#the cats were at each others throats a few weeks back and Lucy and i were the only people to actually deal with it

[saturatedsinset]

I am soooooooo tired of being the only problem solver, cleaner, purchaser of groceries, and the primary cook in this householdddd

[sunflowerstache]

Lifespan

A/N: Hello! This is very different from most of my writing, not only because its an OC, but because the storyline is just something out of my comfort zone. But I really hope you enjoy it(: I got the inspiration from a ad I saw on Facebook a long time ago lmao but yeah, come say hi once you’ve read it and tell me what you think! It’s much appreciated! I love you all so very much! Also hugeeeee shoutout to @devil-in-bw-the-sheets​ for spending like six months reading and re-reading this every single time I rewrote it and changed things and encouraging me each time! And @emotionally-imbruised​ for beta reading it for me!💛💛

Word Count: 7.3k

“Doll?”

The fog that seemed to have settled over your mind instantly melted away upon hearing the barista’s voice, her sweet drawl grounding your focus back on her. She was an older woman, probably nearing her sixties based on the collection of grey hairs scattered throughout her small ponytail. But still so incredibly full of life. She had red glasses perched atop her nose - which perfectly completed the red polka dots covering her black dress - a beaded chain dangling from the end to the front of the frame, a pair of silver peace sign studs resided in her ears, and the anatomically correct symbol for caffeine dangled in necklace form on her chest.

“What? I’m sorry.”

“Just asked if you wanted the cream on that.” She smiled, thin lines spreading out and away from the sides of her eyes as her mouth widened. Upon glancing down quickly, you took notice of her clearly hand drawn name tag filled with swirling letters - different then when you stopped by earlier in the week when she had used stickers to spell out “Rita”.

“Oh, um yeah sure. Why not.”

“My husband always says that during weather like this, the calories don’t count. That they disappear with your shivering. Can I just have your name, dear?”

“Georgie. And your husband sounds like a very smart man.”

“Oh, he is.” A dreamy look took over Rita’s features, like just thinking about the man made her heart race. “Been together for forty-two years and he still teaches me new things.”

Your heart ached with each word; the fog slowly started to creep back through your mind while you watched her grin fondly. The hope and excitement for the future that was always so very clear in people’s eyes was what made it so hard not to explain everything you knew, every secret you held. However, as much as you wanted to urge everyone to live the life they’ve always wanted, you knew there was a natural balance to life, and opening your mouth would undoubtedly throw that balance off. So instead, you grinned and nodded your head.

“He sounds wonderful.”

“My best friend. Counting down the minutes until the end of my shift. We’re heading up to see our grandbabies for the week.” It was like she knew exactly what kind of secret you were keeping and made sure to hit you where it hurt each time she opened her mouth. As if her being impossibly sweet didn’t hurt enough.

“That sounds nice.” Digging around in your bag for your wallet made it much easier not to focus on the ticking time bomb in front of you. “How much do I owe you?”

“Oh my! I’m sorry, I know I can’t talk forever if no one stops me.” her laugh was soft, inviting, one you would love to listen to while storytelling. “It’s four pounds.”

“You can keep the change.” You said when handing her some cash, but stopped yourself before you turned to walk away. Even if you weren’t ever going to outright explain anything to anyone, slipping in tiny, reassuring comments made you feel at least a little better before parting ways. “Have an amazing night with your family Rita.”

The coffee shop was relatively empty at the hours you stopped by. Other than the same group of men that were there every morning, chatting over the newspaper and a black coffee and a young nurse who was just getting off of her night shift, only customers on their way to work stopped by. But that was just how you preferred it. It was much easier to avoid running into people when the sun had barely just peeked over the morning horizon. You suppose the city isn’t exactly the best place to reside when you’re on a mission not to get close to anyone, but you’d much preferred the hustle and bustle of the city than the silence of the countryside. At least here you were able to escape your thoughts when they got to be too much, out there you were left to drown in the weights you held.

Rita was right when she said the weather would bring shivering. The moment you stepped through the café doors, all sense of warmth you previously had was sucked out of you, leaving the tips of your fingers tingling against the warm cup. You hadn’t ever really gotten to know the woman behind the counter, a few kind greetings every now and again, but she seemed to be someone who brought a lot of joy to those around her. And she always put extra chocolate curls on your drink. You made a mental note to send some flowers to her family within the coming days.

It was a car horn that initially took your attention off of the pavement, turning to look for who was in such a rush at 5:30am, but the hard torso smacking into her shoulder is what brought your attention back. Followed by the searing heat of your hot chocolate spilling down your front.

“Oh fuck!” you yelled, immediately dropping the paper cup and trying to pull your shirt away from your body to decrease the chance of a burn. There goes your chance to get home and drive right to work without any issue.

“Oh my god! Oh shit!” the man that had ran into you gasped, stopping in his tracks and grabbing onto your elbow to steady your wild movements.

Even though his words were quite loud on the empty street, his voice was still husky, almost like he wasn’t awake yet and still had some left over sleep in his throat. And when you turned to look at who had ruined your shirt, your own voice got stuck in your throat. He was tall, which made sense considering your head had bounced right off of his chest. He was wearing black basketball shorts with tall white socks and a light grey hoodie, which was pulled up to cover the dark grey beanie resting on his head. With one hand he was holding a water bottle with ease, while the other was frantically pulling the airpod from his ear. But apart from his sheer stature, you couldn’t ignore how beautiful this man was. How even the worry lines littering his face were perfectly accenting his features. Or how the green of his eyes seemed to sparkle in the dim light of the Whole Foods you had been stopped in front of.

“I’m so sorry! Shit are you okay?” he quickly asked, shaking his head before you could even respond. “Obviously not, that was probably hot. Oh god I’m so sorry!”

Finally getting your bearings back, you couldn’t help but nod. “Yeah it was pretty hot.”

“Shit, I don’t even know how that happened. I must’ve taken my eyes off the pavement for one second. I’m so sorry.”

“So you’ve said.” You chuckled, bending down to pick up your now empty cup at your feet and tossing it in the bin by your side. “Don’t worry about it. Really it’s fine.”

“It’s not, I’ve ruined your shirt.” If the disappointment in his voice wasn’t evident enough, the small pout on his lips definitely was. He looked absolutely distraught at the sight of what he’d done. “Let me at least get you a new drink. It’s the least I could do.”

“Oh, um, that’s alright.” You’d always known it was rude to speak to someone and not give them eye contact, it was something your father had drilled into you as a child, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Looking someone in the eyes meant seeing above their head, and that was an area you actively tried to avoid looking. But there was something about him that drew you in, and you couldn’t help glancing up at him quickly again. “I actually have to be getting to work. Thanks though.”

“Are you sure? I feel terrible.”

“Positive. Have a good morning.” Your touch was soft on his arm as you made your way past him, leaving the mystery man standing on the pavement staring as you walked towards your flat.

You didn’t mean to be so short with him, but it’s just how you’d grown accustomed to living life. It was the easiest way you found not to get close to many people, which meant less hurt in the end. And you’d been around enough hurt in your short twenty three years. It may be a lonely life, but you were happy with your cat, comically named Lucifer, and living a simple life. Sure, there were times you wished you could live the carefree life everyone around you got to experience, your only issues being stresses of work or relationship drama, but that wasn’t who you were. After living the life you did, there’d be no way you could live a normal life.

“Don’t give me that look, Luci.” you grumbled when walking through your front door, your cat perched on the dining table just watching as you moved through the living room, ripping your destroyed shirt from your body. “This wasn’t my fault.”

You’re sure that you looked like a crazy person if anyone was watching on, talking to your cat while walking around your flat in nothing but a pair of black slacks and a bra. But you didn’t care, because this was your normal. You ranted to her after a long day at work or a particularly draining day, and she always sat and listened. Mostly because she was a cat.

“He just ran right into me, like he literally couldn’t see me. How odd, right?” you stopped briefly while searching your closet for a new shirt. “God Luci, he was cute though. So cute. And tall.”

Just because you secluded yourself in the world didn’t mean you didn’t enjoy taking a peak at what it had to offer. It was the forming relationships that put you off, not because there was a level of uncertainty - nothing was uncertain to you - but because you always knew the timeline of said relationships. It was always the same. So why put yourself through it? But also, why not? What if that was just what you needed to make such a painful existence a little more bearable?

“I didn’t even get his name. Maybe I’ll see him around the cafe sometime.” you hummed, throwing the new peach colored blouse over your head and peeking your face out of the hole. “No. No Georgie, don’t go there. Who are we kidding, it’s not like anything could ever happen anyway.”

Lucifer meows loudly at your comment., making you turn around to glare at her. Obviously she didn’t know what was actually going on, but it was nice to entertain the idea of someone listening to your problems and helping you talk them out. You were a secluded young woman, not crazy.

“What? Like I’m wrong? It’s not something I’d be able to keep from a boyfriend forever. And It’s not like I’d be able to just flat out tell them.”

She meowed again, jumping off the table and prancing her way to your feet, rubbing her side against your ankles.

“What would I even say? Hey, I was born with this thing where I can see a floating clock above everyone’s head that literally counts down to the day you die? Yeah because that won’t get me sent to the looney bin.”

From the start of time, there has always been a beginning and an end to everything. No matter if it was an Oscar award winning film, delicate relationships, or even life itself, it all ended. People come, and they go, but the world continues on; taking care of those who stay to see another day. And on a daily basis, the idea of the end rarely floats through anyone’s mind. Except for you.

For you, it was impossible not to think about when it was quite literally staring you in the face. For as long as you could remember, you walked through life with a different outlook on the end than most other people.It wasn’t because you had some near death experience, but due to a gift. Or at least what some people in the world would consider a gift, because in no way would you call being able to see the exact day someone is going to die, a gift.

It was something that over the years you had grown to ignore, trying not to look too far away from people’s eyes and never thinking too hard about the ticking numbers.They weren’t obnoxious or flashy signs hanging above everyone’s heads - like you had seen some films try and depict - but instead, just a simple, faint, white clock just above the tops of everyone’s head, showing each individual’s lifespan. No matter how many hours you sat down and tried to rationalize why you were able to see this, there was never any answer. No one else in your family carried the burden, and because of that, you never mentioned it to anyone in fear of sounding crazy. But you knew you weren’t crazy, not when you prayed night after night for those numbers to disappear or for someone’s clock to be wrong, only to be let down.

You knew you weren’t crazy when you finally saw your favorite florist Don after he spent some time away, and his clock suddenly read 3 years, 20 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 6 seconds instead of the 27 years you had grown used to seeing on him every day before he left. It didn’t take long for you to find out he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and treatments had stopped working.

You knew you weren’t crazy when you got to watch Kim’s clock - the very sweet receptionist at your job - begin to slow down the more she adjusted to a healthy lifestyle of eating right and taking care of her body. What was once a ticking time of a measly 21 years adjusted what would be a long and fulfilled 59 years more.

And you knew you weren’t crazy when at only seventeen years old, you watched as your best friend’s clock suddenly dwindled down to zero’s across the board like a slot machine while laying on the bathroom floor of a house party. The drugs in her system being too much for her young body to handle and completely consuming the 72 years she once had left.

You weren’t crazy, you just carried a burden no one should ever have. And because of it, you made sure not to get close to anyone in fear of watching yet another clock strike zero.

So you moved on with your life, forgetting all about the tall man who had spilled your drink and run into your mind, making you think things you hadn’t in so long, and instead, focused solely on getting through your days at work and getting back home. It was an easy routine, one you hadn’t strayed from much since moving to the city six years ago; wake up, feed Luci, get coffee, go to work, go home, shower, watch tv, go to bed. And as happy as you were that life wasn’t so painful these days, boring would be the only word good enough to describe your life.

Until your neighbors moved in.

You were standing in the kitchen, lifting the collar up to your mouth to try and quickly lick the hot sauce off the old, ratty Elton John Tour shirt you were wearing before it left a stain, wearing nothing else but some shorts, a nice pair of cheetah print slippers to cover your chilly toes, and one of the two hundred paper face masks you’d ordered off of Amazon in an attempt to clear your skin, when the loud bang on your front door startled you. Not only did your family not live in town, but your neighbors knew that you weren’t a people person. Ever since you made that very clear to them upon moving in, they hadn’t tried to contact you, so you just assumed whoever it was had gotten the wrong flat number.

But the knocking persisted.

Lucifer’s head had picked up from her lap upon hearing the first knock, now watching as you made our way closer to the front door. “What do I do?” but the only response you received was her head tilting to the right, like she was saying ‘Really? Answer it you idiot.’

You wanted to be angry, you really did, because you were nearly ready to be completely settled in for the night after a terribly long day and you just wanted to watch some bad tv with Luci, but the moment you twisted the door knob and peered into the hallway, any anger you had felt, completely washed away.

“Hey! Sorry, my mates and I-” he abruptly stopped mid sentence once his eyes landed on you, like his train of thought literally face planted into a brick wall. A look of realization flashed across his face quickly, and in a matter of milliseconds, what was once stress turned into a look of excitement. “Hey! It’s you!” he smiled.

“It’s me.” something about him made it very difficult for you not to mirror his smile, but that desire was overpowered by the confusion coursing through your mind.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again! I still feel terrible about what happened, are you sure you were alright? You didn’t burn yourself, did you?” The man was incredible at changing his emotions at the drop of a dime, for now his eyes were laced with concern where excitement had just lived. “Or I guess I should say I didn’t burn you, did I?”

He was much more put together this time, the workout attire you had last seen him in was traded in for a pair of light red slacks that looked to be a crushed velvet material paired with a plain white t-shirt and a pair of black vans. He looked like any university boy you’d see walking the streets, but at the same time, like nothing you had ever seen before. Something about him standing in your doorway brought you a sense of calm, like just his presence was enough to wash away the stresses of your day.

“I mean I can’t say that it felt particularly good, but I didn’t get burned, no.”

“Oh good. That’s good.” he nodded, and you made the mistake of following his hand with your eyes as he lifted it up to his curls to fix the glasses perched on his head. You didn’t want to know, didn’t want to see what kind of fate the universe had in store for him because the peace he had brought to you in the few moments he’d been standing there felt better than anything had in the past few years. But you were never that lucky.

Your eyes quickly casted back down, looking back at the white of his shirt while you cleared your throat. “Did you need something….” you dragged out the end of the word to indicate that you didn’t know what to call him since he hadn’t bothered to mention his name.

“Oh, right. ‘M Harry.”

“Georgie.

“Hello Georgie.” if possible, the grin on his face doubled in size, causing two dimples to appear at the corners and the air in your chest to feel as though it was tightening.

The two of you stood in your doorway without saying anything for another moment before you spoke up; “So did you need something or…”

“Fuck, yeah.” his voice was breathy when he responded, standing up straighter, “My mates and I just saw you come home and we’re in desperate need of a needle and thread. You’ve got one?”

It only took a second for him to realize his words and that surprised look from when you first opened the door was back. His eyes widened and his hands raised in front of him as a way to stop you before you could respond.

“Not in a creepy way! We weren’t like watching you or summat, swear! My mates Niall and Louis just moved in across the hall.” using his thumb he pointed to the open door across the hall where you could see two other guys watching yours and Harry’s interaction. Upon realizing they were spotted, they raised their hands in a small wave. “We heard you come in. Not that we were actively listening! Just - ‘m sorry. I swear we aren’t creeps.”

“Good. Thought I’d have to sic my monster of a dog on you.” you replied, turning to dig through the small table in what could barely be considered an entryway. The table had started out as a place to keep your keys and mail, but like most did, quickly turned into a junk drawer. An abyss to put any and everything only to never see it again.

Harry’s eyes frantically looked behind you like some crazy monster was about to lunge at him for bothering you at night, even going as far as taking a small step back when the door opened a bit wider while you were looking for the tool. You laughed when glancing up quickly at the movement. It was obvious he was panicking at the new information of potentially getting mauled by a massive dog while simply asking for thread. So you put him out of his misery.

“There’s no dog. I’m just joking…”

As if on cue, Lucifer waltzed up to see what was going on at the front door, her small body weaving between your legs to get a nice scratch while checking out the never before seen man. “Oh! A cat! I love cats!”

“Yeah she’s pretty great.” you nodded, closing the drawer and holding your hand out to Harry. “Here you go. Um, not sure what colour you need so you can just take the whole bag.”

“You’re a lifesaver, thank you! Niall has a date in ten minutes and he’s split his only good pair of trousers.” he turned his head to look over his shoulder at the boys inside the other flat, trying to seem like they weren’t listening to the conversation, but very obviously doing just that. “Have to sew him in like ‘m some sort of tailor.” he chuckled, turning back to face you.

“Sounds like an exciting night.”

“Oh riveting. I would ask if you’d like to join but you look very busy-” the corners of his lips were trying hard not to curl upwards with the light sarcasm, wobbling a bit as he continued speaking, “-so I wouldn’t want to interrupt anymore than I already have. I’m sure I’ll see you again, I practically live with these two idiots.”

“‘M sure I will.” Luci hadn’t left your side since joining you at the door, instead, she began meowing quite loudly, so you bent down to scoop her into your arms.

You liked Harry, not only because he was a very obviously a good looking man, but because he seemed to pick up on your social cues fairly quickly. He didn’t linger and try to get as much out of you as possible or make the fact that you clearly didn’t have much interest in talking uncomfortable. And it was the first time in a long time that you felt content being around someone. Not fearing what the future brought.

Harry halted his movements halfway between flats and spun back around quickly. He didn’t say anything at first, just watched you press kisses to Lucifer’s head while standing in the doorway. Something you gathered from the very brief times you’d shared an encounter was that Harry was not very good at hiding his emotions. It was almost like he had no control of his mouth, because you could see him try to stop the smile from spreading, but it was no use. The dimples popped out in full force.

“I still owe you for that coffee.”

“Oh, um not a coffee.”  you tried not to be loud enough for him to hear, noting that the fact that it wasn’t a coffee was not really that important, but he heard you anyway.

“Pardon?”

“Just um, it wasn’t a coffee. More of a hot chocolate drinker actually.”

He didn’t respond right away, instead just continued watching you with fond eyes and a now very prominent smile. You felt as though he could sense how out of touch with relationships you had begun to get over the years. What other explanation could he have for being so soft with someone he had just met and barely even known

“Right, well keep your schedule open so I can take you out for that replacement cocoa.”

Your door swiftly closed the second he turned back around, not leaving any extra seconds for him to turn around and look at you again. And the second she heard the click of the lock, Luci leaped out of your arms and made her way over to the sofa, meowing her entire journey.

“Yes that was him.” another meow. “I told you he was cute, and I also told you nothing would be happening there.”

Harry wasn’t lying when he said you’d be seeing him again. It seemed as though every day when you got back to your flat, he was there. Sometimes on his way out, other times just standing outside the door waiting for the other boys. And despite how at peace being around Harry had made you feel that day he came knocking at your door, you never put in much more effort than a “hello” here and there. He and the others had tried quite a few times to get you to join them on their night out, but each time you came up with a different excuse. Even if they were comforting, what was the point in forming that friendship when you knew you’d just isolate yourself again eventually. You had made it this long without getting too close to anyone else, and you weren’t going to start just because two attractive lads moved in across the hall who happened to have a very fit, very inviting, friend.

It wasn’t until nearly a month later that you actually had a full conversation with Harry again.

Typically you tried not to go to the coffee shop by your flat any later than lunchtime because it just got too busy. There were too many people for you to fully avoid them all and seeing too many clocks dampened your mood significantly. But you had already had a shitty morning and needed something to give you a boost.

The place had felt very melancholy since Rita’s unfortunate passing last month, she’d passed peacefully in her sleep while spending time with her family. You’d sent the family flowers as remembered, and also made sure to drop a few bills in the jar on the counter each time you’d been in the shop. Other employees were setting up a fund for Rita’s family since she was such a loved member of the community just with the joy she brought from behind the counter.

“Just a large hot chocolate for me, please.”

“For here or take away?”

“Take away please.”

“Actually she’ll have that for here, please.” a familiar voice behind you spoke up as you were digging through your bag for your wallet. You could see him out of the corner of your eye move from his spot behind you, to gradually standing next to you, looking directly at the barista behind the counter.

“Um..” you felt bad for the young kid, he couldn’t be any older than eighteen and all he wanted to do was get to work and get out. But here you were making his day more stressful than it needed to be. “So… for here then?”

“Harry I -”

“Come on Georgie. Please.” never in your life had you seen a grown man bat his eyelashes, but here he was, trying to lure you in with his breathtaking green eyes.

“Fine.” your voice came out soft and you rolled your eyes, but on the inside you felt giddy, like what you remember life to feel like before you started isolating yourself. “Um, sorry. I’ll have it for here I suppose.”

“Do you want the cream?”

“Sure. Thank you.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes, I’ll have a -” Harry’s profile was something you could get lost in. How the tip of his nose seemed to bounce with every word he said, how it looked as if his lips were made to form the words falling from between them, or how no matter how many times he tried to get it to stay back, one of his curls would continue to break loose from the rest and fall past his forehead. From what little you’ve seen of it, Harry had a great sense of fashion. Comfortable. A brown teddy bear jumper was covering his upper body, sleeves long enough to gather just past his hands and torso short enough that you could see his white shirt peeking out from underneath, ripped black jeans, a pair of black chelsea boots, and  those same tortoise shell glasses perched on his nose completed his look.  

“Ready?”

“Huh?”

“You ready? ‘ve got a table back by the door.”

The two of you made your move to walk back towards the front of the shop, but you halted in your tracks when you saw that yes, he in fact did have a table waiting for him, but it was also being inhabited by the two boys you had seen behind him when he came to ask for thread. Neal and Liam? And a girl was sitting between the two as they chatted amongst themselves.

“Harry I don’t -”

“Come on, I promise we don’t bite.” Apparently you still didn’t look convinced because he leaned down to be at your eye level and stuck his lip out in a pout. “One drink. Please? I owe you remember?”

“Yes and you’ve already bought me a new one, thank you by the way, so you don’t owe me anything else.”

“I know.” the apples of his cheeks began getting pinker the longer he stared at you, “But I’d very much like to spend some time with you.”

Just like he did when he knocked on your door, his eyes widened and immediately seemed to want to backtrack what he had said. “Wait no, not in that way. In like a ‘hey I think you’re cute -’ no fuck that’s not -”

“Harry.”

“Yes?”

“One drink.”

The relief was instant on his features, his shoulders sagging and eyebrows un-furrowing at your words. “Good. Afraid my mates were going to start thinking I made you up.”

“I live across the hall, they’ve seen me.”

“Well yeah, but I talk about you so much they thi- I - fuck.”

You couldn’t help the laugh that fell from between your lips. You may not have had many friendships or relationships of any kind, but you did know excessive rattling wasn't generally how people spoke to one another.  “You babble a lot.”

“Only when ‘m nervous.”

“Why are you nervous?”

Harry wasted no time in his response, taking a quick glance over to you. “Because I finally get to spend time with the pretty girl across the hall.”

The heat rushing to your cheeks had become something of a common occurrence when speaking with Harry. It wasn’t obvious if he knew what he was doing or not, but you couldn’t imagine someone like Harry not knowing how to flirt. Thankfully, however, someone from the table spoke up before you could dwell on his comment longer than necessary.

“Finally!” the man sitting at the end of the booth spoke. He was dressed very similar to Harry in color - a tan quilted shirt was hidden beneath a cream colored teddy bear jacket, and pleated brown trousers. The light facial hair stubbled along his cheeks made him look slightly older than Harry, but his complete baby face counteracted that.

Harry looked at you briefly, raising his eyebrows with a ‘what did I tell you?’ kind of look as he bent down to slide into the booth next to the other man. His style was much different than the other two, more streetwear. He was wearing black trackies and an old gray band tee under a denim jacket, baseball hat and the very apparent smell of cigarettes finishing off the outfit. Another difference with him was that he had a girl with him. What you assumed to be his girlfriend by the way her head was resting on his shoulder and his hand fell on her knee. She was beautiful, long brown hair fell loose around her shoulders, only kept back by the fragile looking sunnies that rested at the top of her head. She was wearing a simple white top and a pair of white,black, and brown plaid trousers, both of which were overshadowed by the beautiful black Balenciaga jacket hanging off of her shoulders.

“Was starting to think you’d been lying about actually knowing her, Haz.” the one closest to Harry spoke, earning a light slap to his chest from the girl on his shoulder.

Harry disregarded all of their antics and turned to pat the seat next to him, indicating he wanted you to sit down, and he gave you a reassuring nod when you nibbled your lower lip between your teeth.

It was subtle acts like Harry letting you sit on the outside of the booth so you could make a quick getaway if needed that reminded you how easily he seemed to pick up on your social cues - even if you didn’t realize you did them. It made your chest tickle that even just from the two substantial conversations you’d had with him, Harry picked up on things you did.

“Piss off.” Harry chuckled, reminding you a lot of friendships you’d seen on tv where they all take the piss but it was easy to see that they all cared for one another. It was something you’d always been envious of while watching the world from the sidelines. “Georgie, this is Niall, Louis, and Louis’ girlfriend Eleanor. Everyone, this is Georgie.”

You were met with a chorus of hellos and you would’ve loved to just jump right into their conversation about the best places to get guacamole, just so that they knew you weren’t intentionally being rude to them. But not only were you not good at this conversation thing, but you also were still on edge about forming any sort of connection with these people. Apparently you should get used to Harry and his all knowing mind, because before you could excuse yourself from the awkwardness, he spoke up.

“So, how long have you lived in the building?”

Unprepared for the question, you froze for a second. “Oh, um going on six years now.”

“Impossible! What are you, like twenty? No way you’ve lived there that long!” Eleanor asked, her head no longer on Louis’ shoulder, instead she was sitting upright and looking directly at you. Of course, over the span of the years, you had gotten quite good at looking at people without really paying any attention to what was only visible to you above their heads, but it still made you uneasy. The best solution was just not to look at them at all. But these people, people who had no idea who you were a mere ten minutes ago yet were now welcoming you into their lives, made you want to work on avoiding the numbers. Because this was the most alive you’d felt in years.

“‘M twenty three. Be twenty four next Friday.”

“No shit! Alright well I’m coming over so you can teach me your skincare routine because you look flawless.” she gleamed, leaning forward on the table to jot down her phone number on one of the many spare napkins littering the tabletop.

“As much as I love a good skincare routine, let’s not skip over the more important part of that sentence. Your birthday is next week?” Harry asked, gently shoving his shoulder against yours and offering a kind smile when you glanced up at him.

“Oh, it’s not a big deal. I haven’t really celebrated my birthday since I turned like eleven.” your parents used to throw you a party every year while growing up, a lavish over the top kind of party where all of your classmates were invited and family you had never even heard of pinched your cheeks. But as time went on and you didn’t give up your ‘ridiculous fantasy’ as your mother so kindly put it, they began to stop throwing the party. Now, you were lucky if they sent you a card on the day. Plus, celebrating your birthday alone is kind of a downer.

“You haven’t celebrated your birthday in over a decade?” Niall’s mouth hung open like that was the craziest thing he’d ever heard.

“Nope.”

“Well that just won’t do.” you may not know very much about the people seated around you, but the smirk on Louis’ face told you everything you needed to know. “We’re having a party.”

“Um, thank you. Really. But parties aren’t really my thing. Plus I’m working that day so…”

“Oh, where do you work?” Harry asked, thoroughly interested in where you spend most of your days.

“Good Samaritan.”

“The nursing home down on Adams?”

“That’s the one. I’m a caregiver.” when you first applied for the position, you thought you were crazy. For someone who doesn’t want to get close to anyone in fear of their untimely demise, you definitely went for a job exactly the opposite. But that was the appeal to you. Sure, it was terribly sad to see one of your patients pass, but in the time leading up to it, you knew exactly who needed a little extra love. It was nice to be able to remind their loved ones to visit while making routine phone calls, and to do things to make them smile in what only you knew were their last days. It was the only time you thought what you were born with was some kind of gift. The tiniest most unwelcomed gift.

