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[thestoresoup]

[ UPDATE ]

Due to family emergencies, our shipping mod is currently out of commission. This means that shipping will be delayed until all items have been produced and ready (≈ FEB - MAR).

We sincerely apologize for this.

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[look-at-the-soul]

Lost in love

Robert Fischer x reader

Special thanks to @red-riding-wood for the incredible moodboard and divider to make this story more magical!!!

Part of my grandma’s series and special thanks to @lyarr24 for the encouragement, it really makes a difference x

Summary: Y/N is forced to cancel her meeting with business man Robert Fischer due to really important matters. This will help him realize about a lot of things, specially those feelings he had been holding back.

Word count: 4,709

“Mr. Fischer I canceled your next meeting.” His assistant informed him.

His eyebrows raised in confusion. “Why?”

“Miss Y/LN called to say she had a personal matter and apologized for not being able to show you the new project.” The woman explained.

“Do you know what happened?” Robert asked, feeling more worried by the minute.

His assistant stammered nervously. “I don’t, but let me investigate.” She excused herself and left his office.

Something was wrong, Y/N had been working with him for several projects and in all of those years, she never skipped a meeting.

The red light on his phone started flashing.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Fischer, her secretary told me Miss Y/LN took the day off because her grandmother is in the hospital and she doesn’t know when she’s going back.”

For a second, blood ran down his body.

His uncle Pete stepped into his office after knocking.

“Would you like me to reschedule the meeting with someone else from her team?”

“No, we’ll wait until Y/N goes back to work. Thanks.”

“We can’t delay the project, we have a deadline and-” Pete started.

“I set that deadline, so we can. I don’t want anyone else in this.” He stated firmly.

“Where are you going?” His uncle asked. “Robert?”

Opening the door to his office, he asked his assistant to find out what hospital Y/N’s grandmother was and went back to get his briefcase. Dialing another number, he asked his driver to prepare the vehicle.

“I’ve a meeting with the major of the city at three o’clock, can you take care over?”

“No, why? What are you doing?”

But Robert left his questions hanging in the air, he rushed towards the elevator, right before the doors closed, he asked his assistant to cancel the rest of his agenda for the day.

As he was on his way to his vehicle, he got a notification on his phone.

Mr. Fischer I’m terribly sorry, but I’ve to cancel our meeting, if you want to move forward with the project, I’ll understand. Again, please accept my apologies.

Best regards,

Y/N Y/LN

The last thing she needed right now was to worry about something related to work.

Looking outside, Robert realized the sky went grey and heavy clouds threatened to unleash a storm.

He had worked with Y/N in several projects over the years, they first met when he bought a penthouse and asked her to decorate it, later on when he decided to make a renovation in the offices, he went to her again. Her elegant taste really stood out, Y/N thought of every single detail and made everything look effortlessly good.

Now, they had a building to decorate that he recently acquired to rent from individual offices to the entire floor. Y/N made it too easy, she understood what he wanted and didn’t stop working until everything was done, she never looked for excuses and delivered such a quality work. That made her the best in her field.

Stopping at the reception he asked a nurse for the emergency room.

“Are you family?”

“No.” His lips pursed in a tight line.

“Then I’m afraid you can’t go there.”

As he was about to protest, his eyes landed on Y/N, in the background.

“Y/N.” He moved towards her.

“Mr. Fischer?” She was equally confused and surprised to see him there.

“I heard about your grandmother, how’s she doing?”

“They took her to get some tests, they’re still trying to find out what happened, but since I can’t go with her, I thought of getting a coffee.”

Robert was aware of the circles under her eyes, shoulders tensed showing her worry.

“Hopefully they’ll find out soon so she can start a treatment.”

As they were in line, he eyed a nurse looking at him, but turned his attention to Y/N again.

“How are you doing?”

“I got so scared when I rushed here this morning, but the doctor said it was on time.” Her eyes then locked with his and she opened her mouth in shock. “I’m sorry you must be so busy, you didn’t have to come all the way here.”

But Robert shook his head. He felt like he needed to be there.

Their upcoming project was important, but he understood if she needed to take some time off. Only then he stopped to think how fragile life was, how everything changes in an instant… and what really matters.

“I wanted to make sure how you were doing, and the project it’s on hold until she gets better.”

He wanted to offer some comfort to Y/N, there was something about her that made his hands ache to reach out, but he didn’t know how.

“Thank you so much, I really don’t have the mindset right now.”

As the barista asked what they wanted, Y/N took out her wallet.

“Please,” Robert placed gently a hand on her arm, “it’s on me.”

“Mr. Fischer I-”

“I must insist.” He tried again and gave his credit card to the lady behind the counter, who gave them a smirk. “And please, cut the Mister part, makes me feel like I’m over sixty.”

“Thank you, for the coffee and for being here, Robert.”

“Did you let your family know?” Contrary to him, Y/N had a loving family, he knew they shared a tight bond.

“My mom is on a holiday, so she’s trying to change her flight and my cousin works in another city, but she’s traveling asap.”

“What about your uncle?”

“I haven’t seen him in years, he got mad at my grandma some time ago… it was something really stupid.”

He studied her face to see if he was stepping on the line. One he shouldn’t cross.

“Sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t worry, it happens all the time. And to be honest? We are better without him in our lives.”

“But you see your cousin?”

“Our moms were sisters, but her mother passed away. He’s the weird one, the dramatic, the complainer…” Y/N thought she shouldn’t share something like that with him, but she needed to get it out of her chest.

“One in each family.” He agreed with a hint of a smile.

“Flat white and regular coffee ready!” The barista called for them.

“You have to deal with that too?”

“Yeah, they made peace before my dad passed away.” Robert felt like sharing something about his own family.

“At least they got to leave that behind, I’m sorry about your father.”

Stepping into the elevator, Y/N closed her eyes at Robert’s scent, it screamed masculinity and elegance. His jaw clenched as he sipped on his drink.

“I really appreciate you being here.”

He wanted to say that he deeply cared about her, but it wasn’t the right time or place, so he nodded.

“Anything you need, just ask.”

And he meant that.

She wanted to say so many things, but words got stuck in her throat. Over the years, the admiration and respect she felt for Robert turned into an impossible crush, he was the man all women drooled about.

There was no doubt he was attractive, handsome from every possible angle, smart, his working ethic was an example to follow, but he was always guarded behind the tallest wall, that’s why seeing him taking the time to just being with her meant so much.

“I’m sure this will be a short stay at the hospital and you’ll help your grandma out before you know it. They’re made of something else.”

She looked at him, discovering a side of him that she didn’t even know it existed. “I hope you’re right.”

As they sat in a corner, Y/N leaned forward, resting her arms on her thighs. “She just told me last week she wanted to go somewhere, have a vacation.”

She had mixed emotions, not knowing what would happen. But oblivious to her fears, Robert was feeling the same as he was transported back in time to that moment before his father passed away. There had been so many things left unsaid, sometimes he still wished things were different between them, he longed for so many years to have a good relationship with his father… but it was too late now for that, so he just pushed it to a far corner in his mind. Learned to leave it behind.

But now all he could think of was if something happened to him… who would be there by his hospital bed the way Y/N was for her grandmother?

Feeling something close to a kick in his gut, he realized Y/N sobbed, she was trying to hold her tears back.

“Everything it’s going to be fine.” He rushed to say and instinctively passed an arm behind her back to offer some comfort. “Bet she’s a strong woman, soon you’ll leave this in the past.”

“I got so so scared.” Y/N let him hold her.

“It’s only natural, you care about her.”

This was so unlike him, he never hugged anyone… but somehow it’s like he was comforting himself as well.

She thanked him one more time and even managed to crack a small smile before the Doctor called for her. Robert asked for a minute just as she was about to go.

“I actually have to go, just wanted to know how you were doing.” Robert admitted closing the buttons of his suit.

“I really appreciate the company.” She admitted genuinely.

“If you need anything, you know where to find me.” Robert expressed. “Anything, anytime.”

Y/N nodded.

“I mean it.” He studied her features.

“Thank you, for everything.” As she went to talk to the doctor, he headed to the administration cubicle.

***

After signing a few more documents and a phone call with her mother, Y/N was shocked to see her grandmother laying in the hospital bed, but not in her room, she was in the middle of the hall with a nurse holding the equipment and as another one approached, she rushed to ask what was happening.

“Hello dear.” Her grandma smiled up at her.

“We’re transferring the patient.”

“Where?! What happened?”

“She’s stable, don’t worry.” The nurse explained. “We’ve instructions to transfer your grandmother to the Suite.”

“The what?!” Y/N realized she raised her voice involuntary. “There must be a mistake.”

Another nurse came around and showed her some papers. “See? Upgrade to suite.”

“Who signed this?”

“I’m sorry ma’am but I can’t reveal that information.”

She tried to keep up with the nurses and the bed, and with her mind working at speed.

“Well you’ll need to, because I’m not paying for this. Who gave you the authorization?” She then regretted, afraid her questions could affect her grandmother’s attention.

As the two nurses stepped into the elevator, the other one held her arm. “I didn’t tell you this, but the gentleman that was here with you earlier, he asked for the upgrade and the best treatment. It’s all been sorted out.”

“Miss Y/LN? Your grandma is asking for you.” Called one of the hospital staff.

Rushing into the elevator, she held out her hand for Y/N to take. The rest of the trip towards her new room was filled with the endless questions she had for the nurses.

“The Doctor will come up shortly, we already sent him the results.” One of them informed Y/N.

What doctor? She wondered as the first comment she got when they admitted her grandma was the only one available was the emergency responsible. Not an specialist, but as her grandmother patted the spot next to her in the bed, Y/N shook all thoughts to the side.

“This is a nice room, it’s not as depressing as the other one, isn’t it?” She asked her granddaughter.

“Definitely, so you can recover faster.”

“And look, they even got flowers!” She pointed towards the corner.

The first thought that crossed her mind, it was Robert.

And as Y/N walked to pick up the vase full of colorful and most beautiful flowers, she found a note.

Get well soon.

Robert.

Y/N placed it inside her cardigan.

“I’m doing just fine sweetheart, don’t worry.” Her grandmother assured her with a smile.

“I know… j-just.”

Y/N closed her eyes and carefully rested her head against her grandmother’s.

“If you need to go to work, I’ll be fine.”

But she shook her head. “No, I’m staying with you. Work can wait.”

“Ah, yes I forget you’re your own boss.” She teased.

“Looks like you’re getting better already.”

“I told you it was nothing.” She insisted.

Luckily as the doctor arrived, he confirmed her grandmother’s words. It was a bacteria they found, but it was just in time and with the right medication she’d be out in a couple of days.

A knock on the door caught her attention, but soon she realized, her cousin Mila arrived.

“Traffic was horrible, how’s grandma?” She asked.

“She’s sleeping, the doctor assured me it’s treatable but I don’t know if we should’ve a second opinion.”

“My, my…” She looked around. “This looks like a spa.”

She pointed out as they sat in the independent lounge, it was separated from the bedroom but still inside the room so they wouldn’t bother her grandma. Or anyone who visited her.

“Excuse me, just want to make sure the fridge has everything.” Someone from the staff walked in. “How’s the patient doing? Heard she did well on her tests.”

She reminded Y/N of Queen Latifah, with a friendly smile.

“Better now that we know what she has.” Y/N thanked her.

“Good to hear. Mr Fischer requested the best treatment so if I can assist you in anyway, let me know.” She winked.

“Thank you so much.” Y/N tried to avoid Mila’s inquisitive stare.

“Oh Mr. Fischer…” she cooed. “That bachelor? What-?”

“Mila, stop it… Robert’s a good friend.”

“So he’s not Mr. Fischer, he’s Robert now…” the grin on her face made Y/N blush.

“Y/N?” Her grandma called from the bedroom.

“I’m right here, do you need anything?” She approached the bed.

“Hello gran, the doc said you’ll feel better?”

Clicking her tongue, she dismissed any worries. “They’re exaggerating.”

Mila chuckled. “It’s alright, take advantage of the privileges provided by Y/N’s crush.”

“What crush?” She asked curiously.

“Nothing.” Y/N tried to intervene.

But as her cousin was about to talk, a nurse interrupted. “Good evening, I’m going to change your medication ma’am and dinner should arrive shortly.”

“I heard they’re giving you caviar or salmon.” Mila joked. “Who do you think sent you the flowers? Your secret admirer?”

Y/N shook her head. “I’ll go real quick and grab a change of clothes, then I’ll be back okay?” She announced to her grandmother and cousin.

“Do you‘ve free access to Robert’s helicopter?” Mila shouted.

Then Y/N heard her grandmother whisper. “Who’s this Robert?”

“No one,” Y/N sighed defeated, “don’t believe anything she says.”

“Tell him I’m size seven in Louboutin’s world.”

“I believe someone has the best nurses in this hospital, if I didn’t know otherwise, I’d say you could go home already.” The doctor greeted from the door.

“Oh Doctor they’re my granddaughters,” the woman beamed, “always taking care of me.”

“That’s the most important part for a speed recovery.” The Doctor agreed. “You might feel a bit tired with the meds though, so don’t worry if you notice she suddenly drifts to sleep.”

“Good.” Y/N nodded and excused herself.

Once outside the hospital, she was searching on her phone to get a cab, when someone called her name.

“Miss Y/LN?” She looked at him and before she could ask how did he know her name, the man introduced himself. “I’m Mr. Fischer’s driver he asked me to take you any place you needed.”

She gave him a shocked expression and admitted it wasn’t necessary.

“He told me you’d say that, nevertheless I must insist.”

Once the man was driving, Y/N debated whether or not to send Robert a message. And what would she write anyways?

Thank you, for everything. She typed after a few minutes.

Whatever you need. He answered shortly after.

Words got stuck in her throat as she called him.

“I really want to thank you, Robert but this is too much.” She then thought he must be busy.

“Look, I know hospital stays can be difficult. How’s your grandmother?”

“Enjoying the suite and the attention, she feels so spoiled.” A small smile spread on her lips. “Thank you for that too.”

“It’s good to have that lounge outside the room huh? So visitors won’t disturb her.”

“I can’t thank you enough.”

“You already did.” He admitted and by the sound of his voice, Y/N imagined him smiling. “The couch turns into a bed.”

“I’ll rate it tomorrow morning then.”

“Y/N?” Robert walked towards the window, taking a look at the sight before him, the sky was clear now. “Everything will be alright.”

“Thanks. You can’t even imagine how much it means.” Her heart started beating faster. “When I saw you this morning, you gave me so much peace.”

He could still feel the way she hugged him, it was tattooed in his memory now.

“Glad I could help in some way.”

“I’ll try to hurry on your desig-“

“None of that, take care of your grandmother and we’ll see business later.” He assured her.

A message on her screen caught her attention, a groan left her lips involuntarily.

“Is everything okay?” He brushed away something from his sleeve.

Y/N bit her lip, not having much choice. “My grandma wants to thank you, personally.” She admitted after reading the message her cousin just sent her. “And she wants to know if she can stop by your office once she gets discharged.”

A genuine smile played on his lips as something he couldn’t name expanded from the deepest part of his heart.

“That won’t be necessary, I could pay her a visit… if you agree of course.”

Y/N noticed the driver stopped by her apartment so as she went upstairs she considered her options.

“Looks like we’re both stubborn.” Robert offered with a small chuckle.

“I just don’t wanna bother you.”

“If that’s what is stopping you, then let’s arrange this visit sooner rather than later, what do you think?”

“If you don’t stop by the hospital I know she’s going to show up in your office by the end of the day so… you’re more than welcome.”

Robert was showing her a side of him she had never seen. His generosity was unlimited and he seemed genuine.

But she was afraid of her grandmother and cousin’s expectations though.

“I’ll visit her the day after tomorrow, do you need-?”

“Nothing please, you already have done everything for us.” Y/N rushed to say.

Staring at the clock she realized this was the longest call they’ve had, he was probably busy and she kept wasting his time.

But Robert had other ideas.

“Are you going back to the hospital?” He asked, his eyebrows raised as his uncle stepped in his office.

“Yes, just came home to pick up some clothes and toiletries. I’ll be spending the night with her, my Mom arrives tomorrow morning.”

Robert looked at his uncle again, wanting to be on his own during the call. So he took the papers from his hands and mouthed him he’d check the files later.

He realized they had so much more in common. And he had always be in awe of her talent, but deep down he was wondering if she could feel something for him?

“Get her some magazines. Or a book.” He suggested. “Mine loved reading.”

Y/N eyed a small suitcase in the corner of her wardrobe. “Really? That sure helps to keep them busy.”

“It does, she was really active.” He added. “Loved to play cards and chess, but also paint, I still have some of her paintings.”

Y/N was enjoying to learn of these small snippets from the extremely private part of him. It felt like opening a drawer and finding a treasure.

“Do you’ve them somewhere on display?” She wanted to know.

Robert chuckled quietly and the sound spread softly through her body.

“No, they must be somewhere in the attic, but I should, you know? Perhaps you could help me decorate around.”

“I’d love to, it’s a great way to honor her.” Y/N’s smile couldn’t get any bigger. “I’m sure she’d like that too.”

Robert closed his eyes for an instant, going back in time to his childhood.

“I remember she had this obsession with flowers and started painting all kinds… said it was the only way to keep them alive.”

“We could change the frames and give it a refresh or keep them the way they’re to have this vintage look, it could work both ways perfectly.” She sounded excited.

“Thank you, Y/N.” She tilted her head confused as she finished packing.

“For what?”

Robert paused, savoring the words and memories.

“For making me remember my grandmother, she had a huge impact in my life.”

****

“Grandma wait, we need to see the doctor first.” Y/N rushed to offer her arm as support for her grandmother.

“Well you can wait, I want to go already. I’m fine! Look at me.” She showed off.

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

“That must be him, I’ll get it.” Y/N’s mother offered. But when she opened the door, she didn’t find the doctor.

“Mr. Fischer! Come in.” She tried to hide the grin, but she couldn’t help it.

“It’s lovely to finally meet you, I’ve heard so much about you. How’s grandma doing?” He asked politely.

“Ready to leave.” Her eyes wanted to go through the walls to call her daughter.

“You need to tell grandma to take things eas-“ Y/N’s words got cut when she found Robert chatting to her mother.

“I was just telling Mr. Fischer how grateful we are for all he did.” Y/N’s mom beamed.

“And I was about to ask if you were Y/N’s sister.” The compliment made Y/N’s mother turn red, she was walking over clouds. “And call me Robert, please.”

“What are you all doing standing there? Let me give this gentleman a hug.” Grandma’s voice made them all turn around.

“It’s wonderful news to see you recovered completely.” Robert praised genuinely, he suddenly felt nervous and toyed with the button of his suit. “So, when are you heading home?”

“As soon as they sign the papers, but it was such a good stay they took very good care of me.” She patted his hand.

Robert’s eyes searched for Y/N, she was holding her grandmother’s free hand. He gave her a small nod and noticed the worry from her eyes had finally faded away.

“This deserves a little celebration then.” He proposed.

Y/N grandma’s nodded profusely, she seemed to be in good spirits and cheerful.

“I actually prepared something,” Y/N’s mother announced looking shyly at Robert, “would you like to join us? It’d be just the three of us.”

The invitation took Robert by surprise, he felt touched by their chemistry and tight bond, the way they held into each other.

“I really appreciate the offer.” Then he looked in Y/N’s way, trying to read her expressions.

Did she want him to be there with her mother and grandma?

“I can assure you, you’ll ask for a second round of food.” Y/ N admitted with a smile.

“I’m ready for it.”

About an hour later, the four of them stepped into Y/N’s apartment. She and her mother agreed it would be the best for now if grandma stayed with her for a few weeks while she recovered.

As the three of them chatted, Robert got lost in the decoration, it was everything; cozy, elegant, perfectly put together, inviting. Somehow Y/N managed to find the balance between each room to look like taken from a magazine but it still felt like it was meant to be shared with her loved ones.

Which was exactly what was happening as they helped grandma get comfortable in the living room.

“I’ll bring you a blanket.” Y/N’s mother smiled at him while she disappeared into the hall.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Y/N asked, biting the inside of her cheek. Robert looked like he belonged right there.

“Thanks, but let me help you.” He offered following her to the kitchen. “You got an amazing place.”

Everything was meticulously chic and the way it matched perfectly as if all of it was part of the next one, but it only made sense given the fact that she was an expert in interior design.

“Thank you, it took me a while but it’s finally just the way I dreamed it.” Y/N showed him where he could find the glasses while she heated the food her mother prepared.

As she excused herself to give her grandmother some water, he noticed the family vibe the room provided, the flowers on the counter, the photographs and magnets on the side of the fridge…

But deep inside, he knew it wasn’t about the things. It was Y/N’s essence what made the difference. It had to do more with what he was missing, what he was longing.

****

Y/N noticed Robert was lost in his own thoughts, his eyes fixed on the project yes, but his mind wasn’t there.

Perhaps he didn’t like the proposal, something in the design wasn’t what he envisioned…

“Is everything alright?” She finally dared to ask.

Y/N had been working from home while she took care of her grandmother, taking shifts with her mother during the weekdays and alternating with her cousin Mila on the weekends to run some errands or visit some clients.

But Robert had been adamant to request their meetings take place at her apartment so she wouldn’t leave her grandmother by herself.

“Actually no.” His elbows rested on the table, even on a Saturday afternoon he was wearing his signature suit, with a baby blue tie that matched his eyes perfectly. Everything about him was perfect; his hair groomed, jaw perfectly shaved, smooth hands, shoes polished.

Perhaps she missed some of his requests, but she even incorporated a few details Robert requested last minute for the building. She was sure that like always she got the best quality materials for everything, budget wasn’t a problem after all.

Robert was struggling to find the right words to say, he desperately wanted something that some time ago seemed to be unrealistic, something that wasn’t made for a man like him.

“Y/N…” he pushed the iPad with the design away from him, gently enough to not scare her. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Y/N’s hands fumbled nervously under the table.

“Since the first time you showed me the design for the penthouse, I thought you were fascinating, then over time your work spoke volumes for yourself and I found myself looking for any excuse to ask your help,” Robert dared to look up, into her eyes. “What I’m trying to say is, Y/N… I really enjoy your company and you’ve showed me the true meaning of what’s like to have a loving family. Someone to rely on, to be there for you. Just like you’ve been for those who you love.”

He was lost in love and he’d open up his heart to her.

