#why do people love your boss fight and hate mine?: crack

[crimsonlocks]

“You guys are all mean!”

[nightingaelic]

could you do Fallout New Vegas companion’s reactions to a Courier Six who is also the Lone Wanderer telling their stories from their time in DC? (bonus points for Arcade’s reaction to them hating the enclave, and if that would make him decide to keep his past hidden even longer, or if he would still tell them?)

The logistics and implications of this make my head spin. This is also super long, honestly I should just quit writing reacts and start writing fics OH WAIT

Getting the courier talking was a tough thing to do, but on nights where the moon was full and the coyotes' howls were miles away or at least behind some stout walls, on nights where they were a few beers in and they hadn't seen another living soul in a few days, that Mojave Express deliverer started to reminisce. That wasn't really the surprising part, though. No, the surprising part was what they would remember, fondly or not-so-fondly: A world apart from the desert, a continent away on another coast, and stories of life in a vault, a missing father, pure water and a Brotherhood divided.

Arcade Gannon: Arcade didn't mind these moods, at least when they first cropped up. He nodded along as the courier talked about living in their father's shadow, about feeling cornered by their own family's legacy. He hung on their words about living in the cradle of America's history, about Project Purity, all of the gritty details of modifying a GECK to bring water to a devastated wasteland.

Eventually though, the courier's memories soured, with the arrival of Enclave remnants in their life. Arcade folded into himself with every harsh word, every jolt of plasma that had disrupted his friend's world relived in horrific detail. They gestured angrily as they described their newfound purpose, their battle for power with the fractured Brotherhood of Steel at their back, and their smug satisfaction at the moments they were able to crack open Raven Rock and the Enclave's mobile base crawler and lay waste to their tormentors.

It took a few rounds of these stories before the courier noticed he shrank and grew quiet whenever they neared the end of their story about breaking into another vault to find the GECK. They stopped abruptly one night. "What's up with you?"

"Um..." Arcade scratched the back of his neck and looked away. "Nothing. Nothing, I just... have some personal experience with the Enclave, myself."

The courier sighed. "Yeah, there's a few people walking around the West Coast that have similar stories to mine. Arroyo's full of them, for one. Is it something like that?"

Arcade took a deep breath. "I feel... well, it's a lot closer to home, for me. Close enough to raise questions, so I don't talk about it much."

"Close enough to..." The courier twisted their face up in confusion for a moment, before realization set in and their eyes grew large. "You were... your... oh."

"Mmm-hm."

"Well, fuck me." The courier smiled and popped a cap off of another beer. "I've been doing all the talking, haven't I? Let's hear your story about working with the guys in power armor who ruined my life, right after dad did."

Craig Boone: Whenever the courier started up like this, Boone couldn't help but notice a familiar twinge of regret and self-doubt in their voice. It shone through most clearly when they spoke about their time with the Brotherhood of Steel, the men and women they'd fought alongside and lost during their struggle against the remnants of the Enclave. It was there, too, in their story about returning to the vault they grew up in, setting the chaos that had arisen in their wake to rest, but not being able to go back to the way things were.

Boone didn't pry. He knew that feeling well. Instead, he cracked open bottles of beer, liquor, soda, whatever they had on hand during their nights in the desert, and just listened. He'd done the same for Carla, when they were younger and new to each other and he couldn't get enough of her voice and how it flowed endlessly, easily, the way his never could. He absorbed it all now as he did then: The joy, the pain, the loss, the fear, the triumphs and falls and abandoned dreams that filled the courier up and drove them to travel west, beyond anything they had ever known.

That last part stumped Boone a bit, though. "Why didn't you stay?" he finally asked one night.

They looked surprised. "Stay? Stay where? I didn't have a home anymore."

Boone shook his head. "With the Brotherhood. Or some other settlement."

"Like Megaton?" The courier sighed. "I thought about it. Close to the vault, friendly people, easy work... I guess I just didn't want to wind up... stuck."

They flushed red and looked away from him. Boone knew why they were embarrassed, but he also knew the truth in their words.

Sometimes the courier cried after they had finished, though they did their best to hide it. Boone pretended not to notice. He was pretty sure they knew he was pretending, but he was also pretty sure that pointing it out would be worse than just letting it be an open secret between them. The silence between them endured, but something grew inside it and flourished. Some kind of deeper understanding.

Lily Bowen: The more the courier spoke, the more Lily made connections in her muddled mind. Of course they knew the basic layout of most vaults, they had grown up in one. Of course they were extra-sensitive to the Mojave heat, they had come to the desert from the cooler of the two coasts. Of course they'd been extra-wary around the super mutants or nightkin of Jacobstown, they had only known angry super mutants looking to grow their own numbers through any means necessary.

Their shared experience of growing up inside a vault reminded Lily of happier days, and she often asked questions about Vault 101 during the courier's stories. "Were you sweet on anyone inside your old home?" she asked, with a big smile befitting a proud grandma.

The courier blushed. "That's not very polite, Lily."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dearie."

"No, no it's okay." The courier smiled. "There was a boy who picked on me a lot, but I never figured out whether he did it because he hated me or liked me. His name was Butch. And there was Amata, my childhood friend. She was the daughter of the Overseer."

"Daughter of the Overseer?" Lily grinned. "I'm sure she was a lovely young woman."

The courier looked a little misty. "Yeah. She was. Probably still is."

Lily pulled a handkerchief that used to be a small tablecloth from inside her overalls and handed it over. "Maybe we can go back there together, pumpkin," she offered. "I always wanted to travel to the capital. We can visit your friends, see the sights."

"Yeah, maybe someday." The courier accepted the gift and blew their nose. "I've got some things I need to finish up here before I even think about wandering back east, though."

"Then let's make a list and do our chores," Lily said happily. "Number one?"

"Ohhhh, man." The courier smiled up at her. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

Raul Alfonso Tejada: Raul got a faint smile on his face whenever the courier started up like this, as if their memories reminded him of another place he had come from, another time. While they couldn't have more different backgrounds, pasts- hell, he had several hundred years on the courier, even if they shared the same road today- there was something in the description of the other roads they had walked that made him feel warm on a cold night.

"What's on your mind?" The courier asked him one night, when Raul's smile grew larger than usual.

"Nada, boss," he reassured them. "You're just a good reminder that I can change my mind about the future anytime I'd like. Tell me the one about that radio DJ again."

"Again?" The courier rolled their eyes. "Why? I could tell you a million stories about Underworld and all the ghouls that lived there, but all you want to hear about is Three Dog. You'd probably have more in common with the Underworld folks, honestly."

Raul nodded noncommittally. "Sí, but my favorite stories are about people who had to rise above bad situations and become someone uncommon. Anyone who's able to do that is either fighting for something great or running from something terrible. Sometimes both."

The courier shot him a skeptical look. "Three Dog's holed up in his radio station 24/7, he's not running from anything or out fighting for anything. All that stuff about 'the good fight' is a load of bull."

"Now, now, Six," Raul chastised. "Just because he looks like your average pendejo doesn't mean he isn't doing his part. You even told me his radio show is inspirational for the Capital Wasteland folks."

The courier held their hands up in the air and bobbled them, as if balancing an invisible scale. "The duality of man. Being an average pendejo, or convincing everyone around you that you aren't actually an average pendejo and can pull off miracles."

Raul laughed. "And which one are you, boss?"

"Eh, I'm still figuring it out."

Rose of Sharon Cassidy: Cass was never one for fixating on her own past, but she couldn't help but sympathize with the courier whenever they deigned to add onto their unbelievable story. It was hard enough for her to navigate her own damn life: She couldn't imagine being called upon to steer an entire area's destiny.

After another night of recalling their life inside a vault with their dad, then their unexpected loss of him right after being reunited on the surface, the courier stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry," they said.

Cass paused her swig of precious whiskey. "What?"

"I keep going on and on about my dad, and here you are not knowing what happened to yours."

"Eh." Cass took her drink and waved her hand around until the burning swallow made its way down. "S'loads of people in the wasteland without a clue what happened to their pops. I'm not special. In fact, I'd say it probably hurts a bit more, what happened with yours."

"Well, all the same." The courier sank deeper into their seat and examined their own bottle of spirits. "I feel like an open book, tonight. Anything you want to know about where I came from that I haven't already spilled?"

Cass thought for a moment. "Tribals."

"What about them?"

"Does the East Coast have them? You're not the first traveler I've met from there, but none of you have so much as mentioned any tribals out east."

"Mmm." The courier looked thoughtful. "I guess we do have them, though maybe not in the traditional sense. There's a mess of them in Point Lookout for sure, and at least one tribal group in the Capital Wasteland outright, but beyond that things are more... loose. Fewer intact families, fewer intact homes."

"Huh." Cass took another drink. "Maybe that's where my dad went."

She let the courier stew in the awkward silence for a bit before she grinned and reached out to smack them. "Just kidding. Keep going. I want to hear about that giant robot again."

Veronica Santangelo: Veronica usually sat and listened, spellbound, picturing a chapter of her order that had realized the very thing she kept trying to tell the Elders and made the ultimate sacrifice to follow their hearts anyway.

Well, maybe Elder Owyn Lyons hadn't come to the same realization as her, but he had had a change of heart that split his company and cut them off from almost everyone they had ever known. It had been five years since the High Elders had instituted radio silence toward their East Coast chapter, and so far there had been no attempts to re-establish contact.

Veronica prodded the courier for any info she could get about the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel. The courier let slip pretty early in their friendship that Elder Owyn Lyons had passed away, which wasn't unexpected. The man was 76 years old, after all. She learned on one particularly emotional night that his daughter, Elder Sarah Lyons, was also dead, something she wasn't sure even the Western Elders were aware of. That memory was clearly painful for the courier though, so Veronica didn't press for details.

"And the Enclave?" the Scribe asked one night, arms wrapped around her knees. "Are they completely gone?"

The courier grew cold. "Yes. I made sure of it."

"Right." Veronica nodded. "So the Brotherhood took over the air force base they were at. It must have been chock-full of tech and resources, if it was the Enclave's last stand."

"It was." The courier sighed and shifted in their seat. "And it woke up some of our brothers and sisters to their original mission in the Capital Wasteland. I thought maybe that selfishness had died with Liberty Prime, but... well, I didn't like it, so I left."

"Mmm, yeah." Veronica nodded again, sympathetically this time. "I know how you feel. Felt."

"Feel," the courier agreed. "I just wish there was more I could've done. Maybe there wasn't anything else, short of seizing power."

"You'd definitely get pushback for that in the Brotherhood," Veronica agreed. "But you might get that chance out here in the broader Mojave."

ED-E: At first, ED-E enjoyed the stories, trumpeting and cooing various beeps at the appropriate moments for emphasis. The one time the courier began badmouthing the Enclave, however, the eyebot waited until they had finished before playing back the first tape that Dr. Whitley had recorded before its trip.

The courier listened to the scientist's words from years ago, deflating slightly as it played out. When the tape had finished, they stood up and checked the eyebot over. "He sent you toward Navarro, huh?"

ED-E beeped affirmation, and the courier sighed. "But Navarro was already gone. I'm sorry. I guess I'm... well, me and the Brotherhood of Steel back east are responsible for your previous master's decision to send you away. Might be responsible for more, too."

ED-E beeped sadly. The courier pressed their forehead against the eyebot's metal dome in apology.

Rex: Well, surprising for most. Rex was not most. As soon as the courier got really into their recollections, Rex usually yawned and went to sleep. He stirred when he felt their hand reach down to scratch the ruff of his neck, or pat the glass dome that held his brain.

"Good dog," the courier said, through the veil of sleep. "You remind me of another pup that used to follow me around."

[prozd]

Bones of the Forgotten

For those unaware, when I was 12 years old, I used to write very gritty Mario fanfiction.  The only reason this exists is because we hit a charity milestone for Extra Life (which by the way you can still donate to here: https://www.extra-life.org/participant/450294)

I decided to write the sort of fanfiction that 12 year old me would've enjoyed writing, so here is my love letter to my youth.

A question block can come in handy in a variety of ways.  You just gotta know how to scrap it down.  Easily done enough with a precision focus Fire Flower blowtorch.  The first thing you gotta do is realize there's nothing bringing that sonuvabitch down; those fuckers float in the air forever no matter how much you push or pull 'em.  Instead, you gotta carve off pieces from it as it's floating up there. Awkward at first, but by the fiftieth time, it's fucking clockwork.

Melt down the pieces and you've got the golden goo perfect for crafting all sorts of nasty tools.  A bat made from question block has just enough lightness for a easy swing, but just enough density to still effectively break a kneecap.  A blade still won't pierce, say, a Chain Chomp, but it can at least pierce most Koopa shells.  Plus, some people just like the gold color; they think it looks sick.

I personally think the best use of question block goo is making bullets out of it.  They're denser than most others and they maintain their speed for longer. The only downside is they stand out if you leave them in a body at a crime scene, but that's irrelevant as long as you're cleaning up your messes properly.  If anyone had the time and resources to search the bottom of the sea near Rogueport Docks, I imagine you'd find a glittering trove of golden bullets scattered among the bones of the forgotten.

One of those bullets dances idly through my fingers as I listen to one of my subordinates, a Craw with the quite frankly unfortunate name of Garf, lament about his recent mistreatment by the Syndicate.

"Ishnail, they just stomped the shit out of us!  Gus and I, we weren't doin' NOTHIN' and those leafy fucks attacked us.  Everyone knows the Plaza's neutral territory, we gotta DO somethin' about this."

Craws get a bad rap, in my opinion.  They get labeled as savage, but I've always found them to be much more thoughtful than people would assume.  Even in this moment, as my eyes gaze upon Garf's tattered, bloodied vest and bandana, and his curved beak squawks in rage, I notice the slightest trace of tears at the very edges of his eyes.  Aw.

"Let me ask you one question, Garf."  Out of respect, Garf immediately goes silent. Again, thoughtful.  "Were you and Gus carrying your spears?"

"I......I mean.....we have to, it's part of Craw culture...."

"I'm well aware, but Garf, I'm sure YOU'RE well aware that no weapons are allowed in the Plaza.  I mean, at the very least, keep a goddamn gun hidden in your pocket, don't wave a fucking SPEAR around.  You're just asking for the Piantas to give you a beating."

I get up from the dingy sofa I've been lounging on and dust myself off.  "But I can't have Don Pianta thinking it's okay to fuck up my guys.  I'll have to have a word with the ol' mustachioed fuck."  I pat Garf on the cheek and wipe a tear away with my thumb.  He nods in appreciation.

I motion to two of my subordinates, a scrappy looking Goomba named Goomfrey and a laidback Hammer Brother named Hamma.  We step outside HQ and into the bustling, grimy streets of Rogueport's east side.  

As long as I've lived in Rogueport, it's always carried the smell of the sea in the air.  It's a welcome scent to me, having grown up in the Seaside Kingdom.  My mom was a Bubblainian; she raised me when my deadbeat Koopa dad left us, and what she gave me was the snail shell on my back and a love for the water.  Merchants shouting and the occasional "STOP, THIEF!" ring out as my muscle and I make our way through the Plaza.  We pass the gallows where the Shadow Queen's corpse was supposedly hung from one thousand years ago.  Fittingly gruesome lore for a city filled with murderous rat-bastards.

A sickly sweet scent starts to mingle with the smell of the sea and garbage I'm used to. It's an indication that we're entering the west side of Rogueport. Sure, it's a much tidier area than where the Robbos and I live; there may be fancy-ass things like "flowers" and "benches," how hoity-toity.  You can put lipstick on a Li'l Oink, but it still smells like shit.

We walk into Westside Goods.  There's no need for the customary password; Peeka, the Boo shopkeeper, knows why I'm here.  She opens up the back door, and we walk up the stairs in the back alley to Don Pianta's office.

"Ishnail, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Don Pianta stands behind his desk; as much as I hate to admit it, his presence is overwhelming.  "And you brought friends, too?" he notes as he sees Goomfrey and Hamma.

If you want to live long in Rogueport, every time you enter a room, you have to mentally gauge 1. the quickest way to escape, 2. who you may need to disable and/or kill to escape, and 3. how easy that's all going to be.  Two giant yellow Pianta in suits stand guard at both sides of the Don's desk. A blue Pianta in a white suit, the Don's underboss Frankie, closes the door behind us.  

Piantas are not easy to injure, let alone kill; I know this from years of tangling with the Don's gang.  The little palm trees and skirts would make you think otherwise, but Piantas are naturally built like fucking dump trucks and hit just as hard.  Hamma's a Glitz Pit fighter, and I've seen what he can do with that hammer.  Goomfrey gets underestimated for his species, but his reputation precedes him; he has bitten off more fingers than your average Rogueportian.  Still, a fight against four Piantas, even with my question block bullets, would be brutal.  It's telling that you never see a Pianta with a weapon because nothing will kill you faster than simply their own fists.

"Your men attacked mine, Don.  And for what, carrying spears?  You and I both know that's bullshit."

"My men....have been on edge.  Your little Bandit friends have been scuttling around, picking too many pockets they shouldn't be.  Keep that shit on the East Side where it belongs, and we'll be fine."

As Don Pianta talks, he habitually cracks his knuckles.  Out of all the Piantas in the syndicate, Don Pianta is truly a mammoth; his muscles are barely contained by the suit he's wearing.  Honestly, if he wasn't my ultimate arch-nemesis in this town, shit, I'd fuck him.  I like my men beefy.

"Alright, Don.  I'll tell my boys to keep their weapons out of the plaza.  You and I both know no one benefits if we fight in the streets.  Bad business for both your establishments and mine.  Let's keep things quiet."

"Agreed," The Don extends a giant hand.  I shake it firmly.

I turn to leave with my muscle in tow.  As I open the door to leave, I hear a whisper.

"Get your slimy shell outta here, you fuck."

I pause.  I give Goomfrey the look, and he smirks.  Goomfrey's eyes quickly dart and I know he's already memorizing every little detail about the yellow Pianta who whispered the insult.  Without another word, I close the door behind me.

---

There's one more use for question block goo I forgot to mention.  It's perfect for weighing things down.  

I breathe in the salty seaport air; it's particularly sweet tonight.  The golden bullet dances between my fingers; I know it's a bad habit, but it's fun to fidget with.  It'll go to good use though.  I load it into my Fire Flower pistol with a few others and carefully attach the silencer.

"Now, listen, uh...what was his name again?"

"Paulie," says Goomfrey, standing to my side with a grin.

"That's right, Paulie.  I'm a pretty patient person, I think most people including your boss would agree, but I've got a real sore spot about the shell, ya know?  It's just, it reminds me of my dear old ma, and I love her to bits.  You understand, right?"

There is no response from Paulie due to his crushed windpipe courtesy of Hamma's hammer.  Quite frankly, I'm impressed he's still conscious from the pain.  He looks up at me from his crouching position eyes filled with hate, his hands and feet encased in reforged golden question blocks.  Piantas are heavy, so four blocks worth is safest.

"I did promise the dear Don that I'd keep things quiet, so let's cut to the chase." I point the gun at his forehead and before he can react, I fire three shots.  There's no need to prolong this shit; I'm not a sadist. Hamma and Goomfrey pick up the body and toss it off the port into the sea.

"For what it's worth, boss," says Hamma in a low, pleasant baritone.  "I like your shell.  Looks good on ya."

"Aww, thanks."

[straykidsworldwild]

Duskwood

Phil Hawkins x MC

Part 2 (1/2) : MC goes to work and a certain boy comes to meet her for lunch.

----------------------------------------------------------

Heyy guys! Here's a piece of part2. It was too long to put the whole thing on Tumblr at once (apparently) so I had to cut it in half 🙈 (2/2) is coming!!

(I just made the collage. Credits go to the creators of Duskwood and the owners of the pics.)

----------------------------------------------------------

I slowly wake up, feeling and hearing something buzzing. With my eyes still closed, I slide my hand under the pillow next to mine to grab my phone. I hate waking up by alarms… It feels like I am being cut in my sleep. And I’m not going to lie… I love my sleep just as much as I love food. Who doesn’t? I open my eyes and turn the alarm off before quickly closing them again. I didn't sleep well last night… When I went to bed after texting Phil to tell him I got home fine, I couldn’t stop thinking about the discussion we had at his bar. Was I right to say “yes” for lunch tomorrow noon? Was he being serious? Is he playing a game? Am I falling in his net? I don’t know and I think that’s what terrifies me with him. I just don’t want to be his next hookup… If I start something, it’s for a serious relationship, not to play around. That’s not my thing. But that’s exactly what Phil does so… I guess I should just trust a little more myself. Anyway, that was just the first part of the night, because the next part, all I could do was think about my uncle. Every time I closed my eyes, I just recalled amazing moments with him. Moments that mom, he and I won’t ever have again… I laid on my back, on my sides, on the side… And I did this over and over until managing to fall asleep.

I turn on the lamp on my nightstand when I hear my phone suddenly buzzing again. But I turned it off… Oh! I grab my phone and answer the call after looking at the I.D. caller.

- Hey, mom, how are you? I just woke up… I tell my mother with a still sleepy voice as I sit on the side of my bed. The light is still too much so I close my eyes for a few seconds more. Suddenly, a noise coming from behind the phone call catches my attention. It’s not a noise I am used to hear her make... Mom? I call her with some concern.

- “He's gone…” I hear her simply whispering through the phone as another sound catches my attention again. Sobs… Mom is crying. I’ve heard my mother crying before. It’s so… Strange and heartbreaking. I mean, mom has always been that strong figure, fighting everyone coming in her way or in mine… But she never broke down before me.

- I know, mom. I'm so sorry. But… I begin to respond calmly, keeping the pain to myself. I’ve never heard nor seen my mom crying in my life. She’s all I have as a family and hearing her in such pain… It’s heartbreaking.

- "Can you come over today? I'll need you to finish the preparation of the funeral. I can't do this alone. And..." She interrupts me, sounding overwhelmed and submerged. I lower my head and keep a desperate sigh inside of me. I wish I could already be next to her and tell her to not worry. That she doesn’t have to do anything. That I will take care of this for her. But I can’t because of my dumbass boss… Unbelievable...

- I'd love to, mom, really. But I have to go to work, I begin to say, sounding sad and sorry for not being there for her. I hate it. I feel like I’m betraying my own mother. That I’m not giving her the support she needs right now. And maybe the one that I also need... But she knew uncle Alex for longer than I did so it’s fairer that I should be there for her... But once I'm out, I'll stop by your house to come help you, okay? So I can see you a little bit too, mom. I should finish at 3p.m. today, if my boss doesn't think otherwise, I tell her gently. Though, an unsure point is heard in my voice. We never know with my boss… If he had a bad day, he is capable of giving you two extra hours to do just because he wanted to.

- "You know, your uncle was always there for me. I remember when we were kids…" I frown with sadness to the sound of her voice. It’s broken… She sounds empty. Out of life. "There was this horrible kid terrorizing the youngsters. I was one of those kids being terrorized, but of course, as my big brother, he protected me. He always did. He was really protective, you know?" She recounts me in brief words with a trembling voice. I know the story by heart. Uncle Alex used to tell it to me as a bedtime story. He was the hero of course. I never doubt that… I hear mom sniffling and letting another sob out. "So was he with you, baby. He loved you as his own, you know?", oh… When she said "baby", her voice just completely broke. I could barely hear it. I continue to look down as I feel a lump forming in my throat. I miss Uncle Alex like crazy... "And he did the same when your father left..." She admits to me, going to the topic about how my uncle was protective. Which I already knew as well... It honestly hurts to hear all of this so soon after his tragic death. I still haven’t digested it. It’s still not real to me. I still think I will see him today or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow... But it seems to make mom feel better by saying those words to me, by recounting her memories. So, I'll listen carefully. Or I'll try, at least… If I don't break before too. Her pain is so profound… And shared.

- Mom, you don't have to tell me all of this now. Let some time pass. It's hurting you, I say with a slight pleading tone, hoping she will listen to me. I know it's hard to not think about it or to not want to talk about it. But I just think it's too soon for her. And for me... She can't turn the page in a finger snap. It’s impossible. Even if she feels like she did or she has to do it, it might not be the best way.

- "I love you, MC. You're my baby girl." She says over the phone, sniffling sadly again. I nod even though she doesn't see me. I am staring at the floor, my sight being blurry. Not again...

- I love you so much, mom, I reply to my mother, controlling my voice as much as possible despite the tight ball in my throat. She doesn’t need to know that I’m about to cry too. I hear her sniffling behind the phone call again followed by a new sob. I can't… Look, I have to go, mom, but I'll come see you later today, okay? I'll come with a little surprise, I tell her gently, wanting and feeling the need to cheer her up. I just want my mother to be happy again.

- "A surprise? You know I don't like surprises much, MC.", She replies with a mix between her crying and a faint chuckle before reminding me how she has always hated surprises. I know…

- That's why I'm bringing you one, I answer to my mom, cracking a smile to the sound of her faint chuckle.

