#tkdgirl2012

[atomwaveheadcanons]

tkdgirl2012 replied to your photoset “What if the monster you’re hunting…                                   ...”

Is this an actual fic? If so what site?

It will be an actual fic! It’s in the process of making and I made that because I was thinking too much about where to go on the plot crossroads. But several people mentioned to me that Brandon was in the Dylan Dog so I just... you know it needed to happen :D 

@katyakora

Makes two of us :D But I’m glad there are more people excited about this than just me :D 

 @agentmarymargaretskitz replied to your photoset

“What if the monster you’re hunting…                                   ...”

I love this so much

Awww I’m really glad :D 

[sixstepsawaywrites]

CC next, @tkdgirl2012​ I promise! I’m not just skipping that. I wrote from Ray’s POV so it turned into a rambling mess in places but I hope you like it!

meaning

Ray Palmer had never been one to believe in absolutes. He was technically Jewish, but his religion had lapsed as he grew older and he didn’t find himself missing it all that much. Christmas was a nice tradition for family, when you had one, and that was about it when it came to religion. 

Absolutes weren’t his thing, and the more time he spent flying around Star City in his suit, or watching Felicity work magic with computers, or just generally knowing that Barry Allen existed, the less he believed in them. 

When he was small, he’d woken up to see words tattooed along his arm. He knew it happened to some people, that the words of their soulmate – something distinctive, something you’d just know – would appear on their bodies, but it didn’t happen to everyone. 

In fact, it rarely happened at all. 

But whereas most people obsessed over it and made entire webpages devoted to the concept of a soulmate and what it meant to have half of a soul out there waiting to rejoin, Ray had simply... continued. 

And then he’d met Anna. 

She’d asked once, as they lay in bed, if the tattoo on his arm meant something, and he said, “No. It doesn’t mean anything.” 

If she’d thought it weird, she’d never said. 

He’d never believed that she was his soulmate, but he’d never loved her any less for it. Soulmates were a strange concept, the idea that you could have only one, that if they died you’d be forever without half of your soul, that somehow the soul – this supposedly essential part of any human – could be broken and split between two humans, but that for some reason your soulmate would surely be nearby, not in a backwater village in Japan while you were living it large in Central City or something. 

No, Ray had never believed Anna was his soulmate, but he’d never believed in soulmates at all. 

When she’d died, he never felt he’d lost a soulmate – just that he’d lost the love of his life. 

The Waverider had dealt another blow to any remaining fragments of belief he may had held in fate or destiny – the thought that they could alter time, that one wrong move could wipe a marriage from existence, or a person, or an entire timeline could shatter and disappear left him with a feeling proof, that there was no such thing as soulmates, or divine intervention or anything like that. 

That didn’t mean he wasn’t still looking for love. 

He was. 

For some reason though, his heart had decided to yearn for Mick Rory. He knew why: the man was handsome as hell and twice as sinful, his smile lit up the whole room for Ray whenever he bothered to use it, and he was smart when he let himself be, he just lacked direction and schooling. 

But sometimes his intelligence shone through like a beacon, and Ray would find himself just staring at him like he was the sun itself come to light up his world. 

“What’s the delay, haircut?” Mick grumbled, coming to rest by his side, eating a banana. 

Ray hated him a little for that and he averted his gaze quickly. “I’ve been trying to activate the crystals,” he said of a piece of old technology they were trying to keep out of the hands of the next set of bad guys, “but it’s missing a piece.” He let out a sigh and gestured at it. “You know how you get the IKEA box and in the IKEA box there’s a leaflet and the leaflet tells you how to put the cabinet together?” 

“No.” 

“Right. Of course not. But we’re missing the leaflet,” Ray said with a sigh. “I think we’re going to have to go back.  It’s probably written on the wall of the cave or something. I can’t believe I was so stupid that I didn’t make a note of—” 

“Dimittere me ad Deum,” Mick said. 

Ray froze. He looked around at him. “Did you just call me dumb?” 

Mick looked at him like he truly was. “You ain’t stupid, haircut,” he said. “I said: dimittere me ad Deum. Latin or some shit like that, right?” 

Oh yes. Yes, it was Latin, and now he’d listened to it his forearm was itching. “How do you...” 

“I pay attention,” Mick said. “It was painted on the walls. Figured it might be important so I read it a few times.”

Ray mouthed at him. “Dimittere me ad Deum,” he said, with the correct translation, and the crystals came alive. “Aha! Mick you genius!” 

Mick munched on his banana. 

Ray finished up, taking the crystals to Sara, and then... 

“Hey Mick, got a minute?” he said, ambling as far as the door to his room but not going inside. 

Mick looked around at him. “Sure.” 

Ray hesitated a moment, then moved inside and sat down on one of his chairs. “So uhh... I wanted to talk about that Latin.” 

“What about it?” Mick leant against the wall. 

“I uh...” Ray wasn’t sure how to broach this topic. He wasn’t even sure if Mick liked guys, let alone felt romantic attraction towards them. 

He was okay with the idea of a friend soulmate though, if he wasn’t. 

He pulled his jacket off, rolling his sleeve up, and showed Mick the tattoo. “I have this.” 

Mick squinted. “Ya got it tattooed?” 

“No.” Ray ruffled up a little and huffed. “I’ve always had it. It’s one of those soulmate tattoos.” 

Mick eyed his arm. “Soulmate what now?” 

Of course he didn’t know. Why would he? Why would anything be easy? 

“Uhh.” Ray pulled some faces. “Some people wake up when they’re little and they have these tattoos – marks, really, since tattooing involves ink and this is more of a birthmark since it comes from my body naturally – and they’re meaningful words of someone they share a soul with.” He shrugged. “Once you hear them you just know, according to the websites.” He’d researched, he’d just never believed. 

Mick snorted. “So you think I’m some kind of soul mate?” 

“Well... Yeah.” Ray shrugged a little and swallowed. “Maybe? It felt right. You said these words. I think—I really think it means we’re meant to be.” 

Mick’s entire stature changed, his body snapping upright a little and his knuckles going white around his beer. 

“Mick?” Ray said. “What—What’s wrong?” 

Mick let out a grunting noise and rolled his sleeve up, glaring at his forearm for a moment before showing it to Ray. 

It means we’re meant to be was written on Mick’s arm, almost obscured under old burns. 

Ray’s eyes widened. “You have one too.” 

“Never knew what it was.” Mick said with a shrug. He yanked his sleeve back down. “Guess it’s you.” 

Ray felt his face almost break under the size of the smile on it as he leapt to his feet, but he froze when Mick thrust a hand out towards him. 

“Hug me, I’ll kill you,” he said. 

Ray considered that for a moment, then shot him a grin. “You’d only be hurting yourself, Mick.” 

Mick groaned and just went back to his beer.

Prompt me?

[pheuthe]

tkdgirl2012 replied to your post “Atomwave + 75 please?”

What's the thing?!

:D I prefer to leave that up to everyone’s imagination, so that you can all suffer like Nate does :D

[thatfanficstuff]

Bound - 13

Pairing: Niklaus Mikaelson x OFC

Warnings: Nope.

A/N: um...hi.

***

It came as no surprise to me that Rebekah was using the ball as an excuse to go shopping. I was, however, shocked when she asked me to accompany her. We hadn’t talked much since Nik killed Mikael. So, when she extended the invitation shortly after breakfast it may have taken me a moment longer than it should have to respond.

“You don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to,” she finally said, sounding more than a little disgruntled.

“No. I’d love to. I’m just surprised you asked me is all.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, who else am I supposed to ask? Elena or that blonde?”

My lips twitched. And there was the Rebekah I knew and semi-tolerated. “Let me get my things and say bye to Nik. I’ll meet you at the door.”

She nodded and left my room where I’d been hiding from Esther. I wouldn’t want to intrude on her time with her children. Or something like that. That was the line I fed her anyway. It didn’t take me long to find Nik as he was in Elijah’s study along with the rest of his family save Rebekah. 

Though the door was open, I still knocked. Nik glanced my way and his eyes softened. He was on his feet in an instant. “I’ll be right back, mother.” He grasped my upper arm when he reached me and steered us both back into the hallway. After turning us so my back was against the wall, he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me gently. “God, I miss you.”

I chuckled. “I’ve been in the same house as you all morning, Nik.”

He hummed and kissed me again.

I pulled away and grinned at him. “Your sister is taking me shopping. I have no idea where we are going or how long it will take.”

His brows lifted. “You’re going shopping with Rebekah?”

“Apparently I was a better option than Elena or Caroline.”

“I see.” He licked his lips and pulled out his wallet. “I keep forgetting to give this to you, but now seems like a good time.”

He handed me a pure black credit card. With my name on it. My gaze found his in surprise. “You don’t have to do this, Nik.”

He grinned, flashing his dimples. “I know I don’t. That’s precisely why I wish to do it. Go spend my money. I have too much of it.”

He kissed me again then headed back into the office, promptly dismissing me.

***

It took Rebekah and I nearly three hours to find dresses we liked and another two to acquire all the needed accessories. Now, I inexplicably found myself sitting across the table from her as we had dinner together at a little restaurant I hadn’t known existed until today.

“I had fun today,” I told her, breaking the silence.

She looked at me with a little tilt of the head. “Your presence was not entirely intolerable.”

I rolled my eye but I didn’t miss the way the corners of her lips twitched as she fought a smile. “Thanks.”

Rebekah leaned back in her seat and ran her eyes over me. “When I first met you, I believed that you had my brothers under some sort of spell. No one gives as much you have without wanting something in return, regardless of what you said to them.”

“And now?”

“Now I believe it is just your nature to be as you are. It is slightly disturbing if I’m honest. We have encountered few like you over the centuries. I keep waiting for it to end and your true self to be revealed.” After that, she turned back to her food as if the two of us were discussing the weather or something else of equal import.

