#rated M for this chapter but FINALLY I allowed them to be happy :P
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eiramew · 1 day ago
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Chapter III of this fictional Chioma/Maya lorebook :) I finally gave it a proper title 💫
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dhr-ao3 · 2 months ago
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Dont Smile Back
Don’t Smile Back https://ift.tt/RPpVCfG by induetimemydear Pansy sighs but it almost sounds like a whimper. “Look, I don’t care who you love, Draco, even if the way I was raised is begging me to be repulsed by your choice but nevertheless I am your friend. I want you to be happy— I just didn’t want to die for it.” Pansy has been prickly and calloused her entire life— believing that the only way to survive is to meet Fate with a bite. By age seven she undoubtedly knew that when the day came for Hope to come in like an old friend, to never smile back. But maybe — perhaps— there is one soul who can sizzle out her venom and allow her fire to finally glow, if she’s willing to unclench her fists and receive it… Find out what Fate and Hope have for our Pansy P in this Dark AU fic where the slytherin gang must stick together to find their way out of the mess their family’s prejudices forced them in and how the trauma they��ve gone through play a part in how they arrive. Words: 2, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/M Characters: Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy, Astoria Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy Relationships: Theodore Nott/Pansy Parkinson, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Astoria Greengrass/Blaise Zabini, daphne greengrass - Relationship Additional Tags: POV Pansy Parkinson, Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson Friendship, BAMF Pansy Parkinson, dark au, Theo Nott is Everything, Slytherin Harry Potter, Explicit Language via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/GY0yzhd September 22, 2024 at 01:29AM
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enoughtotemptme · 2 years ago
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someone reaching back for me
The first time Eddie Munson watches Chrissy Cunningham die isn’t the worst. It’s the second, because he had thought she was going to live this time. //
The universe made a cosmic mistake the day Chrissy Cunningham was allowed to die. It set off a chain of events that led to catastrophe, at first local, then global, and eventually interdimensional. It led to the end of all there is, was, and would ever be.
But the universe is rather interested in self-preservation. It couldn’t save itself in the future, but it could save itself then.
If only someone would get it right.
Chapters: 23/24 Rating: Mature Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions of Violence Category: F/M Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Relationship: Chrissy Cunningham/Eddie Munson Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Gore, Time Loop, Angst, Recreational Drug Use, Eating Disorders, Eventual Happy Ending
Chapter 23
A P R I L ,   1 9 8 6
Saturday doesn’t repeat. Neither do any of the days that follow in a flurry of blood, demonic creatures, and racing the clock to prevent Vecna—001? Henry?—from opening more gates. The weapons Nancy Wheeler handed out in his trailer come in very handy more than once until El Hopper and Will Byers show up with Mike to finally off Vecna and seal the Upside Down for good.
It’s oddly bizarre to go back to school in April and have to attend classes when he knows they were only a few murder-gates away from the annihilation of any boundary between Hawkins and the Upside Down.
“Eh. You get used to it,” Dustin says pragmatically when they meet up for lunch the first day back.
And strangely, he does. None of the memories fade, the nightmares don’t disappear, but life takes over for all of them.
Chrissy visits the trailer more and more often under the guise of tutoring Eddie in English.
Well, there is tutoring happening— “You’re going to pass,” she’d told him serenely, but with a scary or-else look in her eyes—but there’s also music and talking and smoking and sitting closer together on the porch steps than strictly necessary as the weather warms up .
“You’re stuck with me now,” Chrissy reminds him. “Deal with it.”
Her mother isn’t exactly overjoyed, but when Eddie voices his concerns, Chrissy carefully explains she’s practicing doing things her mother won’t approve of. And, well. Eddie doesn’t blame her for that.
[click here to read more on ao3]
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meesa-hoe · 4 years ago
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An Angel In Beskar
Pairing: Din Djarin x Fem!Reader x Paz Vizsla
Summary: Two Mandalorians find you near death in the middle of a desert on Tatooine and while you’re quick to warm up to the one in the mismatched blue armor, his silver companion is much colder towards you.
Rating: M but later chapters will probably be rated E for sexual content.
Word Count: 4,500
Warnings: Descriptions of hopelessness, violence, trauma, and minor injuries.
Author’s Note: Hey everyone! I’ve been working on this for a while and finally decided to post it here since I noticed there’s not a whole lot of Paz x Reader x Din stories and I absolutely love the ones that I have read. I’m hoping to have the next chapter up in the next week!
There is an established relationship between Paz and Din prior to them finding the reader.
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‘May the Maker have mercy on my soul.’
There’s no point in you praying when you’re certain death is about to wrap it’s cold arms around your weak body. After traveling through the unforgiving Tatooine desert for days without water, your body is beginning to shut down and you fear that this will be your last night spent alive on such a cruel planet. Your thin dress and the scarf you had used to cover your face in an attempt to protect yourself from the scorching hot suns is your only source of warmth as you lifelessly lay on the sand and you wonder how long it will take for you to be buried deep underneath the soft granules.
You will soon end up like the ones who had perished in your village after it had been brutally attacked by bandits and raiders just days ago. Though you had barely escaped in one piece, you suddenly wished you had stayed so you could have at least had a quicker death, rather than slowly dying in the middle of nowhere. You had been foolish to think there would be another village nearby and tears finally trickle down your cheeks as you peer up at the moon, an intense feeling of despair seeping all the way down to your heart.
You miss your family.
The silence that surrounds you only makes you sob harder, loneliness eating away at you as you simply long for your family. Despite not living a luxurious life in the tiny village, it never diminished the love you had for the ones close to you. The images play on a loop in your mind--bodies covered in blood and lifeless eyes staring into your soul as you hid from the bandits--and you finally allow the physical and emotional pain to consume you.
In a way, it’s cathartic to let it all out without others being around to judge you, though it also has you longing for a comforting touch, whether that be a firm hug or someone just holding your hand. You’re reminded of the way your parents would comfort you and your siblings when you were younger, their voices always like soothing, cold water during the hottest days of summer and it only has you crying harder.
Once it feels like you can’t cry anymore and you’ve accepted your fate, you rest for the final time.
Hours pass--at least you think that as you barely cling onto life.
You don’t even realize you’re not dead until a quiet, filtered rasp manages to break through the darkness and silence that surrounds you, though your eyelids feel like they weigh a thousand pounds and are nearly impossible to crack open. It’s morning now, or maybe even the afternoon, judging by the way the suns ruthlessly beat down on you.
“How did she manage to get all of the way out here?” That hushed, soothing voice sounds a little further away and you wonder who he’s talking to until two leather digits press against the pulse on your neck. “The nearest village is days away on foot,” The person taking your pulse simply grunts in response and you finally manage to pry your eyes open when your curiosity threatens to overwhelm you. 
Who would be insane enough to trek through a desert on Tatooine?
Your vision is blurred, black dots floating around as you blink several times before it finally clears.
Instantly, you’re face to face with a t-shaped visor and--
A Mandalorian! 
Not just one, but two.
You think the lack of water and the intense heat has you hallucinating.
You had grown up hearing stories of the warriors, your oldest brother telling you how they were the strongest beings in the galaxy and typically not cruel to strangers who were innocent. There had been rumors of one living on Tatooine and as a little girl, you remember praying to the Maker that they would show up and rid your village of all the bandits that would terrorize your family and neighbors.
Even the Gods don’t want anything to do with Tatooine.
If you weren’t so exhausted and weak, you could have cried from relief and begged the two Mandalorians in front of you to save you, though your throat is far too dry and your mouth feels like cotton.
“What are you doing all the way out here, little one?” The blue Mando closest to you questions when he realizes you’re awake and you find that his voice is far more rough and brusque than his companion’s, though it’s not unpleasant in the slightest. After going days with nothing but your own thoughts to keep you company, you’re just happy and relieved to not be be alone
“P-Please... Help,” You manage to speak in a hoarse plea, tears spilling from your eyes as you clutch at the material covering the warrior’s ribs as tightly as you can, afraid that he’s simply going to stand up and leave you there to die. The way he leans in a little closer instantly fills you with hope and even though your face is mostly covered, you pray that he can see the desperation in your eyes and that he’s able to sympathize with you.
“It’s okay, you’re safe now.”
He’s massive and wears scuffed up, dull blue and yellow armor that you think has seen several battles since it was forged; he’s all mismatched and terrifying, but in that moment, you see him as some sort of Beskar angel.
His armor looks far more worn than his companion’s as you lift your gaze to peer at him, though it only has you squinting your eyes in pain as the impossibly bright suns reflect off of the silver Beskar and you simply let your eyelids slip shut once again. You feel a hand touch the thick cloth that covers your cheekbone, your Beskar angel letting out a low hum as he assesses your injuries as much as he can with all of the fabric in the way.
“What are you doing?” The silver warrior questions, his tone now cold and your heart instantly shatters when he continues, “We don’t even know who she is and you want to bring her with us?”
“We can’t just leave her out here to die,” The Mandalorian crouched down next to you doesn’t hesitate to admonish him, his voice filled with sympathy and conviction, “The ship isn’t too far from here and I don’t mind carrying her. Who knows how long she’s been walking through this desert on foot.”
“We can’t just take in every stray you stumble upon. Besides, we don’t know her--what if she’s just another criminal? Tatooine is filled with scum.”
“Look at her!” The blue warrior instantly snaps, his voice tinged with anger towards his companion and you nearly cry upon realizing he’s willing to fight for your survival, “She’s so weak that she can’t even keep her eyes open and she looks injured. Who’s to say she wasn’t running away from a bad situation? Besides, if she does try anything, do you think she could really get the upper hand on two Mandalorians in her condition? She doesn’t even have a single weapon on her!”
You hear an exasperated sigh and before the shiny Mando can put up anymore of a fight, you feel clunky Beskar sliding under your knees while his other arm winds around your shoulders, bringing you off of the hot sand with ease. If your mind wasn’t so hazy, you would have marveled at his sheer strength, but you feel your body relax against his Beskar that has been warmed from the suns.
“If she tries anything, I’m putting her in carbonite.”
Instead of praying to the Maker for mercy like you had hours ago, you find yourself praying that the stories your brother had told you of Mandalorian are true and that these two strangers don’t have cruel intentions with you. The blue one carrying you seems nice enough, but the silver Mando with the quiet voice still has you on edge and you immediately tense up at the thought of essentially being frozen.
“You don’t have any slabs left available because you’re an impatient di’kut,” The blue warrior reminds him, sounding more amused than agitated and you hear a hint of fondness in his gruff voice, “Let’s just get her back to the ship and we’ll find out what happened to her.”
“Fine, but I’m putting the cuffs on her.”
The one carrying you is quick to shoot down that idea, “Unless you want me to give you a concussion, you’re not putting cuffs on her.”
Using all of your strength, you manage to curl your arms around your savior’s neck, your fingers pressing into the soft fabric covering his nape as you whisper out a meek ‘thank you’. It hurts your dry throat but you hope he can detect the genuine gratitude in your hoarse voice, tears filling your eyes as they crack open to peer at the silver Mando who’s trailing behind your savior.
His tilted visor is trained solely on your face, despite the fact that most of your features are covered by your white scarf and you can tell he’s still wary about your presence. For a moment, he fiddles with his cuffs before giving up with a tired sigh and you let your eyelids slip shut when you realize he’s no going to restrain you.
“Shh, little one,” The Mando carrying you intones, his rough voice soothing the ache in your heart as you sniffle, tears soaking your scarf, “It is safe to rest your eyes now. Once we get back to the ship, we’ll get some water and food in your belly again.”
That’s all he has to say for you to slump against his cuirass before you’re being tugged back into unconsciousness once again. You’re in and out of it for most of the journey and every single time you manage to pry your eyes open, the silver Mandalorian’s visor is fixated on you, putting you even more on edge until you fall back asleep again. Even with his gauntlets digging into your knees and shoulders, you find comfort in knowing that you have the protection of at least one Mandalorian and it’s the only thing that lets you rest as peacefully as your hectic mind will allow.
The next time you regain consciousness, it’s to the sounds of the warriors conversing with one another in hushed tones, perhaps in an attempt to not wake you up.
“Do you think it’s okay to take off her face coverings?” Your savior sounds hesitant as fingers graze along the material covering your jaw and something about it is endearing, “What if she has it on for a reason?”
He thinks your culture is similar to his--that you have to keep your identity concealed just like a Mandalorian--and if you weren’t so exhausted and in so much pain, you would have found this amusing. “Not everyone who covers their face does it because they’re sworn to a creed,” The silver Mando sounds just as entertained as you are, the terseness from earlier no longer lingering in his filtered rasp and when you finally open your eyes, you’re surprised to find how relaxed he appears as he sits on a crate adjacent from the cot you are laying on.
Your savior has his back to you as he stares at his companion, “I just don’t want to invade her privacy.”
“She’s probably wearing it to protect her skin from the suns.”
“You think so?”
“Ask her yourself.”
The blue warrior instantly turns to you, his visor tilted to the side as you stare back up at him with wide eyes, suddenly feeling sheepish and shy. Slowly, you manage to sit up on the cot with a pained whimper and reach up to remove your white scarf that is stained with splotches of blood. As soon as the cold air cycling through the ship kisses your warm cheeks, you let your eyelids slip shut with a relieved sigh, the stained fabric that had protected you from the unforgiving suns falling to the metal floor next to your feet.
“You must be thirsty,” The blue Mandalorian’s rough voice has you opening your eyes and you nearly let out with a loud gasp when he offers you his canteen, “Here.”
The water could have been tainted with poison and you wouldn’t have even noticed as you chugged the cold liquid, a few tears escaping your eyes at the immense relief that instantly floods you after going days without a drop of liquid. “What is your name?” He inquires once you’ve sadly finished off all the water, though the one in silver approaches the two of you and retrieves the leather canteen, wandering off to perhaps refill it.
You hesitate to give the stranger an answer, especially after all you’ve been through these past few rotations, but you think if he wanted to hurt you, he would have done it by now and you eventually whisper your name after a pregnant pause. His visor tilts further to the side as you stare at his scuffed up cuirass rather than his helmet, tears filling your eyes when he asks how you ended up in the desert.
“It is okay, little one,” He soothes your pain with that gruff voice as he towers over you, “You’re safe now.”
“M-My village, it--” The blue warrior places a heavy hand on your shoulder as the terrifying memories of your home being burned to the ground play on repeat in your head and something about his firm touch is incredibly comforting, “The raiders they… They killed everyone and burned down all the buildings. My whole f-family--”
You don’t realize the shiny Mandalorian is within earshot until he says something in a foreign language that you don’t recognize, though you think he must have asked about you when your savior repeats your name in a terse voice, along with a few other words. 
“Dank farrik,” The smaller of the two sighs before angrily shoving the canteen into your hands and they continue to speak in their mother tongue, sounding as though they’re arguing.
“D-Did I do something wrong?” You meekly question them after you take several swigs of the cold water, tears still drying on your cheeks as they both gaze at you long enough to cause your nerves to spike even more. Anxiously, you pluck at the loose threads on the hem of your skirts, feeling anxious underneath the intense stares of such strong warriors when you feel the weakest you ever have in your life. The blue warrior angrily shakes his scuffed up helmet before hastily stomping off of the small ship, leaving you alone with the silver, brooding Mandalorian that seems far more awkward around you than his companion.
The ruddy, orange tips of his leather gloves curl against his sides as he silently regards you for a few more moments. 
“Come with me,” He eventually orders with a slight tilt of his helmet, urging you to follow him as you scramble to your bare feet to obey his gentle command. He leads you to the hull of the ship and you nearly cower away from him as he leads you through a small walkway that’s lined with several slabs of carbonite, afraid that you’ve done something wrong. With the blue Mandalorian gone, your mind runs rampant of all the horrible things this stranger can do to you and your gaze lifts to the huge rifle strapped to his back.
You freeze as you wonder how many people he’s killed with it, or if he prefers to use the smaller blaster holstered against his hip.
Upon noticing that you’re not following him, he turns to face you.
“I’m... I’m not going to hurt you,” He quietly promises when he notices your hesitation, his visor lingering on you as you eventually trail right behind him again, still clutching the leather canteen between your clammy palms, “I just want to see if you recognize someone.”
The stranger comes to a stop in front of one of the slabs of carbonite and confusion floods you as he gestures to it like one would offer a prize, though fear and horror immediately has your heart in a frenzy when you recognize the Zabrak frozen in time.
He had been among the many that had terrorized your village for so long.
“W-What is he doing here?!”
“He’s the leader of the group of bandits that burned down your village and he is also a quarry of ours,” He quietly explains in an oddly gentle voice, watching as the canteen slips from your palms and onto the floor of the ship, “We managed to track him down the day after the attack. I am... sorry we were too late.” 
The shiny Mandalorian holds a hand up in an attempt to calm you as panic tugs at your heart to the point where it’s difficult to breathe properly and you quickly back away from the hunter, fleeing further into the ship until you manage to find the refresher. You’re grateful there’s a lock on the door as you sink to the floor, the hunter’s voice calling out to you on the other side of the door, though there’s a sharp ringing noise blaring in your ears that makes it damn near impossible to hear even your own thoughts.
The Mandalorian eventually gives up on trying to get you to exit the refresher and leaves with a defeated sigh. You’re shaking with fear as you keep reminding yourself that the you’re on the same ship with the cruel monster that orchestrated the attack on your little village.
That Zabrak is the reason why your entire family was slaughtered.
And he’s on the same ship with you.
You sit there in solitude for quite some time, listening to the two Mandalorians as they quietly talk to one another in the hull of the ship. The larger of the two must have a naturally loud voice and you can’t stop yourself from smiling when his silver companion occasionally shushes him when he speaks your name. It sounds like they might be arguing about something and you hope it’s not about you, but judging by the irritation in both of their voices, you’re certain they’re trying to figure out what to do with you.
Especially now that you have no home to go back to.
A deep sigh pushes past your lips you as you finally stand, the warriors’ argument ceasing when you move to the sink and turn the water on to splash some of the cool liquid on your face. The stark contrast between the cold water compared to the sonic shower in your home is lovely and cathartic after having gone so long with only ever really having warm water.
There’s a firm knock on the door, the blue warrior calmly reciting your name in an effort to get you to come out, “It’s okay, I just want to talk with you.” 
Dread floods your frantic heart as you dry your face off with the sleeve of your dress before hesitantly cracking the door open to stare at his scuffed up cuirass, too afraid that if you look at his helmet, you’ll only breakdown again.
“I am sorry for your losses, little one,” The Mandalorian sighs, holding his hand out for you to take in a friendly gesture that has you opening the door all the way. “I know all too well the grief of losing loved ones,” You take hold of his hand and he immediately strokes a firm thumb along your knuckles, the foreign touch comforting as he guides you out of the refresher and to one of the crates so you can sit down.
“Are...” You hesitate as you finally peer up at his tilted visor, fear wrapping around you like a vice, “Are you two going to leave me here?”
A sigh escapes him and your eyes widen when he rests a leather palm on the side of your neck, his thumb grazing along your jaw as he takes in your appearance for several moments. Though you’ve only been in the presence of the two warriors for a couple hours, you realize just how different their personalities are. Your Beskar-clad angel is massive, loud, and rough around the edges, yet somehow so gentle around you, while the silver warrior is placid, quiet, and constantly brooding, wanting nothing to do with you. 
You can’t help but to wonder what their relationship to one another is, if they’re simply close friends or something more, given how they’re simultaneously comfortable and dysfunctional around each other.
“No, we’re not just going to leave you in the middle of nowhere,” He sounds oddly sad as he pulls you from your thoughts, his voice the quietest you’ve heard from him so far, “We can either drop you off somewhere safer or you can stay with us for a little while and help out with certain things on the ship.”
You don’t hear the silver Mandalorian descending from the cockpit, his visor on the two of you as shock courses through you. “Y-You would let me stay?” His fingers twitch against your neck upon hearing the way your voice shakes, your eyes burning at the kindness he’s displaying, “But... I don’t think the other Mandalorian really wants me here. He doesn’t trust me.”
His blue pauldrons slump and you resist the urge to reach out and trace a silver indentation on the worn armor, “It’s not that he doesn’t trust you, we’re just not used to being around people who don’t want to kill us.”
You contemplate his words thoroughly as his thumb continues to stroke your jawline and after going several days without anyone to talk to or share your fear with, the touch is a warm welcome. “Well, after everything that happened to my village, I don’t think I have it in me to hurt anyone, let alone kill,” Your own shoulders slump, eyelids slipping shut as you remember how scared you had been as you hid yourself from the bandits underneath a pile of bloody, lifeless bodies.
You don’t realize you’re shaking until the silver Mandalorian makes his presence known by softly saying a word in what you think is their mother tongue, instantly earning his companion’s unwavering attention.
“Vizsla.”
You quickly pull away and wipe the tears from your flushed cheeks, a heavy hand lingering on your shoulder as the quiet Mandalorian speaks in that gentle rasp that sounds softer than usual and you feel bashful when his visor lowers to regard you. 
“I set the coordinates for the next stop,” He appears awkward as his fingers flex against his thighs, his visor still fixated on you as he offers you a sharp nod. The blue warrior chuckles, though you’re not sure why as his companion approaches the two of you, seeming to tense up a little more and you’re certain that the silver Mando hates you already.
“This is your last chance for us to drop you off at the nearest village,” He warns you as the heavy-infantry warrior gives your shoulder a firm squeeze, as if trying to give you some of his strength even though you feel devastatingly weak, “Otherwise you’re stuck with us until further notice. We can’t guarantee your safety.”
You try your hardest to appear tough in front of the hunter, though his helmet tilts to the side with what feels like amusement as you awkwardly shift on your feet, “I… I have no family left and nowhere else to go. I would rather be with you two than have to suffer alone in an unfamiliar village that may or may not be attacked by cruel people again.”
He hesitates, visor shifting between you and the Mandalorian at your side, before nodding and making his way back to the cockpit without another word, pulling a sigh from the blue warrior as he turns back to you, tilting his helmet in the direction of the ladder. “Come on, little one,” He helps you off the crate before guiding you to the cockpit, following close behind as you push yourself up the ladder. Before you can say anything else, you’re interrupted by an intense rumble coming from your empty stomach and you pray that he didn’t hear it, though judging by his snort of laughter, your prayers were unanswered.
“Once we make the jump into hyperspace we’ll get you some food. Flying can be a lot if you’re not used to it and I don’t want you throwing up all over the cockpit.”
A warmth blossoms across your cheeks as the metal doors slide open, his palm still covering the small of your back as he urges you to sit in one of the unoccupied co-pilot chairs. You quickly buckle in as the brooding hunter flicks some switches on the console, seeming completely at ease as his blue companion lazily plops down in the chair next to you, the two of them not bothering with their seatbelts. Briefly, you wonder how long they’ve been doing this--traveling with one another--and with how sure of himself the silver Mando appears as he easily guides the ship off the sandy ground, you think it’s been quite a while.
“Have you ever been off Tatooine before?” The blue warrior asks you when he notices how tightly you’re clutching your seatbelt the further the ship ascends and you force yourself to relax your stiff fingers. “N-No,” You quietly inform him, tearing your gaze away from the windows to peer at him instead, “I lived in that village for all my life. When... When everything happened with the bandits, I wasn’t sure where to go, so I just ran.”
His visor tilts to the side and as he continues to speak, you can’t stop yourself from wondering if he’s doing it to distract you as the ship breaks the atmosphere of the sandy planet. “Well, it’s a good thing we happened to be close by since the nearest city was at least four more cycles away on foot,” This information makes you shudder and instantly, you grow quiet, knowing that there was no way you would have ever made it if they hadn’t shown up when they did.
He seems to notice your melancholic disposition and is quick to change the subject, his filtered voice melting into something more lighthearted that has you weakly smiling at his visor. “Maybe it’s a good thing you’re here,” He tilts his helmet to where his silver companion is piloting the ship into space, “He doesn’t exactly make for the best company sometimes, always brooding and complaining. Besides, you’re far prettier to look at.”
Your cheeks immediately grow warm at his sudden coyness, though it only seems to exasperate the other Mandalorian as he sighs, his silver helmet shaking as starlight reflects off of the pretty Beskar.
As the old, rickety ship makes the jump to hyperspace, causing a queasy sensation in the pit of your belly, you think that maybe the two of them don’t make for bad company at all.
Perhaps there is some force in the galaxy that took mercy on your soul after all.
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foilfreak · 3 years ago
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Beauty and Her Beast: Chapter 2
Warning: This fic is rated NSFW and contains graphic depictions of things some people may find disturbing or alarming, including, but not limited to: violence, gore, unhealthy family relationships, Oedipus complexes, gratuitous amount of pornographic literature, ableist language, physical, mental, and emotional abuse, etc. If you are someone who does not enjoy fiction with these elements in them, then I suggest you refrain from reading this, because this fic will have all that, and probably a lot more. So, this is your first and final warning to turn around and go somewhere else if stuff like this just isn't your vibe, because from this point forward, your emotional wellbeing is in your own hands, and I will not be accepting blame if you disregarded my warnings and ended up reading something you didn't like. Idk why I feel compelled to write one of these despite this being Resident Evil fanfic, but I figured I'd cover my ass just in case.
(Link to ao3 version in comments below)
Chapter 2:
The journey to Mother Miranda’s personal laboratory was much shorter and more enjoyable than the original walk to the meeting site, in Salvatore’s humble opinion.
Mother Miranda was mostly quiet, distant, and preoccupied throughout the duration of the walk, even more so than normal. That being said however, while this sort of behavior would usually spell disaster for whichever one of the 4 lords was forced to be in her presence during these sorts of moods, in this situation, Mother Miranda did not appear tense or agitated or hostile like she usually would be. Just lost in thought. As though she were only quiet because she was too busy thinking about something else to speak. She didn’t even seem to mind his various attempts at starting conversation, which surprised, but endlessly delighted, the mutant man.
‘Mother must be in a very good mood today. She hasn’t hit me or told me to shut up the whole time we’ve been together. Maybe she’s made another breakthrough with the cadou? I’d certainly be very happy if I were in her shoes’ Salvatore excitedly thought to himself as the woman in question stepped forward to unlock and open the large steel door of her personal laboratory, allowing Salvatore to step into the facility before closing and locking it again behind her.
“Moreau, do you recall the set of mutation experiments I began at the beginning of last year?” The raven mother asked, turning around and beginning to quickly make her way down the long, dark corridor.
“Y-you mean… the o-ones with the new c-cadou strain th-that I… that I d-developed… f-for you?” Salvatore stutters, breath labored and body struggling to keep up with the taller woman’s vastly larger steps.
“Correct” Mother Miranda says, turning a corner. “As impressed as I was with the final results of this particular strain, I’m afraid it still isn’t good enough. None of the subjects I implanted with cadou last year turned out to be favorable candidates.”
Salvatore stops in his tracks, a look of horror and agony on his face as news that he’d failed mother once again practically tears him apart from the inside out. “O-oh Mother… I-im so s-s-sorry to h-hear that… b-but don’t w-worry… I’ll-I’ll try h-harder next t-time… I w-won’t fail y-you again Mother, so p-please… please j-just give me a-another chance to get it r-right… i b-beg of y-you…”
Mother Miranda stops and turns toward the mutated lord, staring at him in silence as he drops to his knees and grovels at her feet, begging desperately for his failures to be forgiven.
“Off your knees, Moreau, this behavior is unbecoming of a Lord such as yourself. Besides, I never said that you were the one to blame for the lack of successful results, nor am I necessarily displeased by the fact that these experiments yielded failed vessels.”
Salvatore allows his gaze to rise to his mother’s face, where, true to her words, the parts of Miranda’s face that Salvatore could make out from behind her mask did not appear marred with the familiar expressions of anger and disappointment that the 4 lords were usually met with after another round of failed vessels.
“Y-you’re… you’re not upset with m-me?” The deformed man asks, his voice laced with shock and disbelief.
“No, my child, I’m not upset with you. While these experiments may have ended in failure, they did provide me with useful information that may prove to be pertinent to our mission in the near future. In fact, as I said earlier, the reason why I’ve brought you here is because I want to give you a gift, as a reward for all your incredible work. Did you expect me to be upset with you simply because this round proved unsuccessful as well? Do you really think so poorly of your loving mother, who works tirelessly to ensure her children are happy and rewarded for all their faith and trust in me?” Mother Miranda sniveled pitifully, turning her gaze away in mock dejection as Salvatore, horrified that he’d insulted and hurt her somehow, scrambles to his feet, gently taking both of Miranda’s hands into his own and holding the supple skin to his bloated and deformed face, desperately hoping this would comfort her.
“No no no no, o-of course n-not, Mother… I-I’d never expect s-something like th-that from y-you… and-and I k-know better… b-better than a-anyone… just h-how h-hard you w-work… not j-just on y-your experiments… but f-for all o-of us… too… you l-l-love us… you… love ME… I-I’ll always love y-you, Mother… always” Salvatore blurts, stumbling over his words as he tries desperately to comfort Mother Miranda, an effort he’s seemingly rewarded for, when Miranda takes one of her hands away and brings it back to the top of Salvatore’s head, once again gently brushing her hand against it.
Salvatore’s knees nearly give out from under him as the heavenly sensation washes throughout his body like a raging typhoon, leaving him feeling tired and weak yet hungry and wanting for more, though whatever that “more” was, Salvatore was quick to beat it back down deep within himself, knowing this was neither the time nor the place for him to be entertaining such… primal desires about someone like Mother Miranda, no matter how little he intends to act on them.
“Thank you, Moreau. You always know exactly what to say to make Mother feel better. You’re such a good boy” Mother Miranda says, making sure to put extra emphasis onto the last two words as she reaches forward and pulls Salvatore closer to her.
“G-g-g-gggg… good… boy… me?” Salvatore chokes, tears beginning to fill his eyes as Mother Miranda’s arms come to wrap around him, pushing the deformed man’s face to lean against the soft, feathery material of her bosom.
“Yes, Moreau. You’ve always been very special to me. From the day I met you, you’ve been such a good, well-behaved boy that I never have to worry about” Miranda begins, her face blank and expressionless as she passionlessly strokes Salvatore’s face. “No matter how simple the task, those 3 are always making mistakes of some kind and forcing me to come and clean up their messes after them, especially that snake Heisenberg. But you? No, never you, Moreau, not my special, perfect little boy who always tries his best to make Mother happy. Do you enjoy making Mother happy, Moreau?”
“Y-y-yES! Of-of c-course I do” Salvatore moans, his voice slightly muffled by Miranda’s chest as he violently nods his head in affirmation, tears freely falling from his eyes as his head swims deliriously from the endless wave of kind words and gentle touches.
“Good! I always knew you did. And for that, I'm going to reward you with something very special. Something to… keep you busy... while I’m away for a little while” The raven mother coos again.
Salvatore stops for a moment when the meaning of Miranda’s words finally registers in his brain. “While… w-while you’re… away? You’re l-leaving us?” Salvatore asks, his voice growing increasingly distressed with each word.
“Only for a short time, hopefully,” Mother Miranda answers, “but yes, at the end of this month, I will be leaving the village in order to attend to some very important business I have. I’m not sure how my journey will fare, however I'm optimistic that it will be the key necessary to finally getting my Ev- uh… pardon me; the key to finally achieving our goal of creating a perfect vessel. Doesn’t that sound nice, Moreau?”
“It-it does” the deformed man says quietly, still put off by the mention of Mother leaving, but not wanting to put a damper on his mother’s incredibly rare good mood. “But… where is i-it… th-that you’ll be g-going… an-and for h-how long?”