“That’s wonderful.” Harry’s voice was gently next to you, like he was hanging on to every short word that you said.

“Well, we’ll just have a party once you’re done with work.” Louis shrugged, but held his hands up when you opened your mouth to remind him you didn’t want anything. “Not a party, a friendly get together with friendly neighbors and alcohol.”

That day in the cafe was the beginning to a new start for you.

Obviously Lucifer had to hear about everything that happened that afternoon, but she was there to experience it first hand when Eleanor came knocking on your door the following day. She got to watch as you bent over in genuine laughter at your shared banter. She watched from the kitchen counter as Harry came by with food one night, saying he just happened to order extra lo mein and heard you come home. And as the two of you sat in the living room watching Big Brother, talking about everything from your favorite color to why he majored in physical therapy in university. Luci got to watch you break out of the shell you’d worked so hard on forming around you, and even though you knew she couldn’t understand what was happening, you liked to think her frequent meows were those of encouragement.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” The yells came from all corners of the room when you walked into Louis’s flat the following Friday, making your eyes widen and shoulders straighten. As much progress as you’d been making in your life, with branching out and slowly losing your fear of connection, it would take more than a week to crack down those barriers you’d built so high for so long.

“Thank you.” you laughed, putting down the bottle of wine you’d brought just in time for everyone to start surrounding you in hugs.

“Happy Birthday, love.” Harry’s voice was soothing in your ear, like a sense of relief in the overstimulation the other three had given you. You didn’t regret their company like you would have only a month ago, instead you welcomed the foriegn feelings. But it was still nice to have a moment of calm to fully process everything.

“Thank you Harry.”

“I hope it’s not too much. I told them to cool it on the balloons and confetti - especially since we all know I’ll be the one to pick it up in the morning.” he laughed, offering you a glass of wine that everyone else seemed to already be enjoying.

“No, no, it’s great. A nice segway from doing nothing every year.”

“Still can’t believe you haven’t celebrated your birthday in so long! That’s a day that should be celebrated by everyone!”that same look you’d grown to quite enjoy flashed over his features, his momentary distress as he realized he said something he wasn’t planning on sharing. But the look disappeared when he saw your knowing smile. “Don’t start.”

As promised, there was no party, per say. Everyone was just scattered around Louis’ living room telling stories about absolutely nothing that had everyone in stitches. It was the kind of party you’d always been envious of, one where mates could hang out and lose themselves in the company of each other. It was the first time you didn’t have a single thought about impending doom for more than an hour, a feit you would be sure not to forget.

Niall was laid out on the floor under the windows, a half empty bottle of rum in his hand and the other rested on his stomach, occasionally itching an invisible nuisance. Louis was seated in the arm chair directly across from Niall, a very buzzed Eleanor draped across his lap and the more the night went on, the less chances you had of seeing their faces separated. And Harry was seated next to you on the sofa, his arm hung on the back of the cushion in such a way that everyone so often you would feel the very tips of his fingers skim the exposed skin on your shoulder.

You wished you could freeze this moment in time, because a photograph or video would never do it justice. It was almost as if you were watching the night play out in front of you like a movie, not really in your body but watching from afar. Watching as the girl who hid herself from the world began to hatch, slowly cracking the hard exterior surrounding her. And you would do anything to bottle the feeling of pride that swelled in your chest knowing you had achieved that.

“Literally right in the face mate. No joke.” Niall cackled, his laugh a contrast in that moment; escaping his mouth loudly but carrying throughout the room softly. Taking off like a leaf blowing through the fall breeze.

“Georgie.” your name slipped from between Harry’s lips beautifully, like he was created for the sole purpose of saying your name over and over again; forever. “Alright?”

And sitting in the living room of Louis’ flat, listening to your friends’ wine induced giggles, looking at the most captivating pair of green eyes and curly hair that only whatever magical being that was above could’ve created, you were alright. You were so alright that the minuscule ticks of the clocks of your new and only friends, ticks you tried so hard to avoid paying attention to, almost seemed to disappear completely. Almost.

71 years, 2 months, 10 days, 3 hours, 16 minutes, 55 seconds. 68 years, 11 months, 3 days, 19 hours, 43 minutes, 2 seconds. 68 years, 7 months, 21 days, 1 hour, 58 minutes, 33 seconds. 62 years, 8 months, 9 days, 11 hours, 12 minutes, 2 seconds. 2 years, 1 month, 30 days, 23 hours, 34 minutes, 56 seconds.

[buckys-black-dress]

a fine line, part two

a/n: here she is, our promised part two of afl!!! honestly i love writing this series and it has almost all my fav things in one fic, so yup. anyways, again, thank you for reading/sharing/liking my work !! luv u all, x -ali

wc: 5.8k !!!

-

The tension in the room was palpable.

And although no one knew you two were working together by verbal confirmation, it was clear from the way you were both reacting.

Bucky was rarely this quiet, so it was obvious what was going on.

Also the fact that you seemed frozen in place.

“Y/N? Everything okay?” Wanda’s soft voice filtered in next to you.

You nodded, trying to break away from James’ gaze.

“Mhm, who’re you working with?” You ask, moving away from the topic at hand.

“Oh, you know Professor Vision? He teaches Comp Sci.” Wanda is now visibly blushing, making you curious.

“Ooh, does Wanda have a crush?” Natasha chimes in as she sidles up next to you two. “I got Banner. How about you, Y/N?”

“I uhh, I got... Barnes.” You mumble under your breath.

“Who? I didn’t catch what you said there.” Natasha’s eyebrows furrowed.

“I... I got Dr. Barnes.” You said, not even daring to look up at your friends.

“...Oh. Well, that should be... interesting...” Wanda comments.

“...Yeah. It’ll probably be fine!” Natasha tries to comfort you, but there’s a stirring feeling in your stomach that almost makes you feel sick.

“He said there was no way to change it... right?” You ask feebly, trying to hold out hope.

“No... and I wouldn’t want to go head to head with Fury.” Wanda frowns.

“Great.” You conclude, taking a deep breath. “You know what, I can do this. It’s fine, I’ll be fine.” You tell the girls, gathering your things and filing out of the office as people began to leave.

Wanda and Natasha were left watching your retreating form, staring at each other.

“I’ll be surprised if they make it to the end of next week.” Natasha says, earning a shove in her arm from Wanda.

Bucky watched you leave the office, and the gears were most definitely turning in his head.

-

You spent the rest of the week keeping mostly to yourself, trying to mentally prepare for what you’d have to face next week.

In the email sent out by Fury, he explained that you and your partner should have a lesson outlined prior to Monday so you could get right into teaching. He also explained that you would have to share all of your classes, and somehow correlate the two subjects that each professor taught.

English and History, seems easy, right?

Wrong.

Every idea you’ve emailed James has been shot down, and your patience was wearing thin. You didn’t like being unprepared, and the week would be coming to a close soon.

So naturally, you did what anyone else would do, and knocked on James’ office door until he answered.

“I’m comin’ jeez, would ya hold on?” You hear his voice, muffled by the door, until he swings it open, coming face to face with you. “What do you need, Y/L/N?”

“Oh, lovely to see you too, Dr. Barnes. I just wanted to know if you were actually interested in making our lesson plan. If we’re going to be spending the next few weeks together, we might as well have a plan. And I thought your input might be better, since you’re clearly not a fan of what I’ve shown you so far.” You rambled, moving to stand in the middle of his office, laptop in hand.

“You know, maybe if you sent anything good, I would’ve worked with ya on it. But I just don’t think your style of teaching fits me. It’s too... too intimate. You’re too far up your students’ asses. You get too close, too personal with them.” James explains to you.

You can only scoff at this.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, James, but my students and I have great relationships. If my students don’t like me, or what I teach, they’ll be more inclined to hand in subpar work. But if I make my expectations clear from the start, they’ll know what they have to do to earn an A in my class. That’s why my first two semesters here have been averaging with A’s all across the board.” You explain as simply as you can, because you felt like James was ridiculing you and the way you teach. You worked hard to get where you are today, and you know that’s why your students love coming to class.

Bucky stared at you for a few seconds, trying to process the information you dropped on him.

“So... your students... like you?” He asks, tentatively, almost.

“...Yes? I know you don’t like me, so it might hard to believe that others do, but I don’t think I’m that unappealing.” You scoff, looking at the floor to avoid Bucky’s eyes. “Anyways, do you have any ideas?”

Bucky’s chest tightened with guilt. After the incident at the bar, he was trying to not be as rude to you. He was trying to be more humane, in Steve’s words.

“I... Maybe we can take a look at some of the stuff you sent before. Maybe if you explain it to me face-to-face I’ll understand it better.” Bucky says, and you nod. “Take a seat, we’re gonna be here a while.”

As a few hours passed, you and James actually started a pretty solid outline for lessons. You started working on your first lesson, which would be the origins of literature. You could both talk about it, and you could both bring different aspects to the table.

“On average, how many kids do you have in your classes, Y/N?” James asks you, and your head snaps up at the mention of your first name. You had a moment where you imagine him calling you that way more often, making your throat run dry.

“Uhm,” you cleared your throat, “my biggest class is about thirty students, maximum.” You tell him.

“Really? My smallest is forty...” He tells you, scratching his chin. “Also very male dominated, I’ve noticed.”

You freeze, trying to process this. It’s only ten more kids... you’ll be fine, right?

“You alright, there, Y/L/N?” James chuckles, to which you let out a weak one. You weren’t used to large crowds, they made you anxious, nervous, like you were losing your footing.

“I-I’m fine. Yeah, all good, let’s get back to work.” You tell him, focusing back on your lesson plan.

“It’s uh, getting a bit late. Thinking we should head home soon.” James looks at you a bit longer, trying to gauge your mood.

“Uh- oh, what time is it?” You ask, squinting and cursing yourself for leaving your glasses in your office.

“It’s almost 7:30...” He tells you.

“Oh, I have to go! Lucy, she’s been all alone, I have to feed her!” In a panic, you begin gathering your belongings.

“Lu- Who’s Lucy?” James asks in clear confusion at your sudden panic.

“My cat! Oh, poor baby, she’s probably wondering where I’ve been...” You trail off, making sure you’ve gathered everything you need.

“W-wait, can I get your number?” James asks, and you both freeze.

“M-my number?” You ask, not bothering to hide your shock.

“Well, we’re gonna need to discuss the lesson plan somehow...” He tells you.

“Oh... well, here...” You pull off a post-it note from the pad on his desk and quickly scribble down your number, handing it to him. “I’m not usually on my phone too much, so if I don’t answer within a few hours, try shooting me an email.” You explain, making your way out the door.

“Have a good night, James.” He hears you say quietly before you turn away from the doorframe, and he hears the resonating shutting of your office door not even five minutes later.

Bucky sits in his chair, not having moved an inch from when you left. He stares at the blue post-it with your number scribbled on it.

He picked it up, inspecting it further.

Your handwriting was neat, but flourishing and borderline cursive because of how quickly you wrote.

Bucky pulls out his phone and inputs the number, saving your contact.

Y/N Y/L/N

He then types out a message:

Just wanted to text you so I wouldn’t lose your number. Hope Lucy is okay.

And he hits send, deciding to pack up his things, trying to understand why he chose to include your cat in his message.

And on your end when you check your phone after parking in your apartment building’s parking, you see a message from an unknown number. You choose to not answer until you’ve made it into your apartment and feed Lucy.

You open your messages, staring at it. Something in your chest fluttered, but you pass it off as your hunger, waiting for your dinner to warm up in the oven.

Hi James. Lucy is fine, thanks for worrying. Have a good night.

You send it off, saving his contact but choosing to not look at your phone until after you’ve finished everything that you needed to do.

After finishing some grading, doing the dishes, and adding to the lesson plan, you decide to settle into bed with a book. You check your phone while brushing your teeth.

James Barnes: Good to hear. Do you think we could work on the lesson plan over lunch tomorrow? Just so we can get ahead of the game.

Y/N Y/L/N: Sounds good. Are we still going to also meet up after classes?

It takes a few minutes before your phone dings again.

James Barnes: Yep. Do you want to just come by my place after? Kind of getting stir-crazy in my office. We could also order food.

You stare at your phone. Are you going crazy? Why is he being so... kind?

Before you could even respond, another ping pulls you back out of your thoughts.

James Barnes: You could also bring Lucy with you, if you don’t want to leave her alone at home for too long.

Okay, now you were sure you were going insane. He was being way too nice. Where was this attitude a year ago, when you’d first met him?

But then again, it wouldn’t hurt, right? You were trying to get out of your comfort zone...

Y/N Y/L/N: Sure, that’s good. Are you sure it would be okay if I brought Lucy? I wouldn’t want to impose on your personal space.

His reply was almost instant.

James Barnes: No, I don’t mind at all. Alpine would love the company.

Before you could even wonder who Alpine was, you remember your previous conversation with Steve once.

‘Bucky also has a cat...’

Y/N Y/L/N: Okay, then I’ll be there. You also have a cat?

James Barnes: Oh, yeah. He’s the sweetest. *1 Attachment.*

Opening the image, you see a fluffy, stark white cat. He had big eyes that anyone would swoon over. You look at the foot of your bed where Lucy is curled up into a ball, fast asleep. You carefully snap a picture, smiling at her.

Y/N Y/L/N: I’ll admit, he’s cute. But can he compete with her? *1 Attachment*

You smile, seeing the typing bubble, waiting for him to respond.

James Barnes: Doll, no one can compete with Al. But I can’t deny, Lucy’s a gem.

Reading over the message at least seven times, your eyes keep lingering over the first word. Doll. It was in a loop in your head, the only thought you were having was that one word.

Why did he call me that? Is he flirting with me? No... he doesn’t even like me! But then why would he be talking to me right now? And why would he send me a picture of his cat...

And now your hands were working faster than your brain, typing out a quick response with your stomach doing backflips.

Y/N Y/L/N: Alright, whatever you say, Bucky. I’m heading to bed, good night.

And you don’t wait for a response before shutting off your phone and plugging it in, putting it on do not disturb and abandoning it on your nightstand, flipping open your book. You were trying to clear your thoughts but miserably failing.

Unbeknownst to you, Bucky responded with a wide smile at the sight of you using his nickname.

James Barnes: Sweet dreams, Y/N.

That night, Bucky fell asleep with Alpine on the pillow next to him, but a wide smile on his face and his stomach full of butterflies.

Little did he know, so were you.

-

The next day, you woke up feeling like a brand new woman. You got a decent amount of sleep. You got out of bed and made coffee before you left the house. You arrived to school way earlier than usual.

To be honest, you didn’t know what was going on.

James was being nice. To you. Why the sudden change of heart? Or maybe he was going back to acting like an asshole when he sees you in person. You didn’t really know what to expect.

Honestly, what you expected the least was for a knock to be heard on your door, 15 minutes before your first class of the day.

“Come in!” You say, expecting a student or maybe Natasha or Wanda.

But the door swings open, and there’s James. He’s standing there with two paper bags, undoubtedly from the bakery down the street.

“Hi.” He says. Not offering anything. No explanation, no emotion. No indication of our conversation last night.

“Hi. Did you need something?” You ask, and for once, it wasn’t in a dismissive or cold tone.

“Uh, no. Just wondering if you’ve eaten anything yet today?” James asks, holding up the bags in his hand.

“Uhm... no...” You tell him, not understanding why he was asking.

“Oh, well I have an extra croissant, if you’d like.” He holds up the bags once again.

“Sure, you can sit in here to eat if you’d like...” You offer, not sure of the water you were treading in.

“Oh, thanks.” He sits down and you both pull out the pastries and start eating. “So, how’s Lucy today?” James asks, a slight smirk on his face. You honestly couldn’t tell if he was making fun of you or not.

“Uh, she-she’s good. Clingy as usual. How’s Alpine?” You return the question.

“Same for him, also clings to me like a koala when I leave, I always feel bad, but I don’t really have a choice.” You both giggle at the remark, nodding in agreement.

“I understand. Lucy’s still a kitten too, so she’s been getting attached a lot. But I think I need her just as bad as she needs me.” You tell him, and you don’t know why.

“Oh... no boyfriend?” James asks, and now you really can’t tell if he’s pulling your leg.

“Oh-” You giggle, covering your mouth. “That’s funny. No, no boyfriend.” You continue to laugh until you fall back into silence, and James is just watching you.

“What’s so funny?” He asks, genuinely perplexed at your reaction.

“James, I don’t think either of us are idiots. I don’t think I come off as girlfriend material to most guys.” You laugh again.

It became quiet, and you look back to your computer, ready to end this awkward conversation. You knew you had your insecurities, but it had always been hard for you to put yourself out there. Especially for guys. Your anxiety and introverted nature really put a pause on your already non-existent dating life.

Besides, you’ve always been alone. And you didn’t think that would be changing any time soon.

“Okay, well I’m gonna head out. I have a class to prepare for. See you tonight?” James asks, getting up from his seat across from you.

“Y-Yeah, I’ll see you then. Could you text me your address and what time I should be there?” You ask, also gathering your lecture notes and laptop.

“Sure thing, Y/N. Bye.” He waves, leaving. As soon as he steps out, you hear the clicking of heels against the laminate flooring.

“Why was Bucky in here?” Natasha’s gravelly voice asks, looking confused as ever.

“He just brought me a croissant, we were talking about our lesson plan for next week.” You explain to her. “Walk with me to my lecture?” You ask, pointing out the door.

“Sure,” she agrees, waiting for you to lock the door, “so, have things been... civil between you two?” Natasha asks tentatively.

“Actually, yes. He’s not all that bad. I’m going to his place after classes to work on the lesson plan, he asked me yesterday to even bring Lucy over so she could meet Alpine.” You tell her.

“Oh- wow, really? He’s being so... nice to you...” She responds.

“I-I know... I don’t understand why... He made it clear he doesn’t really enjoy my company.” You respond.

“Yeah... Well, this is new. I hope he keeps up with it.” She pats you on the shoulder as you reach the lecture hall.

“Yeah, me too.” You say, turning to her before going in.

“Hey, can I stop by your office for something at lunch?”

“Sure, see you then!” You tell her, setting up for your class.

-

Lunch time comes around, and Natasha was already waiting for you when you finished your class by lunchtime. You remembered James also asking to come by to eat with you and work, so you tried to make it quick with Natasha.

“So, you and Bruce already finished your lesson plans?” You ask, looking for a booklet she needed.

“Yeah, he’s fun to work with. Kinda a nerd, but he knows his shit.” She says, smiling and leaning against your desk. “Any reason you’re in a rush?” She asks, catching you off guard.

“Oh, uh, James is coming to eat here so we can get ahead on the lesson.” You tell her, looking back through your drawer.

“That’s... interesting.” Natasha’s brows were drawn together. “You two seem to have a lot of time allotted together.”

“Well, we have only a little of our lessons done, and we really don’t want to show up unprepared. You know how much I hate that.” You tell her, finally finding what she needed.

Outside your office, James was just about to walk in when he heard your voices.

“Yeah... Just wondering, did he ever... apologize for what he said that one night?” Nat asks.

“Uhm, n-no. He’s been really kind to be as of late, so I’m assuming we’re turning a new leaf... But he makes me... nervous sometimes. Just a few days ago, he wouldn’t even look at my lesson plan ideas. He looked like he would rather violently bash his skull in than work with me. I’m just- I’m confused. What made him change his mind?” You think out loud, really wondering if James’ behavior was genuine.

“Y/N, I know you’ve been through a lot, but I think you should give him a chance. Don’t be so weary. If he’s being nice, don’t question it. I don’t know why he was like that with you from the beginning, but you shouldn’t have to beat yourself up over the fact that he’s actually treating you with respect.” Natasha puts her hand over yours, meeting your gaze.

“Y-Yeah. I know. I know I deserve respect, but it’s been hard lately. Ever since my family stopped talking to me, I feel like a failure. They don’t understand that I deserve that respect either. They think teaching is a shit job, they think I won’t get anywhere in life with it. I’m just sick and tired of them acting like I didn’t work hard to get where I am today.”

I talked to my brother the other day, and he said the same thing they’ve been saying since I started my PhD. ‘You’re not gonna get anywhere with this, you should get a boyfriend, we want grandkids.’ Like, okay! I get it! But where the hell am I supposed to find a guy when the cute one doesn’t even like me!? And my last boyfriend was in my undergrad. I feel a like teenager. I have literally no romantic life.” You huff out, absolutely tired of this.

“I- Y/N, I’m so sorry. You deserve a family that’s supportive of you and your passions. I hope Wanda and Carol and I have maybe helped you, kind of like a work family, y’know?” She holds your hand tighter. “We’ll always be here for you.”

You smile, walking around your desk to hug her.

“Thank you, Nat. I appreciate you all so much. I don’t think you’ll ever really know.” You hug her tightly before letting go. “James should be here any minute now, but we’ll talk more after class?”

“You betcha, but don’t think I forgot what you said... Maybe he does like you.” She says, and your face turns beet red.

“Natasha, no. I think he’s made it very clear he’s not into me. Like, at all. I’m surprised we’re even working together. I didn’t think he would cooperate.” You laugh. “Okay, seriously, you gotta go. I don’t want him to walk in on us talking about him.”

“Okay, okay, talk later. Bye, Y/N.” She says, making her way out, and Bucky pushes himself against the wall, hoping she wouldn’t see him.

“Don’t forget what we talked about, yeah?” She says to him, not even looking back. Natasha only stops when she doesn’t hear his response, turning around. “Listen to me, Bucky. We may be friends, but so are Y/N and I. I don’t know if it was me or Steve who finally knocked some sense into the dumb head of yours, but if she comes to me again, crying, telling me she can’t take it from you anymore, I promise; you’ll be off this faculty faster than you can say ‘tenure.’ Now, am I understood, Barnes?” Natasha concludes, completely in Bucky’s personal space.

“I- yes. I understand.” He gulps, looking down at his hands. “I-I’ve been trying. To be nice to her. I know what I did before was wrong, but I’m trying, okay? Steve and I had a... a long talk.”

“Yeah, whatever. This better not just be a one-time-thing. From here on out, I want no complaints from her. She’s been through enough shit, and she doesn’t need any more from you. I have somewhere to be, and so do you.” Natasha says, parting ways and letting Bucky release a breath he didn’t know he was holding in.

He composes himself one last time, and walks into your office.

“Hi, James.” You give him a soft smile, “Take a seat, we’ve got work to do.”

-

When your last lecture finished, you made your way home to get what you needed to head to James’ apartment. He’d texted you the address and told you you could come by any time after 6:30.

You were thinking back on your lunch break with him. He was quiet, almost nervous to be sitting in front of you, and you couldn’t understand for the life of you why.

It was uncharacteristic of him to be so demure, and you wonder why he was suddenly so shy. Before, he wouldn’t have hesitated to make a remark, or take a jab at you. But now, he was quiet as a mouse.

It was concerning, to say the least.

So, on your way to his apartment, which was a solid 15 minutes drive, you call Natasha for advice.

“Hey. Can I talk to you about something?” You ask while you drive.

“Yeah, everything alright?” Natasha’s voice filters through your car’s speakers.

“Oh, I’m fine, but did something happen with James? He was acting so... odd today... He was so quiet, so nice. His behavior has been so different lately.” Your brows were furrowed, genuinely trying to crack this puzzle.

“Uh... well, isn’t it a good thing?” She asks.

“I mean, yes, but did someone say something to him?” You ask, puzzled.

“Uh, no...” lie, “maybe he’s just turning over a new leaf, Y/N. I think you should stop worrying yourself over it so much. And if you really want answers, just confront him about it.” Natasha concludes.

“...Okay. You’re right. I think I’m just reading too much into this. I need to go, I’m almost there. Thanks, Nat.” You tell her.

“Bye, Y/N. Good luck.” And the line goes dead.

“Looks like it’s just me and you now, Luce.” You look over at her carrier in the seat next to yours, where she’s curled up into a ball inside.

-

Once you park and text James to let him know you’re on your way up, you sling your laptop bag over your shoulder and grab Lucy’s carrier.

As you make your way inside, you stop at the concierge desk, where an older man with grey hair and glasses greets you. His name tag reads Stan.

“Hi, I’m here to see James Barnes?” You tell him, looking at the grandiosity of the lobby.

“Ah, yes, Ms. Y/L/N?” He asks, and you nod. “He said he was expecting you. Not that I don’t trust you, but I just need a form of ID before I can let you up.” You nod again, handing over you driver’s license.

He hands it back, giving an approving nod.

“Elevators are to the right, he’s in 12B.” Stan tells him, and you give him appreciative ‘thank you’ before you scurry to the elevator.

When you knock on his door, it takes a second for him to open it, a faint ‘Al, one second!’ resonating through the door, making you snort out a laugh.

“Hey, sorry about that. Come in,” Bucky finally appears, swinging his door wide open.

You walk in, setting down Lucy and taking your shoes off.

“So, is Alpine friendly with other cats?” You ask, weary of unzipping the carrier.

“Of course he is. Why wouldn’t he be?” He asks, but stops when he sees your expression fall.

“S-Sorry, I wasn’t trying to imply anything, It’s just- Lucy’s a bit shy, but she typically likes other cats.” You say, looking down at her.

“I-I’m sorry- that was rude. I wasn’t trying to sound like an ass, I swear. Alpine’s friendly with other cats, but he needs a little time to warm up to other people. Don’t take it personally if he isn’t too fond of you at first.” He laughs, directing you to his couch where Alpine was perched.

“Oh, hi baby!” You coo, holding out your hand to Alpine. He tentatively inspects you with his eyes, first, and then sniffs you. He then, his head buts against your hand, asking for affection.

Bucky’s eyebrows shoot up, shocked at how friendly Alpine was being. He barely even looked at Steve and Sam when they come by. But here he was, purring and shoving himself against you.

“Well, I think Lucy won’t have a problem with him at all.” You smile, bringing the carrier over to the end of the couch and unzipping it, letting Lucy move at her own pace.

At first, she just wearily looks at Alpine and the unfamiliar setting. She then looks at you, where you encouragingly coo at her, making sure she was comfortable.

Bucky gazes at the whole scene with a soft look, watching as Lucy slowly saunters out of the carrier, sniffing Alpine and the couch. Soon enough, Alpine sniffs back, and they start playing with each other, forgetting their owners completely.

You both laugh at how well they were getting along, and the contrast between the black and white furs making it that much better.

“Well, should we get started?” You ask, finally turning to Bucky with a big smile.

In that moment, his throat goes dry, and all he can think is... She has a beautiful smile.

“James? Everything alright?” You ask, breaking him out of his trance.

“I- Yes! Sorry, got distracted for a minute... Would you prefer Italian or Chinese for dinner?” He asks, shaking his head and trying to change the subject.

“Uhm, I don’t mind, whatever you’d like.” You smile, grabbing your laptop.

“So... Italian, then?” He asks with a light laugh.

“Sure.” You answer. “Where can we sit to work?”

“Oh, the table’s fine, we can eat while we work, too. Let me go order really quick.” He excuses himself after pointing to his dining table, and heading into the kitchen.

When Bucky reaches the kitchen, he takes a second to compose himself. He pinches in between his brows, his eyes squeezed shut. He didn’t know why he was acting like a teenager, he felt himself get flustered around you.

After he pulls himself together, he orders the food and comes back outside, finding you focused on something extremely intently on your screen.

“James, what do you think for something like this for a more interactive activity?” You ask, turning your computer to him, waiting for him to read the plan, biting your lip nervously.

“This- this is awesome, doll. This looks really good, the students would love this.” He tells you, reading over it one more time.

“O-Oh, thanks.” You thank him shyly, stomach fluttering while looking down at your lap again.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings, breaking the silence.

“Oh, the food-” James moves to grab his wallet, but you grab his wrist, stopping him.

“James, you’ve already been so hospitable, let me get it-” You say, but he shakes off your hand and shakes his head.

“No, I can’t let you do that, I insist,” he responds, beating you to the door and handing the delivery man his card, letting him ring it up quickly.

You huff, sitting back down in your spot with a pout.

