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justagalwhowrites · 3 months ago

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The Savage and the Sanctuary - Ch. 3: Parents

You and Joel try to figure each other out and you and Ellie navigate your new relationship while you get ready to go to LA. A continuation of The Savage and the Sanctuary, a no outbreak TLOU story, from the prologue through chapter 2 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader

CW: Remembered negligence by a parent. No use of Y/N. Whole fic will be explicit so minors DNI, 18+ only.

Length: 7.5k

“Again.”

You threw a punch at the sparring mitt on Joel’s hand.

He shook his head once, tightening his jaw. You weren’t landing the blows well, something was holding you back.

“C’mon, you got more in you than that,” he said, almost taunting you. “Again.”

You yelled then and really pulled your fist back before swinging forward yet again. This time, though, it actually forced his arm to move some, making him recenter his weight as he tried to keep position.

“There you go,” he said. “Keep doin’ that, let’s go.”

“Seriously?” You panted, dripping sweat, your sports bra clinging somehow even tighter to your skin than it was before the workout started, something Joel was desperate to not pay attention to. “I feel like I’m about to die.”

“Gotta build up that muscle,” he said. “Come on, Siren -” he said your code name like the taunt it was. “Hit me.”

You really went after him then, wailing on the sparring mitts and coming for him hard and fast enough that it forced him to step back.

“Better,” he said eventually and you lowered your hands, your chest heaving. “See? Knew you could do it.”

“Yeah, turns out all it took was remembering what a dick you are,” you said, a teasing edge to your voice. “Way easier to want to punch you then.”

“Ma’am?” Esmo’s voice appeared at the door to the pool house. “The car will be here in an hour.”

“Thanks,” you panted, shucking your gloves and looking to Joel. “You all packed and ready?”

“I’m ready,” he said. “Won’t have to worry about me.”

“You say that,” you said, putting the gloves away and grabbing your water bottle, chugging from it as you caught your breath. “But we’ll see how you do once we actually get to L.A.”

“Don’t think it’s gonna be much of a challenge,” he said, even though he knew you were right. He just wasn’t about to say it. “Just don’t do anything stupid, we’ll be fine.”

“Aw, now where’s the fun in that?” You asked, starting back toward the house. “You OK to get the kid?”

“What if I said no?” He asked. “I’m not a damn chauffeur, you know.”

“Sure about that?” You asked. “Because you beg to drive often enough…”

“I got the kid,” he said. “Go do whatever air-headed shit you gotta do before you get on a plane.”

You mouthed his words mockingly back at him as you made your way to your room and Joel made his way to the kitchen to get water for himself.

Things with you had fallen into an almost surprising cadence in the week since his birthday and the conversation in your kitchen.

It wasn’t that he liked you or anything as extreme as that. He’d just learned how to see you more as a person and less as the specter who haunted the wall of his daughter’s bedroom. You were still spoiled and overly opinionated and frustrating to no end but you were also oddly kind, sharply observant and a dedicated parent to a child who wasn’t yours to begin with.

Even though your love and care for her was obvious, Ellie seemed to want to tiptoe around you for a few days after she got suspended. She avoided staying anywhere you were for too long, but Joel saw how you’d perk up when she came in and then visibly deflate when she left without saying much of anything at all to you. You tried to pretend like it didn’t bother you, even as you spent hours on the phone with the school trying to convince them to let Ellie come back early without saying why she’d picked a fight with that asshole boy to begin with. He didn’t buy it.

Eventually, you wore the school down, and Ellie only missed two full days of classes. She just didn’t seem all that eager to return when she climbed in the car for Joel to drop her off the morning she went back.

“You ready for school?” He asked eventually, glancing her way, trying not to think of navigating conversations like this with Sarah. There were points in time where he could tell something was bothering her but prying would just make it worse so he asked the innocuous questions in hopes she’d give him something - anything - to work with.

“I guess,” she shrugged, staring determinedly out the window.

“Want to tell me what’s on your mind?” He asked eventually when she didn’t give him anything else to work with.

She sighed heavily.

“I just…” she looked at Joel, her small hands twisting around themselves on her lap. “I know that stupid fucking boy is going to keep saying that shit. What do I do? I know, I know, I can’t hit him. Even though I should be able to fucking hit him.”

Joel tried not to laugh at that. He didn’t entirely disagree.

“He scare easy, you think?” He asked, glancing over to Ellie.

“He seems like a little bitch,” she replied. “So yeah, probably. Why?”

He shrugged, coming up with a plan. Or a semblance of one, anyway.

When he got to the school, he didn’t go to the drop off line. Instead, he parked and got out, Ellie frowning as he did.

“Show me this kid,” he said, nodding for her to lead the way.

She scanned the crowed for a second before she found him, leaning against the side of the building, looking like he was vaping before the day started.

“There he is,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “Fucking asshole.”

“C’mon,” he said, walking up the hill toward the school, keeping an eye out for any teachers or parents who might cause any trouble. “We’ll handle it.”

Ellie kept up, her much smaller legs needing to almost jog to keep pace with his longer, purposeful stride. Thankfully, the kid was trying to stay out of sight, making Joel’s plan a lot easier.

The kid was, as it happened, also cocky as hell.

“Well look who’s back,” he said, shoving back off the wall and not seeming to care that Joel was there. The fog from the vape reeked of pot. “What, your whore mom get them to let you out of your cage early?”

“You motherfucker!” Ellie lunged for him but Joel held her back. She looked up at him, indignant, but he focused on the kid in front of him. He barely came up to Joel’s chin, maybe 16 years old and suddenly seemingly aware that he’d picked a fight with someone who wasn’t smaller than him. Joel stepped closer, squaring his shoulders, letting himself tower over the kid. He gulped, almost comically so, and stepped back until he was against the wall again.

“We got a problem here,” Joel said.

“I.. I don’t…” the kid stammered, but Joel cut him off.

“Don’t remember askin’ you a damn thing, you little shit,” he said. “I said, we got a problem here. And that problem is you. Now, see, I don’t take too kindly for assholes like you causin’ problems for my people and Ellie here is one of my people. You may not know it but it’s my job to make sure she don’t have problems so you being one… well, that’s an issue, ain’t it?”

The kid was silent.

“That was a question,” Joel said, staring him down. “Answer it.”

“Yes sir,” he said quickly.

“Good boy,” Joel said using the same tone he would a dog who’d misbehaved. “The way I look at it, we got two ways to handle a problem. We can remove it or we can resolve it. I got all kinds of ways I can remove a problem but resolving it is easier. I like easier. Which would you rather I do?”

The kid was silent, his eyes darting.

“Answer. The. Question.”

“Re…resolve it,” he said, shrinking lower on the wall.

“Good,” Joel said. “That means, you stop talking shit. You don’t look at her, you don’t talk to her, you don’t talk to anyone else about her, you understand?”

“Yes sir.”

“You’re gonna treat her and her family with respect,” Joel considered. “And you’re gonna keep your thoughts - and hands - to yourself. I hear about any other shit like that comin’ out of this school? I’m going to assume it’s coming from you and I’m going to assume you’re a problem that can’t be resolved. That means you’re one that needs to be removed. Do you want me to remove you?”

“No sir.”

“What was that?” Joel asked, even though he’d heard him perfectly fine.

“No sir,” he said, a little louder that time.

“Good,” he said again. “Now apologize to Ellie.”

His eyes darted to Ellie and back to Joel.

“But…”

“This ain’t a debate,” Joel growled. “Apologize. Now.”

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly to Ellie. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean any of it, I’m really sorry, I won’t say any of that shit again, I promise!”

“Good,” Joel said. “Tell anyone about this and I’ll make sure they know about this little vaping habit of yours. Don’t think Texas takes too kindly to drug use, regardless of who your damn daddy is. Remember what I said about problems. Don’t become one and I won’t need to treat you like one. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir.”

Joel gave him one final up and down, almost surprised to not find piss staining the front of his pants when he did. He looked back at Ellie.

“Should get you to class,” he said. “C’mon.”

He guided Ellie away from the kid and toward the sidewalk and she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut until they were out of earshot.

“That was so fucking cool,” she was damn near beaming up at Joel.

“He bothers you again, tell me,” he said, stopping to face her before she made her way to the front door of the school. “I’ll handle it.”

“Would you beat him up?” She asked, her eyes lighting up.

He made a face.

“He’s a fuckin’ kid,” he said. “I don’t hurt kids. But he don’t need to know that. So let me know and don’t go trying to handle shit yourself again, OK kid?”

“OK,” she said, giving him a firm nod. “Thanks, Joel.”

He just gave her a nod back and watched her go into the school, staring down the kid still cowering against the wall as he made his way back to the car.

Ellie started spending more and more time with Joel after that. He took her to and from school almost every day and it only took a few days for her to start talking to him.

He didn’t invite it, not really, it just kind of happened. It started with her throwing her book bag in the back seat with a little too much force and sighing heavily and Joel’s latent fatherly instinct kicked in before he realized what he was doing.

“Everything OK?” He asked, raising her brows and glancing toward her as he made his way around other cars picking up kids as the school day ended. She just looked at him, incredulous, until he shrugged. “Don’t take a genius to see something’s goin’ on. That kid give you more trouble?”

“No,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. He was quiet, drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel, giving her room to sit in the silence. And then she sighed. “It was another kid. Said some shitty stuff.”

“Shitty stuff like what.”

“Just stuff,” she said, clenching her jaw before deflating. “I just… I don’t think I want to talk about it yet.”

“Well,” Joel said. “Here when you do. Know your aunt is, too.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said, watching Joel for a moment. “Want to kill some shit when we get home?”

“Assuming you’re talkin’ about in one of those damn games…”

“Duh,” she said. “Don’t think I’m allowed to do it in real life even though some people fucking deserve it.”

Joel tried to keep from smiling at that. The kid had a mouth on her. He shouldn’t encourage it, he knew that. He shouldn’t encourage her spending time with him, either. But something in him liked that she sought him out, that she felt like he was someone who was safe, someone she could confide in.

“Sure,” he said. “We can kill some shit.”

“Fuck yeah.”

“Hey,” he said. “Language.”

And he watched as she rolled her eyes good naturedly, a small smile tugging at her mouth. Knowing he made her feel a little better tugged at him, too. He tried to remind himself that he wasn’t supposed to care. You and her were a job, nothing more. Caring about either of you was stupid at best, a liability at worst. It was best to keep his distance.

He played the video games, anyway.

Joel watched as things softened with you and Ellie in the week that followed and then, eventually, as he was having coffee before taking Ellie to school and you were sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, reading something on your iPad while eating avocado toast with a cup of coffee - because of course you ate fucking avocado toast - she sat next to you, plopping her backpack down on the open chair on the other side of her.

You set the iPad down gently and gave yourself the excuse to do it by using both hands to pick up the toast, taking a small bite and chewing slowly before picking up your coffee with both hands next so the iPad wasn’t a distraction.

“So,” Ellie said eventually. “You have that movie coming out soon, right?”

“I do,” you said, looking over at her and smiling just a little.

“Probably have to go do all that promotional shit soon, huh?” She asked, brows raised.

You nodded.

“Next week,” you said. “You’re going to go stay with your grandmother while I’m back in LA.”

She nodded slowly.

“Are you going to be doing the TV shows and shit?” She asked.

“Some,” you said. “Doing a few days of interviews for different outlets and then I’ll be on Jimmy Kimmel the day before the premiere.”

“Remember that time you were the voice of the cartoon duck when I was little?” She asked, smiling bigger. “You brought me and Mom to the premiere?”

You laughed a little.

“Yeah, you didn’t want to wear a skirt then either,” you said. “You were like seven and you insisted on wearing jeans on the red carpet.”

Ellie laughed, too.

“I liked that movie,” Ellie said. “It was good.”

“I’m glad,” you smiled at her. “I made it for you.”

She smiled tightly, the two of you watching each other for a moment.

“Maybe we can watch it together when you get back?” She asked. “Haven’t seen it in a while.”

“Yeah,” you smiled. “I’d like to that.”

“Cool,” she said as Esmo set a breakfast sandwich in front of her.

Esmo gave Joel a look, a death glare that told him to keep his mouth shut lest he disturb the delicate dance happening at the breakfast bar as the two of you ate side by side in silence, neither of you looking at the other but also not at any phone or tablet.

Eventually, when Joel knew he was going to have to get Ellie loaded into the car, she broke the silence.

“Hey Sissy?” She said, looking at you hesitantly.

“What’s up kiddo?” You asked, watching her with a gentle smile on your face.

“I…” Ellie paused, looking to the side for a moment and taking a deep breath before facing you again. “It really fucking sucked when my mom died. Even though we knew it was coming it still really, really, really fucking sucked. But as bad as it was… I know it would have been a whole lot worse if you weren’t here. I’m really glad I’m not doing this shit on my own.”

Even from his place near the coffee maker, Joel could see you starting to tear up as you reached out and cupped her cheek.

“I’ll always be here for you,” you said, voice wet. “You’ll never be on your own.”

“I know,” she said. “I just… wanted you to know. That I know.”

You smiled.

“Thanks, kiddo,” you said. “Have a good day at school, OK?”

“Thanks,” she smiled. “Have a good day doing… whatever it is famous people do.”

You snorted and Joel got Ellie to school, the uncomfortable tension that had been in the air in the house since the day of the fight fading.

It was a relief for Joel, too. He tried not to think about why, instead deciding that he was happy that he didn’t need to try and tiptoe around you and Ellie anymore. He’d felt oddly uncomfortable, knowing that you were hurting. He found himself trying to avoid picking at you the way he usually did, any small, cruel pleasure he took from it nowhere to be found when he knew you were actually miserable.

He wasn’t sure why he cared. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know why he cared. Now, things could go back to normal.

And they did. Mostly.

You still did the exact opposite of what he asked you to do whenever possible. You still went for coffee at the local coffee shop at least once a week, the one you’d gone to so much that Joel was certain the girl behind the counter knew who you were. You still went grocery shopping yourself. One day, when you apparently wanted to send him into a blind rage, you drove to a public park and got out of the car without saying a word.

“Hey!” Joel yelled, jogging to catch up to you as you stretched a little, jogging in place as you did.

“Yes, Big Miller?” You asked, brows raised, that stupid baseball cap that you pretended like protected you from everything under the sun pulled low over your face.

“What the hell do you think you’re doin’?” He asked, his hands on his hips, jaw squared.

“Going for a run,” you said, as though this were the most typical thing in the world.

Which, if you weren’t the most famous woman in the world, it would be. That just wasn't the case. Not with you.

“Not out in public you ain’t,” he said. “Back in the car. Now.”

“Back in the car. Now,” you said, puffing your cheeks out mockingly. “No, I don’t think so. I don’t feel like running on a treadmill today, it’s finally not 115 degrees outside, I’m going for a run in the park. Keep up if you want, sit in the car if you don’t, it’s really no skin off my back either way.”

You started at a jog down the path before Joel had a chance to argue. He just growled, following along behind you, sweating through his t-shirt and jeans and wishing he was in his gym shoes instead of his fucking work boots. He glared as he passed other people on the trail, each of them looking at him like he was some kind of crazy person.

“See, was that so bad?” You asked, panting for breath, your skin covered in a sheen of sweat as you made it back to the car. He snatched the keys from your hand and stalked to the driver’s door as you laughed. “God, you’re so sensitive! Such a baby…”

So the next day - when you decided to go to fucking Target in the middle of the afternoon after going to the dentist - Joel had had just about enough.

“No,” he said as you pulled into the parking lot. “Absolutely not.”

“Well that’s unfortunate for you,” you said, ignoring him and getting out of the car, anyway.

But Joel was ready for you this time, catching you as you came around the trunk of your SUV, making you jump. “What are you… Hey!”

He ignored you, looping an arm around your waist and forcing you back as you beat uselessly at his chest. He wrestled the back door open and forced you unceremoniously into the back seat before he climbed in the driver’s seat and pushed the button to activate the child locks.

“What the fuck!” You protested, pulling helplessly at the door handle.

“Act like a fuckin’ child and I treat you like a fuckin’ child,” he said. “No reason for you to go to fucking Target. Already went to the store this week, don’t need any more of this shit from you.”