- "You're a little Devil, just like your uncle... What's the surprise?" She begins to say before pausing. It's true, I got a little bit of him too. I guess it's because he sort of raised me and because I'm a (l/n) as well.

- Mom, if I tell you there would be no point for me to call it a surprise, wouldn't it? I answer with a gentle and playful tone before giggling. I hear her crying turning into giggles.

- "I tried. Okay, go to work, baby, and... I'll do a few things here... I'll try. Oh, and I ordered the flowers you asked me to pick for your uncle." She responds with another small chuckle before sniffling one more time. I smile a little more, glad to hear that I managed to make her smile a little bit despite the situation. She ordered the flowers… My smile grows a little more, glad about this news.

- Okay, call me if you need me for anything. Doesn't matter if I work or not, okay? I love you, mom, I reply sincerely to my mother, giving her a little cheerful tone.

- "I will. I love you too, baby. See you later.", She says back to me, sounding a little better then when I answered the phone. I smile and wait a few seconds before hanging up. Right… I feel like I have another long day coming… I let a long sigh out, as if I am trying to get rid of a weight on my shoulders, before wiping the tears in my eyes. Well, I've got to get ready...

Almost an hour later, I am on my way to work. Like every day, I see the same streets, the same cars, the same shops, the same streetlights… Of course, I am not going there with an ounce of motivation. I’d rather stay home or go anywhere else, but not there. I’m not saying being a waitress is the worst job, but my boss and some clients are actually really hard to deal with. Anyway…

I rapidly reach the back door of the restaurant I work at and enter the building which leads to the kitchen. The cooks and the waitresses are all here, ready to work. Oh, almost… I hold the door for Angie and she runs in, thanking me at the same time. We exchange a smile and get ready to start working. The clients should start coming soon… It's been three months since my boss decided to expand the restaurant to include a little coffee shop. I think it was a good idea, a good change in Duskwood. It was a test at first to see if people would like it. The clients seemed satisfied so that’s why I am here so early every morning now.

- MC! I look up immediately after hearing a gravelly voice yelling my name. My boss walks briskly towards me, a frown of madness plastered over his face. As usual... What time does my watch indicate? He asks me while showing me his watch on his right wrist. What…?

- 8:01am.? I answer, not sure where this is going.

- You were supposed to be here at 8:00a.m.. Not at 7:59a.m., not at 8:01a.m., but at 8:00a.m.! Is it so hard to understand in your dummy brain? He tells and asks me with madness, actually scolding me for arriving one minute late. As always, he raises his voice while talking, making sure everyone can hear who is commanding here. I guess you see what I meant when I said that I wasn’t very motivated to come to work...

- I'm sorry, boss, I simply say as I don’t want to argue nor lose my job. Well, it’s mainly that I’m not up to an argument right now… I have other things to think about. To worry about.

- Don't. Since you came late, you'll go home late. You're finishing at 6p.m. today, he tells me with a correcting tone, looking down on me. He’s joking, right? 6pm?

- What? You're making me do three extra hours for one minute late? I demand him with disbelief as I’m getting upset.

- And you're not paid for those, he points out seriously, still speaking as loud as before. Not paid?! Better and better...

- Sir, I can’t work extra hours today. I have to go see my mom this afternoon after work. My uncle passed away yesterday and I have to help for the funerals and… I explain to my boss with seriousness, going up against him. I mean, I can be shy and quiet and all, just don’t take me for an idiot or play with me.

- That's not a valuable excuse. Get to work before I change my mind and actually fire you for rebellion, he orders me seriously and sternly. Right… I look down, not responding to not receiving any consequences later. Everyone, back to work! he screams to all of his employees before walking away to do his life. Dick!

- Don't listen to this cold hearted dick, MC, I hear Angie telling me as she comes to stand in front of me. She’s a little taller than me. If you need to leave, then do. I'll cover for you. I knew something wasn't right yesterday but we barely crossed paths so I couldn't ask you what was wrong. I'm really sorry about your uncle, MC, she apologizes sincerely to me as she puts her hand on my shoulder. Angie is one of the only workers I get well along with here. Yeah, nothing goes well in this restaurant… It’s sad because it could have its potential. I smile at my friend while weakly nodding.

- Thanks, Angie, I thank her sincerely as I place my hand on top of hers. She smiles and nods back before the two of us take separated ways to go do our work.

The morning passed pretty quickly to be fair. I prefer when it’s like this. Working and watching the time pass is one of the worst feelings. There were so many clients this morning that I didn’t have time to get bored. It’s actually pretty rare that there are so many people coming in the morning. I mean, it’s still a little buzzy usually but not this much. I hope that will put my boss in a good mood and he’ll kind of forget the late minute thing this morning… Right, even I don’t believe this… I take the plates and cutleries that customers have left to clear the table. I clean it well and let other customers settle in. The noon hour and 1pm are the worst. There is often a line of customers waiting for a table but it goes on pretty well usually. Anyway… It’s time for my break. I put the dirty dish and cutleries in the bassin which is on a cart to later go to the kitchen.

- Hi, I turn around to look at the person who is not so unfamiliar to me, I'm looking for a pretty (h/c) with crazy (e/c) in which you would easily get lost in. Have you seen her around? says and asks me, a man, using a flirtatious and slight playful tone at the same time. I smile and softly laugh while nodding.

- Yeah, I think she went back to the kitchen a little while ago. But I don’t know where she went after, I reply playfully to my friend as I point towards the kitchen. The man softly laughs back before passing his hand in his long hair which isn't in a ponytail or a bun for once. How dare he look so good?

- How are you, Gorgeous? Asks me gently, Phil, as we are facing one another.

- I’m good. I have the same problem as last night, but I’m good. You? I answer with a very faint sigh as I keep a small smile before asking him.

- I'm good, thanks, he responds, having that damn smirk in the corner of his lips. The two of us stare at each other for a little moment, a smile on our face. I can’t really explain why or how, but seeing him here, now, like we said last night, makes me happy. So, is it still on for having lunch together or...? He asks me, a point of nervousness heard in his voice. He isn’t sure of himself which is so rare to see.

- Yes… I begin to tell him before hearing a gravelly voice calling for me.

- MC! I turn around and see my boss approaching us. Oh… No time for talking! Get back to work! He tells me harshly in front of Phil. Oh God… So awkward! I know I have said stories to my friends about my boss, but none of them actually saw the man talking to me that way. And I wish it wouldn’t have been Phil seeing and hearing him talking to me this way. What is he going to think?

- You're seriously letting that dumbass talking to you this way? I hear Phil whispering lowly in my ear. His deep voice echoing in my ear… He sounded like he couldn’t just believe what he just heard. Oh but it’s real, Phil… I live it every day like all the employees here.

- It's almost 1p.m., sir. I'm on my break… I begin to respond to my boss, not forgetting that I actually want to get out of work at 3p.m and not 6p.m. I still have hope… A faint one but, it’s still there.

- Break? He repeats my word with disbelief as he is standing right before my face now. No break for you today. Come on, move! He exclaims, speaking with a mad tone as usual. If I didn’t know him, I would think he actually hate me. Which might be the case… It’s not possible to scream so much on someone without reasons, right? Ugh, is that guy ever happy? Or just calm?

- Hey! I hear Phil’s loud voice coming from behind me before I could say anything to my boss. I slightly widened my eyes in surprise as I didn’t think Phil would say something. She's your employee, not your stooge! You should watch it! He tells him with a warning tone which I’ve never really heard before. The only time I heard him using this tone was when one of his regulars overstepped the line. I look on my left as I see Jessy’s brother standing next to me, slightly getting before me. Oh… He looks so mad.

- And who might you be to talk back to me? Questions, my boss to Phil. Oh no… I glance around us and notice that customers are staring at us, watching the scene. So awkward… Before Phil could do something or say a word, and mostly before it goes too far, I grab discreetly Phil’s wrist. He doesn’t move nor look at me. My boss is still staring at Jessy’s brother. He is not pleased at all...

- Look, sir. She's been working since 8:00a.m., and it's 1p.m. in less than five minutes. You can't take off her lunch break just because you're her boss, it's against the law. But if you think you are above them, maybe we could stop by the police station to see who's right? Responds calmly and politely, Phil, all while still having this warning and serious tone. I’ve always been amazed by how polite he can stay despite the circumstances or the situation. I mean, it’s easy to lose control due to anger, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he fights.

- 30minutes. No more, tells me, my boss, reluctantly giving me a break. Thanks to Phil… I nod positively before he turns around and leaves us at a quick pace. Phil turns around before looking down at me.

- Thanks, but you didn't have to do that, Phil, I thank him with a small shy tone, yet, thankful he actually stepped in for me.

- I did and I wanted to. But honestly, that guy deserved more than just a "talk", he replies with sincerity and seriousness. While talking about my boss, I could hear the madness in his voice. I nod understandingly as I give him a small smile, appreciating it for standing up for me. It’s not every day it happens. Come on, he suddenly tells me with his infectious smile. I don't answer. Instead, my smile grows wider while the two of us walk through the restaurant to reach the outside. Oh, he has a bag! How did I not see it?

[thegreatestofheck]

The Girl with No Heartbeat Pt.7 ⊰JJ Maybank⊱

(gif not mine! all credit to to kitaplarinicindeyasayankiz!)

find the first 6 parts here on my masterlist! 

word count - 6.0k  warnings - some swearing, mentions of a fight and the aftermath, mentions of death and typical siren stuff (eating people and what not)  synopsis - The hunt for the truth behind Big John’s disappearance is on. An impromptu dinner goes exactly how Mera thought it would.  a/n - What is this??? Real plot?? In my mermaid!au?? Impossible. Well, here we are, bridging into canon material. It’s gonna be super different than actual canon, but it will have a good portion of the same stuff that happens. Also, my difference of opinions on Big John really comes out from fic to fic. Sometimes I hate him, sometimes I love him. It’s very interesting. 

~~~

“What’s in that room?” Mera asked as she passed through the hallway, following closely behind John B. He had wanted to show her something, but when they passed by the locked door that she had seen so many times before, she let her curiosity get the best of her. 

John B froze. The light and airy demeanor he usually carried around hardened and she watched him go stiff. Mera thought about taking her question back, but before she could, John B turned, looking at the door. There was a distance in his eyes, a deep pain. 

“This is my dad’s office,” he said and set a hand against the chipped wood. Mera remembered that he said something about losing his dad when they first met. Her heart sunk. Reaching out, she put a hand on his arm, making him flick his eyes toward hers. “They said he was lost at sea. Do you think….”

His painful pause and the shaking of his eyes as he looked at her told Mera exactly what the rest of his question was. 

“Show me a picture of him,” Mera said. If John B wanted to know if she had eaten his father, she would do anything to settle his mind. It would also make her feel better to know she hadn’t killed her new friend’s dad. John B walked back down the hallway a little more toward some pictures that were hung on the wall. He looked at one, a smile starting to pull on his lips. 

“Here,” he said, tapping on the glass. “That’s my dad.” 

Mera peered around John B’s shoulder and into the picture. Staring back at her was a kindly looking man with a soft smile on his lips. His hair was long and a scruffy, peppered beard grew from his face. A pair of round glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. Looking at him made Mera smile. 

“Hello,” she whispered the the man behind the glass. “My name is Mera. I’m your niece.” 

John B looked down at her, an eyebrow raised. Mera wasn’t sure why staring at this man’s face made her feel so welcome and yet so sad at the same time. His was a face she felt like she should know, but she didn’t. 

She didn’t recognize him. That was good. There wasn’t a single soul she had dragged the depths that she didn’t remember. Looking over at John B, who was staring down at her expectantly, she shook her head. 

“It wasn’t us,” Mera said and looked back at the picture. “If your father is dead, it wasn’t one of us who killed him.” 

John B let out an exasperated growl, turning away from her and running his hands through his hair. 

���Isn’t that a good thing?” She asked. “He still might be alive.”

“I don’t really care if he’s alive or if he’s dead, Mera,” he said. When he turned back to look at her, tears in his beautiful eyes. “I’m just sick of not knowing. I wake up every morning half expecting him to be passed out on the couch or working in the backyard and every morning it hits me again that he’s not here and I don’t know why.” 

Mera let out a slow sigh through her nose and nodded her head. 

“Then let’s find out,” she said firmly. 

“What?”

“You and me. And the others if they want to help. We’re all smart enough together to figure this out.” Mera crossed her arms, determination set. 

“What can we do that the cops haven’t already done?” 

Mera scoffed. 

“What are enforcers good for? All they’ve ever done in my line of business is terrorize people,” Mera said. John B almost cracked a smile as he shoved his hands into his pockets. 

“To be fair, your line of business was theft, murder, and general swashbuckling.” 

Mera nodded her head and pursed her lips. 

“Fair.” Mera took a step closer to John B, putting a hand on his arm once again. “Cos, you want answers and I want to help you get them, anyway that I can.” 

“What could we do? Where would we even start?” 

“Well,” Mera turned to look at the closed office door. “What was your dad working on before he went missing?” 

John B sighed, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. 

“He was looking for the Royal Merchant,” he said. Mera remembered him mentioning that too. She nodded. “I can help with that. I knew the survivor, Denmark Tanny. We worked together,” Mera said. John B’s eyes widened. 

“There was a survivor?” He gawked. Mera looked at him and nodded. 

“One. A slave. He lived and supposedly took the gold and-” 

John B was pulling the keys from his pocket before she could say anything else, walking toward the lock. 

Once the lock was free, John B paused with his hand on the doorknob and let out a calming breath. 

“We could call the others and wait for them,” Mera told him. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

John B looked back at her with a soft smile. 

“I’m not alone,” he said. “I have you.” 

An unfamiliar feeling bloomed throughout Mera as John B turned back toward the door and pushed it open. A smile pulled gently at her lips and there was a sting of tears in her eyes. She’d only known John B and the others for a few days. How was it that they trusted her so much? And how was it possible that she had grown to trust them? 

Mera followed after John B as he stepped into the dark and cluttered room. For a few moments, there was absolute silence as the two looked around. It was only broken by John B’s sharp intake of breath. He reached out and took Mera’s hand in his. She looked down, shocked at the sudden movement. When he squeezed her hand, she realized he was just looking for an inkling of comfort in a place that was so full of monsters and memories. 

“This looks like my father’s quarters,” Mera said to break the second silence. “His thoughts were always all over the place. No one could really ever understand his methods, except my mother.” 

John B let out a little laugh. 

“Yeah.” He walked forward, letting his hand slide out of Mera’s as he stepped up to the desk. He ran his hand over a stack of dusty papers. “He never made sense to anyone else but me.” 

“So, let’s figure out what he was working on just before he went out on that boat, who was he working with, everything.” 

“My dad didn’t work with anyone,” John B said, sliding into a chair and scooping a pile of papers into his hands. 

“Maybe something changed,” Mera replied settling herself in a chair across from him. “You never know. We need to go through every possible option.” 

“Then we’re going to need more hands.” 

“I’ll call the others.” 

An hour later, JJ, Pope, and Kie were all standing in the office, looking around in awe. 

“I’ve slept over a million times,” Pope said as he spun in slow circles, taking in everything. “And I’ve never once seen that door opened.” 

“Me neither,” said JJ, who was poking at a board of old pictures. 

“What can we do?” Kie asked, putting her hands on the back of Mera’s chair and leaning over her shoulder to read the papers she was holding. 

“We’re just trying to find out what he was doing before he left,” John B said. “Just read anything you can get your hands on. Whatever seems important put in this pile over here.” 

Kie nodded her head. 

“Will do, Boss.” She picked up a stack of papers, hopped up onto a counter and started reading. Pope followed suit, but JJ kept wandering. 

“Aren’t you going to help?” Mera asked, peering up at him. JJ shrugged, picking some paint off of the wall. 

“My attention span doesn’t like sitting and reading for extended periods of time,” he said with a playful smile. Mera raised an eyebrow. 

“Well, here. Look through these pictures then. See if anything stands out to you,” she said, shuffling through some of her papers and handing them to him. He smiled at her. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he said in a southern drawl. 

“Thank you, darling,” she mocked before returning to her papers. Once again, she missed the red tint of JJ’s ears as she looked away. What she didn’t miss was the way John B cocked a brow at her when she glanced up at him. 

“What?” she said. John B shook his head and let out a little laugh. 

“Nothing, cos.” 

They spent the next few hours doing nothing more than this. Except JJ, who had to go outside and kick a tree for a few minutes to take out his pent up energy. Eventually, John B set down his papers and let out a heavy breath. 

“Anyone else starving?” he asked. 

“God, I thought you’d never ask,” Pope groaned, putting his papers down. 

“I call shotgun!” JJ pulled himself all the way into the house (having been sitting in an open windowsill, one leg outside and one in) and ran for the front door. Kie rolled her eyes as Pope raced after him. 

“The Wreck?” Kie asked, sliding off of the counter where she’d been perched. 

“Sure,” John B said. Kie nodded her head as she lifted her arms, stretching out her back. Mera pushed herself out of the seat and dropped a hand on John B’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. 

“Thank you,” he said to her, staring down at a picture of him and his dad. Mera just gave him a smile before falling in step with Kie. 

~~~

It wouldn’t be a day on Kildare Island if everything went perfectly to plan. 

As soon as the bus pulled up to the Wreck, JJ let out an over-exaggerated groan from the front seat. He stopped flicking his lighter lid. 

“Looks like we’ve got company,” he said. Mera turned and peered out the front window. Her stomach dropped when she saw Rafe standing out by his motorcycle with Topper, Sarah, and another boy that Mera hadn’t yet met. 

“We’ll just ignore them and they’ll ignore us,” Pope said confidently. 

“Because that always works so well,” grumbled John B as he put the bus in park. 

“As long as JJ doesn’t say anything stupid and Mera doesn’t punch anybody, we’ll be fine,” Pope said, his tone no less confident than before. Mera and JJ locked gazes and both rolled their eyes. 

Kie was the first to open the side door, uncharacteristically silent. Of course she was. Sarah was there. Mera fully intended on getting to the bottom of their fued, hoping that she could somehow help to mend it, but now was definitely not the time, especially not when Rafe was standing right there. 

Their secret friendship had to stay secret, for her sake and for his. All Mera could do was pray that he wouldn’t call attention to her as she clambered after Kie, who spared no time in strolling up to the Wreck as if the other group of teens weren’t there. 

“Oh, hey, John B,” Topper said, smiling as the boys got out of the car. 

“Ignore him,” Pope whispered. Mera slowed to a stop, turning just enough to indicate she was waiting for her friends. Her gaze passed over Rafe’s briefly and she stiffened. They both looked away. 

“Hi, Mera,” Sarah said with a smile. “How are you?” 

“I’m going well,” Mera replied with a smile. Topper snaked an arm around Sarah’s waist. Mera heard Kie suck in an irritated breath from behind. “Just hungry.” 

“Aren’t we all,” Rafe said, putting his hands up in the air. “What if we all ate together? My treat.” 

There was a series of eyerolls from everyone present. The only one who seemed to like the idea was Rafe, who was smiling. He met Mera’s gaze again and she pressed her lips together, doing her best to communicate how badly she did not want to be doing this. 

“Come on.” Rafe elbowed Topper, who knocked into Sarah, who sent her brother a death glare as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. “It’ll be fun.” 

Everyone was frozen solid, rooted where they stood. Mera glanced over at JJ, whose jaw was clenched tight, his gaze fixed on Rafe in a glare. 

“I don’t care what we do,” Pope said tentatively, speaking as if he was walking on glass. “I just wanna eat.” 

“So it’s settled.” Rafe walked forward and clapped JJ on the shoulder with one of his large hands. Mera flinched. Rafe turned toward her, walking up the ramp right past her. “This will be fun, yeah?” 

Mera gave him her best glare as he walked by. Topper, Sarah, and the other boy followed after him quickly, but it took the others a little bit longer.

“So much for ignoring them,” John B grumbled to Pope who sighed and dipped his head. 

“Why can’t we just have one normal meal?” He whined as the two of them walked toward the glass door. 

“Are we really doing this?” Kie asked, arms crossed as she watched Sarah and Topper slid into the booth that her father had led them to. 

“Do we have a choice?” Mera replied, her eyes fixed on Rafe who wore the biggest innocent smile she had ever seen. Her hands clenched into fists and she heavily considered punching him in the face again. 

“I vote we make a break for it,” said JJ, standing on the other side of Mera. 

“You’re really gonna run away from free food?” Mera asked him. He sighed and his stomach rumbled in response to her question. “Right. In we go.” 

“Hey, Dad,” Kie said as she pushed the door open. 

“You want to explain to me what exactly is happening here?” Mike Carrera said, leaning over the counter. 

“If I could, I would tell you,” Kie said and rolled her eyes, making her dad chuckle. 

“Mera,” Mike said, turning to look at her. “How are you doing?” 

“Better, thank you,” Mera told him. She had come up with an easy lie that she ate too many Swedish Fish and they gave her strange dreams and that nightmares weren’t usual occurrences for her. Still, he seemed to worry. 

“You ever need anything, you let me know,” he told her before nodding over at JJ. “JJ.”

“Hey,” was the boy’s response. 

Mera followed Kie and JJ to the table. Kie sat as far away from Sarah as she possible could, sitting in between John B and the edge of the table across from Pope. JJ sat between Sarah and John B, leaving only one spot for Mera. Right across from him, in between Rafe and the other boy. She gave JJ a quick glare, but he didn’t see it. 

Mera slid into her seat as quietly as she could, not wanting to draw attention to herself. 

“I’m Kelce,” the boy said, extending a hand for her. Mera shook it amicably and gave him a strained smile. She turned her back almost completely on Rafe to give Kelce her full attention (and to pretend that Rafe was not there). 

“Mera.” 

“Rafe says you’re new around here.” 

“Yeah, I just moved from California.” 

“Really? Why would you trade California for this?” Kelcce laughed. 

“Oh, you know, family or something like that,” Mera glanced over to John B with a smile, who pretended to be way too interested in the menu. 

“You have family in the OBX?” Kelce asked as he took a drink of water.

“John over there is my cousin,” Mera said, pointing at him. Kelce choked on the water he was drinking, forced to cover his mouth with his hand. 

“No fucking way.” 

Mera laughed as she watched John B roll his eyes and mutter something under his breath. 

“Yes fucking way.” 

“Well, damn.” Kelce and Mera both laughed for a moment. “I’m glad to finally meet you. Rafe talks about you all the time.” 

Mera felt ice run through her veins and she felt her cheeks heat up. Rafe spluttered through his own drink from the other side of her. Across the table, JJ tightened his grip around his knife. 

“All good things, I’m sure.” Mera tried to keep the sneer out of her voice, but she wasn’t sure she succeeded. 

Mike came over to take orders just after that. JJ asked for the most expensive thing on the menu, sending Rafe a cocky smirk which made Mera huff angrily. Rafe seemed completely unphased and ordered the exact same thing. 

Rafe ignored Mera most of the night, so she was caught in pleasant small talk with Kelce, which wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Considering who his friends were, he wasn’t the worst person to have a conversation with. She felt JJ tap her shin from underneath the table, making her look at him. She had to stifle a bout of laughter when she saw two straws sticking out of his nose. 

“Watch this,” he said, leaning the straws into his almost completely full water cup. 

“JJ, no,�� Kie pleaded, dropping her chin into her propped up hands. Mera just watched on with an amused smile on her face. He sent her a wink just before blowing as much air out of his nose and through the straws as possible. Mera nearly shrieked with laughter as the water started to bubble as if it was boiling, spilling over the rim and onto the table. 

“Classy,” Rafe said, his voice tight. 

A waiter brought out their food. It was a mad scramble to get all the right things, but when everyone finally had their meal, the tension started to build up once again. 

“So, Mera,” Sarah said, twisting her fork around the shrimp pasta. “There’s a party at my house this weekend and I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go.” 

“Oh, um-” 

Kie slammed her water cup down on the wood table. 

“You’re just going to invite her and not everyone else here?” Kie asked, gripping the glass in her hand so tight that Mera was afraid she was going to shatter it. Pope and John B ate slowly, their eyes flicking between Sarah and Kie. Kelce seemed completely unbothered, minding his own business as he ate. JJ and Rafe were caught in an eating-slash-glaring contest. 

“It’s Top’s birthday,” Sarah said, placing a hand over Topper’s that made Kie glare even harder. “I didn’t think you would come if I asked.” 

“You could have asked anyway.”

“Kiara, do you want to come to Topper’s birthday this weekend?” Sarah asked, her voice tight and rising steadily. 

“No, I fucking wouldn’t,” Kie hissed, shoving her chair backward and storming off. Mera cringed, standing to follow her. For the first time since sitting down, Rafe acknowledged her presence by grabbing onto her elbow.

“Don’t touch her,” JJ said. 

