabric digging into her cunt.

“Yes, I’m your good girl.” She whines. “I’ll be good. Promise.”

He leans in close, his warm breath brushing over her ear.

“I don’t believe you.”

He rears his metal hand against her ass, leaving a red handprint of her skin.

A choked breath leaves her lips. She relishes in the pain and gives him a cocky smile.

“Is that all you got Sarge?”

He lands another hard smack, this time on her thigh. A whimper escapes her lips.

“Oh, you’re really asking for it, aren’t you?”

He shifts his hand on her neck, wrapping it around the front of her neck. She squeezes at the sides, slowing the circulation of blood to her head.

She opens her mouth to speak, but the hand on her throat stops the words from leaving her lips.

The clinking of his belt buckle sends a wave of lust through her.

She was finally getting what she wanted.

His hand on her neck is released and she takes in a sharp breath.

He pulls her panties down her legs and throws them to the side.

She gasps at the feeling of cold metal rubbing between her folds. Her fingers dig into the sheets, grabbing at the fabric.

“You’re practically dripping.” He muses, “Who knew you were such a masochist?”

“Only for you.” She keens.

“Only for me? Not for anyone else?”

“Yes! Yes! Only you!”

Bucky hums and lands another smack on her ass. She yelps and tears threaten to spill from her eyes.

He shoves two fingers inside of her and she gasps at the cool feeling of the metal.

She squirms around as he twists his fingers, pressing against that spot inside of her.

Hunger swarms her brain. She wanted, no, needed more.

What he’s doing is sadistic, she thinks. Constantly bringing her to the edge, but never letting her tip over.

He lets his thumb press against her clit and the tears she’s been trying to hold back spill over. She lets out a quiet sob into the sheets but Bucky doesn’t stop his movements.

“I need more.” She quietly whimpers.

“You think you have the right to beg?” He asks nonchalantly. “After that little show?”

“I’m sorry.” She cries.

Her eyes squeeze shut and she turns her head, letting her cheek rest on the bedsheets. When she glances up, she can see Bucky’s amused smirk.

She feels the tip of his cock pressing against her entrance and she holds her breath.

“Oh doll,” he coos, thumbing away her tears, “You’re so pretty when you cry.”

A sudden thrust of his hips buries his cock inside of her. Bucky clamps his hand over her lips, muffling her desperate cries.

“Shh, shh,” He whispers gently. “It’s okay, love. Be a good girl and take it.”

He starts moving, his hips slowly thrusting into her. The fire inside of her burns, hotter and hotter. Her head is reeling as she feels herself come closer to her impending orgasm. Despite how rough he is with her, she feels safe. Safe with him. She feels safe enough to fall into submission, open and pliant for him.

Her sobs against his hand become louder, more intense and he bends down to nip at her neck.

“Are you gonna cum, angel? Cum all over my cock?”

She nods, eyes squeezed shut.

“Do you think you deserve it?” He asks.

“No,” she mumbles against his hand. “But I want to.”

He brushes his fingers down the length of her back and she shivers.

“You wanna cum, doll? Ask nicely.”

He releases his hand and grabs her hip, pulling her deeper onto his cock.

“Please.” She gasps. “Please, let me cum!”

“You have to do better than that.”

“Please, I’ll be so good for you! I’ll never flirt with anyone again! Just please! Please, I wanna cum.”

He picks up his pace, and she finds it harder to stave off her orgasm.

“So polite.” He hums, “But not yet.”

She lets out a pathetic sob.

“Please.” She whimpers.

“Be patient. You’ll get to cum soon.”

Her breaths are shallow as she tries to keep herself from cumming. She bites down on her lower lip but the pain does little to help.

Relief washes over her when Bucky speaks again.

“You’ve been such a good girl for me. Come on angel, cum for me.”

Her teeth bite down on the sheets as she’s hurtles over the edge, her orgasm sending shockwaves through her body.

As her chest heaves and her mind becomes foggy, she can barely feel Bucky pull out and releases him cum on her back.

She lies there, upper half sprawled over the mattress, a dopey smile on her face. A hum of pleasure slips past her lips when Bucky wipes his cum away with a warm washcloth.

“You okay, doll?” He asks.

She nods her head.

The bed shifts as he sits on the bed and pulls her towards him.

“Come on,” He lies down and pulls her close to him. He noses at the back of her shoulder. “Get some rest.”

The sun was about to set, bathing their bodies in a golden glow. He runs his metal fingers over her bicep, cooling down her heated skin.

She’s tired, so tired. Yet she’s happy. The first time in a long time that she’s actually felt happy.

“Bucky?” She asks in a fucked out daze.

“Yes my angel?”

A moment of silence passes.

“You’re the only one who’s made me feel human.”

...

Once again, tysm @sojournmichael for reading over my little snippets of writing!

#bucky x female reader #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes smut #tfatws #bucky fanfic

84 notes · View notes

miracle-sham · 4 years ago

Text

Yet So Poison Entwined We Fracture.

| {Jasonette July 2021, Saturday Challenge 1: Hurt No Comfort} |

| It all went wrong so quickly. Marinette thought she could trust Jason, that he'd never betray her. And Jason thought the same. But with a truth-serum turned poison seeping through their veins, neither had thought to look for the purple feathers. |

| Word Count: 1,706. |

———

| A/N: I'll try and keep this short and sweet but it's nice to dip back into writing for Maribat, I really missed it whilst I was gone. Also I've now got a author's channel in MGI where I sometimes put title sneak peaks, snippets, and random au ramblings, so y'know feel free to pop into the channel and have a gander if you'd fancy! And one last thing, keen eyes may have noticed I've added a Spotify Playlist Link, it contains all the songs I listened to when working on this oneshot, if you're curious! |

| If you want to be tagged in future oneshots/fics or a specific Au, then feel free to send me a dm and or ask! |

| Also side note, Don’t Like? Don’t Read. Also also, please do not criticise any of my writing. This was written for fun and receiving criticism, even in a compliment/criticism sandwich, is the exact opposite of fun. |

———

Marinette staggers back, clutching at her bloodied side as the world spins for a moment and everything blurs. Breath catches in her throat as a sharp pang of betrayal pierces her heart, tears springing to the corners of her eyes unbidden. Whimpering, she barely manages to cry out, “J–Jason?”

Heartbreak coating his name like the truth serum-poison making its way through her system at this very moment.

She makes an awful choking noise and collapses to her knees, scrunching her face up and wheezing. Barely is she able to keep her eyes open, fixated on staring at someone she thought she could trust.

Smirking lazily, Jason saunters up to her, crouches and then grabs her face by the chin, forcing her to tilt her head up to continue staring at him in the eyes. “Aw, did you really fucking think I cared about you this entire time?”

Marinette swallows thickly—unable to conjure up a response to him. Black spots start to form in the corner of her vision like watching a spattering of embers burning away on a piece of paper.

He tilts his head to the side and snorts, “really? Nothing to say, no heartfelt "I trusted you!" or "you're lying!". Not even a "I know the real you is still in there?", how fucking pathetic.”

There's a small part of her brain that starts flashing red lights and wailing alarms—warning her that she's in danger, that she's hurt, that she's stopped breathing. She can't breathe, can't move, can't say anything or she'll spill all her remaining secrets.

Jason sighs and drops her chin. “And here I fucking thought your shitty-ass reaction to me betraying you would be more fun.”

Grimacing, she waits a heartbeat after he lets go before mustering all her strength to slam her skull into his—if I'm going down, you're coming with me for this, Marinette mentally vows.

There's a horrendous thwacking sound as the impact lands, and Marinette feels as though her brain has turned into a blender that just had its blades snap mid blend.

Jason, on the other hand, flings himself backwards and curses up a storm. He pulls out one of his guns and with dizzying vision, manages to shoot a bullet that just clips the uninjured side of her ribs. “That's what you fucking get for that you bitch!”

Marinette doubles over as the pain seems to ricochet through her; vision blacking out completely. She struggles for breath, her hearing cutting off not a second later. Objectively, she's aware she's not alone. But as her senses shut down one by one, leaving her helplessly trapped in her own mind, she can't help but wonder why her heart aches with loneliness. I'm sorry, she silently apologises to no one and everyone.

Distantly, she thinks she's swaying—or collapsing again maybe. But it's hard to tell, it's disorientating trying to focus on the world with dying senses.

Marinette is lost. Every little movement, every little thought—it's agony, a struggle to keep going, keep holding on. Once more, she silently pleas for forgiveness from the kwami.

She stops.

Stops breathing. Heart stops beating. Stops fighting. It all stops.

At least this way, she thinks to herself, I can't spill any secrets from the truth serum-poison if I carry them to the grave instead…

She sinks into the darkness, clinging to her final thought in numb relief as she does so. Everything fades away.

———

Jason groans as the knife Marinette is wielding digs deeper between his ribs.

She doesn't move back immediately, so he grits his teeth and roundhouse kicks at her—the heavy thump of collision makes his wound burn like acid has just been poured on it.

He's a few seconds too slow pulling his leg back, as Marinette slices the knife through his calf.

“Fuck!” He bites out, throwing himself further out of her range and breathing. “Marinette!”

With the gall to smile faux-innocently, she plays with the knife in her hand, slipping it between her fingers and swirling it about. “Yes, Jason?”

“The fuck are you doing!?” He growls, shifting his position when she doesn't move to apply pressure to the calf wound.

She shrugs, seemingly unbothered, “what? Did you really think this wouldn't happen one day? That I wouldn't get sick of you. Show you just how much you've hurt me the entire time we've known each other?”

Jason spits blood from his mouth at the warehouse floor in front of her. “I don't believe whatever shit you're being made to spew, but I sure as fucking hell know that you'd never do something as fucked up as this.”

“Oh, that's cute! You still believe in me. What's next, are you going to beg me to come to my senses? Are you going to cry my name and hope it changes my mind? Are you going to declare that the "real" me is still there inside and that you're going to save me?” Marinette giggles, high-pitched and yet hollow sounding.

Jason flinches at the sound, breathing stuttering as the poison from her knife starts to really seep in. Shit, he thinks to himself, truth serum-poison. If I'm not careful I'm gonna say shit that should stay secret.

A flash of silver catches the edge of his vision. And it's all the warning he gets. He immediately ducks and rolls, cursing under his breath as his wounds are aggravated. The air by his hair swooshes as the blade just narrowly misses.

Marinette giggles taper off into a hiss of fury. Her hair slips out of her pigtails from the constant movement, and multiple strands fall in front of her face. She huffs, ineffectively blowing them out of the way. “Did you really think I ever loved you?”

“Yes!” The words are choked out of his mouth before he can even think, the truth serum-poison kicking in hard and fast. Jason wheezes and the taste of iron lingers like malice in his throat. Fuck, he thinks desperately, I'm running out of time and Marinette isn't snapping out of whatever the fuck's been done to her.

He stumbles into another roll, as the blade comes swinging at him again. His vision blurts violently, and the next thing Jason knows—is that his view has suddenly tipped upside down and that there's a throbbing ache radiating from the back of his shoulders and head.

“Huh, you really do have a thick skull. Normally that'd be enough to knock anyone else out. Well, I guess I'll have to do this the old fashioned way.” Marinette rambles, pulling out a rag.

Jason grunts as he pushes himself only to be slammed back into the concrete warehouse floor, rag pressed firmly over his mouth and nose.

He thrashes and refuses to inhale. Marinette scowls and kicks him sharply into the ribs, causing him to gasp through gritted teeth. But it's enough to affect him.

His vision teeters then flickers to black, he can feel his movements slowing—becoming more and more sluggish until he's as still as he was in that fucking coffin he's had to crawl out of once before. At least, he barely manages to cling to the final thought, I can't spill any secrets if I carry them to the grave once more.

And then it all fades away.

———

Lila steeples her finger and smirks. She's sitting in her plain white office for the Agreste, three monitors set up before her on the desk. The middle screen shows her emails and a few tabs up on fashion for work-related reasons. The outer two screens, however, show the feed to two identical cells—two by four by five metres with cement floors and grey brick walls, no windows and a single plain black metal door. No furniture either, not even beds or toilets, just chains attached to the wall opposite the door. And in the chains is what has Lila so very happy indeed; Marinette and Jason, one in each cell and both stuck in the chains with no hope for escape.

A steady pool of blood has already formed beneath the both of them, thanks to the wonderful work of her Sentimonster duplicates of the two.

Lila can't help but monologue in her glee, “It's so excellently simple really. Even if one escapes, there's no way they'll help the other escape now. Now they've experienced the pain of betrayal and torture inflicted by the other!”

Footsteps approach the door to her office; all it takes is a quick click and click of the mouse and her two outer screen feeds flip to showing more work-related tabs and emails.

The door opens to reveal Adrien, slightly dishevelled—hair and shirt ruffled, eyes red with dark bags beneath them, and shiny tear streaks down his cheeks—he stands in the threshold, shaking. “Did you know?”

Lila smiles in fake confusion. “Know what?”

Adrien swallows, gaze flickering to her screens. “Marinette's dead. So is Jason.”

Lila tilts her head to the side to make it look as though she's thinking. “The Wayne boy that was close to her, right? Oh dear.”

His tired gaze turns back to Lila as he continues. “They think both of them were kidnapped and tortured separately. Police have found traces of an altered truth-serum among the bloodstains and…” He chokes for a second, grief plain as day across his face. “and they found pieces of fingers, ears, slices of skin, and all.”

“Oh, oh, that's horrible!” Lila gasps, covering her mouth with her hands to hide the victorious curl forming on her lips. “Have they found out who was cruel enough to do that to them yet?”

Adrien shakes his head silently.

“Hopefully, the culprit will be found soon. But if you need any support, I'll always be here for you, Adrien!” Lila gravely announces, bobbing her head slightly as she spoke.

He narrows his eyes at her, shakes his head, and then stalks away from her office.

She scowls as soon as his back turns and gets up to shut her door. “Well,” She says to herself as she flips back to the cell feed, “at least that means I'll have plenty of time to pull the secrets from you two without the police thinking to look for you alive.”

———

| Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little oneshot! Comments, likes, and reblogs are much appreciated! |

| Also feel free to send me any asks or comments with any questions you have regarding this oneshot, I'll be more than happy to answer! |

| @jasonette-july-event |

#Maribat #DC x MLB #MLB x DC #Jasonette #Jasonette July #JasMari #MariJay #Marinette x Jason #Jason x Marinette #Jasonette July 2021 #Jasonette July Saturday Challenge #Jasonette July Hurt No Comfort #Yet So Poison Entwined We Fracture #YSPEWF #Sham's Posts #Sham's Writing #Sham's Fics

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uwuwriting · 4 years ago

Text

Momo, Mina, Jirou and Uraraka with a soft, affectionate girlfriend

So there wasn’t only one request for my girls here, there were like five so imma just improvise with the summary here, Basically how the girls would be like with an affectionate and cute/soft girlfriend. Ya know my bi ass has had a crush on Mina since day 1 and Momo can like step on me. I haven’t written anything for our girl squad like ever and that should be a crime. Love ya. 💖💖💖

rules

masterlist

warnings: fluff

Momo Yaoyorozu

-Soft girl herself.

-Although she is a straight up dom, her soft girly and flustered side comes out while you two spend time together.

-She loves your clothes, will literally have a stroke if she sees you in a soft baby pink outfits.

-You look extra cute and soft and fluffy and oh so kissable.

-Your bubbly personality scares her insecurities away.

-Like if she starts doubting herself while you’re around you mind go into killer mode and roundhouse her ass for talking bad about herself.

-She is really impressed by your emotional switch.

-I mean she physically sees you being all lovey dovey with her and your friends, the sweetest brightest ray of sunshine that has ever graced this earth and the moment Mineta opens his mouth to say some shit your aura changes.

-You can almost see the darkness that surrounds you while the grape talks.

-A savage.

-Although you are a really feminine individual no one should dare underestimate you.

-She becomes an extra proud girlfriend when she sees you kick some Bakugou ass because he called you a girly extra.

-Low key scared of your berserk mode but she loves you.

-Soft dates.

-She knows you love colorful flowers and you are generally really closely connected with nature so dates to the park or to the cherry blossoms during spring are necessary.

-Her family loves you.

-They welcomed you with open arms the very first time you stepped in their home as Momo’s friend.

-Her mom could see how much her daughter liked you and she shipped it.

-Her and Mina are your number 1 stans.

-Expect to be spoiled to death.

-You glance at a dress while you two are out on a date?

-Its in your closet the very next day.

-You bake for her and she falls even deeper in love with you.

-She’s weak for your cakes and more often than not she will sneak some into her room.

-Your cuddling powers are out of this world.

-She will come to your dorm after a long day and just lose herself in your embrace.

-She only sleeps in your room if you ask her to stay the night.

-Despite how tired she may be she will pick herself up and drag her feet to her room.

-All in all a wholesome relationship.

-Soft babiesss

Mina Ashido

-Ah yes my wife.

-I’m a freaking simp for her.

-Crack heads.

-Periodt.

-She loves your soft girly aesthetic and even tries to copy your style so you could be matching girlfriends.

-The pink becomes too much though so she settles for different colors.

-You propose white and pale green.

-She takes your advice and goes out the very same day for shopping.

-Dragging you, Jirou, Sero and Denki along.

-Your friend group is fed up with how clingy she could be.

-Like legit she will hang from your arm constantly and will whine if you have to leave her behind because reasons.

-Bakugou is this close ( -><-) to blasting her into the next dimension.

-She is a scaredy cat and jumps at the smallest sound.

-You take that in your advantage and take up the rule as the knight in shining armor.

-Movie nights are usually horror nights for the two of you and you always puff up your chest in an attempt to appear tough.

-The pink accessories kinda ruin it though.

-She finds it funny how you talk about beating someone’s ass while you are wearing a unicorn onesie.

-She has a matching one though so sh isn’t one to talk.

-Just like Momo she is scarred of your berserk mode.

-Not scarred for her life but for the rest of the class.

-And god forbid Mineta says something about her.

-She can see the raging flames growing around you as he continues to go on about how hot it must be to be sandwiched between you two.

-She has to hold you back from bashing his face in.

-Although if he pushes it too much she lets you go and mayhem ensues.

-She really enjoys your cooking.

-Always present when you are baking for two reasons.

- A) to eat some of the batter because its delicious.

- B) to tease you and make a mess.

-She tried cooking along side you once but it was a disaster.

-Her excuse was that you were too pretty so you distracted her.

-She used salt instead of sugar.

- “They’re both white baby!!”

- “So is cocaine you dummy.”

- “We have cocaine?”

-Face palm.

-She won’t leave your room if you begin to cuddle.

-Begin is a strong word considering she won’t allow you to let her go.

-So continue suits this situation more.

-She doesn’t care how you two cuddle as long as she has you in her arms or vice versa.

-Wrapping her arms around your waist while you study, placing you in her lap while she games with Sero, laying you on top of her so you can fall asleep after a long day or simply holding your hand.

-She just wants to feel close to you.

-The closer the better.

-Says I love you at least three times a day.

-I want my Mina!!!!

Jirou Kyouka

-Music girlfriends.

-She has a whole song dedicated to you.

-She even sang it during the UA festival.

-You are really into lofi music and really soft, fluffy songs so she makes you a playlist with her favorite lofi songs.

-She loves when you hum along with her.

-She knows you have a good voice but since you don’t feel comfortable singing she doesn’t push it.

-Stands there and sways along with the rhythm.

-Swears that when you do sing you become an angel on earth.

-Blinding brightness.

-Finds it funny how your aesthetics collide.

-There you are the softy pink fairy full of flowers and sunshine.

-And next to you stands Jirou, her dark clothes making a big contrast to your baby pink skirt.

-You adore the difference and make it your mission to dress as brightly as possible making the difference stand out even more.

-You make her bentos like daily.

-Really appreciates it.

-She doesn’t have to wait for lunch.

-Plus your cooking is wow.

-She doesn’t really like shopping but will come with you if you want her to.

-Any time spent with you is enough for her.

-She spends most of her time at the guitar store lol.

-You bought her a new guitar for her birthday and you made her cry.

-It had her initials on it too.

-You walk to class together every morning and go back to the dorms holding hands.

-Says a sweet little I love you when you part ways for your training.

-Scared for her life when you get mad.

-That sinister smile that spreads across your face when you hear Mineta say something about her boobs is the scariest sight in the whole world.

-Screw Shigaraki.

-You can be the new master of evil with that smile.

-You are not violent though so she doesn’t have to hold you back... physically.

-Your words can be true venom.

-She has to clam you down before you make Mineta cry.

-Could kill for your cuddles.

-Doesn’t like to admit it but she really loves being the little spoon and would just nudge you without speaking.

-You of course get the message and hug your girl.

-She is surprised by how strong you are.

-You can lift her while she clinges to your front or back like she weighs nothing.

-Walks around with Jirou wrapped around your torso like a koala.

-She loves it, you love it everyone else finds it kinda weird when they spot you but who cares?

-Spends the night in your dorm regularly.

-She doesn’t even ask she just falls asleep in your bed, taking all the space and making you squeeze between the wall and her.

-Lovely little sweethearts.

Uraraka Ochako

-Um you are being soft together.

-Soft girlfriends™.

-You share clothes all the time since your aesthetics kinda match.

-You two can be demons if provoked.

-A third party has to intervene if someone insults you and you go into protective mode.

-You both get that dark look in your eyes as you stare down at Mineta.

-Really she’ll just through him up into the sky and you’ll use your quirk to send him to America.

-Deku and Iida protect the class from you.

-In general though, when you aren’t being feral beasts sworn to protect the innocent, you are two little angels.

-Your soft aesthetic completes her perfectly and your caring nature goes hand in hand with her mom-friend tendencies.

-Caring girlfriends.

-You babysit Deku together and take care of him when he starts breaking...everything.

-She really likes training with you.

-She finds it fun and oh so attractive when you are coming at her.

-May have a small kink right there.

-Power play maybe......

-Cooking.Dates!!!!!

-She likes to cook so when she found out that you are amazing in the kitchen she was hooked.

-You might spend hours and hours just baking sweets and then passing them around the dorms.

-Like Momo she only stays the night if you ask her or mention having a sleepover.

-Otherwise she will gather her stuff and go back to her room.

-Cuddles cuddles cuddles.

-You are obsessed.

-She is so soft to the touch and you fall asleep instantly.

-She loves it when you fall asleep on her.

-You’re like her wittle baby.

-Holding hands is a must wherever you are.

-Walking to class? linked pinkies.

-Out on a date? Intertwined fingers.

-Hanging out in the common room watching a movie with the rest of the class? Linked elbows.

-Chilling in your dorm? An arm around her shoulder.

-Really touchy in general.

-Not too touchy though because she respects the others around you.

-Plus you are friends with Iida.

-He will push you apart if he sees you remotely kissing her cheek.

-Class 1-A’s favorite couple.

-So freaking cute omggggg.

TAG TEAM AY:

@iwaqchan @the-arcana-fan-fic @angelwritings @axerrri @reinyrei @dnarez

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youngerdrgrey · 4 years ago

Text

I know you (even if you don't want me to) // a Batwoman fic, chapter 4

about: After finding out Batwoman’s identity, Sophie tries to trap Ryan with her newfound knowledge. If she’s going to be on the outside, she might as well have some fun – and maybe fall in love along the way. #Wildmoore

CHAPTER FOUR SUMMARY: Ryan’s on a mission to stop Sophie’s crush on Batwoman, but she is very unprepared for what a rejected Sophie is about to do. + read on ao3

previously: read chapter one, chapter two + chapter three

Unknown to SM (21:37) Hostage situation at the Krell Warehouse. Could use an assist. No Crows.

SM to Unknown (21:42) ETA 20m

Sophie crouches low at the rendezvous point. A few rusted shipping containers form a makeshift wall on the edge of the warehouse property. Ryan’s fully suited up with her favorite batons ready for the action. She turns them in her hands to try and get rid of her nervous energy.

Sophie nods her way. “Surprised you called for help.”

“Yeah, well….” Technically, Ryan hasn’t called for help. She needs to put space between Sophie and Batwoman, and doing this over text would be even more uncomfortable than doing it in person.

“What do we got?”

“Six people inside — mostly teens who thought cruising an old Wonderland haunt would be a fun way to spend their Friday night.” Ryan points to the second level of the building where a row of boarded up windows give them their best entry point. “One got out a distress call, but False Face is all over the lower level and all the reasonable exits.”

Sophie mulls that over. “Do they know they’ve got company?”

“They found one kid who split off solo. The others are hiding, waiting for us to get them out.” Ryan stands back up.

“How’d you hear about this before us?” Sophie asks.

In a word, Parker. The inherited back-up / hacker teen is a senior now, and she’d reached out to Mary for an assist. Mary caught Ryan up to speed, but there’s not really a quick way to clue Sophie in.

“A little doggy told me.”

Sophie side-eyes Ryan. “I didn’t know riddles were your thing.”

Ryan gets her baton ready. “Saving people’s my thing. Now, I’m going to break through the boards. Draw their attention to me. After that, you find the kids and get them out of here.”

“Aye, aye Captain.” Sophie salutes her.

Ryan hesitates. She could bring Sophie up with her. Get them both into the building the same way. “You want to take the shortcut with me?”