“You realize that I pay you, right?” You snapped, leaning between the driver and passenger seats to scowl at him. “I’m literally your boss, you can’t just manhandle me into my own fucking car because you’re in a mood!”

“Actually, pretty sure your manager signs the checks to my brother’s business,” Joel said, fighting the urge to smirk about it. “Studio, too. Think that makes them my boss, not you. Besides, I’m paid to worry about your safety which means I don’t gotta listen to you.

“You’ve been lucky that no one has really noticed that you live here yet but all it takes is one asshole with their goddamn cell phone camera out sharing your photo to one of those damn magazines and you’ll get swarmed everywhere you go,” he continued. “That what you want? These idiots following you everywhere? Following Ellie everywhere? You want your damn stalker showing up at your door?”

You sat back in a huff, crossing your arms and glaring out the window.

“Then maybe you should fucking listen to me,” he said. “Know what I’m talking about.”

“Such an asshole,” you muttered and Joel smirked.

This relationship with you he knew. This, he could handle.

But he still found himself walking a strange line with you as the two of you worked on your fight skills together. Spending a few hours with you every day, showing you how to move your body, your body that was barely covered by those tight little gym outfits. He might loathe those as much as he loathed needing to be around you.

Because, when all was said and done, he couldn’t ignore the fact that you were the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. It was disorienting, even after being around you as much as he was, to see you and recognize that you were real, that you really were just that beautiful.

It wasn’t even that he was attracted to you, he told himself, the fact that you were beautiful was just a fact. Anyone could see it, even him in his deadened state. The fact that his heart beat faster when your hand brushed his skin was just biology. He was just a man, of course he’d have some sort of physical reaction around someone who looked like you.

He tried not to think about needing to be in close quarters with you in new territory over the next few days, about what strange feeling he’d been sure was long dead would awaken in him then.

At least he could still put you through your paces.

Joel came home from picking up Ellie just as the car taking the two of you to the airport pulled up outside. Joel loaded his bags into the trunk of the car, waving off the pushy chauffeur as you herded Ellie to the car with all her bags.

“And you have the charger for your Switch?” You asked, your arm around Ellie’s shoulders.

“Yes,” Ellie rolled her eyes.

“And your laptop for school?” You asked. “Because you can’t get out of homework just because you don’t have it…”

“I have it,” she said. “And I have like 20 pairs of clean underwear and a toothbrush and…”

“And your phone?” You asked.

She looked at you, incredulous.

“Duh.”

You laughed and gave her a squeeze.

“Alright,” you said. “Let’s get you dropped off so me and Big Miller can get out of here.”

Ellie snorted.

“Yeah, you and Big Miller need to go do movie star shit,” she said, getting in the back of the car with you, Esmo giving her bags to the chauffeur. “Don’t want to hold up such important things.”

“Alright, Siren,” Joel said. “Let’s go.”

The three of you went to Ellie’s grandmother’s house and she almost tackled her, you getting out and greeting her with a warm hug, too.

“Hey Mom,” you smiled. “Thanks for taking our trouble maker here.”

“Try and stop me from hanging out with my favorite granddaughter,” she smiled.

“I’m your only granddaughter,” Ellie rolled her eyes but smiled all the same.

“Have time to come in for a few?” She asked. “Introduce me to this tall, dark and handsome man you brought to my door? I’m Elise, by the way.”

“Oh that’s just Big Miller,” Ellie said, smirking.

“Big Miller?” She frowned down at her before looking at you. “What’s a Big Miller?”

“He’s the security guard I mentioned before,” you said. “And I’m afraid we have a plane to catch.”

“Don’t they wait for you these days?” She teased.

“Not when you fly commercial,” you teased a little back. “But I’ll be back in a few days. Let me know if you need anything.” You turned your attention to Ellie. “Behave yourself, alright?”

“She always behaves,” Elise said. “Which is why I get to load her up with sugar before she goes home.”

“Hell yeah!” Ellie said before looking back to you. “I’ll be good, Sissy. Promise.”

You seemed satisfied but were still slow to get back in the car, giving another final round of hugs before getting back in.

“Directly to the airport, ma’am?” The chauffeur asked.

“Please,” you said, watching out the window as Ellie and Elise headed into the house.

Joel found himself checking on you in the rearview mirror as you made your way to Intercontinental in Houston, a recommendation of Joel’s you’d actually heeded.

“It’s a bigger airport,” he’d said. “Less likely for people to notice you and, if they do, they got no reason to think you live in Austin. Extra layer of security.”

You did your makeup - something he didn’t like noticing - and then kept mouthing words to yourself as you kept your nose buried in an iPad.

“What are you doin’?” He asked eventually and you looked up, your eyes meeting his in the mirror and he tried to ignore how fucking pretty you were when your makeup was done. Didn’t seem possible that you could get any damn prettier but of course you found a way.

“Trying to get off book for the chemistry reads I have tomorrow morning,” you said.

Joel frowned and twisted around to face you.

“The fuck does that mean.”

You smiled a little and he felt a twinge in his chest, one he resented.

“It means I want to have my lines memorized before I need to read them with some people who are kind of auditioning tomorrow,” you said. “It’s not required or expected but I like being able to really focus on the person I’m working with and be a good scene partner. There are a few up and comers, it can be intimidating being in a room and reading with someone like me. I want to make sure they’ve got everything I can give them to do well.”

He just grunted, facing forward again as you got closer to the airport. He hated when you did shit like that, something that seemed kind and thoughtful. He didn’t want to think of you as that type of person, it made him uncomfortable and it was worse when he knew he was about to be closer than usual to you over the next few days. It was easier to keep his distance from you when you were a spoiled brat. When you were nice or observant or, heaven forbid, vulnerable, he was keenly aware of the effect you had on him, on the way he wanted to look at your too perfect face and feel your fingers on his skin. It was an effect he needed to get over. You were a job. Nothing more.

There was a team of people waiting for you at the airport, half a dozen of them damn near swarming the car as the driver pulled up to the curb.

“So it begins,” you said, an ominous note in your voice before you plastered a smile on your face as someone opened the door for you.

The team ushered you through the process of getting you into the airport quickly, apparently desperate to avoid the disruption that would come with your presence if you were noticed. Your bags had been sent ahead earlier in the day and someone in a suit took your tote bag with your iPad and laptop and book and rushed it ahead to security as someone else finalized both you and Joel’s check in on the flight.

“I got a firearm in that bag,” Joel said as someone took his luggage from him. He turned to someone in a suit next to him, one who was paying far more attention to you than to him. “Hey, that OK? They hear me about the gun? Really don’t want to get to fuckin’ California and not have my side arm…”

“I’ll make sure there are no issues,” the man said, giving Joel a tight smile

They moved both of you to the front of the TSA line, the check seeming more cursory than anything for you, at least. They still gave Joel a full pat down, one that strayed a little too close to his crotch than he was pleased with, giving the agent a death glare until they pulled their hand away. Then, in another flurry of people in suits, the two of you were ushered into one of the fancy fucking airport lounges Joel had always walked past but never even dreamed of going inside, tucking you away in a private corner with a reserved sign on the table, a server immediately rushing to take your order. The whole process took maybe 10 minutes, you with a glass of white wine as you folded yourself back into the corner of the couch, settling in with your iPad in your hand again.

Joel scoffed derisively. This shit was almost heaven sent, a reminder of just how easy life was for someone like you. Exactly the thing he needed to remember that you weren’t just some pretty face, that it must be easy to be fucking nice when everyone was waiting on you hand and foot all the time.

“Yes?” You asked, brows raised as you lowered the tablet.

“It always that easy for you?” He asked. “Just everyone takin’ care of all the hard shit, no lines, no dealing with authorities, just stroll right on through?”

You laughed a little, shaking your head.

“It’s easy here because no one was looking for me,” you said. “Wait until we get to LAX, then we’ll talk.”

“What makes you think it’ll bad?” He asked.

“Well, someone on the flight is going to notice me,” you said. “They always do. They’ll tweet about it, probably with a picture they didn’t ask my permission to take, and then half the paparazzi in LA will show up, ready to catch me looking tired and cranky after a flight because I haven’t given them shit in months and, unfortunately, my picture sells.”

“And it’s really gonna be that quick,” he said, skeptical, his brows raised.

“Oh, definitely,” you said. “And it’ll be like that the whole time I’m in LA, there will always be a photographer right on my ass, all day every day. Quinn tipped them off to a few places I’ll be so they will hopefully calm down otherwise but yeah, it’ll get crazy. The good news is, the people in LA are used to it. They see movie stars every day. There will always be a few tourists or super fans who come up but it’s not too bad, just the photographers are rough.”

He nodded slowly, processing. He’d worked closely with Tommy in the week leading up to this, coordinating with a security team in LA. You’d have a driver, other people besides him on hand in situations that might be dicey or where more people would know where you were but Joel was still going to be your body man. He just wasn’t sure exactly what to expect once he was on the ground. He’d never dealt with paparazzi, at least not in fucking Los Angeles.

You finished working on your lines after a while, putting your iPad aside and just looking around the small parts of the lounge you could see from the corner where they’d put you.

“Can I ask you somethin’?” Joel asked after a while, curiosity nagging at him.

“Sure,” you shrugged, trying not to look taken aback. “What’s up?”

“Ellie’s grandma,” he said slowly, trying to figure out how to word it. “Seems like you’re closer to her than your mother.”

“That’s because I am,” you said. “And that wasn’t a question.”

He gave you a look and you laughed once.

“I guess I was just… I didn’t know why that was,” he said. “Was wondering.”

You considered Joel for a moment.

“This falls under your NDA,” you said. “Just so we’re clear.”

“Course,” he said.

“Do you know much about my career?” You asked, adjusting in your seat as you did.

He shrugged.

“A little. Know you’ve got an Oscar for some movie I never fuckin’ saw. Know that show you were on, Siren, of course.”

You nodded slowly.

“Well, I was ‘discovered’ when I was five,” you said. Joel’s brows shot up. “I was in line at the grocery store with my mother and a modeling agent saw me there. According to her, he practically signed me on the spot and I started working right away. I don’t remember it well. The work was just catalogue at first, nothing crazy. Then I started doing commercials… by the time I was seven I was on my first TV show.”

Joel frowned at that.

“What show?”

“That sitcom Family Tree?” You said it like it was a question. “It aired in the 90s and the early 2000s, I was the precocious baby of the family. Cute, smart ass, that sort of thing.”

“Oh shit,” Joel laughed. “That was you? Jesus, I remember watching that show with my parents…”

You smiled a little.

“Yeah, that was me,” you said. “My first big job. I met Elise and Anna, Ellie’s mom, on that job. Elise was the tutor for the kids on the show, we basically had our own little school with the five of us. She brought Anna to set one day and we hit it off… Anyway, the point of this is, my mother was my manager. I was on that show for 10 years and I was doing movies, too. My mother was in charge of all of it. She handled my contracts, publicity, all the money… that was the real problem.

“She stopped seeing me as her daughter pretty early, I think,” you continued. “Probably hard to see the person making you rich as your child, not when all you want is to get more money. More, more, more, she was never happy with it. She would throw me at any job that was offered as long as it paid, no real direction to my career for years, not until I started to be old enough to have some of my own damn artistic vision. But… well, she handled the money, every cent I made and boy did she handle it, handled it right out the door.”

“Jesus,” Joel blinked back his shock.

You shrugged.

“I figured out what was going on when I was about 14,” you said. “By then, I’d been working almost 10 years and I didn’t have a damn penny to show for it. In fact, I owed the IRS a shit ton of money because she hadn’t paid taxes, either. It was a disaster because I was suddenly without a manager, penniless, in a legal shit show and I needed to find someone else to be my guardian because lord knew I couldn’t stay with my mother after that. I tried to make a go of it on my own - I thought it would have been easier, it felt like I’d been taking care of myself for long enough anyway - but, when I was through the worst of the financial stuff, I went to live with Elise.”

You laughed a little and Joel wasn’t sure why, none of this shit was funny.

“She was so pissed at first,” you said. “She didn’t say it at the time, of course, she didn’t tell me any of this until I was in my 20s but she was furious I hadn’t come to her right away. She’d already been looking out for me more than my mother ever did, she seemed to know that my mother wasn’t doing anything to take care of me. She had me spend the night with Anna all the time, she was always checking to make sure that I was safe on set - more than I can say for a lot of other kids who have worked in this industry, let me tell you. She was always there for me. I just was afraid that, if she took me in when I had nothing at all, she’d somehow end up on the hook for all the money my mother and I owed everyone. I did an action movie with some stupid, bloated budget when they needed some smart alec teenager to play the kid of the hero and waited for that check to clear. It was enough to cover almost everything I needed to pay back and then I felt like it was OK to go to her and tell her everything. So, as far as I’m concerned? Elise is my mom. The woman who gave birth to me just happens to share my DNA and not much else. I’ll take care of her, check in on her, make sure she has everything she needs for a comfortable life, but that’s it. She is not my mom.”

Joel watched you for a moment, just processing. Without meaning to, he pictured Sarah at 14 - just a year before she’d died - and she was still a kid, just a kid. He pictured her trying to navigate a world that was cold and cruel and cared nothing for her safety without anyone to help her and his blood got hot, his fingers clenching a little tighter, his jaw setting a little firmer.

You frowned at him, cocking your head at him as though he were a curiosity.

“What?”

“Nothin’,” he said eventually, sitting back in his chair and looking back out at the room, watching for potential threats against the shockingly human thing that was you. “Just didn’t expect that is all.”

Someone came and got the two of you for the flight, when boarding was winding down and you wouldn’t need to stand there and wait with all the other mere mortals and Joel was able to tuck that odd feeling down low inside him again. It didn’t matter that you’d once been a vulnerable kid hung out to dry, you’d clearly done just fine for yourself. He didn’t need to think about you that way. It wouldn’t make a difference now, anyway.

The two of you were seated in the front row and, for the first 20 minutes or so of the flight, Joel started to think that you might have been wrong. You’d kept your head down and folded yourself into the window seat as quickly as possible, not giving anyone much of a chance to look at your face. Maybe no one would really notice you, maybe you would be able to make it out of the airport on the other side with no one the wiser.

And then some asshole heading back to his seat from the bathroom froze, his jaw dropping when he saw you.

“Holy shit,” he breathed.

You smiled a small, almost amused smile.

“Hi,” you said.

“You’re not…” he said, looking around the rest of first class like he might have been crazy. The man across the aisle for Joel leaned forward, peering around him as he frowned.

“Afraid so,” you scrunched your nose in a way that Joel was sure was meant to cute and charming and probably was to everyone else but, to him, it was just enraging.

“Holy shit,” he said again, stepping in front of Joel as if he wasn’t there at all. “I loved you in Fast Track! That one chase sequence where you were driving backwards was so cool, how did they do that? I read you did your own driving, is that true?”

“I did some of my own driving,” you laughed lightly. “But I didn’t drive much there, we had a stunt driver that actually faced backwards in the car and drove when we were in reverse. I did drive the forward facing parts of that sequence, though. I’m glad you liked it.”

“Can I get a selfie?” The guy asked, already pulling out his phone before you even had a chance to say no. “My best friend is in love with you, he’s going to freak out, he had your poster on the wall of our dorm freshman year.”

Joel was about to tell him to fuck off but you were unbuckling your seat belt.

“Sure,” you said, getting up and standing next to him so he could take the picture. You smiled and looked far more beautiful than anyone sitting on a plane had any right to be and Joel gritted his teeth. “What’s your name?”

“Sean,” he said, still looking at you like he wasn’t sure you were real.

“Lovely to meet you, Sean,” you said. “Tell your friend I said hi.”

He went back to his seat and you sat back down and Joel couldn’t help but notice the way your fingers tightened on the end of the arm rest, as though you could dig your nails into the plastic if you just tried hard enough. It was the only indication that anything was wrong. If he hadn’t been around you so much over the last few weeks, he’d never have noticed but now, it seemed impossible not to.

Sean, it seemed, opened the floodgates. People started cautiously approaching, all talking to you, all awed by you, all asking for selfies that you obliged with a smile. You answered questions patiently, signed napkins, took a video where you said hi to someone’s wife. All the while, Joel ground his teeth while people damn near sat on his lap while they waited to get a moment with you.

Eventually, a flight attendant got fed up and made an announcement.