“I can speak for myself, JJ,” Mera snapped. She snatched her arm from Rafe’s grip. “Don’t touch me.” 

“My sister asked you a question, Mera,” he said, looking up at her. Mera sighed. 

“Sarah, thank you for the offer. I’ll have to think about it,” Mera said, trying to give Sarah an honest smile. Sarah just nodded, pulling her hand from Topper’s and leaning back in her chair, looking defeated. “Happy early birthday, Topper.” 

“Thank you, Mera.” The smile the boy gave her felt fake, but she wasn’t sure why. 

Pope stood up from his chair, obviously still thinking about Kie, and went to find her. 

“This fish is really good,” John B said, looking at his plate as he tried to fill the awkward silence that followed Pope’s departure. 

“Yeah,” Kelce agreed. Mera had barely even touched her food, but her stomach was rolling with discomfort. 

“You wanna take this outside?” Rafe growled, suddenly standing up. 

“Let’s fucking go, dude,” JJ snapped in return. 

“What-” 

Mera didn’t even have time to ask a question before both boys booked it for the front door. 

John B and Topper glanced at each other for a moment before following after their friends. 

“Topper!” Sarah cried. Soon, she too was gone. Mera let out a sigh, slouching in her chair while Kelce continued to eat his food in peace. 

“They’re fighting, aren’t they?” Mera huffed, looking at her food. Kelce nodded slowly. 

“They’re definitely fighting.” 

“How’s the fish?” She asked, picking up her spoon again to start eating. Somewhere outside, there was a scream and a loud crashing sound. 

“It’s amazing. Mr. Carrera always makes the best food.” 

“Could I try a bit?” 

“Sure, as long as I can try some of that soup.” 

Kelce and Mera swapped dishes as the sounds of shouting grew louder. 

“Man, that is some good soup,” Kelce said. 

“Right?” They swapped plates again. “And that fish is cooked to perfection.” 

“It always is.” 

“Do you think Sarah would mind if I…?” Mera nodded toward Sarah’s nearly full plate. Kelce shook his head. 

“She’s not likely to come back for it.” 

“Great. You want some?”

“Hell yeah.” 

The two picked food off of the left over plates, chatting back and forth and moaning over how good all the food was until the front door burst open once again. 

“Mera,” a sweaty and bloody faced John B said. “We’re leaving.” 

Mera stood up quickly, grabbing one last roll of bread. 

“It was wonderful to meet you, Kelce,” she said as she shimmied around him. 

“And you too,” he replied. “We should do this again sometime.” 

Mera looked outside and grimaced. 

“Maybe not.” 

“Nah, probably not.” 

“See you around?” 

“Yup.” 

With that, Mera rushed outside to join her friends in the bus. 

“Fat load of help you were,” JJ huffed at Mera as she held an ice pack to his eye. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t want to the food to go to waste,” she said. 

“You sat there and ate with Kelce while we got beat up?”

“Yes, because I try not to act like a child,” she snapped at him. JJ grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest. Kie drove and Pope was in the passenger seat, leaving Mera in the back with the bloodied up boys. It wasn’t anything too serious, just a few bruises and a busted lip or two, but they still looked miserable. 

“Well, that was delightful,” Pope mused in a mocking tone. “And I didn’t even get to finish my dinner.” 

“Trust me, it was really good,” Mera told him. He turned around and stuck his tongue out at her, making her laugh quietly. “On the bright side, Rafe still had to pay for everything.” 

That didn’t really make anyone else feel any better. 

“What’s going on with you and Rafe anyway?” JJ asked. Mera scowled down at him, her heart starting to pound. 

“Nothing. I work at his house, that’s all,” she told him as she moved over to John B to help him clean the blood off of his nose. 

“I work at his house and there’s nothing weird between us,” John B said. 

“Hate to break it to you, buddy,” Pope said, “but you’re not a smoking hot girl.” 

Mera’s face flushed as Kie scolded Pope, who didn’t really seem to understand what exactly he had said wrong until it was too late. 

When Mera looked back at JJ, he was still watching her carefully. He wasn’t glaring like he was before, but he definitely wasn’t happy. He was getting suspicious. She did her best to smile at him before finally settling down. They were mostly silent all the way back to the Chateau. The only sound to be heard was the rumbling of Pope’s stomach. 

~~~

Pope and John B raided the fridge when they got back, nearly fighting over the only non-expired can of yogurt. Kie went straight home. JJ flopped on the couch, pulling a magazine out from under his pillow. He refused to look up at Mera as she leaned against the wall, laughing quietly as Pope and John B bickered. 

She had a feeling that JJ was mad at her. Part of her wanted him to just come out and say it so that she could just explain everything without feeling like an idiot. Another part of her wanted to ignore him right back. She went with the latter choice. The rest of the night, Mera and JJ didn’t speak to each other, talking instead through Pope and John B, who were far too hungry to notice. 

By the time everyone was ready for bed, Mera could barely keep her eyes open. 

“Night,” she called sleepily to the boys, who had all elected to sleep on the pullout together, leaving her the spare room. 

“Night,” Pope and John B chorused, already half asleep. 

“Night, princess.” 

Mera was almost too sleepy to hear JJ. Almost. 

~~~

Going to work the next day was probably one of the most nerve wracking things she had done in a long while. Even if Rafe blamed her for how last night ended, Mera didn’t care. He had started it. She was more than prepared to take him on in a duel if that was what he wanted. She was mostly afraid that word would get back to Ward and he would fire her or that Sarah wouldn’t want to be her friend anymore. Neither of which sounded fun to her. 

Luckily, Sarah greeted her with the same smile she did every morning and Ward was nowhere to be found. 

“Did you think about coming to Topper’s birthday tomorrow night?” Sarah asked, helping Mera move a large fridge out of the way so she could dust off a wooden nightstand. 

“Not yet,” Mera said. “Last night was a little bit crazy.” 

Sarah rolled her eyes. 

“If my brother wasn’t such a dick all the time, I think I could actually make friends with you guys. I just wish his reputation hadn’t tarnished mine.” There was a real sadness in her voice as she spoke. 

“I don’t think it’s your brother,” Mera told her truthfully. Sarah froze. 

“What?” 

“It’s Kiara. Whatever happened between you two, that has to be fixed before there’s any hope at all of you being friends with the others.” 

Sarah seemed to deflate.

“Kiara will never forgive me,” she said. 

“I don’t believe that.” 

When Sarah looked up at Mera, there were large tears in her eyes. 

“I fucked up, Mera,” she whispered, her words shaking and full of grief. “Real bad. And it’s been so long and I let the bad blood between us go on for too long and I don’t think I can ever make things right with her again.” 

Mera sighed and put a hand on Sarah’s shuddering shoulder. 

“Do you want to make things right?” Sarah nodded vehemently. “Then don’t give up. Kie will come around eventually.” 

Sarah nodded again, slower this time, and swallowed. 

“Do you want me to find you some stain or something for that?” Sarah asked, pointing at the nightstand. “It’ll make it look better.” 

“I would really appreciate that, Sarah,” Mera said with a smile. 

“Be right back.” 

Rafe didn’t come to see Mera at all that day, or the next day for that matter. Mera was disappointed only because she wanted to fight at him so badly. JJ was warming up to her again, but still really only spoke to her on the rare occasion. Mera was also ready to fight him too. Hell, she was prepared to fight them both if it came down to it. All she would need was a sword….

“So, Mera,” John B said from across the table, pulling her from her thoughts. “You decided if you’re going over to Sarah’s tonight?” 

“Um, yeah, actually,” Mera said, shaking her head. “I was going to head over in a bit. Sarah is going to lend me something to wear.” 

John B nodded his head slowly, but JJ just crunched on his burnt toast. 

“You’ll be careful, right?” John B said. Mera watched him carefully for a few seconds. 

“You’re not seriously going to father me right now.” “What?” 

“My own father has said those exact same words to me before a party,” Mera said, now trying to hide a smile. John B scowled, flustered. 

“I’m not...I just wanna make sure...I mean, you’re kinda my responsibility and I want you to be safe,” John B said, crossing his arms. Mera couldn’t help but laugh as she stood and stood next to him.

“Sure, Dad.” Her comment made John B roll his eyes. 

“Be sure to bring protection,” JJ said almost bitterly. The light atmosphere dampened as Mera and John B both turned to look at him. 

“I don’t have a sword,” Mera told him. JJ’s eyelids fluttered shut and she could tell that he was trying not to laugh at her, which made her mood turn sour. 

“That’s not the kind of protection he means,” John B said with a slight upturn of a smile. She scowled down at him, not really wanting to ask for an explanation but hoping he would give one anyway. “He’s talking about condoms, dear cousin.” 

“I’m unfamiliar with the term.” 

“You’re telling me you went out tapping without condoms?” JJ asked, leaning forward on the table, crossing his hands in front of him. “Yeesh.” 

“Will one of you please act like a grownup and explain to me what you’re talking about?” Her tone was harsher than she had meant it, but it seemed to snap John B into order. 

“They’re for sex, Mera. You...wrap your willy with it to protect from diseases and to keep the girl from getting pregnant,” John B said, refusing to look at her. 

“Oh. Hmm. That sounds rather useful. I’ll be sure to bring one of those then,” she said. “Thank you, JJ.” 

He blanched at her statement. 

“No, you weren’t-” He froze and scowled. “Fine. Whatever. Do what you want.” 

With that, he pushed him out of his seat and walked out the front door. 

“I’m extremely confused,” Mera said. “Do you mind explaining to me what just happened?” 

“I may be thinking that JJ doesn’t want you sleeping with anyone at that party,” John B explained, his eyes fixed on the door, a small smirk on his face. He looked up at Mera, who continued to scowl. 

“I don’t see the problem,” she said. John B heaved out a sigh and pushed himself out of his chair. He dropped a hand on her shoulder and pressed his lips into a fine line. 

“I don’t either. I mean, JJ goes after any one who has a heartbeat. I can’t imagine why he’d be upset with you for doing the same thing.” 

With that, John B walked toward the back of the house, leaving Mera alone in the silence, painfully aware of the dead heart that refused to beat in her chest. 

~~~

Mera stood scowling in front of the mirror. Sarah stood off to the side, trying to hide an excited grin behind her hands. 

“Do you like it?” 

Mera hummed quietly to herself. She didn’t quite know yet if she liked the outfit. Sarah had put her in a loose white top with long, flowing sleeves, almost similar to the kinds of blouses that Mera was used to wearing. But the sleeves came off the shoulders and the collar dipped a little lower than Mera may have been comfortable with. Sarah paired the shirt with a brown skirt that twirled beautifully, but was rather short. It was the color and the fabric type that Mera might have worn as pants, but never this cut. There were sandals on her feet, but she was sure she was going to take them off. Her hair was braided and Sarah had even put makeup on her. It was completely different from what she remembered makeup being like. 

Somehow, the person staring at her looked like her, but didn’t look like her at the same time. 

“Wait, I have an idea,” Sarah said, running toward one of her dressers. “It’ll just tie the entire thing together.” 

She returned with a thick, dark brown belt. It was less of a belt and more of a corset. Mera’s eyes widened at the sight of it. She had always wanted a corset, but her mother had never let her get one. 

“Turn around.” 

Mera did as she was told and Sarah wrapped the thing around her, clipping it behind her back. Mera expected there to be some tightness or discomfort, but she felt perfectly fine. Turning back toward the mirror, Mera nodded her head. It did really pull the entire outfit together. The large buckle in the front reminded her of a belt that she used to wear almost daily. The smile on Mera’s face became real as she smoothed out the skirt. 

“I love it,” she said, looking at Sarah. “Thank you.” 

“No problem,” Sarah said with a wave of her hand. “Anything for you. Come on now, the boys will be waiting for us.” 

Sarah hooked her arm through Mera’s and started to pull her toward the door. 

“The...the boys? Why?” 

“They’re our protection for the night.” Mera scowled. That was the second time she had heard that word and this time, she didn’t think it meant a sword or a condom. 

“I’m confused.” 

“Listen, two beautiful girls like us can’t go to a party alone, not even in our own house. You need someone to always hold your drink while you’re in the bathroom. You need someone watching your back while you’re dancing or playing games. Topper is looking out for me, obviously, and Kelce said he’d look out for you. Naturally, that means they are our dates.” 

“Wait, what? Drinks? Dates? Kelce?”

“I asked Rafe to watch out for you, but he said he wasn’t coming, so I had to ask Kelce. Haven’t you gone to a party before? Always make sure someone is watching your drink so you don’t get drugged. It’s rule number one.” 

“God,” Mera breathed as Sarah pulled her down the stairs. 

“Yeah, crazy world, right? Girls can’t go to a simple birthday party without being afraid of getting attacked.” It was a serious subject to Mera, something she had seen happen so many times that she was almost shocked to hear how casually Sarah was talking about it. But then she realized that Sarah spoke so plainly because it was so rampant. Sarah had desensitized herself to the reality of the world so she could still enjoy a night with her friends without the crippling fear of being assaulted. 

“I’ll protect you,” Mera said seriously, pulling Sarah to a stop. “No one will hurt you.” 

Sarah gave her a soft smile and squeezed her hand. 

“Thank you. I will always have your back, too.” 

Even though Sarah looked calm, Mera could feel her heart pounding through her hands. 

“Come on, the boys are waiting,” Mera said, a smile spreading across her face. 

“Damn right they are.” Walking up the stairs was Topper and Kelce, both dressed spiffily. 

“Baby!” Sarah cried, running forward to embrace her boyfriend. “Happy birthday!” 

“Thanks, babe,” he said, putting his arms around Sarah’s shoulders and giving her a kiss. 

“Happy birthday,” Mera told him as Kelce walked forward to stand beside her. Topper barely heard her, too occupied with Sarah’s lips. “They’re not going to talk to us for the rest of the night, are they?”

Kelce sighed and shook his head. 

“It’s unlikely.” 

“Great.” 

“You wanna head down? Everything’s in full swing.” 

Mera sucked in a deep breath, calming her nerves the best she could before nodding. 

“Why the hell not?” 

Kelce walked beside Mera as they made their way down the steps. Mera’s eyes scanned the crowd of people waiting at the bottom and she felt her breath hitch. 

“You good?” Kelce asked. Mera nodded, but her teeth were sinking into her lower lip until she tasted blood. 

“I just haven’t been around this many people in a long time,” she told him honestly. “It’s a bit overwhelming.” 

“I take it you weren’t a party girl in California.” 

“No, I definitely was. I’ve just been...away…from the lifestyle for a while.” 

“Well,” Kelce said with a heavy sigh. “Why don’t we just walk through these people to that bar over there and drink until we’re drunk. How about that?” 

Mera felt herself smile and she nodded. 

“I would love that.” 

~~~

tagging - @lolitstiana​ @drew-starkeys​ @youfookendonut​ @x-lulu​ @diverrdown​ @parkerpetertingle​ @simonsbluee​ @abbiesthings​ @apoguecalledjj​ @outerbankslut​ @sexualparkour​ @localfangirlx​ @kaitieskidmore1​ @ma10427 @bricksatanakinswindow​ @acvross-the-universe​ @jjjmaybank​​ @mayraki​

if you want to be added to the taglist, just let me know! ❤

[purplerose244]

Thoughts journal Ninjago season 13!! 🖤🖤 (4/4)

Here we are, at the end of just another season of Ninjago! And I've gotta say, until now it has been very good, I think I'm liking this season better than Prime Empire and Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu. I liked them too, but this one feels more complete and deep, also LILLY GOT A BACKSTORY HECK YEAH 😍😍

Prime Empire had one really great ending, so I'm very curious how this season will conclude! Spinjitzu burst? Some last minute plot twist? Cole and Vania confirmed...? 🙄

Here we go!!

THE DARKEST HOUR

So I'm guessing the guys aren't doing too good at the moment 😅

I know this is kind of a tense situation, but honestly Kai looking so confused at having to lead cracks me up 😂 "Do I have to say it? Is that what being in charge means?"

Lloyd: YOU

Jay: SHALL

Kai: NOT

Zane: BE GRANTED THE PERMISSION TO TRAVERSE BEYOND THIS POINT

I have no words, that was such an obvious reference in full Zane style so in character, I have tears. Beautiful 🤣🤣

Also they all look SO COOL 💚💙❤🤍

My ninja babies fighting together screaming NINJA-GOO!! Really this season feels like we're back in the old days, so cool! And they are so in sync, Kai lifting Lloyd up and Zane pushing others away and I LOVE THE FIGHTING ANIMATIONS 🤩

Poor Skull dude, he's trying to do his big bad guy monologue and he keeps getting interrupted 😂

It was cute that both tribes immediately refused to surrender, not sure if it was for pride or they actually care about their new ninja friends, but it was nice

Aahh, near death life experiences, the best way to elicit teamwork 👍 Nice scene, nice cute scene

Nnnnnyyyggg, Lloyd, that's the sacrifice look right there 😱 At least they just turned themselves in peacefully after reuniting the tribes... aaand of course he was lying, I hate that Skull dude 👿👿

THE ASCENT

Back to team Cole! Back to the Upply! 🖤 Quick guys, we're only three episodes left!! NEED TO GO BIG!!

Heeeeeyy, Wu back in business! I kinda missed him a bit taking control of the situation, it used to be him because he was the master. It really is a jump into the past this season! 🤩🤩

Sure let's go with the explosive cart, not like Cole and the other ninja haven't been piloting a falling apart rocket back to Earth before 🤷‍♀️

A Mech on rolleskates, why not? Does Cole even know how to go on those though? He was already out of the Tournament of Elements during Chen's Thunder Blade so I don't really know...

Lolz the monster was actually waiting staring at the wall, guess you don't get much fun in this mine 😅

COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE 🖤🖤🖤

And a poor old couple of civilians traumatized. They need to be trained by the people of Ninjago City on how to deal with weird appearances 💪

I guess we're doing this 😅 Gonna be honest, this is the first very evident sweet look I see from these two. I like Vania, a lot, but another classic love interest? Uuuuhhh, Idk, Imma see the rest of the season and see what happens 🤷‍♀️

A baby dragon on a giant spider, one of my favorite things ever on one thing I fear... I'll let it pass just because Adam is a good boy 🕷🕷🕷

GO VANIA GO GIRL LET HIM KNOW WHO IS THE BOSS HERE!!! 💛💛💛

THE UPPLY STRIKES BACK!

I really like these DnD guys, they've grown on me, let's see what they have in store! 😁

Munce and Geckles under chains, ninja in a cage, the Skull dude has the control, we're back when we started... sucks to be a ninja sometimes 😅

Omg I'm loving that this dude is trying so hard to be menacing and he keeps getting ignored 😂😂 Aww cute, you think you're the first that wants to destroy the ninja? Such a special little snowflake 😘 Evil monologue, we've been going for 13 seasons now with various specials and a movie, we heard it already 🤷‍♀️

Also the reveal, and he's all "Your friend Cole is dead" and Lloyd "That's what they all say, buddy" 👌👌

Poor Cole just wants justice for his mom HELP EMOTIONAL AGAIN

I'm all for Cole's personal team, they should do missions together, like Jay's team in Skybound!... that technically never happened, BUT STILL COOL 🖤💙🖤💙

Oh boy oh boy oh boy got the swords, confrontation ready, BRING IT!! Ninja team is all in for this!! ❤💚💙🤍🌊

REVOLUTION!!!! 💪💪💪💪

Swords aren't usually Cole's weapon of choice... BUT DANG IT HE CAN SWING THEM, HOLY GARMADON!!! THIS IS THE FIGHTING SCENES I WANT!!! 😍😍

How is this the episode prior the finale? It already feels like the finale! What else is going to happen?

SON'S OF LILY

Oh with a title like this, it's a given that I will not survive. Oh boy, here goes, the FINALE!

Chaos, chaos, beautiful dragon of death and distraction, also gently reminder that Mino is also a very good boy 💕 Are the skeletons connected to the skull? Are they gonna stop reform when Cole defeats the Skull Sorcerer?

The swords are not actually magical? Huh, first weapon in this show that turns out to be a fluke, apart maybe the Dragon Armor of the Firstborne... that one stayed intact at least 😅

HERE COMES THE VALKIRIES!!! *classic related music plays*

THIS. FIGHTING. SCENES. ARE. SO. FREAKING. GOOD 😍 Also wow sensei, full kamikaze with a dragon? I guess the sacrifice gene really runs into that family 😅

COLE NO DON'T HURT ROCK BABY 😭

"Always." KIRBY STOP MAKING ME CRY WITH YOUR AMAZING VOICE ACTING SKILLS ALSO HOLY HOOLA GANG

THAT'S LIKE A SPINJITZU WITH THE TRUE POTENTIAL OMG HECK YEAH SHINE COLE SHINE!!! 🖤🖤🖤

A bit red, could mistake it for Kai's, but it's an orange earth lava burst so I understand

Cole: okay guys, done my part

Cole: wake me up when next season is out

LOOK AT VANIA BECOMING THE QUEEN WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL ATTIRE AND USING COLE'S MOTHER QUOTE BECAUSE SHE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM COLE AWWW 💛

Okay, since there weren't evident references to Nexo Knights this season, can I pretend Fungus shooting fireworks is one? Merlok used to do that almost at every season finale... IMMA PRETEND 🙃

She is so adorable, I really love her. Wished we've seen more of her bond with her father, it felt a little easy her giving up on him. Idk, Sky and Chen didn't have that much of a bond but she struggled a lot! But she is super cool and cute, I ADORE her 💕

This sounds like a pretty good experience for Lloyd who FINALLY spent a season without being scarred for life!!! He even met a princess who didn't plan his death!!! Montgomery things are getting better 💚

Well, that surprised me, I guess Cole and Vania like each other but not heavily? Just a very light mood, like they care a lot but no other step further. I'm very happy about this choice, you can see it as a couple if you want, but you can also say they are just good friends. Nice 👍

Oh no, Wu got his midlife crisis, SOMEBODY STOPS HIM 😱

Wherever the wind will take them okay, wherever the producers will decide to torture them 😗

Overall, great finale! 😁

FINAL THOUGHTS

I think I enjoyed Prime Empire's finale more than this one, but this season with all of its episodes was absolutely AMAZING 🖤

The Skull Sorcerer wasn't necessarily a bad villain, but the story kinda went into another direction in my opinion so his part wasn't fundamental. Which isn't a bad thing for me, it's actually new and exciting see the attention to the story instead of the villain, and I did enjoy how they made fun of how cliche he was being 😂

Vania was GREAT. Wished we had more time with her father to really establish what kind of bond they had, but overall I loved her, new best girl acquired 💛💛💛

FREAKING ROCK MOM!! FREAKING LILLY!! I'm so emotional just thinking about this family, omg, THIS is the content I want for Ninjago! Impactful, that makes sense, connected to the heart that makes you so much closer to a character! Finally the Rock family is getting more complex 🖤

I think this season really gave Cole justice, we got her mom's story, we've got him leading a team again, we've got him with a cool new power! 😍😍

For the other ninja it was okay, I really liked the shenanigans with the tribes and the cultures were really fun to explore. Was kinda like a side quest and for me didn't bring that much to the main story, but it was fun and it's fair, Cole had all the attention he deserved 👌

FIGHTING ANIMATION OMG HECK FREAKING YEAH 10/NINJA-GOOOO ❤💚💙🖤🤍🌊

Beautiful designs for the characters, in particular the Shintaro citizens, and also wonderful backgrounds and sceneries, that I thought were starting to lack but here seems much nicer to look at 🤩

What can I say? Ninjago still knows how to mess with my heart, and I'm so very happy about it. I think the so wanted Cole season was definitely worth it 🖤🖤🖤

Now, I heard voices about a possible Nya season... ABSOLUTELY YES, YES TO EVERYTHING, QUEEN GETTING HER OWN SEASON YES YES YES!!! 😍😍😍🌊🌊🌊 Besides that apparently Maya will come back, which is a dream coming true, if they give Nya the same attention they gave to Cole this season, I will be happy 😊

[naturepointstheway]

Frozen - Domestic Assassin (Crack AU) Masterpost

This is a Masterpost of all the fanfiction I’d written (all on Tumblr) based in @ultranos’ Domestic Assassin crack AU which was hilarious for a fairly good-sized group of us! And from what I”ve seen in my notifications, people are still enjoying and finding fics of mine in this AU even to this day, which is great! 

I’ve basically dug into my previous fanfiction pages and pulled them out year by year, so because it’ll be way too much work to try and arrange everything by title, I just went by year. At least Tumblr keeps the links when I copy and paste. 

Since there are so many, you’ll find them under the cut. Enjoy! 

Pre-2016

Air Mattress Prompt  

An exhausted Anna returns home from a hot night with Kristoff only to accidentally make her sister fly off the air mattress when she flops down on it for a sleep.

“Am I supposed to be alarmed by the moon tonight?” prompt 

Elsa is so exhausted she gets confused between the sun and moon apparently.