Y/N’s mother was about to walk in with a tray of lemon pie she made, but as she noticed the look on her daughter’s eyes and how close she and Robert were, she quietly left, not wanting to interrupt them.

“I thought you were taking those to the office?” Grandma asked confused.

“I was, but guess what? Maybe I just imagined it but it looked like they were about to kiss!” She explained excitedly.

Grandma’s smile spread immediately on her lips. She had been waiting for this moment.

Thank you for reading! 🥰 I felt the urge to write this fluffy piece because I can’t resist a Robert Fischer’s idea 🤭✨

Robert Fischer Master list

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[oneoftheprettynerds]

Fixed: Dark!Steve x Reader (Mob AU)

Chapter 4 in the Lipstick and Crayons Series.

Chapter 3: Love So Soft

Main Masterlist

A/N: It’s shorter than my usual updates but I’m busy so sorry for the delay. My final exam dates have come and all I can do is pray right now lol. Please pray for me if you can, this sis is out here writing fanfics for yall instead of studying so, haha. ANyways, enjoy babies! Shit happens in this chapter.

Warning: Non-Con, Sickening Threats, Mob Themes, Violence, Death, Manipulation, a mild mental breakdown, Cheap Tricks.

Genres + Characters: Mob AU, Single Parents AU, Steve Rogers x Reader.

Summary: Steve can’t ever repay you for what you did. After meeting you, Steve believes his broken family is the missing piece in the puzzle of your own wrecked one. Indebting the crime lord to you has been the biggest mistake of your life, cause now you can’t get rid of him, no matter what. Loyalty and favours go a long way in the mob.

Word count: 5K

Chapter 4: Fixed

You didn’t sleep that night. Or the next few. Your hands shook every time you got a flashback and even though you were numb to emotions that entire day, tears threatened to spill whenever your mind took to you to that overpriced kitchen again.

Now that he had gone to a dangerous and unnerved assaulter from a Dad trying to take care of his daughter, your mind wouldn’t put anything past him. You knew that in the back of your mind that he was a mobster and your ‘friendship’ was alarming to say the least, but now there was no denying his resources and power and the very obvious threat to your life lingering in the air.

At least before you had the luxury to be oblivious and ignorant, not anymore though. Steve felt even more unhinged and liberal now, even messaging you daily, greeting texts that you obviously ignored. He knew you both were aware that you never handed him your number and he felt no need to hide his pursuit.

You read most of the messages, not bothering with a single reply though. You tried to block him but somehow your phone would still receive messages from his number, even though his contact would always peek back at you from the otherwise empty blacklist.

As if his torment wasn’t ample, another message thread from a different number would forward you alarming images, photos of Grace in her daycare, on a class trip to the park and even her playing in your backyard. You had no doubt that this was another game of his to show you his resources.

You skipped daycare for a few days, your mental health worse than it was after the carnival attack, because now you had a personal tormentor and you cursed yourself for falling into this mess. At times, you believed it wasn’t your fault really, you just helped a kid and this situation spiraled itself but what would pointing fingers now get you? The harsh truth was you were in a calamitous situation now and every step from now on had to be thought out.

So, you let Grace attend her daycare and acted if nothing was amiss or altered, after the few initial breakdown days of course, kept going to your job and earning the bread. You considered your options, you really wanted to go to the cops or a higher fair power but those were few these days, almost non existent in your city. You also vaguely recalled meeting three of the Captains of the PD at Sarah’s birthday, all smiley and doe eyed for Steve. You knew they wouldn’t help, fucking kiss-asses.

Maybe you would have to move somewhere else, perhaps to your hometown, at least till things cooled down or better yet were forgotten? But that trail was very predictable and you didn’t want your parents in this mess.  

You also came to know that Steve had inserted himself in the other spheres of your life. You were sure your location was always being sent to him, the knowledge a courtesy of the black car following you while you travelled to home at some late day’s end.

Aiden told you whereabouts were easy to track, when you inquired ambiguously. Another instance was when you went to the bank to deposit cash for your debit card, you came face to face with an enormous amount already there. Somehow, the limit on your credit card was also extended. How, you knew. The clerk told you about an email you must have gotten in regards to it, you dismissed that justification away and told them to not accept the cash. To sum the discussion, they weren’t helpful and had no policy against anonymous donors.

Aiden, your trusted coworker cum pal, sensed the shift in your aura and fidgety form very easily, pestering you with questions and you decided to turn to him, stressed and tired and ready to do something. His questioning eyebrows made you confess vaguely but you refused to tell him the extent of it. Just that his prediction came true and you needed help. Let’s just say, Aiden was a good man.

With time, Steve’s ‘affectionate’ messages became deranged, and you found it harder to act nonchalant in your daily life. You were thankful he didn’t come to visit you, possibly occupied with the rumored war between the mobs. You just prayed for a few more days of ignorance, just enough time to think and do something.

“What do you mean someone collected her?!” You had a hard time controlling your voice, you were about to burst, in tears or with anger, you didn’t know.

“The man was verified in the emergency contacts and we got a letter signed and approved by you to skip the day an hour into the first activity.”

“A man? Emergen-, wait no! What fucking approved letter?”

You had three emergency contacts, your mom in another state, Aiden, and one of the other kid’s mom you had grown close to. Aiden was with you at work all day, so did someone disguise themselves as him? And what was the deal with the letter signed by you? You surely didn’t remember writing and authorizing one.

The boy, Pietro, who had been the receptionist for as long as you could remember, shuffled through the chaotic piles of paper and presented a letter to you, and your blood froze as your eyes skimmed the font.

Your beautiful cursive stared right back at you and you knew that no one would ever be able to distinguish between this penmanship and the one in the pocketbook in your clutch. No one but you. Even though you knew you had not written it, the slightly different ‘f’ and ‘g’ told you everything.

Your signature at the bottom though, was done quite perfectly and that made you even more scared.

“I did-, I didn’t write this! What the-” Your widened eyes met Pietro’s from above the paper but all he offered you was a meek smile. Your hands shook with rage and for the first time in your life, you had the urge to slap someone really bad.

“Maybe your family had an emergency to take he-”

“No, you don’t get it!” You stopped yourself from getting frantic, willing yourself to take deep breaths and think rationally. Today of all days, things had to mess up.

He didn’t know you had no family in this city, that you had a mobster after you or the subtle threats that his hired spy sent to you.

Was going to the police an option? Aiden already told you that the cops were as good as Steve’s men. But this was about your missing kid! You’d never forgive yourself if something happened to her. And you were giving Steve way too much credit, what if he wasn’t behind this all? Come to think of it, what if the other number wasn’t his?

Relax yourself! Thinking of disturbing theories wouldn’t help anyone. You thought you should go to the cops, just in case. No mentioning of Steve, just a woman with a ‘missing child’ report.

‘Missing Child’ left an acrid taste behind and you were too close to a breakdown, but your whole journey of single-parenthood taught you to kick vulnerability aside, well most of the times.

You turned and were about to leave, but Pietro stopped you. “If you are going to the cops Ma’am, they require 8 hours of inactivity or disappearance time for kids under 5.”

Well look who just read your mind.

You huffed and kept the tears at bay, your mind thinking of what to do then? Grace was obviously taken-

“How could you let a toddler leave without informing the parents?” You knew your anger was channeling out at the wrong man but didn’t he all but hand Grace to the stranger?

You beat him answering and inquired, “What did the man look like? Do you have any footage? Anything?” The wrinkles in your forehead and stress creases on your face paired with the eyebags betrayed your age surely. You were sure you had aged more this week than an entire decade, juggling your normal life with the hovering threat.

“You shouldn’t be this worried Ma’am.”

The fucking audacity.

“Your daughter recognized him, she all but ran to him and this other little girl he came with. You should maybe ask your parent-friends around? A blonde family perhaps?”

As all the emotions drained from your face and terror took over, the young lad in front of you looked smug. You wondered as if you imagined the faintest of smirks on his face.

You crumpled the letter in your hands, seething with rage as you stepped in your car. Oh, you were mad, more wrathful than ever. You could take any hits on you, any threat but not on Grace, never on her.

You were stupid, you had already decided you wouldn’t put anything past him but unknowingly, you did put this past him. You thought this man had a shred of decency to not use your kid in this adult war, being a parent himself and all but what a surprise! You were wrong.

You drove to your home, your thoughts a mix of trepidation, anxiety and fury. You were scared of him and his reach and resources but if he put Grace in any type of danger; whether to teach you a lesson or use her as bait or both, there’d be consequences.

Lord knows you killed a man a month ago Grace was threatened.

You had one thing to do before contacting Steve about Grace but you never got to do it because unexpectedly the bastard was in your home. In your home.

The black sports car outside was a huge giveaway but your suspicions were confirmed when you opened the door with your house key. The banter and giggles from inside alarmed yet calmed you; the dread of confrontation and the assurance of Grace’s safety reigned your mind.

As the door opened painfully slow like a horror movie, the sight that met your eyes made you sick with a feeling of failure. It wasn’t gore or blood or grunge, it was Steve bouncing Grace in the air and catching her while Sarah twirled around in the living room.  

This man was craftier than you thought, every action of his was calculated, each a refined step. You had been so preoccupied to avoid direct encounters with him in your little family’s life that you didn’t think he had other ways. He was always looming around with Sarah and as Grace began to trust Sarah, she consequently began to trust her blonde guardian too.

As you slammed the door behind you, Steve’s eyes snapped to yours and his smirk made you want to punch him so hard. The smugness on his face while he let Grace down without breaking eye contact told you he had no regret, no remorse. In fact, he was loving every second of this cat and mouse chase between you two.

You were a millimeter close to losing your shit, the only check being the kids in the room. But you were mad and he was going to know it.

“What the hell, Steve? Messing with my kid?” You threw your clutch onto the couch, Steve haughty by the reception of his sent message but still holding back because of the kids. He called Wanda and you didn’t really notice where she came from but you did register Steve asking to take the girls to the park for a ‘private discussion’.

As Grace passed by you, you grabbed her arm lightly, making her look at you with doe eyes resembling yours. You gave her a smile trying to ease her, but you knew she was smart enough to sense the change in the atmosphere.

Apparently, the whining Sarah wasn’t.

You looked back to Steve, your hold still on Grace and continued with a frown and raised eyebrows, “She isn’t going anywhere, not out of my sight and obviously not with you or your goons.”

Wanda had the audacity to look offended and you scoffed at her, eyes staring Steve’s down.

“Honey, I don’t think the kids should hear what I think you have to say right now.” He said nodding to Wanda to take Grace.

“You must be deranged to think I trust Grace near anyone even remotely related to you! Take your people and get out.” You held your hand up to stop Wanda and pointed towards the door with the most menacing glare you could form.

Grace looked incomprehensibly between you two, concern and confusion on her face. That might have been the first time such a tone was used in your household. The grumbling Sarah was close to throwing a tantrum, irritated by the change in the playful air or the lack of attention to her, you didn’t know. She was hanging on Wanda’s forearm, her feet slipping on your printed rug. Wanda was trying to not look hurt still by your previous statement, distracting herself by the blonde kid and you were baffled by her obliviousness to all this.

Steve, the beefy blonde Lucifer, was furious and seething. His white knuckles and ticking jaw were the most obvious giveaways, the fingers just itching to beat the shit out of someone no doubt.

Was he imagining striking you into compliance into his weird playhouse game complex? You wouldn’t be surprised given the extent of his attempt to ‘win’ you over.

The ‘get out’ tone and blatant disrespect was a bruise to his ego for sure, and by you, a middle-class woman nonetheless was a worse injury. Steve was the deadly boss to armored men in the vicinity, the kids’ father figure, according to him, and Wanda’s stern yet kind employer.

People had been killed for less and there you were, standing in all your glory, being the only person alive to reject Steve Rogers and now, the only to raise your voice at him.

You almost scoffed at his impudence to look offended, what did he expect? For you to submit to him after the stunt he pulled? His reach was scary he proved today and that any future with him in your life in any way, was a fearsome possibility to entertain but you’d be damned if you went down without a fight.  

“You can’t make me leave; we both know. You don’t have the physical edge nor the mental one. I have no problem drawing out G-U-N-S in front of the kids or to throw the warnings around, although I would prefer not to.”

Your free hand itched to slap him, like how his did minutes ago. It wasn’t a mankind problem about men thinking they were entitled to everything; it was a Steve Rogers’s problem. Of course, with him consent didn’t matter. If he had a ‘housewife, kids and fences’ fixation, he’d make it come true.

“Do you even listen to what I say? Or your own words even? Please, go ahead! Traumatise my kid and also yours in your wooing process! Why are you so obsessed? Leave us alone, you freak! I just ignored few messages!” You had a hard time maintaining your cool, if there was any left. You were sure you were scaring Grace and no matter what happened next, you knew she was already traumatized by this entire ordeal already. You were so sorry, so, so, so sorry to your poor baby caught in this mess.

You knew, no, you hoped, he wouldn’t pull out the gun, his actions at the carnival a proof, you remembered how he hid his gun on finding Sarah. That threat was empty but the next one wasn’t, his words making you freeze in your spot.

“I think you keep on misunderstanding me, sweetheart. I don’t make empty promises,”

Posh word for threats.

“For starters, maybe I should pay my future in-laws a visit in their blue duplex. They might need help with the vast garden they have, it is the season for ‘violets’, isn’t it?”

As you froze with your parents being brought up, he also cooled, albeit differently, smirking once again gaining the upper hand, not that he lost it if you were being honest.

“Isn’t threatening my kid enough for you, Steve?” You hated how your loud voice almost broke, your anger slowly subsiding into helplessness and you hated that. You hated his guts, his entitlement, his claim; everything about him.

“You still don’t see it, do you? Our family of four is the most important thing to me right now and I’m not above doing anything to save it.”

“There is no family of four Steve! I keep explaining and you keep coming back to square one with all this bullshit!” The curse word did tick Steve off but he would correct that later, when bigger things weren’t at ploy.

“Your ignorance makes me a little mad sometimes sweetheart and that is why I have to do all I do. You haven’t realized we need each other yet, but I’m staying until you do and even after that, I promise. You know how much it pissed me off to see your tickets and the packed suitcases after I’ve been nothing but nice? I was so generous to spoil you with my riches but instead I find that in your finances.”

This fucker knew. Of course, he did!

You were wondering in the back of your head what had prompted this visit with so many threats and warnings and anguish. He was pissed even before you ‘acted out’, he tracked the tickets and the plan and that meant he even tracked-

“You have so much to learn, but luckily you interact with quite a few people. I am most tempted to start out with this Aiden guy, trying to be the hero and giving you all the ideas. Maybe I should visit him?” Steve wondered out loud, and you flinched at his suggestion, hating how you were trapped by this man.

You couldn’t live with yourself if anyone got hurt because of you, be it your parents or Aiden or any other possibility Steve would come up with. Of course, Grace was your peak priority but you doubted he would hurt her as he threatened to harm them.

“Steve, please.” The fire was almost out, your hands trembling, Grace worried and Steve smug.

“Let the kids go and I think we can come to a conclusion.”

“Steve this needs to stop.” You said, your breaths heavy and helplessness clawing away at you.

“I won’t repeat myself.” He voiced out with a threatening edge, gesturing to Grace and Wanda, clearly telling you to first get the kids out.

For a deranged fucktard, he sure cared about the kids a lot.

You loosened your hold on Grace, patting her arm softly and nudged her to Wanda. Wanda received her little hand and enticed the kids with the promise of ice-cream. Sarah clapped her hands and as the trio left, Grace did look over her shoulders at you in concern and for permission, majorly in concern though. You nodded and waved, a tear dropping as soon as the door clicked shut.

You were still staring at the door, not wanting to meet Steve’s stormy blue orbs when he began, “Today was a slip up that I won’t tolerate again. Neither the cursing nor the dramatics.”

We aren’t in a fucking play, what the fuck is he labelling as dramatics?

Your eyes slowly flickered to his, and you had a hard time not letting the tears escape except the one traitorous one earlier. The fatigue, the worry of Grace’s disappearance, the threats to your friends and family were all catching up to you. It took all in you to stay strong and not fall down right now.

“Steve this isn’t funny anymore. It’s sick and you know it! I just said no! Was that so inexcusable that you had to follow up with this? You have violated me for that, broken into my home and now kidnapped my daughter! At what extent will you stop?” You broke down finally, arms a flailing mess as fat tears rolled down. Nothing scared more than the helplessness this moment. He won and he knew it. The carnival incident was nothing in comparison to this. The only good thing you could hope in all this was a safe Grace but that too only if you complied, which seemed like what you would do now given your attempts at fighting back and scampering have failed laughably.

“Gosh, I forgot how theatrical women are. You are smart darling; you know what I want from day one, just a happy family. Nothing that horrendous has happened and especially not as badly as put it. I’m just looking out for you and me in the long run.” Steve slowly treaded towards you, his hand extended to pat your arm comfortingly but you involuntarily flinched at contact and stepped back. Steve clearly didn’t like that as he caught your arm in a bruising grip and jerked you towards him. Manhandling you as your wet hands rushed to ease his grip was not a tough task for Steve, a surprise to none.

“Stop trembling like I’ve actually done something to harm you!”

Steve clearly didn’t know how to comfort women and it showed.

You stopped with the cowering away, even though it disgusted you to be this much in close proximity with your assaulter. He clearly had anger issues and no clue how to solve them. You needed to steer the conversation right and get him out. You could see your hands visibly shake as you put them on his chest, just to create some distance and in a way of surrendering to not fight. The tears slowed but you don’t think they stopped; it was hard to tell with a million other things on your mind.

As your eyes made contact, Steve loosened his grip, clearly a bit satisfied by your submission, as he began counting to help you breathe. As much as you hated to admit, it helped you and you got a flashback to the time when you freaked out on him about Grace at that extravagant dinner date. That was a sweet gesture then, not so sweet now. Funny how drastically things change with time.

It wasn’t so much Steve’s help as it was your own mind telling you to be fucking smart about the whole ordeal right now.

“Good. Better. Now let’s talk. Why were you planning to run away? I’ve been busy and coming home to find out that wasn’t joyful, you know.” His smile suggested a better mood than before but his voice, his husky voice always had this daring edge that almost challenged you to defy him but at the same time warned you of unpleasant consequences if you did.

“Steve, I’m scared.” You spoke with utmost honesty. “The part of the world you associate yourself with scares me. You can’t blame me for not wanting that life for Grace, I mean you have a kid of your own. Wasn’t the carnival attack specifically on Sarah?”

The reasoning was right but you knew you triggered him the moment his smile evaporated. He either felt insulted as a parent or disrespected in his profession or probably both.

He was fighting his inner demons already and you pointing it out was a slap to his face, a hit he didn’t want to take.

“That was a slip up, I admit. Never again. I’m only human, okay?” He convinced himself and you, his grip tightening a bit again.

Oh no, not the right direction to take.

You reckoned he still had nightmares about it like you, he really did love Sarah a lot, all things aside.

“Besides, I am looking out for you! Out for you and Grace and Sarah. I remember my promise of never putting either of them in harm’s way ever again.”

You definitely didn’t trust his security or his people because what sort of a mobster let his daughter get targeted and possibly abducted? You definitely didn’t know the whole story or if it was just a bad day but he wasn’t a person that deserved some slack. Despite all this, you knew what all he held above you, above a common man. He might not be ‘Kingpin’ skilled but a threat to you nonetheless.

Before you could stop yourself, you blurted out, “Is that what you call following me around, huh?” which you immediately regretted.

“Trust the process, baby. Everything is just to protect you.”

Is that what he called stalking even Grace around and twistedly enough, sending you proof of that? The anonymous thread of photos was another nightmare of yours, thanks to him. The last being a candid photo inside Grace’s room, her sleeping in her bed this morning and that’s when you decided you needed to get out. Of course, that didn’t go as planned.

“How am I supposed to do that when you have cameras in my house?!” You scoffed and he reeled back at the accusation, having the nerve to look impressed at being uncovered and caught red-handed.

“Oh my fucking God, it was you! You sick pervert!” You jumped out of his grip, your eyes wide and horrified. “I wasn’t aware of what to make of it but of course, it was you! Who else would be sick enough to do that?” You let out a humorless chuckle. You always put things past him even when you keep telling yourself you shouldn’t. When will you ever learn huh?  

You were full on panicking yet again, this man was an assaulter, a stalker and a creep too. It would have made a good dark, psychological thriller for you to watch if you weren’t the protagonist about to suffer his obsession.

He reached out to steady you again, but you whipped and stumbled back, realizing too late that you elbowed Steve’s nose so bad that there was a crunch. That, right there, was the look a man real-fucking-furious on Steve’s face and now you could see the feared mobster, the man who was personally terrorizing you under the beautiful, Greek God façade.

Steve reacted so fast even with an injury that in a split second, your view of his face turned into a view of his crotch.

“You do realize that there are others ways for me to teach you obedience? I think it’s fucking time you show me your gratitude for my care and attention and apologize for your misconduct and unkind response.” Steve spoke with a hoarse voice, a voice running out of patience and just about done with defiance.

His hand fisted your hair, maintaining eye contact while he nodded between you and his crotch. You knew what he wanted, what he was expecting as ‘thanks’.

“Steve, please no, you don’t-”

His other hand grabbed your jaw, stopping you from speaking as he warned, “I think you have done just enough talking for today, so why don’t you put that tongue to a better use and show me how sorry you are. Better make it convincing because I’d hate to pay one of your friends a visit and then bitch about a nasty blowjob.” He smirked at the end of his monologue, eyes shining with triumph and amusement.

You wouldn’t let him harm anyone else, you couldn’t. You and your daughter were already knee-deep in a pit and at this point, it’d just be cruel to drag someone else in. With shaky hands opening his pants, you just hoped you could get Grace out before you eventually were buried in it.

“Now that’s a good girl. Submissive is a sexy look on you.” His hands patted your hair, playing with your tresses while yours pulled his pants and then briefs down.

His member jerked out, almost slapping you in the face as you recoiled at his insolence to get hard and erect at your torment. Your disdain must have shown which he took as admiration and derision to take his affluent cock in.

“No need to get shy, I have faith you’ll be able take it just as well in your pretty pussy as you will right now. Open up-”

“Steve, I beg you-”

Just as you had cut him off, he interrupted your pleading. Your gag reflex was probably the most efficient in the world but that turned this narcissist on. It had been years since you had done it, never with a man as beefy as Steve.

His taste was salty and if you had to put it into better words, it was the like overpriced sea salt flakes that you never bought. High and pricey and for the entitled.