“James, you suck,” you huff, visibly annoyed. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well, I did. Now, let’s eat. You good with red wine?” He asks, pulling out two wine glasses.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” You say, unpacking the food as he pours some wine.

As he sets down some plates, he sees your expression still pouty, like a child.

“Y/N, stop pouting.” You look so cute. “You can get it next time.” I wish I could kiss you.

“Oh, there’s gonna be a next time?” You ask, your face turning red yet again.

“I mean, we’re going to have to make more lesson plans, depending on how long Fury keeps this up.” He laughs, but you freeze at his words.

It’s true, you think to yourself, we’re probably going back to how it was before when this is all over. That’s probably why he’s being nice to me.

“Hey, you alright? Did I say something?” James asks, a concerned look on his face.

“N-No, you’re good. Sorry. Ready to eat?” You ask, changing the subject.

“Yeah... You sure everything’s okay?” He asks again, trying to make sure.

“James, everything is okay, please. Let’s just eat.” You smile, placing a hand over his in reassurement.

-

Dinner was delicious, and now you and James were sipping on wine while working, occasionally checking on Lucy and Alpine.

“Hey, do you think a group project could work? I usually give some to my students, I have a template I follow, but you could change it to your liking-” James tells you, but you cut him off with your thoughts.

“James, can I ask you a question?” You ask, hovering a hand over his.

“S-Sure. What’s up?” He sounds weary.

“You know, before we started this project, you like... loathed me.” You say. “Why?” Your voice breaks at that last word, barely getting it out of your throat.

“I... I just-” He takes a deep breath and looks down, grabbing your hand, “I thought you were... snobby, stuck up. I thought you came to this school thinking you were better than everyone else, that you were here to one-up us all.”

And before you could cut him to deny it with your shaking head, he continues.

“And I know now that I was wrong. I-I’m so sorry for the way I spoke to you, especially at the bar. After you left and Steve took me home, he basically yelled at me and told me how what I thought of you was completely off. I shouldn’t have assumed all those things about you, and I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me, one day.” He concludes, holding onto your hand so tightly to convey just how sorry he was.

“I- Oh, James. Y-You know, I never meant to come off that way. I just- I’ve always had trouble making friends and talking to people, and things have been hard recently. I never meant to make you o-or anyone else, for that matter, to feel that way. I’m so sorry.” You say, tears prickling behind your eyes.

“Y/N, doll.” James moves out of his seat, wrapping you in his arms. “I can’t even tell you how much I wish I was more open-minded, more patient. Ever since Steve and Nat have talked to me, I’ve been just-”

“Nat? What has Natasha told you?” You stop him, pulling away.

“She- she just told me to stop. She told me you’ve been going through a lot, and that I wasn’t making it any better for you so-”

“Did she say what? Why would she tell you about my personal life-” You begin to ramble and waving your hands around.

“Doll, no she didn’t-”

“She had no right to say-”

But before you could continue, Bucky cuts you off.

With his lips.

Against yours.

Bucky was kissing you.

Oh my god, he’s kissing me!

You pull away looking at him in utter shock.

“Wh- What did you do that for?”

“I just- You were rambling, but I didn’t know how else to stop you.” James says, a blush creeping up his neck.

“So you kissed me?” You ask incredulously.

“Uh- yes?” He says, more like asks.

“I uh... I have to go.” You say, looking anywhere but his eyes as you gather your items, hunting down Lucy and putting her in her carrier; much to her protest and distaste.

“Y-Y/N, please, don’t go. Let’s just talk!” James pleads, but you’re not listening.

“N-No, I’m sorry, I have to go. I’ll see you in class next week. Bye, James.” You huff out, running to the nearest stairwell.

A part of you wanted him to run after you, but you needed time to process... whatever that was.

Did he kiss you because he liked you? Or because he wanted to shut you up?

You cut the drive home into half, the first thing you do after getting through your door is calling Natasha.

“Nat, I fucked up...” Your voice was weak through the phone.

And back in Bucky’s apartment, he dialed Steve’s number.

“Steve, I fucked up... real bad.” He meekly provides, his head in his hands.

-

a/n: oh boy. what’s gonna happen ??? hmmm... let me know down below! hope you guys enjoyed ;)

also, did y’all peep my stan lee cameo? :)

[eveningstar1516]

Rise of the Demon King ~ Chapter 10

Rise of the Demon King Fic: Multi Chapter Paring: MC x Everyone (Mostly Lucifer) Type: Angst with a Happy Ending Total Word Count: 26,758 TW: Major Character Death, Reader gets stabbed with a sword through their chest so..., Abusive Parents, Past Child Abuse, Demon Hunters, Loss of Control Summary: You’ve done it. You’ve finally done it. You’ve managed to anger the demon king. Now you hold your head high as he hands down your sentence. AO3 Portal: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065362 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A/N: I gotta Discord server guys! It's primarily Obey Me but other fandoms are welcome as well. It's kinda baby and dead so me and the other members are looking to revive it and we'd love for you to come join us. A roleplay area is included :) https://discord.gg/F3YEmDZCPS Please remember to read and accept the rules once you join for access to all the channels. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previously: Satan spent the rest of the night by his brother's side, cleaning his room and slowly, step by step, bringing back how his brother usually looked like. A glowing masterpiece, worthy of both envy and praise. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHAPTER 10 - A Strong Bond (1616 words)

I was sitting at Lucifer's desk in his old room. After spending 3 sleepless nights in a row, Simeon helped me move into Luci’s old room which thankfully had some really good blinds to block out the celestial sun. The paperwork seemed as endless as it had in the Devildom only this time, it was the archangels' work. While they did their share and dealt with their department’s issues, the majority of the work still fell on my shoulders. I’m starting to understand why Lucifer felt this way towards paperwork. I put the pen down as I finished up the last of this week’s paperwork. Looking at the time, I realized I’ve been working for the past 9 hours straight. Getting up, I stretched my back and felt my joints popping. I filed the rest of the work and got dressed in something more comfortable. A simple dark blue turtleneck and white jeans. I made my way to the kitchen, having missed dinner, I wanted to get something to nibble on before bed. Upon entering, I found Raphael at the table with a cup of celestial berry tea. Noticing me, he looked up and waved me over.

“What are you still doing up Raph?” “I could ask the same. Here, we have some leftovers.” Raphael got up and got a plate from the fridge placing it in the microwave before getting another mug to pour more tea in. “Thank you” I took the mug with both hands and slowly sipped it. Relishing the warmth flowing down my throat. Taking the plate out of the microwave, Raphael set it in front of me before ruffling my hair and sitting back down. Laughing I retaliated back.

“H-hey! I’m not a child”

“You are compared to us. An overworked tired child that despite being in over their head, is doing an amazing job at keeping us running.”

“Thank you. It is hard though. I have no idea how Lu did it, still does it.”

“Yeah, Sammy would work himself to exhaustion. You actually remind me of him. Your determination to get the work done flawlessly and your dedication. Are you sure you’re not supposed to be an angel?”

“Heh, thanks Raph, but you and I both know I’m only doing this to go back.”

“Do you have to though? You’ve been here for a full millenia now. Don’t you want to stay?”

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely up here and you guys are the absolute best, but I don’t belong here. My heart is in the Devildom with the brothers.”

“Why though? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing, but why would you rather stay in the Devildom than here?”

“I guess the Devildom just grew on me. The Devildom, and the bro’s. I like the way Belphie looks when he’s sleeping peacefully, his head on my lap. I admire the way Beel protects his twin and his brothers, sacrificing everything to make them happy. I envy the way Asmo can change a tense atmosphere into an up beat one effectively dissolving any tension. I find myself thinking about Satan and the late reading nights we’d have and the discussions about cats and our books. I wish I had as much passion as Levi does with his games and shows. Confidently ranting on about them without caring what others think. I’m amazed by Mammon’s love for his family. Everything he sacrifices to make them happy. He even puts himself in the line of fire and would redirect the attention to himself by doing something stupid to distract them from their suffering. I love Lucifer. I love how much he cares for his family. All he sacrifices, all he endures, all the pain he hides from them to keep them happy. To keep us all happy... I miss them.” Tears started pooling as I reminisced about the brothers. Raphael leaned over and pulled me into a shoulder hug.

“I know you do. If it’s any consolation, I’m sure they miss you too. It sounds like you created a strong bond with them. I’m sure you’ll get to see them soon.”

“I hope so. Thanks Raph.”

“Anytime Y/N. I think you should get some rest. Don’t forget we have a-”

“Y/N, Raphael.” Michael walked into the kitchen. He had a look that closely resembled contentment and relief.

“Michael, how can we help you?”

“You should be in bed Raphael. Father wants to see Y/N. Now.” Raphael and I exchanged a look. I finished off my tea and hugged Raphael goodnight before heading to my room to change into something more appropriate for my meeting with God. 5 minutes later and we were on our way to the palace. In the Devildom After they lost Y/N The day they lost Y/N was the hardest day in their life. After they got back to the house, they both went straight to their room, not talking with anyone. Behind the relative safety of a locked door, Belphie crawled into bed and tried to escape reality. Beel sat on his bed and closed his eyes. He didn’t try to sleep, he didn’t go to the kitchen, he didn’t move. He just sat there, the pain numbing him. They stayed like this for a while before Belphie started tossing and turning, his slumber becoming a restless nightmare. Beel got up and changed into something more comfortable. He moved Belphie over and got under the covers, pulling his twin into his chest. Belphie felt himself being pulled into his older brother's embrace and leaned into it, grief evident on both their faces as they both fell into a dreamless sleep.

The days following weren’t much better. Beel wouldn’t eat as much, practically starving himself and he was rarely found. When any of the brothers would go looking for him, they’d either find him in his room or the gym. Belphie wouldn’t wake up at all anymore. He’d go weeks sleeping, if you could call nightmare filled nights sleeping. He wasn’t any better awake either. When he did wake to attend school or fulfill an order from the king, you could practically see the waves of pure wrath and resentment surrounding him, only dispersing when Beel was close by. There were days where neither of them would leave their room, both just staring into space, little words exchanged. Although they didn’t need to. Their shared bond conveyed more than words could express. The pain amplified by this bond. When Belphie was awake, the twins would practically be inseparable. Neither going anywhere without the other.

This went on for a few months. One day after being rudely awakened from a nap, Belphie found himself wandering the house for a quiet place to sleep. Normally, he’d just head up to the attic, however today, he found his feet leading him down to the catacombs, towards Lilith’s, now Y/N’s casket. He doesn’t know what brought him here, but as soon as he saw it, his eyes started watering. He doesn’t know if it’s because of the memories he has assorted with the casket or if it was because Beel was sitting next to it, leaning his back against the side, crying. Sensing Belphie’s presence, Beel opened his eyes and turned his head towards his twin. He cracked a small, tired smile as Belphie moved to sit next to him. This was the first time Belphegor had seen Beelzebub cry since Y/N’s execution. Sitting next to his brother, he leaned into the larger demon letting his own tears flow. Their hands gravitated toward each other as they took hold. For the first time since the trial, they sat together in silence; tears flowing down their cheeks. Eventually, they fell asleep like this, holding each other's hands. It was Levi that found them. The 3rd born having come down to place the gift he got for Y/N from the convention on the casket. He spotted the twins sleeping with tear stained cheeks and left. He came back down a few minutes later with a blanket and a few snacks for when they awoke. Not wanting to disturb them, he set down the Ruri-chan kit and carefully draped the blanket over them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was envious of the twins connection and devotion to be there for each other. Then he remembered about their connection. He knows the twins can feel what the other is feeling. He realized that they were probably taking this the hardest, their shared connection amplifying the pain. His envy for them left, replaced by something resembling pity. He left them in the catacombs and retreated to his room. The twins awoke at the same time. They took notice of the blanket draped over them and the fruit tray placed next to them. They exchanged a smile as Beel leaned over to grab the tray, offering the fruit to Belphie first. Belphegor grabbed an apple slice and held it towards Beel. Beel opened his mouth accepting the slice and repeated the action with a clementine. They continued like this, feeding each other until the tray was empty. They stayed down in the catacombs for a little while longer, their bond conveying the vows they made to each other. They’d never leave each other's side. Always be there for their other half.

After that day, Beel would take responsibility for waking the youngest whenever he slept for too long and Belphie took responsibility for making sure Beel ate whenever he was awake. From that day forward, you’d never find one twin without the other close by. Their relationship strengthened, one relying on the other. Always being there when needed.

[lupin72]

Leave Your Lover

Anon asked for a fic based on the song used in this fanvid (which is awesome btw): https://youtu.be/RCT3_rkHj8A

Lucy sat across from Tim, sipping a large glass of red wine. They were at their local bar, a place they now met fortnightly for ‘unofficial check ins’. Tim had told her to meet him here for the first time a week after she graduated. All he had said was that he wanted to check West wasn’t rubbing off on her. When she had arrived, she had expected a sort of Tim test, a reminder that he was always on her back, even now. Or perhaps a threat of sorts, or maybe a warning. Instead, she’d found him sipping a pint, with a glass of her favorite red waiting on her and she had known what it really was: an excuse. He missed her too.

And so, they met every other Friday as long as their shifts permitted it. He would have a few beers, she would have at least two large glasses and they would chat about the calls they had faced that week. Tim’s composure usually lasted for about the first hour. He would spend that time grilling her over each choice she had made, checking that her protocol was spot on. He even allowed her to criticize his own work, claiming that it was good practice to be aware of how other cops were working too.

Inevitably, however, the conversation would move on. One of them would bring up Kujo, or The Dodger’s game, or an episode of television they had been lucky enough to catch. And they wouldn’t be a newly graduated Rookie and ex-TO anymore. They would be friends. Just them.

Lucy looked over at Tim, slouched back in slacks and a light blue Henley, a smile dancing on his lips as he told her about the call he had faced earlier that day. They had almost run through all of them and Lucy was looking forward to the conversation slipping onto something else.

“The neighbors cat caught the guy can you believe it?”

Lucy knew she should have been listening, that it was important, but she was almost finished her glass and Tim was looking at her in a way that lit up his eyes, eyes that didn’t need a Henley to draw her attention to them.

She scolded herself, let the laughter slip from her lips and tried to cover up her daydream by sipping the wine again.

Lucy didn’t know what made her say it. The switch to casual was usually a lot smoother and carefully navigated. But the words left her before she could stop them. “So, how’s things with Rachel?”

Tim stiffened immediately. She hadn’t been expecting such a response at all. The glint in his eyes disappeared and it was his turn to hide his reaction by taking a long, slow drink. Interesting.

Rachel had seemed fine last Lucy had spoke to her but that had been a few weeks ago now. Time difference and shift work made things tricky.

Tim swallowed and lent forward slightly, tilting his head to the right in the way he did when he was about to challenge her, “Will you be telling Rach my answer?”

Lucy frowned. “No,” she replied immediately. “I won’t. You’re both my friends and I won’t take sides.”

Tim didn’t falter at her use of the word friends and she couldn’t help the little skip her heart did. No. Lucy told herself. He’s your ex-TO. He’s dating your friend. You’re in a relationship!

“Things are fine,” Tim replied. He sat back in his seat to regard Lucy. He thought back to the empty house he was returning to for the hundredth time that night. Sometimes his relationship with Rachel felt just as fractured as his one with Isabel. Sure, there were no drugs involved, he liked to think there weren’t many secrets either, but they also barely talked and she was never there. When she first left, they had video called almost every day, and texted frequently. Now? His phone weighed a tonne in his pocket as he thought about the last time he had actually heard her voice. It had almost been a week. Time difference and shift work had been punishing them of late, but he had been off tonight and so had she.

And yet he was here instead.

“What about you and Emmet?” he threw the question at Lucy, watching as she turned away from him.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you diverting the question,” Lucy replied and then she sighed. “Still taking things slow.”

“His choice or mutual?”

“Why wouldn’t it be mine?”

She looked hurt. But that didn’t make any sense, “Because you’re the one sitting here looking all down about it?”

Lucy sighed again, tracing the stem of her glass absentmindedly. “Its mutual. I don’t think Emmett is looking for anything serious right now and I-” She paused and looked up at him, “I don’t think I want anything more.”

Tim could tell what she wasn’t saying. She didn’t think she wanted anything more with him.

Looking for an excuse to break the awkward silence that had now befallen them, Tim rose to his feet. “Think we need another round.”

Lucy looked at her empty glass in surprise before she nodded and gave him a small smile in thanks.

Tim clenched his fists as he placed them on the bar. Lucy being unhappy in her relationship should not have been good news to him.

He turned to causally look back at her when he noticed that she was talking to someone. A small man, probably not much taller than Lucy, was leaning on the table chatting to her with a friendly smile. She laughed at him and shook her head. Tim tensed immediately. That laughter had been real. Lucy wasn’t uncomfortable. She wasn’t in any danger. She was fine. And yet he had the strongest urge to drag the man away from her.

“Stop it,” he didn’t realize he had said it out loud until the bar man cleared his throat.

“What was that, sir?”

Tim turned to look at him and hoped he wasn’t as red in the face as he felt. “Same again,” he replied, slamming his wallet onto the bar.

The barman started pouring and Tim forced himself not to look back at the table. She was your Rookie, you’re dating her best friend.

He grabbed the offered drinks and made his way back to the table telling himself he wasn’t relieved when he realized the man had left.

“Did you know him?” Tim asked sitting down in his seat again.

Lucy smiled and shook her head, “No, he was asking if I was alright, checking that my date was going well and that I didn’t need saving.”

Tim snorted, “Did you correct him?”

Lucy laughed, “I told him it wasn’t a date and then, just as I could tell he was getting excited, I revealed that, even if it wasn’t going well, I’m a cop and I could have handled it. He left pretty quickly after that.”

They shared a laugh.

Lucy watched Tim and wondered what made her the worse person: the fact that watching her ex-TO laugh made her want to ask him back to hers, or the fact that she felt that way about her best friend’s boyfriend, or that she was thinking that about a man that wasn’t the one she was currently dating.

You sure know how to pick ‘em, she told herself letting the laughter fade into the comfortable silence that they usually shared between them.

They could leave their lovers. In fact, the chances of that seemed inevitable.

But that didn’t mean they could be with each other.

 I am still open for Chenford fic prompts so feel free to send them my way!

[superfreakerz]

TDDUP 27

"Til Death Do Us Part"

Rated M for smut and heavy themes.

Reincarnation/Immortality AU.

Summary: There are immortals and there are those who reincarnate, but it's best to keep these things hidden. Lucy is attending college and meets Natsu, a boy with pink hair, a devilish smile, and a body that never ages.

Read earlier chapters on FF.net

Chapter 27

Winter Break

Patches of grey clouds littered the sky as they bestowed upon the city of Magnolia a thin sheet of snow. It was the first snowfall for the lively city, barely reaching an inch. Still, kids rejoiced as they did their best to pile up the powdery snow to form misshapen snowmen. They even crashed to the ground in fits of giggles, spreading their arms and legs to create snow-angels. Parents watched happily from the side, sipping on their hot chocolate in content. Others who weren't so fond of the icy blanket outside opted for staying indoors, cozying up by the fire with a book in hand.

That was how most people enjoyed their snow days. However, Lucy and her group of ragtag friends were spending the day a bit differently.

"Chug, chug, chug!" the group shouted as Gajeel and Levy shared a quick glance, shot glasses filled to the rim with vodka in their hands.

Not only was their enough cause for celebration with it being the first day of winter break for the college students, but the pair had also taken the next step in their relationship. Gajeel had popped the infamous question while they were alone in Levy's room, bent on one knee and holding a homemade ring in a shaky hand. With tears of mirth, Levy had accepted the proposal, making them engaged.

When they shared the news with the rest of their friends, it was no surprise that they were immediately thrown into a party at Fairy Tail- above the basement in the world of mortals.

Lucy wiped a happy tear from the corner of her eye, watching as the engaged couple downed a shot together. Words couldn't express how thrilled she was for Levy.

"Congrats again, Levy-chan," the blonde said, throwing her arms around her smaller friend.

"Thanks, Lu-chan!" she replied. "You better be my maid of honor!"

A squeal slipped past Lucy's mouth as she nodded her head frantically. "Yes, yes, yes! Of course! I'm going to help you find the perfect dress, find the perfect venue, and plan the most perfect bachelorette party!"

Levy laughed, shaking her head. "There's plenty of time for that stuff. For now, I just want to celebrate with all of you!" She slid a drink towards the blonde, grabbing one for herself as well. "Ready?"

Lucy accepted the shot glass, bringing the rim to her lips. Immediately, she realized her mistake as the foul stench invaded her nostrils. They counted to three before hanging their heads back and downing the shot. The vodka burned as it went down her throat, and in seconds, her belly grew warm. She'd always been a lightweight, which was why she only drank on occasion. She knew that in a couple of drinks, all common sense would fly out the window. But with such a joyous occasion, she couldn't care less.

"It burns!" Lucy exclaimed, waving her hand in front of her face as she set the glass on the table.

"That's 'cause you're a wimp," Gajeel mocked.

"Hey!"

"He's right," Natsu chimed in with a smirk. "You're a real lightweight. Seriously, I think your face is already starting to turn red!"

Lucy slapped her hands over her cheeks. "Is not!"

"Whatever you say, Luce!"

"Well, I don't care anymore!" the girl said with a pout. "My best friend just got engaged, and I plan on celebrating to the fullest! So come on! Drink with me!"

Natsu didn't need to be told twice. Clinking his glass against Lucy's, they took a shot together. Vodka wasn't his go-to drink, but since Erza ordered a whole bottle for their table, he figured he might as well help them out. It was better than letting it go to waste. Or worse, letting Lucy drink it all herself.

"Why don't you two join the rest of us?" Erza ordered, filling their glasses yet again.

Lucy nodded, facing the group. Squeezing her eyes shut, she drank the shot. She could already feel her head start to get heavy. Her stomach felt like a fireball was swinging around. The alcohol was already starting to do her in.

Time ticked on without anyone noticing. They were too caught up downing shots left and right and filling the bar with boisterous laughter. It didn't take long before they were all drunk. Even Gajeel, the one with the highest tolerance, was flat-out wasted.

Juvia was a crying mess, Erza was a menacing threat to all of humanity, Levy was on the floor laughing at the boys' demise, and Lucy whined for Natsu to pet her like a cat. It was all pretty typical for the drunken group.

"Natsuuu," Lucy drawled out. Her face was bright red, redder than Erza's hair. She was on all fours, oblivious to the stares she was receiving from everyone else at the pub. "Pet me!"

Natsu, who was also a drunken mess, shook his head. "N-No way! Quit askin' me to pet you, you weirdo!"

Tears crept up in the girl's eyes. "Fine! You jerk!" She hurried over to Juvia, resting her head over the other girl's chest. Together, they filled Fairy Tail with their incessant wails.

"How is it that even though we're drunk too, we still have to take care of them?" Gray asked, his words slurred.

Natsu shrugged. "I better get Lucy home. She's gonna have a bad hangover tomorrow."

As if her hearing was enhanced with the alcohol, the blonde whipped her head towards him with a pout.

"I don't wanna go home!" she complained, clutching tightly onto Juvia.

"Too bad," Natsu replied. He rose to his feet, grabbing onto the edge of the table to regain his sense of balance. "We gotta pack tomorrow, remember? You're always naggin' me about packing in advance. C'mon."

"No!"

"Lucy."

"I don't wanna!"

Natsu sighed. The alcohol was slowly starting to leave him tired. "I'll pet you nonstop if you agree to come home."

At that, Lucy's eyes lit up like the miniature Christmas tree that sat by the register on the counter. "Okay!"

Saying goodbye to their friends- which took much longer than he anticipated thanks to Lucy giving each one of them a unique goodbye speech- Natsu locked his hand with hers to keep her steady. He shouldered most of her weight as they walked home. With their inebriation and the slippery snow beneath their feet, they had a few slipups on the way before they finally made it back to her apartment.

Stumbling inside, the two plopped onto the couch. Just as he promised, Natsu brought his fingers to Lucy's chin, petting the bottom of it. She purred underneath his touch, scooting closer to him with a dopey smile on her face.

Natsu's eyes landed on his wiggling fingers before trailing down to the girl's neck. Her bare neck. With that, he was instantly reminded of his failure to find her locket.

It'd been almost a week since Lucy returned home from her trip. He wanted to find her locket and prove that she was an immortal just like the rest of them, but wherever Lucy put it, it was proving to be impossible to find. Without it, he didn't have a lick of proof. All he had was his intuition.

He glanced up at Lucy. Her cheeks were still pink, her golden locks were a disheveled mess, and even though she was sitting down, she couldn't help but sway side to side unsteadily. She was still drunk. Hell, drunk was probably an understatement. She was utterly intoxicated.

"Hey, Lucy…" Natsu began, peeking up at her.

"Hmm?" she replied, cocking her head to the side. Her eyes were half-lidded, proof that she was probably tired from the alcohol. There was a pretty good chance she wouldn't remember the night.

Natsu swallowed thickly. He wanted to know the truth. He needed to know. But he couldn't just ask. That would've been too much of a risk, and he wouldn't have just been risking his own identity. He would've been putting his friends at risk too, and he could never do that to them.

But that didn't mean he couldn't nudge her in the right direction a little bit.

"Do you believe in immortality?" he asked. His fingers stopped their movements as he was too concentrated on her reaction to keep petting her.

Lucy blinked once, then twice. Her face hadn't changed in the slightest, causing the tiny sliver of doubt within Natsu to grow.

"Hmm…" she started, rubbing her chin in thought. "Nope."

"No?"

"Nope."

Natsu furrowed his brows. "But you believe in everything! You believe in aliens and ghosts- hell, every time we watch a documentary on some sorta conspiracy, you believe it right away!"

"Well that's different," Lucy replied with a pout.

"How? How is that different?"

"I don't know. It just is!"

"So you don't believe in it at all?"

Lucy shrugged. "Not really. But that would be a really cool idea for a novel! Let me get my journal!" She shot up to her feet. Her legs gave out on her and she went falling forward.

` Natsu caught her, gently pulling her back down onto the couch.

"How 'bout we just go to sleep now and you can write down your idea tomorrow?" he suggested, stifling a sigh.

"But what if I forget?"

"I'll remind you."

"What if you forget?"

"Trust me, that'd be impossible for me to forget it. Now c'mon. Let's get you changed and in bed."

Lucy nodded, following Natsu to grab some pajamas. With her unsteady legs, it took a while for her to change, but once she did, it was like a wave of exhaustion washed over her.

Natsu settled in bed beside Lucy, gently tracing circles over her shoulder to help her sleep. In seconds, he could hear her faint snores. He stared at the back of her head, caught up in his thoughts.

Releasing a soft sigh, the boy frowned. He was starting to think that he was wrong. The sliver of doubt from before now consumed him, driving away all belief that she could ever be an immortal. Perhaps it was just his hope wrenching its way into his brain and jacking up his ability to think logically.

At the end of the day, Lucy was a mortal, and he was an immortal. Whether he liked it or not, their story had an end. And it was a tragedy.

Lucy threw up for the umpteenth time, tears streaming down her face as Natsu held her hair back for her. Her face was dotted with sweat, her head felt like someone was hitting it repeatedly with a baseball bat, and the dim light of the bathroom was making her irritable.

"How's your head?" Natsu asked, smoothing his hand over the girl's back.

Lucy grumbled in reply, shaking her head.

"C'mon, I'll go make you some breakfast!"

"I think that would just make me even more sick," Lucy said, forcing herself to her feet. Narrowing her eyes at him, she asked, "Why don't you ever get hungover?"

Natsu shrugged, giving her a nonchalant grin. "I don't know. I just don't. My tolerance is just higher than yours."

"I'm jealous. I always feel like death after drinking."

"It was fun though. Well, 'sides you asking for me to pet ya all night."

"As my boyfriend, it's your job to pet me when I'm drunk. Deal with it," Lucy said, grabbing a glass of water and sitting at the table. Opening her laptop, she signed into her school account.