I shook my head and chuckled lightly. “I’m not sure if I should be sorry or not when I tell you that what you see is what you get. I love Nik. I love your family—well, most of them—and I don’t intend to go anywhere.”

She laughed a bit then grinned. “Finn does take some getting used to.”

I nodded and bit back the things I wanted to say about Esther. Rebekah hadn’t come around and joined the rest of us in the Original witch bitch hate club yet. “Thank you for this today, Rebekah. We should do it again.”

Her grin shifted to a genuine smile. “I would like that.”

***

The day of the ball arrived quickly. Rebekah and I got ready in her room, far from the prying eyes of the boys. Stefan had arrived early to help where needed and she declared neither of our men could see us until we were properly done up. She had even compelled someone to do our hair and makeup. I tried not to be bothered by that, though it went against my nature. When Rebekah slipped her several hundred in cash before sending her on her way, it did a lot to soothe my guilty conscience.

We had barely finished getting ready when a knock came at the door. “Mother is demanding our presence downstairs and I refuse to go without my fiancée,” Nik’s voice carried into the room.

Rebekah looked to me and grinned. “Ready?”

I nodded once and took a deep breath. “You?”

“Absolutely.” She swung open the door to reveal Stefan and Nik awaiting us in the hallway.

Their conversation cut off abruptly as they caught sight of us. I giggled slightly at the awed expression on Nik’s face. I couldn’t help it. My dress was a sage green remnant of a different time. With tulle overskirts pinned up to show the satin beneath and a delicately beaded bodice, it made me feel like a princess. I’d paired it with strappy gold heels and the hairdresser had threaded faux gold pearls into my hair. 

Nik finally shook off his shock enough to step into the room and take one of my hands with his. He held it up and spun me so he could take in my ensemble from all angles. “You are exquisite, love.”

My face heated as I faced him and ran my hand down his lapel. “You don’t look so bad yourself, Mr. Mikaelson.”

His gaze sharpened. “I assure you, Cassie. No one will be looking at me this evening. Not with you in the room.”

“If you like this so much, wait until you see what I’m wearing underneath it.” With that, I patted his chest and strolled from the room.

It took a couple of beats for him to snap from his shook and hurry after me. He stopped me in the hall and offered me his arm. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips as his eyes ran over me one more time. “How long do we have to stay at this thing again?”

I laughed. “This was your idea, Nik. I wanted to run away but you said no.”

“What kind of an idiot am I?” he grumbled.

“The best kind.” I gave him a soft kiss on the cheek just before we reached the top of the stairs and he escorted me down. Instead of stopping to talk as I had expected he led us directly to the dance floor. As the ball hadn’t officially began, we were one of only a few couples dancing.

I leaned my head against his shoulder as he moved us around the floor. “I love you, Nik.”

He hummed a happy sound that came from low in his chest. He kissed my cheek then his lips found my ear. “And I love you, Cassie. You’re mine. Never forget that.”

I tilted my head back to smile at him. “As long as you remember you’re mine, I think we’re good.”

Before Nik could respond we were interrupted by Finn. “May I cut in, brother?”

Nik looked between the two of us with an arched brow. When I gave a small nod of my head he stepped back and relinquished his spot to the eldest Mikaelson. “I’ll fetch us something to drink and meet you by the bar, Cassidy.”

“Of course,” I answered and let Finn take me in his arms. He spun me effortlessly around the floor as I studied him. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect to be dancing with you.”

He smiled softly and the expression looked out of place on his face. “I have to be honest, I didn’t anticipate it, either. It seemed to be the best way to speak with you without my brothers overhearing, however.”

I looked at him with wide eyes. What could he possibly have to say to me that he wouldn’t want the brothers to overhear? Maybe I’d heard him wrong. Or misunderstood what he was trying to say. He was trapped in a coffin for 900 or so years. His social skills were bound to be a little rusty. “I’m sorry?”

He nodded once and turned us so his back was to his brothers as they stood by the bar watching us intently. “Mother wishes to speak with you. Alone. I will signal you when it is time.”

My brow furrowed. That sounded ominous.

His gaze locked onto mine. “You will tell no one of what I have said and remember nothing until I signal you from the top of the stairs. Then you will make excuses and meet me outside Mother’s room.”

I said nothing as I stared back and he led me over to Nik. I’d never been happier to be immune to compulsion. My fiancé wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him. “Thank you, brother.”

“The pleasure was mine.” He gave a small bow and quickly disappeared into the gathering crowd.

“What was that about, darling?” Kol asked.

I glanced at him, but all three brothers were staring after the eldest. If I told them the truth, I knew at least two of them would keep me from meeting with Esther. We needed to know what this was about, especially if Finn was compelling me to forget. No, I’d tell them everything later.

“I’m not certain, yet. I’ll let you know when I do.”

***

Bound: @deadmanwalked @the-doctor-9-10 @kawaiirepublic @xlosttdreamss @tkdgirl2012 @cacti-succulents-andlesbians @killerheelsanddullknives @readeity @kayla-03-blog @star-incandescent  @bookwormstrawberry @lostinwonderland314 @zillahvathek @kayluera @ampbian @christina-dur-ham 

All the Things: @swanky-batman @rissyrapp20 @startrekkingaroundasgard @spooookyscary @taylordrunkonwhiskey @laneygthememequeen @collette04 @shatteredabby @thewolf-and-thesheep @inquisitor-selvala @curlyhairedblueeyedangel @summer-may @ineedmorefanfics @lowkeyofsassguard

[viragoseries]

@tkdgirl2012 replied to your post: “Sanjoli “Joli” Pandit ~ Conscripted.... Rupert....”

Link?

The story isn’t posted yet, but it may or may not be in the works 😉

[transdekus]

@tkdgirl2012 ngl, i completely forgot about that lol. i'm sorry, i was so tired

[thatfanficstuff]

Bound - 11

Pairing: Niklaus Mikaelson x OFC

Warnings: nope

***

Stefan was a good friend, and he was also a smart friend. That is to say, he dropped me off at home then promptly left. I didn’t try sneaking in. There was no point. I lived with vampires. And I was a grown woman. I was allowed to do as I pleased. Or so I kept telling myself.

Elijah came to greet me before I even had the front door closed behind me. “Hello, Cassie. How lovely to see you today.”

I arched a brow at his formal tone and his lips twitched.

“Are you mad?” came from deeper in the house and Elijah gave into his grin.

He gave me a nod and returned to the living room. I wondered how big of a tantrum Nik had thrown when he’d found my note. When he peered at me from the top of the stairs I gave him a little wave. “Hello, Nik.”

If anything, his scowl deepened. “Are you going to answer my question?”

I tilted my head. “What question?”

He narrowed his gaze and started down the stairs. “Are. You. Mad?”

I pursed my lips in thought before shrugging. “Not particularly. I’m actually in pretty good mood today. Thank you for asking.”

Elijah’s laugh drifted in from the living room though he quickly tried to cover it with a cough.

“Not angry. Mad. Insane. Crazy. What would possibly possess you to go off without either myself or Elijah?” He was doing his best to keep his voice level and I took pity on him when I saw the flash of worry in his eyes.

I sighed and put my things on the entry table. “Don’t be dramatic, Nik. I left you a note. I was with Stefan and you could have tracked my phone if you were really that concerned. I appreciate your protective streak but I had it covered.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I believe we covered this, Cassie. There will never be a time that I do not worry about you. I would appreciate it if you gave me less reason to do so.”

I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my head against his chest. He held me tightly and kissed the top of my head. Finally, I pulled back to look at him. “Look, if you promise to try and give me room to breathe, I promise to be more transparent about what I’m up to. Deal?”

He hummed which I chose to take as agreement. I released him and put a little space between us. “Damon left three coffins in the house. He doesn’t know what happened to the third. He thinks Bonnie may know.”

Nik rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Of course. The witch.”

I glared at the tone in his voice. “Watch how you say that word, hybrid.”

I wasn’t buying the innocent face he pulled for a moment but decided to ignore it for the time being. He was only trying to get a rise out of me anyway. “Bonnie should be easier to track than the coffin.”

Before he could respond, the front door flew open. In seconds, Nik and Elijah were both standing between myself and the threat, whatever it may be. I couldn’t see past them so I would just have to take my cues from them.

“Our brothers insisted on seeing you. Both of you,” Rebekah said. Rather than relaxing, tension straightened the spines of the men in front of me. Super.

“Niklaus.”

“Hello, Kol.”

“I’m sure you didn’t expect to see us up and around.” Pure venom laced through the voice and put me even more on edge. Nik really needed to quit daggering his siblings.

“Actually, Niklaus was the one who insisted on undaggering you upon Mikael’s death.” Elijah was trying to smooth things between them. He never would have allowed them to stay daggered, either.

“Yes, Rebekah mentioned father’s passing. So you’ve managed to kill both of our parents now, Niklaus. You must be so pleased with yourself.” That was a new voice and I didn’t care for his attitude. Trying to make Nik feel guilty for ridding the world of Esther and Mikael was absurd.

I hadn’t thought it possible for Nik’s shoulders to get any tighter, but they did exactly that. “I did what needed to be done.”

“Oh, don’t start that. That’s your excuse for everything. You don’t get to decide what is necessary all on your own anymore, Niklaus. We won’t allow it.” That was Kol again.

When Nik and Elijah both remained silent, I was finished. I stepped out from behind Nik’s back and took in the three Originals in front of me. Rebekah’s eyes widened slightly as she took me in and her gaze darted from her brothers on either side of her before coming back to me.

“Well, hello, darling,” said the shorter of the two. He was dark. Dark hair, dark eyes and a wickedness behind his smirk that spoke of evil intentions. His eyes ran over me from top to bottom. “Who might you be?”

“This is Cassidy Grimes. She is off limits,” Nik bit out from beside me. He looped an arm around my waist and tugged me against his side.

Kol’s brows shot up. “Off limits? Since when does Niklaus Mikaelson declare anyone off limits?”