Your hands clutched at his thighs as you blacked out multiple times; your jaw aching, uvula swaying and tears escaping. Him forcing himself on you brough a new sense of vulnerability as your body trembled. Steve relished like a sadist, practically rutting into you all by himself as you just sat there with your jaw unnaturally open.

His obscene moans and groans were crass and nauseating and you just prayed for this to be over soon and for no one to walk in on this, especially your kid.

It seemed like it would never end, your body dehydrating with all the spit it produced, the drool dribbling and landing just beside your knees on your printed rug. You would have to throw that out.

The tears stooped after some point, the sobbing an unnecessary action that just tired you out more on this eventful day. You moved your tongue around to prevent your teeth from scratching him when he shifted angles. If this was what he did on slightly mad, you didn’t want to find what he did for a more serious punishment.

Apparently, that action was something that turned him on even more, his breath hitching as neared closure. In broken whispers he demanded that again and you complied, wanting to get done with it.

He growled in the moment of his release and you tried to lean back but his grip didn’t relent. “Swallow.” His grainy, exasperated voice said out loud and you knew better than to defy.

He released you and you fell on to the rug, hip bruising by knocking into some furniture and tears coming back again after being hydrated by his seed. He packed himself, his smile smug and content as his expressions truly resembled ecstasy being personified.

“You be a good fiancée from now on and maybe you’ll have all your friends alive and present at our wedding. No cheeky business from now on, got it?” Steve hummed then and strutted out, not even bothering to listen to your reply.

As soon as the door slammed, your eyes closed and your demons danced again.

There was no right direction to take when you were stuck in a loop.  

[kohanayaki]

.:Time and Time Again:. (Marauders Era x Reader) Ch 3

Continuing the story of how you and Sirius became friends; as James and Remus grow closer to you, Sirius continues to treat you coldly until a late night encounter makes him question everything.

LINKS:   CH 1   CH 2   CH 3   CH 4   CH 5   CH 6   CH 7   CH 8

________________________________________________________

Ch 3 .:Resistance and Reconciliation:.

~Previously~

“I'm not going to bother making friends with someone whose family is so wrapped up in blood politics they forget to be human beings first. Trust me, I've met their mother enough times to know.”

“Did you ever ask them about it?” Remus pressed.

“I don't really need to, do I? They're a (L/n). Open your eyes, Moony!”

Remus' brow furrowed, a shine in his eyes akin to sympathy as he regarded Sirius.

“Perhaps it's you that needs to clear your vision, friend.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   1974  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sirius sat on the stone ledge on the window of his dorm room, looking out towards the Black Lake. He could see the push and pull of the wind as the thin branches of the ash trees bowed gently with the rhythm. In the reflection of the glass he could see James and Peter behind him experimenting with an altered set of wizard's chess, complete with fire-breathing knights and bishops that threw daggers, while one of Remus' records spun in the background.

Despite everything he could have been thinking about at the moment, his thoughts, irritatingly enough, drifted to you. He frowned slightly as he leaned his shoulder against the window, annoyed that you occupied even a portion of his mind. He just couldn't understand you. Somehow you had turned James, who had once openly proclaimed you his sworn enemy, into something close to a friend in the span of a year. You had no qualms with pranks pulled on you, yet you were fiercely protective when they were directed at others. You were always smiling, yet your temper took no prisoners. If you weren't a Slytherin you might even be attractive.

The thought made him bolt upright. Where the hell did that come from? He almost laughed. No. Absolutely not. He was Sirius Black, he could get anyone he wanted in this bloody school, and he certainly wasn't going to busy his mind with you. What the hell was wrong with him? It's not like he noticed the way you smiled to yourself when you were reading, or the fact that the sound of your laugh got stuck in his head like a song—

No. Stop it. Get your head straight, they're evil.

Sirius exhaled deeply, rubbing his tired eyes with his hands. For some reason that thought didn't sit right in his brain, and the longer he sat with it he came to a horrifying conclusion:

Maybe Remus was right.

The only time you'd really been nasty to them was when they'd instigated it first, or whenever they had a go at Snivelus, which had become less and less frequent; Sirius suspected because of your tentative friendship with James. He'd always just assumed you were like the other Slytherins he'd come to know. There's been hearsay circulating around you, especially given your family's reputation, but you yourself hadn't really done anything to prove the rumors. Maybe you really weren't like your family at all. Maybe you were like him. . .

Suddenly, he caught movement in the corner of his eye, not from his friend's reflections but from outside the window itself. A figure emerged from the lamplight of the castle gate, making their way towards the edge of the forest. If the green lining of your school robes and (h/c) hair didn't peak his interest, the flash that he saw of your face as you shot a quick glance over your shoulder confirmed it was you.

Sirius' mind began racing as he watched you disappear into the foliage, and suddenly every thought that had given you the benefit of the doubt vanished. He'd heard the rumors about the gatherings in the forest, everyone had. He'd even caught Snape practicing dark magic there himself one of the first nights they'd used the Shrieking Shack passageway.

He jumped off his perch by the window and grabbed a sheet of parchment and a quill, drawing a rough outline of the perimeter of the forest. He labeled the Black Lake so his spell would have a going off point and pressed his wand to the still drying ink.

“Revelare Popularis,”

The enchantment was a work in progress— a technique he'd learned from a seventh year. It wasn't exact, but it was enough to tell him if anyone else was in the forest right now. His eyes darted across the paper as he scanned his makeshift map, and the color drained from his face as he saw names suddenly appear in a cluster by the lake: Mulciber, Wilkes, Avery, and Malfoy.

Was this it? Were you really one of them? 

James looked up from his game as he saw Sirius grab his leather jacket off where it hung from his bedpost.

“Going somewhere?”

“(L/n) just went into the forest,” Sirius said, “I'm following them.”

“Why, Sirius?” Remus said sardonically, having had enough of his unusual grudge against you, “We're not really ones to talk when it comes to sneaking around the forest at night, now are we?”

“He's got a point,” James said, “I mean, what do you think you're going to see?”

“What do I think?” Sirius scoffed, pushing the paper into Jame's hands, “what does it look like?”

James looked down at the parchment blankly.

“What am I looking at?”

“A variation on Revelio,” Sirius explained quickly, “if you have a location in mind it shows you who's there, but only at the time the charm is cast.”

“Are you kidding me?” James' jaw nearly dropped, “You're just now showing this to us? We could have been taking advantage of this spell to dodge Filch this whole time!”

“I'm serious.”

James had to fight hard not to make a joke out of that one.

“If (L/n)'s meeting up with those guys it can't be for anything good,” Sirius continued, “and I'm gonna find out exactly why.”

Before any of the boys could get another word in, Sirius took off running down the corridor. James groaned, rebelling against the urge to slam his head into the wall.  

“I've got to stop him before he does something stupid,” he said, pulling a coat on over his shoulders, “You with me, Remus?”

“Probably not the best idea,” Lupin reminded him, “the moon's full tomorrow. I won't turn, but in the direct moonlight I may get a bit. . . well, you know.”

“Right,” James sighed, running a hand through his hair in distress, “Peter?”

The boy jolted as he was addressed, his eyes quickly cast down to his twiddling fingers.

“I. . . w-well. . .”

“Fine,” James said, waving them off in annoyance, “I'll go at him alone.”

___________________________________________________

You took a grateful breath of the crisp night air, letting the wind whistle through your hair and clothes. You loved your common room, but it could feel constricting at times, especially when there were nights as beautiful as this taking place.

Your eyes drifted up to the moon, smiling at the sight of it. It was nearly full, only a sliver of white missing from the very edge of the sphere. The sight alone was enough to make you feel more at home in your own skin, an inexplicable sense of comfort washing over you. You hadn't been able to really let loose and just run in so long. You'd made doubly sure no one had followed you into the forest, but you still gave your surroundings a quick once over. You jumped as the sound of leaves crunching suddenly asserted itself behind you and you lit your wand quickly, turning to see who it was.

“. . . Black?”

“Sorry, were you expecting someone else? One of your pureblood friends, maybe?”

The confused look on your face only made his anger flare.

“Don't act coy,” he asked harshly, “just what are you playing at?”

Your back straightened in surprise, taken aback by his words.

“Excuse me?”

“I've seen you talking to my brother, Rosier, Snivelus, and all those other Slytherins. Don't think I don't know what you're doing,” the words flew out of his mouth before they had time to pass through his brain, every irrational irritation he had regarding you spewing out of him at once, “I've had to sit through it, you know. All those dinners where my parents talk blood politics with all the fanatics who think just like them. I've listened to your mother brag all about your pure blood line and how her child is 'so eager to carry on the family traditions'. So whatever you're planning by getting close to James, I'm not going to let it happen.”

You felt like you were frozen in place, staring at him as your throat tightened into knots.

“My mom?” you said, voice suddenly small, “Sirius. . . my mom passed away when I was little.”

Your words hit the Gryffindor like a truck.

“. . . what?” he asked dumbly, his brain delaying slightly in processing what you'd just said.

“She got sick. . . an experimental spell gone wrong. If you met someone with my family's name that spoke like that, it was probably my aunt. My cousin goes to Ilvermorny. That's the child she's talking about, not me. The divide between purebloods and muggleborns is even more severe in America, if you can believe it. . . ”

Sirius faltered, this new information going against everything he'd heard and thought he knew about you and your family.

“But,” he hesitated, “your father—”

“Put up the image he had to in order to keep me safe,” you said. You knew he was documented as being very open about his pureblood pride and distaste towards muggles, but it was a cover more than anything, “Since he stopped speaking with my aunt and moved us both away from the estate, she's acted as the new head of the (L/n) House, and that was years ago. . .”

You trailed off awkwardly, not feeling very self-righteous in your explanation.

“I know my family doesn't have the best reputation. . . that's probably why you hate me, huh?” you chuckled humorlessly, wincing at how harsh the words came out. But if you were honest, you were hurt that out of everyone in their group, Sirius was the one that didn't even seem to want to give you a chance. You were the one who had extended the olive branch in the first place on the condition that they ease up on Severus.

“Hate you?” Sirius echoed hollowly, feeling guilt creep up on him like a shadow, “that's. . . shit, no, that's not—”

“Everte Statum!”

You gasped as Sirius was suddenly shot backwards, his body flipping wildly through the air from the force before being slammed against the trunk of a nearby tree. His head spun, heavily disoriented as his vision shifted in shades.

You had drawn your wand on instinct, looking around for your attackers when you saw a black-clad figure lift their hood, revealing a long mane of white hair that stood out starkly in the night.  

Malfoy.

“Well, looky here,” Mulciber taunted, revealing himself behind you, “we've caught the two biggest blood traitors of the last century having a touching little moment together.”

Laughter echoed from the trees, Wilkes emerging from the shadows. You took up a defensive position as their group surrounded you.

“Now, let's not be hasty, Mulciber,” Lucius said, “their father may have disgraced their house, yes, but they didn't have a choice. It's not too late for them to make the right one now.” His lips turned up into a snarl as he regarded Sirius, “get away from that blood traitor, (L/n), he'll rub off on you.”

You grit your teeth hard, preparing to cast a spell when Malfoy put his hand up in a silencing gesture, the pretentious little prat.

“Ah, you don't want to make any rash moves either, (L/n),” he said, looking to your left. You followed his gaze to see Avery coming out of the foliage, grappling with someone under his arm.

“Potter?!”

James smiled weakly as Avery held him in a choke hold, a bit of blood dripping down the side of his head.

“Hey,” he said, humor still light in his voice, “So, this didn't exactly work out as planned.” He groaned as Avery's elbow was driven into his stomach, effectively silencing him.

As soon as you tried to move towards him, Lucius had his wand pointed at you.

“Let him go and get lost, Malfoy,” you said lowly, “you've taken this far enough.”

“You've been avoiding us, (L/n),” Lucius said, ignoring you entirely, “Snape may have come up with some rubbish excuses for you earlier, but you can't keep running from this.”

“If practicing curses on first years and terrorizing other people is how you plan on using magic, then I don't want any part of your little cult,” you spat, “face it, Malfoy— you lot need me, but I don't need you.”

Lucius exhaled sharply, his genuine surprise at your resistance replaced quickly with anger.

“Think about what you're doing, (L/n),” he said, his eyes narrowing dangerously, “don't be a fool like your father.”

That did it.

With a growl you unleashed an orange bolt of energy from your wand, your Stupefy hitting Lucius square in the chest. Mulciber was quick to retaliate with a jinx of his own, which you quickly nullified with a shield charm. Shock flashed across his expression at your casual use of nonverbal magic, and he recovered one second too late.

Sirius was back on his feet, petrifying Mulciber and swatting Wilkes away like a fly with the knockback jinx before either could cast a spell at you. You and Sirius found yourselves back to back, fending off Lucius as he continued to direct a steady stream of curses in your direction. Sirius managed to create an opening for you and you turned to where James was being held.

“Evanossa!”

A flash of blue hit Avery, who shrieked in horror when he saw that the arm he was using to hold Potter had turned gelatinous, fingers drooping down like melting ice cream. James wasted no time paying him back in kind for roughing him up earlier, sending him flying into the oak tree and using the water from the Black Lake to freeze him there before joining you in the fray.

“Expelliarmus!” he called out, sending Wilke's wand spinning out of his reach and leaving only Malfoy against the three of you.

Lucius faltered for a moment as he stared down your group of three, but held fast.

“Leave it, Malfoy,” you said, “it's over.”

He growled under his breath, taking up an obvious offensive stance, but you were too quick.

“Ebublio!”

Lucius gasped as he suddenly found himself encased in a giant bubble, his knockback jinx ricocheting off the inside and hitting him in the back of the head. He pounded against the bubble in frustration but found it to be thick as Plexiglas and just as strong, unable to pop it. Suddenly, he was hoisted into the air as you raised your wand higher, directing him farther and farther away until he was hovering directly over the Black Lake.

“Let me go this instant!” he growled.

A devilish smile graced your features.

“You got it.”

“No, wait, don't you dar—AHH!!”

You turned your back on him, your breaking eye contact promptly bursting the bubble and sending him flailing into the water a few feet below.

You chuckled as you sent a few quick counter-jinxes out from your wand, restoring Mulciber's range of motion and liquefying the ice that trapped Avery.

As soon as Mulciber was unpetrified he took off running towards the Lake where Lucius was furiously treading water, tripping over his feet as he dragged Wilkes along with him. Avery limped after them, defrosted but still chilled to his bones (which you had been so kind to also restore).

“I'd fish him out quickly if I were you,” you called after them, “the giant squid is more active at night.”

“You're out of your mind, (L/n)!” Avery turned around and yelled, but with fear evident in his eyes, “You'll live to regret this, mark my words. The Headmaster—”

“Would love to know who cast the first spell, I'm sure,” you said darkly.

Avery stammered out some lame response under his breath before turning around and running after the rest of group, retreating.

Sirius turned to look at you, awestruck and chocked full of adrenaline. Maybe you really weren't so bad after all.

“That was. . .” James trailed off, grasping for the words and blurting them out as soon as he found them, “Brilliant, (Y/n). You're bloody brilliant.”

You felt your face heat up, not expecting that. You and James had stopped trading insults and threats (serious ones, anyways) and your teasing had become well meant, but neither of you had crossed the threshold of actually paying the other a compliment before.

“Thanks, Potter,” you said, unable to fight the smile on your face. You turned to Sirius briefly. “I hope this cleared some things up for us,” you said, “I'd really like to try and be friends, so. . .”

“Yeah,” Sirius said, wanting to kick himself at the way you turned him into a monosyllabic neanderthal with just a look. You gave him a small smile before turning back to James who was trying desperately to hide his limp and aching rib cage.

“Alright, let's get you to the hospital wing, Potter,” you sighed, “you look like a cheap action star in a muggle movie.”

“Uh,” James said nervously, “better we not. If I go to Madame Pomfrey three times in one day she'll never let me hear the end of it.”

“And who's fault is that?” You huffed, slinging an arm over his shoulder and helping him walk, “at least let me patch you up, then.”

Sirius followed some distance behind you, watching as you walked James back towards the castle and laughed at his occasional jokes. This one night had just turned everything upside down for Sirius. This whole time he was sure that he didn't like you because you were a blood-purist Slytherin and he was jealous that you were taking his best friend away from him; but the way you had stood up to Lucius and his goons made your position on blood politics very clear, and the tight feeling that struck Sirius' chest as he watched you cozy up with James made him reevaluate just which one of you he was jealous of.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sirius?”

The man blinked, slowly coming back to reality. You were looking up at him in concern, your head resting lightly on his shoulder. It took an embarrassing amount of his willpower to keep from leaning forward just a few inches and kissing you.

Could you pick a worse time, you numbskull? He thought, mentally smacking himself for even thinking about it.

“Are you okay?” you asked hesitantly after he stayed silent.

“I'm alright,” he insisted, giving you a reassuring smile, “just. . . thinking about how far we've come.”

His answer surprised you, though not in a bad way.

“I suppose we have,” you smiled back, “this is a far cry from you scowling at me from across the Great Hall over your breakfast.”

“I did not scowl,” Sirius scoffed playfully, nudging you away with his shoulder.

“Right,” you grinned, “scowling, glaring, glowering, whichever you prefer.”

“I said I was sorry,” he said, putting his hands up in mock surrender, although you both knew you weren't really upset about it. You'd long since forgiven him for his initial misjudgment.

When your light laughter died down, your head found itself lulling to the side again, tiredness taking over your mind as you rested against Sirius once more. When you tilted your head up to look at him he had a surprisingly pensive look on his face. Your eyes traveled across his expression, his gray eyes almost taking on a deep shade of blue in the shadows of his room. You noticed how much younger he looked when he was smiling; it was in moments like these when it really set in how long you had known each other, because you could see the years in his eyes.

Your own flickered down to his lips in spite of yourself and Sirius' heart skipped a beat, fearing you could feel it racing in his rib cage. When had you turned him so soft? He chuckled inwardly. Long before he had fully come to terms with how he felt about you was the answer. Even when he was in Azkaban, with two of his closest friends dead and the world convinced he was at fault, even if he had to live with the fact that he would never see you again, he still thought of you, and that kept him alive, sane— himself. But now you were here in front of him, and he was terrified that at any moment you would vanish into thin air and he would find himself back in that horrible cinder block cell, face to face with a dementor as it took his last memories of you away from him.

Your hand squeezed his, almost as if you had read his thoughts— as if you were assuring him that you were real, and you weren't going anywhere. You noticed him leaning in closer, even if he didn't, possessed by some invisible force. You were nearly about to meet him halfway when you were suddenly startled apart by the sound of quick, heavy-footed steps bounding down the stairs.

You both looked at each other as if you had just awoken from some sort of trance, instinctively putting some distance between yourselves as you shifted away awkwardly.

“I. . . I should probably get to bed,” you said, your face warm.

“Right,” Sirius said, reluctantly getting up from his seat at the edge of his bed, “I've kept you up long enough, I'm sure you're tired. . .”

Before you left his room you turned over your shoulder, a small smile on your face.

“It's really good to see you again, Sirius,” you said earnestly, “we should catch up for real later.”

“Definitely,” he said, a bit of his old self reflected in that smirk of his, albeit forced.

You steeled yourself, turning the doorknob and closing the door behind you gently before you did something to ruin the friendship you had just gotten back after over a decade. You shook the thought aside, your head hurting. You really did need to sleep after today.

You were about to head into your room, but something in you didn't feel quite right. You'd definitely heard someone go down the stairs, but you hadn't heard the front door open or close. Dread pooled in your stomach at your gut feeling, and you found yourself inexplicably making your way back down the stairs.

The house was eerily silent now that its residents had either gone off to bed or disapparated until the next meeting in a few days time. You'd left Sirius upstairs, and you knew Harry was staying here for the time being until school began, but everyone else had gone home. So then why did you still feel someone else's presence so acutely?

You stared at the empty hallway leading to the front door, taking a cautious step forward; the image in front of you didn't feel real. The colors were too saturated, the edges too sharp, and the surfaces too smooth. And that's when it hit you. The smell of rain. Leather-bound books. Lavender.

You froze, staring at the seemingly empty space in front of you.

“Severus?”

The potions master didn't dare make a sound, thinly veiled behind his invisibility charm but clearly not well enough. He was standing not three feet in front of you, taking in the sight of you as if it were the last thing he would ever see.

He panicked slightly as he felt you reach out to him with your mind, shutting himself off expertly. Your hurt expression as you were unable to detect anything pained him, but he wouldn't dare think that he deserved to say anything to you. What was there to say after everything he'd done?

Your gaze roamed the empty hall, and for a moment he could have sworn you stared him right in the eyes.

You knew he was there.

The moment lasted no longer than a second before you looked away, turning to go back up the stairs. As soon as your back was facing the front door you heard it open then close gently, and the tears you had been fighting to hold back finally spilled over.

Read chapter 4 here !

Taglist:  @sleep-i-ness, @blackpinkdolan, @parker-natasha, @ornella0910 @undertaker1827 @thatwierdo-koemi​

[prettyinpymtech]

For My Heart Finds You

Part 1

Poe Dameron x fem!Reader (Regency AU)

Summary: Impressed by your cousin’s prosperous engagement, your parents arrange for you to stay with your aunt with the hope that she may find a proper suitor for your hand. Your arrival is met with spitefulness, however, and you are forced to endure her cruel words alone. But an invitation from Leia Organa soon changes your prospects and offers encounters with many kindly acquaintances, including a handsome young man named Poe Dameron. 

A/N: I’m so excited to share this one with all of you! Poe is not featured in this chapter, but this gives some insight into Leia’s role in their meeting. I hope you enjoy it!

Perfection, much to your aunt’s credit, continuously emanated from within the small confines of her mansion. Every bend of the surrounding expanse followed such an ambition-from the perfectly trimmed hedges below the windows to the rows of flowers in the garden. No existence could deter such an appearance.   

Well, except for your own presence.      

Your seemingly rebellious nature was hardly the result of pure spite, though the accusation had been brought before you on more than one occasion. What was often mistaken for disobedience was no more than an attempt to define your own happiness, rather than surrender it for the sake of visiting guests.

Such an assessment had been frowned upon, however, and it had not left a very commendable impression among your hosts. You suspected that your aunt would have sent you away without a moment’s hesitation if it had not been for the praise of her friends as they applauded her efforts. Every last person in town had failed to recognize her family’s vanity and you were ashamed to admit that you had also been misled by her pretense.

