#still in a walking boot but we celebrate every step of progress!

[brionbroadway]

guess who just took her first steps without crutches!! 

[auty-ren]

Salvation

Prologue

Pairings: The Mandalorian x Reader. Din Djarin x Reader. Mand’alor!Mando x Reader.

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: Canon-type violence. Mentions of death/injury. Canon divergency. Yearning. Panic and similar themes. The teensiest bit of steamy stuff.

A/N: We’re just getting started babes and holy shit I'm so excited for Mand'alor!Mando. We get to see the best of both worlds! Clan Leader Mando + Dark!Mando. Enjoy💗

Salvation Masterlist | My Masterlist

There was a vice that kept hold of your being, suspended between two planes of existence as you sat helpless to watch time pass at an agonizing pace. It filled you with dread, a heavy and pulling weight that settled in your stomach and had you glued to the floor; praying that the next thrum of violence that waged outside your door would be softer.

You hoped and pleaded every second you sat cowering in your home wouldn't be in vain, that something good would come of the war that had been building in weeks prior. The violence that crept over your village somewhat overnight, an uneasiness that settled between neighbors, and had people barricading their doors with fear.

You squeezed your palms tighter over your ears at the shrill sound of gunfire piercing through the walls of your home. The ground felt alive with footfalls and the impact fire, defeating sounds muffled between layers of durasteel were all you could hear, save for a few lost words that winded aimlessly through the air.

From your window you made out a figure that streamed across the sky; their form bulky and unnatural around the faint release of a jetpack that followed behind them.

Mandalorians had been passing through your village for as long as you could remember. Quiet and brooding warriors who often demanded very little and hardly left a trace that they had ever stepped foot in your town. You felt nothing but respect, considering that all your life you had seen the kindness that had been disguised behind layers of beskar and tall-tales of savage upbringings. As a child, you remember them speaking so softly to you, something that clashed with their demeanor and the heavy blasters that often rested on their hips.

There was never trouble, any thug that had made their way into your village was soon left scrambling at the sight of your guardians. No one ever dared to speak a harsh word in their presence, and your people were left with safe and warm homes that prospered when it felt the Galaxy was falling apart.

Mandalorians had protected you all of your life. But now you wanted more than anything for them to disappear, to fade away like the final wisps of smoke from dying embers. 

You just wanted the noise to stop.

Your eyes had dried beyond the point of tears, streaks of their remnants covered your face and left your skin feeling raw and tacky as your eyes squeezed shut. You heaved a dry sob as the walls of your home shook again, tremors vibrating at the ends of your fingertips as they scraped across the floor. Your joints ache from sitting so long, from trembling in the corner of your home as the only way to seek shelter.

There is a heavy thump that breaks through the noise, something solid that lands over your head. You can hear the unmistakable sound of footfalls as they walk across your ceiling, each step like a knife that twists deeper and deeper into an already gushing wound. Your grasp for anything you can reach, the leg of the table next to you, a book that had fallen from your desk, anything to ward off whatever was making its way to your front door. You felt pathetic, sure that whoever would burst into your home in the next seconds would find joy in the way your hands shook as you held them up in front of you, your only defense.

The weight that you had been holding in your shoulders came crashing down at the sound of a masked voice coming from your door. The shadow of their legs briefly visible through the gap in the door as lights flashed behind them, gunfire ringing through the small room as they barked a message about ‘Imps’ into their commlink.

‘Imperials’ they called themselves, led by the magistrate elect to ‘relieve our town from the clutches of oppressive rulers,’ or so they put it. Suddenly your town was full of strangers, of mercenaries with nasty tendencies that left you hesitant to leave your doorstep. Your home was turned into a hellhole in a matter of weeks, warm and kind faces were replaced with snarling teeth that spit evil in your direction every time you faced them. 

‘All in the name of progress.’

Destruction was the only thing that progressed in these short months, and Moff Gideon had no trouble thriving off every ounce of sacrifice he could squeeze from your town. Gideon had used any and all authority he had to wage war on the Mandalorians, the people you considered your protectors. You and nearly half of the village knew he was crazy for doing such a thing, for provoking the wrath of a people who had carved legends of war and battle into every corner of the Galaxy. All of this suffering because he was too greedy for something that was never his.

Your limbs were heavy by the time sunlight peered over the horizon, brief wisps of warmth dancing across your eyelids as you blinked awake from where you sat.

There was nothing but silence, heavy silence that was damning after a night of constant chaos. Early morning fog still lingered, your breath puffing in front of your face as you pulled yourself to stand. Your door was ripped open before you could even think, your only thought wanting to be able to witness whatever had been left in last night's wake.

The ground was firm and solid beneath your feet, your legs shaking as you stepped off the porch of your home and for the first time in forever everything was still. There was nothing but the faint shuffle of your feet across the ground, and the muffled conversations in the homes you passed by. It seemed you weren’t the only one who was curious; familar faces grew in number, their eyes wide and interested in the wreckage just as you were, everyone you met wondered what would become next. Some of them wept, holding whoever was closest as relief washed over them. Some of them celebrated, cheers echoing through streets as they basked in the absence of Imperials in their homes.

You stood, staring down an alley where the body of an Imperial laid unmoving in the dirt, their white armor smudged, cracking, and littering the wet ground. The reality of what had been happening only a few hours prior laid heavy on your chest, curling tight around your ribs until you felt there was no way to take a breath.

Your hands were shaking as you reached for your face, covering your lip as it trembled from swelling emotion and finally breaking away from the scene before you. You backtracked, fully intent on turning to run back the way you had come when you bumped into someone; their arm came up to grab yours, steadying you as their questions fell upon deaf ears. You stared at the woman before you, the brows knit in concern as she repeated her question.

“Are you alright?”

Everything was starting to bleed together, the sounds of people emerging from their homes suddenly became far too loud, and your awareness of where you stood punching you in the gut. You winced away from the woman, pulling your arm from her grip and ignoring how she called after you. Your lungs swelled with each heaving breath you took, the ground beneath you disappearing faster and faster as you tried to find your way home. Neighboring villagers found their ways into the streets, crowding alleyways and blocking your way home. You ran into a few of them, whispered apologies falling from your lips as you fought to hold yourself upright.

You needed to take a breath. You needed to slow down.

There was no distinction between the voice in your head and the concerned words of people you passed; friends, neighbors, all people you had known for most of your life.

They just want to help and part of you doesn't understand why you don't listen to them.

The ache that tears through your skull sends waves of nausea down your spine, your eyes blinking slowly at the dirt that sat just a few inches from your face. Your breath disturbed it, puffs of clay-colored soil swirling in front of you, and some of it landing on your cheeks.

You pushed yourself up onto your elbow, your entire side sore from how hard you had hit the ground. It was slow, your limbs feeling heavy and weighed even with adrenaline buzzing underneath your skin.

There was hardly any noise now, just a few whispers that danced between the crowds; the tail ends of sentences being lost as they shush themselves. You hear the scuffle of boots hitting the ground, their gate heavy and kicking up dirt in your peripheral. The dark-colored toe of someone's boot walks into your line of sight, you watch the leather come to a stop just a few inches from where your hand pressed into the mud. You followed the boot up the length of its owner’s body until you were met with the bulky visor of a beskar helmet, embers of the morning sun peeking out from behind the silver shine. 

He offers his hand out to you, the ends of his gloves a bright orange that was weathered at the tips. The leather was worn but soft to the touch as his hand wrapped around yours, pulling you to your feet with just a little bit more force than necessary. Your hand shot out to brace yourself against his chest, your weight falling against the solid expanse of his cuirass as you huffed out a curse. Your head was still spinning as you clung to him, trying to find balance on your own two feet as you looked at the stranger. His armor looked new, bright, and unsoiled save for the dirt that smudged from where you had touched it; your eyes are drawn to the obnoxious color offset by the dark linen of his clothes. You mutter an apology, moving to separate yourself from him but find yourself trapped under the arm he used to steady you.

From the corner of your eye, you can see the other Mandos who are waiting on him. Their armors a deep matching blue with white accents on the face of their masks, they stood at attention as if they were waiting on their next command. You looked back at the man in front of you, who you assumed was their leader, your hand still laying on his chest and your faces even closer than they had been before.

His hand hesitated just a breath away from your face, his fingers twitching before he pushed strands of your hair out of your eyes, the leather of his glove tickling the shell of your ear. The knuckles of his fingers traced down your jaw, his touch light and curious as he studied you. His thumb stopped at the apex of your cheek and he drags the pad of it across the same spot of skin a few times, brushing off the dirt that had stuck to your face.

You could hardly breathe under his attention, your lungs burning from how long you waited in between small intakes of breath. His hand was still warm against your face, his other fingers flexing on the hold he kept around your waist. Every second dragged on as you looked at him, studied what little you could see from the layers he wore around his being. Oddly enough, it felt that he was doing the same to you, his gaze felt like a burn as it trailed along with your features, your chest feeling tight and your cheeks hot from how overwhelmed he made you.

And then he was gone.

His hold on you released and he turned back in the direction he had been walking, followed by the Mandos who had stopped and waited for him. They parted the crowds that had formed in the streets, their presence enough to leave anyone in standing back, awestruck just as you had been. You watched their forms disappear from your sight until finally they turned a corner, and you never saw them again.

-

It feels impossible to sleep that night.

Though it had only been a few months, the soured pit in your stomach was telling that memories of Imperials wouldn't fade so easily. There wasn't enough water to wash away the stain that their greed had left behind. Everyone seemed happy, smiling freely and feasting in celebration as the day turned to dusk, and as dusk turned to night you sat, staring at the ceiling of your home and buzzing with something you couldn't quite pin down. You studied the crack that had split that ran from one corner of your home to the next, fresh and taunting you with how you had been cowering beneath this roof only a day ago; watching the stone give way as the very foundation of your house shook. Just outside you could hear voices again; quiet, content voices that felt unfamiliar, almost out of place amongst the chaos that had been living recently.

How could it be over so quickly?

It only took a day, not even that. Your village was wiped clean, the only evidence that there had even been Imperials, were scraps that had been piled together throughout the streets. Pieces of equipment, armor, a couple of uniforms that had been discarded were all that was left of them. And most of it was being discarded without a second thought. 

You had always heard stories of what Mandalorians could be capable of, but you had never believed them.

People liked to talk, to tell stories. It was easy to believe the tales of warrior races were just constructed, exaggerations of the true history of their people. But you were wrong. You hoped that you stayed wrong, that this wasn't temporary or even worse, a dream.

With every night that passed, it became easier, sleeping without worry you would wake up in hell all over again. It came over you slowly. Ease? Relief? Tranquility long enough for you to rest a few hours, then wake up to rebuild the life that had almost been taken from you. It finally felt safe. Safe to live, safe to breathe, safe to dream again.

But then all at once, it was swept out from under you and your heart plummeted when you answered the door to find two guards standing on your front steps.

“Can I help you?”

You noticed the way he ducked his head, his helmet cock-eyed when he looked at you to keep it from knocking with the frame of your doorway. He spoke very softly, almost gentle in the way he said your name; a stark contrast to the beaten, dull blue armor he wore and the heavy blaster strapped to his back. You looked over his shoulder at the female that followed him, her back was turned to you as she scanned the street in front of your home. She wasn’t as large as he was, but her armor was just as thick and a beautiful maroon color that glinted in the sun when she turned to face you.

They both waited for you to answer, turning to look at each other when you gave them a small nod, confirming that they had found who they were looking for.

“The Mand’alor has sent us for you.” The woman spoke, her tone clipped as she took a step closer. “Please. Come with us.”

Your fingernails dug into the softwood of the door frame, your skin burning from the way it dragged across the rough terrain until you released it, balling your fist at your side. You made no other attempt at moving, and neither did they. 

There would be no point in arguing, you would never be able to outrun two Mandalorians, but it felt very tempting at that moment.

“The….Mand’alor?”

You had heard the name before, a few of the Mandalorians in town had spoken it in passing and while you had never asked them who or what it meant, it didn’t take a genius to figure it out. 

They had asked for you by name, and they were too occupied to come and find you themselves. 

You tried to wrack your brain for anything you could’ve done to cause this, of what could have upset someone to this point.

But then again, if they were upset, they probably would’ve just had you killed.

You looked behind you at the mess that was strewn across your room, crates of your belongings dumped in the tiny space and making it much smaller than it seemed. There was no telling where you were going, or how long you’d be gone but maybe you could take a few things with you.

“Can I have a minute please?”

You moved to shut the door, just wanting a little privacy to get a bag ready, but you were stopped when the female guard’s arm shot out, holding the frame still just a few inches before it would’ve closed.

“You don't need to take anything.” She huffed and pushed the door back open, stepping through the threshold to stand directly in front of you. “Come with us.”

You couldn't think of anything to say, not that she wanted a response from you, you just stood there staring at the two Mandalorians who crowded your doorway. She practically snarled an order at you, becoming increasingly impatient with how unresponsive you were.

“Now.”

-

Sometime later

“I-... I don't understand.”

He had you pinned, backed into a wall that you wished would open up and swallow you whole. Your face burned with shame but you couldn't figure out from what. From him? From how close he stood to you? From how every word that dripped from his lips was sweet? Like thick, sugary honey that became far more addictive than any spice you ever heard of; and you were glutenous in wanting more of those delicious words that he seemed so confident saying.

Shamefully so.

“Don't worry about such things.”

His thumb ran delicately over the bottom of your lip, tracing down until he held your chin in between it and his forefinger. He tipped your face to look up at him, his knuckles brushing across your throat as his hand fell to your chest. His fingers splayed across your exposed skin, his gloves are warm and soft as they made their way back up and finally wrapped around your neck.

“You're here now.”

Your breath hitched as his fingers flexed, his grip almost ghosting, as if he was afraid you'd break under any pressure.

You wished you could see his face, the blank stare of his visor did not indicate what he was thinking; though you imagined he was enjoying this from the way he touched you. He was like molten that left your skin burning in its wake, your heart fluttering as he moved over every inch that was shown to him. He held your jaw in the palm of his hand, his helmet coming only a hairbreadth away from your face; your breath puffing clouds of condensation on the smooth surface.

“You're mine.”

-

A/n pt2: I’ll give a sticker to whoever can guess who the female guard Mando was lol

Taglists

Salvation

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[witcher-and-his-bard-archive]

Change of Plans

winter prompts day 9 ❄️ snowed in/winter storm thanks to @in-love-with-writing002 for the idea! I’d like to do much more with it, but this is all my brain had time for tonight.

Everything starts with a question. One Jaskier suspects has been a long time coming.

They're sitting around the fire, Geralt sharpening his swords and Jaskier fumbling through the intro to his newest ballad. His fingers are too cold to be able to play it properly, but he's determined to get it finished so he can play it at the Solstice celebration in Oxenfurt this year. Last year Valdo had had a brand new song and Jaskier won't let himself be showed up again. So he plays through the cold and the numbness and Geralt's looks that are growing in frequency.

He hasn't said anything, so he can't be too upset about it, but the fifth time Jaskier restarts the song from the beginning, Geralt sighs and turns to him.

"It's getting cold," he says and Jaskier just looks at him. If he's only just noticing this, his Witcher senses must not be all they're cracked up to be.

"Yes," Jaskier agrees, a little sharply as he lifts his fingers to breathe some semblance of motion into them.

"I mean it's getting close to... that time of the year."

"Ah." That time of the year being when they separate for the winter. Jaskier doesn't like to think about it; he doesn't mind thinking ahead to his time in Oxenfurt and the celebrations, but the idea of leaving Geralt is rather unwelcome and he tries to avoid it as long as possible. Looking up at the sky, he sighs. He didn't think it was getting that cold.

"And I thought-"

Jaskier's eyes snap back down to Geralt's immediately and he struggles to control his heartbeat because he knows Geralt can hear it and he doesn't need him thinking he's jumping to conclusions, which he is. A little. But that's beside the point.

He doesn't dare say anything as Geralt looks straight ahead at the fire and fidgets with the rag in his hands.

"What I mean," Geralt corrects and Jaskier nearly crawls out of his skin in his impatience, "is that winter seems to be coming sooner this year and I should be heading north before the valley snows over."

"Right," Jaskier says, alarmed by his own breathlessness. But Geralt doesn't seem to be finished quite yet and when he glances up at him, Jaskier holds his breath.

"Would you- I mean- I thought it might be better if-" Geralt's fingers clench around the fabric in his hands and Jaskier wants to go to him, to assure him whatever he has to say is perfectly fine, but he can barely breathe in anticipation. He tries his best not to make assumptions, but he can't imagine what else would be this difficult for Geralt to ask. "Come with me?"

Jaskier's heart soars and it takes a lot more effort than he'd care to admit to keep from crying like a fool where he sits across from Geralt.

"Are you certain?" he asks. The last thing he wants to do is intrude on Geralt's family over the winter, especially if the invitation is somehow coerced.  Geralt gives a curt nod and his lips twitch at the corner and it's a miracle Jaskier's body doesn't just drop out from under him.

He could cry, scream, laugh, but he doesn't want Geralt to regret his decision, so he just smiles across at him.

"I would be honoured."

In the morning, they make a plan to set out a week from now. It's long enough to reach town and gather supplies and find a horse for Jaskier that's capable of making the journey through the valley. The closest city is Hagge, but travelling there would mean backtracking and wasting time they don't have to spare, so instead, they start north. Geralt promises him that there's a town north of Ard Carraigh where he and his brothers stop to stock up for the trip, and as long as they make it there, they'll be fine.

But because Jaskier's never travelled in the winter and because he's excited about going to Kaer Morhen for the first time, things, inevitably, are not fine.

They're only two days out when the blizzard hits in the middle of the day.

It starts as light snow, so neither Geralt nor Jaskier thinks much of it, but as the day progresses so does the storm until they can barely see a foot in front of their faces. Well, Jaskier can't but he suspects not even Witchers can see through snow. He pushes on as well as he can - Geralt already feels guilty for making him walk through the night - but by the time he can see light again, Jaskier's boots are soaked through and he can barely feel his toes. He doesn't complain because he doesn't want Geralt thinking he can't make the trip, but he knows he's slowing them down.

That night, Geralt finds shelter in a crumbling building that might have once been a watchtower. It's dark and it's cold and without a fire, the only thing they have to eat are the preserves at the bottom of their bags. But when  Geralt pulls him into his lap and wraps a blanket around the both of them, holding him close, Jaskier can't find much to complain about.

They reach the little town late the following night and Jaskier is dead on his feet, so he's relieved to find the innkeeper is quite friendly, if not familiar, with Geralt. For once, he takes a step back and lets Geralt organize lodgings for them while he struggles to keep his eyes open.

Eventually, Geralt leads him up to a room with a single bed and lets Jaskier drop onto it while he putters around the room, organizing their things.

"What are you doing?" Jaskier mumbles, already tugging a pillow under his head. His wet feet dangle over the edge of the bed and Geralt comes over to kneel next to him, tugging Jaskier's boots from his feet.

"We'll be here for at least a couple of days," he explains, "we might as well settle in."

"Thought we were going north? Up to the keep?"

"We are," Geralt assures him, "but we won't make it through the storm. We'll wait here until it passes and see what the valley is like then."

Jaskier doesn't like the sound of that one bit, but he's too tired to argue. Even when Geralt pulls him to his feet, he doesn't complain. He wavers slightly as he strips out of his wet clothes, but he can hardly be blamed when he's barely slept in the past few days. When he's stripped down to his braies and as dry as he's going to get, he slips back into bed, shuffling toward the wall to make space for Geralt. He falls asleep before Geralt even makes it to the bed.

In the morning, there is snow up to the windowsills and it still hasn't stopped snowing. Jaskier's spirits are dampened slightly, but he slips out of bed before Geralt wakes and orders breakfast to take back to the room in an attempt to cheer them both up. It works for a little while, but the snow picks up again in the afternoon.

By the third day, Jaskier has resigned himself to staying in this little no-name village over the winter. It's not Kaer Morhen with all its history or Oxenfurt with its lively parties, but he's here with Geralt and really that's all that matters. He is a little disappointed, but Geralt made the offer to take him north, so maybe they can revisit that next year.

That evening, Geralt goes down to discuss the room with the innkeeper and Jaskier takes the chance to look around a little. For a small town, the inn is particularly well-kept and there's even a small fireplace in their room with a stack of wood next to it. They have plenty of blankets and candles and even a few sparse decorations to brighten the place up a little. Jaskier would like to go out into the forest and make a wreath of his own, but he suspects Geralt would be against going out into the storm, so the decorations in place will have to do.

Maybe one year, he'll invite Geralt to Oxenfurt and show him a real celebration, but for this year, under the circumstances, the inn is fine.

Geralt returns after a short while, plopping down next to him on the bed.

"The innkeeper says we're welcome to stay as long as we like if you'll play for the other guests in the evenings."

"You know I'm always happy to entertain." Jaskier smiles but Geralt remains silent and his expression falls. "You'll miss them, won't you? Your brothers?"

"I don't see them every year," Geralt says but Jaskier knows he's dodging the question.

"What do you think they'll do then? Over the winter?"

"Eskel might already be up at the keep. He's sometimes early to help clear out the library. Lambert, I don't know. Last I heard he was travelling with someone, so maybe they'll spend the winter together."

Before he can think better of it, Jaskier reaches out, sliding his hand over Geralt's knee. Geralt's head jerks up to look at him, but he doesn't move.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Geralt. I'm sure they're holed up somewhere nice and warm and nowhere near the storm." Geralt gives him a look of disbelief, but Jaskier just smiles encouragingly.

As it turns out, they're both right. His brothers are holed up somewhere nice and warm for the winter. Or they were until the farmer whose barn they were sleeping in decided he'd had quite enough of the noise. Which is how, in the middle of Jaskier's set one night, he finds himself choking on his own words as three grouchy Witchers pile into the inn.

Geralt is upstairs, but Jaskier would know them anywhere. It's fairly hard to mistake a Witcher. He knows only two of them are Geralt's brothers, but he assumes the third is the one he mentioned was travelling with Lambert. As soon as he sees them, he jumps from his makeshift stage and hurries over to them.

"Gentlemen!" He cries, "we've been worried about you. Thought you might be lost in the storm somewhere." The attention of the entire inn is on them as Jaskier beams up at the men. The bigger of the three - Eskel, he thinks, judging by the scar - gives him an odd look, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Don't tell me you're Geralt's bard?" he asks.

"I am!" Jaskier exclaims and a knowing look settles over the witchers. "Come in," he says and ushers them into the main room and down the hall.

It's not until Jaskier has all of them in the room and is looking between Geralt and the other three that he realizes he's made a very big mistake. Yes, he was looking forward to meeting the other Witchers and spending the winter with them, but he was also looking forward to having some time alone with just Geralt which is certainly not going to happen with three other Witchers sharing their room.

If nothing else, at least it will be an interesting winter.

[ikeromantic]

Inspiration

Written for @green-tea-and-manga as part of my 500 follower celebration!

Arthur, Mind, Something Old, Cute and Sweet

Approx. 1200 words of fluffiness

Arthur glared at his typewriter. It was a modern Dactyle. Modern! He laughed. His grandfather wouldn’t have bothered with this mechanical monstrosity. The blasted thing was stuck again. Letters ‘N’, ‘E’, and ‘S’.

He wanted his last typewriter back. It was - would be - a slick Remington portable, in blue. The keys had a smooth, firm slide and didn’t blotch the page. But Comte hadn’t brought it back to the mansion after their deal and now he was stuck with . . . well, this thing.

“Aren’t you supposed to be writing?”

Arthur turned to the doorway with a grin. “I can think of some things I’d much rather do.” He waggled his eyebrows.

She laughed as expected. “I can see we aren’t making much progress here. Got writer’s block?”

“Something like that, luv.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Then I know just the thing.” She held her hand out to him.

Arthur accepted her hand and stood up. “Are we going some place then?”

“We are.” She grinned mischievously.

“Your room,” he asked hopefully.

She shook her head. “Not quite.”

“Then I’m quite flummoxed. Where else does a pretty skirt lead her lover to midday?” He wasn’t as confused as he let on. His lady love was wearing button leather boots and a skirt that fell short of her ankles. He had only to add that to the flush in her cheeks and the fluff of fur on her hem to deduce they were going outside and that Vic was sure to be a party to their little break.

He snagged a sunhat for her on the way out, holding it in his freehand until she’d led him down the steps. Arthur settled it over her hair and tied the ribbon under her chin.

“H-how did you know I’d need this?”

Arthur leaned close. “Just a guess. If I’m right, do I get a kiss?”

She giggled and pressed a warm kiss to his lips. It was as sweet and slow as the summer afternoon, and he never wanted it to end, but she pulled back to smile at him shyly. “Vic is running about without a leash. We should probably -”

“Ah yes. Sebastian was quite cross the last time Vic dug an extra hole in the flower bed.” He held his hand out to her. It wasn’t much of a mystery where the dog ran off to. Victoria had a penchant for the tulips, especially on hot days.

That’s where she was too. Rolling about in the dirt with the happiest look on her face.

“Oh Vic. You’ll need another bath now.”

Arthur laughed. “She’s always been a naughty little thing.” He helped get the pup leashed, brushing bits of dirt from her long hair.

“I thought she’d stay on the porch. I told her to stay.” She huffed a bit at the dog, but couldn’t stay angry. Vic was just too cute.

The three of them walked to the forest edge, where the leaves made patterns of light and shadow on the soft grass. Victoria jumped and snapped at passing june beetles and floating butterflies. And the two lovers held hands as they passed under the whispering boughs.

Arthur sat down at the edge of the creek that ran along one edge of le Comte’s lands. It was narrow here, and shallow. Perfect to cool off. “Come on my pretty bird. Let’s take a rest here.”

She sat down beside him. “I think you picked a good spot.”

“I was just following you,” he laughed.

“Well, I was just walking.”

Arthur started unlacing his shoes. “You mean to tell me you didn’t have a spot picked out? No destination?”

“No. I just thought it might help you to get out of the mansion for a little bit. When I was writing my blog, it always helped me to go for a walk. It cleared up my mind so I could focus on what I wanted to say.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Not that it’s the same thing, of course.”

She’d told him before what a blog was. Some sort of public journal. He found the notion fascinating, especially when she’d explained how there were many kinds of ‘blogs’ and ‘fandoms’ and ‘web-sites’ for people to read and engage the writer on. “Say,” he asked suddenly. “What kind of typewriter did you use for that blog? I imagine they only get better.”

“Well . . . most people don’t use typewriters in my time. They’re antiques. We have computers.” She grinned. “I think you’d like them. Information at the tip of your fingers, and no need to rewrite a page to make an edit.”

Arthur groaned. “To have such tools! You think we could talk le Comte into bringing one here the next time he uses the door?”

