#reblog if you don’t have a story to tell! maybe somebody else will!

[allowmetohityouwithmyreblog]

Uh, I dunno how many ppl this will reach because I have no idea how to tag this but:

Please, tell me a silly story from your day. Something funny that a freind did, and animal you saw, a meme you enjoyed. I need serotonin and interacting with strangers and hearing silly stories from their lives always does it for me. It’s nice to know the world can still be funny in these trying times :3

I’ll start: Today I was talking to a friend, and she, unbeknownst to the fact I hate strong smells, asks me to sniff her wrist. I had thought it was her sleeve she was having me smell, so I was confused, before she clarified and put her wrist to my nose. Queue me taking a large ass breath before leaning over to cough really hard for a few minutes— before she tried to ask me if I was alright and trying to help me. After I was done I started laughing, apologized, and before I could explain she made a sad face— and I asked her why.

Miss girl had bought my favorite perfume to wear because she liked how it smells and she wanted to wear it, so she was just so excited to show me she had bought it she put it on to have me guess what it was 😭

I explained the whole situation, and that led to her asking how I put on perfume. I demonstrated, picking up the bottle, spraying three puffs in the air far away from me, one face level, one midsection, one floor— then I walked into the cloud, closing my eyes and holding my breath, doing a little spin, before walking away. Apparently my method of perfume-wearing is not uh… normal 🙃

[foli-vora]

run to you: chapter eight

marcus pike x f!reader

A/N: it's here. Finally. Don't look at me. Can't believe we only have 4 chapters to go after this one! I have such a deep fond love for this little universe and I'm so damn thankful for all of your comments, reblogs and asks! Your kind words make my bloody year! Hope you enjoy angels x

Summary: Following on from ‘Traitor’ and ‘You’re Somebody Else’. An unexpected visitor throws you right back into the life you thought you left behind. Working beside the man that put you behind bars is one thing, pretending like you never loved him is another.

Word count: 4.7k-ish

Warnings: angsttttt, swearing, general heartache and bittersweet goodbyes, a break in, these two make me want to listen to a heartbreak playlist all day and just cry

main masterlist | series masterlist

This story will have explicit sexual scenes in the future so 18+ only.

The words play in your mind as you make a beeline to the public bathrooms, a relentless cycle over and over and over. Your conversation with the consultant had been mind achingly frustrating, and yet, despite knowing his little tricks and various mental hoops he gets his chosen victims to jump through, you can’t help it—you give in.

You find yourself jumping through those damn hoops, letting his words drive you borderline insane.

Jane has it all wrong—so wrong—so why can’t you stop thinking about what he said? What would give him the impression that Marcus has feelings for you? Feelings that extend beyond the expected responsibility of a leading agent, and mere guilt lingering from their shared history.

Does he see something you can’t? Has he heard something? Found something?

The bitter tang of resentment builds in the back of your throat as your mind goes down more paths, creating more questions with no answers in sight. This is what he wants.

Jane wants you to be overwhelmed with questions and what ifs and a desperation for the truth, so you’ll go to him for the answers. So he can spin words, play and pick your brain some more. It’s a cycle, one that obviously works well for him. This is how he plays, and it’s vicious and cruel, and—

—and yet you still let his words confuse you, still mull over them in your head.

You keep fucking falling for it. 

Your hands shake as they deposit your bag beside the sink, the cold water splashing over your skin doing nothing to divert your thoughts or distract you.

Of course there are no feelings anywhere.

Maybe this is just a ploy to hurt or embarrass Marcus—surely there’d be some bad energy there, given the history between them both. Maybe Jane’s not finding enough entertainment within the investigation and is instead making his own.

You don’t know. What you do know is that you refuse to waste one more fucking second wondering what is going on in that man’s head, and what his ploy is.

It hits you as you stare back at your reflection in the mirror, the obvious internal war written across your face with creases of stress and watery eyes—you can’t do this. You’re not cut out for this rollercoaster of drama. You’ve had enough. 

Jane, the case, Marcus, the FBI—you’ve had enough of all of it. You’ve done enough, and Marcus has always said to tell him when you decide you’re done. He’s always said that you’re under no obligation to do anything you don’t want to do, that you could back out at any point. Or maybe that was just another lie.

The bitter part of you churns to life, still angry, still holding onto the aching resentment from the past. Vicious thoughts and memories tainted by heartbreak flood your mind, but it doesn’t seem to cut as deep as it usually would. He didn’t lie about that. 

He said you were in control, he gave you his word—and you took it. You trust it.

Would he be disappointed?

You did tell him that you’d help, that you’d do what the FBI asked of you and get them the information they need, but at what cost? Your mental health was already taking hits, an array of emotions continuously assaulting you from merely being around Marcus again, let alone being bombarded and interrogated by some wanna-be mentalist freak from California.

No. He’d understand.

You dry up, blotting the paper towel across your throat and willing your heart to slow down as you look over your frame in the reflection. The wire’s still perfectly hidden, tucked deeply away under your jacket from where Marcus had pinned it, but the mere thought of it sitting there has a cold dread creeping along your veins.

That whole conversation with Jane had been recorded.

Marcus is going to listen to it. His team is going to listen to it. You can’t deal with the fallout of that. You can’t be humiliated like that. What would he do? What would he say?

Though of course you know the truth and that the idea of Marcus having any type of romantic inclination towards you is fucking ridiculous, you’re still not exactly fond of the idea of sitting there and listening to him explain why he does not, and would not, ever have feelings for you.

Maybe—maybe you could get ahead of it.

Surely if you just tell him, ask him, that the recording be discarded as you’re backing out. There’s nothing on there, there’s no need for it. Just delete it, forget about it and move on. 

You grab your things and leave the safety of the bathroom, clutching your bag like a lifeline as you begin to make your way towards the exit, but then you see him. He’s a good distance away from the path you’re taking, and you wouldn’t have noticed him at all if you weren’t suddenly highly aware of every person milling about the building.

Edward Thomas.

Someone who had played a big part in your life before everything went to shit. He’d been involved with some of your replicas, their creations and the deals around them once they were complete. You weren’t aware of his exact place in all of it, but you know damn well it was much higher on the food chain than you.

He looks the same, despite everything. Did nothing happen to him when it all fell apart? Was he not arrested along with everyone else?

Probably not. He had money—serious money. He had connections. He had the network you had ensured to keep out of. Perhaps you would’ve been better following his footsteps, kissing asses and sucking up to the underground elites of the world, making more of a name for yourself behind closed doors. You would've been untouchable, invincible. 

Where would you be now? Back in your penthouse, mostly unscathed and living life as normal.

There’s no use dwelling on it. It’s a can of worms you could continue to open and close for the rest of your life, wondering what if until it drove you mad.

Doing what Edward Thomas did, does—it’s not you. It wasn’t you back then, and it wouldn’t be you now. You just wanted to paint, you weren’t in it for the money. Although, admittedly, it did help.

You want to move towards him, to hover in the background beyond the group of smartly dressed people surrounding him, enough for him to see you, to peak his interest. This could be what Marcus, the FBI, needs. This could, potentially, help the investigation, if he is still doing dealings under the table. 

But then what? You’d be stuck having to go further. There’d be no backing out. There’d be more drama, more headaches, more mind games, more lies. You can’t do it.

This has developed into something you don’t think you have the nerve for. The idea of it all seemed so easy when Marcus came to you, but the reality of it? You don’t have the mentality for it all. You’re not an agent. You’re not trained for this. You don’t have people behind you, covering for you and protecting you.

You turn away.

Rigsby lingers by the bathroom you had exited from, nose in a pamphlet showcasing the must sees of the museum, but his eyes flick to you as if to check on your movements. You swallow, give a barely there shake of your head and then continue on your way out, leaving him to alert Marcus that you had left.

—

You’re only a mere few feet away, but he can feel the distance that now stretches in between you. Distance that could never be removed or forgotten. The thick sheen of glass hides him from your gaze, but that doesn’t stop him from flinching when your eyes glance at the mirror upon entry.

He’s a coward. A fucking coward. He intentionally sat out on the move today, refused to be a part of the team bringing you in, all because he was scared of seeing your face and the look of betrayal in your eyes. Shit, he’s still scared now. Maybe that;s why he stays behind the glass, refusing to be a part of the interrogation.

You’re holding on so fucking strong, he’s damn near proud.

Jenner throws everything at you. He does all that he can, but when you don’t budge, he throws an apologetic glance towards the mirror that you thankfully don’t catch. It’s time to pull out the ace card, to let you know they had more on you than you think, and it makes him fucking sick.

He can’t move.

You’re confused when you hear the mention of his name, his real name, and why wouldn’t you be? You have no idea who he is, who he really is.

Sweat slicks his palm as he pulls at the door to the interrogation room, builds on the back of his neck under the crisp collar of his shirt as he takes a seat. He can’t look at you. He can’t look at you because he’s a piece of shit coward, unable to confront all the shit he’s done.

Bile stings at his throat.

It takes every fucking bit of him to keep it together.

The file is heavy in his hand as he slides it across the table before he finally manages to meet your gaze. It cuts him to the very core. He feels the hit of it deep in his chest. His jaw starts to ache from the pressure of keeping his teeth clenched tightly together, forcefully swallowing down every flicker of pain and guilt and self fucking loathing until he’s nothing but a blank slate.

Tears start to build rapidly in your eyes and he knows then and there that he’ll never forget that look of pure and utter heartbreak creasing your face. The face he had stroked so softly, kissed so lovingly.

“Special Agent Pike,” you rasp softly, almost choking on the words.

It’s a viciously harsh blow to the system and he falters almost immediately.

I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I’m sorry—

You don’t look at him anymore, and he’s almost glad for it. You’d see how he starts to crumble, how his tongue darts out to wet his lips in a panic and how Jenner makes a small gesture for him to take a deep breath and cool it before he says something that’ll end him in deep shit.

“I want a lawyer.”

—

“I can’t—I can’t do this anymore. Any of it.”

He seems to be expecting the words, taking them in with nothing but a small reassuring smile and a simple, “Okay.”

Honestly, you were expecting a little more. Maybe a few questions fired as to why you couldn’t do it when you seemed so intent on following through with it all originally, but when he says nothing else, you deflate. You wet your lips, wondering if there’s some sort of catch, but Marcus remains silent, watching the flutter of emotions pass over your face.

“That’s it?”

“When I told you that you’re in control of this, I meant it. If you’re done, then you’re done.”

Hearing him confirm it brings such a sweet relief to your mind, you can practically feel the weight of it all start to seep from your shoulders, but despite that guilt still sits in the pit of your stomach, uncomfortable and relentless. It falls from your mouth before you can even think to stop it—

“I’m sorry. I thought—I don’t know. I guess I just thought it would feel different, or be easier than it actually is. I think I’m just… tired. Of everything. I want—”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” he cuts in quietly, giving a small reassuring smile when you glance at him. “We asked a lot of you, and I understand that. It’s okay—really.”

Your conversation with Jane plays back through your mind, almost tauntingly. A small part of you wants to tell Marcus about it, he should know Jane’s off parading about on his own path without a care for the plans or rules or whatever it is that gets set in place during an investigation, but then what?

He’d want to know what he said, and you don’t have it in you to look him in the eyes and tell him. You don’t want to open yourself up to that embarrassment. Of course what Jane said is all bullshit, it’s ridiculous to even think about yourself, but to have Marcus bluntly tell you so would be a bit of a slap across the face.

“The recording,” you start with the creepings of hesitation, tongue rolling along your lips in an effort to bring the words out smoother, “what happens to it?”

 A flutter of a frown creases his brows as he eyes you from across your kitchen before he gives a noncommittal shrug, finding no harm in your curiosity.

“It gets put in with the rest of the evidence.”

“Even if there’s nothing on it?”

“It would need to be cleared by an agent first, but if there’s nothing of use on it then it just gets discarded.”

“If—if I asked you to delete it now, without listening to it, is that… would you?”

The frown immediately deepens.

He seems to stand straighter, something seeping into his expression as your question lingers in the air, and you watch, waiting for the suspicion that doesn’t seem to come. He just seems concerned, whether on your behalf or his investigation you don’t know. He doesn’t seem to know that Jane had jumped on you at the museum, surely that would’ve been something he would address immediately upon seeing you after the last time,  so you’re positive he’s unaware of what’s on it.

“I—” he stops, tongue running along his lips, “I can’t risk the case—”

“I wouldn’t ask that of you. There’s nothing worthwhile on it, but if I wanted you to forget about it and delete it, would you?”

Would you trust me?

It goes unspoken, but it lingers behind your words. Despite the anxiety churning in your stomach and the panic building in your chest from how he’ll take your request and what he’ll think of it, you’re curious. He has no reason to trust you whatsoever, especially given your history, but some sort of shaky foundation had been built between you over your time working with him—how far did it go?

His concern grows, and he takes a careful step towards you. “Has something happened?”

Should you tell him? No. Just be done with it all.

“Just answer the question.”

“What happened?”

“Marcus.”

The frown remains steady between his brows, his eyes unwavering as they focus on yours and study your features, but eventually, after a few moments of searching your expression, he gives a small careful nod. You can’t help but recoil slightly in surprise, not expecting the answer. You don’t even know what you were expecting.

Your first response is to call him out, because surely he wouldn’t, but as you watch him and the way he starts to shift almost nervously, you start to believe him.

“You would?” You question softly, brows pulling together. “Why?”

“Because you asked me to.”

That’s it? That’s all it would take?

He swallows, eyes falling to the floor as his hands find his hips. “Are—are you asking me to?”

“Maybe.”

“Can you tell me why?”

“No.”

It’s not an answer he wants, but he seems to accept it. His frown stays on you, his eyes bouncing back and forth between your own as he attempts to work out whatever you may be thinking. You see the conflict play across his face, the urge to push for more answers, the want to understand.

Something seems to click behind his eyes and you don’t know what to brace for in the seconds that follow. Anger? Accusations? 

He strides towards the kitchen counter, takes the little device in hand and holds a small button along the side until it gives a small beep followed by a clear confirmation of ‘recording deleted’. It’s over and done with within the span of thirty seconds and you’re left reeling.

Holy shit. He did it. You stare, wide eyed as he tosses it back down and runs a hand over his mouth, before turning and pacing the small width of your apartment. 

You watch him go.

There was nothing on it other than your little spat with Jane, but he didn’t know that. You could be hiding anything. You could’ve turned on him, evaded Rigsby’s watchful eye, found someone in your old circle and told them everything you and the FBI have been doing. Anything could’ve been on it, and yet he listened to you.

He trusted you.

“You could’ve just deleted evidence,” you breathe, still stuck in disbelief.

He knows it wasn’t. He fully believes you would never ask that of him, but at that very moment, he couldn’t have cared less if it was evidence. He would’ve dealt with it, like before. Technology isn’t always reliable, and issues almost always arise during cases with something tech-related. No one would know. No one would need to know.

“Yes,” he states plainly, and you’re so perplexed by the word and how he seemingly shrugs off his actions that you need to take another moment to process it.

“Just like that.”

He finally stops pacing, turning to face you fully.

“Just like that,” he echoes quietly.

This was a bad idea.

Not just the erasure of potential evidence and his apparent nonchalance regarding it and the risk to the position he had gruellingly earned over the years, but the whole thing.

The whole fucking thing.

He should never have bought you into this. He should never have knocked on your door. He’s right back to where he was back then, stuck and doing some very questionable shit he would easily lose his job over all because he’s an idiot.

You don’t hide away from his gaze, and he doesn’t shy away from yours. You’re still trying to work out his thought process, the logic behind his actions, and you keep coming up with nothing. There’s no reason why he would do something like this, for a nobody like you. There’s no motivation, no need on his side to do as you ask and blindly delete shit without questioning it further…  unless—

Unless, what Jane said holds some merit.

Why else would he do it?

No.

Maybe he’s just doing it as a favour, to try and make up for all of the shit he put you through. That makes more sense than him having feelings for you. He hasn’t been around you enough to justify any sort of feelings—he doesn’t know you. Or is he carrying them from your previous relationship? But it’s been ages since you were together, and that was all fake back then. There was nothing real there, it was all a lie. 

The headache is coming back.

You exhale slowly through your lips, eyes falling away from him and to the simple black device once more. It doesn’t matter. None of it matters. You don’t need to know any more. It’s all done. It’s over, and you can finally get back to your quiet little normal life. You can move on.

“Thank you.” And you mean it.

“Thank you,” he murmurs quietly, clearing his throat. “I know this must’ve been very hard for you, and we appreciate all of the hard work you’ve put into this investigation. I appreciate it.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” you half smile, the pull of it natural.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he huffs softly in amusement, slowly coming closer to pick up the device from the counter and tuck it away into his pocket. 

“I mean, I wasn’t thrilled to begin with, but… it turned out okay.”

He smiles fully, and it hits just like it used to. You don’t look away. There’s no harm in taking it all in one last time. You won’t see him after this. You didn’t know last time, before it all fell apart. You didn’t get a chance to enjoy all of the little things you liked. You didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.

“Well, I’ll—I’ll leave you to it. Thank you again. There might be some final paperwork, but I’ll post it out.”

You nod as you follow him slowly to your door, tucking your cardigan around you and crossing your arms tightly across your chest. You ache. Somewhere deep inside your chest twists, and your throat starts to tighten. You’re not exactly sure what you’re thinking when you call out to him before he can reach for the door, and you’re left with nothing to say when he pauses and turns to you.

There’s nothing to say. He doesn’t bother filling the silence. You stand there, eyes roaming his face in an effort to picture him as he was back then, when he was Alex. He lets you. There’s something there, something hanging in the stillness surrounding you both because you can feel it start to tug and twist at your insides.

Finality.

This is goodbye—a proper one.

It’s not Marcus you want to say goodbye to.

Slowly, deliberately, you step into him and he doesn’t move a muscle. He stills under the hand you steady yourself with on his arm, breath all but hardening in his lungs when your face nears his own.

Your lips press ever so softly to his cheek, only mere millimetres from the corner of his lips, and the shaky little exhale he lets out confirms it all for you.

Jane was right, but you have no idea just how much. He was in deeper than you could have possibly ever imagined. Everything was still there, simmering right under the surface and threatening to be his entire undoing. He doesn’t speak, can’t speak, for fear of saying the wrong thing and fucking this last little moment up.

He relishes in it, in the one final tender touch of your lips that sends his pulse to a heavy hammer beneath his skin. It kills him, destroys him, but he takes it willingly with an open heart. The final punishment to close the last chapter of your story.

His eyes are closed when you pull away, but they soon flutter open to meet yours, and they swim with all the apologies and guilt he doesn’t let himself say anymore. You’re thankful for it, you don’t want to hear it. Not now. Your lips tingle, and a warmth spreads along the skin of your cheeks. 

“Bye Scribbles,” he rumbles finally, and you swear there’s a slight shine of tears in his eyes.

They mirror the ones suddenly building in yours.

Goodbye Alex.

“Goodbye Marcus,” you return softly, and then he’s gone.

—

He wants to tell you to run.

The words sit on his tongue: a beg for forgiveness, a plea to just get on the first plane out of the fucking country and disappear, and he damn near draws blood to stop himself.

Though he tidied up as much as he could, ensured there were appropriate plea deals in place and a chance for you to get out of this better than the others if you cooperated, he still dreaded the next few days.

You have no idea.

No idea that your world’s essentially going to shatter and come down around you, and it’s all his fault.

Your kisses feel like a punishment. Each one threatens to cut through his restraint, and when you whisper those three sweet words in his ear he wants to vomit.

He wants to tell you everything. He wants to explain that this fake persona you had given yourself to so fully was still him—it was all him, just under a different name. 

He doesn’t.

He lets the guilt eat away at him, lets the heartache practically tear him apart from the inside out until he feels raw. There’d be no salvaging this. There’d be no walking away from this with you still on his side, and rightly so. This will fucking break you, and he’ll carry that for the rest of his life.

He sits up long after you fall asleep, studying each dip and curve of your face and committing it all to memory. He traces over your skin, attempts to smile when you sleepily wake from his touch and hides the presence of his tears by scooping you into his arms for the last time. 

—

It’s surprisingly easy to return to life as it was before he knocked on your door. A weight had been lifted free from your shoulders, a promise of new beginnings born from finally gaining closure. Was it what you expected? No, but it was no less welcome. 

You managed to get your old job back at the diner, and spent days sketching aimlessly in the park.

It was normal, until it suddenly wasn’t.

The door’s pried open when you return from a late night shift, the obvious signs of a forced entry with the wooden edges of the door chipped and the frame split from pressure. Your hand shakes as you push it open, stomach turning as it gives way to the utter chaos that is your little apartment. Your home.

Your things are everywhere, drawers are opened and the contents spilled out onto the floor, furniture upturned and tossed carelessly to the side. Someone had been looking for something, but you know you have nothing of worth. Not anymore. They wouldn’t have walked away with anything of significance but still, there’s a bitter sting of loss, of intrusion that seems to rattle you to the core.

Heart beating heavily in your throat, you carefully step over the mess and further into your small apartment, and beyond the thunder of your pulse you hear nothing else out of the ordinary. Whoever had been here was long gone, leaving nothing but destruction and questions in their wake. Who the hell did this?

He’s the first and only person that comes to the forefront of your mind, and when you shakily reach for your phone and find his name still saved in your small list of contacts, he answers after the second ring despite it being so late. You almost feel guilty for bothering him, but something about the way he seems so immediately concerned placates any doubt.

“Hi, I—I’m sorry, I don’t… someone broke into my apartment—”

There’s a sudden flurry of movement on his end that crackles down the phone. 

“Get out of there,” Marcus demands, before you can even finish working out the right words to say.

He doesn’t tell you to call the cops, he doesn’t tell you it’s not his problem and that you’re on your own now. You feel a slight wave of relief, but facing the disaster of your apartment has a wave of vulnerability hitting you and your eyes start to burn. 

“There’s no one here,” you mumble around the sudden dryness of your throat, “they’re gone. Can you—”

“I’m on my way. Listen to me, I need you out of there, do you understand? Do not touch anything, leave everything as it is.”

You nod, despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to see it, and step back out into the quiet corridor of your floor.

There’s no one around.

Your skin prickles with worry, your nerves working into overdrive to stay vigilant. Every quiet shuffle and bump beyond the walls of neighbouring apartments rattles your senses, and the hand holding your phone starts to shake. He must sense your panic, hear the way your breathing starts to pick up as your chest starts to tighten.

“It’s okay, I’m coming. Stay on the phone with me.”

“Okay,” you exhale as a tear tracks down your cheek, leaving a cool trail in its wake.

Maybe this is an overreaction. Maybe it’s just some random burglary, someone out to get a quick bit of cash for whatever they need, or maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s not all over as you had hoped. Has someone found you? Do they know who you are? Do they know what you did?

You feel sick.

Your voice catches in your throat, “Marcus—”

“I know. I’m coming.”

[jvkeslvr]

under the stars and by your side ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

synopsis: during a camping trip with soobin and the others, you realized that you forgot your sleeping bag at home. as the night gets colder, soobin offers you his jacket and you both find comfort in each other right under the stars. pairing: soobin x gn!reader ft. rest of txt genre: tooth-rotting fluff, established relationship wc: 732 warnings: maybe soobin calling y/n "babe" like once, cuddling, stargazing, mentions of food (marshmallows), camping, please lmk what else i missed! playlist: somebody to love - justin bieber, twenties - giveon, moonlit floor (kiss me) - lisa, too sweet - hozier, roses - jaehyun, are you even real - teddy swims, giveon a/n: ahh!! i made a cute little fic about (my shyla!!) soobin, since they are all one together again. so i really hope you enjoy! please show support by reblog and liking, thank you <3 (please don't spam like, i get overwhelmed 🥺)

it was supposed to be the perfect camping trip. you, soobin, and the rest of the guys had been looking forward to a weekend away from the chaos of their busy schedules, especially now that they finally had a break. the air was crisp, the sky a deep shade of blue, and the forest around you was peaceful, save for the occasional rustling of leaves and chirping birds. it was supposed to be a simple getaway—time to relax, make memories, and just enjoy being out in nature.

after a long hike, you and soobin arrived at the campsite, setting up the tents while the others started gathering wood for a campfire. it was a chill, easygoing day, filled with laughter as everyone joked about their various hiking mishaps. everything seemed perfect, until you started unpacking your bag and realized something.

“soobin,” you called out, your voice a little panicked. “i think i forgot my sleeping bag!”

soobin turned around from where he was organizing the campfire setup. “wait, what? you forgot your sleeping bag?”

you glanced at your bag once more, hoping it had somehow magically appeared. “it’s not here,” you admitted, a little embarrassed. “i swear i packed everything else, but… no sleeping bag.”

soobin raised an eyebrow and then chuckled. “you’re a mess, babe,” he teased, though there was a hint of concern in his voice. “alright, let’s figure this out.”

you sighed, pulling your jacket tighter around you as the temperature started to drop. “i’ll just try to sleep in my jacket or something. it’s fine.”

but soobin wasn’t having it. he was already walking back to the tent and pulling something out from his bag. “you’re not freezing tonight. come here.”

he returned with his thick fleece jacket and handed it over. “this should help for now. i’ll be fine, really. it’s not that cold yet.”

“but… won’t you be cold without it?” you questioned, hesitant to take it.

soobin simply smiled and shrugged. “i’ll manage. no worries. here, take it.”

you took the jacket, feeling the warmth radiating off of it. "thanks, soobin. seriously, you're a lifesaver."

he grinned. "i know."

as the campfire crackled in the background, the others started preparing for a night of roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories. taehyun, beomgyu, yeonjun, and huening kai were huddled around the flames, laughing and teasing each other. but you were still cold, despite wearing soobin’s jacket. you hugged your knees to your chest, trying to keep warm.

“soobin,” you said, shivering slightly. “i’m still cold. i feel bad. this whole trip is a mess because of me.”

soobin, who had been chatting with the others for a while, immediately noticed and stood up. “enough of this,” he said. “come on, let’s go inside the tent. it’ll be warmer in there.”

he took your hand and led you to the tent, where the sleeping bags had already been set up. once inside, soobin crawled into his sleeping bag, leaving enough room for you. “it’ll be fine, just come here.”

“are you sure? i don’t want to make things awkward,” you said, still a little unsure about intruding on his space.

he smiled and patted the sleeping bag. “it’s not awkward. we’ve been together for how long now? it’s nothing.”

you slipped in beside him, feeling the warmth from his body immediately. the chill of the night faded away as you both lay there in the quiet dark, listening to the soft rustling of the wind outside the tent. the rest of the group was still outside, laughing around the fire, but it was just the two of you now, sharing the peaceful moment together.