“Just down the mountain to pay someone a visit, however I have no idea when I'll be back. That will depend on how successful my mission goes, I suppose.”
Silence falls over the two as Salvatore, still upset by the news that Mother Miranda would be leaving, continues to take in the comfort and warmth of his Mother’s arms for just a moment longer, selfishly wishing that Mother held him more often. Eventually however, Mother Miranda does pull back from the superficial embrace, gesturing for Salvatore to follow her once more, which the deformed man begins to do without question.
“Of the 4 of you, you’re the last one to come and pick your gift,” Miranda says, unaware of the visible slump that Salvatore’s shoulders take on upon hearing this. “However, despite there only being one option left, it would appear as though your siblings have decided to spare you their usual games of trickery this time around. If anything, I think you might be the one to have ended up with the best deal after everything is said and done.”
Salvatore looks up at Mother Miranda with an expression of mild confusion, wondering what on earth she could mean by that. His musings are quickly interrupted however, when the two enter a large room filled with various pods.
“Of the 22 test subjects we started with last year, only 13 were genetically compatible with the cadou parasite, and even then, only 4 ended up surviving the full mutation phase. Despite their impressively stable conditions, they still aren’t suitable vessels for my purposes, however I felt as though it would be such a waste to just do away with them. So, with that in mind, I’ve decided that my gift to you all, before I must leave you for a time, is to give one test subject to each of you.”
“G-give? You’re… y-you’re giving us t-test subjects?” Salvatore repeats dumbly, not certain he understood where this was going.
“Correct” Mother Miranda affirms. “This is easily the most successful batch of mutations we’ve seen to date, and given the amount of time and effort I poured into making sure these last 4 survived until now, I’d at least like to see some use gotten out of them before they die or suddenly lose control of their mutations and go rogue.”
“Like… l-like what?” The hooded man asks nervously.
Miranda merely shrugs her shoulders, uncaring. “Anything you like. Housekeeper. Playmate. Labrat. Partner in Crime. Whatever it is you desire of your gift, you may have without question. And in the event they refuse you… well, you’ll at least have a fun little toy to chase after for a little while.”
“I... see...” Salvatore says quietly, growing less and less excited about this whole “gift” thing, now that he knows that his gift is just another person.
Another person to scream and wail at how unbelievably hideous and disgusting of a monster he looks, no doubt.
Without another word, Miranda heads over to the large control table located in the middle of the room, pressing a few buttons before 4 of the many identical pods begin moving toward them. Steam pours out the tops and bottoms of the metal pods as the large capsules slowly finish lowering themselves from their hung pedestals, displaying them directly in front of Miranda and Salvatore.  The man in question stands anxiously in front of the still sealed door, nervously fidgeting with his fingers as he waits for Mother to show him his gift, a myriad of thoughts and fears and worries flying throughout the mutant man’s mind.
“The first 3 have already been chosen by your siblings, but the one on the far right is all yours” Miranda says, pushing another button that causes the singular pod in question to click open, its door slowly beginning to rise upward toward the ceiling.
Salvatore nods in understanding as he tries to avoid watching the door of the pod open, instead hyper focusing on what Miranda is saying as the tension in the room becomes so thick it feels as if it could be cut with a dull knife.
After what felt like an eternity and a half of waiting, the pod door finally finished opening, and in that exact moment, as the disfigured man’s gaze finally fell upon the sight of his gift for the first time, his eyes went wide in shock, his mouth dropped open in disbelief, and his hands fell limply to his side in complete and utter bewilderment at the sight that stood before him.
“That… th-that’s… for me?” Salvatore manages to croak out, his throat suddenly dry as a desert and the air from his lungs having left him the second before.
Raising his hand up toward the creature wired into the pod, the hooded man finds himself unable to look away, feeling almost mesmerized as his mind struggles to figure out whether all this is really happening, or if he’d finally succumbed to the insanity of his condition and dreamt all this up as a sick and twisted way of coping with his soul crushing loneliness. Either one was just as likely at this point.
“I’m sure you’ll still be quite pitiful on the day I have to leave, but at least this way you’ll have something to keep yourself occupied with until I return, yes?” Mother Miranda says smugly, clearly pleased by his reaction. “So, what do you think, Moreau? Do you like the gift I’ve gotten for you?”
It wasn't until after several moments of silence that Salvatore finally responded. After stuttering and slurring unintelligibly over several sentences worth of responses, 2 words, and 2 words alone, finally managed to tumble from the mutant man’s lips, his eyes shining as he finally reached forward enough to slowly and carefully intertwine his fingers with the small and delicate hand of the beautiful young woman that slept peacefully inside the pod.
“She’s perfect!”
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icypantherwrites · 4 years ago
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Announcement: Changes Coming to Icy’s AO3 and Patreon
About a year and a half ago I wrote an open letter addressing the steady decline of not just the Voltron fandom but how my own history with fanfiction in general has changed. I said then that I wasn’t sure of my direction entirely, but given my relationship with these two things I wanted to try to still be here and still engage and share my stories and, in part, that still remains true.
I’m in a very different place than I was back then, and a lot of things have changed both with myself and with the fandom and even with the world with a lot of personal things cropping up these last few weeks. And I have been mulling this over for not just weeks but months, always shoving this thought away because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, didn’t want to hurt anyone, didn’t want to come off as being entitled or uncaring or unkind. But the fact of the matter is this:
Posting fanfiction no longer brings me joy it once did. 
Years ago, fanfiction was my outlet. The Voltron fandom community was so welcoming. It gave me a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging, restored my love of writing I’d previously buried, and it was a ray of sunshine and hope. I wrote and wrote and wrote and posted and posted and posted because I loved hearing from readers, engaging with fellow fans, and having the opportunity to share my works and stories and to connect with others and even, in some cases, to help promote healing and those are still my favorite works of them all ♥
But as we’ve all seen, these days the fandom isn’t like that anymore. There are less readers and those that are still here are on the whole less engaged (not all, absolutely not, and I thank those regular readers, those that leave such kind, uplifting, detailed comments so so so much for still being here). I knew that. I know that. And I’m not looking to cast blame on anyone or anything. But as any creator knows, it is hard to post a story you’ve poured heart and soul into, that you’re so excited to share, and the response is not what you had hoped for.
This is where I tend to get the anon messages telling me I’m entitled, I should be happy with the comments I get, etc. etc. and to that I say look, I get it. But this isn’t about you. It’s about me and how I feel and my feelings are my own. It’s hard to look at older fics of mine and see the love and attention they got and then at newer ones that have barely a few hundred hits. It’s hard to see the sheer amount of subscribers I still have (over 1,300 author alerts on AO3) and not see that reflected anywhere else (not even in kudos xDDD). And it’s hard for me to put myself before others because I am a people pleaser and I value others’ happiness above my own, but that is what I have finally decided to do.
I love writing. I absolutely love writing. And I still want to share it, I still want to connect with people through it. But I can’t keep doing what I’ve been doing knowing how excited I get and then how crushed I am following the post. I’ve tried in the last few months posting different character features, different types of angst (physical and emotional), fix-it fics, even a softer fluffier one, posting one-shots and chaptered fics and hoping some work out there would give me just that glimmer of response and engagement, but nothing has really seemed to click with readers. 
So I’ve decided, that starting January 2021, I will no longer be posting the majority of my works on Archive of Our Own. Instead, going forward, the majority of my works will be posted exclusively to my Patreon. And to be clear; this is not about a financial component. This is for my mental health as while I can’t say I won’t still struggle with engagement issues on my Patreon, it’s a lot easier a pill to swallow when there are only ~100 possible readers instead of an unlimited number and only a handful pop in. 
And I’ll also say I did not want this outcome. I tried so hard not to make this thought into reality. But once I finally committed to this decision… it’s like a giant weight has been lifted off of me and I’m finally able to breathe. I’ve had this feeling several other times in my life — with work and boyfriends and friendships — and in each of those cases I finally made the decision that was in my best interests and not theirs and the relief that came from it was so freeing. I’m still sad it came to this, that my relationship with fanfiction and this fandom has changed so much, but I’m proud of myself for finally being able to take that step towards helping myself. 
All of this said, I will still be posting a few fics a year on my AO3, (maybe one a month-ish? Which is still quite a lot ;p) perhaps personal favorites or ones I would love to give a second chance at viewership, but all of those fics will be one-shots. Any M-rated fanfictions that I also choose to share will be posting exclusively on AO3 due to the fact my Patreon is not rated 18+. This is also really only applying to Voltron; in the chance I have more ATLA or BNHA to share I may still post those on AO3.
I will also finish posting all currently chaptered fics on AO3 and perhaps even my Voltron Fix-It Fic Series (6 fics total for it, 3 posted so far) so please rest assured no in-progress fic is going to be abandoned. That would be cruel ;p But otherwise, going forward in January 2021, all chaptered fanfictions and the vast majority of one-shots will be posted exclusively to my Patreon.
As such, my Patreon will be undergoing a few changes too. 
Starting in January 2021 I will be discontinuing the Chai Tea Tier.  Anyone currently in Chai Tea, breathe please ♥ You will still have access to all of your current benefits AND all new content coming in that would originally have posted on AO3. But given the large influx of new content and in fairness to those who have been here, that tier will be unpublished then and anyone wishing to join the page after that will want to subscribe to Hot Tea to access content.
There will also be a new tier called Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate (SCHC) (I am running out of hot drinks xD)  that will allow early access to one-shot fanfictions as well as the early access to chaptered fanfictions. More details on that will come, but it will be a higher priced tier given the fact early bonuses do already exist for the White Hot Chocolate Tier and I can’t keep frontloading earlier tiers and then passing those bonuses on to higher ones ^^; But on that note: I’m hoping if there is an influx of subscribers to SCHC to take those pledges and apply them monthly to a charity of choice — likely either one dealing with animals or mental health ♥ I still want to give back (and Patreon members, psst, start thinking of some Gofundmes or charities you’d like to support for December as I’m planning a massive give-back event for the month ♥) because that is very important to me.
But to be clear, for current Patreon members, there will be no changes to content you are able to access and starting in January you will get more exclusive content than previously as it will be posting on Patreon instead of AO3. The only change you will see is probably some tagging changes as the ‘Patreon Exclusive Fic’ tag is going to be a bit redundant ^^; 
I’m very grateful for all the support you have shown me, be you a reader on my AO3 or Patreon supporter (or both!), and I will forever be thankful to the VLD fandom for giving me my love of writing back. No matter what happens I will always remember that ♥
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post below or message me :)
♥ Icy
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aca-awesomenerd · 5 years ago
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Dictionary of bechloe multi-chapter fics
aka the updated/better version of my first fic list
2000 miles
Author : omACAgee
Rising DJ internet sensation Beca Mitchell might so happen to fall in love with a cute, bubbly redhead fan of her's who's the ideal perfect girl. Problem is though, they live on opposite sides of the country with only technology keeping them in contact. Will their relationship last without the physical contact?
After Life
Author : phlesh
What happens if you meet your soulmate after you've already died?
Age Is Just A Number
Author : FluentInMovieQuotes
Beca's heading into her senior year of high school, pining to get herself to LA instead. She meets a redhead the night before school starts and they find out that they have a lot in common with each other. Little did Beca know that the next morning she'd discover that this redhead would be her new English teacher. Someone has it hot for the teacher.
A Ginger A DJ A Wedding
Author : EmilliJayne
Chloe convinces Beca to be her date to her brother's wedding :)
And Everyone Wins
Author : littlepip
Beca and Chloe haven't seen each other since high school. They weren't great friends back then, but that wouldn't be the only thing that's changed.
And I Opened Up My Eyes, I Saw The Sign
Author : dandelion3455
Chloe and Beca have never quite figured out their timing. But what happens when Amy's impending wedding practically forces the two girls together? Basically a slow burn that turns into a volcanic eruption and there's a lot of smut.
Awake and Alive
Author : KissKendrick
Chloe knew before she even saw her, that Beca was the girl she was meant to spend her life with. Beca, was drawn to Chloe, for reasons she didn't understand, nor does she care. But Chloe as well as her best friend Aubrey are not what everyone thinks. They are not regular college students. And an old friend from the past is going to stir up a lot of old feelings, & expose the truth.
Barden Preparatory Academy
Author : swanqueenfic13
This is my Bechloe boarding school AU in which Beca is in denial of her sexuality, Chloe had never considered it before, and Aubrey is gay.
Beca's Fall
Author : MidnightBravery
Beca and Chloe get into a big fight over another girl, resulting in Beca walking out on Chloe. Chloe is crying to Aubrey while Beca is getting drunk with Luke, what happens when Beca realizes that everything is slowly falling apart & Jesse finds her on the rooftop of the Station?
Beca Malfoy and the Room of Requirement
Author : awriterofthings
Chloe Weasley attempts to figure Beca Malfoy out while tutoring her.
Bellas Boot Camp
Author : MoonWriting
Adventures come in all sorts and shapes. Bootcamp with Aubrey is one of them for the Barden Bellas, but while there Beca and Chloe each go through their own emotional adventure in their journey to love.
Belong
Author : MakesGoodChoices
Beca Mitchell is a six time Grammy award winner, but Chloe Beale is never far from her mind. What happens when they meet up again at an engagement party five years later?
Between the Lines
Author : SkySsi
"Be honest, I was nothing but a fucking rebound, am I?" Beca stated more than asking. The question pierced through Chloe's heart. It was enough to break her once again.
Beauty and the Badass
Author : Ibbly5
Beca Mitchell is a badass LA music producer, working as a bartender by night. So what happens when an adorable redhead comes into her life?
Blank Slate
Author : HypersomniacGrad
Everyone would kill for a second chance and that's exactly what Chloe gets when one day, five years later, she gets another chance to tell Beca how she feels. Only... Beca was supposedly long gone and the girl who Chloe meets years later has no idea whatsoever who the redhead was…
Blind Love
Author : acafuckmylife
Chloe's best friend Aubrey is marrying the guy of her dreams; she's the maid of honor of course. Planning the wedding is going to be a lot of work, so when Jesse (Aubrey's future husband) suggests that his best man/Best friend Beca Mitchell helps them, a lot can go wrong. Rated T (possibly M later). Bechloe and Jaubrey.
Burn
Author : idontknowmaybe
Chloe Beale needed a change. So when the perfect job opportunity came up in the same LA suburb that her best friend lived in she couldn't pass it up. Can you find yourself and the one when the town is caught up in a horrible nightmare?
By Your Side
Author : drop-your-worries
Sequel to Someone Like Me, but you do not have to read Someone Like Me to understand.
Chances
Author : Melanocortin1
Beca KNOWS she can be better than Tom, she wouldn't even need a second chance. Everyone else seems to know it, she just has to get Chloe to realize it too.
Club Bellissimo
Author : redchocopanda
Emily Junk, on her last year in Barden, wishes to recruit new talented Bellas, to win the ICCAs again, to enter LA's super exclusive hangout, Club Bellissimo, to have a Bella reunion & most importantly she wishes to see Beca and Chloe finally be together and have gorgeous babies. **CLUB BELLISSIMO is the Dickens' novel Anna K hates and Brittany S would be secretly reading over wine
Company Woman
Author : BeChloeIsLegit
It always seems that Chloe is the one getting married and Beca is left pining over her/cutting off contact. What if this time, Beca is the one getting married (to some woman) and Chloe's the one pining and regretting that she missed her chance?
Counter Attack
Author : AchaeaMG
Beca has a deal with her father. She promised to play on the Barden field hockey team for a year and he would then help her move to LA. Things don't go as expected.
Crashed the Wedding
Author : Britishgal
Chloe finds herself stuck in her hell scenario. The wedding of now five-year-running couple Jesse Swanson and Beca Mitchell. HER Beca Mitchell. Thank god it's only a dress rehearsal because Chloe has to tell her something, before it's too late.
CR's Wedding
Author : Homosexy
The Bellas are performing a set at Cynthia Rose's wedding. Beca's finding it hard to sort out a track list for the mix they'll use, let alone sort out her feelings for a certain redhead. Her confusion leads her to some unconventional advice sources. Will it be the fairy tale ending?
Destiny
Author : KateLides321
Beca Mitchell moves to Atlanta to live with her cousin Jesse. Upon arriving she meets a beautiful girl who's dog named Destiny got loose and ran up to her. Maybe this was meant to be or is destiny playing a cruel trick on her heart.
Dreams
Author : TrulyBeTold
Aubrey and Chloe celebrate the Bellas' win, but Chloe isn't as happy as she thought she would be. And Beca finally got the courage to be with Jesse, so why does she feel like something's missing? And which of our favorite Bellas will help piece the puzzle together?
Dreams Can Come True
Author : FluentInMovieQuotes
Sequel To It’s All About Finding Yourself
Endless Journey
Author : scrappymitchell
Nearly two years after first starting their relationship and a lot had changed for Beca and Chloe as both individuals and as a couple. Beca's career has been taking off hard since she let out her first single and Chloe was working her way up the ladder to be a vet, both having their success bringing some difficulties along the way for them as well as pressures on certain aspects of their relationship.
But given how in love they were, both of them were willing to make some sacrifices to be together.
ERASED
Author : HypersomniacGrad
Beca Mitchell possesses an ability that sends her back in time moments before a life-threatening incident, allowing her to prevent them from happening. When her father is murdered, Beca's ability sends her back 10 years to when she was in high school, giving her the opportunity to prevent a kidnapping incident that took the lives of 3 people she knew, including the girl she liked.
Everything I Never Knew I Wanted
Author : Well Fancy That 13
Beca is one of the world's biggest DJ's and music producers, Chloe is an on-the-rise It-Girl in Hollywood. Beca Mitchell thought she had it all, but then she met Chloe Beale.
Everything You Want
Author : funnyhowthatis
In the morning after the Bellas win the final competition, Beca and Chloe realize that they might not have gotten all that they wanted.
Fallen
Author : Iwentdownwiththeshipbye
Beca has a religious, homophobic father who has been abusive in the past, leading Beca to think she needs to have secret relationships. Only her last relationship ended horribly and she's left to get her frustrations out by womanizing. Until she meets Chloe. Who sees right through her persona.
Familiar Taste Of Poison
Author : danisweetman22
Beca Mitchell was never a normal girl. She had been through so much in her life, more than a soldier, her psychiatrists all used to say. It was only when she arrived at Barden University that things started to change, for the good, and the bad. Trigger Warning: Abuse, Rape, Self Harm, Drug Abuse and Alcoholism.
Favorite Record
Author : bechloehuh/eliseboobman
They have an old beat up Thunderbird convertible, twelve thousand dollars between them, and no destination in mind. This could very much be the worst decision both of them have ever made.
Fire and Fury
Author : OnceYouGoBecYouCantGoBack
She wants to be more than just her client. G!P Beca.
Forgive Me These November Days
Author : obstinate_questionings
Why Chloe Beale didn’t graduate—and why she finally did—as told through yearly celebrations of Thanksgiving.
For Lovers Only
Author : dr_jb5
Takes place two years after the events of Pitch Perfect 3. Beca and Chloe haven’t seen one another since then, each going their separate ways – Beca to music, Chloe to vet school. But, one fateful week, they both end up in Paris ... And when their paths suddenly collide, desire and passion take over as they gain back those missed years and rediscover one another all over again.
Friends don’t
Author : tmylm
“Bec?” Chloe’s voice interrupts her inner monolog, and she finds herself nodding despite the fact that the other girl can’t see her.
“I’m here, Chlo. What is it?”
“Can you stay with me?”
There’s a brief pause as Beca digests the question, mulling it over for a second or two. It seems Chloe can sense her confusion.
“Like, here. On the phone. Just until I fall asleep.”
From more to friends, from friends to more (Those bright blue eyes)
Author : brighteyes29
A Bechloe High school AU. It's a month before the graduation where Beca and Chloe broke-up, although the DJ still tries to get her ex back with some help from her best friend Jesse. But after all, the two girls still love each other. They just have to admit it one more time.
Have A Nice Life
Author : farfrom7
Beca is a little bit broken. Chloe is kind of engaged. Neither of them could be prepared for what happens when their worlds collide.
Hear me chirp
Author : Plush Panda
Chloe wants to know what Beca's favorite animal is, but Beca will have none of that. Supernatural!AU.
Hoofbeat
Author : shadowswillscream
Beca gets sent away to a horse ranch, Hoofbeat, as a last chance due to her recent rebellious behavior. There she meets Chloe Beale, who changes Beca's rule of 'everyone's temporary'.
Hurt
Author : Knope.We.Can
On a night out with Aubrey, Chloe is shocked to discover that the musician they're watching perform is her best friend from high school, Beca Mitchell. While Chloe is desperate to reunite with the one that got away, Beca has her own demons to battle. Trigger warning.
I don't belong to you, and you don't belong to me (I won't let you down, I will not give you up)
Author : IWasMeantToFeel
after their final performance together on the USO tour, Beca sees Chloe kissing Chicago. and she can’t help but hurt.
I Guess I Do
Author : x-backtoblack-x
Chloe's cousin's getting married and she'll be damned if she has to endure another family gathering/speed dating weekend. Cue Beca to begrudgingly save the day.
I Hate How Much I Love You
Author : woahoooyeah
Beca and Chloe have hated each other from the start. The Bella's go to Bora Bora for the summer, to have an adventure at the well-known Resort, Eden. But what happens when Beca and Chloe are forced into situations, that cause them to interact with one another? Will their feels changes towards each other?
I Love You, Awesome Nerd
Author : Olivia Janae
Beca had done her freaking yearly good deed. She had gone to the Bellas reunion...thing...whatever. She had gone and she had accepted the award, she had seen the Bellas; she had even let them stay at her damn condo! So why the hell was that stupid-gorgeous redhead, the one she had run from all of those years ago, back and camped out in her freaking living room refusing to leave?
I'm Only Human
Author : longlivebechloe
AU on what happens after Chicago and Chloe kiss.
I Promise
Author : fugitiveboov43
"I did not forget my promise, I was trying to forget it. There's a difference." Chloe breaks Beca's heart. Thanks to fate and with their small circle of friends, they meet again.
Irresistible
Author : justfunriley
Beca is a werewolf, who was changed by an unknown Alpha. As she struggles with her transformation, Jesse and she start to fight. This leads to them breaking up. Who will be there to pick up the pieces? Her best friend, a beautiful redhead, will be there to pick up the pieces. Werewolf/AU Bechloe fanfiction.
It's A Pirate Life For Me
Author : robind19
the most feared captain and the crown princess. au! Pirate
It's All About Finding Yourself
Author : FluentInMovieQuotes
Beca struggles with school as it is so being forced into the High School's show choir by her Spanish teacher, claiming that it would earn her enough extra credit to pass his class was the last thing on her mind. After they perform at homecoming assembly, a certain redhead joins and her and Beca easily become friends until Beca begins to question her sexuality.
It's Always Been You
Author : AcaTitanium94
Sequel to It’s You
It's You?
Author : AcaTitanium94
Beca & Chloe met when they were both 10'year olds. Beca promised Chloe that one day they would get married. Years later fate brings them back together in the least expected way.
I've Been Bitten
Author : hitandrunn
Spidey!Beca. You expect your senior year in high school to be pretty stressful. Having to worry about college applications, prom and graduation. Beca on the other hand, has to worry about protecting the city when she's bitten by a radioactive spider.
Jesse's Girl
Author : lifeisbechloe
Set after PP2 graduation: The Bellas go out and sing karaoke to celebrate, causing a certain redhead to not-so-subtly hint that she's into a small brunette. Will Beca be able to sort out her feelings for Chloe?
Just A Glance
Author : Bel-Halliwell
It all began with a glance. They didn't know how things would turn up, but there was no stopping it.
Just Like Glass
Author : recallthelove
You see through me, like I'm not there.
La Douleur Exquise
Author : redchocopanda
Stacie believes in the concept of soulmates, of destiny and of true love. Now if only she could get her childhood best friend, Beca, who believes that none of those things are real or last long enough to convince her, to do so too & maybe make her realize that the famous Chloe Beale is the one. Unknowingly, Stacie just might become the reason their two worlds might finally collide.
League of Angels
Author : danisweetman22
Beca Mitchell is the most feared assassin Azrael, the angel of death. She arrives at Barden University under her master, Michael's order. Her new target, Mr James Beale, an important figure in the Government. Beca must collect intel through his daughter, Chloe. However, something about Chloe, unlocks feelings in Beca that she locked away eleven years before.
Leave It All On The Field
Author : second job
Chloe is a senior captain on the soccer team. Beca is the hot new freshman. Follow their relationship on and off the field.
Long Way Round
Author : Smeg699
Nationals is over, a new school year has begun, and Beca is wondering if she didn't make a mistake at Nationals. Rating: Mostly T, a few chapters are M though, and that will be noted in the Author's Note at the beginning.
Lost Stars
Author : BKTheGoldenKnight
Beca, an ex-MotoGP racer, has a tragic past and she had managed to get back on her feet when she met Chloe. However something unexpected happened. Will Beca stay or runaway?
Love Like The Wind Wild, Untamed
Author : jamiexh
Beca's and Chloe's lives are turned upside down when Chloe accidently turns Beca into a werewolf.
Maybe In Another Life
Author : not_so_average_fangirl
Moving into a new house turns out to be a better experience for Chloe Beale than she thought it would. Perhaps it’s because of the friendly, little brunette she finds hiding in the basement one night. An unforeseen friendship sparks between them, but as more complicated emotions begin to arise, a shocking truth is revealed, and Chloe’s world gets turned upside down.
More than Miles (Her name is Beca Mitchell)
Author : SkySsi
A sequel to "Between the Lines"
The story jumps five years after, some tables might have turned. (I still suck at summaries, apparently). So, what happened after five years? What happened after Beca Mitchell had moved to LA? Is Chloe Beale able to get her Beca back? Or is she getting the 'old' Beca this time?
More Than Words
Author : tmylm
“Beca?”
Beca’s brows tug together again. “Uh, yeah? Who’s this?”
The voice on the other end of the phone is both light and cool, it’s almost familiar to her, in fact. She hears a small laugh, and the urge to turn back toward the building strikes her. She looks up to see the figure in the fifth floor window, smile evident on her lips. Her phone is held to her ear too, and she sends a wave down to the shorter girl.
“Just checking you didn’t fake number me,” she says, and Beca swears she sees her shrug her shoulder.
There’s a smile on Beca’s lips in spite of the questioning in her eyes.
“I have no dinner plans yet,” Chloe continues, “Are you free tonight?”
My Little Badass
Author : LexysK23
"I was trying to find something to levitate to show Beca, but I may have done the wrong spell. Bree, I changed my girlfriend into a three year old." Chloe now must take care of her three year old girlfriend until she is able to change her back. How much trouble can the small girl get into? And, oh yeah, it's a three year old half-vampire.
Never Let Me Go
Author : AnnaKendrick11
Beca goes to Barden University and Chloe is a new student. They become friends and get closer, then they both realise that they have feelings for each other but will certain problems overtake their love?
Never Too Late
Author : carma19
Beca’s a 30 something rockstar/producer-turned-filthy rich music mogul. She has everything she’s ever wanted, except for the one that got away.
Nowish
Author : Psy456
Bechloe. Staubrey. Bellas Squared/Stechlobree.
A story in which I created a life I fell in love with and convinced myself by accident that this could work.
Let me try and convince you too.
Now We've Got Bad Blood
Author : tay0720
Fresh off the plane from Seattle, Beca Mitchell heads to Barden University for her first year of college only to find herself falling hard for a junior named Chloe while being roped into a supernatural shitstorm.
Old Love Dies Hard
Author : iwasyounme
It's 6 years after Beca took off from Barden without telling anybody and decided to go to L.A. Chloe is a barmaid in a small bar in the City of Angels too. One night, Beca walks in her bar, but a lot has happened in 6 years and they don't recognize each other. Six years ago, Beca fell in love with Chloe, will it happen again?
One More Year
Author : Knope.We.Can
It's the final year of high school, and Chloe has big plans to go off to college and begin the next stage of her life. Beca just can't wait for the year to be over so she can head to LA. Having spent their time at high school as strangers, Chloe finds herself wondering about the quiet mysterious girl in her English class.
Passing Ships
Author : scrappymitchell
Beca and Chloe have been hiding their feelings from each other for years for their own reasons, but when Beca see's Chloe finally starting to move on in front of her very eyes she realises how she has messed up on the most important thing in her life and now has to deal with going back to New York and living with Chloe, who now has a boyfriend. The question she now asked herself was if this will make her shut her feelings off for good or will it push her over the edge to blurt her feelings out?
Perdition
Author : morningsound15
Perdition, noun: (in Christian theology) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death. They’ve been doing this for years. It’s almost crazy, how familiar it all is. And every time, their excuses get flimsier and flimsier. Beca still has a boyfriend, Chloe still has to graduate, and yet time and time again they find themselves tangled up together, naked in bed or stuffed into a bathroom stall or sneaking out of a party. And Beca still has a boyfriend, and Chloe knows it’s wrong, but she just can’t seem to stop.
Perfect : A Bechloe Love Story
Author : BechloeGoals4Life
What if Bechloe actually was endgame? This story is what I believe Pitch Perfect would look like if Bechloe was the focus.
Perfect Harmony
Author : BeChloe01
Beca and her father made a deal that if she really gave Barden a shot, he'd fund her move to LA at the end of the school year. She only has a few months left to convince him that she did try. Which means Chloe only has a few months to convince Beca to stay. Slight AU retelling of the movie so that BeChloe are canon.
Pitch Perfect 3 : Bechloe is Legit
Authors : BeChloeisLegit and  RJRMovieFan
Pitch Perfect 3 - the movie everyone saw, rewritten to be the movie everyone wishes they made.
Pitch Perfect: Reloaded
Author : Britishgal
Beca finds herself at the mercy of a mysterious gun-for-hire, otherwise known as Chloe Beale, who claims that she needs her dad for his important research. Problem is, she has no idea where her dad could have gone... But at least now Beca has an idea of why he decided to skip dinner with her tonight.
Pitch Perfect 3 - The Aca-Reunion
Author : becca343
After years apart, the Bellas are all coming back to Barden for their 5 year reunion.
PP3 - What really happened
Author : when_you_know_you_know
Not enough Bechloe content in PP3 for your liking? Well here is what REALLY happened on/off screen
Proving Them Right
Author : cheeky_geek_monkey
The Bellas always did joke about Beca and Chloe dating...so is it a moral issue if they pretend to prove them right to make some money at a certain someone's wedding?
Puck me
Author : bardenacapella
College Hockey AU. Beca Mitchell plays on the hockey team for the Barden Bulls. What happen's when Chloe Beale goes to one of her games and their eyes meet?
Roommates
Author : twin192
Beca, 19, a freshman is new at Barden University and meets her new roommate Chloe, 21, also a freshman. They click instantly and become fast friends. But what is Chloe hiding? Why is she crying so often when she thinks nobody's noticing? What did she do for two years before going to college? AU
Shattered
Author : Lackluster Brilliance
Chloe did what she swore she'd never do. She broke Beca's heart, and though it hurts, Beca can never stop loving Chloe. Bechloe angst. Trigger warnings: Rape, self harm, suicide, and alcohol abuse.
she is the flint that sparks the lighter
Author : iPhone
Beca was looking for Chloe after her performance. She'll always be looking for Chloe in some way or another.
aka
Beca moves to LA to work on her new album, Chloe moves to Davis to attend vet school, and they try not to miss each other too much.