She laughed. “Probably not? I mean, you’d need the right kind of power supply and there’s no internet . . . I think you’ll just have to wait for it.”

“Blast. No short cuts, eh?” Arthur gave a wry chuckle. “I suppose there’s no help for it then.”

He regarded her from the corner of his eye. “Do you still write about your travels?”

She ducked her head, embarrassed. ”I just make some notes in a journal. Where we’ve been, stuff we’ve done.”

“I’d like to read it. Your blog too!”

He was rewarded with a wide-eyed look and a blush that spread from cheeks to ear-tip. “It’s . . . nothing special! You were there for most of it!”

Arthur shrugged. “It might inspire me. And teach me a bit more about you. The greatest mystery this hack author ever tried to solve.” He tapped her nose with a tip of his finger. “Now put your legs this way so I can help you with your boots.”

“What?” She wasn’t sure what part to reply to, but she did put her legs across his lap.

He ran his hand up her leg, caressing her calf. Arthur was sure she had the nicest legs of any skirt he’d ever chased. He undid the buttons and tugged off her socks, then set them next to his shoes.

“Did you mean that?”

Arthur grinned. “Of course I did, luv. Now put your feet in the water. It feels like a bit of heaven. There you go.”

She poked his arm. “That’s not what I meant. I mean the part where you said . . . I might inspire you?”

In that moment, she looked so vulnerable. Every bit the innocent rabbit he’d seen her as those first days at the mansion. “You inspire me every moment since you stepped through that door. I haven’t written a thing that wasn’t touched by you.” Arthur bit his lower lip, embarrassed by his confession but unable to stop the words. “You are always there, haunting my imagination. I worry sometimes . . . that I’ve dreamt you up. That you couldn’t possibly exist. And that I’ll wake and find you gone.” He stopped, realizing he said more than he intended.

She took his hand and settled it on her chest.

He could feel her racing pulse, the thundering gallop of that sweet and gentle heart.

“You didn’t dream me,” she told him. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

They sat like that for a long while, listening to the water as it rolled over stones. The song of birds in the nearby trees. Their mingled breath and the rhythm of two hearts in love.

[probably-not-a-rocketscientist]

calculated love and complicated confessions

summary: your time on cloverfield station has lead you to two conclusions: love is complicated and not everyone is who they seem

warnings: mutual pining, slight angst with a happy ending, mention of harm to others, one (1) german phrase that i'm pretty sure i butchered

a/n: did i write this all week when i should have been studying for my finals? yes. also, i saw this movie three years ago in chinese so i might have gotten some details wrong. english is not my first language so constructive criticism is encouraged. enjoy!

——

As an engineer, you knew the importance of trial and error. However, you did not expect for it to keep you in space for nearly three year with seven other scientist. You all found a sense of family with each other, but you couldn't help the need of being on earth grow every day.

One crew member you payed particularly close attention to was Ernst Schmidt. You noticed the little things about him; like how he would comb his fingers through his hair when it fell to his face because he insisted on keeping it long, or when he would curse in his native tongue when he got frustrated with his work.

After a while, the whole station seemed to have caught on to your fondness for Schmidt, except the physicist himself. He was oblivious to the constant teasing by the other crewmates, thinking it was only because of how close you two were as friends.

However, he wasn't the only clueless person on the station. You had failed to notice all the advances that Schmidt had made — like his hands lingering on to yours for a second more when they touched, or always insisting on being paired with you when you all were sent to do assignments throughout the deck. He found your presence to be intoxicating, but didn't push too far in fear that you didn't feel the same way.

—

The day before another test, you stayed in the dining room all night reviewing your calculations. You were almost positive that they were correct, but it would kill you if you were the one responsible for the accelerator being unsuccessful.

You were so focused on your work that you didn't notice how quiet the station was. You checked your wristwatch and it was well over midnight. Sleep wasn't a priority for you right now, but you knew you needed to be well rested for the test in a couple of hours.

Right as you were about to get up, Schmidt entered the room. His hair was messy and he was in sweatpants and a t-shirt. A pair of wire-framed glasses sat on his face, something he only wore when he forgot to put in his contacts — or in this case, retrieving an item from the kitchen at this ungodly hour. You forced yourself to look away, worried that you were starring at him for too long.

"Why are you still working? It's very late," he comments as he opens the refrigerator and grabs a bottle of water.

"I'm just nervous about tomorrow. We don't have a lot of firings left and I want to get this right," you responded.

"You've been working non-stop for the past month, I'm certain you will do just fine," he reassured with a smile. "And if not, I will take over your post."

"The last time I checked, I had one more PhD than you."

"I'll catch up eventually, you know."

He was fidgeting with his water bottle, unsure how to prolong this conversation. "Let me walk you back to your quarters, you need the sleep."

Without hesitation, you rose from your chair and began walking beside him. Walking through the halls of the station at night usually made you uneasy, but Schmidt's presence made it slightly more comfortable. The heavy clanking of your steel-toed work boots contrasted the light thumps of his sneakers.

After a few more paces, you arrived at your room. You punched in your passcode and the door slid open.

"Well, this is my stop. Thanks for making sure I got back safely," you joked.

"Of course," he responded.

You could tell that he was also tired so you didn't want to hold him for too long. "Goodnight Schmidt," you bid.

"Goodnight liebling," he responded. He began walking back to his own room before you could process what he said.

"What does that mean?" you questioned.

"You'll understand soon enough," he answered without looking back.

Even though you were confused by his response, you closed your door and locked it. Exhausted, you fell onto your mattress without taking your boots or jumpsuit off. Within a few seconds you felt your eyelids getting heavy and slipped into your sleep.

—

The control room was silent, worried that any movement or noise would cause the dial to turn in the unfavorable direction. The particle accelerator was fired less than a minute ago and the dial was slightly moving in between the red and green zones. This was first time the machine had been able to turn on and to have it successfully work would be nothing short of a miracle.

All of you held your breath as the dial began to turn again, this time in the green. Suddenly, it lowered significantly towards the safety levels.

It worked.

Cheers and laughter filled the room as you all celebrated the victory. After years of failures and dead-ends, the feeling of achievement was exhilarating.

—

You were thrown into chaos when you got back to earth. After the return shuttle landed in the Atlantic, a helicopter took you all back to mission control in London. Everyday consisted of either physical test to make sure the artificial gravity didn't have any negative effects on your body, or press conferences about how the eight of you solved the energy crisis. You couldn't turn on the news without some mention of the Shepard, but you were just glad to be home.

By the end of the month, you and the rest of the crew were burned out, both mentally and physically. You, Tam, Hamilton, and Mundy decided to stay in London and lead a team at mission control to monitor the Shepard's status. Kiel, Acosta, and Volkov were to return to their families and respective countries tomorrow. You hadn't heard much from Schmidt, but you assumed that he would return to his life in Germany. Since today was the last day all of you be together for a while, Hamilton decided to take you all to a pub downtown.

You watched the others play, or at least attempt to play, billiards closely from the bar. Your feet were aching so you decided to sit down but you were still actively encouraging them. After a couple rounds, Schmidt walked over towards you.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked politely.

"It's all yours," you gestured. He pulled out the stool and sat with his back facing the tabletop. You notice his outfit, a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of dark trousers. It was a change from his usual jumpsuit uniform and a polo shirt with jeans.

The two of you sat in silence for a while, letting the soft conversations of the pub fill the empty space between you. It was almost a bittersweet moment; one of the last moments you would spend together.

Almost as if he read your mind, he answered your thought. "I'm not going back to Germany," he said.

A sigh of relief rang through your head, but you still couldn't help but be curious about his decision. "Why not? You probably have hundreds of women lining up to be with the 'German man that saved the world'," you joked.

He was unresponsive to your comment as he gathered his thoughts. His demeaner changed and he shifted in his seat so that now he was facing you. "Can I make a confession?" he asked.

"Of course, Schmidt," you replied. Now you were worried that something was wrong. He wasn't one for serious conversations so you knew this was important.

"As you may know, my country has been trying to start a war with Russia for nearly a decade. When the Shepard was built, the government sent me as a spy to prevent it from working. I was suppose to send logs of my progress back to them, but I never did. The day before we activated the device, I received a transmission ordering me crash the station into the ocean with all crew member on board. If I go back to Germany, they will have me arrested for treason."

You were shocked by his words and couldn't think of anything to say. You knew that Schmidt would never betray the crew, and apparently the cost of that was being exiled from his own country.

He was now looking down on the floor, worried that he would see disappointment in your eyes if he looked up. "Can you please say something?" he pleaded.

"Why didn't you do it? You knew this was the result, yet you still made the sacrifice? Why?" you asked. You brought your hand to cup his face, tilting his gaze so he was now looking down at you. Your thumb ran over his cheek as an attempt to comfort him.

"I did it for you. And I would do it all again if it meant I could see your smile, even for just one more minute. I understand if you want nothing to do with me after today, but you deserve to know the truth."

It wasn't until now that you realized how close in proximity you were to him. You could smell the cologne he was wearing; citrus with a hint of firewood. Flammable items like fragrance and hairspray weren't allowed on the station, but you could still identify the scent as his own.

"I guess it's my turn to make a confession, right? To even things out," you half-whispered. You continued to move closer to him slowly, seeing if he showed any sign of resistance. His eyes were now fixed on your lips, and yours to his. Deciding to take the final step, you grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him down.

The kiss was slow but filled with passion, the result of bottled up feelings for the past three year. He tasted like cigarettes and tap beer, exactly how you imagined him. His hands traveled down to your waist and attempted to pull you in as close as he could from the awkward position you both were in. A small moan escapes your lips from the contact, a sound that he found to be his favorite.

You pull away moments later to catch a breath of air. His quick breathing was in sync with yours and you let out a slight laugh of relief.

The intimate moment was interrupted by cheering and whistling coming from the billiards table. It was a mix of 'finally's and 'about time's. Your crewmates had a habit of embarrassing you and apparently it applied to public spaces as well. You put your head on Schmidt's shoulder to try to shield yourself from them.

"Should we go over there and say something?" you asked. The lighting in the pub wasn't great, but you could've swore you saw Mundy hand Tam £20.

"In a minute. I want to savour this moment for as long as possible."

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch6: That Makes Two Of Us

Summary: Things heat up between Katie and Steve as their relationship progresses, but when Tony caches them out, he’s on the war path.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Warnings: Bad Language, Smut (dry humping, oral- male receiving) NSFW, 18+. and a VERY angry Big Brother...

A/N: One of my favourite chapters. Thank you to @angrybirdcr​ , its a pleasure to have your edits for the repostings!

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 5

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

End of May 2013

“For the one hundredth time, no, Tony I am NOT coming.” Katie groaned as she pulled up outside Steve’s apartment building “I have work to do.” “But the damned meeting is in DC!” Tony protested “Surely you can manage to spare an hour! You’re part of the board!” “You know full well that’s only to make sure that Starks maintain a controlling stake!”

“So basically what you’re saying is that you don’t care about our business.” Her brother’s voice took on a petulant tone. He could be such a child at times. “Stop being a dick.” She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose “Look, I’m busy with work, I can’t just drop everything you know just because you-” “Have you got a man on the go?” Tony asked suddenly, cutting her off “Because I’ve not seen you for weeks. Do I need to prep a Shovel Talk?” “Goodbye, Tony.” Katie cancelled the call before she stepped out of the car and headed to the lobby door.

In his apartment Steve was reading a proposal and groaning to himself. They wanted him to record videos to talk to high school kids about puberty, keeping fit, being in detention, not doing drugs…and he had agreed, just to shut them up mainly, but he was already regretting his decision. With a final wrinkle of his nose, he threw down the document he was looking at and was about to make himself a coffee when the buzzer to his apartment went off.

“Hey, Handsome.” Katie’s voice rang over the intercom and he smiled just as he always did when she called him that, a habit she’d slipped easily into over the last three weeks of dating, which had consisted of early morning breakfast meets on their way into work, stolen lunchtimes away from the office where they could hold hands with a slice or a burrito as they walked around the Mal, three more intimate evening meals at quiet restaurants and one trip to the cinema. That had been Steve’s favourite date so far, not just because it had been his first time in a movie theatre since the 40s, but more so that he he’d enjoyed the feel of her as she leaned into him when he’d put his arm round the back of her chair, sharing popcorn, stolen quick kisses on the lips in the dark as they sat on the back row in between their bursts of hysterical laughter at the film. They had gone to see the third and final instalment of the Hangover trilogy, which Katie had been ridiculously excited about. She loved those films and Steve had to admit he agreed they were pretty good, as all three had made him laugh in places until tears rolled down his face. Movie and TV nights in their apartments had also turned into something special too as they snuggled down together, sharing snacks and personal space along with deep kisses that left him wanting a lot more… “Hey Sweetheart, come on up.”

He waited for her by the door and felt his breath catch as she emerged onto the landing from the stairs. She was wearing a blue and white LA Dodgers T-shirt, which was tight and finished just above her hips and clung to her chest flashing a strip of her toned stomach, tight grey jeans which fit snug to her ass and black baseball boots. Steve had seen her in all sorts of clothing items- jeans, tops, dresses…but never like this.

And fuck, she looked hot.

“Hi!” She greeted him with a huge smile and a gentle kiss, standing on her toes to meet his lips, before she stepped into the apartment and headed into the living room. Spotting the file on the coffee table she picked it up.

“What’s this?” She asked, opening it.

“A proposal from Fury. I’m going to be doing some videos, for high school kids..phys-ed classes that kinda thing.” “Videos?” “Yeah, apparently they get Celebrities to do them normally but they thought they’d use me this time.” Steve shrugged. “You’re not some kind of performing monkey they can trot out when they want.” She winkled her nose in distaste as she remembered those awful USO videos as she thumbed through the file. 

Steve smiled at her indignation on his behalf. “It’s only a couple of videos.” he assured her. 

“Hmm.” she dropped the file with disdain onto the table “Anyway, enough about that. You busy?” “When it comes to spending time with you? Never.”

“Oh that was smooth, Captain Badass!” She smirked and he gave her a quick shrug and a smile.

“What you got in mind?”

Grinning like a Cheshire cat she pulled out what looked like two tickets from her back pocket and suddenly it became apparent why she was dressed as she was.

“Are we…no, you’re kidding?” Steve couldn’t help the childish grin which flickered across his face “Baseball?” *****

“Oh what?” Katie cried out, jumping to her feet as the umpire made an atrocious decision for what felt like the 100th time, turning to Steve in disgust. “Is this guy blind or just really fucking dumb?”

Steve let out a snort, leaning back in his seat with his hand gesturing to the field. “Blind, he has to be. No one can be that stupid. I mean he’s been calling bad ones all game.”

Katie angrily dropped to her chair and Steve gestured to the vendor for two more beers. He passed one to Katie who hesitated as she took it.

“I bought the car.” She said, looking at him.

“Sweetheart,” he leaned over, kissing her cheek, “ridiculously fast metabolism, remember? I can’t get drunk. I’ll drive home…”

He handed over his money, waved away the little bit of change he would have received before he turned back to his girl who was pouting at him.

“The last time you drove Rainey you didn’t respect her. You drove her through a fuck tonne of puddles.”

“Doll, it’s a…”

“Er, she.” Katie looked at him. “She is not an it…”

Steve rolled his eyes. She was ridiculously attached to her Range Rover. He had to admit, as far as cars went it was pretty damned nice both to be driven in and to drive. White with black wheels and windows, and every gadget in it known to man. Mind you, he expected nothing else from the Starks.

“Ok, she is a damned four by four…” He raised an eyebrow for her. “They’re supposed to go off roading, so what’s a few puddles?”

“Off roading?” Katie spluttered, her eyes wide. “No! You’re so not driving her ever again.”

“Fine I’ll drink both of these then.” He shrugged, moving to take the beer he’d handed her back, and she moved it out of his reach, glaring at him. The desire to drink and have fun won out over protecting her car from a haphazard Captain who was on the sly a bit of a speed demon and probably never actually completed any kind of driving lesson in his life, let alone a test. She dug into her pocket and handed over her keys.

“One scratch and you’re a dead man.” She narrowed her eyes playfully.

“I’ll take good care of her.” He said solemnly, putting the keys into his pocket.

As the game progressed, despite his protestations that the LA Dodgers just weren’t his team, he found himself rooting for them and he was getting more and more frustrated at the current batters method. The guy was swinging it around with more force than Thor wielded his hammer and it wasn’t working. But just as Steve was about to let out another cry of frustration, the bat suddenly connected with the ball, and it was a good hit. Both Steve and Katie got to their feet shouting for the players to speed up and go for home. When they made it the pair both let out a loud cheer, and Steve hugged Katie, grinning wildly. At that moment, stood there, surrounded by strangers but with the girl who made him feel so grounded, he had never felt so normal since coming out of the ice, and he loved it. 

The rest of the innings passed far too fast, but at the end of the game, the Dodgers won, much to Katie’s delight. They joined the throng of people streaming out of the stadium hand in hand and Steve, still grinning like an idiot felt Katie tug on his hand.

“Shall we head for a drink?” She asked as he looked at her.

He nodded, tilting the peak of her cap back slightly and giving her a quick peck on the lips. “Sounds great.” And it was a great idea. Until they parked up, walked into the sports bar and spotted half of STRIKE in there round a table.

“Turn around.” Katie hissed with a groan and, just as they were about to do so, Rumlow yelled from the bar.

“Hey Cap, Nova…”

“Too late.” Steve muttered as Katie rolled her eyes and turned round.

“Fancy seeing you here!” Rumlow smiled and Katie shrugged.

“Yeah, small world, huh?”

“You want a beer, Cap?” Rumlow gestured to the bar and Steve nodded.

“Sure, thanks.”

“Stark, what do you…woah, what is this shit?” Rumlow pointed at her shirt and it didn’t escape Steve’s notice that the man’s gaze was lingering far too long on her boobs. He took a deep inhale, his fists clenching in his pockets as Katie let out a scoff.  

“This shit just kicked the Nationals asses!” she responded, jabbing Rumlow in his chest.

“Whatever man!” Rumlow shook his head. “Fucking Dodgers…” They didn’t have much option then but to join the rest of the team. Rumlow took the opportunity to eyeball Katie at every given opportunity and it was really starting to piss Steve off. At one time Katie looked up and caught Steve simply glaring at Rumlow, and in an attempt to keep him calm she gently squeezed his knee under the table. Steve was glad when it was his round, giving him an excuse to leave the table, Evans following to give him a hand.

“Enjoy your date?” Thee ginger haired man looked at Steve with a smirk.

“What?” Steve replied, a little too quickly. “I saw you and Stark kissing.” Evans popped a shoulder. “Outside the stadium. Don’t worry, no one else did.” Steve let out a sigh. It wasn’t like they were doing anything wrong, but he knew that Tony didn’t know yet and the pair of them were simply enjoying the early stages of a new relationship on their own before the inevitable tornado of interest hit once they did go public. Glancing at Katie who was talking to Rollins and Rumlow at their table, he turned back to Evans and dropped his voice slightly.

“We’re not deliberately keeping it from everyone, it’s just early days, don’t want everyone sticking their noses in, get what I’m sayin’?” “Secret’s safe with me.” Evans nodded. “Although I suspect it won’t be a secret for much longer if Rumlow keeps eye fucking your girl.”

Steve let out a snort as he took his change from the bar tender. “He’s a pain in the ass.” “Yeah well do me a favour, Cap.” Evans chuckled, picking up three of the glasses “When you do eventually snap and beat on him, make sure I’m there. Been waiting for someone to smack the shit outta him for years.”

****

Later that evening the coffee table at Katie’s apartment sported a number of empty plates, which had previously contained several frozen pizzas, and a good quantity of empty beer bottles. Katie was happily snuggled under Steve’s arm, curled against him and he was enjoying the closeness and comfortable silence that had fallen over them as they watched another ‘Game of Thrones’ episode. Katie had gotten him hooked on the fantasy programme and promised not to watch any of the latest season until he had caught up on the last two. As the episode finished he felt her stir and he didn’t want her to move, thankfully she didn’t too far, simply shifting her head slightly.

“So I never asked if you enjoyed yourself” She asked, looking up at him.

“Doll, it was amazing. Thank you.” “We should go more often” She mused “I haven’t seen a game live in years but I really enjoyed it.”

“You know what I didn’t enjoy?” He looked down at her, the soft light from the lamp illuminating her pretty face, highlighting the freckles spattered across her nose. “Sitting in that bar with Rumlow watching him looking at you.”

“Aww were you jealous?” She teased, sitting up.

“Not at all.” He shook his head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he recalled what Evans had said at the bar “Just don’t appreciate him eye fucking my girl.”

She let out a large snort before she looked at him, as her brain registered what he had just said.

“Your girl?” Her tone was teasing but the look in her eyes told him she was anything but, in fact she looked almost nervous. “Is that what I am?”

Steve hesitated, realising that he’d never actually asked her that question before. Was three weeks too soon? He had no idea. To him it wasn’t, he’d been waiting to be able to call her his for months now, but was he outside of modern day dating etiquette?

He looked at her and took a deep breath, before he swallowed and spoke quietly, the nerves making his stomach flip slightly. “Well I’m kinda hoping you wannabe. I mean, if it’s not too soon.”

“It’s not too soon, it’s not too soon at all.” She whispered as she looked back at him, her features soft, eyes alive in the dim light of the lamp. “Stevie, I already am.”

And that was it, his lips crashed onto hers and he was kissing her like he’d been wanting to kiss her all day, his arm curling tighter round her, pulling her close. Katie took the initiative, every inch of her body was on fire for him, and she wrapped her arms round his neck and pulled him down as she fell slowly backwards, sinking into the couch. The movement came as a not-entirely unwelcome surprise to Steve and he didn’t resist. Automatically his hands crept to her hips, settling just under the hem of her top as she placed both hands on his face, the pads of her finger tips cupping his jaw. She broke away this time to breathe, head laying back on the arm of the couch and he dropped his head, pausing his lips inches from her neck.

“Can I kiss you here?” He whispered softly. .

“God, yes.” Katie sighed and he obliged, pressing his mouth to her neck. He gripped her hips again and they gave a little jerk of their own accord, pushing up against him and they she let out a soft moan at the feeling of his crotch bumping against hers. At the noise Steve pulled back to stare at her again, almost as if he was needing her permission to carry on. Katie wordlessly answered by tilting her hips up again, causing him to give a little grunt as she did so, before he took a deep breath and swallowed.

“Doll, I don’t want to rush you or do anything-”

“It’s okay Steve,” Her voice was low and slightly breathy as she looked at him, her eyes, locking onto his. She wanted this, more than she’d wanted anything before. She pushed her head upwards, lips pressing back to his and her hands slid under his t- shirt. His muscles twitched at her touch as the sensation of her gently dragging her nails across his stomach sent a spike of desire, like a red hot poker through his entire body. At that point, something snapped inside him and he let out a growl and Katie paused, hands still on his stomach.

“Did you just growl at me?” Her eyes flashed, dark, a smirk on her face. She was enjoying the effect she had on him, and right now so was he.

“Yeah.” he nodded, simply.

Her smirk grew wider as she grasped the bottom of his T-shirt. He held his arms up so she pull it over his head, and once he was free, he glanced down to see Katie looking at his chest.

She’d never seen him topless before and she was momentarily stunned. She let her hands wander, tracing the lines of the flowing muscles and Steve let out another groan wanting to feel her skin against his. He interrupted her hands exploration by gripping her top and looked back at her, ever questioning. As means of an answer she moved her arms and sat up slightly to allow him to yank it up and off, her hair falling around her shoulders, his lips catching hers as he gently slipped one strap of her bra down at a time placing a soft kiss on each of her shoulders. Her breasts spilled over the tops of the lace lined cups and his groin twitched, the crotch of his jeans now painfully tight.

“You’re beautiful.” He whispered gently, and then he kissed her again. Her fingers gently took his hands and she guided them onto her, sliding them up her rib cage to her chest and he obliged, boy did he oblige. Gently at first, softly squeezing and kneading the soft flesh and white lace, before his hand slid into the cups, teasing her taught nipples with his thumbs, acting completely on instinct, listening and watching her as she groaned gently, arching her back, her reaction telling him he was doing something right as all the time his groin bumped against hers.

Katie could feel the fabric of her underwear sliding in her jeans with every thrust of his hips against hers, that’s how wet she was. Steve was rocking hard against her and she buried her fingers in his hair, pulling sharply, forcing his head back, almost violently. As she tugged he let out another low growl and when she let go he stared down at her to see her smirking as she watched him, his pupils blown so wide there was hardly any blue left.

The rhythm of his hips was growing more frantic and their kisses were growing more desperate. “More,” she moaned into his mouth, and he gave her what she wanted, moving his hips even faster, rubbing against her in ways that had her clutching at his back like her life depended on it. Steve had never felt anything like this in his life. It was so good, so right, in a way nothing had ever felt so right before. This was a first for him, rutting up against someone fully clothed. Making out, Bucky had called it, but none of Steve’s bedroom experiences had ever entailed anything like this, and God, his head was a whirl of lust, desire, and he didn’t give a fuck about anything else at that moment other than her as she lay underneath him.

He started to lose his rhythm and he let out another groan as the tell-tale tightening across his lower stomach warned him he was fast approaching his release. This was too soon, he needed to get her there first. Clenching his teeth he desperately fought back the high as he pushed his hips down hard, making her gasp and claw at his back.

“Sweetheart, I’m close.” He breathed. “You almost there? Tell me your close baby, please?”

He needn’t have worried, at his words it was all she could do to moan brokenly and nod and his mouth fell to that spot on her neck which seemed to drive her wild. She tipped her head back as he gently nipped beneath her ear with his teeth and a few more thrusts of his hips against hers and she was done, fingers wrapped around his hair as the lights exploded in front her eyes and she felt the coil in her stomach unravelling as she came hard underneath him, hips bucking upwards, almost violently. Her voice was broken as she gasped out “Stevie…”and it was the single most beautiful sound he’d ever heard in his life. Her name for him, the name that no-one in this day and age called him other than her, tumbled from her lips and seeing and feeling her fall apart in his arms sent him over the edge right behind her in a pure surge of ecstasy. He fell forward, his arms shaking as he fought to keep his body up, not wanting to crush her under his weight. His head dropped forward, as he lowered himself ever so gently onto his elbows, his face pressing into the crook of her shoulder and she gently ran her fingers through his hair as they both breathed deeply as they waited to regain control of their bodies. Eventually both of them evened out and he raised his head to look at her, to find her smirking a little, her eyes twinkling with what looked like humour.

“What?” He managed to ask, his nose sliding against hers.

“I haven’t dry humped since I was about sixteen.” she said closing her eyes again with a smirk.