It was an arrangement that had commenced as an earnest affair. The sudden engagement of your cousin had impressed your parents and they had written to your aunt with the hope that she could achieve the same triumph for your regard. It was her pride that had compelled her to accept your company in her household and you had believed in her deceitful reception.  

But, as you continued your stay, you soon found that she was far too cruel and calculating-and her daughters were no different. Martha, the eldest of the two, placed her pride on her recent engagement to Ben Solo, a cold man that only seemed to find interest in his wealth. Madeline had yet to find a husband to match her sister’s, but she still took great pride in her mother’s stature.  

You tried to avoid their scornful gazes as often as possible, and found comfort within the narrow walls of your uncle’s library. Your aunt had found very little use for the room after his passing, but the room offered an escape that no other corner could provide, particularly when your aunt brought home a rather boorish parade of guests to rid her of her charge.

All of your meals were enjoyed in the library with little interruptions and that had lasted until a month after your initial appearance.

You had busied yourself with a book in one hand and a cup of tea in another early one morning when an excited chatter compelled you to wander into the drawing room. Ben Solo sat in a chair not too far from his wife, while your aunt and Madeline conversed with an older woman. You did not recognize her, but you recognized something warm and familiar in her gaze as she turned to greet you.

“Marie, you have not introduced me to your guest.”

Your aunt hurried to meet you with an exaggerated smile. “Forgive me, Leia. This is Y/N, my niece. I have been trusted with her care until I am fortunate to find a proper suitor to marry her.”

Struggling not to grimace at her overstated attempts, you caught Leia chuckling to herself almost as if she could read your thoughts, though whether that was a result of understanding or sheer coincidence, you could not say. But her gaze held no malice and you felt a sense of warmth in her presence as she beckoned you to take a seat next to her.  

“And where do you hail from, child?” she asked.

“My family owns a small cottage near the lakes of Naboo.”

“Is that so? A lovely place, though I must admit it has been some time since I last visited. Tell me, are the summers still as enchanting as I remember them?”

“Oh, yes, quite so. Our gardens had only started to blossom before I arrived here and I am sure they are even lovelier now.” 

You felt a small twinge of longing as you spoke of your home and you tried to hide the tears that threatened to emerge. Taking notice of your gloom, Leia reached out and placed her hand on top of yours.

“I am sorry you have had to miss such a beautiful sight.”

She continued to provide a sincere affection as the discussion was changed to an entirely different subject. You learned that Leia was Ben’s mother, but you would not have guessed such a fact if it had not been for her revelation. She did not carry herself with the unfriendly manner that her son so often possessed and instead spoke of fantastic adventures and friends.

In a matter of hours she had reluctantly agreed to Ben’s insistence to leave before dark. She bid a courteous farewell to Marie and her daughters, but a look of excitement appeared in her eyes as she stopped in front of you.

“Our gardens are not quite as wonderful as yours, but they certainly offer a pleasant resemblance. You must come and see them!”

Her request surprised you. “Do you really mean it?”

“Of course! It has been too long since I last welcomed guests in D’Qar and I would love to show you the place! The preparations should not take too long. Please tell me you will come!”

“Oh, Leia!” interrupted your aunt. “Nothing would bring us more joy than to visit your home!”

Leia turned to your aunt and smiled, but you noticed the surprise in her features as if she had forgotten of your aunt’s presence altogether.

“Oh, well, I suppose I could find room for the rest of you.” Returning her gaze to you, she added, “I will await your arrival. Perhaps I shall even arrange a dinner to celebrate such an occasion. Kes has finally returned to D’Qar and I have been informed that his son will soon be joining him for the summer. I am sure they would be delighted to meet you.”

A gasp of surprise escaped your aunt at the mention of Leia’s friends. “I had no idea Poe planned to return home.”   

“Indeed, he has! I have no idea how long he intends to stay, but Kes has hopes that he may find someone that will convince him to delay his leave.” 

She gazed in your direction as she voiced her friend’s expectations, but you had no time to ponder her meaning as she was escorted to her carriage. Ben soon followed her outside, leaving Marie to revel in the excited chatter of her daughters.

“This is wonderful news, girls! Just think, Madeline, in a matter of days we could very much find you engaged to Poe Dameron!”

“I must prepare at once!” cried Madeline. “Surely, he will not find me appealing in this terrible garment!”

“You’re quite right. We shall leave for town at once to find you something much more suitable.”

Their excitement amused you, but you failed to understand such fuss.

“Poe Dameron,” you muttered, “I’m afraid I have not heard of him. What is he like?” 

Your aunt scoffed. “The Damerons are a noble family and quite prosperous in their fortunes. It does not surprise me that you are not familiar with the name. After all, why should he have crossed paths with someone so pitiable?”

Martha and Madeline giggled at her remark, but you ignored their spitefulness. Retreating to the comfort of the library, you held to Leia’s kindness and allowed, for just a brief moment, a chance to fantasize of all the splendid opportunities her invitation could present for the coming days.

[littleredroseonthevalley]

Meeting the Father

Summary: Michael is invited to a dinner with his girlfriend’s father. Her very intimidating father.

Rating: K - Intended for general audience 5 years and older. Content should be free of any coarse language, violence, and adult themes.

Words: 1900

Notes: So, my last HSS fic did not do so well, but what the heck? Here’s trash no-one asked for anyways.

Every step they take on the paved courtyard towards the front door, the more their souls are filled with dread. Michael’s stomach was turning with anticipation, and he was having a hard time schooling his bodily language into as much of a neutral stance he could manage.

He is never like this. Yes, he is more anxious and concerned than he might appear, but it pales to what he is feeling right now. Michael is a slacker, had a famous Devil may care attitude towards life, but the façade came crashing down the day he was told he had to meet Amanda’s father.

He’s heard loads about Edward Rosenberg, Snr. Every time the boy saw him out on the town, and it was not that many, he found the man to be tall, intimidating, with a dark scowl that would easily make Michael a nervous wreck.

He really, really wanted for his very rich, very powerful girlfriend’s father to like him, to approve of him. He did not want to come off on the wrong foot, lest of all he decided to forbid his daughter from going out with him.

When he expressed his concerns to their friends, they were less than supportive.

“Amanda is an independent thinker.” Emma pointed out. “She wouldn’t let her dad dictate her love life.”

“She might not have a choice.” Luis weighed. “He might ship her back to that boarding school in Switzerland! Or, like, fire your parents!”

The blonde gripped her boyfriend’s arm. “Don’t say things like that. You’re making him nervous.”

“I guess that, what Luis is trying to say, is that Mr. Rosenberg is an intimidating person. He is rich and powerful. Comes with the territory.” Maria tried to smooth things over. “It doesn’t mean he uses it to control Amanda’s life, nor that he is a bad person.”

Aiden shuddered. “I remember when Amanda’s family came to see the school concert last year. They were staring so intensely, I could feel they judging me, wincing whenever I made the slightest mistake.”

“My parents say that Mrs. Rosenberg was a witch!” Myra piped. “She complained about everything, she was very rude… And even a little racist, honestly.”

“Michael is going to meet her dad, not her mom. They are divorced, they could be very different people.” Emma defended.

“He must be at least charitable. He underwrites the budget for the school. He effectively pays for our education.” Maria pointed out.

“That’s even worse! That means he could ask Principal Hughs to expel Michael!”

“Luis!” Emma chided.

Michael narrowed his eyes. “You’re really easing my worries here.”

“It’s true, isn’t it? Better be prepared.” He defended, and then turned to his girlfriend. “Why are you being so defensive about the man?”

“He was always kind to me when I stayed over there, and my mom says he is a very nice man.” The blonde responded. “I don’t know, I don’t see Mr. Rosenberg as doing any of those things. It’s weird.”

Maria patted Michael’s back. “It all will turn out to be fine. You’ll have Amanda with you, right? She knows her dad the best and will help you navigate the situation.”

Amanda, noticing the nervousness of her boyfriend, walked up to Michael, standing in front of him. She almost shook her head in derision, his hands were shaking quite a bit and yet, if she did not press him, he would never tell her what was wrong.

She grabbed him by the hand, causing Michael to look up at her. “He’s going to love you, I promise.”

Michael looked at her with pleasing eyes. “Are you sure?”

Amanda nodded. “My dad, he’s… Surprisingly shy and awkward. It comes off as intimidation and foulness, but he is a very nice guy. Eventually, he’ll warm up and you’ll never hear the end of his terrible, terrible puns. Just give it time and he’ll love you. You just have to be yourself.”

“Be myself.” Michael said. “Yeah, I guess I don’t have any choice.”

Amanda gave him a quick kiss on the lips, resting her hands on his chest, which was roaring unnaturally. “Ready?”

He just shrugged. “I guess.”

Amanda grabbed Michael’s hand and, with the other, opened the front door to the house. In there, a maid was waiting for them to arrive. She greeted with her head silently, and his girlfriend gave her the coat and the purse she was wearing. He awkwardly followed her lead.

With a ‘thank you’ from the young mistress, the maid disappeared into the labyrinthine house.

“She’s the one responsible for the cleaning.” The redhead provided, responding to an unasked question. “If we walk into the house with our wet coats, she would have that much more work to wax the floors later.”

Michael glanced around nervously, before landing his eyes on Amanda. She gave him a reassuring nod, before leading him inside through the hallways to find her dad.

“You’ve got one nice house, Amanda,” Michael commented, looking around in awe.

She shrugged. “I don’t like it very much. It’s too big. I find it rather lonely sometimes.”

Michael could see why, but he still believed it was much nicer than his, even if Amanda would gladly disagree.

The couple walked into the dining room, where another employee was setting up the table, with an unusually high number of cups and forks. Three seats were set, one in the head of the table and two others to the right. The redhead sat on the first, and motioned for Michael to sit on the second.

Three heartbeats later, the master of the house, tall, blond, with clear eyes and finely dressed, emerged from one of the doors. Upon the girl’s que, the two teens stand up from their seats to greet the arrival.

“Good evening, Michael, Amanda. I didn’t hear your arrival; I am sorry for the delay.” He said, with an easy smile.

Edward opened up his arms, waving his hands towards him. Amanda smiled, walking over to Edward. He envelopes her into a big huge, kissing the top of her forehead, but his face was visibly hardened when he made eye contact with Michael.

“You must be my daughter’s boyfriend.” He acknowledged.

Michael nodded frantically, walking over to him. Mr. Rosenberg released their hug as Michael reached out his hand.

“It’s very nice to meet you, sir. I’m Michael Harrison.”

Edward shook his hand firmly. “You’d be Reginald’s boy, right? I’m pretty sure he works at the mill.”

“Yes, that’s it.” The youngest confirms, nervously.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Michael. Let us be seated. We’ll be dining chicken; I trust it is to your tastes.”

They sat down at the table, and, as if on cue, the cook emerged from the kitchen, rolling a cart with the dinner course, while a maid served the goblets.

Amanda unfolded her napkin and set it on her lap, and signaled discreetly the correct order of the cutlery for him to use. It was a stark contrast, conciliating the prim and proper eating of hers today, with her voraciousness eating of a burger when they went out on a date last night.

As they grabbed what they wanted, Edward immediately began to ask Michael questions.

“You’re sixteen, correct? Which would make you a junior like my daughter?” He asked, and the boy nodded in response.

“Yes, sir.” He said politely.

“And do you do well in school?”

Michael shrugged, and reluctantly said, “Relatively, yes.”

Edward cocked an eyebrow at the answer and the gesture. “Relatively?”

Michael’s face began to heat up. “Yes, sir.”

His icy blue eyes measured the boy. “Your school is very demanding, yes, and it is so by design, but I hope you and your colleagues are seizing every opportunity we provide to you.”

“Dad, our school is just as great as the students that attend it, you yourself said that many times.” The girl pointed out. “Berry is a pretty great school, and Michael’s dedication and love for it is an important part of it.”

The man measured her words and decided to drop the line of questioning. Instead he elected his plans for the future. “What do you plan on doing after school, kid?”

Michael glanced over at Amanda, and she gave him a small nod. “Well…” He started, looking over at his host. “I plan on going to college, to study Film and Journalism. I hope to be a documentarist.”

Edward looked at him as though he wanted him to explain, so he did. He went into description of what he wanted to shoot, the places he wanted to explore and the kind of stories he wanted to tell, and how they plan on opening a business, once they can get enough money to do so. Edward nodded, listening to every word he says.

“That’s a nice plan, Michael.” The older man said after he finished. “Me, myself, besides some family engagements in Europe, I have never left New England. I like the feeling of being home, but both of my children take after their mother in that regard, they are inquisitive and daring, and I like how you can support each other in that regard.

“Now, I don’t know how well that will work out for you, though Amanda tells me you have talent, and for what I’ve seen of your student films, I am inclined to agree.”

For the rest of the dinner, Mr. Rosenberg asked Michael questions, evaluating neatly every answer he gives, as if in a job interview. Honestly, he was concerned with his daughter and wanted to make sure she made a good choice, or as good as one can expect a teenage boy to be.

The three of them finished their food, and the father had kindly asked Amanda to fetch a nice chocolate box he kept on the downstairs study. She nodded, taking leaving with pleasure. Her dad never offered to share those chocolates, unless the company pleased him.

Michael, not knowing the quirk of the man, had gave her a pleading look, wanting her to stay with him, but she ignored the plea and walked out without a word. He nervously looked down at his hands that were sat in his lap. Edward looked over at him, and started talking.

“Michael…” He started, causing the young lad to look up at him in a snap. “That’s my little girl you’re dating. She is my everything, she’s all I’ve got right now. I need to know you will do right by her.”

“I understand, sir.” Michael said, giving him a small smile.

“Of course, if you don’t, I have ways to make you fall in line.” He completed with a wolfish laugh. “Please do not make me resort to them.”

Michael laughed a bit, in nerves, but he understood the man a bit better. He was not about to step out of line, so he was not that afraid of him anymore. Squinting, he could even see the kindness Emma was referring to.

Soon enough, Amanda came in with the box in hands. The two of them stopped and pretended that nothing was said.

“Ah, chocolate!” The older man opens the box and takes one, appreciating it longingly. “I would tell you a joke about them, but they are no good, you’d just snicker.”

Amanda cringed. “Jesus Christ, dad.”

“You love’em, be honest.” He laughed.

HSS Masterlist

[emwriterblr]

welcome to my world

part four

gif is mine, please don’t repost

word count: 4.4k pairing: javier pena x ofc warning(s): none really in this chapter notes: this chapter is really just a connecting chapter so I’m not too fond with how it turned out but I do hope you all enjoy it!

masterlist here

.....

Everything was different when she woke the next morning. 

It was the sudden drop in the pit of her stomach. A complete shift in her reality.

It took every ounce of strength she had to drag herself out of bed and into the bathroom. Time felt like it had stopped, a hazy cloud cast over everything around her. She felt like she was walking around a dream she couldn’t wake from. 

She stood in the shower longer than usual, allowing the hot water to run down her body, soothing her aching muscles. Anything to delay having to go to work, she was going to take it. 

She left her apartment without eating anything which wasn’t a good idea. Given that the only thing she had yesterday was a lousy sandwich and a lot of alcohol, she was going to be paying for it before the halfway mark. But she had no appetite. She just wanted to get through the day so that she could go home. Maybe even leave a little early if the day didn’t get too crazy. 

When she walked into the embassy, she could already feel the atmosphere was different. It could have been her own mind playing tricks on her, but she swore that some of the people looked at her differently. Almost with pity and empathy. Fuck, did it happen? Did someone actually let it slip about her father? Not surprising to her if that was the case. Still, she wasn’t something for them to gawk at. Most of these people she’s known since transferring. A few of them had offered condolences. But she would rather not be bothered with it. She kept her head down and didn’t acknowledge any of it. 

When they arrived at their office, Steve and Javier were already getting to work on the intel that the Colonel provided them yesterday. Javier didn’t say anything when she entered, only offered a smile which she was quick to return. 

Steve offered her a quick “good morning” and a cup of coffee he had made for her. He eyed Javier for a moment, before going to stand next to her. “You doing okay?” 

Elena nodded, putting on a smile, wanting to put off having to tell him. However, when she glanced over at him, she was met with the same look from everyone else. A real somber look that dripped of empathy and there was a hint of regret. The smile on her face slowly fell. He knew. “Who told you?” Elena asked, trying to keep her voice calm and steady.

Steve cringed as he took a drink from his coffee, “David heard about it and decided to share it with me.” If he could go back and stop it, he absolutely would. He had been trying to forget it since David told him. It wasn’t his information to tell and he was quite clear with David to never pull shit like that ever again.  

Fuck, of course, it was David. That man was absolutely relentless in his daily endeavor on being a complete asshole and making her life even more miserable. “That’s great.” 

“I’m sorry, Elena.” 

God, she wanted to cry right then and there. She had been at work for barely ten minutes and today has already gone to shit. All thanks to fucking David Howard. “It’s okay.” Taking a moment to gather herself, Elena cleared her throat and reached for the intel scattered across the table. “We have work to do so let’s get started.”

The boys made an agreement on how to handle this whole situation. They never brought up her father, kept her busy with intel and surveillance. Anything and everything was done to keep her occupied. She could tell they were trying not to give her any special treatment. While the dynamic was still the same, she could tell there was a level of sensitivity they were giving her. Normally, that sort of thing would annoy her. But she would be lying if she said she didn’t appreciate it.

It wasn’t long before she was called into the Ambassador’s office… alone. Albeit she was a little nervous, however, she knew what it was going to be about. Temporary leave was given out on a few occasions. Family emergencies were one of those occasions. The embassy was contacted by her former supervisor about her father’s passing. No doubt that information was then passed to Noonan. These situations weren’t swept under the rug. Especially, when it had the potential to affect the work performance of DEA agents. It needed to be addressed.

The Ambassador offered Elena the choice of temporary leave the moment she sat down in her office. “We can give you at least a week, longer if you need it.” 

“I appreciate it ma’am but I’ve already decided to stay here.” There was a calm look that crossed over the Ambassador’s face. Elena couldn’t quite decipher what it was, but she was sure that it wasn’t harsh. Perhaps, confusion. “There’s too much going on and I’m still waiting for my informant to come back with a possible lead. I need to be here.” 

Noonan regarded the young woman, before slowly nodding her head. “Very well, agent.” A beat passed. “However, if it starts to affect your performance at work, we may need you to take leave.” 

“I understand, ma’am.” The last thing anyone needed was for her emotions to get in the way. They didn’t need a screw up from her and she didn’t want to disappoint anyone either. “I promise that it won’t affect my performance.” 

Despite what most people thought, Noonan was considerate and understanding. She took a great liking to Elena when the agent first transferred. Noonan admired her diligence and quick thinking. But even she knew the sudden death of a family member was going to have consequences. Yet, she trusted Elena. “Very well, if you feel it is starting to get out of hand, you need to say so.” Elena nodded wordlessly. Noonan waved her dismissal but as Elena stood up, the Ambassador spoke again. “Agent Caro,” she waited until the woman had turned to her. “You have my deepest condolences.” 

Elena simply nodded her gratitude before exiting the Ambassador’s office. God, how many more people would she have to hear that from? The same spiel over and over again. That they were sorry for her loss. That they knew how she felt or what she was going through, what a bunch of horse shit. They could never know how she felt or what was going through her head. This grief was her own personal journey to endure. Her brother had his own experience that she could never relate to. He is the one who found their father dead. She wouldn’t even think about telling him that she knew how he felt. She didn’t have a fucking clue. 

On her way back, she walked by David’s joint office and saw him sitting at his desk. She paused in the doorway, watching as he conversed with one of the other agents. Seeing him smile and laugh pissed her off more than it should have. She sucked in a breath and exhaled, her eyes closing for a moment. “Just walk away,” she whispered to herself. “Don’t do anything stupid.” Then, she heard David calling out her name. Looking back into the room, he was motioning for her to come in. Fuck, what does he want? 

Against her better judgment, Elena timidly entered the room, standing in front of his desk, her hands clenched into fists. The other agent gave her a quick greeting before leaving the office. Her attention was then on David. “What is it, David?” 

He messed around with the files on his desk a moment, then looked up at her, looking rather somber. It almost made her roll her eyes. “I just wanted to say that--I’m sorry for what happened to your father.”

Was he actually trying to sound decent for once in his life? 

“Hm,” Her lips cinched to the side, her head slowly nodding at his words. “Not so sorry that you decided to tell Steve about it.” The somber look on his face was gone very quickly. Of course, it was just an act. 

“What does it even matter?” David leaned back in his chair, not at all concerned about how she felt about it. “He was bound to find out sooner or later.” 

“I was going to tell him when I got to work this morning,” she tilted her head down to meet his gaze. “But you decided to do that for me.” 

“It’s not a big deal, Caro.”

“It’s not your fucking business to tell, David.” The rage in her stomach started to boil, the sting in her waterline nearly sent her into a panic. There was no way she was going to cry in front of David Howard. The prick wouldn’t let her live that down. “Just don’t spread around my business. Got it?” 

The man simply stared at her. She could see a remark was starting to form in his head. The naive part of her head thought that he might actually apologize. That she was able to get through that thick skull of his. David snickered and then shrugged. “Fine.” That seemed to be the last of it. Elena went to take her leave when David’s voice stopped her again. “One more thing, just because your old man bit the dust doesn’t mean you can be more of a bitch than usual.” 

Those words made her blood run cold. The anger was replaced with a dizzying wave of shock. A familiar ache crawled its way into her chest, a harsh constriction assaulted her throat. David was an asshole. That much she knew. But she thought, somewhere past his poor excuse for a heart, there would be some empathy. That he wouldn’t use her father’s death as a means to get to her. But he just did. And she didn’t know why she was so surprised by it. She wanted to say something to him. But the words refused to come out. She remembered her promise to the Ambassador. That she wouldn’t let this affect her work performance. That she would be as professional as she needed to be. But should her having to deal with an asshole co-worker qualify? Yes, unfortunately. That’s why she swallowed down the knot in her throat and stalked out of David’s office. 

Elena never told Steve and Javier about the insult. They asked her if the meeting with Noonan went okay and they were back to work. What good would it do for her to go around complaining every time David was an asshole her? It would get her nowhere. If anything, David would just use it to further discredit her. No, she kept her mouth shut and focused on getting work done. Javier and Steve didn’t say anything but they could sense she was a little more off when she returned. Something with the way her shoulders tensed, they were barely able to get straight forward responses from her. To spare her any more grievances, they merely kept it to themselves. 

