#then she scrambles over and up onto my bed (which is a loft bed so it isn't easy)

[ersatz-colubridae-888]

a lot of the time when i'm up sitting in bed and i stim by kind of shaking around it makes the bed shake and it makes a noise? and that's kind of part of the stim? it's The Happiness Noise. anyway my cat is sitting up here with me and she also started shaking around (not sure why) and it made the bed make The Happiness Noise and i never felt closer to another being in my life than i did in that split second

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

If I Fell For You (Part 11) - Downtown

Summary: The reader and Jensen have a very fun night in downtown Austin but things start to take a turn when Jensen gets anxious and the reader calls in an old friend for help. A week later the whole family heads up North and the reader gets to meet her future family for the first time but she gets the notion she’s not exactly as welcomed as some of them say...

Masterlist

Pairing: Jensen x nanny!reader

Square: Coitus Interruptus

Word Count: 7,700ish

Warnings: Mature (language, minor frightening situation, semi-public smut, implied past assault, anxiety attack, family angst, family fluff)

A/N: This part is a rollercoaster, trust me! Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

A/N: Also written for @spnkinkbingo​

________

“Jensen?” you said from the shower a few hours later. He hummed from the vanity where he was fixing his hair. “Are we going to a dress up kind of place for dinner?”

“A dress would probably be in order but something casual, like a summer one or something,” he said. “Like your white one with the little yellow flowers on it.”

“I bought that like three days ago,” you laughed. “You’ve never even seen me in it.”

“You gonna let me see you in it tonight?” he asked. 

“Maybe,” you teased.

“I’ll leave it out on the bed,” he said. “Oh and a little something else I’d like if you put on too.”

“Did you buy me underwear?” you laughed.

“You’re gonna have to wait and see, sweetheart,” he said. “Just do what the note on the bed says, alright?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll play your game,” you said. You heard him leave and finished washing up, ducking out of the shower and working on your hair. It dried quickly thankfully and you threw it up into a loose pony tail, a few loose strands framing your face. You put on chapstick and thought about doing your makeup but decided against it. It wasn’t a fancy place you were going from the sounds of it and it was warm out which meant sweat which meant your face was going to melt off anyways.

In the bedroom you found your dress on the bed along with a strip of fabric and a folded piece of paper.

Get dressed and then put this on. I’ll be back soon.

“Well what are you up to Ackles,” you said. You threw on some underwear and a strapless bra, pulling on the short flowy summer dress and leaning back against the bed. You picked up the fabric and shook your head, tying it over your eyes before you laid back on the mattress. About ten minutes later the door opened and you sat up, Jensen chuckling. 

“You look beautiful,” he said.

“What’s the big secret?” you asked. 

“Oh, nothing at all. I am gonna need you to keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times mam,” he said before he was scooping you up. You threw your arms around him and he walked you out of the room, carrying you over to a quiet loft corner of the upstairs. “Stay put. I’ll be right back.”

You relaxed back into the lounger you occasionally found him hiding away in to take a nap or do some reading. You stretched out, hearing the floor creak.

“Ready to go?” he asked, picking you up once again.

“We’re not going out are we,” you said, holding on as you felt him walk you around and a door open, the air suddenly a bit warmer with a slight breeze to it.

“Oh we’re going out,” he said, setting you down, bare feet touching wood. He undid the blindfold and stepped aside. “Ta da. Your very own private rooftop dinner.”

You looked at the nice table he’d set on his balcony, string lights around you, a bottle of wine sat on a small table nearby along with a few covered trays. He smiled in his khaki shorts and light blue dress shirt, a light flush to his cheeks.

“It’s perfect Jensen,” you said. You gave him a hug and kiss, Jensen showing you over to your seat, sliding it in for you. “You did all this in an hour?”

“Well I started planning it a few hours ago. I ordered the food while I set this up and you take very long showers thankfully,” he chuckled. You looked around as he uncorked the wine, Jensen pouring a few glasses for the two of you. “Too much?”

“No. It’s sweet and romantic but not over the top and…” you trailed off as he set the bottle down. “I just really, really, love you.”

“Me too,” he said, kissing your cheek. “Let’s eat while it’s hot. I have other things in store for this evening after all.”

“Y/N,” giggled Jensen two hours later. “Y/N, you’re gonna get us in trouble.”

“Making out in the backseat was your idea I recall,” you said, nipping at his kiss swollen lips. 

“I meant more the you jerking me off thing,” he said as he panted up at you. You cocked your head and grinned. “Oh you are so dirty and I am here for it.”

“Please tell me you have a condom somewhere in this car. I’ve never had sex in a car before you know and I really want to tonight. Like really, really, want to,” you said, biting lightly at his neck.

“Glovebox,” he said. You crawled over to the front seat and dug around, finding a few in there.

“Mr. Ackles,” you grinned over the back of the seat, holding one up. “You are not the sweet boy next door you pretend to be, are you?”

“You’re one to talk,” he laughed, shoving his shorts down and rolling a condom on. You climbed back over the bench and straddled him, Jensen moaning softly as you sunk down. You rolled your hips slowly, Jensen thrusting up. “Fuck. We need to have car sex more often.”

“Yes we-” you said before you both heard the very distinctive bleep from a cop car. Your eyes went wide and you scrambled to get off of him, Jensen yanking his shorts up. You saw an officer walking up and you threw your legs over his lap while he fixed his shorts. A knock came at the window and you rolled it down, an officer giving you a hard face. 

“Anything we can help you with officer?” asked Jensen. The officer narrowed his eyes and you quickly recognized them when he shook his head.

“Jensen, Jensen, Jensen,” he said, Jensen sighing in relief. “Got a report of two people making out in an Impala. I figured some kids must have stolen my good friend’s car since Jared’s is sitting at home. I did not think you of all people-”

“Shut up,” groaned Jensen. 

“Are we in trouble?” you asked. He shook his head and you smiled. 

“If you want to make out or do whatever that condom wrapper is on the floor there for, just do me a favor and drive out of town a few more miles. They don’t give a shit about that sort of thing ten minutes over.”

“Duly noted. Can we get back to our business?” asked Jensen. His friend pursed his lips and Jensen pouted. “Remember that time I pretended you were sleeping over so you could go have a sleepover with-”

“Dude. I’m fucking with ya. Have fun. I’ll keep an eye out for a few minutes but then you’re on your own,” he said. “Later Jenny, Y/N.”

“Dick,” said Jensen, smiling as you rolled up the windows. “Where were we?”

“I don’t know. Jenny,” you said, grinning before he pulled you down, your back hitting the seat.

“Oh now you’re asking for it,” he teased, undoing his shorts. 

“I’m shaking in my boots at big bad Jenny,” you said, Jensen shoving his shorts down. “So scary.”

“Call me Jenny one more time,” he said, pushing up the bottom of your dress. “I dare ya.”

“Jenny,” you said with a smirk. He leaned down and pushed your underwear aside.

“Gonna regret that,” he growled in your ear. He slid inside of you in one smooth motion, bottoming out and pulling out fast. He slammed in hard and you flew your hand against the door, holding onto his shoulder.

“Fuck,” you breathed out as he pounded into you. He’d never been so rough before and you were all for it. “You can do better than that Jenny. I know you can.”

“You asked for it,” he said, snapping his hips. You squeezed your walls around him, Jensen working on giving you a hickey. 

“Is that all you got?” you said, wrapping your legs around him. He growled against your skin and grabbed your wrists, pinning them together against the door. 

He thrust hard and you strained against him, legs letting go. You shut your eyes and felt him slow down before stopping completely.

“Honey?” he asked. You forced your eyes open, Jensen’s hands on your face. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt something?”

“Bad memory,” you said. He went to sit back and you shook your head. “No. I was having fun until you pinned me like that. Please keep going?”

“Alright,” he said softly. “I won’t-“

“No. Do it.”

“Y/N no,” he said. You grabbed his hand and placed it over your wrists. “Y/N.”

“I trust you. I want good memories and I want to have rough sex and if you scare me I’ll say so. I promise,” you said. He nodded and leaned forward again. He pinned your wrists over your head once more and picked up the pace, quickly falling back into a harsh rhythm. “Come on Jenny. Give it to me.”

He growled and thrust hard into you at a breakneck pace, your legs wrapped around his torso once more.

“I said-“ you got out before a low deep pressure in your core exploded. You gasped and keened your head back, Jensen grunting straight into your ear before he finally stopped, breathing hard. You stared up and took short breaths, Jensen’s hands wrapping around your back and pulling you up into a kiss.

“I love you so much,” he murmured. 

“I love you,” you said, resting your head on his shoulder. “Thank you. That was intense but good intense. I felt safe with you.”

“No one’s gonna hurt you ever again,” he said. You gave him a hug he returned, Jensen holding you close. “Was that okay?”

“It was great. I’d love to see this side of you again sometime,” you said, kissing his cheek. “I’m sorry for teasing you though.”

“The Jenny thing? Nah, just a nickname from school. It don’t bother me. Just there’s this rule see only certain people can call me that or else things aren’t gonna end well for them,” he said.

“Am I one of these people?”

“Oh hell no. Not unless you want more of what you just got.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” you said. You felt him grow soft and start slipping out of you, Jensen helping you off of him. He removed the condom with mostly no mess and you stretched out.

“Do you wanna go for a walk? Downtown?” he asked. You nodded and he climbed in the front seat, driving the car away from the park and on a side street that was busier. You ducked out of the backseat, rubbing your arms in the cooler night air.

Jensen walked around with his hoodie in his hands, handing it to you. You pulled it over your head and smiled, Jensen taking your hand, tossing the condom in a trash can you went past.

“You know, you make me feel like I’m some kid in love for the first time,” said Jensen. “But we both know that’s not true but for some reason, I haven’t felt much like a 43 year old lately.”

“My brain is stuck on like age twenty,” you said.

“Same,” he chuckled. “Your head always stays young somehow.”

“So what do you mean by that not feeling age comment then?”

“I feel like some teenage kid that just wants to run off with you on a whim but I can’t exactly do that.”

“Yeah you can. We’re doing it right now,” you said.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said. 

“I know. But the kids are always a positive to me. Sure we can’t run off for a week at the drop of a hat but most people can’t either. I know what I signed up for. I have to share you and be second fiddle sometimes and I’m okay with that.”

“Why though?” he asked. “Don’t you want to be selfish sometimes, just have it be us?”

“Sure but I don’t need whole days. Waking up with you, falling asleep, quiet cups of coffee or impromptu lazy days and dates, a moment here and there is good enough. I don’t need you to tell me you love me all day everyday. I already know so the moments, those are more than good.”

“People aren’t really like that,” he said quietly, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Not when they’re starting out in a relationship anyways.”

“Well I’ve only ever been in two serious relationships. One lasted a decade and went nowhere. The other one, maybe we don’t get everything two kids who are figuring it out for the first time do. But we get a lot of shit they don’t either. I don’t get bullshit. I don’t get games. It’s real and the fact you’re a father and have responsibilities and obligations that come before me doesn’t bother me. I love you and you make me a better person, a happier person. But I just don’t get the logic that I should want more when you can’t give it and I can’t take it.”

“Do you wish we could start from scratch though?” he asked. “Hypothetically.”

“Start from scratch when? You would have been thirty one when I was eighteen and I sure as hell wasn’t mature enough for an older guy back then. You wouldn’t be you and I wouldn’t be me, not these versions at least.”

“You don’t have it in you to be selfish and just say you wish things were different,” he said. You stopped at a corner and shook your head.

“Yeah, Jensen. If I had things my way, you would have zero idea I existed. You’d be with Dee on this date right now and not me,” you said. He crossed his arms and grabbed yours, turning you down the block again as you walked. “Jensen…we were having a nice night. I don’t want to fight.”

He stopped and walked your back against a brick wall, planting a fast kiss on you. 

“Stop saying shit like that,” he breathed out when he pulled back.

“Shit like what?”

“Shit like you’re less important to me. What, cause I knew her longer I’m supposed to love her more? Cause we have kids she’s always more important and you’re the rebound? I hate when you say shit like that.”

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly, Jensen planting his hands on either side of you.

“I don’t know how to make you not think that. Because I know how I feel and it has ripped me apart thinking how wrong it was for me to care about you like I do. To love you as much as I do. Because it’s not less. It’s not more. It’s just different but the same and I need you to tell me how to make you believe me. Just tell me and I’ll do it.”

“You’re crying,” you said, wiping off his face. He straightened up and sighed, letting you wipe him off with the sleeves of his hoodie. You grabbed his hand and pulled him around the corner to the entrance of an alley, Jensen glancing down it.

“It’s not safe,” he said before you put a hand over his mouth. 

“I did not say that to upset you and I don’t think what I said came out right. I know I’m not a rebound. All I was trying to say is if I could have stopped you from hurting so badly, stop the kids, stop everyone, from going through that pain, I would have. I’d let you go for that.”

“You don’t know how fucked up I was before you,” he said. He glanced at the street and sighed. “Y/N I act. I’m damn good at it. I can play the bad guy, the fucking cocky bastard, the hero. I can play any character that gets thrown at me. I can pretend to my friends and my family that six months after she was gone I was better. So I fucking pretended and pretended and every single moment was focused on those three kids and nothing else. Nothing mattered to me. I didn’t matter to me. But I needed to work again and I needed help and you walked through the front door and it fell apart. You’re one of the best things to ever happen to me.”

“Jensen…” you said, pulling him into a hug. You saw a sketchy guy cut through the alley, rushing over. “Fuck off! We’re having a fucking moment!”

The guy froze and stared at you, heading back the other direction.

“Did you just scream at a mugger?” asked Jensen, staring back into the alley as you tugged him back out into the light. 

“Maybe. I don’t know. I...have you ever been to a therapist? Honestly?” you asked.

“No. I lied about that,” he said as he looked down. “I told my family that and they bought it.”

“Come on,” you said, taking his hand and turning around. “I want to take you somewhere.”

“Where?” he asked.

“Somewhere you can talk,” you said. “I promise.”

One Hour Later

“Y/N,” said Dr. Moseley. You scrambled from hanging your feet over the back of the couch and righted yourself, Jensen chuckling as he stepped out from the office into the lobby area. “Been doing that since she was a kid. Some habits die hard.”

“I think that’s just how she enjoys watching TV,” said Jensen while you hit the button on the remote. You stood up and Jensen looked a whole lot red eyed but lighter too. “I feel better. A lot better.”

“Y/N, your turn,” said Dr. Moseley and you stared. “You gonna call my office and ask for an emergency session for your fiance I’m not letting you slip out of here without a quick tag up.”

“Ugh,” you groaned. “I’m hungry.”

“Ten minutes tops,” said Dr. Moseley to Jensen. You padded into the familiar office, the door closing behind you. “So. How have things been?”

“I don’t know. Is my fiance alright?” you asked.

“Yeah. I don’t even peg him as a repeat customer. He does need to work on bottling things up though. I know you have some good tips for that,” he said as you nodded. “You look good. Things are more stable it sounds like.”

“Yeah. I dumped the loser. Sold a children’s book,” you said.

“Ah you loved drawing I remember. That’s all we did our first session together,” he said.

“You didn’t tell him, did you.”

“You didn’t tell him either,” he said. “I thought I’d never hear from you again.”

“You did say if I was ever in trouble,” you said, looking back at the door. “He’s okay?”

“Yeah. He’s getting close to the year anniversary of the death. It can be triggering to some. But I think with you he’ll be just fine,” he said. 

“Thanks Ray,” you said, spotting the picture on the shelf behind him. “Shit, Georgie got big.”

“Well you haven’t seen him in nine years and he was ten last time you saw him,” he chuckled, pulling out his phone and showing you a few pictures. “Taylor had her twentieth birthday last week.”

“My soon to be step daughter’s is next week,” you said with a smile.

“Shit you all grew up fast. That’s what I get for adopting,” he chuckled to himself, taking a seat on the couch beside you. “Thanks for calling tonight.”

“I knew you’d help him,” you said.

“Sounds like he helps you too,” he said. 

“He’s alright,” you said with a shrug. 

“He’s a little old for you.”

“Mom was a little old for you,” you said, Ray smiling. “How’s Sarah?”

“Good. She asks about you every so often,” he said. “Asks if we made up yet.”

“We never fought,” you said. You looked down, Ray tucking a hair behind your ear. 

“You stopped smiling when your mom got her diagnosis,” he said. “No matter what I did, I couldn’t get a smile back on that face.”

“Ray it wasn’t you,” you said. 

“The way you lit up when you saw him walk out of this room...I don’t know how you got that spark back but I’m glad you found it,” he said.

“He has a lot to do with that,” you said. “The kids do.”

“I wasn’t in a great place myself when I met you,” he said. “God I did not realize-”

“When that snarky eight year old walked in you’d end up with her mom?” you asked. 

“It was highly inappropriate,” he said.

“So is ending up with the dad you were nannying for,” you said. 

“Mom would like him. He’s kind. Got a lot of love in there,” he said. “He said that thing she used to say to me.”

“I may have told him about the you can have more than one person thing.”

“She’d like him,” he said.

“Do you?”

“Yeah. I’d prefer you not end up with you know, a celebrity. But if you’re gonna be with one, be with that one. He stays out of trouble,” he said.

“Uh, how would you know that?” you asked. 

“Sarah’s something of a...fan of his old show. When she saw you in the background of his instagram photo, I did a little digging.”

“Ray.”

“I care about you. Sue me,” he said. You turned and looked out the dark window. “It was good seeing you again.”

“You know you didn’t do anything wrong right?” you said.

“I know. You had to go and find your own way. I understand it. It doesn’t mean you can’t ever come back,” he said. “If you want that is.”

“Ray I’m not looking for a father,” you said.

“You don’t have to look at all,” he said.

“If you wanted in my life so badly you could have adopted me. You could have married mom. But you didn’t and less than two years later-”

“Your mother did not want to marry again and I didn’t adopt you to because you didn’t want me to.”

“Of course I wanted you to. You don’t need a fucking PhD to figure that one out.”

“No you didn’t. You told me yourself.”

“I was a pissed off, upset, hormonal teenager, Ray. I wanted the exact opposite of that. I wanted to know you loved me just as much as you did her and maybe you did but it left a mark and I left. You moved on and I moved on. Let’s be happy and forget about the rest, alright?”

“Alright,” he said as you stood. “If you ever-”

“I know. I can call you,” you said. He nodded and you went to the door, leaning your head back. “Maybe you guys can come over for swimming or something sometime.”

“You just said you moved on.”

“I moved on from being pissed off at you a long time ago. I have lived with a man that lost the love of his life for six months. Losing mom fucked you up just as bad and I was too young to understand that back then. But maybe we can do dinners every once in a while again, you know?”

“I’d like that,” he said.

“I’ll call sometime when things are a little slower for us.”

“Okay,” he said with a smile He got up and you paused, getting a hug from him. “He’ll be alright, needed to let it out, hear you’re not going anywhere is all.”

“Were you ever afraid of losing Sarah?” you asked. “You’ve been in his position before is why I ask.”

“People are different but yeah, when someone gets inside like that after you’ve suffered losing that before, it’s frightening. It can be debilitating. It can ruin things.”

“But you and Sarah got married and are still together.”

“Be gentle with him when he’s afraid. Comfort him but don’t coddle him. His fears will become manageable and quiet. He has fallen unconditionally in love with you knowing how much pain happens when it gets taken away. Part of him says run away and save yourself from it happening again. Part of him says she’s worth every second of that pain. It’s how I was. Just treat him normally and he’ll learn to live with it.”

“It doesn’t go away?”

“Has he ever been late coming home? Fender bender?”

“He got bit by a scorpion recently,” you said.

“Did you freak out?”

“On the inside,” you said as he smiled. “So that’s the cost.”

“The good times are worth the bad ones,” he said. “Go take him around the corner to Mort’s. They’re open until midnight in the summer.”

“Do they still do the peach cobbler sundae?” you asked.

“Oh yeah,” he said.

“Do you want to…” you trailed off.

“It’s late but I appreciate the offer. Another time for sure though. I have a soccer game to get ready for in the morning,” he said with a sigh. “I am so not coaching next year. I should have quit when Taylor graduated.”

“Yeah you will,” you said. “You were even my coach back in the day.”

“I still can’t kick the ball yet for some reason they want me to be head coach,” he chuckled as he opened the door. Jensen had his nose in the bookshelf, turning around with a curious look. “Y/N’s going to take you out for ice cream. Doctor’s orders.”

“Is this...Y/N?” asked Jensen, pointing at a photograph. Ray walked over and smiled as he picked it up.

“She was about ten years old in that picture,” he said, showing it to you.

“I remember that day. You puked on the ferris wheel,” you said.

“I don’t do rides well,” he said, putting it back.

“Wait I thought you were her therapist for all the crap that happened as a kid,” said Jensen, glancing at you.

“I was. Y/N’s mother felt after the adoption it’d be good for her, for them both, to have Y/N see someone,” said Ray.

“Oh. That’s nice you do like a fun day for your patients,” said Jensen. You rolled your eyes as Ray chuckled.

“Jensen. This is Dr. Moseley. Dr. Ray Moseley. My mom’s old boyfriend,” you said. Jensen looked at Ray and smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you,” said Jensen. “I’ve heard good things.”

“Well that’s always good,” said Ray. “I’ll see you two around sometime.”

“We would like that,” you said, taking Jensen’s hand. “Let’s let Ray head home. He’s got an early morning.”

“It was nice meeting you Jensen. Call anytime you need to, day or night,” said Ray.

“Thanks,” said Jensen. A few minutes later you were back on the street and walking down the block, Ray driving off in his car. “So the therapist you know from when you were a kid is Ray?”

“Yeah. It’s how they met. My mom wanted me to deal with the stuff my dad did. Ray helped me process and be a pretty normal kid again. He and mom hit it off. He was done for the first day they met he said. They got together after I finished up my sessions. When you started talking like that earlier and said you never spoke to anyone, I knew Ray could help.”

“Thanks,” he said quietly, letting you lead him towards an ice cream shop. You sent him over to a table out front while you ordered, returning after a moment with a sundae in a dish and two spoons. “I’m sorry, for lying about seeing a therapist.”

“Why did you?” you asked, taking a seat and handing him a spoon.

“It’s what I told everyone. People don’t worry so much,” he said with a shrug. “I...I’m normally the one that other people can come to for help. I’m not so good at asking for it. I got tired of everyone constantly asking me are you okay? Let me do this for you. Let me do that. I got it, you go rest. I wanted everyone to leave me alone and treat me normally again. Lying took care of that mostly.”

“Please don’t lie to me ever again,” you said. He nodded and you cocked your head. “You don’t have to talk to me but if you feel like you’re bottling stuff up to that extreme again, talk to someone. Please.”

“I will. I’m sorry for acting how I did earlier. All you were trying to say was you’d stop me from being hurt if you could and I twisted it.”

“Sounds like you untwisted it.”

“Ray was good to talk to. An objective third party telling you stuff puts it in perspective.” He picked at the sundae and smiled when he took a bite, going back for a bigger piece. “What’d you two talk about in there?”

“You. Me,” you said, getting a scoop of whip cream. “I told him maybe they could come over for a swim and dinner sometime.”

“He still loves you you know.”

“Yeah,” you said with a nod. “When things calm down, maybe…”

“Do you still love him?” You nodded and scraped away at piece of ice cream that was threatening to fall off the edge of the dish. “Do you think he’ll hurt you?”

“He had the opportunity after my mom died to adopt me. But he didn’t. It hurt that he didn’t. I got it in my head that he only cared about me for her and it wasn’t right but it’s what I felt back then.”

“How do you feel now?”

“I understand he was in pain and I was a brat that took all of mine out on him. I wish he had fought me harder on staying in a way. Let me know he did care.”

“Y/N honey,” said Jensen, leaning forward in his seat. “He has a picture of you in his office. I think you asked for your space and he let you have it. I think that was his attempt at saying he cared back then.”

“Which is why maybe...he can come back into my life,” you said. 

“Whatever you decide, I’ll support it,” he said. “It’s not a simple decision.”

“No, I know he never stopped caring but he was the adult and I was the kid back then. I needed him to say stay.”

“Well, I know somebody who wants you to stay. Actually he’s not letting you go ever,” he said.

“Oh really?” you said, Jensen smirking. “Never ever?”

“Nope. You’re stuck with him for eternity. Sorry in advance for any future freak out sessions,” he chuckled.

“You were scared and a guy like you, I know you hate being scared. Freak out everyday and it still wouldn’t bother me,” you said.

“You’re similar though.”

“True but it works. I take care of you, you take care of me, we eat ice cream and make out in the back of your car and it sounds pretty good to me.”

“I like the way you think.” 

Ten minutes later you were walking through downtown, Jensen’s hand holding yours loosely. You walked past a young couple, one of them carrying a sleeping toddler. 

“You’d make a really cute baby,” he said. You looked over at him and smiled. “Not you you. I mean-”

“I know what you meant. How do you know if you’re ready?” you asked.

“You don’t. Not really. You can prep but you’re never really ready. I always thought you know, when you’re stable, mature enough, when you want it, then you’re ready.”

“I don’t think I’m ready to take care of an infant.”

“Haven’t you been a nanny to babies before though?”

“Yeah. But...the trying to raise a good person thing. A happy, good, kind person. I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“Says the woman who knows when a little boy is crying because of a tantrum and when he’s crying because something is wrong.”

“That’s different.”

“You’ve been doing it for months. I trust you with them completely, to make any kind of decision for them. They’re your kids too now.” You slowed your pace and he matched it, squeezing your hand. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Hearing you say that is nice is all.” 

“Believe me. I don’t think anyone in the world could possibly love you more than I do but if anyone does, it’s those three kids,” he said. “They ask about Dee more again and it’s all smiles. They ask about you a whole lot. For some reason they’re convinced we went to school together and that’s where we met.”

“I’m gonna check that under you look good and not I look old,” you laughed.

“No, no you don’t. You’re the one getting carded still, not me,” he said.

“Remember that waitress that kept flirting with you at that restaurant in Toronto? That was fucking hilarious.”

“You thought it was hilarious. I was dying showing her my drivers license and showing her the math of how you physically could not be my daughter.”

“Boys hit puberty at thirteen though,” you said, Jensen shaking his head. “Oh come on. Don’t tell me a guy like you hit it in highschool.”

“I was about five four my first year. You so could have kicked my little shrimpy ass. It was super awesome when all your buddies are like, growing a foot in a month and getting muscle and starting to shave and I’m like, the hobbit.”

You laughed and he bumped your shoulder.

“I really wanted to play football in school but I was always way too small. It’s why I wound up in baseball. Plus I think my mom liked it cause it was safer.”

“Eh, but some of those guys peak in high school. You haven’t hit yours yet.”

“You talking looks or like life?”

“Both. I mean when the new season of The Boys comes out you’re gonna get exposed to a huge audience. You’re gonna get to act in like, oscar movie shit and stuff,” you said. He shrugged and you bumped him back. “You’re gonna do amazing.”

“I don’t care about being in that kind of movie really though. I want to do fun things, things that interest me. I’m very happy if my biggest role is Dean Winchester.”

“Well, Dean gave you the opportunity to play Soldier Boy and he’s gonna give you more choices. Dean’s probably what you’ll be known for but you have some more power now cause of that. Maybe even more power with Dean someday. Just do stuff that you want to from now. As long as it makes you happy at the end of the day, I’m all for it.”

“I’m gonna promise you right here and now I won’t ever be away for months on end. I was gone so much before. I like being home. I’m not going away for nine months of the year ever again.”

“It’ll work,” you said. “I bet you could get your own little show in town like Jared if you wanted.”

“I will take the role of dad and future husband for now,” he said. 

“That’s a good role when you think about it.”

“Very good,” he said, leaning over to kiss your cheek. “What time is it?”

“About ten thirty,” you said. “Getting tired?”

“Band’s playing at a bar downtown, that one we heard that night you said I was your best friend.”

“Of course that is what you remember from that night,” you said, leaning against him. “They’re really in Austin?”

“Yup. You wanna go?”

“I’d love to.”

One Week Later

“Are we there yet?” groaned JJ from the backseat as Jensen drove through a suburb.

“We will be there in ten seconds,” he said, turning down another street before pulling into a driveway. “Go on and harass your grandparents.”

She unbuckled herself in the backseat and opened the door, dashing off and up to the house.

“What about you two? Ready to see grandma and grandpa?”

“I need to go to the bathroom,” said Arrow, kicking in her car seat. Jensen shook his head as you climbed out, undoing Zeppelin and watching him run across the grass up to the front door that was now open. 

“Let Arrow go first buddy!” said Jensen as Arrow ran around the car and into the house. “The kid hasn’t had a drink all morning yet she pisses like a race horse I swear.”

“She did knock back about three juice boxes on the way here,” you laughed. 

“Gotta cut that kid off at two,” he chuckled, going to the back of the truck. He pulled out his suitcase and the kids while you grabbed your own and the bag with JJ’s birthday presents. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here. Probably a year.”

“You okay?” you asked.

“Yeah. I’m good,” he said. You followed him up to the house, setting the presents bag down by the door, carrying the suitcases upstairs. “You can put the kids stuff in here. This was my sister’s room.”

“It’s huge,” you said, spotting the bunks up against the wall. “That’s really nice with the full size beds.”

“My parents re did it once there were grandkids and stuff for the holidays. We can stay in my old room,” he said, showing you across the hall. It was smaller and a bit plain but you did notice the cowboy blanket on the bed. He quickly grabbed it and bundled it up, opening a closet door and shoving it inside.

“Yours?” you asked, reaching out for it. He nodded and hesitated a moment before letting you have it. “Is this from when you were little?”

“Yeah,” he said as you saw how the color had faded away in some spots. 

“Do you like to leave it here? We could bring it home if you want,” you said.

“I’m 43.”

“And…” you said, folding it and handing it back to him.

“I wouldn’t exactly say this goes with the master bedroom decor, would you?”

“Alright,” you said. “Seems special is all.”

He left it out on the bed as you looked out a window to the backyard, a few people out there along with the kids.

“Those your parents?” you asked.

“Yeah. That’s my-” he said before he let out a whoof. You turned and saw him tackled on the bed by a man and woman, both of them chuckling. “Guys, come on.”

“Relax, we’re just having fun, Jens,” said the man as he straightened up and Jensen sat up. “Hi. You must be the girlfriend.”

“Yeah. I’m Y/N,” you said, holding out a hand. You were surprised when the man and woman looked at each other and then gave you a hug. You returned it briefly, both of them chuckling while Jensen groaned on bed.

“We know all about you. Josh. Mack. Obviously you know doofus over there,” said Josh.