“Dry humped?” He snorted. “What-“

She laughed “Dry humping, making out, whatever. It’s been a while, Rogers.”

He felt himself chuckle again and she pressed a soft kiss to his lips, one of her hands running up and down his spine causing the muscles to gently twitch at her touch, neither of them in a hurry to move, but Steve’s arms were starting to hurt.

“You ok?” Katie looked at him, seeing the tension in his muscles and he nodded.

“Yeah, just, my arms.”

“Lay down.” Her hands moved to his biceps, gently trailing shapes on his skin.

“Doll, I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“I’m not made of glass, handsome. I promise you, it’ll be fine.”

Steve licked his lips and with a deep breath he lowered himself down gently, shifting and moving lower, pressing as little of himself to her as he could, despite the fact he could have happily smothered her to feel her body pressed against this. He closed his eyes and lay his head gently on her chest as she carded one hand through his hair, the other softly trailing down his neck and across his shoulders. Her touch was soothing, relaxing, loving even, and h felt himself beginning to doze off.

Katie was also growing sleepy, so she gently kissed his head and whispered a single word to him.

“Stay?”

It was a question to him, an invitation to stay with her that she was desperately hoping he’d take up.

He opened his eyes to blink lazily up at her. “Do you want me to?” he asked, his voice thick.

She nodded, “Let’s go to bed.”

He made to stand before he remembered his trouser predicament having just shot his load into them like a pubescent teenager and stilled, his cheeks flushing even more.

“I uh…I think I need to…”

“There’s some stuff of Tony’s in the spare room.” she said, looking at him cutting him off knowing exactly what the problem was because she was also in need of a clean-up “Should be a pair of sweats in there. Might be a bit short on you but…”

With another soft kiss, he pushed himself up off the couch before offering her his hand. She took it and he pulled her up, a little more forcefully than he had intended and she fell forwards, crashing into his chest.

“Steady on Soldier.” She grinned and he apologised, dropping a kiss to her forehead as his gaze once more dropped to her chest. With a certain glint in her eye she turned around, undid her bra and slipped it off before bending over in front of him, picking up his T-shirt from where she’d tossed it to the floor before heading over to the stairs.

Steve was hard again like it had never left.

After he had cleaned himself up and managed to calm himself down, he thrown on a pair of Tony’s sweatpants retrieved from the spare room and exited the main bathroom, heading to her room. She wasn’t asleep as he found out as he settled down in the bed next to her, and she moved to rest her head on his bare chest tangling her legs into his as his hand stroked her back, gently underneath his T’shirt, light fingers brushing her soft skin.

“This is mine…” He teased with a yawn as he tugged at the bottom of his shirt and she moved laying a soft kiss onto his lips.

“You can have it back tomorrow.” She said, laying her head back down on his chest. As her breathing grew even he felt himself start to drift off too, the warm feeling in his chest made him want to burst with happiness.

*****

When Steve woke the next morning it was peacefully. Katie had shifted positions through the night and now her back was to him pressed as close as she could get, he still had his arms around her, his face buried in her hair. She smelt so familiar and comfortable. As his sleepy brain reminded him of the previous night he smiled and felt a familiar twitch. He was hard, again, which wasn’t uncommon when waking up, but suddenly he felt her stir, and then he realised with horror that she was going to feel him poking her in the back.

It took Katie a few seconds to recall the night before, but when she felt a solid, warm wall of muscle pressed against her, a small hum of contentment rumbled in her throat as she pushed back further into him. They both lay there for a moment, silently, basking in the warmth and softness of each other before Katie turned over and looked up at him. Her face was devoid of any make up, not that she wore a lot anyway, but her freckles were more pronounced, clear skin was bright, cheeks flushed and her hair was tousled in waves around her shoulders. He reached out to tuck a long strand that had fallen over her cheek behind her ears, when she looked up at him, her eyes glinting.

He was about to wish her good morning, but before he could she kissed him, hard and fast, tongue tangling with his. And then she was straddling him, his head against the pillow, as her lips began to trail down his chest. By the time his sleep and lust addled brain had caught up with what was going on, she had reached her destination and had flipped the waist band of the sweats he was wearing down, taking his erection firmly in one hand, making him hiss slightly.

His size had taken Katie slightly by surprise, although she knew with retrospect it shouldn’t have. She looked up and locked eyes with him before she gave him one final smirk and took him in her mouth. Steve panicked for a second, this had never happened to him before, his hands flying to the bed sheets either side of his waist, but it wasn’t for long, as all worry flew out of his mind as she began to work him.

From the noises he was making Katie knew he was enjoying himself. Which was her aim. After a short while, she pulled off of him to suck at the tip and worked her hands over the rest of his length. When she glanced up at him, he had his head thrown back against the pillow, face contorted in utter pleasure. She continued to lick, suck, and when she pulled away slightly to suck at the sensitive tip, working the rest of his length with her hands he let out a loud groan and he looked at her. Her eyes locked onto his and he felt that tell-tale warmth rising in his groin and stomach.

“Katie, sweetheart, shit.” His voice was raspy from desire and the fact it was morning and Katie was beyond aroused at the sound as he babbled the first words either of them had spoken since waking. “I’m gonna-” his words caught in his mouth as she took him in hers again, this time all the way to the back of her throat. At that, he was gone, his fingers gripped her hair tight the other clutched at the bedsheets, noises escaping him that he’d never heard before as he spilled himself down her throat and slumped back completely blissed out.

Katie rolled onto her side watching, as he finally opened his eyes and looked down at her.

“Morning, Handsome.”  She grinned and he felt himself chuckle.

“Morning, Gorgeous.” he said, still fighting to control his breathing.

“You want breakfast?” She asked, leaning over to peck him on the lips. He hummed a response and she smiled once more before climbing out of bed. Steve watched her head into the bathroom and found himself thinking that as far as mornings went, he’d had worse.

She emerged a few moments later, her hair slightly less wild, and she was still in his T-shirt, which fell to midway down her toned thighs, giving him a better look at that intriguing tattoo that adorned her right which he still hadn’t seen in full properly. She flashed him a smile, fully aware he was looking her up and down, and then she left without a word, clearly with no intentions of getting dressed fully yet. Which was fine by him.

Katie turned the radio on and set about making coffee, singing softly to herself as she replaced the filter paper. She tossed in a liberal amount of Columbian Roast and was just pouring two mugs when Steve, who was now out of bed, appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. She smiled at him and slid a mug of the coffee over the island where the creamer and sugar already lay waiting and he took it with a thanks.

“How hungry are you?” she asked and he arched an eyebrow over the top of the mug and she gave a laugh. “Sorry, dumbass question. Fancy pancakes and fruit?”

“Don’t got to any trouble, Doll.” He began to protest but she shook her head.

“It’s no bother, I can whip up a batter in five minutes.”

Turning away from him, she reached up into the cupboard for the flour and the T-shirt she was wearing rode up slightly giving Steve a perfect view of her ass which was clad in black lace panties. The fraying tendrils of self-control he had been holding onto snapped completely and stood up from the stool he’d been perched on, right hand still clutching his coffee. He rounded the island in three long strides and placed the mug down on the counter beside her, his hands falling to her hips and he gently spun her to face him. She giggled slightly before his lips met hers and he reached down and cupped her ass in both hands picking her up easily and setting her down on the counter.

“Something got you worked up Captain?” She teased, looking up at him. Last night had clearly unlocked something in the Soldier, and she was liking what she was seeing, and feeling.  

“Yeah, the sight of you wearing nothing but a pair of panties and my t-shirt…” He said raising an eyebrow as he reached for his mug again, taking another drink, trying to play it cool. But it wasn’t working clearly, as she simply laughed and slid both arms around his neck as she leaned in to kiss him again. His free hand slid to her thigh, tracing a path up until, just as he had reached the bottom of her panties, they were interrupted by the sound of the lift doors opening.

“Hey Kiddo, you in?” Steve and Katie exchanged a look, utter horror spreading from Steve’s head to his toes as Tony’s voice hit his ears.

“Kiddo?” he shouted again. “I can smell coffee, you in the kitchen?”

“Shit…” Katie said as she gently pushed Steve backwards, jumping down from the counter, adjusting the T-shirt. Steve was now a shade of crimson pretty much from his neck upwards as he desperately tried to rearrange his pants to hide his once more ebbing arousal. She debated telling Steve to hide in the bedroom but there was no way he’d get across the open plan living space to the stairs without Tony seeing him.

They were well and truly caught.

As she clocked the utter horror on Steve’s face she was suddenly overcome with giggles at how ridiculous the entire situation was. A super soldier and a SHIELD agent, both of them having faught aliens, deadly terrorists and weapons traders, were stood in her kitchen panicking about being busted fooling around by her brother.

“So, the damned board meeting was cancelled which would have been fine had I not already been on the jet over, so I thought seeing as I now in town with nothing to do we could hang for the day or if you’re too busy at least have breakfast…” Tony’s voice was getting louder as he walked through the apartment.

Steve looked at her in utter astonishment as she began to laugh now because frankly he couldn’t think of a single thing that was funny about this situation if he tried. Her laughter didn’t stop even as her brother walked into the kitchen, his brown eyes flashing from his sister to Steve and their various state of undress, a look of utter horror on his face as he processed the implications.

“Oh you have gottta be fucking kidding me…” Tony muttered, dropping the box he was carrying onto the kitchen counter. “Please tell me there’s a perfectly innocent explanation for this…” “Explanation yes, innocent…not so much.” Katie said through her laughter and Steve let out a groan. This was not how he wanted Tony to find out.  “Don’t you know how to buzz Dickwad, before just walking into my apartment?”

“I have a key…” “For emergencies…” she shot back. “Stop changing the subject.” Tony demanded his eyes flashing dangerously and Katie folded her arms and tilted her chin up defiantly.

“Look, this isn’t a big deal, Tony…”

“No, this…this is a very big deal…” he snapped back as he looked from her to Steve, every line on his face was contorted with anger and shock.

Steve took a deep breath and placed his mug down on the side. “Tony…” he began trying to placate the billionaire but he was cut off.

“What, you gonna tell me this aint what it looks like?” he shook his head. “That Captain America isn’t banging my little sister? I might be like nearly 60 years younger than you old man but I wasn’t born yesterday.”

Steve took a breath, his nostrils flaring at Tony’s snipe.

“Tony, I’m 29 next week, I can do what or who I like” Katie snapped at him “And besides you’ve no room to talk, the amount of times I’ve walked in on you and whichever bimbo you decided to bring home that night…”

“That is completely different!” Tony spluttered.

“No it isn’t” she shot back, hands going to her hips.

Tony’s eyes locked onto hers, before he looked back at Steve who held his gaze evenly, before the dark haired man shook his head and looked at the super soldier.

“Can you go and put some clothes on please, frankly the amount of flesh on show is disturbing me.” “Well I would but your sister is still wearing my shirt.” Steve shot back, his temper rising. Tony gave another growl and then he stopped, open mouthed.

“Are those my sweats?” He spluttered, his voice practically a squeak.

“Yes.” Katie replied simply, and at that point she grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him out of the room and up the stairs. The initial humour she had found in the situation had ebbed away and now she was livid at her brother.

“He is…” she started, opening the various drawers to pull out a hooded top. Taking Steve’s T-shirt off, as she threw it over the bed to him. “The biggest hypocrite going…”

“To be fair I can kinda see it from his point of view…” Steve said shrugging on his T-shirt and making a point of averting his eyes as she strode over to her dresser, naked bar her panties.

She pulled on a hoody and narrowed her eyes at Steve. “Don’t defend him…”

He chuckled and crossed the room, walking round the bed. “I’m not.” he placed a peck on her lips “But I do think that I should go, let you talk to him alone…”

“Yeah, probably for the best…” she breathed out a sigh and followed him down the stairs where he retrieved his sneakers.

“Wait, do you wanna take my car or…” He gestured up and down his body, and she took in his trainers, slightly too short joggers and a T-shirt “Nah, Baby Girl, I’ll run.” She smiled at the term of endearment that he hadn’t used before then, as he dropped a kiss to her cheek.

“I’ll call you later.” He promised, before disappearing in the elevator.

Katie took a deep breath and walked back into the kitchen. Tony eyed her from where he was leaning against the counter, mug of coffee in his hand.

“Don’t start.” Katie warned him, to no avail

“Oh I’m gonna!” Tony spat, before he paused and looked around “Where is the Star Spangled Ass-hole?”

“Gone home.” Katie folded her arms.

Tony snorted “I bet he has…” “You know I don’t remember me reacting like this every time you brought a girl home, which from my recollection happened quite a lot.” Katie sniped back, as she walked to where he was stood by the coffee pot and reached round him to pour herself a fresh mug.

“That..that was different…” Tony stammered at her back as she walked to the counter for the creamer.

“How so?”

“Because, well, it’s him…” he whined “I mean, seriously? Of all the men in the world…”

“Yeah because the last one worked out so great…” Katie said sarcastically, replacing the carton down with a slightly harsh action, causing some to spill over the top.

The room fell silent bar the chink of the spoon on the edge of her pink unicorn mug as she stirred in sugar and milk. She took a sip of her drink and turned to face her brother who was hunched over the counter slightly, eyes on his mug. Eventually he straightened up and met his sister’s eyes before he spoke again, this time his voice was softer.

“How long?” he asked,

“Three weeks, give or take.”

“Three weeks, and I’m only just finding out?” “Yes, Tony.” she groaned, with the air of someone talking to a small child “And your reaction is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

To be fair, Steve was right. It wasn’t an ideal way for him to find out, but she knew the reaction from Tony wasn’t about her being caught, it was about her being caught with Steve. The two men got on okay, which hadn’t always been the case, but after the battle of New York Steve had spent a lot of time with them both at the tower. Tony was still a little reserved with Steve, more so due to the fact that Captain America was someone their dad had idolised but, whilst the two men were immensely different, there was a mutual respect between them and Katie was hoping now that that was going to be enough for Tony to be reasonable about the situation.

“Please don’t kick off about this. I care about him, a lot.” She said gently, looking at her brother, appealing to his better nature and the fact that she knew he would want her to be happy.

And sure enough, that was exactly what Tony asked as he looked at her.

“Does he make you happy?”

“More than anything.” she replied honestly. “I really like him Tony, I want this to work.”

Tony studied her face for a moment before he let out a deep sigh, looking away. “Damned it.” He groaned “I can’t believe I’m going to have to have the Shovel Conversation with Captain America.”

In the silence that followed Katie debated pointing out that Steve wouldn’t be frightened in the slightest of Tony’s various threats anyway, but who was she to rob her brother of his opportunity to try and protect her?  Instead she placed her mug on the counter and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Tony who sighed again and reciprocated the gesture.

“Suppose he is an improvement on Agent Shitweasel” he said, resting his chin on her head.

“That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement.” she snorted.

*****

Steve was reading a book in his lounge when Katie messaged him later that afternoon. Apparently Tony had calmed down enough to take her for lunch at some Italian place in the Business District following which they’d had a walk round the city together before Tony had left to go back to New York. Steve was pleased, he knew that despite the fact that he drove her insane at times, she loved the bones of her brother which was why his reaction before had pissed her off. He messaged back, telling her he was glad she’d had a good time and that he would call her later before he picked his book back up, but he’d only managed another chapter or so before there was a buzz on his intercom.

“Rogers, it’s me.”

Steve sighed “Come on up.”

He wasn’t surprised Tony was on his doorstep, he’d been half expecting it. And, judging from the lack of stupid nickname, no Spangles, no Capsicle, no Old Man, he wasn’t here to exchange pleasantries. A fact that was confirmed when Stark didn’t wait for Steve to invite him in, he simply pushed past the door into his flat and stalked inside, glancing around.

“You can tell Kiddo helped you decorate and furnish this gaff, far too modern to be your doing. There’s no Dig for Victory posters or wind up radios…” Tony said, causing Steve to roll his eyes “Holy shit, is that an original Dekka?”

“Katie said you’d like that” Steve watched the inventor cross the room and run his hands across the sleekness of the record player’s casing. “But I have a feeling you didn’t come here to admire my music equipment.”

“Perceptive” Tony turned to face him, his eyes flashing. Steve took a deep breath.

“Tony, I…” “No, you don’t get to talk, you get to listen. And you better listen good.” the billionaire cut him off “Katie was heartbroken when Agent Shitweasel did the dirty on her. She came home and I held her as she cried herself to sleep for 2 goddamned weeks before she shipped out to New Mexico… ”

“Tony…”Steve began, knowing already where this conversation was going. He wanted to assure Tony that he would never do what Ward had done, ever. But Tony ignored him.

“I hated him.” Tony said “he was an absolute dickhead with her at times and she changed because of it.  And then, after New York she seemed to go back to being her old self. She was laughing, socialising…and that was down to you” Tony looked at the Super Soldier, who cocked his head slightly to the right as he listened, a small smile tugging at his lips “ She had a friend, something she hasn’t had much time for since my little sioree in an Afghan cave, my bad, and for the first time in ages I can see she’s over it, you know…” he took a deep breath and Steve waited for him to finish “But Katie puts her heart into everything, and I gotta ask Cap, is this serious for you or you just after getting your dick wet?”

“What? No, of course it’s serious for me Tony…” Steve said, his temper flaring slightly at his crass tone. “I can’t believe you think that little of me that you had to even ask me that!”

“Oh get off your high horse, Rogers!” Tony shook his head, and Steve raised his eyebrows “This has nothing to do with what I think of you, this is about my sister…you know the girl I brought up from the age of 7.  The girl I couldn’t love any more if she was my own. I’d die for her you got that? Die for her!”

“Well that makes 2 of us!” Steve said loudly, silencing the other man. There was a moment where no sound was heard in the apartment bar the ticking of the clock on the wall and Tony raised his eyebrows slightly as Steve looked down at the floor taking a deep breath.

“Look, I know you’re not happy about this…” Steve sighed, looking at Tony again “But do I care about her Tony, more than you know, and nothing you do or say to me is gonna change that.”

Tony’s eyes softened, but his jaw remained set. Steve took a deep breath and wet his lips before he continued.  “And, for what it’s worth, I think you did a damned good job of raising her. She’s an incredible woman.”

“She’s a pain in the ass…” Tony sniffed, Steve was glad to hear his tone was less confrontational “And she’s stubborn, always thinks she knows best…”

“Wonder where she gets that from?” Steve said cheekily

“Absolutely no idea” Tony deadpanned back.

Steve’s face cracked into a smile as did Tony’s.

“Look.” Tony sighed, “I just want her to be happy and with someone that treats her right…”

“I don’t ever want to hurt her, Tony. You have my word…” Steve said, honestly.

“Good, because if you do, make no mistake I will fucking kill you, slowly and painfully and there will be no defrosting 70 years down the line.” Tony’s brown eyes flashed slightly as he stared at Steve, And Steve knew, absolutely 100% that he meant it. He was surprised to find himself slightly unnerved by the threat. Hoping that his face didn’t give him away her merely nodded and then Tony’s demeanour changed completely and he turned back into the Tony Stark that Steve knew, and had to admit quite liked after all.

“Good, this was a good talk…” Tony said, clapping Steve on the shoulder.

Steve smiled as the weight he hadn’t even realised he’d been carrying was lifted off his shoulder. Having Tony’s, albeit grudging, approval would mean the world to Katie, and if he was honest, it meant a lot to him as well. Not only was Tony his friend also, but he was the closest thing Katie had to a father, and he wanted him to be alright with the fact the two of them were together.

He offered the man a coffee which he politely declined, stating he needed to get back to New York. The two shook hands on the threshold of Steve’s door before Tony gave him one last look, raising his index finger and middle finger of his right hand to his eyes, before turning them to point at Steve in an “I’m watching you” gesture. Steve raised his eyebrows in understanding and felt his mouth tug upwards at the side as Tony turned on his heels and left.

He retreated back to his living room and pulled out his phone.

“Hey Badass” Katie greeted and Steve chuckled.

“I’ve just had a visitor.” Katie groaned into the phone as he sat back on his couch

“Let me guess… my darling brother turned up to give you the shovel talk?” her tone was exasperated. “No mention of a shovel, just threatened to kill me slowly and painfully if I hurt you, and you know what? I have absolutely no qualms about the fact he would.” Steve grinned as he spoke.

“Don’t tell me Captain America is scared of Iron Man?” she questioned playfully. “No, Steve Rogers is slightly disconcerted by Tony Stark.” He corrected as she let out a chuckle.

“Best make sure you don’t hurt me then aint ya?” “I’ve no intentions of doing doll.” He said, honestly before he let out a breath, smiling “I really enjoyed last night.”

“And this morning?”

“Yeah, another first.” He said, unable to stop the smirk on his face spreading into his voice “I’ve never, errr, had a woman use her mouth on me before…or vice versa for that matter.”

“I like being your first.” she said softly and his chest warmed at her words.

“You know what else was a first? Waking up next to my girl.”

There was a pause before she replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

“And you know what else I like? You calling me your girl.”

A shit eating grin crept back across the Captains face. “Well, you better get used to it, Doll.”

**** Chapter 7

**Original Posting**

[chuuulip]

Another Earth

Pairing: August Walker (werewolf) x Female Reader (red ridding hood)

Warning: 18+, PWP, Oral (M and F receiving), Unprotected Sex, Multiple Orgasm, Slightly ABO Universe, Rough Sex

Words: 7434

Summary: After a failed attempt to sign up for the Halloween haunted house to meet your Superman, the last minute ticket turned your night upside down as you were stuck in another earth.

A/N: Unbeta! Any grammar mistake will be on me. Divider by me 😆 This is for @jtargaryen18​ Halloween challenge, and I’m pretty late! Sorry for that life has been busy xD I still have another one in progress (the Andy barber one) and hopefully can post it soon! Thanks to @navybrat817​ and @venusdemonroe​ for giving me the idea for this story and help me discuss what a werewolf August Walker would do in this lol. Actually I wanted to mention a lot....of things but I guess it would be too much for a one shot lil but anyway Happy reading!!!

***

This year's Halloween event was mental. Several big haunted houses are hosted by celebrities. To name a few, there's an Avengers Tower haunted house, The Hall of Justice League, The X-Mansion, and even Walking Dead one. 

 You knew it wasn't easy. All of them have a huge fandom. The ticket was sold out immediately when it was open for sale, like 3 months before Halloween, and you were terribly upset. You were whining for a month straight to your boyfriend. Or more like your sugar daddy. He was patient and wealthy, but he knew he can't satisfy you enough, so he usually did everything he could for you. But that time, you just have none of it. The relationship, if you could ever say that, fell out immediately because you were unreasonable.

 You really wanted to go to The Hall of Justice League and maybe meet Clark Kent. The obsession started because he always visited your dream and mostly engaged in the steamiest dream ever. It's been your wildest dream, really, to have that body blanketed yours, in a really not innocent way.

 Just one day before Halloween, you finally secured one ticket for The Hall of Justice League haunted house. Of course, the first thing you did was scream. You had been on their waiting list since the ticket sold out, but you really lost hope since last week. But now, you celebrate it with a bit of a jump and constant scream.

 "What the fuck?" Your only housemate barged into your bedroom. Face annoyed.

 You stopped your silly jumps and looked at your housemate. With a broad smile, you hug your housemate and shake her body, "I got it! I got the ticket for The Hall of Justice League haunted house! Can you believe that?"

 The redhead hugged you, and both of you jumped in a circle. "Oh my gosh...I can't believe it! Congrats!!! I really hope you will meet your Kryptonite." she gave you her suggestive smirk.

 "I mean...a girl can only hope. But this is a charity event. I don't think he will be available. What if it's all a decoy and I only meet his wax figure?" you pouted at your friend.  

 "Well, at least you have the opportunity to see it yourself. But remember, behave, young lady, don't let him if he's there, I mean, witness your brattiness."

 "Aye...aye Captain!" you giggled but immediately gave your housemate a military saluted.

 That night you dreamed of those big blue eyes and his firm, fantastic arms on yours.

 ***

 Dress in your red riding hood costume, you patiently sat in the backseat of the Uber car. Well, maybe a little bit impatient, since it's already 11pm. 

 Everything just went down the hill since morning. You can't seem to find your Poison Ivy costume. Not to mention that you were late for work that morning. Your boss was a bitch since she seems annoyed at you every time the male employee or investor became too friendly with you. 

 Who can blame you? You were just good at acting all cute to them, and it's not your fault that they mostly thought you were a cute little employee. 

 You check your wrist. The expensive rose gold watch from your ex sugar daddy elegantly pointed at 11.30 pm. You sighed, "do you know how long I will arrive at my destination? It will close soon."

 "Hopefully, in 10 minutes. Dunno why it's jam-packed." Said the Uber driver.

 You huffed in exasperation, but there's nothing you can do. You arrived very last minute, like 15 minutes before the haunted house closed. Wearing black stiletto boots, you carefully made a small run into the stairs. The booth was stationed to the far left of the building. 

 "Good night, little red riding hood; you are lucky because we are almost closed. Can I see your ticket, please?" A man dressed as Edwar Scissorhands greeted you at the far left of the building. 

 You fished out your smartphone from your small basket bag and showed him your barcode. He scanned it and looked at the monitor in front of him. "Hmm, here for a kryptonite, aren't you." He eyed you up and down and smirked at you. "I hope you have a spooky night, little girl." 

 You smile at him and sashay your way to the entrance. Apparently, they makeover a warehouse into a vast real-life Justice League Hall. Like in the comic. A white half-circle exterior completed with two giant pillars at each side imitated the picture you only seen in comic books. It looks so magnificent. 

 You entered the door after you scanned your barcode at the scanner next to it. The whooshing noises startle you a bit, but you were too excited and step in immediately. 

 The inside was bright with a black marble flooring that shone bright; you even can see your reflection. There's a different section of the silvery door like in most sci-fi, alien invasion movies. So futuristic, so clinical. 

 You darted your eyes and found where you needed to go. A small rectangle monitor with a very digital clock font in it showed you 'Krypton' words. Without hesitation, you did a little run and waited in front of it. The small rectangle monitored turned to green, and it shone. It startled you, but you let out a sigh of relief when it just scanned your body from your head to toe. 

 "So much for a haunted house." You muttered. 

 When the door opened, you stepped in. It was a glass elevator. You circled your eyes and found everything was dark. When the elevator ran, bringing you down several floors, the surrounding changed. 

 Once, the darkness engulfed you like you were being shipped to the deep ocean, but it changed dramatically. Your eyes darted in awe as you drank on the scenery. The scenery of what you would call the imitation of Planet Krypton. So beautiful yet so harsh. 

 When the elevator stopped, the ding noise pulled you to the present. With excitement, you grabbed your smartphone and took several pictures of the scenery. It was just so surreal that a haunted house would make something like this. But you remember how expensive the ticket was.