Mid-afternoon finally rolled around. By that point, Elena had lost almost all focus on the work at hand. Frustrated with herself, she decided to head home early for the day. A choice that Steve and Javier were quick to agree with. The first thing she did after leaving work was purchasing a much-needed supply of alcohol. If anything was going to get her through this, it was going to be a well-stocked fridge of good drinks. By the time she returned to her apartment complex, the sun was starting to dip behind the horizon. With her purchases in hand, Elena locked her car and headed up the apartment steps when someone called out her name.

“Elena.” 

She paused on the steps and turned to the source. Natalia was rounding the corner and heading right for her. “What’s going on?” 

Natalia paused at the bottom of the steps and gave Elena an expectant look. “I have something to tell you.” She raised her brows after.

“Oh, right, come on.” 

Elena led the way into the complex, asked Natalia to hold one of the bags as she unlocked her door. Once inside, she quickly placed the drinks into the fridge, asking Natalia if she wanted anything to drink. She declined, too busy with taking in the state of the messy sitting room. Elena wasn’t in the mood to clean anything up last night after Javier left. It definitely wasn’t like this when she was here a few days ago. And she had never known Elena to allow her residence to fall to this state. 

Elena knew that the mess was definitely something. She made the mental note to clean up the place once this was finished. “What’s going on?” 

Natalia snapped her gaze away from the mess and focused on Elena. “Right. Popeye and Poison were at the brothel earlier today.” 

That almost made her heart stop. “What?” 

“It’s okay,” Natalia assured her. “They weren’t there for long, only a few minutes. But I did overhear them talking with some of the girls. They will be returning tomorrow, sometime during the afternoon.”

Holy shit. It was an actual lead. “And you’re sure they said tomorrow?” 

“Yes.” 

Elena smiled, more from relief than anything else. The anxiety that came with waiting to hear from Natalia was horrible. Coupling that with her father passing away, Elena just wanted to tear her hair out. But this was good. This sounded like a solid lead. “Great, okay good. Thank you, Natalia.”  

The young woman nodded, glad that she could help in any way. Only now she seemed to feel the weight of what this could bring down on them. How this could affect all the other girls at the brothel. “Can I ask you something?” 

Elena nodded.

“How dangerous is this going to be?” She hesitated. “With you all going in there, do you know what’s going to happen?” 

That wasn’t something she could answer. There was no way Elena could predict what would happen tomorrow. Clearly, she was hopeful that they would catch both Popeye and Poison. But anything could happen. “I’m not going to lie to you, it could be bad. But if we manage to catch them by surprise, it could be a clean sweep but there’s no guarantee.” It could go horribly wrong for all she knew. Elena was trying to keep a hopeful outlook. 

That made Natalia even more nervous. She didn’t regret helping, it was only now she realized how grave this situation was. Escobar had ears all over Colombia. It would be so easy for him to catch wind of her feeding information to the DEA. They could take her out of the equation so easily. 

“You’re going to be at the brothel tomorrow.”

Natalia shook her head, “I have a meet up with another client of mine around the same time.” 

Elena felt the tension in her shoulders subside. “That’s good. You don’t need to be around when all of this goes down. I recommend that you stay away from the brothel for as long as possible.” She wouldn’t be in that much danger if she stayed away. That’s what Elena needed to happen, she needed Natalia to stay safe. “Where is your client?” 

“He’s about ten minutes away from the brothel. I have friends outside the brothel I can meet with too when I’m done.” 

“Good, keep yourself busy.” 

A thick silence permitted between them. It gave Natalia the freedom to eye the mess on the coffee table. Something about the scene felt off to her. “Is everything alright?” She asked, her eyes still scanning over the empty beer bottles. 

Elena watched her take in the scene, feeling somewhat embarrassed by it. “Yeah.” She could just admit to Natalia what had happened and make all of this easier for her. There was nothing wrong with that. The only problem was that Elena simply didn’t have the energy. After the whole debacle with David telling her personal business, she’d rather not have to explain it to another person. At least not tonight. 

However, her singular answer wasn’t very convincing. She could see the doubt in Natalia’s eyes when she looked over at her. But Elena remained calm, making sure not to give anything else away. Natalia took her chance and slowly approached Elena, stopping until she was merely a few inches from her, her hand raising to rest against her cheek. “I know something’s wrong, I can tell by looking at your eyes.” She gave a sad smile at the way Elena closed her eyes, leaning further into her touch, seeking as much comfort from the gesture as she could. Natalia brought her other hand up to brush through Elena’s hair, the worry in her stomach growing with every second. “Elena,” 

That seemed to have done it. Elena’s face scrunched up, a sob fell past her lips. Natalia didn’t waste time. She pulled the young woman close to her, cradling Elena’s head to her chest, stroking her hair. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me anything.” 

And she didn’t say anything. Elena snuggled closer to her chest, crying into Natalia’s shirt, suddenly feeling bad for getting tears all over it. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed against her chest. 

Natalia shushed her, continuing with smoothing out Elena’s hair. “Stop it, you don’t need to apologize.” 

All Elena did was nod. She didn’t move away from Natalia’s arms, she actually loved being held like this. A beat passed before Elena was finally able to calm down. Reluctantly, she pulled herself away from Natalia’s hold, but still remained close to her. Natalia brushed away the tear stains with her thumb, “Do you need me to stay tonight?” 

Every part of her wanted to say yes. The sex was one thing. But just to have someone next to her, to talk with her and occupy her thoughts. To tell her that everything was going to be fine. She wanted that more than fucking anything. Elena reached up and took hold of the hand caressing her cheek, her head ducking down a moment. “As much as I would love that, I can’t tonight. I need to go back to the embassy, we need to get everything ready for tomorrow.”

Natalia didn’t put up a fuss, she gave a quick nod, allowing her arm to fall to her side. “Be careful tomorrow, don’t get shot.” 

The comment made Elena smirk. “Now you’re being the worried one.” She teased, calling back to Natalia’s remark a few nights ago. 

That actually made her laugh. “I have every reason to be worried about this.” 

“I know.” Elena checked her watch and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry for keeping you here longer than you anticipated.”

Natalia only waved off her words, already heading for the front door. “Don’t apologize, I’m glad I was here.”

Elena smiled as she followed her and opened the door. She made way for Natalia to make her exit, then when she looked out, she saw Javier and Steve walking in. Elena stood in the open doorway as Natalia caught the eye of both the men. “Natalia,” she said. “This is Javier Pena and Steve Murphy, they’re my partners.” 

Natalia nodded and then smiled at both of them. She definitely caught Javier’s eye which only made Elena smirk. “Nice to meet you both.” She brushed past them, turning back momentarily to throw Elena a quick smile and, after making sure he wasn’t looking, threw a coy glance at Javier.

A look that actually made Elena laugh. Javier and Steve turned their attention from Elena to Natalia and then back to their partner one the former had left, confused by whatever exchange had just happened. Despite his confusion, Javier was rather glad to see Elena smile, although he was quick to notice how red her eyes were. 

“I didn’t expect you guys to be home so early,” Elena said, now directing her attention on them. 

“Ran into a bit of a rut at work, thought we’d call it a night.” Steve clarified, then motioned his head in the direction of where Natalia had left. “Who was that?”

“My informant and also why you’re both going to be annoyed with me.”

“Why’s that?” 

“We have to get back to the embassy. She just gave me a lead.” 

…..

The plan had been set. After relaying the information to the Ambassador, Elena, Javier and Steve took that information to Carrillo. Given that only two of Escobar’s men are expected, the plan was for the three of them to sweep through the brothel and bring them out. Carrillo will be there with a backup team a few blocks away, that way they wouldn’t draw too much attention. The brothel is going to be occupied with civilians. They wanted to make this as quick and as clean as possible. 

The morning of the job was stressful enough. Elena barely got any sleep the night before, resulting in her downing as much coffee as her body could take and eating a few pieces of toast. It was better than running on an empty stomach. She hoped that this all went well. Apprehending these two could possibly get them one step closer to Escobar. They needed this. More than anything. 

They met at Carrillo’s precinct where they went over the plan again. Making sure that every detail was agreed upon and the backup plans were in order. And like with every job, there was always the nail-biting anxiety that came with it. Yet, this time it felt more excruciating than before. As she was strapping on her vest, Elena could see the way her hands shook. It was frustrating. She’s gone on several busts in her career, accompanied Javier and Carrillo on multiples trips since transferring. Nothing about this was new for her. But in her defense, she didn’t have to deal with the unexpected death of a family member during those trips. So really, she should cut herself some slack. But in this line of work, there was no room for slacking. She had to be on top of everything for every second. Especially with busts, losing focus for even a moment could get her or her partners killed. It was a luxury she couldn’t afford. 

When the vest was finally secured, she reached for her gun on the table, pausing momentarily when the shaking resumed. She quickly grabbed the gun, then checked to make sure the magazine was loaded. Once satisfied, she clicked on the safety and stashed the gun in the holster on her vest. She took a glance around the room, everyone else appeared to be calm. No doubt their nerves were on end, they were definitely more clear in the head than she was. Elena closed her eyes and began taking deep breaths, “Fuck, calm down.”

She had to go into this with a clear head. Not allowing this anxiety to take control. 

“Elena.” 

She sucked in a breath and looked over her shoulder at Javier. 

“We’re heading out.” 

A small nod on her end, another deep breath, and she was trailing behind her partner towards the vehicles. The three of them would take one of the jeeps, while Carrillo and his group would take another. Javier hopped into the driver seat and Steve offered the front seat for her. “Ma’am, you take the front seat,” Steve said, even going so far as to open the door for her. 

She smiled and laughed, “Oh, ever the gentleman.” It was nice to have a small moment of reprieve before they faced this storm head-on. 

Once they were all situated, Javier started up the jeep and turned out of the precinct gates. They had calculated the time. It would take them approximately twenty minutes to reach the brothel. And it was almost noon. The entire ride, Elena wrung her hands together, her entire body tense as they inched closer to their destination. God, she hoped that Natalia wasn’t there. That she was somewhere else, either with her client or with friends. The last thing she wanted to happen was for Natalia to get caught in the crossfire. This thing could potentially go south, she was dreading the possibility of people dying today. Elena didn’t want Natalia to be one of them. A part of her knew that she wouldn’t be able to handle it if she lost another informant. 

Javier had been relatively quiet all morning. He had offered to drive Elena to work since she looked too exhausted to drive herself. Not wanting to pry, he only asked her the basics, “Are you doing okay?” or “Did you get any sleep?” He made any and all attempts at easing her into a conversation. When she didn’t give a big answer, he went quiet and allowed her the silence. He compensated his worry by keeping a thoughtful eye on her throughout the morning. Getting her extra coffee if he saw she was starting to grow sluggish. Much like what she did with him after what happened to Helena. He just wanted to make sure that she was okay. 

They arrived at their location. Javier parked their jeep down the street from the building. Carrillo announced through their radio that he was letting his men do a quick drive by the property. As they waited for the go-ahead, Javier glanced over at Elena, silently watching her for… anything, really. He saw her inhale and then her body gave a shake. He rubbed at his chin, suddenly feeling nervous. Not about the job, it was about her. “You ready for this?” 

“Yeah,” she didn’t feel ready but she couldn’t back out of this because she was nervous. What kind of fucking excuse is that? “Let’s just get this done right.” 

The radio in their car crackled to life as Carrillo’s voice came through. “A vehicle is parked near the property, it belongs to them. Get in there.” 

They didn’t need to be told twice. Pulling their guns from their holsters, they exited the vehicle and made their way up the street. Her heart began to pound in her chest, the grip on her gun tightened until her knuckles turned white. Carrillo’s voice played over in her head like a mantra. As quick and clean as possible. No casualties. Bring in Ramos and Velasquez alive. 

.....

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[noyaibamovies]

The world sent India millions in Covid aid. Why is it not reaching those who need it most?

https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1187/Home/__Demon_Slayer_Kimetsu_no_Yaiba_the_Movie_Mugen_Train_ https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1188/Home/10HD https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1189/Home/___2020_ https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1191/Home/_HK_Demon_Slayer_Kimetsu_no_Yaiba_2020_1080P https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1192/Home/___2020_ https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1193/Home/ZH_2020_1080p720p https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1196/Home/2020_____HD4K https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1197/Home/HK___Kimetsu_no_Yaiba_Mugen_ResshaHen_ https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1198/Home/_Kimetsu_no_YaibaHD https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1200/Home/2020 https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1201/Home/_1080P2020HD https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1202/Home/TW__2020HD1080PNew Delhi (CNN)As India's Covid-19 crisis tipped past breaking point last month, dozens of countries pledged critical aid.

Planeloads of ventilators, oxygen supplies and antiviral drugs began arriving last week, with photos showing massive parcels being unloaded at New Delhi airport. There's just one problem: for many days, much of the cargo sat in airport hangars as hospitals on the ground pleaded for more provisions. Medical workers and local officials are still reporting the same devastating shortages that have strained the health care system for weeks now -- raising questions, even among foreign donors, of where the aid is going. In a US State Department news briefing on Friday, a reporter asked where the US aid was, demanding "accountability for US taxpayers' money," according to the briefing transcript. "Is there anything being done to check on how it is being distributed, the aid that we are sending?" the reporter asked.

https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1203/Home/______Akari_Kit https://tcea.instructure.com/eportfolios/1205/Home/2020HK_ https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117366/Home/___2020_ https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117364/Home/10HD https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117363/Home/__Demon_Slayer_Kimetsu_no_Yaiba_the_Movie_Mugen_Train_ https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117368/Home/_HK_Demon_Slayer_Kimetsu_no_Yaiba_2020_1080P https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117369/Home/___2020_ https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117372/Home/ZH_2020_1080p720p https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117373/Home/2020_____HD4K https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117375/Home/HK___Kimetsu_no_Yaiba_Mugen_ResshaHen_ https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117377/Home/_Kimetsu_no_YaibaHD

The Indian government issued a strong denial of any delay on Tuesday evening, saying it had installed a "streamlined mechanism" for allocating aid. Nearly 4 million donated items, spanning 24 categories, have already been distributed to 38 health care facilities across the country, the Health Ministry said in a statement. But on the ground, many state and local authorities claim there has been little to no communication from the central government on how or when they would receive relief. "We sent delegations to (the government) for clarity on supplies of (oxygen), drugs and vaccination drive but were not spoken to in clarity from the Union Government," said Raghu Sharma, health minister of Rajasthan state, on Tuesday. "Regarding the import or foreign aid, no information or supply details have been shared with the state government." The central government has "kept states in the dark during the pandemic," he added, calling for a more "transparent environment." The Health Ministry said on Tuesday that it had distributed aid to two hospitals in Rajasthan, in the cities of Jodhpur and Jaipur. There are a number of feasible reasons for the delay: unnecessary bureaucracy, human error, or time-consuming protocol. But to those on the ground, such possible explanations matter little; all they want is for the government to take quicker action and get the aid to their ICU wards, where thousands are dying every day.

India reported 382,315 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday and 3,780 virus-related deaths, according to the Health Ministry. The country has now recorded more than 20.6 million cases since the pandemic began. Oxygen shortages are particularly pronounced in the union territory of Delhi, which does not produce its own oxygen and relies on the central government to send allocations from different manufacturers and states. "It's the duty of the government to provide us oxygen," said Dr. S.C.L. Gupta, director of Batra Hospital in the capital New Delhi. At least 12 patients, including a doctor, died at Batra Hospital on Saturday after it ran out of oxygen. Gupta said hospital staff spent the day telling authorities they only had a few hours of oxygen left; toward the end, they had to rely on oxygen provided by patients' families. "Patients are dying in front of us," Gupta said. "I'm sorry we cannot save you." A logistical nightmare

https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117387/Home/______Akari_Kit https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117389/Home/2020_HD https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117390/Home/2020HK_ https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117380/Home/2020 https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117381/Home/_1080P2020HD https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117384/Home/TW__2020HD1080P https://lulunaulia400.medium.com/ https://kimetsunoyaiba801605425.wordpress.com/the-world-sent-india-millions-in-covid-aid-why-is-it-not-reaching-those-who-need-it-most/ https://kimetsunoyaiba801605425.wordpress.com/state-local-health-orders-end-tuesday-as-utah-reaches-pandemic-endgame/ https://kimetsunoyaiba801605425.wordpress.com/pfizer-will-ask-for-approval-to-give-covid-19-vaccine-to-children-ages-2-to-11/ https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117527/Home/The_world_sent_India_millions_in_Covid_aid_Why_is_it_not_reaching_those_who_need_it_most https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117530/Home/State_local_health_orders_end_Tuesday_as_Utah_reaches_pandemic_endgame https://tea.instructure.com/eportfolios/117533/Home/Pfizer_Will_Ask_For_Approval_To_Give_COVID19_Vaccine_To_Children_Ages_2_to_11 One distribution problem highlighted by Indian media is simply that the government did not have protocols in place before receiving the aid, and had to quickly cobble together guidelines on allocation and coordination. It took the government seven days to create a mechanism to distribute supplies to states, the Health Ministry said in a news release on Tuesday. They began working on the plan on April 26, and only issued their Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) -- guidelines on how to distribute aid -- on May 2. The release did not state what day the distribution of aid began. In those seven days, more than 23,000 Indians died of Covid-19.

Even with the SOP issued, the process of distribution is complex, with room for further delay. Once the aid arrives in India, it is received by the Indian Red Cross Society, which works closely with the government. The Red Cross works with customs to approve the goods, the Health Ministry said, adding that customs is "working 24 x 7 to fast track and clear the goods on arrival." After being cleared, the items are handed to the ministry and a government-owned health care product manufacturer called HLL Lifecare, which handles transportation of aid to its final destination. But it's a massive logistical undertaking because "the materials from abroad are currently coming in different numbers, specifications and at different times," the ministry said in its Tuesday release. A number of problems might arise, it said: "in many cases," the type or number of aid supplies don't match the inventory list provided by the foreign donor. Authorities then have to waste precious time "reconciling (discrepancies) at the airport" while the aid sits idle, according to the release. Only when the paperwork is updated with the correct details can authorities move forward with distribution.

India is a huge country, home to 1.3 billion people, and most of the foreign aid is being flown to New Delhi -- meaning much of it then has to be redistributed to far-flung states. The military has been deployed to help with this process, with the air force flying supplies to various cities and making overseas flights, too. States with high caseloads, or those that are regional medical hubs, will be prioritized, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Donations are also allocated to states with fewer resources or those in remote areas. It's unclear how much aid is still being processed, but images began emerging this week of supplies finally arriving on the ground. The air force airlifted the "first batch" of 450 oxygen cylinders from the United Kingdom to Chennai on Tuesday, according to the city's customs authority. Meanwhile, 350 oxygen concentrators from Hong Kong are being sent to Mumbai on Wednesday. These supplies will only provide a modicum of relief, however. As of Tuesday, Chennai had more than 32,000 active cases, while Mumbai had over 56,000. Hospitals in both cities are so under-resourced and the situation so dire that patients are dying by the dozen. Desperate patients wait for oxygen As the government scrambles to get backlogged aid to desperate states, it is also working to increase domestic oxygen production. And at every turn, federal authorities have claimed they have enough supplies to meet states' demands. "The (daily) production of oxygen in the country was 5,700 metric tons (6,283 tons) on August 1, 2020, which has now increased to around 9,000 metric tons (9,920 tons)," a Health Ministry spokesperson said at a news conference on Monday. Last month, the ministry said it had 50,000 metric tons (55,115 tons) in surplus oxygen stocks. On Monday, the ministry spokesperson again asserted, "There is enough oxygen available in the country." But doctors, officials and desperate patients tell a very different story. In a hospital in Meerut, a city in Uttar Pradesh, one family has worked around the clock to care for their 55-year-old mother in the intensive care unit. The family told CNN this week she had been in the hospital for six days before getting a ventilator, and they had to bring their own oxygen cylinder. At one point, her vitals began dropping dangerously; her sons pumped her chest frantically, crying out and clutching her hands as family members wailed next to the bed. A doctor was able to help stabilize the woman -- but later, she flatlined again. This time, she could not be revived; her body was left in the ICU for nearly an hour before it was moved. The same scenes are playing out in nearly every major city. In New Delhi, the situation has deteriorated so badly that India's Supreme Court ordered the central government to address the oxygen shortages there by the end of Monday. Similar hearings have taken place in the Delhi High Court. "Do you mean we will shut our eyes to the people dying in Delhi?" the court told the central government on Saturday, according to CNN affiliate CNN-News18. "Enough is enough."

Some state authorities, too, have come under fire for their handling of the oxygen crisis. A high court in Uttar Pradesh demanded "immediate remedial measures," pointing to specific instances of patients dying due to oxygen shortages. "Death of Covid patients just for non supplying of oxygen to the hospitals is a criminal act and not less than a genocide by those who have been entrusted the task to ensure continuous procurement and supply chain of the liquid medical oxygen," the court said on Tuesday. The central government has responded by ramping up emergency measures. Two of five on-site oxygen plants earmarked for Delhi hospitals would be operational on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said on Twitter. The government plans to set up 500 plants across the country within three months, according to a ministry statement. This week, some of these increased oxygen supplies are being sent to various hard-hit states by rail, in what has been dubbed the "oxygen express."

[buynowpaylateronline-blog]

An Overview Of Shop Now Pay Later

Shopping grocery items is a valuable expense for many families and it's among the most crucial household activities. You are able to skip other chores but you simply can't skip grocery shopping. Earlier shoppers had to see supermarkets or the local supermarkets and select the things, carry them to the billing counters, have to hold back there for a long hour, and then take those items back home. The entire process was hectic, time-consuming, and tiring. The internet age brought an enormous change in how we are buying grocery items, as more and more individuals are opting for online grocery shopping. With just a click of a mouse or tap on the mobile screen, anyone could easily buy household items from the internet grocery websites. The emergence of e-commerce has certainly altered the shopping landscape. Whether buying baby food or high-end electronic items, consumers from all around the world are leaning towards online platforms. Check out the following site, if you are searching for more information regarding shop now pay later.

There are numerous factors that are responsible for the mass market appeal of internet shopping such as for example convenience, massive discounts, a massive array of choices, free home delivery, and the possibility of cash on delivery. Online shopping gained prominence with the advent of smartphones and high-speed internet and now it has integrated naturally into our life. Nowadays, nobody wonders if you say you've completed the monthly shopping from an on the web grocery store. The same may have surprised tons of of individuals even five years ago. In spite of buying so a lot of things on the internet, not many people actually know how to make their online purchases a lot more profitable and make maximum savings. There are proven ways you are able to follow to be able to streamline your digital shopping. Produce a full list of grocery items you wish to buy. It is obviously advisable to come to the internet arena with a complete listing of things you actually want to purchase.