“this is nice,” you said, your voice quiet.

soobin’s hand found yours, giving it a gentle squeeze. “i’m glad we’re here. even if it’s not perfect, it’s ours.”

you smiled, resting your head against his chest. “yeah. it’s perfect for me.”

he kissed the top of your head. “me too.”

outside the tent, the others were still enjoying themselves, but you and soobin were in your own little world. it wasn’t about fancy plans or perfect moments—it was about the quiet connection you shared, finding warmth in each other when everything else seemed a little off.

as you both drifted off to sleep under the stars, you knew this camping trip, with its little mishaps and all, would be one of your favorite memories.

[ozwriterchick]

A Joe Burrow Story...

A/Note: My first RPF, well the first I've published. I normally write Marvel (Steve, Bucky, Sam) but decided to try my hand at something a little different.

I hope you like it, if you do, please like, reblog and leave me some feedback (kindly would be appreciated..)

Fic inspired by @burreaux-drys - thank you for your amazing writing, even if it is "all over the place"

I do not own the characters in this story except the OFC/OC characters mentioned.

I do not give permission for my work to be copied, translated or in any other way taken/stolen.

Characters: Joe Burrow; OFC!Reader; OC!Readers Best Friend; Mentions of other Bengal players; OC Bengal team members (kind of)

Warnings: Mentions of stalking; Shy reader; Police; that's about it except Joe Burrow I think deserves his own warning (in a good way); Not Beta'd so any mistakes are my own

W/C: 2748

Reader’s pov

I watched the players on the field, easily singling out the one I’d come to see.  It really wasn’t that difficult, he stood out with his mop of dirty blonde hair and the number 9 on his jersey.

My eyes roved down his body to his slim but manly hips and back up again to his broad shoulders, made even broader by the padding in his practice uniform.

He was looking good, but again, he always did, especially to me.  I’ve been in love with him for a while, always from afar, and he had no idea.  Maybe today would be the day I’d get up enough gumption to actually tell him.

This was a closed practice, but that never stopped me before.  There were plenty of ways to sneak into Paycor stadium, even when it was on lockdown, if you knew what you were doing.  And I did.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I took my attention away from practice to check.

BFF: Where are you? I’m at your place

Me: Oh, I’m out running errands, sorry.

BFF: Tell the truth, you’re at practice ogling J again aren’t you?

Me: Maybe.. Maybe not.. I can neither confirm nor deny that accusation

BFF: Well then, I’ll join you, I need to see me some Sam.

Me: It’s almost over and it’s a closed practice today, so you won’t be able to get in.

BFF: Closed practice?

BFF: They don’t let anyone into closed practices, how did.. You know what, I dno’t want to know.  Let me know when you’re home. Unless you and J are doing something after practice

Me: Will do. Love you xx

BFF: Love you too xx

As you slipped your phone back into your pocket you realised that practice was over for the day.  You slunk back into the shadows as a couple of the players and officials looked up towards where you had been sitting.  Regardless of anything else, you shouldn’t have been there and you didn’t really want to get caught and banned.

Making your way back to your car you see a line of fans waiting for the players to come out of training.  You chuckle to yourself that they clearly don’t know the tricks that you did.

For a moment you contemplate joining them, you have something you want to give to Joe, but decide maybe next time would be a better option and you jump into the car and head home.

Later that day.. Back at Paycor Stadium - Joe’s pov

I have a stalker.  There’s no getting around it any more.

I’m sitting in Coach’s office with the cops and Zac, admitting for the first time that somebody is stalking me.  I knew it all along really, but just didn’t want to admit the ’s’ word to myself.  I figured it was just an overzealous fan and that it would be ok.

Things were left on my car at training, when I was at the gym, even when I was at the grocery store but today, I couldn’t ignore it any longer.

After practice I signed some autographs and took some pictures with the fans who’d j for me.  I love my fans and I love interacting with them - for the most part.  Every fan group has those ones who are a bit.. umm, crazier than others.  Fans that would do anything to get closer to their idols.  Not that I consider myself an idol, but I know with my position and public persona, that I’m as much a likely target for the crazies as anyone else.

“So, Joe” the Detective said “Tell us exactly what happened today to make you finally call us”

“Well, I left training and headed to the grocery store.  While I was there, I took a couple of pictures with some fans, nothing major.  When I came out to my car, there were flowers on the hood and something under the windscreen wipers.”

“And this is what was under the wipers?” The Detective asked, holding up the piece of paper that had been on my window.

I nodded, and continued.  “I didn’t really think a lot of it, I just grabbed the flowers and the note and tossed them into the front seat.  Once I got home though, I wasn’t quite so sure this was an innocent interaction.”

“And why do you say that?  Joe, if we are going to find this and make sure nothing happens, we need every piece of information you have.”

“Of course detective.  Well, I got home and parked in my garage and as I got out of the car, something just felt off.  The door between the garage and the house was open but I swear I closed it before I left.  I kinda shrugged it off at first, thinking maybe my Mum had been around, or the cleaner had come even though they weren’t due for a couple of days.”

“But that wasn’t the case?”

“Well, no, once I got inside I realised some things had been moved around and then I saw the note on my kitchen bench.”

“And this is the note you found inside your house?”

I couldn’t bring myself to look at it or read it again so I just nodded and looked down at my hands in my lap.

“Joe, we need to get ahead of this” Coach said. “Detective, do you think we should do a press conference and alert the public to keep an eye out?  I’m sure this person has been around training/practice and the stadium, probably coming to game days when we play here.”

“Let’s just wait it out for now, we don’t want to scare the stalker off and not be able to find them, or worse, have them escalate their behaviour into something dangerous.”

I feel like all I can do is nod, once again.  I just never pictured myself in this situation.

There was a knock on Zac’s office door and one of the admin staff came in with a folder and handed it to Zac, whispering something to him.  I saw his eyes go wide and then he looked down at the folder.

“Ummm, detective, we may have some more information that could shed some light on this case.  We video every practice/training session and these are some stills from today’s practice that might be very interesting.”

Zac hands the folder to the detective as I sit up a bit straighter in my chair, curious about what they could have found from today’s video, given it was a closed practice, meaning nobody was able to come in and watch.

The detective opened the folder and examined the pictures closely and then handed them to me.

“What am I looking at?” I asked.

“Apparently someone was in the bleachers today during practice.  Detective, this was a closed practice today which means that this person has snuck in and possibly could be the person you are looking for.”

I peered closer at the photos.  They were grainy, a bit blurry, you couldn’t really see who it was.  It did look like a female but who could really tell.  I’m sure the police had ways of making the image a bit sharper and maybe getting some identifying details.

The police thanked Zac and I and made their way out with suggestions to beef up my security at home and at the stadium and to also be very aware of my surroundings at all times.  They didn’t think, if this person who snuck into practice today was my stalker that they posed too much danger, but you never know.

I sat for a bit longer with Zac, talking out what was happening because the only other people I could talk to at the moment were my family and my teammates and I didn’t really want to worry either group until we knew more.

On the way home, I rang my security company who agreed to schedule more regular patrols around and near my place and also to ramp up the security footage around the outside of my home.

I hated that I have to do this but I guess my safety should be number one to me and I know my Mum would kill me if she knew about this and I didn’t take these extra precautions.  It all just felt so limiting.

1 week later - Reader’s pov

I haven’t been back to Paycor.  Almost getting caught in the stadium made me back off a little bit, I didn’t want to get into trouble and be banned from practice or games in general.

I’d been following Joe and the Bengals activity on social media but it just felt so impersonal, that I was itching to get back to practice.  Actually Joe didn’t seem very active on socials the past week and most of the Bengals feed had focused on Tee, Sam and a few of the other players.  All great players but Joe was their franchise player, the top QB in the league and they should be showcasing him whenever they can.

It made me wonder what had happened in the last week.  

After I left training I headed to the grocery store to get some supplies, as my best friend was coming over after work that night for a movie night.  As I was leaving I saw Joe entering the store.  I knew he shopped here but I had never actually run into him and I just smiled at him as I walked out of the store to my car.

He has a very distinctive car and it was parked next to mine so I took a moment to admire it before I loaded my bags into the back seat and headed home again.

Later that night when my friend arrived she had some very interesting news.

“Girl, Joe Burrow has a stalker!”

“What?  I mean, how do you know this?”

“I heard some of the detectives at work today talking about it.  Apparently someone left some things on his car at the grocery store this afternoon and after he got home, someone had broken into his house and left him some kind of note - I don’t know what it said but they are beefing up security at his house.  This is huge.”

“Why haven’t they said anything about it though?”

“Well, they probably don’t want the person escalating to even more dangerous behaviour, although they may be too late for that if whoever it is has already been inside his actual house.”

That conversation has stayed with me, to be honest.  I couldn’t imagine how scared Joe must have been to go to the police about it all.

Today I was heading back to practice.  This one was open but I thought I’d stay in the background anyway, amongst the other fans and not up front like I usually try to be.  Fate, as it seemed, had other plans.

As practice was finishing, a surge in the people there pushed me towards the side of the crowd, closer to where the players exited the field.  As Joe walked past he looked at me and smiled and did a double take.  Did he recognise me?  Is he curious of who I am?

I decided to make a quiet retreat and wait outside for him and hopefully get the balls to talk to him, or give him the gift I had for him.

A few of the players dribbled out of the stadium towards their cars, all stopping to sign autographs and take pictures with the fans.  

Joe’s pov

I walked out of the stadium towards my car and it always fascinates me how many people stay after practice to talk to, take photos with and get autographs from the players.  I still struggle to understand that some of them are here exclusively to see me.  

Given recent events however, it makes me more cautious as well, and I hate that because I love giving back to my fans.

As I went along the line of fans, I saw one at the back who looked kind of familiar.  I waved her over and said “Do I know you, you look very familiar?”

“Oh, umm, you don’t know me” she said quite shyly. “We bumped into each other at the grocery store last week.”

“Oh yeah, well it’s nice to meet you, did you want a picture?”

“Uh, sure” she replied and got her phone out.

We took a couple of selfies and then she quietly said “I have something for you” and as she reached into her bag I got really nervous.  Maybe this was my stalker.  Now that I think of it, she’s at training a lot, and yes I did see her at my grocery store just before that stuff was on my car.

I nervously looked around for security and mumbled some excuse about forgetting something and sprinted back into the stadium and straight to Zac’s office.

Reader’s pov

I can’t believe it, I finally got the time, opportunity and guts to talk to Joe and he ran off.  I started to put the drawing I’d done of him back in my backpack when I looked up and saw security coming towards me.

I quickly walked towards my car and managed to get in and drive away before they got to me.  I hope they didn’t catch my licence plate and haul me in for questioning.  Just my luck I’d get in trouble because of an innocent meeting at the grocery store.

Maybe this was my sign to just find a new hobby?

Another week later - Joe’s pov

Once again, I’m sitting in Coach’s office with the detectives who this time have some good news.

“We’ve made an arrest” the detective told us.

I breathed a sigh of relief that this was over “That was quick, how did you get a break so fast?”

“Well, it all came down to the fans.  Those at practice helped us out with some info, and your observations also  gave us some insight.  We tracked the person down and an arrest was made this morning.  We have some pretty tight proof, so you may not even have to testify, but if you do, we can probably put them away for a few years.  At the least, you can get a restraining order that prevents them from coming near your house, or the stadium, or generally within about 500metres of wherever you are.”

“Thanks detective, I'm so relieved” I said.  “Did they happen to say why they did it?”

“Just a big fan, a bit lonely and wanted to be closer to you but just went about it the wrong way.  Kinda feel sorry for them, but you know, we can’t let emotion into it, otherwise we’d never catch anyone.”

“Well, thanks again detective” Zac said “We are more than grateful for your speedy resolution to this issue.”

1 year later - Reader’s pov

I walked into the lounge room and smiled, I couldn’t believe I was here.  The misunderstanding from 12 months ago led to a beautiful friendship between me and Joe.  I got over all my nerves with him and we were now able to laugh and joke about the situation.

The police did clock my licence plate that day at training, and they did come to my house and question me about the stalking.  I didn’t hold anything against Joe for thinking it could be me, I was awkward and nervous and shy whenever he was around and he obviously just didn’t see my vulnerability.

But at the next training session, he saw me again and came to talk to me.  He asked me if he and I could have a conversation over coffee, so we went and he told me they’d arrested his stalker and he apologised profusely for thinking it could be me.

He said that when I’d told him I had something for him and reached into my bag, he freaked out and just left.

I laughed and told him that I’d drawn him a picture and I’d love for him to have it if he wanted it.

We chatted for a while longer and then went separate ways.  We’d swapped numbers so that I could arrange to give him the picture and we ended up texting back and forth most days.

I’m not sure if anything will come of this but a good friendship but you never know…

[harrysfolklore]

could you pls do a fake ig post with daisy edgar jones!? love ur work <3

day two of blurbs !! this has writing under the cut so don’t skip it just yet ! you know how much i love doing interview blurbs <3 i hope you like this

ask me anything | masterlist | likes and reblogs are appreciated ! | support me <3

liked by harrystyles, florencepugh and 1,278,937 others

yourinstagram I let @elleuk ask me anything, you can watch the video on the link on my bio 😁

view all 57,836 comments

ynfan1 MY GIRLFRIEND

florencepugh 💍💍💍💍

harryfan1 i’m jealous of harry

harrystyles You’re cute ❤️

↳ yourinstagram Thanks, but i’m not single

↳ ynfan2 they’re that annoyingly cheesy couple i love them

↳ harryfan2 BABIES

The video began with you sitting in a chair in the studio, with an excited smile on your face and ready to get on with the questions

"Hi I'm YN and I'm here with Elle UK to play 'Ask me Anything'" you introduced yourself as the producers told you to, the video then moved to show the first question.

"What's the funniest thing you've read about yourself?”

"There was something really funny that happened quite recently" you told the camera giggling a bit as you remembered said moment "I kept getting messages from people saying like 'oh my gosh congrats on your pregnancy' but I'm not pregnant so somebody came out with the rumor on social media and everyone thought it was real" you continued as you let out a small laugh, "The fact that I kept wearing baggy clothes didn't help at all I guess, even my boyfriend's mom Anne texted me about it. But just to be clear, I'm not pregnant, don´t believe everything you read on the internet, kids" you pointed to the camera as the video moved to show the next question.

"What's your biggest fangirl moment?"

"It was actually when I met Harry" your smile grew wider again, and anyone could tell how much you loved telling that story "He was in the room and I was like oh my gosh, I couldn't think of anything else, I went up and said hello and I was quite uncool, but we were both 18 and he was really nice to me even though I was clearly fangirling over him" the producers let out small laugh at your story, and you were pretty sure fans would go crazy over it "But we've been together for 5 years now so I think my fangirling charmed him" you winked at the camera, ready for the next question

"Who would you let tattoo you, Sebastian Stan or Andrew Garfield?”

"Oh my gosh if I had to choose between Sebastian or Andrew to give me a tattoo" you paused to think, not sure which one of your co stars would you trust with a tattoo "I feel like I would get a funnier tattoo from Andrew, but I trust Sebastian more with it, I feel like I could trust him if I couldn't choose, he would choose that was good for me" you clasped your hands together as you finished your answer, really satisfied with it

"What's the best thing about attending red carpet events?”

"I'm still getting used to going to red carpet events, no matter how many years you've been in this industry, you're never fully used to it" you paused "But I guess the good thing about them is that you're able to be there with people you love, I think everyone knows how much I love going with Taylor and Daya, and when It's even better when Harry is able to join me" you muttered with a smile, not hiding how much you enjoy talking about your boyfriend

"Name three celebrities, dead or alive, you'd invite to a dinner party"

"If I was having a dinner party and I could invite anybody, dead or alive, I'd of course have to have Sofia Vergara because I love her, she will make any party or event so much fun, and I would love to invite Heath Ledger because I always dreamed of working with him, and maybe Viola Davis, because Viola Davis is Viola Davis, so" you shrugged with a grin, moving to the next question

"What's the most difficult part of being in the public eye?"

"I think one of the most difficult parts about being in the public eye is that no one truly knows who you are but they all assume they do" the tone in your voice was a bit more serious, since this an answer you want everyone to understand "There's a lot of misconceptions or ideas that people ran with and you can't really shut them down" you continued "And when you're in a relationship with someone who's also in the public eye, that's hard too, we have people who constantly want a scoop on our private life and people who are not cool with us being together, that's something we have learned to endure all these years" you finished, hoping your answer doesn't start any arguments

"Whats your karaoke song of choice?"

"Okay It’s time to tell a secret" you changed the tone of your voice to make the moment sound dramatic "I actually won a karaoke competition once singing 'Go your own way' by Fleetwood Mac, I won a Chipotle gift card and It felt like winning a Grammy" the producers laughed again, your natural bubbly personality always making everyone have a great time "But I don´t know, I feel like now it would be 'Juice' by Lizzo because I love singing it while I'm cooking breakfast, and I love Lizzo"

"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"

"There's a lot of versions I could see, but one that I for sure love to see happen is me creating an empire" you smiled into the camera "And, you know, I am rocking it as a producer and acting in great amazing projects, hopefully I have a stable life and family with the man I love and I can balance it all" you answered genuinely, not resisting the urge to mention your beloved boyfriend once again.

"How was your first meeting with Florence Pugh?"

"So the first time I met miss Flo” you paused and smirked at the camera, knowing too well that fans would instantly catch the meaning behind that nickname “Was at a get together that was organized by Greta Gerwig for the 'Little Women' cast" you began telling the story "She was really nice and since I didn't know anyone else I kinda stayed glued to her the entire evening" you giggled before continuing "But after that we became the best of friends, basically, and she knows I love her to pieces" you smiled and the video moved to show your final question

"Would you star opposite to Harry Styles in a movie?"

"I mean, I don't know how convenient would mixing business with pleasure be, you know what they say about that" you smirked, aware fans would rewind and screen record your answer at least a hundred times "But I would love to do a project with him, I'm so proud of how much his acting career has evolved and It would mean the world to me to share the screen with him" your words were laced with adoration, meaning every single one of them "So who knows? Maybe you'll see us together in a horror slasher soon" you winked and giggled, hoping your answer was enough to make fans go crazy

"Thank you for watching me play 'Ask Me Anything', I'm YN and I hope you enjoy 'Fresh', now streamimg on Hulu" you said your goodbyes with a smile and waving your hand, wrapping up the video.

taglist: @cucciolafaerie @eleanordaisy @sunflowersndpeaches @golden-hoax @alienorknight @daydreamingofmatilda a @sunflowervolume66 @vanteguccir @ivyproblems @ayeshathestyles @stylesmygucci @gimsaysay @rosaliedepp @dontworrysunflower @milfrrynation @manifestrry @iceebabies @harrystylesrecs @pleasingrryyy @harianaswhore @leadmetogarden @abeanontoast @grapejuice-rry @vrittivsanghavi @msolbesg @tati813 @sad1esgf @ivegotparticulartaste @wobblymug @eviesaurusrex @olivialovesh @itsgabbysblog @theekyliepage @gumballavocadoharry @watermelonsugacry @be-with-me-so-happily @a-strange-familiar @reveriehs @musicforcinemas @rafeyyyyy @tinydeskwriter @noooovaaaaa @tenaciousperfectionunknown @mxltifxnd0m @rach2602 @balletdancerry

[wither-rose-circus]

Imma be honest I found the finale really anticlimactic and like they were adding a bunch of stuff to make it unique but just ended up feeling unfinished in the most avoidable way possible

I didn’t want to tack my personal opinions on the summary post just so people could reblog it objectively, but honestly? Yeah I kinda feel where you’re coming from [disclaimer: I know nobody wants to listen to somebody rail on a series they enjoyed, so here’s your warning that I’m gonna be complaining a lot in this post and it’s all just my personal opinion, don’t take it too seriously]

Certain finales do feel a lot more complete than others, but all together? They feel very....disjointed and hollow. Based on the few details I’ve heard and the fates of certain characters, season 2 sounds like it’s going to be a hard reset, so I’m saying all of this under the assumption that this is where their stories end, full stop.

Scott’s death feels a bit unnecessary, he didn’t save anyone, they all still fell apart without him. I’m not sure if it was meant to imply that he transferred Xornoth’s soul with him? If he did, then I think it would’ve been more clear by having both of them confused, that way we could get Xornoth’s reaction to finally being free of Exor and getting to live a happy life. If that wasn’t meant to be the case and Scott is the only one who’s soul was transferred, well then. . . what exactly was the point? I suppose he theoretically saved everyone from Xornoth, but the world still ended in its own way. Scott’s death doesn’t feel like it saved anyone but himself, but maybe that’s the tragic point. That the cycle cannot ever be truly broken, just postponed.

Gem and fWhip’s endings feel. . . kind of selfish, honestly. And that is, to some extent, in character. I don’t have as much of a problem with fWhip’s as I do with Gem’s, though. I’m a little annoyed that they didn’t so much as mention or say goodbye to Sausage. Like if they met up and he insisted on staying behind to fix this mess, I would’ve been perfectly happy. It’s the fact that they didn’t even acknowledge leaving him, or anyone, behind. They spent so much of the series intertwining their trio that to just abandon him without a second thought doesn’t sit right with me. Sausage specifically made a point to emphasize how much his character cared and would sacrifice for his friends (going as far as to namedrop Gem!), so why they didn’t at least include some sort of goodbye baffles me. Gem’s finale especially bothered me because she treats her ending like this storybook, the wizard lives happily ever after in retirement, the Crystal Cliffs are fine, etc. It doesn’t fit. There’s not even a courtesy hand wave to anyone else, she doesn’t even acknowledge missing any of them, she’s just living happily ever after and that’s it. (Not to mention the dragon egg getting tossed away. They built it up like it was the only thing that could possibly stop Xornoth and then never touched on it. It’s just there! It never did anything, what was the point?)

Other than those two, I didn’t have nearly as much beef with anyone else’s individually. In a vacuum:

• Lizzie’s ending feels anticlimactic. I think if she had drawn out losing the blessing, it would’ve been perfectly fine. If we had gotten to see her panic and slowly begin forgetting everything she knew and loved, it would’ve been gut wrenching. The fact that it just stopped and she left without a thought makes it feel as if all her buildup, all these prophecies and developments, meant nothing. It all just falls flat.

• Jimmy’s ending is depressing as all hell and it sucks that when he finally tries to stand up for himself and take charge, it literally blows up in his face and ruins everything and he just ends it feeling miserable and worthless. That’s not so say it’s bad in an objective story telling sense, but it just leaves you feeling sad (once again though, not necessarily a bad thing, just not for everybody).

• Joey’s ending feels a bit vapid. It doesn’t feel like he got much character growth and he clearly never moved past Xornoth, but it was decently tragic and admittedly still in character.

• Pixl and Joel’s endings are whatever, honestly. It’s sad that Pixl didn’t get to make one but it’s understandable. Joel kept up the same energy throughout the series so his is at least consistent and I expected nothing less.

• Kathrine and Pearl’s endings are both fine in my opinion. Outside of the general idea of what could’ve been, neither leave me feeling particularly empty. (Pearl especially kinda got screwed over by real life events). All and all, I thing they’re perfectly reasonable sad endings individually, though I was not personally invested in them so Kathrine or Pearl fans probably have more so say than I do.

• Surprisingly enough, the endings I enjoyed the most were Sausage and Shubble, one I followed religiously and the other I did not actively watch! My only criticisms are pretty minor. I’m disappointed Shubble’s relationship with Xornoth wasn’t explored more, but damn she set a reasonable end goal and she went for it. I feel pretty content with her ending where she did. As for Sausage, aside from never saying goodbye to Gem or fWhip as I mentioned earlier, I’m only really disappointed that the clone arc was cut so short. There wasn’t much of an explanation as to what he was, how exactly he got there, and what he was even gonna do. I’m sad there was no confrontation, Sausage just tricked him and that was that. That particular story beat felt pretty anticlimactic. The actual ending of Sausage sacrificing himself felt fine, though. Outside of a few loose ends and missed opportunities, I think both Sausage and Shubble had the best individual endings.

All that said, Empires was unfortunately not a vacuum. All together, their endings feel like a bunch of loose ends. There was no final tie together, everyone just sort of faded out alone. A lot of us were disappointed with the initial Xornoth defeat because so few members actually participated, but this honestly feels even worse. The book of prophecies wasn’t very actively explored, it just said some things and then they kinda happened, it didn’t feel like it really built up, yknow? It feels like a lot of things they seemed to be building up to fell flat. Not all of these endings even feel like they were part of the same story.

Like you said, it all feels very disjointed and unfinished, which is really a shame. I still think it’s a good series overall and I enjoyed most of it, but a lot of the finales either felt disappointing or even a bit frustrating. Of course, I’m still looking forward to season two regardless.

[fawnandshadows]

After The Ceremony - Chapter 5

Happy Saturday!

I was going to wait until Tuesday to post the last chapter of After The Ceremony, but I just couldn't wait! I am so close to finishing the first chapter of my new fic called You Painted Me Golden which I will be posting later this week maybe even Tuesday. I wanted to thank everyone who has read, liked, reblogged, and commented on this story! I never would have finished without all of your encouragement, and I am so appreciative! This story can also be found on AO3

Rating: M

Word Count: 3,903

Warnings: Not super explicit, but nsfw just to be safe

Azriel was a wreck of nerves as he stared at the solid wooden door in front of him. Elain was on the other side — his soulmate, his literal soulmate, his other half was only a knock away, and Azriel, who had been in countless battles and performed unspeakably brutal acts without so much as flinching, was scared. He was scared to show her the knowledge the book in his hand held because even though he knew that Elain had feelings for him, what if she didn’t want this?

He took a steadying breath and raised his fist to knock when the door opened. His hazel eyes looked down to find a flustered Elain looking up at him, her brown eyes warm with relief and crackling with desire. The little sigh that escaped nearly broke him.

“Hi,” Az said lamely, but that was all it took for Elain to launch herself at him. Her arms twining around his neck and her legs wrapping around his hips, her sweet smell of jasmine went straight to his head, and he had to prop his hand against the door jam because his knees wobbled and threatened to give out. “Elain.” He groaned and took a deep breath, trying to inhale as much of her scent as he could.

“I missed you,” Elain whispered and pulled back to plant kisses across his face. She stopped long enough to give him a heated yet shy smile, “Thanks for coming back.”

“I’ll always come back, Elain,” Azriel said and pressed his lips to her forehead. She was so small it was adorable how easily she fit in his arms, even when he was holding her she wasn’t quite eye-level. “Always.”

She beamed at him, and her smile looked like sunlight streaming through a rain cloud, and suddenly every worry, every hesitation, and every apprehension disappeared. He walked through the door, set her on the closest surface —which happened to be the counter in her kitchenette that was also splattered with flour and filled with baking equipment— at his questioning glance she said, “I was stress baking.”

Azriel released a small chuckle and fully took in her appearance. Flour was sprinkled in her messy hair and her cheeks were flush, she had an almost drunken look on her face as she gazed at him with heavy eyes. She looked absolutely adorable. He loved seeing her rumpled and flustered. And suddenly an image burst into his mind of Elain with a rounded belly breaking bread, and two children — an older male with dark hair, and a younger female honeyed hair— running through the kitchen, and his heart started to ache.

