#there's a little story to piece together too

[jupiterpilgrim]

Drown With Me

Pt.2: Interpolation

Ningning x Minji x Male Reader

word count: 7K

part 1 | part 3

A/n: Pt.2 and pt.3 were supposed to be a single chapter, but it was split in two because of the block limit.

I wish I could be everything you wanted.

—

Oh, here we are again. But this time we're going back in time. We journeyed into the past because some things must be witnessed. And I say 'witnessed,' not 'understood.' For understanding confines the subtleties of human connections to a singular perspective, and that restricts the strange language of the heart.

We're at a bar now, where a lot of stories start. This is one of those:

The lights are dim and amber, casting warm shadows over the polished countertops and the scratched wooden floor. It’s a quiet Tuesday night, a lull between the weekend rush and midweek regulars. You’ve been working here long enough to know the rhythm of it—the predictable ebb and flow of people looking for drinks to drown whatever piece of life was gnawing at them. But then, just as you’re stacking a row of freshly washed glasses, the door swings open, and in walks her again.

She hesitates in the doorway, framed by the cool, blue glow of the streetlights outside. The first thing that grabs you, as it did last night, are her eyes—huge, almond-shaped, and impossibly feline. The kind of eyes that make you forget what you were supposed to be doing. They dart nervously around the room before finally landing on you, and for a moment, she freezes.

“You again,” you say, a smile tugging at your lips. You lean casually against the bar, arms crossed, trying not to seem too eager.

She’s wearing a cropped, black leather jacket that clings to her slender frame, sharp and a little out of place against the pale softness of her features. Beneath it, a white tank top hints at the curve of her collarbone and the toned lines of her stomach. Her high-waisted jeans, faded and torn at the knees, hug her slim legs like they were stitched onto her body. The scuffed Doc Martens on her feet somehow make her look even more striking—an accidental runway model lost in a world of beer stains and neon signs.

Her broad shoulders, almost too strong for her petite height, square up as if she's trying to summon some hidden reserve of confidence. But it’s her shyness, that hint of hesitation in every movement, that makes her feel like a puzzle you want to solve. She brushes a lock of jet-black hair behind her ear, her eyes darting away from yours as though the floor might swallow her whole if she stares for too long.

You tilt your head toward the bar, beckoning her closer. “Second night in a row, huh? You sure you’re not stalking me?”

Her lips part in a soft laugh, so quiet you almost miss it. “Hardly. My friend dragged me here yesterday. Tonight… I just needed some air.”

Her voice is as soft as her laugh, tinged with a slight huskiness that adds depth to her otherwise delicate demeanor. She approaches the bar slowly, her movements careful, like someone who’s always aware of the space she takes up.

“Well,” you say, pulling a coaster from under the counter and setting it down in front of her, “welcome back to the quietest bar in town. What can I get you?”

She perches on the stool, her knees pressed close together, hands tucked into the sleeves of her jacket. “Um…just a Coke, actually.”

“Coke?”

She nods, her eyes flicking up to meet yours, only to dart away again. “I don’t drink much.”

“Second night in a row at a bar and no drinks? You’re full of surprises.” You grab a glass and pour the soda, sliding it toward her. “Not that I’m complaining. Makes my job easier.”

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear again, a nervous habit, you realize, but it only adds to the quiet allure of her presence. “You work here often?”

“Most nights.” You lean against the bar again, giving her your best casual smile. “And you? What’s your excuse for gracing us with your presence twice in a row?”

“I’m…” She hesitates, then shrugs. “I guess I just liked the vibe. It’s not like other places.”

“It’s not like most places because most places actually get customers,” you joke, gesturing to the mostly empty room. “But hey, if the vibe brought you back, I’m not going to argue.”

She smiles, faint but genuine. “It’s nice. Quiet. Less… intimidating.”

“Intimidating?” You raise an eyebrow, genuinely curious.

She fidgets with the straw in her glass, swirling the Coke absently. “Bars aren’t really my thing. Too loud, too crowded. I usually avoid them.” She glances up at you, almost shyly. “This one feels… different.”

You don’t miss the slight blush that creeps up her neck as she speaks, and something about it tugs at you. “Different’s good,” you say softly. “I like different.”

For a moment, neither of you speaks. The faint hum of the jukebox in the corner fills the silence, playing some slow, melancholic track that perfectly matches the mood. You watch as she takes a small sip of her drink, her lashes casting long shadows over her cheeks.

“So,” you finally ask, breaking the quiet, “what’s your name? Or should I just keep calling you ‘Coke Girl’?”

Her lips twitch into a smile again, a little more confident this time. “Ning Yìzhuo. And you?”

“Coke Boy,” you deadpan, earning a small laugh from her. “Kidding. It’s—”

The door swings open again, cutting you off as a group of rowdy patrons stumbles in, disrupting the peaceful bubble you’d been sharing. Ningning’s shoulders tense immediately, her fingers tightening around her glass. You can tell she’s debating whether to stay or bolt.

You lean closer, your voice low. “Don’t worry. They’re harmless. Plus, I’ve got your back.”

She looks at you, her eyes searching your face for something—reassurance, maybe. And whatever she finds there seems to calm her, if only a little. She nods, taking another sip of her Coke.

You don’t know why, but you can already tell she’s going to stay with you longer than just tonight. Something about her feels significant, like a spark of lightning caught in a jar. Quiet, shy, and utterly captivating.

—

The weeks bleed into one another, and before you know it, Ning is a fixture at the bar. Not officially, of course. She doesn’t work here, doesn’t drink much, and always leaves by midnight like Cinderella with a self-imposed curfew. But she’s here. Three nights a week, like clockwork, perching on her usual stool and ordering her usual Coke, sometimes daring to live dangerously with a Sprite.

At first, you thought she came because it was quiet, because she needed a place to escape whatever stresses her life held. But it’s become increasingly clear that the bar’s charm isn’t the only thing pulling her back. It’s you. And you’re not mad about it.

Tonight, she’s dressed like she always is—effortlessly cool in her slightly oversized sweater, rolled-up jeans, and her beat-up Doc Martens. Her leather jacket is slung over the back of the stool, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders like ink. She’s got her sketchbook with her tonight, the same one she’s been carrying for weeks. You’ve seen glimpses of the drawings—sketches of people, abstract swirls, the occasional cat—but she guards it like it contains state secrets, never letting you get a proper look.

“What are you working on this time?” you ask, leaning on the counter with the practiced nonchalance of a bartender-slash-business-student who definitely isn’t secretly invested in whatever she’s drawing.

She glances up from her page, cat-like eyes sparkling under the warm glow of the bar’s lights. “Nothing special. Just doodling.”

“That’s what you said last time,” you point out, reaching for a clean glass to wipe down. “And then you showed me that sketch of that old guy in the corner, and it looked like something out of a museum. You can admit it, Ning—you’re talented.”

She ducks her head, a faint blush creeping up her neck. “It’s not that good.”

“Sure,” you deadpan, “and I’m not the best bartender in this city.”

She laughs—a soft, melodic sound that you’ve started to look forward to more than you’d like to admit. “You’re not even the best bartender in this bar.”

You feign offense, clutching your chest. “Ouch. And here I thought we were friends.”

“We are friends,” she says, smiling up at you. “Which is why I’m honest with you.”

“Brutally honest,” you correct, smirking. “Fine. Tell me this: do all fine arts students have this much sass, or are you just special?”

“Special,” she says, sticking her tongue out. “And for the record, it’s not fine arts. It’s animation and visual effects. Totally different.”

You nod sagely, as if you know the first thing about animation or visual effects. “Ah, of course. Animation. You’re going to make the next Toy Story, right?”

She rolls her eyes, but she’s grinning. “Something like that. What about you, Mr. Future CEO? Made any spreadsheets cry lately?”

“Every day,” you reply solemnly. “It’s part of the curriculum in business administration. They don’t let you graduate until you’ve traumatized at least three Excel files.”

Her laugh comes easily, her shoulders relaxing as she sips her Coke. She looks comfortable here now, like this place—and you—have become a safe haven for her.

It’s nice.

She’s nice.

“You know,” you say, setting the glass down and leaning closer, “when you first started coming here, I thought you were just using the bar as a library with worse lighting.”

She raises an eyebrow. “And now?”

“Now I think you’re here because you can’t resist my charm.”

She snorts into her drink, nearly choking. “Your charm? Please.”

“Hey, admit it. I make this place bearable for you.”

She tilts her head, pretending to consider. “You do make pretty good jokes.”

“High praise from the queen of sarcasm.”

Her smile softens slightly, the teasing edge in her voice fading. “I just like talking to you. You make things… lighter. Easier to deal with.”

You don’t know what to say to that. It’s rare for her to let her guard down like this, and you feel a sudden, inexplicable urge to keep it safe, to make sure she never regrets being vulnerable.

“Well,” you say, keeping your tone light, “as long as you keep coming back, I’ll keep telling terrible jokes. Deal?”

“Deal,” she says, holding out her hand like you’re signing a legally binding contract.

You shake her hand, her skin warm and soft against yours. There’s a moment—a brief, fleeting moment—where the noise of the bar fades away, and it’s just the two of you. Friends. Companions in this odd little corner of the world.

“By the way,” you add, breaking the moment, “if you ever need a businessperson in one of your animations, I know a guy.”

“Let me guess,” she says, smirking. “He’s incredibly charming and makes terrible jokes?”

“Exactly.”

She laughs again, and for the rest of the night, the bar feels a little brighter.

—

Ning sits cross-legged on her bed, a pencil tucked behind her ear and her sketchbook balanced on her knees. The room is bathed in soft, golden light from the desk lamp Minji insisted on buying, claiming it was better for productivity. Across the room, Minji herself sits at her desk, perfectly upright, fingers flying across the keyboard of her sleek laptop. She looks like a Vogue spread come to life, even in her oversized knit sweater and black leggings, her shiny, straight hair falling effortlessly over her shoulder.

Minji’s skin practically glows, the kind of flawless complexion that makes you wonder if she’s secretly Photoshopped in real life. Her glasses—a stylish, rectangular pair with gold rims—rest perfectly on the bridge of her pointy nose, framing dark, intelligent eyes that seem to miss nothing. Her lips, soft and plump, are painted a subtle pink, just enough to look effortlessly put together. She’s everything Ning isn’t: confident, composed, intimidatingly perfect.

Ning chews on her pencil, staring at her friend’s back. “Hey, Minji?”

“Hm?” Minji doesn’t look up from her screen. She’s probably working on some group project for her international business course. Even in her downtime, Minji is an efficiency machine.

“How do you, like…” Ning hesitates, fiddling with the corner of her sketchbook. “How do you get guys to notice you?”

That gets Minji’s attention. She swivels her chair around, fixing Ning with a look that’s equal parts amused and curious. “What kind of question is that?”

“You know what I mean,” Ning mumbles, heat rising to her cheeks. “You always have a line of guys chasing after you. It’s like… you just exist, and they’re obsessed with you.”

Minji raises an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair. “It’s not like I’m trying to get their attention.”

“That’s exactly my point!” Ning groans, flopping backward onto her bed. “You don’t even try, and they’re all over you. Meanwhile, I could walk into a room naked, and no one would notice.”

“First of all, don’t do that,” Minji says dryly, folding her arms. “Second, you’re exaggerating.”

“I’m really not,” Ning mutters, staring at the ceiling. “You’re like this goddess of elegance or whatever, and I’m just… me. How do you make people like you?”

Minji sighs, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose in that annoyingly perfect way she does. “It’s not about making people like you, Ning. You just have to be yourself.”

Ning sits up, frowning. “That’s so easy for you to say. You’re perfect. People like you without you even trying.”

“I’m not perfect,” Minji says, though the way she says it makes it clear she knows she’s pretty close.

Ning snorts. “Please. You’re gorgeous, you’re smart, you’re the only person I know who actually looks good in those glasses. And don’t get me started on your ‘I just woke up like this’ hair.”

Minji chuckles softly, a sound that somehow feels condescending and comforting at the same time. “Okay, fine. Maybe I have some good qualities. But seriously, Ning, if you want people to notice you, just… put yourself out there.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not shy,” Ning mutters, pulling her knees to her chest.

Minji leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Shy people are fine, but if you never let anyone see who you really are, how are they supposed to notice you?”

“What if who I really am is… shy?” Ning asks, her voice small.

“Then be the best version of shy,” Minji says simply. “Confidence doesn’t mean being loud or outgoing. It just means being comfortable with who you are. People are drawn to that.”

Ning stares at her, skeptical. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It’s not,” Minji admits, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. “But if you don’t at least try, nothing’s going to change. And trust me, you don’t need to change who you are. You just need to stop hiding it.”

Ning chews on her lip, mulling that over. Minji makes it sound logical, like a formula to be solved. But Ning isn’t sure she can simply flip a switch and become “the best version” of herself.

“And if it doesn’t work?” she asks.

Minji shrugs, her lips curling into a faint smile. “Then it’s their loss.”

Ning laughs despite herself, the tension in her chest loosening just a bit. “You’re annoyingly good at this, you know that?”

Minji smirks, turning back to her laptop. “I know. Now stop overthinking and start being fabulous. You’ve got this, Ning.”

Ning watches her friend for a moment longer, a mixture of admiration and frustration swirling in her chest. If Minji says she can do it, maybe she can. But it still feels like an impossible climb.

“Hey, Minji?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

Minji doesn’t turn around, but her voice is warm. “Anytime.”

—

The door to the bar swings open, and in walks Ning with a determined look in her cat-like eyes. She’s wearing a fitted white crop top that shows just a hint of her toned stomach, a plaid mini skirt, and her signature scuffed Doc Martens. Her hair is loose, cascading over her shoulders in soft waves, and there’s a hint of pink gloss on her lips. Tonight, she’s decided, is the night.

No more shy, stammering Ning. Tonight, she’s confident, bold, maybe even flirty. She’s spent the past three days psyching herself up for this moment, replaying Minji’s advice in her head like a mantra. Put yourself out there. Be the best version of yourself. You’ve got this.

The bar is warm and dimly lit as always, the low hum of conversation filling the air. She spots you cleaning a table, laughing at something one of the regulars said, your easy charm on full display. You see Ning and wave to her with a smile. Her heart skips a beat, but she steels herself. You’ve got this, she repeats silently, striding toward the bar.

Or at least, she tries to.

What she doesn’t see, in her single-minded determination, is the bright yellow Wet Floor sign in the middle of the room. Her Doc Martens hit the slick patch of tiles, and suddenly, her confident stride turns into a cartoonish flail.

“Shit—!”

She feels herself going down, her arms pinwheeling as gravity takes over. But just before she hits the ground, a pair of strong hands catch her, one gripping her waist and the other cradling her back.

“You okay?” Your voice is close—too close—and when she blinks up at you, she realizes her face is just inches from yours.

Her heart is pounding, and not just from the near-death experience. Your eyes, warm and concerned, lock onto hers, and she can feel the heat rising in her cheeks. “I—yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.” Her voice comes out quieter than she’d like, all the confidence she’d mustered evaporating on the spot.

You grin, helping her stand upright but keeping a hand on her arm to steady her. “That was a close one. You almost went full slapstick there.”

“Yeah, well, I like to keep things entertaining,” she mumbles, avoiding your gaze. Her ankle twinges as she shifts her weight, and she winces.

“You sure you’re okay?” you ask, noticing the way she’s favoring one foot.

“It’s just my ankle,” she admits. “I think I twisted it a little.”

“Let’s get you off your feet,” you say, guiding her to a booth in the corner. “Come on, sit down.”

“I’m fine, really,” she protests, but you’re already pulling out a chair for her.

Once she’s seated, you crouch down in front of her, gently taking her foot in your hands. “Let me check it out. I can’t have my best customer suing the bar.”

She snorts softly, despite herself. “It’s my fault for not seeing the sign.”

“Well, next time, try looking where you’re going,” you tease, flashing her a grin that makes her heart skip again.

You slide off her boot carefully, your fingers brushing against her ankle. She tries not to shiver at the touch, but it’s impossible. Your hands are warm and firm, and when you start to massage the sore spot, she has to bite her lip to keep from making an embarrassing sound.

“You’re really good at this,” she says, her voice coming out a little breathier than she intended.

“Comes with practice,” you reply, focused on her foot. “My ex used to come home from work with sore feet all the time, so I’d give her massages. Got pretty good at it after a while.”

Ning’s ears perk up at the mention of your ex. “Oh?” she says, trying to sound casual. “What happened there?”

“She was… complicated,” you say, choosing your words carefully. “Kind of jealous. Possessive. A little manic, honestly.” You pause, then chuckle, shaking your head. “I guess I have a type. Crazy girls seem to find me.”

She swallows hard, caught off guard. “Is that why you’re single now?”

“Pretty much,” you admit, still massaging her ankle. “Taking a break from relationships for a while. Thought I’d give myself some peace and quiet, you know?”

Ning’s heart sinks, though she forces a smile. “Makes sense. Less drama.”

“Exactly,” you say, glancing up at her with a grin. “And besides, who needs a girlfriend when I’ve got customers like you to keep me company?”

She laughs softly, but it feels hollow in her chest. She watches as you go back to massaging her foot, completely unaware of the tiny heartbreak you’ve just caused. But she doesn’t say anything.

Because Minji’s words echo in her head: Be the best version of yourself. And tonight, the best version of herself is just a good friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

—

The dorm bathroom is small, humid, and filled with the faint scent of citrus-scented body wash. The door is open, so the fragrance invades the whole bedroom. The overhead light flickers faintly, casting a soft glow over the scene. Minji stands by the sink in nothing but a pale lavender bra and matching underwear, her skin luminous under the harsh fluorescent light. She’s methodically applying lotion to her arms, her long, straight hair pushed over one shoulder to avoid smearing it. Every movement she makes is precise, deliberate, like everything else about her.

Ning is by the closet, half-dressed, rifling through her limited wardrobe with a furrowed brow. She’s wearing an oversized graphic tee that hangs off one shoulder, exposing the curve of her collarbone and the straps of her bralette. Her plaid pajama shorts are crumpled, a stark contrast to Minji’s immaculate appearance.

“Can I ask you something?” Minji’s voice cuts through the quiet hum of the room, soft but with that unmistakable edge of curiosity.

Ning freezes, her fingers lingering on the hem of a black skirt she’s debating on. “Uh, sure. What’s up?”

Minji finishes with her arms and moves on to her legs, bending one knee and propping her foot up on the closed toilet lid. Her movements are unhurried, as if the question isn’t a big deal. “Where do you go every week? At night, I mean.”

She glances over her shoulder, her face warming under Minji’s unreadable gaze. “Nowhere. Just… out.”

“Nowhere?” Minji’s lips curve in a faint smile as she straightens up, tilting her head slightly. Her sharp, dark eyes scan Ning, taking in the flush on her cheeks, the way her fingers fidget with the fabric of her skirt. “That doesn’t sound like nowhere.”

“I mean it’s not anywhere in particular,” Ning mumbles, turning back to the closet. She grabs a random top to busy her hands, hoping Minji will let it go.

But Minji doesn’t let things go. “Ning,” she says, her voice calm but insistent. “You’ve been going out at least twice a week for the past month. You get dressed up, come back late, and you never say where you’ve been. It’s weird, because it's not something you used to do.”

Ning turns around, clutching the top against her chest like a shield. “It’s not weird.”

Minji quirks an eyebrow, her lips twitching as if she’s holding back a laugh. “You don’t think so? Because to me, it looks like you’re sneaking off to see someone.”

“I’m not!” Ning’s voice rises slightly in protest, her face turning a deeper shade of pink. She tosses the top onto the bed and grabs her sketchbook from the desk. “Look, I take this with me, okay? How could I be seeing a boy if I’m bringing this?”

Minji’s eyes drop to the sketchbook, then lift back to Ning’s face, skeptical but intrigued. “I don’t know. Art students have strange habits. Maybe you’re sketching him while you’re there.”

Ning groans, plopping onto the bed and flipping the sketchbook open to a random page. “It’s not like that. There’s a bar I go to. It’s… quiet, and it helps with creativity.”

“Creativity,” Minji repeats, crossing her arms as she leans against the sink. Her hair falls perfectly over one shoulder, her glasses catching the light just enough to make her look like a chic librarian. “That’s your story?”

“Yes!” Ning huffs, holding up the sketchbook like it’s evidence in a trial. “See? Just sketches. No boys, no dates, nothing like that.”

Minji steps closer, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studies Ning’s face. “So you’re telling me you sit at a bar all night, alone, with your sketchbook? That’s it?”

“Well…” Ning hesitates, her fingers gripping the edges of the book. “There’s this bartender I talk to sometimes. But he’s just a friend.”

“A friend.” Minji’s voice is flat, but there’s a glint of amusement in her eyes. “What’s his name?”

“Does it matter?” Ning mutters, ducking her head.

“Probably not,” Minji replies, her tone maddeningly casual. “But now everything is even more suspicious.”

Ning sighs, flipping the sketchbook closed. “Oh, whatever! He’s the bartender. We talk. That’s it.”

“And you’re just friends?”

“Yes.” Ning’s voice is firm, but her cheeks betray her with their telltale blush.

Minji watches her for a moment longer, then does something that catches Ning completely off guard. She smiles. Not her usual poised, mysterious smile, but something softer.

“Can I go too?”

Ning blinks, sure she’s misheard. “What?”

“To the bar,” Minji says, stepping closer until she’s standing right in front of Ning. “If it’s so great for creativity, I want to see it.”

“You want to go to the bar?” Ning asks, her voice incredulous. “The one I go to?”

“Why not?” Minji shrugs, grabbing her towel and tossing it into the laundry basket. “It’s not a date, right? If you’re just hanging out with a friend, I don’t see why I can’t come along.”

Ning stares at her, unsure whether to laugh or panic. “Are you serious?”

Minji leans down slightly, her glasses sliding down her nose as she meets Ning’s wide-eyed gaze. “Dead serious.”

“But…” Ning struggles to find a reason, any reason, why this is a terrible idea. “What about your coursework? You’re always busy.”

Minji straightens up, brushing her hair over her shoulder with practiced ease. “I can spare a night. Besides,” she adds, smirking, “I want to meet this ‘just a friend’ of yours.”

Minji’s calm confidence is both reassuring and terrifying. She knows Minji means well, but she also knows her friend. Minji doesn’t just show up. She observes.

Still, it’s hard to say no when Minji looks at her like that, her dark eyes steady and full of quiet determination.

“Okay,” Ning says finally. “You can come.”

Minji smiles, a triumphant glint in her eye. “Great. I’ll get ready.”

As Minji walks away, Ning flops back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. This was supposed to be simple. Just her, the bar, and a chance to take things slow with you.

Now?

She has no idea what’s about to happen.

—

The bar’s hum is steady but quiet tonight, soft music playing from the jukebox, mingling with the low murmur of scattered conversations. You’re behind the counter, wiping down glasses and vaguely thinking about the economics lecture you skipped today when the door swings open.

You look up instinctively, and there she is—Ning. Except she’s not alone.

Ning walks in first, a bundle of energy in her casual but cool outfit: a cropped black sweater that shows just a hint of her toned stomach, paired with loose cargo pants that sit snug on her hips, and her ever-present Doc Martens. She looks great—like she always does—but it’s the girl walking in behind her that makes your breath catch.

Minji.