A slow smile curls onto Sophie’s lips. “Yeah?”

Ryan pulls Sophie to her with her left hand. “Hold onto me. Tight.”

Sophie doesn’t need to be told twice. She wraps her arms around Ryan from the left side. Ryan secures her arm around Sophie’s waist, then clicks the button on the baton, launching the zip wire and effectively sending them into the air.

Sophie clings to her tighter. She gives a little gasp that Ryan’s sure will live in her mind rent free. Ryan shifts her weight to push boots first into the wood boards. She kicks through, and the splintering will definitely be enough to get the False Face members’ attention.

She lands firm, and Sophie takes a moment to readjust. Ryan knows she shouldn’t, but she glances up at Sophie. There’s a breathless awe in her that Ryan can’t look away from. Sophie genuinely laughs.

“That was awesome!”

Ryan smiles back despite herself. “Go find the kids. Thank me later.”

Ryan takes out three different False Face goons. The two remaining ones chase her through the building and out the front doors. It’s not the most effective strategy, but she catches sight of Sophie leading the kids out from the corner of her eye. Parker has the audacity to wave at Ryan, like they’re friends. The girl might’ve been Kate’s chosen teenager, but Ryan is not taking in any strays.

She focuses back on her two shadows. “Aren’t you guys sick of getting your asses kicked at this point?” She assumes her fighting stance while they split masked looks and probably choose who is charging at her first. “I knocked out three of your buddies back there. I broke into your boss's hideout. Gotham is mine.”

A car starts in the distance. The guy in the Seal Mask cheats a glance towards the shipping containers. Ryan takes the opportunity to launch a Batarang at his shoulder. It slices through his jacket like butter. The Monkey Mask runs at her.

She blocks three punches and a kick before getting a roundhouse one of her own straight to his side. Monkey Mask crumbles with the kick. Seal Mask storms right at her, but thankfully, Sophie shocks him with a taser from behind. As he writhes his way to the ground, Ryan chops Monkey Mask in the side of the head to knock him out too.

Sophie pockets her taser. She wipes her hands after. “Kids are gone. They say thank you.”

“Did you tell them this was a one time thing?” Ryan asks.

Sophie nods. “I promised I’d haul them in myself next time.”

Of course she did. Because that’s who Sophie is. How many times has she said those same words to Ryan? Her solution will always be to lock people up and maintain the status Crow. Ryan cannot be a part of that.

She bites the bullet and announces, “There won’t be a next time. Not for us.”

Sophie’s smile drops. “I’m sorry, what? If it’s the Crow thing again, it was a joke—”

“No,” it wasn’t a joke, but it’s now or never to put an end to this. “It’s the Kate thing.”

The mention of Kate works exactly the way Ryan thought it would. A wall builds around Sophie in an instant. Her voice drops to a warning.

“Watch yourself, Batwoman.”

She has to watch out for Gotham. Keep them safe by keeping Sophie out of the Batcave and back with her Crows where she belongs.

“You said it yourself: she was the love of your life. Isn't it a little weird that you’re asking me out for drinks?”

Sophie’s nostrils flare. She grinds out, “It’s a drink. Not a marriage proposal.”

“You’ve already done that part, right?”

Okay, Ryan may have gone too far with that one. But the point is to drive Sophie away. If Sophie thinks Batwoman is a bitch, then Ryan’s in the clear. No more crush, no more problems.

But Sophie spins Ryan around with a vice-like grip on her wrist. She glares down at Ryan, and Ryan’s thankful once again for how the cowl and the wig cast her eyes in shadow.

“And what have you done, besides try to push away the one person who’s repeatedly saved your life? I’m not your enemy, and I’m not going to stand here while you try to use my dead ex against me.”

Sophie’s whole body shakes. Her rage is clear and channeled straight at Ryan. She practically growls, “You want to work alone so badly? Be my guest.” Then storms off into the night.

After a beat, the crackle in the Comms gives way to Luke.

He sighs heavily into his microphone. “Not cool, Ryan.”

Ryan clears her throat. Tries to sound a bit less affected. “Hey, mission accomplished.”

Screw Ryan. Sophie would normally go for more eloquence, but she’s a little sidetracked. She squares up her shot in the minimalist Crows shooting range. The small scale facility has a row of five shooting stations opposite the targets. On a Friday night, the other Crows are either working or relaxing, so the space is all hers. And Mary’s, who presses a pair of earmuffs tighter onto her ears and squeaks as Sophie takes another shot.

Mary practically screams, “Are you sure that this is how you want to spend Girls’ Night?”

Girls’ Night meaning yet another last minute outing to distract Sophie from how shitty Ryan is acting. At least the last time, Sophie could have a bit of fun. This time, her blood’s boiling, and she grinds her teeth so hard that she might upset a filling.

“Any better ideas?”

Mary gives an incredulous look to Sophie. “There are so many clubs in Gotham. You can take shots instead of shooting them. And… didn’t you used to go shooting with Kate?”

Sophie sets her gun down. “It’s great stress relief.”

“Yeah, so’s dancing. And it’s a lot more fun.” Mary pushes her ear muffs down onto her neck. “I don’t need to know what’s got you so…” She waves a hand at Sophie’s generally tense demeanor. “But you can find plenty of ladies who would love to help you forget about it.”

And forget about Ryan slut-shaming her for even looking like she was moving on. “Look, I can live my life however I want. It’s not disrespecting anyone to do that.”

“I wholeheartedly agree.” Mary turns knowing eyes up at Sophie. “I also feel like there’s someone else that you want to be saying that to, and it’s not me. So, you work on your speech, and I will cement our spot on the guest list, okay?”

Mary squeezes Sophie’s arm and then excuses herself from the room. She stays right outside, where the pop of Sophie’s next shot is on the other side of the glass. Her phone’s ringing before she really thinks about it.

Ryan groans into the phone upon answering. Then she must hear the muffled shots in the background. “Are you getting shot at?”

“Thankfully, no. Sophie’s got me at the Crows shooting range because someone pissed her off tonight.” Mary rolls her head in a circle and wills some of the tension out of her body. “An hour ago, you two were fine, so want to clue me in how you royally screwed things up?”

Ryan scoffs, and her voice pitches higher in indignation. “She’ll be fine. This is Crowphie we’re talking about.”

Mary watches as Sophie fires off three rounds before her arms drop. Sophie lays the gun down and plants her hands on the wood of the stall in front of her. Her shoulders shake with what may actually be a sob.

“She’s not invincible, Ryan. And you can’t hurt her just to push her away. It’s not fair.”

“When has any of this been fair, Mary?” There’s a thud on the other end, like Ryan’s slamming their fridge. Is she home right now? “I’m doing the best I can.”

“Well, do better. I’m taking her out to hopefully dance through some of this intensity. Maybe tomorrow you can try to fix this. Okay?”

A bottle cap pops on Ryan’s side. She’s definitely got a beer from the fridge. This won’t end well for any of them, will it? Ryan takes a swig that’s loud enough for Mary to hear through the phone.

“Which club?”

Mary sighs.

Leave it to Mary to pick the one club playing decent music tonight. Ryan half expected Mary to have picked Curse, but Sophie’s not really an EDM kind of girl. Before tonight, Ryan would’ve assumed Sophie’s never been to a club at all. She’s the tight lipped, straight backed type. The type to think of a few drinks at a bar as a wild night.

Tonight, though, Sophie’s hotter than ever. In a tight dress that stops above the knee and heels that make her tower over half the patrons, Sophie’s got the attention of at least half the club. Ryan watches from beside Mary at their table. Sophie had taken one look at Ryan, downed her drink, and gone onto the dance floor.

“She’s not even a good dancer,” Ryan mumbles. Sophie’s a bit too stiff to really be good out there. She does have a natural rhythm though. Everyone around her bends to match it. One particular person with a mullet slips up behind Sophie. Their hand finds Sophie’s hip, and Sophie only misses a beat before dancing again.

Mary twirls the ice around in her drink. “She’s fine.”

She’s vengeful. Sophie gets told one time that she’s moving on too fast, and now she’s grinding with a stranger at a club. If anything, she’s proving Ryan’s point.

Mullet takes Sophie’s hand in their free one and spins Sophie around to face them. The move gets a laugh out of Sophie. The laugh gets a kiss from Mullet. Ryan groans.

She leans across the table to Mary. “I thought this was Girls’ Night.”

Mary shrugs. “Mullet's a girl. Maybe. I'm trying not to assume anyone's gender based on expression. Look, you rejected her, so she’s going to rebound.”

Ryan pulls a disgusted face. It’s not about Mullet in particular. Just, if Sophie’s going to rebound off of Batwoman, couldn’t she do it with somebody interesting? Somebody who will do more than kiss along her neck in a sweaty club surrounded by strangers. Now both of Mullet’s hands are on Sophie’s hips, and Sophie’s head is tilted back like she’s actually enjoying this. Like Mullet has found just the right spot and —

Ryan turns to put her back to the dance floor. “I’m not watching this.”

“You don’t have to. You also… didn’t have to come?” Mary’s voice lilts up at the end. Her face is that mix of carefully constructed curiosity that usually means Mary’s leading Ryan into a trap. “I get that you wanted to see how bad she’s taking it, but I could have just texted you. Imani would’ve loved an impromptu date night.”

Things with Imani aren’t as great as they were before. Imani’s still amazing, but she gets quieter and stares at Ryan like she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. The last time Ryan bailed for Bat business, Imani looked absolutely betrayed.

Ryan could keep it to herself, but she blurts out, “Imani doesn’t trust me. I have to bail on half of our dates because of work and after meeting Sophie—”

“Why would she be jealous of Sophie?”

Ryan scratches at the back of her neck. “We may have gotten caught up in an argument in front of Imani.”

Mary hums. “And the two of you forgot anyone else even existed.” She says it like this is something that they do.

“I didn’t forget.” Sophie infuriates Ryan. She’s so sure that she’s right about every little thing, and if Ryan doesn’t correct her, then who will?

“But you didn’t care. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t the woman that you’re sleeping with have your full attention? Not your ‘coworker.’”

Ryan gives her a tight smile. “You’re forgiven.”

Mary turns her eyes back to the crowd. Ryan glances back, and of course, Sophie’s still with Mullet. But as Mullet kisses Sophie’s neck again, Sophie stares across the dance floor straight at Ryan.

Mary claps her hands together. “Alright. You two might want to talk about whatever this is. Preferably before I become an unwilling third and Imani ends up heartbroken.”

Ryan’s halfway out of her chair before she remembers to deny it. “There’s nothing to talk about.” Mary’s sarcastic mhm follows Ryan as she cuts her way through the crowd towards Sophie.

The heat of the bodies engulfs her. Somebody familiar tugs at Ryan, but she shirks out of the touch without so much as a look. Her eyes catch Sophie’s again, and she holds the stare as she slips around the last few people between them.

Mullet’s behind Sophie again. They possessively wrap an arm around Sophie’s stomach. “We’re good,” Mullet says.

Ryan ignores them to talk to Sophie. “Mary’s worried about you.”

Sophie’s dismissive. “Then Mary can come talk to me herself.” She turns her nose up at Ryan, and honestly, it’s enough to make Ryan see red.

Ryan’s here because Mary said Sophie was hurting. Ryan could be anywhere else. She could be at home, drinking a beer, in her bed. She could be patrolling the city. She could be with Imani, but she’s here because Mary had the misguided idea that Sophie was actually sad about being rejected. Mary was wrong.

Ryan huffs. “Whatever.” She starts walking back through the crowd.

Sophie calls out, “Hey, don’t walk away from me!”

Ryan glances over her shoulder to see Sophie push Mullet away. Sophie storms after Ryan, cutting through couples and dancers to get to her. Ryan speeds up. She makes a sharp turn in the crowd. No need to head back towards Mary and her leading comments.

The bathrooms are packed, as always, but there’s an exit door a bit further down the hall that’s normally unlocked. Ryan wiggles along the hall to get there and slips out into the night air.

A wave of humidity lingers outside the door. The stoop can barely fit Ryan. She pauses, which is just enough time for Sophie to push her way outside too. Ryan has to step down off the stoop. So she takes the remaining two steps to be firmly on the ground.

“Ryan, stop!” Sophie stomps down the steps. Ryan can’t move quick enough, so she ends up with Sophie standing over her. Sophie’s breathing hard. Her cheeks and neck are flushed from the club. Her lipstick’s in tact, but there’s a well kissed swell to them too.

Ryan can’t explain the fire in her veins. She shouldn’t have the power to get to Sophie like this. And maybe Ryan doesn’t. Maybe only Batwoman means something to Sophie.

“I have never seen you like that.” Ryan throws a hand towards the club. “Who was that in there?”

“You’re the one who said we didn’t know each other,” Sophie snaps.

“Maybe with good reason!”

Sophie quickly shakes her head. She stabs a finger into Ryan’s shoulder. “You do not get to judge me, Ryan. I am not interested in hearing some speech about how I should be acting. I decide what I want to do. I spent twenty-nine years denying myself that. And I am tired of letting other people tell me what team to be on.”

“You picked a clear one in there,” Ryan retorts. She should have worn her heels. Sophie’s a fucking Amazon woman right now, and it makes Ryan flare up. Makes her puff her chest out more than she needs to.

Sophie says, “I didn’t have a choice!” She catches herself. Her eyes cut to the wall before coming back to Ryan. “Did you know that I worked with the last Batwoman?”

Of course Ryan knows that. Everybody knows Sophie and Kate worked together. It’s why Sophie got suspended last year. Even low level non-criminals like Ryan heard about that. The Crows number two getting the deuces.

Sophie knows too. She keeps going, “For months, we worked together, and she never told me who she was. She never even gave me the chance to keep her secret. And you could say that she was protecting me, but really — ” Sophie’s anger fractures. Her lip trembles, and she sniffles before setting her jaw again. ”She was protecting herself.”

Luke always talks about Kate like she was perfect. Kate stood up for the people of Gotham. Kate had a code. Kate loved Sophie and established a legacy that Ryan’s supposed to carry on. Is hurting Sophie a part of that?

Sophie pushes her hair back out of her face. “I’m sick of playing games, Ryan.”

Ryan’s blood runs cold. “Meaning…?” Does Sophie know?

“Meaning I am going where I’m wanted.”

Ryan sighs in relief. A stressed laugh slips from her lips. It’s not about her. It’s still about the rejection.

Ryan lightens her tone. “You didn’t have to come to the club for that. There’s a line out the door at The Hold Up.” Sophie shakes her head, and the tension’s still tight between her eyebrows. Ryan needs this out. She takes Sophie’s hand in hers to swing it playfully between them. “I’m serious! Much hotter than Mullet. You should see the number of women checking you out every time you’re there. They are waiting for you to give them a chance.”

Sophie’s shoulders drop, like the fight’s slipping out of her. “You’re being nice.”

Ryan runs her thumb along Sophie’s knuckles to undercut her words.

“When have I ever been nice to you, Sophie?”

Sophie gazes down at Ryan in such a tender way that Ryan forgets how to breathe for a second. Forgets that they shouldn’t be toe to toe in an alleyway underneath the moonlight.

Sophie’s natural rasp pokes through. “You tell me.”

The quick hits: saving Sophie from Black Mask, cracking jokes with her and Jordan, the free margaritas. Sophie’s the nicer of the two of them. She stayed with Ryan on the island. She didn’t even look under the mask when she could’ve. She got Ryan back to Mary’s clinic with no questions asked.

She always plays along when Ryan wants a fight. She comes running for every text, every call, and she flips the Bat-signal to see Ryan. Not for some ghost of who used to be.

Sometimes Sophie smiles at Ryan like they’re the only two people in the world. Like now. Ryan gets lost in the warmth of it. The hopeful glow in Sophie’s eyes. Maybe Ryan should’ve been in heels. Sophie wouldn’t have to lean so far down to kiss her. Would it be so bad if Sophie did have a crush? If Ryan maybe —

“OW! What the —” The back door snags on the sleeve of Mary’s dress. She stumbles on the stoop, and her eyes jump up in time to spot them. Ryan and Sophie freeze, hands still together, faces angled towards each other but no closer to bridging the distance between them.

Ryan’s whole body feels like it’s on fire. Like she’s been caught in front of the whole of Gotham with her mask off.

Mary stares down at their hands. Ryan finally remembers to drop it. Sophie just licks her lips and steps back to turn to Mary.

The medical student points back into the club. “I… I could go back inside.”

Sophie walks back up the steps. “I’m calling it a night. Thanks, Mary. This was….” She glances over her shoulder at Ryan, who can’t bring herself to move yet. “Yeah.” Sophie slips into the club.

Mary lightly closes the door behind Sophie. She takes a deep breath in. “WHAT WAS THAT!?” She shrieks. Her eyebrows have practically left her face when she turns to Ryan. “You were supposed to be apologizing, not making out in the alley!”

Ryan snaps back to the moment. She readjusts her top, which she doesn’t have to do since it’s not like Sophie touched her. It’s not like they actually did anything. They just… stared? Looked? Saw each other, maybe.

“We weren’t making out.”

“Oh really?” Mary doesn’t believe her.

“We didn’t even kiss,” Ryan snaps.

Mary snorts. “Don’t sound so disappointed.” Ryan crosses her arms defensively. Mary’s eyes quadruple in size. “Oh my God, are you disappointed!?”

Ryan stomps up the steps to the door. Mary figuratively dissects Ryan with her eyes. Maybe Ryan could sprint through the club. If she starts running, the other Black people at least should run. It’s code. A little stampede, and she can ditch her roommate and this awful line of questioning.

Mary keeps up with Ryan as she speeds up though. Mary fast-walks beside her down the narrow hallway.

She says, “You can’t ignore me. You know that, right? We’re going home together. We need to talk about this.”

“Talk about what?”

Mary jogs to get around Ryan and stand in front of her. Ryan nearly crashes into her. Mary grabs both of Ryan’s shoulders so Ryan has no choice but to look at her. It’s almost not fair that Mary and Ryan are nearly the same height. It gives Mary an advantage when it comes to reading Ryan directly. Plus, Ryan can’t escape the soft concern in Mary’s eyes.

She asks it softly but like she already knows the answer. “Do you like Sophie?”

Ryan scoffs and laughs and shakes her head and does everything she can to look like that’s not true. Because it can’t be true. It shouldn’t be true. “No, I do not like Sophie.” So why does that sound like a lie?

Sophie shouldn’t be up here. She should be back home, like she said, not waiting under the Bat-signal. But she can’t exactly go to Ryan’s loft and ask Ryan what the fuck that was back at the club. At first, it just seemed like judgement. Ryan’s never been subtle about her discontent. She tells Sophie everything she dislikes from the way Sophie’s done her hair to the fact that Sophie’s committed her life to a police state that may never be capable of getting better.

Judgement doesn’t pinch Ryan’s lips though. Judgement is a self-assured raise of the brow. Judgement is that all-knowing smirk and a dimmer switch on Ryan’s normally bright eyes.

At the club, that was something else. That was heat. That was anger. That was jealousy. Ryan might’ve spun it into jokes about The Hold Up, but it started from there. They were so close in that alley. So close as themselves, and that should be the goal of all this, right? Sophie started messing with Ryan to get Ryan to be honest with her. Sophie could take the first step. Drop the charade and tell Ryan that she knows. Ask her to let Sophie in.

Ryan lands on the roof with a whoosh and a soft thud. The wind runs through the wig. What would it feel like through Ryan’s hair? What would Sophie’s fingers feel like?

Ryan shifts her weight from one side to the other. She gives a little “Hi” that sounds nervous even under the voice regulator.

If Sophie speaks, then those nerves will go away. This charade makes it easier. It gives them an excuse and an out. Because if Sophie and Ryan kiss, then Sophie has to change her life. Sophie has to quit her job, and Ryan has to bend her beliefs, and neither of them can ever go back to who they were before. But if it’s Batwoman….

Sophie summons all her strength. “You owe me an apology.”

Ryan glances down at the roof. “Kate was a low blow.”

“And Tyler,” Sophie reminds her. It’s probably a good thing Ryan doesn’t know enough about Julia to bring her up too.

“I’m sorry. I….” She licks her lips and steps closer to Sophie. “I panicked. You’re out here telling people that you have my phone number. What am I supposed to do with that?”

Sophie fakes a thought as she steps towards Ryan. “You could try talking about it, like an actual adult. You are an adult, right?”

Ryan takes another step. They’re only an arms length apart. “Yeah, I’m an adult.”

Sophie’s turn. “Good. And you want me?”

“I….”

Sophie stops. They’re almost toe to toe again. “Yes or no. Do you want me?”

A few agonizing seconds creep in. Ryan doesn’t move, or speak. Dread sinks in. She read this wrong. Ryan really was being nice in the alley, and now Sophie’s pushed too far. She’s gone back on her word, and it’s only going to give Ryan more ammunition against her. She’s going to kill Mary for bringing her out tonight.

“Yes,” Ryan whispers. Sophie jumps forward at the word. “I think…. Yes.”

Sophie drapes her arms around Ryan’s neck. The wig tickles against her bare skin. Ryan’s breath catches in her throat. Tentatively, her hands come up to Sophie’s waist. The gloves bunch her dress. Sophie’s eyes drop from Ryan’s down to Ryan’s lips, then back again. Sophie leans in, so close that their lips almost brush.

“Do you trust me?”

Ryan tenses around her. She says, “I want to. I just… can’t.”

Sophie nods and swallows around the immediate lump in her throat. “Then I can’t do this.”

Sophie detangles herself from Ryan and heads for the doors. She only gets a few steps away before Ryan grabs her hand. Ryan runs her thumb over Sophie’s knuckles the same way she did in the alley.

“We can work on it. It’s not just me, you know,” Ryan says. “I don’t have to work alone.”

Right, there’s Luke and Mary, who lie to Sophie every single time she sees them. There was Julia. Even Alice gets to be in on the action sometimes.

Sophie asks her, “So what’s wrong with me?” Why keep pushing her away? She’s done everything she can think of to prove she’s trustworthy. The last few weeks of jokes and games aren’t the problem. Ryan doesn’t care about kids thinking Sophie’s friends with Batwoman. She doesn’t care about drinks. There's something else at play here. Something Ryan won't admit.

“Soph….” Ryan starts, but no explanation follows. Sophie can’t set herself up like this. Not again.

Sophie pulls her hand back. “Figure that out, and get back to me. Until you do, I’m done.”

a/n: So many fun things in this chapter! Let me know what's working for you and how you felt about our near kisses (one of which was almost a full one -- can you guess which one?)

END OF CHAPTER UPDATED, MONDAY JUNE 21ST AT 10AM.

it's going to be a busy week for me. give me some fun comments and reblogs to keep my energy up?

#batwoman #batwoman fic #wildmoore #ryan x sophie #sophie moore #ryan wilder #mine #batwoman: s2 #fic: i know you even if you don't want me to #mary hamilton

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wendip-week · 3 years ago

Text

Prompt: Time-Travel

Prompt – Time Travel

It was another fine day in Gravity Falls. Squirrels were chasing each other, baby birds were chirping for food, and the local citizens went about their business, blissfully unaware of the rumored-weirdness that surrounded the valley.

In the town’s tourist-trap, the Mystery Shack, two young workers were sitting behind the register, looking bored. One was a short, scrawny pre-teen with shaggy, brown hair covered by a cap featuring a pine-tree. The other was a tall, lanky redheaded girl in flannel and sporting a trapper-hat. They were the best of friends (or partners-in-crime, depending on who you ask); and at that moment, they’d rather have been anywhere else.

“Ugh! Dipper! Why’s your uncle making us sit here? This place is half-dead! We’ve had, what? Sixteen customers all day, and maybe three of them wanted to buy something?” the girl said, laying across the counter.

“Yeah. Well, it’s Stan, Wendy. ‘Any potential sucker is basically a customer, and customers have money, so don’t miss an opportunity to get some!’”

“Nice one. But seriously, dude, I wish we could go on some adventure. Heck, I’ll take anything: scary or cheesy,” the girl said confidently.

“Really?” Dipper replied, looking at her. “You’d stoop to something out of our B-movie collection?”

Wendy paused, clearly giving this some thought. “Well…”

“The Crawling Deer-Demon-Duck is hiding in that condemned-house, Cassandara!” Dipper said in a low-baritone, his face pouting with mock-bravery. “What kind of brave seventeen-year-old slight bad-boy would I be if I didn’t go in there alone to try and stop it?”

Accepting his challenge, Wendy stood up. “Oh, Drewson! You can’t! It’s too dangerous!” she replied, adopting a terrible accent of a Southern-belle. She put the back-end of her hand on her forehead dramatically, while using her other to grab his sleeve. “I won’t let you go into that condemned house where the Deer-Demon-Duck is hiding!”

Dipper gently moved her hand away and faced her more directly. “But you have to let me!”

“Oh, Drewson!!!” Wendy lamented, now looking Dipper in the eyes.

“Cassandara…” Dipper did the same…

The two’s faces came closer and closer…

Meanwhile, from two different ends of the Shack, a couple of thirteen-year-olds watched with interest. One, a fit-looking, freckle-faced girl with brown hair, stared with wide-eyes; she had her hands over her mouth as she barely suppressed a squeal. It was just too cute and hilarious! The other was a bulky young-man with copper hair. He just rolled his eyes and shook his head, chuckling.