“Everyone, we understand that we have a high profile passenger on board,” she said. “While I’m sure this is very exciting for some of you, we still need to maintain safe travel conditions while in route to Los Angeles. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened so flight attendants can do their jobs and you’re not hurt by unexpected turbulence. Thank you.”

Joel could have kissed her as everyone reluctantly made their way back to their seats and you visibly relaxed, leaning your head back and closing your eyes, taking a deep breath as you did.

“You alright?” Joel asked, keeping his voice low.

You opened one eye, looking at him quizzically before closing it again.

“Fine,” you said. “Just ready to get to LA.”

Joel kept his eyes and ears open the rest of the flight, hearing your name come up in hushed whispers from all around them. He heard the snap of a cellphone camera shutter and looked around, glowering, for the culprit but never spotted them. Joel searched your name on Twitter. You were trending, pictures of you being rushed through airport security earlier and from the plane everywhere while everyone under the sun tried to figure out what the fuck you’d been doing in Houston, Texas, to begin with.

When the plane landed, the flight attendant let you and Joel off first to avoid the threat of chaos as you made your way quickly toward arrivals.

But you paused, just shy of the end of the secured area, staring it down the sliding doors as though they were an opponent.

“We doin’ this or not?” Joel asked, probably gruffer than he should have.

“We are,” you said, not looking at him. “I’m just… saying goodbye to the quiet life I’ve had the last few months. I’m going to miss it.”

You didn’t wait for him to respond. Instead, you just made for the security doors, greeted by a sea of cameras as the chaos of your existence in Los Angeles welcomed you home.

Next Chapter

A/N: Thank you for being patient with this series! I've started graduate school so everything I care about seems to get put on the back burner anymore. I hope you enjoyed it, anyway.

This LA arc I am SUPER excited for. Get ready to learn so so SO much more about Siren and Joel both as things ramp up in the City of Angels.

Also, sending some love to one of my besties (who does NOT read my fic but does know I write it) who answered the arbitrary questions I had about the Houston airports. She's the best.

Thank you for choosing to spend your time with my work! Love you!

Taglist: @christinamadsen @eff4freddie @brittmb115 @copperhalfcent @r3dheadedwitch @pedropascalsbbg @lovelyjess69 @yopossum @moel-jiller @picketniffler @lilyevanstan1325 @reluctanthalfwayoptimism @wintersquirrel @missladym1981 @mellymbee @canthinkof1user

#fanfic #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x oc #the savage and the sanctuary #bodyguard!joel

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stop-talking · 11 months ago

Text

So I'm stuck on this shithole island, and I can't even have a smoke? (pt. 3)

Derek Danforth x fem reader

Word count: 3.2k

Tags: 18+, Derek x fem reader, no use of y/n, angst, enemies, enemies to lovers, fluff, (very) slowburn, sass, banter, misogynistic undertones, (Derek is a prick), suggestive themes, mentions of drug use, withdrawals, rehab, masturbating, caught masturbating, overall mature themes.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

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Derek hesitates outside your bedroom door, then glances at his phone to check the time.

It's late. Too late, probably. He's sure you're asleep, but, well...

He clutches his head as it throbs again, and he can practically feel his heart beating in his ears. Christ. He didn't remember it being this difficult the last time he tried to go sober.

Just as he's finally about to work up the courage to knock on your bedroom door, it swings open.

Suddenly he's face to face with you. His mouth opens to say something, anything, to explain himself, but then he notices what you're wearing.

More accurately, what you're NOT wearing. He looks down at your exposed legs. That baggy t-shirt is leaving little to the imagination, at least below the waist.

"Jesus, Derek!" You jump back and slam the door on him before he can stare too long.

"Learn to fuckin' knock!"

He groans and buries his face in his hands as you mumble to yourself on the other side of the door. He can hear you shuffling around, probably putting on pants.

"I'm... I-I'm... I just wanted..." He stutters, a mixture of shame and arousal fighting in his stomach. Combined with the awful migraine, he feels truly vulnerable in this moment. And he hates it.

"Walk and talk, Danforth." You sigh as you open the door, now sporting a pair of pajama pants. "I need some water."

Derek stumbles as you tug him along downstairs with you, trying to find the right words to say. What could you even do for him? He knew he wasn't going to be able to convince you to give him the vape back, or any of his other drugs for that matter.

Not that he even wanted to try. Derek Danforth wasn't a beggar.

"My head hurts." He finally mumbles, watching from a corner of the kitchen as you make yourself a glass of water.

"You want a Tylenol?"

"I dunno... It just hurts." He winces at the tone of his own voice. God, was he whining? He sounded whiny.

"C'mere." You sigh, setting down your glass of water and making your way over to him.

Derek stiffens as you press the back of your hand to his forehead, looking into his eyes with... concern?

"I'm not sick." He clarifies, pushing your hand away before you can make him blush further. "Just... already feeling the withdrawals."

"Ah. Got it."

There's an awkward silence for a moment, before you finally speak up again.

"So... Tylenol? Or a Gatorade?" You offer, giving him a tired smile.

"Will that make it go away?" He responds, using that damn whiny voice again as he clutches his head.

"There's nothing I can do to make it go away, love. You're just gonna feel like shit for a while until it eventually passes."

Damnit. That isn't exactly what he wanted to hear, even if it was the truth.

"I'm not gonna be able to sleep like this." He grumbles, leaning back against the counter and letting out a soft groan as his head throbs.

"You want some hot tea? Melatonin? Chloroform?"

"I might have to take you up on that last one." Derek lets out an amused huff and drops his hands from his head.

You look tired. Why are you up this late anyways? Are you... struggling with the same thoughts he is? No, that's stupid.

"Okay, but seriously. What do you want?"

Derek finally decides on a hot cup of tea and some Tylenol. He'd save the stronger stuff for later, when it all inevitably got worse.

You send him off to bed again, and this time it's not as hard to fall asleep. He buries his head in a pillow, your smile burned into his brain.

"God damnit, I'm getting soft."

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

The next morning, you decide to let Derek sleep in a little. Out of the kindness of your heart. Not because you slept through all your alarms.

You sit on the couch, watching a movie. Well, staring off into space in the general direction of the TV as a movie plays.

It was hard to sleep last night, considering everything that happened with Derek. You went into this expecting a self-absorbed prick with anger issues, and, well... you got that from him, partially.

But he'd also shown you another side of him, the side that was willing to listen. That part of him... wasn't so bad.

You snap out of your stupor when you hear Derek making his way down the stairs.

"Hey, how'd you sleep?"

"Fine..." He grumbles, stumbling over to join you on the couch. He looks exhausted, his hair disheveled and clothing crinkled. Actually, he's dressed rather... plain. A t-shirt and shorts. Are those the clothes his mom picked out for him?

"Your head feel any better?"

"Not really."

Before you can ask anything else, he lies down on the couch and curls up, closing his eyes. He looks like he wants to go back to sleep already.

"You know, my guys back home are gonna be lost without me. I have a business to run." He mumbles, eyes still closed.

"Yeah... I'm aware. I'm sure they'll be fine on their own for a few weeks, no? We informed a few of your higher-ups that you were taking a vacation."

Derek scoffs. "Yeah. A vacation."

"Oh, come on. You are literally in a vacation house."

That makes him open his eyes, if only to glare at you.

"Not by choice. I'm a prisoner in my own home." He shifts so that he's lying on his back, and dramatically drapes an arm over his eyes as he pouts.

"Alright then, inmate Danforth. What would you like for brunch?"

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

Derek stares down at the bowl of oatmeal in his lap as he sits up on the couch. Peasant food.

He had insisted he wasn't hungry, but you insisted twice as hard that he still needed to eat. With the pounding in his head, he didn't have it in him to argue.

And so, Derek tried a bite of oatmeal for the first time since he was a child.

"How is it?" You ask, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch.

"It's okay." Truthfully, it was exactly what he'd expected. Mushy and weird. But the fruit you added wasn't too bad.

"What movie is this?" He asks, turning his attention to the television.

"Honestly, don't even know. Wanna pick something else?"

"I doubt we have the same taste in movies." He scoffs, shoveling in another bite of oatmeal.

"Oh? And what do you think I like to watch?"

"I dunno... chick flicks? Rom coms?"

"Oh, yeah. Because that's all women are allowed to enjoy, huh?"

"That's not what I mean. Just... my tastes are probably more... sophisticated than yours when it comes to cinema."

"Oh? And what's your favorite movie?"

"Fight club." He answers, without hesitation.

You immediately burst into a fit of laughter, for reasons completely unknown to him. The fuck is so funny? It's a good movie.

"What? Have you seen it before?" He asks, eyeing you as you try to compose yourself.

"Yes, Derek. I've seen fight club." You wipe a tear from one eye and give him a bemused smile.

Was it really that funny? Derek shifts on the couch, starting to feel self-conscious.

"What's... what's your favorite movie?" He asks, changing the subject.

"Legally blonde."

Before he can speak up, you cut him off.

"That doesn't mean I only like chick flicks."

He closes his mouth. Damnit.

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

After a few more minutes of bickering, you and Derek finally settle on a movie.

You lounge back against the couch, one hand on the armrest and one in Derek's hair. You're still not completely sure how he managed to worm his way onto your lap, but whatever.

"Thought you didn't like the idea of just sitting on our asses all day?" You tease, looking down at him as you card your fingers through his soft curls.

"That was before the migraines got this bad." He groans, shifting and rubbing his cheek against your thigh as he lies on your lap. His stubble makes a scratchy sound, but you can't feel it through your pants. Shame.

"It's only day two of sobriety, Derek. Don't be a baby."

He stiffens. Your teasing words seem to cut a little deeper than you intended, and he pushes your hand away from his hair and grumbles.

"You try going sober."

"I already am."

"Then try drugs. And then try going sober."

His grumbling gets a soft laugh out of you. Even though he's irritated with you, he still doesn't make an effort to move from your lap. Poor thing. He probably feels like shit.

"Sorry. I know it's hard." You speak softly, and slide your fingers back into his hair, gently scrunching a handful of his curls.

He doesn't stop you this time, giving in completely and practically melting in your lap as you play with his hair.

If only you knew how "hard" it really was right now.

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

Derek spends the afternoon drifting in and out of sleep on your lap, hardly paying attention to the action movie series he convinced you to binge with him.

Your fingers in his hair just feel so right. It takes everything in him not to whimper when you tug on his curls in the perfect spot, or gently drag your nails across his scalp.

Two movies later, you nudge his head off your lap and stand, leaving him to pout on the couch alone.

"Where you going?" He groans, stretching out.

"Come on, love. You can't just sleep all day. Lets get some sunshine."

"You mean go down to the beach again?"

"Mhm. C'mon, go change clothes."

Derek grumbles, but allows you to pull him up off the couch. You were probably right, he needed to get up and do something. That didn't mean he had to admit it, though.

"Fine. But I'm not swimming."

"Of course."

Derek changes into his swimsuit without a fuss, but throws on a shirt this time as well, trying to avoid any... accidents that might occur if you decide to touch all over his back again. Damn woman.

He trudges back downstairs only to see you already waiting for him on the couch, legs propped up on the coffee table as you apply sunscreen to them. It's a nice sight, but fuck, he shouldn't stare.

"Need help?" He asks, taking a seat next to you.

"Just with my back."

Derek nods, squirting a generous amount of sunscreen into his hands. As you lean forward and get your legs, he rubs circles into your back, touching you just a bit too long.

Under the guise of wanting to be thorough, he slides his hands up to your shoulders and tucks them under the straps of your swimsuit. He leaves them there, enjoying the feeling of your warm skin.

"Sure you don't need me to get any other places for you, sweetheart?" He teases, leaning a little closer and speaking right next to your ear.

That earns him an elbow to the rib. He winces and dramatically grabs his side, pretending to be knocked back onto the couch.

"Kick a man while he's down, why don't ya." He groans and writhes on the couch in mock pain, which actually makes you chuckle.

"Don't be crass and I won't have to." You try to scold him, but Derek can see the slight smile on your lips. You find him endearing.

"No promises."

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

After much coaxing, you finally manage to get Derek to wade waist-deep into the water. He looks extremely unhappy about it, shivering even though it's hardly cold.

He suddenly jumps back, nearly knocking himself over. You reach out and grab his arm to steady him against the crashing waves.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I think I stepped on a fish." He grumbles, face twisted up in disgust as he scans the water in front of his feet.

You can't help but laugh at that.

"Derek..." You choke out, "You did NOT step on a goddamn fish."

He turns away and mumbles something incoherent, his voice drowned out by the waves and wind.

Ah. So it's not just the water he's afraid of, but something about the ocean as well.

"You wanna hold my hand?" You offer, sliding your hand down his arm and lacing your fingers with his before he can even answer.

Derek doesn't say anything, but he gives your hand a tight squeeze and pulls you a little closer.

"I don't get what you see in this. I think I'm getting seasick."

"I think I'm getting Derek-sick."

"That doesn't even make sense."

You use your free hand to splash some water in his face, giggling as he sputters.

"God, that's salty. Fuck you."

He splashes you back, which you of course return, and soon it snowballs into you two nearly drowning each other.

As soon as you let go of Derek's hand to splash him better, he freaks out and scrambles back a few feet until he's only knee deep.

Right. He still isn't used to this. You give him a sheepish smile and join him in the shallower water.

"Wanna just sit for a while?"

"Yeah."

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

Derek is feeling a lot better come evening. He hates to admit it, but it did feel nice to sit in the water with you. Even if the sand and seaweed felt icky.

After showering off all the salt and sand, he heads back downstairs to meet you. He doesn't bother changing into his usual eccentric clothing, the day is almost over anyways.

When he meets you in the kitchen, his hair is still damp and he's wearing a plain t-shirt and sweatpants.

"Starting dinner without me?" He teases, leaning against the doorframe and watching you chop something. Garlic, maybe?

"Oh? So you want to help me now?"

"Maybe I just want to make sure you don't mess it up."

"Oh? Like how you messed up that pancake?"

Derek grumbles something incoherent under his breath, using more than a few curses.

"Oh, c'mon. Don't be like that. Wash your hands and I'll let you help."

He complies, washing his hands and moving to eagerly peer over your shoulder.

"What are you making?"

"Spaghetti. Just something quick and easy."

Derek didn't think it was quick and easy. But then again, he had virtually no experience cooking, usually relying on personal chefs and such.

"And what do I do?"

"Here, you can stir." You pour the minced onion and garlic mixture into a pan that's been heating on the stove, and pass him a large metal spoon.

He takes his task very seriously, furrowing his brow as he carefully stirs the mixture around in the pan.

"How long do I have to do this?"

"A few minutes. Then we add in more stuff and you stir longer."

Okay, he could do that. Just stir. Easy.

"Alright."

You do exactly as you say, letting him stir for a few minutes, then dump some ground beef into the pan. Derek makes a face at the raw meat, but continues to stir.

After adding a can of tomato sauce and more seasonings than he can count, you insist its done, and that he can stop stirring. He almost doesn't want to. It's so relaxing, standing over the stove while you whir around him and work on other things.

He's come to enjoy the occasional touches as you brush past, the praises you utter when he listens, and the warmth of it all. Both from the stove, and the feeling of having you near.

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

Derek is surprisingly quiet at dinner, you notice. It's not the angry kind of quiet you've come to expect, but a calm quiet. He seems... peaceful.

"You like it, I'm guessing?" You smile as he shovels a rather large bite of noodles into his mouth.

"Mhm." He just gives you a nod, unable to speak.

"You wanna wind down in front of the TV after dinner?"

"Yeah. Sounds good."

Later, you settle down on the couch and Derek finds his way back into your lap.

"Someone's getting comfortable." You tease, running your fingers through his hair. It's still damp from his shower.

"Shut up." He grumbles. "I'm just tired."

"Mhm." You hum, staring down and paying more attention to him than the third action movie of the day. He actually looks kind of cute when he isn't dressed in garish clothing and acting like a prick.

The movie isn't even halfway over when he starts to nod off into sleep. It must not be as interesting as he insisted. Or maybe he really is tired.

Either way, he should probably go to bed. You gently shake him awake, noting the small wet spot on your jeans as he sits up. Was he drooling?

"Huh?" He gasps and rubs the sleep from his eyes, a little startled to be woken from such a deep sleep.