“Since Cassidy,” Elijah said. His voice had taken on a harsh edge as well.

Kol prowled closer. “Surely you realize that only makes her more intriguing.”

“Enough, Kol.” It was Rebekah that spoke this time and my eyes found hers in surprise. “Leave her alone.”

He tilted his head as if I was a puzzle he couldn’t figure out. After a long stretch where everyone but him seemed on edge, he shrugged and moved back. “Very well, sister. I was only teasing.”

My gaze moved from him to the taller, quieter brother that had merely stood observing this whole time. Catching me watching him, he gave a little bow of his head. “Finn Mikaelson.”

Of everyone in his family, Nik had spoken the least about the eldest brother. I had no reason to dislike him, but I did just the same. Something about the man just didn’t sit right with me.

“Perhaps we should move into the living room and discuss this like a civilized family,” Elijah suggested.

I pressed my lips together to keep the smartass remark that was on the tip of my tongue from coming out. Being bitchy when I had my powers was one thing. Powerless, I’d rather not tempt trouble.

Nik steered me into the living room. Heat flooded my body and I came to an abrupt stop. My stomach twisted and I felt as if I would vomit at any moment. The room began to spin around me making me feel that much worse. My hand groped blindly looking for purchase, though Nik quickly grabbed mine with his own. “Cassie? What is wrong?”

The panic in his voice led me to believe that I must look about as bad as I felt. I opened my mouth to answer and everything went black.

***

Later I would learn that Nik caught me before I hit the ground. He laid me on the ground and knelt beside me as he tried to bring me around while the others looked on helplessly. Just as he was about to take me to a doctor, he heard a voice he had hoped to never hear again.

“Niklaus.”

He froze, my hand still gripped in his and refused to look up. Seeing her would only make all this more real.

“Mother,” Rebekah breathed out, denying him the ability to ignore the ghost in his presence any longer.

He remained knelt beside me as he looked up slowly to meet Esther’s piercing gaze. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a ghost at all. She was as solid as the day he ripped out her heart. She crossed the space between them and glanced between him and me. “Do you know why I am here, Niklaus?” she asked.

“Because you’re a dumb bitch that doesn’t know when to stay to dead?” he answered without thinking, his focus not easily pulled away from me in my distress.

Esther smacked him, the impact stinging his cheek and sending fury flooding through him. Elijah placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder to keep him calm, lest he forget she was more than their mother. She was the Original witch.

Nik and his mother glared at each other a moment longer before she shifted her gaze to me. “The poor child. Whatever has happened to her?” She sounded concerned, but the small smirk on her face did not go unnoticed by either Nik or Elijah.

***

Bound: @deadmanwalked @the-doctor-9-10 @kawaiirepublic @xlosttdreamss @tkdgirl2012 @cacti-succulents-andlesbians @killerheelsanddullknives @readeity @kayla-03-blog @star-incandescent  @bookwormstrawberry @lostinwonderland314 @zillahvathek @kayluera

All the Things: @swanky-batman @rissyrapp20 @startrekkingaroundasgard @spooookyscary @taylordrunkonwhiskey @laneygthememequeen @collette04 @shatteredabby @thewolf-and-thesheep 

[thatfanficstuff]

Bound - 10

Pairing: Niklaus Mikaelson x OC

Warning: nope

***

I spun in my seat prepared to strike out only to breathe a sigh of relief when I realized it was Elijah that had opened the door. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. “That was not funny.”

“I wasn’t attempting to be,” he assured me, though his lips twitched in amusement. “Niklaus wishes for you to join us.”

I climbed out of the car and let Elijah take my hand to lead me into the house. The closer we came to the massive building, the more power swamped me. If I could access my own magic, there would be a lot of temptation here to draw more power than I was capable of using safely. I wondered briefly if this was where Bonnie got the excess power she’d been hoarding before I took it from her. Not that it really mattered.

As we stepped inside, I stopped in the entry way and sucked in a breath. Whispers buzzed around me and I closed my eyes in an attempt to filter through them. Why are they here? Make them leave. Take the still ones with them.

I frowned. There were a lot of voices here and they were unhappy. “We mean you no harm. We have not come to disturb you, only to reclaim that which was taken from us.”

Take it then and leave. No. No. No. She can stay but they must leave.

“Cassie?”

I opened my eyes to find Elijah studying me.

“Are you all right?” he asked with a frown.

I nodded once. “Yeah, there are a lot of unhappy witches here. Wasn’t Maddox affected?”

“Not that he mentioned. Come.” He grasped my hand more tightly in his and led me through the house, carefully avoiding areas that might trip me up. I was so busy watching my feet that I didn’t realize we’d found the others until Nik called my name.

I glanced up quickly to find him smiling at me as he stood beside a pair of coffins. Elijah released my hand and I went to stand beside the hybrid immediately wrapping my arm around his waist and pressing myself against his side. The whispers started again in earnest and I cringed. My eyes found Maddox. “Can’t you hear them?”

His eyebrows shot up into his hairline. “Hear who? I can feel the power and the agitation, but I don’t hear anyone.”

My gaze shifted to Nik. “We need to get out of here. They aren’t happy that you’re here.”

He didn’t ask any questions. Instead he simply nodded and pulled out his phone to issue instructions. When he’d finished, he turned his full attention on me. “One of the coffins is missing. Do you think you could help Maddox locate it?”

“I can certainly help him find a spell, but I can tell you right now that it depends a great deal on the witches that died here and whether they wish you to find it or not. Right now, I’m leaning toward not.”

Nik growled in irritation and my eyes darted between the two coffins. “Who’s in the third coffin?”

“What, love?”

“The third coffin. Rebekah is undaggered and at the boarding house with Stefan. Elijah is here. That leaves Finn and Kol. So, who’s in the third coffin?”

“I’m ashamed to say that didn’t even occur to me,” Elijah said. And now there were two of us scowling at the hybrid waiting for answers.

Nik shook his head once. “Not here. Too many ears, even if they are dead. Come.”

***

It didn’t take us long to find our way back to the car. Nik refused to speak while we were still on the property and he wouldn’t leave until his hybrids arrived with the truck. We sat in silence and watched as they loaded the other two brothers onto the truck. Once Maddox joined them in the cab, they pulled away. Elijah started the car and followed them off the property before pulling over on the side of the road before we’d even gone half a mile.

“Talk, brother,” Elijah demanded and my eyes focused on Nik.

A muscle twitched in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. Whatever he was about to say, I was fairly certain I wasn’t going to like it. “It’s Esther.”

Pure fear shot through me. “What do you mean, it’s Esther, Nik?” My voice trembled.

He turned in his seat and reached back to place a hand on my knee. “To be fair, when I placed her in the coffin, I wasn’t aware of the full extent of her treachery. I was still grieving and living with the guilt of having killed her.”

“So, you kept her corpse? To what purpose, Niklaus?”

“I suppose at the time, I thought perhaps I could bring her back one day. That I could beg for her forgiveness.” He sighed. “And while she is dead, I wouldn’t necessarily call her a corpse. She’s been maintained by a stasis spell.”

“Is there anything else we should know?” I asked, sounding slightly manic. “Was she breathing when you stuck her in there? Are you sure she was ever dead to start with?”

His hand squeezed my knee. “Breathe, Cassie. I assure you that Esther was dead. Her heart was missing last I saw of her. And a locking spell was placed on the coffin to insure no one could enter without my permission.”

That eased my worry somewhat but not enough to put me completely at ease. “If she comes back somehow, it is important for you to remember that no one is supposed to remember anything that happens on the other side. Not when you enter it like I did. She said things to me…” I trailed off then took a deep breath. “If she even suspects I remember anything, she will kill me.”

“We will remember, Cassie, but I find it unlikely that my mother will pick now to return from the grave.” Elijah did his best to reassure me, but it didn’t help much.

“Why wouldn’t she, Elijah? Your father is dead. Up until now he was here tormenting you on her behalf. Hunting Nik. If anyone can find a way to return from the Otherside it would be her.”

The brothers exchanged a look and I turned to gaze out the window beside me. After a moment, Elijah restarted the car and pulled onto the road. As we neared home, I broke the silence. “Nik?”

“Yes, love?”

“When we get that coffin back, we’re burning it, the Original witch bitch included.”

“Wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise, sweetheart.”

***

It was the next day before I convinced Damon to meet me at the grill. He was convinced it was some sort of trap, and I suppose I could have made it one, but I didn’t see the point. I just wanted to end this. All of it. I also wasn’t stupid enough to meet him on my own but Stefan provided a nice compromise. Damon was still pissed at little brother for saving Nik but he trusted Stefan not to kill him.

“I’m surprised Klaus is letting you do this,” Stefan said as we sat in a booth together waiting for Damon.

I shrugged and gave him a small smile.

Stefan’s eyes went wide. “You didn’t tell him. Are you nuts?”

“You know as well as I do that Damon wouldn’t have come if Elijah or Nik was here instead of you. You also know neither of them would have let me come without them. I just want this to be over. It’s exhausting.”

Stefan nodded. “It is.” He tapped on the table with one finger while he thought. “Just don’t get hurt, huh? I kind of like my heart where it is.”

I huffed a laugh. “You’ll be just fine, Stefan.” Damon walked through the door just as I finished speaking and I raised a hand to signal him.

He slid onto the bench next to Stefan and I pushed a glass of bourbon in his direction. “Cassidy. Baby brother. To what do I owe the invitation.”

He flashed that smirk and I had to remind myself that I no longer had my magic so smacking it off his face would be a bad idea.

“This needs to end, Damon.”

He sipped his drink then sat the glass down with a thud. “To what exactly are you referring?”

Stefan rolled his eyes.

“All of it. This thing between you and the Scooby gang and Klaus. Someone’s going to get killed and it won’t be on my side.”

He narrowed his gaze and looked between me and his brother. “And that doesn’t bother you? That your so-called friends would kill one of us?”