Silence Has A Sound
Author : summerreader13
Something has happened to Beca. No one's seen or heard from her in days. Chloe decides to go to her room and find out what's going on. Can she help Beca, or will Beca push her away like she does everyone else?
Skinny Love
Author : writersjoint
One mistake can change your life entirely; and sometimes it can make it all worth it.
Someone Like Me
Author : drop-your-worries
A dangerously fluffy Bechloe fanfic. Prequel to By Your Side.
Something Worth Living For
Author : AnnaKendrick47
Beca Mitchell doesn't have many friends, people in school hate her, teachers despise her attitude, which always seem to get her in trouble. That is until she finds herself wanting to get into one specific teacher's good side.
Sometime You Need Help
Author : Ibbly5
Beca is super guarded, all the time. And Chloe is so drawn to her. But Beca can't possibly let her in, can she? She can't trust anyone ever. Even someone as kind and beautiful as Chloe.
Sparks
Author : Suituuup
Chloe didn't think getting into a car accident would lead to a date. Firefighter!Beca
Stare Into The Sky Until We're Blind
Author : lescousinsdangereux
Chloe Beale has one rule. Just one. Had she known that the odd combination of hair dye, a crappy old convertible, sixty-plus hours of driving, a mix CD, and one Beca Mitchell would lead to her breaking it, she never would have suggested going on this stupid road trip in the first place.
Stay
Author : NotaSoundMind
Beca has had a tragic two years and has given up on surfing because of it, but while taking care of her sick aunt at the woman's beach house, she meets Chloe, an outgoing surfer.
Stolen
Author : thesecretsociety
Beca Mitchell works for her father who leads a criminal group whose latest mission is to retrieve a stolen treasure from a wealthy business tycoon named Clarence Beale.
Strangers
Author : landsliide
A brief encounter with an enchanting stranger changes Beca's life for the better.
Struck by a Feeling
Author : LadyHH
Beca and Chloe lead two different lives at school. Neither noticing the other, that all changes from one moment that will lead them to something they never expected.
Stupid Choices And Second Chances
Author : Biggiewoods
Beca has been helplessly in love with Chloe forever but never had the guts to tell her. After Chloe gets married Beca can't seem to bare it and cuts all ties with the love of her life. What happens after 5 years later when they meet up again. Will Beca finally tell her how she feels? Will it even matter if she does?
Subterfuge
Author : awriterofthings
Chloe develops feelings for Beca, the daughter of a crime boss, while undercover.
Squeeze Once For Yes
Author : Knope.We.Can
Beca finds herself being pulled into a fast friendship with a gorgeous redhead and, for the first time in years, she wishes she hadn't built her protective walls so high.
Tackled
Author : OnceYouGoBecYouCantGoBack
Nine years of ignoring the big elephant in the room. Nine years of bickering like an old married couple. That's all shaken up with an unusual proposal. G!P Beca
Teenage Dream
Author : hedaenerys
Set after the Bellas win the ICCAs. Beca starts getting some confusing feelings for Chloe, and after Aubrey's birthday party- things get a little out of hand…
tell me is it so wrong (even if we fall in love?)
Author : dj jiggle juice
But Chloe’s giving her that giddy grin, the one that tells Beca she’s going to break her facade and burst into laughter at any moment.
Beca thinks this won’t be so bad, fake dating Chloe. Not when everything with Chloe happens with ease.
Tell the World That We Finally Got It All Right
Author : JediFighterPilot2727
Based off of Lily's quote about a time machine in Pitch Perfect 2. A little mix up causes a whole lot of trouble for the Bellas! Especially for Beca and Chloe. Au after the first 2 movies.
Thank God For The Internet
Author : alyssa-gibson
Beca hated when songs got stuck in her head, but she was grateful that one did because if it hadn't, she wouldn't have met the love of her life.
That Thing You Do
Author : thatmitchsentho
What happens after Beca gets everything she thinks she wanted? Life isn't a movie, she soon learns, because you can't fake feeling something that isn't there, and you can't ignore something that is.
This Could be Just Like Heaven (Don't Throw It All Away)
Author : Freerangeegghead
In which Beca Mitchell gets the life she's always dreamed of and more, but realizes maybe it's not all it's cracked up to be.
The Basketcase and The Princess
Author : Fake Shemp
Angsty but Fluffy AU timeline of Pitch Perfect.
The Bridge
Authors : carma19 and Suituuup
In the bustling borough of Brooklyn, Beca’s a struggling musician working as a waitress to make ends meet. At an open mic night, she meets Chloe--a successful local photographer--and sparks fly. As they grow close, Beca learns she left a one night stand the night before she met Chloe with much more than she bargained for…
The Detention Club
Author : ThatWeirdAwkwardKid
High School AU. Basically what happens when you mix drama, mischief, the girls and a night owl of a writer. Just the group making trouble as well as friendships whilst having fun trying to avoid the principal.
The Friend
Author : Secret Heart33
Beca falls in love with her best friend, Chloe, for the first time when she is 12, but things do not go quite as planned. From there Beca learns her role as 'The Friend' and tries to put it all behind her when she moves away. What will happen when they meet again 6 years later at Barden University.
The Last Battle
Author : Jules In Neverland
Two years after leaving the US Air Force, Captain Rebeca Mitchell works for the FBI. With her ex-wife about to marry a man that it's not as perfect as he seems, and a seven year old to take care of, she fights to fulfill her three ultimate missions in life: Make justice after terrible events happened during war. Catch the last bad guy of her career. Gain the love of her life back.
The Lives We Live
Author : AcaTitanium94
Beca and Chloe both live separate lives. Chloe is married to Tom and living in Toronto Canada. What will happen when Tom gets a better job in the US and they move back there? Will her marriage change because of a certain brunette she met a year ago on an airplane?
The Playlist - Volume 1
Author : RedRobin90
Beca Mitchell doesn't want to go to Barden, but once she's met that certain redhead, who doesn't seem to have personal boundaries and always know's how to make her skin tingle, it doesn't seem all that bad.
The Reclusive Music Producer and The Journalist
Author : areaderofmanythings
Chloe is Rolling Stone Magazine's newest intern, she's left Atlanta to start life over in San Francisco. Beca's a cute regular who she befriends at the part time job she has until getting hired on at the magazine. What happens when Beca isn't straightforward about who she is and Chloe refuses to talk about her past? Will Chloe ever get the cover story she's dreamed about for years?
The Sun & The Stars
Author : BardenBellatrix
The Bellas get invited to a resort to celebrate Jessica and Ashley's engagement. Will the girls' relationships have changed since they left Barden?
The Track Star and The Cheerleader
Author : not-so-average-fangirl
High School Junior and Track Star, Beca Mitchell, gets thrown for a loop when her father gets a new job at Barden High School. She's forced to leave her current high school and join Barden just as her Junior year is starting. What could possibly go wrong? Or, after meeting a certain redhead, possibly go right?
The Truth About Reality
Author : sendricamp
Chloe discovers there is more to falling in love with Beca than she originally expected.
The Vigilante
Author : hitandrunn
Sequel to I’ve Been Bitten
The Voice
Author : A Charmed Vampire
Chloe Beale gets the chance to audition on the NBC hit show, The Voice. Desperate to kick start her music career, she wants to get her best chance of winning. Just one little thing standing in her way. Professional DJ, producer and recording artist, Beca Mitchell is one of the coaches. Will her crush on Beca get in the way of her musical dream?
They Shot Me Down But I Won't Fall
Author : beauboss
Beca was in the army and fought in a war till she got shot in her leg and her dad wanted her to come home. As she was still recovering her dad forced her to go to Barden to follow some classes. Beca hates being home but then she meets Chloe. A beautiful red head who she thinks is really pushy and annoying at first... But what happens if her feelings change?
To Leave It All Behind
Author : BIggiewoods
Beca had to leave her perfect life all because her mother had remarried. She had it all. She was on a State Champion Softball Team, had a weekly show on her high school's radio station, and most importantly a future internship at a record label. She thought her junior year would be a bust until a bubbly redhead she will meet would make it all worth it.
Tragedy Strikes When You Least Expect It
Author : Iwillforgetthisl8er
A year after Beca Mitchell stopped talking to the Bellas and Chloe, a tragic accident will pull her back. Rated T for now, may change later. Trigger warnings: Child Abuse and Rape
Two Brides and The Bellas
Author : Gapalkru
A few months after graduation, the Bellas are reunited at Cynthia Rose’s wedding. Someone is a bit too stubborn about a bet, alcohol flows freely, and Amy requires a tuxedo for her iPad. Don’t we all just want to live happily ever after at a wedding?
Under the Mistletoe
Author : not_so_average_fangirl
Takes place a few months before Pitch Perfect 2. Specifically around Christmas time. Beca and Chloe have gotten closer over the years and their friendship has never been better. But what happens when they're forced to kiss under the mistletoe and sparks fly? Will things end well?
Vegan Beca
Author : when_you_know_you_know
That time in Pitch Perfect 3 when Beca became vegan for Chloe…
Vindicated
Author : thesecretsociety
Sequel to Stolen
Waiting At The End Of The Road
Author : HypersomniacGrad
Sequel to What If
We Could Be More
Author : Knope.We.Can
They've been best friends since college. Just Best Friends. No complications, No jealousy over boyfriends, just plain, simple friends. Until, of course, the awkward almost kiss.
What If
Author : HypersomniacGrad
PP2 (sometime before the retreat) but deviates from the story: After living through the worst day of her life, Beca meets an accident and comes face to face with Death. As she ponders on whether or not she still wants to wake up from her coma, she asks herself, what if she never joined the Bellas? If she never existed? If she died? Death takes her on a journey to find out.
What You Do To Me
Author : Olivia_Janae
The thing was...she HAD said ‘I love you’ - and Chloe hadn’t said it back...so now what the hell were they supposed to do? Things were starting to snowball downhill and...Beca just...she didn’t know. How could they stop it? How could they fix it - before it was too late? ...Before they lost so much more than their romance.
Sequel to 'I Love You, Awesome Nerd'
Where Are You?
Author : Knope.We.Can
Beca Mitchell has been missing from Barden for a month. Chloe has spent every single hour she's been gone missing her.
Whispers In The Dark
Author : KissKendrick
Who knew something as simple as a bag being thrown over her head could open so many doors? Doors that Beca wanted to keep shut. Chloe had no idea what she was getting herself into. What she did know? She wasn't backing down. She wasn't leaving Beca, and she wouldn't let the horror of her past hurt her anymore. The problem? Beca may be too far gone to be helped. TRIGGERS INSIDE.
Whoever Fights Monsters
Author : revengeparty
AU. With a serial killer on the loose, the Barden Police Department calls in Special Agent Chloe Beale to assist in the investigation. Detective Beca Mitchell isn't used to sharing her turf with the feds, but they must quickly learn to work together to stop the man only known as the Barden Strangler.
Why You?
Author : selimausx3
Beca was a loner. Ever since Jesse died, she didn’t need anybody. That was until she saved the life of a particular redhead. Chloe stuck around ever since and the brunette didn’t see herself complaining much. Zombie Apocalypse!AU.
Wrong Turn
Author : RunFarAwayWithMe
Beca's dad is eager to find someone who will be a 'good influence' on his alternative daughter, and introduces her to the over-achieving Luke Brandon. As Beca becomes reluctantly intrigued by this seemingly perfect guy, she is introduced to his family and becomes close with his sister, Chloe. She soon realises that Luke is just a wrong turn on her way to true love.
You Never Know How Strong You Are
Author : CrohnieReader
until being strong is the only choice you have. Moving into the Bellas' House in her second year of college should be exciting and fun for Beca, right? But when the thing she's been hiding from everyone since the beginning of freshman year makes a reappearance, bringing with it a great deal of suffering, it makes life a little more complicated.
You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
Author : WarriorOfTheLight
There is a life-threatening accident after Regionals and it might be too late to undo mistakes…
You're Weird
Author : Saweeet47
Chloe's father doesn't handle her sexuality very well, to the point where he doesn't believe it. Chloe's family assumes she has a girlfriend. She feels the need to hit two birds with one stone, coincidentally Beca is there to save the day.
Your Love Is A Song
Author : HypersomniacGrad
All Beca wanted was to move to LA and make music, that's why she made the deal with her dad in the first place. Make it one year through college then she could move to LA. Thankfully she has her step-brother and a surprisingly amazing roommate to help her bear through it all before she moves on. And then she meets Chloe, and Beca's not quite sure about anything anymore
Your Love Is Killing Me
Author : abnormalhuman
Beca and Chloe become fast friends like predicted, and right from the start there is something more. But how can Beca fall for a girl after being raised by homophobic parents? Beca can't handle or come to terms with herself. Will Chloe be able to help her through it? Trigger Warnings: slight mention of self harm and homophobic assholes doing their asshole thing.
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imagine-loki · 5 years ago
Text
Caught in his web, Chapter 15
TITLE: Caught in his web CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 15 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki is a crime lord, a very dangerous man in the city. He is owed money, but the man is unable to pay Loki back, so Loki takes his daughter as payment instead.  RATING: M
Loki grinned at the look on Chloe’s face, she was horrified that she’d lost the game. And she looked terrified too, knowing she was going to have spend the night in his bed. Do whatever he wanted without complaint…
He got up and moved over towards her, then leaned over so he was right in her space.
‘Oh, doll. Even if you had won, you totally wasted your side of the terms. I never had any plans to kill you, and I never will.’ He smiled and cupped her chin, his thumb stroked up over her skin softly. ‘I don’t kill just for the sake of it. It’s all business.’
Chloe wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved and happy with that, or not. Killing was wrong no matter what the reason. But at least she was now assured that he had no intentions of killing her. But the thought still didn’t make him any less scary.
Loki stopped touching her and walked over to the door. He turned around and looked at her expectantly.
‘Come on.’ He called to her like she was a dog.
Chloe bit her tongue and said nothing as she got up to her feet.
‘Ah ah… On your hands and knees. I want you to crawl to me.’ Loki grinned wickedly as he pointed to the floor.
‘Bastard.’ Chloe hissed under her breath, but Loki had heard.
‘Now now, pet. You lost the game, you must do as I say. With no complaints, remember?’
Chloe glared at Loki, then slowly sank down to her knees under the harsh scrutinising glare she received back. He grinned wickedly at her final obedience, he clicked his fingers and pointed once more to the floor next to him.
Cursing him in her mind, and thinking of all the different ways she would like to hurt him, she crawled across the floor towards him.
When she finally reached him, he petted her head gently. ‘Good girl. That wasn’t so hard now, was it?’
Chloe didn’t give him a response, just bit her tongue instead to stop herself from saying something she would no doubt get into trouble for.
‘Come on, doll. You can get up now. I’m not that bad to make you crawl up the stairs… as tempting as that would be. But you have been good lately.’
Chloe scrambled up to her feet, relieved he wasn’t going to make her do that. If the maid saw, she would die of humiliation for sure. Heck, even without anyone else seeing, it would still be humiliating enough.
So she meekly followed Loki upstairs to his bedroom. It was like entering the forbidden room, she had never even seen a glimpse of it up until now. It was furnished in a dark green with the odd splash of gold here and there. He had a huge queen size bed and a walk-in wardrobe, similar to the one in Chloe’s room. There was a huge flat screen TV that took up most of the wall opposite his bed. Also a large trunk dominated the corner of the room, one that Chloe would soon be learning about its contents.
‘Take off your clothes.’ Loki demanded, and he started folding his sleeves up his muscular forearms.
Chloe knew if she hesitated or tried to get away, it wouldn’t go well for her. Especially since she had agreed to do what he said without complaint for the night. So she started removing her clothes, rather quickly in hopes of getting it all over with as soon as possible.
‘Someone seems eager.’ He purred and stalked back over to her. Though he knew full well what she was doing.
Chloe glared at him again, briefly. But he glared right back at her in warning as he moved right into her space. She flinched a bit when he brought his hand up towards her face. He slowed down his movements and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. His eyes were dark, full of mischief and arousal. It made her stomach churn with nerves.
‘Turn around.’ He commanded, his tone low.
Chloe did as she was told, but was unable to contain her nerves, she was shaking all over.
Loki left her standing there for a moment while he went to his trunk and took out a few items. When he returned, he slipped a soft felted blindfold over her eyes and carefully tied it at the back of her head, making sure to not catch her hair.
Being plunged into darkness was terrifying, especially being at the mercy of Loki.
‘Hands.’
‘Wh… what?’ She gasped, the fear evident in her voice.
Loki moved in close behind her, she could feel his breath tickling her neck. ‘I said, hands. Put them behind your back.’
Chloe so badly wanted to run. And attack. She knew what was coming, and she knew it would be all over as soon as he had her hands bound behind her. But she couldn’t see a way out of it.
Slowly, with major hesitation, she put her hands behind her. Loki took hold of her wrists and promptly tied her hands together, nice and securely. ‘Good girl.’
She shivered under his touch when he trailed his fingers down her arms. He smirked at the goosebumps that formed on her skin.
‘Now let’s get you comfortable, doll.’ He gripped her upper arms and moved her over towards his bed. Being without sight, she had to trust him. She had absolutely no choice in the matter.
When she reached the side of the bed, Loki lifted her up with terrifying ease and placed her gently down on the bed. It was a little uncomfortable for her, with her hands squashed underneath her back.
Loki admired her lying helpless on his bed for a minute, before sliding his hand down her body. She squirmed under his touch, more so when he got further south and stopped at her mound.
‘Be a good girl and spread your legs.’ His voice was like sin, deadly sinful. Under any other situation, she would’ve found him extremely attractive and would’ve obeyed his every command without question.
Loki noticed she seemed to be having an internal battle with herself. But he was pleased when she did as she was told and parted her legs for him. She was definitely learning, which pleased him greatly.
His hand slid down between her legs, she whimpered as he cupped her with his large, dominant hand. At first, he just rubbed her cunt, then he spread her lips open and his touch became more precise. A devilish finger took control of her clit that was peeking out in her excitement.
Chloe had given up trying to fight off the pleasure. She knew it was pointless anyway, if Loki wanted her to cum, she would bloody well cum. Hard. Whether she wanted to or not.
And cum she did. He brought her slowly to a toe tingling orgasm. His thumb firmly on her clit and two fingers delving deep inside her warm softness.
Loki sucked his fingers clean, moaning at her taste. He then went to fetch something else from the trunk, leaving Chloe some time to recover. She was really hoping that he would just fuck her now and then leave her be.
But she was in no such luck. Because he was only getting started with her.
Loki put on her a slightly modified chastity belt. She was in a haze from the first orgasm that it was too late before she felt the odd leather against her. But what she noticed mainly, was a smooth rounded object pressing firmly against her cunt, directly over her clit. It was a very snug fit and there was no give thanks to the belt fitting just right.
It soon became obvious what it was when it buzzed to life, the strong vibrations against her clit made her cry out and her body jerked rather abruptly.
Loki chuckled at her reaction to the hitachi wand. He pushed the button on the remote to turn it up even higher, making her noises of moans and whimpers even louder.
‘Such a sensitive little doll, aren’t you?’ Loki grinned, caressing her ankle.
She started to thrash around on the bed, twisting this way and that, she kicked out and curled her legs up towards her chest, but no matter what position she tried she couldn’t get it to move off her over stimulated clit.
Loki was enjoying the show, so he poured himself a drink from his office next door. Quickly returning to see her now on her front, her bum in the air as she screamed through another orgasm. She was really struggling, especially with her hands still bound behind her. While it was terrifying for her, she kept cumming like crazy.
Loki kept her like that while he finished his drink, also stroking his cock that he’d pulled out. He was throbbing hard, desperate to fuck her. To feel her around him, welcoming him in. So warm and soft… It had been a while, after all. And finally, there would be no annoying latex in his way. He would feel her, every inch of her, and he would fill her up with seed and make her take every last drop…
With that thought, and the delightful scene on front of him, he came with a groan and spilled all over his hand.
Wiping his own mess on his trousers, which he then discarded, leaving him in only his white shirt, he stalked over to the bed and turned the hitachi off and removed the chastity belt.
Chloe was still trembling when he did so. Just before she closed her legs, Loki couldn’t resist spanking her cunt, making her sob. But her body shook violently as she had another orgasm from it.
She managed to close her legs when Loki fisted her hair and turned her head towards him. He held her steady as he leaned down and kissed her hungrily, his tongue invaded her mouth and barely allowed her to breathe. He eventually pulled away with his lips making a smacking noise.
‘P… please. I can’t take anymore.’ She begged quietly, exhausted.
‘Ah, ah, ah.’ Loki tutted and gave her ass a swift smack, making her cry out again.
‘No complaining, doll. We are only getting started.’ He stroked her hair softly, drastically different to the smack he’d just given her. ‘So I suggest you start accepting your place and enjoy it.’
During the following few hours, Loki took her multiple times in different positions. In the end he took pity on the poor girl and how exhausted she was. But he was still insatiable.
‘You can sleep now, doll. But I am far from finished being inside this delightful quim of yours. You are far too warm and welcoming.’ He growled into her ear as he pulled her flush against his front, when she had tried to roll away to the other side of the bed.
He softly toyed with her nipples before reaching down to stroke her clit, at the same time he shoved his cock into her from behind.
Loki was true to his word, Chloe didn’t have to do anything while he gently rocked into her. It carried on into the night, he stayed deep inside her while they slept. Every so often he would thrust against her, making her whimper and cum. He loved the feeling of her all around him. Squeezing him delightfully now and then. Whether she meant to do it or not, he wasn’t really sure, but it kept him hard throughout the night.
And he certainly enjoyed the duration of the night, very much.
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talpup · 4 years ago
Text
Erase the Shadow:20
Summary: Despite sharing dreams with Teris for as long as he can remember, Aizawa Shouta never believed in soulmates.  That was until he met Teris in the real world on his first day at UA.  Trouble is, Teris doesn’t know anything about their shared dreams.  And the one time Shouta tried to tell her, he nearly lost her completely.
Five years after graduating from UA, Shouta still believes Teris is his soulmate.  But things have only gotten worse.  Teris moved to another town shortly after graduation.  And now she’s dating his best friend Yamada Hizashi.
Please remember, this fic is rated explicit and has warnings of sex, violence, and other possible triggers.
If you prefer reading off AO3 here’s the link for that: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22027552/chapters/58217263
Sorry for the delay in this update.  I recently started re-working and posting Lost Song, a fic that has beasts, spirits, and sprites with human forms.  And focuses on a love triangle between Sphinx!Aizawa, Dragon!Kai, and Reader/OC.  Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this update and would LOVE to here from you if you did.
Also, if anyone is interested in what the layout of Hizashi, Shouta, and Teris' house looks like, let me know and I'll try drawing it up and posting it.
20.1
It had been hard enough leaving Shouta for three days when they had only been together for a little over two weeks.  But the fact that they had just moved into their new home four days ago made it all the harder.  The thought of Shouta alone in the big, beautiful place.  Never mind the fact that Hizashi had put so much tech into it that both she and Shouta barely knew how to work the coffeemaker and lights.  She just hoped the house wouldn’t revolt and kill Shouta while they were gone.
Stepping into the top floor hotel suite, Teris tried to focus on the time she would have with Hizashi, not the time she would be away from Shouta.
Near the elevator, Hizashi tipped the staff that had brought up their bags.  A single small suit case for Teris and two large suit cases for Hizashi.
Teris and Shouta had made fun of Hizashi despite knowing one suit case was taken up mostly by the protective hermit shell case that held his directional speaker.  In truth, Teris appreciated how careful Hizashi was with his hero persona. He knew that both the press and fans would hovering around like flies. And the case containing Present Mic’s directional speaker would be a dead give away to who he was.
The move of packing the case within a suit case had been done as much for himself as for her. Not being widely recognized without his trademark hairstyle and iconic speaker afforded Hizashi a much needed break from the celebrity hero that he was. But it also allowed Teris to enjoy being out with her boyfriend without too much worry that someone would snap a picture of them and turn her underground hero self into a household name.
Shouta had admonished Hizashi almost constantly in the days leading up to their departure, annoying his best friend to no end.  Teris found it kind of sweet how concerned Shouta was about her hero persona staying out of the press; knowing as well as she that if it was discovered Shadow and Present Mic were dating her career as an underground hero would be over.  But Hizashi had been right when he told Shouta that they had been dating for four years without any word of her or Shadow being linked in the press to Present Mic.
Though she hadn’t liked how snippy Hizashi had been when he said it. Teris had kept silent.  It was difficult to know when or if she should step it.  The dynamic of the three of them was still so new.  And with Shouta and Hizashi being best friends, the last thing she wanted was to overstep or appear as if she were playing favorites.
Teris pulled out her phone, smiling at the thought of Shouta’s expression when Hizashi had handed him a step-by-step list of instructions on how to do the simplest things, from answering the door to turning on the tv.  Well, simple if you didn’t live in a smart-home designed by Yamada Hizashi.
Hizashi came up behind her.  He kissed her shoulder, smiling when she leaned back against him.
One eye on the screen of Teris’ phone, the other on her, Hizashi nuzzled her neck. “Whatcha doing, Baby?”
“Letting Shouta know we got here okay.” Teris mumbled, typing out a text.
Hizashi rolled his eyes, pushing down the angry swell of jealousy.  Even when Shouta wasn’t here he still invaded.  Hizashi reached around her and snatched the phone out of Teris’ hands.
“Hey!”
“You can message Shou when I’m doing that interview this afternoon.”  He tossed the phone onto the sofa. “Right now,” he stepped backward, tugged her along, “why don’t we check out the bedroom.  Yeah?”
20.2
Teris stood along the back wall of the hotel convention center with Nux, Hizashi's producer and friend.  There was a long line of fans for Present Mic’s booth, were his signed autographs and took pictures.  Hizashi had a full schedule.  Yesterday had been his first interview, followed by a photo shoot.  This morning he had been a guest on some show, followed by another interview.  At least after this he would be done for the night.  Though there was more scheduled for early tomorrow right before the award show.
Like watching Shouta work with his capture weapon, it always amazed to see Hizashi work a crowd. The man never tired and was never fazed.  At least not in anyway that openly showed.  As Present Mic, Hizashi was ever smiling and friendly to all.  And had so many fans.
Teris shook her head, blinking in wonder at how Hizashi managed to engage with so many people when they were all calling and clamoring for him.  Happy as she was for Hizashi, she felt bad for the other radio hosts who sat at their booths with nobody and nothing to do but sulk and watch the circus.
“Jealous?” Nux smirked when one fan, bent over asking Hizashi to sign her unofficial Present Mic booty shorts that had ‘YEAH!!!’ printed on the ass.
Teris turned to the man and arched an eyebrow.  “Should I be?”
“No. But that wouldn’t stop most.  I mean look at them.  All those women, and men wanting a piece of him.  Honestly, this is nothing.  Pretty orderly and tame.”
“I’ve no doubt.”
“At least that one’s asking him to sign her shorts. There was one time a guy displayed full moon asking for an autograph.”
Gross. Still, Teris huffed in amusement. “Loud Blonde is an ass man.”
“Mic even entertained a few.  Well, a bit more than a few.”
Teris rolled her eyes.  She had no illusions about that. Hizashi was handsome, charismatic, liked to party, and loved sex.
“But that all stopped when he got with you.”  Nux assured. “He’s crazy about you.”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
Nux took in her dopey smile, glad that appeared to be the case. In all the years he had known Hizashi, he had never seen the Hero so taken with someone.  He never imagined a day when Present Mic wouldn’t accept an offer from a fan that met Hizashi's particular type.  Nux looked at Teris.  She was most definitely Present Mic’s type, but that didn’t explain what made her so different from the others that Hizashi took to bed and forgot about the next day.
Teris’ phone dinged.  She pulled the device out of her pocket, smile growing at the text.
Shouta: Miss you.
She typed a quick reply.
Teris: Miss you more.
Shouta: Doubt it.  What are you doing?
Teris: Watching Present Mic with his fans.  He’s amazing.
Shouta: You’re amazing.
Teris: Flirt.  What are you doing?
Shouta: Trying to figure out how to work the light switch in our bedroom.
Teris: Really?!?
Shouta: No.
Teris laughed at her phone.  She could almost hear Shouta's dry response. See his deadpanned expression and the shine in his eyes that told of his humor.
Shouta: Looking forward to our three days alone.
Teris: Same.  I miss you.
Shouta: You can be sure I won’t be ignoring you for fans.
Teris: Only cause you don’t have any. :P
Shouta: Don’t need or want any.  So long as I have you...
Teris: Quit being so sweet!  You’re making me miss you more.
Shouta: Fine.  How about this.  I can’t wait to break in our bed when you get back.
Teris’ eyebrows furrowed.  How much more did a bed need to be broken in?  She blushed thinking about all the ways Shouta and Hizashi had had her.  They had done it in their bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen…  It was as if the two men had agreed that they needed to fuck her in every room of the house. And before she and Hizashi had left, they nearly had.
Teris: ??? Didn’t we do that already?
Shouta: Not the shared bed.  Our bed.
Her faced heated all the more.  The fact that Shouta called his private bedroom theirs.  That he had put in comforts that she knew he normally wouldn’t have simply because he saw the space as theirs and knew she wasn’t as minimalist as he.
Shouta: Are you blushing?
Teris: No.
Shouta: Don’t lie to me.  I’ll tie you down and make you pay.
Teris: You’ll probably do that anyway.
Shouta: No probably about it Kitten.
She looked from the screen, eyes nervously darting about, as if someone could discover what was being typed by just looking at her.
Teris: And how do you plan on making me pay for being a naughty Kitty Cat?
“Whose that?  Your other boyfriend?”  Nux teased.
Teris dropped her phone.  “What!”
“I--”
Nux had been about to say he was joking but before he could Teris cut him off.  Her face blanched of color, a mixture of anger, fear and mortification in her eyes. “He told you!”
“He… Wait? What?”
20.3
Shouta woke up still holding his phone.  He checked the device.  Teris still hadn’t responded to his last text, but it finally showed as read.  He wondered if his reply had been too detailed, but shook off the worry.  Teris’ question and calling herself a naughty Kitty Cat had been a clear sign she’d been hoping he’d reply the way he had.  He wasn’t like Hizashi trying to push and persuade her into things.
But then why hadn’t she responded?
He told himself that it was to be expected.  She was out of town with Hizashi.  Any number of things could've happened that stopped her from replying.  But he felt a twinge just the same. None of this would've happened if Hizashi hadn’t taken her away.
Enough. Shouta scolded himself.  It’s done.  By late tomorrow night she’ll be back.
Shouta sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  He liked the new house. He especially liked that he shared it with Teris.  Their room was even better than the larger shared bedroom that she, he, and Hizashi would be using most nights. Both rooms beds were comfortable.  Not too hard or too soft.  Though the bed in their room would be even better once it was broken in by a night spent with Teris in it.
One more night, Shouta told himself.  One more night and Teris would come back to him.  He looked forward to the time that he took his three days and two nights alone with her.  But that would likely have to wait until summer break after training camp with his new class.
A bell rang throughout the house.
Shouta got out of bed and made his way to the small screen beside the light switch, forgetting he could use his phone to make sure who it was and buzz them in.
He knew Hizashi was something of a techie when it came to audio and visual but his friend had gone all out in decking out the place with security.  Their living space was on the second level and basically looked like a big box within the massive warehouse.  There was roof and window access for when Shouta was going out or returning from patrols.  The main point of entry through a gate in an alley.