She’s dressed simply—an elegant cream blouse tucked into high-waisted, dark-wash jeans that make her legs look impossibly long. Her black hair falls in a sleek curtain down her back, and she’s wearing the kind of gold-rimmed glasses that make other people look like try-hards but somehow make her look even more stunning. There’s something about her presence—poised but approachable, with a quiet confidence that fills the room—that makes it hard to look away.

“Hey!” Ning’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts as she practically bounces over to the counter. She gestures enthusiastically toward her companion. “This is my best friend, Minji. You’ll love her.”

You recover quickly, setting the glass down and offering a smile. “Hey, Minji. Nice to meet you.”

Minji steps forward, her smile polite but warm. “Nice to meet you too. Ning comes here every week, I got curious and realized I needed to see it myself.”

You nod, trying not to seem too obvious as you take her in. “Well, welcome. Hope it lives up to the hype.”

Ning slides onto her usual stool, pulling out her sketchbook like it’s just another normal night. “He’s being modest. It’s the coolest place ever. And the bartender’s alright, I guess.”

You smirk at her teasing but find yourself glancing back at Minji. “What can I get you two?”

“The usual for me,” Ning says, flipping through the pages of her sketchbook.

“And for you?” you ask Minji.

She tilts her head slightly, considering. “Something light. I don’t drink much—health reasons.”

“Got it.” You start preparing the drinks, glancing at her again. “If you don’t mind me asking, health reasons?”

Ning's Coke is ready in moments, she takes a sip absentmindedly as she looks at her sketchbook.

“I have a heart condition,” she says casually, like she’s used to explaining it. “Nothing too serious, but I can’t really handle strong drinks.”

“Fair enough,” you say, sliding the glass across the counter toward her. “This should be light enough.”

She takes a sip, her lips curving into a small smile. “Perfect. Thanks.”

Ning, who’s been scribbling something in her sketchbook, looks up suddenly. “Minji has been really nosy lately, she wouldn't leave me alone until I brought her here, she's never done this before.”

“Oh yeah?” you say, raising an eyebrow at Minji. “Was she really that mysterious about it?”

Minji laughs softly, setting her drink down. “You have no idea. She’d leave without saying much, come back late, and when I’d ask where she was, she’d just shrug and say ‘out.’” She glances at Ning, her tone amused. “It was suspicious.”

Ning groans dramatically. “It wasn’t suspicious! I just didn’t feel like explaining.”

“Well, I’m glad you brought her along tonight,” you say, smiling at Minji. “It’s nice to meet one of Ning’s friends.”

“Best friend,” Ning corrects, nudging Minji with her elbow. “We’ve known each other forever.”

Minji chuckles. “She’s exaggerating. It’s only been a few years. But yeah, we’ve been through a lot together.”

You lean against the counter, genuinely curious. “How’d you two meet?”

“Orientation,” Minji says, glancing at Ning.

“At first I thought she was snobbish for being so serious."

“And I thought you looked like a troublemaker,” Minji counters, her eyes sparkling with humor.

You can’t help but laugh at their banter. “So, Minji, what are you studying?”

“International business,” she says, adjusting her glasses slightly. “What about you?”

“Business administration,” you reply, and her face lights up with interest.

“Oh, really? That’s great. What year are you in?”

“Third,” you say. “It’s not as glamorous as international business, but it keeps me busy.”

“It’s not glamorous,” Minji says with a small smile. “But it’s practical. And honestly, that’s more important.”

You nod, impressed by her straightforwardness. “So what made you choose international business?”

She takes another sip of her drink, her expression thoughtful. “I guess I like the idea of understanding how things work on a global scale. It’s a challenge, but I enjoy it.”

Ning, who’s been quiet for a moment, suddenly speaks up. “She’s being humble. She’s the smartest person I know. She even helps me figure out my art projects sometimes.”

Minji shrugs, clearly a little embarrassed. “I just give her feedback. She’s the real talent.”

You glance at Ning, your curiosity piqued. “What kind of feedback?”

“She helps me refine ideas,” Ning says, twirling her pencil. “Like, if I’m stuck on a concept, she’ll point out things I didn’t think of. It’s annoying how good she is at it.”

Minji rolls her eyes, but there’s a hint of affection in her expression. “It’s not that hard. I just have an outside perspective.”

“Well, it sounds like you two make a good team,” you say, genuinely impressed by their dynamic.

Minji smiles, her gaze lingering on you for a second longer than you expect. “We do. But I think I understand why Ning likes coming here now. It’s… nice.”

“Yeah,” Ning chimes in, her voice a little softer. “It is.”

The three of you fall into an easy rhythm after that, talking and laughing like old friends. But every now and then, you catch yourself glancing at Minji, wondering what it is about her that feels so… magnetic.

—

The bar has never been livelier for you, not because of an influx of customers but because Ning and Minji have made it their unofficial hangout spot. At first, it was a bit surreal—Ning showing up with her best friend in tow, bright-eyed and eager to introduce her to her favorite bartender. But over the next few weeks, it becomes routine.

Monday Night

Ning and Minji arrive together, as they always do. Ning’s dressed in her usual casual style—cropped sweatshirt, ripped jeans, and her trusty Doc Martens—while Minji looks effortlessly polished in a tailored blazer over a white camisole and straight-leg pants.

“Usual?” you ask Ning, already reaching for the soda gun.

“Of course,” she says, hopping onto her usual stool.

“And for you?” you ask Minji.

“I’ll take the same thing as last time,” she says, her smile easy. “That drink was great.”

You get to work, sliding the Coke over to Ning and preparing Minji’s light cocktail. “So, how’s the week been treating you two?”

“Terrible,” Ning groans dramatically, opening her sketchbook. “I’m behind on like, three projects.”

Minji snorts, glancing at Ning over the rim of her glass. “That’s because you spent the entire weekend rewatching Spirited Away instead of working.”

“It was research!” Ning protests, flipping through her sketches. “It’s a masterpiece!”

You chuckle, leaning on the bar. “She’s got a point. Spirited Away is definitely worth rewatching.”

Minji raises an eyebrow. “I don’t disagree. But maybe she could balance her research with her deadlines.”

The two of you share a laugh, and Ning pouts.

“You’re both nerds,” she mutters, earning a grin from you.

“Guilty as charged,” you say, raising a random glass in a mock toast.

Wednesday Night

Tonight, Minji’s in a soft blue sweater that matches her dark-rimmed glasses, her hair swept back in a loose braid. Ning looks a little tired, probably from pulling an all-nighter.

“You look like death,” Minji observes bluntly as they sit down.

“Gee, thanks,” Ning says, dropping onto the stool and slumping over the counter.

“You okay?” you ask, sliding her a Coke without waiting for her order.

“Just tired,” Ning mumbles, sipping her drink.

Minji tilts her head at you. “So, did you finish that econ paper you mentioned last time?”

You perk up, surprised she remembered. “Yeah, just barely. Turns out writing about financial markets at two in the morning isn’t fun.”

“I could’ve told you that,” Minji says, her lips curving into a small smile. “But I bet you still nailed it.”

Ning watches the exchange, feeling a pang of something she can’t quite name. She clears her throat. “Hey, can we talk about something not boring?”

“Sure,” you say, turning to her. “What’s on your mind?”

“Aliens,” Ning declares, grinning. “Do you think they exist?”

Minji sighs. “Oh god, not this again.”

You laugh, genuinely amused. “Honestly? I hope so. Would make the universe a lot more interesting.”

Ning beams, satisfied, while Minji shakes her head. “This is why she likes coming here,” Minji says dryly. “You encourage her nonsense.”

“Hey,” you protest, “it’s not nonsense. It’s curiosity.”

Minji chuckles, and Ning feels a little less out of place.

Friday Night

The bar is slightly busier, but the two of them still manage to snag their usual seats. Minji looks radiant in a sleek black blouse and gold hoop earrings, her makeup subtle but flawless. Ning, in her oversized hoodie and her Doc Martens looks comfortable but feels distinctly underdressed next to her friend.

“You look nice tonight,” you say to Minji as you hand her drink over.

“Thanks,” she replies, her voice calm and self-assured. “Ning practically dragged me out of the dorm, so I figured I’d make an effort.”

“You’re welcome,” Ning says with mock pride.

“So,” Minji says, turning to you, “tell me more about your business classes. Do you focus on entrepreneurship or management?”

“A little of both,” you reply, leaning on the counter. “Right now, we’re working on case studies about startups.”

“Oh, I love those,” Minji says, her eyes lighting up. “Which case studies are you doing?”

As you dive into the topic, Ning finds herself zoning out. The conversation is engaging—Minji is clearly knowledgeable, and you seem genuinely interested in what she has to say—but it’s not her world. She fiddles with her straw, feeling invisible as the two of you talk animatedly about market trends and business strategies.

Eventually, she clears her throat. “Hey, do you think they’d let me draw on the walls here?”

Both of you turn to her, surprised.

“I mean, this place could use some art,” she says, grinning.

“Go for it,” you say, laughing. “Just don’t tell my boss I approved it.”

Minji chuckles softly, shaking her head. “You’re hopeless.”

“Hopelessly creative,” Ning corrects, feeling a little more grounded again.

Sunday Night

The bar is nearly empty, the quiet hum of the jukebox filling the space. Ning is doodling absently in her sketchbook, while Minji sips her drink and chats with you.

“So, what do you do for fun?” Minji asks, her tone light but genuinely curious.

“Work, mostly,” you admit. “But when I have time, I like hiking. Clears my head.”

“I didn’t peg you as the outdoorsy type,” she says, a hint of teasing in her voice.

You shrug. “Gotta balance all the business talk with something peaceful.”

Ning glances up from her sketchbook, watching the two of you. There’s something about the way Minji leans slightly forward when she talks to you, the way her smile lingers a little longer.

“Do you hike?” you ask Minji.

“Sometimes,” she says. “But only when Ning drags me along.”

“Hey, I make hiking fun,” Ning protests, jumping back into the conversation.

“You complain the whole time,” Minji points out, smirking.

“Because you always pick the hardest trails!”

You laugh, the sound warm and genuine. “I’d pay to see that.”

“Next time, you’re coming with us,” Minji says.

Ning blinks, caught off guard by the suggestion. She glances between you and Minji, unsure how to feel about the way this strange triangle is starting to form.

As the night winds down, the three of you settle into a comfortable rhythm, but Ning can’t shake the feeling that something is shifting—slowly, subtly, but undeniably.

—

The three of you have fallen into a strange, unspoken routine—meeting up not just at the bar but beyond it, like some evolving trio of mismatched energy. It feels natural, at least on the surface, even if Ning occasionally finds herself analyzing every interaction, dissecting every glance and laugh.

Tonight, you’re at the movies, sitting in a darkened theater. Ning insisted on watching the latest animated film, claiming it was "research" for her art, though the truth is she just really loves animated movies. You and Minji went along with it, no complaints. Ning sits between you and Minji, a giant bucket of popcorn balanced precariously on her lap.

Halfway through the movie, she notices how Minji leans slightly toward you, sharing whispered comments about the plot. Ning can’t quite hear what you’re saying, but the low rumble of your laugh makes her feel strangely uncomfortable.

“Pass the popcorn,” you murmur, your hand brushing Ning’s as you reach for the bucket.

She stiffens slightly, then relaxes. “Here. Don’t eat all the good pieces.”

“You’re weirdly protective of popcorn,” you tease, taking a handful.

“Popcorn hierarchy is a real thing,” she replies, smirking. But her voice sounds hollow to her own ears.

Minji chuckles, leaning closer. “She’s serious about it. She once bit my hand when I took the last caramel piece.”

“I did not bite you!” Ning protests, her cheeks flushing.

Minji glances at you, her smile lingering. “She absolutely did.”

You laugh, shaking your head. “I believe it.”

The sound of your laugh sends a pang through Ning’s chest. She knows it’s stupid, knows she’s overthinking. But the way you and Minji interact—effortless, like equals—feels different.

Later That Week

The three of you are at a college basketball game, seated in the bleachers. It was your idea this time, a way to do something “normal and fun” after a week of classes. Ning, determined to feel confident, showed up in a cropped tank top and tight jeans, her makeup more pronounced than usual.

But as the game goes on, she notices the subtle ways you treat her. When she trips on the bleachers, you catch her arm, laughing softly. “Careful, kid. Don’t want you breaking something.”

“Kid?” she echoes, raising an eyebrow. “I’m literally an adult.”

“Barely,” you tease, ruffling her hair in a way that makes her want to scream.

Meanwhile, when Minji leans over to ask you something, your tone shifts. It’s subtle, but Ning catches it. You’re attentive, leaning slightly closer, your voice quieter. When Minji laughs at something you say, it’s like the whole world fades out for a second, leaving just the two of you.

Ning fiddles with her phone, pretending not to notice.

At one point, Minji turns to her. “Hey, are you okay? You’ve been really quiet.”

“I’m fine,” Ning says quickly, forcing a smile. “Just… not a huge basketball fan.”

Minji studies her for a moment but doesn’t press. She turns back to you, asking something about the game. Ning doesn’t bother listening.

The Bar, One Week Later

It’s a typical slow night, the kind you’ve come to expect when it’s not the weekend. You’re behind the counter, wiping down glasses and occasionally glancing at the door out of habit. When it swings open, you look up, expecting to see Ning and Minji together as usual.

But it’s just Minji.

She steps inside, her presence as poised as ever. She’s wearing a fitted black turtleneck and a sleek gray coat, her hair tucked neatly behind her ears. There’s a calm confidence in the way she walks, like she owns the space without even trying.

“Hey,” you say, smiling as she approaches the bar. “Where’s Ning?”

“She’s sick,” Minji replies, sliding onto one of the stools. “It’s just me tonight.”

There's a hint of excitement in her voice, and for a moment, you don’t know how to respond. The absence of Ning—her usual energy, her playful remarks—feels strange. But Minji’s presence is undeniable, grounding.

“Just you,” you repeat, setting a glass on the counter. “Alright. What can I get you?”

Minji smiles, a small, knowing curve of her lips. “Surprise me.”

part 3

[starlit-writer]

in sickness and in health, ch. 1 - alpha!simon riley x omega!reader

ah, look at that. have some omegaverse angst inspired by this post here <3 if you want to understand more about my omegaverse au, you can look at my masterpost here, and it'll help explain all of the intricacies that may or may not be explained well enough in these short-form fics!

well, this turned out to be miles longer than i expected it to. there's not really a solid ending, so let me know if you want more! have so much fun getting your heart ripped out <3

word count: 4,764 chapter two masterlist ao3 link

Three years ago, you and Simon got married. It wasn’t anything flashy or big - fuck, how could it have been when you didn’t even love each other? But, military law forbade an unmated omega from joining the ranks, and Simon was seen as a wild-card alpha, too headstrong and violent, too hard to control. So, the brass laid out an ultimatum: mate, get married, or be discharged. Both you and Simon had worked too hard for too long to get where you were, so discharge was entirely off the table. There was no courting, no dates, and the wedding, if you could call it that, was little more than signing papers - three signatures on a thick piece of A4 government paper, one from you, one from Simon, and one from your witness, Captain John Price. You didn’t even exchange rings or vows. It took less than five minutes. 

After all was said and done, you and Simon went back to your lives. Sure, you were respectful to one another, and you spent one or two heats and ruts together, but you both maintained a distance away from each other. Neither of you were thrilled with the idea of being tied down, of being mated. The mating bond between you felt more like the neck of a too-tight sweater than it did a comfort, feeling each other’s emotions more of a chore than something you looked forward to. Sure, you worked well together, fluid and deadly like a well oiled M2 on the field. Always had. But there was a stark difference between working well together, and being mated.

So that’s how you ended up here. You had lost twenty pounds. Your skin was sallow and pale, your eyes sunken in. When you looked in the mirror, you could count your ribs, the knobs of your spine, even when they were hidden under the bruises that bloomed across your sickly skin.

You had thrown yourself into work, and when there was no work, you were challenging any living thing to go for a round with you on the sparring mat. But, you were weak; the bond sickness sapped all of your energy and strength faster than you could ever hope to replenish it. Your scent, which was once a warm and spicy caramelized vanilla, now smelled like sugar burnt to the bottom of a pot - acrid and rotted. You were dying, and you knew it. But your pride was far too great to ever go crawling back to Simon, the very man who caused the sickness to infiltrate every cell of your being. It had been months of this torture. Simon, your alpha, had all but abandoned you. You had been without his touch, his scent, anything and everything that the very base instincts of your omega craved from its mate for far too long. It didn't matter to your omega that this marriage, this mating bond was nothing more than a way to keep both you and Simon in the service. Instincts couldn't be fought with fact, and now you were reaping the consequences of the neglect of the bond. You had thought bond sickness was a myth, a fear-mongering tactic to keep alphas in line. However, you were now aware that there was far more truth than you could have ever imagined to that story that is told. 

You had seen the concerned looks of your team as they watched you haunt the halls of the base like a spectre. Soap had started to bring you chocolates and drinks, anything in hopes to get you to eat. Gaz took a different approach, always being the one to take you up on your sparring requests, the beta knowing that at the very least he could be gentle with you while still giving you an outlet. The Captain had made sure to keep you off any truly strenuous missions and tasks, mainly relegating you to the medbay or to training recruits. If you were any stronger, you would be pissed, but right now you took it as a blessing. At least he hadn’t kicked you off the team for your weakness. But Simon? Simon was nowhere to be found. He continuously was the first volunteer for the most dangerous missions, keeping him away from base for weeks to months at a time. When he came back bloody and bruised, he would avoid the medbay like the plague, only coming in to get fixed up by another combat medic when he knew Soap or Gaz had forcefully pulled you away. If you two happened to be walking in the same hallway, Simon would duck out of your sight without even so much as a word. You had long since given up on running after him. 

So color yourself surprised when you were standing in front of the mirror in your bathroom and the screen of your phone lit up, a text from Simon blaring on the too-bright screen. You had every intention of ignoring it, but your pride was no match for the dying ache of your omega. 

Come to my quarters.

The text was simple. Demanding, even. And all it did was make you angry. 

You quickly tugged on a pair of sweats and forced a tank top over your bruised and feverish skin. You thought briefly for a moment about tugging a sweatshirt on over your mottled skin, but, fuck it, let him see all that he has done to you. Maybe he would give you the one blessing you had hoped for over the last few months of neglect, and finally sever the bond between you. 

You trudged through the hallways of the base, every soldier you passed giving you a wide berth. You were certain you looked like death froze over, and the rage-filled expression set over your brows and your lips certainly did not help. When you reached his door, you didn’t even bother to knock. You just shoved your copy of the key in the door and slammed the door open. 

Simon barely even looked up from where he was lounging on the bed. His shirt was off, a rare sight, even for you, but even more shocking was the fact that he wasn’t wearing his mask.  He didn’t look much better than you - his once-bronzed skin paled, his own scars raised and reddened, and he had a poorly bandaged bullet wound wrapped, the white medical wrapping blossoming with a red mark. Pulled stitches, definitely. 

“Close the door,” came the rough demand as his arms lazily opened in an invitation to lay with him. “And c’mere.”

You, in all of your rage, just stood stockstill in the still-open doorway. Even as your omega side cried to jump into his arms and let his scent and his touch wash away all the pain, you refused with a defiant jut of your chin. You didn’t know why he had called you here, and the only thing your mind could conjure up is that Price, or Laswell, or fuck, even Soap, had sat him down and forced him to do this. And you wanted nothing to do with this or with him if he actually was not trying to change.

“I don’t want your pity. And I sure as hell don’t want your affection just because Price told you that you had to fix me,” you replied, your voice shaking with weakness and pain, even as you tried your damndest to keep it steady, strong. 

Simon growled, the sound of an alpha not used to not getting his way, as he rolled onto his side to look at you more squarely. His arms were still open, but you could see the way his muscles clenched, his own anger rising. “It ain’t about pity. It’s about basic biology,” he bit out, the words short and angry. 

That made you laugh, the sound short and sardonic before it morphs into a cough that shakes your entire, frail being. You brought a shaking hand up to wipe your lips before you fixed him with a glare hard enough to freeze an ocean. “Basic biology?" you mocked. “Yeah, for sure. But it’s also basic biology to not let bond sickness even be a worry for your omega, but looks like you fucked that one right up, didn’t you!?”

Your words made something in Simon snap. Your rage, the vitriol, clenched his hands into fists as he quickly swung his powerful legs over the edge of the bed, crossing the space between you in the space between one of your breaths and the next. He was in your face now, just enough space between you to not be pressing completely against you. You averted your gaze, knowing that if you didn’t, you might continue yelling at him, or worse. 

“Look at me,” he ordered, using the same tone he does on the battlefield. His hands are still clenched into fists, but they are shaking. Why?

That tone made your eyes harden, the instincts of a hard-bred soldier kicking in. Even through the fraying of your bond, your sickness, you knew that voice. You listened when given an order. You allowed your head to loll back to look up at him, but your expression was still set in that same hard glare. You weren’t on a battlefield. You were on base, far away from the acrid explosions and hot gunpowder. How dare he pretend otherwise? “Why?” you bit back in response. “This isn’t some tactical decision, Simon. Don’t treat me like one of your fuckin’ rookies.” 

He took a sharp breath through his teeth, obviously trying to control himself. He knew you were weak, the bond sickness taking so much more from you than it ever did him. But your defiance, your spirit despite the bond sickness was making his alpha go crazy. Even with you glaring up at him, he stared down at you with fierce eyes as his hands gripped your hips, shoving you out of the doorway and pressing you against the wall right beside it. Taking one hand off of your hip, he shut the door with a resounding click before his grip, and his attention came back entirely to you. “I ain’t treatin’ you like a goddamned rookie,” he growled out, his cold brown gaze entirely focused on your own broken one as one hand slams into the wall by your head. Even through your rage, he can see it. Feel it. He had broken you. And that knowledge caused his alpha to writhe in pain. “I’m treatin’ ya like my fuckin’ omega.” 

As he caged you in, growled those words at you, your own expression hardened. Your lips curled up to reveal your smaller omega fangs, a low growl of your own reverberating from your chest as your hands clenched into fists. It’s hard to ignore the sheer size difference between the two of you as he towers over you, his head dipped low to keep your attention. However, that did nothing to stop your rage, in fact, it increased it tenfold. 

“Oh, right. I forgot. Being your omega means less than being one of your rookies, silly me.”

You knew the second the words left your mouth that you just opened a Pandora’s box. You saw it in the way his eyes instantaneously darkened, in the way his hand left the wall before you could even blink, his fingers crushing your jaw between them in a bruising grip, forcing your head back against the wall as he brought his face ever closer to yours. However, as his face got closer, you could see the glint of something else in his eyes. Triumph. His alpha was revelling in watching you snap and get fiery again. It was a victory, in his mind, to see you able to be so angry after the bond sickness had taken so much from you. “Watch it, sweetheart,” he muttered, his voice low and gruff. “I know that attitude of yours will always be there, but careful.”

His words sent another wave of anger through you, and as he forced your head back, you jerked your neck, snapping your teeth at him, your small omega fangs glinting in the low light of his quarters. It was a clear message. Fuck the bond sickness, he had no right to touch you right now. You did not forgive him, and he has to work to even begin to earn that, and if he won’t? You would dissolve the bond without him, whether or not it risked your life. 

“Don’t sweetheart me,” you growled out, glaring up at him even as the bruising grip of his fingers squished your cheeks together, slurring your words. “Not after everything.”

His alpha instincts flared again, the desire to force you into accepting his help clear as his eyes flashed in irritation at your anger. He pressed you further into the wall, his body now flush against yours as he snarled right back. “Then do something about it,” he challenged. “Get mad. Fight me. Let it all out. But, you’re not leaving this room until you let me fix this.”