The small smile on her face tugged at his heart.

“Have you seen that? In one of your visions,” Azriel asked and at her confused look he explained. “Us, or you, with children.” The loving, knowing smile on her face was his answer.

Wordlessly, Azriel opened the book from the library and handed it to her. She looked surprised, as if she had forgotten everything that had happened that morning, and took the book from him. A frown creased her brow as she concentrated on the words in front of her, and Azriel soaked in every small movement her face made. He was so used to watching her from afar that he relished the opportunity to gaze at her freely. Her face was so naturally expressive it warmed his heart that she didn’t feel the need to guard herself and hide what she was feeling around him, he had noted that she did it with the rest of their family, but not with him.

Slowly Elain lifted her head and her wide eyes connected with Azriel’s. He spent the last 500 years training himself to have an unreadable face at all times, and all that hard word came crumbling down as Elain let out a breathy “oh.” He let her see everything he was feeling: his fear, his anxiety, his limitless and unyielding love. He put it all on his face for her to see.

Elain, more collected than she had the right to be, placed the book beside her and cupped his face in her hands. Azriel stepped between her legs, and his hands gently landed on her hips. He felt the breath leave his lungs as Elain pressed the sweetest kiss on his lips. She pulled back just enough and said, “I love you, Azriel.”

Her heart was threatening to crack her ribs in two. Elain couldn’t bring herself to say anything else once she saw the openness on his face, her heart almost broke at the tender emotions laid bare on Azriel’s beautiful face. Elain watched, and the shadowsinger was surprisingly easy to read without his walls up — she saw the disbelief, the twinge of uncertainty, and wanted nothing more than to wipe away all of his fears and self doubt. She supposed she had the rest of her life to do that.

“I love you, Azriel,” Elain repeated herself and brought his face closer to hers. She brushed her lips against his, which were slightly more puckered than usual due to her hands holding his cheeks, and she had to hold her own tears back as she felt his warm tears stream down his face. “And I need you to know that. This soul bond between us, whatever it is, I would love you just as much without it. I love every scar on your body, and I won’t stop loving everything about you until my heart stops beating because it only beats for you.”

She kissed him again. Her fingers cupped his strong jaw, and his grip on her hips was so tight she knew there would be bruises, but she didn’t mind — she loved how strong he was, and she didn’t want him to hold back, ever. Their lips moved together, slow and unrushed yet Elain could feel his emotion with every brush of his tongue. She pulled back and brushed away his tears with her lips. Her hand slid down his neck to rest over his chest, and Elain could feel his heart pounding just as hard as her own.

“Soul mates, huh?” Elain asked with a silly grin. “How would you feel if I said I already guessed that?”

Azriel let out a harsh laugh.

“Did you?”

Elain gave him a playful nod and said, “Yes. Ever since we all sat down to dinner the first night, I just couldn’t get you out of my head, and when you came for me. I was screaming so loudly, so loudly down whatever bond I could find, and you came for me. When I saw you I knew that my prayers had been answered — in more ways than one. That was when I knew you were the only male for me. The only male that I would ever want. The only male I would ever love.”

Azriel’s hand came up and pressed against hers, pushing her hand closer to his chest to feel the beating of his heart. He licked his lips before saying in a broken voice, “This is yours. I tried to ignore it for so long, I hope it wasn’t — I hoped my heart couldn’t belong to someone else because that’s fucking terrifying. And I thought that it made sense in a perfectly twisted way, that I finally found someone I could love and somebody who could love me back, but the only catch was that she had a mate— the cauldron had given hers to someone else,” A small smile formed at his lips. “I should have known you wouldn’t give a damn about what the cauldron said. I’m not very good with my words, but I will show you everyday that I love you. When I bring you coffee in the morning. When I kiss you awake and kiss you to sleep. When I have to beat up Cassian for the stupid things he says,” Elain couldn’t stop the laugh that forced it’s way out. “Just know that whatever I do, I do it with love for you.”

Elain flung herself at Azriel, and this time he was prepared for her. His arms enclosed her in the safest place she had ever known. Azriel lifted her off the counter, without breaking their kiss, and carried her into her room. He only stopped when his shins hit the wood of the bed, and he let out a curse as he took in the tiny cot.

“It was just meant for one. I don’t think my sister thought I would be… entertaining in the bedroom.” Elain explained with a blush. Gods did he love when she blushed.

“Hold on tight, Love.” Azriel said, and Elain knew what was coming next. In the blink of an eye everything was black and she was engulfed in shadow, and a moment later she was back in Azriel’s room. It looked exactly how it did early this morning when she left it. The same fire crackling in the fireplace and the same cozy quilt on the bed. Elain thought it was cute that he slept with the quilt, but she wasn’t sure why.

Azriel tossed her gently on the bed, only to prop his arms on either side of her, and kiss her again. He kissed her as if he were drinking from her, sipping at her lips, as if she was his only source of life. Elain let out a moan as her finger went to his hair. She loved his hair. He kissed her, and with every kiss they leaned a little farther back on the bed until he was crushing her with his weight. She loved how heavy he was on top of her; it made her feel safe. Elain brought her legs up to wrap around his hips, and she shifted her legs forward in a deliberate move, and this time they both let out a groan at the friction.

Scarred hands fisted in her dress, and Azriel pulled away to ask, “Can I take this off?”

“Yes,” Elain said breathlessly. “Just don’t rip it. It’s hard to find dresses that match your siphons.”

“I love you so much,” Azriel said with a surprisingly gentle kiss, and removed her dress with such delicacy it was borderline reverent, and in no time she was naked beneath him.“And I’m going to tell you every day for the rest of our lives. Morning,” Azriel pressed his lips to her lips. “Noon,” He kissed her bare stomach. “And night.” He pressed a kiss to her hot center.

All of his desperation seemed to have melted away and he licked at her like she was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted, as if she was something to be savored and enjoyed. Elain wished she had his serenity, but her fire was burning hotter than ever, and Azriel’s tongue was the only thing that could soothe her. She gripped his hair a little too harshly and ground against her face in a lewdness she had never experienced before.

The growl that came from Azriels throat vibrated in all the right places that she couldn’t stop herself from coming all over his face. She rode out her orgasm, until the fog lifted from her mind, and when she opened her eyes she saw his molten eyes gazing at her as he licked her center. His wings fluttered ever so slightly.

“Oh,” Elain said with a sudden wave of doubt. “Was- was that ok?”

He grinned at her in a way that promised pleasure and said, “That was more than ok,” He crawled up the bed to her until he was right above her. “I think hearing you scream as you come on my tongue is my new favorite sound.”

Elain’s face heated and she gently pushed his shoulder.

“Do you think someone heard?” Elain whispered and Azriel threw his head back with a laugh. A wild and free sound that resonated deep in Elain’s soul. He didn’t think he had ever laughed when he was in bed with a woman before, but he found he loved it.

“I hope they did.” Azriel said with a self-satisfied smile, and laughed even harder at Elain’s horrified expression. He didn’t stop himself from kissing her nose. He would never stop himself from kissing her ever again.

“Az!” Elain whisper-yelled, and Azriel couldn’t help but adore her more.

“Promise me something,” Azriel said. His hand found hers, and he wrapped their fingers together before brushing his lips against her delicate fingers. “Promise me that you will never hold back. Never suppress your sighs, moans, or screams — even if you’re screaming at me for something I did wrong,” The vulnerability in his voice nearly shattered Elain’s heart. “Never feel embarrassed when you feel anything, especially when you feel pleasure.” The vulnerability melted away into something smoother and headier that caused Elain’s skin to heat and prickle.

“I promise.”

Azriel shifted just a little and Elain felt the blunt edge of him at her entrance, and she didn’t even try to stop the moan came from her throat. He brought their entwined hands up over her head, and the other placed itself at her hip. Elain would have sworn that her blood was boiling wherever he touched her.

“Are you ready?” Azriel asked, and Elain was too muddled from her lust to form words, so she gave him the barest of nods. His lips captured hers is a slow, lazy kiss, and if Elain were capable of thinking she would have been irritated by how collected he was. She felt more impatient than she had in her entire life, and true to her promise she didn’t hold back, she lifted her hips and let out a sharp breath at the feel of him inside of her.

Elain’s eyes had opened just in time to see Azriel’s roll back into his head.

“Fuck.” Azriel let out a jagged breath. He held himself still, Azriel knew how large he was and that Elain needed to adjust to the size of him, the feeling of her soft, velvety heat clenching around him — coupled with an ungodly amount of restraint — caused his body to tremble. He waited until he felt her relax around him before pressing deeper into her, and after a small eternity she accepted all of him.

“Elain,” Azriel said in a strained voice. He waited to hear Elain’s incoherent mumbling before speaking again. “I’m not sure how gentle I can be.”

The brown eyes that gazed up at him somehow turned incredibly clear.

“I’ll take whatever you give,” Elain said with a loving smile. “I don’t want you to hold back either.”

She had shattered his self control — completely annihilated it and smashed it to smithereens. He heard him promise her that the next time would be better, but his hips were already snapping into hers, and then their lips were seering each other's skin, and the smell of their arousal and sweat perfumed the room.

Neither of them cared that the bedframe was hitting the wall at an alarming rate, and that if their family didn’t know what was happening, then they certainly did now.

The only thing the lovers cared about was each other.

Azriel had never left so drained, yet so light, after making love. Actually, Azriel thought, this was probably the first time he had ever made love before.

Soon after Azriel found his release he gracelessly flopped onto Elain. He didn’t have the strength to lift himself up, or pull himself out of her body, but he needed to feel her. Feeling her skin against his reminded Azriel that it was real — that what had happened between them, something he had never even let himself dare to hope, was real and that no one would take it from him.

“Azriel?” Elain said, her voice thick with sleepy pleasure. This time it was Azriel’s turn to form some type of disjointed reply of random sounds, which caused a sense of giddiness to flood Elain. She had done that to the shadowsinger. She made him feel so good that he couldn’t form words. “I think we should do that as often as possible,” She suggested and was pleased when she felt him nod. His head was tucked into her shoulder, and his hair tickled her neck. “I think I want us to make love in a meadow. I found this beautiful clearing a couple months ago, it’s so secluded, it would be the perfect spot. I want to see how your skin looks in the sunlight, fully exposed. All of your skin.”

Azriel could tell that she was slightly embarrassed by her request, and his heart thrummed excitedly with the knowledge that she felt safe and comfortable enough to share that with him. He didn’t think he would ever get used to that. He peered up at her and said, “As you wish, my love.”

Eventually, their frantic love making turned into lazy melding of their bodies and souls. All day and night they planted hot kisses on each other, their bodies easily finding a perfect pace every time they made love, and they stopped only when they felt the need to sleep, but whoever woke up first would wake the other in the most delightful way.

Nobody dared disturb them. Not even to bring them food.

As the dawn broke the next morning Elain and Azriel came to an unspoken agreement that it was finally time to face their family and return to reality, no matter how much they wished they could stay in their own world they created. When they finally tore themselves away from each other long enough to put some clothes on and go downstairs, they realized how hungry they were. Not two seconds after smelling the freshly cooked bacon did Elains stomach growl, in a very unladylike way, and notify everyone in the dining room of their presence.

Everything looked almost the same as it did the day before, except this time Mor was sitting at the table with an absurd amount of food piled on her plate, and Lucien was nowhere to be found.

Mor was looking at the pair with a knowing grin, and Cassian’s wolfish smile was almost enough to ruin the bliss that Elain and Azriel felt. Almost, but not quite. Feyre and Nesta looked almost as happy as Elain felt, and both Az and Elain were surprised at the happiness on Rhysand’s face.

“Good morning.” Elain said tentatively. She noted that they didn’t bother to wait for them to eat. Azriel didn’t say anything, but he followed Elain to the buffet table and held two plates that she filled with bacon, ham, eggs, bread, and potatoes. It was more food than Az had ever seen Elain eat at once, and a blush coated her cheeks at his raised everbrow. It was obvious to everyone in the room how Elain had worked up such an appetite.

They remained silent as they sat in the two open seats at the table, ignoring how everyone watched their movements. Azriel smiled fondly as he watched Elain prepared their coffee.

“Took my advice, huh?” Cassian broke the silence, which caused a flurry of events. Mor, Feyre, and Nesta all scolded him — Mor even smacked him on the head. Amren gave an amused smile, and Rhysand rolled his eyes affectionately, but his smile turned wolfish as well.

“Do you know?” Elain asked, fighting off any embarrassment she might have felt. She didn’t love the idea of her family knowing all of the sensual details, but she knew she did nothing wrong. Maybe someday she would feel more comfortable discussing her sex life, but right now she wanted to keep it between her and Azriel. “About the bond?”

They all nodded their heads.

“And you're happy about it?” Elain asked the group, but it was really directed towards Rhysand.

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Rhysand said with an annoying grin. “A bond created by the Mother certainly trumps a mating bond, and now that there is no cause for a Blood Duel there’s no real chance of you guys starting the next war,” The High Lord stopped and thought for a moment. “Hopefully.”

Elain reached under the table to grab Azriel’s hand to give it a squeeze. All of her worries were quickly vanishing except one. She turned to Feyre to ask, “Is Lucien still here?”

Feyre looked at her with surprise in her blue eyes, and Elain knew why; She never once sought out Lucien before, but Elain had hoped to catch him before he left. She didn’t want any more misunderstandings or hurt feelings.

“He’s packing now,” Feyre explained. “At some point yesterday after you left breakfast Lucien tried to feel you through the bond, but the bond wasn’t there,” Her eyes went back and forth between her sister and the spymaster. “We connected the dots after Mor told us what happened.”

“I’d like to speak with him before he leaves.” Elain said, and that was the end of that. They all went back to their breakfasts and simply enjoyed the food and each other's company, and they tolerated Cassian’s crude jokes.

It was an hour after they had finished breakfast that Lucien was ready to travel home to the human lands. Feyre, Rhysand, Elain, and Azriel waited in the parlor to see him off. Lucien shook hands with Rhysand and said a quick goodbye before turning to Feyre to give her a warm hug. When Lucien finally turned towards Elain, who was tucked into Azriel’s side, his eyes widened and he let out a small gasp as he saw the bond between them. For whatever reason he hadn’t noticed the bond between them yesterday, and it was only now that he saw the silver-blue river flowing between them. Elain would have loved to see it again.

“I hope you travel safely,” Elain said with a kind smile. “And I hope there are no hard feelings.”

Lucien tipped his head towards her and said, “I hope you are happy,” He turned towards Azriel and almost all of the warmth in his face had faded. Their relationship was still impersonal and cold, but they had hundreds of years to fix that. “Treat her well.” Was all the goodbye that Azriel got, and the shadowsinger’s response was only a narrowing of his eyes.

“Oh, Lucien!” Elain remembered right before Lucien went on his way. A big smile formed on her face as she said, “Vassa loves orange carnations. Especially ones from the field where you walk.”

Elain was delighted by the blush that appeared on his face, and the stutter that he had as he tried to figure out how she knew. It took a second before everything clicked into place and he realized that she had seen it. Lucien gave a warm thank you before leaving.

“Playing matchmaker?” Feyre asked with a bright smile.

“The world could use more love.” Elain responded before beaming up at Azriel, and she saw him gazing down at her with pure adoration and unadulterated affection. Love churned in his hazel eyes.

“I agree.” Azriel muttered and pulled her into a kiss.

They were finally free to kiss as much as they wanted, and Azriel was going to make every kiss count.

[tobi-momo]

nobody seemed to hear us, but we said it.

PROLOGUE | MASTERLIST | CHAPTER 02

— synopsis. back from Miyagi for a simple month, a welcome back party reignites the one relationship he wasn’t expecting. yours. it was obvious you hadn’t forgotten about what happened in high school, neither did he, but maybe he could mend the relationship back together. could he?

— warnings. cursing | drinking | implications of smoking (not from any of the characters, not depicted either) | kinda poor writing

— word count. 1.3k+

The alcohol was boring. The bitter taste of the IPA he took occasional sips of made his tongue sour and his eyes squint in annoyance. Everyone around him had been enjoying the event a lot more than him, he could see from the blaring music and the dancing and the shot-taking in the background of it all. It was boring. It was all so boring.

He nonchalantly shook girls off of his arm as they try to prop their breasts up and caress his bicep, “just wanting to dance”, and he rolled his eyes at the comments that his teammates (Koganegawa) throw at him, telling him he needs to lighten up, or he just needs to drink a little more to loosen out a bit.

“C’mon, Tsukki, just one dance?” A random girl had pleaded while hanging off his arm. Her lip poked out in a pout and her cheeks were red from the alcohol, but there was nothing in her eyes. He wondered if he had missed the gleam of desire or the sharp tint of lust in her pupils, but one glance confirmed that she just wanted to be with somebody for the night. He figured she was probably lonely, something he would never admit to.

“I’m good.” He returned his sights to the wall in front of him, half-covered in bouncing people and red Dixie cups being held in tight hands. He felt her hand slack down and her eyes roll, a grunt of irritation seeping into his hearing as she left. It was probably for the better, though.

He looked around briefly, only seeing his teammates either jumping around—Kyoutani, who grumped on the chair across the room—or people he had never seen in his life that just wanted to have a good time. If he didn’t see anyone he had met prior to leaving, what was the point of being here at all?

That was when he realized the hotel room got a little crowded as people kept entering, and he wondered if they might get kicked out if this continued. As he leaned against the wall, he questioned himself. He liked to do that. Maybe he should just leave. Although it would be a hard task, squeezing himself between sweaty bodies and he knew he’s probably going to get whipped in the face with hair and a couple of arms, but the air was getting too hot and he couldn’t breathe the same way with all the smoke in the air. So he got off against the wall and placed his half-empty beer bottle down on the dresser beside him, taking his jacket away from hanging on his arm and puts his arms through the sleeves, turning his torso sideways to walk out of the crowd with his body still intact. He cracked the door open, which surprisingly, there was no one before him in the hallway before he shut it behind him.

He could breathe again.

It was refreshing, even though the air wasn’t exactly chilly, it felt nice going down his esophagus and clearing his lungs. All he had to do was find his mother’s place, now. He walked down the hallway towards the elevator, pressing the L button before he backed up against the wall and waited for the doors to slide closed.

He wasn’t expecting anyone to stick their hand through the metal gates, but nevertheless, unexpected things happen all the time in the life of Tsukishima Kei, like the one time Kyoutani tripped over his shoelaces during practice before he jumped up to hit the ball, falling on his face in front of the whole team. He chuckled at that. The person who had been stumbling inside the metal box was heaving, frantically picking up their stuff as what he guessed they dropped just now—he wasn’t paying attention as he recalled a certain memory.

“Shit,” they whispered as they bent down to pick their phone up off the ground. They stood up after grabbing what they needed and flattened their clothes, then leaned against the elevator frame. He looked over with a newfound curiosity, his head tilted to the side while his eyes scanned over what they were wearing. Nothing extravagant, he noted as his eyes scooted upwards.

It was only when they lifted their head to say sorry that he lost his train of thought. Completely stumped, was he. Eyes wide with his breath slowed down almost to a complete stop, he stared.

And so did you.

• • • • • •

“You promise to love me forever, Tsukki?” You question with your hands carrying his, your eyes beading with excitement. He looked at you like he was nervous and he didn’t know what to say, his fingers curling in your palms and sweating a bit. Though, when he looked at you, he couldn’t stop the way your smile bled into his veins and rushed through his entire body, placing one of his own on his face.

He takes a deep breath and readjusts himself in your grip, “I promise!” He shouts it with determination, relishing in your giggles and throwing your hands up in the air with him.

The adults that surrounded you two, his parents and yours, clapped for you as if it were a link in matrimony. They cheered and laughed with you, praising you both for “being the luckiest people on Earth”. He smiles again, believing every word they said all the while holding your hand in his.

Lucky. Was that really what you were?

“Shit,” you mumbled again, only this time it came out as if you hadn’t seen something for a long time. He supposed he couldn’t blame you for that. “Ah, Tsukishima,” you marked awkwardly, dealing with the shocked stare he handed to you. “What-what are you doing here?” You stuttered over your words with an inhale as you get a grip on the event that just had to happen right now.

“Party.” He uttered out.

“What? You, a party? No way,” you offered a smile.

“Uh, I was just leaving,” he clarified, finally getting a grip on his vocal cords. “What floor?”

“Oh, just the Lobby, I’m heading home.” Your head turned back to the wall before you, waiting for the doors to close again.

“You still live here?” He muttered, a confused brow creasing his skin.

“Huh?” You turned your head again as the doors shut, thankfully not hard enough to cause whiplash, “yeah, I do. Pretty boring, right?” You chuckled it off, your lungs suffocating in the uncomfortable atmosphere. “I just haven’t had anywhere to go since college, so. But!” You raised a finger, not to let him jump to conclusions. “I have my own home. The market here is pretty cheap and I didn’t want to live with my mom.”

He nodded in understanding, finally allowing his neck to guide his head face-forward.

“What about you? I heard you joined a professional volleyball team, I’ve seen you on TV.”

“You’ve watched me play?” Even if your faces were turned away from each other, you knew exactly what his face looked like at that exact moment. You cursed yourself for it.

“Only a little bit, when I don’t have anything else to watch.” Did that come off as mean?

“I see. Well—”

The elevator dinged and the doors glided open with a crowd on the other side, rushing inside the box. You both dashed out of it, observing the rest of the passengers press practically all the buttons there was on the dashboard and argue over what food they wanted for dinner. Your heads slowly reclined back to each other, the same thing dressing both of your features. People.

A smug smile quirked the corners of his lips up before he turned around, walking towards the exit of the building. You slightly frowned at his hurry to get away from you, this feeling of something unresolved rising in your stomach.

“Hey,” you called over, watching his body halt and switch directions. “Wanna have a couple drinks?” You asked politely, raising your shoulders, “catch up?”

He nodded. Maybe the beer won’t taste that bad, he thought to himself while he waited for your legs to line up with his.

—author's note. HI IM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE AND THE FIRST CHAPTER TOO 😩 ive been swamped in school work and im just trying to get caught up. im trying to make this story as captivating as possible, (yes i havent finished writing it, im that impulsive) so dont be afraid to send me suggestions! (i already have one and y/n is an artist 😌 - painter to clarify)

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[7-wonders]

Hardships Unnumbered

Summary: The quest to save Julia begins, but not everything is as it seems in this mystical land.

Word Count: 1969

A/N: Hi friends! This is the second chapter of my Labyrinth King!Michael AU fic, "It's Only Forever." I'll link the first chapter down below. I hope that you enjoy and, as always, likes, comments, and reblogs make my world go round.

(also there's a couple of little easter eggs/one big one and I'm really excited to see who figures them out)

Chapter One

Though you put your hands out in front of you to brace yourself, it doesn’t help you to discern which way is up and which way is down until you finally stop rolling. With a groan, you shove yourself up to your feet. Your palms are scraped and slightly bleeding, your jeans are torn at the knees, and leaves and twigs now adorn your hair. All in all, this is not the way you had hoped to start this mission to get Julia back.

Now that you’re already at the bottom of the hill, it’s easier to decide how to start this jaunt through the Labyrinth. After all, you certainly can’t go back up, and the solid ground beneath your feet only leads one way. The shining spires of Michael's castle at the center of the maze, closer than you had thought, rise high above you and act as a compass. All factors considered, you can definitely run this in a couple of hours. Then, once you’re both safely out of here, your first order of business is to call the cops.

Your confidence begins to fade the longer that you walk along with the wall separating you from the inside of the maze. There’s no door, or arch, or opening anywhere to be seen. Turning around, you look back to see if you’ve missed the entrance. Instead of finding one, movement catches your eye. A man, tall and willowy, cries out victoriously at something trapped under his foot. He seems to be your best bet, and you decide to approach him.

“Excuse me?” you say.

The man startles, obviously not expecting to see anybody here. “Oh!” he cries in surprise, looking at you as if you’re the first person to ever cross his path. His hair is bleached to look almost white, and he has a pair of oddly-shaped sunglasses with purple lenses covering his eyes. The checkered jumpsuit, complete with ruffles on the shoulders, both does and doesn’t go with the sunglasses. You’re not quite sure why the people that live here dress so funny, but it’s making you feel underdressed.

“Which way do I go to get into the Labyrinth?”

“Now, why would I tell you that?”

“Because you must have come from there,” you pause, looking down at the man’s foot when you hear a squeaking, “oh! Is that a fairy?”

“Mhm.” Your childlike wonder is abruptly swept out from under you when he kicks the small, blue creature into the forest.

“Why did you do that? That wasn’t very nice!”

“Go ahead and pick one up,” the man says, “you’ll see how nice they are when you’re missing a finger.” As if to prove his point, a fairy flies up to you and hisses in your face, showing off two rows of razor sharp teeth. “What is it that you wanted, again?”

You huff. “To know which way to go to get into the Labyrinth.”

“Did you try asking it?”

“I’m sorry, what?” You roll your eyes in disbelief before mocking him. “‘Labyrinth, please let me in!’ Is that what I should say?”

He doesn’t have to respond, for a sudden rumbling has you turning around. To your shock, there’s suddenly an open space in the wall that hadn’t been there just a second ago.

“You’re joking.”

“No, I’m Gallant.” You want to tell him that you weren’t guessing his name, you don’t even want to know his name, but he continues. “Who are you?”

“(Y/N).”

“Ah, that’s right.” So this is one of Michael’s ‘subjects?’ After all, if your dreams have been right (and you’re still half-convinced this is just the elaborate scheme of some unhinged weirdo and not magic, despite what you just saw), then that means that Michael is also the ruler of the Underworld. With that logic, Gallant must be some sort of a demon. If that’s the case, you certainly don’t want anything to do with him.

“Well,” you say awkwardly, “I’m going to go now. Running on limited time, and all that.”

“You’re just going to go in there? Alone?”

“Yep.”

“But--but the Labyrinth leads to the Labyrinth King!”

“That’s kind of the whole reason why I’m here.”

“You’re going to get hurt in there.” Gallant gasps. “You could even die in there!”

You set your shoulders, walking to the hole in the wall and glancing back. “I won’t, but thanks for the concern.”

“Wait!” Even if you did want to listen to what he had to say, you couldn’t, for the wall closes back up on itself the moment you step through it. Mildly jarred though you may be, there’s not much you can do to change this, so you turn around and try to figure out whether to go right or left. Both directions look exactly the same, so with the flip of a mental coin, you go right.

After both walking and jogging for what must have been over a mile, you’re no closer to any sort of landmark that would tell you where you are or how close you are to the castle. There haven’t even been any corners to turn past, just one long, unending aisle. You’re starting to feel a little claustrophobic as you finally come to a stop, needing to take a break for a minute. Sinking down against the wall into a sitting position, you find yourself looking back and forth down the path. Both directions look exactly the same, for as far as you can see. You groan dejectedly and put your head in your hands, allowing yourself a moment of pity before getting up and trying again.

“Hey there!”