“Guys,” groaned Jensen.

“Calm yourself,” said his sister. “We’re saying hi to our future sister in law is all.”

“I hate this,” said Jensen, laying back and throwing a pillow over his face.

“He’s never been good with the whole introducing his girl to the family thing. Ain’t that right, Jenny?” asked Josh. Jensen sighed under the pillow and he rolled his eyes. “Well, you can lay there. We’re stealing her.”

“What?” said Jensen as Mackenzie pushed you out of the room. Josh whistled as he ducked out and pulled the door shut, holding it in place.

“Josh let me out!” said Jensen. “It wasn’t funny when I was five and it’s not funny now!”

“Believe me, it’s always been funny,” said Mackenzie to you, nodding at Josh as he pulled a headband around the handle and then over to a curtain rod at the window next to the wall. 

“Joshua! I’ll call mom!” said Jensen through the door.

“We need five minutes alone with Y/N. I’ll let you out when we’re done,” said Josh. He stepped into the room next door, Mackenzie pushing you inside. 

“Uh, what is this?” you asked, taking a seat on the bed. They looked at one another and shut the door. You swallowed but saw them both smile.

“Thank you,” she said, Josh nodding. “Jensen’s had a hard year and last time we saw him at Christmas-”

“He wasn’t doing so hot. He can act his ass off but he can’t pretend to us,” said Josh. 

“He sounds...he’s always so excited to talk about you on the phone, even if we don’t know that many details. He’s always been a little vague but we know you’re the reason he’s doing so well.”

“So don’t worry about the nanny stuff or being the new fiance or whatever you’re worried about. We don’t get to see our brother that much but we like hearing him like his old self again,” said Josh.

“You guys really don’t have a problem with me?” you asked. “Like seriously?”

“You’re not like, crazy right?” asked Mackenzie. You shook your head. “So then seriously we don’t have a problem with you.”

“Thanks,” you said quietly. You tucked your hair behind your ear and took a deep breath. “I know I’m...not her. And I’m younger and I was the nanny and it’s really easy to assume things about me...I don’t want anything to come between him and his family and especially not have that be me. I know all of you took care of him and I want him to feel comfortable again, not get stressed out at seeing you guys.”

“He didn’t want to see us?” asked Mackenzie.

“He does. It’s a feeling I get from him is all. He loves me and I know he wants…me getting along with you guys is important to him,” you said.

“You can be part of this family too,” said Josh. “Really. We know it’ll never go back to how it was but we can have something just as good.”

“We do have one question though,” said Mackenzie. You smiled and nodded as she sat next to you. “Why do you like him? We think he’s horrendous but we get that people find him attractive.”

“He’s handsome but he makes me the happiest I think I’ve ever been in my life. Mine’s kind of been a cluster and he’s a good best friend to have. I just like him I suppose,” you said.

“Do you prank him?” she asked.

“Oh yeah,” you laughed, the two of them smirking.

“Yeah you’re cool with us,” said his brother. “Come on, let’s let the dork out before he calls mom on us.”

He stepped outside and Jensen huffed when Josh let him out.

“What did-” he said before you stepped over to Jensen. “Did they-”

“We had a little talk is all. They love you and so do I so there’s absolutely nothing to worry about besides the fact you can’t escape your childhood bedroom. We may need to consider getting a dog if that keeps up,” you said.

“Well...good,” said Jensen, crossing his arms. “And I’ll have you know, that headband has elastic in it.”

“The arms are for show,” whispered Mackenzie. 

“You’re due for a noogie,” said Jensen, skirting past you and chasing her down the hall. 

“You got any siblings?” asked Josh to you as Jensen tackled his sister into a bedroom. You shook your head and he smiled. “Well, this is about how it goes around here.”

“How often does she win? Having two older brothers and all.”

“More often than you’d think. Our brother in law is at work still but he’s always a wild card on if he’ll help us torture or not.”

“Ah so you’re all grown children, not just Jensen.”

“Pretty much,” he said, Jensen laying back in the hall. “Ready to go see mom and dad?”

“Not really,” mumbled Jensen.

“Time to face the music,” said Josh, pushing you down the hall and stepping over Jensen. He popped up to his feet and you headed downstairs.

“Hold up,” said Jensen.

“Tell him to calm down,” said Josh in your ear. You nodded and his siblings headed outside as an older woman came in.

“Hey mom,” said Jensen, getting a large hug from her when she spotted you both in the kitchen.

“You look so good! You got some weight back,” she said, Jensen sighing. “You were too skinny and you know it. You eating enough again?”

“Yes ma,” he said, shaking his head. He reached out a hand and you let him take it, his mother giving you a friendly enough smile. “This is Y/N, my fiance.”

“Fiance?” she said, looking you up and down. Something about it felt off though and you forced a happy look on your face. “The kids didn’t mention that.”

“It’s a recent development,” said Jensen as he squeezed your hand. “I know it seems a little fast probably but we’ve been together nearly six months.”

“Oh. So you got together not long after the holidays,” she said, a smile on her face but you both saw through it.

“Yeah,” said Jensen, his father coming in the back door with a water bottle. “Dad this is Y/N.”

“They’re engaged, Alan,” she said. “Isn’t that nice?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Donna you mind coming with me to pick up the food order?”

“We can get it,” you said, both of them staring at you. “We know it’s been awhile since you’ve seen the kids.”

“We’ll get it,” he said, voice not necessarily harsh but there was a firmness there you weren’t expecting. They skirted past the two of you and out the front door, Jensen watching it close. 

“Why don’t you introduce me to the rest of the family?” you said.

“Sure,” he said quietly. “Right this way.”

________

A/N: Read Part 12 here!

[justoneofthoseghosts]

Brettsey + unbind me

Sylvie groans as she hears her alarm blaring.

Is it already 7 am? She thinks. It feels like her head just hit the pillow.

She groans again sticking out her hand and blindly searching for her phone on the night stand. She manages to grasp the offending item and is about hit snooze when she realizes two things from looking at the lit up screen:

One - it’s only 3 am and two - it’s not her alarm but rather someone calling.

Who the heck would call her at this God forsaken hour? Sylvie considers ignoring it but her better judgement rules. It could be an emergency. She hits the accept button, yawning.

“Hello,” she greets groggily, her voice hoarse from sleep.

The person on the other end of the line speaks for a few moments and Sylvie’s eyes grow wider with every word she hears.

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” she confirms before ending the call.

What the heck, she thinks.

She quickly scrambles out of bed and grabs her purse from the chair, not bothering to change from her pajamas. She moves into the hallway, getting her coat from the rack and putting on a pair of slip on sneakers. Lastly, she picks up her keys from the catch all on the table near the door. She swiftly locks the door and flies off into the night.

“Tell me how this happened?”

Sylvie lifts an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. She’s by the open door staring at Matt and Kelly, who are both slumped in chairs, looking worse for wear.

They were supposed to be at Kelly’s bachelor’s party or at least, that’s what Matt told her earlier in the evening. Sylvie didn’t ask what they were doing but she’s sure it didn’t include a pit stop here.

“Brett! You’re here,” Kelly says a bit too loudly when he notices her standing there.

Sylvie bites her lip trying hard to stifle a laugh. She tries to remain stern but based on Kelly’s reaction, he’s clearly had too much to drink and she finds it hard to keep a straight face.

“Hey man,” Kelly nudges Matt and whispers conspiratorially, “Brett’s here to save us.”

Matt’s head suddenly snaps up, searching around the tiny room for Sylvie. When he spots her, he breaks out into a wide grin.

“I knew you’d come,” he remarks, still smiling like a doofus, his eyes glazed over.

Sylvie lets out a snort. Trudy called to inform her that a patrol car had picked up Matt and Kelly trying to break into the Lincoln Park zoo. Thankfully, they recognized the two as CFD firefighters and brought them to the 21st district more for their safety than anything else. Trudy assured Sylvie that neither man would get booked. She sighed in relief but now, all she wants is to know why they were attempting to get into the zoo.

Sylvie walks into the room and pulls up a chair, folding her hands on the table. She gazes from Matt to Kelly, “start from the beginning.”

“So -“

“The thing is -“

They start to speak at the same time. Sylvie holds up a hand. She’s barely awake herself and trying to decipher the truth from two drunk men talking over each other isn’t going to help.

“Matt, what’s the story?” She asks, her curiosity piqued.

“See, it was a really, really normal night. We went on a uh, a uh - hey, Sev, what was that we did again?” Matt inquires as he taps Kelly on the shoulder.

“It’s called a pub crawl, Casey,” Kelly points out, his eyes drooping.

“Thank you,” Matt slaps his best friend’s arm in gratitude.

“Ow.”

Matt doesn’t bother apologizing and meets Sylvie’s gaze again, “right, so we were on a pub crawl then we went to this one place that had a The Hangover poster framed on the wall and It reminded me that Severide wanted to be stuck on a roof with Mike Tyson’s tiger.”

Sylvie takes in what her boyfriend just told her.

“So you decided to go to the zoo to -“ Sylvie trails off.

“Borrow a tiger,” Matt mentions casually as if it wasn’t a big deal and extremely normal in any circumstance.

And it’s exactly what Sylvie thought Matt would say and she can’t hold back her laughter any longer as it bubbles out of her. Jesus, she thinks, she’s glad those officers were able to stop this rather strange escapade of theirs. She can’t even imagine what would have happened had they been successful.

“Oh my God, Matt,” she wheezes once she’s able to regain some composure, “how much did you guys have to drink?”

Matt scrunches his nose as he thinks about it, “well, there was the beers from the first pub, then some whiskey, then at that little Tiki place near the river walk, we had a couple of fruit flavored shots that a bunch of sorority girls bought us.”

“Sorority girls, huh?” Sylvie quips amusedly.

Kelly responds before Matt does, “don’t worry, Brett. Casey barely looked at any of them. Also, I think they all preferred Gallo. Casey looked like the kid’s dad.”

Sylvie chokes out another laugh as Matt shoots a dirty look at Kelly, “I resent that.”

She straightens up, eyeing them both, “so let me get this straight, the two of you drink your body weight in what - Jell-O shots? - and end up thinking it’s a good idea to just waltz on over to the Lincoln Park zoo to grab a tiger and possibly drag said tiger onto a roof?”

“Yup,” the two men say in unison.

“Right,” Sylvie states. She can’t wait to tell Stella all about this, which reminds her -

“Why didn’t you call Stella?”

“Trudy said we could only call one of you so we did, uh, Rock Paper Scissors and I won.” Matt admits sheepishly.

This whole situation is one giant trip. Sylvie considers that maybe she might be dreaming so she reaches over and pinches Matt’s cheek.

“Ouch.”

Okay, not a dream then but she is definitely tired and in need of some sleep.

Sylvie stands up and beckons to them, “I think that’s enough excitement for one night. Time to head home boys. I’ll drop you off at the loft.”

Matt gets up and stumbles over to her. He holds her hand and looks into her eyes.

“I want to go home with you,” he slurs as he hugs her close, “like every day.”

Sylvie is at a loss for words. Did Matt just ask her to move in with him or rather, tell her he wants to move in with her considering he doesn’t have this own place?

She doesn’t give an affirmative instead she rubs his back and whispers, “one day.”

He smiles briefly, locking eyes with her again. His face is mere inches from hers and Sylvie leans in but before they can kiss, they hear a loud noise. They turn to the left to find Kelly passed out on the chair, snoring loudly.

They manage to wake him up and as the three of them make their way back to the front desk, Trudy smirks.

“You’re not going to tell anyone about this, are you, Trudy?” Matt asks tentatively, starting to sober up.

Trudy quirks an eyebrow.

Matt grumbles, “you already told Mouch, didn’t you?”

“Yep."

[reinerispretty]

reminiscence. (? x f!reader) pt9

hello and welcome back! thank you for ur patience! this is another over 5000 words one, so pls enjoy! feedback and sharing is loved and appreciated but not necessary!!

pt1

pt8

pt10

“Have you talked to him at all since…?” Asami asked.

“Since I completely embarrassed myself at dinner the other night? No, I haven’t.” She situated herself in bed and turned over to look at her friends. “Do you think I should? I mean, it is odd that he just kissed me out of nowhere, right?”

“Mako’s not one to hold back when it comes to his feelings,” Korra said, and she and Asami exchanged a knowing smile.

Asami swung her fist forward, but (Y/N) ducked and lurched towards her to land a hit in Asami’s abdomen. She blocked her punch by grabbing (Y/N’s) wrist with a hard grip. (Y/N) paused, unsure of what move to do next, before relying on her instincts. Asami would expect her to try to punch with her other hand, but (Y/N) dropped to the ground and swept her leg under Asami’s. She toppled to the ground and landed on her back. As (Y/N) leaned over her, Asami gave her a bright smile. “You did so well! You’re a quick learner.” She took (Y/N’s) hand and stood on her feet. “One or two more sessions and you’ll be ready to handle anything.”

“It’s because I had a great teacher,” (Y/N) gave Asami a sloppy bow. “You really think I’ll have to fight in the Spirit World?” Asami shrugged.

“It’s better to be prepared for anything.”

After the disastrous dinner earlier in the week, (Y/N) had thrown herself into training with Asami and Korra. Both girls were great at teaching her hand-to-hand combat, and the exercise helped take (Y/N’s) mind off of everything that had happened with Mako and Bolin. By the time she went to bed at night, she was too exhausted to spend the night lying awake and wondering what she should do.

It was awkward now, being around Mako. He was trying his best to be nicer to her, she had noticed. But they hadn’t talked about his reasoning behind the kiss and at this point, (Y/N) was so full of scrambled emotions that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know. She wanted to just write it off as a fluke, an accident, and focus on preparing for their journey to the Spirit World.

She had barely talked to Bolin since that dinner. They only saw each other in passing. He avoided areas that Mako tended to be, so he rarely hung out with the group as a whole. (Y/N) was beginning to worry. Korra had assured her that Bolin would be fine. He bounced back quickly when he was upset and his and Mako’s relationship would be fine. But (Y/N) had passed Mako standing in front of Bolin’s door each night as his knocks went unanswered. Not seeing Bolin as much unsettled her, putting a sour feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Asami handed her a bottle of water, which (Y/N) gratefully accepted. “Are you coming to lunch?” She shook her head.

“I think I’m going to head to my room and freshen up, maybe take a nap.” Asami nodded and they bid each other goodbye.

The walk to (Y/N’s) room was long and allowed plenty of time for thoughts to run through her head. She had stuck her foot in her mouth earlier this week, but she wanted to make things right. She had given Bolin space, because that’s what she thought he had needed, but him not being part of their meals and time together just felt unnatural.

She stopped in front of his door. She knew that she probably looked a mess. She was sweaty, and her hair was falling from the ponytail she had put it into before her training, but she had to do this now before she talked herself out of it. Raising her fist, (Y/N) gave a few raps against the dark wood and waited. “Bolin?” She asked after there was no answer. “It’s me, (Y/N).”

  ---

Bolin had spent the last few days laying in bed with his eyes glued to the ceiling. It has been over a year since he had last seen (Y/), before all of this mess had happened, and he had thought he was doing alright. He didn’t wake up in the mornings feeling empty anymore, like a piece of his heart was missing. She wasn’t the first thing on his mind when he opened his eyes and she wasn’t the last thing he thought of before going to sleep. He could actually make it through his day without being reminded of her.

And when she showed up unannounced sure, it had tugged at his heartstrings to see her. It had brought back a flurry of old memories with every facial expression she made. But Bolin was okay. He had gotten over her. So, why was he so angry? Every time he thought about Mako kissing (Y/N), it nearly enraged him. Bolin hated feeling like this. He was never an angry person, but right now if he could punch Mako in the face, he would. And he didn’t understand why. After all, Mako was the one that had been so adamant about Bolin getting over (Y/N). He had told him to put himself back out there, to make new memories to replace the old ones. Had this been his plan all along, to steal (Y/N) from Bolin?

Bolin shut his eyes tight. No, Mako wouldn’t do that. And besides, (Y/N) wasn’t his. He didn’t have any claim over her, especially not know, when she doesn’t know who he is. She knows nothing about their history together and Bolin had to be honest, sometimes it killed him. Sometimes he wanted to make a joke that he knew only she would understand, but she wouldn’t now. In the mean time, before she got her memories back, he had wanted to be her friend. It wasn’t her fault that this had happened to her, and a tiny part of him hoped that maybe this amnesia thing would explain what had happened between them. He had to admit that a small part of him did enjoy standing so close to her and hearing her laugh and spending time with her, but he had written it all off as leftover feelings.

She had done quite a number on his heart, after all.

Almost two years ago, Bolin stood on the doorsteps of (Y/N’s) apartment, waiting in the cold winter air. He hit the buzzer and heard the second-floor window fly open. “I’m almost ready!” She called down to him, poking her head out of the window. Bolin’s heart caught in his chest for a moment. Half from seeing his girlfriend and half from noticing how far she was hanging out the window. “You can come up if you want!” Bolin accepted her invitation silently and pulled open the door, a chill running through his body as he stepped from cold air into warm. He walked up the high flight of stairs and immediately stood in (Y/N’s) living room.

Every time he had visited, he was unsure how a girl could come to accumulate so much stuff. Her furniture was all mismatched, taken from sales and alleyways, and piles of books were scattered across the entire apartment. Potted plants lay in beams of direct sunlight beneath the windows. Upstairs in the loft, he could hear her rifling through clothes to get ready for tonight.

“I have absolutely nothing to wear,” He heard her huff, just as a blouse fluttered down from above and landed at Bolin’s feet. He picked it up and climbed the stairs to the loft to return it to her.

“No matter what you wear, you’re still gonna be the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen,” And she turned around and gave him a smile, biting down on her lip to prevent herself from grinning so wide.

“Thank you, Bo,” She said softly, standing in front of the mirror to smooth down her hair. “I’m just nervous.”

“I’m meeting your mom, shouldn’t I be the only one that’s nervous?” She scoffed, pulling one of the old sweaters he had given her from her closet and pulling it over her shoulders. It was green, like most of Bolin’s things were, and he couldn’t help but run over to her and hug her from behind, lifting her into the air as he did so. She let out a squeal of surprise that turned into laughter. He thought she was beautiful no matter what she wore, but something about seeing her in his clothes made his heart soar even more than it did when he was around her.

She turned around once he set her down, but his hands were still placed gently on her waist. She smoothed out the collar of his shirt. Bolin had wanted to dress to impress, so he borrowed one of Mako’s nicest shirts. It was a bit too tight on Bolin’s frame, but he hoped if he kept his jacket on, no one would notice. “My mom is just…something else. She owns Kwong’s Cuisine, so sometimes I think she thinks she’s better than people. I don’t want her to scare you away.”

He pressed a kiss to her cheek and she hummed, wrapping her arms around his middle and resting his head on her chest. “Nothing could ever scare me away from you.”

They walked the whole way to the restaurant, which had closed just a few hours prior. Bolin thought the dinner idea was nice. (Y/N’s) mother had suggested a private, after-hours dinner with just the three of them. Her mother was not only the owner, but a highly renowned chef in Republic City, so Bolin’s stomach grumbled in anticipation as (Y/N) led him through the doors of Kwong’s Cuisine. The inside was beyond elegant. Bolin had only seen the inside when he was walking by and people were entering or leaving the building. He had always wondered what it was like, and it had certainly surpassed his expectations. The host took their coats and led them to the table where (Y/N’s) mother was waiting.

Her mother sat with her hands folded in her lap as they approached. Everything about her seemed regal, from each perfectly placed hair atop her head to how even though Bolin was standing and she was sitting, it seemed like she looked down on him.

“Hi Mom,” (Y/N) said as they approached. Her mother remained seated and Bolin noticed how rigid (Y/N’s) body had become. “This is my boyfriend, Bolin.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am!” Bolin said excitedly, extending his hand out to offer a shake. She stared at it for a few moments before Bolin retracted it, wiping the sweat that had accumulated onto his dress pants. He pulled out (Y/N’s) chair before sitting down across from her. There were only three chairs at this particular table, and although she was still within arms reach, Bolin felt like he was way too far away from her.

“Your restaurant is amazing,” Bolin said, staring at the chandeliers over their heads. “I’ve heard super great things about it.”

“You’ve never been to Kwong’s Cuisine?” Her mother asked, taking a sip of her water. Bolin shook his head.

“It’s not quite within my price range unfortunately,” Bolin chuckled, and (Y/N) smiled at him as she started to look at her menu.

“I don’t know why you need that thing,” Her mother said off-handedly. “If you work here you should have the menu memorized.” (Y/N’s) fingers gripped the menu pages tightly.

“I was just looking.”

“Bolin,” Her mother said, turning to Bolin, but she pronounced his name all wrong. She said it as “Ball-in” and while Bolin wasn’t all that concerned, he could tell that it irked (Y/N). “I’m glad I’m finally meeting you. I was beginning to worry that our dear (Y/N) was going to keep you a secret for forever.” Bolin stole a glance at (Y/N), but she was staring very intently at the menu. “Tell me about yourself, since my daughter neglected to do so.”

“Oh,” Bolin said, and he was starting to sweat at the back of his neck. Had (Y/N) really not said anything to her own mother about him? She worked at this restaurant nearly every day! She had sneaked him into the kitchens and she hadn’t bothered to at least mention him? “Well, my name’s Bolin, but uh, you already knew that.” He coughed to clear his throat. “I have an older brother, Mako, he’s pretty cool. He and (Y/N) get along swell. We’re part of the Pro-Bending team, the Fire Ferrets,” And the look that (Y/N’s) mother made told Bolin that he probably shouldn’t have said that.

(Y/N) came to the rescue. “They’re amazing! You should see them play at the stadium, Bolin and Mako are like a dynamic duo.”

“I see,” Her mother said. “And do you and your brother see yourselves making a career out of this?”

“Well-“

“Because I can’t imagine that you could win every game.”

“Mom…”

“And it just seems to me that it’s not a very practical career avenue. I mean, what must your parents think?”

Bolin was feeling awkward and uncomfortable. He understood now, why (Y/N) was so nervous about him meeting her mother. He felt like he wanted to run and never stop. But he remained seated. “My parents passed away when Mako and I were little.”

“Surely your family must-“

“Mako and Bolin don’t have any other family.” (Y/N) snapped. That seemed to shock her mother into enough silence so (Y/N) continued. “Bo, I was thinking, you might like these Water Tribe noodles that we serve.” Bolin opened his menu for the first time but his eyes were just a bit watery.

They ate dinner for the rest of the night in silence. (Y/N) tried hard to make the conversation flow, but it seemed like that ship had sailed. Once they left for the night, she walked at Bolin’s side, huddling into herself.

“Why didn’t you tell your mom about me?” Bolin asked.

“I just wanted to have you to myself for a little while longer,” She said with a sigh. “I know I should have told her, but my mom…she ruins things. Good things. We used to get along swell before my dad left, but she turned into someone I don’t like.” (Y/N) looked up at him. “I didn’t want her to ruin us, too.”

Bolin reached out and grabbed her hand. (Y/N) squeezed it. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to protect me. I grew up living on the streets. I’ve probably stolen food out of the garbage from your mom’s restaurant. If you like me for who I am, then you have to know I like you for who you are. Scary mom and all.”

(Y/N) smiled up at him. “On the bright side, now that that’s over, we won’t have to see her again!” Bolin laughed.

“At least not until the wedding.” And because he knew her, he smiled at the warmth he knew was coming to her face.

Things went surprisingly well after meeting (Y/N’s) mom. They spent even more time together. Their anniversary was coming up soon and Bolin had been saving his cut of the Fire Ferret winnings for months to buy her something nice. He knew she wasn’t the kind of person who expected gifts from others, but he enjoyed spoiling her regardless, and wanted to give her something a little nicer than usual.

The idea of telling her that he loved her had also been bouncing around in his head. Bolin had never been one to deny his feelings, and although the majority of him was fairly confident that (Y/N) felt the same way, there was still the small fear of rejection at the back of his mind. But life was too short to live in fear, so when they would go out to their anniversary dinner, he would give her the present and also tell her that he loved her for the first time. And if she didn’t feel the same just yet, Bolin was okay was that. Because (Y/N) was the kind of person that Bolin wanted to wait for.

When he and Mako were little and living on the streets, they had to pawn off as many things as they can to make sure they could survive. This money lasted them for a few months. It helped to get them clothes and food. Mako had chosen to keep their father’s scarf and Bolin had chosen to keep Pabu, because having a pet around was always a good idea. One thing that they had to part with was their mother’s most prized possession: a necklace that their father had given her. It was pure gold, bent into the shape of the Earth symbol. Their father had told Mako and Bolin that he had given it to their mother when he was confident that he was going to marry her. Bolin had always been a romantic at heart and couldn’t wait for the day that he could give that necklace to someone. But as he and Mako fell on hard times, they decided to pawn the necklace to get some money for new winter clothes. Bolin had been tasked with taking the necklace to the shop and he had done so with shaking hands and watery eyes.

“Please don’t sell this to anyone else,” He said as he placed the necklace on the counter. “I-I’m gonna come back for it, I promise.” And the owner of the pawn shop took pity on him and decided to keep the necklace in the back room for whenever Bolin had the money to buy it back.

Bolin, with the money he had saved over the past few months, had been able to buy the necklace back just a few days prior. He kept it tucked away in his bedside drawer, eager for his anniversary with (Y/N) so he could give it to her.

But (Y/N) had walked into Bolin’s apartment a couple days later, her cheeks tearstained and her eyes bloodshot. He looked up from teaching Pabu a new trick, his eyes bright with excitement to show her, but his face fell at the sight. “Are you alright?” He asked, and (Y/N) sniffled.

“I’m breaking up with you,” Was what she said, and Bolin couldn’t help but laugh in surprise. This had to be a prank that she was playing. (Y/N) loved telling jokes.

When he saw the serious expression on her face, he felt panic arise in his stomach. “You’re being serious?” He asked, and she nodded her head. “W-what do you mean?” He rushed over to stand in front of her. “Why are you saying this?”

“Because we’re breaking up, Bolin,” She said, and she refused to meet his eyes. “We won’t work. Being with you was fun but I don’t see us going anywhere.”

“(Y/N), I don’t understand,” He could feel the prickling sensation at the back of his eyes. “You’re not making any sense. Come on, let’s talk about this.” He grabbed her hand.

“There’s nothing to talk about!” She insisted, ripping her hand out of his. Bolin’s fingers curled in on themselves, shocked at the absence. She had never reacted that way to him. “We’re breaking up and that’s it! I don’t know what you want from me!”

“I want an explanation! You can’t just come in here and decide that we’re broken up, I-We-I love you, (Y/N). Please.”

She looked up at him for the first time, her eyes boring into his. Her bottom lip quivered. “I don’t love you. There’s your explanation.” She spun on her heel and ran out of the apartment. Bolin was still in the same position when he heard the door shut.

He moved back to the couch to sit, still trying to process what had just happened. Pabu curled himself around his neck, licking at his cheek. It took Bolin a while to realize that Pabu was licking at the tears that were falling, now more rapidly. Once he started crying, Bolin felt like he couldn’t stop. He was still crying when Mako got home and cried as his brother hugged him through the night.

Bolin opened his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest and the familiar tight, anxious feeling that he had had that night in his chest. He hadn’t dreamt about what had happened between him and (Y/N) in over a year. He sat up in bed when he heard a knock at the door.

---

To (Y/N’s) surprise, she heard the click of the door unlocking and then Bolin was standing before her, his bright green eyes staring at her curiously. “Oh, hi!” He said, as if he hadn’t actually been expecting it to be her. “How are you?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing. We haven’t really gotten the chance to talk this week.” She gave him a sheepish smile.

“Yeah, you know me, super busy Bolin.” He looked back at his bare bedroom. “I’ve just been doing, you know, things.”

“Things,” (Y/N) repeated. She might not remember Bolin and his habits, but he was a horrible liar. “Listen, I just wanted to say sorry for everything that happened at dinner earlier this week. I spoke without thinking and I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“I’m not upset,” Bolin said. “Mako kissed you, that’s…that’s no big deal.” (Y/N) furrowed her brows.

“Does Mako know you feel that way?”

“You don’t have to come talk to me on his behalf. Whatever you guys have, I’m cool with it.”

“That wasn’t what I was doing, and Mako and I don’t ‘have’ anything.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her lips pulling down at the edges. “Don’t make assumptions about what’s going on between Mako and I before asking either one of us.”

“I wasn’t trying to make assumptions,” He said. “Listen, if you and Mako want to…y’know, have anything, I don’t want you to think that I’m upset or standing in the way of it. I’m fine, really. I’m over what happened between you and I. I was upset at Mako for not telling me, but I’m fine now.” He moved to shut the door.

“You’re over me,” (Y/N) said, and she felt like an idiot for repeating it but she needed to clarify.

“A thousand percent,” Bolin said with a smile. “From now on, we can be best buds!” With that, he shut the door. (Y/N) stared blankly at the hardwood for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. Bolin was over her. He had said it himself. She supposed she should have figured that. It had apparently been years since they had been together and it was obvious to her that she had hurt him very badly. Bolin deserved this outcome, he deserved to be over her after everything she had put him through. She should be happy for him.

As she walked back to the main part of the ship where the rest of her friends would be, she couldn’t help but comb through every interaction she ever had with Bolin. She had thought that maybe there had been something there. He had made her a favorite food of hers and had offered her a jacket to make sure she wasn’t cold. (Y/N) felt like an idiot. Those were probably just things Bolin did, and she wasn’t aware because she didn’t know him at all.

“(Y/N)!” Korra called, jogging to catch up with her friend. “I’ve been shouting for you to wait for like a whole minute.”

“Sorry,” (Y/N) said. “A lot on my mind, I guess.”

“Well you’re about to have even more on your mind, because I just talked to the captain and he said we’re going to dock in the Southern Water Tribe by nightfall.”

“That’s amazing!” (Y/N) exclaimed. She was going to allow herself to have a moment of excitement. “And then we’ll head into the Spirit World?”

“It’ll be too cold to leave at night. We’re going to stay with my parents and then my dad will help us get there tomorrow.” Korra grinned at (Y/N), her eyes barely visible from how wide her smile was. “I’m so excited for you to see where I’m from.”

“If it created someone like you, I’m sure it’s amazing,” (Y/N) said. Korra looped her arm through (Y/N’s).

“I’ll have to ask Mako and Bolin where your family’s from. I’d love to know if you have a bit of Water Tribe in you.” She poked her side, causing (Y/N) to giggle.

“I can’t wait to have all of the answers back,” (Y/N) said. “Who I am, where I’m from. Do you think my family is still in Republic City? Do I even have a family?” She turned to Korra. “I wonder if they’ll even let me come home.”