Wendy and Dipper’s faces were now inches from one another; neither breaking the act. Just as it seemed they were about make contact…

*FLASH!*

“Bwaaaahhh!!!” cried out a voice of pure-chaos.

…A white flash of light and a subsequent familiar-sounding snap caught them off-guard (and momentarily blinded the duo).

“Hey!” Dipper shouted.

“What the heck?!” Wendy replied, blinking to get her sight back.

“You guys! That was adorable!” Mabel, Dipper’s twin who sported braces, a homemade sweater, and thick, long brown cried out.

“Mabel?” said Wendy. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to hear all that!” the energetic girl told her friend while holding a photo-camera.

“W-We were imitating a scene from one of our movies!” Dipper replied quickly, his face suddenly a deep-red.

“Tomato-Potato! A smooch-scene’s a smooch-scene! Look!” Mabel told them, holding up an instant-photo. Looking closer, it featured Dipper and Wendy, inches apart and puckered up. “And I thought your only chest-hair was scrapbook-material, Dip!”

“Mabel, you better throw that away!” Dipper told his sister, while Wendy just shook her head, a hand covering her eyes.

“Nope! Scrapbook-ortunity!” Mabel opened her scrapbook and, finding a spot that was (relatively) empty, put the photo in. “Boom! Now, I just need some glue! Be right back!”

Mabel ran into the house to look around, leaving her brother and friend alone and little embarrassed.

Dipper looked at his redheaded crush. “Sorry, Wendy. She didn’t need to do that.”

“It’s whatever, dork. I mean, we were kind of cutting it close. That’s what happens when you play chicken.”

“Yeah… I’m gonna destroy it before she gets back,” Dipper said, reaching out for the scrapbook.

“No, don’t!” Wendy replied, putting her hand on his shoulder.

“Wendy, you know she’ll show people. What’ll our friends think? I don’t want you to get embarrassed,” the younger Mystery-Twin said to the redhead.

“Thanks, but if everyone starts laughing, we can just say we’re great actors. After all, I’d pick you over the lead in that cheesy-film any day,” Wendy reassured Dipper, a gentle smile on her face.

Not knowing what to say, the blushing twelve-year-old just awkwardly chuckled.

“Hey!” shouted a gravelly-voice from inside the house. “Can somebody help me with this pimple on my back! I don’t need it bothering me on my next tour!”

Wendy turned to look at her dork, looking a little nonplussed. “…We should probably run before Stan singles us out.”

“To the roof, you think?” Dipper asked.

“Nah, I’m starved. Let’s hit Greasy’s. There’s a great lunch-special if we hurry.”

The nigh-inseparable duo quietly rushed off, leaving the gift-shop completely unattended. With that, the two customers slowly approached the counter, awkwardly looking around.

“Well, that was adorable and weird,” the girl told the boy around her age.

The large boy shrugged. “Definitely right on the latter.” He turned to face the girl. “How has your day been progressing?”

“Uh, fine I guess?” she replied, not used to hearing a greeting in such context. “How about yours?”

“Can’t complain. So… the gift-shop’s abandoned, it looks like,” the boy said, looking around.

“I guess so. Someone could steal something from here and no one would notice.”

“True. Looks like the rumors of this place sparing every expense were true,” the boy said with a chuckle. “Are you planning on stealing something?”

“No! Of course not!” the girl replied with a huff. As the boy looked away, she discreetly took a glance at the scrapbook left behind.

“Well, that’s good. Lots of punk-teens wouldn’t think twice about robbing this place blind,” he told her.

“Fair point,” The girl replied. She reached a small hand out. “I’m May, by the way.”

The other teen answered by clasping it with a meaty-looking hand of his own. “Cool. That’s my sister’s name. I’m Danny.”

For a second, the girl called May’s eyes widened, before narrowing suspiciously. Danny suddenly realized she wasn’t letting go of his hand.

“No, it isn’t,” she replied curtly. “My brother’s Danny!”

As she said that, the other teen frowned before his eyes mirrored the girl. They stared momentarily before pouncing. May attempted to pull “Danny” toward her. Danny, however, was ready. He spun and pulled the hand still clasping his behind the girl’s back. With her momentarily caught off-guard, he pushed her into one of the aisles. He quickly snatched the scrapbook from the counter before racing out the door. May, after stopping herself from hitting a wall, turned to see no scrapbook near the register. She immediately rushed outside to find the boy.

Behind the Mystery Shack, Danny was going rummaging the somewhat sticky-pages of the book he snatched, careful not let anything besides some glitter fall out from between. Finally, his eyes settled on his objective. He was just about to take it when-

“Hey, you!” Danny turned towards an angry-looking May, her fist punching her other palm. “That’s stealing! I don’t know who you are, but I’m not letting you have that!” she shouted.

“Please!” he replied. “As if you weren’t planning on it. I’m smarter than I look, you know!” he accused the girl, who gritted her teeth at his comeback. “And for your information, I’m me! And you’re not you!”

With that, the two of them raced towards each other. This time, however, May slid between the large boy’s legs and got behind him. Before he could react, she grabbed him underneath his shoulders. With him successfully in a headlock, May reached for the book in the redheaded boy’s hand. Realizing what she was trying to do, Danny swung back-and-forth, trying to make May let go of him.

Caught off-guard, the strong girl actually lost her grip on one of his arms for a minute, though she quickly regained it by getting her arm around his neck. However, this wasn’t enough. He reached behind, and this time, he got ahold of May’s shirt, enabling him to throw her off, despite her attempts to hold onto his head. (She even grabbed and stretched his mouth in the process).

She landed with a thud but was quick to get back on her feet. And May was immediately shocked by the sight before her. Next to this guy’s feet was the scrapbook of Mabel, apparently dropped when she made him throw her off. But on the other side of “Danny” laid what looked like a rubber-mask of his face. The head on his body now sported something else: a head that she could only describe as resembling an oversized pistachio, but with red-eyes and sharp teeth.

The creature posing as a human, realizing he was exposed, quickly grabbed his mask and slipped it back on with a growl. Now indiscernible from a human, he wagged what May assumed was a false finger, clearly ticked by that. He charged at her, only for her to roll out of the way. She tried a roundhouse-kick, only for the disguised teen to catch her foot. When May tried to break out, she lost her balance, enabling Danny to catch her from behind the same way she had him.

However, May was ready this time. As this guy grabbed her underneath her shoulders, May somersaulted backwards and caught Danny’s neck with her shoes. With all of her might, she used her legs to throw Danny forward, headfirst! He landed with a loud thud, giving May time to grab the book and escape.

Danny, checking to make sure his mask was straight, raced to catch up to May. He went around the side and rushing in the general direction she ran, saw her carefully moving around a large hole not too far from the Mystery Shack. Taking off a hand-shaped glove, he launched a vine-like appendage and grabbed May’s leg, tripping her and pulling her back. At the same time, she dropped the book near the edge of the long drop. Danny rushed forward and picked it up.

Of course, by this time, May was back on her feet. She charged with all he had and slammed her shoulder into the creature’s costumed-midsection, making him drop the book again. “OW!” They both shouted after May made contact.

Danny rubbed the spot where he got rammed with one hand and pushed her back with his other. He then looked at the pained girl strangely. “That was… You tackle just like May does; only weaker. Who are-? Hey, you okay?”

“Do I look okay?” May was clutching her shoulder, and as the boy could see more plainly, it didn’t look quite right.

“You’re hurt.” Before Danny could say more, the edge of the hole he was standing by gave way. He fell and, because he was still holding onto May, ended up pulling her in, too.

They both fell, screaming all the way down, only realize that they didn’t seem to be getting there anytime soon.

“Wait… I know what this is! We’re in the Bottomless Pit!” May said in realization.

“Oh, yeah! Haven’t seen the inside of this I was five…” Danny thought out loud.

“So you say!” May snapped. “Stop pretending already and tell me what the heck you are! Running into you is like crashing into a tree-trunk! What the heck?!”

Danny paused. “Okay, seeing as you look like you’re hurting, and I’m not, I’m going to call a truce. I’m willing to talk if you are, but I’d rather check your arm first. Is that cool with you?”

“Fine,” May grumbled, seeing no options at the moment. She was at a disadvantage, and if this monster could reach her, she’d be in trouble.

“Alright. Now, stay calm and try not to freak out.” Danny took a hand-shaped glove off and from where it was, slowly extended a vine in May’s direction. It gently went around the teenager’s midriff and pulled her towards him. It was plain to see she was suspicious. “Let me see…” Using his other hand, he poked May’s shoulder.

“Augh!” she grunted.

“Yeah… Looks like you dislocated your shoulder,” Danny assessed with a shudder. “You meatbags and your weird bodies.”

“MEATBAGS?! Look who’s talking!”

“Hey, it is basically what you are. You’re like, mostly water, aren’t you?”

“Well, yeah…” May admitted awkwardly. “But that’s still rude.”

“Right. Sorry,” he apologized sheepishly. “Look, we can’t do anything until we come back up, so we might well as chat and find what the heck is going on here; maybe why you want that scrapbook so much.”

“You took it first,” May replied. “What about you? Also, would you mind letting go of me?”

“Can do.” Danny retracted his vine, allowing May to freefall on her own, then slipped his glove back on over his branch-like hand.

“Okay, so… who the heck are you? I’ve lived in Gravity Falls all of my life; I know that names being alike isn’t some coincidence.” May said.

“Agreed. I’m Danny Pines,” said the strange-teen. “And I’m assuming you’re May Pines.”

“Yeah. May Pines: daughter of Mason and Wendy Pines,” May stated proudly.

“Those are my parents’ names,” Danny replied, an eyebrow raised.

“Weird. My brother’s human, and he doesn’t look much like whatever that costume is you’re wearing. Are you being honest that you’re who you say you are?”

“Yes, I am,” Danny replied, starting to sound annoyed. “Look, I’m a plant-person, okay? So is most of the family, along with the half-the-town where I’m from. We wear disguises to blend in with humans… And what’s wrong with the way I look?”

“Well, for starters, my Danny’s not built like you. He’s muscular, but like the lean-kind. And he’s tall. You kind of have a build like my uncles on Mom’s side of the family. Plus, your face kind of looks like Aunt Mabel’s. He’s got more of one that looks kind of like Grandpa Dan,” May said thoughtfully.

“Huh. Go figure. I never actually wondered if my disguise was accurate… As for my height, I can safely tell you I’m taller than I look. I basically slouch in this costume,” Danny told her. “And my May’s costume doesn’t have you so good, either.”

“Really? Why?” May asked.

“Well, her mask has red-hair and no freckles. And your nose definitely isn’t Mom’s.”

“Oh. I always wondered how I’d look with red hair…” May thought out loud. “Uh, so… why the heck were you trying to take that book?”

“Why do you need it?”

May sighed in resignation. “Look, I’m looking for an anniversary-present for Mom and Dad. I remember Aunt Mabel told me about some cute picture in her scrapbook that went missing. It was that little scene with Mom and Dad from a little earlier. Apparently, it disappeared. It’d be a good gift, and I thought maybe it was me taking it after Blendin Blandin loaned me his Time-Tape that caused it disappear. Now, I’m wondering if it vanishes because you steal it.”

“What a coincidence. I was planning on getting that as an anniversary present for them, too. Well, my version of Mom and Dad.”

“Yeah… How’s that work again? I’m already assuming this is probably one of those Other-Dimension/Universe deals. Or maybe even another timeline,” asked May

“Really? How would that last one work? New timelines always replace old ones, right?” Danny replied.

“I don’t know. I don’t do this for a liv-Oh! We’re coming back up!”

About a minute later, the two thirteen-year-olds found themselves back outside the Bottomless Pit, not a minute gone by since they fell in. Immediately, they stepped away, quick to attend to more important matters. Well, besides the picture in Mabel’s scrapbook, anyway. (Danny quickly picked that up).

“Alright,” Danny said after making sure no one was around. “I’m not an expert, but I’ve been taught the basics of human-skeletons. We’ve gotta fix that arm.”

“Right. Uh, one sec.” May used her good arm to pull a coin-purse out of her pocket. From there, she pulled out a piece of wood with some bite-marks and stuck it in her mouth. “Do your worst.”

Danny put one hand on her forearm; the other on her shoulder. “This is gonna hurt. I’m going to count to five. Got it?” May nodded, and Danny counted. “One… Two… Five.”

A shrill, girly scream echoed through the valley. A scream rivaled only by those who were unfortunate enough to stick an appendage into the infamous “Pain Hole”.

“You okay?” Danny asked, concerned.

“Yeah,” May grunted, rolling her shoulder a couple of times. “This actually happens more often than you think. I’ll be fine in a couple of days.

“Well, I guess that’s one thing you humans have over us,” the boy said, shaking his head. “Your broken limbs don’t have to stay broken. We need to regrow ours. It’s pretty rough.”

“I guess… So, is your time like that lizard-people timeline or something? Dad and Aunt Mabel said something like that happened or was talked about when they were hunting for treasure one time.”

“I don’t remember either of them talking about that,” Danny said, shrugging. “All I know is that my version of Mom and Dad were turned into plants outside of Gravity Falls, and that there was time-travel involved. Come to think of it, I wonder if maybe Time-Wishes have something to do with this.”

May raised an eyebrow. “I don’t follow.”

“They’re paradox-free, but what if they don’t line up with the future. And they can’t be part of a time-loop, either. That’s another paradox. But splitting timelines might make for a good technicality, especially if they lead to the same futures or something.”

“…You read a lot of science-fiction, don’t you?” May deadpanned.

Danny shrugged. “When I’m camping. Yeah.”

“So… you think maybe we come from different branches and that this is a shared-moment in the past?”

“In a nutshell. No pun intended.”

May shrugged. “Anything’s possible. So, how are things in your timeline? Is the Shack still standing?”

“Yeah. Uncle Soos is doing a great job with it.”

“Nice! Does Arctica exist in in that time? Do you like-like her?” May asked in a sly voice.

“N-No! I mean, uh, yes… and no!” Danny replied quickly.

“Oh my gosh! I knew it!” May said, almost squealing. “Everyone knows! Me, our parents, our friends! Aunt Pacifica sure approves! So does-!”

“Wait! Pacifica… She’s alive in your time?” Danny asked, looking a bit shocked.

“Yeah. Is she not…? Oh, man! What happened?” May replied, looking very concerned.

“She just got sick. Last year, I think. That kind of thing’s one drawback to being human, I guess. Still, everyone was there, so I think she was comfortable, at least,” Danny told his sister from what might be an alternate-timeline.

“Shoot…” May thought out loud.

“Sorry to bring the mood down. So, does Chaz still try to keep his distance from you and your cooties?”

“As if! He’s just intimidated by my tackle!”

“Sure… No doubt that’s why he and Drake Jr. tried to discover a vaccine for them,” Danny said with a chuckle. “Dad thinks they might be onto rediscovering the Philosopher’s Stone instead.”

“So, Aunt Mabel married Uncle Drake in your timeline, too?”

“Yep.”

“Great… Two versions of our uncle to pass on his terrible driving skills two different versions of our cousin,” May said in exasperation.

“Don’t forget our siblings…” Danny added.

“Siblings? What siblings?” May asked.

“…You’re kidding, right?”

“No. Seriously, we have them? What are they like?” May said with interest. “Younger? Older?”

“All of the above. Dang. I wish I had my special phone-glove so I could show you pics. Too bad I didn’t want to accidentally leave it.”

“Shoot! Lucky!”

Danny laughed. “Keep telling yourself that.”

May smiled, then looked at her aunt’s scrapbook. “That photo’s still in there.”

Danny rummaged through it and found the page with said photo. The siblings from different timelines both stared, admiring the young versions of their parents doing that corny, mock-romance scene.

“What do you wanna do?” Danny asked her.

“I don’t know… I want it, but you’ve got as much right to snatch it as I do,” May replied. “I wish we both could take it with us.”

“You know, maybe we can,” Danny said after a minute.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Doesn’t the Shack have a magic photocopy-machine in this time?”

“…And Mom and Dad are gone, so we might be able to pull this off!”

Meanwhile, Mabel was in her and Dipper’s room in the attic, which had basically been torn apart in a futile-search.

“Come on, Mabel!” The sweater-loving preteen said to herself. “Where’d you put that extra glue?”

The Mystery Twins of different timelines slipped through the currently-unguarded gift-shop of the Mystery Shack with ease, only to run into an elderly, bespectacled man in a fez, faded-white tee-shirt, and boxers in the living room, who was sitting on the couch, watching tv. The man turned to face them.

“Hey!” he said gruffly. “No exploring the house unless I’m leading a tour! Back to the gift-shop with you.”

Danny approached him, a hand behind his back. “No. Back to sleep with you.” Danny brought his concealed hand out from behind him, a large flower blooming from his wooden hand. He blew what looked like pollen into the old man’s face. The man was out in an instant, drooling all over himself.

May took the tv remote and flipped through a couple of channels. When she was satisfied, she abandoned the remote and joined Danny, though not before laying a soft kiss on the scary-looking man’s temple.

“Love you, Great-Grunkle Stan,” May whispered. She turned back to rubber-suited variation of her brother. “Let’s go.”

The two kids wandered down the hall towards the back, where they found a beaten, worn-out copy machine with words like “Danger” and other warnings on and around it.

“So… if I remember correctly, Dad said this’ll clone whatever you put into it,” May said. “It’s how Great Grunkle Stan made copies of the Journals that triangle-dude ruined.”

“Right,” Danny replied. “Seems straightforward. I think I’ll make two. This way, we don’t have to steal anything.”

“Sounds good. Let’s just remember not to get either wet.” May stepped out to check the living room.

Meanwhile, a heavy-set young man in a cap and a shirt with a big question-mark stepped into the living-room. “Hey, Mr. Pines. I just finished fixing-Oh, cool! You’ve got anime on!”

Soos Ramirez sat down on the couch, his gaze focused entirely on the tv-screen. He didn’t notice the teenage-girl peering around the corner, nor the bright and completely-noticeable flash from down the hall. He also didn’t notice two teens step back into the gift-shop, the boy holding three identical-copies of what looked like Mabel’s scrapbook.

In the Mystery Shack’s gift shop, May sat the scrapbook back down on the counter where she and Danny found it.

“Alright! Are we good to go?” May asked Danny.

“I think so. I made whole scrapbooks that we can maybe use for Aunt Mabel sometime. I bet she’d like to see her old pet-project again,” Danny replied.

“Great idea. You know, if it’s not us that steal the photo, I wonder what happens to this one.”

“Beats me. But no time to find out. Someone’s bound to come back any time now.” Danny said, handing one of the copies to May.

“You’re right… Hey, I’m sorry I kind of jumped you when we ran into each other. I thought maybe I violated some time-bureau thing and you were an agent or something,” May replied with sincerity as the two of them walked out of the entrance.

“That’s alright. No harm done. I’m sorry you hurt yourself trying to hurt me,” Danny replied to the girl.

“It’s fine,” May told her… sibling. “You know, it would be cool if we could hang, but with whatever this is, I don’t see how that’s possible any time soon.”

“You’re right,” Danny agreed, almost regretfully. “I don’t know how time-travel works, and I don’t Blendin’s inclined to tell someone who got the drop on him.”

“Huh?!”

“Nothing!”

The two stared at each other, not knowing what else to say. Finally, May broke the ice: “Awkward sibling-hug?”

The Mystery Twins embraced, awkwardly patting each other’s backs before separating.

“So, before we go our separate ways, can I ask you a weird question?” Danny asked sheepishly.

“Sure. What is it?” May responded.

“What’s like having a nose? A real one, I mean…”

Meanwhile, Mabel Pines had just come back downstairs. “I can’t believe I forgot I have one in my sweater’s inner pocket. What a silly-Mabel I am!” she said to herself, chuckling.

She stood by her scrapbook on the counter and tried to work the cap to the new glue-bottle off.

At the same time, a customer, who had come into the empty gift-shop just before the girl came down, went to approach Mabel and ask about getting rung up. Unfortunately, there was a snowglobe left on the floor by some child earlier that day. The man suddenly tripped on it and fell forward, only to stop himself by catching a fan. Said fan immediately started blowing on high, blasting Mabel’s hair all over her face and blowing a certain photograph into the yard, where an odd-looking goat caught in his mouth and ate it.

That was a dark day for Mabel Pines… who immediately planned to try to convince Dipper and Wendy to reenact that scene again.

The Pines twins from alternate futures faced each other, holding out their respective Time-Tapes (with the tape pulled out appropriately) and holding tightly onto their respective scrapbooks. The two got one last look at each other.

“Bye, Danny,” May said to her secret monster of a brother. “I love you, and I hope Mom and Dad like your gift.”

“Likewise, May,” Danny said, looking a bit sad. I wish you could see the others… I’d have liked to see their reactions meeting you.”

May gave him a soft smile. “Hey, I got to meet you, at least.” Danny smiled in response.

The Mystery Twins let the tape on their devices retract. There was a flash of light, and it was like they had never been there.

#wendip #Wendy Corduroy #Dipper Pines #Gravity Falls #WenDipWeek #fanfic #time travel #submission

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sweetestlamb · 4 years ago

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BMTL Chapter 9- Teaser

Author's note: Chapter 9 is coming after a short break! Here's a teaser, this one will be another rollercoaster and the pov I've been dreading the most🙄 plus a special guest based on a suggestion one of you made! All this and more on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z 😂😂😂 errr I mean Bring me to life.

The bus ride is far too quick, he already loathes the moment when his shoulder will no longer be brushing "accidentally" against hers and he has to suppress a groan when someone rings the bell and he realizes this is their stop. She'd been acting uncharacteristically adorable after his honest statement earlier, running away as soon as the bus arrived as if she'd never gazed upon herself in a reflective surface before. She was beautiful, it wasn't something that was subjective it was just a fact. But once they entered the bus she made her way to a single seater by the window, he'd easily tugged her away by her backpack forcing her to a double seater in the back instead.

They were sitting together, there were already straying eyes watching her every move. Some from their schools and others just strangers who didn't bother to hide their interest in her, eying her up and and piquing his desire to throw hands. They were all lucky he had an important date after school.

She'd glared at him and swung her arms latching on to a metal handle trying to stop him but he was stronger than her, with a huff he pulled her with him and made her sit in the inner seat so he could bracket her in and marginally hide her form from the predatory looks.

Her leg brushed against his before moving away, so quickly he almost thought he imagined the whole thing. But then it happened again. He glanced over discretely at the tail of his eye.

He'd never seen Sujin fidget before. Didn't know her bones were capable of such a function but he had felt her jiggling knee knock into his own and learned that even an ice princess like her got embarrassed. He swallowed the immense pride that erupted at the realization that he was the one making her act this way. Completely out of her character.

"It's our stop." She whispers staring at the floor, eyes refusing to look up.

He's tempted to ignore her and see if that will make her look at him, now that he's been the center of her attention- that hug is burned into his mind- he is greedy for more, her resistance makes him even more desperate.

But he wordlessly stands up instead sliding out of the seat and opening the back door for them, she only pauses minutely before skipping down the stairs and exiting the bus. Her short pleated skirt bounces dangerously with every movement and he's temporarily distracted gazing at the smooth expanse of milky skin, why were the school skirts so short anyway? Sujin's barely reached her knee, stopping in the meat of her thigh.

His stomach clenches at the thought of others staring too, maybe he could convince her to tie the sweater around her waist instead of wearing it normally. It was worth a try at least.

"We probably shouldn't walk in together, your fangirls will go cra--"

He interrupts her, not paying at all to what she's suggesting because he has no intentions of separating from her. She's so exhausting with all this push and pull honestly. He already told her that they don't matter.

"Isn't your skirt too short?"

He stops when he realizes that she's no longer beside him, twisting left and right before turning around and seeing her a few paces behind. He almost sighs in relief much more familiar with this particular emotion etched on her face, annoyance and mild rage- the patented princess look™️ and he backs up looking at her with a lifted brow, silently questioning her inactivity.

"What did you say to me Han Seojun?" She admonishes staring at him like he's grown another head, she also steps into his space tilting her angry face to glare directly into his face. She looks prepared to murder him and hide the body.

He's not stupid enough to repeat his gutsy idiotic question, he very much likes his face the way it's currently arranged. He might be stupid but he's not that stupid.

"Me? Nothing. I would never say anything, I don't deserve to speak in your presence." He flutters his eyelashes dramatically, speaking in an exaggerated cute voice and she stares blankly at first. Both of them searching the others face before the tension is snapped like a rubber band and she pushes him in the chest, he almost whines reaching out to grab her wrist before he sees the small smile on her face, its hidden instantly behind the curtain of her hair when she moves away but he sees it and he feels his chest palpitate.

He stands staring in wonder. Lost in her spell.

He's never been a gracious loser but she gives him no chance in the matter.

He stares at her back, cheeks hurting as beams at her bounding off in his sweater. It's hers now he will never be able to wear it again without remembering her in it, it's been ruined.

Chorong struggles to carry all the cards he pushes at him, the female population seems to have decided that he was sick and his return results in high pitched screams of his name and constant food and gifts being shoved in his direction, despite his refusal. He's wandering the halls arm filled with the gifts when he runs into Sujin, her face brightens upon seeing him before she glances down at his arms. The smile is thwrated before it can even come to fruition, her eyes turning cold before she stomped past him.