 "This three grant haunted house better give me a chance to fuck a real-life Clark Kent." you cackled. 

 There's a weird tower with a green light on top of it. You assumed some futuristic objects were supposed to be 'kryptonite' as it floated sparsely in most parts of the supposed Krypton. A bit further, you could see a white crystal-like triangle building. Oddly enough, it reminded you of the Louvre Pyramid. This one just full of crystal-like pillars crisscrossed it. 

 Didn't want to waste your time, you decided what path you should choose. It wasn't easy. Your stiletto pierced to the weird substrate like mud but also crystal-like as if it's ice. Carefully, you mind your footing while again stayed alert. There's this odd feeling of being watched. But you reminded yourself that you were in a haunted house, so it's understandable.

 You let out a loud scream when suddenly a mummy appeared behind one of the floated crystals. "Holy shit, I didn't see that coming." you try to slow down your breath as you clutched the white ruffle shirt under your red corset.

 When you feel that you can walk again, you try to do it faster. Several times it looks like the Krypton had shifted in its light as if the sun rose and shone, but the next five minutes, it set. Made the scenery look like it was illuminated by the crystal alone, like a lamp.

 When many ghost-like mannequins showed up, it got scarier and scarier, and you immediately lowered your hood to shield you from some view. Your eyes perked up when you finally saw the path to the Fortress of Solitude. It was more like an icy bridge with a dark pond surrounding it. 

 As your right foot stepped onto the bridge, a loud noise of a clock surprised you. It struck once and counted until it stopped at the twelfth. It was so loud it's voice echoed. You can even feel it under the sole of your boots. 

 Stunned for a moment, your mind suddenly set on alert mode when the water from both ponds on each side of the bridge rippled. A dinosaur-like head appeared from both ponds. It has a single protruding horn. It opened its mouth and let out a loud growl. A blast of wind came out of it like a thunderstorm. It has sharp teeth like sharks that you assumed could quickly rip your body apart if it sank on yours. 

 "Holy shit. This is— this is a joke, right? It's not real?" Body trembled in fear; you ran your life out to the Fortress of Solitude. The monsters crawled up out of the water. Its slithered movement mimicked a snake, but it didn't have any problem crawling up without things to latch on. 

 You screamed as both of the monsters chased you. Run as fast as your legs allow you. This haunted house event might be too much for you. When you can see an oval object that looks like it can be a big mirror or a huge door, your gloved palms immediately bang on it. "Open the door!" You screamed. When the door finally opened, the two snake-like monsters that chased you suddenly disappeared.

 "Oh— oh my god. Oh my god…," you chanted as you let yourself drop down on the floor. 

 "I see you finally make it." 

 Your face turned to the left. In front of you, stood up tall and proud, Clark Kent with his superman costume. He's just so big. If you compared your tiny body to him, you definitely, nothing.

 You replied to Superman's bright smile with a scowl. Slowly you got up from the floor and cleaned your skirt. "Isn't that just too much? What if I fell to the pond? I can't swim, you know?"  

 He seems surprised, "apologized my lady. It was something the organizer will handle. I don't think they mean any harm."

 "Yeah...yeah… right." you walked closer to the hero and already fished out your mobile phone. "So… what did I need to do now I meet you, Superman?"

 "Hmm… most attendants ask for pictures. Some of them spent time just talking with me. Since you are the last one, you can take as many pictures as you like and of course. If you have any questions about my protection for the earth, I will gladly answer it." The tone in his voice was more soft than authoritative. 

 Think of not sabotaging your Halloween any longer; you tried to forgive the silliness of the whole new level of scary from this haunted house. It's hard not to show off your brattiness in this kind of situation. Still, you reminded yourself that he was someone you weren't familiar with—practically a stranger.

 Gave him a sweet smile, you took several pictures with him. At one time, you tried to bat your eyelashes at him and asked for a picture where you sat on his lap. You spent a solid 15 minutes talking to the handsome alien. Your fingers touched his biceps here and there. You knew that he knew what you were implying, but he didn't refuse you either. At least not blatantly.

 "I apologized, my dear, but I think it's already time." Superman gently put you back on your feet. You gave him an upset face, but you knew it's time to go home. You bid the handsome man goodbye and sneaked a kiss on his cheeks. There's a twinge of pink on his cheeks, and you jump triumphantly at that reaction. Of course, behind his back.

 Following the word of 'exit' behind the piles of the crystal-like shape props, you opened the door. The scenery in front of you caught you off guard. The harshed white tundra scenery was replaced by now dark, almost jungly like one. Unconsciously you stepped back and turned your body to come back to the exit door. How shocked you were when it vanished. Disappear without a trace.

 As far as your eyes could see, it's only darkness and mist. Only the full moon aided your visions. The exhalation of your breath came out like a plume of white steam. It's definitely colder here than the fake Krypton one. The cold air seeped into your skin quickly as if you were actually in the deep of a forest. 

 With a loud sigh, you walk straight. You tumbled and fell down on your knees as your boots got caught with something: either roots or a massive branch. 

 Tired and frightened, you screamed loudly. You weren't sure if this was the continuation of the haunted house or not, but what you want right now just to be back in your apartment and soaked in a warm, relaxing bath. 

 "Get me out of here!" you yelled again. There's a lot of sounds as if a lot of people stepping on branches. A screeching sound of an owl surprised you, but you tried to follow its direction with your ears. 

 There's no way you will wait here and do nothing. Oh...my phone! You fished out your smartphone, but it showed no signal. "Shit!." you muttered. 

 The sounds from a far away crept closed, and you knew it. "You can do it! There's nothing more frightening than that monster snake." tried to encourage yourself; you stood up and slowly navigated. You followed the noises that now closer, like an animalistic growl. It was so intense you can feel all the goosebumps rise up your skin. 

 You weren't sure how long you have been walking, but you stopped suddenly when there's not only a pair but like 7 pairs of reddish eyes glowed in the dark. 

 "Come here, little lamb. Don't follow that voice." a vaguely familiar voice distracted you from stepping forward. 

 "Who the fuck are you, and why you get in my way just now." your voice came out hoarse. There's a twinge of fear in it, and you knew it. You felt like backed down wasn't the best option you had right now.

 "I said, come here, or else I can't even save you when they get you." 

 You stilled as if you didn't hear him talking to you. "Wasn't this still one of the tricks from the haunted house? To let the people scramble in fear?" 

 "Are you out of your mind? Come here right now, or I left you to death. They will either rip you apart or play your body like a ragdoll before one of them eats you." 

 You screamed in horror as one pair of red eyes slowly came out. It's huge. Almost four feet of canine shook its fur. 

 You were hyperventilating right now. Body rooted to the ground as you were surrendered. Welcoming your fate. 

 "Fuck!" 

 You heard a curse from behind your back. Maybe the stranger gave up and left you alone to be eaten by the wolves. 

 The scrunched sound of leaves crushed was loud. Suddenly you felt strong arms hauled you upside down. 

 Your eyes faced the skin of someone's back. You craned your neck a little bit to get a better view of the wolf. Screamed escaped your lips when you saw not only one but all of them, in a pack, chased both of you. 

 "Stay still." The stranger yelled. 

 Did the best thing to not get thrown out by his weird, fast speed, you secured your thumbs in his belt loops. He ran, escaped the pack inside the deep of what looked like a pine forest. 

 You weren't sure how long you ran with him, but you felt that he's finally slowed down. 

 When the thud thud sound reached your ears, you opened your eyes and saw that the stranger walked up a stair.  

 You felt nauseated when he suddenly put you to sit on something that was apparently a countertop. The rushes of blood that circulated through your body made you regain your sense of surroundings. 

 "Where am I?" you didn't mean to add an ungrateful tone in your sentence, but it was too late.

 The stranger eyed you like you were some sort of ungrateful bitch, which maybe you are. "At my cabin," he said flatly.

 You haven't had time to look at him in the forest, but now, under the actual lighting inside his house, what you saw might instantly make you drooled, which you already did right now. Stand up in front of you, a shirtless beefy tall man that's definitely more than six feet tall. He has short dark brown hair with a somewhat thick mustache that's complemented by a stubble. The front strands of his hair were loose and slightly curled. Looks likely due to all the running.  

 The sudden chill of air made you shiver, and he didn't miss your reaction. He left you for a minute and came back with a rug. The sudden heat from it, when he draped the fabric on your shoulder made you let out a gasp of satisfaction. 

 But the next thing you know, he ripped your stocking. You were shocked, eyeing him in horror. "What the fuck are you doing?!" You threw whatever things that's on your reach. The loud sound of glass hit the wall, and the strong grip on your wrist instantly made your stop.

 "Be still!" His azure irises left no room for confrontation. When you felt a sting on your knees, that's when you realized that he just pressed some gauze on it. Likely soaked with alcohol first. There's quite a prominent stain of blood on your legs, and it almost made you nauseated. 

 "If you stop acting like a brat, you'll heal faster." He looked at you with that cocky smile of confidence. "Understood?" 

 You just nodded at him. He continued to clean the blood and inspect the wounds. The position where you were sitting right now made it easier to study him carefully. 

 Although you felt the temperature decreased significantly, the beefy stranger in front of you appeared very sweaty. 

 Immediately your gaze ran down to his neck and continued its way to his chest and his abs. The unmistakable bulge under his pants made you squirm unconsciously. You were in a haze of fear and lust; you definitely insane. 

 "Wha— what's your name, sir?" 

 His strong gazed felt as if his eyes alone can subdue you. Maybe he has these laser eyes like Cyclops, your inner thought buzzed with speculation.

 "August. My name is August Walker. What's your name, little lamb?" 

 How dare this man call you a little lamb? You cleared your throat and told him your name and where you were from.

 "New York? It's pretty far from here." He patched you up nicely. The water-resistant gauze looked really neat pressed on your knees and some on your shin. You were impressed.

 When your eyes returned to August, you gave him a smile that you hoped looked like a smile of gratitude. Not the kind of smile you always presented to any potential partner in bed, sultry, and flirtatious.  

 "I— I haven't said anything but— thanks. Thank you for saving my life." Your left fingers instinctively pat his right arms. The feeling of his skin startled you. It's warm; in fact, it felt like he had a very high fever.

 "Are— are you alright? Your temperature feels off." 

 "Don't mind me. Just take care of yourself." 

 You knew there's something off with him, but you weren't sure if you had a clear mind to think right now. Not with the wolf pack outside and his words on New York being far away from here. Where the fuck am I? 

 "I… I have a—,"

 "I suggest you stay here if you don't want to meet them."

 "But I…,"

 "You can use the bedroom there," his hand pointed to the door on the far end. "Feel free to use anything you want. Just don't come to the basement. I will meet you after a couple of days, and we figured things out." 

 His authoritative voice and dominant persona immediately made you want to counter his suggestion. The funny thing was, looked like he sensed it.

 He approached you, face just inches away from you. Your eyes immediately glanced away from the delicious plane of his sweaty chest. His fingers drew your chin up, so both of your eyes were at the same level. "Do what I said, understand?. Thrust me; you don't want to know the consequences if you violate my suggestion."

 Suggestion, my ass! Your inner mind ready to throw insults at him, but you quickly held it back. In the end, you nodded at him obediently.

 —

 That night you were restless. But in a weird sense, you felt comfortable staying in that cabin. The first night after August left you to your own devices, you had been pretty careful. Not touched a lot of things except food and items that help you with your long bath. 

 His cabin was quite spacious. The interior was a mix of something slicked and modern with an equal touch of classic. Tried to look homey. Not to mention his bathroom, it's super luxurious and made you feel at home instantly. Reminded you of your ex (sugar daddy's) bathroom. 

 Since you couldn't find another bedroom in that cabin and you don't feel like sleeping on the couch, you slept in his bed instead. After all, he said you can use the bedroom there. Still wearing your red riding hood costume, you slipped under the soft comforter. 

 After that, you woke up feeling a bit groggy. Aimlessly wandered around the kitchen, you weren't sure what to do first. Tried collecting your bearing, you tried to make a coffee. Or any equivalent things of it. Everything felt different; you just knew it. When the only thing you could find was several jars that you assumed were granules of tea, you brew it. You sat on the sofa that faced up a lake. The wall was made of glass, making everything well seen. 

 You walked closer and gazed at the vast pine forest in front of you. The trees were tall and big, so majestic. Somewhat it's different from the pine trees you usually see. The lake in front of you looked like it had two different colors, fusion together with weird looking fishes and plants that should grow on the land instead of water. Where the fuck am I? 

 The next day, you woke up feeling a little bit refreshed. You changed your slutty costume into one of the clothes you found in his closet. It was so soft and comfy. You knew when things were from high-quality material.  

 You continued your days by drinking your tea, ate whatever breakfast you can munch, and read a book that has these unusual fonts. You were sure it wasn't in the alphabet, but one day you absentmindedly swipe your fingers on some of the pages, and the font changed. Hell, it even translated into English in an instant. You were definitely impressed. 

 One thing you are sure of was, this place was strange. Wherever you were right now, it didn't look like it's on earth. Or the earth that you knew. Why were you so calm? Because you already freak out. After you freak out, you also wondered, did the haunted house event organizer realized that they were the culprit behind what the fuck happened to you right now? Did your housemate recognize that you weren't home for days? Or maybe she thought you fuck the Superman or perhaps found another sugar daddy? It was so absurd yet so real.

 The last two nights, you were struck in awe as your eyes were spoiled by two moons. Two fuckin moons. It was always quiet at night, but you heard all the howls that you suspected likely from the pack of those giant wolves.   

 It was pretty late, almost midnight. You finally found your small bag hindered under the sofa that evening. Now…, now you had some time to check it. The first thing you checked was if there's a signal. Definitely no signal at all. 

 You curled up on August bed while swiping the pictures on your phone. When you scrolled your pictures with Superman, you realized why August seems familiar. It was none other than August having quite the same face, the same build, even somewhat similar voices with Superman. 

 "Fuck...maybe I should ask August if he would like to be my Daddy while I'm here." Imagining him spoiled you with gifts and other physical attention made you chuckled at yourself. 

 Your fingers instinctively crawled under the gray long sleeve shirt you borrowed from his closet (again). Your brain projected an image as if it was August's hands that ran on your upper thigh. Find its way quickly to your wet core. Two fingers slipped under the black lace panty. The panty that you need to wash daily due to no other replacement available. Left you a couple hours with only his buttoned-up shirt without anything underneath. 

 The sound of a loud howl startled you. It was as if it circled you in close range. Moved as fast as you can, you snatched the oversize robe on you. Your eyes tried to creep behind the curtain in the bedroom. 

 You knew the owner of this cabin stated that you can't go to the basement. You wouldn't be so lucky if that giant wolf found you first and broke in. Although you haven't been really out of the cabin, you tried to inspect a little bit and found it odd that this cabin was apparently a treehouse-style cabin. How come there's a basement in the house.

 You exit the bedroom and go to the kitchen when you last saw August a couple nights ago. Next to the slick wooden cabinet was a particular thing that looked like a door. The surface of your palms works like a stethoscope, felt as if something with pressure from your hands. You tried not to get disturbed by the nonstop howl outside. When you hear something as if the door was shifted, you immediately step back. 

 "Oh my, finally…," you slipped inside the small door when it opened automatically. It was a small narrow corridor-like, and it was dark. Walk inside carefully, you follow the path that leads you to another door. The metal door let out a weird creaked as you pushed it open. 

 "Didn't I tell you not to come down here?" 

 Shocked was evident in your face when you heard his rather gruff tone. You step over, closer to where he sat, that looks more likely an even bigger size of the bed than the one he had upstairs.    

"Don't —,"

 He warned you, but you being you, could never obey orders. Although challenging, your eyes finally adapt to the only natural light from the glass wall. That said, you were totally confused as you can see the lake parallel to your eyes. 

 "What the… wait, how there's even a basement down here? Last time I checked, the cabin is a treehouse?"

 "It's camouflage. No one can't see it or enter from outside."

 "Holy… why there's a three moon?" you switched your gaze from the moon to August. Curiosity got the better of you when you saw his irises were now pale blue. You can still see the outer form that is August, but something was off. 

 A gasp escaped your lips as August rose up from the bed. The powerful moon shone his feature. He was taller, bulkier, and dangerous as he stalked towards you slowly. Your heart thumped erratically as you were cornered. Back supported by the glass wall as now you can see August in his other form. 

 "Holy shit. Wha—what are you?"

 "Told you not to go here, and you just can't listen, little lamb." his smirk turned maniacal as he looked at the fear on your face. His white fangs, longer than usual. His fingers also look unusual, claw-like. 

 "Are you— are you a werewolf?" 

 "Well...you can say that. I'm half human half wolf if you are curious." 

 "So why— why did you save me?"

 The tip of his nose inched closer to yours. You held your breath when his warm skin touched you. It moved to your left cheek and stopped near your ear. "I'm curious," he whispered.

 "I haven't really met a pure human in the same age range. So I have followed you since I saw you step out of that door. I follow you until you meet the other wolf pack, and I decide to help you instead of fulfilling my need." 

 "What need?" you asked him, dumbfounded.

 "This," he pulled away from you, his claw-like finger pointed out below his hip. Focusing on the long and hard appendage that was unmistakably, his cock.

 "Oh—I- I'm sorry?" you gave him your best apologetic face. Eyes seemed eager to stare longer, but you gazed away quickly. Wait, why did you apologize to him? You cleared your throat, "I— I actually not sure what I should do to help?" tilted your head to the right, you looked him in the eyes, almost challenged him.

 Despite almost getting eaten by wolves, August's menacing presence didn't really scare you. Maybe the fact that he was still human and less scary made it easy for you. Not to mention he's hot too, with all his glory. 

 His somewhat evil chuckled sent shivers down your spine. "If you really wanted to help, I think you know what to do, don't you?"

 "W-wait—is—does this mean we 'mate'?" you gave him a somewhat weird expression. "And—and you bite me, give me marks that I'm yours? And knot me, and I will have a litter of puppies, and I become your omega—,"

 His pale blue eyes stared at you as if you grew two heads. It softened immediately as he smiled. Broad one showed you a set of white teeth with extra long fangs. 

 "Oh, my little lamb...what have you read?"

 "Err— Omega verse? Fanfic?"

 He blinked. Gave you a quizzical expression.

 "It's— it's erotica. Where mostly the character you know—," you darted your eyes away from August. "—mate, err have sex. Mostly was written very explicitly."

 "Go on." He said.

 "They are wolves, scenting, imprinting. An alpha mates with omega, and it's been told in a variety of plots possible. Sometimes two alphas fight too." You were breathless. You didn't realize you explained it to him in a quick, incoherent way. 

 You staggered backward as he came closer, forgetting that you already cornered. His long fingers reached out to the white robe you put on you. Although his fingers had claws that looked alarming to you, his hand still skillfully unfastened the robe.

 "That's a bit of an exaggeration, I think. Pack and hierarchies usually form just for a mating season; they hunt together for food and shelter in the winter. We might be scenting people, I guess. After all, we have a very sensitive sense of smell. But no, we don't bite our mate." He took off the robe from your body, left you only with his grey buttoned-up shirt.

 "Well...I love that you are wearing my shirt as if you are mine already."

 You purse your lips at him. "Why aren't you in a pack? Isn't it a mating season?" 

 "I mostly can control myself during the full moon. That's the advantage of being half-human. I don't need to transform myself into a wolf and be in a pack. But I am an alpha if that's what you are curious about."

 "Can-can you turn back to your human form? Not like—you know, you aren't in your human form, bu—," your words were cut off by his thumb on your lips. 

 "You talk too much, aren't you, little lamb…," August leaned down and touched his lips to yours. Your first reaction was to freeze since you were afraid of his fangs. But his surprisingly soft lips coaxed you relentlessly, making you surrender as you closed your eyes. Opening your mouth, his tongue sneaked past your lips easily. His fangs poke at your lower lips, but it didn't hurt.

 The non so innocent kiss became more desperate. Your once shied tongue now dances together with August. Your once clasped palms that were situated on top of your chest now scraped at his shoulder. 

 Your eyes fluttered open as August nipped down from your jaw to your neck. Forgotten, you even close your eyes in the first place. His claw-like fingers unbuttoned his shirt on yours without difficulty, left you only in your black lace panty. 

 The feeling of temperature as if dropped significantly made you glued your body to August. Smooth skin of your chest pressed to his hot hairy one, seeking warmth. One hand secured behind your back while the other palm on your ass. Massage the globe there. 

 "Ohh…" you gasped as you felt his finger on your clothed core. 

 "Hmm… wet already, I see." he let the pad of his finger move up to your clit, while the movement of the claw added sensation to your already. Seeing your reaction, he repeated it a couple times. Made you a mess with only one of his fingers.  

 Arched your body a little bit, you were thrilled to see his expression. Traveled your hands down from his hairy chest; your eyes still focused on his face, while your palms found their way to his hard cock. 

 "Oh, so big…," slowly at first, you ran your hands at the tip of his cock. Even without looking at it, you knew it's definitely bigger than any cock you've ever seen. 

 Eyes widened as your hand slid down to the base. The other weighed his balls. "Holy…," your eyes looked down, stared in awe at his cock. 

 "Careful little lamb, you drooled on it."

 "Who's not?" You eyed him in disbelief.

 August let out a weird laugh, "I expect you to worship it, then." He looked at you with a bemused expression as you quickly worked on his length. Stroked it up and down repeatedly. 

 You go down on your knees, eyes crossed as you focused on his slit that oozed pre-cum. Unconsciously, you stuck out your tongue and brushed it on his slit. Wrapped your right hand at the base of his cock, your gaze rose up to meet his. Left handheld on his upper thigh for support as your lips covered the heat of his cock. You bobbed your head calculatedly as you accommodate him halfway. 

 "Such a good little lamb for your wolf, aren't you." August's right hand was at the back of your head as he nudged you none too gently. Made you choke at his cock, and pulled it out from your mouth. You gazed at the mix of your saliva and his precum in awe. But it didn't last long as August pulled you to your feet and picked you up. 

 He climbed up on the bed with you and laid on his back. He situated your hips and pulled it closer, so your opening was hovering on top of his face. On all four, for him. August was rewarded with a yelped and a moan as his tongue licked your clothed core. 

 The sound of fabric being ripped made you turn your head to the right. "That's my only pa— ohhh," your protest died right away as his tongue lapped your opening. The feel of his claws as he spread your ass cheeks added wonder to your pussy. 

 Trying to keep yourself busy, you swallowed the head of his cock for a starter. His cock was too big for you; your mouth can only allow half of it. Diligently, you tried to move your tongue while you suck on his cock, hands slid up and down. Feeling all the veins that encircled his length made you shuddered.

 August bucked his hips as you put one of your hands to massaging his balls. The action made you gagged as his cock entered further than before. But it didn't take a long time for you to stop due to his sudden attack on your pussy. 

 His tongue was not lapped at you anymore; it rammed inside your wet core like a starved man. You squealed as the end of his fangs scrapped at your now wet pussy. The pressure on your clit as the pad of his fingers made a circular motion left you breathless. It drove you to your high faster than you ever experienced. A surprised scream left off your lips as his tongue scraped your most sensitive part. Your body quivered as your inner walls spasm, hands held on his cock as you ride your high. 

 "Ohh— my god, ohh—my god—," you can still feel the kitten licked as August feasted on it. 

 "Ahh—that' s—that's good." You let your head rested on his left thigh. 

 "Now, for the main course." August's gruff tone pulled you back from your hazy state. His hard cock was evident on your right hand. 

 You felt your body shifted position, and now you were on your back. August spread your legs wide and shifted his position. The feeling of his heavy cock on top of your pussy made you nervous but also excited. Unconsciously you nibbled your forefingers while eyes traveled down to his long and hard cock. It made an up and down motion on your opening. You can feel your wet pussy clenched in frustration, ready to be filled. 

 "August please…," still nibbled at your fingers, you gaze at the wolf on top of you, one elbow supporting your upper body. He's so big, literally and figuratively. If you can't come back to your world, so be it. You didn't mind staying and being his plaything as long as he wanted you. 

 "Please, what my little lamb?" You pouted at that. You definitely weren't a little lamb. If anything, you should be the succubus. 

 "Please put that in me—," you writhed underneath him. 

 "Please put what?" His big body tower over you. His pupils dilated and only left a small ring of pale blue irises. His clawed fingers move up and down your thigh.

 "Ple—please, ohhhh, put that cock inside me! Fuck me, my wolf— nhhh—," your plead was answered when August suddenly pushed the head of his cock on your opening. 

 The back of your head fell to rest on the thick pillow as the intrusion of August's cock sent a surprising jolt on your body. You knew he's big. But when his cock finally spread your lips open and entered you, the overwhelming sensation was something you still didn't expect. 

 "Ohh— so big—," your pussy clenched immediately when August tried to push deeper but also slowly. The noticeable ridge of his vein scraped at your inner wall deliciously. With closed eyes, you gripped the edge of the pillow as you mumbled about how full you feel right now. 

 "Work your clit for me. Yes...make that tight pussy cream on my cock."

 "Oh—like this?" Your fore and middle fingers slowly pulled the hood and made a circular motion as August asked. 

 "Yes… Just like that…."

 It didn't take you long enough to feel the fast buildup on your lower belly. Something that never happened before. "Ohh—yes—I'm going to cum, my—ahhh," you work your clit faster as August cock made a shallow fuck inside you. 

 "Yes, cum on my cock, my little lamb. I want to see your pretty face when you cum for your wolf." His wolf tone deliciously affected your body. His growl sent an extra twitch on your clit. And you lose it when he thrust all the way inside your wet pussy. 

 You scream in ecstasy as your pussy quivered uncontrollably on his hard cock. You feel so full. The feeling of his cock all the way inside you made your brain feel as if it was submerged. Forgotten that you ever closed your eyes, you were rewarded by a sly smirk on August werewolf's face. His eyes were now all dark. His hair loosened, made the curls of it fall to his forehead. 

 "I see you enjoying yourself, my little lamb." His claws caressed your thigh gently.

 "Nnn—of course, I ahhh—I am." A little movement from August made you aware that his cock still inside you. Hard as a rock. 

 August lifted up both your knees and secured it with his hands. You lifted your upper body with your elbows as he retrieved his cock from your wet core. You gasped when you witnessed August pulled it out, inches by inches. Left only the head inside you.

 You moaned when he pushed again. Stretched you like no one else ever had. He did it slowly, knew that you still adapt to his girth. But the feeling when the tip of his cock scraped your most sensitive part every time he thrust inside you, you were tripped to your high even faster than before. 

 The moan of pleasure became incoherent as August sped up his pace. Repeated syllables of ahhh and ohhh accompanied your plead for him to fuck you like you were a female wolf. Released his pent up frustration to mate. 