“Of course, it bothers me, Damon. That’s why I called you. You’ve reached your limit. You do anything else and they will kill you.” I kept my eyes locked on his hoping he would see the sincerity there.

His gaze darted around the grill, the eye contact making him uncomfortable. “He got his coffins back, what else does he want?”

“One of the coffins was missing. He wants it back.”

The look of shock on Damon’s face couldn’t be faked. “That wasn’t me. You’ve got to believe me. I left all three in that house.”

This wasn’t good. I believed the elder Salvatore but who knew if Nik would.

“Who else knew they were there?” Stefan asked.

Damon shook his head and I could see the moment realization dawned on him. He licked his lips. “Bonnie. She helped me hide them. It had to be her.”

I sighed. “Yeah, that makes sense unfortunately. She’s been edgy since I stripped her of that excess magic. I’m assuming she sees my lack of powers as an opportunity too good to pass up.”

“Look, Cass, Elena and I didn’t mean anything by all of this. She just wanted Stefan back and I was worried about you. About both of you. We just wanted to make sure that both of you were okay.” His words came quickly and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince me or himself.

“Well, in the future I suggest you learn a new word when it comes to Elena. No. She can’t do a lot without your help so just don’t give it to her.”

He nodded but looked uncertain.

I reached out and laid a hand over his. “The only reason you are still alive is because of me. You do realize that, right?”

He studied me for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I know. I didn’t want to admit it at first, but I know.”

Pulling my hand away, I leaned back in my seat. “I think you and Elena need to leave town for a while. Stefan will let you know when it’s safe to come back. You don’t want to be caught in this shit. Let the blame fall where it belongs.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Cassidy.”

With that, he was gone and Stefan and I just sat staring at each other for a while. “Do you really think Klaus will let them go?”

“Yeah. He may not trust them, but he trusts me. You better take me home so I can talk to him before he goes after them.”

***

Bound:  @deadmanwalked @the-doctor-9-10 @kawaiirepublic @xlosttdreamss @tkdgirl2012 @cacti-succulents-andlesbians @killerheelsanddullknives @readeity @kayla-03-blog @star-incandescent  @bookwormstrawberry @lostinwonderland314 @zillahvathek

[thatfanficstuff]

Bound - Part 9.5

Pairing: Klaus x OC

Warings: nope

A/N: The second half of Part 9. Yes, I am evil. No I am not sorry.

***

By the time Nik came home, I had changed and eaten. I sat in the living room with Elijah and Maddox partaking in a drink and quiet conversation. As usual when he was annoyed by something, Nik slammed open the door when he arrived, making certain everyone knew he was there.

I stayed in my seat and let Maddox greet him. “Niklaus.”

“Where is she?” His tone was short, frustrated and I sighed. I didn’t have it in me to argue with him. To soothe his temper and coddle him. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath reminding myself that I loved him.

Hands cupped my face and I opened my eyes to find Nik crouched in front of me. “Hello,” I said softly and gave him a half smile.

His echoing grin had his dimples flashing. “Hello, sweet heart. How are you?” One hand reached up to push a loose strand of hair from my face and tuck it behind my ear. 

“Tired. You?”

He hummed and pressed his forehead against mine. “I am sorry I was not here when you awakened. I should have stayed.”

I leaned back to look at him in surprise. I had expected a tirade about ordering him around, not an apology.

“Niklaus Mikaelson, if I didn’t know any better, I would say you’ve got a soft spot for me.”

“Don’t tell anyone,” he said in a low tone then leaned forward to steal a quick kiss. He repositioned us until we were in his favorite position with him in the chair and me in his lap. “So, my love, you wanted to plan. Let’s plan.”

“Cassidy believes Bonnie Bennett may be the key we need,” Maddox said as he resumed his seat. “I’m inclined to agree.”

Nik looked to me. “Clarify.”

“This wasn’t some well thought out plan. Damon reacted on instinct. He’s not smart enough to be able to hide them like this without help. Most likely he got that from Bonnie. She’s still pissed about me siphoning her excess magic at the dance.”

His hand was on my back and he ran his thumb back and forth as I spoke. When I finished he nodded and turned back to Maddox. “And how do we find Ms. Bennett?”

I shrugged. “I kind of thought we’d just knock on her door.”

***

As it turned out, all of our planning was for nothing. Just as they were prepared to head out after the Bennett witch, Stefan called to say he knew where the coffins were. Nik wanted me to stay behind, but finally conceded to my presence as long as I agreed to stay in the car and out of the way.

That didn’t keep me from bringing my gun just the same. It didn’t take us long to arrive at a run-down estate. The wave of power that came from the building swamped me when we were still several yards away. I glanced at Maddox to find him looking back with wide eyes. “Nik, there is an incredible amount of power here. Be careful.”

He turned and looked between the two of us before nodding once. I bit my lip as I took in the rigid line of his shoulders. Damn Esther. If she hadn’t bound my powers I could go in there with them and protect them.

“Get a protection spell up,” I ordered Maddox as they climbed from the car but my eyes never left Nik.

Dread settled in my belly as I watched them split up to approach the building from different directions. Part of me wanted to yell at them to stop, to just forget about it. I didn’t like them being in the midst of this much magic without knowing more about it, where it came from.

Time stretched and I fidgeted in my seat. The only sound I could hear was the rasping of my own breathing. What was taking so long? At one point I was certain I saw movement but as I stared into the shadows, nothing else stood out.

I was just about to risk Nik’s wrath and head after them when the door behind me opened with a click.

Bound:  @deadmanwalked @the-doctor-9-10 @kawaiirepublic @xlosttdreamss @tkdgirl2012 @cacti-succulents-andlesbians @killerheelsanddullknives @readeity @kayla-03-blog @star-incandescent  @bookwormstrawberry 

All the Things:  @swanky-batman @rissyrapp20 @startrekkingaroundasgard @spooookyscary @taylordrunkonwhiskey @thewolf-and-thesheep

[thatfanficstuff]

Bound - Part 9

Pairing: Nik x OC

Warning: ??

A/N: This will be posted in two parts. This part now and the rest on Tuesday due to the logoff. So it’s short but you’ll get more in a couple of days. 

***

I woke slowly, keeping my eyes closed as I took in the world around me. I was in a bed I was fairly certain was my own. The room was quiet and I was alone. Opening my eyes, I found that only one lamp on the far side of the room was on. But I was in my own bed. Glancing over I found water on the bedside table instead of blood. I took that as a good sign.

I sipped at the water and tossed the blanket aside so I could sit up. While part of me wanted to call out for Nik, the rest of me feared that he wouldn’t answer. I had no idea what had happened after Mikael stabbed me. I took a deep breath and braced myself. There was only one way to find out.

“Nik?” I called out. There was no reason to be overly loud as if he was in the house, he was undoubtedly listening for me.

When the door opened it was Elijah that entered. While I was happy to see my friend, my chest tightened with panic. He must have picked up on the change in my heart beat because he immediately soothed my worries. 

“Niklaus is fine. Once he was certain you would recover, he left to take care of some business.”

I licked my lips not liking how dry they suddenly felt. “Bullshit. What is going on, Elijah? You and I both know Nik wouldn’t have left me in that state unless it was something urgent. So, what fresh new crisis is upon us?”

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “May I?” he asked and gestured to the bed. I nodded and shifted my position so I was facing him. “Damon attempted to stake Niklaus while he was distracted by you. Stefan interceded and Niklaus killed Mikael.”

Relief flooded through me. “He’s gone?”

Elijah smiled and nodded his head. “Yes. My father’s tyranny is at an end.”

“If Mikael is gone, then where is Nik, Elijah?” The longer he went without telling me, the more nervous I became.

“It would seem when Stefan returned from your adventure, he told Damon more than he should have. He believed his brother was past his plotting and failed to see the harm in what he revealed.”

He was driving me nuts. “Quit dancing around it and just tell me.”

He sighed. “Damon has taken the rest of my siblings and is holding them hostage.”

I hopped to my feet and rocked as my head spun. Elijah was by my side in an instant steadying me. “Easy, Cassie. You nearly died. It will take your body time to fully recover.”

I huffed a laugh. “You think I’d be getting used to that by now.”

“Yes, well…” He lowered me back down to sit on the bed.

“So, why did Damon take them?”

He cleared his throat. “It is his insurance policy. He believes as long as he alone knows the location of the coffins, that Niklaus will not kill him.”

My brain hurt as I tried to comprehend the sheer level of stupidity that was Damon Salvatore. And I had a sinking feeling that Elena was involved as well. If she was willing to use her own cousin as bait, I couldn’t rule out anything.

“Holy hell. Nik is going to flay him alive.”

“I believe that was mentioned as one of the options.”

I may not have my magic at the moment, but I still knew how to come up with a plan. “All right. Has he had Maddox cast a location spell?”

“Of course. However, it yielded no results. He was hoping for your assistance once you awakened.”

I nodded, already running through the list of location spells in my head. “And Bonnie?”

“I am uncertain of her status at the moment.”

“The hybrids?” They could be searching manually while we attempted to locate the others magically.

Elijah’s lips twitched. “Perhaps you should call Niklaus.” He handed over his phone. I’d have to locate mine later.

“Now is not the time, Elijah,” Nik answered.

“Where are you?”

“Cassie.” My name came in a relieved sigh. “How are you, love?”

“Confused. Anxious. Pissed off. But I’m okay. Come home, Nik.”

“Did Elijah not explain what has happened?” His voice was sharp.

“He did. Come home and let me help you come up with a plan. You’re running on emotion right now and you’re going to end up killing him before you get what you need.”

“Cassie—” he started and I cut him off.

“Don’t argue with me.” I sounded exhausted and I was. “Just come home.”