“You’re getting ahead of yourself. First, we have to figure out how to get your memories back. And then we have to figure out how to get you to stay in Republic City. I kind of like having you around.”

“Really?” (Y/N’s) smile was bright and beaming. She was thankful for Korra. When everything else was so uncertain, at least she had a friend in her from the very start.

“Yeah. There’s no one I know that does as much embarrassing stuff as you.”

---

They docked in the Southern Water Tribe late that night. (Y/N) had put on as many layers of clothing as she could to keep herself warm, but it still didn’t feel like enough. She was shivering as she walked off the boat, which caused Korra to laugh at her. “Not all of us have firebending to keep ourselves warm!” (Y/N) muttered.

Korra’s father was waiting at the end of the dock to take them all back to their home. He introduced himself as Tonraq and he absolutely towered over (Y/N). He looked rather intimidating, but he had a kind smile that (Y/N) appreciated.

“So you’re the young girl that’s been stirring things up in Republic City,” He laughed as he shook (Y/N’s) gloved hand. “Just when I think Korra might take a break, she’s gets herself into another adventure.”

“She’s been such a great friend to me these past few weeks,” (Y/N) said. They rod snowmobiles back to their hut. It was modest in size, but as soon as (Y/N) stepped inside, she felt so at home. A fire radiated in the middle of the room, keeping the entire house warm. Animal furs and pelts decorated the walls, but so did pictures of Korra. From an infant to present, photographs of Korra were placed through the entire house.

“It’s so nice to see all of you again,” Korra’s mom said as she hugged her daughter. “And it’s so nice to meet you!” She pulled (Y/N) into a hug of her own, surprising the girl. When they pulled away, she introduced herself. “I’m Senna. Korra has written us so much about you.”

“Alright,” Korra said with a cough, her face bearing a faint flush. “(Y/N) and Asami will stay in my room with me. Mako and Bolin, you’re going to sleep in the living room if that’s alright.”

“Sounds good to me!” Bolin said, and he started pulling out his sleeping bag to prepare for the night. (Y/N) couldn’t help but look back at him as she was guided into Korra’s bedroom.

It was a small bedroom with a bed pushed against the wall, but two beds had been set up on the floor. Korra’s walls were bare compared to the rest of the house. “I saw those pictures of you as a baby,” (Y/N) said. “You were so adorable!”

“’Were?’” Korra asked, and she, Asami, and (Y/N) laughed.

The three girls began getting ready for bed and each crawled underneath the covers. (Y/N) had opted to leave her jackets on. “I don’t think I have any Water Tribe in me,” She said to Korra. “It’s freezing here.”

“You get used to it eventually,” Asami said. Korra tossed a blanket at (Y/N), which landed on her head.

“Here, have one of mine.”

“Are you sure you won’t need it?”

“Nah, plus I don’t really want to hear Mako complaining in the morning when you’ve turned into an icicle.”

“Have you talked to him at all since…?” Asami asked.

“Since I completely embarrassed myself at dinner the other night? No, I haven’t.” She situated herself in bed and turned over to look at her friends. “Do you think I should? I mean, it is odd that he just kissed me out of nowhere, right?”

“Mako’s not one to hold back when it comes to his feelings,” Korra said, and she and Asami exchanged a knowing smile.

“I just don’t want to complicate things anymore. I talked to Bolin earlier today and he said that he doesn’t care what Mako and I do, because he’s over me. And I know it shouldn’t have, but it still stung.”

“Once we get your memories back, everything will make sense again,” Asami said, reaching underneath the blankets to squeeze (Y/N’s) hand.

“Thanks, guys,” (Y/N) said, closing her eyes to try to get some sleep. She and Asami’s fingertips remained touching throughout the night.

---

In the living room, Mako and Bolin remained wide awake. Both brothers stared at the ceiling, neither sure of what they should do in order to make themselves fall asleep. Mako decided to speak first.

“I’ve been trying to talk to you,” He said in a low whisper. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I kissed (Y/N). I don’t really know what happened. She just got me so angry.” Bolin hummed in acknowledgement, so Mako continued. “If I’m being honest, I did sort of like her when you guys were together.”

Bolin turned on his stomach to face Mako. “Have you liked every girl I’ve been with? First (Y/N), then Korra-!”

“Not every girl,” Mako said. “Just the really smart and pretty ones.” Bolin scoffed, but Mako could still see the hint of a smile on his face. “I don’t want you to think that I was trying to undermine you by kissing her. I really didn’t know what I was doing when I did it and I still don’t know why I did it. I’m glad she hasn’t tried to talk to me about it, because I’m not sure I wouldn’t have had an answer for her.”

“I don’t care that you guys kissed,” Bolin said. “I’ve been over (Y/N) for a while now. I was just bothered that you didn’t tell me about it.” Mako raised an eyebrow.

“You think you’re over (Y/N)?”

“Of course I am. It’s been years-“

“And you look at her like you did the first time. Stop trying to lie to yourself, little bro.” Bolin huffed.

“It doesn’t matter. You remember how things ended.”

“I know, but maybe…maybe we were wrong.”

“Are you actually starting to defend (Y/N)? Old (Y/N), I mean?”

“I’m not defending her! It’s just obvious that we don’t have the whole story. But hopefully we will soon.” Mako slid further underneath his covers. “Just…don’t hold what I did against her.”

Bolin turned on his side, staring at the fire that was now dying out. He didn’t like the way being around (Y/N) made him feel. It scared him, because he had felt those feelings before, and had ended up worse off because of it. But that night, he did drift off thinking of her smile. 

---

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[gryffindorcls]

The Surprise Guest

Hello, lovely readers!

A few months ago I was asked to write a piece for the @mlpandemicreliefzine​. It was such a fun project to be a part of, and now that it's been out for a while, I am happy to share with you the fluffy Marichat one-shot I wrote for the zine.

Happy reading!

---

SUMMARY: One Friday night, Chat Noir accidentally barges in on a "girl's night" sleepover happening in Marinette's room. After being encouraged to stay, Chat joins the group in a game of truth or dare during which Marinette reveals the name of the boy she loves.

LENGTH: 2972 words

AO3 FANFICTION

---

RAP RAP RAP

Marinette’s heart stopped.

“Is someone knocking on a window?” Alya pushed herself off the ground and padded across the room.

“N-no! I...uhh...it’s probably just the wind!” Marinette sprang out of her seat and tried to pull Alya back to the circle of girls sitting in the middle of the floor. “Don’t worry about it! Mario Kart is waiting for us!”

RAP RAP RAP

“There it is again!” Alya stood on her tiptoes and peered out the window next to Marinette’s desk. “That’s funny I could have sworn-”

The hatch above the lofted bed swung open with a bang. All heads turned towards the sound as a mop of blond hair poked through the opening.

“Princess, are you in here? Are you okay? I was knocking, and I didn’t see...oops.” Chat Noir’s eyes scanned the room. “Hello, ladies.”

“Oh, look!” Alya locked eyes with Marinette and gestured towards the hatch. “The wind has a face.”

Marinette groaned and buried her face in her hands. “This can’t be happening.”

“Oh, but it is, and I can’t wait to hear you explain your way out of this one.”

“It’s not what it looks like.”

“Really? Because to me, it looks like one of Paris’s heroes is asking to come in, and judging by his cute little nickname for you, I’m guessing that this isn’t the first time he’s paid you a visit. How am I doing so far, Princess Marinette?”

“Unfortunately, you’re doing pretty well.”

Chat ducked behind the lip of the opening. “Did I come at a bad time?”

Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose. “I told you that I was busy today.”

“I forgot.”

“Obviously.”

“If he’s here, does that mean there’s an Akuma?” Rose smashed her hands against her cheeks. “Is it after one of us?”

Chat shook his head. “No Akuma tonight. Everyone is safe.”

“If there’s no Akuma, then why are you here?” Alix narrowed her eyes. “Are you two dating or something?”

“No!” Marinette raised her hands in front of her. “It’s nothing like that. He just visits sometimes.”

“Yup!” Chat chimed in, “Every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday night!”

“Not helping!” Marinette hissed at the boy through gritted teeth.

He sunk further behind the ledge. “Sorry.”

“You have scheduled visits!” Alya chuckled and placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Girl, I expect details.”

Chat cleared his throat. “Should I just leave the snacks and go?”

“Aha!” Alix exclaimed, pointing towards the hatch. “He brought snacks. They’re totally dating.”

“We’re not dating!” Marinette stamped her foot on the ground. “We’re just friends. I swear!”

“I don’t know. My brother always brings his girlfriend food, and he’s always talking about how in love with her he is.”

“Chat is my friend.”

Alya crossed her arms. “And tell us, how did you manage to become friends with him?”

Marinette looked at Chat, and after finding the silent look of approval in his eyes, she swallowed and took a steadying breath. “One night I was really upset, so I decided to sit out on the balcony. I may have started crying, and that’s when Chat found me. He told me he was also feeling down, so we talked for a few hours. He checked up on me the next day, and that’s when we realized that we enjoyed hanging out with each other.”

“Did you invite him to hang out with us tonight?” Mylene asked, cocking her head to the side.

Marinette sighed. “No, I did not.”

“You know, I should just go.” Chat tossed a canvas bag overflowing with snacks onto Marinette’s bed. “I’ll see you on Sunday, Princess.”

The unspoken sadness behind his words sent a pang through Marinette’s heart. “No, stay. It’s fine. Besides, I think Alya would kill me if I told you to go home before she had the chance to grill you at some point tonight.”

“You know it.” Alya chuckled and shot a finger gun in Chat’s direction.

“Wait.” He peeked the rest of his head over the ledge. “Really? I can come in?”

“Yup, and we were just about to play Mario Kart.” Marinette watched as Chat hopped onto her bed and scrambled down the ladder. “Did you want to play with us?”

“Do I?” He vibrated with excitement as she handed him a controller. “Is this what normally happens at sleepovers?”

“Have you never been to one?”

“No. I’ve only ever seen them on television and in movies, but those people are always doing each other’s hair and playing Truth or Dare.”

Alix’s eyes lit up. “Ooo, yes! We should play Truth or Dare.”

“No!” Marinette switched on her computer and loaded the game. “We are not playing Truth or Dare.”

“Ugh, lame!”

“We are playing Mario Kart, and then we are watching a movie.”

“I don’t know, Marinette. Playing Truth or Dare with a superhero sounds kind of fun.” Alya shot her a grin.

Marinette glared at her. “Video Games. Movie. Bed. That’s it.”

“You know,” Chat interjected, “I’ve never played Truth or Dare either.”

“Of course you haven’t.”

“It could be fun.”

“But you know what would be even more fun?” Marinette leaned in and flicked Chat’s bell. “Kicking your butt at Mario Kart...again.”

He chuckled. “That’s some big talk coming from someone who’s about to get crushed.”

“So says the boy who loses every time he’s played against me.”

“Oh, it’s on, Princess.”

“Jeez, if you two lovebirds are done flirting, some of us are ready to actually start playing,” Alix huffed, flopping onto the floor.

“For the last time, we are not dating.” Marinette crossed her arms and looked at Chat. “Right?”

“Yeah, we’re not.” She could have sworn that she saw his eyes dim when he spoke his confirmation, but surely it was just a trick of the light.

“See!” She said triumphantly. “We’re just friends.”

“Could have fooled me!” Alix held her stomach and laughed. “I’m just kidding. Anyway, are we playing or not?”

“Yes.” Marinette pressed start on her controller. “We are.”

As the first race began, she settled herself next to Chat Noir, accidentally brushing her knee against his. Her heart sank when she felt his body stiffen under her touch. Usually, Chat had no problem getting close to her. More often than not, they found themselves wrapped around each other under piles of blankets.

She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d done something wrong. Maybe he was upset that she’d said no Truth or Dare. Maybe she was too harsh. Maybe she should have said yes. After all, it was his first sleepover, and playing Truth or Dare wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.

Despite the internal debate that raged through her mind throughout the gaming session, Marinette came first in almost every race. After her eleventh win, she leaned over and rested her head on Chat’s shoulder.

“Better luck next time, kitty.” She looked up only to see him quickly turn his head away.

He must really be upset with her.

Alix slammed her controller onto the ground. “Ugh, can we do something else now? I’m getting bored.”

Alya rolled her eyes. “Are you sure you’re not just getting tired of losing?”

“Actually, I also wouldn’t mind doing something else.” Rose set down her controller and smiled. “Marinette, didn’t you say that we were going to watch a movie tonight?”

“A movie would be cool,” Juleka mumbled under her breath.

Marinette looked at Chat Noir. “Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and I thought that maybe we could play Truth or Dare...as long as we’re careful, that is! We’d have to promise to not ask Chat anything that could reveal his identity.”

Alix threw a celebratory fist into the air. “Yes!”

“Are you sure, girl?” Alya furrowed her brows. “You seemed pretty against it before.”

She nodded. “I’m sure. Besides, I think our surprise guest really wants to play. What kind of hostess would I be if I denied him the full sleepover experience?”

He met her gaze. His mouth rounded into a small “o” as a dusting of pink peeked out from underneath his mask.

“Are you okay?” Marinette asked tentatively.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. I would love to play!”

The rest of the group excitedly agreed and reformed a circle in the middle of the floor. The first few rounds filled the room with laughter as Mylene did the worm and Alya showed off her best Nino impression.

Once the giggles died down after watching Alix's reaction to putting ice cubes down her shirt, Alya adjusted her glasses and smirked. “Alright, it’s your turn, Marinette. Truth or dare?”

The last thing Marinette needed was for someone to dare her to kiss Chat Noir. “Truth.”

Alix rubbed her hands together. “First truth of the night. Let’s make it a good one.”

A wave of regret washed over her. “Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes! Who do you have a crush on right now?”

“I guess I should have seen that one coming.”

A pang shot through Marinette’s chest. She lowered her head and swallowed the heartbreak that threatened to resurface.

It had only been three months since she’d made the choice to move on from Adrien, and the wound still felt fresh. She’d done her best to bury the feelings she had for him, but her heart always circled back to the selfless boy who shines brighter than the sun.

However, she learned that as long as she didn’t actively think about Adrien, the hole inside her heart wasn’t as noticeable. Chat’s visits had really helped take her mind off of everything, but now it looked like it was time to face her feelings head-on.

“Oh, I know!” Chat blurted out, “It’s Luka!”

“No, it’s not.” Juleka’s hands covered her mouth while she spoke. “Marinette turned him down when he asked her out.”

“Wait, really?” He turned to Marinette. “Isn’t he the boy you’re in love with?”

Alya shook her head. “No, they had a connection, but I think we all know who really captured her heart.”

“Who?”

“You mean you really don’t know? She never told you?”

Hot tears welled in the corners of Marinette’s eyes. “I’m trying to move on.”

“Do you still love him?” Rose asked quietly, "Because it's okay if you do. Feelings like that don't just disappear overnight." “Yeah, but it doesn’t matter now. He’s with someone else. I lost my chance.” The words tasted bitter on her lips.

“No, you didn’t.” Juleka shook her head. “Don’t tell anyone, but I saw Luka kissing Kagami last weekend.”

A collective gasp filled the room as Marinette’s head shot up. “Are you serious?”

“Mmhmm, he doesn’t know that I know, but she comes over a lot.”

Alya nudged Marinette’s arm. “I think you just got your second chance.”

“But he and Kagami were so close!” Marinette grabbed her pigtails. “I could have sworn that they were dating.”

“You know, I don’t remember him ever saying that they were dating.”

“I guess I just assumed. I thought I saw them kiss.”

“I don’t think they did. I know he didn’t tell Nino that he kissed her, and those two pretty much know everything about each other.”

Chat held up his hands. “I’m sorry, who are we talking about right now?”

“It’s a boy from our class. You might know him. He was in that fragrance ad that seems to be on every billboard in the city.” Alya pointed to the class picture hanging on Marinette’s wall. “His name is Adrien.”

“Hold on.” The intensity in his eyes startled Marinette. “You have a crush on Adrien Agreste?”

“Um, yeah?” She shrugged. “I thought he was dating Kagami, so I tried to make my feelings go away. It didn’t really work.”

“But why?” His voice had dropped to a whisper. “Why him?”

Marinette thought back to her encounter with Adrien in the rain–the day love became more than just a word in the dictionary. “I accused him of something when we first met, but instead of getting angry and brushing me off, he reached out to me and asked to be friends. Is he one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen in my entire life? Yes, without a doubt. But it was his kindness and selflessness that made me fall for him.”

“You really love him, don’t you?”

“With all my heart.”

“Is that why you were crying that night on the balcony?”

“Yes, but you made me feel a lot better. Thank you for that.”

Chat pushed himself off the ground and began pacing around the room. “I...he made you cry! You’re so sweet and kind, and he hurt you. How are you not mad at him?”

She reached up and grabbed Chat’s hand as he passed in front of her. “It’s not his fault! I never had the courage to tell him, so he doesn’t know. He’s a wonderful person.”

“Doesn’t sound like it.”

“Chat…”

“He broke your heart, Marinette.”

She shook her head. “No, if we’re being honest, I kind of broke my own heart. I never told him how I felt.”

He took a deep breath. “You should tell him.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“What if I’m not the one for him? He deserves to be happy!”

“I have a hunch that things will work out pretty well if you tell him.”

“Look, it’s not that I haven’t tried before.” Marinette buried her face in her hands. “But all of those attempts ended in disaster. How would this time be any different?”

“Easy.” Alix pointed to the cell phone on Marinette’s desk. “I dare you to text him.”

Marinette crossed her arms. “Nice try, but it’s not my turn right now. It’s Chat’s.”

“Fine. Truth or dare, Chat Noir?”

He plopped down on the ground. “Dare.”

“Excellent.” Alix grabbed the phone and handed it to Chat. “I dare you to help Marinette send a text to Adrien.”

“No!” Marinette snatched her phone out of his hands and held it against her chest. “Why?”

“Because it’ll be hilarious.”

"But it's my phone!"

"And it's his dare."

Marinette grabbed Alya’s arm. “Help.”

“No can do, girl.” She shook her head. “Alix is right. He got dared.”

With a sigh, Marinette reluctantly handed her phone over to Chat. “Please don’t do anything too embarrassing.”

“Trust me, Princess. I’ll make sure you get that date.” He took the phone and got to work.

“You may have to spell it out for him. Adrien’s a great guy, but he’s a little dense in the love department sometimes.” Alix’s laugh rang through the room.

Chat glared at her. “Rude.”

“If you knew him, you’d agree.”

“Unfortunately, I have a feeling that you’re right. Rude, but right.”

Marinette didn’t know if she should scream or run away. “Please don’t tell him that I like him in a text. That should be something I tell him to his face.”

Chat ran his fingers through his hair. “I know. All I did was write out a message asking him to meet up with you in the park tomorrow.”

“Did you already send it?”

“Yup.”

“I...but...what if he’s not free?”

“Oh, he’s free.”

“How do you know?”

“Uhhhh.” Chat scratched the back of his head. “I read somewhere that his father is out of town for the next week. I guess I just assumed that Adrien had nothing on his schedule.”

Marinette did her best not to hyperventilate. “Okay, yeah...this is great. Goog...I mean doog...I mean...oh, no, I’m stuttering again! It’s been weeks since I’ve done that. I’m going to make a complete fool out of myself tomorrow!”

“No, you’re not.” Chat rested a hand on her shoulder.

“How do you know?”

“Because you’re amazing, Marinette, and he’d be crazy to not like you back.”

His smile melted away her fears and calmed the restless beating of her heart. It was amazing how safe he always made her feel, both in and out of the mask. Marinette knew she was lucky to have him as her partner and her friend.

“I know everyone didn’t get a turn to go, but I really don’t think we can top that round.” Alya walked over to Marinette’s computer. “How about we watch that movie now?”

“Works for me!” Marinette leaned against Chat. “Want to sit next to each other?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

While Marinette set up the movie, her guests made a cozy nest of blankets and pillows on the floor.

When she was finished, she took a seat next to Chat. She soon found herself wrapped in his arms with her face against his chest.

Although sitting like this had become a regular occurrence between them, tonight felt different. Instead of the loose hold she was accustomed to, Chat held her as if she’d slip away if he let go. To her surprise, she really enjoyed the change.

As the movie droned on, the steady beating of Chat’s heart relaxed every fiber of her being. Reflexively, she reached her arms around him, snuggled closer to his side, and reveled in his warmth.

All too soon, Marinette gave into the heaviness of her eyelids. Still vaguely aware of the world around her, the whispers of an oncoming dream beckoned her further into the depths of her subconscious.

She felt a gentle pressure against the crown of her head before a hazy voice etched its words onto her heart. “You make me happy every single day. You always have, and now it’s my turn to make you happy. You’re the perfect girl for me.”

And for the first time in months, Marinette was at peace.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow, Princess.”

That night, she had the sweetest of dreams, and the next morning, she woke up with Adrien’s response in her notifications.

[the-and-sign-anon]

Time Travel’s Not A Thing, Right?

Guardian Angel: Chapter Twenty-Three

Teen Wolf x Stilinski! Reader

Word count: 2,729

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

Alcmene came to Earth to stay a few weeks after the business with the nogitsune concluded. She, with hours of instruction from Claramond, created her own vessel and appeared in your living room one morning. Stiles nearly had a heart attack and was ready to swing at her with his bat, which you quickly put an end to. You’d explained it all to your dad and brother, who were doing their best to accommodate a second angel in their home. 

While you taught her what you could about how to interact properly with people, she tried to help you bring Claramond into balance with who you’d become on Earth. She came along to most of the places you went, quickly learning your dynamics with others and what she should and shouldn’t say in front of them.

When Derek went missing, Alcmene joined you and Stiles at the animal clinic. You stood around the table in the back room with your brother and Lydia while Scott grabbed a container and set it in front of the banshee. 

“Okay, how long has it been?”

“Weeks. He hasn’t gotten back to any of my texts.”

Stiles tilted his head. 

“Has Derek ever returned your texts?’

“He hasn’t answered mine either.”

“Now that is cause for concern.” Everyone knew Derek answered your messages no matter what. 

“I went to the loft. The alarm was on, everything looked okay, but I found these.”

Alcmene was the first to grab one. It was a bullet casing with a skull carved into it. She turned it over in her hand and held it out to you while Stiles grabbed another one to look at for himself.

“I sent a picture of it to Deaton. He said it’s the mark of a family of hunters based out of Mexico.”

“The Calaveras.”

You all turned to look at Alcmene, who shrugged. 

“What? I know things.”

Lydia shook her head and decided to table that discussion for later. 

“What would they want with Derek?”

“You don’t think they killed him, do you?”

You shook your head first. 

“I think if he was dead, I’d know. I’d feel it somehow.”

Lydia took the casings in her hand and focused, letting them drop onto the table after a few seconds. 

“He’s not dead. But I’m not sure he’s alive either.”

Alcmene leaned into you and whispered, “What does that mean?”

“Something’s not right. I don’t know.”

“So, if the Calaveras have him, how do we find them?”

“Mexico.”

“No. Boys, you’re not going to Mexico.”

“Why not?” Stiles looked offended as you pushed back from the table. “You want Derek back, right?”

“Not if it means you idiots crossing the border!” You put up a hand when Lydia opened her mouth. “I don’t mean you, Lydia. But my point stands. And there’s no way your parents will let you go either. Stiles, promise me you won’t go to Mexico without even telling dad.”

“I promise.” You kept staring down and he threw up his hands. “I won’t!”

“Good. We can talk about this tomorrow. Just don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

You waited until all three teens nodded before leaving with Alcmene. She followed you out the back door and over to your car. 

“They aren’t going to listen to you, are they?”

“Probably not. But at least I won’t get blamed for whatever insane, definitely illegal, crap they pull.”

A week later, you got a call from Deaton early in the morning. 

“Deaton, I know angels don’t really need much sleep, but I want it. Someone better be breaking some supernatural laws or something.”

“Funny you should say that. Someone might be.”

You shot up and turned on another light. 

“What?”

“I think you’ll want to see this for yourself. Alcmene too.”

You scrambled out of bed and woke up Alcmene, who quickly got dressed and followed you to the animal clinic again. This time, you found Derek there. Sort of. You stared at the unconscious body of your friend, somehow looking as he had in high school. 

“What kind of fountain of youth crap did we run into now?”

“We aren’t sure what happened. Scott found him like this in Mexico.”

You looked over at Lydia and watched her realize her mistake. 

“I thought you all promised me you weren’t going to go to Mexico.”

“Technically, only Stiles promised. I just nodded and got in the car with the others.”

“Lydia! I rely on you to be their impulse control.”

“I thought Stiles was Scott’s impulse control.”

“He is, and you’re his.”

“Well, then who’s mine?”

“I didn’t think you needed one!”

“Then that was your mistake.”

You took a deep breath and turned back to Derek while Alcmene tried not to laugh. 

“Just tell me what you know.”

“Pretty much nothing. Kate is the one who did this to him, but we don’t know why.”

“Kate? Dead and buried sociopathic arsonist Kate?”

“Not so dead and buried after all. But yeah.”

“Perfect.” Derek still hadn’t moved and Alcmene was clearly trying not to poke at him, though you knew she wanted to. “How’s he doing?”

“His heart rate is alarmingly high.”

Lydia put a hand on his arm. “He’s warmer now at least.”

“I want to try something. Y/N, if you’ll hold his hand for me.”

You nodded and did as he asked while Deaton grabbed a scalpel and started to cut down Derek’s arm. The cut was fully healed by the time he lifted the blade back up. 

“That healed really fast.”

“Unusually fast.”

“Well, what does that mean?”

“I don’t know…” Deaton moved to look for something and Lydia joined him. 

You and Alcmene looked at each other and tried to think of what could be happening to your friend. While you did so, he flexed his clawed fingers and sat up. You took a step back to let him get to his feet while the others slowly turned to look at him. 

“Derek? Are you feeling okay?”

He wouldn’t answer. As you all tried to get his attention, he put his hands over his ears and tried to breathe. When you moved closer, he lashed out, then ran as you hissed in pain and backed away. Alcmene was solely focused on you, gently taking your arm and looking it over. The scratches weren’t deep, but they still hurt. 

“Y/N, are you okay?”

You nodded and gently felt the scratches to be sure. 

“I’m fine. But Derek is on the loose now, which can’t be good.”

Deaton quickly wrapped your arm while Lydia tried to call the others. None of them answered, so she texted Mr. Yukimura to get Scott’s attention. By the time they got to the clinic, you were getting antsy. You wanted to go find him as fast as possible. 

“I don’t think he’s just younger in body. I think he’s younger in his mind too.”

“He didn’t seem to recognize any of us.”

“He also looked absolutely terrified.”

“So, if you’re a scared teenage werewolf, where do you go?”

“Home.”

“Wolves go back to their den, but Derek lives in a loft.”

“Not back then. He would go to the Hale house.”

“What about the fire?”

You waved off the thought. “It wouldn’t have happened yet. He doesn’t know about it.”

Stiles and Scott started to move, but Alcmene stopped them. 

“Hold on… even if you do catch up to him, how are you supposed to explain it to him? Just tell him point blank that his family’s dead? Y/N said you can’t be blunt like that.”

“Well, we can’t lie.”

Stiles raised a hand.

“I’ll do it.”

“Sty, no one can. He can hear your heartbeat rise.”

“When we find him, we tell him the truth.”

“If he gets to the house first, you won’t have to.”

While Scott, Lydia, and Stiles went to the Hale house, you and Alcmene went to the station. You’d both had a feeling you needed to be there, which turned out to be spot on. Derek sat on a bench outside your dad’s office with Parrish knelt in front of him. He was just taking off the cuffs keeping him there when you stepped up. 

“The other deputy’s the idiot.”

“Can’t argue with that.” You both responded in unison, causing Parrish to turn toward you. 

“Morning, Parrish.”

“Y/N, Allie.” When his partner got his attention, Parrish stood back up. “Good to see you.”

You took his place in front of Derek and offered a calming smile.

“Hey, Hale. Is there any chance you recognize me?”

He studied your face for a few seconds before nodding hesitantly.

“Y/N. You look…”

“Older?”

“Different. But it’s still you.”

“Yep. I know a lot of things don’t make sense right now, but I want to try to help.”

You glanced back when your dad came over and stared between Derek and his photo on the computer. He was frowning deeply and looked very concerned. When Scott and Stiles came stumbling in, he sighed and told the deputies he’d handle it.

“Where’s my family?”

“That’s a little hard to explain. I’m sorry. But for now, I’ll stay with you, if that’s what you want.”

He nodded and you were struck by how young he really was. You’d forgotten what it was like to talk to him when he wasn’t trying to deal with some supernatural nightmare or homicidal maniac. Alcmene followed Scott and your family into the office to talk while you kept Derek occupied.

After a minute or two, your dad brought Derek into his office as well. You tried to hold back, knowing that Scott using his Alpha status to gain his trust wouldn’t go over well with you there. As teenagers, you didn’t know about the supernatural, so you couldn’t easily reveal that you knew about it now. 

You instead chatted with Parrish and hoped that Alcmene didn’t freak the kid out too much. When the door opened, Derek made his way over to you first. He told you Scott and Stiles would be helping him get his memory back, which you were sure involved some lying to explain enough for him to believe them. Alcmene came back to your side while a deputy looked over some paperwork with Derek. 

“Your brother is a rather accomplished liar.”

“Not when it comes to dad. He’s better with strangers.”

“He and Scott told Derek his family simply moved away. When he finds out the truth, he won’t trust them.”

“I know.”

“And he might not trust you then, either.”

“I know.”

You checked in with Stiles while Scott left and Alcmene showed Derek to the Jeep. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me with you? I actually knew him when he was this age. I could help.”

“That’s why Scott doesn’t want you to get involved. You’re a completely different person than you were back then. We don’t want you to worry about keeping it all straight.”

You knew what he meant. It was hard enough to keep an eye on Alcmene, who seemed to swing between being awed at everything she learned and staring with an all-knowing certainty that made you loath to let her meet new people; you also still struggled with understanding Claramond and figuring out a way to get you both on the same page and stay there. Adding on the stress of keeping track of what a somewhat out of control werewolf knew and what he didn’t wasn’t the wisest choice. 

“Alright. Just promise me you’ll keep me updated. If something goes wrong, I want to know.”

“I promise. Actually promise this time.”

You pulled him into a quick hug and let him saunter back out to the Jeep to babysit your friend. Alcmene was already waiting at your car when you joined her and the two of you went back to your house. 

“Does Stiles often lie to you and try to keep you from doing anything when you’re perfectly capable of helping?”