 Both of you fuck like an animal who just needs to reproduce. Lust clouded the atmosphere in the room. Moaned and growled were sung like a prayer under the moonlight that shone its way to the basement. 

 His balls slapped against your ass every time he plugged in inside you. Sweats trickled down your body, and it looked even animalistic in August. His werewolf form was so majestic that you just wholly let him own you. 

 His feracious fucking looked like almost to its limit. The buzzed on your lower belly was ready to explode, but you held it.

"Fuck!" He growled.

 "Uhh—uhh—uhh—cum in me. Yes—cum in me, my wolf— filled me up with your thick hot cum!" You pleaded like a bitch in heat. 

 August slammed his cock deep inside you as he screamed and let out a long howl. The feel of his warm cum inside you triggered your orgasm. You wail as your inner walls contracted and squeezed his cock. Spurt and spurt of his cum filled your womb to the brim. Something that you never allowed any of your partners to do in the past. 

 You didn't realize that you lock both your ankles behind August ass. But also you sensed something changed. August was draped on top of your body, head sneaked at the crook of your neck. Still, in a haze caused by the release of oxytocin in your bloodstream, you missed the way August kissed turned into something more. He bit you. 

 The still clouded brain of yours pop-up an image of you becoming August omega. His only mate. Bear a litter of pups for him and live happily ever after in his house, in his world. Your pussy unconsciously clenched at his cock that was still inside you. You never really said this to anyone, but you imagine you live in another world since the first time you ever read a story about omega verse. 

 You mewled when the biting stopped. Maybe August bit you just for fun. When he craned his head up to look at you, something was different. His eyes turned back to his azure color. His fangs now short, back to its regular human teeth, and his body wasn't as hairy as he's before. He's practically not in his werewolf form anymore. 

 "You changed? Why?"

 He looked at you with his quizzical expression. "You wanted me to return to my werewolf form?" 

 You glanced away from him and kind of embarrassed to declare that his werewolf form was way hotter than his human form. Not that his human form wasn't hot either. Damn, you definitely bang him every time you can, but his werewolf form just made you curl your toes in an instant. 

 You cleared your throat and looked him in the eyes, "I like it very much."

 "Well...the full moon is still in the sky for quite some time. Are you ready for the next round, my little lamb?"

 "Yes, my wolf." You purred seductively at him and witnessed in delight his transformation before your eyes.

***

Comment, like and reblog are highly desirable! Spread the filthiness lol 💋

[the-girl-in-the-box]

Not Today VII

A/N:  We're getting there now, folks! A little bit of action here, the next chapter will pick up a little more from this, and we'll soon be seeing the journey to Kattegat! Under what circumstances though... We'll see what happens, hm? Skål!

Summary:  When Ivar takes the throne of Kattegat, Lagertha flees to Wessex along with Björn, Ubbe, Torvi, and the Bishop Heahmund. There, they seek the aid of King Alfred. This aid comes in the form of his sister, Aethelind, who agrees to travel to Kattegat and try to reason Ivar, who she spent some time with during their youth, when her grandfather King Ecbert hosted Ragnar Lothbrok in their castle. Now, she is the only hope for Lagertha and her supporters to retake Kattegat from Ivar the Boneless.

Masterlist

--

The clash of swords rang out through the courtyard, and Aethelind grinned as she pushed Lagertha back. It was a success, and the Shieldmaiden Queen stumbled away from the English Princess. This allowed Aethelind to go on the offense, and she did so readily, fighting hard to try and unbalance Lagertha. Torvi was watching them, as were Heahmund, Björn, and Ubbe, giving Aethelind tips and pointers as she and Lagertha fought.

“Good! Shield up! Sword arm strong!” Torvi called to her. “Let it be part of you, like an extension of yourself, and do not hesitate when you attack!” Aethelind put more strength into her attacks- strength she hadn’t had yet when the Vikings first arrived. Lagertha tried to attack, and Aethelind caught her sword with her shield, before shoving up hard on it and pushing her sword out toward her. Lagertha jumped back, and brought her shield down to try and knock Aethelind’s sword from her hand.

Some of the English soldiers had taken to watching these training sessions, at first because watching the Princess try to lift a sword and shield had amused them, but now because they were stunned by the progress she had made. Whether she defeated Lagertha or not, she could certainly hold her own against her. The two came together again, their swords clashing between them as they pressed their weight together. It was going to come down to which of them was stronger, and Aethelind knew that wasn’t her.

She needed to use her strengths, when her physical strength wouldn’t be enough. Suddenly, Lagertha twisted her sword around to throw Aethelind’s sword to the side, which made Aethelind decide it was then, or never. She tossed her shield to the side, and Torvi was about to warn against that, but then Aethelind had thrown all her weight into Lagertha. Everyone’s eyes widened, and it was then that Alfred stepped out to see how things were going. Lagertha and Aethelind both hit the ground with a grunt, and immediately Lagertha was trying to flip Aethelind over. At this point, the victory would go to whichever of them was pinned, and unable to get back up.

Lagertha did get Aethelind onto her back, but the Princess threw herself back as if trying to roll, and she caught Lagertha by surprise, tossing her right back over her head. That was when she made her move, scrambling to get on top of Lagertha, grab her arms and pin them back, at which point she made a grab for the sword nearest them- Lagertha’s- and she drove it down into the dirt beside her head. The point was made clearly- Aethelind won. Behind her, however, Torvi nodded to Ubbe, who moved in. She was too busy grinning, realizing she’d defeated Lagertha for the first time, to notice the man approaching until he drew his sword. The metal sound rang out through the courtyard, and his sword was suddenly at her neck. In a real battle, she’d have been dead.

"What?!” Aethelind cried, looking at Ubbe with a slightly betrayed look. “I won!”

“One fight, yes,” he said, before dropping the sword and offering a hand to help her to her feet. “But in battle, there’s no chance to stop. You need to be on your feet the moment you win that fight, prepared for the next one. If this were a real battle, I’d have killed you just now because you didn’t get up.”

Aethelind huffed as she took his hand and accepted the help, and Lagertha stood as well, chuckling. “But we should still be proud of this,” the Queen said, patting Aethelind’s now rather muddy back. “This is the first time you have defeated one of us. You are getting better.”

“And I was immediately attacked,” Aethelind said, pouting playfully up at Ubbe. Lagertha chuckled, wrapping her arm around the girl.

“It was a lesson you needed to learn,” she replied. “But, it has been learned, and now we will celebrate your progress.”

This caused Aethelind to beam, and she wrapped her arm back around Lagertha. Watching his sister with them, Alfred smiled a little. He noticed their mother approach, stand beside him, but when she stayed silent, he took it upon himself to be the first to speak. “She seems happy with them,” he commented.

Judith gave a small hum, and nodded. “She does,” she agreed. “I can’t say I’m surprised by this. Your father chose theirs each time he had to choose. And now, the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok have returned. I can’t help but think it makes sense that one of you, at least, has already taken to them so well. And now, she’s making the same decision your father did.”

Alfred turned to Judith then, confusion written across his face. “What decision?” he questioned. “To help the Vikings?”

Judith shook her head. “To return with them to Kattegat. When she was younger, when Ragnar and his son Ivar came, do you remember how she was?”

Alfred frowned slightly as he turned in time to see the way Torvi had cupped the back of Aethelind’s neck, pressing their foreheads together in what he knew was an almost familial display of affection between the Viking people. The Shieldmaiden was treating the Princess like a sister. Well, he wondered if shieldmaidens didn’t see each other as sisters, and if perhaps Aethelind wasn’t becoming such to her. Ubbe even moved to pat her on the back, and she grinned up at him. Her dark black hair was plaited down her back, and she wore trousers just as Torvi and Lagertha did now, with boots that reached her knees. His sister looked like a Viking woman. To him, this appeared to be Aethelind’s most natural state. If someone argued to him that she was born for this, to become a Viking, he wouldn’t have disagreed.

“I remember,” he said. “She was enthralled by them. Hearing Grandfather’s stories of the Vikings even intrigued her far more than any other stories we were told growing up. Then Ragnar and Ivar came, and I thought she was going to hop in that boat with Ivar and go back with him, then.”

Judith nodded, sighing a little. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have told her so much about her father’s life with the Vikings, all he’d told me about his life with them. You had gone away on that pilgrimage, and she stayed here. All that time you were gone, I was telling her of the Northmen, of the way your father had spoken of them, and the way they’d surprised me, even. Had I not filled her head with those stories…”

“You can’t blame yourself for this,” Alfred commented. “And she may do some good there, we don’t know yet. She’s strong, certainly strongwilled. And her physical strength grows every day.” As he spoke, Aethelind was getting into another fighting stance, this time lifting her sword and shield to defend herself against Bishop Heahmund. The sight of his sister preparing to fight the Warrior Bishop sent a strange sort of chill down Alfred’s spine, like he was watching her become a true Viking before his eyes. He swallowed. “We can only pray for her, now.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Judith said. “But still, perhaps we should try to keep her connected to her English roots, somehow. I think I’ll ask her to join me in the market this afternoon, or in the church to pray. We want her to return from their lands, not choose to stay.”

As promised, once the training for that day was deemed to be over, Judith did approach her daughter and ask her to join her in the church so they could pray together. Aethelind readily agreed to this, and went to change into something more appropriate for that journey. To her mother’s dismay, she did strap a sword to her side. She heard it was common for shieldmaidens, even those off the battlefield, to still carry a sword. One could never be certain, after all, when a battle would find them.

They walked through the town toward the church together, and Aethelind was smiling widely, telling her mother how she’d progressed. “I don’t think you saw, but I defeated Lagertha today,” she was currently saying. “Ubbe attacked me right after, but I’m still glad to have won.”

“Yes, and I saw you fight Bishop Heahmund,” Judith said. “Have you begun to stand against all of them, at least on their own?” Aethelind nodded proudly.

“I have,” she confirmed. “Lagertha, Torvi, Ubbe, Björn, Heahmund… I still struggle against Ubbe and Björn, but the others are becoming far easier to fight.”

“That’s good,” Judith said. “I still wish you wouldn’t go, but I know your mind won’t be swayed. And so, we must pray for your safe travels, and your safe return.”

“I agree, we must,” Aethelind said. “But still… I can’t help but feel Father would have been proud of me.”

The slight smile on her face as she mentioned Athelstan broke Judith’s heart a bit. As much as she would voice her concerns to Alfred about Aethelind leaving Wessex… she still saw the Viking spirit in her daughter that she’d liked so well in Athelstan. She saw her daughter searching for that part of her heritage, of her legacy, and truly…

How could she blame her for seeking that out?

“He would have been,” Judith said. “He is. I’m sure of it.”

Aethelind smiled to her mother, her eyes seeming to water a bit. “Lord,” she said, laughing wetly and shaking her head. “I never knew the man, how is it only mentioning him can affect me this way?”

“He was your father, and I’ve told you enough about him that you feel as though you knew him,” Judith said. “It’s no surprise to me that you miss him.” Aethelind nodded a little. “And I still wish you’d gotten the chance. If he’d never gone back with them…”

The thought of Judith’s was interrupted by the sound of a sword being unsheathed, and Aethelind barely had time to pull her sword, before she was dodging Björn’s. Judith let out a yelp of shock as she saw her daughter so suddenly having to defend them from the Viking, and even Aethelind herself had given a gasp of shock.

“Björn!” she gasped. “What in the world are you doing?!”

He swung his sword at her hard, and she had to dodge, knowing the strength behind that swing would be too much for her to deflect. “I have decided I do not want you to go,” he said, his words harsh. “I want to fight Ivar! I want him to suffer for what he has done for my family! And if you go, and change his mind, I will not have that chance!”

Aethelind backed up as he continued to advance on her, looking for any kind of opening. Judith made to call for some soldiers to come and stop Björn, but Aethelind held up her hand. “No!” she said, and already they had drawn a crowd. "There's no need to attack him." It was noticed how the Princess had begun to stay armed at all times, but most assumed it was a precaution, considering the time she spent with the constantly armed Vikings. She needed to be safe in case… well, in case this happened. In case one of them turned on her. “Björn, what’s the matter with you?” she demanded. “Ivar is your brother! Perhaps he has caused you great pain, but sending me will only give him the chance to make things right between you!”

“I do not want him to have that chance,” Björn growled, bringing his sword down on hers again. “I want him to die with the knowledge of what he’s done, with it weighing on his mind and shoulders. I don’t want him to die with peace in his heart! I want him to die afraid of what he has done, and of what the gods will think of him when he finally sees their faces!”

It almost seemed as if he was directing his anger at her, using it to fuel him in this fight. Aethelind decided to use that to her advantage, if she could. “And so what good does fighting me do, to achieve that end, hm?” she asked, dodging another blow and making a sweep for his feet. Björn evaded her skillfully, and she huffed in frustration.

“You are standing in my way of revenge against Ivar,” he said, using the way she stumbled when he evaded her to strike while she was preoccupied. “If I have to take you down so you cannot stop me, I will do so.”

The flat side of his sword struck her in the back, and she fell forward, barely stopping herself from falling entirely. She whipped around and caught his sword again with her own. “Why do you fear I would stop you?” she questioned him. “Why not speak to me about this, instead of attacking me?”

“I know the way he talked about you!” Björn said, moving to take a very literal stab at her. “He told us how you embraced him before he left! He spoke of your beauty, even if Hvitserk had to pull it out of him! The way you spent your time with him, even though you didn’t understand a word that came from his mouth! Do you think I am blind, Aethelind? Hm? Do you think I am deaf?” With every comment on what Ivar had said, with every question, the blows became more frenzied, more precise, more powerful, until Aethelind was about to trip over her own feet, and the long hem of her dress. “No, I know the truth,” he said, and with one final hit to her sword, she finally hit the ground, letting out a yelp at the suddenness of her fall.

Her eyes were wide, stunned but not frightened, as she tried to grab anything that she might shield herself with. “You,” Björn began, and though she found a basket to hold up, his sword pierced through it, and drove into the wood right beside her head. Her hands released the basket, and Björn let go of his sword as the basket fell away to reveal her face. “You are not ready to make that journey yet. If I were one of Ivar’s men, you would be dead.” Just like that, he finally pulled his sword out, sheathed it, and offered her a hand.

Confusion flickered across Aethelind’s face, and she tilted her head. “What’s going on here..?” she asked, her voice coming out far more high pitched than normal.

“That… was a test,” Björn answered. “You failed it.” He chuckled a little as she swatted his hand away and stood on her own.

"A test?!” she demanded. “You could have killed me!”

“That was the point,” he said. “But I was never going to kill you. Only showing you that you have to always be prepared to fight. If Ivar wants you dead, then you could be attacked at any moment. You were unprepared, and I could have killed you if I’d wanted to.”

Aethelind glared at him, and began to brush herself off. “I defended myself as well as I could with you… with you raging at me the way you were,” she said. She bent down to pick up her sword, which she returned to its sheath on her hip. “I was starting to wonder if you were jealous, and that was why you were attacking me so suddenly.”

“Oh, I do not envy you having to go and speak to Ivar about turning the throne over to me,” Björn said, and Aethelind fixed him with a pointed glare.

“That is not what I meant,” she said. She started to walk away, almost marching back to her mother- who, it should be noted, was standing by anxiously and preparing to interfere if needed.

Björn laughed as he followed her out, much to, really, the whole town’s confusion. “Then what do you think I have to be jealous of?” he asked.

Aethelind stopped at Judith’s side, and turned back to him. “Ivar,” she answered bluntly. “Did he really say all that? Everything you tell me he told you?”

“About your beauty? The fact you embraced him, and spent all your free hours at his side when he was here?” Björn clarified, and Aethelind nodded. “He did.”

Her cheeks reddened. “And there is why you might be jealous, hm?”

“I am not jealous,” Björn said. “I am not the jealous type.” Aethelind didn’t know if she believed him or not. “But tell me... would I even have anything to be jealous of?”

“That would depend on if that were all true, what you say,” she defended, which earned another chuckle from Björn.

"Well, I suppose that if I were the type to be jealous, then I could be,” he began. “Because every word of it is true.”

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius, @wilhelmyna, @katfett, @fangirl-nonsense, @zuzus-sun, @heavenly1927

If you want to be added to the taglist, feel free to reach out either by commenting, reblogging, DMing me, or sending an ask, and I’ll be more than happy to add you!

[sasskarian]

First Line Meme

I was tagged by @asaara-writes. Thank you, my dearest! <3 

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

My Heart and I -

If there’s one thing about Evelyn Swann that the entire Commonwealth knows by now, it is her love of music. Silence does not mark Evelyn’s arrival anywhere— instead, the soft tones of Billie Holiday do, crooning about mountains moved for love. Or the sultry voice of Lady Day herself, Ella Fitzgerald, floating around her and the companions like a bubble of the past, dreaming on into the future. Heavy footsteps beat out a tempo contrasting Butcher Pete and his big old ‘knife’ and everywhere she goes, she trails ribbons of jazz and cheer.

Like Afterimages - 

The settlers call her a survivor. Sanctuary calls her a savior. Codsworth cries when she returns from the wastelands, dragging in another minute— heh— victory for the Minutemen, or another rescued synth she doesn’t tell anyone about. But Mama Murphy just calls her a ghost.

That’s what she is, after all. Just a two hundred year old ghost. Like a mirage, superimposed on the darkness, burned into immortality by nuclear fallout and tragedy. Evelyn is only sometimes here, those dark gray eyes a pair of rain clouds on the distant horizon, drifting on invisible fronts. The thunder is inside of her, too, a raging storm swirling in her chest, beating fists made of babies crying and gunshots rimmed in frost ringing out against her ribs.

The Thrill of Your Hand - 

Danse has been a soldier too long to be a deep sleeper.

That’s the first thing the Brotherhood trains you out of. The indoctrination comes later, because only a good soldier can be indoctrinated, and a good soldier has to wake up at the first hint of danger. So when he hears the first whimper from across the room, his eyes snap open.

Paladin’s Bubble - 

The Commonwealth is quiet tonight.

It’s not silent, by any stretch: Evie can hear the hounds in the distance, their mutated throats sending their boofs echoing through the streets of Boston even from a long distance, and somewhere— a mile or more— the whoop of a raiding party rises over the station’s lookout, too far away to do anything but pity the poor prey they’ve caught. Dogmeat grunts, his paws pushing against her armored thigh as he stretches. His ears are perked, though, so he’s just catching some rest while he can. Even the thwomp-and-hiss of her partner’s power armor is missing from the darkness, the red light of his scope the only thing highlighting his face in their little bubble of quiet.

After the Glitter Fades - 

“If there is a future to be had,” Fenris murmured, his lips hovering near Hawke’s, “I will walk into it gladly at your side.”

His gorgeous green eyes were fixed on hers and Hawke fumbled for a moment, a half-smile playing across her mouth as her fingers played with the crumbling stone behind her. Silly, but part of her almost wanted to believe him. With the smallest sound, Fenris leaned in, his gauntleted fingers sliding through her hair as he kissed her— it started out soft, a chaste brush of warm lips and warmer breath, but within a couple of heartbeats, it deepened into something that promised wildness and fire.

Glitter: Marginalia - (E)

She can’t remember what dragged her awake— only that it left a sour, desperate taste in her mouth like old coppers and the cheapest bottle of whatever would get her drunk enough to sleep.

Waking up with nightmares is nothing new. The Amell curse, as most of the Kirkwall film crews call it, has yet to hit Hawke directly, but it had taken her father (a stunt gone wrong) and her mother and uncle (an unlucky intruder)– had struck Carver, too. She and Garrett and Bethie are safe, so far, but it's only a matter of time until it circles back around. The curse is a generations-long predator, still and patient, and it will hunt them down one at a time if it has to  

Ah, Kirkwall, she thinks, some blend of annoyance and fondness and adrenaline mixing uneasily in her heart. You fuck with us again and again and still, here we are.

He Might Like That - 

“So. Let me get this straight.” Greef lifts his bad knee with a groan, settling it over his other leg so he can sprawl a little more indolently. Din’s HUD focuses in, shows the elevated temperature in the joint in a dark red, and he turns it off with a flicker of his eye. Greef lifts his glass again, takes a sip, and gestures with it before continuing. “You two. Not together?”

Where I Can’t Follow - 

The day Geralt of Rivia dies, he hears the whistle of the sword which almost kills him. There’s a series of tiny holes stamped along the spine of the blade, keeping weight down and adding a sinister shrill hiss through the air on each pass. The raiding party - if it can be dignified with such language - are nearly all armed with similar steel, with hunting horns, rattling chime-spangled shields, and bullroarer slings wailing and droning like an oncoming swarm of giant wasps. The effect is deafening, overpowering all efforts to coordinate the various companies on this mission.

Malicious Compliance - (M)

So this is how it feels to have a galaxy tremble at your feet.

Not just the galaxy, though— millions of lives shuddering under the weight of your boot on their necks cannot compare to the half-lidded gray-blue eyes drinking you in like you’re his salvation and damnation both. No, there is power in this, in these stolen moments with him, that rivals nothing else you’ve found anywhere among the stars.

He’s a brave man, your Captain.

Counting the Days (since Exegol) - 

“That’s good, Finn.”

Rey smiles, feeling the Force ebb and flow around Finn as he manages to lift himself a few inches off the ground-- along with the meditation mat, two glasses of water, and the plate of snacks they keep for anyone who comes to visit. Finn cracks an eye open, smiles back at her, and lands with a thump. For half a moment, she almost expects him to be disappointed that his training is progressing slowly: hyper-competency is a Stormtrooper trait he’ll never outgrow.

Star by Star - 

The galaxy looks different now.

It’s not just the cautious celebrations still happening, weeks later. And it’s not just the way people step back from her now, too much reverence in them for her comfort. It’s in the way she looks at the sky and sees the color of Luke’s eyes, and the gentle wind that feels so much like Leia’s hand, she cries. The way that Poe’s back straightens at the podium, broadcasting Republic news to everyone, and Finn’s hand clutching his under the table, their life forces bright and right in her senses.

Stardust and Memory (and a little bit of romance) - 

“Wow.”

Jaal chuckled against her ear, hands firmly on her waist; a good thing, probably, or she’d be on her face on the floor. “It is… a lot, I know.”

“No!” Sara protested, only wilting when Jaal tilted his head at her. “...okay, maybe a little. There’s just— a lot of them?”

Scars and Holes and Broken Things - 

Whispers follow him wherever he goes.

What’s left of the crew whispers in the halls, the mess, on the bridge, and conversations trail off when his ghost walks through, haunting the only place that's ever felt like home. Whatever they’re saying doesn’t matter, though—he doesn’t care. He’s too tired to care. He hasn’t slept more than his body demands in weeks. Tali’s immune system has already begun to destroy itself, and even though the Normandy is stocked with more dextro rations than it’s ever carried before—

Almost like Shepard knew. Always prepared, that’s my girl.

Heart of the Woods - (E)

You left the Templars, but do you trust mages? Can you think of me as anything more?

Less than a fortnight of sweet words, gentle touches, and stolen kisses are the only weapons she could levy against the trauma that shaped a man’s youth. And for a moment in time, Isera hoped.

Common Ground (isn’t so hard to find) - 

“Skkut! Ryder!”

“Sorry, Enroh— oh!” Sara tried to stop, bounced into a low bench, and crashed into a pile of bruised, groaning Pathfinder on the other side. At least this time, she remembered to shield her head as she skidded to rest against the wall. Lexi would be pleased. Another concussion would get her put back under the scanner and that just ruined everyone’s day. “...ow.”

A Language Reserved for Lovers - (M)

The first time you touch him, his skin flushes red; the first time he touches you back, he trembles. Interesting, since if there is a word to describe him, it is steadfast. But there is more beneath the easy surface, beneath the deadly grace and unflagging stamina. He is loyal, and good, and so fascinating under the burden of his name. But nineteen is a young age, even if you're only a little older, and he seemed so young at first, unsure and innocent— then he gave you that crooked little grin, and stole your heart with it.

Every Beautiful Thing - 

I would prefer to be Mary Shelley. She died a widow.

Despite a foolhardy counter, thrown in indifference and pride, Edith never really thought she would be a widow. Despite her foolish quip so many years ago, she is no Mary Shelley. And despite moderate success as an author and teller of stories, the only thing she and Shelley have in common is a belief in a world outside of the everyday, and widowhood.

Yesterdays - 

He’s always thought she was invincible.

Sure, Morrigan told them the truth of the Archdemon’s death, an account more grisly and heartbreaking than the one Riordan gave; just the sort of tale that might ensnare a young boy’s heart, give him delusions of grandeur, while an older man might look upon it with resignation. But the truth doesn’t sink in until now.

If You Ever did Believe - 

“There are people dying,” Isera repeated slowly, as if she could make her advisers understand what she'd seen. As if giving her memories voice might lift some of their weight in her heart. “We couldn’t even get to Redcliffe because of the fighting.”

Three days of being stuck on a horse, only to have to turn around after three skirmishes— their first mission to the Hinterlands had been a remarkable experiment in failure. Isera had learned her skills at the hands of the best of her clan, had fought alone for years, and yet the shock of tripping over Varric and accidentally hitting Cassandra with a ball of ice had made their first fight a near loss.

Some saviors, Varric had laughed afterward, staggering around like baby nugs.

Glitter: Velvet over Veridium - 

If anyone had ever accused Marian Hawke of being a reasonable adult human being, she might have laughed at them. No, she'd have pointed and then laughed at them. But under all her bluster, and all her immature jokes, her dirty one-liners and cheesy pick-up lines, there was an adult hidden in there somewhere.

Okay, maybe I put more than one opening line, but I have a thing for context, dammit! 

This got so long -- mobile users, I’m sorry omg. 

Forwarding the tag (no pressure as always!) to @mayihavethisdanse @athreehundredthirtythree @thebisexualmandalorian @natsora @loquaciousquark @valdomarx @theggning @cullywullycurlywurly @systlin and @third-rail-vip 

[weepywillowsap]

WHUMPTOBER CHERIK (but happy ending): Charles wants to save a human village. The only problem is that they don't trust the fae. Erik is his loyal protector, with a deep hatred of humans. But time is running out and Erik has sworn his life to protect his prince. Even if it is at the cost of his own.

The smell of damp soil and rain clung heavily in the air. Erik trudged his way through the thick soil that clung stubbornly to his boots slowing him down. Around him everything was in chaos. Humans were everywhere, running around haphazardly, attempting to escape their village before the dam broke and washed everything away. Long lines of villagers were already making their way under the guidance of Charles’s men to the high grounds of Alagaesia. The first time in a century that humans would breach the protective barrier and step into the magic land. Erik fought down the anger that rose within him at the thought. He would deal with it later, his first priority was to get the prince to safety.