Having a set of items will make sure that you are only ordering things that you might want and staying within your shopping budget. The largest difference between shopping from a supermarket and shopping from an on line food store is that in the supermarket we get interested in other products that in actuality we don't need or we're able to afford to delay the purchase of the item. But in the supermarkets, they are displayed in ways to attract our attention and we can't resist the temptation of purchasing them. Even though chances are limited when you buy things online, it is better safe than sorry, so keeping a shopping list could be your very best bet for abstaining from overspending. Search the utmost number of online grocery stores. The success of online shopping depends upon the efficiency of how you are searching. Many people make the mistake of purchasing things in haste. They search on the net, click the initial site that appeared in the search result and order things from there.

[buynowandpaylater-blog]

Buy Now Pay Later Shopping - An Overview

Shopping grocery items is an invaluable expense for many families and it is one of the main household activities. You are able to skip other chores but you simply can't skip grocery shopping. Earlier shoppers had to go to supermarkets or the local grocery stores and select the items, carry them to the billing counters, have to wait there for a lengthy hour, and then take the items back home. The entire process was hectic, time-consuming, and tiring. The net age brought a massive change in how we're buying grocery items, as more and more folks are deciding on online grocery shopping. With just a press of a mouse or tap on the mobile screen, anyone could easily buy household items from the internet grocery websites. The emergence of e-commerce has certainly altered the shopping landscape. Whether buying baby food or high-end electronic items, consumers from all around the world are leaning towards online platforms. There are many factors which are in charge of the mass market appeal of internet shopping such as for instance convenience, massive discounts, a huge variety of choices, free home delivery, and the choice of cash on delivery. Check out the following site, if you are searching for more information regarding buy now pay later online.

Online shopping gained prominence with the advent of smartphones and high-speed internet and now it has integrated naturally into our life. Nowadays, nobody wonders in the event that you say you've completed the monthly shopping from an on line grocery store. The same thing may have surprised tons of of individuals even five years ago. In spite of buying so several things from the web, very few people actually know making their online purchases much more profitable and make maximum savings. There are proven ways you are able to follow to be able to streamline your digital shopping. Produce a full listing of grocery items you wish to buy. It is obviously advisable to come quickly to the web arena with a complete listing of items you actually want to purchase. Having a list of items will ensure that you're only ordering things that you'll require and staying within your shopping budget.

The biggest difference between shopping from a store and shopping from an on the web food store is that in the supermarket we get drawn to other products that in actuality we don't need or we could afford to delay the purchase of that item. However in the supermarkets, they're displayed in ways to attract our attention and we can't resist the temptation of purchasing them. Even though chances are limited as you buy things online, it is way better safe than sorry, so keeping a shopping list could be your absolute best bet for abstaining from overspending. Search the maximum amount of online grocery stores. The success of online shopping depends on the efficiency of how you're searching. Many people make the mistake of buying things in haste. They search on the net, click the initial site that appeared in the search result and order things from there.

[pitiless-achilles-wept]

How to Endure: Cancer in the Time of Pandemic

[Originally posted March 28, 2020]

Hi all, Welcome to a very special birthday post from me in which I mostly think about what it's like to have cancer in the time of a global pandemic. As a way of topping my last year's celebration--where I was just about to start chemo--this year the world is sheltering in place under quarantine orders as an unprecedented public health disaster unfolds around us. (Sorry if my prediliction for dramatic narratives is in any way responsible for this fact...) I've been trying to work up the energy to post and let you know that I'm doing ok in this time of a global emergency...as ok as anyone I guess. I should say right off the bat that I am not, right now, immunocompromised, although I am at risk for it. We can all hope my system keeps bouncing back as it has done to keep me out of the most vulnerable group. (I do also have lung tumors, so a respiratory infection would automatically come with complications.)

Mostly, I spent a lot of the past two weeks wondering not if but how the pandemic was likely to affect my cancer treatment and I finally have enough information to confirm that, as of now, I'm still able to stay on the study and get chemo as planned this coming Thursday (April 2nd). I had been scheduled to get CT scans on Tuesday, March 31st to assess whether the treatment I started at the end of January has worked well enough for me to continue on the clinical trial. Although I get so many that it has perhaps come to seem routine, "scanxiety" is a very real phenomenon because these are how you learn whether things are going well (or well enough) or whether the disease has "progressed" and you have to regroup and try again with a new treatment plan. It had been since October that I had had a positive scan, with November showing a halting of improvement and December and January documenting the reversal of recovery. So obviously I was anxious and wanted them as soon as possible. Hearing reports of "non-essential" treatments being canceled, my Penn oncologist and I decided to try to move my scans up. After many phone calls and the efforts and good will of a number of doctors and hospital staff I was able to get them on the 23rd in Princeton (avoiding both the drive into Philly and the potential for exposure there). I'm glad we did because I learned yesterday that the treatment has been working fine; not great, but well enough that a) some tumors got somewhat smaller, b) no tumors got bigger, and c) no new metastatic sites were observed. Clinically, that's ruled as "stable disease" b/c in order for it to be a "partial response" you have to have your cancer go down by at least 30%. But reversing the trend of growth is still a win, and perhaps more time will see more results. And crucially, I do not have to investigate a new treatment option or try to change in the midst of what is soon to be the crest of the pandemic wave of cases. It's only relatively lucky, but I will take it! I have also seen reports in the cancer community about people having their chemo canceled as non-essential, which was shocking to me. I wrote last year about feeling like cancer should always be a "red ball" case that gets rocketed up the chain for testing, insurance approval, etc. and being shocked that it just wasn't. I understand that in some cases where a cancer patient is immunosuppressed, even attending a treatment at a hospital may pose greater risk than delaying it because the risk of infection is such a threat. But that is an extraordinary statement to make, amidst a daily barrage of extraordinary statements. Not all the stories were that clear-cut, though, so I was glad to hear from my doctor that as a stage 4 patient my scheduled treatments will not be bumped. I cannot have any visitors (and it's a pretty rough thing to do alone), but I can and will get through this. We all will. Because we all have in us more than we know. *** Shortly after my beloved grandma died (suddenly, from complications during surgery) my dad told me that one of the last things she said to him was that she would be ok because, "I'm a warrior." And she was. From a tiny place in the woods of east Texas, as a teenager she ran her family's store during the Great Depression and cared for a mess of brothers. When my daddy was eight years old, she and my grandfather picked up and moved away from a community where they knew everyone and had for generations to Dallas--an unfamiliar big city--because his younger brother had been born deaf and they wanted to send him to a special school. She founded and ran her own school, an income she supplemented with other jobs while my granddaddy was away walking pipeline for an oil company. When I knew her, late in her life, she had lost her sight but continued devouring books on tape and listening to the clues on "Jeopardy!". I was the first and only grandbaby and I was adored (not to say spoiled). The only times she actually saw me, before she was blind, I was just a few months old, chewing clean laundry in the basket in which someone had deposited me. As I grew up, she would feel my face, my hair, my ever-increasing height (and joke each time that "I'm going to have to saw your legs off!"). She would listen to my voice on Sunday phone calls; do crossword puzzles with me, as I read clues while lounging on her velour sofa; offer a "piece of Hershey" or a stick of spearmint gum from the same blue tin on the table in which she kept her cigarettes. She could still piece quilts by feel, even though she couldn't see the fabric, and advised me on the 1ft patchwork square I made for my doll's bed. She was weakened, exhausted, blind, and often in pain (which she tactfully never mentioned with me around). Except when she changed to a polyester pantsuit for visiting the doctor, she wore carpet slippers and housedress with a pack of Marlboros in the pocket that she lit from a gas burner, leaning on her walker by an ancient stove. No one knew quite how old she was when she died--our best guess is eighty-three--because she was also the kind of Southern lady who told no one her real age. She was a warrior in that, despite all that had happened in her life and all that was happening to her body, she kept on going. She endured.

When I search for inspiration to continue with treatments that make me feel worse than the disease, to fight so hard to save a body that's betraying me, to stay in an increasingly terrifying world that's betraying all of us, I think of her last words. I'm a warrior. I will endure. Believe it or not, you are also and you will too. In our struggles to continue with our lives in the face of monumental uncertainty and paralyzing anxiety, our greatest achievement is to keep on going. We fight (each of us different things) so that we may endure. It is not pleasant. It will reduce you to tears. You will exhaust all your emotional resources. But you will triumph. I have been fighting, existing in crisis mode, for 14 months and that is how I know that you can do it. You must grieve (and allow yourself time for it) for what you have lost, including a sense of safety or normalcy. But as you press on, you will find that inner strength or resiliency. I'm sorry that this is being demanded of you. It is not fair. But that will not change it. You may grieve, cry, fight, and struggle but, ultimately, you will accept that your way forward, your treatment, is to endure. I've reflected a lot on social media about how living with stage 4 cancer accidentally prepared me for the experience of the pandemic. I wrote a coda to an essay that will be published--likely this May--about the "Body as Data." Since the coda itself will probably change by then, the situating evolving as rapidly as it is, I thought I would share it here. Thank you for being with me and providing that community that has been the saving grace of treatment. Love, Bex *** As of writing this essay, it’s been 14 months since my diagnosis. I have tried three different treatments, two of which were clinical trials, one of which I am still enrolled in. It is approaching my thirty-sixth birthday [it's actually today - March 29th] and everyone is sheltering in place because of the coronavirus. I have lived more than a year now tolerating the same kind of existential uncertainty and fear of an alien invader in the body that the world as a whole is now experiencing. I have played my own doctor, watching my body for signs that a treatment is working, or that it is not, in much the same way. I have tried to anticipate what will happen if I become immunocompromised (as I currently am not, but am at risk for) and given up many of the pleasures that made my life better before (traveling, going out with friends) in the name of my health. I have offered my body up as data to research scientists with the goal of furthering not just my own treatment but the survival prospects of future patients. I did not know that throughout this year I was in training for a time when we would all of necessity be regarded as bodies with the potential to produce valuable data about the spread and effects of COVID-19. We are starved for numbers, for data on infections and recoveries and for statistical models that may relieve us of the uncertainty we feel about the future. I cannot provide that. But I can tell you to be cautious readers of data and statistics that speak with any pretense to authority right now, even though I crave them too. Cancer is invisible and so are viruses. This particular virus can inhabit the body but produce no symptom and live for days on surfaces. It may be in us. It may be in those we love. We are in the middle of the data. We are the data. Susan Sontag wrote in Illness as Metaphor that “Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we all prefer to use only the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place” (3). A pandemic transcends borders but does not do away with the kingdom of the sick. As someone already resident, I can say to you: welcome. The hardest thing about being here is the grief for what we have lost, including a sense of normalcy. The best thing, though, is what we may find: community in a time of crisis.

[obscure-sentimentalist]

“You can stop pretending to be tough now. It’s just me.” - Merlyn Boys, any au you feel like it :) they are all amazing! And this prompt list is like 90% Merlyn Boys material hahaha it was really hard to pick just one.

From this prompt list

(Thank you, anon! Not sure if you’re the same anon who’s submitted a few other prompts previously, or if there are a few of you: either way, I appreciate your enjoyment of these boys!!!)

From a new AU, whose creation can be credited to @absentlyabbie after talking about some variations on this theme. We’ll see how this first outing goes.

“You can stop pretending to be tough now. It’s just me.”

Connor fights the And that’s why I need to be tough that instinctively wants to rise up and instead blows out an exaggerated breath, unfolding his arms from what was apparently a very “tough-guy” stance.

Given the meeting out of which he’d just walked (and then had to wait an additional ten minutes for Tommy to get free from), it would make sense.

“Well, that went… swimmingly,” he quips, but seeing as he’s not the twin who’s so blessed in that department, the comment takes off like a limply-thrown paper plane that dips into an immediate nosedive.

Tommy claps a supportive hand on his back before reaching over to smack the Down arrow. “I think it went as well as it could have gone, given the circumstances,” he counters. “I mean, we figured it wasn’t going to be a warm welcome, because it’s Dad, but we’ve ensured that Mom’s clinic is going to stay in family hands.”

Connor manages to crack a smile at that—it was a pretty big win, and Malcolm’s face upon finding out that Tommy was not only refusing to sign off on his portion of the clinic, but had unearthed his presumed-dead-at-birth twin brother to outvote their father on the sale made for satisfying icing on the cake.

There are going to be many more challenges to come—crucial, life-altering ones—but at the very least, Connor can give his brother this.

Tommy fully understands what an incredible gift it is, as his expression goes from calmly pleased to igniting with the brightest, face-splitting grin imaginable. “Thank you,” he finally says, turning to clutch at Connor’s shoulders with both hands before pulling him in for an appreciative hug. “You know, I didn’t want to drag you into all of this…”

Connor shakes his head, tightening his hold on his brother in reassurance. “I offered to help. It was the very least I could do.”

Tommy pulls back a bit, joy starting to bleed out of his face as something else settles in. “Still…”

The elevator doors clank open without fanfare, bringing the hug to an end in order to board. Connor steps in first, slapping the Lobby button before settling in the back-right corner; while Tommy lags behind, his movements lead-heavy as if his body’s reacting to a realization that’s slowly coming to him.

By the time the doors have closed, it’s clear he’s reached it, and the celebratory times get yanked under by reality.

“We just told Dad,” Tommy says, voice pitching high in panic at the end as the weight of that revelation starts to sink in. “We just told Dad, and we told him in regards to an actual business matter. That means he’s going to have to go back to whatever buyer he had lined up and say, ‘Sorry, no can do, my son pulled his secret brother out of a hat and they ganged up on me, and, in an uncharacteristic move, I caved.’ There is no way that’s not going to get attention.”

“I agree.” Connor calmly folds his arms across his chest and leans against the back wall.

“You— you agree?” Tommy stammers, a loss for words as a cocktail of incredulity and irritation fizzes to the surface. “That’s all you have to say?”

That should set off alarm bells for Connor, get him to scramble to explain himself, to appease Tommy with a bit of anxiety and second-guessing. It’s what he would have done if he’d found himself in this situation years earlier, and his brother still expects to see that reaction. But this is one mask Connor is much too tired to pull up.

And so, he just nods.

Tommy lets out some sort of strangled, frustrated noise, before throwing the emergency stop switch.

Connor raises an eyebrow, giving his brother a Look.

Not that Tommy sees it, keeping his back turned to Connor as he runs a hand through his hair and makes as if he wants to pace. The indecision doesn’t last, though, and he turns to Connor, hand dropping limply to his side. “I just… Connie, what the hell is going on with you?”

Connor straightens at that, finally understanding what a bad move he’s made. He’d pinned too much on Tommy still being ecstatic over getting the clinic back (and, admittedly, his at-times less-than-stellar attention to detail), hoping that would be enough of a distraction to drop the matter with a shake of the head and mild annoyance. This is getting them into dangerous territory.

“First you—not that I’m mad, but without telling me—pack yourself up and move from Gotham to Starling,” Tommy notes, ticking it off on his finger. “Related to that, you drop your surgical residency with less than a year and a half to go, making no moves to transfer and pick it back up, and this doesn’t faze you at all?”

Connor opens his mouth and makes a hand motion with the intent of correcting his brother (quitting his residency at Gotham Memorial does, actually, mean something to him, and it was a difficult decision to make), but Tommy steamrolls over that attempt.

“And now, the grand pooh-bah of them all: after all this time of us deciding not to tell Dad or go public with ‘Surprise, it’s Twins!’ you throw it out the window, and are in no way concerned that you just nuked your anonymity?” Chest heaving, Tommy lets his shoulders drop and stares back at Connor almost helplessly. “I swear, I understand you even less than I do Oliver, these days.”

Oh, that’s a cutting remark, even if Tommy doesn’t fully realize it.

Connor sags against the wall, feeling physically backed into a corner as well as verbally. He brings a hand up to scrub the lower half of his face in thought, the short hairs of his scruff tickling his palm in a distantly familiar way. There’s no easy way out of this one, and as much as Connor is always up for a challenge, neither of the angles he’s currently entertaining seem like they’ll end well.

Option #1: Brush it off. Call it a delayed quarter-life crisis, a bit of soul-searching, something blasé, nothing to get all up-in-arms about. Pull a page from Queen’s book and lie.

Likely result? Tommy doesn’t take that as truth for a second. Something shatters irreparably between the twins.

Option #2, though…

Even if Tommy believes him (debatable, given the nature of the truth), Connor made a promise to himself that this was a burden he’d shoulder himself. No one else—especially not Tommy—should have to live with the same extent, the same specifics, of his knowledge.

The silence is closing in, though, and the longer Connor waits, the weaker Tommy’s faith and trust in him will become. It’s time to make a choice.

In the end, he opts for a bit of both.

“It— It’s kind of embarrassing, really,” Connor starts, forcing a nervous laugh up around the lump in his throat. “But I had this dream—nightmare, actually, and on New Year’s Day at that. I… don’t really remember the details, but when I woke up, it was with this really profound sense of loss.” He trails off, gulping a shaky breath in and cautiously lifting his gaze to meet Tommy’s.

It guts Connor all over again to see how his brother’s face plummets into a look of horrified understanding.

“Maybe not my finest hour, but I panicked,” Connor continues, hunching his shoulders slightly for effect. “Dropped everything, quit my residency, started looking up places in Starling. From the few scraps that lingered of that dream after I woke up, I got the impression that I had a lot of regrets—like, I never got the smug satisfaction of watching Dad’s face melt when I came walking through the door.” He allows a small smile to tug at his lips.

It’s infectious, as Tommy’s soon grappling with his own. “Wish I’d gotten that on camera.”

“You and me both,” Connor agrees, shaking his head. After a moment, he leans it back against the wall, making a point of diverting his eyes away from his brother. “But it was stuff like that. Things I could have done but didn’t, others I would never have even thought of in the moment, and still more that if given the opportunity, I would ch-…” He chokes on the word.

That’s tripping a little too close for comfort than these half-truths are supposed to.

Thankfully, Tommy misses that fumble, and his face softens at the rest of Connor’s words. “I get it, in a weirdly overreacting way,” he admits. “We’ve lost a lot of time in our lives that we should have had as brothers, and having something like that hit… it has to mess with your head.

“But Connor,” Tommy pauses, reaching out to place a hand on Connor’s shoulder. “It was a dream, in the end. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” He winces. “So, you maybe could have waited on the big move instead of derailing your career.”

Connor groans at that and bats Tommy’s hand away. “I’ve made worse decisions, but that still wasn’t one of my best.”

“Hey, don’t start talking to me about terrible decisions,” Tommy warns as he finally turns forward again and switches the emergency stop off. As the lights come back on and they continue their descent, he shoots a grin over his shoulder. “On the bright side, though, at least that’ll dock you a few points and you’ll only beat me by a slight margin to be the favorite twin in the public’s eye. Because, you know, that’s going to be a thing now.”

Connor makes a face at that, which just makes Tommy toss his head back and laugh, eyes squeezed shut in mirth.

The distraction gives Connor the opening to let his expression fall and take a moment to fully process everything that’s just transpired.

Revealing himself to Malcolm was a risk, but the situation called for it, and frankly, it would have had to happen sooner or later. At least now Connor officially has an in, and can start doing everything in his power to make sure their father is brought down before he even tries to do the same to the city.

There’s still time—months, even—before the people of the Glades are truly in danger, but from Connor’s memory, the happier days Tommy has left are dwindling down to none. Things are going to blow up with Queen in a few weeks, by his estimate, and it won’t be much longer before Tommy pushes himself away from Laurel and into their father’s clutches, and by that point…

Well. It’s up to Connor to make sure things never get in the vicinity of that point.

Because these are the only things that matter:

Connor Rhodes woke up on New Year’s 2013 in his Gotham apartment. He went to sleep in Chicago in August 2019.

And he is going to save his brother even if it kills him.

[smileyoongle]

Deception (A Kim Namjoon Mafia AU)

Previous chapters in the master list! Sorry for the delay.... let's get it!

Summary: A damsel in distress and a lonely mafia leader. Different but not too different. The two worlds collide on a rainy night when Kim Namjoon, a renowned Mafia leader is called for an emergency and Y/N Y/L/N is on the run from her abusive father. Feelings stir and he rescues her. But one of them is a liar. And the other's life is on the line. It's only a matter of time until all secrets are out in the open.

Will love be born? Or will death conquer?

chαptєr thrєє: Lost and Found

Character Count: 10,033

Pairing: Namjoon×Reader (Appearances by the whole of BTS)

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The lies you spun when we begun, you thought would be forgot.

-Micheal Faudet

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Feeling peaceful wasn't something Namjoon was used to. It was a rare feeling considering the kind of things he had to deal with. His mind was in a constant battle between what was right and what he needed to do. A never ending self-conflict.

The news that Hana might be back was too much for Namjoon to handle. She was his best friend. They went to school together, they had picnics together, they grew up together. Both their families loved them a lot. Or at least that's what Namjoon thought. Until his father revealed that he was the heir of the Mafia, the most powerful one at that. Namjoon remembered telling hana about it. He remembered how she had smiled at him and comforted him.

"I'll stand here, no matter what. You do what you need to do."

Those were the times when he used to be at peace.

With her.

Beside her.

But one day, all of it had gone when she died. She took all of Namjoon's happiness, warmth and peace with her. The worst part was, Namjoon never saw her body so he searched for her. He searched and searched for years, eventually giving up when every clue led him to a dead end. And now here she was. 4 years later.

Placing his head on the wooden table in front of him, Namjoon sighed and closed his eyes. His head was gonna explode soon, he was positive about it. For the few minutes that he had spent looking at your sleeping form, he had forgotten about everything. It's like you were a medicine. A medicine that kept him sane and safe. The warm feeling in his chest was back and he liked it. But it was gone just as you started talking about leaving. How could he let you go? With everything that was happening, he needed to feel sane all the time. He needed to feel safe. He needed you.

And so he had answered you, a little harshly.

"You are staying here. Don't talk about going anywhere."

Namjoon winced at the realisation that he might have scared you. That was absolutely not his intention. A knock on the door startled him, making him frown. No one ever bothered him when he was in his study. Actually, he didn't even let anyone inside his study.