Once through the gate there was a door to enter the warehouse, to the right were a set of stairs that lead to the house proper.  The gate and two doors locked automatically and opened for its inhabitants either through key, code, or RFID.  Visitors rang at the gate, and small screens with intercoms in every room of the house allowed residents to see and speak with callers.  Though the same could be done with a synced phone.  From there the visitor could be buzzed through either one or all of the barriers with a simple push of one, two, or three on the screens key pad.
Complexly simple is what Hizashi had called it when Shouta had complained about the fuss.  Shouta agreed with the complex part.  He still couldn’t see the simple.  What was wrong with a basic lock and a key, or ignoring unexpected visitors until they went away?
Activating the screen, Shouta saw Nemuri and tapped two, letting her through the gate and door into the warehouse. “Come through.  Enter the door to your right.”
He made his way to the front door of the house and opened it.
Nemuri waved at Shouta from the bottom of the stairs.  “This place is huge!”
Shouta grunted in agreement.  But he like the home gym and training ground the space provided.  Not to mention he and Teris were walking distance to UA and both their patrol routes.
Once inside the house proper, Nemuri gawked all the more.  “I gotta say I was a bit surprised Zashi agreed to live here.  The place looks even rougher than the neighborhood it’s in.  But this...”  She looked about.  “This is so Hizashi.”
Shouta nodded.  Even though Hizashi did listen and hadn’t gone overboard with color and character, the place still read Yamada Hizashi. Shouta didn’t care.  So long as he got to be with Teris, had a comfortable bed and sofa, and Teris was happy, Hizashi could deck the place out however he pleased.
“He even had a small recording studio built.”  Shouta remarked, eyes glancing to what was effectively Hizashi's side of the house.
“Does that mean he plans on doing his show from here?”
“I… don’t think so.”  Shouta hadn’t considered that.  He hoped not.
Though he had said that they would revisit their agreed upon evenings alone with Teris at the start of the school year, Shouta still hoped to have Friday nights alone with her. Having Hizashi doing his show from home would be weird.  Would Hizashi come out of the sound booth during breaks?
“I think plans on using it for his music.”  Shouta said, hoping that was the case.
“Well he does make good music.  Care to give me a tour?”
“Not really.”
“Oh, come on, Shou!  You know I’m the reason your here.”
Shouta frowned.  “How so?”
“Well, I’m the one who put the idea in Hizashi's head that he should open things up a bit and share Teris with you.”
“Why?”
Nemuri plopped down on the couch.  “Cause I’m a good friend!  It was clear that you and Teris still had it bad for each other.  Hizashi came to me worried that--” She smiled and shook her head.  “Sorry.  That’s not for me to say.  Anyway, it was my idea.  All three of you are my friends.  Teris my closest girlfriend.  Despite everything going on, I want you all to be happy.”
Her smile tightened thinking about the latest visit from the Void.  She didn’t know what the Void wanted with Teris.  Or why he had wanted her and Shouta kept apart all those years ago only to flip and decide he wanted them together now. But she had done what she could to set Hizashi and Teris up on the Void’s order.  And she would've hated herself if she hadn’t tried to help Hizashi when he’d been so afraid to lose her.  So desperate to keep her.  It wasn’t as if Teris didn’t love Hizashi.  She just happen to love Shouta a little bit more.
Based on evidence alone, it was easy to say Teris’ greater care for Shouta was purely because the two had almost gotten together in UA. That along with the whole what might've been, there was also the you always want what you can’t have aspect to it. But Nemuri knew better.
No doubt Hizashi thought that once things settled and the newness of Shouta and Teris being together wore off, her love would become more equal.  Again. Nemuri knew better.
Nemuri couldn’t put a finger exactly on it. But she was certain it had to do with the reason why the Void hadn’t wanted Shouta and Teris together in the first place.  There was just something between Shouta and Teris. Something she wasn’t sure Teris or Shouta even realized.  It was something that would never settle enough to make things equal between Shouta and Hizashi in Teris’ heart.
Nemuri had no doubt that Teris loved Hizashi.  That if Shouta wasn’t around, or had never existed, Hizashi would be Teris’ greatest love.  But Shouta was around.  He did exist.  And he reigned supreme in Teris’ heart.
Shouta didn’t know what to say about Nemuri's involvement.  A part of him was… grateful?  If Hizashi hadn’t come up with the idea he might've lost his best friend.  But being with Teris just a couple weeks, Shouta was even more sure that she would have left Hizashi to be with him.  It would've been hard.  Teris would have felt guilty.  He would’ve felt guilty.  But he wouldn’t have had to share her.
“So, since you’re not gonna show me around the place.  What can I do you for?”
Down to business.  Shouta could do that.  Still Nemuri was his friend. Not wanting any hurt feelings he said.  “Yamada’s planning some housewarming party.  He’d be upset if I showed you around.  He’d be able to do a better job anyway.  I still struggling with working the coffee maker.”
“Zashi always wanted a smart house with a killer sound system.”
“Thankfully the place doesn’t have a remote.”  Shouta huffed wondering which one of them would’ve been the first to lose it if it did.  He sat down in a chair beside the sofa.
He had been wanting to talk to Nemuri ever since Delphin had told him the Void had someone working for him with a somnambulist type quirk.  But now, seated with her, Shouta once again worried for his friend's safety. He questioned his carefully thought out quires, wondering if they were worded carefully enough that Nemuri wouldn’t wonder at them and put herself in danger seeking answers he wouldn’t give.
You need answers yourself, Shouta silently told.  You’ve gotten next to nowhere checking the quirk registry.  The Void seems to be growing stronger.  He’s not just in your shared dreams anymore.  Villains are starting to act in his name.  And on top of that, it seems as if your shared dreams with Teris have stopped completely.
Shouta's heart clenched at that.  It hurt losing his best and oldest friend. Yet at the same time he had finally won her in real life.  Why didn’t she remember?  Why were they no longer sharing dreams?  What if Teris still went to what had been their dreamscape every new moon and the Void visited? It was bad enough that he couldn’t properly protect her since they couldn’t touch in their dreams; but at least she hadn’t been alone.
Steeling his nerve, Shouta took a breath. “I was wondering if we could talk about somnambulist type quirks and how they worked.”
20.4
“You sure you’re alright, Babe?”
Teris stepped off the elevator and into their hotel suite.  It had been a long day.  She certainly hadn’t expected to get caught up in the action when some guy, hit by a quirk, had mistaken her as his ex-girlfriend and thought Nux was hitting on her.  Poor Nux.  From his reaction right before the guy had grabbed her thinking her his ex, Nux had no clue what she had been talking about.  Her misunderstanding had ended up telling him what she had angerly assumed Hizashi had when Nux jokingly asked about her other boyfriend.
She turned to Hizashi, grimacing.  Would he be angry that Nux knew?  She hadn’t meant to tell him, but that didn’t change the fact that Nux now knew she was with two people.  Would Hizashi be okay with his friend knowing?  Would he be embarrassed?  Was Nux the kind of person to judge or make fun of Hizashi for it?
“Zashi… I wanted to talk to you about Nux.”
Hizashi frowned.  “What about him?  It’s you I’m worried about.  That guy who grabbed you--”
Teris shook her head.  “That guy was confused.  Thought I was his ex who he missed and wanted to get back with.  Honestly, Zashi.  You didn’t even have to step in.”
Hizashi's frown deepened.  “I was just taking care of you.”
“You called me merchandise.
Hizashi rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly.  “I said you were merch that wasn’t for sale.  Would you rather I have called you my girl?”
“With all those fans and media around?  No.  We’re lucky everyone seemed to think I was some helpless civilian that was saved by Present Mic.”
“I’ll always save you, Baby.”
Teris stepped to him, arms wrapping around his neck.  “Yeah, well let’s hope no one goes looking for a name of the helpless damsel you protected today.”
“Speaking of saving things.”  Hizashi reached in his back pocket and pulled out her phone.
“Where did you find it?  I was--”
“Chatting with Shouta?”
Her eyes lifted from the phone and met his.  “I was gonna say looking for it.  But yeah.  Before everything happened I--” Her eyes closed, remembering the message she had sent right before all that.  What had Shouta replied?  Whether adding heat, or turning it down she hoped he didn’t think she had ghosted him the rest of the day.
“Nux gave it to me.  Said you dropped it right before that guy showed up tryin’ ta claim you.”
“He wasn’t trying to claim me, Zashi.  He was trying to get back with his ex and the quirk he was hit with made him think I was her.  We’re just lucky whatever it was wasn’t some substance that infected others.”
“Or you might be looking to get with your ex too.”
Teris eyebrows knitted together.  “What’s with you?”
Hizashi turned off the switch on his headphones that produced a frequency that excited the molecules he sprayed in his hair and made it stand on end, giving him his trademark do without need of damaging products. He released a heavy puffing exhale as his soft locks fell down around his shoulders. “Sorry, Baby.  Long day.  While PR and everyone else might’ve enjoyed the show of me taking down a villain, I was just worried about you.”
“He was a victim not a villain.”
“He grabbed and pulled you around.”  Touched you and said you were his. If no one was around, I would’ve made him hurt a thousand times worse.  No one touches you and calls you theirs.
Teris smiled, arms once again looping around his neck.  “My hero.  Thank you for saving me from the real villains.”
Hizashi quirked an eyebrow.
“The media and their cameras.”  Teris supplied.
“It’s the fans you gotta worry about, Babe. They’re ruthless.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He nodded.
“Well I saw the one that had you sign her ass.  Though according to Nux, I should be grateful it was the back of her shorts and not her actual ass.”
Hizashi cleared his throat.  Was she jealous?  She never got jealous.  Damn, he wanted her to be jealous.  What was wrong with him?
“Don’t worry, Sunshine.  I’m not jealous.  I trust you.”
“It’s not just about trust.”  Hizashi said, defending his own hidden jealousy. “I mean… I love you.  So it’s about that too.  Right?”
“Yeah. It is.”  She leaned up to him.  “I love you too, Zashi.”
His arms wrapped around hers.  “Do you now?”
She nodded enjoying the kiss he gave.
It bothered her a bit that Hizashi had moved to help her with the guy. She was a pro hero just the same as him and had things well in had.  But it was sweet how Hizashi had clearly been watching and paying attention to her while he worked.  How else would he have noticed the problem if he hadn’t been?  In the end, Hizashi's quirk incapacitated the poor victim quicker and easier than she would've been able to. Though Hizashi doing so had garnered a lot more attention than she would've.
She broke the kiss, pulling away.
Hizashi stepped after her.
Smiling, Teris placed a hand to his chest.  “You wait out here, Sunshine.  Get yourself a drink and make yourself comfortable. I got a surprise for you that I need to slip into.”
“Oh?” Hizashi grinned widely, arching an eyebrow.
She nodded, shyly biting her lower lip, and stepped backwards.
“You gonna put a show on for my, Baby?”
Teris blushed.  “Maybe.”
“Can I record it?”
Her breath caught.
“Just for us.”  Hizashi assured.
She reminded herself what this weekend was about.  Remembered why she had accepted Hizashi's card when he had given it to her, telling her to not only get a new gown for the awards but a whole new wardrobe for the three day weekend.  How his brilliant emerald eyes had sparkled when she hadn’t argued but accepted his generosity letting him ‘spoil’ her as he always tried and wanted.
This weekend was all about Hizashi. About showing him just how much she loved him.  How grateful she was for him.  How much she appreciated him and his understanding about her love for Shouta.  She wasn’t exactly comfortable being videoed in such a way.  But she trusted Hizashi when he said it was just for him. Stepping out comfort level and allowing him this was just another way to show her care and thanks for him.  Besides, she had told herself she needed to be a better girlfriend to him and this was just another way of doing that.  Right?
Too embarrassed to look him in the eye, Teris mumbled.  “Sure.  You can record it.”
20.5
It was late.  Hizashi wake, having left Teris sleeping in bed.  Hooking up his phone to his laptop he downloaded this evenings video file.
Teris had been beautiful.  The lingerie perfect on her amazing body.  Just a little bit innocent, with a hint of naughty.  Though she had thought he would stop recording after her little show, he had gotten her to allow him to record the entire thing.  Her going down on her knees.  Swallowing his cock...
Hizashi skipped through the video, lowering the laptops volume, and pushing play.
“You like that, Baby?  Sucking on my big, long cock?” Hizashi's voice sounded, though the image stayed focused on her lovely face and stretched, drooling lips.
She blinked watery eyes, and hummed around him.
Hizashi skipped forward some more.  This time Teris was on her hands and knees, the image focused on his cock pumping in and out of her dripping pussy.
”Say it, Baby.  Tell me and I’ll let you cum.”
His hand entered the frame slapping her ass hard with a satisfying crack, resulting in an equally satisfying cried moan from her.
“Zashi! Please! Fuck! I—I love it! I need it. Please. Please!”
“Say it all, Baby.  Say it!  Who do you belong to?”
“You! No one else but you and Shou—ta.”
Hizashi sighed, hitting pause, and sitting back.  He frowned at the screen.  He had told her to say she was his, but she had added to it saying she was his and Shouta's.  He told himself that was why he was doing this.  That doing so didn’t betray her trust and make his words a lie.
‘Just for us.’ Could easily be made to include Shouta.  After all she had been the one first include him wanting and loving Shouta, and then saying she was the both of theirs when this was their time and Shouta wasn’t even here.
He opened a basic video editor and got to work.  It wouldn’t be the big orgasmic end he had wanted; but it would have to do.  At least Teris had been breathless enough that the cut wouldn’t be obvious.  Shouta need never know she had included him and called herself both of theirs.
20.6
Shouta returned from patrol exhausted and in a mood.  It didn’t help that he was coming home to an empty house.  It was somewhat logical and startling how quickly he had become accustomed to living with Teris. Never mind how the place was rarely ever quiet with Hizashi there too.
He took off his googles and capture weapon, unclipping his utility belt. His phone dinged and he scowled, wondering who could be messaging him so late.
Taking out his phone he noticed it was a video from Hizashi.
Hizashi: Just a little something to help you through the rest of tonight and tomorrow. Don’t say I never do anything for you.
Shouta hit play.
I want to thank those who have left hearts. And give a VERY special thank you to those who have left comments or re-blogged. They REALLY mean a lot.  Especially those of you who comment and/or reblog regularly.  It might be weird to say that hearing from you brightens my day, but it does.  I just really love interacting with you all. So THANKS!
As always, an extra special thank you to @inorganicone2230 for their encouragement and friendship.  Also for them helping plot bunny this story out and encouraging me to give into my desire to start Lost Song before finishing Crossroads.  This fic was my personal guilty pleasure, and without them never be getting posted.
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piracytheorist · 5 years ago
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Happy Whumpmas (੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭*🎅⛄❄️!!! You have just been snowballed by a secret whumper. Help to keep the snowball fight going by anonymously sending this to five other whumpers with a whump-related question of your choice: What will you do if you could do a 25episode show of Killian's whumpy adventures?(you can give titles for the ep if you feel inspired ;p )
Okay… how far am I actually allowed to take it?
I actually have an idea for a MC that’s continuously whumpy from various aspects and could last 25 chapters but a) it’s heavy, b) an AU and c) I don’t wanna give out spoilers. So I’m gonna come up with something right now, for canon Killian Jones.
So. Exploring some of his whumpy backstory :)
Some time when he was in servitude. I headcanon that Killian was about 17 when he escaped it (nevermind that the show did a horrible job at depicting that, but lbr how many years would he have to work in such horrible conditions to pay off half a fucking rowboat) so everything will depend on how much you’re okay with whumping a teenager. Yes, we’re talking about whipping, but also isolation, being denied food, forced to work harder, etc etc. Maybe as an extra, the time when he gets that wound that forms into his cheek scar.
His first punishment while in the Navy, where he realizes it’s not all what Liam had looked up to. Maybe, in some ways, it felt worse than when they were servants. And then the first thoughts of rebellion start coming in; aren’t they, technically, servants, still? They traded one servitude for another when they could have been free… but he stops himself. He needs Liam and looks up to him so much he doesn’t dare defy this now. If Liam thought it was needed, then he’d endure it - after all, he had managed to destroy their first chance at freedom. He deserves it. Hello self-loathing my old friend. So he wraps his arms around himself, trying to sleep and ignore the pain at his back.
A day where they’ve attacked an enemy ship and he gets pretty well whumped. I’ve actually written that already (cw: blood)
The first time he gets punished for going rogue. It’s heavy shit. The navy ship after him kills half his men, takes the rest as prisoners, whips Killian in front of them, then leaves him as is tied to the mast for the rest of the journey (idk how realistic that is based on, well, his wounds, and actual tactics of navy forces. anyways). 
Continuing from the previous part, they reach port, Killian and his crew are to be hanged. Killian is weakened from his wounds, but that doesn’t stop some guards from entering his cell and beating him in front of his remaining crew. A bit before the time for their execution, they manage to escape, dragging Killian with them. A long, painful time of trying to fight his infection occurs, but he’s a tough nut ain’t he.
It’s pretty similar to number 5 but I’ve already written it so.
Milah has joined his crew. I also have this headcanon that they were first friends with benefits, then friends with benefits with awkward obvious feelings between them but no-one would say anything. During that time, they attack a navy ship and Killian gets pretty badly injured. Milah takes care of him, like maybe a bit too much, and doesn’t leave his side all night. I mean, they were already doing that, but staying with him as he lies in bed injured and helpless, well… 
AnotherOneBitesTheDust.mp3 Milah is dead and Killian is battling infection on his freshly severed wrist. I know there are writers who have written or discussed about that part, and canon is a bit wonky if I’m honest, like it should’ve taken a LOT of time for it to heal… but whatever it’s fictional and I do shit as I like. A lot of pain, a lot of fever, a lot of nightmares leading to a lot of sleeplessness, only to lead to…
Peter Pan’s antics, rated M.
The Last Time Killian Didn’t Listen to Peter Pan. I don’t know what it was, but it must have been pretty bad. Maybe rated M too.
Having left Neverland for good, waking up with a horrible hangover and his chin hurting like a bitch. He definitely doesn’t understand what Smee is talking about when he says he came back with a blonde wench last night. 
In the 28 “frozen” years in Cora’s bubble, he oversteps his boundaries, reading one of her spell books out of boredom. Cora ties him to a pole overnight, during a rainstorm.
There are some quite interesting thoughts he could have had while beaten up, hit by a car, and chained to a hospital bed. Occasionaly mentions of him being in pain, but also a lot of angst realizing “completing” his revenge isn’t feeling any fulfilling at all, maybe it was all for nothing, all the pain he’d caused to others and himself trying to achieve it…Fuck it, no, he’ll just have to find another way.
The painful journey from the hospital to his ship to find and free Anton the “giant”, then after Cora’s betrayal, the equally painful journey back to his ship to New York City to somehow locating Gold and stabbing him… then losing his goddamn senses.
The slightly less painful but much more humiliating (and annoying) trip back to Storybrooke in Tamara’s truck.
(Why are there so few canon whump opportunities in s3?) Nearly getting drowned in 3x20. Coming out of it must have felt a bit uncomfortable.
Undeniably, the time of Gold taking his heart. Like, the moment it happened. The first night he spent heartless. I doubt he slept at all. The next morning, him worrying, angsting, occasionally getting some squeezes from his ole crocodile.
The time of recovery after getting his heart back. Emma joining him, he’s too tired, he just wants to sleep, he has horrible nightmares but she’s there for him, and it just feels weird, to have someone take care of him in that situation… and he ends up crying in her arms.
I know the next six weeks are supposed to be six weeks of calm for him but come on he’s a magnet for disaster and whump so something, even just a bit light, happening to him. Bonus if there’s some Captain Charming or Captain Book bonding during it.
Okay so, like, the next time I can find and/or insert canon whump to explore is during his time in the Underworld. That’s quite a time jump, but we’re also nearing the end of the list, so yeah. A chapter full of glorious moments of that time :)
The time where he was beaten by the Lost Boys in s6 before Emma found him. Yeah, show, you’re not convincing me. I know she supposedly healed him after he proposed she found him but still lol yeah it deserved some focus.
WISH HOOK COUNTS SO. First time he gets sick, with Alice young and unable to do anything for him. Angst and fear and various sickness tropes, but he gets better.
Right after getting his heart poisoned, he tries to go back up but it gets worse. Eventually he collapses next to the tower base. And it starts raining. Wonderful.
Idk I can certainly imagine a time after that where he got whumped and he was drunk and/or craving for a drink. Maybe he was already a mess and some bandits attacked him? Left him wounded and he had to drag himself to a healer, enduring their judging stares.
Finally, focus on the three times his poisoned heart acted up (in canon), and the one that killed him. But he’s Killian Jones so he comes back to life, naturally. 
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mythicamagic · 6 years ago
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Swimming in Silk - Chapter 11
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Training in front of her, engaging her in conversation and now lending her his clothes…Kagome is starting to suspect that Sesshoumaru is trying to gain her attention.
Sesskag - Romance, Humour, Drama, Angst
Rated M - As always you can read this story on Ao3, fanfiction.net or Dokuga
Chapter One - here       Chapter Three - here    Chapter Five - here
Chapter Two - here        Chapter Four - here       Chapter Six - here  
Chapter Seven - here    Chapter Eight - here    Chapter Nine - here          Chapter Ten  - here       Chapter Twelve - here
 Inebriated Inhibitions~
"So basically, that Kaito guy is a jerk, putting it lightly."
A huff sounded out across from her. "Insolent girl! General Kaito has served this house for generations!" Jaken squeaked in his nasally voice.
Kagome rose a brow, wishing she had some earbuds to at least soften the blow of his high pitch. "Really?"
"Well...two! He served under the Great Dog General." He cleared his throat, trying to pitch his voice deeper.
Hard to believe Sesshoumaru's dad could put up with such a dick since he liked humans, Kagome mused dryly to herself. She glanced around Jaken's meagre dwelling, which was a simple room that opened up to where the staff hung laundry. He could have quite a nice view of the garden if it weren't for the swaying sheets.
"Now then, if you've come to me, you must want some profound advice."
With a flat look, she placed her chin on her palm, shifting at the low table. "Not really no," she muttered, hearing another jittery squawk ring out. "I just needed to talk to someone. It's not like I can tell Sesshoumaru about it, he's got enough on his plate at the moment."
"Tch, well I suppose I should be pleased you're not bothering our Lord unnecessarily. And what of Shippo?"
Kagome blinked. She'd never heard him refer to the kit by name before. It had never occurred to her that they may have gotten closer over the years. She smiled a little, gentling her voice just a touch, "I can't interrupt him either. He's busy looking for the right transformation spell for Kirara."
Jaken tutted, sliding his hands inside his sleeves and glowering. "You just had to bother me with this then."
"Fine. I'll humour you, buddy," she smirked, lifting a shoulder. "If you were going to offer advice, what would it be?"
The green toad demon muttered a few complaints, before straightening. "Hmph, well, I suppose I can be generous. Ahem, I would say to invite him hunting!" He said with a grandiose flourish of his thin little arms.
"Why?"
He scoffed. "Don't you know anything? By bringing back a kill, you'll have shown to him that you can pull your own weight and provide for the West!"
"But I already pulled my own weight! I helped kill a dragon!" Her high pitch now rivalled Jaken's.
He sipped his tea, slurping loudly and making Kagome's jaw tick. "That was years ago, who can remember that far back?" He said dismissively.
Turning, Kagome grabbed a pillow and screamed into it, letting out a muffled noise. By the time she dropped it, the kappa was staring at her with a mixture of confusion and disgust.
Kagome blushed and sighed, vaguely missing Lady Inukimi. She would have been much preferable to talk to. "Alright...I'm guessing if I'd have to bring back the biggest animal possible. Like a stag."
Jaken nodded happily, "exactly!"
Thinking for a moment, Kagome searched inside herself, finding a very faint pull within. A familiar sensation that was slowly tightening like a coiled snake around her lungs. Time travel loomed on the horizon. "...Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll skip it."
"H-hah? Why on earth?"
She folded her hands on her knees, lowering her eyes. "I might not be here much longer. And maybe Kaito is right after all and I'm not cut out for this; because a Lady would place pleasing her House above all else."
Melancholy blue rose to meet his bulbous yellowed eyes. "But my first loyalty is to Sesshoumaru, and I'm going to go spend time with him instead like I should be doing right now. Even if I killed a deer, history will probably repeat itself. I'll get dragged away soon and you'll all forget what I even did. Only he'll remember. I'm literally useless to all of you except for him...but luckily his is the only opinion I care about."
Jaken squeaked and let out a growl, standing. "Impudent girl! How dare you! He was right, you are unsuitable in every way, completely usele-"
His large eyes suddenly rounded wider, letting out a whimper as sweat broke out on his forehead. Kagome noticed his gaze was fixed on something behind her, and shifted to see. Sesshoumaru stood in the threshold of the doorway, figure unnaturally still. Coiled muscle waited on the brink to strike. His eyes blazed.
"By all means, Jaken." He purred in silken tones, tilted his head slightly, "continue to enlighten this one. How is his chosen Mate somehow lacking?"
The kappa trembled violently, throwing himself onto his knees and ducking down- only to hit his head on the table and yelp. He then bowed properly, "p-p-please mi Lord! I meant no offence!"
Light footfalls made the sweat on his brow drip to the floor. The noise ceased somewhere on the toads left. "And I mean no injury," Sesshoumaru uttered, drawing his foot back.
Kagome gasped as the lord kicked the kappa straight out of the open doors. His small figure sailed through the air- hitting the swaying sheets and ripping them off their hooks- sailing over gardens and out over the wall. He disappeared from sight wrapped in white with a grateful dimming cry. "Thank you, mi Lord!"
The miko shifted, drawing herself up to stand by Sesshoumaru's side, blinking. Sharp tawny eyes slid down to her, sharp claws twitching by his side.
"Never concern yourself with the opinions of lesser youkai."
Her eyes widened before a gentle blush coloured her cheeks. "But compared with you, everyone else is lesser youkai," she teased.
Golden hues warmed, chin tilting up slightly arrogantly. "Hn, exactly."
She reached out and took hold of his deadly fingers, "hey. Are you free later?"
Sesshoumaru turned his full attention to her, inclining his head.
"W-would you um...like to go on a date with me?"
He rose a brow, "we have already successfully courted."
"I-I know," she bit her lip. "But we could just have a picnic in the garden tonight or something," Kagome raised a brow at him, lips quirking. "Maybe it's immature, but it's not like you'd care if someone didn't approve, right?"
Sesshoumaru looked down at her, those faint lines still haunting under his eyes. But some weight seemed to ease from his shoulders, and subtle warmth entered his voice. "What a rebellious woman I chose for a mate. Very well..."
It was late into the evening when Sesshoumaru was finally settled down into the bizarre set up the miko had arranged, eating his supper. She had spread out a blanket onto the grass and put out candles of various sizes, lighting them. Saké awaited him, which he suspected she'd requested from the staff earlier. His gaze slid toward her as she placed the white porcelain cups out. She blushed and pointedly ignored his prying eyes as she poured his drink.
"I'm not trying to get you drunk."
"This one did not speak a word," he muttered, putting his empty plate down and setting his chopsticks aside. He then returned the kindness by pouring her drink.
She pushed some black hair behind her ear, "I'm technically not allowed to have this. The legal drinking age in Japan is 20, but I won't tell if you don't."
"And what is the...purpose of this date?"
"Can't I just spend some quality time with Mr. Fancyfeet?" She smiled, eyes glittering. Seeing his expectant look, Kagome sighed, nursing her forgotten drink. "I guess I figured you could use a night to take the edge off. You've been busy since we got back and I'm no good at...Lady duties...the most I've done is look over scrolls or help the staff clean, but Chiyo beat me back with a stick. Apparently, I'm not even allowed to clean. So this is something I can do. I like to think I'm good at making you relax," she smirked.
Sesshoumaru lifted the saké cup to his lips and paused, mulling over her words. "...If anything it's the opposite," he uttered, slit pupils shifting to her.
Kagome blinked and blushed at the telling look, quickly lifting the alcohol to her lips and wondering when her heart would calm down around him. She tilted the cup up, only to make a noise and choke. Tears stung her eyes.
Hearing a chuckle beside her, Kagome stubbornly tried again. The saké tasted sharp and unpleasant on her tongue, and yet Kagome kept drinking. Her throat burned by the time the cup was empty, and she exhaled, feeling heat rush to her cheeks.
"Okay...whew! That tastes stronger than I thought it would," she touched her blazing neck. It hurt to swallow.
"Do you wish to stop?"
"N-no! Of course not. Lay it on me," she held her drink out for more. She could put up with the taste if it meant feeling that pleasant swimming sensation that took the edge off.
One Hour Later
Kagome giggle-snorted, leaning against a strong shoulder as she lulled heavily, slurring her words. "Okay, okay- truth or dare."
His chin tilted up, pride dancing in his eyes. Naturally, he would not back down from a challenge. Unlike the swaying girl, his grip on his cup remained steady, muscles pleasantly relaxed. He observed her increasing inebriation with vague, lazy amusement. "Dare."
She pretended to think, but honestly, the thought was already there. A classic, dumb dare. She was very happy within her hazed mind that he'd agreed to her little game.
"I dare you to run across the courtyard. Naked."
With a scoff, Sesshoumaru rose from the blanket and pushed long silver strands over his shoulder. "A trivial task," he muttered, easing forward. Kagome squeaked and quickly stood up.
"You have to wait until I've reached the balcony upstairs, I need to watch!" She grinned, hurrying with a giddy spring to her step. The miko raced inside, pushing the sliding doors aside and navigating fairly easily to the balcony that overlooked the vast courtyard. Due to the late evening, not many demons were around, but she noticed a few men hanging around the barracks. She spied Sesshoumaru appear near the edge of the yard, drenched in shadow as he calmly stripped. Kagome's face flushed as she grinned, leaning forward eagerly.
Sesshoumaru folded his crisp white clothes over one arm, holding his boots in one hand while shifting his feet. Kagome bit back a laugh, watching with bated breath. Even from far away, she could see how the moonlight strained to touch his silver hair, even while he lingered in shadow.
Suddenly his body shifted forward from the shadows- form blurring into a streak of white. By the time she'd blinked it was over.
Hurrying down the stairs once more, Kagome caught her breath on the porch, glaring at the Daiyoukai as he fixed his clothes. "You cheated."
He lifted an uncaring shoulder, tying his obi, "you did not specify the speed with which to run."
Kagome huffed and stomped over, settling down onto the picnic blanket again. He sat next to her with an expectant look, "it is your turn."
"Fine, truth," she chickened out.
"Very well," silver hair hung forward as he leaned closer, until she could feel his breath fan over her neck. "Who was Jaken referring to earlier?" Keen eyes probed her for weaknesses.
Kagome felt something skitter down her spine. She busied herself with taking a sip while trying to think of an answer. She tried to make her voice as casual as possible. "Hm? When?"
His gaze assessed her before the demon calmly straightened. "I see, so there is someone. And you are most likely protecting them."
"W-what? How the heck did you-"
"I know you fairly well by now." He purred in silken tones, a playful lift to his voice. "This 'truth' part of the game is unnecessary."
"Oh really?" She arched a brow, smirking. "You still don't know who it is."
"I soon will," he promised darkly, gaze flashing. "If his sentiments are something that Jaken felt emboldened enough to agree with, he must have shared some very strong words with you. And have some social standing..."