The din of voices and the smell of wet and rotten food grew stronger as he moved further into the village, pushing past the throng of people who were rushing outwards, with little care of who they stepped on in the way. Erik extended his metal sense, zoning in on the familiar sword and necklace of his prince. He found him standing alone in the middle of a group of people, trying to reason with them. Erik could hear raised voices as he drew nearer, he undid his pouch and let the three metallic spheres he kept therein float out and spin lazily in the air behind him. His lips curled in disdain as a familiar anger thrummed in his veins. He could hear Charles pleading, trying to explain to the worthless humans that this was not a fae conspiracy to lead them to the unhallowed lands, the dam would not hold. They would all be swept away.

All eyes drew towards Erik as he stepped into their direct line of view. He felt a warning pinch in his head from Charles. Erik smiled widely, letting all his teeth show. They did not have the time to negotiate with fools. They had tarried here much longer than was safe. Even from this distance he could feel the massive force of the river slamming against the foundations of the dam, the metal holding the rock together, weakening and starting to bend.

“You will not take us demon, we want nothing from your kind” the man standing in front of the group snarled at Charles, his eyes shifting uneasily in between the short, seemingly innocuous man standing in front of him and the newcomer with the manic grin and the spinning spheres.

Erik reached the circle of men and stared at them disdainfully, ignoring the anger coming from Charles. It had become almost second nature to him at this point.

“I can feel the dam you foolish human” Erik drawled, I can feel it give in piece by piece under Jalyaara’s onslaught” he looked around taking in the scared faces around him,

“You were foolish in your pride that you could ever hope to control the blessed one, and now you are foolish enough to refuse the help you do not deserve”

He turned to Charles in the ensuing quiet, “we need to move my prince, if they choose death, then so be it. If we don’t leave now, we will meet the same fate”.

Charles looked at him with the familiar determination in his eyes that always made Erik’s heart ache. His mouth was a displeased straight line and his chin was set, he turned away from Erik without answering and addressed the people once again.

“Please, you know as well as us that what we speak is truth” his voice softened, “we can’t let hatred stop us from choosing what we know is the right path”

He sounded so earnest, his hands open and his eyes pleading, that some people were moved. Some broke out into muttering and whispers.

“Please we do not have long, I give you my word, you will reach Alagaesia safely and from there you can safely return” Charles pushed, “my word as a prince and my word as the lord of Westchester”.

Erik could see the group wavering, but every second was precious. They were already late. Logan was waiting for them at the gates. He looked up at Charles and pushed his urgency at him, he was not exaggerating. It would be too late any second now.

Charles refused to turn and look at him. Erik could read anger in the lines of his face, he was still angry about their fight to leave the humans to their fate. He could tell Charles would not listen to him because he knew Erik did not value their lives equally. It hurt somewhere deep in his chest, as it always did when Charles turned away from him. Love was foolish, Erik knew, it was not for him. Yet, and yet he could not help himself.

“We have to leave my king, it is my duty to see you across safely. Please do not make me break my life’s oath” he pleaded, looking at Charles who was still standing stiffly.

“My life’s oath, Erik, is that all life is worth saving. It does not fall on you to determine who can live and who dies” blue eyes looked up at him, “I will not leave here till my duty is done”.

The mass of people around them looked more uncertain than ever, a voice broke out from the middle,

“I will go, I will come with you”.

A thin woman with her two children said, her voice trembling. “On your oath as a prince”

Charles immediately looked at her and steadily said in the ancient language of humans and fae, “I swear upon my life”.

The woman nodded at him and took her children and started walking rapidly towards the gates, following the thinning crowd of people as the village emptied quickly.

It was as if it was the final straw, the group broke and people followed her, their faces grim and clouded with fear and mistrust.

Only the man who had shouted at Charles and a couple of men remained,

“I will die before I trust the fae”, he spat at the young prince’s feet and turned to move back towards him home.

Erik almost killed him on the spot for this insult, but a sudden warm hand on his arm stopped him.

“Please reconsider, this is foolishness” Charles pleaded again.

The men spat at his feet, and left.

“My prince, we need to leave..” Erik began,

“Yes, yes I know, but the men” Charles said frustrated,

“They have chosen what they have chosen for themselves, pray do not make them choose for us” Erik took Charles by the arm and forced him to look at him.

“If we do not leave, if you don’t lead the humans into Alagaesia they won’t survive. The wards will not let them through. Atleast for their sake, if not mine, move”

Charles looked at him finally, his face was haunted and tired. They had been trying since the night to wrangle the villagers and convince them to leave.

“Yes, yes you are right of course”

Erik released a sigh of relief and turned to run towards the gate with Charles, they barely had any time now.

It was only a few hundred yards but the wet mud made the process difficult. Their boots kept sinking into the mulch and slowing down their progress.

“I did not think you would come back” Charles panted at him as they ran across the main village.

Erik almost snorted, to think that Charles would think he could stay away.

“I do not always have to agree with you my prince, but I should not have let my anger get the better of me” Erik chanced a look at Charles and then turned away, “I can concede that you were right this once. It was our duty to try”

He heard a small amused huff from Charles, and looked at him. His eyes were bright and he looked a little less gaunt than before, “the mighty Erik admitting I am wrong. I will have this day celebrated”

Erik only snorted and sighed in relief as he neared the gates. Logan was standing outside waiting for them impatiently.

“Cutting it mighty fine there eh bub?” he said as they neared him.

Charles bent in half as they stopped next to him, panting from the run, balefully eyeing Erik who stood next to him perfectly calm and put together.

“We do not have time to rest, his highness has tarried longer than was wise”

Charles straightened, the haunted look returning to his eyes again as he turned to Logan and said, “we could not convince everyone”

Logan kept a comforting hand on Charles’s shoulder and said “everyone chooses their own path Chuck, we do what we can and then we move along”.

Erik ignored the annoyance that he felt at that gesture. It was not his place.

A sudden crack of thunder in the sky startled them and people screamed in the distance. The rain around them started falling harder. Erik extended his metal sense again, he could feel the dam and he could feel it giving way slowly but surely. There was a give, a dissonance in the metal used that he had not anticipated. He startled and his eyes widened. No. Could they have been so foolish?

“Erik?” Charles looked at him worriedly, tuned into his emotions as always. “What is wrong?”

“Aurelium” he breathed out, trying his best to tamp down the fear rising in him. They had run out of time

He could hear Logan curse in the background,

“What does that mean?” Charles asked, “Erik” he said steadily, placing a bracing hand on his back.

“The fools used Aurelium where they ran out of Ferrum. The dam won’t hold” even as he said it out loud, a sense of finality overcame him. The monetary panic gave way to absolute calm as he looked into the beloved blue eyes.

“It means that the dam will not hold, I thought we had longer but I was mistaken” he ignored the rightness of the words and turned to Logan,

“From my path to yours, I pass the torch onto you”.

Logan looked up at him in grim acceptance, sorrow lining the years on his face, “it is mine to bear as it was yours, to the end of this life and next”.

Charles was looking between them, panic rising in him as he took in the meaning of the words. He looked at Erik wild eyed, “no! Whatever you think you are doing I forbid it. I forbid this foolishness”, his voice rose in pitch and choked off at the end.

“There is no other way” Erik looked at Charles and drank him in, “if I do not hold the dam now it will flood and sweep everyone away. Sweep you away. All of this will be for naught”

“We will make it” Charles began a little hysterically, “we will rush, we will make it..”

“No” Erik held him by the shoulders to quieten him, ignoring the despair he could see rising in the man in front of him“if I don’t go now..this is my duty and my honor”

“Fuck your duty” Charles snarled, grabbing and pulling Erik towards him “I will not forsake you, how dare you..”

He was interrupted by Logan, who caught him by the waist and made him let go of Erik,

“Logan what!” Charles turned furiously at him,

“I am sorry your highness, but we need to move” and started to bodily drag him away.

“Erik! ERik. You can not do this, you can not leave me. You promised me!” his voice cracked in the middle as tears started streaming down his face.

Erik took a step towards him despite himself, Charles was shouting but Erik couldn’t hear. The rain fell steadily over their heads and the sky rumbled and the dam heaved. He cupped Charles’s cheek softly with his hand, ignoring the despair in his eyes and took in his face for the last time. The blue eyes were rimmed with red, his face was pale, porcelain. His hair was matted on his face, he was the most beautiful being that Erik had the pleasure to love.

He took in a final moment to feel the warmth of Charles's face on his palm.

“You can’t leave me” Charles was sobbing, “let me come with you, I need you by my side”

Erik stroked Charles’s face with his thumb as he let go, “Charles" he said, savouring the name, "you say the cruelest things”

He took a step back, ignoring the prince’s shocked face, and was walking away from his life before he turned back and damned them all.

Charles was shouting in the distance. Erik had no illusions that if he was still in possession of his mind sense, he would have made him turn back. For a moment he thanked the stars, that it was still bound within him tightly. But Emma would know what to do once they found her in Alagaesia. The ache of the future rose in him with every step forward.

He ran as close to the dam as he could and when he could no longer wait, he let his awareness spread and became one with the metal of the dam. It was creaking and crumbling and groaning and it would not hold. He let himself go, searching that one point between rage and serenity. The fire that coursed through him was all love. Under his direction the metal fought, all the metallic objects in and around the village flew towards him, melding with the dam. Strengthening and reinforcing. It was a symphony. He was in the middle. The force of the river rammed into the dam, and he could feel it as it was an extension of himself. He had to hold on. For the people, for his duty, his companions, for Charles. He stood there directing the metal as long as he could. He ignored the pain of over exertion, there was something wet trickling down his nose and ears, but he could not pay attention to it. He stood there for what seemed like a century. He was giving way, a blackness was rising and threatening to overwhelm him. He was teetering at the edge when a sudden crack surprised him, there was a smell of sulphur, and he collapsed. Blissful nothingness.

X

In shock Charles sat on the top of the hillock that marked the entry into Alagaesia. He had managed to open the barrier and let the people cross into the land safely. He remembered nothing. He was numb and he was staring down at the village when with a deafening boom the dam gave way and a furious torrent of water gushed out. There were shouts all around as the river flew swiftly and inexorably wiping and drowning everything in its path. Even from the safety of their altitude, it was a horrifying sight. Amidst the fear of the humans, Charles was shouting till his throat was raw. A part of his mind had just blacked out and turned to nothingness. Erik, Charles thought despairingly, before he kneeled over and passed out.

[ninjakitty15]

Chapter 22: Deader is Better (Loki x OFC Pairing)

It was exactly one day before the greatest holiday of all time, and not just because I was the most powerful I'd ever be that year. The streets were packed with people, every parking lot was booked solid, every parking space even, residents were even renting out some of their spaces for pocket money. Loki and I helped out Zari with her little store in exchange for letting us crash at her place, Loki was both surprised and delighted by how accepting people were of him even after asking if he was who he was. I explained to him that while the country as a whole has a longass way before it can be completely progressive and welcoming, Salem, being one of the first historical places here that destroyed itself in fear and intolerance, was probably the first to turn that around. It went from burning, hanging, crushing, and torturing people that were considered different and therefore dangerous to welcoming the different and weird as one of their own. No one even cared he took over New York, what they saw was an alien army attacking the city and a god that brought a bunch of heroes together to stop them.

"If Asgard were still around, I wish it had a city like this, celebrating magic and welcoming the weird as you'd say," mused Loki.

"Isn't there a realm entirely like that? Where the Light Elves live?"

"Look at you, trying to learn my culture," he teased. "It was where my mother learned magic and passed it onto me, yes. But we didn't go there often enough for me to call it another home. Most of the time, if we went anywhere it was to beat the natives into submission thanks entirely to Thor."

"For all the advancements your people had on us, the technology, the magic, the fuckton more years in a lifespan, you're not that far off in some idealogies from us. Rarely does peaceful methods end a dispute between peoples. Oh sure, there's been tons of times we tried that, it rarely works in our favor though. Peaceful rallies or marches are usually ended with police brutality they claim is the right way even when they're throwing tear gas grenades at unarmed civilians, tazing random protesters they later claim as dangerous, or just blasting them with high pressured firemen hoses. It always ends badly, with injuries, false claims, and injustice. I'd seriously love to meet Odin just to tell him he ain't special."

Loki smiled at this and kissing the top of my head. "I shouldn't be proud of you despising him like I did, but I am anyway. I am glad you met my mother in some form though, I had a feeling she'd like you."

"She told me to trust you and that in doing so, you'd stay with me as no one else besides Thor if even that, has trusted you since you came here indefinitely. A lonely existence that is, everyone keeping you at arms length. I can understand that, outside of Salem, skin color alone is an excuse not to trust someone, people see someone that looks like they're past their expiration date like me and they go running. Hell, even hair color or skin ink can keep you from getting jobs here, we're still an extremely regressive country. Not worth saving anytime soon."

"Then why bother?"

"Because unfortunately I'm one of the idiots inhabiting it with no way to some place better."

"I asked Thor why he fought so hard to protect this speck of a planet once, don't recall him giving me a good answer but yours shall suffice, if nothing else, because you're part of it."

"Whoa, hold your eight legged horses, you really don't need to do that...at all. Just find a way out of here if we can't at least save this city, the Avengers can handle this planet and if they can't...well at least they tried right? We don't need to get involved when neither of us signed any kind of hero contract like they did."

"You sure?"

"I'm not just sure...I'm HIV positive."

"You'd have to be alive to contract that disease and I'm not quite sure it would transmit to something already dead."

I opened my mouth to retaliate but something else stayed my tongue for a moment, something felt wrong, unnatural even. "Listen...do you smell that?" I asked curiously. Loki didn't get a chance to answer as a great surge of necro-power struck me full force and I was sent flying back several feet away, breaking several trees of the park we were enjoying till then along the way before my back slammed against a particularly thick one and I stopped flying. A dull pain exploded from my chest mere inches from where the stone was protecting my important bits and cool black blood lightly dripped from my lips. I looked down at where the pain came from and blinked in surprise.

"Oh look I've been impaled," I mused before breaking off the branch sticking out of my body and stepped away from the tree behind me. I looked for the source of the power surge and glared as I spotted the culprit walking toward us.

"Are you hurt?" asked Loki warily.

"Just a flesh wound," I assured him, gathering power from behind into my arms and fists. "You might wanna sit this one out though."

"No no, let him try," the attacker taunted as he got closer to us.

"I knew I smelled something rotten in the wind," I muttered. "What is it this time? First the heart, now the brain rotting away, would make sense if it was you that sold us all out."

The man before us glowered at me then flashed rotting, blackened teeth, while for the most part he looked alive, he was essentially rotting from the inside out. "You aren't the only one with a stone organ, my head will remain just as much as your heart does till I rip that out of you."

I arched an eyebrow. "Lemme guess, one of your Hydra buddies was a brain surgeon or so he claims. They all think themselves doctors of something that organization, not one medical degree posted when I was with them though, kinda makes you wonder."

"They don't need doctors for corpses," he snapped.

"You sure you're not braindead? Cuz I'm sure coroners and morticians both require a medical degree to be licensed with the job."

"Have a few run-ins with those folks have you?" he sneered. "You know the best part about you was at the very least being a warm body at the end of the day, now you don't even have that."

I snorted at his attempt to insult me. "Oh hun, the best part of you ran down your mother's legs. You gonna bark all day, you little bitch, or are you gonna bite?"

He held his hands to his head and another ball of smoke and lightning came hurtling at us but this time it was aiming for Loki at breathtaking speed, he was essentially pulling an Azula on me thinking I'd either let Loki get hit or take it myself but I saw his Azula and raised him a Dumbledore, telling my guiding spirits to yank him away from the path of the ball as I wouldn't be fast enough to help myself. I waved my hand toward Loki and he was suddenly swept aside and away from the direct battle ahead. Loki scrambled to his feet, a dagger in each hand and returning to his battle armor swiftly, glancing at me in shock. I mouthed a sorry to him before focusing all my attention to the rotten necromancer in front of me.

"Targeting what's mine isn't your best move when you really don't need to give me more motives to decapitate you than you already have," I warned.

"I know he's your weakness though. I want to see just how weak he really makes you," he sneered. "If what doesn't kill you makes you strong, what about when you're already dead."

"You're well on your way to finding that out yourself, hun. I can help answer that for you though." I thrust out a hand and black lightning flew from my fingertips. My rival managed to shield some of it with his own magic but as he wasn't a demi god the impact of that much power still sent him flying back. I didn't wait for him to get up though as I charged at him with a ball of power around each fist.

He rolled away right before I could punch in his head and destroy the stone inside it and got to his feet as I stood up, charging at me as I straightened up so we were suddenly toe to toe trying to kill each other. For a solid few minutes it was just dodging and exchanging blows and balls of energy before he decided to get sneaky and tried to slash me with his ceremonial dagger hidden in his boot. I dodged it just enough to not actually cut me but it did do some damage to my hoodie which had me glaring at him as I loved my hoodies. From there, it was throwing either each other, balls of power, or punches at each other with him occasionally trying to throw power at Loki who quickly learned to keep an eye on his attacks as much as I was without interfering, this wasn't his fight anymore. The ground around us was starting to look barren and dead from the effects of our powers used against one another, the grass brittle and brown. We both paused for a moment, both battered and frustrated neither of us were getting the upper hand with what we were doing.

"Why won't you stay down?!" he demanded.

I scoffed. "What is dead can never die. What's your dilemma here? What did Hydra even offer you to make you switch sides?"

"A chance to be something greater than this, the other necromancer, to be a demigod."

"And how's that working out for you?" I asked in bemusement. "They aren't higher powers, they're hired powers, there's a difference. There's no cutting corners on that one, ask nicely or die trying. How did you know where to find me? On the plane?"

"I had a spook tail you, not all the spirits are on your side you know."

"The good ones are, the rest are usually locked or exorcised so kudos on finding one of the select few willing to help a brother out."

He narrowed his eyes at me, collecting powers as he did. "If I'm not given what I want, then I'll have to take it myself just like I did with the other necromancers that went against me."

"And that's why no matter where that stone is surgically implanted in you, you will never be one of us, going against your own kind for something you'll never get." I lowered one hand to the ground and reached into the earth with just death magic alone, calling for something very specific as I waited for him to make the first move this time. "Especially not from me."

"And what makes you so special?" he demanded.

"Come here and find out." He lunged forward, taking the bait and I dropped to one knee at the last second, dodging his power-fist at the same time a rotted hand burst from the ground with my own dagger I snatched up and sliced into my enemy's rotted guts. He stumbled back, his free hand going to his stomach as he was weakened but not done for, the stone keeping him barely alive inside him. "Almost seems pointless since you're already decaying inside."

He looked at the wound I gave him from my dagger and glared at me as it was already speeding up the process. "You little cunt."

"Let me guess, you're gonna kill me, right? Join the line of people with empty threats they never finish."

Black lightning danced around his head and down to his body, staving off the spreading death from reaching his neck but not healing the blade wound either. "Should I rip out your soul first or your stone?"

"You say that like you've actually gotten the upper hand in this fight but who here has the unhealed wound and who here has survived worse?" I retorted.

He sneered at me with his rotten teeth and lunged forward once more but being the slimy little bastard he was, pulled his dagger apart so there were actually two identical ones and threw one at my leg while making a bee line around me with the other dagger at Loki. I gritted my teeth as the dagger hit its mark in my thigh and not wasting time even to take it out of me, threw a power ball at him from behind so he couldn't dodge it and sent him off his course to my lover. I then took out the dagger in my leg and limped over to the bastard despite the agony burning through the entire limb. I didn't wait for him to get up and kicked him hard in the head right where I guessed the stone was before aiming for the wound I gave him with my blade. "Silly asshat, kicks are for ribs." His snapped under my leather boots. He tried to throw the other knife he still had at Loki but I caught it this time and dissolved the twin dagger like I did the one in my leg. I grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up, and slamming into another park tree while holding him in place.

"You really wanna know why you can't kill me after all this time?" I challenged.

"You don't scare me, Nell," he choked out.

I recalled what the Wiccan seer had told me and let go of everything holding me back. "I can fix that. You can't kill a Horsemen." A different kind of power rippled throughout my body, not necromancy, but something stronger, eternal and deadly and incomparable. The entire arm and hand holding him up was skeletal as was half my face and that's when fear started to leak into his. He fought and wiggled in my grasp, trying to pry my bones off his neck but my finger bones just dug in deeper while he kicked at me. I raised my free hand, also all bones, and went for his head, aiming for the stone still managing to keep him alive when his throat was slowly being punctured and torn. And then the world seemed to pause, everything went silent and still, everything was frozen even including most of me as I couldn't seem to reach the stone in his head but was poised to grab it out of his forehead. And then something else happened, something that only happened to me when something very specific was coming. I got what Peter Parker would call the "the Peter tingle" and chills ran up and down my body despite the whole lack of nerves and feelings thing I had being a skeleton.

[heynikkiyousofine]

This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I wanted to go ahead and get it posted before the weekend, Chapter 9 will be posted Sunday. 

@keichanz @neutronstarchild

Three days passed by in a blur. Kagome spent her mornings training with Miroku, Sango and now Inuyasha. A few times, King Toga graced them with his presence to see her progress and find out how she was doing. She hadn’t seen much of him lately, noticing he was held up in his meeting room most of the time with King Sesshomaru, who never spoke to her whenever he arrived again with his troops. Not taking it to heart, she understood there was a fight coming and they were probably busy with preparations.

She could shoot her arrows extremely well, hitting a bull eyed every single time now, her arms sore and exhausted, but could learned she could send pure power with her arrows, shattering the side of the weapons shack in the process. She also learned she could grow things fairly fast, but that was more draining. She almost passed out yesterday, trying to sprout a tree in the field they were standing in. When she almost passed out from the drain of power, Inuaysha snarled at Miroku and Sango as he caught her and carried her away to his tree as he liked to call it. There they had spent a long time, missing lunch, talking to each, getting to know each other better. It was also where she snuck him a few kisses, letting him hold her in his embrace. There they had talked about everything until dinnertime and even strolled through the gardens at night before bedtime, where he would kiss her hand gently before wishing her sweet dreams.

A few times, they had gotten into arguments over silly things, both of their tempers equal in their passion, before laughing at the situation and making up. The king and queen always laughed at them, glad someone could help put their sons antics in his place. It made for an interesting few days.

Today was the final day of training before they left for the borders tomorrow. She wondered if her home still stood standing. Inuaysha, Miroku, Sango and herself would travel through the forest again, not wanting to draw too much attention to Kagome, while also gathering more allies from the mythical creatures. King Sesshomaru and King Toga would take their armies and travel the roads, greeting the people as he went. Sango’s brother would follow the kings, while Shippo would stay behind at the castle with Rin, Queen Izayoi and Queen Kagura. A troop of men would stay behind as well, in order to protect the castle and its inhabitants.  

Her afternoons were spent walking through the gardens with her books, reading more and more about her heritage, the past and her parents. She was accompanied by either Queen Izayoi or Sango, and occasionally Kagura before she would tire out for a nap. Shippo spent more of his time with Rin and the local village children. It was there, when no one else was around, she helped the flowers grow in the garden. She had finished a bush of roses when Inuyasha strolled up behind, kissing her cheek before grabbing her free hand. Warmth spread through her as she smiled at him.

“Mother said you asked for some new clothing for tomorrow?” He inquired, an eyebrow raising, looking more like his father.

Laughing Kagome only nodded at his question, not wanting to go into too much detail. She had expression her concerns to Izayoi in private and decided to surprise everyone with her “costume change” as Izayoi had put it. It arrived this morning in her room before she left ,after changing for lunch. She was excited for something to help with her fighting and her wings, while not getting too close to her legs either.

Not understanding why she was keeping this a secret, Inuaysha let it go. Squeeing her hand softly, knowing they would have to head to the dining hall soon for dinner, he turned to her, a serious expression on his handsome face. “Kagome.” Stopping in her tracks, she looked at him and waited for him to begin.

“Tomorrow and on out, it won’t be the same as in the castle. I know we are headed near your home, but I want you to know I promise to protect you with my life. We are only stronger together and the past few days have been blissful, but I just worry about you. Once Naraku knows who you are, nothing will stop him from trying to get to you.”

Understanding where he was coming from, she nodded and smiled at him. “I agree Inuyasha, from here on out, we protect each other. I’m not some damsel in distress. I can protect my own.”

“Damn right, woman.” He rumbled heartily, “Let’s go get dinner. I think Father has something big planned.” He rolled his eyes, knowing his father loved celebrations and frivolous feasts.

As the night wore on, everyone gathered around the dinner table, discussing happy memories, hearing the tales of Shippo and RIn and sharing jokes with each other. Inuaysha and Kagome sat next to each other, simply enjoying the company of their friends and family. After they strolled through the garden one last time before bed, Kagome and Inuyasha kissed passionately in their tree, as his father now deemed, making them both embarrassed as can be at dinnertime, not wanting to part from one another just yet. They knew the next day would change everything and while Kagome felt she was prepared and ready to fight for her people and get her mother back, she didn’t want to end this little time of happiness. She swore to herself as she crawled into bed that night, that she would do whatever it takes to protect everyone from Naraku.

Golden rays flittered in the room, Kagome opened her eyes, her mind blank as she sat up. She knew she needed to keep calm and level headed from here on out, while she practiced her meditation. Toga had spoken to everyone briefly yesterday about the plan of attack and how Kagome was to kept hidden until the right time. Word of Naraku traveling, his henchmen and himself towards the border had been trickling in since she arrived at the castle. They were going to meet him at the borders, before he could cross into the Northern Kingdom, with King Koga and his men coming from behind at the southern border to trap them. It was then, when Naraku would show himself during battle, and try to take the Kings’ life’s and powers that Kagome would show her true self and hit him with an arrow, sealing him into a tree that she would sprout from the ground. While she had been practicing and knew she was ready for battle, she was still nervous.

A soft knock came to her door, when she went to go answer, Queen Izayoi stepped in. Watching her with a wondering expression, Izayoi simply smiled and told her she wanted to help her get ready. She was excited to see her in this new costume, they talked about things while Izayoi helped tie the bodice on Kagome’s back.

“My dear, I want you to know, you are always welcome here. I understand that you will probably want to go back to your home after the battle, and I bless your relationship with my son completely, just don’t forget to visit me once in a while.” Izayoi simply stated, watching Kagome’s cheeks flush. How many times can I blush in this castle? Kagome thought grumpily.

Agreeing, promises were made and Kagome walked to stand in front a full length mirror attached to her wardrobe. Gasping, she was astounded and speechless. Deciding to forgo her pendent until she could get her outfit on, she loved what her reflection showed. She was ready. Smiling at the queen, Kagome pulled her pendant over her head, walked arm in arm out of the room, towards the breakfast table, where everyone sat, ready to dig in.