As much as you hated it, hearing Simon’s permission gave you the ability to let it all out. No matter how much you wanted to pretend that you were unaffected by him, the knowledge that he wanted you to fight, wanted to fix this broken bond between you, allowed you to finally and truly get all of the anger out, and maybe, just maybe, give the bond a chance to heal. 

And so you did. Your body jerked against his, your sallow cheeks flushing red as you bared your omega fangs and growled at him again. Your eyes held the faintest spark of life, a far cry from what they used to have, but there’s something there now. 

When Simon saw that spark, the faintest hint of his omega coming back, he chuckled gruffly, his eyes glinting with a possessive heat. 

“Yes, spitfire. I want you t’ fight me. Hit me, scream, yell at me, tell me how shit of an alpha I’ve been. I don’t care. Just don’t. Hold. Back.” 

As soon as the words left his mouth, the dam inside of you broke. Months worth of anger, agony, grief, pain, and aching sadness flooded your veins like a hot, volatile drug. It felt like a living, breathing thing as the emotions curled around your lungs, your muscles, your heart. Tears pushed at your lash line, the aching pain making itself known through the rage. 

You held his cold brown gaze for a moment, your eyes searching his. When all you saw in return was steely determination, you did the only thing you could think of. Before he could even move out of the way, you shut your eyes and cranked your head back as far as it would go, and drove your forehead straight into his nose. It wasn’t nearly hard enough to break it, but definitely hard enough to hurt and make the blood start flowing. 

He staggered back from you, his hands coming up to cup his nose, but the alpha was far from angry. In fact, he was grinning, the blood pouring from his nose coating his lips and teeth. A low growl of approval rumbled from his chest as he stared at you, approval glinting in his eyes. “Good girl,” he muttered lowly, the praise slipping through so naturally. 

As his praise washed over you, you felt your stomach flip. It shouldn’t feel that good. Not after the months and months of neglect so bad that you were literally dying. But, you couldn’t help the small ember of warmth that bloomed through your chest as that muttered praise of good girl flowed through your veins like a warm blanket settling over you. 

But, you were still angry. And hurt. And countless other emotions that you couldn’t even begin to name, all just culminating into a neverending ache. And as you saw the blood marring the plush flesh of his lower lip, something inside of you snapped. 

He had made his worst mistake. He had let go of you, and now you could truly fight. 

You crouched down, using your smaller stature and power legs to kick your leg out, and you swept it across the ground, knocking the much-bigger alpha off of his feet. You watched as his massive frame hit the ground, shaking the walls, a bloom of satisfaction erupting in your chest. Adrenaline was pumping through your veins now, the only thing allowing you to move, and before he had the chance to become reoriented, you were on top of him, straddling his hips as you punched at his chest. Your tears of anguish were falling freely now, sobs breaking free with your yells. 

“You have broken me! Broken! I used to be so strong, so happy, and you destroyed that! Ripped it away from me! All because you were too fucking caught up in your own shit, your own fucking fear, that you couldn’t even be half of the alpha you needed to be!”

Simon grunted in pain as his back collided with the cold, hard tile of his quarters, his hands automatically coming up to grab at your hips. Not to shove you off, no, but to keep you on top of him. He knew he deserved this. Every punch, every pointed word, every tear. It was his penance for all of the pain and agony he had put you through, even if it was ripping his heart to absolute shreds. 

“I know, I know,” he growled softly, his voice thick with regret. “I know I did.”

You shook your head, tears and snot flying from the force. You were so angry, so hurt, but the adrenaline was quickly running its course, leaving behind only bone-deep exhaustion and pain. Your punches slowly weakened, until you were barely able to lift your hands. Instead, they came to rest on his bare chest, your omega claws digging sharply into the thick muscle that covered his chest, one of your hands digging directly over his heart, needing him to feel a fraction of the agony that coursed through your own. 

“Don’t you agree with me! Don’t you dare! Gods, you do this to me for months, and you… you have nothing to say for yourself!? I tried! Tried to be a good spouse, a good omega! I tried to give you your space, to be unobtrusive, even though that killed my omega! And all I fuckin’ got in return is this fucking bond sickness that is killing me! Tearing me apart from the inside out!” 

His body shuddered as your claws dug into his chest, his skin breaking under the tiny points. It hurt in every way that it could, but the tiny pinpricks of blood that welled around your claws were nothing compared to how he had hurt you. He knew that he deserved this, every inch of your wrath, of your anger, and the pain it brought for him. It was the least he could do - to bear this for you. But, Gods, it didn’t stop your words from tearing into his heart in a way your claws couldn’t even begin to touch. 

“I know, sweetheart, I know,” he repeated, his words thick with the guilt that was threatening to choke him. “And I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry.”

His apology broke what little strength you had left. The bond between you was fraying, seconds away from snapping completely, and you had never felt more lost. A sob broke free from your lips, the force of the sound causing your body to lurch forward. But, Simon was there. For once, he was there. His chest caught your head, your tears wetting his skin almost instantaneously as your claws scratched down his torso, leaving thin, raised red lines down his scarred skin. 

He hissed softly in response to the pain, but he made no attempt to move, to shy away from it. You had completely given up on your ego, your omega so desperate for your alpha, no matter what he had done. But, you were still so hurt, your omega so wounded that you had no idea how you were going to come back from this. 

“Just… just tell me why. Why did you do this? Why did you treat me like this?” you sobbed out into his chest, your sour, distressed omega pheromones wafting around him like a shroud of despair. 

His alpha writhed in pain at your scent. It was wrong, so, so wrong, but he had done this. His neglect, his apathy, had taken his once strong, ferocious omega and reduced her down to this. He had never seen you like this. And he never wanted to again. He could feel the bond between you slipping between his fingers like shards of glass digging into his very being, and fear rose to take its place. He wrapped his arms around you, cradling your tiny, trembling form against him, his nose burying into your hair as he pressed a featherlight, shaking kiss into it. He swallowed harshly against the lump in his throat, his heart clenching in fear. In pain. In anger at himself. “I was a coward, love.” 

You sobbed harder against his chest at his admission, shaking your head jerkily. Your body felt like it was freezing and burning up at the same time, as the frayed edges of the bond dug into you like poisonous thorns. You could feel your mind shattering, your heart stuttering as the bond sickness continued to take hold. You were dying, and you knew it. But at this point, you would almost take death over the amount of pain you were in. “That’s not a good excuse,” came your shaking reply, the words thick with tears and agony, but they were strong with conviction. “Tell me why, Simon. Tell me why, or break the godsdamned bond.” 

The words that left your lips felt like they were suffocating the alpha. Break the bond. His arms tightened around you until you were completely pressed against him, and he could feel every shudder, every quiver in your weakening body. A low growl rumbles from his chest, the sound full of pain but also a desperate desire to comfort. He had to try - to even attempt to explain, even if he wasn’t sure it would do anything. But the thought of losing you without even trying made his heart shatter, his alpha howl in protest. 

“Because I was afraid,” he murmured, his voice thick with regret and honesty as his knuckles ran across the knobs of your spine. That caused him more pain than you would ever know, feeling how you had atrophied from his neglect. How his dismissal, his abandonment had caused his once strong, beautiful omega, to waste away before his very eyes. “Afraid of getting caught up in you, in this. Of loving you, of giving you part of my heart. I didn’t know how to keep you safe. I didn’t think I was worthy of having something like that, like you. I still don’t.” 

“Then break the bond,” you whimpered out, the pain of the bond sickness, of your own emotions, and what little of Simon’s you could still feel through the barest threads of the bond ricocheting through your body, reduced you to little more than a husk lying on top of Simon. Your heart was shattering along with the bond, the broken edges of each splintering in a way that made it hard for you to breathe. Your breath pushed and pulled achingly slowly through your chapped lips like broken glass, just another thing ripping your very being apart. 

“If you can’t do this… I’ll… I’ll figure it out. The brass’ll let me stay, at least for a little bit. But, I can’t… I can’t keep doin’ this. ‘M not asking for love. ‘M not asking to be a real marriage, but I can’t be apart of a bond where ‘m not… where ‘m not bein’ taken care of. I can’t.” 

Your words were slurring, little more than a broken and pain-filled whimper against his broad chest, and Simon could practically hear the way his heart shatters beneath you. He did this. He did this. And yet, the selfish part of him couldn’t bear the thought of losing you, no matter how much pain he had put you through. The alpha snarled as he wrapped his arms around your ever-weakening frame impossibly tighter, as if he was afraid that if he didn’t hold you tight enough, you’d slip away from him forever. 

“No, baby, no,” he replied softly, but the words were filled with a growl of conviction, of promise. “I was stupid. I was so stupid, and I hurt you. Let me… let me fix this, okay? Please, baby. Lemme fix you. Just for right now.” 

Simon was begging. You didn’t know if you had ever heard him beg before, but here he was, begging you to allow him the chance to fix you. Your exhausted, wounded omega perked up a bit at his conviction, but you couldn’t help but feel like this was far too little, far too late. “I… I don’t know, Simon. How can you… how can you fix this?” 

The pained gasps between your words drove a stake of fear through Simon’s heart, his alpha whimpering painfully. He swallowed harshly against the ever-growing lump in his throat, as he knew that he had to be the pillar of strength. If he broke right now, there was no hope for you. His lips brushed against the top of your head as he inhaled your sour, rotted scent in despair, his hands running up and down your back in a vain attempt to soothe you. 

“Let me… let me have a chance,” the alpha, your alpha, pleaded. “Please baby, let me fix this. I’ll do better, I promise. Gods, I’ll do anything. Just… just let me get you better,  baby, please. And then, if you still want to break the bond, we can, okay? Just… I can’t lose you. I can’t let you die. Not like this. Never like this.”

You felt, more than heard, his words wash over you. You could feel your body failing, the bond sickness taking what little was left of you. Even with Simon’s touch, with his promises, you had a brief moment of clarity where you just knew that this still might be it, that the bond had been strained too far, the cavernous distance between the two of you still too great, that this bond sickness might still kill you, despite his promises to fix you. 

You were so tired. So, so tired. The pain is too much, your eyelids too heavy, and it felt like what was left of your shattered heart wasn’t pumping nearly enough oxygen through your veins. You were teetering on the edge, and all you wanted to do was sleep. 

“Just… just let me sleep. In here. With you. Please?” you mumbled, the words soft and slurred. Any fight, any pride you had just a few minutes ago was long gone, and if you were going to die, your omega wanted it to be right here, in your alpha’s arms, taken peacefully in your sleep. “I need… just, please, Si.” 

Simon’s resolve shattered at the nickname that fell past your lips. He instantly sat up, gathering your frail, fragile body in his arms as he nodded, his own tears finally breaking free. 

His fault. All his fault. Always his fault. 

He quickly stood up, your body light (too light, too light) in his arms as he carried you to his bed. He was terrified. He could feel how slow your heartbeat was, how weak your body was, how slurred your words were. He shushed you softly, gently, but the sound warbled against his own tears. 

“Shhh, shhh, baby. I got you. I got you. Just… just sleep, okay? I’ll be right here. Right here. Never leavin’ your side again. I promise. I’ll be right here when you wake up. Just sleep.” 

He gingerly laid you on the bed, surrounding you with blankets and pillows, anything he could find that was drenched in his alpha scent, before his body came to blanket you. He couldn’t lose you. And he will keep his promise, even as his own silent tears fell down around your now-unconscious face. What’s that old saying? Oh, right. You never know what you have until it’s gone.

[azzifuddfanpage]

I have yet to see a fanfic featuring the famous love and basketball scene .. where they play 1v1 in the dorm for clothes. So strip basketball. So do with this what you will.

Love and basketball

————

2.6k words

p receiving * if u wanna see Azzi receiving I did the same story but switched it around so Azzi was receiving 🫶 Tw: smut/ swearing

themes: strip basketball/ p receiving

————

It was a Friday night after summer preseason workouts, everyone had for the most part retired to their own rooms, except for kk, ice, and Jana who’s voices carried through the living room.

Over the summer, the girls had no other commitments aside from their practices that were three times a day. Morning shoot around, weight room , practice, weight room again, then a break, and a couple hours later weight room again, scrimmages, and recovery. By the end of the day, the entire team was wiped.

Often Paige and Azzi would use this as an opportunity to “accidentally” fall asleep in each other dorms (usually paige’s since it was cleaner). They would start with a movie and eventually fall asleep- this would have happened either way.

It was perfect though, the perfect plan, for the perfect summer, of the perfect season where both paige and Azzi would be back and full strength together- nothing was stopping them from their championship now.

——— 

Tonight paige and Azzi were cuddled up watching love and basketball- their favorite movie. 

Paige could feel Azzi’s head sink down on her shoulder, heightened with sleep. Paige smiled contently to herself, wrapping her arm around the peaceful brunette.

About an hour and 12 minutes into the movie 😉-paige knew this by heart, the strip scene came up. 

She looked down at Azzi smirking, Azzi who was almost asleep opened one eye, feeling paige’s gaze on her. 

“Oh my god paige enough- no- I’m tired.” Azzi said rolling her eyes and nuzzling herself farther into paige’s chest.

“Come on Azzi it would be fun.” Paige whined pulling away so Azzi was forced to sit up. 

“No paige not tonight.” Azzi pouted pulling away pillow down and putting her head on that defiantly.

Paige smirked, she wasn’t giving up that easily.

Paige simply leaned backl agaisnt the head board. 

“I mean you’re right since I would probably win anyway. Paige snickered folding her arms above her head teasingly.

Azzi looked up, her eyes being drawn to the gap of bear skin showing between the band of her sweatpants and her shirt, she could make out the faint pink of the thong she was wearing. Azzi could have sworn her mouth was literally watering, desperate for it to be on paige’s pussy.

After a few minutes of a strong internal battle, Azzi gave in.

“Fine but only because I’m gonna win.” Azzi stated sliding off the bed to grab paige’s mini basketballs from across the room.

Paige smirked as Azzi bent over to grab them, but was caught as Azzi turned around before she could look away. 

“Wow the game hasn’t even started and you’re already undressing me with your eyes.” Azzi laughed, throwing the ball to hit paige in the head.

“Ya whatever, it’s gonna happen eventually anyway because I’m gonna win.” Paige said throwing the ball in the air and catching it.

Azzi laughed making her way over to paige.

“So same rules?” Azzi asked. “You make a shot, I take something off. I score, you take something off.” Azzi continued crawling on the bed so she was straddling paige.

Paige gulped, the heat between her legs was already growing and she couldn’t help herself but secretly want to loose so Azzi would win and touch her.

“Nah it’s too easy little miss sharpshooter,” paige started, “I say we make it harder… I make a shot, you have to make it the same way, if you don’t get it you take a piece of clothing off- one of my choosing- and then you make a shot and I have to make it from the same spot, if I miss, you take a piece off me. By the end whoever is completely naked gets strapped.” Paige finished confidently.

“Wow I didn’t realize you were okay with being strapped.” Azzi laughed leaning forward and rubbing her finger along paige’s upper lip.

“Who says I’m gonna be strapped?” Paige said shocked putting a hand to her heart as if she had been stabbed.

Azzi laughed and rolled over off of paige’s stomach so they were laying side by side next to the door. 

“Ladies first” Azzi smirked, causing paige to pout.

“Hey I’m supposed to be saying that to you.” Paige whined glaring at Azzi who was laughing at her. 

“Are you not a lady?” Azzi asked.

Paige just rolled her eyes, “ugh fine whatever. We can start easy baby don’t worry.” Paige smirked, sitting up in the bed and shooting the mini basketball at the net on her door.

“Swish”

“Nothing but net” paige said triumphantly. 

“Wow someone must have been practicing.” Azzi laughed. “You would absolutely kill those 5 year old boys who also have these in their rooms.” Azzi continued arcing the ball and throwing it up so it splashed through the net barely missing the rim.

“That was okay I guess- maybe less rim next time but it’s okay!” Paige smiled. 

Azzi rolled her eyes. 

“Alright tough guy.” Azzi huffed. She lay back on the bed so she was horizontal, and through the ball up so it would swish through the net.

“Easy” paige said confidently, matching her form, laying down, and shooting the ball right into the net. 

“Get ready to take off that shirt.” She continued, not wasting a minute. 

Staying in the same position, head against the pillow, she looked at Azzi and shot the ball without looking, her eyes never leaving Azzi’s. 

Both of them could feel the charge in the air, it was strong, and it made it hard for Azzi to focus- as she could feel paige’s warm breath against her neck. 

“Swish”

“Alright baby let’s see it.” Paige smirked getting ready to collect her prize.

Just as she expected the ball bounced in and out. 

“YES! LETS FUKCING GO” paige shouted leaping upright to watch with wide eyes as Azzi lifted the shirt over her shoulders.

Paige was staring at her white sports bra, her nipples poking through the thin fabric.

She licked her lips.

“your turn Azzi.” She said, her voice a little softer now that the game was getting more real. 

Azzi smirked, switching the ball to one hand and lobbing it at the net, her form a little less graceful- but it still sunk through the net. 

“Damn I don’t even know how the fuck you just made that with that form.” Paige laughed. “You’re lucky Geno wasn’t here.” She continued, lining herself to take her shot. 

“No trust me. You’re lucky.” Azzi whispered into her ear as the ball left her hand and rattled off the rim.

“Bruh you are such a cheater. You messed me up.” Paige whined irritated. 

“I didn’t do a thing.” Azzi said laughing as Paige pouted. Thank god she was so easy to fluster.

“Oh and you can take off your shirt too.” Azzi said sizing paige up.

Paige huffed leaning up in the bed and pulling off her t shirt so she was wearing only her sports bra as well. 

Paige was a little more rattled now than she liked to admit. She took her shot, turning around and throwing it over her head. 

It rattled out of the net.

“Now why would you even think that would go in….” Azzi laughed. “Why do I feel like you just want to be strapped at this point.” She continued turning around and lining herself up. 

She needed to make this, who knew if she would ever get this opppirtunity again. She leaned back and through the ball over her head.

By some how, the ball magically swished through the net.

“Are you fucking kidding??? How the fuck did you just make that.” Paige groaned throwing her head back against the pillow. 

Azzi’s breath hitched at the slight flex of paige’s jaw. She loved when she got all competitive like this. 

“Just motivated I guess.” Azzi said as she ran her fingers along paige’s jaw. 

Paige was irritated now, if Azzi was going to cheat, this wouldn’t be as much fun as she thought. How was she going to control herself with Azzi sitting so close with her half naked.

Paige grumbled and pulled off her bra, her perky breasts popping out, the cold air hardening her nipples. She was siked out now. 

She watched as Azzi’s eyes glaanced over her body lovingly, paige could feel the wetness grow between her legs- she was screwed if she had to take off her pants.

Azzi kept her eyes on her and sunk another one. Paige couldn’t help herself but feel a chill run along her body. 

She was embarrassed at the effect Azzi was having on her, so early too. Paige kept her eyes on Azzi trying to mimic her no look shot, but her eyes couldn’t help but wander to Azzi’s lips, distracted by their plumpness and the way Azzi’s tongue ran cross them, wetting them. 

Paige shot the ball, and even without looking new it didn’t go in as she could see the satisfaction all over Azzi’s face. 

Azzi smirked. “You need help with your pants P?” Azzi laughed as she could see paige’s cheeks redden instantly. 

“No actually I don’t.” Paige huffed. Reaching down and pulling her pants down her legs and throwing them across the room and landing them in the hamper. 

“Now if only your shots would fall like that in the net” Azzi smirked her eyes trailing down paige’s body and landing on her pink thong. 

“Fucking knew you were wearing those you slut.” Azzi teased. 

“Whatever” paige said trying to keep a straight face but part of her was crumbling at Azzi’s words. 

Paige leaned forward onto her stomach, teasing Azzi as she arched a little, feeling confident as she could hear Azzi’s breath catch in her throat. 

She through the ball up underhand and smiled to herself as it arced and landed in the net.

Azzi crawled over, a little rattled from paige’s sudden boldness, and repeated her motion.

Unfortunately the ball rimmed a couple times and fell out, bouncing off the rim. 

“Got what you wanted huh.” Azzi said as she pulled her bra off over her head letting her perfect tits spill out. 

Paige smirked staring at the beautiful girl in front of her. 

“Knew you wouldn’t last long against me.” Paige sneered reaching for Azzi’s breasts. 

“Hey no touchjng til after.” Azzi said, pulling away. 

“You’re right, the victory will feel better when the first thing that touches you is my strap.” Paige smirked confidently, as Azzi lined herself up for her shot sinking it in.

She turned to paige seductively. 

Paige began to line herself up with the net, Azzi smirked and leaned in towards her ear. 

“Gonna have to fuck the attitude out of you aren’t I.” Azzi practically moaned in her ear. 

Paige, completely shocked by Azzi’s choice of words through the ball up and watched as it bounced off the rim. 

“Fuck” paige said under her breath. 

“It’s okay Paigey I’ll be gentle.” Azzi winked, getting up from the bed and making her way over to the closet. 

“You’re such a cheater.” Paige whined, throwing herself against the bed and putting her arms over her face. 

Azzi returned and crept towards paige.

She took of the remainder of her clothes and slid on the harness.

“Take your pants off paige.” Azzi said dominantly, inching towards her.

Once paige’s pants were off, and she lay in front of her completely bare, Azzi couldn’t help but let her eyes wonder all over her body. She traced every birthmark, every freckle with her eyes, trying to paint a permanent picture in her mind. 

“You’re so beautiful.” Azzi sighed as she climbed onto the bed and crawled up so her hips were over paige’s mouth. 

“Sit up and suck.” Azzi ordered, shoving it towards paige’s mouth. 

Irritated, paige did as she was told. 

At first she was a little more timid, licking the tip and putting the head in her mouth, but she got more confident and began to feel the strap hit the back of her throat. 

“Doing so good for me baby.” Azzi moaned as she watched paige look up at her with big needy eyes. 

Azzi pulled the strap out of her with a pop. And ran the tip along her bare stomach, leaving a trail of her own saliva all the way down to her clit.

She rubbed a few tight circles against her already puffy clit, and watched as paige wiggled underneath her. 

“Fuck Azzi just put it in oh my god.” Paige groaned trying to move her hips so the strap was directly above her entrance. 

Azzi laughed, “should have made better shots huh baby.” 

“Give me a break Azzi you were literally cheating.” Paige whined as Azzi ran the strap through her folds.

“Fine whatever, you can call it cheating, I call it using my resources, but what’s done is done. You are going to take this strap and let me fuck you, and you are going to be a good girl. 

Paige whimpered at her words, nodding her head submissively. 

With that Azzi thrust the strap into her, causing paige to let out a gasp at the unfamiliar pressure. 

She wasn’t used to this feeling of being filled up. She tried to adjust to the thickness inside of her, but Azzi pulled out quickly. 

Paige caught her breath, but was a series of moans again as Azzi began to play with her clit. 

“Taking me so well baby.” Azzi said as she slid the strap back into her, watching as her soaping pussy sucked it in. 

Paige moaned and wiggled under her touch. 

She could feel the strap banging into her walls as Azzi sped up her pass, thrusting into her with more force.

Paige groaned, her fingers crawling at Azzi’s back, begging Azzi to push deeper inside of her.

“I’m so close holy fuck.” Paige moaned, feeling her walls start tighten and clamp around the strap. 

Right as she was nearing release Azzi pulled out.