You jump at the sudden Southern-sounding voice. “Who’s there?”

“Me, of course!”

Looking around, you see a small door just to your left, and a small woman, probably less than a foot tall, standing next to you. Her curly blonde hair is pulled up into a ponytail, showing off her pointy ears. “And you’re...talking to me?”

“There’s nobody else around, is there?” The woman glances inside the open door. “‘Cept the missus, of course.”

Another woman, also blonde, pokes her head outside and smiles up at you. “Hello!”

“Why don’t ya come inside for a while? ‘Delia makes a killer gumbo.”

“Uh...no thanks. I’m just taking a break for a moment before I find a way to the castle.”

The woman’s face turns severe, and she holds her shawl tighter around herself. “You must be awfully brave if you’re so determined to go up there.”

Brave? You wouldn’t call yourself brave. Stupid, maybe, for bowing to the whims of the guy who’s kidnapped your charge, but not brave.

“But anyways, just go through the wall across from us and you’ll be on your way.”

You look in front of you to see the solid wall. “Through there?”

She nods.

Logic is telling you that this is obviously false, but, considering the same thing happened with Gallant, it can’t hurt to try. Standing up, you cautiously put your hand up to the wall, expecting to meet, well, a wall. Instead, you almost fall through a doorway that leads to another passage in the Labyrinth. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“You will be if you keep going.”

You choose to ignore this, at this point knowing that everybody who lives here is terrified of their ruler. “Thanks for the help.”

The elf stares at your back as you walk through the new corridor, figure becoming smaller and smaller. “If she would have stuck around, I would have been able to get her on the right track back home, not towards that horrible man.”

From inside the house, a timer beeps. “Misty, supper’s ready!”

///

In the stone chamber of the King of the Underworld’s throne room, a three year old girl is currently winning a staring contest against a demon. Michael watches as the demon’s eyes begin to water (with blood, of course), before he eventually gives in and blinks. The little girl cheers before looking at Michael.

“My daddy’s gonna kick your butt, you know. He saved mama from aliens once.”

“Silence, child,” Michael commands, but he can’t help the twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth. It’s difficult to hide his amusement when this child is the most lively thing to grace his castle since...well, he can’t quite remember since when.

Being surrounded by demons of all shapes and sizes, with a variety of horns or extra eyes or tails, gets old after a while. Demons, quite frankly, are a bore. All they want to do is scare people and cause mayhem, yet continue to use the same methods that have been in place for thousands of years. If Michael’s being honest with himself, everything’s a bore to him here. In the early years, this job had been quite fun. Lots of naive humans to terrify and endless souls to torture.

Michael himself had been prone to naivety, then. It was easy to deal with the buffoons that called themselves demons when it seemed that, soon enough, he would find somebody to share this burden with him. After all, it was the guy upstairs who believed that emotions were for the humans. Michael, however, found it to be one of the most carnal pleasures. To love, and to be loved, seemed like the greatest sin. As the years passed, and the whole routine of ruling the Underworld became stale, Michael began to embrace the feelings of dejection, while simultaneously dreading the thought of an eternity alone.

That’s why, no matter the outcome of tonight, Michael would at least have something to add a little color to his black-and-white world. At the very least, the child would provide much-needed entertainment in the Underworld. She seems quite creative, which could potentially lend itself to some new and innovative torture methods. But, that would almost be a non-starter, considering the whole reason that she’s here, the whole reason Michael implemented this plan in the first place, is to get to you.

You, who managed to somehow win over demons disguised as beggars that loitered outside of the bookstore you worked for. You, who was constantly coming up with your own ideas for stories, creating and erasing entire worlds within your mind (a power far more powerful than any regular magic, Michael believes). You, who had somehow managed to vex and enchant him, without ever having spoken a word to him. He had seen you on one of his visits up Above, talking to a beggar demon as if they were your equal, offering food and shelter to their grotesque form. From then on, he knew that he had to have you, and from that, a plan was born. The Labyrinth, which he had subtly placed in every single one of your dreams for months now, was impossible to run through. You would inevitably lose. And when that happens, he’s prepared to accept your frantic offer where you exchange yourself for the child. He is, after all, a benevolent ruler.

“Mr. Michael?” Julia questions, breaking Michael out of his pondering.

Michael hums, deciding that he won’t lecture her on the importance of referring to rulers by their titles. “Yes, little one?”

“Do you have juice here? ‘M thirsty.”

“Abaddon!” Michael calls, the demon appearing in a puff of smoke. “Get our guest some refreshments.”

The demon turns to do Michael’s bidding, shocked when Julia grabs their clawed hand and skips along with them. “I really like your spiky horns,” she says.

Michael looks up at the clock on the wall, noting that only nine hours remain for you to reach the center of the Labyrinth and rescue the child. Perfect. He’s not one to get too cocky (yes he is), but these are odds he’s willing to take.

//

Tag List (send me a message if you want to be on this!): @sojournmichael @dark-mei-rose @blakescoven @xavierplympton @michaellangdon @trelaney @ajokeformur-ray @babyloutattoo89 @bloodcoatedeclipse @threeminutesoflife @annikathebananana @wth-trippy @thatonehumanbeing05 @dumybitch

[mysticgoblinwriter]

Driving In A Cold Sweat; There Is No One On This Highway

Warnings- Murder, infidelity, swearing, food imagery, shitty parents, i made Steve the villain who’s in the HOA and a politician, adult content, dark!reader, cheating, a bit of flirting, mental health joke (mental health is NOT a joke, y’all), religion symbolism, dark!steve, peggy x bucky,

Word Count- 1.9k

kudos to @blackberrybucky for being my soundboard, and @fandomsandxfiles for being my beta reader. Love y'all

a/n- This is inspired by Hypothermic by Goodnight Texas.  Its really dark, and I surprised myself writing this but I like it. I also changed the landscape to desert. Leave comments if you want! As many as you like, I fangirl over my work too. All writers should, its selfcare.

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING FLUFFY AND SOFT TURN AWAY NOW; MINORS DNI

DO NOT COPY OR REPOST ANYWHERE. A REBLOG IS APPRECIATED. A REPOST IS NOT.

Bucky looks you up and down, taking you in like you are the gods own ambrosia.  “So, doll.  What brings you to this shit hole?”

You laugh to yourself.  “I murdered somebody.”- was the sentence that also inspired this but its not in the actual story.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The radio gave out miles ago.  It was emitting nothing except for crackling and static.  Every now and then it would cut back to a sermon, funnily enough it’d been the same one that was on when you started your trip.  Sunset was a little ways off.  If you looked hard enough you could see coyotes just off the asphalt.  Alive, yes.  But just how long had their souls been gone?  Someone was screaming.

A man.  You’d heard that scream before.  Seared into you memory like that steak you had for your 15th birthday. It was right next to you.  Oozing blood and raw-red.  You could hear the clink of the knife as it scraped against the plate.  Shaking your head to clear it, you notice an exit with a gas station.  “Now’s a time as good as any to stop.”  Gravel crunches as you slide up next to the pump. The neon beer lights from the bar across the road are calling.  But you can’t answer. The gas handle is slick and grimy, you’ve felt something like that before, but you can’t remember what.  A fuzzy noise in the back of your ears gets your attention.  Another truck has pulled in.  Right in the spot next to yours, never mind the dozen others that are free.  A bulky man steps down, his face hidden by a rangers hat.

You could tell he worked out though.  And had hair in need of a washing.  Clunk.  The tank was full.  You thought it best to leave before anyone could place you, but your stomach needed something other than greasy two-bit fast food.  You glance around, looking for any sign that promised a hot meal.

“Looking for something, doll?” You let out a small gasp.  He was staring straight at you now.

“Does this shithole have a place to eat?  I might have to start eating the cactus.”

He lets out a soft laugh, “Yeah, there’s a diner about half mile down the road.”

His face brightens like he just thought of something.  “You wanna meet me there?  I’ll buy dinner?”  You weigh the options.  You can’t have anybody recognize you; but your cash is getting low and however you can stretch it, you must.  You nod once.  “Sure.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The diner is every trope you’d seen in the movies your pops watched when he got off work.  Flies buzzing, neon sign flickering, checkered tile.  It even had the shiny red leather booths.  What a dream.  “Getcha a seat anywhere, honey.  I’ll be right over,” came a perky voice from the back.  Presumably a waitress. You choose the booth near the back exit.  Its always good to have a backup plan.

The man said he needed to get something at the mini-mart, that you could go ahead and he’d catch up.  Somebody screamed right next to you, causing you to jump out of your seat.  You whip your head around.  No one was even in the dining area.  It sounded so real.  Like you could reach out and grasp the shattering inky blackness.  You take a couple of deep breaths.  Try to remember your happy place.  Tahiti, its a magical place.  Or so you’ve been told  You just picked it from a magazine that was open on the coffee table the night your mother set fire to the curtains in the living room.  The flames had licked up the page, burning the island resort into ash.  Boots thudded as they made way to where you were.  He slides in across from you.

“Um, the waitress’ll be right out,” you said softly.  He barely heard it over the rickety air conditioning.  He nods to show he heard.  He’s sitting close.  Closer than you’d thought another human would ever sit next to you again.  His hands are rough and calloused.  The sleeve cuffs of his hoodie are frayed; as if someone clawed at them.  Eyes traveling up his body, you take in more details.  The hoodie isn’t faded, its brand new.  He wears a bracelet of leather on his right hand, with a charm you can’t quite see.  His necklace is corded hemp, plain and understated.

A light stubble that’s maybe three days old covers his jaw.  His eyes... are piercing right through you. You take in a quick breath, not being able to look away.  You’d never seen that shade of blue before.   He’d been watching you watching him.  Quirking an eyebrow, ”See anything ya like, doll?” You start to sputter an answer but the waitress comes over.  “Sorry about the wait.  Here’s your-”  Blue eyes interrupts her, “We don’t need those.  I’ll have the special and she’ll have the ‘Its Impossible To Go Away Hungry’ plate”  “Okay, then.  I’ll get that right out to ya folks.”

You glare at him, he mirrors it with dicky nonchalance. “Why did you order for me?”  He leans forward, tilts his head the right the tiniest fraction.  “You’re starved.  I really don’t give a damn what kept you from eating but I ain’t gonna let you go without giving you a meal.  The steak plate is the biggest meal they have.  You can take a to go box, that is if you don’t eat the whole thing.”

“Oh.”  You cast out a huff, “Well, thank you.”  He flashes a killer smile. Pearly white teeth in a straight line.  Not an imperfection to be found anywhere.  A silence falls between the two of you.  You can’t decide whether its comfortable of not.

“My name is Bucky.  I thought you wouldn’t like eating with a stranger.  I like to doodle in the margins of my books sometimes.”  “Please tell me not library books.”  He scoffs as if you suggested the impossible, “Never.  Do you think I’m crazy?”

“Jury’s out on that, Bucky.”  He looks at you more intently now.  “Really?  Same could be said about you.  When I first spoke to you it was like a deer in headlights.  Ya running from something, sugar?”  He’d said it jokingly but you didn’t laugh.

“No.  Nothing like that.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shirley came back with your plates, and two root beers.  She left the check at the end of the table and Bucky swooped it up.  The meal passed by in the comfortable sounds of silverware clinking and ice clacking in the cups.  You both ate in record time.

You were careful to save enough for a second meal. That went into the to go container.  Now both cups were drained and plates scraped clean.  You start to slide out of your seat, mumbling a thanks but Bucky stops you.  “Wait, won’t you sit here a while longer?  I’d be kinda sad sitting here alone.”  After a moments hesitation, you resume your position.  “What do you wanna talk about?  It can’t be the weather.  Its been dry as bones for weeks.”   He ponders for a moment, “You.”  He shifts a little, resting one ankle on the opposite knee.

“I want to know what you’re running from, and see if I can offer...a distraction.”  That shocks you.  “Life?  Aren’t we all running away in some form or another?  I just happened to take the mobile route.”  You shrug, “What do you want me to say?  It was all shitty so I left it behind.  And as for the distraction part, I got a whore last night, so don’t bother.”  He is silent.  Just sits there and gazes at you.  You cock your head, getting impatient.  “Am I allowed to leave now?  Or do you want to talk about our feelings?”

“I slept with my best friends wife.”

“I-I’m sorry you what??”

“I slept with my best friends wife.  He owns half the town, what with him being mayor and all.  I couldn’t take it anymore, he’s always been the golden boy.  Always been the beacon of light.  I just wanted a slice of what he had.”  He looks up, his eyes are dead.  “She was willing, and I just... took her.  There on his desk.  He’d been out for lunch with some bigwig, and I made her cum twice on my cock.”  He chuckles darkly.  “That’d been the first time.  All the other times don’t matter, he doesn’t know about those.  But he does know about the time in the craft shed.  Peggy did pottery.

Had a nice little workshop, it was connected to the mansion they had.  I wanted to bring her pleasure in the place where she gets frustrated often, so she’d have something else to think about.  Steve caught us on the floor.  A big bunch of daffodils in hand.  Stupid, those weren’t even her favorites.”  He was gone now, lost in memories, not even knowing he was talking.  “Said he had come by to take her to lunch.  That was always like Steve.  Expected her to clear her schedule at the drop of a hat but never doing the same for anybody. He didn’t even get mad.  He just walked away, muttering something about his office.

Peggy said she could talk some sense into him.  The next day I found her in the garbage when I took out my trash.”  Your sharp inhale and big eyes do nothing to catch his attention.  “Steve comes strolling out of nowhere, said that she was a threat to his image.  Said that I need to leave or face the same.  I asked why he left me alive and he said ‘So you can remember the pain until you lay down in the ground and the mice and carrion drag your body up from its silk cocoon to feast.”

But that’s not all.”  He said the last bit so quietly, it was as if he said nothing.

“What?”  He’s crying now, tears are forming rivers in his eyes.  “She knew.  She knew  he was going to be there and that’s how she wanted to go out.”  Your puzzled expression makes him laugh.  “Don’t know many politicians, do you?  Good.  Keep it that way.  That day when the mail came I got a letter.  From her.  It said how she wanted to divorce Steve ever since he became the HOA president.  But she couldn’t.  He had threatened her once, just once and what he said was so blisteringly awful.  And he did it.  He is a man of his word, after all.  He kept his damn word.”

“So...she used you as an out?”  He winces.  You hadn’t meant to sound like that.

“Yes.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Out in the diners parking lot you say goodbye to James.  Wait.  No, no.  His name is Bucky.  He’s got a green  Chevy and blue eyes.  Or was it red?  It doesn’t matter anyway.  You back out and head for the next state, ignoring the blood leaking from the tarp in your trunk.  The screams have stopped.  And the moon is bright.

[wicked-mind]

Remember Me: Chapter Seven

Summary: Y/N and Bucky were the unlikely match when it came to love, but they were inseparable since they met. After a fight, Y/N left to be a trauma surgeon in the military and returns without her memories. How will Bucky remind Y/N how she is the fire in his bones?

Word Count: 4.4k

Warnings: Swearing (I like swearing. Adds character and sounds pretty to me lol), mentions of surgical procedures, car crash, miscarriage, John Walker, slight bit of PTSD.

Series Masterlist

All Writings Masterlist

As always, any likes, reblog, or comments are appreciated (:

*gifs not mine

Previously

Y/N removed her eyes from his face, listening to the story. Her forehead creased a moment as she thought about all that was said before meeting his gaze once again. A small smile curved on her lips and she leaned towards him, kissing his lips softly before pulling away slightly to look at him, “I forgive you, Bucky."

Bucky felt relief flood through him at her words, smiling down to her. He couldn’t find any words to say to her so instead he returned his arms around her body and pulled her closer, kissing her deeply. Those were words Bucky had waited to hear for so long and for a while he didn’t know if he would ever hear them from Y/N. Everything seemed right in the world for now, and even though he was worried about what was written in those journals John had given her due to what Steve had said, he hoped that whatever else it was would be forgiven also.

Truth was, Y/N always had forgiven Bucky for what was said the moment she left. She knew it was from his own fears. But what had broken her heart was hidden in the pages of those journals.

Chapter seven - The truth in the writing

Y/N wasn’t supposed to be back to work until noon, but she got called in early due to an apartment fire that would lead to multiple traumas coming in meaning it was all hands on deck. Bucky watched her pack the yellow folder John had given to her last night into her backpack before taking her to the hospital. He came back to Steve’s to find him and Peggy having some coffee. Bucky grabbed himself a mug of the dark liquid before leaning against the counter, “She took the journals with her.” He said over to Steve.

Peggy narrowed her eyes as they flickered between the two, “What journals?”

Steve sighed, sitting at the dining table next to Peggy, “Y/N’s friend, that blonde guy named John, brought some of her journals that were left behind at her base camp. Says there’s everything in there.” He informed.

“Yeah, including something we don’t know about.” Bucky grumbled out, “Something that made our break-up worse than just the words that were said.” He would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried. He replayed that night so many times in his head that every moment was burned into his brain and he couldn’t think of anything other than what was said before she left, “We gotta figure this out. So I can at least try to make it better after she reads whatever is in there.”

Peggy set her glass mug on the table, “Okay, then let’s walk through it.” She said helpfully, “Y/N came here that night after her shift and showed us the deployment papers with the date for her to leave set in a month, June 7th. She was so excited to tell you that she left immediately after. What happened at your house, James?”

Bucky sighs, setting his mug down on the counter to run a hand through his dark hair, “She came in all excited and jumped into my arms. Everything was fine and then she showed me the papers. We argued about it because I didn’t want her to go. I told her if she walked out those doors I wouldn’t be here waiting for her and not to come back. And then she left.” He flinched at his own words. He hated that he had said that to Y/N.

Steve leans back in his chair, “Then she came back here in tears and frantic. We tried to get her to talk to us about what happened but she just packed her bags, got in her car, and left.” He sighs, “I called her everyday for about four days until she finally picked up and told me she was fine, just needed some space, and she would be back soon. After that, I didn’t hear from her until she was deployed.”

Bucky cocks his head to the side at Steve, narrowing his eyes, “You never told me that.”

Steve scoffs slightly, “Yeah, well, you made my sister run away, we weren’t exactly on the best speaking terms, Buck.”

“So we have no idea where she was or what she was doing for a month before she was deployed?” Peggy interrupted, watching Bucky and Steve shake their heads to say no. She bit her bottom lip for a moment, “Maybe something happened in that month.”

Bucky looked over from Peggy to Steve, “What did she say while she was deployed?” He asks curiously, folding his arms as he leaned against the counter.

Steve looked from Peggy to Bucky, picking up his mug and bringing it to his lips for a drink before setting it back down, “Y/N called me when she got to the base, told me she made it safe and she was sorry she didn’t come back before she left, that she couldn’t come back. I asked her what happened between you two and she told me what was said. I told her you didn’t mean it and to at least give you a call.” He watched Bucky’s features soften for a moment, “There were a few more phone calls. She told me what you said hurt, but that she was okay and there was another reason she couldn’t come home or talk to you. We didn’t really talk about you two after that.”

Bucky groaned slightly. What had happened? The more he thought about it the more the timeline didn’t make sense. Everything had been fine between them the days, even weeks leading up to when she ran away were fine. He sighs looking back to Steve, “I don’t know, man.” He said, “Everything was great. We made cookies together, went on rides, had a Star Wars marathon. Everything was perfect… So perfect in fact I bought a damn engagement ring.”

Steve looked at Bucky with almost fully wide eyes before looking at Peggy who was sipping her coffee avoiding eye contact, “You knew about this, Peggy?”

Peggy put her coffee down, pursing her lips a little before speaking, “Of course I knew! Who do you think had to help him pick out the damn thing?”

Steve nodded and turned his attention back to Bucky, “Wow.” He said still nodding, “Well, now I really wish things would’ve gone differently. She would’ve been so excited.” He said with a small smile towards Bucky. Steve had always trusted Bucky with Y/N. The way he treated her was like a queen.

Bucky’s lips twitched into a small smile for a moment at Steve’s approval before it faded back into a stern line. He was going to ask Steve for help with the proposal when Bucky eventually figured out how to ask, but hadn’t gotten around to it before it all went to shit, “So nobody knows what the reason is…”

Steve nodded slowly, “Well… none of us know. But there is one person who does.”

Bucky groaned a little again and rubs his hand along his face, “God, I really hate John Walker.”

—

Y/N dealt with the wave of incoming traumas from the apartment building fire, running point on sorting patients by the degree of their injuries to create a steady flow in the operating room and emergency room. Once everything had died down, Y/N sat in the attending’s lounge eating a sandwich and starting to go through yellow folder from her backpack. There were photos of Y/N with Bucky and some of her with Steve and Peggy as well of her with John. There were also photos of her while she was deployed mostly doing silly poses in the middle of nowhere. She placed the photos back into the folder and pulled out the two notebooks next. They were leather-bound full sized journals. She opened the first one that looked just a bit more well used, figuring it was the first one. Her brow furrowed when she turned to the first page. It was dated at the top, May 15, 2019 but the rest of the page looked like the words had been gone over with permanent marker. Y/N turned to the next page and the next but for about ten pages over the next ten days from May 15th, all the words had been scribbled over with permanent marker, “Well, that’s just great.” She mutters out to herself softly, “Thanks me. Super helpful.”

Y/N finally found a page with actual words instead of just a page of black marker, the date read May 25th, 2019. It was filled with the words repeating ‘I am not my trauma.’ over and over again until the last line that read:

I’ll forget the piece that was taken away from me.

She frowned a little. What trauma did this refer to? What had happened? She turns the page quickly to read the next page.

May 26th, 2019

I leave in eleven days.

I want more than anything to call him. I don’t know what I would say. How do I explain what happened. Where do I begin?

He told me if I leave to never come back. That he won’t be waiting for me.

A part of me knows that’s a lie. I know he’d be there with open arms if he knew what happened.

I found that ring after all…

Y/N had to read the line over again a few times. Ring? There was a ring?

But how would he feel if he knew how ruined I was?

His sun swallowed into a dark pit.

He loves me. And I don’t think I’m me anymore.

Nobody wants broken things.

May 28th, 2019

I want to feel safe again.

They say writing down what I feel is going to ground me to reality. They also said I should call somebody. I can’t do that. I can’t let them know how much I hurt. I just want to run as far away as possible and that’s what I’ll do. I need to get out of here. It feels like I can’t breathe and everywhere I look I’m met with eyes filled with pity. It makes everything worse the way they look at me and stare. I get released tomorrow, I’m signing out AMA. Then it’s just nine more days. Maybe it’ll replace my trauma with a different trauma. Anything would be better than this.

I miss Bucky. I miss running my fingers through his hair and the way his stubble would brush against my skin. I miss being in his arms the most. They were so safe like nothing could ever hurt me. I wish I would’ve stayed then none of this would’ve happened. We could’ve just fought about it then go to bed and sort it out until I left. At least then I would’ve felt save and would’ve been safe.

I think the worst part about our fight was that I knew about the ring. I found it in his boxer drawer when putting away his laundry. You’d figure he would’ve picked a better hiding spot, but nope. He’s never been good at hiding things from me. I was halfway expecting him to propose when I showed him my deployment papers so we both had something to look forward to when I came back. I would’ve said yes in a heartbeat if he did. After all, James Buchanan Barnes is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. But that’s not what happened. And here I am stuck in pain and guilt.

Y/N shut the book when she heard someone come in, wiping away some tears she hadn’t noticed falling from her cheeks. She looks over and put on her best smile for Chief Miller, “Afternoon, Chief.”

Miller had his hands tucked in his pockets, “Everything okay, Y/N?” He asks gently, nothing the tear brimmed eyes.

Y/N nodded, keeping the same smile on her face, “Yeah, everything’s good. A friend brought me some journals to see if they’ll help me remember. It’s just confusing and a lot to read.” She said softly, “Were you looking for me?”

Miller nodded at her words, “I’m sorry, that must be hard.” He said with a reassuring smile, “I was just getting all your medical records transferred over and one was locked from a hospital in Queens. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to unlock it so we have that information on file in case it’s needed in the future.”

Y/N tilted her head at him, her brow pulling together in confusion, “I don’t remember what the nature of that visit would be… Did it have a date? I can call the doctor from the hospital to get it unlocked if I know the date.”

“May 14th, 2019.” Miller replied, “The doctors name I think was Wanda Maximoff.”

Y/N nodded slowly at the date. It was the day before her journal started with the scribbled out pages. She pushed the journal into her backpack, “Thanks, Chief. I’ll give them a call.” She said with a small smile before standing and leaving the room. She found an empty office with a computer, googling the hospital in Queens and asking for Dr. Maximoff.

“This is Dr. Maximoff.” A woman with an accent said over the phone when Y/N was connected.

“Hi, this is Dr. Rogers from Brooklyn Mercy. I was calling about a locked file in my health records.”

“Oh, Y/N! How have you been? Are you back from deployment?”

“Been better… And yes, I am. I was calling because a medical report of mine from May 14, 2019 is sealed and I don’t remember the nature of the visit. I lost a lot of my memories due to an incident overseas and I’m trying to put pieces together.”

“I see.. I’m so sorry to hear that. Our hospital isn’t too far from Brooklyn Mercy, I think we should talk about this in person given the situation. I’ll drive down and meet you in about forty-five minutes, would that work?”

“That’d be perfect, thank you Dr. Maximoff.” Y/N said before enhancing goodbyes and hanging up. It felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest with how fast it was racing and she felt sick to her stomach as she tried to remember what happened. Whatever happened, it was bad enough that Dr. Maximoff was coming to tell her in person.

Y/N asked Chief Miller if he would be there when she went over the information with Maximoff, wanting some sort of support in case whatever happened was really bad. She kept adjusting herself in the chair in front of Chief Miller, nervous for whatever information was about to come out. She put on a small smile when Dr. Maximoff came into the office holding a medical file, shaking her hand and watching her take a seat in the chair next to her, “Nice to meet you again, Dr. Maximoff.”

“Oh call me Wanda. And again, I’m very sorry about your memory loss. I want to start by saying that we have support groups I can recommend after we talk about this information. Given that you don’t remember, it is possible you’ll go through all the emotions and grief again.” Wanda said before placing the file on Chief Miller’s desk and opening it slowly, “The night of May 14th, 2019 paramedics responded to an accident involving two vehicles. You were in one of them. It was determined the other driver was driving under the influence and had a large amount of alcohol in his system.”

Y/N nodded slowly, watching Wanda instead of looking at the file. Her eyes were full of kindness, even maybe a little pity, “What happened to the drunk driver?”

“He died in surgery. With the amount of alcohol in his system, the bleeding couldn’t be controlled and the damage was too severe.” Wanda said before continuing, “It was later determined that he was going forty miles per hour over the speed limit and from your statement, he was driving down the wrong side of the road with his headlights off. You didn’t see him coming until it was too late.”

“How bad was it?” Y/N asks softly, picking at her fingers nervously as she listened.