"I said you should go to bed, love." You give him a soft smile and he just blinks at you in return, still a little out of it.

"Yeah. Okay."

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

For the 2nd night in a row, Derek can't sleep. And for the 2nd night in a row, he blames you.

The only difference tonight is that his thoughts aren't as... innocent. Obviously, he enjoys the way you've been treating him lately. Your soft words and even softer touch have him absolutely melting.

Well, that and the hand wrapped around his aching cock. The hand he so desperately wishes could be yours.

He lies back in bed, boxers at his ankles as he strokes himself. He's waited so long for this. Everything you do drives him crazy, even the most innocent of touches make his blood rush south.

As the pacing of his jerking increases, he can no longer stifle his whimpers. Truly pathetic sounds escape his lips between pants and gasps, and he bucks up into his own hand, pretending it's yours.

God, he can imagine it so well. He closes his eyes and lets your voice fill his ears. In his mind, you sing him praises and whisper words of comfort.

He's close now. In his fantasy, you are too, calling out his name again and again as he thrusts into you.

It sounds so... real. Your voice. His name.

"Derek?"

His eyes snap open, and he lifts his head to look at the bedroom door in front of him. The bedroom door that's opening. Fuck.

He knows he should say something, do something, to stop you from seeing him like this. But he can't. Not when he's so close.

When your eyes lock with him, he immediately squirts hot ropes of cum all over his hand, stomach, and... fuck, a few drops land on his face, too.

You freeze and stare at him for barely half a second, but that's all the time he needs.

He sighs and gently milks out the last few drops as you turn away and slam the door, apologizing over and over. Derek isn't listening. He falls back onto his bed and catches his breath, head fuzzy.

Fuck. What did he just do?

The realization hits as he sits up, watching the cum drip down his chest. His stomach twists into a knot at the thought of facing you after what just happened. This is a new low, even for him.

Well... that's going to be an awkward conversation in the morning.

─────────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────────

Author's note: Sorry this chapter took so long!! I'm trying to stick to 2k - 2.5k words each... but that is obviously not happening LMAO. Expect a new chapter in 2-3 days... Posting longer chapters less frequently just works better for me!

This is dedicated to the anon who asked for a "Derek masturbating chapter". You dirty bastard. (I love you)

P.S feel free to send any requests at all. I plan to make at LEAST three more chapters to this story. <3

Part 4

#jhutch #josh hutcherson #derek danforth #josh hutcherson x reader #josh hutcherson x you #josh hutcherson smut #derek danforth x reader #derek danforth smut #smut #the beekeeper #slowburn fic #slowburn romance #fanfic

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uraharasfavoriteexperiment · 9 months ago

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~ | and the earth begins to rain

[ pairing ] mahito x male reader [ genres ] fluff, horror, romance in that order [ cw ] small sex jokes, pet names (bunny, bunnydrops), mahito is very clearly interested in reader, kissing, cursing, demonic possession, a horrifically descriptive depiction of a panic attack while the soul is outside the body [ author's notes ] reader is half curse and its mentioned but unimportant [ words ] 4238 [ another good read ! ] " mine. " please reblog fanfictions when you read one you like! likes do not help writers' algorithms!

you close your eyes, inhaling slowly and deeply. you hold the oxygen inside your body for seven seconds, then you open your mouth slightly and let it out slowly, being careful not to allow your breath to shake.

then comes a knock at the door.

your heart skips a little, but you recover quickly, realizing it's only your best friend- and now date- mahito. you grin, swinging your backpack over your shoulder and slipping into your beloved, beat up but reliable converse 5 star sneakers. you practically ran through your house, opening the door and jumping into mahito's open, waiting arms.

"hi, mahi!" you grin, hugging him tightly. he smiles, looking you up and down flirtatiously and whistling in a purposely cringey way. then he grins like the lovesick head-over-heels dumbass he knows and is proud to admit he is, wrapping his own arms around you and squeezing possessively.

"hello, m/n." he purrs into your ear, his voice nearly a whisper as he steps over the threshold of your house. "how're you feeling?"

you grin nervously, giggling in a comical, clearly fake tone as you rub the back of your head with the palm of your hand. mahito's face changes a little, the slightest sign of worry flicking across his face.

"m/n." he says sternly, pulling you up against him again. "tell me how you're feeling about this. i don't want you going into this blast-full of inhuman fear of the unknown shit we're most definitely gonna be throwing ourselves cock-first into."

you smile gratefully, hugging him again and allowing a small giggle at the unsolicited dick joke. "thank you…" you reply in a near whisper. you take a short, deep breath, then you continue.

"honestly… i really am kinda nervous. i mean, for one, we're breaking into a governmentally forbidden area. and two, we're gonna try to talk to ghosts. actual ghosts. and three, what if they're not ghosts? what if they're, shit, i dunno- demons? oh, god, mahito, what if we run into a demon?!"

mahito feigns incredible offense at having been called by his whole entire first name by his best friend. but he breaks the fake character and smiles, gently putting both hands on your face and pulling you close. he touches your nose and forehead to his, giving you a comforting smile while inwardly trying indescribably hard not to kiss you with all he's got.

"i won't leave your side unless you ask me to."

"promise?" you ask.

"i promise."

"down!" mahito hisses, hastily pushing down on the top of your head. you duck quickly, holding onto mahito's hand, your eyes flicking back and forth and scanning the grass for any signs of a police car or any other potential deterrent.

"we're clear." he whispers after a few seconds, yanking on your hand and pulling you along. you both crouch at first, but mahito eventually stands up and runs, pulling you along with him. you ran quickly, following him and silently wondering how he knows his way around this area so well.

maybe he's been here before?

eh, well, who cares? this is a date, you think to yourself, think about the kind, daring, pretty boy you were currently committing criminal trespassing with.

"here." he hisses after a ten-minute run through the field, pulling you through a small hole in the fence that surrounds the forest. he doesn't stop running, and the adrenaline starts to pump through your veins… this is it.

the scary part.

oh god.. what have you gotten yourself into?

even with that heart-skipping thought in mind, you smile- at this point you and mahito are in the very heart of the yawata no yabushirazu forest, a huge expanse of trees known for its subtly horrifying legends… part of the forest's name literally means "to get lost."

"m/n?" mahito asks, touching your hand. when he feels your hand trembling slightly, he smiles, taking your hand in his and squeezing it comfortingly as you look up at him.

"yeah?" you look up at him, unconsciously moving a couple small-ish steps closer to him.

"did you know that this forest is part of what inspired spirited away? the studio ghibli movie?" mahito says softly, grinning. he knows that you like the movie.

you grin, and mahito's heart soars with affection.

"mahi, you menace you!" you giggle, "how'd you know?"

mahito grins, grabbing you and pulling you into a tight, loving hug.

"m/n, you're my best friend…" he whispers into your ear, "you're my bestest friend. in, like. the whole world."

you grin and blush in response, and you squeeze him tighter, making him groan and wiggle a little. you slightly lighten your bear grip on his ribs, looking at him with a concerned look in your eyes.

"you okay?" you ask, holding his face softly with both hands, caressing his cheeks with your thumbs. he nods, smiling.

"yeah, your bear hugs are jus' really really tight." he says, hugging you close. he touches his forehead to yours, closing his eyes and letting the brief moment of silence wash comfortably over you and himself.

you smile, giving the moment another few seconds before gently pulling yourself out of mahito's arms. your hand grazes his, and his heart actually, genuinely skips a beat. the simple, "accidental" action dusts his face with a light pink tint, and he has to exorcise all his mental fortitude (which isn't a lot; the thread he's hanging by is incredibly frayed) in order to keep from taking your hand and kissing your fingers or knuckles.

instead he follows you with his eyes, smiling. he watches you go to your backpack, squatting down and digging through it for a moment. then you get a furious pout on your face, and you let out a short, angry, sort of loud groan-growl mixture of a sound. you flop backward onto your butt and look over at mahito with a confused scowl decorating your (mind-numbingly handsome) face.

"how did i manage to pack everything with me except for the goddamn-" "ovilus?" mahito interrupts merrily, raising and wiggling a hand in the air- he's holding the ovilus. he grins, giggling and quickly darting off around the edge of the small clearing you and he had set up camp in, his hand holding the ovilus out of your reach. you get up quickly and lunge after him. you chase after him for only a moment or two, quickly becoming tired of his buffoonery.

you speed up and sprint past him with the air of a quick-witted cheetah, skidding to a stop and turning around to face him right as he crashes into your chest, both of you falling backward onto the grass as a result of mahito's high momentum from when he got up and started to run. you wrap your arms around him and hug him affectionately.

"enough!" you declare in a dramatic jester's voice, "no more of this absurd bout of skylarking, man!"

mahito starts laughing, the sound full of pure, untainted joy that drips from his voice like honey, making your heart swell with affection. you let him laugh for a while, giving a few small giggles yourself. you sneakily slip your hand into his, swiftly and effectively snatching the ovilus from your best friend.

"what, not gonna stop me?" you tease, sitting up with him and shoving his shoulder playfully.

"nope." he says simply, grinning, "you're much too cute for such behavior as that."

your face turns red; you squeal, dropping the ovilus into your lap and hiding your now bright red face in your hands, trying to hide the idiotic teenage grin on your face. the mahito reaches over and swiftly plucks the device from your lap, sneakily getting up and retreating silently to your backpack.

you hear a stick snap and a small, playfully insincere "oops-" from behind you and you turn around, getting up and quickly spawning next to him. mahito doesn't even jump- he's used to it… you are half curse, after all. he grins, wiggling his eyebrows at you. you grin in response.

"what?" you say.

"should we get started?" he asks. your face pales a little, and his grin softens. he entwines his fingers with yours.

"i'm not gonna leave your side, bunnydrops." he says, firmly squeezing your hand. "i promised once, and i'll gladly promise you again. i won't leave your side unless you ask me to, and even then i might ignore you and stay anyway."

you smile, feeling warm inside as your heart swells with happiness in response to your friend's incredibly protective comment. your smile changes to a determined look, and you nod.

"yeah." you say quietly. "let's get this show on the road… or the grass, i guess."

mahito snorts, barely containing a giggle. you grin, gaining confidence by the second. mahito grins too, tossing the ovilus up into the air and catching it. he turns it over and turns the power switch. his happy, creepily innocent grin turns outright maniacal.

"ask a question, m/n, i got nothin'." mahito says, looking over expectantly at you.

"oh, pfff, uhmm… lemme think-"

"hurry up." the ovilus interrupts. mahito's face turns pale for a split second, and he looks up at you, both of your mouths open in shock. his eyes widen, and he snickers, chiming in.

"is there someone here?" he asks in a welcoming tone, "or did our little toy here malfunction?"

silence.

then…

"here."

"so there is someone here?" you ask, looking over at mahito. you turn a slow circle, scanning the trees around the clearing.

silence.

"yeah." the ovilus says simply.

mahito grins, not bothering to contain the excitement in his eyes.

"help!" the ovilus speaks up suddenly, "demon… trees." then it goes silent... utterly silent.

mahito's eyes widen. he looks over at you curiously.

"is there something here?" you ask, "does it want to hurt you?"

"spirit…" long pause. then, "box." the ovilus says.

mahito looks at you, confusion more than evident in his face.

"spirit box?" he mouths to you, then continuing to talk with the ovilus. "do you know about our equipment? the stuff we've brought with us?"

"spirit box." the ovilus says again.

and then you realize it.

"you want us to use the spirit box instead?"

"yeah!" the ovilus responds, seeming to use a clip with a very annoyed, almost impatient-sounding tone.

"alright, we'll be right back, then." mahito says, "i'll go get the spirit box." he shuts off the ovilus, bending over your backpack and digging out the spirit box. he sets down the ovilus inside the bag and reaches around to the bottom of the device, turning on the spirit box.

your heart and his both skip a beat when the second mahito's finger touches the power switch on the device, it speaks.

"run away." says a calm, high voice through the speaker. at the same time you spin around on your heels, having felt something.

"mahi…" you say, your voice starting to shake, "i just felt a tug on the back of my shirt."

mahito's eyes widen again; he scans the ground around you, looking for any signs of a small child or some other age of spiritual presence. he sees nothing- so he decides to ask a question.

"did you just tug on my friend's shirt?" he asks calmly, "did you pull on m/n's shirt?"

"yeah!" says the same voice, answering immediately. at first you don't notice it; mahito doesn't either.

"do you wanna come out?" you ask bravely, "maybe you wanna show us that you're hear in the clearing with us…?"

you feel another tug on your shirt, then a twig snaps loudly behind you, startling you and mahito both.

"hello."

the voice doesn't come from the spirit box. in fact, nothing comes from the spirit box. the static has gone silent, as though it has turned off… then it turns on again.

you and mahito whip around and a startled scream tears from the bottom of your throat.

there's a teenage japanese-looking girl standing behind you, about thirty feet away. she isn't physically there- is she? she's not too hard to see through… quite literally. she's transparent. she's see-through. you can see the grass below her feet and the trees behind her.

mahito recovers first, moving quickly to stand protectively next to you. he subtly takes your hand in his and laces his fingers into yours, squeezing it tightly.

"hello, miss." he says, both of you bowing respectfully as was commonplace in japan.

the girl smiles, but her left eye twitches and her head convulses slightly to the side, the movement just barely noticeable to you. mahito gives no sign that he's noticed.

"why are you here?" she asks in a toneless voice, tilting her head creepily like a curious kitten.

"we're just here… for fun? i suppose?" mahito answers for you, "we're trying to make contact with the yomi no kuni."

"well…" she says, the absence of tone still there in her voice. you make very, very momentary eye contact with the girl, and primal, animalistic fear takes hold in your heart as you see something darkly colored dripping down her face. it looks like blood… or bile? unhealthy, black bile?

"are you stuck here?" mahito asks.

she nods three times very slowly.

"i was stolen from my home by this forest, dragged away from those i loved who came here with me." she says, looking down at her feet and going silent for a few seconds before continuing. "i am bound to these trees…" she says in a near whisper.

"and now you are too." she ends simply.

the next events happen in a white-hot flash of traumatic bright light. the girl's entire demeanor becomes poltergeistic and hateful, and she seems to glitch electronically out of existence. she reappears not a full foot away from you, and when she spawns there she's screaming at the top of her lungs. the sound doesn't waver, either. it's one consistent, ear drum-breaking sound.

she touches- more like slams- her hand onto your chest right above your heart, and you instantly begin to feel your spiritual control over your body beginning to fade as the spectral bitch slips into your mind like a slimy snake, trying to take your body away from you. your eyes roll up into your skull and you start to scream, the sound exactly identical to the scream she had been producing not a whole second before.

mahito lets go of you and you scream his name in protest, wanting anything but to be left alone with the pains, visions and regrets that flashed before your eyes, the thoughts and actions of this monster of a girl- but he doesn't listen. he doesn't listen. why doesn't he listen? why won't he listen to you? did you do something wrong? did you hurt him? when did you hurt mahito? why didn't he tell you? why won't he listen to you? what did you do to deserve this suffering?

mahito immediately regrets ever getting up because it's beyond crystal clear that whatever is happening to you inside your mind is causing you physical pain throughout your whole body. he wants nothing more than to be there with you, to be by your side, to have you by his side. he wants to switch positions with you, he wants to feel the pain instead of you. why you? why not him? why you? why you?

mahito screams in pure untainted anguish, letting go of your hand and abusing himself for doing it. but he pretends to overcome it. why? because you need him. you need him to save you, you can't do it yourself. your soul isn't inside your body, he can see it writhing violently above your body, having been shoved carelessly away as that vile, transparent bitch of a teenage girl stole your body from you.