As goodbyes were said, and two crying children were comforted, Kagome gave a now sniffling Shippo the tightest hug, told him to be good for the queens and watched as the castle doors fell away from sight, riding along her horse. Glancing at her, Inuaysha, grabbed her hand, squeezed it tightly and smiled at her softly. She looked stunning in her outfit, truly fit for a queen going into battle, with her weapons strapped to her back and knife in her boot. While he longed for her wings to be flowing in the breeze, he knew she was being cautious until the time came. With MIroku and Sango trailing behind them talking softly, they began to trip to the borders, knowing they would reach the area a day or two before the troops. He had planned on taking Kagome back to the meadow, where he would ask her if she would officially be his mate when they defeated Naraku. 

It took almost three fulls day to get near the borders and the meadow, stopping quite a few times along the way to gather Kagome’s friends and their allies. Gnomes trailed alongside the horses, Kagome striding next to two unicorns and fairies flying about. He knew they existed, for having seen a few of them on his travels through the forest. He wondered in astonishment how many there were, for more kept joining the group wanting to fight Naraku. At one point, he hope the large ogre at the very back would be a good partner to take down Naraku’s henchmen. He had a bone to pick with Bankotsu, Kagome told him what happened the night her mother was taken. Growling softly to himself, he missed the worried look from Kagome.

“Inuaysha, let’s go for a quick walk and stretch our legs?” The small, fiery woman suggested, grabbing his hand. Nodding in agreement, they wandered away from the campsite, near the flowing stream. “We are almost to my home. How are you holing up? You’ve been so quiet the last day or so.” Kagome asked softly.

A sigh escaped his lips before he could respond. “I was just thinking of the man who took your mother and tried to force himself on you. I’m sorry for worrying you koi.” He wiped his hands down his face in agitation. 

Smiling at the fond endearment, Kagome smiled, “I get it. I know this is a lot for you, we keep gathering more friends. I didn’t know there was so many out there like me and word spreads fast for them. We could use all the help we can get.”

“I agree, I’m just tired from riding on my horse for so long as this slow pace. I don’t want to get there too much earlier before Father. Thank you for checking on me, I should be checking up on you.”

Nodding in agreement and understand, they began to head back towards the campsite, when Inuaysha tugged on Kagome’s hands, stopping her and pulling her closely. Touching her cheek softly, he looked in to her eyes. At night, they reflected the stars around them, shimmering so bright, he could get lost in them for hours.

“Kagome, I’m worried about tomorrow and what we will find. I don’t think there is anything left of your home.” He hated saying this out loud, knowing she probably already had thought of this, but he wanted to protect her heart as well.

“There was fire the night I left, so I doubt there will be much either. I just want my mother to be okay. If they don’t have her with them, if she’s dead or she’s being held in the castle, I just don’t know.” She sighed sadly, leaning into his touch.

Her feelings so intense, he hastily pushed his lips to hers, making her gasp quietly. They stood there, ravishing each other, this kiss full of heat and passion, while also unspoken words saying that they may not get to do this for quite some time, if ever again. There was so much uncertainty and Kagome felt hot tears stream down her cheeks. Stopping to catch his breath, Inuaysha brushed her cheeks with his thumbs, rumbled softly for her and kissed her forehead, while she clutched his hands tightly.

“Come on, let’s go get situated for the night, I want you to hold me.” She whispered back, taking his hands again, while they strode back to camp, both with content smiles on their face. 

The next morning, as they emerged from the forest line, near her former home, Kagome’s heart stopped when she saw the blackened wood of her old home. Around her, the flowers were almost black from the flames and the charred well near the home was nearly dry. My home is gone, she thought sadly. Feeling Inuyasha grab her left hand, Calliope land on her right shoulder and Sango reach for the right hand, she took a deep breath while everyone began to set up camp in the cleared area. The ogre and some centaurs had started to move the burnt wood, making a fire pit for everyone to gather around. Oblivious to the woods around them, no one noticed a set of glowing red eyes, near the eastern border, clouded by a small barrier with miasma, watching the group with hungry eyes.

[not-majestic-bluenicorn]

Crescent || Chapter 2

Fandom(s): ATEEZ

AU: Treasure Hunters

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Relationship: Everyone x Everyone, Established Hongjoong x Yunho

Language: English

Status: Ongoing

Chapter WC: 3,648 words

Warnings: Character Death, Stabbing, Fighting, Blood, Aliens, War, Funerals, Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping, Mentions of Child Abuse / Child Work, Explosions, Murder Attempt, more will be added.

Chapter Warnings: Mourning?

Summary:

"I volunteered myself for the mission, you'll come with me, right?" Hongjoong smiled proudly.

"Of course I will," Yunho nodded, grabbing Hongjoong's face. "I'll go wherever you go, but are you sure about this?"

AO3

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The stars enveloped the ship as Taejoong carried Hongjoong on his shoulders. Hongjoong stretched his small hands and reached towards the vacuum full of stars, excited as it was his first time on a spaceship. The vessel was gorgeous, worthy of the Emperor of the biggest human empire in the neighboring galaxies, but even it paled in comparison to the beauty of the stars and planets splattered across the black emptiness.

Taejoong strolled around the deck as he answered Hongjoong's questions and nodded to all the crazy ideas of his little brother. Hongjoong had been demanding to go on a ship for so long that in the end, his father had had to concede. They had been worried that he would be scared of the embrace of space, but he was dealing really well with it.

"You're so brave for being so tiny, mini Hong." Taejoong commented after a while, still surprised that his brother wasn't scared.

"I'm not tiny!" Hongjoong complained, balling his fists and hitting his brother on the head. "And I’m not scared when you're with me." Hongjoong hunched over his brother's face and looked him in the eye. Taejoong looked back at him and smiled, nodding softly. 

"That's right, whatever happens to me, I'll protect you." Taejoong chuckled. "Even with your tiny size, there's nothing to fear!"

"Shut up!" Hongjoong bonked him on the head again before his brother pulled him down and started tickling him, sending him into a laughing frenzy before he managed to escape. They spent the rest of the trip just chasing and playing with each other.

--

Yunho pulled back the curtains on Hongjoong's biggest window and looked at the alarm clock with suspicion. It was way past his time to wake up but he was still in bed, and Yunho suspected he had turned off the alarm again like he had been doing all week. He couldn't judge him though, no one could. 

Gently, he pulled the bed sheets away to uncover Hongjoong's head. He was frowning, but other than that he seemed peaceful enough that Yunho didn't think it would be necessary to wake him up abruptly. Instead, he knelt next to the bed and softly carded his fingers through Hongjoong's blond locks. He wasn't naturally blond, and although at first he had been reprimanded a lot by his father, he only received a few disapproving looks every once in a while now.

Hongjoong's eyes fluttered open and he lifted his head, a little out of himself. Yunho hummed softly and continued petting his head until Hongjoong seemed to remember where he was and his head flopped back on the pillow, cheek squeezing softly against it. Yunho chuckled and stood up. He pulled the sheets further down and Hongjoong whined, burying his face in the pillows and trying to pull the covers back on.

"Come on, you have to get up now," Yunho insisted. His tone was serious but the smile on his face betrayed him. "You're already late as is."

Hongjoong shook his head, sending his hair flying everywhere. As soon as Yunho had let go of the covers, he pulled them back up until his chin and looked at his boyfriend with a half-hearted glare, daring him to try that again. Yunho shook his head and motioned to pull the covers again when Hongjoong grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer, almost causing Yunho to fall on top of him.

"Not yet." Hongjoong's voice was small, and Yunho understood he wasn't playing around. He just really wasn't ready to get up yet. "Lie down with me."

"Someone could come looking for you and see us." Yunho muttered. Their faces were so close that he felt compelled to talk quietly.

"Everyone knows we're dating, I don't think anyone will mind." Hongjoong rolled his eyes. "Please."

Yunho couldn't refuse him when he asked like that, so he took off his boots and lay down under the covers. Hongjoong immediately rested his head on Yunho's chest, listening to his heartbeat as Yunho wrapped an arm around his shoulders. It was intimate, and warm, and so they allowed themselves to relax.

"You know, just because everyone knows doesn't mean they don't mind." Yunho began. "If you were the successor, Emperor Kim would be marrying you to another empire's prince or princess."

"Well then, good thing I am not the successor." Hongjoong huffed, only mildly annoyed about the topic not being over. He knew Yunho was insecure about his status. "I have no interest in being emperor."

"I personally think you would make a better emperor that Prince Yijoong." Yunho said, almost as if it was nothing. Hongjoong immediately covered his mouth with a hand.

"Don't say that out loud!" He exclaimed. "It could be considered treason! And I don't want a dead boyfriend." Yunho grabbed his hand and kissed the palm softly.

"It's not treason," he smiled. "I'm just biased."

Hongjoong smiled but still hit Yunho softly on the chest before leaning on it again and sighing. It was a deep sigh, and Yunho knew he would just go back to being trapped in his thoughts. He really had to get up and go fulfill his prince duties, but a few minutes of daydreaming wouldn't hurt him. He played with Hongjoong's fingers for a little while before he decided to ask him about how he felt.

"How are you feeling today?" Yunho asked, pressing a kiss to Hongjoong's temple. Hongjoong shook his head. "Better than yesterday?"

"Only a little." He answered this time, and Yunho kissed his forehead.

"That's good enough, we'll just take little steps." Yunho hummed. "It never truly stops hurting, but it'll get better, I promise."

"I know." Hongjoong shifted, putting even more of his weight on Yunho so he could look directly at his face. "I actually dreamed of him."

"And what happened in the dream?" Yunho's arm wrapped around Hongjoong's frame, resting on the middle of his back.

"It was more like a memory, really." Hongjoong sighed. "Of when they first took me on a ship, it's one of my favorite childhood memories actually." Yunho nodded, everyone knew of prince Hongjoong's love for sailing and expeditions. "He promised me to always protect me no matter what happened to him."

"Do you think he's watching over you even now?" Yunho whispered, a bit afraid of offending Hongjoong with the question, but he paid it no mind.

"Yeah, he's never broken a promise."

--

Hongjoong walked towards the war room. A meeting had been scheduled early to discuss the progress of the Elgen invasion. Hongjoong and Yunho, along with other important members of the army had been allowed to return to the home planet to celebrate the burial, but they would probably be sent back soon.

He entered the war room as silently as it was possible for him, but everyone was so engrossed in a heated discussion to pay him any attention. Instead of claiming their attention, Hongjoong decided to stay at the corner and listen to their discussion. He would usually be more straightforward, but he didn't want to be there that day in the first place.

"We must take revenge over the death of Prince Taejoong!" Claimed one of the advisors. "One thing is invading a planet of the Empire, which could still be negotiated over, but another very different one is murdering the successor to the crown!"

"While I agree with that statement," interrupted another advisor, who focused on the economy," we've been using too many funds to fight this invasion. The people won't be happy about that."

“They should be more offended about the next-in-line passing in battle at the hands of our enemies!” The first advisor retorted, passionate about his house. A few other members of the meeting nodded in agreement.

“Then might as well provide us with a financial miracle if you want to continue this war,” the second advisor huffed. They were about to continue bantering when a tap on the table interrupted them.

"There might be such a miracle," Yijoong intervened, pulling out a small box. "We have the map of the Treasure of the Seven Galaxies."

"The biggest treasure in the entire universe?" The economy advisor scoffed. "With all due respect Prince Yijoong, that treasure is a simple fairy tale, it doesn't exist."

"Oh but it does." Yijoong smiled. "We have actually begun to decipher the map, and we're completely certain of its existence." He opened the box and it projected a gigantic map on the room, it was full of boxes blocking the actual map. They appeared to be locked with a password. "If the 'fairy tales', as you so call them, are correct, this would solve all of our problems."

Hongjoong's eyes widened as he looked around the room, taking in every detail he could of the map. He had grown hearing the stories of enormous treasures hidden at the end of the universe from his brother, and he had always wanted to leave on such an adventure. His father had disapproved, claiming that those were dreams of dishonest people like pirates, but here was his brother, proposing it as a solution.

“That simply can’t be true,” the advisor shook his head, although he seemed less confident than before.

“I’ve put the best historical researchers to work on this,” Yijoong smiled confidently. “The records don’t lie: the treasure is real.”

"Even then, who would take such a risky mission?" The advisor stuttered, taken aback by the certainty in the Prince’s voice.

"I'll do it." Hongjoong said before he could even think it through. Here it was, the opportunity he had wanted so much, right at his fingertips. 

"Prince Hongjoong? When did you come in?" One of the generals exclaimed, apparently most of the assistants to the meeting had not noticed his presence.

"Not long ago." He clarified. "My apologies for coming in so late." He moved towards his seat on the table, to the left of his father. "I want to go looking for the treasure. I have the abilities necessary to command a team and find it."

Everyone was looking at him, and they all seemed taken aback by his sudden boldness. All except his father, whose stoic eyes analyzed him intently, looking for a sign of weakness or uncertainty. Hongjoong held his gaze without problem. He wanted to do this, wanted to contribute to honoring his brother and wanted the opportunity to travel far away to places he didn't know of yet. Finally, his father seemed satisfied, and turned to look at Yijoong.

"How certain are you of the existence of this treasure?" He asked, and Yijoong grinned.

"One hundred percent certain, Your Highness." He closed the little box and passed it to Hongjoong, who held it like it was a treasure itself.

"Very well then, you'll be in charge of informing Prince Hongjoong everything you know about it, and Prince Hongjoong will put together a team to go look for the treasure." The Emperor instructed, to the surprise of everyone. "You have five days."

--

In a dimly lit room, a man sat down with a glass of fine wine, as he waited for the arrival of a delivery. Soon enough, two men entered the room. One of them was tall and sickly thin, almost looking like he hadn't eaten anything in decades. The other one, shorter yet with defined muscles and a healthy looking face, stared at him with empty eyes and chained hands, almost like a robot.

"Apologies for taking long, sir." The tall man apologized, quickly bowing before him, and pushing the shorter man to bow as well.

"It's quite alright." He laughed, taking a sip of his glass. "Is this who you promised?"

"It is, sir. San, code CS-710-28." The tall man proceeded to explain quickly. "He is one of our most experienced fighters and one of our best hitmen. He'll be able to carry out the task without problem."

"Right, my client needs only the best of the best." He nodded. "The target is a difficult one after all."

"We have received important targets like this before, sir." The tall man nodded. "But we never thought we would be asked to kill Prince Kim Hongjoong, it is certainly a unique mission."

He nodded and put his wine glass aside, standing up. He moved closer to San, who remained still with his eyes fixed on the front. He knew San was human, sort of, but he stood so still and collected that even his breathing was difficult to detect for one who didn't look too closely. San was, truly, a masterpiece.

"I expect great results from you, San." He said with a smile. "You were quite expensive to hire, don't let us down."

San was quick to bow to him, but still said nothing. He had heard that the products from planet  Lyria 38 were not allowed to speak so long as a master was in their presence. They were not allowed to discuss their own jobs and simply received instructions. He found it truly fascinating that people with so little control over themselves existed; of course, others like San could barely be considered people, but it was interesting nonetheless.

"Do not worry sir, he'll take care of it." The tall man assured him, and he dismissed them, pleased with the results of their meeting.

--

Hongjoong went looking for Yunho as soon as the reunion was over. He needed to tell him about the trip. He wasn't too difficult to find, as when Yunho wasn't with Hongjoong, he could almost always be found training by himself. This time was no exception, and when Hongjoong walked into the Royal Garden, he could hear the clashing of swords and the heavy breathing. He slowed down and eventually made it to where Yunho was, training with another soldier.

His movements were precise and calculated, almost like he was dancing to a choreography only he had memorized. Hongjoong had always admired him for that. Not only was Yunho a good sword fighter, he was a beautiful one; and for all that people praised him as the prince, Hongjoong had always thought Yunho was way better than him, out of his league. It had probably been Yunho's survival tactic, though.

Yunho had been a nobody when he arrived at the palace, but Hongjoong had demanded him to stay at the palace with the fastidious insistence only a child could manage, so Yunho had had to justify his place next to him. And he had. There had been not a single day Yunho hadn't spent working towards becoming someone worthy of standing next to the prince. 

He had learned to read and write, mastered all of the difficult subjects they had tried him with, and conquered the art of sword fighting. Years later, Hongjoong had asked him about it, about why he had spent so much time working to satisfy the wishes of a naive child. Yunho had shrugged and, after some though, replied.

"It was the first time someone willingly chose me to be in their life and meant it." He answered with a smile.

That was before they began dating. Hongjoong had been so overcome with emotions that he had kissed him on the spot. Afterwards he spent a good hour apologizing before disappearing for a full week, because he had been too embarrassed about the whole ordeal. Eventually, Yunho coaxed him out of his shell and talked to him about it. And then, just like that, they started dating. Their relationship wasn't received without some disapproval, but they had made it work so far, and they intended to keep it that way.

The soldier Yunho had been practicing with yelped as his sword flew away with a snap of Yunho's wrist and Hongjoong’s attention returned to the fight. Yunho had his sword pointed to the throat of the soldier, and Hongjoong whistled, claiming their attention. He clapped slowly and Yunho put his sword down, taking off his helmet; the soldier next to him did the same.

"Oh, Hwanwoong?" Hongjoong asked, slightly surprised. "You're training with Yunho?"

"He asked me to." Hwanwoong shrugged. "Your boyfriend is too strong, I want one like him."

"Stay away from him, cousin of hell." Hongjoong stuck his tongue out, wrapping his arms around Yunho as soon as he was next to him.

"Look who's talking, Battleground's Devil, you're so bad you've made a name for yourself!" Hwanwoong also stuck his tongue out at him before he went to retrieve his sword.

"Shut up." Hongjoong huffed, making Yunho laugh. "Don't laugh at me." Hongjoong pouted, looking up at Yunho, who smiled and leaned down just enough to peck his pout.

"Ew! Don't do that in front of me!" Hwanwoong complained, shaking his head in fake disgust. Hongjoong grabbed Yunho's face and kissed him again. "Oh god I hate you so much." Hwanwoong gagged and ran away, yelling goodbye back at them once he was far away enough.

Hongjoong accompanied Yunho back to the palace so he could get rid of the heavier equipment, take a shower, and wear his normal uniform. As soon as they were in the privacy of Yunho's room, Hongjoong began pacing around, excited. Yunho looked at him with confusion, but waited for him to talk by himself. Finally, Hongjoong pulled out the little box Yijoong had given him and showed it to Yunho.

"What is that?" Yunho decided to ask, as he started preparing his shower.

"We're going on a treasure hunt." Hongjoong smiled, looking smug as he opened the box and the map enveloped everything in the room. Yunho gaped at it as his eyes frantically looked around.

"We... We are?" Yunho swallowed, baffled.

"Yes, we are going to look for the Treasure of the Seven Galaxies, and use it to fund the war and avenge my brother." Hongjoong closed the box, smiling proudly. "I volunteered myself for the mission, you'll come with me, right?"

"Of course I will," Yunho nodded, grabbing Hongjoong's face. "I'll go wherever you go, but are you sure about this?" 

Hongjoong frowned, displeased by the question. Yunho was rightfully worried about his desire for revenge, but Hongjoong couldn't see that, he just wanted to do something for his brother. Hongjoong removed Yunho's hands from his face and pocketed the map. Yunho grabbed his hand and softly kissed the back of it.

"Don't be upset, it just seems dangerous." Yunho smiled. "I am worried for you, but you already know I'll support you through any decisions you make."

"I know, I'm sorry." Hongjoong pressed his forehead to Yunho's chest. "Go take a shower, we have to start working on this."

--

The next two weeks were spent preparing for the trip. To cover his identity, it was announced that Prince Hongjoong had fallen ill after the passing of his brother and he wouldn't be returning to the battleground. The construction of their vessel began in the satellite Sonne U-28 from planet Namia, the biggest commercial satellite in the Empire. It was far away enough from the home planet that Hongjoong wouldn't be easily recognized by the general public.

This satellite was always full of residents from all over the Empire and even other empires. It would be a good way to find crew members to mix in with the soldiers they had already chosen. Through several meetings and discussions, they had opted for a smaller ship and crew, as it would draw less attention to them and make the trip faster. Of course, the map wasn't entirely deciphered yet, but hopefully it wouldn't take that long.

"An inn has been reserved for us to stay there while the ship is finished, which should happen in the next few days." Hwanwoong explained to Hongjoong.

Yunho and him, as well as eight other soldiers had been chosen by Hongjoong to help in the missions. They were all close friends to him and people he trusted with the task. They had already posted a job offer throughout Sonne U-28, and once they got there, they would check out the applications and take in then more people to make a total of 21 crew members. 

"Good, that'll give us time to check the applications and choose the rest of the crew members." Hongjoong nodded. "Any idea of when we'll get there?"

"A couple more hours at most, we're almost there." Hwanwoong smiled. 

"Good! I can't wait!" Hongjoong stretched his arms.

"We just barely left the home planet and you're already stopped acting like a prince." Hwanwoong chuckled. "Palace life never quite suited you."

"I was born a prince but you know the attention was always on my brothers, 'cause I'm... I was too far away from succession." Hongjoong hummed. "Plus, I grew up with you, it's impossible to be a normal prince after something like that!"

"Shut up, growing up with you wasn't great either." Hwanwoong muttered, making Hongjoong laugh.

"Prince Hongjoong, your brother is looking for you."

Hongjoong turned around and met Siyeon's eyes. She was one of the soldiers he had chosen to accompany him in the journey. She was a skilled fighter and an excellent strategist, plus, she just had a way with people. She was also their childhood friend.

"You don't have to be so formal, it doesn't suit you." Hwanwoong mocked, and Siyeon gave him a killer look. "Please spare my life, I'm too young to die yet." He put his hands together, rubbing them to beg for his life.

"You're so dramatic." She scoffed, finally smiling.

"Prince, huh?" Hongjoong smiled too. "You'll soon have to start calling me Captain instead."

"Aye, aye Captain!" Siyeon saluted him and Hwanwoong followed suit. The three of them broke into a laugh. "Come on, you brother is waiting."

"I'm coming." Hongjoong took one look at the vast darkness of the universe, littered here and there with tiny lights, and then he followed her.

[schleierkauz]

The Color of Revenge: Chapter 5

Because I’m an insomniac fool and because you’re all beautiful and deserve it, here’s chapter 5 featuring the gang and Reckless references so blatant even I caught them. Enjoy the love, everyone!

Chapter 5: An Engagement in Ombra

They had all come. By the time the church bells signaled noon the house that everyone in Ombra knew only as the Bluejay’s workshop was already full. Resa had even opened her chamber of wonders for the special occasion, a little room right behind Mo’s workshop where she displayed truly wonderful things.

Scales of nymphs and water-sprites that she had collected at the nearby riverbank could be found there, two honeycombs made by fire-elves (a gift from Dustfinger) and a strand of hair taken from a glass woman. Bowls of healing herbs and dried flowers, tree bark that could dye clothes, but also the page with Fenoglio’s handwritten words that had brought Cosimo the Fair back from the dead – and the book that had killed the Adderhead, bound by her husband.

Meggie was sure that any guest who wandered into her mother’s treasure chamber would immediately forget that they had actually come to celebrate the engagement of her daughter.

Resa’s chamber of wonders also contained two of the flying machine models that Doria had built. Meggie’s mother treated him like a second son by now, but Mo made no secret of his disapproval of Meggie’s and Doria’s plan to move out into their own quarters.

“Don’t be angry with him. Fathers don’t like anyone who outranks them in their daughter’s favor,” Resa had whispered to Meggie when Mo had asked her just a few days ago if she wasn’t a bit too young to be engaged.

Too young… Meggie didn’t feel young. Sometimes she felt so old as if she had lived a dozen lives already. She remembered so many Meggies… The one who had lived alone with Mo in the old drafty house, the prisoner in Capricorn’s village, or the Meggie who had crossed worlds and who had been in love with Farid.

They all seemed to have lived their very own lives. Sometimes Meggie imagined them as little figurines standing in one of Resa’s treasure chests. She remembered each one of those Meggies fondly, but she wouldn’t have traded any of them for the version of herself who was by Doria’s side.

The love he filled her heart with was like a coat she felt around her shoulders. A warm blanket in a cold winter night. She had always believed that no one would ever know her better than Mo did. But Doria saw so effortlessly into the most hidden corners of her heart as if he had always lived there. Some she hadn’t even known herself until he showed them to her.

It was easy to fight with him, to laugh or to sit in silence, and every day he surprised Meggie with a new outlandish thought or plan and lured her deeper and deeper into this world with his insatiable curiosity. Sometimes they would borrow Fenoglio’s stubborn horse and ride for days into some faraway village because Doria had heard of a blacksmith who created wings of gold or a cobbler who could sew seven-league-boots.

“Nonsense!“ Fenoglio shouted any time Doria spoke of such wonders. “There is no magic in my-, I mean, in this world!” he corrected when Rosenquartz shot him a warning look.

But there was. Doria found it every day. And so Meggie wanted to spend all her days with him, even though they had both only just turned 18. Even Dante loved Doria. Wasn’t that proof enough that she was choosing the right one?

“Do you need proof, Meggie?“ she asked herself while accepting another engagement gift. She knew exactly why she was asking herself this question. Before Dustfinger had disappeared to join Mo in his workshop, he had mentioned that the Strong Man had told Farid about her engagement to his younger brother.

What if he showed up?

Meggie hadn’t seen Farid since he’d left for Lorraine two years ago, after the jugglers of the Prince told him about the pathetic fire-breathers who performed at those distant courts.

Did love ever really disappear? Or did it leave its seeds like a flower which would bloom anew once she saw him again?

Meggie’s heart gave her the answer an hour later when Farid suddenly appeared next to Elinor. He had a beard and she barely recognized him at first, but then he looked over at her and -

No.

Her heart did not beat any faster. It filled up with warmth, familiarity and loving derision when Farid pushed his shoulder-length hair out of his face – shoulder-length like Dustfinger’s hair.

Meggie was sure that despite all those princesses, Farid still loved his teacher more than any other person. And he was still vain and eager to be loved and admired. He needed that admiration like the air he breathed.

As he stepped towards Meggie he wore the half-mocking half-enticing smile on his lips that she remembered so well. A fiery rose grew in the hand he held out to her. It left a heart of ash on his skin when it disappeared.

“Engaged?“ he whispered in her ear as he kissed her on the cheek. “Have you lost your mind? The same meal for the rest of your life?”

“This meal tastes different every single day,“ she whispered back, but of course Farid didn’t believe that. He would never believe her that she loved anyone more than him. But his eyes were already searching for Dustfinger. The one love he would never betray.

“Dustfinger is with Mo in his workshop,“ Meggie said.