“Honestly? Yeah. But I’ve done it too.” You plopped down on one end of the couch and Alcmene settled on the other. “Stiles and I protect each other. We always have. When he was little and got picked on sometimes, I would stand up for him and Scott. If I was struggling with an assignment for school, he’d sit with me and we’d do the work together until I felt good about it. The longest we’ve ever been apart was when I went to college. It didn’t last long; we’d call each other every day and I visited on weekends when I could. He means the world to me and sometimes that means we lie to each other.”

“Human love seems a terribly complicated thing.”

“It can be. But maybe that was why I came here. To see what makes human love and care last so long.”

You passed the remainder of the day waiting to hear from Stiles. Scott checked in to let you know what he was learning and when Derek disappeared with Kate, Stiles called to tell you. They were trying to figure out what she would have taken him for, where they would go, and then it hit you. Derek had never told you outright, but he’d hinted that there was something important he kept at the school, though you didn’t know exactly what it was.

You and Alcmene went there anyway and figured you’d find the others easily enough. You were right of course, because as soon as you got there, you heard growling, yelling, and blows landing. Alcmene led the way to the open walkways around the school, where your friends were pinned down fighting several hulking figures dressed in bones and furs. 

“I can fight those, right?”

Kira was defending Scott and Malia, who were trying to catch their breath on the cement. When Kira glanced back to check on her friends, one of the creatures lunged and knocked her down. You gave Alcmene a quick nod and she leapt into action.

Her sword was out before you could blink as her jacket turned stark white from the burst of her grace. She moved between the teens and her enemies. You took the opportunity to drag them all further back and out of harm’s way. You tried to ignore just how excited your best friend was as she swung wildly with her sword and plunged it right through one. When it simply ripped away from her, leaving the sword in its chest, she took to throwing punches. Derek came running out of the dark to join the fight and before you knew it, it was over. 

“Feel better now, Allie?”

“That thing took my sword with it.”

You gave her an odd look. 

“It’ll come back. You know that.”

“I’m still a little offended.”

Your attention turned to Derek, who turned around, once again at his proper age. 

“Derek.” You pulled him into a tight hug and only stepped back when he patted your shoulder. “Don’t you ever get kidnapped again! I was worried sick about-”

His eyes glowed yellow for a second. You didn’t have to tell him, he knew something was different. He took the hand you offered and sat down on the cement to catch his breath. 

“Derek, you’re not hurt, right?”

“I’m fine.” He glanced over at you. “Really. I’m fine.”

“What were those things?”

“Whatever they were, they���re tough. I’ve never had someone walk off with my sword through them.”

Alcmene was downright giddy. Malia looked half ready to chase them down and start another fight, though she was still holding her healing leg and grimacing. 

“Allie, we talked about this.”

“Yeah, yeah. I can’t be this happy about fighting someone.”

She made an exaggerated effort to frown and helped Malia to her feet.

“Thank you.”

You all helped each other up and stumbled together to the sign in front of the school, which had been turned to reveal a staircase. Peter, Stiles, and Lydia stood there waiting. Peter was clearly in a rage over something and the teens were trying to keep him in check. 

“What’s got his fur in knots?”

Stiles fought a smug smirk as he filled you all in. 

“The big bad wolf got robbed?”

“Allie.”

“No antagonizing, I know.” She spared you a pleading look. “But it’s so easy.”

Next Chapter

[lala-ladybug]

Healing Hands: Chapter 3

Happy finals week, ugh. As always, reblogs are appreciated!!

Jasonette Sword Art Online AU

Read here on AO3

Tag list: @iloontjeboontje

First | Previous | Next

Chapter 3: Well shit Babs, maybe I like ponies

Marinette sat on a rock and paddled her bare feet in the water. It was a beautiful day, the sun was warming the top of her loose, dark hair and the ocean in front of her stretched for miles and miles.

A noise disturbed her peaceful moment. A distant cry, probably a seagull.

She sighed and leaned back on her hands to breathe in the smell of--

Marinette choked. Why was there smoke in the air?

The cries grew louder as she looked back at the water before her. She started when she saw that they came from her friends, who were in the now-tumultuous water, trying to keep themselves afloat. They were only a few yards away, she could make it if she just--

A force around her waist tugged her hard as she leapt to her feet. Her face collided with the concrete beneath her-- the top of a building, she realized. If the water level was up this high, then....

From where she lay, she could see directly down into the water. It was no longer clear, but a deep crimson. There were dozens of figures scattered about, some still struggling and some motionless. She scrambled to get up as her eyes snapped to Alya’s hand disappearing below the waves.

That damn force jerked her to the other side of the building, farther from her friends.

“No!” Marinette cried out desperately. The force released her and she whirled to find her attacker.

A flash of red caught her eye, and--

Oh.

It was Ladybug.

Marinette shook her head, not understanding. If that was Ladybug, then.... No, it couldn’t be Ladybug, because she was Ladybug. She fumbled for her earrings, but felt nothing.

Ladybug stalked deliberately up to Marinette and pushed her to the ground. Marinette landed on her hands and knees, both of which were now shaking.

“Look at them,” it was her own voice that spat so harshly from Ladybug’s lips. “Look at them.” She grabbed Marinette’s hair from behind and forced her head up.

Marinette could now see Adrien, Kagami, Luka, and Chloe in the ocean in front of her. Their lifeless faces floated just below the surface, the bloodied water doing nothing to conceal their frozen expressions of terror.

Marinette sobbed and closed her eyes. Ladybug pulled sharply on her hair again, and looked into Marinette’s eyes.

“Look at them. Don’t you dare take your eyes off the mess you’ve made. You will never be able to save them all,” Ladybug’s eyes, her eyes, blazed with the vehemence of her words. She opened her mouth to speak again, but a loud beeping sound was all that came out.

Marinette gasped and sat up in her bed, the alarm sending her heartbeat into a frenzy. Tikki flew up next to her as she slumped over with a hand over her eyes.

It was just a dream.

Another Kwami must have turned off her alarm because the beeping had stopped, but Marinette could still hear the echoes of her friends’ dying breaths ringing in her ears.

“Marinette... are you okay?” Tikki placed a delicate paw on her chosen’s arm. “We heard you cry out while you were sleeping.”

The girl lifted her head and gave the little god a shaky smile. “It was just a dream.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tikki floated back down to where the other Kwami were piled on the side of the bed with similarly worried expressions on their faces.

Marinette exhaled a bracing sigh. “Okay.... It was Syren. Or-or Chat Blanc, I’m not really sure.” The Kwami exchanged a look at that. This was not the first time she’d had a nightmare about water. “But Ladybug was there, and she was attacking me.”

Tikki looked especially concerned about that new piece of information. She opened her mouth to say something when Marinette’s phone lit up with a call. The ringtone was Alya’s.

Marinette picked up, trying to control the shaking of her hands. “H-hey girl, what’s up?” Her tone was deceptively cheerful.

“Hey Mari! Just checking to see if you’re awake. Nino and I are ready, he even put on the goggles already!” Marinette instantly relaxed as she heard Alya’s excited voice bubbling out.

“Yeah dudette, they feel really weird. But comfy!” Nino must have leaned over to pitch in.

Marinette shook off the last vestiges of the nightmare with a giggle. “Yeah, it’s kind of tricky to get the headset to fit over your glasses, but you’ll get used to it!”

“Well if you’re not ready yet then you’d better hurry up, girl! The game launches in five minutes.”

Marinette scrambled to check the time. “Oh crap! I gotta go, see you guys soon!” She hung up and rushed to untangle herself from her blankets.

“Good thing you set three alarms, huh?” Tikki followed her down from the loft and watched her brush out her hair.

Marinette stuck her tongue out at the god of creation.

* * *

Red Hood stalked into the Batcave, nearly running Oracle over as she wheeled herself up to her station at the Batcomputer.

“Woah Jaybird, don’t let me get in your way there,” Babs glared at his retreating back. “Asshole,” she muttered to herself.

Jason hurled his helmet onto the floor of the bathroom and began shucking off his suit with far more force than necessary. He started a shower and looked over his new wounds in the mirror. He’d been stupid, so damn stupid, on patrol.

“Red Hood, report in,” Batman’s gravelly voice cut through on his comms. “Hood, you are not to engage alone. What is your location?”

But Jason couldn’t hear him. The only thing he could hear was blood rushing in his ears, but it wasn’t his blood. No, it was the blood of every monstrous, corrupt asshole in this city. And he wanted it to run on the streets.

The Joker had sent thugs out to a meet-up. Well, Red Hood could send them back in a casket. He crouched beside a gargoyle and watched for the arrival of the van he’d tailed. There were only two men. They left the vehicle and waited outside, lighting cigarettes. Too easy.

Red Hood swept down the building, guns never leaving their holsters. He wanted this to hurt. Them or him, he wasn’t sure. But he got his wish as he beat the two men to a pulp. He wasn’t sure how far he’d have gone if not for the arrival of the gang the Joker’s men were supposed to meet with.

They slashed his back with knives. Shallow wounds, easy to manage. By the time Red Hood turned to face them, the others had arrived-- Batman, Nightwing, Robin. And boy were they pissed.

Jason winced as the hot water hit the cuts on his back. He rolled his shoulders and just let the steam ground him. He didn’t kill again, even if every time that green-haired bastard got involved, he went off the rails.

He would get to choose his own path, not the one Bruce wanted for him, but damn well not the one Thalia wanted for him either. This story was his, he reminded himself while gingerly toweling off. Even if he couldn’t look his own reflection in the eye.

He gripped the countertop, staring down as he let his hair drip into the sink. No, he wasn’t feeling desperate enough to see if his eyes were green again.

Damnit, he had to apologize to Babs. He felt calmer now, but he’d been a real dick when he came in. Jason dressed quickly in sweatpants and an old shirt, then padded quietly back to where he knew his sister would be at the computers.

“Hey,” he said, knocking softly when he entered to announce his presence. Barbara didn’t respond for a moment. She was leaning forward in her chair, typing something into one monitor while listening to police chatter, then nodded to herself and sat back.

“Hey.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Robin told me what happened on patrol.”

Jason scowled. “That little tattletale.”

Barbara offered him a reassuring smile. “That little tattletale is the only reason I didn’t hack into your bank account and order a damn pony.”

“Well shit Babs, maybe I like ponies,” Jason snarked back, but his heart wasn’t into it. “Listen... I’m sorry about earlier. If replacement talked to you already, you know what kind of mood I was in, but that’s no excuse.”

Babs turned her chair to face him and held out her hand. He stepped forward and took it, and she said, “We know you’re trying, Jay. Stuff like this? This is who you are. A year ago, you wouldn’t have been caught dead apologizing to me!” She cringed. “Ah, no offense.”

He chuckled. “None taken, it’s about time you started getting in on the undead jokes.” He patted her hand before walking away back to the main space of the cave. “But thank you, it means a lot.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth!” She raised her voice and turned back to face the computer.

Dick and Tim were already waiting in the cave. Tim was fiddling with some beds and what looked like opaque ski goggles. He always fidgeted when he was nervous.

“Hey replacement,” Jason shouted across the room. He noticed Dick bristle, but cut him off before he could get the patented older brother speech. “How much time ‘til the launch?”

Tim’s eyes lit up, and damn him for caring, but Jason just didn’t want them to be afraid of him.

* * *

Connor and Zatanna were washing dishes in the Cave’s kitchen after dinner. Connor heard the distant sound of someone arriving via zeta tube. He let Zatanna know as they finished drying their plates, then followed her to go greet their visitors.

Wally and Artemis staggered into the room, both weighed down by overflowing boxes of equipment.

“Oh thank god, please help me!” Artemis said, spotting Connor. He obliged and easily took the heavy box from her. She rubbed her arms and smiled gratefully as he held it aloft in one hand.

“It must be so handy having him around,” she sighed to Zatanna.

The magician giggled. “It certainly has its perks, but....” She lifted her hands and said clearly, “Flesruoy egnarra.” The contents of the boxes, some assorted cots, VR headsets, and computers, floated up and placed themselves into a neat formation. “A girl can get by by herself.” She gave Artemis a fistbump.

The zeta tube activated and they all looked up to watch it. The AI announced Wondergirl, and Cassie Sandsmark walked out. She looked up from her phone and waved. “Oh hey guys, whatcha doing?”

Wally zoomed around the set-up Zatanna had created. “We’re just setting up to play this new virtual reality game that’s coming out at midnight! What about you?”

“Oh, what a coincidence, I was just--”

Cassie was cut off by the zeta tube activating again. This time it was Bart, carrying Jaime bridal style, and running at full speed. He skidded to a halt, put a very ill-looking Jaime down, and ran a hand through his windswept hair.

“So totally crash! What’s poppin’?” He made finger guns at Connor, Zatanna, and Artemis.

Zatanna started explaining, “Well, like were just telling Cassie, there’s this new video game coming out at midnight and we--”

She was interrupted by the screech of a green pterodactyl swooping in from the zeta tube. It circled once around the high ceilings of the hollowed-out mountain, then landed and shrank into Beast Boy.

“Just a heads up, Arsenal’s right behind me and he’s a little angry-- oh what are you guys doing?”

Connor was getting frustrated now. “We’re trying to get set up for this new video game that’s launching in five minutes, so if you guys wouldn’t mind--”

A small explosion sounded from the door to the exterior of the island. Roy burst in amidst a cloud of dust.

“Hope I’m not late, I lost my phone.” He sounded like he was in a bad mood.

Bart whispered to Connor, “He means he destroyed his phone.”

Roy dusted off his pants, then looked to Wally and Artemis and asked, “The hell are you doing here?”

“AUGH,” Artemis had had enough. “We’re here to play the video game coming out at midnight! If you want to join us, fine, but if you don’t then get out.” She pointed to the zeta tubes.

Garfield tried to placate her. “Sheesh, it’s just a game! No need to get so worked up.”

Jaime gave him an incredulous look. “Weren’t you just throwing a tantrum yesterday about Bart kicking your ass halfway to Bialya in Smash?”

“...Noted.” Garfield answered.

“Well, looks like we’ve got plenty of hands to help get everyone set up. Let’s get to it!” Cassie expertly maneuvered the two teams away from setting off their more explosive members. They distributed headsets and assigned reclining positions without further delay.

* * *

Marinette put the headset on and laid down on her bed.

“Ready to go back?” Tikki asked her.

She gave the little god a grin. “Definitely.”

In the distance, the bells in Notre Dame chimed six times, but Marinette couldn’t hear them. Her mind had gone somewhere far, far away. Somewhere new.

[shadow-assassin-blix]

The Assassin and His Lady

CHAPTER 1

Assassin’s Creed AU!Billy Russo/Past!CaspianX x Reader

It’s here y’all. Billy Russo as an Assassin, his past life as Caspian X. No warnings so far. Italics are past life. Billy may be slightly OOC. Let me know if you want to be tagged.

Everything taglist: @mikeisthricedeceased​

The year was 1536, mere weeks after Henry the VIII changed the religion of England simply to divorce his wife. The castle was bustling about as they planned the upcoming wedding of Anne Boleyn and the King. You were a lady in waiting to her and as such, you were tasked with running about getting inane items for her.

You were in the nearby town, picking up orders that Anne had placed for the wedding. You had a carriage nearby for not only transport for yourself, but everything you picked up. A knight stood by helping you to protect the items from thieves.

The last thing you had to pickup was several bolts of fabric. You were grabbing the last of the bolts, when a man bumped into you rudely, making you drop at least one of them.

“Damn it,” You grumbled staring at the white lace that was now covered in mud.

The man turned to her, yelling at her for blocking his path before wandering away.

“Oh yes. Not like you couldn’t see me standing here for several minutes holding my weight in fabric and couldn’t possibly go around me,” You mumbled loudly.

You heard a deep chuckle behind you. You turn to see a handsome man, with shoulder length brown hair and warm brown eyes.

“Did he hurt you?” He asked as stepped forward.

“No. But he did ruin a very expensive bolt of lace that was meant for the queen. So, I’ll have so much fun explaining that to her,” You replied with a heavy sigh, adjusting your grip on the bolts.

You were tired, and you weren’t ready to try and talk to the vendor. He had been very short with you and were not in the mood to try and beg for more fabric.

“Allow me to help you,” He offered cordially, taking the bolts from her.

He walked with her to the carriage and placed them inside. He motioned for her to wait, as he walked back over to the stall. She could see him talking to the vendor, and the vendor walked away and came back with a much larger bolt of lace fabric. You see him pay without a care. He carried it over to her and presented it to her.

“This is very similar to the fabric that was ruined, but much prettier. I’m sure the queen won’t mind,” He stated with a charming grin.

“Why...? Why help a complete stranger?” You asked grateful but cautious, taking the fabric and setting it in the carriage.

“Maybe… I was hoping for chance to ask you for a stroll, or to lunch one day? The tavern nearby may not be as fancy as the royal court, but they do their best,” He proposed taking her hand softly to press a kiss to it.

You stared at him somewhat surprised and bit your lip for a moment.

“Hm. I’m sure they do. However, I don’t even know your name,” You said coyly.

He chuckled, “I’m Caspian and you?”

You tell him your name adding, “But… most my friends call me Dahlia.”

“Dahlia? Why?” He asked her curious.

You stepped into the carriage with a secretive smile, poking your head out lightly through the window once the door closed.

“Guess you’ll have to find out during that stroll and lunch, Caspian,” You teased before having your guard drive off, making your way back to the castle.

Caspian stood there watching it leave, his charming smile slowly falling away. A large bulkier man, the same man who had bumped into you, appeared by his side.

“Is she the one?” Came his deep voice.

“Yes Jasper. I do believe so. She will be my ‘in’ to the castle. Our good king has made far too many enemies. Tis only a matter of time before they try to target him,” Caspian said lowly, his Mediterranean accent coming in more thickly.

“Indeed. Let’s go get a drink aye?” Jasper patted him on the back.

The images faded and blurred all around him.

Billy blinked harshly as he was pulled from the animus. He rubbed at his eyes with his thumb and index finger, as he leaned forward, cracking his neck a moment later.

“Hate the headaches that come with this damn thing. Why was I pulled?” Billy asked Frank looking up at him and Curtis.

“Been in too long. You know the rules,” Curtis said tapping away at the computer.

Frank offered his hand to help him up, which he took with a groan.

Billy sighed, stretching as he straightened up.

“Go get some air. I’m going to sift through the data so far. Go get a drink,” Curtis dismissed him with a wave.

Billy nodded grabbing his jacket, phone and wallet that was sitting off to the side. He made his way downstairs, stepping out onto the streets of London. They were searching for piece of Eden that was located here in London. They were currently residing in a large studio loft that was located off the beaten path.

He made his way to his car, hopping in it, to go for a drive to clear his mind. He drove around for about an hour, making his way deep into downtown London. He parked outside a pub, wanting a drink. He made his way inside, taking a seat at the bar. He ordered a beer, and slowly drank it. As he drank, he felt someone staring at him.

He subtly looked around and saw a glimpse of a woman sitting near the booths. He felt strange as he tried to get another look at her. He felt like he knew her; she seemed so familiar.

He sees her walking toward the door finally. She looked like Dahlia, but that wasn’t possible? Right? He blinked and she was gone. He got up, tossing some money down, and followed the woman. However, when he stepped outside, she was nowhere to be found.

Billy turned around several times trying to figure out where she went. He was confused. Did he imagine her? Was he experience the bleeding effect? That’s not possible. They had been so careful. He decided he was tired and just drove back to base. He went to bed without saying much to the guys.

Several weeks had passed and he kept seeing this woman everywhere. He was sure he was going crazy. After about 2 weeks of it happening, he told the guys about what was happening with a grimace. That admission led to them holding off time in the animus because of it.

One day, he was strolling around the London Eye Pier, bored. He was ready to go back in and figure out where this piece was. He stood off to the side for a moment, watching the Ferris wheel move. He heard a shout to his right, a man running his way, with a bag clutched between his hands, and a woman yelling ‘stop thief.’ Billy stuck his foot out tripping the thief.

The thief tripped, dropping the bag. Billy grabbed the fallen bag and glared at the man who tried to lunge for it again. The man stuttered in his movements, when he spied the look Billy was giving him, before scrambling to run away. He turned to the woman, gasping softly. It was her.

“Thank you so much!” She exclaimed as she took her bag from him.

“You’re welcome,” He replied with a smile, blinking several times, amazed she was real.

“I’m sorry… this is going to sound strange… but do I know you? You…seem oddly familiar,” She said staring at him softly.

“Ya know… I was about to say the same to you. I’m Billy,” He introduced holding out his hand.

She says her name, before going, “But. Friends call me Dahlia.”

She took his hand with a smile. He thought about just simply shaking it, but he couldn’t resist. He gently lifted it to press a kiss to her knuckles.

She gazed at him with surprise, before giggling prettily.

Billy smiled at her, before checking her over for a moment “You okay though? He didn’t hurt you?”

“No. I’m okay. Just surprised me. Thank you for asking. I’m… I’m not usually this forward, but… would you be interested in having dinner with me?” She politely asked with a hesitant smile.

“I would actually. Tomorrow night? Say, 6 pm, you choose the restaurant?” Billy suggested.

“Yeah. Sounds good. Umm. Lemme give you my number,” She said pulling out her phone.

They exchanged numbers, and parted. Billy had a slight skip in his step. He walked in, whistling causing Frank and Curtis to look at him curiously.

Frank slowly followed him over to his room, leaning against the door.

“What’s got you all happy?” Frank asked squinting at him.

“I wasn’t imagining her. It’s… it’s really Dahlia. I ran into her. We… we’re going to have dinner tomorrow,” Billy breathed a sigh of relief.

Frank nodded with a smile, “Good to know you’re not that crazy. We’ll resume animus work in two days then. Is she as pretty as her past self?”

“Better. I mean… technically she looks practically the same, but… seeing her in reality… not just… a memory? I just… She’s gorgeous,” Billy struggled to describe how he felt.

Frank chuckled, “Never seen you so flustered over a woman. Maybe she’ll be good for you. Go get some rest.”

Billy nodded, stripping down to go shower, before laying down. Once he was done cleansing, he laid down in just some boxers, grabbing a book. He tended to read for a bit before crashing for the evening. He read until he felt tired, and he dreamed of a girl with a bright smile and beautiful eyes.

[citydreamgrls]

they were roommates- part eight

a weasley twins x fem!reader fic

summary: she had nowhere to go, fleeing home to pursue something along the lines of freedom, so being welcomed into the entrepreneurial twins life was a whole world of new experiences waiting to happen.

an: hi, first off i want to say ty for 1k followers i am GOBSMACKED. secondly, this was supposed to be the final part to this series :( but honestly I felt like i didn’t want to carry on this part when i had much more intended for another part, so there will be a part 9 to this series and that WILL be the final part. thank you everyone for being amazing, as always <333

words: 9,336

Visions of the cove came back to Fred as he slept, flashes of gentle waters turning into threatening waves. He tossed his body around for most of the night, struggling to understand what the missing piece was in his half-drunken slumber.

Then the screams had sounded within his nightmare, the sight of the beloved girl sinking into the sand as he found himself bound up on the private beach, unable to reach out and save her. All he could do was shout out for her until his throat ran dry.

“Y/n…” He mumbled as he woke, fearing that the unruly dream had become reality when he looked over to her side of the bed. Empty.

Maybe she was in the kitchen, or maybe she had slept in her room. There were a number of explanations for why she wasn’t beside him that very second, but the man couldn’t help but fear for the worst when he saw the untouched pillow.

“George!” He shouted, the noise echoing throughout the loft. His brother emerged from the hallway as he raced down the stairs with panic.

“What is it- hey! What’s wrong?” “Where’s y/n?” He asked shakily.

“Haven’t seen her, I thought she was sleeping with you?” “She’s not here,” Fred began to pace the living room, worrying about her absence above anything else.

“Then check downstairs she’s probably getting dressed.” As much as George knew he should be concerned about it all, he hated to jump to conclusions- especially when they hadn’t explored every possible reason for her being gone.

The twins wasted no time rushing down to the shop, the alley outside still quiet in the early morning. Fred pushed her door open, staring down at the room before him with a silent cry. George was close behind, quick to catch the other man’s body before it hit the ground.

“Hey - come on, she might have just popped out.” He tried to reason, but even his heart told him differently.

“I can tell, okay… it feels like that night all over again.” “It won’t be, I promise you Freddie- what the hell is that noise?” George’s attention was taken by a faint shout sounding out in the alley, one that they could only hear by the girl’s bedroom window. Fred didn’t seem bothered, presuming that his brother was just trying to distract him from the harsh reality that y/n was gone.

“D-Do you think it was those guys?” He asked from the doorway, his back propped against the wall.

“It sounds like someone’s out there…” George ignored.

“Georgie! I asked you someth-” “Shhh- It sounds like… no... “ “What? I can’t hear anything” “Come on.” The man moved away quickly, leaving Freddie to scramble to his feet alone and chase him through the shop.

“What the hell are you doing, we need to find y/n!” He hissed out, following as George burst out of the front door, the small jingle behind them seeming like an understatement. He followed the noise through the alley like a dog, forgetting that he was only in pyjamas. “You don’t even have shoes on!” The other man tried to tell him, but there was no use.

But the closer they got, the louder the shouts became, and even Fred couldn’t deny it any longer. It was desperate, but subdued, like whoever was crying for help had been doing so for hours now. It was a painful sound when they reached where the person was, both men stopping at the entrance of the particular street to take in the strange sight before them.

“Neville?” Both twins asked, quaintly reminiscent of the way they had spoken his name in unison back when they all went to Hogwarts together. This time, however, was slightly different. This time Neville Longbottom was tied up and gagged, left with bruises all over his face.

“Oh god, what the hell happened to you?” Fred rushed forwards, pulling the strip of fabric from his mouth and untying his hands as he told them.

“She’s gone,” Neville cried, tears streaming down his face. “I’m so sorry, I tried to stop him, but h-he had a knife, and he knew where Hannah was. I couldn’t warn y/n in time, he’d already taken her by then.”

“Taken! Taken where?” The man urged, pulling his friend to his feet once the restraints were gone.

“I don’t know- he knocked me out once he had her.”

“Well what did he look like- did he mention anyone else? Was it those guys who broke in here?” Fred couldn’t stop asking him questions, constantly thinking up something else that he might need to know about the missing girl’s assailant.

“Hey, give him some space freddie.” George held his brother’s shoulder, seeing how scarily focused his eyes had become. “Why don’t we get Nev back to the inn, then we can all decide what to do.” The man nodded silently, standing aside to let his twin take Neville’s arm and help limp him through the alley and towards the leaky cauldron.

He was too beaten up to help, but they could get the other’s, they needed others. Whoever had taken y/n meant business, so Fred knew that in order to get her back alive, he would need as many people on his side.

“I’ll catch up with you guys!” He called, taking a different route through the streets and ending up back at the loft. He grabbed some clothes and a jacket and made haste to the floo line, taking a single clarifying breath before he announced where he wanted to go.

“The burrow!”

-

Molly Weasley was nursing a hangover in her kitchen, enjoying the peaceful morning and the sun which beamed onto her skin through an open window. Arthur was in his armchair, skimming over the business section of that day’s prophet and cursing the way that Ginny stomped around in her room above him, making him restart the paragraph numerous times.

The girl in question sloped down to her mother, a scowl on her face when she saw a list of chores written on the chalkboard. Ones that she was no doubt expected to do, regardless of the fact that she would be leaving that afternoon.

“Drink this Ginny darling, you’ll feel much better.” Molly held out a beaker to her daughter, filled with some strange blue liquid. It looked like a hangover cure and certainly smelt like one too, but when Ginny tasted the drink, it was hard to hide her disgust. So she held her breath and chugged it down fast, hoping the other two glasses that sat on the counter weren’t also for her.

“See to it that Harry and Ron take them too will you, they’re still asleep I presume?” Molly questioned.

“Nope, both headed out for a fly early this morning, probably stopped by the lake to watch the sunrise, like the pair of pansies they are.” She scoffed, biting back the urge to hurl at the blue liquid’s aftertaste.

“Well then they’ll be fine without these!”

“If I had to suffer through it then so should they.” Ginny argued, seeing a small wince on her mother's face when she slightly raised her voice. “Sorry, I’ll make sure they take it, okay?”

The older woman nodded, mumbling something about laundry before heading off to the garden. Ginny was about to make some coffee, the one thing she praised Hermione for teaching her about, when there was a flash from the family’s floo line, followed by a concoction of panicked shouts.

“What - what is it?” She asked, careering into the hallway to see Fred steaming through the house in search of familiar faces.

“Ginny!” He looked relieved to see her, something that was out of the ordinary for the man. “Where is everyone?” His eyes were wild, scanning around her like he was expecting a ghost to jump him.

“Dad’s in the living room, mum’s outside- hey what’s going on?” She followed him as he went in search of his parent’s, Arthur looked up from his paper when his son walked in.

“Hello Fred my boy, how come you’re here?” The man checked his watch with a frown, only noticing Freddie now that he had shown himself. Arthur had perfected the art of blocking out loud noises in his own home, given the amount of children he had, it was something he had no choice over.

“I need everyone at the leaky cauldron … now!” He announced, pacing about to try and find the rest.

“Tell us what’s going on.” Ginny grabbed his shoulders, pushing him onto the nearby sofa with a grunt. The girl always was stronger than she looked.

“It’s y/n, she’s been taken.” “She’s been WHAT!” Molly screeched, having only heard the end of their exchange as she came back into the burrow with a pile of clean clothes in hand. They fell to the floor in shock.

“Mum! You and dad go to the leaky, Fred will explain more-” Ginny started, seeing that no one in the room was in a right state of mind. “-I’ll go get the boys from the lake.” The two parents nodded, gathering their jackets and heading to the floo.

“I need to get Bill, will he be at work already?” Fred asked his sister.

“He should just be getting in now.” She told him, not wasting a single second before grabbing her broom to fetch Ron and Harry from their lake. “Now GO!”

Fred jumped into action, apparating back to diagon alley and weaving through the hoards of people walking into their bank to start their day. He managed to get into the first open lift, looking very out of place amongst the group of serious businessmen.

“Bill!” He didn’t dare knock on the door to his brother’s office, instead opted that forcing his way inside would express the severity a bit better instead. The man inside jumped at the intrusion, knocking the cup of coffee all over his desk in momentary shock.

“What the hell Fred, what are you doing here?” He frowned, mopping up the mess with silent curses.

“We need to go now, y/n’s been taken… Neville tried to stop it but the guys had a knife.” It took no more than that to get Bill to his feet, following his younger brother silently as he explained more on their way back down to the alley.