“Can we please stop fighting and talk about the koala in your room?” 

Elsa adopted a koala, much to Anna’s exasperation.

“Can you pull this fake cobweb across the door?” Halloween prompt 

Anna wants to play a prank on Elsa...

Cell Block Sniper (M - violence and strong language)

Yes. Yes. It’s a crossover. A crossover between “Cell Block Tango” song from Chicago and this AU.

“Do you realise what this means?” “That you’re a really bad shot?” 

Elsa is NOT having the best of time trying to instruct a new trainee.

Domestic Assassin AU prompt: Hans’ POV (pre-reveal) 

Hans has a visit from Elsa when he dumps Anna. 

“Don’t touch that!” (Healthcare writing prompt, Snow Sisters) 

Elsa was bound to fall out of a tree at some point and end up in hospital. Anna takes care of her. 

Elsa and Weselton prompt 

Elsa refuses to let Weselton in the door.

Eyes That Glisten 

Anna knows how to persuade Elsa to do whatever she wants. 

“God you’re such a grumpy bags in the morning aren’t you?” 

Elsa is not a happy camper after a long night where everything just goes wrong. “Holy shit. Most realistic Dementor costume ever.” Halloween prompt 

Turns out, Elsa just looks like that most of the time.

“I can’t help being a geek about my vital signs!” prompt (Elsarik) 

A crossover between another AU (Shardsverse) 

“I don’t think I should tell you what we’re dressed as.” (Halloween Prompt) 

Somebody think of the children! 

“I dropped my cookie :’(” 

Elsa cries when she drops her cookie. 

“I feel like a T-Rex” 

Anna is too lazy to just grab the goddamn stepladder and get the jam herself.

“I wish I could drive you out of my life with a sword!” (Hans and Anna, prompt) 

Anna is NOT a fan of Hans...

“Maybe you should go as an assassin. Oh wait, you already are one.” (Halloween prompt) 

Anna is a sarcastic little sister to Elsa.

“No one unfollows like Gaston!” 

Anna overhears Gaston boasting about how he unfollowed someone because of a disability. She is not happy.

Ruined Dinner Party

After an hour of waiting for her sister to come to the party, Anna finally spots her with “ketchup” all over her top. 

Part 2 of “Ruined Dinner Party”

Of course it wasn’t ketchup. Duh. Anna is NOT HAPPY.

Sleepyhead (drabble, Snow Sisters) 

Elsa, going to the kitchen for midnight munchies, spots Anna sprawled on a couch, textbooks all around her. 

“So. Many. Triangles. Help me here!” 

Anna, not being a maths-y person, gets frustrated with geometry, and Elsa offers to help. 

“So you’re going as yourself for Halloween.” Halloween prompt 

Elsa is not keen on dressing up as Halloween.

“Tell our parents my Tumblr URL and I swear I will make your death look like an accident” prompt. 

Elsa practically threatens Anna when the latter demands to explain her Tumblr URL (of course she quickly forgives her little sis.) 

“That mask is all kinds of creepy. I like it.” Halloween prompt 

Elsa practically shits herself when Anna scares her while wearing a terrifying mask. 

Things you said at 4am prompt 

Anna gets a call at 4am on her phone from Elsa, who accidentally sniped the wrong guy..

Those Poor Birds 

Elsa mistakes a pair of birds’ mating antics as fighting, much to Anna’s amusement.

“Wait, you’re yelling at a movie?” (Snow Sisters, writing prompt) 

Elsa is very confused to find that Anna’s yelling from the lounge is at a movie. Not at an invader.

“Was it really necessary to shoot my pumpkin carving?” (Halloween prompt) 

Anna is NOT happy when Elsa decides to use her pumpkin carving for shooting practice.

“What do you mean it’s a sunset…?” prompt 

Elsa wakes up only to find that it’s already after sunset, not sunrise.

“What the hell? You gave out alcoholic chocolate to trick-or-treating kids?!” (Halloween prompt) 

Anna discovers that her German chocolates had been opened by Elsa, who’d handed them out to kids. 

“Where did you leave the spare copy of that book?” (Elsarik DA!verse, prompt) 

Crossing over with another writer’s AU with her OC, Alarik. Elsa can’t find that one specific book she needs, and she’s sure Alarik has it. 

“You once asked me what I’d do if I had only one day left.” prompt 

Anna will most definitely NOT be spending that final day of her life with Hans.

“You did what?!” prompt (Elsa and Kristoff) 

Elsa does not appreciate Kristoff’s concern over her having WAY too many cats for one house.

“You mean a line segment.” prompt 

Elsa is a huge geometry nerd, even waiting in line for takeaways.

“You should go as an assassin. Oh wait. You already are one.” prompt 

Another one where Anna suggests Elsa goes as an assassin for Halloween, only to be all “oh wait, you are one.” 

2016

Accidental shooting

Elsa accidentally shoots someone she did not mean to shoot in a library’s basement. 

Amuse Me

Elsa’s having one of those blah days and Anna’s there with bad puns all ready to go.

“Bittersweet and Strange” (not based on a prompt)

Elsa explains exactly how she likes her coffee to Anna. Turns out Elsa is also a huge fan of marmite. 

“Can’t I at least take this baby koala home?”

Anna, no, you cannot take a koala home from Australia, no matter how cute it is.

Cat Gallery (not based on a prompt)

Kristoff discovers Elsa’s huge photo album of her cats. 

“Did you lose your main point…”

Anna hears something about money and bills and wait what now.

“Do nurses ever fall asleep on the night shift?”

Anna visits Elsa in hospital and inevitably someone has to wonder this. Elsa’s adorbs when she’s pouty and Anna can’t help but annoy her on this count.

Fight Me

One sister challenges another to a fun boxing game. 

“How did you get these bruises?”

A crossover with another writer’s canon OC, Alarik (”Elsarik”) where he asks how she got some bruises while on the job. 

“How many cats are in bed with you?”

Anna marvels that there are nine cats in bed with Elsa. 

“I don’t think you’re supposed to have the whole packet at once.”

Do not eat a whole bag of coffee. Do not.

I Have Found My People (not based on a prompt)

Elsa has discovered that certain Scandinavian countries drink the most coffee in the world and wants to migrate there right now.

“I know you don’t want this but it’s for your own good…”

Kristoff is rightly concerned when he finds that Elsa had thirty cups of coffee in 48 hours. Do not do this at home.

“I, uh, kinda dropped it in the water.”

Elsa calls Anna to tell her there’s an emergency: she dropped her wallet in the sea and all the fish now have her personal information. 

“I want a Venusian day…”

Elsa tries to explain to Anna why she would not want to live on Venus. Anna doesn’t give a fuck. More hours in the day what’s not to love about that?

Of Cat’s Paws and Adopting Stellar Systems (not based on a prompt)

Elsa is enthralled by a photo of the Cat’s Paw Nebula she has found on the laptop. 

Of Monkeying Around and Going Ape (not based on a prompt)

Anna comes home to discover that Elsa has adopted a monkey that had been neglected by its owner. Even Anna is almost (I said, ALMOST) tempted to keep the monkey but her common sense reigns. 

“Oh so you were in my bed this whole time?” (nsfw)

Dontcha hate when you’re in the middle of coitus and your goddamn cat has to interrupt you? (Elsarik, with another Frozen writer’s (@patricia-von-arandel) OC for Elsa)

“Once we start tickling, we can’t stop!” (nsfw)

Another steamy one with an old abandoned OC of mine (Jannike), where they find themselves having a quickie while the boss is away. 

Rubbish Day (not based on a prompt)

Anna is horrified to find a rubbish bag gone and trails of what suspiciously looks like blood leading outside. Turns out some meat thrown in there leaked inside.

“The best way to get rid of your ex…”

Anna didn’t think that Hans Westerguard would ever end up on Elsa’s targets to “take care of”. Until he does.

The One Time Elsa Caught Anna “Studying” (not based on a prompt)

Anna uses the mirror in the bathroom to practice distinguishing teeth for a medical exam. Elsa suggests alternatives. 

“What is this owl doing in our bathroom?”

Of course Elsa would adopt an owl and want to keep it in the bathroom. Of course.

“Who dances in the rain anyway?”

Elsa comes home to discover Anna dancing in the rain. 

“Why is there an otter in our kitchen?”

Anna comes home to find that Elsa has “adopted” an otter from a “client”. As you do.

“Why would you wish to be at a backpackers?”

Elsa and Alarik (Shards AU, Elsarik) decide to stay at a backpackers together for some private time. 

“Yes, yes the cold doesn’t bother you…”

Anna is not impressed with Elsa standing in the snow when she has a major cold.

2017

The Blood of White Men (not based on a prompt)

As Elsa’s favourite song goes, he had it comin’ all along. 

Is the Earth Broken? (not based on a prompt)

Elsa is confused about why the day she thought it was today...actually isn’t. She convinces herself the Earth has somehow broked. 

“It won’t be high tide you said…”

Elsa needs to learn that reading yesterday’s newspaper’s high tide times is not helpful. 

Kittens on Saturn (not based on a prompt)

Elsa hopes there’s actual giant kittens on Saturn after seeing a graphic manipulation on an astronomy news site.

Of Singing Humpback Whales and Rock Trolls

Kristoff visits Elsa in hospital while Anna’s busy with other things. It...does not go as expected. Poor Kristoff. 

“Proboscis Monkeys look ridiculous…”

Anna’s exasperation at Elsa rescuing a Proboscis monkey is still not so great that she can’t help but wonder what would happen if you honked their nose. Anna NO. 

“She’s going to kill you.”

Kristoff knows his days are numbered when he spills carrot juice all over Elsa’s brand new rifle. Uh oh.

“There’s a perfectly good reason for all these kittens.”

Turns out Elsa decided to adopt some kittens left on the side of the road when they’re already over-run with cats.

“This is extreme, even for you.”

Elsa is so addicted to her coffee she’s begun pouring them into wine bottles, as you do.

2018

Elsa brings home a parrot 

Anna discovers that Elsa has “rescued” a very large, very loud parrot from one of her, ahem, “clients”.

Elsa’s Back Up Cat, Mushu 

Anna discovers one of the cats apparently reading a book, and much to her consternation, Elsa explains he’s for back up.

“Oh what a circus!” photo prompt 

Anna takes her still-bewildered-after-five-coffees sister to the circus. This may or may not turn out to be a great idea.

[rachetmath]

What would it be like if rwbyjnor met the dutch, revy and rock

I don't understand the specifics of this request so I'll do this in the best way I can. This going to be long so be ready.

Rwby x Black lagoon

Black Lagoon crosses to Remnant:

Revy and Dutch along with team RWBY, Ren and Nora are fight a bunch of Beowolves while Jaune and Rock are fighting side by side with mostly Jaune doing most of the work while Rock provides a view tips and assisting mostly with what he can find.

Revy: So, let me get this straight you fight shit heads freaks of nature like these like every single day?

Ruby: Yep.

Dutch: And all of you have a very specific weapon that you customize yourselves to be it a blade and firearm?

Ren: Precisely.

Benny: And you have unnatural and natural resources like dust and with highly advanced technology?

Weiss: Yes.

Dutch: And you can use all that as well as this thing called aura along with a semblance?

Nora: Yeah, semblances are like a superpower.

Revy: How super?

Yang: Universal.

Revy: Well-

Revy looks to see Ruby turn her weapon from a sniper rifle to a scythe.

Revy: Dutch, can we stay here?

Dutch: HELL NO!!! Look, I hate to say this, but I much prefer seeing crazy psychos, and bullets fly than this horror fest. Plus, I may not be father but ya'll parents let you do this every day, they are very stupid and irresponsible.

Yang: Hey we're trained for this. Well except one.

Revy: Yeah that guy with Rock over there. He is doing fine but I can tell he's not all your levels. How did even survive let only get into your school?

Ruby: That we don't know or bother asking as long he works.

Revy: Well I can say that it's stupid but I still I wonder how he got in.

*Jaune and Rock side*

Rock: So, let’s get this straight. Your father never bothered to train you and no combat school was willing to accept you, so your best method was to cheat?

Jaune: Yeah, I know, I'm a complete fool.

Rock: I mean if you were willing to work hard to get there despite the risk, I say, you sir have my respect.

Jaune: But I am an idiot, I mean, I lost the only girl you who believed in me.

Rock: Jaune, let me give you a piece of advice. Get over yourself! If you still have even just one friend in this crazy messed up world then you're okay. Trust me, I know a little on how you feel. I mean look me compared to the others, do I look like I'm a mercenary?

Jaune: Why do hang out with them anyways?

Rock: Like you with your friends, mines, I guess appreciate my abilities. Look let's talk about this another time and try to survive this freak show.

Jaune: Deal.

RWBY and JNRO crosses to Black Lagoons:

Team RWBY and JNPR are fighting a mafia group along with Revy and Dutch. Ruby armed with a handgun, an old scythe and sniper with a bayonet, Weiss with a rapier and little knifes, Blake with a handgun and a katana, Yang with a shotgun and iron brazed knuckles, Jaune with an military armed shield, sword and rifle(Dutch taught him how to use it. Surprised it took him a week.) Nora with a grenade launcher, Ren dual wielding pistols and knives and Oscar with a pipe.

Revy: Holy crap, you brats are good even without your powers or usual weapons.

Ruby: We adapt.

Nora: Seriously, you guys do stuff like this every day?

Dutch: For the right price, yes. But yeah, you kids on a natural.

Yang: By the way, thanks for teaching Jaune how to use a gun.

Dutch: Thank Rock for making him listen, he said he wouldn't last long if he didn't. But in all seriously the guy learns quick, I mean, it took him a week to learn how you use that rifle.

Ren: A week! We need to start teaching him and make sure he brings one more often.

Nora: Might makes things easier from here on.

Jaune: Can all of stop talking and focus! We'll talk when we're done. Oscar, hurry up.

Oscar: Oh, I'm sorry but fighting with a pipe is hard!

Jaune: Why didn't you bring a sword!

Oscar: I will not kill!

After a crazy battle, the group along with Rock and Benny celebrated their victory at the bar. While the girls, as well as Ren and Oscar was living it up with Revy, Benny and Dutch, at the front bar Jaune and Rock were talking after Rock told him a stories about how his employers sold him out, the hell he endured in his stay Roanaper, Yukio, and his old client Garcia.

{Rock's side}

Jaune: Damn.

Rock: Yeah.

Jaune: Well, you did what you had to.

Rock: But I didn't have to. I should've walk away and not attached. I'm supposed to be the good guy, Jaune. But this city, I feel like it's eating me alive. All these mafia bosses, war criminals and shit... it's all just getting to me. You know.

Jaune: Yeah, I understand, but what are going to do about it? you made the choice to stay and you got live with it. I mean, hearing all the crap you've done, I somewhat envy you.

Rock: What do you mean?

Jaune: When Chang said pull out, you went in. Every time something bad happens you try to be the good guy and make things better. True it fails at times and from the look of this city, you'll have no choice but to throw righteousness away to survive.  But in my opinion, you still at least stand as the hero of the story.

Rock: *laugh* How so!? Come on tell me, how can I, a piece of under burying shit can possible still be a hero to you. The worthless knight, who can barely fight and couldn't save his partner!?

Jaune: Exactly. Most people survive based on luck.  You on the other hand survived not just on what you know but what learn in return. The world's a crazy place, and most of time you don't know where you'll end up. However, you still have control of what you do next. Your still able to keep people alive. You still do your job. You still try to be nice and maintain some level of morality even if it may never be enough or get you killed. So, trust me when I say this, you have done all what you could. Hell, I barely can do anything.

Rock: Shut up. When it comes down to it your friends are as crazy and trigger happy as Revy. They need somebody like you who can keep them alive. Just keep trying to do right by them and for yourself. Trust me, you can talk down to yourself all you want. But it doesn't change the fact that your alive, you made mistakes and you change. Promise you won't go down how I did, because believe me once you go too far in the darkness you may never come back from it. Or at least not be the same person you were before.  

Jaune: Yeah. Plus, that Revy woman, I think you can trust her to help you back up or shoot you down when you have gone too far.

Rock: Really? How come?

Jaune: She talks about you all the time when she's drunk. She saves you even when you deserve to die for being stupid. And finally, she hasn't killed you yet despite the many times you've pissed her off.

Rock: Speaking of women, which one of those lovely ladies is your girlfriend?

Jaune: Funny I was about ask you the same between Revy and the blonde, named, Eda.

Rock: *laughing* To the C.M.F.?

Jaune:  To the C.M.F *Shared a toast with Rock and started drinking*

{Revy Side}

Ruby: So, Revy?

Revy: What is it little red?

Ruby: Are you and Rock dating?

Revy: *cracks glass cup while blushing* W-w-WHAT!? NO!! Of course not. Why the hell would you ask that?

Nora: You look at him a lot.

Blake: You talk to him the most.

Yang: An unlike most, you call him your partner.

Revy: Well yeah cause he's useful. That’s all. Nothing special.

Weiss: Really, cause when you got drunk last time, we asked you about him, you got an attitude and started talking crazy.

Revy: Oh.

Yang: So how-

Revy: We started off at the wrong foot and we're just making up as we go.

Yang: Well that's great and-

Revy: Can't say the same thing for you guys and your friend Jaune, though.

Nora: Pardon?

Revy: I'm just saying, don't think you know everything about your friend, hell I don't think he cares about any of you.

Blake: *angry glare* What makes you say that?

Revy: Well let’s be clear here. Jaune was loser with dreams, he was willing to make those dreams a reality, no matter the price he didn't know he'll have to pay. And guess what, the debt was do and it caused Pyrrha her life.

Yang: Maybe so but-

Revy: And before you all start giving him praise for what he accomplished, let me ask you something. How did he feel afterwards? I mean, losing the only person to ever provide with some sort of love and respect, a family that never believed in once in his life, I say the kid must been a loser for a long time. And if him and his Sapphron were the only two to ever bother to leave the nest, then that proves that the rest of his siblings are just good for nothing nobodies who scared of the world, or just found more meaning in their lives without having to leave the comfort of their home. Face it, like Rock, your friend got something to prove and he's willing to do whatever it takes to prove himself to everyone. Even if it causes him his life and his humanity.

Ruby: No. No, we won't-

Revy: And what are you people going to do? Hold his hand? Give him those morally great speeches of yours? Pathetic. Just like your friend Pyrrha who died a meaningless death for worthless, foolish old man, who could barely do the job he's was given by god himself.

RWBYN: *angry at Revy comment but grows to accept it*

Ren was about to start threatening however Dutch stops him by reestablishing that one shot can turn the bar into a war zone and showing Ren that Revy always has her trigger finger ready. So, Ren does nothing.

Revy: Face it, you guys aren't capable of saving him. But what do I know, I'm no hero nor do I want to be? The only guy I seem to care about is changing and I don't know how he's going to turn out. To think that I might have to shoot him down someday. But fuck it, that’s just of missed up every world is.

Dutch: Wow Revy you changed.

Revy: What?

Benny: You act less bitchy than you were before and now you’re a little more open with others. Rock must have touched your heart.

Revy: Shut up, Benny. *looking red all over her face*

Everyone laughs at her embarrassment.

Revy: Oh, shut the fuck up you cunts! Hm. Anyways which one you are dating that knight in shining armor anyways since you're all worried about him?

Nora: I already got a boyfriend.

Revy: You mean twinkle toes right there. Mr. Emmo.

Nora: You must want to fight.

Revy: Anyone?

RWBY: Nope.

Revy: *makes a call*

Eda: Hey bitch, what do want?

Revy: Hey Eda do you like blondes? Because I got an average looking-

Eda barges in with her short green skirt and pink top shirt on. She looks at Revy, knowing what she wants, Revy points to Jaune with Rock and Eda makes her. She walks with hips swaying from side to side and sit between Rock and Jaune.

Rock: *surprised* Eda, what are doing here? When you did you get here?

Eda: Oh, Rock honey, I’m just taking advantage of my opportunities. *Sees Jaune staring in amazement. She smiles* Say, I heard rumors about you and your blonde friend right here and was wondering if you two would have some-

Revy and Weiss both break their glasses and make their way over.

Revy and Weiss: STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM YOU CUNT!!!

Revy surprised how Weiss and she were in complete sink and while she smug, Weiss was embarrassed.

Revy: Oh, so you like him like that.

Weiss: *grabs Jaune by the arm and pulls him away* EVERYONE! WE ARE LEAVING!

Jaune: But Weiss I finally found someone I can talk!

Weiss: YOU’LL PLENTY OF PEOPLE TO TALK TO ONCE WE GET HOME!!

Jaune: But Weiss- damn it, later Rock. See you someday.

Rock: God speed brother and remember everything I told you.

Jaune: You as well and good luck.

A bright light was opened and just like that the kids disappeared. Back to their universe. Revy and Rock were smiling but Rock, remembering what Jaune said about trust, ask Revy

Rock: Revy?

Revy: What up, partner?

Rock: Let’s say, I things took too far and made an enemy of someone who would want me killed. Will you be there to kill me instead? Even if you were paid to do so, will be there to stop me?

Revy: *smiles but then covers Rocks eyes so he never sees it* Of course. I got you into this, so you’re my responsibility. Partner.

Rock: *smiles* Thanks.

[jawritter]

You and Me..

Chapter 2

***SERIES WARNINGS**** Rape, non-con, male!rape, injury, violence, description of injury caused by rape, nightmares, self-harm, panic attacks, implied female non-con, language, ass hole Jensen, hurt!Jensen, dark fic, smut. If there is anything else I will add it as I go.

***Chapter Warnings*** This chapter is pretty light. Mentions of death of characters parents, Jensen is a little bit of an ass, language, that’s pretty much it. 

Word Count: 2057

Pairing: Jensen Ackles X Reader, Jared x reader, OFC Steve x Reader, OFC Justin x Reader.

A/N: When I originally wrote this chapter I didn’t even know who Steve Carlson was, so the Steve in this story isn’t him lol. Oddly enough I wrote this before I even really knew he was making an album lol. Anyway, all mistakes are mine, please don’t copy my work, Feedback is golden. If you want to be added to the series tag list, or my tag list just let me know! I hope you enjoy this one. After this chapter things tend to start to pick up a little.

Summary: It’s funny how one choice you made can change your whole life. One mistake can alter your course, and set you on a path that forever will haunt you. Two people find themselves getting through one of the hardest trials of Jensen’s life, on just one small promise. You and Me. We’ll get through it together…

Want more? Check out my Masterlist!!

***MASTERLIST***

***YOU AND ME MASTERLIST***

You woke up, much like you do every morning, with the alarm clock going off obnoxiously on your bedside table.  Mornings were never your thing, but the bills weren't going to pay themselves. You rub your face hard, trying to force your eyes to focus, and your body to stay awake even though it was putting up one hell of a fight. It wants sleep, and you so desperately want to give it just that.

Finally, after about 15 minutes you roll yourself over and stand up next to the bed, looking around your messy room. You had just moved back to Austin not all that long ago. You had always lived in Texas in one place or another, but just one family vacation to Austin when you were a teenager and you were in love with the city. So as soon as you graduated high school you wasted no time in putting your application in for the University of Texas.

Much to your surprise, and a few others, you were accepted. You had wanted to major in either writing or music. Everything went great for about the first semester. Your grades were good. You worked nights at a local bar, much like a lot of your classmates,  and spent your days in classes. You had new made friends, and you were finally starting to get your foothold in life. Well, that's what you thought anyway.

At the end of your first semester of college, your mother was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer. When your family called you moved back to your home town, dropping everything to be with your family. Your mother and you were very close. There was no way you were going to stay away while she fights this demon that they call cancer.

It was a long fight. Over and over again she defied the odds of the doctors and everyone around her. Still, after a long five-year battle she lost her fight with the disease. Once the funeral was over you knew it was way too late to go back to college. You had taken some online courses though, and gotten your degree in creative writing while you were at home taking care of your mother.

You and your father had never really gotten along, so staying home wasn't going to be an option. With all that in mind, you did the only thing you knew to do. You made the move back to Austin in the same month as your mother's funeral. Your father had over the years fallen into alcoholism. He'd always fought it, but after your mother's death, it only got the best of him. You weren’t going to stick around and watch him destroy himself.

Last year he straightened out a curve on the way home. He never survived the crash. Your brother had him cremated. He didn't even bother calling you, and telling you till it was all over. Your brother wasn't happy about you leaving home. He blamed you for your dad's struggle with the bottle after mom died, but that wasn't your fault. You didn't put a funnel in his mouth and make him drink. No one twisted his arm. He did it all on his own.

For the past three years, you had been renting an apartment in downtown Austin. It was a small, just a studio apartment, but it was all you needed. You had also landed a job at a small recording stupid in Austin. Even though you loved writing, and still did it on the side, you hadn't gotten your break yet. Music was your passion. It was what got you up in the morning, and helped you make it through the day. It was your therapy. Your outlet. Your escape from this shit existence that was your life.