He smirked at her back, chuckling as Chorong stared in confusion before asking, "What's wrong with her?" He shook his head before handing the bigger boy all the unwanted gifts, her smile was worth more than all of this anyway.

Lunch can't come soon enough and he happily swaggers into the bustling room, oblivious to the amount of hungry eyes that latch onto his form. His own eyes too busy locking on one figure and one figure alone.

The seat across from her is conveniently empty and he laughs into his sleeve when Jukyeong waves him over, smiling conspirationally at him pointing at the empty seat and giving him a thumbs up. He can't control his laughter when Sujin turns to the girl and to hide her damning thumb the clumsy girl pokes herself in the eye. He definitely owed her.

Suho nods at him as he takes his seat, he returns the gesture. Watching at the usually stoic boy reaches across to comfort his girlfriend, stroking her hair and blowing gently into her teary red eye as she whines loudly.

He opens his backpack taking out the food the girl avoiding him like the plague had given him just this morning. The dumplings are perfect this time she's clearly figured out a technique now, and when he bites into them a delicious umami flavor explodes on his tongue. He groans in pleasure before stuffing another dumpling in his mouth eagerly.

"Wow those look amazing! Did your mom make them?" Su-ah calls across the table and he freezes mid-chew instinctively looking at the real culprit and her eyes are already on him, wide and then pleading. He knows what she's begging from him but he really really wants to disobey and tell everyone that she made them for him. That same Kang Sujin, who served men roundhouse kicks and resting bitch faces for lunch had made him food and was sitting there eating a lunch he had prepared for her.

It sounds so domestic and he has to bite his tongue to stop himself from doing something she'll regret.

But she's not ready it's too evident and he's not inconsiderate nor selfish. Whatever this is, it's far too new and fragile for him to throw it to the wolves before it's on stable grounding.

"No my mom didn't make it." He answers honestly and he can feel the cold air wafting off Sujin in frigid waves and then he feels a sharp kick to his ankle, he has to grab her feet with his legs to stop her from delivering another blow. He probably shouldn't find her violent tendencies so attractive. He clearly isn't right in the head.

"Someone else made it. Someone special." He continues trying not to wince as she tries to attack him again. Immediately the table erupts into ohs and everyone starts talking at once except her best friends who look on with smirks, Su-ah playfully winking at him.

"Someone special? Who? Who made it? Do you have a girlfriend?"

Sujin spontaneously starts choking on her blueberry milk, the very one he'd packed in her lunch bag this morning the pale blue liquid spilling out the corners of her lips. He passes her a napkin immediately, their fingers brushing as she takes the paper from his grip wiping her face and looking sheepish once she realizes that all eyes are on her now.

"Are you okay?" He asks amused, looking at her with a smile barely hidden. So fucking cute.

"Yeah don't worry about me." She breezily replies struggling to escape from his tight grip under the table, unbeknownst to everyone there. But her cold statement only reminds me of their meeting in the hospital. Her words echoing in his heart, I'm going to worry about you. Who are you to tell me not to? Let me do what I want. Hearing those words made him want to stupidly put himself in more scenarios that would result in her concern, maybe he'd get another hug. Or a even a ki--

"Don't think we forgot! Who made you this food Seojun-ah?" Chorong breaks his concentration and he stares incredulously at the other boy, his words were meant to trick everyone else but his best friend should know who he was referring to; he'd been the one to deliver the food for him after all. Wasn't it clear who he liked? Who might be making him food in return?

He sighs shaking his head, glancing up at Sujin from under his fringe feeling warm all over.

It's hard to tail him without making it too obvious but she tells Jukyeong and Su-ah that she has something to do before running after Seojun at a distance. She misses the knowing look on both of their faces as they watch her conspicuously hide behind a very thin tree. He had offered to wait for her but she didn't need his fanclub seeing them leaving together, they were so possessive of the boy. It didn't matter that he never showed any interest in them they were all still convinced that he belonged to them.

She didn't see him making food for any of them so she didn't know how they reached this asinine conclusion but she'd rather stay off their radar.

"Are you practicing to be a national spy? Why didn't you come when I offered to wait for you?" They are far from the school now, miles but she still looks around nervously before speeding up finally allowing them to walk side by side. He looks over at her fondly, she looks away unable to maintain eye contact when he's acting like this. It doesn't help that she can feel her walls weakening, she was tempted to accept his offer earlier. To walk with him side by side and let everyone see, she was losing her mind.

"I didn't want to be murdered by your girls." She teases, the words fall flat because as soon as she utters them she feels sick to her stomach.

A huge hand suddenly wraps around her wrist halting her, warm even through the stick material of the gifted sweater.

She turns to look at him bewildered, even more so at the hard look on his face. Those exotically sloping eyes even thinner than usual as he pulls her closer. She gulps, hard. Looking at him as his eyes peruse her face slowly, full of dark intention her blood simmers hot under the matching gaze.

"They aren't my girls. You know that." The emphasis and bite on the word makes her uneasy, refusing to think about the implications of his words. A sheen of sweat raises on her back, and she gently tugs her arm away scoffing to tear through the thick cloud of tension that is loitering between them.

"I was just joking. You don't have to be so serious. Let's go." She awkwardly rubs at her wrist before bolting away, scared to continue this line of conversation. Something has changed between them and she has no idea how and if they can go back to the way things were.

A little voice in her head whispers, Is that really what want you?

How is she supposed to know what she wants? Up until this point that has never mattered to anyone, she was just expected to do as she was told. Speak when spoken to. Everything about this is foreign and terrifying. Knowing that he'll be there to catch her if she falls is more nerve wrecking than anything she's faced thus far.

It's better not to think about it especially with where they're going, but thinking about that makes her even more nervous. She fidgets with the sleeve of the huge sweater, tugging at the extra material that folds over her hands. She suddenly realizes that she's completely covered in Seojun, this wasn't her best idea but she can't bring herself to remove the sweater.

She's never felt so warm.

"You can wait inside, I need to get something." He suddenly pats her head ruffling her hair and she reaches up to push his hand away only to be entranced by the grin on his face, has his smile always been that luminant or is this reserved just for her?

#true beauty #bmtl teaser #i was too eager to share #update tomorrow #my babies are back #junjin #kang sujin #han seojun #my faves #I love the tension #this chapter will be a 🎢

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sweetchup · 5 years ago

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Cute Little Princess

Anonymous said: Anything with phinks please 🥺 I love this big dumb gym rat sm

Type: Phinks x Princess Reader

Au?: None (Is in the same timeline as N.E.R.D.S)

Word Count: 3,000

Warnings: Angst

Author Note: Oof you give me my boi Phinks and say anything?! Get ready my friend cause I know the perfect thing 😤👏👏. Also I used a small reference to my one of my favorite childhood shows if anyone can catch it. It’s very small though.

So today’s a Tuesday, an average taco Tuesday for mister Phinks Magcub. Well that’s what he would like to say right now.

“So Mr Magcub, you’re a wealthy businessman from the Mimbo republic?” A women says, laughing before taking a sip from from her expensive wine.

“W-why yes I am ma’am.”

Why couldn’t the boss have picked Nobunaga or even Machi for this mission? Phinks was currently stuck in the Royal Castle of the Fushi Empire. Chrollo had wanted someone to get close to the royal family in order to collect information on where their famous Dragon Eye collection was located. And of course, Shalnark, being the ass he is who was originally chosen, had to drop out at the last minute. So, Phinks had to cover for him.

Phinks is snapped out of his thoughts as the Emperor puts down his wine glass. He wipes his stubbly chin with a cloth before looking at Phinks.

“So, Mr Magcub, you said you are interested in marrying one of my daughters, if I’m correct? Which one catches your eye?” The Emperor questions, moving his hand to point at his 3 daughters. The golden robe the emperor was wearing flows in the wind from an open window as he does so.

Phinks turns to look at the girls in front of them. They were all incredibly beautiful but one had caught his eye since he first stepped into the room. It was the youngest daughter of the Fushi Emperor, (Y/n) Fushi. No one could lie that the lady was absolutely gorgeous, with locks that look like pure silk and bright diamond like eyes. She also wore a very nice light jade green and white Hanfu that made her look like a little princess. But, as much as Phinks want to choose her, he knew that the best choice for the mission would be the eldest daughter, Himiko.

“I actually like your eldest daughter, Himiko. Her long blond locks against her pink kimono really catch my eye.” Phinks says, smiling at the princess. Himiko and the middle sister giggle like crazy and whisper to each other. He’s now actually thankful that one of the old men back at Meteor City taught him proper etiquette and how to be a gentleman. Cause if he didn’t, he probably would be hanged by now.

The king chuckles at his daughter’s antics. “Well Mr. Magcub, I’m sure my daughter would love to be your bride.”

Phinks smirks to himself. What a sucker. “Please, no need for formalities, call me Phinks.”

————💥✊🏻💥————

“So, did you finally get it?” Phinks says as he leans against the windowsill. Watching the greens of the prestigious castle garden move under the moonlight gleam.

“Yeah we got it, it was pretty easy too. The Dragon Eye collection is in fact already back at the base. Also the Boss wants you back by sometime tomorrow or the day after that. So you’ll probably want to get a move on.” Nobunaga's voice says from the phone.

“Yeah, yeah. I know, I’ll be there.”

Phinks hangs up the phone and lets out a sigh. Finally, after 2 weeks stuck here, his life will go back to normal. He could finally get out of this uncomfortable green tang suit he’s been wearing. Huh? It’s you again. Phinks looks out at the window as you begin to climb the garden wall. While he’s been here, Phinks has noticed that it’s a nightly thing you do; you climb the wall, leave for hours on end and come back tired. What are you? One of the twelve dancing princesses?

He truly wonders what you go off and do. Phinks suddenly smirks to himself. Well, it is his last night here so it wouldn’t hurt to follow. Who knows maybe you're some secret stripper or lady of the night? He whistles to himself at the thought. Man that would be awesome if that is the case. He surely hopes so.

And, in a flash, Phinks is out of his bedroom, with his small bag of stuff slinged over his shoulder. After quietly jumping through the trees, he is following you down the winding streets of the capital city. It was pretty easy too since you're not wearing a cloak, after all there’s really no need for it in the first place since no one knows what the princesses look like.

You, the youngest princess of Emperor HuinYa Fushi, was slipping past people in the crowd, wearing an old Hanfu from one of the servants. Your heart is pounding as you look past the many street lanterns and open shops for the night. No matter how many times you sneak out, it nevers gets old. Afterall, you believed this sight was much more beautiful than being back at the castle. Trapped like a bird in a cage. You, honestly, just wanted to explore the world, seeing everything it has to offer. The good and the bad.

“Miss! How about a nice refreshing Bing Tanghulu? It’s only two for 25 quien.” The salesman shouts, pointing a candied strawberry skewer right at you. The man’s silliness causes you to break out in a giggle and you reach into your pocket to grab some money. Once you have the 3 silver coins needed to buy them you go to give it to the salesman.

“Here—“ “Here. She’ll take two strawberry ones and I’ll take a grape one.” You freeze as you are cut off by a man’s deep voice and an arm slinging around your shoulder. You look up as the mystery man who holds out two of the sticks to you and gasp in shock. “Phinks?!?”

“Hiyah sweetheart.” Phinks says and smirks, taking a bite out of a candied grape. You shakily grab the two sticks from him as he leads you away. How did he know you were here? Did he follow you? You look around worriedly. Wait, is your whole family at the market tonight?

“What are you doing here?!” You whisper-shout. You were probably ghostly pale from worry, though that is probably hard to see due to how dark it is out. But still, you don’t want your father to find out you're sneaking out every night. He won’t ever leave you on your own again, if he found out.

“I should be asking you the same thing.”

“W-well…” You just sigh in defeat causing Phinks to chuckle. Oh god what a mess you got into. You better hope your father and sisters aren’t actually here. You're suddenly startled as Phinks ruffle your hair.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, It’s just me. I just wanted to see where you run off to every night. Mind showing me what you do?” You bite your lip as Phinks says that. It would be fun for someone to join you for once. But… could you trust him? He might be your sister’s fiancé but they have been only engaged for 2 weeks. He’s also acting differently right now than what he is usually like. “Come on. Lead the way?”

You look up at Phinks as he pats you on the back. You guess, it wouldn’t hurt for some company for one night. Right? You giggle and grab him by the arm, dragging him down the street. “Ok! Come on then. It’ll be fun.”

Phinks smirks as he runs with you. You even looked gorgeous running through the crowds under the blurred red and yellow lanterns. He kind of wondered what it would be like running with you hand n’ hand after some sort of robbery or heist. That would be fun but oh well, at least you’re showing him what you do for fun.

————💥✊🏻💥————

This is not what Phinks expected when you said this is what you do for fun.

“Kick his ass, girl!!”

“Come on!! I bet a lot of money on that guy.”

“Hell yeah!”

There he was standing on the sidelines in an underground small stadium, watching a princess he found cute as fuck in an illegal underground fighting match. Who knew you were an enhancer as well. Phinks is knocked out of his confusion as a rumble shakes through the arena. You had just roundhouse kicked the guy out of the rink and right through a stone wall.

“And that's match! (Y/n) wins by K.O!!” The referee announces, holding up your arm. The crowd breaks out into cheers and boos. Phinks grumbles, some of the people who bet on that guy were just sore losers.

“Phinks!” Phinks looks up to see you running and leaning on the railing of the fighting floor. Damn. Phinks felt like he was melting into the floor as you came up to him. You honestly looked like his dream girl; You looked so cute with diamond shining eyes, your fragile doll-like features and your silky hair pulled out of your face. But, with you covered in sweat, bruised up a little and covered in the blood from the other guy, you also looked so hot and now ten times better than he first met you in his opinion. “W-what did you think?”

Phinks chuckles as you look nervous, waiting for his opinion. “That was awesome. Good job! I didn’t even know you knew nen.”

“Ah-h yeah. I got initiated into it after some of the older members gave me a heads up for a championship match I was supposed to take part in. I was honestly so thankful for them.” You say, remember back to about 2 years when this had all started. Wow…it had really been that long ago. Oh, wait a minute! “Phinks!”

Phinks hums in response and raises an eyebrow. You blush in embarrassment and look down, fumble with the rope like railing. You can’t believe you're about to ask this, “D-Do you wanna do a match?”

Phinks is shocked for a minute before smirking and jumping up over the rope. You light up like a kid on Christmas as soon as you see him step into the ring. “Sure sweetheart. But, I ain’t going easy on you.”

“O-ok! Hey Ref, I have a challenger!”

Phinks smiles as he watches you run off to the ref to explain the match and your challenger. Honestly, he’s positive at this point that you're his dream girl. He suddenly frowns as he realizes something.

He has to leave tonight…. crap.

“Phinks!!” Phinks looks up as you stand on the other side of the ring. “Ready?”

Phinks smiles and nods. The match bell rings signaling the fight has begun. He’ll deal with that problem once it comes. But right now, it’s his time to have fun.

————💥✊🏻💥————

“Awww man!! I can’t believe you beat me~ I for sure thought I was going to win.” You whine as you and Phinks make your way through the now dark and practically empty streets. All the lanterns were out so the only light provided was from the big full moon dropping into the horizon, though you didn’t mind since it was such a clear night out. A perfect night to watch the stars. Well, it technically would have been but you were so distracted by the fun you were having that you didn’t realize how late it is. The sun will break over the horizon any second now and you better get back to the castle.

Though that was the least of your concerns, Phinks was acting weird. He hadn’t answered you or smiled at all since you two started walking back to the castle. The only thing he did other than walk behind you and act like a puss is he kept on weirdly checking his phone every couple of seconds. Like he was waiting for something. Did something happen while you weren’t looking?

You hear a small grumble from him as he checks his phone again. That was it. You’ve had enough of his antics. You stopped dead in your tracks and turned around to face him. “Phinks! What’s the matter with you?”

Phinks blinks a couple of times before pushing past you, grumbling something under his breath. That ass! You weren’t having any of that so you grabbed onto his arm and pulled him down onto the ground. Phinks glares at you as he lands on his ass, “What the hell was that for?!”

“That’s for not listening to me! Now, what is wrong with you? I thought we had fun tonight.”

Phinks tches and mumbles, “Well it’s not like it’s ever going to happen again.”

“W-well why not?!”

“It’s just not alright!” He shouts, brushing himself off as he stands up from the dirty ground. You glare at the man in front of you, a golden hue surrounding him since the sun has just begun to rise over the horizon.

You were just so confused as he just stalks by you again. What did he mean by you two wouldn’t do this again? Of course you two could. He’s going to be around the castle for practically 3 months before he gets married to your sister. “Of course we can do this again!! We could do this every once in a while or even every night. Your marrying my sister in 3 month—“

“I’M NOT MARRYING HER!” Phinks shouts angrily, stopping in his tracks; His back facing you. You froze in place.

“W-why not… I don’t understand…”

Phinks chuckles darkly at that and he reaches to the front of his shirt, unbuttoning the collared shirt. “Of course you don’t…well I’m going to spell it out for you, sweetheart.”

With a flick of his wrist, Phinks pulls down the top half of his green tang suit down. You gasp a little as you see it. In the golden light of the sun, you see a big spider tattoo with the number 5 on it. He is…

Your throat and lips suddenly felt very dry as you attempted to speak. “Y-you’re part of the phantom troupe... So, you were after…”

“Yeah. I was after the Dragon Eye Collection this whole time. And now that we have it, I’m leaving and never coming back.”

You stood there frozen as you watched him finally turn around and walk past you. You stare at the ground unable to look at his face as he places a warm hand on your head.

“I was going to walk you back but I doubt that’s needed. So long, (y/n).”

And like that Phinks is gone. Yet you could still feel the strange warmth that his hand provided on the top of your head. You laugh for a second before hot bubbling tears cascade down your face. How strange this is. How strange it is that a man you’ve only known for two weeks has made you this happy in one night. More happy than you’ve ever been.

You curl down into your knees as you sob. It hurts. Your heart really hurts. You’ve never felt so lonely and empty before.

————💥✊🏻💥————

Phinks walks through the bamboo shoot forest outside of the capital city. He’s lost in his thoughts when suddenly his phone finally dings. He looks at it for a second before he finally chuckles.

“Too late for that now, boss.” He mumbles to himself, looking at the text written out.

Boss: Well based on what you told me, since she can take care of herself she is fine to stay, but she also can’t interfere with troupe activities. Bring her at the meeting tomorrow so the members can meet her. I’m honestly curious as to why you picked her.

It was honestly way too late. Maybe if he hadn’t told you right then and walked you back to the castle then, maybe you two would be together right now? No, it would be inevitable at that point. He would have to leave eventually and he highly doubts you would go with him. You're a princess after all and he’s just some pathetic street rat.

Phinks sighs and brushes his fingers through his hair. Man, you really drive him crazy.

“Phinks!!”

Phinks blinks as he hears a faint voice yelling in the distance.

“Phinks!”

There it is again. Wait, he recognizes that voice.

“(Y/n)!” Phinks run off in your direction as he sees you also alone in the bamboo woods with a backpack on your back. You smile, with your tears streak cheeks stretching, as you also run over to him. Clutching onto him like your life depended on it. Phinks finally smiled for the first time that morning as he heard you mumble 5 magical words into his jacket.

“Don’t leave me behind, idiot.”

Maybe, just maybe, hope wasn’t all lost for that spider.

Bonus:

“Crap another group of guards. This is the 10th search group out to look for you today.” Phinks mutters angrily, as you two hide from them in a bush. You sigh, kind of sad that you were making Phinks go through all this trouble for you.

“I’m sorry Phinks. Maybe I really should have stay—“

“Don’t you dare say that, sweetheart. Now that you're with me you aren’t ever going back.” You blink a couple of times before giggling and holding on to him tight.

“Thank you Phinks…”

“Hey Paul. Did you hear a giggle over there just now?”

You and Phinks freeze. Crap!

#hxh #hunter x hunter #phantom troupe #phinks magcub #phinks #phinks x reader #hxh scenarios

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isuckatwritingmyfriends · 5 years ago

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The 5 times Eddie doesn't know Buck speaks spanish +1 he finds out. Be gentle,, I used google translate lmao

"Ni siquiera ves lo que me haces, ¿verdad?"

Buck's eyes are startled up from his phone, lifting to meet Eddie's where he was sitting next to him on the couch, hand rubbing soothing circles into his bad leg. Buck tilts his head, confused, and that's where Eddie makes a fatal mistake.

He laughs softly, "You'll ruin your eyes, staring at that thing so intensely."

Buck, still confused, opens his mouth to ask, but the bell rings and Eddie is gently placing his leg down to rush off to the trucks. He has no choice but to follow.

Sitting across from his best friend, Buck tries to think back on every interaction they've had since they met and- holy shit. Eddie doesn't know I speak spanish.

The call was relatively easy, but the shift had been long nonetheless and when they get back to the fire house, Buck's too distracted to remember to ask Eddie about what he said, before he's off to the showers. And why he lied about what it meant, he thinks. He narrows his eyes down at his boots, it's not like it was anything bad. Why lie?

And Buck gets close, so close to threading a very important needle when Eddie clangs his locker shut. "We'll see you for movie night tomorrow?" he asks, almost to the door already. Buck, mind elsewhere, nods distractedly at him. And he's gone, running off to pick up Christopher on time.

Buck tells Maddie. Because of fucking course he doesn't think about the consequences of his actions. She grins at him, and immediately he knows he's made a mistake. "Oh? What do you do to him, Buck?"

He groans and tries to shove his hand in her face. "Stop, it's not like that." She gives him a flat look. He sighs. "Its not that I don't want it to be, you know that, I just don't want to mess it up with my feelings."

"Really though? What if he feels the same?"

"What if he doesn't?" Buck looks down at his plate, pushing his food around with his fork. "I can't risk losing him and Christopher on a what if."

Maddie frowns at him, but doesn't push much harder. "Well, you're going to tell him you speak spanish then?"

Buck shrugs, "I mean, yeah. I just don't get why he'd hide something so simple."

Maddie looks at him, thoroughly unimpressed, but before she has the chance to tell him that he's the smartest idiot she's ever met, his eyes catch the time on his phone. "Oh shit," he grabs his jacket and keys, fumbling around the table to kiss her cheek. "I love you, I'm gonna be late to movie night!"

"Bye, I love-" The door slams and she hears his quick steps fade down the hall. With a small smile, she pulls out her phone. Chimney's gonna love this.

Buck makes it barely on time, maybe speeding a bit through the less busy roads, but no one can prove it. He arrives two minutes before 7, bustling through the door without knocking.

He manages to close the door behind him before he catches an armful of Christopher. "You're here!" he shouts.

Buck grins down at him, lifting him for a squeeze and a twirl. "And I wasn't even late!"

Eddie walks out of the kitchen, smiling, "Just barely. Are your tires smoking?"

Buck sticks his tongue out in response.

Eddie's eye roll is instant, "¿Cómo estoy enamorado de un hombre tan inmaduro?"

Buck fumbles, almost dropping Christopher. He plays it off by setting the kid down, and asking "What'd you pick for a movie?"

Christopher, oblivious to Buck's small heart attack, happily takes his hand and leads him to the living room, rambling about how The Little Mermaid never gets old.

"Hey, how about you help me get the popcorn and drinks, buddy?" Christopher obliges, moving for the kitchen and releasing Buck. Eddie watches him until he's out of earshot, then turns to Buck. "Was that your leg? Is it bothering you any?"

Buck shakes his head, face turning red. "No it's just-" you literally just told me you love me, I think I'm allowed to freak the fuck out!

"It's okay, you go sit down and we'll be out in a sec."

Then Buck is left staring after his best friend, some weird feelings clenching in his chest.

"HE SAID WHAT?!"

Buck slaps a hand over his sister's mouth. "Shut the fuck up! He'll hear you!"

Both pause and lean to look into the living room of Buck's apartment where Eddie and Chimney are aggressively mashing buttons on controllers. Chimeny looks over and smirks. Eddie glances over with a soft smile aimed at them. Buck waves.

He turns back to Maddie, still smiling, but frowns when he sees her face. "Stop it."

"I didn't say anything." She's grinning though, and Buck has been on the receiving end of that grin too many times to be so naive.

"Leave it."

Maddie looks like she's going to burst, so he takes her arm and pulls her over to his front door. "Oh was it so cute when you told him? Was he embarrassed?"

Buck mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?"

He shot a quick glance back towards the couch, letting him have a moment of mourning for his poor game before turning back. "I didn't tell him."

Maddie's eyes went wide, her mouth opening to presumably start shouting at him, but cuts herself off with a garbled noise. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to compose herself. Buck braces himself. "So you're going to stand there and tell me that he told you, to your face, that he loves you-"

"More implied I think."

She slaps his arm and he winces. "Boy if we were alone, I swear to god!" she whisper-shouts. "Are you trying to ruin your friendship?"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid!"

"How is this avoiding anything but your feelings?"