Paige was startled, “wha- why did you do that. Fuck Azzi” paige started but was cut off when Azzi told her to get on all fours.

Desperate to reach her climax, paige did as she was told, getting onto all fours and arching her back to give Azzi access to her pink pussy. 

Paige wiggled her butt, desperate for Azzi to fill her up again, and before she new it, Azzi was pounding back into her with so much force paige could have sworn she was ripping through her cervix. 

“FUCK DONT STOP RIGHT THERE” paige shouted as Azzi hit her g spot. 

Paige could feel herself loose control, her cum spilling out and down her legs.

Azzi moved her fingers to start to rub against her clit, pulling the strap out, letting the rest of paige’s cum pour out of her and onto the sheets. 

Paige flipped over onto her stomach, her breathing ragged as she stared up at Azzi who was continuing to ride out her high. 

“Did so good for me baby.” Azzi said leaning down to press a kiss to paige’s sensitive clit. 

“Don’t get used to this.” Paige smirked as Azzi lay down next to her. 

“Ya we will see about that.” Azzi challenged snuggling back up against paige. 

[slimepuparibaba]

Optimal Reading Order for Caleb's Storyline (with an infographic)

SO! I HAVE COLLECTED ALL THE CARDS AND HERE IS MY THEORIZED TIMELINE FOR PRESENT DAY CALEB! TRUST ME, WHEN READ IN ORDER THIS SHIT HITS SO HARD. CALEB'S WRITING TEAM INHALED SOMETHING AND I WANT WHAT THEY HAD.

If you want me to do an analysis for the Past Caleb Cards too, we will have to wait until 10 Days With You ends, but pls let me know because I've already pieced those together too. I'd also do this with the other boys but it is MUCH harder due to there being less indication and less tells (InFold, please do what Tears of Themis is doing where they put the stuff in order in one of their CN updates plsplsplsplsplsplsplsplsplsPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLS)

MILD SPOILERS (and by mild I mean I just noted vague points in time that allowed me to pinpoint where they were in the timeline + relationship progress you're not really getting spoiled but some ppl wanna go in completely blind and that's perfectly understandable!)

Main Story - Yeah no duh. Caleb is basically a stranger here, and we're at square one.

Endless Summer - The card references it had been 2 weeks since she last saw Caleb in Skyhaven. They're awkward here.

Exclusive Aftercare - This is when MC starts letting Caleb more back into her life. This comes in between ES and Myth because of Caleb still trying to keep distance, distance that isn't all there in...

Myth - First time MC visits Skyhaven after the Main Story. She is on better terms with Caleb and their relationship makes so much progress here.

Hidden Waves - MC visits Caleb's home in Skyhaven. It's obvious they're now starting to repair what they lost.

Painful Signal - Hidden Waves is referenced here, and obvious revelations are obvious. Also, Gideon!

EXTRA NOTE: Canonically, by this point in the timeline, MC is at least Affinity Level 30 here due to Gideon's appearance in Caleb's Moments. There is also a very, VERY noticeable shift in his calls and texts and how MC starts replying to him after this, implying they definitely made progress. She was seemingly more off with him, as was he in expressing his desires, but once we pass this threshold, he starts voicing his affections more openly for MC, with her also starting to call out to him more.

Intertwined Gold - I cannot stress enough that this actually acts as a beautiful resolution to this little arc. I mean it so much. Their past already acted as their time to let things fester, and this is just... *sniffle* oh my god, it's beautiful.

I felt like I watched an entire TV Drama when reading through the cards in this order. Please read it in this order for optimal experience because you genuinely get to see the growth Caleb and MC get to have in this weird situation where they're adults trying to figure each other and their feelings out. I am a Sylus girlie (I KNOW I HAVEN'T MADE ENOUGH STUFF FOR HIM SO IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT, SHUT UP, I THIRST FOR HIM IN PRIVATE, IT COUNTS) but even I have to admit, this shit? Fire. Actual fire. Caleb's writing team is beautiful, and I hope they have good things happen to them.

...also BEG INFOLD TO MAKE A FUNCTION WHERE WE CAN LIST MEMORIES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, THIS HIT SO HARD AND I WAS LUCKY I GUESSED RIGHT FOR MOST OF THE MEMORIES THE ONLY ONES I FUCKED UP WAS HIDDEN WAVES COMING AFTER MYTH, BUT ITS OK--

EDIT: I MADE AN INFOGRAPHIC WITH MY SISTER!!! YAY

[radioactiverats]

thoughts on seekers locking landing gears and spiraling in the sky as a gesture of trust, similar to how eagles do that courtship spiral :3c or even just twirling in the air together a little too close. yes its probably really dangerous, but nothing beats being in total sync in the air

OH >:3c Absolutely in love with this. THE RITUALS ARE INTRICATE. I'm gnawing on this from various angles. Firstly thinking about this being a seeker-specific aspect of Conjunx Ritus (mutual Act of Devotion??) and it would honestly be so beautiful :,)

My mind jumped to this,, (angst warn)

---

In early stages of the war, when the exhilaration of following Megatron had worn off and bots were starting to realise their sparks weren't worth his doomed-to-fail commands (not enough experience yet..). When he was mostly relying on fear to keep his troops in order before he'd gained their full loyalty, there had been an Incident. You remember it like it was yesterday, because Starscream had looked ashen when he came back that night, and you'd never, ever seen that expression on his faceplate before.

You sit up, shuffling over to make room on the berth as Starscream plunks himself heavily down. After a few cycles of increasingly uneasy silence, he finally manages to speak.

"Two seekers have offlined."

His iron grip on the edge of the berth tell you the circumstances of their deaths were not straightforward.

"What do you know of Conjunx Ritus?"

You actually take a nanoklik to think about it, which Starscream appreciates given the solemnity of the situation.

"I know there's four acts?" You finally say, suddenly embarrassed about your naivety. To be fair, you'd never really had a chance to consider the possibility. Thankfully, Starscream just nods briefly.

"Correct. The fourth and final stage is called an Act of Devotion. Back on Vos, we seekers had a different way of performing it."

Starscream takes a klik to collect himself. You can't help but wonder if he has a Conjunx. If he does, he's certainly never talked about them.

"It's called a Death Spiral," Starscream finally says, voice horse. "Two seekers soar to the very fringes of the atmosphere and there, before the eyes of the universe itself, lock their servos and their landing gears before free falling back to planetside."

Beside him, you're enthralled to learn about this aspect of your own culture that you'd never had a chance to become familiar with. At the same time, you're picking up on a strange emotion that clogs his vocaliser and the faraway look in his optics, so you remain quiet as he resets his vocaliser.

"At the very last second," Starscream continues softly, "the two seekers pull up immediately before making contact with the ground."

It sounds incredibly dangerous, but you're enraptured by the idea. You know this because Starscream has made you practice something similar in the past, and there were a few times you genuinely thought you wouldn't make it through training in one piece even with landing gears. It undoubtedly took a lot of skill to harness the winds without the aid of thrusters, and even more courage and trust. You supposed that was where the love came in.

"It's... exquisite." Starscream offlines his optics, shakes his helm before turning to look at you, a ragged sort of pain spiking jaggedly through his EM field.

"I can imagine," You murmur quietly. It sounded like he was telling a story, back then. One from experience.

"Earlier today, two seekers engaged in a Death Spiral. But they didn't pull up." Starscream ex-vents raggedly, tilting his helm up to stare at the ceiling. "It was a pact."

For a klik you just sit there, frozen in silent horror. When he speaks again, it's through gritted denta. "Megatron has now enforced a ban against Conjunx Ritus between seekers."

You had a few guesses as to why. Seekers' valuable frame types to the Decepticon cause meant that Megatron couldn't afford to lose them. However, as increasing numbers of troops grew discontent with his leadership, Megatron as usual had decided to silence them through cruelty. It seemed that today's incident had been the last straw.

---

Outside the context of courtship rituals though, I see twirling together as a show of trust that anyone can do, from sires/carriers/sparklings to amica endura, cos flying and the skies are so deeply entwined with the seeker identity. Imagine just flying with your bro and the exhilaration of doing a complicated spin together, so close you can feel the heat of each other's engines on your plates before zooming apart again, the sound of your laughter carried on the winds. Must be so good to be in sync like that fr.

That being said, I think Starscream's determined to make sure cadet never feels alone in the skies, which is meant to be your home. Maybe in better times, I can see him joining cadet for training - the moves are a breeze for him, but it warms his spark to see you so happy while in the air. Not sure they get the luxury of the Autobots' "wanna go for a drive?", especially since his interactions with you must be under the guise of training - so Megatron won't see you as a target. Still, one must imagine Starscream happy.

Thank you for the lovely ask!!!!!!! Another yap... but in the process I have learned so much about eagles... I will put some sofas in my inbox so asks are received comfortably

[thediaryofaghost]

; NOT MY MAN

© gif credits to @daniel-bruehl.

Simon Riley aka GHOST x READER | masterlist.

Summary. the team is back in town after a mission but seems like you would have preferred to stay there than having to face the kind of feelings you're discovering now.

word count: 1.2k.

warnings/tags: none. maybe a little bit of jealousy, but nothing serious.

author notes: my stories don't contain reader’s body descriptions to be inclusive.

pd: hi, y'all! first time writing for Ghost, no judging, please. i hope you like it.

The mission couldn’t have gone more successful, and the whole team was back in town before expected. That’s why Soap has had the great idea of throwing a small party for you all, more like a teammates’ barbecue. But now that you’re there, staring at the scene happening right in front of your eyes and holding a beer almost empty, you’re starting to figure out how to leave the place without looking like an asshole.

All your friends are having fun, while you’re about to break the glass container between your fingers just by the burning angriness emerging inside your guts. Why? Simple question, simple answer. Ghost is there, of course, keeping his face covered by the balaclava he never takes off, not even while sleeping; standing arms crossed next to the new acquisition for the team. Rhaia. A former soldier who is brand new to your world. Flirting with him. Or better said, trying to flirt with him. But even if Ghost isn’t moving an inch of his body, he’s letting her touch his bicep, play with the badges sewed in his jacket, and grab his dog tags to read the information written down in them.

Who does she think she is?

And who do you think you are?

Clicking your tongue, as you turn around, you give the beer one last sip before placing it on the table next to you. Silent and keeping your gesture deadpanned, your feet take you to the inside. You’ve had enough shit to deal with for today and you’re pretty tired to pretend you aren't… jealous? Ghost and you are nothing but teammates. On-duty. Off-duty is hard to explain. He’s your guardian during the nights in town like a protector, that’s how you like to see the situation. For a cop, he’s a stalker, and probably a psychopath too. But he has some power over you that you can’t even explain or run away from.

And now, everything you’ve thought you’ve had till this moment looks like it’s been reduced to ashes since Rhaia is part of the equation.

“ Party is downstairs. ”

A shiver runs down your spine. It doesn't matter the amount of time you two spend together, accompanied or alone, you never hear him coming. But you can't help but ignore his words, looking for the keys to your bike inside the pockets of your leather jacket, about to wear the piece of clothing and leave the house.

“ You going mute scares me more than death. ”

His voice is neutral. There’s no confusion, or angriness, or surprise in it. Those emotions fill you up at the exact moment you turn around, ready to go, by finding him closer than expected. 

“ Oh, for fuck sake! ”  You grumble, moving a palm onto your chest and closing your eyes for a second.

“ Where are ya’ heading at, hm? ”

“ You all are occupied with your own business and I’m tired, I just want to sleep, Ghost. ”

Raising his eyebrows as an incredulous gesture, the man tilts his head slightly, trying to figure out what’s going on inside that mind of yours. It’s not the explanation, but the fact that you have called him by his undercover name, and not just by his name like whenever the two of you are alone.

“ I'll take you home, little bird. C’mon. ”

“ You’re not coming. ” The sentence slips through your mouth before you can even think about it, watching him turn back to face you as he is ready to accompany you.

“ I am your man, of course I’m leaving with you. ” He’s now aware of what’s going on, and can’t help but drag every single word by his tongue. Demanding. With that possessive tone of voice that, in another kind of situation, would take you to your more desired fantasies later that night.

“ If my man can be touched by any woman, then… he’s not my man. ”

Oh, there it is; the attitude that rarely comes out from you, taking a step closer at the point you're breathing in the air he spells — besides the height difference. You’re challenging him with no fear, with no doubt. Looking straight into his eyes, contemplating how they darken themselves. That man is angry for real, making a huge effort to not lose his mind, the control over his body. Not with you. Maybe with a poor devil that crosses paths with him tonight. But you’re hurt. And so it’s your ego. Gho— Simon is yours. Nobody else can't touch him with that kind of intention but you, even when you don’t touch him like that; because the two of you have a non-verbal arrangement that he’s your guard dog and you don’t make any complaints.

Your heart races at the moment he takes a step back, away from you, not uttering a single word, making you feel frustrated for preventing you from seeing his face at this moment. How much would you love to burn down the balaclava he’s wearing (...).  But, at least, it seems like he has understood that you need some time alone to put down the feelings and emotions blurring your head like stormy clouds covering the sun from nowhere.

( A few hours later. )

“ What… What are you doing here? ”

Even if it was quite a surprise to find your lieutenant, fully equipped, sitting in front of your bed in the middle of the night, you didn't feel like he was a menace, nor like you were in danger. You didn't even care to ask how he had sneaked inside your house outwitting the alarm.

“ Go back to sleep, little bird. ” The murmur left his covered lips as he bent over just a little, enough to rest his arms onto his lap, getting a better view of you obeying without complaining and laying down between the sheets.

For a reason you can’t understand, you wake up with your heart racing and a thin layer of sweat covering your whole body. The survivor mode has been turned on. It wasn’t a nightmare, but a memory haunting you. The room is submerged in darkness, only illuminated by a lamppost outside, but what leaves you with no words is the empty chair in front of your eyes. Ghost is not there. And he should be.

Turning on the light, you look for your phone. No calls. No texts. Nothing. Cleaning the sweat from your forehead with a tissue, you toss away the wet sheets and walk barefoot outside of your room, touring the small flat.

“ Simon…? ”

Maybe he has gone for a glass of water or something, but you don’t receive a word back, nor a hint that he’s there. It’s only you and the silence of the night.

A sharp pinch stabs your heart. But what is that? Pain, sorrow, regret? Sadness? For a moment, you think that calling him is a good idea, disappearing as you remember what you told him earlier this evening. Has he taken that really seriously? No. That’s not typical of him. He would fight. And, for you, he would go to hell and be back before the blink of an eye, after turning off the flames that consume the place.

But then, why is the first night in almost two years he is not there, watching over you while you sleep?

Where are you, Ghost…?

feedback is appreciated and needed. please, if you have read this shot, leave a comment and / or reblog. don’t forget we do it for free to contribute to your entertainment and interactions are what make us keep writing every day.

[lostintransist]

Fallen Angel | Birthday Present

Part 1 | AO3 | *This is a story told in scenes and can be read in any order though is listed in chronological order on the masterlist.

Gary’s birthday present had been in the works for at least six months at this point. It had started with a blushing question.

Even snuggled under your blanket only your face peeking out of your cocoon you were still cold. The tip of your nose had a decidedly different temperature to the rest of you. This left you with a dilemma. If you covered up your face your nose would warm up but then you would be breathing your own air and that wouldn’t last long.

Finding no good solution for this you glanced over at Gary who sat up against the headboard under his own blanket. He watched something on his phone. From the lack of sound, you knew he had to have a headphone in.

“Hey, Gary?” You pitched your voice a bit louder than it really needed to be to get his attention over his video.

The man reacted like he had found a nun behind him as he watched porn. A hand slammed his phone to his stomach, his head jerked to you so fast you worried he had pulled something, and his knees pulled in tight to his body.

He stared at you with wide eyes, waiting for you to speak.

“You alright there?”

If you had started counting right as he opened and closed his mouth you would have reached twenty before he was able to force words out, give up, and move to signing.

Question for you and know I will never ask again if you say no. And please, feel free to say no.

“What’s the question?” You can’t decide if you should feel nervous or trepidation.

Can I masturbate to you? Well, thoughts of you specifically.

“Uh..yeah? I don’t think I care. Why?”

Gary collapses into the mattress like an inflatable balloon man who lost air pressure.

“I-i-i-i don-n-n’t l-l-ike hid-d-d-ing-ing-ing from you-u-u.”

“And you thought that using me as masturbation material without permission would be hiding things from me?” You put the thoughts together as the words fall out of your mouth.

He nods, face flaming as he stares at his toes.

Snaking a hand across the mattress between your bodies you tap him lightly on the arm. When Gary finally looks, you offer him a small smile and pull back to open your blanket in a clear invitation. He wiggles down, nestling in next to you as you drape your arm over his waist.

“I’ll let you know if the idea makes me uncomfortable later but I can’t see why it would bother me. Maybe just don’t tell me when you use me in your thoughts, okay?”

He nodded aggressively, hugging you tight.

When your chilled face touches his neck you can’t help but giggle at the cry of ‘nose’ from him.

What had started as an innocuous question had spiraled into something more for you. Calling in a few favors to borrow a soundproof booth, a quick editing lesson, and a boudoir session you had a gift for Gary.

None of your partners made a big deal of their birthdays so when you passed the large square box to Gary as everyone sat around the dinner table no one thought much of it. The dark lid pulls away with little effort and is passed off to John. Atop a large book with a ribbon tie on one side is a slim thumb drive with a piece of masking tape on it. In your neatest handwriting is the phrase ‘use headphones’. He sets it to one side.

Gary, John, and Kyle who sat on Gary’s other side all glance up at you. You can do no more but fight down the smile.

Glancing between you and the book cautiously Gary lifts it gently from the box. John takes the bottom half of the box and sets it to the side with the lid. Holding the book upright Gary opens the knot of the ribbon and cracks the book open somewhere in the middle. John’s brows shoot up, Kyle’s mouth drops open, and Gary? Well, Gary snaps the photo book shut and stands, staring at you.

“Happy birthday Gary,” you blow him a kiss.

It seems the kiss was the step too far as he leaves the room, John and Kyle hot on his trail.

“The hell did you give him that caused a reaction like that?” Johnny glances between you and the hallway where the three of them had disappeared.

“A photo shoot,” you reply succinctly resting your elbow on the table and your temple against your fist.

Johnny narrows his eyes at you before taking off after them.

That left you and Simon. Sending a smile his way you stand and start to clear the table.

“What’s this then, if they have your photos?” Simon wiggled the flash drive at you.

Rolling your lips between your teeth you think of the best way to explain.

“Let’s say, I don’t mind helping someone have a good time, even if I don’t want to be a part of it,” you stack the plates and haul them all to the sink.

Simon comes up behind you, thick arms trapping you facing the counter.

“And did you only make one copy of these…good time tools?” He is nearly growling in your ear.

“Of course not! You can have yours on your birthday.” You know you look like the cat that ate the canary.

Simon bites the apple of your cheek.

“Brat. It’s May 17th.”

“See how hard that was? Now you can get your own recordings and books. I gave each of you a few different photos.” Sneaking a glance up at him you point to your cheek. “Now kiss it better.”

He does; then helps you clear the table and load the dishwasher.

Masterlist | Fallen Angel Masterlist

@lilynotdilly

[stvrnioloslvt]

❛❛ ⛸️ + 🏒 ❞

hockey game

✎ in collab with @sturnslutz > read me!

a few days had passed from your last - and definitely awkward - meeting with matt, and there wasn’t one moment in which your mind didn’t replay the event of the showers on loop, leaving you to overthink what had happened: what was all that? was it the heat of the moment that had you both acting out, or was it genuine attraction? he was attractive, sure, but were you actually that attracted to him?

lost in your thoughts you started to zone out, momentarily forgetting that next to you sat the devil’s advocate, also known as chris. “hellooo,” he called out, waving a hand in front of your eyes, “earth calls baby, do you copy?”

you scoffed, swatting his hand away while muttering a soft “get your filthy hand out of my face” under your breath. “dude, you were fucking gone,” he commented in an exaggerated tone, before a weird glint began sparkling in his eyes. you leaned back a little, perplexity written all over your face as your friend’s face leaned closer to yours. “did you fuck him?”

“what?” you almost screamed, pushing him off of you. “what on earth are you talking about, chris?”

you watched as a smirk took place on chris’ lips slowly. he tried to hide it by biting his lip, before words spilled uncontrolled by his mouth. “your little rendez-vous in the shower. so, did you have sex?”

your cheeks broke out in a crimson red blush furiously burning you whole, panic almost settling in before a little light switched on in your brain. you two were alone in the locker, so how did he…

“did you push me there on purpose?” you finally screamed incredulous, attracting a few puzzled looks from college kids moving around on campus. you didn’t care though, not when you came to the realization that chris had purposefully told you that the water wasn’t running knowing that you would have checked it for yourself, effectively bumping into his brother half naked fresh out of the shower. 

chris’ smirk widened as he saw the gears in your mind turning, putting the missing pieces of the story together. “bingo,” he whispered, leaning back against the tree trunk you were sitting under. “don’t thank me, by the way. oh, and i told him you’re coming to our home for those little study sessions of yours. don’t worry though, me and nick won’t be there.”

you watched wide-eyed as your friend brought both arms behind his head, closing his eyes and resting there as if he was sunbathing on the beach. you tried to talk numerous times, your mouth opening and closing like a fish in a miserable attempt to scold him, to tell him that he couldn’t just toy with you however he pleased and act like he was doing you a favour. in the end, you finally snapped back to your senses and smacked him across his face, earning a pained grunt from the boy who was now holding his cheek, the soft, pale skin slowly turning redder by the second.

“are you actually crazy?” you exclaimed, sitting up on your knees to look at him better. chris groaned once again, glancing at his hand that was once on his cheek almost as if he was scared there would be blood on there. how dramatic. 

“oh c’mon,” he whined, sitting up straight, “you could really use this time. and also…” he began, eyeing you up and down, fixing his gaze on your tensed features. “...you really need to get laid. you’re too stressed.” once again, you were at a loss of words from his bluntness. it wasn’t something new, but usually you were the blunt one, so to see the tables reverse it was a weird and unexpected experience.  

“chris- i fucking hate you,” you groaned, burying your head in your hands as despair came clawing at your insides. you could not let the meeting happen, not after what had happened just a few days prior. “why, what happened?” asked the boy curiously. you glanced at him between your fingers, realizing too late that you had spoken out loud. you sighed, shaking your head while you gathered your belongings and threw them in your bag. “nothing,” you said while getting up, shaking the grass from your pants, keen on running from your friend as soon as possible. “listen, i’ll see you later, yeah?”

“i’ll send you the location! and i want you as near as possible to the rink at the game!” 

“yeah, yeah, sure,” you whispered, heading towards your room. yeah, you were fucked. 

some hours later…

“what do you think?” you asked, holding a baby blue shirt to your torso. honey turned around, nodding in approval as she slipped her own shirt on. she looked around the room, sitting down on cherry’s bed as she tied her shoelaces. “by the way, where’s your roommate?”

“already at the rink,” you replied, grabbing the phone from the desk. you quickly skimmed over the countless messages cherry sent you, announcing mindlessly to honey that apparently they were holding two spots for you two and that the arena was filling more and more by the second.

quickly, you made your way to the rink, meeting nate and his crew right at the front. you observed as he immediately pulled honey into a hug, your nose scrunching from the obnoxious smell of alcohol reeking from his breath. your eyebrows shot up in surprise as his eyes lingered on your friend more than necessary, basically stripping her with his eyes. fucking disgusting. honey shot you a quick glance, to which you could only reply with a shrug and a confused laugh. as a look of unease made its way on honey’s face, you decided to step in and save her from the drunken state of your friend. “c’mon, we’ll see you later guys,” you said, interlocking arms with honey and nodding to nate and his friends, before pulling her out of that rather awkward interaction. 

you made way to cherry and other girls from your figure skating lessons, sitting down next to them. “can you not-” you began, showing to cherry your phone overflowing with messages, “fucking bombard me with messages? everytime i think something urgent has happened and it’s always something stupid.”