"FUCK!" mahito screams. he sprints the short few yards from you to your backpack. you're vaguely aware of the sound of all the expensive equipment in your bag falling out into a pile on the blanket you and mahito had laid out on the grass… but you can't respond.

you simply can't.

your own body refuses to follow the order. you're now levitating three or four feet above the ground, still shrieking at the bottom of your lungs in a female voice that doesn't even belong to your body. the feelings cascading violently through your body are painful, serene, terrified, and bloodstained with hate, all at the same time.

a few yards behind you, mahito finds what he's looking for and turns around, running straight at you with a fire of protective rage in his eyes. he jumps onto a tree stump and uses the leverage and momentum to crash into your chest for the second time, slamming a silver cross into the center of your chest, right over your heart. the pain of the sudden landing on the hard ground snaps you back into reality and you finally stop screaming, the wind knocked out of you as you fell on your back.

a pained, shaking gasp tears out of the bottom of your lungs, and bile rises up into your throat as your now incredibly traumatized soul regains control of your body. you roll weakly onto your front, getting up onto your hands and knees, gasping for air. mahito rushes over to you and wraps his arms around your stomach, giving you a heimlich maneuver and forcing you to throw up, releasing the bitter-tasting white liquid from your throat.

you spit out what doesn't come out quickly, greedily inhaling another pound of oxygen and sitting back onto your calves as your heart finally starts to slow down. you feel mahito's trembling arms pull at your shoulders, and you let him pull you backward until your head lands softly in his lap. his shaking hand touches your forehead and he begins to play weakly with your hair, trying his best to comfort you.

"are-are you ok-kay, m-m/n?" he asks weakly.

"n-nuh-uh…" you say quietly in a weak, high-pitched voice. you lay there for barely a minute before you feel mahito's body stiffen up, and your heart starts to race again. you force your eyes open, looking up into his to see that he's staring up at something a few feet away from you. you sit up, looking up at what he's looking at, and you scream again, backing up on your hands, moving unsteadily backwards in a frantic, ridiculous-looking crab walk.

the teenage girl- or whatever the fuck it actually is- is standing there again, exactly where she had been when she had appeared.

mahito gets up again without hesitation, not wanting her to get her disgusting, malevolent claws on you again. he pulls something out of his pocket- a small glass bottle- and yanks off the cap, throwing the little object at her face. she screeches wildly, a sound that is sure to be heard miles away, her vile clawed hands scratching violently at her eyes, then she explodes in a violent cloud of black smoke, the explosion shaking the ground.

mahito turns and all but teleports back to you, his weight shoving you back into the grass as he hugs you tighter than he's ever held you before. he whispers sweet comforts and nothings into your ear, letting you bawl violently into his neck and shoulder for half an hour before you slowly start to regain composure. only then does he speak.

"we're leaving, bunny."

bunny… that name. it makes you feel better. not much just yet, but… a little bit.

you nod furiously, letting him take you by the waist and pull you into his lap. your equilibrium nearly fails you and it's your turn to fall into his chest, your arms coming out reflexively to wrap around his shoulders for support. he puts his strong hands on your waist and helps you straighten up like the caring friend he is.

then, with absolutely no warning, his lips crash onto yours. your eyes widen in shock and your hand goes to his chest to push him away.

you kind of just let it happen- you've been madly in love with him for the past six years, after all-

and then you realize you just threw up, and your eyes go wide.

"ma-mahi, i taste gross-mph-" mahito cuts you off, pulling you flush against his chest and shoving his tongue into your mouth as he pulls you as close to him as he can possibly get you. his right hand moves from your waist up to your face and he caresses your cheek, then moves down to the back of your neck and pulls you further into the kiss.

"i love you, m/n." he says into your mouth without thinking, "i love you. you're mine, i'm never letting anyone or anything hurt you ever again. never. never-" he kisses you again- "ever," again- "ever."

he eventually lets go of your mouth, finally allowing you to breathe, and you let your head fall into his shoulder. his hand tangles gently into your hand and he pulls you closer, nuzzling his nose against the outer shell of your ear and once again whispering sweet comforts and nothings into your ear, every word caressing your cracked heart like the gentle touch of an angel.

he gently pushes you off his lap and stands up, momentarily leaving with a short comment, "stay here, bunny, i'll be right back." he crosses the clearing and bends over, picking up the glass bottle that you now recognize to be the flask-sized bottle of holy water you had stowed at the bottom of your bag. he smiles softly, returning to your side immediately.

he squats down close-legged-gojo style in front of you and touches your face, pulling you into another soft kiss. he lets his lips linger on yours for a moment before breaking the kiss, thoroughly enjoying the furious pout that adorns your face the second he pulls back.

mahito stands up, grabbing your hand and pulling you up with him. fortunately (unfortunately?) this time, your balance doesn't betray you, and you stand up alright. you're still shaking a little and your legs feel like jelly- but they specifically feel like old jelly that's been left out to harden.

mahito squeezes your hand and pulls you along, picking up your backpack and slinging it around his shoulder with his free hand. you pick up the blanket as you go, shaking the dirt and ants out of it with your free hand and tossing it over your shoulder to hang.

"mahi…" you say softly.

"yeah?" he responds, his voice almost not there.

"how'd you know…" you start, wanting to ask about the holy water. he shrugs. "i jus' did." he says simply, squeezing your hand again. you walk towards the edge of the clearing, and a few steps away, you stop, realizing something.

"the spirit box, mahi."

he turns and looks at you.

"no." he says, his voice betraying a drop of fear.

"but that shit's expensive, mahi!"

he shrugs it off. "i'll buy you another one."

"whaddo you mean, another one??"

he rolls his eyes, grinning. "y'know, one that's NOT dripping with fear and newfound trauma?" he comments, "i ain't letting that energy attach to either of us, that shit's staying here in this accursed clearing. fuck that."

you stared at him, stunned and clearly kind of confused.

he rolls his eyes again and groans. "m/n, have you seen sam and colby?? the reason they're always catching shit is because they're dragging around objects that absorbed fear and negative energy from all the fucked places they've hit up. i ain't about to let that shit happen to me, let alone you."

"oh…" you say, looking down at your shoes as you think about that, your mind finally starting to run again as the flashbacks finally go away. you look up at him and nod.

"that makes sense." you agree, walking forward and tugging mahito along with you. you take continuous deep breaths the whole way out of the forest, and when you get out, you and your new partner in crime run for it. you run across the field, hand in hand with mahito, running all the way back to your house and making a beeline for your bedroom.

back in the clearing, the spirit box continues to play, the harsh static sound of the spirits traveling the radio world filling the empty clearing with fear.

"i'll… find you… m/n." says the box in broken bits of a sentence as it hunts for the words it wishes to use. "this… isn't-"

silence.

"over."

and then the speaker shuts off and starts to tremble in the grass. the red-orange screen turns black and a crack invades its premises, spreading out off the now broken screen. the metal around the screen begins to bend, then the crack in the screen invades the black plastic containing the device's circuitry, spreading directly down the center of the device.

then the broken box turns on.

"blood." it says in a toneless female voice. the air electrifies with the promise of storm, staining the soil with the fear and pain that young boy felt in the clearing that day… a pain that not even the gods above or below will toil to forget.

the sky darkens…

and the earth begins to rain.

#~ | posting #《 heathenscratch ♤#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #mahito jjk #mahito x reader #mahito x male reader #jjk x male reader #jujutsu kaisen x male reader #jjk men x male reader #anime x male reader #jjk horror #horror fic

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of-a-chaotic-mind · 1 year ago

Text

Curiosity Part 1

Summary: Reader wanders into a sketchy part of the city and curiosity is her greatest temptor.

TW/CW: None that I know of. Reader x Mafia/Vampire!Colby Brock eventually.

Requested?: Nope

A/N: This started as a creative writing prompt and somehow turned into an imagine bc I have nothing but Colby Brock on my brain lately lol.

A/N: Fucking adorable little shit.

Y/N's POV

As the sun sets over the harbor, the lights of the city came on, one by one. I shiver, pulling my thin hoodie tighter around my body. I know it’s stupid of me to be out this late, especially in this part of town, but I need to. It began as a need for fresh air but has since turned into a need for adventure. Everyone around me always said this side of the city was dangerous and I want to see it for myself. As I wander the dimly lit streets, eyes scanning for any signs of danger, I begin to think everyone is being dramatic.

I'm not scared in the slightest. My plan is to take off sprinting toward my apartment at the first inkling that I'm in trouble. I'll be fine, right?

I might have been fine had I not wandered down that one street that led me to that one section of shipping containers that led me to that one alleyway. I jump as a smooth voice speaks from the shadows, “What’s a pretty thing like you doin’ out here?”

I look in the direction of the voice, knowing I should run but curiosity keeps my feet cemented in place. Dropping my face into a disinterested gaze, I respond, “Just getting some air. How ‘bout you?”

From the darkness emerges a tall, blonde man, “You’re brave aren’t you?”

I force myself to stay calm and look into the blue eyes of the stranger before me, “Depends on who you ask,” I shrug.

The stranger tilts his head slightly and grins, “He’s gonna love you,” he mutters to himself but I still catch it. My heart leaps to my throat at the seemingly ever-growing grin on his face as he steps closer, never daring to drop eye contact and I can’t seem to look away either. “You’re coming with me, Princess,” he states before turning to walk back down the alleyway.

My feet follow of their own accord. No matter how hard I try to turn the other way and take off running, my body won’t cooperate. I scan ahead of me, trying to discern where the man may be leading me but all I can see is dingy brick walls and busted trash bags. Finally, he speaks again, “Here we are,” stopping in front of a decrepit door with a rusty “keep out” sign hanging front and center. I try and fail to speak as he knocks a pattern into the wooden door.

Promptly, it swings open revealing another man, this one smiles at me and bows, “Come on in.” As I step across the threshold with Blondie following closely behind, I can’t hide the shocked look on my face, swearing I saw fangs on the man who welcomed us in. Shaking my head I mentally deem it an alternative fashion choice and return my attention to my surroundings. Muffled, bass-filled music can be heard from behind the walls around me. Somehow, my feet seem to know exactly where to take me.

The black walls of the hallway are covered in all kinds of spooky and music-related memorabilia. The plush deep purple carpet is a striking contrast to the darkness of the hall. As I round a corner, the room opens up into a sort of speakeasy. I stop in my tracks as the group at the bar pauses their silly antics and turns to look at me. I can feel the urge to bolt out of the room once again but one of the bar patrons calls out, “Whatcha got here Sam?”

The blonde stranger I met what seems like hours ago steps out from behind me and toward the bar, taking a seat, “Found her wandering around the container yard. Didn’t immediately bolt like the others typically do.”

The previous speaker raises his eyebrows in shock before plastering a big, bright smile across his face. My heart does a quick flutter as he watches me and with a few snickers around the group, it’s almost like they heard it.

He doesn’t speak again for quite some time which allows me to fully take in the group before me. The blonde who had brought me in off the streets, now known as Sam, orders a drink from the bartender before nudging and whispering to the one who had welcomed us in, who laughs heartily before shifting his gaze to the one staring me down. This one looks almost devilish yet so charming in his purple button-up and black leather pants. The chain necklaces he wears brush his exposed collarbone and the rings adorning his hands send naughty thoughts through my mind. I shake my head before taking in his striking blue eyes and dark fluffy hair. These men look nothing like what everyone warned me would be awaiting me on this side of the city.

I'm pulled from my thoughts as the dark-haired man speaks up, “What’s your name, Sweetheart?”

My throat is dry and I struggle to keep my voice steady as I speak up, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Several in the group chuckle including the main speaker who replies, “I would. That’s why I asked.” His voice is deep and velvety smooth. The kind of voice that could rile me up but still talk me to a peaceful sleep as well. There is a hint of mischief in his words and yet he remains gentle.

“That’s for me to know and you not to find out,” I state, sounding braver than I feel. I find myself wanting to melt before this man and I don't even know his name yet. Feigning disinterest once again, I add, “Can someone kindly show me to the exit?”

The man before you looks at Sam with an impressed expression on his face, “Quite brave isn’t she?”

Sam looks at me and shrugs with a smile on his face, “Depends on who you ask,” the call back to before unknown to the others but sticking out clearly to me, “Or at least that’s what she says.”

The other man looks back to me, “Here, I’ll go first. My name is Colby. Your turn,” he motions to me before taking a sip of his drink.

I mentally debate with myself between lying or telling the truth before landing on, “(Y/N).”

Colby tilts his head and grins at me, “See, that wasn’t so hard was it?” The door greeter whispers something to Sam which draws Colby’s attention away from me immediately making me want it back. Colby gives the man a disapproving look, “Jake, you know we can hear you, why bother whispering?” Jake simply shrugs.

I yawn and stretch my arms above my head, “It’s getting late, I think I’ll be going now.”

In the blink of an eye, Colby is right in front of me tilting my chin up with his thumb and pointer finger to lock eyes with me, “That’s entirely your decision but I think you and I both know you’d rather stay.”

Despite my racing heart, my voice remains disinterested and steady, “What makes you think I wanna stay here in this dingy speakeasy when I could be at home in my warm bed getting some shuteye?”

Colby grins, “Because you’re too damn intrigued to leave now. You haven’t taken your eyes off me since you walked in and don’t think I didn’t notice these pretty lips pout when I looked away from you,” he marks the end of his response by brushing his thumb over my bottom lip.

My heart skips a beat at his actions and the fact he saw right through me makes me want to give in completely. I don't. I step back and turn toward the door instead, “I’ll just see myself out.”

Colby’s hand drops to his side as I hear Jake laugh behind me, “She didn’t deny his statement.” I exit the building successfully despite every bone in my body screaming at me to turn back around and run into his arms. Despite my heart feeling a little heavier, I make my way back to my apartment. As I crawl into bed sometime later, I replay the night’s events in my head. I can’t seem to get Colby out of my head and unbeknownst to me, he can’t shake me from his thoughts either. I promise myself that I won’t go looking for him again but that’s a promise I'll soon break. Curiosity might’ve killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back after all.

Masterlist

More Colby Brock Imagines

#colby brock #colby brock imagine #colby brock imagines #colby brock x reader #sam and colby #sam and colby imagines #sam and colby imagine

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strangersatellites · 2 years ago

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ask and you shall receive !! part two of tarot-verse !! read part one here !!

⛓️🪄🔮

“Robs, do you really think this is going to work?”

“Well normally I would say yes. It's pretty straight-forward and I don’t think you’re leaving a lot of room for misinterpretation. But at the same time, Eddie has been demonstrating some particularly impressive levels of obliviousness when it comes to the way you go all goo-goo eyes at him.”

Steve opens his mouth to dispute her claim, he does not go all goo-goo eyes at him, but gets cut off.

“That and the fact that he’s all in his head over a scenario he literally made up. So I don't know, it might be hopeless.”

Steve just blinks for a second.

“Wow. Thank you, Robin, for that very motivating pep talk.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I am feeling much more confident now, that's really great.”

She huffs on the other end of the line. “Well, I just mean that-”

He holds up a hand even though she can’t see him. “No, no. I got it.” He perks up at the sound of a door slamming in the driveway. “Hey, he’s here Robbie. I gotta go.”

Robin's screech has him pulling the phone away from his ear. “Good luck, dingus!”

“Thanks Robs. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

He hangs up and wipes his, now clammy, hands on the front of his jeans and psychs himself up.

“Come on Steve. Be cool.”

A musical knock that Steve would know anywhere sounds through the foyer and he has to tamp down the smile threatening to split his face. This is serious.

He swings open the door just as Eddie’s hand is poised to knock again and cuts him off before he can even start to speak.

“Okay. I know I asked you to come over so we could smoke and watch that movie you like but can I show you something first?”

Eddie’s eyebrows furrow but his smile doesn’t drop.

“Course, Stevie. Why so serious? What did you do, rob a bank?” He asks, shouldering his way past and making his way to the living room and hopping over the back of the couch.

Steve knows the moment Eddie sees them. His shoulders stiffen up and his breath catches. Steve hurries to placate.

“Hey, I know. I’m sorry just-” If he runs his hand through his hair again it's going to go flat but he can't break the habit. “Just let me show you?”

Eddie settles back into the couch and gives Steve a quick nod.

Steve takes a breath and grabs his stack of cards from the coffee table and settles on the other end of the couch.

Okay, Steve. Just like you rehearsed.

Another deep breath.

“Two summers ago Robin told me she wanted to learn how to read tarot. She bought a deck and tried to learn on her own, but she had a hard time memorizing what all of them meant.”

Eddie huffs a quiet laugh. “No shit. Shit’s hard.”

Steve laughs too. “Yeah, I know that now. But, she had a hard time with it so I told her I would learn and help her practice. And I did. And she got really good at it and she brought them everywhere and she did readings for people constantly. But then she eventually got bored and stopped.”

Eddie shifts and uncrosses his arms. Finally looks less like he’s ready to bolt.