"Whatcha doin'?" Natsu asked, sliding onto the seat across from her.

"I'm checking to see if the grade for my story got posted."

"It's only the second day of winter break. You really think that he graded it by now?"

Lucy shrugged, clicking her way to her profile. "I had to turn my story in before the deadline since I couldn't be there the last day of class since my trip was extended."

Her eyes widened as a notification popped up on the screen, alerting her that a new grade was posted. With bated breath, she clicked the necessary links to take her to the new grade. Writing meant everything to her, and this story in particular was very personal and special to her considering it was secretly about her own life. She desperately hoped for a good grade, but with Capricorn's strict grading guidelines and her shortened deadline, she kept her expectations low.

Taking a deep breath, she clicked the final link. There at the top of the screen was a bolded 'A-.'

"I did it," she breathed out, her eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets. "I did it! I aced it!"

"Really?" Natsu asked, his lips curling into a grin almost as wide as hers. "I toldja you'd ace it!"

She beamed at him before returning her gaze to the screen to read the feedback she received.

Miss Lucy, your story was wonderful. I had to deduct some points due to some misspellings and grammatical errors. However, your story kept me at the edge of my seat. I could feel the risk you took in every word. Reincarnation is quite the interesting topic, isn't it? Anyways, you did an excellent job. My favorite part was the ending. I am very relieved that Iris learned to live with her curse and found a happy ending for herself. I hope you do well in your endeavors, Miss Lucy.

Tears pricked the back of Lucy's eyes as she reread every word, then she read them again. Hearing such feedback lifted the weight on her shoulders. It was everything she wanted to hear. Now, she had confidence that she would have made an excellent writer if it wasn't for her reincarnation getting in the way. She didn't need fame or fortune, she just needed to know that she was good.

Shutting the laptop, Lucy smiled to herself.

"So, when are you gonna let me read that story of yours? It's gotta be good since you got an A!" Natsu exclaimed, leaning forward in excitement.

"Hmm, never," Lucy replied. She went to put her laptop away, ignoring Natsu's whines. Her mind was too focused on Capricorn's words.

I am very relieved that Iris learned to live with her curse and found a happy ending for herself.

"Happy, huh?" Lucy thought with a hum. Glancing over her shoulder to find the love of her life casually sitting at her table, she smiled. "Yeah. I am pretty happy now."

"You got enough clothes?"

"Yep."

"Are they warm? We're going to a ski resort, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know! I told you, I'm good to go!"

"What about your toothbrush?"

"Yeah, I got- wait. Nope. I forgot to pack that. Gimme a second."

Lucy rolled her eyes as Natsu walked past her to pack his toothbrush. Thinking over all the essentials she would need on their trip, she doublechecked to make sure she didn't overlook anything. Enough layers to keep her warm in the snow, her writing journal in case she was hit with a stroke of inspiration, and a book to read both on the road and in the cabin.

Once Natsu came back, rolling his luggage behind him, she gave him a pointed stare.

"You sure you're ready to go this time?" the girl teased.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Everyone's waiting outside for us outside. C'mon, Lucy!" Grabbing her hand, he raced towards the door, dragging her behind and barely giving her enough time to lock the door. Excited was an understatement of how he felt about going on his first trip with Lucy.

"Hey, guys!" Lucy greeted with a wave as Natsu threw their luggage in the trunk along with everyone else's.

"You're late," Erza reprimanded. "What took you two so long? You should have been packed already."

"I know, I'm sorry! I was just so hungover yesterday, I ended up sleeping through most of the day."

"That's alright," Jellal said with his signature kind smile. "Let's just get going now. If we beat the traffic, we can make it in time to go skiing today."

The group roared with cheers, jumping in the van they rented before getting on the road.

"Oi, turn the music on!" Natsu exclaimed. He, Lucy, and Erza sat in the middle row of seats while Jellal, Levy, and Gajeel sat in the back. Gray, being the only one in the group with a license, drove while Juvia took the passenger seat.

Gray was about to turn on the radio when Erza spoke.

"Wait," the redhead ordered. "First, I want to explain the details of our trip."

Natsu hung his head back with a groan. "Who cares about the details? Let's just have fun! It's winter break!"

"A trip is only as fun as its preparation."

"Can't we just-!"

Erza's fist rocketed into Natsu's gut, leaving him out cold. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Anyways, I shall now explain the details of our trip."

Everyone nodded their heads frantically, their faces pale out of fear of being the next one on the receiving end of one of her devastating punches. Lucy rubbed Natsu's head sympathetically.

"As you know, we will be going to Mt. Hakobe," Erza said. "With the low traffic, we should be able to get there before dark. We'll be able to do some skiing this evening. As for sleeping arrangements, we will split up in cabins by couple."

"By couple?" Levy asked. "That has to be expensive! How did you manage to book that?"

Erza grinned smugly while Jellal gave an uncharacteristic pout.

"Let's just say I have some acquaintances in the business. Anyways, the next day we will be snowboarding. After that, we will pack our things because we leave the next morning."

"I'm so excited! I haven't been snowboarding in forever!" Lucy exclaimed, clasping her hands together. She used to go on trips with her parents from her first lifetime.

"Oh yeah? You good at snowboarding?" Gray asked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

"I wouldn't say I'm good, but I still have a lot of fun doing it! What about you guys?"

"Gray is actually really good at skiing and snowboarding," Levy said. "But he's even better at ice hockey."

"Psh, like that's impressive," Gajeel jabbed. "Those are all the wimpy sports. I could flatten him in football or wrestling any day."

"In your dreams," Gray replied. "Just wait, Gajeel. You're gonna be begging for my help when we get there and you're fallin' on your ass every two seconds."

Lucy sighed. "Can't we just go one car-ride without anyone starting some sort of petty argument?"

It was at that moment that Natsu finally regained consciousness. He lifted his head off of her lap.

"Nope."

Arriving at Mt. Hakobe, they parked in front of a quaint cabin before grabbing their luggage.

"This will be Jellal and I's cabin," Erza stated.

"Wait, shouldn't this be mine and Juvia's?" Gray asked. "You know, since we drove and parked here, and the rental car is under our name?"

"No. Anyways, you can find your cabins by walking in that direction," Erza replied, pointing down the road. "We've rented the three cabins next to this one. Drop your stuff off and get ready for skiing, then meet us at the grounds."

Not wanting to start an argument with Erza about who should get the cabin closest to the grounds, the group walked away. Since Levy and Gajeel just got engaged, Lucy suggested that they get the next cabin. Natsu was willing to fight for the third, but considering Gray was the one to drive them all the way there, she let them get that one. That left them with the cabin farthest from the grounds.

Lucy's face was red from the cold by time they reached their cabin. It was about a fifteen-minute walk from the grounds, as all of the cabins were separated for customers' privacy. Unfortunately, that left them far from the activities and the local shop.

"Bet you feel good about giving everyone else the good cabins, don't you?" Natsu said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Lucy shot him a glare. "If I had known how far it was, I wouldn't have suggested it."

"Nah, I bet you still would have."

"…Alright, fine. I would have."

Natsu shook his head with a chuckle. Even though the cabin was far, it was still pretty nice. There was a queen-sized bed, stacked with thick blankets and pillows, a desk, and even a TV. The bathroom was small, and the standup shower was sure to put a slight damper on his girlfriend's mood, but it was bearable.

"This place is pretty nice," Lucy said, letting out a low whistle. "The bed looks really cozy."

Natsu grabbed her hand, pulling her flushed against him. His lips were curled in a crooked grin as he replied, "Oh yeah? How about we test it out real quick? Make sure it's up to your standards."

Lucy's face burned bright red, her heart leaping up into her throat. "Uhh, I-"

"I'm kidding, Luce. Erza would kill us if we took too long meeting up with them. In fact, she's probably already thinkin' about how to punish us for being late."

"You're right. Let's go. Oh, but first…" Lucy slid her hand over the slight bulge in his joggers. She stifled a laugh as she felt him harden from her touch. "Alright, now we can go!"

She quickly turned away from him, her hair swaying behind her. Natsu grinned, running to catch up to her.

"You're a lot more evil than you lead people to believe, you know that?"

"Yep."

"It's nice of you two to finally join us," Erza said, her voice stern as they approached. They were standing at the bottom of the chairlifts to take them up to the mountaintop.

"It's not our fault!" Lucy whined between breaths. "Our cabin is the farthest away!"

"No excuses. Now come. Gajeel challenged me to a bet on who is better at skiing and I intend to win."

They went in pairs onto the chairlifts. Lucy made the common mistake of looking down as they went feet in the air. Her feet tingled, her stomach churning. She was about to comment on how high up they were when she heard a strangled whimper coming from her side. Glancing over, she found Natsu slouched over the rail, his cheeks puffed out.

"Oh no, is your motion sickness acting up?" she asked, smoothing a hand over his back.

Natsu couldn't even wrangle out words, instead having to nod weakly.

"We'll be at the top soon, don't worry!"

Though, the lift was a lot slower than she expected. It took them nearly five minutes to reach the top, and by then, Natsu's face was dotted with sweat. Hopping off, he collapsed beside Gajeel, who was also inflicted with a bad case of motion sickness.

"Pathetic," Erza said, rolling her eyes at the two. "Jellal, Gray, Juvia, and I will go grab our equipment. Lucy, Levy, you guys stay with these two."

By the time Erza and the other returned with the gear, Natsu and Gajeel were back on their feet, their cheeks slowly starting to gain back their color. Gray showed everyone how to properly use the equipment, to which Natsu and Gajeel scoffed, saying that anyone with half a brain could ski.

"There are different difficulty leveled hills," Levy said. "Beginner, intermediate, and expert. I don't know about you guys, but I'll be staying on the beginner hill."

"Juvia will join you," the girl replied. She gave Gray a quick hug. "Juvia would stay and watch, but-"

"Don't worry, Juvia," Gray interrupted with a smile he saved for her. "You don't hafta watch me. I want you to have fun too."

"Okay! Good luck, Gray-sama!"

With that, she followed Levy to the beginner hill.

Natsu stood close to Lucy.

"You aren't gonna join them?" he asked.

Lucy shrugged. "I've been skiing before. I think I can handle the intermediate hill."

"Oho, you scared of goin' down the expert one?"

"It's more like I have a brain telling me not to bite off more than I can chew. What about you? You think you can handle it?"

"I know I can! Just watch!"

"Oh please," Gray chimed in. "You're gonna go tumbling down the hill. I'm not callin' for help if you need it, you know."

"You're the one who's gonna need someone to call for help after I'm done kickin' your ass!" Natsu replied, about to lunge for the other boy when Lucy grabbed him by the collar.

"Will you two just enjoy this vacation instead of trying to fight at every chance you get?" she said with a sigh.

"I agree," Erza added. A dark shadow loomed over her face as she continued, "Besides, there is no time for fighting. It's time to see who is the best at skiing once and for all."

"Well, you guys have fun with that. In the meantime, I'll be on the intermediate hill."

"I'll join you, Lucy," Jellal said, walking with her.

Once they were out of earshot, she asked, "What? You don't want to be in a competition with your wife?"

"Oh no. She would kill me if it meant winning."

"That's… endearing?"

"It's okay. You can say scary."

"Good. It's scary."

"I know."

Standing at the top of the hill, Lucy positioned her goggles over her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she scooted herself down the hill until she started to glide over the smooth snow. The faster she went, the faster her heart pounded in her chest. She could feel the wind in her hair and the snow beneath her feet. As the slope started to decline, she slowed to a shaky stop.

"That was great, Lucy," Jellal said, trudging next to her.

"You were better!" she replied. "Seriously, you can handle the expert hill."

"I know, but I wouldn't want to be there with such a fierce competition happening."

"Oh yeah. I wonder how that's going."

"Care to check it out?" Jellal asked.

Lucy nodded. "It'd be good to make sure Natsu isn't buried under ten feet of snow."

Unbinding their boots, the two headed towards the bottom of the expert hill. Immediately, they found Erza standing over a hunched over body.

"Erza?" Lucy called out. She was about to question who was hunched over when she saw tufts of pink. Rushing over, she asked, "What happened to Natsu?"

"Oh, nothing," she answered with a shrug. "His motion sickness just started acting up, so he went tumbling down the hill. He's not hurt too badly. Gray is over there making sure Gajeel is okay."

Lucy helped Natsu into a sitting position. A gasp slipped past her lips as she found blood trickling from his nose.

"You're bleeding, Natsu!" she said. "Come on, let's get you back to the cabin. We'll see you guys tomorrow."

"My stomach…" the boy groaned being forced up to his feet. He was thankful Lucy kept him steady on his feet. He was even more thankful that it was just his nose bleeding and not another part of his body. It would've been pretty hard to explain why his wound just miraculously healed on its own.

Then again, he could always get her drunk enough to black out and forget about it like last time.

Lucy guided Natsu back to the lift. If his stomach wasn't churning enough before, it had to be swirling around like a washing machine going back down the mountain. Lucy did her best to try and help him, combing her hands through his hair and humming a soft tune, but it didn't help at all. His motion sickness was worse than usual.

Once they finally made it back to their cabin, Natsu was feeling considerably better. His stomach had started to calm, his nose stopped bleeding, and his face regained its color. He tore off his boots and plopped on the bed with a sigh. The corners of his mouth were tugged down in a pout.

"Are you upset that you lost the bet?" Lucy asked, moving to sit by him.

Natsu shook his head. "I'm annoyed because my motion sickness ruins everything. Riding in cars, dates with you, trips with our friends, it's always gettin' in the damn way!"

"Nobody is upset with you for it!"

"Yeah, I know. But still. I just wanna have one good day without it ruining everything. Tomorrow is gonna be the same way."

"Hmm. Are you feeling better right now?" Lucy asked, quirking a brow.

"Yeah, but not enough to go back on the chairlift. Why?"

The girl hopped out of bed. "Come on! Let's go get you some motion sickness pills! That way, you'll be able to have fun tomorrow!"

"It's a long walk, and I know you're tired from having to help me all the way here," Natsu replied, his frown deepening.

"I don't care about that! I want you to have fun on this trip, so let's go!"

Natsu rose to his feet with a smile. "Alright. Thanks, Luce."

"Don't mention it," she replied, flashing him a grin of her own. Sliding her hand in his, she laced their fingers together.

Stepping outside, a shiver ran up Lucy's body. The snow was thick on the mountain, blanketing the ground. During the time that it took to carry Natsu back to the cabin, the sun had started to set. Now, the sky had turned black, stars twinkling overhead.

Snow fell from the sky, covering the path that led to the store. Luckily, Natsu already knew where they were going. Lucy had a feeling that if she was separated from him, she'd get lost immediately considering the cabins were so far from each other and they were surrounded by woods. Lampposts were scarce.

"So, who ended up winning your bet?" Lucy asked, glancing up at Natsu.

He pouted like a child. "That damn stripper did. But that's only 'cause I was sick! If I wasn't, I woulda won!"

Lucy nodded. "Mhmm. I'm sure you would."

"Is that sarcasm I'm hearing?"

"Well, it's just that Gray is known for being good at this stuff."

"I can beat him!"

"Then you can prove it tomorrow since you'll have your motion sickness pills," Lucy said with a chuckle.

Natsu gave a face-splitting grin. "I'm all fired up!" He was about to continue when he heard the snow behind them crunch. Throwing a discreet glance over his shoulder so that he wouldn't worry Lucy, he looked for the source of the noise, praying there wasn't a bear there. Not finding anything, he shrugged the noise up to be a squirrel and faced forward.

However, once he heard another crunch in the snow, he stopped in his tracks.

Lucy glanced over to Natsu. His gaze was serious as he looked behind them. Worried, she followed his gaze, only finding a thicket of trees.

"Natsu?" she called out, her voice laced with concern. "Is something wrong?"

He ignored her, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. His gut was telling him that something was wrong, and he trusted his gut.

"There's something there," Natsu whispered.

Lucy's eyes widened, her heartrate speeding up. "W-What? What is it?"

"I don't know."

"Are you sure it's not just a squirrel?"

Natsu shook his head. "My gut is telling me it's something else."

Lucy clutched onto his arm, whipping her head around to survey their surroundings. "S-Should we run?"

"Running could just trigger whatever it is." Taking slow steps back the way they came, he looked for any clues as to what was out there with them, lurking behind the trees. It could have been a bear, a wolf, even a mountain lion. Whatever it was, he had a bad feeling about it.

He was about to take another step forward when he found a trail of footprints in the snow. They were human.

Natsu heaved a sigh of relief. "Very funny, Gray. Come out already, idiot."

They heard a rustle of a bush to their right, along with crunching snow as someone stepped out of the woods. Wearing a black hoodie, their face was covered.

"That's not funny, Gray!" Lucy scolded, planting her hands on her hips as the man approached. "I thought you were a bear or something!"

Natsu eyed him. The closer the man got, the clearer it became that he wasn't Gray. He was shorter, his walk was different, and even Gray wouldn't try to scare Lucy that badly. Stepping in front of Lucy, Natsu glared at the hooded figure that stood just a few feet in front of them.

"Who the hell are you?" he spat.

Lucy's brows shot up to her hairline as she glanced between the two. Looking over Natsu's shoulder, she watched as the man removed his hood, revealing shaggy locks of dirty-blonde hair. Under his eyes were dark bags. His eyes were bloodshot.

"U-Umm, hello?" she called out. "Who are you?"

The man pulled a shaky hand out from his pocket. Lucy's stomach dropped to the ground as she found a gun in his hand pointed directly at Natsu.

"O-Oh god," she breathed out, tears immediately pricking her wide eyes. Her stomach felt like it was doing flips, her shaky hands flying to her mouth.

Natsu sucked in a sharp breath, a rush of fear washing over him. All color drained from his face, not of fear of being shot, but fear that the man was going to hurt Lucy. Holding his hands up in surrender, he inched closer to Lucy so that he could shield her.

"What do you want? Do you want our money?" Natsu asked, his voice low.

The man nodded. His eyes were brimmed with tears and he was shaking like a leaf. It was obvious this was his first time doing anything like this before.

"I-I need it," he said, his voice unsteady. "I-I have a family and I need to do whatever it takes to take care of them."

Natsu nodded, slowly reaching into his pocket to grab the few bills he brought to buy the motion sickness pills. It was only seven dollars total. Swallowing thickly, he slowly held his hand out to the man.

"This is all we have," he said, hoping he could reason with the distraught father and get him to walk away.

The man looked at the money and shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "You're lying!"

"I'm not lying. This is really all we have."

"You expect me to believe that? You rich people are always coming to this resort and flaunting your money around like it's nothing! I know you have more! Hand it over!" The man shook the gun, threatening to shoot.

Lucy took a deep breath. Before, she was never afraid of death. She knew that if she died, she would just be born again moments later. Now that she had Natsu, however, she was terrified of dying because it meant she would never be able to see him again.

But if it meant he got to live, she would die a million times.

Lucy glared at the man as she stepped in front of Natsu, the gun just feet away from her chest.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted. "What the hell are you doing!?"

Ignoring him, she spoke only to the man in front of her. "It's obvious you don't want to do this, so don't. Just walk away and be with your family."

"Shut up!" he yelled, fisting his hair with his unoccupied hand.

"Your kids don't want money, they just need you to be in their lives. If you pull the trigger, you won't be there to support them anymore because you'll be in jail. Is that really what you want?"

"I said shut the hell up! You don't know what it's like! Just hand the money over!"

"We already told you, we don't have any."

"Quit lying to me! I am so sick and tired of being lied to!"

Lucy's eyes narrowed at him. "We both know you aren't going to shoot. Just go already!"

The man ran a hand through his hair. "I-If you don't give me the money, I'm really going to shoot."

Lucy stood her ground, daring her luck by taking a step closer to him. "Then do it already! I'm not afraid! Shoot!"

Natsu's heart felt like it was beating a mile per minute as he kept his eyes glued on the gun. It was pointed directly at Lucy's chest. He could tell the man was getting antsy.

"I-I can't go to jail," he said, his hand shaking violently.

"Then just turn around and go," Lucy implored. "We won't tell anyone about this, we swear."

"I-I don't believe you."

"It's true! You have my word! We won't tell anyone!"

The man swallowed thickly, shaking his head. He let out a shaky breath. "I'm so sorry."

Natsu watched the man position the gun directly over Lucy's heart. His fingers tightened around the gun.

And then he pulled the trigger.

[amehanaaa]

How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days

Second to last chapter, woot woot! June seriously went by too fast. Nobody can stop her.

I honestly would like to do Nalu Week next week, but honestly, I have no inspiration to do anything right now... soo, I’ll update y’all on what’s going on lol.

Anyway, I hope you all have been having a grand time reading this story! See you next time with the final chapter! (Also can be read here.)

Chapter 8 – Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 Words: 4630 Summary: Lucy and Natsu are determined to take the necessary steps to fulfill their lifetime dreams. Little do they know, they have both given themselves 10 days to achieve it.

It’s an out-of-body experience for Lucy to say goodbye to Natsu’s family the next morning. She makes sure that she doesn’t say see you later or make any future plans with them. As Grandeeny gives her one last hug, Lucy tries her best to hang onto the feeling of her gentle warmth.

As they settle onto the bike, she finds the family waving from the front door.

“Thank you for everything!” she calls out.

Natsu pretends to grab all the kisses that Wendy blows to him. “See you guys soon!”

Lucy physically has to tear her eyes away from the house as they drive away. A pit in her stomach is beginning to develop again.

Today is their ninth day together.

Again, she is thankful for the deafening wind as they return to central Magnolia. She desperately wants everything about the experiment to just go into the trash; she wants to pretend like it wasn’t happening in the first place.

And yet, there is still a sentiment inside of her that won’t allow her to come clean.

Soon enough, the streets become narrower and Lucy starts to recognize street names again. The skyscrapers come into view—they’ve officially returned to the city and the reality of their lives.

“Want to get breakfast?” Natsu suggests as they stop at an intersection.

“I should probably get back,” she admits. She senses his shoulders slump, but she ignores it.

“Well, I know of another good place we can go to next time,” he responds.

Lucy swallows thickly, a knot forming in her throat. In reality, next time doesn’t seem too promising after tomorrow. She feels as though the knot is going to leap out of her mouth as he brings her to her apartment complex.

“I’d say our quality time was definitely a success,” Natsu says.

Once he parks, Lucy hops off the bike and hurriedly makes her way up the front steps.

“Hey, wait up,” he tells her as he shifts the gears into park.

Lucy stops after the first set of stairs. She turns around to see him following after her. He stands at a few stairs below her, which makes their heights match.

“I have to go to the station for a bit.” Natsu takes her hand, brushing his lips across her knuckles. “But you should come to my place tonight.”

“Okay,” she nods, not wanting to talk about tomorrow just yet.

“And tomorrow,” he adds. “Fairy Tail is going to have live music and free food. We should go.”

Lucy has to hold back her wince, but she also notices there’s an unfamiliar tone in his voice. For the first time ever, it sounds like he is nervous.

“Okay, let’s go together,” she responds.

Natsu notices a shadow of sadness in her voice. He braces himself for what he has prepared to say next. He squeezes her hands in his.

“I want you to come with me as my girlfriend.”

An unexpected smile forms onto Lucy’s lips. “Are you calling me your girlfriend?”

Natsu can’t help but smile back. “Yeah, I want you to be my girlfriend.”

“Tomorrow will be the tenth day that we have been seeing each other, right?” she mentions.

There’s a pang in both of their chests at her words. Neither of them can figure out why there are obvious swirls of emotions in each other’s eyes.

“Maybe after tomorrow, we’ll know,” Lucy eventually states. “I have to run some errands today, but I’ll try to stop by your place.”

Before Natsu can get out any words, she gives him a kiss on the cheek. With that, she spins around and hastily enters the building.

Natsu watches her for a few moments, but doesn’t hesitate to take out his phone. He texts Gray that he needs to talk to him as soon as possible.

Not allowing herself to look back, Lucy’s palms immediately begin to sweat as she enters the elevator. She can’t stop herself from impatiently tapping her foot.

While rushing into her apartment, she releases a loud sigh. She presses her back against the door and shuts her eyes. Perhaps if she does this long enough, the heaviness in her chest would lessen. When she opens her eyes again, she is met with a curious-eyed Levy standing right in front of her.

“Levy, don’t scare me like that!” Lucy proclaims, placing a hand over her heart. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Enough to hear all your weird mumblings,” Levy replies with now gleaming eyes. “How did these past two days go?”

“Terrible,” Lucy responds with another sigh. She pushes herself off the door and slumps onto the couch. “It was terribly perfect.”

“Tell me everything!” Levy exclaims, jumping onto the couch with her.

Lucy runs a hand through her hair. She bites her lip as she processes her thoughts—the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes going to Natsu’s home really was perfect. There isn’t anything that went wrong these past two days.

“I’m going to try and repeal my article,” Lucy blurts out.

Levy gapes at her, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. “Are you sure your boss will let you?”  

“I’m going to try,” Lucy says firmly. “I can’t do this article anymore. It’s going to drive me crazy.”

Levy stares at her friend. She can’t stop herself from asking the obvious. “Do you think you’ve fallen for Natsu?” she asks quietly.

Lucy freezes, not being able to look up at Levy. Instead, all she can muster up is a slow nod. Another lump forms in her throat. The weight of the assignment used to settle in her stomach, then her chest, and now it’s in her throat.

“We’re going to get through this, Lu,” Levy assures her gently.

“H-How?” Lucy questions with a trembling voice. “If Natsu finds out about the article, he won’t want to see me again.”

Levy stays silent at her words. Whether they want to admit it or not, it’s a guarantee that it won’t settle well with Natsu. And as strange as it sounds to say, they don’t know him well enough to predict how he will react.

“My shift starts soon,” Levy eventually speaks again. She stands up from the couch. “What are you going to do now?”

“Natsu wants me to go to his apartment later,” Lucy responds, running her hand through her hair again. “Should I go?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Levy raises a brow. “Spend the time you have left together.”

Now that Lucy can see the ticking clock of their relationship, she realizes how important it is to cherish these final hours with him. She wants to make sure this final night together is worth it.

Once Levy leaves for work, Lucy absentmindedly sits on the couch for several moments. To kill some time, she opens her laptop and stares at her nine days’ worth of notes. She skims through them, hardly believing that she acted this way.

“Why did he stick with me for so long?” Lucy mumbles to herself.

It isn’t until she reads her last few notes when she notices Igneel’s words. She scrolls up to Laxus and what he said. Then, she ends with Makarov revealing that Natsu was invested into the relationship by bringing her to Fairy Tail.

Suddenly, it clicks—the reason why Natsu is so patient with her is that he is committed to her. After suppressing the idea for so long, it slaps Lucy in the face.

Now that her feelings have been added into the mix, she can’t figure out who is going to get hurt the most after all of this.

But she knows the power of a draft. With newfound determination, Lucy types out several scenarios of how tomorrow can go. She isn’t expecting to have at least twenty different scenarios, but it seems like there’s a pattern after each one she writes.

“Maybe this will work,” Lucy mumbles to herself.

She jolts in her spot when she receives a text from Natsu, much earlier than she would have liked to. A sense of panic slowly builds up inside of her every minute. Although she wants to run over to his apartment, she wants to disappear at the same time.

“I’ll bring dinner for us,” she texts him back.

With her plans for tomorrow imprinted in her mind, she gets ready to leave. She stops at a nearby convenience store, purchasing a few instant yakisoba bowls that Natsu snacked on last night. Because she was listening so intently to Grandeeny and Igneel, she didn’t get the chance to try them. She can definitely say it smelled delicious and hot. Just in case, she buys the non-spicy yakisoba for herself.

Lucy knocks on Natsu’s door as she arrives. Her eyes widen when Gray opens the door instead.

“Hi,” he says stiffly, stepping out of the way so she can come inside.

“Hey, Gray,” Lucy replies with a smile.

For some reason, she doesn’t feel as intimidated by him this time. By the expression on his face, he appears to be processing something else. However, what concerns Lucy most is Natsu’s expression.