Wanda sighs, flipping through pages of the file on Chief Miller’s desk, “You sustained abdominal bleeding, two fractured ribs, and superficial lacerations that our head of plastic surgery took care of which is why there is no scarring. You made me promise not to call your emergency contacts.” Wanda paused, observing Y/N’s reaction but she was just sitting there nodding, “We took blood samples to cross match your blood so we couldn’t have to keep giving you O-negative blood. Those blood tests showed trace amounts of the hCG hormone. After we took care of the abdominal bleeding, you miscarried from stress. You didn’t know you were pregnant. You asked me to seal the records of the accident and you signed yourself out against medical advice.”

Y/N took a deep ragged breath, looking down at the floor in shock. The writings in the journal were making sense. She could hear Chief Miller and Wanda asking if she was okay but they sounded distant and like they were underwater. Flashes started coming back in her mind of that night. She was driving down the road back to her hotel she was staying at, crying and listening to sad songs on the radio when the crash happened. Y/N put her hand on her chest as her breathing became more erratic, it was like she couldn’t get enough air. She could see Wanda and Miller trying to ask if she was okay and calm her down but their voices were so different and everything around her was swaying. She remembered sitting in a hospital bed and crying over the news and the guilt she felt for leaving the safety of Bucky, “Can’t breathe…” She whispers out, trying to stand slowly from the chair. Y/N remembered the day after it happened, Wanda brought the journals to her hoping it would help to write what she was feeling since she wouldn’t contact anybody. She remembered the grief she felt as well as the shock and pain. This was the reason she didn’t come back to Bucky and avoided him, she didn’t know what to tell him. The world was swaying like she was on a boat and it felt like she was underwater, unable to get air in her lungs or hear the muffled sounds coming from Chief Miller and Wanda. She stumbled around at the room spinning, blinking rapidly before the world around her started fading to black and she fell onto the floor.

——

Steve, Peggy, and Bucky were still all trying to figure out events that lead up to Y/N running away a month before her deployment, trying to think of any clues that would help put the puzzle pieces together.

Steve’s phone starting ringing and he excused himself from the conversation to take the call, “Hello?”

“Hi, this is Doctor Miller, Chief of Surgery over at Brooklyn Mercy. Is this Steve Rogers, Y/N’s brother?”

“This is Steve. Is everything alright?” “Yes, everything is alright. I’m just giving you a call to ask you to come in. Your sister had a pretty serious panic attack and lost consciousness. I think it would be good if you came in.”

“What? Yeah, I’m on my way.” Steve said, walking back into the kitchen, “We have to go, Y/N’s been admitted to the hospital for a panic attack.”

Bucky frowns, “Probably read those damn journals.” He growled out, turning immediately and walking out the front door to his motorcycle and speeding down the road towards the hospital with Peggy and Steve right behind him in their car.

When they arrived at the hospital, Chief Miller was waiting for them at the front doors. He lead them up to the room Y/N was in where she was talking to Wanda with the door closed and crying, pulling an oxygen mask up to her mouth every so often. Bucky looked through the window to the room before noticing that none other than John Walker was standing a little bit away from the room leaning against the wall with a frown. Bucky immediately felt rage consume him, stomping over to John and pushing him against the wall, “What were in those journals?!” He yelled before landing a punch to John’s cheek.

John winced at the hit and pushed Bucky away from him, “She knew about the ring, asshole! She thought you were going to propose that night but instead you broke up with her!”

Chief Miller and Steve quickly pulled the two apart, Miller holding John back while Steve held Bucky back, “That’s not what it was about! Now knock if off before I call security.” Chief Miller said, moving to stand between the men, “Due to her privacy, I can’t tell you what it was but it wasn’t about a ring.”

“She knew about the ring?” Bucky said, wide eyed as he processed the words. No wonder she had been so mad at him and what he had said. She thought she was coming home to a potential proposal and instead he told her if she left to never come back.

Peggy had separated herself from all the testosterone and walked into the room Y/N was in, shutting the door behind her, “I’m Peggy, her sister-in-law.” She told Wanda before she took a seat on the edge of Y/N’s bed, gently taking her head, “Are you okay, honey?”

Y/N shook her head rapidly, keeping the oxygen mask pressed to her mouth and nose as she cried into it. She remembered the pain when Wanda had told her she miscarried and feeling alone due to the fight she had with Bucky. It was the reason she had ran- she didn’t feel like she had a home to go back to and she wouldn’t know what Bucky would think if she told him she had lost their child. All Bucky had wanted was to grow up and have a family with her and she ruined that. Her gaze set on Bucky through the window and she pulled the blanket on her legs up over her head, sobbing loudly underneath the blanket. How could she even look at him knowing what she knew now?

Wanda got up to close the blinds in the window before returning the chair placed next to the bed, “Y/N,” Wanda asks gently, reaching out a hand to rest reassuringly on Y/N’s leg over the blanket, “You’ve dealt with this pain alone for a long time and you’re going through it again like it’s fresh. You should talk to someone about it, you need support.”

Y/N pulled the blanket off her head at the sound of the blinds shutting, looking at Wanda through her blurry tear filled eyes, “I can’t…You… You tell Peggy… I can’t… I can’t.” She sobbed out, dropping the oxygen mask to her lap and putting her face in her hands.

Wanda looks over to Peggy who was eyeing her curiously, “The night of May 14th, 2019 Y/N was brought in after her car was hit by a drunk driver. We took care of all the injuries… But we found out she was about six weeks pregnant. Due to the stress of her injuries and the stress she was already under, she miscarried.”

Peggy’s jaw dropped at the news, slowly looking over to Y/N. She quickly adjusted herself on the bed to scoot closer to Y/N, pulling her into a secure hug and stroking her hair softly, “Shh… It’s okay… I’m so sorry, honey…I’m here…” She soothed gently. It all made sense of why Y/N didn’t come back before she was deployed and why she never talked to Bucky.

Eventually Wanda offered a light sedation for Y/N since she couldn’t stop crying and keep her breathing under control. Y/N drifted off to sleep from the sedative, her mind finally calming but the ache in her body didn’t fade. When she opened her eyes, it was nighttime. She looked over to the window to see Peggy and Steve talking to Wanda and Chief Miller outside of the room. Her attention was take when she felt a soft squeeze of her hand, looking over and seeing Bucky sitting in the chair staring at her with a small smile. The sight of him almost made her break again, pulling her hand out of his grasp and pulling the blanket up over her head to hide from his face.

“Hey, Y/N,” Bucky said with a small frown when she hid away from him under the blanket, “Baby, come on look at me. Talk to me.” He pleaded, trying to pull the blanket away from her face, “What happened, doll?”

Y.N eventually quit fighting the tug of war with the blanket, letting him pull it away from her face. She didn’t meet his gaze though, staring into her lap as tears started to roll down her face. She was amazed she still had any water left in her body to cry, “I can’t… You should go…”

“Fuck that, darlin. I’m not going anywhere when you’re crying.” Bucky told her, moving himself from the chair to sit by her bedside. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leaning close and kissing her temple softly, “Talk to me, please.”

“I can’t.” Y/N replied, still not meeting his gaze as she shook her head, “I was finally feeling like everything was right in the world… Like I was back where I belonged with you… Safe.” She took in a sharp breath, releasing it slowly, “Now, it’s just all going to be ruined again. We’ll be ruined. You’ll leave.”

Bucky’s frown deepened at her words as scenarios ran through his mind of what Y/N could be talking about, studying her features intently, “No we won’t. I told you that you are the love of my life, Y/N. Nothing is going to change that.” He told her, moving his position to take her face in his hand and forcing her to look at him, “Now talk to me.”

Y/N stared at Bucky for what felt like forever, studying his face. She wondered what would reflect back to her in his eyes when she told him. Right now his eyes were pooled with concern for her but once she would tell him, they knew that concern would leave, “The night we fought… May seventh right?” She watched him nod, “On May fourteenth I was driving and I was hit by a drunk driver. I was taken to a hospital in Queens where I was treated.” She watched the concern grow in his eyes at her words, “I didn’t know I was six weeks pregnant and I lost the baby… Our baby… I would’ve came back if I knew, never left… But after I couldn’t come back to you.”

Bucky’s mouth parted slightly at the words, his eyes moving across the features of her face watching the tears leak down her face. He hadn’t even noticed his own tears starting to fall at the news. Guilt raked through his body at the words he had said that made her leave, put her in that position to get hurt. It would have never happened if he would’ve swallowed his own fear and anger at her deployment. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug, “I’m so sorry, doll.” He said through his own shaky breathes, trying to control his breathing as he cried, “I’m sorry, Y/N. I did this, it’s my fault… I’m so sorry.”

_____________________________________________________________Taglist: @vicmc624 @buckypops @shawnie--jo @ahahafudge @intothesoul @austynparksandpizza @stcrryslibrary

Shout out to @shawnie--jo for having a big brain and guessing correct (:

If I missed anybody on the taglist or you would like to be added, send me a quick message, comment, or ask. Thank you for the support (:

[requestomaestro]

93 days

Pairing: Frankie Morales x Y/N reader (fem)

Summary: You and Frankie say your goodbye's before your 3 month trip 

Tags: Fluff

Warnings: implying an age gap (legal)

Words: 1298

Authors note: Hi! I'm Julia, I’m new on Tumblr and this is my first fanfic! Hope you enjoy it! Comments reblogs and constructive criticism is always welcomed

 Pilots shouldn’t be nervous when they go to the airport but Francisco Morales was barely keeping his emotions under control when he entered the building in the early morning with his long-time girlfriend next to him. The only thing that stopped his hands from shaking was another, smaller hand holding his amorous palm. They had plenty of time to prepare for this moment but even with all the things crossed on the to-do list, neither of them felt ready for 93 days of being apart.

When Y/N got an email confirming her 3-month internship in Paris she was so excited that she jumped into her boyfriend’s arms without thinking. That unexpected action snapped something in Frankies back but even with pain in his spine he was happy for her and continued their little celebration. How could he not? He loved her and wanted the best for her.

More than 500 students applied for the program but she was the one that in the end has received the opportunity. If somebody else was in her shoes they would walk on the shining, white tiles on the airport floor like it was a runway. At that moment she didn’t feel any pride or excitement and with every step towards security check more dark scenarios came into her head. Most of them circled around the men walking by her side in silence.

It was always difficult when Frankie left for a mission and for a couple of days and she was waking up in an empty bed, unable to touch him, to kiss him, to tell him about weird or scary dreams. Now they would have to face the same, or even more, struggles for much longer than usual.

What didn’t help was one sentence haunting her for a couple of last days. A week ago, when she went to a dentist, one magazine lying on the table in the waiting area catcher attention. The title of the main story in bright pink said,, One in three couples don’t survive long-distance dating” In the beginning she didn’t think about it much and considered it nonsense. She knew how Frankie felt about her and how she felt about him. There was no way that they would be that one in the third couple. However, now that she could see a line to the security check, her brain came to the conclusion that it is a possibility and she just couldn’t take the risk. Not when it came to Francisco.

,, I don’t want to go to Europe '' she breathed out and without a warning stopped in the middle of the airport. Frankie turned back and looked at her without letting go of her hand.

,, What? Why?” he asked with concern in his voice as he stepped closer to her. Y/N body started to tremble from the overload of emotions but she continued to talk with a shaking voice.

,, I don’t want to leave you, Frankie. I don’t think I can be without you for so long. I’ll cancel the internship,”. The words made her cry and she had to let go of Frankie's hand to wipe tears that were heavily falling down her cheeks.

This view tore Frankie apart. He was so proud of her acceptance into an internship abroad, he really was, but deep inside Francisco wanted nothing more than Y/N to stay. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he too was scared that their relationship would let up when they didn’t see each other for so long. Whenever one of his missions was overrunning, different worries filled his already anxious head. There always was a thought that maybe she would be better with someone else who could always be there for her. What if somebody like that would bump into her on the streets of Paris and take his place? 

For once in his life, he wanted to be selfish. For once he wanted to not follow an already existing plan and do something that others would consider a terrible choice. But he couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t stop her from following her dream. He simply cared too much about her to do something like this to her.

,, Hey, don’t cry hermosa, there’s no reason for that, '' he said as he pulled her between his arms.

 ,, I don’t want to be without you for so long too but it’s only 93 days. You haven't known me for the first 24 years of your life and managed to survive.” His words made her smile even though she knew they didn’t make much sense in their situation. Being wrapped in Frankie’s arms, she nuzzled more into his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. Tears were still gathering in her eyes but the sound coming from his chest helped her calm down.

,, Do you think we can make it? The long-distance thing.” The quiet question escaped her lips between the sobs.

,, I know we'll make it” he replied with a smirk on his lips. 

,, You just said you can leave without me and I know I can’t leave without you. Seven thousand kilometers won’t break us.” This sentence was all that she needed to hear to feel confident again. All the worries disappeared for a moment. Maybe they would come back sometime later but right there in the golden lights of the morning sun, it didn’t matter.

There wasn’t much time left till the departure of her plane and she didn’t want to waste any more of it. Her hand moved to the back of Frankie’s neck and with a gentle push their lips connected in a goodbye kiss. The night before, they made love plenty of times and shared many passionate kisses but none of them was as full of emotion as this one. Eventually, both of them had to pull up for the air but even with rapidly rising and falling chests, they stayed as close as they could. With the corner of her eye, Y/N could see the big clock on the airport’s wall, its hands were very close to show the hour of her plane departure. She didn’t want to say those words but she had to.

,, I have to go through a security check. I don’t think they’ll let you go there with me”. All that Frankie managed to say was a quiet

,, I know”. She reached for her luggage that was waiting by her side this whole time. When she touched the handle it felt weird, almost painful. The plastic part was nothing compared to Frankie's hands. He immediately noticed her worried expression and without thinking let the words come out of his mouth.

,, I love you. And I will love you forever. That is more than 93 days.” To which she replied with

,, I love you too and when I come back I’ll still love you. Don’t forget that. Do you understand?”.

,, Yes madam” he said with a mock salute.

,, And you’ll call me when you land, okay?” the demand was soft and full of care.

,, Ay captain!” this time it was her making the salute motion.

There was a need deep inside both of them to kiss him again but the time was running out. She smiled at him once more and started moving towards the security check. Francisco watched as the love of his life walked away and his hands started to shake again. This time he couldn’t hold Y/N hand and this already felt too hard for him. 

There was one thought that helped him deal with the pain. After 93 days she would come back, they would reunite and spend the rest of their lives together. He really hoped that would happen.

[sweetjekyll]

Under The Same Roof, part 2 — BBH

pairing: Byun Baekhyun x Reader

genre: Roommate / Flatmate AU, one-shot, friends to lovers, mutual pining, fluff, blind date rating: teen and up warnings: tiniest and slightest bit of angst and jealousy, slightly suggestive towards the end word count: 5.2k

summary: Baekhyun and Y/N have been flatmates for a while and romance is in the air.

Requested: Part 2 was highly requested by both known readers and anons, so I hope you all enjoy the continuation of the first part! (keyword “roof” + sentence “Oh my God. You’re in love with her.” from this writing game post.)

Masterlist — PART 1

A/N: aaaaah it’s finally here! Merry Christmas everyone and happy holidays. I hope you’re healthy and surrounded with love, and I hope all of you are having a good time even if you don’t celebrate Christmas. Thank you to everyone who supported the first part of this story and patiently waited for the second part, I hope you will like this one as much as the first if not more! I made it way longer than the first part and added a bonus ending. Have fun reading! stay safe ❤

⟶ To my dear readers: feedback is highly encouraged and important! as it gives me motivation to write with more passion, knowing that you like what you are reading. Please LIKE and REBLOG so more people can find this and read it. ❤ My askbox is always open for questions or to chat ❤

Enjoy! ❤

The guys could’ve spent practically all night playing games, but Chanyeol had other plans in mind after the short chat he had with Sehun and Baekhyun about the latter’s crush on his roommate. Sehun was never one to turn down an invite to drink with his friends no matter the day of the week, so the fact that he agreed immediately to Chanyeol’s suggestion when he asked the two if they wanted to go have a drink at the bar Y/N and Baekhyun worked, it was an easy “yes”. You would’ve had about an hour and a half until it was closing time at 11PM, as it was a Thursday anyway.

Baekhyun on the other hand wasn’t that easy to convince. He was supposed to work the following morning and be at his best to serve freshly brewed coffee to university students, professors and other customers who liked to linger in the early hours of daylight. Also, Thursday nights were one of the few times he got to relax after working shifts from morning to late afternoon.

“I know you two,” Baekhyun scowled at his friends, who were waiting in the doorway to his bedroom while he pushed one of his legs in a pair of old black jeans. “It’s never just one drink with you… I’ll end up wasted under one of the tables and then Y/N will have to carry me home.”

“For someone so eager to get dressed and walk out of the house, you’re complaining too much.” Sehun smirked as he nudged Chanyeol with his elbow.

“Don’t worry, it’s just one drink,” Chanyeol reassured him as Baekhyun was finally done getting dressed. “Besides, you literally live a couple of blocks from your job and neither of us has to drive. We’ll call a taxi.” There was a faint yet lingering smile of satisfaction on the taller man’s face. He wasn’t really a patient guy and his mind was still in a frenzy after coming up with a plan to get Baekhyun and his flatmate to go out on a date.

Baekhyun threw on a leather jacket and brushed back his bangs with his fingers, ready to step out of the apartment. He was about to lock the door after switching off the lights but then stopped as he thought about something for a brief moment. “Hang on, I forgot something.” He let his friends know as he hurried back inside and into the bathroom.

Once he was back and finally locked the door, both Chanyeol and Sehun got a whiff of something in the air. “Is that… Perfume?” They asked inquisitive.

Baekhyun furrowed his brows as he walked past them down the corridor. “And what about it? Y/N gifted it to me for my birthday.”

“This is going to be easier than I thought,” Chanyeol hummed as they headed towards your workplace at last.

The cafe turned into bar during evenings looked cozy in autumns and winters; some Halloween decorations lingered here and there although it was past October and halfway through into November, but the fake vine leaves painted red, yellow and orange warmed up the walls nicely. You liked the fall decorations, but you loved even more winter and Christmas decorations, although it was a hassle to take everything down and put new things up, it was still satisfying as the end result.

You spotted Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Sehun out of the corner of your eye as soon as they entered the bar thanks to the bell ringing on top of the door. “There you go, Lucas,” you placed a glass of cold beer on top of a napkin in front of one of your regular customers and looked around, quickly facing the three new friendly faces once you made sure that no one else needed your services. “Good evening guys!” You said cheerfully, a warm feeling spreading through your chest to see Baekhyun keeping his promise to come pick you up after work, even more so considering he was rather early for it.

“Ah, my favorite bartender!” Sehun mused as he leaned against the counter with a smirk on his expression. ”You look a bit overworked although there aren’t many customers.”

Baekhyun noticed it as well and looked behind the counter and around the familiar workplace. “Where’s Minseok? Weren’t you two supposed to work tonight’s shift together?”

You inhaled a long breath as you glanced down with busy eyes to grab a rag from a hidden surface on your workspace, then picked it up and cleaned the countertop in front of the three men. “I think he had something for dinner that upset his stomach to the point where he was nauseated.” You winced as you explained to them without much detail as you didn’t know how your coworker was doing after he left. “I told him to go home and rest just in case… But anyway,” you smiled once again. “What can I get you guys to drink?” You asked as you returned the rag in its previous spot and placed three napkins on the counter.

“For starters, I’d say shots of soju and then beers?” Chanyeol looked at his friends but Baekhyun shook his head when he heard the doorbell signal the arrival of more customers.

“I’ll help Y/N,” he said and promptly walked behind the counter to join you. He picked up one of the aprons matching yours from a hanger on the wall and put it on after he took off his jacket.

“Don’t worry Baek, it’s your night off,” you tried to persuade him to just enjoy the night with his friends but he just gave you his usual warm and reassuring smile that made your heart flutter with content.

“Nonsense,” he shrugged as he spun around to softly bump his shoulder into yours and looked into your eyes, “I’m happy to work with you.” You felt your cheeks heat up at his words and you could barely hide the smile that graced your lips once your coworker welcomed the new customers with a loud and cheerful tone.

Your reaction didn’t go unnoticed to the two friends sitting on the other side of the counter, across from you. Chanyeol nudged Sehun with his elbow and whispered to just play along, after he made sure that Baekhyun’s ears were out of reach for what he was about to say. You placed two shots of soju on the napkins and turned around to fill two glasses with beer. “So, Y/N,” you looked over your shoulder for a brief second at Chanyeol, “are you single?”

The question wasn’t new to your ears, especially after working as a bartender, but it still caught you off guard coming from him. “I did not expect you to ask me something like this, Mr. Park.” You confessed with a chuckle while walking back to take away the empty shot glasses and placed two glasses filled to the brim with foaming beer. “Why do you want to know?”

“Well, are you?” Sehun questioned with a raised eyebrow, carefully picking up the glass to take a sip from it while holding your suspicious gaze.

You let your shoulders slump with a sigh as you averted their eyes and, without meaning to, you looked in Baekhyun’s direction. “Yes, I’m single.” You nodded as your smile faltered, you looked around at the other customers while feeling a bit nervous.

“Perfect!” Chanyeol beamed as he clapped his hands once and leaned closer to the counter, you just eyed him with suspicion. “There’s this very nice guy, he’s a bit talkative and playful,” he began explaining but kept it quite mysterious, “A friend of ours, you know… I would like you do go on a blind date with him.”

“I’m sorry… What now?” You were taken aback by his sudden request that you didn’t know how else to react. It was a nice gesture, sure… but you already had feelings for someone else and weren’t sure if a blind date would be a good idea, not at the moment at least.

“I promise he’s a very friendly and good guy,” Sehun added, playing along to Chanyeol’s plan although they didn’t even talk about it beforehand. He licked his lips to get the residue of the beer foam and arched his brows at you. “Unless you like somebody else already.” Blood rushed to your face and you felt hot under your clothes, hesitant about answering your foot started bouncing nervously and you crossed your arms. Should you be honest and tell them or should you keep it for yourself? Well… “There is someone I like.” You confessed, but it just made you sad to say it so you continued before they could ask anything else about this crush of yours. “But I don’t think it’ll work out so I might as well go on a blind date with your friend.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Baekhyun’s curious voice made you slightly jolt on your feet and you flashed him a nervous smile. “Are you going on a date?” You tilted your head unsure of what to say since he was the one person you didn’t want to find out about this blind date, at least not like this… or ever. You thought you could maybe just go at the date and never call back Chanyeol and Sehun’s friend, but then another question popped in your head. Does Baekhyun know this friend of theirs? Would he mind? It’s not like he had feelings for you, so why were you so worried about it?

Thankfully, you heard the voice of one of your customers call for you and used it as an excuse to leave. “This is a discussion for another time, I gotta go back to work!” And just like that you were gone in an instant, meanwhile Baekhyun faced Chanyeol and Sehun with a half disappointed and half irritated expression.

“A blind date?!” He hissed under his breath.

They both nodded with pleased smirks. “She said yes, so you better make this work, otherwise you’re truly hopeless.” Chanyeol replied and finally let himself taste the beer that’s been sitting in front of him on the counter for a while.

Baekhyun’s anger dissipated immediately, his eyes widened in surprise and his mouth fell agape. “You set us up on a blind date?” He whispered while stealing glances in your direction. His heart rate began speeding up while he watched you smile politely at a couple who were paying for their drinks, getting ready to leave.

“Although…” Sehun inhaled a long breath as he looked down at his drink, his smile faded. Baekhyun’s attention was immediately on him, feeling his heart drop at the man’s words. “She did say she likes someone.” Chanyeol gave him a hard nudge with his elbow, eliciting a pained groan from the man sitting next to him. “What?! I’m just saying, she didn’t say who… Y/N thinks it’s not going to work out so you don’t have to worry.”

Baekhyun sighed and scratched his head, too many thoughts were running through his head in that moment and he didn’t know how to process the fact that there indeed was someone you liked… You’ve been friends for a few years and were roommates as well, so why did you not talk to him about this person you seem to like so much?

He became rather quiet that night and even the following days, he was practically sulking since he was stuck with the thought that the blind date was going to be a disaster. That didn’t stop Chanyeol from insisting on taking care of all the details about the date, he went as far as borrowing both yours and Baekhyun’s work schedules to set up a perfect timing for you to meet. You noticed immediately the change in his behavior, he wasn’t avoiding you, he would never do that, but he was acting too distant. You tried asking but didn’t push further because maybe he needed some time for himself, otherwise he would have opened up to you, at least you hoped.

It went on like that for a couple of days until you couldn’t take it anymore, you missed Baekhyun being his usual playful and loud self, he was the source of your serotonin and it affected your mood as well. It was the last few days of November, the shop was closed for the day due to the fact that you needed to take down the autumnal decorations and brighten up the place with Christmas ones.

“Baekhyun, we really need to talk.” You told him with a preoccupied tone, hoping he wouldn’t try and dodge the conversation as he had been doing for nearly half of November. He didn’t look at you from his high place on the ladder, instead, his pupils were fixed on his fingers unrolling the fairy lights and hanging them on the wall, supported by nails that had been stuck into the bricks for who knows how many years.

“Alright, alright,” he nodded and hummed for a moment, pausing his work to look down; your hands were securely holding onto the ladder for him and keeping it in place so he felt safe to be up there, occasionally passing him Christmas decorations from the boxes piled up next to your feet. “I’ll clean and decorate the bathrooms.”

You scoffed, incredulous that he actually managed to talk about anything else but his feelings. “I’m not talking about the bathroom, but since you said you’re going to do it, I won’t stop you.”

“Damn!” He chuckled with a shake of his head and went back to fixing the lights. “Okay, let’s talk, but I warn you, if this is about me—“

“It’s precisely about you! You’ve been avoiding my questions, I’m concerned about you. Something happened and you haven’t openly spoken to me ever since that night at the bar.” You interjected and heard him complain with a groan of your name, to which you let go of the ladder, making the man almost scream in fear.

“What are you doing—“ High pitched words reached your ears as you crossed your arms and just gazed up at him with arched brows, feeling so done with his behavior. He dropped the fairy lights without meaning to and wrapped his hands on both sides of the ladder, holding on for dear life. “No, no, no— Okay, fine! I’ll tell you, just please don’t let go of the ladder.” You held onto the ladder once more and watched him climb down until he was finally to your eye level. “There’s this girl I like, I’ve liked her for a while now actually.” Baekhyun let out a long, defeated sigh. “Turns out she likes some other person and I don’t know why I thought I could—“ He stopped himself from saying anything else as he ran one of his hand over his face, frustrated that he was confessing to you how he felt, except he was still hiding the actual truth. What a coward, he thought. He was convinced now more than ever that the blind date was truly a bad idea, he just didn’t know how to tell Chanyeol that he didn’t have the balls to go through with it and accept your rejection once you found out he was your secret date. “I like her a lot.” He added.