"Because he doesn't know I understand what he's saying!" Maddie gives him her best were-you-not-just-paying-attention-to-the-whole-ass-conversation-we-just-had look. It's very good. She's had a lot of practice. Buck pinches the bridge of his nose and tries to explain himself better. "He isn't comfortable enough to tell me when he thinks I'll know what he's saying. And it's different, he has a kid to think about. And I respect whatever choice he makes."

Maddie puts her hands on his shoulders. "You need to tell him. The fallout will be much worse if you let it continue." She smiles reassuringly at him, then walks back to their drinks on the counter.

It's after Maddie and Chimney have gone home for the night that Buck and Eddie have a few more drinks and chat. Eddie's talking about the sleepover Chris is at tonight while Buck zones in and out. How does one even begin to explain the thought process that lead him to keeping this secret? Oh god, he thinks, this is gonna be one of those little white lies that snowballs until I have to take it to my grave-

Fingers snap in front of his face, his eyes managing to focus on the smile on Eddie's face as he looks at him. "You okay?"

This is it. This is when you tell him you speak spanish. Buck opens his mouth, "Um actually," he pauses. Eddie looks at him, expectantly. "Uh, yeah, just tired." Damnit.

"We can turn in for the night," he suggests.

Buck nods, "Wanna spend the night? I've got clothes you could use?" NO. Absolutely not. Because you will share a bed and he will be wearing your clothes and you are a serial cuddler. So NO.

Eddie's smile grows, "I'm more concerned about how you hog the blankets."

Buck gasps in mock offense, shoving at him playfully. "I do not!"

Eddie just laughs.

Fuck. I'm so screwed. He just doesn't realize how screwed until they're laying in his bed, Eddie sprawled out on his stomach and Buck on his back, every muscle coiled tight. It's quiet for a while, long enough that Buck thinks he might have drifted off, but he shifts and his voice comes muffled from the pillows. "I can actually hear you thinking. Please sleep."

Buck rolls his eyes. Jokes on you, I'm not thinking, I'm panicking.

Eddie moves again and now he's looking at Buck. "Is it your leg?"

His heart twists in his chest and he shakes his head. "It's nothing. Probably you rolling around so much."

Eddie's quiet, so Buck turns his head to look. "Podría acostumbrarme a esta vista."

Buck's eyes widen. Then he sees a moment of small panic where Eddie thinks 'what if-?' But it's gone as soon as it arrives. "Just enjoying the blankets while I still can."

He huffs, but it's lighter between them and Buck starts to drift off.

When they wake up, Buck finds he has taken another victim. Eddie had rolled onto his back sometime while they were asleep, and had Buck tucked in close, wrapped around him. Buck doesn't immediately panic because it feels too right. But when he wakes up more, he knows he should move before Eddie wakes up.

Buck tries to be subtle, slowly pulling his limbs back to himself, trying not to wake Eddie in the process. Except when he looks up, Eddie is watching him with a small smile. Buck's heart roundhouse kicks his ribcage and he let's out a startled "Oh."

Eddie just laughs, "Eres tan hermoso."

Buck's mouth falls open, but he doesn't say anything as Eddie extricates himself from Buck's grasp and starts for the stairs. "I'll make breakfast."

Once he's out of sight, Buck throws himself back on the mattress, slapping a hand over his eyes. "Fuck me."

He doesn't want to tell Maddie. Partly because she'll lose her shit, but mostly because he knows she's right. He's waited too long already, if Eddie finds out- When. When Eddie finds out. I can't keep this up forever.- he's probably going to be mad.

Buck ends up telling her. Obviously. She has the same reaction he thought she would. "He called you beautiful and said he wants to fall asleep to you?!"

Buck winces and holds the phone away from his ear for a moment. "Uh, basically I guess that was the gist of it."

"THE GIST?!" Buck grimaces, brings one hand up to scrub his face. "And you still didn't tell him?!"

Buck sighs, because he knows, okay? He really does, but he's scared too. "Mads I-"

Her voice is softer. "Buck, I know you're nervous. But you've said it before, you're basically family. Anyone could look at the two of you and Christopher and see how in love you are, see how much you'd do anything for them."

"Yeah but not Eddie." Bucks spins in his chair, he's tired and doesn't know what he's going to do. "If everyone can see how much I love him too, why can't he? Why doesn't he tell me all this? Why does he only say it when he thinks I don't understand?" Maddie sighs, but Buck continues. "I have to assume there's more here than I can see. If he doesn't want me to know, then I don't."

Maddie's quiet for a minute, just the sound of her breathing comes over the phone. Her voice is gentle when she says, "What happens when he finds out?"

Buck kinda just wants to cry. "I don't know, Mads. I don't know."

Buck and Christopher are playing with legos in the living room. Well, Buck is playing, Christopher is actually building something. He's talking about his day at school and that he's excited for the weekend because he gets to see the rest of his family. Buck's listening attentively, asking questions where it matters and nodding along, until he hears a snippet of what Eddie is saying.

The other man is pacing back and forth behind the couch, on the phone with his family in El Paso. They're talking about the barbeque this weekend, presumably what Chris meant when he talked about being excited to see his family. But I'm not supposed to know that.

He's tense when he stops at the farther end of the couch, talking quickly into the phone. "-él debería poder venir, prácticamente está criando a Christopher conmigo." A pause. "No es justo. ¿Has hablado con Abuela?" He's quiet for a few minutes, then, "Christopher ama él. Lo amo él. Él viene, lo quiero allí, y eso es todo."

Eddie hangs up the phone. With his back still to the boys, he lifts his hand to rub his face with a sigh. When he turns around, he meets Buck's gaze. Okay? he mouths. Eddie nods back, and finally smiles. "I'll go grab some snacks, then we can watch some tv?" Buck grins and Christopher celebrates.

It isn't until after they put Christopher to bed and are sitting together on the couch that Eddie tells him about the barbeque.

"I want you to come. I mean," he scratches the back of his neck. "If you want to come, I would like you to."

"Is that what the phone call was about?"

Eddie gives him a long look and Buck thinks, this is when he realizes. But he doesn't, just sighs and says, "Yeah. Some of my cousins are... well, I'll just say difficult. My parents thought it would be best if it was just Christopher and I, but I told them that we want you to go."

Buck is, well, he's- I'm fucked. I love them. Eddie mistakes his silence. "No pressure though," he laughs.

Buck smiles and nods. "Yes. Yeah, I would love to go."

Eddie's smile lights up his face. "Good, cool, that sounds- uh good."

Buck just smiles back.

What Eddie failed to mention when he told Buck about his cousins was that when he said 'difficult' he really meant 'homophobic'. And just as Maddie predicted, it was getting harder to hide that he knew Spanish. Curse her and her intelligence. Luckily, most of the family were happy to see Eddie and Christopher. And, if Buck was feeling less than modest, most of them loved him.

It started out great: playing with the kids until they all tired him out, eating around a huge table filled with family, chatting around. Buck was finding out many blackmail-worthy stories of Eddie when he was a teenager. With each new piece of information, he had to restrain himself from calling the team and telling them everything.

Buck was also finding out that almost everyone in the family thought they were together. Discreetly of course, they let most of it slip in Spanish, so they probably figured he didn't know they were talking about him. Unfortunately for Eddie, he talked about them all the time, and now Buck knew.

After the initial wave of guilt subsided, Buck made a plan. He went to the kitchen to grab Eddie and him another drink. I'm going to tell Eddie when we get back home. Buck was too busy thinking about how to break it to him, when two of the 'difficult' cousins walked into the kitchen behind him. He didn't notice at first, not until they started shit talking in Spanish.

"Es como él no respeta a esta familia." Buck doesn't turn. He's not supposed to understand what they're saying. Calm down. Leave it alone.

"¡Lo sé! ¿No entienden lo asqueroso que es ver eso?" Wow, that was incredibly offensive. He pushes around a few cans, looking for the drinks they had earlier.

"¡Y ahora Christopher está expuesto a eso!" Buck's hand tightens on a glass. Breathe. Don't say anything you'll regret later. It's not your place.

"No me sorprendería que juguete chico de Eddie corrompa al pobre niño."

Buck stands abruptly, smacking his head off the top of the fridge in his haste. His knuckles are white and he has to force himself to turn and smile. "Found it," he tries to make his voice light. With forced casualty, he walks past them to the counter for the bottle opener.

"Es una pena, él podría haber resultado genial." They continued, or more accurately, tried to continue.

Buck spun on them in an instant. "I know it's not my place to say anything to you, but the two of you are cruel and I genuinely don't know how you come from such a kind and supportive family." The women stood there stunned. "What goes on between me and Eddie is none of your business. And Christopher is growing up to be a kind and caring person. If he turns out to be even half the man Eddie is, he'd still be three times better than you." Buck sucked in a breath and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I think it's time you leave." The voice came from behind Buck. He felt his blood run cold when he heard it. He'd know that voice anywhere.

Buck turned to see Eddie standing in the doorway, arms also crossed, expression hard. He watched his cousins walk past him, embarrassment clear in the way they couldn't meet his eyes. He watched until they made it all they way down the hall and back out to the yard.

As soon as Eddie turned back to him, Buck asked, "How much of that did you hear?"

Eddie didn't uncross his arms, expression now cautious and confused. "You know Spanish."

It wasn't a question. Buck nodded anyway. "I know I said things I probably shouldn't have, but when they started talking about Chris I- I don't even know. I just got so mad because you and him are the best people in the world and-"

"What you said is not the problem," Eddie interrupted. Fuck. He was hoping he wouldn't notice. "Why didn't you tell me?" His expression cracked into one of hurt. Buck's heart twisted. "The things I've said- oh my god, Buck, have you known the whole time?!"

A nod.

Eddie ran a hand through his hair, he looked terrified. "Was this a joke to you? See how much I'd say so you could laugh about it later?" Buck tried to intervene, but Eddie seemed to realize more. "Oh my god, I told you I love you. I told my family and- oh my god you were sitting right there!" He slapped his hands to his face. "Everything my family has said, I can't-"

Buck jumped forward, grabbing Eddie's hands in his. "No, no! It wasn't a joke to me! I'd never- I wouldn't- I could never have made this a joke."

Eddie shook his head, but didn't pull his hands away. "Then why?"

Buck ran a hand through his hair, bringing it down to rub his face before grabbing Eddie's hands again. "You have to understand, I tried to tell you. I thought you knew and then the thing you said on the couch made me realize you didn't. Then I told Maddie and she kept telling me to tell you but-" he let out a sigh. "It was just scary, okay? I didn't want to lose what we had, I didn't want to lost Christopher."

"Buck," Eddie's voice was softer. "I literally told you that I love you. How would you making a move ruin anything?"

Buck tried his best unimpressed look. "You only said those things when you thought I didn't understand. I just thought, maybe you needed time. That you'd tell me when you were ready."

"Oh my god. You're an idiot. I'm an idiot. How do we ever get anything done being so stupid?"

Buck laughed quietly. "That's not nice to say when we just had this really emotional moment."

Eddie just rolled his eyes before pulling Buck for a kiss. When he pulled back, he was grinning. "We can't tell the team about this. We'll never know peace."

Buck let his head fall on Eddie's shoulder. "I told Maddie. They definitely already know."

---------

Here are the translations in case y'all were wondering...(if they're not right, blame google, I did my best lol)

Ni siquiera ves lo que me haces, ¿verdad?- (You don't even see what you do to me, do you?)

¿Cómo estoy enamorado de un hombre tan inmaduro?- (How am I in love with such an immature man?)

Podría acostumbrarme a esta vista.- (I could get used to this sight)

Eres tan hermoso.- (You are so handsome)

-él debería poder venir, prácticamente está criando a Christopher conmigo.- (-he should be able to come, he's practically raising Christopher with me.)

No es justo. ¿Has hablado con Abuela?- (That's not fair. Have you talked to Abuela?)

Christopher ama él. Lo amo él. Él viene, lo quiero allí, y eso es todo.- (Christopher loves him. I love him. He comes, I want him there, and that's it.)

Es como él no respeta a esta familia.- (It's like he doesn't respect this family.)

¡Lo sé! ¿No entienden lo asqueroso que es ver eso?- (I know! Don't you understand how gross it is to see that?)

¡Y ahora Christopher está expuesto a eso!- (And now Christopher is exposed to it!)

No me sorprendería que juguete chico de Eddie corrompa al pobre niño.- (I wouldn't be surprised if Eddie's boy toy corrupts the poor boy.)

#911onfox #buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #!!! its v long !!!#also #im so so sorry ive been a ghost here #the whole quarantine thing wrecked my already spotty healthy lol #and school is Not Great™ rn #but im trying to write more so enjoy:)#my stuff

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nvalentino · 4 years ago

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𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 {𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬} • 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐨

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: this is my way of putting the story of two against the world into my own style and fixing things that bug me about the game. This is in no way meant to diminish the writer’s work, but everyone has different taste.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2k+

Movies have always been my escape. A way to distance me from a crumbling economy and stressful days at work- something simple. There’s nothing quite like mindlessly inhaling popcorn in the dark, alone with no one to judge you. All the while staring at an enormous silver screen for two hours straight. I love that it’s a world away from my own.

My town’s movie theatre isn’t much, but she’s got character. Sat on the corner two run-down cross streets, her paint- peeled walls crawling with thick vines and the crooked marquee sign whose lights don’t work has almost become a second home. So when I heard she was hosting an all-night crime movie marathon, I’ve never bought a ticket faster in my life.

When I show up to the theatre, there’s a line wrapped around the block and they’re all dressed as mobsters, Femme Fatales, wise guys... these are my people. I look up at the marquee, which reads: ‘FILM MARATHON: ALL NIGHT GANGSTERS.’

My heart nearly jumps from my chest. I’d been waiting all week for this, for my break. I finally reach the front of the line, and I’m greeted by Murray, the owner of the place. I think he’s been hunched behind that ticket booth since Bogart ruled the box office.

“What’s a looker like yourself doing here alone on a Friday evening?” It’s always the same. No matter how many times it seems I show up in his lobby- Murray always forgets me. It’s lovely to know I’m so memorable.

“Are you ever alone when you have the characters on screen?” I keep my tone light and teasing. Can’t be cruel to Murray- bit like roundhouse kicking a puppy.

“You look familiar, you a regular here?” Ah, there it is. Scratch my previous statement, I’m at least a little important. Guess all those hours spent in front of him’s paying off.

“That I am.” I rest an arm on the counter, an even smile on my face. Murray leans closer, getting a better look at me. I’m all too used to all his antics by now, and smiling is the easiest way to get alone.

“And your name is?” Can’t have everything in life, I suppose, and, as lovable as he is, he hasn’t been all there for the better part of a decade.

“Murray, it’s me, {Y/N}.”

“Oh, right,” he smiles, straightening back to look me over. “Why didn’t you say so? You know my eyes ain’t what they used to be.” I have to hold back a laugh, but it’s easily covered with a large grin. “I didn’t take you for a fan of gangster movies.”

This time, an amused scoff passes my lips. Resting my hip against the counter I feign an offended look, “It’s like you don’t even know me anymore, Murray. I love gangster movies.”

“So do I, kid. The slick-talking, the high drama, the whirlwind romances.” A wistful look crosses his eyes, like that of a family member flicking through family photo albums reminiscing about the old days- then his face clears up. “Speaking of romance, where’s your date?”

Talk about beating a dead horse. I nearly always turn up alone to the movies- no matter how much I’d like to have someone to bring. But I come the same way each time- all by myself. “I just told you. I fly solo. I don’t need a wingman. Besides, why bring a date when you have the company of the beautiful people on the big screen.”

A look of concern washes over Murray’s face- something much unlike anything I’ve seen on him before like he was deep in thought. “Fair enough. A movie star will be your date tonight, then.”

“Exactly,” I laugh. “Now, can you let me in?”

“Can you show me your ticket?”

I reach into my pocket, eager to get inside so I can buy a box of popcorn and soda. But my pocket’s empty. Oh, god no. I reach into my other pocket. And to my absolute shock, there’s nothing inside but lint and a cracked phone. Instantaneously, I’m checking everywhere: coat pockets, shirt pockets, back pockets- each and every one of them like the last: empty. My heart sinks- I lost the ticket. Only me. I nervously read my surroundings. A line of impatient movie-goers behind me, an elderly ticket-take in front of me, and a sign in big bold letters that hangs above him. Tonight’s showing: Sold Out.

“Your ticket, please?”

“Oh, god, Murray- I-I can’t find it,” my hands glide over every pocket again- desperately trying to find some trace of the ticket.

I feel a lump burning in my throat and a wet gloss beginning to coat my eyes. If losing my ticket wasn’t bad enough- feeling the burning stares of the long line behind me is tipping my scale. “I’m sorry, dear. I’m not sure what I can do. We’re all sold out.”

My eyes fall to my feet as murmurs sound from behind me, doing my best to hold back the disappointment and embarrassment boiling over. “Right. My fault.” My cheeks feel hot, my entire body’s burning. I can’t believe it. A week’s worth on excitement drained out of me in a matter of seconds.

Just as I take a step away from the counter- Murray calls my name. “Hold on. Maybe there’s something I can do.” I turn around, and Murray looks at me with a sceptic’s eye. “You really want a date with a movie star tonight, do you?”

“Yes. Please, I can’t tell you how long I’ve been looking forward to this.” My pride’s the last thing on my mind, focusing solely on pleading with the man in front of me.

He reads my expression, seeming to gaze straight through me, and then he straightens out his vest. “You’re positive?”

“Murray, I’ve never been more positive about anything in my life.” Okay, drama queen- dial it back a bit.

“Very well.”

“One of my customers cancelled their reservation last minute. And they were very important. From Hollywood. You can take their place if you’d like.” And with those words, my face is overtaken with joy.

“Wow, Murray, thank you so much.”

Murray retrieves a golden ticket stub from the booth, and it sparkles underneath the glow of the marquee. He rips the stub in two and hands me the other end. Something in his eyes sparkles like he knows something that I don’t. “Choose your adventure wisely, kid. It’s almost showtime.”

For a moment, I’m captivated by the ticket- the grumbling line behind me forgotten. Admit One has never felt so... special. I stride past Murray, toward the doors to the lobby, the sweet smell of salted buttered popcorn pulling me inside.

But when I waltz inside, everything about the rundown movie theatre is different. The sticky floors have been replaced by slick velvet carpeting. A grand staircase sits where the pinball machine used to be. Thick red curtains have replaced the shredded B-Movie posters. And the people around me are dressed like they’re from a ball in the 1920′s. This room alone could buy all the places I’ve ever lived. This isn’t my theatre. The dimensions aren’t even correct. I’m either hallucinating or this is all a dream. Either way, I’m spooked. I’ve got to get out of here.

I pivot back to the door and yank at the handle. But it won’t budge. I can feel my heart bursting from my chest. Everything feels so real- there’s no way I’m dreaming. I wrap both hands around the handle this time, clutching the ironclad door. But it’s completely seals shut. Okay. Don’t Panic. There has to be an explanation. For why... for how... for how I’ve been magically transported to a movie palace from the early twentieth century. Just hearing myself think that makes me light-headed. This can’t be real.

I turn around once again, and in my delirium, I see a sharply dressed man eyeing me from amongst the crowd. His angelic smile looks like it’s worth a million bucks, and his eyes are like none I’ve ever seen in person. The colour of honeyed whiskey and unbelievably sharp. This only happens in the movies. He only exists in the movies. One of the crime flicks about the Roaring Twenties. But I can’t place exactly which one. With a sly wink, he confidently turns away from me and moves through the crowd.

Intrigued, and left with little other options, I follow him. But he’s elusive. I walk faster, but the faster I walk- the further away he seems to be. He reaches for an expansive, gold-plated door. And before I can even call out to him, he’s on the other side of it. Oh, come on.

I hurry my pace, clumsily weaving my way between the other guests until I reach the door myself. Without so much as a thought, I pull the door open and step into a buzzing room packed with boozy patrons dancing to the boisterous symphonies of Broadway jazz. I watch in amazement as women in sequin flapper dresses do the Charleston with men suited up in black tuxedos. Unless I’m mistaken, I’d say I’ve just stepped foot in a rowdy speakeasy from the jazz age.

Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming. I pinch myself. Ouch. Not dreaming. I turn my attention to the crowded bar, its customers getting tipsy on saccharine highballs. If there’s one thing I need right now, it’s a glass of something strong. I move swiftly to the stool studded counter.

“What’ll it be?” The bartender, a bow-tie clad man whose greying hair is slicked back from his forehead, asks.

“Oh- uh, what are my options?” He points to a chalkboard behind him, which has the names of several drinks etched into its surface. Fuck. I should’ve paid more attention to the drinks featured in all the movies I watch because I have no idea what any of these mean.

“She’ll have a Gin Rickey with a dash of syrup.” The words come from behind me, saving my breath. “And I’ll be having an Old Fashioned, old-timer.”

The mystery man pulls a glistening silver case from his jacket pocket as the bartender begins synthesizing our drinks. He flips open the case revealing a handful of perfectly rolled cigarettes inside. How do you talk to a man from an entire century ago? Especially one so... gorgeous. Don’t reference memes. Easier said than done.

“Care for a smoke?” He flashes that five-star smile at me again as he retrieves a matchbook from his coat. I shake my head- mind racing. Don’t mess up, don’t mess up, down mess up...

“Where am I?” Way to go- not crazy at all. Definitely, something a completely normal and functioning human being would ask.

“You don’t know where you are?”

You’ve fucked up- own it, but try and keep your stupid contained. You’re supposed to be wooing him- not scaring him off. “Not exactly.”

The man ignites a match, the flicker of a flame painting his face in moving shadows as he lights the cigarette. He returns his silver case and the matchbook to his jacket pocket. “You tell me your name and I’ll tell you where you are.”

“{Y/N}.” So far so good. My mind is still reeling- eyes combing over every inch of the room- trying to find a sign, anything, to prove that this is all real. “I’m dreaming. Aren’t I?” The sudden sensation of being spun around takes over my body.

“If this is a dream, I don’t ever want to wake up.” I feel my cheeks warm at the words, at least one of us is articulated. “The names Nicky. Nicky Valentino.” Nicky brings my wrist to his lips, pressing a kiss to the top of my hand. I swear I can feel my soul departing

“Charming as you may be, I’m not from here-” my already jumbled sentence gets interrupted by the bartender. He places the candied, kaleidoscopic drinks before us. Nicky slips the man two bills, then looks at me with those mischievous hazel eyes.

“Cheers.”

I hesitatingly clink my glass with his and place the cold drink to my bottom lip. I take one sip and my mouth contorts with the overwhelming taste of tart. “Right- so as I was saying.” My tongue feels dry, tight as I glance around the room once more. Think, think.

“Doesn’t take a wisehead to know you ain’t from New York.” Even with my own tense posture, all his words hold a lilt of teasing.

“Yeah. But I don’t think I’m supposed to be here.” What do you even say? ‘Hey, I’m not just out of state, I’m out of century.’ I don’t know how that’d go over, but I’m imagining not well.

“Of course you’re supposed to be here,” it’s a good thing I’m not standing because the look on his face is enough to buckle my knees. “You’re the person of my dreams, and this is my dream, right?” His honeyed and soft words do loosen my shoulders- but I can’t help my tangled mind.

“Okay. How can I explain this... I’m not even from your...” Right words, right words. “Your... dimension” Could be better.

“So, like from upstate?” I have to hold back a scoff- he’s a total dork. Nicky coyly grins to himself, expression morphing into one I’ve only ever seen on a silver screen. “Can you pinch me? ‘Cause now I know I’m dreamin’.“

The tightness in my shoulders dissipates as I laugh at the remark. If there’s one thing he’s exceptional at- it’s being annoyingly charismatic. “I’m still not sure I can explain this right. Do you like going to the movies?”

“Yeah. I like the ones about wise guys, car chases, and the ride or die sidekicks.” Fitting.

“W-well... it’s- it’s... it’s like everything became a... a movie for me.” How in the world do you word this? “You’re like a-”

“A movie star?” I nod, and he considers this like it isn’t the slightest bit absurd. He exhales a thin stream of smoke from his lips then chases it with a sip of the Old Fashioned. “Listen, if it’s a movie, you gotta know some things. This movie is fast, it’s dangerous. Until about five minutes ago, all I wanted was the entire world and I wanted it all to myself.”

“And now?”

“Now I still want the world. But I want it for two.” Between the alcohol and the compliments, my head is spinning in the best way possible. Nicky was right: if this is a dream, then keep the damn lights off.

“That’s very poetic of you, F. Scott.” Everything about him is magnetic, drawing me closer with each word. I can’t help myself but lean in.

“You forgot my name already? It’s Nicky.”

Lord, he’s definitely a dork. “No it’s- never mind.” Nicky places his hand into the pocket inside his coat and pulls out a thin black jewellery case.

“I want you to have something.” He cracks open the case, and inside sits a breathtaking diamond bracelet with enough shimmering carats to blind me. It’s excessive. It’s perfect.

“Nicky, what is this?” I train my eyes on him, trying my best to get a read on him, but he’s impossible.

“Do me a favour. Just try it on.”

“I can’t... I’ve only just met you. And-”

My argument is cut short with a raise of his eyebrows, “I’m a movie star, right? So why not play the part. You can’t take it off soon as you finish your drink.” I let my eyes fall back to the case, combing over the bracelet.