You had slowly worked your way up In the studio. Starting with getting coffee, and cleaning behind the artist that came in to record. It didn't take long for Steve, your boss, to see that you had a good ear for music. He put you helping in the recording booth not long after you started.

Today you were informed that there would be a new local artist coming in to start his recording process and you were put on his beat. They didn't tell you his name, but they did say that you would probably recognize him. Even though he was local, he was famous, but they didn’t tell you who he was in order to keep rumors down the only one who knew who was coming was Steve. They made you swear not to tell anyone that he was recording, telling you that he wanted it to stay a secret until the album was done. That's why he chose a local recording studio instead of some big one in California.

As you walked to the studio this morning your nerves were vibrating. Justin, another sound tech that would be working with you today, greeted you at the door.

"You ready Y/N?" he asked, greeting you with a smile over his shoulder.

"Ready as I'll ever be," you tell him, putting your purse under the counter in the lockbox you all used and turning your phone on silent. No outside noises were ever allowed in the studio.

"Well I hate to put more on us than we already got, but there are two things you need to know before the artist gets here today. First, Jennifer, the girl that normally does the coffee, drinks, and whatever else the artist needs isn't going to be here today, her son has strep. Second, Steve will also be sitting in on today's session," he said, looking at you apologetically. 

You hated working with Steve. He was such a jerk when it came to recording time. He wanted everything done too quickly. Always in a rush to make a deadline instead of taking his time, and getting the best recording.

Jennifer being gone, and two other guys in the sound room with you means that you will most likely be stuck on snake detail for this artist, and whatever bunch of groupies he's bringing with him all day.

"Lovely,” you said with a sarcastic eye roll. Justin continued to look at you apologetically.  

“It's cool, let's just get this started. I'll get the recording room ready. How many are in his party today?" you asked, waiting for the answer that you dreaded the most.

"Only one other guy will be coming with him today from what I understand. Today is gonna be a lot of met and discuss. From what I understand there will be a guest singing on this album too. So it's probably a good thing Steve's gonna be here. If this guy is a prick then Steve can handle him." 

Justin's attitude toward the whole situation cracked you up. Apparently, he was just as excited about this as you were.

You walk into the recording room and begin to sit out beers, whiskey, water, and even start the coffee pot going in the break room. You walk back in the recording room and start sitting out shot glasses and other things when you heard voices coming your way. You look up in time to meet a pair of deep emerald green eyes staring back at you.

Your breath catches in your throat as you look around the room at all the men.

"I'm the only chick, great," you think to yourself, but there was something about the smirk on the man's face standing in front of you with the emerald green eyes that made your stomach do flips with a feeling you've never felt before.

He smiled at you and It nearly knocked you off your feet. Damn, this guy is gorgeous. That's when Steve decided to speak up.

"Y/N, this is Mr. Jensen Ackles, and his friend, Jared. Mr. Ackles has graciously chosen our stupid to record his debut album," Steve says, moving to stand beside Jensen.

You try to keep your jaw from hitting the floor as you take in the two actors standing in front of you. You had been a fan of Supernatural for years.

You nod at the two men. "It's nice to meet," you say, and they both smile back at you. Neither spoke, which you found odd. When you watched the con videos online they seemed so friendly.

"The room is ready, Steve," you tell your boss, then quickly as you can scamper into the sound room with Justin to wait for them to get started. 

You didn't really need to know what all they were doing. You just needed to make sure that whatever they were doing sounded good on tape.

"You alright Y/N?" Justin asks as you sit down in the chair with a huff.

"Yeah, That's Jensen freaking Ackles. I'm going to be working with Jensen freaking Ackles," you say in a state of shock.

"Easy girl, you know celebrities don't like to be fangirled all over," Justin says with a chuckle as he fires up the equipment and computers.

"I'm a professional Justin. I'm not going to fangirl all over anyone," you tell him with an eye roll. 

You watch as the men stand there and talk, pointing to different things. Steve getting Jensen ready to get started.

After a few hours of recording, and some drinks later Jensen, as well as Steve and Jared, had loosened up a little. Jared was in the sound room with you guys watching his best friend work. He was easy to talk to. During a break in recording while you were downloading the song he just recorded into the computer, Jared had been showing you pictures of his kids. He'd been cracking you all up with stories for the past hour.

"See this is Tom, trying to prank his little brother with a whip cream pie," he said, leaning over to you, showing you the video. That's when the two of you heard Jensen’s deep voice boom over the monitors.

"Hey, Steve, tell your girl in there to stop flirting with a married man, and go bring me some fucking coffee."

The whole room turned to look at you. Jensen was still sitting in the recording room with a guitar in his lap, giving you a cold stare through the thick glass. The comment stung. You weren't his damn maid, and you weren't flirting with a married man. Steve gave you an apologetic look. You knew you had to play along. Jensen was paying them a lot of money. So if he wanted you to shine his shoes while he sang you had to do it.

"Right away Mr. Ackles," Steve said, giving you a look that screamed, “I'm sorry.” 

Jared was giving his friend a death glare that Jensen didn’t seem to notice, or at least didn’t care.

"I'm sorry Y/N, he's just been a little on edge lately. That's not normally Jensen," Jared apologizing for his friend as you stand to go get his coffee for him.

"It's fine," was all you can say. 

In truth though, you felt like he'd just ripped your heart out and stomped on it. Not to mention humiliated you in front of your boss and coworker.  You fought back tears as you poured his coffee and entered the recording room.

You handed him his coffee, not even looking at him. He snatched it out of your hand, not even looking at you or saying thank you. You thought you had a crush on this guy. Turns out he's an ass hole like every other celebrity and artist you'd ever meet. Just another cocky dick that thought his shit didn’t stink.

Watching him on Supernatural and Smallville had gotten you through some really hard times in your life. You would have never thought he’d have done anything like he just did to you. You always pictured him as such a nice, genuine guy. Man, were you ever wrong.

You made your way from the recording room to the front where you kept your purse under the counter and shot Steve a text that said you weren’t feeling good, and you had to go home. Which wasn’t totally a lie, because your heart was broken, and you couldn’t stop the wave of tears that were streaming down your face.

You didn’t know why that one man’s opinion had hurt so much. You didn’t know him, and he didn’t know you, but as you fell back through the doors of the apartment you felt like your heart was shattered into a thousand pieces.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tag List:

@deanwanddamons​​ @imabitch4jensen​​ @rvgrsbrns​​ @bi-danvers0​​ @onethirstyunicorn​​ @i-love-superhero​​ @akshi8278​ @alanegaming​ @magssteenkamp​ @lemondropirwin​

You and Me Tag List:

@idksupernatural​ 

@fuzzycloudsz 

@supernatural-bellawinchester​ 

@magssteenkamp​

@vicmc624​

[crimsonlocks]

How does your muse die?

*sighes*

“How it should be!”

“You fool...”

[thehuntersmoondiscord]

A trope is a trope is a trope.

And that’s why we all love them! Every single writer’s interpretation is slightly different even based off the same exact trope and we want to celebrate that. This event is themed around the tropes we all know and love, whether that be OMG they were roommates! Or there was only one bed or something as tried and true as College AU and Coffee Shop AU. The possibilities are endless and the tropes are your oysters.

An event hosted on the Hunter's Moon Discord Server

The official collection can be found HERE

My Heart Burns by @miss-shiva-adler

Luke/Valentine | Explicit | Tumblr Post Summary: Some people celebrated the day they were turned, owned the day where their lives were turned up side down. He didn’t. He never would. Tags:  Emotional manipulation, extremism, cheating, jealousy, parabatai feels, mutated parabatai bond, Eros AU, drunk confessions, in vino veritas, Drunk sex, Dark fic, sex magic, come swallowing, Unrequited feelings, Angst, dubcon, anti-family, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, blow jobs, oral sex, unprotected sex, Dom/sub undertones, Domination & Submission, mention of blood

Next Stop: Love by @christophers-lightwood

Simon/Jace | General | Tumblr Post Summary: Jace is late for work, and meets a cute guy on the subway. Turns out, subways are magical places for music, lip syncing, and romance. Tags: Subways, Subway AU, There's so many caller tunes, Yes I like cheesy songs, Listen I'm the kind of person to mouths along the lyrics, And so does Simon and you can't convince me otherwise, Jace is in love, Alec is a good brother, Jimon are cheesy af, Idiots in Love, Shadowhunters Bingo, Free Square

Drowning by @jesseywoodhunter 

Magnus/Alec | Teen Summary: Alec has been keeping a secret from his family, from himself even. He's sick, disgusting. An embarrassment to the family. He's supposed to be the perfect big brother, a role model. A pillar of strength. One day, Alec makes a choice. The repercussions are set to change his life forever. One moment you're downing, the next, you're learning to swim. Tags: Hurt Alec Lightwood, Suicide Attempt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Angst, Supportive Magnus Bane, Mental Health Issues, Rescue

Amor primo conspectu by @sivan325

Magnus/Alec | Explicit | Tumblr Post Summary:  Translation from Latin – Love at first sight Omegas are meant to be thrown into the thick of battle to defend Alphas, but when the battle is over, they are treated like cast offs. Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega, Alternative Universe, Soulmate, Wingsfic, Love at First Sight, discrimination against omegas, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Omega Alec Lightwood, Alpha Magnus Bane, MPREG, Self-Sacrificing Alec Lightwood, Time Skips, Violence, Sharing Body Heat, Hurt/Comfort, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Knotting

Disce ut semper victurus, vive ut cras moriturus by @sivan325

Magnus/Alec | Teen | Tumblr Post Summary: Translation from Latin – Learn as if always going to live; live as if tomorrow going to die. This was supposed to be a happy day of union for Alec and Magnus, instead they are apart, Alec is missing and there’s a serial killer on the loose. Tags: Human AU, Cop!Alec, Coroner!Magnus, undercover missions, break up, angst, serial killers, fear, doubt, Ambiguous/Open Ending, swear word for Camille, Team as Family, Blue-eyed Alec Lightwood

Hidden Desires by @sivan325

Magnus/Alec | Teen | Tumblr Post Summary: Alec is just watching what he cannot have, but he didn’t know that he is also being watched. Tags: Mermen AU, Merman Alec Lightwood, Warlock Magnus Bane, Fluff

The Place in Between by @polarnacht1

Alec/Jace | Teen Summary:  "Whenever Alec had thought about dying, he had thought it would be painful. He had thought that maybe he would die in a battle, slit open by a blade or by the claws of a demon, fighting alongside Jace against the evil. Frankly, he had always thought that there would be something heroic about the way he died. He had never thought he would die in his sleep, never really considered that one day he just would close his eyes, fall asleep to never wake up again. Yet, here he was."  A story about death and life, love and letting go. Tags: Afterlife,  Alec Lightwood-centric,  Protecitve Alex Lightwood, Parabatai,  Parabatai feels,  Love,  Hurt/Comfort,  Grief/Mourning,  Coping,  Cancer, Moving on

Not the Way I Dreamt of by @sivan325

Magnus/Alec | Explicit | Tumblr Post Summary:  That is not the way Alec dreamt his first time would be. Tags:  Alternative Universe, Fuck or Die, dubcon, Evil Seelie Queen, Post-Episode: s02e10 By The Light Of Dawn, Time Skips, Humiliation, Virgin Alec Lightwood, First Time, Protective Magnus Bane, Magic

Don't flirt with me (I'm working, dammit) by @thelightofthebane

Magnus/Alec & Jace/Simon | Explicit | Tumblr Post Summary:  Alec and Magnus take a moment to just breathe. Magnus is above him, straddling his waist, and that… shouldn’t be bothering him that much. Well, could someone blame him? His chaotic job and his even more chaotic ass don’t exactly help him to go on dates, and now the most beautiful man he has ever seen in his entire life is sitting on his crotch.  -- Alec goes undercover into a maximum security prison to get information about a serial killer. It doesn't help that one of his inmates, a mob boss, keeps distracting him. Tags:  Alternate Universe - Prison, Mention of crimes, nothing graphic, Undercover Missions, FBI agent!Alec, Inmates, Even Simon was arrested, How to catch a serial killer, Having Magnus as a partner is not helpful at all, All the flirt, Canon-Typical Violence, Blood, Major Character Injury, Light Angst, Gratuitous Blowjob, thirsty boys, Happy Ending, Trope Celebration Event, Gay Disaster Alec Lightwood, Flirty little shit Magnus Bane

A Kickstart To the Morning by @phoenixStar73

Magnus/Alec | General Summary: Barista Alec Lightwood hates waking up so early for work. But hates it a bit less this particular morning when a certain someone just happens to walk in... Tags:  Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Fluff, Mundane Alec Lightwood, Mundane Magnus Bane, Flirting, Fluff, College Student Alec Lightwood, Barista Alec Lightwood

From the ashes of shattered dreams by @brightasstars

Magnus/Alec | Explicit Summary:  “Yes, Magnus. I do. Whatever it takes, whatever you need.” Magnus’ golden eyes blazed in the dark, then he chuckled softly. “Angsty proposal, isn’t it?” Alec giggled. “It’s a proposal, anyway. It implies forever.” “If there ever will be a chance, I will make you the proper one,” Magnus added. Tags:  Shapeshifting; Alternate Universe; Emotional Hurt/Comfort; Angst and Hurt/Comfort; Rebirth

This Body of Mine by @tobythewise

Magnus/Alec | Explicit Summary: When Alec and Magnus get body swapped, Magnus suggests a fun way to pass the time. What starts as an admittedly weird exploration of each other’s bodies quickly turns heated. In the end, Alec realizes that though his body wasn’t what he wanted when he was born, this same body has slowly become HIS, and that makes it perfect. Tags: Bodyswap, Omegaverse, Trans Alpha Alec, Alpha Magnus, PWP, Mentions of past dysphoria, Happy Ending, Fluff and Smut

Art by @foxymoley​ 

Maia and Clary Witch AU

Pony Up Alexander! by @dmcanonymous

Magnus/Alec | Teen | Tumblr Post Summary:  Mix Jace being an idiot, Alec saving him again, and some magic mischief and poor Alec is all hooves. Hopefully Magnus can jump to the occasion to help out his boyfriend. Tags:  Centaur!Alec, trope transformation, Centaurification, centuar!Magnus, Magnus stop horsing around, why the long face Alexander?

travel the universes with me (let's find out we're meant to be) by @jimonsprettyface

Jace/Simon | Explicit  Summary: When Jace and Simon touch a mirror that Magnus Bane instructed them not to, they're yanked from their world and scattered through many others. Along the way, they find familiar faces, different times, and new feelings. The journey to get home is unknown, and they're not even sure they will, but what they learn along the way threatens to change them forever. Tags: Canon, But also AU, Multiple AU’s, Traveling through different universes, This World Inverted, Genderswap, Arranged Marriage, Huddling for Warmth, Canon Setting, Porn with(out?) Plot, Pining, Tropes, Crack Treated Seriously, Humor, Fluff, Slight Angst 

[gencat21]

NCT— Him Saying Something Hurtful To You And You Get Hurt Afterwards

Requests are OPEN

NCT DREAM + Doyoung + Jaehyun + TEN (as requested)

Dreamies are on their ways, this just ended up being longer than expected haha. I'm.not. sorry.

DOYOUNG:

It was not normal for you two to be fighting. Usually, you solve things by talking things through instead of letting you feel control your words and fight and yell at each other. Do young hated that more than you, but this time it was different. You were arguing and but were yelling at each other, for the first time in two years of relationship. "Sometimes I think dating you is a mistake, " he said to you, without looking at you since all he felt at the moment was rage. He didn't even notice how your eyes were getting watery and how your mouth was partially open. You knew he was always careful with his words, at that he barely let his feeling or the moment say something he doesn't mean. He meant that, and there's nothing you can do about him feeling that way. "Okay, " was the only word you let out.

You grabbed your bag and left without saying anything else, and when you didn't hear him calling out your name your whole world collapsed. You were walking to your apartment that was actually quite far but you had red and puffy eyes and didn't feel like explaining anything to your roommate, so walking there was actually okay for you. You thought that until a couple of blocks away from Doyoung's apartment you saw a mysterious man walking in your direction. You decided it was better to cross the street to avoid him until he crossed the street as well and started following you. You only thought about going back to Doyoung's apartment. You crossed the street again and started running as fast as you could, being thankful that you were athletic and got to his apartment in a minute. You were thankful that the sidewalk of his apartment building had around 6 people around, but either way I did not look back nor thought the has not following me anymore. I typed down the code of the building and got in, closing the door just as fast, locking itself automatically. There was no way in hell you were going back out there tonight, so even though you didn't want to see his face, you only had one choice, and it was to go back to Doyoung's.

You opened the door, closing it behind you and felt how air was entering your lungs all over again.

You fell on the floor and closed your eyes to try and calm down your breathing. You felt like crying, but tears were not coming out and you couldn't care less. You didn't even notice the lights were already off until they were on again and you just saw his face staring at you. He had a frown on his face that made you look away instantly. "I'm sorry I came back but… there was a ma-m-man follow… I can barely speak." You laughed nervously, still shaking from what had happened.

He walked to your direction and stared at you in silence. His eyes looked like he was crying seconds prior, and it was something I couldn't believe. And in a matter of seconds, he fell down to his knees, and pulled you to his chest, caressing your head "I didn't mean what I said, I'm sorry, please forgive what I said I was just being stupid and I didn't think about what I said until you left an—" his voice cracked, causing your tears to finally be released, he let go of the hug to grab your face and look at your puffy eyes. "and my baby almost got mugged?" He hugged you again, this time it was stronger. "how will I ever let you go now?"

You felt more relieved than ever before. One, you didn't get mugged.

Two, you didn't lose the love of your life.

It will take him a few more efforts for you to forgive him fully, but right now it was not the right time to make a scene.

TEN:

"Don't you think it's already enough? I mean, you've been dancing for 5 hours and you need to rest. This is your free day after all." You said looking at him from the door of the practice room. You knew he has been practicing when he was supposed to be at home and you worried a lot about his health. I knew he wanted to do perfect in everything, but there was a limit. He turned around while swiping his sweat off with a hand towel. His eyes fell on you and he nodded. "In a minute, just one last time."

"You said that twenty minutes ago,"

"I know,"

"So let's go." You insisted.

"I said in a minute," but the truth was that you were getting on his nerves, telling him over and over the same thing, and he did the same. "You need to—”

" If you want to leave just do, you don't have to be clinging on me. Don't you have a life? " He said and caught you off guard. And for reason, his words hurt. He didn't yell at you, he said it in the most calm way possible as he turned around to look at himself in the big mirror that covered the wall.

You just cared about his health, and he implied that you didn't have a life aside from him and that you were too clingy. Were you really. You thought you gave him enough space, and him being an idol then that meant you couldn't see each other a lot due to his busy schedule. And yet you were asphyxiating him? There were no words that could leave your lips. So you nodded even, not knowing if he was looking at you or not. To be honest, you were not thinking about that type of stuff. You just silently left. You have had postponed all the work you could to another day to spend it that day with him for nothing. So as soon as you left the SM building, you picked up your phone and started to call your boss to tell her that you were going to be able to finish your work today (Perks of being good friends with your boss), but you got distracted with the call that you didn't noticed going full speed in the street, hopefully some guy pulled you by the arm so you wouldn't be crushed and dead. Either way, you fell to the ground and a lady that backed up as well to save herself fell on your leg. On your bad leg. On the leg, you had a cast just a week ago. You whined but didn't want to say anything to the lady because, in the end, it wasn't her fault. So you stood and picked up your phone that was on the floor. "Uhm, are you there? I will be a little late." You laughed nervously and limped until you found a cab.

Your luck was not with you at all.

After that day you had to put on a cast all over again and worked normally since most of your work was sitting. You ignored Ten's calls for 3 days straight since you didn't feel like talking about anything with him. You just kept remember him saying those words to you, and that was enough for you to feel upset again and ignore his call. I tried to understand why he felt like that towards me and I couldn't understand. "Aren't you answering that?" Your co-worker asked about your phone lighting up and you just shook your head no. "Then what are you going to do about that?" She asked and she pointed at Ten walking to your direction through the glass door, you peeked and then couldn't help but to look again at your work. You had missed him but at the same time you thought about something for those three days, and you were clear of your decision.

Your coworker left as soon as she saw Ten standing in front of your desk. "Can we talk?" He seemed nervous. "I'm working."

"I'll wait," and he sat on the waiting room a few feet away, and waited an hour until your shift was done, just sitting there tapping his right foot over and over. You stood up how you could and grabbed your crutches after putting your purse on your shoulder. And his heart broke, he didn't know you had that again, after having that for a month. He felt awful after realizing he called you clingy when you were nothing near. "Baby, I—"

"Don't bother, sweetie,” you told him as calm as possible, but still feeling that pressure in your heart. He smiled as soon as you called him sweetie. " Let's break up,” you said and walked past him, leaving behind, and his smile fell.

"What? No, bab—"

"I thought if I'm clingy as you said, we could just break up. Because personally, I don't think I'm clingy. But if you do, there's the problem between us." You said, and he stood in front of you.

"I said something I didn't mean. I was feeling stressed over messing up a lot of moves during a show and I obsessed over that."

"I spent two weeks without seeing you. And when I do, that happens. Either way, we will struggle in this relationship. And the truth is that you're not ready for one, you can't barely see me due to work and I understand that, but I can't do this for longer. I love you, but I just can't stand being away from you when you're mine."

His eyes were looking at your face completely as if it were going to disappear and he wanted to study it to depth. "I'm here," he begged with his tone. "C'mon, I will cook for you and treat you good tonight. Yes? We can do this, we've been through a lot, we can work this out." If it wasn't for your hands-on then crutches, they would have been covered by his. You remained silent while he searched for your eyes, that were somewhere else on the verge of crying. "Please,"

JAEHYUN:

You walked to the living room of the dorm where you and Jaehyun we alone since the rest of the boys went outside, a piece of paper on your right hand, feeling extremely happy about the work that you had just done. "I finally finished this song and I'm very excited that you read it." You were a songwriter, that's how you met Jaehyun and fell in love. There were a couple of songs you helped write for NCT and a few more idols, and there was a song stuck in your head that you needed to type down the lyrics fast. You have been working on that song for three weeks straight and now that it was done, you just wanted to show it to him.

He grabbed it and started reading while you were seating beside him on the couch waiting for him to finish. And when he gave you back the piece of paper, you waited for him to tell you how good it was or something like that, but it was not like that. "Is this really done? No offense baby, but it's bad."

"Bad?" You asked, your eyes glued to the paper, rereading the song over and overlooking where it says that it is bad. "Is not bad."

"How are you a songwriter, again?" He said, in a playful tone but it hurt your feelings either way. You laughed slightly in the most sarcastic way possible and then stood up not wishing to see his face at all at the moment. "It's getting late, I'm leaving." You said, grabbing your bag that was on a chair beside the couch you were on. You fixed your eyes to the door and walked to it as fast as you could.

"C'mon, you're pissed about that Y/N? And baby, you were supposed to sleep tonight with me " He stood up to follow you but you closed the door on his face, letting him know that it was a no. He knew it was bad to follow you since you could easily punch him somewhere. He always waits until you calm down and then try to apologize for whatever he does. Either way, he opened the door and saw your figure standing in front of the elevator waiting. "Call me when you get home? Or text me?" You knew he was not going to follow you since you knew he knows you need space right now. And left his sorry eyes staring at you without giving him a response.

You left the dorm and got into a cab that took you to your apartment. But the weird thing was that when you got to your door it was partially open. You don't remember leaving it like that. Did someone break-in? Is that person still inside? You peeked through the crook of the door and saw nothing, no movement, lights off. You saw that the floor was covered in a piece of glass and you cursed right away. You entered the apartment and turned the lights on, and then it was obvious someone broke in and broke stuff and stole stuff. There was nothing important or expensive there so, poor bastard that expected to find something of value. You called the police to report it when you saw the man running in your direction, he pushed you and ran away. You fell on the floor where the glass was and got glass all over your hand since you try to use it as support. "FUCKING ASSHOLE, " you couldn't help but scream when you felt the pain. Immediately you stood up, looked for a towel to cover your hand so the blood wouldn't drip on the floor and went to the hospital right away, only taking your wallet and keys with you. Two hours later, you went back to your apartment to find him sitting in your couch, with his head on his hands. Once he heard your voice of surprise he stood up and wanted to hug you but didn't know if you were going to push him away, but you knew he wanted to run to you. "You didn't call me so I came and saw blood and you left your phone and I couldn't call you and I was worried and—" you shut him up by placing your left and good hand against his mouth. "You're rambling, ”

" I'm sorry for what I said. I misused my words and tried to joke but it wasn't funny to you."