Kagome could see the gears turning in his mind, eliminating possibilities while trying to pinpoint his target. She felt a chill in the air, as summer was to be left behind soon in favour of Autumn. She shifted closer, knee resting against his.
"Sesshoumaru," she placed her hand on his arm. "Please don't make a big thing of it. It's just one guy's opinion," she murmured even as she remembered the General's acidic words. How her stomach had plummeted.
"And what pray tell did you say in response?"
Kagome winced, remembering. "I-I asked that he kindly fuck off," she mumbled, pushing her hair behind her ear. She'd hoped not to let her anger get the best of her.
A deep rumble of a chuckle escaped him, and Kagome mused that the alcohol must have soothed his temper. She smiled and slid her hand into his, threading slim fingers with his deadly ones. "Come on, truth or dare."
"Truth," he muttered, running the pad of his thumb over her knuckles.
Kagome paused for a moment, deciding to just get it out there and ask. "...Does it bother you that I'm not pregnant? Are you really alright with waiting until I'm ready?" She murmured, resting her cheek against his arm.
Sesshoumaru lapsed into pensive silence, and she could feel the line of tension from his arm. He then tore his hand from hers, and Kagome felt rejection slam into her chest- until his arm swept around her waist, bringing her into the warmth of his side.
"Peace is tenuous at best in these times," he uttered. "Perhaps a child would set my House at ease, but we are not my parents. This one refuses to have an heir for the sake of one," he grit out, lips peeling back at the thought. The Daiyoukai took a breath, eyes hazing. "It would bring me...satisfaction to smell your scent change, for you to carry my pups, but if you were ripped away from us after giving birth- or if you took them away from me into a time beyond my reach- I could not stand it."
Kagome looked up at him, brows drawing together.
He met her gaze, the moonlight softening his inhuman gaze. "I will lose no more of my children."
Her heart gave a squeeze, and Kagome rested her cheek against his chest. "It's okay, we'll wait. We'll wait until...we're together for good. Alright?"
Hearing a noise of affirmation, she decided to try and lighten the mood. Pouring another cup for him, she patted his side. "I think I'll go Dare this time. Come on, lay it on me."
Sesshoumaru rose a brow in challenge. "Hn...run across the courtyard, naked."
Kagome blushed beet red, before pulling herself up from his side and saluting him. "Yes sir!" She reached down, only succeeding in sliding her panties down her thighs before her hands were grabbed. Sesshoumaru shifted her underwear back up, fingers lingering under her skirt.
"Perhaps that was ill-advised. Let this one think of something else," he muttered lowly. Kagome just laughed, resting her hands on his shoulders and leaning in contentedly.
Sitting in her usual place beside Sesshoumaru, knelt on a cushion, she dug into her food. Swallowing some pills to will away her headache, Kagome tried her best to function despite the hangover splitting her skull. Sesshoumaru seemed perfectly fine, that jerk.
The rest of the demons were eating, picking at their cuts of raw meat or fish. Kagome had learned to look strictly at her own plate. Shippo happily munched on his own food to the side of her, and Kagome smiled, wishing not for the first time that things could always remain so carefree.
Feeling a warm palm on her back, Kagome blinked and looked at Sesshoumaru. He stared not at her- but at a table not too far away, where General Kaito sat eating. Blue eyes widening, Kagome glanced at her mate. His face remained emotionless, in a way that alarmed her.
"Sesshoumaru…" she said carefully. Did he know? How had he found out?
A glance at Jaken's bruised forehead answered her unasked question.
With a gasp, she felt herself be tugged onto his lap, a warm chest at her back. Kagome inwardly squirmed when all sets of eyes turned to her and squeaked when his hands went to the front of her kimono. Sesshoumaru yanked the parting down, peeling one side away to expose her shoulder. Kagome hissed, gripping the material tightly to her chest to keep her modesty.
"What the hell?!" She growled, stilling when his chin rested on the crook of her shoulder. Hooded golden eyes stared straight at the General as long fingers curled near the mating mark on her skin.
"I trust that this is enough to satisfy those that question my claim to this woman. And hers to me," he uttered lowly.
The entire gathering had stopped to watch the spectacle unfold. General Kaito stiffened, eyes slightly wide.
"I do not know which is worse; to assert a valueless opinion as fact or to give that opinion like it holds any sway over a Lord's actions. You are stupider than I first assumed." Sesshoumaru cooly assessed, a palpable bite in his words. Youki coated his skin, anger simmering close to the surface. "Know this; When you speak of the Lady, you speak of your Lord. If you see her as unfit to lead then by extension you see me in the same way. Therefore any who share the General's opinion - step forward. This one will gladly put you in your place."
The General swallowed while Kagome wisely decided to hold still.
"General Kaito…won't you face this one in combat?" Sesshoumaru murmured in a deceptively soft tone.
A solemn shake of the head was his only answer for a moment, before a quiet voice reached his ears. "No, my Lord. I could never."
Sesshoumaru's grip on Kagome eased a little, and she could feel the tension leak out of his frame. "Then be satisfied that your head clings to your shoulders and get lost. I've no need of fools within my company," he muttered in a dismissive tone.
The General stood, and the rest of the dining guests assembled started to pick at their food again, ignoring him. Kagome watched as the man turned away, his hands loose at his sides.
"No, wait! Please…" she struggled, unable to stand with Sesshoumaru's arm around her. She growled and yanked it off to get to her feet, ignoring his hiss. "We don't have to settle this with fighting or banishment, why does it have to be so extreme? This House needs everyone it can get at the moment."
She took a breath, feeling all eyes trained on her. Kaito had paused, eyes slightly wider. Kagome swallowed, setting her shoulders. "Times are changing, and you'll all need each other if the humans continue to cultivate more land."
Which they will, she left out.
Look down at her right side, she frowned. "Sesshoumaru…you can't be in three places at once. You've relied on General Kaito in the past, and your armies trust him. Don't toss him aside just for wounding your pride-"
"It is your pride he besmirched." Came his low reply, winter ice frosting his gaze.
Kagome paused. "Well…since it's me he insulted, I should be the one who decides what happens to him."
A few demons in the room let out barks of laughter. The women hid their painted smiles behind their fans and spoke in low whispers to each other.
Kagome ignored them all and looked only at the man she was addressing. "General Kaito, please remain here. Tomorrow, let's go hunting together, okay?" She invited gently.
"Such a pitiful sentence!" One demon laughed.
"Haha how embarrassing for the mighty General," other demons clad in armour chuckled.
Kagome's lips thinned, her hands curling into loose fists. She could feel the air on her exposed shoulder, licking deliciously at the mating mark. She silently begged the General to take her offer, to not embarrass her a second time.
One bushy brow twitched, before the General bowed down, hair hanging forward. "I will do as you command, my Lady."
Kagome breathed out with relief, moving to sit down- only to feel herself be yanked onto Sesshoumaru's lap once more. Pain assaulted her senses as teeth latched onto her ear lobe, biting down.
She yelped, twisting in his hold and gritting her teeth. Why was he punishing her for something good?
The look in his narrowed gaze answered her unspoken question. She'd defied his sentence. Kagome's mouth pressed into a thin, grim line, and she tossed her head stubbornly, refusing to mollify him.
A snarl buried itself in her eardrum and Kagome felt herself be lifted up, more teeth scraping her neck harshly.
"S-sesshoumaru!" She yelped in his arms, hearing more chuckles ring out behind them as he carried her from the room.
"You defied me."
"For all the right reasons!" Kagome grit out with exasperation.
Sesshoumaru hitched her in his arms, striding down the hallways until they arrived at their room. She yelped as she tumbled from his arms, landing on the nest of furs that cushioned her back. She knew what was coming of course. It sang in the air, thick like sticky vapour. Still, just because her thighs squeezed together in anticipation didn't mean Kagome would let him have this win easily.
His lean body landed atop hers, and she let reiki burst from her fingertips as she embraced him. Even as his teeth scraped over her skin, Kagome felt his palm cradle the back of her neck, fingers stroking almost in reward.
The Stronghold's occupants had shot her knowing looks several hours later. Apparently, they'd been quite uh...loud. Kagome winced, self-consciously adjusting her miko robes that hid the countless amount of bite marks and scratches. She was glad she had so many outfits to rotate.
Kagome met the General outside after having sent for him. She glanced back just once at the Western Keep as they made their way into the adjoining forest, but Sesshoumaru was nowhere in sight. He was probably busy after she'd kept him detained for so long.
Deciding to focus on trying to smooth over the General's ruffled edges, she lost herself in hunting.
Her muscles braced tensely as she bent low, clutching her notched bow and arrow. She heard a rustling up ahead, before Kaito strode out from the bushes, knocking them aside.
"False alarm," he muttered. "It was nothing but a rabbit, and I assume we're here to hunt bigger prey."
Kagome sighed, straightening and following him through the dense undergrowth. The forest pressed close, vines wrapped around tree trunks and coiled tight, squeezing the life from their starved hosts. She glanced at the General's back, feeling a little awkward in the oppressive silence.
"My Lady...may I ask as to why you stopped our Lord from banishing me?"
She sighed, adjusting her grip on the bow. "Because you're more useful to him than I am right now. I might get ripped away soon by time, and another 50 years could pass. Sesshoumaru shouldn't lose his General just over my wounded pride."
He made a noncommittal noise, "seems you do possess the capacity to plan in advance."
Kagome opened her mouth to bite back, frustrated- when he held up a gloved hand. "Wait...there's something ahead," he muttered quietly.
Rolling her eyes, Kagome crouched down as he disappeared into the trees above. Apparently, he wasn't going to help her hunt the damn thing, just point out the obvious. Nudging the twigs and leaves aside with the tip of her bow, Kagome squinted through the bushes.
A lone doe stood grazing in the small clearing, and she felt a slight pang. Oh no, I'm responsible for Bambi's Mom.
Easing up slowly from the greenery, Kagome aimed, pushing her conscience aside. Everyone would eat the meat, none would go to waste. Clenching her jaw, Kagome let the arrow loose.
Another arrow lodged itself into the ground just as Kagome's embedded itself into the deer's heart. The animal made a noise and collapsed, its eyes lifeless. Kagome blinked at the second arrow in confusion, glancing around.
"What the..."
Loud rustling had her on alert, tensing just as a young man stepped out from the undergrowth, minding a branch aside. He was clad in hunting gear, many of his weapons looking organically made from teeth or bone.
Kagome held up her hands placatingly, "hey there. Um...no hard feelings, right? I'm sorry I stole your kill."
His brown eyes strayed down her form, and she bristled under his attention, blood heating. "Heh, you didn't steal a thing, woman. I'm the one who killed the deer, so I'll be the one taking it," he grinned, stepping into the clearing and approaching the fallen doe.
Barely a moment later, Kagome felt a solid wall of power next to her side, Kaito raising his spear. "I think not," he rumbled lowly.
The hunter paused. His eyes widened marginally, narrowing when they slid back to Kagome. A guarded suspicion lurked in his expression that hadn't been there moments before. "You keep bad company, miko."
"Look just forget it," she muttered quickly to both of them, not wanting a fight to break out. "Take the deer, we'll be on our way now."
"My Lady," Kaito hissed.
Kagome ignored him and nodded to the hunter, who frowned. He hesitated, looking between them, before leaning down and throwing the doe over his shoulder. He then began to pad away, seeming to hurry a little.
General Kaito turned to her. "We cannot let him go. He will no doubt warn the other human scum of our location. The Western Lands have only thrived so long because we hide under a barrier away from human eyes. If too many of them come searching, they will break through-"
"Kaito. First off- drop the 'human scum' thing." She grit out, hackles rising. "Second, don't you think kidnapping this guy will make his family want to come searching for him even more-"
"We do not need to kidnap him."
Her heart skipped a beat, ice spilling out along her veins. "M-murder!? General...we don't need to do that. He's not going to tell anyone. He hasn't hurt us, we can just let him go."
That same dismissive look painted his ancient features, and Kagome felt herself land right back on square one with him. "I see...you hesitate to take his life because he is human. Yet do not when it comes to animal or demon." Dark eyes pinned her in place. "That flaw will come to be your misstep if you are not careful. But I will not let it interfere with my House," he rumbled gruffly, adjusting his grip on his spear and jumping up into the branches of the trees in hot pursuit.
Kagome felt the elastic band within her snap.
"O-oh no. No- not now." She gasped, feeling raindrops land on her head. More joined the fall, pattering lightly on the leaves. Kagome took off, running desperately after Kaito. "Ah...General, no! Please don't do it!" She called after him. "General Kaito!"
Nothing answered her, and Kagome panted, shaking her head.
"Damn it! Why did I stick up for you," Kagome hissed, hurrying on. The rain came faster now, beating down on her head and shoulders. It seeped into her clothing, creating small puddles. Thoughtlessly Kagome raced on, slamming her foot down into one.
The water lurched up, ground becoming formless beneath her feet. With a gasp, Kagome disappeared under the surface of the puddle, its pink waters beckoning her downwards. She tried to swim against the current, fighting to reach Sesshoumaru once more- but her body was tossed down like a rag doll.
She felt herself be pulled this way and that, fingers clawing through the water for air. Her lungs protested, and the miko opened her mouth, expecting to choke.
She breathed in. Kagome's eyes snapped open and she collapsed onto the sidewalk on her hands and knees. Trembling, she sucked in grateful breaths, looking around at the Tokyo buildings looming high. The bustle of the city carried on around her, not one person stopping their busy schedule to help her up. Kagome stood up shakily, figuring that was for the best. What could she even say?
Exhaling, she held her soaking arms, feeling slightly miserable to be back. Shaking her head after a moment, she slapped her cheeks.
"Right, prioritise. Sesshoumaru and General Kaito aren't here right now. Inuyasha...is. Oh God! Inuyasha!" She gasped, turning on her heel and hurrying through the streets.
He must be so confused! How long have I been gone?
Strangely enough, she locked onto the Hanyou's whereabouts easily enough. He was back home at the shrine by the looks of it. Kagome panted as she jogged up the shrine steps, pausing at the top to catch her breath. Hearing a meow, she glanced to the side, finding Buyo sat at the top of the stairs.
She reached out and ruffled the top of his head, "hey buddy. Remind me to schedule a cuddle session with you. I could use one," she mumbled.
Buyo just yawned, tilting his head.
Hurrying across the yard, Kagome opened the front door, kicking her sodden shoes off impatiently. "Inuyasha!" She called. "I'm so sorry, I don't know how long I've been gone but-"
"Two days," a helpful voice informed her.
Pausing, Kagome carefully padded to the threshold of the living room. A young man she'd never seen before was sitting in her Grandpa's old chair, looking right at home. He had keen green eyes and a shock of auburn hair. Inuyasha sat against the wall, Tetsusaiga propped against his shoulder. His brows were narrowed in consternation, gold eyes flitting up to lock on her. He stood up like a shot, storming over to her.
Kagome squeaked, not sure what to expect- but finding herself yanked into a warm embrace.
"I-Inuyasha?"
"You damn idiot. Are you okay?" He grumbled quietly.
Kagome patted his back, brows drawing together. He was being weird. His grip was tight- almost afraid to let go. "I'm fine, what's going on?" She asked gently.
"You can relax, sort of," the newcomer informed her, resting his chin on his knuckles as he observed them. "I brought him up to speed for you. He knows everything."
"W-what?" Kagome pulled back, trying to catch Inuyasha's gaze. "You mean...including about Sango and Miroku?"
The Hanyou slowly nodded, ears pressed back against his skull firmly.
"Oh no- I-I'm so sorry Inuyasha," she chocked out, not feeling very assured at all. Regretting that he'd found out about it on his own, she hung her head.
He tsked gruffly, stepping back as he waved a clawed hand. "Come on, I'm over it already. You dumb humans die so quick, I saw this comin' a mile away," he grunted. "Doesn't mean I'm not absolutely pissed though."
Kagome resolved to talk about it with him later when his guard was down. Her brows pulled together, but she gave a sigh, turning to the young man. "And who's this?"
"Ah come on, don't you recognise the tyke?" Inuyasha muttered, gesturing to the newcomer with an uncaring gesture. "It's the brat of course."
Kagome squinted, trying to slot the puzzle pieces into place. She couldn't quite place his face...until she noticed the way his cheeks dimpled slightly when he smiled. "...S-Shippo?" She breathed.
"Hey, I'm kinda hurt that only now you recognise me after he calls me names," Shippo sniffed, adjusting his collar as he stood. Bowing low to her, Kagome was caught off guard when he finally straightened, standing a good head taller than her.
Mischievous green eyes smiled at her. "Good to see you again, Kagome."
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winryofresembool · 6 years ago
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Love Can Melt the Ice, ch 23 (the Grande Finale)
Summary: I think the title says it all ^ it’s time for the goodbyes ;___;
A/N: This is it. The final chapter before the epilogue. I can’t believe we have finally gotten here. I’ve had a bit of a skitty day but at least I finally managed to finish this so I’m very happy about that. Please, please, review because now that we are at the end, I really want to hear your opinions. I guess that’s all for now. I’m probably gonna repeat this once it’s time for the epilogue, but thank you to everyone who has supported me and this fic through this long journey! Without the lovely comments, I wouldn’t have been motivated to continue. Oh, and special thanks to the amazing @roboticrainboots for the amazing art ♥ 
Now, get ready for a monster chapter (I will post this on ao3 tomorrow!). But make sure to read A Letter to Winry before that if you haven’t, because it has a role in this chapter.
Previous chapters:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 pt 1, pt 2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
Next chapter: coming
Companion pieces (note: these are all post Olympics happenings so reading the main fic first is recommended): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Words: 5700+ (yup.)
Genre: mostly floof.
Warnings: there is one scene where things get p close to M-rated but... there’s nothing explicit imo...
Most of Ed’s team plus Winry and Gracia gathered together to watch team Amestris’ ladies play for bronze. Winry was wearing her green jersey again, earning a cheek kiss from Ed, even though he refused to tell her what the kiss was for. Alphonse, who was sitting next to them, just giggled at his brother’s behavior before turning his attention back to the ice.
The first two periods of the game were even, with team Amestris tied 1 – 1 with team Drachma at the end of the first 40 minutes. Apparently, coach Olivier Armstrong managed to encourage her team in just the right way during the intermission, though, because in the third period the audience got to see a whole new team Amestris.
“Is it just me, or do they look like they’re almost ready to kill?” Winry asked when Rebecca Catalina gave a Drachman forward a particularly powerful tackle. A few moments later, Riza Hawkeye shot the puck from a spot she had never failed to score from, and the Amestrisian side of the audience got a reason to get loud.
“She’s better at that than I am,” Roy gawped at his long time “friend” who coolly fistbumped her teammates after the goal.
“That doesn’t really mean a lot, though, Mustang,” Ed remarked and made everyone laugh. “Isn’t your shooting percentage like… 0,05?”
“Funny how you remember stats like that… but you don’t remember how much I’ve sat in the penalty box because I’ve had to defend you.”
“Now now, everyone cool down a bit!” Hughes yelled over the roaring audience. “Ross is on a breakaway!”
And she was. She had managed to outspeed two Drachmans and was just about to get face to face with the goalie, when someone tripped her. A penalty shot was called, and Maria Ross used the opportunity to her advantage, making the situation 3-1.
“You guys could learn a lot from them,” Gracia teased, and the men around her couldn’t help but agree.
At some point Ed and Winry started wondering why Al was being so quiet, but when they turned to look towards him, they noticed Mei had finally arrived. She and Al were throwing disgustingly sappy looks at each other, something that Ed would probably call “eye sex” when Al wasn’t hearing.
Riza scored one more goal (from the corner of his eye Ed could see Roy’s badly hidden excitement), and team Amestris ended up winning the bronze medal with a 4-1 game. As they got their medals, no one on the ice looked prouder than Olivier Armstrong, and Ed guessed she would soon start sending smug messages from their celebrations to Roy. They had a weird rivalry going on, having known each other since they were kids. Ever since having to finish her playing career early because of an injury, Olivier had acted bitterly towards Roy and used every opportunity she could to brag him about her coaching achievements.
Roy didn’t care about Olivier’s expressions, though, because his and Riza’s eyes met and his expression turned softer than Ed ever remembered seeing.
“Could you be any more obvious?” Ed asked with annoyance, but then a familiar arm wrapped around his, making Ed forget all about the googly eyes around him.
Ed tried to talk himself out of the ending ceremony of the Olympics, because having played only one game and having to walk on the crutches, he thought he would feel out of place there. However, his teammates kept insisting, and when the goalie Armstrong offered to carry him on his back at the stadium, he knew he was fighting a lost battle.
Since it was a known fact that these were Gracia’s last Olympics, she got the honor of carrying the flag of Amestris as one of the most successful figure skaters the country had had so far. Her fiancé was next to her the whole time, gesturing towards her every time a camera went past. Winry, who also walked near her, glanced at Ed on Alex Louis Armstrong’s shoulders every once in a while. He looked a bit embarrassed but was still smiling and waving at the audience just like everyone else in their group. Winry knew he was actually happy to be able to participate and grinned at him when she noticed he was watching her.
A bit later, they were sitting in the stands next to each other, and when the fire on the giant torch went out, and the final fireworks formed colorful shapes above, Ed said: “Can’t believe it’s over.”
“Yeah,” Winry agreed. “But let’s not be sad that it’s over, let’s be happy it happened, right?”
“Sounds good to me.” Ed looked briefly down and saw Winry rubbing the knuckles of his real hand through the glove. Something warm that he couldn’t describe started bubbling in his stomach, making him happy he was there in that moment.
”Hey, granny!” Winry answered her phone at the airport. It was a day after the ending ceremony, and everyone had packed their things and left the hotel after the breakfast to start their trip back home.
”Hey, dear.” Pinako Rockbell greeted her granddaughter. “Are you on your way home yet?”
“We just arrived at the airport. Uh, that’s sort of why I’m calling.”
“Oh.”
“You see…” Winry started a bit hesitantly, “we get back to Central City quite late and there aren’t any trains leaving to Rush Valley until tomorrow…”
“And? Are you going to stay at the hotel for the night?” Pinako asked.
“Actually… I was going to stay at Ed’s place. If that’s OK with you.”
Pinako had to admit she still saw Winry as her little girl, but it was a fact that she was already 18 and way smarter than Pinako had been at Winry’s age. So in a way, it would be hypocritical of her to deny her this.
“Ed’s? So, are you two a couple now?” Pinako asked curiously.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Winry still blushed when she stopped to consider the fact that she really had a boyfriend now.
“Oh. I hope that runt is treating you well,” Pinako stated coolly.
“He is! I mean, he’s nothing but respectful…” Winry reassured her.
“Good. Well, you are an adult now so you have to make your own decisions. But remember to be careful. And use protection!”
Winry’s eyes widened. “Granny! Just because I’m staying a night there doesn’t mean… ugh… Sleeping is all we are planning to do. He’s recovering from a pretty bad injury.”
“I believe you,” Pinako said. Winry thought she could hear a bit of laughter in her voice. “Somehow, I still have a feeling that’s not the only reason why you are calling. You wouldn’t listen to your old granny even if I had said no. So, what’s on your mind?”
“Granny… I think I’ve made my decision about the next step in my career. But I want to hear your opinion before telling anyone else…”
“Go ahead, tell me.”
The two women spent a good while chatting about Winry’s plans before finishing the call. When Winry joined the others in the waiting area, Ed asked what Pinako had said.
“She called you a runt,” Winry snickered, loving to tease her boyfriend.
“She what?!” Ed looked mortified.
“Oh relax.” Winry waved it off. “She didn’t mean it like that. In fact, I think she approves of us. At least she allows me to stay with you.”
“Why wouldn’t she? It’s not like we…” Ed stammered.
“I know, Ed.” Winry sighed. “Anyway, I’m quite excited to see where you live. Although… I bet you don’t remember to clean and have sweaty clothes all over the floor.”
“Oh? I’ll prove you wrong then.” Ed smiled at his girlfriend mischievously and grabbed her from her shoulder, so she had to face him. Before he could pull her closer, though, Winry stopped him.
“Ed… There are cameras everywhere. Are you sure you want to do this?”
He looked around quickly, noticing that she was right. Clearly their group drew a lot of attention, with two Olympic figure skater medalists and two well known hockey player siblings in it. Sighing, he admitted: “Fine. Let’s save it for later.”
“Looking forward to it,” Winry ruffled his hair and turned her head to see what Al and Mei were doing. Clearly, they didn’t have any problems showing public display of affection. It looked like they had known each other much longer than the 5 days they had actually spent together. Mei was hugging Al tightly, and it wasn’t until then that it properly hit Winry that once Mei would leave to her own flight, they probably wouldn’t see each other in months. She and Ed had it easy compared to those two; at least they lived in the same country.
“So, how is it going with you two?” Ed asked when Al returned from the gate behind which Mei had disappeared. “Plans to move to Xing yet?”
“C’mon, brother, we haven’t known each other that long yet. I did promise to visit her in the summer, though. It’s not that far anymore… After that, who knows. She is from a wealthy family that is expecting her to make a name for herself… it’s not that simple for her to move to Amestris. Not that I’ve seriously considered asking her that yet,” Al blushed slightly. “It’s way too early. But I guess the summer will tell a lot…”
“I can’t wait to see dad’s expression when you just one day announce you’re going to move to Xing,” Ed teased. “Make sure to tell him when I’m there too.”
“Don’t be mean, brother. It might bite you back one day.”
“Har har. Anyway, we should go,” Ed nodded towards the gate where people had already started gathering to show their passports and tickets.
 …
“So, this is where you live?”
“Yup.”
Winry looked around with mild surprise. She didn’t know what she had expected. A mansion? A penthouse in one of the most expensive apartment buildings in Central? Wasn’t that what most rich hockey players bought? She wasn’t stupid, she knew Ed’s salary had at least one 0 more than hers, because unfortunately female athletes still didn’t receive the appreciation they deserved. But when she stepped into Ed’s apartment, it was almost like she had come back to Resembool (if you ignored the view from the window); it was surprisingly modest, with only the “necessary” furniture such as a small wooden dinner table with a couple of matching chairs and a black leather couch for two in front of a TV and a video game set. The bed in the bedroom was thankfully big enough for two to sleep, Winry noted happily. The cover on it wasn’t the most charming, though; it was black and had skulls printed on it.
“Where have you gotten that from?” Winry pointed at it, looking quite amused.
“Do I sense a Judgey McJudge raising her head?” Ed set his hands on his hips and tilted his head a bit. “Anyway, I think I got it when I first moved away from home but it’s been a few years so I don’t remember which store it was anymore. Why? Do you want to buy one too?”
“Nah, just wondering which store I should bribe to never sell anything to you again.” Winry retorted and stuck her tongue out.
“Is this it?” Ed pretended to be shocked. “Our first real fight as a couple, over my bed covers? I guess it was fun while it lasted.”
Winry pushed his shoulder lightly. “You’re such a big baby. Keep that thing if you want, but please let me bring my own pillowcase and duvet cover here so I won’t have to see nightmares.”
“Y-you’re already considering bringing your stuff here?” Ed asked, this time actually surprised.
“We agreed to be a couple, didn’t we?” Winry asked pointedly. “Couples visit each other sometimes. So yeah, I’m just meaning my visits. I’m not planning to move here any time soon. I have my career and friends in Rush Valley.”
“Right. Of course. Sorry.”
“You don’t have to be.” Winry softened, covering his cheek with her warm hand. “I know you don’t just magically get over your fear of commitment even if we did agree to do this. I… should also be better at remembering to not push it.”
“You’re pretty wonderful,” Ed gave her a gentle smile, very different from his usual one that went from ear to ear and often implied mischief.
“Thanks. I’m trying my best,” Winry said happily and continued taking in the rest of Ed’s apartment.
“I have to say, I’m surprised it’s this clean here. I expected a huge mess. You know, based on your hotel room and stuff.”
“Nah, it’s only because Al was staying here before the Olympics. Don’t get too used to this.”
“I’ll try to remember to thank him the next time we see him,” Winry noted. “Hey, is it OK if I use the shower? I’m feeling quite gross after that flight.”
“Yeah, go ahead. There are clean towels in that closet there if you need any.” Ed showed her the right door.
“Thanks,” Winry said before leaving her stuff in Ed’s room, grapping a towel and disappearing from his view.
Ed remembered the similar situation from a good week ago, when he and Winry had shared their first night together. Back then his thoughts had immediately gone to the dirty track, and he had secretly wished his leg wasn’t in a cast. But something had changed in such a short time. He understood now that what he felt towards Winry wasn’t purely physical attraction anymore. He respected her, admired her skills and personality and wanted her to be happy. Preferably with him, of course.
So while he still blushed fiercely at the thought of his naked girlfriend in the shower, he could focus on the more respectable details: the content smile on her face as the warm water eased the stiffness of her muscles after a long flight, the way she hummed happily one of her favorite songs while she rinsed off the soap (not that he’d admit ever hearing her humming).
Ed started taking in his surroundings, and something caught his eyes: a picture of his family, all together before his mother had fallen ill. For a long while Ed had hated that picture because it reminded him of what he could never have, what he so deeply wanted; a full family. But suddenly his parents’ looks towards each other caught his attention; their smiles told him they must have loved each other a lot. Briefly, he wondered if he and Winry could achieve that…
Love was something Ed understood only vaguely. Apparently, when you’re in love, your brain produces certain chemicals that makes you act like an idiot (or that’s what it sounded like in Ed’s opinion). Thinking back to his recent behavior, he certainly had acted quite weirdly (even more than usual, Al’s voice said in his head). He was blushing and stuttering and sometimes even sweating for no good reason, and he wanted to do things he had never wanted to do before (simply kissing had felt a bit absurd in his head). In Ed’s opinion, it was against all the chemistry rules he had learned so far. How could simply being with another person make your brain go drugged? But now that he was falling into that “trap”, he supposed not every reaction had to make sense. If being with Winry made him feel this happy, then to hell with equivalent exchange.
Was he ready to use the big and scary L-word yet? He was worried he would freak out both her and himself if he said it out loud (after all, it had only been 3 weeks since they were reunited), but he wished his actions were clear enough that she knew how he felt even without saying it. Winry had already been honest about her feelings and he felt he owed her for it…  
Suddenly Ed remembered his letter. After Winry had asked for the break before her competition, Ed had decided to write down some of his thoughts to clear his mind, and wrote a letter for Winry that he however had never intended to give her. But with them leaving to their separate ways tomorrow, he thought that maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all. He hopped to his suitcase that was yet to be unpacked and found the slightly worn piece of paper from one of its pockets. He added a couple of lines at the end of the letter before he heard the shower turning off, making him push the paper into his pocket. Soon Winry stepped out with only a towel around her, a smaller one around her wet hair. She sneaked behind Ed and wrapped her arms around his torso before leaning her head against his shoulder blade.
“That felt nice,” she mumbled. “You should probably take a shower too, though… You smell like sweat.” She let go of Ed and started drying her hair with the towel.
“Hey, it’s just my masculine scent!” Ed tried to protest but pulled his bandage protector and a folding shower chair that he had gotten from Drachma from his luggage and focused on getting the protector on. When he got up, he noticed Winry was sporting a silk robe she had gotten from Xing, only underwear under it. He may he already seen her nearly naked, but that didn’t stop his mouth from going dry as the robe didn’t really leave too much room for his imagination.
“You’re staring,” Winry pointed out suddenly, not knowing how she should react to the fact that her form seemed to cause quite some interest in her partner.