“I may never finish my drink.” The words tumble past my lips with little thought- nearly catching myself off guard with the brashness.

“I’m counting on it.” I watch as Nicky removes the bracelet from the case, fingertips brushing my skin as he cuffs it delicately around my wrist.

“So, what’s your game, Nicky?”

“My game?” He seems confused by the inquiry, but I can’t think of a reasonable time someone would fork over something so expensive to a total stranger.

“Yeah. What do you want from me?” Nicky stares at the strand of diamonds that fits perfectly around my wrist. I suddenly feel off- like I’d overstepped an unspoken boundary. “It’s a fair question considering five minutes after meeting me you’re giving me diamonds. Usually, guys wait to the third date for that.”

“I’m setting my price.”

“Your price?” Baffled by the words, my eyebrows knit together, “your price for what?”

“Leaving it all behind.” Shoulders dripping, I scan over his face. He’s just as unreadable as before. What does it mean? Leaving it all behind. Nicky only offers a warm smile, like he can read mind and in his eyes, I catch a glint of sincerity behind the bravado. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have somewhere to be.”

“You’re kidding?” I scoff.

“We’ll be in touch. I guarantee it.” I can’t even protest, Nicky gets up from his stool and walks away.

“No, Nicky- you’re not- you can’t leave me with this bracelet!” My protest is futile, falling to deaf ears. He’s already a third the way to a far door. “Nicky!” But he either can’t hear me or doesn’t want to hear me. “Damn it!” Once again, Nicky eludes me as he finesses his way between guys and dames.

This time, I’m not letting him get away from me. I leap out of my seat, and the barstool nearly crashes to the floor as I hurry after him. I knock into a couple in the throes of a drunken kiss, interrupting what would have been a perfect moment. I collect my footing and peer ahead. Nicky is more than halfway now.

I’m a foot from the couple before a hand circles my wrist, spinning me on my heel to find a man already a few drinks deep. “Where you goin’, sugar?” His breath reeks.

“I-I... gotta,” his fingers are curled into the bracelet. “Let me...” I wrench myself free from him, stumbling back into another drunken couple standing behind me, “go.”

As Nicky’s hand wraps around the door handle, I take off, leaving the man and couples in my rearview. Just as I get within spitting distance, he pushes the door open. I reach out for him, grabbing a hold of his wrist before he can take another step. Feeling my grip, Nicky spins around to face me. The door slams shut behind him. A brash grin enveloping his face.

“You’ve done good, kid.”

“What do you mean? Was this some kind of test?”

“If it was, how do you think you did?”

“I’m not sure the type of person who wants to test me is the kind of person I want to be around.” Nicky lays his eyes on my hand, which is still tightly gripping his wrist.

“You sure about that, toots?” Instantly, my skin goes hot from embarrassment. I quickly retract my hand from his. He’s so frustratingly sauve.

“I’m- I’m sure.”

“Hold on, I didn’t say you should let go.”

“You didn’t need to.” Nicky inches closer to me, interlocking his fingers with mine.

“{Y/N}, I was only teasing. I don’t want you to let go.” He grasps my hand as if letting go would mean he’d lose a part of himself, a lifeline. “In my world, the less people you keep close, the less chance you have at getting hurt. But... you’re not from my world, right? So maybe there’s room for an exception.”

I squeeze his hand tighter, our hands clasped together in an unspoken devotion. I look up into Nicky’s eager eyes, and then at his lips before asking, “you want me to be your exception?”

“That’s right.” Nicky lets go of my hand and turns away from me. “Follow me.” He pushes the door open, enthusiastically walking into another sizable group of strangers outside. As I follow Nicky out of the room, he’s gone from sight. And so is everyone else.

I’m back in the movie theatre lobby- my movie theatre. The place is completely empty, and an eerie quiet has set over the room. I pace a few steps until I’m smack dab in the centre of the room. And now that I’m back to my world, I’m already longing for the adventure promised by the other. And my hand’s feeling awfully empty. So is my wrist. The bracelet. Fuck. I’ve had the damn thing for forty seconds and it’s already been nicked.

“Is someone going to explain all this to me? What the hell is going on?” Then, a hand taps me on the shoulder. “Whoa!” I yelp, startled at the other presence in the room. “Murray! Jesus, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“What’d ya think, kid?”

“The movie. What’d ya think about my movie?”

“Murray! You knew about all- all this?”

“I know what goes on in my theatre.” Murray momentarily looks down and polishes a brass button on his coat. “I’ve been showing movies for the better part of my life, and I know when I see a movie star. You, my friend, are a movie star. The question is: are you ready for your close-up?”

“What... what do you mean?” Everything is hitting me at once. That really wasn’t a dream.

Murray inhales with pride as he observes his theatre. “There are many theatres in this joint, all playing crime films from the great American eras. You’ve been fortunate enough to see the trailer for one, but did it suit you?” He places a hand on my shoulder, and we walk to the entrance of the first theatre. “Is the ostentatious world of Gatsby’s New York, of raucous speakeasies and illegal rum-running in the roaring twenties your adventure?”

He turns to look at me, kind eyes shining with expectancy. My heart rate jumps at the question, giddy for the prospect of adventure but anxious for the consequences. No movie is perfect. “I can just... be a part of it?”

“For now.”

“What about this world? The real world?”

“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to escape. Besides, who’s to say what’s real and what’s not.” Murray smiled a wistful and weathered smile. Like what I pictured a clock would smile, full of known and unknown. “What’d you say, kid?”

He’s right, I’d be fooling myself if I said otherwise. I want this- I think I’ve always wanted something like this. With a calming breath and a final look around the theatre, I nod. “Yes.”

“Very good, your co-stars are waiting inside.” Murray steps aside, gesturing to the door. “Enter whenever you feel ready.”

“No time like the present.” I take another deep gulp of air, trying to silence my screaming heart rate. I’m not dreaming. This is real.

“But remember, this is a cinema: once the movie begins, there’s no rewind button.” Thanks, no pressure. I’m nervous, to say the least- but this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I proceed into the movie theatre entrance, its double doors awaiting my arrival. I push open the doors and walk into my starring role.

Lights. Camera. Action. Two Against the World.

#fictif #two against the world #nicky valentino #fictif nicky #fictif two against the world #nicky valentino x mc #nicky valentino x reader

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kyuflix · 5 years ago

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➤ 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄 𝐍𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟏| 𝐇𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐣𝐢𝐧

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄: angst (you should know by now), a little bit of fluff

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆: weapons, violence, blood, death, a lot of swearing

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: the special mission goes in an interesting direction

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒: +5k

𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊: iI’m so sorry that this took so long! i had already written the majority of this but because of school i couldn’t continue. now that we are all to stay at home i thought that i would finish this and maybe take your mind off things for a little while. i hope that you enjoy this and took your mind off of things, stay safe everyone!

''Alright, that would be all. Meeting dismissed. Y/N could you stay behind for a couple of minutes?'' You turned around at the call of your name and sat back down in your chair.

''What is it, sir?'' Your boss shook his head and folded his arms.

''Y/N you know that you don't have to call me sir. We founded this together and you're my second in command.'' You nodded.

''I know, Seong.'' He nodded and slid a file over the table towards you. ''I have a special little mission for you.'' You raised your eyebrow and opened the file, the picture of a young man coming into view.

''That's our target. Do you remember the weapon trade not too long ago?'' You scoffed. ''How could I forget that those bastards killed my best friend.’’

Seong nodded and leaned back in his chair. He pointed to the picture and continued talking. ''That's the boss, Jong-Su Cho. I want you to take him out. He betrayed us at the trade and I figured since you're one of our best-skilled assassinators you're the perfect one for the job.'' You nodded and skimmed through the file.

''Alright, I'll do it. Anything specific I need to know?'' Seong licked his lips and leaned forward. ''According to Chae, he's in the underground club this weekend. Chae is gonna help you and if anything goes wrong she'll be there to help. Avoid any unnecessary deaths. Other than that kill who you have to.''

You stood up and bowed to him before you left the room mumbling under your breath, on the way to the weapon room. ''That bastard's gonna pay.''

You slid your fingers over the keypad and pressed the code into it to get into the weapon room. With a 'click' the door slid open. Various weapons laid on tables and hung on the wall in front of you. You slid your fingers over the selection of knives and picked your favorite rainbow-chrome knife up. You took a gun from the wall and inspected it, counting the bullets left in it. After you were satisfied with the weapons you picked you left the room and walked out of the basement and in Chae's room.

Chae's room was full of all sorts of computer and hacking equipment. She was the one that provided everyone with all the information and supervised the missions. Chae spun around in her chair and gave you a grin.

''So I take it you already know what you have to do?'' You nodded and sat on her desk. ''I want more information about that bastard. Give me things that'll make him writhe in pain, beg for his life to be spared.'' Chae put her hand on your knee and squeezed it.

''Y/N I know how much Min meant to you and that you want to take revenge on him. I want that too, but don't forget the rules.''

Rule number 1, don't ever let your emotions take over you.

You bit your lip and nodded. Chae smiled at you and turned to her computer. She pressed the keys a few times and the file of Jong-Su came flying on the screen. Chae read the article and swung her chair back in your direction.

''Well as far as this article knows, he's at the end of his 20's. Probably 28 or 27. He has a girlfriend. No children and no parents, his parents died on a mission a few years ago.'' You let the information sink into you and played with your rainbow-chrome knife. ''Tell me more about his girlfriend. Maybe she's his weak spot.'' Chae nodded and turned to her computer once again.

''Her name is Moon Kyungri. She's 25. No children her parents live in a different city and no siblings. She's been Jong-Su's girlfriend since the beginning of July 2018. So they've been together for approximately almost two years now. Doesn't know that Jong-Su is in the mafia.''

''Chae honestly, how do you even get all of that information?'' You grinned at her and she laughed. ''Who knows?'' She shrugged and folded her hands behind her head. With a pat on her head, you left Chae's room and walked back into the basement to train some more.

In the training room, you ignored the others and went straight to one of the puppets hanging from the ceiling and got your rainbow-chrome knife out of your belt. You played with the knife a little bit before throwing it at the puppet, bullseye. With a shrug of your shoulders, you got more knives and threw them at the puppet, each throw in a different style. Once with your back to the puppet, one with your non-dominant hand, one with turning around as quick as you could, and one out of walking and the other one you threw out of running. And all of them hit the bullseye.

You retrieved the knives and put them back to where they belonged, the rainbow-chrome knife secured on a strap on your belt. You turned around and observed your teammates. Most of them, you didn't know, not that you cared. When you came across a familiar face a smile formed on your lips and you walked to her. ''Jihyo!'' Jihyo turned around and smiled at you.

When you reached her you immediately hugged the girl and grinned. ''How are you? I haven't seen you in so long! Did the mission go well?'' Jihyo chuckled and took the hand of someone. She cleared her throat and blushed as you raised an eyebrow at the action. ''Oh? What's this?'' Jihyo covered her face with her free hand at your playful tone.

''Some.. things happened while I was gone?'' The boy smiled at you and introduced himself. ''Hello, I'm Kand Daniel.'' With a smile, you introduced yourself to him and turned back to Jihyo.

''Well come on. I want to know everything!'' You wrapped your arm around her shoulder. You turned back to Daniel. ''You wouldn't mind if I steal your girlfriend for a little talk over some good old fighting do you?'' Daniel's mouth hung open.

''Actually, Daniel and I were just about to practice a little bit ourselves. Why don't you join?'' She looked back at her boyfriend and he nodded with a warm smile. ''Sure, I don't see the problem, the more people the better the practice.'' You beamed at Jihyo and walked to your locker room. ''You two start already. I'll just go change into more flexible clothing!''

When you came back in a pair of black leggings and a grey hoodie thrown over your white shirt Jihyo and Daniel were circling each other in the ring. You rolled your eyes.

''Hey! You two lovebirds! Less circling more fighting!'' Jihyo and Daniel flushed a deep shade of red and you laughed at them when you entered the ring.

With your left foot in front of the right one, you bent your knees slightly and put your hands to sides of your face. ''Let's see if you improved on your fighting skill, shall we?'' Jihyo smirked and nodded before she got in the same stance as you. You turned to Daniel and went closer to the two of them. ''Daniel. Surprise me!'' He smiled and nodded.

Jihyo lunged forward and tried to punch your arm to get it to fall to your side and obtain the opportunity to hit your temple. You stopped her hand in mid-air and crouched down, sliding between her legs. With a jump-kick, you sent her flying to the end of the ring and she hit the ropes, the ropes sending her to the ground.

You smirked but didn't notice Daniel creeping up to you. He took both of your hands and forced you into a position that had you sitting on the back of your legs, your hands twisted in a painfully way behind you.

Daniel pressed his knee between your shoulder blades and forced your back forward and continued tugging at your arms. A hiss left your lips at the pain and you tried standing up and overpower Daniel, but he was taller than you and stronger. Daniel smirked at your attempt to free yourself and looked to the spot where Jihyo laid. But she was gone.

Jihyo stood a few meters behind him and took off running towards him. When she was close enough she jumped on his back and pressed her knees into his back, her hands holding his neck from behind. Out of shock, Daniel let go of your hands and flew over Jihyo and landing on the mat, panting.

You shrugged your shoulders to loosen the burn in your arms and sides. When you took a look over your shoulder Daniel had his arms protecting the sides of his face and Jihyo kicked and punched them. She bounced on her feet a few times and did a roundhouse kick to Daniel's face. With the element of surprise on her side, Daniel tried to block his face, she hit his temple and once again he fell on the mat. ''Not bad.'' Jihyo turned around, breathing heavily as you clapped and did a little bow.

''Why thank you.'' The two of you grinned and ran towards each other. Again, you slid under her and wrapped your arms around her middle. You lifted her from the ground and put your strength into your arms to throw her over your figure. But Jihyo rammed her elbow into your face. The jab hit your nose and you stammered backward, holding your nose and letting her go.

Daniel was still laying on the ground, holding his head.

You shook your head and wiped your nose. Slowly, Daniel got up and closed his eyes as he stood to his full height, still holding the side of his head. ''Shit. You got me real good there.'' Jihyo grinned and turned to you. ''Well, what do you say? Did I get better?''

You put a thumbs up and let your eyes wander around the ring trying to plan your next moves. ''That's true. You got better and you were only for like 6 weeks gone, right?'' When Jihyo nodded you smiled and pushed your left foot in front of you, making it look as if you were just shifting your weight onto it.

''But, my dear Jihyo. This isn't over yet.'' You ran towards her at full speed. When you reached her you wrapped your arms around her middle once again and pushed all your weight onto her and with a 'thud' she was on the floor.

Daniel just watched with an open mouth at the scene in front of him. You quickly pushed Jihyo in a sitting position and went behind her wrapped your hands around her neck. You put pressure on her neck, cutting off her oxygen and tugged her head back. Jihyo closed her eyes at the pain and tapped your arm so you would let her go.

She flopped against the mat and closed her eyes, her breath heavy. Grinning at your victory you took Jihyo's hands and pulled her up. She wrapped her arms around you and you did the same, hugging each other as you regained your breath.

Daniel clapped and walked closer to you two, stopping when he reached Jihyo's side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she sighed as she leaned back against him. ''Well, I guess I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. That was a very good practice you two! I'll just go get my stuff again and then I'm out of here.'' You smiled at each of them and left the practice room.

''And use protection!'' You screamed with a grin when you left a room. You could still hear Jihyo's scream of your name when you closed the door and just saw her flushed cheeks in your mind

Back in your room, you flopped on your bed and put your belt with your gun and rainbow-chrome knife on your nightstand.

16:27.

You put your phone back down and closed your eyes. There was honestly not much you could do when you had free time. Practice, take a walk, look for another mission, watch a movie in the living room or just talk to the others.

You decided to go to the living room and maybe watch a movie or talk with some of the others.

The living room was a big room that was mostly empty with just a few couched in the middle of it and plants, flowers and paintings here and there. On the wall in front of the couches was a TV that was nearly as long as the wall. The left side of the living room didn't have a wall and you could see right in the kitchen. The only thing that separated the two rooms was glass. The glass divided the two rooms but still allowed it to look into the other room.

''Y/N!'' Your head spun around in the direction of the voice and you were greeted with Eunwoo, Seongwu, and Youngyun. You smiled at them and gave each of them a hug.

''How are you guys?'' The three of them were most of the time gone because they always spend their time on missions. Sometimes together as a trio, if one couldn't go they went as a duo but most of the time they just went alone. ''Well as you can see we're still alive. So I would say we're doing good.'' Youngyun, the oldest of the three said and the other two smiled and nodded.

''How did your last mission go?'' Your smile faltered at Eunwoo's question and you gulped. They weren't there when it happened so how could they know? You cleared your throat and clenched your hand into fists at the memory of the weapon trade, Min's death and how Jong-Su betrayed you. ''I think it would be better if we sit down for this. It's... a long story.''

Eunwoo, Seongwu, and Younghyun exchanged glances and sat on of the couched and you followed.

''Y/N how long do you think they're gonna talk more? Why won't they just do the damn weapon trade?'' Min groaned as she looked to the back of the club and saw that Seong and Jong-Su were still talking. With a shrug of your shoulder, you got your favorite rainbow-chrome knife out of the hidden strap on your thigh and swirled it around your hand, playing with it. A choked cough erupted beside your ear. And you looked to your left. Min had blood splattered over her lips and she looked down. Your eyes widened in horror as you saw an arrow sticking out of her stomach.

''Min!'' You screamed as you saw your best friend collapse to the floor. You caught her in your arms and looked around desperately in search of Seong. Right in front of you on top of a flight of stairs stood a man with a bow in hand. Tears flowed down your face and you screamed once more and threw your knife towards the man. It hit him right between the eyes and he slumped to the ground.

Seong's head spun in your direction when he heard your scream and his eyes widened as he saw Min's body on the ground with an arrow sticking out of her stomach and you hunched over her body.

''I thought we had a deal!'' Seong screamed and got his gun out of its holster in aimed it at Jong-Su. Jong-Su's eyes followed the source of the screams and looked at the sight of Min's dead body. He smirked and shrugged. ''Where's the excitement without a little bit of fun, am I right?''

Seong narrowed his eyes at the fellow mafia leader at his craziness and spoke through gritted teeth. ''You will regret this. I swear.'' Jong-Su laughed and clapped. ''Oh, I'm sure I will.''

''Min! Open your eyes don't you fucking dare leave me!'' You shook her body and Min smiled weakly at you. ''You can't do this to me!'' You whispered as the tears continued flowing down your cheeks. Min opened her mouth to speak but just coughed more blood. ''Y-Y/N, I-I'm sorry.'' Min closed her eyes once again and you screamed again.

''No! Min! Don't you fucking close your eyes, do you hear me? You can't leave me alone in this cruel world! I need you here, do you understand? Min!'' A blood-curling scream left your lips as Min took her last breath and her hand in yours fell limp. Your body shook and you sobbed, tears falling onto Min's dead body. You wrapped your arms around her one last time and nuzzled your face in her neck.

''Min...'' You cried into her neck and pulled away. Anger overtook your senses and you put her dead boy gently back on the ground. Seong was surrounded by Jong-Su's men. Most of your teammates were dead. Your hand automatically took hold of your gun. You pulled it from your belt and aimed at the men surrounding Seong. Bullet after Bullet, man after man.

They fell on the ground and Seong was now no longer surrounded by any of Jong-Su's men. Your eyes shifted to his figure. Jong-Su still had a smirk on his face despite almost all of his men lying dead on the ground with a bullet in their body. Seong looked at you and screamed.

''Y/N get out of here!'' You shook your head as a single tear slid down your cheek.''No.'' You whispered. Seong wanted to shout at you again but you beat him to it.

''No! I won't go! They killed Min, I want revenge!'' Seong's eyes softened for a split second. ''Y/N I know! But remember what I told you!''

Rule number 1, don't ever let your emotions take over you.

Your nostrils flared in frustration.

''Fuck this!'' You stormed towards the two mafia leaders and stopped in front of Jong-Su. ''You're so going to regret me. Believe me.'' You said through gritted teeth and stormed off waiting for Seong to follow you.

When you finished the story the three of them were angry and sad. Younghyun started screaming and explaining all of the things he would do to Jong-Su. Seongwu just sat there frozen and Eunwoo cried. Min was a good friend to every single one of you, but the two of you were the closest. She was your best friend. Chae walked into the room with furrowed eyebrows.

''What's all of this screaming about?'' Youngyun quieted down and sunk to the floor. Chae looked at with a confused expression and you just mouthed Min's name to her. Chae's eyes immediately glazed over in sadness and she nodded before walking to you and putting a comforting hand on your shoulder.

''You should get some rest. The mission's tomorrow.'' You nodded and stood up. Before you left the room, Chae, Younghyun, Eunwoo, and Seongwu hugged you. The trio wished you good luck after Chae told them about the mission.

Back in your room, you jumped into your bed and pulled the blanket over you. Tears rolled down your cheeks as you thought about the good and bad times with Min. Her death flashed before your eyes and you pressed your face into the pillows, hoping it would comfort you and dry your tears.

''I miss you Min. So much.''

''Y/N!'' You rolled around in your bed, your body heavy with sleep. Groggily, you opened your left eye and looked into the face of Chae. With a grunt, you opened your right eye now and stretched. ''What's wrong Chae?''

''I've been trying to wake you up for five minutes now. Geez, what were you dreaming of that you've been in such a deep sleep?'' A sad smile formed on your lips as you sat upright and looked at Chae.

By the look on your face, Chae could tell that you have been having nightmares about Min's death again. She sat beside you and took you in her arms.

''We're going to avenge her, I promise you. She can rest easy after today.'' You nodded at Chae and stood up wiping a stray tear from your cheek. ''Come on Chae. Let's get ready. I want that bastard to pay.'' Chae stood up and took your hand with a convincing smile. ''Believe me, Y/N we will.'' You smiled at each other and left your room.

In the kitchen, you were met Seungwu sat with Daniel and Jihyo on the stools. Daniel was talking to Jihyo with a smile on his face with his arm wrapped around her waist. You smiled at the pair. Seungwu's head spun in your direction when you entered the kitchen. He smiled at you and patted the stool beside him.

''How are you Y/N?'' You smiled at him and stretched again. ''Still a little bit tired and hungry.'' Seungwu nodded and handed you the other half of his sandwich. ''You can have the other half. I'm not that hungry.''

''Thank you Seungwu.'' He smiled at you and you took a bite of the sandwich. ''By the way.'' You looked up at Seungwu. ''The mission's today right?'' You nodded and took another bite of the sandwich. ''Let me go with you.'' You put your sandwich down at his request and smiled sadly. ''Seungwu...''

''I know, I know. Don't let your emotions take over you. But Y/N you know me. It's the least I could do for her.'' ''Even if she didn't reciprocate your feelings?'' Seungwu nodded.

''Even then Y/N. Even if she didn't like me back the way I wanted, we were still close friends.'' ''Seungwu, I know how close the two of you were. I don't have anything against the idea. Besides the mission is more likely to succeed if we have more people.''

''Thank you Y/N.'' Seungwu hugged you and stood up. ''I'm gonna go prepare. Tell me when you and Chae are ready to go.''

You screamed a 'yes' after him as he left the room and finished your sandwich. You smiled at Jihyo and Daniel as you left the room and went back up the stairs and into your room.

With a deep breath, you opened your closet and took your protective gear out of it. The dress you were going to wear already laid on your bed as Chae put it there as you were eating. The blue dress shined you picked it up and held it in front of you, the satin reflecting the light. The dress went to the mid of your thigh and wrapped around your neck in the style of a choker.

You took a band wrapped them around your waist and thigh so they were hidden underneath the dress. You strapped the rainbow-chrome knife on the band on your thigh. You took several smaller knives and strapped them on the band on your waist.

Once you put the dress on, the weapons immediately disappeared and you pulled it down. Chae walked into your room with Seungwu behind her and clapped her hands. ''Perfect!'' She exclaimed and pushed you down onto your chair in front of your mirror.

''Now, I'm gonna do your makeup and hair, okay?'' You nodded and let Chae do her work.

When Chae finally finished, your hair was styled in loose curls. She matched your makeup to the color of your dress and smiled as you stood up from the chair. ''Looking good Y/N! I'll get ready now and we can go.''

Seungwu stood up from your bed and took one of your knives from the wall. He played with it for a little while and hung it back up. ''No guns?'' You shook your head and sat on your bed.

''No. I'm more comfortable with knives.'' Seungwu sat beside you and put his hand on your shoulder and squeezed it. ''We can do this Y/N.'' You smiled.

'We will.'

The club was full of people. Most likely were the most of them Jong-Su's men. Chae disappeared to the back of the club where the dance floor was located. Seungwu walked to the left side of the room and leaned on the wall.

You took the right side of the club and wandered around, looking for Jong-Su. The music was so loud that people were screaming at each other to even understand the own words they were saying.

When you didn't see Jong-Su anywhere you walked to the bar and sat down on a stool. Chae walked to you and leaned on the counter. ''No sign of him?'' You shook your head. ''Not yet.'' She sighed and leaned her head on your shoulder. You nudged her side with your elbow and she raised an eyebrow at you. ''What?'' You snickered at Chae's tone and took her head off your shoulders.