"It's fine, I'm not supposed to write good songs all the time,” you said, watching how he grabbed carefully you by your right wrist and started watching how your hand was wrapped in bandages. And looked at your face like he was about to cry, but tears were not going to come out. "Hug me, "

And so he did, placed his chin on top of your head and pulled to his chest. You explained what had happened while hugging him, he cleaned the mess the stupid man did and spent the whole night with you fixing the half bad/good song. When he explained to you it was true, you could have done way better.

(Credit to the owners of the gifs)

[eleventhdoctorsangel]

I tried to be where you are

Summary: I was not part of the 43 that were born on October 1, 1989. I was born 8 years later gifted with the power of telekinesis and the ability to control the weather. I was adopted by Reginald Hargreeves when I was 2. Ironically my new name became the same number as the year difference between the other seven and I. As I grew up I became closer to number 2 and number 5. But when 5 disappeared I became close with number 7. Not long after that everyone chose names for themselves and slowly left the umbrella academy leaving luther and I. Then luther left leaving just me. But now dad is dead and I have a feeling everyone is going to be coming back. 

I rushed back to the academy in hopes that Diego came back. I didn’t know if he was or not. I just need to talk to him. I walked into the academy still just wearing the long sleeve that roman gave me. I could here Luther and Allison so I went to the sound of their voices. “Luther. Allison.” I said climbing up the stairs. Once I found them the two looked at me in shocked when they saw I was carrying my dress and just wearing a long sleeve. “Where were you?” Allison asked. “I went on my date with roman.” I said. “You didn’t.” Luther said. “Ok I'm a grown adult and I can sleeping with who ever I want. Have either of you two seen Diego? He stormed into Roman’s apartment then left.” I said. “I can take a guess why.” Luther said. “I’m sorry.” I said. “Well how long have you know him a day and you already are sleeping with him.” Luther said. “So you’re against me now two.” I said. “He didn’t mean it like that.” Allison said. “No Allison I think he meant it exactly like that. I should have just stayed with roman. Every since everyone came back all of you have done nothing but tear me down and I’m done. I’m really think about leaving and never coming back.” I said storming off to my room. 

 Five knew of the oncoming apocalypse. But what he didn’t was how to stop it. All it had was a glass eye with a serial number that hasn’t been made yet. He knew that most of he siblings were going to die. There were two of his siblings that he did not see in the runes of the academy. Vanya and Kelsee. Where or what happened to them he has yet to find out. But he was starting to think that he might be on to something. As the guy who randomly showed up around the same time as he came back. Apparently almost everyone else was not a fan of him Diego most of all. But what five haven’t heard was the guys name. Because he remembers a guy who works at HQ who had quite the obsession with Kelsee but he couldn’t for the life of him remembers his name. He was currently trying to sew up his wound from last night when he heard his door open. “Do you want me to do that for you?” Kelsee asked as she leaned against the doorway. Five nodded. Kelsee walked into his room grabbing the needle. “Do you want me to clean it first?” Kelsee asked. “Go ahead.” Five said. Kelsee nodded and started to clean his wound. “Well it doesn’t seem like you hate me.” Five said making kelsee crack a smile. “I guess everyone thinks I'm still that little girl who first came here.” Kelsee said as she started to clean Five’s wound. “I just think Diego is jealous. So what’s the lucky guys name?” Five asked. “Roman.” Kelsee said with a small smile. Roman. That was the name of the guy from HQ that is obsessed with her. But he could tell her that because she might not believe him. “You ok five?” Kelsee asked. “Must have spaced out.” Five said forcing a smile. “There I’m done.” Kelsee said as she put a trains band aid over it. “Are you serious?” Five said. “What you don’t like it.” Kelsee said giggling. Five let out a sigh. “You’ll lucky I still like you.” Five said. “Aw I’m so lucky.” Kelsee said. “Well I have to go.” Five said. Kelsee nodded and left his room. 

I spent a few more hours in my room avoiding everyone. Mom brought me food and made me leave my room. I went to the library sitting on the banister as Luther, Diego. Klaus, Allison, And Vanya were watching footage of the night that dad died. Allison and Klaus were the only who that saw me watching them. “I mean do you really think mom would hurt dad?” Vanya asked. “You haven’t been home in a long time Vanya. Maybe you don't know grace anymore.” Luther said. “If he was poisoned it would have shown in the coroner’s report.” Diego said. “Well I don’t need a report to tell me what I can see with my own eyes.” Luther said. “Maybe all that low gravity in space messed with your vision. look closer. Dad has his monocle. Mom stands up. Monocle’s gone.” Diego said. “Oh yeah.” Klaus said laughing. “She wasn’t poisoning him. She was taking it. To clean it.” Diego said as he started to walk away for Luther. Diego looked up slightly and he saw me. “Then where is it? No I've searched the house including her things. She doesn't have it.” Luther said. “That’s because I took it for her. After the funeral.” Diego said. Of course Diego did. I got down from the banister and went to go find mom. She was in her spot in the house. I went over to her laying down and putting my head in her lap. “Are you ok dear?” Mom asked as she ran a hand through my hair. “Am I become a bad person mom?” I asked as tear started to form in my eyes. “Why who you think that dear?” Mom asked. “Everyone hates me. They hate that I meet Roman. They hate that I went on a date with him. They hate that I had sex with him. They just hate me now.” I said crying. “Oh dear they do not hate you. They can never hate you. They are just having a tough time with the fact that you are grown up.” Mom said. “No mom they hate me.” I said sitting up and that’s when I notice Diego standing in the archway. I stood up wiping my eyes walking away. Diego stormed behind me. "Get back here right now!" Diego demanded. "No. Leave me alone." I said. Diego roughly grabbed my arm turning me around to face him. "Look what he doing to you. He's turning you into someone I don't even recognize anymore. Why did you sleep with him." Diego said as he pulled me closer to him putting a hand on my face. "He only showed me the truth. You never cared or loved me." I said trying to get out of grip but failing. "No. Please listen to me I have loved you before I even knew what love was." Diego said. "No you don't. None of you do. You all left me. Leaving me alone. You most of all. You promised that you would come back for me and you never did. You love her." I said as tears started to fall. "I thought I loved her but I realized that it was you that I've fallen for. It's you I love. I love you kelsee." Diego said putting his forehead against mine. "Stop saying that. You don't love me that way Roman does." I said. That’s when Diego put his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his wrapped around my waist. That’s when I heard a cock of a gun. I pulled away from Diego and saw two people in a dog and bear mask who had guns pointed at us. Diego pushed me forward as I started to run as the gun fire started. Diego grabbed me by my waist and pulled me into an empty hall way as the people started to come closer. Diego left me to go fight the one in the bear mask. He tried to headbutt him only to find that the mask was made of metal. “Cha-Cha shot him.” A male voice coming from the bear mask said. “Get out of the way dumbass.” A female voice said. Diego kicked the male back making him hit the wall then he ran back towards me grabbing my hand as we ran away. 

Diego jumped over the banister pulling me with him as the gun fire continued. We both landed on one of the couches below. Diego pulled me off the couch protecting me as never once moved his body away from mine. He and I were now hiding behind a table a was behind another couch. We both looked at a painting of dad that was now full of bullet holes as footsteps approached. Diego moved slightly and the gun fire started again. I covered my ears since it was closer to us. Then I could hear Luther and Allison. “Stay here.” Diego said. “No I wanna help.” I said. “Please do as I say.” Diego said. I nodded and Diego gave me a quick kiss on the lips as he went to go help. I heard someone screaming. “Who the hell are these guys?” Allison said. That’s when Diego gave and got me from my hiding spot. “You’re welcome.” Luther said. “I was doing fine.” Diego said. “Oh yeah you really had them.” Luther said. “Ever hear of a rope-a-dope?” Diego said as gun fire started again. Diego quickly grabbed and pushed me to the ground covering me with his body. “Don’t kill the girl. Boss wouldn’t be too happy with us if we kill her.” The male voiced yelled as Diego and crawled away from the line of fire. “Get out of here go! Now!” Luther yelled as Allison ran off but Luther didn’t. “Luther Go!” Diego yelled. Luther ran off. “I lost my gun.” The male voice said. “I’m going after them.” The female voice said. Diego found a hiding spot and put me in it as he went to go help Luther and Allison. I watched as the one in the bear mask with over to one of the cabinets taking a flail of it. “Hello?” Vanya said. She shouldn’t be down here going to get hurt. “Guys? Is everyone okay? Hello?” Vanya asked as she walked into the parlour. I quickly got up and ran towards Vanya. I used my powers to push her out of the way as the guy in the bear mask hit me in the head with the flail. Knocking me down on a table out completely out. A few minutes later I started to come to. “Great now Roman is going to kill me for hitting his girl.” The male voice said. Wait these people work for Roman? Great Diego and everyone else right. I fee so stupid right now. “Hey Kelsee. Come on wake up.” Vanyna said shaking me. I let out a groan as I opened my eyes. “That hurt like a bitch.” I said as Vanya help me up. “Luther! Come on Luther get up.” Allison yelled as she and Diego helped Luther up. “Ah you gotta cut down on the fast food soldier.” Diego said. Then the woman in the dog mask looked over the banister then left Then I heard the sounds of something breaking. “Out of the way!” Luther yelled pushing Allison and Diego away from him as the chandelier fell on him. “Luther!” Allison yelled. Luther got back up very easily as his jacket ripped off exposing his ape like torso. Everyone looked completely shock. I was the whole one who knew that this had happened to him. “Holy shit.” Diego said. Luther looked at Allison before rushing upstairs. Allison looked over at Vanya and I seeing that Vanya was holding me up and rushed over to us. “Did you know?” Vanya asked Allison. “No.” Allison said. Then I could hear mom humming. “Shit. Mom.” Diego said going up stairs to check on her. “Kelsee you’re hurt. Vanya help me get her over to the couch.” Allison said throwing my arm around her shoulder as Vanya help her take me over to the couch. “Who were those people?” Vanya asked as Allison hand me a cloth to press against my wound. “I don’t know. But we are lucky to be alive. Kelse you sure you’re okay?” Allison said as she sat on the table in front of Vanya and I. “Just a small cut I’ll be fine.” I said. Diego walked in and he breathing was shakily. “Diego?” Allison asked as he paced back and forth. “What are you still doing here?” Diego asked Vanya. “I’m just trying to help.” Vanya said. “No you could’ve been killed or got any of us killed. Look you got Kelsee hurt. She is a liability.” Diego said. “Allison?” Vanya asked. Allison looked down before she answered. “I think what he’s trying to say is that this kind of stuff is dangerous. You’re just.” Allison said. “Not like you.” Vanya said getting up and leaving. “Vanya stop.” I said getting up but falling back down. “No that’s not what. Vanya wait.” Allison said getting up and following her. “Let her go. It’s for the best.” Diego said coming over to help me. Diego took the cloth out of my hand and started to clean my wound. “You took quite a hit.” Diego said. “Well that happens when you get hit in the head with a flail.” I said. “At least it’s not deep.” Diego said. “You were right about Roman.” I said. “Why do you say that?” Diego asked. “Those people they mentioned him. Especially when one of them hit me. I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you.” I said. “How do those words feel.” Diego said smirking. “Shut up.” I said laughing a little. “So you are not going to see him again?” Diego asked. “No. I’m not going to see him again.” I said. “I’m glad.” Diego said. “Of course you are.” I said laying my head on his shoulder. 

Taglist: @negativity4you @reblogserpent

Overall Taglist: @the-broken-halo-writer

[choupichoups]

Press F (Instagram/College AU) Ch.6

Lucas swears he’s the absolute master of undetected stalking. Or: Eliott is instagram famous and Lucas is the disaster gay who accidentally likes his post.

He hasn’t heard from Eliott since Sunday. 

The professor’s monotone drawling fades out to the background as Lucas flips between the apps on his phone-- a foolish attempt to keep himself from opening up the one he actually wants to check on.

Eliott hasn’t posted anything since the Saturday they were together.

He contemplates sending a message but he can’t think of a good conversation starter. Saying a simple hello is super lame. Eliott always starts their chats with a clever line. How does he come up with those, anyway? Lucas would really appreciate a little insight right now. 

Lucas barely notices his classmates leaving the room and he scrambles to follow along, pocketing his phone so he’d stop staring at it already. 

He’s only taken a couple of steps outside when a vaguely familiar boy with shaven head almost rams right into him. 

“Shit, sorry!” Lucas steps aside at the last minute and the other boy’s arms do a hilarious windmill to keep balance. Neither of them end up on the floor so that’s awesome.

“Sorry!” The boy shouts back, looking at Lucas with wide eyes and a half formed grin. Lucas flinches, trying to hide the double take he almost does. This guy has the brightest green eyes a stark contrast to his dark skin and a bone structure that can cut glass. If he isn’t so ass over head infatuated with Eliott, his brain would probably register just how beautiful this person is. “Lucas?”

It takes a bit for him to realize that it’s weird how this person correctly guesses his name. “Uh, why?” 

“Idris!” The boy -- Idris? Instagram Idris? -- says, enthusiasm evident in his voice. “I’m Idris, I mean. Eliott sent me.” 

“Eliott... sent you?” Lucas keeps walking, not wanting to block the way to the classroom. Idris keeps up beside him. “But where is he?” 

Idris hands him a cup of hot chocolate-- it’s the one Lucas gets once a month to reward himself for not keeling over in stress. 

“He’s holed up in the library,” Idris says while Lucas’s still blinking down at the cup in his hands. “We have a project due very soon, me and him. We have to finish the storyboard.” 

Okay, it’s been two days though. Lucas just hopes they’re getting enough rest. He’s seen a lot of the other film students walking from building to building like dried up zombies. 

Idris keeps going before Lucas gets a word in. “His phone’s on airplane mode.” Lucas nods, watching Idris rub a hand over the top of his head. “Mine too, we do this thing. So we only focus on one thing at a time, you know.” 

Lucas starts to smile as Idris looks at him, slightly wide-eyed. He has a feeling this guy’s been running on pure caffeine since the weekend. “Okay.”

“My point is, he’s not ignoring you.” 

“I didn’t think so.” 

“Good. God, I told him he’s overreacting.” 

Lucas laughs, holding the hot chocolate to his chest. “He’s doing okay?”

“Yeah,” Idris scoffs, waving a dismissive hand. “He forgot to tell you about the whole project thing before, you know, shutting the world out so he’s been freaking out about it.” 

“Why?”

“He thinks you’d forget about him.”

“What?” Lucas laughs louder. “That’s dumb.”

“Yeah, well.” Idris shrugs, his laughter coming out in choppy chuckles. “Anyway, I’ve gotta get back to work, nice to meet you!” 

“You too.” Lucas takes a step backward, smiling to himself as he sips at the hot chocolate. From Eliott. How did Eliott know about his favourite campus drink? “Idris!” He calls out before the other boy is completely out of sight.

Idris turns, raising an eyebrow.

“Good luck with the project! And tell him me forgetting him is the last thing he has to worry about.” He says in a rush, half of him hoping Idris doesn’t hear him but the other half hoping the opposite as he doesn’t think he can repeat that without combusting.

Idris opens his mouth as if to say something but then he settles for a pout, both hands shooting up to clutch at his chest. “Fuck, you really are adorable.” 

Lucas turns away and brisk walks towards the next building. 

Yann drops down beside him in the middle of Lucas doing his homework. He can feel Yann staring at him, but, infuriating best friend that he is, Yann doesn’t say anything as he does it. 

“What?” Lucas breaks the silence, putting his pen down.

“What?” Yann returns, opting for the most innocent of tones. It doesn’t work.

“Spill it.” 

“Nothing, man.” Yann looks down at the phone sitting innocently between them. “Just, you know, wondering if I should round up the guys to properly meet Eliott.”

That gets Lucas’ attention. “Why?”

Yann’s left eye twitches the slightest bit. “You can’t tell me there’s nothing between you two.”

“Well, there’s a thing.” Lucas shuts his textbook, losing any sort of motivation he had going earlier. “But there’s no thing.”

“Uh, okay?” 

“He’s not my man or anything.”

“Why not?” Yann asks, incredulous like it’s easy. Or maybe for him it really is that easy.

“I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about it?” 

He opens up instagram to a new private message, eyes narrowing when he sees the username.

emir.yous hey

lucallemant hi

emir.yous I heard you’re good at chem??

lucallemant I guess 

emir.yous can you help me with somethin I think my brain’s melting

lucallemant ok, imane’s better than me though you can ask Abe to ask her?

emir.yous no she’ll think I'm stupid

lucallemant lol 

“Lucas, his friends are messaging you.” Yann deadpans, obviously having read the conversation over Lucas’ shoulder because fuck manners apparently. “I think that’s a good indication of where he wants it to go.” 

“I don’t-- I don’t know, Yann. What if-- I don’t know him that well.”

“Yet.”

“But what if I... I don’t wanna get too attached and then for it to blow up in my face.” Lucas fidgets with his pen, twirling it restlessly between all fingers until Yann stills him with a gentle touch. 

“Lucas, not everyone will be like that.”

“How do you know?” 

“You’ve got to give people a chance to prove you wrong.”

“No one’s done it yet.” 

His phone pings again, but this time it’s from a different person. Yann looks down at it and Lucas can see the hint of a smile fighting to lift his expression. “I don’t think you’re the one who needs to worry about getting attached.” 

abebkhellal what are those chocolates you gave him? he won’t even let me take a bite 

lucallemant I can get you some if you want

abebkhellal bro I’d love that  but I also love my life and eliott will probably murder me in cold blood if you gave me the same chocolates you gave him

lucallemant lol I'm sorry 

abebkhellal just show me where you get them I’ll buy some myself

lucallemant okay sure

Yann’s smiling when Lucas looks back up at him. “He talks about you with his friends.” 

“I’m pretty sure they’re just cornering me into meeting them.” Lucas chuckles, sliding his phone inside his hoodie pockets. “And I talk about him with you guys too, it’s no big deal.” 

“Are you kidding me? You never talked about Ra--”

“Anyway, what are we doing? Is this a slumber party now?”

Yann rolls his eyes. “Shut up.”

“Are we exchanging our deepest, darkest secrets?”

“That’s not how it goes.”

“Oh, so you’re the master of slumber parties now?”

“Yeah,” Yann shuffles lazily towards the backpack he’d thrown on the ground earlier. “Only slumber party invitees get to play this.” He pulls out the new game he’s just bought while skipping class in the morning, waving it around with a flourish as Lucas gapes up at it.

“No way, that’s so expensive.”

“Yeah, I saved up.”

“Nerd.”

“Then don’t play it.”

“No, let me!”

“Slumber party people only!”

“There are two of us, I’m the one making this a party!”

“No, you’re not even wearing pyjamas!” 

Lucas sleepily watches the television screen, fingers barely moving over the controls as he lets the final boss crush his character for the nth time. Beside him, Yann’s already passed out on the couch. 

He stretches out with a groan as quiet as he can manage, reaching over Yann to grab the remote and shut the screen off. He’s about to head to bed when his hands smack against the phone still in his pockets, and his fingers automatically open up instagram before his brain even registers the movement.

srodulv you’re welcome

Lucas smiles, not exactly hating the flutter in his stomach at seeing Eliott back in his messages. 

lucallemant no longer on the plane?

srodulv haha I've landed

lucallemant welcome back how did the assignment go?

srodulv it was okay

lucallemant  okay that’s good 

srodulv can I see you again?

lucallemant I mean, it’s a bit late 

srodulv what are you talking about? 03h is the best time to go out and live our lives

lucallemant  lol stop that

srodulv careful, you might hurt my feelings again

lucallemant so?

srodulv so you’re running out of ways to apologize :)

lucallemant lol 

srodulv are you free on Thursday?

lucallemant what’s with you and Thursdays?

srodulv favourite day of the week 

lucallemant  lol weirdo

srodulv :) so?

lucallemant okay 

srodulv okay, I'll wait for you outside your class

lucallemant  how do you know where that is?

srodulv :)

lucallemant  stalker

srodulv says the original stalker

lucallemant lol go to sleep eliott

srodulv  good night ❤️

Lucas lays awake for a while after, tracking the cracks in the ceiling as his mind replays Yann’s words. You have to give people a chance to prove you wrong. He’s tried so many times, and every failure does nothing but strengthen the walls he’s trying so hard to scratch past. 

But maybe. 

Maybe this time.

Maybe.

lucallemant  good night  ❤️

Maybe Eliott deserves that chance. 

[holylulusworld]

Three are one too much

Request: Would you please write for Bucky & reader, wherein he's in love with Natasha but is forced to marry reader, he's never home ignores her even when she tries hard. She even has to work as a waitress for money, one-night Brock tries to rape her, Steve arrives just in time and saves her. They become good friends. It's on you if you want her to stay with Bucky or get married to Steve. It could be an au where they are not Avengers.

Pairing: Mobster!Bucky x Reader, Mobster!Steve x Reader, Clint Barton

Warnings: angst, unrequited love, tension, arguments, two men fighting over one woman, love triangle, mentions of murder

Consolation Bride Masterlist

True to his word Steve came around a few hours later but Bucky refused to let him see you. Steve yelled and fought against his friend until you walked out of the bedroom, looking confused at both men fighting.

“What’s going on here?” Sleepily you rub your eyes, looking at Bucky holding his friend's arm in a tight grip behind his back. Steve is grunting, trying to break free.

“I wanted to visit you and your so-called husband wants to keep me away from you. Bucky, you can’t do this. Days ago, you ignored her, treated her worse than a dog and now you fight for her attention?” Steve is struggling against his friend’s strength.

“James, let Steve go. I want to talk to him. I’m a free human being, not a slave. I can meet whoever I want to meet. You will not put me into a cage as my father did years ago. Do you remember Mark? He asked me out when I was sixteen and dad locked me into my room for three weeks.” Sighing you look at your hands. “Never heard of Mark again. People said his family moved away.”

“Oh, he moved away?”

Bucky can hear the mock in his friend’s voice and let go of his arm. Steve cocks a brow, smirking as he tilts his head, glancing at Bucky. “Is that so, Bucky? Mark and his family moved away? I heard something else…”

Bucky turns pale, trying to hide the panic in his eyes. Steve’s grin widens as he passes his friend to get closer to you, holding out his hand to lead you out of the house.

Stepping out in the sun, looking around the garden you were not allowed to enter you look at the pitiful dead flowers. No one took care of these flowers for years.

“So sad seeing his mother’s roses die. No one took care of them. She would be so sad seeing her beloved flowers die.” You whisper as Steve watches you touch the flowers.

“Y/N, do you want to come with me? I can take you with me right now.” Steve moves his hands up and down your arms, nuzzling his nose into your hair.

“Steve…”

“He doesn’t deserve you, Y/N. Come with me and let me take care of you, let me show you a better life. I can give you all you deserve. Money. Beautiful dresses. Anything you wish for.”

“Steve, I don’t want dresses, money or anything.” Turning around you meet his eyes, giving him a cracked smile. “I know you mean well but that’s not what I want. I can’t change the cage my father tossed me into with another cage you or Bucky want to create to keep me as a nice bird to look at.”

“Y/N, I would never lock you away. I want to protect you, doll. Please let me show you I can be the right man for you.” Steve cups your cheek, leaning closer to brush his lips over yours.

“I can’t, Steve. I don’t know what to do right now but I know I can’t just run into your arms as Bucky never wanted me. When my father married me to Bucky I was happy, ran into his arms but his embrace was cold. I have to stand on my own two feet.” Gently touching Steve’s cheek, you kiss the corner of his mouth, holding back the tears.

“Tell me what you need. I’ll do anything to help you, Y/N. Anything you need.” Steve’s voice cracks, feeling your hand trembling.

“I don’t know what I want or need. Since I’m a child my dad told me what to do. Then Bucky ruled my life and now I’m at the point of no return. I can’t go back to letting a man deciding what to do. I’ll grab my stuff and move in with friend for a while.” Steve can only watch you entering the house again, knowing it will be the wrong way to push you right now.

----

“You can’t just leave me, Y/N. We made our vows and you…” Cursing Bucky watches you packing your belongings. You don’t need long, it’s not as if you own much lately.

“I’ll leave, James. We can have an annulment or a divorce. I don’t care any longer about anything. I don’t care about your hatred or my father’s threats. I don’t fear any of you anymore. Kill me, or let my father end me. It’s unimportant by now…” Voice trembling you toss the photo frame with the picture of your wedding day into the bin, not caring about the hurt look on Bucky’s face.

“I will not let you go! You can’t leave my house, Y/N. It’s the only safe place in town. Your father will try to get hold of you and hurt you. I can’t let this happen. He already took Jason from me…” Bucky gasps as you try to brush past him, try to leave so he does the only thing coming to his mind, using his strength to toss you over his shoulder.

“Let go of me! You can’t keep me, hostage here. I want to leave.” Wiggling in his tight grip you curse as Bucky carries you into his bedroom.

“I know you are mad. I know you hate me right now but believe me I can’t let you go to Wanda right now.” Bucky says placing you carefully onto the bed. Angrily clenching your fists, you glare at your husband, trying to escape once again.