“Can you blame me? You are hot as… OK, let me rephrase that: I am one lucky bastard to have a girlfriend like you.”
“You hockey players are so cheesy,” Winry said as she ran a finger on his cheek briefly. From her expression, though, Ed read that she was actually quite pleased by the compliment.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’mma take that shower now.”  He hopped into the bathroom with the chair in his hand.
Once he came out clean and refreshed some minutes later, he found Winry watching the picture of his family curiously.
“Why are you looking at it?” he asked.
“I’m just… trying to remember what it was like when we both still lived in Resembool,” Winry answered dreamily. “Do I remember correctly that you used to walk with stilts a lot? Because I was nagging about you being shorter than me.”
“I was not shorter than you!” Ed protested immediately.
“You were too!”
“Was not!”
“OK, let’s finish this before it stops being fun. I also remember your mum baking a lot of delicious pies, and my favorite part of hanging out at your house was always when she called us to get inside to taste them.”
“Yeah… it was nice,” Ed admitted, although there was a hint of sadness in his voice.
Winry sensed the change in his energy right away. “I’m sorry, you probably don’t want to talk about… I mean, it must be super painful to you… I should know.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry because I sometimes forget how much you have gone through too because you are so positive and helpful and energetic most of the time.”
“I… I don’t know how I do it sometimes. Maybe I’ve gotten good at putting on a smile even when I hurt. But I’m lucky to have such supportive people around me. It’s you guys who keep me going.”
She turned embrace him and placed a soft kiss on his jaw. Ed’s face heated again when he felt the silk against his bare skin and remembered she was wearing very little under it. He had to take the situation in control before something else would happen, so he broke the hug and tried to change the topic.
“So… Would you like to see more photos? I have some from our old house. Haven’t really looked at them since we moved out, but… who knows? Maybe you are in some of them too?”
“Are you OK with that, though?” Winry asked, trying to read his expression. What if the photos triggered some bad memories in him?
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Maybe it’s time for me to face the past…”
“In that case, we can do it,” Winry accepted and soon Ed pulled a photo album from one of the drawers.
They sat down on the couch and started flipping through the pages. On one of the first pages, there was a picture from Ed’s fourth birthday party, and Ed recognized a familiar blonde-haired girl among the guests.
“That’s you! I can’t believe I didn’t remember…”
“You didn’t remember me when we first met at the Olympics, right? Well, we were really small back then…”
“True… Woah, look at this! Did you… did you just throw that piece of cake on my face? What did I do to deserve that?” Ed asked, faking offended.
“You were probably the same brat as usual…” Winry said with amusement. “We had played the donkey’s tail game and you were bragging because you managed to get the tail closest to its rightful spot… because you peeked. I couldn’t accept that.”
“Sounds like something I would do,” Ed laughed and turned the page. Suddenly he exhaled sharply, and Winry didn’t have to look at the photo too long to understand why. In it, Ed was around 15 years old, and he was smiling widely at a little girl playing with her big white dog. Winry guessed Al must have taken that pic when visiting Ed, because she doubted Ed would have saved anything that Tucker took.
“That’s her, right?” Winry asked, and instinctively took Ed’s hand into hers, to comfort him.
“Yeah, she is…”
“If you want to… I would like to know more about her. Some happy memories?” Winry thought that maybe remembering the happy times could help Ed to get over the guilt he still seemed to carry.
“Well…” Ed seemed to consider it for a moment. “When it was her 4th birthday, her biggest wish was to get a birthday cake. With a bastard father like that, and mother gone, it was no wonder she hadn’t ever gotten to eat birthday cake before that. Since I had no games that day, I had plenty of time in my hands and decided to make her wish come true. Yeah, you probably guessed right that I hadn’t ever baked before that. But I decided to take it like a chemical experiment, and weirdly enough, it became edible. When Nina saw the cake, her expression… it was the happiest I had ever seen on her face. She came to me, hugged me and said: “Thank you, big brother.” It was the first time she called me that. This picture was taken that day, Al came to help us eat the cake too and he had a camera with him. I didn’t expect that picture to… I mean, Al must have put it there.” He continued to stare at the living room wall with a blank expression.
“That was very sweet of you. You look happy in that photo,” Winry noted calmly to drag Ed from his thoughts. “You must have really cared about her a lot…”
“Yeah… Ugh, dammit!” He slammed his fist on the couch suddenly. “Even now when I see this… it makes me so fucking angry… It makes me wish there was something I could do, but…”
“Hey, what if I told you maybe there IS something you can do for her?” Ed threw Winry a suspicious look, so she continued: “I mean, I know they both are long gone, but… I’ve been thinking… we can still help to prevent other kids from suffering the same kind of fate.”
“How?” Ed asked curiously.
“Well, I was thinking of giving some of my prize money to this organization that helps kids of abusive parents… They search for kids who might be in need of help, offer therapy and just talking company, a safe place to be… and so on… What do you think?”
“I think that sounds amazing… So, can I ask you how much exactly you are planning to give away?”
“Well…” she blushed. “Most of it… I mean, it’s not like I need…”
That was all she managed to say before he crashed his lips against hers. This kiss was more passionate than any of the ones they had shared before that, stirring a brand-new feeling inside them. At some point the album fell on the floor because the couple’s attention was elsewhere. They leaned against the arm of the couch, Winry sitting between Ed’s legs trying to avoid touching the cast, her upper body pressed against his. As Ed deepened the kiss, his hands started traveling on her robe, going from the waist towards her chest. Before reaching her breasts, he stopped to meet her gaze.
“Yes, Ed, you can touch them,” Winry confirmed even though Ed hadn’t voiced the question. She raised herself from her spot to give him a better access.
At first he just felt them through the fabric, but the small gasp Winry made encouraged him to inch his fingers under the garment. He seemed a little too proud of himself when he noticed how much Winry seemed to enjoy the automail hand, but suddenly he stopped and put his hands down.
“Not this chivalry again,” Winry sighed. “Do you trust me?”
“I do.”
“Then how about you let me take the charge? We don’t have to go all the way, but a little exploration won’t hurt, right?”
The eagerness from before returned to Ed’s face. “You’re right.”
Winry stood up from the couch and offered her hand to him. “Should we go to continue in your bedroom? This couch is kinda small and uncomfy…”
Ed agreed, letting her help him up. She gave him his crutches, and he hopped into the bedroom after her.
They didn’t sleep for quite a while.
The next day, Winry, Ed, Paninya and Rosé all gathered to the Central Station, where the train to Rush Valley was waiting for the figure skaters. Ed was planning to travel to Resembool once he had gotten his leg rechecked at the Central hospital. Paninya and Rosé were already looking forward to the next Grand Prix that would be held in North City, Amestris in a few weeks and they wondered if Garfiel would give them any time to recover from the jet lag before they would be forced to return to the ice. Winry just shook her head at their attitude; while she admitted she was pretty tired too (the reason for which was probably something entirely different than jet lag, though. She blushed as remembered what had happened last night. They hadn’t gone “all the way”, but their physical relationship had still taken a step forward), she was also excited to return back to the regular life, with the familiar people and tasks around her.
Suddenly, she felt Ed tap a finger against her arm and saw him nod to the side, trying to tell her he wanted to say something without the others listening.
However, the words seemed to have a hard time coming out. Ed just stared at his feet for a long while, so Winry finally decided to break the silence:
“I know I’m not your mechanic yet but remember to take care of your arm! It frustrates me to no end when people don’t…”
“Automail geek… just listen to what I have to say, OK?”
“Ugh, Ed, I’m listening the whole time, it’s you who doesn’t say what’s on your mind…”
Ed shifted in his spot uncomfortably. “You’re not making this easy, are you?”
“When have I ever done that?” Winry asked sarcastically.
“I wrote you a letter,” Ed pushed an envelope into her hand, ignoring her question. “I didn’t know if I should give it to you or not, but… I think it might open my mindset during… this all… a bit. I wrote it before your competition. But I also added something new into it.”
“Oh… thank you…” Winry started opening the letter, but Ed stopped her.
“No, not now. On the train. Or whenever you have a peaceful moment.” Ed glanced at Winry’s two friends briefly. They had started gossiping about Garfiel’s new boyfriend and if Ed had to guess, that chatting wouldn’t end in quite a while.
“OK. Will do.” Winry put the letter into her bag , wondering what exactly Ed told in that letter that he couldn’t say aloud…
It was quiet again for a while. Suddenly Winry realized she hadn’t told Ed about her plan yet.
“You know, I’ve been thinking.”
“Hmm?”
“My parents, they always put helping other people ahead of anything else. I want to do the same. That’s why I’m thinking I’m taking sort of a break from figure skating once this season is finished.”
“What? But I thought you love skating?” Ed asked with disbelief.
“I do!”
“What about all those people who come to see figure skating shows because they want to see you?”
“Just because I want to have a break from competing, doesn’t mean I’ll completely stop skating,” Winry pointed out. “No, I’ll still make sure to stay fit, and if someone asks me to take part in their exhibition, I might do it if it fits my schedule. There’s also a good chance I will continue competing after that year is over, only time will tell. But after hearing your story, I feel I want to do something more than just performing. I want to learn to make the best automail there is, to help the people who need them to smile again. Besides… Since I won’t have to travel that much… Maybe I can visit Central City more often.”
“I won’t complain about that.” Ed grinned.
“So… what do you think of my plan?” Winry asked cautiously.
“I think if that’s what you want to do, then I think it’s great!” Ed reassured her.
“Thank you.” Winry gave him a relieved smile.
“Now that we are on the topic… I have some plans too.” Ed noted suddenly.
“Oh? Tell me more.”
Ed started explaining his plan, and Winry had to brush a few tears away when she understood what the plan meant for him.
“So… will you be a part of it?” Ed asked finally.
“Gladly,” she answered before burying her face into his collar, smelling the earthy scent that she would sure miss while they were apart from each other.
It was so comfortable in that spot that Winry didn’t want to move for a while, until she heard Paninya and Rosé talking about the train leaving soon. She disentangled herself from Ed and took a few steps back so she could look at him in the eyes.
“I guess this is it…”
“I guess so…”
“Uh… you know… I had an amazing time at the Olympics… lots of it thanks to you… I know your tournament was a…”
“Disaster,” Ed helped. “No need to deny it.”
“But I selfishly hope I managed to make you feel a bit better.”
“You did. More than you know. And you taught me something important. I explain it in that letter.”
“Ok,” Winry said quietly, on the verge of tears again. “I’ll… I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too. But hey, didn’t someone say phones exist? I think I managed to figure out how to use it… Maybe.” Ed gave her a crooked grin, trying to comfort her.
“Idiot.”
That was all that was said before Winry closed the space between them again and pressed a soft kiss on his lips. It was entirely different from the kiss the previous night, which had been needy and passionate. Instead, with the kiss she was trying to tell him how happy she was to have met him. With the way he reciprocated, she realized he was probably trying to tell her the same thing. When she tried to pull away, he grabbed her arm, making her stop in her spot.
“Thanks. For everything. Let’s not say goodbye, let’s say ‘I’ll see you soon’ instead.”
“That does sound better,” Winry agreed and started fiddling with her bag to find her wallet. When she finally found it, she let out a small yelp.
“What’s wrong?” Ed asked.
“I think… I think I forgot to get cash before coming here… I was so sure I had some… How will I get my ticket now? They only accept cash…”
“I may have some…” Ed said slyly as he withdrew his wallet from his pocket. “But you will have to pay me back one day. Actually, I’m gonna make you buy me a ticket to Rush Valley at some point.”
“Huh?” Winry stared at him with confusion for a moment before she realized it was his way to promise her he’d visit her soon enough. “Oh! Right. You and your equivalent exchange…” she pretended to be annoyed as she accepted the money, even though she was happy to buy him that ticket. “Thank you. I really need to go now, though, so… see you soon.” She gave him one last kiss on his cheek before climbing into the train and turning to wave at him.
“See you!”
Ed was already about to leave the platform when he saw Winry looking at him from the window, and some weird urge made him yell: “Don’t you forget that promise! And read that letter!”
Winry just waved at him until the train started moving, and soon she didn’t see him again. She pulled the piece of paper from her bag and started reading.
“… I could continue longer, but Al is waiting, so I should stop writing. Just know that somehow, you have managed to break my shell even though I’ve tried to rebuild it so hard. But I’m not gonna do that anymore. It’s still too early, and besides, you need to focus on your competition, but one day, I hope I’ll be able to be brave enough to tell you this: I’m falling for you too.
Edited 23.3.: I realized I never said those words back to you, so here we go. You deserve them. And more.
To quote Mr. Magpie: “It’s funny how sometimes you have to fly away, so you can find your real home.” I think you know what I mean there.”
Winry pulled her phone from her bag quickly, and typed:
“I do know.
♥”
A/N: Here we are! What is Ed’s plan though? Find out in the epilogue!
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starspangledbanner27 · 5 years ago
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**CHAPTER UPDATE – Chapter 4 posted**
Fandom: Saving Mr. Banks (AU)
Description: AU take on the movie, exploring what might have happened if the author of the Mary Poppins books had been someone very different from P. L. Travers.  For Carrie Schultz, the chance to collaborate with Walt Disney Studios to bring Mary Poppins from the page to the screen is a dream come true.  However, matters grow complicated when animated penguins prove to be a point of contention, a friendly working relationship turns into more than she bargained for, and Carrie struggles to prevent Walt’s team from discovering her own hidden afflictions.
Characters: Carolina “Carrie” Schultz (OC), Don DaGradi, Walt Disney, Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, Ralph
Rating: T
Genre: Drama/Romance
Language: English
Read on Fanfiction.net, AO3, Wattpad, Quotev, or below.
From the beginning: Fanfiction.net, AO3, Wattpad, or Quotev.
Once again, many thanks to my faithful readers!  Whether you comment directly on the story or message me privately, I am always happy to hear from you. :)
A/N: For the purposes of this story, I have aged Don DaGradi down somewhat. Whereas in the movie he is in his early fifties, in this story he is somewhere between thirty-five and forty years old.  (If you’re familiar with The West Wing and/or Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, picture something like Josh Lyman in the later seasons or Danny Tripp with auburn hair.)
~~~~~
Chapter 4
The next morning at 9:27 sharp, I stood waiting outside the front door of the hotel with my purse on my arm, my shoulders squared, and my head held high, ready to take on the world—or so I tried to convince myself.
Taking a deep breath, I smoothed my hands down the front of my royal blue tweed business dress with the sleeves that came halfway down my upper arms.  Knowing what I knew about the Walt Disney company and how it was run, I’d packed plenty of semi-casual outfits to wear in the coming days; but today I was most concerned about making a good first impression, and for that the blue tweed dress was perfect.  Stylish yet sober, it was my go-to for whenever I needed to look strikingly professional.  It came with a matching jacket, which I wore draped over my shoulders lest I overheat with my arms in the sleeves.  A large black barrette held my wavy brown hair back in a low ponytail, and a pair of shiny black two-inch pumps completed the look.
With a sigh, I opened my purse and drew out the ladies’ wristwatch that I kept in there because I couldn’t stand wearing it on my wrist.  I checked the time—9:28.  Any minute now.
Squinting slightly, I gazed out beyond the overhang. The morning air was refreshingly mild, but the bright sunshine promised another torrid California spring day.  I wasn’t unaccustomed to heat—our Iowa summer temperatures often reached the mid-eighties—but I had always preferred cooler weather.  As a child, I loved to go out on the porch after a summer thunderstorm and smell the freshly-cleared air and feel the breeze on my cheek.  I’d look out at the lilac, azalea, and rhododendron bushes that surrounded the house, and I’d smile to myself when I saw the heat-oppressed flowers finally perking back up, daring to breathe once more.  The sun beat them down, but the rain brought them back. The rain brought life.
Shaking myself out of contemplation, I checked my watch again.  9:30. And, sure enough, I looked up to see Ralph’s car pull in under the overhang, right on the dot.  He hopped out, beaming like a ray of sunshine himself. “Good morning, Miss Schultz!”
“Good morning,” I replied, smiling back at him. “How are you today?”
“Oh, just right as rain, Miss Schultz.  And how ’bout yourself?”
“I’m doing well . . .” . . . I think.  In all honesty, I had to admit to myself that beneath my formidable exterior, I was, from head to toe, a nervous wreck—but I wasn’t about to let it show.  I took a deep breath and drew myself up a little straighter.
By now Ralph had come around the back of the car to where I stood.  “Yeah, today’s the big day, huh?  Walt Disney Studios, home of the big man himself—boy, won’t that be exciting!”  
“That it will be,” I agreed.
Still smiling, he opened the door for me to get in. “Hey, the sun came out again,” he remarked, gesturing towards the bright, cloudless sky.
Though I’d already seen it, I glanced out once more in the direction he’d indicated.  “Indeed,” I murmured.
“You like the sunshine?” he asked.
“Yes, I like the sunshine; not so much the heat, though.”
“Ah,” he nodded understandingly.  “Well, shall we, uh . . .”
“Oh—right, of course.”  I climbed into the car, he eased the door shut, and the next thing I knew, we were humming along the streets of Los Angeles, on our way to Walt Disney Studios.  
I spent most of the ride staring out the window with unseeing eyes as my imagination played out everything that could possibly happen in my first moments there, when I would finally arrive and meet the people I’d be working with for the next three weeks.  Would they be warm and friendly, or would they be aloof and inflexible? Would they be happy to have me there, or would they be coolly polite at most?  Had I made the right decision by coming, or would I end up regretting every minute?
“Well, here we are, Miss Schultz!”
Ralph’s chipper voice roused me from my reverie, and I looked up as the car slowed to a halt beside a small security booth.  “May I help you?” asked the man inside.
“I’ve got Miss Carolina Schultz here to see Mr. Disney,” Ralph replied.
After a short pause, the guard spoke again.  “All right, proceed.”
We coasted through the entrance and onto the lot, past a large sign with Walt Disney Studios spelled out in silver letters, and around to the sidewalk in front of a tall red-brick building, where three men in business suits stood waiting expectantly.  This must be the welcoming committee, I thought as they bent down and waved to me one by one.  The apparent head of this trio looked to be in his mid-to-late thirties, with laughter-filled brown eyes, a wide, friendly smile with a deep dimple in each cheek, and reddish-brown hair swept back in a slightly disheveled fashion.  The other two looked almost identical from afar—they shared a similar height and build, as well as the same dark hair styled the same way.  As we approached, however, I could see that one of them appeared slightly shorter and more upbeat, while the other, somewhat older-looking one was leaning on a cane.
Once the car came to a stop, the man with the auburn hair stepped forward to open the door for me; but before he could do so, Ralph hurried around the back.  “Oh, I can get that, sir!” he called.
The man gave an obliging nod and moved back to where he’d been standing before.  “Got it?” he asked.  
“Yes, sir,” Ralph said, pulling the door open.
As I stepped out of the car, the auburn-haired man extended his arms welcomingly.  “Good morning, Miss Schultz!”
“Good morning,” I replied, “Mr. . . .?”
“DaGradi.  Don DaGradi, scriptwriter.”  Grinning, he held out his hand; and everything I saw in his eyes—the joy, the energy, the infectious enthusiasm—I felt in his handshake. 
“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. DaGradi.”  I returned his smile. 
“Likewise, I’m sure.”  He then gestured to the other two men.  “This is the rest of your team; this is Dick and Bob Sherman, music and lyrics.”  He turned to address them.  “Boys, meet the one and only Miss Carolina Schultz, the creator of our beloved Mary!”
My smile widened.  “If she is half as beloved to you as she is to me, then I’m sure we’ll get along very well.”  I proceeded to shake hands with the Shermans.  “Now, which one of you is Dick, and which is Bob?”
“I’m Dick,” the younger man replied eagerly. 
“And I’m Bob.”  The older one inclined his head slightly.
“We’re brothers,” Dick added.
“Oh, how nice!  So, you’re the songwriters?”
“That’s right!” he affirmed.  “At your service.” 
“Well, I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with for this movie.”
Bob smiled.  “Good, ’cause we can’t wait to show you.”
“Wonderful.”  I turned back to Don.  “Now, I was told that when I arrived here, I would get to speak with Mr. Disney.  Is he ready to see me?”
“Well, we were hoping to give you a little tour of the studio first,” Don replied.
“Oh.  Does . . . does that involve a lot of walking?”
He shrugged.  “A fair amount.”  Noticing my hesitation, he asked, “Is that a problem?”
“Uh . . . well, I—I mean, I’d love to see the tour, but I’m just really tired from my . . . trip.”
“Oh, of course; I hadn't thought of that.  Well, we can certainly do it another time.”
“Yes, that would be lovely.  So . . . in that case, I suppose it’s time for me to go meet with Mr. Disney.  Would you be so kind as to point me in his direction?”
“Actually,” Don said, “it’s quite a long walk to where he is.  If you’ll just come with me, Miss Schultz, I’ll show you a better way.”  He started down the sidewalk, beckoning for me to follow.  The Shermans tagged along as well, exchanging a conspiratorial smirk as Don led us around the side of the building to where several small vehicles were parked.  He swept his arm grandly toward one of them.  “Miss Schultz, allow me to present the Disneymobile, our preferred mode of transportation.”
“Oh, I see; a golf cart!”
“Ah, but no ordinary golf cart,” Don replied with a wink.  “This, as you can see, has Mickey Mouse on the front, which, of course, makes it The Disneymobile.  You won’t find one of these anywhere else, Miss Schultz.”
Laughing, I stepped forward and allowed him to help me into the cart—or, rather, “the Disneymobile.”  Once I was comfortably settled, Don strode around to the other side and sprang into the driver’s seat.  Since each cart seated only two people, I expected that Dick and Bob would grab another and follow along; but instead they simply climbed up onto the back and held on tightly as we pulled out and drove across the lot.
As we rolled along, Don pointed out some of the various buildings, describing which part of the filmmaking process took place in each. “Way over there on the right is the Animation building, which is where we’re headed right now.  It’s where our artists and animators work, and it’s also where Walt’s office is located,” he explained.  “Across the street you have Inking and Painting, where we transfer the artwork onto celluloid sheets and add color so it becomes what you see in the movies. Then we photograph them onto film, over there in the Camera building.  And then, of course, there’s the post-production process, which takes place in the Cutting building, right next to Camera.”
I was so absorbed in what he was saying that I didn’t notice the sharp curve in the road until we were whipping around it at full speed. “Whoa!” I exclaimed, grabbing onto the roof of the cart just in time to keep myself from flying out.  
Don glanced over at me.  “You okay?”
I nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.  “Yeah, I think so.”
He gave an embarrassed smile.  “Sorry about that.  I should have warned you we’d be going around a turn.”
“It’s all right; I should have been paying closer attention.”
“We forgive you, Don!” Bob proclaimed from the back, and we all laughed.
At last, after several minutes, we came to a stop in front of the Animation building.  “And here we are!” Don announced as we climbed out of the cart.
“Wow,” I breathed, gazing up at the three-story building.  
Dick smiled.  “Pretty impressive, huh?”
“Yeah.  I can’t believe I’m really here.  It almost feels like a dream.”
“Oh, it’s real,” Bob assured me.
I shook my head slowly.  “It’s amazing.”
Don grinned.  “Well, get used to it, cause this is where you’ll be spending most of your time for the next three weeks.”  He turned to the Shermans.  “I’m gonna take her up to Walt’s office; you guys coming?”
“No, you go ahead,” said Bob.  “Dick and I will park the cart and then head upstairs to get things ready.  We’ll see you guys in the rehearsal room.”
“All right then.  Miss Schultz, right this way.”
Together Don and I strode up the walkway and mounted the wide concrete steps to the main entrance, where he reached out to pull the door open.  “After you,” he said.
“Thank you,” I replied; and we walked in.
The temperature inside was pleasant, but warm enough that I decided to shed my jacket, which was still resting on my shoulders.  “I can take that for you if you’d like,” Don offered once I’d removed it.
“Thank you; that would be nice.”  I held it out to him, and he took it and folded it over his arm.
They really are going all-out, I mused silently as we climbed the stairs to the third floor.  The men were very friendly and courteous, to be sure; but I couldn’t decide whether to feel pleased or suspicious about it.  This was business, after all.  Fun, hopefully, but still business.  Perhaps they were just trying to win me over.  And yet, it had to be more than just that, for there was a sincerity in their manner that put me instantly at ease.
At last we reached the third floor and headed down a wide hallway toward a pair of glass doors, through which I could discern what appeared to be a small waiting area.  When we arrived, Don opened the door for me once again, and I walked through.
The waiting area consisted of a brown curved sofa and two end tables lined up against the far wall, with a woman in a light blue dress sitting behind a desk near the doors.  She had short, dark hair and a round, pleasant face with bright red lips, and she looked to be about my age.  As Don and I entered, she stepped out to greet us with a wide smile.  “Good morning!”
“Good morning, Dolly,” Don replied amiably.  “Miss Schultz, this is Dolly, our receptionist.  Dolly, the famous Carolina Schultz.”
“It’s such an honor to have you here,” she gushed.
“Thank you; I’m honored to be here,” I said, smiling at her bubbly welcome.  “Could you please let Mr. Disney know I’ve arrived?”
“Absolutely!  Please have a seat; he’ll be with you in just a minute.”
“Thank you.”
Once we were seated on the sofa, Don leaned over and spoke quietly to me.  “A word of advice, Miss Schultz, if I may.”
“Of course.  Have . . . have I done something wrong?”
“No, no—nothing like that.  It’s just that he can’t stand being called ‘Mr. Disney’; we’re all on a first-name basis here.”
“Oh, I see.  So I should call him Walt?”
“He would prefer that, yes.”
“All right.”  I hesitated.  “Does . . . does that go for you guys, too?”
“Well, I can’t speak for the Shermans, but I know I’d rather be called Don than Walt.” 
I blushed in embarrassment.  “I’m sorry; I should have phrased that differently.  What I meant was, do you prefer to be called by your first names?”
He looked at me then, and I saw his eyes were twinkling.  “I know what you meant, Miss Schultz; I was just being funny.  Or at least attempting to be,” he said with a wry grin.  “But in answer to your question, yes, we all go by our first names.”
I nodded.  “Okay.  Thanks for letting me know . . . Don.”
He smiled.  “And what do people call you?  Carolina?”
“Well, that’s the name on my books, but I seldom use it anywhere else.  I mostly go by Carrie.  You guys can call me that, if you want.”
“Carrie . . . I like that,” he remarked to himself.  Then, turning to me—“All right then, Carrie it is.”  I smiled and blushed a little.
At that point, our conversation lapsed.  Don stared off into the distance, bouncing his leg slightly and tapping his fingers on his knee.  Meanwhile, as the seconds stretched into minutes, I grew more and more antsy at the thought of meeting Walt Disney—the king of animated motion pictures himself!  I stretched my arms out in front of me, clenching and unclenching my hands repeatedly in a vain attempt to alleviate my jitters.  Don noticed this and looked over at me with a knowing smile.  “You nervous?”
“Oh, no, not at all.  I’m only about to meet the Walt Disney; why on earth would I be nervous?”  I gave a half-smile to let him know my sarcasm was meant in fun. 
He chuckled.  “It’s all right.  He has that effect on everyone.  But trust me—once you meet him, you’ll see there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“Are you absolutely sure I should call him Walt?” I asked.  “I mean, it just seems so informal, and I’d really hate to appear rude.  But you did say he likes everyone to call him that?”
“He does indeed.  If you don’t believe me, ask him yourself,” Don replied good-naturedly. Then, all of a sudden, his head perked up, and his brow furrowed slightly.  “Hold on . . . I think I just heard the door to his office.”
My eyes widened, my heart palpitated, and my hands clasped tightly together.  Oh my gosh, this is actually happening.  Down the hall, I heard a deep cough; and two seconds later, he—Walt Disney—emerged from around the corner, threw open his arms, and strode across the room toward us, beaming, as we stood up.  “Well,” he boomed, “here you are, at last!  Oh, my dear gal”—he seized my hand in both of his and shook it vigorously—“you can’t imagine how excited I am to finally meet you!”
It took me several seconds to regain my power of speech. “Oh!  Well, it’s an honor, Mr. Disney.”  My face reddened as I realized my mistake and quickly corrected myself. “Oh—I mean Walt.  Don said I ought to call you Walt.”  I gave him a questioning look. 
“That’s absolutely correct,” Walt replied warmly.  “‘Mr. Disney’ was my old man, and I like to keep it that way.  But enough about me—what do you think of the studio?  You like what you’ve seen?  I trust the boys have already given you the tour.”
“Actually, they were kind enough to give me a rain check. I was a little too tired to handle much walking.  But I do love everything I’ve seen so far—especially the Disneymobile.”  I threw a smile at Don, who had already been grinning widely from the moment Walt entered the room. 
Walt raised an eyebrow, glancing curiously in Don’s direction.  “The Disneymobile?”
“Golf cart,” Don explained.  
“Ah.”  Walt chuckled.  “Well, I’m glad to hear that.  And I guarantee there’s lots more to love around here . . . but I won’t say anything more about that.”  He raised his eyebrows mysteriously.  “You’ll just have to stick around and see the magic for yourself.  Come on, right this way.”  With that, he turned and strode back the hall. 
I glanced hesitantly at Don, who gave a slight nod in the direction Walt was headed.  “Go on. I’ll be waiting out here when you’re done.  And, Carrie?”
“Hmm?”
“Don't be nervous.”  He gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.  I nodded, smiling my thanks, and hurried after Walt. 
I caught up to him where he was standing near another desk with another woman sitting behind it—one who appeared to be in her mid-forties, with dark red hair and a calm, pleasant face with laugh lines at the corners of her eyes.  Walt looked up from his conversation with her just as I rounded the corner.  “Oh, there you are!” he exclaimed.  “I was starting to worry I’d lost you.”  Before I could reply, he gestured to the woman at the desk, who had stood up when I appeared.  “Carolina, this is my secretary, Tommie Blount.  Tommie, meet the one and only Carolina Schultz.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” she said warmly, offering her hand. 
“Nice to meet you, too,” I replied, shaking hands with her.  “And, please, call me Carrie.”  I sent a brief glance in Walt’s direction.  “Everyone does.”
“Well, then, Carrie,” Walt said, “won’t you join me in my office?”
“Uh—certainly.”  I looked over my shoulder to exchange another smile with Tommie as I followed Walt into the adjoining room. 
When I walked through the doorway, I halted in amazement.  Never before had I seen an office like his—so spacious, yet so homey.  The wall directly to my right was lined with bookcases that held not only books, but also numerous knickknacks—many of which were figurines of characters from his movies.  In front of the bookcases sat a three-seat couch and a glass-top coffee table. Two large windows flooded the room with light; on their sills rested more figurines.  A large globe in a wooden stand stood near one of the windows, and two plush off-white chairs sat facing each other at opposite ends of the room.
In the corner across the room was Walt’s desk, which he moved to stand behind.  “Come, have a seat!” he called, indicating one of two chairs that sat across from him. As I walked over, I took note of the various paraphernalia that cluttered his desk: two small lamps, a few books, a model airplane, a pencil holder full of pens and pencils, and the pixie bell I’d seen him ringing on television the day before.  In the very center, on the side closest to me, sat a small wooden plaque that read, We can make them live.  And on the wall behind the desk were several shelves lined with even more figurines.
“You like all the trinkets?” Walt asked, noticing my curious interest. 
“Yes, they’re fascinating!” I said as I sat down. 