"Can I come in?" Your voice reached his ear through the door, slightly muffled and too soft, as if you were scared. Definitely because of Namjoon. "Come in." Namjoon replied, clearing his throat and making sure his appearance was alright. You slowly opened the door and stepped inside, glancing around the study as you pushed the door shut behind you. Namjoon watched you carefully, following your gaze in case he had left any kind of things related to his work.

"So, everything at your house is this.... pretty?" You asked, waving your hands in the air. Namjoon couldn't help but smile, surprised to see that you didn't seem so scared of him. "I'm sorry I forgot to give you a house tour." He said, his eyes falling to your clothes, more like his clothes. You had showered and changed, your hair was damp and a new t-shirt hung on your body. You looked down at your clothes and pursed your lips.

"Uh..sorry I still need to buy clothes. When I came out of the shower, these were already laid out on the bed." You stated, rubbing the back of your neck and looking down at the floor. Namjoon couldn't take his eyes off of you. He concluded that he just liked watching you and everything you did. It was his new favourite leisure activity.

"I told someone to give them to you. You look good in.....my clothes." Namjoon said, hesitating a little on mentioning his clothes. Your eyes widened slightly and you blushed, not accustomed to recieving compliments at all.

"Th-thank you." You stammered, biting your bottom lip. The elephant in the room still needed to be mentioned and you had no idea how to do that. What should you ask him?

"You don't have to go anywhere, Y/N. If that's what you're here to talk about then I think I should be honest with you." Namjoon beat you to it. He had never taken too much time to solve his problems, something people praised him for. You simply nodded and moved closer to his table, resting the palm of your hands on the cherry wood. You glanced at the chair beside you but decided against sitting on it for some reason.

Just like Namjoon thought, he felt better on seeing you. As if you had just taken away all his worries. Now all he had to do was convince you to stay.

"I wanna know everything you've ever been through." He said, resting his chin on the back of his hand. You did a double take at him, stilling all your movements, your eyes stuck on him like glue. Namjoon had hit a sensitive nerve, and he knew that. Your knees felt weak and you just couldn't stand anymore, giving up and sitting down on the chair.

"Why?" You asked, your heart pounding harder and harder. No one ever asked you this because no one cared. You were just a girl who everyone used, to fulfill their needs. Namjoon looked at you with sympathetic eyes and stood up from his plush leather chair. He slowly walked towards where you sat and kneeled down in front of you. Hesitantly, he placed his hands on yours, giving them a light squeeze. It pained him too much to see how sad you had become. He couldn't even imagine how traumatic everything had been for you. He still wished you had just let him kill your stupid excuse of a father.

"You have been through too much, Y/N. You didn't deserve that life. I wanna know so that I can....fix you." He mumbled softly, doubting his words when tears filled your eyes. But it wasn't because of him. It was because this was the first time that someone was so concerned for you. You couldn't help but think this was a game and he was gonna hurt you.

"Why would you wanna fix me? Can't you see? I can't be fixed. You don't know but I have scars that-"

"I have seen them and I really wish I could erase them, trust me." He interrupted you as your jaw dropped. When did he see anything?

You shook your head and pulled your hands away from him, your eyes darting around the room. Anywhere but him. Because you were scared you'd look into his eyes and you would stay. You just couldn't go through all the pain again.

"Y/N, I know you don't trust me but I mean you no harm. You can ask me anything you want." He said, slightly hurt when you had pulled away from his touch. Obviously you were a little too vulnerable at the moment. Maybe Namjoon should have approached this issue a bit differently. He stayed kneeling down in front of you as he saw the hesitation in your eyes.

So you had questions.

After a minute of silence, you finally gathered enough confidence to ask him whatever you wanted to ask.

"Who are you?"

Namjoon's breath hitched, not too surprised regarding your question. He was expecting this. Just not so soon. What was he to tell you? That he ran a mafia? That he was the person who everyone feared? That he killed people and he also did business with your father?

"You scared away my father. That man has never been scared of anyone in his life. You also have a gun."

Namjoon stood up and turned away from you, not wanting you to see the conflict in his eyes. There has to be something he could say. Some lie that you would believe.

"I own a company." Namjoon lied, hoping you bought it.

"A company?"

"Kim Enterprise. It's very popular and-"

"I know Kim Enterprise. I've heard a lot about it." You stated, nodding your head. It was true. Kim Enterprise was a very popular name in the whole country. It had a good reputation and did a lot of work of charities and other NGOs. That made you trust Namjoon a little more.

"What about the gun?" You asked, a little confused as to why a businessman would need such a dangerous weapon. But then again, it probably had to do something with all the rivals and threats.

"I am a businessman, Y/N. I have a lot of people who don't want me to be where I am today." Namjoon replied, surprised with how the lies were easily falling past his lips. You nodded and looked down at your feet, thinking everything through. Namjoon felt bad for having lied to you but that was the only way to make you stay. The truth was, Kim Enterprise did exist but it wasn't owned by Namjoon, it was owned by Seokjin. Along with being in the Mafia, Jin had a company which he ran in order to hide all his illegal practices. The power and money that came with being a CEO, helped the entire mafia in staying superior to others.

When Namjoon didn't hear any reply from you, he turned around to see you lost in your thoughts. You were constantly biting your lips and fiddling with your fingers, eyes trained on the floor. Namjoon walked towards you and pushed your chin up with his finger so that he could see your face.

"Please, Y/N. You won't have to worry about anything. I promise to not let anyone harm you." Namjoon promised, a desperate frown etched on his eyebrows. The sincerity in his eyes was enough to convince you. And so, the words tumbled from your lips.

"I'll stay. But please don't break me again, I am not sure I'll be able to take it."

∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆

A girl dressed in all black, pushed through the crowd, trying to get to the other side of the road. It wasn't her fault that the festival had to happen on the day that she decided to come back to Seoul, the happy chatters of the people irritating her to no extent. She wasn't annoyed because of the loud voices, she was annoyed because of the happiness evident in them.

"Jungkook, close in on her from the west. Hoseok, you take the east. I'm following close behind her." Yoongi said into the earpiece, nodding on hearing everyone's replies. Hana had returned to Seoul, saving Yoongi and the others from the trouble of going to Incheon just for an hour's interrogation. Namjoon had been a little M.I.A from the activities of the gang but it was okay. Everyone understood how bothered he must have been after finding out that Hana was alive. None of the members believed it either until they saw her with their own eyes.

Yoongi walked faster, sighing in relief when Hana started walking into an alleyway, making it easier for them to get to her. Yoongi noticed how she was constantly looking over her shoulder.

Maybe she knew that she was being followed.

Yoongi glanced at Jungkook and Hoseok, nodding at them as they came and stood by his side, all three of them looking in front of them as Hana came to a halt at the end of the alley. Their hearts were pounding loudly at the anticipation of what was to come. Slowly walking towards her, they stopped just as she turned around, their hands clutching their guns tightly.

She stayed confused, narrowing her eyes at the three men who stood opposite her until the realisation dawned on her.

"Jungkook?" She mumbled, making jungkook's breath hitch. Mostly because he finally believed that it was her. Hana was like his sister and the loss of her had been unbearable for him. After hearing her voice, he finally knew that she was alive and this news wasn't just a false assumption.

"Hana?" He asked, taking a step closer to her as Yoongi and Hoseok tensed beside him. They wanted to stop Jungkook but they couldn't. They still weren't sure if they could let their guard down but Jungkook was too overwhelmed to care about any of this. A sob erupted from Hana's mouth as she broke into a run, throwing herself into jungkook's arms.

Yoongi turned to Hoseok, only to find the younger male looking at Hana suspiciously.

"I think it's time to let Namjoon know."

Taglist: @uwunamjoon @shadowstark @addy-nerd @tzuyyyuuu @stressedinmedschool247 @ifellinluvwithdorks @min-t-posts @floofwrites @pretty-in-pink-just-because @bts-d-onut @fangirllbookworm @mystical-writer @it-is-dana @ximaginx @kpopgirlbtssvt @pearylove

Let me know what you think. Also, tell me if you wanna be added to the taglist!

[nimiumcaelo]

“Indeed, Miss?” -- Chapter 7

Chapter summary: Complications arise. Rosalyn is no longer trusted to chaperone.

Chapter 7: A Bad Day for a Wooster

“Oh, there you are, Bertie!” Miss Fotheringay-Phipps exclaimed, pushing her way through the crowd towards us. “I wondered where you’d got off to.”

“Has Bingo quite finished with that soup-strainer chap, do you think? I still want to go dancing.”

The two ladies glanced at their friend. “I couldn’t say,” said Miss Fotheringay-Phipps. “Maybe she’ll invite him to come with us?”

Miss Wooster fidgeted slightly. “Erm, not exactly the best spot for a chap of that sort, Barmy. I doubt that he’d approve of the whole atmos.”

“Oh?” Miss Fotheringay-Phipps appeared confused. “Why’s that? … – Oh! Oh. Never-mind.” She grinned sheepishly.

“Quite.” Miss Wooster folded her arms. “Well, I think I’ll just biff off over there and tell her the sitch., and then we can go and noodle over to that club.”

“Alright.”

Miss Wooster moved through the crowd, which was slightly lessened now, and leaned against the counter beside Miss Little.

I had shifted myself back a small amount, melting somewhat into the fixtures, as is proper. It appeared that this move was successful; Miss Fotheringay-Phipps seemed to forget my existence in those few moments before Miss Wooster reappeared, sans Miss Little, who, she explained, was intending to spend the remaining afternoon and evening with her newfound beau and wished us have fun whilst dancing. When Miss Wooster asked me whether I wouldn’t mind sticking around a bit longer while they “cut a mean fox-trot,” Miss Fotheringay-Phipps startled and seemed to only just remember that I was there.

“I would not mind, miss,” I said, of course. One cannot give up one’s duties, after all.

“Spiffing! Let’s beetle over there, then.” Miss Wooster smiled quickly then turned away, Miss Fotheringay-Phipps and myself following.

Our voyage was cut short, however, when none other than Mrs. Gregson blocked our path, emerging onto the sidewalk from a dress-maker’s shop.

“Bertie!” she barked, and the addressed blanched quickly.

“Oh, ah, what-ho, Aunt Agatha!”

Mrs. Gregson shot a venomous glare at Miss Fotheringay-Phipps, who was staring wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before her.

“I trust,” Mrs. Gregson spat out, “that you are not planning on participating in any untoward activities, my dear imbecilic neice?”

Miss Wooster cast a helpless look at Miss Fotheringay-Phipps. “No, no, not at all! We were just – just – about to go…uh –” She faltered.

“Miss Wooster,” I supplied, “and Miss Fotheringay-Phipps were intending to purchase hats, madam.”

Miss Wooster seemed to sway where she stood. “Yes! Hats!” she cried, relieved. “I saw the most corking specimen in a shop window the other day and I simply had to show Barmy before it was snatched up.”

Mrs. Gregson’s face remained stony. “Is it customary for you to purchase hats whilst dressed like a member of the chorus-line?”

“Oh, ah, eh? This old thing? I was just – just trying it on, see.”

“Trying it on?”

“They are modeling, madam,” I put in quickly. “For a dress-shop. The owner wished to increase the sales of certain items. Miss Wooster and Miss Fotheringay-Phipps agreed to wear said items in public in return for discounts on their next purchases.”

Mrs. Gregson turned her sharp gaze onto me. “Is that so, Rosalyn?”

“Yes, madam.”

“And you were with them while they conducted this – deal?”

“Yes, madam.”

“Then I am very disappointed in you, Rosalyn. I trusted you to keep my neice from bandying her name and you have allowed her to recklessly display herself about town in such a way. I am afraid,” she added, turning to Miss Wooster, “that you are no longer allowed to be chaperoned by Rosalyn. Now, I want you to head back to your flat and put on something decent. I will be arriving shortly after you, so don’t delay.”

“Yes, Aunt Agatha,” Miss Wooster mumbled, drooping.

Mrs. Gregson then bustled past us down the street.

Miss Fotheringay-Phipps pulled nervously at her fingers. “Terribly sorry about that, old thing. I guess the dancing’ll have to wait, eh?”

Miss Wooster sighed. “Yes, I suppose. Can’t be helped, though – Aunt Agatha’s a tyrant. Sorry you had to witness that.”

“It’s alright. My Aunt gets like that sometimes, too. I say, I should probably push off. I don’t want you to get into more trouble.”

Miss Wooster smiled weakly at her friend. “Thanks ever so much, Barmy. I’ll see you around, sometime?”

“Of course,” Miss Fotheringay-Phipps assured, then struck off down the pavement.

Once we were alone, Miss Wooster turned on me sharply. “Rosalyn you ass!” she hissed. “What did you mean by telling my Aunt we were modeling? Now she thinks I’m some sort of tart who goes around selling herself for ribbons!”

I looked around, making sure our disagreement was not being viewed by all and sundry. “I had intended, miss,” I said icily, “to dissuade Mrs. Gregson from the idea that you actually owned such garments, an idea which she would have found much less favourable than the one she is possessed of now. I apologize if I have done anything to upset you.”

“You bally well have!” Miss Wooster grumbled. She turned then and headed back up the street, her long legs carrying her swiftly. “I can’t believe you sometimes!”

We walked in silence for the remainder of the journey. When we arrived back at the flat, Miss Wooster shut herself in her bedroom and informed me that she had no need of my assistance currently and asked if I would please be so kind as to remain out of her sight for the foreseeable future? I retreated to the kitchen, fuming quietly.

Mrs. Gregson arrived minutes after Miss Wooster and myself. I helped her out of her light summer-coat and hat, then began preparing tea. I heard Mrs. Gregson knocking repeatedly on Miss Wooster’s door.

“Bertie, come out of there! This is no time for sulking. I need to discuss things with you so you know what it is you’re allowed to do.”

Miss Wooster remained silent.

I served Mrs. Gregson her tea, and the action seemed to make her momentarily forget her anger at me. A watery sigh emanating from Miss Wooster’s bedroom, however, made her set her teacup down with a clack and call to me.

“Yes, madam?”

“Rosalyn, I wish to have a word with you.”

I felt my heart sink within my breast. “Indeed, madam? May I be of any assistance?”

“You’ve been of enough assistance recently, Rosalyn. Sit down. I don’t want you looming over me like that. Now, I need you to understand that you have been placed in a position of responsibility regarding Miss Wooster. It is you who are supposed to protect her when she is away from her family and it is you who are supposed to help her to maintain a respectable name for herself so that she does not –“ Mrs. Gregson faltered, voice choking up. “So that she does not ruin her chances at a happy future for herself. I need you to understand this, Rosalyn.”

“Yes, madam.”

Mrs. Gregson sighed and spoke quietly. “I worry about her, constantly. She does not know what is good for her. I know you care for her, as well – you needn’t be ashamed of the fact – so I know you can understand my position. I simply cannot have her destroying her life, especially so unwittingly. You know what is proper for a young lady, Rosalyn. Miss Wooster needs you to be her guide in this. She needs you to help her – I need you to help her. Dahlia and I, we’ve put together a list of suitors for Bertie. She’s not going to like it, but I need you to help her through this. Marriage is a wonderful thing, even if she doesn’t understand that, yet. In the next few days I’m going to start introducing Bertie to these young men, but I need her to act becomingly. I know that you can make her sympathetic to this endeavor. Can I trust you to help us – to help Miss Wooster?”

I looked at Mrs. Gregson. Her face was ever so sincere.

“Yes, madam,” I said. “I will help Miss Wooster.”

[thewritewolf]

Rekindle Chapter 22: Sick

Adrien takes care of Marinette while she is sick with a mysterious illness. 

Sorry for the long delay. I promise I’m back into the swing of things! ;-;

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30  31

@marichatmay

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

The door squeaked as Adrien opened it and a spear of light pierced the warm darkness of their bedroom. He winced at the noise, but Marinette remained still save for the rise and fall of her chest as she lay sprawled across the bed. The call had been made, even if he had to do a bad accent to appease his paranoid mind. Her work was now aware that Marinette was sick and couldn’t make it into work today. Someone else would have to do their dirty work for the day.

He froze halfway towards her, realizing that she was mumbling in her sleep. Craning his head towards her, he strained to make out what she was saying. There was something about magic and sorcerers and monsters. Was she having a nightmare?

The bed sunk as Adrien sat on the edge. He put his hand against Marinette’s forehead, growing more concerned as he realized just how warm she was. Despite this, she smiled blearily at the contact, eyes fluttering open.

“Hey, hot stuff.” She mumbled. “You come here a lot?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked around their shared bedroom. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” The quick smile died on his lips as he saw the sweat on her brow and how difficult it was for her to keep her eyes open. “How’re you feeling, Bug?”

“Not great. Tired. Hot,” she admitted with a cough. But then the bleary smile was back. “On the bright side, at least I have my boyfriend to nurse me back to health.” She weakly squeezed his hand and he idly ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

“At least there’s that…” He carefully stood up, making sure not to disturb her as he rose from where he had been sitting on the side of the bed. “Are you feeling up for some soup?”

“Yay! Soup!”

He shook his head with a smile and closed the door behind him. In the kitchen, the kwami were arguing on the countertop.

“Are you sure, Stinky Sock? You might have missed them if you saw a dustball that looked like a piece of cheese while you were in there.”

“Hey!” Plagg pointed his paw indignantly at Tikki, glaring. “That happened once and it was an honest mistake!” He crossed his paws over his chest. “If you’re so sure I missed them, then go ahead and check for yourself.”

“Maybe I will!” Tikki huffed and phased through the wall.

“What was all that about?” Adrien asked when he was alone with his kwami.

“Pigtails didn’t stock up on medicine. We’re out, so your girlfriend will have to tough it out this time.” Though Plagg said it matter-of-factly, his tail was flicking back and forth in irritation and he was frowning into space.

Adrien sucked in a breath. Tikki emerged from the wall with a pout, watching Adrien. “It looks like cheese boy over there is right.” She sighed. “Do you think you two could go get some medicine? Maybe some comfort foods too while you’re at it. Marinette doesn’t get sick a lot, but it tends to linger when she does.”

He exchanged a look with Plagg, who rolled his eyes. “Sure,” he said with a nod. “I’ll head out after I’ve made the soup.”

“I’ll keep an eye on Marinette.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow at that. “Are you going to be okay watching her by yourself?”

“I’ve done it before.” At his shocked look, she shrugged. “It’s been a while since she’s had another human on hand to take care of her. I pick up the slack when I can, but I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re in her life now.”

“Thanks, Tikki,” he smiled at the red kwami, gently petting her head with his finger. “That means a lot to me.”

She giggled. “Don’t worry about it.” She quickly turned serious again as she glanced worriedly toward the bedroom. “Just hurry back, okay? I don’t like the idea of leaving her alone when she’s like this.”

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

The soup didn’t take much longer to finish and within the hour he was transformed and leaping across Paris as the hero Chat Noir.

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

It had become almost routine for him at this point. Pull out cash from an ATM, then pay for whatever their household needed as Chat Noir. Sure, it had flaws, mostly in how other people reacted to seeing a superhero walking through the aisles of a supermarket or drugstore, but he usually got around that by going to the stores at night.

That option sadly wasn’t available to him today. At least, it wasn’t if he wanted to be quick and get Marinette some medicinal help for her fever. He braced himself to interact with a lot of people and wasn’t disappointed in that regard. Thankfully, most people were content to just take pictures of him shopping. Probably because they were bemused at the weirdly domestic sight of him shopping for ice cream, cold packs, and ibuprofen.

While he was being rung up at the checkout lane, the cashier raised an eyebrow. “Rough morning?”

“You could say that,” Adrien replied with a sigh.

“You know, I’m sure the hospital has plenty of this stuff if you’re that worried about her.” He scowled. “Although, it serves her right, if you ask me.”

Surprised, Adrien asked, “Who’s at the hospital?”

“What, you haven’t heard? It was all over the news this morning.”

Adrien winced. After their date last night, his entire world consisted of their apartment until he left late this morning. What could have possibly happened in that small time frame?

“Nathalie Sancoeur turned herself in at a hospital. Apparently, she got really sick, the docs don’t know what it is, and she’s under police supervision until she is fit enough to stand trial.”

It felt at once like a punch to the gut and as if a heavy load had been lifted off his shoulders. The feeling of betrayal had faded, but that scar was still fresh. But she was the last figure from his childhood still around - the last remnant of his family since Gabriel’s trial was just a formality before he’d get locked away for life. Still, the peacock miraculous was in grasp - assuming the police hadn’t taken it.

His eyes widened with sudden realization and he nearly dropped his bags in shock. It couldn’t be a coincidence that Marinette got sick at the same time, right? Did something happen that got them both sick?

While paying for the groceries, Adrien asked, “Can you tell me which hospital she is at?”

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

“...And that’s all I know so far.” Adrien glanced between his council of two kwami, who were sharing meaningful looks of their own with each other. “Well? Is my gut right, or is this just a coincidence?”

“Well,” Tikki began hesitantly, “If something had happened to the peacock miraculous, then it could have rippled out and affected Marinette.”

“But why? Wouldn’t it only have affected Nathalie?”

“All the miraculous are connected, Adrien. They form a balance between one another - perhaps not as potent as the balance between me and Plagg, but still.”

He rubbed his eyes. He was struggling not to panic, but it was getting harder the deeper he got into things beyond his knowledge. “Okay… But why didn’t it affect me then?”

“Nooroo and Dusuu’s powers were centered around creating things - whether it be super powers or monsters. That tied them closer to me. And if something did happen to further damage the Peacock miraculous, then that would just fed into Plagg’s powers of destruction.”

“Aren’t you lucky, kid.” Plagg sat on Adrien’s shoulder. “We should probably check in on old Nathalie. If nothing else, we need to fix the Peacock miraculous.”

“Will that make Marinette feel better?” Adrien glanced hopefully between the two.

Tikki gave him a reassuring smile. “Marinette will feel better either way. This is just a backwash of energy making her sick. She’ll be fine in a couple days, especially now that I know what the problem is.”

“Nathalie, on the other hand…” Plagg grimaced. “The faster we rescue Dusuu the better her odds are of recovering.”

Adrien looked longingly toward their bedroom door. Tikki seemed to pick up on this and reassured him, “Don’t worry, I can take care of her for a little while longer. Hurry back, but remember to drop off the Peacock miraculous with Master Fu!”

“Right,” Adrien nodded. “Plagg, claws out!”

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

It was midafternoon by the time Chat Noir finally stood before Nathalie once again. The warnings that the kwami had giving him about misuse of the miraculous were confirmed as he saw how pale and weak she looked. Despite being only skin and bones, she was still handcuffed to the hospital bed.