You felt you heart fasten at his words, it was drumming so hard that the pulse in your ears felt deafening… Baekhyun liked another girl, you repeated to yourself in your head. For a short moment and in a totally awkward silence you felt like an idiot; an idiot for feeling jealousy when he mentioned another girl, when you should’ve said something to comfort him. You were frowning, unable to move or say anything coherent until you forced yourself to say: “I’m sorry.” You bit your lip and looked down at your hands. “She’s an idiot.” You spit out with slight anger lacing your words.

“Why do you say so?” His tone softened when he noticed how upset you were over what he told you, he didn’t think you would care that much about a girl not liking him back… and the worst part was that you were that girl. “She’s allowed to like someone else, it’s just that I’m a coward and I didn’t tell her that I like her because I’m afraid of her rejecting me.” It felt so surreal that he was running his mouth like that, actually confessing the truth to you but you still had no idea.

Your head head snapped up towards him with your lips parted, ready to fight back his insecurities, except you didn’t realize what you were saying until it was already too late. “Well, she’s still dumb! Because what other girl wouldn’t like you? I like you!"

"You do?" He whispered almost breathless, too stunned to say anything else as soon as he processed your words; the corners of his lips curved up in a genuine and shy smile, yet you barely saw it since you looked down and bent you body forward to pick up a box with decorations and left him standing there. Your face was burning so hot with embarrassment it almost felt like you were going to combust. "Y/N, hang on, let’s talk it out—“ He tried to go after you, but you walked past the counter and entered the women’s bathroom, closing the door behind you. You dropped the box on the counter by the sink and looked at yourself in the mirror, cursing under your breath ad at yourself for being so careless with your words.

“Wait, hold on…” One of your friends, Hana, laughed at you on the phone for the second time that night, after you explained to her what happened at the coffee shop.

“I swear to God, Hana, there’s nothing to laugh about.” You mumbled, holding your phone against your ear with you shoulder; your hands were too busy going through the clothes in your wardrobe, searching for anything remotely cute and appropriate for a blind date.

“There actually is,” she continued laughing at your misery. “You confessed to Baekhyun that you actually like him, that’s a good thing isn’t it? I mean, he didn’t have a bad reaction, so where’s the problem, Y/N?” You groaned as you threw a pair of torn up jeans on the floor of your bedroom and took your phone in your hands.

“That’s the point, I chickened out!” You walked to the foot of the bed and let yourself fall on your back, bouncing on the mattress. “He tried to talk to me about it but I just couldn’t do it, so I locked myself in the bathroom. I’m the clown of the month!”

“Oh my God, Y/N, you’re unbelievable.” Hana’s laughter rung in your ear with disbelief for the situation you got yourself into, but soon quieted down to a serious tone. “Listen, you have to face him at some point. You can’t just avoid him forever.”

You sat up on the bed and thought about what she said, your eyes burning holes into the door leading to the living room of your shared apartment. Baekhyun wasn’t home yet, he was still setting up decorations at the bar with Minseok and going over December’s inventory. “What about this girl he said he likes?” A pout formed on your lips, like a child whining to their parent.

“You won’t know until you talk to him.” You sighed out loud and eyed the mess on your bedroom floor, clothes lying on top of each other as if your wardrobe got stormed by a hurricane. “Earth to Y/N, are you there? Promise you’ll talk to him?”

You snapped out of your daze and rubbed your eyes as you replied to her. “Yeah, sure, I’ll talk to him,” you replied in defeat. “But it’ll have to wait until after this stupid blind date. It’s tonight and I don’t even know what to wear…” You heard a noise come from the living room and gasped out loud, jiggling of keys made you jump on your feat and run towards the door until you pressed your side against it. “He’s here, I gotta go. Bye Hana!” You whispered with your heart drumming in your chest and said goodbye to your friend, before hanging up the call. “Baekhyun?” You carefully called out his name and waited impatiently for a reply.

His muffled voice came from the other side of the door, and as careful as you had been, he called out your name. “Are you okay? Can I come in?” He was right outside of your bedroom, your nerves were killing you and you didn’t know what to do, yet against your better judgement, you moved away from the door and opened it. You bit your tongue as you met Baekhyun’s reassuring smile, somehow eliciting a smile from your lips as well. Seeing as you had not replied to his questions, Baekhyun let his eyes look past you and onto the pile of clothing on the floor. “Getting ready for the blind date?”

You looked in the same direction his pupils did and chuckled with a slow nod. “Yeah, I just don’t know what to wear yet…”

“Don’t worry, you’ll look beautiful no matter what you choose to wear.” The sweetness of his words made you hyper aware of the way he was looking at you now, and you weren’t sure why it seemed… different.

“Thank you…” You almost stuttered. Your heart was ramming against your ribcage so hard you could have passed out from the lightheadedness it caused you, but you forced yourself to break the eye contact and walked further inside your bedroom. You picked up two dresses from the wardrobe, one filled with cute floral patterns and the other was a solid dark blue color. “Which one looks better for a fancy dinner?” You asked him, unsure whether it was a good idea but Baekhyun actually pointed at the dark blue dress with a cheerful smile. It was weird to say the least, he appeared to be more excited for your blind date than you were, and you didn’t even know who Chanyeol was trying to set you up with. “Okay, this dress it is then.”

“By the way, I need to go out in a bit.” Baekhyun caught you off guard and you just stared at him with slightly widened eyed. “Is there anything that you need before I leave?”

“Mmmh, no… No.” You show your head and flashed him a reassuring smile even though you were still nervous. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, see you later, Y/N.” He reached out for the handle and closed the door after himself.

As soon as you heard the lock click, you exhaled a long, shaky breath and dropped the dresses on the bed. “And there he goes…” You whispered, choosing to replace the deafening silence with some music from your phone.

Baekhyun stood in the hallways while holding onto his breath, ears listening to you shuffling around your bedroom before any other sound was drowned out by you favorite playlist. He had been dreading this blind date for so many days and now that it was happening — especially after he found out he was the person you liked and not some other guy — Baekhyun felt elated. He was ready to get dressed and run out of the door to get you flowers, unfortunately not your favorite ones because they were out of season, but he was still gonna get something pretty. He couldn’t stop thinking about how you were going to react once you met him at the restaurant as your date. Too much energy was coursing through his veins in that moment, he could barely contain himself.

Everything was perfect. Baekhyun had to remember to thank Chanyeol for taking care of the reservation, the restaurant was truly lovely and felt intimate, soft fairy lights were hanging from the red brick walls, adding to the romantic atmosphere of slightly dimmed lighting, a small candle was illuminating the table at which Baekhyun sat. A bouquet of pink and white chrysanthemums rested on his right side as he, on the other hand, couldn’t help but nervously fiddle with his fingers under the tablecloth. A shy smile graced his joyful expression while his eyes darted to the watch on his left wrist, growing restless as you were late to your date.

Baekhyun’s smile faltered when he felt his phone vibrating in the pocket of his elegant blazer, he shut his eyes tightly and prayed that it wasn’t Chanyeol the one calling him with bad news, saying you stood up on the blind date at the last possible moment. You wouldn’t do that, would you? “Hello?” He answered his phone still keeping his eyes shut, but they immediately shot open once he heard your voice greet him on the other side of the line. “Y/N? What’s wrong? Where are you? Shouldn’t you be at the date?” He showered you with questions to which you didn’t know what to answer.

“Uuh—“ You hesitated for a long moment, unsure of what to say. “I’m outside of the restaurant, I’ve been for the past 5 minutes. I don’t want to go inside and meet some guy that I don’t know.” He listened to you talk really fast, almost tripping on your words as your tone dripped with nervousness and regret. “I just don’t want to meet a new guy and I’m so sorry to Chanyeol, cause I said I would do this—”

“Hey, hey, calm down,” He tried to help you calm down over the phone, resisting the urge to just stand up from the table and run to meet you outside. “Everything’s gonna be alright, okay? Do you trust me?”

Baekhyun listened to you on the other side of the line as you tried to get through your panicked state, quietly repeating short and reassuring “okays”. You released a deep breath and finally replied to him. “I trust you. Will you come pick me up, please?”

He almost chuckled at the softness of your voice, instead a warm smile returned on his face as he told you what to do. “I will, but first I need you to walk into the restaurant, it’s cold outside and you’re wearing a dress.” You agreed to do it and his eyes quickly moved towards the door, as he was sat on the opposite side of the restaurant.

Baekhyun watched as the door opened and you stepped inside, brows furrowed with worry yet you still managed to look effortlessly beautiful; long black coat shielding your body from the cold of the last weeks of autumn. He could see the dark blue of your knee length dress peeking under the coat, a small purse swaying by your side from a long chain on your left shoulder as you glanced around and were greeted by a waiter. “I’m in.” You mumbled as your eyes looked frantically around.

“Look to your right, other side of the room.” And you did, you looked towards him and nearly dropped your phone, your jaw went numb for a moment as your lips parted in disbelief. One of the waiters helped you remove your coat and accompanied you towards Baekhyun, to your table. “You’re beautiful,” the words rolled off his tongue almost like a foreign sound, he couldn’t believe that you two were actually on a date, even if he had to keep it a secret for such a long time.

You were at a loss for words, yet your chest was flooded with immense happiness. “The girl you like a lot…” You began saying and he nodded before you could finish your sentence. “A very nice guy, a bit talkative and playful,” you giggled as you quoted Chanyeol’s words when he spoke about the friend he wanted you to meet.

“Yep, that would be me.” Baekhyun picked up the flowers and slowly stepped closer to you. “I know they’re not daffodils, but I hope you like chrysanthemums too.”

“You know what I like more than flowers?” You stepped even closer to him until you could feel his hot breath on your skin, completely forgetting the rest of the world as you felt a rush of bravery while gazing into his eyes. “You.”

When Baekhyun leaned forward to steal a kiss it felt like the most natural thing in the world, as if he had done it so many times before and you were out tonight celebrating an anniversary rather than a first date. The gentlest of touches left a lingering sensation of his lips on yours. The red of your lipstick transferred slightly on his lips and if you focused hard enough, you could see that his cheeks turned the same shade out of shyness and adoration.

“Hmm, what do you think?” You asked, tilting your head to the side while staring very hard at the Christmas tree.

You were currently in your new apartment with Baekhyun standing by your side, eyes focused ahead of you. “It’s crooked on one side.” The living room was bare of furniture except for a coffee table, the tv stand with the television on top of it and the Christmas tree you spent at least three hours on decorating with your boyfriend. Moving boxes were scattered all around the place.

“I think if we spin it around towards the corner of the room none of the guests will notice.” You suggested and Baekhyun hoped quickly towards the tree, being careful to avoid any boxes and discarded ornaments still lying on the floor. He crouched on his kneed and wrapped his fingers around the base of the fake pine tree, rotating the crooked side towards the corner of the room.

“What about now?” He asked as he looked up at the tree for a moment and back at you.

“Light it up.” Baekhyun took the end of a cable beneath the branches of the tree and struggled to plug it into the wall for a moment, making you giggle, but as soon as the tree was lit up, he stood up and walked back to stand by you. “Now it’s perfect!” You beamed while he wrapped one of his arms around your shoulders and brought you closer to kiss your cheek.

“Merry Christmas, baby,” Baekhyun whispered in your ear, your smile became bigger and brighter when you looked into his loving eyes.

You pecked his lips with a soft kiss and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Merry Christmas to you too, Baek—”

You didn’t even have time to finish saying his name because all of a sudden he snaked his arms around your waist, making you screech in surprise when he tried to lift you up from the floor and yelled at the top of his lungs: “To the bedroom, now!”

Loud giggles escaped you as you struggled to stay serious, but it was impossible when he was in a playful mood like this. “But we don’t have a bed frame yet—“

“We have a mattress and that’s enough for me!”

[rieson]

 ↱ LOVING HIM . . .  ↲

pairing; satan x gn!reader

genre; angst , hurt no comfort

content warning; implied major character death

word count; 700

authors note; yo...haha hey, i'm finally (?) kind of back again. i've gotten into an obey me rabbit hole so i just got a sudden burst of inspiration to write this. and since, i haven't posted in SO long I figured to just publish it now. worry not about your requests to those who has requested one a few (or maybe 6 months...) ago, it's still in my inbox and i am slowly but surely gathering up the motivation to tackle each one of them.

anyways, i got inspiration to write this by "Satan's Character Song - Read My Heart" so i recommend listening to that while reading this. alot of the words are also inspired by this post who is written by carpeinfinitum. i apologize in advance for grammar errors.

─ a mysterious letter has arrived at the door. to be more specific, one sealed with magic with a pink stamp shaped like a sheep as the decoration and it seems like it has been delivered to you.

TO the person who will love him next, Be warned, he’s easy to love.

You’ll meet him one day and by the time your eyes mold into his, all time will cease to exist.

Be vulnerable with him, laugh with him, tease him - you’re the only one that he allows to do such a thing. Take it to your advantage.

Accept his requests to accompany him in his morning walks; worry not, you’ll get used to it in no time. I’m sure of it.

You’ll notice the way he takes every free time he has as a chance to take you out somewhere - whether it's the new Cat Cafe that has just opened, or yet another Museum or Book Tour he’d like you to accompany him in.

Whatever it is, go with him - spend time with him. Gently untie his legs that got entangled and stiffened.

Get closer to him - slowly, but surely you’ll get through the wall he built up to cover himself with.

When that happens, and he realizes that you’ve managed to get through the walls and fake smiles he engulfed himself in - He’ll push you away in realization that a flame has been ignited in his winter storm. Prevail, and see his inner rose bloom.

Stand your ground, as he figures out his feelings - stay with him, comfort him on days that he feels like he's nothing but a carbon copy of Lucifer.

Slick his hair back in a comforting matter, whisper sweet nothings and remind him that no - He’s not in fact just Lucifer’s shadow. He’s Satan, the Satan you’ve come to love no matter what happens.

The Satan whose eyes fill with joy as his fingers run through old books and a cat's fur, happily communicating with them through treats and toys.

You’ll see a different side of him; the walls he spent years building will come down.

And when the cold, winter storm passes by and finally calms down, Be honest with him.

He will too.

He immerses himself into the grand world of literature and this broadens his mind. Read his favorite book. - trust me. If you don’t try, you’re done for.

Take the lead once in a while, beat him in asking if he’d like to have another date again. Watch as blood rushes up to his face and him covering it up with a cough or a neck rub.

Take him out to late night walks - hand in hand with no destination in mind.

Talk about crime stories with him - let him explore emotions he has yet to feel.

He loves stumbling upon new feelings , new emotions that make him feel like he’s in another world.

Let him love you back - Let him embrace you just like how you embrace him. His words will touch the depths of your being and scar your body in the midst of his wake.

He’s the Avatar of Wrath , it’s almost inevitable for him to let his sin engulf him sometimes.

When that happens, please listen to him when he says to stay away - It hurts, He’s hurting ; you’ll realize. But it's the best source of action for both of you.

When he comes to his senses, immediately run and embrace him.

Hug him, Hum gentle sounds under your breath - quiet but loud enough for him to register and tell him to Breathe. Kiss his forehead and rub small circles on his back, Tell him you’re there for him and you’ll never go anywhere. See the gorgeous chaos in his eyes and stay.

Stand through the storm. The calm waves of even his breathing will soothe your soul. He is here; with you - alive.

Treat him like royalty or somebody else will. That man, The Avatar of Wrath deserves all the love you have. Tell him that you love him everyday, grit it through your teeth if you have to - say it. You’ll never be the same again, because this man isn’t like the rest. And most of all, don’t ever lose him,

Don't ever recklessly go in the chaotic storm of emotions he’s going through,

Not like I or his other cats did.

─ Sincerely, a name you’ll never hear past his lips, MC.

STATEMENT ENDS.

how was that? good enough? criticism is appreciated, infact it's encouraged so don't be shy if you've got any tips or make corrections. reblogs appreciated! i don't think alot of my followers are that active now so aghh.

also i’m still practicing when it comes to writing Satan’s character, so pointers as to how i can potray/write him better is GREATLY appreciated. i will also be on my knees and kiss u tyty 

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

The Reunion - Part 4

Summary: Dealing with the aftermath of losing Omega; How Phoenix Ghost and Echo met. 

A/N: I tried my hand at Kyuzo, apparently it’s suppose to be mispronounced French, according to Wookieepedia, if that’s wrong I do apologize.  Also, FYI, there might be slight canon divergence, I'm going to try and include what happens but that might not be possible. 

Italics - Flashback

(Bold) - Translation

*Bold* - Action

Warnings: Anger, Grief, Hurt, Loss, Attacks, Explosives, Sniper shots, talks of killing, innuendos, flirting, kissing, death, feelings of not enough, if there are any I missed let me know. 

Words: 9,529 - story kind of got away from me a little

AO3 Link

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this.  I appreciate all the love you guys show, so feel free to drop a comment, show some love or do a reblog.  It’s always welcome. 

Previous -> Masterlist -> Next

“What do you mean you lost Omega?!” I shouted at Hunter’s image.

“I’m sorry, hun” Hunter’s eyes were full of pain and sadness.  I know it wasn’t his fault, after all they told Crosshair and me everything that happened, how the Empire somehow found them through some scavengers, nearly lost all their lives, only for a bounty hunter to show up, shoot Hunter in the chest and kidnap Omega.

I let out a sigh, “No, I’m sorry, it’s not your fault.  Are you okay, love?”

“Slightly sore”

“Huh, sore?” Wrecker pushed Hunter out of the way, “He nearly died!”

“His injury was pretty bad Medic Kambe, we could have used you” Tech finished pushing Wrecker out of the way.

“Are the rest of you okay?”

“Yes, vod’ika.  We are all fine.” Tech answered

“Tell us what the plan is?” Crosshair asked

“We need to figure out who’s after Omega, it’s the only way we’re going to find her” came a woman’s voice, I’ve never heard before.

“Who’s that?” I asked

A beautiful woman came into view, my throat tightened, who was this woman, and why was she leaning on my Hunter’s shoulder.  

“Hi, I’m Phoenix Ghost” came her smooth voice, her skin was perfect, her eyes piercing, “relax doll, I’m not interested in your man, I’m married”, she held up her finger displaying a ring.

“Oh … no … I wasn’t …”

“Ha, yes you were” Crosshair chuckled

“Can we focus on what’s important, please” Hunter cut in

“Do you guys have an idea as to who wants Omega?” Phoenix Ghost asked

“You mean besides the Empire” Crosshair answered

“The Kaminoans” I answered contemplatively.

Everyone looked at me, the silence grew, “What do you mean, cyare?” Hunter inquired.

“That actually would make sense” responded Crosshair

I simply nodded, “Somebody wants to fill us in?” Asked Echo

“The Empire, specifically Admiral Rampart, didn’t want to bring you guys in, they wanted you all eliminated except for Omega…” Crosshair began

“… but” I interjected, “if Omega is brought in by the Empire, then there would be no use for the Kaminoans, since the Empire would have all the answers once they ran a deep scan on Omega.”

“What answers are they looking for?” Phoenix Ghost inquired

“How to make an elite clone, one …” I let out a sigh, “one who is force sensitive”

“WHAT!” Came the answer not just through the comm, but from Lurwa and Crosshair.

“Excuse me, but who else is there with you?” Questioned Tech

“It’s one of my Elite Squad, they wanted to escape the Empire too”

“Yeah sorry, everyone meet Lurwa Zelga, formerly ES-03” I added

“Actually, I was formerly ES-02” Lurwa said

“Oh, sorry about that”

“Why is she tied up?” Hunter asked

“We don’t know if we can trust her” answered Crosshair

“Then why are you allowing her to listen in?” Hunter was getting annoyed, “You know what it doesn’t matter! What are we going to do about Omega?”

“Babe, it’s okay, we’ll figure it out.”

“No, it’s not okay.  I FAILED HER!”

Everyone went silent, “Crosshair, I’m going to take the comm in the back okay, can you transfer it to the other room?”

Crosshair nodded, “Hunter, can you go to a private comm?”

*sigh* “Fine”

Hunter got up and moved, and went into the bunk room of the ship, Hunter’s face popped up on the private comm, “Alright babe, talk to me”

“There’s nothing to talk about”

“Oh I think there’s plenty to talk about, just start at the beginning, from after escaping the explosion of the engine”

Hunter ran a hand over his face, “Omega and I were almost cornered by the Empire, I really thought we were done for, but then we managed to find cover and make our way to the ship.  When we entered the hangar there was nothing but stormtrooper bodies lying everywhere.  I knew at that moment something wasn’t right.  Rather than waiting for the guys to show up, Omega and I walked in.  I should’ve … I should have made her wait, made her hide until I knew it was all clear.  I was so stupid! I put her needlessly in danger.  All my training, all my ability and I failed her.”

“You keep saying you failed her, but you still haven’t told me how?  Come on babe, talk”

“As we walked further in, a bounty hunter stepped out of the Marauder.  I don’t know who he was, he was a Duros with a ridiculous hat, blue skin, some sort of tubing coming out of his face.  His voice was dark and determined.  He didn’t look that dangerous, I mean he looked dangerous, but I didn’t think he … I thought I …

Bounty Hunter: I’ve taken down so many clones over the years.  Once you figure out one, the rest are easy.

Hunter: You’re in for a surprise

Bounty Hunter: I doubt that

Omega: He’s a bounty hunter

Bounty Hunter: Ain’t you smart, kid's got it all figured out

Droid: You’re in trouble now

Hunter: Who hired you?

Bounty Hunter: Son, that's confidential information.  Now hand her over.

Hunter: She’s with us, she’s not going anywhere

Bounty Hunter: That’s unfortunate, for you.

Next thing, I know, I've woken up to Wrecker, asking where Omega is.  He’s freaking out.  Tech is wondering what happened.  They’re trying to get me to the ship.  There’s a pain in my chest, that’s making it difficult for me to breathe.  Don’t you see, I failed her!  I’m just like all those other clones that were bested by him.  I wasn’t … I wasn’t good enough.  I wasn’t … I wasn’t strong enough.  I … I failed her cyare.  S-she was like a daughter to me, and I … I couldn’t … I couldn’t protect her.”  Hunter’s tears were clearly seen through the holo, I wanted nothing more than to be by his side, reach out and wipe the tears.

“Babe, look at me”

His head was in his hands, as he shook his head.

“Look at me, right now”

Hunter dropped his hands and looked me in the eye.

“This guy, this bounty hunter, he may have been faster than you.  But that’s because he’s probably had numerous of these duels, or at the least has been doing this for a ridiculously long time.  Not to mention, you did survive a ridiculous assault from the Empire.  It’s not your fault love.  It’s the Empire’s fault.  It’s this universe’s fault.  It’s the fault of the Kaminoans who put a stupid chip in every clone, that made them turn against the Jedi.  It’s not your fault.  You did your best to save her, and protect her.  We’re going to get her back.”

“How?  We don’t even know where he took her.”

“Maybe we can get help, we can figure all this out.  We just have to breathe.  We’re going to get her back.  We’re going to get your daughter back.  Our … daughter back, Hunter.”

Hunter let out a sigh, “You know cyar’ika, I didn’t think it possible to love you anymore than I do right now”

“I love you too”

- - - - - - - -

“So… that’s the Medic?”

“Phoenix…”

“What? I’m just asking a question ner riduur”

“Mmhmm”

I looked over to Echo and mouth a ‘no’, he looked at me and mouthed ‘no’ back.  I shrugged.

“How are we going to find Omega?” Wrecker asked

“I have an idea on that front”

“What do you got, Phoenix?” asked Crosshair from the comm

“I have some bounty hunter contacts, I think I know who it could be that took Omega, but I got make a few calls”

“Like you need the bunk room, kind of calls?” Asked Fives

“No, vod.  Not that kind of call.  A regular good old fashioned comm call”

“Alright, well we’re almost at the rendezvous point, we’ll comm you guys when we land” Crosshair offered

“Welcome back Crosshair” Wrecker said

“Good to be back”

Crosshair was gone in an instant, “Excuse me, riduur”, I leaned over Echo, and pressed the numbers for a comm link, “You know we still haven’t had our break” Echo whispered in my ear, I couldn’t help but grin.  “I think that’s going to have to wait, ner kar’ta.”

“Fine, but I say once everyone is safe, you and I take off somewhere no one will find us.”

I just looked at him, smirking.

“Whatcha guys talking about?” Fives asked

Echo rolled his eyes at his brother, I couldn’t help but laugh, “Huh, watcha talking about?” He asked, poking Echo in the shoulder, “How we should space you, Fives?” Echo answered.

“What?! What did I do?” He asked hurt

“Okay boys, find your happy places” Tech said

Echo simply looked at me, wiggling his eyebrows.  I stood straighter, hiding the blush creeping up my face.

“Your face is getting red, Ghost” Tech noticed

“Yes, thank you Tech”

“Why is your face getting red?” He inquired

“How are you this smart, and this stupid?” Fives asked

“Fives!” I shouted “Be nice, and apologize, that was rude!”

“Ha, I like you” Wrecker said, “You know how to control these di’kut”

“Wrecker, don’t make me force you to apologize too”

“Ow!” Fives screamed, I turned to face Fives, “What happened?”

“Tech flicked me” he answered

“He deserved it” Tech defended

“Don’t make me get the get-along shirt, and force you guys to get in it.”

“Get a ‘what shirt’?” Tech asked

“It’s a big shirt, that the two of you have to wear until you get along” explained Echo

“Uh … hello?” Came Sugi’s voice

“Hi Sugi”

“Gorgeous! How are you?”

“Ki ca?” (Who that?)

“It’s Gorgeous, Embo”

“Ah, Gorgeous! Bungour.” (Hello)

“Hi Embo, nice to see you”

“Vus volez êtr ma feme?” (Want to be my wife?)

“Ha, thanks Embo, but I’m married.” I held my ring finger up to show him I noticed Echo’s hand tightening on the controls, “Besides, aren’t you with Sugi?”

“Ne fat pasde mal demande”(Doesn’t hurt ask)

I simply shake my head, “Maybe you guys can help us, my friend’s daughter was kidnapped, I’m very fond of her, she's like a niece to me.”

“Gorgeous, I’m so sorry to hear that, how can we help?” Sugi asked

“Well, you guys know a lot of bounty hunters, if I describe the guy do you think you might know who he is?”

“Neput pas fair dema” (Can’t hurt)

“My friend said he was a Duros, blue skin, had a deep voice, wore a ridiculous hat”

“Wait… you said hat?” Sugi asked

“Yeah”

“Did he have tubes coming out of his face?”

“Yeah”

“It could be Cad Bane”

“Cela pourat êtrun problèm” (This could be a problem)

“Why is it a problem?”

“Gorgeous …”

“What?  Tell me.”

“Il des meileur” (He’s the best)

“Kriff! How good?”

“Let’s say he takes on extremely difficult jobs.  The ones that no one in their right mind would take.”

“Ki est ton ami?” (Who’s your friend?)

“I can’t say.  Do you know where we can find him?  Or if we can intercept him?”

“Well usually … “

“Attende” (Wait)

“What is it, Embo?”

“Il est la” (He’s here)

“Where?”