Bound:  @deadmanwalked @the-doctor-9-10 @kawaiirepublic @xlosttdreamss @tkdgirl2012 @cacti-succulents-andlesbians @killerheelsanddullknives @readeity @kayla-03-blog @star-incandescent  @bookwormstrawberry

All the Things:   @swanky-batman @rissyrapp20 @startrekkingaroundasgard @spooookyscary @taylordrunkonwhiskey @thewolf-and-thesheep 

[thatfanficstuff]

Bound (2)

Pairing: Nik x OC

Warnings: nope

A/N: This part is a bit short but it was stop it here or post megachapter. 

***

Laughter echoed from the living room as I opened the door. I smiled and headed in that direction. My gaze moved between Stefan, Elijah and Nik as I leaned against the doorframe. “I’m not sure if I should be happy you’re all getting along or jealous you started without me,” I said finally.

Three smiling faces turned in my direction.

“Damon?” Stefan asked immediately.

“He’s fine,” I answered then pursed my lips wondering how much else I should mention.

“What is it, love?” Nik asked. He knew me well enough by now to know when I was debating something with myself.

My gaze shifted to lock on his. “Despite everything, you are still the bad guy and I’m an idiot for loving you.”

Nik grinned as he always did when I told him I loved him. He took a drink of his bourbon in an attempt to hide the smile.

I looked back to Stefan. “And you should probably know he and Elena were kissing when I got there.”

Everyone in the room seemed to freeze in surprise for a moment.

Finally, Elijah cleared his throat. “I am sure it was simply two friends saying farewell. After all, they had every reason to believe he would die until Cassie arrived.”

Stefan grimaced and took another sip of his drink. “I’m sure you’re right,” he said.

I made my way to Nik and took my favorite seat in his lap. His arms immediately opened for me and wrapped around me to hold me in place once I’d settled. “Given the general joviality here, I am assuming you removed the compulsion?”

His hand wrapped around the back of my neck and he arched a brow. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I did or I’d certainly have to now, wouldn’t I?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t even be acting like you weren’t planning on doing it anyway.”

Elijah chuckled. Nik and I’s exchanges always did amuse him.

“Yes, I removed the compulsion. Stefan has yet to decide if he will be accompanying us on our journey or not, however.”

Stefan looked between me and my hybrid. After a moment, he downed the rest of his drink and sat his glass on the table. “You know what? Why not?”

***

It was now late summer and the three of us were still on the hunt for werewolves. They weren’t nearly as easy to find as Nik had assumed they would be. Thankfully, he hadn’t asked for any spells from me as I still had no access to my magic. And I still hadn’t told either Original. When we left Mystic Falls, Elijah had gone his own way, seeing to some ‘business’. Fortunately, I’d convinced Nik it wasn’t necessary to kill everyone we questioned so the two vampires had resorted to compulsion over bloodshed. For the most part.

We were following another lead and I was currently sat in the back of the car playing on my phone. It vibrated in my hand. Elena. I sighed. “Your girlfriend is calling me again,” I announced to Stefan.

He answered with a grunt and a shrug of his shoulders.

I rolled my eyes. Stefan had decided he wasn’t speaking to her. And since she couldn’t get him on the phone, she kept calling me. “Hello, Elena,” I answered.

“Hey, Cassie. How’s your trip going?”

“It’s going. We are in…I actually have no idea where we are at the moment,” I confessed.

Nik smirked. He was driving as he got bored quickly if he had nothing to do. And Stefan complained one too many times about the activities the two of us got up to if we were in the back seat together. “We’re in Tennessee, love.”

“What he said,” I told her as he’d spoken loud enough to be heard. “What’s going on there? Anything exciting?”

“Not really.” There was a pause and I knew what was coming next. “Is Stefan still with you?”

“Yep,” I said, popping the p. “And his phone is fine. He just doesn’t answer it when you or Damon call. Maybe you should just give him some time.”

Stefan glared at me and I simply glared back.

“Oh,” Elena said softly.

“Look, Elena, contrary to what you and Damon think, Stefan and I are both on this journey of our own free will. The fact that you continue to insist we are compelled and don’t know what we are doing is irritating at best. We don’t need to be rescued, we don’t need to be talked to like we’re toddlers with no concept of the world. That and he’s still pissed the two of you kissed,” I told her.

“I still can’t believe you told him about that,” Elena pouted.

I sighed. “You keep insisting you aren’t a kid anymore. So, act like it. Pick a brother. Stringing them both along is something a child would do. I love you Elena, but I’m done being in the middle of this.”

I hung up without waiting for her to respond and stared out the window. Feeling eyes on me, I looked toward the front to find Stefan turned in his seat and Nik glancing at me in the review mirror. “What?”

“You okay?” Stefan asked.

“Just annoyed. I’ll get over it.”

“Perhaps, you should follow Stefan’s example and ignore the doppelganger’s calls for a while, yes?” Nik suggested. Though I knew it wasn’t really a suggestion. He was being polite about it for now but if I continued to get upset about the situation, that would stop.

“Message received, hybrid.”

He pulled to the side of the road and parked. “The house we’re looking for is just ahead.” He twisted in his seat to glance back at me. “Are you coming with or staying put, sweetheart?”

I feigned disinterest as I normally did. “I’ll stay. You don’t need me in there anyway.”

Nik pursed his lips and nodded his head. “All right, love. I’ll be back soon.”

My eyes followed them until they disappeared from my sight and I let out a sigh of relief. The truth was, I would like nothing better than to accompany them if for no other reason than it would keep me from worrying. Without my magic, I was just another obstacle. I would only get in the way. And I was desperate to keep Nik from discovering my lack of magic. I feared he would either send me away for my own safety or lose interest in me entirely. 

Tag List:  @deadmanwalked @the-doctor-9-10 @kawaiirepublic @xlosttdreamss @tkdgirl2012 @cacti-succulents-andlesbians @killerheelsanddullknives @bookwormstrawberry @readeity @kayla-03-blog ​

[thatfanficstuff]

Help me Out!

I need opinions on several things:

1. Who Reader should end up with at the end of my Marvel Christmas series. And at the end of my Christmas Supernatural series?

2. I have an original short story I wrote for an anthology. Do you guys want me to post it here?

3. Since I’m putting Nightingale’s song on hiatus what fandom would you like the next series to be in ( I have several ideas) TVD/TO is off the table because of Bound. 

4. Not an opinion thing but if you would like a copy of either the first book in my UF series or my twisted fairytale (see this post)  message me your email and format or you can send an ask with that info and I’ll email it to you (you can have both if you want.)

(just tags below the cut)

If you are on one of my lists or expressed interest in a free book I’ve tagged you below. sorry....not really. ;) If your tag wasn’t working today I just left it off.

@evyiione @violentmommabear42 @theroyalbrownbarbie @aomi-nabi @livinglion @thorins-queen-of-Erebor  @swoopswishsward  @gabriellewritermua  @cutiepiemimi13  @deadmanwalked @the-doctor-9-10 @kawaiirepublic @xlosttdreamss @tkdgirl2012 @cacti-succulents-andlesbians @killerheelsanddullknives @readeity @kayla-03-blog @star-incandescent  @bookwormstrawberry   @autumndestlny @shiregrown  @swanky-batman @rissyrapp20 @startrekkingaroundasgard @spooookyscary @taylordrunkonwhiskey @thewolf-and-thesheep @cherry-will-regret-this @lucdarling @cs-please 

[thatfanficstuff]

Bound - 7 (take 2)

Pairing: Klaus x OC

Warnings: none

A/N: Have this boring photo free post because dumblr flagged my one with the header. Idiots.

***

Several hours passed before we heard from Rebekah. She sent Elijah a text that said Elena and company knew nothing. They were only digging for information.

“Do you believe that?” I asked before I could think better of it.

“Are you suggesting Rebekah would lie to us?” Nik’s voice held an edge I didn’t care for.

“Careful, Niklaus,” Elijah said, his gaze darting between the two of us.

“I’m not suggesting anything, Nik.” I arched a brow as I took him in. “I don’t know her well enough to know if she would lie or not. I do know Elena however and I find it unlikely her and Damon would expose their play unless they were ready to act.”

He closed the distance between us. “My sister swore a vow. She would not betray me. You may think you know everything about our family but you do not. So kindly refrain from commenting on things of which you are no part.”

“Niklaus,” Elijah snapped, but it was too late. The damage was done.

I turned to the elder Original. “If you insist on trying to keep him from self-sabotaging, you face an eternity of disappointment, Elijah.”

I moved to leave the room and Nik’s hand on my arm stopped me. “Where are you going?”

“To visit my uncle. Is there a problem with that?”

He looked as if he wanted to argue but decided against it. “Then I will take you. I don’t like you out alone.”

I brushed his hand away. “I think I’ve got it covered. Besides you should save your worry for those that actually are a part of your family.”

***

I was more frustrated with Nik than I was angry. By now, I was more than used to him saying the wrong thing usually at precisely the wrong time. A couple of hours with Elijah bitching at him for his thoughtlessness should be sufficient punishment. The thought was enough to have me feeling better as I knocked on Ric’s door.

“Come in,” he called.

“I hope you aren’t making a habit of blindly inviting people into your home, Ric. You should no better than that,” I said as I walked in and shut the door behind me.

“Cassidy!” He grinned then glanced around his apartment at the photos scattered on every available surface. “Just…uh…give me a minute,” he stuttered and started to sweep the photos into a hasty pile.

Taking a step to the nearest surface, I grabbed one and looked it over. A white symbol scratched onto a dark wall. It must be the language from the cave Nik mentioned.  “You don’t have to hide this, you know. I already know about the cave.”

“The cave?”

I smiled and took a seat on the couch. “You would think that you might have reached out to the person that’s studied ancient cultures, but whatever.”

Ric sighed and sat beside me, resting his hand on my knee. “Yeah, well, I suggested that. It seems as though Elena and Damon don’t trust you.”

“I’m getting a little fed up with the two of them if I’m honest.”

“Elena’s just a kid.”