“Ah, good. How is he?“ Farid turned to look at a girl who had pushed herself past them. Lucinda, the daughter of the miller who helped Mo make paper.

“A sheep loses all its skin and its life for just six pages!“ her father had said to her and Resa one day. “I’m tired of working with parchment. I’m going to accelerate progress a little bit – after all, it’s said that there are already paper mills in Spain and farther north.”

“He’s doing very well,“ Meggie said. “The whole city loves him and he has two new students.”

Farid frowned.

“They’re probably not half as good as I am, right?“

He was hopeless.

“Come on,“ he said and took Meggie’s hand. “I have to have a serious talk with your fiancé. He should know the risk he’s taking. If he makes you unhappy just once, I will turn him into the finest gray ash that this and any other world has ever seen.”

He probably would.

 They couldn’t find Doria anywhere and the house was still so full that they barely made it up the stairs. Meggie and Dante had their chambers on the second floor and there was one bigger room that they all called the “living room”, even though the word came from another world. Mo’s and Resa’s books were kept there, very few compared to their collection in the other world. They cost a fortune in this one, but luckily Mo was able to fill the shelves himself.

Doria stood at the window – with a girl. Farid still knew Meggie well enough that he could feel her antipathy towards this girl. Doria bought the wood for his flying machine models from Filippa’s father and she usually brought it to him. Meggie had walked in on them once, just as Filippa had asked Doria why he hadn’t chosen a girl from Ombra instead of a stranger whose past was unknown.

No, she didn’t like Filippa Bafone. The fact that she was considered the most beautiful girl in Ombra didn’t help matters.

“Ah, the bride!“ she exclaimed when she saw Meggie and Farid standing in the door. “I just showed Doria my gift for you two.”

She shot Farid an appraising look and offered Meggie a bracelet. It was beautiful. Black, painted with tiny flowers. Doria held the matching one in his hand. He smiled at Meggie and pulled her at his side, not without a cautious glance towards Farid.

The glance that Filippa gave Farid was an invitation and Farid was happy to accept. But before he followed Ombra’s most beautiful girl, he whispered something to Meggie.

“You shouldn’t wear those bracelets. Witchcraft,” he added when he saw Meggie’s confused face. Then he and Filippa disappeared in the crowd. Meggie stared after him in disbelief but Doria had already pulled his knife and scratched the paint off of his bracelet.

“He’s right,“ he said. “I’ve heard whispers that Filippa doesn’t just rely on her beauty. I should probably feel flattered.“

He took the other bracelet out of Meggie’s hand and threw them both out of the window.

“Witches?“ Meggie looked down at the street where the bracelets rolled across the pavement.

“Oh yes.“ Doria took her hand and touched the ring he had put on her finger that morning.

“Not here. A few years ago the light witches fought so fiercely with the dark ones that they all disappeared. But farther north there’s still a lot of them, even though the priests of the new religions really hate them. Here in Ombra there are two merchants who sell their items. They say it’s only light magic but everyone knows that’s a lie.”

Witches… Meggie shivered. They were something that belonged only in storybooks. She laughed at herself a moment later – she lived in a book! At least Fenoglio still liked to see it that way. Did he know anything about witches in this world?

“Eastwards there’s said to be a country where princes ride silver dragons,“ Doria whispered to her. “The women in Lorraine turn into foxes. And up in Prussia, an uncle of mine saw people who have skin made of stone. This world is way bigger than just Ombra, Meggie.”

“I know,“ she replied – but what did she know? In all those years during which Fenoglio’s world had become her home (yes, she admitted, she still called it that), she had barely travelled 50 miles from Ombra. Travelling was arduous and she was so happy here in the city! Doria was here, and Dante and Mo and Resa, Elinor and Darius, Dustfinger, Roxane, Brianna and Jehan. What else did she need?

“Do you know what the Black Prince likes to say?“ Doria fed her one of the tiny cakes that Rosenquartz had bought for them from a bakery that specialized in such delicacies made for glass men.

“‘If you try to hide away from the world, it will come to find you one day.‘ I’ve told you so many times: We should travel! Samarkand, Constantinople, Edo – doesn’t that all sound wonderful?”

He started spinning with Meggie. The guests made room and clapped in time with the beat. Two more couples started dancing and Meggie forgot about witches and Filippa’s bracelets. Yes, they would travel! It was time to explore this world outside of books. She twirled in Doria’s arms and couldn’t tell what made her dizzier: Being in love or dancing.

(Next chapter)

[sidehowriting]

Death’s Door

Masterlist in Bio! 

A/N: So, I got a request months ago and because of who I am as a person it has taken me this long to do it. I even entered a challenge to try to get me to write it faster. That obviously failed but better late than never? 

This is for @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan Multi Fandom Celebration! It’s also for fulfilling a request that was based on Supernatural 14x8 Byzantium.

Also, in case anyone is wondering as you read, it takes about 14 hours to watch the first 6 Harry Potter movies back to back. I have done this many times. 

Prompt:  “I think I’m having a feeling. How do I make it stop?”

Request:  Well, can you do one where Jack is sick and the reader is so concern (when like he is dying) and turns it to fluff?

Pairings: Jack Kline x Reader

Summary: You have a lot of unresolved feelings after Jack dies.  

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: Swears, fluff, angst, character death (not permanent), drinking

You’ve reached Dean Winchester’s other other other phone…

“Son of a bitch Dean!” You threw your phone on your passenger seat as you continued to zoom down the highway. Your fingers were tapping rapidly against the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. “Can’t just tell me Jack’s sick and then not pick up.”

Dean had called you yesterday and with all the studying you were doing you didn’t notice the voicemail until today. Then every time you tried to call him back it goes right to voicemail. All his cell phones. Sure, you could call Sam, but you found Dean to be better at giving bad news then his brother. Sam tended to sugar coat things more and that was not what you needed right now. 

Pulling up to the bunker you slammed the door shut and raced inside. “Hello!” You called, jogging down the stairs. “Sam! Dean! Cas!”

Cas was the first one to greet you, trench coat flowing behind him. “Y/N,” he said, his voice grave. “You came.” 

“‘Course.” You tossed your coat onto one of the chairs. “How is he?”

Castiel exhaled long and loud. “Not good.” 

Pushing past him you called back, “Why didn’t anyone call me sooner?”

“There wasn’t time,” Castiel said, easily matching your pace. “It all escalated quickly.” 

Groaning in frustration, you headed down the hall towards Jack’s room. You could clearly hear his coughs echoing in the corridor.  

Sam and Dean were in the room when you entered. Jack was lying on his bed, looking absolutely horrible. His face was so pale, forehead sweaty, eyes sunken in. What the hell had happened? But the moment he saw you, his eyes lit up. “Y/N!” He started to smile but that quickly changed to a coughing fit. 

Tentatively, you went to his side, Sam moving out of the way for you. “Hey, Jack,” you smiled sadly at him. “How you feeling?” 

“Not good,” he said between coughs. 

You looked up from him to the two brothers. Both of them wearing matching grim faces. Dean stepped out of the room, muttering to himself how he can’t do this. You ignored him, taking Jack’s hand in yours. 

You lightly stroked your finger across his palm. “Yeah, I heard,” you said so softly. 

“Shouldn’t you be away at school?” He sounded more concerned for you than he did for himself. 

“You’re way more important than that right now, Jack.” 

He strained to smile; lips tainted red with blood. “You’re so nice.” 

Despite the tears that were starting to form behind your eyes, you laughed. “Yeah, I guess I am. Don’t tell anyone, okay?” 

His sweet laugh was cut off by another coughing fit. “Have you died before?” He asked, trying to catch his breath.

Shaking your head, you said, “No. I haven’t. I think that’s more Sam and Dean’s forte.” 

“It’ll be an adventure then.” He sounded at peace with this which just made your heart ache more. He closed his eyes and that was that. He was gone. 

//

It was decided that Jack would get a hunter’s funeral but first, you guys wanted to drink and celebrate his short life. There was no way you were going to be able to drive back to school tonight, regardless of how much you drank. And you drank a lot. Anything to numb the pain of losing one of your best friends. 

“Can I stay here for the night?” You asked, several drinks in and suddenly worried that you never officially asked to stay the night. The brothers had made it clear beforehand that you were welcomed anytime but you were getting too drunk to fully recall. 

“‘Course you can, kiddo,” Dean said kindly. “You know you always have a place at the bunker.” 

You smiled, suddenly overwhelmingly tired. The alcohol hitting you hard and making you just want to lay down and rest. Pretend like today didn’t happen. You got up from the bar stool, unsteady on your feet. Your legs wobbled under you, making it hard to stabilize yourself. 

Sam, being the giant he is, grabbed you easily, helping keep you steady. “Easy there,” he said, still holding onto your arm. “Alright, you’re wasted.” 

“Am not!” You denied but knew you were. “I’m just not good at balancing.” 

The smile on Sam’s face wasn’t as forced as you thought it would have been. “You’re not completely wrong about that. C’mon, I’ll make sure you get to your room alright.” 

You didn’t fight him and said your goodnights to Dean and Cas as the younger Winchester helped you walk. He didn’t seem as impaired at all. You were such a lightweight compared to the three men. It wasn’t fair. 

“Sam,” you whined, halfway to your old room. “I miss Jack.” 

“I know you do,” he said, his voice gentle. 

“Why didn’t you guys tell me sooner he was sick?”

“Honestly, Y/N there wasn’t time. He hid it from us for so long that by the time things got bad, it was too late. Dean called you the moment we knew something was wrong.” You believed him but that didn’t make the pain any better. It just made you hurt worse. 

“It’s just… god this really sucks, Sam,” you said, starting to feel the tears fall again. 

“I know, kiddo.” He placed his large hand on your shoulder. “I know. I’m sorry you didn’t know sooner.” Making it to your old bedroom, Sam pushed open the door and the two of you stepped in. 

You sniffled and hiccupped, the alcohol still swimming around in your bloodstream. You sat down on your bed, still feeling lightheaded. You were going to have a hangover in the morning. But that didn’t matter now.

“Jack…” You whispered, “He’s dead. He’s dead and I… I, just…” Memories started swimming around in your brain. Days spent with Jack in the bunker while the brothers were out hunting. Taking rides with him with one of the cars at your disposal. Staying up late with him while you studied for college entrance exams. They were fuzzy from being drunk but the emotions behind them all were still there. “I think I’m having a feeling…” You felt a knot in your stomach as the memories continued to crash down on you. It felt warm and tingly and made you wanna puke-or maybe that was the booze-but you didn’t like it. “How do I make it stop?”

Sitting down next to you, Sam laughed to himself. “You can’t really,” he said, the bed sinking under his added weight. “Love doesn’t work like that.” 

“Love!?”

“Yeah. You’re in love with him.” Sam said it so matter-of-factly you were sure he had to be as drunk as you. 

“Pardon? I’m not in love with him?” Saying it made your insides feel funny again. 

Sam gave a slight chuckle and stood up. “Yeah. Right. You totally are.” 

“I’m not!” You said, louder than you intended. You jumped up from the bed, the quick motion making you lose your balance and you ended up falling back onto your ass. “I’m not!” You said again, deciding this time to stay sitting. 

Sam turned towards you, a smile still on his stupid face. “Everyone can see it, Y/N. It’s pretty obvious.” 

“Uh, no it’s not,” you countered. “Because there’s nothing to see. We’re just friends...were just friends.” His death, the finality, hitting you full force again. Whatever feelings you had for him; it didn’t matter now. He was gone.

“Get some rest,” Sam said, changing the subject. “It’s been a long day.”

“Okay,” you said meekly, throat constricting with sobs again. “You won’t do the pyre without me, right?”

“‘Course not.” Sam patted your shoulder before leaving your room, closing the door behind you. 

You were left alone, drunken thoughts and feelings swarming inside of you. You didn’t know what to think or how to feel. Jack’s dead. You’re in love with him? That history paper you were supposed to be working on is going to have to get turned in late. 

Climbing under the covers, tears started to roll down your cheeks again. You were not in the right state to deal with any of this at the moment. Instead, you got comfortable and shut your eyes, hoping the whisky would make it easy for you to fall asleep. 

//

You walked into the bunker, Jack right behind you. “C’mon,” you said, laughing. “We have all the snacks, we gotta start the marathon soon if we wanna get to the sixth one by midnight.” 

Jack followed as you lead the way to your room, bags of candies and chips and other junk food in your arms. Sam had shown the boy the Star Wars trilogy, and now it was your turn to show him the Harry Potter movies. He was excited about this, already a fan of sci-fi, you couldn’t wait to show him fantasy. 

You booted up your laptop and started with Sorcerer's Stone, breaking open the first bag of chips. There would be many more to come as the two of you watched and laughed and you answered all the questions he had. 

Sam and Dean left the two of you alone for the most part, only yelling about dinner when the time came. As the night progressed and you made your way through the series, you started to get tired. This wasn’t your first Harry Potter marathon and it was always your goal to finish through Half-Blood Prince the first day and do Deathly Hallows 1 and 2 the next. 

Except you were struggling to keep your eyes open as the sixth movie started. You remembered Dumbledore requesting Harry to help him get Slughorn and then the next thing you knew the headmaster was falling from the astronomy tower. 

You picked up your head from Jack’s shoulder (when did you lay it on him?) and squinted at the too bright screen. “Did I…? I’m sorry,” you said, peeking up at the half angel. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You looked really peaceful,” he said, his attention now fully on you. “And you’re a human. You need more sleep than I do.” 

Pushing yourself back up into a sitting position, you said, “That’s really nice of you, but you could have woken me up. I wouldn’t have minded.”

You thought you could see some red spreading across his cheeks. “I liked how you were laying on me.” 

No, he couldn’t be blushing, and his tender words definitely weren’t making you blush either. “You’re comfortable,” you commented and placed your head back on his shoulder. “I could probably sleep like this all night.” 

And you did. 

//

You couldn’t believe you got accepted to your first-choice college. It was like a dream come true. And you got a partial scholarship for your SAT scores. Sam and Dean were so happy and proud of you, offering to go out and celebrate...as soon as they come back from their hunt. That left you and Jack alone in the bunker to wait for them. 

“So,” Jack said, reading your acceptance letter again. “You’re going to be going away to school, like Harry Potter did?”

“Kinda,” you said, suddenly feeling sad you would be leaving your makeshift family behind. Especially Jack. The two of you had gotten so close and really bonded. He was your best friend, your confidant, and you were his. “I’ll still come back and visit though, a lot more than Harry did.” 

Despite the fact that he was smiling, Jack’s eyes looked really sad. “I’m really happy for you, Y/N.” He handed you back the letter and you tucked it away in your jean pocket. “Sam and Dean told me you’ve been working hard to go to college.” 

“Yeah, it’s been a dream of mine. I thought...after the hunt that went wrong and I lost my dad, I’d never be able to go. But you know Sam and Dean. They took me in and have done whatever they could to help.” 

There was a moment where neither of you spoke. You knew Jack was happy for you. The boy didn’t have a selfish bone in his body, but then why did his eyes look so sad? It couldn’t be because, in a way, you also felt sad. You’d have to leave the brothers and Jack and be forced to make new friends. 

Without thinking, you stepped forward and embraced him in a hug. He welcomed you in warmly, holding you tighter than he normally hugs. You felt safe in his arms, not only because of his ever-growing powers but because of how close he held you. 

“I’ll miss you when you go,” he said, the sadness now coming through in his voice. He tightened his hold on you, head resting in the crook of your neck. 

You stood up on your tiptoes, trying to wrap your arms around as much of him as you could. “I’ll miss you too,” you said, suddenly second guessing if this was what you wanted. 

As if sensing your new hesitation, he spoke up. “You’re gonna have a great time, though.” 

You inhaled deeply, trying to keep your emotions in check. So much excitement and happiness and now confusion and hesitation and maybe longing. You didn’t want to think about any of that anymore. You just wanted to focus on this moment with Jack.

“I will,” you said, closing your eyes and getting lost in his embrace. “And I’ll always come home to you.” 

//

The sun was shining way too bright and you groaned. You were going to grab a pillow and throw it over your head, but you were worried the motion would make you sick. 

You definitely drank too much last night, your stomach super queasy now. And you were agitated for being woken up when your dreams had been so nice and peaceful. Reminders of everything you and Jack had. Fuck, Sam might be right. 

But Jack was dead now. Your feelings for him didn’t matter. You were confident one of the brothers or Cas would march into your room at any minute to tell you they were going to start the hunter’s funeral. Until then, maybe you could close your eyes again. Just for a little bit. 

And that little bit turned out to be a lot longer than you anticipated. The next time you opened your eyes, the sun was in an entirely different position. Hours had passed. Your stomach felt better as a whole, just a little empty and needing food. 

Something wasn’t right, though. Someone should have woken you up by now. It was much too late in the day. The funeral should have happened by now. You would be heartbroken if you weren’t included for that. 

Slowly getting up, your head started to pound. Why did you have to drink so much last night? A glass of water caught your eyes on your bedside table. Next to it was a couple pills, presumably aspirin. Bless whichever brother, probably Dean, dropped that off last night while you were sleeping. 

You knocked back the pills and chugged the full glass, the water helping you feel better all over. Setting the cup down you stood up, not feeling as weak and nauseous as you tend to after drinking. 

You left your bedroom, faintly hearing Sam and Dean’s voice coming from the war room. You couldn’t tell what was going on, but you did start to hear another voice. One that sounded suspiciously like Jack…

Picking up the pace you went as fast as your hung-over body would allow you to go. When you finally made it, you froze instantly. Jack was there. Alive. Sam and Dean both hugging him fiercely like Jack was their own. 

“Wha…?” You took a few tentative steps forward. “I don’t.... Jack?”

The Nephilim looked up at you, smiling his typical sweet smile. He looked like he had died and come back to life but that didn’t matter to you. He was here.

“Y/N!” He pushed himself off the table he was placed on, legs wobbling as he walked over to you. “I’m back.” 

“I see that.” You reached out, first touching his arm, then his chest, then moving your hand up to his cheek. His skin was a bit sticky from sweat. “You’re back. Holy fuck, you’re back.” 

“I’m back,” he repeated, eyes staring right into yours. 

All the feelings you were trying to repress last night came up. You pulled him to you, hugging him like you would never see him again. “Jack,” you sobbed, fingers twisting themselves in his shirt. 

He reciprocated the hug instantly, his warmth penetrating your skin and going straight to your soul. “It’s okay,” he reassured, one of his hands going to your hair, his fingers running through it. “It’s okay.” 

“I thought you were gone forever.” You sniffled, burying your face in his chest. His heart beating rhythmically against your ear, signaling he was alive and in your arms. “I thought… “ 

“Sam and Dean,” he said, pulling away to look at you face to face again. “I’m not sure what they did but it worked.”

You peaked over Jack’s shoulders, seeing the Winchester brother’s smiling at the two of you. “We were going to wake you,” Sam started to explain.

“But when I went into your room you were snoring so loud it was like a truck was driving through,” Dean added, his comment making your cheeks burn in anger and embarrassment. You didn’t snore that loud. “So, we let ya sleep. Figured it was probably for the best. If this didn’t work…”

“We didn’t want you to get hurt anymore.” You appreciated Sam and Dean’s concern. And with how much you drank last night the extra sleep was probably much needed. 

You turned your attention back to Jack, just so happy to have him here. “Jack…” You gazed up at him, unsure what you wanted to say. Should you tell him how you feel? Is it too soon? You just decided that yes, you did love him. He might not even feel the same way. 

You didn’t have to worry about a response, Jack took the initiative and kissed you. His lips were softer and sweeter than you imagined, and you felt like you were on a cloud. It didn’t last long, but it was more than enough to make you breathless. 

His eyes slowly opened, and he grinned proudly. “Dean said I should do that.”

You glanced back over at the eldest brother who was giving the two of you a thumbs up. You rolled your eyes, bringing your focus back to the adorable boy who just stole your heart. “He was right,” you said, smiling at him. “And you should probably do it again.” 

He obliged, tilting his head and kissing you once more. There was a lot more you wanted to say. A lot more you wanted to talk through with Jack. But for that one moment, nothing else mattered.

Tags: @lancsnerd @teddybeardoctorr @panic5secb4exam

[mxtantrights]

˚ · . · ✵PART THIRTY-ONE

HAWKINS, INDIANA

MARCH 1985

"Alright you and I are going to get slurpies, and we're gonna talk." Steve says by my side.

It would be very hard to deny that something was bothering me. It's been a few days since I saw her and it's like she's still here. Like she's still got a hold on me. A part of me wants to blame it on my monthly duty but I know there is no running from it.

I told my dad. And he did listen. And he did understand. Two people know that I've killed someone. Somehow telling people doesn't make living with the guilt easier though. Or seeing the looks on their faces easier to forget.

"Steve I'm not sure if I can tell you." I answer him.

He stops walking by my side for an off second. But then he's by my side again like nothing even happened.

"Do you want to tell me?" He asks me as we head out the double doors.

I do. I really want to tell him. He has been nothing but an amazing friend to me. It was like we were fast forwarding through the weird and awkward stuff and getting to the comfortable part. Where he knows what faces I make and what they mean. And I know to trust him.

"I do but I feel like it's- it might change us. It might change everything." I didn't know my voice would sound so small or I wouldn't have said anything.

I wait for his answer but instead I get his hand. I get his hand grabbing mine, squeezing. I stop walking in response and look down at our hands. So he stops too.

"Remember you said it was both of us. Steve and Jessie."

"Steve and Jessie."

-

I watch over Steve as he sits there. Completely still, not moving. I'm not even sure he's breathing. I knew I shouldn't have said anything. It was better without him knowing. Now he's gonna give me that look. He's gonna tell me it's not my fault.

He nods his head slowly to himself. He's still not saying anything. All I can hear between the two of us is the wind hitting the trees. He drove us up here on this sort of look-out spot. The slurpies were inside the car, probably watered down.

I start pacing, unintentionally. He wasn't saying anything. He wasn't saying anything at all but I knew what was coming. The look. That stupid look was coming and I didn't want to see it from him. I didn't want to see it ever again.

He's still not saying anything.

I keep pacing in front of him. Except this time it's different.

What if he doesn't want to be friends with me? What if he can't be friends with a killer? I was already enough with the experiment thing. And then the mother thing. And now I've told him that I killed someone.

Way to put your boot in your mouth Jessie! Just had to say something! Couldn't bite it down or fake being okay. I can't believe myself! I'm such an idiot. Life gives me good things and I ruin it. I bulldoze right over it!

What if he just leaves me here? Gets in his car and reverses out of here? Stops talking to me at school, stops talking to me. Stops hanging around-

I feel my arm being pulled, and I stop to look at him. Steve pulls me by my arm closer to him on the hood of his car with no words. It happens slowly, so slow I feel like my heart is about to jump out of my chest.

He pulls me close enough to wrap his arms around me. Then even closer. He's got his arms around me and one of his hands is rubbing circles into my back. The other is holding the back of my head. I can feel his chin resting on top of my head.

I'm struck with confusion and fear.

He didn't have that look on his face.

And he's not telling me it's not my fault.

"This doesn't change anything, Jessie." He says to me, and I can hear him very well because I've got my face on his jacket.

I put my hands around him now, letting go of the breath I know I was holding in. I can feel him breathing against me too. I wanna thank him. For being different with me. But I also don't know how to do that.

And I also can't because my face is smushed into his jacket.

I don't think I need to.

HAWKINS, INDIANA

MARCH 22, 1985

Why am I hiding out in the Byers bathroom? Nothing happened to me, everything fine. There's no opened gate, no demogorgon, no evil lab. Everything is okay and everyone I love is fine. So why is there this pain in my chest?

Like I'm hurting?

Why would I be hurting?

It's Will's birthday! All the kids are here. Me, Jon, Nancy and Steve are here. I'm pretty sure my dad and Hopper are going to drop in later.

Why am I hurting?

This is so stupid! I thought I was making progress here! Talking about my feelings with people, with my therapist. I thought I was finally letting go of everything! I can't believe I'm still in this place!

Why can't I get out of this hurt place?

-

I look behind me at my dad and his boss.

He and Hopper were cooking up something and I knew it. I could smell it. The last time my dad cooked up something for me I was singing at the valentines dance. As much fun as that was I don't feel in the mood to preform again.

It was fun, yeah.

That was when I thought I was getting over things. The realization hit me hard. I had thought that getting better meant going back to normal and letting go of everything. I mean that's what you see in the movies don't you?

Conflict resolution?

But after all the epic action scenes, after the movie credits roll, what happens then? Is a happy ending really that easy? And is it for everyone?

I walk though the front door and sit on the steps to the house.

I thought I would get sick and tired of hearing the emptiness and the crickets of Hawkins Indiana. All the stars that I could look up at and wish upon. The long roads, the two story houses. Past me is wishing that it would all just go back to the way it was.

And I'm doing the same.

I look up at the sky, the stars of the night.

Sure I could see stars in Texas. Not the same stars I see here, but they're stars. It was different back then, because I didn't have to wish on any stars. I didn't need them. Once I got here it was like I lumped them up together for myself.

So I could wish on one every night.

After that day in class where we learned about how many stars were in the sky I did.

"Hey Jessie."

I stop looking at the stars to see Will. The birthday boy. I watch him come towards me and take a seat right by my side. He was growing every single day. When I first got here and met him and he had that bowl but, he was still small.

They were all still small.

Now it's like he's- becoming a little man. Just like Mickey.

"You trying to escape for a little bit too?" I ask him with a knowing smile on my face.

He nods his head and looks up at the sky. "I love everyone but sometimes I just need a minute."

"Yeah I understand, kid. We all need a minute sometimes." I agree with him, looking up at the stars too.

Then theres a silence. Neither of us say nothing. Me and Will aren't alike. He went through something complete different than me. In no way can I compare the two situations. But it still left us with that feeling inside.

"I know how hard it must be to celebrate today." He cuts the silence.

He was really smart. I was hoping that it didn't show too much. Or that no one would say anything. It's like the elephant in the room. Or- the me at the birthday party. I really hope everyone doesn't see me as some precious piece of glass.

I look at him now, "I will celebrate everyone one of your guys birthday every single year. Just because I have a bad relationship with mine doesn't mean I can't do this with you guys."

He looks at me now, eyes right into mine.

"Are you sure?" The boy asks.

I can feel a tear threatening to fall from my eye. I really don't want to cry but I know if I keep on denying it it's not gonna do me any good. I also can't talk because I could literally fall apart like said piece of glass.

So I nod.

Will suddenly wraps an arm around my shoulder and leans his head against me. It's like- he knows that we're not that different from each other. Even though we are. It's weird and sweet. He's only a kid and he's so understanding.

"Hey did you hear that new song? It's by tears for fears?" I ask.