“Is everything okay?” she asks curiously.

“We were just talking about some stuff.” He pauses, noticing how vague his words sound. “Gray took care of the cat while I was gone, so he was telling me about it.”

Although he sends her a gentle smile, there’s a glimpse of a frown on his lips.

“I’m going to head out now,” Gray states while putting on his shoes.

“You can stay,” Lucy assures him. “I brought over some instant yakisoba.”

“The same yakisoba I ate last night?” Natsu perks up. As Lucy takes out a bowl from the plastic bag, he cracks a grin.

“Sorry, Ice Princess, you can’t stay,” Natsu jumps up from the couch. “Those are just for me and her.”

“Ice Princess?” Lucy laughs out while watching him shove Gray out of the apartment. Once Gray is outside enough to be pushed out by closing the door, Natsu immediately reaches for one of the bowls.

“These are my favorite, Luce. Thanks for buying them.” He smoothly peels the sealed top and fills the bowl with water.

“Do you like them that much?” she asks with amusement as he eagerly pushes the microwave buttons.

“Imagine 16 year old me eating these every time I came back from school,” he responds. “Now imagine that in college, too.”

“College?” she repeats in disbelief. “What makes them so special?”

“They’re probably the spiciest noodles you can buy for a reasonable price,” he explains simply. “Igneel is the only other person I know that can finish a bowl.”

Lucy purses her lips skeptically. She can handle spicy food every once in a while, so she wonders if the yakisoba won’t be as aggressive as the label suggests. She takes a step closer to Natsu when he takes the bowl out of the microwave.

“Do you think you can handle it?” he smirks.

“Let me try,” she replies. Grabbing her pair of chopsticks, she picks up a few strands of noodles.

Her breath is immediately caught in her throat the second they land on her tongue. She coughs loudly, patting her chest at the sudden burn.

“I’ve never seen someone react like that!” Natsu howls out, placing a hand on the counter to hold himself up. “That was hilarious!”

“These are unnecessarily hot!” Lucy proclaims as she quickly swallows them. Her tongue is numb as she hastily pours a cup of milk. Even though they were only a few noodles, she feels as though she can breathe out fire from all the heat.

“They’re not meant for the average,” he remarks. Without a second thought, he slurps on an endless stream of noodles.

“Never again,” she shakes her head. “I’m going to stick with teriyaki.”  

It isn’t long until the couple are sitting at the dining table, enjoying their savory bowls. Natsu is in the midst of his second bowl when their cat joins them at the table.

“Have you given him a name yet?” Lucy asks.

“I haven’t,” he realizes aloud. “I’ve never had a pet before. What are some common names?”

“People like to name their pets after emotions,” she replies with a shrug

“How about Sleepy?” he suggests. “He likes to sleep a lot.”

“He doesn’t look like a Sleepy!” she protests, causing Natsu to frown. “Think deeper.”

Natsu gives out a thoughtful hum. His eyes light up when he has a suggestion. “How does Happy sound?”

“That sounds perfect,” Lucy grins. “He makes you happy, doesn’t he?”

“I underestimated the power of a cat,” he admits. “When I go to sleep, he always likes to lie next to me.”

“Aw,” she giggles while reaching over to pet Happy behind the ears.

Tummies full, they comfortably sit back on the couch and flip through some TV channels. Although they have done this plenty of times, Lucy can’t help but feel bittersweet about it. Her chest aches knowing that this will be the last time they spend time together like this.

She glances at him, not being able to hold back her laugh. He lifts a curious brow.

“The yakisoba stained your lips,” she points out. “They’re bright red.”

“That’s when you know the noodles worked.” He smirks at her as he edges forward. “Maybe it’ll be like lipstick if I kiss you.”

“No way!” she exclaims.

She puts her hands out in front of her to prevent him from getting closer, but Natsu hovers over her enough to grasp her arms and hold them down. He leans down and goes for her neck, leaving a light trail of kisses.

Lucy doesn’t bother to resist—even if his lips leave a mark, they’re too addicting to fight back. She can feel the quick pulse in her neck match the pace of his kisses. If her arms weren’t pinned down, she would keep him there forever.

His hold becomes looser as he travels up her neck and to her lips. She slides out of his grip to bring her hands into his hair and gently twirl her fingers through his curls.

There is still a sense of heat on his lips; it’s just enough for her to taste it all. Despite this, their kisses feel fresher than ever. It’s as though their lips have familiarized enough to where they’re reminded of how sweet it is when together.

As their bodies feel to be sinking further into the couch, neither of them take it a step further. Lucy can’t bring herself to start a moment that will cause more long-term damage than temporary satisfaction.

Natsu, on the other hand, hums against her lips before slowly pulling away. She leans back to connect eyes with him. In that moment, as they gaze at each other with hooded eyelids, she is ready to tell him everything.

His breaths say that he wouldn’t get angry, his eyes say that he would understand, his lips say that everything will be okay.

“I have to ask you something.”

“What is it?” Lucy asks carefully.

They begin to shift on the couch, picking themselves up and sitting to face each other. As she takes in Natsu’s serious expression, she wonders if this was what Gray and him were talking about earlier before she interrupted. It couldn’t just be about Gray checking up on Happy, it must have been deeper than that.

“Would you ever move away from Magnolia?” Natsu asks abruptly.

Lucy pauses. “I might if I had a reason to.”

“What if I was your reason?”

She lets out a laugh to mask her surprise. “Why would you be leaving Magnolia?”

His expression doesn’t change. “I’m serious. What if we moved away from Magnolia together?”

The levelness of his voice is slightly intimidating, but she tries to ignore it. “Well, right now I don’t have a reason to,” she answers hesitantly. “But I’ll think about it if the time comes.”

“Okay, think about it,” he responds with a nod. “Just in case.”

“Okay.” She gives him a subtle smile, hoping that it hides the fact that stress is currently building up inside of her.

“I just really needed to get that off my chest,” he admits with a heavy sigh. “Thanks, Luce.”

“Y-You’re welcome,” she slightly stutters. “Any time.”

Now if only she could stay those words to herself. She doesn’t want Natsu to get his hopes up for her and their future together. She knows that he wouldn’t if she just came clean already, but she can’t form the words in her mouth.

“It doesn’t look like the yakisoba stained your lips,” he remarks.

“Maybe we should try again,” she suggests.

They don’t hesitate to lean forward and kiss again. In each other’s arms like this, neither of them would want to be anywhere else.

Meanwhile, Lucy ignores the fact that it’s already past midnight and her final hours with Natsu are dwindling by the second. This is the only temporary satisfaction she is willing to accept.

                                                 ——————–

As soon as Lucy wakes up the next morning, her body is on autopilot mode. She moves automatically, as though she has rehearsed every step she is going to make today.

The tenth day is finally here.

Whatever happens today, she is ready for it. But knowing that tonight has the potential of becoming a disaster, Lucy can hardly focus on her surroundings. She has to keep a continuous thought stream of self-encouragements or she is going fall apart.

However, the moment she enters her work building, she remembers her mission. Even though she doesn’t have a scheduled appointment, she walks straight into Erza’s office with a chin held high.

“Good morning, Lucy. How is everything?” Erza asks.

“I can’t do this article anymore,” Lucy states firmly.

Erza looks up from her desk, holding a poker face. “What did you say?”

There’s a brief moment of silence as Lucy tries to recollect her thoughts.

“The guy I met, I’ve gotten to know him really well, and—”

“Lucy,” Erza interrupts her sternly. “You are writing the article and that’s final. Your story is already going to be on the cover of the magazine.”

Lucy can’t even imagine how happy those words would have made her if she heard them a week ago. Now, they mean nothing to her.

“Erza, I can’t—”

“But you will. Because you’re a professional journalist, remember?”

Lucy swallows in defeat. All of the scenarios she practiced turned into a two minute, one-sided conversation.

“Yes… I guess I am a professional.”

“I expect the final draft tomorrow morning,” Erza instructs her.

Due to an incoming office call, Lucy has no choice but to leave. Although she doesn’t need to be at work today, she finds herself sinking into her desk chair.

“You don’t look so hot,” Cana says at the neighboring desk, examining her for a moment. “Wait, what happened to you?”

“A disaster,” Lucy mutters. She rubs her eyes, secretly wishing that when she opened them everything would be okay. “I’m going to come clean to Natsu about the article tonight.”

“What?” Cana blurts out incredulously. “Why would you do that?”

“This isn’t fair for him,” Lucy sighs out. “He deserves to know what I did before the article gets published.”

“There’s a chance he may not even read the article,” Cana tries to convince her. “Lucy, I think you’re making a mistake.”

Cana’s words are enough for Lucy to feel sick. Right now, Cana is no different from Erza. Not being able to take it anymore, she stands up from her seat.

“I’ll let you know how it goes,” Lucy tells her shortly before walking away.

She has only taken a step outside when she calls Levy. Impatience bubbles up inside of her after she is sent to voicemail. There is no way that she can be by herself right now, so she doesn’t hesitate to head towards the bakery.

“Levy!” Lucy nearly shouts as she enters the bakery.

Normally, Levy is standing at the front counter with a friendly smile. Today, however, there is no one at the counter.

“Levy?” Lucy asks, softer this time. “Is anyone here?”

She can’t fight her curiosity, allowing it to guide her footsteps. She slowly pushes the door to the back of the bakery while peeking her head in.

Lucy gasps as she catches Levy pressed against a wall, lips smashing against Gajeel’s. Lucy’s noise causes them to promptly jerk away from each other and look at her with wild eyes.

“L-Lu!” Levy squeaks, wiping a hand over her mouth. “What are you doing here?”

“Only employees are allowed in the back,” Gajeel says roughly. Although his voice is harsh, he appears just as flustered as Levy.

“There was no one here when I came,” Lucy counters.

“I was showing her the supplies we’re running out of,” Gajeel explains simply.

“Right,” Lucy replies with an exaggerated nod. “Well, I guess you showed her plenty.”

“Lucy!” Levy proclaims in disbelief. “Just go to the front. I’ll be out in a second.”

Lucy decides to follow her friend’s instruction, returning to the front of the bakery. She stands at the counter and waits for Levy to return. When she does, her darkened cheeks and swollen lips are obvious.

“Is it bad?” Levy whispers, viewing her reflection from the windows and fixing her hair.

“Your hair or making out with your boss while you’re working?” Lucy clarifies.

“Hey!” Levy gapes at her. “What’s up with you? You’re normally not that blunt.”

Lucy sighs while fixing her hair as well. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m not feeling too good right now.”

“Have you decided what you’re going to tell Natsu?” Levy asks.

“I’m going to tell him everything,” Lucy reveals with an uneven voice.

Levy gives her friend a sympathetic smile. “It’s going to be hard, but you can do it. I support you, alright?”

There’s a subtle sense of relief inside Lucy, which is enough for now. “Thanks. I tried talking to Erza about the article, but she’s forcing me to publish it.”

“She said you would be recognized for it, right?” Levy questions.

“The article is going to be on the front cover,” Lucy replies, although her voice clearly shows it doesn’t have the same value anymore.

“I’ll be here for you,” Levy assures her gently.

“Me too.” Gajeel joins Levy at the counter. “Who do I need to beat up for you, Lucy?”

Lucy’s phone buzzes with a text from Natsu. She opens it to a picture of the suit he’ll be wearing tonight. With another heavy sigh, she puts her phone back into her pocket.

“It’s me, Gajeel,” Lucy mutters while turning to leave the bakery. “You’re going to have to beat me up.”

Hearing Levy speak out multiple encouragements for tonight, Lucy goes back to her apartment to get dressed for tonight. She isn’t sure how to prepare for a disaster that is predicted to be an entire catastrophe, but the only way to find out is by just going for it.

After getting dressed, there is nothing Lucy has dread more than going to Natsu’s apartment. Her heart skips a beat each time she tries to think of the apologies she wants to tell him. To avoid a heart attack, she decides she is going to wing it.

At the same time, everything hurts.

From the shoes she puts on, because of how her heart will be after all of this, and arriving to Natsu’s apartment building—everything just hurts.

Lucy grips onto the illegally copied key to his apartment as she stands in front of the door. The key is the last item she has of him. Once she gives it back, she truly has no reason to see him again.

Lucy takes several deep breaths to brace herself. There’s no way she will ever feel ready, so she forces herself to insert the key and unlock the door. She quietly opens it, hearing Gray’s voice inside.

“But you did it! I’m so proud of you for finishing the bet. I’ve already shared your name with some of my coworkers.”

Lucy’s body is frozen at his words. Instantly, everything starts connecting in her mind. Natsu wasn’t committed to the relationship—he was committed to a bet.

Outraged is an understatement. Lucy is furious. She clenches her jaw, debating whether it’d be a smart decision to barge inside and demand for answers. But the aching in her chest is too much to ignore. Dropping the key on the floor, she slams the door.

Natsu and Gray jump at the sudden noise. They look at one another as they realize what just happened.

“Natsu, I’m so sorry—”

Natsu doesn’t bother to let Gray finish as he immediately darts out of his apartment. He finds Lucy storming away and pressing the button to the elevator.

“Lucy, hold on,” he tells her.

She whips around, not missing a beat. “You used me so you could get your name spread?”

“You drove me insane for your magazine?” Natsu shoots back.

They stand there for a few moments, both fuming. As they try to recollect their thoughts, they recognize how much they’ve equally blighted each other.

“Gray told you,” Lucy says plainly.

“Yeah, and how I was just some ten-day experiment.”

“And I’m just some girl you picked at random?”

“That doesn’t even compare,” Natsu argues sharply. “I was someone you tested your theories on. Was that why you agreed to meet my grandparents? Was this all just some fantasy story for you?”

Lucy blankly stares at him, knowing that he is aware of how much pain those words could inflict. And how they did.

“Well,” she begins, pressing the elevator button again. “Some kind of friend you have who knew both of our intentions.”

“What are you talking about?” he demands.

“Gray knew everything since the second day. Ask him about it, if it even matters to you.”

The elevator slides open. Lucy steps inside and presses her back against the wall. As they connect eyes, her heart splits into two uneven pieces. She could have never prepared to see the hurt expression on his face.

“Congrats,” Natsu begins while the elevator closes. “Now you know how to lose a guy in ten days.”

Natsu stares at the closed doors, tearing his eyes away before he sees his reflection. He wipes his damp hands across his pants as he returns to his apartment. There, he finds Gray pacing across the living room. Gray turns to him with frantic eyes.

“You knew,” Natsu accuses him before he can say anything. “How long did you know Lucy was using me?”

“I was going to tell you—”

“Did you just want to see me suffer? Did you enjoy seeing me get taken advantage of?”

“That wasn’t my intention, let me—”

“Just go.” Natsu tells him firmly while rubbing a hand at the back of his neck. “I can’t talk to you right now. Give me space.”

Natsu doesn’t watch Gray leave the apartment. Instead, he focuses on holding Happy in his lap as they fall onto the couch.

Natsu’s thoughts are an endless carousel as he connects the pieces to why Lucy was so exhausting throughout their time together. Although that doesn’t explain to him her abrupt shift at his grandparents’ house, he can’t believe that both of them sabotaged each other enough to cause all of this pain towards each other.

“Were you a part of the plan, too?” Natsu mumbles.

Happy meows in response, which brings him to give out a heavy sigh. Everything happened so fast, his body is just now catching up.

And everything just hurts.

[dragonwithapenoffire]

My Heart or My People: Chapter 4

Natsu and I’s rendezvous continued in the weeks that followed. Each more secretive and deadly than the last. While most of our meetings happened at night, we would change the time of our meetings often, in order to prevent a pattern being formed in anyone's spying eyes.

I’m not going to lie, it was a dream. Waking up in his arms, was a pleasure I never let myself think about before, but now it was my reality, it was getting harder and harder knowing that this wasn’t for forever. And the eyes that I’ll wake up to in a few short weeks, will not be his.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Natsu yawned, stretching his body like a cat.

“No, nothing’s wrong” I lied, suddenly finding the pattern of the quilt far more interesting than his face.

“Luce, I know you better than that. You can tell me” he said, intertwining our fingers and kissing the top of our clasped hands to reassure me.

After a few silent moments I said “I-I, its just so hard, I don’t want this to end, but I know it has to one day, and I just really don’t want that” tears exploded fiercely down my face, making my cheeks red, “I just love you so, so much, I don’t ever want to loose you. Why can't something happen, something to change my father's mind, so I can marry you instead? "

His hand found my cheek and wiped away a tear. “Lucy, look at me. We’ll work it out ok. We’ll find a way, even if I have to steal ya away in the night like a dragon” A small smile from me. “So don’t ya worry about it. Your mine. And now I’m not going to let ya go”

Heat bloomed in my chest at his words and I found myself leaning in and kissing him. The kiss was slow, and purposeful and claiming. Our tongues meeting in the middle. I grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him on top of me as I laid down. Without so much of a hesitation, he moved with me, one hand perched by my head, the other still on my face. That hand moved down my body, hitching up my night dress until he rested it on my hip. His hand was cool on my skin and I began to ache between my legs when-

“Princess Lucy, get out of - oh my. Oh get off of her boy, you’ve had plenty of that all night”.  

“Aquarius, I-I, please don’t tell anyone” I pleaded pushing Natsu off of me. Aquarius gave me a judgemental look, before sighing,

“Surprisingly I don’t want your head on pike, but I will, if you don’t get yourself cleaned up and dressed. You have your second fitting.” Dread coiled in my gut and nausea riled up my throat, as Aquarius turned on a heel and walked out.

                                                         •••

“I am so sorry Princess, I must of made a mistake with the measurements last time, the dress is a bit too snug around your middle.”

“Nonsense. You’ve made no such mistake. Our princess here has been spending far too much time distracted on other things than on her health recently.” Aquarius chided giving me a knowing glare. I swallowed a lump in my throat and looked down at the ill-fitting dress. It was a cacophony of lace and satin, with huge puffy sleeves that were like clouds that met a tight decorative bodice, that was somehow too tight to tie at the back. The skirt reminded me of a dining table, and only because it was big enough in circumference to sit a family of six. It was split into three separate panels; the outside panels were a plain white satin, while the middle panel was decorated flamboyantly in lace and jewels. 

Most girls would dream of a dress like this on their wedding day, me on the other hand despised it and what it meant for my future. Under the extravagant fabrics was an invisible manacle that will be chained to a stranger the moment I say I do. I might as well go up the aisle in prison rags.

“I’m probably just bloated after my breakfast this morning, I’m sure it will fit on the day.” I sighed, giving the seamstress a small smile. She gave me an unsure smile back, and biting her lip went behind me.

“If I add an extra panel here,” she addressed to Aquarius, pointing to the back to the bodice, “the dress should fit no problem if such issues arise on the day.” Aquarius nodded in agreement and that seemed to be enough to appease her.

“Ok, lets get you out of this dress before you rip it” I stuck my tongue out at Aquarius and the seamstress tried to hide a laugh.

As I stepped out of the gown, I was struck again with a sudden rise of nausea. It coiled around my throat and I had to place a hand on my mouth to stop from throwing up. Oh great, the dress is so awful I was going to empty my stomach because of it, or the stress for the wedding was most likely causing this. I swallowed it back and regained by composure but Aquarius noticed everything. She eyed me in a way she never had before and I wanted to run and hide.

“I think I’m going to go lie down for a bit” I said, before wrapping myself in a dressing gown, and leaving the room as fast as I could.

[jimdkhhopper]

a million miles away

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* okay this is my first ever tumblr post and i was v v nervous about it but anyway, here’s some sad girl shit and sad fluffy boyfriend joe. feedback is appreciated my loves ! ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Time present and time past, are both perhaps present in time future. And time future contained in time past. If all time is eternally present, all time is unredeemable, what might have been is an abstraction remaining a perpetual possibility only in a world of speculation and entertainment, expectations and materialistic foregrounding to time present. The time I spent away from her started to deteriorate my strength. Sometimes, being away from her caused me physical pain, like a knife plunging into my ribs and the sharp twist of loneliness taking effect, winding me and knocking me over, breathless. But of course, I would always return to her, no matter how far away I was or how long I was away for, I’d always run back to her warm comforting arms. Times when I would quietly slip the key into the door, unlock our Brooklyn apartment and find her waiting for me, either cooking our dinner and dancing to music or lounging on the couch reading. Those were the moments that I relished in and treasured. I loved my job, loved travelling the world and exploring new places and cultures, I loved it all, but I loved coming back to her even more. I loved the way she wrapped her arms around my neck and stood up on her tip toes when we kissed, I loved the smell of her hair and the childish dimples she had whenever she smiled and the joyful glint in her eyes that showed when she threw her head back, laughing at a stupid joke of mine, that probably wasn’t even that funny.

“You alright mate?” Gwilym clasped a hand on my shoulder and squeezed a little.

I nodded and smiled at him for a brief second. Despite me smiling at him, Gwilym knew something was up, I had been distracted all day, even forgetting some of my lines during filming.

“You sure?” He asked again, his eyes widening in concern and eyebrows raising up his forehead.

“I’ll be fine, I just need sleep,” I said crushing my palms into my eye sockets and rubbing.

I was the only one missing the better half of me. Gwilym was still in his home city, Rami and Lucy were together and Ben was enjoying the single life and indulging in the chaotic and exciting atmosphere of the movie set. I wished I could enjoy the experience more, I tried hard to erase the thoughts of her, the sound of her laugh, the way she caressed the back of my hand and the way she bit her lip when I saw her at her most vulnerable. Not having her physical being with me was proving to be harder than I originally thought. Seeing Rami and Lucy tease each other on set and watching them throw their arms around each other and leave hand in hand every night made a lump form in my throat that I couldn’t get rid of. Every night I would lay in the hotel bed, crisp white sheets pulled up to my chest and my head on the extremely comfortable pillow, and her voice, the most beautiful sound of all would flow through my phone. Talking on the phone and video chatting wasn’t the same as having her with me pressed against my chest, her breath gently fanning my chest as she performed the natural inhale, exhale. Talking on the phone and video chatting would have to suffice.

“You coming tonight?” Ben asked as we left the elevator and emerged out into the corridor.

The cast and crew were going out for drinks later that evening as a birthday celebration for Rami. I wanted to go and socialise and have a few alcoholic drinks, that would numb the homesickness that was bubbling in my stomach and had been ever since I left her in bed four weeks ago. However, I wanted to talk to her more.

“Can’t, sorry Ben,” I said giving him another smile I had given Gwilym in the elevator. We walked down the corridor in silence, my scuffing my shoes against the dark red carpet, when I got to my room, I pulled my key card from my back pocket and nodded at the two behind me. “See you tomorrow.”

“Is he okay?” I heard Ben ask Gwilym as they walked past my door.

“He’ll be okay, he just needs space. He’s missing Y/N I think and Brooklyn.” Gwilym said in a delicate tone.

“Oh,” Ben said under his breath.

I chewed at the inside of my cheek as I plugged my phone in and watched the battery icon change from white to green. Immediately I unlocked the device and sent her a message.

Call in half an hour? Gonna have a shower first x

A chime on my phone a few minutes later and a new text notification had me soaring up on cloud nine when you replied.

Sure Joey, missing you today x

I let out a long sigh and again shoved my palms into my eyes, but this time it was to keep tears leaking from my tear ducts and not because I was exhausted. My head was spinning and limbs shaking as I pulled back the shower screen and turned on the hot water before immersing myself under the flow. I scrubbed my hair so vigorously it was like I was trying to eradicate all thoughts of home, my family and her from my brain. It was strange and unfamiliar to me to feel this homesick and attached to Brooklyn and my comfort for her, I usually was fine when I travelled and filmed for movies and TV shows. A few years ago, I had directed, written and starred in my own movie which took a lot of work and I was away for months filming and working on the movie, yet I didn’t feel anything like this. Shaking the water from my ginger brown hair and roughly dragging the hotel towel over my head I pulled on a pair of pyjama pants and grabbed my phone.

Almost as if she knew, halfway across the world from me, the phone began to ring a picture of her sat on the couch filling the screen.

“Hey,” I said clearing my throat.

“Oh, Joey.” She said softly into the phone. “I know what that cough means, are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine,” I said lying nodding my head trying to convince myself I was okay, after all, she couldn’t see me nodding my head.

“No, you’re not fine, your voice is doing that shaky thing and I can tell you’ve been crying and had a bad day.” She said.

“What, h-how did you know?” I asked biting my lip. She saw right through me.

“Lucy.” She said. “She’s worried about you, she said you were quiet today and couldn’t remember some of your lines, that’s so unlike you Joey.”

I just hummed in agreement, afraid that if I opened my mouth and started to explain I wouldn’t be able to stop and all the sadness, melancholy and tears from dominating the phone call.

“When she told me you were being a bit quiet I almost didn’t believe her, you’re always so happy and you were looking forward to this one. John Richard Deacon, you even made me refer to you as ‘Disco Deaky’ for two weeks.” She said laughing softly.

“I know,” I said my voice cracking. “I just really…” I had to stop for a moment and recollect myself. “I just really really miss you Y/N.”

“I know, I miss you too baby. But I’m so proud of you, so proud. My friends are sick of hearing about Joe ‘Deaky’ Mazzello, you’re all I talk about.” She said laughing, which made me smile a little. Her laugh was the sound I had been craving all day.

“How was work today?” I asked pulling the curtains shut.

“It was okay, busy. A customer cat called me today and I shouted at him for being scum, nothing new.”

“What?” I asked frowning. “Some guy cat called you?”

“Yeah told me he’d like to see under my uniform and made a gross comment about my figure.” I could hear the sound of pots and pans in the background and the soft hum of the kitchen sound system on.

“Hope you screamed bloody murder at him,” I said wiping away a tear that had escaped.

“You bet I did.”

“What are you cooking?” I asked.

“How did you know I was cooking?” She asked sweetly a small giggle at the end.

“The pans, I could hear them,” I said, checking the time on my phone.

I closed my eyes when in bed, my phone on speaker, picturing her in the kitchen of our kitchen in pyjama shorts and the sweater I always left behind for her. Squeezing my eyes tightly shut I focused on the sounds in the background and the melody of the song playing softly.

“Uptown Girl?” I asked, hearing the familiar drawl of Billy Joel.

“You know it’s one of my favourites.” She said. “And plus, it reminds me of you.”

“Why?” I asked, burrowing my head into the pillow more and pulling the sheets up my body a little more.

“I don’t know, it just does.” She said. “Reminds me of that time you were dancing to it, knocked the lamp over and smashed the window.”

“Hey, I was drunk.” I protested, trying to protect my dignity.

“And don’t I know about it.” She said laughing.

Suddenly, without any warning, my mouth opened wide and a huge yawn flowed from my mouth as if it was water.

“You must be exhausted.” She said. “It’s 2 am for you in London.”

“Don’t remind me,” I said running a hand through my now dry hair. “I wish I was with you.”

“I want more than anything to rest my head on your chest and listen to you ramble on and on about baseball.” You said sighing in sadness. “I love you, Joey, so much.”

“I love you too Y/N, so much.”

“Oh yeah, how much?”

“You have no idea,” I said. “Every day I think, ‘I couldn’t possibly love her anymore’, but somehow every morning I wake up just a little more head over heels in love with you.”

She just laughed a little. I knew exactly what she was doing, her hands would be placed over her eyes and she’d be shaking her head a little, her cheeks turning a fiery shade of crimson like they always did after I complimented her or told her I loved her.

Another yawn slipped from my mouth as I turned over in bed.

“Joe, go to sleep.” She said, this time like an order. “And that’s an order.” As much as I thought.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said stifling another huge yawn. “I love you.”

“I love you too Joseph.”

“Can you leave the phone on, whilst I fall asleep?” I felt a little embarrassed asking such a question, but I liked hearing her work around the kitchen and softly humming to the songs she played.

“Of course, sweetie.” She said placing the phone on the kitchen table. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, talk tomorrow.”