“Maybe someone should remind Damon of that fact,” I suggested.

“Come on, Cass. Damon’s not that bad. He’s just a little—”

I cut him off. “Didn’t he kill you not too long ago?”

Ric made a sound of agreement but didn’t say anything else.

“Listen, can I crash on your couch tonight?” I asked after a moment.

It was obvious he wanted to dig deeper but he was a good man. “Actually, you can have the bed. I’m staying with Jenna.”

***

I spent the next day lazing around Ric’s apartment and watching bad sci fi movies in between texting the Mikaelson brothers. I was ready to go home but I was holding out for an apology. He’d been close but hadn’t cracked yet. I just had to be patient.

When my phone dinged again, I picked it up with a smile which fell quickly when I saw the message was from Rebekah. I want to talk to you. Could you come to Stefan’s.

I sat up with a frown. There was no question. I didn’t trust Rebekah. Not in the least. But it was important to Nik that we get along so I supposed I could at least make an effort. I told her I’d be right there then shot a message to Elijah to tell him what was going on. The phone immediately rang.

“Rebekah requested to meet with you?” Elijah’s smooth voice said when I answered.

“That she did.”

“Did she say why?”

“No. I’m hoping Stefan managed to convince her that I’m not that bad. I guess we’ll find out.”

“Be careful, Cassie. As much as I love my sister, it would be remiss of me not to be aware of her more possessive tendencies when it comes to her family.”

“Well, that’s just lovely, Elijah. I’ll keep it in mind.”

***

Elena was the one to answer the door. “Cassidy!” She threw her arms around me. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

My hug was a little more restrained. “It’s good to see you, too. Is Rebekah here?”

“Oh, yeah.” She pulled away. “She’s waiting for you in Stefan’s room.”

I kept my gaze on her as I made my way up the stairs. She was acting oddly too. What was going on?

I paused in the doorway of Stefan’s room as my gaze fell on Rebekah. She was dressed in a sleeveless red dress with her hair hanging loose to her shoulders. “Hello, Rebekah. You look great.”

She met my gaze in the mirror and smiled. “Thank you, Cassidy. Stefan said you were sweet.”

“I have my moments.” I glanced around. “Where is Stefan?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Running an errand.”

Well, that was vague. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

She turned to face me and licked her lips. “I want to ask you a question and I’d appreciate it if you were honest with me.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Do you know what happened to my mother?”

That surprised me. “Yes. Do you?” As far as I knew, she still believed Mikael had killed Esther.

“Did Niklaus kill my mother?”

By the way she asked the question I could tell she already knew the answer. I sighed. “Of course, he did Rebekah.”

That got her to her feet. She stopped inches from me. “What do you mean, of course?”

“Your mother was the only source of parental love Nik had. Though, it was tenuous at best. She let Mikael abuse him and belittle him and did nothing to intervene.”

Moisture pooled in her eyes. “What did you expect her to do? She was terrified of my father.”

“She was a witch, Rebekah. If she was strong enough to turn you all into vampires, she was strong enough to stop your father. She chose him over her son.” I was yelling by that point but I didn’t care. “And instead of facing the consequences for her infidelity, she forced that burden on him as well by binding his werewolf side and turning her back on him. Of course, he ripped her heart out. She deserved it.”

My head snapped to the side as Rebekah slapped me. Thankfully, she held back or she very well might have broken something. As it was, I’d be bruised tomorrow. “You, bitch,” she snarled.

Before I could retaliate, Elena stepped into the room and I watched in fascinated horror as she daggered Rebekah in the back. The blonde reached out for me, but I could do little more than catch her to keep her from hitting the floor. I lowered her gently to the ground before turning my full attention to my cousin.

“What the hell are you thinking, Elena?”

“I’m sorry, Cassidy but we can’t let her interfere. She might warn him.”

A chill went up my spine as Damon walked into the room. My gaze moved between the two of them. “Warn who?”

Damon shrugged as he gave me a smirk. “Don’t worry about it, Grimes. Everything will be over before you know it. We just need to borrow you to seal the trap.”

“I’m not doing shit for you, Salvatore.”

He dropped a hand on my shoulder. “I guess it’s a good thing you don’t have your powers anymore then, isn’t it?”

***

I am retagging everyone in this post as well as I don’t know when the other one will be visible. Sorry if you get notifs for both.

Bound: @deadmanwalked @the-doctor-9-10 @kawaiirepublic @xlosttdreamss @tkdgirl2012 @cacti-succulents-andlesbians @killerheelsanddullknives @readeity @kayla-03-blog @star-incandescent  @bookwormstrawberry 

All the Things: @swanky-batman @rissyrapp20 @startrekkingaroundasgard @spooookyscary @taylordrunkonwhiskey @thewolf-and-thesheep 

[sixstepsawaywrites]

@tkdgirl2012 this took a slightly angsty turn, I used a soulmate prompt idea of “Your soulmate clock is actually a countdown of how long your soulmate has left to live and holy shit you have to find your soulmate soon because your clock says you have three months left (for angst maybe).” from here but I hope you like it! I also wasn’t sure about the timeline between Sara’s death + resurrection in Flash and LoT, so I took some creative license with it.

It also got long as hell. Oops.

minus figures

“Actually, I was dead for a year.” 

It shouldn’t have stuck in his mind the way it did, but there he was, scratching at his arm and glaring at the ceiling of what was apparently his new home. 

“When?” 

He wasn’t sure when he’d left his room or ambled his way to the training room to find Sara beating seven hells out of a punching bag, but there he was. 

“What are you talking about?” she said, turning back to the bag. He stepped behind it, bracing it with his body, and she glanced at him before going back to punching. 

“You said you were dead for a year,” he said. “When?” 

She shrugged. “Died? A year and a half ago, give or take. Came back... Eh, four months ago?” 

He swallowed, fighting to keep whatever confusion he was feeling off his face, but she noticed, lowering her hands and studying him. 

“Why?” she said. 

“No reason.” He released the bag. She glared at him. He sighed. “Something weird happened to me,” he said, “a while back. Thought it might be related.” 

“What, was there blood in your dumpster or something?” she said. He looked at her, confused, and she waved a hand. “Nothing. What happened?” 

He didn’t want to tell her, but he felt like he’d signed himself up for this so here he was. “My clock stopped.” 

She paused, looking at him. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, sincerely. 

He pulled a face. Everyone knew what the stopped clock meant: your soulmate had died. There was no guarantees that you’d find your soulmate before the clock reached zero and they died, there was only the promise that if you had found them you’d know when your clock stopped and they were gone.

 He’d never really cared for the idea of meeting his soulmate, although he’d been concerned Mick might be that and his clock was counting down, and then one morning he’d woken up and his clock had reached zero and Mick was snoozing on his sofa and he hadn’t cared, not really, but he’d still felt a small thud of loss in the pit of his stomach because somewhere out there in the universe, his soulmate had just died. 

He’d never known them – she, he, them, whatever – but they were still gone, he’d never meet them. He was more bothered by not knowing exactly who had died (he checked obits, but they didn’t tell him anything) than he was by them being dead. 

And then, a year after that... his clock had started counting again. 

As far as he knew, this had never happened to anyone else. Ever. 

But there it was. 00:00:00 turned to -00:00:01 to -00:00:50 and kept going. It was into the months now: -2932:34:21, he’d done the math. 

Four months. 

Give or take.

He didn’t really want to explain any of this to her, but it didn’t feel right to not, either, so he sighed. “A year after that, it started counting again.” 

Her head snapped up, icy blue eyes staring into his. “What?”

“Just under three thousand hours, now,” he said. “Or, well, minus three thousand hours.” 

“Can I see?” she said. 

He shrugged, rolling his sleeve up to his elbow and no further. Under a few tattoos and a myriad of scars was his clock, still counting down below zero. “Here.” 

She stepped closer, into his space, and he wasn’t in love but her presence set his skin on fire in ways he wasn’t used to. She put her hand on his arm, slow so he could stop her but he didn’t, and brushed her thumb across the numbers. 

She didn’t speak, he didn’t either. 

After a moment of staring at the ticking clock, she lowered his arm and looked at him. “It’s not me,” she said. 

He let out a breath and looked at her. “Know someone else who came back from the dead four months ago?” 

“Actually, yeah,” she said and turned away, picking up her sweatshirt and pulling it on. “I’m sure it happens all the time.” 

He was equally sure it did not. 

“It’s not me,” she said again, heading for the door. “But whoever it is, I’m sure you’ll meet them eventually.” 

Because her use of gender neutral phrasing didn’t make him like her more at all. “I’m sure,” he drawled, and watched her walk away. 

*** 

She continued to insist they were absolutely not soulmates, that the clock on his arm (still ticking) was absolutely not hers. 

He let her, even though he disagreed. 

They had sex. She ended the night with, “It’s still not me, Leonard!” and stormed out of his room. 

He smirked. It was definitely her. 

He hoped Raymond didn’t catch her stomping through the Waverider half-naked. 

She’d taken off her pants but never her shirt, but that worked for him. That way he didn’t have to take off his either. 

After a while though, he started paying closer attention to her wardrobe choices. He’d seen her in tank tops, before he’d brought up his clock, he was sure of it. It was hard to get the image of her biceps and strong shoulders out of his mind, after all. 

But now she was wearing long-sleeves. Jackets. He hadn’t seen her wear her White Canary outfit without her coat in weeks. She even worked out in a zipped-up sweatshirt. 

She never took her top off when they had sex. 

And maybe that hadn’t been a concern, maybe he’d even liked the excuse not to deal with his own issues, but it didn’t seem like her thing. She seemed like the kind to bare her skin proudly. 

He’d seen her wear less than a jacket. 

It didn’t take him very long to figure it out. 

She was half asleep, curled up on her side of his bed in a long-sleeved shirt and nothing else, and he was lying on his side, watching the ceiling in a t-shirt and nothing else, and before she could fall asleep he said, “Show me.” 