“what do you mean stupid? the choice of a new leotard is pretty much fundamental, what if i choose a color that makes me look like shit?” you look back at the girl who’s 100% serious about the matter before bursting out in laughter, absolutely incredulous. soon after, cherry’s scold turned into a soft smile, then she, too, bursted into a fit of laughter. 

too caught up into your conversation with your roommate, you failed to notice nate plopping down next to honey until you feel her knee nudge against yours, your head turning immediately and landing on the drunk man sitting too close to you for your own liking. you nodded in her way, asking a silent question: are you okay? honey shook her head, not really wanting to talk about it as her eyes fixed on a spot on the rink. you turned your gaze back to nate, scoffing and rolling your eyes as he continued to blabber drunkenly.  

the loud horn blew through the speakers, lights dancing around the arena as the players entered the rink, the speaker screaming something in the microphone that got muffled by the loud cheering of college students all around you. you got up, pulling honey so she could see the team of our college entering. your eyes quickly inspected the rink, landing immediately on matt’s back. and, as if between you two were pieces of a magnet, he turned to face your way, his icy eyes immediately finding yours. you couldn’t help the flashback from days before replaying in your mind, but you decided to distract yourself. tearing your gaze away from matt’s, you spotted chris. “look,” you leaned over honey’s shoulder, yelling over the noise, “there’s matt and there’s chris.” 

honey didn’t respond, but by the way she was looking at the boy you knew she had heard you loud and clear. deciding that teasing her might ease some of her nervousness, you laugh, “you’re drooling,” watching then how the girl tried to defend herself. 

you watched as the brothers talked to each other seemingly focused on the game that was going to begin soon, but you couldn’t help but notice the sneaky glances matt threw your way more than once. fuck, this wasn’t good. 

from your right side, cherry nudged you lightly. “have you talked to him?” she asked, nodding in his way. you shook your head, slumping against your seat. cherry knew what had happened in the showers since that day you had blasted through your dorm door with a rather shocked face, immediately rambling about the little encounter you had with the triplet. to cite her words, you had been “stupid for having let this opportunity slip from your hands”, so since then each time you two met she would always ask you the same question in hope things had changed. they had not. in fact, it seemed like you and matt had reached a common pact of avoiding each other as much as possible, not wanting to deal with the consequences of your slip up. 

finally, the game started, pulling you away from your own thoughts. minutes flew by and the crowd got more and more agitated by the second. you glanced to the clock, gnawing nervously at your lip: 40 seconds to intermission and neither team managed to throw the pluck in. suddenly, a collective gasp rose from the crowd: at first you almost missed the way a member of your team stole the puck from the other team, which then ended in chris’ grasp as he glided skillfully towards the net of the enemy, fast yet controlled. 10 seconds left. two members of the opposite team blocked chris’ path, almost managing to retrieve back the puck if it weren’t for chris’ leap of faith towards matt, the little black disk sliding between one of the boys’ legs and ending right in front of the other sturniolo who was waiting exactly for this moment to almost throw himself towards the net, hitting the puck with his stick and making it land inside just as the intermission bell rang, the crowd exploding in screams and yells as the +1 point appeared on the score screen.  

matt threw a victory fist up in the air, shoving the helmet off his head as the team flew his way, crushing him in a joyous hug. you jumped up with the rest of the audience, clapping your hands and cheering while on the other side of the arena the students from the other college booed at you. you didn’t care though, not when the air was sizzling with electricity.

“look!” yelled cherry, pointing to the boys hugging in the rink. there, right at the center of the hug stood matt, his eyes fixed on you. even when chris elbowed him playfully he didn’t tear his gaze from you. he smiled at you softly and you reciprocated, nodding in approval as you kept clapping for him.

eventually, the boys headed towards the benches to recharge, dragging matt with them.

you turned towards honey, chuckling as you noticed that her eyes hadn’t ripped once from the rink. “having fun?” you asked her, to which she nodded. “i can tell, you haven’t taken your eyes off the rink the whole time, let’s make sure your eyes don’t get stuck now.” you laughed as you saw her annoyed expression, leaving her to be while you toyed with your phone. suddenly, a message from chris came through:

❛❛ chris🏒 ❞

⤷ we have a problem

you furrowed your brows at the single message, quickly glancing back to the rink as the bell rang again, the boys gliding in again. you analyzed chris, trying to understand if he was sick or hurt, but he looked neither. with a last glance at your phone you put it back in your pocket, trying to enjoy the second part of the game.

that was, until a player shoved chris on the ground, and said boy got back up and charged towards him like a fury, ripping the helmet from the guy’s head and punching him multiple times. you couldn’t help but scoot to the edge of the seat, your back straight and tense as you waited for the ref to separate them. he didn’t, though, and you watched with horror as matt tried to intervene before things got out of hand, effectively ending with chris pushing him out of the way. finally, the refs managed to separate the two boys, sending chris to the penalty box where his coach started yelling at him. 

what none of you expected, though, was for a girl to run to the box, pounding on it until chris opened it and welcomed her in a hug. suddenly, the mysterious message made sense. trouble wasn’t a sickness, or an ache, or even this little stunt he had just pulled, trouble was this girl he had just kissed in front of two colleges. “no fucking way,” you muttered, your heart beating incredibly fast in your ribcage as adrenaline came back running through your veins. 

you turned towards honey who seemed to be in a trance, calling her name over and over before she bolted out of there, heading towards the penalty box. “shit,” you exclaimed, running after your friend who had never moved faster before. as you reached the box, you couldn’t help but notice matt moving towards you, resting his free hand on the glass that separated the players from the crowd right where yours was, in a <hidden> attempt to be closer to you. you would have lied if you said that the gesture didn’t make your stomach erupt in butterflies, but you had to snap back to reality when <chris’ girlfriend> spoke to you in a rather bitchy tone. 

“nu-uh girl, you’re not talking to your reflection, i’m not the bitch here.” you spat back, watching delighted as her features morphed into horror, your little remark hitting a nail in her ego. how pathetic. you heard matt stifling back a chuckle, his fingers tapping mindlessly on the glass. Fuck, you wanted to touch him so bad. but as tempted as you were in the moment, you knew you had bigger problems to take care of, and that’s how you ran to honey again who was leaving the stadium, after flipping that addison girl off. you slipped your hand in honey’s, dragging her out of there while muttering angrily under your breath. 

“she’s ugly as fuck, too. he downgraded,” you muttered more loudly as honey sobbed into your shoulder, stroking her hair and back comfortingly. you looked around, noticing people giving you weird looks on the street as if they’ve never seen a person cry. you rolled your eyes, clearly annoyed before pulling honey with you, heading towards her apartment building.

“baby, look” murmured honey softly, handing you his phone. you read chris’ messages, your expression laced with disgust as a new wave of anger washed over you. you scoffed angrily, switching then to nate’s messages and cringing from the clearly altered state he was in. “chris is a fucking weirdo, the switch up was crazy,” you said, shaking your head. “at least nate was nice,” you commented. but was he? or was he only drunk speaking? “i guess,” you added lastly.

finally back to honey’s apartment, you follow her to her bedroom, throwing her some pjs and looking for a spare to wear. “i’m staying here tonight, okay? i’m not letting you be alone.”

and as you and your friend spent the rest of the night watching movies and giggling to little dumb remarks you made about your life, you didn’t notice your phone vibrating with new messages.

❛❛ unknown ❞

⤷ hey, it's matt

⤷ i asked chris for your number, i just wanted to check up on you

© stvrnioloslvt

ও a.n: AAAA IT'S FINALLY HERE EVERYBODY, FUCKIN FINALLY.

ও go read @sturnslutz part, too, she's the fucking queen of angst and honey's pov is absolutely amazing!

ও as always, let me know if you liked this little thingy, and remember that you're always welcome to pop by in my inbox🩷

[shyve3]

Messy Season 1 Finale Rant

SPOILERS!!

first things first:

i owe the "Buddy is a key theorists" a MASSIVE apology. holy shit you guys are actually geniuses.

i read some of the finale theories, and one of them mentioned that the fact that Nox referred to one of the keys as an "it" in the first few episodes, meaning it could've been possible he was turned into a key at some point, leading him to refer to Violet as an actual person.

Dreams by Night was a really confusing episode to me, but i feel like it ties in a lot with what happened this season and possibly WHY he's a key.

The lock suggests that he's been trapped, and later in Dreams by day we see another panel of him locked up. That also makes me wonder if it was around this time he was turned into a key, and his "original" body or however he looked in stories was TRAPPED in a coffin like this one.

Anyone else who theorized about Dreams by Day, maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like this dream wasn't JUST a thing Chase imagined. It was also Nox's story.

like he looked absolutely terrified in both panels, and we can assume that maybe this was a memory of Nox's that we witnessed?

it would also make sense why "Buddy" had the number "2" written on the back of him. it would be like he wasn't a key at the time.

Even before we saw this episode, I always used to wonder how the keys really came to be. I know they're meant to go into stories, but I genuinely feel like they were once human. Especially after seeing this episode, where he had a desire to be free.

At first I think his wish would've been directed to his "leaders" of Ex-Libris, probably something selfish and horrible assuming they're basically holding Buddy hostage.

Maybe after he was turned into a key he has a little less anger towards Chase?? Now, the conversation with Violet shows his desire to be free.

But it hurt my heart to see his hopelessness even after kissing Chase. For Chase, it was amazing, but to Buddy it was "nothing could come out of this" ARGHHH

This is also so huge because guys, the Keys are People Too ;) But literally this time!! I KNEW it but this is so amazing

There were 4 missing keys, hence the 4 marks on his chest. We know where 3 of the keys are, but we know nothing of the 1 key. What if Buddy was turned into a key because of this, as a "punishment" ?

this rant literally makes no sense but im NOT okay after the finale and i need to think about this more because what the hell. i seriously need time to piece things together.

yes thats me right now.

[reyesstrand]

I wish you would write a fic where they meet because Carlos arrest TK right at the bar when TK goated the guys into a fight.

Carlos’ old life ends and his new one begins the moment he steps foot the appropriately named dive bar, The Trap.

He often finds himself here when he’s working this beat, especially on humid Saturday nights. He pictures the overturned furniture and broken pool cues; the sweating beer bottles and claustrophobic atmosphere. Miller is hauling out a bloodied guy in a flannel when Carlos pushes through the crowd, and Carter’s got another in cuffs.

“Your instigator’s getting checked out by medical,” Miller tells Carlos, and he nods, setting his shoulders. Peanuts crunch under his boots as he spots a lone paramedic at a high top table, her kit opened up as she shines a light in the eyes of a third man.

A third man who takes Carlos’ breath away. He’s the kind of wet dream Carlos barely allowed himself to acknowledge as a kid; all effortlessly cool in a form-fitting jacket and tight jeans. As Carlos gets closer, he takes in a sharp jaw and pouty lips and beautiful eyes that flit around. Carlos can’t quite read him—is he nervous? Scared of ruining a reputation? Too drunk and bothered to care? He closes the distance between them and knows immediately his last guess is wrong. His guy’s shaky, sure, but his gaze is clear and strong and somber when it meets Carlos’. It’s almost enough to make him falter.

“Officer,” the paramedic says, nodding at him and snapping the moment in two. Carlos can still feel the man’s eyes on him, taking him in, absorbing something from him like osmosis, but he focuses on her assessment that besides some split knuckles and a few bruises, Mr. Strand will be perfectly fine. The name is familiar, like a bit of trivia just on the tip of his tongue, but it slips away from him.

“Mr. Strand,” Carlos settles his hands on his hips, observing as many little details as he can. Especially up close, Carlos can tell this wasn’t just a drunken fist fight. “Want to tell me why you’re getting in fights for no reason?”

The man’s jaw clenches. “You don’t have to do all of this. I started it, we all got the shit kicked out of us, end of story.”

Carlos hums. The paramedic—June—finishes packing back up and squeezes the man’s shoulder as she departs. His expression is suddenly genuine as he thanks her, and Carlos tries to put the pieces together.

“Mr. Strand—”

The man wrinkles his nose. “That sounds so formal.”

“What should I call you then?” Carlos asks, unhooking his cuffs from his belt.

“TK.”

“TK,” Carlos repeats, trying out the taste of his name against his tongue, memorizing the feeling of it in his mouth even as he reads TK his rights and tries not to react to how he blows a zero.

TK’s eyes find him again, stormy and yet unwavering. Carlos can’t look, as he secures cuffs around his wrists, taking in the reddened, thin skin over his knuckles; the smear of blood on the back of his hand where he must’ve wiped at that busted lip before medical looked him over. They walk slowly out of the bar, most of the patrons already unbothered and going back to their previous conversations. Insects chirp in the distance, as Carlos gets TK settled in his back seat.

“I only wanted—”

Carlos’ gaze flicks to TK’s in the rearview mirror.

“Never mind.”

Tapping his thumb against the wheel, Carlos frowns. Then he calls in to dispatch and his sirens wail as he pulls away from the bar. He shouldn’t be talking to a man he just arrested like this, he can already hear the reprimand; the critique in his father’s voice. He pushes forward anyway.

“Whatever it is…I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

(i wish you would write a fic where…game!)

[strawberrytrollis]

Hack heaven (Stephen Glass X reader)

Summary: You’re investigating the secrets behind the New Republic gaining Intel on Stephen Glass trying to expose his recent fabricated paper “Hack Heaven” when suddenly you realize he’s not who you pictured

Warnings: mostly fluff

Word count: 1.9k

"Is he almost done?" you thought, watching Adam pace around the office mid-temper tantrum. His frustrations stemmed from an article titled Hack Heaven, a piece he was convinced was fabricated. You sighed, trying to calm him down.

"It's not that serious," you said, your tone laced with reassurance. "Once we find solid evidence that the article is fake, Forbes Digital Tool will be cleared."

Adam shook his head, his voice sharp. "It's not just that, Y/N. This guy is smooth—tactical. His stories add up. We can't expose him without a verbal confession."

Your thoughts drifted, forming a daring, albeit risky idea. The scandal left you with little to lose, and before you could overthink, you pitched it to Adam.

"What if I go undercover at The New Republic, posing as a new journalist? I could get close to this Stephen guy, dig up dirt, and write an exposé on the secrets of their newsroom. It's a win-win."

Adam stopped tapping his pencil, eyeing you cautiously. "You think you can infiltrate their office, sweet-talk Stephen, and come out with proof? He’s not just any journalist—he’s calculated."

"I mean," you shrugged, "he sounds like a nutcase. I bet I can get him to open up. How hard could it be?"

Adam stared at you for a moment, clearly weighing the insanity of your idea. Finally, he sighed. "Alright, but if the head of Forbes finds out, we’re both done. This has to be airtight."

You nodded eagerly as you both began plotting the operation.

---

What was supposed to be a straightforward plan felt anything but that on your first day as a trainee. The goal was simple: charm your way into Stephen Glass's circle, snoop around, gather proof, and get out. Easy, right?

As you buttoned up your pink blouse that morning—leaving just enough undone to flirt without trying too hard—you told yourself it would all go smoothly. Sure enough, your strategy worked like a charm on the front desk guy. What a creep, you thought, suppressing an eye roll. Then again I did that on purpose so….

Rushing to the elevator, already late, you repeatedly jabbed the button for the fifth floor. Suddenly, a soft voice behind you interrupted your frenzy.

"Uh, it’s already lit. You don’t need to break the damn thing."

Startled, you turned to see the source of the voice—a man with piercing blue eyes. God, those eyes. You caught your reflection in them, your breath hitching for just a second.

"You’re right. Sorry," you stammered. "I was just in a hurry and… I tend to hit things when I’m frustrated." You winced. "Wait, that sounded wrong. I’m not, like, an angry teenager or anything—I just… get flustered." Oh my God, shut up, you thought, cringing inwardly.

The man chuckled, his smile disarming. "No need to apologize, ma’am. These elevators are old."

Ma’am? you thought, equal parts flustered and offended. Did you look that old?

"Anyway," he said as the elevator dinged. "This is my stop."

"Mine too!" you blurted, far too excited. God, you sound desperate.

He tilted his head, smirking. "Oh, you must be the new trainee." You nodded, pretending to act nonchalant. After your little performance, you weren’t fooling anyone.

You waved goodbye, watching as he strode off toward an office. Get it together, you scolded yourself. He’s probably married.

---

Minutes later, you were settling into your assigned desk, transferring documents from your last firm. Chuck, one of the editors, popped in to check on you.

"One of our best writers will show you around," he said casually.

"Great! Who?"

The door creaked, followed by the sound of footsteps. Before you even turned around, you knew who it was. No way.

"This is Stephen Glass," Chuck announced. "One of our best, award-winning journalists."

Your stomach dropped as you locked eyes with the man from the elevator. THE HOT ELEVATOR GUY IS STEPHEN GLASS?!

"Great!" you said, hiding your shock. Extending a hand, you added, "It’s nice to meet you, Stephen."

"Likewise, ma’am. I didn’t catch your name?"

"It’s Y/N," you said, trying to maintain your composure.

"That’s a pretty name," he said with a smirk. "Let me show you around."

Your cheeks burned at the word pretty, even though you knew it was just flattery. Pull it together, you thought as he led the way.

---

After the tour, you casually began probing.

"I’ve read some of your pieces," you said. "They’re impressive—especially the one about the kid gamer."

Stephen raised an eyebrow. "So you’ve been stalking me, huh? But yeah, you’re talking about Hack Heaven, right? Believe it or not, it’s not one of my favorites."

Your heart raced at the mention of the infamous article, but you played it cool. "Why not? It’s so interesting, especially since you met the kid and all."

Stephen shrugged. "It was fun to report on, sure. Let’s talk about something else, though."

Instantly you knew he was hiding something, but you continued to talk about nonsense until he went back to work.

As you worked, you couldn’t stop thinking about the way he was so charming, the way he tilted his glasses when listening to you.

At your old firm, especially with Adam, no one ever took you seriously. It felt like Stephen actually saw you.

---

On day two, you wore your black plaid mini skirt and favorite black button-up. You convinced yourself the outfit wasn’t for Stephen to admire, but deep down, you knew the truth.

You rushed into the office late, as always, and immediately caught sight of Stephen staring at you from the front desk. Your heart sank.

"You're late too," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I mean, you know what they say about Hispanics always being late," you joked, trying to brush it off.

"Yeah, I sure do—I dated one," he replied casually.

Jealousy flared in your chest. He might have a type. Am I his type? Wait, hold up...You quickly shook the thoughts away, focusing on why you were really there.

The day went by smoothly until the team meeting with the head editor. Everyone was sharing their recent stories and ideas. When it was Stephen’s turn, the room lit up with admiration as he recounted his latest escapade.

"So," Stephen began, a sly smile on his face, "I was hanging out with this guy to get some intel for a story, but apparently, he thought it was a date. Next thing I know, he manages to slip his tongue down my throat, and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, how’d this happen?’"

The room erupted with laughter—some amused, some concerned. You couldn’t help but think about how, embarrassingly enough, you kind of wished you were that guy. God, what’s wrong with me?

When it was your turn, you nervously explained your pitch: an article about how people who claim to love animals but still eat meat are hypocritical. As you spoke, you noticed the way everyone exchanged skeptical glances, much like they did back at Forbes.

Of course, nothing is different here. Maybe I’m just not cut out to be a writer, you thought bitterly.

But then Stephen chimed in, breaking the awkward silence. "That’s actually a really interesting angle," he said, nodding thoughtfully. "I’d love to help if you’re open to it."

Relieved and eager to gain more insight into him, you agreed. After all, you could use the help.

---

Later that night, you were still in the office, piecing together your story: The Dirty Secrets Behind The New Republic. A wave of guilt nagged at you. Everyone here had been so kind. If anything, your firm deserved this exposé—not The New Republic.

A knock on the door startled you. Assuming it was Chuck, here to tell you it was late and to head home, you casually looked up. Instead, you were met with Stephen Glass’s piercing blue eyes.

Your breath caught. "What are you doing here?" you asked, yawning mid-sentence.

"I was actually reviewing your story from earlier," he said, handing you a packet of notes and recommendations.

Steven settled into the chair across from you, explaining his suggestions in detail for the next thirty minutes.

"Wow, these are great. Thank you so much," you said, smiling at him.

"Yeah, of course. I usually wouldn't do this for the other pricks in the office, but you’re different."

"Different how?" you asked, intrigued.

"You're quirky, ambitious, pretty, and driven," he said, his tone casual but deliberate.

"Keep going," you replied, flattered and unable to hide your grin.

"There's actually something else I want you to review," you said, walking over to your cabinet and rummaging for the paper you'd written about propaganda weeks ago. As you searched through the drawers, Stephen, left unattended, began scrolling through your laptop. His eyes landed on your unfinished article: The Dirty Secrets Behind The New Republic.

When you finally found the paper and stood up, Stephen’s attention was still fixed on your screen. Flustered, you noticed the way he glanced at you from the corner of his eye before looking back at the screen, his expression unreadable.

"You missed a lot, actually," he said, finally breaking the silence. "You should have focused on the fact that the convention with the gamer kid wasn't real."

Your heart sank. He'd seen it.

Before you could respond, Stephen stood and crossed the room, closing the gap between you. He trapped you gently against the cabinets, his hand brushing your face as he twirled a strand of your hair between his fingers.

"What are you doing, Stephen?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

"You're such a great writer, you know that? I know you're better than this, Y/ N," he said, his blue eyes locking with yours.

You were speechless, captivated by his gaze, your resolve crumbling under his touch.

Before you could react, he leaned in, placing slow, deliberate kisses down your neck, his lips soft and needy.

"Hack Heaven... it was fake, wasn't it?" you managed to ask between shallow breaths as he kissed your cheek.

"Shhh," he whispered. "Don't ruin the moment trying to get information for your annoying firm."

"I mean," he continued, his lips brushing against yours, "they don't even appreciate you like I do. Stay here at the firm, pleaseee”.

God, you hated how easily you folded, but in this moment you didn't care.

He lifted you onto the counter, his hands gripping your thighs as his kisses became deeper and more passionate.Just as your mind began to cloud completely, you paused him, trying to focus.

"While we're here... is it true a guy actually stuck his tongue down your throat while you were writing a story?" you asked, half-laughing as you tried to lighten the moment.

Stephen smirked, chuckling softly as he adiusted your skirt and his glasses.

"That's a story for another time, ma'am," he teased, pressing a final kiss to your forehead before stepping back.

As he walked out of the office, you turned to your laptop, and your stomach dropped. Your article--and all the evidence of Stephen’s fabricated pieces-was gone.

"That motherfucker," you muttered, rage and disbelief soding your senses.

[pricklyjim]

[LORE UPDATE]

wrote a-little short story to illiterate how Magnus reacted to the death of Rodimus.

“all that remained was silence, the ribbon, and him.”

Ultra Magnus knelt in the quiet war-planning room of the almighty Primes, his shoulders hunched under the weight of the decision he had made. Though he knew rodimus would be fine—he always was—still, doubt lingered in the recesses of his processor.