His eyes twinkled.  “Good, good!  Tommie keeps telling me I should clean out my office and get rid of all this ‘junk,’ as she calls it.  And you know what I always tell her?”  Without waiting for an answer, he went on.  “I say, ‘Tommie, these little trinkets represent the things that bring joy to a child’s heart.  And as long as that’s true, there’s no better place to keep them than right here in my office, where I can see them every day and be reminded of what we’re all about here: bringing joy to the hearts of children.’”  He chuckled.  “Of course, she thinks that’s just a fancy excuse for not wanting to clean out my office; but there is truth to it, Carrie. That is what this company is all about, is bringing joy to the hearts of children—and adults, too, for that matter.”
He paused thoughtfully for a moment, then turned and pointed to one of several framed pictures on the wall behind him—a pencil sketch of a young woman.  “You know, Diane here, my oldest daughter—oh!” he interrupted himself.  “Can I get you something to drink?  A coffee, perhaps?”
“That would be very nice, thank you.”
He nodded and went on.  “Anyway, Diane has two little daughters of her own: Joanna and Tamara—but of course, we call them Joey and Tammy.  And one time, when I came to visit them, I found them sitting on the couch.  Joey was reading to Tammy, and those girls, they were just giggling their little socks off.”  He picked up his phone to use the intercom.  “Ah, Tommie?  A hot coffee for Carrie and me.”
I heard her voice through the door.  “Right away, Walt.”
“Ah, you’re a doll.  She is, she’s a doll,” he said as he hung up the phone and turned back to me.  “And anyways,” he continued, “I asked them, I said, ‘Girls, what’s so funny?’  And Joanna says to me, ‘Why, Grampy, Mary Poppins!’”  He laughed, and I couldn’t help laughing with him. 
“Well, at that point, I didn't even know what a Mary Poppins was,” he admitted.  “But then she gave me one of your books; and oh, by gosh, my imagination caught on fire—absolutely on fire!  And now, here we are!”
I nodded.  “Indeed.  I’m so happy to be here.  I can’t wait to start working on the movie.”
“Oh, I feel the same way; and so does my team.  You know, we’re doing a wonderful thing here.  Our motion picture is not just going to make my grandkids happy; it’s going to make all kids happy, adults too.  Because my guys are going to do things with it that are revolutionary, Carolina, revolutionary!  Your Mary Poppins is going to literally fly off the pages of your books!  Oh, thank you, Tommie,” he said as Tommie came in with our coffee.  “This magical woman who has only lived inside your head, well, you are going to be able to meet her, speak to her, and you’re gonna hear her sing.”
“Yes, I’m very excited!” I assured him.
“Do you take cream in your coffee?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Sugar?”
“Please.”
He poured in the cream and sugar, stirring them around as he spoke.  “You know, ever since this company was born, we’ve brought dozens of films to the big screen—many of which are based off books just like yours.  And in all these years, we haven’t lost an author yet.” He handed me my coffee cup.  “I have high hopes for what we’re going to accomplish here together, Carrie, and you can rest assured we’ll do our very best to make this an experience you won’t regret.”
“Mr. Disney—” I caught myself.  “I’m sorry—Walt . . . forgive me for being so blunt, but it sounds like you’re trying to convince me of something.  Are you worried I might be having second thoughts?”
He took a slow, thoughtful sip of coffee.  “Well . . . I suppose I still don’t quite understand why you turned us down the first time.”
After a long pause, I spoke.  “It wasn’t that I was uninterested.  I do like the idea of this project, and I’m glad it ended up working out.”  I sighed deeply.  “The reason I said no initially . . . well, it was really just the timing of it all.  Your offer just happened to come right after I’d found out about . . . well . . . I believe my agent told you?  About my . . .”
“Yes . . . yes, she told me.”
“Right.  Anyway, I was going through so much; I just couldn’t handle a movie rights deal on top of everything else.  But . . . by the second time you approached me, things had changed; and I wanted to accept this opportunity before . . . before it was too late.”
“I see,” he said quietly.  “And you wanted to come here and work on it with us because . . .”
I took a deep breath.  “Well, you see, Mary Poppins and the Bankses—they’re like family to me.  I want to make sure that they’re portrayed as I know them, and that the life they live on screen is one they’d be proud of.”
He nodded.  “Well, we shall do our very best.  And, of course, nothing happens without your say-so.”  He opened his desk drawer and brought out a paper.  “It’s all here in the rights agreement that was approved by your agent,” he said, holding it out to me.
I took it from him and glanced over it.  “A live-action film?  No animation?”
“Live-action.  Here’s a pen.”
I looked back up at him.  “Walt, I know my agent has already approved this, but I do make it my personal practice not to sign any contract without first reading it for myself.  So if you don't mind, I’d like to take this with me tonight and bring it back tomorrow morning.  I hope that won’t cause any inconvenience.”
“Certainly not,” he replied with a smile.  “You’re a wise young woman.”
I smiled back at him, then folded the contract and tucked it in my purse.
After a moment’s pause, Walt sat down in his chair and folded his hands on his desk.  “Well, now that we have all the business taken care of . . . how are you feeling, Carrie?”
“I’m well, thank you,” I replied.
He raised an eyebrow.  “You’re well.”  
I shrugged.  “As well as can be expected.”  After a pause, I asked, “You . . . you haven’t told the others?”
He shook his head.  “I haven’t said a word.”
“Good.”
He held my gaze with a seriousness that belied his trademark happy-go-lucky persona.  “You’re sure you want to do it this way?”
“Yes,” I replied with a decisive nod.  “Yes, I’m sure.  I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I just think it’ll be much easier if they don’t know.”
“Very well.”  His eyes probed mine.  “And you’re sure you feel up to this?”
I shrugged again, smiling.  “Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?”
He nodded and chuckled slightly.  “Indeed you are.”  
A few moments passed in which neither of us said anything; then he cleared his throat and glanced at the clock.  “Well, we can’t keep the guys waiting too long.”  
“No, of course not,” I agreed.  He rose from his chair, and I followed suit.  Together we walked toward the door.  
“Now, the boys and Dolly should get you all taken care of; but if at any time you need anything, you know where to find me,” he said.
“I’ll remember that.”  Having reached the door, I turned to face him.  “Thank you for your time, Walt.  It was an honor to finally meet you.”
“The honor is all mine, Carrie,” he replied with a warm smile.  
I smiled back, then took a deep breath.  “Well then . . . shall we begin?”
He nodded and shook my hand.  “Let’s make something wonderful.”
Heart racing, I returned his nod and strode out the door.
~~~~~
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@iwillalwaysreturm | @writings-of-a-narwhal | @24hourshipping
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emeraldwaves · 6 years ago
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Title: A Dragon’s Magic Chapter 4 Pairing:  Kacchako Rating: M Word Count:  5,375 Summary: Uraraka Ochako has always believed in dragons, though she was constantly told they were long since extinct. Now an adult and professional mage, she’s ready to help her parents as a healer for their village. The last thing she expects is for her beliefs to become a reality, but when a dragon attacks her village, she learns there’s more to magic than she ever could’ve realized. Read on AO3 Thanks to @its-love-u-asshole for reading this over. Intense stuff is picking up!
Katsuki didn't care about humans. He hated them for stealing their magic, and he fucking hated how they all thought they could rule the fucking world and do whatever they wanted.
He didn't care about humans, even as he stood, still chained up, as the girl who rescued him sobbed in front of her parents. His chest felt tight watching her press against her mother.
"What were you thinking?!" her father's voice yelled.
"She thought she was doing the right thing," her mother spoke, much softer.
"She thought she was doing the right thing by protecting that... that... thing!?" he snapped, glaring Katsuki's way.
"P-Papa please..." she sniffed. "He's... he deserves to be treated fairly, like everyone else."
Why the hell was she like this? He clicked his tongue and glanced away, his body feeling heavy, weighed down by the chains. The mayor put his mask back on and the girl hadn't taken it off this time, so even if he wanted to say something, it would've been muffled by the muzzle.
"What if he kills you when you take the chains off?!" her mother cried out, her face twisting in distress.
"He won't... I have a plan."
She was certainly fucking confident. He let out a soft huff, his breath blowing back into his face.
Was she really doing this simply because she liked dragons and wanted to know more about them? She was going to be sorely disappointed when he didn't offer her up any information. Humans didn't need to know about dragons, not even humans who saved his ass from certain death.
"I should kill him myself, then you'll get to stay," her father mused, glaring at Katsuki. He felt his body tense at that. He wasn't scared of the smaller man, but he didn't like being chained up in front of someone who clearly had a very real death wish for him.
"N-No, Papa! I want to help him!"
"I don't understand, Ochako," her mother said, choking back a sob. "You just got your license and you were... you were..."
"I-I know Mom... but... in a way... this is helping people too. He said... humans are taking magic away from dragons and... there are so many more things I think I can discover," she whispered. "I have to find out."
"You want to leave?" he mother sniffed.
"...For now..." she said softly. "But... I hate the idea of never being able to come back..."
Her father pulled her into a tight hug. "We'll find a way to get you back here, or your mother and I will move the clinic outside of town."
"Papa..." she whispered, wrapping her arms around the man tightly. "No one will come to the clinic if you move it and I work there. Everyone here knows they're not supposed to interact with me!"
"We'll find a way... sweetheart," her mother said. "Where... where are you going to go?"
"I want to understand more about why dragons could potentially be losing magic. I thought we could go see Todoroki in the city."
"Your friend from school?" her mother asked and Uraraka nodded. "Please write to me as soon as you get there."
"Of course," she whispered. Her brown eyes trembled and she hugged her mother tight. The bag on her shoulder looked heavy, filled with a few outfits and her staff, as well as some food her mother provided her with. The girl was obviously well-loved, and Katsuki continued to be baffled as to why she would make this extremely stupid choice.
"I love you," her mother said and kissed her head.
"Stay safe," her father muttered. "I... know you are an adult now and I wish to trust your judgment." His gaze flicked over to Katsuki. "Even if I don't understand it at all..."
"URARAKA!" A loud voice called out, and a tall blue haired boy came rushing up the hill, followed by a meek looking green haired boy.
"U-Uraraka!" he breathed out, panting to catch up to the speedier boy.
"I-Iida! Deku!" she gasped, and hugged them both.
Did this girl know the whole fucking village?! Katsuki let out another huff. It would've been fine if she would just take his stupid chains off. He could be on his way and she could have her little sad goodbye party, and he wouldn't have to watch and feel so damn guilty about it.
Right now, he was happy the two idiots didn't seem to notice him standing off to the side.
"W-We're so happy you're alive!" Deku said, hugging her hard. "We... We thought they were going to kill you!"
"I am... very grateful you remembered the law of banishment, but..." Iida looked down.
"Are you really going to leave?" Deku asked softly.
Uraraka nodded her head. "I... I just said goodbye to my parents." Her eyes turned towards Katsuki, and he stared back at her. Her brown eyes trembled with sadness, yet he could see a sense of wonderment in them as well. It didn't bode well for him, he thought. There was going to be no getting away from her.
And technically... she was giving all this up for him.
"We'll come with you!" Deku said.
Fuck off. One extra person was going to slow him down enough! If the idiot brigade came with him, they would probably all die before anything got fucking done. He scoffed, jerking his hands forward, moving the chains loudly, which had all eyes on him.
The green haired boy, Deku, blinked and immediately dashed towards him. "Wow!" he said, looking him up and down. "He really does look human up close! Incredible! Do you think he can change into a dragon whenever he wants? Are you sure he's going to be nice to you Uraraka?"
Katsuki growled, leaning towards the obnoxious boy. Deku immediately leaped back.
"Yes... Do you have plans for where you are going? Perhaps we should all go together?" Iida suggested. "We could keep him chained up for now-"
"MMMPPPHRHHH!" Katsuki yelled into the mask. Like HELL he was going to leave these damn chains on. The second he stepped out of the fucking town, he expected her to take the damn things off.
"I-I'm... very worried for your safety," Uraraka's mother said softly, looking towards the angry creature.
"I p-promise he won't hurt me," Uraraka said, moving to stand in front of him once again. "I-I have it on good faith he won't!"
"But how do you know? He seems violent," Iida said.
Uraraka waved her hands. "N-No! I swear, it'll be fine! I'll be fine! I have my staff and... it'll be fine."
"You're not exactly an offensive mage," Iida spoke bluntly.
"Just... are you sure you don't want us to come?" Deku asked, his face full of concern.
Katsuki didn't like these two. Why the hell were they so concerned about her? So far, Uraraka had been nothing but independent, and maybe a little reckless. Or a lot reckless. Not that he fucking cared. He was reckless all the damn time. Hell, getting caught was the direct result of him being fucking reckless...
It seemed to Katsuki this girl could handle herself just fine.
"I'll..." She began to speak, but then gently turned to look at him, her lips pulling into a smile. The sun behind her seemed to make her pale skin glow. "We'll be fine." He swallowed, his face feeling hot.
His attention quickly turned when her father approached him, glaring daggers at Katsuki. "If you kill my daughter, I will personally hunt you down and kill you. She is giving up her entire life to help you. Keep her alive."
Why the hell did everyone think she was a fucking weakling?
Besides, he wasn't going to kill her. He would spare her life for sparing his. But he wasn't going to allow her to follow him for long... he couldn't... he hated fucking humans.
"I hope we can... see you again. We'll find a way to get you back to the village!" Deku said, giving her another hug.
"I know you guys will," she said quietly. "I'll write to you from the city," she nodded.
She kept mentioning a city... Katsuki didn't like the sound of it. More people... more disgusting humans surrounding him with no backup from his own kind. Sounded fucking horrible.
After more heartfelt goodbyes, Uraraka finally pulled away from her family and the two obnoxious boys. Katsuki gave her some credit. She walked tall, holding herself with confidence as they moved forward. He dragged the chains on his feet against the ground, walking directly behind her, and as her cottage disappeared the further down the hill they walked, her shoulders began to slouch over, her body trembling as she sniffled, more tears trickling down her face.
She stopped at the bottom of the hill, biting down hard on her lip. Her eyes were red and puffy, her round cheeks looking even rounder with how swollen up her face was from crying. "I-I'm sorry... I p-promise I won't cry for the... the whole trip..." she said, wiping her eyes. "I haven't been this far out of town since I... left for school..." she admitted, looking out at the field which led to a large forest, seemingly never ending, as far as their eyes could tell.
She turned to look at him, as if she was expecting some sort of answer until she remembered his mouth was covered. "A-Ah!" she gasped, shoving her hand into her pocket. "W-We're far enough away from the town I-I can... t-take these off." She fumbled with the key, holding it up to the collar around his neck.
She paused. "I... I really hope we can have a good journey together."
Where the hell did she get the idea they were journeying together? Simply because she was banished on his behalf? He rolled his eyes, watching her stare at him. Was he ever going to be rid of this, stupid, cute, idiot?
"R-Right!" she gasped, shaking her head. "You can't answer because of the mask."
Her fingers gently pressed against his neck, her fingertips rough, but warm against his skin. It was a nice contrast to the cool metal of the chains... a different sensation. She was close to him once again, as she had been the night before, her small body pressed against him to heal him.
He resisted the urge to growl. Why the fuck was she always trying to save him? He didn't need fucking saving!
She swallowed, unhooking the collar, letting it drop to the ground. Katuski's eyes rolled back, and he tilted his neck back, stretching out the muscles completely.
She knelt down and unlocked the chains around his ankles, letting him stretch his feet out. She paused for a moment, as if she were waiting for him to run. Uraraka pulled in a short breath, and rose up, finally unlocking his hands. He grunted into the mask, rubbing his wrists with his fingers.
Uraraka didn't have to unlock the muzzle; it didn't have a key. But her fingers reached up, brushing against his upper cheek bone. Katsuki froze, tempted to jerk away, but she gently gripped at the clasps by his ears and unhooked them.
She swallowed, her fingers brushing over his jawline as she pulled the muzzle away from his face. Her brown eyes were wide as she met his reds. Her lips were slightly parted, her round cheeks tinted a cute pink color, and she stared at him. If she thought she could learn everything about him by looking at him, she was sorely mistaken, but it didn't seem to stop her from trying.
Fucking hell. Just who the hell did she think she was?!
"You're free..." she whispered, her voice gentle and soft. She let the muzzle drop to the ground, clanging against the dirt and pebbles.
"What the fuck are you doing, Round Face?!" he hissed. He was half tempted to bash his face against hers again.
"W-What do you mean?!" she gasped. "I-I'm helping you!"
"I didn't ask for your fucking help, and now you can't see any of those damn people ever again because of me!" he yelled.
"Did you want to die?!" she hissed. "I wasn't going to let them kill you!"
"Shut the fuck up! Of course I didn't want to fuckin' die," he growled, stomping towards the forest.
"Where are you going!? Do you even have a plan!?"
"Shut up! Don't follow me!" he yelled. He heard her feet stop moving, and he wondered briefly if she would actually stop following him...
He wanted to turn and look, but he couldn't. He couldn't look at her, not right now. He felt far too guilty for that.
~~
Her feet felt heavier and heavier, the further she drew away from the town. The emotions were beginning to sink in. She cried, yes, but it hadn't fully hit her... how far she would be from her family and friends for an eternity...
Was she being short-sighted?
She stared at Bakugou's back in front of her. When he walked the muscles rolled against his skin, his shoulder blades moving with each step. She wondered how it looked when he actually had wings and took flight. Could he stay in human form but just have wings?
Questions burned in her mind, though he didn't seem too keen on answering any of them.
She clutched her staff close to her chest, walking behind him, letting her feet scuff against the dirt. Maybe she wasn't trying hard enough?
"Bakugou!" she called, trotting after him. "I uhm... is it okay to ask you a few questions?"
"Oi..." he growled. "You're still fucking following me, Cheeks?"
"Uh... yes?" she said, tilting her head.
"I told you not to fucking do that," he grumbled, glancing back at her. She couldn't quite place the emotion in his crimson eyes. Confusion, perhaps?
"I... what do you want me to do exactly?" she muttered, looking down to the ground.
Snarling, he whipped his head around to look at her. His eyes narrowed, and he stormed back over to her. "I want you to the leave me the fuck alone! This is dragon business and I don't want a filthy human involved with it!"
"... But... I have nowhere else to go!" Ochako said, immediately glaring back at him. Okay, yes, he never asked for her help, but he would've died if she hadn't saved him. Did he really not care at all?
"Then go back to your village!" he snapped. "I'll give you... my fucking necklace and you can say you killed me and then they'll let you back in. Problem fuckin' solved."
She bit her lip and shook her head. "Not exactly... I invoked the law of banishment... so I... it means I chose to leave... instead of dying. If I go back, they can kill me on the spot and since I sided with an outsider who tried to murder half our village... they will kill me..." she explained softly, her hands wringing together nervously.
"What? That's a stupid fucking law," he said, flicking his gaze to the side.
"Kinda is..." she giggled sadly. She let out a sigh, her hands trembling against her staff. "Them killing you at all was ridiculous. No one asked you anything. No one tried to get your side of the story..."
"Yeah no one but you, and it's obnoxious," he growled. "And I can't exactly blame them. If someone showed up to our island and started attacking, I wouldn't spare their life," he hissed.
She blinked, pulling her teeth against her lower lip. "I-I guess... but dragons are extinct-"
"Oi! We're not extinct!"
"R-Right, clearly..." she shook her head. "We thought dragons were extinct... so I don't understand why people wouldn't want to learn more and..."
"I don't fucking want people 'learning more' or whatever," he snapped.
"But why?! According to legends humans and dragons worked together! Using magic, living peacefully... we could do that again!"
"Hah!" Bakugou scoffed and turned away from her, continuing forward through the forest.
Frowning, she continued to follow after him. "There was really no need to laugh at that..." she muttered.
"Look, Cheeks, if you want to follow me, so fucking be it. I won't fucking stop you. But quit asking stupid questions. Dragons hate humans, you stole our magic, and right now I'm trying to fix this damn problem. So sure, come along with me, but fucking shut up! Quit asking dumb questions... I'm not going to answer them."
He didn't look at her while he spoke, still walking forward, and Ochako wondered if he even knew where he was going. She couldn't help but wonder if he was slightly... directionally challenged seeing as they'd been walking in a straight line since they left. She couldn't imagine this would actually get them anywhere...
She was also surprised he had yet to turn into his dragon form. He kept mentioning humans stealing magic, so maybe he couldn't change? Were dragons running out of magic?
"Bakugou... do you know where you're going? And... if you do... where are we going?"
He stopped in his tracks, turning around to face her. "What the hell did I just say? No stupid questions!"
"I think I deserve to know where we're going!" she retorted.
"I told you, it's dragon business!" he scoffed.
Two could play at his angry little game. "At this point, where we're going doesn't really have anything to do with dragons! I want to know the location you are heading for because right now we've been walking in a straight line and I am honestly concerned you have no idea where you're going!" she yelled.
He stared at her for a moment and then clicked his tongue. "Shut up. I know where I'm going."
Smirking, she folded her arms. There was no way he did. "Oh yeah? Then where are we going?"
"I'm... I need to find my... damn idiot... another dragon!" he said finally.
"A-Another dragon!?" Ochako's eyes immediately lit up. "There are more of you!"
"I just told you we weren't extinct! I'm not the last dragon standing!" he replied, his eyes rolling. Though his cheeks were a bit red, and Ochako wondered if she kept pushing... maybe she could get him to reveal more.
"Hm..." she said, tapping her chin. "You did say you would attack anyone who came to your island. Do dragons all live together on an island?"
He clenched his fists. "No. Shut up!"
"I'm right!" she said, pressing her palms together.
"I just said no-"
"Okay, so you're trying to find your friend..." she continued, ignoring him. "You both came searching for magic, because dragons are losing magic?"
"Stop asking stupid questions!"
"You mentioned that humans are stealing magic from dragons but... do you realize that humans don't actually have magic?" she said quietly.
Bakugou's eye twitched, his eyebrows frowning. "Like I would believe a filthy lying human!" he grunted.
He turned away from her again, walking forward, and Ochako continued to follow. Bakugou was strange. He obviously hated humans, but he also didn't seem to fully understand them. It made sense... if dragons isolated themselves on an island, they would have no interaction with humans. He probably knew as much about her as she did about him.
The only difference was he wasn't willing to learn.
She let him walk in silence. The angry aura spilling from his entire being was enough to keep her quiet for now. As much as she wanted her answers, she didn't want to push him over the edge and have him abandon her. She had no idea how his transformation worked, and there was a small part of her that kept expecting him to shift into his dragon form and fly away.
There was a moment, when he glanced behind to look at her. Their eyes met and he quickly turned away, his cheeks red. She heard a soft growl slip from his lips and he picked up his pace, walking faster.
"Can I... make a suggestion?" she called out, scurrying forward to walk side by side with him.
"No."
"Your friend... do you know where he is? I mean... what exactly were you two aiming to do?"
"I don't... I mean I do... Fuck." He ran his hand down his face. "I don't know where he is, I've been trying to pick up his damn scent."
"Scent?"
"Yeah, his fucking smell. Don't you have shit like that?" he asked, looking at her quizzically.
"Not really? I mean people have smells but it's nothing you could track... I can't smell things from very far away."
He twisted his lips for a moment. The idea was probably incredibly foreign to him, but he shrugged it off, as if he remembered he wasn't supposed to care. "Yeah well, I can't find it, so I can't find him."
"Hey..." she said softly, stepping forward to touch his shoulder. His body was incredibly warm, her hand sticking to his sweaty skin. "We'll find him. I have an idea, if you want to listen."
Bakugou shrugged his shoulder away from her. "Forget it. We'll keep moving until I pick it up."
"I have a friend who lives in the city. He's a professional mage and he was the only other person who believed in dragons with me during school. He researches them extensively and if there were any other dragon sightings, he would certainly know," she suggested.
"No," Bakugou snapped. "We're not going anywhere near a fucking city that's going to be filled to the fucking brim with humans!"
"Why not?" she pouted. "I really think he could help! And it's not like you look like a dragon... we just need to get you... uhm... better clothes!" Her cheeks heated up as her eyes glanced over his body. He was incredibly toned and attractive; she hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now that she was thinking about it, she couldn't stop staring.
"Forget it. If you're gonna fucking follow me. We're going to do things my way!" he hissed.
She sighed, shaking her head. There had to be some way to convince him to listen to her.
~~
As much as Katsuki didn't hate Uraraka Ochako, he didn't like her either. She was still a fucking human, and he was starting to think she was also a damn liar. He wouldn't be fooled by her gentle smile and cute cheeks.
She kept mentioning how humans couldn't use magic, even though she healed him no problem. Who the hell did she think she was fooling?
He was desperate to find Kirishima's scent. If he could find the red-haired idiot, they could go back to the island and regroup.
Uraraka kept insisting they head towards the city to speak to her friend, but Katsuki refused. The last thing he wanted to do was involve more humans. Hell, he was tempted to tell her to leave him alone and go to the city on her own. If she had friends there, she could live there and be happy and would no longer be his problem.
"Bakugou?" Uraraka called, and he let out a huff of hot air. What the hell was she going to ask him now. He stopped walking and turned to face her, waiting for her to speak again. "Do you think maybe we should camp here for the night? The sun is going down and it's going to get colder..." she mumbled.
Humans were such weak creatures. Even with nothing to cover his chest, Katsuki was plenty comfortable in the current temperature.
"You fucking tired?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at her.
"We... have been walking all day. And we're probably going to be walking for the next few days. We should save our strength as much as possible..." she said.
He growled again and stormed towards a large grouping of trees. The forest was large, but the trees were decently spread out, far enough that there were plenty of places to sit and start a fire. He would've preferred to have kept moving through the night... but deep down he knew she was right. He had no idea where Kirishima ended up when they were separated and though he would have to find him eventually, who knew how long it would take.
"Where are you going?" she called out, watching him head for the trees.
"Firewood," he yelled back, picking up a few branches and logs scattered about on the ground.
"O-Oh..." she said. "I'll help!"
Grabbing her staff, she made her way over to a clearing, tapping a few larger pieces of wood. The pieces floated gently into the air, and she held her staff towards them, directing them back to the small clearing they discovered.
"Gravity magic," Katsuki observed out loud, watching the logs fall to the ground.
"Y-Yes," she breathed, wiping her brow. "I've been practicing it for awhile now. It... still makes me a little tired."
He dropped his own wood to the ground and held his palm out, a small spark of fire rushing from his hand. His arm shook a bit, and he knew he probably should've lit it in the natural way. The more magic he used, the closer he was to being completely depleted... and if it was that bad for him... he could only imagine how terrible it probably was for others.
"F-Fire magic!" she gasped, leaning forward towards the flame. "In-Incredible! And you didn't even have to use a magical object."
He clicked his tongue. "Course not," he growled. "It's fucking magic."
She lowered herself to the ground, tucking her legs in front of her. The glow from the fire flickered against her face, the sun almost completely set. Katsuki hadn't realized how close they were to the end of the day; perhaps stopping hadn't been such a bad idea.
"Uhm... Bakugou..." she said, tugging her knees closer to her chest. "I think you misunderstand the way humans use magic."
"I don't misunderstand anything!" he growled. She pushed herself closer to him and held out her staff to him. "What the hell do you want me to do with this? Should I throw it on the fucking fire?" he smirked.
"N-No!" she gasped and reached forward, yanking it back. She pulled it to her chest. "T-This staff belonged to my grandmother!! And I need it to do magic!" she said.
"It was just a joke, Round Face," he scoffed, turning away from her. Damn humans didn't even know when something was just for fun!
"O-Oh..." she sighed and slowly handed it back to him. "A-Anyway... I wanted to ask if you could... feel the magical energy in the staff?"
Katsuki had no desire to learn about human magic... not when... He bit his lip and shook his head, wrapping his palm around the staff. Immediately his eyes widened; the object practically hummed with magical energy. He didn’t know how to pull said energy from the object, but he could tell it was incredibly powerful. "The hell... is this..." he grumbled.
"I've been trying to tell you that humans can't use magic... We can only harness magical energy through items like this. So I don't understand how humans could take magic from you since we... can't use energy like you apparently can," she explained. "I-I mean you just did magic straight from your hand. My friend Todoroki could probably explain it a little better... or Deku if he were here. They study magic in all its forms."
"So you're telling me that if I threw this staff into the fire, you wouldn't be able to do magic?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at her.
"Exactly..." she said, and reached forward to rest her palm over the staff, as if she was actually scared he would do it.
"That... sucks," he chuckled, his lips pulling into a smirk.
Uraraka slowly smiled back. "It really does!" she sighed. "I wish I could do magic like you! Dragons really seem so incredible!" she sighed.
Katsuki rolled his eyes. Before he could stop himself, the question left his lips, "What the hell is your deal with dragons anyway?"
"A-Ah..." she blushed. "When I was a little girl... my grandmother used to tell me so many stories about you. W-Well not you... but... dragons. She told me someday they would come back, when humans proved themselves to be less greedy and selfish. I... always tried my best to put others before me and worked to be as strong as I could," she paused and laughed a bit to herself. "I really wanted the dragons to accept me when they came back."
He felt his cheeks flush at her statement. She looked so genuinely honest as she spoke, her brown eyes twinkling with heartfelt nostalgia, a hint of sadness behind her eyes.
"In school... people thought I was crazy. I brought up the idea of dragons and mermaids and fairies all the time. It was what I cared about! It was what excited me. They started calling me dragon girl though," she giggled. "Everyone thought I was totally crazy!
"But then you showed up!" she smiled, turning towards him, the flames from the fire making her cheeks glow even redder.
"I was so excited! I-I mean a little terrified too cause... when you're in that form... wow..." she breathed, and Katsuki felt his heart skip a beat. Why the hell was she so impressed by it? It wasn't that exciting... "It was the best thing I'd ever seen! And it felt so good to know I wasn't crazy.
"Even after everything that happened at school... I still believed. So did my grandmother! We quietly held onto our beliefs together until she passed away, and I'm keeping her legacy going!" she smiled and leaned towards him. "If she met you, she would've been so excited! I bet she's watching right now, so jealous of me!" she laughed. Katsuki blinked, leaning away from her. He swallowed at how fucking close she was. Obviously she wasn't paying enough attention to what she was doing.
"S-So uhm... y'see... it's been something I've been quietly searching for my whole life. So when you showed up I had to follow you," she said. "I couldn't let them kill you, even if it meant leaving. To be honest, I love my parents and I wanted to help them. I love being a white mage, but there was always something... more I wanted to do. Guess it was this!" she finished speaking finally, her eyes glistening with tears.
She was strong, stronger than Katsuki gave her credit for. She really did have a strong resolve, strong enough to believe in something her whole life and follow it blindly the moment it showed up.
She deserved a helluva lot more than he was giving her... even if she was a stupid human. He supposed he couldn't hate her... she did rescue him blindly... even if it was because of her weird dragon obsession.
"Sorry! I talked so much, I know you didn't want me to do that!"
"Yeah. Shut it, Round Face," he grumbled, stopping her far too late. "I don't need your sob story."
"R-Right. I know..." she muttered. "I'll uhm... I'll go to bed now." She shivered, scooting closer to the fire as she tried to get comfortable.
"Oi..." he sighed and grabbed his long red cape with the fur encircling the collar. "Wear this." He chucked it at her face, the long cape covering her body as she fell backwards a bit.
"But aren't you going to be cold?!" she asked, blinking at him.