“Does anyone know where she could be?” He asked.

“Not for certain, but I have some ideas.” Fred huffed, out of breath from all the running he had done that morning. Still, he kept a fast pace to make it to the leaky before anything worse happened.

The inn was quiet, barely anyone around at that hour of the morning. Everyone was gathered inside, gathering as much information as they could from Hannah and Neville as they waited for Fred to return with his older brother.

“Are we all here?” George asked, letting everyone take a seat before speaking directly to the small ground of their friends and family. “Good. Now Neville was the only one to see the guy who took y/n, he was tall, hooded and held a knife up to his throat.”

Neville sat in Hannah’s arms, obviously still shaken up from being left out in the cold all night. His wife nodded along to George’s words with empty eyes, trying to rack her brain for anyone who took a strange liking to the girl when she still worked for them. Then again, that was the majority of men who came in, it would take months to whittle it down.

“Once he had y/n, the man knocked him out- so that’s all we know. Whoever he was he didn’t want anyone else knowing about it till morning, that’s why he tied Neville up.” Everyone was silent, unsure if they knew anything at all that could help. Still, they wanted to be there to do something to save the girl.

“Has y/n said anything recently that would suggest she was being followed, or did you notice her acting strange?” Arthur spoke up, all of his children shaking their heads.

Fred felt the most useless out of them all. If y/n had known anything, or noticed something was off, she would have told him right? Or was he overestimating how much the girl trusted him, after all, he hadn’t been there to stop those guys from breaking in.

“I don’t think this was a random attack, he knew what he was doing.” Neville’s voice was quiet, even amongst the shared silence.

“How do you mean?” George asked, leaning against the bar in desperate defeat, wracking his brain for where she could be.

“Whoever he was, he knew where to find her- who she was.” “So he was looking for her?” Fred spun round, his neck clicking in the process, even his body hadn’t woken up yet.

“I think he only took me because I saw him outside the shop, and knew I would be suspicious of it.”

The group nodded in agreement. This couldn’t be the same men from the break-in, they were locked up now under Kingsley’s demand. This was a targeted kidnapping, someone had sent this man after y/n. But, who would want her back that badly?

“Her parents.” Fred said, a murmur of understanding waving over the others as it clicked in their minds. “It has to be them, who else would go to such lengths.” “But how do we find them?” Ginny asked. “I mean, no one knows where they live right?”

Everyone shook their heads, murmuring ideas on how they could track her family home down, that was where she had to be.

“Actually,” Hannah stood up, making sure Neville was stable enough before letting go of him. “I might have some old paperwork in my office, I can’t remember for sure if there’s anything on it- but it’s worth a look right?” George nodded, giving Fred a sympathetic look as it was obvious he was struggling to come to terms with the situation. He had just gotten his life back, he was happy, they were happy and they were finally together. And now there was a chance she could be gone for good. It was a lot to deal with.

“Thanks Han,” He mumbled, when the lady passed him, stopping to squeeze his shoulder in meek support.

“Right, can you guys go find Hermione?” George asked Ginny and Ron. “See if she can find any records about the girl, or her parents.” The duo stood quickly, sending a patronas to the girl in question to get her up to speeds before they arrived.

But before they even had a chance to reach the door a flash of blue light fluttered in through the open window, freezing everyone in their steps. The little dove flew over to Fred, who eyes it curiously, no one seemed to recognise it. That was until it started screaming out it’s message in a disturbingly recognisable voice.

“Fred I’m sorry, I tried to fight him-” The voice lowered, as if someone was nearby her. “Come to crag hall,” She was out of breath and shaky as she spoke, all the while the dove floated through the air calmly. “Please be quick, they’re going to- no… no!” She screamed out, the message cut off just as she pleaded with whoever was in the room with her.

There was a tense silence throughout those inside the inn once her voice stopped, no one wanting to speak in case they missed something. But the dove disappeared into thin air, and she was gone again.

“They’ll have taken her wand.” Bill said, mostly to himself, trying to piece together what they knew in an attempt to help.

“Crag hall.” Fred whispered. “She said go to Crag hall… w-where is that?” He searched the room, praying that someone would recognise the name.

“It’s far.” Molly said, all eyes on her. “About three hours from london.”

“But we can apparate, yes?” George pushed her, suddenly more optimistic now that they had a chance to get her.

“Not all together of course, that would be dangerous.” She explained.

“Then we’ll go in pairs, signal back for the next group to come when we know it’s safe to do so.” George announced.

“I’ll go first, scout for any wards.” Fred told his brother, seeing the look of hesitation that George pushed away, knowing there was no convincing him otherwise.

“I’m coming with you.” Ginny said.

“No, it’s too dangerous. You stay back with Bill.”

“She’s my best friend. I'm not arguing about this.” The girl, unfortunately, was just as determined and stubborn as the rest of them.

“Fine, but you stay close- and you listen to what I tell you okay? We don’t know these people, they could be armed.” He took a deep breath, trying to fight away the feeling of impending doom that came along with all the uncertainty.

“Right. Bill, you’ll come with me, then Harry and Ron- mum, dad you’ll be the last okay?” The parents nodded and Molly silently thanked her son for letting her make sure they all got there okay before heading in herself.

Suddenly the inn’s door burst open and a very smartly dressed Hermione stumbled into the group, catching her breath with a small wheeze.

“I’m coming too.” She told them, holding her hand up when Ron tried to protest it. “Ginny?”

“Best friend card and all, you can’t stop her.” She told her brother and he shook his head in defeat, knowing the girl’s were both fiery enough to handle themselves if need be.

“You can come with me and Bill, the second group.” The girl nodded, stripping off her stiff suit jacket and transfiguring her pencil skirt into a pair of jeans. “If anything goes wrong with the trip- if any of you get hurt at all, then you hide.” Fred told them all, taking all the confidence he had within him and spewing it into the small speech. “It would be too risky to try and get back alone, so just stay hidden and we can get you when it’s over.” Everyone nodded, hoping that they wouldn’t need to utilise the advice given.

Fred stood, holding Ginny’s hand and looked over the room.

“Let us know as soon as you see anything,” George told them. The pair nodded in unison, ignoring Molly’s worried gaze as she watched them disapparate from the room with a loud crack.

-

Ginny felt like someone was crushing her lungs when they landed amongst the wall of trees just outside the grounds of Crag hall. The girl had tried to cough out, reaching around desperately for her brother who was struggling to find his feet.

The sheer distance they had travelled was dangerous, especially when it was two of them, but Fred knew as he held a hand over his sister’s mouth that the pain would eventually subside.

“Shhh, Gin.” The girl writhed beneath him as he watched the clearing ahead, where the house stood surrounded by walled gardens. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, not daring to draw any attention to themselves, just in case there were guards patrolling. “It’ll pass… I promise.”

Once she could breath without hacking her throat away, Ginny surveyed the sight before them, trying to plan out how they could approach unnoticed.

“Do you think there will be wards set up?” She asked her brother who crouched beside her, always watching behind them in case someone wanted to sneak up.

“Hard to tell. Chances are they presumed no one knew about this place, so they didn’t bother.” “But the patronus-” “Exactly, with any luck we can try and get through before they’re set up.” He explained.

There was a group of three men stationed at the front gates to the property, unknowing of the Weasleys’ presence.

“No one’s patrolling this side, send a message to George- tell him that it’s clear now- but to watch out for anymore guards.” “What about that lot?” “We have to take them ourselves.” He looked down, seeing a look of apprehension on the girl’s face. It had been a very long time since he had seen her intimidated.

“Hey, if we don’t do it then it’s risking the others- we got lucky.” Ginny nodded along, knowing that they had no other choice but to take them out, and quietly too.

The man took her hand, running a little further along the tree line before heading to the closest side of the walled garden. He boosted the girl up over it, watching carefully as she balanced herself and crouched low above it.

“I’ll take them from up here, catch them off guard- you get them from behind.” She told the man, before sneaking along the high wall.

Fred propelled himself into the neatly arranged flowerbed, suppressing his groan when he landed on his back, hoping that no one had heard the thud his body had made. There wasn’t enough time to think it through though, when there was a surprised shout and the sound of hexes flying through the air.

The noises silenced quickly as the man raced through the shrubbery towards the front gates, but the flashes of coloured light still appeared above the bushes that blocked his view of the fight.

Ginny, however, was someone Fred didn’t need to worry about. She had petrified one of the guards upon sight, before cutting the other two’s shouts with a silencing charm. That had given her an upper hand as she jumped down from the wall to avoid a hex being thrown her way.

Despite using her head, these men were twice her size, and wanted to use that against her. One of them lunged forward, trying to seize her as the other dodged around him with his wand outstretched.

But because of the guard tackling Ginny, it meant he couldn’t risk casting anything towards them in case he hit the wrong one. But it kept them busy long enough for Fred to stun the man from behind, before ripping the other off his little sister with a suppressed growl.

Once he had been stunned and tied up, along with the other two, Ginny sent her patronus to the others, warning them of other possible guards. The two kept to the edges of the walled garden, with the hopes that they could sneak up on the hall without causing anymore commotion.

The building was tall, with a very open courtyard preceding it.

“Through there,” Fred whispered, pointing to the nearest door on the left side of the house. “We should avoid being out in the open.” He told her.

-

Y/n watched out of her bedroom window, wandless and alone, in a room that felt like it had belonged to a ghost. She felt like a ghost, just waiting for the worst to happen. The night had gone by with her knocked out, only to be woken up by her mother’s serpent-like eyes watching over her.

Little words were exchanged, knowing that whatever she said would only hurt her case even more. So the girl opted for silence whenever someone would sit in, only to watch her mope around by the window like a forgotten lover.

Fred. He was all she could think about. She wondered whether he knew the truth, if Neville was okay, if he had been able to tell them what happened. One of her parent’s henchmen had come in while she was casting her patronus, cutting it off when he wrenched the wand from her hands. All the girl could hope was that it actually made it to them.

One of the head maids came into the room, her eyes sunken like she had aged several years in the space of a few months.

“Madam has requested you in the ballroom.” The woman hung a long black dress bag, sealed up, on the back of her door. She stayed firmly in her spot, all the while watching the floor, as if she couldn’t bring herself to look at the poor girl.

“What is it?” The girl rasped out, her throat raw from all the sobbing she had already done. Now it felt like she couldn’t cry again, regardless of what happened.

“Madam would like you to change into this, I must assist.”

The girl frowned, not one for confrontation, especially not with someone who so obviously didn’t deserve it. But it was frustrating how little the maid was telling her. So instead of lashing out, y/n walked over to the bag and pulled on its zipper.

Her breath held in her throat, lodged. Before her was a long, white dress. Hung lifeless before her. Something inside her felt like this was a joke, but then she remembered where she was and her heart crumbled.

“I-I don’t understand?” She turned to the woman beside her, her hands clutching shakily against the silk fabric that draped like curtains.

“This is all I can say mistress.” “Please.” She begged. “Help me… please don’t let this happen.” The girl turned hysterical, her knees failing as she crashed to the floor with a wail of desperation.

It shouldn’t be like this. It should be later, it should be when she wants it, with who she wants it with.

With Fred.

-

The group followed Fred and Ginny’s warnings, watching out for extra guards and taking them down as quietly as they could. One by one they joined each other inside the grounds, in a secluded spot away from the windows.

Fred was adamant to get inside but Ginny had stopped him, reminding the man that what they were walking into was unknown. For all they knew y/n’s parents could have a whole army waiting for them.

“What are you and your wand gonna do against a whole house of people eh?” She had hissed to him, which finally hit home that he couldn’t just rush in and save the girl that easily.

So they waited, and snuck in together, keeping Mr and Mrs Weasley in the rear to watch out for anyone who could follow them.

“I don’t like this.” George had whispered, catching up with his brother at the front of the group. “It’s too quiet.” Admittedly they were walking through what looked to be an old service entrance, the dust and cobwebs indicating that no one had used it in a good few years. But still, houses like these echoed, and yet there wasn’t a single sound coming from anywhere else above them.

-

The girl begged and begged, but she couldn’t escape her fate. The maid had tried to coax her into the wedding dress kindly, warning her that if she didn’t do as her parents said then there would be consequences.

In the end, one of the men who had been keeping watch outside her bedroom ended up coming inside. He had heard the desperate commotion and told the girl to keep quiet. When she, yet again, refused to change the man had stunned her.

When she came to the room was spinning like a carousel, the lights of the chandelier blurring into one on the ceiling. That was when the girl realised she was no longer in the moderate safety of her bedroom anymore.

The silk burnt her skin. It shouldn’t have, but it did and it flared across every inch of her body like a raging forest fire. She tried to move, but someone had her tied again, bound at the wrists and ankles. What a sight she must have been, curled up in a wedding dress and left on the floor of her family’s ballroom.

Her murmurs of confusion alerted two other men in the room, dressed the same as the one who had knocked her out and the one who had taken her from diagon alley.

“Come come sweetie, why don’t we get you on your feet.” His voice sickened her from across the room, he looked at her with a smug sense of pride. It was like he was a hunter and she was his prize catch of the day all dressed in white.

“Where’s Neville?” Her voice was still scratchy, it sounded pathetic against the deep acoustics of the room.

“The quivering mess of a man?” The beast holding her spat, his teeth bared at her cheeks. “I’d barely call him a man-” Another one of them scoffed.

“Now now, we’re graced enough to see a beautiful ceremony today boys, let’s be respectful.” The kidnapper smiled, demanding the attention of everyone who dared speak against him.

“I don’t understand,” She tried to force herself away from the two men’s grip, but they held tight, keeping her as still as they could.

“Well… that’s not for me to explain pretty lady.” He laughed, pacing up and down the room.

“Who will?” The double doors opened behind them, making everyone turn to see. Y/n stumbled slightly, her feet still bound together.

“Let her go, I will not have my daughter married off in shackles.” His voice boomed, louder than anyone else's as he commanded the henchmen to free her. Still they held onto her, making sure she would not run off.

“Father- please!” The girl begged, dropping to her knees, “You can’t do this to me!” “This marriage is happening young lady, whether you’re happy about it or not.” The shrill tone was easy to guess, without her even coming into sight for another few seconds.

“Mother, I’m begging- just let me go… I-I won’t bother either of you ever again!”

“Stand up.” She commanded, her presence daunting even to those watching over her like a prisoner. “You should have considered that before you ran off and tarnished our family name… it is too late for you to redeem yourself- this is our only option.” The woman explained curtly, before taking her place at the side of the girl’s father.

“Besides-” The kidnapper neared her as she wriggled beneath the two men’s arms, lifting her back to her feet. “I’ve heard your groom-to-be  is quite the catch.” He winked.

-

Harry and Ron took down two more guards while George and Fred tried to find their way through the complex labyrinth which was Crag hall, stunning any staff who got in their way.

“Try through there?” George suggested, but it took them to yet another dead end.

“We’re never gonna find her like this, and who knows how the others are getting on.” Fred complained, not wasting a single second before retracing their steps and trying a different direction.

Bill and Hermione came careering round a corner, the older man just managing to get out of the way of a stray hex when the girl pulled him into an empty room.

“What are you doing here?” He asked the two men, but George was already running after whoever had attacked them.

“It’s a dead end, half of this place is empty- George was right, something’s wrong.” Fred huffed, out of breath from bursting through multiple locked doors.

“Maybe they’re all in one place.” Hermione offered up, which was the first good idea anyone had suggested all day. “You know, if they need y/n for something- then everyone would be with her.”

The two men nodded, hearing George’s whistle which signalled that it was clear to come out. He knelt beside the stunned guard, trying to find anything on him that could help. A set of keys jingled against his belt.

“These might work for the rooms upstairs?” He suggested to the small group.

“Bill you go with him, I think me and Fred need to try something different.” Hermione stated, sending the other men off with a quick nod.

“Here,” She handed Fred the unconscious man’s wand. “Don’t want him coming round too quickly and hexing our heads off.” “Not really, if we can help it that is.” He shoved it inside his coat pocket, unbothered by whether it snapped in the process of another fight. “So what’s the plan?” The man asked.

Hermione watched the halls tentatively as she led him back to the first floor.

“If you needed somewhere to hide your daughter, then it wouldn’t be in sight, right?” The girl asked, as if it was a common situation to find yourself in.

“Well… no, so you think there’s a secret room?”

“I’m sure of it.”

The two of them stood under the doorway to the library and Fred wanted to groan, knowing that whenever a plan was involved Hermione would want to do her research before rushing into things.

-

The girl’s sobs were like a moaning ghost, echoing over the large ballroom which held only a small group of people. The man before her was older, she could tell, but that was about all she knew about him. His face was unrecognisable to the friends her parents would have over for big parties, which meant all of this was just a business deal for them.

A knife was placed against her back, the point slicing through the silk dress whenever she tried to move. So she didn’t dare. Her parents had silenced her, bored of hearing the begs for them to let her go.

“It is obvious that none of this needs to be dragged out.” Her father stated, smiling politely at the smartly dressed man who stood before her. “So we won’t dawdle.”

“Of course sir.”

Behind the charm, y/n screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping that the sheer volume of it could break through and alert someone. Not that anyone would come, they were out in the middle of nowhere with a household of people fulfilling her twisted parents’ wishes.

“Mr Nott-” Who the hell was this man? “Do you take my daughter, Miss y/l/n to be your lawful wedded wife?”

“I do.” He smirked, obviously quite pleased to have bagged himself a young, unwilling, bride. The girl was sobbing, her eyes blurred as her father turned to her.

“Do you Miss y/l/n, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?”

She choked on her words, shaking her head as best she could with the grief running through her body. Whoever was holding the knife behind her stepped closer, sliding the blade slowly across her exposed back, just to remind her of what would happen if she disobeyed.

“You will agree.” Her mother’s voice sounded out, as she lifted her wand to remove the silencing charm with a deep breath. The girl nodded, racking her brain for any way that she could escape this hell.

Her throat untightened, the noise reaching them all as she sighed out in sudden relief. But it was short lived. Here laid her future, presented in the form of this cruel man who wanted a woman to listen to his every need and keep quiet. Never had she missed diagon alley more than in that moment, she begged to be back in the loft with the twins, in Fred’s arms, watching George guzzle down glass after glass of wine until he passed out. That was the life she chose. Not this.

Maybe the knife’s fate was sweeter than this. A sharp, short price to pay for running away. One that would be better than a lifetime of regret. The silver metal was cold against her skin, a constant reminder.

As Mr Nott’s eyes fixated on her, like he had just won her at a fair, the girl decided what was to be. The blade could finish this pain, once and for all.

“I will never marry this man.” The girl spat out, a sudden rush of happiness in herself that she had managed to finally speak out against her parents wishes. The confidence glowed all over her in that moment, the shine on her cheeks as she smiled in the confused face of her, no longer, husband to be.

There was a loud crash from the double doors.

-

“We don’t have time to read over these books Hermione, y/n could be in danger!” Fred reminded her, watching the girl scan over the surrounding shelves.

“I’m not reading Freddie, I’m looking for a way in.” “Huh?”

“All these books, there was something strange about them.” She explained, not stopping to look at the man who stood behind her.

“I thought I noticed something when we first checked in here, but we left too quickly for me to figure it out.”

“What? Hermione what’s in here?”

“These books, every single one of them are their most recent additions. In fact, they’re all brand new, not a single one looks as though it’s been picked up.”

“So, people don’t read books- you do know that isn’t a crime right?” Fred scoffed, but the girl just ignored him.

“Why would anyone fill up a library with new books?” “Because it’s a new library?”

“An old house like this has rooms that date back centuries, none of them look renovated, yet this one has obviously been done up on purpose.”

“Why in here then?” “Because in here, they are hiding something.” “Like a secret room!” “And you’ve got it, finally.”

Hermione found a crank between two of the bookcases, hidden by a large armchair.

“Here help me out.” Between them they managed to use the crank to push the bookshelves away, two double doors hidden perfectly behind it.

“Find anythin- woah!” Ginny said from the library’s doorway, having spotted them on her way past.

“Get the others, quick!” Fred ordered, sending the redheaded girl into a frenzy through the rest of the house.

He reached out for the handles, grunting when they didn’t budge under his weight.

“It’s been locked from the inside.” He huffed.

“Step back, let me try.” The girl beside him offered.

When the rest of the group arrived, both of them were throwing hexes at the unmoving doors. Both exhausted by the amount of shouting and fighting they’d already been through.

“I think we all need to do it, it shifted a little when I started helping.” Fred explained, stepping aside to let his brothers get a better stance. They all held their wands up high, pointed towards the locks.

With one almighty scene of hexes, the two doors flew off their hinges with a deafening crash. The clouds of smoke kept them in the dark for a few seconds, until Fred couldn’t hold himself back much longer and burst through it to get a better look at what was hidden inside.

“Freddie!” The girl screamed. She was on her knees, the white dress pooled around her as she hit the ground. Above her a man was holding her back, doing all he could to stop her from getting away to the safety of Fred.

The man was someone the twins knew, someone that the whole group was unfortunately familiar with. Someone whom Freddie wished he had killed during the war, when he had that chance.

Although Theodore Nott wrestled with her, he still managed to keep a smug look about him when he saw the Weasley’s and their friends stood amongst the ballroom’s debris.

“Let her go!” Fred boomed, ignoring the threatening stances he was faced with.

“I’m afraid there’s already been arrangements made, Weasley, seems you’ll have to find yourself another silly girlfriend.” He scoffed, yanking the whimpering girl to her feet.

Y/n thrashed with more furiosity than anyone had seen her possess in their time knowing her, spitting harsh words to the man holding her captive. Fred was joined by the rest of his group, who fought the other guards viciously, as well as the girl’s parents who weren’t ones to take the sidelines in any fight.

“I’d be more careful if I were you.” Theo hissed in her ear, low enough that no one could hear over the commotion. He held her there for a moment, so she could watch the guards hurl themselves upon Harry and Ginny. She screamed out for them to stop, but it was useless.

The twins made a run for her, everyone else too busy fighting to get the chance, but Theo was quicker. He whipped out his wand before they even had a chance to react, tossing two sharp hexes their way and knocking them to the ground.

Fred tried to get up but it was useless, only his head could move ever so slightly. He turned to her, seeing the fear on her face at the sight of his nearly lifeless body. The sound of her screams were the worst he’d heard, worse than the night of the break-in. Because she wasn’t bothered about her life this time. Now she was screaming out for Freddie, begging him to be okay.

His face moved, his eyes flickered at the last glimpse of her and the girl gasped with relief. There was a small smile on her face, before it was dragged away from the man. A last glimmer of hope, he saw it as, she was his last hope at happiness.

-

When the twins came around they were relieved to see that the guards, along with y/n’s parents, were knocked out and tied up against the far wall.

“Where is she!” Ginny was yelling at them, uncaring of the fact that they were just slipping back into consciousness. Molly was trying to stop her, but it was a futile attempt.

“Theo has her.” George groaned, getting to his feet with the help of Bill and Arthur. Hermione held out a hand for Fred, seeing the way his eyes glassed over at the thought of her.

“She has to be here somewhere.” He whispered, mostly to himself, but the girl beside him heard it still.

“Why do you say that?” She asked.

“If they were going to apparate, they would have done it the second we got here.” He explained, barely waiting a second before heading out of the ballroom in the direction that Nott took the girl away.

“You think he needs her here?” “I think the wards that have been set up are keeping her here, if Nott thinks her parents are still alive then he won’t know that they’ve been broken, right?” “Very clever.” She commended him. “But I think there could be something-” “I know. I saw the dress, I’m not that oblivious- but still, he needs her here to have her parent’s blessing if they’re to marry. He hasn’t got that, so he’ll be hiding.”

The man was pacing the halls quicker than he’d walked in his entire life, scanning each room as he passed it in case they were inside.

“Hermione!” Ron called from back down the hallway.

“What?” She barked, noticing how Fred didn’t even stop his search.

“We need to obliviate them, could buy us some time.” “Then do it!” “You’re the best at it, come on.” Ron raced back into the ballroom, hearing his fiance groan behind him.

“Hey, Fred?” “I’ll be fine, just go!” He called back, leaving her little choice as she went to obliviate the minds of their captives.

-

The girl had sat in silence ever since Mr Nott had thrown her into one of the guest bedroom’s, keeping his wand pointed at the door. He didn’t want to lock it. He found great joy in telling y/n how he would hex the first person to come through it, laughing over the thought of their lifeless face.

It was blatant to see how the man played around with lives like they were his toys. But all she could think about was how Freddie was laying on the ballroom floor, his eyes full of helpless tears as she was dragged away.

As much as she wanted him to be okay, she begged that he wouldn’t be the one to open that door and face whatever jinx her captor was going to throw.

“Why?” Her voice was dull, void of any hope or joy.

“Speak up, you’re mumbling.” He spat, barely glancing her way as she lay crumpled against the far side of the room, as far from him as she could get within those four walls.

“Why!” Now she was just angry.

She wanted to see her parents suffer, she wanted to see those awful creeps in pain… but most of all she wanted to see Mr Nott writhing in a pool of his own blood. Fred deserved to see that, she deserved to do it.

“Why what?” The man chuckled, amused by the way she scowled at the back of his head.

“Why bother fighting this hard? What have they promised you?”

“A pretty bride of course.” He laughed, his wand outstretched at the sound of some nearby noise down the hallway. His tone was gut wrenching, making the girl want to vomit on his newly polished dress shoes.

“Cut the shit.” She spat, her bones weak from the hours of being tied up and left to starve.

“Your mummy and daddy never told me they had a feisty one,” He turned, losing interest in the door, and approached her. She had nowhere to go, the balcony door was locked and all the furniture was too heavy to try and break the glass.

“Stop it…” She whispered, sick of fighting him off every few minutes, but his hands still reached up to her face. The man grabbed her jaw, rendering her gaze stuck on his.

“You’ve been promised to me… and that’s all I wanted- now be good and do what I say.” He laughed at the way she gulped beneath his harsh grip, digging deeper with each passing second. The pain was a happy sight to the sick man.

“All you want is to own me.” She almost laughed at this small revelation, a weak and airy one at that.

“Now she’s got it.” Theodore hissed, his hand unmoving from her now marked skin.

There was another noise, reminding the man that he was being followed. So he stood again, leaving her slumped in slight relief to watch the door as the footsteps grew slowly closer. They were hesitant, yet heavy. It was him, it had to be.

“Have you ever been in love?” The girl asked, desperately trying to distract him once again. It could buy some time for Freddie, if Mr Nott wasn’t waiting to throw his hex immediately.

The man’s back stiffened a little.

“Hasn’t everyone been in love once, little girl.” He chuckled, dismissing her question.

“But you haven’t?” She pushed.

There was no answer, he just remained with his wand pointed at the door. Except it shook slightly as he reminisced, unbeknownst to the girl.

“Was she pretty?” Y/n knew she was pushing her luck, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

“She... “ He breathed heavily, most likely contemplating why he was even entertaining her curiosity. “Well, it’s me- of course she had to be pretty. I would never settle for less.” His arrogance returned from the sidelines with one deep breath.

“What happened?” “It’s none of your business, now keep quiet.” He could hear whoever was in the hallway getting closer, and the girl’s voice was becoming more and more off putting.

“Mr Nott-” It was the first time she had addressed him all day. “I’m sorry for however you fell out of love, I can’t imagine it was pleasant in the slightest.” He made no reaction, so she kept going.

“Then again, I haven’t been in love before… not before Freddie.” She could see the way his chest heaved more than before as his eyes bored into the wooden doorframe. “So, I wouldn’t know what it is like to lose that love… but I suppose that is a threat as of today.”

Theodore tried to block her out, really he tried, knowing that any second that door before him would fly open and one of the Weasley clan would charge inside to claim his bride as their own.

But all he could think about was her. The one woman he had truly loved, after years of damning the feeling to death, was no longer his to be with. As his hand shook furiously before him, flashes of her perfect smile and devious ways washed through his mind.

She was married to another, by arrangement, his own offer cast aside when the whole ordeal became a business plan. Her father had never seen him suitable from the start, yet he had kept up the naive hope that the woman would see him as perfect enough to disobey her father’s requests.

He wasn’t, however, suitable for anyone it seemed.

“Who was she Mr Nott?” “Shut up!” The man snapped, still unable to concentrate as he had been doing so.

“It will help to talk,” “I do not need to talk to you bitch, now be quiet.”

The footsteps were gone. Or maybe he couldn’t hear them over the sound of his thudding heart. But it panicked him, made him scramble over to the girl in white who cowered at his advance.

He picked her up from the floor and whispered a spell on the french doors behind them, hearing the locks open. The girl whimpered once again in his arms, shivering as the wind rushed inside the room behind them, the threat of the balcony nearing.

“Please,” Y/n whispered, maybe to him, maybe to herself. But it made the man holding her jump slightly, looking down to see her staring at the door with hopeful intent.

For a split second she held such a look of determination that he was reminded of another, suddenly seeing the girl as someone he had loved in the past. It enthralled him how, even faced against a doomed future, she held onto the idea that Fred would save her. He knew the bastard Weasley would do all he could, too. Theodore knew she was loved, something he had never been.

“Pansy…” Mr Nott said airily, watching the girl and recognising her.

“What?”

“Pansy... Zabini.”

The door flew open, shocking them both. Fred was exhausted, his face pale and his body hunched over in pain as he all but fell into the room. There was no time for the girl’s captor to react when he heard the words expelliarmus fall from her lover’s lips.

Nott’s wand flew across the room, despite his attempts to catch it back.

“That was a very bad idea Weasley.” He laughed, remembering why he deserved this. Why he deserved the girl as his own, she was his to show off. To remind everyone that Theodore Nott wasn’t a lovesick fool for anyone.

The man produced a blade, bigger than the one previously pressed into the girl’s back. Now it prodded her side, making her torso tense up once again, yet her eyes softened at the sight of Freddie. Even if he did look like hell.

“Don’t hurt her, you bastard!” Fred spat, holding his hands in the air to show he meant no harm. Anything to protect her, he told himself, as long as nothing happens to y/n.

“Wand down.” Theo spat, chuckling at how easily he’d gained control of the situation.

“Fine, just let her go.”

“No can do, she’s been promised- my prize.” He cooed, feeling the way the girl beside him gulped when he got closer.

All the while, as the Slytherin bragged about his bride to be, Freddie’s eyes remained on the girl. They begged him to save her, to help her, to take her far away and stay with her forever. But she didn’t say a word, just watched him.

“The thing is, Weasley, that your little play thing here- she is just like all the other girls out there… so very disposable.” The knife in Nott’s hands ran up her body, grazing the dress with a light scratching sound. It grated in her mind as she held her breath.