“Jabba’s Palace” Sugi answered

“Keep him there.  We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“What’s in it for us if we do?” Sugi asked

“I’ll owe you one?”

“Et moi?” (What about me?)

“I’ll owe you one too”

“How about I owe him one.” Echo answered

“Ki ca?” (Who that?)

“My husband”

“Ha, jalux?” (Jealous?)

“Anyways, keep him busy, and we’ll both owe you guys.”

“Not a problem, Gorgeous.”

“Thanks you guys, see you in a few”

The comm ended, “How is that you stayed single all this time?” Fives asked

I looked at him, “Fives…”

“What, I’m serious, the amount of people that hit on you, while you were working the cantina, even before you left the GAR” I looked over to Echo, his knuckles were white, I could see the veins on his hand.

“Echo, my dear, you need to relax”

“I’m changing our heading to Tatooine, I’ve relayed the message to Crosshair” Tech interrupted.

“I’m going to go tell Hunter” I looked over to Fives and mouthed ‘behave’, he just gave me a smirk.  I leaned over to Echo and whispered, “Ignore Fives.  You’re the only one for me”, I kissed him on his cheek.  His grip on the control loosened, and he let out a sigh, “I know, I just …”

“I know, Echo.  It’s okay” I kissed him once more on the cheek.

I turned to walk out, and glared at Fives again, mouthing ‘Seriously, behave’.  Fives raised his hands in surrender.

- - - - - - - -

“Hunter” I called knocking on the bunk door.

“Come in”

I walked in, the call with Kambe long ended, his hands holding his head, I could tell he was crying, “You ok?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, what do you want?”

“We found Cad Bane”

“Who?”

“The bounty hunter who took Omega”

He shot straight up, his eyes were full of anger and hatred, “Where?”

“Tatooine”

“How?” His anger was building, I could see his fists were clenched by his side, he looked ready to strike.

“I have some friends that know him, we were talking when he walked into the Palace”

“Who’s Palace?”

“Jabba’s”

“Do you think he’s the one who wants Omega?”

“No.  More likely, it’s a layover till he meets his contact.”

He didn’t say anything, I could feel his rage boiling over, “Hunter…”

“What!” I raised my hands and backed away.  I just looked down at the ground and turned to walk away.

“Wait!” Hunter called, I stopped and turned, “I’m sorry, it’s just …”

“I know”

“How could you?”

I let out a sigh, “Have a seat” I motioned to the bunk behind him, “Echo didn’t tell you how we met, did he?”

Hunter shook his head, “It was just after he joined the 501st …

- - - - - - - -

“I can’t wait to get out there, do Hevy proud” Fives said

“I think he would be proud of us, no matter what we did” Echo responded

“Of course, you would believe that”

“Men!”

“Captain Rex, Sir!” They both stood and saluted the Captain, I stood behind the Captain of the 501st, looking at these two fresh faces.  Fives glanced over to me, and did a quick once over, I couldn’t help but smirk, cheeky bastard.  Echo gave me a side look, but kept his eyes on the Captain.

“At ease boys, I have a special mission for the both of you.  This is Agent Halcyon, she has been tasked with a special mission and needs two good men to go with her.  I am trusting that you both will be good soldiers and show Agent Halcyon what it means to be part of the 501st!”

“Sir, yes Sir!” They both echoed.

“Agent Halcyon” he stretched out his hand and shook mine

“Captain Rex, always a pleasure” I winked at him, he smirked and walked away.

“Alright guys, relax.”

“Thank you, Agent Halcyon” chimed Echo

“First, it’s just Halcyon, don’t use titles.  What are your boys' names?”

“I’m Fives, that’s Echo.  I’m the one whose name you'll never forget to scream out.”  Fives winked, Echo rolled his eyes at his brother.

“Oh really?” I stepped up to Fives, my face an inch from his, he took a noticeable swallow, “Tell me Fives, exactly how will I not forget you?”

“Um… I …”

“Listen here trooper! You think you’re the first one who’s tried to get into my pants?”

“Uh…”

“Better man than you have tried, and do you know how many have succeeded?”

“Um…”

“None.  So take your ego, your misogyny, your desire to try to accumulate notches on your belt, and shove it! Is that understood?”

“Yes, ma’am”

“Good!” I stepped back, “Now that we have that straightened out, you both are going to follow me.  First we need to get you guys some civilian clothing, secondly I need to go over the mission with the both of you.  Now unless Echo here has any comment he would like to make?”

“No, ma’am”

“Oh one more thing, stop calling me ma’am.  It’s Halcyon.”

- - - - - - - - - -

“Is the plan clear?”

“I don’t understand, why are they trying to kidnap Senator Orn Free Taa’s daughter?” Echo asked

“He has the deciding vote on a bill in the senate, it’s not unusual for Senators and their families to be threatened.  Problem is we don’t know who exactly is threatening him, whether it’s the opposition of the bill, the separatist, or someone who has a personal vendetta against him.  It’s no secret that not all his people are happy he’s their representative.”

“Do we have to guard her in her house?  Wouldn’t it be better if we take her from there?” Fives asked

“Normally, I would say yes.  For me, I personally would rather keep her out of public view, but unfortunately that’s not possible.”

“Why’s that?” Inquired Echo

“She’s pregnant.  The stress of the constant danger of being on the move, could endanger the baby.  So while you guys maintain eyes on the perimeter I’ll be her personal bodyguard.”

“No offence Halcyon, but you’re just one person.”

“With you two, that makes three.  I think the odds are in our favour.  Plus, you don’t get to be the best, by being weak” I smirked at Fives, “If you guys want, we can spar a few rounds before we land on Ryloth, and I can prove how good I am.”

“Not necessary, Halcyon, Fives’ just an idiot.”

“Ha, spoken like a true brother.  Let me guess, you guys are batchmates.”

“Yeah we are” Fives answered, “How did you know?”

“When you're around enough clones, you can tell.  Alright you two, get all the equipment you need, once we leave the Resolute, we’ll be on our own.  I’d rather you guys take more than what we need, and have too much, then not enough.  Is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am” they both saluted.  I just shook my head, “Sorry, Halcyon.”

“That’s okay, meet me at the ship at 0630”

- - - - - - - -

“Madam Oofatfeli” I bowed before Senator Orn Free Taa’s daughter.

“Halcyon, it’s been too long,” she stepped forward and hugged me.  Oofatfeli was one of the most beautiful women, her skin was an iridescent blue, it was a very rare and special Twi’lek colour.  Her husband passed away during Ryloth’s occupation, leaving her a widow and a child to raise on her own.

“You’re positively glowing”

“Oh! Feel! The baby just kicked.  Kid’s going to be just as strong as Mirtilo was.”

I placed my hand on her bump, as she guided me to where the child was kicking, I couldn’t help the smile that appeared on my face.  “Mirtilo would have been such a proud father.  I have no doubt about that.”

Fives and Echo seemed uncomfortable, quietly I asked “Oofatfeli, would you mind if they…” I motioned my head to them.  She smiled that radiating beautiful smile, “Not at all” she whispered back.

“Fives, Echo, come here”

They stepped closer, I guided their hands to where the baby had been kicking, “I don’t understand” Echo said.  

“Just wait” Oofatfeli answered, and just like that, the baby started kicking again.

“What was that?” Fives asked confused

“That’s the baby, it’s kicking” I answered

“That … that’s the baby?” Fives was mesmerized, “I never …”

“It’s amazing! Right?  To know that life has been created, and being cared for, by an amazingly, devoted mother.”

“See this is why you and I are friends, Halcyon.  You offer up praises like their nothing.”

“Hey if I’m the aunt and godmother of this child, trust me, I’ll offer up all the praises I can muster” I chuckled, “Alright boys, enough lollygagging, time to get to work.  I want every exit checked, examine the perimeter and tell me what areas, we’re vulnerable.  I want a backup hiding place.  I want a handful of weapons and explosives stored in the two hiding places.  I also want some explosives armed in the areas we won’t be able to cover.  Nothing too damaging, just enough to knock a perpetrator out.  Finally I want weapons hidden throughout the house, under tables, couches, maybe in some of the cabinets.  I want to fortify our last resort position.  If we need to hold them off, I want to know we can do it until backup arrives.  Understood?”

“Yes, Halcyon” answered Echo

“Great.  Any questions?”

“Just one?”

“What is it, Echo?”

“Can I feel the baby kick one more time?” I just looked at this man, this handsome man, so different from his brother, and at that moment he captured my heart.  He was so sweet, tender and caring, a soldier through and through, but went weak in the knees for a baby.

“Ha, sure, give me your hand Echo” Oofatfeli said, after a few moments, Echo’s smile radiated pure joy.  I couldn’t hide the smirk on my face, or the adoration in my eyes watching him, he glanced over to me, and smiled sweetly.  A blush started to form on his face.

“Ahem!” Fives cleared his throat

“Right, time to go” Echo said

Both boys left, “So… Echo?” Oofatfeli quirked an eyebrow at me.

“What about him?” I asked while grabbing my bag and beginning to set up my equipment, my trusty DC-15LE rifle, nicknamed Peacekeeper, it was an inside joke with myself, how far I went from being a Jedi Knight, an actual keeper of the peace.  She was my partner in crime.

“You know what?  I saw that look between you two.”

“He was being sweet with the baby, that’s the only look you saw.”

The rifle now strapped to my back, I began placing all my other DC-17 hand blasters, in strategic easy to grab locations.  “Yeah, but that’s not what I felt” Oofatfeli continued following me around.

“There was nothing to feel”

“Come on, just because you may have trained as a Jedi, doesn’t mean you can’t connect with someone.  It might even be good for you.”

“Oofatfeli, I love you like a sister, but you are way off base.  There is nothing between Echo and me, especially since I just met him, what, a few days, like three days ago.”

“When Mirtilo and I first met, in the span of an hour we knew we were meant to be.”

“That’s different”

“How is that different?”

“You look like you, and I …” I motioned to my whole body, I let out a sigh, “… I’m not the kind of girl, guys go for.  A one-night stand, sure they’re quick to try to get in my pants, but a relationship…” I shook my head.

“Is that why you still haven’t been with anyone?  You want a relationship and not a one-night stand?”

“I don’t know what I want, and until I do, it’s better if I’m alone.”

“Maybe you need to stop listening with your head, and listen to your heart.  Cause from what I saw, there was more there in that look, then just a one-night stand.”

“Alright, we’re done with this conversation.”

“Ha, that’s what you think.  But we can be done for now.  I need to use the fresher, I swear this kid thinks my bladder is a bouncy ball.”

I laughed, “Halcyon” came Echo’s voice, “Yes, Echo?”

“The perimeter is secure, we’re coming back in.”

“Okay.” I turned to put away my bag, when I heard, “Dude you got it bad for her” came Fives voice.

“No, I don’t.”

“Listen, I don’t blame you, she’s hot.”

“We all know what you think of her”

“Did I come across a bit too aggressive? Maybe.  Do I regret it? Not at all.”

“You're impossible.”

“Just admit, you like her.”

“Fives, shut up!”

“Hey I wasn’t imagining the look you gave her, or that smile vod.”

“I … uh…”

“You do like her!”

“Fives, she’s going to hear you?”

“She already has” I answered, “Next time, make sure to turn off your comm.”

I heard a beep and that was the end of that conversation.

- - - - - - -

Oofatfeli was sleeping in her room, the two boys were resting in the guest room, while I kept watch.  I noticed a shadow on the floor, walking along the roof.   I chimed the boys, and walked to Oofatfeli’s room.

Fives and Echo emerged in no time, “What’s the problem?” Fives asked.

“There’s someone on the roof.  You two guard Oofatfeli, I’m gonna wake her up, I want you both to take her to room A, while I check it out.”

“Halcyon…”

“This isn’t up for discussion, Echo.  You guys are here as the last line of defence if I fail, get it!”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

I opened the door quietly, thank goodness we made sure to cover the windows with a heavy curtain.  I nudged her awake. I put my finger to my lips, and escorted her into the hallways, into Fives and Echos waiting arms, “Go with them.”  She looked scared, “Sis?” Her eyes were wide and kept darting everywhere,

“Hey, look at me.  I’m not going to let anything happen to you, okay?  I’m going to take care of it.  Fives and Echo are the best, they’ll protect you, okay.”

She simply nodded, I motioned with my head for Fives and Echo to take her to the room.  Once I knew they were locked and secure, I went to the window to see if I could see where the shadow was, it was just on the roof, closest to the east window.  I climbed up the ladder to the attic, when I heard a shift on the roof, they headed towards Oofatfeli’s room.  I climbed back down the ladder quietly, and heard them walking along the wall of the house.  I waited in her room, with my DC-17 blaster in hand.  I closed my eyes, allowing the force to calm me, steadying my hand.  

I heard a slight scrape on the window, and then a hand pushed aside the curtain. I grabbed the hand, dragging the person through the window, glass erupting everywhere and flung them in the room, throwing them against the wall.  I stunned the man lying on the ground looking at me, he was out in a matter of seconds.  I looked outside to see another shadow, however knowing the jig was up, they ran to the south side of the house.  I didn’t hesitate and exited the house, through the kitchen door on the west, I heard the perpetrator land on the gravel outside the house, and ran after them, within seconds, they were in front of me.  I hurled myself at their feet, knocking them down.

I stood grabbing Peacekeeper off my back, and aimed my rifle at the man’s head while he laid on the ground, “Go ahead, make a move”.  The man before me raised his hand. “On your knees” once he was kneeling before me, I threw the cuffs I had in my back pocket at him.

Cuffed, I brought him back to the house.  I had him sit in the dining room, tying him to the chair, separating his hands and tying each arm to the arm of the chair.  I then tied his legs to the leg chair.  Once I knew he was secure, I walked back to Oofatfeli’s room and dragged the man over to the dining room, tying him up the same way.  I double checked all their pockets, removing any weapons I could find.  

“Fives, Echo?” I yelled.

I heard Fives yell back, “We clear?”

“So far, I only found these two”, I answered, hearing Fives coming up behind me in the dining room.  He looked from me to the two men sitting before me.  One unconscious and the other tied and gagged.

“Okay, so I’m never getting on your bad side”

I laughed, “Glad to hear it.”

I stepped up beside him, keeping my voice low, “Take Oofatfeli to the guest room, there’s glass everywhere in her room, I also want you to call the Senator’s guard, find out how they let these two threw.”

Fives nodded and walked away.  

“Now, you’re going to tell me who hired you and why you’re here.”

- - - - - - -

“I don’t understand?”

“It appears Mirtilo didn’t die in the occupation, as everyone thought.”

“No.  He died.  I know he died.”

“Did you see a body?”

“It was the occupation, people disappeared, we were lucky if we found a body.”

“Well, I have to go with what they told me.”

“Maybe he’s lying” offered Echo

“It’s possible, but he would have to be quite strong to resist my interrogations.”

“What does that mean?” Fives asked

“Not the time” I offered, “Oofatfeli, can you think of any reason why Mirtilo would be doing this?”

She shook her head, tears welling up.  I looked at Fives and Echo, “Could you guys give us a minute?”  They both nodded, I put my arms around her as she leaned into my shoulder crying, I rubbed soothing circles on her back, when I felt eyes watching us, I looked up to see Echo watching me.  My heart was breaking for her, to know the man she loved was the one behind the threat on her life, I couldn’t help but have tears well up in my eyes.  Echo looked into my eyes with determination, and closed the door.  I don’t know why, I didn’t yell at him to leave, but that look of determination filled me with a sense of purpose.  I wasn’t going to let Mirtilo hurt her, or the baby.

“Sweetie, do you think you can talk now? We’re alone.”

“I know why.”

“Why is he doing this?”

“He never agreed with my father’s political views, he believed Ryloth should be completely free, not belonging to any system.  The bill on the floor is to increase the Republic’s presence on Ryloth, to make sure the Separatist do not come back.  If Mirtilo was alive, he would have fought my father tooth and nail against the bill.  Mirtilo was afraid the Republic could be corrupted and become a dictatorship, ruling with an iron fist over the people of Ryloth.  But to go so far as to threaten me or our unborn child…” She raised herself and shook her head.

“Does he feel that your father would back down if something happened to either of you?”

“My father prides himself on his people and family.  If he couldn’t protect his family, he would lose the support of the people on Ryloth, and with it his wealth and status.”

I nodded, “What do you want to do?”

Oofatfeli looked at me shocked, “What do you mean?”

“My dear, this is your husband.  If you want to stay, I will defend you till my last dying breath, but that could mean the end of your husband’s life too.  If you want to leave, we can go to Coruscant and bring the matter to your father fully, maybe get him to back off from the bill.  At least that will guarantee the safety of you and your baby.  But this is your life and your baby’s, I will not tell you what to do.”

She nodded, “I think we should stay.  If I flee, I’m caving into his demands, he may be my husband, but he’s wrong.  Every action he has taken has been the wrong one.  Why did he hide from me?  Why didn’t he return home?  I will not cower from him.”

I nodded, she was right, I knew Mirtilo, regardless of his views, he would never harm them.  There had to be another explanation.

“Okay, then, we’re going to reinforce everything.  I want you to stay in Room A at night.  That way it can be a stronger defence point.  We won’t have to worry about getting to you to bring you to the safety of the room.  I’m also going to get you to carry a blaster the entire time, in case we’re incapacitated.  Finally, we’re going to get a midwife here, just in case you go into labour.  I want you to think of one that you trust, that you know will defend you and protect the little one.”

Oofatfeli nodded, “For now though, my dear sister” I patted her shoulder, “I want you to get some rest, while I deal with those two men out there. Just lay back down.  I’ll have Fives sit here with you, keeping watch, is that okay?”

“Yeah, but instead of Fives, can I have Echo”

I looked at her quizzically, “Sure, any specific reason?”

“I feel he’ll be calmer if something happens with the baby.”

I nodded, “Yeah, I think so too.  Not a problem.” I helped her lay down on the bed, and approached Echo, who was standing outside the door.

“Are you okay Halcyon?”

I ran my hand over my face, “Honestly, Echo, I don’t know.  Mirtilo was like a brother to me, when we thought we lost him, it … it was hard, you know.”

“Yeah, when we lost Hevy, Droidbait, and Cutup, it was … it’s still hard, I miss them.”

I nodded, “Listen, can you stay in the room with her?”

“Sure, but why me?”

“She thinks you’ll be calmer should something happen with the baby”

Echo nodded, “I don’t blame her” he chuckled, looking over at Fives.

“Thanks” I patted his upper arm, I was about to walk away, when Echo grabbed my hand, “Halcyon?”

I turned to look at him, “Yeah, Echo?”

“I’m sorry about earlier, the comm issue.  It was unprofessional and disrespectful of you.  I …” he looked to the floor, still holding my hand against his arm, “… I hope you can forgive me.”

“Echo, there’s nothing to forgive.  If anything I’m the one who should be apologizing” Echo looked into my eyes, questioning, “I should have told you right away, that I could hear Fives asking you the question.  But I guess…” I looked away, the blush rising, maker! I hate it when Oofatfeli’s right.

“You guess?” He stepped closer, moving my hand to hold in his left hand, while his right forefinger and thumb purchased on my chin, turning my head so he could look into my eyes, “I guess I just wanted to know the answer.”

Now he was the one blushing, “Oh!”

“Yeah” I leaned forward, he inched his face forward, less than a hair’s breadth away.  

“Ahem!”

Realizing how close we were, the fact his hand was still holding my face, at some point my left hand rested on his right wrist, I don't remember when that happened, while our other hand was holding each other.  I pulled back quite quickly, I don’t know what happened.  

“Sorry” I muttered

“No.. it was my fault” Echo sighed.

“I have to…” I motioned towards the other way.

“Yeah, I need to …” Echo motioned to the guest room.  We looked at each other one last time and walked away as quickly as our feet could carry us, with Fives standing there smirking, watching us move away from each other as fast as possible.  

“Not interested, my ass!” I heard Fives mumble.

“Hey Halcyon”

“Yes, Fives” I answered as I made my way to the dining room, “I’m sure if you ask Echo out, he’ll say yes.”

“Not the time Fives”

“Ha, yeah right!”

“Did the Senator’s guards show up?”

“Yeah they did, they’re with the men in the dining room.”

- - - - - -

“Care to explain how these men breached your security?” I questioned the head guard, with my arms crossed under my chest.

“Agent, I apologize.  I don’t know what happened.”

“Well let me tell you what is going to happen, from now on, I want double the guards, no, triple.  I want ID checks on all the guards stationed.  I want background checks done.  No visitors in or out of this place.”

“Agent that’s not necessary”

“Oh really?” I questioned motioning to the two men tied to the chairs in the dining room.

“Point taken.”

“Finally, I want an investigative team to search for Mirtilo, I want an answer, a lead, or even a suggestion by the time the sun rises, in the next 6 hours.  If I don’t have any of that, I will contact the Chancellor and the Senator myself, and we’ll see how things turn out for you.” I leaned forward, anger dripping from each word.  

“Agent…”

“Did I stutter?”

The head guard didn’t answer, “Fives, did I stutter or make myself unclear in any way?”

“No, Agent.  You were very clear.”

“Then I see no reason why you four men should be standing in front of me still, remove these men, arrest them and bring me a lead by the time the sun is up, or you will see a side of me, you wish never to see!  Do I make myself clear!”

“Yes, Agent” the head guard seethed, “very clear”.

“Good.  Get out of my face.”

The men untied the two intruders, and departed from the house.  The house was quiet now, all the lights were on.  I turned to face Fives.

“Fives”

“Yeah”

“I’m going to contact the Chancellor and the Senator now.  I don’t trust that man.”

“I agree, there’s something off about him.”

“Can you contact Rex, while I’m talking to the Chancellor and see if he can lend us a few more men.  I have a feeling this was a trial run.”

“Not a problem, I’ll do it right now.”

- - - - - -

“This is troubling Agent” the Chancellor’s concern was clearly evident.

“You really believe Mirtilo is alive?” Asked the Senator

“I don’t know, it could be they are using his name as a martyr for the cause.  For him to try and endanger the life of his wife and unborn child, I can’t see him doing that, no matter his political view.”

“I agree” concurred the Senator

“Tell us what you need, Agent,” the Chancellor inquired.

“I would like some extra men, I have a feeling they’ll be back in stronger numbers.  I also would like to request a Jedi to investigate this so-called rumour.  I do not believe the Head Guard is to be trusted.”

“Very well, since the 501st are already aware of the situation, we will redeploy General Skywalker to you, along with a garrison of his men.”

“Thank you, Chancellor” I bowed before the man, “Senator, believe me when I say I will protect Oofatfeli till my dying breath.”

“I know my dear, I never doubted that.”

I bowed to both men, and ended the transmission.

“Rex said he’s getting his men together, and they’ll be here by the morning, they were on their way back from a mission.”

“Remind me to buy Rex a drink at 79’s when we’re back on Coruscant.”

“I think you’ll have to buy everyone a drink”

“That’s fine, my credits are good” I smirked

“And, I’m sure Echo, would be all too happy to have a drink with you” I looked at him trying to hide the blush creeping up, as my lips tried to hide the smile appearing.

“You’re the worst, you know that!”

“Hey, I want to see you two get together, is that so terrible?”

“Really, because not that long ago, you were trying to get into my pants.”

“Yeah, but you know that was all talk.”

“You’re like the brother I never wanted, you know that.”

Fives beamed from ear to ear, “You know what we call brothers and sisters in Mando’a?”

I shook my head ‘no’, “Vod, so vod’ika, I will be happy to be your vod.”

“What does that word mean, v-vod’ika?”

“Little sister”

“Ha, I think I’m older than you.”

“It’s the sentiment more than anything else”

“Alright, vod.  I’m gonna check on Oofatfeli”

“Don’t you mean Echo?”

“Shut up!”

- - - - - - -

I opened the door slightly, to peer in, and noticed Echo had his blaster resting on his lap, his feet up on the other bed, his eyes closed.  Oofatfeli rested peacefully, I came up and placed a hand on his shoulder, he startled himself awake, thankfully quiet enough that Oofatfeli didn’t hear.  I motioned for him to follow me out.  

I kept my voice low “We contacted the Chancellor and the Senator, they’re sending backup.  General Skywalker and a garrison of your unit, will be coming to investigate and protect.”

“Do you think we’re in trouble?”

“I think Mirtilo is dead, and they’re using his name as a way to justify their actions.  I think they don’t care about her or the baby, they just want to hurt the Senator.”

“You’re worried”

“Yeah I am.  I don’t have family, they’re my family” I motioned my head to where Oofatfeli lay sleeping.  

“Well you have us now too” Echo grabbed my hand, rubbing circles on the back.

“Ha, yeah, I sort of adopted Fives as my brother” I chuckled, holding his hand tighter.

“What about me?”

“What about you?” I asked looking into his eyes

He stepped forward, moving my hair off my face, “What am I to you?”

“I … um…” I moved closer, my free hand resting on his chest, “Echo, I’m not good at this… I’ve never … I haven’t felt this way before.”

“Neither have I” he leaned in and closed the distance, his kiss was sweet, just like him.  His hand moved to the back of my neck pulling me in, deepening the kiss, while his other hand moved to my lower back pressing me flush against him.  The kiss lasted for what felt like eons, in that moment we said everything we needed to say.  We pulled back eventually when we needed to breathe again, his forehead resting against mine, “She’s your family, and I’ll protect her like she’s mine.  We won’t let anything happen to them.  I promise.”

“Echo, you can’t promise what the future hasn’t written”, I pulled back to look at him, “However, I appreciate the sentiment.”  I smiled and pecked his lips.

“I could get use to this”

“Yeah, me too.  Alright, we gotta focus.  I have no doubt they'll be back tonight.  I may have forced their hand.”

“What do you mean?”

“I told them if they didn’t provide me with answers in the morning I was going to call the Chancellor.”

“But you already called the Chancellor”

“Yeah, because I don’t trust them.  Something’s going on.  The 501st should be here in a matter of hours, if not sooner.”

“You’re amazing, mesh’la. I’ll follow you anywhere.”

“You’ll have to tell me later what that means.  Get to your position, I’ll stay with her.”

He nodded and walked away, I knew at that moment he was my future, whatever may happen, he was it, for me.

- - - - - - -

I looked down at the ring on my finger, moving it back and forth.  After everything Echo and I have been through, I had no doubt the Force brought us back together.

“What happened next?” Asked Hunter.

“Oh, right!”

- - - - - - - -

*Beep, beep* I pressed the button on my comm, “Fives, what is it?”

“We got movement.”

“Where?”

“South-west side of the house”

“How many?”

“Hard to say, maybe about 20”

“Kriff!”

“Language” came Oofatfeli’s sleepy voice,  I looked up to see her sleepiness ebb, when she the look on my face, “They’re back aren’t they?”

I nodded, “Time to get you to Room A”

“What about the midwife?” She asked, rising from the bed, I held her hand and guided her to Room A, “No time for that now, I’m afraid.  I have an idea.”