"M'fine..." he mumbled and flopped onto the ground, turning his back to her. He couldn't look at her, not when she looked so innocent and kind. Humans weren't supposed to be like this. Humans were greedy and awful... not kind and considerate and helpful... maybe she secretly wasn't human?
He tried to rid his mind of the thoughts. Even when she whispered a soft good night, he couldn't bring himself to answer.
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eirenare · 6 years ago
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Afterthoughts of FFXV’s 2nd anniversary stream
Okay, so... it’s taken me a while due to a mix of having blurted out my thoughts of how I lived it all on Twitter not much time after the stream (you can read it here, if you’re interested: https://twitter.com/Eirenare/status/1060552739044950022 ) and how much it stings to still think about it, but...
Welp, it was about time I said something about it here.
I’m going to go first with the cons and then the pros...
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~ CONS OF THE STREAM ~
I still can’t believe Square-Enix higher-ups took away from us 3 of the 4 promised DLCs (among who knows what amount of stuff beside FFXV that we’ll probably never know about). I just still can’t believe it. With that, they:
— robbed us of and Lunafreya of the spotlight she finally was going to get (because, as much as I love Kingsglaive and she’s a badass there, Lunafreya certainly needed more fleshing out)
— robbed us of the opportunity of kicking asses with Aranea, a freaking badass dragoon knight
— robbed us of seeing more Niflheim, and maybe of seeing Tenebrae
— maybe even robbed us of having Loqi as partner of Aranea if my theory would have been right, or seeing more Ravus, and overall probably seeing more of the other characters of Niflheim
— robbed us of the opportunity of seeing Noctis challenge a freaking fucking cruel fate he didn’t deserve and the cruel fates of the others, to get them all a deserved happy ending
— robbed us and all the characters of said happy fate they deserved after all the amount of shit they had to put up with... which means we may have also seen Nyx and the others alive and happy too
It just STINGS. SO. MUCH. It makes me feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated.
And it strikes me as just SO dumb to cancell these DLCs. They were in production, there was already money invested in them, AND they were going to sell for sure, given their content (more Ardyn backstory? THAT LITERALLY WON THE SURVEY. Playing as Aranea? HIGHLY requested it. Lunafreya getting more fleshed out? HIGHLY requested and was 2nd on the survey, and it was HIGHLY needed. Noctis fighting to give a happy ending to his people? Don’t know how much it was requested, but it was very interesting AND the characters deserved it)... I mean: of all the things they’ve cancelled, couldn’t Square-Enix’s higher-ups AT LEAST leave FFXV in peace and let it end as intended??
They’ve pissed off SO many people with these cancellations... A TON of us. And with reason. It was just disgusting.
I  H O P E  that, as Tabata’s team mentioned, they can at least tell us the stories of the cancelled DLCs in any other ways (anime, manga, online written chapters, whatever it is), but I still don’t want to get my hopes too high because, you know... Because, well, if the CEO and the rest of the higher-ups decided to cancell DLCs that had been advertised for MORE THAN 1 YEAR, and say it in a 2nd Anniversary stream, anything can happen.
And this may feel like it stings a fuckton for us, but the worse part it was Tabata and his team who took it: imagine working with such excitement to make these DLCs come true, to then, after some time in production, being told “nope”. It must have stung SO MUCH to them. They’ve been working to give all of us fans a ton of content after release, specially content that’s been asked for, and what they get is a kick in the groin.
I really hope Tabata has all the luck in this world with his next projects, free from the shackles of a company that’s beeing doing lame for a long time and it just won’t stop doing lame...
And here I hope the actual CEO is replaced, and that the structure of Square-Enix changes. Because if they don’t, I think they’ll be fucked up sooner than later. Also, the dream: all of the amazing people that’s left Square-Enix, making a good company together.
I’d also would like to say that I’m VERY thankful towards Tabata. He’s done an amazing job, and it stings to think that he’s seeing FFXV ending like this, without him being allowed to finish it as he would have liked it. I mean, you saw his last interview, not much time before the 2nd Anniversary stream (I think it was 1-2 months ago)? He was SO delighted talking about his intentions with the DLCs... Not to mention that, if I remember well, he specially wanted to see Lunafreya’s DLC happen, not just because of giving it to the fans, but because he really wanted that a ton.
If Tabata’s resignment really wasn’t him being pressed to go out, I have to say I’d totally understand that he’d go away from the company on his own, given what I’ve said before...
So, thank you for everything Tabata, and the same goes for your team. I wish you all the best of lucks. FFXV has been absolutely crucial to me these last 2 years and it’s given me SO MUCH and helped me so much... This journey’s forever going to be etched in my heart and soul.
And, well... with this, I’d like to move to the good things of the stream.
~ PROS OF THE STREAM ~
Episode Ardyn has me so, SO hyped. Like... Damn, it looks amazing. That trailer alone gave us scenes, gave us a bit of gameplay, and if I was trembling while watching the stream (although I was watching it live in JP so I had to rely on Twitter to know what was going on)? That became SHAKING. I even took my hand to my mouth in a fist and bite a bit on my knuckles.
Just... Poor Ardyn. It was my headcanon that he’d been imprisoned for such an ungodly amount of time at Angelgard, but I couldn’t foresee that they’d show him HANGING FROM CHAINS PIERCING HIS BODY (that was hard, and unexpected in the sense of that scene may be enough to raise the rating even without blood). As in, 2.000 years alone is horrible, 2.000 years alone in a cell is worse, 2.000 years alone in a cell after such traumatic events is even worse, but 2.000 years alone HANGING LIKE THAT?
Oh boy. My poor Ardyn. I wanna hug him even more now...
However, on another tone: now we know how his body really looks like underneath so many layers of clothing, and that HE HAD A PONYTAIL. That ponytail BLESSED ME. I love characters with ponytails SO much.
Also: YOUNG REGIS AND YOUNG VERSTAEL AND OMG  S O M N U S . AND more explorable Insomnia AND during daytime? Sign me up. And the implications of the foreshadowing with Prompto, among other good amount of foreshadowing... A LOT of things make sense now, and I’m sure a lot more about Ardyn’s behavior and words will make sense when the DLC launches. And THE POSSIBILITIES. Imagine if we get to know or, best, see something about Noctis’ mother, Aulea? Or Noctis as a baby? Or, depending on if the DLC features different years, maybe even the Kingsglaive or others? I’m just SO excited.
Maybe they’ll do like they did with Episode Ignis and somehow put multiple endings on Episode Ardyn, too...? Hummm... *thoughtful*
ALSO: anime short movie of Ardyn. ANIME SHORT MOVIE OF ARDYN. I used to say wishfully that what if they were doing an anime of him, AND THEY ARE. Holly. And it’s about the PAST, the way they worded it. Can’t wait for the teasers in December 15th and January!
Imagine just how much hyped I was watching the trailer that it easily overcame my sadness, anger and annoyance of the cancellations for like 2 hours.
Other good things, little but nice, are the FFXIV collab and the clothings for the chocobros (specially Noctis with the cat ears and tail omg, hi at long last Nyactis), and the fact that they haven’t said they’ve cancelled the level editor, which means we could maybe still be getting it... Here’s to hoping.
So, in the end: I’m both in sorrow and excited about FFXV. Sorrow because it’ll end way sooner than expected and not in the expected way, and sorrow because of the cancellations, but excited about Episode Ardyn and its anime prologue.
To finish, I’d like to thank anyone that might have read this post, and wish you a good day (or night)!
*crossing fingers and doing every possible luck ritual in existance so that we may get the cancelled DLCs’ stories at least told in any other media*
Also: I have the feeling I’ve forgotten to say something, but I don’t know abskdng Dx
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lubdubsworld · 7 years ago
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A Velvet Promise ( Kim Taehyung x OC)
Rating : 21+ 
Warnings : Smutty Smut. Angsty angst. 
Summary :
 Kim Namjoon : "What do you mean Taehyung's getting married?" . 
Park Jimin : "Hyung, he's... I mean , you know he's going to hurt her. Like really badly?" .
Jeon Jung Kook : " She seems so innocent. She doesn't deserve that. " .
  Kim Taehyung : " Why would i call off the wedding? I've always wondered what it's like to fuck a virgin." 
Choi Minho : " Kim Taehyung is a psychopath. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional."
 " I'm not a toy you can use and toss. If you touch me again, I'll choke the life out of you.."
 " Is that a challenge babe? Because you're not keeping me away from your bed." 
Prologue
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"She looks like a two piece whore, Uncle." Taehyung said casually, fingers curling casually around the flute shaped champagne glass. Manicured fingers tapped on the expensive Oakwood finish of his desk as he stared disdainfully at the small 6 by 10 inch photo on the table. 
The Photo showed a young woman of about twenty one or twenty two with plain mousy brown hair and rather indecently plump lips. She was staring away from the camera, probably unaware that her picture was being taken. Only her upper body showed and she had a slight, unremarkable figure, a little on the thin side . 
There was a rather endearing hello kitty pin on her hair and Taehyung leaned forward eagerly, edge of his nail digging into the Polaroid and scratching out the little pin rather vindictively.
He had just spent an hour listening to his uncle describe Jung Yerin, yet that little hello kitty pin told him more than all that useless information. Jung Yerin had grown up in a simple, conservative family. She looked like she had been sheltered from every evil, likely raised by loving parents who catered to her every need. she probably wore satin ribbons in her hair and peep toe sandals with knee length chiffon dresses, always smelling like sunshine and summer rain. 
Would she scream really  loud when he fucked her for the first time?
He hoped so.
His uncle was staring at the Polaroid and swallowing nervously, his gaze fixed on the little tear that his nephew's nails had made on the print.
Mianhe, Yerina.
"So, you will marry her? You really don't have to. She's already dating someone.  " He tried weakly.
Taehyung sighed and stretched luxuriously.
"Would that even matter, anyway? her father is positively gagging to have me as his son in law.  Besides, do you have any idea who she's dating, uncle?? " He grinned ominously, fingers gripping the edge of the table as he thought of the other man.
 Fuck, he wanted to pump a dozen bullets into his fucking head.
He struggled to get his head on straight. Once he had her , he would win.
" I'm marrying her. Because I need her. She's going to be my winning card ,  samchoon." He drawled.
Marrying Yerin would be the final move in this game.
Finally, Finally Kim Corp., would be his, exclusively and Choi Minho could go  suck his dick. 
Check and Check Mate.
Chapter 1
"He's busy, right now. You should come back later." The lady at the desk said firmly and i shuffled awkwardly on my feet. I re-read the small scrap of note that he had had delivered to my home that morning . 5.30 P. M , it said clearly . i glanced at the clock. I was exactly on time.
"I'm his fiancee. Are you sure he's not waiting for me? " I said desperately, clutching the designer bag that felt awkward on my shoulders. I'd gone to the salon and fixed my hair, bought a dress and this sparkly bag all because I'd wanted to make a good impression. Even the brown heels felt like they were cutting off my circulation as I tried to get some weight off my ankles.
"He's in a conference with  We have strict rules about interrupting practice, Miss. These are planned over a month in advance, just to avoid things like this. You should have made a proper appointment before turning up out of the blue." She said loftily and i sighed.
"Is there, at least a place that i can wait at?" I said finally and she gave me an amused look.
"I'm sure the bus stop outside has a shelter."
Blinking in shock , I bit my lips and slowly walked back out of the building. Bet she wouldn't be laughing once she realized just who I was. Sighing , I made my way to the bus stop and collapsed against one of the hard metal seats. My feet were killing me and the late evening sun fell right on my  face, warming me but making me blink back against the glare. 
The last bus to Daegu would leave in a few hours and if i didn't get  moving i would be stuck here for the night. I stared at the setting sun and felt misery creep up. On the huge billboard, opposite the busstop the placard carried a photo of  Kim Taehyung.
 He looked like something straight out of heaven. I remembered that that was what he was touted as in his band, the fallen angel. He definitely fit the bill, i thought grimacing at how frighteningly beautfiul he was. There was something about his too-perfect looks that really made a shiver run up my spine.
He looked inhuman. Frighteningly so.
Swallowing the dryness in my throat, I glanced at my phone.
 7 missed calls from Choi Min Ho.
i couldn’t deal with that now. 
. Sighing, I flipped the phone open and dialed my father instead feeling relieved as he picked the phone up.
"Yerin-ah!! Why don't you listen to me when i tell you to leave your phone on at all times!! i hate not knowing where you are!" He said desperately and I felt a little smile coming on.
"Appa! I'm fine... I just had the phone in my bag."
"How's my son , doing?" My father said fondly and I glanced back up at the huge billboard. Taehyung was wearing a blinding box-shaped smile that made him look so very innocent.
"He seems happy." I said absently, turning around to glance back at the building I'd just been politely kicked out of.
"I'm glad. He's a very nice young man, Yerin ah. He'll take really good care of you and it's what your mother wanted, remember?" He said gently and I felt sorry for the way my father sounded.
 Like he was trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing as well. I scratched the edge of my bag, trying to think of something to say.
"I know. I'm sorry if I seem uninterested in him. I really am not. " I said softly.
My father sighed.
"I wish your mother was here. She always knew what to tell you to make you feel better." he said gently. " Appa is bad at this."
Tears stung and I swallowed, choking out a laugh, instead.
"You do too. You’;re enough, Dad. i swear, you’re all I need.  " I said softly.
Silence.
"And you’re the only reason , i’m still alive, Yerin. " He whispered. 
I couldn’t bring myself to reply. 
“Did you speck to minho?” my father said hesitantly and i flinched. 
“Not yet.”
“Be gentle with him, Yerin. He’s not going to take this news well and it’s best if we don’t make him more angry than he already is." he said nervously. 
I swallowed because the fear in my father’s voice was eveident. 
I hung up after that , telling him I would try to talk to min ho and get back as soon as possible. 
I glanced at the phone again. 
A few more calls from Choi Min Ho.
Minho was four years older than me , a confusing combination of older brother and guardian. 
He had a lot of control over me and my father trusted him when he made decisions for me.
Min Ho was one of the scariest people I'd ever met, simply because he didn't take no for an answer.
 I had first met him when i was eight, one of my father's students from high school. The year I turned fourteen he had debuted as an idol to become a trainee with SM entertainment and he had liked, of all things, my voice.
"I'm not allowed to call anyone from there. Just two people. One is my mom. The other is going to be you." He'd said with a very firm look in his eye.
 My father had given me an uncomfortable look but he had agreed that it was good for me to have an ' oppa' . Someone who would take care of me when my father wasn't around. 
Minho had been a constant in my life afterwards. 
Over the years his role had somehow shifted, from overbearing brother to something more like a boyfriend . He had his own band of guys always following me, making sure i didn't speak to any boys or befriend them. 
No concerts, no gaming arcades. No ice cream parlors or karaokes. 
And my father had been too deep in his own sorrow and his work to actively care. I ended up being smothered and suffocated, his relentless control driving me insane and scaring me in its intensity.
It still scared me.
I took a deep breath before dialing the number carefully.
"Oppa." I said softly and I could hear heavy breathing .
"did you tell him you aren't going to marry him?"
I bit my lips.
"It's not... It's not that simple ." I tried to get my thoughts in order but Minho snarled  out loud , the anger palpable through the phone.
"I told you why he's doing this didn't I? He  wants those godawful shares your mother left you, so he can take my company away from me. The company belongs to me, you know that. Don’t think for a second that he wants yo- "
The phone got snatched out of my hand roughly and I jumped, terrified .
It was Taehyung.
He stared at me wordlessly, pressing the phone to his ears and smiling thoughtfully while Minho continued his charade.
"Really hyung? Still misleading young girls, because you’re too much of a pussy to come face me like a man?  " He smirked, eyes pinning me on the spot and I flinched.
I couldn't hear what Minho said but Taehyung laughed.
"Oh, no hyung. That's not happening. I'm not letting her go . Not now, not ever." He reached out and lightly wrapped a lock of my hair around his forefinger before giving it a sharp yank that made my scalp sting.
And then he hung up, before lightly pulling the battery out, dropping the phone to the ground and stepping on it casually, and i stared , stunned as the parts cracked underneath his boots. My throat dry and heart pounding somewhere in the vicinity of my throat , I stared at him.
"Tell me, Yerin ssi... Did Minho Oppa already test and rate the goods that I'm going to be stuck with for the rest of my life?" He gave me a humiliating once over and I tried to process the sheer hurt and embarrassment that filled me up.
" It's not.. we're not..." my voice cracked from how close he was standing, tall, intimidating and terrifyingly handsome.
"Fucking? You expect me to believe that Choi Minho did not take you into his bed? Do I look like a fucking retard?" He said, his voice resonating so deeply that I could feel my fingers start to shake. I stared at him.
"You can believe whatever you want." I said finally.
He stared at me some more and then reached out fingers lightly closing over the chain around my neck. i startled when his fingers traced the heart shaped locket.
"Let me ask you something...Do you believe what Minho says? About me just wanting you because of the company he swindled his way into? " He said casually and I hesitated.
"No. No, I don't." I shook my head and he grinned.
"that just proves you're a fucking idiot. Because he is right. I don't give a flying fuck about you. But I'm going to marry you, you know why? Because every time I touch you, every time i kiss you, Choi Min Ho will likely implode and i'm really  really  looking forward to that." He said softly .
I stared at him trying to dredge up some emotion and finding, that I wasn't even surprised. I had known from the first time he'd agreed to marry me that it couldn't be for a noble reason. I thought of Minho with his controlling suffocating way of keeping me in a stranglehold and I thought of Taehyung with that frighteningly beautiful smile and stone-cold hatred radiating off his gaze and I realized that it wasn't about me at all. 
I was just going to be collateral damage in whatever game these two were playing with each other.
"What do you want?" i said finally.
He gave me a little smirk.
"Come home with me. Now."
I jumped a little.
"Are you crazy.. I .. My father is waiting for me..."
"So? What if you spend a night with me? We're getting married anyway aren't we?" He said causally.
I shook my head quickly.
He fumbled with his pocket and pulled out his phone, turning on the camera and holding it up  till it focused on the pair of us.
"what do you think you're doing?" I said nervously.
His eyes darted to my lips again and I didn't even blink, staring straight ahead as he casually wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close and pressing his lips against mine before lightly clicking on the screen, capturing the kiss on film. I stayed still as he pulled away and casually tapped into the phone. A second later he showed me the phone and my heart skipped a beat.
He had sent the photo to Minho. 
I stood still trying to think straight as dread swept through me.
"imagine what Min Ho will do to you if he gets his hands on you .... " He said casually." Still going to refuse to come home with me? "
i stood there trembling in disbelief.
Min Ho could be aggressively violent when he was angry  I didn't even want to think about what he would do to me. i stared at the shattered phone on the ground .
"You're a psycho."
He smiled then , wide and shameless.
"And you’re my property . I'll go get the car." He said casually, before turning around and heading back in. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I buckled up my seat belt and stared straight ahead, my head spinning with just one thought.
How did I convince this man that I didn't want to fight him?
It was raining now, so damn heavily that I couldn't see a thing in front. Taehyung was driving through deserted streets and I assumed this was where celebrities lived, far from prying eyes. i wasn't particularly scared. Taehyung didn't look like he would physically hurt me . But I could tell that he thought that I was in love with Choi Min Ho.
"Can I just tell you something?" I said finally, deciding on the truth.
"I don't fucking care what-"
I ignored him and jumped headlong into it anyway.
"Min Ho isn't my boyfriend. I just... I've known him for a long time and he cares about me. He's just being a little over protective. He'll get over it soon anyway. It's not like he's in love with me or anything . I just... my father really wants this marriage to work between us and I really don't want to disappoint him. It's okay even if we don't have a real marriage. I just don't want my father to be unhappy.  " I took a deep breath risking a glance at him.
He didn't reply, staring straight ahead as he drove carefully through the late evening traffic.
"Are you listening?" I said impatiently and screamed when his hand shot out suddenly, gripping the top of my thigh so hard that searing sharp pain shot up through my leg. I gripped his wrist, yanking it off my leg and glared at him in stunned surprise. 
He looked like art, his side profile so flawless that I wanted to puke a little.
"Two things. Don't interrupt me when I'm driving.  And Two. Don't go on hour long rants until I ask you to, which will be...let me guess... never. Since it's the first time I'll forgive you. and if you think, for a second that I care about your father or your fucking oppa or your goddamn feelings, now would be a good time to get rid of those delusions. I'm marrying you. It will be a  real  marriage in  every  sense of the word. I want children. I want you to cook dinner for me when I come home every night, send me off with breakfast and let me between your legs when I ask you to. "
I clenched my fist, anger bubbling over and threatening to spill over as a scream. I almost did but then stopped.
My mother's voice came into my conscience soft and soothing,  
raise your words, not your voice. 
"I'm enrolling in University next week so you'll have to hire someone instead. I'm not going to be your maid. ." I said firmly
Taehyung laughed at that.
"Are you honestly that naive? Who's going to pay for your fucking tuition huh? Sure as hell ain't going to be me. And trust me, if your father interferes, I won't think twice about shutting him down. I'm your husband. I get to decide whether or not you go to a damn college and honestly, I really don't see the point. You're going to spend the rest of your life taking care of me anyway? You don't need anything more than what the Good Lord gave you between your legs ...."
I should just stab him with a kitchen knife in his sleep.
" I don't know why you're acting like a bastard but I hope you get over yourself and actually think like a decent human being for once. This isn't really funny anymore. " I whispered.
Taehyung scoffed.
"It's cute that you think I'm joking. I'm not. Choi Min Ho deserves to rot in hell and he's going to pay for what he put me through. And experience tells me that nothing hurts him more than someone coming near his precious Yerinie...." He drawled.
"Look, i get that you and him have some bad blood or something but you're the worst kind of coward if you want to drag me into it." I said frustrated and upset.
"Maybe. I'm not looking for your damn approval, anyway . I can't let you go back to your father's because something tells me that son of a bitch is probably waiting to get his hands on you. " He swore.
What kind of paranoid nonsense was this?
"Minho is not insane like you!!" I snapped.
Taehyung scoffed.
"Yeah, right. He's a fucking murderer is what he is!" He shouted .
I opened my mouth, ready to give him a piece of my mind , when I got flung across the dashboard, the belt digging into me and keeping me from crashing through the windscreen as Taehyung stepped on the brakes, so fast the car skidded, turning 180 degrees before coming to rest on the side.
The Van came out of nowhere
I gripped the dashboard when the car came to a halt, winded and heart pounding. Through the haze of the rain I could see a black van and a figure jump out of the back seat.
Next to me Taehyung groaned and I watched as he gripped the steering wheel tight staring out at the figure. Recognition flooded his face and he snarled.
"Fuck!! Fuck !! Fuck that bastard, I'm going to fucking rip his head off!!" Taehyung was storming out of the car, flinging the door open and climbing out, the rain drenching him within seconds. He leaned back  in, sticking his hand underneath his seat. As I watched, horrified, he pulled out a huge golf club, hitting the tip on his palm before turning back around , murder written large on his face.
I could only watch as he stalked over in the rain, raised the club high over his head before bringing it crashing down on top of the  windshield shattering it before swinging it down again  and putting a dent on the hood. 
I screamed, fumbling with the seat belt.
 I had to get out of here. 
Kim Taehyung was out of his  mind!
But the moment I stepped out of the car, a hand closed over my hair, fingers gripping the strands at the back of my head, yanking me so hard that I lost my footing, knees scrapping against the rough gravel as I got dragged upright.
"Jagi... where do you think you're going?"
Choi Minho.
Stunned, I kicked out, eyes watering from how hard he was gripping me. The pain didn't last long, Taehyung's foot coming out of nowhere and kicking him right in the chest till the older stumbled back , grunting in surprise. I rubbed my scalp and stared as Minho pushed back, landing a few strong punches on Taehyung, who was already bleeding from the corner of his mouth.
"What are you doing?!!" I screamed , sure that this was some god-awful dream. Both of them stopped and stared at each other, sopping wet as the rain poured down on us, glaring daggers.
"If you fucking touch my wife again , I'll rip your heart out with my bare hands!" Taehyung snarled and Minho scoffed, swiping at the blood trickling down his cut lip. Instinctively I felt worry. Choi Minho was a little too much but i didn't want him hurting. I moved, almost reaching for his arm but Taehyung's fingers closed over my wrist, cutting off circulation and pining me to his side.
"Your wife? Delusional much! She fucking belongs to me and you know it!!" He snarled, diving for Taehyung again. I screamed as they went down in a splash of rainwater, landing on the gravel trying to pummel each other to death.
"Stop it ! What are you..." I couldn't finish, blinded by  sudden flashing lights and then there was another car skidding to a halt in front of us. Taehyung and Minho stopped, moving away from each other and jumping to their feet looking like death.
The car door opened and I felt a sigh of relief.
I watched as Minho's older brother stormed out looking furious.
"You little trouble makers , I swear to God I should just call the cops and end your fucking lives once and for all" He shouted and Minho froze, grimacing.
"Try something like this again and I will fucking end you. !" Taehyung snarled, fingers curling around my arm as he yanked me away. Minho fixed his gaze on me and shook his head.
"You think this is over, Kim fucking Taehyung??! I will destroy everything you love!!" He screamed.
Taehyung turned and gave him a cold glare.
"You already did , you fucking piece of shit. I hope you burn in hell for it!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stop looking like I'm going to eat you up." Taehyung commented mildly, punching in the digits to his security code while I shivered next to him. Every inch of me was sopping wet, dripping rain water into the expensive carpet of the hallway. The condo was clearly worth a few millions at least and  I felt ( and probably looked ) like a sewer rat i. I gave him a tired look.
"You're welcome to try. I'll scratch your eyes out." I muttered and he let out a laugh.
"Fiesty. I can see why that guy pants after you so much."
I sighed, too exhausted to fight back. Once the door opened, I stepped into the condo, feeling even more out of place. Taehyung's apartment was more convenience than style, I thought, staring bleakly at the unfamiliar furnishings and the stark black and white decor.Each perfectly polished surface was adorned with a certain type of artifact or decoration, the overall theme somewhere between modern and youthful. I stared at the paintings on the wall, abstract splashes of color against the snow white walls , offset by the thick black frame each one was imprisoned in.
"The guest bedroom is there and you can go get a good night's rest. It locks on the inside, so don't stay up all night worrying if i might come in. We probably have to meet reporters tomorrow and I'd rather you not look like a raccoon. So get a good night's sleep. " He said casually, slipping out of his jacket and tossing it on the couch.
"Call my father and tell him I'm here." I said softly and he grinned.
"Abeonim  would probably want to move the wedding date up. Is that okay with you?" He sneered.
I stared at him, refusing to rise to the bait.
I didn't spare him a glance, moving quickly to the smaller bedroom and locking myself in. I double checked the lock, making sure it didn't open , before dragging myself to the bathroom.
I peeled off the drenched clothes, suddenly aware that I didn't have anything to change into. It was already nine and I could feel hunger pangs begin to claw at my insides. But starving was a lot better than going out and breathing the same air as Kim Taehyung. Groaning, I turned on the hot water and stood under the spray, letting it warm me a bit. Afterwards, I rinsed my clothes in the small tub, using shampoo for want of anything else. I would have to wear those again tomorrow .
I picked at the gravel that was lodged into my skin, the bruise slowly growing darker and congealed blood sticking to my skin like paint. I grit my teeth and cleaned it up as much as I could, wincing from the dull throb combined with the sting.
There was nothing in the closets or the linen cupboard except for a single towel. Sighing in defeat, I wrapped it around my hair, towel drying it and my body before slipping into the sheets, feeling like a sitting target. Being naked in a bed with Mr. Psycho a door away felt mildly suicidal. I mourned the loss of my phone, thought of my father waiting for me to get home. Hopefully the crazy guy would at least tell him.
Slowly sleep took over and I found myself drifting off to sleep.
I woke up to the sun streaming into the room, lighting the bed. The first thing that stuck me was that I wasn't naked anymore.
I stared down at myself, the white t-shirt and decidedly  male  boxers looking completely out of place on my body and I clutched at the covers, mortified. What on earth?
I opened my mouth, ready to scream bloody murder when a familiar voice came drifting through the door to the bedroom. ( it was ajar and it stuck me that I was a complete idiot. This was his house. Of course he had a key to get into the guest bedroom, what had I been thinking?!)
"She's probably still asleep, sir. " Taehyung was saying and I felt a pang, knowing how much my father liked boys who called him sir. My father loved guys who respected elders. One of the things he had always told me about Taehyung was the latter's love for his family. The way he put family above anything else. And I could tell from the way he talked to my father that he really did consider him family.
Trying to smother the painful tug on my heartstrings , I crawled out of the bed, slowly making my way out.
"Yerinie!!" My father rushed to my side, looking anxious." Are you okay, child?"
I nodded, unable to bring myself to look at Kim Taehyung.  He saw me naked.
"I'm fine daddy. Sorry about last night." I said quietly and my father nodded before pressing a bag into my hands.
"Taehyung asked me to bring you a change of clothes. Go get yourself changed." My father said briskly and I finally risked a glance at the guy. He wasn't even looking at me, carefully setting the table for breakfast and filling a glass with milk.
I sighed in defeat.
Half an hour later, my father had left with promise to meet us at the company where people would be interviewing us about Taehyung's ' accidental posting' of the photo in the fan cafe.
"There are some interview questions here that we should probably go over." Taehyung said casually, before giving me a once over.
If he says anything I swear to God, I'll rip his fucking tongue off.  
I grudgingly moved to the table and sat next to him. I tried to cram all the insipid information he fed me, about where we'd met, what we liked about each other and a couple more cheesy questions. About half way through, his phone began buzzing next to me and I glanced at the phone.
Choi Minho.
Oh, God.
Taehyung gave me a wide smile.
"Pick it up." He said casually. I jumped.
"What?"
"I said pick the phone."
"I'm not-"
"PICK THE DAMN PHONE!!!!" he brought his palm down on the table with such force that the decanter full of water fell over, sloshing liquid all over the table.
I went still, heart pounding inside my rib cage as i fumbled with the phone, sliding the little green icon to attend the call.
"Hello..."
"You filthy fucking whore..."
"Oppa.. what..."
"You fucking had sex with Kim fucking Taehyung after everything I told you!! What kind of a slut are you?!!" He sounded like he was a syllable away from an aneurysm and I bit my lips, too stunned to reply.
"I did not. Why would you think that?!!" I cried out, stunned.
"He sent me the damn pics, you little bitch!! I saw you naked and in his bed with him... But you know what, if you think this is going to keep me away from you. You're dead wrong. Just be sure that when I do get my hands on you, I'll..."
I hung up, stunned and disoriented.
"You sick bastard." I whispered, staring at him as my voice trembled. He grabbed his phone , fumbled with it and then slid it across the table to me.
There on the screen was a photo of me in bed. I was facing away from the camera, nothing except for the soft white sheet over my waist, my back bare and stark against the black sheets. But I wasn't alone. Taehyung lay on his side next to me, shirtless, grinning into the camera  and offering a middle fingered salute.
He'd sent that pic to Minho.
I wanted to puke.
"Why.. Why would you do this...?" I said stunned .
He smiled.
"I told you. He's going to hell. But I'm just gonna repay him for all the shit he put me through before I send him there. And you better listen to me. unless you want that pic to land on the fancafe too."
This time I couldn't stop the bile that rose up.
Running to the bathroom, I lost my breakfast all over the commode, gasping for breath as sick disgust began to spread all over my skin.
Outside the bathroom Taehyung made a noise of impatience.
"Get ready. We have an interview in an hour. "
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