A prophecy, a song, told by Primus guided and protected Rodimus, granting him divine aid. Magnus knew this. By the afternoon, megatron would be dead. Rodimus would return a sworn hero, and cybertron would gracefully sink back into its peaceful, dull existence.

Across from Magnus’s frame, his optics were unfocused, staring passively through a holographic image of a ruined tower, destroyed by decepticon attackers. and slowly wavering through the image was a thin red line, faint and ethereal—a line only he could see and interact with.

The red line tethered him to Rodimus. It had forever been there since Magnus became a Beacon holder, and was as natural to him as the hum of his systems.

The line offered quiet reassurance, a constant reminder that no matter how distant or dark the battlefields became, Rodimus was out there, alive,

‘Still kicking’, rodimus would say.

but now, as Magnus reached for a datapad containing battle plans—plans Rodimus would have called “boring” and “too complicated”—the line trembled. It faltered for a millisecond, pulsing faintly, almost desperately, as if calling- pleading for his attention.

magnus froze, his body going rigid. For the first time in his life, he felt true dread, cold and unrelenting tug as his system, rendering his frame frozen.

“don’t do that,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. optics flickering upward, a silent plea to a god who wasn’t listening.

“Not now. Please. Don’t fail me now.”

The red line brightened—brighter than it ever had before, almost blindly Magnus, And then it dimmed. With every passing second, it grew slack, its once-taut presence now weightless and heavy. The vibrant glow faded to grey, its light dying before his optics.

A sharp emotional pain struck through Magnus’s core as he stared in disbelief.

“No,” he growled, slamming the datapad he had been holding, onto the table with enough force to shatter it, the broken pieces scraping against his frame. His servos trembled as he reached out, desperate to grab hold of the line. But it was no longer touchable—his fingers passing through it, frantic and futile.

“No, no, no, NO!”

The grey line faded fast, becoming almost invisible.

magnus tried to hold on—to the connection, to the memory of Rodimus’s smile, his laugh, the feel of his servo intertwined with Magnus’s, their helms pressed together in quiet moments. But even those memories didn’t bring the line back to life.

with a final pulse, the it disappeared.

and Magnus stared at the empty space where it had been, his optics hollow. He could still feel the faint echo of it, like the ache of a phantom limb, but the bond was gone. Truly gone.

and that meant only one thing.

he was alone.

slowly, Magnus straightened himself and stood, his movements mechanical. He bent to gather the shattered remains of the datapad, his optics cold and distant, the grief buried behind walls of duty. He left the room without a glance back, walking away from the space where the red line had once bound him to Rodimus—a bond that was now-

nothing. it was nothing. it had never been anything.

It had been a mistake, his greatest, and one that would bring incalculable damage to the Primes and the system.

he had to keep going. That’s what he told himself, even as the faces of the gathered Primes blurred before his optics, their concern for themselves evident, their selfishness cutting deeper than he cared to admit.

he had to keep going… that is until he saw it.

Another red line.

It appeared suddenly, tugging at his spark with a painful familiarity. And in that instant, something inside him snapped.

the pain didn’t come as he had expected. Instead, it was anguish—deep, cutting anguish, and immense guilt.

trembling, Magnus reached for the connection, and for the first time in his life, he made a choice not for the primes, or for Rodimus, or for the endless other people he knew, he made it for himself.

he severed the bond he had with primus.

the glowing red ribbon on his chassis fell into his servo, the act painless but heavy with the cost it had taken to do so.

he stood there, the severed ribbon in his palm, and knew what he had to do. In a week, he would announce his retirement to the Primes. He would face them and bear the weight of his sins for the rest of his life.

for now, all that remained was silence, the ribbon, and him.

[zepskies]

Oooh here we go, diving right back into Angst City with some manic Cowboy Sheriff. 😅

A computer mouse flung against the wall and only missed Jenny’s head by an inch as the blonde peeked inside his office. The rest of the station had selected her to talk to the big boss, his outbursts even being heard from miles away. “You okay?” Jenny checked carefully. “I’m tryna find that stupid camera!”

*snorts* Oh, he's not handling this well, is he? Can't really blame him, considering a serial killer has the love of his life captured somewhere. 🥲

It wasn’t just about what he had done in there but also about he’d said. No wonder Diane had gotten so easily under his skin. She probably had heard every insecurity he had ever uttered. To you. And to imaginary Randy. How was he supposed to sleep in a place where he felt exploited, exposed, and unsafe?

Oh Goddd, it really is awful. It's like nowhere in his life is private or safe anymore for him. How could you ever feel comfortable in your own office again?

And if the roles were reversed, Beau wouldn’t either. He’d probably be even more annoyingly persistent than Randy.

loll I could definitely see that. 😅

“This isn’t a game, Randy! We need to find Y/N before it’s too late,” Beau argued furiously. They didn’t have time for petty competitions.

THANK YOU. At least one of them is taking this situation more seriously than their rivalry. But I honestly understand and sympathize with Randy too -- he's grasping at straws even though he knows he's losing his (former) wife emotionally already, even if he does manage to find the key to saving her before Beau does.

“‘Sides, why would I give up my favorite part? I’ve waited a while for this one. Killing her? While you two idiots watch helplessly and throw feces at each other like monkeys in a zoo? Gotta say, it’s better than killing twenty-four people combined. Ever since I met Deputy Popcorn, I’ve been actually craving a snack.” Upon Beau’s facial twitch, Diane leaned closer and whispered with a smirk,

Ok, just shoot this bitch out back and bury her under the sheriff's office. Honestly. 😤 (But the monkeys line did make me snort lol)

“About four years ago, she wrote a rather lengthy email to her sister Sophia in Seattle. She seemed very upset. Said there was a little something you wouldn’t give her. Ring any bells?”

Dammmmn how the hell is she getting this information?? But now I'm looking at Randy sideways even harder. 😒

I was on pins and needles throughout all of the reader's almost escape -- that bear trap actually made me physically grimace/wince!! Omg poor thing. But I loved how remembering Beau's advice helped her get out of the trap -- or at least the bear trap, if not Hal's "Benders"-themed game of hunt and chase. 😰

Pulling out their weapons, the two shared a look without speaking a word before entering the house, a feeling of familiarity rising in Beau’s chest. They were still partners, somewhere deep down.

Such a great moment between Beau and Randy here, and such great storytelling, especially as they actually start to work together to solve the mystery of what happened to the reader next. 👏🏽💜 I think one of the things I love most about your writing is you have such a great sense of story beats, creating tension and when to relieve it, and how to build character arcs that provide amazing twists, while also making exact sense when it all comes together, piece by piece.

Beau knew the question was mostly rhetorical, but true to himself, he still answered, “It’s actually pretty easy. Just press down on the springs, and the thing opens right up.” A smile formed on his lips as a memory popped back into his mind. “I told Y/N that once when we took a camping trip back in Houston. She probably didn’t remember it. I mean, honestly, I doubt she was even listening. I was kinda ramblin’, you know?”

Oh these two were made for her -- she was actually listening to his ramblings. 🥰💜

“Yeah, well, it’s true,” he said, his gaze cast downward as if he were confessing his sins to a priest. “She wanted kids, and I told her I didn’t. Neither of us was backing down. The night the cartel kidnapped me, we were supposed to have dinner and talk about it when I got home. Part of me already knew where it was headed.”

Remember earlier when I was talking about your amazing twists that make things click into place even more perfectly? Well THIS IS IT. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 It makes things with her and Beau make even more sense now that we know she was likely leaving Randy anyway, no matter how much she loved him.

“Good thing you’re not her father,” Beau snapped. He could only muster so much patience. “You don’t really have a say in who she’s datin’.”

YES, Beau!! I get it, Randy's been dealt a shitty hand, but Beau's POV in this situation and conversation is so valid. 👌🏽 (Especially since she was likely leaving Randy anyway.)

Regardless, it seems like they had the honest man-to-man talk they needed to have about everything. But Wayne!!! That cliffhanger is...

Polaris – Chapter 12

Series Summary: When Beau Arlen moved to Montana, he left behind a past he wasn’t proud of. But when a series of murders requires the FBI’s help, Sheriff Arlen‘s ghosts come back to haunt him one by one. With a wrong turn waiting at every crossroads, it’s hard to make the right choices and find his way back home – back to you.

Pairing: Beau Arlen x FBI Agent!Reader

Warnings: 18+, a heavy dose of angst, kidnapping, violence, injuries, serial killers, death, an awful cliffhanger

Word Count: 6.8k

A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! 🥳 We jump straight into 2025 with an angsty banger 👀

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist || Tag List

Chapter 12: Through

On one of the sunniest mornings Helena had seen in recent days, the peaceful quiet of the early risers in the Sheriff’s Department was disturbed by one restless sheriff.

Beau was taking his office apart – bit by bit, nail by nail, panel by panel, brick by brick.

The search for you had gone on all night and yielded zero results. You were nowhere to be found. For all Beau knew, you could be dead by now and buried in the vast woods of Montana.

A computer mouse flung against the wall and only missed Jenny’s head by an inch as the blonde peeked inside his office. The rest of the station had selected her to talk to the big boss, his outbursts even being heard from miles away.

“You okay?” Jenny checked carefully.

“I’m tryna find that stupid camera!”

“Thought you already found that hours ago,” Jenny noted with a raised brow.

“Can’t be too careful…” the sheriff murmured, his focus landing on the pile of pens on his desk. The silver one – had that always been there? He picked it up. “Does this look normal to you?”

Jenny only offered a shrug.

“Never mind,” Beau muttered and reduced the pen down to its individual parts. Nothing. Just a plain, old pen.

“Did you get some sleep?”

“What d’you think?”

At five in the morning, Beau had promised Jenny he’d snooze for half an hour on the couch in his office. He did lie down, stared at the suspended ceiling tiles for about a minute, and then remembered the damn camera.

It wasn’t just about what he had done in there but also about he’d said. No wonder Diane had gotten so easily under his skin. She probably had heard every insecurity he had ever uttered. To you. And to imaginary Randy.

How was he supposed to sleep in a place where he felt exploited, exposed, and unsafe?

“Well, uh, I just wanted to tell you that Randy went into Interrogation Room 2 with Diane…”

“WHAT?!”

“Yeah…” Jenny exhaled a deep sigh and leaned against the door frame. “He said you’d deputized him and authorized it, but I had a feeling that wasn’t true.”

Beau ran a hand across his face, rubbing his beard.

Rule #3: She’s my wife. I get to decide how we proceed.

Rule #4: You’re not the boss of me.

“Well, I did deputize him,” Beau admitted. He had given his former partner a long leash, not expecting he’d bolt through the backyard.

“Beau…” Jenny clearly didn’t approve.

“He left me no choice, alright?!”

Well, no choice his guilt could deal with.

The sheriff then left his destroyed office and thundered into Interrogation Room 2 down the hall. Randy wouldn’t get to do this alone. Beau knew there was an ulterior motive – if only Randy saved you, he could also miraculously save his marriage. Randy was a persistent motherfucker. He wouldn’t give up.

And if the roles were reversed, Beau wouldn’t either. He’d probably be even more annoyingly persistent than Randy.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Beau charged in with steam coming out of his ears. For a moment, his anger was so focused on his friend, he didn’t even notice the rising smile on Diane’s lips.

“Good morning, Sheriff Arlen.” Even if Diane’s voice sounded melodious, to Beau it was still chalk on board. “Remodeling the office, are we?”

“You mind?” Randy prompted stand-offishly, glancing up at the sheriff. “Kinda in the middle of something here.”

“Outside. Now,” was all Beau said.

Defiantly and miffed by the authoritative tone, Randy followed him to the hall.

“Play nice, boys!” Diane’s voice echoed through before the door fell into its lock.

“What d’you think you’re doing? You can’t just talk to our prime suspect without my presence!” Beau roared.

Randy rolled his eyes back. “Didn’t know I needed a babysitter…”

“This isn’t a game, Randy! We need to find Y/N before it’s too late,” Beau argued furiously. They didn’t have time for petty competitions.

“Yeah, which is why I’m talking to the only lead we have! That bitch knows where she is,” Randy countered with an equal amount of fury.

“She’s not gonna tell you!”

Randy only shrugged – cocky in nature and completely unlike him. And Beau then realized something that had changed: His friend wouldn’t back down anymore and bend. Those days were over, and it was probably Beau’s own fault.

“We’ll see,” Randy said stubbornly, his hand wandering back to the door handle. “You comin’?”

Beau inhaled and exhaled a deep breath before nodding – and back into the lion’s den they went.

Diane welcomed them with a sneer. “All made up?”

“Tell us where Turner took her,” Randy demanded with a stern expression and firm voice.

If Randy wanted to play bad cop, the role of good cop fell to Beau by default. And although they had never ever played it that way before, Beau figured Randy carried more anger than even him right now. He might as well let him make good use of it.

“Can’t.” Diane twitched her shoulders. “Hal doesn’t tell me.”

“Oh, and we’re just supposed to believe that?” Beau lifted a brow in mock. “C’mon, Diane…”

“It’s true,” she said, smiling. “Call it an insurance policy in case one of you Neanderthals decides to go rogue on me – looking at you specifically, Sheriff Arlen. If you leave your own partner to die in a filthy warehouse, I don’t wanna know what you do to your enemies.” She then looked at Randy, whispering behind her palm, “You know, I think he did it on purpose.”

Beau clicked his tongue and snorted humorlessly. “Alright, Diane, you’ve had your fun. You’ve wreaked havoc… You’ve won, okay? Fair and square. Just give up your partner, tell us where Y/N is, and end this once and for all. Might even get a better deal if you do. Think about it. Murdering an FBI agent doesn’t look good in front of a judge and jury. We have iron-clad proof you killed at least five people in Texas. Capital murder, death penalty… See where I’m going with this?”

“Oh, I’ve thought about it, Sheriff. And I’ve told you: I don’t know where she is now,” Diane reiterated with the same infuriating smile. Her gray eyes then wandered to a wall clock behind the men. “At least not yet.”

Randy and Beau both followed her gaze and stared at that same clock. Their eyes widened.

“Then when?” Randy prompted.

“Don’t worry. You’ll see her soon.” Diane smirked. “If she makes it out alive, she can tell you in person she’s choosing the rugged sheriff here over you, Detective Nichols.”

Randy’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching and unclenching under the metal table.

“I gave her a fighting chance.”

“Oh, you mean like the others?” Beau had known from the start that it would be useless talking to her.

“They all could’ve gotten out,” said Diane as if she blamed the victims for not being smarter and more durable. “‘Sides, why would I give up my favorite part? I’ve waited a while for this one. Killing her? While you two idiots watch helplessly and throw feces at each other like monkeys in a zoo? Gotta say, it’s better than killing twenty-four people combined. Ever since I met Deputy Popcorn, I’ve been actually craving a snack.” Upon Beau’s facial twitch, Diane leaned closer and whispered with a smirk, “Yeah, I know about the cute little nicknames for your deputies too, Sheriff. I wonder how many bugs you’ve found yet in your office. Sure it can’t be all of them. Maybe I’ve bugged the whole station. Who’s to say? Have you checked your trailer yet? The lovely agent’s motel room? No?”

Beau couldn’t pinpoint the exact feeling that clutched his heart and twisted it like a boa constrictor. Pain, fear, anger, sadness – a deadly cocktail for anyone. Was this throbbing sting in his chest what a heart attack felt like? Only recently, he’d read an article in the paper about a guy his age who just dropped dead. Was this it for him?

Would it mean he'd get to see you again, though?

“Enough of that!”

Randy’s voice rang in his ears, but Beau couldn’t refocus. He needed fresh air to breathe, his lungs dried up and clinging to every molecule like he’d been deprived of oxygen for days. The small room felt suddenly suffocating as the monster across from him sneered joyfully.

“Look, I don’t know if you’re saying all that horseshit ‘cause you wanna hurt him or me,” Randy said, his voice laced with a darkness Beau had never seen before.

“Little bit of both,” Diane teased with a shrug.

“Yeah, well, I don’t care either way,” Randy huffed, the deep creases in his brow casting threatening shadows on his face. “Do your worst to me or him. Hell, burn us at the stake if it makes you feel any better, sweetheart, but all I wanna know is where that bunker is. Where is she? Your beef’s clearly with us. Men, right? You know she doesn’t deserve this. Just let her go.”

Diane seemed unamused by the suggestion, leaning back in the metal chair. “You’re right. She doesn’t deserve this. I actually like her. She reminds me of me. But you two did this to her. It’s out of my hands at this point. You don’t deserve her, sheriff,” she said and looked at Beau before her cold eyes shifted to Randy. “Neither do you, detective. I know a lot of things – and not just about the sheriff here. I know what you did to her, too.”

Randy forced a tight smile. “You’re bluffing. I didn’t do anything.”

“Am I?” Diane quirked a brow and then sent him an innocent smile. “About four years ago, she wrote a rather lengthy email to her sister Sophia in Seattle. She seemed very upset. Said there was a little something you wouldn’t give her. Ring any bells?”

With a thick swallow and a glare swimming in his hazel eyes, Randy nodded. “We’re done here.”

Diane let out a long, suspenseful sigh, not bothering to engage further. Her icy heart wouldn’t melt. Her eyes flickered around the bleak, depressing room. “I miss windows. Haven’t seen the outside for days.”

“Yeah, and you ain’t gonna,” Beau huffed. He had quietly listened, his heart rate slowing down as his head started spinning with questions. You had never told him anything. He had never asked. It had been an unspoken rule to not talk about your marriage. Beau always figured knowing too much would only make it worse.

“Too bad. I always liked the autumn sunsets. When it gets dark sooner…” Diane then stretched out her neck. “Anyways, nice chatting with you boys, but it’s time for my beauty nap now. Which one of you two cowboys is gonna accompany me back to my cell, hm?”

The men shared a look and then wordlessly rose, leaving the room. In the safety of the hallway, Beau ran a hand over his face and took his first deep breath.

Air. Lungs. Brain. Without toxicity, he could finally think straight again.

“Well, this was pointless and a waste of our time. Happy now?” Beau huffed with his newfound lung capacity.

But Randy’s brow was furrowed. He was thinking. “Actually, yeah… Didn’t you hear what she said?”

“Yeah, bunch of narcissistic bullshit. She’s not gonna tell us where Y/N is,” Beau muttered bitterly. If possible, he wished to never converse with that psychotic witch again. There was only so much he could handle before snapping her neck.

“She said that she doesn’t know where Y/N is now,” Randy pointed out. “Maybe she wasn’t lying. Maybe Y/N’s not in the bunker yet. Turner might keep her somewhere else and wait till he can move her.”

“At sundown,” Beau mused, Diane’s words haunting his mind. “He’ll move her when it’s dark.”

“Which means we still have a couple hours to find her,” Randy finished the thought.

“Popcorn!” Beau yelled down the hallway. The sheriff found himself in better spirits. He hadn’t used a silly name for his most loyal deputy in days, although it ached a tiny bit to say it now. “Any properties in Newton’s name?”

“Yes, sir, several,” Mo replied.

“I need a list of all in the area. Get a team together and search ‘em. One by one,” Beau ordered. “Warehouses, cabins… Take it all apart. I don’t care.”

“And also see if any properties are in Hal Turner’s name and add them to the list,” Randy suggested.

Poppernak shot Beau a look, and only when the latter gave his agreement, did the deputy nod. “Yes, Sheriff Arlen.”

The obnoxiously loud sound of birds woke you from a deep slumber. Groggily, you pried your eyes open and found the first few beams of sunlight warming your face. For a peaceful moment of dazed bliss, you had no clue where you were or how you got here.

There was a thumping, searing pain in your skull, hammering away at your sanity like the ticks of a clock. Your neck and shoulders hurt from tension till you realized you were bound to an old wooden chair, a harsh and creaking surface underneath you. Your behind felt both sore and numb.

Glancing around the room, you noticed you were in the living quarters of a small cabin. A fireplace sat to your right. Above it, a cuckoo clock that showed shortly past noon, and you realized that must’ve produced the bird noise that woke you. The stinging sunlight reached your eyes and filled you with hope.

Hal Turner hadn’t locked you into a bunker yet.

“You’re awake. Good.” Turner entered the room with a bottle of water and a sandwich, throwing the items unceremoniously onto your lap. “You need to eat. We’ll leave soon.”

“Where are we going?”

“Where they all went,” he said and came up behind you. Turner wasn’t a man of tall stature. Small, middle-aged, nervous. Non-threatening.

Diane’s little ant.

He cut your ties, and you could tell his hands were shaking. They didn’t treat the others like that. Entertaining a victim had never been his job before.

Sedated, dumped, marooned.

That had been the pattern, and you hoped this little off-course adventure would pay off with your freedom. Your gaze drifted down to a lonely brown belt buckle.

Unarmed.

With free hands and Turner still vulnerably behind you, your arms shot up and wrapped around his neck. Fortunately, he wasn’t as heavy as Beau in training when you jolted him forward, jumped up, and rammed his face straight into your knee.

Unconscious for the moment, Turner tumbled to the ground, and you sprinted through the front door. You hoped it would give you enough time to find an exit.

But all you found was a vast sea of trees – towering pines that reached heavenward with no neighboring houses or roads in sight.

There was a shed to your left. Tools. You needed weapons.

And, most of all, you needed more goddamn time to think your way out of this one.

It wasn’t long till you heard the front door of the cabin slam open, heavy and angry footsteps aimlessly searching before they slowly circled closer to the shed.

Fortunately, your little hide-out had proved itself useful – and fully stocked. Turner had arranged his tools in a neatly organized manner. Nothing seemed to be out of place, screwdrivers hanging on the wall from small to big, pliers, drills, hacksaws… Your weapons of choice, however, fell on a hammer and the heaviest, biggest wrench.

Lurking behind the small barn door, you lay in wait till the old door creaked open and Hal Turner walked through. He only blinked at you wide-eyed before your first hit with the wrench landed across his right cheek. It was hard enough for blood to spew out of his mouth, and as he tumbled forward, you delivered your second blow – the hammer, this time, slamming against the back of his head.

Dropping the tools, you decided to take your chances and make a run through the woods for it. You still had a few fleeting hours till dark. If you just kept going, maybe you’d make it to a road or a town somewhere before you froze to death.

What a great outlook…

However, you didn’t even get farther than a few yards from the house before a sharp pain seared from your ankle throughout your entire body. Falling harshly and bracing yourself on the cold, wet leaves, you screamed out and looked down at the culprit – a bear trap.

Well, points for Hufflepuff!

Apparently, you had underestimated Turner. Ahead of you, you also spied some tripwire. Great. This place was a giant death trap – and you had already hated the woods before all of this.

Getting back onto your feet was not only hindered by the giant claws in your flesh but also the iron chain attached to the trap that tethered you to the ground. So, with your freezing hands, you dug out the metal stake that served as your anchor.

Then, the fucking bear trap – you knew this one would hurt like a son of a bitch. Carefully, you inspected the oozing wound, the razor sharp edges deeply clutching your skin at your lower calf and ankle. For a moment, you even swore you could feel the tips of their pointed teeth drilling into your bone. You tried to pry them apart with your hands but gave up on that idea rather quickly once the jaws cut your fingers.

Glancing at the shed, you saw the door was still ajar. It was quiet in there. Either Hal Turner was gone, solely unconscious, or currently bleeding to death. The shed was your Schrödinger’s cat. As long as you didn’t know which one it was, you still had time.