“Do either of you guys know how to deliver a baby?”

“Echo does” Fives answered

“It was basic med training.”

“Wait, you're a medic?” I asked

“No, but at least one trooper in each squad needed to know basic med until the medics arrived.”

“Okay, then you’re going to stay with Oofatfeli in Room A”

“Halcyon …”

“Echo, please! She’s my sister.”

“Alright, I’ll meet you at Room A”

The comm turned off, I made sure my comm was off as well.  

“So… what did I miss?”

“Not the time”

“Come on? Humour me, get my mind off of what’s happening.”

“Fine, we kissed”

“Eeek!”

“You’re hopeless”

“Actually I’m hopeful.”

I rolled my eyes at her. Echo was waiting for us in the room by the time we showed up.  We situated her on the cot in the room.  I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“Be careful, sis”

“I will, Oofatfeli” I placed my hand on her shoulder, she grasped it, as I pulled away.

“Look after her” I whispered to Echo

“I will” he grabbed my hand, “You better come back in one piece.”

“I promise, Echo.  If they take a shot at me, they better aim true, or I’m coming for them.”

He chuckled, “My badass Agent”, he leaned and pecked my cheek, I cupped his cheek, and pecked his lips.  I squeezed his hand once, and walked out.  Echo locked the door behind me.  

“Alright Fives, where are they? Echo, can you hear us?”

“Yup”

“Halcyon, they’re by the hedges, edge of the property.”

“Explosives ready?”

“Just say the word.”

I sat in the hallway upstairs, with the window that faced west, all the lights had remained off, after the Senator’s Guard left the house with the two men.  I propped Peacekeeper against the windowsill, thankfully the moon wasn’t out, so there wouldn’t be any reflection.  I looked through my scope.

“Alright Fives, on my count of four, ready?”

“Ready.”

I breathed out, steadying my breaths, “Four … three … two … one … now!”

The explosives went off, in the chaos, I took out six men all head shots, five of the men died in the explosives being thrown clear.  Two of the men lost a limb and were unable to fight.  Leaving seven for Fives and I to engage.  I took down two more that came closer to the house.  Fives was able to get two as well.  Leaving three.  I heard a window break on the opposite side of the house.

“Fives we got intruders on the East, you handle the remaining three on the West, and I’ll head to the east.”

“Copy”

I shouldered Peacekeeper and flew down the stairs to the dining room, where I heard the windows breaking.  As I was heading down the stairs, I saw flashes of red bolts flying towards me, I grabbed my DC-17s and double barrelled it.  I took down three of the intruders in a matter of seconds as I slid down the banister.   I tucked and rolled once my feet hit the floor, taking out two more, when I righted up again.  

I crouched down behind the dining table, hearing the three remaining men that had entered the house.  

“Where is she?” The first assailant asked

“I don’t know” answered another

“Find her!”

I launched over the table shooting at two of the assailants in the opposite room.  The leader took off heading to the kitchen, “Fives, I think the leader is heading back towards you”

“Copy”

I heard another window breaking this time upstairs, “Fives there are more intruders, they just broke the windows upstairs, I’m going back up.”

“Where the hell are they coming from?”

I heard a blaster shot coming from the kitchen, “Fives!”

“I’m good, the leader is down.”

���Guys, I think I got company”

“Coming, Echo. Hold on” I raced back up the stairs as fast as my legs could carry, but the blaster bolts raining down were preventing me from going up, I was pinned by the banister.  Fives came up beside me, but he couldn’t get an angle either.  I put away my blasters, “Halcyon, what do you think you’re doing!”  I closed my eyes, raised my hands, sensing the five men on the upstairs banister, I heard shouting and screaming, but I couldn’t pay attention.  I felt as my force grabbed each of those men around the throat, I squeezed and pulled them down over the banister.  Each with a broken neck as they landed on the floor below.

Fives was shocked, “How… how …”

“Not now!” I grabbed my blasters and ran up the stairs, I turned the corner and the men had broken down the door.  Echo was on his knees with a blaster to his head.  Oofatfeli was being held by the Head Guard, a blaster pointed at her belly, tears were streaming down her face.

“Stop, Jedi!”

I raised my hands, “I’m no Jedi!”

“Yeah right, and anyone can just grab people invisibly, choke them and pull them over the banister.”

“I’m not here to talk about what I am or not, let them go.”

“No! We need to make a point.  The Republic doesn’t belong on Ryloth.  Ryloth deserves to be free!”

“I agree” Oofatfeli’s face was shocked, Echo, didn’t know what to make of it.  Fives was stuttering behind me.

“You do?” The Head Guard asked.

“I do” I put my blasters in my holder

“This is some sort of Jedi trick!”

“Ugh! For the last time I’m no Jedi.”  Returning my hands back to a surrender position.

“Then what are you?”

“We’re not talking about me, we’re talking about the people of Ryloth and what's best for them, and you seem to think you know what’s best for them?”

“I do… we do” he motioned to the other two men remaining, the one holding Echo at gunpoint, and the third one pointing his gun at Fives.  

“So you want to free Ryloth, want to have the Republic leave?”

“Yes!”

“Then what?”

“Then Ryloth would be free”

“Yes but then what?  You say Ryloth would be free, but then … what?  What would happen if the Separatist came back to occupy Ryloth?”

“We would fight them off”

“Really like you did when they first occupied Ryloth?  How did that work out for you?”

I could see in the other two men’s eyes their doubt beginning to form, I could also sense it through the force.

“What do you know about it?”

“I was here.  I fought on the front lines alongside Mirtilo.  We spent many nights around the campfire as soldiers talking about a free Ryloth, but you know what else we talked about?”

“What?”

“How without the Republic, Ryloth would truly be lost.  We barely held the front lines for weeks and months, but without the constant relief supplies from the Republic, from Alderaan, we wouldn’t have survived.  By the way, where were you during the occupation?”

“What?!”

I took a step forward, as I sensed the other two men’s doubt growing even more.

“Where were you?  I met all the Twi’leks who were fighting during the occupation, many of them respected me for being one of the few GAR Agents who stood beside them, fighting for supplies and relief.  Do you know what they called me?  What Mirtilo called me?”

“What?”

“Halcyon.”

“Your Halcyon” the man who had his gun pointed at Fives said.

“Yes, I’m Halcyon.  You’ve heard of me?”

“Every Twi’lek has heard of you, you never gave up, you fought beside our leaders day in, day out.  Oftentimes giving up your food and sleep to those who needed it more.  You saved my sister, when she was pinned down by droids.”

“What’s your sister’s name?”

“Don’t tell her!” Yelled the Guard.

“Aola, Aola’kopi”

“I remember her.  She’s a very brave girl.  Is that why you joined this man?  To honour your sister?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think you’re honouring her now? Holding a pregnant woman hostage, the life of her unborn child in the balance?”

The man lowered his weapon, dropping it on the floor.

“What are you doing?!” The man holding Oofatfeli screamed.

“The right thing.  For my sister.”

He kneeled on the ground, hands behind his head.  Fives raised his gun to hold the man captive.  

“What about you?  Do you think you’re doing the right thing?”

“I … I …”

Echo didn’t let him finish; he grabbed his arm and flipped him over, pinning him to the ground with the man’s own blaster.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, now” I took another step towards the Head Guard holding my sister.

“Freeze, or I’ll shoot”

“You’ve seen what I can do with the Force, do you really want to test my patience?”

“No, Ryloth needs to be free!”

“I agree.  Free from tyranny, free from terrorists, free from a war that plagues the universe.  However, these are trying times, do you really think your lives will be better, right now during a war?”

“It’s not fair!”

“No, it’s not.  Now…” I closed my eyes taking a deep breath, I focused on the man, the anger boiling over, he still held her, I noticed how the grip he had on her throat tightened, she was struggling, I had to act or the baby could be hurt, “Let. Her. Go.”

He took another step down the hallway, I took a step forward, Fives close behind me.  “I won’t repeat myself again.  Considering that’s my sister, I’ve been extremely patient.  Let. Her. Go.”

I moved till I was directly in front of him, he loosened his grip on her, Oofatfeli, didn’t wait she ran straight into my arms.  I held her for a second before the blaster went off.

- - - - - - -

“She didn’t wait for me to disarm the man, she felt the grip loosen and she just went for it. I tried to scream to tell her to wait, but she took off before I had a chance to tell her no.  He saw it as his only way out to inflict pain on the Senator, on the Republic.  I held her in my arms, as I watched the life flow out of her.  The baby didn’t survive either, despite my best efforts.  I lost my family that day.  I failed them.  Despite everything, my connection to the force, my training, I wasn’t good enough, fast enough, or strong enough.  The only remaining survivors of the terrorist cell were the two that gave themselves up.  But in the end it didn’t matter.  I lost my sister and the baby.  Having to face the Senator was one of the hardest things I had to do.”

Hunter looked at me with a new understanding, “I’m so sorry, Phoenix”

I nodded, wiping a tear, “I know what it’s like to fail, to feel like you weren’t enough, that if you did one thing different, the whole outcome would have changed.  I keep thinking what if I just pushed him with the force, what if I choked him with the force, what if we didn’t stay in that house and left without giving her an option.  However, it doesn’t matter about the what-ifs.”

“Why not?”

“Can’t change the past.  No matter how much we wish things could have been different, wishing doesn’t make it so.  We have to face our actions, and do better.”

Hunter nodded.

“Hunter, what happened wasn’t your fault.  You did everything you could.  You protected Omega to the best of your ability, Cad Bane is the best bounty hunter ever.  Do you realize he only takes the jobs no one in their right mind would touch with a ten foot pole?  Do you understand, you walked away from a duel with the best in the universe!  That’s nothing to scoff at.  I watched the recording from your HUD, you were 0.1 seconds slower then him.  That’s all the difference.  0.1 second.  That’s incredible!  We know where he is.  We’re going to get Omega back.  I’m not letting another niece slip through my fingers.”

“Oofatfeli, was going to have a daughter?”

I nodded looking at the ground, “Yeah, she was going to name her after me”

“Halcyon?”

“No, my real name.  Tala, Tala Ilian.  She was going to call her Tala”

“That’s a beautiful name”

“Hence, why I don’t go by it anymore, it only reminds me of what I lost.”

*Knock, knock*

Hunter and I both wiped our eyes, “Come in” answered Hunter.

Fives walks in, noticing our faces, but not saying anything “We’ll be landing on Tatooine soon”

“Thanks, Fives”

I get up to head to the door, I nod to Hunter, an understanding passing between us that many could never understand.  In that moment, he reacted with all the emotion that had been building, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug.  A tight brotherly hug, “Thanks Phoenix.  It means a lot”

I pat his back returning the strength of his hug as much as possible “You’re welcome, Hunter.”

I pulled back, once his arms loosened and his hands rested on my arms, giving him a sisterly smile, “Come on, vod.  Wouldn’t want your medic to think something’s going on or my husband for that matter.”

Hunter chuckled nodding in agreement, “Or your ori’vod” added Fives.

I looked at him and rolled my eyes, “I regret ever adopting you, you know that” I answered as I walked by him, “Too late, there are no refunds or returns on this purchase” he motions to his whole body.

I walk up beside Echo, placing my hands on his shoulder, I lean forward and kiss his cheek, “I love you” I whisper in his ear.  He turns his head and pecks me on the lips, “Love you too, rid’ika.”

“Alright, Tatooine in five … four … three … two … one” Tech’s voice echoes through the cockpit, tension rising not knowing what we could possibly be facing.  

Tag List:

@liadamerondjarin​ @lady-ren​

[kessielrg]

[Kingdom Hearts] Old Habits, New Reasons

Summary: Three times in which Namine shies away from social functions just to draw, and the one time someone joined her. [oneshot][character study][NamiXi if you really wanna squint][also Namiku if you squint a little less]

Rating: K

Word Count: 3,469 words

If you liked this story, please reblog!

---

Their question had thrown Namine off slightly. She sheepishly looked down at her small sketchbook as if it could answer the question for her. The white page stared back at her in silence.

A part of Namine knew this would happen eventually. There was always that fear that someone would follow her, ask her what she was doing, and then tell her to rejoin the others. But that wasn't what they were asking, was it? They wanted to know why she was drawing. It was a simple question, and it was a bit odd that someone would have lugged a caboodle of art supplies with them to a banquet.

"Well?" the other girl asked. "Is there someone who would get mad you're drawing, even if you did it around your friends?"

"I don't think so." Namine decided, slowly. "But sometimes... it's just easier to draw without other people around you. And sometimes, when people find out that you're good at something, they make you do that something for them. It's not very fun."

"Do you always leave to draw, though?"

At first, Namine wanted to disagree with all her heart. But in introspection, it was more of a vice than she cared to admit. She loved drawing, but didn't like others watching her as she did it. When did that happen, she wondered. That didn't used to be the case...

"Sometimes." Namine finally said. She held her sketchbook a bit tighter before adding, "But only on certain occasions."

"Like?"

Namine looked over at the other girl with curiosity. She was greeted with a look just as inquisitive as her own. Maybe even more so. There was a genuine interest; that much was certain. Maybe there was a budding artist in their midst?

"Well..." she carefully said, moving her sketchbook a bit to flip through the earlier pages, "There was this one time..."

. . .

It was a small comfort that, while she wasn't a Keyblade wielder herself, the others considered her when they all got together. She still made sure that her presence didn't disturb anyone. Being quiet and observant was Namine's most reliable vice. That, and drawing. There wasn't much else she knew how to do. Her time as a Nobody barely ranged a year, and after that she was placed safely inside Kairi's heart until recently. Being a Somebody was... confusing, to say the least.

Being asked to join in on a slumber party with Kairi and Xion had been a surprise- perhaps even more so because Master Aqua herself gave her the invitation. Namine certainly didn't expect it to take place in the Land of Departure either. The world seemed far too grand to her -far too important in the history of Keyblade wielders- that it could be used for anything beyond a training arena. She was proven wrong after entering the Great Hall with Kairi. Aqua had given them a spot in front of the thrones, already decorated with sleeping bags for all four of them and a small assortment of snacks.

"I've never got to have a proper slumber party before, since it was me and Terra for most of our childhoods." Aqua admitted at some point. "Feels weird having one with you guys now. I feel like a mom."

It was Xion who, without skipping a beat, cheerfully declared, "And you're the best one I'll never have!"

"Xion!" both Aqua and Kairi declared, each with their own level of bewilderment. Namine only offered a stifled laugh. So proud at their reactions, Xion gave them all a smile so big, it almost rivaled Sora's.

After that, they started to talk about various things since they all met together. Apparently everyone's training was going rather well. Kairi was beginning to get a handle of second tier elemental magic, while Xion was working on personal techniques on and off for the past week. It was around this time that Namine politely excused herself from the others. They had been so caught up in their conversation that they didn't even notice.

Namine went to where she and Kairi had placed their personal things to find her caboodle. The caboodle was a neat little box with drawers that opened the same time she opened the lid. She was able to put all her art supplies in it. Most of them, anyway- her normal sketchbook was too large to fit. Instead, she used a smaller pad that was placed where the mirror in the caboodle was. Once Namine made sure she had everything, she carefully found a spot far enough away from the others so she could draw them. It honestly wasn't very far, but it was still far enough away that the other three didn't really notice her. That was fine. If anything, it was perfect.

The sounds of the others almost masked the sound of her pencil against paper. Spending most of her life locked away with nothing but drawing to distract her gave Namine a slight skill in speed drawing. However, she took her time when she started to work on her friends. She wanted as much detail as she could.

But she didn't bother to sketch her own sleeping bag. She tried to tell herself that it was because it ruined the composition. But deep down she knew it was because she didn't fit with the others, and so it didn't need to be included.

Namine finished her drawing without the others ever knowing she was gone. She placed everything back in her caboodle, then went back as Kairi went into a long story about Tidus and Wakka back on the islands. It was nice; the sounds of friendship. Namine had been the first to go to sleep that night.

. . .

At first, the only response she got was a quiet, "Oh..."

"It was a really fun time!" Namine quickly insisted. "And it really was a treat to be included."

"But you drew yourself out."

Namine flinched slightly. "It worked out better that way. From the angle I was at, it would have looked weird because I had the really light sleeping bag, and everything was so dark anyway..."

The other girl only looked more guilty.

"Do you still have the picture?" she wondered.

"I think so." Namine agreed. She adjusted herself so she could better go through her sketchbook before flipping through the earlier pages. "Here," she then offered as she handed it over.

There was a small hum as the other ran her fingers over the drawing. Namine had made deliberate choices in lighting around the three Keyblade wielders- light coming off of them as if they were lighting up the whole room. If you looked ever closer, you could see the detail of the castle's floor, and even make out the silhouettes of the three thrones in the background.

"Does anyone know that you go somewhere away from everyone to draw?" the other girl asked, handing the sketchbook back to Namine.

Namine gave a fond, almost bashful smile.

"There is someone..."

. . .

"There's a lot of people here." Namine noted as she tried to look over the crowd. Riku wasn't making the same amount of effort. Instead, he just casually looked on with a hand at his hip. Curse him being a full head taller than she was.

"Aqua said that Disney Town holds the Dream Festival every year." Riku agreed with a small nod. "Can't be that easy since Queen Minnie has almost been reigning the kingdom alone for the past few years. The effort is definitely amazing though."

Namine agreed with a nod and a small noise of affirmation. Disney Town looked absolutely splendid for the festival. All the colors, and the smells, and the energy was enough to put anyone in a good mood. The grip Namine had on her caboodle tightened slightly. A frown crossed her lips as she considered that there might have been too much commotion. There wasn't a good place to just sit and zone out without some kind of noise maker going off.

Riku must have noticed this. He looked over at her, and quickly saw her firm grip on the caboodle's handle.

"Are you sure you don't want to leave that in the Gummi Ship?" he asked. He even made a mild gesture to the box, which only made Namine hold it closer to her.

"No. I'm going to use it." Namine insisted. "I just... I just need someplace a bit more quiet..."

Riku nodded. He looked up again to see that Queen Minnie had taken the stage. The queen looked as beautiful as always in her formal pink and red ballgown. The jewels on her crown glittered under the multicolored overhead lights. Everyone cheered at seeing her- the love and admiration they had for their leader was enough to be felt from miles away. Minnie was a good queen, there was no contest about that.

As Minnie tried to settle the crowd down so she could speak, Riku bent down a bit to quietly tell Namine something.

"There's a sewage grate somewhere behind us. If you take it, there's a gizmo that will lead you up to one of the buildings overlooking the racetrack. Don't know about you, but a good aerial shot might be something to capture for later."

Namine grinned. "Thank you Riku." she said before giving him a small peck on his cheek. The young Keyblade master's face gleamed with a humble blush as he stood tall again, almost as if he had never moved at all. Namine laughed a bit at it before leaving.

Finding, and getting into, the grate had not been an issue. It did take her awhile to navigate the gizmo, though. But it was all worth it once she got to the top of a particular building. Namine let out a soft 'Oh...' of wonder as she sat down near the edge facing the racetrack. Riku was right- this was a good place to work. If only she was able to use larger sketch paper in her travelling kit.

When she was finished, Namine very quickly tried to find Riku again. She shouted his name after spotting him. He barely had time to turn around before she proudly displayed her new drawing to him.

"Do you think Queen Minnie will like it?" she asked, rather breathlessly.

Riku looked at her before looking down at the drawing. He put on a wide smile before telling her, "She's going to love it. It's perfect."

. . .

That story had brought about a rather brighter mood in the other girl.

"Did Queen Minnie like the drawing?" she asked. "You did give it to her after the festival, right?"

A sense of pride welled in Namine's heart, leading her to sit a bit straighter. "She loved it." she grinned. "She immediately had the brooms take it to the gallery to be expanded and mounted. You should have seen the look on Riku's face. He was as proud as I was, and probably more surprised!"

"I could only imagine." the other girl laughed. "Oh!" she then said, "Have you ever gone someplace with a view so nice that you just couldn't replicate it no matter how hard you tried? It's hard to recreate any atmosphere, in my opinion. I wanna know if you ever tried to as well."

Namine let out a soft hum as she thought about it. She let out a small noise of realization when it came to her.

"I did once before, yes." she agreed. "Since Kairi's parents don't mind me staying with them, I was able to join her, Riku, Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie to a beach party they had. It was still summer vacation, if I remember correctly. And Tidus really wanted to have a girls versus boys match..."

. . .

"Head's up!" Tidus shouted before serving the volleyball over the net.

"Cheater!" Selphie shouted back as Kairi managed to spike the ball back. Tidus only gave a rather sinister cackle back. However, at that point, no one was able to break their concentration just to smack talk each other.

Namine watched as Kairi and Selphie worked against Tidus and Riku in a rather well matched volleyball tourney. Wakka wasn't too far away- he had lost a bet earlier and had to make food for everyone. The smell of pineapples and fish hung in the air. It was the warmth of the midday sun that Namine loved the most. The feeling enveloped its way around her like a comforting hug. She let out a soft sigh as she got a bit more comfortable.

The sudden urge to draw made her fingers twitch.

This wasn't a good spot for it, though. She was too close to the others for anything but sand to get onto the paper than color. As much as she loved watching the volleyball match, it was still a bit too distracting. Namine started to get up and casually looked around for a better spot to draw. It didn't take long for her eyes to train to a crow's nest not far from the shore. It was part of a large treehouse that seemed to encompass the island. She looked back at her friends for a moment before quietly leaving them. If anyone noticed she was going, they certainly didn't question her about it.

After getting herself situated at the higher point, Namine found herself gaping at the scene below her. Her friends happily playing on the beach, the light reflections off the water, and even the island holding the paopu tree providing a view so beautiful, so rich, that she wasn't even aware that she was opening her caboodle at first. Seeing the Destiny Islands through Sora's heart was nothing compared to the real thing. Was it possible just to freeze time here and let everything else wash away? She smiled a bit to herself. She did have a way to freeze time, in a way.

The only unfortunate thing was that she wouldn't be able to capture it all. She couldn't encapsulate the smell of the sea, or the sounds of Tidus demanding the girls had leverage over him for some reason. She gave a small smile as she continued to work. Most of her effort was spent trying to reflect the sea around them. A certain impatience came over her as she carefully did each detail. You always had to start with the big stuff, then go down smaller. She was just so eager to capture this moment, anyway she could, that she was always picturing this drawing when it was done.

Namine had to force herself to stop after an hour. Her hands were starting to hurt, and her stomach was growling for food. She cracked her knuckles, barely relieving the tension in them, before putting her stuff away. There would always be time to clean the picture up later. For now, she needed to rejoin her friends.

. . .

And so, we were brought back to our initial setting- the banquet in Radiant Garden.

Namine had thought at first that this would be the perfect opportunity to work on drawing food. But the actual banquet itself had a lot more activity than she was anticipating. There were too many people at the tables to have space to stand at for a few minutes, and she had tried to get a plate for herself to take elsewhere- the allure of delectable aromas wouldn't let her go far without wolfing everything down. So she decided to get a higher view.

To her luck, there was a balcony overlooking the main area. It wasn't blocked off or anything, so Namine quietly crept her way to the top. She found a place to carefully overlook the area and found herself at awe. Even if she was aware that someone was behind her, she probably wouldn't have known it at first.

"Namine!" a voice suddenly said in surprise. Namine jumped a good foot before turning her attention to the newcomer. She relaxed a little when she found it was just Xion.

"Xion..." the blonde girl sighed. "It's just you."

"Am I interrupting you? I'm sorry. I'm not interested in food, and the boys are really going at it, so I really wanted to do this writing exercise where you describe an atmosphere, and..."

"No, no, no. You're fine." Namine insisted. She moved her stuff a bit before gesturing for Xion to sit down next to her. "Here," she offered, "Sit next to me. The view is nice from this area."

Xion smiled in thanks before carefully sitting down. She looked out over the balcony and gasped.

"You're right, this is a good view!" Xion marveled. Her eyes expanding in wonder. "This is the perfect place for Ebba to plant a listening device onto an enemy!"

"Ebba?" Namine wondered. "Who's Ebba?"

At Namine's confusion, Xion's face lit up in a deep scarlet.

"She's my... I think Pence called it 'self-insert.' It's a character that's based on me, but sometimes has a few differences. I've based most of the stories I write on stuff I did in the Organization. It's helped a lot with trying to cope with it. You know?"

Namine shrunk a little. "Yeah..." she agreed in a tiny voice.

"But it's real fun too!" Xion told her, trying to divert the heavy topic a bit. "I base everyone in story with someone in real life! You should see the guy I based on Xemnas... I do a lot of mean things to him."

Namine let out a small chuckle. But then a thought occurred to her.

"You based the characters in your story on us?"

"Of course I did!" she happily declared, her blush growing a bit, besides. "Roxas is Lucas, Master Aqua is head knight Meikai, I even have Pluto as the brave pup Mercury!"

"Do... Do you have someone based on me?"

Xion paused for a moment. Her face going still. However, just as quickly, her smile came back as wide as ever.

"Not yet, but I can!" she decided. She hummed a bit as she thought it over some more. "But I don't have to if you don't want to. I think I'll call her... Syrena."

"Syrena..." Namine hummed in thought. She then gave a bright smile in appreciation. "I like it."

"Great!" Xion beamed. She let out a rather contented sigh before asking, "What about you? Why did you come here?" She looked down at Namine's sketchpad and art supplies for a moment then added, "Did you come all this way just to draw?"

After some hesitation, Namine told her. Carefully, and in her own time. Xion listened intently- only asking questions when Namine was done relating a certain day. When the subject came back around to where they were, Xion seemed to understand much better.

"I get it now." she said.

"You do?" Namine wondered.

Xion gave a thoughtful little nod before explaining, "It's easier for you to draw when it's more quiet. That was how it was before. I think it's great that you're still drawing, even though you started because you were held hostage by the Organization. But the Organization didn't give you the skill you have, Namine. That’s all your own. Kinda like how writing is my special thing. We have ways to just... be ourselves, you know? It's comforting. It's like knowing that, even though we didn't start out in this world with our own goals or ideals, we can make them on our own now. We're free now, Namine. Free to do whatever we want."

Namine absently hugged her sketchbook. "I like that thought." she admitted. "I never really saw it that way before, either. Drawing is something that I know I can do. Something that won't harm others. But you are right- it's what makes me... me. Thank you."

Xion grinned. A wide, bright grin that could have lit up a room. It gave Namine an idea.

"What does Ebba look like?" she questioned, at the same time she pulled out one of her sketching pencils. "Does she look just like you, or are there a lot of differences?"

There was a moment of confusion on Xion's face, then a bright flicker of joy. Not a second after, she burst into a long babble about her character. She even used her arms to illustrate certain concepts and mannerisms. Namine laughed, and did her best to keep up. Xion was so passionate about her characters- it almost made Namine jealous. For the next few hours, Namine did a blend of Xion's idea for Ebba, while Xion herself got to writing about how Ebba got to meet a new acquaintance; a mysterious girl named Syrena, who -while mostly shy- was very well loved.