“I want to leave, and you won’t stop me, Barnes. I’m not your slave!” Jumping up you try to scratch Bucky, try to hit him. All the anger, hurting and disappointment reached its peak and now you want to fight back, let the frustration out.

Stronger than you Bucky pushes you onto the bed, covering your body with his. You fight against this strength, pressing your hands against his chest as he kisses down your neck.

“Please let me protect you, Baby Girl. I need to know you are safe. I can’t forget the moment Steve called me and told me about Brock attacking you. Please…” Bucky whispers against your skin but you fight against him, shaking your head.

----

“Boss?” Clint watches Steve, not knowing what to say to lighten his mood. Steve believed you would follow him right away. He saw the struggle and knows you will need time; still he wants nothing more than storming into Bucky’s house and carry you out.

“What, Barton?” Steve barks glaring at his friend.

“Does she know what happened last night? Maybe we should drive back, and you can tell her. We still don’t know who is behind this shit, but I bet Barnes won’t protect her the way she deserves it. We can still get her, boss.” Clint tries but Steve shakes his head, glancing out of the window.

“I saw it in her eyes. Y/N needs to decide without me or Bucky pushing her around. Three are one too much, I guess. She’s strong and smart, Clint. Y/N will make the right decision. I can’t act like her father or Bucky and try to force her into something she doesn’t want to do.”

Clint nods, glancing out of the window, licking his lips. “What about the juicy information we gathered? Wouldn’t this change her mind, boss?”

“Clint, in her situation she needs someone to protect her, someone doing anything to keep her safe. If it’s Bucky doing so, it’s fine by me. All I want is for Y/N to be safe and sound. Send Vis (Vision) to observe Bucky’s house. If she leaves the Mansion, tell me so and we pick her up.”

“I’m on it, boss. Shame you didn’t tell her the truth about Mark…”

Clint silently leaves the room while Steve still looks out of the window. Recalling the day, he closes his eyes, feeling your hand on his cheek, your lips pressed against his. “Soon…” He whispers as his lips curve into a smile.

----

“Stop fighting me, Y/N. Give me five minutes to tell you something. While you were sleeping I got a call from Fury. Do you remember Nick? One of my father’s friends? He is still a cop, a Captain by now and keeps me up to date with cases and investigations around my business.” Bucky explains while you glare at him.

“I don’t want to know anything about your shady business. Now let me go!” Wiggling you start cursing feeling Bucky’s erection pressing against your thigh.

“Sorry, Baby Girl. If you are mad you’re so fucking sexy. I’ve missed my bad girl, missed the girl fighting back and kicking my ass with all might.” Bucky groans.

“Let me go!”

“I’ll let go of you if you promise to give me the chance to tell you what Fury told me last night. If you still want to leave the Mansion I’ll call Steve to bring you somewhere safe.”

Weighing your options, you look up at Bucky, nodding. “Fine, I’ll give you ten minutes.”

“Good.”

Letting go of you Bucky sits next to you, nervously moving his hand through his shaggy hair. Clearing his throat he gets the wedding band you tossed onto the floor out of his pocket, playing with the simple golden band.

“Last night Fury called me, telling me someone broke into Wanda’s apartment.” Bucky begins and you gasp.

“James…” Voice trembling you feel tears breaking free. “What happened…?”

“I don’t know how to tell you, but someone broke into her apartment and shot her. I don’t know how; she should’ve been protected by her family’s security. I…”

Composing himself Bucky takes your hand in his, squeezing it tightly. “She didn’t make it, Y/N. I’m so sorry. She meant a lot to all of us. I swear we will find out who killed her.”

Bringing you into his arms James let you cry into his chest. Wanda was your only friend left. The only one ready to help you without awaiting something in return.

“She was my only friend…”

“Shh…Baby Girl. I swear we will find out who was after her, but we know one thing for sure. You are in danger too. The killer left a list. Wanda’s name was crossed out, just like Maria’s and Marcos. Both died last week. Maria in Cannes and Marcos died in a car accident in New York.”

Bucky holds you tighter as you ask him why you are in danger too. “Your name, Y/N. It’s on the list, just like mine, Steve’s and some other names.” Holding tight onto James you try to process your best friend got murdered and that you could be next. “Please stay with me…”

“I’ll stay if you answer one question.”

“Whatever you want to know, Y/N. I’ll promise to answer honestly…”

Clearing your throat, you wipe away a few tears before you place your hands onto Bucky’s shoulders, locking eyes with him.

“What happened to Mark back then?” You ask and Bucky turns pale…

All works Tags

@yolobloggers, @meganywinchester, @shikshinkwon, @miraclesoflove , @mogaruke, @shatteredabby, @soryuwifeyxx, @letsdisneythings, @i-love-superhero

Marvel Tags

@stuckys-whore, @notyourtypicalrose, @voltage-my2dlove, @thedoctorscamanion , @officialmarvelwhore, @randomgirlkensy, @juniorhuntersam, @lumar014, @doctorswife221b, @badboysdoitbetter2, @sister-winchesters99, @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog

Steve Rogers/Chris Evans Tags

@hhiggs, @roonyxx, @stylesismyhubs, @multisuperfandom, @mrspeacem1nusone

Consolation Bride Tags

@booktease21, @mc225g, @i-alyssa, @retrxbarnes, @cloudyskylines, @plums-and-peaches, @thisartemisnevermisses, @ohmygoditsanthonyedwardstark, @donteatmycookiesplease, @aruvdreeh, @scarlett-berserker

[winchesterbrotherstan]

Agents of Shield- The Asset

Pairing: Leo Fitz x Violet Ward (OC)

Summary: An old man is kidnapped, Skye struggles with her training, Grant, Skye, and Coulson go in head-first, Violet is worried about everything

Warnings: cursing, fighting, an explosion, uh maybe some blood?

Word Count:  8786

“Is she coming?” I held the punching bag steady for Grant, trying to put equal weight on both my legs.

“She’s supposed to be. Hey, ease up on your leg if you need to.” He pointed, stopping his punches, noticing how I shifted from one leg to the other.

“It’s fine.” I shook my head.

“No, it is not. Listen to him.” Fitz scolded from the lab.

“Shut up, Leo.”

“I’m sorry, love, but the boys are right. Don’t put too much stress on it, or you’ll be back to square one with fingers through your stitches.” Jemma gave me a kind smile, hinting to a few nights ago when our bus had been attacked.

“Haha.” Grant taunted, sticking his tongue out.

I took a jab at him, only for him to step to the side and catch me in a headlock. He laughed as I shook loose, eyes squinted.

“That was uncalled for.” I stuck my nose up in the air, turning my head to the side and ignoring him.

He cleared his throat and I looked to see Skye coming down the steps. Grant put his serious face on and went back to punching the bag.

“You know you’re late.” He eyed her.

“I’m tired from this morning’s workout. I thought I was joining S.H.I.E.L.D., not 24 hour fitness.” She sighed, giving him her hands so he could check over her wrappings.

“It’s called relative strength training. Starting with the basics. And next time, you do fifteen push-ups for every minute you’re late.” He readjusted one.

“Fine, Mr. Fun Machine. Better than pull ups. I don’t ever wanna do another pull up again.” She stated.

“You find yourself hanging off the edge of a building twenty stories up, you’re gonna wanna do at least one.” He gave her a face before turning to instruct her.

I turned to watch Fitz-Simmons in the lab, working on some sort of laser or whatever it was. Fitz caught me staring and winked at me with a goofy smile before going back to his work.

“I’m sure Fitz-Simmon’s supervising officer didn’t make them do this muscle stuff.” She hit the bag with both hands.

“You said you wanted to be a field agent, like Coulson.” Grant shrugged. “But, if you’d like to switch disciplines…” He nodded toward Fitz-Simmons, still hard at work in the lab, then looked at me.

Is she being serious?

I gave her a once-over and smiled at Grant.

Let me take care of it.

“Vi, what did your SO make you do when you were in training for psych?” Grant looked at me with eyebrows raised and a smile on his face.

“Psychoanalytics, fill-ins for the DSM-5, brain parts, ethics… I can keep going. Hey Simmons. What did your SO give you guys for morning drills?” I called out to her from my spot against the wall.

“Oh! Atomistic attribute drills. Yeah, we’d name the mechanical, chemical, thermal-” She spouted.

Skye rolled her eyes at me and threw a lazy punch.

“The electrical properties of materials.” Fitz finished.

“Okay, okay, they made your point.”

“There will come a moment where you have to commit to this or bail.” Grant moved around the bag to hold it for her. “Every field agent has a defining moment. Ask Coulson. When you have to make the hard call to either dedicate yourself to this or to curl up in a ball and run.”

“How can you run if you’re curled up in a ball?” Skye gestured before going back to throwing punches.

“It’s my job as your SO to make sure you don’t die before then. Come on.” He fixed her hands and patted the bag again.

“So what was yours, Agent Ward?” She asked him.

“Ten minutes.” He dodged the question.

“Your defining moment?”

He ignored her.

“Come on, tell me. I wanna know. I could get Coulson to give you some of that truth serum. You could spill your little heart to me all over again.” She smiled.

“You mean my level one overshare that miraculously got you to cooperate? I hate to tell you this, rookie, but we don’t have a truth serum.”

“Changing course, briefing in three. Shield 6-1-6 with new orders, set for Colorado air field north.” May came over the comms.

“Ah, looks like we’re on the move.” Fitz pulled his lab coat off and hung it in the corner before coming to my side and taking my hand, leading the way up the stairs.

We settled on the couches in the main room, sprawled out as Coulson came through the hallway. Fitz pulled me into his side and I swung my leg over his, comfortable in his grip.

“A few minutes ago, a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport was attacked while carrying a priority red protected asset off route 76 near Sterling.”

“Priority red?” Jemma asked, and Grant let out a low whistle as he sat on the armchair next to Fitz and I.

“The asset was Canadian physicist Dr. Franklin Hall, known for his work-”

“Oh no! Not Frank!” Jemma gasped.

Fitz leaned forward, a sad expression on his face, “Dr. Hall? He was our chemical kinetics advisor our second year.”

“Yeah, he’s so enthusiastic about science, we just adored him!” Jemma sighed. “We can rescue him, can’t we?”

“He’s one of ours. We’re gonna try.” Coulson nodded.

“And the attackers?” Grant asked.

“Invisible.” Coulson walked off.

“Wait. Invisible? Cool!” Skye laughed, and Grant shot her a look. “But terrible.” She cleared her throat.

                                                             ***

“Dr. Hall was an asset?” Skye questioned as we walked down the road, squinting in the dark.

“One of a few select scientists S.H.I.E.L.D. has been protecting, people our enemies would love to get their hands on. We keep them hidden, we keep them on the move.” Coulson explained.

“Which is why Fitz and I were so lucky to have him.” Jemma spoke from the other end of the line, next to Fitz.

May, in the middle, stayed silent as usual. Grant and I exchanged a few looks, but he was soon focused on observing the street we were walking along for any potential threats.

“We don’t have him anymore.” Coulson grunted out.

“And what does priority red mean?” Skye asked again.

“It means security should have been…” he trailed off as we saw an SUV flipped over onto the side of the road. “Heavy.”

A fox scurried out from the bushes and to the road. Fitz jumped and Grant’s hand flew to his gun. I looked over to see the fox with blood stains on its white snout. I looked up to Grant again. His grimace matched mine.

Well, that’s just wonderful.

                                                            ***

“It was pretty damn scary, and I don’t spook easily, boss.” Agent Mack was the only one left alive, and even he was pretty banged up.

May had gone with him to ask questions while Fitz-Simmons did their usual rounds of inspection with Skye tagging along. Grant was surveying lord knows what and I stood off to May’s side, picking up cues from Agent Mack that he didn’t even realize he was giving off.

“Nothing in the air from above?” May asked.

“Nothing over our shoulder.” He shook his head, “But what’s scary is they knew our route. They were waiting for us.”

“Are you saying they were working with somebody inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?” I took a step closer to the van he was sitting in.

“Sorry to say.” He shrugged. “It had to be.”

“Fitz, what am I seeing here?” Jemma shouted, causing the turning of heads.

“Well, I’m not wearing the full-spectrum goggles I designed, so no clue.” He chuckled, walking over to her with his tablet in his hands.

Coulson gave me a nod of his head and I followed them, rolling my eyes with a smile at Fitz’s nerd speak.

“Let me have a look. Come on.” He held his hand out for the goggles.

“Whoa, whoa, wait! Wait, no! Don’t move.” She ordered, holding her hands out to stop him.

Skye stopped immediately, but Fitz, as always, was clumsy and almost took another step forward. I grabbed him by the back of the shirt and pulled him backward.

“Wait a second.” Jemma whispered, kneeling to throw a fistful of dirt and gravel into the air.

It swirled, like a mini tornado.

“What the hell?” Skye took a step back.

“I think the electro-static field scanner activated some… thing.” She smiled.

A rock flew loose from the air pattern, flinging itself at us. I felt a hand on my head and I was forced to go down faster than I could duck myself. Fitz let out a yelp and Grant shoved me half behind him, staring at the thing with squinted eyes.

“Okay, can we deactivate it?” Coulson asked. “Now?”

She hit a few buttons on her tablet, and the swirl only seemed to gain an angry conscious, throwing more things at us. I ducked behind my brother, pulling Skye down with me. Fitz let out a second yelp before barking something about density at Jemma.

“I tried, Fitz!” She shouted, handing him the control.

I pushed out from behind my brother and tugged Fitz away from the swirl as he fumbled with the remote. I felt a thunk against my head and winced.

“Fitz!” May raised her voice.

He hit another two buttons before the remote shorted out and the swirling pieces dropped to the floor. Jemma bent down to pick up a twisted looking piece of metal and glass with a pair of tweezers, dropping it in Coulson’s outstretched hand.

“That did all this.”

“What is that?” Skye asked.

Coulson stared at it, rolling it in his hand. “Something big.”

                                                            ***

We stood in a ring around the lab table, with the exception of Grant, who had told me what he was off to do, but I hadn’t listened. Fitz had the object in some sort of a microscope, with lit up goggles on his head.

“Either someone cracked our comm system, or Dr. Hall’s movements leaked from inside S.H.I.E.L.D..” Coulson was quiet.

“You really think we have a mole?” May asked him.

Jemma and I stood at the side of the table, watching as Fitz worked.

“I think you should go through the communication logs, rule it out.” He said with his hands crossed neatly. “We’ll work the tractor tread that we found on the scene.”

“I can do that.” Skye popped up. “Instead of pull-ups. I can upload an image of the tread pattern, check to see if there’s any sort of-”

“Already done.” Grant popped back in.

Right, he had gone to do that.

“Matched it to a 2010 model. Found a list of purchases within a 500-mile radius, narrowed it down to those with priors, financial troubles, or propensity for risk-taking.” He set it up to show on the computer.

“Three suspects.” He pointed as the pictures appeared.

“Who may have sold their construction equipment to the kidnappers.” Coulson’s arms were now crossed. “We’ll ask.”

Grant nodded and pulled the images off the screen. He turned to look at me over his shoulder, and I followed him out of the lab.

“You feeling any better? How’s your leg?” He looked down, slowing his step.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to slow down for me.” I scoffed, secretly grateful that he hadn’t forced me to trot up the stairs.

“I know. There’s a lot of things I don’t have to do.” He sat down at the bar. “So. Give me a runthrough. Why would someone kidnap a physicist?”

I hoisted myself to sit on the counter and grinned. “Maybe their kid needed tutoring?”

Grant rolled his eyes and pushed at my knee with his foot, essentially kicking me. “I don’t remember you being this joke-y before.”

I laughed. “I use humor to mask my emotions now. Ya know, like an adult.”

“Okay, okay. But for real. Why would someone kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D. protected physicist? What good does a physicist even do?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Physics is actually pretty cool, you people just don’t think it is. Physics covers a lot. My best guess within reason? Some evil rich person has a half-hacked plan to take over the world but needs a professional to help him seal the deal.” I shrugged.

Grant sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I hate the fact that that sounds like a valid, logical, reason.”

I laughed. “Well, we do work for S.H.I.E.L.D..”

“Yeah, okay. But I’ll bet you fifty dollars it’s some weird organization and not someone rich.” Grant snorted.

“You sure you wanna bet on that?” I grinned again.

                                                            ***

“I just wanna know who paid you.” Coulson asked calmly as Grant and I crept around Lola, crouched.

The man paused, then yanked a gun out. “Paid me enough not to answer questions like that.” He aimed at Coulson.

Grant gave me a glance over my shoulder before moving, pulling the gun from the man’s hand and him along with it. I ran to grab the horse by the reigns, trying to calm it. The man landed on his back with a grunt, hands up as Grant pointed the gun at his head.

“Feels like the old west.” He turned to me with a faint smile as Coulson stepped closer to speak to the man again.

“They gave me money for my equipment, that’s all. I never saw a face. I never heard a name.” He had his hands up, eyes darting between Coulson and Grant.

“And how did you receive this money? They write you a check?”

The man sighed and pointed to the side pouch on the horse’s saddle. Grant looked at me and jerked his head in that direction. I patted the horse’s neck before moving over to open the bag, which was filled with gold bars.

“Paid you in gold?” Coulson picked a bar up.

I looked at Grant. “Now it really feels like the old west.”

                                                            ***

“It looks like this because it’s a doré bar. It means it was made in a mine rather than a refinery. It’s only about 92% pure, the cowboy got cheated a bit.” Jemma explained.

“Can you determine a mine based off the impurities?” Coulson asked.

“Oh, yeah, we’ve done that already.” Fitz went to the computer. “It’s from the dacey mine in Tanzania, which is owned by-”

“Quinn Worldwide.” I came to his side as I cut him off, glancing at Coulson.

“I’m sure you’ve studied the CEO in your chemical engineering classes or saw him on the cover of Forbes. Ian Quinn.” Coulson sighed and walked out of the lab, up to the steps.

“He’s a sociopath.” I scoffed.

“I mean…” Jemma tried to put her positive twist on it, but to no avail.

“Who is?” Grant came into the lab, looking at me with furrowed eyebrows.

“Ian Quinn.” I said as Fitz pulled up a picture and turned his monitor so Grant could see. “Spoiled, bratty, millionaire evil genius.” I quirked an eyebrow.

Grant sighed deeply and pulled out his wallet, handing me two twenties and a ten. I pocketed them with a smile, giving him a half-hug as a thanks before going upstairs with Coulson.

                                                            ***

“Darlin’, come downstairs. I’ve got a feeling you might wanna hear this.” Fitz came over the comms in our room and I rolled over in the bed, dropping my book onto my nightstand as I hit the button to answer.

“Are you sure I’m gonna wanna hear about it? I’m reading.”

“Well…” He paused and I could hear him clear his throat. “It’s a scientific breakthrough, darlin’.”

He knew he had me then. Any breakthrough was amazing, whether it was scientific or psychological or whatever else. I pulled one a pair of fuzzy socks and all but bolted down the stairs to the lab.

“Jeez, what’s the rush?” Skye asked, coming down the steps after me.

“Scientific breakthrough, come on.” I grabbed her hand and tugged.

“What is it, you guys?” I popped up to sit on the counter in front of the holotable, resting my chin on Fitz’s shoulder.

“Gravitonium.” He put his hands on his hips.

“What?” Skye asked, unimpressed.

“Holy shit.” I mumbled, wrapping my arms around one of his and leaning forward.

“It’s an extremely rare high-atomic numbered element.” He explained.

“It powers the device.” Jemma continued. “It’s so extremely rare that most people didn’t believe it existed, much less the theory that an isolated positive charge-”

“Yeah, would turn the flow from isotropic-” Fitz continued.

“Guys.” Skye interrupted them. “High school dropout here.”

Fitz looked at me, his hand frozen and his face confused. He didn’t know how to put many things into simple terms. I patted his back and tried to give him a guideline.

“How does the device work again?”

“Well, gravitonium distorts gravity fields within itself, causing an undulating, amorphous shape.” Jemma tried to explain, as Fitz was still stuck.

“Which causes these, um…” He pointed, trying to find an easy word. “Wiggly bits here! But when an electric current is applied,” he motioned with his fingers and I felt a goofy smile grow on my face. “The gravitonium solidifies. And those gravity fields erupt,” he continued to mime it and I held back my laughs. “Randomly changing the rules of gravity around it.”

Skye looked at me and I felt myself turn pink, trying again not to burst out laughing. Fitz gave my leg a squeeze before running over to the other side of the lab, now completely invested in his explanation.

“Well, so now you can imagine what would happen to a big rig at 100 kilometers per hour.” He rushed to sit at his computer, and then froze up a bit. “Or, well, you could just remember, ‘cause we saw it already, didn’t we?”

I walked over as he picked at his lips and then bit his nails as Jemma began to speak. I gently pulled his hand away from his mouth, linking his fingers through mine. He smiled at me softly and pulled our hands back to his mouth to kiss my knuckles.

“Come here.” He tugged me up to sit on his thighs with my side to his chest as he brought his arms around my middle and started to type.

I looked over to Skye, who winked at me.

“Guess which genius published every theory about gravitonium and possible applications years ago?” Jemma asked.

“Dr. Franklin Hall.” Skye answered.

“Correct.” Fitz-Simmons nodded.

“And Dr. Hall attended the University of Cambridge at the same time as Ian Quinn.” I looked at the files Fitz had pulled up on the computer.

“Violet, I think you might be off on this. Quinn’s a notoriously good guy.” Skye shook her head. “His charity endowment’s something like eight billion dollars.”

“Yeah, with money made from leeching the Earth of its resources. Looks like he’s dug up another.” Jemma scoffed.

“He’s textbook, Skye. Tries to give himself a good public image when in reality, dude’s only watching his own back.” I called without turning back to her.

“That’s my girl.” Fitz mumbled under his breath, still focused on the screen as one hand pulled mine up and he kissed it again.

                                                            ***

“The man’s a prisoner, and it’s up to us to get him out!” Coulson was growing more frustrated by the minute.

“We’ve checked the specs. There’s no way into Quinn’s compound without a large S.H.I.E.L.D. strike force, or a man inside. He’s got neodymium laser fencing surrounding the property.” Grant scoffed.

“They’ll never allow a strike force into Malta.” I shook my head. “Plus, this weekend, Quinn Worldwide’s got its annual shareholders gathering. We’d risk global outrage. But…” I trailed off, looking to Grant.

Not if we go it by ourselves.

He sighed, but nobody else seemed to understand the nonverbality. Coulson picked up the slack for them.

“If we go in alone, S.H.I.E.L.D. can disavow us, claim ignorance.”

“Without a man inside, it’s impossible, unless you’re immune to pulse laser emissions.” May leaned against the table.

Fitz sighed from next to me and Jemma held her hands against her neck, her nervous tic. Fitz stood straight, and I already knew what was coming, but the amusement it would provide outweighed my desire to stop him in his tracks.

“If we had a monkey, we could get in.”

“Ah, Fitz!” Jemma seemed annoyed.

“If we had a small monkey, he could slip through the sensors and disable the fence’s power source with his adorable little hands.” Fitz put his hands up.

I bit back a smile as Grant looked at me with a face. I grabbed Fitz’s arm and pulled him tight against my side, smiling up at him.

“Now’s not the time, angel face.” I whispered.

“I could go in.” Skye had walked in at some point, and was now leaning nonchalantly against the wall, phone in hand.

“Drop me in the hills outside of Valletta. I’ll spend a few weeks establishing a cover, gathering intel-”

“We don’t have the time, Grant.” I cut him off, shaking my head.

“And to restate, any agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. caught on Maltese soil can be shot to death with bullets- legally.” Jemma gestured.

“Not me.” Skye spoke again. “I could go in.” She now took a step forward.

“Skye, this is serious.” Grant brushed her off.

“No.” I stopped him. “She’s right. She’s not an agent.” I looked to Coulson, who seemed to agree.

“This isn’t something the Rising Tide can hack, Skye.” Grant said with a layer of disgust in his tone.

“Did you hear the deadly lasers part?” Fitz looked from her to me, hands on his head. “Without a brave monkey-” I clapped a hand over his mouth and looked to Skye, a signal for her to explain.

“You said you could go in with a man inside.” She shrugged.

“And you wanna be that man?” May’s eyebrows were raised.

“Fitz-Simmons loved the guy, and he needs help. They could be torturing him. Or worse, making him do strength-training.” She glared at Grant.

“She’s a hacker, she can easily apply that to playing a role.” I rolled my eyes at him, sensing his upcoming protests.

“But she doesn’t have the background or clearance or experience with any of this.” He turned away from me and walked toward her, growing increasingly agitated.

“I know.” She put her phone up. “But I’ve got an invitation. Well, technically, it’s an evite.” She looked to me with a smile.