''Go back, Chae. You know that this mission is important to me. So if we fail this I'm going to fucking snap.'' Chae nodded as she caught the pain inside your words and gave you a quick smile before she retreated back to her position. You sighed and rubbed your cheeks. 'Get yourself together Y/N!'

You looked at the bartender and your eyes widened. ''Eunwoo?'' You cocked your head to the side in confusion. Eunwoo smiled at you and offered you a glass filled with a red liquid. He shushed at you quietly and winked at you.

''We don't want people finding out now do we Y/N? So keep quit. I'm a simple bartender nothing more.'' You nodded and looked down with a smile on your face. You mumbled a quiet thank you to Eunwoo and sipped on your glass. A person sat on the stool next to you and Eunwoo leaned on the counter. ''What can I get you?''

''Just some Soju, please.'' Eunwoo nodded and you turned your head to look at the stranger next to you. You caught his eyes and smiled. The stranger smiled back and grabbed his bottle of Soju that Eunwoo handed him. He turned his body slightly to face yours and you raised an eyebrow at him.

'What the fuck is this dude doing?' He smiled at you in response and ruffled his fingers through his hair, messing the soft tufts of black up.

You sighed and put your glass on the counter. ''Can I help you?'' ''Well, actually you could.'' Your eyebrows rose in confusion and you stole a glance at Eunwoo who served another customer at the moment.

''Oh really? And how is that?'' You looked at Chae next and saw her playing with the knife that was strapped under her dress, not paying attention. You cursed under your breath and looked at Seungwu. He was still in the same spot and position you last saw him, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed but with a circle of girls surrounding him.

You turned your body towards him and a small smile graced your lips as you saw the knife seemingly hidden strapped to the outside of his thigh. But with the lights it reflected you caught it. It was very well hidden as it was the same color as his jeans, but with the lights of the club, it wasn't very smart. Anyone could have noticed it.

The stranger didn't notice that you caught his knife and leaned closer to you. As the boy was about to say anything you heard a gunshot throughout the club. You immediately shut up from your seat and got your rainbow-chrome knife from your thigh. You were about to run over to Seungwu since he was the one with the gun on the team but you were interrupted by a sudden heavy weight on you.

The boy had thrown himself at you when you were about to run away. You wiggled in his grip and turned your body around so you could face him. You raised your hand with the knife and he grabbed it and tried getting the knife out of your hand. ''Let go, god damn it!'' You struggled against his grip but dropped the knife and punched him in the face with your free hand. He stumbled off of you and held his nose as you rose to your feet.

He grinned at you and wiped the blood off of his face. ''Well, this is going to be fun Y/N.''

He charged at you and swung his leg but you jumped over it. You looked for your knife but couldn't find it. ''Fuck! Where is it?'' You shouted through all the screams of the people in the bar as they struggled to get out of it. All you could hear were screams and gunshots. You hoped that Chae, Seungwu, and Eunwoo were okay.

''You mean this?'' When you spun around to face the guy you caught a glimpse at Eunwoo who was fighting a man, but still at the bar. Your attacker spun your rainbow-chrome knife around and grinned.

A frustrated sigh escaped your lips and you grabbed a knife that was strapped around your waist. ''Don't you worry. I got more where that came from.''

‘‘You know...’‘ You started and walked closer to him, pushing yourself against his chest when you were close enough. A smirk formed on your lips as you saw him gulp. ‘‘You are actually quite the cutie, aren’t you?’‘ His cheeks burned at my words and I grinned. ‘‘But it’s a shame that we are on different Teams.’‘ A 'thud' came next from you and looked at the ground to see the man Eunwoo was fighting earlier with a bullet through his head.

You took a look at his neck and saw a tattoo, more specifically the tattoo that all of Jong-Su's men had. You looked back at the guy who still had your rainbow-chrome knife in his hand and an idea popped in your head.

You smirked, took a some steps backwards and looked back at Eunwoo who was now firing his gun and helping Chae out of some serious trouble. You screamed his name and threw one of your knives at the guy. ''Yeah?'' He screamed back at you and kept shooting Jong-Su's men. You ran toward the rather tall guy and swiped at him with your knife but he dodged it and threw a punch at you. ‘‘And it’s a shame I play dirty.’‘ You whispered under your breath and shouted.

''Give me the bomb!'' ''Coming right up!'' Eunwoo threw a small round object and a gas mask in your direction. You caught them and took a few steps back and threw the object to the guy's feet. He stumbled back.

''What the fuck is-'' at the impact the 'bomb' made with the floor it broke open and gas flew out of it. You put the gas mask over your face and walked over to the guy who was crumbling to the ground, struggling to breathe. He grabbed his neck and coughed. You crouched down to his level and looked at Eunwoo who was providing Seunwu and Chae with gas masks. With a smirk, you looked back at the guy who was laying at your feet, at the brink of passing out.

You grabbed his chin in between your fingers and smirked at him. ''Well, this was fun, wasn't it Hyunjin? Too bad it had to end so early.'' Hyunjin's eyes widened and he struggled to form his words. ''H-How did you-?'' You laughed at him and cupped his cheek with your hand.

''Oh please, you think I'm that dumb? I know who you were the second you sat next to me. You can't fool me.'' He coughed and cursed under his breath. ''Oh darling, don't worry! We're going to see each other again, I promise.'' You smiled at him and took your gas mask off for a quick moment.

You leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. You smirked at his bewildered expression and licked your lips. ''Maybe this will help you remember me once you wake up. Don't you forget me, Hyunjin.'' With a tap on his lips, you stood up from your crouched position and watched as he fell into unconsiousness.

You spun on your heels and walked to your three companions who were seemingly waiting for you. You stood in between Chae and Eunwoo and looked at the person that was kneeling on the ground with his hands behind his head, several cuts that had blood pouring from them and tears running down his cheeks. Eunwoo handed you his gun and nodded.

The person on the ground looked up at you and your eyes widened a little. 'Jong-Su...' You raised your hand with the gun and aimed.

''Please, don't kill me.'' He whispered and you had to contain a snicker. ''Oh, believe me, you deserve to die after what you did to Min.''

''Who are you talking about?'' He screamed at you and several begs of you leaving him alive followed. You took a deep breath.

''Oh, she's going to kick your ass in the afterlife once she sees you, you piece of shit. I can promise you that!'' You screamed at him and got ready to fire your gun. ''What do you want from me? I can give you everything you want!'' He screamed back at you and the tears kept flowing down his cheeks. You hesitated for a second, collecting your thoughts.

''Bullshit! You can't give me my best friend back!'' A memory of Min smiling at you crossed your minds and a tear rolled down your cheek.

Rule number 1, don't ever let your emotions take over you. You choked back a sob at the memory of her smile and pulled the trigger.

#stray kids #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #stray kids imagines #stray kids oneshot #bang chan #lee minho #seo changbin #hwang hyunjin #han jisung #lee felix #kim Seungmin #yang jeongin #stray kids mafia #stray kids mafia au #kyuflix

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mae-gi-writes · 5 years ago

Text

The King's Orders - Min Yoongi/Suga (BTS Imagine

Synopsis: in which Highess Min Yoongi suddenly confesses to his Second In Command, Kim Yuna.

Word count: 2K

Genre: Fluff, makeout sesh ooph

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I pull back just in time to avoid Min Yoongi's sword that slices through thin air. It's made out of carved wood and wouldn't have done any damage apart from causing a few bruises, but that doesn't mean it doesn't sting like a bitch.

He skids over to the other side and re-aligns himself in that perfect, combat stance he's so used to. I stand there leisurely on the opposite side, one hand resting at my hip and my own wooden sword cradled at my side.

"I don't understand," I murmur, the words carried over to him as the wind blows through my hair in a gentle caress.

His scowl, presently etched onto his face, deepens even more if that's possible, "there's nothing to understand," he spits back with such vigour that I would've flinched if I was anyone else, "I don't want her."

But I stand up straighter, "you need her to keep your peace," I hiss.

"Not like this," he charges at me again, swinging his sword over in a swift movement. But I block it in time and our weapons clatter against each other with such force that I feel its vibrations shoot up my arms. Yoongi's eyes are dark, narrowed with ferocity as he breathes out, "I swore to myself that I wouldn't marry out of honour, or pity, or convenience. I can sacrifice many things, Yuna. But not this, not my happiness."

"There's another word for that, back where I come from," I reply with sarcasm dripping from my tone as I narrowly avoid his kick, blocking it halfway to my abdomen. I grip his leg and swiftly throw him off, causing the said raven-haired man to tumble to the ground.

I stand over him, grinning, "it's called 'coward'."

Yoongi's scowl turn into a full out glare, and before I know it, he has jumped to his feet and is jabbing at me once more, his body as light as a feather as we dance around each other in a series of fists and flying limbs. He's faster than I am, with more power driven through his movements. But I know him, anticipate him and can read him like any other. So I dodge and duck and just make a fool out of him as he keeps trying to catch me off-guard.

"So what?" I ask, blocking his punch and swinging an uppercut to his stomach. He grunts in pain and I jump back when his other arm jabs at my face, "are you going to sacrifice your soldiers, go in a full-out war just because you don't want to marry her?"

"Last I heard, I don't think you had a say in what I can or can't do."

I punch, he jumps back and throws a roundhouse kick. I duck and scamper over the floor before jumping onto his back, causing him to yelp in surprise, "and last I heard, all these decisions weren't about you, but about what's best for your people—"

Yoongi throws us both to the ground and I roll, but not quickly enough, for he makes a grab for my arms and pin them above my head, legs straddling my thighs and leaning over to press his entire weight on my body so that there was no attempt of escape. Though I try to throw him off, his grip is tight and hard, unrelenting. My eyes wander up to catch the intense emotion swirling through his dark orbs and something inside me coils in a tight, anxious knot.

As Yoongi's first in command, I had always been by his side, good or bad, thick or thin, happy or sad. It didn't matter, I saw it all, I saw what he could do and how much he could take. My father, who had been a chief commander of the Royal Highness back before Yoongi's dad had retired, had been killed during the last war with the Kangs Dynasty and thus, his Royal Highness had placed Yoongi into my care, for while I was a girl, I had inherited my father's superb fighting skills, skills that couldn't go unnoticed.

Not that I was complaining. I'd rather beat a thousand thugs than sit around drinking tea and discussing the latest gossip happening around town.

So it's an understatement to say that I know exactly what Yoongi is feeling at this exact moment. I can feel his torment, the agitation boiling through his blood. He's restless, had been pacing around for the past few days. In order to end the feud between the Min and the Kang Dynasty, the only solution was a unison of power, and that meant a marriage contract between his Royal Highness Min and the Kang Heiress. It was a pact that Highness Kang had been more than happy to oblige to, but Yoongi's attitude towards the matter had been far from pleasant, albeit the fact that he knows a refusal will lead to a full-out war.

And while I consider myself a pretty decent fighter — one fo the best— I'd be lying to myself to say that the Kang's army are an easy defeat. They're not, and Yoongi knows it just as much.

"For once," Yoongi's breath is staggered, chest heaving as his eyes lock on my own, "for just once in my life, Yuna, I want to choose something because I can. Not because I have to."

"You know that's only going to bring misery," I snap back while trying to ignore the fury of butterflies that suddenly erupt through my chest when he leans in closer, breath washing over my face in a tantalizing manner that causes warmth to burst through my cheeks.

Min Yoongi has a charisma, a charm that's beyond any comprehension. He's a born leader, a true king bound by blood. But his heart, it's made of gold, and no one can deny that. Under all that snide, cold-hearted appearance lives a man who fears trusting people and who has spent his life figuring out if others like him because of his money, his heritage, or just because they like him.

And I guess that's why we're so close. Because I don't want anything from him.

"Yoongi, just think about it. If you marry her, you'd be saving millions of lives—"

"I don't love her," he snaps, "I want nothing to do with her. She's bland and boring and just too perfect."

"Give her a chance," I insist, searching for understanding on his face, "who knows, maybe she'll make you happy, maybe she'll turn out to be exactly like—"

"I don't want her."

"Yoongi—"

"Just—please," his head comes to a rest against my neck then, tired out by our incessant arguing. His breaths are warm, colliding with my skin in the most enticing way that I have to gulp at the closeness, "please don't say that."

"Say what?" I struggle to keep my thoughts coherent when the said man is so close and practically pressing his entire frame against mine.

It is no secret amongst the guards that I might harbour a few unrequited feelings with his highness himself but there had never been any good reason for me to act upon them. It just can't happen. I'm a guard and he's a king. It's never going to work. But with him practically invading my personal space and breathing the same air as I am, it's making my head spin with unnecessary thoughts that cause my blood to pump with sudden adrenaline.

"Say that she'll be good for me," Yoongi's lips are practically brushing against the crook of my neck at this point, and tingles shoot down my spine, "she's not what I want, I don't even know her—"

"Well," I try to croak out weakly, "maybe you two can get to know each other—"

"You're not even listening me."

"I am! But it's just—"

"I don't want her."

"You're so pessimistic—" the words die in my throat the moment I feel the softest flutter of lips over the skin at my neck. I swallow thickly, blinking up at the sky that is now blazing in a fiery orange degrading into soft midnight blues.

What in the world does he think he's doing?

"Y—Yoongi?" I breathe, unsure whether I should say more. Did he just—

I feel it again. Another softest pressure of lips against my neck, closer to my jaw this time. I tense up automatically, arms trying to entangle themselves from his grip, but he only tightens his hold.

"Yoongi—"

All attempts of escape seem futile when the man starts a slow path of warm pecks up the curve of my neck, ghosting over my jaw, each kiss leaving hot trails of warmth in their wake. Tingles shoot up and down my spine at the contact. Unconsciously, my back arches into him and as a response his body just slides in-between my legs, causing a soft gasp to fall from my lips.

His mouth then moves to my jaw, pressing kiss after kiss that causes my heart to stutter and pause as though it's a car that can't function properly, as though the rest of the world has fallen away with only Yoongi and I left. For a moment, if I close my eyes for long enough, I can imagine that he's mine and just mine.

When he finally pulls back far enough to look into my eyes, I'm surprised at the tenderness I find lingering in those inky pools of black, mixed in with a passion that causes another wave of butterflies to erupt through my chest.

"I don't want her," he murmurs for the third time, voice hoarse and so deep that it takes a moment for my brain to register what he's saying, "I want you."

The next thing I know, his lips are crashing down onto mine.

He cuts off any responding words lingering on the edge of my tongue, cupping my mouth with his in such a passionate embrace that I almost forget how to breathe. I kiss back after a slight beat of hesitation and a purr resounds from his throat, before his mouth latches onto mine and practically sweeps me off my feet. His hands slowly slide down, one of them cupping my face to gain more access, slanting his lips more intimately against mine, while his other hand trails down to wrap around my waist in a way that would've made any decent lady blush.

Nevermind that we're in the middle of the training grounds and visible to any outsider eye, nevermind that we're both sweaty and lying in dirt as we kiss and move against each other like fish gliding through water. Nothing matters in this moment, except for Yoongi's lips and the fire that's slowly building inside my stomach as my arms wrap around his neck to pull him even closer.

His tongue flickers out then, the tiniest movement against my lips which I instantly part for him in a silent gasp, his hand at my hip squeezing in anticipation while his wet muscle slowly induces mine in a soft, sensual massage that only causes me to moan softly without meaning to. My hands unconsciously tightening their hold, I allow my fingers to trail up, tugging at his locks. Yoongi grunts in response, shifting even closer so that we're separated by nothing but the lightest layer of clothes.

When we finally break apart, I take this chance to gasp for air and regain my breathing, mind still reeling from our earlier contact as I feel Yoongi's mouth travel over my jaw and pepper it with soft kisses that causes desire to curl through my chest.

"Yoongi," I manage to breathe out in-between his littering of kisses that find their way down my neck, "what are--what are we doing?"

He lets out a small grunt, before he lifts his head and gazes at me through heavy eyelids filled with desire, "what we should've done ages ago."

I stare at him. My mouth opens, then closes when I realize my brain is trying to piece together any form of coherence. Though that seems to be useless in duch a situation.

I'm so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I barely notice Yoongi's hand reaching out to trail his thumb over my cheekbone. My eyes lift to find his swirling with a tenderness, a fragile sort of affection, one that makes my heart squeeze in delight.

"I--We can't," I say weakly, though my heart is screaming at me in indignance.

"I know," he presses his lips together for a moment, pinning me down with those dark eyes, "but I'm done playing King. I'm telling you this, as Min Yoongi. I want you, no one else."

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scoobydoominuscoobydoo · 5 years ago

Note

An older ask had asked you how you would rewrite return to zombie island. How would you rewrite scoob?

Oh I’ve already put some thought into this while I was actually watching the movie simply because I was thirty minutes in and didn’t see it getting better.

The first change I would make is that I would get rid of the whole beginning scenes with them as kids. We didn’t need it and it literally added nothing to the story. You can convince your audience that the characters are close without needing to completely illustrate why.

I would definitely open the film up with them probably in mid-chase at the climax of a mystery because that’s just how you need to open up a Scooby movie. Right from the beginning this is where I would introduce the character conflict. Maybe after they’ve caught the guy and the police are commending them they wouldn’t really have anything to say to Shag and Scoob (who are probably disheveled and starving from running for their lives once again). Shaggy and Scooby have never felt bad about being cowards so I doubt this would really hurt them that much (maybe annoy them at the most). But it identifies where the story is going to focus.

We’d then move into some transitional scenes where you can watch how the gang’s dynamic works and this is where you sell their friendship. This ain’t just a Scooby and Shaggy movie, this is a whole gang movie (the central conflict just stems from Shaggy feeling under appreciated). So their relationships are an important part of getting the audience to care what happens. I would say you subtly show how Shaggy might break up little arguments or remind them to eat. Nothing in your face, more or less it would be weaved in with the gang’s standard banter.

Then we’d get to the gang talking about turning MI into a legitimate business by finding investors and stuff. I think this would be a good opportunity for a montage scene where we get to see a lot of other Scooby/HB characters without it taking too much out of the story (this is where I would show the Blue Falcon and Dyno Mutt). All of them seem to reject the proposition though. I didn’t have major issues with Simon Cowell because random celebrity cameos have always been a Scooby thing but I mean.... Why Simon Cowell of all people? I feel like there are way more suitable celebs to choose from. I feel like it would be funny if they brought in one of the actors from the 2002 live action film (playing themselves) and everyone is just like: “Who the heck is this?” And then Shaggy (who always knows who everyone is) just goes: “Um??? You uncultured swine??? That is obviously Linda Cardellini!” And then she’s the one who is finally willing to invest but says she’ll only do it if Shag is out (Scooby can stay because animal mascots are in and it doesn’t get anymore in than a talking Great Dane).

And the gang gets all offended at this and Linda (it doesn’t have to be Linda but for all intents and purposes I’m just saying it is) will just be like, “Fine, I’ll give you my money if you can tell me what he does for you. For your team.”

And they’ll all stay silent, trying to think of something and that’s when Shaggy finally takes it personally. It’s one thing to be judged by people he hardly knows. But for his best friends to be given like the easiest ultimatum and they can’t even deliver on it? He wonders if he’s being taken for granted. He decides he is and explodes. Shaggy never explodes so it freaks the gang out.

I think he’d call them out for not considering his constant submission into being the bait as a contribution - despite the fact that he always states that he’ll never do it again. But of course they wouldn’t count that because they’re always too focused in on the details to miss the big picture in front of them. Because, ultimately, that is what Shag adds to the team. Daphne, Fred, and Velma tend to get so wrapped up in the small factors that they sometimes miss the obvious. And that’s when Shaggy will point out the big thing that they’re missing. Shag has always been big picture over nuts and bolts so of course he’s the one to bring up the primary detail missed. This has been an element in almost every single show so I feel like it’s funny that it’s never been spelled out.

Velma is a little hot-head who doesn’t love being demoralized by anyone so she might say something uncalled for and that’s when Shaggy walks out and Scoob follows suit. That’s a pretty major conflict to take up the runtime so there you go.

Shag and Scoob being pissed at the gang makes a little more sense now and can be further elaborated and expand into Shag’s self-confidence issues. It’s at this point that the two of them can get kidnapped by an unrevealed villain because why the heck would I take the mystery out of it?

It wouldn’t be by a group of semi-sentient robots because this the 70′s or 80′s and technology wouldn’t be that advanced. Instead, I’d shoot for classic, masked henchmen (maybe disguised as horrifying Greek gods or something) who swipe Shag and Scoob from the bowling alley without even giving them a chance at a comedic chase scene because the audience is supposed to feel unnerved.

We’d cut back to the gang, 1/3 of them a little steamed and the majority feeling bad for selling their best friend short. It’s revealed that they didn’t take the investment offer because there’s no way they would further exclude Shaggy from anything. They decide that they should let everyone cool down before they go and talk things out and while that’s happening Daphne is trying put together a list of all the things Shag and Scoob add to the team. She gets even more upset with herself because this is their best friend and this shouldn’t be that hard.

In the background, Fred and Velma start arguing and it would act as a kind of callback to the beginning where we see Shag break up their bickering. But since he’s not here the fight begins to escalate and it’s only when they start yelling that Daphne comes between them. Then her face lights up and she gingerly adds that to the list.

As the movies cuts back and forth between Shag and Scoob’s perspective and the gang’s perspective the list gets longer.

Speaking of, Shag and Scoob are being kept prisoner at the abandoned carnival because that’s always an interesting set-piece that just so happened to be totally pointless in the actual movie. At some point the two of them are split up and this is when it’s hinted that the kidnappers where originally aiming for just Scooby but Shag was also there so they just rolled with it. But because Shaggy isn’t important to them, nobody is really guarding him anymore (they were originally guarding him because Scooby was with him).

Scooby being taken is the motivation he needs to try and escape and save his dog (in his head he’s pretty sure these whackos are gonna freaking sacrifice his dog to the powerful god of all things creepy). His escape attempts would be interspersed between scenes of the gang looking for him, and Scooby being intimidated by the masked big bad (who is of course explaining the plan in great detail). The gang’s hunt for their guys would be a lot more difficult since they can’t just Life 360 up where he is. It would rely more on visual clues, eyewitness testimonies and choppy security footage, which is overall more engaging and gives the gang an actual thing to do.

While Shaggy is formulating an escape he’s able to pick up bits and pieces of what the crazy people want to do with Scooby and this acts as him getting closer to finishing a puzzle. But he doesn’t analyze the puzzle pieces he gets and tries to guess what the puzzle will look like, that’s not his area or his goal at the moment.

In a big triumphant moment, Shaggy escaping and the gang figuring out where he is happen at the same time. This gets the spirits high before things go wrong again.

And when I say wrong - I mean the gang get capture by the villain. Shaggy isn’t aware of this as he’s sneaking around the carnival grounds trying to figure out where someone would keep the actually important prisoner. I feel like a comically large circus tent would be a cool location for the climax of a movie Scooby’s probably in there. But when Shag gets there he’s quick to hide (like under the seats or something) and this is how he’s able to finally see the whole puzzle put together.

The gang escapes rather quickly because say what you will about Danger Prone Daphne but she’s just as good at getting out of tough situations as she is at getting into them. And so begins the epic journey to find their boys (they escape and Velma just instantly goes, “It’s obviously the huge circus tent.”). And at this point it’s like a One Piece arc and all you want is the whole gang to be reunited again. But first we need a fun scene of the VFD trio trying to evade the henchmen to like a Smash Mouth song or something because remember this is Scooby-Doo.

Shaggy realizes he has to do something fast otherwise his dog is going to be used to open the Underworld. He runs out of the shadows without any real plan with just the goal of taking down the bad guy. But he doesn’t get there in time and the whole tent like erupts into green and blue flames as Cerberus stomps out of the gates and Shaggy is just frozen in place. The masked guy seems a tad surprised to run into Cerberus so fast but is quick to gain control of the beast. He orders the monster to start wreaking havoc on a nearby town something, he doesn’t care so long as he can enter the Underworld without distraction.

But before he can do that, he gets jumped by Shaggy who’s really only trying to keep him pinned down while he comes up with a step two. But Mr. Mask has some fight in him so it becomes this epic struggle between Shaggy, Scooby, and the bad guy while the place is still on fire and we have an epic orchestral score playing in the background.

Right when it seems like the villain has the upper hand, Daphne comes in and like roundhouse kicks him in the head, and he’s out cold. And before Shag and Scoob can react they’re dogpiled by the other three and it’s very heartwarming.

Fred eagerly ties the perp up and then we get our unmasking and it’s Scrappy-Doo!!! Just kidding that’d be stupid. I’m really not sure who would be the best surprise villain but if anyone has a good idea for one please let me know!

When the bad guy comes to, Velma starts shaking him to tell them how to get Cerberus back into the Underworld and how to close the gate. He reveals that all you need to do is whistle and he’ll go home (Cerberus is Hades’ domesticated puppy so obvi that would work). Maybe we get a gag where someone tries to whistle but it’s too hot in the tent for it to work and they’re like: “Does anyone have like some water?” And then Shaggy just rolls his eyes and whistles and boom, big angry puppy comes home.