“Please Theo, don’t.” Freddie begged, watching how the blade rested upon her neck. Every shaky breath she took knocked it about, her eyes widening every time.

“All this time she’s been crying and begging and whimpering, don’t you start too.” He sneered, holding the girl’s left arm tighter. “Weak little thing, don’t you agree?”

Fred tried to shake his head, the words not coming out even as he tried.

“Shame. I think she’s purely useless- worthless little y/n?” Theo turned to the girl, her scornful gaze somewhat a shock to him. Still, it gave him a chuckle. “Even her parents didn’t care about her… I see why.”

“Mr Nott?” She asked, her voice like an angel’s to Freddie.

“Yes darling.” Theodore teased, turning back to the redhead with a smug look.

Only to face the girl with shameful horror when she whispered “legilimens”.

He had no chance to fight it, no way to block her from seeing it all. The endless days spent with Pansy at Hogwarts, so in love with one another that it disgusted their friends to no end. She saw how they fought through the war together, side by side, only to be ushered away by their parents when it was clear they were to lose. The girl watched over his memories of the trials, his pleads of being under the imperius curse, his testimony to Pansy’s innocence. Only for the girl to announce her engagement to Blaise Zabini once they were pardoned and allowed to live freely. The girl felt the way his heart broke, over and over, time again. She could feel how little he valued himself, she could see the mask he wore.

“You bitch!”

The knife plunged deep into her side, a ricochet of shouts from Freddie as she stumbled away from Theodore. He ripped it out, the gash in the dress draping open to show off the bloody slit that was now in her skin.

It was a blur, as Fred grabbed his wand and advanced towards the man who held a look of regret over his face. But it wasn’t enough to save him.

“Stupefy”

He slumped onto the balcony railing, his eyes trained on her as she found her footing against the french doors. They were welling up now, covered in hazed tears. With all the pent up adrenaline left inside her she lunged for the man, grabbing his collar and holding his upper body over the edge, threatening to let him fall onto the cobblestones below.

“You remember. I know it all.” She whispered. “Find someone who loves you.” It was a stern plea. Y/n knew that without it, Theodore Nott would only descend into madness.

Fred came to her side when she fell, matching the way the stunned man’s body fell against the railings. The girl’s eyes closed every few seconds, her head misting over as the twin tried desperately to keep her awake.

“Please… y/n…. Wake up…. I need you awake…. I need you.” He begged, fading into nothing as she fell slowly forward into his arms.

Her lips parted as she tried to speak, slowly, but with her last drags of determination.

“Theodore? If you try this again…. With me… or anyone else…” Her breath got heavy as she struggled to push away the pain much longer, the searing sting piercing her side as if she’d been struck a second time. “Then… I’ll push you over.”

With that final warning her eyes closed for good and her body collapsed lifelessly against Fred who couldn’t bring himself to utter a single word as he scrambled around the room for his wand. It took another look at Theo, frozen in his fear to realise what the girl had seen inside his head must have meant something to her. Or else he would have been in a pool of his own blood, on the courtyard below.

“Y/n…” He finally managed. “I’m sorry, this is going to hurt.” Freddie closed his eyes, holding onto her for dear life and ignored the way he wanted to crumble into a string of sobs just at the sight of her. Then they disappeared, leaving Theodore to be found on the balcony…. Alone.

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The Loft (Chapter 2)

After a bad break-up, Hermione Granger moves into a messy and dysfunctional loft with four single men. What starts as a temporary home until she gets back on her feet becomes so much more, as she learns there's a lot of life - and love - that happens at rock-bottom.

Inspired by the TV Series ‘New Girl’

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Also on A03 | FFN

More Chapters

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Chapter 2

[Ron]

Shoveling cereal into his mouth, Ron stares across the room to where Hermione's sprawled out on the couch amidst a crocheted blanket and a mountain of tissues. Apart from her personal bubble of chaos, the loft itself is immaculate. Over the past week, Hermione dedicated all of her free time to either crying over romantic comedies, or stress cleaning, and as a result, the loft looks like an Ikea showroom, and Ron's Netflix recommendations are all fucked up.

"Didn't you watch that one yesterday?" he asks with a mouth full of food.

Hermione props herself up onto her elbows and raises an eyebrow at him. "Yes, I did. Why does it matter?"

"Dunno," he shrugs, before slurping the remaining milk from the cereal bowl. "Seems kinda pointless."

Ron sets the empty bowl into the sink and is about to leave the kitchen, but stops when Hermione clears her throat.

"What?"

"You're just going to leave your bowl there?"

"Yep. That's how things work here. When you need a dish, you take a dirty one from the sink and wash it."

"I've noticed," she says, "and I think it's disgusting."

"Well, you're new here, so you're the one that has to adapt. It's simple, really."

Ignoring her eye roll, he breezes past the couch and into his bedroom. She can deal with a few dirty dishes.

Unfortunately, the interaction reminds him that he has a pile of dirty laundry to clean. Groaning, he trudges over to the closet and braces himself for the mess when he opens the door.

To his shock, there is no mess. In fact, everything is clean, folded, and neatly stacked on his shelves. What should be a pleasant surprise instead makes his blood boil — only one person in this loft would even think about doing his laundry, and it's the same person who has absolutely no right to touch his underwear. His face heats up as he realizes what she's probably seen — Ron's underwear collection isn't exactly manly, and there are certain things Hermione doesn't need to know about him yet. Or ever, for that matter.

Ron storms back into the living room, clutching a wad of clean boxers. "Hermione!"

"What?"

"What the fuck?" He waves his underwear at her. What's the point of hiding them anymore when she's already rummaged through them all?

"You're welcome!" she hisses. "Your laundry was getting full. And stinky."

"I didn't say thank you," he says. "You can't just go through my clothes! Do your own laundry."

She mumbles something into her throw blanket just as Ron slams his bedroom door behind him.

Once in his room, Ron scrambles for his phone to send a text to the loft's group chat — the one that doesn't include Hermione yet.

Loft meeting in ten. My room. Don't tell H.

x

There's a knock at Ron's door ten minutes later, and Ron opens it to find Neville waiting patiently, bouncing on his heel. Hermione's still curled up on the sofa in a pile of blankets, and bears him no notice.

"Are you sure you don't want Hermione to come?" whispers Neville as he passes through the door.

"Positive," says Ron once the door shuts behind him.

Seamus pops in a few moments later. "Is this meeting about me? Did I do something?"

"Nope," says Ron.

Another knock at the door reveals Harry, closely followed by his sister.

"Hey!" says Harry.

"Hi… erm...Ginny?"

"Hey, brother," she greets him smiling, plopping down on his bed next to Neville.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just hanging out," she shrugs.

"Did Hermoine invite you? You weren't watching movies with her."

"No. Harry invited me."

Ron shoots a confused glance at Harry, who's pointedly looking away. "Harry has your number?"

Harry shrugs and glances down while Ginny brushes the subject aside.

"What's the point of this meeting?" asks Ginny.

Ron scowls at the group. Harry and Ginny hang out? Since when? "You don't have to be here since you don't even li—"

"What exactly are we discussing at this 'loft meeting'?" asks Seamus, cutting him off.

A few Dorito chips escape Seamus's mouth at his question. Ron resists pointing it out to him for fear of undermining his own complaint. "Okay, listen. Have you noticed how clean this place is?"

"Yeah, it's awesome," says Neville.

"Seriously," says Harry, nodding in agreement. "The fridge doesn't smell bad anymore."

"I agree. What's the problem with that?" asks Seamus, squinting toward his closed door, from which they can hear the muffled dialogue of Hermione's movie.

Groaning, Ron opens his closet door and gestures to the neatly folded rainbow of underwear. "That's the problem."

Seamus laughs. "Hermione did your laundry?"

"Yes," growls Ron. "Can you believe it?"

"What I can't believe is that you're upset about it. I wish she'd do mine!"

"Of course I'm upset. She went through my clothes!"

"Don't be!" laughs Seamus. "This is the closest you've gotten to a girl touching your boxers in what, months?"

"Shut up," groans Ron. "She didn't do any of yours?"

Ron glances back at his roommates; they are all shaking their heads no. "We don't let our laundry sit for days on end. Not like you," mutters Harry.

"You think she's just picking on me because I'm the loft slob?"

"Well…yeah," says Seamus, while Harry shrugs.

"Ron, it's not that big of a deal. She's upset, and cleaning is a good distraction for her," interjects Neville.

"Plus, she still doesn't have all her stuff back," says Ginny. "She doesn't have her own things to clean."

"Her stuff is at her ex's?" asks Ron. It would make sense — she has been wearing the same pair of sweatpants around the house since moving in.

Ginny nods.

"If she needs clothes, I could let her peruse my lost and found drawer," says Seamus. "I have a drawer for leftover clothes from women I— ."

"Yeah, we know. You talk about it all the time," interrupts Ron. "Also, jar."

Seamus chuckles.

"Maybe if she gets her stuff back, she won't touch mine."

"She already tried," says Ginny. "Why do you think she's been a mess for the last twenty-four hours?" She gestures toward the living room, drawing everyone's attention to the sound of drama brewing onscreen, as a heated argument between scorned lovers fills the silence.

"She went there?"

Ginny nods.

"And it didn't work?"

"All I know is she left empty-handed and crying. Cormac has a way of doing that to her."

"Can you… encourage her to go back?" asks Ron, ignoring the lump in his throat that forms at the thought of Hermione leaving that douchebag's apartment in tears. He shakes his head to dissolve the image. He can't let his pity for her get in the way of maintaining the natural order of the loft.

"She'll need more than encouragement," says Ginny.

"Then let's go with her," says Harry, eying Ginny, who smiles at his offer. "We can help!"

"No," says Ron. "I don't want to get involved."

At that moment, there's a loud crash in the living room. A few seconds of silence follow, indicating the interruption of Hermione's movie, and then she shrieks.

"Fuck," groans Ron.

They rush to the door and pour into the living room. Hermione's on her feet, clutching her blankets around her, staring at the TV. On the floor. Shattered.

"What the hell, Hermione!" shouts Ron. The tone of his own voice makes his own hair stand on end, and he'd hate to be on the receiving end. "What the fuck did you do?"

"I...I threw the remote at the TV, and it knocked it off the stand. I'm so sorry!"

"Why?"

"Because Bradley Cooper was about to cheat on his wife with Scarlett Johannsen, and it made me angry. I just reacted."

"It's a MOVIE, Hermione! It's not real!" screams Ron.

"It's real for me," she says back, her eyes watering with tears.

"You owe us another TV," says Ron. He glances at his roommates, hoping for backup, but they all just stand there motionless, gawking at the scene before them.

"I can replace it!" she says. "I swear, I have another TV. I'll go get it!"

"At your ex's?"

"Yes," she says, her voice breaking like she's about to cry again.

Ron addresses his roommates. "We're going now."

Hermione looks unsure. "I… I can't."

Ginny approaches her. "You can. You just need some courage."

"When it comes to Cormac, I don't have that."

Ginny pulls out a flask from her pocket. "Now you do. Drink this."

"What is it," asks Hermione, sniffing it and wincing. "I'm not a big drinker…"

"Liquid courage. Drink it, and let's go."

x

They take two cars to Cormac's apartment, assuring that they'll have enough room to haul back Hermione's belongings and that Ron doesn't have to drive with her. He doesn't think he'd be able to resist yelling at her again.

Ron, Neville and Seamus pull up behind Harry's pickup truck and watch as Hermione exits, takes a deep breath, and scuttles to the front door of a modest duplex. A few empty beer bottles are scattered around the two lawn chairs in the front yard, and there's a small garden that looks like it stopped being maintained about a week ago. Hermione knocks and waits. Ron catches his foot tapping impatiently, and his frustration grows at Cormac's slow response to her knock.

When Cormac finally opens the door, Ron lets out a big exhale. His ears burn with the realization that he was holding his breath. Seamus sends him a knowing smile.

The boys watch as Hermione starts to argue with the tall, sandy-haired man at the door. He'd be quite intimidating if he wasn't wearing a bright green hat featuring the logo from the Broadway musical Wicked. His impeccable taste in musicals only makes Ron hate him more.

"That's her ex?" asks Seamus. "The dude has muscles."

Ron ignores the wave of insecurity Seamus' comment ignites.

"His yard plants look awful," adds Neville. "He should take better care of his ferns."

Leave it to Neville to notice someone's plant maintenance, but Ron latches on to his criticism anyway. "Yeah, he really should water those."

They watch their argument until Cormac opens his arms in invitation.

"Don't do it, Hermione," says Neville.

Yeah. Don't do it, Hermione.

Hermione collapses into Cormac's open arms, and he engulfs her in a hug, running a comforting hand down her back. Ron feels sick at the sight and looks away — it must just be disappointment at the thought of Hermione not getting her television...nothing more.

"What the hell?" says Seamus. "He's like her kryptonite."

Cormac and Hermione sway on the spot and then freeze. Hermione appears to stiffen in his arms before pushing him away and pointing at the dying ferns. "You were supposed to water these!" she yells, loud enough that the boys can hear her.

"Well, I'm not really a plant guy!" says Cormac. "And neither is Romilda!"

At the sound of Cormac's new girlfriend's name, Hermione reaches for the potted fern on the porch and lifts it overhead.

"What are you— argh!" shrieks Cormac as Hermione dumps the pot on top of him, showering him with soil before slamming the pot onto the concrete where it shatters. "What the fuck, Hermione!"

"Oh shit!" says Seamus. "Don't mess with Granger."

"That was scary," says Ron before he can stop himself. "Brilliant, but scary."

The door to Harry's pickup opens, and Ginny exits, slamming it behind her and sauntering across the lawn. "I'm going to get your stuff, Hermione," she calls, before swiping past a stunned Cormac into the house.

Harry follows and motions toward Ron to help.

"Let's go," says Ron, opening his car door.

Ron makes sure to knock into Cormac's sturdy shoulder on his way through the door, and waits until he's out of sight to rub it. He really does have muscles, he thinks to himself. His insecurity bubbles back up at the thought.

Ron finds Hermione stumbling down the stairs carrying a pile of clothing. The alcohol Ginny gave her must be taking effect because she loses her balance and nearly trips, just barely catching herself on the bannister. Her clothes tumble from her arms and onto the stairs. On instinct, Ron drops to the floor to help her.

"Ron, no!"

It's too late. Ron is already on his hands and knees gathering her belongings into his arms. He blushes when he realizes he's holding a pile of her bras and underwear.`

"Erm, sorry," he says, handing the pile back to her. Her cheeks are rosy, spurring Ron's guilt for making her feel awkward. Not that he has any reason to feel guilty for simply touching her underwear — Hermione touched his, after all.

Ron clears his throat. "I'll just… help my sister with your other stuff," he says, passing her on his way up the stairs.

"Sounds good," she says awkwardly, and the two part ways.

x

Half an hour later, both cars are filled to the brim with all of Hermione's belongings, except for one: her television.

Cormac is guarding the monitor with his life, clutching it with his ham-like hands while Seamus tries to tug it free. The boys managed to move it out to the lawn, but now Cormac is putting up a fight.

"You can't take this!" he yells.

"Give it up, Cormac!" says Hermione, her arms folded.

"Yeah, dude, it's not even yours!" says Seamus.

Ron approaches the two to help Seamus try to pull it from Cormac's grip.

"Who the fuck are you, anyway," asks Cormac.

Ron opens his mouth, but Hermione beats him to it.

"These are my roommates, and I love them!" Her words slur together.

"You… what?" asks Cormac. His surprise causes his grip to loosen just enough for Ron and Seamus to slide it from him. "Are you drunk?"

"I love them so much!" she yells, which adequately answers Cormac's question.

"Maybe cut back on the 'love' talk, Hermione," says Ron, his stomach churning with discomfort.

Hermione ignores him and addresses Cormac. "I love them, and I hate you!"

Discomfort aside, Ron can't help but chuckle at her passion.

"She's a lightweight. Noted," adds Ginny, mostly to a grinning Harry.

"Now I'm taking my TV!"

"No!" says Cormac. "You never even use it!"

"I paid for it!"

"We can work out an arrangement," he pleads.

"Bro, she's taking the TV," says Ron, as he and Seamus haul it into his car.

"One more thing," says Hermione. "That's my hat!" She points at Cormac's Wicked cap.

"No, this is Romilda's," he says. "She loves musicals."

"No, it isn't! I love musicals!"

Ron watches with wide eyes as Hermione opens the door to his car and sticks her hand into a box. She pulls out half a dozen hats, all featuring a different Broadway musical.

Cormac crosses his arms, standing his ground. "Will you just get out of here now?"

He looks ridiculous trying to intimidate in his Wicked hat, and two can play that game. Ron reaches into the box for a second hat and plops it on his head. He's excited to see that he selected Les Miserables memorabilia. "Give her the hat back, and she'll leave," says Ron, crossing his arms to mimic Cormac.

Neville reaches for a Cats hat and sticks it on his head. "Yeah. Give it back."

Harry fishes out more hats — Rent for himself, Annie for Ginny, and Fiddler On The Roof for Seamus — and the three pull them over their heads, cross their arms, and stare Cormac down.

"No," says Cormac.

Ron exchanges a glance with his roommates, who nod in understanding. "One, two, three!"

Seamus, Ron, and Harry rush to tackle Cormac to the ground. He's caught off guard, and stumbles back before collapsing, and the boys are able to pin him down as he struggles. Neville swipes the hat from his head.

"Get in the car, quick!" says Ron, holding Cormac down for everyone to get a head start. Feeling a sense of pride at tackling the guy, Ron roughly pushes himself off and sprints to his car door, slamming it shut and turning over his engine before Cormac's even able to scramble to his feet.

"Wooo!" says Ron. "That was awesome!"

He expects a response from Neville or Seamus but is greeted with silence instead. Ron glances to the passenger seat to find that he's sharing the car with only one person: Hermione.

"Oh, Hermione," he stumbles, immediately feeling awkward at her presence. "Where's everyone else?"

"Harry's car had more room," she says.

"Gotcha."

They continue in awkward silence for a few moments before Hermione speaks up again. "Thank you for helping. You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, well… now that you have your things back, you don't have to touch mine anymore," says Ron, "especially not my underwear."

Hermione laughs. "Well, something good came from me touching your underwear."

"What's that?"

"Now I know you're also a Broadway fan."

Wincing, Ron recalls his collection of Broadway musical-themed boxers at the bottom of his drawer. He wasn't sure if she was planning on bringing it up, but it might just be the only common ground between them.

As it turns out, he's also wearing his Hamilton briefs, but Hermione doesn't need to know that. She'd probably think they clash with his Wicked cap.

"Don't tell the guys," he says cautiously, knowing he can no longer deny his guilty pleasure." Erm...maybe we could watch a musical sometime?"

"I'd love that!" she smiles.

Ron smiles back. Maybe she isn't so bad.

"Does this mean we're friends?" she asks.

Ron laughs. "No. We're still just roommates." It's going to take a lot more than a shared interest in musicals for them to be friends.

Hermione nods. "I'll keep trying for friends, but I can live with roommates for now."

"Let me clarify. Roommates who don't touch each others' underwear," he says. "Deal?"

"Roommates who don't touch each other's underwear. Deal," she confirms with a small smile before turning her focus back to the road.

The phrase doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and he can't prevent the memory of Hermione's bra in his hands surfacing. He stares intently at the street, and hopes she doesn't notice the blush creeping back up his neck — he wouldn't want to give her the wrong idea.

From the corner of his eye, he can see her face flushing too. Ron's heart flutters before logic takes over. Maybe she's thinking the exact same thing as him — hoping he doesn't notice her blush, so as to prevent him from assuming she's attracted to him, or something.

If so, it's a good thing they're on the same page. Roommates who don't touch each other's underwear.

[thatesqcrush]

The Invitation

Rafael Barba x Reader. For kink bingo: pegging. CW: oral sex (male and female receiving), male (anal) penetration, spanking, sex toys, some elements of fem-dom, dub-con (it’ll make sense at the end), degradation talk and sex parties/orgies. WC: 2116

--

The invitation came via text with an address which led to an unmarked brick building in Chelsea. Rafael looked at his phone and then upwards at the building before approaching the door where a burly looking fellow stood guard. Rafael swallowed hard before approaching. The bouncer held out an arm and was about to say something when he paused to listen to whomever was chirping in his ear-piece. The bouncer looked at Rafael and nodded, waving Rafael past the heavy metal door.

“Where do I go?” Rafael asked, as he noted there was an elevator.

“Four.” The bouncer groused and Rafael nodded, more to himself than anyone else. The elevator ride was quick and when the doors opened, Rafael found himself in an unmarked doorway that was dimly lit.

A pair heels clacked along the marble flooring. A petite blonde in a black pant suit approached. She wore a pink and gold venetian mask with satin leaves. “Are you Mr. Barba?”

“Yes.”

“Please sign this.” The woman jutted out a clipboard, which contained an extensive NDA (which talked about celebrity sightings, detailed the photo restrictions, and used the word "anus" a lot) to sign. As a lawyer, Rafael was able to make sense of a lot of the mumbo-jumbo boiler plate filler, narrowing down on what actual rights and remedies he was signing away. Consent was all over the paperwork. Rafael swallowed hard – as a special victims prosecutor, every cell in his body screamed to abort the mission. However, this was an opportunity he could not resist. Everything seemed tight-locked, so after a few minutes, provided his John Hancock and handed it back.

“Perfect. Right this way.” The woman in the mask chirped as she led him down the corridor. They approached another door, and the petite woman looked at Rafael once more. “Oh! One more thing!” She reached into her pocket and slipped a purple band on his wrist. Rafael stared at it curiously. “Enjoy.”

The door opened to another dimly-lit loft lined with black couches and exposed brick. It resembled an odd cocktail party, with 50 or so men and women milling about, sipping champagne, in various states of dress. Music played overhead but low enough for conversation to continue. Rafael spotted the bar and made a beeline for it.

“Scotch, two fingers.” He ordered from the bartender. Rafael loosened the knot on his tie as the bartender poured his drink.

Rafael turned around on his barstool and watched everyone. A few couples started making out in a way that tested the limits of typical PDA. Two gorgeous women started making out and fiddling with each-others nipples while their male partners removed their underwear. A man laid his red-headed date out on one of the couches and started going down on her as she looked on with disinterest, hands behind her head. Other attendees eyed the other couples and even Rafael but when they noticed the purple bracelet, they didn’t approach.

“Is it your first time here?”

Rafael turned around and found himself face to face with you. You wore a tulle, halter neck style top with snake embroidery (which reminded him of Medusa) which covered you strategically but left very little to the imagination. You also wore an obscenely short leather skirt. Your makeup was heavy, with dark rimmed eyes and a bold lip. Your hair was loosely braided and it cascaded around your shoulders. Finishing your look was a purple band on your wrist, identical to his.

“Yes.” Rafael replied as he drank you in, feeling his cock twitch and his pants becoming uncomfortably tight.

“Mine too.” You replied. “I was invited by a friend.”

“As was I. This is… is something.”

“I’ll say.” You replied. “What are you having?”

“Scotch.” The bartender approached and you requested the same as Rafael. “Hi, I am Y/N.” You extended your hand and Rafael took it in his own. His grip was firm and you felt a jolt of desire. The attraction was instantaneous, and the sexual tension was thick. “Want to take this elsewhere? Maybe get away from this?” You asked, trailing a finger down the middle of your sheer sternum and Rafael slammed back his drink before responding.

“Absolutely.”

--

The back included various bedrooms. Some doors were open – some were shut. Some were occupied: a threesome in one room had started gleefully banging each other – in another, a woman was giving an enthusiastic blow job. Moans came from rooms in all directions, definitely adding to the sexual fever and tension.

“This one looks empty.” You replied, poking your head into a room. And sure enough it was – the room contained a king-sized bed and along the bed was a bureau with various lubes, condoms, and sex toys, including hand cuffs, a ball gag, various floggers, ropes, dildos and plugs.

You and Rafael wasted no time, tumbling into the room and slamming the door shut behind you. You both fell onto the bed and began making out like horny teenagers. Your actions were frenzied, making quick removal of each other’s clothes and wanting to touch every inch of each other’s skin.

You gasped as Rafael’s beard and mouth grazed over a sensitive spot along your neck, grinding up against his erection. You hooked your legs around his hips and pushed on his chest up, encouraging him to roll onto his back. You sat up fully, pleased with the surprised look on Rafael’s face and you leaned down until your foreheads were near pressing one another’s.

“I own you now. You’re about to get a lesson in obedience. And just to be clear, from now on, you ask permission to cum. And you address me as Mistress.” You pressed a rough kiss to Rafael’s lips.

“Yes, Mistress.” Rafael replied, immediately taking to the sub role - this was it - this was what he wanted. You clapped your hands together, delighted.

“Wonderful.” You replied. You noticed how hard Rafael’s cock already was and you stroked it languidly, reveling in the tortured sounds he made. You released your hand and got off the bed. Rafael propped himself up onto his elbows, watching as you grab a paddle off the bureau.

When you returned, you leaned forward and kissed him passionately once more. Your hand came to the front of his chest as you pinched his nipple between your thumb and forefinger. “Going to let Mistress make you feel good?” You asked, your eyes meeting his green eyes. Rafael nodded. You took the paddle and gave a light spank landed which landed on his nipple.

“Use your words.” You commanded.

“Yes, Mistress, want you to make me feel good.” He whimpered. You dropped a spank on his thigh, causing Rafael to grunt.

“Oh I will. I love to suck cock.” You replied. “And your cock is just delicious, I bet.” You gave Rafael a lascivious grin before sat beside him.

You took a deep breath, relaxing your throat. You tried to get him as deep as possible, until he pressed at the back of your throat. You sucked hard, bobbing your head slowly, your hand wrapped around his base twisting and pulling upwards to meet your lips in a rhythm.  Rafael’s green eyes bore down at you, narrowing slightly as they trained on his cock disappearing and reappearing between your lips.  

“Oh fuck, that’s good.” Rafael cried out, his head tilting back on the sheets.

You chuckled around his length, though the sound was muffled as you continued to blow him. You released his cock from your mouth with a pop and lowered your head to suck and lick his balls, swirling your tongue around the velvet skin delicately.

“You better not cum in my mouth without permission. You understand me? What happens if you cum without permission?” You asked, lifting your head. You spat on your hand and stroked Rafael. When he didn’t respond, you reached for your paddle and smacked his thigh.

“P-p-punished.” Rafael groaned. “Won’t come without your permission.”

“Good.” You cooed, batting your eyes coquettishly at him. You stood once more and sauntered over to the bureau. Your eyes casted over one particular toy and you grabbed it along with the bottle of lube. Rafael’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something but you ran your finger over his mouth, shushing him.

“Get up on your knees. Turn away from me so I can see your ass.” Rafael scrambled to all fours and you felt the corners of your lips twitch into a smile. “Reach back with both hands and spread your ass cheeks apart. Show me everything. I want to see that ass. I want to see that ass get fucked.”

You let out a gasp as you saw the base of a plug flush against his asshole. “Oh naughty boy, you came prepared didn’t you? You came tonight wanting to be fucked.”

“Yes mistress.” Rafael replied, gasping as you wiggled the toy, until it started to come out. You pushed the plug back in and then out again, teasingly fucking him with it. Rafael groaned,

“So eager.” You purred pulling the plug out completely. You grabbed the silicone toy – a hot pink silicone strapless strap on, double ended for shared fun. One end was shorter, but girthier with external bunny ears to tease one’s clitoris and the other end was longer. You kneeled behind Rafael and pressed down on his back so that he was at perfect height. You squirted lube onto the end with the bunny ears and let out a whimper as you slid the strap-on inside of you. Once you adjusted to the feeling, you grabbed the lube again and drizzled it over your cock, stroking it.

You used two lube slicked fingers to tease Rafael’s asshole and he grunted, pushing back with his hips. You removed your fingers and replaced it with the tip of the toy against his opening, driving your hips forward and slowly. Rafael dropped his head lower and groaned a little louder. You kept at it slowly, Rafael encouraging you more and more. Finally, you slid the remainder of the toy in. You let him take the lead, with him rocking against you, fucking himself on the toy. You then gripped his hips and began to meet his thrusts, fucking him – which in turn fucked you as it nudged the other side of the strap on. The little bunny ears teased and tantalized your swollen pearl. Moans and grunts filled the room as you fucked each-other. Occasionally you threw in a praise, calling him a good little slut for taking your cock so well.

Finally, Rafael reached down and stroked his cock. It didn’t take much and you knew it. You told him to come and he shuddered as he did so, before slumping down onto the mattress. You took it as you cue to slide out of him and you did so, sliding the toy out of you as well. Rafael flipped onto his back, you could see evidence of his release all over his cock.

“Time to make mistress come.” Rafael panted and he beckoned you. You crawled over him and with your back to him, you straddled his face. Rafael pulled your hips down over his face and licked a broad stripe over your hot wet cunt before delving deep. You gasped and moaned as you rolled your hips, riding his face. His beard tickled your pussy and added to your arousal. Rafael sucked your clit into his mouth, teasing it – teasing you. You let out a choked sob as you writhed against his face. “Fuck! I’m going to cum! Yes, make your mistress come!”

You heard a muffled ‘come for me’ from beneath you and then his tongue flicked on your clit repeatedly, almost in a dart motion and you came hard, nearly grinding down on his face, practically smothering him with your pussy.

You came down back to reality and with trembling legs, climbed off of Rafael. You laid there panting, side by side to Rafael before you rolled towards him.

“So, was that everything you wanted it to be?” You asked, now propped up on an elbow. You stroked his chest hair in an absentminded pattern, stopping every once in a while to circle his nipples.

“Absolutely.” Rafael replied, echoing his earlier agreement. “This was a great idea. But maybe next time…”

“Yeah?”

“Next time, lets just do this at home. I am pretty sure that was Judge Barth getting serviced in the other room and I have a case with her on Monday and I don’t know how I am going to look her in the eye.”

You let out a giggle. “Noted. Come on – lets change and go home.” You picked up the double ended strap-on, admiring it for what it was. “And this… this is coming with us too.”

FIN.

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[when-they-write-stuff]

No. 25 - Wrapping arms around them when they make breakfast - but with a specific twist. In canon. Pre relationship. Stiles fell asleep at Derek's (exhausted after research, hurt after fight with big bad, it's up to you but nothing too dramatic ^^) or Derek stayed at Stiles'. When Stiles wakes up Derek's in the kitchen, making breakfast. Then the prompt happens. Then awkward silence xD cause, wtf are you doing Stiles? Set season 2ish? Or something? Idk.. But only if you want to! XD

“I told you to stop touching it.”