I didn’t bother to hold back my grin. She was something, that was for sure. I trusted she could do it, and if anything went wrong, Grant and I would figure out a way to pull her out if necessary. Grant looked at me with a sigh.

This is a bad idea.

I shrugged.

It’s the only one we have.

And although I wouldn’t admit it, I much preferred this to him going undercover.

                                                            ***

“Grant!” I caught him coming out of Coulson’s office, fuming.

He turned to me. “It’s a bad idea. Actually, no” he began to gesture wildly, “it’s not just a bad idea, it’s the worst idea! She’s gonna get herself killed! She doesn’t know what she’s doing! And then what? We’re back at square one with one of our people down?”

“Hey.” I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled his arm down. “First of all, breathe. It’s gonna be fine. And secondly, we have a few days. You’re her SO.”

“Again. First on paper, but you’re on there too.”

I ignored him. “Keep training her. Get her ready physically, I’ll worry about getting her mind in the right state. We’ve tag-teamed before, let’s just do it again.” I looked up, eyebrows raised in the way Jemma always said was my ‘mom face’.

“Yeah, we’ve tag-teamed against a group of rebels shooting at us. Are you sure we can tag-team her?” He crossed his arms across his chest.

I threw my head back with an exaggerated groan and rolled my eyes. “Grant. We’ve tag-teamed Christian before. I think we can handle a hacker.”

I knew mentioning our older brother would be a risk, and I watched as his face changed and he became a few shades lighter. But it worked, because he was soon nodding and meeting my eyes.

“Let’s do it. I’ll head downstairs to do muscle memories. Come with, sit and watch. Let your little psych brain work some stuff out.” He held his hand out for mine and I stared for a second.

I couldn’t remember the last time Grant had held my hand. I knew that we always did when we were younger, because our family spent all our time out of the house and on trips, and Grant was the only one who had seemed to care that I didn’t get split up.

“Hey.” He whispered, leaning down to meet my eyes. “You’re okay.” He nodded, flexing his fingers.

I snapped out of it with a nod, slipping my hand into his and letting him lead the way down to the garage.

                                                            ***

“Now, again, slowly, what’s first?” Grant held the unloaded gun level with Skye’s chest as they went over the maneuver once more.

She gripped his wrist and pushed it up, twirling under his arm and pressing herself into his chest, the gun still in his hand but under her control.

“And then?” Grant followed up.

She paused and I shifted on the metal steps, trying to find some sense of comfort. This had been going on for an hour, and I was surprised that Grant hadn’t snapped by now. My neck ached, my hips were burning, and my leg was throbbing. This was the last day we had to train her. Mentally, she was ready. But that was worth nothing if she couldn’t evade getting shot.

“Then things are moving too quickly. I’m a proper Southern girl-”

I watched Grant throw his head back with an eye roll that looked like it hurt as she pulled on an accent.

“You’ll make me untidy.”

“Twist the thumb, palm the barrel.” He moved his hands over hers to repeat the motions, a bit harshly.

“Ow.” She winced, taking her hand back and shaking it.

“You’re gonna die and leave us hanging out to dry, you know that?” He tucked the gun into the waistband of his jeans. “You’re going in with no self-defense skills-”

“I have a few tricks up my sleeve.” She cut him off, crossing her arms.

“That isn’t enough. You need muscle memory, fundamentals, the tools to turn yourself-”

“Into a whole bag of tools?” She cut him off.

“Okay Skye, how did you learn computer science if you didn’t fully commit to it?” I asked, trying to find a better approach on teaching her.

“C.S. comes naturally to me. I’m sorry I’m not naturally whatever he is.” She pointed at Grant with a grunt.

He looked at me, neck snapping like it was broken.

What the fucking hell?

I returned the look, trying to ease his tension.

It’s okay. Calm down, and explain it. Don’t lose your head.

The air tensed, and I watched Grant’s fist curl. One mention of our childhood was enough to last a few months. Twice in one week was a major overload.

“You think this came naturally?” He stood straighter, shoulders squared as he took a predatory step toward her. “I had a brother who beat the crap out of me- and Violet. For nothing, for eating a piece of his birthday cake. I had to learn to protect us. The way I am trying to protect you. That was my moment. You asked.” He was towering over her now, and I could feel what he was feeling.

Anger, contempt, sadness, fear, every other negative emotion that you could possibly name. I watched as Skye slouched a little, looking from him to me and then at the floor.

“Sorry.” She looked up again. “Didn’t mean to push. But… I did manage to take this.” She pulled the gun up with a smile.

Grant took it back, his emotions gone and the heartless soldier back at play. “Getting the gun is one thing. Pulling the trigger- that is another.” He put the gun back to her chest. “Now, again, slowly, what’s first?”

                                                            ***

“Skye will walk in the front door.” Coulson paced, trying to keep awake.

It was six in the morning, and none of us had gotten nearly enough sleep. I was leaning back against Fitz, who had his arm around me as he breathed deeply. May and Jemma seemed wide-awake, and Grant was taking a mental nap in the corner, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“The only external access point to Quinn’s underground facility is from a beach cove. A two-man extraction team could slip in there, but it’s not easy. Fitz-Simmons.” He handed it over to them and Fitz begrudgingly kissed my cheek before leaving my side and joining Jemma at the screen.

“The perimeter is surrounded by a twenty foot high neodymium laser grid. Touch it, and you’re toast.” He looked at me as he spoke, as if he were also struggling to stay awake.

“Dead toast. The only way to disable the grid is to crack the system and trigger a reboot. This would give the team three seconds to cross. Of course, Quinn’s too smart to allow any wireless access on his property.” Coulson walked through it.

“That’s where I come in.” Skye nodded.

“Yes.” Jemma opened the black case on the table.

I couldn’t see with everyone standing around it, but Fitz grabbed my hand and pulled me in front of him, squeezing my shoulders after I padded over.

“Working compact- holds up under X-ray.”

“Desert rose. To match your complexion.” Fitz pointed at the small mirror. “But oh, what’s this?” He picked it up, slinging his arms over my shoulders so I wouldn’t have to switch spots again. “A readout, okay? Turns green if you’re in close enough proximity to a computer to gain wireless access.”

“When it does, you just drop this nearby and walk out. We’ll do the rest. Easy as pie.” Jemma smiled as Fitz closed the mirror.

“Or it will be. If you stick to the plan.” Grant spoke for the first time since we had gathered in the conference room to review the plan.

“Got it. Plan, green, drop, walk… pie.” Skye smiled.

Fitz handed her the mirror and she took it with a small thank you, flipping it around in her hands as Jemma explained something to her. Fitz turned me around and pulled me to lean against him, arms over my shoulders as I let my head fall into its spot against his neck.

“Alright team. Suit up.”

                                                            ***

“Wife’s name is Nadrah.” May filled in the gap for Skye, swiping around on the holotable.

“Sir, are you sure you don’t want me to go in? Grant and I work really well together, and that way you don’t have to go out into the field.” I tried to reason with Coulson, who was gathering his gear.

“I’m sure, Violet. You stay here, keep Fitz-Simmons calm. You know they panic in intense situations. And don’t worry. I’ll keep your brother safe.” He patted my shoulder with a smile before brushing past me.

I sighed and looked up to the ceiling. Fitz walked in, handing me a bowl of popcorn and a water bottle. He gave me puppy eyes and I followed him to the holotable, where May was still directing Skye.

“How’s she doing?” Fitz whispered before shoving popcorn into his mouth.

“She’s good.” Both Jemma and May whispered back.

“I could get used to this, people. It’s like Siri if it worked.” Skye spoke. “Skipper to Bravo. I’ve got eyes on Top Dog. The Eagle is landing on it.”

We all looked at each other, and May let a small smile twitch past her lips despite her eye roll. I giggled and hopped up to sit on the table.

“What are you doing?” Jemma asked.

“Uh, sorry, I-I dunno. I see Quinn, I’m gonna go talk to him.”

Jemma smiled hopefully and May remained stoic. Fitz offered me popcorn. I only opened my mouth, letting him throw the pieces in and laughing when he missed horribly.

We heard Skye laugh over her comm. “Yeah, right? Ian Quinn. I’m your last-minute party crasher. Skye.”

“Oh. Wow.” We could hear Quinn too, albeit faintly. “Great to meet you. Um, this is Skye, a member of the Rising Tide. They’re a group of hackers. They’ve gotten some pretty big secrets out to the public.”

“I prefer hacktivist. I’m glad you’ve heard of our site.”

“I read it. We think very much alike. More freedom of information, less government infringing on everyone’s rights. I’m a fan.”

I rolled my eyes and grabbed at Fitz’s tie, pulling him to stand between my legs so I could lean against him.

“That explains the invite. This is a tough party to get into.”

“Not as hard to get into as the encrypted back channel you contacted us through to request the invite.” His tone was annoying, and he was trying to flirt with her.

“That’s sort of where I live.” I heard Skye force a laugh.

“You’ve got to show me how you did that- I mean, if you sign on.”

She paused. “Sign what, now?”

“I’ve been known to turn a few black hats into white hats, not just for vulnerability analysis, but for very creative thinking.”

Skye hesitated and I rolled my eyes again, thumping my head against Fitz’s shoulder. He only rubbed my back.

“A-are you offering me a job?”

“Well I didn’t invite you here for your pretty face. I didn’t know you had a pretty face.”

I looked over my shoulder at May, who only shook her head and mirrored my eye roll. Fitz caught my look and tutted at me, pulling me back against him and kissing the top of my head.

“Yes, I wanna hire you, before someone else snatches you up.”

“That seemed to go well.” May noted.

“Yeah. It did.” She breathed out, and her tone seemed different, but I was tired beyond belief.

Grant and I had spent the entire night awake, sparring to try and blow off steam. The mention of our older brother twice in three nights had shaken us both to our cores, and then we were awake and angry. We had gone until three in the morning, at which point I realized the time and sent him to bed because he had to be alert to be the extraction tomorrow. I had spent another two hours on the punching bag. At that point, Fitz came downstairs with pajamas and sleepy eyes, looking for me. We hopped in the shower together because he was scared I’d pass out and drown if I were by myself, and I fell asleep afterward, with only half an hour left until we had to be up to start our day all over again.

The comm stuck in my ear crackled to life, and I was relieved to hear Grant on the other end.

“Hey Vi. We’re here. Keep you updated.”

“Sounds good, bubs.” I mumbled back.

I could hear Coulson over the comms, saying something about Grant’s personality setting Dr. Hall on edge. I scoffed a laugh and turned my head into Fitz’s shoulder.

“It’s locked, but there’s no lock.” I heard Skye.

Fitz grabbed another handful of popcorn. “Eh, check for a keypad.”

“Nothing. What, you can hack a keypad?”

“No, not over the phone.” He mumbled, bringing the bowl of popcorn over my shoulder and placing it in my lap.

“Is there a reception desk?” May asked.

“Okay, yeah. Well now what do I do?”

“What are you trying to do?” Quinn’s voice came over her comm and we froze.

“Just… looking for a pen,” she laughed nervously. “Here we go. Gotta write down all those good ideas, you know what I mean? Of course you know what I mean, you probably have like ten pens for all your ideas…”

“What are you really doing?” His tone escalated.

Skye took a long pause. We stared at each other and I pressed the comm in my ear.

“Grant? She might’ve just been made.”

“Noted.” He grunted back and then was gone as quickly as he had come.

“Alright. I’m busted. I was trying to get a glimpse behind your office doors, see how things really operate.”

“I invite you here as a guest, you treat me like another corrupt institution, looking for trade secrets to leak online. Security-”

“No, no, no, wait. It’s just… with all these la-di-da people, you have to be so guarded, so … careful. What you say. What secrets you reveal. And … I was hoping that you and I… could be honest with one another. If you know what I mean.”

There was another long pause, and then there was a creaking of doors and Skye was back to normal. Fitz had climbed onto the table to sit behind me, forcing me to swing my legs to the other edge of the table. The popcorn was still in my lap, and I was grateful, because that way the warmth of his arms never left my sides.

“My office had less space, more wheels. Wow. A view of the ocean and the pool.”

“Not a bad place to do business.” Quinn flirted back.

“Got the dispatch leaking Hall’s location. User’s an alias.”

“Oh, can you trace the DHCP server-”

May cut Fitz off. “Trace is running, but it’ll take time. How’s our girl?” She asked, referring to Skye.

“I thought she was done for, but she just sweet-talked her way into Quinn’s office.” Jemma exclaimed.

“Grant. She’s good. She’s in.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure, idiot.” I scoffed.

The line clicked off without a response.

“How’d she manage that?” May asked.

I sputtered, shaking my head. Fitz squirmed behind me, using his hands as he spoke.

“She probably just used her, um, uhh…” He stumbled as Jemma and May shot him glares.

I turned to see his hands cupping his chest.

“Uh, her uh… boobs.” He spat out.

I rolled my eyes and got off the table, leaving the bowl in his lap and standing at his side.

“Ugh! That’s the only explana-” Jemma was cut off by static.

I looked down to see Skye’s comm gone. “Shit, the signal’s dead.”

“Fitz, what did you do?” Jemma hit his arm.

“What- I didn’t do anything! She must’ve- oh lord.” He sighed.

May looked at me. “She’s double crossing us.”

I shook my head. “No, no, no, no, no. Stop. We’re not gonna jump to conclusions here, alright? She’s probably just got an idea.” I defended her.

“She’s supposed to stick to the plan!” I forgot my comm was on.

“She’s just offline. We lost audio and vitals.”

“Abort is not an option. But if she’s compromising-”

“She’s still your only way in to get to Dr. Hall. And you’re the only way out. Sit tight.” I rolled my eyes and clicked the comm off.

“Violet. Just think about it. Why else would she turn off her comm?” Fitz asked me, eyes kind.

“She’s got a plan. Just trust me. She’s gotta have a plan.” I clicked my comm back on. “Grant, just keep moving. This doesn’t change anything. I’ll keep you updated.”

He scoffed on the other end. “Since when are you so soft?”

“Can you put aside the bitch-fit for when you come back? Right now you have to focus on getting in and out, okay?” I rolled my eyes.

“Fine. Keep me updated.”

“I told you I would.” I rolled my eyes again, clicking my line off.

I looked around to see Fitz-Simmons and May blinking at me, eyes wide.

“What?”

“I just, uh…” Fitz trailed off, scratching the back of his neck.

“We haven’t ever really seen you like that is all, love.” Jemma offered a sweet smile.

“Your brother’s back and you’re acting different. It’s sort of amusing.” May shrugged, the most truthful.

“Hey, Vi?” Grant’s voice was calm and quiet.

“What’s wrong?” I perked up.

“We’re gonna have to take on this next patrol. Skye better hurry it the hell up or we’re dead. Just thought you should know.” He whispered.

I sighed. “Be careful.”

“Always.” It was followed by a grunt, and then the sounds of an unfair fight.

I sighed and watched as May eyed the holotable nervously. Skye was still offline. A few grunts later, Grant sighed.

“Guys, clocks ticking. Where’s Skye?” Coulson came on.

The holotable clicked, and her compact connected.

“We’re in!” May shouted.

“She’s done it!” Jemma squealed.

“Leo, you’re up.” I took the bowl from him.

“Oh, Mother of all things. Move, move! Move!” He all but shoved May aside, tie flying as he ran.

His fingers danced over the holotable, and his eyes darted around as he licked his lips. He was scared to screw it up.

“Vi, tell Fitz to hurry. They’re onto us.” Grant growled.

“Fitz is going as fast as he can!” I shouted back.

“Fitz!” Coulson called.

“Saying his name repeatedly does not increase productivity!” Jemma yelled, getting them to back off.

“Okay, go!” Fitz jumped.

“Or maybe it does.” Jemma tilted her head.

“Grant! Move, now!” I watched the three second timer on the screen.

“System rebooting in two, one, now!” Fitz counted it off.

There was a grunt and then silence.

“Grant?” The rise and fall of my chest became frantic.

I really hoped my brother hadn’t gotten cut in half by a twenty foot laser fence.

“We’re in.”

I sighed, letting out a breath. May had gone back to her computer, following the trace of the dispatch that had leaked Hall’s location. Fitz pulled me into a hug. I hooked my arms around his middle and buried my face into his shoulder, ignoring the itching of his cardigan against my nose.

“Oh no.” May was louder than usual. “Coulson. The leak came from-”

“Dr. Hall. Yeah, I’m getting that.”

There was a yelp and a grunt, and then Coulson’s comm cut out.

“Grant?”

“I’m here.”

“Coulson’s out. We don’t know what happened. Keep moving, get Skye. We’ll keep you updated. Be careful.”

“Always.”

                                                            ***

“Guys, we need to talk.” Coulson’s voice came over the comms.

“Lost you for a minute.” May sighed. “We’re aware of the problem, sir. Hall wanted Quinn to kidnap him?” She asked as we walked into the lab, where Fitz-Simmons were scrambling about.

“Yeah, why would he do that?” Fitz was disgruntled.

“What is wrong with him?” Jemma was distraught.

“Quinn built a gravity generator. Like the one we found but bigger. Hall knew Quinn would need him to control its raw power, but Hall just wanted to unleash it.”

“The one we found was only two point five centimeters in diameter. It stopped a semi.” Jemma shrugged.

“How big are we talking?” I asked.

“Twelve feet. It’ll definitely take down the entire compound.”

My heart clenched in my chest once more. Skye and Coulson were on there. And more importantly to me, Grant was on there. I had just gotten him back after eleven years. I couldn’t lose him to an element on the periodic table.

“It’ll sink the place!” Jemma was agitated.

“No, it’ll do more than that.” Fitz shook his head, working at something, tucking a screwdriver behind his ear.

“Work a solution. I’ll disconnect the power before things get … crazy.”

He was gone again.

“Vi.”

“What is it?” I asked, relief at hearing my brother’s voice.

“I don’t know where I’m going. I need you to pull up a map and talk me through this. Please.”

I only nodded. “Just a second.” I hit a few buttons on the holotable, bringing up the blueprint of Quinn’s mansion.

I took my comm out and tossed it to Fitz, who set the connection to the same as Coulson’s. Now we could all hear him, and he could hear all of us.

“Alright. This place is massive. Where am I heading?”

“Southwest corner.” May guided him. “Ward. Tell me you’ve got things covered on the ground. I can’t do a damn thing from out here.”

I caught a small gasp and perked up. It had come from Grant. I pulled up his vitals on the tablet next to me and saw that his heart rate went up. Something had happened that made him nervous.

“I’m working on it.” He replied.

We sat in silence, watching as the dot on the map that was Grant moved faster. Coulson’s comm clicked back on, and we could hear a loud whirring and a rumbling.

“... future generations ruined in his wake!” Hall’s voice was agitated.

“Like agents Fitz and Simmons, your former students? I’ve got them in my ear right now, telling me you’re not a bad guy. We could’ve worked with you on this.”

There was a crashing noise, and Fitz tensed in his seat.

“S.H.I.E.L.D.? S.H.I.E.L.D. is just as guilty of the same thing! Experimentation without a thought of consequence! Your search for an unlimited power source brought an alien invasion!”

“Fair point.” Coulson only sighed.

There was another crashing noise, and Coulson’s comm finally gave out. May cursed loudly, and Jemma put her hands back to her neck.

“She’s not here!” Grant screamed.

We paused.

“Grant, the pool.”

“What?”

“There’s a pool by the window. She must’ve jumped. She’s probably out in the front!”

“Are you sure?”

“Grant! We tag-teamed! Stop doubting me and listen!” I groaned, balling my hands in frustration.

He muttered a reply that I ignored. His dot was beelining down the steps and out into the main lot. He must’ve been sprinting. He reached the spot and took a deep breath. I braced myself, knowing what was coming. There were grunts and shouts, and the cracking of bones. Grant winced, but was quick to regain another breath and keep fighting.

When he finished, I could hear his breathing, along with Skye’s, which was even more frantic.

“You hurt? Follow my orders. I’ll get us out of here.” He was gone again.

Coulson’s line came back on, staticky. “Nothing. Fitz-Simmons? I tried to cut the power. It’s still going.”

Fitz-Simmons blurted out too many words at the same time, and the only thing I understood was ‘catalyst’.

“Something to create a chemical reaction in the core.” Jemma explained.

“It’s not too late to do the right thing! Help me find a catalyst-”

“I am doing the right thing. A completely selfless act. I know that history never celebrates what didn’t happen. They’ll call this a-a tragedy. They won’t understand the good I did here.”

“Vi?” Grant came on. “We’ve almost got Coulson.”

“Can you get him out?”

“Not yet. We need another minute or two.”

“You don’t have that long.” Fitz jumped in, looking at me with concern.

“Killing innocent people?”

“Saving millions. We have to live with the choices we make, but sometimes we have to die with them too.”

“I understand. You made a hard call… and now I have to make mine.” Coulson clicked his comm off, but we still heard the gunshots through Grant’s.

“Alright, we’re in.”

                                                            ***

Fitz-Simmons hadn’t taken the news well. Coulson had been the one to explain what happened. He shot the glass, and Dr. Hall got sucked into the gravitonium. He was gone. They were devastated, frustrated, and overall upset. Jemma had made a tea and fallen asleep on the couch, where Grant wordlessly draped a blanket over her and shot me a look when I smiled at him.

Fitz was in the bathroom, showering. He had left the door cracked open, and I got the feeling it was to reassure me that he was okay. The water shut off, and he got dressed rather quickly, coming out of the bathroom in boxers and nothing else. His hair had obviously been towel-dried, and he hadn’t bothered to fix it. He gave me a soft smile as he sat next to me.

“Hi angel face.” I whispered, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek.

“I love you.” He mumbled, wrapping me in his arms and dropping his head against my shoulder.

He was exhausted, and I couldn’t blame him. I ran my fingers through his damp hair and wrapped my arm around his shoulders, tracing shapes onto his bare skin.

“I love you too. Why don’t you try to sleep, Leo?” I asked once he pulled back, wiping at his eyes.

“Stay with me?” He gave me puppy eyes and jutted out his bottom lip. I couldn’t tell whether it was intentional or not.

I smiled and leaned forward, grabbing him by the cheeks and pulling him to me so I could kiss his pouty lips. “Always.”

He slid down under the covers and let me get settled against the headboard. I sat with my legs crossed. He rolled over and dropped his head into my lap, laying on his side and pulling the blankets up to his chin. I threaded my hand in his hair, tugging gently at the curls to untangle them. He sighed, content. My hand started to work by itself, long after his hair was close to dry and he was breathing steadily, asleep.

Skye had gone downstairs to work on her punches, and Grant had gone straight for the shower. I sat in the bed, fingers still mindlessly combing through Fitz’s hair. I hadn’t been the one to lose a mentor, and I hadn’t been the one with a gun up to my face, but I was still tired, and now emotionally drained. There was a knock on my door.

“Come in.” I mumbled, eyes focused on a spot on the wall.

“Hey, ducky. How ya doing?”

I shrugged, watching as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“I’ve had better days.”

He nodded. “I’m gonna go check on Skye. Wanna come?”

I nodded, working Fitz’s head off my lap and onto a pillow. I took Grant’s hand the moment he outstretched it. We walked in silence, and it was peaceful. We didn’t have to verbalize what we wanted to say to each other, we just knew what the other was thinking. It was all I’m sorry’s and I love you to death, please don’t forget that’s and I’m glad you’re alive’s. He went down the stairs first, sitting down and letting me lean onto him.

“Where’d you guys grow up?” Skye asked through a grunt.

“Massachusetts, mostly.” I answered.

“A house?” She asked again.

“You didn’t?” Grant cocked his head.

She stopped the bag, holding it steady as she panted. “One house.” She grabbed a water bottle and walked to our side. “The Brody’s. I was nine. Sent me back to St. Agnes after a month. Said I wasn’t a good fit.”

“Foster parents.” Grant deduced. “Your first?”

She scoffed. “My third. I had heard it before, but… this one was different.”

“‘Cause you wanted them to like you.” I spoke in a hushed tone.

She looked up and nodded. “Bad.”

Grant sighed and she looked back down, sniffling. I looked down to my brother. He gave my knee a squeeze.

“I called her mom once… tried it out.” She shrugged and sighed. “Guess it wasn’t a good fit.”

She shook herself off and returned to the bag. “Hoping for something and losing it? Hurts more than never hoping for anything.”

Grant and I exchanged looks.

She needs reassurance that we won’t leave her. She’s got trust issues.

Grant nodded and we got up wordlessly, each putting weight against the bag so she could have a more solid stance.

“We won’t turn our backs.” He spoke first.

“Doesn’t matter.” She took another punch. “I made my choice. I want this.” Another three punches. “Bad.”

“Well, good. Because you fit in. We like you. You’re a buffer, and a smart one.” I smiled, letting Grant put his full weight against the bag so I could take the pressure off my leg.

She looked at me with a grin. “And I know there’s a truth serum.”

Grant and I only looked at each other once again, each laughing.

“Whatever you say, rookie.”