“What, do you just have like a rolodex of stuff you’ve learned for Robin that she doesn’t care about anymore?”

“I think of it more like an old toybox.” This gets a laugh out of Eddie. “But this one– this one stuck with me. I forgot about it for a while but a while back, a few days pre-vecna oddly enough, I pulled a reading for myself and I wanted to show you.”

Eddie’s eyes dart between his own for a beat. He tilts his head a bit.

“I would love to see it, Stevie. But I’m not understanding what was so urgent about this. I thought it was gonna be about the whole,” he waves his hand around while he talks, “you watching me make myself look stupid the other day.”

Steve hates the dejected tone his voice has taken on behind his false bravado.

“It is! I mean, I’ve never thought you looked stupid. But, I mean I kind of goaded you into it, just– just let me talk you through this and I promise it’ll all make sense.”

Eddie sits back again. “Okay sweetheart. Wow me.”

Steve takes a deep breath because this part is a bit like baring his soul to Eddie.

“So when I pulled this reading. I was feeling really confused about what was in store for me. I decided to dust off my cards and see what happened.”

He pulls four cards right off the top of the deck and lays them out face down. Flips the first one.

Judgement.

“I got judgement first. Now, I know you know what it means, but I’m going to tell you my interpretation.”

When Steve looks back up at him, Eddie’s got his chin propped in his hand and the stars back in his eyes.

“Judgement told me to stop looking for things in the same places I’d always looked. That I should look somewhere different. Now granted I didn’t know what that meant yet, but it was just the start.”

Flips the second card.

The Moon.

“You would think that maybe I would’ve taken the hint with this one. It’s the one that tells you, ‘Hey! Stop lying to yourself! Listen to your intuition!’ But still I didn’t know what that was supposed to mean either.”

He skips ahead and flips the last card and Eddie looks confused and goes to flip the third card himself.

“Call me crazy, Stevie, but I think you skipped one.”

Steve bats his hand away.

“Shut up. I know that, but there’s an order to this story.”

Eddie puts his hands up in a gesture of innocence and Steve taps the fourth card.

The Lovers.

“This one made me finally start to piece this one together. Maybe I needed to start looking for a different type of girl, ya know? Clearly I was gonna fall in love and I needed to start looking in new places for whoever it was.”

He brings his eyes up to meet Eddie’s.

“Maybe a farmer’s market.”

Eddie throws his head back in a laugh.

“But this last card had me so confused because it didn’t fit into this lineup at all. In my experience, when a card doesn’t really fit, it might need to be read more literally. And I found out later that this one was meant to be taken very literally. Like, very.”

He flips the final card.

The Devil.

“Because a few days later, I met you.”

Eddie squints at him, but he's smiling.

“That feels like an insult, babe.”

Steve can literally feel his cheeks flush at Eddie’s effortless flirting.

“Okay, well I can only think of one person who was accused of devil-worship in this town, so.”

“That’s fair,” Eddie nods.

“And I had this stupid big crush on you before I even remembered the reading. When I did it got so much worse. And then, last weekend, I saw your cards and I thought it would be fun to see what kind of reading you would pull for me. Thought maybe that would be my chance to tell you how I felt. I was going to wait for you to tell me about whatever you pulled and then tell you I knew that already.”

Eddie shifts to sling an arm around Steve’s shoulder and lets him finish.

“But then I saw those cards and I knew you were making stuff up and I thought it was because you didn't want it to be you.”

Eddie’s face falls for a second before Steve bumps their noses together.

“But then you were being so weird at the farmer’s market so I talked to Robs about it and she told me we're both stupid.”

Steve feels more than he hears Eddie’s laugh.

“I would have to agree with Birdie on that one. Steve, has anybody ever told you you have an insane poker face?”

Steve hides his face and laughs.

“No, that's a new one.”

Eddie puts on his most dramatic voice again.

“Well allow me to be the first. Because that was a phenomenal performance. I had no idea that you knew I was talking out of my ass.”

“Well you do that a lot anyway, so.”

Eddie squawks and shoves Steve to fall backwards until he’s in his space, looking down with a blinding smile.

“So, cards tell you anything about a first date?”

Steve’s hands settle around Eddie’s waist and his eyes dart around his face.

“We could ask. But I can think of a better way to spend our time.”

Eddie bends down and nips at the side of Steve’s jaw, hums.

“Yeah? Hm. I think it might be worth an ask.”

Steve huffs and brings his his hands to either side of his face to tug him down.

“Shut up.”

Eddie’s laughing the first time their lips meet.

He bites and tugs at Steve’s bottom lip to get his attention.

“I can’t believe you called me the devil.”

Steve’s eyes are hazy and his smile lazy.

“Yeah but you’re my devil.”

Eddie laughs and leans down to peck at the corner of his mouth.

“And you’re my magician.”

⛓️🪄🔮

tag list: @henderdads, @mightbeasleep, @gothbat99, @hotluncheddie, @steddie-there, @thefreakandthehair, @steddieasitgoes, @gayngerthings, @grapefruitgalaxy, @orangeandthefairroadkill, @hardboiledleggs, @corrodedcoughin, @punkharringtxn, @mackdaddyofheimlichcountyy, @ottokajiyehett, @toobluebrunette, @e0509, @booksandsience, @lohthus, @chaoticlovingdreamer, @4nemo1egend, @goodolefashionedloverboi, @adelicioustragedy, @wearelosersyoudumbfuck, @lightwoodbanethings, @trikigirl271, @initforthereadz, @dontwasteyourchances (if you got skipped or added, my apologies🫶🏼)

#eddie knows tarot #steve knows tarot #tarot steddie #i want to live in the tarot steddie-verse #steddie #steddie fic #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #the devil & the magician #the devil is my favorite card in tarot #so I had to find a way to include her #gin writes #fin gin #shot of gin

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coldresolve · 1 year ago

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*taps mic* this is niche but hear me out boys

imagine the fucken nightmare it'd be to kidnap a t1 diabetic. ive kinda wanted to write a story like that sometime cause it'd just set up this wicked dynamic. blood sugar does not fuck around.

im not just talking about the hassle of aquiring a constant stream of insulin and other medical supplies. imagine that first day, the victim gets roughed up a little... and then they start acting strange. they can't answer questions, they're shaking, their eyes wander, their movements are uncoordinated. the bewilderment of the kidnapper as they watch this now barely lucid person tryna stay focused, "i didn't hit them that hard, did i?"

and then something in the victim's waistband starts beeping very loudly, like an alarm. the kidnapper finds this little device connected by a thin cord to something under the shirt. a display reads hypoglycemia - contact emergency services. oh shit. so now they have to google their way into figuring out how to treat hypoglycemia in a diabetic patient.

blood sugar is heavily influenced by adrenaline. normally this is tied to excersise - if a diabetic person is physically active, the blood sugar drops. it can also be caused by pain. if a diabetic person experiences severe pain, it's 100% a guarantee that their blood sugar will plummet very, very rapidly. in a t1 diabetic person, hypoglycemia is an altered state of consciousness. an inability to think, balance, coordinate body movement. the eyes glaze over, slow, nonsensical speech, sometimes agitation or other mood swings, ironically enough, often a reluctance to eat and drink. if it's left untreated, they will eventually lose consciousness and slip into a coma. once the blood sugar levels are back to normal, they most likely won't be able to remember what happend during and immediately prior to the hypoglycemia episode.

other things that blood sugar is influenced by includes: food (obviously), sleep patterns, temperature, mood, dehydration, drugs/alcohol/nicotine, other medications, caffeine, allergies, altitude, the time of day, the environment the person is in (being out in the sun vs. being in a dark room), etc.

just. thinking about the whole convoluted mess that'd come with this scenario. how both kidnapper and t1 victim have to do their best to adjust to this thing, because things will go south very quickly if they don't. and how that's gonna affect their overall dynamic, ykno?

#full disclosure i have a loved one with t1 #they once fell down the stairs and broke their arm #and my first reaction. before we even got the person in the car to go to the er #was to go to the kitchen and grab a bunch of brick juices #and fucken systematically force feed those to them #and they STILL ended up crashing so bad they couldn't remember the first couple hours of the er visit #even tho a team of experienced medical profs were there tryna regulate it #your priorities are just different with t1 ykwim #other

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21stcenturywhoresworld · 9 months ago

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The party and the after party. - black singer!reader x pelle “dead”ohlin

*part 2 of the connection of souls.

summary: Solána “sosa” Montgomery is a young women in the 90s who has many problems, her solution is always to run away like she did when she was 14 she left her abusive small town household to move to LA and start a band right in the middle of the black metal scene . She finds love when she wasn’t looking for it. A guy with problems just like her.

content warning!! swearing, eventual smut, mentions of suicide, drugs, smoking, drinking, death, typical metal head shit MINORS DNI

Well, i guess i’m going to this party. I honestly don’t want to but i don’t wanna let my friends down or be a buzz kill. “Solána!” lux called from the closet “i have the perfect dress for you” she says as she lays the dress on the bed it’s baby blue and very short with two bows at the hems “i’ll look like a baby doll” i pick up the dress and examined it “no you’ll look hot” lux said as she applied her lip gloss in the mirror “if you say so” i replied dully. I took the dress back to my room and tried it on. Lux was right i do look hot i thought to myself while looking in the mirror i turn to my closet to look for my platforms. “lana are you ready!?” tonya called from down the hallway “give me a fucking minute” i shouted back. I don’t even want to go to this party in the first place now she’s rushing me. I add the finishing touches to my makeup and put on my platforms. “Solána! are you ready? if not we’re gonna leave your ass!” tonya shouted from down stairs “i’m coming, i’m coming! get off my dick” i yelled back. I gave myself one good look in the mirror and decided i looked decent enough and headed down stairs. “You look fucking hot” tonya said “thank you boo” i said back. We left the house and 15 minutes later we arrived at this house in the middle of fucking nowhere, there where a bunch off people in the yard this one chick was puking so hard i thought she’d throw up an organ. Lux exited the car first making her way to a guy with black hair and placing a kiss on his cheek, the guy was dressed in a black sabbath shirt with a bullet belt and a leather jacket. Lux turned to the car and beckoned me and tonya out the car. I took a deep breath and opened the car door making my way over to Lux. “Lana come here” i speed up my walking pace, Tonya went a different way making her way to the house to get a drink. “This is euronymous” Lux said as she gestured over to the man with black hair I looked him up and down “Euronymous this is my friend Solána” she continued “Nice to meet you” He said staring awkwardly. “Yeah…” was the only thing i could muster before i walked away to go find something to drink. I ended up in the kitchen and i found a cooler with beer it. ‘Ew’ i thought to myself i hate beer with a burning passion. I look around and saw different bottles of alcohol i looked through the bottles and found a bottle of absolute vodka i took it and began downing it. I walked back outside and sat down in a lawn chair with my vodka, the party was very loud and chaotic there where people running around with pig heads, the music was on full blast, people were laughing and conversing while i just sat there. I watched as that guy Euronymous and chased my someone who i assumed was one of his friends the guy had a buzz saw and was swinging it wildly towards Euronymous. The man with the saw had long blonde hair his face was covered in corpse paint. I tried to mingle for about an hour and decided to make my way back into the kitchen to find something to drink other than alcohol. I opened the fridge and stared blanking for a minute orange juice, spoiled milk, and coke cola. My options are very limited and i only drink coke when i’m desperate which i very such so am right now i took the can from the fridge and as i closed it i saw a figure standing there causing me to jump. “Holy shit dude!” i yelled nearly dropping the can of coke the figure fixed his gaze on me “ Sorry i didn’t think anyone was in here” he said i took a moment to get myself together and quickly realized the figure was the same guy chasing Euronymous with the saw. “Where’s your buzz saw?” i questioned he stared at me for a moment before responding “left it on the back porch” “ah good to know” i looked awkwardly trying to keep eye contact but looking back down at my shoes every time he stared for longer than 10 seconds. “Have you ever been to europe?” shit. why am i such an idiot, why do i say everything that comes to mind to break an awkward silence. “I mean yeah i’m from sweden” he said “that’s really cool” i took a swig of my coke. Why am i like this.

#pelle x reader #pelle ohlin #deadxreader #deadxblackreader #mayhem

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princess-of-the-corner · 8 months ago

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Any thoughts on how Mic & Aizawa got together in CC? Like, did they start dating in high school? After they graduated? Was there a painful pining phase that made all their friends want to kill them?

OH GOD SO LIKE

I hinted before that it was a poly thing with them and Oboro(who was probs the one who asked them out if Midnight didn't watch them all pining and smack them upside the head) and like.

They did get together in high school and that was mostly just some normal pining and such but also due to the Oboro situation that went sideways for a bit.

Oboro's death kinda. Hit them hard in different ways and swung between finding comfort in each other but more often than not it was just. A lot. For them to be with each other.

Mic is handling things.... decently. He's more bottling everything up and it /will/ come out one day but he's just kinda trying his best to move forward while Aizawa is kinda lost in grief. And that does kinda fuck them up because Mic is upset that Aizawa doesn't seem to be trying to make progress while Aizawa's in the 'how dare you try to move on' thing. (neither are right or wrong here but god do they need therapy)

They didn't explicitly break up, but they weren't exactly together anymore.

And then I'm like. I'm speedrunning Aizawa's character development so that a lot of it happened pre-Canon of him like. Coping by overcompensating. Pushing himself too hard. And eventually taking out his anger on people who aren't pushing themselves to the same unhealthy extent in the same unhealthy ways

Ms. Joke was kinda the first target in this, given her entire persona is about being goofy and all so when given close proximity... but she's also got thick skin and is a determined motherfucker and is like "I can fix him!" (baby girl please your taste in men is awful)

This continues for a while and even into Aizawa's first year as a UA teacher where he just starts randomly expelling any student he feels isn't extremely dedicated and taking it seriously. Which is, ultimately, all of his students within the first like month. Because they're dumbass 15 year olds who are mostly trauma-free ofc they're gonna good off and not buckle down and be serious all the goddamn time.

Nezu is like 'look I love some chaos as much as anyone else HOWEVER you need to get your shit together because I can't have you expelling literally all of your students. PLEASE get therapy!'.

Which does piss Aizawa off for a bit. Because he's heavily projecting. He lost someone. Any of them could die at any moment they need to take this seriously and prepare for it! They're here to be Heroes not have fun! Not taking things seriously will get them killed!

This does swing back around to Ms. Joke who does end up snapping at him of just like a 'god don't you get it? People have to have fun and goof off and be fuckin happy sometimes or else they're absolutely miserable and probably just want to die!'(she might like being silly and all but humor is /also/ a coping mechanism for her)

And it's.... yeah just her snapping and pointing that out does kinda. Hit. In having him realize that 'oh I'm very much Not Okay™'.

Which gets him to actually get his ass some therapy so he can help process the grief and the whole like. You're allowed to take a break, you're allowed to be happy and do things that aren't serious when you don't have to be on the job you don't have to be paranoid 24/7 that someone else you love is gonna fuckin drop.

After a bit of this he does meet up with Mic again to talk on just. Everything. Kind of apologize. Mic def hits his own breaking point here too. And they need to do a bit of work but GOD do they miss each other.

Slowly but surely they work on themselves and each other and by the time of CC they've gotten to the point where they're married now and while they still have some hiccups they're a hell of a lot better.

ofc we get the added 'oh hey your dead boyfriend is actually alive but was kidnapped, experimented on, given amnesia, and has been forced into villainy for the last 10+ years and for bonus points he's a dilf now' drama later

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fan-a-saurus-rex · 2 months ago

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A Way Back Home | Part 2

Plot: After telling Peter about your spidey powers, you’re finally ready to help him out, but is he gonna let you?

Pairing: Peter Parker (Tom Holland) x Reader

Warnings: none

Masterlist and Requests/Prompts

You got up out of bed watching as Peter rushed to grab his suit and get ready to leave. You knew this was chance to use your powers for something other than messing around in the apartment.

You wanted to do what Peter did, you wanted to help people.

“I’m coming with you” you said.

“No way” Peter said as searched around for his web shooters.

“Why not?”

“Cause it’s dangerous!” He said

“But Peter, I can help you! I’m ready!”

“I said no {y/n}!”