“I’m not touching it!”

“I can see you touching it, Stiles.”

“Whatever,” Stiles said, crossing his arms as he dropped back onto the bed. “I totally wasn’t touching it. You don’t have eyes in the back of your head.”

Derek huffed and turned back around, a first aid kit in hand. Stiles sat straight back up then, only to groan and wrap an arm around his side once more.

If anyone asked, Stiles would say that he totally got injured in some badass, heroic way. He totally wasn’t running from the current Monster of the Week only to trip over his own feet and nearly brain himself on a rock.

There was a gash sliced open across his chest. Stiles winced as Derek knelt down in front of him, frowning at it. Like the injury had somehow personally offended him or something. Stiles snorted at that, earning a strange look from Derek.

He just shrugged. “I’m just curious, but when was the last time you cared that I nearly died?”

“I’d care if you died.”

“Aw, Sourwolf. Would you say some nice things at my funereal?”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“I’m just saying,” Stiles said. “There was this one time I showed up with a bruised face, bloodied lip, and cracked rib and I don’t think even Scott cared.”

Derek’s face hardened at that. He glared even harder at the gash before angrily dabbing at it. Stiles squeaked and tried to shy away.

“Dude, ouch! That hurts!”

“I should have checked in on you,” Derek said. Stiles blinked at him.

“Dude, it’s fine. I’m not bitter.”

Derek looked a little bitter. Stiles studied him for a moment longer before barking a laugh. 

“Oh my god, you totally care about this token human.”

“Shut up.”

“Derek, I’m just gonna say it. I’ve totally gotten under your skin.”

“Like a parasite.”

“Rude!”

Stiles thought there was a hint of a smile playing along Derek’s lips when he rolled his eyes and set the cloth aside, studying the injury again. Stiles was pretty sure it wasn’t bad at all, but Derek had taken one look and told Stiles either he came back to the loft, or Derek was taking him to the hospital.

Looking at it now, Stiles laughed again. “Dude, that’s just a little baby cut.”

“It could’ve been worse.”

“Oh yeah, definitely. I could have gotten an infection and died.”

“You could have.”

“Oh my god,” Stiles said, pushing himself up. “You’re no fun, you know that?”

Derek rolled his eyes. Stiles pulled out his phone but then hesitated, glancing back. Slowly, he raised an eyebrow. 

“Why the hell do you have a first aid kit lying around anyway?”

“Why do you think?”

Stiles grinned from ear-to-tear, turning around again. He scrolled to his dad’s name, just to let him know he was finally heading home, and waved a hand through the air as he wandered back out of Derek’s bedroom.

“Whatever, you totally care about me. Now if you’ll excuse this token human, I’m going home. My bed is calling and it’s like… oh my god,” Stiles blinked at his phone. “It’s three am, dude. I can’t go home now! My dad is the lightest sleeper you’ve ever met and he’ll totally ground me for life.”

Derek stood silently in the doorway. Stiles spun around, pointing a finger at him.

“I blame you. This is your fault.”

The man just blinked silently. Stiles thought for some reason, he looked a little pleased. Groaning, he typed out an ‘At Scott’s’ message, knowing there was no way his dad was going to fall for that. But Stiles still had yet to explain… things. Werewolf things. And currently, he’d take distrust over putting his dad in danger.

“I’m staying here,” Stiles said flatly. Derek raised an eyebrow and Stiles crossed his arms. “The pups are already asleep and you, sir, can spare the couch. The next time you nearly hospitalize me over a small cut, I hope you remember this.”

“I will,” Derek said. And Stiles didn’t think he was being sarcastic.

Huffing, he stuffed his phone into his pocket and wandered down the hallway to find some extra blankets or pillows. But, finding nothing, he popped his head back around the corner.

“Dude, I’m not sleeping on that lump of a couch without at least a pillow.”

“Okay,” Derek said, pushing his bedroom door open. Stiles blinked a few times and then narrowed his eyes. 

“What?”

Derek raised an eyebrow, his meaning obvious. Stiles crossed his arms, sitting back on his heels.

“Dude, what are you playing at?”

“It’s a big bed, Stiles,” Derek said flatly. “If you don’t like it, you can sleep on the floor. I don’t care.”

“You totally care.”

In response, Derek turned back into his bedroom, vanishing from sight. Stiles stayed rooted to the spot for a moment, debating his options. Because yes, he could probably share a bed with— oh my god— Derek Hale. But Stiles was… okay, you know what? Stiles was a growing boy. The feelings he may or may not possibly have were completely not his fault.

But he was totally waking up early tomorrow morning and making a run for it. Stiles did not need to see Erica’s smug grin if she came across any of this.

Stupid werewolves and their super-sniffers. She always caught him thinking bad thoughts at the worst moments. 

Usually when Derek was around.

After another long moment, Stiles plodded into the room after the werewolf. He could share a bed just fine! He and Scott used to all the time.

When they were literal children.

Derek was already under a giant pile of blankets, his back to the door. Stiles held his breath as he climbed in bed behind the man, carefully turning his back toward Derek was well. The last thing he wanted to do was have his throat ripped out because he accidentally ended up snuggling the man come morning or something.

It took him a long time to fall asleep. And by the time he did, he was nearly falling out of bed trying to make sure he stayed very far away.

Stiles woke up first.

That was exactly like he’d planned except for some reason, he was sweating. Like, drowning in his sweat, and he was pretty sure he couldn’t move. It took a few moments of tired blinking to realize there were a pair of giant arms wrapped around his chest, caging him against the mattress, and a stubbles face pressed into his neck.

Stiles froze. 

If Derek woke up to this, Stiles was so dead. He’d never be able to show his face at the loft again. He could probably get his stomach sliced open and Derek wouldn’t bat an eye.

Stiles was an idiot. And he had to escape.

He tried to move slowly. A wiggle there, a bit of ducking underneath Derek’s unfairly muscular arms here. By the time he was halfway out, Stiles was pretty sure he was going to be caught in the most compromising position ever. 

He ended up with one foot out of bed, one foot still tangled up in the sheets, and ended up just oozing to the floor.

Derek grunted and Stiles froze, staring in terror at the ceiling. But then the man rolled over, seemed to go right back to sleep, and Stiles let out a soft breath.

His phone read six o’clock in the morning as he crept out of Derek’s bedroom.

Erica was sitting on the couch.

“Oh my god,” Stiles said, resisting the urge to groan. “What is wrong with you betas? It’s six in the morning! Go back to bed.”

“Sleep well, Stilinski?”

“I am not engaging in this,” Stiles said, ignoring Erica as he pulled his shoes on and started toward the door. But the beta cut him off before he could make his escape, a smirk tugging at both sides of her mouth. 

“I won’t say anything,” she said. “If you make us breakfast.”

“That’s blackmail.”

“I want pancakes and eggs.”

“I’m pretty sure Derek doesn’t have anything in that kitchen of his other than protein powder, raw meat, and bread,” Stiles said flatly. Erica just grinned.

“You’d be surprised at the things he has around this place to impress the annoying token human.”

Stiles blinked at her. Because… he was the annoying token human, wasn’t he? Allison was definitely very human, but Stiles was pretty sure she was just drop-dead gorgeous and exceedingly nice, not annoying. 

Erica raised a brow and rested her shoulder against the loft door, waiting. After a moment, Stiles groaned, turning back around and starting toward the kitchen. Erica’s laugher followed him.

Stiles hated Derek’s betas sometimes.

He was pretty sure he heard the sound of Erica’s door shutting and of course she was going back to sleep. Stiles briefly considered making a run for it, but then he just sighed, resigning himself to his fate.

He made some mean pancakes. He better get all the praise in the world for this.

By the time Stiles had a neat stack of pancakes on one plate and a skillet of scrambled eggs on the stovetop, he realized Derek was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Just standing there, looking at Stiles with an odd expression on his face.

Stiles froze, feeling a blush creeping up his neck. A dozen excuses came to mind but none were better than, “Erica made me.”

Which Stiles realized also wasn’t great. But Derek just nodded quietly and plodded into the kitchen, coming to stand behind Stiles. The man studied the food over Stiles’s shoulders and Stiles shivered a little, painfully aware of how close he was standing.

For a moment, all he could feel was arms locked around his chest. A stubbled face tucked into his neck. Derek’s warm breaths on his skin.

Stiles was pretty sure his heart skipped a beat. 

Then Derek was reaching around him, stubble brushing against his ear. Stiles went stock-still, not moving a muscle, only to realize Derek was reaching for one of the pancakes. He made a noise of protest, trying to smack the man’s hand away, and Derek’s arms wrapped around his waist instead.

Stiles froze. “Derek.”

The man didn’t say a word but he’d gone stock-still too. Stiles swallowed hard.

“Dude.”

“You’re making breakfast.”

“An astounding observation.”

“In my loft.”

“... Erica made me?”

Derek finally pulled back, fingers ghosting over Stiles’s sides. Stiles shivered despite himself and then Derek was reaching over again, grabbing a pancake and moving away before Stiles could protest. He glared as Derek took a giant bite.

“You animal.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. Stiles glared harder.

“Pancakes with no syrup is a crime.”

“I don’t like syrup.”

“Because you’re an animal. Next thing I know, you’ll be begging for ear scratches and whining when I pet you.”

“No dog jokes,” Derek grumbled, dropping onto the stool in front of the counter. His hair was sticking up in all directions and he was still wearing the same rumpled clothes from yesterday. It was kind of adorable. “It’s too early.”

“That’s the only objection you have about what I just said?”

“If you ever try to pet me, I’ll rip your throat out.”

“There the Sourwolf I know.”

Derek gave him a flat look, taking another pointed bite of his pancake, but Stiles thought he could read a hint of a smile. Before he could say anything though, the betas came plodding in. Erica last, looking from Stiles, to Derek, and then back with a small smirk. Stiles rolled his eyes and returned to finishing the eggs.

This was blackmail. The only reason he was still here.

Stiles could still feel phantom arms wrapped around him, though. The brush of stubble against his ear. Once more, he shivered and this time, it was Derek watching with an amused expression. Or maybe a pleased one. Stiles just rolled his eyes and looked away.

Whatever. He didn’t care.

There was another first aid kit in the drawer that Stiles opened, searching for the silverware. Despite himself, he smiled. Another one. Because apparently Derek didn’t trust him to not be an idiot.

Or maybe the man cared a little too. 

Stiles closed it carefully and might have been smiling even brighter when he turned back to the eggs. Erica was downright beaming now and Stiles flat-out ignored her. Whatever. He could survive this level of blackmail.

And maybe he would accidentally stay over again some time.

- -

I accidentally misread the prompt a little and had Stiles make the breakfast instead. But it still works, I hope? I had fun with this one! I love some awkward accidental domesticity. Thank you for the prompt, my friend!

(if you enjoy my writing, consider supporting your struggling student writer? You can also request a prompt if you’d like!). https://ko-fi.com/rh27writer

[screpdoodle]

Duality - Chapter One (The Diabolical Ways of the Deciduous Demon Outside my Window)

"KAOS!! Get down here! We're going to be late!!"

Early morning sunlight dappled through the smudged windowpane, the chirping of birds mingling with the songs of the warm autumn wind working its way through the cracks. All things given, it seemed like a perfect morning. That assumption, though, was a misplaced one. At least to the young boy in the bed. He opened one eye, took one look at his window, and pulled the blankets over his head with a groan. The light stung his eyes, making him crave for the sweet embrace of dreams once more. Maybe if he just closed his eyes, it would all just fade away-

Tap tap tap

He flinched, then peered out from beneath his covers, pulling them down just to the bridge of his nose. Tap tap tap. It was back. The warm autumn breeze brought with it that no good tree branch, the warm toned leaves swaying with every tap against the glass. The boy squinted, then laid back down, pulling the blankets tighter around his head. If he just ignored it, the tree wouldn't notice he was there. It would go away, realizing it was a futile attempt to gain his attention. Whatever the tree wanted, he wasn't curious enough to risk finding out.

Tap tap tap. Tick tick tick.

He covered his ears, he wasn't listening. He didn't have time to deal with the tree and the ticking. There wasn't enough time in the world to deal with both. And yet, here they both were. That itching at the back of his mind, and that incessant tapping against the glass.

Tap tick tick. Tap tick tick.

Every moment of silence he could have been relishing was filled with those Ancients awful noises. How long has passed? A minute? A moment? He couldn't tell. All he could focus on was that stupid tree.

Tick tap tick tap tick tap.

In one movement, the boy sat up, throwing his blankets to the ground as forcefully as he could muster, facing the source of his problems.

"For the Ancients' sake, would you shut the f-"

"Kaos!!" The boy screamed as the door was flung open, nearly causing him to fall from his loft, grabbing the pillow in self defense. "Ancients, what is taking you so long?! Mother took Mey to school already, and at this rate you're going to miss the bus! Get dressed and get downstairs!!"

The door was slammed shut just as quickly as it opened, leaving the boy alone in his room. A small room, with walls lined with papers, a soot stained carpet and a desk set beneath the window. The sun bathed everything in a warm light, leaving the still burning candle on its surface obsolete for the time being. Still in shock, clutching his pillow like a weapon, Kaos slowly gathered himself, then climbed down the ladder, still clutching the pillow in his off hand in case he needed to use it. Which he most likely wouldn't. But it never hurt to be prepared. With a huff, he eyed the tree branch one last time, its pesky attempts to grab his attention finally coming to an end. It sat there, perfectly still - aside from the dancing leaves that yearned to be carried away with the fall winds. Oh, how he wished he could join them. For good measure, Kaos threw his pillow at the window, making sure the tree knew who was boss, before venturing over to his closet. His closet was a box. Of course, he had a real closet, set into the wall across from his loft, but he had never bothered to store his clothes in there. No, that was for storing other things. The box did quite nicely for the minimal amount of outfits he owned. Most of which were piled under his loft, waiting to be washed. Kaos half the time forgot they were there, along with some of Mey's clothes that he had borrowed; and some of his brother's that he had… Liberated from languishing beneath his bed with old socks and unfinished homework from grades passed. It was a mystery how Dyskord had ever managed to graduate, Kaos thought as he fished through the unfolded clothes stored within his closet box. Finally, he settled on the same things he always wore, which were sitting to the side of the box. He stumbled back as he pulled on his black sweats, wriggled into his tunic, slipped on his canvas shoes and grabbed a miscellaneous hairbrush he was pretty sure didn't actually belong to him. Kaos pulled the comb through his hair as he scrambled down the stairs, mumbling to himself as he chucked it to the side (Mother or Dyskord would pick it up eventually), grabbed his long coat off its hook, then careened into the kitchen as he put it on. The coat was far too big for him, swallowing his wiry frame whole like some beast made of shadows. Kaos hoped he would someday grow into it, but he had owned it for years now and no such luck had befallen him. Kaos climbed up onto the kitchen counter, eyeing his prize. The cookie tin, his ceremonial breakfast whenever Mother was out of the house. He pulled the lid off, then peered inside - only a few left. Just as Kaos reached his little hand down into the metal tin, Dyskord walked through the back door, tracking mud onto the scuffed tile flooring.

"What do you think you're doing," he spoke, kicking his boots off, never once taking his eyes off Kaos.

"Oh, please. Like you'd tell Mother," Kaos rolled his eyes, sliding the cookie jar back into place, his bounty in hand.

"Maybe I will."

"Then maybe I'll have to tell her who really passed your final exams for you, brother."

The two locked death glares, the only noise being that of the leaky faucet and the occasion chirp of the birds outside. Kaos cracked a smile, Dyskord following.

"Just grab me one too, short stack. Then we've gotta go."

Kaos shoved the cookie into his mouth, then grabbed the tin once more. His face reflected back at him on the polished sides. Big eyes the color of copper, a piggish upturned nose, his cheeks puffed out like an chipsquirrel's, gathering food for the winter. Cookie crumbs mingled with the imperfections that littered his skin, freckles, blemishes, and his birthmarks - mirrored patches of darker skin that clustered around his eyes. They had gotten lighter with age, but they still bugged him sometimes. One little snaggletooth stuck out from the corner of his mouth - an issue that could have been fixed with braces. If he hasn't broken them nearly the day after he got them. He may not have been the 'peak of perfection', but Kaos didn't mind. It made him unique. It made him… special. Though, that paired with his lackluster height usually ended up with him being at the receiving end of a bullying entourage.

"You got everything you need, baby brother?"

Kaos nodded, then hopped down from the counter. "Yes, mother. I have everything."

Dyskord rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Backpack?"

"At the front door."

"Lunch?"

"Won't be there long enough to need one."

"Catalyst?"

"Harvested it last night."

"Well, aren't you prepared," Dyskord chuckled. "Specimen?"

"That’s your job, remember?" Kaos smirked. "I have it all thought out, Dyskord. Don't worry."

"Well then, what's your plan for when Mother finds out?"

"Who said she'll find out? The only way she would is if someone rats me out." Kaos took a bite from his second cookie, handing the extra to Dyskord as he pushed past into the main hall. The high ceilings and towering walls making him seem even smaller; like an ant in a dollhouse.

"If I'm this deep in, why would I rat you out and risk getting in trouble myself?"

Kaos shrugged, walking backwards so that he could watch Dyskord's movements. "I don't know, brother, but the only variable that could possibly go wrong is you. So as long as you play along, everything should be absolutely peachy~" He grinned, then shoved the rest of the cookie into his mouth. It tasted a little old, probably a month or two, but a stale cookie was better than no cookie. And at least Kaos knew that batch hadn't been poisoned.

Dyskord chuckled dryly, placing the cookie in the little leather satchel that hung at his hip. Kaos knew he'd probably eat it later. Dyskord could never resist a cookie. "Alright, alright, tiny genius. I'll trust you on this. But don't blame me when this plan fails too."

"It won't. Trust me."

Kaos grabbed his backpack off its hook, unzipping it just to triple check its contents. It never hurt to be certain.

"Communicator?"

"Yep."

"You got your diary~?"

Kaos whipped around, glaring. "It's not a diary! It's my journal of doom!!"

Dyskord patted Kaos on the head, ruffling his umber hair, a condescending smile on his lips. "Sure it is, baby brother."

Kaos grumbled under his breath, turning back to his backpack. He shrugged Dyskord off, trying to focus. Sure enough it was all there. Homework, lunchbox, communicator, his 'journal' - everything important was there and accounted for. As Kaos struggled to zip up his backpack once more, his gaze drifted to the portrait that hung above the door. His family, painted in exquisite detail, framed by an intricate wooden frame. Dyskord, with his old ashy blonde hair (Kaos had suggested he dye it neon green since it was a similar level of horrible against his skin tone, but Dyskord had insisted on vibrant silver.) Mey sat on Mother's lap, creasing the dress she had spent all of the previous day ironing to get it absolutely pristine, because she wouldn't sit still. Mother bore her usual scoul, contrasted by Mey's wide grin. If their expressions weren't so different, Mey might have been mistaken for a younger Mother. Father stood to the side of her, behind Dyskord, wearing a similar expression to his wife. Kaos had been surprised he hadn't been absent for that too. Looking down to where he was immortalized in paint, Kaos stood the front - where the painter had instructed him to stand; wearing a matching suit and tie like the rest of his siblings - though he at least still had his scarf. Black and grey striped knit that was as long as he was tall, coiled around his neck and draped over his shoulder. Kaos never went anywhere without his scarf, and even though he heard Hel from Father afterwards, it was worth it. As Kaos slung his backpack over his shoulder, he trailed his hand to his neck, reaching to feel the soft warmth of his scarf. Instead, his hand only met skin.

"C'mon Kaos, we gotta get going. We don't want you being late for-"

"My scarf!!" Kaos shouted. "Where's my scarf!?"

"Kaos, it's not even that cold out. You don't need your- oooor you can go get it. That's fine too, I guess." Dyskord watched as Kaos chucked his overstuffed backpack to the side, the contents spilling across the floorboards as he raced upstairs to his room. He swore, Kaos would be the death of him one of these days, but at least his life was interesting with him around. Dyskord just wished he wasn't so, well, chaotic. But he supposed that came with the name.

Kaos threw the door to his room open, his breath catching in his throat. He had been wearing it when he fell asleep, where could it have gotten off to!? Had he taken it off when he got dressed? No, it wasn't by his closet box. Was it in his loft? No, no. Maybe it was in the blanket pile he had created that morning. Or maybe it was- Kaos froze, slowly turning towards the window, the familiar tap tap tapping of the tree branch against the grimy glass greeting him.

"You," he glowered at the tree branch, carefully approaching the window. "What did you do with it!?"

The tree branch just continued its endless rapping against the window pane, mocking him, oblivious to the enemy it had made. Kaos stormed forward, climbing up onto his desk, kicking the papers that covered it onto the ground.

"Give it back now!!" He pressed his face against the glass. "Or so help me, you will meet your untimely demise!!"

He was given no response. Not that Kaos expected one. The trees were always conniving, this one especially. They seemed innocent, but beneath that bark was a dastardly deciduous demon, lulling him into a false sense of security, laying in wait. But Kaos knew. Kaos knew the truth about these creatures. And he wouldn't let them get the upper hand. Never once taking his eyes from the branch, Kaos slid open his window slowly, then peered out. There it was, as he had assumed, his scarf. In the patchy grass, between the gnarled roots of the beast. He shot the tree one last glare, muttering to himself, then stepped out onto the small ledge right outside his window. At least that was a perk of being small, he could fit into spaces others couldn't. Kaos stood up, balancing himself against the wall, holding onto one of the few bricks that jutted out from the flush surface. He had done this many a time, but every time he felt butterflies congregating within his stomach, a few fluttering into his throat. The wind in his hair, the view of the forest beyond- painted in autumnal colors of deep purples and dry oranges, the grounds below in desperate need of tending. All of it flooding his senses, paired with the impending damage he would receive at one wrong move. It was all… magnificent. But admiring the view wasn't what he was here to do, no. Kaos shook his head, reaching out to grab the closest branch, hoisting himself into it. The tree may have been a conniving, callous creature, but at least it served a purpose. That being a way for Kaos to get to the ground without completely shattering all of his fragile little bones.

"Kaos, come on!!" He heard Dyskord call from inside. "I have other stuff I need to do today, if you don't hurry up you'll have to take the school ship!!"

Kaos rolled his eyes, carefully stepping down onto the next branch. Dyskord was so impatient. He'd get down, grab his scarf, and they'd be on their way before his older brother could utter another idiotic sentence. Kaos slid onto another branch, this one bending slightly under his weight. He shot the tree a glare, as if daring it to try something, before stepping onto the next one. This one, unluckily, wasn't so forgiving. Before Kaos knew what was happening, the branch had buckled beneath him, sending him crashing to the ground - the branches he fell past slicing at his skin. At least the damp earth was there to soften his fall. Kaos propped himself up on his arms, spitting out a chunk of dirt as he silently cursed himself out for letting down his guard. At least he has his scarf. Kaos stood up, brushing the dirt from his clothes best he could before assessing the damage. A few cuts here and there, his coat would definitely need some stitches, but at least nothing was broken. Kaos scooped his scarf up, wrapped it loosely around his neck, then froze. He heard the sound of an engine revving up, the realization hitting him all too late.

"WAIT!!" Kaos shouted, making a mad dash for the front door. "Dyskord, I'M COMING!!"

As Kaos rounded the corner, three things crossed his mind. His backpack laying on the path that lead up to the door, the idiocracy of his older brother; and the boat that belonged to the very same, the one that was usually docked at the edge of the island, now whirring off into the horizon without him.

"YOU IDIOT!!" Kaos shouted, skidding to a stop. He swore he heard his brother laughing over the sound of the motor, which was quickly fading away. "I'M TELLING MOTHER!!"

Of course he wouldn't. Telling Mother had become an empty threat within the family, no longer holding any weight after countless empty promises of "Mother'll hear about this" and "I'm telling mom" (the latter usually used by Mey) had been thrown around for years. But it was the only comeback he could dream up in the moment. He had other problems than coming up with a witty response that Dyskord couldn't even hear. He'd get him back later. After he was done with his current plan. Then he'd have all the time in the world to get back at Dyskord for being a complete ignoramus and putting a petty act of defiance over the welfare of the plan. That's what Kaos got for letting him in on it, he supposed, kicking a loose pathing tile out of frustration. His kick barely dislodged it, but it was at least something. Kaos grabbed his bag up off of the ground, finally noticing the note taped to it. Have fun taking the school ship. Of course. Kaos crumpled the note up as he swung the backpack over his shoulder, muttering to himself all the while. He looked around, starting to head in the direction the school ship usually docked. It was quite a ways away, so the sooner he left, the better chances he had of catching it. Why it didn't dock closer to his home was beyond him, and despite the complaints he had lodged with the school board and his mother, no changes had been made. Rolling fields of splotchy, yellowing grass were laid out before Kaos, broken up by the occasional stone pathway. Cracking with age and broken up like a checkerboard. The wound through the dirt haphazardly, interrupted by the occasional tree (which Kaos did his best to keep his distance from) or the start of a rickety bridge that connected the nearby islands. On his usual walks, Kaos would have stopped on the bridges, kneeling down and seeing how far down he could reach into the abyss below, waiting for something to float by that he could possibly add to his collections. Today, he had no time for that. Today, he actually had somewhere to be. Kaos counted his steps, glancing over his shoulder occasionally to watch as his home got smaller and smaller. From here, it looked normal. Simple even. But the imposing aura it cast still lingered in the air. The tall spires piercing the wispy clouds themselves, high stone walls and arched windows covered in moss and ivy. An overbearing, ancient labyrinth of a castle Kaos called home. Sometimes Kaos was convinced the place was still standing because of the grime it was caked in, which was the excuse he gave himself whenever it came to cleaning. If he did a good job, he might not have a home to go back to. It was an excuse Mother was never fond of. Kaos remembered one year he had been put on ivy duty during their yearly cleaning. He had encountered a particularly dastardly tangle of vines on the west side, one that had kept him trapped for the majority of the day. Mother had found him deep asleep in their verdant web after the sun had set, and Kaos hadn't been allowed near that part of the castle for a good while afterwards. Kaos sighed, a smile creeping its way onto his face at the memory, his home now simply a silhouette against the backdrop of the endless sky. He looked ahead, finally making out his target. The old barge that served as the school ship. Badly, at that. It was only a few islands away, where the grass was more lush and the terrain less harsh. Kaos picked up his speed, going from a light jog to a sprint, barely feeling his feet touch the ground. He was gonna make it. He could still see students boarding, he still had time, he could still make it.

"WAIT! WAIT!!" He shouted, causing a few heads to turn, but only for a brief moment.

Kaos forced himself through the crowd, nearly doubling over as he struggled to catch his breath, one hand on the strap of his backpack and the other on his scarf, just making sure it was still there. He ignored the dirty looks he was getting as the line began moving again, following the students ahead of him up the ramp. Even from his low vantage point he could tell the state of the ship. Noisy and overcrowded, with just a sprinkle of staff trying desperately to keep order. The chatter of students loud enough to make the patchwork steel hull of the ship vibrate. Kaos found his mind wandering as he and the rest of the students were herded onto the ship like animals, personal space a thing of the past. Everyone around him was at least double Kaos' height, leaving him lost in a forest of legs and torsos shuffling him forward. It would have been humiliating if he wasn't used to it. Ever since he was little, (well, littler) he had been the runt of the litter. Mother had wanted to hold him back because of it, even though she admitted he was smart enough to be a grade ahead. But here he was, stuck in a sea of people all taller than him, even at a grade lower than he should have been. At least that meant he excelled compared to everyone else - when he actually applied himself, that is. It was so hard to apply himself when everything was so easy. Kaos wanted a challenge, he needed one, he-

BANG!

Kaos stumbled back, bumping into the person behind him. He clutched his hands over his ears, the world vibrating around him. He faintly heard the person behind him mutter something as they pushed past, pulling him back to reality. What in the Ancients' names was that?! Kaos looked around, stepping off of the ramp and onto the deck of the ship, feeling the engine start to whir to life. He frowned. It must've just been a misfire of the engine. The ship was old and broken, misfires were bound to happen. But even then, Kaos couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Kaos peered over the edge of the ship, watching as the island below them slowly began drifting away. The smell of engine fuel and strong perfume filling the air. Kaos gripped the rusting side rail, then looked back to the deck of the ship. The talking had only grown louder, everyone trying to be heard over the roar of the engine and of course one another. It was an idiotic sight, people huddled into groups. Elves and Ents playing a quick game of Skystones, a group of Mabu discussing the best way to prepare beetroots for their cooking class - even the Gillmen were chatting it away, all in their own little worlds. Everyone seemed to have a group. Everyone, but Kaos. It wasn't a bother to him, though, not at all. Why would it have been? He had himself, and that was all Kaos needed. Kaos began making his way through the crowds of kids, hands in his pockets and eyes trained on the floor. He slid his backpack off once he got to his usual corner, plopping himself down. He looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drift by, the chatter around him becoming nothing but white noise. He closed his eyes, letting himself drift off, running the plan through his head once more. It would be perfect. He just needed to make it through the day.

***

<- previous chapter | next chapter ->

[obvious-captain-rogers]

For Buddie First Kiss Week: Day One. Pride for me right now is going to be pushed back for another month, so I’m glad that I could write a little about our boys enjoying it!

Prompt: Related to Pride

           Buck had gone to Pride every year since he’d moved to L.A. His first year, he’d gone alone since he’d only just started at the 118 and wasn’t sure about being out at his job just yet, especially since everyone seemed pretty set in their opinion that Buck only chased after women for his hookups. Heteronormativity was a hell of a drug. After he’d tipsily come out during one of their infrequent team nights out after a shift, and once the time rolled around, Hen asked Buck if he wanted to come with her and Karen to Pride. Buck had felt a smile tugging at his cheeks and he’d agreed. They’d both acted a little bit like Buck’s older sisters- making him miss Maddie with a sharpness that he hadn’t felt since right after she’d left to move in with Doug- and they’d made a deal to go together every year. Which they had, Michael having joined them in the past couple years, and for Buck it was really good to have people there that he knew had his back.

           But this year was different.

           Hen was working so hard on studying for her MCATs that Buck knew it had most likely slipped her mind completely since she hadn’t brought it up. And he wasn’t upset. He was excited for Hen to be doing what she was so obviously perfect for. So, he hadn’t brought it up to her even though it was just a handful of days away.

           Buck was debating with himself if he should still go or if he should just ask Bobby for an extra shift that day- granted, some firefighters were on standby at Pride just in case there was an emergency so he could volunteer for that- when Eddie came into the locker room.