After one last exchange of ‘I love yous,’ I closed my eyes and tried to drift off to sleep. It didn’t take long as I was emotionally and physically drained from the day. I went to bed listening to the sounds of my girlfriend humming to our favourite songs and tapping cutlery and pans together in the kitchen. Even though I was miles and miles away from her and everything I found familiar and comfortable I still had an unbreakable bond to her and Brooklyn.

My home and my girl.

[not-just-any-fangirl]

i saw that your requests are open and wondered if youd be interested in doing a nalu fic where lucy is the maintenance person for natsus building and natsu keeps breaking stuff so that he gets to see her (or vice versa if you prefer) dont worry if you dont like or arent inspired by the idea or if you are too busy :)

Happy the WingCat

Word Count; 1544

A/N; I- I think this ask is like two years old and

I’m so sorry nonny

Lucy’s phone chirped, and she already knew who it was without looking away from the screen of her laptop. All of her friends knew better than to message Lucy this late in the evening when she had an eight am deadline, and there was only one person who had her number that Lucy wouldn’t immediately consider a friend.

Hottie 4B: :(

She sighed, eyeing her half-written article. And the sentence she’d been trying to rewrite for the past ten minutes. Maybe a break wouldn’t be the worst thing. And she could grab some fries from the diner down the street, seeing as how she hadn’t eaten in… Lucy focused on the clock in the corner of her screen, cringing at the time. Okay, she definitely needed a break.

Lucy gave Plue some head scratches from where the small ball of white fluff was curled up on the ottoman, small ‘bruffs’ letting her know he was dreaming little doggy dreams and wouldn’t miss her for the few minutes she was gone.

Why Lucy had accepted being the holder of spare keys for the apartment she didn’t know. Something about saving the residence money each time someone lost a key, a fifty dollar slash to her rent each month, and the high rates the locksmith charged for certain tenants. She sighed, slipping her own key into the pocket of her loose shorts, small key with 4B written on it in pink nail polish clutched in her other hand.

The one flight of stairs to the ground level was quick enough to take, walls once off-white and now more yellow, strawberry red carpets worn but not unkempt giving the whole interior the feeling of age rather than neglect. Lucy didn’t spend a lot of time on the first floor of the two story apartment, though lately it seemed she was walking the hall at least once a week. She couldn’t help her smile as she saw the author of the text that had called her down, leaning against the wall at the back. The building was only four units deep and it gave everything a cozy feeling, and admittedly made Lucy’s job as key holder easier as she only needed to look after 15 additional keys.

Lucy didn’t think she’d ever seen a dye job as vibrant or long lasting as his, shaggy spikes a bright pink. It complemented his rich brown skin nicely. Reminded Lucy of the model she had trained under a few years ago, before she left the front of the camera to write articles instead. Pari was spending the summer home in Kolkata with her family, and spamming Lucy’s Snapchat with pictures that had her yearning for a bit of her old life, if only so she could fund travel and be able to explore the world.

“Yo.”

Lucy startled, pulled from daydreaming about Paris and Mumbai and Cairo. The man gave her a confused smile, his head cocked as he got her attention. Blush heated Lucy’s face and neck as she realized she had zoned out staring at him, which was a shame, seeing as he was hot enough that he should be appreciated when stared at.

“So how’d you lose your key this time, Natsu?” Lucy asked, quickly sweeping her wandering daydreams away. Although Cairo would be a very good setting for her mystery and adventure short story she was working on in her spare time. Natsu’s bright smile and deep laugh pulled her focus back, and he ran his hand through his hair almost sheepishly.

“Didn’t lose it exactly. My cat swiped at my key chain as I was closing the door and now it’s a foot on the wrong side of the lock.”

Lucy cooed, clasping her hands in front of her chest at the mention of a cat. Hot, kind smile, and a pet lover? Lucy might have just found her Prince Charming, decked out in a leather jacket, ripped jeans, and pink hair.

“I’ll open your door if I get to play with the kitty,” Lucy said, grinning. Natsu rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he took a step closer to her.

“We up to blackmail now?” He asked, his own grin sharp as he looked down at her. Their height difference seemed to amuse him as he noticed it, and Lucy couldn’t help but feel the heat radiating from him, their bodies less than an arm length apart now.

“Gotta spice it up with how often I’m down here,” Lucy resisted tugging on his scarf. She wasn’t sure where the urge was coming from, but damn if it wasn’t strong. And if he didn’t look like he had kissable lips.

“I like spice.”

Lucy bit her lip, giggling under his sly grin. He made her feel like a teenager, and she didn’t even know his last name! They stood like that for a minute, grinning at each other. Lucy tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, heart pounding at the way Natsu’s gaze followed the movement with an intensity that almost scared her. She kind of wanted to keep it on her, too.

And then there was a very small and sad meow from the other side of the door.

Lucy took a step back, coughing and hiding her blush. She held up the key to Natsu’s apartment sheepishly, Natsu’s returning grin back to the easy and lighthearted one from before.

He stepped back, gesturing for her to unlock the door. He never asked her to give him the key, saying he trusted her not to be some creep and that he’ll just get a copy from hers. Lucy stepped forward resuming the familiar position, needing to wiggle the key to get the last pin unlocked. She was fairly sure it had been bent a little beyond repair the last time Natsu had lost his key before Lucy became the holder of them all. Something about a drinking contest and a dent in the wood that was suspiciously the same size as a pink haired tenants foot by the doorknob. Lucy smiled at the satisfying clack of the door unlocking.

The door swung open, and Lucy nearly lost her mind.

“Happy what the hell,” Natsu groaned. Happy meowed proudly, bright blue fur broken by a white stomach and tail tip, as well as a red lanyard wrapped all around his body. By his face was Natsu’s key, half in the cats mouth and being gnawed on for daring to touch him.

“You are the most perfect thing I have ever seen,” Lucy breathed, crouching and holding out her hands to the cat.

“Mraye.”

Another coo caught in Lucy’s throat at his chirp, trotting over to her and crawling into her arms. His purrs were loud, headbutting Lucy’s chin as she stood.

She looked at Natsu, daring him to take Happy from her. He looked at his cat, half fond and half unamused. “He’s friendly, but he ain’t ever been this friendly with anyone.”

“I’m keeping him,” Lucy said flatly, gently scratching behind one of Happy’s ears. He chirped again, leaning into Lucy’s touches.

“Only if I getta take you on a date.”

Natsu and Lucy stared at each other, both equally shocked at Natsu’s condition. He fidgeted with his scarf, pulling on it with a finger as if it were the reason for his growing discomfort. Lucy smiled at Happy, a growing knot of fondness forming in her chest at how unsure he was, his nerves further revealed when he gulped and coughed into his hand. “Uh, I didn’t mean to-”

“I’d love to Natsu.” Lucy interrupted.

“Wha-?”

“I was going to grab dinner at the diner down the street. Do you want to join me?” Lucy asked, blinking up at Natsu as she continued to pet Happy’s head. “I’ll pay,” she sang, grinning at his still baffled expression.

Lucy could feel her smile growing more smug as seconds ticked by until finally Natsu’s face broke into the largest grin she’d ever seen. She yelped when he grabbed her wrist, pulling her out of his apartment. Happy dropped to the ground with an offended ‘marow’, calling loudly as the door was once more closed.

With Natsu’s lanyard still wrapped around the blue cat.

“Natsu!” Lucy called, her turn to be confused as she was led out of the apartment.

“C’mon, Luce! I’m starving!” Natsu answered, still dragging her even as he looked back over his shoulder, grin so bright his eyes were closed. Lucy huffed, smiling in return as she jogged the few steps to be by his side.

Lucy giggled as his hand slid from her wrist down, fingers intertwining slowly and his grip light, obviously testing the waters in a way as subtle as a teenage boy yawning and putting his arm around a girl in the theater. She squeezed his hand, smiling at his shyly when he snuck a glance down at her.

Her chest felt light and giddy as they walked down the street. This was the start of something new and wonderful, Lucy just knew it. Maybe she wouldn’t have to travel the world to find her adventure, after all.  

[maealbert]

The Liaison // P5

AU Characters: Team x OC A/N: I love this story. I know I’m like behind on all of my others but those will be on pause until I have more inspiration for those ones, lol. Master List Previous Parts

Tag List: @idkbutspencer @literallyprentissstwin @rawritsmolly @illegalcerebral @ultrarebelheart @chocok22 @etp666 @captainreid @tippy06 @cynbx @tenaciousarcadeexpert

“In this sad world of ours sorrow comes to all and it often comes with bitter agony. Perfect relief is not possible except with time. You cannot now believe that you will ever feel better. But this is not true. You are sure to be happy again. Knowing this, truly believing it will make you less miserable now. I have had enough experience to make this statement.” ― Abraham Lincoln

Two Months Later

Stepping into the coffee shop, Lucy stomps the snow off her shoes as she shakes the snow out of her hair. “Good morning, Lucy!” One of the baristas called from behind the counter, giving her a bright smile. Lucy returned the smile as she headed up to the counter.

“Seems to be busy here this morning, Tia.” Lucy says.

“Oh yeah, once the snow began to fall around six it’s like whole city showed up.” Tia says as she begins making Lucy’s usual order. “You look dressed professional today.”

“First day back to work.” Lucy says as she grabs a few packets of sugar.

“Oh right, you mentioned you’d be going back this week. Are you nervous?”

“Not really.” Lucy says as she takes the coffee from Tia.

“Want a muffin to take with you?” Tia offers as she walks over to the glass casing. “We just baked banana nut fresh this morning. I know those are your favorite.”

“Can’t pass that up.” Lucy says with a soft giggle.

“Here you go.” Tia says as Lucy hands her her debit card.

“Oh no, it’s on the house.” Tia says shaking her head and handing the card back.

“Are you sure?” Lucy asks.

“Of course. One order isn’t going to kill anything.”

Lucy smiles as she picks up the bag containing the muffin. “Thanks, Tia. You’re the best.” She leaves tip in the jar and heads out of the coffee shop.

The elevator doors opened on the sixth floor and she heads to her office when she sees the door was open. Figuring JJ was already in there she starts to talk as she walks inside the door. “JJ, I appreciate you taking over for me while I was out.” Looking up from setting her things on the coffee table, she sees the Assistant Director sitting at her desk. “A.D. Barnes.” She says straightening up. “Wh-What are you doing here?”

“The Director so kindly filled me in on your absence from the team.” She says standing up from the chair and walking around the desk. “Agent Jareau was so kind as to step in for you while you were gone.”

“Ma’am-”

“Don’t worry, Agent.” Barnes says as she walks up to Lucy. “You’re not in trouble. However..”

“Oh boy..” Lucy mutters as she steps around Barnes and goes to her desk.

“Something else has been brought to my attention.”

“And what would that be?” Lucy says sitting down at her desk and cocking her head at Barnes.

“A little birdy told me that you and Dr. Reid have been getting close with each other.”

“What?” Lucy says sitting forward at her desk. “Getting close how exactly?”

“Agents in the building, who shall remain nameless, have noticed you and Dr. Reid hand holding, and getting well, lovey-dovey with each other.”

“And?”

“I’m just looking out for you, Agent.”

Lucy rolls her eyes. “Really? You’re looking out for me? Just last year you wanted to disband the BAU and now you’re looking out for me?” Lucy scoffs shaking her head. “I appreciate the concern A.D., but my personal life is none of your business.”

Barnes shakes her head. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She says heading for the door.

“Warn me about what?” Lucy calls after her as she leaves the office. Rolling her eyes again she sits back down at her desk and begins to do her work.

Pulling out her phone just a short few minutes later she opens a new text message and puts in Spencer’s name. ‘We need to talk.’

Moving his chair from side to side with his foot he flips the next page in his book, he hears his phone beep on his desk. Saving his spot in the book, he sets it on the desk and picks up his phone. He clicks on the new message and Lucy’s name popped up. Reading her message, he puts his phone away into his pocket and gets up from his desk. Leaving the bullpen he heads down the hall to Lucy’s office. Knocking on the door he hears Lucy call him inside. “You wanted to talk?” He says as he walks in.

“Barnes just came to see me.” Lucy says as she stands up from her chair and walks around to the front of her desk.

“About what?”

Lucy raises an eyebrow. “I’ll give you one hint.” She says folding her arms over her chest.

Spencer nods his head. “Right.” He says sitting down on the couch. “How did she find out?”

“She says that agents, who will remain nameless, have told her about us.”

“The only reason she’s being so nosy is because of Rossi. Except once Garcia and Kevin had started dating, those rules just went out the window. So really, she has no reason to be nosy about this.”

“She said she was looking out for me, Spencer.”

“Why?” He says raising an eyebrow.

Lucy shrugs her shoulders. “And that I can’t say she didn’t warn me.”

“Warn you? About what?”

“And again..” Lucy shrugs her shoulders. “I have no idea. I know everything there is to know about you. Your mom, your dad, Lindsey, Cat, Scratch-”

“I get it. You know a lot.” Spencer says standing up and walking over to Lucy. “But I promise you nothing is going to happen.”

“Yeah, you say that now. Don’t jinx yourself.” She says making Spencer smile.

“Forget about what Barnes said.” Spencer says placing his hands on her shoulders. “She screwed with us, don’t let her screw with you.” Lucy nods her head as she lays her head against Spencer’s chest.

Someone clears their throat and Lucy lifts her head. Spencer turns around to see Emily standing in the doorway. “We weren’t doing anything.” Lucy says as she pushes off the desk and goes to sit back down in her chair.

“Someone’s in a mood.” Emily says as she looks at her watch. “And it’s only eight-thirty.”

“Barnes came by to talk.” Spencer says folding his arms over his chest.

“Ohhh..” Emily says as she sits down on the couch. “Let me guess, is about what I just walked in on?”

“We weren’t doing anything!” Lucy exclaims as she stands up from her desk. “Why does everyone want to be so nosy?” She says as she leaves the office.

“I was just joking.” Emily says as she stands up.

“Ever since Garcia caught us kissing in the park, no one will leave her alone.”

“No one as in everybody or just Garcia?”

“Everybody.” Spencer says. “She’s already tired of people asking how’s she doing since her father passed, she doesn’t want everyone asking about her relationship.”

Emily sighs and looks towards the door. “I’ll find her and I will talk to her.” She says as she leaves the office.

Lucy stood by the fountain watching the snow fall into the water and disappear. Tugging her coat tighter around her waist, she sits down on the bench and looks up at the sky. “You know, if we weren’t so close to cities, we could see more stars.” She hears Emily say.

“At least they won’t have people all up in their business..” Lucy mutters.

“Well..”

“Don’t even start..” Lucy says standing up from the bench. “All everyone wants to know is how I’m doing, how am I coping with the loss of my father? And now that people are gossiping about Spencer and I, they’re now asking me personal questions. And now that Barnes is involved, it makes it even worse!”

“Barnes has her nose in everybody’s business.” Emily says.

“Yeah well my personal life is none of her business.”

“It is when two of the Bureau’s agents are dating.”

“Well then fine, maybe we just won’t date.”

“Okay, I didn’t say that.” Emily says. “Don’t crush the poor guy just because of what people are saying.” Lucy sighs and looks down at her feet. Emily walks over to Lucy and pulls her to the fountain. “Okay, take a look into the water and tell me who you see.”

Lucy scoffs rolling her eyes. “A woman who is so put together that at any moment she might break into a million pieces.”

Emily glances at Lucy as she licks her lips. “Okay.. A little deeper than what I was going for. No.. Want to know what I see?”

“I’m gonna hear it anyways.”

“Yes you are.” Emily says wrapping her arm around Lucy’s shoulders. “And you’re not a woman who is all put together. No one’s all put together. This is who I see.” She says fixing Lucy’s hair. “I see a strong woman who takes on any obstacles in her way with all that she’s got. I also see a kind and compassionate young woman who takes her job seriously and doesn’t let anyone walk all over her. And I also see a woman who’s deeply and madly in love with the Bureau’s Einstein.”

“Barnes is so nosy.” Lucy says rolling her eyes.

“So is everyone else, but this is what we all deal with on a daily basis.” Emily says as she pats your back. “If Barnes comes to you again about this, tell her that your personal life has nothing to do with your job, and it doesn’t. These are too different situations. I will even back you up on this.”

“Yeah, remember the last time you backed the team up?”

“Listen, I would lose my life to back up my family.”

“Now look who’s getting deep.” Lucy says folding her arms over her chest.

Emily shakes her head as she wraps her arm back around Lucy’s shoulders. “Let’s just get back to work, shall we?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Emily laughs. “Of course not.”

If you liked this part, than please be sure to leave it some love! <3

Thank you! :)

[ravenwritesstuff]

Seven Weeks

Fandom: Timeless Pairing: Lyatt (Lucy/Wyatt) Rating: T+ (language, angst, feeling, moral dilemmas, etc) A/N: Ooops I wrote another Timeless thing because - why the fuck not? Set in the six weeks between season 1 and 2 plus a bonus week after.

Also each section is 100 words exactly and each week sequentially has 100 more words. This was a writing challenge/exercise to try to get myself out of a big ol’ rut. We’ll see it if helps.

WEEK ONE Pain.

That is all he feels.

All he knows.

There is no ‘getting comfortable’.

There is now.

There was then.

There was her.

These are the three things he knows beyond a doubt.

The greatest of these are her: her eyes, her warmth, his failure.

She may as well be on the other side of the universe for all he can help her now.

If he even can help her.

Is she alive?

He doesn’t know. Yet he does.

She is. She has to be because if she isn’t…

He closes his eyes.

The answer hurts more than his wounds.

..... WEEK TWO ….

He has been injured before.

He is used to pain, but this is different. This is failure.

Failure to complete a mission.

Failure to bring back Jessica.

Failure to keep Lucy safe.

He won’t admit which ones pains him the most even though anyone could guess.

Moving around is easier now, muscles loosening from their permanently braced and locked position, but he is still looking for a fight.

He has ripped his stitches more than once, been threatened by the doctor on staff, but he doesn’t care.

Nothing hurts more than knowing she is out there and not with him.

.

The haze is lifting. Whatever medication they’d been administering it seems they are now weaning him off and he is only now realizing just how fuzzy everything had been the past two weeks.

It had been a wash of drifting in and out of consciousness, in and out of seeing her play against his eyelids.

Her: Lucy.

Her: Jessica.

He sucks a breath and feels each cracked rib as sharp as if he had just taken a blow.

He breathes again, deeper this time, and focuses on that radiant torment. He understands this kind of pain and he welcomes it.

.....

WEEK THREE

….

They have stopped trying to patch him up, the doctor and nurses.

He doesn’t want them to.

Agent Christopher gives him worried looks tempered only by the maternal knowledge that this is something only time can heal.

Time.

He’d laughed the first time he had heard the details of his mission with Mason Industries. It had been the first time he’d laughed since Jessica. He is not laughing now.

He can feel time around him like a vice keeping him place, keeping him from Lucy.

She is out there, but he is here, and that is what is killing him.

.

Rufus is here, too.

And Jiya.

And he supposes that could be a boon if he let it but as it is it feels more like a pebble in his shoe - a grain of sand in his eye - than anything.

Maybe he’s being some shade of selfish, but that does not change his feelings. Seeing them reminds him of who’s missing.

They are here.

They are safe (well as safe as any of them can be) but he does not want to be safe. Not when Lucy is out there in Rittenhouse’s dark embrace.

Not when he cannot protect her.

.

Jiya’s hand lingers on Rufus’s shoulder and Wyatt tries to not let it irritate him. They should be happy. He wants them to be happy, but maybe he wants to be happy too.

He hasn’t felt that way, like he might actually deserve to feel something beyond lingering numbness, since Jessica’s murder. He knows that he won’t feel that way again until Lucy is back.

He has to get her back.

He breathes deeply, relishes the pain that lingers. It keeps him sharp, focused, in the endless monotony of the bunker.

Rufus kisses Jiya’s cheek.

Wyatt looks the other way.

….

WEEK FOUR

.....

Weeks are one thing, months are something entirely different.

Weeks are manageable.

Weeks are simple.

Months are endless.

Months are torture.

Seven days are nothing compared to thirty (he does not remember sunlight). He can’t help but pick at the scabs on his arms, his torso, his back. He is itching a scratch deeper than what lives on his skin and he kind of hopes it gets infected.

He kind of hopes he dies.

It’d be easier.

It’d be.

But then Lucy would be out there alone, and Rufus, too. He cannot do that to them.

He grabs his Neosporin.

.

He keeps an empty bed for her in his room (never assumes she will want to share his bed, never could even entertain the thought). It just sits there across from his, made and waiting with his best sweats folded in the corner.

If she wants to find another corner of the bunker that will be fine.

If she wants to wear Rufus’ clothes, or Jiya’s, that would be fine too.

He just wants her taken care of, no matter what. No matter by whom.

It takes more than a few days to convince himself that this is the truth.

.

“When do you think The Lifeboat will be back online?”

He’s asked this question before, will ask it again.

"Hello to you, too." Rufus looks up from a pile of papers covered with numbers, lines, and graphs. His eyes are bloodshot.

"Do you think it will be soon?"

Rufus sighs not dismissing Wyatt's brusqueness but also realising he won't get what he's looking for. They are all too tired to fight right now.

"I want her back, too."

The hair on the back of Wyatt’s neck stands up.

“Whatever. I just want to get the hell out of this hole.”

.

The empty bed in his room taunts him.

Like a bully poking his chest on the playground.

Like a feast behind glass and he’s starving.

Every day it sits empty reminds him that Lucy still isn’t there, but he leave it anyway. He refuses to touch it.

He wants her to know when he brings her back that he’d never given up on her.

He will never give up on her, knows she will never give up on him.

He lies on his side each night (he still can’t lie on his back) and pretends he can hear her breathing.

.....

WEEK FIVE

….

Time is not a healer.

Time is a numbing agent.

The wounds still exist even if you do not feel them the same way you did at first, and he does. He feels each tear, each cut, as if it is fresh.

Each:

Not yet.

Every:

Not now.

Cut differently than it did before.

He’d been on missions before. He’d been cut off from those he’d sworn to protect, but never like this - never on the run. He itches to prove himself.

He itches.

When Rufus tells him there is blood on the back of his shirt he ignores him.

.

There are lots of things to be done in the bunker, it’s just that he’s not equipped to do any of them.

He cannot do physics. He cannot factor equations around the space/time continuum. He’s not good at welding - especially not the precision work needed for The Lifeboat. One time when they were dating he had helped Jessica add her favorite song to her MySpace account (Little Moments by Brad Paisley), but he’s miles from a computer whiz. He does not understand quantum anything.

It’s driving him insane.

It’s driving everyone else insane too and he can feel it.

.

He walks in on Rufus and Jiya in the shower and has never been more thankful for a cinderblock wall.

“Sorry.” He mumbles as he ducks out.

Ten seconds later a dripping wet Rufus is out in the hall with him, sputtering and probably hard beneath the towel clutched at this waist but Wyatt keeps his eyes trained at the ceiling.

"Dude. Knock much?"

"There's a chair in there, right?"

Rufus nods, not following.

“Put it in front of the door. Then if open the door and hit it - I know that you are hitting - well - that."

He walks away

.

In one of the small rooms of the bunker there is an old-timey exercise bike where the handlebars pump the pedals as much as the pedals pump the handlebars and he finally knows what it feels like to be a hamster.

He rides that thing for hours, gears grinding, bearings squeaking, and it still hardly takes the edge off. He does push ups until his arms fail and he collapses on the (disquietingly and somewhat disgustingly) damp floor.

Still.

He tells himself it is better than the alternative - even if he is not entirely sure what that could possibly be.

.

At night (even if there’s no day or night underground) he lays on his side in bed and thinks about her smile. He thinks about its brilliance, how it barely fits in the delicate confines of her face. He hadn’t noticed it at first. He’d been to focused on ignoring everything about her, but it had been for naught.

He had noticed.

The first time he did it hit him like a tidal wave, full force and fatal. He can’t remember the last time he’d seen someone smile with their entire body.

Actually, he can.

He doesn’t sleep that night.

.....

WEEK SIX

…..

The showers smell like sulfur. The whole bunker does and he not certain that this is not hell.

He is not certain of most things these days.

He supposes that’s to be expected when one has gone through what he has, but still. He can feel himself splitting into pieces. He can feel his skin shrinking around him until he cannot move - cannot breathe. Everything is too tight, too bright. Slamming his fist into the molding tile seems like the only sane option.

His bloody knuckles seem to be of a different opinion.

Jiya looks scared.

Good.

He’s scared, too.

.

Connor Mason may be brilliant, or have been brilliant, or may be brilliant again but as far as Wyatt is concerned he can go suck an egg. If he’d had the common sense to just leave time alone, to leave the past in the past then he would not feel like this.

He would not feel.

He’d be back to floating in the blissful indifference of not caring what happened to anyone.

He’d be free.

So when Mason burns dinner again on his turn for KP duty is all Wyatt can do to not shove a spatula down his throat.

.

There is more than one way to skin a cat.

There is more than one way to break a man.

The idea of freedom is so much worse when you don’t actually have it - when you cannot walk through the doors shut around you.

He tries at first to obey, to abide, but he can feel her mouth - her sliding through his fingers - and he won’t break this promise. He’s broken too many. He won’t break this one, not while he is still breathing.

He doesn’t mean to rip the grinder from Rufus’ hand - but then again maybe he did.

.

At one point the idea of being court-martialed would have scared him shitless, but now it almost fills him with relief. He has his toe on the line and he’s so close to stepping - no - leaping to the other side that his body hums with possibility.

Agent Christopher seems to think that her words will keep him there, that she has any sway, and he’ll let her think that.

Truth is the only reason he doesn’t take that elevator to the surface is that he knows that Lucy is alive and Rufus is close and he’s bringing her back.

.

To see her again is like he’s been a man underwater: heavy, weighted, unable to move freely. He’d imagined her face so many times, had fought to keep her alive despite protests, but to see her - to know she is alive and all right - it is more than he can bear.

When she goes to hug Rufus he is not jealous but he does not like it.

He wants to hold her forever.

He never wants to let her go.

He must, however. Her resolve is strong and he knows she is right.

That does not, however, make it easier.

.

He doesn’t hate guns. In fact, he is quite fond of them. He does, however, hate guns when they are pointed at Lucy. Something deep and dark tightens in his chest and it is all he can do to not explode.

He wonders how many shots he can get off in a second (three), which shots he should take (Emma, Lucy’s mom, the target), which shots she’d want him to take (none) and he is paralyzed.

No one has ever clouded his focus like this.

It’s no small miracle they make it out together once more.

But, somehow, they do.

.....

WEEK SEVEN

…..

Her eyes are wide and glassy when they land in the bunker. All the things that have become so common, oppressive, are new to her and he guides her by the shoulders to the showers. Agent Christopher is there but he shakes her off.

Now’s not the time.

Lucy is small, somehow smaller than he remembered, and he wonders if she has lost weight.

He sets his clothes on the shower wall along with some soap Jiya has given him and leaves her be.

He leans his head back against the outside wall, listens to the water running, and wants.

.

He has imagined her so many times on that empty bed that he is tempted to pinch himself to believe she is really there. The thing that makes it real is how she sits. Normally she holds herself with such poise but now she is curled into herself.

His sweats dwarf her.

She looks like a child.

It takes everything inside of him not to crush her to him but to give her space.

He swallows the need to shield her from everything she is feeling, knows there is no way he can.

He knows grief when he sees it.

.

He can hardly breathe when he holds her. She takes his breath away. He gladly gives it as if somehow his breath can staunch her bleeding. As if, somehow, his breath can suck out the venom of her parent’s betrayal.

It’s wishful thinking but he will try. Dammit.

She turns his face, her mouth a breath away from his, and he knows this isn’t what she needs. She’s hurting.

She’s confused.

A hookup is not what she needs even if every cell of his body is screaming to just fall into it - to let it happen.

Then, Jiya walks in.

.

She blames herself for not stopping Rittenhouse. Everyone tells her otherwise, but he knows she doesn’t hear. He knows she is cataloguing each step she took that led them here.