You were not taking ‘no’ for an answer and you knew that arguing with Peter wouldn’t get you anywhere. He’d just drag you back to your room like a child who had just been grounded for disobeying the rules or talking back to mom and dad. You decided to take a gentler approach, by just asking nicely.

“Peter please?” You said practically pleading with him. “I can do this, for once in your life just trust me and not be so protective”

He looked at you and sighed. “Fine, but you do as I say….and wear this” he said tossing you an old suit of his. It was one you’d never seen him wear. It was black with silver and grey detailing.

You nodded and slipped it on quickly.

“And you’ll need these…unless there’s something else you’re not telling me” he said chuckling, tossing you some spare web shooters.

“No I can’t do that. Only Peter 2 can do that” you said giggling.

“And you’ll need another name, I can’t just call by your real name” he said

“What should I call myself?” You asked. You’d never thought about that, up until this point.

“What about Ghost, like ghost spiders” he suggested “also Halloween is your favorite holiday and your kind of sneaky like a ghost” he said chuckling.

“Ghost-Spider….I like it” you said.

You finished getting ready and eventually climbed out the window behind Peter.

“Can you swing?” He asked.

“I’ve never tried” you said.

“No worries, I’ve got you” he said snaking his arm around your waist tightly.

You put your arms around his neck and tried not to move around too much as he swung you through the city. Eventually you made it to an old abandoned warehouse in a quiet part of queens.

“What the hell? What’s going on here?” You asked

“Not sure” he said as he snuck around the corner. The local cops briefed him on the situation.

“Drug ring, at least that’s what we assume” the sheriff said. “Could be worse than just hard drugs though, these guys have also been dealing stolen assets from throughout the multiverse” he mentioned. Suddenly he looked over to you. “Who’s your friend?” He asked

“This is Ghost, don’t worry, she’s on our side” Peter said “just discovered she has powers too” he said.

The sheriff nodded and gave instructions on where to go. You followed Peter as he led you inside, scaling the wall to climb amongst the rafters on the ceiling. You were starting to regret your decision to come here, but you were going to do your best not to show it.

You observed what was going on below. Several sketchy looking individuals were packing vials of some unknown substance and what looked like grenades into boxes and putting them on a shipping truck.

“Peter” you whispered “I know that guy…he lives in our apartment complex…down the hall”

“Shit…do you think that’s how the spider got in?” He asked

“Maybe” you whispered “what do we do”

“Wait just a second, when the cop gives the signal, follow my lead and web them up” he whispered.

You nodded, watching as the group of cops snuck in slowly. One gave a signal then yelled at the guys in the warehouse “put your hands up, you’re surrounded!”

“Now!” Peter said.

At the same time you both started shooting webs at the men below. When he leapt down, so did you. A few more sketchy individuals crept around the corner, you sensed the immediately, shooting webs at them as well. Unfortunately there were way too many of them and the scene got chaotic really quickly.

“Ghost!” You heard spider call seconds before you sensed someone else behind you. Your survival instincts kicked in and you swing around, hitting him with an upper-cut to the jaw, which appeared to be broken after you blasted him with your new-found strength.

“That’s my girl!” Peter called out to you gesturing you to follow him down the hall while the cops arrested the criminals.

Suddenly you sensed something and so did Peter. You couldn’t identify what it was. You both snuck down the hall when suddenly, one last individual jumped out from a storage room, tossing what looked like a grenade in your direction.

It went off quickly, but didn’t explode like grenade would expected to. Instead, it emitted a heavily scented powder that caused the two of you to cough. As you tried to catch your breath, you quickly shot the guy with a web, using the strength you had left. Seconds later, the powdery smoke dissipated and the sheriff ran in, capturing the last peep who you had managed to pin to a wall with your webs.

“What’s that smell?” He asked.

“Not sure, he threw something at us” Peter said “smoke came out of it, got into our lungs” he said.

“Must have been a smoke bomb” he mentioned, finding the cartridge that the smoke had come out of. He read the label that was printed on it. “Give me a second….” He said.

He left and then came back shortly after.

“You two aren’t gonna like this…especially when I tell you what this is” he said

“What’s going on?” You asked

“We’ve….seem this before. It’s called by its code name….Agent Purple…..”

“Are we gonna get cancer?” You asked

“No, no. But you will have some…..side effects” he said. “Come back to the station with me, I’ll have our forensic specialist explain everything”

To be continued….

**I know this one was short but it’s leading up to something really good. I’ll probably post the next part today or sometime during the weekend**

#fanfiction #fanfic #tom holland #blurb #peter parker #spider man

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witchofthesouls · 2 years ago

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First off, I want to thank you for answering my emergency request, it meant a lot.

Second, I’m still trapped in the airport that might as well be an off brand sea world, I got a runny and stuffy nose, and my period just started.

I have started to document my journey on Snapchat like a off brand, Gen Z, autistic, misanthropic, female David Attenborough where my friends and family are either laughing in hysterics at my pain or are becoming my increasingly concern over myself slowly loosing my sanity.

What deity did I piss off to earn such a punishment? Can I rectify it my sacrificing my fellow prisoners? Can I sacrifice the crying 4 year old for an arepa con queso, just until I can get a plate of my mom’s lechon and arroz con salchicha?

A cousin of mine with a big ass truck that should require a special license to drive because the thing is that damn big, is gonna try and pick me up, hopefully I don’t get trench’s foot trying to get out of here.

Also I’m just picturing Optimus, Ratchet, and Megatron growing increasingly worried and so turned at receiving multiple snapchats a day of their kid ‘jokingly’ contemplating murdering the other people stuck with her (mostly the ones kicking up a fuss and fighting and occasional the crying children throwing tantrums), cannibalism if only to eat something else besides the shitty food, and other disturbing commentaries in the background of a dark selfie with dark and heavy under eye bags framing half crazy eyes that are red from lack of sleep and crying, a result after being stuck at an airport for four fucking days.

Shoot, I didn't see this one! Sorry about that ^^;

Side note: Okay, is it terrible of me to think that Ratchet and Optimus would have a hard time with Snapchat or social media in general? Optimus was a feral thing that was eventually domesticated by the Librarian Prime (aka Alpha Trion), and Ratchet is Ratchet. He got no time for anything else but keeping the base operational, especially with everyone else breaking his shit.

On the other hand, Megatron would eat it up. He vibes as does Soundwave. Dark/gallows humor along with memes? Sold!

But all three would be really understanding. It's a highly stressful situation of a disaster. Mayhem, chaos, and uncertainty eat away at a person. Let alone a group of people trapped in a finite space. Individuals react to stress in a variety of ways...

Optimus: uses his Leo Cullen holomatter to send words of affection and encouragement, and then responds in a deadpan manner to said questions, like "Don't forget to consider your surroundings for an ambush. Maybe make a trap. Perhaps you shall have better luck than Wile E. Coyote on the Roadrunner."

Ratchet: "I know it's a joke, bit. But no! No, no, no! Do you even know about kuru disease from human consumption of infectious tissue!?!"

Megatron: (sends back a snap that swings tabs between the "Human Cannibalism" Wiki page and Binging with Babish: Clay-Roasted Thigh from Hannibal (feat. You Suck at Cooking)): "I have preparations to consider. You shall tell me if it's bussin."

#ask #transformers #transformers prime #tfp #optimus #optimus prime #ratchet #megatron #reader insert #parental relationship #maccadam #my writing #cannibalism #tf headcanons #tfp optimus has a sense of humor #it's just hard or very weird especially with his mannerisms #ratchet wants you to make informed decisions #megatron is in for the ride

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dream-meister-translations · 2 years ago

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MAIN STORY : CHAPTER 3 PART 5

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MAN IN BLACK 1 : Aaah!! What the hell!? How is this guy so strong? MAN IN BLACK 2 : No! Please forgive us! CROW : Phew! Looks like I'm on a roll! That'll teach you to ambush me and beat me up! MAN IN BLACK 3 : We're the ones getting beat up here! KAI : Okay, calm down Crow, it looks like you already broke some bones. If you keep hitting 'em, you're gonna wind up in jail. MEN IN BLACK : Just leave us alone!

ITSUKI : Then talk. Why did you target us? MAN IN BLACK 1 : We're agents of a family called the Kingsleys. They're rivals of the Bloody Lady. CROW : The Bloody Lady!? MAN IN BLACK 2 : We heard that the Bloody Lady has been smuggling in all sorts of weird, illegal shit, and so we're trying to find out what it is. MAN IN BLACK 3 : We thought you mighta been related to them. NOAH : Fools. MAN IN BLACK 1 : Damn it, and we were doing so good until the attack on the courier. Seriously, what was that shit in the bag? It's making our people crazy! KAI : Crazy, how? MAN IN BLACK 3 : One of our men who got hit with that shit is in really bad shape. He's been flailing around and moaning. It's like he's possessed by something. NOAH : Possessed? CROW : Hey, it didn't happen to be a weirdly shaped gun, did it? MAN IN BLACK 3 : A gun? No. It was black powder. ITSUKI : Black powder? MAN IN BLACK 2 : That's right. The more you breathe in, the more fucked up you get. MAN IN BLACK 3 : Okay, we told you everything, now let us go! KAI : Wait. Take us to them.

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SEVEN : ………… EMMA : Seven! What are you doing here? SEVEN : What am I doing? What are you doing? EMMA : I was just thinking… SEVEN : I see. Well, I prefer meat over fish. But, whatever you think is fine. EMMA : Hmm? Oh, no, Seven, I wasn't thinking about dinner. SEVEN : By the way, is the study down this hallway? EMMA : The study? I was told that there is only a storeroom for supplies. SEVEN : Thanks… EMMA : No, Seven! That's not the way! Ignoring me, Seven headed down the hallway toward the storeroom. EMMA : (What should I do? Should I go after him?)

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EMMA : (I thought Seven headed this way…) As I headed down the long hallway, the hustle and bustle from the main floor got quieter and quieter. Eventually, all I could hear was the sound of my own footsteps echoing eerily off the walls. EMMA : (I should go back and check. I don't want to be separated from the others for long.) NAVI : Hey, master~ EMMA : N-Navi! I told you to stay in the key! NAVI : Look over there!

When I looked in the direction Navi had pointed, I saw a half-open door swinging back and forth. Making a squeaking noise. EMMA : (Is that the supply room? I wonder if Seven went in there…) EMMA : Navi, go back in the key. NAVI : I don't wanna! EMMA : Then at least stay here and hide. Please. Leaving the reluctant Navi behind, I swallow hard and bit my lip, taking a step toward the door and grabbing the handle. EMMA : Seven? I hesitantly push the door open. Feeling my heart hammering painfully in my chest. Hand shaking from fear. But, there is no sign of Seven inside.

However, the dimly lit room is full of items that did not belong in a normal casino. There were a great number of weapons, bundles of dirty banknotes, machine parts, medicines, bandages, and other things that looked like they didn't belong here. NAVI : Wow! So many fun toys to play with! HIMMEL : It stinks in here. It's the smell of misery. NAVI : Haha! My master is frozen with her eyes wide open! EMMA : (There are a lot of guns in here…Why would a casino need these…? Could they belong to the Bloody Lady? Hm…They don't look like the same kind of guns that shoot Black Fairies.) I reach for the weapons in order to examine them a little more closely when… ?? : Don't move.

#Otome #Yumekuro #Yumekuro Translations #YMKR translations #YMKR #Dream Meister Translations #Otome Translations #Dream Meister And The Recollected Black Fairy #Dream Meister And The Recollected Black Fairy translations #ch3p5

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thecrazycrafter23 · 2 years ago

Text

AS PROMISED: MAKI FIC

wooo okay, over 4k words lets go

uhhh anyways, i'd recommend reading this on ao3 since I'm way more used to the formatting on there and it'll probably be a better experience in general, but if you really want to read this stuff here go ahead bam:

Momota 🚀

Maki: I need you to come pick me up.

Kaito: did something happen?? 😥 where are you???

Maki: 363 Sakura Lane. I’ll tell you when you get here, just please get here as soon as possible. I don't have my car.

Kaito: wait weren't you out with shuichi

Kaito: holy shit are you two okay?!

Maki: Oh, he's more than fine. I said I'll explain when you get here. Please Momota, I don't know how much time I have out here.

Kaito: i swear to god you better be safe

Kaito: on my way right now

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Pulling her leather jacket tighter over her shaking body, Maki shoved her nearly-dead phone into the pocket. If she realized it was going to be this cold out, she wouldn't have worn a dress, or at least would've worn tights. She just tried to bury the feeling in the back of her head for now. There was something much more important to focus on. She really hoped that shop she noticed on the drive here was still open… The clicks of her high heels and her breathing were the only sounds that registered in Maki's mind as she eventually found the place she was looking for. She had to go quickly. Not only did she not have much time before Kaito was here to be her getaway driver, but there was no telling how long Shuichi would be occupied. God, just thinking about his name boiled her blood at the moment.

Maki forcibly opened the door to the business, quickly heading to the baseball equipment. She was lucky there was a sports equipment store nearby. The bat look didn't matter, she just needed something metal. Scanning the selection, the girl grabbed the first metal bat she could find before marching to the register. Luckily there wasn't a line— of course there wasn't a line. It was nearly 8 at night, maybe 5 people in the store tops. She placed the bat roughly on the counter, digging through her purse for her wallet. She wasn't expecting small talk.

“Huh, what does a pretty lady like you need a slugger for at this hour?” The man working the register asked, leaning against the counter. Maki didn't reply with anything other than her typical glare, taking out her card to pay before even hearing how much the bat cost. It didn't matter to her right now, being an assassin paid well enough that she was willing to pay anything for the sweet taste of revenge she was after. The worker just stared at her for a moment before shrugging, about to put the bat into a bag for Maki before she just grabbed it and walked out. A bag would just slow her down.

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Momota 🚀

Kaito: gonna be a little late traffic is a bitch right now 😒 please be safe still until I get there

Maki: I'm fine Momota.

Maki: Random question since you're more into sciencey stuff than I am.

Kaito: oh lay it on me! 😁

Maki: How hard would I have to swing an aluminum bat to take off the mirrors of a car, assuming they're made of steel?

Kaito: maki roll what

Kaito: I feel like if I answer, I'm gonna be an accomplice in a crime what are you doing

Kaito: maki

Kaito: maki oh god please reply

Kaito: don't do anything illegal please 😥

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Maki's phone died just before she got an answer to her question, causing an irritated groan to escape her lips. Well, she just had to hope Kaito got here still and didn't need her for any clarification. It was a pretty far walk home too, so that was out of the question. If Kaito couldn't show up, her only other option would be to just head back to the restaurant and wait for him to come back from whatever he was doing in that club with that girl. She seemed familiar to Maki, but then again she had seen a lot of blondes in her life. Walking with the baseball bat firmly in her hand, she finally found where the car was parked. Luckily it was somewhat isolated.

She wasn't stupid, she knew that just attacking it without a plan would cause the car alarm to go off, and attention was the last thing she needed. She had an idea of how to do this but didn't know how well it would work. Maki placed the bat on the ground and reached a hand under her dress, eventually finding the knife strapped to her thigh. Maki walked over to the front of the car, silently thanking her brother for fucking up the lock on the hood to the car a few months ago as a “prank”, as well reluctantly thanking Shuichi for never getting it fixed. It made popping open the hood of the car a breeze. Now it was just about locating the battery… dammit, if only her phone hadn't died. She could just Google it, or worst case scenario, ask Miu. Sure they weren't on the best terms, but they tolerated each other.

After searching for a bit longer than she'd admit, she located the battery, holding the knife in her hand a bit nervously. Either cutting this wire was going to work, or she was about to get electrocuted and die. Death didn't necessarily scare her, but traumatizing Kaito wasn't part of the plan. That would just be unnecessary collateral damage. Maybe… No, she wasn't just going to back down now, not after getting this far and already having bought a bat that cost god knows how much. As her eyes closed she braced for the pain, her blade snapped the battery’s wire… and nothing happened. At first, she thought that maybe she didn't cut it, so she opened her eyes to look. Nope, it was disconnected. Maki breathed a sigh of relief seeing that her action was successful, now knowing that the alarm was disabled. That gave her free reign to enact revenge.