She looked over at him. “Show you what?” 

He sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Show me your clock, Sara,” he said. “My clock.” 

He expected her to argue, insist it wasn’t his clock, spout some nonsense about Oliver Queen being her soulmate again (that was just insulting the first time, let alone the third), but she didn’t. 

She sat up, tugged her shirt off over her head (and dear god she wasn’t wearing anything underneath and this would be a great tactic for continuing to deflect him from seeing her clock if he wasn’t a very determined individual) and extended her forearm for him to see. 

There it was, counting down the seconds and minutes and hours of his life he had left, and it wasn’t in four digits like hers. 

It was barely even in three. 

“Oh,” he said. He wasn’t sure what else there was to say. 

“It’s not yours,” she said, but it was weaker this time, almost like she was begging. 

He licked his lips, mind reeling and going a mile a minute. He could slap on a trademark smirk, kick her out of his bed, sulk quietly, or he could reclaim the determination he’d used to not let her bare chest distract him and put it to good use. 

“So here’s the thing,” he drawled out, reclining on the bed with his head on his hand. He reached out, trailing his fingertips up her forearm, along her clock, and enjoying the sharp intake of breath he received in response. “I have no intention of dying.” 

She swallowed. “Oh?” 

“There are no strings on me, Sara,” he said, fingertips sliding further up her arm. “I’m not going to die just because a clock on your arm says I’m going to.” 

She let out the breath she’d taken in and looked at him. “No?” 

“No,” he said, and met her eyes. “I’ve never let anyone tell me how to live my life, and I’m not going to start with letting a clock tell me how I’m going to end it.” 

She replied with a kiss and he let her, even as the imaginary ticking of the clock on her arm filled his ears. 

*** 

He had never felt truly ashamed of his own actions before, but here he was, ashamed. The time masters had come for them, her clock was reading hours in the single figures, and he’d panicked. 

He’d panicked. 

And worse still, it turned out he’d been a puppet all along. 

“Turns out I was just following a script,” he said from her doorway. She was staring at the ceiling and he wondered if she had the same sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that he did. 

“Doesn’t make you any less of a jerk.” 

He ambled over, leaning against her bed, and looked across at her. They did the dance, the one of deflection and avoidance, like they always did, and then he said, “I’ve started to wonder about what the future might hold for me, and you.” He looked at her and he wondered if she knew how hard this was for him. “And me and you.” 

She looked back at him. “There is no future for us, Leonard,” she said, and her voice cracked, just a little. “We both know that.” 

She slid off the bed, walking out of the room, and he stayed, looking at the bed they’d never shared, and wondering if they ever would. 

*** 

He’d sworn he wouldn’t do this, he’d sworn it. He’d promised himself her clock would go down into minus figures just like his had, he’d made himself a million promises that he’d not die, he’d not prove that a clock on some woman’s arm could dictate when he’d breathe his last breath and yet here they were. 

Just like the clock had foretold.

She’d known it all along, and he supposed he had too. 

“Just do it,” he said, one hand buried in the oculus and the other at his side. He wondered if there was irony in the fact her clock would blow up long before he did, if the explosion came from his hand. 

“No.” She shook her head. “There has to be another way.” 

“There isn’t.” He looked at her, meeting her eyes. “I was always going to end up here. We both knew it.” 

It was true. He’d known he couldn’t beat her clock. 

He’d take being her soulmate over beating it anyway. 

“Show me,” he said. When she looked at him, confused, he sighed. “Your clock.” 

She hesitated, then rolled up her sleeve, holding her forearm between them. He looked down at it, reading the numbers as they counted down from two and a half minutes. 

“You know it’s right,” he said. “Get Mick out of here. Raymond’s damn clock is still counting, so he can’t die here.” 

She made a little noise under her breath, he could see the gears whirling behind her eyes, and then she kissed him. 

And it all mattered just a little less. 

*** 

She looked down at her clock. 

00:00:00 

Not a surprise, but still painful. 

Agonizing, even. 

She lay awake, staring at it, wondering what it would take for it to start ticking again, what deal she’d have to make, what pit she’d have to drop him into. 

Not that there was even a body.

No body for Leonard, no pit for Laurel, just a gaping hole in the very fibre of her being. 

She kept going.

She imagined it sometimes, his arm and his clock, the ticking of the minus figures of her life that now felt so empty, even if it was full. 

And then one day he showed up again. 

And she looked down at her wrist and it was still all zeroes. 

Every single number was zeroes. 

No minus figures. 

He wasn’t alive, he was still gone. 

And it hurt all over again. 

“We have to send him back to twenty fourteen,” she said, leaning back in her chair and resting her hands in her lap. She hoped she didn’t look as exhausted as she felt, but it was doubtful. “Malcolm has to go back to twenty-seventeen, Damien has to go back to assholeville, and Leonard has to go back to where Eobard recruited him from.” 

“Why?” Mick said, and he looked as pained as she felt. 

“Because if we don’t set him back on that path,” she said, “he’ll never be on our ship, you won’t be either, and he won’t die destroying the oculus. Either time will fold in on itself, or we’ll end up in a totally other timeline. Probably the first, since the Vanishing Point exists outside of time.” 

She’d spent too much time with Rip, clearly. 

“Ah,” he said. 

She swung through the holding cells to collect Damien, and kept her face impassive when she looked at Leonard. “Before we drop you off,” she said, “show me your wrist.” 

“What?” he said. 

She eyed him. “Just do it.” 

He only argued a little more, and then he rolled his sleeve up and held it to the glass. 

The countdown wasn’t in minus figures. On his timeline, she hadn’t even died yet, and on hers he’d been gone almost a year. 

She sighed a little and collected Damien. 

*** 

Sara was grateful as she belted through the urban jungle of wrong LA that she hadn’t let herself go once she was captain. 

If she had, she’d probably be t-rex kibble by now. 

She leapt over a low wall, did a roll and—crunch. 

Her foot went down wrong, her ankle snapped and she hit the ground.

She wondered if somewhere in the vanishing point, her clock was about to stop again. 

She rolled over, choking back a cry as the t-rex bent down to eat her and then— 

It turned to ice. 

“I leave you alone for five god forsaken minutes,” a familiar voice drawled, “and you break time.” A pause. “And your ankle.” 

She scrambled to her feet, then yelped in pain when she put her weight on her ankle, and Leonard looped an arm around her. “It’s okay, lean on me.” 

She did so, tilting her face up to look at him in confusion. “Leonard?” 

“In the flesh,” he said. “I assume because – as previously stated – you broke time.” 

“You’re alive,” she said. 

“You broke time,” he repeated.

She pulled a face. “There’s more where that came from,” she said, gesturing at the t-rex popsicle where it wobbled beside them. “The Waverider is that way.” She gestured. “Help me get there?” 

They stayed quiet as he helped her limp back to the ship and through it to the medbay. Once she was lying down, her ankle elevated for Gideon to fix, she looked over at him. 

“An ankle is nothing,” he said, “try having your whole hand replaced and repaired.” 

“Pass,” she said, lips twitching a little. Everyone else was out trying to fix time or find supplies, so she hadn’t had to deal with them readying up to murder Leonard yet. That was good. 

“Yeah, can’t recommend it.” He pulled a chair over, sat down on it and looked at her. “Were you trying to become food for a t-rex?” 

“No.” She sighed at his face. “No,” she said again and sat up. “I’m not suicidal if that’s what you’re asking.” 

“I just wondered,” he said. “Mick has his moments.” 

“I know,” she said. She stayed quiet for a moment, then looked at him. “So you’re— I mean, do you remember—” 

“The whole thing,” he said. “Damien, Malcolm, Eobard, killing Mick.” He swallowed. “Bit of a weird thing to remember but not remember. I’m sure I’ll get used to it. Eventually.” 

“So you’re—” she said again, not sure how to express it. 

“Your Leonard Snart,” he said, with a kind of intensity she knew she should be uncomfortable with. 

“Are you going to disappear if we fix time?” she said with a sigh. 

“No idea,” he said and she looked at him in surprise. He shrugged. “If I do, I do. If I don’t, we won. It’s not like we’re not used to living on borrowed time, after all.” 

Her right hand went to her left wrist without her meaning to move it and he followed the motion with his gaze. 

“Show me,” he said, voice low. “Show me your clock.” 

She hesitated, but only for a moment. It’d been set to zero for so long, it would hardly matter if it was still zero now. She knew this Leonard was the one she’d shared a bed with, the one she’d kissed goodbye, the one she’d watched die. She recognised him. 

She rolled her sleeve up and they both looked. 

Leonard smiled a little. “Minus figures,” he said. “Whaddaya know?”

Prompt me?

[pheuthe]

atomwave drabble dump

@tkdgirl2012 thank you for the prompts! I’m not sure how the reply system works for posts, so I’m just gonna assume the reply to the OTP Prompt post that showed up in my Activities was meant for me - if not, I’m sorry for hoarding :’D actually no I’m not, I love atomwave so XD I already filled No. 17 for someone else, so... here go the 4 prompts you requested! :)

49.

Mick hasn’t laughed this hard in ages. They still don’t know what exactly that yellow-tinged gas was, but they sure do know the effects it had on a certain scientist. 

“Stop laughing,” Ray snaps, sounding like an overgrown, frustrated chipmunk.

“Sure thing, Alvin,” Jax chortles. Ray opens his mouth, but then decides to stop giving them ammunition for more teasing and shuts up, crossing his arms over his chest. Even his huff sounds like he has inhaled half a tank of helium.

“Don’t mind the teasing, Haircut,” Mick snickers, “your voice is sexy.”

“Your ass is sexy,” Ray snaps back. 

Mick blinks.

The rest of the crew go silent, slowly turning to stare at Raymond, who turns an alarming shade of red.

“Shut up!” the man squeaks and scrambles off in the direction of medbay. His mortified look indicates that he probably wishes his condition is terminal.