“I should’ve killed him.” She says when they are alone. “I had the chance but I hesitated. Now who knows what he’ll do.”

She doesn’t do well with the future tense. She’s wired for the past.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“Will we?” Her eyes are glass plates and he’s falling into them.

“We will.”

Cold comfort, and he wants to hold her. He wants to kiss her.

Instead, he leaves.

.

He keeps his distance then not because he wants to be away from her but because being close to her is dangerous. He is kerosene. She is a spark. Together they will set this whole place on fire.

Besides, he cannot spend every waking moment with her.

That is impractical.

Instead he hovers in the background, listening to Jiya and Agent Christopher cypher through the Rittenhouse data they have uncovered - finding pressure points - charting missions. He visits his exercise bike. He showers. Come nightfall he knows there will be no avoiding her though.

He is already anticipating, dreading, that moment.

.

“You’re in love with her.” He’s playing Go Fish with Rufus for the thousandth time.

“Got any twos?” He pretends not to hear just as he had on the western front.

“You literally crossed centuries to go get her and you really want to play cards with me?”

Rufus has that omnipresent crease between his eyebrows. Wyatt thinks about making a botox joke but doesn’t.

“So - twos or no?”

Rufus tosses his cards onto the table and stands up.

“I've got a ‘you better go take care of Lucy because she needs you, you idiot’.”

For once, Wyatt is speechless.

.

She’s awake when he comes back into their room, curled knees to her chest on her bed.

He swallows.

“Lucy.” His voice is lower than expected and he never saw her coming.

Before he can flinch she’s on him, arms snaking around his neck and he is defenseless against her. His lips catch her hair, her temple, her cheek, her mouth and he feels her melt. He feels how much she trusts him, he trusts her.

He doesn’t fight it.

She buries her face in his chest and he holds her.

For the first time in years - he is happy.

.

el fin

[cardshcrp]

- ça caille.

Remy LeBeau is haunted by winter. He feels it deep in his bones, cutting at his skin, cold winds tearing away at his muscles until every bit of warmth and strength is gone.

Gambit might have made it back from Antarctica, but he took the icy dread of the land with him. He didn’t mean to, didn’t necessarily even want to, but he was a thief, after all, and he’d always been very good at stealing whether or not he had to think about it.

No matter what he did, he couldn’t get rid of it.

His heart was shielded in thick, cloying layers of ice, sluggish. Barely beating. A glacier for the unsuspecting to shatter themselves on, dashed to death on broken edges.

He couldn’t forget.

.

“But...I love you,” he’d said, and his mouth curls when it plays through his mind, over and over as he keeps moving.

He keeps going, and keeps going, and keeps going, even though there isn’t a reason to. Animals survive, and he had nothing left but to be something wild, a creature frozen half to death.

He tells himself that so that he doesn’t have to face the fact that a tiny bit of his heart is still weeping, praying that Rogue’s words had been his own self-hatred that she’d taken from him along with his memories.

“You ain’t got no home, sugah. Not with me, not with the X-Men. Fend for yourself. You seem to have done a good job of that in the past.”

He finds himself screaming so much that he doesn’t even hear it anymore, raging cries blended seamlessly with the howl of the wind. He screams so much, in fact, that he loses his voice completely, that for days he could barely swallow down the snow he lets melt in his mouth. His throat is red and raw, and when he coughs, it brings up blood.

“You’re honest with the people you love, Gambit. Otherwise, it’s a gamble.”

He can’t help but think, very bitterly, that she’d never understood. Even with pieces of his head, she couldn’t get him at all, didn’t know that it was always going to be a gamble anyway.

She didn’t understand that he’d chosen his name because it reflected everything about how he chose to take on the world, always preferring to play risky for the best outcome, and that he’d done that with her, too.

He very rarely lost when he played, but the one time he’d put everything on the line at the very beginning, of course he would.

.

Every single instinct tells him he’s in deep shit, but honestly? He’s used to that feeling. So he picks himself up, dusts himself off, and drags himself off to Shreveport. It ain’t home, nothing is, but it’s something.

His eyes are still burning from his meeting with the New Sun, the brilliant outline of the man’s form seared into the backs of his eyelids.

It isn’t comfortable, and it sure as hell isn’t easy, but he knows streets. He’s comfortable on the street, even if he’s shivering all the time. Even if he wakes up screaming his lungs out, tears streaming down his face.

He’s alright, he tells himself, and it’s good enough, at least for a little while.

He stews there for a while, a couple weeks, scrounging food out of dumpsters and dragging his feet until he doesn’t feel quite so feral, and finally he jams a few filthy quarters he’s dug up into the payphone slot.

Four rings later, he’s rattling off pass-phrases faster than thought, and in no time at all he’s talking to Jean-Luc, and of course the old man figures out something’s far worse than usual. He asks, but Remy doesn’t answer. He just tells him what he needs, and after a long pause, Jean-Luc sighs and agrees.

He doesn’t ask again. Remy never tells him.

.

Two days after his phone call one of his old crew is there, stepping off the bus all wind-blown and pretty, and starving eyes fix on him. Baptiste smiles, awkward and uncertain, and Remy offers him a smile that’s a little more crooked than it used to be.

(It never really fixes itself after that.)

Baptiste had always been nice, and he still is, and Remy can forgive the way he avoids his eyes ’cause even if they creep him out he’d never been cruel enough to say so.

He gets his hands on the backpack that’s been brought for him, and he tears it open right there sitting on a bench at the bus station, breath heavy as he yanks out the little case filled with syringes of increasing doses to help him feel like himself again, complete with a printed timeline. A new jacket, exactly the same as his old one but without the added weight of frostbite, and he tugs it on fast.

He pockets the cash, several thousand in big bills, and drags Baptiste off to a motel that’s crappy but not too awful, clean but sparse.

Remy can’t remember who started it - he’s pretty sure it was him, but there was no real way to be sure. He just remembers shoving the other man down, straddling him, the way they screwed rough and angry like wild animals, Remy clawing all up and down his back like he was trying to crawl inside his skin with him, and he probably was, to be honest.

Baptiste was warm, but it did nothing to thaw him out, and instead of leaving with him in the morning like he’d promised he settles a note on the nightstand that manages to be both an apology and a thank you with enough teasing bite in it that the other won’t think about that night past remembering the very good sex.

Jean-Luc had been willing to smuggle him home, but he knew New Orleans wasn’t home, not anymore, and he didn’t really care to go back. Not yet.

.

Remy is panting sharp and fast when they all pile into the Blackbird, pupils blown wide and staring, darting around the narrow space in a way that’s putting everybody on edge. Doesn’t help that they’d all already hated meeting his stare.

Storm says nothing, but nurses the bite on her hand, where her brother in spirit’s teeth had broken through her skin as he thrashed and fought them all at once when they’d tried to wake him from his nightmares that morning. Her face is cloudier than the dark skies she’s famous for, and he remembers faintly that she was the only one who’d cried when they’d found him, shown pain, had wept thinking he was dead though she hadn't come to see for herself.

Good, he thinks, and his lips peel back from his teeth angry and savage, snarling - she deserves to feel bad. They all do.

He catches the way Logan’s brow quirks, just barely, and he wheels on him, quick and angry and silent in a way that once upon a time the others would’ve been happy about, grinding his jaw mutely from across the cabin. He shrinks just a little, though, in the face of how Wolverine just stares, eyes clear and bright like steel, and the twisting feeling in his gut tells him not to pick this fight.

Logan was the only person looking at him.

Remy might be more animal than person right now, but he was beaten and broken and tired, and he wasn’t going to win against that, so with a scowl and a jerk of his head he curls in on himself, huddling for warmth though the inside of the plane is plenty hot and he’s draped in his heavy coat.

His gaze falls on the only person who isn’t stealing glances at him, white and auburn and all that perfect poise, and that cuts deepest of all. The others are embarrassed, at least, ashamed or hateful but they have the courtesy not to push.

He loves her - he loved her - and she is staring out the window like he doesn’t exist, and truthfully, he might as well not. He isn’t sure he does, right now, not with the way he is.

Either way, the person he was doesn’t. And he won’t love her again, he knows, not fully. Not the way he wanted to. Even if he fools himself later.

The last little bit of hope he’s been carrying so long whimpers and dies, starved, and his heart sits heavy and aching deep in his chest, as much of a burden as the silent weight of Mary on his shoulders. He’s so very, very cold, frosted over and numb, and he curls up in the seat, burying his face in his knees and letting his hair tumble down all around him.

He hated seeing the truth.

.

He runs south that year at the first scent of snow, and the year after that, and the year after that, stumbling off into the distance with his coat flapping behind him like the wings of a carrion crow that’s tasted too much death and would rather eat itself up or starve instead.

He doesn’t tell them where he’s going.

Nobody bothers to ask.

.

The first year, he’s in Mexico for the winter. He spends it in Tijuana, drunk off his ass and stumbling down the streets, and every now and then he’s wasted enough to find himself in somebody’s bed, and he tears them up and leaves them gasping and full of a weird sort of awe, because damn if he wasn’t something almost inhuman with it.

None of their bodies are warm enough. Nothing helps him forget. No one can convince him to stay.

He comes back in late February with an orange cat he calls Lucifer, rescued right from where the poor thing had been batted away from the local church’s stairs with a broom.

Oddly enough, the weight of Lucy against his hip when he sleeps is hot enough to stop the thrashing. Nothing stops the screaming, or the nightmares, but maybe because they were just creatures they understood each other. He didn’t have to worry about his frozen heart, not with a cat, and that was enough to ease things along.

Lucifer scratches him with resentment when he shrieks his way awake, he swears, and they settle back down like clockwork.

He finds that he rather likes having a cat, and he acquires two more in short order, at which point he has to stop himself because honestly, any more than that and he’d be kicked out of the mansion again based on how everybody glares at him.

He wasn’t exactly ready to subject his cats to hell, so he stays quiet, lies low, and he lets everyone pretend they hadn’t left him to die. He lets everyone pretend he doesn’t disappear when the air gets that first cold snap, and he lets everyone pretend they’re his friends.

He flirts with Rogue like he didn’t have to travel through time or burn out his own self from a future that could’ve played out so easily in their own, and he tells himself he’s pleased with her fickle affections.

He pretends he’s fine, just fine.

.

On the fourth year Jubilee tries to catch his arm when he leaves with nothing on his back but a half-full satchel, grabbing onto his jacket and fuck, he hates the feeling of being held back - he knows it’s not her damn fault and she just wants him to stay, but he doesn’t even hear the question falling out of bubblegum-painted lips.

He can’t control himself, and they should all damn well know better now.

He whirls, and he screams at her, wordless and anguished and raw in a way that stuns everyone in the room. Jean, Scott, Kurt, Kitty, Piotr - every single one of them looks horrified, like they didn’t think he could sound like that, feel like that. It’s so easy to forget he’s complicated, angry, that there’s so much boiling under his smiling features and never-ceasing chatter.

Unlike them, he knows, because it’s how he feels every day, itching under the surface.  

Remy spins on his heel and stalks off, the cat on his shoulder butting its head against his jaw in a vain attempt at comfort, and he doesn’t bother turning back.

He hears Logan mutter “Don’t” at the first footsteps behind him, and he’s silently grateful to hear them stop, but he isn’t going to say it.

.

Five years afterwards, he stops leaving, if for no other reason than that he was running out of places to go. Nothing filled up the cracks in the ice, and he didn’t want another lecture on how they could have used him, so he doesn’t go.

He stays inside, and he doesn’t go out, not once.

When the others have snowball fights, he’s in the Danger Room, blowing the shit out of every simulated thing he can think of, all stuffed into a jungle setting, hot and muggy enough to leave him soaked in sweat.

When they go out on missions, he turns the collar of his jacket up, ducks his head and shields his eyes and sprints to the jet because he doesn’t want even the slightest finger of cold to touch him. It doesn’t help at all, and he’s left shivering every time even hours into their flights, shaking and more quiet than any other time.

.

No one ever tells him I missed you.

The ice grows thicker. 

[dootznbootz]

DIFH x2 Chapter 4: Hoarding?

Nalu multichap Basically it’s Natsu’s and Lucy’s point of views in which their away from each other and sad/mad about it.  And if any of you have read my other fics, You KNOW It’s going to have more Fluff in it than a Build-A-Bear Workshop and a Pillow factory combined! Sometimes so fluffy that it may seem out of character at times so yeah! (Better summary in first chapter!)

On fanfiction

Rating: T (swearing, puberty, violence, some mentions of abuse and there is sadness but there is not smut or sex in any way shape or form!)

Words: 

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |

I really couldn't figure this out and I've rewritten it SO many times but out of all of the ones I had this one was my favorite. It's really cheesy, but whatever. What do ya expect? I have a dairy farm! There's gonna be cheese! And honestly I was kinda just letting my writing go wild on this one...

"What the fuck are you doing Salamander?" Gajeel said, one metal eyebrow up, looking at the pinkette who currently had the top half of him flopped out the window, from his sitting position on the couch. In the tall man's hands, was the metal box that was on the couch earlier.

"I'm trying to see if I can see any sign of Luce but... it's so dark in there right now. There was so much noise before but now it's gone. What do you think they're doing?"

"Uh, probably sleeping. Which I am tryin' to do and what you should be doin' too!" Gajeel sneered. When Gajeel didn't hear a response, he looked up to see if Salamander or his blue cat was looking. Happy was sleeping on his green sack that he always carried on his back while Natsu still out the window but now whimpering and whining softly. Tch, what a moron… Gajeel thought. ...Can't he see how damn lucky he is? Even though deep down, Gajeel was in the same state. But by now, he was used to the pain of being away from the one he loves...

Knowing that Natsu was occupied and Happy sleeping, (He didn't have to worry about Pantherlily seeing, he already knew) Gajeel looked back at the intricate metal box and smiled softly. Patting the top, he opened it carefully as if it was the most precious thing in the existence.

Inside was a book, an orange T-shirt, and a yellow polka-dotted headband. Quickly, he tucked the items into his arms, flipped over on the couch so his back was facing everyone. He took in the scent of paper, ink, and lavender of all the items and immediately relaxed, the familiar rumbling from his throat began. All tension left his body all at once. Although the scents of the items were faded, they were enough to calm him.

The whimpering pinkette had his eyes squinting and nose twitching, searching for any sign of his most precious person but nonetheless, even the comfort of his absolute favorite scent of vanilla and fruity sweetness was nowhere to be found as he stared at the building. It took every fiber of his being to keep from jumping out the window and going to her… He promised Gajeel and Natsu neverbroke a promise…

No matter how much it sucked.

Natsu sighed in defeat, knowing that this was better than nothing. He was disappointed that he didn't get to see Lucy. But he understood why Gajeel didn't want Natsu to do what he originally wanted to do. He would be mad if someone told Lucy or anyone else about him sneaking in her home to sleep next to her. Speaking of sleep he was starting to feel drowsy.

At least if I'm here, I'll see her first thing when she comes out... She'll have that pretty smile on her face like she always does… And with that, the pinkette laid his head against arms and closed his eyes…..

But painful stab of abandonment and longing washed over him before he could even get comfortable on the windowsill, unknowingly yelping as it did. His hand that was not holding him up was clutching his aching chest. He felt as if his heart and guts were being brutally ripped out of him with some sort of poison. As if they were being slashed into tiny little pieces. His head felt like it was being ripped apart, as if someone was trying to rip him in half. It felt worse than motion sickness.

Mavis, how he hated this! It hurt so goddamn fucking much! It made him want to rip everything apart and wreak havoc on anything and everything that was in his way, keeping him away from her. The world seemed to spin and flip around plain darkness. He just wants to be with her. That's all he wanted. Nothing seemed right without her. Was that so much to ask?! He groaned and keeled over, sweating profusely. His hair and clothes sticking to his overheating body. He luckily fell on the floor and not out the window. He shook and shivered, pleading to any merciful being to just let him be by her side…

"Open your eyes, dumbass!" Was all he heard in his state of pain and then suddenly the world was...back to normal?

"Ugh..." Nope, scratch that.

"Hurts doesn't it?"

Natsu looked away from the ground and instead looked to where the source of the sound was, but everything was so blurry...

"Gods, is that you? If it is please take this pain away…" Natsu croaked, his face crinkled in pain.

"What? Hell no! I ain't no God! Where'd the fuck you get that fro-Oh, shit! HE'S BURNING A HOLE IN THE FLOOR!" Gajeel retorted, but Natsu just moaned back curling further into himself, making the metal floor slowly turn into a bright red and melting underneath him. Gajeel growled. "Happy?!"

"Aye?! What can I do?!" The blue exceed looked up from his hurting friend. He knew Natsu was too hot to comfort him even though Happy wanted to.

"Go to Lucy's hou-"

"LUCY! What about Lucy?! Is she here?! Where is my Lucy?! I need to see her!" the pinkette tried to look around but was too delirious and in too much pain that he just flopped back over.

"Oh geez, Lily please don't tell me I am this pathetic when I get like this?"

Lily just laughed. "You act exactly like this guy."

Gajeel groaned and slapped his hand to his forehead. "Whatever. It doesn't matter right now. Happy like I said, go to Lucy's house and-No, Natsu, she ain't here right now! Stop bein' so dramatic, ya piece of shit!-when you get there grab something of hers like a T-shirt or somethin'. Do NOT grab any of her panties or bras! You'll kill 'im if you do. Now go!"

"Aye, sir!" And with that Happy flew off, you could hear him yell 'Max speed!' as he went. Gajeel sighed and shook his head looking down on the groaning pinkette, "Shoulda known you wouldn't have been able to handle it right away. It's your first real night that you're tryin' to go to sleep bein' this far away from her without anything of hers, right? Maybe it woulda been better if I'd just sent your sorry ass back to her place... At least you can go to hers..."

"Wha…?" Natsu felt as if his mind was warring against itself. One side was screeching at him to go to her, but the other was resisting. Knowing that promises are meant to be kept. He was in hell right now…Where was his Angel when he needed her?

All of a sudden Happy burst through the window, landing in a metal bucket that made a 'clang!' sound on impact, panting heavily. "I got... the stuff…" He wheezed as he showed what he had in his arms. A little blue T-shirt, a yellow and pink tank top, and a little ripped white blanket.

"Damn, you're quick. Good job now give 'em here," Gajeel said, putting out his hand for the items which Happy gave to him, then began to walk towards Natsu. "Lily, what do you do when I do-"

"GIMME!" A blur of pink flew past him and suddenly the items that were in Gajeel's hands were now in the possession of the Flame Dragon Slayer as he crashed into a pile of scraps.

The boy, who wasn't even affected by the crash (it was nothing to the pain he felt earlier), marveled at the wondrous treasures in his hands, he fondled them, just indulging the fact that they were in his arms, as if they may disappear if he were to let them go. Everything about them screamed 'LUCY'. He brought the articles of fabric to his face as if he were trying to suffocate himself and deeply inhaled the sweet, sweet scent. Relief came over him as the excruciating agony he was in seconds before ebbed away until it was only a slight throbbing ache in his chest and head. It was only a substitute for her after all. He began to purr softly, something he only did when he thought of her or was with her. He remembered how he got embarrassed by it at first and smiled.

He and Happy were hanging out with Lucy at her house when he first purred. It happened a few weeks after they met. She was doing the dishes while Natsu and Happy dried them, when the two boys looked at each other, forming an idea. They snuck up on her as she was humming to a tune, wiping the inside of a bowl when they picked her up! (She squealed! It was so cute!) Next, they threw her on the bed and tickled her! She laughed her pretty laugh and yelled for them to stop but they refused and kept tickling her!

The boy and cat started to laugh also as the girl beneath them squirmed and giggled trying to get the boys to stop. The cat laughed because Lucy screamed 'Stop! I'm gonna pee!' and the boy laughed because he was just so happy because she was so happy! He noticed that something was vibrating within him he just didn't think much about it.

Soon, the boy and the cat decided that that was enough and stopped tickling her but Natsu still kept his hold on the beautiful girl. As she calmed down from her torture, she was about to punch and scold the boys when she heard something. With every cackle that Natsu released, there was a low rumbling with each breath. She said 'Wait, Natsu hold still!' before she put her pretty head on his chest trying to hear his breathing.

Natsu immediately froze as the color of his hair started to show on his cheeks, he was not expecting her to do that. He was surprised that she didn't hear his racing heart as she listened. He… really liked her being there. As if she belonged there…

The boy, distracted by the girl who he so very much adored, unknowingly began to purr louder. Lucy gasped suddenly and jerked away from him, making him very disappointed, and giggled cutely 'OH MY GOODNESS, NATSU! YOU PURR! THAT'S SO CUTE!' Happy and him were surprised to hear that statement, but Natsu was still delighted to hear that she thought he was cute, making him purr even louder to the point where they were able to hear it without being close to him. Happy gasped too and jumped up and down and shouted 'We're purring buddies!' then began to purr also.

Natsu made them pinkie-promise not to tell anyone which they agreed to.

Ever since that day, whenever Lucy came around, he would purr. Sometimes so softly that only he knew that he was purring, sometimes so embarrassingly loud that he felt like he was causing an earthquake! Sometimes he would hold his breath trying to make it stop! It was so embarrassing! Imagine if Gray or any of the guild for that matter found out! At least Lucy thought it was cute…

"-mander! Salamander! Get your lazyass up!"

"You didn't take this long…"

"NATSU! ARE YOU DEAD?!"

"Salamander's fine. He's purrin', ain't he?" came not so cute voices. Natsu groaned from his position, still breathing in the heavenly scent. Couldn't they just leave him alone!

"YOU'RE NOT DEAD!" Happy said well, happily and flew into Natsu's back for Natsu was laying on the scrap pile face first, curled around his precious treasures.

"Well, that's good. I'm gonna sleep now, and you two better be out of my house in the morning," Gajeel grumbled, his own precious treasures still in his hands. With that, the tall dragon slayer went back to the couch getting ready to sleep again.

"What?! You just can't leave him there! You need to help him!" Lily yelled in Gajeel's sensitive ears.

"Ouch! That hurt ya jerk!" Gajeel got up and yelled back at the cat, forgetting that he was supposed to be quiet. "And anyway, you know this is the best we can do for him right now!"

"What's going on? I don't get it!" Happy cried, then pointed at the limp boy in the pile of metal scraps. "What happened to Natsu?!" "He's hoarding that's all. That stuff you got him should last him through tonight at least."

"What's hoarding?! I still don't get it!"

"Ya don't know?!" Gajeel shouted back, honestly surprised.

"Tell me…"

All the males in the room stared at to where the new voice spoke. Natsu, was now sitting up, his eyes, the only part of his head you could see, staring everyone down menacingly.

But…

Let's just say that it is really hard to be taken seriously when you have a white blanket, a blue T-shirt, and a yellow and pink tank top wrapped around your head making you look like a mummy who went berserk in a paint shop.

Happy, Lily, and Gajeel burst out in laughter.

"You look stupid!"

"Oh, like you're one to talk, Gajeel!" Lily said, in between his laughter, holding his sides. "You do it too!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP LILY!"

Although you couldn't see it, Natsu started to blush under his makeshift mask, still breathing deeply while pressing the cloth to his nose and mouth, rubbing the soft fabric with his fingers. It felt so nice...

"Don't change the subject! Tell me what's going on!" Natsu demanded.

"How do you not know? And you call yourself a dragon slayer! Oh, and quit shouting!," Gajeel said between boisterous laughter.

"No!" Natsu shouted back, pointing a finger into the older dragon slayer's chest. "This obviously is somethin' that I apparently don't know! This has somethin' to do with being a dragon slayer right? I'm not that stupid! You've been holding onto that stuff of Levy's for the longest time and I need Lucy's stuff to function! I think Igneel said something 'bout this but...Arhgh! I don't remember!" He threw his hands up in frustration. "Wait, what about Lucy?! What's she got to do with this?! ANSWER ME, GAJEEL!"

"Geez, you're loud. You're just lucky that you didn't burn a complete hole through the floor so that I was able to fix it quick. By the way, you are stupid. Especially if you don't remember your dragon telling you this," Gajeel replied still snickering.

"Gajeel just tell us!" A little voice shouted. Happy had jumped in between the 2 blinked in surprise, and stepped away from each other.

"I already told ya. He's hoarding."

My goodness, give them some info Gajeel! Pantherlily thought, pinching the bridge of his nose. Then he sat next to Happy who was now on the floor waiting for answers.

"Hoarding?" Natsu asked, tilting his cloth covered head.

"Yeah, at least that's what I call it," Gajeel said. "You seriously don't know what's going on?"

"No, I don't."

"Wow. Ok, uhhh," Gajeel said, thinking about how he should word this to the unknowing dragon slayer. He for some reason felt an older brother teaching his kid brother about puberty. "So, Bunny Girl's very important and precious to you right?"

"Yeah! She means everythin' to me!" Natsu responded, saying it as if it was the most the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, uh… Damn this feels weird to talk about. Ok, to sum things up, Dragons like keeping whatever is most precious to them close to them and safe. Whether it be gold and jewels or friends and loved ones. They're able to be away from them for a while, just as long as they come back to whatever it is to sleep. Don't know why but dragons feel reassured when they are able to be with them to protect them because when they're asleep they can't watch over them in the way they want to. So they like to be with them, makes 'em feel comfortable. Kinda makes them feel safe too. And with us bein' dragon slayers, we kinda have the same thing. That pain that you were in was basically your body telling you "You can't go to sleep yet, you need to go back to the hoard" The pain is supposed to wake you up or something so you can go back. Ya catching on so far?"

"But…Then why hasn't this happened to me before? I've been away from her before-"

"But you would usually stay at her house right? At her house, Bunny Girl's scent is everywhere. So in a sense, she's "there". At least enough to fool you or whatever."

That makes sense, Natsu thought. That's why he can't sleep without Lucy…

"Wait a sec, if we have to be near them or whatever, why didn't I just run over there?"

"I don't know man! All I know is that Dragon Slayers do this thing for some reason."

"Gajeel curls up into a ball and turns completely into metal," Lily stated.

"Thank you for saying that Lily," Gajeel said through gritted teeth.

"You're away from Levy right now. Why didn't you get like that, Gajeel?" Natsu asked, still playing with the fabrics across his face.

Not realising the can of worms he just opened.

"Because unlike you, asshole," Gajeel snapped, he stood up and glared at the pinkette, his red eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't have the privilege you do! I don't get to be with Levy every fuckin' night like you do! This is as close as I get to be with her! I'm used to the pain! I had to get used to it! And it was hell! It still is hell! Think about it Salamander! Could you handle this every goddamn ni-"

"I think I heard something. It's coming from up there!" Said a voice from outside.

The voice was a girl.

A girl they knew.

It was Levy.

Everyone up in the metal treehouse froze.

I know it’s a bit different but please be nice! 

[sapphicscholar]

I know you've kind of done this already in Tabula Rasa, but could you maybe write a fic where some of the Superfriends end up in a parallel Earth where all of the Superfriends (or at least most, I'd love to see another version of evil Alex for sure. Maybe a version of her who became evil even without working for a xenophobic DEO? IDK) are evil? (This prompt may or may not be inspired by my annoyance at the plot of the crossover...)

I just posted it to AO3! 

A/N:Ugh yes, we can all be annoyed at the crossover… Since I already did an actual evil alternate universe in Tabula Rasa, I went full on campy evil for this one (think Lucy Diamond in DEBS) that’s largely inspired by my earlier musings here. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy and sorry it took me a while to get to it! I’m finally going through some old prompt requests now that I’ve got a bit of time in these quiet few days at work.

Chapter Text

“Not again,” Alex hissed as the monitors flickered to black before flashing back up now covered in full color, high resolution photos of her from high school: black choker around her neck, black vest on, striped tie looped around the waist of her low-rise jeans, and some heavy black eyeliner to top off the whole punk rock aesthetic.

“You’ve got company headed up in 5,” James informed her, ignoring the litany of increasingly obscene threats crackling through his earpiece.

“Then get your little boyfriend on the phone and tell him to knock it the fuck off,” Alex growled, waiting for the inevitable refutation of their relationship, the insistence that they “don’t do labels.”