Taking several deep breaths, you closed your eyes and remembered the trip you took with Beau when you were back in Houston. The two of you drove camping in Piney Woods. For a few days, you were gone and unknown to everyone around you. You could just be you and him. No one had to hide anything. No one had to feel guilty. In those short days, you realized you wanted to spend the rest of your life with him.

“Did you know bear traps are actually pretty easy to get out of?” Beau babbles a random fact in his usual manner when neither of you has said anything in a minute. He glances at you, a happy smile on his face as he intertwines his fingers with yours during a stroll through the green and lush forest.

“Huh.”

“Yeah, all you gotta do is not panic, get up on your feet, and press your weight down on the springs at the bottom. Just pops open and you can pull your leg out,” he explains with a popping sound, turning the little lesson into a show-and-tell.

“Don’t panic…” you mumbled to yourself and sat up. “Get up…” With a strained groan and your palms supportively on the ground, you heaved yourself to your feet. You winced as you put pressure on your injured leg and, therefore, tried to shift your weight to your good one. The main problem was the next step: “Press down.”

Mentally, you braced yourself before you slowly started to put pressure on the leg again. The jaws moved and wiggled in your flesh, but the pain was too much too bear. You bit down on your tongue as tears strangled your eyes.

Alright, next try.

If slow was too painful, then maybe the bandaid method was the way to go. Quick and painless, as they say. You inhaled and exhaled through your nose as you raised your foot a few inches above ground, making sure the springs would hit the uneven surface properly. Then, you kicked down.

The trap sprung open, you pulled your foot out, and released a primal scream that echoed through the quiet woods, surely disturbing whatever lived there.

And then, suddenly, Hal Turner stood in front of you with a shovel.

Diane’s listed properties came up empty. There was still no sign of you. Turner, on the other hand, had only booked a motel room in his name but hadn’t been seen there in weeks. So, Beau figured he had to be staying somewhere if he wasn’t sleeping in his room.

At four o’clock, the sheriff was close to a breakdown when all leads petered out and the daylight was almost gone. But then Cassie and Denise stormed the station, both out of breath, and brought forth a document that showed a property north of Helena in the name of a Diane Turner. It was a remote cabin in the middle of the woods, which also happened to be close to the location where the ambulance had picked up Randy.

Ding, ding, ding!

Beau gathered the whole cavalry and raced there as fast as he could. By the time he was ten minutes out, the sky had grown dark, the woods pitch-black around him. Switching on the Jeep’s headlights only added to the uneasiness in his stomach. His passenger was quiet next to him, but Beau could tell how worried Randy was by the way his left leg anxiously drummed against the floor mat.

Both of them thought it was too late to save you.

An access road, all dirt, led up behind the cabin, only making it a short hike. Turner’s vehicle had been parked at the fork where it reached pavement. They seemed to be on the right track. After all, if Turner was here, then hopefully so were you.

Beau and Randy were the first to arrive, the cabin inside dark without a single light on, not even a candle burning in the smudged windows. Carefully, the men stepped on the porch, the property around them quiet and undisturbed, but the front door was an inch ajar. Pulling out their weapons, the two shared a look without speaking a word before entering the house, a feeling of familiarity rising in Beau’s chest.

They were still partners, somewhere deep down.

The floorboards creaked under Beau’s boots as he treaded down the hallway. The cabin was small, only consisting of one bedroom, a living area, a kitchen and bath. While the men checked each room, Beau already knew you weren’t here anymore – if you’d ever been here to begin with. Maybe Diane had sent them on a wild goose-chase, another sick game created by the mind of psychopath, while you had been locked in a bunker all along, waiting for him to find you.

How much air did you still have left? Would he get to you in time?

“Beau!”

His partner’s voice drew him from the bedroom to the living space, his mind still rattling with the unspoken fear of losing you. His green eyes then focused on the beam of Randy’s flashlight as it shone on a wooden chair in the middle of the room, a set of cut plastic ties on the floor next to it. There was also an uneaten sandwich and an unopened bottle of water scattered on the ground.

And then, there were the trails, the little drops, and the sheer pools of blood everywhere that made his gut churn. Was it all yours?

“We need to get forensics here,” Beau said with a thick swallow, already pulling out his phone to call Jenny.

“That’s a lot of blood,” Randy said with a lump in his throat, his eyes transfixed on the little red pond by the tips of his feet. And although it was dark, Beau could see the color drain from his partner’s face.

“I know.” Beau bobbed his head quietly, gently clasping his friend’s shoulder as he held his phone to his ear.

The sheriff then informed Jenny of their findings, telling her to hurry any lab results along. The sooner they knew whose blood it was, the better. As he hung up, he noticed Randy following a trail of blood to the door, leading further outside. He shone his flashlight through the dense foliage before it landed on a little working shed to the right.

As Randy creaked the door of the shed open, with Beau behind him, both thought there was a high probability they’d stumble upon a body in there – if not two.

Instead, the shed was disappointingly empty.

Beau whistled lowly as the light hit the neatly arranged wall of tools. “Well, that’s some freak level organization.”

But Randy’s brow furrowed as his light landed on the ground behind the door. “There’s a hammer and wrench on the ground.” He knelt down to inspect it closer. “Got blood on it. Lot of it.”

Beau chuckled lightly and ran a palm over his face to keep the stinging tears of hope inside, which only confused Randy.

“What’s so funny? Y/N might be dead,” Randy said sourly.

“That’s not Turner’s doing,” Beau argued and gestured at the tools on the ground, his heart flooding with a tiny bit of relief. “Look at the wall. Why would he kill her with tools? It’s way too bloody. Guy like this can’t handle the mess. He had a perfectly fine gun. Would’ve been way cleaner if he wanted to.”

“So, you think this was Y/N?” Randy thought for a moment before nodding. “The ties inside were cut. The food and water on the floor… Maybe he cut her loose and she took advantage of it? I mean, it does sound like her.”

“Yeah…” Beau’s eyes then musingly drifted back to the wall. “Is there a screwdriver on the ground somewhere? There’s one missing here.”

“Nope, nothing on the ground,” Randy replied once his flashlight search was complete. “You think she took it with her?”

“Let’s hope so…”

“But if Y/N managed to overpower Turner, why isn’t she here? And where’s Turner? And if it happened out here, why is there so much blood inside?”

Beau licked his chapped lips, his brow returning to their initially creased position. “Maybe she didn’t take him out for good.”

“You thinkin’ she knocked him out and escaped?”

“Yeah, and then Turner woke up, went back into the house before taking off after her through those woods,” Beau shared his theory. It would explain the vast amounts of blood inside.

“So, your theory is she’s lost and being hunted?” Randy cocked a brow.

Beau only offered him a shrug. “Best possible scenario.”

“Great.” Randy scoffed. “What’s the worst possible scenario then?”

Beau’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I think we both know.” Licking his lips, he patted Randy’s shoulder. “But let’s not think about the worst right now. I’ll get a team going to search these woods. We’ll find her. You’re not losing her again, alright?”

Randy could only nod and hope, but a little tug on his heart told him something different as he glanced at his former friend.

“It’s been three hours,” Randy huffed frustratedly as they passed the same street sign to Helena down the mountain once more, driving up and down the roads around the cabin in an endless loop, hoping and praying a miracle would happen. “Don’t you think we would’ve found her by now? If she’s hurt and inside those woods, we should be in there looking for her.”

Beau passed another sigh between his lips. There had been three hours of that, too. Patience was a not only an eight-letter word but a bitch as well.

“Neither of us is any help there. We don’t know those woods. You don’t even a phone, Randy,” Beau said with a bit more firmness in his voice, causing his partner’s frown to deepen. Saved by the bell, Beau’s phone chimed in his pocket with Jenny’s angelic name popping up on the screen. He pulled over on the side of the road before picking up.

“What you got? Uh-huh… You sure? What did they say about the cabin? Okay… Both of ‘em? How far? Which direction? Alright… We’re close. Driving back up there now.”

Randy held his breath till Beau hung up, trying to guess the content of the phone call by the various facial expressions of the sheriff. Then, he asked, “Good news or bad news?”

“Hard to say,” Beau replied, his eyes fixed on his hands gripping the steering wheel. He swallowed the lump in his throat, gave himself an encouraging nod, and started the engine, trying to sink every bad theory that surfaced in his mind. “Forensics came back. Our theory was partially correct. The blood inside the cabin was mostly Turner’s.”

Randy raised a brow, his heartbeat thrumming in his ears. “Mostly?”

“Evidence points to her not escaping. Turner might have gotten to her before she could even leave the property. They found a bear trap with her blood on it,” Beau explained slowly, his grip on the wheel tightening. “Dogs picked up a trail, leading into the woods. Forensics confirmed both of their blood on that trail.”

“Doesn’t mean anything. He could’ve followed her. She still could’ve escaped,” Randy replied and knew full well it was only sugarcoating the truth swimming in the lower pits of his belly.

“Could’ve…” Beau nodded and swallowed heavily. “But then again, if she did manage to escape, how did her blood end up inside the cabin?”

Defeated, Randy licked his lips, expelling a humorless chuckle. “Yeah, guess my hopes are little too high. I mean, how the hell would you get out of a bear trap?”

Beau knew the question was mostly rhetorical, but true to himself, he still answered, “It’s actually pretty easy. Just press down on the springs, and the thing opens right up.” A smile formed on his lips as a memory popped back into his mind. “I told Y/N that once when we took a camping trip back in Houston. She probably didn’t remember it. I mean, honestly, I doubt she was even listening. I was kinda ramblin’, you know?”

“Uh-huh. I remember. I’ve spent a lot of time with you…” Randy smacked his lips, fingers tapping his thigh. “You guys went on a trip together?”

Beau’s mouth opened on reflex, but he stopped himself from replying, shooting a scrutinizing look at his partner. “Yeah, uh, just the one, really. Shoulda been more…”

Regrets seeped to the surface. If Beau had known he had only a finite amount of time with you, he would’ve enjoyed and appreciated every last second of it. He should’ve spent less time in his head. He should’ve taken you out on more dates. He should’ve been the best he could be. Instead, he wasted so much time and couldn’t even remember why in retrospect.

“What makes you say that?” Randy’s question rang both with curiosity and pain. His brown eyes stared stubbornly ahead and focused on the dark road.

Beau blew a long sigh. “Well, I wasn’t always the best–,” he hesitated a moment before saying the word, “–boyfriend, I guess.”

If Randy was upset by the term, he didn’t let it show. Maybe he was sticking to Rule #2. He quirked a brow and glanced at Beau in the driver’s seat. “So, on top of stealing my wife, you’re telling me you didn’t even treat her right?”

“Guess so,” Beau admitted quietly, poking the inside of his cheeks with his tongue and ignoring the subtle jab. “And I didn’t treat her badly, by the way. Just could’ve tried harder. Felt guilty because she was your-, well, you know… And the divorce got kinda messy, too. I just wanted to stay clear of complications.”

Exasperated, Randy scoffed, shaking his head. “This is not really making me want to give you my blessing…”

Beau huffed a chuckle. “Didn’t know that was an option.”

“Well, it’s not. You don’t deserve her.” Randy clicked his tongue, pensively bobbing his head. He then finally admitted, the words sounding almost sour, “Neither do I. You might be as big of an idiot as me.”

Beau’s eyes widened in surprise, his focus briefly swaying from the road. “What d’you mean? You guys were perfect together. Is this about what Newton said?”

Randy’s lips curved into a bitter smile. “Y/N never told you?”

“Told me what?”

Randy chewed on his lower lip before pushing out the words that had plagued him for three years. “She wanted to leave me.”

Beau shook his head. “Nah, I don’t buy it. She loved you. You should’ve seen her after she thought you’d died.”

Randy inhaled sharply, his head spinning with regret and heart filling with hope. For the past years, he had wondered if he’d ever get another chance to fix things with you.

“Yeah, well, it’s true,” he said, his gaze cast downward as if he were confessing his sins to a priest. “She wanted kids, and I told her I didn’t. Neither of us was backing down. The night the cartel kidnapped me, we were supposed to have dinner and talk about it when I got home. Part of me already knew where it was headed.”

Beau listened and nodded. He remembered the set dinner table, the lovingly prepared food, the candles – it didn’t seem like something one would do if they planned on leaving.

“No, I don’t think she would’ve left you,” Beau noted, although his heart stung when he said it out loud.

“I overheard her asking Carla for a divorce lawyer. Pretty sure she was,” Randy retorted. “Seems silly now. She was already out of my league. I should’ve just given her what she wanted. I don’t even know why I didn’t. I should’ve just shut up and been grateful.”

“That’s what I would’ve told you to do,” Beau muttered, his brain trying to keep track and process everything. Why had you never told him any of this? And more importantly: “Why have you never told me?”

“Guess I was embarrassed.” Randy shrugged. “And I already knew what you would’ve said.”

Secretly amused, Beau cocked a brow. “What? That you’re an idiot?”

“Exactly.”

“And Carla knew?”

“I guess.” Randy gave another shrug of his shoulders. “I mean, they talked all the time. Well, mostly it was Carla complaining about you, but still…”

Beau’s brow furrowed into deep lines. He should’ve been more surprised than he was. The only thing that really baffled him was the fact you had still agreed to date him after hearing all of that. What else didn’t he know?

“I thought they met once a week for book club?”

Randy shot him a pitying look. “Dude, there was no book club. Only three bottles of wine.” He then exhaled a long sigh, stretching back into his seat. “Maybe it’s good she didn’t pick anyone. She deserves someone who can give her what she wants.”

“What makes you think I can’t?” A little offended, Beau raised his brow. “You know, when she came back a few weeks ago, I swore I’d make things right. I wouldn’t let her go this time.”

But Beau broke that promise. He pushed you away to stay clear of complications. His heart twinged.

“And you think she wanted to live in a trailer in the woods of Montana?”

“Doesn’t matter. I would’ve given her anything she wanted. No questions asked,” Beau stated simply. “I was happy when I was with her. Didn’t matter where we were or what we were doing.”

“So, what? You planned on marrying her? Kids?”

Beau twitched his shoulders, his eyes not drifting from the street. If he glanced at Randy only for a beat, he couldn’t ignore his friend’s reactions any longer and still remain honest. “We never talked about it, but... If that’s what she wants, then yeah. Don’t even have to think about it. You really were an idiot, you know?”

“I know that. Thank you,” Randy huffed sarcastically and rolled his eyes. “Still not getting my blessing, though.”

“Good thing you’re not her father,” Beau snapped. He could only muster so much patience. “You don’t really have a say in who she’s datin’.”

“You’re one to talk.” Randy scoffed mockingly. “I met your friend Denise at the station. We had a long chat. She almost talks as much as you. Sounded like you tried to have a say in who Carla should marry. Little hypocritical, don’t you think?”

“That’s different,” Beau retorted defensively. “We have a kid together. Whoever Carla’s seeing is also gonna be in Emily’s life.”

“So, you don’t even care a little about Carla’s well-being? ‘Cause Denise said you killed her new husband,” Randy countered cleverly.

“Of course I care,” Beau admitted frustratedly. What did Randy want to hear? That he was right about everything? Well, except one thing: “And I didn’t kill Avery, by the way. Might have been slightly responsible for his death, sure, but I didn’t kill the idiot.”

“Seems to be a pattern for you. Maybe Diane was right,” Randy muttered wryly.

Beau licked his lips and sighed. “Listen, I know that devil woman is good at getting into someone’s head, but you gotta believe me, man. I did not leave you to die. If I had known–”

“Whoa, I know,” Randy interrupted him with an amused chuckle and two placating hands. “I was just joking. I knew you didn’t hand me over to the cartel on purpose in some evil ploy to get with my wife. That would be insane.”

Beau gave a nod, accepting his answer with relief. “Well, good.”

“Look, I’m not delusional, contrary to what everyone’s thinking. I know things happened while I was away,” Randy admitted. “I figured she had moved on. For three years, I actually hoped she did. I wanted her to be happy. Just didn’t think it be you, I guess. Probably shouldn’t have been surprised, though. I kinda knew you always liked her. Just didn’t think any more of it, you know?”

“And there wasn’t more, alright? I promise,” Beau assured him, his cheeks reddening from embarrassment. He never thought Randy would’ve suspected anything – not that there really ever was anything. But had his tiny crush really been that obvious? “One of those things, you know? Just ‘cause I find Michelle Rodriguez attractive doesn’t mean I seriously expect to date her. I didn’t know it was more than that till I spent some time with her.”

“Good to know,” was all Randy said, crossing his arms with an uncomfortable clear of his throat. “Definitely surprised Y/N likes you, though. She always had a pretty low opinion of you. Said you were doing shitty police work and I should be more careful. Guess she was right..." Beau shot him a darkened look but refrained from taking the bait. Randy pursed his lips. "Look, I know I’m a pain in your ass right now. You’d probably love to get rid of me.”

“Well, hey, that’s not–”

“What, true?” Knowingly, Randy lifted a brow. “I would if I were you.”

Beau only nodded, not admitting out loud the thought had certainly crossed his mind. “So, what are you thinking now?”

“Still want her to be happy,” Randy said quietly.

All of a sudden, Beau then slammed on the brakes, both men jolting forward into their seatbelts. A loud thud echoed through the car as something heavy hit the Jeep’s hood. For a moment, the sheriff thought he’d run into a deer before blinking his eyes at the bloodied and muddied image of Hal Turner.

“What the hell?!”

Turner was in rough shape, pantingly and deliriously stumbling around the car and onto the road, shielding his eyes from the blinding headlights with his palm. Blood dripped from various places from his head and body before Beau’s eyes narrowed on the metal tool stuck inside his neck.

“Guess we found our missing screwdriver,” Randy noted as the two men jumped out of the car, guns drawn.

“Where is she, Turner?” Beau prompted sternly, his finger itching to pull the trigger for everything he’d done to you. But knowing where you were was more important than a vendetta. Turner could only speak while he was alive.

And the man seemed to know it, too. Before the sheriff could call for back-up and an ambulance, Turner sneered and raised a hand, gripping the screwdriver tightly.

“No, don’t!”

Beau’s plea came too late. Hal Turner pulled the makeshift weapon out of his throat and collapsed to the ground, bleeding out within seconds.

Randy’s fingers landed on the man’s pulse point. He glanced up at his partner with a shake of his head. “He’s gone.”

Throwing his gun angrily into the rustling brushes, Beau gripped his temples and screamed into the void of the dark woods. Desperation clawed on his mind and heart. The fear of losing you for good took him prisoner. With labored breaths, he squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and rubbed his tired eyes. Turner had been his last lead. He knew more wouldn’t be coming.

What now?

A sanctimonious beep of his phone drew his attention. A small part of him prayed it was Jenny, informing him you’d emerged a few miles up the road – bloody like Turner, but otherwise fine. Alive.

But his green eyes only found an email and darkened at the sender’s name. “Diane just sent me a link.”

Randy, caught in his own spiral, suddenly glanced up. “To what?”

“Livestream.”

Chapter 13: Sure And Certain

Another cliffhanger, and it looks like Diane's still having the last laugh 🙈

What did you think of this part? Were you surprised by Randy's revelation? He might've changed his mind on a few things 😉

See ya next week for the freaking finale 🤍

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[nightlyrequiem]

The Canary Cage

Chapter 2. Collector

Masterlist AO3 Next Previous

w/c- 3,402

One meeting in a dingy bar on the cheap side of town. One sighting of you. The raw sadness in your eyes drew Valeria in. A parasite attracted to the taste of your tears. She'll chew you up and spit you out, but what she doesn't realise is you bite back.

A/N: Sorry it took me like 3 weeks to update.... was busy with requests and Be Still My Heart, and also laziness.

Tags/Warnings: Tags Will Be Updated as Story Progresses, WLW, Mental Illness, Unhealthy Relationships, Angst, Violence, Referenced Self-Harm, A Healthy Amount of Self-Hatred

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Valeria glances at the address she has written on a torn piece of paper. On the other side, a list of groceries crossed out. She looks up at the building. A small orange neon flower flashing on and off. Fireflower, 2776 8th Street. A seedy lounge she wouldn't look twice at. She rolls her eyes. Of course Andrez chose this place to meet.

She pushes through the door and squints. The place is dimly lit in a way Valeria thinks may not be intentional. There's a light haze of smoke throughout the room, and while Valeria herself likes a good smoke, she believes it to be rude to smoke up an entire room. The tables are full of drunk men, ogling the admittedly pretty woman who sings on stage. She eyes her too. At least this place has something going for it. 

Valeria cranes her neck and spots her guy at the back. Head lowered, an almost empty glass in hand. He runs his hand through his thinning hair and looks up, startled by the sight of Valeria. She frowns and moves towards him, taking a seat across from him.

"Valeria." He greets nervously. "Let me buy you a drink-"

"I'm here to talk, not drink." She says firmly.

Andrez shifts his gaze away. "Yes. Talk." 

Valeria leans forward, staring him down.

"You sought me out because you've heard of a rat in my ranks, yes?" She asks boredly. Knowing the answer already. Valeria knew about the rat almost as soon as it started squealing.

"I did." Andrez nods, looking at her. "Nicholas is giving away your trade routes and stash spots to smaller gangs, for a small price." He tells her, rubbing his hands together like a grimy little fly. She bets if she were to wipe the sweat from his forehead with a cloth, the cloth would come back dirty.

"Hm. Did he." Valeria says, not sounding at all surprised by his words.

Andrez studies her warily. Dark eyes flicking over her face. She's obviously not reacting the way he thought she would.

"I saw him." He insists. 

"Funny." She replies dryly. Hand lowering to her holster and unconsciously fiddling with the straps. "Because Nichloas said the same thing about you - only he had proof." Andrez pales, mouth ajar like a fish. Valeria narrows her eyes. "Why don't you go home, Andrez, rest up and we can talk about this later." She gives him a clear dismissal and he stumbles to his feet. She watches him leave knowing that he won't be returning again.

She watches him leave. Knowing full well that he won't be making it home tonight. She curls her lip. Greedy little fuck. This was a waste of her time. She shakes her head. Valeria should've just ignored his message to talk. She orders herself something to drink and looks to the only source of entertainment here. She likes the way the singer's dress glitters in the light. Her eyes drift to the other patrons. A few of them seem to share the same opinion.

She watches you sing for a little bit. Relaxed by the soothing sound of your voice. There's almost a melancholic quality to every note you sing. The smokey haze combined with the stage lights almost makes you look angelic. She tilts her head and downs her drink. You look so sad. Nothing that sings so prettily should ever look that way. She wouldn't mind having you for a night and seeing what other pretty sounds you make.

Valeria finds herself feeling disappointed when you finish and disappear to the back. She turns and flags down the bartender, ordering herself another drink. After a couple of minutes you walk out, wearing a large coat. You're stopped by some old guy, and she watches judgmentally. Sugar daddy? Pimp? Father?

You look like you're somewhere else, your eyes glazed in a way she's seen one too many time. Whatever could make a simple little lounge singer look like that, she doesn't know. You look like you need a drink. Valeria takes the initiative and flags down a waitress and buys you a drink. Maybe she'll get lucky tonight. Though it quickly becomes clear that a passionate night with a sad stranger isn't in her cards tonight. After a single, quick glance in her direction you push the drink towards the old man. Valeria frowns and stands, leaving the bar and her unfinished drink.

She visits again the next night. Not something she planned on doing but she was wondering if she'd see you again. You're pretty good at singing and not too bad on the eyes either. Apart from her having ulterior motives for wanting to see you, she's also scoping you out. She owns her own lounge. Something to make her influx of wealth less suspicious. She wouldn't mind having you on staff. She'd feel more comfortable if she had you under her control.