The knife went into her pocket, perhaps a more convenient location that she should take advantage of more often, and the bat was back in her hands. The question was where to start… maybe she'd start front to back. Or just go in whatever order she saw fit. Regardless, she decided to start with the headlights given they were closest. Maki’s grip tightened on the bat as she took a swing at the left headlight, hearing the satisfying sound of plastic crumbling behind the force of her swing. It was like a drug as she took a swing at the other headlight, the same sound ringing in her ears. She took a moment to step back and look at the damage, the situation dawning on her. She was being the crazy ex-girlfriend right now. The rational part of her brain was telling her to stop right now and wait for Kaito to get here before she caused more damage.

However, the long-repressed emotions in her brain were making themselves known tonight.

Maki took a few practice swings of her bat, looking at the side mirrors. She never did get an answer from Kaito to her question. Oh well, putting the scientific method to the test was always an option. Question: How hard would she have to swing to take the mirrors off? Research had failed, so she'd just need to get her own. Hypothesis: She wouldn't have to swing all that hard to get these pesky mirrors off the car. Putting said hypothesis to the test, Maki took a not-so-forceful swing at the left mirror. The mirror was now pointed downwards but didn't quite break off how she expected it to. More testing would be needed. First, though, she finished the job on the left, taking one more satisfying swing upward this time. The mirror flew off, crashing against the ground a foot or two away from where she was standing. She stared at the broken mirror for a moment before heading to the other side of the car.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she winded up for a second swing. Maki tapped the mirror the first few times just to align herself, her hands shaking slightly. The rationale that usually kept her grounded was out the window at this point as she swung as hard as she could this time. The mirror shot through the air like a rocket going into orbit before hitting the ground with a satisfying thud and skidding across the asphalt for a few feet. Maki watched the mirror slow to a halt, making a mental note of her little experiment. She’d have to let Kaito know once he got here, that way they’d both know for future reference.

Maki’s urge for vengeance and destruction wasn’t quite satisfied yet, however. She wanted more. She wanted to make him pay.

Flipping the bat so that she was holding the barrel of it, she lined up the cap of the bat with the corner of the right window. It’s just glass, it shouldn’t be all that hard. With a quick breath, Maki pulled back and then thrust the bat into the corner of the window as hard as she could. Unfortunately, it didn’t do as much as she would have hoped. Sure, a few cracks went across the glass near where she hit the window, but it would definitely take more time than she had to get the window down. She needed to get in there. Shuichi still had the keys and she didn’t have anything to pick the door locks with, so she had no way of getting into the vehicle without going through the glass… Maybe she just wasn’t using the right tool. Her mind went to those window-breaking tools that she saw being advertised sometimes. Of course, the moment she saw those on her screens, she looked up how they worked, mostly out of skepticism that they'd even work. Turns out the way they worked was that they’re pressed into the glass, and then release a spike at a high speed to shatter the glass.

Now, of course, she didn’t end up getting one of them. Maki thought they were stupid and a waste of money. However, she did have a sharp object with her and had experience with thrusting sharp blades into objects. Typically people and not glass, but still. Just in case the attempt at breaking the glass previously would mess this up, Maki walked over to the other side of the car, dropping the bat at her feet. Her knife was soon back in her hand as she lined the blade up with the corner once again. Taking another breath as she had done previously, Maki pulled back and shoved the knife into the glass with as much force as she physically could. The following sound of glass shattering was like music to her ears as she watched the window become a jagged pattern of destruction. All it took from there was a slight nudge to cause the flimsy shards of glass to collapse on themselves and give her perfect access to the handle on the inside of the car. Maki unlocked the car with ease from there, opening the door soon after. Perfect, now she could climb in and really leave her mark. Not caring about the glass in the slightest, Maki climbed into the car, ignoring the stabbing feeling of the tiny shards of glass into her knees. That wasn’t important at the moment, besides this wasn’t nearly as bad as any other pain she had gone through during her training for her… “job”. No, what mattered right now was sending a message.

She dug the blade into the passenger seat and just dragged that knife through the leather, the foam inside of the seat tearing along with it. One cut wasn’t nearly enough though, no she had to keep going. Cut after cut, stab after stab. The motion was practically addicting. Once the passenger seat was thoroughly torn to shreds, Maki turned her attention over to the driver’s seat that she was kneeling on. She slid off of the seat and put her feet back onto the asphalt, still ignoring the blood now slowly traveling down her knees. She recreated the same pattern roughly on the driver’s seat, besides one more little detail just so Shuichi knew it was her who did this. Her initials carved into the headrest. She knew damn well he’d be able to piece it together, Shuichi was too smart for his own good. And the best part? Maki knew she’d get away with it regardless if he figured it out or not. She knew he wouldn’t report it. After all, she had just as much dirt on him as he had on her. Sure, him knowing that she was a paid assassin and murdered people for a living wasn’t great, but he also covered up all those crimes for her. If she was going down, she was going to take him down with her. Mutually assured destruction.

If only she could check the time right now. Shame that her phone died. She didn’t need to know how late it was right now, but it would give her a good idea of how much time she roughly had left to keep going. All she could do was do as much as she could before Kaito got here. She was pretty sure that he’d get here before Shuichi did. Shuichi did seem pretty occupied last she checked. Maki closed the door to the car before jamming her knife into it, dragging it as much as she could before it got tiring. She just did it again though. And again. By the time she was done tearing up the driver’s door, it looked like a werewolf got to the car. She’d probably need a new knife after this. What else could she do before she had to leave… the tires! Maki rushed to pop the tires, making sure to leave one unpopped so that Shuichi would have to buy the new tires himself instead of getting insurance to cover them. The front two tires and the back left tire soon deflated, leaving the car mostly on the ground. Perfect. Out of the corner of her eye, Maki noticed the headlights of another car getting closer. The car stood out to her even in the dark. That purple exterior for a truck couldn’t be anyone else other than Kaito. She still had a few seconds though… Maki slipped the knife back into her pocket and quickly picked up the baseball bat she bought, swinging at the window. She didn’t intend to break it, and of course, it didn’t break. She just wanted to cause as much damage as she could.

Unfortunately, Kaito was driving a bit faster than she thought he was and watched as she swung that bat into the windshield. He was, obviously, very shocked, quickly breaking as he rolled down the window and poked his head out. The music he was blasting in his car was oddly fitting for the moment. “We Know” from Hamilton.

“Harukawa, what the hell are you doing?!” He yelled from his truck, a panicked look in his eyes. It hadn't quite yet dawned on him that it was Shuichi's car that she had just torn up. Maki only glanced over at him before hurrying over to the passenger’s door and hopping into the truck. She shoved the bat into the back seat, quickly buckling her seatbelt.

“Drive.”

Despite her tone sounding rather stern and threatening, Kaito didn't budge, staring at her like she just murdered someone.

“Hang on, what the fuck is going on?! I know you mentioned that you needed me to come quick and all, but why were you destroying a car?! Who's fucking car was that?! Why do you have a bat?!” Kaito looked back at the car that had been the victim of Maki's rampage, finally realizing whose car it was. Shit, what was he getting in the middle of…? “Is that Shuichi's car?!”

“I said drive. I’ll explain as you drive.” Maki practically demanded, folding her arms as she closed her eyes. Against his better judgment, Kaito pulled out of the parking lot and sped out of there, rolling up the windows in the process. He turned off the car radio, figuring his theater kid interests weren't the most appropriate at this moment. He could jam out to soundtracks after he figured out what happened. Once the duo was about a minute or two away from the restaurant, Kaito sighed.

“Okay, explain. What is going on?” He tried to keep a soft tone, but the panic in his voice was so painfully obvious. Who wouldn't be panicking right now?

“It's a long story.”

“Well, we've got a bit of a drive back to my place. Floor it yours, Harumaki.”

Maki sat there for a moment before slowly beginning to explain. “Well, Saihara and I went out to dinner for our 1 year anniversary. Just as we were about to order our meals, suddenly he gets a call, and then just— gets up from the table without saying a word to me. I asked him where he was going, not a word.” Kaito seemed skeptical as she explained what happened.

“He didn't say anything to you?”

“No, he didn't. I waited for a few minutes before following him. I used that app thing that's supposed to help you find lost electronics, and guess where his fucking phone was?” Maki glanced at Kaito, even though her question was rhetorical.

“Do I wanna know…?”

“Magma Move.”

“The strip club?!” The name sounded oddly familiar to him…

“Yep.” Maki sighed, looking down at her legs. They had stopped bleeding at this point, so that was good. “I thought it was weird, so I walked in, trying to figure out where he was. You can imagine my shock when I saw him with some other girl, holding onto her while she had a drink in her hand. She seemed familiar, but I didn't get close enough to tell.” Maki finished explaining, as Kaito's eyes suddenly widened.

“Hey, Maki Roll…? What did that girl happen to look like…?” Kaito asked with a bit of nervousness in his voice, really hoping it wasn't who he thought it was.

Maki seemed confused as to why he'd ask that but answered regardless. “Blond, about the same height as Saihara, purple eyes—”

“Shit was that Kaede?!”

Maki sat there and thought for a moment before her own eyes widened a bit. Holy shit, it was her. “....I think so.”

“Fuck— Miu is gonna be pissed when she hears about that— Or sees it, depending on how fast the two find each other again.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, Miu was telling me all about it. She wanted to have some fun, so she dragged Kaede out to the place for the night. She was texting me earlier, very drunk might I add, that she lost Kaede and had no clue where she was. Didn't realize she was hanging out with Shuichi, apparently.” He did sound pretty disappointed. It was hard not to be when two of your friends went off and did stuff behind two of your other friends’ backs.

“....Huh. Are you planning on texting her or something?”

“Of course I am. Once we get off the road, I'll do it. For the time being… You alright?” Kaito's voice got a lot softer, something that Maki hadn't been expecting. She sat there flabbergasted for longer than she'd admit, shaking her head.

“I'm fine. This isn't the first time I've caught someone cheating. This is why I told you I don't do romance anymore.” Maki mumbled, looking out the window of Kaito's truck. “I'm done being that vulnerable to people.”

Kaito frowned a bit, sighing. “Hey, you don't have to wall yourself off. It's not like it's your fault it happened or anything. Besides, if you put back up your defenses every time you get hurt, you'll never trust anyone ever again.”

“...Good. Maybe that's for the best.” Maki muttered, leaning against the door. “Can't get hurt that way.”

“Maki Roll no, that's not a healthy way to live.”

“Who cares?”

“I care, Harukawa.” He figured using her last name would grab her attention again. It did. “You're one of my best friends. I don't want to see you hurting yourself because of what others do! That's not fair to yourself and you know it! If being open with people gets you hurt, then you just have to pick yourself back up and keep going. Eventually, you’ll find someone who’ll treat you right.”

Maki stared at him for a minute before shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “You've had that speech planned for months, haven't you.” She teased, using a hand to hide the slight smile that had inched its way onto her face. Like it or not, Kaito's words did have a way of cheering her up somehow.

Kaito’s face flushed slightly from embarrassment as he glanced at Maki, letting out a sheepish laugh. “Who cares! What matters is that you're smiling now.” Shots fired. Maki lightly punched him in the arm, looking back out the window.

“Shut up, asshole.”

The two sat in silence for a few minutes as Kaito drove, both seeming to just enjoy the company of the other.

“...Apparently, you don't need to swing a baseball bat all that hard to take a car mirror off. Just a little bit of force should do it.”

Kaito’s brain short-circuited for a moment, causing him to nearly drive into oncoming traffic. He quickly slammed on the brakes, sending the both of them forward before the seatbelts caught them. “Is that what you used the baseball bat for?!”

Maki just stared at him for a moment before replying. “That and smashing the headlights.”

“Harumaki!”

“What? I wanted to make him pay.”

“Jesus— you better hope to god that Shuichi doesn't figure out you did it. You're fucked otherwise, and I, unfortunately, can't save you from that.”

Maki chose not to mention the situation the both of them were in with secrets, just nodding her head a bit. The drive lasted for around 10 more minutes before the truck pulled up to Kaito's place. They both got out as Kaito unlocked the door and let Maki in.

Kaito's place was nice, it always felt oddly calming to the girl. Lots of purple and stars, the entire house had LEDS going around that always seemed to be on a dim purple setting, the couch had a ton of blankets and was surprisingly comfortable… She wouldn't mind staying the night. Crashing on Kaito's couch was probably the best couch to crash on.

“Alright, you already know to make yourself comfortable, I'll go grab one of my hoodies from upstairs for you and a pair of shorts you left here last time.” Kaito took another look at her, noticing the glass shards in her knees and the blood. “...and some bandages, apparently.” Before Maki could even protest, Kaito had walked upstairs, leaving Maki to sit quietly on the couch and wait for the astronaut to return. Sure enough, he was back after a bit with everything he promised, setting the clothes down next to Maki before kneeling in front of her. “I'm not even gonna question why you have this much glass in you right now. This is gonna sting, just a heads up.” He knew Maki knew it would sting, but he still felt obligated to give her a warning. Working his way across her legs, he picked out all the glass he could with tweezers before cleaning off the blood and wrapping up her legs in roll bandages. “Heh, look! Roll bandages for Maki Roll!” He knew that pun was going to end up with another punch on his shoulder as he just laughed off the other's motion.

“Shut up.” Maki hissed, looking at her bandaged knees.

“Fine, fine. It was funny though!” He eventually finished, stepping back before standing up. “Gonna go empty the glass shard bowl now, feel free to go change.” With his declaration, Kaito wandered off again, leaving Maki sitting on his couch. How did she end up here…? The night started so nicely and had just… spiraled out of her grasp. So much for unconditional trust. Attempting and failing to bury the thoughts, Maki rose from the couch and walked somberly to the bathroom. Despite telling herself she wasn't going to look in the mirror, as her dress and jacket came off it was all she could stare at. Scars both old and new littered her pale skin, including one distinct one over her left eye. Her eye still hadn't quite healed from that. It wasn't much of an interference usually, but it did result in some unfortunate stumbles into walls.

Her eyes traced downward, lingering on the silicone mold pressed against her chest held up pointlessly by a black bra. Maki's gaze stayed there for longer than she would admit as she eventually slid off both objects, immediately putting on that hoodie Kaito had graced her with. Her senses were immediately flooded with the scent of lavender and cheap body spray. She couldn't tell if she was disgusted or not. Well, she didn't really have any other options, it was either put back on the fake chest and put back on her dress or deal with this. She opted to slide the shorts on and deal with it. Maki rounded up all her clothing, taking a few extra seconds to wrap up the silicone and hide it between the fabric in her arms. She didn't want to answer any questions from the astronaut as to why she'd need a fake chest. She was already under enough stress and was already irritable enough.

After checking herself in the mirror one last time and deciding to take her hair down, Maki slowly walked out of the bathroom and met Kaito in the living room. She set her stuff down on the coffee table.

“Hey, there you are! Let me see your stuff, I can throw them in the wash real quick—” As Kaito went to scoop it up, Maki immediately put her hand on top of the pile a bit more hastily than she had intended. Kaito looked at her for a moment before a slight chuckle escaped his lips. “Relax, I don't care about seeing your bra or whatever. I have 3 sisters, remember?” Maki shook her head, not a word coming out of her mouth. Kaito seemed to take the hint, backing off as he sat down on the couch. “Alright, suit yourself.” Kaito took out his phone and opened up a food delivery app, picking the nearest fast food place. He was quiet for a moment as he added things to the car and checked out, looking over at Maki who had been sitting and staring at her lap after the close call. “I ordered McDonald's, and got us both chicken nuggets since I figured those would be light, but still something since you didn't get to actually eat.”

Maki looked at him for a moment before sighing, a slight smile on her face as she leaned into him a bit. She was met with the feeling of Kaito's arm wrapping around her, something Maki found comforting. “Thanks, I guess.” She mumbled. Kaito just nodded, letting them both stay there in comfortable silence again. If it hadn't been for a question on her mind and the promise of something to eat in about half an hour, Maki might've fallen asleep there.

“Hey, Momota?”

“Hm? Yeah, Harumaki?”

“I've been wondering since I put the hoodie on: how the hell did you manage to get a piece of clothing to smell both great and gross at the same time…?”

“Oh, probably the mix of the 3 in 1 stuff I use in the shower and Axe body spray. Why?”

“Fuck you.”

“What?!”

#maki harukawa #kaito momota #platonic kaimaki at least for now #light angst #fanfic

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