Even as he protested, James dialed Winn.

“Hello?” Winn answered, the poorly disguised snicker proof enough that he was behind the hack.

“C’mon man, we let Lucy have her heist last night without issue. Let Alex back into the system.”

“You’re getting off too easily,” Winn huffed.

“And I can guarantee you won’t get off at all tonight if you don’t call this off,” James threatened.

“You’re the worst.”

“Nah, I don’t think so.”

“You know how much shit I’m gonna get from Vasquez if I give in this quickly?”

“What if we promise not to ruin their date night with Lucy this week?”

Winn paused, deliberating for a few minutes. “That I can work with.”

“Thanks, man.”

“See you tonight?”

“My place or yours?”

“James!” Alex growled, her voice startling him.

“Mine,” he quickly answered Winn, hanging up to refocus his attention on Alex. “You should be back in any second now.”

“Not dating my ass.” Alex continued trying to circumvent the active hack until suddenly it disappeared, the screens flashing back to the museum security feed she’d been trying to overwrite when Winn and Vasquez decided to play their little prank. “I’m back.”

“Good. You’ve got about two minutes.”

“Only need one.”

“That’s my girl,” Maggie chimed in, her voice barely audible over the sound of her motorcycle roaring to life.

“Always.”

“Now who’s being gross?” James teased, following Maggie’s location through her motorcycle’s GPS tracker.

“Still you,” came Alex and Maggie’s voices in unison.

“And we’re…clear!” Alex cheered, slinging the long cardboard tube over her back, wiping the keyboard even though she was wearing gloves, and bolting for the back exit where the security cameras were still under repair.

“Three, two, one,” James counted down, watching as Alex and Maggie’s blinking red GPS lights got closer and closer together.

“Hey babe,” Alex rasped, throwing on the spare helmet and straddling the back of Maggie’s bike. “Take me home. You know how I get after a good heist.”

“You still have to come here first!” James yelled, hoping he wouldn’t have to go over in the middle of the night to interrupt them…again.

“I’m thinking diamonds,” Lucy mused, her teeth nipping at Vasquez’s earlobes and her hips grinding down into their lap.

“Mm, yeah?” Vasquez asked, not trying particularly hard to pay much attention to their girlfriend’s words. At this stage, they were always just ideas, liable to change with a moment’s notice—often to thwart Alex’s latest ploy. They were just grateful that the rivalry had turned (mainly) friendly over the years. Back before Alex started dating Maggie, the two had been at each other’s throats,  more often focused on ruining the other’s heists than on actually accomplishing anything themselves. But now that Alex had a “mission statement,” which Lucy loved to scoff at, even though she liked to boast about how she operated within her own code of honor, they’d come to an uneasy truce that involved more playful attempts at sabotage that rarely turned violent these days.

“Can you two not do that in the van?” Winn whined. “This is my space—my sacred space.”

“You said that about your lab too,” Vasquez pointed out.

“Yeah, Schott, you only get one. Pick wisely.”

“Just don’t—keep your clothes on, alright?”

“No promises.”

“Why do I tolerate you two?”

“Because otherwise you’d be sitting in a lab full of perfect inventions without the daring to go use them yourself?” Vasquez offered.

“You’d have this van all rigged for surveillance with no one to watch for?” Lucy chimed in.

“You’d know how to make targeted explosions and decoys and holograms but never see them put to their best uses?”

“You’d—”

“Okay! Okay, I get it. You two are the muscle.”

“And the looks.”

“And the courage.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No,” Vasquez said, shaking their head. “C’mon, who would actually know enough about computers to hack me if you left?”

“I guess,” Winn sighed melodramatically. “So you said diamonds…want me to start looking up possible targets?”

“I know just the one.”

“That so?”

Lucy nodded. “Oh yeah. She has more money than anyone in National City—just enough for some forcible sharing, I think.”

“Love the way you think,” Vasquez said, placing a kiss on Lucy’s cheek.

“Wait. You’re gonna try to rob Cat and Astra?” Winn asked, his mouth gaping.

“What? No, I don’t have a death wish,” Lucy laughed. “Besides, they’re already fighting the good fight.”

“Ah yes, that Lucy Lane patented code of honor.”

Holding two fingers up, Vasquez repeated in a military-esque monotone: “Criminals with honor do not harm or steal from other criminals with honor.”

“Damn straight.”

“And so how do you justify messing with Alex?” Winn asked.

“That sense of honor is still new. And these days I don’t harm her—just inconvenience her.”

“Fine,” Winn gave in. “But who’s richer than Cat and Astra?”

“Lena Luthor.”

—

The next morning, Alex carefully brushed away a speck of almost imperceptible dust from the broad shoulders of James’ suit jacket, watching in the mirror as he straightened his jacket and tightened the knot of his tie just a hair. Maggie handed him his phone and gun once Alex got his cufflinks fastened.

With a charming (and perfectly disarming) smile and wink, James slung the tube over his shoulder. “Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need luck when you look like that,” Maggie teased, swatting at James as he walked toward the front door, putting an extra swing in his step and letting out a deep laugh at the teasing wolf whistles and catcalls Alex and Maggie sent his way.

“We’ll be in the area if you need us, alright?” Alex added, her expression morphing into a more serious one.

“I know you’ve got my back, Alex.”

“Always.”

Within half an hour, James’ town car pulled up in front of the buyer’s restored nineteenth-century brownstone where he’d agreed to meet them—the hominess of it all somehow helping their genteel clientele to assuage their guilt over purchasing stolen artwork.

“Mr. Kent?” a middle-aged woman answered the door.

“At your service,” James replied with a small dip of his head and an easy smile that had her cheeks flushing a faint pink. “Can I ask your name?”

“Oh, I’m not the one you want to see.”

“On the contrary. You’re the very first one I’ve seen, which must make you someone worth knowing.” James smiled as any sense of wariness dissipated, the woman clearly charmed by him.

“I’m Katarina. I work for Morgan Edge.”

“Well it is my deepest pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Yes, I, uh, yes,” she stammered, mumbling her way through a few pleasantries before finally guiding him out of the entrance room. “Come right this way.” He followed her through a long hallway until they reached the home office in the back.

“Mr. Edge, it’s so nice to meet in person,” James greeted the man.

“I see you brought my newest acquisition.”

Right to business apparently, James thought. “I did. I assume you’ll want to see it first.”

As he pulled the tube over his shoulders, Katarina returned, a small mug clutched in her hands. “I brought your espresso.”

“Thank you,” James said, his deep voice rumbling over the disgruntled huff of Morgan’s complaints about her always interrupting his meetings. He paused for a moment to sip at it. “Always better to enjoy while it’s hot,” he added by way of explanation. “And it is excellent, Katarina.”

“Well, if you ever find yourself in need of a fix…”

“You’ll be the first person I call.” Sensing Morgan’s growing frustration, he turned back to the tube, slipping on a pair of gloves to pull out the painting.

Morgan leaned in closely, magnifying glass in hand as he inspected a few areas—always the same ones, James thought to himself, almost disappointed by the predictability of it all. After several long minutes, Morgan nodded. “It will be the perfect piece for my study.”

“And now it’s my turn to inspect.” James carefully rolled the painting up once more and stuck it back in the tube.

“Of course.” Morgan handed over a briefcase full to the rim with stacks of bills before turning back to his desk. With the painting strapped to his back for safekeeping, James checked the totals, then ran the special detecting pen Alex had invented to find fake money by scanning the chemical makeup of the ink and paper over the edges of the bills.

When Morgan turned again, already demanding to know what the holdup was, he found a gun pointed between his eyes. “And what do you think you’re doing?” he growled. “In my own home? I’ll have the police here before you can even think of pulling that trigger.”

“Oh, I don’t think you will. At least not when you’re buying stolen art and trying to pay me with counterfeit bills.”

“They’re perfectly real,” Morgan scoffed, pulling out one of top stacks.

“No, no.” Shaking his head, James pulled out the stacks beneath it. “The rest of it.”

Looking slightly inconvenienced but not at all abashed about having been caught, Morgan unlocked his safe and pulled out another briefcase, which James inspected thoroughly. Finally convinced that they were real, James added the top layer of real bills from the other briefcase to the new one—“for the trouble you put me through”—and handed off the painting, slowly backing out of the room, gun still pointed at the man until he was out of sight.

—

“Deal’s done,” came James’ voice through the intercom once he was safe in the town car again. “You need backup?”

“Nah, this part is the easiest,” Maggie answered, grinning over at Alex, who was leaning heavily against the wall of the warehouse, barely stifling her tired yawns. “Looks like I wore you out last night, babe.”

“More like Lucy did,” Alex huffed. “I’m so sick of having to deal with the added stress of her shit.”

“Oh please, you two keep each other sharp.”

Before their bickering could escalate—or turn into the heated makeup sex they favored—they heard the door creak open, and Alex smiled as Maggie greeted the first man through the door in perfect Spanish. They never used names, but she still felt close to him, a level of loyalty she afforded to very few of her other clients.

“I believe we have something that belongs to you,” she said, switching back to English when the rest of the group joined them.

“Already?”

“We’re nothing if not efficient,” Alex chimed in.

“Why?” one of the women in the group asked. She was new, Maggie noted, and rightfully suspicious of a gift that seemed to come with no strings attached.

“I don’t take kindly to my country profiting off of stolen artwork. I’m simply…expediting the process of repatriation.”

The woman scoffed. “And your country is okay with this?”

“Was yours when we stole the art in the first place?”

“And there are no strings attached?”

“Ah, well, I do like a nice bottle of wine—I’m partial to reds, and my partner here likes a dry wine.”

“Anything for you,” the man from before added, tipping his head to Maggie before taking the tube from her. “As always, thank you.”

“Anytime.”

—

“Have I mentioned lately how much I love having shapeshifters for friends?” Kara asked, throwing an arm around J’onn’s shoulders and reaching a hand out to M’gann. “Because I really, really do.”

“Whatever we can do to help Lena’s shelter—just say the word,” J’onn said.

“As long as you never say a word, then we’ll be just fine.”

“I still don’t see why the girl won’t let her good deeds be known,” M’gann mused, letting go of Kara’s hand to settle back in behind the bar.

“It’s harder to blackmail rich bad guys when you’re not invited around anymore because the Luthor last name has lost all meaning.”

“You’re the one that collects half the dirt with your powers, though.”

“But I wouldn’t know where to go digging if it weren’t for Lena’s first steps. Plus, you know how she enjoys siphoning off Luthor Corp funds. It’d be less fun if she had to spend her own money.”

“You know we’re mindreaders, right?” J’onn asked, arching an eyebrow at Kara.

“You can’t read mine,” Kara countered.

“No,” M’gann admitted, “but we know that your little girlfriend donates half of her personal income to charities every year.”

Kara groaned. “Don’t tell her you know, okay? She doesn’t want people knowing about it—once people know, it ruins it for her.”

“Whatever you say…”

“It’s not like you want people to know you’ve been volunteering to keep her refugee center running either.”

“No one would willingly enter a center run in part by a White Martian, especially one who shapeshifts to steal and infiltrate the local police units.”

“And you think that they’d send their kids off to play with a Luthor?”

“Point taken.”

“Anyway, are you two coming over for dinner tonight?”

“Not tonight, sorry,” J’onn apologized. “We’re a little short-staffed at the bar, and you know how Friday nights can get.”

“But next time, we promise,” M’gann added, reaching over to give Kara a hug before she left.

—

“We should really get going,” Astra sighed, even as she lifted her arms to allow her shirt to be removed. “Wouldn’t want to be late.” Her breath hitched at the feeling of teeth nipping at her neck and nimble fingers deftly undoing the button and zipper of her black pants.

“She’s not my niece,” Cat shrugged. “Besides, I’ve always preferred to be fashionably late.”

“And yet if I’m just a minute late for dinner…”

“I. Do. Not. Wait.” Cat declared, punctuating her words with harder bites, wishing she could leave some kind of mark on that flawless skin.

“I always make it worth your while, though,” Astra drawled, easily flipping them so that Cat was on her back, her breathing ragged and her chest flushed a faint pink.

“Last night you didn’t.”

“Last night I had the chance to sabotage the newest oil pipeline, darling. I don’t complain when your work comes first.” Astra’s fingers trailed up Cat’s thighs, gently pushing up the hem of her dress.

“I know, I know. It’s just a shame—you know my fingers, talented as they might be, just don’t compare to your tongue.”

“Well, why don’t we get dressed for dinner with Kara, and when we get back, I’ll make it up to you threefold.”

“I suppose I could be amenable to those terms if you let us take the car to dinner tonight.”

“But flying is so environmentally friendly.”

“It’s windy.”

“I’ll shield you.”

“We drive a hybrid.”

“Fine,” Astra finally relented.

—

Looking around the table, Kara couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her friends and family all gathered together, laughing as Maggie regaled them with tales of Alex’s latest misadventures with Lucy, Vasquez, and Winn. As much as Alex complained about the lot of them, she knew better than to believe that she truly hated them. After all, it had been Lucy and Alex who’d willingly put aside their differences to bring down Non when Astra’s life was in jeopardy, then again when Max Lord came for Kara herself. Plus, she doubted that Alex would voluntarily spend hours sifting through childhood photos of someone she truly despised, even if she was looking only for the most embarrassing ones.

“What matters,” Alex finally cut in when it seemed like Maggie was just one step away from pulling out the photos for a show and tell, “is that we made it out just fine.”

“Which is why we’re letting Lucy have her little date night tonight without any interruptions from us.”

The laughter that filled the room was soon cut off as both Kara and Astra sprung to their feet.

“We have company,” Astra hissed. Within moments, everyone in the room had at least one weapon drawn, all of which were pointed at the intruder that Astra whisked in through the balcony window and unceremoniously threw to the floor.

“Lucy?” Alex gasped, seeing the telltale full body black leather suit she wore when she went out on her little cat burglary missions.

“The hell, Danvers? I thought you were gonna let me have my date night.”

“Since when is your date night crashing my family dinner?”

“Since when is Luthor family?”

“Since she started dating me,” Kara just about growled, crossing her arms and stepping protectively in front of Lena. “And if you’re here to hurt her, you’re gonna have to fight your way through each and every one of us first.”

“And you know better than to touch my sister,” Alex added, her tone sharp as she let her gaze flick pointedly to the gun in her hand.

“Since when do you protect the rich?” Lucy asked, turning her attention to Maggie, figuring she was the best bet for an ally—she had the whole Robin Hood schtick down to an art.

“When the rich are giving more money away than I could even if I managed a heist every day.” Lena began to object, but Maggie waved off her protests. “Alex hacked into your accounts the first time she found you and her sister in bed together. Be lucky that’s all we found.”

“If you’re so charitable, why have you been ordering millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds?” Lucy demanded.

“Most of them will be sent back to the communities they were stolen from,” Lena huffed. “I might be a villain—”

“Hardly,” Maggie scoffed. “Blackmailing the worst of your one-percenter pals with your girlfriend, stealing from your family’s evil company—they hardly make you a villain.”

Lena just rolled her eyes. “Fine. But, since the surprise is sort of ruined now…” Turning to face Kara, Lena dropped down to one knee. “Kara Danvers, the months I’ve spent with you have been some of the best ones of my life. There’s no one I’d rather extort and blackmail with than you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes!” Kara gasped, dropping down to her knees as well and pulling Lena into a passionate kiss that may well have gone on much too long to be appropriate in front of family, friends, and intruders were it not for the loud whooshing sound and the way the whole floor seemed to shake.

“The hell did you bring with you, Lane?” Alex growled.

“It wasn’t—” But Lucy didn’t have time to finish her thoughts before a large silvery portal opened up, and doppelgangers of Kara, Alex, Maggie, and Winn thumped to the floor, looking more than a little taken aback at the sight of so many people and weapons surrounding them.

“Who are you?” Kara finally demanded, glaring at the intruders, letting her eyes burn red.

“Um, I think we’re you…from another Earth—Earth-38 to be specific,” the new Kara volunteered. “We were over on Earth-1 helping out some friends, but we had to leave in a hurry, and I think maybe we set up the breech incorrectly…”

“No shit,” Alex growled, looking closely at her Earth-38 counterpart and refusing to lower her weapon.

At that moment, Lucy’s earpiece crackled to life with Vasquez and Winn’s worried questions. “I’m up in the apartment…whole story there. But, uh, we’ve got company, and I think you’re gonna want to see this.”

—

Earth-38 Winn scoffed at his doppelganger, having found himself increasingly disgusted as he heard him joking about heists and devious inventions. “How could you? After everything that happened with our dad?”

“After everything that happened, how could you not?” his evil counterpart shot back. “You watched him lose everything—his career, his money, his inventions, his wife, his love for life, his desire to live. How can you justify sitting back and doing nothing to avenge him?”

“Somehow I don’t think a murderer losing his love of life while he rots in prison really rises to the level of vengeance-worthy crimes against humanity.”

“Prison?”

“For murder.”

“What do you mean? He didn’t do anything. He let his boss take credit for his inventions, rolled over each and every time until he had nothing worth fighting for, nothing worth living for.”

Winn stood there blinking. “I…that—that’s not what happened on my Earth.”

—

Across the room, Maggie and Alex sat together, watching as their Kara and Winn worked with the other Earth’s more tech-oriented folks to try to make sure that any new breeches wouldn’t send them to yet another Earth that might be even less friendly toward them.

“You didn’t seem surprised that your doppelganger isn’t the paragon of virtue,” Maggie noted.

“I’m not.”

“Why’s that?”

Alex shrugged. “I’m not Kara. I’ve killed before, and I likely will again. I do the things that need to be done. I’ve never been a saint.”

“But you’re no villain.”

“But to have lost things like that…this Alex had both of her parents taken away and was left with another girl who had lost her whole world, who didn’t get a loving, supportive family to raise her. Instead she was left with me—some bitter teenage rebel who wanted nothing more than to see this world pay for its crimes.” Alex shook her head; it was impressive that they’d ended up as decent as they had. Sure, her counterpart had stolen and lied, but she’d never descended to murder or kidnapping or anything of that nature. She suspected Kara had something to do with it; even if this version of Supergirl was willing to claim power in a way hers never had, was willing to kill when it came down to it in a fight, she still fought for justice, still fought for good.

Regarding Maggie, Alex added, “You’re not exactly stunned yourself.”

“If I didn’t have an aunt to take me in, of course I’d have turned to petty theft. Plus, Robin Hood was my favorite Disney movie…”

Alex laughed. “I guess even here you’ve got a pretty deep-rooted sense of justice.”

“Yeah. And here you’ve got an undercut,” Maggie added, veering them toward lighter topics. “It’s pretty hot.”

“I really hope you’re not suggesting some threesome.”

With a loud bark of a laugh, Maggie shook her head. “Not in the slightest. Just, you know, if you ever wanted to change up your look…”

[poisonouslightslayer]

Call of the White Dragon

(Inspired from this musical piece: “Never Back Down” from Two Steps from Hell

Ever have one of the those days that you wish you had not even gotten out of bed? The ambitious Guild Master of Sabertooth did. The glorious  day started out decent enough through out the morning and onto the late afternoon that was until he saw his two friends Lucy and Gray alone in the distance smiling and talking about something.  The blond mage had recently come to surprise them both after he had finished his paperwork for the week knowing Gray was coming back from his trip. His heart was leviatated that they would finally get to share some precious time together; however his demenaor quickly changed to one of curiosity. He shrugged his shoulders assuming whatever it was seemed like no big deal until he heard his name mentioned in the conversation. 

“Why are they talking about me?” He thought and stayed out of range in order to keep himself hidden. Upon listening with his advanced hearing for being a dragon slayer, he heard Lucy  ask how Gray was when he returned from his home town.The ice mage mentioned his trip was memorable, but was glad to have returned home to see her. They shared a tender kiss and embraced one of another; the sight causing the green eyed monster to emerge slightly within the white dragon slayer.The celestial wizard smiled and asked if she wanted to do something with him and Sting since he had been long for a week in which Gray shook his head. “How about the two of us do something instead? I just got back. I don’t want to argue with him since we left on bad terms.  I don’t think he’s in his right mind Lucy. He just shows up unannounced at our guild and at my home. He keeps bothering me and he’s been acting strange lately since the three of us were caught at that forbidden place. I think he’s losing his mind and I don’t know how to approach him?” Gray scratched the back of his head. “He makes me uncomfortable.” 

”I make him what? Uncomfortable for trying to help him? You bastard. I show up at your guild because I thought you wanted to see me beside for business related stuff with Makarov. I come to your place to want to hang out. And now I hear this crap?” Sting’s thoughts raced in his head as resentment filled his heart. Lucy cast her eyes downwards and pretended to be interested in her feet. “I noticed he’s been acting different too and I want to help him, but he’s been keeping his distance from me too.” She sighed and realized it was getting dark. She assumed the guild master was at his guild anyway so maybe it was best to not call him up? She was conflicted by what Gray said and also worried about Sting, but it was getting late and Gray was tired from his trip. She was worried a fight would break out between them if they were to meet at night. After all Gray said they left on bad terms. “Okay Gray only because you just got back we’ll keep it between us. He can’t know what you said to me tonight, but sooner or later you need to tell him how you feel because he cares about you and so do I. We’re supposed to be in this together the three of us.” She took hold of his hand as they both walked down the road towards the town of Magnolia as the sun began to set over the grassy knoll.

 Little did they know the white dragon slayer had heard their own conversation and felt like a knife had been stabbed in his back and his chest. He kept his breathing under wraps and turned away; hurt and disgusted of the words that came from his best friend’s mouths the same one he enjoyed hanging out with, helping him out of his issues only to learn the truth how he felt. That ingrate! After all that he did to check on him like a good friend would and to try to get Gray out of his bitterness so he wouldn’t dive to deep in his depression. Sting wanted him to trust him not make him think he was stalking him. Was he to tenderhearted and to gullible to ever think Gray wanted anything to do with him? 

Sting was afraid and felt like a double edged sword had slain him; the bitter crush of defeat weighing heavily on his heart to throw him into pitch darkness where the beacon of hope would be snuffed out with those cruel icy fingers trapping him in place in his eternal torment. He coughed a few times trying to not think of the gloom and doom, but those thoughts of Gray were still present in his mind and all he could do was feel cold like  frigid icicles were  impaling his body every time he moved.And Lucy she was stuck in the middle of their mess like a female watching two cats go at each throats. What was he doing to her? How could he have been so selfish to not think about her needs that angel sent from above to keep the peace and pick up the pieces of the mess they made? 

 Blue hues blurred as he fought himself from giving into sorrow. He had to remain strong and brave. Leaders did not cry and only weaklings did. Those haunting words echoed in his ears like a resonating blow horn again and again. His throat was parched and he could barely swallow; the edges of his eyes now pink from his light peaking through and burning him for holding back the essence of his sorrow. “Gray? What did I ever do to you besides try to help you and want to be with you and Lucy?” Sting’s voice trembled like that of a frighted child; the waning of his light dimming inside of him. “I’m the light that shines that is supposed to fix everything and give hope to those who have lost their way so why have I failed you and her? Because I’m nothing, but a wild creature to be.”

  Sting felt betrayed and fell to his knees that his two best friends whom he thought he could trust and loved would seek each other’s company and pretend like he didn’t matter. His mind was a whirl wind of emotions; tears threatening to fall as a throbbing pain shot through his back and his chest. “No not now.” He tried to clear his mind of what was happening. He gripped the earth like he was going to vomit and pass out, but the warrior in him fought to return to his feet so no one would see how upset he was should they pass by.  Then he froze and was stoic as a statue where a person would mistake him for being a solider on duty. That wasn’t the case for he was transfixed.

(“Army of the Skies” by Peter Roe)

“You keep holding me back and where has it gotten you? Nothing but heart ache and fear.” The reptilian voice spoke; a light appearing of a white dragon resembling Weisslogia without the beard and looking much younger with brilliant glossy scales and blond fur on his head and the mid section of his chest as well as the tip of his tail.

“I know who you are. You’re me or what is to become me eventually if I give up my humanity.” Sting spoke to the apparition of his destiny. “I will never become him, that murderous monster that destroyed practically everything.”

“Acnologia had many souls of dragons, you have just one from your father. He is no longer in you and can no longer make antibodies to hold back the process, but it is done because of your thirst for power . You are destined for greatness Sting. Become what you are meant to be.”

“I have my father’s power and I have reached that goal of being you, but know this, I’m human first. As long as  I remember that and maintain my humanity in the way I think I will never have a dragon’s true mindset.”

“Yessss….. it’s how you are able change back and forth rather then reunite as one with me permanently.”

“Yeah and no offense, but I prefer my human self better. I’m much more attractive and won’t have people run from me unless I want them to.” He smirked at his dragon self. “But I realize you and are one now so as long as I keep you I mean us in check I’ll be fine.”

“A difficult matter and your burden to keep, but think of the consequences should you tell your friends about us. Would they judge you? Would they fear you? Gray would try to hurt us if anyone from Fairy Tail were to get hurt. And Lucy what about her? Would she turn on you for her guild?” The voice changed to one of his human one.

“Gray without a doubt would protect anyone in Fairy Tail before me. Who could blame him? He hardly knows me  and Lucy… No I don’t think she would. At least I hope not?  What am i saying? That won’t ever happen. I can control myself and I don’t need him anyway from how he treated me after everything I did to try to help him. I’ve been so patient with that icy bastard and he just errahhhh all I want to do is just lash out at him every single time I see his face. But I don’t because of Lucy. I can’t hurt her like that. I have to keep my distance especially after what I heard. He doesn’t care about me. He doesn’t love me. It’s nothing, but lies with him. And Lucy she is hurting every time she sees us argue or fight I bet so I’m lost. I  hate and care about him if that is even possible, but those words I heard him say. They were heart breaking.” 

“You’re conflicted so go somewhere and release your rage because I will only get stronger and the pain won’t end until you do. Do not to hold me back. Transform and feel the wind. Be free from this misery. Worry about them later.”

“All right! Fine. Just for a bit through and then” we’ll see.

LIke the flip of a switch he came out of his mental trance and shook his head like he had a huge migraine.  “I have to get out of here.  They can’t  know.  Not now. I can’t trust them with this secret.”  Warm tears soiled the ground and footsteps retreated in the opposite direction. “Stop crying damn it. Stop being a baby.” He cursed himself under his breath and took off to a clearing where no was around. Once he knew he was alone, he activated his light to transform into his Dragon Force state and bared his teeth for what to come. The gnashing of bones forced him to dub over as his breath quickened and heart beat rapidly. A bright light flourished shooting the streams of the supernatural pureness  straight up to the heavens, but within it the sphere of intense light a lone figure suffered through the changes.

 Long curved angelic wings endowed with feathers sprouted from his back as he crouched down on his fours. Snarls and hisses erupted from his throat as he forced himself not to scream out, but the pain was so intense as his whole body was changing including his skeleton, muscles, organs, and human visage. His gloves tore revealing those razor white claws imbued with scales, boots and socks stretched out revealing his new reptilian legs. Blonde hair extended outwards while his face was completely covered in white scales along with the rest of his now naked body. Articles of clothing disintegrated like vapor and in  their place the beacon shone immensely while the changes took forth. A long serpentine tail extended from his tail bone and lastly his face elongated several feet with a snout and mouth with rows of serrated teeth used to tear and crush. 

An ear piercing screech changed to a bellowing roar as the tiny figure of light increased in size making the trees below look like shrubs. This massive ball of light then ascended high into the air like a shooting star across the sky and made it towards the mountain tops close to his guild. Now landed and in the cover of a cave, the light dissipated and scattered like streams of stars falling from the sky leaving a glorious white dragon in its place. Large sapphires starred below at the town and waited for the sun to rise for when he would make the quick journey under the cover of the sunlight  appearing invisible with his light to a hidden area that he only knew about to return to his domain and thus concealed on his prpoerty in a special area he only knew about change back to the Master of Sabertooth, the youngest guild master of  this day and age.