Daphne smiles and says, “I’m gonna have to add that to the list.” And Shag is like, “Like, the list of what?” And she explains that the gang has been putting together a list of all the things he brings to the team and it makes him happy that they’re putting in the effort.

We cut back to Velma torturing the info out of our mask on how to close the gates and he just evilly laughs and only a dog or dog’s best friend can close the gate. But, unfortunately, the gate will take them back down to the Underworld. The gang just sits in shock because there is no better option there.

But without missing a beat, Scooby decides he’s gonna do it and runs for the lock. He’s about to put his paw on the thingy when Shaggy beats him to it and nobody even gets a second to process before he’s sucked in and the gate vanishes.

The whole gang run to the spot where the gate used to be and Daphne falls to her knees crying, Scooby is digging at the ground trying to get to the gate and Fred has to get him to stop.

“I never even got to give him the list...” And Daph pulls it out and just drops it on the ground. Velma is on the verge of tears as she adds, “I still owe him an apology. I owe him a lot of apologies...” And as Fred is comforting Scooby he says, “We all do...” The scene ends with the gang all hugging Scooby and the list bursts into flames and disappears.

Then we cut to Shag in the Underworld and he’s just leaning against the gate and crying because what else is he gonna do? “At least I was finally useful to them...” He thinks and slowly begins to walk around and is surprised to see that the Underworld is prettier than he expected.

“Thank my wife. She’s always looking for ways to brighten this place up so I don’t feel so miserable when she’s gone. “

Shag screams bloody murder and jumps like a ten feet before turning around and seeing a dude in a chiton. Surprise surprise, it’s Hades (Who can also be a celebrity cameo whatever). We get some nice banter before Hades holds up something and asks, “Is this yours?”

Shaggy looks down and sees that it’s a piece of paper, he shakes his head.

“Really? Because it mentions you an awful lot.”

Evidently it got snagged on the way down and ended up in Hades’ lap - he’s certain he wouldn’t have even noticed that Shaggy was there if it weren’t for that. And then Shag’s face lights up and he realizes it must be the list, as he reads it we cut to all of the times Daphne thought to write these down on their trip. Finally he believes that he’s useful to the team, that he is a valuable part of the gang.

Hades looks at him and just says, “How do they survive without you?”

And Shag just shrugs and goes, “Believe me, like, I have no idea.”

Hades smiles and replies, “Then you best not keep them waiting.” Before snapping his fingers and poofing Shaggy back home.

When he gets there, the gang are slowly making their way out of the tent so they don’t see him. So Shag takes the opportunity to say, “I read y’all’s list.” And everyone instantly makes a 180 turn with their eyes super wide and he continues, “You know I think you missed a few but it’s the thought that counts.” And then we get dogpile number two of the movie.

The final scene is the gang opening up Mystery Inc. and them asking Shag where the entertainment is and he’s just like, “I asked our surprise investors to put something together for us...” And then we get the Hex Girls performance we deserve and I can totally buy them investing in Mystery Inc. because they freaking love Shaggy and Scooby so.

We get an ending shot of the gang going off to solve their first monetized mystery (we could have like a soft instrumental version of the first theme song playing) and then we fade to the end credits where we get the What’s New Scooby-Doo theme.

#ask minus scooby #mod ninja #scoob!#if i were to go full shaphne I would have added a kiss when the reunite at the end #but for the sake of everything I'm keeping it plantonic #but really a kiss would be great #also this film would be in 2D and that's non-negotiable #there are some details that could be worked out but it's not like this is going to make the actual scoob any better so #you either like my rewrite or you don't

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teaandinanity · 4 years ago

Text

Wayhaven Week, Day 6: Nightmare

3.1k words, Adam du Mortain/ Genevieve Layton (f!Detective)

Rewrite of the night the Detective stays over at the warehouse.

A glint of fangs, of too-avid eyes, bright against the darkness;

“Have you missed me, Detective?”

She tries to recoil and can’t. Trapped. She thrashes against the constriction, desperate to yank free, breath coming in shallow, strangled sobs. It’s not until she’s standing on trembling legs with cold air turning her clammy sweat frigid on her skin that she realizes where she is.

She’s in the warehouse. She’s protected. She ought to feel safe here, if she can feel safe anywhere.

She knows that, intellectually. Her pounding heart says her limbic system doesn’t believe it. It hasn’t really believed it in months, not in the quiet hours when she’s alone.

“Just a nightmare,” she tells herself. It isn’t true, though. Her voice shakes, giving away the falsehood.

Her subconscious is drawing on real memories for these nightly torments, and it’ll keep happening until she processes what happened to her. And she’s trying, but…

She rubs her arms, trying to chafe warmth into them. She can still see Murphy’s face looming out of the dark, teeth bared in a smile that was all the more terrifying for being almost affable. The nightmare refreshed her terror, but it didn’t create it.

She feels cold and shaky, and - in the dark, in the quiet - very, vulnerably alone.

She heads for the bathroom, splashes water on her face, and tries to meet her eyes in the mirror. They’re drawn instead to the pale scars on her neck. She’s looking forward to fall, when she’ll have an excuse to wear scarves. Maybe someday the marks will be so faint she won’t see them at all. Maybe someday she’ll have recovered enough not to care, even if they don’t fade.

‘Someday’ seems very far away tonight.

She sighs, and her breath shakes on the exhale. Maybe she’ll go to the training room; she could do a little yoga, stretch the stress out of her muscles and get her breathing under control before she tries to go back to sleep. There’s still more than an hour until dawn; time to get in a catnap, at least, and hopefully wake up in a better frame of mind.

Sounds slow her steps as she heads towards the training room; sharp breaths and the occasional heavy impact that travels through the floor. The doors are partly open, so she peers inside. Moonlight filtering in through the narrow windows at the top of the walls barely illuminates the interior - but then, Unit Bravo can see in the dark. It makes sense that they wouldn’t turn on the lights when she and her mother and their diurnal vision don’t need to be accommodated.

Motion draws her eye to the source of the sounds, and she finds herself relaxing automatically. Even in the dark, she knows his shape.

Adam.

He’s throwing punches and kicks, running through what must be some kind of kata, from the smooth, easy way the motions flow together and he doesn’t seem to need to think about what comes next. She can feel the breeze when one leg lashes out in a roundhouse kick, almost too fast to see. That must be why he’s not using the training dummies; she can’t imagine they’d survive that kind of force.

Then he turns towards her and stills.

She freezes automatically, but for all he’s in moonlight and she’s in the shadowed gloom of the hallway, he must be able to see her clearly.

“Is something wrong, Detective?”

His voice echoes around her, enveloping her; it’s so comforting she only realizes it’s drawing her farther into the room, unconsciously seeking more of that comfort, after several steps.

She rubs her neck, more keenly aware than usual of the way the surface skin still doesn’t quite register sensation. Nerve damage. She scratches at it, like a child prodding at a numbed lip, and doesn’t feel that, either, as anything more than pressure. A month later, it’s still strange.

“Nightmares,” she answers. “About Murphy.”

Adam’s voice is soft when he says, “I see.”

She remembers the way Adam had stood beside her a week ago and somehow managed to emanate a steadying aura that made her nerves melt away like mist after the memories made her freeze. Even right after the… transfusion, Adam’s presence, his touch, had been enough to make her feel safe and comforted even though she was in danger and in pain.

He still does that. The setting doesn’t seem to matter. He doesn’t do it on purpose, she knows, but that doesn’t seem to matter, either.

She tucks herself onto a nearby bench, hopefully out of the way of his training regimen, a concession to the heaviness invading her limbs as the residual adrenaline of the nightmare fades into exhaustion. She’s still too twitchy and keyed up to sleep, of course, but the acute fear is passing, hurried along by Adam’s proximity.

Maybe he’ll let her stay for a while, if she keeps out of the way. He doesn’t go back to his training, though, even once she’s curled small on the bench, so she asks,

“You couldn’t sleep, either?”

She suspects it’s not that; he seems too alert for someone involuntarily forgoing sleep.

He shrugs, close enough to confirmation of that suspicion, and moves to stand closer beside her. It’s just moving into comfortable conversational distance, she knows, but she’s keenly aware of the way her heart trips a little quicker, of the stupid surge of hope that comes every time he has a choice and chooses to move towards her instead of away. The movement puts him squarely in a beam of moonlight, and she’s struck all over again by the angles and planes of his face.

He’s beautiful.

She knows she’s not the only one who thinks so, understands that he doesn’t welcome that kind of appreciation, but even pushing the awareness down, sometimes he makes her breath catch. Letting herself really look for a moment, she can see a sheen of sweat on his pale skin, and she can hear his breathing when so little seems to elevate it. He must have been in here for quite some time, to be showing signs of exertion.

Her own pulse still hasn’t slowed at all, but it’s fluttering, now, not racing in terror.

“I don’t sleep all that much,” he tells her. “It is less necessary for vampires.”

She nods.

“And you can see in the dark, too. I forget, sometimes, that you all have so many fringe benefits on top of the immortality.”

“It is inadvisable to forget about that part of us.”

His voice is nothing but amused, but she still finds herself hunching against the disapprobation in the words.

‘Forget’ isn’t quite right, anyway. She’s vaguely aware of it - that Farah can get a read on people’s emotions, and Morgan gets overstimulated by things her mortal senses barely register. But it’s just… part of them. As a diurnal mortal who usually interacts with them during the day, it isn’t usually in the forefront of her mind that they’re well-adapted as ‘creatures of the night.’

That’s probably why they expected her to be afraid. But she wasn’t, and it’s too late, now; she never will be. She’ll be afraid of individuals, sure - she’s terrified of Murphy - but Farah is sweet and funny, Nate is steady and kind, Morgan is grumpy and fiercely loyal, and Adam--

Adam makes her feel so safe she sometimes forgets to be afraid of anything at all.

“Do you ever forget? That you’re a vampire, I mean.”

“Never,” he answers instantly. “And I wouldn’t wish to.”

She considers that. What would it be like? Is it an estrangement from yourself, an inability to relax and just exist? Or is it something else? She doesn’t really think about herself as human, even though she knows now that the spectrum of sentient creatures is far broader than she ever suspected. Maybe she’d think about what she is more if she were something else, if she’d been changed from what she was born as? But surely he’s had time to get used to it. For being a vampire to become something normal, something taken for granted.

Or at least something that isn’t a constant, obtrusive part of his experience of the world.

“Have you been a vampire for very long?”

Farah said he was old, but what does that mean to people who can live forever?

He sighs, and then sits down beside her, leaning his head back against the wall. She tries not to stare too much at the curve of his shoulder or the angle of his jaw or the decisive lines of his profile. He’s like a feral cat; if she pays too much attention, he’ll either tense up or withdraw entirely.

And in the darkness, he’ll see her staring far more clearly than she’ll be able to see him. She directs her eyes out into the dark gym. Normally, she’d probably find it spooky, her eyes creating strange shapes from the shadows - but with Adam beside her, it’s just a room. A comfortable one, even, because he’s in it.

“I suppose it’s fair for you to know more about us, now that you’re part of this team,” he muses, and his voice - quiet in the dark, so close - makes her shiver a little before the words really register.

That would be an excellent justification for prying, she thinks wryly, but it isn’t accurate. She just…

“I’d like to know more about you.”

There’s a heartbeat of silence and then she has to fight down a flush as she realizes how that sounded. She hadn’t meant to state it so baldly - hadn’t really meant to say it out loud at all. But then, she never means to say things like that. She has, in fact, tried to stop, because he never appreciates hearing them. He gets stiff and closed off and pulls away, every time.

But he makes her feel safe, and sometimes that feeling of safety makes her stupid.

He tenses, as expected, and she curls her shoulders in; she knows what’s coming, some kind of deflection or an outright rejection. She can’t really brace for it physically, but her body still tries. But this time, for some reason, he relaxes - and when she dares a glance over, she can just make out the curve of his smile in the dark.

“I have been a vampire for a very long time, yes.”

He doesn’t offer more, but… if he’s not shrugging her off...

“How long is ‘very long’? The French Revolution? The Reformation? The Hundred Years’ War?”

He seems to consider, but doesn’t address any of the temporal landmarks.

“Over nine hundred years.”

That encompasses everything she’d mentioned and then some.

“You’ve lived through so much history…” she marvels, but he only chuckles.

“I may have lived that long, but I’m afraid history has pretty much passed me by with neither of us paying much heed to the other.”

She sighs. She’d have liked to ask what he’d seen, what he’d thought about it. She’d hoped for something that might offer safe and relatively neutral conversational ground. Not the present, where she cares too much, and not his own era, which is clearly a source of pain. So often she thinks they’re on stable footing and then somehow she trips a landmine in the middle of what she’d thought was safe ground.

“I’m sure Nate would be more than happy to fill you in on many details in my stead,” he offers, as if she only wanted information on the past, not his specific perspective and an excuse to talk to him. Maybe she can do that anyway, though. That wasn’t redirection, not really; he’s trying to give her what he thinks she’s asking for, at least right now.

She considers the timeline. 900 years…

“The first Crusade? The Battle of Hastings?”

He chuckles again, and she luxuriates in the sound because it says that right now, he’s enjoying having her around.

“My father was a Norman conqueror who settled in England and was given land and a lordship.”

Of course he was. Of course Adam was a noble.

She remembers the images from the mirror, a longer-haired Adam in armor, surrounded by flames and corpses, with tears tracking down his cheeks. A little later, the Adam she knows, saying, unconvincingly, ‘memories cannot hurt me.’

She waits a moment, but nothing more is forthcoming.

“You don’t like to remember your past, do you.”

She says it in a soft voice, pitched low; easy to listen to, nonthreatening. Maybe it’s a little unfair of her to use her training this way, but... she wants him to keep talking. She wants it so badly.

(Did she want to go back to sleep, earlier? Who needs sleep? She just needs this moment to last as long as possible; Adam, relaxed and open and speaking like she’s someone he might almost enjoy talking to, telling her things about himself just because she wants to know.)

“My history was not an easy one. But one of the benefits of practical immortality is the time it gives you to grow numb to any tormenting memories.” He says it with an air of cold dismissiveness, but she thinks that’s pretense; there’s pain lurking in the set of his brows and the line of his mouth, even veiled by shadows.

He wants the past not to hurt, but it does. It still does. That’s why he tries so hard to be numb. She rubs her neck again. Maybe the wound itself doesn’t still hurt, or maybe he’s just telling himself it doesn’t, but either way… trauma lingers.

She looks at him, at the tension in his shoulders that betrays the ache he’s carrying and trying not to feel. She wishes she were brave enough to reach for his hand. She wishes she thought he’d let her, or that it would help.

“Adam--”

He interrupts, tone clipped, eyes snapping away from hers,

“I think that’s enough history for today. You don’t want to know everything about me.”

He pushes himself up to leave.

Landmine, she thinks, resigned. She’s abruptly aware that it’s cold in the room, and wraps her arms around herself.

He’s wrong; she does want to know everything about him. He doesn’t want her to know, but he never says that. He says she should think he’s a monster. He says it’s safer if she does or thinks or feels a different way than she does.

He makes it about her, but it isn’t, not really. Her thoughts and feelings aren’t the issue. She’s kept them to herself, as much as she can. She knows they’re unwelcome; he’s made that clear.

She just wishes he’d stop telling her not to have them. She can’t help it. She’s only human.

That’s the problem, though, isn’t it? She’s human.

“I’m not trying to pry,” she says. “But… you’re wrong.”

She looks up and even in the dark, even night-blind, it’s the easiest thing in the world to find the shape of him and meet his eyes.

“I do want to know everything about you. You don’t want me to. That’s… you can just say that, Adam. You can tell me the truth, but you don’t get to tell me what I feel.”

“You don’t understand,” he tells her.

“Then talk to me,” she says, knowing already that it’s a moonshot.

“I can’t!”

Tension fizzles in the air and it sparks something in her; she doesn’t mean to say this, either, but it slips out;

“Can’t? Or won’t?”

He grits out, “What does it matter?”

“Because I don’t understand,” she pleads. She wants to understand. If he’d just let her try--

“Then stay out of it!”

It’s like having a door slammed in her face, and it reminds her that she’s never been invited in at all, not really. Not with him. Farah and Nate were friendly from the first, and Morgan treats her like part of the team now, but Adam…

“Working with a human will only slow us down.”

She doesn’t always understand him, but his dislike of humans has never been ambiguous.

More recently, with a sneer that cut her to the quick, "Not unless you change the human race."

The tension drops out of her all at once, because she’s too beaten-down and exhausted to keep it up. That’s her original problem solved, at least; she feels like she could sleep for a month. Shame coils in her stomach, heavy and cold and sour.

How many times is she going to make him remind her she’s not welcome?

She doesn’t even want to move. She could sleep right here on this bench. Just curl up and let herself stop feeling like this for a little while. Stop feeling at all.

She knows it’s absurd. It’s like having a compulsion to touch the stove even knowing it’ll burn her hand every time. She keeps reaching out anyway.

“I don’t want to fight,” she says, too tired to hide that every time he snaps at her it leaves a bruise. To his credit, that seems to take most of the fight out of him, too; she looks up when he says, more softly,

“I know, it’s just that I…”

He trails off, and she realizes... he’s staring at her mouth. Her lips part slightly, and for a weightless moment it seems like he feels it, too--

And then he steps away. Looks away.

“You should try to get some sleep,” he tells the wall.

She closes her eyes and summons every ounce of her will to get herself on her feet again. She walks back to her room with careful, even steps, not letting herself dart away the way she wants.

Her breath is unsteady, again, but not from fear. She gets the door closed behind her before she knuckles away the tears and asks herself, abruptly furious,

“How hard is it to remember he doesn’t like you very much?”

He’s made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t like humans. He’s devoted to his team, yes, and he respects her mother, and that’s plenty of reasons to explain why he puts up with her. Why he might even be nice sometimes.

It’s not anything more than that, and it’s pure wishful thinking to imagine otherwise. Kindness doesn’t mean he likes her. She should know that better than anyone.

As for the rest? After tonight, she has an explanation for that, too. He’s attracted to her. That much is mutual, but he doesn’t want it to be. He’s attracted to her, and he hates it.

She’s only human, and that isn’t good enough.

There’s watery pre-dawn light filtering in through the windows, but she climbs back into bed, anyway. She draws the quilt over her head and curls up tight, arms wrapped around herself, and closes her eyes.

Eventually her breathing evens out again. Her sleep is mercifully dreamless.

#Wayhaven Week 2020 #OC: Detective Genevieve Layton #sometimes I write things #this fic partly brought to you by me going 'the control involved is impressive but WHY is the COMBAT SPECIALIST FUCKING UP HIS TRAINING'#look; you do not train yourself to fight by NOT punching things #that is literally training yourself to pull your punches #so I changed it #he's shadowboxing now #still not breaking things!#but also not training out the follow-through

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lynneshobbydomain · 5 years ago

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Lights Out (Momoharu Week Day 2)

((Thank you Momoharu Week for hosting this event. Thank you to sunflower_8 for betaing this story for me.))

Prompt: Working out/Sweets

Rating: G

Summary: Maki’s sure fire way to deal with nightmares is the same way she settles things with the people that annoy her. It’s just a shame the thoughts won’t stop coming.

The gym was empty save for just one or two people that were just finishing off their sets. The early morning crowd wasn’t too large and it was easier for Maki to handle when she wanted some time by herself to just think. She didn’t mind the late night workouts with Kaito and Shuichi; she adored those. But this was her time to figure out herself and the world around her. To let her mind go free and to remind herself to stay focused. She didn’t go for the weight lifts her boyfriend opted for, instead she went straight over towards the punching bags and started her stretches, loosening up her muscles and trying to fight the exhaustion that wanted her to come back to bed. Her hands were already taped and her long hair was tied in elegant two buns to keep out of her face.

She punched the punching bag first and she listened to the jingle of the chains that it hung on. The sting on her knuckles was only momentarily as she pulled back and quickly followed it up with a roundhouse kick. She kept herself low, knees bent, and her hands up to her head as it was one of the most common places one would go for in a battle, save for the stomach and the groin area if someone was an amaeutre.

A thought of Kaito came into her mind and she slammed a punch as hard as she could into the punching bag. The thought drifted back into mindless white noise, but the adrenaline kicked herself into gear. Faster, harder. A thought of Kaito. A thought of the cult. The thought of the cult managing to track her down. A thought of the cult figuring out that Kaito meant something to her. A punch, a kick, a jab, a hammer fist. A thought of Shuichi debating going after the group. She kicked the punching bag so hard, it flung a little away from her in terror.

Sweat beaded down her arms and face as she stared at the opponent in front of her. The punching bag came back, no less afraid of her than she was afraid of all of the thoughts that were swirling in her mind. She picked herself back up mentally; she pushed all of those thoughts away in her mind. Anger had no reason to be here. There was no reason for her to be afraid. She was at the gym, she wasn’t being targeted and there was no reason for hasty punches and kicks as though she was throwing a tantrum in the middle of a supermarket.

She thought of Kaede and the piano that she played. She thought of the calm that it brought her and the focus that she reigned herself in. If she was going to protect her friends, she had to be better than this. Try again. More precision, more accuracy. Keep them coming, keep them coming, she couldn’t afford the punching bag to get up this time. Her opponent had to stay down, stay down her thoughts were swirling.

Enough.

She was losing her touch. Maki ripped the tape off of her hands as she looked at the punching bag. She could feel the gazes of the two members that were still there watching her in awe. There was nothing awestruck about this. There was nothing that she did that was good. She reacted too much, she lost her concentration. She wasn’t breathing...her heart was racing.

Kaito is in danger.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. That wasn’t happening. That was never going to happen. She needed to calm herself down. Breathe. She had hoped that if she got here after having it, she would be able to just...shove it aside. Shove it like she did all the rest of her nightmares. She reached for her water bottle and towel, wiping off the sweat on her forehead and taking a long refreshing drink from the bottle.

All they were were distractions and she couldn’t afford those. She walked with aching shoulders and legs towards the treadmill. She could run outside, she supposed. She could run all the way back to her apartment, where Kaito was undoubtedly making waffles or something sweet to get her blood sugar up from all of the exercising. He probably felt her leave to go to the gym after that nightmare, refusing to wake him up for something she could handle on her own.

She could handle this all on her own. She turned up the speed of the treadmill and began to run at a decent pace. She normally would listen to a podcast or a book. Shuichi told her of a few novels that he recommended and she wanted to be able to connect with him more. She wanted to know more about space, so she subscribed to some of the podcasts that spoke about the stars and constellations. Some things went over her head, but she knew enough to try to keep herself in a conversation.

Her cult would want to take that away from her and she knew that. She knew that there was a chance that she could disappear as easily as she appeared in Hope’s Peak. Kaito didn’t believe that would happen, Shuichi wouldn’t let that happen, and…Maki was grateful for them both. Grateful for Kaito for loving her, for adoring her, for showing her that there was plenty to love.

Her hair was a prized thing Kaito liked about her. He was more sentimental about her brown locks than she was. She knew that if she tried to cut them, Kaito would worry endlessly about what it could mean when all it could mean was a haircut and nothing deeper than that. He told her that he saw stars in her eyes and she scoffed at that. She still couldn’t see that at all, the stars in her eyes. What could that even mean?

But…

Kaito was...addicting. Not in a way of love, but in the way of affection. He gave his praises and his compliments as free as the wind would blow through the trees. He was unafraid to admit his mistakes, to apologize right up front. He was easy to compliment, and easy to encourage. He took things in stride.

Like the fact that he was getting sick.

Maki turned off the treadmill and she got off with legs feeling like jelly. She grabbed her water bottle and towel and briskly walked over towards the girl’s showers and locker room. She tossed her stuff onto the bench and she slid onto the ground, feeling the cold concrete hit her legs just right, cooling her overheated flesh. She ran her hands across her face and she looked up at the locker helplessly.

That was how that nightmare began. Kaito was getting sick. It was just something weird in his lungs, that’s what the doctor had said. Rationally, Maki knew it could be anything from a shadow to something serious. She knew that if it was serious then Kaito wouldn’t be in the apartment right now. They wouldn’t be waiting for blood tests. They wouldn’t be waiting for a result.

Maki woke up with a nightmare later that night, of Kaito bleeding. Of Kaito unable to breathe and her cult leader whom she hadn’t seen in years standing beside his body. Because that was the only death that she knew, was herself as the grim reaper or as the cult’s. Rationally, she knew this was very stupid. She knew she was overreacting and she was being stupid. She had to calm down.

Instead…

Instead she thought about her friends whom she loved even if they were pranksters and someone she’d rather strangle. She thought about the ones who she loved the most, and Kaito who she couldn’t love enough.

She didn’t deserve any of them.

She picked herself up off of the ground. Shower, she decided, and then she was going to go back to the apartment. She’ll eat whatever sugar fest Kaito had in store for her, and maybe she could convince him to watch a documentary about space with her. Maybe she could convince him to go on a date. Nothing too strenuous, but...something that they could both do together.

Maybe if she did all of that, she could start to repay him for all of the love and kindness he showed her. Even if it was small.

#momoharuweek2020 #momoharu #spaceassassins #danganronpa v3 #dangnaronpa fanfic #lynne's self indulgence #kaito momota #maki harukawa #retrospective #tw: cults #tw: assassins

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