           “Hey,” Eddie said and moved to open up his locker so he could start changing into his uniform. Buck’s eyes flickered over Eddie like they sometimes- normally- did whenever the other was changing into his uniform. His neck felt hot and he turned his eyes back towards the inside of his locker.

           “Hey,” Buck responded and he knew that he sounded distracted.

           “Everything okay? You seemed to be in your head when I walked in,” Eddie said and leaned back against the lockers as he buttoned up his shirt, tilting his head a little to fish for Buck’s gaze.

           “Yeah. Just thinking about this weekend,” Buck said and finished tucking in his shirt.

           “Big plans?” Eddie asked with a teasing grin that had Buck rolling his eyes as he closed his locker.

           “Not exactly,” Buck said and sat down on the bench to tighten the laces of his boots.

           The grin faltered a little at Buck’s tone. “What’s going on, man?” Eddie asked and sat down next to Buck, their shoulders brushing as they always did when the two of them sat next to each other.

           “It’s… dumb,” Buck said and shrugged as he plucked at the string of his boot. Eddie’s slight frown only seemed to deepen and he knocked their knees together to prompt Buck to keep going. “Pride is this weekend and I usually go with Hen, but since she’s busy with her MCATs-” Buck shrugged.

           Eddie hummed and then he bumped against Buck’s side playfully. “Why don’t I come with you?” Eddie offered easily. Buck’s heart kicked up in his chest and he glanced over at Eddie with a raised eyebrow. Eddie had been fairly open with the team about his own bisexuality not long after Shannon’s death, but Eddie was overall a private guy. This would be- in Buck’s mind- a major concession to Eddie’s comfort.

           “You don’t have to, Eddie,” Buck said and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

           “I know,” Eddie said and stood up. “But I’m offering, Buck. If it means that much to you- and it obviously does- then I’ll go with you. Though, I’m telling you right now that I’m not putting on any hot pink shorts or body paint.” He narrowed his eyes at Buck jokingly, a grin breaking out across his face- making Buck marvel at how handsome Eddie was- as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

           “Well, damn,” Buck said with a joking grin. “There goes my plans for your outfit.” Eddie snorted as Buck stood and they made their way up to the loft to grab a cup of coffee before the start of shift.

…..

           Buck had spent the night before over at the Diaz house, Eddie insisting that it would just be easier on the both of them and that they could get ready together, and he could admit to feeling a funny sense of home when Christopher came into the spare bedroom and loudly scrambled up into bed to- accidentally- knee Buck in the stomach in the guise of waking him up. “Buck, Dad said you had to get up,” Christopher said before flopping across Buck’s chest.

           “I am up,” Buck said, though he sounded a little winded since Chris had some sharp knees, as he combed his fingers through Christopher’s hair.

           “No,” Christopher laughed a little and pressed his face against the side of Buck’s neck. “Up-up. Not just awake,” Christopher said and poked at Buck’s ribs. Buck snorted a little before nodding.

           “Oh, okay. Got it,” Buck said teasingly and he laughed when Christopher lifted his head to wrinkle his nose at Buck’s tone.

           “I sent you to get Buck out of bed, not pin him down in it,” Eddie said from the doorway and Buck turned his head to look at where Eddie was shaking his head fondly.

           “Buck can get up if he wants to. He’s pretty strong and I’m not that heavy,” Christopher pointed out and rolled his eyes a little at the two of them.

           “Let’s not test that theory. Come on, kid. You’ve still got to pack your stuff for your sleepover at Abuela’s,” Eddie said and gave Christopher a look. Christopher shuffled to the edge of the bed and Buck sat up, stretching his arms and his back before ruffling Chris’s hair and getting out of bed. Christopher laughed a little before he went about what Eddie had told him to do.

           Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and there was a small smile on his face as Buck moved to dig in his duffle bag that he’d brought with him. “I got you something. You don’t have to wear it today, but I figured if you didn’t have any other ideas- and before you ask, there’s no hot pink involved,” Buck teased before tossing Eddie the shirt once he’d found it. It was a white t-shirt with the L.A. skyline across the best in black with Los Angeles in blocky letters right under it. Across the back right over the shoulders was PRIDE in varied colors.

           “Alright,” Eddie said and settled the shirt over his shoulder like he did with the dishtowel whenever they were cleaning up after one of their game or movie nights. “Thanks, Buck.”

           Buck felt something warm settle in his stomach and he just nodded mutely.

           They all three had a quick breakfast of cereal and coffee- milk for Christopher- before going about getting dressed and ready for the day. Buck pulled his own L.A. pride t-shirt on before shimmying into his best pair of jeans. They were just on the right side of tight and they were pretty worn and comfortable. Buck cuffed his jeans before tying on his bandana to help keep himself cool and slipping on his socks and shoes. He looked at the face paint in his bathroom bag before blowing out a breath. Eddie wasn’t going to make fun of him, he had to keep reminding himself of that. He painted the bi flag onto his cheek, a grin pulling at his mouth and making it tough to make sure his lines weren’t all smudged. He tossed the little brush back into his bag after rinsing the paint off.

           He stepped out and Eddie was fastening his watch on in the hall as he wandered down towards where Buck had been getting ready. Buck’s mouth went a little dry. The shirt fit Eddie perfectly in all the best places and Buck’s heart thudded against his chest uncomfortably as he took the other in. “All set?” Eddie asked and lifted his head from his watch band. His eyes flickered over Buck and for a moment Buck thought he saw something hot burn in Eddie’s hazel eyes. But it was there and gone so quickly that it must have been wishful thinking on Buck’s part.

           “Yeah,” Buck said and gave Eddie an easy smile despite the way the nerves had settled into his stomach. He always felt like this a little bit whenever he went to a Pride event or something associated with his sexuality- it was leftover from his teenaged years of having to cram everything down. “Let’s go.”

           “Uh, wait,” Eddie said and touched Buck’s wrist. Buck felt a spike of worry that Eddie had changed his mind and that he didn’t want to do this with Buck anymore. “Could I- uh- I mean if you don’t mind…” Eddie pointed at his own cheek awkwardly before nodding in Buck’s direction. After a moment it clicked, Eddie wanted Buck to paint his face too.

           “Yeah, Eddie,” Buck said and slipped his hand into Eddie’s easily from where the other still had a gentle grip on his wrist. He tugged Eddie into the bathroom and had him lean back against the counter as he dug around for the brush and the face paints. Buck stepped into Eddie’s space, and held the other’s chin with one had as he focused on making sure that Eddie’s came out perfect.

           “What’re you doing?” Christopher asked and Buck turned to look over at where he was standing in the doorway with a curious tilt to his head.

           “I’m painting your dad’s face so me and him will match,” Buck said and pointed to the colors on his own cheek since he only had blue and was working on the purple on Eddie’s cheek.

           “What’s it mean?” Christopher asked and Buck looked to Eddie.

           “It means that Buck and I are bisexual,” Eddie said and held out his hand for Christopher without moving his head so Buck could keep going with the face paint. Christopher leaned into Eddie’s side. “The blue stands for liking the opposite gender, the pink- which Buck hasn’t got to yet- is for liking the same gender, and the purple is for both,” Eddie explained and Buck couldn’t help but smile a little.

           “Oh,” Christopher said, sounding like he was in thought. “Okay.” He shrugged and kept watching as Buck changed to pink and finished up with Eddie’s face. “I think it’s pretty, and Buck did a good job.”

           Eddie twisted so he could look and grinned a little, his eyes flicking over to Buck’s in the mirror. “He did.” Eddie turned around and patted Christopher’s back easily. “Alright, kid. Let’s get you to Abuela’s.”

           “Can’t Buck paint my face too?” Christopher asked with just a little bit of a whine in his voice.

           “How about I make you a deal?” Eddie offered and tapped his fingers against Christopher’s shoulder. “If you’re good for Abuela, and if Buck wants to, he can paint your face when we get back.”

           “Deal,” Christopher said with a bright smile.

           “Alright. Now go get your shoes while me and Buck finish up.” Eddie watched Christopher go and they lingered a little in each other’s space while Buck put his stuff away. “Thanks,” Eddie said quietly and rubbed at the corner of his eye with his thumb.

           “Any time, Eds,” Buck said and bumped their shoulders together before nodding. “Let’s go.” Eddie nodded and ducked his head, but not quick enough that Buck couldn’t catch a glimpse of one of Eddie’s rare bright smiles that resembled Christopher’s.

           They dropped Christopher off at Abuela’s- Buck staying in the car with a slightly uneasy feeling in his stomach. Eddie talked with Abuela for a moment, and then she was touching Eddie’s forehead, chest, and then either shoulder in quick succession before kissing him on his unpainted cheek. She glanced over at the truck, said something to Eddie with a look that Buck didn’t recognize, before she was raising her voice. “Evan, what are you still doing in Eddito’s truck?!” Buck stiffened a little but he hopped out of Eddie’s truck and made his way over to where Abuela and Eddie were standing. “¿Te ibas a ir sin saludarme? You know that I love seeing all of my boys.” Abuela gave him the same soft smile that she normally did on the times that Buck came and picked up Christopher from her house. It helped to ease some of the unease in his gut. “Ven aqui, mi amor.” Buck felt the tension bleed out of him as Abuela pulled him into a tight hug. She repeated the motions from earlier, murmuring softly in Spanish too quick and quiet for Buck to understand, before kissing Buck on the cheek as well. “Alright, now go have fun and be safe.”

           “We will,” Eddie said before throwing an arm around Buck’s shoulders easily and tugging Buck towards the truck. It wasn’t until they were driving again that it clicked for Buck: Abuela had blessed him. He had known that it was a pretty common occurrence for Abuela to do so when Eddie dropped Christopher off occasionally before he went to work, Eddie had teasingly laughed that she worried too much but Buck could tell how touched Eddie was that his grandmother cared so much. Buck quirked a little smile and felt a lump forming in his throat at the little gesture.

           When they were parked, Buck and Eddie hopped out of the truck with Eddie reaching into the back to grab a bag that he’d packed with things they might need: waters, sunscreen, and a small first aid kit just in case. Buck watched as Eddie swung in onto his shoulder and then gave Buck a small smile. Buck returned it as best he could with his nerves ratcheting up to an eleven.

           They walked around for a bit and Buck started to relax as they listened to the music that seemed to fill up the entire park. They stopped at a few booths here and there whenever it caught either of their interest- and they made sure to stop at the LAFD booth to see if there were any familiar faces, which there weren’t when they passed by- but it was mostly just them hanging out together as they walked.

           There was only a slight problem when they ran into a cluster of protestors like the ones from the call at the military funeral. Eddie went stiff as could be and Buck put a hand to the small of his back to try and steer him away before any of the idiotic people were stupid enough to say anything to him.

           “Assholes,” Eddie muttered under his breath as they went to find a place to sit for a bit after grabbing lunch from the food trucks. “They’re only here to try and start shit with people.”

           “I know,” Buck said and they found a patch of grass where they could stretch their legs out and just relax for a bit. “You should have been here the first time that someone started to start shit with Hen in earshot,” Buck said with a laugh as he unwrapped his sandwich and shook his head. “She got all up in this huge guy’s face and absolutely shredded apart everything they said about me and then when they tried to start in on her and Karen, I had to pull her away before she landed her ass in jail. Don’t think Athena would have appreciated a call from either of us.” Buck pulled a face at that before taking a bite of his sandwich. Athena had still been pretty skeptical of Buck at that point, but it had been nice to have Hen stick up for him when they hadn’t really known each other that well yet.

           Eddie snorted and broke out into an easy grin. “I would have paid money to see that. Maybe next year,” Eddie said and he dropped it so casually, but he gave Buck an almost shy look as he said it.

           Buck’s heart kicked up in his chest and he cracked a small smile. “That was real smooth there, Diaz,” Buck joked and he bumped Eddie’s ankle with his own.

           “Thank you, I really tried,” Eddie said and pressed their legs together easily. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then he closed it and looked away. Buck didn’t push. He knew that whatever it was, Eddie would tell him whenever he was ready to say. They finished up their lunches, put on some more sunscreen, and then walked around for a bit longer.

           They found where the music was coming from, an amphitheater with a rotation of performers, and hung out there for a bit. Buck didn’t really know how- and in all honesty, he didn’t really care how- but he ended up dancing around to the music with Eddie, and he leaned into Eddie’s chest easily as they both laughed breathlessly. There was a moment, a spark, and then Eddie was leaning in and kissing him softly. Buck was surprised but when he didn’t immediately kiss back, Eddie pulled away with an embarrassed grimace. “I’m sorry, Buck. I didn’t-” He made a noise as Buck leaned in to kiss him to fend off any apologies.

           Buck clung onto the front of Eddie’s shirt and Eddie’s hands pressed warmly into Buck’s waist as they kissed. It didn’t feel like a first kiss with how easily they fell into it, but Buck felt his stomach swoop anyways. Buck couldn’t help the huge grin on his face as he pulled away from Eddie, not really moving out of Eddie’s space. “Took you long enough,” Buck joked and Eddie let out a laugh, holding onto Buck’s waist just a little tighter.

           “Well, I was just looking for the right moment,” Eddie said back as he stroked his thumb over Buck’s waist.

           “I think you found it,” Buck said and ducked in for another quick peck because he couldn’t help himself and because he finally could.

[pens-swords-stuff]

[Project Vestige] Late Night Emergency Perkins Run

“Girl. Girl please.” Simone snorted. “Is this one of those ‘you have to say no at least three times to be polite to your homework’? Trust me, you’ve paid your dues. You’ve been staring at that page for an hour and a half. You need a break, I need a break, and I’m willing to bet that we both need to eat our stress with half-price appetizers. Are you in, or are you in?”

— Project Vestige by Undine

Disclaimer: I am aware that the restaurant chain Perkins doesn’t have any Oregon locations.

This scene is actually based off one of my favorite college memories with my roommate, which is why it’s specifically Perkins.

I’m sure that there’s a similar chain restaurant in Oregon somewhere, but if you can believe that a fictional town called Antium exists, and that the concept of place memory is real... You can pretend that there is a Perkins in Oregon.

Mostly I don’t think that doing hours of research into finding an Oregon-equivalent of Perkins is worth it for just this one scene... yet.

This is also the first time I’ve actually written Simone and Brooke together! The scene is underneath the cut.

[Project Vestige WIP Intro] [Project Vestige tag] [Character Sneak Peek] [Project Vestige Playlist]

If you would like to be added to my Project Vestige tag list or my general writing tag list, please let me know! Alternatively, you can go to one of these links if you’d prefer:

[Project Vestige tag list post] [General writing tag list post]

The print on the page didn’t look like words at this point — it looked like scribbles and gibberish.

Biology textbooks served as a terrible pillow, but still, Brooke didn’t remove her cheek from figure 5.8, a picture of a jellyfish. The top of her head felt like it was stretched taut, and pressure was straining against it, trying to burst out of her skull. There was absolutely zero room for further information to be added in her brain — not one more biology term, not one more fun fact, nothing. 

Midterms were awful. Just exam after exam, essay after essay, all coming forth in unending waves of academic torture. It was worse than finals. At least there was a definitive end and a break to look forward to. After midterms, all there was to be excited for was… More homework.

Every single ‘homework tips!’ page on the internet said that studying in bed was a bad idea, but Brooke had no idea how to survive the terrible ordeal of studying without being collapsed in the comfort of her own bed. Why suffer in an uncomfortable chair when she could suffer in her soft, mattress pad-enhanced nest?

“Psssst. Hey. Hey Brooke.” Simone’s head popped up by Brooke’s lofted bed, and a finger poked Brooke’s forehead.

“What.” Brooke groaned into her textbook-turned pillow. “Just leave me to die in suffering.”

“You’re not going to die, dumbass. Let’s get out of here. Do you want to go to Perkins?”

“Yes. Wait, Perkins?” When Brooke sat up, the textbook page stuck on her cheek followed for as far as it could. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“Is there another way to interpret ‘Do you want to go to Perkins’?” Simone said. “I want greasy fried food, and everything in Antium closes by 8. You in?”

“Simone, it’s almost nine PM.”

“Exactly! Their late night discounts start at nine; we’ll be just in time.”

“The nearest Perkins is about an hour away!”

“So? I have a car. We’ll get there by ten.”

“That’s so late!”

“Girl, it’s a Friday. We’re probably the most boring college students in the U.S. right now because we’re just in our dorm studying.”

“We’re already in our pajamas, Simone. We made a rule that it was illegal to change out of our pajamas after 9pm.”

“All you need to do is pull a sweater over that and you’re good to go! I’m going in my pajamas.”

“But—”

“Girl. Girl please.” Simone snorted. “Is this one of those ‘you have to say no at least three times to be polite to your homework’? Trust me, you’ve paid your dues. You’ve been staring at that page for an hour and a half. You need a break, I need a break, and I’m willing to bet that we both need to eat our stress with half-price appetizers. Are you in, or are you in?”

Brooke scrambled out of her bed with a wide grin, throwing off her blankets with a reckless abandon. The pillows that were rejected onto the floor lay there forgotten, even as she tripped over them to pluck her biggest, ugliest, comfiest sweater from her closet.

“Alright, I’m looking presentable and ready.” 

“Not in the least.” Simone snickered. “Ready for a road trip?”

“I’m already pulling up our playlist.”

[ythankucaptainmccoy]

Triple Frontier: Unwanted Job Chapter 3

Next chapter for those of you following it. There are a lot of things that are going to happen in the coming chapters. Read to find out what happens next. Catfish will flounder (haha see what I did there) and Queen will be her un-lady like self as we continue. Warnings: bed sharing, alcohol, swearing, blood, violence, PTSD, and death of a minor character.

--------------------

Cait was warm as she woke up, and it was a pleasant feeling. Then she froze when she felt a hand move down her thigh and hook her knee to pull it a little higher. Her eyes shot open and she noticed that she was clinging to Catfish like a koala. He was still asleep; he had no idea what he was doing. “Frankie”, she whispered. He moved slightly, but didn’t wake up. “Frankie!” she whispered a little louder. 

She held her breath, but he didn’t even move. Looking around she tried to see if there was anything she could use to get him to let go. As she shifted the hand tightened on her knee, still nothing but soft snores came from him. She patted his chest and it startled him awake, and everything happened in a blur. He shot up and rolled causing Cait to fall onto her back, and he rolled over on top of her. Her gasp had him steeling himself, and then he took in her appearance.

Her hair was strewn about the pillow, her chest rising and falling rapidly and the slight dilation of her eyes. She was noticing the way he was straddling her with his knee between her legs, and how he was panting as well. Then her breath caught in her throat when he started to lean down towards her. “Hey Queen and Catfish it's time to…”, Benny had said as he came into the loft. “HOLY SHIT! I’m sorry I’ll just come back later”, Benny yelled as he scrambled back down the stairs. 

Catfish had pulled away quickly apologizing for his behavior. Cait just sat there watching him as he ran his hand through his hair collapsing onto his back. When he looked back at her she had sat up smiling at him. “What?”, he questioned. “Nothing just taking in the view”, she answered. He watched her get up, and grab a towel from a hook by the bed. He had closed his eyes and the temptation was too great. Before she could stop herself she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

His scruff tickled, but wasn’t unwelcomed. When she pulled back his eyes were wide, and his mouth opening and closing not knowing what to say. “That’s a thank you for helping me last night”, she mumbled as she quickly got some clothes to take with her. He watched her until she disappeared down the stairs. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she thought about what she had just done. She smiled to herself remembering his surprise after she had kissed his cheek.

Cait went straight for the bathroom not even glancing at Benny who was smirking behind his coffee cup. The others looked at Benny and then back at you wondering what the smirk was for, but no one commented on it. After getting dressed, braiding her hair and getting dressed she headed into the living room where the others were teasing Catfish. “Oh he was being real smooth with her. He was over top of her when I came up the stairs, and just staring into her eyes like the romantic that he is”, Benny relayed the story to the rest of the guys. “Oh leave him alone. I startled him when I woke him up this morning and you know how we all are after the shit we have seen”, Cait defended.

“Frankie, would you like to take a shower?”, she asked. “Yes I would”, he replied, taking a clean towel from her hands. She could tell by the way he kept ducking his head at the comments Benny was making that he was embarrassed. “Hey how come he gets to shower before the rest of us”, Benny complained. “Because you and the boys were harassing him. Leave him alone”, she hissed. “Oh listen to her defending her man”, Ironhead smirked. 

“He isn’t my man. I just don’t feel like he should be teased”, she announced. Ironhead and Benny just shared a look as Cait huffed. “I’ll make breakfast”, she stated. She started some coffee and asked her alexa to play her playlist. “What are you making hermosa?”, Catfish asked as he rounded the little island where she was cooking. “I’m making pancakes, eggs and bacon”, she replied. “Sounds delicious. Need any help”, he offered. “If you want to make more batter I’ll need it”, she smiled. 

He grabbed the mixing bowl and began to help her make breakfast. They danced around each other as they finished up putting food on the plates. Cait would often look at the guys lounging in the main area laughing when they would look into the kitchen. They would make whispered comments, look into the kitchen and start laughing. She just rolled her eyes, and when breakfast was ready she called them into the kitchen. “So what work will we be doing today?”, Benny inquired. 

“Nothing, I figured we would relax today since we will be traveling tomorrow”, Cait answered honestly. The boys seemed to like the sound of that, and took their plates to go eat. “Here you go Frankie I gave you extra bacon for helping me”, she told him. He smiled and graciously took the plate sitting down with the guys. “Looks like someone got extra portions”, Redfly pointed out. “Yeah well you all didn’t help so you don’t get extra”, Cait defended with a slight blush.

She grabbed the coffee pot and started to fill mugs and set them on the table for everyone. They all thanked her and she went to the main room to curl up and eat her food by the fire. She turned on the tv and flipped channels until she came across the movie “A Few Good Men”. Once they finished their plates she took them to wash them. Catfish stood there ready to help her put everything away. “Don’t worry about it Frankie you can go watch the movie in the main room with everybody else”, she motioned to the small armchair that was unoccupied.

“Are you sure Queen?”, he asked. She nodded and he went over and sat down to watch the movie. Once all the dishes were taken care of she made a call to one of the girls she trusted to ask her if she could come ranch sit. The girl agreed and said she would be able to come over to get the keys later. Cait went and got all of her medic gear together for the trip that they would be making tomorrow. 

Everything was the way she had left it a year ago other than some bandaging that she had to use for Ironhead. The shot had gone straight through, but it had caused some problems. She packed everything in the barn with the rest of the gear. Chief started to get antsy in his stall and Cait went over to him. It was odd he never was the antsy one it was always Takoda. An odd sense of dread came over her, but she went over to Chief and pet him. “Easy boy everythings alright. Relax. Easy”, she soothed.

It took him a few minutes to calm down, but the barn door opened and Catfish stepped in. “Everything alright hermosa? You’ve been out here a long while”, he commented. “Yeah I was just putting my gear with the rest, but something is up with Chief. He is acting spooked which is unlike him”, she lamented. “Maybe it’s the weather”, he suggested. “Maybe”, she replied. “Are you sure you are alright?”, he asked. 

“I don’t know Frankie. Last time the job almost got Redfly killed, Ironhead got shot. Damn it when the chopper went down I was so worried that you had…”, she sniffled trying to stop her tears. “Hermosa we knew what we were getting into when we went. This time will be different”, he calmly reassured her. When she turned the tears were threatening to spill. He didn’t even hesitate to pull her into him in a hug. One arm supporting her while the other hand went to the back of her head.

“Shhh it’s okay Cait”, he told her. She stopped and pulled back a little to look up at him with the tilt of her head. “What hermosa?”, he asked. “It’s just...you have never called me by my name before”, she admitted. “Is it a bad thing or a good thing?”, he chuckled. “Definitely good”, she giggled through some tears. She grabbed his hand and they made their way back into the house. “Oh look here come the love birds now”, Pope jested.

“Don’t start this shit”, Ironhead groaned. Catfish sat down on the small chair as Benny changed the channel to football. Cait grabbed two mugs of coffee and gave one to Catfish then sat down on the arm of the chair. “Here that can’t be comfortable”, Catfish told her. He pulled her to sit down across his lap, and at first she was rigid but slowly relaxed. She noticed the others smiling like loons and when Fish wasn’t looking she flipped them off.  

“The Denver Broncos will be playing later. I'm going to go into town for pizza and some beer. Any requests?”, she asked. “Budweiser sounds good”, Ironhead piped up. They all agreed as she went and got her coat. She grabbed her keys and Catfish was pulling his coat on. “I’ll go with you hermosa”, he nodded towards the door. Cait walked out the door with him hot on her heels. “So do you think they will fuck in the truck before they come back”, Benny chimed. 

“Thanks Benny I didn’t need that mental image”, Ironhead groaned. It was a quick run into town and made it back with plenty of time for the game. The pregame celebrations though were already beginning and then the game. The boys teased Cait on how bad the Broncos were, but she stood by her team and in the end they won by a field goal. That night Catfish was about to make a pallet on the floor when she shooed him upstairs.

This time they were more relaxed, and they both blamed the beer they consumed. That night everyone slept well, but come morning Cait was first up and packed everything into the two trucks. Catfish worried when he woke up and she wasn’t there, but then he heard her down in the kitchen talking to the girl that was going to look over the ranch he relaxed. “So who is this lovely lady?”, Benny asked. “This is June”, Cait introduced her. “June this is…”, she was cut off by Benny. “I’m Ben, but you can call me Benny”, he smiled. 

Cait rolled her eyes as June checked him out as Benny tried to be charming. “Let me guess, ex-military. Fighter by the look of you, and overly confident”, June surmised. Benny’s smile faltered and it was Catfish’s turn to laugh which made you laugh. “He is a good guy June. He is the one I told you was like a brother to me”, Cait informed. “Well when we come back from our camping trip maybe you and me can go out for dinner?”, Benny asked. 

Cait went wide eyed as June assured that they would make it a date when he came back. When Pope, Ironhead and Redfly were ready to go they all headed out. Cait made sure that June was comfortable with all this and she reassured her she could. The trip down was going to kill her as adrenaline was already pumping in her veins. Ironhead’s friend had gotten them a plane to take them down. It was a nice plane, but Cait was nervous something just didn’t feel right since they left.

~LATER IN COLUMBIA~

Cait was so happy with the weather change as she was always freezing. The guys didn’t seem to share that sentiment with her as they got their things loaded in their vans. Pope had informed them of the hostages, and where they were last seen. Apparently they had been captured by a drug cartel, and the families were wealthy enough to pay for the safe return of their family members. Now it was the point of pinpointing where the hostages were now. 

Pope was positive that a compound sixteen miles into the jungle was where the hostages resided. All gear loaded they got into their respective vans and started the journey to the compound. Ironhead watched as Cait kept fidgeting with her gear obviously nervous. “Queen everything okay?”, he asked. “Yeah why wouldn’t it be”, she shot back. “You just seem distracted is all”, he prodded. “Something isn’t right Ironhead. How did they know to contact Pope? It just doesn’t feel right”, she sighed.

“It’s just nerves we go in and get out”, Redfly called from up front. Ironhead just gave her a look and now he was doubting as well. The rest of the ride was quiet, and when they were a mile out they parked the vans and covered them in foliage. This was it if there was confirmation of the hostages they would do reconnaissance then make a plan on how to get them out. “Okay keep your eyes out and make sure to count how many guards there are”, Redfly called through the radio. 

They started to call out how many guards and where and then something caught Cait’s eye. “Guys we have a problem. I see a hostage, but she has a baby. Then there are eight dead bodies over here all are confirmed to be the hostages”, she relayed. “Shit well we will try and get her and her baby out just keep on task”, Pope told her. Cait watched as they put a gun to the woman's head. “Guys they are going to kill her”, you cried. “QUEEN DO NOT GIVE YOURSELF AWAY!”, Redfly hissed into the radio.

Too late gunfire from Cait’s position rang out as she killed the guard. She ran towards the woman and grabbed her arm. “Let's go come on”, Cait pleaded with the woman. The woman looked around frantic as the baby started to wail. A moment later Catfish appeared and yelled for the woman to run towards the others position in spanish. Cait started ushering her when gunfire erupted behind them. Cait watched in horror as the woman was struck in the head by a bullet.  

Time seemed to slow down as she reached for the woman. Her body hit the ground as blood started to pool under her. “QUEEN WE GOTTA GO!”, Catfish screamed. She shook her head and picked the baby up and started to run towards the trees, but their route was cut off by a hail of lead. “THIS WAY!” he yelled to her. She turned and sprinted towards the open jungle with Catfish right behind her. They continued to sprint into the jungle with several guards on their six. 

They could hear the others calling through the radio trying to pinpoint their location, and where they were headed. Catfish kept urging her on as he would turn and fire at their pursuers. The jungle was getting thicker, but that was good giving them more cover. All of the sudden white hot pain shot through her thigh. She cried out and stumbled, but Catfish was there grabbing her arm as he pulled her along.

The pain was getting to her the longer she ran, but Catfish kept urging her to keep going. The gunfire had stopped, but adrenaline had him continuing to push forward. Finally Cait couldn’t run anymore and he stopped. “Alright I think we lost them. Let me see your leg hermosa”, he urged. She sat down on a fallen tree as he looked her over. “How bad is it?”, she questioned trying to rock the baby in her arms. “It didn’t go all the way through”, he informed her. 

“We need to get the bullet out. Here hold her”, she said. Cait pulled her pack open and got out what she would need. She tore the bottom of her shirt off to make a tourniquet and pulled her belt off putting it in her mouth. She then took the baby and lay her on her pack then handed him alcohol and a hemostat. “Are you sure hermosa. I don’t want to do it wrong”, Catfish said as his hands trembled. She patted his shoulder and nodded in reassurance.

He started to dig around to get it, and she whimpered out. Catfish stopped to look up at her, but she only nodded. He dug around a few more moments until he felt it. With a good hold he pulled it out and the belt fell out of her mouth as she cried out. Once the bullet was out he doused it in alcohol and helped her suture it closed. “We need to get moving”, he stated. Cait agreed as they started making their way back to the others. 

The baby had stopped crying by the time they reached the vans. Ironhead took her from Cait as Catfish helped get her into the back of the van. Catfish was closing the van door when gunfire erupted and he fell forward as Benny pulled him all the way in as Cait lunged forward to close the door. They tore out onto the roadway, but when she turned back her heart stopped. “FISH MAN COME ON! FISH!”, Benny screamed. He was unresponsive and there was blood starting to bloom where he had been shot.

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Dun dun duuuuuuuun. Well this is going to be a cliffhanger sorry guys. Hope y’all are enjoying these as much as I enjoy writing them.