Mick is still staring at the empty spot where a squeaky (hot) scientist used to be, when Sara speaks up.

“You gonna do something about that?” 

“None of your business,” he huffs, but he stalks off after Raymond anyway.

He’s probably gonna give Gideon five minutes to fix Haircut properly, though... chipmunks are really not Mick’s thing, at all.

.........................

57. 

Raymond’s been acting weird all day. 

He was okay in the morning, all bright smiles and easygoing attitude. Mick knows for a fact that breakfast wasn’t so bad, because he’s gotten better at not burning the eggs (or the toast or... anything). Raymond talked about the things he had to do at work today, and sure, when Mick went to give him his usual kiss goodbye as the man was leaving, Ray lingered for a moment or two, like he was expecting something, but he seemed alright, so Mick let it go.

He spent the day as always when he was off-duty - watching TV and lounging about, mostly. He even did the dishes and a load of laundry, so it couldn’t be the mess that was bothering Raymond when he came home. Dinner was pretty uneventful, except that Raymond kept twitching and spacing out. When he didn’t react to Mick’s suggestion they should get that fire pit for the backyard after all - a thing he’s been vehemently protesting ever since Mick first brought it up, right after they moved in - Mick had a feeling that something definitely wasn’t right.

And when Raymond slipped under the covers, turned off the lamp at his bedside and rolled away when Mick tried to touch him, Mick was one hundred percent positive.

He settled back into his heap of pillows and frowned at the line of Ray’s back, illuminated only by the lamp on Mick’s side.

“Wanna tell me what’s wrong?” he tried - he’s never been great at talking and Ray knew that, so usually, he went out of his way to voice what he was thinking. Mick really appreciated the blunt honesty, but he knew that sometimes, he could be insensitive (alright, most of the time) and that Ray couldn’t be expected to pick up the slack all the time.

When Ray didn’t answer, Mick propped his head up on his elbow and reached out to touch Ray’s shoulder. 

Ray pulled away, making a quiet sound that was neither a huff nor a sigh. Mick knew that Ray didn’t play the ‘silent treatment’ game out of pettiness, which meant he had to be genuinely hurt. Mick’s heart picked up the pace and he shifted closer, reaching for Ray again. This time, Ray let his hand rest against his shoulder, but he was tense under Mick’s touch.

“What’s wrong?” Mick asked again, genuinely worried. Ray mumbled something into his pillow, but it was too faint for Mick’s old ears to pick it up, so he plastered himself against Ray’s back and leaned over his shoulder.

“You wanna try that again?”

“You forgot about my birthday!” Ray twisted around, almost headbutting Mick in the process.

In all fairness, he probably would’ve deserved it. Mick winced at the words and frowned, swallowing his first comment, which was that birthdays were stupid and they were both too old to care anyway. Ray cared, and he never forgot to be extra attentive and do all the things Mick liked when it was the other way around. Thinking that he’s failed to show Ray that he cared just as much, maybe not about birthdays, but about Ray... that sucked. Big time.

“In my defense, I forget about a lot of things,” he tried - apologies were another thing he was lousy at. Sometimes, he wondered why Ray kept him around, after everything Mick’s done wrong. 

Ray’s expression softened a little, but it wasn’t his usual warmth that replaced the hurt grimace. Personally, Mick thought that the resignation that seeped into Ray’s features was far worse.

“I know it’s stupid,” Ray shook his head, bringing his hand up to rub it down his face, “and I know I shouldn’t care, I know that you’re not good with this kind of stuff-”

“I wanna be,” Mick grumbled. Yeah, he might not be great with birthdays and anniversaries and Christmas gifts and all that crap, but he wanted to make Ray smile, regardless of what the fucking calendar said. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Ray sighed, again - Mick was quickly coming to hate that sound. “It’s just... I don’t know. I thought you remembered. And I built it up in my head, I thought you were planning a surprise, that’s why you didn’t say anything in the morning, and then you didn’t and... just forget it. It’s not important.”

He made to turn around again, but Mick stopped him, with a quiet growl and a hand against Ray’s shoulder, holding him in place.

“Yeah, it is,” he huffed, “I’ll make it up to you, okay? Just gimme a day or two to come up with something good.”

For a moment, he thought Ray would say no - he had a way of doing that, discarding what was important to him in order to accommodate others. They were working on that, though... just as they were working on Mick being a thoughtless asshole, sometimes. 

Eventually, some of the shadows drained from Ray’s face and he smiled - genuinely, this time, with just a hint of that warmth that Mick loved seeing in his eyes.

“Alright. Just... please don’t steal it? I really don’t need anything big.”

Mick laughed and let his head drop against Ray’s shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of the man he couldn’t imagine his life without, not after all this time.

“Then I’ll make you the best glitter glue card you’ve ever seen, just you wait.”

...............................

61.

“Move!” Ray groans and pushes against Mick’s shoulders. Ray’s neither small nor weak, and he’s been getting better at fighting, but trying to move Mick when he’s still mostly asleep is like trying to move a mountain.

Mick doesn’t even seem to notice the pressure: he grumbles in his sleep like a disgruntled lion and stretches. His ribcage somehow pushes down on Ray’s bladder and makes him whine.

“Mick! Move!” he tries again, which results in more stretching - the pressure is relieved, just a little, but Ray really, really needs to get out of the bed. Bunk. Whatever the Waverider’s resting area is called. All Ray can think of, right now, is not wetting his pants like a nervous five-year-old.

Ray would swear to himself he’s never trying to drink beer at Mick’s pace again, except he’s made that exact oath in his head at least four times previously, and it never lasted.

“Mick,” he sighs, slapping at the man’s bare shoulder lightly. “I really need to get up. Move.”

“Why would I move if I’m so comfy where I am,” Mick mumbles, face half-mushed into Ray’s chest. He’s drooling a little, and Ray’s heart really shouldn’t melt at the sight of that, but it does. Mick apparently reverts to a vocabulary of a grade schooler when he’s sleepy (and possibly hung-over, which is a really interesting effect) and Ray loves hearing him say words like ‘comfy’, because nobody else gets to... but his melting heart does absolutely nothing for his bladder, so he struggles with Mick’s mostly dead weight and wiggles to the edge of the bed until he can slide from under the heavy lump of a man.

Mick growls something decidedly non-grade-school-appropriate, and Ray chuckles - it makes his bladder situation even more urgent and he marches to the bathroom as quickly as he can.

If he deliberately washes his hands in cold water just so he can press them against a warm, scarred back when he slips into the bed again... well, he can pull off an innocent face like nobody else.

....................

65.

"We bet, and you lost,” Mick crosses his arms over his chest. In all fairness, that chest is exactly what got Ray into this mess in the first place: high school football players should be banned from having chests like that, otherwise poor impressionable nerds like Ray are in great danger of making exactly these kinds of mistakes.

Ray gives the tattoo parlor another wary look, and tries his best pleading look. Not that it worked in the hour leading up to this moment.

“But tattoos are permanent,” he mumbles, and Mick raises an eyebrow.

“You shoulda thought about that before you made the bet, Pretty.”

Ray really, really should have. But it’s too late now... so he pushes the door open, wincing when the bell above the doorway reminds him that this is, indeed, happening.

“What in the name of- Rory? Palmer?”

The sound of his English teacher’s voice is really not what Ray was expecting to hear tonight, but he can’t say he regrets it when Mr. Clarke swings his legs off the leather chair and tugs his shirt down over what is shaping up to be a quite impressive... uh. Something. Ray’s in no state to be noticing details like that.

“What are you two doing here? And- are you drunk?!”

Ray winces at that, and attempts to hide behind Mick’s back. Considering that Mick’s had at least two more beers, it’s likely not doing much to save his reputation.

“I really thought you were better than that, Palmer,” Mr. Clarke frowns and points at the door. “Get out of here. And be glad that I won’t call your parents right away.”

They scramble out in record time - well, Ray does, and when he turns, Mick is following. 

The cool night air doesn’t do much to make Ray’s head spin any less, especially not when he sways and Mick wraps his beefy arm around Ray’s waist. Ray decides to take advantage of his drunk plausible deniability and leans into that impressive chest. 

“Sorry I couldn’t do it,” he mumbles - he’s really not, he did not want a tattoo of any kind, and definitely not any that Mick might choose for him. He’s more sorry that Mick will think he’s just a nerdy chicken now - which he is, but Mick probably won’t want to have anything to do with Ray if he knows that.

“Wouldn’t’ve let you do it anyway, Haircut,” Mick grumbles into his hair, and Ray only realizes then that they’ve stopped still, standing in the middle of the quiet street and... hugging. And Mick’s not moving away. Wow. Ray’s heart does a leap in his chest, and he dares to look up, just a little. 

“Really?”

“Yeah. Just wanted to... dunno. Y’know. Be alone. With you. And shit.”

As far as confessions go, this definitely ranks at the very bottom of the list. And yet, Ray can’t remember any words that would’ve made him happier in his life. He smiles, bright and goofy - because he’s always goofy, and nerdy and awkward and a little too loud, and he can get lost in his research and actually likes schoolwork... but Mick knows all of this about him, and he still wanted, really, truly wanted, to be alone with Ray.

If that’s not true love, then Ray doesn’t know what is.

“Yeah,” he says, and then realizes that Mick hasn’t actually said anything - it makes him blush in embarrassment, and then Mick looks down at him and his lips twitch, like he’s trying to smile, and Ray’s heart nearly jumps out through his throat. For a second, he thinks Mick is going to kiss him, and his stomach twists with anxiety and with the hope that despite the beer he’s had, he will remember tomorrow-

But Mick just brushes Ray’s hair out of his eyes and sighs.

“C’mon then, Haircut... I’ll take you home.”

Maybe, just maybe, Ray deliberately points Mick towards a longer route, just so he can lean against that chest for a while longer. He’s pretty sure Mick knows that, too, but he never says a word.