Adrien nodded to the pair of police officers. “Gentlemen. Can you give us a moment?”

One of them seemed about to protest, but he was elbowed by the other. “Of course, Chat Noir. We’ll be just outside if you need us.”

Once he heard the door shut behind them, he turned his attention back to Nathalie. She hadn’t spoken since he entered, but her eyes had never left him. Was it anger or regret he saw there? He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her.

“Adrien.” There was no hint of a question or accusation in her voice. Just a statement of fact. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised.

He knew he should ask for the miraculous. It would be the smart thing to do. Even knowing that, he couldn’t help but repeat the question he had asked her during their last confrontation. “Why would you side with him?”

Her lips curled up in distaste. “He promised that he could bring back someone I cared about. It doesn’t matter now. None of this does.”

To his shame, he had no idea who she could be talking about. Despite how much she micromanaged his life, he knew next to nothing about hers. But she was right - it was too late for that now.

“You can at least try to make things right.”

“No, I don’t think I can.” She reached into her pocket, and Adrien tensed up, expecting her to vanish once again. Instead, she pulled out her hand and Adrien reach out with his. She dropped a long sliver of a teal crystal in his palm.

“What… what is this?”

“That,” she said, pointing towards the crystal, “is a fragment of the Peacock miraculous.”

[lemonjoonah]

Under Fire - Pt 6

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Title: Under Fire Word Count: 4K+ Rating: M Genre: Gang AU, Drama Warnings: Violence, Discussion of Depression   Pairings: Hyung Line x Reader (Primarily Namjoon x Reader), very slight OT7 x Reader.   Pairings (in this chapter): Namjoon x Reader, Jin x Reader 

Summary: As a child you lived among the most wealthy and powerful, after the death of your mother you were shipped off to stay with her sister. Even after finishing your education you continue to live apart from the elite, but a visit home creates an unexpected disaster. You are suddenly roped into a darker world, and who better to be your guide than the infamous gang known as BTS.

A/N: You finally get some answers you may have been looking for. There’s a lot of heavy backstory in this chapter so be prepared. 

Chapter 6 - Inherent Duality

POV (Y/N)

“I honestly don’t know where to fucking start.” Your rage is barely contained behind your words.

“Allow me.” V offers. “What the hell was that JK?! Do you not know a screenshot when you see one? (Y/N) knew something was off and she couldn’t even see the footage.”

“I’m sorry V I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Wasn’t expecting it?! If they had any intention of killing us, we would be dead right now.”

You are still ruminating over what to ask first as V exhausts himself from yelling. Would they even give you a truthful answer to your questions? Did your mother really die at the hands of a gang? They keep sending you nervous glances, expecting you to go off on them at any moment. You hold your tongue, making them suffer in apprehension.  

“(Y/N), we were...” Jimin looks as if he’s about to repeat his earlier sentiment.

“Save it, you had your chance. Unless you are going to explain it all to me now, save your apologies. I don’t want them.” You answer coldly.

No one speaks up.

When you reach the apartment, you jump out of the car the second it stops. JK appears in the doorway blocking your path in. “Is RM back yet?” You ask shortly.

JK shakes his head.

“I want to know the second he comes in the door.”  

You take the earpiece out, placing it in JK’s hand as you brush past him. Jimin makes an attempt to follow you but V places a hand on his shoulder. You hurry up to your room locking the door behind you. There’s a laptop on the desk, you assume for your own use. Taking it over to the bed you bury yourself beneath the covers. You log on to your server, from an offsite route. Authorizing your access with the thumbprint on your phone.

Info regarding the police records for Seoul would be difficult to obtain, your own connection didn’t reach that far. JK’s server suddenly becomes visible on your computer. Gaining access should be more difficult, he must be granting you passage. Luckily for you he has back ups of all of the police files in Seoul.

You narrow the date range and area. Finding only a small initial report on the accident, no additional findings, no follow up investigation, nothing. You widen the parameters, but the results are still dry. You are almost ready to give up when a message pops up with an attachment.

JK- RM just sent me this. He’s not back yet, but he said you might find it informative...

You click the icon hands shaking. The full investigation unravels before you under the label of homicide. It was true then, someone had taken her from you, someone had intentionally caused your family’s suffering.

You continue to read the file, your former and current name appears.

...Park (Y/N) has been placed under the care of (L/N) Miran, her mother’s sister.  She will be serving as her guardian, as it is believed that she might be targeted in the future. All official records such as birth, medical, and school records have been redacted and placed under the trust of their legal representation.  Mr. Park as been an asset in paying for the removal of any media articles and pictures of Park (Y/N).  In addition Park will no longer reference his daughter in public and any visits between the two will take place in a location outside of Korea...

No wonder no one knew about you, even the police files had been redacted to protect your identity.  You had always thought that your father kept his distance because he missed your mother, that being around you was too painful. You had not expected that he was just trying to hide you. But why? Why would they threaten your father with the lives of his family? It is clear that the police had never found the responsible party.

Instead they must have felt it was best to leave you in Busan with your Aunt. She was somewhat estranged from your mother’s family, not even go to your parents wedding. Leaving her to be the perfect guardian for your special case, a secluded blood relative. She had died of cancer two years ago. You remember her funeral well, just you and a few of her work colleges. You were furious at your father for not attending, but now you understood why. Even after Aunt Miran’s death you father never brought you home, electing to take you on trips outside of the country.

You were and still are surrounded by people who had lied to protect you. You couldn’t handle it anymore. Secrets weren’t a form of safety, but a prison. When would people understand that?

You spend several hours looking through files for similar cases, aiming to find any clue as to who was responsible. You groan in despair from your fruitless search and the agony of your shoulder.

Information about your mother is your priority, but what Suho had said about Jin still lingers at the back of your mind. You are continuing your search through the server when you spot a list of files for each member. You click on Jin’s but all that comes up is a window demanding a password.  Another messenger window opens.

JK- I can’t give you access to that. I’m sorry.

(Y/N)- Why not?

JK- That’s Jin’s private file. Information is a two way street, talk to him and he’ll talk to you... Speaking of which let me on your server, you’ve looked through mine for hours.

An access authorization request comes up on your phone, you deny it.

(Y/N)- I need to clean it up first, get rid of a few personal things.

JK- PLEASE! I’ll be careful.

(Y/N)- Be patient or someone might tell Jin that you have a stash of pirated porn on the server.

JK- ...Take all the time you need...

You hear whispers outside of you door. In this world you are so fragile everyone thinks it best to  handle you with pair of gloves and speak in hushed tones. To be fair they are somewhat right, you didn’t know how to deal with the constant threats. You had almost put V in the same position your father was in two days before. He died because you were there, Namjoon’s words cut deeply then, but now they are even more painful.

Before learning of your existence they thought that a chunk of the fortune would make its way to Namjoon, maybe that would be for the best.  You finally emerge from the covers of the bed and open the door surprising both V and Jimin who are responsible for the whispering.

“Is he back yet?”

Jimin nods his head, “In his room on the other side of the living room.”.

V just points in that direction remaining silent. You can’t help but notice bruises coming to the surface of his skin. Wounds that he had received trying to keep you from harm.

Knocking on his door you are greeted with an, “Enter”.

Surprise showed in his eyes when he saw that it was you coming into the room.  “(Y/N)? Hope called me and told me what happened. Are you okay?”

“I was blindsided by EXO and your asking me if I’m okay?! I shouldn’t have to learn the truth from them Namjoon! You just showed them that you don’t trust me, that you have no faith in me. How do you think that makes your team look?”

“I told you last night I wanted to wait for that document. Would you have believed me if you hadn’t read it yourself? Your father went to such an extent the truth was far from rational.”

That left you with another question, “Then how did EXO know about this?”

“It was their founder who organized her accident.”

You wait for more, but he doesn’t continue. “After what happened today I feel like it would be best if I left, not to Busan, somewhere outside of Korea. Everyone here is walking on eggshells around me and V almost...” You start a new thought not wanting to continue. “I will be opening an account in your name and transferring some of my assets, you’ll never have to worry about money.”

“It was never about the money, we took you in because you were important to Park, important to our mission. And yes everyone is nervous around you because they feel like they have failed you. We weren’t able to protect your father and now we are struggling to keep our promise.”

“You are going to have to give me more than that if you want me to stay.  I still don’t understand why did he formed BTS.”

You are interrupted by a short knock on the door, Jin enters.

“That is my fault, I asked them not to say anything. I wasn’t ready to tell you but it appears I can’t put it off any longer.” Jin sighs in defeat. “But first let me check your shoulder. V said that you might have hit it?”

“It’s fine really, I just glanced the wall.” You are eager for answers, and don’t want him to delay any longer.

He looks at you skeptically, unbuttoning the first few buttons on your blouse to get a good look. “You’re bleeding through your bandage why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t notice,” You lie.

“Aishh you haven’t changed , you need to look after yourself more. There is a small tear nothing too bad. He brought bandages with him and changes it quickly before uttering another word. He sits down beside you but looks to the floor as he speaks.

“How much do you remember of your fathers work in politics?”

“Not much, just that he stepped down from his assembly seat when my mother passed.”

Jin takes a deep breath and starts off slowly.

“20 years ago my father, CEO Kim, was heavily invested in the stock market. He was reckless, throwing money at any stock that he believed to have “inside intel” on. He told his shareholders that he was investing in other companies that would benefit them. Instead of using the company funds to expand and update he continued to invest in the market. Profits crashed shareholders pulled out. The company that had been in my family for generations was about to go bankrupt.”

A pained expression on his face grows as the words continue to fall from his mouth.

“He reached out to the government asking for a bail out. Stating that a large number of the people still relied on the company for their medical equipment, and if they went under it would be devastating. The Assembly was actually considering it. My father thought that he would have Park’s vote easily after all they had been friends for a long time, but he was strongly against the idea. He rightfully believed that my father had been irresponsible and should sell the company.”

“My father refused explaining that he would rather watch his company go bankrupt then see it in the hands of another. He was shocked at your father’s “betrayal”. A few days before the vote your mother was in the a car accident that took her life.”

You could tell where this story was going but you didn’t want to believe it. To think a family friend, and Jin’s father, could sink so low.  Jin glances up at you sadly for a moment, before returning to his explanation.

“Park was in mourning, but he was certain that the motion would fail even without his vote so he abstained. The motion passed, but just barely.  With Park out, Kim only had to threaten a few delegates to sway the vote in his favour. There were a few restrictions placed on him. He was no longer able to access company profits and his share percentage would be reduced to 40, but those were limitations he could live with as he was still the majority shareholder.”

“The police had found new information that lead to the understanding that your mother’s accident was a planned attack, but with no evidence to show the responsible party, it was kept quiet. You were sent off within hours after the discovery. Park knew who the culprit was, but couldn’t prove it beyond reasonable doubt.”

“My father turned to other sources of income to help supplement his foolhardy investments. He founded the gang EXO which he supplies with products from his company. Often using them to intimidate lawmakers when necessary.”

You could feel your anger rising inside of you. He had killed your mother, and played a role in the death of your father. Yet Kim still continues to live his life in luxury.

“Five years ago while in school I discovered my father’s darker dealings. I had walked in on a meeting with him and several notoriously known gang members. I pretended not to be phased, only so I could further research his dealings with them. Each threat, every accident I came across was disturbing, but finding out what he had had to done to your family was the final straw.  I left my home and came to Park on my knees begging for forgiveness for my ignorance. Your father took me in and supported me ever since that day.”

“Jin...”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Even though I no longer consider him to be my father I still feel partially responsible for his acts. Your life was torn apart because of him...”

“You are not accountable for your father‘s crimes Jin.”  

Namjoon begins to explain further, “Park brought us together purely for revenge. Realizing that Kim was to powerful to take down alone. With all the money we could ever need we had no reason to push drugs like the the other gangs. Making our police record virtually non existent. That doesn’t make us any more innocent than the rest of them though. We focus on taking from others that are connected to Kim, but even that becomes problematic. With us working behind the scenes, Park worked to discredit him in public eye.”

There was nothing you want more than to see that man fall. Needing to take everything from him the way he had taken it from you. There is no way you are leaving now. “I’m in.”

“What?” RM asks in disbelief, he quickly rephrases. ”I’m not saying no, I just want to make sure you are certain of your decision.”

“You asked me before if I wanted to join, I can be a patron, banker I don’t care. There is nothing left for me to lose, but my chance at revenge. You are not taking this man down without me.”

“You would be willing to become more than a patron, to work alongside us?”

“Yes,” Your confirmation comes out unwavering.

Jin looks at you perplexed. You can tell he no longer recognizes the girl before him, how could he when you could barely comprehend your own actions.

JK comes bursting in the door looking completely bewildered stuttering random words... Fire... Busan... He grabs your arm to follow him to the living room. The news coverage is on, but also his own camera footage was pulled up on the laptop.  You watch the bookstore you called home go up in flames. “This can’t be an accident. How long ago did it start?”

“A few minutes ago, it caught quickly.”

You run to your room yelling, “JK I need memory space find me the largest empty hard drive you have.”  I grabbed the laptop and head back to the living room. JK calls out from the room next to Namjoon’s. Jin had a questioning look on his face, “What’s wro...”

“No time to explain.” You shout running past him.

JK caught on quickly having everything set up once I reached his room. You plug in accessing your server and begin the transfer. “Come on, come on.” A window popped up with an estimated completion time of 2 hours and 45 minutes.

“Let’s hope it’s fast enough,” JK notes.

You sit down placing your head in your hands. The other members join you, curious looks on their faces.

“With them destroying my place of work it is only a matter time before they appear at my home too. I’m downloading my server in case they damage my system.”

Namjoon places a finger on his lips in thought. “JK pull up the cameras I posted in the area.”

JK looks at him hesitantly for a moment before muttering, “You must have a death wish.” He pulls up another camera shot.

“Why the hell is my living room on the screen?!” You shout.

“This is the first time that we have ever access this camera, it was to be used only for emergencies.” Namjoon shot back. “If you want to be part of this group, you are going to have to deal with a lack of privacy from time to time.”

You sigh defeated leaning back in your chair and glancing at the camera shots. there was another in the hallway in front of my door, a third pointing to the building in flames, and a forth that said no signal, you guess that one must have been set up inside the store. You are beyond grief  you’re absolutely livid.

“Are these cameras recording?” You ask JK.

“Yeah, I’ll set up a notification if there is any movement in your apartment.”

You continue to stare a the flames engulfing the building, “There is one thing I am still confused about. If I was so well hidden how did the press get my picture and find out about me so quickly? How did they,” You point to the screen, “Find my workplace so quickly.”

V answers for you, “I’m looking into my connections, seeing if anyone is trying to exchange information about you on the dark web, but it could be as simple as one of your friends talking to the media.”

You are more concerned about the second option than the first. Your friends knew you as a private person. They knew that you wouldn’t want your life on display. Did one of them sell you out?

“2 hours and 40 minutes left on the transfer, I don’t think I can watch this anymore.”  You slowly leave you chair heading back to the living room. The other members follow, you hear Jimin whisper asking if you are really joining the team, a faint yes comes from Jin. Jimin seems pleased by the idea, you turn back to see his his squinty eyed smile.

Namjoon whispers something to Jin, who then excuses himself, as everyone sit on the couches surrounding a coffee table.

Suga is leaning back, looking as if he might fall asleep, V, JK and Jimin are arguing over something on his laptop. Hope sits beside you as he scrolls through his phone. Namjoon is across from you holding a small smile on his face. Jin returns with 8 bottles of beer. “You should be fine now (Y/N), the painkillers will be out of your system.” He informs you, passing a bottle over.

“Thanks Jin.”

He hands out the rest of the bottles.

“I know that this isn’t the ideal time for initiation...” Namjoon starts what seems like a speech but is quickly interrupted .

“Here he goes...” Suga mutters.

“He’s going to be all methodical and sappy,” groans Hope.

Jimin stifles his laughter. Namjoon glares at them.

“Just keep it short RM.” V asks.

Namjoon turns to you, you give him a pleading look in agreement with the others. “Fuck it then, Welcome home Fire.”

A chorus of welcome homes echoed around the room we all raised out bottles and toast the occasion.

The talk soon turned to logistics. “What role will she be taking?” Asks Jimin.

Namjoon looks to you in assessment, “You already have a background with computers, so it might be best if you stick with JK for now. At least until you heal.”

“Maybe you can teach him a thing or two about screenshots, or even art.” V cracks.

The beer is consumed quickly, the guys out pacing you easily. There’s a outcry for more, forcing Jin to find the soju. “Drink it slow, otherwise you’ll feel terrible tomorrow.” Jin expresses his concern as he pours you a drink.

“I don’t think that I could feel much worse tomorrow regardless.” The funeral coming to the forefront of your mind.

“You don’t have do this you know.” Jin suddenly blurts out.

You knew this was coming, “If you are referring to my membership, I don’t think your in any place to talk me out of it. I don’t want to be that naive child anymore Jin, you should know that better than anyone.”

“You’re too young to know what you want.”

“Yes because being two years older makes you so much more mature.”

“I may be only two years older but I have spent the last five in a world you can’t comprehend. I’m just trying to look out for you. We can watch over you even if you don’t become a member.”

JK approaches with an empty cup eyeing the bottle in Jin’s hand.

“Did you say the same thing to JK when he joined or is this for my benefit?” You remark pointing out the double standard in age.

“Okay fine, I’ll lay off... for now.” He claps a hand on JK’s shoulder changing his tone.  “Try not to pick on JK too much while your working with him. You don’t want to scare him off with that temper of yours.” Jin laughs

“Yes because he’s so innocent,” You mutter sarcastically  to low for Jin to hear.

“You’ll be working under me Fire, you shouldn’t make fun of your superior like that.” JK whispers to you as Jin pours more drinks.

“Is that a threat little boy, because I was told not to keep any secrets from my fellow members.” You eye him darkly.

“You wouldn’t dare...”

But you do...“Jin I was wondering, JK had this weird folder hidden on his server labeled F.A.P. material any idea what it might be?”

JK turns bright red as Jin fumes, “What do you have on your computer?”

You snicker quickly edging out of the conversation making you way over to Namjoon. As you stop beside him all you could hear across the room was, “You should see the amount RM has on his computer!”

You burst out laughing while he asks, “What are they talking about?”

“Oh, I accidentally came across JK’s porn folder while on his server.” It took a minute for it to sink in and figure out what JK was accusing him of.

“Oh...OH!... It’s not...” He stutters.

“I could care less, it’s just funny to watch the reaction of those who do.”

After a while the yelling becomes slurred apologies as the liquor takes hold.

Jimin and V have passed out on one of the couches together.

Hope somehow talks the rest of us to into playing a drinking game. For Namjoon and yourself it took a little convincing, but you aren’t sure how he was able to persuade Suga.  

You had gone a couple rounds now, the truths becoming more interesting as you all continue.

Namjoon pulls a new prompt from the bowl. “Embarrassing secrets... Apparently I have a shocking amount of adult content on my computer.” Namjoon confesses. You all lift your glasses and take a drink.

It was you turn next. You try to think of something that none of them would have in common with you, really not wanting to have to take another drink. “Until recently I had a stuffed animal I slept with.” You glance at them hopefully. Matching grins appeared on both Suga’s and Hopes face as they look to Namjoon.

He looks back at them shot in hand, “It makes a good cushion...” He grumbles taking a shot with you.

Suga is up next. “Skip.”

You try to persuade him, “Wait, but this is such and easy one.”

“Skip,” He repeats taking his two penalty shots.

Hope clears his throat, and continues the game. Not commenting on Suga’s deflect.  “I used to take dance lessons.”

No one speaks up.

“Fuck Hope, you wanted to play knowing you would win didn’t you.” Suga complains as everyone takes the shot instead of Hope.

“Ugh, how does anyone win this game,” You groan, rubbing your hand over your face trying to stay awake.

Namjoon’s face drops as he reads the next slip. “Greatest fear...” He takes a deep breath as he thinks it over. “I’m terrified of failure. One misstep an it becomes a life or death every time.”

You all raise our glasses again.

“I think you’re just afraid of drinking alone.” Hope grumbles.

You hate this question, there was one fear that surpasses all others for you. “I am afraid of being alone...” everyone raises their glasses but you aren’t finished yet. “Alone with my own thoughts. On a bad day I’ll go out to the store or a cafe because at least there... in public I know I won’t act upon them.” Namjoon and Hope lower theirs, but Suga keeps his glass high. He continues to look you in the eye as he takes his shot with you. You felt Namjoon reach for your hand under the table, he squeezes it and keeps hold.

Suga doesn’t take long to come up with his own, “My tally.” Seeing your confusion he continues to explain. “When I became a sniper I was worried I would lose count of the lives I took. I keep a tally and add to it every time I am given an assignment. I have not counted it in years. I have gone from a fear of forgetting to a fear of knowing.”

The rest of you take your shots in silence. You don’t know what to say his truth, it leaves you troubled but also terrified.

You can tell that Hope is not eager to share. “Come on Hope this’ll be the last one.” You whisper encouragingly.

“I’m scared of falling asleep. Almost every night I dream that someone I care about dies in my arms, that it is my fault, that I failed them.” His mouth hangs open as if waiting for his words to continue but only silence follows.

You raise your glass, offering words in solidarity. “You’re not alone. If it’s not my mother, it’s my father, if it’s not him it’s my friends. So far I am two for three,” You chuckle darkly as you roll the glass between your fingers before taking the shot with him. You can tell why they like to play this game. It may have taken on a somber tone near the end , but you feel as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

Kneeling at the table and drinking excessively had finally taken its toll. You honestly don’t think you can get up so you just lay back on the rug. The carpet is incredibly soft, you felt as if you are melting into it.

“No one move me until it’s absolutely necessary.”

J-Hope crawls over and climbs on the couch behind you, “Same.”

“You guys are all light weights.” Suga lays down on the floor his head resting on a blanket supported by your ankles. Namjoon lays along his side of the table with his head pointed towards you.

“Thank you agreeing to take me on.”

“I hope you’ll still be thankful after your training,” He laughs.

“Too late to back out now?” you jokingly ask.

“Yeah I think so, you can’t go back on an initiation like that.” He gestures to everyone passed out, snores can be heard around the room.

You suppress a snicker.

“Goodnight Namjoon.” You whisper.

“Goodnight (Y/N),” He places a hand on your head as you fall asleep.