There's more business to be conducted that night though so she leaves early. Not before buying you some flowers and leaving them at the bar for you to receive. She walks down the cracked sidewalk. Stepping over a puddle of puke with indifference. Valeria gets into her car and drives off. Streetlights faintly illuminating the sidewalks and road.

She arrives at a small warehouse ten minutes outside of the city. Crawling with cartel working like one to cook and package up her drugs. On the walls a large cartoon hare stares down with one yellow eye. Harrison Hare Farm. She checks up on The Butcher. Watching her carefully slice open the light underbelly of a dead hare and stuffing in a few small baggies of coke. She gets to work on sewing it back up to be shipped off with untampered with hares. Where they'll be taken to American warehouses, and the discretely marked buckets will be taken by paid off employees to be sold throughout the states.

Diego is waiting for her in her small office, frowning severely.

"There's still a leak." Diego grumbles. Crossing the room to her. Valeria walks around him and runs her finger over the well-loved spines of books collecting dust on the shelf.

"We got rid of the leak." She says dismissively.

"No, jefe," Diego presses. Valeria turns her head, her dark brown eyes burning into his. "We got rid of Andrez but someone's still talking. One of my pigs told me that his superior got a tip about this warehouse. They're getting their warrants in order so they can raid it."

That catches Valeria's attention fully.

"When?" She asks. She looks around. She's going to have to cease all production here for the time being.

"I'm not sure. He says his boss didn't tell anyone about it in the first place." He replies.

"He must have, otherwise we wouldn't be hearing about it." She snaps at him. Valeria scowls. "We need to empty the place of anything illegal tonight." She decides reluctantly.

Diego hesitates, looking unsure. "Tonight is kind of quick, no?" He asks.

Valeria glares at him, it's a reasonable question, she supposes. She has to stop herself from hurling the thickest, heaviest book on the shelf at him.

"Don't question me, just get all the equipment and drugs out of here by tomorrow, Diego." She says lowly.

"... Yes, Valeria." He agrees. Valeria can tell that he disagrees but as long as he keeps it to himself and continues to follow orders then she doesn't care all that much.

"Before you leave, do you know who the leak might be?" She asks. 

He looks at her. "No, it could be Nichloas though, it's possible both him and Andrez were rats."  Valeria suspected it herself. 

"Hm." She responds. "We'll keep an eye on him then." She says. Valeria turns away and waves a hand. "You may go." She needs to get started on clearing up the office of anything incriminating. 

Valeria was right to clear out the warehouse. The next day at noon the police - the ones Valeria doesn't have paid off - stormed through the place and turned it upside-down looking for anything they could. She watches with detached satisfaction as they found nothing. 

It will be a while before she makes use of that warehouse again. Knowing that the police will have it under watch. Valeria doesn't consider it to be that big of a problem. She has other warehouses with other labs. A well-endowed woman sets down a drink beside her, a friendly, playful smile on her lips. Valeria takes the drink and sips it, watching another woman on stage. Her voice is strong and sweet. Around the room patrons watch and simply listen as they mingle with one another. The Canary Cage, previously a failing business under a different name, flourishes under Valeria's ownership. It's not the only lounge with singers but hers has the prettiest.

Her thoughts, like they seem to usually do as of late, stray back to you. She'd like to see you on her stage in better lighting. Now that she has some free time to think about anything other than work, she allows herself to wonder what you may be doing at this very moment.

She knows she's straying into dangerous territory. Valeria can never have normal relationships with people. There's never that healthy level of detachment needed to make things work. Valeria is an animal that must eat every last part of her partner until there's nothing left to save. She doesn't like not knowing what's going on. It's like an itch beneath her skin and the only way to relieve it is by knowing everything she can. 

The temporary moment of tranquility and relaxation is interrupted as the doors swing open. She straightens defensively like a cat raising it's hackles as a band of cops walk in. The bouncer intercepts them but can only do so much to keep them out. They shove a piece of paper in his face and he reluctantly steps his hulking body to the side. Casting a dark glance towards Valeria. The patrons, consisting mostly of Valeria's men give the cops aggressive and furtive looks.

They approach her and her heart pounds. Her fingers brush over the edge of her gun. Arresting her will come with a price, she can guarantee that. She prepares herself to meet them head on but they walk right past her. She turns and watches them approach her bartender. He frowns, becoming increasingly agitated as they speak to him and finally arrest him.

"I didn't do anything!" He shouts, struggling as they force him against the counter and cuff him. "I didn't do anything!" Valeria stands and stalks up to them.

"What the hell are you doing?" She snaps. The one in charge turn to her, face dark with dislike.

"I'm sure you knew already, Valeria, but this man is being charged with possession and intent to sell of illegal substances as well as gang affiliation." He tells her, looking her right in the eye.

Valeria keeps her face straight. Not giving anything away.

"And do you have any evidence, officer, or is this a baseless assumption?" She curls her lip at him.

The officer leans closer to her, his coffee breath washing over her face. "We had an anonymous tip and seized drugs from his apartment." He murmurs. "We'll be taking him in for questioning." He adds, watching her closely.

His words bring her discomfort, but she doesn't let it show. He's trying to scare her into revealing herself but she won't play this game. She's had enough of men trying to intimidate her into submission.

"Hope he tells you all you need to know officer," She says mockingly, brows raising with faux sympathy. "It'll be mind blowing, I'm sure."

The man sniffs and jerks away. "Let's go." He snaps at his men. She watches them drag out her bartender. 

Valeria decides to pay the Fireflower a visit. Hoping you're working tonight. Valeria parks and gets out. Shoving her keys into her pocket and entering the building. You're on stage once again, in a very short dress. Tonight isn't all that bad, it seems. She stakes out an empty table and seats herself. Allowing the smoothness of your voice to flow over like water. Closing her eyes and letting you pull her deeper.

"He's my man, we're hand in hand," You murmur into the mic. "to hell and back, and I'll love him like no one else can."

Valeria feels like a cobra being charmed. Though a small, ugly thing blooms inside of her. Jealousy and hatred as you sing about a man. She's aware it's irrational, she holds no real claim to you, and if you didn't like women then she couldn't change that, she also just... doesn't care. Valeria does nothing if not constantly indulge herself.

You bat your lashes and pout and sway with the mic. She thinks again that this place really isn't good enough for you. She looks around compulsory and spots that old man from the other night. Her mood souring further. She really wants to know who he is and why he's important to you. She gets up and approaches him, taking a seat nearby. His eyes are glazed and half closed. She feels mild disgust at the pathetic and vulnerable state this man lets himself be in. No self-respect or pride. She eyes his almost empty glass and waves down the bartender. The same young man she left the flowers with.

"Get him another of what he ordered." She mutters, slipping him a few bills.

Soon enough, another golden beverage is placed before the old man and his eyes clear.

"She's quite the singer." Valeria comments. The man swivels his head and looks at her. 

"What?" He asks.

Valeria bites back her annoyance at having to repeat herself. "She's quite the singer." She repeats loudly. The man smiles and Valeria flinches, nearly recoiling at the state of his teeth. Yellowed with rot and cracking.

"She sure is." He nods. "Couldn't be prouder seeing her on stage. She used to run around the tables when she was a girl and harass the singers on break." He chuckles, then leans forward, his breath harassing her. "She used to be so tone deaf but like I always told her, singing's like riding a bike. Just keep at it and you'll eventually get the hang of it. She'd always grumble at me in the manner most teenagers do. Stubborn as a mule she is." He rambles.

Valeria feels a pang of regret. She didn't think someone who looked half unconscious could talk so much.

"... Mhm." She replies. She glances back at you. Drinking in your glowing visage. "You her father?" She asks.

The man sighs. "In all but blood. I'd never tell her, but I've always sort of thought of her as my daughter. I didn't do good by my first one you see. I'm making it up to him-" He points upwards, talking to a barely listening Valeria. "-by being kinder to her."

Valeria, hearing everything she needs to, tunes him out. No longer deeming him a threat therefore no longer deeming him relevant. She rests her chin her palm and enjoys the sight of you singing. Wanting to pluck you off the stage and pin your limbs down like a butterfly for her to hang on her wall. She studies you intently, noticing that beneath the smile and concealer, you look exhausted. Some people remain eternally tired no matter how much sleep they get.

Wednesday is a good day. Collection day. Where a bunch of Valeria's dealers go out to designated sectors to collect the set 'safety fee.' Nothing in life is free, and neither is protection. With her bartender behind bars, she's short a collector. She hasn't had the time to appoint a new one so she takes on his sector herself. The Fare Heaven Apartments are the last on her list. Pushing open the cracked glass door she begins her rounds. Collecting money from the downtrodden residents. She knocks on the 4th room of the 5th floor and waits. Growing impatient after a minute of silence. She raises her fist to knock again when the door swings open. You adjust the robe over your chest and fall still at the sight of her. Clearly not expecting to see her. Though clearly recognizing her, something that delights Valeria a little. Though her delight is dimmed by the less-than friendly expression on your face.

Similarly, Valeria finds herself being surprised. She had made an educated guess that you probably lived somewhere on the west side, but for whatever reason it never occurred to her that you lived in a collection zone. You hold out your hand, unlike the other residents who put their money into baggies or envelopes, you don't bother with the courtesy. She takes the money, letting her hand linger on yours for longer than what's considered polite.

You retract your hand. 

"Where's the other guy?" You ask. Subtly, but not enough to escape her notice, shutting the door a little. She feels irritated that you're asking after the bartender. Why do you care and why do you want to know? She looks you over, at the little feminine robe you're wearing. Were you wearing it for him?

"He's been... relieved of his service." She replies calmly. You stare at each other for a few seconds before you begin to close the door. Without thinking her hand shoots out, stopping you. 

"What?" You ask harshly, frowning at her.

She blinks at you. "I need to count it first." She says.

You frown at her. "The other guy never counted." You say, hands tightening on your door.

Valeria lets go of the door and sifts through the money you gave her. 

"He should have." She says, unperturbed. She almost hopes you're short the proper amount so she can have an excuse to heckle you. It's all there though. Down to the last cent. She begrudgingly shoves the money into her pocket and nods at you.

"I wouldn't dare miss a payment, Valeria." You say icily. Slamming the door in her face. Such disgust and vitriol. You're a lot less friendly now and she finds it turns her on a little. Fighting is all Valeria knows. It's practically her love language. She turns away and leaves. Content with knowing where you live. 

Valeria goes to your place of work the next night as well. Watching you sing and staying till the end this time. You disappear around back and emerge in that big, dramatic coat of yours. She downs her drink and puts on her own coat, following you out of the bar. You stop beside your bus stop.

"Why are you following me?" You ash harshly, turning to face her.

"I want to talk to you." She replies, smiling placatingly. "I have an offer."

"I'm not interested." You say flatly, turning your back to her. Valeria walks around you.

"It's a job offer, at my lounge." She continues anyway, ignoring the annoyed look on your face. "You deserve to make more then 7000 pesos, don't you think?" She murmurs, inching closer.

For a split second she catches a flicker of temptation in your eyes before you forcibly extinguish it.

"Blood money." You sniff haughtily.

Valeria furrows her brows. "Whatever do you mean?" She asks. Unsure if she's playing with you or warning you to watch yourself.

"Nothing." You mutter angrily. "I don't want anything to do with you."

"Why not?" She asks. Frustrated. "You're turning down the opportunity for a better life, to work somewhere you might actually like, and for what? Morals?" She laughs at you.

You scowl at her, glancing up briefly as lightning silently flashes.

"I like working at the Fireflower." You say defensively.

"No you don't." Valeria scoffs. "You hate it here."

"I'd hate working for you more." You snap. Looking down the street as the bus approaches. "Besides, what's the point in making more if you're just going to take it again?" You reach into your pocket to grab the needed change. Valeria silently hangs back and watches you board the bus. Not even giving her a single look back. She thinks you're really dumb for turning her down. If you want to be difficult fine. Valeria can play that game too. You made your move now it's her turn.

[bonne-chanson]

If you'd be interested, could you write a story about the reader having to take care of Ranpo when he's sick?

a/n: this is perfect timing actually bc i’m down with a cold rn HAJDBKDN eurgh :(( anw, i hope you enjoy this (reverse?) sick fic! not sure if i captured ranpo’s personality enough, but i tried :’> there’s an established relationship here, so if this isn’t your cup of tea and you just wanted reader taking care of ranpo in general, feel free to tell me so i can whip smth up quickly for you! :>

under the weather and your care

✑ character/s: ranpo edogawa x reader

✑ short desc: his immune system is struggling way too much after he playing in the rain and eating lots of candy.

✑ content includes: fluff ; sfw ; established relationship ; sick fic ; nothing to warn anyone about, reader just has to take care of ranpo

✑ word count: 1.6k words

"I told you to drink more water."

Ranpo could only huff at your berating words, crossing his arms childishly while he turns his head away to avoid your stern gaze. As much as he was the world’s greatest detective, his boyish behavior still makes him refuse to acknowledge the fact that you were right to say that too many sweets without drinking enough fluids and having a fever was, indeed, a terrible decision.

A few days earlier, the both of you were assigned to a mission that somehow ended in having to travel to Shibuya for the final piece of evidence. Ranpo, as always, lived up to his title by piecing everything together within half a minute, and the next train to Yokohama wasn’t going to stop by the station any time soon, so he asked himself (and you)—

What harm is there in exploring the city for a little while?

It turned into a spontaneous date of sorts, enjoying all kinds of tourist spots from dressing up and playing around with many colorful fashion pieces in Harajuku to riding go-karts around the emptier streets (which ended in chaos). His favorite, however, and not much to your surprise, was visiting Totti Candy Factory with you in tow, immediately heading over to the buy a big serving of rainbow-colored cotton candy to munch on before grabbing at least two baskets to put the rest of his chosen sweets in (and unfortunately, you ended up going home with five).

Of course, being the ever-loving darling you are to your sugar addict of a boyfriend, you paid for everything. How could you not when he pouted at (coerced) you into bulk-buying them for him?

Everything was fine, even with the amount of candy bags you both had to carry, up until it started to rain.

Shibuya crossing was surprisingly emptier than usual given that it was still mid-noon on a weekday, and the freedom to prance around in the rainwater gave him enough thrill to begin jumping on the bigger puddles of the street, yellow rainboots creating the biggest splashes. Pedestrians and passersby eyed him strangely before avoiding him as they walked along, and you, charmed by his adorable character, thought it was funny—

…Until his boyish antics made him roll around in the puddles simply because it was fun.

It didn’t take much longer before you were dragging him away from the street and bowing your head apologetically at the surrounding people crossing as he whined helplessly. Soon after, you found yourselves sitting on a train back to Yokohama, the cushions wet with rainwater as you sat across each other. The poor detective complained about wanting to cuddle closer to you for some warmth, but you rejected his advances, trying not to get the seats any more wet than they already were.

Of course, you avoided eye contact with him on the way home, guilt gnawing at your insides, and when you gathered enough courage to catch a glimpse of him in front of you all shivering and grouchy, the tug on your heartstrings made itself known. Though, it wasn’t really enough to justify getting your clothes wet in the process, so you forced yourself to look away instead.

(You’d regret that later.)

Yosano could only sigh at the condition your boyfriend was in when the two of you first entered her office, but after prescribing some medicine and her usual advice for common colds and fevers, his body temperature slowly began to go back to normal.

Or so you thought.

The problem is that at some point, when his fever began to simmer down, he remembered the five bags of candy you two had bought the other day and began indulging himself in his sweets instead of sipping the miso soup you’d made for him.

So, his fever is back.

And here you two are, about three days later, with Ranpo currently suffering from a clogged nose and a terrible headache all because he was drenched and cold for too long and you both didn’t have anything to dry him off on the way back to the agency that day.

And now he has a very itchy sore throat to boot.

You sigh, handing him a cup of lukewarm water as he sniffles and scrunches his nose, looking away.

“Ranpo,” you chide, raising a brow. “Come on… your fever won’t die down if you don’t drink enough fluids. You keep refusing tea and soup because they’re too bitter for your taste, so water is your best option. Yosano-sensei said so, remember?”

He sticks his bottom lip out, pouting at you, and for a moment, you almost give in just because you pitied the red-and-stuffy-nosed detective sitting up on his bed.

“But I don’t like the aftertaste of the candy when I drink water!” he barks back. “And I already drank my medicine for today!”

You roll your eyes, but the gesture is followed by a small chuckle. It’s hard to stay impatient with him.

“Yes, but you need a lot of fluids and sleep so the medicine can work. Otherwise, you’ll be out of business for another week,” you explain, bringing the glass closer to his lips. “The agency wouldn’t be anything without their best detective, after all.”

“Their best detective?”

“…The world’s greatest detective.”

It takes him a few moments, but his pouty face is eventually replaced with a big grin and a laugh interrupted by a few coughs. As you rub his back comfortingly, the gesture soothing his coughing storm, he takes the glass from your hand and hums.

“Okay, fine… But only because the agency still needs me!”

A sigh of relief escapes your lips and you smile again, watching him chug the glass down before wiping his lips with his pajama sleeve. Much to his own comfort, the water did, in fact, help with his sore throat, its cooling nature soothing the itchiness irritated earlier by all the sweets he consumed in one sitting.

“See? That wasn’t so bad.”

Refusing to acknowledge that you were, yet again, right, he places the glass back down on the bedside table before grabbing at your wrist to try and pull you closer to him, shoving the blanket out of the way momentarily.

“Ranpo—?”

“Cuddle me,” he says, still trying to drag you onto the mattress. “You didn’t cuddle me on the train back home the other day, so I was all cold and ended up with a fever. The least you could do is to cuddle me now because I’m still all chilly.”

The sheets of his bed begin to rustle when he traps you in his arms, keeping you next to him like a cat with its favorite toy. Your struggle for some space doesn’t go unnoticed—he grins when he spots this, only engulfing you with the tightest embrace he can give and all the affection he has to offer. He doesn’t hesitate when he nuzzles your neck and curls up closer to you, your body heat helping him relax a little from the headache that came with his stuffy nose and high temperature, allowing him to feel a little more at peace with his current condition.

So, with a final grunt, you take the edge of the blanket and use it to cover yourselves as you turn to your side to let him bury his face in the crook of your neck a little more, your fingers threading through his hair. A nap for now would be good for him, you figure, and if your presence helps calm him down enough to lull him to sleep, then you’d gladly stay for hours on end on his bed with him like this.

But he doesn’t fully close his eyes — not yet. He grabs a tissue or two to blow his nose every now and then, dropping the crumpled trash onto the floor next to the bed (you make a mental note to clean up later), but he can’t seem to drift off to dreamland.

“Something on your mind?” you murmur into his hair, petting it fondly.

He lets out a deep sigh in response.

You’re the only person who can ever come close to reading his thoughts as he had allowed himself to open up enough to be vulnerable around you. Despite being able to catch up to him most of the time, there are still moments that are foggy enough to make you ponder about the thoughts whirring about in his head. So, you make it a point to communicate to him as much as possible and ask him whenever the situation needs to be addressed.

And he’s grateful for that. He may very well consider himself a better mind-reader than you, but to have someone care for him in such a way that they also want to know what’s going on in his head when the world often tends to alienate him for being him is a blessing in itself that, although he never mentions it aloud, he’ll cherish forever.

Ranpo opens his mouth.

“…You didn’t give me a good night kiss.”

You blink.

“What?”

“You always give me good night kisses before we go to bed,” he points out. “It’s part of our routine. You didn’t give me one yet, so I can’t sleep.”

It’s almost impossible to hold back the giggle creeping up your throat.

“Ranpo,” you call, stifling the little laughs between words, “I can’t do that right now. I might get sick if I kiss you. You’ll be passing your fever onto me.”

“But if I can’t go to sleep, then I won’t get any better, and I need you to give me a good night kiss to help me go to sleep.”

Damn him and his (childish) logic.

“…Okay.” Deciding to get this done and over with, you cup his cheek. “But only on the forehead, alright? I’m not risking getting your germs right now,” you jest.

Yet the moment you lean in closer, your lips ghosting the skin of his forehead, he tilts his head upward to allow his lips to meet with yours. Your eyes widen and you scrunch your nose a little when he releases a rather obnoxious mwah! after, and as soon as you pull away, you are faced with the cheekiest expression he can muster.

“Ranpo!”

He yawns as you scold his name, snuggling back into your arms again. “Good night, [Y/N]…”

That initial annoyance of yours quickly fades away and you can’t help but shake your head and smile as you cuddle him closer to keep him warm.

You can never stay mad at him no matter how many times fate (rather, the rain and all of his candy in this case) has to put him under your care. You love your detective too much, after all.

a/n: feel free to let me know how i did! this was also my first time writing for ranpo, so i hope i captured him well enough :’>

[no-where-new-hero]

as requested, here's my own maud story!

my mom got me the boxed anne set for my 8th birthday, and i know i liked the books a good deal, but they didn't really individuate themselves too much in my consciousness at first--they (and the sullivan adaptation) mostly just joined ranks with little women (and the 1994 movie) in my head as "inspirational classic books about bookish girls." quite honestly i think i was more a fan of louisa may alcott from ages 9-11.

and then! i think i must have reread the anne series at 11-12, because suddenly i got very interested in lm montgomery. i pored over the little page at the back that listed the other books she wrote, and most promising seemed to be her second-longest series, the emily trilogy.

now, i have a very very dim memory of the emily books sitting on my parents' bookshelves when i was like 6 years old. i want to say i specifically remember this cover of emily's quest because she looked pretty and interesting. but after we packed up and moved house, the emily books went back to my grandmother's place. so 12-year-old me wrote to my aunt (who was living with grandmother) and asked her to mail me the emily trilogy. she complied.

i tell you, my life changed. yes, i loved anne. but emily got inside my brain and my blood and never let go. the writing, the story, the characters. i read my family's copies of the books to pieces, went out to buy my own, and wore those out with rereading too (emily climbs is currently held together by tape). i yearned for a bestie like ilse. i hoped for a mentor like mr. carpenter. i gave up my half-baked childish dreams of being an olympic figure skater or a broadway performer and decided to climb the alpine path. i always liked writing, and i was inspired by jo march to "scribble," but maud, in these books, made writing as a career something i could aspire to.

from there, i started reading maud biographies and any blog posts i could scrounge up about her and her work. strangely enough, it took me a few years to read the rest of her canon--first blue castle, then tangled web, then magic for marigold, jane of lantern hill, and finally the pat books, which i think i read after the main fever had kind of left me because those always feel most tenuous in my mind. in the midst of all this, i kept rereading emily and anne. i picked my favorites (climbs for emily, house of dreams and rilla of ingleside for anne) and made them my personality.

my kind of obsessive desire to pattern my life on a maud heroine has not always gone well--my being totally innocent of what a dean priest might look like nowadays could have ended EXTREMELY badly in one situation i put myself into because i didn't know any better--but i also owe so much of the interior of my brain to her. i owe so much of how i write, how i look at the world, to her.

and i think part of it is the way she gives so much of herself through her books; not just the autobiographical moments, but the humor, the conflicting points of view, the moments of absurdity. she writes about life in a way that feels mostly real but also a little aspirational. even in books where the depression threatens to swamp her, she never forgets that there is spring.

i'd love to hear people's l.m. montgomery origin stories! how did you first find her work? what was the first book that really spoke to you? did she take time to grow on you? what do you think was the feature of said book that made you fall in love? please, fill the tags with your tales :)